bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Kennan, “Universalism,” and the Truman Doctrine
Authors: Frazier Robert
Published: May 2009

Two key documents in 1947—the speech proclaiming the Truman Doctrine and George F. Kennan's “The Sources of Soviet Conduct” article—ushered in a new U.S. foreign policy aimed at containing the Soviet Union. The Truman administration's request for aid to Greece and Turkey envisaged a global approach, albeit a qualified one. Kennan's article included a call for pressure on the Soviet Union at every opportunity and in every quarter. Two decades later, Kennan repudiated the literal wording of his own article and claimed, inaccurately, that he had disapproved of the Truman Doctrine when he saw it in draft. A close examination of both documents suggests that the Truman Doctrine was never intended as a “universalist” call to action and that Kennan's article, despite its expansive phrasing, was also more limited in its aims than often thought.
A Comparative Analysis of Traditional and Modern Modes of Religious Preaching
Authors: Hashemi Seyed Zeia , Yeganeh Mohammad Reza Javadi
Published: May 2009

Religious preaching is a means for the transfer of religious messages and to
create and modify the attitudes and trends of followers. Transferring a
message is achieved either on a macro level or on a micro level. The latter
can be conveyed face-to-face while media often present the former directly
or indirectly. Traditional preaching has been functional in traditional
societies and in that it has been able to affect emotions and minds and
through forming a social and communication network, has directed the
religious society. In this method, speech holds the religious message; but
the preacher also conveys religious emotions and feelings and because there
is mostly face-to-face communication, human relations are formed among the
audience. However, the modern media preaching, although more widespread, is
less profound, usually causing no direct feedback while communicating with
the audience who may not know each other. Thus, in spite of enjoying a
larger audience and a variety of attractive methods, it seems it cannot
build a recognizable human and communication network in the short term and
may not be able to affect human and religious emotions in a deep and lasting
way. Based on the above, it appears that contemplating the methods to apply
the modern media to preach religion (emphasizing the believers' concerns and
sensitivities), revising these methods (to make them suited to the
believers' concerns and sensitivities), and theorizing for the new
conditions of the religious society based on the capabilities of the modern
media, are among the crucial issues.
The Media Rituals: The Relationship between Media and Religion
Authors: Khojastea Hassan , Kalantarib Abdolhosein
Published: May 2009

What is the relationship between religion and modern media? Are the media in
essence anti-religion and a means to remove religion? Or are they a neutral
means that can also be in the service of religion? Such questions fall under
the category of the relationship between religion, modernization, and the
nature of modernization, about which there can be found a rich literature in
Iran. As far as the relationship between religion and modernization is
concerned, two related approaches can be followed: 1) an
historical-sociological approach and 2) a philosophical approach. Under the
influence of either approach one would face a spectrum of opinions which, on
the one hand, lead to “technological dogmatism” and, on the other, lead to
“instrumentalization”. To decide which of these opinions to accept depends
upon our historical situation (our destiny) and our definition of
dichotomous sides (religion and media), as well as on our
historical-sociological and philosophical reasoning in this matter. This
article deals with these points. Since the national media attempts to act
upon the implications expected by modern media within the framework of moral
criteria and religious recommendation, then we will turn to this fundamental
question: How can religious matters be addressed in the public media, so as
to be able to involve a passive audience that is supposedly not the
addressee of the message, and turn him or her into an active audience? In
this regard, taken from the media experiences both in Iran and around the
world, first the characteristics of “religious media” will be offered. Then
a pattern for media rituals will be introduced and experimentally (as a case
study) studied through some examples in Iranian society, and next the need
for a more exact planning will be tapped. Finally the necessary conditions
to develop such rituals in the national media will be dealt with.
Hollywood Mission: America the New Israel
Authors: Yazdi Mohammad Rezaie
Published: May 2009

This article centres on the fact that American politicians tend to introduce America as “the New Israel.” By adherence to the religious beliefs, they identify themselves as the chosen nation. The substantial question is how the movies with so wide a range of popular viewers would reflect the new American religion. One of the ways to answer this question is to overview the movies that take up the parallel between America and Israel. If America is the new Israel, then an American film about Israel is probably a film that is (indirectly) about America as well. This article centres on two movies to go along with its proposal: the Technicolor The Ten Commandments (Demille, 1995) and the animated feature The Prince of Egypt (Chapman et.al., 1998). The two movies compare America and Israel to pose the new American civil religion in the form of the old ones. Moreover, it bears on the historical importance of the equation between America and Israel. The movie — the modern media — has converted these themes to “Californication” values and effects. Hollywood mediates the new religion that, compared with the old religion, is quite individual and does not so much refer to the whole society.
Justice Anchored in Truth: A Theological Perspective on the Nature and Implementation of Justice
Authors: Lorenzen Thorwald
Published: May 2009

