Stephen P. Harter and Anne Rogers Peters
At this point in its short history, online information retrieval possesses many of the characteristics of an art. In spite of much that is logical and orderly about it, there are…
Abstract
At this point in its short history, online information retrieval possesses many of the characteristics of an art. In spite of much that is logical and orderly about it, there are few specific rules of action or well‐defined procedures that are known to apply in all retrieval situations. Except in the simplest of cases, online searching is more uncertain and tentative than this.. It is largely guided by heuristics rather than algorithms.
Kimberley Peters and Richard G. Rogers
Using data from the linked National Health Interview Survey National Death Index (NHIS‐NDI), a new and unique data set, we examine the interaction of age and self‐rated health as…
Abstract
Using data from the linked National Health Interview Survey National Death Index (NHIS‐NDI), a new and unique data set, we examine the interaction of age and self‐rated health as a predictor of overall and cause‐specific mortality. Proponents of wear and tear theories argue that as the body ages, it begins to degenerate, leaving the aged in poor health and vulnerable to their ultimate mortality. We find that although the majority of the elderly rate their health as good or better, low levels of education and income contribute to poor perceived health, and the effect of age on mortality varies by level of perceived health. While the oldest old who report the poorest health experience greater risks of mortality, elders who report good health experience much lower risks. As a larger share of our population survives into old age, it is important to emphasize preventive health care policy, as well as strong economic and health care safety nets, not only to promote health but also to lengthen life.
Argues that although intense sweeteners (IS) such as saccharin andaspartame are perceived by consumers as important aids to dietary andweight control, there is little evidence to…
Abstract
Argues that although intense sweeteners (IS) such as saccharin and aspartame are perceived by consumers as important aids to dietary and weight control, there is little evidence to support this optimism. The result of dietary surveys comparing food intake or weight change in users and non‐users of IS are difficult to interpret because they are likely to be confounded by other differences between these groups. Results from laboratory studies show that reduced‐calorie foods and drinks have a reduced capacity to inhibit appetite (reduced satiating power). Therefore the incorporation of IS into the diet cannot be expected to lead “automatically” to a reduction in energy intake. Indeed, if users were to assume that such an effect exists, this might well prove counterproductive. If used wisely, however, IS might facilitate dietary compliance by increasing the range of foods that can be included in weight loss or weight maintenance diets.
This chapter proposes that efforts to improve our understanding of factors affecting migrant health and longevity in the United States must consider migrants’ labor market…
Abstract
This chapter proposes that efforts to improve our understanding of factors affecting migrant health and longevity in the United States must consider migrants’ labor market incorporation and the structural conditions under which they work. I use public-use death certificate data to examine whether there is a mortality penalty for foreign-born workers in the secondary sector industries of agriculture and construction. I focus on the decade of the 1990s for two contextual and empirical reasons: (1) the decade was characterized by economic restructuring, restrictive immigration policy, increased migration, and dispersion of migrants to new geographic destinations; and (2) the 1990s is an opportunistic decade because 19 states coded the industry and occupation of the decedent during this time. These numerator mortality data and Census denominator data are used to compare all-cause mortality rates between working-age (16–64 years) US-born and foreign-born agricultural and construction workers, the overall foreign-born population, and foreign-born workers in health care – an industry where the foreign-born tend to work in well-paid occupations that are well-regulated by the state. The results show a clear mortality penalty for foreign-born workers in agriculture and construction compared to the overall foreign-born population and foreign-born healthcare workers. The results also show the mortality penalty for foreign-born secondary sector workers varies by industry. These findings support the argument that bringing work into our analyses is critical to understanding the contextual and structural factors affecting migrant health and survival.
