bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Providence in Triptych
Authors: Moss David M.
Published: May 2015

The following three poems represent thirty years of reflection on a critical theological perspective, the Doctrine of Providence ( bonum ex nocentibus). The first, “A Wilderness of Mirrors,” was written immediately after Paul Tillich's last lecture in 1965. Hours later, he was mortally wounded by the first of three heart attacks. The second, “The Easter Rain,” was conceived the next year, shortly after my father's untimely death. He died on the Father's Day before I entered seminary. In 1985 I completed it after the death of my mentor Carroll Wise. The third poem, “Illumination,” was composed during the Eastertide of 1994, after I first met Rhena Schweitzer Miller, the daughter of Albert Schweitzer—one who lived by Providence and the Reverence for Life.
Ethical Issues in Counseling with Gay and Lesbian Clients: Conversion Therapy and Confidentiality Limits
Authors: Tam Ekman P. C.
Published: May 2015

Examines the contemporary dispute over conversion therapy with gay and lesbian clients and explores the dilemma of confidentiality limits with clients who have HIV. Suggests frameworks for pastoral counselors to consider in making decisions regarding this population of clients.
Making the Most and Making Sense: Ethnographic Research on Spirituality in Palliative Care
Authors: O'Connor Thomas St. James , Meakes Elizabeth , McCarroll-Butler Pam , Gadowsky Shannon , O'Neill Kathleen
Published: May 2015

Presents ethnographic research on spirituality in palliative care. Reviews the literature and interviews palliative care staff along with their patients. Discovers two dominant themes in the literature and interviews with staff and patients around spirituality: making the most of it now and making sense. Discusses findings and suggests implications for the practice of spiritual care.
Voices Crying in the Wilderness: Prophetic Ministry in Clinical Pastoral Education
Authors: McWilliams Frances C.
Published: May 2015

Reviews and comments on articles appearing in The Journal of Pastoral Care dealing with the pastoral/prophetic dynamic which has existed in the pastoral care, counseling, and education movement. Makes a plea for greater emphasis on larger-than-individual systems in future Clinical Pastoral Education programs.
Fantasy and Hope in the Lives of Adoptees
Authors: Nydam Ronald J.
Published: May 2015

Explores the ideas of fantasy and hope in interviews with 17 adopted adults who were searching for reunion with their birthparents. Reports the content and self-reported utility of these fantasies. Employs the idea of a birthparent fantasy as a transitional phenomenon (D. W. Winnicott) the purpose of which is both to maintain connection to a birthparent and to manage the pain of relinquishment. Considers hope in terms of several images of hoping (W. F. Lynch) which suggest that birthparent fantasies both express hope and keep hope in check. Suggests implications of this qualitative study for the ministry of pastoral counseling to adoptees.
When God Hides: Therapy for Life's Impasses
Authors: Slater George R.
Published: May 2015

Addresses the challenge presented to pastors and pastoral psychotherapists by cases of chronic stuckness or inertia. Uses a Jungian model of conscious-unconscious reciprocity, describing inertia in terms of energy imbalance and a loss of consciousness, and identifies the conscious attitude toward the unconscious as a key factor in the difficulty. Illustrates this with a brief case study. Finds religious parallels in the attitude of faith and notes the unique resources of divine grace to shift inertia.
The Religiosity Variable and Personal Empowerment in Pastoral Counseling
Authors: Denys Jozef G.
Published: May 2015

Claims that therapeutic fuzziness and unexplored assumptions contribute to an all-too-ready devaluing or dismissal of what is important to religious clients. Argues that sorting out the client's religiosity components into facets of religion, spirituality, and theology to reflect respectively the process, capacity, and product of meaning-making serves to shed light on why consideration of religiosity is important in therapy. Notes that such processes of discernment provide a bridge between the sciences ( e.g. psychology) and humanitarian ( e.g. religiosity) endeavors in that both engage in the same meta-process of meaning-making in their search for empowerment, although they do so from different perspectives and different initial suppositions. Concludes that the art of psychotherapy can draw on the content of both science and religiosity to facilitate well-being in clients and in therapists alike.
Hindu/Christian Convergence in Clinical Pastoral Education: Some Reflections
Authors: Knights Ward A. , Tirth Swami Krishnanand
Published: May 2015

Presents the experience of having a Hindu swami in a Clinical Pastoral Education program. Comments on the swami's spirituality and notes the differing cross-cultural perspectives and how these affected participation in the CPE program.
Pastoral Perspectives in Intensive Care: Experiences of Doctors and Nurses with Dying Patients
Authors: Simmonds Anne L.
Published: May 2015