I propose that a theological perspective makes a constructive and creative contribution to the global struggle for justice. Christian theology recognizes other theories of justice, but at the same time suggests that the struggle for justice is enhanced by providing an ontological foundation for and specific content to justice. The Hebrew Bible, Jesus of Nazareth and the earliest Christian communities located justice in God and God's relationship to the world. Jesus' engagement for justice raised opposition and led to his crucifixion; yet, according to the biblical accounts God validated Jesus' vision by raising him from the dead, and God's Spirit keeps the story of Jesus alive in the world by empowering humans in their struggle for the implementation of justice.
A Flood of Justice: The Scope of Justice in the Flood Narrative (Gen. 6:5–9:19)
Authors: Clark Merilyn
Published: May 2009

The scope of justice in the Hebrew Bible is often human-centred. Humankind is given pre-eminence, and God's responses are judged according to human values. However the flood story in Gen. 6:5–9:19 offers a very different view of justice. It locates justice within a complex web of relationships between God, humans, other life-forms and the earth itself. The creator-otherness of God permeates the story. The justice codified in the Noahic covenant takes into account the differing natures and resultant vulnerabilities inherent in the relationships between these differing participants. It is a justice that accepts the human condition, the human capacity for evil, violence and corruption, but seeks to limit its propensity to corrupt creation through regulation and by ceding to humans the responsibility for policing these regulations.
Conflicting Decisions in International Arbitration
Authors: Viñuales Jorge , Spoorenberg Frank
Published: May 2009

There has been much discussion recently, both in academic and practitioner circles, about inconsistency in international arbitration. The debate has concentrated on specific topics such as contradictory arbitral awards, the precedential value of arbitral awards, the creation of an appeal system, or the need for increased transparency. The present study argues that such debate has overlooked the fact that some, and perhaps most, of the perceived problems are a reflection of the underlying values that make international arbitration appealing to international economic actors. Specifically, the authors argue that instead of concentrating on far-reaching reforms, commentators should focus on refining currently existing techniques to deal with conflicting decisions in international arbitration.
Bringing Claims and Enforcing International Arbitration Awards Against Sub-Saharan African States and Parties
Authors: Kirtley William Lawton
Published: May 2009

This article examines the difficulties inherent to enforcing ICC awards and other commercial awards against sub-Saharan African States or parties, as well as the difficulties of bringing claims and enforcing ICSID (or other treaty-based awards) against sub-Saharan African States in the context of investor/State disputes. It concludes by summarizing potential means for sub-Saharan African States to improve their international arbitration regimes and the enforcement of international arbitral awards in the region.
End-of-Life Decisions: A View from Ontario and Beyond
Authors: Zuckerberg Lewis Joaquin
Published: May 2009

This article is a comparative study of the law dealing with substitute decision making for incapable patients in end-of-life situations across Canadian provinces. In recent years, this issue has received growing consideration from judicial authorities in Canada and abroad. The article discusses the most significant decisions in Canada, with reference as well to leading cases in the UK, Germany and the US. Future policy and legislative options are discussed as well.
Advance Directives: Binding or Merely Indicative? Incoherence of the Portuguese National Council of Ethics for the Life Sciences and Insufficiencies of Newly Proposed Regulation
Authors: Pereira André
Published: May 2009

The Portuguese National Council of Ethics for the Life Sciences issued in 2005 two important Opinions concerning persistent vegetative state (PVS) and refusal of blood transfusions. The first one advocated that advance directives should be respected; however, the second Opinion considered them “merely indicative.” The different opinions of the National Council of Ethics reflect the difficulty of this matter.

Portugal ratified the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine, which states that advance directives “should be taken into consideration” (Art. 9) and in order to regulate this generic rule, the Portuguese Association on Bioethics proposed to the Parliament a draft-law, which aims to legalize advance directives (including “living will” and “health-care proxy”) and establish a National Registry of Advance Directives. This proposal clearly states that advance directives should be binding. However, some regulatory aspects, concerning the procedure that leads to the validity of a living will deserve further discussion. The Author argues in favour of a previous medical interview and a solemn formality in the case of binding advance directives, in order to assure the freedom and information of the refusal of treatment.
Conferral of Powers by States as a Basis of Obligation of International Organisations
Authors: Erne Jaanika
Published: May 2009

The article examines some traditional forms of conferral of powers on international organisations – by international treaties (“common” international treaties and constituent international treaties that can form the basis for further delegation) and for supranational law-making. The main conclusion is that although the agreed norms may be construed in the application processes, the formal determination of powers remains the formal basis of action.
Regionalism in the WTO and the Legal Status of a Development Agenda in the EU/ACP Economic Partnership Agreement
Authors: Hodu Yenkong Ngangjoh
Published: May 2009

