Alcoholics Anonymous: sustaining behavioural change

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Irving
Keyword(s):  
Alcoholics Anonymous ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Problem Drinking ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Identity Transformation ◽  
Personal Agency ◽  
Moral Reflection ◽  
Over Time ◽  
The Way

This chapter concentrates on the practices of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and how they facilitate behavioural change. The author analysed intensive interviews with long-term members of AA using a framework that focused on motivation to engage, structured social engagement (through the activities of AA) and personal agency. The resulting model (presented as a helix to represent progression over time) illustrates the way that individuals use support from AA and the understandings of their problem drinking – reflecting AA language and concepts in what the author terms ‘linguistic echoes’ – to maintain sobriety. Although there may be limits to identity transformation while still engaged with the organisation as ‘sober alcoholics’, the programme emphasises moral reflection and commitment to new norms and beliefs which are key elements of desistance processes.

scholarly journals Long-Term Trends in News Content

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edda Humprecht ◽  
Linards Udris
Keyword(s):  
International Comparisons ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Steady Increase ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
News Content ◽  
National Differences ◽  
Long Term Trends ◽  
Over Time ◽  
The Way

The way news is produced and consumed has changed dramatically during the first two decades of the 21st century due to digitalization and economic pressures. In a globalized world, current events are reported in almost real time in various countries and are diffused rapidly via social media. Thus much scholarly attention is devoted to determining whether these developments have changed news content. Comparative research in the area of journalism focuses on whether news content across countries converges over time and to what degree national differences persist across countries. When studying the research on long-term trends in news content, three main observations can be made. First, theoretical assumptions are often rooted in different models of democracies, but they are rarely explicitly discussed. Second, many studies focus on the organizational level using theoretical concepts related to increased market orientation of news outlets, such as personalization, emotionalization, or scandalization. Furthermore, commercialization is associated with the effects of digitalization and globalization, namely, decreased advertising revenues and increased competition. A commonly expressed fear is that these changes have consequences for democracy and informed citizenship. Third, in recent years, there has been a steady increase of studies employing international comparisons as well as a growing standardization for measurements. These developments lead to more multicountry studies based on large samples but come at the expense of more fine-grained analysis of the way news content changes over time. Finally, the vast majority of cross-national and single-country studies focus on Western democracies. Thus our knowledge about recent changes in news content is limited to a small set of countries. Overall, many studies provide evidence for constant changes of news content driven by social, political, and economic developments. However, different media systems exhibit a sustained resilience toward transnational pressures reflected in a persistence of national differences in news content over time.

Between Protection and Repression: A Short History of Juvenile Policing in the Netherlands

2007 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 214-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manon van de Riet ◽  
Wim Bernasco ◽  
Peter van der Laan
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Juvenile Offenders ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Short History ◽  
Minimal Intervention ◽  
History Of ◽  
Over Time ◽  
The Way

The police in the Netherlands have traditionally been characterised by restraint when dealing with cases involving minors. However, this policy of minimal intervention appears to be waning in recent years. This shift from welfare to justice seems to be in line with the developments in other European countries. This article comments on this development by framing it in the long-term history of juvenile policing in the Netherlands. It describes the founding and development of the Juvenile Police as an organisation, and sketches the parallel changes in juvenile policing that occurred during the twentieth century. The organisation of juvenile policing has changed considerably over time with a visible tendency away from welfare oriented policing. As such, restraint and minimal intervention may no longer characterise the way Dutch police handle juvenile offenders.

scholarly journals The role of demographic and behavioural change for the long-term decline in daily smoking in Norway

