bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preoperative Posterior Leaflet Angle Accurately Predicts Outcome After Restrictive Mitral Valve Annuloplasty for Ischemic Mitral Regurgitation
Authors: Magne Julien , Pibarot Philippe , Dagenais François , Hachicha Zeineb , Dumesnil Jean G. , Sénéchal Mario
Published: February 2007

Background—

Ischemic mitral regurgitation (MR) often persists after restrictive mitral valve annuloplasty, in which case it is associated with worse clinical outcomes. The goal of the present study was to determine whether persistence of MR and/or clinical outcome could be predicted from preoperative analysis of mitral valve configuration.

Methods and Results—

In 51 consecutive patients undergoing restrictive annuloplasty for ischemic MR, posterior leaflet (PL) angle, anterior leaflet angle, coaptation distance, and tenting area were quantified by echocardiography before surgery (6±3 days), and MR severity was assessed before and early after surgery (9±4 days). Postoperatively, persistence of mild to moderate MR (vena contracta >3 mm) was observed in 11 (22%) of the patients. The best predictor of postoperative persistence of MR was a PL angle ≥45 degrees (sensitivity 100%, specificity 97%, positive predictive value 92%, negative predictive value 100%). Patients with persistent MR had markedly lower 3-year event-free survival (26±20%) compared with those with nonpersistent MR (75±12%,
P
=0.01). Preoperative presence of a PL angle ≥45 degrees also was associated with a markedly lower 3-year event-free survival (22±17% versus 76±12%;
P
<0.001).

Conclusions—

In patients undergoing restrictive annuloplasty for ischemic MR, persistence of MR and 3-year event-free survival can accurately be predicted by preoperative analysis of mitral valve configuration. Patients with a PL angle ≥45 degrees (ie, with high PL restriction) should thus be considered poor candidates for this procedure, and concomitant or alternative procedures should be contemplated.
An α1A-Adrenergic–Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase Survival Signaling Pathway in Cardiac Myocytes
Authors: Huang Yuan , Wright Casey D. , Merkwan Chastity L. , Baye Nichole L. , Liang Qiangrong , Simpson Paul C. , O’Connell Timothy D.
Published: February 2007

Background—

In α1-AR knockout (α1ABKO) mice that lacked cardiac myocyte α1-adrenergic receptor (α1-AR) binding, aortic constriction induced apoptosis, dilated cardiomyopathy, and death. However, it was unclear whether these effects were attributable to a lack of cardiac myocyte α1-ARs and whether the α1A, α1B, or both subtypes mediated protection. Therefore, we investigated α1A and α1B subtype–specific survival signaling in cultured cardiac myocytes to test for a direct protective effect of α1-ARs in cardiac myocytes.

Methods and Results—

We cultured α1ABKO myocytes and reconstituted α1-AR signaling with adenoviruses expressing α1-GFP fusion proteins. Myocyte death was induced by norepinephrine, doxorubicin, or H
2
O
2
and was measured by annexin V/propidium iodide staining. In α1ABKO myocytes, all 3 stimuli significantly increased apoptosis and necrosis. Reconstitution of the α1A subtype, but not the α1B, rescued α1ABKO myocytes from cell death induced by each stimulus. To address the mechanism, we examined α1-AR activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). In α1ABKO hearts, aortic constriction failed to activate ERK, and in α1ABKO myocytes, expression of a constitutively active MEK1 rescued α1ABKO myocytes from norepinephrine-induced death. In addition, only the α1A-AR activated ERK in α1ABKO myocytes, and expression of a dominant-negative MEK1 completely blocked α1A survival signaling in α1ABKO myocytes.

Conclusions—

Our results demonstrate a direct protective effect of the α1A subtype in cardiac myocytes and define an α1A-ERK signaling pathway that is required for myocyte survival. Absence of the α1A-ERK pathway can explain the failure to activate ERK after aortic constriction in α1ABKO mice and can contribute to the development of apoptosis, dilated cardiomyopathy, and death.
Increased Expression of Visfatin in Macrophages of Human Unstable Carotid and Coronary Atherosclerosis
Authors: Dahl Tuva B. , Yndestad Arne , Skjelland Mona , Øie Erik , Dahl Arve , Michelsen Annika , Damås Jan K. , Tunheim Siv H. , Ueland Thor , Smith Camilla , Bendz Bjørn , Tonstad Serena , Gullestad Lars , Frøland Stig S. , Krohg-Sørensen Kirsten , Russell David , Aukrust Pål , Halvorsen Bente
Published: February 2007

Background—

Although the participation of inflammation in atherogenesis is widely recognized, the identification of the different components has not been clarified. In particular, the role of inflammation in plaque destabilization is not fully understood.

