Looking for redemption in a globalised North:representations of the Arctic in Judith Hermann’s Short Stories Kaltblau (Cold –Blue) and Die Liebe zu Ari Oskarsson (Love for Ari Oskarsson)

This paper explores the literary representation of Iceland and Norway in two short stories by contemporary German writer Judith Hermann. It analyses both the depiction of these countries as part of the globalised western world and the redemptive power they are tentatively ascribed by the author. Continuing a long German tradition of looking at Scandinavia from an almost colonial perspective, Hermann on the one hand presents these northern countries as a mere extension of central Europe, largely devoid of distinguishing national characteristics. At the same time she makes reference to the topos of the north as a vast and empty space and highlights both the specific arctic nature of the environment and the effect it has on her urban characters, who find themselves on a search for meaning and orientation in a postmodern fragmented world. Despite Hermann's overall sceptical attitude towards her characters' quest for happiness, these northern locations ultimately appear as potential places of self-realisation and enlightenment.

Estratégias de enfrentamento de pessoas vivendo com AIDS frente à situação da doença

The Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), considered today one chronic nature of the disease due to the advent of antiretroviral therapy (TARV), brings to individuals living with this disease, difficulties related to social interaction and adaptation to new physical condition and the routines imposed by the treatment. This reality has a strong impact on the lives of these people in order of overcoming them use coping strategies, Coping. In this context, the aim of this study was to characterize the epidemiological, clinical and life habits of people living with AIDS and analyze the coping strategies used with the situation of the disease, according to sociodemographic, clinical and life habits. This is a cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach. The sample consisted of 331 people registered at the clinic of the Hospital Giselda Trigueiro (HGT), located in Natal / RN, who had scheduling for outpatient medical consultation from January to August 2014. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte with the Presentation of Certificate for Ethics Assessment (CAAE), paragraph 16578613.0.0000.5537. The data of social characterization showed predominance of men (52%), young people (42%) coming from the capital (58%), mulatto (53%), single (56%), heterosexual (79%), poor (68 %). With regard to clinical aspects it has been found that most held the first HIV testing for less than five years (60%) had signs and symptoms of AIDS before the examination (90%) were hospitalized (90%) started ART for less than five years (60%) believe they have good knowledge of the disease (75%) and believe that their health has improved (92%). For lifestyle, it became clear that most do not consume alcohol (71%), do not smoke (88%) and do not use illicit drugs (92%) and never used condoms before diagnosis (62%) and only 192 (58%) use the currently codon. With regard to the reference was higher coping focused modes of emotion, although the problem solving has been the second most common. The mean scores of women, workers, religious and never abandoned the treatment were higher for all factors. Having a partner, living with family members and support in the treatment had higher average scores for various factors, coinciding in the confrontation, withdrawal and social support. As for the leisure and physical exercise also dominated the modes focused on emotion as was seen in the correlation between the time of treatment, education and family income and IEEFL factors, although with low intensity. The profile of the study population confers with national characteristics, suggesting feminization, internalization, pauperization, heterosexual, increased CD4 cell count and viral load reduction during treatment and maintaining healthy lifestyle habits. Coping strategies used were more focused on emotion. In this context, it is understood that the identification of these strategies can facilitate care planning, encouraging such persons to adapt to stressors with the situation of the disease

Training patterns of German companies in India, China, Japan and the USA: What really works?

The transfer of vocational education and training (VET) systems is currently the subject of lively international debate, but there has so far been very little documentation of the process or analysis of how such transfers are achieved in practical terms. This paper therefore considers the potential for transferring Germany’s ‘dual’ vocational training system to German subsidiaries abroad, specifically in China, India, Japan and the USA. Using the EPRG typology as a theoretical framework, the paper systematises the range of training strategies deployed by German subsidiaries. It analyses the findings of interviews with training officers and Directors of Human Resources in more than 40 German subsidiaries abroad. These interviews show clearly that local factors in the host country exert such a strong influence that it is not possible completely to transfer the German VET system to another country. What is more likely is that an accommodation is reached with local VET structures, local labour market conditions and other socio-cultural features. The findings suggest that policy borrowing in the area of VET is likely to be only partial and will be strongly influenced by the national characteristics of the host country. (DIPF/Orig.)