Reports the findings of a researched action in ministry which explored the experience of intensive care physicians and nurses working with dying patients. Uses qualitative research method with grounded theory to collect data via individual taped and transcribed interviews with eight staff physicians, six house staff, and seven nurses. Reports that all interviewees acknowledged that overtreatment of dying patients makes working in the intensive care unit difficult and that house staff acknowledged feelings of failure at the death of their patients. Notes that staff physicians acknowledged that it is easier to continue treating than to make a decision to stop, thus avoiding difficult conversations or ethical decisions. Considers the relevance of these and other findings for ministry.
Breast Cancer: Pastoral Crisis Intervention
Authors: Hoke Renée G.
Published: May 2015

Outlines pastoral support measures for patients suffering from breast cancer, including an understanding of the crisis dynamics of the condition and the specific interventions which might be utilized. Draws on a case scenario to illustrate dynamics and interventions.
The Divine Dance: Partners in Remembering, Revisioning, and Reweaving
Authors: Robbins Martha A.
Published: May 2015

Draws from the worldview and practices of the Kogi Indians of South America to explicate how pastoral caregivers in the Judeo-Christian traditions might participate in a similar project of remembering, revisioning, and reweaving. Notes that such a perspective and practice could be of help in facing the radical changes in today's culture, particularly in utilizing biblical and theological images.
Pastoral Care of the Congregation
Authors: Fowler Gene
Published: May 2015

Focuses on the pastor's care of the congregation. Draws on group therapy and practical theology; and critiques two conflicting practical theology views of the pastor's personhood seen in relation to pastoral ministry. Presents a third alternative. Argues that the emotional dimension of the pastor's personhood is an important resource the pastor can use for congregational care.
The Response of Religious Congregations to the Spiritual Needs of People Living with HIV/AIDS
Authors: Somlai Anton M. , Heckman Timothy G. , Kelly Jeffrey A. , Mulry Gregg W. , Multhauf Kenneth E.
Published: May 2015

Investigates the perceptions and responses of members of five diverse religious congregations to the spiritual needs of people living with AIDS, the impact of AIDS on membership participation, and the beliefs held by different congregations regarding AIDS. Evaluates and compares the AIDS-related perceptions of 204 participants in five congregations (Buddhists, Catholic, Fundamental Christians, Protestants, and Unitarians). Results indicated that congregations differed in how their members responded to the spiritual needs of people living with HIV/AIDS, the level of influence AIDS had on membership participation in formal religions, and whether AIDS was seen as the result of sinful behavior or divine retribution. Concludes that the congregational differences appeared consistent with the core beliefs of the faith communities. Suggests that clergy and congregations need to take specific steps to provide spiritual support to people living with HIV/AIDS consistent with their history of caregiving to all people regardless of the crisis situation.
Risks of Infection to the Bereaved
Authors: Gelo Florence
Published: May 2015

Reports the results of an informal survey of over seventy emergency room (ER) nurses regarding the risk of infection to the bereaved due to blood and body fluid exposure when they are in contact with the deceased shortly after death. Results indicated that the nurses never considered the possibility of this risk. Notes that although the risk of HIV is less likely due to the fragile nature of the virus, hepatitis B and other infectious diseases can be transmitted. Suggests that hospital chaplains are in a unique position to assist in the protection of the bereaved from this potential hazard.
Homophobia in the Profession of Pastoral Counseling
Authors: Gelo Florence
Published: May 2015

Reports phenomenological data secured from five self-identified lesbian pastoral counselors regarding their experience of homophobia in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. Examines homophobia in making professional choices, the membership process, training, and colleague relationships. Identifies strategies to manage information regarding their identies and conflicts and makes recommendations designed to promote positive changes to support lesbian and gay pastoral counselors.
Ethical Awareness and Healthcare Professionals
Authors: Holmes Paul A. , Meehan Mary J.
Published: May 2015

Reports the results of a survey that sought to measure the “ethical awareness” of healthcare professionals at a number of area hospitals and nursing homes. Notes that the survey was helpful in isolating areas for needed inservices on ethical issues. Indicates that in creating the ethical environment necessary for the making of ethical decisions, pastoral care staff can offer encouragement to administrators in assessing the ethical awareness of the hospital's employees in such a way that not only clinical staff, but support staff and administrators as well, become more aware that many “non-clinical” situations are also the arena for ethical decision-making.
Images of God among Persons with AIDS
Authors: Williamson Rick L.
Published: May 2015

Considers images of God suggested by persons living with AIDS in the context of how they experience clergy and organized religion. Examines how the sense of God's image may be assaulted by AIDS. Discusses sexuality and God's image.
L'Arche Daybreak: An Example of Interfaith Ministry among People with Developmental Disabilities
Authors: Porter Beth
Published: May 2015

Describes pastoral support of a representational Jewish adult with a developmental disability in a predominantly Christian setting, including Bat Mitzvah preparation and celebration, and the resulting growth in self-esteem. Outlines how this undertaking initiates a transformation into interfaith awareness and appreciation in the author and in the surrounding Jewish and Christian communities. Urges recognition of the gift of people with disabilities to bring together others of varied religious traditions in mutual appreciation and friendship.
Developmental Stages and Spiritual Coping Responses among Economically Impoverished Women Living with HIV Disease
Authors: Somlai Anton M. , Heckman Timothy G. , Hackl Kristin , Morgan Michael , Welsh Dana
Published: May 2015

