Literary Maps for Young Adult Literature.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snodgrass, Mary Ellen

The activities presented in this handbook are designed to help students envision the locations and landmarks of sites along journeys described in popular young adult literature (e.g., "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,""Born Free,""The Call of the Wild,""Catcher in the Rye,""I Know Why the Caged Bird…

Folklore: A Foundation for Literary Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galda, S. L.; Pellegrini, A. D.

1981-01-01

Discusses folklore as the basis for literary study. Discusses two major theoretical positions on folklore universals--behaviorism and structuralism--and applies the two theories to literary analysis. (FL)

Readings on the Tragedies of William Shakespeare. The Greenhaven Press Literary Companion to British Authors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swisher, Clarice, Ed.

Designed for young adults, this book on William Shakespeare's tragedies is one of an anthology series providing accessible resources for students researching great literary lives and works. Contributing writers' essays in the book are taken from a wide variety of sources and are edited to accommodate the reading and comprehension levels of young…

Geography Olympiads in Estonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liiber, Ulle; Roosaare, Juri

2007-01-01

The Olympiad movement has a long history in Estonia, and the national system developed several decades ago. The first Olympiad for gifted and talented students was held in mathematics in 1950. Now there are more than 20 different fields of competition for basic school and gymnasium students. In 2005/2006, Estonian teams participated in 18…

Technology Toolkit: Literary Road Trip

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayes, Sandy

2007-01-01

Hayes recognizes the value of connections kids make when authors and settings strike a familiar note. She invites readers to participate in a new event at this year's NCTE Annual Convention in New York City: The 21st-Century Literary Map Project gallery, where attendees are encouraged to examine affiliates' literary maps, see digital or…

Using the Literary Journal for More than Literary Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carbaugh, James Christopher

1989-01-01

Describes how the school literary journal can be used to publish students' writing about public affairs to add new dimensions to the journal and transform it to a comprehensive display of students' interests and writing abilities. (MG)

Connecting the Canon to Current Young Adult Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rybakova, Katie; Roccanti, Rikki

2016-01-01

In this article we discuss the respective roles of young adult literature and literary texts in the secondary level English Language Arts classroom and explore the connections that can be made between popular young adult books and the traditional canon. We provide examples showing how young adult literature bestsellers such as "The Book…

Literary Magazines: To Censor or Not?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mossman, Robert C.

2007-01-01

High school teacher Robert C. Mossman asserts that literary magazines reflect and elevate school communities' values. As adviser of his school literary magazine, Mossman encourages students to uphold certain standards for decency, while helping students learn to distinguish between original writing that is specific and thoughtful and writing that…

The Affective Dimension of Religion and Personal Happiness among Students in Estonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Francis, Leslie J.; Elken, Ahto; Robbins, Mandy

2012-01-01

A sample of 150 students in Estonia (119 from a secular university and 31 from a Lutheran theological institute) completed the Oxford Happiness Measure and the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity. The data show no significant correlation between these two variables; thus the findings challenge the generalizability to Estonia of the…

Country report: Estonia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaasik, Helle

2015-12-01

The situation of women in education, work, and research in Estonia is relatively good. Nevertheless, science (especially engineering) remains a male-dominated field. The total number of female scientists and engineers in the workforce is about two-thirds that of males. Moreover, the gender imbalance in the researcher population increases with age. Significant pay-gap and power imbalances between the genders remain both in Estonian society in general and in the fields of science and technology. In many practical situations, behavior of both men and women is still guided by gender stereotypes.

State Efforts to Promote Reading and Literary Activities in Communities. NGA Center for Best Practices Issue Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Governors Association, 2006

2006-01-01

Rates of reading in the United States have been declining for at least two decades, with the steepest decline occurring among young adults. Fewer than half of adults read literature--poetry, plays, short stories or novels--in their leisure time. At the current rate of decline, literary reading will virtually disappear in the next half-century. Few…

An Inquiry into the Challenges of Literary Translation to Improve Literary Translation Competence with Reference to an Anecdote by Heinrich von Kleist

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kahrizsangi, Abbas Ali Salehi; Haddadi, Mohammad Hossein

2017-01-01

Acquisition and improvement of literary translation competence is an important undertaking in teaching literary translation with the aim to enable the student to translate into the target language the content, expressive power, language style, and an equal function of the literary text. This essay pursues the aim of helping to create and improve…

Quantitative criticism of literary relationships

PubMed Central

Dexter, Joseph P.; Katz, Theodore; Tripuraneni, Nilesh; Dasgupta, Tathagata; Kannan, Ajay; Brofos, James A.; Bonilla Lopez, Jorge A.; Schroeder, Lea A.; Casarez, Adriana; Rabinovich, Maxim; Haimson Lushkov, Ayelet; Chaudhuri, Pramit

2017-01-01

Authors often convey meaning by referring to or imitating prior works of literature, a process that creates complex networks of literary relationships (“intertextuality”) and contributes to cultural evolution. In this paper, we use techniques from stylometry and machine learning to address subjective literary critical questions about Latin literature, a corpus marked by an extraordinary concentration of intertextuality. Our work, which we term “quantitative criticism,” focuses on case studies involving two influential Roman authors, the playwright Seneca and the historian Livy. We find that four plays related to but distinct from Seneca’s main writings are differentiated from the rest of the corpus by subtle but important stylistic features. We offer literary interpretations of the significance of these anomalies, providing quantitative data in support of hypotheses about the use of unusual formal features and the interplay between sound and meaning. The second part of the paper describes a machine-learning approach to the identification and analysis of citational material that Livy loosely appropriated from earlier sources. We extend our approach to map the stylistic topography of Latin prose, identifying the writings of Caesar and his near-contemporary Livy as an inflection point in the development of Latin prose style. In total, our results reflect the integration of computational and humanistic methods to investigate a diverse range of literary questions. PMID:28373557

Quantitative criticism of literary relationships.

PubMed

Dexter, Joseph P; Katz, Theodore; Tripuraneni, Nilesh; Dasgupta, Tathagata; Kannan, Ajay; Brofos, James A; Bonilla Lopez, Jorge A; Schroeder, Lea A; Casarez, Adriana; Rabinovich, Maxim; Haimson Lushkov, Ayelet; Chaudhuri, Pramit

2017-04-18

Authors often convey meaning by referring to or imitating prior works of literature, a process that creates complex networks of literary relationships ("intertextuality") and contributes to cultural evolution. In this paper, we use techniques from stylometry and machine learning to address subjective literary critical questions about Latin literature, a corpus marked by an extraordinary concentration of intertextuality. Our work, which we term "quantitative criticism," focuses on case studies involving two influential Roman authors, the playwright Seneca and the historian Livy. We find that four plays related to but distinct from Seneca's main writings are differentiated from the rest of the corpus by subtle but important stylistic features. We offer literary interpretations of the significance of these anomalies, providing quantitative data in support of hypotheses about the use of unusual formal features and the interplay between sound and meaning. The second part of the paper describes a machine-learning approach to the identification and analysis of citational material that Livy loosely appropriated from earlier sources. We extend our approach to map the stylistic topography of Latin prose, identifying the writings of Caesar and his near-contemporary Livy as an inflection point in the development of Latin prose style. In total, our results reflect the integration of computational and humanistic methods to investigate a diverse range of literary questions.

Literary and Electronic Hypertext: Borges, Criticism, Literary Research, and the Computer.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davison, Ned J.

1991-01-01

Examines what "hypertext" means to literary criticism on the one hand (i.e., intertextuality) and computing on the other, to determine how the two concepts may serve each other in a mutually productive way. (GLR)

HYPEST study: profile of hypertensive patients in Estonia

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background More than one third of adult population in Estonia has problems with elevated blood pressure (BP). The Hypertension in Estonia (HYPEST) study represents the country's first hypertension-targeted sample collection aiming to examine the epidemiological and genetic determinants for hypertension (HTN) and related cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in Estonian population. The HYPEST subjects (n = 1,966) were recruited across Estonia between 2004-2007 including clinically diagnosed HTN cases and population-based controls. The present report is focused on the clinical and epidemiological profile of HYPEST cases, and gender-specific effects on the pathophysiology of hypertension. Methods Current analysis was performed on 1,007 clinically diagnosed HTN patients (617 women and 390 men) aged 18-85 years. The hypertensives were recruited to the study by BP specialists at the North Estonia Medical Center, Centre of Cardiology, Tallinn or at the Cardiology Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Estonia. Longitudinal BP data was extracted retrospectively from clinical records. Current and retrospective data of patient's medical history, medication intake and lifestyle habits were derived from self-administrated questionnaire and each variable was examined separately for men and women. Eleven biochemical parameters were measured from fasting serum samples of 756 patients. Results The distribution of recruited men and women was 39% and 61% respectively. Majority of Estonian HTN patients (85%) were overweight (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2) and a total of 79% of patients had additional complications with cardiovascular system. In men, the hypertension started almost 5 years earlier than in women (40.5 ± 14.5 vs 46.1 ± 12.7 years), which led to earlier age of first myocardial infarction (MI) and overall higher incidence rate of MI among male patients (men 21.2%, women 8.9%, P < 0.0001). Heart arrhythmia, thyroid diseases, renal tubulo-intestinal diseases and hyperlipidemia were more prevalent

Feasibility of cohort studies in Estonia

PubMed Central

Innos, K.; Rahu, M.; Rahu, K.

1999-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To describe the methodology and feasibility of follow up for vital status in retrospective cohort studies in Estonia. METHODS: A cohort of 7412 workers who had been employed at two factories in Tallinn between 1946 and 1988 was followed up for vital status from the date of first employment until death, emigration, or the end of the study, 31 December 1995, whichever occurred first. The cohort was electronically linked with the National Population Registry of Estonia that was created in 1992 and includes personal identification numbers of Estonian citizens and residents, and the Mortality Database that contains information from death certificates issued in 1983-95. A manual search was carried out on several non-computerised population data sources and archives. RESULTS: By 31 December 1995, the vital status of 6780 (91.5%) subjects could be traced (4495 (60.6%) subjects were alive, 1993 (26.9%) had died, and 292 (3.9%) had emigrated). Analysis by calendar period of leaving work showed that the proportion of subjects traced was lowest in the group of workers who had left work between 1946 and 1955 (58.4%), especially those whose age at leaving work was < 30 (53.2%) or > 60 years (42.3%). Among subjects who left work in 1956-65, 1966-75, and 1976-88, the follow up rate was 84.7%, 94.6%, and 98.2%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The findings, which are especially important for occupational epidemiology, confirm the feasibility of conducting retrospective cohort studies in Estonia. Most of the issues discussed in the paper apply to other former Soviet countries.   PMID:10472323

Literary Foremothers Rediscovered: Knight, Fuller, Stanton, and Sojourner Truth.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arbur, Rosemarie

The literary works of four American women who lived before 1900 deserve to be introduced, if not reintroduced, to the study of literature in the United States, because of their literary merit, variety, and valuable contributions to American literary history. In a journal edited from a diary kept during a round-trip horseback journey from Boston to…

Digoxin: use pattern in Estonia and bioavailability of the local market leader.

PubMed

Pähkla, R; Irs, A; Oselin, K; Rootslane, L

1999-10-01

In comparison with neighbouring Scandinavian countries, the use of digoxin in Estonia is high. The present study was carried out to determine the use pattern of digoxin in Estonia and bioavailability of the local market leader preparation in comparison with Lanoxin. Drug use data were evaluated from the annual reports of wholesale companies. For the bioequivalence study, a single-blind cross-over randomised two-way single-dose comparative bioavailability study was performed using 14 healthy volunteers. Digoxin concentrations in serum samples and urine were measured by chemiluminescent competitive immunoassay. The use of digoxin in Estonia has increased by 35% during the period 1994-97. The steady market leader was the local generic drug. No statistically significant differences were found in any pharmacokinetic parameter between the generic preparation and Lanoxin. All parameters showed considerable variability. The total amount of drug excreted was the parameter with lowest inter- individual variation. The present study indicates that the generic digoxin preparation studied is bioequivalent to Lanoxin. The increasing use of digoxin in Estonia is not caused by low bioavailability of the local market leader but by therapeutic traditions.

Children's Perspective on Learning: An International Study in Denmark, Estonia, Germany and Sweden

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandberg, Anette; Broström, Stig; Johansson, Inge; Frøkjaer, Thorleif; Kieferle, Christa; Seifert, Anja; Roth, Angela; Tuul, Maire; Ugaste, Aino; Laan, Meeli

2017-01-01

This article explores how some children in Denmark, Estonia, Germany and Sweden describe their perspective on learning. The aim of the international study is to gain knowledge of how preschool children in Sweden, Denmark, Estonia and Germany reflect and perceive their learning in preschool and other surrounding social contexts. The results are…

An Exemplary High School Literary Magazine: "Cinnabar."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holbrook, Hilary Taylor, Comp.

One of a series of 20 literary magazine profiles written to help faculty advisors wishing to start or improve their publication, this profile provides information on staffing and production of "Cinnabar," the magazine published by Ward Melville High School, Setauket, New York. The introduction describes the literary magazine contest (and…

Literary Scholars Processing Poetry and Constructing Arguments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warren, James E.

2006-01-01

Previous studies of the professional discourse of literary studies have focused solely on published scholarly articles and have produced contradictory evidence regarding the knowledge-building function of literary argument. In this study, 9 English department faculty members use a "think-aloud" procedure to read four lyric poems and compose a…

Restrictions to Pharmacy Ownership and Vertical Integration in Estonia-Perception of Different Stakeholders.

PubMed

Gross, Marit; Volmer, Daisy

2016-04-19

From 2020, the ownership of community pharmacies in Estonia will be limited to the pharmacy profession, and the vertical integration of wholesale companies and community pharmacies will not be allowed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the perception of different stakeholders in primary healthcare toward the new regulations of the community pharmacy sector in Estonia. A qualitative electronic survey was distributed to the main stakeholders in primary healthcare and higher education institutions providing pharmacy education ( n = 40) in May 2015. For data analysis, the systematic text condensation method was used. The study participants described two opposing positions regarding the development of community pharmacies in the future. Reform supporters emphasized increased professional independence and more healthcare-oriented operation of community pharmacies. Reform opponents argued against these ideas as community pharmacists do not have sufficient practical experience and finances to ensure sustainable development of the community pharmacy sector in Estonia. Based on the current perception of all respondents, the future operation of the community pharmacy sector in Estonia is unclear and there is urgent need for implementation criteria for the new regulations.

Attitudes towards war, killing, and punishment of children among young people in Estonia, Finland, Romania, the Russian Federation, and the USA.

PubMed Central

McAlister, A.; Sandström, P.; Puska, P.; Veijo, A.; Chereches, R.; Heidmets, L. T.

2001-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To study the cultural differences in moral disengagement, which lends support to attitudes used to justify violence. METHODS: We carried out classroom surveys of a total of 3122 students in the USA (Houston, TX, and Washington, DC) and in four European countries--Estonia (Tartu), Finland (Helsinki), Romania (Satu Mare) and the Russian Federation (St Petersburg). Data were also taken from a random sample telephone survey of 341 young adults (aged 18-35 years) in Texas, USA. Ten distinct groups were studied. Seven questions were common to all the surveys, using identical statements about the participants' agreement with attitudes relating to war, diplomacy, killing, and the punishment of children. FINDINGS: The US students were more likely than those in Europe to agree with the following statements: "War is necessary" (20% vs 9%), "A person has the right to kill to defend property" (54% vs 17%), and "Physical punishment is necessary for children" (27% vs 10%). Justification of war and killing was less common among females than males in all groups; other differences within the US groups and the European groups were smaller than the differences between the US and European groups. CONCLUSION: The results confirm the gap between the US and European groups in moral disengagement attitudes and tendencies that could lead to deadly violence. PMID:11417032

OECD Reviews of School Resources: Estonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santiago, Paulo; Levitas, Anthony; Radó, Péter; Shewbridge, Claire

2016-01-01

This report for Estonia forms part of the OECD Review of Policies to Improve the Effectiveness of Resource Use in Schools. The purpose of the review is to explore how school resources can be governed, distributed, utilised and managed to improve the quality, equity and efficiency of school education. School resources are understood in a broad way,…

Literary Critic: The Detective Not the Judge.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Raymond J., III

The literary critic should be both a good detective and a naive observer in finding out what is going on in a literary work and passing on that knowledge to those wishing to use it in furthering their reading pleasure. Rather than formulating value judgments about a piece of literature, critics must use their experiences to illuminate important…

Responding to a Literary Work of Art.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Washburn, William V.

A study was conducted to examine three fundamental aspects of the process of responding to a literary work of art: the nature of the reader's response to literature, the processes of response to literature, and the relationship of a reader's personal construct system to the way in which the reader responds to a literary work of art. The subjects…

Fractal power law in literary English

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonçalves, L. L.; Gonçalves, L. B.

2006-02-01

We present in this paper a numerical investigation of literary texts by various well-known English writers, covering the first half of the twentieth century, based upon the results obtained through corpus analysis of the texts. A fractal power law is obtained for the lexical wealth defined as the ratio between the number of different words and the total number of words of a given text. By considering as a signature of each author the exponent and the amplitude of the power law, and the standard deviation of the lexical wealth, it is possible to discriminate works of different genres and writers and show that each writer has a very distinct signature, either considered among other literary writers or compared with writers of non-literary texts. It is also shown that, for a given author, the signature is able to discriminate between short stories and novels.

Topoi and Literary Interpretation: The Effects of a Critical Reading and Writing Intervention on High School Students' Analytic Literary Essays

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, William E.; Ferretti, Ralph P.

2011-01-01

Literary scholars use specific critical lenses called "topoi" (Fahnestock & Secor, 1991) to read literature and write their interpretations of these texts. Literary topoi are used in the discourse of modern college literature classrooms (Wilder, 2002) and are associated with higher grades in students' literature classes (Wilder, 2002, 2005).…

National Testing of Pupils in Europe: Objectives, Organisation and Use of Results. Estonia 2009

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mere, Kristi

2009-01-01

Estonia restored its independence in 1991. The creation of legislation and reorganisation of the educational system was one of the first tasks of the restored Republic of Estonia. The development of the national curriculum for basic and upper secondary schools that provided a framework substituting the previous study modules, and the creation of…

Birth/Death/Rebirth: Pairing Young Adult and Classic Novels To Teach Situational Archetypes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanderson, Christine

2001-01-01

Notes that the use of Young Adult literature to introduce the complex literary concept of the archetype is ideally suited to teachers of gifted students in high school classrooms. Discusses how once students understand the concept of archetypes in literature, they can begin to make deeper connections among all of the literary works that they read.…

In Mid-Career: Literary Study and Individual Growth.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Proffitt, Edward

1982-01-01

Advocates a new form of literary criticism, which combines the subjectivist and objectivist approaches. The author argues that literary criticism which includes comparisons of the reader's response to the text with its actual content, and with alternative viewpoints, provides new opportunities for personal growth. (AM)

Evolution and literary theory.

PubMed

Carroll, J

1995-06-01

Presupposing that all knowledge is the study of a unitary order of nature, the author maintains that the study of literature should be included within the larger field of evolutionary theory. He outlines four elementary concepts in evolutionary theory, and he argues that these concepts should regulate our understanding of literature. On the basis of these concepts, he repudiates the antirealist and irrationalist views that, under the aegis of "poststructuralism," have dominated academic literary studies for the past two decades. He examines the linkage between poststructuralism and standard social science, and he speculates about the ideological and disciplinary motives that have hitherto impeded evolutionary study in both the social sciences and the humanities. Finally, he distinguishes literature from science and argues that literary criticism integrates elements of both.

Literary Aesthetics in the Narration of Dagara Folktales

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kyiileyang, Martin

2016-01-01

Dagara folktales, like other African folktales, are embedded with various literary aesthetic features related to structure, language and performance. This paper examines major literary aesthetics found in Dagara folktales. The methodology used is based on the collection, analysis and interpretation of selected Dagara folktales gathered through…

Aristotelian Causality and the Teaching of Literary Theory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finnegan, John D.

1982-01-01

Describes how the Aristotelian model of causality can be used to help college students systematically analyze the components, point of view, organization, and purpose of a literary theory. The literary theories of Plato, Aristotle, Longinus, Sidney, Pope, Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Shelley are analyzed, using this model. (AM)

Stakeholder Perspectives: CLIL Programme Management in Estonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mehisto, Peeter; Asser, Hiie

2007-01-01

In 2000, Estonia launched a voluntary Estonian language CLIL programme for seven year-olds in four Russian-medium schools. The programme has expanded rapidly to a total of 48 kindergartens and schools. This paper reports on research into stakeholder perspectives on programme management. In addition to surveying parents, teachers, vice-principals…

Database in Theory and Practice: The Bibliography of Irish Literary Criticism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howell, Sonia

2013-01-01

Focusing on "The Bibliography of Irish Literary Criticism" (BILC, 2010), a bibliographical database of Irish literary criticism developed by humanities and information and communications technology (ICT) researchers in NUI Maynooth, this chapter investigates the opportunities and implications afforded the field of Irish literary studies…

An Exemplary High School Literary Magazine: "Et Cetera."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holbrook, Hilary Taylor, Comp.

One of a series of 20 literary magazine profiles written to help faculty advisors wishing to start or improve their publication, this profile provides information on staffing and production of "Et Cetera," the magazine published by Clarkstown High School, New City, New York. The introduction describes the literary magazine contest (and…

Deconstruction Literary Theory and a Creative Reading of "The Great Gatsby."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dennis, Deborah; Trotman, Charlene C.

Through the mid-1980s, resistance to contemporary literary theory (especially Jacques Derrida's philosophy of deconstruction) took the form of a bitter debate that enlivened literary journals and Modern Language Association meetings. The debate continues even today, with traditional literary critics rejecting deconstruction as nihilistic and…

Europeanization in the "Other" Europe: Writing the Nation into "Europe" Education in Slovakia and Estonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Michaels, Deborah L.; Stevick, E. Doyle

2009-01-01

How is the tension between renewed nationalist and European narratives of belonging being unfolded in the curricula, discourse, and practice of civic education in Slovakia and Estonia. As two post-socialist territories that were "reborn" as independent nation-states in the 1990s, Slovakia and Estonia were confronted with pressure to…

A feasibility study of municipal solid waste incineration fly ash utilisation in Estonia.

PubMed

Berber, Hakan; Frey, Ruedi; Voronova, Viktoria; Koroljova, Arina

2017-09-01

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the alternative environmental management options for the utilisation of municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration fly ash (FA), which is generated at Iru Power Plant where MSW is incinerated in Estonia. To determine sustainable and economically feasible environmental management options for MSW incineration FA in Estonia, CO 2 sequestration with a further carbonation process was examined. A partial Cost & Benefit Analysis has been conducted to compare the carbonation process to the current situation. Two carbonation options were developed. Option 1 is to use carbonated FA in any other processes based on the waste-to-product principle. Option 2 is to send carbonated FA to the non-hazardous landfill in Tallinn, Estonia. Important parameters, such as Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) and Break Even Point (BEP), have been calculated for carbonation options and the current case. In addition, a sensitivity analysis has been conducted to examine its robustness. The results showed that the best option is carbonation Option 1 with NPV of 9,209,662 EUR, IRR of 43%, BCR of 2.63 and BEP between 2018 and 2019. Both Options 1 and 2 constitute more sustainable and environmentally friendly management options compared to the current situation. It can be concluded that this preliminary feasibility study showed that running a carbonation plant may be profitable and sustainable for Estonia. Currently, there is no treatment technology for MSW incineration FA in Estonia and FA is sent to a neighbouring country for further utilisation. This is the first study to demonstrate FA management options with economic and environmental benefits.

Reading Minds: Using Literary Resources in Family Therapy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burns, Liz

A qualitative enquiry explored, with a range of family therapists and systemic practitioners, the influence they perceive to have been made on their personal and professional lives by the literary texts they have read. Noting that "literary" is broadly interpreted to include poetry, prose, drama/film, song lyrics, etc., the study's aims…

Vocational Education and Training Reform in Estonia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

European Training Foundation, Turin (Italy).

This report on vocational education and training (VET) reform in Estonia is one of a series of country reports by the European Training Foundation on the reform process in partner countries. Chapter 1 provides basic data on the country. Chapter 2 describes the present situation and recent developments in VET. It covers main features of the…

Literary Interpretations of Biblical Narratives. The Bible in Literature Courses Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gros Louis, Kenneth R. R., Ed.; And Others

Designed for use by secondary school teachers, this book contains a collection of biblical literary analyses, the writing of which was prompted by increased interest in the Bible as an academic study. There are 17 chapters in the book: "The Rabbinic Method and Literary Criticism" by K.P. Bland; "Literary Criticism of the Bible: Some Fallacies" by…

Estonia: health system review.

PubMed

Lai, Taavi; Habicht, Triin; Kahur, Kristiina; Reinap, Marge; Kiivet, Raul; van Ginneken, Ewout

2013-01-01

This analysis of the Estonian health system reviews recent developments in organization and governance, health financing, health-care provision, health reforms and health system performance. Without doubt, the main issue has been the 2008 financial crisis. Although Estonia has managed the downturn quite successfully and overall satisfaction with the system remains high, it is hard to predict the longer-term effects of the austerity package. The latter included some cuts in benefits and prices, increased cost sharing for certain services, extended waiting times, and a reduction in specialized care. In terms of health outcomes, important progress was made in life expectancy, which is nearing the European Union (EU) average, and infant mortality. Improvements are necessary in smoking and alcohol consumption, which are linked to the majority of avoidable diseases. Although the health behaviour of the population is improving, large disparities between groups exist and obesity rates, particularly among young people, are increasing. In health care, the burden of out-of-pocket payments is still distributed towards vulnerable groups. Furthermore, the number of hospitals, hospital beds and average length of stay has decreased to the EU average level, yet bed occupancy rates are still below EU averages and efficiency advances could be made. Going forwards, a number of pre-crisis challenges remain. These include ensuring sustainability of health care financing, guaranteeing a sufficient level of human resources, prioritizing patient-centred health care, integrating health and social care services, implementing intersectoral action to promote healthy behaviour, safeguarding access to health care for lower socioeconomic groups, and, lastly, improving evaluation and monitoring tools across the health system. World Health Organization 2013 (acting as the host organization for, and secretariat of, the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies).

Revegetation processes and environmental conditions in abandoned peat production fields in Estonia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orru, M.; Orru, H.

2009-04-01

As a result of peat extraction, peat production has been finished in Estonia at different times in 154 peat production areas and 9,500 ha (~1% of peatlands) are abandoned, although the peat reserves are not exhausted yet; besides, several areas are not properly recultivated. In addition 12,000 ha of fens (oligotrophic peat layers) are drained and used as grasslands. If the abandoned and non-recultivated peat production areas are not vegetated, their CO2 emission is considerable and peat mineralises in such areas. The aim of the study was to find out specific ecological and geological factors, which affect recovering of peatlands and influence the recultivation. During the revision the amount and quality of the remained reserves, as well as the state of water regime, drainage network and revegetation was assessed in all 154 abandoned peat production areas. The study showed that the state of them is very variable. Some of them are covered with forest, prevailingly with birches at former drainage ditches, later supplemented by pine trees. In the others predominate grasses among plants, and various species of moss (Cladonia rei, Bryum caespiticum, Sphagnum ripariuma, Sphagnum squarrosum) occur as well. Besides, some abandoned areas are completely overgrown with cotton grass. Open abandoned peat areas, which are not covered by vegetation, are much rarer. We found out, that water regime among the factors plays most important role. Moreover abandoned peat production fields, where the environmental conditions have changed - are appropriate for growth of several moss species, which cannot inhabit the areas already occupied by other species. The most interesting discovers were: second growing site of Polia elongata in West-Estonia and Ephemerum serratum, last found in Estonia in the middle of the 19th century, was identified in central Estonia. Also Campylopus introflexus, what was unknown in Estonia. However, the changes in environmental conditions influence the peat layers

The Cultural Work of Magical Realism in Three Young Adult Novels

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Latham, Don

2007-01-01

Magical realism as a literary mode is often subversive and transgressive, questioning the values and assumptions of the dominant society that it depicts. Young adult literature, by contrast, is typically thought to serve a socializing function, helping to integrate young readers into adult society. What then is the cultural work of magical realism…

Peeling the Onion: Student Teacher's Conceptions of Literary Understanding.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlsson, Maj Asplund; Fulop, Marta; Marton, Ference

2001-01-01

Studied the theories student teachers held about literary understanding through interviews with 25 Hungarian and 8 Swedish student teachers. Categories of theories captured a substantial portion of the variation in how literary understanding can be seen. Three central aspects of human understanding, variation, discernment, and simultaneity, could…

An Exemplary High School Literary Magazine: "The Thinking Reed."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holbrook, Hilary Taylor, Comp.

One of a series of 20 literary magazine profiles written to help faculty advisors wishing to start or improve their publication, this profile provides information on staffing and production of "The Thinking Reed," the magazine published by Bethlehem Central High School, Delmar, New York. The introduction describes the literary magazine…

Literary Festivals, Library Style: Libraries Can Use Literary Festivals to Secure Their Role as the Ultimate Connection among Readers, Authors, and Books

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dempsey, Beth

2005-01-01

Literary festivals offer a unique proposition to libraries: host one, bring the reading public up-close and personal with writers of all kinds, and they will bask in the glory of that connection. Indeed, festivals can be the pathway for libraries to "own" the literary niche in their community. Bob Cannon, executive director of the Broward County…

Tradition, Discipline, Literary History

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kargiotis, Dimitrios

2007-01-01

In its attempt to respond to changing historical realities the university has undergone significant transformations, most of which, however, have focused on teaching material, tools, methods or practices adapted to the new demands. Taking as a case study the literary disciplines, this article focuses on the theoretical, mostly implicit,…

Redefining American Literary History.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruoff, A. LaVonne Brown, Ed.; Ward, Jerry W., Jr., Ed.

This book is a collection of essays which provide starting points for a redefinition of American literary history based on a multiethnic and multiracial, rather than European, theory of culture. After an introduction by the editors, essays in the book are: "The Literatures of America: A Comparative Discipline" (Paul Lauter);…

Literary Texts and Grammar Instruction: Revisiting the Inductive Presentation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paesani, Kate

2005-01-01

This article outlines an approach to explicit grammar instruction that uses literary texts as comprehensible, meaning-bearing input. In this approach, which employs strategies from the teaching of grammar and the teaching of reading, literary texts serve as the basis of the inductive presentation of new grammatical forms and as a springboard for…

Beyond Linguistic Policy: The Soviet Union Versus Estonia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rannut, Mart

1991-01-01

Discussion of the role of non-Russian languages in the Soviet Union (USSR) focuses on the history of ethnic group languages and language policy in Estonia since the collapse of totalitarianism. A historical overview of Soviet Union language policy is offered, with attention given to the ideological goals influencing policy, and their realization…

Seasonality of alcohol-related phenomena in Estonia.

PubMed

Silm, Siiri; Ahas, Rein

2005-03-01

We studied alcohol consumption and its consequences as a seasonal phenomenon in Estonia and analysed the social and environmental factors that may cause its seasonal rhythm. There are two important questions when researching the seasonality of human activities: (1) whether it is caused by natural or social factors, and (2) whether the impact of the factors is direct or indirect. Often the seasonality of social phenomena is caused by social factors, but the triggering mechanisms are related to environmental factors like temperature, precipitation, and radiation via the circannual calendar. The indicators of alcohol consumption in the current paper are grouped as: (1) pre-consumption phenomena, i.e. production, tax and excise, sales (beer, wine and vodka are analysed separately), and (2) post-consumption phenomena, i.e. alcohol-related crime and traffic accidents and the number of people detained in lockups and admitted to alcohol treatment clinics. In addition, seasonal variability in the amount of alcohol advertising has been studied, and a survey has been carried out among 87 students of Tartu University. The analysis shows that different phenomena related to alcohol have a clear seasonal rhythm in Estonia. The peak period of phenomena related to beer is in the summer, from June to August and the low point is during the first months of the year. Beer consumption correlates well with air temperature. The consumption of vodka increases sharply at the end of the year and in June; the production of vodka does not have a significant correlation with negative temperatures. The consumption of wine increases during summer and in December. The consequences of alcohol consumption, expressed as the rate of traffic accidents or the frequency of medical treatment, also show seasonal variability. Seasonal variability of alcohol consumption in Estonia is influenced by natural factors (temperature, humidity, etc.) and by social factors (celebrations, vacations, etc.). However

Seasonality of alcohol-related phenomena in Estonia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silm, Siiri; Ahas, Rein

2005-03-01

We studied alcohol consumption and its consequences as a seasonal phenomenon in Estonia and analysed the social and environmental factors that may cause its seasonal rhythm. There are two important questions when researching the seasonality of human activities: (1) whether it is caused by natural or social factors, and (2) whether the impact of the factors is direct or indirect. Often the seasonality of social phenomena is caused by social factors, but the triggering mechanisms are related to environmental factors like temperature, precipitation, and radiation via the circannual calendar. The indicators of alcohol consumption in the current paper are grouped as: (1) pre-consumption phenomena, i.e. production, tax and excise, sales (beer, wine and vodka are analysed separately), and (2) post-consumption phenomena, i.e. alcohol-related crime and traffic accidents and the number of people detained in lockups and admitted to alcohol treatment clinics. In addition, seasonal variability in the amount of alcohol advertising has been studied, and a survey has been carried out among 87 students of Tartu University. The analysis shows that different phenomena related to alcohol have a clear seasonal rhythm in Estonia. The peak period of phenomena related to beer is in the summer, from June to August and the low point is during the first months of the year. Beer consumption correlates well with air temperature. The consumption of vodka increases sharply at the end of the year and in June; the production of vodka does not have a significant correlation with negative temperatures. The consumption of wine increases during summer and in December. The consequences of alcohol consumption, expressed as the rate of traffic accidents or the frequency of medical treatment, also show seasonal variability. Seasonal variability of alcohol consumption in Estonia is influenced by natural factors (temperature, humidity, etc.) and by social factors (celebrations, vacations, etc.). However

Moving the Field Forward: A Micro-Meso-Macro Model for Critical Language Planning. The Case of Estonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skerrett, Delaney Michael

2016-01-01

This study investigates "de facto" language policy in Estonia. It investigates how language choices at the micro (or individual) level are negotiated within the macro (or social and historical) context: how official language policy and other features of the discursive environment surrounding language and its use in Estonia translate into…

The social costs of alcohol misuse in Estonia.

PubMed

Saar, Indrek

2009-01-01

The aim of this study was to estimate the social costs of alcohol misuse in Estonia in 2006. Using a prevalence-based cost-of-illness approach, both direct and indirect costs were considered, including tangible costs associated with health care, criminal justice, rescue services, damage to property, premature mortality, incarceration, incapability of working due to illnesses, and lower labor productivity. The results show that alcohol misuse cost Estonia more than EUR 200 million in 2006. The costs involved are estimated to represent 1.6% of the gross domestic product (GDP), which is relatively high in comparison with many other countries. In addition, the state receives less receipts from the alcohol excise tax than the costs that it incurs as a consequence of alcohol misuse, which points to the existence of economic inefficiency with respect to the alcohol market. The results of this study suggest that there is definitely a need for further cost-benefit analysis to reach a conclusion regarding the possible utility of government intervention. Copyright 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.

How to Use the Pop-Screen in Literary Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reuber, Alexandra

2010-01-01

Teaching literary theory is fascinating for those who love the application of theory to a literary text, difficult for those who are of the opinion that theory destroys the actual beauty and value of the fictional source, and unfortunately often boring for those who are taught. This article, however, provides a popular approach to the introduction…

Doing Literary Criticism: Helping Students Engage with Challenging Texts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillespie, Tim

2010-01-01

One of the greatest challenges for English language arts teachers today is the call to engage students in more complex texts. Tim Gillespie, who has taught in public schools for almost four decades, has found the lenses of literary criticism a powerful tool for helping students tackle challenging literary texts. Tim breaks down the dense language…

Reducing exposure to high fluoride drinking water in Estonia-a countrywide study.

PubMed

Indermitte, Ene; Saava, Astrid; Karro, Enn

2014-03-14

Fluoride is a naturally occurring contaminant in groundwater in Estonia. There are several regions in Estonia with fluoride contents in public water supplies as high as 7 mg/L. Long-term exposure to high-fluoride drinking water may have several adverse health effects, primarily dental fluorosis. The opportunities for exposure reduction rely highly on water treatment technologies. Since 2004 public water suppliers in Estonia have made efforts to diminish fluoride content in drinking water systems. A follow-up study on a country level was carried out in 2004-2012 to analyze the changes in population exposure to excessive (over 1.5 mg/L) fluoride in drinking water and to get information about the reduction methods applied by public water supplies (PWS) to optimize the fluoride levels in public water system. The results showed that bigger PWS have been more effective in fluoride reduction measures than small PWS. The main methods used to lower the fluoride content were reverse osmosis technology and replacement of water sources with new ones (new drilled wells). As a result of all the measures taken the overall high-fluoride exposure has been reduced substantially (82%).

Mutual Trust between Kindergarten Teachers and Mothers and Its Associations with Family Characteristics in Estonia and Finland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kikas, Eve; Poikonen, Pirjo-Liisa; Kontoniemi, Marita; Lyyra, Anna-Liisa; Lerkkanen, Marja-Kristiina; Niilo, Airi

2011-01-01

Mutual trust between mothers and kindergarten teachers along with its relation to mother's educational level and child's gender was studied in two neighboring countries--Estonia and Finland. From Estonia 543 ratings of mothers and 232 ratings of teachers were collected, and, from Finland, 712 ratings of mothers and 712 ratings of teachers. Trust…

Literary Research and Canadian Literature: Strategies and Sources. Literary Research--Strategies and Sources #10

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reznowski, Gabriella

2011-01-01

Canada's rich literary heritage, dominated by a multicultural and multilingual presence, reflects the country's unique history and experience. In addition, an emerging body of new writers is redefining both the geographic and metaphorical boundaries of Canadian literature. Coupled with the propagation of digital technologies, Canada's burgeoning…

Developing Children's Literary Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peng, Chew Fong

2012-01-01

The Malay literary materials and resources for early childhood in Malaysia are still in the infant stage and have not been expanded to include the main references or developed into big book form. The children literature in our market is not published based on educational philosophy and research, but it is produced based on profit. The process of…

Single and double sexual standards in Finland, Estonia, and St. Petersburg.

PubMed

Haavio-Mannila, Elina; Kontula, Osmo

2003-02-01

The sexual revolution and fight for gender equality began in the West during the 1960s but did not reach the Soviet Union until the late 1980s. Using survey data from nationally representative samples from Finland in 1971, 1992, and 1999 and from two former Soviet areas, Estonia in 2000 and St. Petersburg in 1996, we investigated the following: (a) differences across decades and countries in acceptance of the sexual double standard (SDS) in attitudes toward marital infidelity and women's initiating sex; and (b) the relationship between the SDS and sexual satisfaction. Results show that Finland in the 1990s was more egalitarian than Finland in 1971, St. Petersburg in 1996, or Estonia in 2000. Egalitarian sexual attitudes were positively related to sexual satisfaction.

International Business Education in Estonia--from Socialism to Capitalism.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palm, Thomas

1995-01-01

Issues in reform of international business and economics education at Tartu University (Estonia) are discussed, including need for faculty development, faculty reallocation, and redistribution of resources within the country's new social and economic context. It is argued that reform depends on effective integration of foreign experts with more…

Risk factors for pulmonary tuberculosis in Estonia.

PubMed

Tekkel, M; Rahu, M; Loit, H M; Baburin, A

2002-10-01

To determine the risk factors for pulmonary tuberculosis incidence in Estonia. In a case-control study, the cases were 248 adult tuberculosis patients treated in a hospital in Tallinn between January 1999 and June 2000, and the controls were 248 persons sampled from the Population Registry and matched to cases by sex, year of birth and county of residence. A questionnaire was administered to collect information on potential risk factors. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. The main risk factors for tuberculosis were marital status other than married, educational level less than higher, low income, having been in prison, not having own place of residence, current unemployment, current smoking, alcohol consumption, shortage of food, and contact with tuberculosis patients. Place of birth was not a risk factor. Risk of tuberculosis decreased for overweight persons whose individual economic situation had improved during the last year. The pattern of risk factors for pulmonary tuberculosis in Estonia was somewhat different from that in Western European countries; a large percentage of the patients were men, but were not elderly, and immigration and drug abuse did not increase the risk. Major risk factors were related to poverty and low socio-economic status.

Effects of Exposure to Literary Arabic on Reading Comprehension in a Diglossic Situation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abu-Rabia, Salim

2000-01-01

Examines the influence of exposure to literary Arabic of preschool children on their reading comprehension of literary Arabic stories in grades 1 and 2. Indicates better reading comprehension results for the children who were exposed to literary Arabic than for the children who were exposed only to spoken Arabic. (SC)

The Use of "Literary Fiction" to Promote Mentalizing Ability.

PubMed

Pino, Maria Chiara; Mazza, Monica

2016-01-01

Empathy is a multidimensional process that incorporates both mentalizing and emotional sharing dimensions. Empathic competencies are important for creating interpersonal relationships with other people and developing adequate social behaviour. The lack of these social components also leads to isolation and exclusion in healthy populations. However, few studies have investigated how to improve these social skills. In a recent study, Kidd and Castano (2013) found that reading literary fiction increases mentalizing ability and may change how people think about other people's emotions and mental states. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of reading literary fiction, compared to nonfiction and science fiction, on empathic abilities. Compared to previous studies, we used a larger variety of empathy measures and utilized a pre and post-test design. In all, 214 healthy participants were randomly assigned to read a book representative of one of three literary genres (literary fiction, nonfiction, science fiction). Participants were assessed before and after the reading phase using mentalizing and emotional sharing tests, according to Zaki and Ochsner' s (2012) model. Comparisons of sociodemographic, mentalizing, and emotional sharing variables across conditions were conducted using ANOVA. Our results showed that after the reading phase, the literary fiction group showed improvement in mentalizing abilities, but there was no discernible effect on emotional sharing abilities. Our study showed that the reading processes can promote mentalizing abilities. These results may set important goals for future low-cost rehabilitation protocols for several disorders in which the mentalizing deficit is considered central to the disease, such as Autism Spectrum Disorders and Schizophrenia.

Literary Criticism and the Teaching of Literature: A Teacher's Sourcebook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ley, Terry C., Ed.

Written by teacher-participants during 3 summer institutes in literary criticism and the teaching of literature, the 11 resource guides presented in this book deal with literary texts by American authors--texts which are commonly taught in secondary English classrooms. Each resource guide in the book includes critical commentary and information…

The Reader, the Text, the Poem: The Transactional Theory of the Literary Work.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenblatt, Louise M.

Transactional literary theory centers on the reader's contribution in the two-way relationship with the literary text, lifting the reader to a prominent, essential position along with the author and the text. It develops the premise that the reader evokes a literary work through selective attention to the details of the author's "paper and…

Literary Vouchers: Can They Work?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coda: Poets and Writers Newsletter, 1977

1977-01-01

Advocates and describes the use of vouchers as an incentive merchandising technique for books, poetry, and literary magazines. Available from: Poets and Writers Newsletter; Poets and Writers Inc.; 201 West 54 Street; New York, N.Y. 10019; Subscriptions: $5.00 a year; $1.25 single issues. (KS)

Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence in breeding pigs in Estonia.

