A new form of collaboration in cultural anthropology: Matsutake worlds

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

T. K, Choy,; Tsing, Anna

2009-01-01

Experiments in collaboration open new investigative possibilities for cultural anthropologists. In this report, we use our research on matsutake mushrooms to show the promise of collaborative experiments for ethnographers of scale making, global connection, and human–nonhuman relations. Anna Tsing...... introduces. Mogu Mogu (Timothy Choy and Shiho Satsuka) argue that the mushroomic figure of mycorrhizal life illuminates workings of capital and power, nature and culture. Lieba Faier examines contingency—through the effect of weather and bugs on matsutake production—as a form of self-positioning that emerges...... from local understandings of connection. Michael Hathaway uses postcolonial science studies to examine the transnational production, flow, and transformation of scientific knowledge about matsutake. Miyako Inoue discusses the anthropological subject that emerges through the kind of collaboration...

University - industry collaborations: models, drivers and cultures.

Science.gov (United States)

Ehrismann, Dominic; Patel, Dhavalkumar

2015-01-01

The way academic institutions and pharmaceutical companies have been approaching collaborations has changed significantly in recent years. A multitude of interaction models were tested and critical factors that drive successful collaborations have been proposed. Based on this experience the current consensus in the pharmaceutical industry is to pursue one of two strategies: an open innovation approach to source discoveries wherever they occur, or investing selectively into scientific partnerships that churn out inventions that can be translated from bench to bedside internally. While these strategies may be intuitive, to form and build sustainable relationships between academia and large multinational healthcare enterprises is proving challenging. In this article we explore some of the more testing aspects of these collaborations, approaches that various industrial players have taken and provide our own views on the matter. We found that understanding and respecting each other's organisational culture and combining the intellectual and technological assets to answer big scientific questions accelerates and improves the quality of every collaboration. Upon discussing the prevailing cooperation models in the university - industry domain, we assert that science-driven collaborations where risks and rewards are shared equally without a commercial agenda in mind are the most impactful.

Networking: a study in planning and developing cross-cultural collaboration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanjeev Singh

2002-12-01

Full Text Available This paper reports on a collaboration between the authors at the University of Brighton (UK and the University of Delhi, South Campus. The collaboration came about as a result of the EU-India Cross-Cultural Innovation Network collaboration programme, a project involving several universities and organizations across Europe and India. The authors of this paper both lecture in the area of computer networking. Following meetings in Delhi, they agreed to work together to produce a Web-based networking resource to be generated by the students of both institutions. The first phase of development involved the mounting of Web-based tutorials and documents produced by the students. The second phase will centre on the development of a knowledge base generated by the interaction of the students within an asynchronous forum. Running alongside these phases will be a collaborative bookmarking system, a database in which the students will post URLs of Web-based resources that they find useful in their studies. This system incorporates a form of collaborative filtering, an evolutionary mechanism which seeks to embody the qualities that students value in resources to provide a dynamic set of ratings to assist in the selection of those of most use. The planning of such a system raises some unusual issues, not least in the process of collaboration itself, with concerns as diverse as technical compatibility, institutional and cultural differences, timezones and the reliability of email. Limited bandwidth between our institutions causes special problems with the interactive elements of the resource. We present the methods we are investigating to reduce the impact of this. The fact that the students share an intellectual discipline but are otherwise separated by a cultural and geographical divide is expected to lead to fruitful diversity in thinking and approaches to problem-solving.

Effects of Cultural Orientation on Attitude Toward Anonymity in E-Collaboration

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Zhong, Yingqin; Liu, Na; Lim, John

The important role of attitude in the acceptance and diffusion of technology has been widely acknowledged. Greater research efforts have been called for examining the relationships between cultural variables and attitude toward technology. In this regard, this study investigates the impact of cultural orientation (focusing on an individual's degree of collectivism) on attitude toward e-collaboration technology. A theoretical model is proposed and subsequently tested using a questionnaire survey involving 236 data points. Self-reliance, competitive success, and group work orientation are found as significant indicators reflecting an individual's degree of collectivism, which in turn influences willingness to participate, evaluation of collaborative effort, and preference for anonymity feature. Subsequently, the three variables are found to affect perceptions about decision quality, enjoyment, uncertainty, and pressure in e-collaboration.

Is Ethical Sensitivity in Teaching Culturally Bound? Comparing Finnish and Iranian Teachers' Ethical Sensitivity

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Gholami, Khalil; Kuusisto, Elina; Tirri, Kirsi

2015-01-01

In this study, we investigated the culture-invariant and culture-dependent nature of teachers' ethical sensitivity in two countries. Our case study involves teachers from Finland (n = 864) representing Western culture, and from Iran (n = 556) representing Eastern culture. Culturally bound elements of ethical sensitivity were studied with the…

Trabalho imaterial, produção cultural colaborativa e economia da dádiva | Immaterial labour, collaborative cultural production and the economy of the gift

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Clóvis Ricardo Montenegro de Lima

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Resumo Neste artigo discutem-se as relações entre trabalho imaterial, produção cultural colaborativa e  economia da dádiva na sociedade atual. O intelecto geral é relacionado com a inteligência coletiva das redes digitais. A produção colaborativa emerge como forma privilegiada do fazer artístico e cultural. Esta produção pode contribuir para promoção e preservação da diversidade cultural. A produção cultural colaborativa evidencia pluralismo econômico. A generalização do trabalho imaterial produz bens comuns. O comum cria a versão pós-industrial e de alta tecnologia da economia da dádiva Conclui-se que a cultura colaborativa tem grande potencial para promover diversidade cultural e economia da generosidade. Palavras-chave trabalho imaterial; produção colaborativa; cultura; economia da dádiva; produção cultural colaborativa. Abstract This article discusses the relationship between immaterial labor, collaborative cultural production and gift economy in society today. The general intellect is related to the collective intelligence of digital networks. The collaborative production emerges as the preferred way to artistic and cultural. This production may contribute to promotion and preservation of cultural diversity. The collaborative cultural production highlights pluralism economics. The spread of immaterial labor produces common assets. The common creates a post-industrial and high-tech version of the gift economy. It is concluded that the collaborative culture has great potential to promote cultural diversity and economy of generosity. Keywords immaterial labor; collaborative production; culture; gift economy; collaborative cultural production.

Cultural sensitivity in public health: defined and demystified.

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Resnicow, K; Baranowski, T; Ahluwalia, J S; Braithwaite, R L

1999-01-01

There is consensus that health promotion programs should be culturally sensitive (CS). Yet, despite the ubiquitous nature of CS within public health research and practice, there has been surprisingly little attention given to defining CS or delineating a framework for developing culturally sensitive programs and practitioners. This paper describes a model for understanding CS from a public health perspective; describes a process for applying this model in the development of health promotion and disease prevention interventions; and highlights research priorities. Cultural sensitivity is defined by two dimensions: surface and deep structures. Surface structure involves matching intervention materials and messages to observable, "superficial" characteristics of a target population. This may involve using people, places, language, music, food, locations, and clothing familiar to, and preferred by, the target audience. Surface structure refers to how well interventions fit within a specific culture. Deep structure involves incorporating the cultural, social, historical, environmental and psychological forces that influence the target health behavior in the proposed target population. Whereas surface structure generally increases the "receptivity" or "acceptance" of messages, deep structure conveys salience. Techniques, borrowed from social marketing and health communication theory, for developing culturally sensitive interventions are described. Research is needed to determine the effectiveness of culturally sensitive programs.

Impact of International Collaborative Project on Cultural Competence among Occupational Therapy Students

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Divya Sood OTD, OTR/L

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Occupational therapy (OT educators recognize a need to ensure that OT students are culturally competent. The researchers developed the International Collaborative Project on Cultural Competence (ICPCC to help students understand the impact of cultural context on client care. Entry-level MOT students from a university in the US (N = 18 collaborated with BOT students (N = 4 and advanced MOT students (N = 9 from two universities in India using an online course management system WebCT. The study explored the impact of the ICPCC on OT students’ cultural competence and discusses students’ perceptions of culture on the OT process. The Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competence Among Health Care Professionals Revised© measured students’ cultural competence at baseline and immediately after participation in the ICPCC. Qualitative data was collected using a Self-Reflection Form. There was an increase in the cultural competence scores among all three groups of students after participating in the ICPCC at p value < .05. Three themes emerged from the qualitative data analysis: meaning of the term culture, impact of cultural on client- centered practice, and impact of cultural on OT outcomes. OT students recognized the role that cultural differences play in OT evaluation and intervention.

Revising and Updating the Inventory of Cross-Cultural Sensitivity

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Mahon, Jennifer A.; Cushner, Kenneth

2014-01-01

The following article outlines research conducted to examine cross-cultural sensitivity in a sample of 949 incoming university students in the USA. The study was conducted during the process of updating an existing measure of cross-cultural sensitivity known as the Inventory of Cross-Cultural Sensitivity (ICCS), and to examine the various levels…

Cultural Sensitivity in English Language Teaching Materials

OpenAIRE

MEHMET, Sean Collin

2008-01-01

This expository paper will begin by uncovering and examining some lesser known, Western journal articles, ones that deal specifically with the issue of cultural sensitivity in language classrooms. This opening discussion will attempt to reveal that cultural sensitivity in teaching materials is by no means an issue limited solely to the Western world. After this, the discussion will focus on Edward Said's widely-known Culture and Imperialism. Said's monograph will be used as a springboard to e...

Developing Communicative and Cultural Competences in Portuguese through an Online Collaborative Project

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Vanessa Cristina Revheim Cunha

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Lessons should provide opportunities to use language in relevant ways. Cultural awareness is essential, as studying a language implies learning its cultural values. ACTFL advocates that cultural understanding is vital to prepare students for the demands of today’s globalized world. The U.S. Dept. of Education National Education Technology Plan (2010 claims that learning by technology “prepares them [students] to be more productive members of a globally competitive workforce”(p. xi. In order to promote a communicative experience with a cultural focus, the concepts of collaboration and autonomy were applied in a project where students used a Brazilian website and learned about the importance of a community tradition called Amigo Secreto. Students write personal descriptions and interact online. On the last day of class, students describe their secret friends and the class must guess who they are. The objectives are for students to work collaboratively, use authentic language and improve cultural knowledge.

Collaborative learning in a culturally diverse secondary vocational education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dr. Rutger van de Sande; Drs. Kennedy Aquilino Tielman; Dr. S. Bolhuis; Prof. dr. Perry den Brok

2010-01-01

Collaborative learning in a culturally diverse secondary vocational education. By K. Tielman (Fontys), P. den Brok (ESoE), S. Bolhuis (Fontys) and R. van de Sande (Fontys) This contribution discusses a descriptive study on the experiences of students and teachers in secondary vocational education

A Culture-Sensitive Agent in Kirman's Ant Model

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Chen, Shu-Heng; Liou, Wen-Ching; Chen, Ting-Yu

The global financial crisis brought a serious collapse involving a "systemic" meltdown. Internet technology and globalization have increased the chances for interaction between countries and people. The global economy has become more complex than ever before. Mark Buchanan [12] indicated that agent-based computer models will prevent another financial crisis and has been particularly influential in contributing insights. There are two reasons why culture-sensitive agent on the financial market has become so important. Therefore, the aim of this article is to establish a culture-sensitive agent and forecast the process of change regarding herding behavior in the financial market. We based our study on the Kirman's Ant Model[4,5] and Hofstede's Natational Culture[11] to establish our culture-sensitive agent based model. Kirman's Ant Model is quite famous and describes financial market herding behavior from the expectations of the future of financial investors. Hofstede's cultural consequence used the staff of IBM in 72 different countries to understand the cultural difference. As a result, this paper focuses on one of the five dimensions of culture from Hofstede: individualism versus collectivism and creates a culture-sensitive agent and predicts the process of change regarding herding behavior in the financial market. To conclude, this study will be of importance in explaining the herding behavior with cultural factors, as well as in providing researchers with a clearer understanding of how herding beliefs of people about different cultures relate to their finance market strategies.

Cross-Cultural Psychiatry in the Field: Collaborating with Anthropology

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Folmar, Steven; Palmes, Guy K.

2009-01-01

Psychiatric and anthropological collaborations have produced robust literatures on varied topics but there are challenges in the working relation between these two fields. A research into how cultures deal with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders in Afghanistan is discussed to highlight the challenges in the working relations between…

Negotiating Cultural Boundaries through Collaboration: The Roles of Motivation, Advocacy and Process

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Klein, Carrie

2017-01-01

This case study investigated the roles of organizational culture and the individual in collaborative processes at a large, public university. Results indicate that individuals who are motivated by a belief in shared mission use their awareness of the collaborative process to advocate for themselves and others, leading to stronger and more…

[Biology and culture: a dimension of collaboration between anthropology and epidemiology].

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Song, Leiming; Wang, Ning

2016-01-01

Biology is the important basis of epidemiological study. Based on biology, psychology, social and cultural factors can influence human's health and disease incidence. The medical mode has changed from "biomedical mode" to "bio-psycho-social medical model" , but culture factor was neglected somewhat during this process, so paying attention to culture factor in anthropologic study and using it as biologic basis in epidemiologic study might be a dimension of collaboration between of anthropology and epidemiology.

Sensitivity analysis of synergistic collaborative scenarios towards sustainable nuclear energy systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fesenko, G.; Kuznetsov, V.; Poplavskaya, E.

2013-01-01

The paper presents results of the study on the role of collaboration among countries towards sustainable global nuclear energy systems. The study explores various market shares for nuclear fuel cycle services, possible scale of collaboration among countries and assesses benefits and issues relevant for collaboration between suppliers and users of nuclear fuel cycle services. The approach used in the study is based on a heterogeneous world model with grouping of the non-personified nuclear energy countries according to different nuclear fuel cycle policies. The methodology applied in the analysis allocates a fraction of future global nuclear energy generation to each of such country-groups as a function of time. The sensitivity studies performed show the impacts of the group shares on the scope of collaboration among countries and on the resulting possible reactor mix and nuclear fuel cycle infrastructure versus time. The study quantitatively demonstrates that the synergistic approach to nuclear fuel cycle has a significant potential for offering a win-win collaborative strategy to both, technology holders and technology users on their joint way to future sustainable nuclear energy systems. The study also highlights possible issues on such a collaborative way. (authors)

A Pilot Study: Facilitating Cross-Cultural Understanding with Project-Based Collaborative Learning in an Online Environment

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Shadiev, Rustam; Hwang, Wu-Yuin; Huang, Yueh-Min

2015-01-01

This study investigated three aspects: how project-based collaborative learning facilitates cross-cultural understanding; how students perceive project-based collaborative learning implementation in a collaborative cyber community (3C) online environment; and what types of communication among students are used. A qualitative case study approach…

Validation of a patient-centered culturally sensitive health care office staff inventory.

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Tucker, Carolyn M; Wall, Whitney; Marsiske, Michael; Nghiem, Khanh; Roncoroni, Julia

2015-09-01

Research suggests that patient-perceived culturally sensitive health care encompasses multiple components of the health care delivery system including the cultural sensitivity of front desk office staff. Despite this, research on culturally sensitive health care focuses almost exclusively on provider behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge. This is due in part to the paucity of instruments available to assess the cultural sensitivity of front desk office staff. Thus, the objective of the present study is to determine the psychometric properties of the pilot Tucker-Culturally Sensitive Health Care Office Staff Inventory-Patient Form (T-CSHCOSI-PF), which is an instrument designed to enable patients to evaluate the patient-defined cultural sensitivity of their front desk office staff. A sample of 1648 adult patients was recruited by staff at 67 health care sites across the United States. These patients anonymously completed the T-CSHCOSI-PF, a demographic data questionnaire, and a patient satisfaction questionnaire. Findings Confirmatory factor analyses of the TCSHCOSI-PF revealed that this inventory has two factors with high internal consistency reliability and validity (Cronbach's αs=0.97 and 0.95). It is concluded that the T-CSHCOSI-PF is a psychometrically strong and useful inventory for assessing the cultural sensitivity of front desk office staff. This inventory can be used to support culturally sensitive health care research, evaluate the job performance of front desk office staff, and aid in the development of trainings designed to improve the cultural sensitivity of these office staff.

Attitudes toward physician-nurse collaboration: a cross-cultural study of male and female physicians and nurses in the United States and Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Hojat, M; Nasca, T J; Cohen, M J; Fields, S K; Rattner, S L; Griffiths, M; Ibarra, D; de Gonzalez, A A; Torres-Ruiz, A; Ibarra, G; Garcia, A

2001-01-01

Inter-professional collaboration between physicians and nurses, within and between cultures, can help contain cost and insure better patient outcomes. Attitude toward such collaboration is a function of the roles prescribed in the culture that guide professional behavior. The purpose of the study was to test three research hypotheses concerning attitudes toward physician-nurse collaboration across genders, disciplines, and cultures. The Jefferson Scale of Attitudes Toward Physician-Nurse Collaboration was administered to 639 physicians and nurses in the United States (n = 267) and Mexico (n = 372). Attitude scores were compared by gender (men, women), discipline (physicians, nurses), and culture (United States, Mexico) by using a three-way factorial analysis of variance design. Findings confirmed the first research hypothesis by demonstrating that both physicians and nurses in the United States would express more positive attitudes toward physician-nurse collaboration than their counterparts in Mexico. The second research hypothesis, positing that nurses as compared to physicians in both countries would express more positive attitudes toward physician-nurse collaboration, was also supported. The third research hypothesis that female physicians would express more positive attitudes toward physician-nurse collaboration than their male counterparts was not confirmed. Collaborative education for medical and nursing students, particularly in cultures with a hierarchical model of inter-professional relationship, is needed to promote positive attitudes toward complementary roles of physicians and nurses. Faculty preparation for collaboration is necessary in such cultures before implementing collaborative education.

Online Collaborative Learning Activities: The Perceptions of Culturally Diverse Graduate Students

Science.gov (United States)

Kumi-Yeboah, Alex; Yuan, Guangji; Dogbey, James

2017-01-01

This exploratory study examined the perceptions of minority graduate students toward online collaborative learning activities. The participants were 20 minority graduate students from diverse cultural backgrounds (10 African Americans, 5 Hispanics, and 5 international students from Africa) enrolled in online graduate instructional technology and…

Preparing Professional School Counselors as Collaborators in Culturally Competent School Administration

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Judith; Bustamante, Rebecca M.

2009-01-01

In collaboration with principals and other leadership team members, professional school counselors have ethical responsibilities in promoting culturally competent school environments. Pre-service training is the ideal time for school counselors and principals to develop the necessary background information, tools, and assessment skills to assist…

Successful Interprofessional Collaboration on the Hospice Team.

Science.gov (United States)

Reese, Dona J.; Sontag, Mary-Ann

2001-01-01

Despite the holistic approach inherent in the hospice philosophy, social work may be viewed as ancillary to medicine. Social work, in turn, may lack sensitivity about other professions' expertise and values and therefore be unprepared to collaborate across cultural boundaries between professions. This article outlines the barriers and proposes…

Cultural sensitivity and supportive expressive psychotherapy: an integrative approach to treatment.

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White, Tracela M; Gibbons, Mary Beth Connolly; Schamberger, Megan

2006-01-01

Cultural sensitivity is a concept that has become increasingly important in psychotherapy research and practice. In response to the growing ethnic minority population and the increased demand for psychological services among minority clients, many therapists and researchers have attempted to identify competencies and guidelines for providing culturally sensitive approaches to treatment. However, many cultural sensitivity concepts are theoretical and have rarely been integrated into an established psychotherapeutic framework. The purpose of this manuscript is to operationalize the concepts of cultural sensitivity into specific therapeutic techniques using a manual-guided Supportive Expressive Psychotherapy approach. Developing these strategies may serve to further assist therapists with the delivery of mental health services to ethnic minority clients.

Queer Student Leaders of Color: Leadership as Authentic, Collaborative, Culturally Competent

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Miller, Ryan A.; Vaccaro, Annemarie

2016-01-01

A phenomenological study yielded rich data about the essence of being a queer student leader of Color. Six participants described a desire to be authentic, culturally competent, and collaborative leaders, but they faced challenges enacting these forms of leadership as they navigated oppression (e.g., disrespect, stereotyping, tokenization,…

Collaboration and Crisis in Mega Projects: A Study in Cross Corporate Culture Conflict and its Resolution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karen Smits

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Projects typically involve multiple partners coming together to form a temporary project organization that manages project execution. Partners begin their relationship with soaring aspirations to collaborate but as they move through the project’s various phases and they experience friction, especially those related to cultural clashes, their noble aspirations succumb to creeping, if not full blown, crisis. This, in turn, creates lost relationality and compromised execution. Thus, the question: How can project partners manage the integration of differing corporate cultures and work processes to produce the most effective and efficient outcomes?  Using the mega project of the Panama Canal Expansion Program, the authors explore how a multicultural project organization moved from dysfunctional relationality to synergistic, self-reinforcing, collaboration. A “Collabyrinth” (Smits, 2013 model explores how participants learned to collaborate in a holding environment saturated with layers of complex cultural difference.  The Collabyrinth is composed of six comingling elements: (1 Conflicting Conditions, (2 Submarining, (3 Seeking Consent, (4 Storytelling, (5 Crafting Reciprocal Relations, (6 Synergizing. Certain aspects of crisis management are employed to explain intra-collabyrinth dynamics. Those aspects are: (1 Coming of the Forerunners, (2 Acuteness in the Now, (3 Resolution Seeking, and (4 Constructing Relationality. Specific examples of the collabyrinth journey are provided and recommendations are made to harness the positive power of cross-corporate culture collaboration.

Organizational culture, intersectoral collaboration and mental health care.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, Penelope Fay; Pattison, Philippa Eleanor

2012-01-01

This study aims to investigate whether and how organizational culture moderates the influence of other organizational capacities on the uptake of new mental health care roles by non-medical primary health and social care services. Using a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected in 2004 from providers in 41 services in Victoria, Australia, recruited using purposeful sampling. Respondents within each service worked as a group to complete a structured interview that collected quantitative and qualitative data simultaneously. Five domains of organizational capacity were analyzed: leadership, moral support and participation; organizational culture; shared concepts, policies, processes and structures; access to resource support; and social model of health. A principal components analysis explored the structure of data about roles and capacities, and multiple regression analysis examined relationships between them. The unit of analysis was the service (n = 41). Organizational culture was directly associated with involvement in two types of mental health care roles and moderated the influence of factors in the inter-organizational environment on role involvement. Congruence between the values embodied in organizational culture, communicated in messages from the environment, and underlying particular mental health care activities may play a critical role in shaping the emergence of intersectoral working and the uptake of new roles. This study is the first to demonstrate the importance of organizational culture to intersectoral collaboration in health care, and one of very few to examine organizational culture as a predictor of performance, compared with other organizational-level factors, in a multivariate analysis. Theory is developed to explain the findings.

A cross-cultural comparative analysis of small group collaboration using mobile twitter

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kyungsub Stephen Choi, Il Im; Hofstede, G.J.

2016-01-01

This study was undertaken to determine the distinctive user behaviors and patterns of participants communicating using Twitter on a mobile device in a small-group collaborative setting. Participants were from Western and Eastern cultures (the United States and Korea). Tweets were coded and

Are They Thinking Differently: A Cross-Cultural Study on the Relationship of Thinking Styles and Emerging Roles in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning

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Gu, Xiaoqing; Wang, Huawen; Mason, Jon

2017-01-01

Numerous studies have recognized collaboration as an effective way of learning. When collaboration involves students from different cultural backgrounds, a question arises: "Will cultural differences influence the manner in which roles are adopted within collaborative learning?" In this study, a correlation analysis was used to explore…

Shared Knowledge and Mutual Respect: Enhancing Culturally Competent Practice through Collaboration with Families and Communities

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Verdon, Sarah; Wong, Sandie; McLeod, Sharynne

2016-01-01

Collaboration with families and communities has been identified as one of six overarching principles to speech and language therapists' (SLTs') engagement in culturally competent practice (Verdon et al., 2015a). The aim of this study was to describe SLTs' collaboration with families and communities when engaging in practice to support the speech,…

Two Screens and an Ocean: Collaborating across Continents and Cultures with Web-Based Tools

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Frydenberg, Mark; Andone, Diana

2010-01-01

This paper describes the implementation and results of a cross-cultural pairing between college students in the United States and Romania who worked together over the period of one month to create a multimedia presentation that shared their learning about topics of multimedia and culture. Students could use any web-based collaboration tools of…

Creating a successful culturally sensitive home care program.

Science.gov (United States)

Blanter, R; Page, P M

1995-12-01

Providing quality home care services to immigrants requires an integrated, holistic approach that genuinely addresses language and cultural differences. One home care agency in Massachusetts developed a team-oriented, culturally sensitive outreach program that ensures non-English-speaking patients the same level of service that the general population receives.

Teacher collaboration and curriculum construction: Political, cultural, and structural contexts

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Esterle, Rochelle Eda Penn

This longitudinal case study is the story of one high school's efforts to implement curriculum reform and the profound effect of local circumstances on reform ideologies. What began as a study of inter- and intradisciplinary collaborative science curriculum integration became the study of a systemic failure to modify cultural practices. Poritical, economic, and structural measures initiated to facilitate reform ultimately represent inherent conflicts of interest which undermine the reform effort. This research exposes obstacles that are deeply embedded within the school's governance, the beliefs and knowledge of teachers, and the culture of schools. The study site is both a new entity and a new concept: a specialized math/science high school located on a state university campus; the school recruits underrepresented students to become acclimated to university coursework and culture. To date, the school has maintained an exceptional record of college and university placements. The school is governed by a partnership representing the university, the corporate sector, and 11 surrounding K-12 school districts. Free from the regularities of a traditional high school, the school appears to be ideally situated for innovation. The principle innovations at this school relate to its organizational structure--heterogeneous student groupings, cooperative group work, curriculum integration, block scheduling, and concurrent university coursework. For teachers, grade level teams replace departments as the dominant unit for professional, curricular, and social interactions. Within teacher teams, collaboration centers around ongoing student problems and policies, subordinating academic content and significant interdisciplinary connections. Without active discipline-based departments and curricular leadership, however, this research finds an absence of academic direction and accountability.

Teaching ethics: when respect for autonomy and cultural sensitivity collide.

Science.gov (United States)

Minkoff, Howard

2014-04-01

Respect for autonomy is a key ethical principle. However, in some cultures other moral domains such as community (emphasizing the importance of family roles) and sanctity (emphasizing the sacred and the spiritual side of human nature) hold equal value. Thus, an American physician may sometimes perceive a conflict between the desire to practice ethically and the wish to be sensitive to the mores of other cultures. For example, a woman may appear to be making what the physician thinks is a bad clinical choice because her spouse is speaking on her behalf. That physician may find it difficult to reconcile the sense that the patient had not exercised freely her autonomy with the desire to be culturally sensitive. In this article, the means by which a physician can reconcile respect for other cultures with respect for autonomy is explored. The question of whether physicians must always defer to patients' requests solely because they are couched in the language of cultural sensitivity is also addressed. Copyright © 2014 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Can Collaborative Consultation, Based on Communicative Theory, Promote an Inclusive School Culture?

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von Ahlefeld Nisser, Désirée

2017-01-01

This article contributes to furthering our knowledge of how collaborative consultation, based on communicative theory, can make teachers' learning from, and with, each other an inclusive process, and thus promote an inclusive school culture. The aim is to study special education professionals' experiences of, and reflections on, leading…

Promoting Entrepreneurial Culture in the University: The Institutional Collaborative Model at the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid

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de Pablo, Isidro; Alfaro, Fernando; Rodriguez, Miriam; Valdes, Esperanza

2011-01-01

This paper presents a case of collaboration between different types of public services and the private sector for the promotion of an entrepreneurial culture. This collaboration is achieved by means of a centre established and developed by the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, the Centro de Iniciativas Emprendedoras (the Centre for Entrepreneurial…

Development of culturally sensitive dialog tools in diabetes education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nana Folmann Hempler

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Person-centeredness is a goal in diabetes education, and cultural influences are important to consider in this regard. This report describes the use of a design-based research approach to develop culturally sensitive dialog tools to support person-centered dietary education targeting Pakistani immigrants in Denmark with type 2 diabetes. The approach appears to be a promising method to develop dialog tools for patient education that are culturally sensitive, thereby increasing their acceptability among ethnic minority groups. The process also emphasizes the importance of adequate training and competencies in the application of dialog tools and of alignment between researchers and health care professionals with regards to the educational philosophy underlying their use.

Collaboration and E-collaboration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Razmerita, Liana; Kirchner, Kathrin

2015-01-01

Understanding student’s perception of collaboration and how collaboration is supported by ICT is important for its efficient use in the classroom. This article aims to investigate how students perceive collaboration and how they use new technologies in collaborative group work. Furthermore......, it tries to measure the impact of technology on students’ satisfaction with collaboration outcomes. In particular, the study aims to address the following research questions: Which demographic information (e.g. gender and place of origin) is significant for collaboration and ecollaboration? and Which...... are the perceived factors that influence the students’ group performance? The findings of this study emphasize that there are gender and cultural differences with respect to the perception of e-collaboration. Furthermore, the article summarizes in a model the most significant factors influencing group performance....

A cultura de colaboração e inovação dos desenvolvedores de software livre | The collaborative and innovative culture of free software developers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clóvis Ricardo Montenegro de Lima

2010-03-01

Abstract This article aims to investigate the culture of the developers of free software, especially as regards collaboration and productive organizational and social innovation. It discusses the relationship between immaterial labor and free software collaborative development. It starts with the main feature of software development with open source: a productive partnership. This implies the use of living knowledge and the formation of a shared intersubjectivity. Communication mediated by language is the basis of this production. The article also discusses the relationship between collaborative production and innovation. Collaboration extends the communicative interaction between producers, opening up more possibilities for innovation. Intersubjectivity shared condenses in a specific cultural background. It is concluded that the culture of the developers of free software, as generated from the productive collaboration, serves as a context for collaboration and innovation. Keywords culture; free software; innovation; collaboration; cyberculture.

Transcultural healthcare immersion: a unique interprofessional experience poised to influence collaborative practice in cultural settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Morton, Jennifer

2012-01-01

This paper describes a model for interprofessional and transcultural learning established by the author and supported by the University of New England and Ghana Health Mission, Inc. The model for interprofessional immersion in cultural settings represents a guiding framework predicated on a conceptual "brick and mortar" process for building cultural proficiency among individuals and within teams. It encompasses social, clinical and behavioral components (brick) and personal desire, cultural humility and values (mortar). The ``bounty'' aspect of the model is achieved by way of successful student learning outcomes, positive interprofessional and community-based collaborations, and finally, and to be measured over time, favorable patient and population (programmatic) outcomes. In partnership with the Ghana Health Mission, Inc and local community health workers, students and faculty from a range of health professions took part in a cultural-clinical experience known as Transcultural Immersion in Healthcare. The goal of the experience was to advance cultural proficiency and knowledge through intensive cultural immersion. An urban setting in Ghana, located in West Africa served as the setting for this unique experience. The transcultural immersion in healthcare experience achieved its ``bounty'' as seen in the enhanced cultural proficiency of students and faculty, seamless interprofessional communication and collaboration, and provision of primary care and related services to patients and the Ghanaian community. Future research is in development to test the Model for Interprofessional Immersion in Cultural Settings (MIICS) in a variety of other settings and with a cross section of health disciplines.

Global Collaborative STEM Education

Science.gov (United States)

Meabh Kelly, Susan; Smith, Walter

2016-04-01

Global Collaborative STEM Education, as the name suggests, simultaneously supports two sets of knowledge and skills. The first set is STEM -- science, technology, engineering and math. The other set of content knowledge and skills is that of global collaboration. Successful global partnerships require awareness of one's own culture, the biases embedded within that culture, as well as developing awareness of the collaborators' culture. Workforce skills fostered include open-mindedness, perseverance when faced with obstacles, and resourceful use of technological "bridges" to facilitate and sustain communication. In respect for the 2016 GIFT Workshop focus, Global Collaborative STEM Education projects dedicated to astronomy research will be presented. The projects represent different benchmarks within the Global Collaborative STEM Education continuum, culminating in an astronomy research experience that fully reflects how the global STEM workforce collaborates. To facilitate wider engagement in Global Collaborative STEM Education, project summaries, classroom resources and contact information for established international collaborative astronomy research projects will be disseminated.

Spanish-speaking patients' satisfaction with clinical pharmacists' communication skills and demonstration of cultural sensitivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim-Romo, Dawn N; Barner, Jamie C; Brown, Carolyn M; Rivera, José O; Garza, Aida A; Klein-Bradham, Kristina; Jokerst, Jason R; Janiga, Xan; Brown, Bob

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE To assess Spanish-speaking patients' satisfaction with their clinical pharmacists' communication skills and demonstration of cultural sensitivity, while controlling for patients' sociodemographic, clinical, and communication factors, as well as pharmacist factors, and to identify clinical pharmacists' cultural factors that are important to Spanish-speaking patients. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Central Texas during August 2011 to May 2012. PARTICIPANTS Spanish-speaking patients of federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) A Spanish-translated survey assessed Spanish-speaking patients' satisfaction with their clinical pharmacists' communication skills and demonstration of cultural sensitivity. RESULTS Spanish-speaking patients (N = 101) reported overall satisfaction with their clinical pharmacists' communication skills and cultural sensitivity. Patients also indicated that pharmacists' cultural rapport (e.g., ability to speak Spanish, respectfulness) was generally important to Spanish speakers. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that cultural rapport was significantly related to satisfaction with pharmacists' communication skills and demonstration of cultural sensitivity. CONCLUSION Overall, patients were satisfied with pharmacists' communication skills and cultural sensitivity. Patient satisfaction initiatives that include cultural rapport should be developed for pharmacists who provide care to Spanish-speaking patients with limited English proficiency.

Collaborative measurement development as a tool in CBPR: measurement development and adaptation within the cultures of communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalez, John; Trickett, Edison J

2014-09-01

This paper describes the processes we engaged into develop a measurement protocol used to assess the outcomes in a community based suicide and alcohol abuse prevention project with two Alaska Native communities. While the literature on community-based participatory research (CBPR) is substantial regarding the importance of collaborations, few studies have reported on this collaboration in the process of developing measures to assess CBPR projects. We first tell a story of the processes around the standard issues of doing cross-cultural work on measurement development related to areas of equivalence. A second story is provided that highlights how community differences within the same cultural group can affect both the process and content of culturally relevant measurement selection, adaptation, and development.

Influence of Culture and Language Sensitive Physics on Science Attitude Enhancement

Science.gov (United States)

Morales, Marie Paz E.

2015-01-01

The study critically explored how culture and language sensitive curriculum materials in physics improve Pangasinan learners' attitude towards science. Their cultural dimensions, epistemological beliefs, and views on integration of culture and language in the teaching and learning process determined their cultural preference or profile. Design and…

Appropriating Geometric Series as a Cultural Tool: A Study of Student Collaborative Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Carlsen, Martin

2010-01-01

The aim of this article is to illustrate how students, through collaborative small-group problem solving, appropriate the concept of geometric series. Student appropriation of cultural tools is dependent on five sociocultural aspects: involvement in joint activity, shared focus of attention, shared meanings for utterances, transforming actions and…

The Exploration of Culturally Sensitive Nursing Care in Pediatric Setting: a Qualitative Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leila Valizadeh

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Background: One of the essential aspects of the provision of care is cultural issues. Cultural sensitivity is the key for cultural care. The aim of this study was to explore culturally sensitive care in pediatric nursing care in Iran.Materials and Methods: This study was a conventional content analysis. Participants were consisted of 25 nurses and 9 parents selected through purposive sampling from three pediatric referral centers in Tabriz and Tehran, Iran. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and field notes and were concurrently analyzed by using Graneheim and Lundman (2004 method. Data was transcribed verbatim, words, sentences, and phrases were considered meaning units, abstracted, labeled and compared for developing categories.Results: Culturally sensitive care of a sick child was consisted of three themes: ‘cultural exposure’, ‘intercultural communication’ and ‘the reconciliation of cultural conflict in families/care’. During the ‘cultural exposure’ nurses were informed of the cultural manifestations, strived to identify and understand patients/families with cultural diversities and respect their cultural beliefs. The nurse used the native language in ‘intercultural communication’ or a combination of verbal and nonverbal communication methods to reach a common understanding. Finally, a nurse in the conflict between the culture of child/family and care took actions for making decisions to develop a compliance between care and the family culture and amended parents’ harmful desires through negotiation and appropriate care.Conclusion: Understanding the concept of culturally sensitive care, can help with resolving the problems of cultural exchanges in Pediatric wards. Providing cultural facilities and interpreters to communicate with patients/family increase their satisfaction.

Influence of culture and language sensitive physics on science attitude enhancement

Science.gov (United States)

Morales, Marie Paz E.

2015-12-01

The study critically explored how culture and language sensitive curriculum materials in physics improve Pangasinan learners' attitude towards science. Their cultural dimensions, epistemological beliefs, and views on integration of culture and language in the teaching and learning process determined their cultural preference or profile. Design and development of culture and language sensitive curriculum materials in physics were heavily influenced by these learners' cultural preference or profile. Pilot-study using interviews and focus group discussions with natives of Pangasinan and document analysis were conducted to identify the culture, practices, and traditions integrated in the lesson development. Comparison of experimental participants' pretest and posttest results on science attitude measure showed significant statistical difference. Appraisal of science attitude enhancement favored the experimental group over the control group. Qualitative data deduced from post implementation interviews, focus group discussions, and journal log entries showed the same trend in favor of the experimental participants. The study revealed that culture and language integration in the teaching and learning process of physics concepts enabled students to develop positive attitude to science, their culture, and native language.

An examination of clinicians' experiences of collaborative culturally competent service delivery to immigrant families raising a child with a physical disability.

Science.gov (United States)

Fellin, Melissa; Desmarais, Chantal; Lindsay, Sally

2015-01-01

Although collaborative, culturally competent care has been shown to increase positive health outcomes and client satisfaction with services, little is known about the ways that clinicians implement service delivery models with immigrant families having a child with a disability. The purpose of this study is to examine the experiences of clinicians working with immigrant families raising a child with a physical disability and to examine the views and experiences of clinicians providing collaborative, culturally competent care to immigrant families raising a child with a physical disability. This study draws on in-depth interviews with 43 clinicians within two pediatric centers in Toronto and Quebec. Our findings show that clinicians remove or create barriers for immigrant families in different ways, which affect their ability to provide culturally competent care for immigrant families raising a child with a physical disability. Our findings suggest that there is a need for more institutional support for collaborative, culturally competent care to immigrant families raising a child with a physical disability. There is a lack of formal processes in place to develop collaborative treatment plans and approaches that would benefit immigrant families. Implications for Rehabilitation Clinicians need greater institutional support and resources to spend more time with families and to provide more rehabilitative care in families' homes. Building rapport with families includes listening to and respecting families' views and experiences. Facilitate collaboration and culturally competent care by having team meetings with parents to formulate treatment plans.

The Relationship of Workplace Culture With Nursing-Sensitive Organizational Factors.

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Hahtela, Nina; McCormack, Brendan; Paavilainen, Eija; Slater, Paul; Helminen, Mika; Suominen, Tarja

2015-01-01

The aim of this study is to explore the relations of workplace culture on nursing-sensitive organizational factors. The need for standardized and valid measures for nursing-sensitive organizational outcomes has already been recognized in the literature. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey of 21 inpatient acute care units in 9 organizations at the municipal primary healthcare level was conducted. Participants included licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, and nurse managers. Workplace culture, especially the overarching factor of stress, correlated with the use of supplemental nursing staff and patients' length of stay. It is essential to find and test workplace-sensitive indicators so that managers will have a wider range of methods to plan and evaluate nursing outcomes.

International Cultural Immersion: Assessing the Influence of a Group Intervention on Intercultural Sensitivity for Counselor Trainees

Science.gov (United States)

Barden, Sejal M.; Shannonhouse, Laura; Mobley, Keith

2015-01-01

Scholars (e.g., Bemak & Chung, 2004) underscore the need for group workers to be culturally sensitive. One group training strategy, cultural immersion, is often employed to develop cultural sensitivity. However, no studies have utilized quasi-experimental methodologies to assess differences in cultural sensitivity between trainees that immerse…

Bangladeshi parental ethnotheories in the United Kingdom: Towards cultural collaborations in clinical practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Bose, Ruma

2016-07-01

Parental meaning systems (ethnotheories) constitute a very important part of the context in which children live and develop. Parental ethnotheories are in turn shaped by implicit cultural ideals that organize parental beliefs and actions and frame child-rearing practices. The article presents a qualitative research into Bangladeshi parental ethnotheories in the United Kingdom, which illustrates both the rich cultural meanings that orientate parental action and also demonstrates how parents generate new meanings following migration and culture change. Professional understandings about children's developmental needs, of child rearing and parenting, are not culture free and an examination of the cultural frames of professional theories is important as parenting is often taught as a universal technique that takes little account of the cultural context and of what parents think. An engagement with other cultural theories about child development can enhance critical reflexivity in clinical practice by provoking reflection on the cultural constructions of professional theories. Creating a context for the expression of parental ethnotheories is necessary for developing cross-cultural collaborations in clinical practice as it empowers families and redresses the power relationship between the therapist and the parent. © The Author(s) 2014.

Culturally Sensitive and Environment-Friendly Outcome Measures in

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Dr Olaleye

A systematic review of evidence on culturally sensitive and environment-friendly outcome measures in ..... which included manual grass cutting/hoeing, assuming the Islamic ... who opined that the starting point for any outcome measure is to ...

Student nurses' experiences of living and studying in a different culture to their own and the development of cultural sensitivity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ruddock, Heidi

With the increase of culturally diverse people residing in Denmark, it has become imperative to provide student nurses with knowledge and skills that will enable them to become culturally sensitive in order interact effectively with clients from culturally diverse backgrounds. The aim of this study...... was to explore whether student nurses develop cultural sensitivity as a consequence of living and studying in a culture that is different from their own. Seven Danish student nurses who had participated in student exchanges in Jamaica, Australia, Malta and Greenland took part in this study. A qualitative...

East-West cultural differences in context-sensitivity are evident in early childhood.

Science.gov (United States)

Imada, Toshie; Carlson, Stephanie M; Itakura, Shoji

2013-03-01

Accumulating evidence suggests that North Americans tend to focus on central objects whereas East Asians tend to pay more attention to contextual information in a visual scene. Although it is generally believed that such culturally divergent attention tendencies develop through socialization, existing evidence largely depends on adult samples. Moreover, no past research has investigated the relation between context-sensitivity and other domains of cognitive development. The present study examined children in the United States and Japan (N = 175, age 4-9 years) to investigate the developmental pattern in context-sensitivity and its relation to executive function. The study found that context-sensitivity increased with age across cultures. Nevertheless, Japanese children showed significantly greater context-sensitivity than American children. Also, context-sensitivity fully mediated the cultural difference in a set-shifting executive function task, which might help explain past findings that East Asian children outperformed their American counterparts on executive function. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Sensitive and selective culture medium for detection of environmental Clostridium difficile isolates without requirement for anaerobic culture conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Cadnum, Jennifer L; Hurless, Kelly N; Deshpande, Abhishek; Nerandzic, Michelle M; Kundrapu, Sirisha; Donskey, Curtis J

2014-09-01

Effective and easy-to-use methods for detecting Clostridium difficile spore contamination would be useful for identifying environmental reservoirs and monitoring the effectiveness of room disinfection. Culture-based detection methods are sensitive for detecting C. difficile, but their utility is limited due to the requirement of anaerobic culture conditions and microbiological expertise. We developed a low-cost selective broth medium containing thioglycolic acid and l-cystine, termed C. difficile brucella broth with thioglycolic acid and l-cystine (CDBB-TC), for the detection of C. difficile from environmental specimens under aerobic culture conditions. The sensitivity and specificity of CDBB-TC (under aerobic culture conditions) were compared to those of CDBB (under anaerobic culture conditions) for the recovery of C. difficile from swabs collected from hospital room surfaces. CDBB-TC was significantly more sensitive than CDBB for recovering environmental C. difficile (36/41 [88%] versus 21/41 [51%], respectively; P = 0.006). C. difficile latex agglutination, an enzyme immunoassay for toxins A and B or glutamate dehydrogenase, and a PCR for toxin B genes were all effective as confirmatory tests. For 477 total environmental cultures, the specificity of CDBB-TC versus that of CDBB based upon false-positive yellow-color development of the medium without recovery of C. difficile was 100% (0 false-positive results) versus 96% (18 false-positive results), respectively. False-positive cultures for CDBB were attributable to the growth of anaerobic non-C. difficile organisms that did not grow in CDBB-TC. Our results suggest that CDBB-TC provides a sensitive and selective medium for the recovery of C. difficile organisms from environmental samples, without the need for anaerobic culture conditions. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Increased sensitivity to ET-1 in rat cerebral arteries following organ culture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen-Schwartz, J; Edvinsson, L

2000-01-01

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is recognized as being involved in the pathophysiology of cerebrovascular diseases. Using organ culture as a model for possible pathological changes we studied changes in ET(A) and ETB receptor function using a sensitive in vitro method. We observed an up-regulation of the ET......(B) receptor and an amazingly increased sensitivity to ET-1 by 3 log units in pEC50; pEC50(fresh) was 8.7 +/- 0.1, and pEC50(cultured) was 11.7 +/- 0.3. pA2 for FR139317 in the fresh vessel was 7.0 +/- 0.2 whereas it could not be obtained for the cultured vessel, indicating a possible cross-talk between the ET......(A) and ET(B) receptors. The increased sensitivity to ET-1 could also take place during cerebrovascular disease such as stroke or haemorrhage rendering the vessels considerably more sensitive to ET-1....

Developing resources to facilitate culturally-sensitive service planning and delivery - doing research inclusively with people with learning disabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Unwin, Gemma; Larkin, Michael; Rose, John; Kroese, Biza Stenfert; Malcolm, Stephen

2016-01-01

(Please see www.Toolsfortalking.co.uk for an easy read summary of the project.) The Tools for Talking are a set of resources that were developed through collaboration between Black, Asian and minority ethnic people with learning disabilities and researchers at the University of Birmingham. The resources were designed to be used by people with learning disabilities and service providers to facilitate culturally-sensitive communication and information sharing, service planning and delivery. They comprise illustrative videos and exploratory activities relating to five topics, namely, culture, activities, support from staff, important people, choices and independence. These topics emerged as important to people with learning disabilities during the 'Access to Social Care-Learning Disabilities' (ASC-LD) study which involved interviews with 32 adults with learning disabilities from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. The results of the ASC-LD study were used to develop a set of draft resources which were then co-developed through collaboration with people with learning disabilities and service providers. A 'Partnership event' was convened to involve stakeholders in the development of the resources. This paper describes the refinement of these materials by people with learning disabilities from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds in cooperation with a range of other stakeholders. Background Black, Asian and minority ethnic people with learning disabilities face inequities in health and social care provision. Lower levels of service uptake and satisfaction with services have been reported, however, this is largely based on the views of carers. The 'Access to Social Care: Learning Disabilities (ASC-LD)' study sought to explore the views and experiences of social support services among adults with learning disabilities from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. Interviews with 32 Black, Asian and minority ethnic adults with learning disabilities

Culturally Sensitive and Environment-Friendly Outcome Measures in

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Dr Olaleye

to review research studies on outcome measures that were developed for ... A systematic review of evidence on culturally sensitive and environment- ... Various databases including Google Scholar, PEDro and PubMed were accessed to search for relevant empirical ... utilization of disease-specific, patient-centered outcome.

