The Reaffirmation of Cultural Identity in Cross-cultural Encounters.

Science.gov (United States)

Kosmitzki, Corinne

1996-01-01

Examines the relationship between cultural contact and cultural identity as conceptualized in two research approaches: social identity theory and acculturation. The groups studied were German and Americans who either lived in their nonnative culture or had no direct contact. Comparisons between bicultural and monocultural groups revealed a…

The culture of an emergency department: an ethnographic study.

Science.gov (United States)

Person, John; Spiva, Leeanna; Hart, Patricia

2013-10-01

In an environment of change and social interaction, hospital emergency departments create a unique sub-culture within healthcare. Patient-centered care, stressful situations, social gaps within the department, pressure to perform, teamwork, and maintaining a work-life balance were examined as influences that have developed this culture into its current state. The study aim was to examine the culture in an emergency department. The sample consisted of 34 employees working in an emergency department, level II trauma center, located in the Southeastern United States. An ethnographic approach was used to gather data from the perspective of the cultural insider. Data revealed identification of four categories that included cognitive, environmental, linguistic, and social attributes that described the culture. Promoting a culture that values the staff is essential in building an environment that fosters the satisfaction and retention of staff. Findings suggest that efforts be directed at improving workflow and processes. Development and training opportunities are needed to improve relationships to promote safer, more efficient patient care. Removing barriers and improving processes will impact patient safety, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Findings show that culture is influenced and created by multiple elements. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Macro-evolutionary studies of cultural diversity: a review of empirical studies of cultural transmission and cultural adaptation.

Science.gov (United States)

Mace, Ruth; Jordan, Fiona M

2011-02-12

A growing body of theoretical and empirical research has examined cultural transmission and adaptive cultural behaviour at the individual, within-group level. However, relatively few studies have tried to examine proximate transmission or test ultimate adaptive hypotheses about behavioural or cultural diversity at a between-societies macro-level. In both the history of anthropology and in present-day work, a common approach to examining adaptive behaviour at the macro-level has been through correlating various cultural traits with features of ecology. We discuss some difficulties with simple ecological associations, and then review cultural phylogenetic studies that have attempted to go beyond correlations to understand the underlying cultural evolutionary processes. We conclude with an example of a phylogenetically controlled approach to understanding proximate transmission pathways in Austronesian cultural diversity.

Effects of Business Model Development Projects on Organizational Culture: A Multiple Case Study of SMEs

OpenAIRE

Ulla Santti; Tuomo Eskelinen; Mervi Rajahonka; Kaija Villman; Ari Happonen

2017-01-01

Previous research has shown that links between organizational culture and innovativeness/performance may act as a “social glue” that helps a company develop organizational culture as a competitive advantage. In this study of three case companies, the organizational culture change due business model development projects is studied using the Competing Values Framework (CVF) tool and interviews with respondents about discovered changes. To reveal intervention and implied effects between business...

Creatine-induced activation of antioxidative defence in myotube cultures revealed by explorative NMR-based metabonomics and proteomics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Young, Jette Feveile; Larsen, Lotte Bach; Malmendal, Anders

2010-01-01

Creatine is a key intermediate in energy metabolism and supplementation of creatine has been used for increasing muscle mass, strength and endurance. Creatine supplementation has also been reported to trigger the skeletal muscle expression of insulin like growth factor I, to increase the fat......-free mass and improve cognition in elderly, and more explorative approaches like transcriptomics has revealed additional information. The aim of the present study was to reveal additional insight into the biochemical effects of creatine supplementation at the protein and metabolite level by integrating...... the explorative techniques, proteomics and NMR metabonomics, in a systems biology approach. METHODS: Differentiated mouse myotube cultures (C2C12) were exposed to 5 mM creatine monohydrate (CMH) for 24 hours. For proteomics studies, lysed myotubes were analyzed in single 2-DGE gels where the first dimension...

Psychosocial and Cultural Factors Influencing Expectations of Menarche: A Study on Chinese Premenarcheal Teenage Girls

Science.gov (United States)

Yeung, Dannii Y. L.; Tang, Catherine So-kum; Lee, Antoinette

2005-01-01

This study explored how psychosocial and cultural factors influenced expectations of menarche among 476 Chinese premenarcheal teenage girls. Results showed that participants' expectations of menarche were largely negative and heavily influenced by cultural beliefs about menstruation. Findings of hierarchical regression analyses revealed that…

Cultural Studies and Sociology of Culture in Germany: Relations and Interrelations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Udo Göttlich

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Over the last three decades, attitudes towards cultural studies in Germany have developed within contexts of contact and conflict with a variety of disciplines, e.g. ethnology, anthropology, sociology, as well as the sociology of culture, liter-ary studies and Kulturwissenschaft(en. On the one hand there is a strong academ-ic interest in how cultural studies perceives and analyzes media culture, popular culture and everyday life. On the other hand boundaries with humanities and so-cial science remain, which leads to criticism and conflicts with cultural studies and its achievements.I will discuss some of the problems concerning the perception and reception of cultural studies among representatives of Kulturwissenschaft(en and sociology of culture. Furthermore I will draw on the role of cultural studies in thematizing cul-tural change and conflicts, and its ability to do so in a way that shows the im-portance of culture and politics.

Culture, but more than culture: an exploratory study of the HIV vulnerability of Indian immigrants in Canada.

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Zhou, Yanqiu Rachel; Majumdar, Basanti; Vattikonda, Natasha

2016-09-01

Explanations of immigrant health that ascribe to culture a fundamental causal role neglect the broader structural and contextual factors with which culture intersects. Based on a qualitative study of Indian immigrants' vulnerability to HIV in Canada, this paper presents a contextualised understanding of these individuals' understanding of, perceptions about, and responses to the HIV risk in their post-immigration lives. The study reveals that although culture - both traditional values and the norms of the diaspora community - appears to have constrained Indian immigrants' capacities to respond to the risk, this effect can be properly understood only by situating such constraint in the context of the settlement process that has shaped participants' living conditions, including their relationship with the diasporic community in Canada. We argue that HIV vulnerability should be conceptualised as a health inequality associated with broader systems of power relations (eg socio-economic marginalisation, gender inequality, discrimination, and racism). This more holistic conceptualisation of the intersection of culture, integration, and HIV vulnerability will facilitate exploration of HIV prevention strategies, through which interconnected inequalities of gender, race, and access to knowledge and resources can be challenged.

ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT CULTURE

OpenAIRE

Tudor Hobeanu; Loredana Vacarescu Hobeanu

2010-01-01

Communication reveals the importance of organizational culture and management culture supported by the remarkable results in economic and social level of organization. Their functions are presented and specific ways of expression levels of organizational culture and ways of adapting to the requirements of the organization's management culture.

Geomorphology's role in the study of weathering of cultural stone

Science.gov (United States)

Pope, Gregory A.; Meierding, Thomas C.; Paradise, Thomas R.

2002-10-01

Great monumental places—Petra, Giza, Angkor, Stonehenge, Tikal, Macchu Picchu, Rapa Nui, to name a few—are links to our cultural past. They evoke a sense of wonderment for their aesthetic fascination if not for their seeming permanence over both cultural and physical landscapes. However, as with natural landforms, human constructs are subject to weathering and erosion. Indeed, many of our cultural resources suffer from serious deterioration, some natural, some enhanced by human impact. Groups from the United Nations to local civic and tourism assemblies are deeply interested in maintaining and preserving such cultural resources, from simple rock art to great temples. Geomorphologists trained in interacting systems, process and response to thresholds, rates of change over time, and spatial variation of weathering processes and effects are able to offer insight into how deterioration occurs and what can be done to ameliorate the impact. Review of recent literature and case studies presented here demonstrate methodological and theoretical advances that have resulted from the study of cultural stone weathering. Because the stone was carved at a known date to a "baseline" or zero-datum level, some of the simplest methods (e.g., assessing surface weathering features or measuring surface recession in the field) provide useful data on weathering rates and processes. Such data are difficult or impossible to obtain in "natural" settings. Cultural stone weathering studies demonstrate the importance of biotic and saline weathering agents and the significance of weathering factors such as exposure (microclimate) and human impact. More sophisticated methods confirm these observations, but also reveal discrepancies between field and laboratory studies. This brings up two important caveats for conservators and geomorphologists. For the conservator, are laboratory and natural setting studies really analogous and useful for assessing stone damage? For the geomorphologist, does

Studying the Relationship between Individual and Organizational Factors and Nurses' Perception of Patient Safety Culture

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Farahnaz Abdolahzadeh

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Safety culture is considered as an important factor in improving patient safety. Therefore, identifying individual and organizational factors affecting safety culture is crucial. This study was carried out to determine individual and organizational factors associated with nurses' perception of patient safety culture. Methods: The present descriptive study included 940 nurses working in four training hospitals affiliated with Urmia University of Medical Sciences (Iran. Data was collected through the self-report questionnaire of patient safety culture. Descriptive (number, percent, mean, and standard deviation and inferential (t-test and analysis of variance statistics were used to analyze the data in SPSS. Results: Nurses' perception of patient safety culture was significantly correlated with marital status, workplace, and overtime hours. Conclusion: The results of this study revealed that some individual and organizational factors can impact on nurses' perception of patient safety culture. Nursing authorities should thus pay more attention to factors which promote patient safety culture and ultimately the safety of provided services.

Cultural diversity in heart failure management: findings from the DISCOVER study (Part 2).

Science.gov (United States)

Davidson, Patricia M; Macdonald, Peter; Moser, Debra K; Ang, Esther; Paull, Glenn; Choucair, Sam; Daly, John; Gholizadeh, Leila; Dracup, Kathleen

2007-01-01

Self-management is a critical dimension in managing chronic conditions, particularly in heart failure (HF). Knowledge, attitudes and beliefs, relating to both illness and wellness, are strongly influenced by culture and ethnicity, impacting upon an individual's capacity to engage in self-care behaviours. Effective management of HF is largely dependent on facilitation of culturally informed, self-care behaviours to increase adherence to both pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies. The Understanding the cultural experiences of individuals with chronic heart failure (CHF) in South East Health (DISCOVER) study is an exploratory, observational study investigating health patterns, information needs and the adjustment process for overseas-born people with HF living in Australia. An integrative literature review was augmented by qualitative data derived from key informant interviews, focus groups and individual interviews. A key finding of this study is that culture provides an important context to aid interpretations of attitudes, values, beliefs and behaviours, not only in illness but in health. While individual differences in attitudes and beliefs were observed among participants, common themes and issues were identified across cultural groups. Data from the DISCOVER study revealed the primacy of family and kinship ties. These relationships were important in making decisions about treatment choices and care plans. Participants also revealed the critical role of the 'family doctor' in assisting people and their families in brokering the health care system. In this study, heart disease was considered to be a significant condition but cancer was the condition that people both feared and dreaded the most, despite the high mortality rates of HF. This sample reported that religious and traditional beliefs became more important as people aged and considered their mortality. As HF is predominately a condition of ageing, the information derived from this study will

THE PRELIMINARY STUDY ON LANDSCAPE CULTURE ORIENTATION AND EXPLOITATION OF THE SOUTH DONGTING LAKE WETLAND

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2002-01-01

Dongting Lake is internationally an important wetland. We studied and summarized the conception, function, classification and current situation of the wetland-landscape culture in this region. The results showed that the culture of Dongting Lake wetland was rich in diversity, which are the Rice Cultivation Culture, high-balustrade dwelling,Nuo Culture, Ship Culture, Dragon Boat Culture, Chu Culture, Ancient Architecture Landscape, Wetland Foodstuff andCuisine Culture, Civil Art, Historic Heritage and Cultural Relics, Revolutionary Sites and Ruins, and Production andLiving Culture, etc. We also evaluated the eeo-tourism value of wetland landscape culture, and analyzed its features andorientation. The results revealed that the south Dongting Lake wetland plays a key role on the Changjiang(Yangtze) Riverreaches civilization and Chinese civilization, even has great influence on the global civilization. We summarized that thesoul of the south Dongting Lake Culture was Wetland Culture, Water Culture, Rice Cultivation and Chu Culture. Thethoughts, principles and approaches of sustainable exploitation and utilization of the wetland landscape culture were formulated and suggested.

Organisational culture in residential aged care facilities: a cross-sectional observational study.

Science.gov (United States)

Etherton-Beer, Christopher; Venturato, Lorraine; Horner, Barbara

2013-01-01

Organisational culture is increasingly recognised as important for provision of high-quality long-term care. We undertook this study to measure organisational culture in residential aged care facilities in two Australian states. Cross-sectional observational study in 21 residential aged care facilities in Western Australia (n = 14) and Queensland (n = 7), Australia. Staff and next-of-kin of residents participated. Measurement comprised surveys of facility staff and residents' next-of-kin, and structured observation of indicators of care quality. Staff tended to rate organisational culture positively. Some qualitative feedback from staff emphasised negative perceptions of communication, leadership and teamwork. Staffing levels were perceived as a dominant challenge, threatening care quality. Direct observation revealed variability within and between facilities but suggested that most facilities (n = 12) were in the typical range, or were quality facilities (n = 8). There was scope to strengthen organisational culture in participating aged care facilities.

CULTURAL TOURISM IN MALAYSIA IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF INDIAN TOURISTS: A STUDY

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George P. BABU

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Malaysia is one of the economic superpowers in South East Asia, prospering at a fast pace as tourism is becoming one of the most important sectors of its economy. Areas like entertainment; beach and island tourism has become some of the major determinants of Malaysia’s phenomenal progress in tourism in the last few years. Yet one area that seems to get less attention is its cultural resources. Recently, Malaysia has turned out as one of the major destinations for the Indian Outbound Tourism market. This study looks into the situation that prevails in the area of cultural tourism in Malaysia and how are cultural as well as historical attractions of Malaysia viewed from the perspective of international tourists from India. With the help of descriptive analysis the study probes into the significance of Malaysia’s historical tourism and the awareness and perception about it among Indian visitors. Based on the study it is revealed that Malaysia’s cultural tourism resources are not promoted to the extent to which it becomes a significant part of the nation’s destination image. Lack of promotion and information available makes international visitors unaware about the potential of Malaysia as a cultural tourism destination. However, most of the tourists were satisfied with the cultural sites/attractions and think Malaysia is a reasonably good cultural destination.

Traditional & Socio-Cultural Barriers to EFL Learning: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Jameel

2015-01-01

This research tends to ascertain several traditional and socio-cultural barriers to English language learning in Saudi Arabia and to explore more ways than before for making teaching and learning more effective. The findings of four quantitative and qualitative surveys conducted in this regard reveal a unique traditional and socio-cultural milieu,…

Assessment of Military Cultural Competence: A Pilot Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, Eric G; Hall-Clark, Brittany N; Hamaoka, Derrick; Peterson, Alan L

2015-08-01

Cultural competence is widely considered a cornerstone of patient care. Efforts to improve military cultural competency have recently gained national attention. Assessment of cultural competence is a critical component to this effort, but no assessment of military cultural competence currently exists. An assessment of military cultural competence (AMCC) was created through broad input and consensus. Careful review of previous cultural competency assessment designs and analysis techniques was considered. The AMCC was organized into three sections: skills, attitudes, and knowledge. In addition to gathering data to determine absolute responses from groups with different exposure levels to the military (direct, indirect, and none), paired questions were utilized to assess relative competencies between military culture and culture in general. Piloting of the AMCC revealed significant differences between military exposure groups. Specifically, those with personal military exposure were more likely to be in absolute agreement that the military is a culture, were more likely to screen for military culture, and had increased knowledge of military culture compared to those with no military exposure. Relative differences were more informative. For example, all groups were less likely to agree that their personal culture could be at odds with military culture as compared to other cultures. Such perceptions could hinder asking difficult questions and thus undermine care. The AMCC is a model for the measurement of the skills, attitudes, and knowledge related to military cultural competence. With further validity testing, the AMCC will be helpful in the critical task of measuring outcomes in ongoing efforts to improve military cultural competence. The novel approach of assessing variance appears to reduce bias and may also be helpful in the design of other cultural competency assessments.

Going Begging:Casino Culture and its Contrasts as Revealed in the New Macao Poetry

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Christopher Kelen

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Among the key themes of contemporary Macao poetry, chance and luck loom large, along with their figuration in Macao life through sites such as casinos and temples, through personae such as those of the gambler, the beggar, the prostitute. Macao as dot-on-the-map is likewise conceived as a site for all kinds of portal semiotics, as paradigm for cultural crossing and cultural shift. Macao may be re-garded as a work enduring (in Brechtian terms because it is unfinished. While this is a formula that could be notionally applied to any city, this view seems par-ticularly apt given both the extraordinary pace of change in post-handover Macao (i.e. since 1999, and the present bubble-bursting effect of the 2008 "financial tsunami". Relating Augé's conception of "non-places" to Eco's notion of open (as op-posed to closed text, this paper observes that consciousness of place in contem-porary Macao poetry appears to be dominated by two kinds of space, glossed here as "Macao space" and "anywhere space". Macao space is uniquely of an historical moment and place, something culturally positioned; in anywhere space (e.g. in-side of a casino or an airport subjects are hailed by consumption-oriented reifica-tions of putative universal value. The contemporary Macao poetry typically values Macao space and sees it as under threat from the "non-negotiable" space of cul-ture that could be anywhere. Interested in the paradoxes, ironies and hypocrisies inherent in the present-day culture, politics and international position of Macao, the new Macao poetry re-veals a place-based poetics deeply concerned with Macao identity, its evolution and potentials.

The Idea of «Concept» in the Studies of Culture

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Tatarskaya Daria Tatarskaya

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The article is devoted to analyzing the difference between discourses about "concept". It is an attempt to reveal the features of these approaches to the problem of understanding and studying of "concept". This term is currently at its peak popularity in the human studies, which is connected with its universality and the process of globalization, which generates an interest to studying cultures though these keywords or concepts. Meanwhile, the discourse about "concept" firstly appeared in philosophical literature. Then at the early twentieth century an interest to "concept" arose in Russian linguistics. Afterwards, the term came from the field of pure linguistics to the fields of cognitive linguistics and cultural linguistics, and then in the first decade of XXI century it was rekindled thanks to philosophy. Nowadays in the modern humaninities there are the coexistence of different approaches to understanding, interpretation and investigation of concept. In terms of linguistics the concept constitutes the meaning of sign, and its investigation focused on the search of different means of representation of it in the language and on the basis on them structuring the concept. Linguocognitive science has its aim in building a cognitive model of representation this term in the linguistic consciousness of a native speaker. The feature of cultural linguistics approach is its orientation on the search of cultural component of concept. And the approach of cultural studies focused on the search of the features and the analysis of the essence of this phenomenon in the general context of culture

How Do People Become W.E.I.R.D.? Migration Reveals the Cultural Transmission Mechanisms Underlying Variation in Psychological Processes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alex Mesoudi

Full Text Available Cultural psychologists have shown that people from Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, Democratic (WEIRD countries often exhibit different psychological processing to people from less-WEIRD countries. The former exhibit more individualistic and less collectivistic social orientation, and more analytic and less holistic cognition, than non-Westerners. Yet the mechanisms responsible for maintaining this cultural variation are unclear. Immigration is an ideal 'natural experiment' for uncovering such mechanisms. We used a battery of psychological measures previously shown to vary cross-culturally to compare the social orientation and cognitive style of 286 residents of East London from three cultural backgrounds: (i 1st-generation British Bangladeshi immigrants; (ii 2nd-generation British Bangladeshis raised in the UK to Bangladeshi-raised parents; and (iii non-migrants whose parents were born and raised in the UK. Model comparison revealed that individualism and dispositional attribution, typical of Western societies, are driven primarily by horizontal cultural transmission (e.g. via mass media, with parents and other family members having little or no effect, while collectivism, social closeness and situational attribution were driven by a mix of vertical/oblique cultural transmission (e.g. via family contact and horizontal cultural transmission. These individual-level transmission dynamics can explain hitherto puzzling population-level phenomena, such as the partial acculturation of 2nd-generation immigrants on measures such as collectivism (due to the mix of vertical and horizontal cultural transmission, or the observation in several countries of increasing individualism (which is transmitted horizontally and therefore rapidly despite little corresponding change in collectivism (which is transmitted partly vertically and therefore more slowly. Further consideration of cultural transmission mechanisms, in conjunction with the study of

How Do People Become W.E.I.R.D.? Migration Reveals the Cultural Transmission Mechanisms Underlying Variation in Psychological Processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Mesoudi, Alex; Magid, Kesson; Hussain, Delwar

2016-01-01

Cultural psychologists have shown that people from Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, Democratic (WEIRD) countries often exhibit different psychological processing to people from less-WEIRD countries. The former exhibit more individualistic and less collectivistic social orientation, and more analytic and less holistic cognition, than non-Westerners. Yet the mechanisms responsible for maintaining this cultural variation are unclear. Immigration is an ideal 'natural experiment' for uncovering such mechanisms. We used a battery of psychological measures previously shown to vary cross-culturally to compare the social orientation and cognitive style of 286 residents of East London from three cultural backgrounds: (i) 1st-generation British Bangladeshi immigrants; (ii) 2nd-generation British Bangladeshis raised in the UK to Bangladeshi-raised parents; and (iii) non-migrants whose parents were born and raised in the UK. Model comparison revealed that individualism and dispositional attribution, typical of Western societies, are driven primarily by horizontal cultural transmission (e.g. via mass media), with parents and other family members having little or no effect, while collectivism, social closeness and situational attribution were driven by a mix of vertical/oblique cultural transmission (e.g. via family contact) and horizontal cultural transmission. These individual-level transmission dynamics can explain hitherto puzzling population-level phenomena, such as the partial acculturation of 2nd-generation immigrants on measures such as collectivism (due to the mix of vertical and horizontal cultural transmission), or the observation in several countries of increasing individualism (which is transmitted horizontally and therefore rapidly) despite little corresponding change in collectivism (which is transmitted partly vertically and therefore more slowly). Further consideration of cultural transmission mechanisms, in conjunction with the study of migrant

How Do People Become W.E.I.R.D.? Migration Reveals the Cultural Transmission Mechanisms Underlying Variation in Psychological Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Mesoudi, Alex; Magid, Kesson; Hussain, Delwar

2016-01-01

Cultural psychologists have shown that people from Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, Democratic (WEIRD) countries often exhibit different psychological processing to people from less-WEIRD countries. The former exhibit more individualistic and less collectivistic social orientation, and more analytic and less holistic cognition, than non-Westerners. Yet the mechanisms responsible for maintaining this cultural variation are unclear. Immigration is an ideal ‘natural experiment’ for uncovering such mechanisms. We used a battery of psychological measures previously shown to vary cross-culturally to compare the social orientation and cognitive style of 286 residents of East London from three cultural backgrounds: (i) 1st-generation British Bangladeshi immigrants; (ii) 2nd-generation British Bangladeshis raised in the UK to Bangladeshi-raised parents; and (iii) non-migrants whose parents were born and raised in the UK. Model comparison revealed that individualism and dispositional attribution, typical of Western societies, are driven primarily by horizontal cultural transmission (e.g. via mass media), with parents and other family members having little or no effect, while collectivism, social closeness and situational attribution were driven by a mix of vertical/oblique cultural transmission (e.g. via family contact) and horizontal cultural transmission. These individual-level transmission dynamics can explain hitherto puzzling population-level phenomena, such as the partial acculturation of 2nd-generation immigrants on measures such as collectivism (due to the mix of vertical and horizontal cultural transmission), or the observation in several countries of increasing individualism (which is transmitted horizontally and therefore rapidly) despite little corresponding change in collectivism (which is transmitted partly vertically and therefore more slowly). Further consideration of cultural transmission mechanisms, in conjunction with the study of migrant

Changes in chromatin structure during the aging of cell cultures as revealed by differential scanning calorimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Almagor, M.; Cole, R.D.

1989-01-01

Nuclei from cultured human cells were examined by differential scanning calorimetry. Their melting profiles revealed four structural transitions at 60, 76, 88, and 105 degrees C (transitions I-IV, respectively). In immortalized (i.e., tumor) cell cultures and in normal cell cultures of low passage number, melting profiles were dominated by the 105 degrees C transition (transition IV), but in vitro aging of normal and Werner syndrome cells was associated with a marked decrease in transition IV followed by an increase in transition III at the expense of transition IV. At intermediate times in the aging process, much DNA melted at a temperature range (95-102 degrees C) intermediate between transitions III and IV, and this is consistent with the notion that aging of cell cultures is accompanied by an increase in single-strand character of the DNA. Calorimetric changes were observed in the melting profile of nuclei from UV-irradiated tumor cells that resembled the age-induced intermediate melting of chromatin. It is suggested that aging is accompanied by an increase in single-stranded character of the DNA in chromatin, which lowers its melting temperature, followed by strand breaks in the DNA that destroy its supercoiling potential

Lactococcus lactis Diversity in Undefined Mixed Dairy Starter Cultures as Revealed by Comparative Genome Analyses and Targeted Amplicon Sequencing of epsD.

Science.gov (United States)

Frantzen, Cyril A; Kleppen, Hans Petter; Holo, Helge

2018-02-01

Undefined mesophilic mixed (DL) starter cultures are used in the production of continental cheeses and contain unknown strain mixtures of Lactococcus lactis and leuconostocs. The choice of starter culture affects the taste, aroma, and quality of the final product. To gain insight into the diversity of Lactococcus lactis strains in starter cultures, we whole-genome sequenced 95 isolates from three different starter cultures. Pan-genomic analyses, which included 30 publically available complete genomes, grouped the strains into 21 L. lactis subsp . lactis and 28 L. lactis subsp. cremoris lineages. Only one of the 95 isolates grouped with previously sequenced strains, and the three starter cultures showed no overlap in lineage distributions. The culture diversity was assessed by targeted amplicon sequencing using purR , a core gene, and epsD , present in 93 of the 95 starter culture isolates but absent in most of the reference strains. This enabled an unprecedented discrimination of starter culture Lactococcus lactis and revealed substantial differences between the three starter cultures and compositional shifts during the cultivation of cultures in milk. IMPORTANCE In contemporary cheese production, standardized frozen seed stock starter cultures are used to ensure production stability, reproducibility, and quality control of the product. The dairy industry experiences significant disruptions of cheese production due to phage attacks, and one commonly used countermeasure to phage attack is to employ a starter rotation strategy, in which two or more starters with minimal overlap in phage sensitivity are used alternately. A culture-independent analysis of the lactococcal diversity in complex undefined starter cultures revealed large differences between the three starter cultures and temporal shifts in lactococcal composition during the production of bulk starters. A better understanding of the lactococcal diversity in starter cultures will enable the development of

Consumption symbols as carriers of culture: a study of Japanese and Spanish brand personality constructs.

Science.gov (United States)

Aaker, J L; Benet-Martínez, V; Garolera, J

2001-09-01

This research argues that the meaning embedded in consumption symbols, such as commercial brands, can serve to represent and institutionalize the values and beliefs of a culture. Relying on a combined emic-etic approach, the authors conducted 4 studies to examine how symbolic and expressive attributes associated with commercial brands are structured and how this structure varies across 3 cultures. Studies 1 and 2 revealed a set of "brand personality" dimensions common to both Japan and the United States (Sincerity, Excitement, Competence, and Sophistication), as well as culture-specific Japanese (Peacefulness) and American (Ruggedness) dimensions. Studied 3 and 4, which extended this set of findings to Spain, yielded brand personality dimensions common to both Spain and the United States (Sincerity, Excitement, and Sophistication), plus nonshared Spanish (Passion) and American (Competence and Ruggedness) dimensions. The meaning of these brand personality dimensions is discussed in the context of cross-cultural research on values and affect, globalization issues, and cultural frame shifting.

EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of The Place of Culture in ELT: A Survey Study at Four Universities in Ankara/Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Okan ÖNALAN

2005-10-01

Full Text Available This study aims to investigate Turkish teachers’ opinions and beliefs on the place of target cultural information in English language teaching, as well as their related practices andapplications in EFL classrooms in Turkish higher education context. Particularly, it tries toexplore three research questions: (a How do Turkish teachers of English define culture? (bWhat are the EFL teachers’ attitudes towards incorporating cultural information into theirteaching? and (c What role do they allocate to the culture of the target language in theirclassrooms? The study shows that teachers mostly define culture in the sociological sense, suchas values and beliefs. Their definition of culture in the framework of ELT slightly shifts towardsmore visible culture, such as food and clothing. The study also reveals teachers’ positive attitudestowards incorporating cultural information in their instruction.

Clarifying concepts: cultural humility or competency.

Science.gov (United States)

Isaacson, Mary

2014-01-01

Cultural competency in the delivery of health care to diverse population groups has become an urgent need in the United States. Yet, despite the incorporation of cultural competency education into nursing curricula, inequities in health care remain. The purpose of this mixed-method study was to identify if differences in perceptions of cultural competence were present in senior nursing students (N = 11) before and after cultural immersion experiences on an Indian reservation. Preimmersion results revealed that the majority considered themselves culturally competent, whereas after immersion, there was a downward shift in scores. Triangulation of the quantitative results alongside a hermeneutic phenomenological analysis of the students' reflective journals revealed a paradox. Students perceived themselves as culturally competent, yet their journals demonstrated many negative stereotypes. Three common themes emerged: seeing with closed eyes, seeing through a fused horizon, and disruption to reshaping. These combined results revealed the misperceptions regarding the concept of cultural competency. Efforts must be made in nursing education to teach students the importance of adopting an ethic of cultural humility, where we emphasize attentive listening and openness to other cultures, and stress the importance of self-reflection and self-critique in our interactions with others. © 2014.

Cultural Studies Methodologies and Narrative Family Therapy: Therapeutic Conversations About Pop Culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Tilsen, Julie; Nylund, David

2016-06-01

Therapists recognize that popular media culture is an influential force that shapes identities and relationships in contemporary society. Indeed, people have serious relationships with the commodities and practices that emerge from pop culture. However, they often lack the conceptual and conversational resources to engage meaningfully with clients about pop culture's influence in their lives. Cultural studies is introduced as an interdisciplinary approach that provides frameworks for both theory and practice that position therapists and clients to critically examine the role of pop culture in their lives. Cultural studies and narrative therapy are discussed as praxis allies that share a populist political intention and counter-hegemonic discursive practices. The integration of cultural studies methodologies into narrative therapy practice with a parent and her teenage daughter is illustrated through a case vignette. © 2016 Family Process Institute.

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.

Revealing patterns of cultural transmission from frequency data: equilibrium and non-equilibrium assumptions

Science.gov (United States)

Crema, Enrico R.; Kandler, Anne; Shennan, Stephen

2016-12-01

A long tradition of cultural evolutionary studies has developed a rich repertoire of mathematical models of social learning. Early studies have laid the foundation of more recent endeavours to infer patterns of cultural transmission from observed frequencies of a variety of cultural data, from decorative motifs on potsherds to baby names and musical preferences. While this wide range of applications provides an opportunity for the development of generalisable analytical workflows, archaeological data present new questions and challenges that require further methodological and theoretical discussion. Here we examine the decorative motifs of Neolithic pottery from an archaeological assemblage in Western Germany, and argue that the widely used (and relatively undiscussed) assumption that observed frequencies are the result of a system in equilibrium conditions is unwarranted, and can lead to incorrect conclusions. We analyse our data with a simulation-based inferential framework that can overcome some of the intrinsic limitations in archaeological data, as well as handle both equilibrium conditions and instances where the mode of cultural transmission is time-variant. Results suggest that none of the models examined can produce the observed pattern under equilibrium conditions, and suggest. instead temporal shifts in the patterns of cultural transmission.

Psycho-Socio-Cultural Determinants of Food Choice: A Qualitative Study on Adults in Social and Cultural Context of Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Haghighian Roudsari, Arezoo; Vedadhir, Abouali; Amiri, Parisa; Kalantari, Naser; Omidvar, Nasrin; Eini-Zinab, Hassan; Hani Sadati, Seyed Mohammad

2017-10-01

Objective: Food choice is a process through which people think, feel, and eat food. It does not only influence individuals' health and well-being, families and communities, but also it has an effect on regional, national, and global levels. This qualitative study was conducted to explore perceptions and lived experiences of Tehran adult residents on psychological, social and cultural determinants of food choice. Method: In this qualitative design, we recruited 33 adults aged 30 to 64 years from various districts of Tehran, capital of Iran, and we explored how people make decisions about food choice in practice and shape their perception, attitude, and eating practices. An individual in-depth semi-structured interview guide included major questions with follow-up probes was used to explore participants' current and past eating habits from childhood to adulthood, dietary change at different life courses, and effective psychological state on food selection in different seasons. Results: This study revealed that food choice in the studied adults (30-64 years old) was widely influenced by psychological, social, and cultural determinants, which can be categorized into 5 main themes: cultural context and patterns; social Structure and norms; information resources and media; household and family structure; and nutrition transition. Conclusion: The findings clarified the importance of social and cultural contexts, which influence the food choice of adults in a metropolis like Tehran. Many of these concepts are contextualized from childhood. These findings could serve as guideline to design socio-culturally appropriate strategies and improve dietary behaviors of Iranians.

Eye contact perception in the West and East: a cross-cultural study.

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Shota Uono

Full Text Available This study investigated whether eye contact perception differs in people with different cultural backgrounds. Finnish (European and Japanese (East Asian participants were asked to determine whether Finnish and Japanese neutral faces with various gaze directions were looking at them. Further, participants rated the face stimuli for emotion and other affect-related dimensions. The results indicated that Finnish viewers had a smaller bias toward judging slightly averted gazes as directed at them when judging Finnish rather than Japanese faces, while the bias of Japanese viewers did not differ between faces from their own and other cultural backgrounds. This may be explained by Westerners experiencing more eye contact in their daily life leading to larger visual experience of gaze perception generally, and to more accurate perception of eye contact with people from their own cultural background particularly. The results also revealed cultural differences in the perception of emotion from neutral faces that could also contribute to the bias in eye contact perception.

Eye contact perception in the West and East: a cross-cultural study.

Science.gov (United States)

Uono, Shota; Hietanen, Jari K

2015-01-01

This study investigated whether eye contact perception differs in people with different cultural backgrounds. Finnish (European) and Japanese (East Asian) participants were asked to determine whether Finnish and Japanese neutral faces with various gaze directions were looking at them. Further, participants rated the face stimuli for emotion and other affect-related dimensions. The results indicated that Finnish viewers had a smaller bias toward judging slightly averted gazes as directed at them when judging Finnish rather than Japanese faces, while the bias of Japanese viewers did not differ between faces from their own and other cultural backgrounds. This may be explained by Westerners experiencing more eye contact in their daily life leading to larger visual experience of gaze perception generally, and to more accurate perception of eye contact with people from their own cultural background particularly. The results also revealed cultural differences in the perception of emotion from neutral faces that could also contribute to the bias in eye contact perception.

Effects of Business Model Development Projects on Organizational Culture: A Multiple Case Study of SMEs

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Ulla Santti

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Previous research has shown that links between organizational culture and innovativeness/performance may act as a “social glue” that helps a company develop organizational culture as a competitive advantage. In this study of three case companies, the organizational culture change due business model development projects is studied using the Competing Values Framework (CVF tool and interviews with respondents about discovered changes. To reveal intervention and implied effects between business model development project and organizational culture changes, we used CIMO logic (context, intervention, mechanism, and outcome to bridge practice and theory by explanatory, backward-looking research. Our case studies of companies in relatively short-duration business model development projects indicate that organizational culture may have some dynamic characteristics, for example, an increase of the adhocracy organizational type in all case companies or an increase in the hierarchical leadership type in one case company. Thus, the development of an organizational culture type can be partly controlled. Our results also indicated business model development projects do have a minor effect on organizational culture, even when development activities have not been put fully into practice. However, the more comprehensively business model development project activities have been put into practice, the larger the effect on organizational culture.

An abundance of Epsilonproteobacteria revealed in the gut microbiome of the laboratory cultured sea urchin, Lytechinus variegatus

Science.gov (United States)

Hakim, Joseph A.; Koo, Hyunmin; Dennis, Lacey N.; Kumar, Ranjit; Ptacek, Travis; Morrow, Casey D.; Lefkowitz, Elliot J.; Powell, Mickie L.; Bej, Asim K.; Watts, Stephen A.

2015-01-01

In this study, we have examined the bacterial community composition of the laboratory cultured sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus gut microbiome and its culture environment using NextGen amplicon sequencing of the V4 segment of the 16S rRNA gene, and downstream bioinformatics tools. Overall, the gut and tank water was dominated by Proteobacteria, whereas the feed consisted of a co-occurrence of Proteobacteria and Firmicutes at a high abundance. The gut tissue represented Epsilonproteobacteria as dominant, with order Campylobacterales at the highest relative abundance (>95%). However, the pharynx tissue was dominated by class Alphaproteobacteria. The gut digesta and egested fecal pellets had a high abundance of class Gammaproteobacteria, from which Vibrio was found to be the primary genus, and Epsilonproteobacteria, with genus Arcobacter occurring at a moderate level. At the class level, the tank water was dominated by Gammaproteobacteria, and the feed by Alphaproteobacteria. Multi-Dimensional Scaling analysis showed that the microbial community of the gut tissue clustered together, as did the pharynx tissue to the feed. The gut digesta and egested fecal pellets showed a similarity relationship to the tank water. Further analysis of Campylobacterales at a lower taxonomic level using the oligotyping method revealed 37 unique types across the 10 samples, where Oligotype 1 was primarily represented in the gut tissue. BLAST analysis identified Oligotype 1 to be Arcobacter sp., Sulfuricurvum sp., and Arcobacter bivalviorum at an identity level >90%. This study showed that although distinct microbial communities are evident across multiple components of the sea urchin gut ecosystem, there is a noticeable correlation between the overall microbial communities of the gut with the sea urchin L. variegatus culture environment. PMID:26528245

An abundance of Epsilonproteobacteria revealed in the gut microbiome of the laboratory cultured sea urchin, Lytechinus variegatus

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Joseph Antoine Hakim

2015-10-01

Full Text Available In this study, we have examined the bacterial community composition in the laboratory cultured sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus gut microbiome and its culture environment using NextGen amplicon sequencing of the V4 segment of the 16S rRNA gene, and downstream bioinformatics tools. Overall, the gut and tank water was dominated by Proteobacteria, whereas the feed consisted of a co-occurrence of Proteobacteria and Firmicutes at a high abundance. The gut tissue represented Epsilonproteobacteria as dominant, with order Campylobacterales at the highest relative abundance (>95%. However, the pharynx tissue was dominated by class Alphaproteobacteria. The gut digesta and egested fecal pellets had a high abundance of class Gammaproteobacteria, from which Vibrio was found to be the primary genus, and Epsilonproteobacteria, with genus Arcobacter occurring at a moderate level. At the class level, the tank water was dominated by Gammaproteobacteria, and the feed by Alphaproteobacteria. Multi-Dimensional Scaling analysis showed that the microbial community of the gut tissue clustered together, as did the pharynx tissue to the feed. The gut digesta and egested fecal pellets showed a similar relationship to the tank water. Further analysis of Campylobacterales at a lower taxonomic level using the oligotyping method revealed 37 unique types across the ten samples, where Oligotype 1 was primarily represented in the gut tissue. BLAST analysis identified Oligotype 1 to be Arcobacter sp., Sulfuricurvum sp., and Arcobacter bivalviorum at an identity level >90%. This study showed that although distinct microbial communities were evident across multiple components of the sea urchin gut ecosystem, there is a noticeable correlation between the overall microbial communities of the gut with the sea urchin L. variegatus culture environment.

Cultural competency and diversity among hospice palliative care volunteers.

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Jovanovic, Maja

2012-05-01

This case study examines the current state of cultural competence in hospice and palliative care in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Because of changing demographic trends and ethnic minorities underutilizing hospice palliative care services, this research examined the current state of culturally competent care in a hospice setting, and the challenges to providing culturally competent care in a hospice in the GTA. A case study was conducted with a hospice and included in-depth interviews with 14 hospice volunteers. The findings reveal that volunteers encountered cultural clashes when their level of cultural competency was weak. Second, volunteers revealed there was a lack of adequate cultural competency training with their hospice, and finally, there was a lack of ethnic, cultural, and linguistic diversity among the hospice volunteers.

Culture, perception, and artistic visualization: a comparative study of children's drawings in three Siberian cultural groups.

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Istomin, Kirill V; Panáková, Jaroslava; Heady, Patrick

2014-01-01

In a study of three indigenous and non-indigenous cultural groups in northwestern and northeastern Siberia, framed line tests and a landscape drawing task were used to examine the hypotheses that test-based assessments of context sensitivity and independence are correlated with the amount of contextual information contained in drawings, and with the order in which the focal and background objects are drawn. The results supported these hypotheses, and inspection of the regression relationships suggested that the intergroup variations in test performance were likely to result from differences in the attention accorded to contextual information, as revealed by the drawings. Social and environmental explanations for the group differences in context sensitivity are also discussed. The conclusions support the argument that cultural differences in artistic styles and perceptual tests reflect the same underlying perceptual tendencies, and they are consistent with the argument that these tendencies reflect corresponding differences in patterns of social and environmental interaction. Copyright © 2013 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

A STUDY ON ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

OpenAIRE

S. Valentine Usha Kalaichelvi; Dr. Auxilia Antony; Dr. A. Nelson Vimalanathan

2017-01-01

Organizational Culture is defined as the values and behaviors that contribute to the unique social and psychological environment of the organization. Organizational culture includes an organizations expectations, experiences, philosophy and values that hold it together and is expressed in its self-image, inner workings, interactions with the outside world and future expectations. This article is going to study about the organizational culture.