Identifies environmental markers, situational appraisals, perceived ability to mediate situations and outcomes, primary coping strategies, and purposes served by religion and spirituality in 10 HIV-positive women recruited from a regional health care clinic. Findings indicated that the women experienced a disintegration of family during their early developmental years, yielding feelings of hopelessness and isolation; that their sexual development was marked by rape and incest, and their early adulthood was characterized by failed relationships, pregnancies, drugs, and alcohol. Reports that the women's religious influences were predominantly maternal and provided a model for intercessory prayer. Notes that prior to their diagnosis of HIV, participants described their coping as escapist, while after diagnosis they believed there was a divine intercession renewing their spiritual growth and connectedness with others. Reports that the women's personal spirituality was greatly influenced by prayer, television ministries, and reading the Bible. Suggests that interventions that actively recruit women into social support services, health care systems, and faith congregations are needed and that television ministries may serve as access points for connecting women with necessary services.
Addressing the Whirlwind: A Conversation about Clinical Pastoral Education, Geriatrics, Group Process, and Art Therapy
Authors: Weinrich Charles A.
Published: May 2015

Records an imaginary conversation among a group of seasoned CPE supervisors on the theme of new and exciting dimensions to the supervision of Clinical Pastoral Education students.
Toward a Postmodern Chaplaincy
Authors: Sims C. Leon
Published: May 2015

We have decided for reason against outgrown traditions and honored superstitions. That was a great and courageous decision, and it gave a new dignity to man. But we have, in that decision, excluded the soul, the ground and power of life. —Paul Tillich, The Shaking of the Foundations

Explores metaphorical models for chaplaincy which yokes scientific and theological projects in an effort to stimulate dialogue regarding ways the healing arts of spirituality and the roles of chaplains may be crafted. Uses clinical case materials and theological and scientific perspectives to illustrate a vision for a postmodern chaplaincy.
Confidentiality: Sacred Trust and Ethical Quagmire
Authors: Nessan Craig L.
Published: May 2015

Outlines ethical dilemmas involving clergy confidentiality. Defines secrecy, confidentiality, and privileged communication. Traces historical roots and foundational legal basis of clergy confidentiality to the practice of private confession in the early and medieval church. Introduces legal concepts pertaining to clergy confidentiality. Defends the vital importance of pastoral confidentiality as a sacred trust and proposes a model based on levels of confidentiality for negotiating the ethical dilemmas pastors face.
Hope in the Midst of Challenge: Evidence-Based Pastoral Care
Authors: St. James O'Connor Thomas , Meakes Elizabeth
Published: May 2015

Describes the origins and characteristics of evidence-based pastoral care and utilizes a case with a person with cerebral palsy demonstrating this approach. Draws on evidence from research and critically evaluates evidence. Notes the dynamic relationship between research and clinical practice and makes suggestions about utilizing evidence-based pastoral care in chaplaincy.
Bioethics Education in a Clinical Pastoral Education Program
Authors: Smith Martin L. , Morgan Ronald K.
Published: May 2015

Notes that contemporary health care delivery and the interface of clinical professionals with patients and families are marked by complexity and pluralism and that within this modern matrix patients, families, professionals, and administrators frequently struggle with difficult ethical issues. Observes that these realities have significant implications for chaplains and for chaplains-in-training, a factor which has received the attention of the Bioethics Committee of the Professional Chaplains Association through its Bioethics Committee and resulting in a set of guidelines for the chaplain's appropriate roles in bioethical issues and for their role on bioethics committees. Describes the establishment of a bioethics module at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF) in which chaplain residents are enabled to function as professional peers with other healthcare professionals and as competent chaplains with patients and families in bioethical decision making. Reports on the methods and the results of a pilot study based on the model described.
Depression and Spiritual Desolation
Authors: Stone Howard W.
Published: May 2015

Discusses the Christian notions of desolation, the dark night, accidie, Anfechtungen, and how they relate to modern psychology's concept of major depression. Notes how ministers and pastoral counselors are uniquely equipped to offer assistance and hope to persons suffering from these maladies.
Self or No-Self: Is There a Middle Way?
Authors: Campbell John T.
Published: May 2015

Compares the Buddhist teaching of anatta (no-self) with Kohut's theory of the cohesive self. Opines that such a comparison reflects how the Buddhist teaching of “the middle way” provides a bridge to self psychology theory, while other Buddhist precepts render its solution to suffering incomplete and a probable cause of more suffering. Suggests that reciprocal understandings of a Western psychology of the self and an Eastern spiritual tradition can be applied to the practice of psychotherapy.
Pastoral Counseling and the Changing Times
Authors: Stone Howard W.
Published: May 2015