Methods and Results—

Our main findings were as follows: (1) In a microarray experiment, we identified visfatin, one of the most recently identified adipokines, as a gene that was markedly enhanced in carotid plaques from symptomatic compared with plaques from asymptomatic individuals. This finding was confirmed when carotid plaques from 7 patients with asymptomatic and 14 patients with symptomatic lesions were examined with real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. (2) Immunohistochemistry showed that visfatin was localized in areas that were rich in lipid-loaded macrophages. (3) The relationship between visfatin and unstable lesions was also found in patients with coronary artery disease, demonstrating a strong visfatin immunostaining in lipid-rich regions within the material obtained at the site of plaque rupture in patients with acute myocardial infarction. (4) Both oxidized low-density lipoprotein and tumor necrosis factor-α increased visfatin expression in THP-1 monocytes, with a particularly enhancing effect when these stimuli were combined. (5) Visfatin increased matrix metalloproteinase-9 activity in THP-1 monocytes and tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-8 levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Both of these effects were abolished when insulin receptor signaling was blocked.

Conclusions—

Our findings suggest that visfatin should be regarded as an inflammatory mediator, localized to foam cell macrophages within unstable atherosclerotic lesions, that potentially plays a role in plaque destabilization.
The Rollback of Democracy in Russia after Beslan
Authors: Lemaître Roemer
Published: February 2007

This contribution analyzes the political and legal changes implemented after "Russia's 9/11". President Putin used Beslan as eyewash to further increase his powers and to suppress or co-opt all independent sources of power in state and society. It is argued that several aspects of these reforms are in breach of the Russian Constitution and violate Russia's obligations under international (human rights) law. The contribution discusses the abolition of direct elections of regional leaders and the far-reaching amendments to the parliamentary election system in clear favor of the pro-Kremlin parties. It describes the growing state tutelage of civil society through the creation of a Public Chamber, the increased legal scrutiny of the activities of domestic and foreign NGOs as well as the formation of a loyal vanguard youth movement that could ultimately be deployed to ward off an "orange" revolution. Finally, it assesses the legality of new counterterrorism measures and briefly refers to the bottlenecks in the administration of justice unearthed by the first judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in cases stemming from Chechnya.
The Challenge of the Pentecostals in Asia Part One: Pentecostal Movements in Asia
Authors: Prior John Mansford
Published: February 2007

Introduction by the Managing Editor: John Mansford Prior SVD wrote an essay for the Asian Convention of the Pontifical Council for Culture planned for Jogyakarta, Indonesia, in June 12-17, 2006. The essay starts with a survey of the Pentecostal and charismatic movements in five Asian countries. Subsequently Prior reviews a growing awareness of 'sects and new religious movements' in church documents. Then he looks at how social science understands the 'rise of the sects' before he takes up the pastoral challenge to link the dynamism of Pentecostal/charismatic movements with the social conscience of basic ecclesial communities. The editing board of Exchange was impressed by the content of the essay and considered it to be of great importance to the readership of the journal. However, the essay was too long to be published in one issue. Therefore it is decided to divide it into parts. The first part gives the overview of Pentecostal and charismatic movements in Asia and the second part deals with the reaction of the Asian mainline churches, in particular the Roman Catholic Church. Part two will be published in the next issue.
Shanti Sandesham, a New Jesus Film Produced in India: Indian Christology in Pictures
Authors: Bakker Freek
Published: February 2007

Since the middle of the 1970s at least three Jesus films have been released in India, the last one in 2004. This article offers an analysis of the two most circulating movies, KARUNA MAYUDU and SHANTI SANDESHAM. First, the focus is on the contents of the movies and the measure in which they reflect the contents of the gospels. Then attention is paid to their affinity with the Indian context and with the so-called Bollywood films. Finally the Christologies of these films are discussed and analysed. KARUNA MAYUDU seems to stand nearer to the gospels, but SHANTI SANDESHAM has a certain affinity with dalit theology.
'On the "Mountain" of the Lord' Healing Pilgrimages in Ghanaian Christianity
Authors: Asamoah-Gyadu J. Kwabena
Published: February 2007