SUSTAINING THE CULTURAL VITALITY OF URBAN PUBLIC MARKETS: A Case Study of Pasar Payang, Malaysia

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Khalilah Zakariya

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The development of a public market in the city planning is pivotal in supporting the growth of the local economy. The market is also a place where the culture of the locals evolves daily. However, the unique qualities of the market are vulnerable to the redevelopment process. This study examines the cultural aspects of Pasar Payang in Terengganu, Malaysia, as one of the well-known markets among the locals and the tourists, which will soon be redeveloped. The aim of this paper is to identify the tangible and intangible qualities of the market, so that it can sustain its cultural qualities in the future. The methods adopted for this study comprise of conducting a survey among 497 visitors, and semi-structured interviews among 19 market vendors. The findings reveal that the cultural vitality of the market can be sustained by strengthening its local identity through its products and culture, providing spaces that can facilitate tourist activities and cultural participation, and enhancing the development of the local businesses.

After the Disciplines: The Emergence of Cultural Studies. Critical Studies in Education and Culture Series.

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Peters, Michael, Ed.

This collection of essays contains responses to a request to examine the emergence and formation of "cultural studies" within the university and the implications of cultural studies for an economics of "disciplinarity." The majority of the contributors are from the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Following an introduction…

Integration of DPC and clinical microbiological data in Japan reveals importance of confirming a negative follow-up blood culture in patients with MRSA bacteremia.

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Miyamoto, Naoki; Yahara, Koji; Horita, Rie; Yano, Tomomi; Tashiro, Naotaka; Morii, Daiichi; Tsutsui, Atsuko; Yaita, Kenichiro; Shibayama, Keigo; Watanabe, Hiroshi

2017-10-01

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia is one of the commonest and most life-threatening of all infectious diseases. The morbidity and mortality rates associated with MRSA bacteremia are higher than those associated with bacteremia caused by other pathogens. A common guideline in MRSA bacteremia treatment is to confirm bacteremia clearance through additional blood cultures 2-4 days after initial positive cultures and as needed thereafter. However, no study has presented statistical evidence of how and to what extent confirming a negative follow-up blood culture impacts clinical outcome. We present this evidence for the first time, by combining clinical microbiological data of blood cultures and the DPC administrative claims database; both had been systematically accumulated through routine medical care in hospitals. We used electronic medical records to investigate the clinical background and infection source in detail. By analyzing data from a university hospital, we revealed how survival curves change when a negative follow-up blood culture is confirmed. We also demonstrated confirmation of a negative culture is significantly associated with clinical outcomes: there was a more than three-fold increase in mortality risk (after adjusting for clinical background) if a negative blood culture was not confirmed within 14 days of the initial positive blood culture. Although we used data from only one university hospital, our novel approach and results will be a basis for future studies in several hospitals in Japan to provide statistical evidence of the clinical importance of confirming a negative follow-up blood culture in bacteremia patients, including those with MRSA infections. Copyright © 2017 Japanese Society of Chemotherapy and The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Yeast-yeast interactions revealed by aromatic profile analysis of Sauvignon Blanc wine fermented by single or co-culture of non-Saccharomyces and Saccharomyces yeasts.

Science.gov (United States)

Sadoudi, Mohand; Tourdot-Maréchal, Raphaëlle; Rousseaux, Sandrine; Steyer, Damien; Gallardo-Chacón, Joan-Josep; Ballester, Jordi; Vichi, Stefania; Guérin-Schneider, Rémi; Caixach, Josep; Alexandre, Hervé

2012-12-01

There has been increasing interest in the use of selected non-Saccharomyces yeasts in co-culture with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The main reason is that the multistarter fermentation process is thought to simulate indigenous fermentation, thus increasing wine aroma complexity while avoiding the risks linked to natural fermentation. However, multistarter fermentation is characterised by complex and largely unknown interactions between yeasts. Consequently the resulting wine quality is rather unpredictable. In order to better understand the interactions that take place between non-Saccharomyces and Saccharomyces yeasts during alcoholic fermentation, we analysed the volatile profiles of several mono-culture and co-cultures. Candida zemplinina, Torulaspora delbrueckii and Metschnikowia pulcherrima were used to conduct fermentations either in mono-culture or in co-culture with S. cerevisiae. Up to 48 volatile compounds belonging to different chemical families were quantified. For the first time, we show that C. zemplinina is a strong producer of terpenes and lactones. We demonstrate by means of multivariate analysis that different interactions exist between the co-cultures studied. We observed a synergistic effect on aromatic compound production when M. pulcherrima was in co-culture with S. cerevisiae. However a negative interaction was observed between C. zemplinina and S. cerevisiae, which resulted in a decrease in terpene and lactone content. These interactions are independent of biomass production. The aromatic profiles of T. delbrueckii and S. cerevisiae in mono-culture and in co-culture are very close, and are biomass-dependent, reflecting a neutral interaction. This study reveals that a whole family of compounds could be altered by such interactions. These results suggest that the entire metabolic pathway is affected by these interactions. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Personal Narratives: Cultural Differences and Clinical Implications

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Bliss, Lynn S.; McCabe, Allyssa

2008-01-01

A study was conducted to examine the misdiagnosis of cultural difference deficits and how mistaking deficits in narrative production for cultural differences can be avoided. Findings reveal the implications for intervention.

Cultural Education and the Voluntary Provision of Cultural Goods: An Experimental Study

OpenAIRE

Massimo Finocchiaro Castro

2004-01-01

We study the effect that the possibility of investing in cultural education has on the voluntary contributions to a cultural good. This is done in a two-stage public-good experiment. We also provide treatments with different context in order to control for a possible framing effect. Our results show the absence of an effect of cultural education on the contributions to the cultural good and a slight increase in the allocations of subjectsÂendowments to the cultural good when the cultural cont...

Electron microscopy methods in studies of cultural heritage sites

Science.gov (United States)

Vasiliev, A. L.; Kovalchuk, M. V.; Yatsishina, E. B.

2016-11-01

The history of the development and application of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDXMA) in studies of cultural heritage sites is considered. In fact, investigations based on these methods began when electron microscopes became a commercial product. Currently, these methods, being developed and improved, help solve many historical enigmas. To date, electron microscopy combined with microanalysis makes it possible to investigate any object, from parchment and wooden articles to pigments, tools, and objects of art. Studies by these methods have revealed that some articles were made by ancient masters using ancient "nanotechnologies"; hence, their comprehensive analysis calls for the latest achievements in the corresponding instrumental methods and sample preparation techniques.

Subjective experience of architectural objects: A cross-cultural study

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Marković Slobodan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the present study was to compare Serbian and Japanese participants in their subjective experience of Serbian and Japanese architectural objects. Subjective experience was operationalized through the ratings on the bipolar scales (e.g. pleasant-unpleasant. In the Preliminary study 1, a set of twelve rating scales was generated. In the Preliminary study 2 twelve Serbian and twelve Japanese architectural objects were specified. In the main experiment two groups of participants, twenty-one Serbian and twenty Japanese, rated twelve Serbian and twelve Japanese objects. A factor analysis extracted three dimensions of subjective experience: Beauty, Firmness and Fullness. Analysis of variance have shown that both Serbian and Japanese participants agreed that Japanese architectural objects looked more beautiful and firmer than Serbian objects. These finding is generally in line with perceptualist hypothesis that stimulus constraints are more effective than culture. However, interactions revealed some cultural differences that are consistent with culturalist hypothesis: compared to Serbian participants, Japanese participants rated Japanese architectural objects as more beautiful, whereas, compared to Japanese, Serbian participants rated Serbian objects as less fragile and emptier than Japanese objects. Generaly, our study have shown that Serbian (Western and Japanese (Eastern participants show general similarity in their subjective experience of architectural objects. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 179033

Incorporating Cultural Perspectives into Diabetes Self-Management Programs for East Asian Immigrants: A Mixed-Study Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Chorong; Nam, Soohyun; Whittemore, Robin

2016-04-01

It is important to understand East Asian immigrants (EAIs)' unique perspectives in managing diabetes in order to provide culturally-competent care. However, it is not known whether EAIs' perspectives are addressed in diabetes self-management interventions developed for EAIs. Therefore, a mixed-study review was conducted to identify EAIs' perspective from qualitative research (n = 9 studies) and to evaluate the components of EAI diabetes self-management interventions (n = 7). Themes from the qualitative synthesis demonstrated that EAIs have unique cultural values and traditional health beliefs while struggling with multi-contextual barriers due to immigration. The evaluation of EAI diabetes self-management interventions revealed that there was a lack of consensus on cultural strategies for EAIs' across the interventions. Addressing language barriers was the only factor consistently integrated in the cultural components of intervention by employing bilingual interventionists. EAIs' perspectives and experiences need to be incorporated in the future diabetes self-management interventions to better provide culturally-competent care.

Center for Ukrainian Cultural Studies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Laarse, R.

2017-01-01

The Amsterdam-based Center for Ukrainian Cultural Studies (UCS) unites Dutch scholars in Ukrainian art, cinema, media, memory, language, and literature. Launched by the Amsterdam School for Heritage, Memory and Material Culture (AHM) and the University of Amsterdam’s Department of Slavic Languages

CULTURE STUDIES ON THE LIFE-HISTORY OF CHORDARIA-LINEARIS (PHAEOPHYCEAE) FROM TIERRA-DEL-FUEGO, SOUTH-AMERICA

NARCIS (Netherlands)

PETERS, AF

1992-01-01

Studies of laboratory cultures of Chordaria linearis (Hooker et Harvey) Cotton from southernmost South America revealed that this species has an obligate sexual life history in which a macroscopic sporophyte alternates with a monoecious microscopic gametophyte. Sexual reproduction is isogamous and

Terahertz applications in cultural heritage: case studies

Science.gov (United States)

Giovannacci, D.; Martos-Levif, D.; Walker, G. C.; Menu, M.; Detalle, V.

2013-11-01

Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy and imaging is a non-destructive, non-contact, non-invasive technology emerging as a tool for the analysis of cultural heritage. THz Time Domain Spectroscopy (TDS) techniques have the ability to retrieve information from different layers within a stratified sample, that enable the identification of hidden sub-layers in the case of paints and mural paintings. In this paper, we present the THz TDS2 system developed in the European Commission's 7th Framework Program project CHARISMA [grant agreement no. 228330]. Bespoke single processing algorithms; including a deconvolution algorithm can be deployed to increase the resolution and the global performance of the system. The potential and impact of this work is demonstrated through two case studies of mural paintings, where the capability to reveal the stratigraphy of the artworks is demonstrated.

TRADITIONAL PHYSICAL CULTURE OF BELARUSIANS

OpenAIRE

Shamak, Ales

2017-01-01

Relevance. The study of the history of physical culture makes it possible to reveal the laws of its development, the relationship with socio-political and economic factors. The aim of the research is to substantiate the essence, types and structure of the traditional physical culture of Belarusians. Results of the Research. Traditional physical culture has been the main type of physical culture of the Belarusian people for about a thousand years. It is regarded as the activity of the society ...

Pedagogy as influencing nursing students' essentialized understanding of culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Gregory, David; Harrowing, Jean; Lee, Bonnie; Doolittle, Lisa; O'Sullivan, Patrick S

2010-01-01

In this qualitative study, we explored how students understood "culture." Participants defined culture and wrote narratives regarding specific cultural encounters. The sample comprised both nursing (n=14) and non-nursing (n=8) students to allow for comparison groups. Content analysis of the narratives revealed two broad paradigms of cultural understanding: essentialist and constructivist. Essentialist narratives comprised four themes: determinism (culture defied individual resistance); relativism (the possibility of making value judgments disappeared); Othering (culture was equated to exotica, and emphasized difference); and, reductionism (personhood was eclipsed by culture). In contrast, the constructivist narratives were characterized by influence (non-determinism), dynamism (culture was dynamic and evolutionary); and, relationship-building. The unintended negative consequences of essentialist notions of culture were revealed in the nursing students' narratives. Pedagogy is implicated in nursing students' essentialized understanding of culture.

A Chinese Herbal Decoction, Danggui Buxue Tang, Stimulates Proliferation, Differentiation and Gene Expression of Cultured Osteosarcoma Cells: Genomic Approach to Reveal Specific Gene Activation

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Roy C. Y. Choi

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT, a Chinese herbal decoction used to treat ailments in women, contains Radix Astragali (Huangqi; RA and Radix Angelicae Sinensis (Danggui; RAS. When DBT was applied onto cultured MG-63 cells, an increase of cell proliferation and differentiation of MG-63 cell were revealed: both of these effects were significantly higher in DBT than RA or RAS extract. To search for the biological markers that are specifically regulated by DBT, DNA microarray was used to reveal the gene expression profiling of DBT in MG-63 cells as compared to that of RA- or RAS-treated cells. Amongst 883 DBT-regulated genes, 403 of them are specifically regulated by DBT treatment, including CCL-2, CCL-7, CCL-8, and galectin-9. The signaling cascade of this DBT-regulated gene expression was also elucidated in cultured MG-63 cells. The current results reveal the potential usage of this herbal decoction in treating osteoporosis and suggest the uniqueness of Chinese herbal decoction that requires a well-defined formulation. The DBT-regulated genes in the culture could serve as biological responsive markers for quality assurance of the herbal preparation.

Review of Studies on Just Culture

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yi, Kyung Joo; Choi, Young Sung; Jung, Su Jin [Safety Policy Department, Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-10-15

Safety culture represents patterns of behavior and ways of thinking on safety for both individuals and organizations. Besides nuclear industry, many fields such as transport and health care have focused on the value and effectiveness of safety culture. In this paper, the definition and characteristics of just culture, which is one component of safety culture, and related studies reported by other researchers are described. We hope this review will serve to understand the current condition and underlying problems of the just culture of nuclear industry in Korea. This paper describes the definition and basic principle of just culture in nuclear industry based on the review of researches on safety and just culture in various fields. To establish just culture solidly in organization, each individual needs to understand the nature of the just culture first. And it is necessary to create an atmosphere encouraging to report and suggest safety-related issues. Most of all, to draw clear lines of blame and punishment for human error is essential.

Review of Studies on Just Culture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yi, Kyung Joo; Choi, Young Sung; Jung, Su Jin

2014-01-01

Safety culture represents patterns of behavior and ways of thinking on safety for both individuals and organizations. Besides nuclear industry, many fields such as transport and health care have focused on the value and effectiveness of safety culture. In this paper, the definition and characteristics of just culture, which is one component of safety culture, and related studies reported by other researchers are described. We hope this review will serve to understand the current condition and underlying problems of the just culture of nuclear industry in Korea. This paper describes the definition and basic principle of just culture in nuclear industry based on the review of researches on safety and just culture in various fields. To establish just culture solidly in organization, each individual needs to understand the nature of the just culture first. And it is necessary to create an atmosphere encouraging to report and suggest safety-related issues. Most of all, to draw clear lines of blame and punishment for human error is essential

STUDIES ON THE EFFECT OF VARIOUS STERILANTS AND CULTURE CONDITIONS ON IN-VITRO SEED GERMINATION IN TOMATO (SOLANUM LYCOPERSICUM)

OpenAIRE

K.B.Himabindu; M.Shanthi Priya; D.Mohan Reddy; P.Sudhakar; Y.Srinivasulu; M.Reddisekhar; P.Latha; B.Rupesh Kumar Reddy

2012-01-01

Studies on the effectiveness of various sterilants and culture conditions on in-vitro seed germination in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cv. PKM-1 revealed that among three sterilants used, surface sterilization of seeds with 5 % NaOCl for 20 minutes was found to be more effective resulting in high germination rate and contamination free cultures. Similarly among the different media and culture conditions considered in the present experiment, MS medium without sucrose with dark incubation f...

DOING BUSINESS IN GLOBAL ARENA: AN EXAMINATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE AND CROSS-CULTURAL ADJUSTMENT

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Subramaniam Sri Ramalu

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The study examines the relationship between cultural intelligence (CQ and crosscultural adjustment (CCA using a field study of 332 expat iates in Malaysia. The findings of this study reveal that CQ is a vital cross-cultural competency that facilitates expatriates CCA in international assignment. Specifically, the result of this study reveals that greater general adjustment is related to greater motivational and meta-cognitive CQ. The more successful interaction adjustment is associated with greater motivational, metacognitiveand cognitive CQ. Greater work adjustment is related to greater motivational CQ. Motivational component of CQ is the only dimensions of CQ that is significantly related to all three dimensions of CCA. The findings of this study have significant contribution to the body of knowledge in the cross-cultural management field as well aspractical implication to expatriating firms especially in the area of selection and hiring of international candidates.

Limnological study with reference to fish culture of Bothali (Mendha) reservoir, district - Gadchiroli (India).

Science.gov (United States)

Tijare, Rajendra V

2012-04-01

Limnological study with reference to fish culture was carried out at Bothali (Mendha) reservoir, district Gadchiroli, India. Water samples from different sampling locations were collected and processed for physico-chemical analysis. The physico-chemical analysis revealed that the reservoir is favourable for fish culture as the phosphate content in water is moderate in amount. This reservoir can produce a good yield of fishes. Though the reservoir is presently exploited and is under pisciculture, a better treatment of the reservoir such as prevention of entry of organic matter, reduction of phosphate ion concentration to certain extent is necessary to obtain a maximum fish yield.

African Cultural Astronomy

CERN Document Server

Holbrook, Jarita C; Medupe, R. Thebe; Current Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy research in Africa

2008-01-01

Astronomy is the science of studying the sky using telescopes and light collectors such as photographic plates or CCD detectors. However, people have always studied the sky and continue to study the sky without the aid of instruments this is the realm of cultural astronomy. This is the first scholarly collection of articles focused on the cultural astronomy of Africans. It weaves together astronomy, anthropology, and Africa. The volume includes African myths and legends about the sky, alignments to celestial bodies found at archaeological sites and at places of worship, rock art with celestial imagery, and scientific thinking revealed in local astronomy traditions including ethnomathematics and the creation of calendars. Authors include astronomers Kim Malville, Johnson Urama, and Thebe Medupe; archaeologist Felix Chami, and geographer Michael Bonine, and many new authors. As an emerging subfield of cultural astronomy, African cultural astronomy researchers are focused on training students specifically for do...

Electron microscopy methods in studies of cultural heritage sites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vasiliev, A. L., E-mail: a.vasiliev56@gmail.com; Kovalchuk, M. V.; Yatsishina, E. B. [National Research Centre “Kurchatov Institute” (Russian Federation)

2016-11-15

The history of the development and application of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDXMA) in studies of cultural heritage sites is considered. In fact, investigations based on these methods began when electron microscopes became a commercial product. Currently, these methods, being developed and improved, help solve many historical enigmas. To date, electron microscopy combined with microanalysis makes it possible to investigate any object, from parchment and wooden articles to pigments, tools, and objects of art. Studies by these methods have revealed that some articles were made by ancient masters using ancient “nanotechnologies”; hence, their comprehensive analysis calls for the latest achievements in the corresponding instrumental methods and sample preparation techniques.

Electron microscopy methods in studies of cultural heritage sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasiliev, A. L.; Kovalchuk, M. V.; Yatsishina, E. B.

2016-01-01

The history of the development and application of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDXMA) in studies of cultural heritage sites is considered. In fact, investigations based on these methods began when electron microscopes became a commercial product. Currently, these methods, being developed and improved, help solve many historical enigmas. To date, electron microscopy combined with microanalysis makes it possible to investigate any object, from parchment and wooden articles to pigments, tools, and objects of art. Studies by these methods have revealed that some articles were made by ancient masters using ancient “nanotechnologies”; hence, their comprehensive analysis calls for the latest achievements in the corresponding instrumental methods and sample preparation techniques.

Understanding how culture influence emotions in consumer decision-making

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Jeanne

2014-01-01

is guided by anticipated emotions. Empirical results confirm that some emotions are preferred more than others and that studying discrete emotions may be important when trying to understand how other cultural dimensions than the traditionally studied influence emotions. It is confirmed that indeed also......The present research contributes to a limited researched area in consumer research. Little is known about how culture influence emotions in consumer decision-making. It is revealed that culture shapes how consumers ideally want to feel, and that this in turn influences preferences and choice, which...... Danes as other Western cultures prefer high arousal positive emotions over low arousal positive emotions, but it is also revealed that it could be crucial when studying the influence of culture on emotions in decision-making to distinguish between more than high and low arousal positive and negative...

Community-Based Financial Literacy Education in a Cultural Context: A Study of Teacher Beliefs and Pedagogical Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Tisdell, Elizabeth J.; Taylor, Edward W.; Forte, Karin Sprow

2013-01-01

This article presents the findings related to teaching beliefs and pedagogical practices of a study that examined how financial literacy educators educate adults from underserved population groups in community-based settings. The study is theoretically framed in the teaching beliefs and culturally responsive education literature. Findings reveal a…

When ideal and real culture clash - trust, infidelity and condom use

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L Ackermann

2003-09-01

Full Text Available With high rates of HIV transmission in South Africa, the correct and consistent use of condoms has become critically important. The findings reported in this article form part of a larger study that investigated the vulnerability of women to HIV infection. This article concentrates on one dimension of the study: how a clash between real and ideal culture negatively impacts upon condom use. This study, conducted in Bloemfontein, revealed that an ideal culture of trust, resulted in non condom use. On the other hand, this study also revealed that despite the emphasis on an ideal culture of trust, a real culture of infidelity exists. This places individuals at risk of contracting HIV, as condom use is guided by ideal rather than real culture.

When ideal and real culture clash--trust, infidelity and condom use.

Science.gov (United States)

Ackermann, L; de Klerk, G W

2003-08-01

With high rates of HIV transmission in South Africa, the correct and consistent use of condoms has become critically important. The findings reported in this article form part of a larger study that investigated the vulnerability of women to HIV infection. This article concentrates on one dimension of the study: how a clash between real and ideal culture negatively impacts upon condom use. This study, conducted in Bloemfontein, revealed that an ideal culture of trust, resulted in non condom use. On the other hand, this study also revealed that despite the emphasis on an ideal culture of trust, a real culture of infidelity exists. This places individuals at risk of contracting HIV, as condom use is guided by ideal rather than real culture.

3-Dimensional culture systems for anti-cancer compound profiling and high-throughput screening reveal increases in EGFR inhibitor-mediated cytotoxicity compared to monolayer culture systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Howes, Amy L; Richardson, Robyn D; Finlay, Darren; Vuori, Kristiina

2014-01-01

3-dimensional (3D) culture models have the potential to bridge the gap between monolayer cell culture and in vivo studies. To benefit anti-cancer drug discovery from 3D models, new techniques are needed that enable their use in high-throughput (HT) screening amenable formats. We have established miniaturized 3D culture methods robust enough for automated HT screens. We have applied these methods to evaluate the sensitivity of normal and tumorigenic breast epithelial cell lines against a panel of oncology drugs when cultured as monolayers (2D) and spheroids (3D). We have identified two classes of compounds that exhibit preferential cytotoxicity against cancer cells over normal cells when cultured as 3D spheroids: microtubule-targeting agents and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors. Further improving upon our 3D model, superior differentiation of EC50 values in the proof-of-concept screens was obtained by co-culturing the breast cancer cells with normal human fibroblasts and endothelial cells. Further, the selective sensitivity of the cancer cells towards chemotherapeutics was observed in 3D co-culture conditions, rather than as 2D co-culture monolayers, highlighting the importance of 3D cultures. Finally, we examined the putative mechanisms that drive the differing potency displayed by EGFR inhibitors. In summary, our studies establish robust 3D culture models of human cells for HT assessment of tumor cell-selective agents. This methodology is anticipated to provide a useful tool for the study of biological differences within 2D and 3D culture conditions in HT format, and an important platform for novel anti-cancer drug discovery.

The role of cross-cultural factors in long-duration international space missions: lessons from the SFINCSS-99 study.

Science.gov (United States)

Tomi, Leena M; Rossokha, Katherine; Hosein, Janette

2002-01-01

The role of cross-cultural factors in long-duration international space missions was examined during an isolation study that simulated many of the conditions aboard the International Space Station. Interactions involving two heterogeneous crews and one homogeneous crew staying in isolation from 110 to 240 days were studied. Data consisted of post-isolation interviews with crewmembers, ground support personnel and management, observational data, and public statements by crewmembers. Data was analyzed using the techniques of linguistic anthropology and ethnography. Sub-cultural (organizational and professional) differences played a larger role than national differences in causing misunderstandings in this study. Conversely, some misunderstandings and conflicts were escalated by participants falsely assuming cultural differences or similarities. Comparison between the two heterogeneous crews showed the importance of training, personality factors, and commander and language skills in preventing and alleviating cultural misunderstandings. The study revealed a number of ways that cultural differences, real as well as assumed, can play a role and interact with other, non-cultural, factors in causing and/or precipitating conflict situations. It is postulated that such difficulties can be avoided by selecting culturally adaptive crewmembers and by cross-cultural and language training. Also the crew composition and role of commander were found to be important in mitigating conflict situations. c2002 Lister Science.

An Exchange on Theory and Cultural Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Various Authors

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The following exchange grew out of a series of posts to the Cultural Studies Association of Australasia discussion list. As a talking point leading into a regular meeting for early career cultural studies researchers in Brisbane, Melissa Gregg, Jean Burgess and Joshua Green quoted a passage from Simon During’s recent Cultural Studies: A Critical Introduction (Routledge, 2005 in the hope of provoking a wider debate about the current state of Australian cultural studies. Various members of the list were duly provoked, and the ensuing discussion was later picked up in a paper by John Frow and continued in private correspondence and then in invited responses to the developing exchange.

Cultural prototypes and dimensions of honor.

Science.gov (United States)

Cross, Susan E; Uskul, Ayse K; Gerçek-Swing, Berna; Sunbay, Zeynep; Alözkan, Cansu; Günsoy, Ceren; Ataca, Bilge; Karakitapoglu-Aygün, Zahide

2014-02-01

Research evidence and theoretical accounts of honor point to differing definitions of the construct in differing cultural contexts. The current studies address the question "What is honor?" using a prototype approach in Turkey and the Northern United States. Studies 1a/1b revealed substantial differences in the specific features generated by members of the two groups, but Studies 2 and 3 revealed cultural similarities in the underlying dimensions of self-respect, moral behavior, and social status/respect. Ratings of the centrality and personal importance of these factors were similar across the two groups, but their association with other relevant constructs differed. The tripartite nature of honor uncovered in these studies helps observers and researchers alike understand how diverse responses to situations can be attributed to honor. Inclusion of a prototype analysis into the literature on honor cultures can provide enhanced coverage of the concept that may lead to testable hypotheses and new theoretical developments.

Penerapan Cultural Studies dan Aliran Filsafat dalam Desain Komunikasi Visual

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Christina Luzar

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Cultural studies is a diversity knowledge from different variety of perspectives, through the production of theory trying to intervene in political culture. Cultural studies explores culture as a practice purport in the context of social force. In this case, cultural studies is not only based on one point only, but also cultural studies tries to compose a variety of theoretical studies of other disciplines developed wider, so that covers a wide range of academic theories that already existed, including Marxism, Structuralism, Post-structuralism, and feminism. By eclectic method, cultural studies puts the positioning to all knowledges, including on its knowledge which integrates with culture, practice of signification, representation, discourse, authority, articulation, text, read, and consumption. Cultural studies could be described as a language game or formation of discourse associated with relation to power in signification practice of human life. In addition to cultural studies, there is also feminism theory participated in the concept of feminist cultural studies that reconstructs and transforms view of misperception between feminism and cultural studies. Feminism affects cultural studies, but not all feminism can be viewed as cultural studies, and not all cultural studies talks about gender. Both of cultural studies and feminism have substantive importance in relation to power, representation, pop-culture, subjectivity, identity and consumption. The theory of social construction is also has connectivity with cultural studies. Construction of reality is inseparable from mark, symbol, and language. Media are full of reality constructed for people to affect people as ethics persuasion in media do. 

Cross-cultural invariance of NPI-13: Entitlement as culturally specific, leadership and grandiosity as culturally universal.

Science.gov (United States)

Żemojtel-Piotrowska, Magdalena; Piotrowski, Jarosław; Rogoza, Radosław; Baran, Tomasz; Hitokoto, Hidefumi; Maltby, John

2018-04-15

The current study explores the problem with the lack of measurement invariance for the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) by addressing two issues: conceptual heterogeneity of narcissism and methodological issues related to the binary character of data. We examine the measurement invariance of the 13-item version of the NPI in three populations in Japan, Poland and the UK. Analyses revealed that leadership/authority and grandiose exhibitionism dimensions of the NPI were cross-culturally invariant, while entitlement/exploitativeness was culturally specific. Therefore, we proposed NPI-9 as indicating scalar invariance, and we examined the pattern of correlations between NPI-9 and other variables across three countries. The results suggest that NPI-9 is valid brief scale measuring general levels of narcissism in cross-cultural studies, while the NPI-13 remains suitable for research within specific countries. © 2018 International Union of Psychological Science.

Culture and comorbidity in East and West berliners.

Science.gov (United States)

Fechner, Mary J

2010-03-01

Following the collapse of socialism, fluctuations in cardiac mortality rates in East Germany and a West-to-East cardiac health gradient became topics of interest. Researchers suggested possible causes for these phenomena, including stress from postsocialism. I proposed that a cultural investigation of heart disease comorbid with depression could inform our understanding of the potential health effects of the postsocialist transition. I conducted ethnographic and survey research. In the study described here, I administered a depression scale (CES-D) and an ethnographically derived measure of cultural stress (Good Life Survey) to over 200 East and West Berliners with cardiovascular disease. Comparison of the groups' depression means revealed no difference. However, correlation of the Good Life Survey and the CES-D revealed unique profiles of cultural variables associated with depression in the two groups, suggesting that culture shapes depression and cardiac risk. I discuss the value of cultural studies to comorbidity research.

A cultural turn in New Testament studies?

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2016-06-30

and ... interpreter (e.g. feminist, African-American) serves as a .... It was in film studies in particular that the focus shifted from the classic realist or .... and cultural criticism) in contemporary biblical studies as cultural studies or.

Exploration of Food Culture in Kisumu: A Socio-Cultural Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fredrick Argwenge Odede

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Increasingly food culture in the context of socio-cultural dimension is becoming important for sustainable urban development. In the last four years food festivals have been held in Kisumu attracting several interests both from within and without the City. The Kisumu fish night event of 2013 marked the melting point of food culture in Kisumu. This paper thus explores the noble intention of integrating food culture in Kisumu as a socio-cultural capital for the advancement of City sustainable development agenda. To an agrarian society, life is about food from its production, the processing/preservation up to the consumption or the sharing. People connect to their cultural or ethnic background through similar food patterns.  People from different cultural backgrounds eat different foods leading to the question: Are Luos in Kisumu defined by their own food culture? This study further investigated the mode of production, and storage of food resources, examined food cuisines of the Luo community in Kisumu, and assessed the food habits, practices and beliefs associated with food cuisines, as well as, the nutritional and socio-cultural values of Luo cuisines. The research employed qualitative methods of data collection such as interviews, observation, focused group discussion and photography using purposive and snowball sampling technique. Content analysis was used to draw general universal statements in thematic areas with respect to the research objectives. The study revealed that Luo community in Kisumu has a food culture laced with rich cultural practices, rituals and societal norms that defines them as a distinct cultural identity but interacts with other cultural groups in the metropolitan city of Kisumu. Further, the study confirms that indeed food culture is vital for sustainable development of urban centre granted that Kisumu largely evolved as urban centre for exchange of goods for food.

We Need to Talk about Cultural Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Justin O'Connor

2012-09-01

Full Text Available A review of Graeme Turner, What’s Become of Cultural Studies (Sage, London, 2012 and Lawrence Grossberg, Cultural Studies in the Future Tense (Duke University Press, Durham, 2010.

Quantitative PCR Profiling of Escherichia coli in Livestock Feces Reveals Increased Population Resilience Relative to Culturable Counts under Temperature Extremes.

Science.gov (United States)

Oliver, David M; Bird, Clare; Burd, Emmy; Wyman, Michael

2016-09-06

The relationship between culturable counts (CFU) and quantitative PCR (qPCR) cell equivalent counts of Escherichia coli in dairy feces exposed to different environmental conditions and temperature extremes was investigated. Fecal samples were collected in summer and winter from dairy cowpats held under two treatments: field-exposed versus polytunnel-protected. A significant correlation in quantified E. coli was recorded between the qPCR and culture-based methods (r = 0.82). Evaluation of the persistence profiles of E. coli over time revealed no significant difference in the E. coli numbers determined as either CFU or gene copies during the summer for the field-exposed cowpats, whereas significantly higher counts were observed by qPCR for the polytunnel-protected cowpats, which were exposed to higher ambient temperatures. In winter, the qPCR returned significantly higher counts of E. coli for the field-exposed cowpats, thus representing a reversal of the findings from the summer sampling campaign. Results from this study suggest that with increasing time post-defecation and with the onset of challenging environmental conditions, such as extremes in temperature, culture-based counts begin to underestimate the true resilience of viable E. coli populations in livestock feces. This is important not only in the long term as the Earth changes in response to climate-change drivers but also in the short term during spells of extremely cold or hot weather.

Semiology of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures: An international cross-cultural study.

Science.gov (United States)

Asadi-Pooya, Ali A; Valente, Kette; Alessi, Ruda; Tinker, Jennifer

2017-10-01

We compared the semiology of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) between patients from the USA and Brazil. This international cross-cultural comparative study may expand understanding of PNES across the borders. We retrospectively investigated all patients with PNES admitted to one epilepsy center in the USA and one in Brazil. We classified their seizures into four classes: generalized motor, akinetic, focal motor, and subjective symptoms. All patients were interviewed by an epileptologist in both countries and were administered psychological assessment measures, including questions about PNES risk factors. For the statistical analyses, we compared patients from the two nations. Eighty-nine patients (49 from the USA and 40 from Brazil) were studied. Patients from the two countries were not significantly different with regard to sex and age, but patients from Brazil had earlier age at onset (26years vs. 34years; P=0.004) and a significantly greater delay in diagnosis (9.9years vs. 5.6years; P=0.001). Some characteristics of PNES were different between the two groups; patients from the USA had generally more seizure types and more often reported subjective seizures (55% in the USA vs. 10% in Brazil; P=0.0001). Clinical and historical characteristics of the patients were not significantly different. Delay in diagnosis of PNES may represent a major factor in resource-limited countries. Large multicenter cross-cultural studies may reveal subtle but significant cross-cultural differences with respect to the semiological, clinical, and historical aspects of PNES; however, patients with PNES share more similarities than differences. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Co-Cultures of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Roseobacter denitrificans Reveal Shifts in Gene Expression Levels Compared to Solo Cultures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Crystal A. Conway

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Consistent biosynthesis of desired secondary metabolites (SMs from pure microbial cultures is often unreliable. In a proof-of-principle study to induce SM gene expression and production, we describe mixed “co-culturing” conditions and monitoring of messages via quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR. Gene expression of model bacterial strains (Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 and Roseobacter denitrificans Och114 was analyzed in pure solo and mixed cocultures to infer the effects of interspecies interactions on gene expression in vitro, Two P. aeruginosa genes (PhzH coding for portions of the phenazine antibiotic pathway leading to pyocyanin (PCN and the RhdA gene for thiosulfate: cyanide sulfurtransferase (Rhodanese and two R. denitrificans genes (BetaLact for metallo-beta-lactamase and the DMSP gene for dimethylpropiothetin dethiomethylase were assessed for differential expression. Results showed that R. denitrificans DMSP and BetaLact gene expression became elevated in a mixed culture. In contrast, P. aeruginosa co-cultures with R. denitrificans or a third species did not increase target gene expression above control levels. This paper provides insight for better control of target SM gene expression in vitro and bypass complex genetic engineering manipulations.

Controlled studies of chimpanzee cultural transmission.

Science.gov (United States)

Horner, Victoria; de Waal, Frans B M

2009-01-01

Following the first long-term field studies of chimpanzees in the 1960s, researchers began to suspect that chimpanzees from different African populations varied in their behavior, and that some of these variations were transmitted through social learning, thus suggesting culture. Additional reports of chimpanzee culture have since accumulated, which involve an increasing amount of behavioral variation that has no obvious ecological or genetic explanation. To date, close to 50 cultural variants have been reported, including subsistence behavior, tool-use, communication signals, and grooming patterns. Nevertheless, field studies lack the experimental controls and manipulations necessary to conclusively demonstrate that the observed variation results from differential invention and social transmission of behavior. This would require that behavioral variants have been learned from others, a question best addressed in a controlled experimental setting. The following chapter details a series of experimental studies at Yerkes National Primate Research Center of Emory University. In each case, the behavior of two captive groups (each N=12 individuals) was compared before and after the introduction of a novel foraging behavior by a trained conspecific "inventor." The studies were designed to investigate (i) the conditions under which chimpanzees learn from one another, (ii) how behaviors are transmitted, (iii) how cultures are maintained over generations. The results emphasize the importance of integrating both fieldwork and experimental approaches. Previous studies have reported deficits in chimpanzees' cultural capacities, but did so after testing them with human models, which are largely irrelevant to the problem at hand. A representative understanding of culture can only be gained when efforts are made to create a naturalistic learning environment in which chimpanzees have opportunities to learn spontaneously from conspecifics in a familiar social setting.

The Importance of Cultural Values and Trust for Innovation - A European Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhu, Bing; Habisch, André; Thøgersen, John

2018-01-01

covering 27 European countries, we find that innovation at the country level is positively correlated with the level of societal trust and with three cultural value dimensions: “Autonomy vs. Embeddedness”, “Egalitarianism vs. Hierarchy”, and “Harmony vs. Mastery”. A multivariate SEM analysis reveals...... that when “Autonomy vs. Embeddedness” is controlled, the two other cultural value dimensions are no longer significant. Further, a SEM path analysis confirms that the relationship between cultural values and innovation performances is completely mediated through the level of trust in a society. Overall...... settings (i.e., policy makers) are discussed. It is suggested that for successful innovation to blossom, the actors on both levels should aim at strengthening the cultural emphasis on individual autonomy, institutional integrity and mutual trust....

A study on relationship between cultural intelligence and cross-cultural adjustment in tour management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahdi Karroubi

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of cultural intelligence (CQ and emotional intelligence (EI on a tour leader’s adjustment in a different cultural environment. Data were collected from 330 outgoing tour leaders in Tehran, Iran. The construct validity was confirmed by using confirmatory factor analysis. The data were analyzed using correlation analysis and path analysis to test the effect of CQ on cross-cultural adjustment, and the moderating effect of EI on the relationship between CQ and cross-cultural adjustment. The results showed that CQ had a positive effect on cross-cultural adjustment. In addition, we found that CQ had a positive effect on EI. The findings of the research showed that emotional intelligence in not significantly the mediator variable. Emotional intelligence has a positive and significant effect on cross-cultural adjustment. The findings of this study contribute to the body of knowledge in the field of CQ and cross-cultural research, and it provides practical implications for individuals seeking to improve their cross-cultural effectiveness, enhancing their cultural intelligence and emotional intelligence, specifically in tourism industry.

The effects of the gender-culture interaction on self-reports of depressive symptoms: cross-cultural study among Egyptians and Canadians

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vivian Huang

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose Research in depression has revealed differences in the way depressed individuals across cultures report their symptoms. This literature also points to possible differences in symptom reporting patterns between men and women. Using data from a larger dataset (Beshai et al. 2016, the current study examined whether non-depressed and depressed Egyptian and Canadian men and women differed in their self-report of the various domains of the Beck Depression Inventory –II (BDI-II. Method We recruited a total of 131 depressed and non-depressed participants from both Egypt (n = 29 depressed; n = 29 non-depressed and Canada (n = 35 depressed; n = 38 non-depressed. Depression status was ascertained using a structured interview. All participants were asked to complete the BDI-II along with other self-report measures of depression. BDI-II items were divided into two subscales in accordance with Dozois, Dobson & Ahnberg (1998 factor analysis: cognitive-affective and somatic-vegetative subscales. Results We found a significant three-way interaction effect on the cognitive-affective (F(1,121 = 9.51, p = .003 and main effect of depression status on somatic-vegetative subscales (F(1,121 = 42.80, p < .001. Post hoc analyses revealed that depressed Egyptian men reported lower scores on the cognitive-affective subscale of the BDI-II compared to their depressed Canadian male counterparts. Conclusions These results suggest that males across cultures may differentially report cognitive symptoms of depression. These results also suggest that clinicians and clinical scientists need to further examine the interaction effect of culture and gender when investigating self-reported symptoms of depression.

