bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Murder-suicide: bridging the gap between mass murder, amok, and suicide
Authors: Hagan Christopher Ryan , Podlogar Matthew C , Joiner Thomas E
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to review the existing literature on mass murder and amok, and the relationship of these phenomena to murder-suicide as well as to determine future research directions.

Design/methodology/approach

– Research literature on mass murder, amok, and murder-suicide was reviewed in the context of recent developments in the understanding of suicide, aggressive behavior, and psychiatric diagnostics.

Findings

– Amok, typically viewed as a culture-bound disorder, occurs throughout the world and is best characterized as mass murder, similar to school shootings. Additionally, the phenomenon of mass murder may be best understood as a form of murder-suicide, related to the phenomenon of suicide-by-cop.

Originality/value

– This paper provides a review of the literature on murder-suicide, mass murder, and amok spanning over 110 years in the context of modern psychological research, new insights into the possible motivations of those who “run amok” and commit mass murder and provides future research directions for this important phenomenon.
Clinical supervision in prison settings: three strategies for approaching suicide risk
Authors: Magaletta Philip R , McLearen Alix M
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– Delivering suicide risk services (SRS; i.e., assessment and intervention) is an important and demanding aspect of psychological practice in prison settings. Yet the authors know from the training literature that supervised opportunities to build skills in this domain are hard to obtain. The unpredictable nature of these crisis events and the seriousness of their consequences make it difficult for psychologists-in-training to gain experience managing them. An effective method for building the foundational base of such skill is through clinical activities during internship. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the topic from the perspective of doctoral psychology internship training in prisons. Conceptualized within a developmental training perspective, three specific supervisory actions that facilitate the practice of SRS for interns are detailed: locating opportunities to monitor the practice of developmentally appropriate SRS skills; utilizing an assessment tool to shape documentation and provide structured feedback on the quality of SRS work; and developing group-based role plays to practice the management skill of verbal interdisciplinary communication.

Design/methodology/approach

– Conceptualized within a developmental training perspective, three specific supervisory actions that facilitate the practice of SRS for interns are detailed.

Findings

– Findings include three actions: locating opportunities to monitor the practice of developmentally appropriate SRS skills; utilizing an assessment tool to shape documentation and provide structured feedback on the quality of SRS work; and developing group-based role plays to practice the management skill of verbal interdisciplinary communication.

Practical implications

– The authors have proposed three clinical supervision activities that can be used to facilitate the SRS learning experience. The strategies proposed are flexible enough to address variability within an individual intern or across a group of interns. While the authors apply the activities to interns, the authors believe it can also be used with early career psychologists as they transition to licensure and/or clinical independence within this practice setting. Ongoing consideration of how supervision is used to transmit the essential skills in this setting is paramount, and the authors hope this paper has provided sufficient justification for beginning the dialogue in this area.

Originality/value

– This work has never before been published.
Treating suicidal risk in a post-healthcare reform era
Authors: Jobes David A , Bowers Maureen Elizabeth
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to fully consider the potential changes in clinical suicide prevention that may evolve after the passing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The authors argue that it is wise to anticipate demand for suicide-specific evidence-based treatments (EBTs) moving forward. The authors outline current best practices in clinical suicide prevention, and describe the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) as an example of how a suicide-focussed EBT can adapt to some predicted changes.

Design/methodology/approach

– This conceptual paper first presents an overview of the main effects of ACA within the behavioral health care (BHC) system. Next, the authors review contemporary approaches to the treatment of suicidal patients, as well as current treatment limitations. The authors present CAMS as a model of a suicide-focussed EBT that holds promise for use in the post-ACA era. To close, the authors discuss anticipated changes in suicide treatment and illustrate that CAMS is adaptable to these changes.

Findings

– ACA mandates several changes: implementation of EBTs, better preventative care, integrated treatment models, and improved healthcare administration. A central effect of ACA in BHC is the increased use of EBTs. Therefore effective EBTs for suicide prevention are described.

Originality/value

– Anticipating how ACA will affect clinical suicide prevention is necessary, as it is historically a very challenging area of treatment within BHC and a significant public health concern. This paper highlights the importance of the use suicide-specific EBTs.
“We(b)care”
Authors: Dens Nathalie , De Pelsmacker Patrick , Purnawirawan Nathalia
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– Consumers often discuss brands and companies online, but no research details how service providers’ responses to online reviews influence other readers’ perceptions of the reviews and responses. Based on justice theory and the accountability principle, both integrated in equity theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine how service providers should react to different degrees of negative reviews to enhance readers’ attitudes, patronage intentions, and intentions to spread positive word of mouth.