Enhancing collaborative intrusion detection networks against insider attacks using supervised intrusion sensitivity-based trust management model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Wenjuan; Meng, Weizhi; Kwok, Lam-For

2017-01-01

To defend against complex attacks, collaborative intrusion detection networks (CIDNs) have been developed to enhance the detection accuracy, which enable an IDS to collect information and learn experience from others. However, this kind of networks is vulnerable to malicious nodes which are utili......To defend against complex attacks, collaborative intrusion detection networks (CIDNs) have been developed to enhance the detection accuracy, which enable an IDS to collect information and learn experience from others. However, this kind of networks is vulnerable to malicious nodes which...... are utilized by insider attacks (e.g., betrayal attacks). In our previous research, we developed a notion of intrusion sensitivity and identified that it can help improve the detection of insider attacks, whereas it is still a challenge for these nodes to automatically assign the values. In this article, we...... of intrusion sensitivity based on expert knowledge. In the evaluation, we compare the performance of three different supervised classifiers in assigning sensitivity values and investigate our trust model under different attack scenarios and in a real wireless sensor network. Experimental results indicate...

The Relationship Between Cultural Sensitivity and Assertiveness in Nursing Students from Turkey.

Science.gov (United States)

Kılıç, Serap Parlar; Sevinç, Sibel

2017-07-01

As foreigners live in and visit Turkey for various reasons, it is essential to provide culturally appropriate health care. This study was conducted to determine the relationship between cultural sensitivity and assertiveness in university nursing students. This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted at two universities in the cities of Kilis and Elazığ, Turkey. The study sample consisted of 444 nursing students. Data collection tools included a questionnaire about participant sociodemographic characteristics, Chen and Starosta's Intercultural Sensitivity Scale, and the Rathus Assertiveness Scale. The mean age of participants was 21.09 years. Most students (71.6%) were female and 34.7% of the students stayed at the hostel. Of the students, 44.4%, 27.5%, and 28.2% attended were the second-, third-, and fourth-year students, respectively. Participants were asked about problems related to caring for patients who speak different languages. The mean score for the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale was 89.42 ± 13.55 and the total score for all students for the Assertiveness Scale was 112.64 ± 15.61. We identified a positive relationship between total scores for the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale and the Assertiveness Scale ( p assertiveness and year of nursing education and want to work overseas. Nursing students at both schools had a moderate level of cultural sensitivity and assertiveness. It has been determined that as assertiveness level of the students increased, intercultural sensitivity of them also increased. Consequently, it is concluded that training as assertive and self-confident individuals during the nursing education of students has a contribution to making patient-specific and culture-sensitive care.

Collaborative Economy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

collaborative economy and tourism Dianne Dredge and Szilvia Gyimóthy PART I - Theoretical explorations 2.Definitions and mapping the landscape in the collaborative economy Szilvia Gyimóthy and Dianne Dredge 3.Business models of the collaborative economy Szilvia Gyimóthy 4.Responsibility and care...... in the collaborative economy Dianne Dredge 5.Networked cultures in the collaborative economy Szilvia Gyimóthy 6.Policy and regulatory perspectives in the collaborative economy Dianne Dredge PART II - Disruptions, innovations and transformations 7.Regulating innovation in the collaborative economy: An examination...... localities of tourism Greg Richards 11.Collaborative economy and destination marketing organizations: A systems approach Jonathan Day 12.Working within the Collaborative Tourist Economy: The complex crafting of work and meaning Jane Widtfeldt Meged and Mathilde Dissing Christensen PART - III Encounters...

TEACH (Train to Enable/Achieve Culturally Sensitive Healthcare)

Science.gov (United States)

Maulitz, Russell; Santarelli, Thomas; Barnieu, Joanne; Rosenzweig, Larry; Yi, Na Yi; Zachary, Wayne; OConnor, Bonnie

2010-01-01

Personnel from diverse ethnic and demographic backgrounds come together in both civilian and military healthcare systems, facing diagnoses that at one level are equalizers: coronary disease is coronary disease, breast cancer is breast cancer. Yet the expression of disease in individuals from different backgrounds, individual patient experience of disease as a particular illness, and interactions between patients and providers occurring in any given disease scenario, all vary enormously depending on the fortuity of the equation of "which patient happens to arrive in whose exam room." Previously, providers' absorption of lessons-learned depended on learning as an apprentice would when exposed over time to multiple populations. As a result, and because providers are often thrown into situations where communications falter through inadequate direct patient experience, diversity in medicine remains a training challenge. The questions then become: Can simulation and virtual training environments (VTEs) be deployed to short-track and standardize this sort of random-walk problem? Can we overcome the unevenness of training caused by some providers obtaining the valuable exposure to diverse populations, whereas others are left to "sink or swim"? This paper summarizes developing a computer-based VTE called TEACH (Training to Enable/Achieve Culturally Sensitive Healthcare). TEACH was developed to enhance healthcare providers' skills in delivering culturally sensitive care to African-American women with breast cancer. With an authoring system under development to ensure extensibility, TEACH allows users to role-play in clinical oncology settings with virtual characters who interact on the basis of different combinations of African American sub-cultural beliefs regarding breast cancer. The paper reports on the roll-out and evaluation of the degree to which these interactions allow providers to acquire, practice, and refine culturally appropriate communication skills and to

Mediating Effect of School Nurses' Self Efficacy between Multicultural Attitude and Cultural Sensitivity in Korean Elementary Schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Suk, Min Hyun; Oh, Won Oak; Im, Yeo Jin; Cho, Hun Ha

2015-09-01

This study examined the mediating effect of school nurses' self efficacy, which is one of the significant cognitive factors influencing cultural sensitivity, on the mutual relationships between multicultural attitude and cultural sensitivity in Korean elementary schools. A cross-sectional descriptive survey design was used. Participants were 157 school nurses in elementary schools located in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. The survey instruments included Teacher Multicultural Attitude Survey, Teacher Efficacy Scale, and Multicultural Sensitivity Scale. Data were analyzed using three regression equations to test the mediation model. The mean score of the school nurses' cultural sensitivity was relatively low. A positive correlation among multicultural attitude, self efficacy, and cultural sensitivity was noted. Self efficacy of school nurses showed a significant mediating effect on the relationships between multicultural attitude and cultural sensitivity. Given the meaningful influence of positive multicultural attitude on cultural sensitivity and significant mediator effect of self efficacy as a school nurse between the two variables, the strategies to cultivate a positive multicultural attitude and enhance school nurses' self efficacy in their unique role should be considered in a training program. School nurses' health care services will benefit from the improvement of cultural sensitivity toward young children from multicultural families. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Alginate foam-based three-dimensional culture to investigate drug sensitivity in primary leukaemia cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Karimpoor, Mahroo; Yebra-Fernandez, Eva; Parhizkar, Maryam; Orlu, Mine; Craig, Duncan; Khorashad, Jamshid S; Edirisinghe, Mohan

2018-04-01

The development of assays for evaluating the sensitivity of leukaemia cells to anti-cancer agents is becoming an important aspect of personalized medicine. Conventional cell cultures lack the three-dimensional (3D) structure of the bone marrow (BM), the extracellular matrix and stromal components which are crucial for the growth and survival of leukaemia stem cells. To accurately predict the sensitivity of the leukaemia cells in an in vitro assay a culturing system containing the essential components of BM is required. In this study, we developed a porous calcium alginate foam-based scaffold to be used for 3D culture. The new 3D culture was shown to be cell compatible as it supported the proliferation of both normal haematopoietic and leukaemia cells. Our cell differential assay for myeloid markers showed that the porous foam-based 3D culture enhanced myeloid differentiation in both leukaemia and normal haematopoietic cells compared to two-dimensional culture. The foam-based scaffold reduced the sensitivity of the leukaemia cells to the tested antileukaemia agents in K562 and HL60 leukaemia cell line model and also primary myeloid leukaemia cells. This observation supports the application of calcium alginate foams as scaffold components of the 3D cultures for investigation of sensitivity to antileukaemia agents in primary myeloid cells. © 2018 The Author(s).

Promoting collaboration and cultural competence for physician assistant and physical therapist students: a cross-cultural decentralized interprofessional education model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kathleen De Oliveira

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Purpose: As the United States health care model progresses towards medical teams and the country’s population continues to diversify, the need for health professional education programs to develop and implement culturally specific interprofessional education (IPE becomes increasingly imperative. A wide range of models exists for delivering and implementing IPE in health education, but none have included the cultural components that are vital in educating the health professional. Methods: A cross-cultural decentralized IPE model for physician assistant (PA and physical therapy (PT students was developed. This three-part IPE series was created using an established cultural curricular model and began with the exploration of self, continued with the examination of various dimensions of culture, and concluded with the exploration of the intersection between health and culture. We assessed student satisfaction of the IPE experiences and students’ engagement and attitudes towards IPE using a three-item open-ended questionnaire administered after each cross-cultural activity and the Interprofessional Education Series Survey (IESS upon the completion of the series. Results: IESS responses showed that PA and PT students reported benefits in interprofessional collaboration and cultural awareness and expressed overall satisfaction with the series. Qualitative analysis revealed growth in student response depth consistent with the scaffolded focus of each IPE module in the series. Conclusion: The trends in this three-part series suggest that institutions looking to develop culturally inclusive IPE educational initiatives may have success through a decentralized model mirroring the effective cultural progression focused on addressing exploration of self, examination of various dimensions of culture, and exploration of the intersection between health and culture.

Focus Groups in Qualitative Research: Culturally Sensitive Methodology for the Arabian Gulf?

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Andrew

2008-01-01

This article explores whether focus groups can constitute a culturally sensitive method of data gathering for educational leadership, management and related areas in a Gulf-Arab cultural context. Reviewing the literature on focus groups and cross-cultural psychology for the Arab region, it identifies key notions related to societal values such as…

Measuring Collaboration and Communication to Increase Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices: The Cultural Exchange Inventory

Science.gov (United States)

Palinkas, Lawrence A.; Garcia, Antonio; Aarons, Gregory; Finno-Velasquez, Megan; Fuentes, Dahlia; Holloway, Ian; Chamberlain, Patricia

2018-01-01

The Cultural Exchange Inventory (CEI) is a 15-item instrument designed to measure the process (7 items) and outcomes (8 items) of exchanges of knowledge, attitudes and practices between members of different organisations collaborating in implementing evidence-based practice. We conducted principal axis factor analyses and parallel analyses of data…

Culture-sensitive neural substrates of human cognition: a transcultural neuroimaging approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Shihui; Northoff, Georg

2008-08-01

Our brains and minds are shaped by our experiences, which mainly occur in the context of the culture in which we develop and live. Although psychologists have provided abundant evidence for diversity of human cognition and behaviour across cultures, the question of whether the neural correlates of human cognition are also culture-dependent is often not considered by neuroscientists. However, recent transcultural neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that one's cultural background can influence the neural activity that underlies both high- and low-level cognitive functions. The findings provide a novel approach by which to distinguish culture-sensitive from culture-invariant neural mechanisms of human cognition.

Integrative Report on a culture-sensitive quality & curriculum framework

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sylva, Kathy; Ereky-Stevens, Katharina; Pastori, Giulia; Slot, P.L.; Lerkkanen, Marja-Kristiina

This report draws together research findings that support a comprehensive culture-sensitive European curriculum and quality assessment framework that can inform practice, teacher education and policy. The aim of this integrative report is to inform the development of a comprehensive,

Teaching Strategies and Practices that Promote a Culturally Sensitive Nursing Education: A Delphi Study

Science.gov (United States)

Dewald, Robin J.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore teaching strategies that promote a culturally sensitive nursing education and culturally sensitive nursing. The diversity of Americans has increased. Thus, the nursing student population and patient population have both become more diverse. Nursing education programs, therefore, need to know the best…

Reliability of direct sensitivity determination of blood cultures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noman, F.; Ahmed, A.

2008-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the error in interpreting antimicrobial sensitivity by direct method when compared to standard method and find out if specific antibiotic-organism combination had more discrepancies. All blood culture samples received at Microbiology Laboratory from 1st July 2006 to 31st August 2006 were ncluded in the study. All samples were inoculated in automated blood culture system BACTEC 9240 which contained enriched Soybean-Casein Digest broth with CO/sub 2/. Once positive, bottles were removed from system; gram staining of the positive broths was done. Susceptibility test was performed from positive broth, on MHA (Mueller-Hinton Agar), with antibiotics panel according to gram stain result. All positive broths were also sub-cultured on blood agar, chocolate agar and McConkey agar for only gram-negative rods. Next day, the zone sizes of all antibiotics were recorded using measuring scale and at the same time susceptibility test was repeated from isolated colonies from subcultures, with inoculums prepared of McFarland 0.5 standard 0.2 Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213); E.coli (ATCC 25922) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) were included as quality control strain. Zone sizes were interpreted as sensitive (S), resistant (R) and intermediate (I) according to CLSI recommendation. Two results were compared and recorded. Out of a total 1083 combinations, zone diameters by standard method were either equal or greater than direct zone diameter (never smaller). Most of the discrepancies were in b-lactam/b-lactamase combinations and aminoglycosides. While reporting these groups of antibiotics with direct sensitivity test, one should be cautious. These are the major antibiotic used for life-threatening infections. In case of being heavy/lighter standard inoculums or marginal zones, repeating with standard method should be preferred to minimize the chances of error. (author)

Promoting collaboration and cultural competence for physician assistant and physical therapist students: A cross-cultural decentralized interprofessional education (IPE) model.

Science.gov (United States)

Oliveira, Kathleen De; North, Sara; Beck, Barbra; Hopp, Jane

2015-01-01

As the United States health care model progresses towards medical teams and the country's population continues to diversify, the need for health professional education programs to develop and implement culturally specific interprofessional education (IPE) becomes increasingly imperative. A wide range of models exists for delivering and implementing IPE in health education, but none have included the cultural components that are vital in educating the health professional. A cross-cultural decentralized IPE model for physician assistant (PA) and physical therapy (PT) students was developed. This three-part IPE series was created using an established cultural curricular model and began with the exploration of self, continued with the examination of various dimensions of culture, and concluded with the exploration of the intersection between health and culture. We assessed student satisfaction of the IPE experiences and students' engagement and attitudes towards IPE using a three-item open-ended questionnaire administered after each cross-cultural activity and the Interprofessional Education Series Survey (IESS) upon the completion of the series. IESS responses showed that PA and PT students reported benefits in interprofessional collaboration and cultural awareness and expressed overall satisfaction with the series. Qualitative analysis revealed growth in student response depth consistent with the scaffolded focus of each IPE module in the series. The trends in this three-part series suggest that institutions looking to develop culturally inclusive IPE educational initiatives may have success through a decentralized model mirroring the effective cultural progression focused on addressing exploration of self, examination of various dimensions of culture, and exploration of the intersection between health and culture.

Development of an Inventory for Health-Care Office Staff to Self-Assess Their Patient-Centered Cultural Sensitivity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carolyn M. Tucker

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Background: Patient-centered culturally sensitive health care (PC-CSHC is a best practice approach for improving health-care delivery to culturally diverse populations and reducing health disparities. Despite patients’ report that cultural sensitivity by health-care office staff is an important aspect of PC-CSHC, the majority of available research on PC-CSHC focuses exclusively on health-care providers. This may be due in part to the paucity of instruments available to assess the cultural sensitivity of health-care office staff. The objective of the present study is to determine the psychometric properties of the Tucker-Culturally Sensitive Health Care Office Staff Inventory-Self-Assessment Form (T-CSHCOSI-SAF. This instrument is designed to enable health-care office staff to self-assess their level of agreement that they display behaviors and attitudes that culturally diverse patients have identified as office staff cultural sensitivity indicators. Methods: A sample of 510 health-care office staff were recruited at 67 health-care sites across the United States. These health-care office staff anonymously completed the T-CSHCOSI-SAF and a demographic data questionnaire. Results and Level of Evidence: Confirmatory factor analyses of the T-CSHCOSI-SAF revealed that this inventory has 2 factors with high internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s αs= .916 and .912. Conclusion and Implications: The T-CSHCOSI-SAF is a useful inventory for health-care office staff to assess their own level of patient-centered cultural sensitivity. Such self-assessment data can be used in the development and implementation of trainings to promote patient-centered cultural sensitivity of health-care office staff and to help draw the attention of these staff to displaying patient-centered cultural sensitivity.

Collaborative Economy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

that are emerging from them, and how governments are responding to these new challenges. In doing so, the book provides both theoretical and practical insights into the future of tourism in a world that is, paradoxically, becoming both increasingly collaborative and individualized. Table of Contents Preface 1.The...... collaborative economy and tourism Dianne Dredge and Szilvia Gyimóthy PART I - Theoretical explorations 2.Definitions and mapping the landscape in the collaborative economy Szilvia Gyimóthy and Dianne Dredge 3.Business models of the collaborative economy Szilvia Gyimóthy 4.Responsibility and care...... in the collaborative economy Dianne Dredge 5.Networked cultures in the collaborative economy Szilvia Gyimóthy 6.Policy and regulatory perspectives in the collaborative economy Dianne Dredge PART II - Disruptions, innovations and transformations 7.Regulating innovation in the collaborative economy: An examination...

Haloxyfop mode of action in liquid cultures of proso millet: An analysis of haloxyfop sensitivity changes during growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Irzyk, G.P.

1989-01-01

Haloxyfop is a grass-selective herbicide that inhibits acetyl-CoA carboxylase in species that are not tolerant to the herbicide. Liquid cultures of proso millet (Panicum miliaceum) cells treated with haloxyfop at different phases of growth exhibited different levels of sensitivity to the herbicide. Treatment of 1-d cultures with 1 μM haloxyfop completely inhibited growth within 48 h. In contrast, 1 mM haloxyfop was required to elicit a similar response in 4-, 7-, or 10-d cultures. Calculated IC 50 values indicated a 300-fold decrease in haloxyfop sensitivity during the period from 1 to 4 d. This period of growth coincided with the greatest increase in cell number during culture growth and suggested that dividing cells are most sensitive to haloxyfop. Uptake and metabolism of 14 C-haloxyfop in 1-d and 4-d cultures were compared. In both cultures, amounts of radiolabel uptake were similar. Almost all radioactivity extracted from 1- and 4-d cells was present as the parent compound. These results suggested that the sensitivity change was related to other factors. Acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity of proso millet cells, measured in vitro by the acetyl-CoA-dependent incorporation of 14 C-bicarbonate into an acid-stable product, was essentially constant during culture growth. Micromolar concentrations of haloxyfop significantly inhibited acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity from both sensitive and insensitive cultures. Thus, the change in the sensitivity of cultures to haloxyfop was not correlated with changes in acetyl-CoA carboxylase abundance, activity, or sensitivity to haloxyfop during culture growth. In vivo incorporation of 14 C-acetate into lipids was decreased by 1 μM haloxyfop in both 1-d and 4-d cultures at the earliest sampling times but the amount of inhibition was significantly greater in the sensitive cultures

Comparison of the sensitivity of typhi dot test with blood culture in typhoid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rizvi, Q [Hamdard College of Medicine, Karachi (Pakistan). Dept. of Pharmacology

2006-10-15

To evaluate the sensitivity of Typhi Dot test in comparison to Blood Culture for the diagnosis of Typhoid Fever in our setup. Fifty patients who fulfilled the clinical criteria of having Typhoid Fever. The data of all the patients was documented, and they were submitted to the Typhi Dot and Blood Culture tests, apart from other routine investigations. Out of the total 50 patients, 47(94%) had their Blood Culture positive for Typhoid bacillus, while in 49 (98%) the Typhi Dot test was positive. Two patients which were found positive on Typhi dot test, gave negative results on Blood Culture. One patient with the signs and symptoms of Typhoid Fever was found neither positive on Typhi Dot test nor upon Blood Culture. There was no significant difference between the results of Blood Culture and Typhi Dot test in the diagnosis of Typhoid Fever. However, Typhi Dot has the advantages of being less expensive and quicker in giving results with excellent sensitivity. (author)

Comparison of the sensitivity of typhi dot test with blood culture in typhoid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rizvi, Q.

2006-01-01

To evaluate the sensitivity of Typhi Dot test in comparison to Blood Culture for the diagnosis of Typhoid Fever in our setup. Fifty patients who fulfilled the clinical criteria of having Typhoid Fever. The data of all the patients was documented, and they were submitted to the Typhi Dot and Blood Culture tests, apart from other routine investigations. Out of the total 50 patients, 47(94%) had their Blood Culture positive for Typhoid bacillus, while in 49 (98%) the Typhi Dot test was positive. Two patients which were found positive on Typhi dot test, gave negative results on Blood Culture. One patient with the signs and symptoms of Typhoid Fever was found neither positive on Typhi Dot test nor upon Blood Culture. There was no significant difference between the results of Blood Culture and Typhi Dot test in the diagnosis of Typhoid Fever. However, Typhi Dot has the advantages of being less expensive and quicker in giving results with excellent sensitivity. (author)

Pushing boundaries-culture-sensitive care in oncology and palliative care: a qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Schrank, Beate; Rumpold, Tamara; Amering, Michaela; Masel, Eva Katharina; Watzke, Herbert; Schur, Sophie

2017-06-01

In increasingly globalized societies, patient-centered cancer care requires culture-sensitive approaches in order to ensure patients well-being. While migrant patients' needs are frequently reported in the literature, staff members' perception of work with migrant patients, associated challenges, or individual work approaches are largely unknown. This study addresses this research gap through qualitative exploration of experiences of multicultural health care professionals in supportive oncology and palliative care, working with patients from different cultural backgrounds. This study aims to understand staff experience of the impact of culture on cancer care. This study was conducted at the Medical University of Vienna, including staff from different settings of oncology and palliative care, in different professional positions, and with a range of individual migration backgrounds. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 21 staff members working with patients from different cultural backgrounds. Interviews explored views on the impact of culture on care were audio-taped, transcribed, and analyzed using a rigorous method of thematic analysis, enhanced with grounded theory techniques. Interviews revealed 4 key topics: culture-specific differences, assumed reasons for differences, consequences of multicultural care, and tools for culture-sensitive care. Strategies to better deal with migrant patients and their families were suggested to improve work satisfaction amongst staff. This study identifies relevant staff challenges in work with migrant patients. Concrete suggestions for improvement include measures on an organizational level, team level, and personal tools. The suggested measures are applicable to improve work satisfaction and culture-sensitive care not only in cancer care but also in other areas of medicine. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Collaborative Economy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

collaborative economy and tourism Dianne Dredge and Szilvia Gyimóthy PART I - Theoretical explorations 2.Definitions and mapping the landscape in the collaborative economy Szilvia Gyimóthy and Dianne Dredge 3.Business models of the collaborative economy Szilvia Gyimóthy 4.Responsibility and care...... and similar phenomena are among these collective innovations in tourism that are shaking the very bedrock of an industrial system that has been traditionally sustained along commercial value chains. To date there has been very little investigation of these trends, which have been inspired by, amongst other...... in the collaborative economy Dianne Dredge 5.Networked cultures in the collaborative economy Szilvia Gyimóthy 6.Policy and regulatory perspectives in the collaborative economy Dianne Dredge PART II - Disruptions, innovations and transformations 7.Regulating innovation in the collaborative economy: An examination...

Comparative sensitivity of human and rat neural cultures to chemical-induced inhibition of neurite outgrowth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harrill, Joshua A.; Freudenrich, Theresa M.; Robinette, Brian L.; Mundy, William R., E-mail: mundy.william@epa.gov

2011-11-15

There is a need for rapid, efficient and cost-effective alternatives to traditional in vivo developmental neurotoxicity testing. In vitro cell culture models can recapitulate many of the key cellular processes of nervous system development, including neurite outgrowth, and may be used as screening tools to identify potential developmental neurotoxicants. The present study compared primary rat cortical cultures and human embryonic stem cell-derived neural cultures in terms of: 1) reproducibility of high content image analysis based neurite outgrowth measurements, 2) dynamic range of neurite outgrowth measurements and 3) sensitivity to chemicals which have been shown to inhibit neurite outgrowth. There was a large increase in neurite outgrowth between 2 and 24 h in both rat and human cultures. Image analysis data collected across multiple cultures demonstrated that neurite outgrowth measurements in rat cortical cultures were more reproducible and had higher dynamic range as compared to human neural cultures. Human neural cultures were more sensitive than rat cortical cultures to chemicals previously shown to inhibit neurite outgrowth. Parallel analysis of morphological (neurite count, neurite length) and cytotoxicity (neurons per field) measurements were used to detect selective effects on neurite outgrowth. All chemicals which inhibited neurite outgrowth in rat cortical cultures did so at concentrations which did not concurrently affect the number of neurons per field, indicating selective effects on neurite outgrowth. In contrast, more than half the chemicals which inhibited neurite outgrowth in human neural cultures did so at concentrations which concurrently decreased the number of neurons per field, indicating that effects on neurite outgrowth were secondary to cytotoxicity. Overall, these data demonstrate that the culture models performed differently in terms of reproducibility, dynamic range and sensitivity to neurite outgrowth inhibitors. While human neural

Comparative sensitivity of human and rat neural cultures to chemical-induced inhibition of neurite outgrowth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harrill, Joshua A.; Freudenrich, Theresa M.; Robinette, Brian L.; Mundy, William R.

2011-01-01

There is a need for rapid, efficient and cost-effective alternatives to traditional in vivo developmental neurotoxicity testing. In vitro cell culture models can recapitulate many of the key cellular processes of nervous system development, including neurite outgrowth, and may be used as screening tools to identify potential developmental neurotoxicants. The present study compared primary rat cortical cultures and human embryonic stem cell-derived neural cultures in terms of: 1) reproducibility of high content image analysis based neurite outgrowth measurements, 2) dynamic range of neurite outgrowth measurements and 3) sensitivity to chemicals which have been shown to inhibit neurite outgrowth. There was a large increase in neurite outgrowth between 2 and 24 h in both rat and human cultures. Image analysis data collected across multiple cultures demonstrated that neurite outgrowth measurements in rat cortical cultures were more reproducible and had higher dynamic range as compared to human neural cultures. Human neural cultures were more sensitive than rat cortical cultures to chemicals previously shown to inhibit neurite outgrowth. Parallel analysis of morphological (neurite count, neurite length) and cytotoxicity (neurons per field) measurements were used to detect selective effects on neurite outgrowth. All chemicals which inhibited neurite outgrowth in rat cortical cultures did so at concentrations which did not concurrently affect the number of neurons per field, indicating selective effects on neurite outgrowth. In contrast, more than half the chemicals which inhibited neurite outgrowth in human neural cultures did so at concentrations which concurrently decreased the number of neurons per field, indicating that effects on neurite outgrowth were secondary to cytotoxicity. Overall, these data demonstrate that the culture models performed differently in terms of reproducibility, dynamic range and sensitivity to neurite outgrowth inhibitors. While human neural

Four Pairs of Relations in Developing the Culture of Teachers’ Collaboration%教师合作文化建设应把握好四对关系

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

李法松; 陈修梅

2016-01-01

Developing the culture of teachers’ collaboration should be based on four pairs of well-settled relations including the relation between utilitarianism and ethical orientation, between individualism and collaborative culture, between similarity and difference and between temporary goals and final goals. This is the only way to avoid mistakes in formulating the hypothesis of col-laborative culture and realize the due value of developing the culture of teachers’ collaboration.%教师合作文化建设应该处理好功利主义与伦理取向、个人主义与合作文化、“同”与“异”以及过渡目标与终极目标这四对基本关系。唯有如此，合作文化假设才能走出误区，踏入正轨，实现教师合作文化建设的应然价值。

The importance of moral emotions for effective collaboration in culturally diverse healthcare teams.

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, Catherine; Brunton, Margaret

2018-04-01

Moral emotions shape the effectiveness of culturally diverse teams. However, these emotions, which are integral to determining ethically responsive patient care and team relationships, typically go unrecognised. The contribution of emotions to moral deliberation is subjugated within the technorational environment of healthcare decision-making. Contemporary healthcare organisations rely on a multicultural workforce charged with the ethical care of vulnerable people. Limited extant literature examines the role of moral emotions in ethical decision-making among culturally diverse healthcare teams. Moral emotions are evident in ethnocentric moral perspectives that construct some colleagues' practices as 'other'. This article examines how moral emotions are evoked when cultural dissonance influences nurses' moral perceptions. We use a qualitative investigation of teamwork within culturally diverse healthcare organisations. We use Haidt's () account of moral emotions to examine practice-based accounts of 36 internationally educated and 17 New Zealand educated nurses practising in New Zealand. The study provides evidence that moral emotions are frequently elicited by communication and care practices considered 'foreign'. The main implication is that although safe practice in healthcare organisations is reliant on highly functioning teams, collaboration is challenged by interprofessional power relations of contested culturally shaped values. We address practice-based strategies that enable engagement with moral emotions to enhance effective teamwork. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Prostate Cancer Information Available in Health-Care Provider Offices: An Analysis of Content, Readability, and Cultural Sensitivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Seul Ki; Seel, Jessica S; Yelton, Brooks; Steck, Susan E; McCormick, Douglas P; Payne, Johnny; Minter, Anthony; Deutchki, Elizabeth K; Hébert, James R; Friedman, Daniela B

2018-07-01

Prostate cancer (PrCA) is the most common cancer affecting men in the United States, and African American men have the highest incidence among men in the United States. Little is known about the PrCA-related educational materials being provided to patients in health-care settings. Content, readability, and cultural sensitivity of materials available in providers' practices in South Carolina were examined. A total of 44 educational materials about PrCA and associated sexual dysfunction was collected from 16 general and specialty practices. The content of the materials was coded, and cultural sensitivity was assessed using the Cultural Sensitivity Assessment Tool. Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, and the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook were used to assess readability. Communication with health-care providers (52.3%), side effects of PrCA treatment (40.9%), sexual dysfunction and its treatment (38.6%), and treatment options (34.1%) were frequently presented. All materials had acceptable cultural sensitivity scores; however, 2.3% and 15.9% of materials demonstrated unacceptable cultural sensitivity regarding format and visual messages, respectively. Readability of the materials varied. More than half of the materials were written above a high-school reading level. PrCA-related materials available in health-care practices may not meet patients' needs regarding content, cultural sensitivity, and readability. A wide range of educational materials that address various aspects of PrCA, including treatment options and side effects, should be presented in plain language and be culturally sensitive.

Greek Immigrants in Australia: Implications for Culturally Sensitive Practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Georgiades, Savvas Daniel

2015-10-01

This exploratory research examined adjustment challenges, resiliencies, attitudes, emotional health, economic stability, criminal involvement, victimization and service experiences, and some cultural propensities of Greek Immigrants (GIs) in Australia using a convenient multi-generational sample (n = 123; response rate = .5). Data were collected via surveys, telephone, and personal-interviews in four major Australian cities. Among other things, the study revealed that Greek identity and cultural customs are often significant to first generation GIs. Adjustment challenges upon entry include primarily language, housing, and transportation difficulties, nostalgia for relatives and the motherland, unfamiliarity with socio-cultural systems, unemployment, money challenges, and lack of friendships. Christian faith, the extended family, family values and traditions, cultural pride for ancient Greek achievements, and a hard 'work ethic' are notable resiliencies that support GIs in their struggles and solidify their pursuit for happiness and success. Financial concerns, aging, and nostalgia for relatives and the motherland were the primary causes of socio-emotional instability. Attitudinal differences in the respondents based on age, gender, and socio-economic status, cross-cultural comparisons, and recommendations for culturally-sensitive practice with GIs are analyzed and methodological limitations illuminated. Future research needs in the field are also highlighted.

Sensitivity Analysis of an Agent-Based Model of Culture's Consequences for Trade

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Burgers, S.L.G.E.; Jonker, C.M.; Hofstede, G.J.; Verwaart, D.

2010-01-01

This paper describes the analysis of an agent-based model’s sensitivity to changes in parameters that describe the agents’ cultural background, relational parameters, and parameters of the decision functions. As agent-based models may be very sensitive to small changes in parameter values, it is of

Culture-bound syndrome and a culturally sensitive approach: from a viewpoint of medical anthropology.

Science.gov (United States)

Shimoji, A; Miyakawa, T

2000-08-01

Some aspects of the culture-bound syndrome are presented for discussion. From the psychiatric and medical anthropological viewpoints, kamidaari is described as an initiatory illness for seeing a shaman, and focus on clinical realities developing between different therapeutic subcultures in the same culture and the complementary practices of two epistemological ones, namely, the shamanistic and modern psychiatric system in the shamanistic climate. It is suggested that the culture-bound syndrome that reflects cultural influences on disease patterns and renders them difficult to place in a universal classificatory system should be seen as a vernacular bricolage or as tactics used by people within the web of their own local culture of origin. Therapists who treat patients in a cross-epistemological milieu should be aware of the subcultural-epistemological issues that may affect the clinical process. It should be recognized that, depending on the nature of a particular psychiatric crisis, the clinical encounter is straddling the boundaries of multiple clinical realities. At every stage in the clinical field, there is an intersection, consonance, or interruption of rejoinders in the open dialog by all those engaged in the clinical time. Aspects of climatic, culturally sensitive psychotherapy will be described, and the concept of the culture-bound syndrome will be reconsidered. Our approach could be seen as 'situation- and fudo-bound'.

Replicating a study of collaborative use of mobile phones for photo sharing in a different cultural context

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sandoval, Carolina; Montero, Camila; Jokela, Tero

2014-01-01

In this paper, we replicate a study of collaborative mobile phone use to share personal photos in groups of collocated people. The replication study was conducted in a different cultural context to check the generalizability of the findings from the original study in terms of the proposed...

Intercultural Sensitivity, Gender, and Nationality of Third Culture Kids Attending an International High School

Science.gov (United States)

Morales, Antonio

2017-01-01

Due to the globalization and interconnectedness of people from different cultures, intercultural competence is a prerequisite to communicating effectively across different cultures. The Intercultural Sensitivity Inventory (ICSI) measures a person's ability to modify behavior in culturally appropriate ways when coming into contact with diverse…

Bridging cultures: Nonprofit, church, and emergency management agency collaboration after the May 2013 Oklahoma tornado outbreak.

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, Haley; Pudlo, Jason

Community-based organizations, such as nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and churches, play an important role in helping individuals and communities bounce back after a disaster. The nature of disasters requires organizations across sectors to partner together to provide recovery services; however, collaboration is difficult even in times of stability and requires trust and communication to be built through prior collaborative relationships. These prior relationships rarely exist between the majority of the nonprofit sector, churches, and existing emergency management structures. Furthermore, these organizations often have very different cultures, values, and norms that can further hinder successful postdisaster collaboration. The authors use data collected from interviews with nonprofit and church leaders involved in recovery efforts after a series of devastating storms impacted central Oklahoma in 2013 to understand how well nonprofit and church leaders perceive their organizations collaborated with each other and with government and emergency management agencies in response and recovery efforts. Interview data suggest that NPOs and churches without a primary or secondary mission of disaster response and recovery have a difficult time collaborating with organizations involved in existing emergency management structures. The authors suggest that nonprofits with a primary or secondary purpose in disaster response are a potential bridge between other nonprofits and emergency management agencies.

A Network-Based Model of Oncogenic Collaboration for Prediction of Drug Sensitivity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ted G Laderas

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Tumorigenesis is a multi-step process, involving the acquisition of multiple oncogenic mutations that transform cells, resulting in systemic dysregulation that enables proliferation, among other cancer hallmarks. High throughput omics techniques are used in precision medicine, allowing identification of these mutations with the goal of identifying treatments that target them. However, the multiplicity of oncogenes required for transformation, known as oncogenic collaboration, makes assigning effective treatments difficult. Motivated by this observation, we propose a new type of oncogenic collaboration where mutations in genes that interact with an oncogene may contribute to its dysregulation, a new genomic feature that we term surrogate oncogenes. By mapping mutations to a protein/protein interaction network, we can determine significance of the observed distribution using permutation-based methods. For a panel of 38 breast cancer cell lines, we identified significant surrogate oncogenes in oncogenes such as BRCA1 and ESR1. In addition, using Random Forest Classifiers, we show that these significant surrogate oncogenes predict drug sensitivity for 74 drugs in the breast cancer cell lines with a mean error rate of 30.9%. Additionally, we show that surrogate oncogenes are predictive of survival in patients. The surrogate oncogene framework incorporates unique or rare mutations on an individual level. Our model has the potential for integrating patient-unique mutations in predicting drug-sensitivity, suggesting a potential new direction in precision medicine, as well as a new approach for drug development. Additionally, we show the prevalence of significant surrogate oncogenes in multiple cancers within the Cancer Genome Atlas, suggesting that surrogate oncogenes may be a useful genomic feature for guiding pancancer analyses and assigning therapies across many tissue types.

Use of an Interculturally Enriched Collaboration Script in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning in Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Popov, Vitaliy; Biemans, Harm J. A.; Kuznetsov, Andrei N.; Mulder, Martin

2014-01-01

In this exploratory study, the authors introduced an interculturally enriched collaboration script (IECS) for working in culturally diverse groups within a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment and then assessed student online collaborative behaviour, learning performance and experiences. The question was if and how these…

Relational-Cultural Theory as a Framework for Mentoring in Academia: Toward Diversity and Growth-Fostering Collaborative Scholarly Relationships

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Consuella; Olshansky, Ellen

2016-01-01

Mentoring in academia that encourages collaboration and interpersonal relationships is important in helping newer faculty members attain success. Developing such programs is challenging within our prevailing academic context that rewards competition and individually delineated success. We propose that Relational Cultural Theory, a feminist…

Teaching International Business as an Opportunity to Develop Cultural Sensitivity

Science.gov (United States)

Frank, Ellen J.

2017-01-01

Business program graduates are expected to perform with cultural sensitivity in international and intercultural professional environments. In order to support student development of the necessary mindset, a variety of assignments and activities have been integrated into the undergraduate International Business (IB) course. This article describes…

Designing 3ERP to meet use and users - methods to handle cultural diversity and collaborative networking in SMEs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dirckinck-Holmfeld, Lone; Nielsen, Janni

2007-01-01

The purpose is to describe a project the aim of which is to develop and validate the scientific methodological foundation for design of user friendly and usable, flexible and configurable global Enterprise Resource Planning system for Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) which are adoptable ...... to cultural diversity and support the collaborative networking tasks embedded in 3gERP. Focus is on Human Centered Design methods and tools which must be developed to handle cultural diversity....

Culturally Sensitive Risk Behavior Prevention Programs for African American Adolescents: A Systematic Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Metzger, Isha; Cooper, Shauna M.; Zarrett, Nicole; Flory, Kate

2013-01-01

The current review conducted a systematic assessment of culturally sensitive risk prevention programs for African American adolescents. Prevention programs meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were evaluated across several domains: (1) theoretical orientation and foundation; (2) methodological rigor; (3) level of cultural integration; (4)…

An introduction to the composition of the Multi-Site University Study of Identity and Culture (MUSIC): a collaborative approach to research and mentorship.

Science.gov (United States)

Weisskirch, Robert S; Zamboanga, Byron L; Ravert, Russell D; Whitbourne, Susan Krauss; Park, Irene J K; Lee, Richard M; Schwartz, Seth J

2013-04-01

The Multi-Site University Study of Identity and Culture (MUSIC) is the product of a research collaboration among faculty members from 30 colleges and universities from across the United States. Using Katz and Martin's (1997, p. 7) definition, the MUSIC research collaboration is "the working together of researchers to achieve the common goals of producing new scientific knowledge." The collaboration involved more than just coauthorship; it served "as a strategy to insert more energy, optimism, creativity and hope into the work of [researchers]" (Conoley & Conoley, 2010, p. 77). The philosophy underlying the MUSIC collaborative was intended to foster natural collaborations among researchers, to provide opportunities for scholarship and mentorship for early career and established researchers, and to support exploration of identity, cultural, and ethnic/racial research ideas by tapping the expertise and interests of the broad MUSIC network of collaborators. In this issue, five research articles present innovative findings from the MUSIC datasets. There are two themes across the articles. Research is emerging about broadening the constructs and measures of acculturation and ethnic identity and their relation to health risk behaviors and psychosocial and mental health outcomes. The second theme is about the relationship of perceived discrimination on behavioral and mental health outcomes among immigrant populations.

Literacy Education and Interprofessional Collaboration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joron Pihl

2012-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of this article is to explore inter-professional collaboration in literacy education. It examines factors that facilitate collaboration between teachers and librarians and the contributions to literacy education. The study was designed as a research and development project in multicultural schools in Norway (2007-2011. Its theoretical framework was cultural-historical theory of activity theory, and the theory of expansive learning. The methods were formative intervention, interviews, participant observation, and qualitative and quantitative analysis of student literacy. In the study, interprofessional collaboration made significant contributions to professional development and literacy education. Interprofessional collaboration was developed as a collective learning process. It was facilitated by research interventions, development of a shared object of activity and work with new theoretical concepts and cultural artefacts. The findings indicate that inter-professional collaboration can make important contributions to realization of the mandate of the teaching and library profession.

Professional Learning and Collaboration

OpenAIRE

Greer, Janet Agnes

2012-01-01

The American education system must utilize collaboration to meet the challenges and demands our culture poses for schools. Deeply rooted processes and structures favor teaching and learning in isolation and hinder the shift to a more collaborative paradigm. Professional learning communities (PLCs) support continuous teacher learning, improved efficacy, and program implementation. The PLC provides the framework for the development and enhancement of teacher collaboration and teacher collaborat...

[On the Way to Culture-Sensitive Patient Information Materials: Results of a Focus Group Study].

Science.gov (United States)

Ries, Zivile; Frank, Fabian; Bermejo, Isaac; Kalaitsidou, Chariklia; Zill, Jördis; Dirmaier, Jörg; Härter, Martin; Bengel, Jürgen; Hölzel, Lars

2018-06-01

This study was part of a double-blind randomised controlled trial aimed to evaluate the effects of culture-sensitive patient information materials (PIM) compared with standard translated material. The study aimed to obtain the data for the development of culture sensitive PIM about unipolar depression for the 4 largest migrant groups in Germany (Turkish, Polish, Russian and Italian migration background). A qualitative study using 4 manual-based focus groups (FG), one for each migrant group, with 29 participants (9 with a Turkish (TüG), 8 with a Polish (PoG), 5 with a Russian (RuG) and 7 with an Italian (ItG) migration background) was conducted. The discussions were recorded, transcribed and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. 7 categories were identified. For the (1.) development of a good culture-sensitive PIM an easy language, a clear structure, an assessable extent of information and the avoidance of stereotypes were highlighted cross-culturally in all four FG. RuG and PoG had the largest (2.) lack of information about the German health care system. Concerning the (3.) illness perception RuG named problems with recognizing and understanding depression. PoG, RuG and TüG thematized (4.) feared consequences of the illness and of professional helpseeking. ItG, PoG, RuG had fears concerning (5.) psychotropic drugs as a result from insufficient knowledge about medication. For (6.) doctor-patient relationship cultural specifics were identified in RuG and TüG and for (7.) migration or culture specific reasons for depression in RuG, ItG and TüG. Although the identified categories were relevant for all or for the majority of migrant groups, for most categories specific cultural aspects were discovered. These findings show the importance of a culture sensitive adaptation of PIM. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Circles of Culture and Cognition: A Sociocognitive Study of Collaboration within and among Academic Groups of Teachers in a Rural School District

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, Linda L.

2011-01-01

This ethnographic case study examined the roles of district and school macro-culture and teacher sub-group micro-culture in influencing the nature and extent of teachers' professional collaboration. Informed by the sociocognitive theory that learning is rooted in social relationships and develops through interpersonal discourse and activity, the…

Improving Medical Decision Making and Health Promotion through Culture-Sensitive Health Communication : an Agenda for Science and Practice

OpenAIRE

Betsch, Cornelia; Böhm, Robert; Airhihenbuwa, Collins O.; Butler, Robb; Chapman, Gretchen B.; Haase, Niels; Herrmann, Benedikt; Igarashi, Tasuku; Kitayama, Shinobu; Korn, Lars; Nurm, Ülla-Karin; Rohrmann, Bernd; Rothman, Alexander J.; Shavitt, Sharon; Updegraff, John A.

2016-01-01

This review introduces the concept of culture-sensitive health communication. The basic premise is that congruency between the recipient's cultural characteristics and the respective message will increase the communication's effectiveness. Culture-sensitive health communication is therefore defined as the deliberate and evidence-informed adaptation of health communication to the recipients' cultural background in order to increase knowledge and improve preparation for medical decision making ...

Does a Culturally Sensitive Smoking Prevention Program Reduce Smoking Intentions among Aboriginal Children? A Pilot Study

Science.gov (United States)

McKennitt, Daniel W.; Currie, Cheryl L.

2012-01-01

The aim of the study was to determine if a culturally sensitive smoking prevention program would have short-term impacts on smoking intentions among Aboriginal children. Two schools with high Aboriginal enrollment were selected for the study. A grade 4 classroom in one school was randomly assigned to receive the culturally sensitive smoking…

Educational Policy vs. Culturally Sensitive Programs in Turkish Educational System

Science.gov (United States)

Arslan, Hasan

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of elementary school teachers about the sensitiveness of principals, teachers, and curriculum on multicultural education. Education provides the transmission and the advancement of its culture while it is developing and enhancing the common values, the integrity and the progress of…

A Runyakitara Culture Wiki

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Frederick Iraki

wiki as a tool for Runyakitara culture documentation, collaboration, sharing, ... collaboration in education and research are augmented by technology [2, 10, 11]; ... Runyakitara culture; and section 5 concludes and discusses future work. ..... material which reflects the Runyakitara culture, perspective, and reality; as compared.

Assessing the cultural in culturally sensitive printed patient-education materials for Chinese Americans with type 2 diabetes.