PubMed

Santoro, Azzurra; Tagel, Maarja; Must, Kärt; Laine, Miia; Lassen, Brian; Jokelainen, Pikka

2017-12-11

Toxoplasma gondii is a widespread occurring parasite infecting warm-blooded animals, including pigs and humans. The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of anti-T. gondii antibodies and to evaluate risk factors for T. gondii seropositivity in breeding pigs raised in Estonia. Sera from 382 pigs were tested with a commercial direct agglutination test, using a cut-off titer of 40 for seropositivity, for the presence of anti-T. gondii immunoglobulin G antibodies. Twenty-two (5.8%) of the 382 pigs tested seropositive for T. gondii, and 6 of the 14 herds had at least one seropositive pig. The proportion of seropositive pigs within the herds ranged between 0 and 43%. Gender appeared as a significant factor, with sows having 5.6 times higher odds to be seropositive to T. gondii than boars. Seroprevalence did not increase with age. Anti-T. gondii antibodies were present in a substantial proportion of breeding pig herds in Estonia. On the other hand, the presence of herds without seropositive pigs illustrates that porcine T. gondii infections can be avoided even in a country where the parasite is endemic and common in several other host species.

Monitoring anonymous HIV testing in Estonia from 2005 to 2015.

PubMed

Rüütel, K; Kallavus, K; Tomera, I

2018-02-01

In Estonia, a network of anonymous and free of charge HIV testing sites has been operating since 1988. Services are provided by health care organizations and financed by the National Institute for Health Development from the state budget. The objective of this analysis was to assess anonymous HIV testing in Estonia from 2005 to 2015. We used data collected from the National Institute for Health Development's annual reports, Health Board and Estonian Health Insurance Fund. In Estonia, more than 200 000 HIV-tests are performed annually, and of these approximately 5-6% are within anonymous HIV testing sites. The percentage tested with rapid tests in anonymous testing sites has increased from 15% in 2010 to 53% in 2015. Furthermore, up to 65% of all newly diagnosed HIV-cases have been detected in these sites. The proportion of HIV-positive tests has decreased from 3.8% to 0.5% in anonymous testing sites and from 0.3% to 0.1% in general health care. Simultaneously, the cost of detecting one new HIV case has increased almost six times. This analysis reveals that anonymous HIV testing services are well accepted by the general population as well as vulnerable populations. The positivity rate among those tested in anonymous testing sites remains higher than among all people tested, showing that the sites reach more of those who are at higher risk of HIV. In the light of decreasing positivity rate, more attention should be paid to people with higher HIV risk and increasing access to testing in community based settings. © 2018 British HIV Association.

The Crime of Plagiarism: A Critique of Literary Property Law.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hatch, Gary Layne

Understanding the history of plagiarism may put scholars in a position to define plagiarism more precisely and to decide plagiarism disputes involving students and scholars more fairly. The origins of literary property are found in ritual and religious drama. In classical Greece and Rome, literary property began to hold some value for the author.…

"Heart of Darkness" Webquest: Using Technology To Teach Literary Criticism.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rozema, Robert

This paper shows how literary criticism can enrich the high school English classroom. Specifically, the paper focuses on how an Internet teaching tool called the WebQuest helped one educator's students learn about literary criticism and apply it to "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad. The WebQuest homepage defines a WebQuest as "an…

Exposure to High Fluoride Drinking Water and Risk of Dental Fluorosis in Estonia

PubMed Central

Indermitte, Ene; Saava, Astrid; Karro, Enn

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess exposure to drinking water fluoride and evaluate the risk of dental fluorosis among the Estonian population. The study covered all 15 counties in Estonia and 93.7% of population that has access to public water supplies. In Estonia groundwater is the main source for public water supply systems in most towns and rural settlements. The content of natural fluoride in water ranges from 0.01 to 7.20 mg/L. The exposure to different fluoride levels was assessed by linking data from previous studies on drinking water quality with databases of the Health Protection Inspectorate on water suppliers and the number of water consumers in water supply systems. Exposure assessment showed that 4% of the study population had excessive exposure to fluoride, mainly in small public water supplies in western and central Estonia, where the Silurian-Ordovician aquifer system is the only source of drinking water. There is a strong correlation between natural fluoride levels and the prevalence of dental fluorosis. Risk of dental fluorosis was calculated to different fluoride exposure levels over 1.5 mg/L. PMID:19440411

Organizational Learning of Higher Education Institutions: The Case of Estonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Voolaid, Karen; Ehrlich, Üllas

2017-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to measure the organizational learning in two of Estonia's Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and identify connections between the organizational learning and various characteristics of HEI, such as ownership form and market participation rate. Design/methodology/approach: Watkins and Marsick's learning organization…

Literary Studies: A Preparation for Tertiary Education (and Life Beyond)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zabka, Thomas

2016-01-01

My argument is that a literary education should build on a primary level of responsivity towards literature, involving empathy and immersion in the world of the text. To engage with literary works from the past involves a play between familiarity and strangeness, and this play should be located as part of a reader's response to texts, rather than…

SCHOOL MAGAZINE FUNDAMENTALS, AND THE OFFICIAL CSPA SCOREBOOKS FOR GENERAL, LITERARY, AND LITERARY-ART MAGAZINES.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

JOHNSON, EVE BUNNELL, ED.

THIS PUBLICATION OF THE COLUMBIA SCHOLASTIC PRESS ASSOCIATION (CSPA) EXPLAINS THE BASIC PRINCIPLES GOVERNING THE WRITING, PUBLISHING, AND MANAGEMENT OF A STUDENT MAGAZINE. IT CONTAINS SECTIONS ON EDITING AND MAKE-UP, CONTENT (LITERARY, EDITORIAL, AND FEATURE MATERIAL), SCHOOL ACTIVITIES, AND ADVERTISING. AN EXPLANATION OF MAGAZINE RATINGS AND THE…

Reading literary fiction improves theory of mind.

PubMed

Kidd, David Comer; Castano, Emanuele

2013-10-18

Understanding others' mental states is a crucial skill that enables the complex social relationships that characterize human societies. Yet little research has investigated what fosters this skill, which is known as Theory of Mind (ToM), in adults. We present five experiments showing that reading literary fiction led to better performance on tests of affective ToM (experiments 1 to 5) and cognitive ToM (experiments 4 and 5) compared with reading nonfiction (experiments 1), popular fiction (experiments 2 to 5), or nothing at all (experiments 2 and 5). Specifically, these results show that reading literary fiction temporarily enhances ToM. More broadly, they suggest that ToM may be influenced by engagement with works of art.

Adoption of National Curricula by Vocational Teachers in Estonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rekkor, Sirje; Ümarik, Meril; Loogma, Krista

2013-01-01

This article aims to study the adoption of national curricula by vocational teachers. In the paper, we review the process of vocational education and training curriculum reform in Estonia over the last 20 years, and, in particular, the introduction of national curricula. As teachers should be considered the key agents of curricular change, we look…

LITERARY TRANSLATION IN THE CLASSROOM.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

BROWN, CALVIN S.

LITERARY TRANSLATION IN THE CLASSROOM CAN PROVOKE DISCUSSION WITH GREAT PEDAGOGICAL VALUE EVEN THOUGH A DEFINITIVE TRANSLATION IS NOT THE GOAL. A VERSE FROM HORACE AND ONE FROM DU BELLAY ILLUSTRATE THE POSSIBLE CHOICES OF VOCABULARY AND PHRASING WHICH EVEN TWO RELATIVELY STRAIGHTFORWARD LINES PRESENT. AN ALERT TEACHER CAN BRING OUT SUBTLETIES OF…

[Eugenics, an element of the literary plots of dystopia].

PubMed

Baum, Ewa; Musielak, Michał

2007-01-01

The work presents the ideas and assumptions of eugenics, a social philosophy established in 1883 by Francis Galton, which affected the social policies of numerous European countries in the first half of the 20th century. The work shows the effect of eugenics on the literary standards of European prose in the previous century. Two outstanding dystopian novels of the 20th century, The Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and 1984 by George Orwell, situate eugenics as a permanent element of the literary plot of dystopia. Apart from the typical features of this type of novel, for example: personal narration with a trace of irony, a totalitarian state and Newspeak, eugenics is an important element of the literary plot with is aim to exclude and marginalise certain social groups. Eugenics is also one of the main social ideas criticised by both the writers.

Identification of literary movements using complex networks to represent texts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amancio, Diego Raphael; Oliveira, Osvaldo N., Jr.; da Fontoura Costa, Luciano

2012-04-01

The use of statistical methods to analyze large databases of text has been useful in unveiling patterns of human behavior and establishing historical links between cultures and languages. In this study, we identified literary movements by treating books published from 1590 to 1922 as complex networks, whose metrics were analyzed with multivariate techniques to generate six clusters of books. The latter correspond to time periods coinciding with relevant literary movements over the last five centuries. The most important factor contributing to the distinctions between different literary styles was the average shortest path length, in particular the asymmetry of its distribution. Furthermore, over time there has emerged a trend toward larger average shortest path lengths, which is correlated with increased syntactic complexity, and a more uniform use of the words reflected in a smaller power-law coefficient for the distribution of word frequency. Changes in literary style were also found to be driven by opposition to earlier writing styles, as revealed by the analysis performed with geometrical concepts. The approaches adopted here are generic and may be extended to analyze a number of features of languages and cultures.

Do Literary Studies Have an Ideology?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crews, Frederick

1970-01-01

Believes that capitalism exerts an ideologically biased influence on American literary scholarship. Shorter version of this article was presented at the 84th Annual Meeting of the Modern Language Association of America (MLA) in Denver, Colorado, December 27, 1969. (DS)

"And so Betwixt Them Both:" Taking Insights from Literary Analysis into Higher Education Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Frances

2013-01-01

This paper looks at ways in which methods used in literary analysis can contribute to higher education research. I start by describing a methodology commonly used in the analysis of literary texts, close reading or textual analysis, and outline how it can be utilised in conjunction with several theoretical approaches in the literary studies…

The Use of “Literary Fiction” to Promote Mentalizing Ability

PubMed Central

Mazza, Monica

2016-01-01

Empathy is a multidimensional process that incorporates both mentalizing and emotional sharing dimensions. Empathic competencies are important for creating interpersonal relationships with other people and developing adequate social behaviour. The lack of these social components also leads to isolation and exclusion in healthy populations. However, few studies have investigated how to improve these social skills. In a recent study, Kidd and Castano (2013) found that reading literary fiction increases mentalizing ability and may change how people think about other people’s emotions and mental states. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of reading literary fiction, compared to nonfiction and science fiction, on empathic abilities. Compared to previous studies, we used a larger variety of empathy measures and utilized a pre and post-test design. In all, 214 healthy participants were randomly assigned to read a book representative of one of three literary genres (literary fiction, nonfiction, science fiction). Participants were assessed before and after the reading phase using mentalizing and emotional sharing tests, according to Zaki and Ochsner’ s (2012) model. Comparisons of sociodemographic, mentalizing, and emotional sharing variables across conditions were conducted using ANOVA. Our results showed that after the reading phase, the literary fiction group showed improvement in mentalizing abilities, but there was no discernible effect on emotional sharing abilities. Our study showed that the reading processes can promote mentalizing abilities. These results may set important goals for future low-cost rehabilitation protocols for several disorders in which the mentalizing deficit is considered central to the disease, such as Autism Spectrum Disorders and Schizophrenia. PMID:27490164

U.S. National Certification in Literary Braille: History and Current Administration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, Edward

2010-01-01

This article reports on a certification examination for teachers of students with visual impairments--the National Literary Braille Competency Test (NLBCT). It discusses the history, development, pilot testing, and validation of NLBCT and the creation of the National Certification in Literary Braille. Data on the current administration of the test…

Stylistic Performance through Affective Marking: A Case of Multilingual Literary Discourse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chakravarty, Urjani

2016-01-01

This paper provides an overall analysis of how multi-lingual writer like Amitav Ghosh write about emotion in his literary text, and emphasize on how multilingual authors display emotion/affect through use of literary multilingualism (affective markers) combined with writer style. Through use of multiple strategies, they reduces the limitations of…

The Viability of Literary Texts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gambone, Kenneth Felix

This study explored whether or not there was an increase in understanding from one literary genre to another, whether or not this growth was apparent from one grade level to another, and whether the growth followed Northrop Frye's suggestion of order: romance, comedy, tragedy, and satire. The high school subjects were asked to read "Merchant of…

Prevalence of macrolide and fluoroquinolone resistance-mediating mutations in Mycoplasma genitalium in five cities in Russia and Estonia

PubMed Central

Shipitsyna, Elena; Rumyantseva, Tatiana; Golparian, Daniel; Khayrullina, Guzel; Lagos, Amaya C.; Edelstein, Inna; Joers, Kai; Jensen, Jörgen S.; Savicheva, Alevtina; Rudneva, Natalia; Sukhanova, Larisa; Kozlov, Roman; Guschin, Alexander

2017-01-01

Background and objective Resistance in the sexually transmitted bacterium Mycoplasma genitalium to all recommended therapeutic antimicrobials have rapidly emerged. However, to date, internationally reported resistance surveillance data for M. genitalium strains circulating in Eastern Europe are entirely lacking. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of macrolide and fluoroquinolone resistance-associated mutations in M. genitalium in four cities in Russia and one in Estonia, 2013–2016. Materials and methods Consecutive urogenital samples found positive for M. genitalium during diagnostic testing were retrospectively analyzed for resistance-associated mutations in the 23S rRNA and parC genes using pyrosequencing and conventional Sanger sequencing, respectively. Results In total, 867 M. genitalium positive samples from 2013–2016 were analyzed. Macrolide resistance-associated mutations were detected in 4.6% of the samples from Russia (0.7–6.8% in different cities) and in 10% of the samples from Estonia. The mutations A2059G and A2058G were highly predominating in both Russia and Estonia, accounting together for 90.9% of the cases positive for nucleotide substitutions in the 23S rRNA gene. The rates of possible fluoroquinolone resistance-associated mutations were 6.2% in Russia (2.5–7.6% in different cities) and 5% in Estonia. The mutations S83I and S83N were the most frequent ones in Russia (24.4% each), whereas D87N highly predominated in Estonia (83.3% of all fluoroquinolone resistance-associated mutations). Approximately 1% of the samples in both countries harbored both macrolide and possible fluoroquinolone resistance-associated mutations, with A2058G and S83I being the most frequent combination (37.5%). Conclusions The prevalence of macrolide and fluoroquinolone resistance-associated mutations in M. genitalium was 4.6% and 6.2%, respectively, in Russia, and 10% and 5%, respectively, in Estonia. Despite the relatively low rates of macrolide

Prevalence of macrolide and fluoroquinolone resistance-mediating mutations in Mycoplasma genitalium in five cities in Russia and Estonia.

PubMed

Shipitsyna, Elena; Rumyantseva, Tatiana; Golparian, Daniel; Khayrullina, Guzel; Lagos, Amaya C; Edelstein, Inna; Joers, Kai; Jensen, Jörgen S; Savicheva, Alevtina; Rudneva, Natalia; Sukhanova, Larisa; Kozlov, Roman; Guschin, Alexander; Unemo, Magnus

2017-01-01

Resistance in the sexually transmitted bacterium Mycoplasma genitalium to all recommended therapeutic antimicrobials have rapidly emerged. However, to date, internationally reported resistance surveillance data for M. genitalium strains circulating in Eastern Europe are entirely lacking. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of macrolide and fluoroquinolone resistance-associated mutations in M. genitalium in four cities in Russia and one in Estonia, 2013-2016. Consecutive urogenital samples found positive for M. genitalium during diagnostic testing were retrospectively analyzed for resistance-associated mutations in the 23S rRNA and parC genes using pyrosequencing and conventional Sanger sequencing, respectively. In total, 867 M. genitalium positive samples from 2013-2016 were analyzed. Macrolide resistance-associated mutations were detected in 4.6% of the samples from Russia (0.7-6.8% in different cities) and in 10% of the samples from Estonia. The mutations A2059G and A2058G were highly predominating in both Russia and Estonia, accounting together for 90.9% of the cases positive for nucleotide substitutions in the 23S rRNA gene. The rates of possible fluoroquinolone resistance-associated mutations were 6.2% in Russia (2.5-7.6% in different cities) and 5% in Estonia. The mutations S83I and S83N were the most frequent ones in Russia (24.4% each), whereas D87N highly predominated in Estonia (83.3% of all fluoroquinolone resistance-associated mutations). Approximately 1% of the samples in both countries harbored both macrolide and possible fluoroquinolone resistance-associated mutations, with A2058G and S83I being the most frequent combination (37.5%). The prevalence of macrolide and fluoroquinolone resistance-associated mutations in M. genitalium was 4.6% and 6.2%, respectively, in Russia, and 10% and 5%, respectively, in Estonia. Despite the relatively low rates of macrolide and fluoroquinolone resistance in these countries, antimicrobial resistance

Visual Images of Subjective Perception of Time in a Literary Text

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nesterik, Ella V.; Issina, Gaukhar I.; Pecherskikh, Taliya F.; Belikova, Oxana V.

2016-01-01

The article is devoted to the subjective perception of time, or psychological time, as a text category and a literary image. It focuses on the visual images that are characteristic of different types of literary time--accelerated, decelerated and frozen (vanished). The research is based on the assumption that the category of subjective perception…

Interdisciplinary Approach to Understanding Literary Texts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dossanova, Altynay Zh.; Ismakova, Bibissara S.; Tapanova, Saule E.; Ayupova, Gulbagira K.; Gotting, Valentina V.; Kaltayeva, Gulnar K.

2016-01-01

The primary purpose is the implementation of the interdisciplinary approach to understanding and the construction of integrative models of understanding literary texts. The interdisciplinary methodological paradigm of studying text understanding, based on the principles of various sciences facilitating the identification of the text understanding…

Queer and Trans-Themed Books for Young Readers: A Critical Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bittner, Robert; Ingrey, Jennifer; Stamper, Christine

2016-01-01

As research on transgender and gender nonconforming children and youth becomes increasingly prevalent in literary scholarship, educational possibilities arise for teachers of children's and young adult (YA) literature in various classroom settings. This article provides a brief history of literature for children and teens containing queer and…

Significance of action plans in the development of occupational well-being in the schools of Finland and Estonia.

PubMed

Laine, Sari; Saaranen, Terhi; Pertel, Tiia; Hansen, Siivi; Lepp, Kädi; Tossavainen, Kerttu

2016-02-01

This article is part of a long term project "Promoting the Occupational Well-Being of School Staff-Action Research Project in Finland and Estonia, 2009-2014." The purpose of this article is to describe the significance of action plans in the promotion of the occupational well-being of primary and upper secondary school staff in Finland and Estonia from 2010 to the turn of the year 2011-2012. An electronic open questionnaire was sent to occupational well-being groups in Finland (N=18) and in Estonia (N=39). In Finland, the questionnaire was responded to by 16 (n=16) occupational well-being groups, and in Estonia, by 38 (n=38) groups. The qualitative data were analyzed using the inductive-deductive method and content analysis. The obtained results indicate that the schools had named goals for action plans in all aspects of the promotion of occupational well-being in schools (worker and work, working conditions, professional competence, working community) and that these goals were mainly realized in the schools in a systematic way. Schools felt that the action plan for occupational well-being helped them to set goals for occupational well-being and that the planned actions were realized in a more systematic way than before. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Implementation of Pharmacy Competence Teaching in Estonia

PubMed Central

Volmer, Daisy; Sepp, Kristiina; Veski, Peep; Raal, Ain

2017-01-01

Background: The PHAR-QA, “Quality Assurance in European Pharmacy Education and Training”, project has produced the European Pharmacy Competence Framework (EPCF). The aim of this study was to evaluate the existing pharmacy programme at the University of Tartu, using the EPCF. Methods: A qualitative assessment of the pharmacy programme by a convenience sample (n = 14) representing different pharmacy stakeholders in Estonia. EPCF competency levels were determined by using a five-point scale tool adopted from the Dutch competency standards framework. Mean scores of competency levels given by academia and other pharmacy stakeholders were compared. Results: Medical and social sciences, pharmaceutical technology, and pharmacy internship were more frequent subject areas contributing to EPCF competencies. In almost all domains, the competency level was seen higher by academia than by other pharmacy stakeholders. Despite on-board theoretical knowledge, the competency level at graduation could be insufficient for independent professional practice. Other pharmacy stakeholders would improve practical implementation of theoretical knowledge, especially to increase patient care competencies. Conclusions: The EPCF was utilized to evaluate professional competencies of entry-level pharmacists who have completed a traditional pharmacy curriculum. More efficient training methods and involvement of practicing specialists were suggested to reduce the gaps of the existing pharmacy programme. Applicability of competence teaching in Estonia requires more research and collaborative communication within the pharmacy sector. PMID:28970430

Parallels between New Paradigms in Science and in Reading and Literary Theories.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weaver, Constance

Drawing upon research from a number of fields, this paper explores parallels between new paradigms in the sciences--particularly physics, chemistry, and biology--and new paradigms in reading and literary theory--particularly a socio- or psycholinguistic, semiotic, transactional view of reading and a transactional view of the literary experience.…

Superman Is Dead: How We Help Students Make Sense of Literary Characters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilmore, Barry

2012-01-01

In her book "Why Do We Care about Literary Characters?" Blakely Vermeule addresses the tendency of the academic establishment to dismiss affection for literary characters in favor of objective analysis, describing teachers with "the furrowed brow, the worried expression: responsible teachers [who] wean their students off their passion for literary…

Towards a Poetics of Literary Biography

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benton, Michael

2011-01-01

Writing biography, as writing any historical account, "involves the use of literary techniques and is subject to aesthetic requirements in both style and structure." Narrative, common to both historical and fictional writing, is the central theoretical concept; and understanding the nature of narrative in biography--a hybrid genre that is grounded…

Comparative Study: Impact of Family, School, and Students Factors on Students Achievements in Reading in Developed (Estonia) and Developing (Azerbaijan) Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shukakidze, Berika

2013-01-01

The work is based on PISA 2009 International Assessment Study. Two counties were selected: a developed country, Estonia and a developing country, Azerbaijan. The following Datum was used for statistical analysis: students average scores in reading (162 schools, 4 600 students from Azerbaijan; 17 schools, 4 923 students from Estonia). The work is…

Changing Classroom Practices: Resources for Literary and Cultural Studies. Refiguring English Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Downing, David B., Ed.

Offering models for what reconfigured literary and cultural studies classrooms might look like, this book suggests new directions for teachers of literary and cultural studies seeking to change their own classroom practices and curriculum designs in a time of significant cultural uncertainty. The 14 essays in the book are grounded in the…

Feminist Literary Criticism; Explorations in Theory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donovan, Josephine, Ed.

A collection of five essays (plus preface and afterword) by noted feminist critics, this book provides an overview of the existing body of feminist literary criticism in order to promote an understanding of the issues feminist critics are currently discussing among themselves and with other critics. A theoretical framework for understanding this…

Literary Fiction as a Tool for Teaching Social Theory and Critical Consciousness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weber, Christina D.

2010-01-01

In this paper, I discuss the possibilities that emerge from using literary fiction as a tool for teaching social theory and critical consciousness. Focusing on data from a social theory course I taught in fall 2007, along with my experiences teaching social theory, I evaluate the utility of utilizing literary fiction in the social theory…

Active Participation in the Literary Encounter.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Twining, James E.

A child's sense of involvement in story and desire to meaningfully experience literature must be sustained and promoted if the problem of "literacy" is to be resolved. Four activities, designed as a series of stages, can enhance the literary experience of children. The first activity is reading to children--exposing them to the language…

The Professional Foreign Language Teacher in Estonia: Students' and Principals' Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oder, Tuuli

2008-01-01

The Republic of Estonia as a typical country in transition is going through major changes in educational thinking. Global and European educational trends, together with local changes, the most important being a new state system, have resulted in changes in the concept of professional foreign language (FL) teaching. Common ground among various…

Literary Interpretation as Poetic Translation: Envisioning a Rancièrean Emancipatory Framework for Literature Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macaluso, Kati

2015-01-01

Although the aims of literary study have often been spelled out in ethical terms, scholars have tended to discuss the how of literary interpretation in more ethically neutral terms. Reading pedagogical enactments of two predominant theories of literary interpretation--New Criticism and reader response--through the lens of Rancièrean ethics, I…

Redefining Normal: A Critical Analysis of (Dis)ability in Young Adult Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curwood, Jen Scott

2013-01-01

This literary analysis examines constructions of normalcy and disability within contemporary young adult literature, including "Jerk," "California" (Friesen, 2008), "Marcelo in the Real World" (Stork, 2009), and "Five Flavors of Dumb" (John, 2010). As recent winners of the Schneider Family Book Award from the American Library Association, these…

Financing Estonia's unemployment insurance system: problems and prospects.

PubMed

Paas, T; Scannell, N J

2000-01-01

In recent years, favorable media coverage of the glowing employment situation in the United States has been the norm. History, for one, won't permit us, however, to become complacent with what appears on the books to be a rosy economic picture for the nation. Moreover, the mounting recognition that the U.S. economy is inextricably tied to those of other nations--large and small--serves to keep us vigilant. This paper allows us a comparative exploration of the employment conditions in Estonia and the problems and prospects of financing its unemployment insurance program.

The National Status of the Preparation of School Psychologists in Estonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kikas, Eve

2014-01-01

Estonia is a small republic that has undergone several big societal changes (from belonging to the Soviet Union to becoming a free republic, and the process of integrating into the European Union) during the last several decades. Psychology has been taught as a separate discipline starting from 1968, but its content has been changed from very…

Educational inequalities in self-rated health: whether post-socialist Estonia and Russia are performing better than 'Scandinavian' Finland.

PubMed

Vöörmann, Rein; Helemäe, Jelena

2015-03-01

The aim of the study is to analyse relationship between self-rated health (SRH) and education in post-socialist countries (Estonia and Russia) and in Finland, a Scandinavian country. Data from the 5th wave of the European Social Survey (ESS) carried out in 2010 were used. In particular, we used a sub-sample of the 25-69 years old. Two-step analysis was carried out: descriptive overview of relationship between SRH and education to assess the knowledge-related impact of education on SRH in pooled model for all three countries; and logistic regression analysis to evaluate separate models in each country. The prevalence of at-least-good health was the highest in Finland, Estonia occupied the second position and Russia the third. Knowledge-related educational inequalities were lower in Russia compared to Finland, while they were of similar magnitude in Estonia and Finland. Our expectations that knowledge-based inequalities are lower in post-socialist countries compared to a Scandinavian country turn to be true in case of Russia, not Estonia. Possible reasons for the expectations might be a lack of attention paid to educational inequalities in terms of access to social resources, competitiveness in the labour market and to what extent education provide a tool against uncertainty (preventing work- and unemployment-related stress). Series of comparative studies revealing links between certain institutional packages and (socio-economic and knowledge-related) educational inequalities seem to be of special relevance.

Introduction to Literary Criticism: "The Scarlet Letter."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawrence, Lisa

This course seeks to provide high school students the opportunity to sharpen their critical thinking skills and use of language through acquaintance with some ideas of literary criticism. The course features Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter," assuming that the students have just finished reading that American classic novel. The…

Explaining the Difference between PISA 2009 Reading Scores in Finland and Estonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mikk, Jaan

2015-01-01

The aim of the study was to explain the difference between the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2009 reading results for Finland and Estonia using characteristics of teaching and learning, and characteristics of the overall development of these countries. PISA data were collected via a reading test and student questionnaires…

Development of Indicators for Educational Planning: Brazil, Cambodia, Estonia, Gambia, Lithuania, Thailand.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Paris (France). International Inst. for Educational Planning.

This publication presents the outcomes of a distance education course on development and dissemination of indicators used for educational planning. The course took place from November 2000 to February 2001 and was attended by representatives from the ministries of education of Brazil, Cambodia, Estonia, Gambia, Lithuania, and Thailand. The overall…

Colonizing Bodies: Corporate Power and Biotechnology in Young Adult Science Fiction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guerra, Stephanie

2009-01-01

The American cultural and political landscape has seen changes on the level of seismic shifts in the past four decades, thanks in part to the two very diverse fields of big business and biotechnology. Linking the two arenas together in the literary landscape is a growing body of young adult science fiction that envisions a future shaped profoundly…

Helminthologic survey of the wolf (Canis lupus) in Estonia, with an emphasis on Echinococcus granulosus.

PubMed

Moks, E; Jõgisalu, I; Saarma, U; Talvik, H; Järvis, T; Valdmann, H

2006-04-01

Carcasses of 26 wolves were collected during the 2000/2001 and 2003/2004 hunting seasons and examined for helminths. Thirteen helminth species were recorded: one trematode (Alaria alata), seven cestodes (Diphyllobothrium latum, Mesocestoides lineatus, Taenia hydatigena, Taenia multiceps, Taenia ovis, Taenia pisiformis, and Echinococcus granulosus), and five nematode species (Uncinaria stenocephala, Toxascaris leonina, Toxocara canis, Trichinella nativa, and Trichinella britovi). The most common species were A. alata and U. stenocephala. Mature Echinococcus granulosus was found and described for the first time in Estonia, and its identity verified using PCR-RFLP analysis. Sequencing a fragment of the mitochondrial DNA NADH dehydrogenase 1 (mtND1) gene showed that the E. granulosus strain from Estonia was identical to strain G10, recently characterized in reindeer and moose in Finland.

Teaching Young Adult Literature: "Change" as an Interdisciplinary Theme: YA Literature in the Content Areas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bull, Kelly Byrne; Dulaney, Margaret; North-Coleman, Cheryl; Kaplan, Jeffrey; Stover, Lois

2013-01-01

"Teaching Young Adult Literature" describes innovative methods for engaging students in reading, writing, and discussing contemporary and classic literary texts written for adolescents. Centered around the concept of change, the authors present YA novels that span across various disciplines. Each book presented will help students…

Teaching Young Adult Literature Today: Insights, Considerations, and Perspectives for the Classroom Teacher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayn, Judith A., Ed.; Kaplan, Jeffrey S., Ed.

2012-01-01

"Teaching Young Adult Literature Today" introduces the reader to what is current and relevant in the plethora of good books available for adolescents. More importantly, literary experts illustrate how teachers everywhere can help their students become lifelong readers by simply introducing them to great reads--smart, insightful, and engaging books…

The Publishing Culture and the Literary Culture.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solotaroff, Ted

1984-01-01

Argues that traditional bridges between the literary culture and publishing culture have increasingly weakened in past decade. The publishing culture has become like that of big business, marked by effort to standardize product, distribution, and consumer, and the advent of bookstore chains has put into practice the mass-merchandising system.…

Influences on Students' Views on Religions and Education in England and Estonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neill, Sean; Schihalejev, Olga

2011-01-01

Structural modelling offers an overall pattern of relationships; this paper looks at differences in students' attitude structures between England and Estonia. Where different coherent sets of beliefs exist in a national sample, factor analysis, which focuses on sets of responses which differ between groups, should be able to separate them out.…

Estonian Language Competencies for Peace Corps Volunteers in the Republic of Estonia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ets, Tiina K.

This guide is designed for Estonian language training of Peace Corps workers in Estonia, is intended for use in a competency-based language training program, and reflects daily communication needs in that context. It consists of 52 lessons, each addressing a specific language competency, organized in 14 topical units. An introductory section gives…

Between Consumerism and Protectionism: Attitudes towards Children, Consumption and the Media in Estonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keller, Margit; Kalmus, Veronika

2009-01-01

This study measures attitudes towards children's vulnerability or empowerment within consumer culture, based on data from a representative population survey (N = 1475) conducted in Estonia in 2005. The study use indices comprised of assessments of consumption practices and assertions pertaining to the "endangered vs empowered child"…

Economic, Educational and Cultural Predictors of Science Learning in Lithuania and Estonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mikk, Jaan

2007-01-01

The aim of the research was to assess the economic, educational and cultural predictors of the TIMSS 2003 science test results in Lithuania and Estonia. The data for the research were received from the TIMSS 2003 User Guide for the International Database. The Spearman rank correlation coefficients, calculated on the students' level and the schools…

When Public Acts Like Private: The Failure of Estonia's School Choice Mechanism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poder, Kaire; Lauri, Triin

2014-01-01

This article aims to show the segregating effect of the market-like matching of students and schools at the basic school level. The natural experiment case is Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. The current school choice mechanism applied in this case is based on entrance tests. There are increasingly over-subscribed intra-catchment area public…

Will Choice Hurt? Compared to What? A School Choice Experiment in Estonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Põder, Kaire; Lauri, Triin

2014-01-01

This article presents the empirical analysis of the effects of a school choice policy in Estonia. The article shows that relying on markets and giving autonomy to the schools over student selection will produce admission tests, even at the elementary school level. This article's contribution is to show that a school choice policy experiment with…

Naughty or Not? : Exploring Controversial Content and Core Universal Themes in Contemporary Young Adult Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Bannion, Colette Marie

2010-01-01

A reader might assume contemporary society has progressed beyond literary censorship. However, as recently as 2008, the "Gossip Girl" and "Twilight" young adult literature series both faced challenges in distinct sectors of United States society (American Library Association (ALA), 2009: Martindale, 2008). A number of concerned…

Havelock Ellis's literary criticism, canon formation, and the heterosexual Shakespeare.

PubMed

Radel, Nicholas F

2009-01-01

Famous as the author of an early full-length scientific study of sexual inversion or homosexuality, English sexologist Havelock Ellis was also a literary critic responsible for initiating publication of the famous Mermaid Series of "The Best of Plays of the Old Dramatists" in the late-nineteenth century. Personally editing the first volume of plays by Christopher Marlowe and a later collection by tragedian John Ford, Ellis associated these playwrights here and in his scientific work, Sexual Inversion, with ideas about normative and so-called abnormal sexualities at the start of the twentieth century. Ellis, thus, helped give expression to a literary canon of early English dramatists in which modern, anachronistic ideas about sexual subjectivity play a part. While this article does not claim that Ellis was the necessary source for later criticism, it shows how, over the whole of the twentieth century, Shakespeare's priority in the literary canon came to be posited at least in part on his apparent sexual normality in contrast with a supposedly homosexual Christopher Marlowe and other playwrights such as Ford or Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher associated with varying degrees of sexual difference.

OUTSELVES Linked: Cultural Alienation in Literary Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gewaily, M.

2014-01-01

This article is a study of the relationship between the self and its others. It aims to reconsider the two major principles of relevance and context to present a human relationship between the art of communicative performance and the art of cognitive competence throughout some mental representations in literary performances. The article here draws…

Turning Ideologies inside Out: Developing Young Readers' Empathy for Critical Voices in Narrative Fiction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pereira, Íris Susana Pires; Campos, Ângela

2014-01-01

This article is located at the crossroads between two distinctive human traits, empathy and rational thought, with narrative emerging as a particularly powerful means to enable young readers to bring them together. Specifically, we discuss the role that critical literary exegesis plays in the development of empathic consciousness in literary…

The Relationship between Home Literary Environments and Attitudes toward Reading in Ninth-Grade Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kubis, Mary Ellen

A study determined what variables in the home literary environments of ninth-grade students influenced their attitudes toward reading. Subjects, 316 students from 2 ninth-grade classes at 2 metropolitan high schools, were given the Estes Reading Attitude Scale and a researcher-developed, 30-question inventory of their home literary environment.…

Reading Strategies and Literature Instruction: Teaching Learners to Generate Questions to Foster Literary Reading in the Second Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Urlaub, Per

2012-01-01

Reading and discussing literary texts in a second language (L2) is a significant component of intermediate and advanced level collegiate language education. However, in spite of more attention to the role of literary texts in L2 instruction, the function of reading strategy instruction to teaching literary reading in the L2 has remained…

Digital Fiction: "Unruly Object" or Literary Artefact?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allan, Cherie

2017-01-01

Is digital fiction worthy of serious consideration as a literary text and does it have a place in the English classroom, particularly in light of the establishment of a stand-alone Literature subject as part of the Years 11-12 English program in the Australian Curriculum? To answer these questions this paper briefly looks at the development and…

E-Learning as Innovation: Exploring Innovativeness of the VET Teachers' Community in Estonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loogma, Krista; Kruusvall, Juri; Umarik, Meril

2012-01-01

In this article, the acceptance of e-learning by teachers of vocational secondary and professional higher education institutions (hereafter: VET teachers) in Estonia has been analysed. The analysis is based on questionnaire study, carried out in 2007. The theoretical framework of the article has been inspired by Everett Rogers' innovation…

The recent economic recession and self-rated health in Estonia, Lithuania and Finland: a comparative cross-sectional study in 2004-2010.

PubMed

Reile, Rainer; Helakorpi, Satu; Klumbiene, Jurate; Tekkel, Mare; Leinsalu, Mall

2014-11-01

The late-2000s financial crisis had a severe impact on the national economies on a global scale. In Europe, the Baltic countries were among those most affected with more than a 20% decrease in per capita gross domestic product in 2008-2009. In this study, we explored the effects of economic recession on self-rated health in Estonia and Lithuania using Finland, a neighbouring Nordic welfare state, as a point of reference. Nationally representative cross-sectional data for Estonia (n=10 966), Lithuania (n=7249) and Finland (n=11 602) for 2004-2010 were analysed for changes in age-standardised prevalence rates of less-than-good self-rated health and changes in health inequalities using logistic regression analysis. The prevalence of less-than-good self-rated health increased slightly (albeit not statistically significantly) in all countries during 2008-2010. This was in sharp contrast to the statistically significant decline in the prevalence of less-than-good health in 2004-2008 in Estonia and Lithuania. Health disparities were larger in Estonia and Lithuania when compared to Finland, but decreased in 2008-2010 (in men only). In Finland, both the prevalence of less-than-good health and health disparities remained fairly stable throughout the period. Despite the rapid economic downturn, the short-term health effects in Estonia and Lithuania did not differ from those in Finland, although the recession years marked the end of the previous positive trend in self-rated health. The reduction in health disparities during the recession indicates that different socioeconomic groups were affected disproportionately; however, the reasons for this require further research. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Using "The Giving Tree" To Teach Literary Criticism.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Remler, Nancy Lawson

2000-01-01

Argues that introducing students to literary criticism while introducing them to literature boosts their confidence and abilities to analyze literature, and increases their interest in discussing it. Describes how the author, in her college-level introductory literature course, used Shel Silverstein's "The Giving Tree" (a children's…

Infant mortality gap in the Baltic region - Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania - in relation to macroeconomic factors in 1996-2010.

PubMed

Ebela, Inguna; Zile, Irisa; Ebela, Danute Razuka; Rozenfelde, Ingrida Rumba

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE. A constant gap has appeared in infant mortality among the 3 Baltic States - Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania - since the restoration of independence in 1991. The aim of the study was to compare infant mortality rates in all the 3 Baltic countries and examine some of the macro- and socioeconomic factors associated with infant mortality. MATERIAL AND METHODS. The data were obtained from international databases, such as World Health Organization and EUROSTAT, and the national statistical databases of the Baltic States. The time series data sets (1996-2010) were used in the regression and correlation analysis. RESULTS. In all the 3 Baltic States, a strong and significant correlation was found: Latvia (r=-0.81, P<0.01), Lithuania (r=-0.93, P<0.01), and Estonia (r=-0.91, P<0.01). There was also a correlation between infant mortality and healthcare expenditure in local currency per capita: Latvia (r=-0.81, P<0.01); Lithuania (r=-0.90, P<0.01) and Estonia (r=-0.88, P<0.01). In Latvia (r=0.87, P<0.01) and Estonia (r=0.70; P<0.01), a significant correlation between infant mortality and unemployment levels was observed from 1996 to 2008, whereas the statistical significance disappeared in the period from 1996 to 2010. In Lithuania, the relationship was not significant. CONCLUSIONS. Higher infant mortality rates and a less stable decreasing tendency in Latvia are apparently explained by less successful adaptation to a new political and economic situation and limited skills in adjusting the healthcare system to the reality of life.

Aesthetical Information Impact of a Literary Text.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malik, M. F.

The aim of this study was to explore the aesthetic impact of a literary text on the human mind and to extend the knowledge on how and when the information from a book enters the human brain, and if and when it starts to be processed and, possibly, memorized. Readers' responses to aesthetic texts were measured through a series of biometric…

Young Adult Literature in the Classroom: Reading It, Teaching It, Loving It.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elliott, Joan B., Ed.; Dupuis, Mary M., Ed.

Young adult (YA) literature, which is written for readers in grades 6-10, is a relatively new part of the literary spectrum. In the few decades it has been around, YA literature has developed a following among students, teachers, and librarians. This collection of 12 essays explores the reasons YA literature is so popular, and ways it can be used…

Edward Said's Worldliness, Amateurism and Heterotopia: Negotiating the Interdisciplinarity of Literary Theory, Canonicity, and Paradigm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abu-Shomar, Ayman

2016-01-01

Literary criticism nowadays is essentially crossing the boundaries of disciplinarity and canonicity where literary theory has increasingly been shaped by overlapping concepts and branching out of theories as well as whipping out the limitations imposed by theory itself. The post-conditions of contemporaneity have imposed a view of reading and…

Education Policy as Normative Discourse and Negotiated Meanings: Engaging the Holocaust in Estonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevick, E. Doyle

2010-01-01

This article uses a socio-cultural approach to analyze the formation and implementation of Estonia's Holocaust Day Policy, a day of both commemoration for victims of the Holocaust and other crimes against humanity, and education about the Holocaust. It investigates both the multi-level development of the policy in light of external pressure (from…

Daily chicken: the cultural transmission of bourgeois family values in adaptations of literary classics for children, 1850-1950.

PubMed

Parlevliet, Sanne

2011-01-01

Literature is a significant agent in the transmission of culture. Through literature expected behavior and patterns of life are passed on from generation to generation. The anticipated power of children's literature is even stronger. Socializing the target audience has always been one of its main aims. Consequently, books for children are governed by dominant social, cultural, and educational norms. This article explores the reciprocity between cultural transmission and the transmission of literature. It examines adaptations of international literary classics in their capacity of cultural intermediaries between old masterpieces and young audiences. Focusing on ways of transmitting family ideologies to children, the repository of Dutch adaptations of "Reynard the Fox," "Till Eulenspiegel," "Robinson Crusoe," and "Gulliver's Travels" serves as a case study.

Proliferative kidney disease (PKD) agent Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae in brown trout populations in Estonia.

PubMed

Dash, Megha; Vasemägi, Anti

2014-05-13

Proliferative kidney disease (PKD) caused by the myxozoan parasite Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae is a serious parasitic disease threatening both farmed and wild salmonid populations, but very little is currently known about the distribution of the parasite in the Baltic Sea region. In this study we (1) report the development of a novel multiplex PCR method for fast and reliable screening of T. bryosalmonae; (2) use this multiplex PCR method to show that the PKD agent T. bryosalmonae is widespread in natural brown trout Salmo trutta L. populations in Estonia; (3) evaluate monthly and yearly variation of T. bryosalmonae prevalence in juvenile trout; (4) assess T. bryosalmonae prevalence in different age-classes of fish (0+ vs. 1+ and older) and report the presence of the PKD agent in the kidneys of returning sea trout spawners; and (5) suggest the freshwater bryozoan Plumatella fungosa as a putative invertebrate host of T. bryosalmonae in Estonia. Our results demonstrate a highly heterogeneous distribution of T. bryosalmonae at the micro-geographic scale, indicating that PKD could have an important negative effect on recruitment in Estonian brown trout populations.