Design/methodology/approach

– A 3 (review set balance: positive, neutral, negative) × 6 (response strategy) full-factorial between-subjects experiment included 973 respondents.

Findings

– More negative balance demands more effort from the service provider to create positive attitudes and encourage behavioural intentions. If a minority of reviewers are dissatisfied, no response is necessary; if the review set is neutral, the service provider should apologize and promise to resolve the problem; if a majority of reviewers are dissatisfied, the most effective response includes both an apology, promise and compensation. These effects are mediated by readers’ perceived trust in the response. Word of mouth also requires more effort than favourable attitudes or patronage intentions.

Research limitations/implications

– This research reflects the authors’ choices with regard to review set balance and managerial responses, which ensure internal validity but may limit external validity.

Originality/value

– This study applies offline service recovery strategies to an online review context. It also explicitly incorporates the bystander (potential customer) perspective.
Elastic moduli of boron nitride, aluminium nitride and gallium nitride nanotubes using second generation reactive empirical bond order potential
Authors: Kumar Dinesh , Verma Veena , Dharamvir Keya , Bhatti H S
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to study elastic properties of III-V nitride nanotubes (NNTs) using second generation (REBO) potential.

Design/methodology/approach

– In the present research paper elastic properties of BN, AlN and GaN nanotubes have been investigated, using the second generation REBO potential by Brenner and co-workers, which is a bond order potential earlier used for carbon nanostructures successfully. In the present calculation, the same form of potential is used with adjusted parameters for h-BN, h-AlN and h-GaN. In all these cases the authors have considered graphite like network and strongly polar nature of these atoms so electrostatic forces are expected to play an important role in determining elastic properties of these nanotubes. The authors generate the coordinates of nanotubes of different chirality’s and size. Each and every structure thus generated is allowed to relax till the authors obtain minima of energy. The authors then apply the requisite compressions, elongations and twists to the structures and compute the elastic moduli. Young’s Modulus, Shear Modulus and Poisson’s ratio for single-walled armchair and zigzag tubes of different chirality’s and size have been calculated. The computational results show the variation of Young’s Modulus, Poisson’s ratio and Shear Modulus for these NNTs with nanotube diameter. The results have been compared with available data, experimental as well as theoretical.

Findings

– The authors have calculated bond length, cohesive energy/bond, Strain energy, Young’s Modulus, Shear Modulus and Poisson’s ratio.

Originality/value

– To the best of the knowledge this work is the first attempt to study elastic properties of III-V NNTs using second generation REBO potential
Multi-physics modeling and simulations of reactive melt infiltration process used in fabrication of ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs)
Authors: Grujicic Mica , Galgalikar Rohan , Ramaswami S. , Snipes Jennifer , Yavari Ramin , Bordia Rajendra K.
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– A multi-physics process model is developed to analyze reactive melt infiltration (RMI) fabrication of ceramic-matrix composite (CMC) materials and components. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

– Within this model, the following key physical phenomena governing this process are accounted for: capillary and gravity-driven unsaturated flow of the molten silicon into the SiC/SiC CMC preform; chemical reactions between the silicon melt and carbon (either the one produced by the polymer-binder pyrolysis or the one residing within the dried matrix slurry); thermal-energy transfer and source/sink phenomena accompanying reactive-flow infiltration; volumetric changes accompanying chemical reactions of the molten silicon with the SiC preform and cooling of the as-fabricated CMC component to room temperature; development of residual stresses within, and thermal distortions of, the as-fabricated CMC component; and grain-microstructure development within the SiC matrix during RMI.

Findings

– The model is validated, at the material level, by comparing its predictions with the experimental and modeling results available in the open literature. The model is subsequently applied to simulate RMI fabrication of a prototypical gas-turbine engine hot-section component, i.e. a shroud. The latter portion of the work revealed the utility of the present computational approach to model fabrication of complex-geometry CMC components via the RMI process.

Originality/value

– To the authors’ knowledge, the present work constitutes the first reported attempt to apply a multi-physics RMI process model to a gas-turbine CMC component.
Academics’ feedback on the quality of appraisal evidence
Authors: Nair Chenicheri Sid , Li Jinrui , Cai Li Kun
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to explore academics’ perspectives on the quality of appraisal evidence at a Chinese university.

