bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pentecostal Prayer within the Assemblies of God: An Empirical Study
Authors: Poloma Margaret
Published: April 2009

Although much has been written on theologies of healing and on evangelist healers, little is known about how pentecostals in the pew pray for healing. After placing a pentecostal understanding of healing within a larger cultural context, the relationship between prayer and healing is explored through a survey of 1827 adherents from 21 Assemblies of God (AG) congregations. The survey data will be used to provide descriptive answers to basic questions about pentecostal healing in America, including: (1) to what extent do pentecostals claim experiences of divine healing; (2) what are the socio-demographic traits related to its practice within the AG; (3) how are personal reports of divine healing related to different forms of personal prayer; and (4) what is the relationship between prayer and healing prayer experiences and being used as an instrument of healing for others. The outcome of statistical analyses using key variables strongly suggests that prophetic prayer is a leading factor in accounting for differences in reported healing experiences.
Toward an Indigenous Model of Native American Ministry within the Assemblies of God
Authors: Saggio Joseph
Published: April 2009

This article chronicles the historical missiological development of the Assemblies of God USA with regard to Native American ministry from its early roots characterized primarily by a missions-driven model toward the emergence of a more indigenous-driven model that first became evident in the late 1940s. Although the missions-driven model is far from being a fait accompli, the vision of far-sighted missionaries and indigenous leadership has brought enormous progress since the early twentieth century. This article examines the early development of indigenous ministry from 1950 to 1987 and then reviews developments from 1988 up to the present time. The final section of the article focuses specifically on ongoing challenges to developing indigenous ministry among Native Americans.
The Politics of the Child's Right to Identity in a Disability-Free Society
Authors: Sabatello Maya
Published: April 2009

The essay examines the legal and moral implications of pre-natal genetic selection of disability in the context of children. I build on scholarly literature on the politics of identity and of culture to explore whether scientific developments prompt a child's "right to a sound mind and body." I consider this question in light of international human rights standards, including the recent European Conventions on Human Rights and Biomedicine, and particularly, the child's right to identity. I propose a new dual model to evaluate such biomedical decisions from a child-centred approach. What is the interplay between the parental right to reproductive freedom and the rights of the child? Where are the children themselves configured in these developments? How can such biomedical decisions be translated into the child's voice? And to what extent do such scientific techniques correspond to the recognition of children under the International Convention on the Rights of the Child as social agents in their own right?
Preservation of the Child's Background in In- and Intercountry Adoption
Authors: Johansson Shruti , Lind Judith
Published: April 2009

The point of departure of the present article is the child's right to preservation of her/his ethnic, religious, cultural and linguistic background in adoption, as stipulated in the CRC and the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. The article seeks to analyse the various meanings attributed to preservation of the child's background in in- and intercountry adoption and in different national contexts. The main focus is on the seldom-studied perspective of one of the major sending countries in intercountry adoption: India. Five representatives of two non-governmental adoption agencies and one governmental agency in addition to six Indian adoptive parents have been interviewed about their views on the significance of the child's background in adoption. In our analysis, we show that preservation of a child's background is perceived to be in conflict with other interests of the child, such as gaining a position in her/his adoptive family equal to that of a biological child and being loved unconditionally. In contrast to the general portrayal of Indian adoption applicants as being selective regarding the child's religious background and skin colour, agency representatives as well as adoptive parents endeavoured to distinguish themselves from this portrayal by emphasizing the irrelevance of the child's background.
The Role of Birth Certificates in Relation to Access to Biographical and Genetic History in Donor Conception
Authors: Jones Caroline , Frith Lucy , Blyth Eric , Speirs Jennifer
Published: April 2009

In 1984, among its recommendations for the regulation of assisted conception services in the UK, the Warnock Committee proposed that the birth certificate of a donor-conceived person should record the fact of donor conception. While this proposal was never implemented, over twenty years later, a Joint Committee of the House of Lords and House of Commons recommended the use of birth certificates as a means of enabling donor–conceived persons to learn the nature of their conception. In response, the Government has committed to review the role of birth certificates. This paper represents an initial contribution to this exercise. It provides an overview of the legislative, policy and practice context of disclosure of donor conception, outlines arguments against and in favour of potential changes to birth certificates, and describes and critiques current propositions for revising birth certification. The paper concludes that there is a case for revising birth certificates and outlines a workable model to promote disclosure without compromising privacy concerns.
Multiyear Evaluations of a Cloud Model Using ARM Data
Authors: Henderson Peter W. , Pincus Robert
Published: April 2009

This work uses long-term lidar and radar retrievals of the vertical structure of cloud at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program’s Southern Great Plains site to evaluate cloud occurrence in multiyear runs of a cloud system–resolving model in three configurations of varying resolution and sophistication. The model is nudged to remain near the observed thermodynamic state and model fields are processed to mimic the operation of the observing system. The model’s skill in predicting cloud occurrence is evaluated using both traditional performance measures that assume ergodicity and probabilistic measures that do not require temporal averaging of the observations.