Literary Study, Measurement, and the Sublime: Disciplinary Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heiland, Donna, Ed.; Rosenthal, Laura J., Ed.

2011-01-01

This collection of essays, "Literary Study, Measurement, and the Sublime: Disciplinary Assessment," edited by Donna Heiland and Laura J. Rosenthal, represents an important new venture in the Foundation's communication program. The book is the product of many authors, including the editors, both of whom have written essays for it. But it…

Family- and Classroom-Related Factors and Mother-Kindergarten Teacher Trust in Estonia and Finland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kikas, Eve; Lerkkanen, Marja-Kristiina; Pakarinen, Eija; Poikonen, Pirjo-Liisa

2016-01-01

This study examined the role of family-related (mother's education, depressive symptoms and child's gender) and kindergarten-related (teacher's experience, teaching practices and class size) factors in mothers' and teachers' mutual trust in Estonia and Finland. Six hundred eighteen (206 Estonian and 412 Finnish) mothers of kindergarten children…

Rabies in Estonia: situation before and after the first campaigns of oral vaccination of wildlife with SAG2 vaccine bait.

PubMed

Niin, Enel; Laine, M; Guiot, A L; Demerson, J M; Cliquet, F

2008-07-04

Despite the extermination of stray animals and the compulsory vaccination of companion animals, rabies has been widely distributed over Estonia for more than 30 years. The red fox and the raccoon dog are the rabies virus reservoirs. Through a PHARE project, successive oral vaccination campaigns, using Rabidog SAG2 baits, were implemented in the autumn of 2005 in North Estonia, and in the spring and autumn 2006 throughout the whole territory. After the autumn 2005 campaign, 73.5% of the raccoon dogs and foxes were positive for the tetracycline biomarker. After the campaigns of 2006, the seroconversion rate for rabies virus was 64% in both species. After the vaccination campaigns of 2005 and 2006, the incidence of rabies cases dramatically decreased. Of the 97 cases diagnosed in the whole of Estonia until the end of May 2006, 16 cases (16.5%) occurred within the vaccinated area. Only 17 cases were diagnosed between 1 June and 31 December 2006. In 2007, by the end of May, only two rabies cases have been registered.

Writing Double: Women's Literary Partnerships. Reading Women Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

London, Bette

This book, the first full-length treatment of women's literary partnerships, goes to the heart of issues surrounding authorial identity. Questions the book addresses are: What is an author? Which forms of authorship are sanctioned and which forms marginalized? and Which of these forms have particularly attracted women? Such questions are central…

Radon in the soil air of Estonia.

PubMed

Petersell, Valter; Täht-Kok, Krista; Karimov, Mark; Milvek, Heli; Nirgi, Siim; Raha, Margus; Saarik, Krista

2017-01-01

Several investigations in Estonia during 1996¬-1999 have shown that permissible level (200 Bq/m 3 ) of radon (222Rn) in indoor air is exceeded in 33% of the inspected dwellings. This makes Estonia one of the five countries with highest radon risk in Europe (Fig 1). Due to correlation between the soil radon risk level and radon concentration in houses, small scale radon risk mapping of soil air was carried out (one study point per 70-100 km 2 ). It turned out that one-third of Estonian mainland has high radon risk potential, where radon concentration in soil air exceeds safe limit of 50 kBq/m 3 . In order to estimate radon content in soil air, two different methods developed in Sweden were used simultaneously. Besides measuring radon content from soil air at the depth of 80 cm with an emanometer (RnM), maximum potential content of radon in soil (RnG) was estimated based on the rate of eU (226Ra) concentration in soil, which was acquired by using gamma-ray spectrometer. Mapping and following studies revealed that simultaneously measured RnG and RnM in study points may often differ. To inspect the cause, several monitoring points were set up in places with different geological conditions. It appeared that unlike the RnG content, which remains close to average level in repeated measurements, the RnM content may differ more than three times periodically. After continuous observations it turned out that concentration of directly measured radon depended on various factors being mostly controlled by mineral composition of soil, properties of topsoil as well as different factors influencing aeration of soil. The results of Rn monitoring show that reliable level of radon risk in Estonian soils can only be acquired by using calculated Rn-concentration in soil air based on eU content and directly measured radon content of soil air in combination with interpreting specific geological and geochemical situations in the study points. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights

Narrativity and enaction: the social nature of literary narrative understanding

PubMed Central

Popova, Yanna B.

2014-01-01

This paper proposes an understanding of literary narrative as a form of social cognition and situates the study of such narratives in relation to the new comprehensive approach to human cognition, enaction. The particular form of enactive cognition that narrative understanding is proposed to depend on is that of participatory sense-making, as developed in the work of Di Paolo and De Jaegher. Currently there is no consensus as to what makes a good literary narrative, how it is understood, and why it plays such an irreplaceable role in human experience. The proposal thus identifies a gap in the existing research on narrative by describing narrative as a form of intersubjective process of sense-making between two agents, a teller and a reader. It argues that making sense of narrative literature is an interactional process of co-constructing a story-world with a narrator. Such an understanding of narrative makes a decisive break with both text-centered approaches that have dominated both structuralist and early cognitivist study of narrative, as well as pragmatic communicative ones that view narrative as a form of linguistic implicature. The interactive experience that narrative affords and necessitates at the same time, I argue, serves to highlight the active yet cooperative and communal nature of human sociality, expressed in the many forms than human beings interact in, including literary ones. PMID:25202286

Narrativity and enaction: the social nature of literary narrative understanding.

PubMed

Popova, Yanna B

2014-01-01

This paper proposes an understanding of literary narrative as a form of social cognition and situates the study of such narratives in relation to the new comprehensive approach to human cognition, enaction. The particular form of enactive cognition that narrative understanding is proposed to depend on is that of participatory sense-making, as developed in the work of Di Paolo and De Jaegher. Currently there is no consensus as to what makes a good literary narrative, how it is understood, and why it plays such an irreplaceable role in human experience. The proposal thus identifies a gap in the existing research on narrative by describing narrative as a form of intersubjective process of sense-making between two agents, a teller and a reader. It argues that making sense of narrative literature is an interactional process of co-constructing a story-world with a narrator. Such an understanding of narrative makes a decisive break with both text-centered approaches that have dominated both structuralist and early cognitivist study of narrative, as well as pragmatic communicative ones that view narrative as a form of linguistic implicature. The interactive experience that narrative affords and necessitates at the same time, I argue, serves to highlight the active yet cooperative and communal nature of human sociality, expressed in the many forms than human beings interact in, including literary ones.

Three Thousand Years of Continuity in the Maternal Lineages of Ancient Sheep (Ovis aries) in Estonia

PubMed Central

Rannamäe, Eve; Lõugas, Lembi; Speller, Camilla F.; Valk, Heiki; Maldre, Liina; Wilczyński, Jarosław; Mikhailov, Aleksandr; Saarma, Urmas

2016-01-01

Although sheep (Ovis aries) have been one of the most exploited domestic animals in Estonia since the Late Bronze Age, relatively little is known about their genetic history. Here, we explore temporal changes in Estonian sheep populations and their mitochondrial genetic diversity over the last 3000 years. We target a 558 base pair fragment of the mitochondrial hypervariable region in 115 ancient sheep from 71 sites in Estonia (c. 1200 BC–AD 1900s), 19 ancient samples from Latvia, Russia, Poland and Greece (6800 BC–AD 1700), as well as 44 samples of modern Kihnu native sheep breed. Our analyses revealed: (1) 49 mitochondrial haplotypes, associated with sheep haplogroups A and B; (2) high haplotype diversity in Estonian ancient sheep; (3) continuity in mtDNA haplotypes through time; (4) possible population expansion during the first centuries of the Middle Ages (associated with the establishment of the new power regime related to 13th century crusades); (5) significant difference in genetic diversity between ancient populations and modern native sheep, in agreement with the beginning of large-scale breeding in the 19th century and population decline in local sheep. Overall, our results suggest that in spite of the observed fluctuations in ancient sheep populations, and changes in the natural and historical conditions, the utilisation of local sheep has been constant in the territory of Estonia, displaying matrilineal continuity from the Middle Bronze Age through the Modern Period, and into modern native sheep. PMID:27732668

Do alcohol excise taxes affect traffic accidents? Evidence from Estonia.

PubMed

Saar, Indrek

2015-01-01

This article examines the association between alcohol excise tax rates and alcohol-related traffic accidents in Estonia. Monthly time series of traffic accidents involving drunken motor vehicle drivers from 1998 through 2013 were regressed on real average alcohol excise tax rates while controlling for changes in economic conditions and the traffic environment. Specifically, regression models with autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) errors were estimated in order to deal with serial correlation in residuals. Counterfactual models were also estimated in order to check the robustness of the results, using the level of non-alcohol-related traffic accidents as a dependent variable. A statistically significant (P <.01) strong negative relationship between the real average alcohol excise tax rate and alcohol-related traffic accidents was disclosed under alternative model specifications. For instance, the regression model with ARIMA (0, 1, 1)(0, 1, 1) errors revealed that a 1-unit increase in the tax rate is associated with a 1.6% decrease in the level of accidents per 100,000 population involving drunk motor vehicle drivers. No similar association was found in the cases of counterfactual models for non-alcohol-related traffic accidents. This article indicates that the level of alcohol-related traffic accidents in Estonia has been affected by changes in real average alcohol excise taxes during the period 1998-2013. Therefore, in addition to other measures, the use of alcohol taxation is warranted as a policy instrument in tackling alcohol-related traffic accidents.

Learning and Developing as a University Teacher: Narratives of Early Career Academics in Estonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Remmik, Marvi; Karm, Mari; Lepp, Liina

2013-01-01

In recent years the higher education context in Estonia, as in most European countries, has changed a lot. All changes have an impact on university teachers' practice and their work organisation, and are presenting new challenges. The current research aims at developing an understanding of Estonian early career academics' professional identity by…

Multilayered Perspectives on Language Policy in Higher Education: Finland, Estonia, and Latvia in Comparison

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soler-Carbonell, Josep; Saarinen, Taina; Kibbermann, Kerttu

2017-01-01

This article analyses language policies in higher education (HE) in Finland, Estonia, and Latvia, as well as the European Union (EU). We take a multilayered approach to language policies in order to illuminate the intertwined nature of local, national, and international language policies in HE. We are particularly interested in the construction of…

Literary Origins of the Term "School Psychologist" Revisited

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fagan, Thomas K.

2005-01-01

Previous research on the literary origins of the term "school psychologist" is revisited, and conclusions are revised in light of new evidence. It appears that the origin of the term in the American literature occurred as early as 1898 in an article by Hugo Munsterberg, predating the usage by Wilhelm Stern in 1911. The early references to the…

An Examination of the Flynn Effect in the National Intelligence Test in Estonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shiu, William

2012-01-01

This study examined the Flynn Effect (FE; i.e., the rise in IQ scores over time) in Estonia from Scale B of the National Intelligence Test using both classical test theory (CTT) and item response theory (IRT) methods. Secondary data from two cohorts (1934, n = 890 and 2006, n = 913) of students were analyzed, using both classical test theory (CTT)…

Performing an Archive of Resistance: Challenging Normative Life Narratives through Literary Reading and Memoir Writing Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robson, Claire; Sumara, Dennis; Luce-Kapler, Rebecca

2011-01-01

This research explores the ways in which normative structures organize experiences and representations of identities. It reports on two groups, one in which the members identified as rural and heterosexual and the other as urban and lesbian. Both participated in literary reading and response practices organized by a literary anthropological…

Exploring the Role of Migrants in Transnational Occupational Learning Processes in Estonia-Finland Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alenius, Pauliina

2016-01-01

The aim of the study was to examine the role of migrants in cross-border learning in occupational contexts. The research data included 78 semi-structured and 20 life-course interviews with people who had migrated from Estonia to Finland or who were transmigrating between these countries. The interview data were analysed qualitatively through a…

Trends in self-rated health and association with socioeconomic position in Estonia: data from cross-sectional studies in 1996-2014.

PubMed

Põld, Mariliis; Pärna, Kersti; Ringmets, Inge

2016-12-08

Self-rated health (SRH) and socioeconomic position (SEP) as important determinants of health differences are associated with health and economic changes in society. The objectives of this paper were (1) to describe trends in SRH and (2) to analyze associations between SRH and SEP among adults in Estonia in 1996-2014. The study was based on a 25-64-year-old subsample (n = 18757) of postal cross-sectional surveys conducted every second year in Estonia during 1990-2014. SRH was measured using five-point scale and was dichotomized to good and less-than-good. Standardized prevalence of SRH was calculated for each study year. Poisson regression with likelihood ratio test was performed for testing trends of SRH over study years. Age, nationality, marital status, education, work status and income were used to determine SEP. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess association between SRH and SEP. The prevalence of dichotomized good self-rated health increased significantly over the whole study period with slight decrease in 2008-2010. Until 2002, good SRH was slightly more prevalent among men, but after that, among women. Good SRH was significantly associated with younger age, higher education and income and also with employment status among both, men and women. Good SRH was more prevalent among Estonian women and less prevalent among single men. There was a definite increase of good SRH over two decades in Estonia following economic downturn between 2008 and 2010. Good SRH was associated with higher SEP over the study period. Further research is required to study the possible reasons behind increase of good SRH, and it's association with SEP among adults in Estonia.

Wikipedia in Promoting Science Literary Skills in Primary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Menon, Sunitha; Alias, Norlidah; DeWitt, Dorothy

2014-01-01

In learning Science, online environments allowing for user generated content are becoming increasingly important since they offer possibilities for learners to elaborate on assignments and projects. This study investigates how Wikipedia can serve as a means for enhancing science literary skills when students are encouraged to participate in…

How Do Preschool Children Engage Each Other in Dialogue in Finland, Estonia and Sweden?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tryggvason, Marja-Terttu; Tulviste, Tiia; De Geer, Boel

2008-01-01

The present study compares preschool children in Finland, Estonia and Sweden regarding linguistic structures with which children in dyads elicited talk from each other in a naturalistic play activity. Nineteen Finnish (mean age 5.1), 19 Estonian (mean age 5.4) and 17 Swedish (mean age 5.1) same-sex pairs were video-recorded by a native researcher.…

Literary Translation as a Tool for Critical Language Planning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mooneeram, Roshni

2013-01-01

This paper argues that Dev Virahsawmy, an author who manipulates literary translation for the purposes of linguistic prestige formation and re-negotiation, is a critical language-policy practitioner, as his work fills an important gap in language planning scholarship. A micro-analysis of the translation of a Shakespearean sonnet into Mauritian…

Biocybernetic Approach to the Analysis of a Literary Text.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malik, M. F.

Presented as a contribution to the discussion on aesthetic stimulation, the role of imagination, and the identity of specific aesthetic stimuli and their relative intensity within a given microcontext, this paper proposes the application of biometric tests to monitor readers' physiological responses to selected literary texts as a precedent for…

Five Contemporary Novelists' Views of Growing Up Turkish in the 1980s: A Literary Sociology. Occasional Papers. Turkish Studies Series Number Five.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stone, Frank Andrews

Literary sociology is a multifaceted process of analyzing texts. It moves beyond traditional literary criticism to incorporate such varied approaches as: appreciating literary schemata; textual analysis; seeking form, sound, and content regularities; examining the lasting values of the work; and contemplating the reader's own authentic life-world…

United in Diversity: Using Multicultural Young Adult Literature in the Classroom. Classroom Practices in Teaching English, Volume 29.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Jean E., Ed.; Stephens, Elaine C., Ed.

Addressing the complexity of the question of multicultural literature in the classroom, this anthology of 27 articles includes: contemplations by seven award-winning writers of young adult (YA) literature on the subject of diversity; a resource section that describes over 200 literary works and lists 50 reference tools to help teachers stay…

Scholarly Appraisals of Literary Works Taught in High Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunning, Stephen, Ed.; Sams, Henry W., Ed.

Critical essays on eight literary works--four from the conventional literature curriculum and four less widely taught--are collected in this publication. Each o f the four standard selections--"Great Expectations,""Julius Caesar,""The Scarlet Letter," and "Macbeth"--is treated in two essays and a bibliography; and each of the less widely taught…

Measuring large scale space perception in literary texts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossi, Paolo

2007-07-01

A center and radius of “perception” (in the sense of environmental cognition) can be formally associated with a written text and operationally defined. Simple algorithms for their computation are presented, and indicators for anisotropy in large scale space perception are introduced. The relevance of these notions for the analysis of literary and historical records is briefly discussed and illustrated with an example taken from medieval historiography.

University Studies as a Side Job: Causes and Consequences of Massive Student Employment in Estonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beerkens, Maarja; Magi, Eve; Lill, Liis

2011-01-01

Student employment is increasingly common in many countries. Compared to earlier decades, not only more students work but they also work longer hours. Among European countries Estonia is one of the clear "leaders" in student employment. This study uses survey data from 2,496 students in Estonian public and private universities to examine…

Sociocultural Aspects of Russian-Speaking Parents' Choice of Language of Instruction for Their Children in Estonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kemppainen, Raija Pini; Ferrin, Scott Ellis; Hite, Steven J.; Hilton, Sterling C.

2008-01-01

The present research was undertaken to identify sociocultural variables that influence whether Russian-speaking parents living in Estonia choose Russian, Estonian, or bilingual (Russian and Estonian) instruction for their children. To examine which sociocultural variables are related to parents' choice of language of instruction, 346…

Measuring Literary Reading Motivation: Questionnaires Design and Pilot Testing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chrysos, Michail

2017-01-01

This study aims to present the design and pilot testing procedures of the two specific self-report questionnaires were used to measure the two key aspects of reading motivation, self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation in the field of literary (narrative) reading, and the partial factors that jointly shape them. These instruments were outlined in…

Close Reading of Literary Nonfiction: The Three-Column Journal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McConn, Matthew

2018-01-01

The Common Core State Standards have placed more emphasis on the close reading of all texts, and have made a point of increasing the use of nonfiction in secondary English classrooms. In this article, the author describes an approach for implementing close reading of literary nonfiction. The approach comes from a small-scale classroom-based…

The Science of Pedagogy in Soviet Estonia (1944-1991): Resilience in the Face of Adversity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rõuk, Vadim; van der Walt, Johannes L.; Wolhuter, Charl C.

2018-01-01

This article examines how education unfolded as a science in Estonia in the period 1944-1991, i.e. from the second Soviet occupation to the fall of the USSR. Historical analysis of the way prominent scholars and institutions succeeded in overcoming the adverse conditions of that period is conducted by viewing their respective contributions through…

Why is a "Good Abortion Law" Not Enough? The Case of Estonia.

PubMed

Oja, Liiri

2017-06-01

There are various ways to critically discuss abortion. Constructing or finding the most suitable analytical framework-whether rooted in legal formalism, socio-legal considerations, or comparativism-always depends on the country of subject and whether the analysis is for litigation, advocacy, or more theoretical purposes. This paper offers a model for analyzing abortion in Estonia in order to connect it as a thought-provoking case study to the ongoing transnational abortion discussions. I set out by describing the Estonian Abortion Act as a "good abortion law": a regulation that guarantees in practice women's legal access to safe abortion. Despite this functioning law, I carve a space for criticism by expanding the conversation to the broader power relations and gender dynamics present in Estonian society. Accordingly, I explain the state of the Estonian feminist movement and gender research, the local legal community's minimal engagement with the reproductive rights discourse, and the lingering Soviet-era narratives of reproduction and health, which were not fully extinguished by the combination of human rights commitments and neoliberalism upon restoration of independence in the early 1990s. I consequently show that Estonia's liberal abortion regulation is not grounded in a sufficiently deep understanding of human rights-based approaches to reproductive health, therefore leaving the door open for micro-aggressions toward women and for conservative political winds to gain ground.

A rapid situation assessment of the market for surrogate and illegal alcohols in Tallinn, Estonia.

PubMed

Pärna, Kersti; Lang, Katrin; Raju, Kadi; Väli, Marika; McKee, Martin

2007-01-01

To understand the phenomenon of consumption of surrogate and illegal alcohols in Tallinn, capital of Estonia. This study, conducted in Tallinn in May 2006, used rapid situation assessment. Interviews with key informants in relevant settings such as emergency departments of hospitals, accommodation for the homeless, police etc. (n = 22), with alcohol abusers (n = 33), natural observations of surrogate sale and consumption venues (n = 46), and tracking of trade data were carried out. Key informants confirmed that consumption of illegal and surrogate alcohols are widely used by alcohol abusers, a finding confirmed by the alcohol abusers. Availability of surrogates varied by area of the city, mainly sold from street kiosks. Illegally produced spirits were also easily available. Sales of surrogates appear to have increased in recent years. A range of alcohol-containing substances that appear to be easily available at low cost, and that have high concentration of ethanol or contaminants known to be toxic, were identified in Tallinn. Alcohol policies in Estonia should address the consumption and availability of these substances.

Differential Effects of Linguistic Imperialism on Second Language Learning: Americanisation in Puerto Rico Versus Russification in Estonia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clachar, Arlene

1998-01-01

Explores how Americanization and Russification differed in terms of their imperialist language policies and how these policies led two colonialized societies, Puerto Rico and Estonia, to respond in dramatically different ways to the pressures to learn English and Russian respectively. (Author/VWL)

Here, There, and Everywhere: The United States Board on Books for Young People Cites 40 International Books for Its 2011 Honor List

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poe, Elizabeth

2011-01-01

Literary journeys expand readers' intellectual and emotional worlds, helping them gain understanding of global situations and insight into the human condition. The "here" they know becomes broader through outstanding international literature. When choosing books for the 2011 United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY)…

The effects of the lower ignition propensity cigarettes standard in Estonia: time-series analysis.

PubMed

Saar, Indrek

2018-02-01

In 2011, the lower ignition propensity (LIP) standard for cigarettes was implemented in the European Union. Evidence about the impact of that safety measure is scarce. The aim of this paper is to examine the effects of the LIP standard on fire safety in Estonia. The absolute level of smoking-related fire incidents and related deaths was modelled using dynamic time-series regression analysis. The data about house fire incidents for the 2007-2013 period were obtained from the Estonian Rescue Board. Implementation of the LIP standard has reduced the monthly level of smoking-related fires by 6.2 (p<0.01, SE=1.95) incidents and by 26% (p<0.01, SE=9%) when estimated on the log scale. Slightly weaker evidence was found about the fatality reduction effects of the LIP regulation. All results were confirmed through counterfactual models for non-smoking-related fire incidents and deaths. This paper indicates that implementation of the LIP cigarettes standard has improved fire safety in Estonia. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Programmed Course in Modern Literary Arabic Phonology and Script.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarus, Ernest; Rammuny, Raji

Three sets of instructional materials for the teaching of Arabic phonology and script have been prepared on the basis of studies of (1) the phonologies of American English and Modern Literary Arabic (MLA), (2) the MLA writing system, and (3) the vocabularies of 11 Arabic textbooks used in the United States. The effectiveness of these materials was…

Factors That Influence Students' Motivation to Start and to Continue Studying Information Technology in Estonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kori, Külli; Pedaste, Margus; Altin, Heilo; Tõnisson, Eno; Palts, Tauno

2016-01-01

Despite the high competition for places to study curricula related to information technology (IT) at the higher education level in Estonia, a large number of IT students drop out. Therefore, it is important to explore what influences students to start studying IT and what influences them to persist with their degree program. In this study, data…

Literature as a Network: Creative-Writing Scholarship in Literary Magazines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Harriett E.

2014-01-01

With the increase in undergraduate and graduate programs for creative writing at institutions of higher education in North America, literary journals and magazines now serve as leading scholarly publishing outlets and research resources for creative-writing faculty and students. This study analyzes ten years of citations from nineteen leading…

Space and Place and the "American" Legacy: Female Protagonists and the Discovery of Self in Two Novels for Young Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glenn, Wendy J.

2017-01-01

This qualitative literary analysis explores the intersection of place, space, and identity in two novels for young adults to explore how the provision of a new physical place provides space for independence development among female teen protagonists and the implications of this development given the authors' identities as non-US authors writing…

Russian in Estonia's Public Sector: "Playing on the Borderline" between Official Policy and Real-Life Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berezkina, Maimu

2017-01-01

This article examines the use of Russian in state communication in officially monolingual Estonia. Drawing on interviews with high-level public employees in four central state institutions and an analysis of these institutions' websites, the article shows that while Russian is not specifically mentioned in the laws, it is "de facto"…

Activist Literacies: Validating Aboriginality through Visual and Literary Identity Texts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montero, M. Kristiina; Bice-Zaugg, Cassandra; Marsh, Makwa Oshkwenh-Adam Cyril John; Cummins, Jim

2013-01-01

Framed at the intersection of activist and Indigenous research methodologies, this article explores the way two First Nations senior high school students made sense of their visual and literary identity texts (Cummins & Early, 2011). An Ojibwe artist-in-residence at an urban secondary school in southwestern Ontario and a university-based…

Walking through the Revolution: A Spatial Reading of Literary Echoes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Queiroz, Ana Isabel; Alves, Daniel

2015-01-01

This paper presents an embryo of a literary guide on the Carnation Revolution to be explored for educational historical excursions other than leisure and tourism. We propose a historical trail through the centre of Lisbon, city of the Carnation Revolution, called "Walk through the Revolution." The trail aims to reinforce collective…

Aesthetic Creativity: Insights from Classical Literary Theory on Creative Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hellstrom, Tomas Georg

2011-01-01

This paper addresses the subject of textual creativity by drawing on work done in classical literary theory and criticism, specifically new criticism, structuralism and early poststructuralism. The question of how readers and writers engage creatively with the text is closely related to educational concerns, though they are often thought of as…

Bilingual Voicing: A Study of Code-Switching in the Reported Speech of Finnish Immigrants in Estonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frick, Maria; Riionheimo, Helka

2013-01-01

Through a conversation analytic investigation of Finnish-Estonian bilingual (direct) reported speech (i.e., voicing) by Finns who live in Estonia, this study shows how code-switching is used as a double contextualization device. The code-switched voicings are shaped by the on-going interactional situation, serving its needs by opening up a context…

Literary Genres in Poetic Texts from the Dead Sea Scrolls

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pickut, William Douglas

2017-01-01

Among the texts of the Dead Sea Scrolls, there are four literary compositions that bear the superscriptional designations shir and mizmor. These designations correspond directly to superscriptional designations provided many times in both the now-canonical Psalter and the various witnesses to those texts unearthed at Qumran. On its face, this fact…

A Study of Biography as a Literary Form for Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, M. Iona

This study examined children's literature and the development of biography intended for juvenile readers. The writer assembled a list of characteristics of writing for children, reviewed the growth of biography as a literary form, and noted the difference between biography written for the child audience and that intended for adults. Qualities were…

Do Treatment Policies for Proximal Humerus Fractures Differ among Three Nordic Countries and Estonia? Results of a Survey Study.

PubMed

Launonen, A P; Lepola, V; Laitinen, M; Mattila, V M

2016-09-01

Proximal humerus fractures are common fragility injuries. The incidence of these fractures has been estimated to be 82-105 per 105 person-years. Treatment of this fracture, especially in the elderly, is controversial. Our study group published a systematic review of the available literature and concluded that non-operative methods are favored over operative methods in three- and four-part fractures. The aim of this multinational study was to compare treatment policies for proximal humerus fractures among the Nordic countries and Estonia. The study was conducted as a questionnaire-based survey, using the Internet-based program, Webropol(®) (webropol.com). The questionnaire link was sent to the surgeons responsible for treating proximal humerus fractures in major public hospitals in Estonia, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Questionnaire included questions regarding the responder's hospital, patient characteristics, and examinations taken before decision making. Clinical part included eight example patient cases with treatment options. Of the 77 recipients of the questionnaire, 59 responded; consequently, the response rate was 77%. Based on the eight presented displaced fracture examples, in both Estonia and Norway and in Finland, 41% and 38%, respectively, preferred surgical treatment with locking plate. In Sweden, the percentage was 28%. The pre- and post-operative protocols showed a similarity in all participant countries. Our survey revealed a remarkable uniformity in the current practice of operative treatments and rehabilitation for proximal humerus fractures in the participant countries. © The Finnish Surgical Society 2016.

Tuberculosis knowledge among injecting drug users visiting syringe exchange programme in Tallinn, Estonia.

PubMed

Rüütel, Kristi; Parker, R David; Sobolev, Igor; Loit, Helle-Mai

2012-12-01

The purpose of the current study was to describe tuberculosis (TB) knowledge, beliefs, and experience with TB services among injecting drug users. Participants for this anonymous, cross-sectional study were recruited from a community based syringe exchange programme in Tallinn, Estonia. A structured questionnaire was completed and included information on socio-demographics, health history, drug use, and knowledge about TB and HIV. The study included 407 people (79% male, mean age 27.9 years, mean injection drug use 9.4 years). 32.9% of participants reported HIV infection and 1.7% lifetime history of TB. 26.4% participants (n=106) reported symptoms suggestive of TB. 93% of participants recognized correctly that TB is air-borne infection and 91% that HIV is a risk factor for TB. Only 40% of the participants knew that TB diagnostics and treatment in Estonia are free of charge for everybody and 58% reported they knew where to get health care services in case they suspected that they had TB. TB transmission and treatment adherence knowledge was better among those in contact with either health care or harm reduction services, e.g the community based syringe exchange programme. Similar to HIV services, TB prevention and education should be integrated into harm reduction and drug treatment programmes to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment of TB among injecting drug users.

Preschool Achievement in Finland and Estonia: Cross-Cultural Comparison between the Cities of Helsinki and Tallinn

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ojala, Mikko; Talts, Leida

2007-01-01

Each child In Finland and in Estonia receives preschool training for a year before going to school, based on a new national framework curriculum of preschool education. The aim of the present study was to compare children's learning achievements in nine target areas, based on the teacher's evaluations at the end of the preschool year, in both…

Attitudes towards Literary Tamil and Standard Spoken Tamil in Singapore

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saravanan, Vanithamani

2007-01-01

This is the first empirical study that focused on attitudes towards two varieties of Tamil, Literary Tamil (LT) and Standard Spoken Tamil (SST), with the multilingual state of Singapore as the backdrop. The attitudes of 46 Singapore Tamil teachers towards speakers of LT and SST were investigated using the matched-guise approach along with…

A Model for Teaching Literary Analysis Using Systemic Functional Grammar

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCrocklin, Shannon; Slater, Tammy

2017-01-01

This article introduces an approach that middle-school teachers can follow to help their students carry out linguistic-based literary analyses. As an example, it draws on Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) to show how J.K. Rowling used language to characterize Hermione as an intelligent female in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."…

Poetic Signs of Third Place: A Case Study of Student-Driven Imitation in a Shelter for Young Homeless People in Copenhagen

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthiesen, Christina

2014-01-01

During a series of writing workshops at a shelter for young homeless people in Copenhagen, I examined to what extent the literary practice of student-driven imitation with its emphasis on self-governance and a dialogical approach can engage marginalized learners in reading and writing. I found that student-driven imitation had the potential to…

Literary Fiction Influences Attitudes Toward Animal Welfare

PubMed Central

Pawłowski, Bogusław; Sorokowski, Piotr

2016-01-01

Literary fiction has been credited with considerable power to improve attitudes toward outgroups. It was even argued that it has been an important factor behind the global decline of violence against various minorities in the last centuries. Could it also help to reduce the human-inflicted suffering of animals? To test this, we studied the attitude toward animal welfare of n = 921 (experimental group) people of both sexes who read a short fragment of an unpublished novel with a motif of the physical abuse of an animal. The control group (n = 912) read a fragment of a similar length but not related to animals. After reading the text all subjects filled out an on-line questionnaire with seven items (camouflaged among many others items) measuring attitudes toward animal welfare. The questionnaire included also demographical questions, such as whether the subject keeps pets. We found that in comparison with the control group, the experimental group was significantly more concerned about animal welfare. This result indicates that literary fiction can influence attitudes toward other species. It is also worth noting that our study is characterized by a high level of ecological validity, i.e. a relatively high extent to which its results can be generalized (or extended) to real-world settings. Due to its specific design, which involved the cooperation of a bestselling author and his publisher, the study approximated the typical conditions in which people read fiction in a remarkably accurate way. Finally, our research has potential practical implications for promoting animal welfare. PMID:28006033

Literary Fiction Influences Attitudes Toward Animal Welfare.

PubMed

Małecki, Wojciech; Pawłowski, Bogusław; Sorokowski, Piotr

2016-01-01

Literary fiction has been credited with considerable power to improve attitudes toward outgroups. It was even argued that it has been an important factor behind the global decline of violence against various minorities in the last centuries. Could it also help to reduce the human-inflicted suffering of animals? To test this, we studied the attitude toward animal welfare of n = 921 (experimental group) people of both sexes who read a short fragment of an unpublished novel with a motif of the physical abuse of an animal. The control group (n = 912) read a fragment of a similar length but not related to animals. After reading the text all subjects filled out an on-line questionnaire with seven items (camouflaged among many others items) measuring attitudes toward animal welfare. The questionnaire included also demographical questions, such as whether the subject keeps pets. We found that in comparison with the control group, the experimental group was significantly more concerned about animal welfare. This result indicates that literary fiction can influence attitudes toward other species. It is also worth noting that our study is characterized by a high level of ecological validity, i.e. a relatively high extent to which its results can be generalized (or extended) to real-world settings. Due to its specific design, which involved the cooperation of a bestselling author and his publisher, the study approximated the typical conditions in which people read fiction in a remarkably accurate way. Finally, our research has potential practical implications for promoting animal welfare.

Does a single session of reading literary fiction prime enhanced mentalising performance? Four replication experiments of Kidd and Castano (2013).

PubMed

Samur, Dalya; Tops, Mattie; Koole, Sander L

2018-02-01

Prior experiments indicated that reading literary fiction improves mentalising performance relative to reading popular fiction, non-fiction, or not reading. However, the experiments had relatively small sample sizes and hence low statistical power. To address this limitation, the present authors conducted four high-powered replication experiments (combined N = 1006) testing the causal impact of reading literary fiction on mentalising. Relative to the original research, the present experiments used the same literary texts in the reading manipulation; the same mentalising task; and the same kind of participant samples. Moreover, one experiment was pre-registered as a direct replication. In none of the experiments did reading literary fiction have any effect on mentalising relative to control conditions. The results replicate earlier findings that familiarity with fiction is positively correlated with mentalising. Taken together, the present findings call into question whether a single session of reading fiction leads to immediate improvements in mentalising.

SGML-Based Markup for Literary Texts: Two Problems and Some Solutions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnard, David; And Others

1988-01-01

Identifies the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) as the best basis for a markup standard for encoding literary texts. Outlines solutions to problems using SGML and discusses the problem of maintaining multiple views of a document. Examines several ways of reducing the burden of markups. (GEA)

Unearthing the Past in 1972: Literary Antecedents and Cultural Capital

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriguez, Ralph E.

2007-01-01

This essay is a cursory examination of 1972 and the early 1970s. These were foundational years for Chicana/o literature. The author has only been able to offer a suggestive analysis of some of the literary production during this period. The author has not discussed the numerous periodicals and journals of the period, some underground, some with…

77 FR 74555 - Importation of Live Swine, Swine Semen, Pork, and Pork Products; Estonia, Hungary, Slovakia, and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-17

...-0043] RIN 0579-AD20 Importation of Live Swine, Swine Semen, Pork, and Pork Products; Estonia, Hungary... semen by removing one of the conditions for the importation of swine semen from the APHIS-defined... fever. We have determined that the 40-day holding period for swine semen and donor boars after the...

Perspectives on Tolerance in Education Flowing from a Comparison of Religion Education in Estonia and South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Walt, Johannes L.

2013-01-01

The question that prompted this investigation into religion education (RE) in Estonia and in South Africa was whether two countries from such totally different parts of the world, with such vastly different populations and cultures though with somewhat parallel histories, had tackled the same or similar problems regarding the provision of RE in…

Perceived effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy, self-rated health and treatment adherence among HIV-positive people who inject drugs in Estonia.

PubMed

Chan, Pui Y; Joseph, Michael A; Des Jarlais, Don C; Uusküla, Anneli

2018-01-01

The HIV epidemic in Estonia affects the population of people who inject drugs (PWID) the most, but factors associated with adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) among PWID have not been thoroughly examined in Estonia, with particularly limited data regarding beliefs and attitudes of PWID. The objective of this study was to explore the association between ART adherence and individual beliefs, perceived effectiveness of ART, and self-rated health in particular, in this specific population. The study used baseline survey data from a longitudinal intervention study of HIV prevention among PWID in Estonia, in which 107 HIV-infected participants reported current use of ART. Current adherence was measured through the use of a visual analog scale. Approximately half (49%) of the participants reported optimal (≥95%) adherence. The vast majority (81%) believed in the effectiveness of ART. Less than a quarter of the participants (22%) rated their health as good or very good, and a half (52%) reported average health. Individual beliefs and self-reported health were not associated with ART adherence in both bivariate and multivariable analyses. Participants with problem drinking reported significant suboptimal adherence to ART (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.42, 95% CI 0.19-0.97). Daily injection drug use was also associated with suboptimal adherence (AOR 0.34, 95% CI 0.13-0.91). Problem drinking has not been commonly reported as a factor of suboptimal ART adherence among PWID; further research would be useful to identify the pathways that might be involved.

Growth, aboveground biomass, and nutrient concentration of young Scots pine and lodgepole pine in oil shale post-mining landscapes in Estonia.

PubMed

Kuznetsova, Tatjana; Tilk, Mari; Pärn, Henn; Lukjanova, Aljona; Mandre, Malle

2011-12-01

The investigation was carried out in 8-year-old Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm.) plantations on post-mining area, Northeast Estonia. The aim of the study was to assess the suitability of lodgepole pine for restoration of degraded lands by comparing the growth, biomass, and nutrient concentration of studied species. The height growth of trees was greater in the Scots pine stand, but the tree aboveground biomass was slightly larger in the lodgepole pine stand. The aboveground biomass allocation to the compartments did not differ significantly between species. The vertical distribution of compartments showed that 43.2% of the Scots pine needles were located in the middle layer of the crown, while 58.5% of the lodgepole pine needles were in the lowest layer of the crown. The largest share of the shoots and stem of both species was allocated to the lowest layer of the crown. For both species, the highest NPK concentrations were found in the needles and the lowest in the stems. On the basis of the present study results, it can be concluded that the early growth of Scots pine and lodgepole pine on oil shale post-mining landscapes is similar.

Cross-Sectional Study of Anti-Trichinella Antibody Prevalence in Domestic Pigs and Hunted Wild Boars in Estonia.

PubMed

Kärssin, Age; Velström, Kaisa; Gómez-Morales, Maria Angeles; Saar, Tiiu; Jokelainen, Pikka; Lassen, Brian

2016-09-01

Trichinella spp. are relevant zoonotic pathogens in Estonia. The aim of this nationwide cross-sectional study was to estimate the seroprevalence of Trichinella spp. in domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domestica) and hunted wild boars (Sus scrofa). Serum samples from 374 pigs, originating from 14 farms, and meat juice samples from 470 wild boars were tested for immunoglobulin G antibodies against Trichinella excretory/secretory antigens using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Antibodies against Trichinella were not detected in the domestic pigs, indicating effective parasite control strategies in the farms. By contrast, 42.1% of the wild boars tested positive, indicating substantial infection pressure in the sylvatic cycle. Further analysis of a subset of the wild boar samples, using another ELISA and Western blot, yielded a confirmed seroprevalence estimate of 17.4%. A substantial proportion of wild boars in Estonia had evidence of exposure to Trichinella spp. and may have carried infective larvae. Undercooked Estonian wild boar meat is a potential source of Trichinella spp. infections to humans and other hosts.

Efficiency Assessment of Support Mechanisms for Wood-Fired Cogeneration Development in Estonia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volkova, Anna; Siirde, Andres

2010-01-01

There are various support mechanisms for wood-fired cogeneration plants, which include both support for cogeneration development and stimulation for increasing consumption of renewable energy sources. The efficiency of these mechanisms is analysed in the paper. Overview of cogeneration development in Estonia is given with the focus on wood-fired cogeneration. Legislation acts and amendments, related to cogeneration support schemes, were described. For evaluating the efficiency of support mechanisms an indicator - fuel cost factor was defined. This indicator includes the costs related to the chosen fuel influence on the final electricity generation costs without any support mechanisms. The wood fuel cost factors were compared with the fuel cost factors for peat and oil shale. For calculating the fuel cost factors, various data sources were used. The fuel prices data were based on the average cost of fuels in Estonia for the period from 2000 till 2008. The data about operating and maintenance costs, related to the fuel type in the case of comparing wood fuel and oil shale fuel were taken from the CHP Balti and Eesti reports. The data about operating and maintenance costs used for peat and wood fuel comparison were taken from the Tallinn Elektrijaam reports. As a result, the diagrams were built for comparing wood and its competitive fuels. The decision boundary lines were constructed on the diagram for the situation, when no support was provided for wood fuels and for the situations, when various support mechanisms were provided during the last 12 years.

Readings on American Society. The Audio-Lingual Literary Series II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Imamura, Shigeo; Ney, James W.

This text contains 11 lessons based on an adaptation of the 1964 essay "Automation: Road to Lifetime Jobs" by A.H. Raskin and 14 lessons based on an adaptation of John Fischer's 1948 essay "Unwritten Rules of American Politics." The format of the book and the lessons is the same as that of the other volumes of "The Audio-Lingual Literary Series."…

Reacting in Literary Studies: Crossing the Threshold from Quality to Meaning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heinert, Jennifer; Chick, Nancy L.

2017-01-01

In this essay, the authors extend their ongoing conversations within the overarching project on "critique as signature pedagogy in the arts and humanities" by considering how the position of literary studies within this broader context may explain some of the difficulties students have with a cornerstone activity of the undergraduate…

English Syllabus Interpretation: The Relationship between Literary Theories and Teacher Beliefs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ireland, Jill; O'Sullivan, Kerry-Ann; Duchesne, Susan

2017-01-01

This paper examines the relationship between the literary theories underpinning an English syllabus and teachers' personal epistemologies and pedagogical beliefs. The study discussed here used semi-structured interviews and an online survey to investigate 50 New South Wales teachers' views of the theoretical basis of a senior English syllabus that…

Narrating a Critical Indigenous Pedagogy of Place: A Literary Métissage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lowan-Trudeau, Gregory

2017-01-01

This essay responds to a persistent paucity of narrative and Indigenous perspectives in scholarship related to a critical pedagogy of place. In it Gregory Lowan-Trudeau explores interrelated concepts such as diasporic indigeneity, identity, and critical, place-based education and research through a literary métissage that weaves together Western…

Internet-based recruitment system for HIV and STI screening for men who have sex with men in Estonia, 2013: analysis of preliminary outcomes.

PubMed

Ruutel, K; Lohmus, L; Janes, J

2015-04-16

The aim of the current project was to develop an Internet-based recruitment system for HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening for men who have sex with men (MSM) in Estonia in order to collect biological samples during behavioural studies. In 2013, an Internet-based HIV risk-behaviour survey was conducted among MSM living in Estonia. After completing the questionnaire, all participants were offered anonymous and free-of-charge STI testing. They could either order a urine sample kit by post to screen for chlamydia infections (including lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV)), trichomoniasis, gonorrhoea and Mycoplasma genitalium infections, or visit a laboratory for HIV, hepatitis A virus, hepatitis B virus,hepatitis C virus and syphilis screening. Of 301 participants who completed the questionnaire, 265 (88%),reported that they were MSM. Of these 265 MSM,68 (26%) underwent various types of testing. In the multiple regression analysis, Russian as the first language,previous HIV testing and living in a city or town increased the odds of testing during the study. Linking Internet-based behavioural data collection with biological sample collection is a promising approach. As there are no specific STI services for MSM in Estonia,this system could also be used as an additional option for anonymous and free-of-charge STI screening.

