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Currents induced on wired I.T. networks by randomly distributed mobile phones – a computational study
Get PDFThe probability density and exceedance probability functions of the induced currents in a screened cable connecting two enclosures, resulting from the close presence of single and multiple mobile phones working at 900 MHz, are investigated. The analysis of the problem is undertaken using the Method of Moments, but due to weak coupling, the impedance matrix was modified to reduce the memory and time requirements for the problem, to enable it to be executed multiple times. The empirical probability distribution functions (PDFs) and exceedance probabilities for the induced currents are presented. The form of the PDFs is seen to be quite well approximated by a log-normal distribution for a single source and by a Weibull distribution for multiple sources
Missing links? Problem drug use and social exclusion
Get PDFIn the late 1980s illicit drug use became a major social problem in the UK. Since then policy and practice has largely been shaped by psychological and medical perspectives that emphasise the physiological and psychological nature of dependence. Concerned by the limited impact in reducing the number of problem drug users, in 2000 the Government shifted the emphasis away from voluntary treatment by the Health and Voluntary sector, towards coercive treatment, initially in the form of a Drug Treatment and Testing Order (DTTOs). The Criminal Justice Interventions Programme (CJIP), a £447m programme to ‘direct drug misusing offenders out of crime and into treatment’ (Home Office, 2004 p. 29) further illustrates and reinforces this shift. This article argues that this shift in approach is also likely to founder, as it continues to be dominated by a narrow focus on the individual and their drug dependence, and fails to adequately address the social context, nature and underlying causes of problem drug use
Volunteers, Families and Children in Need: An Evaluation of Family Friends
Get PDFThis paper explores the findings from a small-scale research project that analysed the impact of Family Friends – a voluntary agency that provides support to families under stress who have children aged between 5 and 11 years. The study, funded by Family Friends, evaluated service users' perceptions of the support they received, specifically in relation to the significance and impact of the volunteer befrienders. The research identified that there are a proportion of families in need who fail to attract services from mainstream statutory agencies. It also identified that the Family Friends voluntary agency makes a particular contribution to service provision by offering a friendly, non-stigmatizing, caring and responsive service
Management of bullying in Northern Ireland schools: a pre-legislative survey
No full textBackground: Unlike the rest of the UK, Northern Ireland has only recently (2003) implemented legislation regarding the requirement for anti-bullying policies in the province's school system.
Purpose: The purpose of the study was to ascertain the nature of the management of bully/victim problems across Northern Ireland schools prior to the enactment of legislation.
Sample: From an exhaustive sampling frame of all 1329 schools in Northern Ireland (96 nursery, 910 primary, 167 secondary, 73 grammar, 54 special, 29 further education), a total of 285 schools replied to a questionnaire (20 nursery, 181 primary, 41 secondary, 26 grammar, 13 special, 3 further education, 1 non-specified), a return rate of 23.11%.
Design and methods: A review of the literature and consultation with educational experts in Northern Ireland resulted in the development of an 'Audit' questionnaire designed to examine dissemination and implementation (or not) of Department of Education, or bespoke, discipline and anti-bullying policies; components of anti-bullying programmes; the communication of anti-bullying policies to the school community; staff training; reporting and management of claims of staff victimisation; sanctions against bullies; and homophobic bullying.
Results: It was found that, in a legislative vacuum, the schools in Northern Ireland had been acting in a proactive manner regarding the management of such bully/victim problems (e.g., development and implementation of policies, effective communication strategies).
Conclusions: These results provide a baseline from which the efficacy of subsequent legislation in Northern Ireland can be evaluated. Utilisation of the methodology adopted in this study would be beneficial in other jurisdictions in evaluations of knowledge, attitudes and management of bully/victim problems, either pre- or post-implementation of legislation
The short-form revised Eysenck personality Questionnaire (EPQ-S): A German edition
Get PDFA sample of 331 undergraduate students in Germany completed the German translation of the short form Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQR-S; Eysenck, Eysenck, & Barrett,1985). The findings support the psychometric properties of the extraversion, neuroticism and lie scales. The psychoticism scale, however, was found to be less satisfactory
The Motivations and Aspirations of 3029 Educated Urban Nigerians
No full textThe present study’s objectives were: (a) to estimate the proportion of educated Nigerians whose behaviour was motivated by various levels of needs; (b) to estimate the proportion of those who aspired to be motivated by these needs; and, (c) using factor analysis, to deter-mine whether behavioural motivations and aspirations would aggregate into meaningful patterns. The 3029 subjects included individuals from most tribal and occupational groups. The least-endorsed motivational need was the aesthetic level (60.3%); the other levels of needs were endorsed by over two-thirds of participants, with self-actualization being the most popular. Factor analysis yielded three significant factors. All aspirational need levels loaded on Factor 1, indicating the salience of these needs. Factor 2 included psychological need levels, while Factor 3 included material needs and aspirations
Problem drug use and safeguarding children: a multi agency approach
Get PDFThis chapter will: &#; Explore the social context in which ‘problem drug users’ and ‘inadequate parents’ are constructed. &#; Outline key issues and difficulties involved in working with problem drug users whose children are considered to be at risk of abuse or neglect. &#; Draw on research carried out with social workers, health visitors, drugs clinic workers and parents to examine the barriers of working together to assess children’s needs where parents misuse drugs. &#; Explore strategies for better partnership approaches
Independent domestic violence advocates: perceptions of service users
Get PDFThis paper draws on the findings of a qualitative evaluation that examines user perceptions of the services provided by an Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA) to victims of domestic violence in one rural local authority area in the UK. Service users described being reluctant to report experiences of domestic violence but, having done
so, finding the involvement of the IDVA invaluable in being able to provide them with the independent advice, information and emotional support that they would not otherwise have received. Although in general they were positive about IDVAs, users could also identify problems due to the telephone-based nature of the advocacy that was offered and the duplication of services that sometimes occurred. This paper argues that an IDVA provides an important service to victims of domestic violence, which is likely to be particularly valuable in rural locations. However, the terms of reference for the role need be reviewed in order to maximise the contribution that IDVAs can make
A questionnaire survey of the provision of training in human sexuality in schools of nursing in the United Kingdom
No full textThe inconsistent and haphazard approach to the provision of training in human sexuality to health professionals in the UK and elsewhere has been a matter of concern for over half a century. This article discusses the implications of findings from a questionnaire survey of 41 schools of nursing in the UK regarding their provision of training in human sexuality. Schools of nursing were chosen, as nurses form by far the largest employment group in the NHS today. The aim of this questionnaire survey was to obtain information on the provision of training in human sexuality in schools of nursing in the UK. The 20-item mixed qualitative and quantitative questionnaire was designed to elicit maximum information about research questions, it was independently validated after focus group discussion. The results drawn from this study will be primarily presented as observations, rather than statistically tested statements. The provision of training in human sexuality in the pre-registration nursing curricula in the UK is inadequate to meet the current varied needs of patients. On average, a mere 6.8 hours out of a potential 2300 hours of theoretical learning is dedicated to teaching human sexuality in schools of health in the UK. This is considerably less time than is dedicated to other areas of learning within the curriculum. The overall provision of training in human sexuality in the nursing curricula does not seem to have significantly improved, regardless of pleas from such esteemed bodies as the World Health Organisation and others
