Basic Ground Rules Research Articles

Effective and Sincere Dialogue: Pathways to Violence Free Society

Effective dialogue requires that all the participants have equal standing, that they listen with respect and empathy, and that ideas and assumptions are explored openly and without prejudice. Effective dialogue typically follows some basic ground rules: The focus is on common interests, not divisive ones. Maiduguri, also called Yerwa or Yerwa-Maiduguri, capital and largest city of Borno State, northeastern Nigeria. It is located along the seasonal Ngadda (Alo) River, the waters of which disappear in the firki (“black cotton”) swamps of Lake Chad, northeast of the city. Modern Maiduguri actually comprises the twin towns of Yerwa and Maiduguri. In 1907, Yerwa was founded on the site of the hamlet of Kalwa and was named by Shehu (“Sheikh” or “Sultan”) Bukar Garbai as the new traditional capital of the Kanuri people (replacing Kukawa, 80 miles [130 km] north-northeast of the former capital of the Bornu kingdom [see Kanem-Bornu]). Meanwhile, the market village of Maiduguri, just to the south, was selected by the British to replace nearby Mofoni (Maifoni, Mafoni) as their military headquarters and in 1908, they built a residency in what then became the capital of British Bornu. The combined city locally called Yerwa was divided into the urban district of Yerwa and the rural district of Maiduguri in 1957, but outside Borno both political units are now known simply as Maiduguri.

Pyocin S5 Import into Pseudomonas aeruginosa Reveals a Generic Mode of Bacteriocin Transport.

Pyocin S5 (PyoS5) is a potent protein bacteriocin that eradicates the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa in animal infection models, but its import mechanism is poorly understood. Here, using crystallography, biophysical and biochemical analyses, and live-cell imaging, we define the entry process of PyoS5 and reveal links to the transport mechanisms of other bacteriocins. In addition to its C-terminal pore-forming domain, elongated PyoS5 comprises two novel tandemly repeated kinked 3-helix bundle domains that structure-based alignments identify as key import domains in other pyocins. The central domain binds the lipid-bound common polysaccharide antigen, allowing the pyocin to accumulate on the cell surface. The N-terminal domain binds the ferric pyochelin transporter FptA while its associated disordered region binds the inner membrane protein TonB1, which together drive import of the bacteriocin across the outer membrane. Finally, we identify the minimal requirements for sensitizing Escherichia coli toward PyoS5, as well as other pyocins, and suggest that a generic pathway likely underpins the import of all TonB-dependent bacteriocins across the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria.IMPORTANCE Bacteriocins are toxic polypeptides made by bacteria to kill their competitors, making them interesting as potential antibiotics. Here, we reveal unsuspected commonalities in bacteriocin uptake pathways, through molecular and cellular dissection of the import pathway for the pore-forming bacteriocin pyocin S5 (PyoS5), which targets Pseudomonas aeruginosa In addition to its C-terminal pore-forming domain, PyoS5 is composed of two tandemly repeated helical domains that we also identify in other pyocins. Functional analyses demonstrate that they have distinct roles in the import process. One recognizes conserved sugars projected from the surface, while the other recognizes a specific outer membrane siderophore transporter, FptA, in the case of PyoS5. Through engineering of Escherichia coli cells, we show that pyocins can be readily repurposed to kill other species. This suggests basic ground rules for the outer membrane translocation step that likely apply to many bacteriocins targeting Gram-negative bacteria.

Encountering complexity in collaborative learning activities: an exploratory case study with undergraduate health professionals

ABSTRACT An emerging challenge for educators of the health professions in undergraduate programmes is appropriately and adequately preparing students for the complexity they will encounter in practice. New graduate health professionals report increasing challenges transitioning to practice in contemporary health care environments due to the complexity encountered. Although literature on complexity science in health professional education is growing, research evidence on learning opportunities for students related to complexity remains sparse. This exploratory case study examined first-year health care students’ encounters with complexity in a student-driven collaborative learning activity taking place over one academic semester outside the classroom. Rather than reproducing complexity in a scripted simulation activity, these novices were stimulated to adapt and respond to authentic complexity through a challenging amount of independence and definition of only minimal enabling constraints i.e. basic ground rules of the learning activity and goals to be achieved. 67 students were assigned to small groups with four to five members to form 15 interprofessional collectives (laboratory technology n = 9; medicine n = 13; midwifery n = 1; nursing n = 28; physiotherapy n = 7; radiography n = 4; speech language therapy n = 5). Data was collected using a self-reflection form with narrative free text hand-written answers. Open coding and an inductive-deductive approach to qualitative content analysis of transcribed responses resulted in identification of two key themes: a) reflecting on interprofessional collaboration, and b) evaluating the interprofessional collectives. Our findings showed that rather than perceiving the learning activity in its cognitive and collaborative complexity and feeling overwhelmed, first-year health care students described rising to the challenge and stretching outside their comfort zones. Complexity was tacitly experienced but perceived as a stimulating challenge and successfully navigated within the interprofessional collectives as they collaborated together over time.