Reading, Trauma and Literary Caregiving 1914-1918: Helen Mary Gaskell and the War Library.

PubMed

Haslam, Sara

2018-03-28

This article is about the relationship between reading, trauma and responsive literary caregiving in Britain during the First World War. Its analysis of two little-known documents describing the history of the War Library, begun by Helen Mary Gaskell in 1914, exposes a gap in the scholarship of war-time reading; generates a new narrative of "how," "when," and "why" books went to war; and foregrounds gender in its analysis of the historiography. The Library of Congress's T. W. Koch discovered Gaskell's ground-breaking work in 1917 and reported its successes to the American Library Association. The British Times also covered Gaskell's library, yet researchers working on reading during the war have routinely neglected her distinct model and method, skewing the research base on war-time reading and its association with trauma and caregiving. In the article's second half, a literary case study of a popular war novel demonstrates the extent of the "bitter cry for books." The success of Gaskell's intervention is examined alongside H. G. Wells's representation of textual healing. Reading is shown to offer sick, traumatized and recovering combatants emotional and psychological caregiving in ways that she could not always have predicted and that are not visible in the literary/historical record.

The ethics of Soviet medical practice: behaviours and attitudes of physicians in Soviet Estonia.

PubMed

Barr, D A

1996-02-01

To study and report the attitudes and practices of physicians in a former Soviet republic regarding issues pertaining to patients' rights, physician negligence and the acceptance of gratuities from patients. Survey questionnaire administered to physicians in 1991 at the time of the Soviet breakup. Estonia, formerly a Soviet republic, now an independent state. A stratified, random sample of 1,000 physicians, representing approximately 20 per cent of practicing physicians under the age of 65. Most physicians shared information with patients about treatment risks and alternatives, with the exception of cancer patients: only a third of physicians tell the patient when cancer is suspected. Current practice at the time of the survey left patients few options when physician negligence occurred; most physicians feel that under a reformed system physician negligence should be handled within the local facility rather than by the government. It was common practice for physicians to receive gifts, tips, or preferential access to scarce consumer goods from their patients. Responses varied somewhat by facility and physician nationality. The ethics of Soviet medical practice were different in a number of ways from generally accepted norms in Western countries. Physicians' attitudes about the need for ethical reform suggest that there will be movement in Estonia towards a system of medical ethics that more closely approximates those in the West.

The ethics of Soviet medical practice: behaviours and attitudes of physicians in Soviet Estonia.

PubMed Central

Barr, D A

1996-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To study and report the attitudes and practices of physicians in a former Soviet republic regarding issues pertaining to patients' rights, physician negligence and the acceptance of gratuities from patients. DESIGN: Survey questionnaire administered to physicians in 1991 at the time of the Soviet breakup. SETTING: Estonia, formerly a Soviet republic, now an independent state. SURVEY SAMPLE: A stratified, random sample of 1,000 physicians, representing approximately 20 per cent of practicing physicians under the age of 65. RESULTS: Most physicians shared information with patients about treatment risks and alternatives, with the exception of cancer patients: only a third of physicians tell the patient when cancer is suspected. Current practice at the time of the survey left patients few options when physician negligence occurred; most physicians feel that under a reformed system physician negligence should be handled within the local facility rather than by the government. It was common practice for physicians to receive gifts, tips, or preferential access to scarce consumer goods from their patients. Responses varied somewhat by facility and physician nationality. CONCLUSION: The ethics of Soviet medical practice were different in a number of ways from generally accepted norms in Western countries. Physicians' attitudes about the need for ethical reform suggest that there will be movement in Estonia towards a system of medical ethics that more closely approximates those in the West. PMID:8932723

The Actualization of Literary Learning Model Based on Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hali, Nur Ihsan

2017-01-01

This article is inspired by Howard Gardner's concept of linguistic intelligence and also from some authors' previous writings. All of them became the authors' reference in developing ideas on constructing a literary learning model based on linguistic intelligence. The writing of this article is not done by collecting data empirically, but by…

A Literary and Linguistic Analysis of Scott O'Dell's "The Captive".

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewig, John Warren

This paper carefully examines the literary elements Scott O'Dell uses in his children's novel "The Captive," that so successfully engage even a reluctant reader. The paper explores the writer's style and subtle use of detail and foreshadowing. Quoting specific examples, the paper points out O'Dell's imaginative syntax and his ability to…

Literary Education and Digital Learning: Methods and Technologies for Humanities Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Peer, Willie, Ed.; Zyngier, Sonia, Ed.; Viana, Vander, Ed.

2010-01-01

Today's popularization of modern technologies has allowed literature specialists to access an array of new opportunities in the digital medium, which have brought about an equal number of challenges and questions. This book provides insight into the most relevant issues in literary education and digital learning. This unique reference fills a gap…

The Unintended and Intended Academic Consequences of Educational Reforms: The Cases of Post-Soviet Estonia, Latvia and Russia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khavenson, Tatiana; Carnoy, Martin

2016-01-01

In this paper, we try to unravel some of the unintended and intended academic effects associated with post-Soviet educational reforms by focusing on three cases: Estonia, Latvia and Russia. We have chosen this comparison because a unique "natural experiment" in the three countries allows us to compare the changing academic performance on…

Cultural variation is part of human nature : Literary universals, context-sensitivity, and "shakespeare in the bush".

PubMed

Sugiyama, Michelle Scalise

2003-12-01

In 1966, Laura Bohannan wrote her classic essay challenging the supposition that great literary works speak to universal human concerns and conditions and, by extension, that human nature is the same everywhere. Her evidence: the Tiv of West Africa interpret Hamlet differently from Westerners. While Bohannan's essay implies that cognitive universality and cultural variation are mutually exclusive phenomena, adaptationist theory suggests otherwise. Adaptive problems ("the human condition") and cognitive adaptations ("human nature") are constant across cultures. What differs between cultures is habitat: owing to environmental variation, the means and information relevant to solving adaptive problems differ from place to place. Thus, we find differences between cultures not because human minds differ in design but largely because human habitats differ in resources and history. On this view, we would expect world literature to express both human universals and cultural particularities. Specifically, we should expect to find literary universality at the macro level (e.g., adaptive problems, cognitive adaptations) and literary variation at the micro level (e.g., local solutions to adaptive problems).

Building Bridges: Using Panel Discussions to Diversify the Literary Survey Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McBride, Kecia D.

1997-01-01

Offers a panel discussion assignment which requires students to draw from the patterns of ideas presented throughout the semester and apply them to a longer text and engage more actively with literary texts--it also provides a detailed introduction to a wide range of novels impossible to present in one course. Details the assignment. (PA)

A Long Time Burning: The History of Literary Censorship in England.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Donald

Literary censorship in England from the introduction of printing in 1476 to the present is the subject of this book. Topics discussed include (1) the development of prepublication censorship from 1476 to 1695; (2) political censorship generated by fear of enemies at home and abroad: 1695-1760; (3) religious and political censorship in the early…

Geoffrey Keynes's Two-Fold Vision: Medical Savant-Connoisseur and Literary Bibliographer.

PubMed

Kutcher, Gerald

2016-10-01

During the 1920s and 1930s, the British surgeon Geoffrey Keynes (1887-1982) treated breast cancer with radium instead of the hegemonic radical mastectomy, while vehemently attacking the "radicalists" for mutilating women. Keynes was also a leading bibliographer of literary figures from Sir Thomas Browne to William Blake through Jane Austen. This article argues that these endeavors did not inhabit separate worlds, but rather his bibliographic methods of collecting and sorting were deeply interwoven with his therapeutic practices and medical ways of knowing. The article also examines the profound influence his engagement with the works of William Blake had on his battle against the reigning medical orthodoxy and on the humanity of his relationship with his patients. It concludes that Keynes' story sheds light on a now distant medico-cultural world where literary studies, often centered on book collecting and critique, were not only highly valued, but were influential in guiding the vision and behavior of a number of physicians. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Combining Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing to Assess Literary Text Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balyan, Renu; McCarthy, Kathryn S.; McNamara, Danielle S.

2017-01-01

This study examined how machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) techniques can be leveraged to assess the interpretive behavior that is required for successful literary text comprehension. We compared the accuracy of seven different machine learning classification algorithms in predicting human ratings of student essays about…

Spectral analysis of Chinese language: Co-occurrence networks from four literary genres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Wei; Chen, Guanrong

2016-05-01

The eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the adjacency matrix of a network contain essential information about its topology. For each of the Chinese language co-occurrence networks constructed from four literary genres, i.e., essay, popular science article, news report, and novel, it is found that the largest eigenvalue depends on the network size N, the number of edges, the average shortest path length, and the clustering coefficient. Moreover, it is found that their node-degree distributions all follow a power-law. The number of different eigenvalues, Nλ, is found numerically to increase in the manner of Nλ ∝ log N for novel and Nλ ∝ N for the other three literary genres. An ;M; shape or a triangle-like distribution appears in their spectral densities. The eigenvector corresponding to the largest eigenvalue is mostly localized to a node with the largest degree. For the above observed phenomena, mathematical analysis is provided with interpretation from a linguistic perspective.

Representation of Social Realities of Latin America in Marquez's Literary Discourse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aghaei, Mohammad B.

2015-01-01

Gabriel Garcia Marquez is always keen on presenting to the people the various facets of their history. His literary language acts as effective means for describing the critical historical aspects of Latin America because the legacy of colonialism had destroyed so many important traces of the native culture of that area. This has led him to search…

Playful Words: The Educational Significance of Children's Linguistic and Literary Play

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armstrong, Michael

2009-01-01

This article is the text of a keynote address given to the North Dakota Study Group on Evaluation at its annual conference in Chicago in February 2009. Three examples of children's linguistic and literary playfulness are examined, two from England and one from the USA. The article explores the radical implications of these examples for primary…

Comprehension of Short Stories: Effects of Task Instructions on Literary Interpretation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthy, Kathryn S.; Goldman, Susan R.

2015-01-01

An important purpose of reading literature is to move beyond the literal text to construct an interpretation of what the text conveys about the human condition and nature of the world. In two experiments, college students with no prior training in literary analysis read a short story and responded to one of four task instructions (plot, ambiguous,…

Mortality and causes of death after traumatic spinal cord injury in Estonia

PubMed Central

Sabre, Liis; Rekand, Tiina; Asser, Toomas; Kõrv, Janika

2013-01-01

Study design Retrospective population-based study with mortality follow-up. Objective To study mortality, causes and risk factors for death in Estonian patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI). Setting All Estonian hospitals. Methods Medical records of patients with TSCI from all regional, central, general, and rehabilitation hospitals in Estonia from 1997 to 2007, were retrospectively reviewed. Mortality status was ascertained as of 31 December 2011. Causes of death were collected from the Estonian Causes of Death Registry. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated for the entire sample and for causes of death. A Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to identify the risk indicators for death. Results During the observation period (1997–2011) 162 patients of 595 died. Nearly half of the patients (n = 76) died during the first year after TSCI. The main causes of death were external causes (30%), cardiovascular disease (29%). and suicide (8%). The overall SMR was 2.81 (95% confidence interval 2.40–3.28) and SMR was higher for women than for men (3.80 vs. 2.70). Cause-specific SMRs were markedly elevated for sepsis and suicide. Mortality was significantly affected by the age at the time of injury, neurological level, and extent of the injury as well as the year of TSCI and complications. Conclusion Life expectancy is significantly decreased in patients with TSCI in Estonia compared with the general population. Deaths during the first year after the injury have an important impact on statistics. Treatment of cardiovascular diseases, infections, and prevention of suicide are useful for reducing mortality in patients with TSCI. PMID:24090049

Cryptosporidiosis - an occupational risk and a disregarded disease in Estonia.

PubMed

Lassen, Brian; Ståhl, Marie; Enemark, Heidi L

2014-06-05

Cases of cryptosporidiosis have not been officially reported in Estonia after the year 2000, and the disease appears to be either under-diagnosed or under-reported. Based on a human case of cryptosporidiosis contracted during faecal sampling in dairy farms, cattle considered to be sources of infection were analysed for Cryptosporidium spp. by a modified Ziehl Neelsen technique and molecular typing. C. parvum subtype IIaA16G1R1 was detected from the human case and from calves from one of nine farms enrolled in the study providing strong circumstantial evidence of zoonotic transmission from calves to humans. Cryptosporidiosis presents an occupational risk to people with cattle contact, and may also be a risk to the human population in general. Thus increased public and medical awareness is warranted.

Does School Admission by Zoning Affect Educational Inequality? A Study of Family Background Effect in Estonia, Finland, and Sweden

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Põder, Kaire; Lauri, Triin; Veski, Andre

2017-01-01

We indicate the size of family background effects in Sweden, Finland, and Estonia--countries that differ in both the rhetoric and extensiveness of the system-level school choice policies. Family background effect is defined as the dependence of student achievement on family background characteristics, such as parental education, income, and social…

From Times of Transition to Adaptation: Background and Theoretical Approach to the Curriculum Reform in Estonia 1987-1996

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rouk, Vadim

2013-01-01

The aim of the paper is to research the important process of the history of the educational development of Estonia, the reform of the national school curriculum which began after the teacher's congress in 1987 and ended in 1996 when government approved the document. That reform was carried out in the context of thoroughgoing and dramatic…

Representations in Award-Winning LGBTQ Young Adult Literature from 2000-2013.

PubMed

Jiménez, Laura M

2015-01-01

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and queer (LGBTQ) young adult (YA) literature is increasing in popularity, with novels like Bil Wright's Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy winning the two LGBTQ YA honors--the Lambda Literary and Stonewall Book Awards--as well awards commending their cultural diversity. Despite the upsurge of celebrated LGBTQ YA literature, a study of the protagonists in Lambda- and Stonewall-winning YA novels from 2000-2013 reveals three findings: the dominance of White, gay, male characters contradicts the trend toward strong female protagonists in mainstream YA; stories about lesbians are primarily tragic; and there are no bisexual protagonists.

The incidence and survival of acute de novo leukaemias in Estonia and in a well-defined region of western Sweden during 1982-1996: a survey of patients aged > or =65 years.

PubMed

Luik, E; Palk, K; Everaus, H; Varik, M; Aareleid, T; Wennström, L; Juntikka, E-L; Safai-Kutti, S; Stockelberg, D; Holmberg, E; Kutti, J

2004-07-01

To compare the incidence and survival of acute de novo leukaemias with particular reference to political/socio-economic and environmental factors in two neighbouring countries over the three 5-year periods (1982-1996). The present report covers only patients diagnosed when aged > or =65 years. A well-defined area of Sweden, the so-called Western Swedish Health Care Region and Estonia. Population-wise, the western Swedish Region and Estonia are very similar; area-wise they are also well comparable. The number of acute de novo leukaemias was quite dissimilar in the two countries (Estonia, n = 137, Sweden, n = 354). The age standardized incidence rates regarding the total number of acute de novo leukaemias was 5.31 per 100,000 inhabitants/year for Estonia and 7.99 for Sweden, this difference being statistically significant. However, the difference was merely attributable to incidence rates as regards acute myeloblastic leukaemias (AML); on the contrary, differences as regards acute lymphoblastic leukaemias (ALL) and non-classifiable, undifferentiated or biphenotypic acute leukaemias (uAL) were negligible. The relative survival for the total material of patients was significantly higher for Swedish when compared with Estonian patients (P < 0.001). Thus, the relative survival for the total material of patients aged > or =65 years in Estonia at 1 year was 8.5% and at 3 years 3.5% respectively. The corresponding figures for the Swedish patients were considerably higher, 22.7 and 7.7% respectively. This difference, however, applied only for patients with AML (P < 0.001), whereas the results for patients with ALL and uAL were equally dismal. The results clearly reflect how political and socio-economic factors may influence the survival of acute leukemia patients in two neighbouring countries.

Educational differences in cigarette smoking among adult population in Estonia, 1990-2010: does the trend fit the model of tobacco epidemic?

PubMed

Pärna, Kersti; Pürjer, Mari-Liis; Ringmets, Inge; Tekkel, Mare

2014-07-10

In developed countries, smoking spreads through society like an epidemic in which adults from higher socioeconomic groups are the first to adopt and earlier to quit smoking, and in which exists a lag in adoption of smoking between men and women. The objective of this study was to describe trends in daily and occasional smoking, to investigate association between smoking status and education, and to examine if the associations in 1990-2010 in Estonia fit the pattern predicted by the model of tobacco epidemic. The study was based on a 20-64-year-old subsample (n = 18740) of nationally representative postal cross-sectional surveys conducted every second year in Estonia during 1990-2010. Cigarette smoking and education were examined. χ2 test for trend was used to determine daily and occasional smoking trends over study years. Multinomial logistic regression model was used to test educational differences in daily and occasional smoking for every study year. Adjusted relative risk ratios (RRRs) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. In 1990-2010, daily smoking varied largely between genders showing decreasing trend among men, but not among women. In 2010, one third of men and one fifth of women were daily smokers. Daily smoking was not clearly associated with education among men in 1990-1994 and among women in 1990-2000. Men revealed inverse relationship between daily smoking and education since 1996, but women since 2002. In 2010, compared to men and women with higher education, relative risk ratio of daily smoking was 2.92 (95% CI = 2.01-4.25) among men and 2.29 (95% CI = 1.65-3.17) among women with secondary education, but 4.98 (95% CI 3.12-7.94) among men and 6.62 (95% CI = 4.07-10.76) among women with basic education.In 1990-2010, occasional smoking was stable and similar (varying between 7-10%) among men and women, no association with education was found. Daily smoking patterns in Estonia fit the model of tobacco epidemic in developed countries

Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence in dairy and beef cattle: Large-scale epidemiological study in Estonia.

PubMed

Jokelainen, Pikka; Tagel, Maarja; Mõtus, Kerli; Viltrop, Arvo; Lassen, Brian

2017-03-15

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic protozoan parasite that thrives in Estonia. In this nationwide cross-sectional study, we tested sera from 3991 cattle, collected from 228 farms in 2012-2013, for anti-T. gondii immunoglobulin G antibodies using a commercial direct agglutination test. Titer of 100 was set as cut-off: samples that tested positive at the dilution 1:100 were defined as positive. The apparent animal-level seroprevalence was 18.62%. At least one seropositive animal was found on 68.86% of the farms, and seropositive cattle were detected in all counties. The seroprevalence appeared to increase with age until five years (60-71 months) of age, but had no obvious pattern in the older animals. Animals of the local Estonian Red breed had higher odds to test seropositive than did animals of the Estonian Holstein breed. Whether the farm focused on dairy or beef cattle was not associated with an animal testing T. gondii seropositive nor with finding at least one T. gondii seropositive animal on the farm. The odds of finding at least one T. gondii seropositive animal on the farm were higher if the herd size was above median (105 in dairy and mixed dairy farms; 35 in beef and mixed beef farms). The results indicate that T. gondii is endemic within the agricultural setting in Estonia and present on the majority of cattle farms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Discourse on Narrative Research: The Construction Zone--Literary Elements in Narrative Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coulter, Cathy A.; Smith, Mary Lee

2009-01-01

Narrative research has become part of the landscape of education inquiry, yet its theory and practice are still debated and evolving. This article addresses the construction of narratives using literary elements common to nonfiction and fiction writings. The authors discuss these elements and use four narratives to illustrate them. They address…

It's Not the Book, It's Not the Author, It's the Award: The Lambda Literary Award and the Case for Strategic Essentialism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crisp, Thomas

2011-01-01

On September 16, 2009, the Lambda Literary Foundation (LLF) released a statement revising their eligibility guidelines for the Lambda Literary Award, the most prestigious citation offered for LGBT books and authors. This criteria, which demands that an author must self-identify as a member of the LGBT family of writers, has been met with…

University Language Policies and Language Choice among Ph.D. Graduates in Estonia: The (Unbalanced) Interplay between English and Estonian

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soler-Carbonell, Josep

2014-01-01

The role of English as a global language and its consequences for the internationalization of higher education are matters that have increasingly drawn the attention of researchers from different fields of language and communication. In this paper, an overview of the situation in Estonia is presented. The Estonian context has not previously been…

The cultural dimension of tightness-looseness: An analysis of situational constraint in Estonia and Greece.

PubMed

Realo, Anu; Linnamägi, Karmen; Gelfand, Michele J

2015-06-01

The importance of tightness-looseness as a dimension that explains a considerable amount of variance between cultures was demonstrated by Gelfand et al. (2011). Tight nations have many strong norms and a low tolerance of deviant behaviour, whereas loose nations have weak social norms and a high tolerance of deviant behaviour. The main aim of the current studies was to examine situational constraint in Estonia and Greece: that is, how the cultural dimension of tightness-looseness is manifested in everyday situations in those two countries. The findings of a questionnaire study (Study 1) suggested that, in general, there is higher constraint across everyday situations in Greece than in Estonia, but situational constraint in Greece is especially strong in school and organisational settings where people have hierarchically structured roles. The results of an observational study (Study 2) revealed a relatively high agreement between appropriateness of certain behaviours as judged by the respondents in Study 1 and the frequencies of observed behaviours in the two countries. Our findings suggest that the strength of situations may substantially vary both within and across cultures, and that the attitudes of the members about situational strength in their respective cultures are in concordance with observations of situations by neutral observers in how people in general behave in their culture. © 2014 International Union of Psychological Science.

Clinical empathy and narrative competence: the relevance of reading talmudic legends as literary fiction.

PubMed

Davidson, John H

2015-04-01

The "curative potential" in almost any clinical setting depends on a caregiver establishing and maintaining an empathic connection with patients so as to achieve "narrative competence" in discerning and acting in accord with their preferences and best interests. The "narrative medicine" model of shared "close reading of literature and reflective writing" among clinicians as a means of fostering a capacity for clinical empathy has gained validation with recent empirical studies demonstrating the enhancement of theory of mind (ToM), broadly conceived as empathy, in readers of literary fiction. Talmudic legends, like that of Rabbi Judah's death, are under-appreciated, relevant sources of literary fiction for these efforts. The limitations of narrative medicine are readily counterbalanced by simultaneously practiced attention to traditional bioethical principles, including-especially-beneficence, non-maleficence, and autonomy.

What Renaissance Literary Theory Tells us about Climate Communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guenther, G. J.

2017-12-01

Many current debates in climate communication-to convey the consensus or not to convey the consensus; to frighten people or encourage them-seem to center on the question of how to discuss climate science and its ability to predict climate impacts. By examining the Renaissance literary theory that represents poets as better teachers than philosophers and scientists, this paper argues that climate advocates should redefine climate communication to include a variety of artistic discourses that make meaning in order to inspire people into political action.

How Does an Interactive Approach to Literary Texts Work in an English as a Foreign Language Context? Learners' Perspectives in Close-Up

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nguyen, Ha Thi Thu

2016-01-01

Interactive approaches to literary texts in second/foreign language education have enjoyed wide theoretical and empirical support. However, the teaching of literary texts in traditional English as a foreign language contexts still remains information-oriented, with a focus on the transmission and replication of an objectified interpretation of a…

A Tale of Two Cities: Stigma and Health Outcomes Among People with HIV who Inject Drugs in St. Petersburg, Russia and Kohtla-Järve, Estonia

PubMed Central

Burke, Sara E.; Calabrese, Sarah K.; Dovidio, John F.; Levina, Olga S.; Uusküla, Anneli; Niccolai, Linda M.; Abel-Ollo, Katri; Heimer, Robert

2015-01-01

Experiences of stigma are often associated with negative mental and physical health outcomes. The present work tested the associations between stigma and health-related outcomes among people with HIV who inject drugs in Kohtla-Järve, Estonia and St. Petersburg, Russia. These two cities share some of the highest rates of HIV outside of sub-Saharan Africa, largely driven by injection drug use, but Estonia has implemented harm reduction services more comprehensively. People who inject drugs were recruited using respondent-driven sampling; those who indicated being HIV-positive were included in the present sample (n=381 in St. Petersburg; n=288 in Kohtla-Järve). Participants reported their health information and completed measures of internalized HIV stigma, anticipated HIV stigma, internalized drug stigma, and anticipated drug stigma. Participants in both locations indicated similarly high levels of all four forms of stigma. However, stigma variables were more strongly associated with health outcomes in Russia than in Estonia. The St. Petersburg results were consistent with prior work linking stigma and health. Lower barriers to care in Kohtla-Järve may help explain why social stigma was not closely tied to negative health outcomes there. Implications for interventions and health policy are discussed. PMID:25703668

A tale of two cities: stigma and health outcomes among people with HIV who inject drugs in St. Petersburg, Russia and Kohtla-Järve, Estonia.

PubMed

Burke, Sara E; Calabrese, Sarah K; Dovidio, John F; Levina, Olga S; Uusküla, Anneli; Niccolai, Linda M; Abel-Ollo, Katri; Heimer, Robert

2015-04-01

Experiences of stigma are often associated with negative mental and physical health outcomes. The present work tested the associations between stigma and health-related outcomes among people with HIV who inject drugs in Kohtla-Järve, Estonia and St. Petersburg, Russia. These two cities share some of the highest rates of HIV outside of sub-Saharan Africa, largely driven by injection drug use, but Estonia has implemented harm reduction services more comprehensively. People who inject drugs were recruited using respondent-driven sampling; those who indicated being HIV-positive were included in the present sample (n = 381 in St. Petersburg; n = 288 in Kohtla-Järve). Participants reported their health information and completed measures of internalized HIV stigma, anticipated HIV stigma, internalized drug stigma, and anticipated drug stigma. Participants in both locations indicated similarly high levels of all four forms of stigma. However, stigma variables were more strongly associated with health outcomes in Russia than in Estonia. The St. Petersburg results were consistent with prior work linking stigma and health. Lower barriers to care in Kohtla-Järve may help explain why social stigma was not closely tied to negative health outcomes there. Implications for interventions and health policy are discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Decline in alcohol consumption in Estonia: combined effects of strengthened alcohol policy and economic downturn.

PubMed

Lai, Taavi; Habicht, Jarno

2011-01-01

To describe alcohol policy changes in parallel to consumption changes in 2005-2010 in Estonia, where alcohol consumption is among the highest in Europe. Review of pertinent legislation and literature. Alcohol consumption decreased since 2008, while alcohol excise tax, sales time restrictions and ad bans have increased since 2005. An economic downturn started in 2008. The precise roles of policy changes and the economic downturn in the decline of alcohol consumption, and whether the decrease will be sustained, are still unclear.

Should the Bible Be Taught as a Literary Classic in Public Education?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malikow, Max

2010-01-01

The research question "Should the Bible be taught as a literary classic in public education?" was pursued by a survey of nineteen scholars from three disciplines: education, literature, and law. The collected data served to guide the researcher in the writing of an analytical essay responding to the research question. The research…

Retrogressive slope failure in glaciolacustrine clays: Sauga landslide, western Estonia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohv, Marko; Talviste, Peeter; Hang, Tiit; Kalm, Volli

2010-12-01

The largest recent landslide in Estonia (ca 60 000 m 3), which occurred on 19 December 2005, has been investigated, modelled and monitored. Eight boreholes, geotechnical sampling and nine vane shear tests provided data on the geological setting, soil strength parameters and location of the rupture zones. Topographic surveys were carried out twice a year from April 2006 to April 2009 to monitor the evolution of the slope. Limit equilibrium modelling displayed a complex of six separate retrogressive failures, beginning near to the Sauga River and ending 75 m from the former river channel. Modelling results are in agreement with the actual morphology of the multiple landslides. Monitoring records the enlargement of the landslide as the Sauga River downcuts through the slide and erodes its toe. Strength loss in the varved clays underlying the slope is a key factor in failure development.

Editing Identity: Literary Anthologies and the Construction of the Author in Meiji Japan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Des Jardin, Molly Catherine

2012-01-01

"Editing Identity: Literary Anthologies and the Construction of the Author in Meiji Japan" problematizes widespread acceptance of anthologies of authors' "complete works" as both transparent and authoritative compendia of Japanese literature. In the Meiji period (1868-1912), they enjoyed a sudden boom in popularity and have…

Current Practices in Instruction in the Literary Braille Code University Personnel Preparation Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenblum, L. Penny; Lewis, Sandra; D'Andrea, Frances Mary

2010-01-01

University instructors were surveyed to determine the requirements for their literary braille courses. Twenty-one instructors provided information on the textbooks they used; how they determined errors; reading proficiency requirements; and other pertinent information, such as methods of assessing mastery of the production of braille using a…

Literary study and evolutionary theory : A review essay.

PubMed

Carroll, J

1998-09-01

Several recent books have claimed to integrate literary study with evolutionary biology. All of the books here considered, except Robert Storey's, adopt conceptions of evolutionary theory that are in some way marginal to the Darwinian adaptationist program. All the works attempt to connect evolutionary study with various other disciplines or methodologies: for example, with cultural anthropology, cognitive psychology, the psychology of emotion, neurobiology, chaos theory, or structuralist linguistics. No empirical paradigm has yet been established for this field, but important steps have been taken, especially by Storey, in formulating basic principles, identifying appropriate disciplinary connections, and marking out lines of inquiry. Reciprocal efforts are needed from biologists and social scientists.

Clinical Empathy and Narrative Competence: The Relevance of Reading Talmudic Legends as Literary Fiction

PubMed Central

Davidson, John H.

2015-01-01

The “curative potential” in almost any clinical setting depends on a caregiver establishing and maintaining an empathic connection with patients so as to achieve “narrative competence” in discerning and acting in accord with their preferences and best interests. The “narrative medicine” model of shared “close reading of literature and reflective writing” among clinicians as a means of fostering a capacity for clinical empathy has gained validation with recent empirical studies demonstrating the enhancement of theory of mind (ToM), broadly conceived as empathy, in readers of literary fiction. Talmudic legends, like that of Rabbi Judah’s death, are under-appreciated, relevant sources of literary fiction for these efforts. The limitations of narrative medicine are readily counterbalanced by simultaneously practiced attention to traditional bioethical principles, including—especially—beneficence, non-maleficence, and autonomy. PMID:25973266

An Epistemological Justification of the Place of Literary Art in the Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillips, Ruth Ann

The purpose of this study was to epistemologically justify the place of literary art in the curriculum by showing that its aesthetic significance gives knowledge that can be communicated in no other terms than its own and that this knowledge is consistent with certain epistemological theories. Using theories of art proposed by Langer and Cassirer,…

Literary Reading Activities of Good and Weak Students: A Think Aloud Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Janssen, Tanja; Braaksma, Martine; Rijlaarsdam, Gert

2006-01-01

In this study we examined how good and weak students of literature interact with short literary stories. We focused on differences in the use of cognitive and affective reading activities, and in the extent to which good and weak students adapt their activities to (parts of) the story they are reading. 19 Dutch tenth-grade students from 8 classes…

The World of Business and Commerce as Seen by French Literary Authors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elton, Maurice G. A.

It is argued that while it is important to make the French second language curriculum relevant to today's world, it is also important not to neglect the cultural and literary components of the traditional French major, including those learning French for business. In light of this, several French novels, plays, and stories in which business is a…

Hey, you! The Germans! Using Literary Pragmatics to Teach Language as Culture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warner, Chantelle

2009-01-01

In this paper the author outlines a sample lesson that has been developed for second- or third-year German students using the short satirical vignette "Hurra, ich lebe in Deutschland" from the Turkish-German author Sinasi Dikmen's book of the same name. The lesson draws heavily from literary pragmatics, an area of applied linguistics which studies…

Product environmental footprint of strawberries: Case studies in Estonia and Germany.

PubMed

Soode-Schimonsky, Eveli; Richter, Klaus; Weber-Blaschke, Gabriele

2017-12-01

The environmental impacts of strawberries have been assessed in several studies. However, these studies either present dissimilar results or only focus on single impact categories without offering a comprehensive overview of environmental impacts. We applied the product environmental footprint (PEF) methodology to broadly indicate the environmental impacts of various strawberry production systems in Germany and Estonia by 15 impact categories. Data for the 7 case studies were gathered from two farms with organic and two farms with conventional open field production systems in Estonia and from one farm with conventional open field and one farm with a polytunnel and greenhouse production system in Germany. The greenhouse production system had the highest environmental impact with a PEF of 0.0040. In the field organic production systems, the PEF was 0.0029 and 0.0028. The field conventional production systems resulted in a PEF of 0.0008, 0.0009 and 0.0002. Polytunnel PEF was 0.0006. Human toxicity cancer effects, particulate matter and human toxicity non-cancer effects resulted in the highest impact across all analysed production systems. The main contributors were electricity for cooling, heating the greenhouse and the use of agricultural machinery including fuel burning. While production stage contributed 85% of the total impact in the greenhouse, also other life cycle stages were important contributors: pre-chain resulted in 71% and 90% of impact in conventional and polytunnels, respectively, and cooling was 47% in one organic system. Environmental impact from strawberry cooling can be reduced by more efficient use of the cooling room, increasing the strawberry yield or switching from oil shale electricity to other energy sources. Greenhouse heating is the overall impact hotspot even if it based on renewable resources. A ranking of production systems based on the environmental impact is possible only if all relevant impacts are included. Future studies should aim

Magnetic history of Early and Middle Ordovician sedimentary sequence, northern Estonia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plado, J.; Preeden, U.; Pesonen, L. J.; Mertanen, S.; Puura, V.

2010-01-01

Alternating field and thermal demagnetization of lime- and dolostones from the Lower and Middle Ordovician (Floian to Darriwilian stages) subhorizontally bedded sequences in NW and NE Estonia reveal two characteristic magnetization components (named P and S). The intermediate-coercivity (demagnetized at 30-60 mT, up to 300-350°C) reversed polarity component P (mean of Floian Stage: Dref = 147.8 +/- 10.8°, Iref = 65.8 +/- 5.4° combined mean of Dapingian and Darriwilian stages: Dref = 166.0 +/- 8.4°, Iref = 56.1 +/- 6.5°) is regarded as the primary remanence of early diagenetic (chemical) origin. On the Baltica's apparent polar wander path (APWP), the palaeopoles (Floian: Plat = 25.0°N, Plon = 50.8°E, K = 52.7, A95 = 7.2° Dapingian and Darriwilian: Plat = 11.4°N, Plon = 39.1°E, K = 33.8, A95 = 6.7°) are placed on the Lower and Middle Ordovician segment. The poles indicate that Estonia was located at southerly latitudes, decreasing with time (Floian: ~48°S Dapingian and Darriwilian: ~37°S), when the remanence was acquired. A high-coercivity and high-unblocking-temperature component S (mean of samples: Dref = 33.7 +/- 6.3°, Iref = 51.9 +/- 5.7°) that is regarded as a secondary remanence has both normal and reversed polarities. On the European APWP, its palaeopole (Plat = 52.5°N, Plon = 157.9°E, K = 38.9, A95 = 5.3°) gives middle to late Permian age. According to mineralogical (SEM and optical microscopy) and rock magnetic (three-component induced remnant magnetization) studies, component P is carried by magnetite (coexisting with glauconite) and component S by haematite. Magnetite is of chemical origin, formed in the course of early diagenesis and/or dolomitization. During the Permian continental period haematite, the carrier of component S, was likely precipitated from oxidizing meteoric fluids in the already existing or simultaneously formed pore space between the dolomite crystals.

75 FR 45195 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “Literary Lives: Portraits...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-02

... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice 7095] Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: ``Literary Lives: Portraits From the Crawford Art Gallery and Abbey Theatre, Ireland'' SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the following judicial immunity determinations: Pursuant to the authority...

Primo Levi and the Periodic Table: Teaching Chemistry Using A Literary Text (Excerpt)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osorio, Viktoria Klara Lakatos; Tiedemann, Peter Wilhelm; Porto, Paulo Alves

2007-01-01

The excerpts from The Periodic Table book written by Primo Levi is discussed related to chemical concepts. The use of a literary text as a starting point of discussions of chemical concepts has allowed the integration of various topics covered in separate courses of the undergraduate program in chemistry.

Fictions of the Writer: A Critical Articulation of Collaborative Writing and Literary Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haefner, Joel

In recent years the High Romantic concept of the solitary author has been intensely challenged. Compositionists and various theorists have deconstructed the concept of isolated authorship and critiqued the Romantic notion of individual genius. Meanwhile, the reconstruction of the female literary tradition introduced the question of gender and…

A decline in the prevalence of injecting drug users in Estonia, 2005–2009

PubMed Central

Uusküla, A; Rajaleid, K; Talu, A; Abel-Ollo, K; Des Jarlais, DC

2013-01-01

Aims and setting Descriptions of behavioural epidemics have received little attention compared with infectious disease epidemics in Eastern Europe. Here we report a study aimed at estimating trends in the prevalence of injection drug use between 2005 and 2009 in Estonia. Design and methods The number of injection drug users (IDUs) aged 15–44 each year between 2005 and 2009 was estimated using capture-recapture methodology based on 4 data sources (2 treatment data bases: drug abuse and non-fatal overdose treatment; criminal justice (drug related offences) and mortality (injection drug use related deaths) data). Poisson log-linear regression models were applied to the matched data, with interactions between data sources fitted to replicate the dependencies between the data sources. Linear regression was used to estimate average change over time. Findings there were 24305, 12292, 238, 545 records and 8100, 1655, 155, 545 individual IDUs identified in the four capture sources (Police, drug treatment, overdose, and death registry, accordingly) over the period 2005 – 2009. The estimated prevalence of IDUs among the population aged 15–44 declined from 2.7% (1.8–7.9%) in 2005 to 2.0% (1.4–5.0%) in 2008, and 0.9% (0.7–1.7%) in 2009. Regression analysis indicated an average reduction of over 1700 injectors per year. Conclusion While the capture-recapture method has known limitations, the results are consistent with other data from Estonia. Identifying the drivers of change in the prevalence of injection drug use warrants further research. PMID:23290632

Incorporation of public hospitals: a "silver bullet" against overcapacity, managerial bottlenecks and resource constraints? Case studies from Austria and Estonia.

PubMed

Fidler, Armin H; Haslinger, Reinhard R; Hofmarcher, Maria M; Jesse, Maris; Palu, Toomas

2007-05-01

This paper presents a new approach for incorporating public hospitals by contrasting the experience from an "old" EU country (Austria) with a new EU member state (Estonia). In the EU (including the new member states) hospital overcapacity is a serious problem, from a technical, fiscal and political perspective. Few countries have succeeded in establishing an appropriate framework for resource management and for guaranteeing long-term financial viability of their hospital network. Many countries are in search of effective policies for improved hospital management and more cost-effective resource use in the health sector. Over the past decade, experiences in Austria and Estonia have emerged as innovative examples which may provide lessons for other EU countries and beyond. This paper describes the evolution of public hospitals from public budgetary units and public management to incorporated autonomous organizations under private corporate law, resulting in a contractual relationship between (public) owners and private hospital management. Outdated and inefficient public sector structures were replaced by more agile corporate management. The arrangement allows for investments, operating costs and budgeting according to strategic business goals as opposed to political "fiat". Shielding hospitals from local political influence is an important aspect of this concept. Horizontal integration through networking of public hospitals and introducing private management helps create a new corporate culture, allowing for more flexibility to achieve efficiencies through downsizing and economies of scale. Based on contracts the new balance between ownership and managerial functions create strong incentives for a more business-like, results-oriented and consumer-friendly management. This was achieved both in Austria and Estonia in a politically sensitive way, adopting a long-term vision and by protecting the interests of hospital owners and staff.

Maternal and paternal genetic diversity of ancient sheep in Estonia from the Late Bronze Age to the post-medieval period and comparison with other regions in Eurasia.

PubMed

Rannamäe, E; Lõugas, L; Niemi, M; Kantanen, J; Maldre, L; Kadõrova, N; Saarma, U

2016-04-01

Sheep were among the first domesticated animals to appear in Estonia in the late Neolithic and became one of the most widespread livestock species in the region from the Late Bronze Age onwards. However, the origin and historical expansion of local sheep populations in Estonia remain poorly understood. Here, we analysed fragments of the hypervariable D-loop of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA; 213 bp) and the Y-chromosome SRY gene (130 bp) extracted from 31 archaeological sheep bones dated from approximately 800 BC to 1700 AD. The ancient DNA data of sheep from Estonia were compared with ancient sheep from Finland as well as a set of contemporary sheep breeds from across Eurasia in order to place them in a wider phylogeographical context. The analysis shows that: (i) 24 successfully amplified and analysed mtDNA sequences of ancient sheep cluster into two haplogroups, A and B, of which B is predominant; (ii) four of the ancient mtDNA haplotypes are novel; (iii) higher mtDNA haplotype diversity occurred during the Middle Ages as compared to other periods, a fact concordant with the historical context of expanding international trade during the Middle Ages; (iv) the proportion of rarer haplotypes declined during the expansion of sheep from the Near Eastern domestication centre to the northern European region; (v) three male samples showed the presence of the characteristic northern European haplotype, SNP G-oY1 of the Y-chromosome, and represent the earliest occurrence of this haplotype. Our results provide the first insight into the genetic diversity and phylogeographical background of ancient sheep in Estonia and provide basis for further studies on the temporal fluctuations of ancient sheep populations. © 2016 Stichting International Foundation for Animal Genetics.

Literary Translation, Translating Culture: The Case of Shahriyar, the Famous Iranian Azeri Poet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kianbakht, Saijad

2016-01-01

A literary translation is a device of art used to release the text from its dependence on prior cultural knowledge (Herzfeld, 2003). The present research investigates the use of pragmatic equivalence in two translations of the Azeri Turkish long poem "Haydar Babaye Salam" by "Shahriyar." Based on Koller's theory of equivalence…

A Thematic Literary Unit: Using Literature across the Curriculum in an Elementary Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vivian, Diane M.

1990-01-01

"Think Big" is a thematic literary unit, using literature about elephants in a holistic way and attempting to cross the curriculum into the content areas of science and math. It is a way of expanding the basal reading series and providing appropriate and supportive instruction in a cooperative, more interactive learning environment. To…

Samuel Eliot Morison: The Man, the Historian, the Literary Artist and the Educator.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herman, Edward

Seeking to augment previous accounts of Samuel Eliot Morison's life (1887-1976), the document considers Morison not only as historian and literary artist but also as educator. A prolific writer, Morison's main interest was naval history and his books, "Admiral of the Ocean Seas: A Life of Christopher Columbus" (1942) and "John Paul…

Remediation of an oily leachate pond in Estonia.

PubMed

Kriipsalu, Mait; Marques, Marcia; Hogland, William

2005-12-01

Until recent years, waste oil and oil-contaminated waters commonly ended up in landfills. At some dump sites, ponds of oily liquids and leachate were formed. To remediate such ponds, an interdisciplinary approach is now required, keeping costs at an affordable level, particularly in countries with changing economies. From 1974 to 1993, liquid oily wastes taken to the Laguja landfill, in Estonia, were disposed of in a pond with a surface area of 9800 m2. It was estimated that the pond contained 4500-6000 m3 of oily water and 3500 m3 of oil-containing bottom sediments. This study aimed at developing an environmentally sound and cost-effective method for remediation of the oily liquids, leachate and contaminated underlying sediment material, to meet the existing legal demands. It was concluded that treatment of contaminated water is well established and the procedures carried out to meet the regulatory demands achieved satisfactory results. However, regarding treatment of sediments it was concluded that legal and technological aspects, as well as monitoring procedures are not fully established and are usually underestimated. Laboratory investigations can provide valuable information in decision-making, and contribute to effective full-scale remediation planning.