Study on tissue culture for Gelidium seedling

Science.gov (United States)

Pei, Lu-Qing; Luo, Qi-Jun; Fei, Zhi-Qing; Ma, Bin

1996-06-01

As seedling culture is a crucial factor for successful cultivation of Gelidium, the authors researched tissue culture technology for producing seedlings. The morphogeny and experimental ecology were observed and studied fully in 2 5 mm isolated tissue fragments. Regeneration, appearance of branching creepers and attaching structure and new erect seedlings production and development were studied. Fragments were sown on bamboo slice and vinylon rope. The seedlings were cultured 20 30 days indoor, then cultured in the sea, where the density of erect seedlings was 3 19 seedlings/cm2, growth rate was 3.84% day. The frond arising from seedlings directly was up to 10 cm per year. The ecological conditions for regenerated seedlings are similar to the natural ones. The regenerated seedlings are suitable for raft culture in various sea areas.

Are all conservatives alike? A study of the psychological correlates of cultural and economic conservatism.

Science.gov (United States)

Crowson, H Michael

2009-10-01

The author addresses the question of whether cultural and economic conservatism differ among American citizens in their relation to measures of epistemic beliefs and motives, dogmatism, death-related anxiety, and the tendency to exhibit dogmatic aggression against those who hold beliefs and values that diverge from one's own. Data from this study suggest that these types of conservative attitudes exhibit different correlational patterns with the aforementioned measures. Research participants who held more culturally conservative attitudes were more likely to score higher on measures of the belief that knowledge is certain, dogmatism, need to evaluate, and fear of death. They also scored lower on need for cognition than did their less conservative counterparts. Moreover, participants who scored higher on cultural conservatism were more likely to exhibit dogmatic aggression. Economic conservatism was largely unrelated to measures of epistemic beliefs and motives, fear of death, dogmatism, and aggressiveness. Ancillary regression analyses revealed that belief that knowledge is certain and dogmatism were the strongest predictors of cultural conservatism. Cultural conservatism, fear of death, and need for structure were significant predictors of dogmatic aggression.

Cultural Attitudes as WTP Determinants: A Revised Cultural Worldview Scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andy S. Choi

2016-06-01

Full Text Available There has been little attention paid to the systematic measurement issue of general attitudes toward human-culture relationships. This paper applied the Cultural Worldview (CW scale that was developed by Choi et al. in 2007 (published in the Journal of Cultural Economics, and investigated its dimensionality and relationship with willingness to pay (WTP for cultural heritage protection through a sequential integration between latent variables and valuation models. A case study of 997 Korean respondents was employed to examine conservation values of cultural heritage sites using discrete choice models. Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that this scale can be used either as a single second-order factor or four correlated factors. A more parsimonious version of the CW scale with twelve items is endorsed in this paper and the results also confirm that it is valid for use with non-Western nations. The findings support a significant attitude–WTP relationship; there was a significant role of the CW scale that reveals unobserved factors in valuation models.

Journal of Cultural Studies

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Journal of Cultural Studies was established in 1999 as an independent tool for research development in Africa. It is published by the Nigerian Group for the Study of African ... Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: A Case for Linguistic and Sexual Politics? EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT ...

The transmission and stability of cultural life scripts: a cross-cultural study.

Science.gov (United States)

Janssen, Steve M J; Haque, Shamsul

2018-01-01

Cultural life scripts are shared knowledge about the timing of important life events. In the present study, we examined whether cultural life scripts are transmitted through traditions and whether there are additional ways through which they can be attained by asking Australian and Malaysian participants which information sources they had used to generate the life script of their culture. Participants hardly reported that they had used cultural and religious traditions. They more often reported that they had used their own experiences and experiences of relatives and friends. They also reported the use of comments of relatives and friends and the use of newspapers, books, movies and television programmes. Furthermore, we examined the stability of life scripts and similarities and differences across cultures. We found that life scripts are stable cognitive structures and that there are, besides cross-cultural differences in the content, small cross-cultural differences in the valence and distribution of life script events, with the Australian life script containing more positive events and more events expected to occur before the age of 16.

Cultural Differences in Online Learning: International Student Perceptions

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiaojing; Liu, Shijuan; Lee, Seung-hee; Magjuka, Richard J.

2010-01-01

This article reports the findings of a case study that investigated the perceptions of international students regarding the impact of cultural differences on their learning experiences in an online MBA program. The study also revealed that online instructors need to design courses in such a way as to remove potential cultural barriers, including…

Karl Marx and the Study of Media and Culture Today

OpenAIRE

Christian Fuchs

2014-01-01

The task of this paper discusses the role of Marx in analysing media, communica-tion and culture today. An analysis of three contemporary Cultural Studies works – Lawrence Grossberg’s monograph Cultural Studies in the Future Tense, John Hartley’s monograph Digital Futures for Cultural and Media Studies and Paul Smith’s edited volume The Renewal of Cultural Studies – shows that there is an agreement that the economy needs to be taken more into account by Cultural Studies, but disagreement on w...

The Virginian's Cultural Clashes: A Study of Cultural Representation in Owen Wister's novel The Virginian

OpenAIRE

Aksnes, Karoline

2012-01-01

This thesis is a cultural study of Owen Wister's novel The Virginian. Its main focus is on the ways in which cultural differences between East and West are staged and acted out in the novel's depiction of a culturally diverse frontier environment in nineteenth century Wyoming, USA. Central in this study are the story's three main characters as they represent different cultural backgrounds, and, by their personal experiences with the Western environment as well as wi...

[Culture conditions for gametes and embryos: Which culture medium? Which impact on newborn?

Science.gov (United States)

Koscinski, I; Merten, M; Kazdar, N; Guéant, J-L

2018-05-01

Many studies have examined the impact of cell/embryo culture media on the development of human embryo during IVF process, but few studies have followed up and compared the effects of these culture media on the developmental outcome of children conceived by IVF. As recurrent experimental evidence from animal studies suggests potential long-term effects of embryo culture media on the health outcome of IVF-conceived children, more studies are needed to clarify the role of the culture media and mechanisms underlying such effects. In human, however, the effects of culture media are difficult to pinpoint due to complications stem from both the influence of maternal nutrition during the gestational period and the parental genetic. Based on a simple review of the literature integrating animal experimentations and human clinic studies, we suggest that the composition of culture medium should be considered beyond the character of unique or sequential medium, corresponding to "let embryo choose" or "back to nature" respectively. Instead, we suggest that the main components of embryo culture media should be considered from the point of view of metabolic consequences and potential epigenetic effects. Given that energetic metabolites can regulate epigenetic machinery, we hypothesize that metabolic abnormalities linked to morphological abnormalities could reveal epigenetic defects in embryos. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Cross-cultural emotional prosody recognition: evidence from Chinese and British listeners.

Science.gov (United States)

Paulmann, Silke; Uskul, Ayse K

2014-01-01

This cross-cultural study of emotional tone of voice recognition tests the in-group advantage hypothesis (Elfenbein & Ambady, 2002) employing a quasi-balanced design. Individuals of Chinese and British background were asked to recognise pseudosentences produced by Chinese and British native speakers, displaying one of seven emotions (anger, disgust, fear, happy, neutral tone of voice, sad, and surprise). Findings reveal that emotional displays were recognised at rates higher than predicted by chance; however, members of each cultural group were more accurate in recognising the displays communicated by a member of their own cultural group than a member of the other cultural group. Moreover, the evaluation of error matrices indicates that both culture groups relied on similar mechanism when recognising emotional displays from the voice. Overall, the study reveals evidence for both universal and culture-specific principles in vocal emotion recognition.

The Interplay Between Online and Offline Community Culture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kornum, Niels; Gyrd-Jones, Richard; Al Zagir, Nadia

This study examines the interplay between online and offline community cultures based on identifying the distinct features of both. Studying this interaction explicitly and in empirical analysis is new to community literature and brands can through this better know the communities to which...... they relate. The findings reveal that without a thorough understanding of both online and offline cultures and their interaction, companies or brands may get a misleading picture of these cultures. For instance, if only looking at the culture online and not core values offline, the company might intervene...

Consumer perception of balsamic vinegar: A cross-cultural study between Korea and Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

Torri, Luisa; Jeon, Seon-Young; Piochi, Maria; Morini, Gabriella; Kim, Kwang-Ok

2017-01-01

Understanding cross-cultural differences in food perception is a key issue of food research in order to understand consumer behaviour in different countries. The objective of this study was to explore potential cultural differences of balsamic vinegar perception between Korean and Italian consumers using the sorted napping method. Nine balsamic vinegars different in terms of ingredients, aging time, and origin were evaluated by Korean (n=50) and Italian (n=49) consumers using sorted napping. Familiarity and food matching were also examined. Descriptive analysis was performed to verify the attitude of the consumers in product description. The results obtained from two groups of consumers in Korea and Italy revealed a higher description attitude of the Italians (higher number of total elicited attributes, of attributes in common with the trained panel, of attributes shared with the vocabulary reported in literature, of significant specific positive product-attribute associations). Italian subjects generated various descriptors associated with the European gastronomic culture (aromatic herbs, fortified wine, dried figs, Indian fig, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese), whereas Korean consumers used more terms related to the Asian food culture (red ginseng, Chinese medicine, Japanese apricot, teriyaki sauce, persimmon vinegar, balloon flower roots). Moreover, cultural differences of food matching were also observed: the Italians would pair the balsamic vinegars mainly with vegetables, fruits and cheese, while Koreans would combine the balsamic vinegars preferably with bread, vegetables and meat. In conclusion, familiarity resulted the main factors for cross-cultural differentiation. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Equifinality in empirical studies of cultural transmission.

Science.gov (United States)

Barrett, Brendan J

2018-01-31

Cultural systems exhibit equifinal behavior - a single final state may be arrived at via different mechanisms and/or from different initial states. Potential for equifinality exists in all empirical studies of cultural transmission including controlled experiments, observational field research, and computational simulations. Acknowledging and anticipating the existence of equifinality is important in empirical studies of social learning and cultural evolution; it helps us understand the limitations of analytical approaches and can improve our ability to predict the dynamics of cultural transmission. Here, I illustrate and discuss examples of equifinality in studies of social learning, and how certain experimental designs might be prone to it. I then review examples of equifinality discussed in the social learning literature, namely the use of s-shaped diffusion curves to discern individual from social learning and operational definitions and analytical approaches used in studies of conformist transmission. While equifinality exists to some extent in all studies of social learning, I make suggestions for how to address instances of it, with an emphasis on using data simulation and methodological verification alongside modern statistical approaches that emphasize prediction and model comparison. In cases where evaluated learning mechanisms are equifinal due to non-methodological factors, I suggest that this is not always a problem if it helps us predict cultural change. In some cases, equifinal learning mechanisms might offer insight into how both individual learning, social learning strategies and other endogenous social factors might by important in structuring cultural dynamics and within- and between-group heterogeneity. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cross-Cultural Competences and International Entrepreneurial Intention: A Study on Entrepreneurship Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shuijing Jie

2017-01-01

Full Text Available To identify and foster potential international entrepreneurs are important goals for entrepreneurship education. Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB, we argue that International entrepreneurial intention (IEI is a predictor of international entrepreneurship (IE. In addition, cross-cultural competences are hypothesized as antecedents to IEI and moderators of the relationship between TPB elements and IEI. We integrate two elements of cross-cultural competences (global mindset and cultural intelligence in a TPB-framework to identify the drivers of students’ IEI. We analyze a sample of 84 students with OLS regression and moderation analysis. OLS regression results reveal no significant direct effects from cultural intelligence and global mindset on IEI. Moderation analyses suggest a negative, significant moderating effect of cultural intelligence on the relationship between personal attitude and IEI and on subjective norms and IEI. Therefore, simply enhancing global mindset and cultural intelligence does not contribute to students’ IEI. More is required from entrepreneurship education, such as improving the perception of international entrepreneurship as a valuable career choice.

Concepts of Culture in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pierre Hecker

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Introducing the seventh issue of META, this editorial discusses prevalent concepts of culture in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies. Different conceptualizations of culture that explicitly or implicitly contain qualitative differentiations between cultures are revisited and discussed. Bearing considerable weight in the respective disciplines, the Islam-andthe-West paradigm, the delineation of diverging cultures along ethnic lines, the equation of culture with art or religion, and the culture-as-civilization paradigm are being scrutinized. Serving as an example for the confusion and lack of clarity regarding the concept of "culture", the book The Culture of Ambiguity by the German scholar of Islamic Studies Thomas Bauer is analyzed regarding its use of the term.

Use of the Culture Care Theory and ethnonursing method to discover how nursing faculty teach culture care.

Science.gov (United States)

Mixer, Sandra J

2008-04-01

As the world becomes increasingly multicultural, transcultural nursing education is critical to ensuring a culturally competent workforce. This paper presents a comprehensive review of literature and results of an ethnonursing pilot study using the Culture Care Theory (CCT) to discover how nursing faculty teach culture care. The literature revealed that despite 50 years of transcultural nursing knowledge development through theory, research and practice, there remains a lack of formal, integrated culture education in nursing. The importance of faculty providing generic and professional care to nursing students and using an organising framework to teach culture care was discovered. Additionally, care was essential for faculty health and well-being to enable faculty to teach culture care. This unique use of the theory and method demonstrates its usefulness in discovering and describing the complex nature of teaching culture care. Larger scale studies are predicted to further substantiate the CCT, building the discipline of nursing.

Karl Marx and the Study of Media and Culture Today

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian Fuchs

2014-02-01

Full Text Available The task of this paper discusses the role of Marx in analysing media, communica-tion and culture today. An analysis of three contemporary Cultural Studies works – Lawrence Grossberg’s monograph Cultural Studies in the Future Tense, John Hartley’s monograph Digital Futures for Cultural and Media Studies and Paul Smith’s edited volume The Renewal of Cultural Studies – shows that there is an agreement that the economy needs to be taken more into account by Cultural Studies, but disagreement on which approach should be taken and what the role of Karl Marx’s works shall be. The paper argues that Marx’s labour theory of value is especially important for critically analysing the media, culture and communica-tion. Labour is still a blind spot of the study of culture and the media, although this situation is slowly improving. It is maintained that the turn away from Marx in Cultural and Media Studies was a profound mistake that should be reverted. Only an engagement with Marx can make Cultural and Media Studies topical, politically relevant, practical and critical, in the current times of global crisis and resurgent critique.

Creatine-induced activation of antioxidative defence in myotube cultures revealed by explorative NMR-based metabonomics and proteomics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nielsen Niels

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Creatine is a key intermediate in energy metabolism and supplementation of creatine has been used for increasing muscle mass, strength and endurance. Creatine supplementation has also been reported to trigger the skeletal muscle expression of insulin like growth factor I, to increase the fat-free mass and improve cognition in elderly, and more explorative approaches like transcriptomics has revealed additional information. The aim of the present study was to reveal additional insight into the biochemical effects of creatine supplementation at the protein and metabolite level by integrating the explorative techniques, proteomics and NMR metabonomics, in a systems biology approach. Methods Differentiated mouse myotube cultures (C2C12 were exposed to 5 mM creatine monohydrate (CMH for 24 hours. For proteomics studies, lysed myotubes were analyzed in single 2-DGE gels where the first dimension of protein separation was pI 5-8 and second dimension was a 12.5% Criterion gel. Differentially expressed protein spots of significance were excised from the gel, desalted and identified by peptide mass fingerprinting using MALDI-TOF MS. For NMR metabonomic studies, chloroform/methanol extractions of the myotubes were subjected to one-dimensional 1H NMR spectroscopy and the intracellular oxidative status of myotubes was assessed by intracellular DCFH2 oxidation after 24 h pre-incubation with CMH. Results The identified differentially expressed proteins included vimentin, malate dehydrogenase, peroxiredoxin, thioredoxin dependent peroxide reductase, and 75 kDa and 78 kDa glucose regulated protein precursors. After CMH exposure, up-regulated proteomic spots correlated positively with the NMR signals from creatine, while down-regulated proteomic spots were negatively correlated with these NMR signals. The identified differentially regulated proteins were related to energy metabolism, glucose regulated stress, cellular structure and the

A Bibliometric Study on Culture Research in International Business

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudia Frias Pinto

2014-07-01

Full Text Available National cultures and cultural differences provide a crucial component of the international business (IB research context. We conducted a bibliometric study of articles published in seven leading IB journals over a period of three decades to analyze how national culture has been impacting IB research. Co-citation mappings permit us to identify the ties binding works dealing with culture and cultural issues in IB. We identify two main clusters of research, each comprising two sub-clusters, with Hofstede’s (1980 work delineating much of the conceptual and empirical approach to culture-related studies. One main cluster entails works on the conceptualization of culture and its dimensions and the other cluster focuses on cultural distance. This conceptual framework captures the extant IB research incorporating culture-related concepts and influences.

The Need for a Cross-Cultural Empirical Musicology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marc Leman

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The paper by Lara Pearson shows that a case study based on qualitative description may reveal interesting aspects about the co-occurrence of hand gestures and singing in a particular music culture. However, above all the paper lets us dream about what could be possible if forces from cultural studies and music cognition research were to be combined. A cross-cultural empirical musicology holds the promise of scientific work that goes far beyond qualitative descriptions.

Cultural Diversity or Cultural Imperialism: Liberal Education in Egypt.

Science.gov (United States)

Blanks, David R.

1998-01-01

A faculty member's experience at the American University in Cairo (Egypt) reveals that pluralism and tolerance are western concepts, even within the college curriculum. National identity affords cultural stability: where the American melting-pot experience is reinforced by the notion of cultural diversity, the national identity of Egypt is…

Anthropological Studies of Popular Culture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bojan Žikić

2016-02-01

Full Text Available One of the questions raised at the symposium "Our World, Other Worlds. Anthropology, Science Fiction and Cultural Identity", held in Belgrade in December 2009, is how anthropology is to study contemporary art forms: how research issues are to be defined and approached; how research is to be organized in a specific semantic area, which cannot always and with absolute certainty be said not to be an anthropological construction; whether the subject of research can be said to have the shared nature of cultural communication; whether the anthropologist is to interpret the author/artist’s intention, or that which is produced as a result of that intention, etc. The aim of this paper is to suggest some answers to these questions, from the point of view of a researcher focused on cultural communication.

Study on the effect of hypoxia on apoptosis of cultured newly born rat cardiac myocytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su Weidong; Li Huiqiang; Yao Zhi

2005-01-01

Objective: To investigate the possible hypoxia-mediated cellular apoptosis after ischemic cardiac injury via a model of cultured newly born rat cardiac myocytes. Methods: Cardiac myocytes cultures from newly born rats (1-3d) were examined for apoptosis with HE stain and flow cytometry after cultured 96h and again examined after exposure to hypoxic environment for 16h. Results: Apoptotic changes were evident in the hypoxic culture cells. The HE stain revealed cellular shrinkage, nuclear chromosomal condensation with cytoplasmic eosinophilia. Also, distinct apoptosis peak was observed in the flow cytometry. Conclusion: This experiment proved that hypoxic model of cardiac myocyte culture showed definite apoptosis of the cells. (authors)

Convergence, Creative Industries and Civil Society Towards a New Agenda for Cultural Policy and Cultural Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Colin Mercer

2009-10-01

Full Text Available In this article I start with a personal experience "cameo" from 1996 in Australia and extrapolate from that some issues that remain relevant in the sometimes trou-bled relationship between cultural studies and cultural policy. These are encapsu-lated in the three "cs" of convergence, creative industries and civil society which provide a new context for both new research and new policy settings. The argu-ment is developed and situated in historical terms by examining the "cultural technologies", especially the newspaper, and subsequently print media in the 19th century, electronic media in the 20th century and digital media in the 21st century which provide the content, the technologies and the rituals for "imagining" our sense of place and belonging. This is then linked to ways of understanding culture and cultural technologies in the context of governmentality and the emergence of culture as a strategic object of policy with the aim of citizen- and population for-mation and management. This argument is then linked to four contemporary "testbeds" - cultural mapping and planning, cultural statistics and indicators, cul-tural citizenship and identity, and research of and for cultural policy - and priori-ties for cultural policy where cultural studies work has been extremely enabling and productive. The article concludes with an argument, derived from the early 20th century work of Patrick Geddes of the necessity of linking, researching, un-derstanding and operationalising the three key elements and disciplines of Folk (anthropology, Work (economics, and Place (geography in order to properly situate cultural policy, mapping and planning and their relationship to cultural studies and other disciplines.

Protein biosynthesis in cultured human hair follicle cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Weterings, P J; Vermorken, A J; Bloemendal, H

1980-10-31

A new technique has been used for culturing human keratinocytes. The cells grow on the basement membrane-like capsules of bovine lenses. Lens cells were removed from the capsules by rigid trypsinization. In order to exclude any contamination with remaining living cells the isolated capsules were irradiated with X-rays at a dose of 10,000 rad. In this way human epithelial cells can be brought in culture from individual hair follicles. Since feeder cells are not used in this culture technique, the biosynthesis of keratinocyte proteins can be studied in these cultures. The newly synthesized proteins can be separated into a water-soluble, a urea-soluble, and a urea-insoluble fraction. Product analysis has been performed on the first two fractions revealing protein patterns identical to those of intact hair follicles. Product analysis of the urea-soluble fractions of microdissected hair follicles shows that the protein pattern of the cultured keratinocytes resembles the protein pattern of the hair follicle sheath. Studies on the metabolism of benzo(a)pyrene revealed that the enzyme aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) is present in cultured hair follicle cells. A possible use of our culture system for eventual detection of inherited predisposition for smoking-dependent lung cancer is discussed.

Traditional costume: contemporary elements in street culture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Márcia Merlo

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The article discusses the memory of the costumes and the way people record and interpret their relations with them. This is on the assumption that we put ourselves at all, and for that reason, too, the popular costumes reveal the political place of each subject on the Festa de São Benedito in Congada de Ilhabela - manifestation of African descent culture chosen to treated in this text. This study aimed to understand the role of costume in the composition of the cultural identity of black ethnic-racial group of Ilhabela, to point out how a seemingly simple costume can reveal so many meanings for the group in question. The Congada de Ilhabela is the devotion of a population to a saint; holy and black people who resisted the many prejudices and deep social and economic transformations. Therefore, the expression of that culture and tradition invented by means of a negotiated identity will be discussed. Regarding the costume, the study will be based on material culture and participant observation conducted with this population between the years 1995 to 2002.

Influence of organizational and project cultures on project success

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Berdykulova G. M.

2017-10-01

Full Text Available the article is dedicated to studying the influence of organizational and project cultures on effective project management of the company by knowledge systematization and the comparative analysis of world companies’ practice that allowed to reveal the main factors and criteria of projects success and negative influence of organizational culture on the project; key aspects of corporate culture and cultural integration under the conditions of globalization.

Culture's building blocks: investigating cultural evolution in a LEGO construction task.

Science.gov (United States)

McGraw, John J; Wallot, Sebastian; Mitkidis, Panagiotis; Roepstorff, Andreas

2014-01-01

ONE OF THE MOST ESSENTIAL BUT THEORETICALLY VEXING ISSUES REGARDING THE NOTION OF CULTURE IS THAT OF CULTURAL EVOLUTION AND TRANSMISSION: how a group's accumulated solutions to invariant challenges develop and persevere over time. But at the moment, the notion of applying evolutionary theory to culture remains little more than a suggestive trope. Whereas the modern synthesis of evolutionary theory has provided an encompassing scientific framework for the selection and transmission of biological adaptations, a convincing theory of cultural evolution has yet to emerge. One of the greatest challenges for theorists is identifying the appropriate time scales and units of analysis in order to reduce the intractably large and complex phenomenon of "culture" into its component "building blocks." In this paper, we present a model for scientifically investigating cultural processes by analyzing the ways people develop conventions in a series of LEGO construction tasks. The data revealed a surprising pattern in the selection of building bricks as well as features of car design across consecutive building sessions. Our findings support a novel methodology for studying the development and transmission of culture through the microcosm of interactive LEGO design and assembly.

Elder mistreatment, culture, and help-seeking: a cross-cultural comparison of older Chinese and Korean immigrants.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Yeon-Shim; Moon, Ailee; Gomez, Cynthia

2014-01-01

This study explored and compared the salient sociocultural characteristics that influenced elder mistreatment and help-seeking behaviors among older Chinese and Korean immigrants. Results from qualitative, in-depth focus groups with 30 participants revealed that elder mistreatment is a culturally laden construct, and core values of traditional culture and acculturation are significant contextual factors that profoundly affect the perceptions of elder abuse and receptivity of interventions. Older Korean participants, compared to their Chinese counterparts, demonstrated stronger influence of hierarchy and cultural beliefs in exclusive family ties and gender norms, and were less likely to disclose abuse. Implications for culturally based interventions are also discussed.

Cultural Knowledge in News Comprehension

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mathieu, David

2009-01-01

This paper presents the main lines of the design and the findings of a reception study on news comprehension. This empirical study is a comparison of the comprehension processes of Danes and French Canadians over a set of news texts from both countries. Comprehension is explored from a cultural...... perspective, through the lens of cognition and pragmatics, revealing the role played by cultural knowledge in comprehension and the underlying relationship between a text and its intended audience. It is argued that recipients ‘problematise’ the news texts, a process by which the texts answer questions...

New Product Development, R&D, and Culture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brem, Alexander; Kürzdörfer, Tamara

2016-01-01

Recent developments in the global economy indicate that new product development (NPD) activities are not limited to any single country; rather, they have spread across nations and cultures. This study aims to increase the understanding of NPD through an intercultural analysis by comparing...... innovation processes in Germany and China. Our study relates NPD and Hofstede's cultural dimensions by identifying culture-based patterns of similarities and differences between German and Chinese practices related to strategic, organisational, and operational factors. The research subjects are five...... international companies with research and development sites of the same business section in Germany and China. The findings reveal both culture-dependent and culture-independent factors. Most of the strategic and organisational factors in the two countries are relatively similar because of site...

Organizational culture in cardiovascular care in Chinese hospitals: a descriptive cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Emily S; Downing, Nicholas S; Li, Xi; Singer, Sara J; Curry, Leslie A; Li, Jing; Krumholz, Harlan M; Jiang, Lixin

2015-12-21

Organizational learning, the process by which a group changes its behavior in response to newly acquired knowledge, is critical to outstanding organizational performance. In hospitals, strong organizational learning culture is linked with improved health outcomes for patients. This study characterizes the organizational learning culture of hospitals in China from the perspective of a cardiology service. Using a modified Abbreviated Learning Organization Survey (27 questions), we characterized organizational learning culture in a nationally representative sample of 162 Chinese hospitals, selecting 2 individuals involved with cardiovascular care at each hospital. Responses were analyzed at the hospital level by calculating the average of the two responses to each question. Responses were categorized as positive if they were 5+ on a 7-point scale or 4+ on a 5-point scale. Univariate and multiple regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between selected hospital characteristics and perceptions of organizational learning culture. Of the 324 participants invited to take the survey, 316 responded (98 % response rate). Perceptions of organizational learning culture varied among items, among domains, and both among and within hospitals. Overall, the median proportion of positive responses was 82 % (interquartile range = 59 % to 93 %). "Training," "Performance Monitoring," and "Leadership that Reinforces Learning" were characterized as the most favorable domains, while "Time for Reflection" was the least favorable. Multiple regression analyses showed that region was the only factor significantly correlated with overall positive response rate. This nationally representative survey demonstrated variation in hospital organizational learning culture among hospitals in China. The variation was not substantially explained by hospital characteristics. Organizational learning culture domains with lower positive response rates reveal important areas for

Impact of organisational culture and leadership style on quality of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Impact of organisational culture and leadership style on quality of work-life among employees in Nigera. ... African Journal for the Psychological Study of Social Issues ... As hypothesized, the study reveals that organizational culture and leadership style independently and jointly significantly influence quality of work life ...

STUDY OF FUTURE PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ CULTURAL TRAINING WITHIN THE INFORMATION CULTURE OF SOCIETY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tatiana Vinnyk

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The article presents the results of scientific studies and experimental approbation of pedagogical conditions of future primary school teachers’ cultural training taking into account the information culture of society. The nature and structure of the notion «future primary school teachers’ cultural training» are clarified. The indicated phenomenon is considered as the structure of four levels, the core of which is personality’s humanistic orientation, the totality of psychological-pedagogical and cultural knowledge and skills, the complex of professionally significant personal qualities. The author pointed out the criteria and related indicators of cultural proficiency, they are: value-motivational (vocational and humanistic orientation; the presence of values and professional motives; motivation for success; substantial and procedural (knowledge and skills in psycho-pedagogical disciplines; the body of knowledge regarding the content and components of cultural training, cultural skills; assessment and behavioral (the existence of communicative qualities, ability to empathy, tolerance. Levels of future primary school teachers’ cultural readiness: high, average and low are characterized. The experience of ICT using in students’ cultural training is presented. Pedagogical conditions of future primary school teachers’ cultural training in University are identified, their effectiveness is proved by experimental testing

Organ culture studies for pancreatic islet transplantation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reemtsma, K.; Weber, C.J.; Pi-Sunyer, F.X.; Lerner, R.; Zimmerman, E.; Hardy, M.A.

1979-01-01

Data support the usefulness of tissue culture in isolation and preservation of islets prior to transplantation. Rodent islet viability in culture was demonstrated histologically and by functional analyses of hormone production. For reasons that remain to be defined, acinar cells disappeared rapidly in tissue culture, yielding an implant preparation relatively rich in islets and devoid of pancreatic exocrine elements. Isografts of cultured and noncultured islets were well tolerated intraperitoneally and intramuscularly; and prompt and lasting reversal of short- and long-standing experimental diabetes was observed regularly. In vitro studies of rodent islet viability after immunosuppressive treatment of donors or islet cultures showed insulin production comparable to that of control experiments, suggesting that immunologic modification of donors or islets might be feasible in eventual human islet allotransplantation

Micropatterned substrates for studying astrocytes in culture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

William Lee

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Recent studies of the physiological roles of astrocytes have ignited renewed interest in the functional significance of these glial cells in the central nervous system. Many of the newly discovered astrocytic functions were initially demonstrated and characterized in cell culture systems. We discuss the use of microculture techniques and micropatterning of cell-adhesive substrates in studies of astrocytic Ca2+ excitability and bidirectional neuron-astrocyte signaling. This culturing approach aims to reduce the level of complexity of the system by limiting the interacting partners and by controlling the localization of cells. It provides tight control over experimental conditions allowing detailed characterization of cellular functions and intercellular communication. Although such a reductionist approach yields some difference in observations between astrocytic properties in culture and in situ, general phenomena discovered in cell culture systems, however, have also been found in vivo.

Measuring Safety Culture on Ships Using Safety Climate: A Study among Indian Officers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yogendra Bhattacharya

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Workplace safety continues to be an area of concern in the maritime industry due to the international nature of the operations. The effectiveness of extensive legislation to manage shipboard safety remains in doubt. The focus must therefore shift towards the human element - seafarers and their perceptions of safety. The study aims to understand the alignment that exists between safety culture and safety climate on board ships as perceived by seafarers. The underlying factors of safety climate were identified using factor analysis which isolated seven factors - Support on Safety, Organizational Support, Resource Availability, Work Environment, Job Demands, ‘Just’ Culture, and Safety Compliance. The perception of safety level of seafarers was found to be low indicating the existence of misalignments between safety culture values and the actual safety climate. The study also reveals that the safety perceptions of officers employed directly by ship owners and those by managers do not differ significantly, nor do they differ between senior and junior officers. A shift in perspective towards how seafarers themselves feel towards safety might provide more effective solutions – instead of relying on regulations - and indeed aid in reducing incidents on board. This paper details practical suggestions on how to identify the factors that contribute towards a better safety climate on board ships.

Concepts of Culture in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies

OpenAIRE

Pierre Hecker; Igor Johannsen

2017-01-01

Introducing the seventh issue of META, this editorial discusses prevalent concepts of culture in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies. Different conceptualizations of culture that explicitly or implicitly contain qualitative differentiations between cultures are revisited and discussed. Bearing considerable weight in the respective disciplines, the Islam-andthe-West paradigm, the delineation of diverging cultures along ethnic lines, the equation of culture with art or religion, and the culture-...

Music lessons: revealing medicine's learning culture through a comparison with that of music

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Watling, C.N.; Driessen, E.; Vleuten, C.P.M. van der; Vanstone, M.; Lingard, L.

2013-01-01

CONTEXT: Research on medical learning has tended to focus on the individual learner, but a sufficient understanding of the learning process requires that attention also be paid to the essential influence of the cultural context within which learning takes place. In this study, we undertook a

Comparative assessment of the impact of national culture dimensions on traits of organization culture

OpenAIRE

Štreimikienė, Dalia; Mikalauskienė, Asta

2012-01-01

The paper deals with national culture and organizational culture assessment methods and applies the Denison Organization Culture Survey to measure organizational culture in Lithuanian SME in Kaunas region. The paper aims to define the impact of national culture dimensions on organizational culture dimensions by applying comparative analysis for Taiwan, Mexico and Lithuania. The comparative analysis revealed that power distance is positively related to involvement, but negatively related to th...

Comparative assessment of the impact of national culture dimensions on traits of organization culture

OpenAIRE

Štreimikienė, Dalia; Mikalauskienė, Asta

2013-01-01

The paper deals with national culture and organizational culture assessment methods and applies the Denison Organization Culture Survey to measure organizational culture in Lithuanian SME in Kaunas region. The paper aims to define the impact of national culture dimensions on organizational culture dimensions by applying comparative analysis for Taiwan, Mexico and Lithuania. The comparative analysis revealed that power distance is positively related to involvement, but negatively related to th...

Dilemmas of Cultural Mediation: A Case Study of Tourism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ajtony Zsuzsanna

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Travelling implies the encounter and, in certain cases, the clash of cultures. By interpreting translation as a means of transfer between languages and cultures, the present study looks into the different views on translating culture-specific realia. Through a close analysis of texts with the purpose of informing foreign tourists it offers ways of how to carry out this mediation. The study calls for further research into closely related issues, such as the translator’s cultural awareness of and sensitivity to similarity and difference, identity and alterity in culture.

Adolescents Family Models : A Cross-Cultural Study

OpenAIRE

Mayer, Boris

2009-01-01

This study explores and compares the family models of adolescents across ten cultures using a typological and multilevel approach. Thereby, it aims to empirically contribute to Kagitcibasi s (2007) theory of family change. This theory postulates the existence of three ideal-typical family models across cultures: a family model of independence prevailing in Western societies, a family model of (total) interdependence prevailing in non-industrialized agrarian cultures, and as a synthesis of the...

Primate archaeology reveals cultural transmission in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus)

Science.gov (United States)

Luncz, Lydia V.; Wittig, Roman M.; Boesch, Christophe

2015-01-01

Recovering evidence of past human activities enables us to recreate behaviour where direct observations are missing. Here, we apply archaeological methods to further investigate cultural transmission processes in percussive tool use among neighbouring chimpanzee communities in the Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa. Differences in the selection of nut-cracking tools between neighbouring groups are maintained over time, despite frequent female transfer, which leads to persistent cultural diversity between chimpanzee groups. Through the recovery of used tools in the suggested natal territory of immigrants, we have been able to reconstruct the tool material selection of females prior to migration. In combination with direct observations of tool selection of local residents and immigrants after migration, we uncovered temporal changes in tool selection for immigrating females. After controlling for ecological differences between territories of immigrants and residents our data suggest that immigrants abandoned their previous tool preference and adopted the pattern of their new community, despite previous personal proficiency of the same foraging task. Our study adds to the growing body of knowledge on the importance of conformist tendencies in animals. PMID:26483527

Primate archaeology reveals cultural transmission in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus).

Science.gov (United States)

Luncz, Lydia V; Wittig, Roman M; Boesch, Christophe

2015-11-19

Recovering evidence of past human activities enables us to recreate behaviour where direct observations are missing. Here, we apply archaeological methods to further investigate cultural transmission processes in percussive tool use among neighbouring chimpanzee communities in the Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa. Differences in the selection of nut-cracking tools between neighbouring groups are maintained over time, despite frequent female transfer, which leads to persistent cultural diversity between chimpanzee groups. Through the recovery of used tools in the suggested natal territory of immigrants, we have been able to reconstruct the tool material selection of females prior to migration. In combination with direct observations of tool selection of local residents and immigrants after migration, we uncovered temporal changes in tool selection for immigrating females. After controlling for ecological differences between territories of immigrants and residents our data suggest that immigrants abandoned their previous tool preference and adopted the pattern of their new community, despite previous personal proficiency of the same foraging task. Our study adds to the growing body of knowledge on the importance of conformist tendencies in animals. © 2015 The Author(s).

Cultural intelligence: A research landscape

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alon, Ilan; Lankut, Erik; Richter, Nicole Franziska

Purpose: This study identifies reviews the most influential literature streams to cultural intelligence by a bibliometric citation analysis and provides recommendations for future research. Design/methodology/approach: Three bibliometric citation tools are used to analyse a sample of 357 articles...... by 823 scholars in 199 different journals published between 1992-2017. Findings: The analysis reveals 10 research clusters within the topic of cultural intelligence and anables the identification of future research within and at the intercept of clusters....

Gordon Rohlehr and the Culture Industry in Trinidad

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Raymond Ramcharitar

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The terms "culture" and "cultural studies" in Trinidad and Tobago have been narrowly defined to mean Carnival and various other phenomena connected to the nationalist project. There has been little acknowledgement of cyber culture, alternative sexualities, consumerism, media, and in general the "Culture Industry", as theorised by Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer. One critic, Gordon Rohlehr, has over decades presented a body of work ostensibly focused on Carnival, but which also contains a cogent critique and outline of the Trinidad and Tobago Culture Industry (as contemplated by Adorno. A close reading of Rohlehr's work, and his intellectual antecedents, reveal a compelling critique of the Trinidadian/West Indian notion and practice of culture and cultural studies, and suggests areas for the discipline's expansion to better serve the needs of the region.

Going Places: Praxis and Pedagogy in Australian Cultural Studies

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Rebecca Rey

2011-09-01

Full Text Available This article considers the pedagogical value of praxis in maintaining the relevance of cultural studies in the Australian academic environment. Following its highly politicised beginnings at the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies, we consider whether traditional classroom practices are commensurate with the contemporary expectations of students and staff. As a working model of the current Australian university climate, we consider the discipline group of English and Cultural Studies (ECS at the University of Western Australia. After evaluating data gathered from interviews and surveys across the undergraduate, postgraduate and staff population, we suggest potential pedagogical innovations to be implemented in cultural studies at UWA, as a case study within Australia. Our findings show that students are calling for practical activities that would benefit their studies as a complement to theory in the classroom. As a result, we argue that praxis is not only important, but vital, in the teaching of cultural studies as an enabling activity that encourages the use of new teaching methods.

Nurses' perceptions of patient safety culture in Jordanian hospitals.

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Khater, W A; Akhu-Zaheya, L M; Al-Mahasneh, S I; Khater, R

2015-03-01

Patients' safety culture is a key aspect in determining healthcare organizations' ability to address and reduce risks of patients. Nurses play a major role in patients' safety because they are accountable for direct and continuous patient care. There is little known information about patients' safety culture in Jordanian hospitals, particularly from the perspective of healthcare providers. The study aimed to assess patient safety culture in Jordanian hospitals from nurses' perspective. A cross-sectional, descriptive design was utilized. A total number of 658 nurses participated in the current study. Data were collected using an Arabic version of the hospital survey of patients' safety culture. Teamwork within unit dimensions had a high positive response, and was perceived by nurses to be the only strong suit in Jordanian hospitals. Areas that required improvement, as perceived by nurses, are as follows: communication openness, staffing, handoff and transition, non-punitive responses to errors, and teamwork across units. Regression analysis revealed factors, from nurses' perspectives, that influenced patients' safety culture in Jordanian hospital. Factors included age, total years of experience, working in university hospitals, utilizing evidence-based practice and working in hospitals that consider patient safety to be a priority. Participants in this study were limited to nurses. Therefore, there is a need to assess patient safety culture from other healthcare providers' perspectives. Moreover, the use of a self-reported questionnaire introduced the social desirability biases. The current study provides insight into how nurses perceive patient safety culture. Results of this study have revealed that there is a need to replace the traditional culture of shame/blame with a non-punitive culture. Study results implied that improving patient safety culture requires a fundamental transformation of nurses' work environment. New policies to improve collaboration between

Culture in Context: An Interdisciplinary Travel Study Course.

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Berger, Karen A.; O'Neill, Geraldine P.

2002-01-01

Describes an interdisciplinary travel study course designed to teach cultural appreciation and sensitivity in context. Readings and instruction focus on cultural issues that affect business and marketing practices, using France and the French as the subjects of the study. (Author/VWL)

The knowns and unknowns of chimpanzee culture.

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Gruber, Thibaud; Reynolds, Vernon; Zuberbühler, Klaus

2010-05-01

Claims of culture in chimpanzees appeared soon after the launch of the first field studies in africa.1 The notion of chimpanzee 'material cultures' was coined,2 and this was followed by a first formal comparison, which revealed an astonishing degree of behavioural diversity between the different study communities, mainly in terms of tool use.3 Although this behavioural diversity is still undisputed, the question of chimpanzee cultures has remained controversial.4-6 The debate has less to do with the definition of culture (most animal behaviour researchers accept the notion for behaviour that is 'transmitted repeatedly through social or observational learning to become a population-level characteristic' 3), but more with whether some key criteria are met.