Design/methodology/approach

– An online survey with both closed items and open-ended questions was distributed among all academics at the university (n= 1,538). A total of 512 responded to the questionnaire. The closed items were initially analysed using EXCEL and SPSS; the open-ended questions were thematically analysed.

Findings

– The academics believed that the quality of student survey and peer observation of teaching were affected by subjectivity and the lack of understanding of appraisal. Academics also suggested that appraisals should be contextualised and the approach standardised. The study suggests the need for training that informs and engages relevant stakeholders to ensure the rigour of appraisal.

Originality/value

– The study raises the issue of quality assurance regarding appraisal data from the perspective of academics. It is based on the collaborative effort of academics in Australia, China and New Zealand, with the support of the management staff at the case study university. The study informs both appraisers and academics of quality assurance issues in appraisal. It also contributes to the literature, in that it initiates dialogues between communities of practices through collective questioning on the quality and mechanisms of appraisal in tertiary education.
Self-regulation with rules
Authors: Lang Daniel W.
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to discuss how the province over time has addressed problems that are generic to many jurisdictions in assuring quality: level of aggregation, pooling, definition of new and continuing programs, scope of jurisdiction, role of governors, performance indicators, relationship to accreditation, programs versus credentials, benchmarking and isomorphism. The paper will pay particular attention to the balance between institutional autonomy in promoting quality and innovation in contrast to system-wide standards for assuring quality. The Province of Ontario has had some form of quality assurance since 1969. For most of the period since then, there were separate forms for undergraduate and graduate programs. Eligibility for public funding is based on the assurance of quality by a buffer body. In 2010, after two years of work, a province-wide task force devised a new framework.

Design/methodology/approach

– The structure of the paper is a series of “problem/solution” discussions, for example, aggregation, pooling, isomorphism and jurisdiction.

Findings

– Some problems are generic, for example, how to define a “new” program. Assuring quality and enhancing quality are fundamentally different in terms of process.

Research limitations/implications

– Although many of the problems discussed are generic, the paper is based on the experience of one jurisdiction.

Practical implications

– The article will be useful in post-secondary systems seeking to balance autonomy and innovation with central accountability and standardization. It is particularly applicable to undifferentiated systems.

Social implications

– Implications for public policy are mainly about locating the most effective center of gravity between assuring quality and enhancing quality, and between promoting quality and ensuring accountability.

Originality/value

– The approach of the discussion and analysis is novel, and the results portable.
Using interviews to improve relationships with library partners: a case study
Authors: Farrell Bridget
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to examine how interviews of learning commons partners were used to improve communication and collaboration between the library and its partners.

Design/methodology/approach

– Interviews were conducted with representatives from each of the eight partners that have service desks in the library. The interviews’ transcripts were studied to search for ways communication and collaboration between the library and its partners could be improved.

Findings

– The passing of time, addition of new library partners and the hiring of new employees since the opening of the learning commons at Draughon Library have created some gaps in communication between the library and its partners. Interviews with representatives from the library’s partners revealed ways communication needed to be improved and provided insight as to how the library and its partners might collaborate in the future.

Originality/value

– Much of the literature on library partnerships focuses on the creation of collaborations, but does not elaborate on ways to keep lines of communication open and encourage continued collaborative work once partnerships are already in place. Information gleaned from the interviews highlights concerns that may occur at other libraries with learning commons, as new partnerships develop and time passes since the initial creation of the commons.
Hands-on instruction: the iPad self-guided library tour
Authors: Foley Marianne , Bertel Katherine
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to describe how librarians at the State University of New York College at Buffalo used iPads during one class session of a semester-long library instruction course to increase student engagement, energize the traditional library tour, build collaboration and give students experience using tablet technology in an educational setting.

Design/methodology/approach

– Librarians provided iPads to groups of students and sent them to photograph different areas of the library during one class session of a semester-long course. Students then uploaded the photographs to a common Web site for class discussion.

Findings

– Formal and informal student feedback was positive. Students connected with the instructors and with each other, enjoyed discovering library spaces and services and became more comfortable with tablet technology. The project also increased student enthusiasm for the class.