The model shows considerable skill in predicting cloud occurrence when its thermodynamic state is close to that observed. The overall bias in modeled cloud occurrence is relatively small in all model runs, suggesting that this field is relatively well calibrated. The Brier scores attained by all configurations also suggest considerable model skill. Greater differences in performance are found between seasons than between model configurations during the same season, despite substantial differences between the computational costs of the configurations. Several significant seasonal dependencies are identified, most notably greater conditional bias, but better timing, of boundary layer cloud in winter, and substantially less conditional bias in high cloud during summer.
A Statistical Forecast Model for Atlantic Seasonal Hurricane Activity Based on the NCEP Dynamical Seasonal Forecast
Authors: Wang Hui , Schemm Jae-Kyung E. , Kumar Arun , Wang Wanqiu , Long Lindsey , Chelliah Muthuvel , Bell Gerald D. , Peng Peitao
Published: April 2009

A hybrid dynamical–statistical model is developed for predicting Atlantic seasonal hurricane activity. The model is built upon the empirical relationship between the observed interannual variability of hurricanes and the variability of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and vertical wind shear in 26-yr (1981–2006) hindcasts from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Climate Forecast System (CFS).

The number of Atlantic hurricanes exhibits large year-to-year fluctuations and an upward trend over the 26 yr. The latter is characterized by an inactive period prior to 1995 and an active period afterward. The interannual variability of the Atlantic hurricanes significantly correlates with the CFS hindcasts for August–October (ASO) SSTs and vertical wind shear in the tropical Pacific and tropical North Atlantic where CFS also displays skillful forecasts for the two variables. In contrast, the hurricane trend shows less of a correlation to the CFS-predicted SSTs and vertical wind shear in the two tropical regions. Instead, it strongly correlates with observed preseason SSTs in the far North Atlantic. Based on these results, three potential predictors for the interannual variation of seasonal hurricane activity are constructed by averaging SSTs over the tropical Pacific (TPCF; 5°S–5°N, 170°E–130°W) and the Atlantic hurricane main development region (MDR; 10°–20°N, 20°–80°W), respectively, and vertical wind shear over the MDR, all of which are from the CFS dynamical forecasts for the ASO season. In addition, two methodologies are proposed to better represent the long-term trend in the number of hurricanes. One is the use of observed preseason SSTs in the North Atlantic (NATL; 55°–65°N, 30°–60°W) as a predictor for the hurricane trend, and the other is the use of a step function that breaks up the hurricane climatology into a generally inactive period (1981–94) and a very active period (1995–2006). The combination of the three predictors for the interannual variation, along with the two methodologies for the trend, is explored in developing an empirical forecast system for Atlantic hurricanes.

A cross validation of the hindcasts for the 1981–2006 hurricane seasons suggests that the seasonal hurricane forecast with the TPCF SST as the only CFS predictor is more skillful in inactive hurricane seasons, while the forecast with only the MDR SST is more skillful in active seasons. The forecast using both predictors gives better results. The most skillful forecast uses the MDR vertical wind shear as the only CFS predictor. A comparison with forecasts made by other statistical models over the 2002–07 seasons indicates that this hybrid dynamical–statistical forecast model is competitive with the current statistical forecast models.
Study of the Lateral Boundary Condition Temporal Resolution Problem and a Proposed Solution by Means of Boundary Error Restarts
Authors: Termonia Piet , Deckmyn Alex , Hamdi Rafiq
Published: April 2009

To properly utilize coupled limited-area models (LAMs), the time scales of the cross-boundary fluxes in the available lateral boundary data must be assessed. In current operational practice, the update frequencies of these data are usually determined by common sense guesswork and by technical constraints. This paper quantifies the required temporal resolution of the lateral boundary conditions. For a mesoscale LAM it is concluded that in standard forecast cases, coupling updates of about 3 h are sufficient. However, in rare cases of severe storms, this can lead to errors in the coupling data of about 10 hPa. To avoid such errors, it is found that one should update the coupling fields with the period given by the time step of the model that provides the coupling data. However, in most existing operational applications this is not feasible. For those cases, it is shown that the forecast can be substantially improved by restarting the model run at a forecast range when the storm has entered the domain. The proper restart time can be detected in an operational suite by an existing strategy of monitoring the coupling update frequency. Additionally, it is argued that the forecast should then be initialized by a scale-selective digital filter.
Placing Globalizing Technologies: Telemedicine and the Making of Difference
Authors: Dyb Kari , Halford Susan
Published: April 2009