In Ghana, as with other African religious and cultural contexts, religion is a survival strategy. It is a dynamic phenomenon, which at every level of appropriation has been experiencing certain innovations informed by existential and supra-mundane needs. Some of these innovative appropriations of religion in contemporary Ghana include pilgrimages to religious sites in search of God's intervention for healing. Roman Catholicism, mainline Protestantism and Pentecostalism, the three main streams of Christian expression in Ghana have all had their members develop penchants for such pilgrimages although patronage is never denomination specific. In this article we examine some of the innovative ways in which healing pilgrimages have developed in the various Christian traditions and what implications these have for understanding religion in a contemporary African religio-cultural context.
Porto Alegre 2006: Called to be the One Church: Ecumenism beyond its Crisis?
Authors: Houtepen Anton
Published: February 2007

From 9-23 February 2006 the World Council of Churches held its 9th Assembly in Porto Alegre, Brasil with the theme God, in your grace, transform the world. It gathered in an atmosphere of crisis in the ecumenical movement, caused by global political and religious developments, post-modern thinking on the value of plurality and difference and by the slow reception of ecumenical agreements. The Assembly, though, became a sign of hope beyond the ecumenical crisis. Its reflections and proposals on Globalisation and economic injustice, on Christian identity and religious plurality and on Church Unity and the Mission of the Church demonstrate a matured ecumenical and ecclesiological awareness, strengthened by a new method of decision-making by consensus. The document Called to be the one Church might be seen as the constitutional basis for a reconfiguration of the ecumenical movement and as a refinement of the Toronto Declaration of 1950. It formulates a matrix of catholicity and of a legitimate diversity of church forms within an essential convergence about its structures of continuity and mission.
When Did Norway and Denmark Get Distinctively Foreign Policies?
Authors: Neumann Iver B.
Published: February 2007

The emergence of the modern state and the European states system limned the inside of a state different from its outside. Inside the state, peace and progress could be furthered by means of disciplinary power, while outside the state, anarchy reigned. Academic disciplines such as political theory, International Relations and International History treat this divide as foundational, and so the knowledge they produce contributes to its reproduction. The article traces the emergence of the divide where Norway and Denmark are concerned through a reading of the concept of ‘realm’ ( rike), and asks when Norway evolved a foreign policy (as distinct from a non-discriminating foreign/domestic one). There are two extant views. A legal view starts from sovereignty and fixes the date at 1905, whereas a nationalistic view popular with historians treats it as originary to the political entity of Norway, which means that it may be dated back some thousand years or so. Treating discriminating institutions such as foreign ministries as preconditions for the existence of a permanent divide between inside and outside, the article suggests the end of the eighteenth century. One may speculate that the firming of the divide is related to the rise of nationalism, in which case it is not surprising that the two phenomena fade concurrently. Since Nordic cooperation stood out as a special phenomenon in international relations because of the particular way in which it handled the domestic/foreign divide, Nordic cooperation will lose its role as special in the degree to which the domestic/foreign divide becomes less foundational.
Strategizing in the multi-business firm: Strategy teams at multiple levels and over time
Authors: Paroutis Sotirios , Pettigrew Andrew
Published: February 2007

Strategy teams have received little attention in the strategic management literature. The goal of this article is to fill this theoretical and empirical gap by studying the practices of strategy teams. Drawing upon an in-depth longitudinal case study of a FTSE-100 multi-business firm and evidence from 36 interviews, this study points to the importance of both actions and interactions of corporate centre and business unit strategy teams during the strategy process. Our study also shows that acting and knowing of these teams is dynamic, collective and distributed within the multi-business firm across two interrelated levels: within the team and across teams, each involving both recursive and adaptive activities.Our article is divided into three parts. The first outlines the theoretical and methodological issues for studying the practice of strategy teams in multi-business firms. In the second, our empirical findings are reported. Finally, the third part presents our contributions and some implications for future research.
Making sense of different responses to corporate change
Authors: Stensaker Inger , Falkenberg Joyce
Published: February 2007