Originality/value

– This paper is the first to systematically describe a simple activity that can be used by instruction librarians to incorporate tablets into the curriculum. The method requires minimal time to set up and implement, involves a very short learning curve and is easily adaptable to various mobile devices.
Experiencing archives at universities
Authors: Wakimoto Diana K. , Bruce Christine Susan
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to explore the varying ways in which academic archivists in the USA experience archives, how these experiences compare to those of academic librarians and how we can use these findings to improve communication and collaboration.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using a phenomenographic research approach, academic archivists were interviewed and the transcripts were examined to develop categories reflecting varying experiences.

Findings

– There are three different ways of experiencing archives: as organizational records, as archival enterprise and as connection. The connection category is a more complex way of experiencing archives as it incorporates the aspects of the other two categories as well as the awareness of archives connecting people to their histories.

Research limitations/implications

– This study is limited to academic archivists in the USA.

Practical implications

– Understanding that there are different ways of experiencing archives means that information professionals should clarify their definitions of before beginning collaborative projects. Also, by understanding these varying experiences, information professions should be able to communicate and engage more fully with each other and their users in projects and programs that leverage archival collections.

Originality/value

– This is the first study to use phenomenography to investigate archivists’ experiences of archives. This understanding of the lived experience of archivists, combined with understanding how librarians experience archives, should enable better communication and ultimately collaboration between the two professions.
Situated information literacy: history instruction at a high school early college
Authors: Walk Meghann
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– This study aims to explore the question “how would professors teach information literacy to prepare high school students for college?” by observing two history professors at a high school early college during routine classroom instruction.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research took a case study approach to studying information literacy instruction, drawing from multiple data types but relying primarily on classroom observations and teaching artifacts.

Findings

– This research found that subjects taught information literacy by situating students as legitimate peripheral participants in the discipline of history. They did so as part of the daily fabric of classroom instruction, using pedagogical techniques such as dialogical reading, spending time with texts, writing to think and thinking historically.

Research limitations/implications

– This research focuses on history instruction. Future studies could include additional disciplines and directly examine the impact of teaching practices on student cognition.

Practical implications

– The findings suggest that taking a disciplinary approach is one way to apply insights from the field of situated information literacy to the high school to college transition. It also suggests that information literacy instruction need not be confined to research assignments, and that information literacy educators consider the possibilities these teaching techniques offer for enhancing instruction.

Originality/value

– This paper offers a rich description of information literacy pedagogy in an unusual but intriguing context of use to instruction librarians and educators at both high school and college levels. It also offers a bridge between situated information literacy rooted in workplace research and academic information literacy instruction.
Evaluation of sources: a new sustainable approach
Authors: Radcliff Sharon , Wong Elise Y.
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this study was to test a method of teaching information literacy, using the Toulmin method of argumentation, to aid students in developing topics, evaluating sources and creating stronger arguments that avoided “myside” or confirmation bias.

Design/methodology/approach

– The Toulmin method of argument analysis was tested in two related studies. A quasi-experimental comparison study in six sections of English composition courses was implemented at a small liberal arts college. A traditional one-shot session was compared to a flipped class, incorporating Toulmin argumentation. A Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) test was administered and research papers analyzed using a rubric. A modified version of the Toulmin method, using images, was implemented in a two-unit information literacy course at a state university. Pretest and posttest information literacy test scores and research papers were analyzed.

Findings

– The first study showed that the experimental group performed better on the rubric scores for research papers when results were adjusted by excluding the one honors section. The survey results from this study showed mixed results for the flipped classroom approach. The second study showed a statistically significant improvement in pretest and posttest scores from the information literacy achievement test and the research paper rubric analysis showed that instructional goals were at least partly met.

Research limitations/implications

– Further research in incorporating instruction in argument into information literacy instruction is indicated. These studies integrated the Toulmin method successfully but represent fairly unique situations and thus more studies are needed to assess the overall impact of using this method in the context of information literacy instruction.

Social implications

– This study was implemented with two different population groups and shows how instruction can impact different groups differently and can be adapted to increase its effectiveness.

Originality/value

– The study highlights the value of collaborative assessment and of inclusion of critical thinking goals in information literacy instruction through instruction in argumentation using textual and visual means.
Student veterans and the academic library
Authors: Mills Chloe Persian , Paladino Emily Bounds , Klentzin Jacqueline Courtney
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to investigate whether student veterans have specific library-related needs and how librarians can best meet them.

Design/methodology/approach

– Researchers developed a survey which was administered both online and in paper copies. The survey results indicated need for further investigation; six face-to-face interviews with volunteers were conducted.