The development and proliferation of new information and communication technologies has generated some profound claims about the erasure of place. Whilst these claims have continued political and policy resonance, they are increasingly challenged in sociological debate, which emphasizes the persistence of the local. Following this lead, our article explores relations between technology and place. We develop our understanding through engagement with Science and Technology Studies, Actor Network Theory and geographical conceptualizations of place. Our argument is worked through a new empirical study of telemedicine, where new technologies are applied precisely to overcome place. Our analysis is that, on the contrary, empirical outcomes are legible only through the lens of place. This has important policy implications and broader implications for thinking about technology in contemporary debates about globalization.
The Professionalization of General Practitioners with a Special Interest: Rationalization, Restratification and Governmentality
Authors: Pickard Susan
Published: April 2009

This article critically examines the professionalization of General Practitioners with Special Interests (GPSIs) in the UK. Drawing on empirical research it examines the rationale for the establishment of this professional grouping; the construction of the field of expertise; the negotiation of boundaries with other professions; issues of professional control and autonomy; and internal organization. It concludes that the professionalization of GPSIs is leading to a restratification within the UK medical profession, which continues the Department of Health-led shift in the balance of power from secondary to primary care. This restratification, which enhances GPSIs' work satisfaction, status and in some cases remuneration, is heavily intertwined with managerial and bureaucratic accountabilities, advancing the `reprofessionalization' of medicine and continuing the shift in the boundaries between political and professional jurisdictions. It is posited that this trend is confined neither to one profession nor to the UK.
How Innocent is our Scientific Vocabulary? Rethinking Recent Sociological Conceptualizations of Complex Leisure
Authors: Kjølsrød Lise
Published: April 2009

More than ever, social scientists have reason to question the assumption that work is the human activity of value and leisure is little more than a respite from work; a way to consume its fruits and prepare for more work. This article compares four conceptualizations of the demanding activities people choose for themselves in their spare time. Each one is based on relatively recent empirical studies and presented to social science with a distinct term: `serious leisure', `specialized play', `edgework', and `consumption within a fantasy enclave'. Any conceptual representation allows certain interpretations of social phenomena and blocks others. In this case, vastly different pictures emerge, depending on the conception chosen. Thus, the major finding of the article is that sociology urgently needs to assess its vocabulary in order to understand how the modern predicament affects men and women in their freest moments.
Creative Cities, Creative Spaces and Urban Policy
Authors: Evans Graeme
Published: April 2009

The paper presents the results of an international study of creative industry policies and strategies, based on a survey of public-sector creative city initiatives and plans and their underlying rationales. As well as this survey and an accompanying literature review, interviews were carried out with senior policy-makers and intermediaries from Europe, North America, Africa and south-east Asia. The paper considers the scope and scale of so-called new-industrial clusters in local cultural and creative quarters and sub-regional creative hubs, which are the subject of policy interventions and public—private investment. The semantic and symbolic expansion of the cultural industries and their concentration in once-declining urban and former industrial districts, to the creative industries, and now to the knowledge and experience economy, is revealed in economic, sectoral and spatial terms. Whilst policy convergence and emulation are evident, manifested by the promotion of creative spaces and industry clusters and versions of the digital media and science city, this is driven by a meta-analysis of growth in the new economy, but one that is being achieved by old industrial economic interventions and policy rationales. These are being used to justify the redevelopment of former and residual industrial zones, with cities utilising the creative quarter/knowledge hub as a panacea to implement broader city expansion and regeneration plans.
Urban Regeneration: From the Arts `Feel Good' Factor to the Cultural Economy: A Case Study of Hoxton, London
Authors: Pratt Andy C.
Published: April 2009

This paper seeks to examine critically the role of culture in the continued development, or regeneration, of `post-industrial' cities. First, it is critical of instrumental conceptions of culture with regard to urban regeneration. Secondly, it is critical of the adequacy of the conceptual framework of the `post-industrial city' (and the `service sector') as a basis for the understanding and explanation of the rise of cultural industries in cities. The paper is based upon a case study of the transformation of a classic, and in policy debates a seminal, `cultural quarter': Hoxton Square, North London. Hoxton, and many areas like it, are commonly presented as derelict parts of cities which many claim have, through a magical injection of culture, been transformed into dynamic destinations. The paper suggests a more complex and multifaceted causality based upon a robust concept of the cultural industries as industry rather than as consumption.
Post-industrial Trajectories of Mediterranean European Cities: The Case of Post-Olympics Athens
Authors: Gospodini Aspa
Published: April 2009