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Evelyn Y; Tran, Henrietta; Chesla, Catherine A

2015-01-01

Type 2 diabetes affects Chinese Americans at an alarming rate. To address this health disparity, research in the area of cultural sensitivity and health literacy provides useful guidelines for creating culturally appropriate health education. In this article, we use discourse analysis to examine a group of locally available, Chinese- and English-language diabetes print documents from a surface level and deep structure level of culture. First, we compared these documents to research findings about printed health information to determine whether and how these documents apply current best practices for health literacy and culturally appropriate health communication. Second, we examined how diabetes as a disease and diabetes management is being constructed. The printed materials addressed surface level culture through the use of Chinese language, pictures, foods, and exercises. From a deeper cultural level, the materials constructed diabetes management as a matter of measurement and control that contrasted with previous research suggesting an alternative construction of balance. A nuanced assessment of both surface and deeper levels of culture is essential for creating health education materials that are more culturally appropriate and can lead to increased health literacy and improved health outcomes.

Building Collaborative Structures for Teachers' Autonomy and Self-Efficacy: The Mediating Role of Participative Management and Learning Culture

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Jiafang; Jiang, Xinhui; Yu, Huen; Li, Dongyu

2015-01-01

This study focused on the collaborative structure-building behavior of school principals and examined how such behavior affects teacher empowerment. More important, it tested the mediating effects of participative management and learning culture. By collecting nested data from 104 schools in Hong Kong and adopting multilevel structural equation…

Photodamage of the cells in culture sensitized with bilirubin

Science.gov (United States)

Kozlenkova, O. A.; Plavskaya, L. G.; Mikulich, A. V.; Leusenko, I. A.; Tretyakova, A. I.; Plavskii, V. Yu

2016-08-01

It has been shown that exposure to radiation of LED sources of light with an emission band maximum at about 465 and 520 nm having substantially identical damaging effects on animal cells in culture, that are in a logarithmic growth phase and preincubated with pigment. Photobiological effect is caused by photodynamic processes involving singlet oxygen generated by triplet excited sensitizer. Mono-exponential type dependence of cell survival on the energy dose indicates that it is bilirubin that acts as a sensitizer but not its photoproducts. The inclusion of bilirubin in the cells, where it is primarily localized in the mitochondria cells, it is accompanied by multiple amplification photochemical stability compared to pigment molecules bound with albumin

Considering the culture of disability in cultural competence education.

Science.gov (United States)

Eddey, Gary E; Robey, Kenneth L

2005-07-01

Cultural competence extends beyond understanding those values, beliefs, and needs that are associated with patients' age or gender or with their racial, ethnic, or religious backgrounds. People hold many simultaneous cultural associations, and each have implications for the care process. The "culture of disability" is a pan-ethnic culture for which a set of physician competencies are required to ensure appropriate, culturally sensitive care to persons with congenital or acquired disabilities. Such competencies include communicating with patients who have deficits in verbal communication and avoidance of infantilizing speech; understanding the values and needs of persons with disabilities; the ability to encourage self-advocacy skills of patients and families; acknowledging the core values of disability culture including the emphasis on interdependence rather than independence; and feeling comfortable with patients with complex disabilities. Medical schools have developed programs to increase students' exposure to persons with disabilities and it is suggested that such programs are most effective when they are the result of collaboration with community-based facilities or organizations that serve persons with disabilities in the natural environment. Combining lecture-based instruction and structured experiences with the opportunity for students to interact with patients in their natural environments may facilitate development of competencies with respect to patients with disabilities. The culture of disability should be included as one of the many cultures addressed in cultural competence initiatives in medical school and residency curricula.

A fast and highly sensitive blood culture PCR method for clinical detection of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhou Liqing

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Salmonella Typhi causes an estimated 21 million new cases of typhoid fever and 216,000 deaths every year. Blood culture is currently the gold standard for diagnosis of typhoid fever, but it is time-consuming and takes several days for isolation and identification of causative organisms. It is then too late to initiate proper antibiotic therapy. Serological tests have very low sensitivity and specificity, and no practical value in endemic areas. As early diagnosis of the disease and prompt treatment are essential for optimal management, especially in children, a rapid sensitive detection method for typhoid fever is urgently needed. Although PCR is sensitive and rapid, initial research indicated similar sensitivity to blood culture and lower specificity. We developed a fast and highly sensitive blood culture PCR method for detection of Salmonella Typhi, allowing same-day initiation of treatment after accurate diagnosis of typhoid. Methods An ox bile tryptone soy broth was optimized for blood culture, which allows the complete lysis of blood cells to release intracellular bacteria without inhibiting the growth of Salmonella Typhi. Using the optimised broth Salmonella Typhi bacteria in artificial blood samples were enriched in blood culture and then detected by a PCR targeting the fliC-d gene of Salmonella Typhi. Results Tests demonstrated that 2.4% ox bile in blood culture not only lyzes blood cells completely within 1.5 hours so that the intracellular bacteria could be released, but also has no inhibiting effect on the growth of Salmonella Typhi. Three hour enrichment of Salmonella Typhi in tryptone soya broth containing 2.4% ox bile could increase the bacterial number from 0.75 CFU per millilitre of blood which is similar to clinical typhoid samples to the level which regular PCR can detect. The whole blood culture PCR assay takes less than 8 hours to complete rather than several days for conventional blood culture

Group cognitive-behavioral therapy for depression in Spanish: culture-sensitive manualized treatment in practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Aguilera, Adrian; Garza, Monica J; Muñoz, Ricardo F

2010-08-01

The authors applied cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression using the Healthy Management of Reality treatment manual. This 16-week group treatment comprised four 4-week modules: thoughts (cognitive restructuring), activities (behavioral activation), people (interpersonal skills training), and health (addresses physical health and depression). They illustrated the use of the culture-sensitive treatment manuals by way of the member characteristics and clinical process of a Spanish-language CBT group for depression. They highlighted the challenges and satisfactions of working with a Spanish-speaking population in the public sector, and focused on how culture and socioeconomic status influence patients, and how to adapt treatment to these factors. Last, they demonstrated how technological advances integrate with culture-sensitive, evidence-based treatments to better serve this population and reduce disparities.

Response to Marie Paz Morales' ``Influence of culture and language sensitive physics on science attitude achievement''

Science.gov (United States)

Cole, Mikel Walker

2015-12-01

This response to Marie Paz Morales' "Influence of culture and language sensitive physics on science attitude achievement" explores the ideas of culturally responsive pedagogy and critical literacy to examine some implications for culturally responsive science instruction implicit in the original manuscript.

Highly Sensitive Bacteriophage-Based Detection of Brucella abortus in Mixed Culture and Spiked Blood.

Science.gov (United States)

Sergueev, Kirill V; Filippov, Andrey A; Nikolich, Mikeljon P

2017-06-10

For decades, bacteriophages (phages) have been used for Brucella species identification in the diagnosis and epidemiology of brucellosis. Traditional Brucella phage typing is a multi-day procedure including the isolation of a pure culture, a step that can take up to three weeks. In this study, we focused on the use of brucellaphages for sensitive detection of the pathogen in clinical and other complex samples, and developed an indirect method of Brucella detection using real-time quantitative PCR monitoring of brucellaphage DNA amplification via replication on live Brucella cells. This assay allowed the detection of single bacteria (down to 1 colony-forming unit per milliliter) within 72 h without DNA extraction and purification steps. The technique was equally efficient with Brucella abortus pure culture and with mixed cultures of B . abortus and α-proteobacterial near neighbors that can be misidentified as Brucella spp., Ochrobactrum anthropi and Afipia felis . The addition of a simple short sample preparation step enabled the indirect phage-based detection of B . abortus in spiked blood, with the same high sensitivity. This indirect phage-based detection assay enables the rapid and sensitive detection of live B . abortus in mixed cultures and in blood samples, and can potentially be applied for detection in other clinical samples and other complex sample types.

Highly Sensitive Bacteriophage-Based Detection of Brucella abortus in Mixed Culture and Spiked Blood

Science.gov (United States)

Sergueev, Kirill V.; Filippov, Andrey A.; Nikolich, Mikeljon P.

2017-01-01

For decades, bacteriophages (phages) have been used for Brucella species identification in the diagnosis and epidemiology of brucellosis. Traditional Brucella phage typing is a multi-day procedure including the isolation of a pure culture, a step that can take up to three weeks. In this study, we focused on the use of brucellaphages for sensitive detection of the pathogen in clinical and other complex samples, and developed an indirect method of Brucella detection using real-time quantitative PCR monitoring of brucellaphage DNA amplification via replication on live Brucella cells. This assay allowed the detection of single bacteria (down to 1 colony-forming unit per milliliter) within 72 h without DNA extraction and purification steps. The technique was equally efficient with Brucella abortus pure culture and with mixed cultures of B. abortus and α-proteobacterial near neighbors that can be misidentified as Brucella spp., Ochrobactrum anthropi and Afipia felis. The addition of a simple short sample preparation step enabled the indirect phage-based detection of B. abortus in spiked blood, with the same high sensitivity. This indirect phage-based detection assay enables the rapid and sensitive detection of live B. abortus in mixed cultures and in blood samples, and can potentially be applied for detection in other clinical samples and other complex sample types. PMID:28604602

Practitioners' Perspectives on Cultural Sensitivity in Latina/o Teen Pregnancy Prevention

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkinson-Lee, Ada M.; Russell, Stephen T.; Lee, Faye C. H.

2006-01-01

This study examined practitioners' understandings of cultural sensitivity in the context of pregnancy prevention programs for Latina teens. Fifty-eight practitioners from teen pregnancy prevention programs in California were interviewed in a guided conversation format. Three themes emerged in our analysis. First, practitioners' definitions of…

Changing collaborative practices through cultural interventions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Marrewijk, A.H.; Veenswijk, M.B.; Clegg, S.R.

2014-01-01

After a parliamentary enquiry into construction industry malpractice, changes occurred in collaborative practices between clients and contractors in megaprojects within the Dutch construction sector. The enquiry meant that both clients and contractors were forced to acknowledge illegal practices of

Collaborative Teaching in a Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Higher Education Setting: A Case Study of a Postgraduate Accounting Program

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Evans, Elaine; Tindale, Jen; Cable, Dawn; Mead, Suzanne Hamil

2009-01-01

The Language for Professional Communication in Accounting project has changed teaching practice in a linguistically and culturally diverse postgraduate accounting program at Macquarie University in Australia. This paper reflects on the project's interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to diversity in the classroom by tracing its growth and…

Group Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Depression in Spanish: Culture-Sensitive Manualized Treatment in Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Aguilera, Adrian; Garza, Monica J.; Muñoz, Ricardo F.

2014-01-01

The authors applied cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression using the Healthy Management of Reality treatment manual. This 16-week group treatment comprised four 4-week modules: thoughts (cognitive restructuring), activities (behavioral activation), people (interpersonal skills training), and health (addresses physical health and depression). They illustrated the use of the culture-sensitive treatment manuals by way of the member characteristics and clinical process of a Spanish-language CBT group for depression. They highlighted the challenges and satisfactions of working with a Spanish-speaking population in the public sector, and focused on how culture and socioeconomic status influence patients, and how to adapt treatment to these factors. Last, they demonstrated how technological advances integrate with culture-sensitive, evidence-based treatments to better serve this population and reduce disparities. PMID:20549680

Developing a Culturally Sensitive Lifestyle Behavior Change Program for Older Latinas.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwingel, Andiara; Linares, Deborah E; Gálvez, Patricia; Adamson, Brynn; Aguayo, Liliana; Bobitt, Julie; Castañeda, Yvette; Sebastião, Emerson; Marquez, David X

2015-12-01

Despite the burgeoning U.S. Latino population and their increased risk of chronic disease, little emphasis had been placed on developing culturally sensitive lifestyle interventions in this area. This article examines older Latinas' sociocultural context relative to health with the goal of developing a culturally sensitive health behavior intervention. Photo-elicitation indicated two emerging themes that influenced lifestyle choices: family caregiving and religion. Researchers partnered with a faith-based organization to develop and implement a 6-month lifestyle intervention for Latinas ages 50 and older: Abuelas en Acción (AEA). At completion, interviews were conducted to understand women's experiences and the influence AEA had on their lifestyles and health. Findings suggest that religious content empowered and deeply affected women; however, the intergenerational content presented significant challenges for instruction, retention, and implementation. We discuss findings in relation to the health intervention literature and provide suggestions for future interventions drawing on religion, family, and health behavior change. © The Author(s) 2015.

Response to Marie Paz Morales' "Influence of Culture and Language Sensitive Physics on Science Attitude Achievement"

Science.gov (United States)

Cole, Mikel Walker

2015-01-01

This response to Marie Paz Morales' "Influence of culture and language sensitive physics on science attitude achievement" explores the ideas of culturally responsive pedagogy and critical literacy to examine some implications for culturally responsive science instruction implicit in the original manuscript. [For "Influence of…

Improving Medical Decision Making and Health Promotion through Culture-Sensitive Health Communication: An Agenda for Science and Practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Betsch, Cornelia; Böhm, Robert; Airhihenbuwa, Collins O; Butler, Robb; Chapman, Gretchen B; Haase, Niels; Herrmann, Benedikt; Igarashi, Tasuku; Kitayama, Shinobu; Korn, Lars; Nurm, Ülla-Karin; Rohrmann, Bernd; Rothman, Alexander J; Shavitt, Sharon; Updegraff, John A; Uskul, Ayse K

2016-10-01

This review introduces the concept of culture-sensitive health communication. The basic premise is that congruency between the recipient's cultural characteristics and the respective message will increase the communication's effectiveness. Culture-sensitive health communication is therefore defined as the deliberate and evidence-informed adaptation of health communication to the recipients' cultural background in order to increase knowledge and improve preparation for medical decision making and to enhance the persuasiveness of messages in health promotion. To achieve effective health communication in varying cultural contexts, an empirically and theoretically based understanding of culture will be indispensable. We therefore define culture, discuss which evolutionary and structural factors contribute to the development of cultural diversity, and examine how differences are conceptualized as scientific constructs in current models of cultural differences. In addition, we will explicate the implications of cultural differences for psychological theorizing, because common constructs of health behavior theories and decision making, such as attitudes or risk perception, are subject to cultural variation. In terms of communication, we will review both communication strategies and channels that are used to disseminate health messages, and we will discuss the implications of cultural differences for their effectiveness. Finally, we propose an agenda both for science and for practice to advance and apply the evidence base for culture-sensitive health communication. This calls for more interdisciplinary research between science and practice but also between scientific disciplines and between basic and applied research. © The Author(s) 2015.

Highly Sensitive Bacteriophage-Based Detection of Brucella abortus in Mixed Culture and Spiked Blood

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kirill V. Sergueev

2017-06-01

Full Text Available For decades, bacteriophages (phages have been used for Brucella species identification in the diagnosis and epidemiology of brucellosis. Traditional Brucella phage typing is a multi-day procedure including the isolation of a pure culture, a step that can take up to three weeks. In this study, we focused on the use of brucellaphages for sensitive detection of the pathogen in clinical and other complex samples, and developed an indirect method of Brucella detection using real-time quantitative PCR monitoring of brucellaphage DNA amplification via replication on live Brucella cells. This assay allowed the detection of single bacteria (down to 1 colony-forming unit per milliliter within 72 h without DNA extraction and purification steps. The technique was equally efficient with Brucella abortus pure culture and with mixed cultures of B. abortus and α-proteobacterial near neighbors that can be misidentified as Brucella spp., Ochrobactrum anthropi and Afipia felis. The addition of a simple short sample preparation step enabled the indirect phage-based detection of B. abortus in spiked blood, with the same high sensitivity. This indirect phage-based detection assay enables the rapid and sensitive detection of live B. abortus in mixed cultures and in blood samples, and can potentially be applied for detection in other clinical samples and other complex sample types.

Interplay wellbeing framework: a collaborative methodology 'bringing together stories and numbers' to quantify Aboriginal cultural values in remote Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Cairney, Sheree; Abbott, Tammy; Quinn, Stephen; Yamaguchi, Jessica; Wilson, Byron; Wakerman, John

2017-05-03

Wellbeing has been difficult to understand, measure and strengthen for Aboriginal people in remote Australia. Part of the challenge has been genuinely involving community members and incorporating their values and priorities into assessment and policy. Taking a 'shared space' collaborative approach between remote Aboriginal communities, governments and scientists, we merged Aboriginal knowledge with western science - by bringing together stories and numbers. This research aims to statistically validate the holistic Interplay Wellbeing Framework and Survey that bring together Aboriginal-identified priorities of culture, empowerment and community with government priorities including education, employment and health. Quantitative survey data were collected from a cohort of 842 Aboriginal people aged 15-34 years, recruited from four different Aboriginal communities in remote Australia. Aboriginal community researchers designed and administered the survey. Structural equation modeling showed good fit statistics (χ/df = 2.69, CFI = 0.95 and RMSEA = 0.045) confirming the holistic nature of the Interplay Wellbeing Framework. The strongest direct impacts on wellbeing were 'social and emotional wellbeing' (r = 0.23; p Interplay Wellbeing Framework and Survey were statistically validated as a collaborative approach to assessing wellbeing that is inclusive of other cultural worldviews, values and practices. New community-derived social and cultural indicators were established, contributing valuable insight to psychometric assessment across cultures. These analyses confirm that culture, empowerment and community play key roles in the interplay with education, employment and health, as part of a holistic and quantifiable system of wellbeing. This research supports the holistic concept of wellbeing confirming that everything is interrelated and needs to be considered at the 'whole of system' level in policy approaches.

Probing the Politics of Comprehensive Sexuality Education: "Universality" versus "Cultural Sensitivity": A Dutch-Bangladeshi Collaboration on Adolescent Sexuality Education

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Roodsaz, Rahil

2018-01-01

As part of Western European development aid policy, comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is increasingly promoted in resource-poor countries. This paper engages with CSE promotion in Bangladesh funded by the Dutch Government. It unpacks the "collaboration" by looking at how a paradox is played out between the universal ideals…

Implementation of the national tuberculosis guidelines on culture and drug sensitivity testing in Guatemala, 2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Samayoa-Peláez, Maritza; Ayala, Nancy; Yadon, Zaida E; Heldal, Einar

2016-01-01

Objective To assess whether the National Tuberculosis Program (NTP) guidelines for culture and drug sensitivity testing (DST) in Guatemala were successfully implemented, particularly in cases of smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) or previously treated TB, by documenting notification rates by department (geographic area), disease type and category, and culture and DST results. Methods This was a cross-sectional, operational research study that merged and linked all patients registered by the NTP and the National Reference Laboratory in 2013, eliminating duplicates. The proportions with culture (for new smear negative pulmonary cases) and culture combined with DST (for previously treated patients) were estimated and analyzed by department. Data were analyzed using EpiData Analysis version 2.2. Results There were 3 074 patients registered with TB (all forms), for a case notification rate of 20/100 000 population. Of these, 2 842 had new TB, of which 2 167 (76%) were smear-positive pulmonary TB (PTB), 385 (14%) were smear-negative PTB, and 290 (10%) were extrapulmonary TB. There were 232 (8%) previously treated cases. Case notification rates (all forms) varied by department from 2-68 per 100 000 population, with the highest rates seen in the southwest and northeast part of Guatemala. Of new TB patients, 136 had a culture performed and 55 had DST of which the results were 33 fully sensitive, 9 monoresistant, 3 polyresistant, and 10 multidrug resistant TB (MDR-TB). Only 21 (5%) of new smear-negative PTB patients had cultures. Of 232 previously treated patients, 54 (23%) had a culture and 47 (20%) had DST, of which 29 were fully sensitive, 7 monoresistant, 2 polyresistant, and 9 MDR-TB. Of 22 departments (including the capital), culture and DST was performed in new smear-negative PTB in 7 departments (32%) and in previously treated TB in 13 departments (59%). Conclusions Despite national guidelines, only 5% of smear-negative PTB cases had a culture and only 20% of

Implementation of the national tuberculosis guidelines on culture and drug sensitivity testing in Guatemala, 2013

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maritza Samayoa-Peláez

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objective To assess whether the National Tuberculosis Program (NTP guidelines for culture and drug sensitivity testing (DST in Guatemala were successfully implemented, particularly in cases of smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis (TB or previously treated TB, by documenting notification rates by department (geographic area, disease type and category, and culture and DST results. Methods This was a cross-sectional, operational research study that merged and linked all patients registered by the NTP and the National Reference Laboratory in 2013, eliminating duplicates. The proportions with culture (for new smear negative pulmonary cases and culture combined with DST (for previously treated patients were estimated and analyzed by department. Data were analyzed using EpiData Analysis version 2.2. Results There were 3 074 patients registered with TB (all forms, for a case notification rate of 20/100 000 population. Of these, 2 842 had new TB, of which 2 167 (76% were smear-positive pulmonary TB (PTB, 385 (14% were smear-negative PTB, and 290 (10% were extrapulmonary TB. There were 232 (8% previously treated cases. Case notification rates (all forms varied by department from 2–68 per 100 000 population, with the highest rates seen in the southwest and northeast part of Guatemala. Of new TB patients, 136 had a culture performed and 55 had DST of which the results were 33 fully sensitive, 9 monoresistant, 3 polyresistant, and 10 multidrug resistant TB (MDR-TB. Only 21 (5% of new smear-negative PTB patients had cultures. Of 232 previously treated patients, 54 (23% had a culture and 47 (20% had DST, of which 29 were fully sensitive, 7 monoresistant, 2 polyresistant, and 9 MDR-TB. Of 22 departments (including the capital, culture and DST was performed in new smear-negative PTB in 7 departments (32% and in previously treated TB in 13 departments (59%. Conclusions Despite national guidelines, only 5% of smear-negative PTB cases had a culture and

Children's collaborative encounters in pre-school

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svinth, Lone

2013-01-01

Collaboration is often described as a situation whereby two or more children work together towards a common goal. When viewed from a socio-cultural learning perspective, a broader understanding of collaboration is suggested. This article investigates the forms and pathways of children...

Mine, thine, and ours: collaboration and co-authorship in the material culture of the mid-twentieth century chemical laboratory.

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Nye, Mary Jo

2014-08-01

Patterns of collaboration and co-authorship in chemical science from the 1920s to the 1960s are examined with an eye to frequency of co-authorship and differences in allocation of credit during a period of increasing team research and specialization within chemical research groups. Three research leaders in the cross-disciplinary and cutting edge field of X-ray crystallography and molecular structure are the focus of this historical study within a framework of sociological literature on different collaborative patterns followed by eminent scientists. The examples of Michael Polanyi in Berlin and Manchester, Linus Pauling in Pasadena, and Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin in Oxford demonstrate the need to de-centre historical narrative from the heroic 'he' or 'she' to the collaborative 'they.' These cases demonstrate, too, the roles of disciplinary apprenticeships, local conditions, and individual personalities for historical explanation that transcends universal generalizations about scientific practice, material culture, and sociological trends.

Incorporating Cultural Sensitivity into Interactive Entertainment-Education for Diabetes Self-Management Designed for Hispanic Audiences.

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Kline, Kimberly N; Montealegre, Jane R; Rustveld, Luis O; Glover, Talar L; Chauca, Glori; Reed, Brian C; Jibaja-Weiss, Maria L

2016-06-01

Diabetes self-management education can improve outcomes in adults with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, Hispanics, a group that carries a large burden of disease, may not participate in diabetes education programs. Audience engagement with entertainment-education has been associated with improved health education outcomes and may engage and empower Hispanic users to active self-care. Successful use of entertainment-education relies on the use of characters and situations with whom the viewers can feel some sense of involvement and for Hispanic audiences is encouraged when storylines and characters are culturally sensitive. In this study, we used a mixed methods approach that included descriptive statistics of closed-ended and content analysis of open-ended questions to measure the cultural sensitivity of the telenovela portion of a novel technology-based application called Sugar, Heart, and Life (SHL). Specifically, we analyzed the responses of 123 male and female patients diagnosed with uncontrolled T2DM to determine viewer involvement with characters and situations in the telenovela, viewer perceived self-efficacy in following recommendations, as well as viewer satisfaction with the program. Our findings indicate that the SHL application achieved its goal of creating a user-friendly program that depicted realistic, culturally sensitive characters and storylines that resonated with Hispanic audiences and ultimately fostered perceived self-efficacy related to following recommendations given about healthy lifestyle changes for diabetes self-management. These findings suggest that the SHL application is a culturally sensitive health education intervention for use by Hispanic male and female individuals that may empower them in self-management of T2DM.

Mediating Effect of School Nurses' Self Efficacy between Multicultural Attitude and Cultural Sensitivity in Korean Elementary Schools

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Min Hyun Suk, PhD, RN

2015-09-01

Conclusions: Given the meaningful influence of positive multicultural attitude on cultural sensitivity and significant mediator effect of self efficacy as a school nurse between the two variables, the strategies to cultivate a positive multicultural attitude and enhance school nurses' self efficacy in their unique role should be considered in a training program. School nurses' health care services will benefit from the improvement of cultural sensitivity toward young children from multicultural families.

Bridging Culture On-Line: Strategies for Teaching Cultural Sensitivity.

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Wendler, M. Cecilia; Struthers, Roxanne

2002-01-01

An online cross-cultural health course for nurses sought to provide access to cultural experiences by culturally congruent use of a minority visiting scholar and required participation in cultural enrichment activities. Course and faculty evaluations were designed to be appropriate for the asynchronous environment. (Contains 25 references.) (SK)

Collaborative Design

Science.gov (United States)

Broderick, Debora

2014-01-01

This practitioner research study investigates the power of multimodal texts within a real-world context and argues that a participatory culture focused on literary arts offers marginalized high school students opportunities for collaborative design and authoring. Additionally, this article invites educators to rethink the at-risk label. This…

A call to improve practice concerning cultural sensitivity in advance directives: a review of the literature.

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Zager, B Sue; Yancy, Margaret

2011-12-01

The Patient Self Determination Act of 1990 mandates healthcare providers (HCP) to speak with patients about end-of-life preferences and advance directives (AD). HCP work with patients of varying cultures, and standard ADs do not address cultural differences. In order to understand various cultural beliefs, cultural sensitivity is important especially when discussing advance care planning (ACP). Individuals from differing ethnic backgrounds are likely to turn to their traditional norms of practice when ill or treatment choices must be made. An AD that addresses varying cultural values and beliefs was sought. A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted. Articles selected for review included qualitative and quantitative studies. The evidence was evaluated and synthesized for information related to cultural sensitivity and ADs. Three common themes emerged related to ACP discussions and culture. Healthcare provider awareness, communication, and education concerning cultural differences and ACP assisted in meeting the needs for end-of-life planning in the current era of increased globalization. Education for HCP on cultural differences and how to lead discussions promoted ACP. ADs are an essential part of health care and promote patient-centered care. (HCP) should be able to recognize differing cultural values and beliefs in order to initiate conversations about end of life. Initiating conversations about ACP can be facilitated by using open-ended questions that respect the values and beliefs of various cultures. Copyright ©2011 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Cross-Cultural Collaboration as Community Growth and Integration: Children’s Music Projects in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Scotland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hannah Linklater

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper constitutes a reflective account of inclusive approaches in two children’s music projects, both aiming to foster group creativityalongside cross-cultural awareness and understanding. The first of these projects involved sharing songs composed by children and youngpeople from a special needs school in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina, with a primary school choir in Edinburgh, Scotland. The second project, inSarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, focused on group song-writing and performance involving three groups of children from ethnically separated schools, alongside a choir from a school for children with visual impairments. On reflection, we discuss cross-cultural musical collaboration as an effective means of bringing children togetheracross social and cultural divides in order to share new experiences while building respect for differences. We hope projects such as these may represent the first step towards the ultimate goal of encouraging and nurturing more inclusive friendships between children who might not otherwise have opportunities to interact with each other.

Actionable knowledge and strategic decision making for bio- and agroterrorism threats: building a collaborative early warning culture.

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Mårtensson, Per-Åke; Hedström, Lars; Sundelius, Bengt; Skiby, Jeffrey E; Elbers, Armin; Knutsson, Rickard

2013-09-01

Current trends in biosecurity and cybersecurity include (1) the wide availability of technology and specialized knowledge that previously were available only to governments; (2) the global economic recession, which may increase the spread of radical non-state actors; and (3) recent US and EU commission reports that reflect concerns about non-state actors in asymmetric threats. The intersectoral and international nature of bioterrorism and agroterrorism threats requires collaboration across several sectors including intelligence, police, forensics, customs, and other law enforcement organizations who must work together with public and animal health organizations as well as environmental and social science organizations. This requires coordinated decision making among these organizations, based on actionable knowledge and information sharing. The risk of not sharing information among organizations compared to the benefit of sharing information can be considered in an "information sharing risk-benefit analysis" to prevent a terrorism incident from occurring and to build a rapid response capability. In the EU project AniBioThreat, early warning is the main topic in work package 3 (WP 3). A strategy has been generated based on an iterative approach to bring law enforcement agencies and human and animal health institutes together. Workshops and exercises have taken place during the first half of the project, and spin-off activities include new preparedness plans for institutes and the formation of a legal adviser network for decision making. In addition, a seminar on actionable knowledge was held in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2012, which identified the need to bring various agency cultures together to work on developing a resilient capability to identify early signs of bio- and agroterrorism threats. The seminar concluded that there are a number of challenges in building a collaborative culture, including developing an education program that supports collaboration and shared

The Effects of the Japan Bridge Project on Third Graders' Cultural Sensitivity

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Meyer, Lindsay; Sherman, Lilian; MaKinster, James

2006-01-01

This study examines the effects of the Japan BRIDGE Project, a global education program, on its third grade participants. Characterization of lessons and analysis of student interviews were used to investigate the nature of the curriculum and whether or not student participants were more culturally sensitive due to participation. Results indicate…

Communication and Collaboration in Subsidiaries in China

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Søderberg, Anne-Marie; Worm, Verner

2011-01-01

The purpose of this article is to explore how Chinese and expatriate managers, working in subsidiaries of five MNCs, communicate and collaborate, what kind of cultural encounters they talk about and give prominence to in their accounts of critical incidents, how they reflect upon them/explain them......, and how they cope with perceived similarities and differences to improve cross-cultural communication and collaboration within a global organisation. Using an inductive qualitative methodology and thematic analysis, the study draws on in-depth narrative interviews with 29 expatriate and 39 Chinese......, flexible and open-minded people, who are ready and have the capabilities to conduct cross-cultural leadership....

The Impact of Collaboration on the Epistemic Cultures of Science

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wray, K. Brad

2017-01-01

Examines the impact collaborative research is having on science. Argues that the traditional notion of authorship does not fit well with current practices in science. Raises concerns about the refereeing of collaborative research....

Bioimpedance monitoring of 3D cell culturing-Complementary electrode configurations for enhanced spatial sensitivity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Canali, Chiara; Heiskanen, Arto; Muhammad, Haseena Bashir

2015-01-01

A bioimpedance platform is presented as a promising tool for non-invasive real-time monitoring of the entire process of three-dimensional (3D) cell culturing in a hydrogel scaffold. In this study, the dynamics involved in the whole process of 3D cell culturing, starting from polymerisation...... spectroscopic (EIS) characterisation were used to determine the configurations' sensitivity field localisation. The 2T setup gives insight into the interfacial phenomena at both electrode surfaces and covers the central part of the 3D cell culture volume, while the four 3T modes provide focus on the dynamics...... the tested biomimetic environment, paving the way to further developments in bioimpedance tracking of 3D cell cultures and tissue engineering....

Solid tissue culture for cytogenetic analysis: a collaborative survey for the Association of Clinical Cytogeneticists.

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Rodgers, C S; Creasy, M R; Fitchett, M; Maliszewska, C T; Pratt, N R; Waters, J J

1996-01-01

AIMS: To survey the diagnostic service provided by UK laboratories for the culture of solid tissue samples (excluding tumours) and in particular to examine the variation in culture success rates and the problems of maternal cell overgrowth. METHODS: Twenty seven laboratories took part in a collaborative survey during 1992. Each laboratory submitted data on up to a maximum of 60 consecutive specimens (n = 1361) over a six month period. RESULTS: Skin specimens, the largest category received (n = 520), were the most problematic (51% success rate). Culture success rates were significantly lower (43%) when skin specimens (n = 140) were transported dry to the laboratory. Success rates for skin specimens also varied, depending on the origin of the specimen, from 18% for intra-uterine deaths (IUD) (n = 94) to 85% for neonatal deaths (n = 33) and 83% for live patients (n = 54). Culture of selected extra-fetal tissues from IUD, stillbirths and following elective termination of pregnancy (TOP) gave comparable success rates to those achieved for skin samples from neonatal deaths and live births. Skewed sex ratios, female > male, were identified for products of conception (POC) (n = 298) and placental biopsy specimens (n = 97). CONCLUSIONS: By appropriate selection, transport and processing of tissues, and in particular by avoiding relying solely on skin samples from IUD, stillbirths and TOP, an increase in culture success rates for solid tissue samples submitted for cytogenetic analysis could be achieved. The high risk of maternal cell contamination from POC and placental biopsy specimens was also identified in this survey. PMID:8881913

Sensitivity of PCR IS6110 in relation to culture and staining in Pott′s disease

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Manoj Kumar

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Rapid diagnosis is essential to decrease the morbidity and mortality of Pott′s disease. The bacteriological methods are time-consuming or insensitive. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR provides a rapid diagnostic tool and hope for early diagnosis of this disease. The aim of this study was to compare and assess of a rapid and effective method among diagnostic battery (Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN microscopy, BACTEC culture and PCR of Pott′s disease. Materials and Methods: Sixty-five specimens from clinico-radiological suspected cases of Pott′s disease were included in this study. They were processed for ZN microscopy, BACTEC culture, and PCR IS6110. The tests tool′s efficiency, positive agreement Kc (Kappa coefficient, and significance level (P value were calculated for correlation between PCR and performed tests. Results: The PCR sensitivity reached to 96% and 46.3% among positive and negative specimens on ZN microscopy. Further, 94% and 36.4% sensitivity were found among positive and negative specimens by BACTEC culture. The total 38 (58.5% specimens were detected either ZN microscopy or by BACTEC culture. Thus, the overall sensitivity and specificity of PCR were 95% and 74.1%. The kappa coefficient and P value, calculated for PCR against BACTEC culture and combined results of performed bacteriological tests were (Kc=0.60, (P<0.001 and (Kc=0.70, (P<0.001, respectively. Above statistical relations showed a fair agreement with significant differences. Conclusion: The PCR IS6110 may be useful in rapid detection of clinico-radiological suspected cases of Pott′s disease and those that are negative with bacteriological methods.

Collaboration between a US Academic Institution and International Ministry of Health to develop a culturally appropriate palliative care navigation curriculum.

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Fernandes, Ritabelle; Riklon, Sheldon; Langidrik, Justina R; Williams, Shellie N; Kabua, Neiar

2014-12-01

Implementation lessons: (1) The development and testing of a culturally appropriate palliative care navigation curriculum for countries facing high cancer and non-communicable diseases burden requires collaboration with the local Ministry of Health. (2) Lay volunteers from non-governmental and faith-based organizations are potential candidates to provide patient navigation services. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Culture and drug sensitivity testing among patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in Mexico: national data for 2009-2013.

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Orejel, Ivonne; Castellanos, Martin; Marín, Diana; Mendoza, Alberto; Harries, Anthony D

2016-01-01

This study documented the number and results of mycobacterial culture and drug sensitivity testing (CDST) in Mexico from 2009-2013 and assessed whether states with a higher risk of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) performed more CDST and had more cultures showing MDR-TB. Data for this longitudinal, descriptive, operational research study came from the electronic records of 31 state public health laboratories in Mexico. The total number of CDSTs was 6 470, increasing from 2 143 in the first 2 years to 4 327 in the latter 3 years. There was a significant increase in the proportion of cultures showing sensitivity to all drugs, from 53.1% to 60.9% in 2011-2013 (P tuberculosis were Mexico, particularly in high-risk MDR-TB states where a higher proportion of cultures showed MDR-TB. Scale up and wider coverage of CDST should continue.

Collaborative Economy in Tourism in Latin America

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clausen, Helene Balslev; Velázquez, Mario

2017-01-01

This chapter addresses how fundamentally different rationales and structures underpin the collaborative phenomena in four different Latin American countries arguing that for centuries a range of economic, sociopolitical and cultural practices have been intimately linked to what Western societies...... have named the collaborative economy. Acknowledging the importance of Web 2.0, we will discuss how the digital technologies have brought about new collaborative consumption patterns and finally, we will address the question of whether the technology-induced collaborative economy can create new economic...

Cultural resource management and the necessity of cultural and natural resource collaboration

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Roderick Kevin Donald; Kara Kusche; Collin Gaines

2005-01-01

Cultural Resource Specialists function as interpreters of past and present human behavior through the analysis of cultural/natural resources vital to human ecological sustainability. When developing short and long-term preservation strategies for cultural resources, it is more current and innovative for Cultural Resource Specialists to think of past human populations...

Assessment of University- Industry Collaboration and Technology ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Despite the cultural differences between university and industry, the mutual benefits from collaboration between university and industry have long been recognized in the advanced countries. Recently, the issue of technology transfer and collaboration between universities and industries has been receiving attention in the ...

The Challenges of Promoting Teacher Collaboration: A Taiwanese Context

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Wen-Chu Hu

2006-05-01

Full Text Available Contextualisation The significance of culture for the outcome of any reform can hardly be overemphasized. As many commentators have pointed out, earlier studies tended to neglect the cultural aspect of change in education (Fullan, 2001; Hargreaves, 1994; Stoll and Fink, 1996. This paper is intended to redress the balance; it introduces part of my research, which aims to answer how teacher cultures have affected, and have been affected by, a radical reform in the Taiwanese national curriculum - the Grade 1-9 Curriculum. Although the definition of ‘culture’ varies from discipline to discipline, and author to author, the concept used here is similar to that of ‘organisational culture’. Its essence is ‘…that set of basic assumptions which has worked well enough to be consider valid’ (Schein, 1989, or ‘…the way we do things around here…’ (Deal and Kennedy, 1983, p 14. This paper specifically focuses on one important aspect of teacher culture, ie, collaboration. Abstract: This paper examines the extent to which apparently collaborative activity, resulting from a new policy initiative in the Taiwanese education system – the introduction of the Grade 1-9 Curriculum, has increased teachers’ collaboration. An ethnographical approach was used to examine a variety of apparently collaborative practices in two schools, one an elementary school, the other, a junior high school, over the first three years of the new policies’ implementation. Categories of collaborative activity are identified as a result of a range of data gathering activities. It is argued that although there was some evidence that a collaborative culture was occurring, this was superficial or ‘shallow’ in nature. The reasons for this interpretation are discussed and prospects for future developments explored.

Culturally sensitive adaptation of the concept of relational communication therapy as a support to language development: An exploratory study in collaboration with a Tanzanian orphanage

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Ulrike Schütte

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Background: Orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC who grow up in institutional care often show communication and language problems. The caregivers lack training, and there are few language didactics programmes aimed at supporting communication and language development in OVC in institutional care in Tanzania. Objectives: The purpose of the study was to adapt the German concept of relational communication therapy (RCT as a support to language development in a Tanzanian early childhood education context in a culturally sensitive way. Following the adaptation of the concept, a training programme for Tanzanian caregiver students was developed to compare their competencies in language didactics before and after training. Methods: A convergent mixed methods design was used to examine changes following training in 12 participating caregiver students in a Tanzanian orphanage. The competencies in relational language didactics were assessed by a self-developed test and video recordings before and after intervention. Based on the results, we drew conclusions regarding necessary modifications to the training modules and to the concept of RCT. Results: The relational didactics competencies of the caregiver students improved significantly following their training. A detailed analysis of the four training modules showed that the improvement in relational didactics competencies varied depending on the topic and the teacher. Conclusion: The results provide essential hints for the professionalisation of caregivers and for using the concept of RCT for OVC in institutional care in Tanzania. Training programmes and concepts should not just be transferred across different cultures, disciplines and settings; they must be adapted to the specific cultural setting.

Using an Online Collaborative Project between American and Chinese Students to Develop ESL Teaching Skills, Cross-Cultural Awareness and Language Skills

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Angelova, Maria; Zhao, Ying

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the potential of computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools to facilitate second language acquisition and develop English as a second language (ESL) teaching skills and cultural awareness. The paper describes a collaborative online project between students from China and the USA, who communicated using the…

Intercultural communication between patients and health care providers: an exploration of intercultural communication effectiveness, cultural sensitivity, stress, and anxiety.

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Ulrey, K L; Amason, P

2001-01-01

Cultural diversity is becoming increasingly more important in the workplace. This is particularly true in health care organizations facing demographic shifts in the patients served and their families. This study serves to aid the development of intercultural communication training programs for health care providers by examining how cultural sensitivity and effective intercultural communication, besides helping patients, personally benefit health care providers by reducing their stress. Effective intercultural communication and cultural sensitivity were found to be related. Health care providers' levels of intercultural anxiety also were found to correlate with effective intercultural communication.

Cultural Learning Redux.

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Tomasello, Michael

2016-05-01

M. Tomasello, A. Kruger, and H. Ratner (1993) proposed a theory of cultural learning comprising imitative learning, instructed learning, and collaborative learning. Empirical and theoretical advances in the past 20 years suggest modifications to the theory; for example, children do not just imitate but overimitate in order to identify and affiliate with others in their cultural group, children learn from pedagogy not just episodic facts but the generic structure of their cultural worlds, and children collaboratively co-construct with those in their culture normative rules for doing things. In all, human children do not just culturally learn useful instrumental activities and information, they conform to the normative expectations of the cultural group and even contribute themselves to the creation of such normative expectations. © 2016 The Author. Child Development © 2016 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Modeling Cultural Factors in Collaboration and Negotiation

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2014-04-25

users of individualistic cultures (e.g. the US) would not be influenced as much by their friends in their twitting behavior as users of collectivist ...advanced experiment (Georgila and Traum, 2011c) we learn policies for three cultural norms ( individualists , collectivists , and altruists...Canadians were less likely to request for help but overall received more help compared to individuals from collectivistic cultures . 8. Honor and

Safety culture relationships with hospital nursing sensitive metrics.

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Brown, Diane Storer; Wolosin, Robert

2013-01-01

Public demand for safer care has catapulted the healthcare industry's efforts to understand relationships between patient safety and hospital performance. This study explored linkages between staff perceptions of safety culture (SC) and ongoing measures of hospital nursing unit-based structures, care processes, and adverse patient outcomes. Relationships between nursing-sensitive measures of hospital performance and SC were explored at the unit-level from 9 California hospitals and 37 nursing units. SC perceptions were measured 6 months prior to collection of nursing metrics and relationships between the two sets of data were explored using correlational and regression analyses. Significant relationships were found with reported falls and process measures for fall prevention. Multiple associations were identified with SC and the structure of care delivery: skill mix, staff turnover, and workload intensity demonstrated significant relationships with SC, explaining 22-45% of the variance. SC was an important factor to understand in the quest to advance safe patient care. These findings have affordability and care quality implications for hospital leadership. When senior leaders prioritized a safety culture, patient outcomes may have improved with less staff turnover and more productivity. A business case could be made for investing in patient safety systems to provide reliably safe care. © 2013 National Association for Healthcare Quality.

Collaborative open training with serious games: Relations, culture, knowledge, innovation, and desire

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Oihab Allal-Chérif

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This article studies the convergence between MOOCs (massive open online courses and serious games, two new types of information systems designed to improve learning. The aim of this research is to identify the areas of influence in collaborative open training serious games developed by large firms for a significant cost and made available for free to the public and to students according to the same principles as MOOCs. The methodology of this exploratory research is based on Kurt Lewin's (1945 statement “nothing is so practical as a good theory” and takes the opposite view. The deep observation of three serious games from L’Oréal, IBM, and Thales results in a theoretical model with five distinct influence domains of serious games: relations, culture, knowledge, innovation, and desire. This model is then discussed and tested on eight other serious games from major industrial companies such as General Electric, Nestlé, and Cisco.

The sensitivity and specificity of potassium hydroxide smear and fungal culture relative to clinical assessment in the evaluation of tinea pedis: a pooled analysis.

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Levitt, Jacob Oren; Levitt, Barrie H; Akhavan, Arash; Yanofsky, Howard

2010-01-01

Background. There are relatively few studies published examining the sensitivity and specificity of potassium hydroxide (KOH) smear and fungal culture examination of tinea pedis. Objective. To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of KOH smear and fungal culture for diagnosing tinea pedis. Methods. A pooled analysis of data from five similarly conducted bioequivalence trials for antifungal drugs was performed. Data from 460 patients enrolled in the vehicle arms of these studies with clinical diagnosis of tinea pedis supported by positive fungal culture were analyzed 6 weeks after initiation of the study to determine the sensitivity and specificity of KOH smear and fungal culture. Results. Using clinical assessment as the gold standard, the sensitivities for KOH smear and culture were 73.3% (95% CI: 66.3 to 79.5%) and 41.7% (34.6 to 49.1%), respectively. The respective specificities for culture and KOH smear were 77.7% (72.2 to 82.5%) and 42.5% (36.6 to 48.6%). Conclusion. KOH smear and fungal culture are complementary diagnostic tests for tinea pedis, with the former being the more sensitive test of the two, and the latter being more specific.

The Sensitivity and Specificity of Potassium Hydroxide Smear and Fungal Culture Relative to Clinical Assessment in the Evaluation of Tinea Pedis: A Pooled Analysis

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Jacob Oren Levitt

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Background. There are relatively few studies published examining the sensitivity and specificity of potassium hydroxide (KOH smear and fungal culture examination of tinea pedis. Objective. To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of KOH smear and fungal culture for diagnosing tinea pedis. Methods. A pooled analysis of data from five similarly conducted bioequivalence trials for antifungal drugs was performed. Data from 460 patients enrolled in the vehicle arms of these studies with clinical diagnosis of tinea pedis supported by positive fungal culture were analyzed 6 weeks after initiation of the study to determine the sensitivity and specificity of KOH smear and fungal culture. Results. Using clinical assessment as the gold standard, the sensitivities for KOH smear and culture were 73.3% (95% CI: 66.3 to 79.5% and 41.7% (34.6 to 49.1%, respectively. The respective specificities for culture and KOH smear were 77.7% (72.2 to 82.5% and 42.5% (36.6 to 48.6%. Conclusion. KOH smear and fungal culture are complementary diagnostic tests for tinea pedis, with the former being the more sensitive test of the two, and the latter being more specific.

Suicide Prevention in College Students: A Collaborative Approach.

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Fernández Rodríguez, María Del C; Huertas, Ivonne Bayron

2013-01-01

Described by Durkheim (1966) as the crudest expression of the social phenomena, suicide is of interest to clinicians, academics and researchers. Within the academic context, this issue has to be addressed and prevented. We are interested in sharing the process of participative action that led to the creation of a Suicide Prevention Program (SPP) for college students. Based on knowledge that was generated through a collaborative effort among all sectors of the academic community, we developed a prevention campaign that is culturally sensitive to our university's environment. This campaign is directed towards overcoming the stigma of seeking help and is characterized by promoting a sense of wellbeing in a holistic manner, paying attention not only to the individual, but also to elements of their sociocultural environment.