The proliferation of regional trade agreements (RTAs) which share similar ideals with the World Trade Organization (WTO) has added to claims of disintegration within international trade law. Notwithstanding the ambiguity surrounding the reading of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) Article XXIV on RTAs, WTO members are continuously negotiating RTAs with objectives which have so far not received universal acceptance under the WTO treaty system. In the context of European Union (EU)-Africa trade relations, the December 2007 EU-Africa summit was expected to be an appropriate venue for leaders from both sides to resolve the controversy surrounding the idea of development-friendly free trade agreements between the contracting parties. But, the summit was wrapped up without achieving any clear answer to this issue. Similarly, at the multilateral level, i.e. the WTO Doha Development Round negotiations, which the EU and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States have sponsored, numerous development-friendly proposals on RTAs stalled since July 2006. Consequently, in view of this controversy, if development concerns can be factored into economic partnership agreements (EPAs), what would be an acceptable threshold for such RTAs to conform to GATT Article XXIV requirements of “substantially all trade” and “reasonable period of time”? This paper discusses the idea of development and WTO compatibility in the context of the EU-Africa Economic Partnership negotiations. In view of the flawed dispute settlement provisions under the Cotonou Partnership Agreement (CPA), the paper further tries to answer the question of whether the CPA contains rights and obligations that need protection by individual EU member courts and may necessarily be enforced before the European Court of Justice. The paper ends with some thoughts on the post-EPAs adjustment programme.
Slagmark
Authors: Marjanen Jani
Published: May 2009

In spring 2007, Slagmark, a Danish intellectual history journal devoted an entire issue to the growing field of the history of concepts (in Danish, begrebshistorie), thus contributing to the international reception of German Begriffsgeschichte. As an attempt to reintroduce conceptual history to an audience of intellectual historians in Denmark, the compilation is worth a closer look. Th e volume focuses primarily on theoretical issues and on the work of Reinhart Koselleck. Strikingly, compared to the empirically-oriented Swedish introductory volume, Trygghet och äventyr (2005), edited by Bo Lindberg, and the extensive volume, Käsitteet liikkeessä (2003), produced by a group of Finnish scholars, the Danish volume concentrates on Koselleck’s work per se rather than on its various applications in different national contexts. In fact, only one of the articles in the volume addresses historical uses of concepts, namely a Danish translation of Koselleck’s “Zur antropologischen und semantischen Strukur der Bildung,” first published as an introductory article in Bildungsbürgertum im 19. Jahrhundert II (1990), and republished in the collected volume Begriff sgeschichten (2006).
The Relationship Between Adolescents’ Experience of Family Violence and Dating Violence
Authors: Laporte Lise , Depeng Jiang  , Pepler Debra J. , Chamberland Claire
Published: May 2009

This study examines whether experiences of familial victimization and aggression are potential risk factors for dating violence in male and female teenage relationships. The authors compare 471 adolescents aged 12 to 19 in the care of a youth protection agency and from a community sample. Results show that adolescents carry negative childhood experiences of family violence into their intimate relationships in different ways, depending on gender and level of risk. Female adolescents who had been victimized by either of their parents were at greater risk for revictimization, but not aggression, within their dating relationships. High-risk adolescent males who reported childhood victimization were at a particularly high risk of being aggressive toward their girlfriends, especially if they were harshly disciplined by their father. The extent of aggression toward parents predicted aggression toward dating partners, particularly for girls. The authors discuss these findings in terms of prevention and early intervention efforts.
An attachment and behavioral systems perspective on social support
Authors: Mikulincer Mario , Shaver Phillip R.
Published: May 2009

In this article we explain how attachment theory characterizes the seeking, receipt, and provision of social support. In the first section, we explain attachment theory's perspective on support-seeking (or attachment behavior) and support-provision (or caregiving behavior). In the second section, we discuss what has been learned about attachment-style differences in perceived support, seeking support, and providing support. In the third section, we consider the empirically documented psychological benefits of receiving support, which we summarize in terms of a broaden-and-build cycle of attachment security. Throughout the article we offer several avenues for future research that can advance our understanding of the cognitive-affective and neural mechanisms underlying social support and the psychological benefits of supportive experiences.
Challenges in conceptualizing social support
Authors: Vangelisti Anita L.
Published: May 2009

Although research on social support has generated findings that are key to the study of social and personal relationships, scholars have yet to deal with a number of conceptual issues that affect how social support is defined and measured. Research on hurt feelings provides some interesting insights concerning the conceptualization of support. Based on this research, as well as a review of the literature on social support, the current article describes several issues that scholars ought to consider as they conceptualize, evaluate, and study social support processes.
Rural geography: blurring boundaries and making connections
Authors: Woods Michael
Published: May 2009