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 760-765
Author(s):  
Tord F Vedøy
Keyword(s):  
Population Aging ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Age Distribution ◽  
Cumulative Effect ◽  
Cohort Effect ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
Cohort Change ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Background The aim of this paper was to compare the effects of demography (population aging and the increasing fraction of tertiary educated) and behaviour (intra-cohort ageing and inter-cohort change) on long-term change in the fraction of daily smokers (FrS), using a counterfactual framework. Methods Using aggregated data on smoking prevalence, education and population size from Norway 1978 to 2017, the probabilities of smoking for men and women were calculated using a pseudo-panel approach. From these estimates, four counterfactual scenarios of FrS were constructed by holding the age effect, the cohort effect and the distribution of age and education constant over time. Results FrS decreased from 45 to 14% among men, and from 33 to 14% among women over the study period. Holding the age distribution constant did not have any substantial effect on FrS. Holding the distribution of education constant led to a five percentage points increase in FrS among women, but not among men. In the case of no intra-cohort ageing, FrS would have been 11/12 percentage points higher among women/men. The corresponding figures for no inter-cohort change were 13 points for women and 27 points for men. Conclusions If the age distribution had remained stable over time, FrS would have been almost identical to the current level. In contrast, if smoking behaviour had remained stable over the life course or between birth cohorts, FrS would have been substantially higher than it is today. These results highlight the large cumulative effect of reducing smoking uptake in successive cohorts.

scholarly journals Are people consistent when reading nonwords aloud on different occasions?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia Ulicheva ◽  
Max Coltheart ◽  
Oxana Grosseck ◽  
Kathleen Rastle
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Reading Skill ◽  
Writing System ◽  
Considerable Variability ◽  
Nonword Reading ◽  
Theories Of Reading ◽  
Over Time ◽  
The Way

AbstractTests of nonword reading have been instrumental in adjudicating between theories of reading and in assessing individuals’ reading skill in educational and clinical practice. It is generally assumed that the way in which readers pronounce nonwords reflects their long-term knowledge of spelling–sound correspondences that exist in the writing system. The present study found considerable variability in how the same adults read the same 50 nonwords across five sessions. This variability was not all random: Nonwords that consisted of graphemes that had multiple possible pronunciations in English elicited more intraparticipant variation. Furthermore, over time, shifts in participants’ responses occurred such that some pronunciations became used more frequently, while others were pruned. We discuss possible mechanisms by which session-to-session variability arises and implications that our findings have for interpreting snapshot-based studies of nonword reading. We argue that it is essential to understand mechanisms underpinning this session-to-session variability in order to interpret differences across individuals in how they read nonwords aloud on a single occasion.

scholarly journals Can Robots Encourage Social Engagement Among Older Adults?

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 193-193
Author(s):  
Yichun Lin ◽  
Jing Fan ◽  
Mary Dietrich ◽  
Linda Beuscher ◽  
Paul Newhouse ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Activity Engagement ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Cognitive Data

Abstract Apathy in older adults in long term care (LTC) settings is common, associated with morbidity and mortality, and requires extensive personnel time. Most LTC sites are limited in their ability to provide activities. We conducted a 3-month pilot study at two LTCs to determine whether a robot, with/without virtual reality (VR), was successful in encouraging social engagement between older LTC adults. Three robot activities were offered twice weekly for three weeks (6 sessions). Two activities with VR consisted of two book sorting games. One activity was “Simon Says” where older adults took turns as leaders. Demographics and cognitive data were collected. Videos were coded and analyzed using Noldus Observer: activity engagement as visual and verbal attention to the robot activity and social engagement as visual and verbal attention towards their partner. Participants were 2 men and 14 women, mean age 83. One dropped out because of hearing problems; one dropped out because of cognitive impairment. Fourteen, ie 7 pairs, attended all 6 sessions; ten had MCI and one had AD. Social and activity engagement varied by activity and by participant. Participants’ perceptions (7-point Likert scale) remained positive over time (6.33 (SD 0.94) to 6.52 (SD 0.61)) but decreased slightly for the repeat activities (6.19 (SD 1.01) to 5.96 (SD 1.13)). Robots hold promise in LTC as ways to engage older adults who suffer from apathy. Further work is necessary to elucidate participant- and activity-level characteristics most conducive for success and mechanisms to increase the number and variety of activities.