Updating the Theoretical Content of Teacher Preparation Pertaining to Educational Subjects: Some Recent Developments in Estonia. Reprints and Miniprints No. 754.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krull, Edgar

Fifty years of Soviet occupation in Estonia has damaged social and economic life. One issue for further development of Estonian society is the need to reform teacher education programs. This paper outlines some of the main problems concerning the content of theoretical preparation of future teachers in educational subjects at Tartu University…

More than words: applying the discipline of literary creative writing to the practice of reflective writing in health care education.

PubMed

Kerr, Lisa

2010-12-01

This paper examines definitions and uses of reflective and creative writing in health care education classrooms and professional development settings. A review of articles related to writing in health care reveals that when teaching narrative competence is the goal, creative writing may produce the best outcomes. Ultimately, the paper describes the importance of defining literary creative writing as a distinct form of writing and recommends scholars interested in using literary creative writing to teach narrative competence study pedagogy of the field.

Abortion trends from 1996 to 2011 in Estonia: special emphasis on repeat abortion

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The study aimed to describe the overall and age-specific trends of induced abortions from 1996 to 2011 with an emphasis on socio-demographic characteristics and contraceptive use of women having had repeat abortions in Estonia. Methods Data were retrieved from the Estonian Medical Birth and Abortion Registry and Statistics Estonia. Total induced abortion numbers, rates, ratios and age-specific rates are presented for 1996–2011. The percentage change in the number of repeat abortions within selected socio-demographic subgroups, contraception use and distribution of induced abortions among Estonians and non-Estonians for the first, second, third, fourth and subsequent abortions were calculated for the periods 1996–2003 and 2004–2011. Results Observed trends over the 16-year study period indicated a considerable decline in induced abortions with a reduction in abortion rate of 57.1%, which was mainly attributed to younger cohorts. The percentage of women undergoing repeat abortions fell steadily from 63.8% during 1996–2003 to 58.0% during 2004–2011. The percentage of women undergoing repeat abortions significantly decreased over the 16 years within all selected socio-demographic subgroups except among women with low educational attainment and students. Within each time period, a greater percentage of non-Estonians than Estonians underwent repeat abortions and obtained third and subsequent abortions. Most women did not use any contraceptive method prior to their first or subsequent abortion. Conclusion A high percentage of women obtaining repeat abortions reflects a high historical abortion rate. If current trends continue, a rapid decline in repeat abortions may be predicted. To decrease the burden of sexual ill health, routine contraceptive counselling, as standard care in the abortion process, should be seriously addressed with an emphasis on those groups - non-Estonians, women with lower educational attainment, students and women with children

Introducing a complex health innovation--primary health care reforms in Estonia (multimethods evaluation).

PubMed

Atun, Rifat Ali; Menabde, Nata; Saluvere, Katrin; Jesse, Maris; Habicht, Jarno

2006-11-01

All post-Soviet countries are trying to reform their primary health care (PHC) systems. The success to date has been uneven. We evaluated PHC reforms in Estonia, using multimethods evaluation: comprising retrospective analysis of routine health service data from Estonian Health Insurance Fund and health-related surveys; documentary analysis of policy reports, laws and regulations; key informant interviews. We analysed changes in organisational structure, regulations, financing and service provision in Estonian PHC system as well as key informant perceptions on factors influencing introduction of reforms. Estonia has successfully implemented and scaled-up multifaceted PHC reforms, including new organisational structures, user choice of family physicians (FPs), new payment methods, specialist training for family medicine, service contracts for FPs, broadened scope of services and evidence-based guidelines. These changes have been institutionalised. PHC effectiveness has been enhanced, as evidenced by improved management of key chronic conditions by FPs in PHC setting and reduced hospital admissions for these conditions. Introduction of PHC reforms - a complex innovation - was enhanced by strong leadership, good co-ordination between policy and operational level, practical approach to implementation emphasizing simplicity of interventions to be easily understood by potential adopters, an encircling strategy to roll-out which avoided direct confrontations with narrow specialists and opposing stakeholders in capital Tallinn, careful change-management strategy to avoid health reforms being politicized too early in the process, and early investment in training to establish a critical mass of health professionals to enable rapid operationalisation of policies. Most importantly, a multifaceted and coordinated approach to reform - with changes in laws; organisational restructuring; modifications to financing and provider payment systems; creation of incentives to enhance

What Reader-Oriented Literary and Cognitive Theories Have to Give to Composing Theory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liebman-Kleine, JoAnne

In developing an interactive model of composing, this paper discusses three groups of reader-oriented theories, each of which provides composing theorists with some research and theory to use in developing such a model. First the paper discusses the main principle of the literary reader-response theorists--that the meaning and value of texts do…

Images of the Negro in American Literature. Patterns of Literary Criticism, No. 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gross, Seymour L. , Ed.; Hardy, John Edward, Ed.

The 15 studies in this collection investigate the various images of the Negro in American literature--images which range from streotype to archetype. In the first six studies, critics discuss the literary tradition of the Negro in colonial literature (Milton Cantor), in the Southern novel prior to 1850 (Tremaine McDowell), in literature of the…

The Fight's Not Always Fixed: Using Literary Response to Transcend Standardized Test Scores

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Avila, JuliAnna

2012-01-01

In 2004, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) concluded that "literature reading is fading as a meaningful activity, especially among younger people." How can educators continue to teach students about the power of literary response when the priority is for them to achieve proficiency on standardized tests, whose scores can only be narrowly…

Micromégas: Altered Body-Environment Scaling in Literary Fiction.

PubMed

Dieguez, Sebastian

2016-01-01

Architectonic embodiment postulates a bidirectional link between bodily awareness and the architectural environment. The standard size and features of the human body, for instance, are thought to influence the structure of interiors and buildings, as well as their perception and appreciation. Whereas architectural practice and theory, the visual arts and more recently the cognitive sciences have explored this relationship of humans with their crafted environments, many fictional literary works have long experimented with alterations of body-environment scaling. This so-called Gulliver theme - popular in the science-fiction genre but also in children's literature and philosophical satire - reveals, as a recurrent thought-experiment, our preoccupation with proportions and our fascination for the infinitely small and large. Here I provide an overview of the altered scaling theme in literature, including classics such as Voltaire's Micromégas, Swift's Gulliver's Travels, Caroll's Alice, and Matheson's The Shrinking man, closely examining issues relevant to architectonic embodiment such as: bodily, perceptual, cognitive, affective, and social changes related to alterations in body size relative to people, objects and architectural environments. I next provide a taxonomy of the Gulliver theme and highlight its main psychological features, and then proceed to review relevant work from cognitive science. Although fictional alterations of body-environment scaling far outreach current possibilities in experimental research, I argue that the peripetiae and morals outlined in the literary realm, as products of the human imagination, provide a unique window into the folk-psychology of body and space.

Treatment of sexually transmitted diseases in Estonia: consistency with the evidence-based medicine principles.

PubMed

Uusküla, Anneli; McNutt, Louise Anne; Dehovitz, Jack

2004-10-01

Estonia is among those Eastern European countries that have witnessed an explosive intravenous drug use-driven HIV epidemic. Early sexually transmitted disease (STD) diagnosis and appropriate treatment is essential to prevent an STD-driven HIV epidemic. The objectives of this study were to define the schedule of antibiotic treatment doctors in Estonia used to treat STDs, and to determine if the treatments used correspond to evidence-based medicine treatment principles. Using an administrative database of the Estonian Health Insurance Fund on pharmaceuticals reimbursement, we obtained information on: drug (ATC 1998) prescribed with an STD diagnosis (International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, syphilis, gonorrhea, genital Chlamydia trachomatis and Trichomonas vaginalis infections, and genital herpes), prescribing physician specialty, and patient demographics (date of birth, gender). To evaluate the correspondence of STD treatment to evidence-based medicine principles, the therapeutic regimens used were compared with recommendations from the European Sexually Transmitted Infections Management Guidelines. In 2001 and 2002, physicians ordered 17,077 prescriptions for systemic antibacterial medications to treat STDs in 12,823 different individuals: 2942 men (mean age, 31.8 years) and 9880 women (mean age, 29.5 years). The majority of STD treatments were prescribed by gynecologists (60%) or dermatovenerologists (29%); general practitioners treated 8% of STDs. In 11% of treatment episodes, the drug prescribed was inconsistent with guideline recommendations; additionally, in 9% of episodes, the recommended drug was chosen but the prescribed dose was too low. At least 20% of treatment episodes could therefore be considered inappropriate. Educational efforts are needed to increase physician awareness of evidence-based approaches for STD management and treatment to assure effective STD care.

The Debate over Literary Tamil versus Standard Spoken Tamil: What Do Teachers Say?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saravanan, Vanithamani; Lakshmi, Seetha; Caleon, Imelda S.

2009-01-01

This study aims to determine the attitudes toward Standard Spoken Tamil (SST) and Literary Tamil (LT) of 46 Tamil teachers in Singapore. The teachers' attitudes were used as an indicator of the acceptance or nonacceptance of SST as a viable option in the teaching of Tamil in the classroom, in which the focus has been largely on LT. The…

The Necessity of the Literary Tradition: Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "One-Hundred Years of Solitude."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jupp, James C.

2000-01-01

Argues that literature from other countries, taught as multicultural literature, must be taught in the context of its own literary tradition in order to provide high-quality academic instruction. Offers an example with Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "One-Hundred Years of Solitude" to show how teaching multicultural literature can live up to…

Semantic and Pragmatic Failure in Translating Literary Texts: Translators' Inconsistency and/or Textual Resistance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

AlBzoor, Baseel Ali

2011-01-01

Liyerature;Drawing upon intrinsic linguistic and cultural premises, the present study is an attempt to explore semantic and pragmatic failure, evidently and frequently arising while translating literary texts. This researcher has adopted a functional approach that hinges upon basic semantic and pragmatic premises that best fit the framework of an…

Sourcebook for English Teachers: Directed Reading/Teaching Guides for Selected Literary Works. Volume 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ley, Terry C., Ed.

This sourcebook presents reading guides for 22 literary works frequently used by secondary school English teachers. The guides contain an overview of the work, a pool of instructional objectives for each work, a variety of activities, a series of discussion options, suggestions for evaluation, and annotated lists of related works. Included are:…

Micromégas: Altered Body–Environment Scaling in Literary Fiction

PubMed Central

Dieguez, Sebastian

2016-01-01

Architectonic embodiment postulates a bidirectional link between bodily awareness and the architectural environment. The standard size and features of the human body, for instance, are thought to influence the structure of interiors and buildings, as well as their perception and appreciation. Whereas architectural practice and theory, the visual arts and more recently the cognitive sciences have explored this relationship of humans with their crafted environments, many fictional literary works have long experimented with alterations of body–environment scaling. This so-called Gulliver theme – popular in the science-fiction genre but also in children’s literature and philosophical satire – reveals, as a recurrent thought-experiment, our preoccupation with proportions and our fascination for the infinitely small and large. Here I provide an overview of the altered scaling theme in literature, including classics such as Voltaire’s Micromégas, Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Caroll’s Alice, and Matheson’s The Shrinking man, closely examining issues relevant to architectonic embodiment such as: bodily, perceptual, cognitive, affective, and social changes related to alterations in body size relative to people, objects and architectural environments. I next provide a taxonomy of the Gulliver theme and highlight its main psychological features, and then proceed to review relevant work from cognitive science. Although fictional alterations of body-environment scaling far outreach current possibilities in experimental research, I argue that the peripetiae and morals outlined in the literary realm, as products of the human imagination, provide a unique window into the folk-psychology of body and space. PMID:27148156

Suicidal ideation, risk factors, and communication with parents. An HBSC study on school children in Estonia, Lithuania, and Luxembourg.

PubMed

Mark, Lauraliisa; Samm, Algi; Tooding, Liina-Mai; Sisask, Merike; Aasvee, Katrin; Zaborskis, Apolinaras; Zemaitiene, Nida; Värnik, Airi

2013-01-01

Suicide is a leading cause of death among youth. In the year 2002, Lithuania had the 2nd, Luxembourg the 5th, and Estonia the 9th highest suicide rates among 15- to 19-year-olds across 90 countries worldwide. Suicidal ideation is a significant precursor to suicide. To report on the prevalence of and associations between suicidal ideation, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical fighting, bullying, and communication with parents among 15-year-old schoolchildren. The survey analyzes data from the 2005/2006 HBSC study from Estonia, Lithuania, and Luxembourg (N = 4,954). The risk factors were calculated through multinomial logistic regression analyses. The overall prevalence of suicidal ideation in the preceding year was 17%. Suicidal thoughts were associated with communication difficulties with parents (OR from 2.0 to 4.6) and other risk factors, especially multiple risks (OR for 4-5 concurrent risk factors from 4.5 to 13.6). Parent-child communication had a significant mediating effect by decreasing the odds for suicidality and multiple risks. The prevalence estimates were obtained by self-reports. The causal relationships need further investigation. The risk factors studied, particularly multiple risks, were associated with higher odds for suicidal ideation. Good parent-child communication is a significant resource for decreasing suicidal ideation among adolescents.

Literary Competence of Future Philology Teachers' Professional Development (Based on the Educational Experience of Germany)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bazyl, Ludmyla

2015-01-01

The author performs a theoretical analysis of the educational experience in philology teachers' professional training in Germany in the context of solving scientific problem of literary competence development. Internal and external factors of this process have been determined both by socio-political realities, economic, philosophical, cultural,…

Post-Mao Chinese Literary Women's Rhetoric Revisited: A Case for an "Enlightened" Feminist Rhetorical Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Hui

2010-01-01

Identifying the specific complexities and historical context of post-Mao Chinese literary women's rhetoric, along with ways they have been misread, the author argues in general that Western feminist critics need to be cautious about applying their concepts to non-Western women's literature. (Contains 7 notes.)

Pupils' Knowledge and Spoken Literary Response beyond Polite Meaningless Words: Studying Yeats's "Easter, 1916"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordon, John

2016-01-01

This article presents research exploring the knowledge pupils bring to texts introduced to them for literary study, how they share knowledge through talk, and how it is elicited by the teacher in the course of an English lesson. It sets classroom discussion in a context where new examination requirements diminish the relevance of social, cultural…

Hunting for valuables from landfills and assessing their market opportunities A case study with Kudjape landfill in Estonia.

PubMed

Bhatnagar, Amit; Kaczala, Fabio; Burlakovs, Juris; Kriipsalu, Mait; Hogland, Marika; Hogland, William

2017-06-01

Landfill mining is an alternative technology that merges the ideas of material recycling and sustainable waste management. This paper reports a case study to estimate the value of landfilled materials and their respective market opportunities, based on a full-scale landfill mining project in Estonia. During the project, a dump site (Kudjape, Estonia) was excavated with the main objectives of extracting soil-like final cover material with the function of methane degradation. In total, about 57,777 m 3 of waste was processed, particularly the uppermost 10-year layer of waste. Manual sorting was performed in four test pits to determine the detailed composition of wastes. 11,610 kg of waste was screened on site, resulting in fine (<40 mm) and coarse (>40 mm) fractions with the share of 54% and 46%, respectively. Some portion of the fine fraction was sieved further to obtain a very fine grained fraction of <10 mm and analyzed for its potential for metals recovery. The average chemical composition of the <10 mm soil-like fraction suggests that it offers opportunities for metal (Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) extraction and recovery. The findings from this study highlight the importance of implementing best available site-specific technologies for on-site separation up to 10 mm grain size, and the importance of developing and implementing innovative extraction methods for materials recovery from soil-like fractions.

Women in Physics in Estonia: Many Duties, One Life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaasik, Helle

2009-04-01

In Estonia, women and men have equal legal rights. Women are expected to earn their living like men—and unlike men, to be the main (often the only) caregiver for the children. In the family women do most of the unpaid work, spending twice the amount of time on household duties as men. Laws about public preschool child care and child support obligations for noncustodial parents exist, but these laws are not always realized in practice. A generous policy of benefits for children under 1.5 years provides some relief for mothers. It is a challenge to balance a woman's traditional load of unpaid duties with the high demands of a science career. As in many other countries, with every step up the academic ladder the underrepresentation of women in science becomes more evident. Physics and engineering are perceived as male areas and women active in these areas are often treated as exceptions. Most obstacles met by women in science are difficult to recognize and neutralize because they are deeply informal. Activities for "gender and science" that exceed the limits of sociological study have no long tradition here and are yet finding their place in Estonian society.

Checkmate: Linguistic and Literary Play in Salman Rushdie's "Haroun and the Sea of Stories"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bongartz, Christiane; Richey, Esther Gilman

2010-01-01

The authors use Noam Chomsky's theories about generative grammar to discuss the notion of linguistic creativity they believe lies at the core of storytelling as Salman Rushdie pictures it in his novel, "Haroun and the Sea of Stories." The production of meaning through the use of narrative helps explain the rules of the literary game,…

Mental disorders among Chernobyl cleanup workers from Estonia: A clinical assessment.

PubMed

Laidra, Kaia; Rahu, Kaja; Kalaus, Katri-Evelin; Tekkel, Mare; Leinsalu, Mall

2017-08-01

To assess, at a clinical level, the mental health of former Chernobyl cleanup workers from Estonia by comparing them with same-age controls. The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) was administered during 2011-2012 to 99 cleanup workers and 100 population-based controls previously screened for mental health symptoms. Logistic regression analysis showed that cleanup workers had higher odds of current depressive disorder (odds ratio [OR] = 3.07, 95% confidence interval [CI: 1.34, 7.01]), alcohol dependence (OR = 3.47, 95% CI [1.29, 9.34]), and suicide ideation (OR = 3.44, 95% CI [1.28, 9.21]) than did controls. Except for suicide ideation, associations with Chernobyl exposure became statistically nonsignificant when adjusted for education and ethnicity. A quarter of a century after the Chernobyl accident, Estonian cleanup workers were still at increased risk of mental disorders, which was partly attributable to sociodemographic factors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Environmental Factors Associated with the Growth of Chinese Literary Genius: A Test of Rogerian Assumption.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuo, You-Yuk

1987-01-01

This study explored relationships between environmental factors (era, standard of living, freedom, and value) and the growth of Chinese literary genius. Using a new measure, the Chinese Creator Rating Scale, the study found that historical top scorers had above average values on the four environmental factors, supporting the humanistic theory of…

Semantic Markup for Literary Scholars: How Descriptive Markup Affects the Study and Teaching of Literature.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, D. Grant

2002-01-01

Describes a qualitative study which investigated the attitudes of literary scholars towards the features of semantic markup for primary texts in XML format. Suggests that layout is a vital part of the reading process which implies that the standardization of DTDs (Document Type Definitions) should extend to styling as well. (Author/LRW)

Addendum to Richard D. Altick's Chapter Six on Libraries in "The Art of Literary Research."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore-Smith, Mary

This addendum is designed to compensate for Altick's omission of materials by or about black writers in "The Art of Literary Research" and to identify some of the most outstanding public, university, and private library holdings in the United States on American blacks, as well as major Afro-American collections. Major public library…

Content of total carotenoids in Calendula officinalis L. from different countries cultivated in Estonia.

PubMed

Raal, Ain; Kirsipuu, Kadri; Must, Reelika; Tenno, Silvi

2009-01-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the content of total carotenoids in different collections of pot marigold (Calendula officinalis L.) inflorescences. Commercial seeds (42 samples) of C. officinalis were obtained from nine countries and cultivated in private gardens in three different counties of Estonia. The content of total carotenoids, determined spectrophotometrically (lambda=455 nm) varied in the investigated collections from 0.20 to 3.51%. The amount of pigments may depend on the type of plants, the importing company, the color of the ligulate and tubular florets, and the place and time of cultivation. For medicinal purposes, C. officinalis with brownish-yellow ligulate and tubular florets should be preferred. The best was found to be 'Golden Emperor' from Finland.

Analytical Study of the Status of Myth in the Creation of Literary and Artistic Works

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moghaddam, Sedigheh Sherkat; Abai, Andia

2016-01-01

The prevalent question raised in literary theories has been the quiddity of literature. However, the question of "what is literature?" is a philosophical issue. On the other hand, the relationship between myth and literature has always been raised by most scholars and many have considered literature a subtype of myths. In this paper,…

A policy of introducing a new contract and funding system of general practice in Estonia.

PubMed

Lember, Margus

2002-01-01

The socialist bloc of post-war Europe was obliged to follow the Soviet example with a hierarchical, centrally controlled health care system based on polyclinics and other facilities providing extensive specialist services at the first level of contact. All the countries of Central and Eastern Europe have now expressed their wish to totally change their health care systems. Changes in these countries include: the introduction of market economy mechanisms in health care, an increased focus on population health needs in guiding health care systems, and the possibility of introducing a more general type of care at primary level. Patient expectations of access, choice and convenience are factors in shaping new models of health care delivery. Appropriate timing is the key determinant of the success of reforms. In Estonia the beginning of the 1990s was the time when several interest groups in society supported changes in the health care system. The first step after regaining independence was the reintroduction of a Bismarck-type insurance system. In the late 1990s the primary care reforms have changed the initial plans and elements of a National Health Service were introduced, especially general practitioners' lists, capitation payment and gate-keeping principles. The family medicine reform in Estonia has two main objectives: introduction of general practice as a specialty into Estonian health care and changing the remuneration system of primary care doctors. The specific tasks are: to provide practising primary care doctors with opportunities for retraining to gain the specialty status of a general practitioner, to create a list system for the population to register with a primary care doctor, to introduce a partial gate-keeping system and to give the status of the independent contractor to primary care doctors.

Language of the Earth: Exploring Natural Hazards through a Literary Anthology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malamud, B. D.; Rhodes, F. H. T.

2009-04-01

This paper explores natural hazards teaching and communications through the use of a literary anthology of writings about the earth aimed at non-experts. Teaching natural hazards in high-school and university introductory Earth Science and Geography courses revolves mostly around lectures, examinations, and laboratory demonstrations/activities. Often the results of such a course are that a student 'memorizes' the answers, and is penalized when they miss a given fact [e.g., "You lost one point because you were off by 50 km/hr on the wind speed of an F5 tornado."] Although facts and general methodologies are certainly important when teaching natural hazards, it is a strong motivation to a student's assimilation of, and enthusiasm for, this knowledge, if supplemented by writings about the Earth. In this paper, we discuss a literary anthology which we developed [Language of the Earth, Rhodes, Stone, Malamud, Wiley-Blackwell, 2008] which includes many descriptions about natural hazards. Using first- and second-hand accounts of landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and volcanic eruptions, through the writings of McPhee, Gaskill, Voltaire, Austin, Cloos, and many others, hazards become 'alive', and more than 'just' a compilation of facts and processes. Using short excerpts such as these, or other similar anthologies, of remarkably written accounts and discussions about natural hazards results in 'dry' facts becoming more than just facts. These often highly personal viewpoints of our catostrophic world, provide a useful supplement to a student's understanding of the turbulent world in which we live.

Sexually Transmitted Infections - Prevalence, Knowledge and Behaviours among Professional Defence Forces in Estonia: a Pilot Study.

PubMed

Parker, R. David; Rüütel, Kristi

2017-03-01

Our study assessed sexually transmitted infections (STI) occurrence and risk behaviours from a sample of the defence forces of Estonia. Previous research on military personnel yields various results on the prevalence of STIs and high risk behaviours. The increasing recognition of high risk behaviours among military personnel is evident given increased programmes that focus on education of drug use and risky sexual behaviours. Many militaries conduct routine, periodic screening for diseases such as HIV and viral hepatitis at entry and pre-foreign deployment. Protecting deployed forces from secondary infections is important as persons with chronic viral infections are living longer, healthier lives and are more frequently serving in military forces. A cross sectional study used convenient sampling among professional defence forces. Participation was both voluntary and anonymous. Of 186 participants accounting for 7.3% of all forces (86.6% male, mean age 30 years) at selected bases, there were four cases of chlamydia. No cases of gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, hepatitis C, hepatitis B, or HIV were found. One person reported ever injecting drugs. These findings indicate a lower STI occurrence among professional defence forces in Estonia compared with the non-military population. While these rates were lower than expected, as a voluntary study, people suspicious of having an STI might opt not to participate, limiting generalizability to the remainder of the military. Militaries without regular screening programmes could consider regular scheduled testing for STIs, HIV and blood borne pathogens, even if voluntary, especially prior to foreign deployment. Consistent testing would align across many militaries who deploy international peace keepers. Copyright© by the National Institute of Public Health, Prague 2017

The occurrence and hydrochemistry of fluoride and boron in carbonate aquifer system, central and western Estonia.

PubMed

Karro, Enn; Uppin, Marge

2013-05-01

Silurian-Ordovician (S-O) aquifer system is an important drinking water source of central and western Estonia. The fluoride and boron contents of groundwater in aquifer system vary considerably. The fluoride concentration in 60 collected groundwater samples ranged from 0.1 to 6.1 mg/l with a mean of 1.95 mg/l in the study area. Boron content in groundwater varied from 0.05 mg/l to 2.1 mg/l with a mean value of 0.66 mg/l. Considering the requirements of EU Directive 98/83/EC and the Estonian requirements for drinking water quality, the limit value for fluoride (1.5 mg/l) and for boron (1.0 mg/l) is exceeded in 47 and 28 % of wells, respectively. Groundwater with high fluoride and boron concentrations is found mainly in western Estonia and deeper portion of aquifer system, where groundwater chemical type is HCO3-Cl-Na-Mg-Ca, water is alkaline, and its Ca(2+) content is low. Groundwater of the study area is undersaturated with respect to fluorite and near to equilibrium phase with respect to calcite. The comparison of TDS versus Na/(Na + Ca) and Cl/(Cl + HCO3) points to the dominance of rock weathering as the main process, which promotes the availability of fluoride and boron in the groundwater. The geological sources of B in S-O aquifer system have not been studied so far, but the dissolution of fluorides from carbonate rocks (F = 100-400 mg/kg) and K-bentonites (F = 2,800-4,500 mg/kg) contributes to the formation of F-rich groundwater.

Perception of emotional nonsense sentences in China, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, Russia, Sweden, and the USA.

PubMed

Waaramaa, Teija

2015-10-01

The present study focused on the identification of emotions in cross-cultural conditions on different continents and among subjects with divergent language backgrounds. The aim was to investigate whether the perception of the basic emotions from nonsense vocal samples was universal, dependent on voice quality, musicality, and/or gender. Listening tests for 350 participants were conducted on location in a variety of cultures: China, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, Russia, Sweden, and the USA. The results suggested that the voice quality parameters played a role in the identification of emotions without the linguistic content. Cultural background may affect the interpretation of the emotions more than the presumed universality. Musical interest tended to facilitate emotion identification. No gender differences were found.

"Making Connections:" An International Literary Project. Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminar Abroad 1996 (Bulgaria and Romania).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carbery, Patricia L.; MacQuinn, Sandra D.

This paper describes a project designed to create a student literary magazine that would explore and compare the childhoods and the cultural rites of passage of Romanian, Bulgarian, and U.S. students. The time line for the grant project and the methodology used are also included. A materials list for English classes and history classes, assessment…

78 FR 35642 - Certain TV Programs, Literary Works for TV Production and Episode Guides Pertaining to Same...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-13

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Docket No 2959] Certain TV Programs, Literary Works for TV... Relating to the Public Interest AGENCY: U.S. International Trade Commission. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the U.S. International Trade Commission has received a complaint entitled...

Rapid socio-economic changes, psychosocial factors and prevalence of hypertension among men and women aged 55 years at baseline in Estonia: a 13-year follow-up study.

PubMed

Sammul, Sirje; Viigimaa, Margus

2018-05-27

Hypertension is an important public health problem which causes premature morbidity and mortality. Cardiovascular diseases are responsible for about 55% of deaths in Estonia. was to assess, through a follow-up period, the prevalence of hypertension and to observe which risk factors of cardiovascular disease impact the occurrence of the disease. The second aim of the study was to evaluate the role of psychosocial factors and personality traits among individuals with a diagnosis of hypertension. The 330 subjects from Estonia, aged 55 years at baseline, from among whom 219 participated at follow-up. A cross-sectional study based on a self-reported questionnaire was conducted. Over 13 years, the prevalence of hypertension increased from 4% to 53%. Obese (body mass index ≥30 kg/m 2 ) individuals were four times more likely to belong to the hypertension group (p < .01). Among individuals with hypertension the depressed mood score was ≥4 points (max. 9 points) in 54.3% of participants. Depressed mood was linked with experiencing negative stressful life events (B = 0.047, 95% CI 0.016; 0.079; p < .01). Mastery had a protective impact on depressed mood. The self-rated quality of life score was lower among subjects with hypertension than among those who were not diagnosed with hypertension (p < .05). According to the 13-year follow-up study, rapid socio-economic changes in Estonia have affected psychosocial health factors among 55-year-old individuals with a diagnosis of hypertension. There is a significant relationship between obesity and the development of hypertension.

Stranger than fiction: literary and clinical amnesia.

PubMed

Dieguez, Sebastian; Annoni, Jean-Marie

2013-01-01

This chapter broadly covers literary uses of amnesia and memory disorders. Amnesia in fiction offers authors an efficient and dramatic device to tackle themes such as identity, personal liberty, or guilt. We argue against the common complaint that fictional amnesia is scientifically inaccurate, pointing out that the goals of literature are different from those of science, that amnesia is still poorly understood, and that real-life cases can sometimes be stranger than fiction. The chapter provides examples from the neuropsychological literature, media reports, mythology, historical cases, detective stories, war stories, theatrical plays, and other genres. Special attention is given to retrograde and dissociative amnesia, as these are the most frequent types of amnesia portrayed in fiction, while other types of memory disorders are more shortly treated. We argue that the predominance of disorders affecting autobiographical memory in fiction is in itself a revealing fact about the mechanisms of human memory, illustrating how fictional treatments of pathology can inform back neurological and psychological research. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

An Analysis of Social, Literary and Technological Sources Used by Classroom Teachers in Social Studies Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fidan, Nuray Kurtdede; Ergün, Mustafa

2016-01-01

In this study, social, literary and technological sources used by classroom teachers in social studies courses are analyzed in terms of frequency. The study employs mixed methods research and is designed following the convergent parallel design. In the qualitative part of the study, phenomenological method was used and in the quantitative…

Cyclic sedimentation pattern in Lake Veetka, southeast Estonia: a case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saarse, Leili

2015-03-01

A sediment core from Lake Veetka, southeast Estonia, 1077 cm in length and covering 10,500 calibrated years, was examined using loss-on-ignition, grain-size distribution and AMS 14C dating to reconstruct depositional dynamics. The studied core, recovered from the northern part of the lake, shows a cyclic pattern of organic and mineral matter concentration with cycle durations of 100-400 years. Cyclicity is displayed better in sediments laid down between 9,200 and 5,600 cal BP. Within two time windows (5,600-5,100 cal BP and from 1,200 cal BP to the present), sediment composition changed drastically on account of a high and fluctuating mineral matter content, obviously driven by different factors. Little Ice Age cooling is characterised by the highest proportion of mineral matter, and the Medieval Warm Period is typified by high organic matter content. The cyclic change of organic and mineral matter has been related to climate dynamics, most likely an alternation of wet and dry conditions, changes in the water level of the lake and differences in bioproduction

Literary Analyses of the Danish, the Greenlandic, and the Turkish Stories Used in the "Folktale Project." Folktale: A Cross-Cultural, Interdisciplinary Study of the Experience of Literature. Paper 12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dollerup, Cay; And Others

As part of the Folktale project, which explores similarities and dissimilarities in the response to literature from and in different cultures, advanced undergraduate students in classes on literary interpretation or literary history analyzed a Danish, a Greenlandic, and a Turkish folk tale. Two male and two female students in classes on literary…

Semiotics of Umberto Eco in a Literary Translation Class: The Model Reader as the Competent Translator

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozturk Kasar, Sündüz; Can, Alize

2017-01-01

Classroom environment can be thought as an absolute place to practice and improve translation skills of students. They have the possibility to brainstorm and discuss problematic points they face with each other during a translation activity. It can be estimated in the same way in a literary translation class. Students who are supposed to become…

The Fantastic Tale for Children: A Genre Study from the Viewpoints of Literary and Educational Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klingberg, Gote

The literary genre explored in this study is The Fantastic Tale for Children, which combines magic and reality. Two examples of the "pure" fantastic tale are "The Return of the Twelves" by Pauline Clarke and "Tom's Midnight Garden" by Philippa Pearce. The motifs of the fantastic tale are methods which connect the world of the principal characters…

Inclusive educational practices as perceived by prospective special education teachers in Estonia, Finland, and the United States.

PubMed

Moberg, S

1997-03-01

A survey of 125 prospective special education teachers assessed perceptions and beliefs about inclusive education in Estonia, Finland, and the United States (Michigan). The attitudes toward inclusion were rather critical. The Estonians were the most critical group, the Finns the least critical. The meanings attached to a student with severe mental retardation were related to the educational setting assessed as the best for this student. The findings suggest that special educators perceptions about inclusion are related to the prevailing implementation of inclusive education. The results support also the idea that the meanings attached to a person with a disability are connected with behavioural intentions toward this person.

"Brilliant, Bright, Boiling Words": Literary Disability, Language and the Writing Body in the Work of Christopher Nolan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coogan, Tom

2012-01-01

This article uses theory on disability, embodiment and language to explore the production, context and presentation of two pieces of life-writing by Christopher Nolan. It examines Nolan's unusual use of language and form in his presentations of an experience of disability, and considers its literary and political significance. Consideration is…

The Emergence of Pragmatic Philosophy's Influence on Literary Theory: Making Meaning with Texts from a Transactional Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connell, Jeanne M.

2008-01-01

In this review essay, Jeanne Connell examines the influence of pragmatic philosophy on the scholarly works of twentieth-century literary theorist and English educator Louise Rosenblatt through the lens of a recent collection of her essays originally published between 1936 and 1999. Rosenblatt grounded her transactional theory of literature in…

The Occupational Well-Being of School Staff and Maintenance of Their Ability to Work in Finland and Estonia--Focus on the School Community and Professional Competence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saaranen, Terhi; Sormunen, Marjorita; Pertel, Tiia; Streimann, Karin; Hansen, Siivi; Varava, Liana; Lepp, Kadi; Turunen, Hannele; Tossavainen, Kerttu

2012-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to present the baseline results of a research and development project targeted to improve the occupational well-being of school staff and maintain their ability to work, in Finland and Estonia. It reveals the most problematic factors in the various aspects of the school community and professional competence and outlines…

Reading Representations of Themselves: Urban Youth Use Culture and African American Textual Features to Develop Literary Understandings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brooks, Wanda

2006-01-01

This article describes a qualitative research study that explored how a middle school case-study class read and responded to "culturally conscious" African American children's books (Sims, 1982, p. 49). First, I relied on literary analyses conducted mainly by Sims (1982) and Harris (1995) to identify African American textual features contained in…

El Escritor y las Normas del Canon Literario (The Writer and the Norms of the Literary Canon).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Policarpo, Alcibiades

This paper speculates about whether a literary canon exists in contemporary Latin American literature, particularly in the prose genre. The paper points to Carlos Fuentes, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Mario Vargas Llosa as the three authors who might form this traditional and liberal canon with their works "La Muerte de Artemio Cruz"…

Complementary treatment of the common cold and flu with medicinal plants--results from two samples of pharmacy customers in Estonia.

PubMed

Raal, Ain; Volmer, Daisy; Sõukand, Renata; Hratkevitš, Sofia; Kalle, Raivo

2013-01-01

The aim of the current survey was to investigate the complementary self-treatment of the common cold and flu with medicinal plants among pharmacy customers in Estonia. A multiple-choice questionnaire listing 10 plants and posing questions on the perceived characteristics of cold and flu, the effectiveness of plants, help-seeking behaviour, self-treatment and sources of information, was distributed to a sample of participants in two medium size pharmacies. The participants were pharmacy customers: 150 in Tallinn (mostly Russian speaking) and 150 in Kuressaare (mostly Estonian speaking). The mean number of plants used by participants was 4.1. Of the respondents, 69% self-treated the common cold and flu and 28% consulted with a general practitioner. In general, medicinal plants were considered effective in the treatment of the above-mentioned illnesses and 56% of the respondents had used exclusively medicinal plants or their combination with OTC medicines and other means of folk medicine for treatment. The use of medicinal plants increased with age and was more frequent among female than male respondents. Among Estonian-speaking customers lime flowers, blackcurrant and camomile were more frequently used, and among Russian speaking customers raspberry and lemon fruits. Regardless of some statistically significant differences in preferred species among different age, education, sex and nationality groups, the general attitude towards medicinal plants for self-treatment of the common cold and flu in Estonia was very favourable.

Teaching cultural competence using an exemplar from literary journalism.

PubMed

Anderson, Kathryn L

2004-06-01

Fadiman's work of literary journalism, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, was used as a case study to teach transcultural and other nursing concepts to undergraduate nursing students. Campinha-Bacote's model of cultural competence was used to organize transcultural nursing concepts in the course. Before and after the course, students completed assessments consisting of two cultural attitude questionnaires and a paper describing a personal experience with adherence and failure to adhere by a Mexican American client. After reading Fadiman's book and completing several short writing assignments examining key course concepts, student scores on the questionnaires were mostly unchanged. However, students demonstrated growth in cultural awareness and skill in their "after" papers. Results suggest that valid, reliable tools are needed to detect changes in cultural competence. Qualitative data suggest that students can begin the process of becoming culturally competent through the creative use of literature in nursing education.

Doubletalk: A Literary Pairing of "The Giver" and "We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lehman, Barbara A.; Crook, Patricia R.

1998-01-01

Pairs two books that might stimulate children's literary awareness--Lois Lowry's fantasy novel, "The Giver," and Maurice Sendak's picture book, "We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy." Finds that the pairing and comparisons increased understandings about each work and how complementary they really are. (PA)

Measurement of community empowerment in three community programs in Rapla (Estonia).

PubMed

Kasmel, Anu; Andersen, Pernille Tanggaard

2011-03-01

Community empowerment approaches have been proven to be powerful tools for solving local health problems. However, the methods for measuring empowerment in the community remain unclear and open to dispute. This study aims to describe how a context-specific community empowerment measurement tool was developed and changes made to three health promotion programs in Rapla, Estonia. An empowerment expansion model was compiled and applied to three existing programs: Safe Community, Drug/HIV Prevention and Elderly Quality of Life. The consensus workshop method was used to create the measurement tool and collect data on the Organizational Domains of Community Empowerment (ODCE). The study demonstrated considerable increases in the ODCE among the community workgroup, which was initiated by community members and the municipality's decision-makers. The increase was within the workgroup, which had strong political and financial support on a national level but was not the community's priority. The program was initiated and implemented by the local community members, and continuous development still occurred, though at a reduced pace. The use of the empowerment expansion model has proven to be an applicable, relevant, simple and inexpensive tool for the evaluation of community empowerment.

Measurement of Community Empowerment in Three Community Programs in Rapla (Estonia)

PubMed Central

Kasmel, Anu; Andersen, Pernille Tanggaard

2011-01-01

Community empowerment approaches have been proven to be powerful tools for solving local health problems. However, the methods for measuring empowerment in the community remain unclear and open to dispute. This study aims to describe how a context-specific community empowerment measurement tool was developed and changes made to three health promotion programs in Rapla, Estonia. An empowerment expansion model was compiled and applied to three existing programs: Safe Community, Drug/HIV Prevention and Elderly Quality of Life. The consensus workshop method was used to create the measurement tool and collect data on the Organizational Domains of Community Empowerment (ODCE). The study demonstrated considerable increases in the ODCE among the community workgroup, which was initiated by community members and the municipality’s decision-makers. The increase was within the workgroup, which had strong political and financial support on a national level but was not the community’s priority. The program was initiated and implemented by the local community members, and continuous development still occurred, though at a reduced pace. The use of the empowerment expansion model has proven to be an applicable, relevant, simple and inexpensive tool for the evaluation of community empowerment. PMID:21556179

Detection and identification of Rickettsia species in Ixodes tick populations from Estonia.

PubMed

Katargina, Olga; Geller, Julia; Ivanova, Anna; Värv, Kairi; Tefanova, Valentina; Vene, Sirkka; Lundkvist, Åke; Golovljova, Irina

2015-09-01

A total of 1640 ticks collected in different geographical parts of Estonia were screened for the presence of Rickettsia species DNA by real-time PCR. DNA of Rickettsia was detected in 83 out of 1640 questing ticks with an overall prevalence of 5.1%. The majority of the ticks infected by rickettsiae were Ixodes ricinus (74 of 83), while 9 of the 83 positive ticks were Ixodes persulcatus. For rickettsial species identification, a part of the citrate synthase gltA gene was sequenced. The majority of the positive samples were identified as Rickettsia helvetica (81 out of 83) and two of the samples were identified as Rickettsia monacensis and Candidatus R. tarasevichiae, respectively. Genetic characterization based on the partial gltA gene showed that the Estonian sequences within the R. helvetica, R. monacensis and Candidatus R. tarasevichiae species demonstrated 100% similarity with sequences deposited in GenBank, originating from Rickettsia species distributed over large territories from Europe to Asia. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

37 CFR 201.13 - Notices of objection to certain noncommercial performances of nondramatic literary or musical works.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... is the author of the work (including, in the case of a work made for hire, the employer or other... exclusive right, initially owned by the author of performance of the type referred to in 17 U.S.C. 110(4...) Clear identification, by title and at least one author, of the particular nondramatic literary or...

On the Use of Literary Texts in the Daf Lesson with the Example of Heinrich Boell's Short Story "Die Blasse Anna" with a Focus on Writing on a B2 Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ghorabi, Yassamin Ostad A.; Haddadi, Mohammad Hossein

2017-01-01

For the promotion and optimization of teaching foreign languages, new methods and strategies are always considered that include literary texts. The aim of the present paper is to provide arguments for the use of literature in the classroom. Learning target areas and selection criteria for the use of literary texts in the classroom are presented. A…

Las tecnicas literarias de Othon Castillo en "La cruel naturaleza" (The Literary Techniques Used by Othon Castillo in "Cruel Native")

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Richard F.

1975-01-01

Discusses the style of the Ecuadorian novelist Othon Castillo and the literary techniques used in his novel "Cruel Nature." The novel describes the cities of Quito and Santa Ana in Ecuador and their inhabitants. (Text is in Spanish.) (TL)

Readings on Sophocles. The Greenhaven Press Literary Companion to World Authors. Literary Companion Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nardo, Don, Ed.

Intended as an accessible resource for students researching the Greek dramatist Sophocles (born 496 B.C.), this collection of essays contains an in-depth biography of the playwright and writings from a wide variety of sources. The essays are edited to accommodate the reading and comprehension levels of young adults; each essay is introduced by a…

Mesyatsy "knizhnye" i "nebesnye": ikh sootnoshenie na stranitsakh letopisej %t "Literary" and "heavenly" months: their correlations in Russian chronicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuravel', A. V.