A number of commentaries and articles have been published in recent years reflecting on the nature, history and practice of rural geography. The introspective mood follows a period in which rural geography has been widely considered to have been resurgent, but indicates concerns about the unevenness of progress in rural geography, and about the readiness of the subdiscipline to address new challenges. This article, the first of three progress reports on rural geography, focuses on attempts within these interventions to rethink the boundaries of rural geography and its connections with other fields of study. First, it examines renewed debates on the definition and delimitation of the rural, including efforts to rematerialize the rural. Second, it considers the rejuvenation of work on rural—urban linkages, including concepts of city regions, exurbanization and rurbanity. Third, it discusses the interdisciplinary engagement of rural geographers, including collaboration with physical and natural scientists.
Geographies of circulation and exchange: constructions of markets
Authors: Berndt Christian , Boeckler Marc
Published: May 2009

Although markets are at centre stage in capitalist processes of circulation and exchange, they have rarely been made an object of study. In this paper we distinguish three heterodox approaches. (1) Socioeconomics points out that concrete markets cannot be separated from their social context. Markets are dissolved in social networks and socialized. (2) Political economy investigates how the market model is confused for real markets by market participants. The market is represented as a destructive force. (3) Cultural economists point to the practical self-realization of economic knowledge and argue that the abstract market model is performative.
Geographies of production III: knowledge, cultural economies and work (revisited)
Authors: Reimer Suzanne
Published: May 2009

The economic geographical literature continues to display a strong continuity of emergent themes. Assessments of knowledge, learning and innovation as well as cultural industries and the cultural economy have continued to attract significant attention. There also has been ongoing interest in work and employment dynamics, with a particular emphasis on the complex ‘intersectionality’ of subjects positioned by class as well as gender, race and other dimensions of identity. The paper concludes with a brief assessment of future directions which the study of geographies of production might take.
Sources of Polarization of Income and Wealth: Offshore Financial Centers
Authors: Larudee Mehrene
Published: May 2009

One cause of increasing polarization of income and wealth in the United States has been the shift in taxation, with corporate income tax revenues declining and individual income tax revenues rising as a share of total tax revenues. This change flows in part from a rise in the use of tax haven services by the wealthy and by corporations, as well as in innovation in the types of services tax havens provide. Available evidence shows that tax havens hold at least $10 trillion in assets, are used by a majority of large corporations, and account for lost tax revenue of hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Economic data are likely distorted by transfer pricing of activities related to tax havens, including exports and imports, value added, productivity, profit, current account balances, and the nature and size of investment flows across borders. This and other research questions should be near the top of the agenda for radical political economists.
Does Cognitive Ability Explain Inaccuracy in Older Adults’ Self-Reported Medication Adherence?
Authors: McDonald-Miszczak Leslie , Neupert Shevaun D. , Gutman Gloria
Published: May 2009

This study examines the accuracy of younger-old and older-old adults’ self-reported adherence over a 3-month period and the potential interactive relationship between self-report accuracy and cognitive abilities. For 3 months, 71 younger-old ( M = 68.10, range = 57 to 74) and 62 older-old ( M = 80.31, range = 75 to 89) adults had their actual and self-reported adherence monitored. Cognitive tests assessing episodic and prospective memory were given at the beginning of the study. Multilevel models indicate that 32% of the variability in objective adherence was from between-person differences whereas 68% was from within-person fluctuations. There were age differences in the coupling of actual and self-reported adherence over time, such that younger-old adults’ self-reports less accurately reflected their actual adherence. Subsequent models indicate that age differences in the coupled relationship were further moderated by cognitive abilities. Results suggest that the relationships among age, cognitive abilities, and accuracy of self-reported adherence are far from simple.
Against NGOs?
Authors: Srinivas Nidhi
Published: May 2009

Through a review of two bodies of critical literature, within management studies and development studies respectively, the implications of a critical perspective for our understanding of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is presented.
Dynamic Behavior of Structure-mounted Disk-shape Piezoelectric Sensors Including the Adhesive Layer
Authors: Dugnani Roberto
Published: May 2009

Piezoelectric (PZT) transducers are commonly used for numerous diagnostic techniques for nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of structures. Researchers in the past have shown that the presence of an adhesive layer between the PZT patch and the structure could have a significant impact both on the amplitude of the wave propagated into the structure and on its Electromechanical impedance (EMI) signature. To account for losses, models have been developed to describe the effects of the adhesive layer. Nonetheless, the models found in the literature are strictly valid for either 1D or rectangular PZT patches only. The aim of this article is to develop a dynamic model for a disk, PZT patch connected to a structure by means of a thin adhesive layer. Unlike previous works, it was found that for disk-shape sensors the effect of the adhesive layer is frequency dependent and that the losses due to the shear deformation of the adhesive layer for the case near the first radial resonant mode were considerably lower than for the quasi-static case. In order to validate the model developed in this article, experimental data are compared to the predicted EMI signatures of disk-shape sensors mounted on a structure for various configurations.
Design and Testing of Piezoelectric Circular Arc Driver
Authors: Smithmaitrie P. , Muensit S. , Tzou H.S.
Published: May 2009

