Integration or collision? : middle managers' concerns for work-life balance

As increased work demands and longer working hours become the reality for many employees, the concept of work-life balance has received increasing attention. This paper presents findings from an exploratory study of Australian middle managers, which investigated the impact of middle managers’ daily organisational experiences on their lives both in and beyond the workplace. We focus on respondents’ concerns for the encroachment of work on their personal lives, both through the advent of new technologies and the introduction of flexibility initiatives in the workplace. The unwelcome effects of frustration, stress and fatigue highlight the need for organisations to gain a better understanding of employees’ experiences related to work-life balance.

Perceptions of gender balance of IS journal editorial positions

An analysis of 18,854 editorial positions on IS journals was undertaken to examine the perceived gender balance of those positions as an indication of their contribution towards a positive role model for females considering an IS academic career. The nature and extent of perceived gender balance is examined in terms of overall composition of editorial positions, journal prestige and the specific area within IS covered by a journal. The results indicate that perceived gender balance of editorial positions reflects that of ICT academia generally, and that female representation appears to be concentrated in journals covering areas that are traditionally seen as female occupations, e.g., health, education, librarianship. As such, little or no encouragement is given to females considering an IS academic career.

A whole body, in vivo, fatty A\acid balance method to quantify PUFA metabolism (desaturation, elongation and beta-oxidation)

Currently there are several contrasting methods utilized for estimating elongation and desaturation of fatty acids and their general metabolism. The majority of these methods involve an ex vivo approach, requiring expensive and sophisticated equipment, likely to result in considerable variation in enzyme activity between and within species. In the present paper we introduce a further development of the whole-body fatty acid balance method for the estimation of the elongation and desaturation of fatty acids. This method though receiving considerable attention because of its simplicity and reliability has yet to be presented in detail. Theoretically, the whole-body fatty acid balance method can potentially be applied to any organism and requires little more than a gas chromatography unit for fatty acid analysis and elementary calculations. As such in this paper we attempt to spell out in detail the theoretical basis and the methods of application drawing specific examples. Using the present method it is possible to measure the fate of individual fatty acids towards desaturation, elongation and oxidation and calculate the elongase, Δ-6 desaturase and Δ-5 desaturase activities.

Effect of six weeks of dura disc and mini-trampoline balance training on postural sway in athletes with functional ankle instability

Lateral ankle sprain (LAS) is one of the most common injuries incurred during sporting activities, and effective rehabilitation programs for this condition are challenging to develop. The purpose of this research was to compare the effect of 6 weeks of balance training on either a mini-trampoline or a dura disc on postural sway and to determine if the mini-trampoline or the dura disc is more effective in improving postural sway. Twenty subjects (11 men, 9 women) with a mean age of 25.4 ± 4.2 years were randomly allocated into a control group, a dura disc training (DT) group, or a mini-trampoline (MT) group. Subjects completed 6 weeks of balance training. Postural sway was measured by subjects performing a single limb stance on a force plate. The disbursement of the center of pressure was obtained from the force plate in the medial-lateral and the anterior-posterior sway path and was subsequently used for pretest and posttest analysis. After the 6-week training intervention, there was a significant (p < 0.05) difference in postural sway between pre- and posttesting for both the MT (pretest = 56.8 ± 20.5 mm, posttest = 33.3 ± 8.5 mm) and DT (pretest = 41.3 ± 2.6 mm, posttest = 27.2 ± 4.8 mm) groups. There was no significant (p > 0.05) difference detected for improvements between the MT and DT groups. These results indicate that not only is the mini-trampoline an effective tool for improving balance after LAS, but it is equally as effective as the dura disc.

Cause related marketing-commercialism or altruism: Finding the balance?

The objective of this paper is to describe a framework of questions that may provide guidance as to whether a company (i.e., a for-profit organisation) should engage in Cause Related Marketing (CRM) or not. CRM is an  intriguing concept in which one finds a cause and intertwines one’s  marketing push to sell both the cause and one’s products. The reality is that some companies do focus solely on the profit returns from socially responsible ventures and others do not, therefore, a framework of questions are provided that may guide companies as to whether to pursue a CRM-relationship with a non-profit organisation (i.e., the cause).