Findings

– Principle findings were that while student veterans do resemble nontraditional students in their needs and characteristics, important distinctions from that population could be noted. In addition, dedicated student veteran centers and/or offices provide librarians with the best possible means of communications with this particular population.

Research limitations/implications

– This case study demonstrates that individual institutions are well-served to investigate the specific characteristics of their own student veteran population. Librarians can utilize outreach to student veterans through their institution’s veteran center (if available), and may wish to employ the specific outreach practices detailed in the study.

Originality/value

– Virtually no other qualitative or quantitative research regarding the specific needs and characteristics of this academic population exists in the literature of the library sciences, and the academic literature that does address the population, coming from the student services arena, does not include mention of academic libraries.
Situating information literacy in the disciplines
Authors: Farrell Robert , Badke William
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this article is to consider the current barriers to situating in the disciplines and to offer a possible strategy for so doing.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper reviews current challenges facing librarians who seek to situate information literacy in the disciplines and offers and practical model for those wishing to do so. Phenomenographic evidence from disciplinary faculty focus groups is presented in the context of the model put forward.

Findings

– Disciplinary faculty do not have generic conceptions of information literacy but rather understand information-related behaviors as part of embodied disciplinary practice.

Practical implications

– Librarians dissatisfied with traditional forms of generic information literacy instruction marketing will find a method by which to place ownership on information literacy in the hands of disciplinary faculty.

Originality/value

– The article offers a unique analysis of the challenges facing current information literacy specialists and a new approach for integrating information literacy in the disciplines.
Develop authentic leadership – be a good host approaching leadership in a new way using the familiar techniques of hosting
Authors: McKergow Mark
Published: June 2015

Purpose

This article aims to present an initial look at a new leadership metaphor – the leader as host. This apparently everyday idea is placed into the context of the challenges of modern leadership, with particular reference to the importance of building engagement and tackling “wicked” problems. The metaphor is examined from three initial perspectives; hosts and host leaders set context, give protection and enable community.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a conceptual paper connecting the everyday idea with hosting as a new metaphor for leadership. The metaphor proves startlingly relevant when set alongside recent academic writings about leadership challenges.

Findings

We have all been hosts in some level, we have all been guests, we all know good hosting when we see it. Host leadership can offer a rich new concept of leadership, about which I have only scratched the surface here.

Originality/value

The metaphor of leader as host is new and fresh for exploring. It yields valuable practical connections for leadership development as well as fresh thinking perspectives. This is different to the better-known metaphor of servant-leadership. As the article reveals, hosts serve but they take on other additional roles and accountabilities.
How HR plays its role in leadership development
Authors: Davenport Thomas O.
Published: June 2015

Purpose

The purpose of the article is to demonstrate the value that human resource (HR) can provide in the effectiveness of leaders and managers.

Design/methodology/approach

Two complementary Towers Watson studies – the 2014 Global Workforce Study (GWS) of over 32,000 employees, and the 2014 Global Talent Management & Rewards Study (TM&R) of 1,637 organizations – formed the research basis for the article. The TM&R study was fielded from April to June 2014 in 31 markets around the world and includes responses from 1,637 participating organizations in a range of industries. The GWS covers some 32,000 employees from a population of full-time employees working in large- and mid-sized organizations across a range of industries in 26 markets around the world. It was fielded online during April and May 2014.

Findings

A key role of HR is ensuring that the organization has the right people performing well in leadership roles at all levels. This means HR must focus attention in five key areas: job architecture, incumbent assessment, performance definition, recognition for success and building leadership capacity. It is also up to HR to dispel the notion that “soft skills” should be subordinate to “hard skills”, which are often seen as more important. In fact, soft skills are usually more difficult to master and, in our opinion, are more important – they are what leaders need to maximize performance from others.

Research limitations/implications

Different observers assign a variety of roles to the HR function. These range from compliance enforcer and data administrator to strategic partner and culture creator. The author believes that HR’s most important role may well be ensuring that the organization has an ample supply of leadership and management capability at every level of the enterprise. It is leaders, who envision the future and help people generate the motivation to go there, and managers, who see to it that systems, assets and processes serve their purposes efficiently, who enable the enterprise to make the most of each employee’s contribution.

Practical implications

In a world where technology evolution, demographic shifts and social change are rewriting the rules of the workplace, the author can expect that the role of the HR function will also continue to change. What should not change, however, is the contribution that HR makes toward building and preserving the organization’s leadership and management capacity. In this article, the author makes the case that, despite the many shifts taking place in the business terrain, HR should remain focused on this fundamental goal, acting as ally, trusted advisor and coach.