A piezoelectric circular arc driver designed for a piezoelectric circular arc motor is presented in this study. The design of the piezoelectric circular arc driver and its control electronics are proposed. The system governing equations, vibration behavior, and wave propagation are investigated. Then, a finite element model is developed to analyze the vibration characteristics of the arc driver. After that, a physical model of the piezoelectric circular arc driver is built and tested to demonstrate that the design of the circular arc motor is feasible. Fabrication of the piezoelectric circular arc driver and its implementation are discussed, followed by testing of the conceptual model. The demonstrations show that the circular arc motor performs as expected. Experimental data of the physical circular arc motor are compared with the finite element results. The operating frequency of the conceptual driver is comparable with the finite element result.
Static, Dynamic, and Free Vibration Analysis of Functionally Graded Piezoelectric Panels Using Finite Element Method
Authors: Behjat Bashir , Salehi Manouchehr , Sadighi Mojtaba , Armin Ahad , Abbasi Mostafa
Published: May 2009

In this article, analysis of the static bending, free vibration, and dynamic response of functionally graded piezoelectric panels have been carried out by finite element method under different sets of mechanical, thermal, and electrical loadings. The temperature field is assumed to be of uniform distribution over the panel surface and through the thickness of panel. The governing equations are obtained using potential energy and Hamilton’s principle based on the first-order shear deformation theory that includes thermo-piezoelectric effects. The finite element model is derived on the basis of constitutive equation of piezoelectric material accounting for coupling between elasticity and electric effect by four node elements. The present finite element is modeled with displacement components and electric potential as nodal degrees of freedom. The temperature field is calculated by post-computation through constitutive equation. Results are presented for two constituent FGPM panels under different mechanical boundary conditions. Numerical results for PZT-4/PZT-5H panels are given in both dimensionless tabular and graphical forms. Effects of material composition and boundary conditions on static bending, free vibration, and dynamic response are also studied. The numerical results obtained by the present model are in good agreement with the available solutions reported in the literature.
Developing Performance Management Competence
Authors: Mumford Troy V.
Published: May 2009

The ability to competently manage employee performance is critical for students graduating with degrees in management. This article provides a competency development exercise (CDE) for use in graduate and undergraduate management courses to increase students’ performance management competence. The CDE includes providing employee feedback, disciplining employees, and conducting termination meetings. Procedures and assessment tools are provided for utilizing the exercise in conjunction with video technology and multisource feedback. In addition, guidance is given for adapting and condensing the CDE from 3-6 hr to 30-60 min. Finally, data are presented showing that the exercise significantly affected students’ performance management competence.
GABA Vesicles at Synapses: Are There 2 Distinct Pools?
Authors: Hablitz John J. , Mathew Seena S. , Pozzo-Miller Lucas
Published: May 2009

Fast synaptic inhibition in the neocortex is mediated by the neurotransmitter GABA, acting on GABA A receptors. Neurotransmitters, including GABA, are stored in synaptic vesicles at presynaptic nerve terminals. A long-held assumption has been that evoked and spontaneous neurotransmissions draw on the same pools of vesicles. We review the evidence from FM1-43 studies supporting the contention that at least 2 distinct pools of GABA vesicles are present at inhibitory synapses in the rat neocortex. FM1-43 uptake during spontaneous vesicle endocytosis labels a vesicle pool within neocortical inhibitory nerve terminals that is released much more slowly (“reluctant” pool) than those vesicles loaded by electrical stimulation of afferent fibers or hyperkalemic solutions. These multiple pools may play diverse roles in such processes as long-term depression and/or potentiating of inhibitory synaptic transmission, homeostatic plasticity of inhibitory activity, or developmental changes in inhibitory synaptic transmission.
Cortical Changes Following Spinal Cord Injury with Emphasis on the Nogo Signaling System
Authors: Endo Toshiki , Tominaga Teiji , Olson Lars
Published: May 2009