Characteristics of DSM-IV and ICD-10 cannabis dependence among Australian adults: results from the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing

A representative sample (n = 10 641) of Australian adults completed a structured diagnostic interview assessing the prevalence of mental and substance use disorders in the last year. The prevalence of DSM-IV (1.5%) and ICD-10 (1.7%) cannabis dependence was similar. DSM-IV and ICD-10 dependence criteria comprised unidimensional syndromes. The most common symptoms among dependent and non-dependent users were difficulties with controlling use and withdrawal, although there were marked differences in symptom prevalence. Dependent users reported a median of four symptoms. There was good to excellent diagnostic concordance (kappas = 0.7-0.9) between systems for dependence but not for abuse/harmful use (Y = 0.4). These findings provide some support for the validity of cannabis dependence. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prevalence and risk factors of metabolic syndrome in Brazilian and Italian obese adolescents: a comparison study

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MS) prevalence between different populations in obese adolescents is scanty to date. Objective: To compare the MS prevalence and related risk factors in Brazilian and Italian obese adolescents. Methods: A total of 509 adolescents (110 Brazilian, 399 Italian), aged 15-19 years. Anthropometric characteristics, triglycerides (TG), total, low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-, high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and blood pressure were measured. Results: Age, body mass index (BMI) and BMI z-score were not significantly different between the two subgroups. BMI z-score, TG, FPG, HOMA-IR and systolic blood pressure (SBP) were significantly higher in boys than in girls both in Brazilian and Italian adolescents, while HDL-cholesterol levels were lower in boys than in girls. No significant differences were observed in BMI, LDL and total-cholesterol and DBP in two genders and groups. Insulin, FPG, HOMA-IR and TG were significantly higher, while LDL-cholesterol and SBP were significantly lower in Brazilian than in Italian subjects, both in males and females. HDL and total-cholesterol and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were not significantly different between the two subgroups and genders. MS prevalence was higher in Brazilian than in Italian obese boys (34.8 vs. 23.6%, p < 0.001) and girls (15.6 vs. 12.5%, p < 0.01). The most frequently altered parameter was HOMA-IR both in subjects with MS (100% in Brazilian and 81.8% in Italian) and without MS (42.9% and 11.7%). Conclusion: Metabolic syndrome represents a worldwide emerging health problem in different ethnical populations, the alterations of the risk factors related to MS (different in their prevalence between different subgroups) being strictly linked to the degree of obesity.

Knowledge of the national emergency telephone number and prevalence and characteristics of those trained in CPR in Queensland: baseline information for targeted training interventions

Members of the community contribute to survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest by contacting emergency medical services and performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) prior to the arrival of an ambulance. In Australia there is a paucity of information of the extent that community members know the emergency telephone number and are trained in CPR. A survey of Queensland adults (n = 4490) was conducted to ascertain current knowledge and training levels and to target CPR training. Although most respondents (88.3%) could state the Australian emergency telephone number correctly, significant age differences were apparent (P < 0.001). One in five respondents aged 60 years and older could not state the emergency number correctly. While just over half the respondents (53.9%) had completed some form of CPR training, only 12.1% had recent training. Older people were more likely to have never had CPR training than young adults. Additional demographic and socio-economic differences were found between those never trained in CPR and those who were. The results emphasise the need to increase CPR training in those aged 40 and over, particularly females, and to increase the awareness of the emergency telephone number amongst older people. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Health and demographic characteristics of respondents in an Australian national sexuality survey: comparison with population norms

Study objective: To assess the representativeness of survey participants by systematically comparing volunteers in a national health and sexuality survey with the Australian population in terms of self reported health status (including the SF-36) and a wide range of demographic characteristics. Design: A cross sectional sample of Australian residents were compared with demographic data from the 1996 Australian census and health data from the 1995 National Health Survey. Setting: The Australian population. Participants: A stratified random sample of adults aged 18-59 years drawn from the Australian electoral roll, a compulsory register of voters. Interviews were completed with 1784 people, representing 40% of those initially selected (58% of those for whom a valid telephone number could be located). Main results: Participants were of similar age and sex to the national population. Consistent with prior research, respondents had higher socioeconomic status, more education, were more likely to be employed, and less likely to be immigrants. The prevalence estimates, means, and variances of self reported mental and physical health measures (for example, SF-36 subscales, women's health indicators, current smoking status) were similar to population norms. Conclusions: These findings considerably strengthen inferences about the representativeness of data on health status from volunteer samples used in health and sexuality surveys.