Backtalk

A survey of immigrant children in the U.S. revealed just how often they hear prejudiced and hateful comments about them and their countries of origin. The authors urge educators to be aware of the prevalence of anti-immigrant rhetoric and respond by ensuring that their classrooms operate with basic ground rules that include empathy, respect for all students, and a willingness to listen to one another.

Citizen Participation: A Critical Look at the Democratic Adequacy of Government Consultations

Consultation procedures are used increasingly in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. This account looks critically at consultation as presently practiced, and suggests that consulters and consultees need to do much more to ensure both the participatory validity and democratic value of such exercises. The possibility of a “right to be consulted” is examined. Some ideas from a governmentality perspective are developed, using the growth of localism as an example, to suggest that consultation is often a very structured interaction: the actual operation of participation mechanisms may not always create a space for an equal exchange between official and participant views. Examples of best practice in consultation are examined before consideration is given to recent case law from the UK seeking to establish basic ground rules for how consultations should be organized. Finally the promise of consultation to reinvigorate democracy is evaluated and weighed against the correlative risk of “participatory disempowerment.

The Modern Corporation Statement on Politics

Corporate governance is political. Corporate governance is about who gets to have a say in how businesses are organized and how their fruits are divided among different constituencies, particularly owners and workers. National and international politics, laws and regulations shape both the issue of decision-making and the issue of division. In this framing, questions about the “purpose of the corporation” are distinctly political, because the organization of corporate governance is a consequence of political decisions; a stake of political struggles, creating some of the basic ground rules over how the proceeds from business are distributed; and a source of political interests and conflicts because actors’ position in the system of business and finance shape who benefits and who has a voice in economic choices. We provide this Summary of certain fundamentals of politics in an effort to help prevent analytical errors which can have severe and damaging effects on corporations.

How to make the most of agency working

Forgoing the financial security of a staff job to join a nursing agency full time works well for some nurses, while others might wish to take agency shifts to supplement their income.

Recommendations for reporting outcome results in abdominal wall repair

The literature dealing with abdominal wall surgery is often flawed due to lack of adherence to accepted reporting standards and statistical methodology. The EuraHS Working Group (European Registry of Abdominal Wall Hernias) organised a consensus meeting of surgical experts and researchers with an interest in abdominal wall surgery, including a statistician, the editors of the journal Hernia and scientists experienced in meta-analysis. Detailed discussions took place to identify the basic ground rules necessary to improve the quality of research reports related to abdominal wall reconstruction. A list of recommendations was formulated including more general issues on the scientific methodology and statistical approach. Standards and statements are available, each depending on the type of study that is being reported: the CONSORT statement for the Randomised Controlled Trials, the TREND statement for non randomised interventional studies, the STROBE statement for observational studies, the STARLITE statement for literature searches, the MOOSE statement for metaanalyses of observational studies and the PRISMA statement for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. A number of recommendations were made, including the use of previously published standard definitions and classifications relating to hernia variables and treatment; the use of the validated Clavien-Dindo classification to report complications in hernia surgery; the use of "time-to-event analysis" to report data on "freedom-of-recurrence" rather than the use of recurrence rates, because it is more sensitive and accounts for the patients that are lost to follow-up compared with other reporting methods. A set of recommendations for reporting outcome results of abdominal wall surgery was formulated as guidance for researchers. It is anticipated that the use of these recommendations will increase the quality and meaning of abdominal wall surgery research.

Macromol. Theory Simul. 9/2008

Cover: The RAFT‐CLD‐T method allows rate coefficients for termination, ki,it(x), as a function of chain length and conversion to be determined. This work provides the basic experimental ground rules to obtain accurate ki,it(x). Further details can be found in the article by G. Johnston‐Hall, C. Barner‐Kowollik,* M. J. Monteiro* on page 460.

