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Registered nurses (RNs) provide vital leadership, care coordination, and surveillance in nursing homes to ensure that residents receive safe and appropriate care. The ability of RNs to perform these roles effectively is largely influenced by the organizational environment in which they practice. Extensive evidence from hospitals has shown that RN work environment is an important predictor of care quality, but very little research has explored this same relationship in nursing homes. In this study we examined the empirical relationship between RN work environment and care quality in nursing homes, using a cross-sectional secondary data analysis of 2015 RN4CAST four state nurse survey data; LTCfocus, a publicly available dataset from Brown University; and Nursing Home Compare. The sample consisted of 245 nursing homes in California, Florida, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Compared to nursing homes with poor RN work environments, facilities with good work environments had a 3.3% higher odds of receiving a Nursing Home Compare overall star rating of 4 or 5 stars versus 1 or 2 stars (OR=3.30, SE=1.58); 0.15 fewer hospitalizations per resident year (15 fewer hospitalizations per 100 residents per year) (β= -0.15, SE=0.08); and 1.8% fewer high risk residents with pressure ulcers (β= -1.81, SE=0.74). Nursing homes with good work environments also had fewer 30 day readmissions and fewer long-stay residents on antipsychotic medications, but these results were not statistically significant. Findings from this study suggest that nurse work environment is an important and tangible area to target for interventions to improve care quality in nursing homes.

Current UK policy is encouraging the identification, emergence, transmutation or invention of third sector organisations that will have a social enterprise orientation with a particular focus on them as vehicles for the delivery of public services (Audit Commission 2005). This can be seen as part of the new governance agenda (Taylor, Wilkinson and Craig 2001, Kendal 2003, Stoker 2004) the form of which is still emergent. One view of governance refers to a 'hollowing out' of state powers (Rhodes, 1997) and a shift from state control to co-ordination using mechanisms such as networks and partnerships to bring together the public, private and third sector as well as community actors and citizens in reforming services. Local Authority white paper (2006) promised further decentralisation moving functions downwards to special purpose bodies and outwards to agencies and communities. The new Local Government White Paper emphasises the role of community engagement, partnership arrangements and devolved budgets with voluntary organisations at the local level (NCVO 2006: 2-3). Such processes are aimed both at both private and third sector providers. \ud \ud In this new distributed system of governance partnership and collaboration plays an important role in the implementation of social goods although these processes are never unproblematic (Huxham & Vangen 2000; Taylor Taylor, Wilkinson and Craig 2001). Nevertheless the contracting out processes continue to gather speed: with recycling and waste, care, leisure services, work advice, health services, prison and probation at various stages in the continuum of change.\ud \ud Against this background the role and form of social enterprise organisations appears at times to be assumed to be 'heterogeneous' and 'good' with all organisations tending towards similar development trajectories with uniform support needs. What is often not distinguished so clearly are the differing types of social enterprise; the different sub-sectors of the economy they are operating in; the variety of markets and funding regimes they are involved in; the different partnership regimes they are embedded within; and their different cultures and connection to local communities. All of these factors have implications for what types of organisations (large/small social enterprise; local/national organisations, and even social enterprise or private organisation) are favoured in the contracting processes and how such processes may affect their wider mission and ethos. Social enterprises are sometimes treated by policy makers, and at times by leaders, practitioners and researchers within the sector as if they were one thing. Crudely we might say they are treated as if they are all cats when in reality some are tigers and some are tabbys – with every breed in between. Nevertheless, despite the heterogeneity of the social enterprise scene we are seeing evidence of a convergence of form in contracting processes which, we argue, tends to favour the tigers and squeeze the tabbys.\ud \ud This paper reports on recent empirical research and analysis in 2 sub fields of social enterprise activity: (a) the delivery of waste and recycling services (Slater 2006) and (b) the delivery of work integration and advice activities for the disadvantaged (Aiken 2006, 2007).

In the presence of 2mM-Ca2+, alpha-thrombin slowly cleaved thrombospondin (Mr 180 000) into 150 000-Mr and 30 000-Mr fragments. In the absence of Ca2+, the platelet glycoprotein was progressively and completely hydrolysed by 3 units of the enzyme/ml to 130 000-Mr, 95 000-Mr and 65 000-Mr fragments. In contrast, the nonclotting enzyme form, gamma-thrombin, did not hydrolyse the platelet protein either in the presence or in the absence of Ca2+, even at 10-fold higher concentrations of enzyme. Protein-interacting regions removed from the catalytic site, like those required for fibrinogen recognition, are necessary for thrombin proteolysis of thrombospondin.

Objective: The engagement and use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) has increased exponentially across societies worldwide with implications for social and psychological development in young people. In this context, the risk of negative sexual experience and victimisation online is known to have real world consequences for young people. This article seeks to: explore the nature of adolescent risk taking online behaviour from a group of young adults in different European countries; develop types of online risk profiles; explore the impact of help-seeking and to consider the potential real world harmful consequences. Method: A survey was administered across the United Kingdom, Ireland and Italy of 18 to 25 year olds in higher education, asking them about their online experiences between the ages of 12 and 16. Risky behaviour on and off-line, types of victimisation (on and offline) and sexual solicitation requests online were analysed together with help-seeking behaviour. Results: Four profiles concerning adolescent risky behaviours were identified through cluster analysis. Each were distinguishable by a pattern of latent constructs linked to risk offline and online. Two were considered normative (adapted adolescents and inquisitive online) and two high risk (risk-taking aggressive and sexually inquisitive online). Additionally, regression analysis demonstrated significant factors linked to predicting both likelihood of meeting an adult for sexual purposes, and help-seeking behaviour. Conclusions: The profiles developed are a useful tool for educators, police and health and social care practitioners in identifying adolescents at risk in order to undertake preventative work. Common help-seeking behaviour from peers could be used to effect interventions.