Recalls that although long-term psychotherapy was the underpinning of pastoral counseling in its early days of development and remains so for many practitioners today, recent outcome studies demonstrate that brief counseling is what in fact counselees prefer and is as effective as long-term therapy. It is what congregational pastors traditionally practiced for generations. Suggests that pastoral caregivers practice short-term counseling, arguing that the dissonance that occurs when one believes in the superiority of long-term counseling but nevertheless engages in primarily short-term counseling disrupts therapeutic ends. Proposes that brief pastoral counseling needs to be the model of choice for contemporary pastoral counselors, not only for practical reasons but for moral reasons as well.
Solution-Focused Counseling: A Model for Parish Ministry
Authors: Sharp Jim R.
Published: May 2015

Claims that short-term approaches to pastoral counseling provide an array of benefits uniquely suited to the pace and the problems of congregational ministry in twenty-first century life. Notes that brief pastoral counseling is predicated upon the assumption that persons seeking help desire an expeditious resolution to their problems and that brief counseling methods make it possible for lay caregivers as well as trained pastoral staff to share the ministry of wise counsel. Indicates that the solution-focused model for brief counseling confronts the realities of time constraints and parishioners' expectations.
Competency-Based Relationship Counseling: The Necessity of Goal Setting and Counselor Flexibility in Efficient and Effective Couples Counseling
Authors: Thomas Frank
Published: May 2015

Observes that congregational pastors spend considerable time with couples who have relationship problems and that the competency-based counseling (CBC) model offers positive directions that are both effective and efficient in resolving such issues. Outlines some of the tenets of CBC and forcuses specifically on how goal setting and counselor flexibility contribute to the process of couple change.
Pastoral Counseling as Spiritual Healing: A Credo
Authors: Hopkins Paul E.
Published: May 2015

Notes that pastoral counseling is an ancient ministry which brings rich resources to the contemporary efforts to develop wholistic healing. Provides a historical background summary, a sketch of Judeo-Christian tradition, and clinical examples to illustrate ways in which modern explorations in mind/body wellness can be enhanced by including the pastoral counseling project.
Designer Genes: Three Photographs of the Future and a Call for Debate
Authors: Stone Howard W.
Published: May 2015

Snapshot:

A small, windowless doctor's examining room. A hip-high examination table in the center of the room is covered by a disposable paper sheet. Someone has painted the walls a soothing shade of mauve. At the far end of the room are a sink, a cabinet above the sink, a sterilizer and needle disposal unit on the counter top (all stainless steel). The opposite corner of the room holds a reproduction mission oak chair, the seat upholstered in leather, and a matching magazine stand. A pair of jeans and a white T-shirt hang from a row of wooden hooks above the chair. Brenda Calloway, a stylishly career-dressed woman of about fifty, sits on the chair holding a portfolio-style purse and a denim bag. Her make-up and hair are impeccable. Her daughter Samantha, age 17, sits on the end of the examining table; she is wearing a short green paper gown. Her hair is blond, straight and very long. She thumbs through an old copy of People magazine, glancing somewhat nervously at the door every few seconds. Brenda is the chief financial officer of a medium-sized restaurant supply company. Samantha is her only child, born when Brenda and her husband were in their early thirties. Brenda has high hopes for her daughter's future, for her accomplishments, and happiness. Samantha sometimes chafes under her mother's expectations, but the two have a very close relationship.
The Narrative Method of Therapy and Its Relation to Chronic Poverty
Authors: Dudley-Thompson Barbara
Published: May 2015

Uses David Epston's and Michael White's Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends as a framework or model for therapeutic work with those who are poor. Applies the model to the operation of a church-sponsored food pantry.
Describing What Chaplains do in Hospitals
Authors: Gibbons Graeme , Retsas Andrew , Pinikahana Jaya
Published: May 2015

Reports on a research project that describes the unique activities in which chaplains engage as they provide pastoral care and counseling and spiritual direction to patients in a large, acute tertiary referral medical center in Melbourne, Australia. Analyzes 57,704 entries which described what hospital chaplains do when interacting with patients over a period of five and one-half years. Identifies as the core activities “promoting spiritual transcending” (57.6% of all entries), “promoting spiritual intactness” (36.1% of all entries) and “enacting ministry” (6.2% of all entries).
Horse of a Different Color: Ethnography of Faith and Disability
Authors: St. James O'Connor Thomas , Rao Victoria , Meakes Elizabeth , Van de Laar Tracy , O'Neill Kathleen , McKinnon Sherry , Van Der Zyl Mirella , Roadhouse Jan
Published: May 2015

Uses the method of microethnography to identify and explore faith and disability themes in 26 disabled persons. Concludes that the faith factor of the disabled person is an essential coping strategy.
Chaplains' Communications with Latino Patients: Case Studies on Non-verbal Communication
Authors: Rodriguez Jesús
Published: May 2015