Humus state of chernozem at different ways of tillage in the agrosystems of the left-bank forest steppe of Ukraine

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 61-77
Author(s):  
O. Demydenko ◽  
V. Velychko
Keyword(s):  
Soil Cover ◽  
Forest Steppe ◽  
Left Bank ◽  
Energy Reserves ◽  
Soil Resources ◽  
Global Soil ◽  
Humus Accumulation ◽  
By Products ◽  
The Way

The contemporary condition of soil cover in Ukraine is characterized. The attention is focused onto widespread degradation processes in soils. The causes that determine the development of these negative processes are considered. The contemporary informational support for the condition of soil cover in Ukraine is estimated. In general, the current available information is of narrow-departmental nature, obtained by different methods and non-correlated monitoring programs. As a rule, it is stored in under-structured databases, incompatible with other information systems; mainly recorded on paper media unusable with modern technologies, whereby such information resources are diffi cult to be compiled together. These disadvantages are strong constraints against consistent usage of materials for evaluation, forecast and management of changes in the soil cover. The Soil Observation program should thereby be combined with Agrochemical Passportization and ecology-ameliora- tive monitoring; in other words, the application of innovative soil-agrochemical methodology is considered. Each individual type of surveys shall complement the others, and taken altogether, they shall constitute a con- sistent Information System, capable of solving the problems of assessing the condition, forecasting, manage- ment, usage and protection of soil resources. The monitoring procedures should be conducted on the basis of a new soil concept in line with unifi ed programs and methods, so as to meet European approaches to the maxi- mum extent. Such a technical composition enables getting information on present-day processes in soils, and is the only combination that actually helps us to “ecologize” our knowledge of soils, which is the leading trend in the scope of global soil-science. Thus obtained results will serve as a State-owned tool which would subse- quently facilitate the use and protection of soil resources all over the country, to be involved in a united global soil-information scope. The attention is focused onto social signifi cance of the information on soils and their fertility in terms of land resources optimization, as well as the formation of sustainable land use in Ukraine. Aim. To demonstrate the long-term effect of different ways of tillage of typical low-humus chernozem on the change in humus content and composition and the direction of transformation processes of organic fertili- zers. To study the changes in the structure of energy reserves in group and fractional composition of humus in typical low-humus light-loamy chernozem of the Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. Methods. Field, laboratory, microbiological, computational, mathematical and statistical. Results. It was determined that in conditions of long-term subsurface tillage the most effi cient humus accumulation occurs in the 0–20 cm layer of chernozem with simultaneous increase in its content in the lower part of the processed layer without any accumulation differentiation. Surface tillage leads to expressed differentiation in humus accumulation in the 0–20 cm layer of soil (0.005 % per year). When 6 t/ha of humus are replaced by 7 t/ha of by-products the intensity of humus accumulation is decreasing regardless of the way of tillage, but humus accumulation was found to be the most effi cient for subsurface tillage. The application of subsurface tillage leads to the increase in the ratio of C HA : C FA , which is conditioned by the increase in the humifi cation of plant remains of by-products in the 0−20 cm layer of soil by 110–112 % – for subsurface tillage, and by 105 % – for surface tillage. Conclusions. It was established that systematic subsurface tillage of typical chernozem of the Left-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine leads to the structuring both of the total reserves of energy С org , and its quality content, aimed at the increase in the intensity of the processes of humifi cation and accumulation of organic carbon, and the decrease in miner- alization. The ratio of energy reserves С org of humic acids to fulvic acids in the 0−30 cm layer of chernozem is 1.85−1.87 regardless of the way of tillage, which testifi es to the repeatability of humus accumulation, but the total reserves of energy С org was higher for subsurface tillage (+ 31 Teracalorie/ha) compared to deep plough- ing. As for the surface tillage, the energy enrichment was at the level of deep ploughing.