Originality/value

The value of this article is to provide strategic and practical advice on how HR can influence manager and leader effectiveness.
Socio-demographic characteristics and consumption patterns of drug users – synthesis of outcome research at a TC for a 10 year range
Authors: Henriques Susana , Candeias Pedro
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– Therapeutic communities (TCs) are one of the existent social responses in helping drug users overcome addiction and pursue social reintegration. The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss the general characteristics of about 200 drug users and their addiction and those of addicts abroad treated in a TC and clinically discharged. The analysis now presented is the first empirical approach to capture social regularities and singularities that are present in these individuals’ reintegration strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

– The data have a ten-year range – from 1999 to 2009 – and were statically analysed.

Findings

– They show a group of individuals with low qualifications reflected in their professional occupation, from which family is an essential support. These data also show a significant prevalence of heroin, alcohol, cocaine and polydrug uses, highlighting the need to consider new use patterns and new synthetic substances.

Originality/value

– TC have been little studied, mainly in Portugal.
Rehab, respite and recovery: the experiences of methadone users in a modified therapeutic community (MTC) in Scotland
Authors: McPhee Iain , Fenton Denice
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– There is limited research documenting recovery experiences of residential service users. The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions service users on methadone have about recovery. In depth, semi structured 1-1 interviews with seven poly drug using homeless males between the ages of 37 and 46 and analysed using NVivo software. Results are presented thematically. Participants conform to “recovery” norms allowing stigma and shame of illicit drug use to be attributed to former addict identities. Participants on methadone maintenance report inner conflict arising from changing societal and cultural norms that equate recovery with abstinence. Tensions were revealed in true motivations for active rather than passive participation in adopting group work norms.

Design/methodology/approach

– A qualitative design utilises small numbers of participants to gather rich data. In depth, semi structured 1-1 interviews conducted with seven poly drug using homeless males who have completed between ten and 15 weeks of a minimum 26-week residential treatment programme. Participants were aged 37-46. Results were analysed thematically using NVivo software.

Findings

– Participants conform to “recovery” norms allowing stigma and shame of illicit drug use to be attributed to a former stigmatised addict identity. Participants on methadone maintenance report inner conflict arising from changing societal and cultural norms regards recovery and abstinence. A significant process of recovery involved adopting the norms of 12-step groups and TC therapy to gain enough trust to leave the therapeutic community (TC) unsupervised. This created tension regards motivation, were these individuals in recovery, or merely “faking it”?

Research limitations/implications

– A female perspective may have provided a more balanced discussion and yielded greater depth in results. Only one service was studied and the findings may be specific to that cohort. The duration of stay at the service of ten to 15 weeks is a relatively short time and excluded participants resident for six months or more. Longer term residents may have been more reflective and informative.

Practical implications

– Encourage active options and increased debate on the variety of treatment options available to long term homeless opiate users who have failed to comply with previous treatments. While this is a small modest study, the rich data yields practical advice for policy makers and service providers.

Social implications

– This research study adds to an informed perspective by encouraging debate on methadone as a challenge to definitions of recovery that infer abstinence as a key definition of success.

Originality/value

– There is a paucity of research documenting a Scottish TC service user perspective using qualitative methods on experiences of addiction, treatment and recovery.
The development of the therapeutic community for addictions in Denmark. A short report based on an interview with Hanne Holm Hage-Ali
Authors: Broekaert Eric , Berg-Sørensen Caroline Elizabeth , Vanderplasschen Wouter , Vandevelde Stijn
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– Even though there is much information available with regard to the development of the therapeutic community (TC) for addictions in Europe, little is known about the particular situation in Denmark.The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

– In order to address this dearth, the methodology of the following historical account is largely based on an interview and personal contacts with Hanne Holm Hage-Ali, current director of TC Opbygningsgården and star witness of the development of TC in Denmark.

Findings

– In 1971, the Freetown “Christiania”, Copenhagen, where TC Opbygningsgården started up, was based on communal, anarchic and hippie ideas and values. In the beginning, TC Opbygningsgården was not well accepted by TC pioneers promoting the classic hierarchical TC, as it was seen as a social experiment with anti-authoritarian roots. Later, in its turn, it became influenced by TCs Veksthuset and Phoenix House Haga, Norway, which were part of the common European TC movement. At this moment, TC Opbygningsgården functions as a well-accepted member of the European Federation of Therapeutic Communities.