The overwhelming majority of Old-Russian dates are Julian, and this fact seems to prove that the Julian calendar gained a foothold after the baptism of Rus'. However, there are also about 10 lunar datings (mainly from the XV c.) in Russian chronicles. This fact corresponds to the words of Kirik (the Novgorod mathematician of the XII c.) who distinguished "heavenly" months from "literary" ones. The research shows that Kirik's words are true for the entire Medieval period of Russian history: the Julian calendar was really the "literary" one and people continued to count days by the Moon in their day-to-day life. Thus, lunar dating came up in Russian chronicles again and again. That is why attempts of recalculation into the Julian manner generated many mistakes (variant readings). If we take into account these "traces", we can reconstruct the initial lunar dating and determine more precisely the course of historical events.

Rapid Urbanization of Red Foxes in Estonia: Distribution, Behaviour, Attacks on Domestic Animals, and Health-Risks Related to Zoonotic Diseases

PubMed Central

Plumer, Liivi; Davison, John; Saarma, Urmas

2014-01-01

Urban areas are becoming increasingly important for wildlife as diminishing natural habitats no longer represent a suitable environment for many species. Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) are nowadays common in many cities worldwide, and in recent years they have colonized urban areas in Estonia. We used a public web-based questionnaire approach to evaluate the distribution and behaviour of Estonian urban foxes, to detect related problems and to assess health risks to humans and domestic animals. In total, 1205 responses were collected throughout the country. Foxes have colonized the majority of Estonian towns (33 out of 47) in a relatively short period of time, and have already established breeding dens in several towns. Despite their recent arrival, the behaviour of Estonian urban foxes is similar to that reported in longer-established urban fox populations: they are mostly active during night-time, often visit city centres and some also have dens in such locations. Certain characteristics of urban foxes serve as a basis for conflict with humans: foxes have entered houses and attacked domestic animals, killing cats and poultry. About 8% of reported foxes exhibited symptoms of sarcoptic mange, a disease that also infects domestic animals, especially dogs. The proportion of mange-infected foxes was higher in large urban areas. In addition to mange, a substantial fraction of red foxes in Estonia are known to be infected with the life-threatening tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis, the causative agent of alveolar echinococcosis. Therefore, urban foxes may represent a source of serious infectious disease for pets and humans. PMID:25531399

Rapid urbanization of red foxes in Estonia: distribution, behaviour, attacks on domestic animals, and health-risks related to zoonotic diseases.

PubMed

Plumer, Liivi; Davison, John; Saarma, Urmas

2014-01-01

Urban areas are becoming increasingly important for wildlife as diminishing natural habitats no longer represent a suitable environment for many species. Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) are nowadays common in many cities worldwide, and in recent years they have colonized urban areas in Estonia. We used a public web-based questionnaire approach to evaluate the distribution and behaviour of Estonian urban foxes, to detect related problems and to assess health risks to humans and domestic animals. In total, 1205 responses were collected throughout the country. Foxes have colonized the majority of Estonian towns (33 out of 47) in a relatively short period of time, and have already established breeding dens in several towns. Despite their recent arrival, the behaviour of Estonian urban foxes is similar to that reported in longer-established urban fox populations: they are mostly active during night-time, often visit city centres and some also have dens in such locations. Certain characteristics of urban foxes serve as a basis for conflict with humans: foxes have entered houses and attacked domestic animals, killing cats and poultry. About 8% of reported foxes exhibited symptoms of sarcoptic mange, a disease that also infects domestic animals, especially dogs. The proportion of mange-infected foxes was higher in large urban areas. In addition to mange, a substantial fraction of red foxes in Estonia are known to be infected with the life-threatening tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis, the causative agent of alveolar echinococcosis. Therefore, urban foxes may represent a source of serious infectious disease for pets and humans.

Headaches after traumatic spinal cord injury in Estonia.

PubMed

Sabre, Liis; Rugo, Mariann; Asser, Toomas; Kõrv, Janika; Braschinsky, Mark

2016-04-01

Patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) often suffer from different types of pain. However, headaches after TSCI have not been studied. The aim of this article is to examine the occurrence of headache among patients with TSCI. This cross-sectional study included individuals with TSCI from 1997 to 2012 in Estonia. Patients with TSCI were interviewed via telephone. The interview was based on a questionnaire specifically designed to identify headache type using the International Classification of Headache Disorders, third edition (beta version). There were 73 patients with a mean age 37.1 ± 10.6 years. The mean time since TSCI was 7.5 ± 4.0 years. The most frequently mentioned pain was headache (71%), followed by back pain (60%) and pain in neck (44%).Headaches were more frequent after the trauma compared with the headaches before TSCI (71% vs 51%, ITALIC! p = 0.02). Headaches that arose after TSCI were not related to the concomitant brain injury ( ITALIC! p = 0.15). The occurrence of headache did not depend on the severity or the level of the TSCI.Eighty-five percent of patients had not contacted any physician and headache was not diagnosed. This is the first study that evidentially shows that headache is the most prevalent pain condition after TSCI. Despite this, the majority of patients never consult a physician, nor is their headache diagnosed or appropriately managed. This indicates that further studies are needed to provide evidence regarding the prevalence and causes of headache and its impact on quality of life. © International Headache Society 2015.

Reading the World's Classics Critically: A Keyword-Based Approach to Literary Analysis in Foreign Language Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

García, Nuria Alonso; Caplan, Alison

2014-01-01

While there are a number of important critical pedagogies being proposed in the field of foreign language study, more attention should be given to providing concrete examples of how to apply these ideas in the classroom. This article offers a new approach to the textual analysis of literary classics through the keyword-based methodology originally…

Creating Spaces for the Development of Critical Awareness through Literature: The Methodological Anatomy of "Literary Texts in English"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aceituno, Yolanda Caballero

2011-01-01

Most students of the joint degree in "English Philology and Tourism," taught at the University of Jaén (Spain), usually complain about the fact that the teaching of literature is sometimes reduced to the theoretical study of literary periods and bio-bibliographical data about authors. This approach overlooks one of the main functions of…

A Novel Approach: Using Literary Writing and Creative Interventions for Working toward Forgiveness after Relationship Dissolution and Divorce

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valadez, Albert A.; Evans, Marcheta

2005-01-01

The relationship between empathy and forgiveness is explored through the painful experience of divorce and relationship loss. Authors propose a literary exercise, the Novel Approach, to help clients discover the power of empathy and find resolution to past pains. Included is a case study used to describe the Novel Approach and to highlight its…

Professional training in creative writing is associated with enhanced fronto-striatal activity in a literary text continuation task.

PubMed

Erhard, K; Kessler, F; Neumann, N; Ortheil, H-J; Lotze, M

2014-10-15

The aim of the present study was to explore brain activities associated with creativity and expertise in literary writing. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we applied a real-life neuroscientific setting that consisted of different writing phases (brainstorming and creative writing; reading and copying as control conditions) to well-selected expert writers and to an inexperienced control group. During creative writing, experts showed cerebral activation in a predominantly left-hemispheric fronto-parieto-temporal network. When compared to inexperienced writers, experts showed increased left caudate nucleus and left dorsolateral and superior medial prefrontal cortex activation. In contrast, less experienced participants recruited increasingly bilateral visual areas. During creative writing activation in the right cuneus showed positive association with the creativity index in expert writers. High experience in creative writing seems to be associated with a network of prefrontal (mPFC and DLPFC) and basal ganglia (caudate) activation. In addition, our findings suggest that high verbal creativity specific to literary writing increases activation in the right cuneus associated with increased resources obtained for reading processes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Developing Reading-Writing Connections: The Impact of Explicit Instruction of Literary Devices on the Quality of Children's Narrative Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corden, Roy

2007-01-01

The purpose of this collaborative schools-university study was to investigate how the explicit instruction of literary devices during designated literacy sessions could improve the quality of children's narrative writing. A guiding question for the study was: Can children's writing can be enhanced by teachers drawing attention to the literary…

"Being an English Major, Being a Humanities Student": Connecting Academic Subject Identity in Literary Studies to Other Social Domains

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Evelyn T. Y.

2016-01-01

This study examined students' construction of academic subject identity in a university humanities discipline, English literary studies. In so doing, the study aimed to provide an empirically grounded intervention in current debates on the value of the humanities in higher education. Eight students participated in interviews lasting 15-20 minutes…

Moroccan Mothers' Involvement in Dialogic Literary Gatherings in a Catalan Urban Primary School: Increasing Educative Interactions and Improving Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Botton, Lena; Girbés, Sandra; Ruiz, Laura; Tellado, Itxaso

2014-01-01

This article analyses a case study on Moroccan mothers' involvement in the Dialogic Literary Gathering (DLG) in an urban primary school in Catalonia (Spain). DLG is a dialogic learning environment that improves reading skills and communicative abilities and promotes school-community links. This activity has been identified in previous European…

Effects of land use on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in Estonia.

PubMed

Sepp, Siim-Kaarel; Jairus, Teele; Vasar, Martti; Zobel, Martin; Öpik, Maarja

2018-04-01

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal communities vary across habitat types, as well as across different land use types. Most relevant research, however, has focused on agricultural or other severely human-impacted ecosystems. Here, we compared AM fungal communities across six habitat types: calcareous grassland, overgrown ungrazed calcareous grassland, wooded meadow, farmyard lawn, boreonemoral forest, and boreonemoral forest clear-cut, exhibiting contrasting modes of land use. AM fungi in the roots of a single host plant species, Prunella vulgaris, and in its rhizosphere soil were identified using 454-sequencing from a total of 103 samples from 12 sites in Estonia. Mean AM fungal taxon richness per sample did not differ among habitats. AM fungal community composition, however, was significantly different among habitat types. Both abandonment and land use intensification (clearcutting; trampling combined with frequent mowing) changed AM fungal community composition. The AM fungal communities in different habitat types were most similar in the roots of the single host plant species and most distinct in soil samples, suggesting a non-random pattern in host-fungal taxon interactions. The results show that AM fungal taxon composition is driven by habitat type and land use intensity, while the plant host may act as an additional filter between the available and realized AM fungal species pool.

Write. Persist. Struggle: Sponsors of Writing and Workers' Education in the 1930s

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mutnick, Deborah

2016-01-01

Organizations like the John Reed Clubs and the WPA Federal Writers' Project, as well as publications like "The New Masses" can be seen as "literacy sponsors" of the U.S. literary left in the 1930s, particularly the young, the working class, and African American writers. The vibrant, inclusionary, activist, literary culture of…

Analysis of the systems of ventilation of residential houses of Ukraine and Estonia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savchenko, Olena; Zhelykh, Vasyl; Voll, Hendrik

2017-12-01

The most common ventilation system in residential buildings in Ukraine is natural ventilation. In recent years, due to increased tightness of structures, an increase in the content of synthetic finishing materials in them, the quality of microclimate parameters deteriorated. One of the measures to improve the parameters of indoor air in residential buildings is the use of mechanical inflow and exhaust ventilation system. In this article the regulatory documents concerning the design of ventilation systems in Ukraine and Estonia and the requirements for air exchange in residential buildings are considered. It is established that the existing normative documents in Ukraine are analogous to European norms, which allow design the system of ventilation of residential buildings according to European standards. However, the basis for the design of ventilation systems in Ukraine is the national standards, in which mechanical ventilation, unfortunately, is provided only for the design of high-rise buildings. To maintain acceptable microclimate parameters in residential buildings, it is advisable for designers to apply the requirements for designing ventilation systems in accordance with European standards.

Fatal poisoning in Estonia 2000-2009. Trends in illegal drug-related deaths.

PubMed

Tuusov, J; Vals, K; Tõnisson, M; Riikoja, A; Denissov, G; Väli, M

2013-01-01

The aim of this study is to provide an overview of deaths caused by poisoning (especially illicit drugs) in Estonia from 2000 to 2009. The data on poisoning deaths (N = 4132) were collected from the autopsy reports of the Estonian Forensic Science Institute. Ethanol poisoning was the most frequent cause of death (N = 1449, 35.1%), followed by carbon monoxide (N = 1151, 27.9%) and poisoning from illicit drugs (N = 888, 21.5%). The study included 3267 male (79.1%) and 865 female fatalities, with the prevalent age group being 35-64 years. Since 2002, deaths from fentanyles have increased sharply and remained at a high level - from 63 cases in 2002 to 138 cases in 2009. This high number indicates that in spite of the state's drug policies, illegal drugs remain easily available and that this area requires more attention. Alcohol abuse prevention policies - restrictions on alcohol advertisements in the media, limitations on sale times and anti-alcohol campaigns concerning traffic - have not brought about a significant decrease in ethanol poisoning. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

Factors affecting re-vegetation dynamics of experimentally restored extracted peatland in Estonia.

PubMed

Karofeld, Edgar; Müür, Mari; Vellak, Kai

2016-07-01

Increasing human activity continues to threaten peatlands, and as the area of natural mires declines, our obligation is to restore their ecosystem functions. Several restoration strategies have been developed for restoration of extracted peatlands, including "The moss layer transfer method", which was initiated on the Tässi extracted peatland in central Estonia in May 2012. Three-year study shows that despite the fluctuating water table, rainfall events can compensate for the insufficient moisture for mosses. Total plant cover on the restoration area attained 70 %, of which ~60 % is comprised of target species-Sphagnum mosses. From restoration treatments, spreading of plant fragments had a significant positive effect on the cover of bryophyte and vascular plants. Higher water table combined with higher plant fragments spreading density and stripping of oxidised peat layer affected positively the cover of targeted Sphagnum species. The species composition in the restoration area became similar to that in the donor site in a natural bog. Based on results, it was concluded that the method approved for restoration in North America gives good results also in the restoration of extracted peatland towards re-establishment of bog vegetation under northern European conditions.

Literature and Language Teaching: Exploring Literary Texts with the Language Learner and Re-Creating Literature in the ESL Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lazar, Gillian; Heath, Shirley Brice

1996-01-01

Two educators discuss the role literature plays in the English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom. One emphasizes that literary texts are a source for classroom activities that can motivate learners. The other points out that the English writings of ESL students about their travels and friends published in newsletters and journals generate…

Hospitalised neonates in Estonia commonly receive potentially harmful excipients

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Information on the neonatal exposure to excipients is limited. Our aim was to describe the extent of excipient intake by Estonian neonates; to classify the excipients according to potential neonatal toxicity and thereby to measure the extent of exposure of neonates to potentially harmful excipients. Methods A prospective cohort study that recorded all medicines prescribed to patients aged below 28 days admitted to Tartu University Hospital from 01.02-01.08 2008 and to Tallinn Children’s Hospital from 01.02- 01.08 2009 was conducted. Excipients were identified from Summaries of Product Characteristics and classified according to toxicity following a literature review. Results 1961 prescriptions comprising 107 medicines were written for 348/490 neonates admitted. A total of 123 excipients were found in 1620 (83%) prescriptions and 93 (87%) medicines. 47 (38%) of these excipients were classified as potentially or known to be harmful to neonates. Most neonates (97%) received at least one medicine (median number 2) with potentially or known to be harmful excipient. Parabens were the most commonly used known to be harmful excipients and sodium metabisulphite the most commonly used potentially harmful excipient, received by 343 (99%) and 297 (85%) of treated neonates, respectively. Conclusions Hospitalised neonates in Estonia are commonly receiving a wide range of excipients with their medication. Quantitative information about excipients should be made available to pharmacists and neonatologists helping them to take into account excipient issues when selecting medicines and to monitor for adverse effects if administration of medicines containing excipients is unavoidable. PMID:22931304

International conference on Functional Materials and Nanotechnologies (FM&NT-2013), 21-24 April 2013, Tartu, Estonia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nõmmiste, Ergo; Kirm, Marco; Plank, Toomas

2014-04-01

The annual international conference Functional Materials and Nanotechnologies (FM&NT) was started in 2006 by scientists from the Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia. The warm welcome and open atmosphere of this scientific conference has turned it into an event where people from different countries and different fields come and meet under the shared umbrella of functional materials and nanotechnology. It is particularly important for early stage scientists who are looking for new knowledge and contacts with people from various fields to build their own network. Our Latvian colleagues, with their success in internationalization, made us neighbouring Estonians so jealous that we could not help but propose organising the conference every second year in Estonia. In a way, this conference is a continuation of the idea of the famous Baltic seminars which took place over several decades in the last century. Due to political constraints, these seminars were only open to scientists of former Eastern Europe countries, but had a great popularity and attendance from over the whole Soviet Union. Many collaborations started from the initial personal contact between scientists at these twice yearly seminars, held alternately in Latvia and Estonia. At the FM&NT 2012 conference, the decision was made that Institute of Physics, University of Tartu would organise the next event in Tartu in 2013. FM&NT-2013 was hence held in Tartu (Estonia) from 21-24 April 2013 at the Dorpat Conference Centre. The main selected topics of the conference were: (i) multifunctional materials, (ii) nanomaterials, (iii) materials for sustainable energy applications and (vi) theory. Additionally, the focus in this conference was on studies with the help of synchrotron radiation and other novel light sources such as free electron lasers. The conference provided an opportunity for 300 scientists from 21 countries to meet, establish contacts, exchange knowledge and discuss their research

Language, discourse and the chronotope: applying literary theory to the narratives in health care.

PubMed

Harden, J

2000-03-01

Language, discourse and the chronotope: applying literary theory to the narratives in health care One of the most significant developments in nursing has been the recognition of the power of the narrative approach. Narrative knowing has evolved from both the patient and the nurse experience. In the case of the individual, it can be told through case history (clinical) and life story (theory-building). The life story of the individual as a patient represents him or her to the nurse and is in turn responded to through appropriate care. Alternatively, the life story of the individual as research participant represents him or her to the researcher and is in turn responded to through appropriate interpretation. The value of the narrative is that the 'otherness' of the teller/writer can be regarded by the listener/reader. There resides a major tension, however, whether in theory building or the practice setting: meaning What this paper argues, is that the emphasis placed on the subject to provide an authentic story of their life is misguided, whether in the care setting or in interpretive research. My contention is that we need to develop a less naive understanding of the complexities of the language with which the individual speaks. This can be achieved by adopting post-structural analyses of the spoken or written word, from both the originator's and recipient's experiences. By reconceptualizing such narratives as 'autobiographies' it is possible to borrow from the field of literary criticism a tool known as chronotopic analysis to perform this task.

Selected Representations of Teachers and Teaching in Twentieth-Century Anglo-Irish Fiction and Memoir: Some Literary-Critical and Pedagogical Explorations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanratty, Brian

2018-01-01

This paper has two complementary objectives. After providing some theoretical perspectives on fiction generally, and on the teaching of fiction more specifically, it firstly evaluates, from a literary-critical perspective, a reasonably representative selection of the portrayal of teachers and teaching in some twentieth-century Anglo-Irish fiction…

Level statistics of words: Finding keywords in literary texts and symbolic sequences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carpena, P.; Bernaola-Galván, P.; Hackenberg, M.; Coronado, A. V.; Oliver, J. L.

2009-03-01

Using a generalization of the level statistics analysis of quantum disordered systems, we present an approach able to extract automatically keywords in literary texts. Our approach takes into account not only the frequencies of the words present in the text but also their spatial distribution along the text, and is based on the fact that relevant words are significantly clustered (i.e., they self-attract each other), while irrelevant words are distributed randomly in the text. Since a reference corpus is not needed, our approach is especially suitable for single documents for which no a priori information is available. In addition, we show that our method works also in generic symbolic sequences (continuous texts without spaces), thus suggesting its general applicability.

Language and the Negotiation of Identity and Sense of Belonging: A Study of Literary Representations of Indians in England

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharma, Meenakshi

2011-01-01

The writings of Indians in English provide a rich ground to explore the ways in which travellers and migrants from India to England relate to the realities of the place and to their place in it. Language and the literary education that characterised English education in India during colonial times play an important role in the construction of…

The Stuff of Legend, or Unpacking Cultural Baggage? Introducing First-Year English Literature and Humanities Students to Foundational Literary Texts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beyer, Charlotte

2013-01-01

This article explores teaching and learning perspectives in relation to a first-year English Literature module on foundational literary texts and considers the value of certain assessment modes. The essay discusses methodological and pedagogical questions and argues that the module provides a contextual platform from which first-year students are…

Acrylamide in commercial foods and intake by infants in Estonia.

PubMed

Elias, Andres; Roasto, Mati; Reinik, Mari; Nelis, Keiu; Nurk, Eha; Elias, Terje

2017-11-01

Acrylamide is formed when certain foods with low moisture are prepared at above 120 ºC, especially those foods containing asparagine and reducing sugars such as glucose and fructose. Acrylamide is a probable carcinogen, and from animal evidence the margins of exposure indicate a concern for neoplastic effects. On a body weight basis infants´ acrylamide intakes are often higher than those of adults. The aim of the study was to determine acrylamide levels in different commercially-available foods and to assess dietary acrylamide intakes by infants. The acrylamide content in samples ranged widely, from Estonia.

A Look over the Wall: Using the Graphic Novel "Drüben!" To Teach Linguistic, Literary, Cultural, and Visual Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ludewig, Julia

2017-01-01

This article discusses the potential and challenges of teaching a second-semester German class with Simon Schwartz's graphic novel "drüben!" (2009) alongside a traditional textbook. While the class explored linguistic, literary, and cultural-historical aspects of "drüben!," a GDR-themed family memoir, the focus here is on those…

Choice-Making in Rendering Culture-Bound Elements in Literary Translation: A Case Study on the English Translation Of «????»

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meihua, Song

2014-01-01

How to render culture-bound elements into a foreign language remains one of the most challenging tasks for all translators, especially, when the source text is a literary one. To retain the aesthetic effects and other stylistic features of importance, some argue that choice can be made from either domestication or foreignization with…

Efficacy of convenience sampling through the internet versus respondent driven sampling among males who have sex with males in Tallinn and Harju County, Estonia: challenges reaching a hidden population.

PubMed

Johnston, Lisa Grazina; Trummal, Aire; Lohmus, Liilia; Ravalepik, Ardi

2009-09-01

This paper examines challenges obtaining representative samples of males who have sex with males (MSM) in Estonia and provides descriptive HIV behavioral data gathered from four cross-sectional surveys; three using the internet, and one using respondent driven sampling (RDS) to recruit MSM in Tallinn and Harju County. Estonian MSM were sampled between March and May in 2004 (n=193), August and November in 2005 (n=146) and September and December in 2007 (n=238) using internet websites. MSM in Tallinn and Harju County were sampled between April and June in 2007 (n=59) using RDS. Recruitment of MSM using RDS did not acquire the calculated sample size. The RDS study reached a less diverse group of MSM than did the internet studies which recruited a larger proportion of MSM who were older, bisexual, having female sexual partners during the last six months, and unlikely to have been tested for HIV. The findings and observations presented in this paper could inform researchers in Estonia, and the region, about the efficacy of and socio-cultural challenges to sampling MSM to collect HIV biological and/or behavioral data.

"Writers Who Have Rendered Women Objects of Pity": Mary Wollstonecraft's Literary Criticism in the Analytical Review and A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.

PubMed

Sireci, Fiore

2018-01-01

This article details the variety of critical strategies in Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, finding strong connections with her writing as a reviewer for the Analytical Review, the literary review published by the reformer and Dissenter Joseph Johnson. In Rights of Woman, Wollstonecraft employed textual analyses and an evolving set of theoretical positions that had been introduced in the course of her career at the Analytical Review. By elucidating the importance of the reviews and the specificity of Wollstonecraft's procedures, this article contributes to a growing consensus that Rights of Woman initiated feminist literary criticism.

Work-related psychosocial risk factors and mental health problems amongst nurses at a university hospital in Estonia: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Freimann, Tiina; Merisalu, Eda

2015-07-01

Rapid changes in the Estonian health care system have placed extra pressure on the nursing profession, but the potential impacts of psychosocial changes have not been investigated. We aimed to explore the work-related psychosocial risk factors and their relationships with mental health problems (MHPs) amongst nurses at the university hospital in Estonia. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken amongst registered nurses at Tartu University Hospital (TUH). Psychosocial work factors and MHPs (stress, somatic symptoms, depressive symptoms and burnout) were measured using version two of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ II). Descriptive statistics and Pearson's r correlation with sequential Bonferroni correction were used to analyse the data. The analysis was based on 404 nurses (45% of the full-time working population of nurses). The highest mean scores recorded for the positive work-related psychosocial factors studied were meaning of work, role clarity, social relationships and mutual trust between employees. The highest scores for the negative factors studied were the demands for hiding emotions, work pace, cognitive and emotional demands. Stress and burnout showed the highest mean scores amongst the MHPs. Quantitative and emotional demands were positively related to all of the studied MHPs, while work pace and role conflicts had a positive correlation with stress and burnout. All of the studied negative psychosocial factors were significantly correlated with burnout. work-related psychosocial risk factors such as quantitative demands work load, emotional demands, work pace and role conflicts, had significant positive relationships with MHPS in nurses in Estonia, and may contribute to high levels of stress as well as burnout amongst nurses: . © 2015 the Nordic Societies of Public Health.

Biological characterization of African swine fever virus genotype II strains from north-eastern Estonia in European wild boar.

PubMed

Nurmoja, I; Petrov, A; Breidenstein, C; Zani, L; Forth, J H; Beer, M; Kristian, M; Viltrop, A; Blome, S

2017-12-01

Due to its impact on animal health and pig industry, African swine fever (ASF) is regarded as one of the most important viral diseases of pigs. Following the ongoing epidemic in the Transcaucasian countries and the Russian Federation, African swine fever virus was introduced into the Estonian wild boar population in 2014. Epidemiological investigations suggested two different introductions into the southern and the north-eastern part of Estonia. Interestingly, outbreak characteristics varied considerably between the affected regions. While high mortality and mainly virus-positive animals were observed in the southern region, mortality was low in the north-eastern area. In the latter, clinically healthy, antibody-positive animals were found in the hunting bag and detection of virus was rare. Two hypotheses could explain the different behaviour in the north-east: (i) the frequency of antibody detections combined with the low mortality is the tail of an older, so far undetected epidemic wave coming from the east, or (ii) the virus in this region is attenuated and leads to a less severe clinical outcome. To explore the possibility of virus attenuation, a re-isolated ASFV strain from the north-eastern Ida-Viru region was biologically characterized in European wild boar. Oronasal inoculation led to an acute and severe disease course in all animals with typical pathomorphological lesions. However, one animal recovered completely and was subsequently commingled with three sentinels of the same age class to assess disease transmission. By the end of the trial at 96 days post-initial inoculation, all animals were completely healthy and neither virus nor viral genomes were detected in the sentinels or the survivor. The survivor, however, showed high antibody levels. In conclusion, the ASFV strain from north-eastern Estonia was still highly virulent but nevertheless, one animal recovered completely. Under the experimental conditions, no transmission occurred from the survivor

Measuring information-based energy and temperature of literary texts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Mei-Chu; Yang, Albert C.-C.; Eugene Stanley, H.; Peng, C.-K.

2017-02-01

We apply a statistical method, information-based energy, to quantify informative symbolic sequences. To apply this method to literary texts, it is assumed that different words with different occurrence frequencies are at different energy levels, and that the energy-occurrence frequency distribution obeys a Boltzmann distribution. The temperature within the Boltzmann distribution can be an indicator for the author's writing capacity as the repertory of thoughts. The relative temperature of a text is obtained by comparing the energy-occurrence frequency distributions of words collected from one text versus from all texts of the same author. Combining the relative temperature with the Shannon entropy as the text complexity, the information-based energy of the text is defined and can be viewed as a quantitative evaluation of an author's writing performance. We demonstrate the method by analyzing two authors, Shakespeare in English and Jin Yong in Chinese, and find that their well-known works are associated with higher information-based energies. This method can be used to measure the creativity level of a writer's work in linguistics, and can also quantify symbolic sequences in different systems.

Reading: A Literary Feast: Proceedings of the Claremont Reading Conference (56th, Claremont, CA, March 10-11, 1989). Fifty-Third Yearbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Douglass, Malcolm P., Ed.

Articles in this yearbook address the issue of emphasizing the basics in reading development, and also focus on the literary experience. Articles, listed by their authors, include: (1) "A Second Helping" (Myra Cohn Livingston); (2) "Not Only a New Curriculum but a New Teacher" (Marilyn Hanf Buckley); (3) "Reading--A…

James Hutton's Geological Tours of Scotland: Romanticism, Literary Strategies, and the Scientific Quest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furniss, Tom

2014-03-01

Rather than focussing on the relationship between science and literature, this article attempts to read scientific writing as literature. It explores a somewhat neglected element of the story of the emergence of geology in the late eighteenth century—James Hutton's unpublished accounts of the tours of Scotland that he undertook in the years 1785-1788 in search of empirical evidence for his theory of the earth. Attention to Hutton's use of literary techniques and conventions highlights the ways these texts dramatise the journey of scientific discovery and allow Hutton's readers to imagine that they were virtual participants in the geological quest, conducted by a savant whose self-fashioning made him a reliable guide through Scotland's geomorphology and the landscapes of deep time.

Objectively Measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Time during Childhood, Adolescence and Young Adulthood: A Cohort Study

PubMed Central

Ortega, Francisco B.; Hurtig-Wennlöf, Anita; Mäestu, Jarek; Löf, Marie; Harro, Jaanus; Bellocco, Rino; Labayen, Idoia; Veidebaum, Toomas; Sjöström, Michael

2013-01-01

Background To know how moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary time change across lifespan periods is needed for designing successful lifestyle interventions. We aimed to study changes in objectively measured (accelerometry) MVPA and sedentary time from childhood to adolescence and from adolescence to young adulthood. Methods Estonian and Swedish participants from the European Youth Heart Study aged 9 and 15 years at baseline (N = 2312) were asked to participate in a second examination 6 (Sweden) to 9/10 (Estonia) years later. 1800 participants with valid accelerometer data were analyzed. Results MVPA decreased from childhood to adolescence (−1 to −2.5 min/d per year of follow-up, P = 0.01 and <0.001, for girls and boys respectively) and also from adolescence to young adulthood (−0.8 to −2.2 min/d per year, P = 0.02 and <0.001 for girls and boys, respectively). Sedentary time increased from childhood to adolescence (+15 and +20 min/d per year, for girls and boys respectively, P<0.001), with no substantial change from adolescence to young adulthood. Changes in both MVPA and sedentary time were greater in Swedish than in Estonian participants and in boys than in girls. The magnitude of the change observed in sedentary time was 3–6 time larger than the change observed in MVPA. Conclusions The decline in MVPA (overall change = 30 min/d) and increase sedentary time (overall change = 2∶45 h/d) observed from childhood to adolescence are of concern and might increase the risk of developing obesity and other chronic diseases later in life. These findings substantially contribute to understand how key health-related behaviors (physical activity and sedentary) change across important periods of life. PMID:23637772

JPRS Report, Science & Technology, USSR: Computers

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-09-23

pages of Literary Gazette, it would be appropriate to proceed with a literary example. Not just elegance of handwriting (made absolutely unnecessary... adult population of the industrially developed nations would have been absorbed by scientific organizations. For this reason, the phenomenon of so...The Institute’s festivities are over. The young specialists in the computer department are in an elated mood . Thanks to their enthusiasm, clearness

Consumer Socialisation and Value Orientations among Estonian and Chinese Young People

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waerdahl, Randi; Kalmus, Veronika; Keller, Margit

2011-01-01

This paper asks if Estonian and Chinese tweens' access to pocket money influences their brand valuation, as well as value orientations in the context of perceived peer popularity and personal well-being. Surveys conducted in autumns 2006 (China n = 188) and 2007 (Estonia n = 111) show an inherent cultural resistance among tweens in both countries…

Pathological gambling in Estonia: relationships with personality, self-esteem, emotional States and cognitive ability.

PubMed

Kaare, Pille-Riin; Mõttus, René; Konstabel, Kenn

2009-09-01

Due to changes in gambling accessibility during the last decade gambling has become more widespread in Estonia and the prevalence of pathological gambling has sharply increased. The present study attempts to identify psychological characteristics of Estonian pathological gamblers. It has been shown that a wide range of social, economic, and individual factors (e.g. personality traits and emotional states) predict the likelihood of becoming a pathological gambler. In the present study, pathological gamblers' (N = 33) personality traits, self-esteem, self-reported emotional states and cognitive ability were compared to the respective characteristics in a non-gambling control group (N = 42) matched for age, gender and educational level. It was found that compared to controls, pathological gamblers had higher scores on Neuroticism (especially on its immoderation facet) and lower scores on Conscientiousness (especially on its dutifulness and cautiousness facets) and on self-esteem scale. They reported more negative emotional states during the previous month (especially depression and anxiety). Finally, pathological gamblers had lower general cognitive ability. In a logistic regression model, the likelihood of being a pathological gambler was best predicted by high immoderation score and low cognitive ability.

Results From Estonia's 2016 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth.

PubMed

Kruusamäe, Helena; Kull, Merike; Mooses, Kerli; Riso, Eva-Maria; Jürimäe, Jaak

2016-11-01

The 2016 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth, the first of its kind, aims to set baseline physical activity (PA) indicators using the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance grading system. A research work group analyzed and selected data for the grade assignment meeting (GAM). During the GAM, 17 leading researchers and policy experts from Estonia assessed the data and assigned grades for each of the 9 PA indicators. In addition, recommendations were provided for further actions to improve the grades. Grades from A (highest) to F (lowest) were assigned as follows: 1) Overall PA (F); 2) Organized Sport (C); 3) Active Play [incomplete data (INC)]; 4) Active Transportation (INC); 5) Sedentary Behaviors (F); 6) Family and Peers (C); 7) School (C); 8) Community and the Built Environment (B); and 9) Government (C). An indicator was marked as incomplete (INC) when there was a lack of representative quality data. Evidence suggests that PA levels of Estonian children remain very low, despite moderately supportive social, environmental, and regulatory factors. There are many challenges to overcome in supporting and promoting PA of children and youth (eg, cross-sectional cooperation, implementing interventions, changing social norms, empowerment of parents and educational institutions).

The Futures of Adult Educator(s): Agency, Identity and Ethos. Joint Conference Proceedings of the 2nd ESREA/ReNAdET Meeting and the 4th TQF Seminar (Tallinn, Estonia, November 9-11, 2011)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heikkinen, Anja, Ed.; Jogi, Larissa, Ed.; Jutte, Wolfgang, Ed.; Zarifis, Georgios K., Ed.

2012-01-01

This edited volume contains the papers presented in the 2nd ESREA|ReNAdet meeting that was jointly organised with the VET & CULTURE Network in the University of Tallinn (Estonia), 9-11 November 2011. The papers that appear in the volume discuss the future (or the futures) of adult educators in respect to issues of developing their identities…

Transmitted drug resistance is still low in newly diagnosed human immunodeficiency virus type 1 CRF06_cpx-infected patients in Estonia in 2010.

PubMed

Avi, Radko; Huik, Kristi; Pauskar, Merit; Ustina, Valentina; Karki, Tõnis; Kallas, Eveli; Jõgeda, Ene-Ly; Krispin, Tõnu; Lutsar, Irja

2014-03-01

The presence of transmitted drug resistance (TDR) in treatment-naive HIV-1-positive subjects is of concern, especially in the countries of the former Soviet Union in which the number of subjects exposed to antiretrovirals (ARV) has exponentially increased during the past decade. We assessed the rate of TDR among newly diagnosed subjects in Estonia in 2010 and compared it to that in 2008. The study included 325 subjects (87% of all subjects tested HIV positive from January 1 to December 31, 2010). Of the 244 sequenced viral genomic RNA in the reverse transcriptase (RT) region 214 were CRF06_cpx, nine were subtype A1, three (one each) were subtype B and subtype C, CRF02_AG, and CRF03_AB; 15 viruses remained unclassified as putative recombinant forms between CRF06_cpx and subtype A1. HIV-1 TDR mutations in 2010 and 2008 (n=145) occurred at similar frequency in 4.5% (95% CI 2.45; 7.98) and 5.5% (95% CI 1.8; 9.24) of the patients, respectively. In 2010, 2.5% (6/244) of the sequences harbored nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) (K103N and K101E), 1.6% (4/244) nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) (M41L, M184I, and K219E), and 0.4% (1/244) protease inhibitor (PI) (V82A) mutations. Our findings indicate that in spite of the increased consumption of ARVs the rate of TDR in Estonia has remained unchanged over the past 3 years. Similar stabilizing or even decreasing trends have been described in Western Europe and North America albeit at higher levels and in different socioeconomic backgrounds.

Hindcast experiments of the derecho in Estonia on 08 August, 2010: Modelling derecho with NWP model HARMONIE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toll, Velle; Männik, Aarne; Luhamaa, Andres; Rõõm, Rein

2015-05-01

On August 8, 2010, a derecho swept over Northern Europe, causing widespread wind damage and more than 2 million Euros in economic loss in Estonia during its most destructive stage. This paper presents a modelling study of the derecho-producing storm utilising the Hirlam Aladin Research for Mesoscale Operational Numerical Weather Prediction in Europe (HARMONIE) model. The model setup is chosen to mimic near-future, nearly kilometre-scale, operational environments in European national weather services. The model simulations are compared to remote sensing and in situ observations. The HARMONIE model is capable of reproducing the wind gust severity and precipitation intensity. Moreover, 2.5-km grid spacing is shown to be sufficient for producing a reliable signal of the severe convective storm. Storm dynamics are well simulated, including the rear inflow jet. Although the model performance is promising, a strong dependence on the initial data, a weak trailing stratiform precipitation region and an incorrect timing of the storm are identified.

Family Factors and NEET Status: An Estonian Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leino, Mare; Hintsanen, Mirka; Hintsa, Taina; Merjonen, Paivi; Keltikangas-Jarvinen, Liisa

2013-01-01

For young people, not being in education, employment or training (NEET) may be detrimental to self-esteem and limit possibilities for achieving financial security and a respectable position in society. One major educational problem in Estonia is low academic achievement at the upper level of basic education (Grades 7-9), reflected in a large…

Head Transplants and Personal Identity: A Philosophical and Literary Survey.

PubMed

Mori, Giuliano

2016-04-01

The criterion of personal identity is clearly called into question by the project to perform a human head transplant. Is identity provided by psychological continuity alone, or does it depend on bodily continuity as well? And how do these different perspectives interface with our notion of mind and mind-body relationship? The reader will be provided with a discussion concerning these problems, together with a philosophical and literary survey about the conception of body-mind relationship from the Greek thought to contemporary philosophy. The analysis will conclude with a discussion concerning the possibility to consider the issue of personal identity from a statistic point of view, which privileges the general perception of identity, so as it has been shaped by the cultural trends of the last four centuries. It could hence be argued that personal identity is not something which can be defined once and for all. On the contrary, the general perception of identity is subject to significant alterations resulting from one's cultural environment. However, the cultural environment itself can be changed by particularly notable events, such as, hypothetically, the successful outcome of a human head transplant. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Comics as a Literary-Didactic Method and Their Use for Reducing Gender Differences in Reading Literacy at the Primary Level of Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerneža, Maja; Košir, Katja

2016-01-01

The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of the systematic use of comics as a literary-didactic method to reduce gender differences in reading literacy and reading motivation at the primary level of education. It was assumed that the use of comics would have a positive effect on pupils' reading literacy and reading motivation, while…

An Approach to the Stories of Sabahattin Ali within the Context of Marxist Literary Aesthetics: The Conflict between Peasants and the Intelligentsia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yigit, Murat

2016-01-01

This study will try to read the stories of Sabahattin Ali, who has written various books in Turkish, within the context of Marxist literary aesthetics, assess the types and characters in the stories of Sabahattin Ali within that framework, and observe the social levels and the gaps between them based on the relationships between the two extreme…

"Je n'aimais pas ce public..." Une pratique active du texte litteraire ("I Didn't Like This Public..." An Active Exercise with the Literary Text).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dell'Utri, Salvatore

1990-01-01

A series of French language classroom exercises to be used over four class sessions applies principles of semiotics to literary textual analysis. The session themes include decoding and interpreting, reconstructing meaning, sociocultural connotations in the text, and sense of time and space. (MSE)

Smoking differences between university faculties in Tartu, Estonia, and Oulu, Finland, after the disruption of communism.

PubMed

Heikkinen, Rauno; Kivastik, Jana; Kingisepp, Peet-Henn; Hirvonen, Leo; Näyhä, Simo

2006-01-01

To provide information on smoking differences between university faculties. Data from smoking surveys performed on 1,441 staff members and 2,308 students at the University of Tartu, Estonia, soon after the fall of communism, were analysed by faculties, using similar data from the University of Oulu, Finland (1,830 staff members, 5,947 students) for reference. Wide variations in smoking were found between faculties in Tartu, the prevalence being high among male students of theology (54%) and low among staff and students in the faculties of exercise & sports sciences (< 5%) and mathematics (< 15%). Less variation was seen in Oulu. The medical faculty showed low smoking rates in Oulu but not in Tartu. High percentages of smokers were typical of Tartu faculties representing disciplines closely connected with the country's transition (e.g. theology), and low percentages in faculties emphasising physical and mental performance (e.g. sports). The relatively high percentage of smokers in the Tartu medical faculty compared with that in Oulu can be interpreted as delayed diffusion of medical information beyond the former Iron Curtain.

The Impact of Pollution Charges, Ash Handling and Carbon Dioxide on the Cost Competitiveness of the Fuel Sources Used for Energy Production in Estonia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Latisov, Eduard; Kleesmaa, Juri; Siirde, Andres

2010-01-01

The goal of this paper is to estimate the effects of pollution charges, ash handling and of the carbon dioxide quota trade on the competitiveness of natural gas, oil shale, peat and wood chips in Estonia for 2010 and 2015. The pollution charges and levels are calculated based on the Environmental Charges Act, and Regulations No 99/2004 and No 94/2004 of the Estonian Minister of the Environment. The calculations show a considerable change in the cost competitiveness of fuels. Fuel related costs of the fossil fuels with high CO2 emission factors and other environmental impacts may be doubled.

Sex work in Tallinn, Estonia: the sociospatial penetration of sex work into society.

PubMed

Aral, S O; St Lawrence, J S; Uusküla, A

2006-10-01

It is important to describe and understand the underlying patterns and dynamics that govern sex work in societies undergoing rapid political and social changes, its heterogeneity across populations, and its evolution through time in order to inform future research, sound policy formation, and programme delivery. To describe the socioeconomic and cultural determinants, organisational structure, distinct categories, and spatial patterning of sex work in Tallinn, Estonia, and identify recent temporal changes in sex work patterns. In-depth interviews with key informants; naturalistic observations of sex work and drug use venues, geo-mapping of sex work sites, review of media, public policy, and commissioned reports, and analyses of existing data. Sex work takes place in a hierarchy of locations in Tallinn ranging from elite brothels and "love flats" to truck stops. These sites vary in terms of their public health importance and social organisation. There are full time, part time, and intermittent male and female sex workers. Among others, the taxi driver, madam and the bartender are central roles in the organisation of sex work in Tallinn. Cell phone and internet technology enable sex work to be highly dispersed and spatially mobile. Future research and programmatic service delivery or outreach efforts should respond to the changing profile of sex work in Tallinn and its implications for STD/HIV epidemiology.