This paper deals with clusters of post-industrial urban economies and their impacts on the spatial restructuring and the relandscaping of the contemporary inner city. It investigates such impacts by studying recent economic, spatial and landscape transformations of Athens, a large Mediterranean city in the geographical and economic periphery of Europe. The first part of the paper reviews earlier research on clusters of post-industrial urban economies and their spatial impacts, while attempting to present the topic in an international context. The second part focuses on a case study of Athens, Greece. It examines the planned clusters of athletics, culture and leisure that were developed for the 2004 Olympics; and, the spontaneous clusters of both culture, leisure and creative activities, and technology-intensive and knowledge-rich activities and advanced financial intermediary services that have gradually developed in Athens' inner-city areas during the past decade. The paper documents land use shifts and landscape transformations while highlighting the processes of formation of these spontaneous clusters and the urban policies involved; it also discusses urban governance issues in relation to the management of Athens' clusters, both planned and spontaneous. Finally, it draws conclusions about differences in post-industrial trajectories among large cities in the core of Europe and large Mediterranean cities in the developing periphery of Europe.
Stigmatization, Stress, and the Search for Belonging in Black Men Who Have Sex With Men Who Use Methamphetamine
Authors: Jerome Roy C. , Halkitis Perry N.
Published: April 2009

Black men who have sex with men (BMSM) continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV. Methamphetamine use has been identified as a source of HIV risk in gay and bisexually identified men, yet the relationship between methamphetamine use and sexual risk among BMSM specifically remains unclear. The goal of this qualitative study was to investigate psychological, contextual, and developmental factors informing methamphetamine use and HIV risk behavior among a sample of heterosexual, gay, and bisexual BMSM (N = 52) in New York City. Methamphetamine use and sexual risk were associated with stress induced by stigmatization arising from and within larger dominant White gay culture, stigmatization incurred within the community, internalized homophobia, and stress induced by living under the shadow of the perceived inevitability of contracting HIV as BMSM. Methamphetamine use was associated with venues where participants could be sheltered from experiences of racism, homophobia, and dominant hegemonic images of Black masculinity, while exploring and developing same-sex desires, thereby instilling a sense of community belonging. Suggestions for culturally appropriate strategies for treating both methamphetamine use and HIV risk behaviors among BMSM are discussed.
A Cognitive Diagnosis Model for Cognitively Based Multiple-Choice Options
Authors: de la Torre Jimmy
Published: April 2009

Cognitive or skills diagnosis models are discrete latent variable models developed specifically for the purpose of identifying the presence or absence of multiple fine-grained skills. However, applications of these models typically involve dichotomous or dichotomized data, including data from multiple-choice (MC) assessments that are scored as right or wrong. The dichotomization approach to the analysis of MC data ignores the potential diagnostic information that can be found in the distractors and is therefore deemed diagnostically suboptimal. To maximize the diagnostic value of MC assessments, this article prescribes how MC options should be constructed to make them more cognitively diagnostic and proposes a cognitive diagnosis model for analyzing such data. The article discusses the specification of the proposed model and estimation of its parameters. Moreover, results of a simulation study evaluating the viability of the model and an estimation algorithm are presented. Finally, practical considerations concerning the proposed framework are discussed.
The Multiple-Choice Model
Authors: Abad Francisco J. , Olea Julio , Ponsoda Vicente
Published: April 2009

This article deals with some of the problems that have hindered the application of Samejima's and Thissen and Steinberg's multiple-choice models: (a) parameter estimation difficulties owing to the large number of parameters involved, (b) parameter identifiability problems in the Thissen and Steinberg model, and (c) their treatment of omitted responses. The authors propose a new multiple-choice model (Restricted Samejima Multiple-Choice Model) that is more explicit about the assumed omitting mechanisms and takes advantage of this knowledge to improve the estimation of parameters. The three above-mentioned models and the Nominal Response Model were fitted to a 3,224-subject sample that took a Written English Test. Fit plots, X 2 statistics, and information-based fit indexes were obtained to assess the goodness of fit. Results show that the new model proposed fits as well as the other two multiple-choice models and better than the Nominal model. A parameter recovery simulation study was also carried out to confirm that its estimation features are indeed improved. Parameters are better recovered in the new model than in the other two multiple-choice models.
Immigration, education and the new caste society in Britain
Authors: Tannock Stuart
Published: April 2009

We are accustomed to linking education and skill with mobility and opportunity. In recent education, employment and especially immigration policy in Britain, however, the discourse of education and skill is being used to create a segregated and inegalitarian society, in which privileges and rights are granted to a small elite while being denied to the rest of the population. Education and skill, paradoxically, which are supposed to set us free and empower us are in actuality used to divide, control and deflect our demands for justice and equality. To address problems of injustice and inequality in Britain today, for both immigrants and the native-born alike, we need to challenge the common sense acceptance of discrimination between the high and low skilled, as well as the hegemony of the language of skill itself.
Social partnership's boiling point: Environmental issues and social responses to neo-liberal policy in Ireland
Authors: Leonard Liam
Published: April 2009