Conception and first results of a cross-sectional national study on the demography, disease characteristics and socioeconomics status of the Portuguese patients with multiple sclerosis : the PORT-MS study

RESUMO: Introdução e objetivos: Não existia um estudo multicêntrico que descrevesse as características dos doentes com EM, da doença em si, ou do seu tratamento, em Portugal.Métodos: Doentes McDonald 2010 positivos foram sequencialmente recrutados em 7 centros entre Maio e Novembro 2014. Aplicou-se um Caderno de Recolha de Dados incidindo na demografia, doença, educação e emprego (estudo PORT-MS). Resultados: 561 doentes incluídos. Primeiros sintomas aos 30,2±10,5 anos (RRMS 29,2±10, PPMS 39,4±11,7, p<0,001); diagnóstico 3,2±5,3 anos depois (RRMS 3,0±5,1, PPMS 4,9±2,5, p=0,002); tempo de doença após diagnóstico 9,4±7,2 anos (semelhante RRMS no diagnóstico e PPMS); idade atual 42,9±12,4 anos (grupo RRMS no diagnóstico 42,0±12,1, PPMS 52,5±11,3, p<0,001); EDSS atual 2,5 (RRMS 2.0, PPMS 6.0); proporção feminino:masculino é 2,5:1 (RRMS semelhante, PPMS 1,1:1, p<0,05); no diagnóstico RRMS 90,6%, SPMS 0,9%, PPMS 8,6%; 9,5% dos RRMS encontravam-se em SP na inclusão (nomeadamente os com mais idade no diagnóstico e/ou atualidade ou tempo de doença mais prolongado). PPMS mais frequente em doentes diagnosticados mais tardiamente (p<0,001), onde aumenta também ligeiramente a proporção de mulheres na PPMS. Nas últimas décadas: novos casos mostram estabilidade na proporção de géneros e tipos de doença; idade nos primeiros sintomas e no diagnóstico aumentou ligeiramente, tempo entre eles diminuiu ligeiramente. Proporção sob DMT (Maio 2014): global 84,5%; atualmente RRMS 90,4%; SPMS 70,8%; PPMS 36,8%; progressivas agregadas 48%. Tipo de DMT, amostra global: interferões 56,5%, GA 18,4%, Natalizumab 11,6%, Fingolimod 9,7%. Global: economicamente ativos 61,5%, desemprego 13,5%, 74,1% dos não activos estão reformados por doença. Gravidezes após diagnóstico em 15% mulheres. Casos com história familiar positiva 7,8%. Discussão e conclusões: Incluída cerca de 10% da população portuguesa. Resultados congruentes com dados internacionais. Elevada proporção sob DMT, mesmo EDSS alto e formas progressivas. Terapêuticas de segunda linha sub representadas. Doentes jovens e com doença ligeira com vida económica ativa; restantes essencialmente reformados por doença.---------------- ABSTRACT : Background/aims: In Portugal, there wasn’t a multicentric study on the general characteristics (demography, disease milestones, DMT, socioeconomic status) of Multiple Sclerosis patients. Methods: Patients fulfilling McDonald 2010 criteria were sequentially recruited from May to November 2014 in 7 centers and data was systematically collected. Results: 561 patients included. First symptoms occurred at 30,2±10,5 years-old (RRMS 29,2±10, PPMS 39,4±11,7, p<0,001); diagnosis 3,2±5,3 years later (RRMS 3,0±5,1, PPMS 4,9±2,5, p=0,002); 9,4±7,2 years elapsed since diagnosis (similar for those is RRMS at diagnosis and PPMS); current age 42,9±12,4 years-old (group RRMS at diagnosis 42,0±12,1, PPMS 52,5±11,3, p<0,001); current EDSS 2,5 (RRMS 2.0, PPMS 6.0); females to males 2,5:1 (RRMS similar, PPMS 1,1:1, p<0,05); at diagnosis RRMS 90,6%, SPMS 0,9%, PPMS 8,6%; 9,5% of RRMS reached SP at inclusion (those older at diagnosis, in actuality, or with longer follow-up). PPMS more frequente in patients diagnosed at older ages (p<0,001), also slight increase in females. Along the last decades: new cases have showed stable proportions of gender and disease types; age at first symptoms and diagnosis slightly increased, time between them slightly decreased. Proportion on DMT (May 2014): 84,5% of all; 90,4% of currently in RRMS; 70,8% of SPMS; 36,8% of PPMS; 48% of progressive forms together. Type of DMT, all patients: interferons 56,5%, Glatiramer Acetate 18,4%, Natalizumab 11,6%, Fingolimod 9,7%. Economically active 61,5% of all, unemployment 13,5%, 74,1% of non-active are retired due to disease. Females pregnant after diagnosis 15%. Positive family cases in 7,8%. Discussion/Conclusions: 10% of the national MS population collected. Data generally consistente with international reports. Proportion under DMT relatively high in all disease types, but second line therapies underrepresented. Young patients with mild disease have an active economic life. Those not active are essentially retired due to disease.