Measuring Engagement in Robot-Assisted Autism Therapy: A Cross-Cultural Study

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Ognjen Rudovic

2017-07-01

Full Text Available During occupational therapy for children with autism, it is often necessary to elicit and maintain engagement for the children to benefit from the session. Recently, social robots have been used for this; however, existing robots lack the ability to autonomously recognize the children’s level of engagement, which is necessary when choosing an optimal interaction strategy. Progress in automated engagement reading has been impeded in part due to a lack of studies on child-robot engagement in autism therapy. While it is well known that there are large individual differences in autism, little is known about how these vary across cultures. To this end, we analyzed the engagement of children (age 3–13 from two different cultural backgrounds: Asia (Japan, n = 17 and Eastern Europe (Serbia, n = 19. The children participated in a 25 min therapy session during which we studied the relationship between the children’s behavioral engagement (task-driven and different facets of affective engagement (valence and arousal. Although our results indicate that there are statistically significant differences in engagement displays in the two groups, it is difficult to make any causal claims about these differences due to the large variation in age and behavioral severity of the children in the study. However, our exploratory analysis reveals important associations between target engagement and perceived levels of valence and arousal, indicating that these can be used as a proxy for the children’s engagement during the therapy. We provide suggestions on how this can be leveraged to optimize social robots for autism therapy, while taking into account cultural differences.

Modeling Crowdsourcing for Cultural Heritage

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Noordegraaf, J.; Bartholomew, A.; Eveleigh, A.; Proctor, N.; Cherry, R.

2014-01-01

Despite the widespread prevalence of crowdsourcing projects in the cultural heritage domain, not all initiatives to date have been universally successful. This study has revealed that the conditions in which projects are realized, and the design properties of those projects, have a significant

Organisational culture and learning: a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, Elaine

2013-11-01

To explore the impact organisational cultures have on the learning experience of student nurses and identify the influencing factors. A case study approach was used. The single case being a Defence School of Health Care Studies (DSHCS) and the multiple units of analysis: student nurses, the lecturers and Student Standing Orders. An in depth three dimensional picture was achieved using multiple data collection methods: interview, survey, observation and document analysis. The findings suggest that the DSHCS is perceived to be a sub-culture within a dominant civilian learning culture. Generally, the students and staff believed that the DSHCS is an excellent learning environment and that the defence students overall are high achievers. The common themes that appeared from the data were image, ethos, environment, discipline, support, welfare and a civilian versus military way of thinking. The learning experience of defence student nurses is very positive and enhanced by the positive learning culture of the civilian Higher Educational Institution. The factors influencing a positive learning experience that can be impacted by the overarching culture are discipline, image, ethos of adult learning, support and welfare. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cultural study in design : In search of a meaningful approach

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van Boeijen, A.G.C.

2014-01-01

Does the Circuit of Culture help design students to do a cultural study that is meaningful for their design project? Indeed, it provides a good view on the phenomenon culture, its complexity and how contemporary cultures can be studied, providing an overview and structure of the processes that

Learning Cultures in Further Education

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Hodkinson, Phil; Anderson, Graham; Colley, Helen; Davies, Jenny; Diment, Kim; Scaife, Tony; Tedder, Mike; Wahlberg, Madeleine; Wheeler, Eunice

2007-01-01

This paper examines the nature of learning cultures in English Further Education (FE), as revealed in the Transforming Learning Cultures in FE (TLC) research project. In it, we describe four characteristics of a generic FE learning culture: the significance of learning cultures in every site; the significance of the tutor in influencing site…

CULTURAL STUDIES: INSTITUTIONAL CRISIS OR THE TIME OF STRATEGIC DECISIONS

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Irina Ya. Murzina

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this investigation is to signify of the problems of cultural studies as a science and educational practice in a situation of modernization of education. The publication continues the discussion started at the alignment meeting of Heads of Cultural Studies Departments in Russia – «The science of culture and cultural education: time for strategic decisions». Methods. The author has applied the following methods: analysis of existing points of view; reflection of the essence of the cultural knowledge and perspectives of cultural development of cultural studies science in Russia. Results. The research outcomes show that cultural studies in modern Russia are experiencing institutional crisis: insufficient definiteness and awareness by experts and publicity due to places and roles of culturological disciplines in educational process, but also the methodological bases of activity of culturologists. Aspects of culturological formation are considered and prospects of its development are specified. It was proposed to continue the discussion started at the alignment meeting of Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, and it will give an option to discuss the solution ways of current recessionary situation more fundamentally and subjectively on territory-regional level. Scientific novelty. The approaches to understanding the culture as areas of scientific knowledge are methodized; the areas of cultural education in the conditions of modernization are summarized. Practical significance. The research implementations can be used while improving the theoretical-methodological component of cultural education, and extending the horizons for topical current research works in the field of cultural studies. 

Knowledge as a Cultural Product: From the Sociology of Scientific Knowledge to the Cultural Studies of Science

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Ali Rabbani

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The main characteristic (feature of the sociology of knowledge and science is its emphasis on the culture and cultural analysis within the scientific and technological research. This study concerns with the study of two research fields in which new sociologists of science and technology have presented their cultural analysis. These two fields include: sociology of scientific knowledge and cultural studies of science.Sociology of scientific knowledge is the first school of thought which makes the content of scientific knowledge inclined to and compliant with the cultural and sociological analysis. In SSK, the main presupposition is that “the scientific knowledge is totally arbitrary.” Accordingly, the design and evaluation of scientific theories and claims are the consequence of social interests and cultural inclinations (trends, in a way that the scientific theories become a tool for the justification, legitimating, encouragement and contentment.At the early 1990s, with the rise of crisis (chaos within the explanations of sociology of scientific knowledge and a flood of criticism against it, the whole subjectivity of the field came to a standstill (reached an impasse and the initiatives in scientific research were replaced by different theoretical orientations like cultural studies. In contrast to the sociology of scientific knowledge, the cultural studies of science concerns with the rejection of “explanation” and, instead, focuses on the “meaning” and “understanding”. In other words, it has come back to an old dispute between explanatory and hermeneutic approaches and those  which pursue the regulative (legalistic comprehensiveness along the more positivistic lines.This emerging field emphasizes the issue that the uncertainty, instability, ambiguity (vagueness and difference must be given a more important role in sciences. Cultural studies of science gave rise to a change from the sociology of scientific knowledge to a new

Plant and fungal diversity in gut microbiota as revealed by molecular and culture investigations.

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Nina Gouba

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Few studies describing eukaryotic communities in the human gut microbiota have been published. The objective of this study was to investigate comprehensively the repertoire of plant and fungal species in the gut microbiota of an obese patient. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A stool specimen was collected from a 27-year-old Caucasian woman with a body mass index of 48.9 who was living in Marseille, France. Plant and fungal species were identified using a PCR-based method incorporating 25 primer pairs specific for each eukaryotic phylum and universal eukaryotic primers targeting 18S rRNA, internal transcribed spacer (ITS and a chloroplast gene. The PCR products amplified using these primers were cloned and sequenced. Three different culture media were used to isolate fungi, and these cultured fungi were further identified by ITS sequencing. A total of 37 eukaryotic species were identified, including a Diatoms (Blastocystis sp. species, 18 plant species from the Streptophyta phylum and 18 fungal species from the Ascomycota, Basidiomycota and Chytridiocomycota phyla. Cultures yielded 16 fungal species, while PCR-sequencing identified 7 fungal species. Of these 7 species of fungi, 5 were also identified by culture. Twenty-one eukaryotic species were discovered for the first time in human gut microbiota, including 8 fungi (Aspergillus flavipes, Beauveria bassiana, Isaria farinosa, Penicillium brevicompactum, Penicillium dipodomyicola, Penicillium camemberti, Climacocystis sp. and Malassezia restricta. Many fungal species apparently originated from food, as did 11 plant species. However, four plant species (Atractylodes japonica, Fibraurea tinctoria, Angelica anomala, Mitella nuda are used as medicinal plants. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Investigating the eukaryotic components of gut microbiota may help us to understand their role in human health.

Three-dimensional Huh7 cell culture system for the study of Hepatitis C virus infection

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Uprichard Susan L

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In order to elucidate how Hepatitis C Virus (HCV interacts with polarized hepatocytes in vivo and how HCV-induced alterations in cellular function contribute to HCV-associated liver disease, a more physiologically relevant hepatocyte culture model is needed. As such, NASA-engineered three-dimensional (3-D rotating wall vessel (RWV bioreactors were used in effort to promote differentiation of HCV-permissive Huh7 hepatoma cells. Results When cultured in the RWV, Huh7 cells became morphologically and transcriptionally distinct from more standard Huh7 two-dimensional (2-D monolayers. Specifically, RWV-cultured Huh7 cells formed complex, multilayered 3-D aggregates in which Phase I and Phase II xenobiotic drug metabolism genes, as well as hepatocyte-specific transcripts (HNF4α, Albumin, TTR and α1AT, were upregulated compared to 2-D cultured Huh7 cells. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed that these HCV-permissive 3-D cultured Huh7 cells were more polarized than their 2D counterparts with the expression of HCV receptors, cell adhesion and tight junction markers (CD81, scavenger receptor class B member 1, claudin-1, occludin, ZO-1, β-Catenin and E-Cadherin significantly increased and exhibiting apical, lateral and/or basolateral localization. Conclusion These findings show that when cultured in 3-D, Huh7 cells acquire a more differentiated hepatocyte-like phenotype. Importantly, we show that these 3D cultures are highly permissive for HCV infection, thus providing an opportunity to study HCV entry and the effects of HCV infection on host cell function in a more physiologically relevant cell culture system.

The impact of cultural characteristics on colorectal cancer screening adherence among Filipinos in the United States: a pilot study.

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Ferrer, Rizaldy R; Ramirez, Marizen; Beckman, Linda J; Danao, Leda L; Ashing-Giwa, Kimlin T

2011-08-01

Studies on colorectal cancer screening among specific Asian American groups are limited despite the fact that Asians are comprised of culturally distinct subgroups. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of cultural characteristics on colorectal cancer screening adherence among Filipinos in the United States. One hundred and seventeen Filipino men and women aged 50 years or older participated in the cross-section research design. Lifetime proportion of immigration, language preference and cultural beliefs of personal control regarding health outcomes measured cultural characteristics. Demographic and healthcare variables were also measured to describe the study sample. Participant recruitment employed culturally responsive sampling methods. There was no significant association between language preference and screening. Likewise, perceived personal internal control of health outcome was not related to screening. However, personal external control revealed a marginally significant association. The percent of lifetime residence in the United States was significantly greater among those who were adherent to screening than those who were not adherent. After adjusting for demographic and healthcare variables, the relationship between length of immigration and screening adherence was no longer significant. Finally, age and doctor's recommendation showed significant impact on colorectal cancer screening adherence. This pilot study adds to the knowledge regarding cultural factors associated with colorectal cancer screening behaviors among Filipino Americans. Future research is needed to confirm findings that will be useful in developing culturally appropriate strategies to increase screening adherence. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cultural translation of refugee trauma: Cultural idioms of distress among Somali refugees in displacement.

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Im, Hyojin; Ferguson, Aidan; Hunter, Margaret

2017-01-01

Westernized approaches to mental health care often place limited emphasis on refugees' own experiences and cultural explanations of symptoms and distress. In order to effectively assess community mental health needs and develop interventions grounded in local needs, mental health programs need to be informed by an understanding of cultural features of mental health, including cultural idioms of distress (CIDs). The current study aims to explore CIDs among Somali refugees displaced in Kenya to understand mental health needs in cultural context and serve the community in a culturally responsive and sensitive manner. This research was conducted as a two-phase qualitative study. First, key informant interviews with Somali mental health stakeholders generated a list of 7 common Somali CIDs: buufis, buqsanaan, welwel, murug, qaracan, jinn, and waali. Typologies of each CID were further explored through four focus group interviews with Somali community members. The findings from a template analysis revealed Somali lay beliefs on how trauma and daily stressors are experienced and discussed in the form of CIDs and how each term is utilized and understood in attributing symptoms to associated causes. This study highlights the need to incorporate colloquial terms in mental health assessment and to adopt a culturally relevant framework to encourage wider utilization of services and religious/spiritual support systems.

The effects of the gender-culture interaction on self-reports of depressive symptoms: cross-cultural study among Egyptians and Canadians.

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Huang, Vivian; Beshai, Shadi; Yu, Mabel

2016-01-01

Research in depression has revealed differences in the way depressed individuals across cultures report their symptoms. This literature also points to possible differences in symptom reporting patterns between men and women. Using data from a larger dataset (Beshai et al. 2016), the current study examined whether non-depressed and depressed Egyptian and Canadian men and women differed in their self-report of the various domains of the Beck Depression Inventory -II (BDI-II). We recruited a total of 131 depressed and non-depressed participants from both Egypt ( n = 29 depressed; n = 29 non-depressed) and Canada ( n = 35 depressed; n = 38 non-depressed). Depression status was ascertained using a structured interview. All participants were asked to complete the BDI-II along with other self-report measures of depression. BDI-II items were divided into two subscales in accordance with Dozois, Dobson & Ahnberg (1998) factor analysis: cognitive-affective and somatic-vegetative subscales. We found a significant three-way interaction effect on the cognitive-affective ( F (1,121) = 9.51, p = .003) and main effect of depression status on somatic-vegetative subscales ( F (1,121) = 42.80, p cultures may differentially report cognitive symptoms of depression. These results also suggest that clinicians and clinical scientists need to further examine the interaction effect of culture and gender when investigating self-reported symptoms of depression.

Interdisciplinary: Cultural competency and culturally congruent education for millennials in health professions.

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Hawala-Druy, Souzan; Hill, Mary H

2012-10-01

The increasingly diverse multicultural and multigenerational student population in the United States requires that educators at all levels develop cultural knowledge, awareness, and sensitivity to help diverse learners fulfill their potential and to avoid cultural misunderstandings that can become obstacles or barriers to learning. The purpose of this study was to design and implement eclectic, creative, evidence-based interdisciplinary educational activities, along with culturally congruent teaching strategies, within a semester-long university course that promoted positive and culturally competent learning outcomes for culturally diverse, largely millennial students. The interdisciplinary course would prepare health professional students with the requisite knowledge and skills, through transformative learning that produces change agents, to provide culturally congruent and quality team-based care to diverse populations. This was a qualitative and quantitative study, which measured students' level of cultural awareness, competence, and proficiency pre and post the educational intervention. Instruments used for data collection included the Inventory for Assessing The Process of Cultural Competence-Student Version (IAPCC-SV) by Campinha-Bacote, course evaluations, students' feedback, and portfolio reflections. The study was conducted at a private academic institution located in the Mid-Atlantic region and the sample population included inter-professional students (N=106) from various health professions including nursing, pharmacy, and allied health sciences. Results from the pre- and post-test IAPCC-SV survey revealed that mean scores increased significantly from pre-test (60.8) to post-test (70.6). Thus, students' levels of cultural competency (awareness, knowledge, skills, desire, encounter) improved post-educational intervention, indicating that the teaching methods used in the course might be applied on a larger scale across the university system to cater to the

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.

Using activity theory to study cultural complexity in medical education.

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Frambach, Janneke M; Driessen, Erik W; van der Vleuten, Cees P M

2014-06-01

There is a growing need for research on culture, cultural differences and cultural effects of globalization in medical education, but these are complex phenomena to investigate. Socio-cultural activity theory seems a useful framework to study cultural complexity, because it matches current views on culture as a dynamic process situated in a social context, and has been valued in diverse fields for yielding rich understandings of complex issues and key factors involved. This paper explains how activity theory can be used in (cross-)cultural medical education research. We discuss activity theory's theoretical background and principles, and we show how these can be applied to the cultural research practice by discussing the steps involved in a cross-cultural study that we conducted, from formulating research questions to drawing conclusions. We describe how the activity system, the unit of analysis in activity theory, can serve as an organizing principle to grasp cultural complexity. We end with reflections on the theoretical and practical use of activity theory for cultural research and note that it is not a shortcut to capture cultural complexity: it is a challenge for researchers to determine the boundaries of their study and to analyze and interpret the dynamics of the activity system.

A cross-cultural analysis of communication patterns between two ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Employing the mixed-method research design, the study revealed the cultural affinity in both ethnic groups' communication patterns in the use of honorific greeting, silence, expressiveness (direct or indirectness and touch) and eye contact. This shows that culture has a significant influence on some of the communication ...

Private development-based forest conservation in Patagonia: comparing mental models and revealing cultural truths

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Christopher Serenari

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Private protected area (PPA conservation agents (CA engaging in development-based conservation in southern Chile have generated conflict with locals. Poor fit of dominant development-based conservation ideology in rural areas is commonly to blame. We developed and administered a cultural consensus survey near the Valdivian Coastal Reserve (RCV and Huilo Huilo Reserve (HH to examine fit of CA cultural truths with local residents. Cultural consensus analysis (CCA of 23 propositions reflecting CA cultural truths confirmed: (1 a single CA culture exists, and (2 RCV communities were more aligned with this culture than HH communities. Inadequate communication, inequitable decision making, divergent opinions about livelihood impacts and trajectories, and PPA purpose may explain differences between CAs and communities. Meanwhile, variability in response between and within communities may reflect differing environmental histories. Private protected area administrations might use CCA to confront cultural differences and thereby improve their community interactions.

Parenting Culture Studies

OpenAIRE

Lee, Ellie J.; Faircloth, Charlotte; Macvarish, Jan; Bristow, Jennie

2014-01-01

Why do we live at a time when the minutiae of how parents raise their children – how they feed them, talk to them, play with them or discipline them – have become routine sources of public debate and policy making? Why are there now so-called 'parenting experts', and social movements like Attachment Parenting, telling us that 'science says' what parents do is the cause of and solution to social problems? \\ud \\ud Parenting Culture Studies provides in-depth answers to these features of contempo...

Lessons learned from measuring safety culture: an Australian case study.

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Allen, Suellen; Chiarella, Mary; Homer, Caroline S E

2010-10-01

adverse events in maternity care are relatively common but often avoidable. International patient safety strategies advocate measuring safety culture as a strategy to improve patient safety. Evidence suggests it is necessary to fully understand the safety culture of an organisation to make improvements to patient safety. this paper reports a case study examining the safety culture in one maternity service in Australia and considers the benefits of using surveys and interviews to understand safety culture as an approach to identify possible strategies to improve patient safety in this setting. the study took place in one maternity service in two public hospitals in NSW, Australia. Concurrently, both hospitals were undergoing an organisational restructure which was part of a major health reform agenda. The priorities of the reform included improving the quality of care and patient safety; and, creating a more efficient health system by reducing administration inefficiencies and duplication. a descriptive case study using three approaches: the safety culture was identified to warrant improvement across all six safety culture domains. There was reduced infrastructure and capacity to support incident management activities required to improve safety, which was influenced by instability from the organisational restructure. There was a perceived lack of leadership at all levels to drive safety and quality and improving the safety culture was neither a key priority nor was it valued by the organisation. the safety culture was complex as was undertaking this study. We were unable to achieve a desired 60% response rate highlighting the limitations of using safety culture surveys in isolation as a strategy to improve safety culture. Qualitative interviews provided greater insight into the factors influencing the safety culture. The findings of this study provide evidence of the benefits of including qualitative methods with quantitative surveys when examining safety culture

Determining School Administrators’ Perceptions on Institutional Culture: A Qualitative Study

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Secil Eda Kartal

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Schools, the where educational activities are carried out, are among the major institutions society considers as important. Schools undertake strategic responsibilities in maintaining cultural values and conveying them to future generations. The primary responsibility in achieving these missions is assigned to the school administrators. The purpose of this study is to determine the perceptions of school administrators on institutional culture. This is a qualitative study conducted on school administrators who were selected based on the volunteering principle. Perceptions of school administrators concerning their institutions’ culture and the differences between their institutional culture and other institution’s cultures were determined and analyzed. Findings of this study suggest that school administrators have both positive and negative opinions regarding their institutional culture and cultural difference. While love-respect, collaboration-solidarity and common history were prominent positive opinions; lack of communication, lack of shared values and low expectation were prominent negative opinions. In addition, participants stated the environment as a crucial factor when defining culture.

Using activity theory to study cultural complexity in medical education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Frambach, J.M.; Driessen, E.W.; Vleuten, C.P.M. van der

2014-01-01

There is a growing need for research on culture, cultural differences and cultural effects of globalization in medical education, but these are complex phenomena to investigate. Socio-cultural activity theory seems a useful framework to study cultural complexity, because it matches current views on

Using activity theory to study cultural complexity in medical education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Frambach, Janneke M; Driessen, Erik W; van der Vleuten, Cees P M

There is a growing need for research on culture, cultural differences and cultural effects of globalization in medical education, but these are complex phenomena to investigate. Socio-cultural activity theory seems a useful framework to study cultural complexity, because it matches current views on

Academic Capitalism and Academic Culture: A Case Study

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Mendoza, Pilar; Berger, Joseph B.

2008-01-01

This case study investigated the impact of academic capitalism on academic culture by examining the perspectives of faculty members in an American academic department with significant industrial funding. The results of this study indicate that faculty members believe that the broad integrity of the academic culture remains unaffected in this…

A Cultural Interpretation of a Social Studies Curriculum.

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Chilcott, John H.

Social studies documents were collected from teachers in the Tucson, Arizona area and examined using three theories of culture as a way to explore the interrelationships between social studies curriculum and United States society. Malinowski's functionalist position suggests that culture is composed of traits each of which provide a specific…

Culturally Competent Practice: A Mixed Methods Study Among Students, Academics and Alumni of Clinical Psychology Master’s Programs in the Netherlands

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Geerlings, Lennie R. C.; Thompson, Claire L.; Kraaij, Vivian; Keijsers, Ger P. J.

2018-01-01

This is the first research into preparation for multicultural clinical psychology practice in Europe. It applies the theory of multicultural counselling competency (MCC) to a case study in the Netherlands. It was hypothesized that cross-cultural practice experience, identification as a cultural minority, and satisfaction with cultural training was associated with MCC. The Multicultural Awareness Knowledge and Skills Survey was completed by 106 participants (22 students, 10 academics, 74 alumni) from clinical psychology masters’ programs. MANOVA detected a main effect of cross-cultural experience on MCC for all groups and universities. The data were enriched with exploratory qualitative data from 14 interviews (5 students, 5 academics, 4 alumni). Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis revealed three themes: limitations of clinical psychology, strategies for culturally competent practice, and strategies for cultural competency development. These outcomes suggest that cultural competency continues to require attention in master’s programs. The paper makes recommendations for further research enquiry related to training clinical psychologists to practice in Europe’s multicultural societies. PMID:29899800

Teaching culture in the Japanese language classroom: A NSW case study

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Caroline Mahoney

2009-12-01

Full Text Available This study examines, through a qualitative case study approach, how non-native- speaking (NNS Japanese language teachers in New South Wales (NSW teach culture and why. The study seeks to understand the pedagogy used to teach culture, teachers’ attitudes and beliefs on teaching culture and how these attitudes and beliefs have been influenced by past experiences. This study also explores how the NSW K-10 Japanese syllabus and concepts of Intercultural Language Learning (IcLL are being implemented in teachers’ classrooms. Two non-native-speaking (NNS Japanese language teachers from a selective secondary school in NSW were interviewed and their classes observed over three days. Analysis of interview and observation data shows that these teachers teach culture as determined by language content, integrate language and culture teaching and teach culture as observable and factual. The study shows that both teachers view culture teaching as easier than language teaching, however their views on the influence of the syllabus differ. The study explores the teachers’ past experiences and how these affect how they feel towards, and teach culture. Finally, this study looks at how the teachers’ practices reflect concepts of IcLL such as integrating language and culture, student-centered learning and how their status as NNS teachers affects their culture teaching.

Habits in perioperative nursing culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Lindwall, Lillemor; von Post, Iréne

2008-09-01

This study focuses on investigating habits in perioperative nursing culture, which are often simply accepted and not normally considered or discussed. A hermeneutical approach was chosen as the means of understanding perioperative nurses' experiences of and reflections on operating theatre culture. Focus group discussions were used to collect data, which was analysed using hermeneutical text analysis. The results revealed three main categories of habits present in perioperative nursing culture: habits that promote ethical values (by temporary friendship with patients, showing respect for each other, and spending time on reflection on ethics and caring); habits that hinder progress (by seeing the patient as a surgical case, not acknowledging colleagues, and not talking about ethics); and habits that set the cultural tone (the hidden power structure and achieving more in less time).

A dual-color luciferase assay system reveals circadian resetting of cultured fibroblasts by co-cultured adrenal glands.

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Takako Noguchi

Full Text Available In mammals, circadian rhythms of various organs and tissues are synchronized by pacemaker neurons in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN of the hypothalamus. Glucocorticoids released from the adrenal glands can synchronize circadian rhythms in other tissues. Many hormones show circadian rhythms in their plasma concentrations; however, whether organs outside the SCN can serve as master synchronizers to entrain circadian rhythms in target tissues is not well understood. To further delineate the function of the adrenal glands and the interactions of circadian rhythms in putative master synchronizing organs and their target tissues, here we report a simple co-culture system using a dual-color luciferase assay to monitor circadian rhythms separately in various explanted tissues and fibroblasts. In this system, circadian rhythms of organs and target cells were simultaneously tracked by the green-emitting beetle luciferase from Pyrearinus termitilluminans (ELuc and the red-emitting beetle luciferase from Phrixothrix hirtus (SLR, respectively. We obtained tissues from the adrenal glands, thyroid glands, and lungs of transgenic mice that expressed ELuc under control of the promoter from a canonical clock gene, mBmal1. The tissues were co-cultured with Rat-1 fibroblasts as representative target cells expressing SLR under control of the mBmal1 promoter. Amplitudes of the circadian rhythms of Rat-1 fibroblasts were potentiated when the fibroblasts were co-cultured with adrenal gland tissue, but not when co-cultured with thyroid gland or lung tissue. The phases of Rat-1 fibroblasts were reset by application of adrenal gland tissue, whereas the phases of adrenal gland tissue were not influenced by Rat-1 fibroblasts. Furthermore, the effect of the adrenal gland tissue on the fibroblasts was blocked by application of a glucocorticoid receptor (GR antagonist. These results demonstrate that glucocorticoids are strong circadian synchronizers for fibroblasts and that

A study on organizational culture, structure and information technology as three KM enablers: A case study in five Iranian medical and healthcare research centers

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Mahdi Iran-nejad-parizi

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This study investigates organizational structure, culture, and information technology as knowledge management (KM infrastructural capabilities, and compares their significance and status quo in five medical research centers in Tehran, Iran. Objectives of this research were pursued by employing two statistical methods, regression analysis and Friedman test. Included in the study were 135 people (researchers and support staff from five medical and healthcare research centers of Tehran. A survey questionnaire including 23 questions was utilized to examine organizational structure, culture and information technology indicators. And another 12 questions examined KM effectiveness. The Friedman test indicated that in terms of their status quo, the three studied KM enablers are at different conditions, with organizational culture having the best (mean rank=1.79 and IT the worst (mean rank=2.14 status. Moreover, it was revealed by regression analysis that organizational structure is believed to have the most significant impact (Beta= 0.397 on the effectiveness of knowledge management initiatives, while information technology gained the least perceived impact (Beta= 0.176.

Studies on binding of radiolabeled thyrotropin to cultured human thyroid cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamamoto, M.; Rapoport, B.

1978-01-01

A line of cultured human thyroid adenoma cells was used in a study designed to compare the stimulatory effect of TSH on cellular cAMP generation with the binding of radiolabeled TSH to the cells. At 37 C, specific binding of [ 125 I]TSH to suspensions of thyroid cells was maximal at 20 min and was reversed by the addition of excess TSH. Unlike the generation of cellular cAMP in response to TSH stimulation, which was maximal at pH 7.5, the binding of [ 125 ]TSH to the cells was maximal at pH 5.5 and progressively declined up to pH 8.5. Increasing NaCl concentrations progressively inhibited cellular binding of TSH; at physiological salt concentrations, almost no TSH binding was detectable. Competitive inhibition studies of [ 125 I]TSH binding to cells revealed a binding site with a dissociation constant of 5.5 x 10 -8 M at pH 7.4. GH, PRL, hCG, FSH, insulin, and glucagon did not compete with [ 125 I)TSH binding. ACTH, however, was a potent inhibitor of [ 125 I]TSH binding. Despite this inhibitory effect on TSH binding, ACTH had little or no effect on cellular cAMP generation. High concentrations of ACTH did not inhibit the biological effect of TSH on cAMP generation. Specific binding of [ 125 I]TSH to empty plastic culture dishes was time dependent, reversible, and displayed a hormonal specificity identical to binding to thyroid cells. The effects of pH and NaCl concentrations on TSH binding to dishes were similarbut not identical to those on cellular binding. This study raises serious questions as to the biological significance of [ 125 I]TSH binding to cultured human thyroid cells

Examining Culture's Impact on the Learning Behaviors of International Students from Confucius Culture Studying in Western Online Learning Context

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Kang, Haijun; Chang, Bo

2016-01-01

There is a lack of shared understanding of how culture impacts learning in online environment. Utilizing document analysis, the authors in this research study culture's impact on the learning behaviors of student sojourners from Confucius culture studying in Western online learning context. The shared understandings of Confucius culture and…

The knowns and unknowns of chimpanzee culture

OpenAIRE

Gruber, Thibaud; Reynolds, Vernon; Zuberbühler, Klaus

2014-01-01

Claims of culture in chimpanzees appeared soon after the launch of the first field studies in africa.1 The notion of chimpanzee ‘material cultures’ was coined,2 and this was followed by a first formal comparison, which revealed an astonishing degree of behavioural diversity between the different study communities, mainly in terms of tool use.3 Although this behavioural diversity is still undisputed, the question of chimpanzee cultures has remained controversial.4–6 The debate has less to do w...

Notes toward an African Cultural Studies of Education

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Wright, Handel Kashope

2006-01-01

In this paper, the author attempts to sketch out both an argument for and the outlines of what might be termed an African cultural studies of education. This formation would actually be composed of several fields and discourses that are often taken up as quite distinct, namely critical approaches to education, cultural studies, and African…

An Experimental Study of Gender and Cultural Differences in Hue Preference

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Abdulrahman Saud Al-Rasheed

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates the influence of both gender and culture on colour preference. Inspection of previous studies of colour preference reveals that many of these studies have poor control over the colours that are shown – the chromatic co-ordinates of colours are either not noted or the illuminant that colours are shown under is not controlled. This means that conclusions about colour preference are made using subjective terms for hue with little knowledge about the precise colours that were shown. However, recently, a new quantitative approach to investigating colour preference has been proposed, where there is no need to summarise colour preference using subjective terms for hue (Ling et al., 2007; Hurlbert & Ling, 2007. This approach aims to quantitatively summarise hue preference in terms of weights on the two channels or ‘cardinal axes’ underlying colour vision. Here I further extend Hurlbert and Ling’s (2007 approach to investigating colour preference, by replicating their study but with Arabic and English participants, and to answer several questions: First, are there cultural differences in the shape of the overall preference curve for English and Arabic participants? Second, are there gender differences in the shape of the overall preference curve for English and Arabic participants?. Thirty eight British and 71 Saudi Arabian (Arabic participants were compared. Results revealed that Arabic and English preference curves were found to differ, yet there was greater similarity for Arabic and English males than Arabic and English females. There was also a sex difference that was present for both Arabic and English participants. The male curve is fairly similar for both samples: peak-preference is in the blue-green region, and a preference minimum is in the red-pink/purple region. For Arabic females the preference peak appears to be in the red-pink region, whilst for English females it is shifted towards purple/blue-green.

How Culture Affects Female Inequality across Countries: An Empirical Study

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Cheung, Hoi Yan; Chan, Alex W. H.

2007-01-01

Many studies have commented that culture has an influence on gender inequality. However, few studies have provided data that could be used to investigate how culture actually influences female inequality. One of the aims of this study is to investigate whether Hofstede's cultural dimensions have an impact on female inequality in education in terms…

Political culture in Romania - past, present and future

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Nicolae FRIGIOIU

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of the study is to tersely present the situation of the political culture in Romania after 1989. The comprehension of the political culture seen as a result of a valorous past full of religious content constitutes the single path that can reveal the imaginary of the Romanian people; moreover, the study has as a purpose to improve the understanding of the political and cultural values which are linked to the consolidation of a democratic system in a similar manner to the connection between the forms and the causes of any social and political change in the country.

The Role of Culture Theory in Cross-Cultural Training: A Multimethod Study of Culture-Specific, Culture-General, and Culture Theory-Based Assimilators.

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Bhawuk, Dharm P. S.

1998-01-01

In a multimethod evaluation of cross-cultural training tools involving 102 exchange students at a midwestern university, a theory-based individualism and collectivism assimilator tool had significant advantages over culture-specific and culture-general assimilators and a control condition. Results support theory-based culture assimilators. (SLD)

Indifference to dissonance in native Amazonians reveals cultural variation in music perception.

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McDermott, Josh H; Schultz, Alan F; Undurraga, Eduardo A; Godoy, Ricardo A

2016-07-28

by biology remains debated. One widely discussed phenomenon is that some combinations of notes are perceived by Westerners as pleasant, or consonant, whereas others are perceived as unpleasant,or dissonant. The contrast between consonance and dissonance is central to Western music and its origins have fascinated scholars since the ancient Greeks. Aesthetic responses to consonance are commonly assumed by scientists to have biological roots, and thus to be universally present in humans. Ethnomusicologists and composers, in contrast, have argued that consonance is a creation of Western musical culture. The issue has remained unresolved, partly because little is known about the extent of cross-cultural variation in consonance preferences. Here we report experiments with the Tsimane'--a native Amazonian society with minimal exposure to Western culture--and comparison populations in Bolivia and the United States that varied in exposure to Western music. Participants rated the pleasantness of sounds. Despite exhibiting Western-like discrimination abilities and Western-like aesthetic responses to familiar sounds and acoustic roughness, the Tsimane' rated consonant and dissonant chords and vocal harmonies as equally pleasant. By contrast, Bolivian city- and town-dwellers exhibited significant preferences for consonance,albeit to a lesser degree than US residents. The results indicate that consonance preferences can be absent in cultures sufficiently isolated from Western music, and are thus unlikely to reflect innate biases or exposure to harmonic natural sounds. The observed variation in preferences is presumably determined by exposure to musical harmony, suggesting that culture has a dominant role in shaping aesthetic responses to music.

Preliminary study on improving safety culture in Malaysian nuclear industries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ibrahim, Sabariah Kader; Lee, Y. E.

2012-01-01

This paper presents preliminary study on safety culture and its implementation in Malaysian nuclear industries by realizing the importance of safety culture; identification of important safety culture attributes; safety culture assessment and the practices to incorporate the identified safety culture attributes in organization. The first section of this paper explains the terms and definitions related to safety culture. Second, for the realization of importance of safety culture in organization, the international operational experiences emphasizing the importance of safety culture are described. Third, important safety culture attributes which are frequently cited in literature are provided. Fourth, methods to assess safety culture in operating organization are described. Finally, the practices to enhance the safety culture in an organization are discussed

Preliminary study on improving safety culture in Malaysian nuclear industries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ibrahim, Sabariah Kader [KAIST, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Y. E. [Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2012-10-15

This paper presents preliminary study on safety culture and its implementation in Malaysian nuclear industries by realizing the importance of safety culture; identification of important safety culture attributes; safety culture assessment and the practices to incorporate the identified safety culture attributes in organization. The first section of this paper explains the terms and definitions related to safety culture. Second, for the realization of importance of safety culture in organization, the international operational experiences emphasizing the importance of safety culture are described. Third, important safety culture attributes which are frequently cited in literature are provided. Fourth, methods to assess safety culture in operating organization are described. Finally, the practices to enhance the safety culture in an organization are discussed.

Genomic analysis reveals a potential role for cell cycle perturbation in HCV-mediated apoptosis of cultured hepatocytes.

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Kathie-Anne Walters

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The mechanisms of liver injury associated with chronic HCV infection, as well as the individual roles of both viral and host factors, are not clearly defined. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that direct cytopathic effects, in addition to immune-mediated processes, play an important role in liver injury. Gene expression profiling during multiple time-points of acute HCV infection of cultured Huh-7.5 cells was performed to gain insight into the cellular mechanism of HCV-associated cytopathic effect. Maximal induction of cell-death-related genes and appearance of activated caspase-3 in HCV-infected cells coincided with peak viral replication, suggesting a link between viral load and apoptosis. Gene ontology analysis revealed that many of the cell-death genes function to induce apoptosis in response to cell cycle arrest. Labeling of dividing cells in culture followed by flow cytometry also demonstrated the presence of significantly fewer cells in S-phase in HCV-infected relative to mock cultures, suggesting HCV infection is associated with delayed cell cycle progression. Regulation of numerous genes involved in anti-oxidative stress response and TGF-beta1 signaling suggest these as possible causes of delayed cell cycle progression. Significantly, a subset of cell-death genes regulated during in vitro HCV infection was similarly regulated specifically in liver tissue from a cohort of HCV-infected liver transplant patients with rapidly progressive fibrosis. Collectively, these data suggest that HCV mediates direct cytopathic effects through deregulation of the cell cycle and that this process may contribute to liver disease progression. This in vitro system could be utilized to further define the cellular mechanism of this perturbation.

A New Paradigm for Higher Education and Culture in East Asia

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Lee, Jeong-Kyu

2006-01-01

This article explores how cultural identity reveals itself in East Asian higher education. The following questions are addressed. First, what is culture and what is the characteristic of East Asian culture? Second, what are cultural situations of East Asian higher education? Third, how does the cultural identity of East Asia reveal itself in…

Experimental studies illuminate the cultural transmission of percussive technologies in Homo and Pan.

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Whiten, Andrew

2015-11-19

The complexity of Stone Age tool-making is assumed to have relied upon cultural transmission, but direct evidence is lacking. This paper reviews evidence bearing on this question provided through five related empirical perspectives. Controlled experimental studies offer special power in identifying and dissecting social learning into its diverse component forms, such as imitation and emulation. The first approach focuses on experimental studies that have discriminated social learning processes in nut-cracking by chimpanzees. Second come experiments that have identified and dissected the processes of cultural transmission involved in a variety of other force-based forms of chimpanzee tool use. A third perspective is provided by field studies that have revealed a range of forms of forceful, targeted tool use by chimpanzees, that set percussion in its broader cognitive context. Fourth are experimental studies of the development of flint knapping to make functional sharp flakes by bonobos, implicating and defining the social learning and innovation involved. Finally, new and substantial experiments compare what different social learning processes, from observational learning to teaching, afford good quality human flake and biface manufacture. Together these complementary approaches begin to delineate the social learning processes necessary to percussive technologies within the Pan-Homo clade. © 2015 The Author(s).

Studying Legal Cultures and Encounters?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Hanne

2015-01-01

This article discusses the cultural and other turns in relation to legal culture and situates Western legal culture in context. It deals with concepts and their relations to trends and fashions and introduces methodological reflections such as use of interdisciplinary methods, personal experience...

Understanding How Culture Influences Emotions in Consumer Decision Making

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Jeanne

2016-01-01

to understand how other cultural dimensions, than those traditionally studied (individualism vs. collectivism) in relation to consumers’ behavior, influence emotions. It is confirmed that indeed also Danes as other Western cultures prefer high arousal positive emotions over low arousal positive emotions......The present research contributes to a limited researched area in consumer research focusing on culture and emotion. Little is known about how culture influence emotions in consumer decision making but there is an emerging interest in deepening the understanding of this. Review of previous studies...... reveal that culture shapes how consumers ideally want to feel, and that this in turn influences preferences and choice, which is guided by anticipated emotions. Empirical results confirm that some emotions are preferred more than others and that studying discrete emotions may be important when trying...

Does ethno-cultural betrayal in trauma affect Asian American/Pacific Islander college students' mental health outcomes? An exploratory study.

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Gómez, Jennifer M

2017-01-01

Interpersonal trauma has deleterious effects on mental health, with college students experiencing relatively high rates of lifetime trauma. Asian American/Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) have the lowest rate of mental healthcare utilization. According to cultural betrayal trauma theory, societal inequality may impact within-group violence in minority populations, thus having implications for mental health. In the current exploratory study, between-group (interracial) and within-group (ethno-cultural betrayal) trauma and mental health outcomes were examined in AAPI college students. Participants (N = 108) were AAPI college students from a predominantly white university. Data collection concluded in December 2015. Participants completed online self-report measures. A multivariate analysis of variance revealed that when controlling for interracial trauma, ethno-cultural betrayal trauma significantly impacted dissociation, hallucinations, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and hypervigilance. The results have implications for incorporating identity, discrimination, and ethno-cultural betrayal trauma victimization into assessments and case conceptualizations in therapy.

Culture care meanings and experiences of postpartum depression among Jordanian Australian women: a transcultural study.