Ireland has witnessed a succession of community-based responses to regional episodes of ecological degradation in recent years. This paper will argue that the basis for these disputes is the Irish state's neo-liberal and neo-corporatist policy framework, which favours accelerated and reckless infrastructural development while excluding community concerns about health and environmental issues.
A Case Study of China’s Administrative Reform
Authors: Lisheng Dong  , Christensen Tom , Painter Martin
Published: April 2009

Although it is generally acknowledged that China, in its public sector reforms, has “learnt from the West,” the mechanisms and effects of the processes of learning and imitation in China are little understood. The recent “Sixth Round of Administrative Reforms” in which the Western concept of the “super-department” was presented as a key theme is used as a case study of the processes involved. Chinese leaders intentionally and actively sought the administrative reform experience from Western nations. A broad and coordinated search for models and lessons was undertaken involving a number of government agencies and research institutions, including universities. However, the government-sponsored research seemed to stay at the surface of the issue and, once the model was chosen, the policy makers tended to idealize it in order for it to be accepted by the public. We conclude that this was a case of “superstitious learning” and “biased contextualization” in which the symbolic—as distinct from instrumental—purposes of borrowing a Western reform idea for domestic purposes was the predominant feature.
Quaker Travels, Fellow Traveler?
Authors: Tadajewski Mark
Published: April 2009

This article will add an important detail to our knowledge of Wroe Alderson’s life, namely his journey to Russia at the height of the cold war and the subsequent intelligence gathering efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) following Alderson’s return from Russia in 1955. It does this by situating the text (AFSC 1956) that resulted from the journey in its historical context, connecting the trip to Russia with the Quaker value system that motivated the expedition. These values are, in turn, related to the files of the FBI via a brief review of the relevant volumes of FBI files that referred to the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)—the group that Alderson traveled to Russia with. Using the Quaker publication coauthored by Alderson that details the journey to Russia, this article reconstructs the arguments found in that text. Finally, the author examines why Alderson attracted the attention of the FBI. His characteristic willingness to critique the assertions of a party of Soviet individuals with whom he met, as well as support for Alderson from an unknown Quaker associated with the FBI, would ensure that his credentials as an American patriot were never in danger.
Mobilising (Global) Democracy: A Political Reading of Mobility between Universal Rights and the Mob
Authors: Aradau Claudia , Huysmans Jef
Published: April 2009

This article argues that a political reading of mobility is instrumental for understanding the role of democracy within globalised structures of power. Relegated to a socio-economic background that prompts new engagements with democracy, mobility has been neglected as a condition of possibility and as a form of political democratic practice. Drawing on Georg Simmel's sociology of money, we show that practices of mobility become democratic moments in relation to structures of power that are constituted across the territorial circumscription of national states. Understood as a particular form of sociality, mobility can work upon structures of power through universal rights and the politics of the `mob'. In this sense, practices of mobility are also democratic inscriptions of equality.
Power to the People: Nationally Embedded Development and Mass Armies in the Making of Democracy
Authors: Halperin Sandra
Published: April 2009

Much current thinking about democracy and how it can be promoted is based on myths about how democracy was achieved in the West. For example, the association of economic openness with democratisation — the focus of a vast literature and the rationale for most, if not all, major democracy promotion proposals and programme — is based, implicitly or explicitly, on the erroneous assumption that the emergence of democracy in the West was associated, in some way, with the development of more open economies. This article argues that, in fact, the achievement of Western democracy is associated, not with greater economic openness, but with a number of socio-economic changes, such as the wartime mobilisation of workers, that led to the emergence of a relatively more nationally `embedded' capitalism, involving greater restrictions on capital and an increase in state regulatory and welfare functions.
Beyond the End of History: The Need for a `Radical Historicisation' of Democracy in International Relations
Authors: Hobson Christopher
Published: April 2009

To properly comprehend democracy's present and future role in politics, particularly in regards to processes of democratisation and democracy promotion, we must cultivate a more nuanced reading of democracy's past. Needed is `a radical historicisation of democracy', in Frank Ankersmit's words, which foregrounds that democracy is a contingent historical fact, necessarily conditioned by its past. This position is contrasted to the standard account of democracy and its history provided by liberalism. Rather than comfortably accepting the current prominence of liberal democracy and the widespread normative agreement on this form of rule, this article instead considers the much longer tradition of thought which regarded democracy as something negative and very distinct from liberalism. In so doing, a sensitive reading of democracy's past promotes a much more reflexive position, which opens space for considering whether the present state of affairs is actually much less secure and more fragile than many liberal proponents of democracy tend to suggest. At the same time, this approach also points the way towards a more considered case for democracy.
The Symbiosis of Democracy and Tragedy: Lost Lessons from Ancient Greece
Authors: Chou Mark , Bleiker Roland
Published: April 2009