Organizations can respond to change in a number of ways such as by transforming the organization, by making symbolic changes, by customizing the change to better fit the context, or by corrupting the change and actually reinforcing status quo. In this article we compare how three business units respond to the same corporate change initiative.We traced organizational responses to change over time and found that responses to change initially varied across business units, but over time most organizational changes were customized to fit the business unit context. We argue that organizational-level responses and how these develop over time can be explained by examining individuals’ interpretative responses. Through inductive analysis we identify five interpretative responses at the individual level: convergent response, divergent response, unresolved sensemaking, creative response, and non-compliance, and show how these shape organizational-level responses.
Conceptual note: Exploring the cognitive significance of organizational strategizing: A dual-process framework and research agenda
Authors: Hodgkinson Gerard P. , Clarke Ian
Published: February 2007

The considerable volume of theory and research that has sought to illuminate the nature and significance of cognitive processes in strategy formulation and implementation represents but an important first step in the re-humanization of strategy research. In order to achieve the sorts of fine-grained analyses that will ultimately advance understanding of cognition in action, strategy researchers need to move beyond the static analysis of actors’ cognitive maps to a deeper understanding of what lies behind the actions of strategists as they engage with particular strategy practices in their praxis. To accomplish this key goal, strategy researchers need to become more reflective in their own practices, augmenting the observational and interview techniques advocated by various leading contributors to the strategy-as-practice (s-as-p) perspective with a profiling of the cognitive characteristics of strategists, based on psychometrically robust procedures. To this end, drawing on dual-process theories from cognitive psychology and social cognition, we outline a basic two-dimensional framework to inform the investigation of the impact of individual differences in cognitive style (analytical and intuitive approaches to the processing of information) on the observed behaviours of strategy workers in strategy-making episodes and consider its implications for the advancement of theory, research and practice.
Context representation for web search results
Authors: Vegas Jesús , Crestani Fabio , de la Fuente Pablo
Published: February 2007

Context has long been considered very useful to help the user assess the actual relevance of a document. In web searching, context can help assess the relevance of a web page by showing how the page is related to other pages in the same web site, for example. Such information is very difficult to convey and visualize in a user friendly way. In this paper we present the design, implementation and evaluation of a graphical visualization tool aimed at helping users to determine the relevance of a web page by displaying the structure of the web site the page belongs to. The results of an initial evaluation suggest that this visualization technique helps the user navigate large web sites and find useful information in an effective way, without increasing the cognitive load of the user.
Explicitness of local navigational links: comprehension, perceptions of use, and browsing behavior
Authors: Mobrand Kathryn A. , Spyridakis Jan H.
Published: February 2007

This study investigated the effect of explicitness of navigational links on comprehension, perceptions of use, and browsing behaviour in an informational web site. The purpose was to determine whether link explicitness would assist users in overcoming cognitive overload and disorientation. Subjects took a pre-knowledge survey, browsed web pages in one of four link explicitness conditions, and took a post-browsing survey on comprehension and perceptions of use. Link explicitness differentially affected the outcome measures. Organizationally explicit navigational links resulted in lower scores on the post-comprehension survey. A combined condition of semantically and organizationally explicit links resulted in subjects reporting that they followed more embedded links. Traditional links and semantically/organizationally explicit links resulted in subjects exploring more of the study web site. These results, together with subjects’ comments and webserver log files, indicate that navigational link labels clearly affect user performance - ambiguous link labels degrade comprehension and constrain browsing; traditional navigational links and links that provide dual signaling encourage broader sampling of a web site.
A hybrid approach to fuzzy name search incorporating language-based and text-based principles
Authors: Horng-Jyh Paul Wu , Jin-Cheon Na , Soo-Guan Christopher Khoo
Published: February 2007

Name Search is an important search function in various types of information retrieval systems, such as online library catalogs and electronic yellow pages. It is also difficult, because of the high degree of fuzziness required in matching name variants. Previous approaches to name search systems use ad hoc combinations of search heuristics. This paper first discusses two approaches to name modeling - the natural language processing (NLP) and information retrieval (IR) models - and proposes a hybrid approach. The approach demonstrates a critical combination of complementary NLP and IR features that produces more effective fuzzy name matching. Two principles, position-as-attribute and position-transition-likelihood, are introduced as the principles for integrating the advantageous aspects of both approaches. They have been implemented in an NLP- and IR-hybrid model system called Friendly Name Search (FNS) for real world applications in multilingual directory searches on the Singapore Yellow pages website.
Ownership and Performance of Professional Service Firms
Authors: Greenwood Royston , Deephouse David L. , Li Stan Xiao
Published: February 2007