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Nahas, V; Amasheh, N

1999-01-01

This study discovers, describes, and explains the personal experiences, perceptions, and care meanings of Jordanian women who have suffered postpartum depression. Most postpartum cases often are misdiagnosed as exclusively psychological and untreated by health care professionals without consideration to the cultural meanings of this problem. Understanding the experiences of these women is important, as their expressions often are contextually and culturally influenced. Using Leininger's Theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality, a purposive sample of 22 Jordanian women diagnosed with postpartum depression, living in Sydney, were interviewed. The ethnonursing research method and data analysis procedures were used. Results revealed that Jordanian mothers experienced severe loss of control over emotions of loneliness, hopelessness, and feelings of being a bad mother. Three major themes focusing on the care meanings and experiences of Jordanian women are discussed: (a) Care means strong family support and kinship during the postpartum period, (b) care is carrying out and fulfilling traditional gender roles as mother and wife, and (c) care is preservation of Jordanian childbearing customs as expressed in the celebration of the birth of the baby.

Diverse Requirements for Microglial Survival, Specification, and Function Revealed by Defined-Medium Cultures.

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Bohlen, Christopher J; Bennett, F Chris; Tucker, Andrew F; Collins, Hannah Y; Mulinyawe, Sara B; Barres, Ben A

2017-05-17

Microglia, the resident macrophages of the CNS, engage in various CNS-specific functions that are critical for development and health. To better study microglia and the properties that distinguish them from other tissue macrophage populations, we have optimized serum-free culture conditions to permit robust survival of highly ramified adult microglia under defined-medium conditions. We find that astrocyte-derived factors prevent microglial death ex vivo and that this activity results from three primary components, CSF-1/IL-34, TGF-β2, and cholesterol. Using microglial cultures that have never been exposed to serum, we demonstrate a dramatic and lasting change in phagocytic capacity after serum exposure. Finally, we find that mature microglia rapidly lose signature gene expression after isolation, and that this loss can be reversed by engrafting cells back into an intact CNS environment. These data indicate that the specialized gene expression profile of mature microglia requires continuous instructive signaling from the intact CNS. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

On the Importance of Cultural Factors in Oral English Studying

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Xiong Juan

2016-01-01

Language communication, in some way, is cultural communication, in order to have a better ability of communicating, students have to know and understand enough culture knowledge. This paper will analyze the relationship between language and culture, emphasize the importance of cultural factors in oral English studying.

Why Lesson Study Works in Japan: A Cultural Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Ebaeguin, Marlon; Stephens, Max

2014-01-01

Japanese lesson study has attracted many international educators who have been impressed by its capacity to foster student learning and sustained professional growth of teachers. This paper reports a study on its cultural orientations that may explain why lesson study works seamlessly in Japan. Hofstede's dimensions of national culture are…

Marketing Management and Cultural Learning Center: The Case Study of Arts and Cultural Office, Suansunandha Rajabhat University

OpenAIRE

Pirada Techaratpong

2014-01-01

This qualitative research has 2 objectives: to study marketing management of the cultural learning center in Suansunandha Rajabhat University and to suggest guidelines to improve its marketing management. This research is based on a case study of the Arts and Culture Office in Suansunandha Rajabhat University, Bangkok. This research found the Art and Culture Office has no formal marketing management. However, the marketing management is partly covered in the overall bu...

Socialization of Culture and Coping with Discrimination Among American Indian Families: Examining Cultural Correlates of Youth Outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Yasui, Miwa; Dishion, Thomas J; Stormshak, Elizabeth; Ball, Alison

2015-01-01

The current study examines the interrelations between observed parental cultural socialization and socialization of coping with discrimination, and youth outcomes among a sample of 92 American Indian adolescents and their parents in a rural reservation. Path analysis is used to examine the relationships among observed parental socialization (cultural socialization and socialization of coping with discrimination), and youth-reported perceived discrimination, ethnic identity and depression. Findings reveal that higher levels of observed parental cultural socialization and socialization of coping with discrimination predict lower levels of depression as reported by youth 1 year later. Path analyses also show that observed parental cultural socialization and socialization of coping with discrimination are positively associated with youth ethnic identity. These findings point to the importance of integrating familial socialization of culture and coping with discrimination in fostering resilience among American Indian youth.

CONSIDERATIONS ON CULTURAL MEMORY AND ITS INSTITUTIONALIZATION PROCESS

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Simona Mitroiu

2014-07-01

Full Text Available This study emphasizes the connection between the sites of memory and thenational identity, having as main objective to highlight the institutionalization ofthe cultural memory. Two main sites of memory are analysed: the archive and thelibrary, as representative for the cultural memory.The ideological and politicalinfluences are also revealed. The final part of this paper points out new challengesin the global digital age.

A large-scale longitudinal study indicating the importance of perceived effectiveness, organizational and management support for innovative culture.

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Cramm, Jane M; Strating, Mathilde M H; Bal, Roland; Nieboer, Anna P

2013-04-01

Teams participating in QI collaboratives reportedly enhance innovative culture in long-term care, but we currently lack empirical evidence of the ability of such teams to enhance (determinants of) innovative culture over time. The objectives of our study are therefore to explore innovative cultures in QI teams over time and identify its determinants. The study included QI teams participating between 2006 and 2011 in a national Dutch quality program (Care for Better), using an adapted version of the Breakthrough Method. Each QI team member received a questionnaire by mail within one week after the second (2-3 months post-implementation of the collaborative = T0) and final conference (12 months post-implementation = T1). A total of 859 (out of 1161) respondents filled in the questionnaire at T0 and 541 at T1 (47% response). A total of 307 team members filled in the questionnaire at both T0 and T1. We measured innovative culture, respondent characteristics (age, gender, education), perceived team effectiveness, organizational support, and management support. Two-tailed paired t-tests showed that innovative culture was slightly but significantly lower at T1 compared to T0 (12 months and 2-3 months after the start of the collaborative, respectively). Univariate analyses revealed that perceived effectiveness, organizational and management support were significantly related to innovative culture at T1 (all at p ≤ 0.001). Multilevel analyses showed that perceived effectiveness, organizational support, and management support predicted innovative culture. Our QI teams were not able to improve innovative culture over time, but their innovative culture scores were higher than non-participant professionals. QI interventions require organizational and management support to enhance innovative culture in long-term care settings. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cultivating a culture of research in nursing through a journal club for leaders: A pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kjerholt, Mette; Hølge-Hazelton, Bibi

2018-01-01

To describe whether an action learning-inspired journal club for nurse leaders can develop the leaders' self-perceived competences to support a research culture in clinical nursing practice. Development of clinical research capacity and nurse leaders with the requisite competences are key factors in evidence-based health care practice. This study describes how nurse leaders at a large regional hospital took part in a journal club for nurse leaders, with a view to developing their competences to support a nursing research culture in their departments. A pilot study using a multimethod approach to evaluate the journal club for nurse leaders. Four nurse leaders participated in the journal club for nurse leaders. Content analysis on the data was performed. Data revealed that participation in journal club for nurse leaders gave the leaders a feeling of increased competences to support nursing research culture in their departments. They stated that the action learning approach and the competences of the facilitator were key factors in this outcome. An action learning-inspired journal club for nurse leaders can be useful and meaningful to nurse leaders in developing leadership competences. As an approach in journal club for nurse leaders, action learning can develop nurse leaders' competence to support a research culture, and thus ensure evidence-based nursing is practised. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

CULTURAL CHANGE IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANIES: A CASE STUDY

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Cristiane Alves Anacleto

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This work aims to propose a model for the conduct of cultural change in the IT department of a company in the telecommunications industry. To achieve the goal proposed exploratory, technical procedures used were the case study and literature review. The techniques of data collection in the case study were: participant observation, unstructured interview and document analysis. The proposed model consists of five steps: analysis of the company's strategic planning, cultural diagnosis of the IT department, brainstorming with the staff and managers, compared to the case studies surveyed and proposed actions for the conduct of cultural change. We conclude that a receptive environment, employees not only understand why the changes are necessary, but engage with the process and faithfully executes the steps required, favoring the strategic positioning of the company.

Three-dimensional organoid culture reveals involvement of Wnt/β-catenin pathway in proliferation of bladder cancer cells.

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Yoshida, Takahiro; Sopko, Nikolai A; Kates, Max; Liu, Xiaopu; Joice, Gregory; McConkey, David J; Bivalacqua, Trinity J

2018-02-16

There has been increasing awareness of the importance of three-dimensional culture of cancer cells. Tumor cells growing as multicellular spheroids in three-dimensional culture, alternatively called organoids, are widely believed to more closely mimic solid tumors in situ . Previous studies concluded that the Wnt/β-catenin pathway is required for regeneration of the normal urothelium after injury and that β-catenin is upregulated in human bladder cancers, but no clear evidence has been advanced to support the idea that the Wnt/β-catenin pathway is directly involved in deregulated proliferation and the other malignant characteristics of bladder cancer cells. Here we report that the Wnt/β-catenin pathway activator, CHIR99021, promoted proliferation of established human bladder cancer cell lines when they were grown in organoid culture but not when they were grown in conventional adherent cultures. CHIR99021 activated Wnt/β-catenin pathway in bladder cancer cell lines in organoid culture. CHIR99021 also stimulated proliferation and the Wnt/b-catenin pathway in primary human bladder cancer organoids. RNAi-mediated knockdown of β-catenin blocked growth of organoids. The effects of CHIR99021 were associated with decreased expression of the urothelial terminal differentiation marker, cytokeratin 20. Our data suggest that the Wnt/β-catenin pathway is required for the proliferation of bladder cancer cells in three-dimensional organoid culture and provide a concrete example of why organoid culture is important for cancer research.

Comparative genomic analysis of the gut bacterium Bifidobacterium longum reveals loci susceptible to deletion during pure culture growth

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Shakhova VV

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Bifidobacteria are frequently proposed to be associated with good intestinal health primarily because of their overriding dominance in the feces of breast fed infants. However, clinical feeding studies with exogenous bifidobacteria show they don't remain in the intestine, suggesting they may lose competitive fitness when grown outside the gut. Results To further the understanding of genetic attenuation that may be occurring in bifidobacteria cultures, we obtained the complete genome sequence of an intestinal isolate, Bifidobacterium longum DJO10A that was minimally cultured in the laboratory, and compared it to that of a culture collection strain, B. longum NCC2705. This comparison revealed colinear genomes that exhibited high sequence identity, except for the presence of 17 unique DNA regions in strain DJO10A and six in strain NCC2705. While the majority of these unique regions encoded proteins of diverse function, eight from the DJO10A genome and one from NCC2705, encoded gene clusters predicted to be involved in diverse traits pertinent to the human intestinal environment, specifically oligosaccharide and polyol utilization, arsenic resistance and lantibiotic production. Seven of these unique regions were suggested by a base deviation index analysis to have been precisely deleted from strain NCC2705 and this is substantiated by a DNA remnant from within one of the regions still remaining in the genome of NCC2705 at the same locus. This targeted loss of genomic regions was experimentally validated when growth of the intestinal B. longum in the laboratory for 1,000 generations resulted in two large deletions, one in a lantibiotic encoding region, analogous to a predicted deletion event for NCC2705. A simulated fecal growth study showed a significant reduced competitive ability of this deletion strain against Clostridium difficile and E. coli. The deleted region was between two IS30 elements which were experimentally

Towards school mental health programmes in Nigeria: systematic review revealed the need for contextualised and culturally-nuanced research.

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Atilola, Olayinka; Ola, Bolanle

2016-01-01

School-based mental health programmes, a potential avenue to reach many children and youth, are not yet developed in Nigeria. In view of the importance of cultural nuances in mental health issues, initial groundwork towards the establishment of these programmes in Nigeria must be cognizant of cultural peculiarities at the outset. The objective of the study was to critically examine, through the lens of transcultural psychiatry, all the currently available epidemiological studies and needs assessments relevant to school-based mental health programmes in Nigeria. The study was a systematic review of relevant studies available from MEDLINE, Science Direct, PsychInfo, Google Scholar, and AJOL databases. This review shows that there is an ongoing effort at documenting the burden of mental health problems and risks, resource needs, and the available resource and capacity for school-based mental health programmes in Nigeria. However, generally speaking these epidemiological data and needs assessments are significantly limited in epistemological philosophy and cultural contextualisation. This was evidenced by a preponderance of non-representative data, quantitative assessments, and decontextualised interpretation of results and conclusions. Going forward, recommendations are offered for culturally-nuanced epidemiology and the direction is set for context-appropriate needs assessments for school-based mental health programmes in Nigeria.

Influence of cross-cultural leadership on organizational culture: Arcelormittal, Newcastle, a South African perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A Feldman

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this research was to determine the influence of cross cultural leadership on organisational culture. This is assessed by using the GLOBE project’s dimensions of culture which are an extension to Hofstede model of culture. These are; power distance, uncertainty avoidance, human orientation, individuality vs. collectivism, egalitarianism, assertiveness, long term orientation and performance orientation. As more organisations in South Africa become more culturally diverse, it is important to determine where the organisational culture stems from? This is essential in addressing cross cultural conflicts and in efforts to create a winning culture in the workplace. The case study involves Arcelormittal South Africa (AMSA, and will hopefully contribute positively in identifying salient cultural implications in managerial positions such as for example, high employee turnover and cultural clashes which hinder individual performance. A qualitative research design was used in this study to determine participants’ perspectives on organisational culture and leadership. Two instruments were used for primary data collection in this research. The first one was designed by the researcher to capture the demographics data for this particular study. The second instrument used was the GLOBE survey questionnaire which captured 8 dimensions of culture and was specifically designed to encompass questions relevant to the business environment. A convenience sampling methodology was used with a target population of 115 managers classified as middle management of AMSA. The research revealed that there is a general shift from a Eurocentric approach to leadership which is congruent with high individualism and low human orientation. The influence of cross cultural leadership is thus indicated by the preference for higher degree of human orientation and collectivism amongst managers, which is associated with the Afrocentric leadership style and the black ethnic

Cultural Evolution: a case study of Indian music

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Meer, W.

2012-01-01

This paper studies the relations between music, culture and the society which surrounds it, focussing on change as an evolutionary process. The classical music of North India serves as an example, but a similar approach may be applied to other branches of human culture, e.g. science.

Cultural differences in risk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Do-Yeong Kim

2010-08-01

Full Text Available We compared South Koreans with Australians in order to characterize cultural differences in attitudes and choices regarding risk, at both the individual and group levels. Our results showed that Australians, when assessed individually, consistently self-reported higher preference for risk than South Koreans, regardless of gender. The data revealed that South Koreans, regardless of gender composition, were willing to take greater risks when making decisions in group decision-making situations than when they were alone. This is a different pattern from that seen in the Australian sample, in which a risky shift was noted only among males. This difference was attributed to the influence of various cultural orientations (independent vs. interdependent relationship styles. This study also provides a discussion of the implications of these results in terms of cultural differences in attitudes and decisions regarding risk.

Age differences in personal values: Universal or cultural specific?

Science.gov (United States)

Fung, Helene H; Ho, Yuan Wan; Zhang, Rui; Zhang, Xin; Noels, Kimberly A; Tam, Kim-Pong

2016-05-01

Prior studies on value development across adulthood have generally shown that as people age, they espouse communal values more strongly and agentic values less strongly. Two studies investigated whether these age differences in personal values might differ according to cultural values. Study 1 examined whether these age differences in personal values, and their associations with subjective well-being, showed the same pattern across countries that differed in individualism-collectivism. Study 2 compared age differences in personal values in the Canadian culture that emphasized agentic values more and the Chinese culture that emphasized communal values more. Personal and cultural values of each individual were directly measured, and their congruence were calculated and compared across age and cultures. Findings revealed that across cultures, older people had lower endorsement of agentic personal values and higher endorsement of communal personal values than did younger people. These age differences, and their associations with subjective well-being, were generally not influenced by cultural values. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Long-term culture of organotypic multicellular glioma spheroids: a good culture model for studying gliomas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kaaijk, P.; Troost, D.; Das, P. K.; Leenstra, S.; Bosch, D. A.

1995-01-01

Gliomas, as well as other solid tumours, contain tumour stroma composed of connective tissue, macrophages, capillaries and other non-cellular constituents. Therefore, a homogeneous culture of tumour cells alone, as is often used as a culture model for gliomas, is not ideal to study all aspects of

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...

Patterns of receptive and creative cultural activities and their association with perceived health, anxiety, depression and satisfaction with life among adults: the HUNT study, Norway.

Science.gov (United States)

Cuypers, Koenraad; Krokstad, Steinar; Holmen, Turid Lingaas; Skjei Knudtsen, Margunn; Bygren, Lars Olov; Holmen, Jostein

2012-08-01

Cultural participation has been used both in governmental health policies and as medical therapy, based on the assumption that cultural activities will improve health. Previous population studies and a human intervention study have shown that religious, social and cultural activities predict increased survival rate. The aim of this study was to analyse the association between cultural activity and perceived health, anxiety, depression and satisfaction with life in both genders. The study is based on the third population-based Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (2006-2008), including 50,797 adult participants from Nord-Trøndelag County, Norway. Data on cultural activities, both receptive and creative, perceived health, anxiety, depression and satisfaction with life were collected by comprehensive questionnaires. The logistic regression models, adjusted for relevant cofactors, show that participation in receptive and creative cultural activities was significantly associated with good health, good satisfaction with life, low anxiety and depression scores in both genders. Especially in men, attending receptive, rather than creative, cultural activities was more strongly associated with all health-related outcomes. Statistically significant associations between several single receptive, creative cultural activities and the health-related outcome variables were revealed. This population-based study suggests gender-dependent associations between cultural participation and perceived health, anxiety, depression and satisfaction with life. The results support hypotheses on the effect of cultural activities in health promotion and healthcare, but further longitudinal and experimental studies are warranted to establish a reliable cause-effect relationship.

Study on Spatial Cultural Heritage Integrated into the Core Curriculum

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Hsu, W. H.; Lai, Y. P.

2015-08-01

These Many countries have put a lot of efforts, promoting education of cultural heritage, to raise the conservation awareness and increase people's participation. However, the development of Taiwan's higher education about cultural heritage has not shown a significant growth, so it didn't train talents with enough cultural heritage awareness. In the workplace, these professionals will inevitably lack of comprehensions and the appropriate professional assessments for cultural heritage. Hence, the main objective of this paper is to study and combine these concepts into the core curriculum of Department of Construction and Spatial Design at Tungnan University. It takes the local "Shenkeng historic cultural district" as a case study, and will gradually develop an proper interdisciplinary course in order to help local residents implement projects of conserving cultural heritage. This plan not only can increase schools' engagements toward communities, with an ability of social civilization, but also it can encourage the conservation and maintenance of cultural heritages.

A different kind of honor culture : Family honor and aggression in Turks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Osch, Y.M.J.; Breugelmans, S.M.; Zeelenberg, M.; Bölük, P.

2013-01-01

Masculine honor has been found to explain the relationship between insults and aggression in the USA. However, detailed accounts of Mediterranean honor cultures suggest that family honor may be more important in explaining cross-cultural differences in aggression. Two studies revealed that people

A different kind of honor culture : Family honor and aggression in Turks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Osch, Yvette; Breugelmans, Seger M.; Zeelenberg, Marcel; Bölük, Pinar

Masculine honor has been found to explain the relationship between insults and aggression in the USA. However, detailed accounts of Mediterranean honor cultures suggest that family honor may be more important in explaining cross-cultural differences in aggression. Two studies revealed that people

Feasibility study on the culture of mud crab Scylla serrata in the mid coast region of Bangladesh.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahmud, A I; Mamun, Abdullah-Al

2012-12-15

A study was conducted at Hatiya and Nijhum Island, Noakhali in the mid coastal region of Bangladesh to identify feasibility of mud crab culture for a study period of six months from January 2010 to June 2010. Data were collected through questionnaire interviews, focus group discussions and cross check interviews. Average yearly collection of mud crabs in this area was about 890.36 tons where lower grade crabs 45.16% and these can be brought under culture practice. It has observed that saline water intrusion was evident 670 Ha. In Hatiya and vast inundated area with saline water was found in Nijhum Island. Overall waiter salinity range was between 2-10 ppt., pH range of 7.8-8.6 and the soil was silt-loamy. The average temperature of the last three years was approximately 26.10 degrees C and rainfall was almost 10.85 mm. It was observed that natural feeds were available in this study area and there was existed a small potential marketing channel with 3-4 middlemen. Also there was a good transportation system both water and road way. So, present study revealed that the area is suitable for crab culture during April to October.

Associations between Cultural Stressors, Cultural Values, and Latina/o College Students' Mental Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Corona, Rosalie; Rodríguez, Vivian M; McDonald, Shelby E; Velazquez, Efren; Rodríguez, Adriana; Fuentes, Vanessa E

2017-01-01

Latina/o college students experience cultural stressors that negatively impact their mental health, which places them at risk for academic problems. We explored whether cultural values buffer the negative effect of cultural stressors on mental health symptoms in a sample of 198 Latina/o college students (70 % female; 43 % first generation college students). Bivariate results revealed significant positive associations between cultural stressors (i.e., acculturative stress, discrimination) and mental health symptoms (i.e., anxiety, depressive, psychological stress), and negative associations between cultural values of familismo, respeto, and religiosity and mental health symptoms. Several cultural values moderated the influence of cultural stressors on mental health symptoms. The findings highlight the importance of helping Latina/o college students remain connected to their families and cultural values as a way of promoting their mental health.

"Two Cultures" Topics for General Studies Science Courses.

Science.gov (United States)

Larson, James H.

1982-01-01

Theses proposed in C. P. Snow's book "The Two Cultures," including uncommunicative scientific and literary groups, gap between rich and poor, overpopulation, and nuclear war remain viable topics. Discusses the scientific and literary cultural gap and what can be done in general studies science courses to ameliorate the condition.…

Cultural change in telecommunications companies: a case study

OpenAIRE

Anacleto, Cristiane Alves; Irion, Crishna; Paladini, Edson Pacheco

2014-01-01

This work aims to propose a model for the conduct of cultural change in the IT department of a company in the telecommunications industry. To achieve the goal proposed exploratory, technical procedures used were the case study and literature review. The techniques of data collection in the case study were: participant observation, unstructured interview and document analysis. The proposed model consists of five steps: analysis of the company's strategic planning, cultural diagnosis of the IT ...

HISTORY OF in vitro CULTURE STUDIES ON Helianthus annuus L. IN TURKEY

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Sergun DAYAN

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Tissue culture techniques offer important approaches about sunflower breeding and germplasm conservation. The available data on the subject in Turkey was reviewed in order to encourage the researchers to study on tissue culture of sunflower. In vitro studies on sunflower in Turkey started in the first half of the 90s. A large number of in vitro culture studies on sunflower using anthers, hypocotyls, cotyledons, petioles of cotyledon, shoot-tips, mature embryos, immature embryos, leaves, petioles, immature cotyledons and microspores as different explants have been published. Microspore culture, anther culture, embryo culture, slow growth storage, micropropagation and gene transfer with Agrobacterium were also used in these culture studies. Although these studies formed an important scientific knowledge about sunflower tissue culture in the country, it is still not sufficient. Therefore, there is an urgent need to make more in vitro studies on sunflower which is an important agricultural plant for Turkey. The transfer of the results of these studies to agricultural applications is also essential from a sectoral standpoint.

Analysis of foreign research on organisational culture in scools

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Kuznetsova O.E.,

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The paper reviews theoretical and empirical research of foreign psychologists on organizational culture in schools. The key problematics is as follows: paradigm, methodology, typologies, impact on school effectiveness. The paper reveals basic contradictions of these problems and outlines possible solutions proposed by foreign researchers. It analyses functional and dynamic paradigms of research on organizational culture and perspectives of their integration; describes the typologies developed according to the specifics of educational organization. Empirical studies focus mainly on the impacts of organizational culture on school effectiveness, as well as on the development and transformation of culture

Culturally Adapted Cognitive Behavioral Guided Self-Help for Binge Eating: A Feasibility Study with Mexican Americans

Science.gov (United States)

Cachelin, Fary M.; Shea, Munyi; Phimphasone, Phoutdavone; Wilson, G. Terence; Thompson, Douglas R.; Striegel, Ruth H.

2014-01-01

Objective was to test feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a culturally adapted cognitive-behavioral self-help program to treat binge eating and related problems in Mexican Americans. Participants were 31 women recruited from the Los Angeles area and diagnosed with binge eating disorder, recurrent binge eating or bulimia nervosa. Participants completed a culturally adapted version of a CBT-based self-help program with 8 guidance sessions over a 3-month period. Treatment efficacy was evaluated in terms of binge eating, psychological functioning, and weight loss. Intent-to-treat analyses revealed 35.5% abstinence from binge eating at post-treatment and 38.7% diagnostic remission. Results indicated significant pre-treatment to post-treatment improvement on distress level, BMI, eating disorder psychopathology, and self-esteem. Satisfaction with the program was high. Findings demonstrate that the program is acceptable, feasible, and efficacious in reducing binge eating and associated symptoms for Mexican American women. Study provides “proof of concept” for implementation of culturally adapted forms of evidence-based programs. PMID:25045955

EXPLORATORY STUDY OF OBSTACLES IN SAFETY CULTURE DEVELOPMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY: A GROUNDED THEORY APPROACH

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Bonaventure H.W. Hadikusumo

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to analyse the obstacles that prevent the development of a safety culture in Thailand’s large construction industry from various managerial points of view. Qualitative research methods were used by performing a series of semi-structured interviews of eight case studies selected from six prominent construction firms to investigate the obstacles they face. Glaser’s keyword coding from Grounded Theory was used to reduce the information load after the interviews. Our findings revealed that the factors influencing the successful development of a safety culture in the construction industry are the workers, the characteristics of construction, the subcontractors, the supervisors, and external factors. Based on the frequency analysis, the main obstacles in developing a safety culture result from problems related to the workers themselves. The three most frequently discussed problems are unskilled workers, unsafe worker habits, and high worker turnover. Our results also suggest that managers should encourage engagement from their workers to optimise the successful implementation of safety programs and their long-term improvement.

Influence of encoding instructions and response bias on cross-cultural differences in specific recognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Paige, Laura E; Amado, Selen; Gutchess, Angela H

2017-10-01

Prior cross-cultural research has reported cultural variations in memory. One study revealed that Americans remembered images with more perceptual detail than East Asians (Millar et al. in Cult Brain 1(2-4):138-157, 2013). However, in a later study, this expected pattern was not replicated, possibly due to differences in encoding instructions (Paige et al. in Cortex 91:250-261, 2017). The present study sought to examine when cultural variation in memory-related decisions occur and the role of instructions. American and East Asian participants viewed images of objects while making a Purchase decision or an Approach decision and later completed a surprise recognition test. Results revealed Americans had higher hit rates for specific memory, regardless of instruction type, and a less stringent response criterion relative to East Asians. Additionally, a pattern emerged where the Approach decision enhanced hit rates for specific memory relative to the Purchase decision only when administered first; this pattern did not differ across cultures. Results suggest encoding instructions do not magnify cross-cultural differences in memory. Ultimately, cross-cultural differences in response bias, rather than memory sensitivity per se, may account for findings of cultural differences in memory specificity.

Cultural distance between parents' and children's creativity: A within-country approach in Taiwan.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Jen-Ho; Su, Jenny C; Chen, Hsueh-Chih

2015-07-01

The present study adopted a within-country approach to investigate the relation of cultural distance to general creativity and math creativity in Taiwan. First, we conducted a pilot study of 201 young adolescents with parents from one of the 3 largest subethnic groups in Taiwan, namely Min-nan Taiwanese, Ha-kka Taiwanese, and Outside-Province Taiwanese. The results revealed that young Taiwanese adolescents perceived the cultural distance between Min-nan Taiwanese and Outside-Province Taiwanese as larger than the cultural distance between the other subethnic groups. The main study revealed that 610 young adolescents from large cultural distance families (i.e., those comprising 1 Min-nan Taiwanese parent and 1 Outside-Province Taiwanese parent) outperformed those from small cultural distance families (i.e., those comprising 2 Min-nan Taiwanese parents, and those comprising 1 Min-nan Taiwanese parent and 1 Ha-kka Taiwanese parent) on both general creativity and math creativity. This pattern remained even after controlling for family socioeconomic status, parents' education level, and adolescents' school mathematical performance. Implications and limitations are discussed. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Toward Cultural Policy Studies on Mobility: Reflections on a Study of the Hong Kong Working Holiday Scheme

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Louis Ho

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Cultural policy is predominantly, and practically, considered the sum of a government’s activities with respect to the arts, humanities and heritage. Thus, cultural policy encompasses a much broader range of activities than was traditionally associated with an arts policy. Critical cultural policy studies, then, sees a distinction between ‘explicit’ cultural policies that are manifestly labelled as ‘cultural’, and ‘implicit’ cultural policies that are not labelled as such, but that work to shape cultural experiences. This article considers this explicit/implicit cultural policy distinction through John Urry’s idea of ‘social as mobility’, suggesting that some public policies regarding mobility (such as immigration, international trade and labour policy have led to specific cultural consequences and therefore qualify as implicit cultural policy. Using Hong Kong’s working holiday scheme as a case study, this article explores how an economic policy on temporary immigrant labour involves a deliberate cultural agenda as well as ‘unintentional’ cultural consequences and problematises the fact that cultural policy studies are largely framed by the idea of ‘social as society’.

A study of culture and how it affects Sri Lankan organisations

OpenAIRE

Perera, Ethmadalage Dineeli Nadeesha

2006-01-01

This dissertation presents a study of culture by bifurcating it into two parts: National and Organisational Culture. Through research, a profile of the Sri Lankan National Culture and the Organisational Culture of 3 selected companies is arrived at. Consequently, the research findings are analysed to distinguish if the National Culture of Sri Lanka has had an influence on the Organisational Culture of Sri Lankan companies.

Novel and unexpected bacterial diversity in an arsenic-rich ecosystem revealed by culture-dependent approaches

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Delavat François

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Acid Mine Drainages (AMDs are extreme environments characterized by very acid conditions and heavy metal contaminations. In these ecosystems, the bacterial diversity is considered to be low. Previous culture-independent approaches performed in the AMD of Carnoulès (France confirmed this low species richness. However, very little is known about the cultured bacteria in this ecosystem. The aims of the study were firstly to apply novel culture methods in order to access to the largest cultured bacterial diversity, and secondly to better define the robustness of the community for 3 important functions: As(III oxidation, cellulose degradation and cobalamine biosynthesis. Results Despite the oligotrophic and acidic conditions found in AMDs, the newly designed media covered a large range of nutrient concentrations and a pH range from 3.5 to 9.8, in order to target also non-acidophilic bacteria. These approaches generated 49 isolates representing 19 genera belonging to 4 different phyla. Importantly, overall diversity gained 16 extra genera never detected in Carnoulès. Among the 19 genera, 3 were previously uncultured, one of them being novel in databases. This strategy increased the overall diversity in the Carnoulès sediment by 70% when compared with previous culture-independent approaches, as specific phylogenetic groups (e.g. the subclass Actinobacteridae or the order Rhizobiales were only detected by culture. Cobalamin auxotrophy, cellulose degradation and As(III-oxidation are 3 crucial functions in this ecosystem, and a previous meta- and proteo-genomic work attributed each function to only one taxon. Here, we demonstrate that other members of this community can also assume these functions, thus increasing the overall community robustness. Conclusions This work highlights that bacterial diversity in AMDs is much higher than previously envisaged, thus pointing out that the AMD system is functionally more robust than expected

Impact of Culture on Meat and Related Food Preferences in Akwa ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The effectiveness of meat and related food products marketing in Akwa Ibom State is conditioned by the specifics of culture. In this study, cultural effect on meat consumption is examined. A sample of 568 respondents were analysed with OLS regression. The results reveal that meat consumption and preferences for related ...

Third Culture Kids and College Support: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Holdren, Sarah Jennifer

2013-01-01

This single site case study applies the "Transition Cycle" framework (Pollock & Van Reken, 2009) to an institutionally-based, student-run support program for Third Culture Kids. The purpose of this study was to examine how Lewis and Clark College responded to the presence of Third Culture Kid, or Global Nomad, students on campus by…

Misinterpretation of facial expression: a cross-cultural study.

Science.gov (United States)

Shioiri, T; Someya, T; Helmeste, D; Tang, S W

1999-02-01

Accurately recognizing facial emotional expressions is important in psychiatrist-versus-patient interactions. This might be difficult when the physician and patients are from different cultures. More than two decades of research on facial expressions have documented the universality of the emotions of anger, contempt, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise. In contrast, some research data supported the concept that there are significant cultural differences in the judgment of emotion. In this pilot study, the recognition of emotional facial expressions in 123 Japanese subjects was evaluated using the Japanese and Caucasian Facial Expression of Emotion (JACFEE) photos. The results indicated that Japanese subjects experienced difficulties in recognizing some emotional facial expressions and misunderstood others as depicted by the posers, when compared to previous studies using American subjects. Interestingly, the sex and cultural background of the poser did not appear to influence the accuracy of recognition. The data suggest that in this young Japanese sample, judgment of certain emotional facial expressions was significantly different from the Americans. Further exploration in this area is warranted due to its importance in cross-cultural clinician-patient interactions.

Managing a culturally diverse workforce : Diversity perspectives in organizations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Podsiadlowski, Astrid; Gröschke, Daniela; Kogler, Marina; Springer, Cornelia; van der Zee, Karen

The authors conducted two studies to analyze why and how organizations approach and manage cultural diversity in the Austrian workplace and to identify organizations' diversity perspectives. In Study 1, 29 interviews revealed insights into organizational approaches to diversity and how these

The Comparative Study of Cultural Differences of Slovak Inbound Tourists: A Need of Innovations

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Fodranová Iveta

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this article was to identify the cause of the negative attitude of Slovak population towards visitors by comparing the differences in national cultures on six primary Hofstede’s dimensions: power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation and indulgence and provide comparison with Slovakia. The results revealed high score on power distance and masculinity. The high score of this two dimensions′ correlates with elements of expressions of superiority and negatively affects not only the way of communication between people from the same cultural and linguistic group, but also with individuals that come from a different cultural environment. Based on these results, it is necessary to develop a smarter marketing approach - strive for innovation and unique marketing activities for a more efficient communication.

School violence and the culture of honor.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Ryan P; Osterman, Lindsey L; Barnes, Collin D

2009-11-01

We investigated the hypothesis that a sociocultural variable known as the culture of honor would be uniquely predictive of school-violence indicators. Controlling for demographic characteristics associated in previous studies with violent crime among adults, we found that high-school students in culture-of-honor states were significantly more likely than high-school students in non-culture-of-honor states to report having brought a weapon to school in the past month. Using data aggregated over a 20-year period, we also found that culture-of-honor states had more than twice as many school shootings per capita as non-culture-of-honor states. The data revealed important differences between school violence and general patterns of homicide and are consistent with the view that many acts of school violence reflect retaliatory aggression springing from intensely experienced social-identity threats.

Virtually naked: virtual environment reveals sex-dependent nature of skin disclosure.

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Anna M Lomanowska

Full Text Available The human tendency to reveal or cover naked skin reflects a competition between the individual propensity for social interactions related to sexual appeal and interpersonal touch versus climatic, environmental, physical, and cultural constraints. However, due to the ubiquitous nature of these constraints, isolating on a large scale the spontaneous human tendency to reveal naked skin has remained impossible. Using the online 3-dimensional virtual world of Second Life, we examined spontaneous human skin-covering behavior unhindered by real-world climatic, environmental, and physical variables. Analysis of hundreds of avatars revealed that virtual females disclose substantially more naked skin than virtual males. This phenomenon was not related to avatar hypersexualization as evaluated by measurement of sexually dimorphic body proportions. Furthermore, analysis of skin-covering behavior of a population of culturally homogeneous avatars indicated that the propensity of female avatars to reveal naked skin persisted despite explicit cultural norms promoting less revealing attire. These findings have implications for further understanding how sex-specific aspects of skin disclosure influence human social interactions in both virtual and real settings.

A Brief Study of the Cultural Conflicts Between China and America in the Film The Joy Luck Club

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

王馨若

2017-01-01

This paper explores several main cultural conflicts between China and America in the film The Joy Luck Club, and also discusses their causes as well as some useful methods to deal with them. The film The Joy Luck Club is adapted from its novel，written by Amy Tan, a Chinese American, and it has narrated some impressive life stories of four Chinese mothers who have settled down America with their daughters, which have revealed many typical cultural conflicts between China and America, exactly helping us to find out many significant features of the conflicts. Many papers have talked about this topic based on the Mother-daughter relationship embodied in the film; this paper will prefer studying the topic from the perspective of value, national character, marriage relationship and friendship, so as to make a full understanding of the cultural conflicts and to manage a successful intercultural communication. Where there are the cultural conflicts, there are language misunderstanding, emotional harm and behavioral contradiction that can lead to a failure in the intercultural communication. Since people from all over the world are looking forward to cooperating together and seeking common developments or ways to solve world issues, this study could be meaningful.

A Cross-Cultural Study of Adolescent Procrastination

Science.gov (United States)

Klassen, Robert M.; Ang, Rebecca P.; Chong, Wan Har; Krawchuk, Lindsey L.; Huan, Vivien S.; Wong, Isabella Y. F.; Yeo, Lay See

2009-01-01

In this study, we explore academic procrastination and associated motivation variables in 612 adolescents from Canada and Singapore. Few studies have explored adolescent procrastination and no previous studies have investigated adolescent procrastination using a cross-cultural framework. Singaporean adolescents reported higher levels of…

Cultural Studies og kritisk diskursanalyse i 8. klasse

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svarstad, Lone

2015-01-01

The article presents an exploration of a Cultural Studies and Critical Cultural Pedagogy approach to intercultural competence in lower secondary English classes in Denmark. The presentation is based on the second intervention in a participatory action research project in connection with my doctoral...... to be multiplicative and dynamic and power is foregrounded. Critical discourse analysis is used as a tool in class to analyse a dispute on Facebook between Miley Cyrus and Sinead O’Connor. Students work with active construction, making connections, social interaction, reflection, responsibility and they do so...... thesis in the school year 2013-2014.The approach is based on Cultural Studies and knowledge of social categories and representation, and how these can be taught and discussed in class through an intersectional lens. An intersectional lens allows for the conceptualization of categories...

Cultural Transduction and Adaptation Studies: The Concept of Cultural Proximity

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Patrick Cattrysse

2017-01-01

Full Text Available El presente artículo examina el concepto de proximidad cultural, tal como lo sugiere Joseph Straubhaar en su artículo de 1991 “Beyond Media Imperialism: Assymmetrical sic Interdependence and Cultural Proximity”. Se argumenta que, basándose en un estudio de polisistema de adaptaciones de film noir desde principios de los años noventa, tanto la proximidad cultural como la distancia pueden mejorar o inhibir el flujo cruzado de género o el flujo cultural cruzado de contenido de medios dependiendo de algunos acondicionadores específicos, como la estabilidad o la inestabilidad (por ejemplo, el éxito o la falta del mismo del género o contexto objetivo y la función conservadora o innovadora de las adaptaciones en su contexto objetivo.

Pre-Columbian Population Dynamics and Cultural Development in South Coast Perú as Revealed by Analysis of Ancient DNA

OpenAIRE

Fehren-Schmitz, Lars

2012-01-01

In this paper I report on a study whose principal aim is to understand the development and decline of the southern Peruvian Nasca culture in the upper Río Grande de Nasca drainage, and its cultural and biological affinities to the preceding Paracas culture. Ancient DNA analyses were conducted on over 300 pre-Columbian individuals from various cemeteries in southern Perú, from periods ranging from the Formative Period to the Middle Horizon. Our results show that the Nasca populations are close...

Can we really use available scales for child and adolescent psychopathology across cultures? A systematic review of cross-cultural measurement invariance data.

Science.gov (United States)

Stevanovic, Dejan; Jafari, Peyman; Knez, Rajna; Franic, Tomislav; Atilola, Olayinka; Davidovic, Nikolina; Bagheri, Zahra; Lakic, Aneta

2017-02-01

In this systematic review, we assessed available evidence for cross-cultural measurement invariance of assessment scales for child and adolescent psychopathology as an indicator of cross-cultural validity. A literature search was conducted using the Medline, PsychInfo, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases. Cross-cultural measurement invariance data was available for 26 scales. Based on the aggregation of the evidence from the studies under review, none of the evaluated scales have strong evidence for cross-cultural validity and suitability for cross-cultural comparison. A few of the studies showed a moderate level of measurement invariance for some scales (such as the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised, Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children, Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale, Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, Mood and Feelings Questionnaire, and Disruptive Behavior Rating Scale), which may make them suitable in cross-cultural comparative studies. The remainder of the scales either showed weak or outright lack of measurement invariance. This review showed only limited testing for measurement invariance across cultural groups of scales for pediatric psychopathology, with evidence of cross-cultural validity for only a few scales. This study also revealed a need to improve practices of statistical analysis reporting in testing measurement invariance. Implications for future research are discussed.

A Comparative Study between Chinese and Western Food Culture in Cross-cultural Communication

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

焦体霞

2014-01-01

The differences of food culture play an important role in cross-cultural communication. Learn the cultural rooted causes of food culture between Chinese and Western countries, will promote mutual understanding between people and enjoy different feelings different foods brings, enhance cultural exchange, complement and integration.

