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Identifying multi-level culturally appropriate smoking cessation strategies for Aboriginal health staff : a concept mapping approach
No full textAboriginal Australians, including Aboriginal Health Workers (AHWs), smoke at rates double the non-Aboriginal population. This study utilized concept mapping methodology to identify and prioritize culturally relevant strategies to promote smoking cessation in AHWs. Stakeholder participants included AHWs, other health service employees and tobacco control personnel. Smoking cessation strategies (n = 74) were brainstormed using 34 interviews, 3 focus groups and a stakeholder workshop. Stakeholders sorted strategies into meaningful groups and rated them on perceived importance and feasibility. A concept map was developed using multi-dimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses. Ten unique clusters of smoking cessation strategies were depicted that targeted individuals, family and peers, community, workplace and public policy. Smoking cessation resources and services were represented in addition to broader strategies addressing social and environmental stressors that perpetuate smoking and make quitting difficult. The perceived importance and feasibility of clusters were rated differently by participants working in health services that were government-coordinated compared with community-controlled. For health service workers within vulnerable populations, these findings clearly implicate a need for contextualized strategies that mitigate social and environmental stressors in addition to conventional strategies for tobacco control. The concept map is being applied in knowledge translation to guide development of smoking cessation programs for AHWs.
Impact of the perceived image of celebrity endorsers on tourists’ intentions to visit
No full textThe purpose of this study is to empirically assess the mediating effects of the impact of the perceived image of celebrity endorsers on tourists’ intentions to visit, using celebrity-endorsed print advertisements for travel destinations. The results indicate that celebrity endorsers have a significant impact on people’s attitudes and visit intentions, thus verifying the mediating effects of this variable. The study also provides clues to what extent celebrity-endorsed advertisements differ from nonendorsed advertisements and explores such differences in terms of destination match-up between native and nonnative celebrity-endorsed advertisements
Sustainable agricultural production : an investigation in Brazilian semi-arid livestock farms
No full textThis paper investigates the environmental sustainability and competitiveness perceptions of small farmers in a region in northern Brazil. The main data collection instruments included a survey questionnaire and an analysis of the region’s strategic plan. In total, ninety-nine goat and sheep breeding farmers were surveyed. Data analysismethods included descriptive statistics, cluster analysis, and chi-squared tests. The main results relate to the impact of education, land size, and location on the farmers’ perceptions of competitiveness and environmental issues. Farmers with longer periods of education have higher perception scores about business competitiveness and environmental sustainability than those with less formal education. Farmers who areworking larger land areas also have higher scores than thosewith smaller farms. Lastly, location can yield factors that impact on farmers’ perceptions. In our study, farmers located in Angicos and Lajes had higher perception scores than Pedro Avelino and Afonso Bezerra, despite the geographical proximity of these municipalities. On the other hand, three other profile variables did not impact on farmers’ perceptions, namely: family income, dairy production volume, and associative condition. The authors believe the results and insights can be extended to livestock farming in other developing countries and contribute generally to fostering effective sustainable development policies, mainly in the agribusiness sector.
Research and policy to achieve healthy aging in Asia : recommendations from an expert workshop
No full textAsia has currently one of the largest concentrations of aging persons in the world. This trend is expected to continue due to increasing longevity and continued fertility reductions in its member countries. Asian countries need to start planning for these future demographic changes by formulating evidence-based policies to address aging. A workshop on healthy aging in Asia was recently organized by the International Life Sciences Institute Southeast Asia (ILSI SEA) Region in Singapore1. The goal was to discuss aging-related issues in the region and identify ways to address these issues through scientific research. Policy issues that were identified include: difficulty in translating scientific findings into poli-cy initiatives, lack of government financial resources to support agingresearch, food insecurity among Asian elderly, and diverse ethnic populations that necessitate tailored interventions to address specific health problems. Better quality of health rather than increased longevity was seen as an important goal to strive for. Health issues identified include: main-taining autonomy and independence in a developing country context, developing fitness standards for Asians, examining how Asian populations transition into disability, and identifying health pathways in developing countries, among others. Multi-disciplinary and collaborative research is the best approach to address these issues. Future actions include the estab-lishment of a regional consortium or collaborative network to guide the research agenda that can support aging policies as well as the exploitation of existing opportunities for public-private partnerships.