Why is a “Good Abortion Law” Not Enough? The Case of Estonia

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Abstract There are various ways to critically discuss abortion. Constructing or finding the most suitable analytical framework—whether rooted in legal formalism, socio-legal considerations, or comparativism—always depends on the country of subject and whether the analysis is for litigation, advocacy, or more theoretical purposes. This paper offers a model for analyzing abortion in Estonia in order to connect it as a thought-provoking case study to the ongoing transnational abortion discussions. I set out by describing the Estonian Abortion Act as a “good abortion law”: a regulation that guarantees in practice women’s legal access to safe abortion. Despite this functioning law, I carve a space for criticism by expanding the conversation to the broader power relations and gender dynamics present in Estonian society. Accordingly, I explain the state of the Estonian feminist movement and gender research, the local legal community’s minimal engagement with the reproductive rights discourse, and the lingering Soviet-era narratives of reproduction and health, which were not fully extinguished by the combination of human rights commitments and neoliberalism upon restoration of independence in the early 1990s. I consequently show that Estonia’s liberal abortion regulation is not grounded in a sufficiently deep understanding of human rights-based approaches to reproductive health, therefore leaving the door open for micro-aggressions toward women and for conservative political winds to gain ground. PMID:28630549

Sex work in Tallinn, Estonia: the sociospatial penetration of sex work into society

PubMed Central

Aral, S O; Lawrence, J S St; Uusküla, A

2006-01-01

Background It is important to describe and understand the underlying patterns and dynamics that govern sex work in societies undergoing rapid political and social changes, its heterogeneity across populations, and its evolution through time in order to inform future research, sound policy formation, and programme delivery. Objectives To describe the socioeconomic and cultural determinants, organisational structure, distinct categories, and spatial patterning of sex work in Tallinn, Estonia, and identify recent temporal changes in sex work patterns. Methods In‐depth interviews with key informants; naturalistic observations of sex work and drug use venues, geo‐mapping of sex work sites, review of media, public policy, and commissioned reports, and analyses of existing data. Results Sex work takes place in a hierarchy of locations in Tallinn ranging from elite brothels and “love flats” to truck stops. These sites vary in terms of their public health importance and social organisation. There are full time, part time, and intermittent male and female sex workers. Among others, the taxi driver, madam and the bartender are central roles in the organisation of sex work in Tallinn. Cell phone and internet technology enable sex work to be highly dispersed and spatially mobile. Conclusion Future research and programmatic service delivery or outreach efforts should respond to the changing profile of sex work in Tallinn and its implications for STD/HIV epidemiology. PMID:16807288

Science and scientists in Victorian and Edwardian literary novels: insights into the emergence of a new profession.

PubMed

Russell, Nicholas

2007-04-01

Literary fiction has seldom been seriously considered as a mode of science communication. Here, I review novels from the 19th century canon of English literature in which characters either have, or aspire to have, substantive professional scientific roles to see what insights they provide into the practice of science in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. They reflect the historical transition of science from an intellectual hobby to a paid occupation, but also reveal that while a career in science became possible for a wider range of people, it seldom allowed these new entrants to undertake fundamental scientific research.

Historical and literary roots of Münchhausen syndromes: as intriguing as the syndromes themselves.

PubMed

Olry, Régis; Haines, Duane E

2013-01-01

Hieronymus Carl Friedrich Freiherr von Münchhausen (1720-1797) was a famous eighteenth-century teller of extravagant stories. In 1785, Rudolph Erich Raspe anonymously published the first book-form edition of Münchhausen's Tales, and a German translation was made available by Gottfried August Bürger the following year. Since that time, these adventures remained a best seller, and the name of the Baron was twice referred to in psychiatric terminology: "Münchhausen syndrome" coined by Richard Asher in 1951 and "Münchhausen syndrome by proxy" coined by Roy Meadow in 1977. This chapter examines the legitimacy of these terms in the light of historical and literary records and analyzes the synonyms or clinical types as found in medical publications. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

"Be the Tree": Classical Literature, Art Therapy, and Transcending Trauma in "Speak"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snider, Jessi

2014-01-01

Laurie Halse Anderson's young adult novel "Speak" concerns the rape and subsequent silence of ninth grade protagonist Melinda Sordino. By relying on extensive literary allusions involving trees, rape, silence, and transformation, Anderson creates a young adult problem novel that is both of the moment and timeless in its themes. The…

The Reasons for the Interruption of Vocational Training in Estonian Vocational Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beilmann, Mai; Espenberg, Kerly

2016-01-01

Dropping out of school before achieving any qualification is a serious problem both at an individual and societal level. This study provides an insight into the lives of young people who have dropped out or are at a risk of dropping out of vocational schools in Estonia and gives an overview of the reasons behind the interruption of their studies.…

Cormier and the Pessimistic View.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellis, W. Geiger

Teachers' dismissal of Robert Cormier's books as "too depressing" suggests a lack of sound critical understanding of his work and a lack of faith in individual young people. The body of adolescent or young adult literature has come a long way in recent years. The writing has shown a much fuller range of literary quality and the content…

The beliefs in the inheritance of risk factors for suicide scale (BIRFSS): cross-cultural validation in Estonia, Malaysia, Romania, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

PubMed

Voracek, Martin; Loibl, Lisa Mariella; Swami, Viren; Vintilă, Mona; Kõlves, Kairi; Sinniah, Dhachayani; Pillai, Subash Kumar; Ponnusamy, Subramaniam; Sonneck, Gernot; Furnham, Adrian; Lester, David

2008-12-01

The genetics of suicide is increasingly recognized and relevant for mental health literacy, but actual beliefs may lag behind current knowledge. We examined such beliefs in student samples (total N = 686) from Estonia, Malaysia, Romania, the United Kingdom, and the United States with the Beliefs in the Inheritance of Risk Factors for Suicide Scale. Cultural effects were small, those of key demographics nil. Several facets of construct validity were demonstrated. Marked differences in perceived plausibility of evidence about the genetics of suicide according to research design, observed in all samples, may be of general interest for investigating lay theories of abnormal behavior and communicating behavioral and psychiatric genetic research findings.

No support for the claim that literary fiction uniquely and immediately improves theory of mind: A reply to Kidd and Castano's commentary on Panero et al. (2016).

PubMed

Panero, Maria Eugenia; Weisberg, Deena Skolnick; Black, Jessica; Goldstein, Thalia R; Barnes, Jennifer L; Brownell, Hiram; Winner, Ellen

2017-03-01

Kidd and Castano (in press) critique our failure to replicate Kidd and Castano (2013) on 3 grounds: failure to exclude people who did not read the texts, failure of random assignment, and failure to exclude people who did not take the Author Recognition Test (ART). This response addresses each of these critiques. Most importantly, we note that even when Kidd and Castano reanalyzed our data in the way that they argue is most appropriate, they still failed to replicate the pattern of results reported in their original study. We thus reaffirm that our replication of Kidd and Castano (2013) found no evidence that literary fiction uniquely and immediately improves theory of mind. Our objective remains not to prove that reading literary fiction does not benefit social cognition, but to call for in-depth research addressing the difficulties in measuring any potential effect and to note the need to temper claims accordingly. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

The member of the Academy H.P. Keres and the Relativity theory in Estonia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuusk, P.; Muursepp, P. V.; Piir, Ivar

1987-10-01

The first popular lecture on the Einstein theory of relativity was given in Estonia already in 1914 by Jaan Sarv (1877-1954)[1],afterwards a professor of mathematics at the Tartu University. The first student courses on special relativity were delivered by Professor of Mathematics Juri Nuut (1892-1952): non-Euclidean geometry (1930), the mathematical theory of relativity (1932/1933),the Lorenz transformations (1937). His own research work concerned the Lobachevsky geometry [7] and its application to cosmology [6]. Harald Keres qraguated from the Tartu University in 1936. He gave the first student course on general relativity (based on books [11-14]in 1940.In 1942,he got the dr.phil.nat degree form the Tartu University for his theses "Raum und Zeit in der allgemeinen Relativitatstheorie". The degree of the doctor of mathematical and physical sciences was confirmed by VAK (the All-Union Higher Attestation Commission) in 1949.In this period, he got aquainted with the leading Soviet scientists working on General Relativity, prof.V.A.Fock,Prof.D.D.Ivanenko,Prof.A.Z.Petrov,and Prof.M.F.Shirokov. After World War two all-union university courses were introduced in Tartu State University. According to the curriculum of the course the special theory of relativity is a part of electrodynamics obligatory for all students of the department of Physics. From 1947 till 1985 this course was delivered by Prof.PaulKard(1914-1985).He also published a number of text-books on the subject [15-19]. The general theory of relativity was read by Prof.H.Keres in 1951-1960 and later by his pupils R.Lias and A.Koppel [20-23] as a special course for students specializing in theoretical Physics. The first PHD-s in general relativity were made by R.Lias [27](1954) and I.Piir [28] (1955). In 1961, Prof.H.Keres was elected a member of the Academy of Sciences of the Estonian S.S.R. He left the TArtu State University and began to work in the Institute of Physics as the head of the Department of

The Relevance of Wordsworth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baum, Joan

1974-01-01

Argues that Wordsworth's emphasis on love of nature, faith in man, and political sympathy--three expressions of concern strongly echoed in contemporary life--make him a worth literary figure for young people to study. (RB)

Reading a Suspenseful Literary Text Activates Brain Areas Related to Social Cognition and Predictive Inference

PubMed Central

Lehne, Moritz; Engel, Philipp; Rohrmeier, Martin; Menninghaus, Winfried; Jacobs, Arthur M.; Koelsch, Stefan

2015-01-01

Stories can elicit powerful emotions. A key emotional response to narrative plots (e.g., novels, movies, etc.) is suspense. Suspense appears to build on basic aspects of human cognition such as processes of expectation, anticipation, and prediction. However, the neural processes underlying emotional experiences of suspense have not been previously investigated. We acquired functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data while participants read a suspenseful literary text (E.T.A. Hoffmann's “The Sandman”) subdivided into short text passages. Individual ratings of experienced suspense obtained after each text passage were found to be related to activation in the medial frontal cortex, bilateral frontal regions (along the inferior frontal sulcus), lateral premotor cortex, as well as posterior temporal and temporo-parietal areas. The results indicate that the emotional experience of suspense depends on brain areas associated with social cognition and predictive inference. PMID:25946306

Cumulative Small Effect Genetic Markers and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer in Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia

PubMed Central

Serrano-Fernandez, Pablo; Dymerska, Dagmara; Kurzawski, Grzegorz; Derkacz, Róża; Sobieszczańska, Tatiana; Banaszkiewicz, Zbigniew; Roomere, Hanno; Oitmaa, Eneli; Metspalu, Andres; Janavičius, Ramūnas; Elsakov, Pavel; Razumas, Mindaugas; Petrulis, Kestutis; Irmejs, Arvīds; Miklaševičs, Edvīns; Scott, Rodney J.; Lubiński, Jan

2015-01-01

The continued identification of new low-penetrance genetic variants for colorectal cancer (CRC) raises the question of their potential cumulative effect among compound carriers. We focused on 6 SNPs (rs380284, rs4464148, rs4779584, rs4939827, rs6983267, and rs10795668), already described as risk markers, and tested their possible independent and combined contribution to CRC predisposition. Material and Methods. DNA was collected and genotyped from 2330 unselected consecutive CRC cases and controls from Estonia (166 cases and controls), Latvia (81 cases and controls), Lithuania (123 cases and controls), and Poland (795 cases and controls). Results. Beyond individual effects, the analysis revealed statistically significant linear cumulative effects for these 6 markers for all samples except of the Latvian one (corrected P value = 0.018 for the Estonian, corrected P value = 0.0034 for the Lithuanian, and corrected P value = 0.0076 for the Polish sample). Conclusions. The significant linear cumulative effects demonstrated here support the idea of using sets of low-risk markers for delimiting new groups with high-risk of CRC in clinical practice that are not carriers of the usual CRC high-risk markers. PMID:26101521

Cumulative Small Effect Genetic Markers and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer in Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia.

PubMed

Serrano-Fernandez, Pablo; Dymerska, Dagmara; Kurzawski, Grzegorz; Derkacz, Róża; Sobieszczańska, Tatiana; Banaszkiewicz, Zbigniew; Roomere, Hanno; Oitmaa, Eneli; Metspalu, Andres; Janavičius, Ramūnas; Elsakov, Pavel; Razumas, Mindaugas; Petrulis, Kestutis; Irmejs, Arvīds; Miklaševičs, Edvīns; Scott, Rodney J; Lubiński, Jan

2015-01-01

The continued identification of new low-penetrance genetic variants for colorectal cancer (CRC) raises the question of their potential cumulative effect among compound carriers. We focused on 6 SNPs (rs380284, rs4464148, rs4779584, rs4939827, rs6983267, and rs10795668), already described as risk markers, and tested their possible independent and combined contribution to CRC predisposition. Material and Methods. DNA was collected and genotyped from 2330 unselected consecutive CRC cases and controls from Estonia (166 cases and controls), Latvia (81 cases and controls), Lithuania (123 cases and controls), and Poland (795 cases and controls). Results. Beyond individual effects, the analysis revealed statistically significant linear cumulative effects for these 6 markers for all samples except of the Latvian one (corrected P value = 0.018 for the Estonian, corrected P value = 0.0034 for the Lithuanian, and corrected P value = 0.0076 for the Polish sample). Conclusions. The significant linear cumulative effects demonstrated here support the idea of using sets of low-risk markers for delimiting new groups with high-risk of CRC in clinical practice that are not carriers of the usual CRC high-risk markers.

Uninvited Guests: Traditional Insect Repellents in Estonia used Against the Clothes Moth Tineola bisselliella, Human Flea Pulex irritons and Bedbug Cimex lectularius

PubMed Central

Sõukand, Renata; Kalle, Raivo; Svanberg, Ingvar

2010-01-01

Extensive folklore records from pre-modern Estonia give us an excellent opportunity to study a variety of local plant knowledge and plant use among the peasantry in various parts of the country. One important biocultural domain where plant knowledge has been crucial was in the various methods of combating different ectoparasites that cohabited and coexisted with humans and their domestic animals. Some of these methods were widely known (world-wide, Eurasia, Europe, Baltic Rim), while others were more local. Here we discuss ways of reducing clothes moths Tineola bisselliella (Hummel) (Lepidoptera: Tineidae), human fleas Pulex irritons L. (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) and bedbugs Cimex lectularius L. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) with the help of plants. Various taxa used as traditional repellents have been identified. The use of plants as repellents and their toxic principles are also discussed from a comparative perspective. PMID:21070174

Uninvited guests: traditional insect repellents in Estonia used against the clothes moth Tineola bisselliella, human flea Pulex irritons and bedbug Cimex lectularius.

PubMed

Sõukand, Renata; Kalle, Raivo; Svanberg, Ingvar

2010-01-01

Extensive folklore records from pre-modern Estonia give us an excellent opportunity to study a variety of local plant knowledge and plant use among the peasantry in various parts of the country. One important biocultural domain where plant knowledge has been crucial was in the various methods of combating different ectoparasites that cohabited and coexisted with humans and their domestic animals. Some of these methods were widely known (world-wide, Eurasia, Europe, Baltic Rim), while others were more local. Here we discuss ways of reducing clothes moths Tineola bisselliella (Hummel) (Lepidoptera: Tineidae), human fleas Pulex irritons L. (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) and bedbugs Cimex lectularius L. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) with the help of plants. Various taxa used as traditional repellents have been identified. The use of plants as repellents and their toxic principles are also discussed from a comparative perspective.

Rewinding Frankenstein and the body-machine: organ transplantation in the dystopian young adult fiction series Unwind.

PubMed

Wohlmann, Anita; Steinberg, Ruth

2016-12-01

While the separation of body and mind (and the entailing metaphor of the body as a machine) has been a cornerstone of Western medicine for a long time, reactions to organ transplantation among others challenge this clear-cut dichotomy. The limits of the machine-body have been negotiated in science fiction, most canonically in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818). Since then, Frankenstein's monster itself has become a motif that permeates both medical and fictional discourses. Neal Shusterman's contemporary dystology for young adults, Unwind, draws on traditional concepts of the machine-body and the Frankenstein myth. This article follows one of the young protagonists in the series, who is entirely constructed from donated tissue, and analyses how Shusterman explores the complicated relationship between body and mind and between self and other as the teenager matures into an adult. It will be shown that, by framing the story of a transplanted individual along the lines of a coming-of-age narrative, Shusterman inter-relates the acceptance of a donor organ with the transitional space of adolescence and positions the quest for embodied selfhood at the centre of both developments. By highlighting the interconnections between medical discourse and a literary tradition, the potential contribution of the series to the treatment and understanding of post-transplant patients will be addressed. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Reading Ella: using literary patients to enhance nursing students' reflective thinking in the classroom.

PubMed

Pohlman, Shawn

2013-11-23

This action research study was designed to explore, in-depth, how 70 senior nursing students experienced an assignment that involved reading and reflecting on a short story, Ella, and the educator's experience during the process. Four sources of data were collected: student reflections, field notes, a classroom process recording by an expert educator/observer, and a focus group interview. Four themes emerged: (1) student reflections revealed their inner, often hidden landscapes; (2) Ella prompted clarification of the past and/or triggered future projective thinking; (3) Ella clarified difficult-to-teach concepts; and (4) the interface between students' thoughts and teacher responses provided a platform of connectivity. I propose that reading well-written stories may enhance students' clinical reasoning skills and ethical comportment within the confines of a classroom. In addition, when students are introduced to literary patients like Ella, they can dwell with the characters at a more peaceful pace which, in itself, may encourage reflectivity.

Young Children and Radical Change Characteristics in Picture Books

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pantaleo, Sylvia

2004-01-01

The Radical Change conceptual framework provides theory for understanding, appreciating, and evaluating three types of significant change in contemporary literature for children and youth: changing forms and formats, changing perspectives, and changing boundaries. A paucity of research has explored primary students' literary understandings of and…

Does reading a single passage of literary fiction really improve theory of mind? An attempt at replication.

PubMed

Panero, Maria Eugenia; Weisberg, Deena Skolnick; Black, Jessica; Goldstein, Thalia R; Barnes, Jennifer L; Brownell, Hiram; Winner, Ellen

2016-11-01

[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 111(5) of Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (see record 2016-50315-003). In the article, due to an error in stimulus construction, four items (three authors, one foil) were omitted from the ART presented to all participants tested by Research Group 1. These omissions do not undermine the results in the primary analyses, which all included ART and ART Condition (as covariates). Any variation across research groups, including this difference in reading exposure measurement, is accounted for in the multilevel analyses. Therefore, the Table 2 title should appear as Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) Scores by Condition and Overall Unadjusted Means for the Current Study and Kidd and Castano (2013), as Well as the Zero-Order Pearson's Correlations Between RMET and ART Scores Overall and by Condition. The ART data columns should be deleted, and the table note should begin as follows: RMET scores were transformed to correct for skew prior to correlational analyses. The section title above the Discussion section should appear as Comparison of Our RMET Scores to Kidd and Castano Data, with the first two sentences appearing as follows: To determine whether the responses in our sample were similar to what Kidd and Castano (2013) found, we compared our mean performance on the RMET to theirs. Our grand mean (26.28) was significantly higher than theirs (25.18), t (1=, 374) = 3.71, p < .001, d = 0.21. All versions of this article have been corrected.] Fiction simulates the social world and invites us into the minds of characters. This has led various researchers to suggest that reading fiction improves our understanding of others' cognitive and emotional states. Kidd and Castano (2013) received a great deal of attention by providing support for this claim. Their article reported that reading segments of literary fiction (but not popular fiction or nonfiction) immediately and significantly improved

Young Children's Explorations: Young Children's Research?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, Jane

2012-01-01

"Exploration" is recognised as research behaviour; anecdotally, as an early years' teacher, I witnessed many young children exploring. However, young children's self-initiated explorations are rarely regarded as research by adult researchers and policy-makers. The exclusion of young children's autonomous explorations from recognition as…

Rotation therapy for maniacs, melancholics and idiots: theory, practice and perception in European medical and literary case histories.

PubMed

Dickson, Sheila

2018-03-01

This article examines the development and use of rotation therapy in the emerging field of psychiatry at the beginning of the 19th century, and the cross-fertilization between British, Irish, German, French and other European proponents of 'Cox's Swing'. Its short-lived popularity is linked to prevalent Enlightenment thought, to the development of an industrial and technological society, to the modern medical theories of irritability, and to the new practice of 'moral management' of the mentally ill. Case studies documenting the use of the Swing are considered from these perspectives, and are compared with contemporary public reactions in the form of publications in newspapers and of a literary text by German Romantic author Ludwig Achim von Arnim.

Taking Perspective: Personal Pronouns Affect Experiential Aspects of Literary Reading

PubMed Central

Burke, Michael; Hagoort, Peter; Willems, Roel M.

2016-01-01

Personal pronouns have been shown to influence cognitive perspective taking during comprehension. Studies using single sentences found that 3rd person pronouns facilitate the construction of a mental model from an observer’s perspective, whereas 2nd person pronouns support an actor’s perspective. The direction of the effect for 1st person pronouns seems to depend on the situational context. In the present study, we investigated how personal pronouns influence discourse comprehension when people read fiction stories and if this has consequences for affective components like emotion during reading or appreciation of the story. We wanted to find out if personal pronouns affect immersion and arousal, as well as appreciation of fiction. In a natural reading paradigm, we measured electrodermal activity and story immersion, while participants read literary stories with 1st and 3rd person pronouns referring to the protagonist. In addition, participants rated and ranked the stories for appreciation. Our results show that stories with 1st person pronouns lead to higher immersion. Two factors—transportation into the story world and mental imagery during reading—in particular showed higher scores for 1st person as compared to 3rd person pronoun stories. In contrast, arousal as measured by electrodermal activity seemed tentatively higher for 3rd person pronoun stories. The two measures of appreciation were not affected by the pronoun manipulation. Our findings underscore the importance of perspective for language processing, and additionally show which aspects of the narrative experience are influenced by a change in perspective. PMID:27192060

"The Fire Below": Towards a New Study of Literatures and Cultures (in English?)--A Letter from a Literary Scholar in a South African University in Transition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collis-Buthelezi, Victoria J.

2016-01-01

This letter was first read as a seminar paper in the Institute for the Humanities in Africa at the University of Cape Town in which I offer a series of provocations about what our current moment asks of us. It is concerned with the future of literary and cultural studies (in English) at that university and in South Africa in the wake of the…

Sectoral network on occupational health and safety in agriculture to support enterprises and family farms in Estonia.

PubMed

Kurppa, Kari; Tammaru, Eva; Kempinen, Marina; Rünkla, Ester; Sõrra, Jaan; Lehtinen, Suvi

2006-01-01

A sectoral network on occupational health and safety in agriculture has been established in Estonia as part of a project that provided support for Estonian accession into European Union. Participating organizations represent farmers' unions at county level, agricultural enterprises, workers' representatives, universities and agricultural expert institutions, and government agencies. The purpose is to provide a shared infrastructure that combines information and other capacities of several organizations and provides a platform for dialogue and co-operation in order to make a greater impact with available resources. The network has a decentralized architecture and is technically managed by an institutionalized secretariat. The network's task forces have compiled a network directory, summarised the capacities and interests of member organizations, made an inventory of existing information and training materials, developed an overall strategy for information management, established an information repository on the Internet, prepared promotional materials, and devised a protocol for agricultural walk-though assessment. A profile on occupational health and safety in Estonian agriculture has been compiled with a rapid assessment approach that collected both quantitative and qualitative information from secondary sources (statistics, documents) and from focus group discussions. The profile is used as an instrument for taking occupational health and safety needs in agriculture into discussion on political arena.

Youth sexual health improvement in Estonia, 1990-2009: the role of sexuality education and youth-friendly services.

PubMed

Haldre, Kai; Part, Kai; Ketting, Evert

2012-10-01

A new school curriculum was introduced in Estonia in 1996 comprising for the first time sexuality education (SE) topics. The first youth counselling centres (YCCs) addressing sexual health matters were set up in 1991-1992. This study describes the development of school-based SE and YCCs in 1992 - 2009, and explores the concurrent changes in sexuality-related knowledge, behaviour, and sexual health indicators. The analyses are based on 12 population-based surveys. Data on births, abortions and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, are taken from national registers. By the middle of the past decade SE was well established. There has been a trend towards younger age at first sexual intercourse, and increased usage of condoms and reliable contraceptive methods. The abortion rate among 15-19-year-olds declined by 61% and their fertility rate by 59%. The annual number of registered new HIV cases among 15-19-year-olds dropped from 560 in 2001 to 25 in 2009, new syphilis cases from 116 in 1998 to two in 2009, and gonorrhoea cases from 263 in 1998 to 20 in 2009. This study documents considerable improvements in sexual health indicators of youths, and indicates that these run parallel to the development of school-based SE and YCCs.

THE USE OF PANAX GINSENG AND ITS ANALOGUES AMONG PHARMACY CUSTOMERS IN ESTONIA: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY.

PubMed

Volmer, Dasy; Raal, Ain; Kalle, Raivo; Sõukand, Renata

2016-01-01

The aim of the cross-sectional study was to evaluate the pattern of complementary self-treatment with P. ginseng and its analogues amongst pharmacy customers in Estonia. The study instrument consisted of multiple-choice items related to personal knowledge about and experience with the use of P. ginseng and its analogues. In total, 1233 customers participated in the study. Of study participants, 18.1% reported the use of P. ginseng and its analogues in their lives. P. ginseng preparations were used mostly according to the well- known indications (tiredness, weakness and decreased mental and physical capacity). Of P. ginseng users 44.3% reported positive treatment effects and 12.0% had experienced different side effects. With increase of age (p < 0.01) and at lower levels of education (p = 0.04), the use of ginseng or its analogues decreased. The better the users evaluated their health, the better they perceived the effect of P. ginseng preparations (p < 0.01). This study reported rather frequent use of P. ginseng and its analogues. P. ginseng could be seen in the treatment of conditions, where the use of local medicinal plants has not been established. Further research is needed to learn more about public knowledge and experiences about efficacy and safety of P. ginseng and its analogues.

Quality management and job related factors predicting satisfaction of dental clinic staff in Estonia.

PubMed

Merisalu, Eda; Männik, Georg; Põlluste, Kaja

2014-01-01

The aim of the study was to explore the role of managerial style, work environment factors and burnout in determining job satisfaction during the implementation of quality improvement activities in a dental clinic. Quantitative research was carried out using a prestructured anonymous questionnaire to survey 302 respondents in Kaarli Dental Clinic, Estonia. Dental clinic staff assessed job satisfaction, managerial style, work stress and burnout levels through the implementation period of ISO 9000 quality management system in 2003 and annually during 2006-2009. Binary logistic regression was used to explain the impact of satisfaction with management and work organisation, knowledge about managerial activities, work environment and psychosocial stress and burnout on job satisfaction. The response rate limits were between 60% and 89.6%. Job satisfaction increased significantly from 2003 to 2006 and the percentage of very satisfied staff increased from 17 to 38 (p<0.01) over this period. In 2007, the proportion of very satisfied people dropped to 21% before increasing again in 2008-2009 (from 24% to 35%). Binary logistic regression analysis resulted in a model that included five groups of factors: managerial support, information about results achieved and progress to goals, work organisation and working environment, as well as factors related to career, security and planning. The average scores of emotional exhaustion showed significant decrease, correlating negatively with job satisfaction (p<0.05). The implementation of quality improvement activities in the Kaarli Dental Clinic has improved the work environment by decreasing burnout symptoms and increased job satisfaction in staff.

Harry Potter Versus Muggles: Literary Criticism and Legal Challenge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carney, John; DeMitchell, Todd

2005-01-01

J. K. Rowling's series about the young, orphaned Harry Potter who escapes his often hostile, nonmagical Muggle (or human) existence for a world of ghosts, spells, and potions, magical objects, and exotic creatures to be found at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has captivated a worldwide audience. Since the publication in England of…

Literary and Documentary Evidence for Lay Medical Practice in the Roman Republic and Empire.

PubMed

Draycott, Jane

2016-01-01

The majority of surviving ancient medical literature was written by medical practitioners and produced for the purpose of ensuring the effective diagnosis and treatment of their patients, suggesting an audience of medical professionals ranging from instructors to students. This has led historians to concentrate on the professional medical practitioner and their theories, methods and practices, rather than on lay medical practitioners, or even patients themselves. This chapter seeks to redress this imbalance, and examine the ancient literary and documentary evidence for lay medical theories, methods and practices in the Roman Republic and Empire in an attempt to reconstruct the experiences of lay medical practitioners and their patients. The Roman agricultural treatises of Cato, Varro and Columella, papyri and ostraca from Egypt, and tablets from Britain are investigated, and it is established that the individual's personal acquisition of knowledge and expertise, not only from medical professionals and works of medical literature, but also from family members and friends, and through trial and error, was considered fundamental to domestic medical practice.

Nationwide citizen access to their health data: analysing and comparing experiences in Denmark, Estonia and Australia.

PubMed

Nøhr, Christian; Parv, Liisa; Kink, Pille; Cummings, Elizabeth; Almond, Helen; Nørgaard, Jens Rahbek; Turner, Paul

2017-08-07

Most countries face an ageing population, increasing chronic diseased, and constrictions on budget for providing health services. Involving patients in their own care by allowing them access to their patient data is a trend seen in many places. Data on the type and level of access citizens have to their own health data in three countries was gathered from public sources. Data from each individual country is presented and the experiences of Denmark, Estonia and Australia are examined whilst similarities and differences explored. The discussion adopts a citizen-centred perspective to consider how the different e-portal systems support, protect and structure citizen interactions with their own health data in three key areas: Security, privacy and data protection; User support; and Citizen adoption and use. The paper highlights the impact of opt-in/opt-out approaches on citizen access and the lack of a structured approach to addressing differences in citizen health and e-health literacy. This research also confirms while current data provides detail on the availability and use of personal health data by citizens, questions still remain over the ultimate impact on patient outcomes of these initiatives. It is anticipated the insights generated from the three countries experiences, supporting citizen access to their health data will be useful to improve these initiatives and guide other countries aspiring to support similar initiatives.

"Does reading a single passage of literary fiction really improve theory of mind? An attempt at replication": Correction to Panero et al. (2016).

PubMed

2016-11-01

Reports an error in "Does Reading a Single Passage of Literary Fiction Really Improve Theory of Mind? An Attempt at Replication" by Maria Eugenia Panero, Deena Skolnick Weisberg, Jessica Black, Thalia R. Goldstein, Jennifer L. Barnes, Hiram Brownell and Ellen Winner ( Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , Advanced Online Publication, Sep 19, 2016, np). In the article, due to an error in stimulus construction, four items (three authors, one foil) were omitted from the ART presented to all participants tested by Research Group 1. These omissions do not undermine the results in the primary analyses, which all included ART and ART Condition (as covariates). Any variation across research groups, including this difference in reading exposure measurement, is accounted for in the multilevel analyses. Therefore, the Table 2 title should appear as Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) Scores by Condition and Overall Unadjusted Means for the Current Study and Kidd and Castano (2013), as Well as the Zero-Order Pearson's Correlations Between RMET and ART Scores Overall and by Condition. The ART data columns should be deleted, and the table note should begin as follows: RMET scores were transformed to correct for skew prior to correlational analyses. The section title above the Discussion section should appear as Comparison of Our RMET Scores to Kidd and Castano Data, with the first two sentences appearing as follows: To determine whether the responses in our sample were similar to what Kidd and Castano (2013) found, we compared our mean performance on the RMET to theirs. Our grand mean (26.28) was significantly higher than theirs (25.18), t (1=, 374) = 3.71, p < .001, d = 0.21. All versions of this article have been corrected. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2016-44825-001.) Fiction simulates the social world and invites us into the minds of characters. This has led various researchers to suggest that reading fiction improves our

Bringing Books to Life: Literature-Based Storytelling.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zeece, Pauline Davey

1997-01-01

Examines the enrichment of sharing literature with young children through storytelling. Presents guidelines for selecting stories for storytelling, including literary standards, characters, plot, setting, and themes. Makes suggestions for effective storytelling and discusses the importance of understanding the variation in children's listening…

Constructing "Normal Childhoods": Young People Talk about Young Carers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Dell, L.; Crafter, S.; de Abreu, G.; Cline, T.

2010-01-01

There has been a great deal of attention paid to young carers in recent research, social policy and service provision. In this paper we report on a survey and interview study of 46 young people aged 15 to 18, nine of whom had experience as young carers, to explore the ways in which young people construct the young carer and their disabled parent.…

[I don't want to be eternally imprisoned in the cage of my own self . . .". assumptions about the relationship between Sigmund Freud and his juvenile patient Arthur Fischer-Colbrie (1895-1968)].

PubMed

Walder, Christine

2010-01-01

The Austrian writer A. Fischer-Colbrie underwent an analysis with Freud in 1915-16 and then again in 1919. Based on his literary estate, this article tries to shed some light on the biographical background and the precipitating factors of his mental problems. When the cure had to be interrupted because of the young man's military service, Freud sustained an unusual correspondence with him that reflected his efforts to maintain their therapeutic contact. At the same time his letters witness Fischer-Colbrie's burgeoning literary talents.--An appendix presents Freud's letters to Fischer-Colbrie, edited and annotated by Michael Schröter.

Near East/North Africa Report, Number 2620. Status of Women in Persian Gulf Countries

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-09-15

prayers were recited. Women also held literary gatherings while they worked on their embroidery . At these gatherings women composed verse, competing...coffee parties, embroidery sessions and handcraft displays only." Rawdah Sa’id: "I will talk about another aspect: inviting every young, unmarried

Saving and empowering young lives in Europe (SEYLE): a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Wasserman, Danuta; Carli, Vladimir; Wasserman, Camilla; Apter, Alan; Balazs, Judit; Bobes, Julia; Bracale, Renata; Brunner, Romuald; Bursztein-Lipsicas, Cendrine; Corcoran, Paul; Cosman, Doina; Durkee, Tony; Feldman, Dana; Gadoros, Julia; Guillemin, Francis; Haring, Christian; Kahn, Jean-Pierre; Kaess, Michael; Keeley, Helen; Marusic, Dragan; Nemes, Bogdan; Postuvan, Vita; Reiter-Theil, Stella; Resch, Franz; Sáiz, Pilar; Sarchiapone, Marco; Sisask, Merike; Varnik, Airi; Hoven, Christina W

2010-04-13

There have been only a few reports illustrating the moderate effectiveness of suicide-preventive interventions in reducing suicidal behavior, and, in most of those studies, the target populations were primarily adults, whereas few focused on adolescents. Essentially, there have been no randomized controlled studies comparing the efficacy, cost-effectiveness and cultural adaptability of suicide-prevention strategies in schools. There is also a lack of information on whether suicide-preventive interventions can, in addition to preventing suicide, reduce risk behaviors and promote healthier ones as well as improve young people's mental health.The aim of the SEYLE project, which is funded by the European Union under the Seventh Framework Health Program, is to address these issues by collecting baseline and follow-up data on health and well-being among European adolescents and compiling an epidemiological database; testing, in a randomized controlled trial, three different suicide-preventive interventions; evaluating the outcome of each intervention in comparison with a control group from a multidisciplinary perspective; as well as recommending culturally adjusted models for promoting mental health and preventing suicidal behaviors. The study comprises 11,000 adolescents emitted from randomized schools in 11 European countries: Austria, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Romania, Slovenia and Spain, with Sweden serving as the scientific coordinating center. Each country performs three active interventions and one minimal intervention as a control group. The active interventions include gatekeeper training (QPR), awareness training on mental health promotion for adolescents, and screening for at-risk adolescents by health professionals. Structured questionnaires are utilized at baseline, 3- and 12-month follow-ups in order to assess changes. Although it has been reported that suicide-preventive interventions can be effective in decreasing suicidal

Outcomes associated with anxiety and depression among men who have sex with men in Estonia.

PubMed

Parker, R David; Lõhmus, Liilia; Valk, Anti; Mangine, Cara; Rüütel, Kristi

2015-09-01

Evidence supports that gay, lesbian, and transgender populations are at increased risk for mental health problems. The current study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms and related factors among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Estonia. This is the only known study of its type in the Eastern European region. In 2013, an Internet-based survey was conducted among men who have sex with men, collecting data on socio-demographics, sexuality, drug and alcohol use, mental health, suicidality, and internalized homonegativity. 265 MSM completed the questionnaire (median age 31 years, 90% Estonian, 71% from the capital; 73% employed full-time, 42% with at least college education; 44% in a steady relationship; 72% gay, 23% bisexual; 23% reported illegal drug use in the last 12 months). One third met criteria for problem drinking and depressive symptoms with one quarter for anxiety symptoms. Suicidality was 44% reported lifetime suicidal thoughts and 11% with at least one suicide attempt. The study instruments, EST-Q and CAGE, only measure symptoms and are not diagnostic tests. A non-random sample which could possibly include persons with easier internet access. Self-reported data and cross-sectional study design are prone to issues with recall bias and temporality. With demonstrated high rates of anxiety, depression, drinking, and drug use among MSM which is consistent with similar studies in Western countries, further research could help determine effective MSM focused interventions to address the broad spectrum of issues among MSM. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In The Night Sky: Sky Lore.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Judge, April

1997-01-01

Presents picture books, collections of star stories, poetry, magazines, radio programs, biographies, nonfiction, and activities to help young students (preschool-grade 8) understand what celestial objects meant to ancient civilizations and to provide insights into the customs and attitudes of other cultures; alternative literary experiences; and…

National Identity in a Multicultural Society: Malaysian Children's Literature in English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Desai, Christina M.

2006-01-01

This article explores the question of how children's literature reflects national identity in a diverse society. Drawing parallels with Ellison's "Invisible Man," it speculates on how literary omissions and misrepresentations of diverse groups may influence the minds of young readers in their attitudes toward themselves, their nation,…

Critically Redefining and Repositioning Media Texts in Early Childhood Teacher Education: What If? And Why?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Souto-Manning, Mariana; Price-Dennis, Detra

2012-01-01

Given the prevalence of popular media in the lives of young children today, early childhood teacher education stands to benefit from fostering critical media literacy practices. Through the use of critical media literary practices, early childhood teacher educators can facilitate a process whereby preservice teachers learn how to critically…

Summer's End and Sad Goodbyes: Children's Picturebooks about Death and Dying

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiseman, Angela M.

2013-01-01

This article explores children's picturebooks about death and grieving by considering both psychological and literary aspects. Two questions frame this analysis: How can picturebooks, particularly written for young children, support children's grief when someone dies? How do the illustrations and text of picture books express and convey the…

Ditties and Dishes: Cooking Connections With Mother Goose.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norton, Terry L.; Anfin, Carol S.

1997-01-01

Argues involving young children in food preparation activities enhances traditional curriculum areas of language arts, math, science, and social skills. Encourages utilization of children's literature as sources replete with references to food and teaching ideas on food via literary tie-ins. Provides specific recipes which relate to Mother Goose…

The Pleasure of Discovery: Medieval Literature in Adolescent Novels Set in the Middle Ages.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnhouse, Rebecca

1999-01-01

Discusses three recent novels for young adults set in medieval times, illustrating several ways that modern writers incorporate medieval material into fiction. Argues that pairing such novels with medieval texts such as "Beowulf" and "The Canterbury Tales" offers opportunities to explore traditional literary topics while providing a gateway into…

Themes and Values in Selected Children's Literature.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shachter, Jaqueline

Children's books by successful writers may stimulate young people to think about philosophical questions, prompting lively discussions. Such books not only have literary value but also encourage children to consider matters central to the human condition. Teachers at the intermediate grade level and above can stimulate discussions of ethical…

Don Young | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Don Young Don Young Professional IV-ESH Don.Young@nrel.gov | 303-384-7144 Don Young is an EHS Professional at the NWTC. He received his B.S. from Colorado State University in Biological Science before

Publishing with a Purpose: Caring for Our Community.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruggieri, Colleen A.

2001-01-01

Describes lessons and units that allow the author's high school English students to make important connections with members of their community, publish their efforts, and thus bridge the gap between young adults and their communities. Describes a "literary cookbook" (published and distributed in their community) in which each student wrote one…

The Problem Novel in a Conservative Age.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LeMieux, A. C.

1998-01-01

Considers both the writing of and current attacks on young adolescent literature problem novels. Suggests that, judging from the lists of challenged and banned books, there are a lot of people in today's conservative climate who feel they have the right, or even the obligation, to define the literary canon. (RS)

The Female Rescuer in Newbery Fiction: Exploring the Archetype of Mother.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Sherron Killingsworth

2002-01-01

Examines the identity of female characters who rescue male protagonists in three works of Newbery-winning fiction, and realizes their archetypal roles of Mother. Provides readers with a vehicle for revisiting the interaction among characters in young adult fiction. Presents a rationale for using literary criticism to help students explore how…

Contemporary American Indian Life in "The Owl's Song" and "Smoke Signals."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Charles, Jim

2001-01-01

Discusses "Smoke Signals" (a 1998 award-winning film) and "The Owl's Song" (a 1974 novel), both of which feature young adult American Indian protagonists. Suggests instructional strategies for teaching these works in tandem. Argues that teaching these works informs students about relevant literary, historical, social, and cultural topics in ways…

Eutrophication History of Small Shallow Lakes in Estonia: Evidence from Multiproxy Analysis of Lake Sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koff, T.; Marzecova, A.; Vandel, E.; Mikomägi, A.; Avi, E.

2015-12-01

Human activities have impacted aquatic systems through the release of contaminants and the regulation of surface and groundwater. Although environmental monitoring has been essential in detecting eutrophication, biodiversity loss or water quality deterioration, monitoring activities are limited in time and are thus not sufficient in their scope to identify causality and thresholds. Paleolimnological studies increasingly show that the response of lakes to climatic and human influences is complex, multidimensional, and often indirectly mediated through watershed processes. In this study we examine the history of eutrophication processes in small lakes in Estonia using the multi-proxy analysis of sediment. Study sites represent lakes with different anthropogenic stressors: urbanisation and recreational use, run-off from an oil shale mine, and fish-kills and liming measures. We have used diverse analytical methods, such as elemental analysis, stable isotopes, fossil pigments, diatoms and Cladocera remains. The information derived from sedimentary indicators broadly agrees with the historical evidence of eutrophication and pollution. Moreover, the sediment records are indispensable for identifying additional issues such as: 1) earlier onset of cultural eutrophication; 2) the significant impact of catchment erosion on the deterioration of lake quality, particularly cyanobacterial blooms; and 3) changes in sedimentation processes with significance for internal biogeochemical cycling of nutrients. Importantly, the integration of several methods has significantly improved interpretation of sedimentary data and elucidated the different strengths of various indicator types. The project findings prove to be highly relevant for both the prediction of the ecological responses of lakes to different anthropogenic impacts and the establishment of reasonable reference target conditions in restoration schemes, as well as for methodological improvements of the sediment analysis.

Long-Range Memory in Literary Texts: On the Universal Clustering of the Rare Words.