The Theory of Industrial Society and Cultural Schemata: Does the “Cultural Myth of Stigma” Underlie the WHO Schizophrenia Paradox?

Science.gov (United States)

Pescosolido, Bernice A.; Martin, Jack K.; Olafsdottir, Sigrun; Long, J. Scott; Kafadar, Karen; Medina, Tait R.

2015-01-01

The “Better Prognosis Hypothesis” stems from World Health Organization studies known as the International Studies of Schizophrenia (ISoS). Despite greater availability and sophistication of treatment options in the West, schizophrenia appears to have a more benign course and better outcomes in “developing” societies. We focus on this finding's most common corollary: a simplified version of sociological notions of cultural reality shaped by the transition from agrarian to industrial society. Developing societies are viewed as traditional, gemeinschaft cultures that neither develop nor endorse stigmatizing attitudes and beliefs about persons with mental illness that exist in modern, gesellschaft cultures of developed societies. Using the Stigma in Global Context-Mental Health Study (SGC-MHS), we formalize the “Cultural Myth of Stigma,” propositions linking level of development to intolerant, exclusionary, and individualistic attitudes. In 17 countries, we find no support for the corollary. Where significant associations are documented, the findings are opposite expectations: the public in more developed societies reports lower stigma levels. Extensions to reconceptualizations of the cultural landscape also reveal null or contrary findings. This correction to nostalgic myths of cultural context in developing societies thwarts misguided treatment, policy, and stigma-reduction efforts. PMID:26640277

Safety Culture Enhancement Project. Final Report. A Field Study on Approaches to Enhancement of Safety Culture

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lowe, Andrew; Hayward, Brent (Dedale Asia Pacific, Albert Park VIC 3206 (Australia))

2006-08-15

This report documents a study with the objective of enhancing safety culture in the Swedish nuclear power industry. A primary objective of this study was to ensure that the latest thinking on human factors principles was being recognised and applied by nuclear power operators as a means of ensuring optimal safety performance. The initial phase of the project was conducted as a pilot study, involving the senior management group at one Swedish nuclear power-producing site. The pilot study enabled the project methodology to be validated after which it was repeated at other Swedish nuclear power industry sites, providing a broad-ranging analysis of opportunities across the industry to enhance safety culture. The introduction to this report contains an overview of safety culture, explains the background to the project and sets out the project rationale and objectives. The methodology used for understanding and analysing the important safety culture issues at each nuclear power site is then described. This section begins with a summary of the processes used in the information gathering and data analysis stage. The six components of the Management Workshops conducted at each site are then described. These workshops used a series of presentations, interactive events and group exercises to: (a) provide feedback to site managers on the safety culture and safety leadership issues identified at their site, and (b) stimulate further safety thinking and provide 'take-away' information and leadership strategies that could be applied to promote safety culture improvements. Section 3, project Findings, contains the main observations and output from the project. These include: - a brief overview of aspects of the local industry operating context that impinge on safety culture; - a summary of strengths or positive attributes observed within the safety culture of the Swedish nuclear industry; - a set of identified opportunities for further improvement; - the aggregated

Academic capitalism and academic culture: A case study.

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Pilar Mendoza

2008-12-01

Full Text Available This case study investigated the impact of academic capitalism on academic culture by examining the perspectives of faculty members in an American academic department with significant industrial funding. The results of this study indicate that faculty members believe that the broad integrity of the academic culture remains unaffected in this department and they consider industrial sponsorship as a highly effective vehicle for enhancing the quality of education of students and pursuing their scientific interests. This study provides valuable insights to federal and institutional policiescreated to foster industry-academia partnerships and commercialization of academic research.

Memory and Culture—Notes on the Concept of "Memory Cultures" Within Cultural Studies

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Nina Leonhard

2007-09-01

Full Text Available This book of collected papers, published by the DFG-Sonderforschungsbereich Erinnerungskulturen ("Memory Cultures" at the Justus Liebig University of Gießen, gives a broad overview of approaches and results of memory research within various disciplines. Despite many interesting insights, the book offers no general framework by which the different aspects analyzed by the authors could be classified and related to one another. Thus, the shortcomings of memory studies, from a cultural perspective and understood as an interdisciplinary, multidimensional research program, become visible. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0703259

Toward a new approach to the study of personality in culture.

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Cheung, Fanny M; van de Vijver, Fons J R; Leong, Frederick T L

2011-10-01

We review recent developments in the study of culture and personality measurement. Three approaches are described: an etic approach that focuses on establishing measurement equivalence in imported measures of personality, an emic (indigenous) approach that studies personality in specific cultures, and a combined emic-etic approach to personality. We propose the latter approach as a way of combining the methodological rigor of the etic approach and the cultural sensitivity of the emic approach. The combined approach is illustrated by two examples: the first with origins in Chinese culture and the second in South Africa. The article ends with a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications of the combined emic-etic approach for the study of culture and personality and for psychology as a science.

Studies in Philippine Languages and Cultures.

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Brainard, Sherri, Ed.

2001-01-01

This issue of Studies in Philippine Languages and Cultures contains the following articles: "Functions of Locatives in Northern Subanen Expository and Hortatory Discourse" (Josephine Sanicas-Daguman); "Functions of Demonstratives in Sama Bangingi' Expository Discourse" (John Blakely); "A Brief Look at Sinama Basic Verbs…

Culture related to road traffic safety: a comparison of eight countries using two conceptualizations of culture.

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Nordfjærn, Trond; Şimşekoğlu, Özlem; Rundmo, Torbjorn

2014-01-01

The majority of previous cross-country studies of human factors relevant to traffic safety have not operationalized and measured culture. Also studies in this vein have mostly been carried out in Europe and the United States. The aim of the study was to examine country cluster differences, based on the Culture's Consequences framework, in road traffic risk perception, attitudes towards traffic safety and driver behaviour in samples from Norway, Russia, India, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, Turkey and Iran. An additional aim was to examine cluster differences in road traffic culture as symbol use and to investigate whether this theoretical cultural framework predicts risk perception, attitudes towards traffic safety and driver behaviour in the country clusters. The sample consisted of a total of 2418 individuals who were obtained by convenience sampling in the different countries. The countries segmented into four Culture's Consequences clusters; Norway, Russia and India, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Near East countries. The findings showed that Norwegians reported overall safer attitudes towards traffic safety and driver behaviour than the remaining country clusters. Individuals in Africa reported the highest risk perception. The countries also differed substantially in road traffic culture as symbol use. Contrary to established cultural theory, prediction models revealed that cultural factors were stronger predictors of driver behaviour than of risk perception. Also, the social cognitive risk constructs (i.e. risk perception and attitudes) solely explained variance in driver behaviour in the Norwegian and Russia/India clusters. Previous empirical efforts, which aimed to demonstrate that culture is important for the risk perception criterion, may have focused on a criterion variable that is not strongly related to driver behaviour. Furthermore, countermeasures aimed to influence social cognition may have stronger applicability in countries with a more individualistic western

Either scholar or activist? Thinking cultural psychology beyond academia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Marco Carre Benzi, David

2016-01-01

Both Robert Innis’s and Svend Brinkmann’s works bring to the fore a notorious, but usually forgotten, topic on cultural psychology: the normative framework that regulates the relation between the researcher and the phenomena studied. In fact, these ‘models of human flourishing’, using authors...... directions: turning cultural psychology into activism, and conducting value-laden research. For this purpose, the case of Arthur Jensen’s 1969 controversial publication on IQ is discussed. This example is useful to reveal the challenges that cultural psychology must face in order to become more aware of its...

Activities on safety culture study. Study status in public and private sectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Makino, Maomi; Takano, Kenichi

2004-01-01

Around after entering in the 21st century, organizational accidents had occurred in Japan at various industries including nuclear industry, which were caused directly by unsafe action, human error and illegal conduct of personnel but there were problems in safety culture of organization such as slow retreat of safety system stimulated by management, schedule control and procedure management becoming a dead letter, lack of safety education, and workplace climate of schedule priority. This article referred to organizational factors common to many severe accidents and introduced safety culture study in public and private sectors to overcome those factors. Safety Culture Evaluation Support Tool (SCEST) was developed for self-evaluation of safety culture of organization as well as Organizational Reliability model (OR model) for analysis of initiation and propagation process of risk event. Safety diagnosis system and feedback type risk assessment system for promoting safe organizational climate and culture were also developed. (T. Tanaka)

Cultivating character education through transforming school cultural values

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Arifin

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This article discusses the transformation of school cultural values in character education. This study aimed to outline the importance regarding the transformation of school cultural values in the management of: a curriculum and learning, b students, c teachers and school practitioners to realize the character education. This study was a qualitative study which employed a case study design. The participants of this study were the principals, teachers, practitioners, and students of Senior High School in Gorontalo Province of Indonesia. The results of the analysis revealed that the habituation of cultural values such as religious values, honesty, togetherness, modesty, and discipline which have formed a systematic and persistent integration with the management of curriculum, of students, of teachers and practitioners, can accomplish the goals of character education that is creating a generation that is emotionally, socially, and spiritually intelligent.

The role of leadership for shaping organizational culture and building employee engagement in the Bulgarian gaming industry

OpenAIRE

Stanislavov, Ivaylo; Ivanov, Stanislav

2014-01-01

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the impact of leadership styles on organizational culture and employee engagement, and gain understanding of how these conceptual variables influence organizational performance. Through in-depth interviews, the participants from three Bulgarian gaming enterprises revealed their perceptions of how their previous and current casino managers were able to form organizational culture and build employee engagement. The study revealed that th...

Adapting to a US Medical Curriculum in Malaysia: A Qualitative Study on Cultural Dissonance in International Education

Science.gov (United States)

Shields, Ryan Y

2016-01-01

Context Minimal research has examined the recent exportation of medical curricula to international settings. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, USA partnered with Perdana University Graduate School of Medicine in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and implemented the same curriculum currently used at Johns Hopkins University to teach medical students at Perdana University. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of first-year medical students at Perdana University, focusing on issues of cultural dissonance during adaptation to a US curriculum. Methods In-depth semi-structured interviews with the inaugural class of first-year students (n=24) were conducted, audio-recorded, and transcribed. Two reviewers independently coded and analyzed the qualitative data for major themes. Results The most prominent themes identified were the transition from a “passive” to an “active” learning environment and the friendliness and openness of the professors. Students noted that “[Perdana University] is a whole new, different culture and now we are adapting to the culture.” Being vocal during classes and taking exams based on conceptual understanding and knowledge application/integration proved to be more challenging for students than having classes taught entirely in English or the amount of material covered. Discussion This study reinforced many cultural education theories as it revealed the major issues of Malaysian graduate students adapting to a US-style medical curriculum. Despite coming from a collectivistic, Confucian-based cultural learning background, the Malaysian students at Perdana University adopted and adapted to, and subsequently supported, the US learning expectations. PMID:27672530

Gaining Insight into Cultural Geography through the Study of Musical Instruments

Science.gov (United States)

Khalil, Alexander K.

2010-01-01

At present, the need for an understanding of both physical and cultural geography is increasingly urgent in America's schools. The present study explores using music as focus for the exploration of geography. Not only is music strongly linked to culture and environment but also its study provides an experiential understanding of a given culture in…

A study on relationship between organizational culture and organizational commitment

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Maryam Khalili

2014-07-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an empirical investigation to study the relationship between organizational culture and organization commitment. The study uses two questionnaires, one for measuring organizational commitment originally developed by Meyer and Allen (1991 [Meyer, J. P., & Allen, N. J. (1991. A three-component conceptualization of organizational commitment. Human resource management review, 1(1, 61-89.] and the other one for organizational culture developed by Denison and Spreitzer (1991 [Denison, D. R., & Spreitzer, G. M. (1991. Organizational culture and organizational development: A competing values approach. Research in organizational change and development, 5(1, 1-21.]. The study is accomplished among selected full time employees who work for an Iranian bank named Bank Saderat Iran. Using Pearson correlation test as well as linear regression methods, the study has determined that there were some positive and meaningful relationship between all components of organizational commitment and organizational culture.

Integrative studies of cultural evolution: crossing disciplinary boundaries to produce new insights.

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Kolodny, Oren; Feldman, Marcus W; Creanza, Nicole

2018-04-05

Culture evolves according to dynamics on multiple temporal scales, from individuals' minute-by-minute behaviour to millennia of cultural accumulation that give rise to population-level differences. These dynamics act on a range of entities-including behavioural sequences, ideas and artefacts as well as individuals, populations and whole species-and involve mechanisms at multiple levels, from neurons in brains to inter-population interactions. Studying such complex phenomena requires an integration of perspectives from a diverse array of fields, as well as bridging gaps between traditionally disparate areas of study. In this article, which also serves as an introduction to the current special issue, we highlight some specific respects in which the study of cultural evolution has benefited and should continue to benefit from an integrative approach. We showcase a number of pioneering studies of cultural evolution that bring together numerous disciplines. These studies illustrate the value of perspectives from different fields for understanding cultural evolution, such as cognitive science and neuroanatomy, behavioural ecology, population dynamics, and evolutionary genetics. They also underscore the importance of understanding cultural processes when interpreting research about human genetics, neuroscience, behaviour and evolution.This article is part of the theme issue 'Bridging cultural gaps: interdisciplinary studies in human cultural evolution'. © 2018 The Author(s).

Entrepreneurial Culture: a Comparative Study of Entrepreneurs in Brazil and Portugal

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Marco Antonio Oliveira Monteiro da Silva

2009-01-01

Full Text Available This article describes research concerning with identifying and explaining similarities and differences in characteristics of entrepreneurs in incubators in Brazil and Portugal. The analytical fundamentals for the comparisons were Hofstede’s cultural dimension model and entrepreneurial orientation (Lumpkim & Dess, 1996. The use of these two models relied on the application of a questionnaire to entrepreneurs in these two countries, and the research was therefore based on intensive field work, which was crucial to achieving the desired goals. Results from the research revealed that there were differences in cultural dimensions – power distance and uncertainty avoidance, both higher in Brazil. The entrepreneurial orientation was also higher in Brazil, especially risk-taking and competitive aggressiveness. The Brazilian entrepreneurs were more likely to reject future uncertainties and showed a greater propensity to take risks and expose themselves to uncertainty, as long as they were paid for this exposure.

Intergenerational Transmission Effects on Relationship Satisfaction: A Cross-Cultural Study

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Yoshida, Keitaro; Busby, Dean M.

2012-01-01

Although intergenerational transmission processes have been studied on various aspects of family life, cross-cultural comparisons have rarely been made. In the present study, the authors examine how intergenerational transmission processes on relationship satisfaction differ between individuals with different gender and cultural identities. A…

Learner Self-Regulation in Distance Education: A Cross-Cultural Study

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Harthi, Aisha S.

2010-01-01

This study investigated cultural variations between two samples of Arab and American distance learners (N = 190). The overarching purpose was to chart the underlying relationships between learner self-regulation and cultural orientation within distance education environments using structural equation modeling. The study found significant…

An empirical study on relationship between organizational culture and administrative corruption

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Saeed Sehhat

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Bureaucratic corruption is an organizational phenomenon, which faces the trend of countries’ development with serious problems. In spite of all planning and respects of countries to fight against this phenomenon, we are still observing its growth in various aspects of the community. The basic approach emphasized by present study is that it is necessary to establish a corruption prevention system whose central element is social culture and organizational culture rather than relying upon the trends based on punishment after corruption. To perceive the relationship between organizational culture and bureaucratic health of organizations, we used a field approach and selected four governmental organizations namely “governorship”, “municipality”, “traffic police” and “customs to gather the data. We used two questionnaires A and B to gather the data on organizational culture and the relationship between culture and corruption, respectively. Initially, by distributing questionnaire A, we evaluated all four organizations in a manner that two organizations have bureaucratic culture and two organizations with organic culture. Then, questionnaire B was distributed among employees and clients of studied organizations (to acquire realer information on bureaucratic health rate to study the relationship between the type of organizational culture and bureaucratic health. Research statistical population consists of all employees and clients of bureaucratic organizations in Chabahar province located in south east of Iran. Statistical sample consists of 146 clients and 146 employees of all four studied organizations. The results from data analysis show that there is no significant relationship between organic or mechanic organizational culture and employees’ bureaucratic health.

Nondestructive analysis for the study of cultural goods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Obrutsky, Alba E.

2009-01-01

The experience obtained by the laboratories of CNEA in the study of cultural goods, particularly of archaeological, historical and artistic goods, required the development of specific methodologies as they are unique and irreplaceable. When a goods is defined as 'cultural heritage' it has to be studied to verify special features that can not be observed at plain sight, then the application of Non Destructive Assays Method is a useful tool for evaluation, determination of conservation conditions, verification of possible restorations, and to elaborate a general diagnosis of the inspected goods. (author) [es

An Extended Case Study Methoology for Investigating Influence of Cultural, Organizational, and Automation Factors on Human-Automation Trust

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Koltai, Kolina Sun; Ho, Nhut; Masequesmay, Gina; Niedober, David; Skoog, Mark; Johnson, Walter; Cacanindin, Artemio

2014-01-01

This paper discusses a case study that examined the influence of cultural, organizational and automation capability upon human trust in, and reliance on, automation. In particular, this paper focuses on the design and application of an extended case study methodology, and on the foundational lessons revealed by it. Experimental test pilots involved in the research and development of the US Air Forces newly developed Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System served as the context for this examination. An eclectic, multi-pronged approach was designed to conduct this case study, and proved effective in addressing the challenges associated with the cases politically sensitive and military environment. Key results indicate that the system design was in alignment with pilot culture and organizational mission, indicating the potential for appropriate trust development in operational pilots. These include the low-vulnerabilityhigh risk nature of the pilot profession, automation transparency and suspicion, system reputation, and the setup of and communications among organizations involved in the system development.

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.

Social Learning and Culture in Child and Chimpanzee.

Science.gov (United States)

Whiten, Andrew

2017-01-03

A few decades ago, we knew next to nothing about the behavior of our closest animal relative, the chimpanzee, but long-term field studies have since revealed an undreamed-of richness in the diversity of their cultural traditions across Africa. These discoveries have been complemented by a substantial suite of experimental studies, now bridging to the wild through field experiments. These field and experimental studies, particularly those in which direct chimpanzee-child comparisons have been made, delineate a growing set of commonalities between the phenomena of social learning and culture in the lives of chimpanzees and humans. These commonalities in social learning inform our understanding of the evolutionary roots of the cultural propensities the species share. At the same time, such comparisons throw into clearer relief the unique features of the distinctive human capacity for cumulative cultural evolution, and new research has begun to probe the key psychological attributes that may explain it.

Scene perception and memory revealed by eye movements and receiver-operating characteristic analyses: does a cultural difference truly exist?

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Kris; Rotello, Caren M; Li, Xingshan; Rayner, Keith

2009-02-01

Cultural differences have been observed in scene perception and memory: Chinese participants purportedly attend to the background information more than did American participants. We investigated the influence of culture by recording eye movements during scene perception and while participants made recognition memory judgements. Real-world pictures with a focal object on a background were shown to both American and Chinese participants while their eye movements were recorded. Later, memory for the focal object in each scene was tested, and the relationship between the focal object (studied, new) and the background context (studied, new) was manipulated. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves show that both sensitivity and response bias were changed when objects were tested in new contexts. However, neither the decrease in accuracy nor the response bias shift differed with culture. The eye movement patterns were also similar across cultural groups. Both groups made longer and more fixations on the focal objects than on the contexts. The similarity of eye movement patterns and recognition memory behaviour suggests that both Americans and Chinese use the same strategies in scene perception and memory.

Cultural competency and patient-centered communication: a study of an isolated outbreak of urinary tract infections in afghanistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Culbertson, Nicholas T; Scholl, Brian J

2013-01-01

Personal hygiene is strongly associated with disease prevention and is especially important during prolonged patrol or combat operations. Understanding cultural variances associated with personal hygiene is critical for Special Operation Forces (SOF) medics to prevent, monitor, and treat acquired and transmitted infections while working with host nation personnel. During a multiday, long-range patrol, approximately 40 male Afghan National Army troops between the ages of 22 and 49 presented for treatment of burning or pain while urinating. All patients were empirically diagnosed with urinary tract infections. Methods and Discussion: The high attack rate and isolated nature of the outbreak suggested that personal hygiene or sexual intercourse was the most likely cause of the isolated outbreak. However, the cultural sensitivity of both topics made social history gathering a difficult task. After participating in a detailed medical interview, one patient revealed that he and his comrades were blocking their urethras with clay plugs after voiding to prevent residual urine from dripping onto their clothes. This case study presents what might be an undocumented practice carried throughout many ethnic cultures endogenous to Afghanistan and discusses how cultural barriers can impact effective health care delivery. 2013.

A Longitudinal Study on Newcomers' Perception of Organisational Culture

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Turker, Duygu; Altuntas, Ceren

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse how newcomers' perceptions of organisational culture can change over time. The study tries to address whether initial working experience changes newcomers' perceptions about the ideal organisational culture, and whether these perceptions converge with those of their supervisors.…

CULTURAL TOURISM EXPERIENCE ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: EVIDENCE FROM THAILAND

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Kanchana Sukanthasirikul

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This study examines the service quality of cultural tourism experience perceived by tourists on their satisfaction and further explores the relationships between perceived value, appraisal emotion, and customer satisfaction. A total of 327 respondents completed a survey conducted at two cultural festivals in Thailand. Using structural equation modeling (SEM technique, the results reveal the direct and positive effects of the service quality on perceived value, appraisal emotion, and customer satisfaction. This study summarizes the findings and offers some interesting implications for practitioners and researchers.

Using means-end chain analysis to reveal consumers' motivation for buying local foods: An exploratory study

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Poppy Arsil

2016-11-01

Full Text Available This article utilizes and discusses specific aspects of Means-End Chain (MEC analysis for understanding of the motives of Indonesian consumers who are involved in purchasing local foods. The MEC theory is used as a measure of attributes, consequences, and values of locally produced products involving specific aspects of this theory namely laddering methods of administration, content analysis procedure, constructing and interpreting Hierarchy Value Map (HVM. The results of the study indicate that MEC approach is a powerful method to reveal consumer motivation of local foods when associated with the various cultural groupings identified by the study particular between Javanese and Non-Javanese consumers. This study offers a practical implication and source of knowledge for other future studies and policies in term of (a a new approach for understanding the motives behind purchasing local foods for Indonesia consumers, and (b developing new categories of attributes, consequences and values of local foods.

Capturing Cultural Glossaries: Case-study I *

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Matete Madiba

2011-10-01

Full Text Available

Abstract: This article is a presentation of a brief cultural glossary of Northern Sotho cooking terms. The glossary is mainly composed of names for utensils and ingredients, and action words for the processes involved in the preparation of cultural dishes. It also contains names of dishes tied to some idiomatic expressions in a way eliciting cultural experiences that can lead to an under-standing of indigenous knowledge systems. The article seeks to explore ways of capturing cultural glossaries to feed into the national dictionary corpora by using a case-study approach to investigate the processes that led to the generation of this specific school-based project. A number of issues that surfaced in this project, can possibly serve as models for the collection of authentic glossaries that can support dictionary making in African languages.

Keywords: CULTURAL GLOSSARY, INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS, CULTURAL TERMINOLOGY, CORPUS, AUTHENTIC GLOSSARY, CONTEXTUALISATION, MARGIN-ALIZED LANGUAGES, OUTCOMES-BASED EDUCATION, PERFORMANCE INDICATOR, ASSESSMENT CRITERIA, RANGE STATEMENT, TRADITIONAL DISHES, LANGUAGE VAL-ORISATION, SIMULTANEOUS FEEDBACK, COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH, STRUCTURAL APPROACH, METONYMY

Opsomming: Die totstandbrenging van kulturele woordversamelings: Ge-vallestudie I. Hierdie artikel is 'n aanbieding van 'n kort kulturele woordversameling van Noord-Sothokookterme. Die woordversameling bestaan hoofsaaklik uit die name van gereedskap en bestanddele, en handelingswoorde vir die prosesse betrokke by die voorbereiding van kulturele geregte. Dit bevat ook name van geregte wat verbind is met sekere idiomatiese uitdrukkings wat op 'n manier kulturele ervarings oproep wat kan lei tot die verstaan van inheemse kennisstelsels. Die artikel probeer om maniere te ondersoek waarop kulturele woordversamelings in die nasionale woordeboekkorpusse ingevoer kan word deur 'n gevallestudiebenadering te volg om die prosesse te ondersoek wat tot die

Organization a Culture of Self-Education of Music Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Dyganova, Elena Aleksandrovna; Yavgildina, Ziliya Mukhtarovna

2015-01-01

The article discusses the culture of self-education of music teacher as a professionally necessary quality of a modern specialist in the field of music education. The author proposes finalized definitions of basic concepts; consistently reveals the essence, structure, criteria and indicators of self-culture of music teacher; reveals the potential…

Balancing Act: Addressing Culture and Gender in ESL Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Michelle A.; Chang, Debbie

2012-01-01

ESL educators find themselves teaching a diverse group of students in today's classroom. This study investigated how ESL instructors address diversity in their teaching. The literature review revealed research on the experiences of teachers using culturally responsive teaching strategies. Using qualitative research methods, this study explores the…

Safety Culture Enhancement Project. Final Report. A Field Study on Approaches to Enhancement of Safety Culture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lowe, Andrew; Hayward, Brent

2006-08-01

This report documents a study with the objective of enhancing safety culture in the Swedish nuclear power industry. A primary objective of this study was to ensure that the latest thinking on human factors principles was being recognised and applied by nuclear power operators as a means of ensuring optimal safety performance. The initial phase of the project was conducted as a pilot study, involving the senior management group at one Swedish nuclear power-producing site. The pilot study enabled the project methodology to be validated after which it was repeated at other Swedish nuclear power industry sites, providing a broad-ranging analysis of opportunities across the industry to enhance safety culture. The introduction to this report contains an overview of safety culture, explains the background to the project and sets out the project rationale and objectives. The methodology used for understanding and analysing the important safety culture issues at each nuclear power site is then described. This section begins with a summary of the processes used in the information gathering and data analysis stage. The six components of the Management Workshops conducted at each site are then described. These workshops used a series of presentations, interactive events and group exercises to: (a) provide feedback to site managers on the safety culture and safety leadership issues identified at their site, and (b) stimulate further safety thinking and provide 'take-away' information and leadership strategies that could be applied to promote safety culture improvements. Section 3, project Findings, contains the main observations and output from the project. These include: - a brief overview of aspects of the local industry operating context that impinge on safety culture; - a summary of strengths or positive attributes observed within the safety culture of the Swedish nuclear industry; - a set of identified opportunities for further improvement; - the aggregated results of the

Linguistic diversity and traffic accidents: lessons from statistical studies of cultural traits.

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Seán Roberts

Full Text Available The recent proliferation of digital databases of cultural and linguistic data, together with new statistical techniques becoming available has lead to a rise in so-called nomothetic studies [1]-[8]. These seek relationships between demographic variables and cultural traits from large, cross-cultural datasets. The insights from these studies are important for understanding how cultural traits evolve. While these studies are fascinating and are good at generating testable hypotheses, they may underestimate the probability of finding spurious correlations between cultural traits. Here we show that this kind of approach can find links between such unlikely cultural traits as traffic accidents, levels of extra-martial sex, political collectivism and linguistic diversity. This suggests that spurious correlations, due to historical descent, geographic diffusion or increased noise-to-signal ratios in large datasets, are much more likely than some studies admit. We suggest some criteria for the evaluation of nomothetic studies and some practical solutions to the problems. Since some of these studies are receiving media attention without a widespread understanding of the complexities of the issue, there is a risk that poorly controlled studies could affect policy. We hope to contribute towards a general skepticism for correlational studies by demonstrating the ease of finding apparently rigorous correlations between cultural traits. Despite this, we see well-controlled nomothetic studies as useful tools for the development of theories.

Linguistic Diversity and Traffic Accidents: Lessons from Statistical Studies of Cultural Traits

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Seán; Winters, James

2013-01-01

The recent proliferation of digital databases of cultural and linguistic data, together with new statistical techniques becoming available has lead to a rise in so-called nomothetic studies [1]–[8]. These seek relationships between demographic variables and cultural traits from large, cross-cultural datasets. The insights from these studies are important for understanding how cultural traits evolve. While these studies are fascinating and are good at generating testable hypotheses, they may underestimate the probability of finding spurious correlations between cultural traits. Here we show that this kind of approach can find links between such unlikely cultural traits as traffic accidents, levels of extra-martial sex, political collectivism and linguistic diversity. This suggests that spurious correlations, due to historical descent, geographic diffusion or increased noise-to-signal ratios in large datasets, are much more likely than some studies admit. We suggest some criteria for the evaluation of nomothetic studies and some practical solutions to the problems. Since some of these studies are receiving media attention without a widespread understanding of the complexities of the issue, there is a risk that poorly controlled studies could affect policy. We hope to contribute towards a general skepticism for correlational studies by demonstrating the ease of finding apparently rigorous correlations between cultural traits. Despite this, we see well-controlled nomothetic studies as useful tools for the development of theories. PMID:23967132

Linguistic diversity and traffic accidents: lessons from statistical studies of cultural traits.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Seán; Winters, James

2013-01-01

The recent proliferation of digital databases of cultural and linguistic data, together with new statistical techniques becoming available has lead to a rise in so-called nomothetic studies [1]-[8]. These seek relationships between demographic variables and cultural traits from large, cross-cultural datasets. The insights from these studies are important for understanding how cultural traits evolve. While these studies are fascinating and are good at generating testable hypotheses, they may underestimate the probability of finding spurious correlations between cultural traits. Here we show that this kind of approach can find links between such unlikely cultural traits as traffic accidents, levels of extra-martial sex, political collectivism and linguistic diversity. This suggests that spurious correlations, due to historical descent, geographic diffusion or increased noise-to-signal ratios in large datasets, are much more likely than some studies admit. We suggest some criteria for the evaluation of nomothetic studies and some practical solutions to the problems. Since some of these studies are receiving media attention without a widespread understanding of the complexities of the issue, there is a risk that poorly controlled studies could affect policy. We hope to contribute towards a general skepticism for correlational studies by demonstrating the ease of finding apparently rigorous correlations between cultural traits. Despite this, we see well-controlled nomothetic studies as useful tools for the development of theories.

The intersection of culture, disability and assistive technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Ripat, Jacquie; Woodgate, Roberta

2011-01-01

Although the use of assistive technology (AT) is by an individual, it occurs within a much larger socio-cultural environment. The purpose of this article is to describe and analyse current knowledge about the intersection of culture and disability in the context of the AT user. Literature review of theoretical and empirical study papers that discuss cultural aspects related to AT use or provision. Understanding how an individual's culturally defined identity is shaped as an AT user, and the meaning the AT holds to that person and family, is essential to providing culturally appropriate AT services. AT providers also belong to a culture framed by their professional experiences; needed are ways of addressing ethnocentricity within culturally diverse practice settings. Some AT users may identify with a disability culture, a culture formed by a shared set of beliefs, values and behaviours around the construct of disability. This review reveals there is a paucity of knowledge about the intersection of AT and culture, and that this intersection requires further research. Embarking on this investigation is mandatory if we seek to meet the needs of the culturally diverse individuals who use AT.

A study of cultural diversity training practices in company-owned franchise restaurants

OpenAIRE

Lee, Chang-Uk Charles

1994-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate cultural diversity training practices and to determine the deterrence factors associated instituting cultural diversity training. It attempted to measure the overall effectiveness of cultural diversity training in franchise restaurants. A total of 300 franchise restaurants were surveyed. Three practicing and fiftyeight non-practicing cultural diversity training companies participated in the study. The findings indicated that high tur...

Study of Perceptions on Cultural Events’ Sustainability

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Adina Letiţia Negruşa

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Cultural events and festivals can have a significant and important influence on the development of local communities. Their utilization of the endogenous resources of an area means that these events, most often, have a positive impact on the local economy. Quite consequentially, they may also extend the socio-cultural opportunities of local citizens. However, their utilization of time and space does raise concerns regarding environmental impact. Therefore, it is imperative that stakeholders study their net impact on a region. This present paper examines the economic, socio-cultural, and environmental impact of the Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF. With a history of 15 editions, the festival gathers, year by year, an increasing number of people in Cluj-Napoca. The growth of the event has had unmistakable and important effects on the city. The purpose of the paper is to analyze resident participants’ perceptions on economic, socio-cultural, and environmental effects. To reach this goal, an exploratory and descriptive research was conducted. Both primary and secondary data were used in the analysis, the questionnaire being the main tool used for collecting data about participants’ perceptions. The results emphasize the positive effects at the socio-cultural level. The festival provides multiple possibilities to spend free time in a pleasant way, it sustains the development of cultural life, and it improves the educational and the cultural level of community. Moreover, the festival does not influence, in a negative manner, the moral principles of the society and it does not generate an increase in crime rate. From the economic point of view, the festival has the capacity to attract investments and additional revenues for the local government, it sustains the development of the city infrastructure, and it creates opportunities for residents to develop new economic activities. Lastly, from the environmental point of view, the

Within-culture variation in the content of stereotypes: Application and development of the stereotype content model in an Eastern European culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Stanciu, Adrian; Cohrs, J Christopher; Hanke, Katja; Gavreliuc, Alin

2017-01-01

There is little and unsystematic evidence about whether the content of stereotypes can vary within a culture. Using the Stereotype Content Model (SCM) as a theoretical framework, in two studies we examined the content of stereotypes in an Eastern European culture, namely Romania. Data were collected from four regions prototypical in terms of economic and social development in Romania, and we examined whether the content of stereotypes varies across these regions. As expected, the findings confirm the applicability of the SCM in Romania to reveal culture-specific stereotypes and provide initial support for within-culture variation in the content of stereotypes. We discuss, in particular, possible reasons for two main findings: a strong one-dimensional structure of stereotypes, and regional differences in stereotype content.

Characterizing parameters of Jatropha curcas cell cultures for microgravity studies

Science.gov (United States)

Vendrame, Wagner A.; Pinares, Ania

2013-06-01

Jatropha (Jatropha curcas) is a tropical perennial species identified as a potential biofuel crop. The oil is of excellent quality and it has been successfully tested as biodiesel and in jet fuel mixes. However, studies on breeding and genetic improvement of jatropha are limited. Space offers a unique environment for experiments aiming at the assessment of mutations and differential gene expression of crops and in vitro cultures of plants are convenient for studies of genetic variation as affected by microgravity. However, before microgravity studies can be successfully performed, pre-flight experiments are necessary to characterize plant material and validate flight hardware environmental conditions. Such preliminary studies set the ground for subsequent spaceflight experiments. The objectives of this study were to compare the in vitro growth of cultures from three explant sources (cotyledon, leaf, and stem sections) of three jatropha accessions (Brazil, India, and Tanzania) outside and inside the petriGAP, a modified group activation pack (GAP) flight hardware to fit petri dishes. In vitro jatropha cell cultures were established in petri dishes containing a modified MS medium and maintained in a plant growth chamber at 25 ± 2 °C in the dark. Parameters evaluated were surface area of the explant tissue (A), fresh weight (FW), and dry weight (DW) for a period of 12 weeks. Growth was observed for cultures from all accessions at week 12, including subsequent plantlet regeneration. For all accessions differences in A, FW and DW were observed for inside vs. outside the PetriGAPs. Growth parameters were affected by accession (genotype), explant type, and environment. The type of explant influenced the type of cell growth and subsequent plantlet regeneration capacity. However, overall cell growth showed no abnormalities. The present study demonstrated that jatropha in vitro cell cultures are suitable for growth inside PetriGAPs for a period of 12 weeks. The parameters

Laboratory experience with radiometric detection of bacteremia with three culture media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wicher, K.; Koscinski, D.

1984-01-01

In two long-term studies, the BACTEC radiometric system for detection of bacteremia was evaluated with three culture media each: (i) BACTEC media 6A (for aerobes) and 7B (for anaerobes) plus a thioglycolate medium and (ii) BACTEC media 6A, 7B, and 8A (hypertonic). In study 1, clinically significant isolates were identified in 1,873 (13.9%) of 13,432 blood cultures with all three media. The thioglycolate medium revealed 143 (1.1%) organisms not recovered from the 6A and 7B media. In study 2, isolates were identified in 1,135 (12.9%) of 8,759 cultures with all three media; 104 (1.2%) organisms were isolated only from the hypertonic medium. The increased yield of positive cultures in the three-medium system is likely due to the larger volume of blood cultured

Non-invasive preimplantation genetic screening using array comparative genomic hybridization on spent culture media: a proof-of-concept pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Feichtinger, Michael; Vaccari, Enrico; Carli, Luca; Wallner, Elisabeth; Mädel, Ulrike; Figl, Katharina; Palini, Simone; Feichtinger, Wilfried

2017-06-01

The aim of this pilot study was to assess if array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH), non-invasive preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) on blastocyst culture media is feasible. Therefore, aCGH analysis was carried out on 22 spent blastocyst culture media samples after polar body PGS because of advanced maternal age. All oocytes were fertilized by intracytoplasmic sperm injection and all embryos underwent assisted hatching. Concordance of polar body analysis and culture media genetic results was assessed. Thirteen out of 18 samples (72.2%) revealed general concordance of ploidy status (euploid or aneuploid). At least one chromosomal aberration was found concordant in 10 out of 15 embryos found to be aneuploid by both polar body and culture media analysis. Overall, 17 out of 35 (48.6%) single chromosomal aneuploidies were concordant between the culture media and polar body analysis. By analysing negative controls (oocytes with fertilization failure), notable maternal contamination was observed. Therefore, non-invasive PGS could serve as a second matrix after polar body or cleavage stage PGS; however, in euploid results, maternal contamination needs to be considered and results interpreted with caution. Copyright © 2017 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

What Facilitates Cultural Entrepreneurship?--A Study of Indian Cultural Entrepreneurs

Science.gov (United States)

Sardana, Deepak

2018-01-01

The importance of a 'cultural industry' to a national economy and the development of a "creative society" has grown increasingly. However, research on cultural entrepreneurship is in its early stages and is yet to catch the attention of mainstream entrepreneurship and creativity scholars. In this article the objective is to enhance our…

Legal culture as a factor of social stability

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M M Akulich

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The article examines legal culture as a factor of stability in developing societies referring to the concepts of culture proposed by P.A. Sorokin, L.N. Kogan, M.T. Iovchuk and other famous sociologists. The authors state that in the modern sociological literature legal culture is studied mainly from the theoretical rather than empirical standpoint: the sociology has accumulated a lot of data on the legal culture, although its study in the context of agreements and conflicts, stability and destructiveness is not enough. Legal culture should be regarded as a regulator and stabilizer of social interactions and relationships in both specific countries and the global space. Thus, identifying regional and global aspects of legal culture has become an important theoretical problem of the sociological studies nowadays as well as considering legal culture in relation to moral, economic and political values and priorities. The authors argue that it is not possible to build a state of law and civil society without raising the level of legal culture, and present the results of the sociological study of the legal culture in the south of the Tyumen region conducted in 2013. This survey revealed an average level of following the law in 55% of the local population, although 90% consider themselves law-abiding citizens. At the same time, 46% believe in the possibility to manipulate the law, and 60% approve the principle of equity of the law. The authors conclude that the identified average level of legal culture among the local population is an indicator of a quite stable and successful development of the region under study.

Mechanisms of Formation of Human Culture in Education

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Baboshina Helen B.

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The relevance of the research problem lies in the necessity of an axiological approach to the formation of the personality in education and the task of strengthening the ideal image of the function. The aim of this article is studying and understanding the culture of personality formation mechanisms in relation to future specialists. The leading method of research was the theoretical analysis of philosophical and cultural approaches to the cultural formation of the personality and to the content of human culture. Content analysis was based on the philosophical and cultural concepts of V. S. Bibler, M. Buber, J. G. Herder, I. Kant, L. N. Kogan, D. S. Likhachev, A. Schweitzer, M. Scheler, and others. The experiment method was the experimental realization of formation stages of the future specialist as a person of culture, which allowed revealing the positive role of cultural mechanisms in this process. The result is the stages of human culture formation as well as mechanisms for their implementation. The article may be useful for specialists of the educational sphere, social philosophers, and culturologists.

Cross-cultural upbringing : A comparison of the "Third Culture Kids" framework and "Kaigai/Kikoku-shijo" studies

OpenAIRE

KANO PODOLSKY, Momo; 嘉納, もも

2004-01-01

This paper will look at two fields of study which, although dealing with a similar subject matter, have up until now grown quite independently from each other. American scholars who look at the phenomenon of "Third Culture Kids" and Japanese scholars in "Kaigai/Kikoku-shijo" studies are both interested in the impact of a cross-cultural overseas upbringing on a child's subsequent life experience. We will examine some of the main findings from the respective fields, and point out their common t...