After spinal cord injury, structural as well as functional modifications occur in the adult CNS. Sites of plastic changes include the injured spinal cord itself as well as cortical and subcortical structures. Previously, cortical reorganization in response to sensory deprivation has mainly been studied using peripheral nerve injury models, and has led to a degree of understanding of mechanisms underlying reorganization and plastic changes. Deprivation or damage-induced CNS plasticity is not always beneficial for patients, and may underlie the development of conditions such as neuropathic pain and phantom sensations. Therefore, efforts not only to enhance, but also to control the capacity of plastic changes in the CNS, are of clinical relevance. Novel methods to stimulate plasticity as well as to monitor it, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation and functional magnetic resonance imaging, respectively, may be useful in diverse clinical situations such as spinal cord injury and stroke. Here, human and animal studies of spinal cord injury are reviewed, with special emphasis on the contribution of the Nogo signaling system to cortical plasticity.
How Humans Count: Numerosity and the Parietal Cortex
Authors: Piazza Manuela , Izard Véronique
Published: May 2009

Numerosity (the number of objects in a set), like color or movement, is a basic property of the environment. Animal and human brains have been endowed by evolution by mechanisms based on parietal circuitry for representing numerosity in an highly abstract, although approximate fashion. These mechanisms are functional at a very early age in humans and spontaneously deployed in the wild by animals of different species. The recent years have witnessed terrific advances in unveiling the neural code(s) underlying numerosity representations and showing similarities as well as differences across species. In humans, during development, with the introduction of symbols for numbers and the implementation of the counting routines, the parietal system undergoes profound (yet still largely mysterious) modifications, such that the neural machinery previously evolved to represent approximate numerosity gets partially “recycled” to support the representation of exact number.
Applying Benner's Model to Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Self-Ratings of Role Competence
Authors: Alber Lynette , Augustus Leslie , Hahn Shauna , Penkert John , Sauer Rebecca , DeSocio Janiece
Published: May 2009

BACKGROUND: Cross-sectional survey research elicited self-perceptions of role competence from practicing psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNPs) and new PMHNP graduates.OBJECTIVES: Examine relationships between PMHNP perceptions of competence, prior basic-level nursing experience, and years of PMHNP practice.STUDY DESIGN: Self-ratings of competence were elicited by a questionnaire designed from Benner's model. The relationship between prior nursing experience and perceptions of competence was examined by chi-square analysis. Changes in PMHNP competence rankings over years of practice were examined with Kruskal—Wallis and Mann—Whitney procedures.RESULTS: Self-perceptions of competence increased in seven role dimensions as PMHNPs progressed through years of practice (p < .000). Gains in perceptions of competence occurred between career entry and 3 to 5 years of practice in all but one role dimension. Prior nursing experience did not significantly increase perceptions of competence among PMHNP graduates. CONCLUSIONS: Self-perceptions of competence progressively and significantly increased over years of PMHNP practice among participants in this study.
Effect Size in Psychiatric Evidence-Based Practice Care
Authors: Rice Michael J.
Published: May 2009

Developing evidence-based practice skills requires a familiarity with the language and terminology of clinical research. Few articles discuss concepts, such as effect size, that must be understood to determine if the findings of studies are clinically meaningful. Clinically meaningful results of studies are determined by the effect size of an intervention. The effect size of an intervention, such as cognitive—behavioral therapy, can be calculated from the findings of different studies using different designs and populations. However, the determination and use of an effect size is important to clinicians using research findings to guide practice.
The Relationship Between Sex Offender Registry Utilization and Awareness
Authors: Kernsmith Poco D. , Comartin Erin , Craun Sarah W. , Kernsmith Roger M.
Published: May 2009

Although registries of convicted sexual offenders are widely popular, little is known about the impact of the policies. The goal of this research was to measure one aspect of the impact of registry policies: patterns of usage of publicly available registries. Using a computer-assisted telephone survey, Michigan residents were questioned about their utilization of the sex offender registry and whether they believed any sex offenders lived in their community. The authors found that few respondents had looked at the registry. Reasons respondents provided for nonuse included lack of interest in the registry, living in a “safe” area, and not having children. Although it was found that registry use was related to awareness of offenders in the community, after viewing the registry, nearly half of the survey participants still believed no offenders lived in the community. Logistic regression was used to predict both registry use and awareness of offenders in the community.
Trends in Industry Supervisors’ Feedback On Business Communication Internships
Authors: Sapp David Alan , Zhang Qin
Published: May 2009

The purpose of this empirical study is to explore expectations of industry insiders and identify how student interns are performing in relation to those expectations as defined by 11 performance areas. The results of a survey of 238 industry supervisors were collected over a 5-year period in the departments of English and communication at a private university in the Northeast. While the results suggest that student interns tend to meet their supervisors’ expectations in many areas, performance categories such as initiative, writing skills, and oral communication skills require increased attention in the ways we prepare students for their internships and post-graduation employment and, perhaps, the ways we help onsite supervisors develop expectations for and evaluate our interns.
Multiple sclerosis in China—history and future
Authors: Cheng Q , Cheng X-J , Jiang G-X
Published: May 2009

Background

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is considered rare in China and reports on MS in the English literature are few.