Drug and radiation sensitivity measurements of successful primary monolayer culturing of human tumor cells using cell-adhesive matrix and supplemented medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, F.L.; Spitzer, G.; Ajani, J.A.

1986-01-01

The limitations of the agar suspension culture method for primary culturing of human tumor cells prompted development of a monolayer system optimized for cell adhesion and growth. This method grew 83% of fresh human tumor cell biopsy specimens, cultured and not contaminated, from a heterogeneous group of 396 tumors including lung cancer (93 of 114, 82%); melanoma (54 of 72, 75%); sarcoma (46 of 59, 78%); breast cancer (35 of 39, 90%); ovarian cancer (16 of 21, 76%); and a miscellaneous group consisting of gastrointestinal, genitourinary, mesothelioma, and unknown primaries (78 of 91, 86%). Cell growth was characterized morphologically with Papanicolaoustained coverslip cultures and cytogenetically with Giemsastained metaphase spreads. Morphological features such as nuclear pleomorphism, chromatin condensation, basophilic cytoplasm, and melanin pigmentation were routinely seen. Aneuploid metaphases were seen in 90% of evaluable cultures, with 15 of 28 showing 70% or more aneuploid metaphases. Colony-forming efficiency ranged between 0.01 and 1% of viable tumor cells, with a median efficiency of 0.2%. This culture system uses a low inoculum of 25,000 viable cells per well which permitted chemosensitivity testing of nine drugs at four doses in duplicate from 2.2 X 10(6) viable tumor cells and radiation sensitivity testing at five doses in quadruplicate from 0.6 X 10(6) cells. Cultures were analyzed for survival by computerized image analysis of crystal violet-stained cells. Drug sensitivity studies showed variability in sensitivity and in survival curve shape with exponential cell killing for cisplatin, Adriamycin, and etoposide, and shouldered survival curves for 5-fluorouracil frequently seen. Radiation sensitivity studies also showed variability in both sensitivity and survival curve shape. Many cultures showed exponential cell killing, although others had shouldered survival curves

Temperament trait of sensory processing sensitivity moderates cultural differences in neural response.

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Aron, Arthur; Ketay, Sarah; Hedden, Trey; Aron, Elaine N; Rose Markus, Hazel; Gabrieli, John D E

2010-06-01

This study focused on a possible temperament-by-culture interaction. Specifically, it explored whether a basic temperament/personality trait (sensory processing sensitivity; SPS), perhaps having a genetic component, might moderate a previously established cultural difference in neural responses when making context-dependent vs context-independent judgments of simple visual stimuli. SPS has been hypothesized to underlie what has been called inhibitedness or reactivity in infants, introversion in adults, and reactivity or responsivness in diverse animal species. Some biologists view the trait as one of two innate strategies-observing carefully before acting vs being first to act. Thus the central characteristic of SPS is hypothesized to be a deep processing of information. Here, 10 European-Americans and 10 East Asians underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing simple visuospatial tasks emphasizing judgments that were either context independent (typically easier for Americans) or context dependent (typically easier for Asians). As reported elsewhere, each group exhibited greater activation for the culturally non-preferred task in frontal and parietal regions associated with greater effort in attention and working memory. However, further analyses, reported here for the first time, provided preliminary support for moderation by SPS. Consistent with the careful-processing theory, high-SPS individuals showed little cultural difference; low-SPS, strong culture differences.

Blood culture gram stain, acridine orange stain and direct sensitivity-based antimicrobial therapy of bloodstream infection in patients with trauma.

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Behera, B; Mathur, P; Gupta, B

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to ascertain if the simple practice of Gram stain, acridine orange stain and direct sensitivity determination of positive blood culture bottles could be used to guide early and appropriate treatment in trauma patients with clinical suspicion of sepsis. The study also aimed to evaluate the error in interpreting antimicrobial sensitivity by direct method when compared to standard method and find out if specific antibiotic-organism combination had more discrepancies. Findings from consecutive episodes of blood stream infection at an Apex Trauma centre over a 12-month period are summarized. A total of 509 consecutive positive blood cultures were subjected to Gram staining. AO staining was done in BacT/ALERT-positive Gram-stain negative blood cultures. Direct sensitivity was performed from 369 blood culture broths, showing single type of growth in Gram and acridine orange staining. Results of direct sensitivity were compared to conventional sensitivity for errors. No 'very major' discrepancy was found in this study. About 5.2 and 1.8% minor error rates were noted in gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, respectively, while comparing the two methods. Most of the discrepancies in gram-negative bacteria were noted in beta lactam - beta lactamase inhibitor combinations. Direct sensitivity testing was not reliable for reporting of methicillin and vancomycin resistance in Staphylococci. Gram stain result together with direct sensitivity testing is required for optimizing initial antimicrobial therapy in trauma patients with clinical suspicion of sepsis. Gram staining and AO staining proved particularly helpful in the early detection of candidaemia.

Essential education in communication skills and cultural sensitivities for global public health in an evolving veterinary world.

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Kurtz, S M; Adams, C L

2009-08-01

In the practise of veterinary medicine and global public health, communication skill is as critical as clinical reasoning and an extensive knowledge base. Effective communication skills and cross-cultural sensitivity are essential across the board for interdisciplinary, international, and local veterinary medicine. This paper offers an evidence-based, three-part framework for developing and sustaining curricula that enhance communication skills and cross-cultural sensitivity so that students are better prepared to practise veterinary medicine in an evolving world. These curricula may well also serve as a conduit for encouraging more veterinary graduates to choose global public health as a career path.

Listening to the Third Voices of Pangasinan Students: Designing and Enacting Culturally Sensitive Curriculum

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Wilder, Phillip

2015-01-01

This response builds upon Marie Paz Morales' "Influence of culture and language sensitive physics on science attitude achievement" by exploring how an expanded understanding of the ubiquitous nature of adolescent literacy practices and identities challenge traditional notions of "in school" and "out of school"…

DIAGNOSIS OF CULTURE POSITIVE URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS AND THEIR ANTIMICROBIAL SENSITIVITY PROFILE IN TERTIARY CARE CENTRE

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Prince Sreekumar Pius

2016-12-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Urinary tract infection is very common all over the world and in India more than 10 million cases are reported per year. It is one of the common infections diagnosed in the outpatients as well as the hospitalised patients. Empirical treatment of community acquired urinary tract infections are determined by the antibiotic sensitivity in a population. This study was conducted to determine the antimicrobial sensitivity amongst the uropathogens to help establish local guidelines on treatment of urinary tract infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this study, we collected 1306 samples from patients in whom we suspected to have urinary tract infection based on clinical signs and symptoms (e.g. with fever (greater than 38°C without another explanation or from a patient who had at least one urinary symptom (dysuria, urgency, frequency, or suprapubic pain or tenderness in our hospital during January 2016-June 2016. RESULTS Urine cultures were positive for 18% of the patients. Among these cultures, Klebsiella pneumonia (41%, Escherichia coli (35% and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (7% were the common organisms found. Highest antimicrobial sensitivity amongst these pathogens was found with cefoperazone/sulbactam and amikacin. CONCLUSION Cefoperazone/sulbactam and amikacin were the highly sensitive systemic antibiotics while ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin were the sensitive oral antibiotics in our locality.

Yeast Autolysis in Sparkling Wine Aging: Use of Killer and Sensitive Saccharomyces cerevisiae Strains in Co-Culture.

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Lombardi, Silvia Jane; De Leonardis, Antonella; Lustrato, Giuseppe; Testa, Bruno; Iorizzo, Massimo

2015-01-01

Sparkling wines produced by traditional method owe their characteristics to secondary fermentation and maturation that occur during a slow ageing in bottles. Yeast autolysis plays an important role during the sparkling wine aging. Using a combination of killer and sensitive yeasts is possible to accelerate yeast autolysis and reduce maturing time. killer and sensitive Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, separately and in co-cultures, were inoculated in base wine and bottled on pilot-plant scale. Commercial Saccaromyces bayanus strain was also investigated. Protein free amino acid and polysaccharides contents and sensory analysis were determined on the wine samples at 3, 6 and 9 months of aging. Yeast autolysis that occurs during the production of sparkling wines, obtained with co-cultures of killer and sensitive strains, has influenced free amino acids, total protein and polysaccharides content after 3 months aging time: sparkling wines, produced without the use of these yeasts, have reached the same results only after 9 months aging time. These results demonstrate that killer and sensitive yeasts in co-culture can accelerate the onset of autolysis in enological conditions, and has a positive effect on the quality of the aroma and flavor of sparkling wine. This paper offers an interesting biotechnological method to reduce production time of sparkling wine with economical benefits for the producers. We revised all patents relating to sparkling wine considering only those of interest for our study.

The use of technology in international collaboration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Livonen, Mirja; Sonnenwald, Diane H.

2000-01-01

International collaboration is emerging as an essential function for organizations, playing an important role in organizational strategy, performance and knowledge management. Two case studies of international collaboration are discussed in this paper. Participants' perceptions and use...... of technology to collaborate are examined from the perspective of sense of presence, participation, task type, productivity and ease of use. The data suggest that technology compatibility with cultural and work style preferences and technology infrastructure is more important than media richness, in contrast...

Children's Hospitals' Solutions for Patient Safety Collaborative Impact on Hospital-Acquired Harm.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyren, Anne; Brilli, Richard J; Zieker, Karen; Marino, Miguel; Muething, Stephen; Sharek, Paul J

2017-09-01

To determine if an improvement collaborative of 33 children's hospitals focused on reliable best practice implementation and culture of safety improvements can reduce hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) and serious safety events (SSEs). A 3-year prospective cohort study design with a 12-month historical control population was completed by the Children's Hospitals' Solutions for Patient Safety collaborative. Identification and dissemination of best practices related to 9 HACs and SSE reduction focused on key process and culture of safety improvements. Individual hospital improvement teams leveraged the resources of a large, structured children's hospital collaborative using electronic, virtual, and in-person interactions. Thirty-three children's hospitals from across the United States volunteered to be part of the Children's Hospitals' Solutions for Patient Safety collaborative. Thirty-two met all the data submission eligibility requirements for the HAC improvement objective of this study, and 21 participated in the high-reliability culture work aimed at reducing SSEs. Significant harm reduction occurred in 8 of 9 common HACs (range 9%-71%; P collaborative dedicated to implementing HAC-related best-practice prevention bundles and culture of safety interventions designed to increase the use of high-reliability organization practices resulted in significant HAC and SSE reductions. Structured collaboration and rapid sharing of evidence-based practices and tools are effective approaches to decreasing hospital-acquired harm. Copyright © 2017 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

A Tale of Two Countries: Innovation and Collaboration Aimed at Changing the Culture of Medicine in Uruguay.

Science.gov (United States)

Dapueto, Juan J; Viera, Mercedes; Samenow, Charles; Swiggart, William H; Steiger, Jeffrey

2018-05-11

This is a case study of a program to address professionalism at the Universidad de la República in Uruguay. We describe a five-year ongoing international collaboration. Relevant characteristics of the context, the program components, activities, and results were analyzed. The expected outcomes were to introduce standards of professional practices in the curricula of medical students and residents and the implementation of a program that might lead to a significant change in the culture of medicine in the University. Traditional didactics, interactive theater, and professional development workshops, issues such as teamwork and communication, professional behavior, and the culture of medicine, and physician wellness were addressed. A total of 359 faculty members, general practitioners, stakeholders, and other healthcare professionals (nurses, psychologists, social workers) participated in the intervention. The process led to specific achievements including new content in the curricula, the use of educational innovations to address issues of professionalism, a growing institutional culture of accountability, and the establishment of new rules and regulations. The strategies and interventions followed in the case of Uruguay can serve as a model to other developing countries to promote physician professionalism, wellness, and joy.

Culture and Youth Psychopathology: Testing the Syndromal Sensitivity Model in Thai and American Adolescents

Science.gov (United States)

Weisz, John R.; Weiss, Bahr; Suwanlert, Somsong; Chaiyasit, Wanchai

2006-01-01

Current widespread use of the same youth assessment measures and scales across different nations assumes that youth psychopathology syndromes do not differ meaningfully across nations. By contrast, the authors' syndromal sensitivity model posits 3 processes through which cultural differences can lead to cross-national differences in…

Sensitivity assessment of direct method for diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis in comparison with Dorset Culture media

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ebrahim badparva

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Trichomonas vaginalis is a flagellate protozoan that lives in the genital tract and causes trichomoniasis in women. About 200 million people all over the world are infected with T. vaginalis. There are various methods with different sensitivity and specificity for detection of this parasite, that one of them is direct smear of vaginal secretions which is simpler, rapid and cheaper than other diagnostic methods. Materials and Methods: Demographic data was gathered by a questionnaire which contained different variables. Vaginal secretions samples were taken by spicolum and two swaps that maintained in glucose solution in separate tubes from 160 women referred to health centers of Khorramabad. One of the vaginal samples was examined by direct smear in saline solution and the other was cultured in Dorse medium. Results: Of 160 women suspected of trichomoniasis, 11.8% and 18.75% were positive by direct smear and culture respectively. The sensitivity of the direct method was 63.3%. Our findings indicated that 30% of the infected women belonged to the 31 – 35 age group, which had the most relative frequency of positive cases. Most of the patients (43% were illiterate or had elementary educational level. Conclussion: The sensivity of direct method is 63% in compare to culture ( as a Gold standard , which is ralatively low . Although the efficacy of this test could be imporved by shortening the elapsed time between sampling and examination , use of skilled microscopists , and different samples , but we recommend that more sensitive methods such as culture and PCR should be used .

Are you a collaborative leader?

Science.gov (United States)

Ibarra, Herminia; Hansen, Morten T

2011-01-01

Social media and technologies have put connectivity on steroids and made collaboration more integral to business than ever. But without the right leadership, collaboration can go astray. Employees who try to collaborate on everything may wind up stuck in endless meetings, struggling to reach agreement. On the other side of the coin, executives who came of age during the heyday of "command and control" management can have trouble adjusting their style to fit the new realities. In their research on top-performing CEOs, Insead professors Ibarra and Hansen have examined what it takes to be a collaborative leader. They've found that it requires connecting people and ideas outside an organization to those inside it, leveraging diverse talent, modeling collaborative behavior at the top, and showing a strong hand to keep teams from getting mired in debate. In this article, they describe tactics that executives from Akamai, GE, Reckitt Benckiser, and other firms use in those four areas and how they foster high-performance collaborative cultures in their organizations.

Radiation sensitivity of poliovirus, a model for norovirus, inoculated in oyster (Crassostrea gigas) and culture broth under different conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jung, Pil-Mun [Advanced Radiation Technology Institute, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Jeongeup 580-185 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Jae Seok [Korea Food and Drug Administration, Seoul 122-704 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Jin-Gyu; Park, Jae-Nam; Han, In-Jun; Song, Beom-Seok; Choi, Jong-il; Kim, Jae-Hun; Byun, Myung-Woo [Advanced Radiation Technology Institute, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Jeongeup 580-185 (Korea, Republic of); Baek, Min [Atomic Energy Policy Division, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Gwacheon 427-715 (Korea, Republic of); Chung, Young-Jin [Department of Food and Nutrition, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 305-764 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Ju-Woon [Advanced Radiation Technology Institute, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Jeongeup 580-185 (Korea, Republic of)], E-mail: sjwlee@kaeri.re.kr

2009-07-15

Poliovirus is a recognized surrogate for norovirus, pathogen in water and food, due to the structural and genetic similarity. Although radiation sensitivity of poliovirus in water or media had been reported, there has been no research in food model such as shellfish. In this study, oyster (Crassostrea gigas) was incubated in artificial seawater contaminated with poliovirus, and thus radiation sensitivity of poliovirus was determined in inoculated oyster. The effects of ionizing radiation on the sensitivity of poliovirus were also evaluated under different conditions such as pH (4-7) and salt concentration (1-15%) in culture broth, and temperature during irradiation. The D{sub 10} value of poliovirus in PBS buffer, virus culture broth and oyster was determined to 0.46, 2.84 and 2.94 kGy, respectively. The initial plaque forming unit (PFU) of poliovirus in culture broth was slightly decreased as the decrease of pH and the increase of salt concentration, but radiation sensitivity was not affected by pH and salt contents. However, radiation resistance of poliovirus was increased at frozen state. These results provide the basic information for the inactivation of pathogenic virus in foods by using irradiation.

Radiation sensitivity of poliovirus, a model for norovirus, inoculated in oyster (Crassostrea gigas) and culture broth under different conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, Pil-Mun; Park, Jae Seok; Park, Jin-Gyu; Park, Jae-Nam; Han, In-Jun; Song, Beom-Seok; Choi, Jong-il; Kim, Jae-Hun; Byun, Myung-Woo; Baek, Min; Chung, Young-Jin; Lee, Ju-Woon

2009-01-01

Poliovirus is a recognized surrogate for norovirus, pathogen in water and food, due to the structural and genetic similarity. Although radiation sensitivity of poliovirus in water or media had been reported, there has been no research in food model such as shellfish. In this study, oyster (Crassostrea gigas) was incubated in artificial seawater contaminated with poliovirus, and thus radiation sensitivity of poliovirus was determined in inoculated oyster. The effects of ionizing radiation on the sensitivity of poliovirus were also evaluated under different conditions such as pH (4-7) and salt concentration (1-15%) in culture broth, and temperature during irradiation. The D 10 value of poliovirus in PBS buffer, virus culture broth and oyster was determined to 0.46, 2.84 and 2.94 kGy, respectively. The initial plaque forming unit (PFU) of poliovirus in culture broth was slightly decreased as the decrease of pH and the increase of salt concentration, but radiation sensitivity was not affected by pH and salt contents. However, radiation resistance of poliovirus was increased at frozen state. These results provide the basic information for the inactivation of pathogenic virus in foods by using irradiation.

Radiation sensitivity of poliovirus, a model for norovirus, inoculated in oyster ( Crassostrea gigas) and culture broth under different conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Pil-Mun; Park, Jae Seok; Park, Jin-Gyu; Park, Jae-Nam; Han, In-Jun; Song, Beom-Seok; Choi, Jong-il; Kim, Jae-Hun; Byun, Myung-Woo; Baek, Min; Chung, Young-Jin; Lee, Ju-Woon

2009-07-01

Poliovirus is a recognized surrogate for norovirus, pathogen in water and food, due to the structural and genetic similarity. Although radiation sensitivity of poliovirus in water or media had been reported, there has been no research in food model such as shellfish. In this study, oyster ( Crassostrea gigas) was incubated in artificial seawater contaminated with poliovirus, and thus radiation sensitivity of poliovirus was determined in inoculated oyster. The effects of ionizing radiation on the sensitivity of poliovirus were also evaluated under different conditions such as pH (4-7) and salt concentration (1-15%) in culture broth, and temperature during irradiation. The D10 value of poliovirus in PBS buffer, virus culture broth and oyster was determined to 0.46, 2.84 and 2.94 kGy, respectively. The initial plaque forming unit (PFU) of poliovirus in culture broth was slightly decreased as the decrease of pH and the increase of salt concentration, but radiation sensitivity was not affected by pH and salt contents. However, radiation resistance of poliovirus was increased at frozen state. These results provide the basic information for the inactivation of pathogenic virus in foods by using irradiation.

International Service-Learning: Ethics in Cross-Cultural Partnerships

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kim Jones

2012-04-01

Full Text Available All study abroad courses require the development of productive cross-cultural relationships. Working with local service providers from diverse cultural backgrounds, such as tour guides, hotel managers, and bus drivers, can be demanding work. However, these commercial relationships are reasonably well defined in terms of consumers and vendors of services. On the other hand, the collaboration and shared goals necessary for engaging in direct service abroad require the development of meaningful partnerships that extend beyond commercial interactions. Ethical partnerships are complicated by unequal power dynamics, different cultural expectations of reciprocity, and culturally specific understandings of relationship duration. The goal of this study is to identify divergent expectations amongst students providing the service, local service coordinators, and recipients of the service. An open-ended interview guide was developed for students and collaborators in three short-term international service-learning courses. Students wrote responses regarding their perceptions of the need for the project and the impact on all participants. Similar questions were asked of local service coordinators and members of the community in face-to-face interviews. This provided insight into the variety of perceptions of needs and outcomes. We argue that the process of aligning of mutual and individual goals and perceptions is integral to ascertaining informed consent for the participation of students, partner organizations, and community members in ISL programs. Furthermore, in striving for informed consent, the development of ethical, sensitive, and reciprocal ISL partnerships can be promoted. While it was not possible to obtain data from all groups in all three courses, this exploratory, qualitative investigation offered meaningful opportunities to maintain and further develop equitable relationships and to clarify expectations for future collaborations and coursework

Doing Outcomes-Based Collaborative Teaching and Learning in Asia

Science.gov (United States)

van Schalkwyk, Gertina J.

2015-01-01

This chapter focuses on applying the concepts of outcomes-based collaborative teaching and learning in an Asian context and with students coming from a Confucian heritage culture and explores examples of how to implement effective collaborative teaching and learning in an Asian higher education setting.

Prenatal expectations in Mexican American women: development of a culturally sensitive measure.

Science.gov (United States)

Gress-Smith, Jenna L; Roubinov, Danielle S; Tanaka, Rika; Cmic, Keith; Cirnic, Keith; Gonzales, Nancy; Enders, Craig; Luecken, Linda J

2013-08-01

Prenatal expectations describe various domains a woman envisions in preparation for her role as a new mother and influence how women transition into the maternal role. Although the maternal role is strongly influenced by the prevailing familial and sociocultural context, research characterizing prenatal expectations in ethnic minority and low-income women is lacking. As part of the largest growing minority group in the USA, Latina mothers represent an important group to study. Two hundred and ten low-income Mexican American women were administered the Prenatal Experiences Scale for Mexican Americans (PESMA) that was adapted to capture specific cultural aspects of prenatal expectations. Measures of current support, prenatal depressive symptoms, and other sociodemographic characteristics were also completed to assess validity. Exploratory factor analysis identified three underlying factors of prenatal expectations: paternal support, family support, and maternal role fulfillment. Associations among these subscales and demographic and cultural variables were conducted to characterize women who reported higher and lower levels of expectations. The PESMA demonstrated good concurrent validity when compared to measures of social support, prenatal depressive symptoms, and other sociodemographic constructs. A culturally sensitive measure of prenatal expectations is an important step towards a better understanding of how Mexican American women transition to the maternal role and identify culturally specific targets for interventions to promote maternal health.

Culture impact in construction supply chain management

OpenAIRE

Tzortzatou, E. P.

2008-01-01

Awareness of cultural differences in construction supply chains is of fundamental importance because only through a thorough understanding of the manifestations of culture can fragmented supply chains be appropriately integrated into cohesive and collaborating teams which enhance project performance Hence the concept of cultural alignment with the project supply chain is introduced in order for long-term collaborative relationships based on trust, co ordination and mutual benefit to be establ...

Downsides of an overly context-sensitive self: implications from the culture and subjective well-being research.

Science.gov (United States)

Suh, Eunkook M

2007-12-01

The self becomes context sensitive in service of the need to belong. When it comes to achieving personal happiness, an identity system that derives its worth and meaning excessively from its social context puts itself in a significantly disadvantageous position. This article integrates empirical findings and ideas from the self, subjective well-being, and cross-cultural literature and tries to offer insights to why East Asian cultural members report surprisingly low levels of happiness. The various cognitive, motivational, behavioral, and affective characteristics of the overly relation-oriented self are discussed as potential explanations. Implications for the study of self and culture are offered.

Multilateral collaboration between technical communicators and translators

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vandepitte, Sonia; Maylath, Bruce; Mousten, Birthe

2016-01-01

This article describes a multilateral international project (Thompson and Carter 1973, Moreno-Lopez 2004) in technical communication and translator training programmes and discusses its use of technologies in what is seen as the largest and most complex international learning-by-doing collaboration...... to date. The project is a student collaboration involving two sets of cross-cultural virtual teams who either translate from Danish and Dutch into English and review (or edit) into American English or who are involved in international collaborative writing by Spaniards and Americans, usability testing...

Analysis of sensitive questions across cultures : An application of multigroup item randomized response theory to sexual attitudes and behavior

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Jong, M.G.; Pieters, R.; Stremersch, S.

2012-01-01

Answers to sensitive questions are prone to social desirability bias. If not properly addressed, the validity of the research can be suspect. This article presents multigroup item randomized response theory (MIRRT) to measure self-reported sensitive topics across cultures. The method was

Human aspects, gamification, and social media in collaborative software engineering

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vasilescu, B.N.

2014-01-01

Software engineering is inherently a collaborative venture. In open-source software (OSS) development, such collaborations almost always span geographies and cultures. Because of the decentralised and self-directed nature of OSS as well as the social diversity inherent to OSS communities, the

Synthesis strategy: building a culturally sensitive mid-range theory of risk perception using literary, quantitative, and qualitative methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Siaki, Leilani A; Loescher, Lois J; Trego, Lori L

2013-03-01

This article presents a discussion of development of a mid-range theory of risk perception. Unhealthy behaviours contribute to the development of health inequalities worldwide. The link between perceived risk and successful health behaviour change is inconclusive, particularly in vulnerable populations. This may be attributed to inattention to culture. The synthesis strategy of theory building guided the process using three methods: (1) a systematic review of literature published between 2000-2011 targeting perceived risk in vulnerable populations; (2) qualitative and (3) quantitative data from a study of Samoan Pacific Islanders at high risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Main concepts of this theory include risk attention, appraisal processes, cognition, and affect. Overarching these concepts is health-world view: cultural ways of knowing, beliefs, values, images, and ideas. This theory proposes the following: (1) risk attention varies based on knowledge of the health risk in the context of health-world views; (2) risk appraisals are influenced by affect, health-world views, cultural customs, and protocols that intersect with the health risk; (3) strength of cultural beliefs, values, and images (cultural identity) mediate risk attention and risk appraisal influencing the likelihood that persons will engage in health-promoting behaviours that may contradict cultural customs/protocols. Interventions guided by a culturally sensitive mid-range theory may improve behaviour-related health inequalities in vulnerable populations. The synthesis strategy is an intensive process for developing a culturally sensitive mid-range theory. Testing of the theory will ascertain its usefulness for reducing health inequalities in vulnerable groups. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Building effective working relationships across culturally and ethnically diverse communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Hosley, Cheryl A; Gensheimer, Linda; Yang, Mai

2003-01-01

Amherst H. Wilder Foundation's Social Adjustment Program for Southeast Asians is implementing two collaborative, best practice, mental health and substance abuse prevention service models in Minnesota. It faced several issues in effectively bridging multiple cultural groups, including building a diverse collaborative team, involving families and youth, reconciling cultural variation in meeting styles, and making best practice models culturally appropriate. Researchers and program staff used multiple strategies to address these challenges and build successful partnerships. Through shared goals, flexibility, and a willingness to explore and address challenges, collaboratives can promote stronger relationships across cultural communities and improve their service delivery systems.

Prenatal expectations in Mexican American women: Development of a culturally-sensitive measure

Science.gov (United States)

Gress-Smith, Jenna L.; Roubinov, Danielle S.; Tanaka, Rika; Crnic, Keith; Gonzales, Nancy; Enders, Craig; Luecken, Linda J.

2013-01-01

Purpose Prenatal expectations describe various domains a woman envisions in preparation for her role as a new mother and influence how women transition into the maternal role. Although the maternal role is strongly influenced by the prevailing familial and sociocultural context, research characterizing prenatal expectations in ethnic minority and low-income women is lacking. As part of the largest growing minority group in the U.S., Latina mothers represent an important group to study. Methods Two hundred and ten low-income Mexican American women were administered the Prenatal Experiences Scale for Mexican Americans (PESMA) that was adapted to capture specific cultural aspects of prenatal expectations. Measures of current support, prenatal depressive symptoms, and other sociodemographic characteristics were also completed to assess validity. Results Exploratory factor analysis identified three underlying factors of prenatal expectations: Paternal Support, Family Support, and Maternal Role Fulfillment. Associations among these subscales, and demographics and cultural variables were conducted to characterize women who reported higher and lower levels of expectations. The PESMA demonstrated good concurrent validity when compared to measures of social support, prenatal depressive symptoms, and other sociodemographic constructs. Conclusions A culturally sensitive measure of prenatal expectations is an important step towards a better understanding of how Mexican American women transition to the maternal role and identify culturally specific targets for interventions to promote maternal health. PMID:23592028

Building Learning Communities for Research Collaboration and Cross-Cultural Enrichment in Science Education

Science.gov (United States)

Sparrow, E. B.

2003-12-01

The GLOBE program has provided opportunities for environmental science research and education collaborations among scientists, teachers and K-12 students, and for cross-cultural enrichment nationally and abroad. In Alaska, GLOBE has also provided funding leverage in some cases, and a base for several other science education programs that share a common goal of increasing student interest, understanding, process skills and achievement in science, through involvement in ongoing research investigations. These programs that use GLOBE methodologies (standardized scientific measurements and learning activities developed by scientists and educators) are: Global Change Education Using Western Science and Native Knowledge also known as "Observing Locally, Connecting Globally" (OLCG); Alaska Earth System Science Education Alliance: Improving Understanding of Climate Variability and Its Relevance to Rural Alaska; Schoolyard Long Term Ecological Research; Alaska Rural Research Partnership; Alaska Partnership for Teacher Enhancement; Alaska Lake Ice and Snow Observatory Network; Alaska Boreal Forest Council Education Outreach; Calypso Farm and Ecology Center; Environmental Education Outreach; and also GLOBE Arctic POPs (persistent organic pollutants) a program that involves countries in the circumpolar North. The University of Alaska GLOBE Partnership has collaborated with the BLM Campbell Creek Science Center Globe Partnership in facilitating GLOBE Training Workshops and providing teacher support. GLOBE's extensive website including data entry, archive, analysis and visualization capabilities; GLOBE Teacher Guide, videos and other materials provided; excellent GLOBE science research and education staff, training support office, GLOBE help desk, alignment of GLOBE curriculum with national science education standards and GLOBE certification of teachers trained on even just one GLOBE investigation, have made it easier to implement GLOBE in the classroom. Using GLOBE, whole

Intra- and Inter-Cultural Usability in Computer-Supported Collaboration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vatrapu, Ravi; Suthers, Dan

2010-01-01

In this paper, we argue for an increased scope of universal design to encompass usability and accessibility for not only users with physical disabilities but also for users from different cultures. Towards this end, we present an empirical evaluation of cultural usability in computer......-Chinese, and Chinese-Chinese) appropriated affordances and produced technological intersubjectivity. Cultural usability was analyzed through the use of performance and satisfaction measures. The results show a systemic variation in efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction between the two cultural groups....... Implications of these findings for the research and practice of usability, in general, and cultural usability, in particular, are discussed in this paper....

EU-Russia Cultural Relations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Sidorova

2014-05-01

Full Text Available This article analyzes the link between culture and diplomacy between Russia and the European Union, and shows the importance of cultural relations. It examines the common space of science, education and culture introduced at the 2003 EU-Russia Summit in St. Petersburg and the application of the principles of this concept that were established at the 2005 EU-Russia Summit in Moscow. It then considers EU-Russia collaboration on humanitarian action and the challenges that both parties face in this sphere. It also explains the formation of EU domestic and foreign cultural policy, and the role of European institutions and states in cultural affairs and diplomacy, as well as key elements and mechanisms of contemporary Russian foreign cultural policy. In addition, the article focuses on the European side of post-Soviet EU-Russia cultural relations. This cultural collaboration is defined as a competitive neighbourhood. EU and Russian interests collide: while Europeans try to promote their values, norms and standards within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy, Russia seeks to culturally influence and engage in this region for geostrategic and historical reasons. Finally, the article assesses the prospects for the EU-Russia cultural relations and emphasizes the role of ideology in improving such relations.

A/r/tographic Collaboration as Radical Relatedness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barbara Bickel PhD

2011-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper the authors examine a/r/tographical collaboration in a community-engaged research study investigating immigrant understandings of home and place. The study, The City of Richgate, involves a complex collaboration between community members, community organizations, educational institutions, and a research team comprising artist-educators. The study crosses border zones of cultural, ethnic, geographic, institutional, public, private, and disciplinary boundaries, reflecting the ever-changing character of postmodern reality. In this paper the authors reflect critically and theoretically on the lived experience of radical relatedness found within the complex collaboration, particularly within the a/r/tographic research team. This offers a qualitative methodology of radical collaboration applicable to many fields of inquiry in the academy, art world, and community.

The Impact of Latino Values and Cultural Beliefs on Brain Donation: Results of a Pilot Study to Develop Culturally Appropriate Materials and Methods to Increase Rates of Brain Donation in this Under-Studied Patient Group.

Science.gov (United States)

Bilbrey, Ann Choryan; Humber, Marika B; Plowey, Edward D; Garcia, Iliana; Chennapragada, Lakshmi; Desai, Kanchi; Rosen, Allyson; Askari, Nusha; Gallagher-Thompson, Dolores

2018-01-01

Increasing the number of Latino persons with dementia who consent to brain donation (BD) upon death is an important public health goal that has not yet been realized. This study identified the need for culturally sensitive materials to answer questions and support the decision-making process for the family. Information about existing rates of BD was obtained from the Alzheimer's Disease Centers. Several methods of data collection (query NACC database, contacting Centers, focus groups, online survey, assessing current protocol and materials) were used to give the needed background to create culturally appropriate BD materials. A decision was made that a brochure for undecided enrollees would be beneficial to discuss BD with family members. For those needing further details, a step-by-step handout would provide additional information. Through team collaboration and engagement of others in the community who work with Latinos with dementia, we believe this process allowed us to successfully create culturally appropriate informational materials that address a sensitive topic for Hispanic/Latino families. Brain tissue is needed to further knowledge about underlying biological mechanism of neurodegenerative diseases, however it is a sensitive topic. Materials assist with family discussion and facilitate the family's follow-through with BD.

Collaborative Learning at Engineering Universities: Benefits and Challenges

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olga V. Sumtsova

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper concerns the cutting edge educational approaches incorporated into syllabuses of the most progressive Russian higher technical schools. The authors discuss one of the active methods in teaching foreign languages – collaborative learning implemented in e-courses. Theoretical and historical aspects of this approach are addressed, as are its suitability for engineering education and possible ways of introducing collaborative learning into e-courses. Collaborative learning technology offers wide prospects for teachers of foreign languages as it enables the use of various patterns of interaction, promotes discussion, opinion exchange, peer assessment and building an e-learning community, fosters the development of e-culture and netiquette, and prepares future specialists for work in their professional sphere under the new conditions imposed by society’s technological and cultural development. This paper describes real pedagogical experience of teaching English to students using the platform Moodle, focusing on the capacity of different Moodle instruments for designing group work tasks. Recommendations are given for their usage and the results of implementing a collaborative learning approach into certain e-courses offered at Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU are presented.

Teaching cultural diversity: current status in U.K., U.S., and Canadian medical schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Dogra, Nisha; Reitmanova, Sylvia; Carter-Pokras, Olivia

2010-05-01

In this paper we present the current state of cultural diversity education for undergraduate medical students in three English-speaking countries: the United Kingdom (U.K.), United States (U.S.) and Canada. We review key documents that have shaped cultural diversity education in each country and compare and contrast current issues. It is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss the varied terminology that is immediately evident. Suffice it to say that there are many terms (e.g. cultural awareness, competence, sensitivity, sensibility, diversity and critical cultural diversity) used in different contexts with different meanings. The major issues that all three countries face include a lack of conceptual clarity, and fragmented and variable programs to teach cultural diversity. Faculty and staff support and development, and ambivalence from both staff and students continue to be a challenge. We suggest that greater international collaboration may help provide some solutions.

Maternal Sensitivity and Child Secure Base Use in Early Childhood: Studies in Different Cultural Contexts

Science.gov (United States)

Posada, German; Trumbell, Jill; Noblega, Magaly; Plata, Sandra; Peña, Paola; Carbonell, Olga A.; Lu, Ting

2016-01-01

This study tested whether maternal sensitivity and child security are related during early childhood and whether such an association is found in different cultural and social contexts. Mother-child dyads (N = 237) from four different countries (Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and the United States) were observed in naturalistic settings when children were…

The Multi-Scale Network Landscape of Collaboration.

Science.gov (United States)

Bae, Arram; Park, Doheum; Ahn, Yong-Yeol; Park, Juyong

2016-01-01

Propelled by the increasing availability of large-scale high-quality data, advanced data modeling and analysis techniques are enabling many novel and significant scientific understanding of a wide range of complex social, natural, and technological systems. These developments also provide opportunities for studying cultural systems and phenomena--which can be said to refer to all products of human creativity and way of life. An important characteristic of a cultural product is that it does not exist in isolation from others, but forms an intricate web of connections on many levels. In the creation and dissemination of cultural products and artworks in particular, collaboration and communication of ideas play an essential role, which can be captured in the heterogeneous network of the creators and practitioners of art. In this paper we propose novel methods to analyze and uncover meaningful patterns from such a network using the network of western classical musicians constructed from a large-scale comprehensive Compact Disc recordings data. We characterize the complex patterns in the network landscape of collaboration between musicians across multiple scales ranging from the macroscopic to the mesoscopic and microscopic that represent the diversity of cultural styles and the individuality of the artists.

An Overview of Web-Based School Collaboration: A History of Success or Failure?

Science.gov (United States)

Gouseti, Anastasia

2013-01-01

The notion of school collaboration has become widely recognised as an effective means of fostering cultural links and supporting communication between geographically separated schools. As shall be acknowledged in this paper, school collaboration follows on from a long history of collaborative initiatives across the past 50 years. However, the…

Information and Communication Technologies – and Culturally Sensitive Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nancy Michail

2006-12-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses the perceptions of Egyptian minority groups in relation to internet information technology with which they feel empowered to protect, affirm and communicate their oppressed existence, on local and global dimensions. The research employs qualitative methods and interpretive analysis, to focus on the use of Internet information technology tools by Egyptian minority groups, in particular, their online platforms and chat rooms, and the related issues associated with these practices and usages. The paper argues that cyberspace is used by specific minority groups in Egypt as a "gateway to freedom" in which it constitutes an ally to establish newly founded cyber identities that aide them to exercise their basic human rights of freedom of thought, speech and expression. The paper thus examines cyberspace a medium or tool for the carrying out of information exchange without the traditional fear of politics and power that is deeply engraved in the roots of the Egyptian culture. In this way, these minority groups are analysed as the newly conceived human information systems (HIS residing on Internet information technology and infrastructure. The paper proposes an adaptive and culturally sensitive model of human information systems as well as human information systems development life cycle (HISDLC to aid in establishing effective processes of information exchange and creation, hence assisting in the emancipation of conflicting parties residing in Egypt, elsewhere in the Middle East and globally.

Reflections on collaboration in consumer research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Elin Brandi; The VOICE Group, with

2008-01-01

tacit in the marketing literature, namely the impact of the relationships between researchers. The paper draws on accounts of other research collaborations as well as authors' experiences, and discusses how interpersonal and cross-cultural dynamics influence the work of interpretive research teams.......Abstract: Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges and opportunities of collaboration in interpretive consumer research. Design/methodology/approach - The paper reviews literature on research teamwork, particularly on qualitative and international projects. It also provides...... an account of research collaboration on an interpretive research project across four countries, involving eight researchers. Findings - Despite the cult of individualism in academic life, most articles in leading marketing journals are now written by multi-author teams. The process and implications...

How commercial and ``violent'' video games can promote culturally sensitive science learning: some questions and challenges

Science.gov (United States)

Kwah, Helen

2012-12-01

In their paper, Muñoz and El-Hani propose to bring video games into science classrooms to promote culturally sensitive ethics and citizenship education. Instead of bringing "educational" games, Muñoz and El-Hani take a more creative route and include games such as Fallout 3® precisely because they are popular and they reproduce ideological and violent representations of gender, race, class, nationality, science and technology. However, there are many questions that arise in bringing these commercial video games into science classrooms, including the questions of how students' capacities for critical reflection can be facilitated, whether traditional science teachers can take on the role of using such games in their classrooms, and which video games would be most appropriate to use. In this response, I raise these questions and consider some of the challenges in order to further the possibility of implementing Muñoz and El-Hani's creative proposal for generating culturally sensitive science classrooms.

Development of a Culturally-Adapted Graphic Novella about Emergency Communication: Collaborations with a Limited English Speaking Chinese Immigrant Community.

Science.gov (United States)

Eisenberg, Devora; Seino, Lena; Meischke, Hendrika; Tu, Shin-Ping; Turner, Anne M; Ike, Brooke; Painter, Ian; Yip, Mei-Po

2016-01-01

Bystander CPR doubles survival from cardiac arrest but limited English proficient (LEP) individuals face barriers calling 911 and performing CPR. Previous training increases the chance that an individual will perform CPR, yet access to classes in non-English speaking populations is limited. We used a cultural adaptation approach to develop a graphic novella for Chinese LEP immigrants about how to call 911 and perform bystander CPR. Collaboration with members of this community occurred through all stages of novella development. One hundred and thirty-two LEP Chinese adults read the novella and answered a survey measuring behavioral intentions. All respondents stated they would call 911 after witnessing a person's collapse, but those previously trained in CPR were more likely to say that they would perform CPR. All participants indicated that they would recommend this novella to others. Developing culturally-responsive evidence-based interventions is necessary to reduce disproportionate death and disability from cardiac arrest in LEP communities.

Interpersonal Conflict in Collaborative Writing: What We Can Learn from Gender Studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Lay, Mary M.

1989-01-01

Discusses how gender studies reveal psychological and cultural sources of interpersonal conflict during collaboration. Notes that an awareness of these conflict sources enables scholars and teachers in technical communication to predict and ease interpersonal conflict among collaborators. (MM)

Collaborative Development: A New Culture Affects an Old Organization

Science.gov (United States)

Phelps, Jim; Ruzicka, Terry

2008-01-01

At the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison, the Registrar's Office and the Division of Information Technology (DoIT) apply a collaborative development process to joint projects. This model differs from a "waterfall" model in that technical and functional staff work closely to develop requirements, prototypes, and the product throughout…

Culture, intangibles and metrics in environmental management.

Science.gov (United States)

Satterfield, Terre; Gregory, Robin; Klain, Sarah; Roberts, Mere; Chan, Kai M

2013-03-15

The demand for better representation of cultural considerations in environmental management is increasingly evident. As two cases in point, ecosystem service approaches increasingly include cultural services, and resource planners recognize indigenous constituents and the cultural knowledge they hold as key to good environmental management. Accordingly, collaborations between anthropologists, planners, decision makers and biodiversity experts about the subject of culture are increasingly common-but also commonly fraught. Those whose expertise is culture often engage in such collaborations because they worry a practitioner from 'elsewhere' will employ a 'measure of culture' that is poorly or naively conceived. Those from an economic or biophysical training must grapple with the intangible properties of culture as they intersect with economic, biological or other material measures. This paper seeks to assist those who engage in collaborations to characterize cultural benefits or impacts relevant to decision-making in three ways; by: (i) considering the likely mindset of would-be collaborators; (ii) providing examples of tested approaches that might enable innovation; and (iii) characterizing the kinds of obstacles that are in principle solvable through methodological alternatives. We accomplish these tasks in part by examining three cases wherein culture was a critical variable in environmental decision making: risk management in New Zealand associated with Māori concerns about genetically modified organisms; cultural services to assist marine planning in coastal British Columbia; and a decision-making process involving a local First Nation about water flows in a regulated river in western Canada. We examine how 'culture' came to be manifest in each case, drawing from ethnographic and cultural-models interviews and using subjective metrics (recommended by theories of judgment and decision making) to express cultural concerns. We conclude that the characterization of

Collaboration or negotiation: two ways of interacting suggest how shared thinking develops.

Science.gov (United States)

Mejía-Arauz, Rebeca; Rogoff, Barbara; Dayton, Andrew; Henne-Ochoa, Richard

2018-03-09

This paper contrasts two ways that shared thinking can be conceptualized: as negotiation, where individuals join their separate ideas, or collaboration, as people mutually engage together in a unified process, as an ensemble. We argue that these paradigms are culturally based, with the negotiation model fitting within an assumption system of separate entities-an assumption system we believe to be common in psychology and in middle-class European American society-and the collaboration model fitting within a holistic worldview that appears to be common in Indigenous-heritage communities of the Americas. We discuss cultural differences in children's interactions-as negotiation or collaboration-that suggest how these distinct paradigms develop. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Developing graduate student competency in providing culturally sensitive end of life care in critical care environments - a pilot study of a teaching innovation.

Science.gov (United States)

Northam, Holly L; Hercelinskyj, Gylo; Grealish, Laurie; Mak, Anita S

2015-11-01

Australia's immigration policy has generated a rich diverse cultural community of staff and patients in critical care environments. Many different cultural perspectives inform individual actions in the context of critical care, including the highly sensitive area of end of life care, with nurses feeling poorly prepared to provide culturally sensitive end of life care. This article describes and evaluates the effectiveness of an educational innovation designed to develop graduate-level critical care nurses' capacity for effective interpersonal communication, as members of a multi-disciplinary team in providing culturally sensitive end-of-life care. A mixed method pilot study was conducted using a curriculum innovation intervention informed by The Excellence in Cultural Experiential Learning and Leadership Program (EXCELL),(1) which is a higher education intervention which was applied to develop the nurses' intercultural communication skills. 12 graduate nursing students studying critical care nursing participated in the study. 42% (n=5) of the participants were from an international background. Information about students' cultural learning was recorded before and after the intervention, using a cultural learning development scale. Student discussions of end of life care were recorded at Week 2 and 14 of the curriculum. The quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistical analysis and qualitative data was thematically analysed. Students demonstrated an increase in cultural learning in a range of areas in the pre-post surveys including understandings of cultural diversity, interpersonal skills, cross cultural interactions and participating in multicultural groups. Thematic analysis of the end of life discussions revealed an increase in the levels of nurse confidence in approaching end of life care in critical care environments. The EXCELL program provides an effective and supportive educational framework to increase graduate nurses' cultural learning

Ensuring cultural sensitivity for Muslim patients in the Australian ICU: considerations for care.