Cultural competence among nursing students in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Cruz, J P; Alquwez, N; Cruz, C P; Felicilda-Reynaldo, R F D; Vitorino, L M; Islam, S M S

2017-06-01

This study assessed the cultural competence of nursing students in a Saudi University. With the current situation of immigration in Saudi Arabia, the cultural diversity in healthcare facilities is anticipated to grow. This presents a great challenge to the members of the healthcare team. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 272 nursing students in a Saudi university using a self-administered questionnaire consisting of two parts, namely the respondents' demographics and cultural background information sheet and the Cultural Capacity Scale Arabic version. The respondents showed the highest competence in their ability to demonstrate communication skills with culturally diverse patients and lowest in the familiarity with health- or illness-related cultural knowledge or theory. Gender, academic level, clinical exposure, prior diversity training, the experience of taking care of culturally diverse patients and patients belonging to special population groups were significant factors that could likely to influence cultural competence. The findings suggest that the Saudi nursing students possess the ability to provide culturally appropriate nursing care to patients with a diverse cultural background. Despite the good cultural competence reflected in this study, some aspects in ensuring a culturally competent care rendered by Saudi nursing students need to be improved. With the country's Saudization policy in health care (replacing foreign nurses with Saudi nurses), the findings can be used in designing training and interventions to meet the needs of Saudi nursing students regarding cultural competence development, which is integral in their preparation to assume their future roles as nurses. Policy guidelines, such as including cultural competency training and foreign languages training as mandatory continuing education for nurses, as well as integrating cultural competency and foreign languages in the prelicensure curriculum, should be developed and implemented in

An exploration study to find important factors influencing on multi-dimensional organizational culture

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Naser Azad

2013-08-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an empirical investigation to find important factors influencing multi-dimensional organizational culture. The proposed study designs a questionnaire in Likert scale consists of 21 questions, distributes it among 300 people who worked for different business units and collects 283 filled ones. Cronbach alpha is calculated as 0.799. In addition, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy and Approx. Chi-Square are 0.821 and 1395.74, respectively. The study has implemented principal component analysis and the results have indicated that there were four factors influencing organizational culture including, diversity in culture, connection based culture, integrated culture and structure of culture. In terms of diversity in culture, sensitivity to quality data and cultural flexibility are the most influential sub-factors while connection based marketing and relational satisfaction are two important sub-factors associated with diversity in culture. The study discusses other issues.

Traditions and Transitions in Quantitative Societal Culture Research in Organization Studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Peterson, Mark, F.; Søndergaard, Mikael

2011-01-01

Quantitative societal culture research (QSCR) in organization studies crystallizes a configuration of social science perspectives and methods that became prominent in the 1970s. We consider the qualities of and boundaries around cultural groups that this tradition emphasizes, and other...... characteristics of cultural groups that it does not emphasize. Current debates surrounding this tradition reflect both recent social science innovations and rediscoveries of early social science perspectives. Our analysis of quantitative cross-cultural societal research in organization studies considers...... this process of crystallization, innovation and rediscovery. We suggest ways to address current controversies and promote conversations with other research approaches....

A hanging drop culture method to study terminal erythroid differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gutiérrez, Laura; Lindeboom, Fokke; Ferreira, Rita; Drissen, Roy; Grosveld, Frank; Whyatt, David; Philipsen, Sjaak

2005-10-01

To design a culture method allowing the quantitative and qualitative analysis of terminal erythroid differentiation. Primary erythroid progenitors derived either from mouse tissues or from human umbilical cord blood were differentiated using hanging drop cultures and compared to methylcellulose cultures. Cultured cells were analyzed by FACS to assess differentiation. We describe a practical culture method by adapting the previously described hanging drop culture system to conditions allowing terminal differentiation of primary erythroid progenitors. Using minimal volumes of media and small numbers of cells, we obtained quantitative terminal erythroid differentiation within two days of culture in the case of murine cells and 4 days in the case of human cells. The established methods for ex vivo culture of primary erythroid progenitors, such as methylcellulose-based burst-forming unit-erythroid (BFU-E) and colony-forming unit-erythroid (CFU-E) assays, allow the detection of committed erythroid progenitors but are of limited value to study terminal erythroid differentiation. We show that the application of hanging drop cultures is a practical alternative that, in combination with clonogenic assays, enables a comprehensive assessment of the behavior of primary erythroid cells ex vivo in the context of genetic and drug-induced perturbations.

Isolation and culture of adult mouse vestibular nucleus neurons

Science.gov (United States)

Him, Aydın; Altuntaş, Serap; Öztürk, Gürkan; Erdoğan, Ender; Cengiz, Nureddin

2017-12-19

Background/aim: Isolated cell cultures are widely used to study neuronal properties due to their advantages. Although embryonic animals are preferred for culturing, their morphological or electrophysiological properties may not reflect adult neurons, which may be important in neurodegenerative diseases. This paper aims to develop a method for preparing isolated cell cultures of medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) from adult mice and describe its morphological and electrophysiological properties.Materials and methods: Vestibular nucleus neurons were mechanically and enzymatically isolated and cultured using a defined medium with known growth factors. Cell survival was measured with propidium iodide, and electrophysiological properties were investigated with current-clamp recording.Results: Vestibular neurons grew neurites in cultures, gaining adult-like morphological properties, and stayed viable for 3 days in culture. Adding bovine calf serum, nerve growth factor, or insulin-like growth factor into the culture medium enhanced neuronal viability. Current-clamp recording of the cultured neurons revealed tonic and phasic-type neurons with similar input resistance, resting membrane potential, action potential amplitude, and duration. Conclusion: Vestibular neurons from adult mice can be cultured, and regenerate axons in a medium containing appropriate growth factors. Culturing adult vestibular neurons provides a new method to study age-related pathologies of the vestibular system.

Combined culture-based and culture-independent approaches provide insights into diversity of jakobids, an extremely plesiomorphic eukaryotic lineage

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Tomáš ePánek

2015-11-01

Full Text Available We used culture-based and culture-independent approaches to discover diversity and ecology of anaerobic jakobids (Excavata: Jakobida, an overlooked, deep-branching lineage of free-living nanoflagellates related to Euglenozoa. Jakobids are among a few lineages of nanoflagellates frequently detected in anoxic habitats by PCR-based studies, however only two strains of a single jakobid species have been isolated from those habitats. We recovered 712 environmental sequences and cultured 21 new isolates of anaerobic jakobids that collectively represent at least ten different species in total, from which four are uncultured. Two cultured species have never been detected by environmental, PCR-based methods. Surprisingly, culture-based and culture-independent approaches were able to reveal a relatively high proportion of overall species diversity of anaerobic jakobids - 60 % or 80 %, respectively. Our phylogenetic analyses based on SSU rDNA and six protein-coding genes showed that anaerobic jakobids constitute a clade of morphologically similar, but genetically and ecologically diverse protists – Stygiellidae fam. nov. Our investigation combines culture-based and environmental molecular-based approaches to capture a wider extent of species diversity and shows Stygiellidae as a group that ordinarily inhabits anoxic, sulfide- and ammonium-rich marine habitats worldwide.

Quality benchmarking methodology: Case study of finance and culture industries in Latvia

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Ieva Zemīte

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Political, socio-economic and cultural changes that have taken place in the world during the last years have influenced all the spheres. Constant improvements are necessary to sustain in rival and shrinking markets. This sets high quality standards for the service industries. Therefore it is important to conduct comparison of quality criteria to ascertain which practices are achieving superior performance levels. At present companies in Latvia do not carry out mutual benchmarking, and as a result of that do not know how they rank against their peers in terms of quality, as well as they do not see benefits in sharing of information and in benchmarking.The purpose of this paper is to determine the criteria of qualitative benchmarking, and to investigate the use of the benchmarking quality in service industries, particularly: finance and culture sectors in Latvia in order to determine the key driving factors of quality, to explore internal and foreign benchmarks, and to reveal the full potential of inputs’ reduction and efficiency growth for the aforementioned industries.Case study and other tools are used to define the readiness of the company for benchmarking. Certain key factors are examined for their impact on quality criteria. The results are based on the research conducted in professional associations in defined fields (insurance and theatre.Originality/value – this is the first study that adopts the benchmarking models for measuring quality criteria and readiness for mutual comparison in insurance and theatre industries in Latvia.

An exploratory study to identify critical factors of innovation culture in organizations

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Hamed Asgari

2013-07-01

Full Text Available During the past two decades, there has been a growing trend on knowledge-based organizations. Innovation, on the other hand, plays essential role on building competitive business units. In this paper, we present an exploratory study to identify critical factors of innovation culture in organizations. We detect important factors influencing innovation culture in construction industry based on the implementation of factor analysis. The proposed study designs a questionnaire and distributes it among 400 experts who are involved in construction industry. Cronbach alpha has been calculated as 0.779, which validates the overall questionnaire. The results of factor analysis have indicated that six factors of building cultural infrastructures, education, organizational vision, established culture, strategic culture and flexible culture are the most important items influencing innovation culture.

Mixed-culture transcriptome analysis reveals the molecular basis of mixed-culture growth in Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sieuwerts, S.; Molenaar, D.; Hijum, van S.A.F.T.; Beerthuyzen, M.; Stevens, M.J.A.; Janssen, P.W.; Ingham, C.J.; Bok, de F.A.M.; Vos, de W.M.; Hylckama Vlieg, van J.E.T.

2010-01-01

Many food fermentations are performed using mixed cultures of lactic acid bacteria. Interactions between strains are of key importance for the performance of these fermentations. Yogurt fermentation by Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus (basonym, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp.

Study design and protocol for a culturally adapted cognitive behavioral stress and self-management intervention for localized prostate cancer: The Encuentros de Salud study.

Science.gov (United States)

Penedo, Frank J; Antoni, Michael H; Moreno, Patricia I; Traeger, Lara; Perdomo, Dolores; Dahn, Jason; Miller, Gregory E; Cole, Steve; Orjuela, Julian; Pizarro, Edgar; Yanez, Betina

2018-06-14

Almost 2.8 million men in the U.S. are living with prostate cancer (PC), accounting for 40% of all male cancer survivors. Men diagnosed with prostate cancer may experience chronic and debilitating treatment side effects, including sexual and urinary dysfunction, pain and fatigue. Side effects can be stressful and can also lead to poor psychosocial functioning. Prior trials reveal that group-based cognitive behavioral stress and self-management (CBSM) is effective in reducing stress and mitigating some of these symptoms, yet little is known about the effects of culturally-translated CBSM among Spanish-speaking men with PC. This manuscript describes the rationale and study design of a multi-site, randomized controlled trial to determine whether participation in a culturally adapted cognitive behavioral stress management (C-CBSM) intervention leads to significantly greater reductions in symptom burden and improvements in health-related quality of life relative to participation in a non-culturally adapted cognitive behavioral stress management (CBSM) intervention. Participants (N = 260) will be Spanish-speaking Hispanic/Latino men randomized to the standard, non-culturally adapted CBSM intervention (e.g., cognitive behavioral strategies, stress management, and health maintenance) or the culturally adapted C-CBSM intervention (e.g., content adapted to be compatible with Hispanic/Latino cultural patterns and belief systems, meanings, values and social context) for 10 weeks. Primary outcomes (i.e., disease-specific symptom burden and health-related quality of life) will be assessed across time. We hypothesize that a culturally adapted C-CBSM intervention will be more efficacious in reducing symptom burden and improving health-related quality of life among Hispanic/Latino men when compared to a non-culturally adapted CBSM intervention. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The Effect of Cultural Background Knowledge on Learning English Language

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Dr. Ibrahim

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This study aims to investigate the effect of cultural background knowledge on learning English Language. It also aims to investigate if there are significant differences between subjects' performance in reading comprehension according to sex and general ability in English (GAE. The study aims at answering the following questions: 1 . To what extent is the effect of cultural background knowledge on subjects' performance in reading comprehension? 2 . What is the difference in performance in reading comprehension between male and female subjects who have cultural background knowledge and those who do not have any knowledge? 3. What is the differenc e between subjects' performance in reading comprehension texts which are loaded with American culture and their general ability in English. ? The population of th is study consisted of all first - year students majoring in English at Hebron University in th e first semester of the academic year 2011/2012. They were 600. The sample of the study consisted of 60 subjects, males and females divided into four groups, two experimental and two controlled. The researcher followed the experimental method. Means, stand ard deviations and Pearson Product Moment Correlation were calculated by using SPSS program. The study revealed the following results: 1. There are statistically significant differences in performance in reading comprehension between subjects who have cu ltural background knowledge and those who do not have any knowledge . 2 . There are no statistically significant differences in performance in reading comprehension between male and female subjects who have cultural background knowledge and those who do not have any knowledge. 3. Subjects' GAE revealed that there are significant differences in performance in reading comprehension between subjects who have cultural background knowledge and those who do not have any knowledge. In the light of the results of th e study, the researcher recommends the

The Influence of Target Culture on Language Learners

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Arif Sarıçoban

2011-04-01

Full Text Available This study was aimed at investigating the types of cultural activities students at Çankaya University wanted to have during their study of the target language and the level at which students preferred to see those cultural components in language classrooms. A questionnaire was used by the researcher for the purpose of collecting data. The questionnaire that was adapted for the study included 13 multiple choice questions. Each question had the option of “other” to enable further comments on the part of the students. The first part of the questionnaire elicited demographic information of the students. The data-gathering instrument was implemented on 95 preparatory school intermediate students and the results were analyzed statistically in terms of frequency, percentage and average. The findings of the research clearly showed the types of cultural activities students would enjoy in language classrooms, at which level they would like to do them, their attitudes towards the target culture, the level of importance students attach to the target culture and their understanding of “culture”. From the results it can be seen that most of the students who took part in the study had positive attitudes towards the inclusion of cultural components during their study of the English language. The study revealed very important data for the language teachers as well. The outcomes of the study are important not only for teachers but also for textbook publishers. This study presents them with valuable suggestions.

Evaluation of psychometric properties of the German Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture and its potential for cross-cultural comparisons: a cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Gambashidze, Nikoloz; Hammer, Antje; Brösterhaus, Mareen; Manser, Tanja

2017-11-09

To study the psychometric characteristics of German version of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture and to compare its dimensionality to other language versions in order to understand the instrument's potential for cross-national studies. Cross-sectional multicentre study to establish psychometric properties of German version of the survey instrument. 73 units from 37 departments of two German university hospitals. Clinical personnel (n=995 responses, response rate 39.6%). Psychometric properties (eg, model fit, internal consistency, construct validity) of the instrument and comparison of dimensionality across different language translations. The instrument demonstrated acceptable to good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.64-0.88). Confirmatory factor analysis of the original 12-factor model resulted in marginally satisfactory model fit (root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA)=0.05; standardised root mean residual (SRMR)=0.05; comparative fit index (CFI)=0.90; goodness of fit index (GFI)=0.88; Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI)=0.88). Exploratory factor analysis resulted in an alternative eight-factor model with good model fit (RMSEA=0.05; SRMR=0.05; CFI=0.95; GFI=0.91; TLI=0.94) and good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.73-0.87) and construct validity. Analysis of the dimensionality compared with models from 10 other language versions revealed eight dimensions with relatively stable composition and appearance across different versions and four dimensions requiring further improvement. The German version of Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties for use in German hospitals. However, our comparison of instrument dimensionality across different language versions indicates limitations concerning cross-national studies. Results of this study can be considered in interpreting findings across national contexts, in further refinement of the instrument for cross-national studies and in better

The Traditional Chinese Philosophies in Inter-cultural Leadership

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lin, Li; Li, Peter Ping; Roelfsema, Hein

2018-01-01

cultural distance. To fill the gap in the literature concerning the leadership challenges for expatriate managers in an inter-cultural context, the purpose of this paper is to elucidate the leadership styles of Chinese expatriate managers from the perspectives of three traditional Chinese philosophies (i...... that the leadership style of Chinese expatriate managers is deeply rooted in the three traditional Chinese philosophies of Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism, even in an inter-cultural context. Specifically, the study reveals two salient aspects of how Chinese expatriate managers frame and interact with a foreign...... managers also reported that their interactions with the Dutch culture are best described as a balance between partial conflict and partial complementarity (thus, a duality). In this sense, the leadership style of Chinese expatriate managers is influenced jointly by the three traditional Chinese...

Training on the DSM-5 Cultural Formulation Interview improves cultural competence in general psychiatry residents: A pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mills, Stacia; Xiao, Anna Q; Wolitzky-Taylor, Kate; Lim, Russell; Lu, Francis G

2017-04-01

The objective of this study was to assess whether a 1-hour didactic session on the DSM-5 Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) improves the cultural competence of general psychiatry residents. The main hypothesis was that teaching adult psychiatry residents a 1-hour session on the CFI would improve cultural competence. The exploratory hypothesis was that trainees with more experience in cultural diversity would have a greater increase in cultural competency scores. Psychiatry residents at a metropolitan, county hospital completed demographics and preintervention questionnaires, were exposed to a 1-hour session on the CFI, and were given a postintervention questionnaire. The questionnaire was an adapted version of the validated Cultural Competence Assessment Tool . Paired samples t tests compared pre- to posttest change. Hierarchical linear regression assessed whether pretraining characteristics predicted posttest scores. The mean change of total pre- and posttest scores was significant ( p = .002), as was the mean change in subscales Nonverbal Communications ( p < .001) and Cultural Knowledge ( p = .002). Demographic characteristics did not predict higher posttest scores (when covarying for pretest scores). Psychiatry residents' cultural competence scores improved irrespective of previous experience in cultural diversity. More research is needed to further explore the implications of the improved scores in clinical practice.

Effect of Telecollaboration on Translation of Culture-Bound Texts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vahid Rafieyan

2016-07-01

Full Text Available One of the most problematic perspectives of translation phenomenon is the cultural gap between the source language and the target language (Yang, 2010. This gap can be ideally filled through telecollaboration which provides internationally dispersed language learners in parallel language classes with cost-effective access to, and engagement with, peers who are expert speakers of the language under study (Belz, 2005. To investigate the effect of telecollaboration on the quality of translation of culture-bound texts, the current study was conducted on 64 Iranian undergraduate students of English translation at a university in Iran. Instruments used in the study consisted of three texts containing news excerpts from Voice of America (VOA. The study consisted of three phases: 1 assessing quality of translation of culture-bound texts, 2 random assignment of participants to two groups: one merely receiving cultural instruction while the other being linked to native English speakers through LinkedIn alongside receiving cultural instruction, and 3 assessing quality of translation of culture-bound texts immediately and two months following treatment. The results of mixed between-within subjects analysis of variance revealed the significant positive effect of telecollaboration on developing quality of translation of culture-bound texts and sustaining the attained knowledge. The pedagogical implications of the findings suggested incorporation of cultural components of source language society into translation courses and providing opportunities for translation students to be exposed to authentic and intensive source language culture through telecollaboration.

Culture-independent molecular approaches reveal a mostly unknown high diversity of active nitrogen-fixing bacteria associated with Pennisetum purpureum—a bioenergy crop

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Videira, Sandy Sampaio; de Cássia Pereira e Silva, Michele; Galisa, Pericles de Souza; Franco Dias, Armando Cavalcante; Nissinen, Riitta; Baldani Divan, Vera Lucia; van Elsas, Jan Dirk; Baldani, Jose Ivo; Salles, Joana Falcao

2013-01-01

Previous studies have shown that elephant grass is colonized by nitrogen-fixing bacterial species; however, these results were based on culture-dependent methods, an approach that introduces bias due to an incomplete assessment of the microbial community. In this study, we used culture-independent

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

Configural and scalar invariance of the center for epidemiologic studies depression scale in Egypt and Canada: Differential symptom emphasis across cultures and genders.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Vivian; Beshai, Shadi; Korol, Stephanie; Nicholas Carleton, R

2017-04-01

Depression is a significant contributor of global disease burden. Previous studies have revealed cross-cultural and gender differences in the presentation of depressive symptoms. Using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D), the present study examined differences in self-reported somatic, negative affective, and anhedonia symptoms of depression among Egyptian and Canadian university students. A total of 338 university students completed study questionnaires from two major universities in Egypt (n=152) and Canada (n=186). Symptom domains were calculated based on the 14-item model of the CES-D. We found significant culture by gender interactions of total CES-D scores, wherein Egyptian females reported higher scores compared to their Canadian and Egyptian male counterparts. Limitations include using analogue student samples and using only one self-report measure to examine different depressive symptom domains. Findings of this study provided support that males and females may differentially report depressive symptoms across cultures. Implications of these results are further discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Review: Bettina Fritzsche (2003. Pop-Fans. Studie einer Mädchenkultur [Pop-Fans: Study of a Girl Culture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lothar Mikos

2006-05-01

Full Text Available This study focuses on the "girl culture" created by fans of boy groups and girl groups. The central case study is used to examine fan practices as cultural practices using reconstructive and documentary methodologies, and to assess the normative demands placed on young people. The study centers on the question of gender socialization by mediated symbolic resources, and shows that fan culture is a self-determined space in which girls can negotiate normative demands and engage with questions of gender, sexuality and the body, testing conformity and obstinacy. Fan activities are presented as part of the self-empowerment of girls. The study makes an important contribution to the research of a specific girl culture. It shows in a brilliant way how media representations are used as symbolic material in everyday cultural practices. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0603187

Learning cultures and the conservatoire : an ethnographically-informed case study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Burt-Perkins, Rosie

2013-01-01

As educational institutions, conservatoires remain largely unresearched and, crucially, relatively unchallenged. In particular, research has paid little attention to in-depth studies of culture, so that not enough is known of the cultural practices that characterise and shape a conservatoire

Language and Cross-Culture Understanding—Through Cross-Culture Study of the Word'Dragon'

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

周玲

2016-01-01

This essay contributes to the analysis of the significance of cross-culture understanding in connection with language. It is important and necessary to promote cross-cultural understanding in order to communicate with people from various cultural backgrounds with the development of globalization. This essay also gives the example of the word'dragon'to illustrate that the cross-culture understanding of language will make us communicate with each other more effectively.

Generative inference for cultural evolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Kandler, Anne; Powell, Adam

2018-04-05

One of the major challenges in cultural evolution is to understand why and how various forms of social learning are used in human populations, both now and in the past. To date, much of the theoretical work on social learning has been done in isolation of data, and consequently many insights focus on revealing the learning processes or the distributions of cultural variants that are expected to have evolved in human populations. In population genetics, recent methodological advances have allowed a greater understanding of the explicit demographic and/or selection mechanisms that underlie observed allele frequency distributions across the globe, and their change through time. In particular, generative frameworks-often using coalescent-based simulation coupled with approximate Bayesian computation (ABC)-have provided robust inferences on the human past, with no reliance on a priori assumptions of equilibrium. Here, we demonstrate the applicability and utility of generative inference approaches to the field of cultural evolution. The framework advocated here uses observed population-level frequency data directly to establish the likely presence or absence of particular hypothesized learning strategies. In this context, we discuss the problem of equifinality and argue that, in the light of sparse cultural data and the multiplicity of possible social learning processes, the exclusion of those processes inconsistent with the observed data might be the most instructive outcome. Finally, we summarize the findings of generative inference approaches applied to a number of case studies.This article is part of the theme issue 'Bridging cultural gaps: interdisciplinary studies in human cultural evolution'. © 2018 The Author(s).

Nencki Affective Picture System: Cross-Cultural Study in Europe and Iran

Science.gov (United States)

Riegel, Monika; Moslehi, Abnoos; Michałowski, Jarosław M.; Żurawski, Łukasz; Horvat, Marko; Wypych, Marek; Jednoróg, Katarzyna; Marchewka, Artur

2017-01-01

Although emotions have been assumed conventionally to be universal, recent studies have suggested that various aspects of emotions may be mediated by cultural background. The purpose of our research was to test these contradictory views, in the case of the subjective evaluation of visual affective stimuli. We also sought to validate the recently introduced Nencki Affective Picture System (NAPS) database on a different cultural group. Since there has been, to date, no attempt to compare the emotions of a culturally distinct sample of Iranians with those of Europeans, subjective ratings were collected from 40 Iranians and 39 Europeans. Each cultural group was asked separately to provide normative affective ratings and classify pictures according to discrete emotions. The results were analyzed to identify cultural differences in the ratings of individual images. One hundred and seventy NAPS pictures were rated with regard to the intensity of the basic emotions (happiness, sadness, fear, surprise, anger, and disgust) they elicited, as well as in terms of affective dimensions (valence and arousal). Contrary to previous studies using the International Affective Picture System, our results for Europeans and Iranians show that neither the ratings for affective dimensions nor for basic emotions differed across cultural groups. In both cultural groups, the relationship between valence and arousal ratings could be best described by a classical boomerang-shaped function. However, the content of the pictures (animals, faces, landscapes, objects, or people) had a significant effect on the ratings for valence and arousal. These findings indicate that further studies in cross-cultural affective research should control for the content of stimuli. PMID:28316576

Nencki Affective Picture System: Cross-Cultural Study in Europe and Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Riegel, Monika; Moslehi, Abnoos; Michałowski, Jarosław M; Żurawski, Łukasz; Horvat, Marko; Wypych, Marek; Jednoróg, Katarzyna; Marchewka, Artur

2017-01-01

Although emotions have been assumed conventionally to be universal, recent studies have suggested that various aspects of emotions may be mediated by cultural background. The purpose of our research was to test these contradictory views, in the case of the subjective evaluation of visual affective stimuli. We also sought to validate the recently introduced Nencki Affective Picture System (NAPS) database on a different cultural group. Since there has been, to date, no attempt to compare the emotions of a culturally distinct sample of Iranians with those of Europeans, subjective ratings were collected from 40 Iranians and 39 Europeans. Each cultural group was asked separately to provide normative affective ratings and classify pictures according to discrete emotions. The results were analyzed to identify cultural differences in the ratings of individual images. One hundred and seventy NAPS pictures were rated with regard to the intensity of the basic emotions (happiness, sadness, fear, surprise, anger, and disgust) they elicited, as well as in terms of affective dimensions (valence and arousal). Contrary to previous studies using the International Affective Picture System, our results for Europeans and Iranians show that neither the ratings for affective dimensions nor for basic emotions differed across cultural groups. In both cultural groups, the relationship between valence and arousal ratings could be best described by a classical boomerang-shaped function. However, the content of the pictures (animals, faces, landscapes, objects, or people) had a significant effect on the ratings for valence and arousal. These findings indicate that further studies in cross-cultural affective research should control for the content of stimuli.

Contextual assessment of organisational culture - methodological development in two case studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reiman, T.; Oedewald, P.

2002-01-01

Despite the acknowledged significance of organisational culture in the nuclear field, previous cultural studies have concentrated on purely safety related matters, or been only descriptive in nature. New kinds of methods, taking into account the overall objectives of the organisation, were needed to assess culture and develop its working practices appropriately. VTT developed the Contextual Assessment of Organisational Culture (CAOC) methodology during the FINNUS programme. The methodology utilises two concepts, organisational culture and core task. The core task can be defined as the core demands and content of work that the organisation has to accomplish in order to be effective. The core task concept is used in assessing the central dimensions of the organisation's culture. Organisational culture is defined as a solution the company has generated in order to fulfil the perceived demands of its core task. The CAOC-methodology was applied in two case studies, in the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland and in the maintenance unit of Loviisa NPP. The aim of the studies was not only to assess the given culture, but also to give the personnel new concepts and new tools for reflecting on their organisation, their jobs and on appropriate working practices. The CAOC-methodology contributes to the design and redesign of work in complex sociotechnical systems. It strives to enhance organisations' capability to assess their current working practices and the meanings attached to them and compare these to the actual demands of their basic mission and so change unadaptive practices. (orig.)

Hofstede’s Dimensions of National Cultures Revisited: A Case Study of South Korea’s Culture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Buja Elena

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In about thirty-five years since the first publication of Hofstede’s (1991 study on the dimensions of national cultures, people all over the world have evolved in various directions and to various extents due to the phenomenon known as globalization. The present paper aims to investigate whether within this time span South Korea, a technically and economically developed country, whose way of life is strongly influenced by Confucianism, has complied with or resisted this phenomenon. The data that will be discussed have been collected from a Korean best seller (Shin’s Please Look After Mom, 2012 that approximately covers the period in which Hofstede conducted his investigations on national cultures. Hopefully the findings will indicate that the deeply rooted values have remained almost the same, while the outer layers of culture (such as the symbols or rituals, also known as ‘practices’ have changed due to the influences exerted by the other important economic and cultural powers of the world (such as Japan, the United States or some of the European countries Korea has come in touch with.

Finnish High Tech in China - A Study of Business Culture

OpenAIRE

Suhonen, Petri

2013-01-01

The objective of this thesis was to study the challenges caused by differences in Finnish and Chinese business cultures in the high technology industry. The study explains the main characteristics of the Chinese national and business cultures which every company operating in China will be dealing with, and offers examples of how these affect a high tech company. The study was conducted as a case study of a Finnish high technology company running a project in China. The company encountere...

Cultural Orientation and Social Capital as Predictors of Condom Use among Internal Migrants in China

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Hongfei; Li, Xiaoming; Lin, Danhua; Tam, Cheuk Chi

2016-01-01

Background: The global literature has revealed that cultural orientation, adaptation and social capital may influence HIV-related sexual behaviours among migrants. However, whether cultural orientations influence adaptation and social capital and thereby affect sexual behaviour is not well understood. Method: This study examined whether…

Western gulf culture-density study-early results

Science.gov (United States)

Mohd S. Rahman; Michael G. Messina; Richard F. Fisher; Alan B. Wilson; Nick Chappell; Conner Fristoe; Larry Anderson

2006-01-01

The Western Gulf Culture-Density Study is a collaborative research effort between Texas A&M University and five forest products companies to examine the effects of early silvicultural treatment intensity and a wide range of both densities and soil types on performance of loblolly pine. The study tests 2 silvicultural intensities, 5 planting densities (200 to 1,200...

Cross-Cultural Contact in Counseling Training.

Science.gov (United States)

Diaz-Lazaro, Carlos M.; Cohen, B. Beth

2001-01-01

Reports on the importance of cross-cultural contact in the development of multicultural counseling competencies (MCCs). Results reveal that the greater the prior cross-cultural life experience, the higher were students' MCCs measured at the beginning of a multicultural counseling course. MCCs measured at the end of the course were significantly…

Transformation of dwelling culture based on riverine community in Musi River Palembang

Science.gov (United States)

Wicaksono, Bambang; Siswanto, Ari; Kusdiwanggo, Susilo; Anwar, Widya Fransiska Febriati

2017-11-01

Palembang City development since the Palembang Darussalam Sultanate era to the reformation era has impact on the living culture community, less of the raft houses, houses on stilts transformed into a terraced house, and the house became the dominant land. Dwelling Culture oriented on transformation of river become land-oriented. The development has leaving identity, character, and potential of the riverine architecture and dwelling life of river. The goals of study are to describe a case and revealing the meaning of dwelling cultural transformation in Musi River society from the process of cultural acculturation and investigate the architectural aspect from the form of house and modes of dwelling through the structuralism approach. The data collection is conducted qualitatively by using data collection techniques such as observation, interview, literature study, whereas the method of analysis, is a method that is done through Levi-Strauss structuralism approach that identifies all the elements of community thought in a systematic procedure. The results showed the structure behind the orientation, position, shape, and layout of dwelling revealed through the meanings in it. It means, the change and development from cultural acculturation process which oriented in the land dwelling, based on structure thinking of Palembang society.

Relevant principal factors affecting the reproducibility of insect primary culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Ogata, Norichika; Iwabuchi, Kikuo

2017-06-01

The primary culture of insect cells often suffers from problems with poor reproducibility in the quality of the final cell preparations. The cellular composition of the explants (cell number and cell types), surgical methods (surgical duration and surgical isolation), and physiological and genetic differences between donors may be critical factors affecting the reproducibility of culture. However, little is known about where biological variation (interindividual differences between donors) ends and technical variation (variance in replication of culture conditions) begins. In this study, we cultured larval fat bodies from the Japanese rhinoceros beetle, Allomyrina dichotoma, and evaluated, using linear mixed models, the effect of interindividual variation between donors on the reproducibility of the culture. We also performed transcriptome analysis of the hemocyte-like cells mainly seen in the cultures using RNA sequencing and ultrastructural analyses of hemocytes using a transmission electron microscope, revealing that the cultured cells have many characteristics of insect hemocytes.

Five Misunderstandings About Cultural Evolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Henrich, Joseph; Boyd, Robert; Richerson, Peter J

2008-06-01

Recent debates about memetics have revealed some widespread misunderstandings about Darwinian approaches to cultural evolution. Drawing from these debates, this paper disputes five common claims: (1) mental representations are rarely discrete, and therefore models that assume discrete, gene-like particles (i.e., replicators) are useless; (2) replicators are necessary for cumulative, adaptive evolution; (3) content-dependent psychological biases are the only important processes that affect the spread of cultural representations; (4) the "cultural fitness" of a mental representation can be inferred from its successful transmission; and (5) selective forces only matter if the sources of variation are random. We close by sketching the outlines of a unified evolutionary science of culture.

A comparative study: The spatial organization of pre and post disaster house in traditional cultured area; study case: Core house project in Kasongan, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Agustina, Vicky

2017-11-01

This study involves revealing the spatial organization typology differences between pre and post disaster houses through core house project in Kasongan, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The goal is to gain understanding of the way of traditional cultured people re-shaping their space and environment after disaster reconstruction through the core house and find the factors that determine the form. The study has been done by comparing and analyzing the spatial properties and functions between both objects using justified graph technique which is one of the basic methodology that able to identify how people are organized in space. Upon the comparison and analysis of these aspects, it appears that the old house size has impact toward significant changes of the spatial properties also the dwellers put physical factor over culture when evaluating the present house. Through these findings, this study highlights that spatial organization of traditional house has temporal spatial value and the core house concept had influenced the changes of the local spatial behaviour and their perception of their house standard.

Information cultures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skouvig, Laura

2017-01-01

The purpose of this article is to suggest a genealogy of the concept of information beyond the 20th century. The article discusses how the concept of information culture might provide a way of formulating such a genealogic strategy. The article approaches this purpose by providing a general...... narrative of premodern information cultures, examining works on early-modern scholars and 18th century savants and discussion of what seems to be a Foucauldian rupture in the conceptualization of information in 19th century England. The findings of the article are situated in the thinking that a genealogy...... of information would reveal that information had specific purposes in specific settings....

Culture matters : a study on presence in an interactive movie

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hu, J.; Bartneck, C.

2008-01-01

A cross cultural study was conducted to test the influences of different cultural backgrounds on the user's presence experience in interacting with a distributed interactive movie. The effects of embodied interaction on presence were also investigated because embodiment is often used to enrich the

Music Regions and Mental Maps: Teaching Cultural Geography

Science.gov (United States)

Shobe, Hunter; Banis, David

2010-01-01

Music informs understandings of place and is an excellent vehicle for teaching cultural geography. A study was developed of geography students' perception of where music genres predominate in the United States. Its approach, involving mental map exercises, reveals the usefulness and importance of maps as an iterative process in teaching cultural…

Do we overemphasize the role of culture in the behavior of racial/ethnic minorities? Evidence of a cultural (mis)attribution bias in American psychology.

Science.gov (United States)

Causadias, José M; Vitriol, Joseph A; Atkin, Annabelle L

2018-04-01

Although culture influences all human beings, there is an assumption in American psychology that culture matters more for members of certain groups. This article identifies and provides evidence of the cultural (mis)attribution bias: a tendency to overemphasize the role of culture in the behavior of racial/ethnic minorities, and to underemphasize it in the behavior of Whites. Two studies investigated the presence of this bias with an examination of a decade of peer reviewed research conducted in the United States (N = 434 articles), and an experiment and a survey with psychology professors in the United States (N = 361 psychologists). Archival analyses revealed differences in the composition of samples used in studies examining cultural or noncultural psychological phenomena. We also find evidence to suggest that psychologists in the United States favor cultural explanations over psychological explanations when considering the behavior and cognition of racial/ethnic minorities, whereas the opposite pattern emerged in reference to Whites. The scientific ramifications of this phenomenon, as well as alternatives to overcome it, are discussed in detail. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Culture as Information and Culture as Affective Process: A Comparative Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, David A.

2000-01-01

Describes an application of the Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory (CCAI) to measure the effects of two ways to teach about German culture in beginning language courses. Qualitative analysis of results established that the treatment group, taught with constructivist, process-oriented tasks experienced significantly positive results on the CCAI…

Spiritual culture crisis in modern society

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rusko Nadiya Mykhaylivna

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The article researches the concept of spirituality as a holistic phenomenon, characterises the current state of spirituality in Ukraine and reveal the basic ways of forming spiritual culture with the help of philosophical, cultural, theological, linguistic, pedagogical, and psychological approaches. Moreover, the crisis in the today’s spiritual culture is analysed, and the determinants of the negative processes in the modern society are examined. Therefore, we can state that education remains a priority area in the spiritual and cultural development of the society. In the current phase of state construction, the main educational objective is the development of the spiritual culture of personality.

Fostering Cross-Cultural Understanding Through E-Learning: Russian-American Forum Case-Study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ekaterina V. Talalakina

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract— The importance of cross-cultural understanding is accelerated nowadays by globalization and joint efforts of different countries in the face of global challenges. Countries’ educational systems display attempts to incorporate cross-cultural studies in their curricula across all stages of formal learning. Many higher education institutions offer special courses aimed at promoting cross-cultural studies. One of the tools used to facilitate the process is e-learning. The present article examines the case study of an internet-based collaboration between two higher education institutions – State University Higher School of Economics in Russia and Champlain College in the USA – in fostering cross-cultural understanding. The project is based on the study of individualistic and collectivistic values within the framework of two corresponding courses studied at both institutions. The topicality of the study is determined by the growing importance of the cooperation of two countries on the international affairs arena, on the one hand, and the fundamental differences of the countries’ underlying value system, on the other. In particular, a post-soviet Russia is generally viewed as a developing democracy representing the collectivistic end of the value spectrum, whereas the USA is considered as an extreme case of individualistic value system. The comparison and contrast of the two systems conducted simultaneously by the representatives of both cultures (students of the two universities within a specifically built internet forum comprises the base of the project. The case study covers the project’s objectives, its background, the rationale behind its content choice, the design of the e-learning tool, the profile of the participants of the project, its implementation stages and its outcome. The major findings of the case study deal with the process of building cross-cultural awareness, reinforcing students’ analytical skills and

Learning Cultures and the Conservatoire: An Ethnographically-Informed Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Perkins, Rosie

2013-01-01

Educational institutions, conservatoires remain largely unresearched and, crucially, relatively unchallenged. In particular, research has paid little attention to in-depth studies of culture, so that not enough is known of the cultural practices that characterise and shape a conservatoire education. This article addresses this gap through seeking…

Toward a New Approach to the Study of Personality in Culture

Science.gov (United States)

Cheung, Fanny M.; van de Vijver, Fons J. R.; Leong, Frederick T. L.

2011-01-01

We review recent developments in the study of culture and personality measurement. Three approaches are described: an etic approach that focuses on establishing measurement equivalence in imported measures of personality, an emic (indigenous) approach that studies personality in specific cultures, and a combined emic-etic approach to personality.…

An action research study; cultural differences impact how manufacturing organizations receive continuous improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Kattman, Braden R.

National culture and organizational culture impact how continuous improvement methods are received, implemented and deployed by suppliers. Previous research emphasized the dominance of national culture over organizational culture. The countries studied included Poland, Mexico, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Estonia, India, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. The research found that Canada was most receptive to continuous improvement, with China being the least receptive. The study found that organizational culture was more influential than national culture. Isomorphism and benchmarking is driving continuous-improvement language and methods to be more universally known within business. Business and management practices are taking precedence in driving change within organizations.

A study on relationship between organizational culture and organizational commitment

OpenAIRE

Maryam Khalili

2014-01-01

This paper presents an empirical investigation to study the relationship between organizational culture and organization commitment. The study uses two questionnaires, one for measuring organizational commitment originally developed by Meyer and Allen (1991) [Meyer, J. P., & Allen, N. J. (1991). A three-component conceptualization of organizational commitment. Human resource management review, 1(1), 61-89.] and the other one for organizational culture developed by Denison and Spreitzer (1991)...

Influence of Cultural, Organizational, and Automation Capability on Human Automation Trust: A Case Study of Auto-GCAS Experimental Test Pilots

Science.gov (United States)

Koltai, Kolina; Ho, Nhut; Masequesmay, Gina; Niedober, David; Skoog, Mark; Cacanindin, Artemio; Johnson, Walter; Lyons, Joseph

2014-01-01

This paper discusses a case study that examined the influence of cultural, organizational and automation capability upon human trust in, and reliance on, automation. In particular, this paper focuses on the design and application of an extended case study methodology, and on the foundational lessons revealed by it. Experimental test pilots involved in the research and development of the US Air Force's newly developed Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System served as the context for this examination. An eclectic, multi-pronged approach was designed to conduct this case study, and proved effective in addressing the challenges associated with the case's politically sensitive and military environment. Key results indicate that the system design was in alignment with pilot culture and organizational mission, indicating the potential for appropriate trust development in operational pilots. These include the low-vulnerability/ high risk nature of the pilot profession, automation transparency and suspicion, system reputation, and the setup of and communications among organizations involved in the system development.

Introduction: transnational lesbian cultures.