Operational policy for disposal of land-derived wastewater to the marine environment of South Africa

In 1998, South Africa\'s National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998) was promulgated to give legal status to the White Paper on a National Water Policy (April 1997) and the Department of Water Affairs\' (DWAF) water quality management policies and strategies, amongst others. To fulfil its legal obligation in terms of the management and control of land-derived wastewater discharges (classified as a water use under the National Water Act), DWAF adopted the operational policy for disposal of land-derived water containing waste to the marine environment of South Africa in July 2004 (the marine environment including estuaries, the surf zone and offshore waters) in July 2004; this policy incorporates relevant international and national principles, policies and legislation. The operational policy outlines the Department\'s new thinking in relation to discharges to sea and consists of: • A goal • Basic Principles, providing the broad reference framework or direction of the policy • Ground Rules, providing more specific rules, derived within the broader context of the Basic Principles • Management Framework, providing a generic, structured approach within which to implement the policy. This paper is to provide an overview on the Basic Principles and Ground Rules that were adopted under the operational policy. Water SA Vol.32 (4) 2006: pp.527-533

Economic democracy: meaningful, desirable, feasible?

Daedalus Summer 2007 To some, economic democracy is self-evidently a good thing if it means spreading economic opportunities more widely, giving workers a greater say in the workplace, and allowing communities to participate in the investment decisions that shape their future. Indeed, a classic argument has it that political democracy–universal suffrage, civic freedoms, and all that is needed to make them practical and effective–will work better if accompanied by ‘social’ or ‘economic’ democracy. Absent the latter, real civic participation will be low and big money will corrupt the political process, especially in complex societies where commercial networks can shape political agendas and the cost of campaigning is high. While few deny the need to reform the way elections are run and 1⁄2nanced– a source of recurrent scandal in nearly every rich country–another line of thought would challenge the conclusion that it makes sense to aim for economic democracy. The very phrase is thought to be a contradiction in terms, or a category mistake. Economic processes are too complex to be governed by votes and electioneering. Governments can and must lay down some basic ground rules, but, as Friedrich Hayek showed, they lack the locally speci1⁄2c information required to run complex enterprises effectively, still less to plan the entire economy. On the one hand, consumer needs are too intricate and changeable; on the other, the myriad of speci1⁄2c investment opportunities at the local level can never be known at the planning center. While Hayek’s critique of central planning was in many ways compelling, it failed to acknowledge the extent to which markets rely on the wider social context in which they are embedded. It also did not demolish the argument that public initiative and collective resources are necessary to meet large-scale and manifest threats.1 Robin Blackburn

The Transformation of Open Source Software

A frequent characterization of open source software is the somewhat outdated, mythical one of a collective of supremely talented software hackers freely volunteering their services to produce uniformly high-quality software. I contend that the open source software phenomenon has metamorphosed into a more mainstream and commercially viable form, which I label as OSS 2.0. I illustrate this transformation using a framework of process and product factors, and discuss how the bazaar metaphor, which up to now has been associated with the open source development process, has actually shifted to become a metaphor better suited to the OSS 2.0 product delivery and support process. Overall the OSS 2.0 phenomenon is significantly different from its free software antecedent. Its emergence accentuates the fundamental alteration of the basic ground rules in the software landscape, signifying the end of the proprietary-driven model that has prevailed for the past 20 years or so. Thus, a clear understanding of the characteristics of the emergent OSS 2.0 phenomenon is required to address key challenges for research and practice.

Outsourced or Outsmarted?

Outsourced callcentres are an inescapable part of many businesses today. Dario Forte and Richard Powers outline the security risks and lay down some basic ground rules that security managers should lobby to enforce.

The Peace Café: A Safe Space for Change

The Peace Cafe1 is a venue providing an opportunity for Arabs and Jews and all those interested in a just peace to sit side by side and begin to create layers of understanding onto which a foundation for true peace can be built. It is a modest appeal to the human spirit based on the belief that both Arabs and Jews have legitimate and valid concerns and need an opportunity to express their points of view. The Peace Cafe hopes to create an alternative, non-threatening environment where those who have gathered can break bread together and share ideas and hopes. It is not a forum for policy statements or finger-pointing, but rather a place to share personal stories and thoughts and to listen to the stories of others. In most cases, a Peace Cafe event begins with a shared experience such as a play or a film dealing with the Middle East. The first Peace Cafe took place at Theatre J at the Washington DC Jewish Community Center following Via Dolorosa, a play written by David Hare which explores the lives of Israelis and Palestinians living in Israel and the West Bank and Gaza. In a reception hall outside the theater, tables were set with hummus, whole pita bread, olives and dates. The audience was given “menus” with “food for thought,” using excerpts from the play for discussion points. They were encouraged to mix with people they did not know and were asked to introduce themselves to one another. Each group started by breaking the pita bread and passing it around the table in a spiritual act of sharing. Simple, basic ground rules were put into place. The participants were reminded to listen more than speak. This opening ritual set the stage for an hour of intense dialogue within each group-ranging from 6 to 10 participants. The discussion was then opened to the whole room for another hour. For many participants, it was their first encounter with “the other.” The Peace Cafe has become the vehicle for bringing both communities together to listen to one another. So far, thousands of Washington area residents have participated in Peace Cafes. For many, it has become a way for dealing with and re-framing the current issues in the Middle East.