Introduces non-Latino chaplains to aspects of non-verbal communications dynamics one may encounter with some Latino patients. Illustrates through vignettes issues of non-verbal communications. Compares and contrasts classical understandings of professional etiquette to Latino views. Provides specific “insights” into the communication styles among some Latinos. Includes a list of non-verbal messages and their generic interpretations.
Transcending Transitions: Jacob/Israel and how we Deal with Our New “Names”
Authors: Zucker David J.
Published: May 2015

Draws parallels between Jacob's wrestling with the stranger reported in the Bible and the struggles of contemporary elderly people who must leave their homes to take up residence in a nursing home.
A Life-Cycle Approach to Ministry with the Aging
Authors: Jones James P.
Published: May 2015

Notes that the demographic predictions of dramatic increase in the number of elderly members of local congregations will change the focus and emphasis in pastoral ministry in the next millennium as the needs of the aging take precedence. Argues for a comprehensive, life-cycle approach to ministries with the aging that integrates theology and the behavioral sciences. Offers examples and practical methods for ministering more effectively to this important and growing population in the local church.
The Anniversary of a Death
Authors: Jones Amy Jo
Published: May 2015

Describes the thought processes and experiences of the author as she plans and carries out a funeral service for a little boy who was suffering the after-affects of the suicide of his father. Encourages pastors to be as creative as possible when giving pastoral care to children.
“What is the Problem?”: Problem Definitions and Resolutions in Pastoral Counseling
Authors: VanKatwyk Peter L.
Published: May 2015

Focuses on the role of the presenting problem in therapy as the critical criterion in differentiating the major schools of psychotherapy. Notes that pastoral counseling can be plotted along similar lines of classification and highlights the narrative/hermeneutical process as a unique methodology for pastoral care. Identifies four problem definition/resolution perspectives that parallel the multiplicity of pastoral roles. Argues for an inclusive utilization of the psychotherapies as potential resources in pastoral counseling.
High-Level Architecture service management for the interoperation of federations
Authors: Yoo Min-Wook , Choi Changbeom , Kim Tag Gon
Published: May 2015

In High-Level Architecture, federates are integrated into a federation in single Run-Time Infrastructure middleware, which handles High-Level Architecture services for interoperation. The interoperation of federations is required in order to combine systems simulated in existing federations. Unlike a single federation, the interoperation of federations provides the data security and makes it possible to interoperate federates developed in different Run-Time Infrastructures. Previous research has used a proxy method to interoperate federations without modifying the Run-Time Infrastructure. Based on the proxy method, this paper proposes a form of High-Level Architecture service management for the interoperation of federations. Federations construct a twotwo–level hierarchical federation that uses proxies to interoperate different levels and that defines the data structure for interoperation and data security. For each High-Level Architecture service protocol, we propose the algorithms of the proxy and show how the service protocol works in the two-level hierarchical federations. In addition, the proxy handles the race condition, which may occur in interoperation of federations, and describes how to solve it. The algorithms are verified theoretically, and a case study shows the practical application for the interoperation of federations.
Intellectual Property Rights of Faculty in the Digital Age—Evolution or Dissolution in 21st Century Academia?
Authors: Aaron Lynn S. , Roche Catherine M.
Published: May 2015

Unforeseen forces are at work in higher education today. The purpose of this article is to explore the issues involved in the changing landscape. Decisions are and will be made that impact the intellectual property rights of faculty. It is important to be cognizant of the factors involved and alert to possible ramifications. The basics of the copyright law and their application in our traditional, face-to-face classrooms will be examined. The picture changes when online delivery is considered. The results of a simple survey of faculty regarding their expectations of copyright ownership will be shared. Issues that may make a difference and additional factors involved in Massive Open Online Courses will then be discussed. In some cases, existing policies of colleges and universities are being applied to these issues at least for the time being. A sample will be provided. The role of our professional organizations and unions will play a role in the ultimate decisions. Their relevant policies and recommendations will also be discussed.
Cocreation as Moderator between the Experience Value and Satisfaction Relationship
Authors: Prebensen Nina K. , Kim Hyelin (Lina) , Uysal Muzaffer
Published: May 2015

The article explores the concept of cocreation of value, defined as the tourist’s interest in mental and physical participation in an activity and its role in tourist experiences. Based on the theoretical perspective of “the new service-dominant logic,” customer participation in tourist experiences is explored and tested as a moderating variable on the perceived value – satisfaction relationship. In essence, the customer partakes mentally and physically in an experience, which moderates the role that experience value has on overall satisfaction. The study thus hypothesizes that the higher the level of participation, the stronger the experience value–satisfaction link becomes and vice versa. Using a sample drawn from tourists in Norway, the results confirm that experience value is an effective predictor of tourist satisfaction. The study reveals that the level of cocreation moderates the effect between the experience value of winter tourism activities and satisfaction.
Självskattad hälsa hos äldre kvinnor och män – En tvärsnittsstudie
Authors: Westerholm Bodil , Glasberg Ann-Louise
Published: May 2015

Background

The aging population is a challenge for the health care in Finland. Disease prevention and health promotion improves the quality of life for the elderly and reduces health-care costs. Knowledge about the health of the elderly is crucial in order for improvements to be carried out.