Democracy and tragedy were intrinsically linked during the time of the Athenian city-state. But though vital at the time, this symbiosis is largely forgotten today. We address this puzzling silence. What was it about democracy that encouraged, even needed, the ascendancy of tragedy? Why did the mass performances of tragedy play so central a role in the democratic polis of Athens? We address these questions not as historians or philologists, but as scholars of contemporary international relations. Our hope, in particular, is to uncover whether the Greek experiment, radical and short-lived as it was, can provide us with clues about how to extend democracy to the global realm, which increasingly shapes people's lives but so far lacks mechanisms for democratic participation and accountability. We explore how the paradoxical plots that lie at the heart of tragedies remind us — as they did the Greeks — that no order is ever complete or void of contradictions; that democracy is not about complete control but about recognising the limits of politics and dealing with the forces of chaos and change. We illustrate the issues at stake — along with their relevance for contemporary international relations — through tragedy's so-called multivocal form, which brought into the public realm a multitude of voices and issues that could not otherwise be heard in democratic deliberations.
Pragmatic Cosmopolitanism: A Deweyan Approach to Democracy beyond the Nation-State
Authors: Bray Daniel
Published: April 2009

Contemporary normative debates about democracy beyond nation-states have largely centred on the claims of two broad camps: the `liberal cosmopolitans' and the `deliberative democrats'. This article offers an alternative perspective developed from the work of philosopher John Dewey that I call `pragmatic cosmopolitanism'. First, my argument for pragmatic cosmopolitanism briefly outlines the Deweyan ethical ideas that serve as my normative grounding for the transnationalisation of democratic life. This grounding is primarily based on an ethic of growth that sees the use of critical intelligence and imaginative representation as the key basis for extending moral and political boundaries beyond nation-states. In the second part, I flesh out this framework by providing normative responses to what I identify as the four problems of transnational democracy: problems of constituency, democratic scope, social prerequisites and practical institutionalisation. These responses focus attention on the important roles of leadership and representation in constituting the political agency of transnational democratic publics. The role of leaders and representative practices is emphasised because they are central elements in the development of transnational democracy that are neglected by the liberal cosmopolitan and deliberative approaches.
Some Pitfalls of Democratisation in a Globalising World: Thoughts from the 2008 Millennium Conference
Authors: Cerny Philip G.
Published: April 2009

The problems and prospects of the expansion of democracy at international, transnational and/or global levels were the focus of numerous fascinating and penetrating analyses by the participants in the 2008 Millennium Conference. However, there were also a number of gaps and unresolved issues. This article attempts to identify and evaluate several potential pitfalls confronting the expansion of democratic institutions and processes. Five of those potential pitfalls are particularly problematic and interact with each other to reinforce and intensify the obstacles to wider democratisation processes at several levels. The first of these can be illustrated by examining the problematic historical `roads to democracy' taken within nation states. The second looks at some of the paradoxes in empirical democratic theory, especially questions like democratic stability and the background role of non-democratic infrastructures. The third concerns normative dimensions of democratic theory, in particular the existence of different conceptions of democracy and the gap between procedural democracy and substantive democracy. The fourth asks `Who democratises?' and considers the democratising potential of different types of various actors and the challenges they face. The fifth focuses on international regimes and institutions — `global governance' — and argues that this system actually constitutes a major obstacle to wider democratisation. The challenges confronting democratisation are significantly greater than the potential for the spread of genuine democracy across borders, although some niches and relatively circumscribed issue areas may develop limited forms of quasi-democratisation more akin to pluralism.
A Strategy for World Economic Development: Comments on Graham Bird's paper, "Beyond the Brandt Report: A Strategy For World Economic Development" published in Millennium, Vol. 9, No. 1, (Spring 1981)
Authors: Singer H.W.
Published: April 2009

The Report of the Independent Commission of International Development Issues (The Brandt Report) published early in 1980, made a global analysis of North-South relations and suggested a range of policy proposals. In his article Graham Bird endeavoured to identify the economic reasoning that underlies the Report's proposals on finance and devised an international financial strategy to alleviate the world's economic problems. Published below are comments received on this strategy from H. W. Singer and A. Federman.
Health Professional Knowledge of Breastfeeding: Are the Health Risks of Infant Formula Feeding Accurately Conveyed by the Titles and Abstracts of Journal Articles?
Authors: Smith Julie , Dunstone Mark , Elliott-Rudder Megan
Published: April 2009