Influence of Individual Characteristics on Work Engagement and Job Stress in a Sample of National and Foreign Workers in Switzerland

In most Western postindustrial societies today, the population is aging, businesses are faced with global integration, and important migration flows are taking place. Increasingly work organizations are hiring crossnational and multicultural workteams. In this situation it is important to understand the influence of certain individual and cultural characteristics on the process of professional integration. The present study explores the links between personality traits, demographic characteristics (age, sex, education, income, and nationality), work engagement, and job stress. The sample consisted of 618 participants, including 394 Swiss workers (200 women, 194 men) and 224 foreigners living and working in Switzerland (117 women, 107 men). Each participant completed the NEO-FFI, the UWES, and the GWSS questionnaires. Our results show an interaction between age and nationality with respect to work engagement and general job stress. The levels of work engagement and job stress appear to increase with age among national wotkers, whereas they decrease among foreign workers. In addition, work engagement was negatively associated with Neuroticism and positively with the other four personality dimensions. Finally, job stress was positively associated with Neuroticism and Conscientiousness, and negatively associated with Extraversion. However, the strength of these relationships appeared to vary according to the worker's nationality, age, sex, education, and income.

HACEK infective endocarditis: characteristics and outcomes from a large, multi-national cohort.

The HACEK organisms (Haemophilus species, Aggregatibacter species, Cardiobacterium hominis, Eikenella corrodens, and Kingella species) are rare causes of infective endocarditis (IE). The objective of this study is to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with HACEK endocarditis (HE) in a large multi-national cohort. Patients hospitalized with definite or possible infective endocarditis by the International Collaboration on Endocarditis Prospective Cohort Study in 64 hospitals from 28 countries were included and characteristics of HE patients compared with IE due to other pathogens. Of 5591 patients enrolled, 77 (1.4%) had HE. HE was associated with a younger age (47 vs. 61 years; p<0.001), a higher prevalence of immunologic/vascular manifestations (32% vs. 20%; p<0.008) and stroke (25% vs. 17% p = 0.05) but a lower prevalence of congestive heart failure (15% vs. 30%; p = 0.004), death in-hospital (4% vs. 18%; p = 0.001) or after 1 year follow-up (6% vs. 20%; p = 0.01) than IE due to other pathogens (n = 5514). On multivariable analysis, stroke was associated with mitral valve vegetations (OR 3.60; CI 1.34-9.65; p<0.01) and younger age (OR 0.62; CI 0.49-0.90; p<0.01). The overall outcome of HE was excellent with the in-hospital mortality (4%) significantly better than for non-HE (18%; p<0.001). Prosthetic valve endocarditis was more common in HE (35%) than non-HE (24%). The outcome of prosthetic valve and native valve HE was excellent whether treated medically or with surgery. Current treatment is very successful for the management of both native valve prosthetic valve HE but further studies are needed to determine why HE has a predilection for younger people and to cause stroke. The small number of patients and observational design limit inferences on treatment strategies. Self selection of study sites limits epidemiological inferences.

Pasture characteristics of Italian ryegrass and milk production under different management strategies

The objective of this work was to assess the effects of the sward structure of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum), during the first grazing cycle, on its morphological and bromatological characteristics throughout the growing season, and on the performance of dairy cows. The treatments consisted of two structures obtained as a function of canopy-light interception: high-light interception (HLI) and low-light interception (LLI), with different pre-grazing heights in the first grazing cycle. Pasture was managed under rotational grazing with a herbage allowance not below 30 kg dry matter (DM) per cow per day. Three grazing cycles, with a grazing interval of 30 days, were evaluated. Pre-grazing herbage mass was greater (2,240 vs. 1,656 kg ha-1 DM), but the proportion of leaf blades was smaller (0.35 vs. 0.43) for HLI swards. Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content and organic matter digestibility (OMD) were similar between treatments in the first grazing cycle, but in the second and third ones NDF was greater, and OMD lower, for the HLI swards. Milk yields were greater for cows grazing LLI swards (19.4 vs. 21.1 kg per day). Initial grazing with 90% of light interception promotes greater nutritional value in the subsequent cycles.