Understanding the effects of ownership upon organizational performance is a well-established theme in organization theory, but comparison across ownership forms has been neglected. We develop hypotheses comparing public corporations, private corporations and partnerships and test them in a sample of large management consultancies. We find that private corporations and partnerships outperform public corporations. We attribute this difference to increased monitoring by owners and greater motivation by professional workers seeking ownership stakes. Contrary to Durand and Vargas (2003), we find that organizational complexity has neither a direct nor a moderating effect.
The Contribution of Business Associations to SMEs
Authors: Bennett Robert J. , Ramsden Mark
Published: February 2007

This article assesses the motives for membership of associations by established SMEs with one or more employee. The article concludes that membership motives span a complex ‘bundle’ of services, ranging from individual supports to collective lobbying. Bundling gives advantages of scale and scope to specialist providers, but also combines individual and collective benefits in order to mitigate the effects of free riding. Established SMEs also seem to look on associations, as a whole, as a bundle, belonging to an average of 1.85 associations per firm. There is some size segmentation of the association market, but, in general, size variation appears less important than the target markets which associations cover: the sector (trade and professional bodies), the locality (chambers of commerce), the specificness of the SME (such as FSB, FPB), or the role of the SME owner as director (such as IoD).
G. H. Mead: a system in a state of flux
Authors: da Silva Filipe Carreira
Published: February 2007

This article offers an original, intellectual portrait of G. H. Mead. My reassessment of Mead’s thinking is founded, in methodological terms, upon a historically minded yet theoretically oriented strategy. Mead’s system of thought is submitted to a historical reconstruction in order to grasp the evolution of his ideas over time, and to a thematic reconstruction organized around three major research areas or pillars: science, social psychology and politics. If one re-examines the entirety of Mead’s published and unpublished writings from the point of view of contemporary social and political theory, one can see that his contributions transcend the field of social psychology. Mead’s innovative insights on the communicative aspects of social life and individual conscience are yet to be fully explored by current social and political theorists. This is partly due to the fact that his was a system in a state of flux, ever escaping the final written form.
Finding Irène Némirovsky
Authors: Kershaw Angela
Published: February 2007

This article1 traces the construction of Irène Némirovsky's literary reputation in inter-war France, drawing on Bourdieu's notion of the literary field. It aims to go beyond the ethical interpretation of her life and work in relation to the Holocaust to examine both its aesthetic and its sociological significance in the inter-war period. The article first examines Némirovsky as a popular writer, showing how she succeeded in establishing herself as a commercially successful and critically acclaimed novelist. It then considers the relevance of her Russian origins and her Jewish identity to her literary production. It analyses the ways in which she drew on her Russian identity in order to locate her writing in relation to the inter-war French fascination with la mode russe. Finally, it addresses the existence of anti-Semitic stereotypes in Némirovsky's early work, approaching this problematic aspect of her textual production from a cultural rather than a psychological perspective.
Charlemagne's Crusaders
Authors: Shields J. G.
Published: February 2007

Military collaboration is one of the least acknowledged aspects of France under the Occupation. Yet from summer 1941 France raised a number of fighting units for Hitler's armies, each with its distinctive mission and each drawing the Vichy regime deeper into collaboration with Nazi Germany. This article discusses that process and its diverse implications. It shows how the Paris collaborationists used military engagement to pressure the Vichy government into more activist collaboration and explores the divergent perspectives in which this was viewed from Berlin, Paris and Vichy; it considers the mobilising myths, motivations and misapprehensions behind military collaboration; and it identifies some of the anomalies of that collaboration, with its reconceptualising of France and Other, friend and foe, belonging and alienation. Those French ‘patriots’ who fought in German uniform would become effective exiles from a homeland they departed to ‘defend’ only to see it ‘liberated’ by their ‘enemies’. Exposing the divisions and the delusions underlying military collaboration, the article sheds light on conflicting political calculations and shifting allegiances in occupied France.
From Christ-Killers to Christ-Figures
Authors: Hutton Margaret-Anne
Published: February 2007