Methods

A systematic literature search for articles with MS was made, particularly for papers published in the Chinese medical journals from mainland China.

Results

In China, the first case of MS was described in the medical records from Xiehe hospital in 1926, and the first autopsy case of MS was reported from Huashan hospital in 1957. Although reports on MS based on the information from hospital case-series have been increased gradually in the recent decades, there is no national surveillance on MS frequency in the population and population-based surveys on MS were few in China. Generally for Chinese patients with MS the mean age at onset of MS is around 30 years, with a few cases younger than 20 years; the most frequent site of the lesions in the central nervous system, based on the clinical symptoms or signs, is the spinal cord (usually more than 60%); there are few patients with a family history of MS; almost all patients are treated with corticosteroids. Reported prevalence rates of MS from population surveys in China are rather low (1–2 per 100,000) and higher in females than in males, which are comparable with the results from other populations in Asia.

Conclusion

The clinical and epidemiological aspects of MS in China are, in general, similar to that from other populations in Asia. Epidemiological studies and national surveillance on MS are required in China.
Different white matter lesion characteristics correlate with distinct grey matter abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis
Authors: Furby J , Hayton T , Altmann D , Brenner R , Chataway J , Smith KJ , Miller DH , Kapoor R
Published: May 2009

Background

Although MRI measures of grey matter abnormality correlate with clinical disability in multiple sclerosis, it is uncertain whether grey matter abnormality measured on MRI is entirely due to a primary grey matter process or whether it is partly related to disease in the white matter.

Methods

To explore potential mechanisms of grey matter damage we assessed the relationship of white matter T2 lesion volume, T1 lesion volume, and mean lesion magnetisation transfer ratio (MTR), with MRI measures of tissue atrophy and MTR in the grey matter in 117 subjects with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.

Results

Grey matter fraction and mean grey matter MTR were strongly associated with lesion volumes and lesion MTR mean ( r = ±0.63–0.72). In contrast, only weak to moderate correlations existed between white matter and lesion measures. In a stepwise regression model, T1 lesion volume was the only independent lesion correlate of grey matter fraction and accounted for 52% of the variance. Lesion MTR mean and T2 lesion volume were independent correlates of mean grey matter MTR, accounting for 57% of the variance.

Conclusions

Axonal transection within lesions with secondary degeneration into the grey matter may explain the relationship between T1 lesions and grey matter fraction. A parallel accumulation of demyelinating lesions in white and grey matter may contribute to the association of T2 lesion volume and lesion MTR with grey matter MTR.
Erythrocyte membrane fatty acids in patients with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Hon GM , Hassan MS , van Rensburg SJ , Abel S , Marais DW , van Jaarsveld P , Smuts CM , Henning F , Erasmus RT , Matsha T
Published: May 2009

Background

Reports on fatty acids levels in multiple sclerosis remain inconclusive.

Objective

To determine the erythrocyte membrane fatty acid levels in multiple sclerosis patients and correlate with Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale.

Methods

Fatty acid composition of 31 multiple sclerosis and 30 control individuals were measured by gas chromatography.

Results

The membrane phosphatidylcholine C20:4 n – 6 concentration was lower in the multiple sclerosis patients when compared to that of the control group, P = 0.04 and it correlated inversely with the EDSS and FSS.

Conclusion

Decrease in C20:4 n – 6 in the erythrocyte membrane could be an indication of depleted plasma stores, and a reflection of disease severity.
National indicators of child health and well-being in Greenland
Authors: Niclasen Birgit , Köhler Lennart
Published: May 2009

Aims: The aim of the study was to identify core indicators of children's health and well-being at the national level, adapt them to the needs of children in Greenland, and present empirical data about them. Methods: The indicators were based on the actual knowledge about the health of children in Greenland, on the goals identified in the National Public Health Strategy and in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as on experiences from international studies. Criteria to determine quality and relevance were identified. Results: It is proposed that the 28 core indicators of child health that fulfilled the selected criteria be implemented immediately and that another 25 indicators be implemented later. Data showed that large subgroups of children are vulnerable because of their socioeconomic and demographic conditions, that morbidity associated with health behaviour and mortality was high, and that at-risk health behaviour was frequent compared to children in the other Nordic countries. Conclusions: The carefully selected indicators could be powerful tools in monitoring core issues in children's health and the factors influencing it. They are also a necessary starting point for determining the outcomes of the country's health and welfare policies. Although relevant indicators were identified, a lack of both validated data sources and routine data collections was obvious. Data on the proposed indicators showed many affected children in Greenland.
Exploring Women’s Perceptions About Their Role in Supporting Partners’ and Sons’ Reproductive Health Care
Authors: Marcell Arik V. , Howard Terry Lee , Plowden Keith , Watson Catherine
Published: May 2009