Science.gov (United States)

Bauer, Heike; Mahn, Churnjeet

2014-01-01

This special issue examines the transnational shape and shaping of lesbian lives and cultures in and across China, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It uses the expression "transnational lesbian cultures" to suggest that despite sometimes radically different sociopolitical and cultural contexts, the lived experiences of same-sex desire and their emotional attachments create particular affinities between women who love women, affinities that reach across the distinct cultural and social contexts that shape them. The articles brought together explore lesbian subcultures, film, graphic novels, music, and online intimacies. They show that as a cultural and political signifier and as an analytical tool, lesbian troubles and complicates contemporary sexual politics, not least by revealing some of the gendered structures that shape debates about sexuality in a range of critical, cultural and political contexts. While the individual pieces cover a wide range of issues and concerns-which are often highly specific to the historical, cultural, and political contexts they discuss-together they tell a story about contemporary transnational lesbian culture: one that is marked by intricate links between norms and their effects and shaped by the efforts to resist denial, discrimination, and sometimes even active persecution.

The necessity of cultural knowledge during the foreign language studies

OpenAIRE

Kroteva, Marijana; Mirascieva, Snezana

2010-01-01

The aim of this paper is to present the significance and introduction of cultural studies in the curricula for foreign language studies. Although the main focus in the paper is pointed to English as the most dominant language in the world today, the paper is primarily intended and refers to all the languages. Section two consists of the aspects and reasons for the necessity of introducing the cultural studies in the foreign language curricula. Section three is written upon the research result...

Risk factors for islet loss during culture prior to transplantation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kin, Tatsuya; Senior, Peter; O'Gorman, Doug; Richer, Brad; Salam, Abdul; Shapiro, Andrew Mark James

2008-11-01

Culturing islets can add great flexibility to a clinical islet transplant program. However, a reduction in the islet mass has been frequently observed during culture and its degree varies. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors associated with a significant islet loss during culture. One-hundred and four islet preparations cultured in an attempt to use for transplantation constituted this study. After culture for 20 h (median), islet yield significantly decreased from 363 309 +/- 12 647 to 313 035 +/- 10 862 islet equivalent yield (IE) (mean +/- SE), accompanied by a reduction in packed tissue volume from 3.9 +/- 0.1 to 3.0 +/- 0.1 ml and islet index (IE/islet particle count) from 1.20 +/- 0.04 to 1.05 +/- 0.04. Culture did not markedly alter islet purity or percent of trapped islet. Morphology score and viability were significantly improved after culture. Of 104 islet preparations, 37 suffered a substantial islet loss (> 20%) over culture. Factors significantly associated with risk of islet loss identified by univariate analysis were longer cold ischemia time, two-layer method (TLM) preservation, lower islet purity, and higher islet index. Multivariate analysis revealed that independent predictors of islet loss were higher islet index and the use of TLM. This study provides novel information on the link between donor- isolation factors and islet loss during culture.

Cultural Issues in Psychiatric Administration and Leadership.

Science.gov (United States)

Aggarwal, Neil Krishan

2015-09-01

This paper addresses cultural issues in psychiatric administration and leadership through two issues: (1) the changing culture of psychiatric practice based on new clinician performance metrics and (2) the culture of psychiatric administration and leadership in light of organizational cultural competence. Regarding the first issue, some observers have discussed the challenges of creating novel practice environments that balance business values of efficient performance with fiduciary values of treatment competence. This paper expands upon this discussion, demonstrating that some metrics from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the nation's largest funder of postgraduate medical training, may penalize clinicians for patient medication behaviors that are unrelated to clinician performance. A focus on pharmacotherapy over psychotherapy in these metrics has unclear consequences for the future of psychiatric training. Regarding the second issue, studies of psychiatric administration and leadership reveal a disproportionate influence of older men in positions of power despite efforts to recruit women, minorities, and immigrants who increasingly constitute the psychiatric workforce. Organizational cultural competence initiatives can diversify institutional cultures so that psychiatric leaders better reflect the populations they serve. In both cases, psychiatric administrators and leaders play critical roles in ensuring that their organizations respond to social challenges.

Content Analysis of Advertisements in Different Cultures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vesna Lazović

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Increasingly, advertising examples are being analyzed and used as yet another form of communication, on account of their ubiquity (e.g. billboards, Internet, television, magazines. Designed to compel us to purchase products, advertisements have the potential to greatly impact our lives. They show current trends in social preferences, they reveal cultural values and norms of the target audience and, finally, they can be the mirror of the times people live in. The purpose of this paper is to give a brief overview of the findings in previously carried–out research relating to cross–cultural content analysis of advertisements. The reports have addressed both linguistic and extra–linguistic features and trends in advertising and emphasized language– and culture–specific elements. This paper also gives ideas for future studies, since nowadays, due to international marketing and increasing globalization there are more cultural transfers to be explored, as cultures are coming in contact far more frequently.

A proteomic study of cMyc improvement of CHO culture

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Dunn Michael J

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The biopharmaceutical industry requires cell lines to have an optimal proliferation rate and a high integral viable cell number resulting in a maximum volumetric recombinant protein product titre. Nutrient feeding has been shown to boost cell number and productivity in fed-batch culture, but cell line engineering is another route one may take to increase these parameters in the bioreactor. The use of CHO-K1 cells with a c-myc plasmid allowing for over-expressing c-Myc (designated cMycCHO gives a higher integral viable cell number. In this study the differential protein expression in cMycCHO is investigated using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE followed by image analysis to determine the extent of the effect c-Myc has on the cell and the proteins involved to give the new phenotype. Results Over 100 proteins that were differentially expressed in cMycCHO cells were detected with high statistical confidence, of which 41 were subsequently identified by tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS. Further analysis revealed proteins involved in a variety of pathways. Some examples of changes in protein expression include: an increase in nucleolin, involved in proliferation and known to aid in stabilising anti-apoptotic protein mRNA levels, the cytoskeleton and mitochondrial morphology (vimentin, protein biosysnthesis (eIF6 and energy metabolism (ATP synthetase, and a decreased regulation of all proteins, indentified, involved in matrix and cell to cell adhesion. Conclusion These results indicate several proteins involved in proliferation and adhesion that could be useful for future approaches to improve proliferation and decrease adhesion of CHO cell lines which are difficult to adapt to suspension culture.

Formation of common cultural competence in country studies ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... in country studies classes (based on Turkish language teaching practice) ... the acquisition of common cultural competence in foreign language education. ... analysis of methodological frameworks offered by Russian and foreign specialists.

On Dimension of Cultural Connotation in Cognitive-Metaphor Studies

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

孙敏

2016-01-01

Started from Aristotle, metaphor has been studied independently and relatively ranged from rhetoric, philosophy, prag-matic, anthropology, psychology, cognitive science and other disciplines. This article views the close relation between metaphor and culture on the perspective of cognitive metaphor, focusing on the double functions in the perception of world and creation of culture and further dugs the profound theories of different dimensions in the contrast between English and Chinese language.

Traditional Music in Igbo Culture: A Case Study of Idu Cultural ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Igbo people are endowed with numerous dance music performances which portray the culture of the people. Traditional music is so much a part of Igbo culture that majority of the people who live in big cities and other places outside their home town organize traditional music ensembles as a mark of identity, to preserve ...

Organoid culture systems to study host-pathogen interactions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dutta, Devanjali; Clevers, Hans

2017-01-01

Recent advances in host-microbe interaction studies in organoid cultures have shown great promise and have laid the foundation for much more refined future studies using these systems. Modeling of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in cerebral organoids have helped us understand its association with

Healthy ageing in Isan-Thai culture--A phenomenographic study based on older persons' lived experiences.

Science.gov (United States)

Manasatchakun, Pornpun; Chotiga, Pleumjit; Roxberg, Åsa; Asp, Margareta

2016-01-01

Healthy ageing is a concept that concerns older persons' quality of life and is a key factor in promoting well-being. The older population in Thailand is growing. Isan (a region of north-eastern Thailand) has been reported as having one of the most rapidly increasing older populations in the country. In order to care for and promote the health of older people, healthcare providers should understand how healthy ageing is perceived by this target group. Although healthy ageing has been studied in different contexts as well as perspectives, no studies have previously focused on older persons' experiences of healthy ageing from a lifeworld perspective in Isan-Thai. Therefore, the aim of this study is to describe older persons' qualitatively different conceptions of healthy ageing in Isan-Thai culture. A phenomenographic approach with an epistemological base in lifeworld theory was used to disclose the various ways to conceptualize healthy ageing. Individual, qualitative interviews were conducted with 17 people aged 60 and above who live in Isan-Thai. The findings of this study revealed three categories of descriptions: "being independent in dependence," "being at peace," and "being a valuable person." This study also found family members, friends, healthcare providers, and religion important to healthy ageing in the Isan-Thai culture. Understanding how older people conceptualize healthy ageing is valuable for healthcare providers. They can apply these findings regarding healthy ageing in their fieldwork when caring for older people.

Establishment of a Methanogenic Benzene-Degrading Culture and its Implication in Bioremediation

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Qiao, W.; Luo, F.; Bawa, N.; Guo, S.; Ye, S.; Edwards, E.

2017-12-01

Benzene is a known human carcinogen and it is a common pollutant in groundwater, mainly resulting from petrochemical industry. Anaerobic degradation of benzene has significant advantages over aerobic processes for in situ bioremediation. In this study, new methanogenic and sulfate-reducing benzene degrading cultures have been enriched. Microbial community composition was characterized with two other previously established benzene-degrading cultures, and their potential use in bioaugmentation is investigated. In this study, a lab microcosm study was conducted anaerobically with contaminated soil and groundwater from a former chemical plant. Benzene degradation was observed in the presence of co-contaminants and electron donor. Through repetitive amendment of benzene, two enrichment cultures have been developed under sulfate and methanogenic conditions. Results from DNA amplicon sequencing and qPCR analysis revealed that an organism similar to previously described benzene-degrading Deltaproteobacterium has been enriched. The microbial community of this culture was compared with other two methanogenic benzene-degrading enrichment cultures that were derived from an oil refinery and a decommissioned gasoline station, and have been maintained for decades. Deltaproteobacterium ORM2-like microbes were dominate in all enrichment cultures, which brought to light benzene-degrading microbes, ORM2 were enriched under different geological conditions distributed around the world. The relative abundance of methanogens was much lower compared to previously established cultures, although substantial amount of methane was produced. The peripheral organisms also vary. To investigate effectiveness of using ORM2-dominant enrichment cultures in bioremediation, microcosm studies were set up using contaminated materials, and a ORM2-dominating methanogenic benzene-degrading culture was used for bioaugmentation. Results revealed that benzene degradation was speeded up under methanogenic or

Cultural commons and cultural evolution

OpenAIRE

Bravo, Giangiacomo

2010-01-01

Culture evolves following a process that is akin to biological evolution, although with some significant differences. At the same time culture has often a collective good value for human groups. This paper studies culture in an evolutionary perspective, with a focus on the implications of group definition for the coexistence of different cultures. A model of cultural evolution is presented where agents interacts in an artificial environment. The belonging to a specific memetic group is a majo...

Environmental barcoding reveals massive dinoflagellate diversity in marine environments.

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Rowena F Stern

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Dinoflagellates are an ecologically important group of protists with important functions as primary producers, coral symbionts and in toxic red tides. Although widely studied, the natural diversity of dinoflagellates is not well known. DNA barcoding has been utilized successfully for many protist groups. We used this approach to systematically sample known "species", as a reference to measure the natural diversity in three marine environments.In this study, we assembled a large cytochrome c oxidase 1 (COI barcode database from 8 public algal culture collections plus 3 private collections worldwide resulting in 336 individual barcodes linked to specific cultures. We demonstrate that COI can identify to the species level in 15 dinoflagellate genera, generally in agreement with existing species names. Exceptions were found in species belonging to genera that were generally already known to be taxonomically challenging, such as Alexandrium or Symbiodinium. Using this barcode database as a baseline for cultured dinoflagellate diversity, we investigated the natural diversity in three diverse marine environments (Northeast Pacific, Northwest Atlantic, and Caribbean, including an evaluation of single-cell barcoding to identify uncultivated groups. From all three environments, the great majority of barcodes were not represented by any known cultured dinoflagellate, and we also observed an explosion in the diversity of genera that previously contained a modest number of known species, belonging to Kareniaceae. In total, 91.5% of non-identical environmental barcodes represent distinct species, but only 51 out of 603 unique environmental barcodes could be linked to cultured species using a conservative cut-off based on distances between cultured species.COI barcoding was successful in identifying species from 70% of cultured genera. When applied to environmental samples, it revealed a massive amount of natural diversity in dinoflagellates. This highlights

Co-culture microorganisms with different initial proportions reveal the mechanism of chalcopyrite bioleaching coupling with microbial community succession.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Liyuan; Wang, Xingjie; Feng, Xue; Liang, Yili; Xiao, Yunhua; Hao, Xiaodong; Yin, Huaqun; Liu, Hongwei; Liu, Xueduan

2017-01-01

The effect of co-culture microorganisms with different initial proportions on chalcopyrite bioleaching was investigated. Communities were rebuilt by six typical strains isolated from the same habitat. The results indicated, by community with more sulfur oxidizers at both 30 and 40°C, the final copper extraction rate was 19.8% and 6.5% higher, respectively, than that with more ferrous oxidizers. The variations of pH, redox potential, ferrous and copper ions in leachate also provided evidences that community with more sulfur oxidizers was more efficient. Community succession of free and attached cells revealed that initial proportions played decisive roles on community dynamics at 30°C, while communities shared similar structures, not relevant to initial proportions at 40°C. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed different microbial functions on mineral surface. A mechanism model for chalcopyrite bioleaching was established coupling with community succession. This will provide theoretical basis for reconstructing an efficient community in industrial application. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Eye contact and Cross-cultural Communication

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

刘西娟

2009-01-01

It is commonly agreed by contemporary schohrs that it is important to understand the role of culture and its characteristics and potential impact on individuals engaged in cross-cultural communication.Nonverbal Communication often reveals basic culture traits.Eye contact,as a mediunq to convey emodon.attitudes and intention.phys an undeniably vital role in communication.The concentration of this paper is to discuss the functions of eye contact in communication,different information conveyed by eve contact on the basis of different cultures and the importance of understanding and respecting the rituals of eye contact in cross-culmral communication.

An ethnographic study of nursing home culture to define organizational realities of culture change.

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Deutschman, Marian T

2005-01-01

The current system of delivery of nursing home care is costly both in dollars and in human terms. Culture change may provide solutions to both issues. Culture change has a different meaning for different organizations depending on where they are in the continuum of change. Detailed observation of staff members "in action" in three long-term care facilities over a period of several months was supplemented by formal and informal interviews of organization members to gain an understanding of the culture of the nursing home organization. Four three-hour observations in each of three facilities, representing privately-held and not-for-profit organizations in urban, suburban, and rural locations yielded insights into the routine, recruitment, training, teamwork, activities, leadership, role-modeling, mentoring, staff and resident satisfaction, weekend staffing and activities, bureaucratic structure, and sharing of best practices. Discussion of each of these issues may provide a starting point for all those facilities that are contemplating significant culture change. If the objective is to have facilities truly embrace a new set of values, then the change begins with the owners and administrators of nursing homes who need to focus on building new relationships with all the stakeholders. In-depth interviews of organization members and six chief executive officers in long-term care in the Western New York area culminated the study with the development of a fifty-question survey for decision makers.

Cultural Artifacts as Scaffolds for Genre Development.

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Kamberelis, George; Bovino, Thomas D.

1999-01-01

Shows that children in the primary grades possessed considerable working knowledge of the cultural conventions of narrative genres but much less working knowledge of the cultural conventions of informational genres. Reveals grade-related developmental differences for some dimensions of linguistic and textual organization. Shows that cultural…

Culture-dependent and culture-independent analyses reveal no prokaryotic community shifts or recovery of Serratia marcescens in Acropora palmata with white pox disease.

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Lesser, Michael P; Jarett, Jessica K

2014-06-01

Recently, the etiological agent of white pox (WP) disease, also known as acroporid serratiosis, in the endangered coral Acropora palmata is the enteric bacterium Serratia marcescens with the source being localized sewage release onto coastal coral reef communities. Here, we show that both culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches could not recover this bacterium from samples of tissue and mucus from A. palmata colonies affected by WP disease in the Bahamas, or seawater collected adjacent to A. palmata colonies. Additionally, a metagenetic 16S rRNA pyrosequencing study shows no significant difference in the bacterial communities of coral tissues with and without WP lesions. As recent studies have shown for other coral diseases, S. marcescens cannot be identified in all cases of WP disease in several geographically separated populations of A. palmata with the same set of signs. As a result, its identification as the etiological agent of WP disease, and cause of a reverse zoonosis, cannot be broadly supported. However, the prevalence of WP disease associated with S. marcescens does appear to be associated with proximity to population centers, and research efforts should be broadened to examine this association, and to identify other causes of this syndrome. © 2014 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.

Benzoate-driven dehalogenation of chlorinated ethenes in microbial cultures from a contaminated aquifer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bunge, M.; Kleikemper, J.; Miniaci, C.; Duc, L.; Muusse, M.G.; Zeyer, J. [Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich (Switzerland). Inst. of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, Soil Biology; Hause, G. [Halle-Wittenberg Univ., Halle (Germany). Biocenter

2007-10-15

Microbial dehalogenation of tetrachloroethene (PCE) and cis-dichloroethene (cis-DCE) was studied in cultures from a continuous stirred tank reactor initially inoculated with aquifer material from a PCE-contaminated site. Cultures amended with hydrogen and acetate readily dechlorinated PCE and cis-DCE; however, this transformation was incomplete and resulted in the accumulation of chlorinated intermediates and only small amounts of ethene within 60 days of incubation. Conversely, microbial PCE and cis-DCE dechlorination in cultures with benzoate and acetate resulted in the complete transformation to ethene within 30 days. Community fingerprinting by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) revealed the predominance of phylotypes closely affiliated with Desulfitobacterium, Dehalococcoides, and Syntrophus species. The Dehalococcoides culture VZ, obtained from small whitish colonies in cis-DCE dechlorinating agarose cultures, revealed an irregular cell diameter between 200 and 500 nm, and a spherical or biconcave disk-shaped morphology. These organisms were identified as responsible for the dechlorination of cis-DCE to ethene in the PCE-dechlorinating consortia, operating together with the Desulfitobacterium as PCE-to-cis-DCE dehalogenating bacterium and with a Syntrophus species as potential hydrogen-producing partner in cultures with benzoate. (orig.)

Soybean cyst nematode culture collections and field populations from North Carolina and Missouri reveal high incidences of infection by viruses.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruark, Casey L; Koenning, Stephen R; Davis, Eric L; Opperman, Charles H; Lommel, Steven A; Mitchum, Melissa G; Sit, Tim L

2017-01-01

Five viruses were previously discovered infecting soybean cyst nematodes (SCN; Heterodera glycines) from greenhouse cultures maintained in Illinois. In this study, the five viruses [ScNV, ScPV, ScRV, ScTV, and SbCNV-5] were detected within SCN greenhouse and field populations from North Carolina (NC) and Missouri (MO). The prevalence and titers of viruses in SCN from 43 greenhouse cultures and 25 field populations were analyzed using qRT-PCR. Viral titers within SCN greenhouse cultures were similar throughout juvenile development, and the presence of viral anti-genomic RNAs within egg, second-stage juvenile (J2), and pooled J3 and J4 stages suggests active viral replication within the nematode. Viruses were found at similar or lower levels within field populations of SCN compared with greenhouse cultures of North Carolina populations. Five greenhouse cultures harbored all five known viruses whereas in most populations a mixture of fewer viruses was detected. In contrast, three greenhouse cultures of similar descent to one another did not possess any detectable viruses and primarily differed in location of the cultures (NC versus MO). Several of these SCN viruses were also detected in Heterodera trifolii (clover cyst) and Heterodera schachtii (beet cyst), but not the other cyst, root-knot, or reniform nematode species tested. Viruses were not detected within soybean host plant tissue. If nematode infection with viruses is truly more common than first considered, the potential influence on nematode biology, pathogenicity, ecology, and control warrants continued investigation.

Culture and Learner Beliefs: A Study of Three Malay Postgraduate Students

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Faizah A Majid

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Culture influences how people experience. Although there is literature on how culture can influence adult learners’ orientation to learning, there is little on how culture influences the nature of successful learning amongst adults (Merriam and Mohamad, 2000. The purpose of this paper is to examine how cultural values influence a selected group of successful adult learners’ views on learning in the Malaysian education context. A qualitative research design was adopted to explore this question. Three postgraduates who had completed their studies on time were interviewed. Using the constant comparative method of data analysis (Wellington, 2000, five cultural values as identified by Abdullah (1996 and Hofstede (1991; collectivistic, religious, relationship-oriented, hierarchical, and face conscious were used to serve as the main themes in the analysis. In analysing the data, three cultural values emerged; religious, relationship-oriented and, collectivistic. These findings have implications for understanding how cultural values may influence adult Malay students’ views on learning.

A comparative study about learning styles preferences of two cultures

Science.gov (United States)

Kutay, Huban

From an anthropologist's (Maddock, 1981) point of view, "science and science education are cultural enterprises which form a part of the wider cultural matrix of society and educational considerations concerning science must be made in the light of this wider perspective" (p.10). In addition, Spindler (1987) states that teaching science is considered cultural transmission while, Wolcott (1991) focuses on learning science as culture acquisition. In these statements, culture is defined as "an ordered system of meaning and symbols, in terms of which social interaction takes place" (Geertz, 1973). Thus, learning and culture are a partnership. Jones and Fennimore (1990) state: "Every culture brings habits of thought, resources, and context, which have built into them vehicles that promote learning and inquiry. Accordingly, children of any culture can and should have curriculum and instructional practices that draw from that culture." (p.16). Unfortunately, even though this statement is probably accurate, most schools still use the same curriculum, instructional methods, and assessment strategies for all students regardless of their differences in learning styles. The purpose of this study is to identify the relationship between students' learning styles and their culture. This is a correlational study. Does culture limit or expand the learning of individuals? For this study Turkish students who graduated from a Turkish high school and undertook undergraduate education in the United States or finished their undergraduate education in Turkey and pursued graduate education in the United States were identified. These Turkish subjects were compared to American college students through learning styles data and anxiety levels as cultural markers. To identify individuals' learning styles we used the Building Excellence (BE) instrument, which is an adult version of The Learning Style Inventory by Dunn, and Rundle (1996.1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000). BE assesses twenty four

Association Study Reveals Novel Genes Related to Yield and Quality of Fruit in Cape Gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.

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Francy L. García-Arias

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Association mapping has been proposed as an efficient approach to assist plant breeding programs to investigate the genetic basis of agronomic traits. In this study, we evaluated 18 traits related to yield, (FWP, NF, FWI, and FWII, fruit size-shape (FP, FA, MW, WMH, MH, HMW, DI, FSI, FSII, OVO, OBO, and fruit quality (FIR, CF, and SST, in a diverse collection of 100 accessions of Physalis peruviana including wild, landraces, and anther culture derived lines. We identified seven accessions with suitable traits: fruit weight per plant (FWP > 7,000 g/plant and cracked fruits (CF < 4%, to be used as parents in cape gooseberry breeding program. In addition, the accessions were also characterized using Genotyping By Sequencing (GBS. We discovered 27,982 and 36,142 informative SNP markers based on the alignment against the two cape gooseberry references transcriptomes. Besides, 30,344 SNPs were identified based on alignment to the tomato reference genome. Genetic structure analysis showed that the population could be divided into two or three sub-groups, corresponding to landraces-anther culture and wild accessions for K = 2 and wild, landraces, and anther culture plants for K = 3. Association analysis was carried out using a Mixed Linear Model (MLM and 34 SNP markers were significantly associated. These results reveal the basis of the genetic control of important agronomic traits and may facilitate marker-based breeding in P. peruviana.

Ethical Culture and Financial Reporting: Understanding Financial Reporting Practice within Javanese Perspective

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Anis Chariri

2009-06-01

Full Text Available This study is a case study conducted in an Indonesian insurance company. The aim of the study is to understand the dynamics of financial reporting in the company. Ontologically, this study is built on a belief that financial reporting practice is a socially constructed reality. As a socially constructed reality, such a practice involves an interaction among social actors, and between organisational actors and the institutional and cultural environment in which the company operates. The main research question of this study is how organisational culture shapes the company on the construction of its financial reporting practice. This study reveals that the company is committed to quality financial reporting because such reporting can be used to gain legitimacy and to maintain social harmony. The company conducts itself in this way is because it reflects Javanese culture, a dominant culture in Indonesia. Furthermore, this study concludes that the way the actors in the company construct financial reporting practice is influenced by its organisational culture. The organisational culture of the company, which reflects Javanese culture, is able to shape the behaviour of its actors from the top level to lower levels to conduct ethical and transparent business practice. Thus, as Hines (1988 claims, this paper concludes that financial reporting practice is a socially constucted reality.

Influence Of Used Bacterial Culture On Zinc And Aluminium Bioleaching From Printed Circuit Boards

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Mrazikova Anna

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Bioleaching processes were used to solubilize metals (Cu, Ni, Zn and Al from printed circuit boards (PCBs. In this study, a PCBs-adapted pure culture of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, pure culture of Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans and PCBs-adapted mixed culture of A. ferrooxidans and A. thiooxidans were used for recovery of the metals. The study showed that the mixed bacterial culture has the greatest potential to dissolve metals. The maximum metal bioleaching efficiencies were found to be 100, 92, 89 and 20% of Cu, Ni, Zn and Al, respectively. The mixed culture revealed higher bacterial stability. The main factor responsible for high metal recovery was the ability of the mixed culture to maintain the low pH during the whole process. The pure culture of A. thiooxidans had no significant effect on metal bioleaching from PCBs.

Complex microbiota of a Chinese "Fen" liquor fermentation starter (Fen-Daqu), revealed by culture-dependent and culture-independent methods

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zheng, X.; Zheng, Y.; Han, B.; Zwietering, M.H.; Samson, R.A.; Boekhout, T.; Nout, M.J.R.

2012-01-01

Daqu is a traditional fermentation starter that is used for Chinese liquor production. Although partly mechanized, its manufacturing process has remained traditional. We investigated the microbial diversity of Fen-Daqu, a starter for light-flavour liquor, using combined culture-dependent and

A study on multi-cultural family wives adapting to Korean cuisine and dietary patterns

OpenAIRE

Park, Youngil; Jeong, Hee Sun; Joo, Nami

2010-01-01

With the increase in multi-cultural families, Korea is seeing a rapid increase in immigrated housewives, who are closely related to food culture. However, studies for the diet of multi-cultural families, which is most closely related to our lives have not been sufficiently researched. With this background, this study conducted research for immigrated women nationwide about food cultures to provide the possibility which Korean food culture would be developed harmoniously with various foreign f...

Culture as a predictor of resistance to change: a study of competing values in a psychiatric nursing context.

Science.gov (United States)

Johansson, Catrin; Åström, Sture; Kauffeldt, Anders; Helldin, Lars; Carlström, Eric

2014-02-01

It is well known that a conservative organizational culture can hinder the implementation of new organizational models. Prior to introducing something new it is important to identify the culture within the organization. This paper sets out to detect the feasibility of reform in a psychiatric clinic in a Swedish hospital prior to implementation of a new working method - a structured tool based on the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health. A survey consisting of two instruments - an organizational values questionnaire (OVQ) and a resistance to change scale (RTC) - was distributed to registered and assistant nurses at the clinic. The association between the organizational subcultures and resistance to change was investigated with regression analysis. The results revealed that the dominating cultures in the outpatient centers and hospital wards were characterized by human relation properties such as flexibility, cohesion, belongingness, and trust. The mean resistance to change was low, but the subscale of cognitive rigidity was dominant, reflecting a tendency to avoid alternative ideas and perspectives. An instrument like the one employed in the study could be a useful tool for diagnosing the likelihood of extensive and costly interventions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the relationship between cultural diversity and creativity in education : The moderating role of communal versus divisional mindset

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vezzali, L.; Gocłowska, M.A.; Crisp, R.J.; Stathi, S

2016-01-01

We conducted an experimental study with the aim of testing certain conditions under which engaging with cultural diversity increases creativity among schoolchildren. Results obtained from a sample of 149 Italian elementary schoolchildren revealed that engaging with cultural diversity,

Culture in Hospital Organizations and Cultural Policies for Coordinating Communication and Learning - DOI: 10.3395/reciis.v1i1.45en

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elói Martins Senhoras

2007-06-01

Full Text Available This article deals with the importance of culture due to its dual strategic characteristics as both a process and a product of interaction, from the perspective of the management and planning of hospital organizations. The cultural changes within a hospital are analyzed through a review of theoretical and practical studies of health organizations, which are understood as relationships brokered by actors in a cultural system, who react to the introduction of mechanisms for participation and communication through mechanisms for learning. Through this discussion, arguments are provided to diversify and deepen the debate about administrative paths associated with communication which can lead to institutional efficiency, by suggesting the creation of communication mechanisms for building incentives in organizational learning and the operationalization of simple criteria for analyzing and revealing the cultures of a hospital organization.

Feelings about culture scales: development, factor structure, reliability, and validity.

Science.gov (United States)

Maffini, Cara S; Wong, Y Joel

2015-04-01

Although measures of cultural identity, values, and behavior exist in the multicultural psychological literature, there is currently no measure that explicitly assesses ethnic minority individuals' positive and negative affect toward culture. Therefore, we developed 2 new measures called the Feelings About Culture Scale--Ethnic Culture and Feelings About Culture Scale--Mainstream American Culture and tested their psychometric properties. In 6 studies, we piloted the measures, conducted factor analyses to clarify their factor structure, and examined reliability and validity. The factor structure revealed 2 dimensions reflecting positive and negative affect for each measure. Results provided evidence for convergent, discriminant, criterion-related, and incremental validity as well as the reliability of the scales. The Feelings About Culture Scales are the first known measures to examine both positive and negative affect toward an individual's ethnic culture and mainstream American culture. The focus on affect captures dimensions of psychological experiences that differ from cognitive and behavioral constructs often used to measure cultural orientation. These measures can serve as a valuable contribution to both research and counseling by providing insight into the nuanced affective experiences ethnic minority individuals have toward culture. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

The diachronic temporality as a category in the study of contemporary cultures

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Rodrigo Manoel Dias da Silva

2011-12-01

Full Text Available This article examines the possible interpretations of diachrony, as a category of social analysis, in the study of contemporary cultural differences. The author reviews some studies and surveys that show the temporalities experienced in cultural practices, interested in observing different understandings of the category, in the investigative plan. It concludes that the temporality of events present in cultures have been a privileged locus for questioning about the personal trajectories and biographies of various actors, and the same wording that several areas of social practices are expected when individuals tense or move their strategies of appropriation of cultures in their times and spaces.

The implications of culture in business and the Cultural dimensions of Finland and India : A study of cultural Dimensions

OpenAIRE

Lindholm, Kristian

2013-01-01

The purpose of the thesis is to examine the implications of culture in business. The thesis makes use of the most popular theoretical frameworks in the field, namely the cultural dimensions where data has been chiefly collected through the efforts of Geert Hofstede and Fons Trompenaars. In theory, the application of cultural knowledge as professed through the cultural dimensions into managerial practices can be applied. The validity of these theories has proven impossible to quantify and ...

Emotional and cultural impacts of ICT on learners: A case study of Opuwo, Namibia

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Hambira, N.; Lim, C. K.; Tan, K. L.

2017-10-01

It is believed that the integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) among learners and teachers can tremendously enhance the quality of teaching and learning. Besides, the advancement of the ICT technology is also used to improve the academic performance of the learners in learning and has given space to the teachers to boost their teaching in a more effective manner. However, it is also crucial to identify the impacts on the cultural and emotional among the learners. Nonetheless, it is also difficult to imagine contemporary learning environments that are not supported by ICT since the impacts of these technological developments vary among the various communities. In this paper, the contributions are three folds: (i) to investigate the impacts in the cultural and emotional aspects from the perceptions of the teachers about the learners in disadvantaged and marginalized communities, (ii) to design an assessment instrument to survey and determine the different impacts of ICT use on learners from various communities through a set of questionnaires and (iii) to validate the assessment instrument through Cronbach's Alpha reliability testing. Then, the survey is conducted on learners from disadvantaged and marginalized communities in Opuwo, Namibia that makes it an ideal case study for the context of this research. This study made use of a quantitative approach using survey research design through the application of questionnaires to collect data. The size of the population of these community is approximately 500 teachers (from 16 schools, 2 High schools and 14 Primary) and the sample size that is taken into consideration is 42 (8.4% of approximate population). The research revealed that the use of ICT has emotional benefits as well cultural impacts on learners. Careful planning of ICT curriculum was suggested as it will be beneficial to the disadvantaged and marginalized learners.

Towards culture-specific robot customization : a study on greeting interaction with Egyptians

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Trovato, G.; Zecca, M.; Sessa, S.; Jamone, L.; Ham, J.R.C.; Hashimoto, K.; Takanishi, A.

2014-01-01

A complex relationship exists between national cultural background and interaction with robots, and many earlier studies have investigated how people from different cultures perceive the inclusion of robots into society. Conversely, very few studies have investigated how robots, speaking and using

Microbial community composition of the ileum and cecum of broiler chickens as revealed by molecular and culture-based techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Bjerrum, L; Engberg, R M; Leser, T D; Jensen, B B; Finster, K; Pedersen, K

2006-07-01

The microbial communities of the ileum and cecum of broiler chickens from a conventional and an organic farm were investigated using conventional culture techniques as well as cloning and sequencing of 16S rRNA genes. Eighty-five percent of the 557 cloned sequences were <97% related to known cultured species. The chicken ileum was dominated by lactobacilli, whereas the cecum harbored a more diverse microbial community. The cecum was dominated by a large group of bacteria with hitherto no close cultured relatives but most closely related to Faecalibacterium prausnitzii. Approximately 49 and 20% of the cecal clones belonged to this cluster in conventional and organic broiler chickens, respectively. We were, however, able to recover a number of these phylotypes by cultivation, and the isolates were shown to be butyric acid producers. The investigation was a descriptive rather than a comparative study of 2 different rearing systems; however, several differences were observed. For instance, Clostridium perfringens was found in significantly higher numbers in the birds from the organic farm compared with the conventional broilers, probably due to the addition of salinomycin to the conventional feed. In the ileum, the abundance of the different Lactobacillus species differed between the 2 broiler types. The culture-based and culture-independent techniques complemented each other well. Strengths and limitations of the different methods are discussed.

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

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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.

Management Culture as Part of Organizational Culture in the Context of Corporate Social Responsibility Implementation

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Jolita Vveinhardt

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The article is theoretically based on management culture as part of the formal organizational culture, separately reviewing some of its elements. Expert evaluation organization, process and results of the instrument shaped by the authors and meant for qualitative research are briefly presented. The structure of the instrument is detailed by presenting its component parts and explanations. The research was carried out by interviewing the top managers of two big manufacturing company groups consisting of six enterprises. The article presents passages of an interview with the top managers of the six companies, revealing management culture as part of the formal organizational culture expression aiming to implement corporate social responsibility. It should be emphasized that the companies of both groups are preparing to become socially responsible and this results in the timeliness and importance of the research. Structured interviewing method was applied for the research, and the substantive content of the interview included strategy, organizational structure, rules and regulations, technologies, processes, information systems, control and incentive issues. The results of the research show that in both groups of the manufacturing companies management culture and corporate social responsibility, analysing them in terms of formal organizational culture, are perceived in very narrow aspects and their development is not part of the organizations’ strategic goals. The results of the study suggest that the ideas of corporate social responsibility cannot be implemented in a consistent way unless they are integrated into the formal part of organisational culture which plays an instrumental role.

Culture Studies and Self-Actualization Theory.

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Farmer, Rod

1983-01-01

True citizenship education is impossible unless students develop the habit of intelligently evaluating cultures. Abraham Maslow's theory of self-actualization, a theory of innate human needs and of human motivation, is a nonethnocentric tool which can be used by teachers and students to help them understand other cultures. (SR)

Soybean cyst nematode culture collections and field populations from North Carolina and Missouri reveal high incidences of infection by viruses.

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Casey L Ruark

Full Text Available Five viruses were previously discovered infecting soybean cyst nematodes (SCN; Heterodera glycines from greenhouse cultures maintained in Illinois. In this study, the five viruses [ScNV, ScPV, ScRV, ScTV, and SbCNV-5] were detected within SCN greenhouse and field populations from North Carolina (NC and Missouri (MO. The prevalence and titers of viruses in SCN from 43 greenhouse cultures and 25 field populations were analyzed using qRT-PCR. Viral titers within SCN greenhouse cultures were similar throughout juvenile development, and the presence of viral anti-genomic RNAs within egg, second-stage juvenile (J2, and pooled J3 and J4 stages suggests active viral replication within the nematode. Viruses were found at similar or lower levels within field populations of SCN compared with greenhouse cultures of North Carolina populations. Five greenhouse cultures harbored all five known viruses whereas in most populations a mixture of fewer viruses was detected. In contrast, three greenhouse cultures of similar descent to one another did not possess any detectable viruses and primarily differed in location of the cultures (NC versus MO. Several of these SCN viruses were also detected in Heterodera trifolii (clover cyst and Heterodera schachtii (beet cyst, but not the other cyst, root-knot, or reniform nematode species tested. Viruses were not detected within soybean host plant tissue. If nematode infection with viruses is truly more common than first considered, the potential influence on nematode biology, pathogenicity, ecology, and control warrants continued investigation.

Proteomic analysis reveals the mechanisms of Mycena dendrobii promoting transplantation survival and growth of tissue culture seedlings of Dendrobium officinale.

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Xu, X B; Ma, X Y; Lei, H H; Song, H M; Ying, Q C; Xu, M J; Liu, S B; Wang, H Z

2015-06-01

Dendrobium officinale is an important traditional Chinese medicinal herb. Its seedlings generally show low survival and growth when transferred from in vitro tissue culture to a greenhouse or field environment. In this study, the effect of Mycena dendrobii on the survival and growth of D. officinale tissue culture seedlings and the mechanisms involved was explored. Mycena dendrobii were applied underneath the roots of D. officinale tissue culture seedlings. The seedling survival and growth were analysed. The root proteins induced by M. dendrobii were identified using two-dimensional (2-D) electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight MS (MALDI-TOF-MS). Mycena dendrobii treatment significantly enhanced survival and growth of D. officinale seedlings. Forty-one proteins induced by M. dendrobii were identified. Among them, 10 were involved in defence and stress response, two were involved in the formation of root or mycorrhizae, and three were related to the biosynthesis of bioactive constituents. These results suggest that enhancing stress tolerance and promoting new root formation induced by M. dendrobii may improve the survival and growth of D. officinale tissue culture seedlings. This study provides a foundation for future use of M. dendrobii in the large-scale cultivation of Dendrobiums. © 2015 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Understanding Combat-Related PTSD Symptom Expression Through Index Trauma and Military Culture: Case Studies of Filipino Soldiers.

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Dela Cruz Fajarito, Cariñez; De Guzman, Rosalito G

2017-05-01

Few studies demonstrate how the index trauma may influence subsequent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, especially among soldiers. There is still no consensus on specific trauma types and their corresponding PTSD symptom profiles. Furthermore, varied PTSD symptom manifestations that may yield to PTSD trauma subtypes are yet to be known. Importantly, the significance of the military culture's possible influence on soldiers' PTSD has also been underexplored. And the dominant PTSD construct may possibly be unable to capture the essential aspects of the military context in understanding combat-related PTSD. Hence, this study aims to reach an understanding into how index trauma and military culture may possibly shape participants' PTSD expressions. Case study design was used, wherein multiple sources of data-such as PTSD assessments, and interviews with the participants and key informants-enabled data triangulation. The three case reports are the outcomes of the corroboration of evidences that reveal an enriched and holistic understanding of the phenomenon under study. The Ethics Review Board Committee of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center approved the study. The participants were three Filipino active duty combat soldiers. Although all participants had similar index traumas, their PTSD symptom expressions are unique from one another, in that they differ in terms of their most incapacitating PTSD symptoms and other symptoms that have been potentially shaped by military culture. Their most incapacitating symptoms: hypervigilance (case 1), negative belief in oneself and negative emotions (case 2), prolonged distress, and marked physiological reactions to trauma-related cues (case 3), may be understood in the light of how they personally experienced different circumstances of their index traumas. The way participants have anchored specific components of their sworn soldier's creed (i.e., not leaving a fallen comrade) into some of their PTSD

Cultural Anthropology Study on Historical Narrative and Jade Mythological Concepts in Records of the Great Historian: Annals of the First Emperor of Qin

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JUAN WU

2016-10-01

Full Text Available This paper takes Records of the Great Historian: Annals of the First Emperor of Qin, an essential historical narrative at the dawning of Chinese civilization, as a case to illustrate the causality of historical incidents and the underlying mythological concepts, reveal the underlying mythological concepts that dominate the ritual behaviors and narrative expressions, and highlight the prototype function of mythological concepts in the man’s behavior and ideology construction. Once the prototype of certain cultural community is revealed, the evolvement track of its historical cultural texts and the operative relations between coding and re-coding will be better understood.

Arabian, Asian, western: a cross-cultural comparison of aircraft accidents from human factor perspectives.