This article focuses on contemporary (post-1980) popular French fiction which is set in the Occupation years and combines a war narrative with a romance element. It is suggested that while these texts acknowledge the iniquities of the Vichy regime by representing anti-semitic measures, acts and attitudes carried out at all levels, from state decree to individual prejudice, what is given with one hand might all too easily be taken away with the other. After a discussion of how instances of anti-semitism are represented–are they, and indeed should they be, overtly condemned?–the article suggests that Jewish characters are commonly represented in stereotypical terms, and furthermore routinely narratologically marginalised and instrumentalised. The representations of Jewish characters, the piece concludes, may well relate to perceived threats to the integrity of today's French Republic.
Coming to Terms with the Future
Authors: Welch Edward
Published: February 2007

This article examines Annie Ernaux's Journal du dehors (1993), and its representation of life in the New Towns which emerged on the outskirts of Paris in the post-war period. Revisiting the recent history of urban development around Paris, and in particular the Schéma directeur d'aménagement et d'urbanisme drawn up by Paul Delouvrier in 1965, it sets Ernaux's text in the context of other recent portrayals of life in the Parisian suburbs to argue that what seems at first to be a narrative of alienation, as the narrator is confronted by strange and threatening urban worlds, in fact emerges as one of adaptability, as we watch her become absorbed into the systems and networks designed by the planners. The text offers us a portrait of an individual who is not so much modern as modernised, as she gradually becomes accustomed–or more accurately, conditioned–to life in the New Town.
Governance and Susceptibility in Conflict Resolution: Possibilities Beyond Control
Authors: Brigg Morgan
Published: February 2007

Governmentality analysis offers a nuanced critique of informal western conflict resolution by arguing that recently emerged ‘alternatives’ to adversarial court processes both govern subjects and help to constitute rather than challenge formal regulation. However, this analysis neglects possibilities for transforming governance from within conflict resolution that are suggested by Foucault’s contention that there are no relations of power without resistances. To explore this lacuna, I theorize and explore the affective and interpersonal nature of governance in mediation through auto-ethnographic reflection upon mediation practice, and Levinas’s insights about the relatedness of selves. The article argues that two qualitatively different mediator capacities - technical ability and susceptibility - operate in concert to effect liberal governance. Occasionally though, difficulties and failures in mediation practice bring these capacities into tension and reveal the limits of governance. By considering these limits in mediation with Aboriginal Australian people, I argue that the susceptibility of mediator selves contains prospects for mitigating and transforming the very operations of power occurring through conflict resolution. This suggests options for expanded critical thinking about power relations operating through informal processes, and for cultivating a susceptible sensibility to mitigate liberal governance and more ethically respond to difference through conflict resolution.
Dutch Nurses’ Views on Codes of Ethics
Authors: Heymans Regien , van der Arend Arie , Gastmans Chris
Published: February 2007

This study explored the experiences and views of Dutch nurses on the content, function, dissemination and implementation of their codes of ethics. A total of 39 participants, who differed in age, qualifications, length of work experience and health care setting, took part in focus groups. The findings revealed common unfamiliarity with and a rather implicit use of codes, and negative comments on the growing number of codes available in the Netherlands. Limited dissemination, implementation and functioning of codes of ethics were also identified. The findings were discussed using concepts from the literature, nursing practice and personal experience.
Whistleblowing in Japan
Authors: Davis Anne J , Konishi Emiko
Published: February 2007

This article, written from research data, focuses on the possible meaning of the data rather than on detailed statistical reporting. It defines whistleblowing as an act of the international nursing ethical ideal of advocacy, and places it in the larger context of professional responsibility. The experiences, actions, and ethical positions of 24 Japanese nurses regarding whistleblowing or reporting a colleague for wrongdoing provide the data. Of these respondents, similar in age, educational level and clinical experience, 10 had previously reported another nurse and 12 had reported a physician for a wrongful act. These data raise questions about overt actions to expose a colleague in a culture that values group loyalty and saving face. Additional research is needed for an in-depth understanding of whistleblowing, patient advocacy and professional responsibility across cultures, especially those that value group loyalty, saving face and similar concepts to the Japanese Ishin Denshin, where the value is on implicit understanding requiring indirect communication. Usually, being direct and openly discussing sensitive topics is not valued in Japan because such behavior disrupts the most fundamental value, harmony (wa).
Human Dignity in Paediatrics: The Effects of Health Care
Authors: Lundqvist Anita , Nilstun Tore
Published: February 2007