Women serve as important health information sources for young men. No previous study has explored women’s perceptions about this role related to young men’s sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care. Twenty African American women recruited from two clinics participated in three focus groups to explore perceptions to engage young men in SRH care. Themes were identified that may facilitate and/or hinder women to engage young men in SRH care: 1) communication/actions to provide support; 2) challenges in providing support; 3) traditional gender role perceptions and other access barriers; and 4) motivation, influence and control. Participants were interested and willing to support young men’s SRH including sharing information about clinics (95%), making appointments (90%), going to visits together (90%), and having joint appointments (67%). Findings provide a foundation for programs interested to engage women as health promotion agents to improve young men’s SRH care access. Future efforts should explore the generalizability of study findings.
Skilled, Loyal, and Disciplined
Authors: de Albuquerque Afonso , Roxo da Silva Marco Antonio
Published: May 2009

From the 1950s to the 1970s, during the peak of the cold war, communist journalists had a significant presence in Brazilian conservative papers. They even held high-ranking positions. Newspaper owners were aware of their political orientations, but they did not seem concerned. In fact, some of those communist journalists enjoyed high professional prestige. An unusual symbiotic relationship has developed between conservative publishers and their communist employees. This article discusses such relationship in light of the modernization of Brazilian newspapers that started in the 1950s. To modernize their newspapers, publishers needed to rely on journalists' ability to deal with the news as a technical, industrial product. Journalists with communist sympathies provided skilled work and were willing to be loyal and disciplined in the newsrooms. They had their own reasons for working in the “big press.” The American rhetoric of professional journalism provided a common language for communist journalists and conservative publishers to work together. The Brazilian case has important lessons for analyzing the adaptation of the American model of professional journalism in different national settings.
HIV-1–infected dendritic cells show 2 phases of gene expression changes, with lysosomal enzyme activity decreased during the second phase
Authors: Harman Andrew N. , Kraus Marianne , Bye Chris R. , Byth Karen , Turville Stuart G. , Tang Owen , Mercier Sarah K. , Nasr Najla , Stern Josh L. , Slobedman Barry , Driessen Christoph , Cunningham Anthony L.
Published: May 2009

Dendritic cells (DCs) play a key role in the pathogenesis of HIV infection. HIV interacts with these cells through 2 pathways in 2 temporal phases, initially via endocytosis and then via de novo replication. Here the transcriptional response of human DCs to HIV-1 was studied in these phases and at different stages of the virus replication cycle using purified HIV-1 envelope proteins, and inactivated and viable HIV-1. No differential gene expression was detected in response to envelope. However, more than 100 genes were differentially expressed in response to entry of viable and inactivated HIV-1 in the first phase. A completely different set of genes was differentially expressed in the second phase, predominantly in response to viable HIV-1, including up-regulation of immune regulation genes, whereas genes encoding lysosomal enzymes were down-regulated. Cathepsins B, C, S, and Z RNA and protein decreased, whereas cathepsin L was increased, probably reflecting a concomitant decrease in cystatin C. The net effect was markedly diminished cathepsin activity likely to result in enhanced HIV-1 survival and transfer to contacting T lymphocytes but decreased HIV-1 antigen processing and presentation to these T cells.
The NKG2D ligand ULBP4 binds to TCRγ9/δ2 and induces cytotoxicity to tumor cells through both TCRγδ and NKG2D
Authors: Kong Yan , Cao Wei , Xi Xueyan , Ma Chi , Cui Lianxian , He Wei
Published: May 2009

UL16-binding proteins (ULBPs) belong to a family of ligands for NKG2D activating receptor of human natural killer (NK) cells. We previously reported that RAET1E2, a soluble isoform of the RAET1E (ULBP4), inhibits NKG2D-mediated NK cytotoxicity. In this study, we examined whether ULBP4 could be recognized by γδT cells via TCRγδ. Here we show that immobilized soluble ULBP4 (rULBP4) induces the proliferation of human ovarian epithelial carcinoma– or colonic carcinoma–derived Vδ2+ T cells in vitro. These Vδ2+ T cells secrete Th1 cytokines and display a strong cytolytic activity toward ULBP4-transfected targets. We also show that ULBP4 binds to a soluble chimeric protein containing TCRγ9/δ2 and activates TCR− Jurkat T cells transfected with TCRγ9/δ2. Moreover, both TCRγδ and NKG2D are involved in ULBP4-induced activation and cytotoxicity of γδT cells. We found that ULBP4 is expressed not only on human tumor cells, but also on Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)–infected peripheral blood cells. Taken together, our data suggest that ULBP4 functions as a ligand for both TCRγδ and NKG2D and may play a key role in immune surveillance of tumor development and clearance of viral infection.