Effective promotion of breastfeeding is constrained if health professionals' knowledge on its importance is deficient. This study asks whether formula feeding is named as the risk factor in published research or whether it is considered the unspoken norm. A systematic analysis is conducted of the information content of titles and abstracts of 78 studies that report poorer health among formula-fed infants. This shows a surprising silence in the studies examined; formula is rarely named in publication titles or abstracts as an exposure increasing health risk. In 30% of cases, titles imply misleadingly that breastfeeding raises health risk. Only 11% of abstracts identify formula feeding as a health risk exposure. Initiatives to increase breastfeeding have described the importance of accurate language and well-informed health professional support. If widespread, this skew in communication of research findings may reduce health professionals' knowledge and support for breastfeeding. J Hum Lact. 25(3):350-358.
All Terrorism Is Local: Resources, Nested Institutions, and Governance for Urban Homeland Security in the American Federal System
Authors: Chenoweth Erica , Clarke Susan E.
Published: April 2009

This article examines the conditions under which local jurisdictions make effective use of U.S. homeland security resources. It analyzes how resources, institutional context, and governance influence local performance on one homeland security policy dimension—communications interoperability. Governance maturity, nested institutions, and the existence of formal rules are key variables affecting the relationship between resources and performance at the local level. Cities with advanced, multilevel, and formal governance arrangements are more effective at using Urban Area Security Initiative funds to improve their interoperability performance. But current policy approaches slight corresponding demands for shared leadership and cross-sector collaborations.
Cultural Competency, Race, and Skin Tone Bias Among Pharmacy, Nursing, and Medical Students
Authors: White-Means Shelley , Zhiyong Dong  , Hufstader Meghan , Brown Lawrence T.
Published: April 2009

The Institute of Medicine report, Unequal Treatment, asserts that conscious and unconscious bias of providers may affect treatments delivered and contribute to health disparities. The primary study objective is to measure, compare, and contrast objective and subjective cognitive processes among pharmacy, nursing, and medical students to discern potential implications for health disparities. Data were collected using a cultural competency questionnaire and two implicit association tests (IATs). Race and skin tone IATs measure unconscious bias. Cultural competency scores were significantly higher for non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics in medicine and pharmacy compared with non-Hispanic Whites. Multiracial nursing students also had significantly higher cultural competency scores than non-Hispanic Whites. The IAT results indicate that these health care preprofessionals exhibit implicit race and skin tone biases: preferences for Whites versus Blacks and light skin versus dark skin. Cultural competency curricula and disparities research will be advanced by understanding the factors contributing to cultural competence and bias.
Book and Media Review: Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?
Authors: Olson Sarah J.
Published: April 2009

Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick? is a 7-part, 4-hour series produced by California Newsreel, in association with the five National Minority Consortia of public television. It looks at evidence that supports the concepts of health as involving more than just health care. It examines the social determinants that affect people's health and quality of life—the social circumstances in which we are born, live, and work—that profoundly affect well-being and longevity. The series is part of a larger “health equity” movement to reframe the national debate about health, focus attention on the underlying social and economic conditions, and determine what we can do to address health equity.
Michigan Genetics Plan: A Report on the Needs Assessment Process
Authors: Beene-Harris Rosalyn , Bach Janice V.
Published: April 2009

During 2000-02, Michigan Department of Community Health—Hereditary Disorders and Newborn Screening Programs conducted a needs assessment to develop a comprehensive state genetics plan. The goal was to define the priorities of patients and their families, the general public, health and human service providers, and educators for all four stages of the life cycle (prenatal, newborn, childhood, and adult). The needs assessment process was used to identify available resources in addition to the strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in the current genetic services system. A five-step needs assessment process was designed to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. In preparing for the advancements in genetic technology and related services, the results from this assessment are being used to help refocus existing program functions, delineate goals and objectives for the strategic plan, and guide future genetic services delivery and infrastructure efforts. A 5-year state genetics plan for Michigan was created with input from nearly 1,000 residents.
Right Subclavian Artery Aneurysm
Authors: Riley Jason T.
Published: April 2009

Subclavian artery aneurysms are rarely seen in the clinical setting, representing 1% of all peripheral artery aneurysms. The cause of a subclavian artery aneurysm is variable, and the symptoms are sometimes vague. Although other nonsonography imaging modalities are more likely to incidentally diagnose a subclavian artery aneurysm, sonographers must be aware of a subclavian artery aneurysm as a possible incidental finding to help prevent a potential fatal rupture.
Characterisation of tribological and corrosion behaviour of plasma electrolytic oxidation coated AM50 magnesium alloy
Authors: Bala Srinivasan P. , Blawert C. , Störmer M. , Dietzel W.
Published: April 2009