Aim

The aim of this study was to describe disease prevalence and self-rated health among 65-, 70-, 75- and 80-year-old women and men in three municipalities in Ostrobothnia, Finland.

Method

Altogether 502 persons, out of which 274 were women, participated in the present research. The participants completed a form comprising 75 questions. Data were analysed by means of descriptive and comparative statistics.

Findings

The results showed that the most common national disease was hypertension, followed by cancer and diabetes. Stroke and myocardial infarction were the least frequent among the participants. Nevertheless, the majority of older people felt that their health was good. However, women stated more frequently than men that they were subject to a group named ‘other diseases’ than men, and they feared more so than men that something might happen to them. A tenth of the population felt the emptiness of life.

Conclusions

The results indicate that there are no gender differences in the most common national diseases but women suffer more from ‘other diseases’ and from fear although the majority of the population were satisfied with their health.
A new approach for adaptive sliding mode control: Integral/exponential gain law
Authors: Zhu Jiang , Khayati Karim
Published: May 2015

This paper proposes a new approach for adaptive sliding mode controller (ASMC) designs. The goal is to obtain robust, smooth, and fast transient performance for nonlinear systems with finite uncertainties of unknown bounds and limited available inputs so that the phenomena of the slow response and the gain overestimation in most ASMC designs can be greatly improved. Sufficient and necessary conditions for the existence of a sliding mode in the ASMC designs are discussed. Based on the sufficient conditions, we introduce an integral/exponential adaptation law targeting the reduction of the chatter levels of the sliding mode by significantly reducing the gain overestimation while simultaneously speeding up the system response to the uncertainties. An illustrative example and numerical simulations are performed to convey the discussed results.
The unintended consequences of financialisation: Social democracy hamstrung? The pensions dilemma
Authors: Belfrage Claes
Published: May 2015

At the end of the Third Way and no sense of its future, social democrats look to Sweden for inspiration. However, Swedish social democracy is in no better condition. Scholarship is starting to grasp the broad outlines of the movement’s difficulties. Providing greater depth, this article employs the Social Systems of Innovation and Production approach to analyse Swedish social democracy’s current condition by historicising its current policy dilemmas in relation to the public pension system, once the jewel in the crown of the Rehn–Meidner model and the push for economic and industrial democracy, now the constraining legacy of financialisation.
Patient Experience in a Coordinated Care Model Featuring Diabetes Self-management Education Integrated Into the Patient-Centered Medical Home
Authors: Janiszewski Debra , O’Brian Catherine A. , Lipman Ruth D.
Published: May 2015

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to gain insight about patient experience of diabetes self-management education in a patient-centered medical home.

Methods

Six focus groups consisting of 37 people with diabetes, diverse in race and ethnicity, were conducted at 3 sites. Participants described their experience in the program and their challenges in diabetes self-management; they also suggested services to meet their diabetes care needs.

Results

The most common theme was ongoing concerns about care and support. There was much discussion about the value of the support provided by health navigators integrated in the diabetes health care team. Frequent concerns expressed by participants centered on personal challenges in engaging in healthy lifestyle behaviors. Ongoing programmatic support of self-management goals was widely valued.

Conclusions

Individuals who received health care in a patient-centered medical home and could participate in diabetes self-management education with integrated support valued both activities. The qualitative results from this study suggest need for more formalized exploration of effective means to meet the ongoing support needs of people with diabetes.
The Paradox of Humiliation
Authors: Fernández Saulo , Saguy Tamar , Halperin Eran
Published: May 2015

Despite growing attention the study of humiliation is receiving, there is little consensus as to how humiliation differs from other related emotions. We here argue that humiliation shares central characteristics with anger, shame, and embarrassment, but also differs from these emotions in meaningful ways. In Study 1, participants read about a professor who demeaned a student’s work. We manipulated key appraisals of this scenario and measured humiliation, shame, anger, and embarrassment, as well as the tendencies for approach and avoidance. Results indicated that humiliation arises from accepting a devaluation of the self, which, simultaneously, is appraised as unjust. Moreover, humiliation is associated with tendencies for approach and avoidance simultaneously. We replicated these results in Study 2 in which participants referred to actual experiences in their lives during which they felt humiliated, ashamed, or angry. Taken together, results provide evidence of the unique nature of humiliation as a distinct, self-conscious emotion.
Mobilizing Europe in national competition: The case of the French Front National
Authors: Reungoat Emmanuelle
Published: May 2015