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David J. Mela and Peter J. Rogers
Briefly reviews issues of palatability, food composition, energymetabolism, and eating behaviour in relation to overeating and obesity,with a particular emphasis on the possible…
Abstract
Briefly reviews issues of palatability, food composition, energy metabolism, and eating behaviour in relation to overeating and obesity, with a particular emphasis on the possible role of popular, sweet and high‐fat “snack” foods. Consumption of such foods may be one contributor to a high overall dietary fat intake. However, while it is increasingly clear that relative intakes of fat (but not carbohydrate) may be causally associated with the development of obesity, it is difficult to relate this condition to the consumption of any single food or food group. Many popular “snack” foods present problems of control for individuals attempting to restrict or reduce their energy intakes and, by virtue of the high fat content and energy density of such foods, they may be viewed as possible contributors to overeating amongst susceptible individuals.
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Food and eating may have strong effects on mood. Although many ofthe ideas put forward by popular writers on this subject have lackedscientific credibility, more rigorous research…
Abstract
Food and eating may have strong effects on mood. Although many of the ideas put forward by popular writers on this subject have lacked scientific credibility, more rigorous research has begun to identify some important relationships between food and mood. These relationships can be complex, and may be modified by individual and contextual factors. Where they exist, effects of food on mood can be expected to feed back to influence food choice on subsequent occasions. A challenge of future research is to identify the mechanisms which mediate the sensory, nutritional, and pharmacological actions of foods and food constituents on mood.
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Liam O’Callaghan, David M. Doyle, Diarmuid Griffin and Muiread Murphy
Peter Rogers, Judy Burnside-Lawry, Jelenko Dragisic and Colleen Mills
The purpose of this paper is to provide a case study of Participatory Action Research (PAR), reporting on a collaboration, communication and disaster resilience workshop in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a case study of Participatory Action Research (PAR), reporting on a collaboration, communication and disaster resilience workshop in Sydney, Australia. The goal of the workshop was to explore the challenges that organisations perceive as blockages to building community disaster resilience; and, through collaborative practitioner-led activities, identify which of those challenges could be best addressed through a deeper engagement with communication research.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors link communication, collaboration and disaster resilience through the lens of PAR, detailing how communication and resilience experts can collaborate to improve disaster prevention, management and mitigation practice.
Findings
The authors identify a number of theoretical considerations in understanding horizontal and vertical interfaces for improved communication. The authors also highlight how practical collaborative workshops can draw on communication researchers to facilitate collaborative resilience activities. PAR is shown to help move participant focus from resolving inter/intra-organisational tensions to facilitating public good, offering evidence-based recommendations which will foster a more reflexive and communicative approach to building disaster resilient communities.
Research limitations/implications
This paper does not seek to apply community resilience to the general public, no community representatives were present at the workshop. This does not mean that the focus is on organisational resilience. Rather the authors apply PAR as a way to help organisations become more engaged with PAR, communication research and collaborative practice. PAR is a tool for organisations to use in building community resilience, but also a means to reflect on their practice. Whilst this should help organisations in building more resilient communities the take up of practice by participants outside of the workshop is a matter for future research.
Practical implications
This method of collaborative resilience building could significantly improve the shared responsibility amongst key organisations, mobilising skills and building awareness of integrated resilience thinking in practice for stakeholders in disaster management activities.
Originality/value
This paper provides original evidence-based research, showing the linkages between communication theory, collaboration practice and the tools used by organisations tasked with building community resilience. This innovative synthesis of skills can aid in building PAR led disaster resilience across prevention, preparation and mitigation activities for all potential hazards, threats and/or risks, however, it will be particularly of interest to organisations engaged in community resilience building activities.
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HEATHER J. ROGERS and PETER WILLETT
An increasing volume of historical text is being converted into machine‐readable form so as to allow database searches to be carried out. The age of the material in these…
Abstract
An increasing volume of historical text is being converted into machine‐readable form so as to allow database searches to be carried out. The age of the material in these databases means that they contain many spellings that are different from those used today. This characteristic means that, once the databases become available for general online access, users will need to be familiar with all of the possible historical spellings for their topic of interest if a search is to be carried out successfully. This paper investigates the use of computational techniques that have been developed for the correction of spelling errors to identify historical spellings of a user's search terms. Two classes of spelling correction method are tested, these being the reverse error and phonetic coding methods. Experiments with words from the Hartlib Papers Collection show that these methods can correctly identify a large number of historical forms of modern‐day word spellings.