Science.gov (United States)

Bloomer, Melissa J; Al-Mutair, Abbas

2013-11-01

Australia is a diverse and multicultural nation, made up of a population with a predominant Christian faith. Islam, the second largest religion in the world, has demonstrated significant growth in Australia in the last decade. Coming from various countries of origin and cultural backgrounds, Muslim beliefs can range from what is considered 'traditional' to very 'liberal'. It is neither possible nor practical for every intensive care clinician to have an intimate understanding of Islam and Muslim practices, and cultural variations amongst Muslims will mean that not all beliefs/practices will be applicable to all Muslims. However, being open and flexible in the way that care is provided and respectful of the needs of Muslim patients and their families is essential to providing culturally sensitive care. This discussion paper aims to describe the Islamic faith in terms of Islamic teachings, beliefs and common practices, considering how this impacts upon the perception of illness, the family unit and how it functions, decision-making and care preferences, particularly at the end of life in the intensive care unit. Copyright © 2013 Australian College of Critical Care Nurses Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Multi-Scale Network Landscape of Collaboration.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arram Bae

Full Text Available Propelled by the increasing availability of large-scale high-quality data, advanced data modeling and analysis techniques are enabling many novel and significant scientific understanding of a wide range of complex social, natural, and technological systems. These developments also provide opportunities for studying cultural systems and phenomena--which can be said to refer to all products of human creativity and way of life. An important characteristic of a cultural product is that it does not exist in isolation from others, but forms an intricate web of connections on many levels. In the creation and dissemination of cultural products and artworks in particular, collaboration and communication of ideas play an essential role, which can be captured in the heterogeneous network of the creators and practitioners of art. In this paper we propose novel methods to analyze and uncover meaningful patterns from such a network using the network of western classical musicians constructed from a large-scale comprehensive Compact Disc recordings data. We characterize the complex patterns in the network landscape of collaboration between musicians across multiple scales ranging from the macroscopic to the mesoscopic and microscopic that represent the diversity of cultural styles and the individuality of the artists.

Collaborative Science with Indigenous Knowledge for Climate Solutions: Why, How, and with Whom?

Science.gov (United States)

Maldonado, J.; Lazrus, H.; Gough, B.

2017-12-01

The inherent complexity of climate change requires diverse perspectives to understand and respond to its impacts. The Rising Voices: Collaborative Science with Indigenous Knowledge for Climate Solutions (Rising Voices) program represents a growing network of engaged Indigenous and non-Indigenous scientists committed to cross-cultural and collaborative research and activities to understand and mitigate the impacts of extreme weather and climate change. Five annual Rising Voices workshops have occurred since 2013, engaging hundreds of participants from across Tribal communities, the United States, and internationally over the years. Housed at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Rising Voices aims to expand how diversity is understood in atmospheric science, to include intellectual diversity stemming from distinct cultural backgrounds. It envisions collaborative research that brings together Indigenous knowledges and science with Western climate and weather sciences in a respectful and inclusive manner to achieve culturally relevant and scientifically robust climate and weather adaptation solutions. The premise of the program and the research and collaborations it produces is that there is an opportunity cost to not involving diverse knowledge systems and observations from varied cultural backgrounds in addressing climate change. We cannot afford that cost given the challenges ahead. This poster presents some of the protocols, methods, challenges, and outcomes of cross-cultural research between Western and Indigenous scientists and communities from across the United States. It also presents some of the recommendations that have emerged from Rising Voices workshops over the past five years.

Perceptions of Chinese and Tanzanian employees regarding intercultural collaboration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claude-Hélène Mayer

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Orientation: Chinese organisations have a long tradition of operating in Tanzania, and even today, Tanzania is the gateway for Chinese interests entering sub-Saharan markets. Research purpose: The purpose of this article was to explore and understand the perceptions of Chinese and Tanzanian employees working in a private Chinese organisation in Tanzania. Motivation for the study: The authors would like to contribute to the discourse on Chinese and Tanzanian collaboration in southern Africa to improve context-based intercultural collaboration from a human resource management perspective. Research design, approach and method: The study used a case study approach within a hermeneutical research paradigm. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and observation in a selected private Chinese organisation. Data were analysed by content analysis using Terre Blanche’s five-step model of content analysis. Main findings: The findings show that intercultural collaboration is a challenge for both Chinese and Tanzanian employees. Chinese employees share a mostly positive view of their organisation, while Tanzanians tend to be more critical. Members of both groups, however, feel that intercultural collaboration could improve if members of ‘the other group’ made recommended changes. Despite this, both groups adhere to their perceptions of ‘the other’ and maintain a favourable view of the self. Practical/managerial implications: Chinese organisations need to create opportunities for the improvement of intercultural collaboration by reflecting on the self and ‘the other’ in terms of understanding thought styles, experiences, knowledge, and the impact of cultural values on collaboration behaviour. As such, cultural knowledge-sharing might contribute to a sustainable long-term intercultural collaboration. Contribution: The study contributes to filling the gap of in-depth qualitative research on perceptions of Chinese and Tanzanian

Changes in sensitivity to radiation and to bleomycin occurring during the life history of monolayer cultures of a mouse tumour cell line

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Twentyman, P.R.; Bleehen, N.M.

1975-01-01

The response to X-radiation and to bleomycin has been measured at a number of times during the life of monolayer cultures of EMT6 mouse tumour cells. Little change in radiation sensitivity was seen at any time and no loss of the shoulder to the survival curve occurred. Cultures in early plateau phase (where a considerable amount of cell proliferation is balanced by cell loss) showed a reduced sensitivity to bleomycin when compared with cells in exponential growth. However, after a longer period in plateau phase, when proliferation had virtually ceased, the sensitivity became greater than that of exponential phase cells. These findings are discussed with reference to the conflicting results of other workers. (author)

Collaborative environments for capability-based planning

Science.gov (United States)

McQuay, William K.

2005-05-01

Distributed collaboration is an emerging technology for the 21st century that will significantly change how business is conducted in the defense and commercial sectors. Collaboration involves two or more geographically dispersed entities working together to create a "product" by sharing and exchanging data, information, and knowledge. A product is defined broadly to include, for example, writing a report, creating software, designing hardware, or implementing robust systems engineering and capability planning processes in an organization. Collaborative environments provide the framework and integrate models, simulations, domain specific tools, and virtual test beds to facilitate collaboration between the multiple disciplines needed in the enterprise. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is conducting a leading edge program in developing distributed collaborative technologies targeted to the Air Force's implementation of systems engineering for a simulation-aided acquisition and capability-based planning. The research is focusing on the open systems agent-based framework, product and process modeling, structural architecture, and the integration technologies - the glue to integrate the software components. In past four years, two live assessment events have been conducted to demonstrate the technology in support of research for the Air Force Agile Acquisition initiatives. The AFRL Collaborative Environment concept will foster a major cultural change in how the acquisition, training, and operational communities conduct business.

The effect of culture density and proliferation rate on the expression of ouabain-sensitive Na/K ATPase pumps in cultured human retinal pigment epithelium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burke, J.M.; Jaffe, G.J.; Brzeski, C.M.

1991-01-01

The number and activity of ouabain-sensitive Na/K ATPase pumps expressed by many cell types in vitro, including human retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPE), have been shown to decline with increasing culture density. Cell proliferation also declined as cultures became dense so it was unclear if pump number was modulated by cell proliferation or culture confluency. By exposing RPE cultures to various feeding regimens, using culture medium containing or lacking serum, it was possible to produce RPE cultures with a range of culture densities and growth rates. These were analyzed for proliferative activity by quantifying [ 3 H]thymidine incorporation and for Na/K ATPase pump number by measuring specific [ 3 H]ouabain binding. The results suggest that pump number is modulated by culture density and, further, that the density-dependent regulation of pump number requires serum. Although density-dependent modulation of culture growth is also serum requiring, cell proliferation and pump number did not appear to be related; cultures of similar density which differed significantly in growth rate had similar numbers of pumps. The view that elevated numbers of pumps were not necessarily found in proliferating cells was further supported by qualitative examination of radioautographs of cells dually labeled with [ 3 H]thymidine and [ 3 H]ouabain. Cycling cells which had [ 3 H]thymidine-labeled nuclei did not have notably higher labeling with [ 3 H]ouabain. However, [ 3 H]ouabain labeling, as an indicator of pump site number and distribution, did vary among cells in an RPE population and also within individual cells. This latter observation suggests that unpolarized RPE cells in sparse cultures may have regionally different requirements for ionic regulation

Of deadlocks and peopleware-collaborative work practices in global software development

OpenAIRE

Avram, Gabriela

2007-01-01

peer-reviewed As part of a research project dedicated to the Social Organizational and Cultural Aspects of Global Software Development, the author has chosen to focus on collaborative work practices and knowledge management aspects of collaborative work. More precisely, the focus is on how the global distribution of software development affects collaborative work. The current paper is a first attempt to unveil, through a concrete situation observed in a distributed software development ...

Strangers and Friends: Collaborative Play in World of Warcraft

Science.gov (United States)

Nardi, Bonnie; Harris, Justin

We analyze collaborative play in an online video game, World of Warcraft, the most popular multiplayer video game with 11 million players in Asia, North America, Europe, and Australia. Based on an immersive ethnographic study, we describe how the social organization of the game and player culture affect players' enjoyment and learning of the game. We discovered that play is characterized by a multiplicity of collaborations from brief informal encounters to highly organized play in structured groups. The variety of collaborations makes the game more fun and provides rich learning opportunities. We contrast these varied collaborations, including those with strangers, to the “gold standard” of Gemeinschaft-like communities of close relations in tightknit groups.

Delay-sensitive content distribution via peer-to-peer collaboration in public safety vehicular ad-hoc networks

KAUST Repository

Atat, Rachad; Yaacoub, Elias E.; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Filali, Fethi; Abu-Dayya, Adnan A.

2014-01-01

Delay-sensitive content distribution with peer-to-peer (P2P) cooperation in public safety vehicular networks is investigated. Two cooperative schemes are presented and analyzed. The first scheme is based on unicasting from the base station, whereas the second is based on threshold based multicasting. Long Term Evolution (LTE) is used for long range (LR) communications with the base station (BS) and IEEE 802.11p is considered for inter-vehicle collaboration on the short range (SR). The first scheme is shown to outperform non-cooperative unicasting and multicasting, while the second scheme outperforms non-cooperative unicasting beyond a specific number of cooperating vehicles, when the appropriate 802.11p power class is used. The first scheme achieves the best performance among the compared methods, and a practical approximation of that scheme is shown to be close to optimal performance. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Delay-sensitive content distribution via peer-to-peer collaboration in public safety vehicular ad-hoc networks

KAUST Repository

Atat, Rachad

2014-05-01

Delay-sensitive content distribution with peer-to-peer (P2P) cooperation in public safety vehicular networks is investigated. Two cooperative schemes are presented and analyzed. The first scheme is based on unicasting from the base station, whereas the second is based on threshold based multicasting. Long Term Evolution (LTE) is used for long range (LR) communications with the base station (BS) and IEEE 802.11p is considered for inter-vehicle collaboration on the short range (SR). The first scheme is shown to outperform non-cooperative unicasting and multicasting, while the second scheme outperforms non-cooperative unicasting beyond a specific number of cooperating vehicles, when the appropriate 802.11p power class is used. The first scheme achieves the best performance among the compared methods, and a practical approximation of that scheme is shown to be close to optimal performance. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

How Commercial and "Violent" Video Games Can Promote Culturally Sensitive Science Learning: Some Questions and Challenges

Science.gov (United States)

Kwah, Helen

2012-01-01

In their paper, Munoz and El-Hani propose to bring video games into science classrooms to promote culturally sensitive ethics and citizenship education. Instead of bringing "educational" games, Munoz and El-Hani take a more creative route and include games such as Fallout 3[R] precisely because they are popular and they reproduce ideological and…

Collaboration in Performing Arts

OpenAIRE

Langeveld, Cees; Belme, D.; Koppenberg, T.

2014-01-01

markdownabstract__Abstract__ As a result of declining government support, performing arts organisations (PAOs) face increased challenges and difficulties in the sector. They attempt to develop new ways of generating income and seek new models of organising the production and presentation of performing arts. Hereby, we can think of collaboration and integration as horizontal and vertical within the production chain of performing arts. There are various reasons for cultural organisations to dec...

Factors influencing teamwork and collaboration within a tertiary medical center.

Science.gov (United States)

Chien, Shu Feng; Wan, Thomas Th; Chen, Yu-Chih

2012-04-26

To understand how work climate and related factors influence teamwork and collaboration in a large medical center. A survey of 3462 employees was conducted to generate responses to Sexton's Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) to assess perceptions of work environment via a series of five-point, Likert-scaled questions. Path analysis was performed, using teamwork (TW) and collaboration (CO) as endogenous variables. The exogenous variables are effective communication (EC), safety culture (SC), job satisfaction (JS), work pressure (PR), and work climate (WC). The measurement instruments for the variables or summated subscales are presented. Reliability of each sub-scale are calculated. Alpha Cronbach coefficients are relatively strong: TW (0.81), CO (0.76), EC (0.70), SC (0.83), JS (0.91), WP (0.85), and WC (0.78). Confirmatory factor analysis was performed for each of these constructs. Path analysis enables to identify statistically significant predictors of two endogenous variables, teamwork and intra-organizational collaboration. Significant amounts of variance in perceived teamwork (R(2) = 0.59) and in collaboration (R(2) = 0.75) are accounted for by the predictor variables. In the initial model, safety culture is the most important predictor of perceived teamwork, with a β weight of 0.51, and work climate is the most significant predictor of collaboration, with a β weight of 0.84. After eliminating statistically insignificant causal paths and allowing correlated predictors1, the revised model shows that work climate is the only predictor positively influencing both teamwork (β = 0.26) and collaboration (β = 0.88). A relatively weak positive (β = 0.14) but statistically significant relationship exists between teamwork and collaboration when the effects of other predictors are simultaneously controlled. Hospital executives who are interested in improving collaboration should assess the work climate to ensure that employees are operating in a setting conducive

Factors influencing teamwork and collaboration within a tertiary medical center

Science.gov (United States)

Chien, Shu Feng; Wan, Thomas TH; Chen, Yu-Chih

2012-01-01

AIM: To understand how work climate and related factors influence teamwork and collaboration in a large medical center. METHODS: A survey of 3462 employees was conducted to generate responses to Sexton’s Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) to assess perceptions of work environment via a series of five-point, Likert-scaled questions. Path analysis was performed, using teamwork (TW) and collaboration (CO) as endogenous variables. The exogenous variables are effective communication (EC), safety culture (SC), job satisfaction (JS), work pressure (PR), and work climate (WC). The measurement instruments for the variables or summated subscales are presented. Reliability of each sub-scale are calculated. Alpha Cronbach coefficients are relatively strong: TW (0.81), CO (0.76), EC (0.70), SC (0.83), JS (0.91), WP (0.85), and WC (0.78). Confirmatory factor analysis was performed for each of these constructs. RESULTS: Path analysis enables to identify statistically significant predictors of two endogenous variables, teamwork and intra-organizational collaboration. Significant amounts of variance in perceived teamwork (R2 = 0.59) and in collaboration (R2 = 0.75) are accounted for by the predictor variables. In the initial model, safety culture is the most important predictor of perceived teamwork, with a β weight of 0.51, and work climate is the most significant predictor of collaboration, with a β weight of 0.84. After eliminating statistically insignificant causal paths and allowing correlated predictors1, the revised model shows that work climate is the only predictor positively influencing both teamwork (β = 0.26) and collaboration (β = 0.88). A relatively weak positive (β = 0.14) but statistically significant relationship exists between teamwork and collaboration when the effects of other predictors are simultaneously controlled. CONCLUSION: Hospital executives who are interested in improving collaboration should assess the work climate to ensure that employees are

Ages and stages questionnaires: adaptation to an Arabic speaking population and cultural sensitivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Charafeddine, Lama; Sinno, Durriyah; Ammous, Farah; Yassin, Walid; Al-Shaar, Laila; Mikati, Mohamad A

2013-09-01

Early detection of developmental delay is essential to initiate early intervention. The Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) correlate well with physician's assessment and have high predictive value. No such tool exists in Arabic. Translate and test the applicability and reliability of Arabic translated Ages and Stages Questionnaires (A-ASQ) in an Arabic speaking population. 733 healthy children were assessed. ASQ-II for 10 age groups (4-60 months) were translated to Arabic, back translations and cultural adaptation were performed. Test-retest reliability and internal consistency were evaluated using Pearson Correlation Coefficient (CC) and Cronbach's alpha (Cα). Mean scores per domain were compared to US normative scores using t-test. A-ASQ, after culturally relevant adaptations, was easily administered for 4-36 months age groups but not for 4-5 year old due to numerous cultural differences in the later. For the 4-36 month age groups Pearson CC ranged from 0.345 to 0.833. The internal consistency coefficients Cα scores ranged from 0.111 to 0.816. Significant differences were found in the mean domain scores of all age groups between Lebanese and US normative sample (p-value internal consistency and reliability in the younger age groups. It proved to be culturally sensitive, which should be taken into consideration when adapting such tool to non-western populations. Copyright © 2013 European Paediatric Neurology Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Collaborative Writing: Bridging the Gap between the Textbook and the Workplace

Science.gov (United States)

Bremner, Stephen

2010-01-01

A key challenge facing professional communication teachers is the need to bridge the gap between the culture of the classroom and the reality of the workplace. One area of difference between the two contexts is the way in which collaborative activities surrounding the construction of written text are enacted. Differences in collaborative practices…

Sustaining an International Partnership: An Evolving Collaboration

Science.gov (United States)

Pierson, Melinda R.; Myck-Wayne, Janice; Stang, Kristin K.; Basinska, Anna

2015-01-01

Universities across the United States have an increasing interest in international education. Increasing global awareness through educational collaborations will promote greater cross-cultural understanding and build effective relationships with diverse communities. This paper documents one university's effort to build an effective international…

Immersion research education: students as catalysts in international collaboration research.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, K H; Friedemann, M L; Bűscher, A; Sansoni, J; Hodnicki, D

2012-12-01

This paper describes an international nursing and health research immersion program. Minority students from the USA work with an international faculty mentor in teams conducting collaborative research. The Minority Health International Research Training (MHIRT) program students become catalysts in the conduct of cross-cultural research. To narrow the healthcare gap for disadvantaged families in the USA and partner countries. Faculty from the USA, Germany, Italy, Colombia, England, Austria and Thailand formed an international research and education team to explore and compare family health issues, disparities in chronic illness care, social inequities and healthcare solutions. USA students in the MHIRT program complete two introductory courses followed by a 3-month research practicum in a partner country guided by faculty mentors abroad. The overall program development, student study abroad preparation, research project activities, cultural learning, and student and faculty team outcomes are explored. Cross-fertilization of research, cultural awareness and ideas about improving family health occur through education, international exchange and research immersion. Faculty research and international team collaboration provide opportunities for learning about research, health disparities, cultural influences and healthcare systems. The students are catalysts in the research effort, the dissemination of research findings and other educational endeavours. Five steps of the collaborative activities lead to programmatic success. MHIRT scholars bring creativity, enthusiasm, and gain a genuine desire to conduct health research about families with chronic illness. Their cultural learning stimulates career plans that include international research and attention to vulnerable populations. © 2012 The Authors. International Nursing Review © 2012 International Council of Nurses.

Culture and drug sensitivity testing among patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in Mexico: national data for 2009–2013

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivonne Orejel

Full Text Available ABSTRACT This study documented the number and results of mycobacterial culture and drug sensitivity testing (CDST in Mexico from 2009–2013 and assessed whether states with a higher risk of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB performed more CDST and had more cultures showing MDR-TB. Data for this longitudinal, descriptive, operational research study came from the electronic records of 31 state public health laboratories in Mexico. The total number of CDSTs was 6 470, increasing from 2 143 in the first 2 years to 4 327 in the latter 3 years. There was a significant increase in the proportion of cultures showing sensitivity to all drugs, from 53.1% to 60.9% in 2011–2013 (P < 0.001 and a significant decrease in the proportion showing MDR-TB, from 28.2% in 2009 to 19.8% in 2013 (P < 0.001. Cases of extensively drug resistant tuberculosis were < 1% per year. In the 12 states with higher risk for MDR-TB, significantly more CDSTs (2 382 test were done in 2011–2013 than in the other 19 states (1 945 tests. Also, for each year the proportion of cultures showing MDR-TB was significantly higher in high risk MDR-TB states than in lower risk ones (P < 0.001. During the 5-year study period, CDST was scaled up in Mexico, particularly in high-risk MDR-TB states where a higher proportion of cultures showed MDR-TB. Scale up and wider coverage of CDST should continue.

The effect of culture density and proliferation rate on the expression of ouabain-sensitive Na/K ATPase pumps in cultured human retinal pigment epithelium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burke, J.M.; Jaffe, G.J.; Brzeski, C.M. (Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (USA))

1991-06-01

The number and activity of ouabain-sensitive Na/K ATPase pumps expressed by many cell types in vitro, including human retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPE), have been shown to decline with increasing culture density. Cell proliferation also declined as cultures became dense so it was unclear if pump number was modulated by cell proliferation or culture confluency. By exposing RPE cultures to various feeding regimens, using culture medium containing or lacking serum, it was possible to produce RPE cultures with a range of culture densities and growth rates. These were analyzed for proliferative activity by quantifying ({sup 3}H)thymidine incorporation and for Na/K ATPase pump number by measuring specific ({sup 3}H)ouabain binding. The results suggest that pump number is modulated by culture density and, further, that the density-dependent regulation of pump number requires serum. Although density-dependent modulation of culture growth is also serum requiring, cell proliferation and pump number did not appear to be related; cultures of similar density which differed significantly in growth rate had similar numbers of pumps. The view that elevated numbers of pumps were not necessarily found in proliferating cells was further supported by qualitative examination of radioautographs of cells dually labeled with ({sup 3}H)thymidine and ({sup 3}H)ouabain. Cycling cells which had ({sup 3}H)thymidine-labeled nuclei did not have notably higher labeling with ({sup 3}H)ouabain. However, ({sup 3}H)ouabain labeling, as an indicator of pump site number and distribution, did vary among cells in an RPE population and also within individual cells. This latter observation suggests that unpolarized RPE cells in sparse cultures may have regionally different requirements for ionic regulation.

Franco-Japanese and other collaborative contributions to understanding chimpanzee culture at Bossou and the Nimba Mountains.

Science.gov (United States)

Humle, Tatyana

2016-07-01

The Japanese approach to science has permitted theoretical leaps in our understanding of culture in non-human animals and challenged human uniqueness, as it is not embedded in the Western traditional dualisms of human/animal and nature/culture. This paper highlights the value of an interdisciplinary approach and combining methodological approaches in exploring putative cultural variation among chimpanzees. I focus particularly on driver ants (Dorylus sp.) and oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) consumption among the Bossou and Nimba chimpanzees, in south-eastern Guinea at the border with Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia, and hand use across different tool use tasks commonly witnessed at Bossou, i.e. ant-dipping, nut-cracking, pestle-pounding, and algae-scooping. Observed variation in resource use was addressed across differing scales exploring both within- and between-community differences. Our findings have highlighted a tight interplay between ecology, social dynamics and culture, and between social and individual learning and maternal contribution to tool-use acquisition. Exploration of hand use by chimpanzees revealed no evidence for individual-level hand or community-level task specialisation. However, more complex types of tool use such as nut-cracking showed distinct lateralization, while the equivalent of a haptic manual action revealed a strong right hand bias. The data also suggest an overall population tendency for a right hand preference. As well as describing these sites' key contributions to our understanding of chimpanzees and to challenging our perceptions of human uniqueness, this paper also highlights the critical condition and high levels of threats facing this emblematic chimpanzee population, and several questions that remain to be addressed. In the spirit of the Japanese approach to science, I recommend that an interdisciplinary and collaborative research approach can best help us to challenge perceptions of human uniqueness and to further our

Cultural context and school counseling: Cultural sensitivity to advocate for social justice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moshé Tatar

2008-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper the relevance of understanding the different meanings of culture in the counseling profession is presented. Two approaches to the concept of culture as they relate to counseling are suggested: the first approach stresses the organisational culture of the institution where the counselor works; the second —the multicultural approach— calls for the complex recognition of the variety of ethnic cultural backgrounds of those involved in the counseling situation. Professional practices are analysed as means for the reinforcement of present conditions or as ways for changing them. The concepts of empowerment of and advocacy for our clients are put forward as main components in the challenging new roles of the counseling profession. Implications for counselors are suggested.

Collective Competence and Social Capital Analysis in Collaborative Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janaina Macke

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The present paper addresses the issue of collective competence and social capital analysis for collaborative networks. The objective of the project is to understand how collaborative networks can be influenced considering the perspective of social capital and core competences. In this model we defend the emphasis on endogenous resources, once the technology is, in a general way, accessible to most of the companies and, therefore will not be a long term competitive advantage. The model shows that collaborative networks will be more competitive and successful if they invest in to core elements that are: organizational culture and people. Therefore, the model contributes for the researches in socio-organizational filed and provides a tool to evaluate collaborative networks.

Density gradient localization of vanadate- and NO-3-sensitive ATPase from sterile cultures of Spirodela polyrrhiza (L. Schleiden

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Józef Buczek

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The present work deals with the separation and some characteristics of ATPase activities bound with plant membanes prepared from sterile cultures of Spirodela polyrrhiza. The membrane-bound ATPases were separated on sucrose gradients and distinguished by membrane density and sensitivity to several inhibitors. The results showed that N0-3-sensitive ATPase activity associated with the tonoplast was localized at a sucrose density between 1.095-1.117 g•cm-3. The vanadate-sensitive ATPase activity bound with the plasma membrane showed a density between 1.127-1.151 g•cm-3. Both ATPases were insensitive to azide and oligomycin and were separable from markers for mitochondria.

Becoming ourselves through collaborative inquiry - difference, knowledge production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Christina Hee; Frølunde, Lisbeth; Novak, Martin

As an international group of five researchers we have been exploring possibilities of collaborative inquiry for more than four years. We discuss epistemological and ethical consequences of producing knowledge collaboratively through dialogue. We draw mainly on Bakhtinian conception of dialogism a...... space for general discussion on becoming in the context of knowledge production.......As an international group of five researchers we have been exploring possibilities of collaborative inquiry for more than four years. We discuss epistemological and ethical consequences of producing knowledge collaboratively through dialogue. We draw mainly on Bakhtinian conception of dialogism...... and poststructuralist thinking. Our dialogue began on the occasion of a cultural studies conference in Macedonia. At that time we prepared a panel consisting of four brief presentations, based on short papers written in advance, and four dialogical spaces in which we reacted to each other in a circular choreography...

The metaphors of collaboration, or the social construction of collaborative interactions between health professionals.

Science.gov (United States)

Tomelleri, Stefano; Lusardi, Roberto; Artioli, Giovanna

2015-03-13

This article illustrates the ways in which symbolic representations of reality, embodied in metaphors and language, can affect collaborative interactions in the current situation of social and economic change. We assume that corporate transformation and organizational configurations influence health professionals' representations in largely unconscious ways and, with these, their everyday practice. On the basis of empirical data collected through 13 focus groups in an Italian hospital, our intention is to show the extent to which joint working can be linked to three main metaphors each matching specific forms of social and professional interaction. The three metaphors of collaboration constitute different attempts to interpret social and organizational changes in proactive - encouraging social innovation - or defensive terms - as actions of cultural resistance. The three metaphors are: apparatus, family and team. In different ways, the first two represent forms of resistance to change and are widely present within organizations. The latter, on the other hand, consists of a proactive way to deal with ongoing social and organizational change. This metaphor testifies to the existence of a different approach to collaborative interactions, a perspective related to specific combinations of organizational and professional characteristics. This study indicates that organizational change and collaboration can be strengthened by metaphors that illustrate open, plural and highly heterogeneous professional settings.

The microgeography of university-industry collaboration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mahdad, Maral; Bogers, Marcel; Piccaluga, Andrea

The purpose of this study is to understand the influence of geographical proximity on other proximity dimensions within university-industry cooperative research centers. Many aspects of the relationship between proximity and innovation have been researched, but the interplay between geographical ...... on a conceptual framework for proximity dimensions and university-industry cooperative research centers. Our findings provide specific insights that advance the literature in proximity as well as university-industry collaborations....... that geographical proximity helps to shed light on the performance of university-industry collaboration by influencing proximity dimensions. We specifically identify the significant role of geographical proximity on social and cultural proximity specifically at micro level. Our qualitative analysis draws...

A rapid and sensitive method for measuring N-acetylglucosaminidase activity in cultured cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Victor Mauri

Full Text Available A rapid and sensitive method to quantitatively assess N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAG activity in cultured cells is highly desirable for both basic research and clinical studies. NAG activity is deficient in cells from patients with Mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIB (MPS IIIB due to mutations in NAGLU, the gene that encodes NAG. Currently available techniques for measuring NAG activity in patient-derived cell lines include chromogenic and fluorogenic assays and provide a biochemical method for the diagnosis of MPS IIIB. However, standard protocols require large amounts of cells, cell disruption by sonication or freeze-thawing, and normalization to the cellular protein content, resulting in an error-prone procedure that is material- and time-consuming and that produces highly variable results. Here we report a new procedure for measuring NAG activity in cultured cells. This procedure is based on the use of the fluorogenic NAG substrate, 4-Methylumbelliferyl-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-alpha-D-glucopyranoside (MUG, in a one-step cell assay that does not require cell disruption or post-assay normalization and that employs a low number of cells in 96-well plate format. We show that the NAG one-step cell assay greatly discriminates between wild-type and MPS IIIB patient-derived fibroblasts, thus providing a rapid method for the detection of deficiencies in NAG activity. We also show that the assay is sensitive to changes in NAG activity due to increases in NAGLU expression achieved by either overexpressing the transcription factor EB (TFEB, a master regulator of lysosomal function, or by inducing TFEB activation chemically. Because of its small format, rapidity, sensitivity and reproducibility, the NAG one-step cell assay is suitable for multiple procedures, including the high-throughput screening of chemical libraries to identify modulators of NAG expression, folding and activity, and the investigation of candidate molecules and constructs for applications in

Sensitivity, specificity and predictive value of blood cultures from cattle clinically suspected of bacterial endocarditis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Houe, Hans; Eriksen, L.; Jungersen, Gregers

1993-01-01

This study investigated the number of blood culture-positive cattle among 215 animals clinically suspected of having bacterial endocarditis. For animals that were necropsied, the sensitivity, specificity and predictive value of the diagnosis of endocarditis were calculated on the basis...... of the isolation of the causative bacteria from blood. Furthermore, it was investigated whether the glutaraldehyde coagulation time, total leucocyte count, per cent neutrophil granulocytes, pulse rate and duration of disease could help to discriminate endocarditis from other diseases. Among 138 animals necropsied...... the sensitivity, specificity and predictive value of blood cultivation were 70.7 per cent, 93.8 per cent and 89.1 per cent, respectively. None of the other measurements could be used to discriminate between endocarditis and non-endocarditis cases....

Familial study of ataxia telangiectasia. Heterozygotes identification on the basis of sensitivity of gamma-irradiated cultures to caffeine post-treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pawlak, A.L.; Kotecki, M.

1994-01-01

The effects of caffeine (CF), γ-irradiation + CF post-treatment on chromosomal aberrations were studied in lymphocyte cultures from a patient with ataxia telangiectasia (AT), his parents and brother. In the studied family both the homozygotes and the obligatory heterozygotes of AT showed increased sensitivity to CF post-treatment. Individual differences in sensitivity to γ-irradiation + CF post-treatment proved to be correlated with the sensitivity of non-irradiated cells to CF treatment, but not to γ-irradiation. (author). 19 refs, 1 fig., 1 tab

Familial study of ataxia telangiectasia. Heterozygotes identification on the basis of sensitivity of gamma-irradiated cultures to caffeine post-treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pawlak, A.L.; Kotecki, M. [Polska Akademia Nauk, Poznan (Poland). Zaklad Genetyki Czlowieka; Ignatowicz, R. [Centrum Zdrowia Dziecka, Warsaw (Poland)

1994-12-31

The effects of caffeine (CF), {gamma}-irradiation + CF post-treatment on chromosomal aberrations were studied in lymphocyte cultures from a patient with ataxia telangiectasia (AT), his parents and brother. In the studied family both the homozygotes and the obligatory heterozygotes of AT showed increased sensitivity to CF post-treatment. Individual differences in sensitivity to {gamma}-irradiation + CF post-treatment proved to be correlated with the sensitivity of non-irradiated cells to CF treatment, but not to {gamma}-irradiation. (author). 19 refs, 1 fig., 1 tab.

Relationship between sensitivity to ultraviolet light and budding in yeast cells of different culture ages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atsuta, J.; Okajima, S.

1976-01-01

Subpopulations of yeast cells, consisting of cells of different sizes and different percentages of budding cells, were prepared by centrifugation through sucrose solutions with linear density gradients of cultures at different phases of the growth cycle. Ultraviolet survival of these cells was determined by colony counting, and the survival rate was compared with the cells' respiratory rates. Individual budding cells and interdivisional cells, and also mother cells and daughter cells derived from irradiated budding cells, were isolated by the micromanipulation technique. The number of divisions in each cell was measured during a 21-hr incubation period immediately after irradiation. In the population in the logarithmic phase consisting of homogeneous cells of middle size, no difference in uv sensitivity was observed between mother cells and daughter cells, irrespective of mutual adhesion. Budding cell resistance was observed in the population in the transitional phase; this was due to the lesser uv sensitivity of daughter cells in the fresh medium. In the stationary phase, daughter cells were rather more sensitive than mother cells or interdivisional cells, so there was little difference in uv sensitivity between budding cells and interdivisional cells

Development and Validation of Culture-Sensitive Physics Learning Environment Survey (CS-PLES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marie Paz E. Morales

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The study combined qualitative approaches with quantitative research design to come up with a survey instrument called Culture-Sensitive Physics Learning Environment Survey (CS-PLES.This survey instrument is intended to extract the learners’ beliefs and expectations on the integration of culture and language in the teaching and learning process of physics concepts. Significant contribution of the instrument can be traced to establishing and defining the constructs and categories on how curriculum localization and context-based science learning can be developed aligned with students’ expectations and beliefs. The development process employed non-conventional processes adopted from literature which included pilot study to identify pre-deterministic constructs and specific categories for the items to be included in the survey. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and factor analysis to establish the categories or constructs of the survey instruments. Reliability measures of the instrument and its respective constructs were established for standardization. These categories were intended to aid researchers for an in-depth analysis when the instrument is administered for its purpose. The raw statistical categories were qualitatively paralleled with the pre-deterministic constructs to establish congruence of the survey tool to Instructional Congruence Framework (ICF.

Counseling Spanish-speaking patients: Atlanta pharmacists' cultural sensitivity, use of language-assistance services, and attitudes.

Science.gov (United States)

Muzyk, Andrew J; Muzyk, Tara L; Barnett, Candace W

2004-01-01

To document the types of language-assistance services available in pharmacies and the perceptions of pharmacists regarding the effectiveness of these services, and to measure the attitudes toward counseling Spanish-speaking patients and cultural sensitivity of pharmacists. Cross-sectional assessment. Metropolitan Atlanta, Ga. Registered Georgia pharmacists residing in metropolitan Atlanta. Mailed survey, with repeat mailing 2 weeks later. 38 survey items measuring demographic and practice-site characteristics, types of language-assistance services available with an assessment of the effectiveness of each measured on a nominal scale, and attitudinal items concerning counseling of Spanish-speaking patients and pharmacists' cultural sensitivity using a 5-point Likert-type response scale. Of 1,975 questionnaires mailed, 608 were returned, a 30.8% response rate. Nearly two thirds of the pharmacists had recently counseled a Spanish-speaking patient, but only one fourth of those respondents considered their interactions effective. Nearly all pharmacists, 88.0%, worked in pharmacies with language-assistance services. Of seven types of these services, a mean of 2.19 were available in pharmacies, and the majority of pharmacists (84.4% or more) identifying a service considered it to be effective. The pharmacists were neutral about counseling Spanish-speaking patients (mean = 2.94) and indifferent toward other cultures (mean = 3.28); however, they agreed they had a responsibility to counsel Spanish-speaking patients, and they believed that use of language-assistance services would constitute a reasonable effort to counsel these patients. Pharmacists have an opportunity to address barriers to communication with the Spanish-speaking population through use of language-assistance services and educational measures within the profession.

Urine culture

Science.gov (United States)

Culture and sensitivity - urine ... when urinating. You also may have a urine culture after you have been treated for an infection. ... when bacteria or yeast are found in the culture. This likely means that you have a urinary ...

Comparison of communication skills between trained and untrained students using a culturally sensitive nurse-client communication guideline in Indonesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Claramita, Mora; Tuah, Rodianson; Riskione, Patricia; Prabandari, Yayi Suryo; Effendy, Christantie

2016-01-01

A communication guideline that is sensitive to the local culture is influential in the process of nursing care. The Gadjah Mada nurse-client communication guideline, the "Ready-Greet-Invite-Discuss," was meant (1) to strengthen the relationship between the nurse and the client despite of socio-culturally hierarchical gap between health providers and clients in Indonesian context, (2) to provide attention to the unspoken concerns especially in the context of indirect communication which mostly using non-verbal signs and politeness etiquettes, and (3) to initiate dialog in the society which hold a more community-oriented decision making. Our aim is to compare the communication skills of nursing students who had and had not received a training using a culture-sensitive Gadjah Mada nurse-client communication guideline. This was a quasi experimental randomized control study to the fifth semester students of a nursing school at Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The intervention group was trained by the Gadjah Mada nurse-client communication guideline. Both intervention and the control group had learned general nurse-client communication guidelines. The training was 4h with role-plays, supportive information and feedback sessions. An objective-structured clinical examination (OSCE) was conducted 1week after the training, in seven stations, with seven simulated clients. Observers judged the communication skills of the students using a checklist of 5-point Likert scale, whereas simulated clients judged their satisfaction using 4-point Likert scale represented in colorful ribbons. There were significant mean differences in each domain of communication guideline observed between the trained and the control groups as judged by the teachers (p≤0.05) and simulated clients. Training using a culture-sensitive communication skills guideline could improve the communication skills of the nursing students and may increase satisfaction of the clients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights

Collaboration between colleagues in teaching professional development programs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrícia Meyer

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Although collaboration is valued in the discourses of teachers, managers and institutions, as well as recognized as essential for innovation in universities, the culture of individualism is the one that permeates university professors’ performance. This study aims to analyze teaching professional development programs undertaken at four universities (one international and three national, from the perspective of promoting peer collaboration. The analysis occurred through the collection of publications or websites that described them. The teaching professional development programs analyzed have peer collaboration as a premise and encourage the socialization of experiences in courses, forums and other continuing education events. However, it is observed the need for strategy diversification, such as mentorship, incentive to online activities and development of collective projects, so that collaboration can really be a pillar in the pedagogical continuing education, lifelong learning, as well as in the reconfiguration and innovation of university professors’ practices.

Collaboration in Global Software Engineering Based on Process Description Integration

Science.gov (United States)

Klein, Harald; Rausch, Andreas; Fischer, Edward

Globalization is one of the big trends in software development. Development projects need a variety of different resources with appropriate expert knowledge to be successful. More and more of these resources are nowadays obtained from specialized organizations and countries all over the world, varying in development approaches, processes, and culture. As seen with early outsourcing attempts, collaboration may fail due to these differences. Hence, the major challenge in global software engineering is to streamline collaborating organizations towards a successful conjoint development. Based on typical collaboration scenarios, this paper presents a structured approach to integrate processes in a comprehensible way.

Explaining variation in perceived team effectiveness: results from eleven quality improvement collaboratives.

Science.gov (United States)

Strating, Mathilde M H; Nieboer, Anna P

2013-06-01

Explore effectiveness of 11 collaboratives focusing on 11 different topics, as perceived by local improvement teams and to explore associations with collaborative-, organisational- and team-level factors. Evidence underlying the effectiveness of quality improvement collaboratives is inconclusive and few studies investigated determinants of implementation success. Moreover, most evaluation studies on quality improvement collaboratives are based on one specific topic or quality problem, making it hard to compare across collaboratives addressing different topics. A multiple-case cross-sectional study. Quality improvement teams in 11 quality improvement collaboratives focusing on 11 different topics. Team members received a postal questionnaire at the end of each collaborative. Of the 283 improvement teams, 151 project leaders and 362 team members returned the questionnaire. Analysis of variance revealed that teams varied widely on perceived effectiveness. Especially, members in the Prevention of Malnutrition and Prevention of Medication Errors collaboratives perceived a higher effectiveness than other groups. Multilevel regression analyses showed that educational level of professionals, innovation attributes, organisational support, innovative culture and commitment to change were all significant predictors of perceived effectiveness. In total, 27·9% of the individual-level variance, 57·6% of the team-level variance and 80% of the collaborative-level variance could be explained. The innovation's attributes, organisational support, an innovative team culture and professionals' commitment to change are instrumental to perceived effectiveness. The results support the notion that a layered approach is necessary to achieve improvements in quality of care and provides further insight in the determinants of success of quality improvement collaboratives. Understanding which factors enhance the impact of quality improvement initiatives can help professionals to achieve

Abundance and diversity of culturable Pseudomonas constitute sensitive indicators for adverse long-term copper impacts in soil

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thorsen, Maja Kristine; Brandt, Kristian Koefoed; Nybroe, Ole

2013-01-01

heterotrophic bacteria. This indicates that the Pseudomonas population is not resilient towards copper stress and that culturable Pseudomonas spp. comprise sensitive bio-indicators of adverse copper impacts in contaminated soils. Further this study shows that copper exposure decreases bacterial diversity...

8 ways to build collaborative teams.

Science.gov (United States)

Gratton, Lynda; Erickson, Tamara J

2007-11-01

Executing complex initiatives like acquisitions or an IT overhaul requires a breadth of knowledge that can be provided only by teams that are large, diverse, virtual, and composed of highly educated specialists. The irony is, those same characteristics have an alarming tendency to decrease collaboration on a team. What's a company to do? Gratton, a London Business School professor, and Erickson, president of the Concours Institute, studied 55 large teams and identified those with strong collaboration despite their complexity. Examining the team dynamics and environment at firms ranging from Royal Bank of Scotland to Nokia to Marriott, the authors isolated eight success factors: (1) "Signature" relationship practices that build bonds among the staff, in memorable ways that are particularly suited to a company's business. (2) Role models of collaboration among executives, which help cooperation trickle down to the staff. (3) The establishment of a "gift culture," in which managers support employees by mentoring them daily, instead of a transactional "tit-for-tat culture", (4) Training in relationship skills, such as communication and conflict resolution. (5) A sense of community, which corporate HR can foster by sponsoring group activities. (6) Ambidextrous leadership, or leaders who are both task-oriented and relationship-oriented. (7) Good use of heritage relationships, by populating teams with members who know and trust one another. (8) Role clarity and task ambiguity, achieved by defining individual roles sharply but giving teams latitude on approach. As teams have grown from a standard of 20 members to comprise 100 or more, team practices that once worked well no longer apply. The new complexity of teams requires companies to increase their capacity for collaboration, by making long-term investments that build relationships and trust, and smart near-term decisions about how teams are formed and run.

Radio-sensitivity of callus and cell cultures, and RAPD characterization of variants in banana [Musa spp.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kulkarni, V.M.; Karmarkar, V.M.; Ganapathi, T.R.; Bapat, V.A.

2000-01-01

Although bananas and plantains are one of the most important fruit crops, gearing up the breeding programmes for these has always remained the most difficult task due to several inherent problems such as parthenocarpy, barriers in obtaining viable seeds and long life cycle etc. In this regard, incorporation of in vitro techniques such as shoot-tip / cell cultures along with conventional as well as non-conventional methods of genetic improvement is of utmost importance, especially in those vegetatively propagated species with long crop cycle and low in vivo proliferation rate. In order to understand the radio-sensitivity, the callus and cell cultures of banana were exposed to differential doses of gamma-rays. Growth of the callus cultures reduced with increasing dose of gamma-rays. Similar trend was noticed in irradiation of cell suspensions also where a dose of 40 Gy and more was completely lethal. The experience gained from previous and present experiments has yielded optimization of the procedures for gamma-irradiation and subsequent handling of banana in vitro cultures. The RAPD analysis of the selected variants was unable to detect adequate polymorphism, and further experimentation in these regards is being done. (author)

Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of a family booklet on comfort care in dementia: sensitive topics revised before implementation.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Steen, Jenny T; Hertogh, Cees M P M; de Graas, Tjomme; Nakanishi, Miharu; Toscani, Franco; Arcand, Marcel

2013-02-01

Families of patients with dementia may need support in difficult end-of-life decision making. Such guidance may be culturally sensitive. To support families in Canada, a booklet was developed to aid decision making on palliative care issues. For reasons of cost effectiveness and promising effects, we prepared for its implementation in Italy, the Netherlands and Japan. Local teams translated and adapted the booklet to local ethical, legal and medical standards where needed, retaining guidance on palliative care. Using qualitative content analyses, we grouped and compared adaptations to understand culturally sensitive aspects. Three themes emerged: (1) relationships among patient, physician and other professionals-the authority of the physician was more explicit in adapted versions; (2) patient rights and family position-adding detail about local regulations; and (3) typology of treatments and decisions. Considerations underlying palliative care decisions were detailed (Dutch and Italian versions), and the Japanese version frequently referred to professional and legal standards, and life-prolongation was a competing goal. Text on artificial feeding or fluids and euthanasia was revised extensively. Providing artificial feeding and fluids and discussing euthanasia may be particularly sensitive topics, and guidance on these subjects needs careful consideration of ethical aspects and possible adaptations to local standards and practice. The findings may promote cross-national debate on sensitive, core issues regarding end-of-life care in dementia.

Collaborating with other developers : the ENMAX/Suncor experience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vainstein, K. [Suncor Energy, Calgary, AB (Canada); Lawlor, D. [ENMAX Power Corp., Calgary, AB (Canada)

2006-07-01

Suncor Energy and ENMAX Power Corporation have both made significant investments in wind power energy development. In order to better understand the potential environmental impacts of wind power activities, the 2 companies recently collaborated together to develop the ENMAX/Suncor post construction monitoring program. The program is comprised of sensitive species monitoring; mortality searches; and bat habitat and migration studies. The collaboration was successful as both companies shared the same environmental philosophy, were committed to knowledge sharing, and operated wind farms in the same region. The program also provided significant cost savings for the 2 companies. The program has led to stronger relationships with community stakeholders in the region. While the ENMAX/Suncor collaboration was a success, energy source developers should consider their current commitments and the size of their projects before committing themselves to collaborative programs. A cost-splitting formula was agreed upon by the 2 companies, and a formal collaboration agreement was prepared before the program was established. Both Suncor and ENMAX have agreed to collaborate in future projects involving community engagement; public education on wind projects; and information-sharing. It was concluded that collaboration can lead to tangible benefits. However, projects and company values need to be similar for a collaboration to fully succeed. refs., tabs., figs.

Technology collaboration by means of an open source government

Science.gov (United States)

Berardi, Steven M.