This study of the uses of Europe by the leaders of the Front National shows how the opening of a new European political space can have indirect effects, supporting political parties at the domestic level and strengthening specific actors within political organizations. The theme of Europe, together with European elections and the European Parliament, are transformed by Front National leaders into material as well as symbolic resources which they mobilize in the national political space at both inter and intra-party level. These uses of Europe reinforce the capacities and resources of the party as well as its legitimacy and visibility. It helps Front National actors to widen their electoral support and allows party presidents to strengthen their position. The article reveals the specificity of the Front National relationship to the European arena and underlines the strong continuity of the practices developed by the new leadership. Finally the study provides a detailed account of the process of Front National Europeanization and advances understanding of the impact of European integration on domestic political competition.
The rise of the German Eurosceptic party Alternative für Deutschland, between ordoliberal critique and popular anxiety
Authors: Grimm Robert
Published: May 2015

Germany came relatively unscathed through the economic turbulence of recent years. For some observers, Germany is the biggest beneficiary of the Eurozone and the winner of the crisis. This begs the question of why, at the height of Germany’s post-war European influence, have an increasing number of Germans withdrawn their support from the European project? The Alternative für Deutschland (Alternative for Germany, AfD) is Germany’s first Eurosceptic party to attract substantial electoral support in local, national and European elections. The article firstly presents a brief summary of the AfD’s European politics. It then traces the party’s ideological roots back to ordoliberal critiques of the Maastricht Treaty and argues that there was a deep scepticism towards European integration among Germany’s conservative elites well before the introduction of the Euro. The sudden surge in German Euroscepticism has to be understood within the context of broader cultural changes and a lack of political choice. An unprecedented moral panic about European bailouts and the European Central Bank’s monetary policy created a sense of emergency that paved the way for the AfD’s success.
How Patients Perceive Their Doctors’ Communication
Authors: Baker Susan C. , Watson Bernadette M.
Published: May 2015

By emphasizing the value of health professionals’ communication skills in creating positive health care experiences, researchers have tended to study health communication as an interpersonal encounter. Interactions in the health context, though, are inherently intergroup. Using the language and social psychology approach, this study emphasizes those intergroup features of health communication. We used mixed methods and applied communication accommodation theory and the willingness to communicate construct to the health context. Participants in Canada and Australia ( N = 371) were asked about their perceptions of their health consultations. Multiple regression analyses revealed that health communication competence was the best predictor of patient willingness to communicate. Differences between patients’ accounts of positive and negative health care experiences were clearly differentiated by their perceptions of the health professionals’ communication strategies. The potential effects of these strategies on patient participation are discussed.
Hydrodynamic evaluation of aortic cardiopulmonary bypass cannulae using particle image velocimetry
Authors: McDonald CI , Bolle E , Lang HF , Ribolzi C , Thomson B , Tansley GD , Fraser JF , Gregory SD
Published: May 2015

The high velocity jet from aortic arterial cannulae used during cardiopulmonary bypass potentially causes a “sandblasting” injury to the aorta, increasing the possibility of embolisation of atheromatous plaque. We investigated a range of commonly available dispersion and non-dispersion cannulae, using particle image velocimetry. The maximum velocity of the exit jet was assessed 20 and 40 mm from the cannula tip at flow rates of 3 and 5 L/min. The dispersion cannulae had lower maximum velocities compared to the non-dispersion cannulae. Dispersion cannulae had fan-shaped exit profiles and maximum velocities ranged from 0.63 to 1.52 m/s when measured at 20 mm and 5 L/min. Non-dispersion cannulae had maximum velocities ranging from 1.52 to 3.06 m/s at 20 mm and 5 L/min, with corresponding narrow velocity profiles. This study highlights the importance of understanding the hydrodynamic performance of these cannulae as it may help in selecting the most appropriate cannula to minimize the risk of thromboembolic events or aortic injury.
Effectiveness of the Liverpool care pathway for the dying in residential care homes: An exploratory, controlled before-and-after study
Authors: Brännström Margareta , Fürst Carl Johan , Tishelman Carol , Petzold Max , Lindqvist Olav
Published: May 2015

Background:

Clinical pathways aim to ensure that individuals receive appropriate evidence-based care and interventions, with the Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient focusing on end of life. However, controlled studies of the Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient, particularly outside of cancer settings, are lacking.

Aim:

To compare the effects of the Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient and usual care on patients’ symptom distress and well-being during the last days of life, in residential care homes.

Design:

Exploratory, controlled before-and-after study. During a 15-month baseline, usual care was carried out in two areas. During the following 15-months, usual care continued in the control area, while residential care home staff implemented Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient use in the intervention area. The intervention was evaluated by family members completing retrospective symptom assessments after the patient’s death, using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System and Views of Informal Carers – Evaluation of Services.

Settings/participants:

Patients who died at all 19 residential care homes in one municipality in Sweden.