PubMed

Tanaka-Ishii, Kumiko; Bunde, Armin

2016-01-01

A fundamental problem in linguistics is how literary texts can be quantified mathematically. It is well known that the frequency of a (rare) word in a text is roughly inverse proportional to its rank (Zipf's law). Here we address the complementary question, if also the rhythm of the text, characterized by the arrangement of the rare words in the text, can be quantified mathematically in a similar basic way. To this end, we consider representative classic single-authored texts from England/Ireland, France, Germany, China, and Japan. In each text, we classify each word by its rank. We focus on the rare words with ranks above some threshold Q and study the lengths of the (return) intervals between them. We find that for all texts considered, the probability SQ(r) that the length of an interval exceeds r, follows a perfect Weibull-function, SQ(r) = exp(-b(β)rβ), with β around 0.7. The return intervals themselves are arranged in a long-range correlated self-similar fashion, where the autocorrelation function CQ(s) of the intervals follows a power law, CQ(s) ∼ s-γ, with an exponent γ between 0.14 and 0.48. We show that these features lead to a pronounced clustering of the rare words in the text.

Becoming a Woman through Wicca: Witches and Wiccans in Contemporary Teen Fiction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jarvis, Christine

2008-01-01

The article examines Cate Tiernan's "Wicca" series. This series and the "Circle of Three" books by Isobel Bird explore the experiences of teenage girls who embrace the pagan religion, Wicca. The texts reflect the growing interest in spirituality expressed by many young people and extend the literary representation of witchcraft. Tiernan produces…

Childhood and Culture Reflected through the Lens of LIS Education: Embedded Practice in Danish Library and Information Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martens, Marianne

2015-01-01

According to Stearns (2009), culture shapes childhood. The way a society defines culture shapes: (a) how childhood is constructed; (b) the production of literary products and services for young people; and (c) training for library professionals. In 21st century America, children are viewed as a vulnerable population in need of protection, as…

Learning Communities: Beliefs Embedded in Content-Based Rituals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bartel, Virginia B.

2005-01-01

This article addresses the underlying beliefs needed by teachers of young children if their learning communities are to be successful and self-sustaining. The relationships of language arts and social studies content to specific academic, social and literary rituals are discussed in the context of classroom examples in the United States. Trust and…

Reading Other People's Minds through Word and Image

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nikolajeva, Maria

2012-01-01

This article considers how emotions can be conveyed through the interaction of word and image in picturebooks addressed to young readers. The theoretical framework employed in the article develops ideas from cognitive literary theory, adapting it to the specific conditions in which there is a significant difference between the sender's and the…

Knowledge Is Power: The Issue of Censorship in Middle Grades Literacy Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitney, Jennifer D.

2007-01-01

Book challenges have become more and more frequent in recent years. In particular, those books that address issues most relevant to preteens and teenagers seem to be the object of many challenges. Many of the hundreds of challenged works represent literary classics and high-quality writing for young audiences. Teachers, administrators and other…

"Although Adolescence Need Not Be Violent...": Preservice Teachers' Connections between "Adolescence" and Literacy Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Mark A.; Petrone, Robert

2010-01-01

This article reports the findings of a study that examined how and why a group of pre-service secondary literacy teachers conceptualized and created various curricular activities involving young adult literary texts as part of their work for a teacher education course on teaching literature. Specifically, this article examines the systems of…

The Aesthetics of Everyday Literacies: Home Writing Practices in a British Asian Household

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pahl, Kate

2014-01-01

This article explores young people's home literacy practices drawing on an ethnographic study of writing in the home of a British Asian family living in northern England. The theoretical framework comes from the New Literacy Studies, and aesthetic and literary theory. It applies an ethnographic methodology together with an engaged approach to…

Writing Superheroes: Contemporary Childhood, Popular Culture, and Classroom Literacy. Language and Literacy Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyson, Anne Haas

Based on an ethnographic study in an urban classroom of 7- to 9-year olds, this book examines how young school children use popular culture, especially superhero stories, in the unofficial peer social world and in the official school literary curriculum. In one sense, the book is about children "writing superheroes"--about children…

Understanding "The Catcher in the Rye": A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pinsker, Sanford; Pinsker, Ann

The social, cultural, and historical documents and commentary in this casebook illuminate the reading of "The Catcher in the Rye," a novel that has become an important rite of passage for many young adults. In addition to a literary analysis, the casebook acquaints students with the larger world in which Holden Caulfield, the…

[Aspects of senile dementia in ancient Rome: literary fiction and factual reality].

PubMed

Moog, Ferdinand Peter; Schäfer, Daniel

2007-01-01

Old people and their pecularities have been the object of writers since the beginning of Western literature. The aim of this study is to verify the social and juridical significance of senile dementia in ancient Rome. Among the few relevant sources the 10th satire of Juvenal attracts attention. It describes a demented patient who revises his succession in favour of a lady with bad reputation. Logically, we wonder whether such dispositions were possible and after all legally binding. Or did Juvenal exaggerate? A look at the Roman legislation shows: Since the Twelve Tablet Law there were instruments to control or to help demented people. This meant care in the sense of the today's curatorship or guardianship. These measures were supposed to prevent extravagancy or doing business and legal acts like marriages or last wills in the state of diminished responsibility. Nevertheless, it must be assumed that there was a considerable discrepancy between juridical theory and daily practice, because the position of the "pater familias" was virtually untouchable, the individual freedom of the full citizen was firmly underlined and the Roman civil law allowed only little executive interferences. Juvenal's bizarre example should not only be taken as good literary fiction. It might reflect the sad, but nevertheless probable reality of the people directly concerned. Apart from that it has to be said that senile dementia played only a minor role in Roman legislation. Mainly because there were considerably less very old people--and in particular people with senile dementia--than today.

James L. Young | NREL

Science.gov Websites

L. Young James Young Postdoctoral Researcher-Chemistry James.Young@nrel.gov | 303-275-4456 Orcid ID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7291-0079 Dr. James L. Young is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the National -splitting photocathode," Nature Energy (2017). View all NREL publications for James L. Young.

Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe (SEYLE): a randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background There have been only a few reports illustrating the moderate effectiveness of suicide-preventive interventions in reducing suicidal behavior, and, in most of those studies, the target populations were primarily adults, whereas few focused on adolescents. Essentially, there have been no randomized controlled studies comparing the efficacy, cost-effectiveness and cultural adaptability of suicide-prevention strategies in schools. There is also a lack of information on whether suicide-preventive interventions can, in addition to preventing suicide, reduce risk behaviors and promote healthier ones as well as improve young people's mental health. The aim of the SEYLE project, which is funded by the European Union under the Seventh Framework Health Program, is to address these issues by collecting baseline and follow-up data on health and well-being among European adolescents and compiling an epidemiological database; testing, in a randomized controlled trial, three different suicide-preventive interventions; evaluating the outcome of each intervention in comparison with a control group from a multidisciplinary perspective; as well as recommending culturally adjusted models for promoting mental health and preventing suicidal behaviors. Methods and design The study comprises 11,000 adolescents emitted from randomized schools in 11 European countries: Austria, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Romania, Slovenia and Spain, with Sweden serving as the scientific coordinating center. Each country performs three active interventions and one minimal intervention as a control group. The active interventions include gatekeeper training (QPR), awareness training on mental health promotion for adolescents, and screening for at-risk adolescents by health professionals. Structured questionnaires are utilized at baseline, 3- and 12-month follow-ups in order to assess changes. Discussion Although it has been reported that suicide

Hackneyed, Acned, or Just Plain Good: Perceiving Quality in Young Adult Fiction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agee, Hugh

A rating scale was developed by Stephen Dunning for evaluating adolescent literature objectively. The distinguishing features of the scale's five categories are designed to produce a numerical score between 5 and 25 (each category a 1-to-5 ranking for poor/excellent quality), indicating the relative worth of a specific literary work. The first…

Reading and Writing about Literature on the Internet. Two Innovative Experiences with Blogs in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neira-Piñeiro, María del Rosario

2015-01-01

This paper describes two innovative experiences with ICT in teacher training by means of the development of two blogs about children's and young adults' literature. The study of both activities shows the usefulness of blogs in higher education and their contribution to the linguistic and literary training of future teachers. The results show that…

Reflections of Life Through Books.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Porter, Jane

The anthology by Jesse Perry, "Reading Ladders for Human Relations," constructed of a blend of best literary works, was compiled based on the conviction that reading selected books would increase the social sensitivity of young people and play a unique role in fostering better human relationships. Its main purposes are expressed in the section…

Resisting Focalisation, Gaining Empathy: Swedish Teenagers Read Irish Fiction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fjällström, Eva; Kokkola, Lydia

2015-01-01

Resisting the will to empathise with a focalised character is assumed to be difficult for young readers, yet empirical evidence on how they actually respond is limited. This paper combines recent insights gleaned from cognitive literary studies with a small-scale empirical study of thirty-five Swedish adolescents reading an Irish short story in…

["Signs for the whole rest of the life". The house as symbol and autobiographical substrate in letters, dreams and literary texts by by Anna Freud].

PubMed

Spreitzer, Brigitte

2015-01-01

The house as object and symbol preoccupied Anna Freud from childhood onwards. This article traces these ideas in letters, autobiographical documents and literary texts. It focuses on the phantasmal construction of a dream house; on the organisation, loss and later efforts to recover Hochrotherd; on casual birthday poems dedicated to Anna, praising the country house, as well as on the purchase of a weekend cottage in Walberswick reflected in dreams related to the process of inner detachment from the dead father. A fluent interchange between reality and imagination comes into focus, high- lighting the dimension of inwardness rather than that of biographical reality.

Occlusal traits and orthodontic treatment need in 7‐ to 10‐year‐olds in Estonia

PubMed Central

Saag, Mare; Svedström‐Oristo, Anna‐Liisa; Peltomäki, Timo; Vinkka‐Puhakka, Heli

2017-01-01

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the distribution of occlusal traits and orthodontic treatment need and complexity in Estonian 7‐ to 10‐year‐old children. This data provides solid information for planning of orthodontic care. Data of 392 Estonian children (198 girls and 194 boys, mean age 9.0 years, range 7.1–10.4 years) was analysed in this cross‐sectional study. Assessed traits included first molar and canine sagittal relationship, overjet, overbite, crowding, midline diastema, crossbite, and scissor bite. Orthodontic treatment need and complexity were assessed using the Index of Complexity, Outcome, and Need. Parents' opinion regarding their child's teeth was determined using a questionnaire. The most prevalent occlusal traits were canine class I sagittal relationship (73.7%), midline diastema (73.0%), molar class I sagittal relationship (57.4%), and overbite ≥3.5 mm (51.8%). According to the Index of Complexity, Outcome, and Need, 64.3% of Estonian elementary school children were in need of orthodontic treatment. Treatment complexity was simple in 12.5%, mild in 38.8%, moderate in 22.7%, difficult in 14.0%, and very difficult in 12.0% of the children. Approximately 66.4% of the parents felt that their child needed orthodontic treatment. This study confirms earlier findings indicating that the most frequent sagittal relationship is class I in the first molars and class I in the canines. However, the sagittal relationship was asymmetric in more than half of the children. Correlation between objectively defined treatment need and parents' desire for treatment was high in Estonia. PMID:29744185

CDKL5 Gene-Related Epileptic Encephalopathy in Estonia: Four Cases, One Novel Mutation Causing Severe Phenotype in a Boy, and Overview of the Literature.

PubMed

Lilles, Stella; Talvik, Inga; Noormets, Klari; Vaher, Ulvi; Õunap, Katrin; Reimand, Tiia; Sander, Valentin; Ilves, Pilvi; Talvik, Tiina

2016-12-01

Cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 ( CDKL5 ) gene mutations have mainly been found in females with early infantile epileptic encephalopathy (EIEE), severe intellectual disability, and Rett-like features. To date, only 22 boys have been reported, presenting with far more severe phenotypic features. We report the first cases of CDKL5 gene-related EIEE in Estonia diagnosed using panels of epilepsy-associated genes and describe the phenotype-genotype correlations in three male and one female patient. One of the mutations, identified in a male patient, was a novel de novo hemizygous frameshift mutation (NM_003159.2:c.2225_2228del (p.Glu742Afs*41)) in exon 15 of CDKL5. All boys have a more severe phenotype than the female patient. In boys with early onset of seizures and poor development with absent or poor eye contact, CDKL5 gene-related EIEE can be suspected and epilepsy-associated genes should be analyzed for early etiological diagnosis. Early genetic diagnosis would be the cornerstone in personalized treatment in the future. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Long-Range Memory in Literary Texts: On the Universal Clustering of the Rare Words

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

A fundamental problem in linguistics is how literary texts can be quantified mathematically. It is well known that the frequency of a (rare) word in a text is roughly inverse proportional to its rank (Zipf’s law). Here we address the complementary question, if also the rhythm of the text, characterized by the arrangement of the rare words in the text, can be quantified mathematically in a similar basic way. To this end, we consider representative classic single-authored texts from England/Ireland, France, Germany, China, and Japan. In each text, we classify each word by its rank. We focus on the rare words with ranks above some threshold Q and study the lengths of the (return) intervals between them. We find that for all texts considered, the probability SQ(r) that the length of an interval exceeds r, follows a perfect Weibull-function, SQ(r) = exp(−b(β)rβ), with β around 0.7. The return intervals themselves are arranged in a long-range correlated self-similar fashion, where the autocorrelation function CQ(s) of the intervals follows a power law, CQ(s) ∼ s−γ, with an exponent γ between 0.14 and 0.48. We show that these features lead to a pronounced clustering of the rare words in the text. PMID:27893737

‘Inner voices’: the cerebral representation of emotional voice cues described in literary texts

PubMed Central

Kreifelts, Benjamin; Gößling-Arnold, Christina; Wertheimer, Jürgen; Wildgruber, Dirk

2014-01-01

While non-verbal affective voice cues are generally recognized as a crucial behavioral guide in any day-to-day conversation their role as a powerful source of information may extend well beyond close-up personal interactions and include other modes of communication such as written discourse or literature as well. Building on the assumption that similarities between the different ‘modes’ of voice cues may not only be limited to their functional role but may also include cerebral mechanisms engaged in the decoding process, the present functional magnetic resonance imaging study aimed at exploring brain responses associated with processing emotional voice signals described in literary texts. Emphasis was placed on evaluating ‘voice’ sensitive as well as task- and emotion-related modulations of brain activation frequently associated with the decoding of acoustic vocal cues. Obtained findings suggest that several similarities emerge with respect to the perception of acoustic voice signals: results identify the superior temporal, lateral and medial frontal cortex as well as the posterior cingulate cortex and cerebellum to contribute to the decoding process, with similarities to acoustic voice perception reflected in a ‘voice’-cue preference of temporal voice areas as well as an emotion-related modulation of the medial frontal cortex and a task-modulated response of the lateral frontal cortex. PMID:24396008

[The future of the European nephrology belongs to the young: the Young Nephrologists' Platform].

PubMed

Bolignano, Davide

2014-01-01

Young people are the future of research, especially in nephrology. The prevalence of young nephrologists within the main scientific European societies varies from the 12% to 34% and the 20% of the ERA-EDTA members are less than 40 years old in 2013. Recently, the ERA-EDTA has launched a new platform, the Young Nephrologists Platform (YNP), which the aim is to become the first modern network of young nephrologists from Europe and beyond. YNP aims at promoting the aggregation of young people through modern communication channels such as social networks, blogs and through the construction of a database collecting information on attitudes and personal experiences of each young nephrologist. A mentorship program, focused and young-oriented clinical courses on hot topics and the direct involvement of young nephrologists in working groups and scientific studies are some of the other interesting initiatives driven by YNP. The future of nephrology belongs to the young and YNP could represent a good springboard for the professional growth of young nephrologists.

[The literary impact of the propaganda campaign against veneral disease at the turn of the century].

PubMed

Goens, J

1996-12-01

The literary perception of venereal diseases in the XIXth century was radically modified by the big prophylactic campaign that began at its end. After writers presented a romantic vision of syphilis associated initially with pride and exaltation, came a generation distressed by the obsession and the phobia that the antivenereal reaction then generated. The moving elements of this campaign, were the extreme attention to overvalued statistics and excessive consideration of indirect transmission; but also such mythical concepts as parasyphilis, syphilitic diathesis, "le génie syphilitique" and especially "hérédosyphilis". This antivenereal campaign, appearing as a sanitary prophylaxis invented by the syphiligraphes, rapidly changed to a moral prophylaxis, using intensively dissuasive methods and generating among others a true propaganda literature. After World War I, the fear of a degeneration of the race, weakened by depopulation, caused an intensification of the propaganda. Its protectionist, xenophobic and intolerant nature then grew considerably in the militant literature to merge into the themes that have characterized the political speech of the Hitlerian period. The Allies and penicillin fortunately put an end to this delirious rhetoric.

The Case for Conflict in Our Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dakin, Mary Ellen

2008-01-01

There should be joy in teaching and learning, there should be games and wonder and fun. But if conflict in classrooms remain little more than a literary term for the force that moves plot forward, then educators have sidestepped the mission of public education, which is to prepare young people for the rough-and-tumble of democracy. In this…

Remapping Genre: Spanish Jaiku of the Early Twentieth Century

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Landeira, Joy

2010-01-01

At the beginning of the twentieth century a new subgenre of poetry written in Spanish, but rooted in Japanese literary tradition, began to emerge in the works of Spain's vanguard and Generation of 1927 poets and among young modernist poets in Mexico and South America. Transmitted first through France and later directly from Japan, the popularity…

"If It Ain't True, Then It's Just a Book!" The Reading and Teaching of Faction Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olin-Scheller, Christina; Tengberg, Michael

2012-01-01

This article examines issues related to the reading and teaching of faction literature in school. Faction is defined not only as a literary genre but also as a form of reading applied to the reader. The article discusses young people's encounters with novels "based on a true story" as well as the challenges this means for literature…

Big Read, Big ROI

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dempsey, Beth

2008-01-01

In 2004, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) released a grim report on the state of literary reading in America. "Reading at Risk" (www.nea.gov/pub/ReadingAtRisk.pdf) detailed a dramatic decline in recreational reading across all segments of the American population--young and old, black, brown, and white. It also included the projected…

Richard Wright and the Agony over Integration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cassuto, Leonard

2008-01-01

Richard Wright's literary career begins with a lynching and ends with a serial murderer. "Big Boy Leaves Home," the 1936 story that leads off Wright's first book, "Uncle Tom's Children" (1938), renders the vicious mob-execution of a young black man falsely accused of rape. "A Father's Law," Wright's last novel, left unfinished at his unexpected…

Simulation of the hydrogeologic effects of oil-shale mining on the neighbouring wetland water balance: case study in north-eastern Estonia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marandi, Andres; Karro, Enn; Polikarpus, Maile; Jõeleht, Argo; Kohv, Marko; Hang, Tiit; Hiiemaa, Helen

2013-11-01

The water balance of wetlands plays an integral role in their function. Developments adjacent to wetlands can affect their water balance through impacts on groundwater flow and increased discharge in the area, and they can cause lowering of the wetland water table. A 430 km2 area was selected for groundwater modelling to asses the effect of underground mining on the water balance of wetlands in north-eastern Estonia. A nature conservation area (encompassing Selisoo bog) is within 3 km of an underground oil-shale mine. Two future mining scenarios with different areal extents of mining were modeled and compared to the present situation. Results show that the vertical hydraulic conductivity of the subsurface is of critical importance to potential wetland dewatering as a result of mining. Significant impact on the Selisoo bog water balance will be caused by the approaching mine but there will be only minor additional impacts from mining directly below the bog. The major impact will arise before that stage, when the underground mine extension reaches the border of the nature conservation area; since the restriction of activities in this area relates to the ground surface, the conservation area’s border is not sufficiently protective in relation to underground development.

Labouring Under The Stone—A Literary Legacy of Lithiasis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moran, Michael E.

2007-04-01

The history of mankind's suffering greatly from calculus disease has been one of excruciating longevity. Since the first historical records, humans have formed stones and endured the wrath of these concretions' passage via the delicate mechanisms of the urinary tract. This study involved detailed investigations of historical writings of famous stone sufferers to better appreciate the circumstances of our patients. Collected histories both of textbooks and articles were scrutinized for the accounts of famous stone sufferers. Once identified, primary resources were sought with English translations given preference. Cross-referencing all informational sources was attempted. The accounts were then classified as lower urinary tract (BS), upper urinary tract (KS), by century of the individual, and whether these were ancient (before 100 years ago) or recent (from the 20th Century onwards). Many of these great men and woman suffered in relative silence. Not much is available on descriptions of their colic. However, there are others such as Michel Montaigne, Erasmus of Rotterdam, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Sydenham, Sir William Osler and Richard Selzer who were able to transform their suffering into ethereal expressions of pure pain and suffering. The ancient descriptions are twofold fascinating, as the victims of stone disease faced quackery and profound ignorance from the medical profession and no effective remedy for the pain. Here again, there are two typical responses: the enlightened cerebral concerns of Montaigne, Sydenham, and Franklin versus the punitive, religious overtones from Erasmus and Pepys. Lower and upper tract stones produced equal horrors to those once thought to incur punishment from the gods, or turning to stone-like "living statues." No amount of literary expression can capture the true essence of renal colic. Medical texts from their earliest times place stone passage near the top of the pantheon of medical suffering. Each of these prolific and

Fostering Intercultural Communicative Competence through Reading Authentic Literary Texts in an Advanced Colombian EFL Classroom: A Constructivist Perspective (Desarrollo de la competencia comunicativa intercultural mediante la lectura de textos literarios auténticos: una perspectiva constructivista)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gómez, Luis Fernando R.

2012-01-01

This article describes an action research experience carried out in an advanced English as a foreign language classroom of the language program at a university in Bogotá, Colombia, in 2010. The study proposes the inclusion of authentic literary texts in the English as a foreign language classroom through the implementation of four constructivist…

Suicidal Behavior Among People Living with HIV (PLHIV) in Medical Care in Estonia and Factors Associated with Receiving Psychological Treatment.

PubMed

Lemsalu, Liis; Rüütel, Kristi; Laisaar, Kaja-Triin; Lõhmus, Liilia; Raidvee, Aire; Uusküla, Anneli

2017-06-01

People living with HIV (PLHIV) have higher rates of suicidal behavior than the general population. This study assessed suicidal behavior (ideation and/or attempts, ever and in the past 12 months) among PLHIV receiving outpatient HIV medical care in Estonia and associations between suicidal behavior and psychological treatment. The cross-sectional study collected data from January to November 2013 using a self-report questionnaire. Eight hundred PLHIV participated, 39 % (n = 306) of whom had been suicidal. Lifetime prevalence was 36 % for suicidal ideation and 20 % for attempts. Younger age, incarceration, having ever abused alcohol and also injected drugs, having lived with HIV for more than 10 years, and being depressed were associated with lifetime suicidal behavior. Suicidal behavior within the past 12 months was reported by 20 % (n = 156) of respondents. Of these, 27 % received psychological treatment (counseling and/or psychotherapy), 20 % had taken antidepressants, and 49 % sedatives. Individuals perceiving a need for treatment were significantly more likely to receive psychological treatment when experiencing suicidal behavior (OR 25.65, 95 % CI 2.92-225.47). In conclusion, suicidal behavior is frequent among PLHIV but psychological treatment is not often received. One of the barriers to treatment is patients' lack of perceived need for help.

Modelling nutrient fluxes from diffuse and point emissions to river loads: the Estonian part of the transboundary Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe drainage basin (Russia/Estonia/Latvia).

PubMed

Mourad, D; van der Perk, M

2004-01-01

First results are presented of a large-scale GIS-based nutrient transport modelling for the 1985-1999 period in the Estonian part of the transboundary drainage basin of Lake Peipsi (Estonian)/Chudskoe (Russian), one of the largest lakes in Europe, shared by Russia and Estonia. Although the lake is relatively undisturbed by human pollution, it is vulnerable for eutrophication by increased river loads, as shown in the past, when the north-eastern part of the former Soviet Union suffered from intensive agriculture. The collapse of the Soviet Union caused a dramatic decline in fertilizer application rates and widespread abandonment of agricultural land. Although concentration measurements and modelling results indicate a general decrease in nutrient loads, modelling is complicated by the transfer of nutrients from diffuse emissions, which is strongly governed by retention and assumed periodic release from storages within the river basin, like the root zone, tile drains, ditches, channels, bed sediments, floodplains and lakes. Modelling diffuse emission contribution to river loads can be improved by better knowledge about the spatial and temporal distribution of this retention and release within the drainage basin.

Restoring literary wholeness to the fragmented account of Antoine Despine's magnetic cure of Estelle L'Hardy's dissociative disorder.

PubMed

McKeown, Joanne M

2007-10-01

Dr. Charles-Humbert Antoine Despine's (1777-1852) De L'Emploi du magnétisme animal et des eaux minerales dans le traitement des maladies nerveuses, suivi d'une observation très curieuse de guérison de névropathie [A Study of the uses of animal magnetism in the treatment of disorders of the nervous system followed by a case of a highly unusual cure of neuropathy] (Paris: Germer, Baillière, 1840) is one of the earliest published, complete accounts of a successful cure with animal magnetism of a dissociative disorder. Despine's methodical and gentle treatment of more than 20 patients with multiple personalities repeatedly brought fusion to separation. His writing style displays a lack of order and unity that resembles the dissociative symptoms of his patients, but the monograph's sloppiness belies Despine's methodical approach to his work and his thoughtful handling of his patients. This paper explores these inconsistencies and how translators of the monograph act as literary therapists for his confused and fragmented account.

Reconstruction of precipitation variability in Estonia since the eighteenth century, inferred from oak and spruce tree rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helama, Samuli; Sohar, Kristina; Läänelaid, Alar; Bijak, Szymon; Jaagus, Jaak

2018-06-01

There is plenty of evidence for intensification of the global hydrological cycle. In Europe, the northern areas are predicted to receive more precipitation in the future and observational evidence suggests a parallel trend over the past decades. As a consequence, it would be essential to place the recent trend in precipitation in the context of proxy-based estimates of reconstructed precipitation variability over the past centuries. Tree rings are frequently used as proxy data for palaeoclimate reconstructions. Here we use deciduous ( Quercus robur) and coniferous ( Picea abies) tree-ring width chronologies from western Estonia to deduce past early-summer (June) precipitation variability since 1771. Statistical model transforming our tree-ring data into estimates of precipitation sums explains 42% of the variance in instrumental variability. Comparisons with products of gridded reconstructions of soil moisture and summer precipitation illustrate robust correlations with soil moisture (Palmer Drought Severity Index), but lowered correlation with summer precipitation estimates prior to mid-nineteenth century, these instabilities possibly reflecting the general uncertainties inherent to early meteorological and proxy data. Reconstructed precipitation variability was negatively correlated to the teleconnection indices of the North Atlantic Oscillation and the Scandinavia pattern, on annual to decadal and longer scales. These relationships demonstrate the positive precipitation anomalies to result from increase in zonal inflow and cyclonic activity, the negative anomalies being linked with the high pressure conditions enhanced during the atmospheric blocking episodes. Recently, the instrumental data have demonstrated a remarkable increase in summer (June) precipitation in the study region. Our tree-ring based reconstruction reproduces this trend in the context of precipitation history since eighteenth century and quantifies the unprecedented abundance of June

Nutrition for Young Men

MedlinePlus

... Health Wellness Healthy Aging Nutrition for Young Men Nutrition for Young Men Reviewed by Taylor Wolfram, MS, ... 2017 XiXinXing/iStock/Thinkstock For many young men, nutrition isn't always a focus. There are many ...

[The Roman lady-doll: a surprising image of the female body].

PubMed

Gourevitch, Danielle

2011-01-01

Ivory or bone lady-dolls found in Italy and in the Western empire, from the 2nd to the 5th century, seem to be erotic toys, with a beautiful hair-dress, articulated body, and riche jewels, strange presents to be given to little girls or young ladies. Archaeological and epigraphical documents, literary texts, and present Barbies are put together.

An Author in Residence? Why Bother?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blubaugh, Penny

In October 1999 young adult author, Adam Rapp, was the first author-in-residence at Ridgewood High School, located outside Chicago. During his week at Ridgewood, Adam did readings and question and answer sessions for area 7th and 8th graders who came to the high school on field trips. He talked with the staff of the high school literary magazine…

'The healing power of love': the literary/analytic bond of marriage in Freud's essay on Gradiva.

PubMed

Ashur, Dorit

2009-06-01

Freud 's declared position regarding the management of 'transference love' advocated 'abstinence', objectivity and even 'emotional coldness in the analyst'. However, his essay on Jensen's Gradiva reveals an identification with an involved and responsive 'maternal' analytic position associated with theorists such as Ferenczi, Balint and Winnicott. These theorists attribute the origins of transference love to the pre-oedipal stage, shaping their analytic model on the basis of the early relationship with the mother. Freud generally had difficulty identifying with such a position, since it entailed addressing his own inner feminine aspects. Yet a literary analysis of his 'Gradiva' reveals this stance in his textual performance, i.e. in the ways in which he reads and retells Jensen's story. Freud 's narration not only expresses identification with Zoe, the female protagonist, but also idealizes her 'therapeutic' conduct, which is closer in spirit to that of object-relations theorists. His subtext even implies, however unintended, that an ideal treatment of transference love culminates in a psychical 'marriage' bond between the analytic couple, a metaphor used by Winnicott to describe the essence of the mother-baby (analyst/patient) bond. Freud 's reading process is itself analogous to Zoe's 'therapeutic' conduct, in that both perform a creative and involved interaction with the text/patient.

The Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe (SEYLE) Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT): methodological issues and participant characteristics

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Mental health problems and risk behaviours among young people are of great public health concern. Consequently, within the VII Framework Programme, the European Commission funded the Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe (SEYLE) project. This Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) was conducted in eleven European countries, with Sweden as the coordinating centre, and was designed to identify an effective way to promote mental health and reduce suicidality and risk taking behaviours among adolescents. Objective To describe the methodological and field procedures in the SEYLE RCT among adolescents, as well as to present the main characteristics of the recruited sample. Methods Analyses were conducted to determine: 1) representativeness of study sites compared to respective national data; 2) response rate of schools and pupils, drop-out rates from baseline to 3 and 12 month follow-up, 3) comparability of samples among the four Intervention Arms; 4) properties of the standard scales employed: Beck Depression Inventory, Second Edition (BDI-II), Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (Z-SAS), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), World Health Organization Well-Being Scale (WHO-5). Results Participants at baseline comprised 12,395 adolescents (M/F: 5,529/6,799; mean age=14.9±0.9) from Austria, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Romania, Slovenia and Spain. At the 3 and 12 months follow up, participation rates were 87.3% and 79.4%, respectively. Demographic characteristics of participating sites were found to be reasonably representative of their respective national population. Overall response rate of schools was 67.8%. All scales utilised in the study had good to very good internal reliability, as measured by Cronbach’s alpha (BDI-II: 0.864; Z-SAS: 0.805; SDQ: 0.740; WHO-5: 0.799). Conclusions SEYLE achieved its objective of recruiting a large representative sample of adolescents within participating European countries. Analysis

The saving and empowering young lives in Europe (SEYLE) randomized controlled trial (RCT): methodological issues and participant characteristics.

PubMed

Carli, Vladimir; Wasserman, Camilla; Wasserman, Danuta; Sarchiapone, Marco; Apter, Alan; Balazs, Judit; Bobes, Julio; Brunner, Romuald; Corcoran, Paul; Cosman, Doina; Guillemin, Francis; Haring, Christian; Kaess, Michael; Kahn, Jean Pierre; Keeley, Helen; Keresztény, Agnes; Iosue, Miriam; Mars, Ursa; Musa, George; Nemes, Bogdan; Postuvan, Vita; Reiter-Theil, Stella; Saiz, Pilar; Varnik, Peeter; Varnik, Airi; Hoven, Christina W

2013-05-16

Mental health problems and risk behaviours among young people are of great public health concern. Consequently, within the VII Framework Programme, the European Commission funded the Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe (SEYLE) project. This Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) was conducted in eleven European countries, with Sweden as the coordinating centre, and was designed to identify an effective way to promote mental health and reduce suicidality and risk taking behaviours among adolescents. To describe the methodological and field procedures in the SEYLE RCT among adolescents, as well as to present the main characteristics of the recruited sample. Analyses were conducted to determine: 1) representativeness of study sites compared to respective national data; 2) response rate of schools and pupils, drop-out rates from baseline to 3 and 12 month follow-up, 3) comparability of samples among the four Intervention Arms; 4) properties of the standard scales employed: Beck Depression Inventory, Second Edition (BDI-II), Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (Z-SAS), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), World Health Organization Well-Being Scale (WHO-5). Participants at baseline comprised 12,395 adolescents (M/F: 5,529/6,799; mean age=14.9±0.9) from Austria, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Romania, Slovenia and Spain. At the 3 and 12 months follow up, participation rates were 87.3% and 79.4%, respectively. Demographic characteristics of participating sites were found to be reasonably representative of their respective national population. Overall response rate of schools was 67.8%. All scales utilised in the study had good to very good internal reliability, as measured by Cronbach's alpha (BDI-II: 0.864; Z-SAS: 0.805; SDQ: 0.740; WHO-5: 0.799). SEYLE achieved its objective of recruiting a large representative sample of adolescents within participating European countries. Analysis of SEYLE data will shed light on the effectiveness

["Returning to the Sun" of Antun Branko Simić].

PubMed

Pandzić Jaksić, Vlatka; Pandzić Kulis, Drijenka

2011-12-01

Antun Branko Simić, one of the greatest Croatian poets, died very young, at the age of 27, from tuberculosis. The history of his disease has not been reconstructed for eight decades although that could also open a more accurate view on his literary work. By uncovering the original documents, his disease and death could be positioned in historical, social and cultural context. It was shown that those who emphasized the crucial impact of disease on his entire literary work were wrong. No doubt that A. B. Simić has written under the influence of his disease but that can refer only to the small number of poems and essays. First of all he wrote in line with world poetry of his time--expressionism, which was significantly inspired by patients' and social sufferings.

DefenseLink.mil - Special Report - Travels With Gates

Science.gov Websites

of Estonia Estonia Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates holds a press conference after the Tallinn High . Sgt. Jerry Morrison Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates holds a press conference after the Tallinn High . Sgt. Jerry Morrison Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates walks with the Prime Minister of Estonia Andrus

Gender role models in fictional novels for emerging adult lesbians.

PubMed

Cook, Jennifer R; Rostosky, Sharon S; Riggle, Ellen D B

2013-01-01

Novels provide role models for young adult lesbians and thus may influence their identity development. This study focused on 16 lesbian protagonists identified in 11 young adult novels that received 2011 Lambda Literary Award nominations. Content analyses revealed six themes. Three themes defied traditional gender stereotypes: Asserting Oneself, Pursuing Intimacy with Another Woman, and Breaking Free of Constraints to Authentic Self-Expression. Three themes reinforced gender stereotypes: Negative Emotional Experiences Associated with Lesbian Identity, Traditional Masculine Gender Expression, and Traditional Gender Role-Based Sexual Scripts. Each theme is discussed in light of its possible contribution to lesbian identity development.

Suicide in young men.

PubMed

Pitman, Alexandra; Krysinska, Karolina; Osborn, David; King, Michael

2012-06-23

Suicide is second to only accidental death as the leading cause of mortality in young men across the world. Although suicide rates for young men have fallen in some high-income and middle-income countries since the 1990s, wider mortality measures indicate that rates remain high in specific regions, ethnic groups, and socioeconomic groups within those nations where rates have fallen, and that young men account for a substantial proportion of the economic cost of suicide. High-lethality methods of suicide are preferred by young men: hanging and firearms in high-income countries, pesticide poisoning in the Indian subcontinent, and charcoal-burning in east Asia. Risk factors for young men include psychiatric illness, substance misuse, lower socioeconomic status, rural residence, and single marital status. Population-level factors include unemployment, social deprivation, and media reporting of suicide. Few interventions to reduce suicides in young men have been assessed. Efforts to change help-seeking behaviour and to restrict access to frequently used methods hold the most promise. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

78 FR 31999 - 30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Young Turkey/Young America Evaluation (YTYA...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-28

... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice 8336] 30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Young Turkey/ Young America Evaluation (YTYA) Survey ACTION: Notice of request for public comment and... . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title of Information Collection: Young Turkey/Young America Evaluation (YTYA) Survey...

78 FR 9448 - 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Young Turkey/Young America Evaluation (YTYA...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-08

... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice 8181] 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Young Turkey/ Young America Evaluation (YTYA) Survey ACTION: Notice of request for public comment. SUMMARY: The...: Title of Information Collection: Young Turkey/Young America Evaluation (YTYA) Survey. OMB Control Number...

Analysis of river pollution data from low-flow period by means of multivariate techniques: a case study from the oil-shale industry region, northeastern Estonia.

PubMed

Truu, Jaak; Heinaru, Eeva; Talpsep, Ene; Heinaru, Ain

2002-01-01

The oil-shale industry has created serious pollution problems in northeastern Estonia. Untreated, phenol-rich leachate from semi-coke mounds formed as a by-product of oil-shale processing is discharged into the Baltic Sea via channels and rivers. An exploratory analysis of water chemical and microbiological data sets from the low-flow period was carried out using different multivariate analysis techniques. Principal component analysis allowed us to distinguish different locations in the river system. The riverine microbial community response to water chemical parameters was assessed by co-inertia analysis. Water pH, COD and total nitrogen were negatively related to the number of biodegradative bacteria, while oxygen concentration promoted the abundance of these bacteria. The results demonstrate the utility of multivariate statistical techniques as tools for estimating the magnitude and extent of pollution based on river water chemical and microbiological parameters. An evaluation of river chemical and microbiological data suggests that the ambient natural attenuation mechanisms only partly eliminate pollutants from river water, and that a sufficient reduction of more recalcitrant compounds could be achieved through the reduction of wastewater discharge from the oil-shale chemical industry into the rivers.

One-year outcome after first-ever stroke according to stroke subtype, severity, risk factors and pre-stroke treatment. A population-based study from Tartu, Estonia.

PubMed

Vibo, R; Kõrv, J; Roose, M

2007-04-01

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the outcome at 1 year following a first-ever stroke based on a population-based registry from 2001 to 2003 in Tartu, Estonia. The outcome of first-ever stroke was assessed in 433 patients by stroke risk factors, demographic data and stroke severity at onset using the Barthel Index (BI) score and the modified Rankin Score (mRS) at seventh day, 6 months and 1 year. Female sex, older age, blood glucose value >10 mmol/l on admission and more severe stroke on admission were the best predictors of dependency 1 year following the first-ever stroke. At 1 year, the percentage of functionally dependent patients was 20% and the survival rate was 56%. The use of antihypertensive/antithrombotic medication prior to stroke did not significantly affect the outcome. The survival rate of stroke patients in Tartu is lower compared with other studied populations. The outcome of stroke was mainly determined by the initial severity of stroke and by elevated blood glucose value on admission. Patients with untreated hypertension had more severe stroke and trend for unfavourable outcome compared with those who were on treatment.

Young Migrants and Discourses on Young Migrants in the Netherlands

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerritsen, Debby; Maier, Robert

2012-01-01

This article compares the perspectives of young migrants in the Netherlands with the dominant discourse on "migrants" at present. The integration of young "migrants" have been studied in the European research projects TRESEGY and PROFACITY with the help of a number of ethnographic studies and a questionnaire in the Netherlands.…

From Shakespeare to Star Trek and beyond: a Medline search for literary and other allusions in biomedical titles.

PubMed

Goodman, Neville W

2005-12-24

To document biomedical paper titles containing literary and other allusions. Retrospective survey. Medline (1951 to mid-2005) through Dialog Datastar. Allusions to Shakespeare, Hans Christian Andersen, proverbs, the Bible, Lewis Carroll, and movie titles, corrected and scaled for five year periods 1950-4 to 2000-4. More than 1400 Shakespearean allusions exist, a third of them to "What's in a name" and another third to Hamlet-mostly to "To be or not to be." The trend of increasing use of allusive titles, identified from Shakespeare and Andersen, is paralleled by allusions to Carroll and proverbs; the trend of biblical allusions is also upward but is more erratic. Trends for newer allusions are also upwards, including the previously surveyed "paradigm shift." Allusive titles are likely to be to editorial or comment rather than to original research. The similar trends are presumably a mark of a particular learnt author behaviour. Newer allusions may be becoming more popular than older ones. Allusive titles can be unhelpful to reviewers and researchers, and many are now clichés. Whether they attract readers or citations is unknown, but better ways of gaining attention exist.

Literary Artistic Spaces Engage Middle Grades Teachers and Students in Critical-Multicultural Dialogue

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montero, M. Kristiina

2012-01-01

The author describes the use of one-word poetry and traveling scrawled walls as forms of community-engaged public writing that can help urban young adolescents express their lived experiences. Teachers can engage in critical-multicultural questioning and simple content analysis of these student-generated texts to hear what students have to say…

[Vulvovaginitis in young girls].

PubMed

Olejek, Anita; Kellas-Sleczka, Sylwia; Kozak-Darmas, Iwona; Bilska, Anna; Zamłyński, Jacek; Horak, Stanisław; Nowak, Leszek

2009-12-01

Vulvovaginitis is the most common cause of gynecological complaints in young girls. Factors which cause vulvovaginitis include, among other things, low level of sexual hormones (hypoestrogenism), the anatomical proximity of the rectum and delicate vulvar skin and vaginal mucosa. Usually vulvovaginitis in young girls is caused by non-specific factors. The aim of the study was to present the most frequent causes of vulvovaginitis in young girls.

Young Stars with SALT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Riedel, Adric R.; Alam, Munazza K.; Rice, Emily L.

We present a spectroscopic and kinematic analysis of 79 nearby M dwarfs in 77 systems. All of these dwarfs are low-proper-motion southern hemisphere objects and were identified in a nearby star survey with a demonstrated sensitivity to young stars. Using low-resolution optical spectroscopy from the Red Side Spectrograph on the South African Large Telescope, we have determined radial velocities, H-alpha, lithium 6708 Å, and potassium 7699 Å equivalent widths linked to age and activity, and spectral types for all of our targets. Combined with astrometric information from literature sources, we identify 44 young stars. Eighteen are previously known members ofmore » moving groups within 100 pc of the Sun. Twelve are new members, including one member of the TW Hydra moving group, one member of the 32 Orionis moving group, 9 members of Tucana-Horologium, one member of Argus, and two new members of AB Doradus. We also find 14 young star systems that are not members of any known groups. The remaining 33 star systems do not appear to be young. This appears to be evidence of a new population of nearby young stars not related to the known nearby young moving groups.« less

The Role of Internalized Stigma in the Disclosure of Injecting Drug Use Among People Who Inject Drugs and Self-Report as HIV-Positive in Kohtla-Järve, Estonia.

PubMed

Johannson, Annika; Vorobjov, Sigrid; Heimer, Robert; Dovidio, John F; Uusküla, Anneli

2017-04-01

Disclosure of injecting drug use and its associations with stigma have received very little research attention. This cross-sectional study examined the role of internalized HIV and drug stigma (i.e., self-stigmatization) in the disclosure of injecting drug use among people who inject drugs (PWID) self-reporting as HIV-positive (n = 312) in Kohtla-Järve, Estonia. The internalization of both stigmas was relatively high. On average, PWID disclosed to three disclosure targets out of seven. Disclosure was highest to close friends and health care workers and lowest to employers and casual sex partners. Internalized drug stigma was negatively associated with disclosure to other family members (AOR = 0.48; 95% CI 0.30-0.77) and health care workers (AOR = 0.46; 95% CI 0.25-0.87). Internalized HIV stigma was positively associated with disclosure to health care workers (AOR = 2.26; 95% CI 1.27-4.00). No interaction effect of internalized stigmas on disclosures emerged. We concluded that effects of internalized stigmas on disclosures are few and not uniform.