On the Beginning of Dyadic Therapy

Abstract Psychodynamic psychotherapy is viewed as a microcosm of the larger life experience, including the reliving and working through of early life events and conflicts. Whether the child will grow up to be an emotionally healthy or disturbed adult depends in part on the nature of the early relationships; whether dependency needs have been gratified or frustrated, and whether independent development has been encouraged. The healthy therapist-patient relationship mirrors the early mother-child holding enviroment and contains the patient, while being attuned to the patient's sensitivities, thus allowing growth and maturity. It is the establishment of a secure frame that aids in the development of a healthy holding enviroment. Free association, anonymity, neutrality and abstinence, and other aspects of the frame are discussed in detail. Personal opinions of the therapist are discouraged, as well as limiting patient rumination and acting out. On the other hand, keeping the focus on the patient and his/her problems, as well as the boundaries of the relationship, are encourged. The paper spells out the basic ground rules. A case example stresses flexibility rather than rigidity in the handling of the therapeutic relationship.

Regulating the referendum

Ben Seyd argues that experience with referendums in the United Kingdom, starting with Northern Ireland's ‘border’ poll of 1973, shows the need for some basic ground rules.

To share and share alike: The basic ground rules for inter‐institutional data sharing

AbstractThis chapter proposes a set of general policies or ground rules that data exchanges may want to consider in establishing and guiding their activities.

Population dynamic principles

Although the causes of population extinction, locally and globally, are many, varied and idiosyncratic when individual species are considered, there are nevertheless some basic general constraints and ground rules that make some species more extinction-prone than others. This paper reviews their implications for the ultimate and proximate causes of extinction. Phenomena reviewed include: a positive correlation between local abundance and size of geographic range, putting some populations in ‘double jeopardy’; smaller average range sizes in the tropics; metapopulation dynamic processes that can spread risk, but only if the spatial correlation between fluctuations of conspecific populations is low; the influence of body size and trophic position; and phylogenetic constraints on range sizes and abundance.

Psychotherapy in the General Practice Surgery: Considerations of the Frame

SUMMARY. This paper is an attempt to explore how maintenance of a secure frame, or provision of secure‐frame moments within the deviant frame of the general practice surgery, may have a positive effect on patients in therapy. This assumption is supported by data from my own practice where attempts to secure the frame in several ways contributed to changes in number of failed appointments, premature termination and number of sessions attended.While the therapist's maintenance of the basic ground rules in relation to the therapy is shown to create a background of safety, a hold or container, and a defined therapeutic space within which communication between patient and therapist can lead to resolution of conflicts and personal growth, it is also suggested that there can be positive effects on the wider setting of the surgery and its staff.The psychotherapist or counsellor in general practice is in a pioneering role, and may get caught up in her own ambivalence in terms of needing to be seen as acceptable and useful to the medical hierarchy in which she works and, at the same time, needing to provide for patients the setting necessary for psychotherapeutic work to take place. Flexibility of the therapist in managing this situation must be balanced by a willingness to acknowledge the positive potential contained within the basic ground rules, and an ability to examine carefully the effects of deviations from these ground rules.It is hoped that the material presented here will stimulate other therapists working in general practice surgeries to examine the frame, work to secure it, and acknowledge the effects on the patient of deviation from it. There is also certainly a need for further research on the effects on the wider setting and its staff of having a therapist working as part of the primary health care team.

Communism and political evolution

In its modern form derived from Marxism, communism has evolved several competing variants, resulting primarily from the different times and circumstances in which communist parties have existed and come to power. The history of the movement displays many paradoxes, not least in the obvious contrast between the goal of communist society and the reality of communist rule. Once established, communist regimes have competed with a capitalism that proved singularly more vibrant than Marxists believed, and established an international environment in which communist systems were found wanting; the communications revolution, in particular, undermined basic ground rules of communist power. The concept of evolution raises theoretical issues of relevance to the study of communism, notably the adaptability of a system to its changing environment. On that score, the Stalinist form of ‘communism’ is doomed as a system, but some of its effects will be transmitted to the next stage of those societies' evolution.