Results:

Shortness of breath (estimate = −2.46; 95% confidence interval = −4.43 to −0.49) and nausea (estimate = −1.83; 95% confidence interval = −3.12 to −0.54) were significantly reduced in Edmonton Symptom Assessment System in patients in the intervention compared to the control area. A statistically significant improvement in shortness of breath was also found on the Views of Informal Carers – Evaluation of Services item (estimate = −0.47; 95% confidence interval = −0.85 to −0.08).

Conclusion:

When implemented with adequate staff training and support, the Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient may be a useful tool for providing end-of-life care of elderly people at the end of life in non-cancer settings.
Applying Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis to Comparative Benefit-Risk Assessment
Authors: Tervonen Tommi , Naci Huseyin , van Valkenhoef Gert , Ades Anthony E. , Angelis Aris , Hillege Hans L. , Postmus Douwe
Published: May 2015

Decision makers in different health care settings need to weigh the benefits and harms of alternative treatment strategies. Such health care decisions include marketing authorization by regulatory agencies, practice guideline formulation by clinical groups, and treatment selection by prescribers and patients in clinical practice. Multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA) is a family of formal methods that help make explicit the tradeoffs that decision makers accept between the benefit and risk outcomes of different treatment options. Despite the recent interest in MCDA, certain methodological aspects are poorly understood. This paper presents 7 guidelines for applying MCDA in benefit-risk assessment and illustrates their use in the selection of a statin drug for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. We provide guidance on the key methodological issues of how to define the decision problem, how to select a set of nonoverlapping evaluation criteria, how to synthesize and summarize the evidence, how to translate relative measures to absolute ones that permit comparisons between the criteria, how to define suitable scale ranges, how to elicit partial preference information from the decision makers, and how to incorporate uncertainty in the analysis. Our example on statins indicates that fluvastatin is likely to be the most preferred drug by our decision maker and that this result is insensitive to the amount of preference information incorporated in the analysis.
Planning in the continuous domain: A generalized belief space approach for autonomous navigation in unknown environments
Authors: Indelman Vadim , Carlone Luca , Dellaert Frank
Published: May 2015

We investigate the problem of planning under uncertainty, with application to mobile robotics. We propose a probabilistic framework in which the robot bases its decisions on the generalized belief, which is a probabilistic description of its own state and of external variables of interest. The approach naturally leads to a dual-layer architecture: an inner estimation layer, which performs inference to predict the outcome of possible decisions; and an outer decisional layer which is in charge of deciding the best action to undertake. Decision making is entrusted to a model predictive control (MPC) scheme. The formulation is valid for general cost functions and does not discretize the state or control space, enabling planning in continuous domain. Moreover, it allows to relax the assumption of maximum likelihood observations: predicted measurements are treated as random variables, and binary random variables are used to model the event that a measurement is actually taken by the robot. We successfully apply our approach to the problem of uncertainty-constrained exploration, in which the robot has to perform tasks in an unknown environment, while maintaining localization uncertainty within given bounds. We present an extensive numerical analysis of the proposed approach and compare it against related work. In practice, our planning approach produces smooth and natural trajectories and is able to impose soft upper bounds on the uncertainty. Finally, we exploit the results of this analysis to identify current limitations and show that the proposed framework can accommodate several desirable extensions.
Adaptive communication in multi-robot systems using directionality of signal strength
Authors: Gil Stephanie , Kumar Swarun , Katabi Dina , Rus Daniela
Published: May 2015

We consider the problem of satisfying communication demands in a multi-agent system where several robots cooperate on a task and a fixed subset of the agents act as mobile routers. Our goal is to position the team of robotic routers to provide communication coverage to the remaining client robots. We allow for dynamic environments and variable client demands, thus necessitating an adaptive solution. We present an innovative method that calculates a mapping between a robot’s current position and the signal strength that it receives along each spatial direction, for its wireless links to every other robot. We show that this information can be used to design a simple positional controller that retains a quadratic structure, while adapting to wireless signals in real-world environments. Notably, our approach does not necessitate stochastic sampling along directions that are counter-productive to the overall coordination goal, nor does it require exact client positions, or a known map of the environment.
A fast online spanner for roadmap construction
Authors: Wang Weifu , Balkcom Devin , Chakrabarti Amit
Published: May 2015

This paper introduces a fast weighted streaming spanner algorithm (WSS) that trims edges from roadmaps generated by robot motion planning algorithms such as Probabilistic Roadmap (PRM) and variants (e.g. k-PRM*) as the edges are generated, but before collision detection; no route in the resulting graph is more than a constant factor larger than it would have been in the original roadmap. Experiments applying WSS to k-PRM* were conducted, and the results show our algorithm’s capability to filter graphs with up to 1.28 million vertices, discarding about three-quarters of the edges. Due to the fact that many collision detection steps can be avoided, the combination of WSS and k-PRM* is faster than k-PRM* alone. The paper further presents an online directed spanner algorithm that can be used for systems with non-holonomic constraints, with proof of correctness and experimental results.