2009-05-01

The idea of open source software originally began in the early 1980s, but it never gained widespread support until recently, largely due to the explosive growth of the Internet. Only the Internet has made this kind of concept possible, bringing together millions of software developers from around the world to pool their knowledge. The tremendous success of open source software has prompted many corporations to adopt the culture of open source and thus share information they previously held secret. The government, and specifically the Department of Defense (DoD), could also benefit from adopting an open source culture. In acquiring satellite systems, the DoD often builds walls between program offices, but installing doors between programs can promote collaboration and information sharing. This paper addresses the challenges and consequences of adopting an open source culture to facilitate technology collaboration for DoD space acquisitions. DISCLAIMER: The views presented here are the views of the author, and do not represent the views of the United States Government, United States Air Force, or the Missile Defense Agency.

Multilateral collaboration between technical communicators and translators

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vandepitte, Sonia; Maylath, Bruce; Mousten, Birthe

2016-01-01

This article describes a multilateral international project (Thompson and Carter 1973, Moreno-Lopez 2004) in technical communication and translator training programmes and discusses its use of technologies in what is seen as the largest and most complex international learning-by-doing collaboration...... to date. The project is a student collaboration involving two sets of cross-cultural virtual teams who either translate from Danish and Dutch into English and review (or edit) into American English or who are involved in international collaborative writing by Spaniards and Americans, usability testing...... by Finnish students, and translation from English into Dutch, French and Italian (Humbley et al. 2005; Maylath et al. 2008; Mousten et al. 2008; Mousten; Vandepitte et al. 2010; Mousten et al. 2010, Mousten et al. 2012, Maylath et al. 2013, Maylath et al. 2013b). While students use email, iChat and Skype...

Patient safety culture and leadership within Canada's Academic Health Science Centres: towards the development of a collaborative position paper.

Science.gov (United States)

Nicklin, Wendy; Mass, Heather; Affonso, Dyanne D; O'Connor, Patricia; Ferguson-Paré, Mary; Jeffs, Lianne; Tregunno, Deborah; White, Peggy

2004-03-01

Currently, the Academy of Canadian Executive Nurses (ACEN) is working with the Association of Canadian Academic Healthcare Organizations (ACAHO) to develop a joint position paper on patient safety cultures and leadership within Academic Health Science Centres (AHSCs). Pressures to improve patient safety within our healthcare system are gaining momentum daily. Because AHSCs in Canada are the key organizations that are positioned regionally and nationally, where service delivery is the platform for the education of future healthcare providers, and where the development of new knowledge and innovation through research occurs, leadership for patient safety logically must emanate from them. As a primer, ACEN provides an overview of current patient safety initiatives in AHSCs to date. In addition, the following six key areas for action are identified to ensure that AHSCs continue to be leaders in delivering quality, safe healthcare in Canada. These include: (1) strategic orientation to safety culture and quality improvement, (2) open and transparent disclosure policies, (3) health human resources integral to ensuring patient safety practices, (4) effective linkages between AHSCs and academic institutions, (5) national patient safety accountability initiatives and (6) collaborative team practice.

Maternal sensitivity and infant attachment security in Korea: cross-cultural validation of the Strange Situation.

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Mi Kyoung; Jacobvitz, Deborah; Hazen, Nancy; Jung, Sung Hoon

2012-01-01

The present study sought to analyze infant and maternal behavior both during the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) and a free play session in a Korean sample (N = 87) to help understand whether mother-infant attachment relationships are universal or culture-specific. Distributions of attachment classifications in the Korean sample were compared with a cross-national sample. Behavior of mothers and infants following the two separation episodes in the SSP, including mothers' proximity to their infants and infants' approach to the caregiver, was also observed, as was the association between maternal sensitivity observed during free play session and infant security. The percentage of Korean infants classified as secure versus insecure mirrored the global distribution, however, only one Korean baby was classified as avoidant. Following the separation episodes in the Strange Situation, Korean mothers were more likely than mothers in Ainsworth's Baltimore sample to approach their babies immediately and sit beside them throughout the reunion episodes, even when their babies were no longer distressed. Also, Korean babies less often approached their mothers during reunions than did infants in the Baltimore sample. Finally, the link between maternal sensitivity and infant security was significant. The findings support the idea that the basic secure base function of attachment is universal and the SSP is a valid measure of secure attachment, but cultural differences in caregiving may result in variations in how this function is manifested.

A randomized waitlist-controlled trial of culturally sensitive relationship education for male same-sex couples.

Science.gov (United States)

Whitton, Sarah W; Weitbrecht, Eliza M; Kuryluk, Amanda D; Hutsell, David W

2016-09-01

Relationship education, effective in improving relationship quality among different-sex couples, represents a promising and nonstigmatizing approach to promoting the health and stability of same-sex couples. A new culturally sensitive relationship education program was developed specifically for male same-sex couples, which includes adaptations of evidence-based strategies to build core relationship skills (e.g., communication skills training) and newly developed content to address unique challenges faced by this group (e.g., discrimination; low social support). A small randomized waitlist-control trial (N = 20 couples) was conducted to evaluate the program. To assess program efficacy, dyadic longitudinal data (collected at pre- and postprogram and 3-month follow-up) were analyzed using multilevel models that accounted for nonindependence in data from indistinguishable dyads. Results indicated significant program effects in comparison to waitlist controls on couple constructive and destructive communication, perceived stress, and relationship satisfaction. Gains in each of these areas were maintained at 3-month follow-up. Although there was no evidence of within-person program effects on social support, satisfaction, or relationship instability immediately postprogram, all 3 showed within-person improvements by follow-up. Ratings of program satisfaction were high. In summary, study findings support the feasibility, acceptability, and initial efficacy of the program and highlight the potential value of culturally sensitive adaptations of relationship education for same-sex couples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

When in Rome: the role of culture & context in adherence to robot recommendations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wang, L.; Rau, P.-L.P.; Evers, V.; Robinson, B.K.; Hinds, P.

2010-01-01

In this study, we sought to clarify the effects of users' cultural background and cultural context on human-robot team collaboration by investigating attitudes toward and the extent to which people changed their decisions based on the recommendations of a robot collaborator. We report the results of

Cultural epidemiology: An introduction and overview

OpenAIRE

Weiss, Mitchell Gralnick

2001-01-01

Although the value of interdisciplinary collaboration between epidemiology and anthropology is both widely acknowledged and hotly contested, effective international health policy and multicultural health programmes require it. The EMIC framework for cultural studies of illness was developed in response to such needs, and a cultural epidemiology emerged from that framework as an interdisciplinary field of research on locally valid representations of illness and their distributions in cultural ...

Crossing boundaries to improve mental health in the Americas: international collaborative authorship.

Science.gov (United States)

Killion, Chery M

2007-01-01

A nurse anthropologist with a background in international collaborations attended Project LEAD for two years, which enabled her to continue to serve as an advocate for the mentally ill in Belize. The anthropologist collaborated with a psychiatrist from Belize to develop a cross-cultural, cross-discipline publication, "Mental Health in Belize: A National Priority, " which highlights the work of psychiatric nurse practitioners in the country. The researcher learned to collaborate with her peer in Belize through face to face discussions and e-mail and overcame technological difficulties and cultural barriers to produce an international publication. Project LEAD gave the author a sense of self-discovery and self-knowledge, reinforced core values, and developed a frame of reference for leadership. The author also benefited from discussions by local, national, and international leaders on leadership in terms of its key components, contexts, challenges, triumphs, and styles.

Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of a family booklet on comfort care in dementia: sensitive topics revised before implementation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Steen, J.T.; Hertogh, C.M.P.M.; de Graas, T.; Nakanishi, M.; Toscani, F.; Arcand, M.

2013-01-01

Introduction: Families of patients with dementia may need support in difficult end-of-life decision making. Such guidance may be culturally sensitive. Methods: To support families in Canada, a booklet was developed to aid decision making on palliative care issues. For reasons of cost effectiveness

Presenting Cultural Artifacts in the Art Museum: A University-Museum Collaboration

Science.gov (United States)

Chung, Sheng Kuan

2009-01-01

With increasing emphasis on multicultural art education and integrative pedagogy, educators have incorporated community resources, such as cultural artifacts exhibited in art museums, to enrich their programs. Cultural artifacts are human-made objects which generally reveal historic information about cultural values, beliefs, and traditions.…

Community transformation through culturally competent nursing leadership: application of theory of culture care diversity and universality and tri-dimensional leader effectiveness model.

Science.gov (United States)

Shapiro, Mina L; Miller, June; White, Kathleen

2006-04-01

Transcultural knowledge and competency have become a critical need for nurses to accommodate the global trends in cultural diversity and health care disparities. Today, nurses are increasingly taking on leadership roles in community settings. This article addresses the application of Leininger's culture care theory with the sunrise model and Hersey and Blanchard's tri-dimensional leader effectiveness model as potential collaborating theories for capacity building and community transformation from a global, transcultural nursing perspective. The two theories, used in collaboration, view the provision of competent leadership as the delivery of effective, culturally congruent nursing care in promoting health and health equity at the community level.

Designing An Effective Mobile-learning Model By Integrating Student Culture

OpenAIRE

Ibrahim Mohamad; Abdalla AlAmeen

2014-01-01

Mobile learning is a good technology because it allows communication, collaboration, and sharing information or resources among all of learning members. Mobile learning can be used as perfect solutions to support the learning process. Thither are many concepts and factors influencing effective learning results through creativity, collaboration, and communication. However, culture is an unaccounted factor which should be appended to the existing M-learning model. Culture may improve the learni...

Shopping For Danger: E-commerce techniques applied to collaboration in cyber security

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bruce, Joseph R.; Fink, Glenn A.

2012-05-24

Collaboration among cyber security analysts is essential to a successful protection strategy on the Internet today, but it is uncommonly practiced or encouraged in operating environments. Barriers to productive collaboration often include data sensitivity, time and effort to communicate, institutional policy, and protection of domain knowledge. We propose an ambient collaboration framework, Vulcan, designed to remove the barriers of time and effort and mitigate the others. Vulcan automated data collection, collaborative filtering, and asynchronous dissemination, eliminating the effort implied by explicit collaboration among peers. We instrumented two analytic applications and performed a mock analysis session to build a dataset and test the output of the system.

Collaboration can improve individual recognition memory: evidence from immediate and delayed tests.

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Rajaram, Suparna; Pereira-Pasarin, Luciane P

2007-02-01

In two experiments, we tested the effects of collaboration on individual recognition memory. In Experiment 1, participants studied pictures and words either for meaning or for surface properties and made recognition memory judgments individually either following group discussion among 3 members (collaborative condition) or in the absence of discussion (noncollaborative condition). Levels of processing and picture superiority effects were replicated, and collaboration significantly increased individual recognition memory. Experiment 2 replicated this positive effect and showed that even though memory sensitivity declined at longer delays (48 h and 1 week), collaboration continued to exert a positive influence. These findings show that (1) consensus is not necessary for producing benefits of collaboration on individual recognition, (2) collaborative facilitation on individual memory is robust, and (3) collaboration enhances individual memory further if conditions predispose individual accuracy in the absence of collaboration.

The challenges of international collaboration: Perspectives from Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University

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Sana Almansour

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This case study addresses the international collaboration challenges faced by Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University for women in Saudi Arabia. The objectives of this investigation are to define the challenging sources of international program collaboration between Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University and foreign institutions from the perspective of the university staff who are involved in initiating these collaborations. A total of 27 university staff members who were involved in initiating institutional collaborations participated in semi-structured interviews. A thematic analysis of the interviews suggested that the major sources of challenges to the university’s international collaboration efforts are difficulties in making contacts with international institutions, language barriers, faculty resistance to international partnerships, cross-cultural issues, and establishing partnership agreements.

Networks and Collaboration in Spanish Education Policy

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Azorín, Cecilia M.; Muijs, Daniel

2017-01-01

Background: Networks play an important role in today's societies. As a consequence, changes are apparent in the political, economic, cultural, educational and social agendas. Purpose: The main goal of this article is to map the situation of school networks in Spain. The research questions are focused on what forms collaboration and networking take…

A Qualitative Descriptive Analysis of Collaboration Technology in the Navy

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Ryan Wark

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Collaboration technologies enable people to communicate and use information to make organizational decisions. The United States Navy refers to this concept as information dominance. Various collaboration technologies are used by the Navy to achieve this mission. This qualitative descriptive study objectively examined how a matrix oriented Navy activity perceived an implemented collaboration technology. These insights were used to determine whether a specific collaboration technology achieved a mission of information dominance. The study used six collaboration themes as a foundation to include: (a Cultural intelligence, (b Communication, (c Capability, (d Coordination, (e Cooperation, and (f Convergence. It was concluded that collaboration technology was mostly perceived well and helped to achieve some levels of information dominance. Collaboration technology improvement areas included bringing greater awareness to the collaboration technology, revamping the look and feel of the user interface, centrally paying for user and storage fees, incorporating more process management tools, strategically considering a Continuity of Operations, and incorporating additional industry best practices for data structures. Emerging themes of collaboration were collected to examine common patterns identified in the collected data. Emerging themes included acceptance, awareness, search, scope, content, value, tools, system performance, implementation, training, support, usage, structure, complexity, approach, governance/configuration management/policy, and resourcing.

Comparison of communication skills between trained and untrained students using a culturally sensitive nurse-client communication guideline in Indonesia

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Claramita, M.; Tuah, R.; Riskione, P.; Prabandari, Y.S.; Effendy, C.

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: A communication guideline that is sensitive to the local culture is influential in the process of nursing care. The Gadjah Mada nurse-client communication guideline, the "Ready-Greet-Invite-Discuss," was meant (1) to strengthen the relationship between the nurse and the client despite of

Collaborating internationally on physician leadership development: why now?

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Chan, Ming-Ka; de Camps Meschino, Diane; Dath, Deepak; Busari, Jamiu; Bohnen, Jordan David; Samson, Lindy Michelle; Matlow, Anne; Sánchez-Mendiola, Melchor

2016-07-04

Purpose This paper aims to highlight the importance of leadership development for all physicians within a competency-based medical education (CBME) framework. It describes the importance of timely international collaboration as a key strategy in promoting physician leadership development. Design/methodology/approach The paper explores published and Grey literature around physician leadership development and proposes that international collaboration will meet the expanding call for development of leadership competencies in postgraduate medical learners. Two grounding frameworks were used: complexity science supports adding physician leadership training to the current momentum of CBME adoption, and relational cultural theory supports the engagement of diverse stakeholders in multiple jurisdictions around the world to ensure inclusivity in leadership education development. Findings An international collaborative identified key insights regarding the need to frame physician leadership education within a competency-based model. Practical implications International collaboration can be a vehicle for developing a globally relevant, generalizable physician leadership curriculum. This model can be expanded to encourage innovation, scholarship and program evaluation. Originality/value A competency-based leadership development curriculum is being designed by an international collaborative. The curriculum is based on established leadership and education frameworks. The international collaboration model provides opportunities for ongoing sharing, networking and diversification.

A Study of the Inter-Cultural Sensitivity among the Faculty of English Language Centre of Jazan University, Saudi Arabia

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Saeed Ahmad

2016-11-01

Full Text Available study explored intercultural sensitivity of 103 faculty members of the English Language Centre (ELC of Jazan University, Saudi Arabia. A quantitative and non-experimental design was adopted for this study in which intercultural sensitivity of the English language teachers was evaluated on five demographic variables (e.g. gender, education, religion, total teaching experience, and experience of teaching in intercultural context. The results revealed that the international faculty of ELC abreast the basic canons of Intercultural adjustments. This suggests that the teachers are not only familiar with different cultural patterns (like beliefs, values and communication styles they are willing to minimize these differences and adopt universal set of values for effective educational practices. The results indicate the participants’ higher level of empathy, respect for others’ culture, tolerance on differences and high willingness to integrate with other cultures. The data reveals no statistically significant difference between the two groups in three variables, i.e. gender (Male & Female, qualification (Masters' & Ph.D and religion (Muslims & Non-Muslims. However, there was found a statistically significant difference in the two groups (Less than ten years & More than ten years in two variables, i.e. total teaching experience and teaching experience in intercultural context.

A Transcription and Translation Protocol for Sensitive Cross-Cultural Team Research.

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Clark, Lauren; Birkhead, Ana Sanchez; Fernandez, Cecilia; Egger, Marlene J

2017-10-01

Assurance of transcript accuracy and quality in interview-based qualitative research is foundational for data accuracy and study validity. Based on our experience in a cross-cultural ethnographic study of women's pelvic organ prolapse, we provide practical guidance to set up step-by-step interview transcription and translation protocols for team-based research on sensitive topics. Beginning with team decisions about level of detail in transcription, completeness, and accuracy, we operationalize the process of securing vendors to deliver the required quality of transcription and translation. We also share rubrics for assessing transcript quality and the team protocol for managing transcripts (assuring consistency of format, insertion of metadata, anonymization, and file labeling conventions) and procuring an acceptable initial translation of Spanish-language interviews. Accurate, complete, and systematically constructed transcripts in both source and target languages respond to the call for more transparency and reproducibility of scientific methods.

Culture-Based Arts Education That Teaches against the Grain: A Model for Place-Specific Material Culture Studies

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Bequette, James W.

2014-01-01

When 50 Midwest teachers in two public schools and one Reservation school worked in respectful, knowledgeable, and power-sharing ways with local Indigenous elders, artists, and academics, the outcome was often culture-based arts education that teaches against the grain. This collaboration and the culturally responsive pedagogy it inspired led to…

Maintaining Research Integrity While Balancing Cultural Sensitivity: A Case Study and Lessons From the Field.

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Sibbald, Rebekah; Loiseau, Bethina; Darren, Benedict; Raman, Salem A; Dimaras, Helen; Loh, Lawrence C

2016-04-01

Contemporary emphasis on creating culturally relevant and context specific knowledge increasingly drives researchers to conduct their work in settings outside their home country. This often requires researchers to build relationships with various stakeholders who may have a vested interest in the research. This case study examines the tension between relationship development with stakeholders and maintaining study integrity, in the context of potential harms, data credibility and cultural sensitivity. We describe an ethical breach in the conduct of global health research by a arising from the ad-hoc participation of a community stakeholder external to the visiting research group. A framework for reflection is developed from a careful examination of underlying factors and presented with a discussion of consequences and mitigation measures. This framework aims to present lessons learned for researchers working abroad who might face similar situations in their work. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

27 September 2013 -Lithuanian Minister of Culture Š. Birutis in the LHC tunnel with International Relations Adviser T. Kurtyka and visiting CMS experimental area with Deputy Spokesperson T. Camporesi. Also present: V. Rapsevicius, CMS Collaboration.

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Laurent Egli

2013-01-01

27 September 2013 -Lithuanian Minister of Culture Š. Birutis in the LHC tunnel with International Relations Adviser T. Kurtyka and visiting CMS experimental area with Deputy Spokesperson T. Camporesi. Also present: V. Rapsevicius, CMS Collaboration.

Cultural Variations in the Effect of Interview Privacy and the Need for Social Conformity on Reporting Sensitive Information

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Mneimneh Zeina M.

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Privacy is an important feature of the interview interaction mainly due to its potential effect on reporting information, especially sensitive information. Here we examine the effect of third-party presence on reporting both sensitive and relatively neutral outcomes. We investigate whether the effect of third-party presence on reporting sensitive information is moderated by the respondent’s need for social conformity and the respondent’s country of residence. Three types of outcomes are investigated: behavioral, attitudinal, and relatively neutral health events. Using data from 22,070 interviews and nine countries in the cross-national World Mental Health Survey Initiative, we fit multilevel logistic regression to study reporting effects on questions about suicidal behavior and marital ratings, and contrast these with questions about having high blood pressure, asthma, or arthritis. We find that there is an effect of third-party presence on reporting sensitive information and no effect on reporting of neutral information. Further, the effect of the interview privacy setting on reporting sensitive information is moderated by the need for social conformity and the cultural setting.

A Descriptive Account of an Inter-Professional Collaborative Leadership Project

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Maura MacPhee

2014-09-01

Full Text Available A collaborative project between an academic healthcare faculty and a professional development director resulted in the design, delivery and evaluation of an inter-professional collaborative leadership workshop with ongoing leadership development activities. The workshop attendees were five inter-professional teams from one large, urban cancer care center in Taipei, Taiwan. The workshop included didactic instruction complemented with team discussions and interactive exercises. Continued practice was encouraged, such as appreciative inquiry exercises and rotated team leadership. Evaluation involved the use of a cross-culturally validated collaborative practice tool and follow-up interviews and focus groups. Although the formal workshop was a 1-day session, continued organizational support and systematic approaches to collaborative leadership practice in clinical settings were necessary components for transfer of learning from the workshop to real life. This paper will include an overview of the foundational leadership concepts covered in the workshop. The instructional strategies, evaluation methods and outcomes will be discussed. The limitations and strengths of this collaborative leadership project will be provided, as well as future plans for a collaborative leadership development program.

Delivering culturally sensitive health messages: the process of adapting brochures for grandparents raising grandchildren in Hawai'i.

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Yancura, Loriena A

2010-05-01

The efficacy of programs to reduce health disparities depends on their ability to deliver messages in a culturally sensitive manner. This article describes the process of designing a series of brochures for grandparents raising grandchildren. National source material on topics important to grandparents (self-care, service use, addiction, and grandchildren's difficult behaviors) was put into draft brochures and pilot tested in two focus groups drawn from Native Hawaiian Asian and Pacific Islander populations. Elements of surface and deep levels directed the form and content of the final brochures. On a surface level, these brochures reflect local culture through pictures and language. On a deep level, which integrates cultural beliefs and practices, they reflect the importance of indirect communication and harmonious relationships. The final brochures have been received favorably in the community. The process of adapting educational material with attention to surface and deep levels can serve as a guide for other health promotion materials.

Facilitating learning through an international virtual collaborative practice: A case study.

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Wihlborg, Monne; Friberg, Elizabeth E; Rose, Karen M; Eastham, Linda

2018-02-01

Internationalisation of higher education involving information and communication technology such as e-learning opens opportunities for innovative learning approaches across nations and cultures. Describe a case in practice of collaborative and transformative learning in relation to 'internationalisation on home grounds' with the broader learning objective of 'becoming aware and knowledgeable'. A mutually developed project established a virtual international collaborative exchange for faculty and students using a course management software (MOODLE) and open access technology (Adobe CONNECT). Two research universities in Sweden and the United States. Approximately 90 nursing students from each university per semester over several semesters. A collaborative process to develop a joint learning community to construct a virtual module and learning activity involving academics and nursing students in two countries using principles of meaning construction and negotiated learning. Developed possibilities for dealing with the challenges and finding strategies for a future higher education system that opens dialogues worldwide. Virtual international exchanges open innovative communication and learning contexts across nations and cultures. Internationalisation is so much more than students and teachers' mobility. 'Internationalisation on home grounds' (internationalisation for all) should receive more attention to support faculty and student collaboration, learning, and professional development. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Culture in Asian American community psychology: beyond the East-West binary.

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Okazaki, Sumie; Saw, Anne

2011-03-01

In response to a call to better integrate culture in community psychology (O'Donnell in American Journal of Community Psychology 37:1-7 2006), we offer a cultural-community framework to facilitate a collaborative engagement between community psychologists and ethnic minority communities, focusing on Asian American communities as illustrations. Extending Hays' (Addressing cultural complexities in practice: Assessment, diagnosis, and therapy, American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, 2008) ADDRESSING framework for considering cultural influences on a counseling relationship, the proposed framework provides a broad but systematic guidepost for considering three major cultural-ecological influences on Asian American communities: Race and Ethnicity (R), Culture (C), and Immigration and Transnational Ties (I). We provide a sequence of steps that incorporate the ADDRESSING and the RCI frameworks to facilitate the collaborative community-based research or social action.

FeelSound : Collaborative Composing of Acoustic Music

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Fikkert, Wim; Hakvoort, Michiel; van der Vet, Paul; Nijholt, Anton

2009-01-01

FeelSound is a multi-user application for collaboratively composing music in an entertaining way. Up to four composers can jointly create acoustic music on a top-projection multitouch sensitive table. The notes of an acoustic instrument are represented on a harmonic table and, by drawing shapes on

Laboratory Workflow Analysis of Culture of Periprosthetic Tissues in Blood Culture Bottles.

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Peel, Trisha N; Sedarski, John A; Dylla, Brenda L; Shannon, Samantha K; Amirahmadi, Fazlollaah; Hughes, John G; Cheng, Allen C; Patel, Robin

2017-09-01

Culture of periprosthetic tissue specimens in blood culture bottles is more sensitive than conventional techniques, but the impact on laboratory workflow has yet to be addressed. Herein, we examined the impact of culture of periprosthetic tissues in blood culture bottles on laboratory workflow and cost. The workflow was process mapped, decision tree models were constructed using probabilities of positive and negative cultures drawn from our published study (T. N. Peel, B. L. Dylla, J. G. Hughes, D. T. Lynch, K. E. Greenwood-Quaintance, A. C. Cheng, J. N. Mandrekar, and R. Patel, mBio 7:e01776-15, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01776-15), and the processing times and resource costs from the laboratory staff time viewpoint were used to compare periprosthetic tissues culture processes using conventional techniques with culture in blood culture bottles. Sensitivity analysis was performed using various rates of positive cultures. Annualized labor savings were estimated based on salary costs from the U.S. Labor Bureau for Laboratory staff. The model demonstrated a 60.1% reduction in mean total staff time with the adoption of tissue inoculation into blood culture bottles compared to conventional techniques (mean ± standard deviation, 30.7 ± 27.6 versus 77.0 ± 35.3 h per month, respectively; P < 0.001). The estimated annualized labor cost savings of culture using blood culture bottles was $10,876.83 (±$337.16). Sensitivity analysis was performed using various rates of culture positivity (5 to 50%). Culture in blood culture bottles was cost-effective, based on the estimated labor cost savings of $2,132.71 for each percent increase in test accuracy. In conclusion, culture of periprosthetic tissue in blood culture bottles is not only more accurate than but is also cost-saving compared to conventional culture methods. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Collaborative Environments. Considerations Concerning Some Collaborative Systems

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Mihaela I. MUNTEAN

2009-01-01

Full Text Available It is obvious, that all collaborative environments (workgroups, communities of practice, collaborative enterprises are based on knowledge and between collaboration and knowledge management there is a strong interdependence. The evolution of information systems in these collaborative environments led to the sudden necessity to adopt, for maintaining the virtual activities and processes, the latest technologies/systems, which are capable to support integrated collaboration in business services. In these environments, portal-based IT platforms will integrate multi-agent collaborative systems, collaborative tools, different enterprise applications and other useful information systems.

A knowledge synthesis of culturally- and spiritually-sensitive end-of-life care: findings from a scoping review.

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Fang, Mei Lan; Sixsmith, Judith; Sinclair, Shane; Horst, Glen

2016-05-18

Multiple factors influence the end-of-life (EoL) care and experience of poor quality services by culturally- and spiritually-diverse groups. Access to EoL services e.g. health and social supports at home or in hospices is difficult for ethnic minorities compared to white European groups. A tool is required to empower patients and families to access culturally-safe care. This review was undertaken by the Canadian Virtual Hospice as a foundation for this tool. To explore attitudes, behaviours and patterns to utilization of EoL care by culturally and spiritually diverse groups and identify gaps in EoL care practice and delivery methods, a scoping review and thematic analysis of article content was conducted. Fourteen electronic databases and websites were searched between June-August 2014 to identify English-language peer-reviewed publications and grey literature (including reports and other online resources) published between 2004-2014. The search identified barriers and enablers at the systems, community and personal/family levels. Primary barriers include: cultural differences between healthcare providers; persons approaching EoL and family members; under-utilization of culturally-sensitive models designed to improve EoL care; language barriers; lack of awareness of cultural and religious diversity issues; exclusion of families in the decision-making process; personal racial and religious discrimination; and lack of culturally-tailored EoL information to facilitate decision-making. This review highlights that most research has focused on decision-making. There were fewer studies exploring different cultural and spiritual experiences at the EoL and interventions to improve EoL care. Interventions evaluated were largely educational in nature rather than service oriented.

Intercultural Education in Primary School: A Collaborative Project

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Santos, Marta; Araújo e Sá, Maria Helena; Simões, Ana Raquel

2014-01-01

In this article, we present and discuss a collaborative project on intercultural education developed by a group of educational partners. The group was made up of 12 people representing different institutions in the community, namely primary schools, cultural and social associations and the local council. The project takes an intercultural approach…

Cultural differences in sensitivity to social context: detecting affective incongruity using the N400.

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Goto, Sharon G; Yee, Alicia; Lowenberg, Kelly; Lewis, Richard S

2013-01-01

East Asians and Asian-Americans tend to allocate relatively greater attention to background context compared to European Americans across a variety of cognitive and neural measures. We sought to extend these findings of cultural differences to affective stimuli using the N400, which has been shown to be sensitive to deep processing of affective information. The degree to which Asian-Americans and European Americans responded to semantic incongruity between emotionally expressive faces (i.e., smiling or frowning) and background affective scenes was measured. As predicted, Asian-Americans showed a greater N400 to incongruent trials than to congruent trials. In contrast, European Americans showed no difference in amplitude across the two conditions. Furthermore, greater affective N400 incongruity was associated with higher interdependent self-construals. These data suggest that Asian-Americans and those with interdependent self-construals process the relationship between perceived facial emotion and affective background context to a greater degree than European Americans and those with independent self-construals. Implications for neural and cognitive differences in everyday social interactions, and cultural differences in analytic and holistic thinking are discussed.

Culture, Role and Group Work: A Social Network Analysis Perspective on an Online Collaborative Course

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Stepanyan, Karen; Mather, Richard; Dalrymple, Roger

2014-01-01

This paper discusses the patterns of network dynamics within a multicultural online collaborative learning environment. It analyses the interaction of participants (both students and facilitators) within a discussion board that was established as part of a 3-month online collaborative course. The study employs longitudinal probabilistic social…

Delivering culturally sensitive, sexual health education in western Kenya: a phenomenological case study.

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Lacey, Gary

2017-09-01

While generic programmes have been created to raise sexual health awareness, these cannot always be applied to communities whose cultures and circumstances make them especially vulnerable to infection. Taking a phenomenological approach, this paper examines the circumstances of the Gusii people of Kisii, Kenya, and examines the specific challenges of providing sexual health education to the community as experienced by an ethnic Gusii woman, Joyce Ombasa. Joyce's story reveals that the Gusii living in and around rural villages have several cultural characteristics that make them susceptible to HIV/AIDS and that render community health education problematic, especially if offered by a female educator of the same ethnicity. Women cannot teach men. Discussions of sex and condom use, and viewing the naked bodies of the opposite sex are taboo. Promiscuity is commonplace and there is a reluctance to use condoms and to undergo HIV testing. Female circumcision persists and there is a high rate of sexual violence, incest and intergenerational sexual intercourse. In addition, government policies and legislation threaten to exacerbate some of the sexually risky behaviours. Bringing HIV education and female empowerment to the rural Gusii requires a culturally sensitive approach, discarding sexual abstinence messages in favour of harm minimisation, including the promotion of condom use, regular HIV testing and the rejection of female circumcision and intergenerational sex. Trust needs to be built through tactics such as adopting a complex and fluid outsider identity and replacing formal sex education with training in income generating skills and casual discussions regarding condoms and sexual health.

Hip-Hop(e): The Cultural Practice and Critical Pedagogy of International Hip-Hop. Adolescent Cultures, School, and Society. Volume 56

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Porfilio, Brad J., Ed.; Viola, Michael J., Ed.

2012-01-01

Illuminating hip-hop as an important cultural practice and a global social movement, this collaborative project highlights the emancipatory messages and cultural work generated by the organic intellectuals of global hip-hop. Contributors describe the social realities--globalization, migration, poverty, criminalization, and racism--youth are…

Reflections on the Cultural Dimensions of Educational Administration.

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Berrell, Mike; Gloet, Marianne

1999-01-01

Draws on social anthropology, educational administration, and neoinstitutionalism studies to explore educational administration in a cross-cultural setting. Discusses effects of cultural differences on organizational behavior in an Australian-Malaysian collaboration in higher education in Malaysia. The Australian subculture failed to become…

Improved Diagnosis of Prosthetic Joint Infection by Culturing Periprosthetic Tissue Specimens in Blood Culture Bottles

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Trisha N. Peel

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Despite known low sensitivity, culture of periprosthetic tissue specimens on agars and in broths is routine. Culture of periprosthetic tissue samples in blood culture bottles (BCBs is potentially more convenient, but it has been evaluated in a limited way and has not been widely adopted. The aim of this study was to compare the sensitivity and specificity of inoculation of periprosthetic tissue specimens into blood culture bottles with standard agar and thioglycolate broth culture, applying Bayesian latent class modeling (LCM in addition to applying the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA criteria for prosthetic joint infection. This prospective cohort study was conducted over a 9-month period (August 2013 to April 2014 at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, and included all consecutive patients undergoing revision arthroplasty. Overall, 369 subjects were studied; 117 (32% met IDSA criteria for prosthetic joint infection, and 82% had late chronic infection. Applying LCM, inoculation of tissues into BCBs was associated with a 47% improvement in sensitivity compared to the sensitivity of conventional agar and broth cultures (92.1 versus 62.6%, respectively; this magnitude of change was similar when IDSA criteria were applied (60.7 versus 44.4%, respectively; P = 0.003. The time to microorganism detection was shorter with BCBs than with standard media (P < 0.0001, with aerobic and anaerobic BCBs yielding positive results within a median of 21 and 23 h, respectively. Results of our study demonstrate that the semiautomated method of periprosthetic tissue culture in blood culture bottles is more sensitive than and as specific as agar and thioglycolate broth cultures and yields results faster.

External Factors Influencing Interorganizational Collaboration: The Strategic Perspective

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Monika Golonka

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The main purpose of this paper is to present the phenomenon of interorganizational collaboration from the strategic perspective, as a complex phenomenon, infl uenced by environmental factors, such as institutions � both formal and informal. Additional aims of the paper are: to present a model including all signifi cant elements and identifying important research gaps.Methodology: The paper presents the results of literature analyses as well as the fi ndings of the latest research studies in the fi eld of interorganizational collaboration, taking into account the environment of the organization.Conclusions: The external environment of the organization, in particular socio-cultural factors, has a significant impact on the formation, development, evolution and management of interorganizational collaboration. There are still many research gaps in this fi eld, and some of them have been presented in this paper.Research limitations: This paper is a theoretical and conceptual study. It forms an introduction to further empirical research.Originality: The paper presents the phenomenon of interorganizational collaboration in a broader context, taking into account the external environment as an element infl uencing such collaboration. Most of the works in this fi eld focus on organizations managing or coping with the environment. This paper presents a different approach. It indicates the external factors that infl uence interorganizational collaboration from a strategic perspective, and subsequently presents them in the form of a model.

Researching safety culture: deliberative dialogue with a restorative lens.

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Lorenzini, Elisiane; Oelke, Nelly D; Marck, Patricia Beryl; Dall'agnol, Clarice Maria

2017-10-01

Safety culture is a key component of patient safety. Many patient safety strategies in health care have been adapted from high-reliability organizations (HRO) such as aviation. However, to date, attempts to transform the cultures of health care settings through HRO approaches have had mixed results. We propose a methodological approach for safety culture research, which integrates the theory and practice of restoration science with the principles and methods of deliberative dialogue to support active engagement in critical reflection and collective debate. Our aim is to describe how these two innovative approaches in health services research can be used together to provide a comprehensive effective method to study and implement change in safety culture. Restorative research in health care integrates socio-ecological theory of complex adaptive systems concepts with collaborative, place-sensitive study of local practice contexts. Deliberative dialogue brings together all stakeholders to collectively develop solutions on an issue to facilitate change. Together these approaches can be used to actively engage people in the study of safety culture to gain a better understanding of its elements. More importantly, we argue that the synergistic use of these approaches offers enhanced potential to move health care professionals towards actionable strategies to improve patient safety within today's complex health care systems. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Cultural Learning Redux

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Tomasello, Michael

2016-01-01

M. Tomasello, A. Kruger, and H. Ratner (1993) proposed a theory of cultural learning comprising imitative learning, instructed learning, and collaborative learning. Empirical and theoretical advances in the past 20 years suggest modifications to the theory; for example, children do not just imitate but overimitate in order to identify and…

Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) representative H. Ikukawa visiting ATLAS experiment with Collaboration Spokesperson P. Jenni, KEK representative T. Kondo and Advisor to CERN DG J. Ellis on 15 May 2007.

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Maximilien Brice

2007-01-01

Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) representative H. Ikukawa visiting ATLAS experiment with Collaboration Spokesperson P. Jenni, KEK representative T. Kondo and Advisor to CERN DG J. Ellis on 15 May 2007.

CSCL in teacher training: what learning tasks lead to collaboration?

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Lockhorst, D.; Admiraal, W.F.; Pilot, A.

2010-01-01

Professional teacher communities appear to be positively related to student learning, teacher learning, teacher practice and school culture. Teacher collaboration is a significant element of these communities. In initial teacher training as well as in-service training and other initiatives for

Human keratinocyte sensitivity towards inflammatory cytokines varies with culture time

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G. Elliott

1992-01-01

Full Text Available Proliferating keratinocyte cultures have been reported to synthesize higher concentrations of prostaglandin (PG E than confluent ones. As interleukin-1 (IL-1 stimulates keratinocyte PGE synthesis we investigated whether the degree of confluency of the keratinocyte culture modified the response of the cells to IL-1. It was found that IL-1α (100 U/ml stimulated PGE2 synthesis by proliferating (7 days in culture but not differentiating (14 days in culture keratinocytes. Similar effects were observed using tumour necrosis factor-α. Both arachidonic acid (AA and the calcium ionophore A23187 stimulated PGE2 synthesis by 7 and 14 day cultures although the increase was greatest when 7 day cultures were used. Our data indicate that there is a specific down-regulation of the mechanism(s by which some inflammatory cytokines stimulate keratinocyte eicosanoid synthesis as cultured keratinocytes begin to differentiate.

Cross-cultural barriers to health care.

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Vidaeff, Alex C; Kerrigan, Anthony J; Monga, Manju

2015-01-01

Culturally sensitive health care represents a real ethical and practical need in a Western healthcare system increasingly serving a multiethnic society. This review focuses on cross-cultural barriers to health care and incongruent aspects from a cultural perspective in the provision of health care. To overcome difficulties in culturally dissimilar interactions and eventually remove cross-cultural barriers to health care, a culturally sensitive physician considers his or her own identity, values, and beliefs; recognizes the similarities and differences among cultures; understands what those similarities and differences mean; and is able to bridge the differences to accomplish clear and effective communication.

Embedding security messages in existing processes: a pragmatic and effective approach to information security culture change

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Lopienski, Sebastian

Companies and organizations world-wide depend more and more on IT infrastructure and operations. Computer systems store vital information and sensitive data; computing services are essential for main business processes. This high dependency comes with a number of security risks, which have to be managed correctly on technological, organizational and human levels. Addressing the human aspects of information security often boils down just to procedures, training and awareness raising. On the other hand, employees and collaborators do not adopt security attitude and habits simply when told to do so – a real change in behaviour requires an established security culture. But how to introduce a security culture? This thesis outlines the need of developing or improving security culture, and discusses how this can be done. The proposed approach is to gradually build security knowledge and awareness, and influence behaviours. The way to achieve this is to make security communication pervasive by embedding security me...

Norms and nurse management of conflicts: keys to understanding nurse-physician collaboration.

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Keenan, G M; Cooke, R; Hillis, S L

1998-02-01

In this cross-sectional study, registered nurses from 36 emergency rooms completed an abridged version of the Organizational Culture Inventory (Cooke & Lafferty, 1989) and responded to nine hypothetical conflict vignettes. Stepwise regressions were performed with nurse conflict style intentions as dependent variables and 10 independent variable (three sets of norms, five measures of conflict styles expected to be used by the physician, gender, and education). Nurses' expectations for physicians to collaborate and strong constructive and aggressive norms were found to explain a moderate amount of variance (32%) in nurses' intentions to collaborate in conflicts conducive to nurse-physician collaboration. The findings of this study provide support for the proposed theoretical framework and can be used to design interventions that promote nurse-physician collaboration.

The Schoolhouse Network: How School Buildings Affect Teacher Collaboration

Science.gov (United States)

Spillane, James P.; Shirrell, Matthew

2018-01-01

In recent years, teacher collaboration has emerged as an important strategy to drive improvement, informed by research showing how on-the-job interactions can boost teacher development and effectiveness. Schools across the United States are adjusting their professional cultures and workplace practices in response, creating formal opportunities for…

Slowly Shifting a Culture of Teaching in Higher Education: A Case Study of Biology Instructors' Micro-Processes of Collaborative Inquiry into Teaching and Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Neuwald, Anuschka

The Vision and Change reports (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2011, 2013) have identified a need for change in undergraduate biology education, emphasizing student learning of content knowledge and competencies. Missing from this report and larger efforts to improve undergraduate education (Brainard, 2007; Henderson et al., 2011; Sunal et al., 2001) are guidelines for how to support instructors' professional learning to change teaching practices. I am exploring one possible support structure by studying a group of seven biology instructors that are engaged in a collaborative process over two semesters. This process is modeled after Lesson Study (Lewis et al., 2006), a form of cyclical inquiry-based professional learning activities. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to examine the micro-processes of this collaboration and how these micro-processes afford and limit the ability to change one's teaching practices. Wenger's (1998) concept of "community of practice" provides a theoretical framework for data analysis. I view an instructor's professional learning as social and situated, involving negotiation of new meanings, boundaries, and participation as part of an on-going collaboration. Data analysis shows that negotiation of meaning, characterized by friction and dissonance, is a normal part of the micro-processes of collaborative group work. There are three friction points that are intertwined and influence each other: 1) rhythmic ebb and flow of negotiation about a common professional goal for the instructors and a common learning goal for undergraduates in biology, 2) pressure of time to produce an outcome, and 3) grappling with collective agency, authority and capacity. I argue that these friction points are necessary and important for understanding the micro-processes of negotiation in a collaborative process. Furthermore, this study contributes to literature examining how the use of collaborative processes that are often

Multi generations in the workforce: Building collaboration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vasanthi Srinivasan

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Organisations the world over in today's rapid growth context are faced with the challenge of understanding a multi-generational workforce and devising policies and processes to build collaboration between them. In its first part, this article synthesises the literature on generational studies, with emphasis on the definition of generations and the characteristics of the generational cohorts. It emphasises that such studies are embedded in the socio-economic-cultural-context and India-specific scholarship must take into account the demographic and economic variations across the country. It then discusses the challenges of multi-generations in the Indian workforce, their impact on leadership styles and managerial practices, and the task of building inter-generational collaboration with an eminent panel of practitioners and researchers.

Leveraging Smart Open Innovation for Achieving Cultural Sustainability: Learning from a New City Museum Project

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luisa Errichiello

2018-06-01

Full Text Available In recent years, cultural sustainability has attracted increasing attention within the discourse of sustainable development and sustainable cities. Notwithstanding some effort put on conceptualizing the relationship between culture and sustainability, research on the issue is still in a pre-paradigmatic stage and related empirical studies are scant. In particular, further knowledge is required to understand not only how cultural sustainability has been addressed strategically but also implemented in practice. In this direction, research has pointed out the role of social structures (e.g., partnerships, collaborations, etc. for achieving cultural sustainability goals. However, focusing on smart cities, attention is limited to how collaborative arrangements can be leveraged within the development of new city services (e.g., smart open innovation to sustain goals of environmental, economic and social sustainability, with cultural sustainability still playing a marginal role. This paper develops a new framework linking together the strategic level and the practice level in addressing cultural sustainability and conceptualizing the role of collaborative structures in the development of smart innovation. The framework is then used as a frame of reference for analyzing the case of MuseoTorino, a new city museum realized within the smart city strategy of Turin (Italy. The analysis provides evidence of some practices adopted to leverage collaboration and stakeholders’ engagement to strategically address cultural sustainability and to realize it in practice throughout the new service development process.

mRNA profiling for the identification of blood-Results of a collaborative EDNAP exercise

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Haas, Cordula; Hanson, E; Bär, W

2010-01-01

of the laboratories had no prior experience with RNA. Despite some expected variation in sensitivity between laboratories, the method proved to be reproducible and sensitive using different analysis strategies. The results of this collaborative exercise support the potential use of mRNA profiling as an alternative......A collaborative exercise on mRNA profiling for the identification of blood was organized by the European DNA Profiling Group (EDNAP). Seven blood samples and one blood dilution series were analyzed by the participating laboratories for the reportedly blood-specific markers HBB, SPTB and PBGD, using...

mRNA profiling for the identification of blood--Results of a collaborative EDNAP exercise

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Haas, C.; Hanson, E.; Bär, W.

2011-01-01

of the laboratories had no prior experience with RNA. Despite some expected variation in sensitivity between laboratories, the method proved to be reproducible and sensitive using different analysis strategies. The results of this collaborative exercise support the potential use of mRNA profiling as an alternative......A collaborative exercise on mRNA profiling for the identification of blood was organized by the European DNA Profiling Group (EDNAP). Seven blood samples and one blood dilution series were analyzed by the participating laboratories for the reportedly blood-specific markers HBB, SPTB and PBGD, using...

Culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Timothy B; Rodríguez, Melanie Domenech; Bernal, Guillermo

2011-02-01

This article summarizes the definitions, means, and research of adapting psychotherapy to clients' cultural backgrounds. We begin by reviewing the prevailing definitions of cultural adaptation and providing a clinical example. We present an original meta-analysis of 65 experimental and quasi-experimental studies involving 8,620 participants. The omnibus effect size of d = .46 indicates that treatments specifically adapted for clients of color were moderately more effective with that clientele than traditional treatments. The most effective treatments tended to be those with greater numbers of cultural adaptations. Mental health services targeted to a specific cultural group were several times more effective than those provided to clients from a variety of cultural backgrounds. We recommend a series of research-supported therapeutic practices that account for clients' culture, with culture-specific treatments being more effective than generally culture-sensitive treatments. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Creating collaborative learning environments for transforming primary care practices now.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, William L; Cohen-Katz, Joanne

2010-12-01

The renewal of primary care waits just ahead. The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) movement and a refreshing breeze of collaboration signal its arrival with demonstration projects and pilots appearing across the country. An early message from this work suggests that the development of collaborative, cross-disciplinary teams may be essential for the success of the PCMH. Our focus in this article is on training existing health care professionals toward being thriving members of this transformed clinical care team in a relationship-centered PCMH. Our description of the optimal conditions for collaborative training begins with delineating three types of teams and how they relate to levels of collaboration. We then describe how to create a supportive, safe learning environment for this type of training, using a different model of professional socialization, and tools for building culture. Critical skills related to practice development and the cross-disciplinary collaborative processes are also included. Despite significant obstacles in readying current clinicians to be members of thriving collaborative teams, a few next steps toward implementing collaborative training programs for existing professionals are possible using competency-based and adult learning approaches. Grasping the long awaited arrival of collaborative primary health care will also require delivery system and payment reform. Until that happens, there is an abundance of work to be done envisioning new collaborative training programs and initiating a nation-wide effort to motivate and reeducate our colleagues. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved.