Enhancing community welfare through improved water quality: a case for applying staggered pollution charges in the river Musi sub-basin of Andhra Pradesh, India

Water Policy ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 469-483
Author(s):  
Tishya Chatterjee
Keyword(s):  
Andhra Pradesh ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Pollution Prevention ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Marginal Costs ◽  
Community Acceptance ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Over Time

In conditions of severe water-pollution and dormant community acceptance of accumulating environmental damage, the regulator's role goes beyond pollution prevention and more towards remediation and solutions based on the community's long-term expectations of economic benefits from clean water. This paper suggests a method to enable these benefits to become perceptible progressively, through participatory clean-up operations, supported by staggered pollution charges. It analyses the relevant literature on pollution prevention and applies a cost-based “willingness to pay” model, using primary basin-level data of total marginal costs. It develops a replicable demand-side approach imposing charge-standard targets over time in urban-industrial basins of developing countries.

The Short-Term and Long-Term Impacts of Sarbanes-Oxley Act on Composition and Characteristics of Corporate Board of Directors

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Halil Kaya ◽  
Gaurango Banerjee
Keyword(s):  
Board Composition ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Corporate Accountability ◽  
Corporate Board ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Dual Roles ◽  
Board Characteristics ◽  
Sarbanes Oxley ◽  
Over Time

The paper examines the Sarbanes-Oxley (2002) Acts immediate impact on board composition and characteristics as well as possible reversals in its impact over time. Effects on directors age and tenure are analyzed over the 2001-06 sample period. Female participation in corporate boards is also studied in the pre-SOX and post-SOX periods. The dual roles of directors in being a member of the board as well as serving as either CEO, CFO, Chairman, Co-Chair, Founder, or Lead Director of their respective companies is also examined. We observe a short-term impact of SOX on board compositions due to changes seen in board characteristics between 2001 (pre-SOX), and 2003-05 short-term period (post-SOX). Also, we observe a reversal of board characteristics in 2006 to pre-SOX levels implying that the effects of SOX on board composition were short-lived, and needs to be monitored over time to ensure adherence to corporate accountability guidelines over the long-term.

Conclusion

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Fröhlich ◽  
Abiodun Williams
Keyword(s):  
Security Council ◽  
International Context ◽  
Peace And Security ◽  
Executive Action ◽  
Trends Over Time ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time ◽  
The Way ◽  
Guiding Questions

The Conclusion returns to the guiding questions introduced in the Introduction, looking at the way in which the book’s chapters answered them. As such, it identifies recurring themes, experiences, structures, motives, and trends over time. By summarizing the result of the chapters’ research into the interaction between the Secretaries-General and the Security Council, some lessons are identified on the changing calculus of appointments, the conditions and relevance of the international context, the impact of different personalities in that interaction, the changes in agenda and composition of the Council as well as different formats of interaction and different challenges to be met in the realm of peace and security, administration, and reform, as well as concepts and norms. Taken together, they also illustrate the potential and limitations of UN executive action.

The English People at War in the Age of Henry VIII

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Gunn
Keyword(s):  
Economic Life ◽  
Henry Viii ◽  
Low Countries ◽  
Hundred Years War ◽  
National History ◽  
English Population ◽  
People’S Attitudes ◽  
History Books ◽  
The Way

Henry VIII fought many wars, against the French and Scots, against rebels in England and the Gaelic lords of Ireland, even against his traditional allies in the Low Countries. But how much did they really affect his subjects? And what role did Henry’s reign play in the long-term transformation of England’s military capabilities? This book searches for the answers to these questions in parish and borough account books, wills and memoirs, buildings and paintings, letters from Henry’s captains, and the notes readers wrote in their printed history books. It looks back from Henry’s reign to that of his grandfather, Edward IV, who in 1475 invaded France in the afterglow of the Hundred Years War, and forwards to that of Henry’s daughter Elizabeth, who was trying by the 1570s to shape a trained militia and a powerful navy to defend England in a Europe increasingly polarized by religion. War, it shows, marked Henry’s England at every turn: in the news and prophecies people discussed, in the money towns and villages spent on armour, guns, fortifications, and warning beacons, in the way noblemen used their power. War disturbed economic life, made men buy weapons and learn how to use them, and shaped people’s attitudes to the king and to national history. War mobilized a high proportion of the English population and conditioned their relationships with the French and Scots, the Welsh and the Irish. War should be recognized as one of the defining features of life in the England of Henry VIII.

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