Role of PRRT2 in common paroxysmal neurological disorders : a gene with remarkable pleiotropy
No full textMutations in the gene PRRT2 encoding proline-rich transmembrane protein 2 have recently been identified as the cause of three clinical entities: benign familial infantile epilepsy (BFIE), infantile convulsions with choreoathetosis (ICCA) syndrome, and paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia (PKD). Patients with ICCA have both BFIE and PKD and families with ICCA may contain individuals who exhibit all three phenotypes. These three phenotypes were all mapped by linkage analyses to the pericentromeric region of chromosome 16, and were hypothesised to have the same genetic basis due to the co-occurrence of the disorders in some families. Despite considerable effort, the gene or genes for BFIE, ICCA, and PKD were not identified for many years after the linkage region was identified. Mutations in the gene PRRT2 were identified in several Chinese families with PKD, suggesting that the gene may also be responsible for ICCA and BFIE in families linked to the chromosome 16 locus. This was demonstrated to be the case, with the majority of families with ICCA and BFIE found to have PRRT2 mutations. The vast majority of these mutations are truncating and are predicted to lead to haploinsufficiency. PRRT2 is a largely uncharacterised protein. It is expressed in the brain and has been demonstrated to interact with SNAP-25, a component of the molecular machinery involved in the release of neurotransmitters at the presynaptic membrane. Therefore, the PRRT2 protein may play a role in this process. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the remarkable pleiotropy associated with PRRT2 mutations have still to be determined.
A multilevel analysis of the effects of HR diversity management on employee knowledge sharing : the case of Chinese employees
No full textThis study explored the effects of human resource diversity management on employee knowledge sharing and the mediating and moderating variables underlying this link, among Chinese employees. Multilevel analyses of the data from 716 respondents in 37 firms revealed that organizational-level HR diversity management practices explained significant variance in employee knowledge sharing. The relationship between HR diversity management and knowledge sharing was fully mediated by employee trust in the organization. Moreover, cooperative norms moderated the second stage of the mediation, which is the relationship between trust in the organization and knowledge sharing. The findings of this research provide important insights into the relationship between HR diversity management and employee work outcomes.
Gender equality in the labor market in the Philippines
No full textBased on an analysis of gender inequalities, strategies and promising initiatives to counter gender discrimination and promote equality between men and women in Cambodia, Kazakhstan, and the Philippines, as well as an inventory of global good legal, economic, and social practices, this report summarises the findings and recommendations for the Philippines. It shows how to improve equitable employment opportunities, remuneration, and treatment for women and men at work to support the development of decent work and gender equality good practices in the country.
Enhanced luminescence and charge separation in polythiophene-grafted, gold nanoparticle-decorated, 1-D ZnO nanorods
No full textIn this work, we demonstrate a facile method for fabricating hybrid organic/inorganic structures of vertically oriented 1-dimensional (1-D) ZnO nanorods (NR) coupled with regio-regular poly(3-(2-methoxyethoxy) ethoxymethyl) thiophene-2,5-diyl (PMEEMT). The NRs were synthesized by two-step solution processes and exhibited a hexagonal wurtzite structure with a lattice spacing of 0.248 nm. Cross-section analysis of field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) analysis confirmed the NRs were vertically oriented and densely packed with diameter of about 250 nm. The hybrid structures were formed by encapsulating the ZnO NRs with polythiophenes, thereby creating a direct heterojunction interface. These interfaces allowed easy electron transport along the NR avoiding loss of mobility due to grain boundary scattering; further, the large aspect ratio and surface area of NR increased the effective interface between polythiophene and the nanorods contributing to efficient charge separation. In addition, decoration of the ZnO hybrid structures by gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) induced enhanced luminescence properties. These functionalized organic/inorganic hybrid structures can pave the way for applications in photovoltaics and sensing.
Effects of dissuasive packaging on young adult smokers
No full textConclusions: Plain packs that feature large graphic health warnings are significantly more likely to promote cessation among young adult smokers than fully or partially branded packs. The findings support the introduction of plain packaging and suggest use of unbranded package space to feature larger health warnings would further promote cessation.