Evaluation of an international and interprofessional collaboration forum.

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Stone, Teresa; Hua, Susan; Turale, Sue

2016-11-01

International and interprofessional collaborations are increasingly becoming a core requirement for health professionals in our globalized world. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Asia Pacific Alliance of Health Leaders (APAHL) Forum to enhance the development of international perspectives and leadership among students and faculty in the discipline of health. This pilot study used a student-designed questionnaire to evaluate the views of students and faculty members about the effectiveness of APAHL in meeting its goals. Quantitative data from the scaled items on the questionnaire were analyzed by aggregating the data. Qualitative data were analyzed using a qualitative descriptive approach. Study participants comprised of 22 health science (nursing and laboratory science) students and 15 faculty members. Both faculty and students agreed that APAHL was effective in leadership development of students, as well as in advancing internationalization, interprofessional collaboration, and cultural awareness among students. A clear theme among the students was acknowledgement of the importance of communication, in particular being proficient in English. Difficulties in communication were an issue for both students and faculty members. This pilot study has shown the benefits of a student-focused international forum in developing cross-cultural awareness, and will provide the groundwork for evaluating the effectiveness of cross-cultural and interprofessional leadership forums aimed particularly at students of health. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploration of Online Culture Through Network Analysis of Wikipedia.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Sung Joo; Kim, Jong Woo; Lee, Hong Joo; Park, Hyunjung; Han, Deugcheon; Gloor, Peter

2015-11-01

Understanding online culture is becoming crucial in the global and connected world. Contrary to conventional attitudinal surveys used in cultural research, this study uses the approach of directly observing culture-specific behavior that emerges from online collaboration on the Internet. The editing data of Wikipedia were analyzed in 12 languages. Distinctive cultural dimensions were identified, including collectivism, extraversion, boldness, and egalitarianism. Using network analysis, the language-framed cultural factors were extracted as an emergent phenomenon in the virtual world.

Developing health and social care planning in collaboration.

Science.gov (United States)

Rämgård, Margareta; Blomqvist, Kerstin; Petersson, Pia

2015-01-01

Collaboration between different professions in community care for older people is often both difficult and complex. In this project, a participatory action research (PAR) was conducted in order to support the professions involved in the care for older people to develop individualized health and social care plans. Cases from daily work were discussed in different professional groups over a period of one year. A key finding was that lack of knowledge regarding the other professions' field of expertise and their underlying professional culture and values was a barrier in their collaboration. However, as the continuous reflective dialogue process progressed, the participants began to reflect more about the importance of collaboration as a prerequisite to achieve the best possible care for the recipient. This process of reflection led to the often complex needs of the care recipients being given a more central position and thus care plans being better tailored to each person's needs.

Attending to Communication and Patterns of Interaction: Culturally Sensitive Mental Health Care for Groups of Urban, Ethnically Diverse, Impoverished, and Underserved Women.

Science.gov (United States)

Molewyk Doornbos, Mary; Zandee, Gail Landheer; DeGroot, Joleen

2014-07-01

The United States is ethnically diverse. This diversity presents challenges to nurses, who, without empirical evidence to design culturally congruent interventions, may contribute to mental health care disparities. Using Leininger's theory of culture care diversity and universality, this study documented communication and interaction patterns of ethnically diverse, urban, impoverished, and underserved women. Using a community-based participatory research framework, 61 Black, Hispanic, and White women participated in focus groups around their experiences with anxiety/depression. Researchers recorded verbal communication, nonverbal behavior, and patterns of interaction. The women's communication and interaction patterns gave evidence of three themes that were evident across all focus groups and five subthemes that emerged along ethnic lines. The results suggest cultural universalities and cultural uniquenesses relative to the communication and interaction patterns of urban, ethnically diverse, impoverished, and underserved women that may assist in the design of culturally sensitive mental health care. © The Author(s) 2014.

The power of knowledge in collaborative projects across North and South

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Adriansen, Hanne Kirstine; Madsen, Lene Møller

This paper studies outcome of collaboration between universities in Africa and Scandinavia. The African higher education landscape is a product of the colonial powers and subsequent uneven development leading to an academic dependency as argued by a number of African researchers. Today, many...... in the paper, where we (i) explores how North-driven projects approach knowledge as universal and transferable and thereby ignore diversity and local historical context; (ii) analyses the cultural production of African academics and methodological hegemony in collaborative projects; (iii) concludes...

Fermilab-Latin America collaboration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rubinstein, R.

1994-01-01

Fermilab's program of collaboration with Latin America was initiated by then-Director Leon Lederman about 1980. His goal was to aid Latin American physics, and particularly its particle physics; this latter aim is in keeping with the Laboratory's particle physics mission. The reasons for collaboration between institutions in the US and Latin America are many, including geographic and cultural, together with the existence of many talented scientists and many centers of excellence in the region. There are also broader reasons; for example, it has been stated frequently that physics is the basis of much technology, and advanced technology is a necessity for a country's development. There is nothing unique about Fermilab's program; other US institutions can carry out similar activities, and some have carried out individual items in the past. On the Latin American side, such collaboration enables institutions there to carry out forefront physics research, and also to have the advantages of particle physics spin-offs, both in expertise in related technologies and in scientist training. In addition to particle physics, collaboration is possible in many other related areas. Although particle physics is frequently viewed as open-quotes big scienceclose quotes, all of the large research groups in the field are composed of many small university groups, each of which contributes to the experiment, the analysis and the physics. Fermilab is an international laboratory, open to all users; a research proposal is accepted on scientific merit and technical competence, not on the country of origin of the scientists making the proposal. Currently, of Fermilab's approximately 1400 users, about 30% are from non-US institutions. It should be noted here that Fermilab's funds, which come from the US government, are for particle physics only; however, there is some flexibility in interpretation of this

Cultural Memory Banking in Preservice Science Teacher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Handa, Vicente C.; Tippins, Deborah J.

2012-01-01

This study focused on the exemplification of cultural memory banking as an ethnographic tool to understand cultural practices relevant to science teaching and learning in a rural coastal village in a central island of the Philippine archipelago. Using the collaborative action ethnography as a research methodology, 10 prospective science teachers…

Development and testing of culturally sensitive patient information material for Turkish, Polish, Russian and Italian migrants with depression or chronic low back pain (KULTINFO): study protocol for a double-blind randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Hölzel, Lars P; Ries, Zivile; Zill, Jördis M; Kriston, Levente; Dirmaier, Jörg; Härter, Martin; Bermejo, Isaac

2014-07-04

Many of the approximately 15 million people with a migration background living in Germany (19% of the population) are inadequately reached by existing healthcare provision. In the literature, the necessity for cultural adaptation of information material for patients with a migration background is often cited as a measure for improving healthcare.In this study, culturally sensitive information material will be developed and evaluated for patients with a migration background and depression or chronic low back pain. In this respect, it will be examined whether culturally sensitive information material is judged as more useful by the patients than standard translated patient information without cultural adaptation. The implementation and evaluation of culturally sensitive patient information material will occur in the framework of a double-blind randomized controlled parallel-group study in four study centres in Germany. Primary care patients with a Turkish, Polish, Russian or Italian migration background with a diagnosis of depressive disorder or chronic low back pain will be included and randomly allocated to the intervention group or the control group. In the intervention group, culturally sensitive patient information will be handed to the patient at the end of the physician consultation, while in the control group, standard translated patient information material will be provided. The patients will be surveyed by means of questionnaires following the consultation as well as after 8 weeks and 6 months. In addition to the primary outcome (subjective usefulness), several patient- and physician-rated secondary outcomes will be considered. The study will provide an empirical answer to the question of whether persons with a migration background perceive culturally sensitive patient information material as more useful than translated information material without cultural adaptation. Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien (DRKS-ID) DRKS00004241 and Universal Trial Number

Global nuclear safety culture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-01-01

As stated in the Nuclear Safety Review 1996, three components characterize the global nuclear safety culture infrastructure: (i) legally binding international agreements; (ii) non-binding common safety standards; and (iii) the application of safety standards. The IAEA has continued to foster the global nuclear safety culture by supporting intergovernmental collaborative efforts; it has facilitated extensive information exchange, promoted the drafting of international legal agreements and the development of common safety standards, and provided for the application of safety standards by organizing a wide variety of expert services

Managing sensitive phenotypic data and biomaterial in large-scale collaborative psychiatric genetic research projects: practical considerations.

Science.gov (United States)

Demiroglu, S Y; Skrowny, D; Quade, M; Schwanke, J; Budde, M; Gullatz, V; Reich-Erkelenz, D; Jakob, J J; Falkai, P; Rienhoff, O; Helbing, K; Heilbronner, U; Schulze, T G

2012-12-01

Large-scale collaborative research will be a hallmark of future psychiatric genetic research. Ideally, both academic and non-academic institutions should be able to participate in such collaborations to allow for the establishment of very large samples in a straightforward manner. Any such endeavor requires an easy-to-implement information technology (IT) framework. Here we present the requirements for a centralized framework and describe how they can be met through a modular IT toolbox.

Establishing a culturally specific nursing home for Finnish-speaking older persons in Sweden: A case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hadziabdic, Emina; Hjelm, Katarina

2018-04-01

The study aims to describe the establishment of a culturally specific nursing home for Finnish-speaking older persons in Sweden. A descriptive qualitative study. A descriptive case study based on a review of 14 public documents and individual interviews with two experts in the area, analysed with qualitative content analysis. This study found that shared language, preservation of customs and habits and collaboration between the representatives of the municipality, Finnish-speaking migrant associations and staff at the nursing home influenced the development of the culturally specific nursing home for older Finnish-speaking people intended to avoid loneliness, isolation and misunderstandings among older Finnish-speaking. Collaboration between healthcare service for older persons and minority people resulted in an optimal culturally specific nursing home, simultaneously encountering the majority culture. Nursing and healthcare services need to be aware of positive effects of collaboration with stakeholders to achieve optimal culturally specific nursing homes.

Collaborative Web between open and closed science

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alessandro Delfanti

2008-06-01

Full Text Available “Web 2.0” is the mantra enthusiastically repeated in the past few years on anything concerning the production of culture, dialogue and online communication. Even science is changing, along with the processes involving the communication, collaboration and cooperation created through the web, yet rooted in some of its historical features of openness. For this issue, JCOM has asked some experts on the most recent changes in science to analyse the potential and the contradictions lying in online collaborative science. The new open science feeds on the opportunity to freely contribute to knowledge production, sharing not only data, but also software and hardware. But it is open also to the outside, where citizens use Web 2.0 instruments to discuss about science in a horizontal way.

Science For The Public: Collaboration and Humor

Science.gov (United States)

Wargo, Richard

2013-04-01

The transformation of all things media and information into a dynamic environment of user access has created what seems infinite possibilities to inform the public in many different ways - as well as seemingly infinite possibilities to confuse. This talk will describe a rather non-conventional collaboration between two different creative cultures and its significance to maintaining scientific accuracy and devising strategies important to audience engagement - among them, humor. While focusing on the award-winning effort ``When Things Get Small'' created by University of California Television producer R. Wargo in collaboration with condensed matter physicist I.K. Schuller and actor Adam J. Smith, with both NSF and private support, the case study provides insight into a model and modes which can be used successfully by other scientists to engage the public in what they do.

Interprofessional Collaborative Practice to Improve Patient Outcomes: A Pilot Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer Styron

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This project focused on a pilot project implemented during the 2013-2014 academic year. The overall purpose was to facilitate interprofessional collaborative practice innovations through the development of leadership, core competencies, and the use of technology, especially among nurses. Nursing, medicine, and physician assistant students were educated on the IOM competencies for interprofessional teams and the core competencies identified by the Interprofessional Education Collaborative Expert Panel [1] to develop knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to practice in the collaborative practice environments. The project addressed four goals: Develop faculty expertise and leadership in interprofessional collaborative practice to provide a current, high quality education to nursing, physician assistant, and medical students; Implement a culturally responsive and respectful collaborative interprofessional practice curriculum to prepare nurses, physician assistants, and medical students to deliver high quality, efficient, team-based care in a dynamically evolving environment; Focus interprofessional collaborative practice education on models and practices that lead to improvement in patient outcomes; and Evaluate the program and disseminate best practices. Findings from this pilot include strategies to engage different health professions' students and faculty, partnering with community agencies, building an effective interprofessional team to guide the project, and seeking funding for extension and expansion of the offerings.

International Collaborative Research Partnerships: Blending Science with Management and Diplomacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Lau, Chuen-Yen; Wang, Crystal; Orsega, Susan; Tramont, Edmund C; Koita, Ousmane; Polis, Michael A; Siddiqui, Sophia

2014-12-01

As globalization progressively connects and impacts the health of people across the world, collaborative research partnerships provide mutual advantages by sharing knowledge and resources to address locally and globally relevant scientific and public health questions. Partnerships undertaken for scientific research are similar to business collaborations in that they require attention to partner systems, whether local, international, political, academic, or non-academic. Scientists, like diplomats or entrepreneurs, are representatives of their field, culture, and country and become obligatory agents in health diplomacy. This role significantly influences current and future collaborations with not only the immediate partner but with other in country partners as well. Research partnerships need continuous evaluation of the collaboration's productivity, perspectives of all partners, and desired outcomes for success to avoid engaging in "research tourism", particularly in developing regions. International engagement is a cornerstone in addressing the impact of infectious diseases globally. Global partnerships are strategically aligned with national, partner and global health priorities and may be based on specific requests for assistance from the partnering country governments. Here we share experiences from select research collaborations to highlight principles that we have found key in building long-term relationships with collaborators and in meeting the aim to address scientific questions relevant to the host country and strategic global health initiatives.

Comparing interprofessional and interorganizational collaboration in healthcare: A systematic review of the qualitative research.

Science.gov (United States)

Karam, Marlène; Brault, Isabelle; Van Durme, Thérèse; Macq, Jean

2018-03-01

Interprofessional and interorganizational collaboration have become important components of a well-functioning healthcare system, all the more so given limited financial resources, aging populations, and comorbid chronic diseases. The nursing role in working alongside other healthcare professionals is critical. By their leadership, nurses can create a culture that encourages values and role models that favour collaborative work within a team context. To clarify the specific features of conceptual frameworks of interprofessional and interorganizational collaboration in the healthcare field. This review, accordingly, offers insights into the key challenges facing policymakers, managers, healthcare professionals, and nurse leaders in planning, implementing, or evaluating interprofessional collaboration. This systematic review of qualitative research is based on the Joanna Briggs Institute's methodology for conducting synthesis. Cochrane, JBI, CINAHL, Embase, Medline, Scopus, Academic Search Premier, Sociological Abstract, PsycInfo, and ProQuest were searched, using terms such as professionals, organizations, collaboration, and frameworks. Qualitative studies of all research design types describing a conceptual framework of interprofessional or interorganizational collaboration in the healthcare field were included. They had to be written in French or English and published in the ten years between 2004 and 2014. Sixteen qualitative articles were included in the synthesis. Several concepts were found to be common to interprofessional and interorganizational collaboration, such as communication, trust, respect, mutual acquaintanceship, power, patient-centredness, task characteristics, and environment. Other concepts are of particular importance either to interorganizational collaboration, such as the need for formalization and the need for professional role clarification, or to interprofessional collaboration, such as the role of individuals and team identity. Promoting

Cultural aspects of communication in cancer care.

Science.gov (United States)

Surbone, Antonella

2008-03-01

Cultural competence in oncology requires the acquisition of specific knowledge, clinical skills, and attitudes that facilitate effective cross-cultural negotiation in the clinical setting, thus, leading to improved therapeutic outcomes and decreased disparities in cancer care. Cultural competence in oncology entails a basic knowledge of different cultural attitudes and practices of communication of the truth and of decision-making styles throughout the world. Cultural competence always presupposes oncology professionals' awareness of their own cultural beliefs and values. To be able to communicate with cancer patients in culturally sensitive ways, oncologists should have knowledge of the concept of culture in its complexity and of the risks of racism, classism, sexism, ageism, and stereotyping that must be avoided in clinical practice. Oncologists should develop a sense of appreciation for differences in health care values, based on the recognition that no culture can claim hegemony over others and that cultures are evolving under their reciprocal influence on each other. Medical schools and oncology training can teach communication skills and cultural competence, while fostering in all students and young doctors those attitudes of humility, empathy, curiosity, respect, sensitivity, and awareness that are needed to deliver effective and culturally sensitive cancer care.

Innovation in global collaborations: from student placement to mutually beneficial exchanges.

Science.gov (United States)

Suarez-Balcazar, Yolanda; Hammel, Joy; Mayo, Liliana; Inwald, Stephanie; Sen, Supriya

2013-06-01

Five years ago, an academic department in the United States and the Ann Sullivan Center of Peru (CASP) initiated an international partnership to foster research collaborations and reciprocal consultation, and to create an advanced clinical placement for occupational therapy doctoral students. CASP is a globally recognized hub for community-based research, demonstration and training for people with disabilities (most of whom are from low-income families). CASP has provided occupational therapy students and faculty with a rich cultural environment in which to learn and collaborate as well as opportunities for developing research collaborations. The purpose of this manuscript is to discuss an innovative model of international collaboration highlighting specific areas of exchange and reciprocal learning. First, we will describe the collaboration and CASP's rich learning opportunities. Second, we will discuss a model of collaboration that includes three main phases: planning and preparation, developing and sustaining the partnership, and evaluating and celebrating outcomes and benefits. We illustrate the partnership with a case example and describe exchanges between CASP and a local community agency with whom faculty have collaborated for 20 years. Finally, we discuss implications of our innovative model towards developing and sustaining global partnerships. . Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Integrating components of culture in curriculum planning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grace Chibiko Offorma

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Culture is seen from different perspectives but the focus of this paper is on the totality of people’s way of life; those things that bind the society together. In this paper, the key concepts of curriculum, culture, and curriculum planning are explained. The components of culture, namely, universals of culture, specialties of culture and alternatives of culture are discussed. Integration is briefly presented and how to integrate culture in the curriculum planning is discussed. This can be done through situational analysis to identify the necessary cultural contents to be included or integrated in the curriculum. Different modes of delivery to be used are role play, dramatization, collaboration, field trips, games and simulation, and other interactive modes that make learning meaningful and worthwhile.

Re-Culturing Educator Preparation Programs: A Collaborative Case Study of Continuous Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Snow, Jennifer; Dismuke, Sherry; Zenkert, A. J.; Loffer, Carolyn

2017-01-01

Teacher educators at one institution of higher education collaborated to reculture systems for a focus on continuous improvement even within mounting accountability pressures. A framework of social network theory allowed for themes to develop around layered interactions of faculty, processes, and professional capital. Findings focused on people,…

Making a World of Difference: Collaboration. Excellence for Intercultural Teams

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Luise; Romberg, Claudia

2011-01-01

Cultural awareness training that emphasizes communication delivers only a partial solution to the challenges that intercultural work teams face. Improving collaboration requires a strong foundation of performance management before a work team can determine how they will cooperate to perform to excellence. Against the backdrop of the authors'…

Factors driving collaboration in natural resource conflict management: Evidence from Romania.

Science.gov (United States)

Hossu, Constantina Alina; Ioja, Ioan Cristian; Susskind, Lawrence E; Badiu, Denisa L; Hersperger, Anna M

2018-02-03

A critical challenge in natural resource management is to bring all stakeholders together to negotiate solutions to critical problems. However, various collaborative approaches to heading off conflicts and resolving natural resource management disputes have been used. What drives these efforts, however, still needs further research. Our study provides a systematic look at the drivers likely to initiate collaborative problem-solving efforts in four cases in Romania. We use Emerson's et al. (2012) framework for collaborative governance and multi-value qualitative comparative analysis (mvQCA) to analyze cases involving endangered species, restrictions on forest harvest, conflicts associated with infrastructure development projects, and disputes over the management of environmentally sensitive areas. Our findings contribute to the already existing collaborative governance literature indicating which of the four factors: uncertainty, interdependence, consequential incentives, and leadership, in which combination, are necessary and sufficient to spur collaborative resource management efforts. Our results showed that in Romania the initiation of collaboration is best explained by positive consequential incentives (i.e., financial opportunities) which has determined leaders to take initiative. This study provides additional information for the complicated process of natural resource management which is often overriding collaboration by investigating what enables and constrains collaborative efforts in a country where natural resources were managed and used according to the principles of central planning.

The impact of cultural diversity forum on students' openness to diversity.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanner, Susan; Baldwin, Dee; Cannella, Kathleen A S; Charles, Jennell; Parker, Lillian

2010-01-01

As the population demographics for the United States (U.S.) shift towards increasing diversity, it is essential that nurses provide culturally competent care. Cultural sensitivity has been identified as a major curricular element in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing's (AACN) The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice. Thus it is imperative that nursing faculty use effective strategies to help nursing students develop cultural sensitivity and competence. Educational workshops focusing on cultural diversity are usually designed to increase people's cultural sensitivity. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a cultural diversity forum on nursing students' cultural sensitivity as measured by their openness to diversity. A convenience sample of students was recruited from a public university in the southeastern United States. The workshop was designed as a forum that combined a keynote presentation, shared meal, and a small group interactional activity. Cultural sensitivity was measured using the Openness to Diversity/Challenge Scale (ODCS), and was administered to students before and after the forum. A convenience sample of 47 students agreed to participate and completed both the pretest and posttest. Following the workshop, the students had more cultural sensitivity as measured by their scores on the ODCS (Wilcoxin Signed-Rank test z= -3.286, p = 0.001). The findings suggested that an educational format like the cultural diversity forum can promote students' cultural sensitivity. Further research needs to continue to focus on the effectiveness of strategies to increase the cultural sensitivity of baccalaureate nursing students.

Making Science Matter: Collaborations between Informal Science Education Organizations and Schools. A CAISE Inquiry Group Report. Executive Summary

Science.gov (United States)

Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education, 2010

2010-01-01

Throughout the world, and for many decades, science-rich cultural institutions, such as zoos, aquaria, museums, and others, have collaborated with schools to provide students, teachers and families with opportunities to expand their experiences and understanding of science. However, these collaborations have generally failed to institutionalize:…

Together We Innovate: Cross-Cultural Teamwork through Virtual Platforms

Science.gov (United States)

Duus, Rikke; Cooray, Muditha

2014-01-01

In a global business environment, marketing education must support students to develop cross-cultural agility and adeptness with an aim to enhance their employability. This article contributes with an experiential cross-cultural exercise that enables students to develop new enterprises in collaboration with other students in a different country…

Collaboration

Science.gov (United States)

King, Michelle L.

2010-01-01

This article explores collaboration between library media educators and regular classroom teachers. The article focuses on the context of the issue, positions on the issue, the impact of collaboration, and how to implement effective collaboration into the school system. Various books and professional journals are used to support conclusions…

Effects of culture-sensitive adaptation of patient information material on usefulness in migrants: a multicentre, blinded randomised controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Hölzel, Lars P; Ries, Zivile; Kriston, Levente; Dirmaier, Jörg; Zill, Jördis M; Rummel-Kluge, Christine; Niebling, Wilhelm; Bermejo, Isaac; Härter, Martin

2016-11-23

To evaluate the usefulness of culture-sensitive patient information material compared with standard translated material. Multicentre, double-blind randomised controlled trial. 37 primary care practices. 435 adult primary care patients with a migration background with unipolar depressive disorder or non-specific chronic low back pain were randomised. Patients who were unable to read in the language of their respective migration background were excluded. Sufficient data were obtained from 203 women and 106 men. The largest group was of Russian origin (202 patients), followed by those of Turkish (52), Polish (30) and Italian (25) origin. Intervention group: provision of culture-sensitive adapted material. provision of standard translated material. Primary outcome: patient-rated usefulness (USE) assessed immediately after patients received the material. patient-rated usefulness after 8 weeks and 6 months, symptoms of depression (PHQ-9), back pain (Back Pain Core Set) and quality of life (WHO-5) assessed at all time points. Usefulness was found to be significantly higher (t=1.708, one-sided p=0.04) in the intervention group (USE-score=65.08, SE=1.43), compared with the control group (61.43, SE=1.63), immediately after patients received the material, in the intention-to-treat analysis, with a mean difference of 3.65 (one-sided 95% lower confidence limit=0.13). No significant differences were found for usefulness at follow-up (p=0.16, p=0.71). No significant effect was found for symptom severity in depression (p=0.95, p=0.66, p=0.58), back pain (p=0.40, p=0.45, p=0.32) or quality of life (p=0.76, p=0.86, p=0.21), either immediately after receiving the material, or at follow-up (8 weeks; 6 months). Patients with a lower level of dominant society immersion benefited substantially and significantly more from the intervention than patients with a high level of immersion (p=0.005). Cultural adaptation of patient information material provides benefits over high quality

E-Learning and North-South collaboration: the experience of two ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Our analysis showed that the benefit of the collaboration between the two institutions is mutual; the French Institute extends its geographical, cultural and contextual reach and expands its pool of teaching staff. The Benin Institute benefits from the technical partnership and expertise, which allow it to offer distance learning for ...

Faculty Work: Moving beyond the Paradox of Autonomy and Collaboration

Science.gov (United States)

Hower, Mark A.

2012-01-01

Freedom to pursue one's intellectual interests, known as professional autonomy, is a valued and longstanding faculty tradition. Profound changes in society and the academy, however, suggest new values may be emerging. Collaboration, for example, is increasingly vital to success outside of the academy, and faculty culture, long an…

Making Pono Choices: a collaborative approach to developing a culturally responsive teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections prevention curriculum in Hawai'i.

Science.gov (United States)

Manaseri, Holly; Uehara, Denise; Roberts, Kelly

2014-12-01

The overall extent of evidence-based culturally responsive health education programs targeting ethnic minority groups in Hawai'i is limited. The few that do exist were adapted from models developed with other majority ethnic groups in mind and may not always be appropriate for Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander youth (Okamoto et al. in J Alcohol Drug Educ 54(1):56-75, 2010; Helm and Baker in J Ethn Cult Divers Soc Work 20(2):131-149, 2011; Po'a-Kekuawela et al. in J Ethn Cult Divers Soc Work 18(3):242-258, 2009). The need for a culturally responsive, evidence-based health curriculum is clear considering the large disparities reported among Hawaiian youth in health, academic achievement, and other identified risk factors. School-based health interventions are an opportunity not only to improve the physical well being of students, but also to increase their ability to learn and succeed in school. The University of Hawai'i at Manoa-Center on Disability Studies (UH-CDS) received a highly competitive grant from the US Office of Adolescent Health to develop a teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention curriculum for Hawai'i middle school youth. The authors will detail a collaborative process that led to a culturally responsive sexual health curriculum for middle school youth designed to meet the rigorous standards of an evidenced-based review and more importantly reduce teen pregnancies and STI transmission.

Collaboration 'Engineerability'

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kolfschoten, Gwendolyn L.; de Vreede, Gert-Jan; Briggs, Robert O.; Sol, Henk G.

Collaboration Engineering is an approach to create sustained collaboration support by designing collaborative work practices for high-value recurring tasks, and transferring those designs to practitioners to execute for themselves without ongoing support from collaboration professionals. A key

Is there a genetic contribution to cultural differences? Collectivism, individualism and genetic markers of social sensitivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Way, Baldwin M; Lieberman, Matthew D

2010-06-01

Genes and culture are often thought of as opposite ends of the nature-nurture spectrum, but here we examine possible interactions. Genetic association studies suggest that variation within the genes of central neurotransmitter systems, particularly the serotonin (5-HTTLPR, MAOA-uVNTR) and opioid (OPRM1 A118G), are associated with individual differences in social sensitivity, which reflects the degree of emotional responsivity to social events and experiences. Here, we review recent work that has demonstrated a robust cross-national correlation between the relative frequency of variants in these genes and the relative degree of individualism-collectivism in each population, suggesting that collectivism may have developed and persisted in populations with a high proportion of putative social sensitivity alleles because it was more compatible with such groups. Consistent with this notion, there was a correlation between the relative proportion of these alleles and lifetime prevalence of major depression across nations. The relationship between allele frequency and depression was partially mediated by individualism-collectivism, suggesting that reduced levels of depression in populations with a high proportion of social sensitivity alleles is due to greater collectivism. These results indicate that genetic variation may interact with ecological and social factors to influence psychocultural differences.

Women in global science advancing academic careers through international collaboration

CERN Document Server

Zippel, Kathrin

2017-01-01

Scientific and engineering research is increasingly global, and international collaboration can be essential to academic success. Yet even as administrators and policymakers extol the benefits of global science, few recognize the diversity of international research collaborations and their participants, or take gendered inequalities into account. Women in Global Science is the first book to consider systematically the challenges and opportunities that the globalization of scientific work brings to U.S. academics, especially for women faculty. Kathrin Zippel looks to the STEM fields as a case study, where gendered cultures and structures in academia have contributed to an underrepresentation of women. While some have approached underrepresentation as a national concern with a national solution, Zippel highlights how gender relations are reconfigured in global academia. For U.S. women in particular, international collaboration offers opportunities to step outside of exclusionary networks at home. International ...

Outsiders in nursing education: cultural sensitivity in clinical education.

Science.gov (United States)

Debrew, Jacqueline Kayler; Lewallen, Lynne Porter; Chun, Edna

2014-01-01

Cultural competence is a stated value of nursing and nursing education. However, some institutional and traditional practices in nursing education can unintentionally impede nurses from achieving cultural competence. Both the literature and interviews with nurse educators show that despite educators' intentions to treat all students the same, nontraditional students may feel singled out and may in fact be singled out for closer scrutiny because of their difference from the demographic norms of nursing students. To ensure that the nursing profession reflects the composition of the patient population it serves, nurse educators must first acknowledge the Eurocentric culture of nursing education and, then, work to change the environment in which students are recruited, learn, and take on the role of beginning practicing nurses. © 2014.

Implications from the Diagnosis of a School Culture at a Higher Education Institution

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Bahar Gün

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Probing into the school culture is the first step for the enhancement of the effectiveness of any school. Conducted in an English-medium private university in Turkey, this study aims at exploring teachers’ perceptions of existing school culture to provide enriched and contemporary understandings of that culture, as well as making implications regarding understanding and improving school culture. Quantitative data was collected using the School Culture Survey (SCS developed by Gruenert and Valentine, and the School Culture Triage, developed by Wagner and Masden-Copas; and qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with a sample group of teachers from the school. The results suggest that three dominant aspects of the culture of the school studied are collegial support and collaboration, collaborative leadership and unity of purpose. The outcomes of this research study facilitate a ‘personal critique’ for the given school, and implications can be extended to institutions operating in similar settings

Investigación cualitativa en enfermería y competencia cultural Qualitative Nursing Research and Cultural Competence

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Manuel Lillo Crespo

2004-06-01

Full Text Available La Competencia cultural como conocimiento aplicado a la Enfermería será uno de los temas de investigación mas significativos para las próximas décadas y el desarrollo de sus teorías y modelos representa el camino de progreso hacia la consecución de unos cuidados de calidad. El objetivo principal de este trabajo es mostrar las características del equipo de investigación en Enfermería a la hora de profundizar en el terreno de los cuidados, siempre desde la perspectiva de la Competencia cultural y obviamente mediante una metodología de investigación cualitativa. En el desarrollo del trabajo se define el área estudiada así como los componentes de la Competencia cultural aplicada a la investigación que son tres: el conocimiento cultural, la sensibilidad cultural y la colaboración cultural. Es a partir del desarrollo de estos tres puntos cuando podemos llegar a entender el papel del equipo investigador dentro de la metodología cualitativa aplicada a los cuidados de Enfermería, siempre teniendo como referencia la calidad en cuanto a la relación que se establezca entre el investigador y el individuo. Resulta necesario concluir afirmando que siempre que se de un relación de calidad habrá una posibilidad de llevar a cabo un investigación cualitativa de calidad que genere conocimiento enfermero.Cultural competence as a Nursing applied knowledge will be one of the most significant research areas for the next decades. Development of theories and models in Cultural competence shows a way of progress towards quality in cares. The aim of this article is to show the Nursing research team characteristics when going deepper into the Care research area from the view of Cultural competence and Qualitative research. This study gives a concept of Cultural competence as well as its three components such as: cultual knowledge, cultual sensitivity and cultural collaboration. These components help us to understand the role of the research team inside

Working Within the Collaborative Tourist Economy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meged, Jane Widtfeldt; Christensen, Mathilde Dissing

2017-01-01

with Copenhagen Free Walking Tours, a platform offering guided tours and hosts offering short-term rentals on the platform Airbnb. Both guides and hosts practice job crafting. However, guides and hosts approach and navigate the collaborative economy in different ways. Both markets require hosting qualities...... drawing on personal competencies, when delivering hosting–on-demand. Guides can be characterised as social lifestyle entrepreneurs as they experience guiding as a lifestyle with high social and cultural returns. Contrary the Airbnb hosts interviewed can be perceived as micro-entrepreneurs practising...

Organizational factors influencing successful primary care and public health collaboration.

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Valaitis, Ruta; Meagher-Stewart, Donna; Martin-Misener, Ruth; Wong, Sabrina T; MacDonald, Marjorie; O'Mara, Linda

2018-06-07

Public health and primary care are distinct sectors within western health care systems. Within each sector, work is carried out in the context of organizations, for example, public health units and primary care clinics. Building on a scoping literature review, our study aimed to identify the influencing factors within these organizations that affect the ability of these health care sectors to collaborate with one another in the Canadian context. Relationships between these factors were also explored. We conducted an interpretive descriptive qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with 74 key informants from three provinces, one each in western, central and eastern Canada, and others representing national organizations, government, or associations. The sample included policy makers, managers, and direct service providers in public health and primary care. Seven major organizational influencing factors on collaboration were identified: 1) Clear Mandates, Vision, and Goals; 2) Strategic Coordination and Communication Mechanisms between Partners; 3) Formal Organizational Leaders as Collaborative Champions; 4) Collaborative Organizational Culture; 5) Optimal Use of Resources; 6) Optimal Use of Human Resources; and 7) Collaborative Approaches to Programs and Services Delivery. While each influencing factor was distinct, the many interactions among these influences are indicative of the complex nature of public health and primary care collaboration. These results can be useful for those working to set up new or maintain existing collaborations with public health and primary care which may or may not include other organizations.

Collaborating and sharing data in epilepsy research.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagenaar, Joost B; Worrell, Gregory A; Ives, Zachary; Dümpelmann, Matthias; Matthias, Dümpelmann; Litt, Brian; Schulze-Bonhage, Andreas

2015-06-01

Technological advances are dramatically advancing translational research in Epilepsy. Neurophysiology, imaging, and metadata are now recorded digitally in most centers, enabling quantitative analysis. Basic and translational research opportunities to use these data are exploding, but academic and funding cultures prevent this potential from being realized. Research on epileptogenic networks, antiepileptic devices, and biomarkers could progress rapidly if collaborative efforts to digest this "big neuro data" could be organized. Higher temporal and spatial resolution data are driving the need for novel multidimensional visualization and analysis tools. Crowd-sourced science, the same that drives innovation in computer science, could easily be mobilized for these tasks, were it not for competition for funding, attribution, and lack of standard data formats and platforms. As these efforts mature, there is a great opportunity to advance Epilepsy research through data sharing and increase collaboration between the international research community.

The Effects of Collaboration on Logistical Performance and Transaction Costs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vieira, J.G.V.

2015-05-01

Full Text Available This paper assesses the effect of supplier-retailer collaboration on logistical performance and transaction costs from the viewpoint of retail sector suppliers. The methodology consists of an empirical study conducted over nine months in the logistics department of a large Brazilian supermarket retailer and a survey of 125 representatives of 90 manufacturers. The results show collaboration contributes to an improvement in logistical performance related to urgent deliveries and deliveries that occur during periods of high demand. Interpersonal collaboration and joint actions contribute to the reduction of uncertainties among the participants. These joint actions, together with strategic collaboration, contribute to an increase in investment in specific assets, such as dedicated production lines or specialised vehicle fleets to serve partners. The study provides an analysis of logistical performance and transaction cost elements not previously investigated, including urgent deliveries and deliveries during periods of high demand, contract negotiation and renegotiation, waiting time for agreements to be reached, contingency logistics planning, and various cultural, psychosocial and geographical aspects of the supplier-retailer relationship. Managerial implications, research limitation and future research are also discussed.

Teaching and cultural education in the knowledge society. Evolutive analysis of a strategy of collaborative learning in Higher Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manuela FABBRI

2011-12-01

Full Text Available 0 0 1 214 1180 Instituto Universitario de Ciencias de la Educación 9 2 1392 14.0 Normal 0 21 false false false ES JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabla normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:ES; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} This paper discuss in a pedagogical level an experience on the use of Forum as a telematic device. The part of e-learning comprised, together with contents and different kind of exercises, a forum. It was prepared for udergraduated students (third year in Social and Cultural Education (Faculty of Education, University of Bologna. From a brief analysis of the context for the Forum on collaborative learning, authors present a description of the quantitative data from experience, some reflections about the research for techno-social goals, and extract some conclusions from positive elements and limits when using TICs in Higher Education system. From assessment and analysis of the educational process and experience of social formation that develops in the Forum, the authors present an instructional design proposal from the critical and reflective paradigm, after evaluating various comments on the results, related with the strengths and limitations of the instrument in the university context. The conclusions guide the work in the subject of educational technology to not only a reflection of the disciplinary nature focused on the use of ICT, but also an approach to collaborative learning strategies and throughout lifelong learning

A Collaborative Learning Network Approach to Improvement: The CUSP Learning Network.

Science.gov (United States)

Weaver, Sallie J; Lofthus, Jennifer; Sawyer, Melinda; Greer, Lee; Opett, Kristin; Reynolds, Catherine; Wyskiel, Rhonda; Peditto, Stephanie; Pronovost, Peter J

2015-04-01

Collaborative improvement networks draw on the science of collaborative organizational learning and communities of practice to facilitate peer-to-peer learning, coaching, and local adaption. Although significant improvements in patient safety and quality have been achieved through collaborative methods, insight regarding how collaborative networks are used by members is needed. Improvement Strategy: The Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP) Learning Network is a multi-institutional collaborative network that is designed to facilitate peer-to-peer learning and coaching specifically related to CUSP. Member organizations implement all or part of the CUSP methodology to improve organizational safety culture, patient safety, and care quality. Qualitative case studies developed by participating members examine the impact of network participation across three levels of analysis (unit, hospital, health system). In addition, results of a satisfaction survey designed to evaluate member experiences were collected to inform network development. Common themes across case studies suggest that members found value in collaborative learning and sharing strategies across organizational boundaries related to a specific improvement strategy. The CUSP Learning Network is an example of network-based collaborative learning in action. Although this learning network focuses on a particular improvement methodology-CUSP-there is clear potential for member-driven learning networks to grow around other methods or topic areas. Such collaborative learning networks may offer a way to develop an infrastructure for longer-term support of improvement efforts and to more quickly diffuse creative sustainment strategies.

[How do Turkish immigrants evaluate cultural sensitivity in a German tertiary hospital?].

Science.gov (United States)

Giese, Arnd; Uyar, Müberra; Henning, Bernhard F; Uslucan, Haci H; Westhoff, Timm; Pagonas, Nikolaos

2015-01-01

Culturally adequate medical care is a goal in Germany, but quantitative data concerning inpatients is lacking. Inpatients of a German tertiary hospital: Turkish migrants (T) and Germans (G) were interviewed in their respective native language. 121 T and 121 G were interviewed. 97.5% of T were Muslims, 82.6% of G were Christians. 88.5% of T judged religion as "important" or "very important" (G: 35.8%). 50.8% of T saw their opportunity to pray in the hospital as "bad" or "very bad" (G: 0.9%). Keeping to Islamic dietary rules in the hospital was "difficult" or "very difficult" for 90% of T. For 79.0% of female T care by a same-sex staff was "important" or "very important" (female G: 36.3%, male T: 40.0%, male G: 7.7%). The presence of a same-sex person during examinations or treatments was "much" or "very much" appreciated by 69.7% of female T, if same-sex care was impossible (female G: 25.4%, male T: 28.9%, male G: 6.1%). A retrospective analysis revealed that 5.8% of all 8988 hospital admissions during the period of study recruitment were Turkish migrants. To meet the needs of Turkish migrants German hospitals should improve the opportunity for Muslims to pray. Additionally, the cooperation with local imams should be sought. Precise descriptions of food ingredients or an adapted menu could help T to deal with Muslim dietary commandments. A culturally sensitive hospital should take into account that female as well as male T prefer to be cared of by same-sex physicians and nurses. Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart.

Examining Collective Authorship in Collaborative Writing Tasks through Digital Storytelling

Science.gov (United States)

Sevilla-Pavón, Ana

2015-01-01

The advent of Web 2.0 has fostered the emergence of a new collaborative culture shared by internet users worldwide in which the notions of intertextuality and hypertext have evolved, resulting in the reconsideration of authors and their role in text production. It is becoming increasingly common to access, reinterpret and modify contents and texts…

Municipalities collaborating in public health: The Danish Smoking Prevention and Cessation Partnership

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Pernille Tanggaard; El Ansari, Walid; Rasmussen, Hanna Barbara

2010-01-01

, and that the two municipalities were heterogenic in respect to organizational issues and working methods. Other impediments included the lack of continuity in leadership, the lack of clarity regarding the form of collaboration and roles, as well as different expectations of the stakeholders. We conclude that four...... factors remain critical for partnerships. The first is the clarity of the collaborative effort. Second, partnerships need to take into account the structural circumstances and culture/value systems of all stakeholders. Third is the impact of contextual factors on the development of the partnership......; health professions education; leadership...

013 PP: COLLABORATION WITH D/DEAF PEOPLE IN A HEARING CENTRIC WORLD

OpenAIRE

Ferndale, D

2017-01-01

Researchers operate in highly complex and dynamic contexts. Collaborative approaches to research, while enriching, introduce new layers of complexity and challenges that require critical reflection. In doing research in the field of d/Deaf studies, this could not be more depictive of my experience. The d/Deaf community in Australia have a strong and rich culture and a complex expressive language. This community has a long history of hearing people oppressing their culture and this continues t...

Using e-collaboration to improve management education: three scenarios.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee Schlenker

2005-01-01

Full Text Available This paper explores the potential impact of collaborative technologies in improving managementeducation. The first goal is to expose students to tools and practices that not only assist themwith their current studies, but also serve to reinforce individual and team competencies that canfacilitate their entry into the workforce. In their positions as future managers they will beexpected to not only be familiar with common business practices but also to understand theimplications of information technology for business; in this case with emphasis on tools andtechniques that can help businesses flourish in the networked economy. With an ever-increasingrecognition that e-learning tools are important for (re-training employees, these three scenariosoffer examples of how business schools might expand the boundaries of e-collaboration to helptheir students. These experiments have been conducted in management programs. In the first twoscenarios, students use collaborative platforms in some of their daily work. The third experimentis based on a student-centred design of a learning portal. Our experience reinforces a certainnumber of hypotheses influencing the impact of collaborative technologies in managementeducation. To begin with, information systems are often flawed mirrors of the managerial systemthat they are designed to represent. Secondly, the potential value of collaborative technologies isstrongly influenced by organizational contexts, both in and between the university and thebusiness community. Thirdly, the effectiveness of collaborative technologies depends to a largedegree upon the depth and coherence of learning objectives fixed for learning and work places.Finally, improving the effectiveness of collaborative technologies requires aligning the design oflearning environments with the corporate cultures and visions we are trying to reproduce.

The Use of Social Media and Popular Culture to Advance Cross-Cultural Understanding

Science.gov (United States)

Tuzel, Sait; Hobbs, Renee

2017-01-01

Although we live in a global society, educators face many challenges in finding meaningful ways to connect students to people of other cultures. This paper offers a case study of a collaboration between teachers in the US and Turkey, where 7th grade students interacted with each other via online social media as a means to promote cultural…

Collaborative information seeking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hertzum, Morten

2008-01-01

Since common ground is pivotal to collaboration, this paper proposes to define collaborative information seeking as the combined activity of information seeking and collaborative grounding. While information-seeking activities are necessary for collaborating actors to acquire new information......, the activities involved in information seeking are often performed by varying subgroups of actors. Consequently, collaborative grounding is necessary to share information among collaborating actors and, thereby, establish and maintain the common ground necessary for their collaborative work. By focusing...... on the collaborative level, collaborative information seeking aims to avoid both individual reductionism and group reductionism, while at the same time recognizing that only some information and understanding need be shared....

Science for the Public Through Collaboration and Humor

Science.gov (United States)

Wargo, Richard

2013-03-01

The transformation of all things media and information into a dynamic environment of user access has created what seems infinite possibilities to inform the public in many different ways - as well as seemingly infinite possibilities to confuse. This talk will describe a rather non-conventional collaboration between two different creative cultures and its significance to maintaining scientific accuracy and devising strategies important to audience engagement - among them humor. While focusing on the award-winning effort ``When Things Get Small'' created by University of California Television producer R. Wargo in collaboration with condensed matter physicist I.K. Schuller and actor Adam J. Smith, with both NSF and private support, the case study provides insight into a model and modes which can be used successfully by other scientists to engage the public in what they do.

Between initial familiarity and future use – a case of Collocated Collaborative Writing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bødker, Susanne; Polli, Anna Maria

2014-01-01

these with the three above forms of practice. The initial familiarity leads to two different early practices that get in the way of each other, and the collaborative writing idea. They point instead towards a discursive sharing of individual feelings, a different kind of past experiences than anticipated in design.......This paper reports on a design experiment in an art gallery, where we explored visitor practices of commenting on art, and how they were shaped in interaction with a newly designed collocated, collaborative writing technology. In particular we investigate what potentials previous practices carry...... with them that may affect early use and further development of use. We base our analyses on interviews in the art gallery and on socio-cultural theories of artefactmediated learning and collaboration. The analyses help identify three forms of collaborative writing, which are placed in the space between...

Cultural heritage in urban redevelopment projects: a framework to analyse collaborative strategies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baarveld, Marlijn; Smit, Marnix

2011-01-01

Due to technological, economic and spatial developments, various inner-city industrial areas have lost their former use and their original economic value. Many of these areas have elements of cultural-historical value. Preserving this cultural heritage means managing it for the benefit of current

Cultural Diversity Training: The Necessity of Cultural Competence for Health Care Providers and in Nursing Practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Susan; Guo, Kristina L

2016-01-01

The purpose of this article is to discuss the need to provide culturally sensitive care to the growing number of diverse health care consumers. A literature review of national standards and research on cultural competency was conducted and specifically focused on the field of nursing. This study supports the theory that cultural competence is learned over time and is a process of inner reflection and awareness. The domains of awareness, skill, and knowledge are essential competencies that must be gained by health care providers and especially for nurses. Although barriers to providing culturally sensitive care exist, gaining a better understanding of cultural competence is essential to developing realistic education and training techniques, which will lead to quality professional nursing practice for increasingly diverse populations.