Research limitations/implications

– The interview revealed information that it is line with current trends in and challenges for TC throughout Europe, as outlined in a recent EMCDDA study: TC in Europe can be considered as “children of the late sixties”; TCs are embedded in the anti-psychiatric movement, existentialism and the promotion of alternative community living; European TC leaders had different origins and professional background; and the TC never belonged to one religion or ideology. The common human value system always transcended the different visions.

Originality/value

– This paper aims at addressing the dearth in knowledge on the development of TCs in Denmark.
Atorvastatin attenuates homocysteine‐induced migration of smooth muscle cells through mevalonate pathway involving reactive oxygen species and p38 MAPK
Authors: Bao Xiao‐mei , Zheng Hongchao
Published: June 2015

Statins have been reported to have an antioxidant effect against homocysteine (Hcy)‐induced endothelial dysfunction. It is unknown whether they have the same effect against migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) induced by Hcy. In this study, it was investigated whether and how atorvastatin could inhibit the Hcy‐induced migration in cultured VSMCs and revealed the possible redox mechanism. VSMCs were isolated from the thoracic aortas of Sprague‐Dawley rats. The migration of VSMCs was examined using a transwell technique and cell viability was determined by 3‐(4, 5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2, 5‐diphenyltetrazoliumbromide (MTT) assay. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured using the fluoroprobe 2′7′‐dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate. The activity of NADPH oxidase was assessed by lucigenin enhanced chemiluminescence. Expressions of Nox1 mRNA and p‐p38MAPK protein were measured by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR) and Western blot analysis, respectively. The results showed that atorvastatin inhibited the migration of VSMCs induced by Hcy, which was reversed by the mevalonate. In addition, pretreatment with the NADPH oxidase inhibitor DPI, the free radical scavenger NAC and the p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580 blocked Hcy‐induced VSMCs migration. Furthermore, atorvastatin suppressed Hcy‐induced activation of NADPH oxidase and ROS, attenuated Hcy‐induced overexpression of Nox1mRNA. Similar effects occurred with VSMCs transfected with Nox1 siRNA. Moreover, atorvastatin other than DPI, NAC, SB203580 and Nox1 siRNA transfection blocked Hcy‐induced p38 MAPK phosphorylation, which was also reversed by the mevalonate. The data demonstrates that atorvastatin inhibits Hcy‐induced VSMCs migration in a mevalonate pathway. Furthermore, a part of the biological effect of atorvastatin involves a decrease in the levels of Nox1‐dependent ROS generation and p38 MAPK activation.
Do we need norms of fitness for children with autistic spectrum condition?
Authors: Place Maurice , Dickinson Kathleen , Reynolds Joanna
Published: June 2015

The increasingly sedentary habits of children, and rising obesity levels, are prompting concern for children's future health. Children with autistic spectrum condition (ASC) show a clear trend in this regard. Within school, an understanding of how an individual's fitness compares to age norms is important in order to design appropriate exercise programmes. This study, by Maurice Place, Kathleen Dickinson and Joanna Reynolds, all based at Northumbria University, assessed 100 children with ASC and learning difficulty, and found a wide variation in fitness levels as measured by the Eurofit tests. In addition the measure of cardio‐pulmonary fitness (VO2 max) was generally poor. In boys, body mass index (BMI) showed only a modest correlation with this measure of cardio‐pulmonary fitness, with the results for the girls not being significant. Using a variant of the established BMI calculation did not improve the correlation. To our knowledge this article offers the first set of published Eurofit test results for children with ASC and highlights the generally poor level of cardio‐pulmonary fitness in this group of children.
Los Angeles Pentecostals: The Dislocation of a People and the Birth of a Movement
Authors: Helton Timothy P.
Published: June 2015

By examining the geographical, economic, religious, and social changes experienced by those who became Pentecostals, and by comparing the religious and cultural backgrounds of native and migrant Angelinos in the 1920s and 1930s with the Pentecostal message, this article demonstrates that several factors contributed to the receptivity of those who lived in the Los Angeles region. First, a deep sense of dislocation predisposed a number of white Angelinos to religious realignment. Next, African Americans were just emerging from one of the most trying times in their long history of suffering, and that suffering had led to millennial expectations that the Pentecostal movement seemed to presage. Then, the Pentecostal message influenced the direction of that realignment by appealing both to those expectations and to other specific cultural characteristics common to many Angelinos. Finally, the article shows that the Pentecostal experience provided a sense of empowerment that some in the movement found transformative.
Pursuing the Triple Aim: The First 7 Years
Authors: WHITTINGTON JOHN W. , NOLAN KEVIN , LEWIS NINON , TORRES TRISSA
Published: June 2015