Human dignity is grounded in basic human attributes such as life and self-respect. When people cannot stand up for themselves they may lose their dignity towards themselves and others. The aim of this study was to elucidate if dignity remains intact for family members during care procedures in a children’s hospital. A qualitative approach was adopted, using open non-participation observation. The findings indicate that dignity remains intact in family-centred care where all concerned parties encourage each other in a collaborative relationship. Dignity is shattered when practitioners care from their own perspective without seeing the individual in front of them. When there is a break in care, family members can restore their dignity because the interruption helps them to master their emotions. Family members’ dignity is shattered and remains damaged when they are emotionally overwhelmed; they surrender themselves to practitioners’ care, losing their self-esteem and self-respect.
Professional Ethics as an Important Factor in Clinical Competency in Nursing
Authors: Memarian Robabeh , Salsali Mahvash , Vanaki Zohreh , Ahmadi Fazlolah , Hajizadeh Ebrahim
Published: February 2007

It is imperative to understand the factors that influence clinical competency. Consequently, it is essential to study those that have an impact on the process of attaining clinical competency. A grounded theory approach was adopted for this study. Professional competency empowers nurses and enables them to fulfill their duties effectively. Internal and external factors were identified as affecting clinical competency. A total of 36 clinical nurses, nurse educators, hospital managers and members of the Nursing Council in Tehran participated in this research. Data were obtained by semistructured interviews. Personal factors and useful work experience were considered to be significant, based on knowledge and skills, ethical conduct, professional commitment, self-respect and respect for others, as well as from effective relationships, interest, responsibility and accountability. Effective management, education systems and technology were named as influential environmental factors. Personal and environmental factors affect clinical competency. Ethical persons are responsible and committed to their work, acquiring relevant work experience. A suitable work environment that is structured and ordered also encourages an ethical approach by nurses.
Charity financial reporting regulation: a comparative study of the UK and New Zealand
Authors: Cordery Carolyn J. , Baskerville Rachel F.
Published: February 2007

Charities are becoming more highly regulated worldwide and yet they are subject to diverse, country-specific, financial reporting standards. New Zealand is a jurisdiction that has treated all sectors alike in its approach to the financial regulation of charities, while the UK has, for some time, separated the regulation of charities from other entities. This article provides a comparison of the histories of the evolution of regulation for charity reporting in the UK and New Zealand. The current process of international harmonization in both jurisdictions is premised on the principle that accounting conceptual frameworks should not be jurisdiction-specific, but charities have proved to be an exception. We suggest in this study that this exception is attributed to different drivers resulting in regulatory distinctions in two otherwise similar jurisdictions. Without persisting in the maintenance of sector-neutrality, the inevitable divergence increases the load on preparers, attesters, and users and may lead to lower levels of accountability and transparency.
Minsky’s financial instability hypothesis, information asymmetry and accounting information: the UK financial crises of 1866 and 1987
Authors: Barnes Paul
Published: February 2007

This article examines two major events in the economic and financial history of the UK in terms of the financial instability hypothesis (FIH), a theory of boom, bust and financial crises. The first involves the rise of limited liability in the 1860s and its subsequent disgrace. The second involves the economic boom of the 1980s, the stock market crash, and the subsequent recession. It is shown that, while the FIH is underpinned by a microeconomic model of the financial management of a business, it does not recognize the differences between the company’s interests and those of its owners, the conflicts caused, the likelihood of informational asymmetry and its implications for accounting information. The article shows how in these two episodes the owners of companies may exploit their limited liability and informational asymmetry. Because the FIH does not consider these factors, it is incomplete both as an explanation and as a predictor of financial crises.
Spiritual Involvement as a Predictor to Completing a Salvation Army Substance Abuse Treatment Program
Authors: Wolf-Branigin Michael , Duke Jerry
Published: February 2007