A Comparison between Collaborative and Authoritative Leadership Styles of Special Education Administrators

Science.gov (United States)

Veale, Natasha W.

2010-01-01

Supervisors, administrators, and directors of special education usually use the authoritative leadership style when supervising their special education staffs; however, collaborative leadership styles are slowly overtaking authoritative leadership styles. These leaders have the task of producing an environment where the culture is inclusive, the…

Physician and nursing perceptions concerning interprofessional communication and collaboration.

Science.gov (United States)

Matziou, Vasiliki; Vlahioti, Efrosyni; Perdikaris, Pantelis; Matziou, Theodora; Megapanou, Efstathia; Petsios, Konstantinos

2014-11-01

The aim of the study was to investigate the physician and nursing perceptions regarding communication and collaboration as well as the factors that may influence these activities. A self-administered questionnaire survey was sent to a random sample of 93 physicians and 197 nurses based in two large public hospitals in Athens, Greece. Descriptive statistics, t-test and chi square test were performed with the SPSS 19.0 statistical package. Years of experience, the size of the clinic, the university degree and the postgraduate studies were found to be significant factors according to nurses' view (p clinic affected the communication and collaboration with the nursing staff significantly (p nurses and physicians do not share the same views concerning the effectiveness of their communication and nurses' role in the decision-making process of the patients' care. The most important barrier for the establishment of good relations between these professions, according to the physicians, was that they did not recognize the nurses' professional role. The study also indicated that the absence of interprofessional collaboration may result in a higher possibility of errors and omissions in patients' care. Therefore, in everyday practice, both nurses and physicians should acknowledge the importance of their effective communication and they should develop and implement interprofessional teamwork interventions to improve collaboration. Moreover, nurses have to constantly consolidate their role in the decision process and patients' care, especially in countries with limited interprofessional collaboration culture. In addition, factors that improve physicians' attitudes toward collaboration and effective communication should be further explored.

From the nurses' station to the health team hub: how can design promote interprofessional collaboration?

Science.gov (United States)

Gum, Lyn Frances; Prideaux, David; Sweet, Linda; Greenhill, Jennene

2012-01-01

Interprofessional practice implies that health professionals are able to contribute patient care in a collaborative environment. In this paper, it is argued that in a hospital the nurses' station is a form of symbolic power. The term could be reframed as a "health team hub," which fosters a place for communication and interprofessional working. Studies have found that design of the Nurses' Station can impact on the walking distance of hospital staff, privacy for patients and staff, jeopardize patient confidentiality and access to resources. However, no studies have explored the implications of nurses' station design on interprofessional practice. A multi-site collective case study of three rural hospitals in South Australia explored the collaborative working culture of each hospital. Of the cultural concepts being studied, the physical design of nurses' stations and the general physical environment were found to have a major influence on an effective collaborative practice. Communication barriers were related to poor design, lack of space, frequent interruptions and a lack of privacy; the name "nurses' station" denotes the space as the primary domain of nurses rather than a workspace for the healthcare team. Immersive work spaces could encourage all members of the healthcare team to communicate more readily with one another to promote interprofessional collaboration.

Applications of collaborative helping maps: supporting professional development, supervision and work teams in family-centered practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Madsen, William C

2014-03-01

Collaborative, family-centered practice has become an influential approach in helping efforts across a broad spectrum of human services. This article draws from previous work that presented a principle-based, practice framework of Collaborative Helping and highlighted the use of Collaborative Helping maps as a tool both to help workers think their way through complex situations and to provide a guideline for constructive conversations between families and helpers about challenging issues. It builds on that work to examine ways to utilize Collaborative Helping maps at worker, supervisory, and organizational levels to enhance and sustain collaborative, family-centered practice and weave its core values and principles into the everyday fabric of organizational cultures in human service agencies and government agencies that serve poor and marginalized families and communities. © 2013 FPI, Inc.

Negotiating Languages and Cultures: Enacting Translingualism through a Translation Assignment

Science.gov (United States)

Kiernan, Julia; Meier, Joyce; Wang, Xiqiao

2016-01-01

This collaborative project explores the affordances of a translation assignment in the context of a learner-centered pedagogy that places composition students' movement among languages and cultures as both a site for inquiry and subject of analysis. The translation assignment asks students to translate scholarly articles or culture stories from…

Implementation and evaluation of a low health literacy and culturally sensitive diabetes education program.

Science.gov (United States)

Swavely, Deborah; Vorderstrasse, Allison; Maldonado, Edgardo; Eid, Sherrine; Etchason, Jeff

2014-01-01

Low health literacy is more prevalent in persons with limited education, members of ethnic minorities, and those who speak English as a second language, and is associated with multiple adverse diabetes-related health outcomes. This study examined the effectiveness of a low health literacy and culturally sensitive diabetes education program for economically and socially disadvantaged adult patients with type 2 diabetes. A pre-post prospective study design was used to examine outcomes over 12 months. Outcome measures included diabetes knowledge, self-efficacy, and self-care, measured using reliable and valid survey tools, and A1C. Over this period of time 277 patients were enrolled in the program, with 106 participants completing survey data. At the completion of the program patients had significant improvements in diabetes knowledge (p literacy improves short-term outcomes. © 2013 National Association for Healthcare Quality.

Collaborative experience

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mortensen, Thomas Bøtker

-Doerr, 1996) and has been shown to have a positive effect to the outcome of collaborative R&D (Sampson, 2005). Anand & Khanna (2000), furthermore, hypothesized that research joint ventures are more ambiguous than marketing joint ventures and even more the licensing and showed that the effect of collaborative......Literature review: Collaborative experience has been shown to have a positive effect on the collaborative outcome in general (Anand & Khanna, 2000; Kale, Dyer & Singh, 2002). Furthermore, it has been linked to the ability to exploit the network of the firm for learning (Powell, Koput and Smith...... experience was largest the higher the hypothesized ambiguity. Theoretically contribution: This research project aims at contributing to existing literature by arguing, that collaborative experience is a moderating variable which moderates the effects on collaborative outcome from the level of complexity...

Occupational therapy students in the process of interprofessional collaborative learning: a grounded theory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Howell, Dana

2009-01-01

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to generate a theory of the interprofessional collaborative learning process of occupational therapy (OT) students who were engaged in a collaborative learning experience with students from other allied health disciplines. Data consisted of semi-structured interviews with nine OT students from four different interprofessional collaborative learning experiences at three universities. The emergent theory explained OT students' need to build a culture of mutual respect among disciplines in order to facilitate interprofessional collaborative learning. Occupational therapy students went through a progression of learned skills that included learning how to represent the profession of OT, hold their weight within a team situation, solve problems collaboratively, work as a team, and ultimately, to work in an actual team in practice. This learning process occurred simultaneously as students also learned course content. The students had to contend with barriers and facilitators that influenced their participation and the success of their collaboration. Understanding the interprofessional learning process of OT students will help allied health faculty to design more effective, inclusive interprofessional courses.

The Role of Culture in the Language Classroom.

Science.gov (United States)

Dwyer, David; Folarin-Schleicher, Antonia; Moshi, Lioba

1999-01-01

Discusses the role of culture in second language instruction; Examines properties of culture, culture as a product of human activity, culture as a shared product, culture as an artificial product, cultural diversity, cultural relativism, cultural sensitivity, and stages of cultural awareness. Focuses on how to teach cultural knowledge, and the…

Globally Collaborative Experiential Learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takeshi UTSUMI

2005-07-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT The Global University System (GUS [Utsumi, et al, 2003] is a worldwide initiative to create advanced telecommunications infrastructure for access to educational resources across national and cultural boundaries for global peace. GUS aims to create a worldwide consortium of universities to provide the underdeveloped world with access to 21st Century education via broadband Internet technologies. The aim is to achieve “education and healthcare for all,” anywhere, anytime and at any pace. The GUS works in the major regions of the globe with partnerships of higher education and healthcare institutions. Learners in these regions will be able to take their courses from member institutions around the world to receive a GUS degree. These learners and their professors from partner institutions will also form a global forum for exchange of ideas and information and for conducting collaborative research and development with emerging global GRID computer network technology. Globally Collaborative Environmental Peace Gaming (GCEPG project [Utsumi, 2003] with a globally distributed computer simulation system, focusing on the issue of environment and sustainable development in developing countries, is to train would-be decision-makers in crisis management, conflict resolution, and negotiation techniques basing on “facts and figures.” The GUS will supply game players from around the world.

Culturally Speaking: Booktalking Authentic Multicultural Literature

Science.gov (United States)

York, Sheryl

2008-01-01

Booktalking authentic multicultural literature can encourage students to read, promote respect for all cultures, and help make all students feel welcome in libraries and media centers. It also provides opportunities to collaborate with teachers to increase diversity throughout the schools. This article presents selected booktalks of contemporary…

Ethnocinema and the Impossibility of Culture

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Anne

2014-01-01

The emerging methodology of ethnocinema fuses techniques from its ethnographic origins with its co-constitutive methods, and invites collaborators to creatively come together for mutual education and cultural transformation. Education as a site of the enactment and "politics of identity construction" continues to confront notions of…

Improved Diagnosis of Prosthetic Joint Infection by Culturing Periprosthetic Tissue Specimens in Blood Culture Bottles.

Science.gov (United States)

Peel, Trisha N; Dylla, Brenda L; Hughes, John G; Lynch, David T; Greenwood-Quaintance, Kerryl E; Cheng, Allen C; Mandrekar, Jayawant N; Patel, Robin

2016-01-05

Despite known low sensitivity, culture of periprosthetic tissue specimens on agars and in broths is routine. Culture of periprosthetic tissue samples in blood culture bottles (BCBs) is potentially more convenient, but it has been evaluated in a limited way and has not been widely adopted. The aim of this study was to compare the sensitivity and specificity of inoculation of periprosthetic tissue specimens into blood culture bottles with standard agar and thioglycolate broth culture, applying Bayesian latent class modeling (LCM) in addition to applying the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) criteria for prosthetic joint infection. This prospective cohort study was conducted over a 9-month period (August 2013 to April 2014) at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, and included all consecutive patients undergoing revision arthroplasty. Overall, 369 subjects were studied; 117 (32%) met IDSA criteria for prosthetic joint infection, and 82% had late chronic infection. Applying LCM, inoculation of tissues into BCBs was associated with a 47% improvement in sensitivity compared to the sensitivity of conventional agar and broth cultures (92.1 versus 62.6%, respectively); this magnitude of change was similar when IDSA criteria were applied (60.7 versus 44.4%, respectively; P = 0.003). The time to microorganism detection was shorter with BCBs than with standard media (P Prosthetic joint infections are a devastating complication of arthroplasty surgery. Despite this, current microbiological techniques to detect and diagnose infections are imperfect. This study examined a new approach to diagnosing infections, through the inoculation of tissue samples from around the prosthetic joint into blood culture bottles. This study demonstrated that, compared to current laboratory practices, this new technique increased the detection of infection. These findings are important for patient care to allow timely and accurate diagnosis of infection. Copyright © 2016 Peel et al.

A Synchronous Collaborative Service Oriented Mobile Learning Architecture SCSOMLA

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Charles Wamuti

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Despite the growth of mobile learning and advantages offered such as portability social interactivity context sensitivity convenience inclusive and non-discriminatory independence data collected showed that there is low use of such mobile learning systems. Investigation on mobile learning sought the participation of users and availability of users the mimicability of the class room and the various implementations in institutions and attempts at synchronous collaboration in existing Mobile Learning based infrastructure. As seen in the research the social aspect of smart mobile phones has not been leveraged to be incorporated in mobile learning infrastructure where a class is seen as a social place. Mobile Learning has not allowed a collaborative part of the social constructivism theory approach to users of these technologies which have focused on technology other than the fundamental of teaching collaborative pedagogy. Options that would enable group collaboration would be necessary to increase the quality of service for those teaching and learning in a mobile environment. With this lack of environmental feel and exposing the services that are offered in the teaching business service oriented architecture a mature technology was applied due to its seamless integration to business processes. Research explored what standards have been proposed regarding Service Oriented Architecture S.O.A. and M-Learning how has time-based collaboration been archived in other m-learning systems and how can time-based collaboration S.O.A. and M-Learning be wrapped around An architecture based on the intersection of time-based collaboration S.O.A. and M-Learning then was designed and evaluated. Results of a user study comparing a mobile learning system integrated social collaborative pedagogical features suggest that an enhanced social presence was achieved where users worked together similar to a conventional classroom.

Collaborative learning in gerontological clinical settings: The students' perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Suikkala, Arja; Kivelä, Eeva; Käyhkö, Pirjo

2016-03-01

This study deals with student nurses' experiences of collaborative learning in gerontological clinical settings where aged people are involved as age-experts in students' learning processes. The data were collected in 2012 using the contents of students' reflective writing assignments concerning elderly persons' life history interviews and the students' own assessments of their learning experiences in authentic elder care settings. The results, analyzed using qualitative content analysis, revealed mostly positive learning experiences. Interaction and collaborative learning activities in genuine gerontological clinical settings contributed to the students' understanding of the multiple age-related and disease-specific challenges as well as the issues of functional decline that aged patients face. Three types of factors influenced the students' collaborative learning experiences in gerontological clinical settings: student-related, patient-related and learning environment-related factors. According to the results, theoretical studies in combination with collaboration, in an authentic clinical environment, by student nurses, elderly patients, representatives of the elder care staff and nurse educators provide a feasible method for helping students transform their experiences with patients into actual skills. Their awareness of and sensitivity to the needs of the elderly increase as they learn. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Challenges in Achieving Collaboration in Clinical Practice: The Case of Norwegian Health Care

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Sissel Steihaug

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Introduction: This article summarizes and synthesizes the findings of four separate but inter-linked empirical projects which explored challenges of collaboration in the Norwegian health system from the perspectives of providers and patients. The results of the four projects are summarised in eight articles. Methods: The eight articles constituted our empirical material. Meta-ethnography was used as a method to integrate, translate, and synthesize the themes and concepts contained in the articles in order to understand how challenges related to collaboration impact on clinical work. Results: Providers’ collaboration across all contexts was hampered by organizational and individual factors, including, differences in professional power, knowledge bases, and professional culture. The lack of appropriate collaboration between providers impeded clinical work. Mental health service users experienced fragmented services leading to insecurity and frustration. The lack of collaboration resulted in inadequate rehabilitation services and lengthened the institutional stay for older patients. Conclusion: Focusing on the different perspectives and the inequality in power between patients and healthcare providers and between different providers might contribute to a better environment for achieving appropriate collaboration. Organizational systems need to be redesigned to better nurture collaborative relationships and information sharing and support integrated working between providers, health care professionals and patients.

USING E-COLLABORATION TO IMPROVE MANAGEMENT EDUCATION: THREE SCENARIOS

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Marie-Noëlle Bessagnet

2006-11-01

Full Text Available This paper explores the potential impact of collaborative technologies in improving management education. The first goal is to expose students to tools and practices that not only assist them with their current studies, but also serve to reinforce individual and team competencies that can facilitate their entry into the workforce. In their positions as future managers they will be expected to not only be familiar with common business practices but also to understand the implications of information technology for business; in this case with emphasis on tools and techniques that can help businesses flourish in the networked economy. With an ever-increasing recognition that e-learning tools are important for (re-training employees, these three scenarios offer examples of how business schools might expand the boundaries of e-collaboration to help their students. These experiments have been conducted in management programs. In the first two scenarios, students use collaborative platforms in some of their daily work. The third experiment is based on a student-centred design of a learning portal. Our experience reinforces a certain number of hypotheses influencing the impact of collaborative technologies in management education. To begin with, information systems are often flawed mirrors of the managerial system that they are designed to represent. Secondly, the potential value of collaborative technologies is strongly influenced by organizational contexts, both in and between the university and the business community. Thirdly, the effectiveness of collaborative technologies depends to a large degree upon the depth and coherence of learning objectives fixed for learning and work places. Finally, improving the effectiveness of collaborative technologies requires aligning the design of learning environments with the corporate cultures and visions we are trying to reproduce.

Collaborating on Facebook: Teachers Exchanging Experiences Through Social Networking Sites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

da Cunha Júnior F.,

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This study explores the use of Facebook for educational purposes, as a collaborative online space for enabling communication among teachers from different schools. The article describes how a group of 43 teachers on Facebook, from various schools in the southeast region of Brazil used a group on Facebook as a collaborative space for communicating among each other. On the group, these teachers shared experiences about the use of digital technologies in their secondary education classes. This study is based on Cultural Historical Activity Theory, considering the group on Facebook as a tool for mediating communication . The objective of this study is to explore why and how teachers collaborated with each other on Facebook, and to study how communication among them evolved in the process. We examined the posts on that group from 2012 to 2014, and two questionnaires responded online by the teachers in June 2012 and in December 2013. Our findings suggest that teachers tend to critically collaborate in smaller groups and that further online communication evolved outside the group of teachers, with the creation of smaller groups on Facebook inside their schools.

Teacher Informal Collaboration for Professional Improvement: Beliefs, Contexts, and Experience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beatrice Avalos-Bevan

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article presents results of a study on teachers’ views, beliefs, and experience on school-based informal collaboration for professional improvement. It explores the relationship of teacher beliefs in the collective efficacy of their colleagues and school’s capital and culture with their beliefs and experience in school-based collaborative learning. The key source of evidence used is a survey of 1025 primary and secondary teachers in three geographical regions of Chile. Main results show that teachers hold positive beliefs about the collective efficacy of their colleagues and students in their schools but more negative ones regarding the contribution of parents. In terms of collaboration, teachers hold positive beliefs in general about its role for professional learning but indeed engage more in the “weaker” types of collaboration such as “sharing ideas” and “talking about teaching problems” and less in the more demanding ones such as “mutual lesson observation” and “team teaching.” Differences in teachers’ views, beliefs, and experience were examined in terms of level of teaching (primary/secondary, urban/rural location, school type (public and private, and school size.

CMS Collaboration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faridah Mohammad Idris; Wan Ahmad Tajuddin Wan Abdullah; Zainol Abidin Ibrahim

2013-01-01

Full-text: CMS Collaboration is an international scientific collaboration located at European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Switzerland, dedicated in carried out research on experimental particle physics. Consisting of 179 institutions from 41 countries from all around the word, CMS Collaboration host a general purpose detector for example the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) for members in CMS Collaboration to conduct experiment from the collision of two proton beams accelerated to a speed of 8 TeV in the LHC ring. In this paper, we described how the CMS detector is used by the scientist in CMS Collaboration to reconstruct the most basic building of matter. (author)

A voltage-sensitive dye-based assay for the identification of differentiated neurons derived from embryonic neural stem cell cultures.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richardson N Leão

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Pluripotent and multipotent stem cells hold great therapeutical promise for the replacement of degenerated tissue in neurological diseases. To fulfill that promise we have to understand the mechanisms underlying the differentiation of multipotent cells into specific types of neurons. Embryonic stem cell (ESC and embryonic neural stem cell (NSC cultures provide a valuable tool to study the processes of neural differentiation, which can be assessed using immunohistochemistry, gene expression, Ca(2+-imaging or electrophysiology. However, indirect methods such as protein and gene analysis cannot provide direct evidence of neuronal functionality. In contrast, direct methods such as electrophysiological techniques are well suited to produce direct evidence of neural functionality but are limited to the study of a few cells on a culture plate. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study we describe a novel method for the detection of action potential-capable neurons differentiated from embryonic NSC cultures using fast voltage-sensitive dyes (VSD. We found that the use of extracellularly applied VSD resulted in a more detailed labeling of cellular processes compared to calcium indicators. In addition, VSD changes in fluorescence translated precisely to action potential kinetics as assessed by the injection of simulated slow and fast sodium currents using the dynamic clamp technique. We further demonstrate the use of a finite element model of the NSC culture cover slip for optimizing electrical stimulation parameters. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our method allows for a repeatable fast and accurate stimulation of neurons derived from stem cell cultures to assess their differentiation state, which is capable of monitoring large amounts of cells without harming the overall culture.

The birth of a collaborative model: obstetricians, midwives, and family physicians.

Science.gov (United States)

Pecci, Christine Chang; Mottl-Santiago, Julie; Culpepper, Larry; Heffner, Linda; McMahan, Therese; Lee-Parritz, Aviva

2012-09-01

In the United States, the challenges of maternity care include provider workforce, cost containment, and equal access to quality care. This article describes a collaborative model of care involving midwives, family physicians, and obstetricians at the Boston Medical Center, which serves a low-income multicultural population. Leadership investment in a collaborative model of care from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Section of Midwifery, and the Department of Family Medicine created a culture of safety and commitment to patient-centered care. Essential elements of the authors' successful model include a commitment to excellence in patient care, communication, and interdisciplinary education. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Diversifying the Midwifery Workforce: Inclusivity, Culturally Sensitive Bridging, and Innovation.

Science.gov (United States)

Tyson, Holliday; Wilson-Mitchell, Karline

2016-11-01

Midwifery educators and regulators in Canada have begun to address diversity, equity, and inclusion in admission processes and program curricula. Populations served by midwives value internationally educated midwives from their countries of origin. The International Midwifery Pre-Registration Program at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario, provides assessment, midwifery workplace orientation, and accelerated education for internationally educated midwives on behalf of the regulatory College of Midwives of Ontario. Between 2003 and 2015, midwives from 41 countries participated in the bridging program, and 214 (80%) successfully completed the program and qualified for licensure. Of these 214 graduates, 100% passed the Canadian Midwifery Registration Examination and 193 (90%) were employed full time as midwives within 4 months of graduation. The program curriculum enables the integration of these midwives into health care workplaces utilizing innovative approaches to assessment and competency enhancement. Critical to the bridging process are simulation-based practices to develop effective psychomotor learning, virtual and real primary care community placements, and coaching in empathetic, client-centered communication. Cultural sensitivity is embedded into the multiple assessment and learning modalities, and addresses relevant barriers faced by immigrant midwives in the workplace. Findings from the 13 years of the program may be applicable to increase diversity in other North American midwifery settings. This article describes the process, content, outcomes, and findings of the program. Midwifery educators and regulators may consider the utility of these approaches for their settings. © 2016 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

Need for global and cultural awareness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zdena Rosicka

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Current and future operations and activities are more and more characterized by multinational collaboration, whether providing humanitarian assistance or keeping the peace, a single nation team is not able to work alone. Cultural adaptability and competence can significantly form the basis of a team performance.

Experience and Cultural Learning in Global Business Contexts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Søderberg, Anne-Marie

2017-01-01

. Learners in today’s global business (school) world are more culturally diverse, and the potential of the increasing number of bi-cultural and bi-lingual students and managers as boundary-spanners must be considered. Recent empirical studies of face-to-face and virtual global collaboration show that cross...... divides. This chapter discusses a number of issues in relation to cultural learning processes in global business contexts: various concepts of learning, different approaches to cross-cultural competence training of future global leaders, and various learning contexts in management education and training......Globalization with increased mobility of the workforce and more frequent use of information and communication technologies means still more people must develop a deeper understanding of Cultural Others, a higher degree of cultural self-awareness and an ability to bridge across multiple cultural...

The NSF Cybersecurity Center of Excellence: Translating Identity Management and Cybersecurity into Scientific Collaboration

Science.gov (United States)

Welch, V.

2016-12-01

Scientists care deeply about their collaborations: who is a member, who can access, produce, and correct data, and manager instruments critical to their science missions. The communities of cybersecurity and identity management professionals develop tools to support collaborations and the undertaking of trustworthy science, but there are large cultural and linguistic gaps between these communities and the scientists they service. The National Science Foundation has recently funded a NSF Cybersecurity Center of Excellence to help its community of projects by providing leadership and addressing the challenges of trustworthy science. A key goal of this NSF Center has been translating between the goals of the science community into requirements and risks understood by identity management and cybersecurity communities. This talk will give an update on the Center's efforts and other services it provides to the NSF community to bridge these cultures.

Collaborative business processes for enhancing partnerships among software services providers

Science.gov (United States)

Heil Cancian, Maiara; Rabelo, Ricardo; Gresse von Wangenheim, Christiane

2015-08-01

Software services have represented a powerful view to support the realisation of the service-oriented architecture (SOA) paradigm. Using open standards and facilitating systems projects, they have increasingly been used as a corporate architectural approach to create interoperable services-based software solutions that can more easily be reused and shared across disparate applications. In the context of software companies, most of them are small firms having enormous difficulties to keep competitive. One strategy to enhance their sustainability is to enlarge partnerships among them at a more valuable level by jointly offering (web) services-based solutions. However, their culture of collaboration is low, and partnerships are usually done with the same companies and sporadically. This article presents an approach to support a more intense collaboration among software companies to attend business opportunities in a more agile way, joining capacities and capabilities which they would not have if they worked alone. This requires, however, some preparedness. From the perspective of business processes, they should understand how to carry out a collaboration more properly. This is essentially what this article is about. It presents a comprehensive list of collaborative business processes and base practices that can also act as a guide for service providers' managers to implement and manage the collaboration along its lifecycle. Processes have been validated and results are discussed.

Cross-cultural psychiatric residency training: the Oregon experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Boehnlein, James K; Leung, Paul K; Kinzie, John David

2008-01-01

The purpose of this article is to describe the goals and structure of cross-cultural psychiatric training at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU). This training in core knowledge, skills, and attitudes of cultural psychiatry over the past three decades has included medical students, residents, and fellows, along with allied mental health personnel. The curriculum includes both didactic sessions devoted to core topics in the field and varied clinical experiences in community settings and the Intercultural Psychiatric Program under the supervision of experienced academic faculty. The authors review the central elements of the training experiences and include a detailed description of the core clinical settings and experiences. At the conclusion of their clinical experiences, trainees have specialized cross-cultural psychiatric knowledge and skills, including treatment of refugees and immigrants, sociocultural variables that influence the assessment and treatment of a wide range of psychiatric conditions, and comfort with cultural dynamics that influence both the doctor/patient relationship and collaboration with a wide range of mental health professionals. Because of rapid demographic changes in the U.S. population, providing cross-cultural training for students, residents, and fellows is an essential foundation for the education of the next generation of clinicians and health care leaders. OHSU has provided a long-term model for this training in a busy clinical and academic setting that places an emphasis on multidisciplinary and multicultural collaboration.

German and Korean mothers' sensitivity and related parenting beliefs

Science.gov (United States)

Ziehm, Jeanette; Trommsdorff, Gisela; Heikamp, Tobias; Park, Seong-Yeon

2013-01-01

This study contributes to a differentiated understanding of maternal sensitivity in cultural and situational context. We investigated differences and similarities in German and Korean mothers' maternal sensitivity. We interviewed 92 German and 100 Korean mothers of first graders about their preference for proactive (anticipating children's needs) or reactive sensitivity (responding to children's direct cues) in different scenarios. Related parenting beliefs were assessed by asking the mothers to explain the reasons why they would prefer specific parenting behaviors. Results revealed significant cultural differences in reactive vs. proactive sensitivity preferences. Overall, German mothers were more likely to indicate that a mother should respond reactively and less likely to report that a mother should act proactively than were Korean mothers. Korean mothers gave preference to both reactive and proactive sensitivity depending on the scenario. With regard to parenting beliefs, analyses revealed that German and Korean mothers who preferred reactive sensitivity mainly explained their choices as attempts to encourage children's development of independence. In contrast, Korean and German mothers with a preference for proactive sensitivity were more likely to report that mothers would assist their children due to their immaturity in dealing with emotional distress. Results are discussed in the framework of the different meanings and functions of maternal sensitivity for socialization in different cultural contexts. PMID:23986740

Self-Cultivation: Culturally Sensitive Psychotherapies in Confucian Societies

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Kwang-Kuo; Chang, Jeffrey

2009-01-01

This article describes self-cultivation practices originating from the cultural traditions of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. It delineates the therapeutic implications of the three states of self pursued by these three traditions: namely, the "relational self", the "authentic self", and the "nonself". Several…

Cultural Sensitivity: The Key to Teaching Global Business.

Science.gov (United States)

Timm, Judee A.

2003-01-01

More ethical practices in business begin with ethical training in business schools. International business education classes can compare corporate codes and actual behavior; explore the role of cultural differences in values, principles, and standards; and analyze ethical dilemmas in a global environment. (SK)

Collaborative Prototyping

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bogers, Marcel; Horst, Willem

2014-01-01

of the prototyping process, the actual prototype was used as a tool for communication or development, thus serving as a platform for the cross-fertilization of knowledge. In this way, collaborative prototyping leads to a better balance between functionality and usability; it translates usability problems into design......This paper presents an inductive study that shows how collaborative prototyping across functional, hierarchical, and organizational boundaries can improve the overall prototyping process. Our combined action research and case study approach provides new insights into how collaborative prototyping...... can provide a platform for prototype-driven problem solving in early new product development (NPD). Our findings have important implications for how to facilitate multistakeholder collaboration in prototyping and problem solving, and more generally for how to organize collaborative and open innovation...

Collaborative learning in multicultural classrooms: a case study of Dutch senior secondary vocational education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dr. Bertha Vallejo; Dr. S. Bolhuis; Prof. dr. Perry den Brok; Drs. Kennedy Aquilino Tielman

2011-01-01

Abstract This research presents a descriptive study regarding collaborative learning in a multicultural classroom at a vocational education school in The Netherlands. The study bridges two domains of research: research on culturally diverse learning environments - which has mostly concerned primary

Collaborative learning in multicultural classrooms : a case study of Dutch senior secondary vocational education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tielman, K.A.; Brok, den P.J.; Bolhuis, S.M; Vallejo, B.

2012-01-01

This research presents a descriptive study regarding collaborative learning in a multicultural classroom at a vocational education school in The Netherlands. The study bridges two domains of research: research on culturally diverse learning environments – which has mostly concerned primary and

Dental students' beliefs about culture in patient care: self-reported knowledge and importance.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, Julie A; Redford-Badwal, Deborah

2008-05-01

In order to decrease the well-documented disparities in oral health and oral health care, the next generation of dentists must be prepared to serve a diverse patient population. This article describes dental students' self-reported knowledge of culture and importance of using culturally sensitive dental practices. Three consecutive graduating classes (n=111) were surveyed anonymously in their sophomore years. Students indicated their self-rated knowledge of oral health and oral health care for their own culture and the cultures of patients they are likely to see in dental practice. Students also rated their perceived importance of culturally sensitive dental practice. Overall, students reported low knowledge of the cultures of the patients they will see in practice. Few students could identify any cultural group that they knew well. However, students as a group indicated that using culturally sensitive practices in dentistry is important. Students who could identify at least one cultural group they knew well perceived cultural sensitivity in dental practice as more important than students who could not. These results suggest that students need cross-cultural training and believe that such training is important. The results also suggest that a specific curriculum that increases knowledge of other cultures may have the potential to ultimately increase the use of culturally sensitive practices.

Effects of condition in vitro on the irradiation sensitivity of scales

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Dongxue; Wang Dan; Zhang Zhiwei

2007-01-01

The effects of irradiation and the interactions between irradiation and the ingredients of culture medium and the type of explants on radiation sensitivity of scales of lily were studied. The results showed that when lily scales were exposed to after cultured in vitro for about six days. The survival rate of scales in vitro decreased with the increase of irradiation dose. Irradiation significantly inhibited the sprouting rate and the number of sprouts of scales in vitro. During the bud induction, the effects of ingredients of culture medium on radiation sensitivity of scales were obvious at certain degree, and also the culture time. Both exterior scales and middle scales appeared an identical irradiation sensitivity. (authors)

Values conflicts in professional-community collaborations.

Science.gov (United States)

Sabin, James E

2010-01-01

GAP/I and INP+ represent markedly divergent cultures and therefore highlight the opportunities and strains associated with professional-community collaborations. I believe, however, that the factors that emerge from studying GAP/I-INP+ are not idiosyncratic and are relevant for other professional-community dyads. Every such partnership is likely to require some form of bridging mechanism to serve the same purposes as Mr Varghese's role did. The task of creating a zone of optimal tension may be less familiar than the need to build bridges but it is no less important. Tension between partners with significantly different cultural backgrounds has tremendous potential for generating misunderstanding and distrust. Avoiding tension-laden issues is likely to entail significant cost, whether in the form of resentment, distrust, withdrawal, or settling for a lesser outcome than could be achieved. Finally, creating and sustaining the potential for constructive tension typically requires the humble virtues associated with servant-leadership: patience, persistence and understanding.

The VCU Pressure Ulcer Summit: Collaboration to Operationalize Hospital-Acquired Pressure Ulcer Prevention Best Practice Recommendations.

Science.gov (United States)

Brindle, C Tod; Creehan, Sue; Black, Joyce; Zimmermann, Deb

2015-01-01

This executive summary reports outcomes of an interprofessional collaboration between experts in pressure ulcer prevention, bedside clinicians, regulatory agencies, quality improvement, informatics experts, and professional nursing organizations. The goal of the collaboration was to develop a framework to assist facilities to operationalize best practice recommendations to sustain organizational culture change in hospital-acquired pressure ulcer prevention, to develop a hospital-acquired pressure ulcer severity score, and to address topics related to the unavoidable pressure ulcer.

Talking Culture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holmgreen, Lise-Lotte

When Danish businesses move production abroad, ‘culture’ is often seen as a huge challenge to the successful outcome of cross-border collaboration. Therefore, business leaders often seek information and guidelines of how to cope in the vast amount of literature on culture and intercultural...... communication. Much of this literature is based on functionalist approaches providing the dos and don’ts of intercultural encounters. This involves inter alia conceptualising ‘culture’ as a relatively fixed, homogeneous entity of values, attitudes and norms shared by members of a group, often leading readers...... to adopt dichotomised understandings and discourses about other cultures (see e.g. Hofstede 2001; Jandt 1998; Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner 1997). However, experience shows that the world in which intercultural encounters take place is not as simple and easy to categorise as these approaches may suggest...

Collaborative Data Mining

Science.gov (United States)

Moyle, Steve

Collaborative Data Mining is a setting where the Data Mining effort is distributed to multiple collaborating agents - human or software. The objective of the collaborative Data Mining effort is to produce solutions to the tackled Data Mining problem which are considered better by some metric, with respect to those solutions that would have been achieved by individual, non-collaborating agents. The solutions require evaluation, comparison, and approaches for combination. Collaboration requires communication, and implies some form of community. The human form of collaboration is a social task. Organizing communities in an effective manner is non-trivial and often requires well defined roles and processes. Data Mining, too, benefits from a standard process. This chapter explores the standard Data Mining process CRISP-DM utilized in a collaborative setting.

The Impact of Social Media and Crowdsourcing on Organizational Innovation Culture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scupola, Ada; Nicolajsen, Hanne Westh

innovation culture using theory on organizational culture and crowdsourcing. The analysis shows that the organizational crowdsourcing event has supported an innovation culture change in the case company towards a more open approach to innovation; creating a new and different awareness of innovation, allowing...... for internal process innovations, empowering the employees, supporting knowledge work and collaboration across the organization to a new extent and overcoming the traditional hierarchy in the organization....

A New Professionalism for a Collaborative Culture of Organizational Learning in a Contemporary Society.

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Quicke, John

2000-01-01

Evaluates professionalism in contemporary context and suggests ways to enhance educational institutions' learning capability. The new professionalism stresses use of democratic collaboration to confront bureaucratic constraints and disciplinary power in an uncertain age. New professionals must self-consciously create and recreate collaborative…

Midwife-physician collaboration: a conceptual framework for interprofessional collaborative practice.

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Smith, Denise Colter

2015-01-01

Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, collaborative practice has been cited as one method of increasing access to care, decreasing costs, and improving efficiency. How and under what conditions might these goals be achieved? Midwives and physicians have built effective collaborative practice models over a period of 30 years. Empirical study of interprofessional collaboration between midwives and physicians could be useful in guiding professional education, regulation, and health policy in women's health and maternity care. Construction of a conceptual framework for interprofessional collaboration between midwives and physicians was guided by a review of the literature. A theory derivation strategy was used to define dimensions, concepts, and statements of the framework. Midwife-physician interprofessional collaboration can be defined by 4 dimensions (organizational, procedural, relational, and contextual) and 12 concepts (trust, shared power, synergy, commitment, and respect, among others). The constructed framework provides the foundation for further empirical study of the interprofessional collaborative process. The experiences of midwife-physician collaborations provide solid support for a conceptual framework of the collaborative process. A conceptual framework provides a point from which further research can increase knowledge and understanding about how successful outcomes are achieved in collaborative health care practices. Construction of a measurement scale and validation of the model are important next steps. © 2014 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

The Influence of School Culture and Organizational Health of Secondary School Teachers in Malaysia

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Abdul Ghani Kanesan Abdullah

2016-02-01

Full Text Available This study aims to determine the level of school culture practices by school principals in the national secondary schools in the state of Kedah, Malaysia. The six dimensions of school culture studied were teacher collaboration, unity of purpose, professional development, collegial support, learning partnership and collaborative leadership. The study also looks at the level of teachers’ job satisfaction as well as the relationship with the practice of a positive school culture by the national secondary school principals. The respondents consisted of 385 teachers employed in 22 national secondary schools in the state of Kedah. The data obtained was analysed using SPSS version 20.0. Descriptive analysis and Pearson Correlation Coefficient were used to analyse the strength of the relationship. The findings of this study revealed that there was a positive correlation between school culture and job satisfaction according to teachers’ perceptions. In addition, the school culture was statistically determined to be an important predictor variable of job satisfaction

Looking beyond "affordable" health care: cultural understanding and sensitivity-necessities in addressing the health care disparities of the U.S. Hispanic population.

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Askim-Lovseth, Mary K; Aldana, Adriana

2010-10-01

Health disparities are pervasive in the United States; but among Hispanics, access to health care is encumbered by poverty, lack of insurance, legal status, and racial or minority status. Research has identified certain aspects of Hispanic culture, values, and traditions contributing to the nature of the Hispanic patient-doctor relationship and the quality of the health care service. Current educational efforts by nonprofit organizations, government, health professionals, and pharmaceutical manufacturers fail to address the needs for accessible and appropriately culture-sensitive information when approaching the diverse Hispanic community. Understanding Hispanics' consumptive practices and expectations surrounding medications is critical to the success of many treatment regimens. Recommendations are presented to address this health care issue.

Cross-Cultural Validation of the Career Maturity Inventory: A Korean Form

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Bang, Na Mi

2016-01-01

As counselors become aware of the importance of providing culturally sensitive counseling, they can use evaluation and assessment to support client career development (Swanson & Fouad, 2014). For culturally sensitive career assessment, counselors should understand cultural factors, including the values and level of acculturation that may…

Discovering Collaboration and Knowledge Management Practices for the Future Digital Factory

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Flores, Myrna; Vera, Tomas; Tucci, Christopher

Recently there has been an explosion of new technologies and tools such as wikis, blogs, tags, Facebook, among many others, that are commonly identified under Web 2.0 and which promise a new digital business ecosystem fed by formal/informal and internal/external relationships and interactions. Although Web 2.0 is very promising to enable such collective knowledge creation, technology by itself is not the only ingredient. It is also required to define the right strategy, governance, culture, processes, training, incentives among others, before implementing such innovative open spaces for collaboration and knowledge sharing. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to present a Knowledge Management (KM) Framework and a Maturity Model developed by a CEMEX and EPFL collaborative research project to discover the AS-IS collaboration practices in CEMEX before the implementation of the SMARTBRICKS Web 2.0 prototype for Business Process Management (BPM), currently under development by the Intelligent Manufacturing Systems (IMS) Swiss Digital Factory (DiFac) project.

The role of collaborative ontology development in the knowledge negotiation process

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Rivera, Norma

Interdisciplinary research (IDR) collaboration can be defined as the process of integrating experts' knowledge, perspectives, and resources to advance scientific discovery. The flourishing of more complex research problems, together with the growth of scientific and technical knowledge has resulted in the need for researchers from diverse fields to provide different expertise and points of view to tackle these problems. These collaborations, however, introduce a new set of "culture" barriers as participating experts are trained to communicate in discipline-specific languages, theories, and research practices. We propose that building a common knowledge base for research using ontology development techniques can provide a starting point for interdisciplinary knowledge exchange, negotiation, and integration. The goal of this work is to extend ontology development techniques to support the knowledge negotiation process in IDR groups. Towards this goal, this work presents a methodology that extends previous work in collaborative ontology development and integrates learning strategies and tools to enhance interdisciplinary research practices. We evaluate the effectiveness of applying such methodology in three different scenarios that cover educational and research settings. The results of this evaluation confirm that integrating learning strategies can, in fact, be advantageous to overall collaborative practices in IDR groups.

Conflict cultures in organizations: how leaders shape conflict cultures and their organizational-level consequences.

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Gelfand, Michele J; Leslie, Lisa M; Keller, Kirsten; de Dreu, Carsten

2012-11-01

Anecdotal evidence abounds that organizations have distinct conflict cultures, or socially shared norms for how conflict should be managed. However, research to date has largely focused on conflict management styles at the individual and small group level, and has yet to examine whether organizations create socially shared and normative ways to manage conflict. In a sample of leaders and members from 92 branches of a large bank, factor analysis and aggregation analyses show that 3 conflict cultures-collaborative, dominating, and avoidant-operate at the unit level of analysis. Building on Lewin, Lippitt, and White's (1939) classic work, we find that leaders' own conflict management behaviors are associated with distinct unit conflict cultures. The results also demonstrate that conflict cultures have implications for macro branch-level outcomes, including branch viability (i.e., cohesion, potency, and burnout) and branch performance (i.e., creativity and customer service). A conflict culture perspective moves beyond the individual level and provides new insight into the dynamics of conflict management in organizational contexts. (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

Dearfield Dream Project: Developing an Interdisciplinary Historical/Cultural Research Network

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Robert Brunswig

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The Dearfield Dream Project is a collaborative research initiative to conduct historical, cultural, archaeological, and environmental studies on the early 20th Century African-American colony site of Dearfield, Colorado, USA. Because the breadth and significance of the Dearfield Project requires an interdisciplinary research team, a network of research collaborators has been assembled. This research network seeks to discover, preserve, and disseminate knowledge of the site and its surrounding farmsteads’ economic, social, political, and environmental history for better understanding and interpretation of its contributions to Colorado and U.S. history. Herein, we detail progress that has been made on this important historical/cultural research project. Further, we outline the future of the Dearfield research network along with our current and anticipated subjects of inquiry.

Power and contestation in collaborative ecosystem-based management: The case of Haida Gwaii

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Takeda, Louise; Røpke, Inge

2010-01-01

The depletion of old-growth forests on Haida Gwaii as a result of decades of excessive logging poses a looming threat not only to irreplaceable biodiversity and habitat values but also to the indigenous Haida culture. This study examines the latest stages of a long-running conflict over the forests...... of Haida Gwaii, and the provincial government’s attempt to ameliorate it through collaborative ecosystem-based land use planning. In contrast to previous studies that have tended to regard collaborative planning processes in terms of either an idealised win-win outcome or the unavoidable government co...

Comparison of Assays for Sensitive and Reproducible Detection of Cell Culture-Infectious Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium hominis in Drinking Water

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Di Giovanni, George D.; Rochelle, Paul A.

2012-01-01

This study compared the three most commonly used assays for detecting Cryptosporidium sp. infections in cell culture: immunofluorescent antibody and microscopy assay (IFA), PCR targeting Cryptosporidium sp.-specific DNA, and reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) targeting Cryptosporidium sp.-specific mRNA. Monolayers of HCT-8 cells, grown in 8-well chamber slides or 96-well plates, were inoculated with a variety of viable and inactivated oocysts to assess assay performance. All assays detected infection with low doses of flow cytometry-enumerated Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts, including infection with one oocyst and three oocysts. All methods also detected infection with Cryptosporidium hominis. The RT-PCR assay, IFA, and PCR assay detected infection in 23%, 25%, and 51% of monolayers inoculated with three C. parvum oocysts and 10%, 9%, and 16% of monolayers inoculated with one oocyst, respectively. The PCR assay was the most sensitive, but it had the highest frequency of false positives with mock-infected cells and inactivated oocysts. IFA was the only infection detection assay that did not produce false positives with mock-infected monolayers. IFA was also the only assay that detected infections in all experiments with spiked oocysts recovered from Envirochek capsules following filtration of 1,000 liters of treated water. Consequently, cell culture with IFA detection is the most appropriate method for routine and sensitive detection of infectious Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium hominis in drinking water. PMID:22038611

Culturally Sensitive Best Practices for Sex Education Programs

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D'Santiago, Verenice; Hund, Alycia M.

2012-01-01

Learning about sexuality is a lifelong process that begins in childhood and continues through the lifespan. Through family and peer interactions and media sources, youth learn about sexuality and relationships, and develop their own values. The learning process and trajectory, however, may differ among youth from diverse cultures. In fact,…

When Collaborative Is Not Collaborative: Supporting Student Learning through Self-Surveillance

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Kotsopoulos, Donna

2010-01-01

Collaborative learning has been widely endorsed in education. This qualitative research examines instances of collaborative learning during mathematics that were seen to be predominantly non-collaborative despite the pedagogical efforts and intentions of the teacher and the task. In an effort to disrupt the non-collaborative learning, small groups…

Teachers' Inclusive Strategies to Accommodate 5th Grade Pupils' Crossing of Cultural Borders in Two Greek Multicultural Science Classrooms

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Piliouras, Panagiotis; Evangelou, Odysseas

2012-04-01

The demographic changes in Greek schools underline the need for reconsidering the way in which migrant pupils move from their everyday culture into the culture of school science (a process known as "cultural border crossing"). Migrant pupils might face difficulties when they attempt to transcend cultural borders and this may influence their progress in science as well as the construction of suitable academic identities as a means of promoting scientific literacy. In the research we present in this paper, adopting the socioculturally driven thesis that learning can be viewed and studied as a meaning-making, collaborative inquiry process, we implemented an action research program (school year 2008-2009) in cooperation with two teachers, in a primary school of Athens with 85% migrant pupils. We examined whether the two teachers, who became gradually acquainted with cross-cultural pedagogy during the project, act towards accommodating the crossing of cultural borders by implementing a variety of inclusive strategies in science teaching. Our findings reveal that both teachers utilized suitable cross-border strategies (strategies concerning the establishment of a collaborative inquiry learning environment, and strategies that were in accordance with a cross-border pedagogy) to help students cross smoothly from their "world" to the "world of science". A crucial key to the teachers' expertise was their previous participation in collaborative action research (school years 2004-2006), in which they analyzed their own discourse practices during science lessons in order to establish more collaborative inquiry environments.

Fish Philosophy and School Culture: A School and University Collaboration