Src homology 3-domain growth factor receptor-bound 2-like (endophilin) interacting protein 1, a novel neuronal protein that regulates energy balance

To identify genes involved in the central regulation of energy balance, we compared hypothalamic mRNA from lean and obese Psammomys obesus, a polygenic model of obesity, using differential display PCR. One mRNA transcript was observed to be elevated in obese, and obese diabetic, P. obesus compared with lean animals and was subsequently found to be increased 4-fold in the hypothalamus of lethal yellow agouti (Ay/a) mice, a murine model of obesity and diabetes. Intracerebroventricular infusion of antisense oligonucleotide targeted to this transcript selectively suppressed its hypothalamic mRNA levels and resulted in loss of body weight in both P. obesus and Sprague Dawley rats. Reductions in body weight were mediated by profoundly reduced food intake without a concomitant reduction in metabolic rate. Yeast two-hybrid screening, and confirmation in mammalian cells by bioluminescence resonance energy transfer analysis, demonstrated that the protein it encodes interacts with endophilins, mediators of synaptic vesicle recycling and receptor endocytosis in the brain. We therefore named this transcript Src homology 3-domain growth factor receptor-bound 2-like (endophilin) interacting protein 1 (SGIP1). SGIP1 encodes a large proline-rich protein that is expressed predominantly in the brain and is highly conserved between species. Together these data suggest that SGIP1 is an important and novel member of the group of neuronal molecules required for the regulation of energy homeostasis.

Does balance or motor impairment of limbs discriminate the ambulatory satus of stroke survivors?

Objective: This study was performed to determine if ambulatory function is governed by motor impairment of limbs or balance ability in subjects with hemiplegia caused by stroke.
Design: Seven patients who walked with physical assistance (FIM(TM) 4) after stroke and 13 who walked independently with assistive devices (FIM 6) were compared with 13 healthy subjects. Motor impairment of limbs was evaluated with the Fugl-Meyer Assessment. The Berg Balance Scale and limit of stability test of the Smart Balance Master were used to evaluate balance ability.
Results: The FIM 6 group and the controls were best differentiated by motor impairment of the paretic limbs and limit of stability in the backward direction. Motor impairment of the upper limb and limit of stability in direction toward the paretic side separated the FIM 4 from the FIM 6 group. Upper limb motor impairment and the Berg Balance Scale consistently separated the three subject groups.
Conclusions: Motor impairment in the paretic upper limb and balance dysfunction should be addressed in treatments working toward independent ambulation.

Application of SWAT to model the water balance of the Woady Yaloak River catchment, Australia

The widespread land use changes that are expected to occur across the Corangamite region in southwest Victoria, Australia, have the potential to significantly alter the water balance of catchments. Adoption of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), which is a long-term water balance model, as a tool for predicting land use change impacts on catchment water balance for the Corangamite region is currently being considered. This paper describes the initial application of SWAT to the Woady Yaloak River catchment, located within the Corangamite region, to carry out an evaluation of its abilities for simulating the long-term water balance dynamics of the catchment. The performance of the model for predicting runoff at annual and monthly time scales was found to be very good. The excessive recharge of the shallow aquifer that occurred during winter, despite the subsoil being relatively impermeable, ultimately contributed to overestimation of baseflow and underestimation of interflow. The actual evapotranspiration from hydrologic response units (HRU s) containing eucalyptus trees was significantly less than that from HRUs containing pasture, a problem attributed to the incorrect simulation of Leaf Area Index (LAI) and biomass by the model for mature stands of eucalyptus trees and also to assigning inadequate values for two parameters that directly influence evapotranspiration. SWAT has very good potential for being used as tool to study land use change impacts across the Corangamite region provided that several modifications are made to the model to overcome some of the shortcomings and deficiencies that were identified in this initial application.