Policy Points:

In 2008, researchers at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) proposed the Triple Aim, strategic organizing principles for health care organizations and geographic communities that seek, simultaneously, to improve the individual experience of care and the health of populations and to reduce the per capita costs of care for populations.

In 2010, the Triple Aim became part of the US national strategy for tackling health care issues, especially in the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010.

Since that time, IHI and others have worked together to determine how the implementation of the Triple Aim has progressed. Drawing on our 7 years of experience, we describe 3 major principles that guided the organizations and communities working on this endeavor: creating the right foundation for population management, managing services at scale for the population, and establishing a learning system to drive and sustain the work over time.

Context

In 2008, researchers at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) described the Triple Aim as simultaneously “improving the individual experience of care; improving the health of populations; and reducing the per capita costs of care for populations.” IHI and its close colleagues had determined that both individual and societal changes were needed.

Methods

In 2007, IHI began recruiting organizations from around the world to participate in a collaborative to implement what became known as the Triple Aim. The 141 participating organizations included health care systems, hospitals, health care insurance companies, and others closely tied to health care. In addition, key groups outside the health care system were represented, such as public health agencies, social services groups, and community coalitions. This collaborative provided a structure for observational research. By noting the contrasts between the contexts and structures of those sites in the collaborative that progressed and those that did not, we were able to develop an ex post theory of what is needed for an organization or community to successfully pursue the Triple Aim.

Findings

Drawing on our 7 years of experience, we describe the 3 major principles that guided the organizations and communities working on the Triple Aim: creating the right foundation for population management, managing services at scale for the population, and establishing a learning system to drive and sustain the work over time.

Conclusions

The concept of the Triple Aim is now widely used, because of IHI's work with many organizations and also because of the adoption of the Triple Aim as part of the national strategy for US health care, developed during the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. Even those organizations working on the Triple Aim before IHI coined the term found our concept to be useful because it helped them think about all 3 dimensions at once and organize their work around them.
Recent Applications of Spectroscopic and Hyperspectral Imaging Techniques with Chemometric Analysis for Rapid Inspection of Microbial Spoilage in Muscle Foods
Authors: Cheng Jun‐Hu , Sun Da‐Wen
Published: June 2015

Muscle food is one of the most perishable food products because of its vulnerability to microbial spoilage, which can result in critical food safety problems. Traditional techniques for detection and evaluation of microbial spoilage in muscle foods are tedious, laborious, destructive, and time‐consuming. In recent years, spectroscopic and imaging technologies have shown great potentials for the assessment of food quality and safety due to their nondestructive, noninvasive, cost‐effective, and rapid responsive nature. This review focuses on the applications of several valuable spectroscopic techniques including visible and near‐infrared spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and hyperspectral imaging for the rapid and nondestructive detection of microbial spoilage in common muscle foods such as meat, poultry, fish, and related products. Combined with chemometric analysis, such as spectral preprocessing and modeling methods, these potential technologies have been successfully developed for the determination of total viable count, aerobic plate count, Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas, Escherichia coli, and lactic acid bacteria loads in muscle foods. Moreover, the advantages and disadvantages of these techniques are discussed and some perspectives about future trends are also presented.
A Matter of Judgment: Politics, Law and the Trial of Bishop Thomas Watson
Authors: Paley Ruth
Published: June 2015

Thomas Watson's controversial expulsion from the bishopric of St David's – and hence from the house of lords – after a long and bitterly‐fought series of legal actions, raised fundamental and difficult questions about the right to control membership of the house of lords and about the relationship between politics and the law, as well as between church and state. This article explores both the local and the national political contexts that prompted Watson's ordeal, suggesting that subsequent demonisation by Gilbert Burnet has obscured the extent to which Watson was the casualty of William III's determination to cow his political opponents. It concludes that Watson was marked out for opprobrium precisely because, like Sir John Fenwick, his political and social insignificance enabled him to be victimised without risking a backlash of opposition from the social and political elite.