A cast AM50 magnesium alloy was plasma electrolytic oxidation treated in a silicate based electrolyte using a direct current power source. Plasma electrolytic oxidation coatings produced at four different visible discharge conditions were characterised for their microstructural features, composition, tribological behaviour and corrosion resistance. The chemical composition, thickness and the roughness of the coating were found to be influenced by the processing voltage and thick coatings produced at relatively higher voltage levels provided a better wear and corrosion resistance.
Open atmosphere laser assisted spray pyrolysis technique for deposition of Al2O3 and yttria stabilised zirconia nanostructured coatings
Authors: Mathews T , Dhonge B P , Krishnan R , Dash S , Tyagi A K , Raj B
Published: April 2009

A novel laser assisted open atmosphere CVD/pyrolysis technique, for the synthesis of dense, hard nanostructured oxide coatings, has been successfully developed in-house. In this process 0·5 to 2·5 μm size droplets of an appropriate metal organic compound/metal nitrate dissolved in a suitable solvent were transported into a quartz tube, using a carrier gas. To this tube a CW Nd: YAG laser (1064 nm) was coaxially coupled. The laser, upon interaction with the precursor, caused its vaporisation/activation. The activated precursor aerosols and the laser were made to impinge the substrate which is placed at an optimum distance. The activated aerosol reacts with oxygen present in the atmosphere at the laser heated spot on the substrate surface to give an oxide coating. Nanostructured alumina coatings were synthesised on steel substrates using aluminium acetylacetonate in ethanol as well as aluminium nitrate solution as the precursors. YSZ coatings were produced using zirconyl and yttrium nitrate mixture (Zr∶Y = 4∶1) precursor solution.
Fretting wear behaviour of titanium modified by heat treatment
Authors: Feng B , Lu X , Chen J M , Qu S X , Zhu M H , Yao X H , Weng J
Published: April 2009

Fretting damage is one of the factors leading to failure of orthopaedic implants. The present work studied the fretting behaviour of heat treated titanium in air and water vapour respectively. The tribological experiments were performed with a fretting tester under dry friction and lubrication conditions with the simulated body fluid (SBF). The worn surfaces of the specimens were analysed by scanning electron microscopy with X-ray energy dispersion spectroscope, confocal laser microscope and X-ray diffractometer. Heat treatments enhanced fretting wear resistance and decreased friction coefficients of titanium under dry friction and SBF lubrication conditions respectively. The effect of heat treatment in water vapour was superior to that in air. SBF as lubricant could decrease the wear and friction coefficients of non-heat treated and heat treated titanium.
Microstructure and analytic equation of conical aggregate in iridium coating prepared by double glow plasma
Authors: Chen Z F , Wu W P , Wang L B , Zhang Y
Published: April 2009

Dense and uniform Iridium (Ir) coating was deposited on the surface of the graphite substrate by double glow plasma. The phase identification and the morphology of the coating were examined by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The coating was composed of uniformly distributed regularly conical aggregates which were composed of the columnar crystals with a preferential (220) orientation. The preferential orientation was regardless of different deposition parameters and substrate properties. The analytic equation of the generatrix of the conical aggregate was determined by measuring its external dimensions. The deposition rate of the coating was up to 20 μm h−1. The gap appeared within the fracture surface of the coating could result from the shadow effect of the conical aggregate. Because of the poor wetting between Ir element and C element, Ir coating grew according to the Stranski–Krastanov model.
Microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti–Si–C–N coatings deposited by hybrid arc enhanced magnetron sputtering
Authors: Wu G. Z. , Ma S. L.
Published: April 2009

Quaternary Ti–Si–C–N coatings have been deposited on high speed steel substrates using a new hybrid arc enhanced magnetron sputtering (AEMS) technique conducted at low temperature. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the deposited Ti–Si–C–N coatings are investigated and the results show that the Ti–Si–C–N coatings have a nanocomposite microstructure consisting of nanosized TiN and TiC crystallites embedded in an amorphous phase of Si3N4/C. The hardness of the Ti–Si–C–N coatings increases linearly from 20 to 35 GPa with carbon incorporation up to 35 at.-% and the friction coefficient is below 0·25 which is smaller than that of ternary Ti–Si–N nanocomposite coatings.
Laser treatment of silicon at nitrogen ambient: Thermal stress analysis
Authors: Yilbas B S , Arif A F M , Karatas C
Published: April 2009

Laser control melting of silicon surface is carried out at nitrogen gas environment and temperature rise as well as thermal stress developed in the irradiated region is simulated using the finite element method. The residual stress developed in the surface region after the laser treatment is measured using the XRD technique and the measurement results are compared with the predictions. The fracture toughness of the laser treated surface is also measured using the indentation tests. The structural and morphological changes in the laser irradiated region are examined using the scanning electron microscope. It is found that β phase silicon nitride was formed in the surface region of the laser treated workpiece. The temperature gradient close to the laser beam spot attains significantly high values due to the high heating and cooling rates. This, in turn, results in high stress levels in this region during the laser treatment process. The laser treated surface was free from the defects including microcracks, voids and cavitations.