This study investigates successful completion at a faith-based organization providing residential substance abuse treatment services. Method: The authors apply a complex systems paradigm using a single moderator variable. The participants are primarily African Americans and most have current criminal justice involvement. Probabilities of treatment program completion for participants active in spiritual activities versus similar participants not involved in these activities are calculated. Results: Participation in the spirituality component appears to provide a valuable attractor to treatment completion. Conclusions: In the past decade, evaluation methods have included the greater use of probabilistic approaches, most notably Bayesian inference. Findings suggest that this model, as applied to the complexities of a faith-based organization, is useful for understanding treatment completion.
The Spiritual Competence Scale: A New Instrument for Assessing Spiritual Competence at the Programmatic Level
Authors: Hodge David R.
Published: February 2007

Many minority adolescents in the United States today are at a high risk for truancy, dropout, and academic under-achievement. Truancy is related to a host of preceding and subsequent risks such as delinquency and limited vocational outcomes. Using participatory research methods, this federally funded, 10-month study assessed youths' perceptions of a publicly funded, faith-based, alternative education program with 73 minority youth participants who were at risk for truancy. The study assessed whether change occurred in peer dynamics, youths' use of time, and educational aspirations. The program was found to have a positive impact on peer dynamics and the use of both school hours and free time. The program supported or did not hamper educational aspiration. Implications about the impact of alternative education programs for at-risk youth and the faith-based nature of the program are discussed.
Evaluating the Capacity of Faith-Based Programs in Colorado
Authors: Leake Robin , Green Sheridan , Marquez Christine , Vanderburg Janine , Guillaume Sara , Gardner Veronica A.
Published: February 2007

Organizational capacity refers to the ability of nonprofit organizations to fulfill their missions in an effective manner. Through the JVA Consulting Colorado Compassion Initiative, a comprehensive, capacity-building program was developed and provided for faith- and community-based organizations. This study examined faith-based organizations' capacity gains after participating in a targeted capacity-building intervention. A comprehensive tool to assess organizations' levels of capacity was developed specifically for the study. Members of 44 faith-based and 46 community-based organizations across Colorado were interviewed and assessed using the new instrument at baseline and 15-month follow-up. The study demonstrated that targeted technical assistance predicted improvements in organizational capacity. Faith-based organizations showed significant improvements in almost all areas of capacity. In addition, comparisons between faith- and community-based organizations showed few differences in capacity gains.
From Fear to Faith: Efficacy of Trauma Assessment Training for New York–Based Southern Baptist Church Groups
Authors: Suite Derek H. , Rollin Stephen A. , Bowman J. C. , la Bril Robert D.
Published: February 2007

Post-9/11, many faith-based responders expressed the opinion that they were neither prepared nor trained to recognize the mental health needs of long-term trauma survivors. With funding through the Red Cross, an interdisciplinary trauma training program was developed to increase the capacity of the New York Southern Baptist Church groups to provide trauma assessment and support through the Metropolitan Baptist Association of New York. Through a pretest and posttest survey, the training was evaluated. Of the workshop attendees, 91% gave positive feedback and felt the training was worthwhile. The results suggest an ongoing need for interdisciplinary training that includes faith-based groups.
An ‘Overwhelming Illness’
Authors: Edwards Catherine R. , Thompson Andrew R. , Blair Alan
Published: February 2007

The processes through which people learn to live with CFS/ME are poorly understood and have not been rigorously explored within the literature. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight women and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Participants initially described being ‘overwhelmed’ by CFS/ME. Attempts at seeking help were unsatisfactory and participants described feeling let down and disbelieved. Participants reacted to this by identifying types of ‘self-help’ and assertively taking more responsibility for their illness and its treatment. Acquiring social support and greater knowledge were key mediating factors in the emergence of control and acceptance. The relevance of the themes to existing research and the implications for clinical practice are considered.
Critical Review
Authors: Ginzel K. H. , Maritz Gert S. , Marks David F. , Neuberger Manfred , Pauly Jim. R. , Polito John R. , Schulte-Hermann Rolf , Slotkin Theodore A.
Published: February 2007

The recent expansion of Nicotine Replacement Therapy to pregnant women and children ignores the fact that nicotine impairs, disrupts, duplicates and/or interacts with essential physiological functions and is involved in tobacco-related carcinogenesis. The main concerns in the present context are its fetotoxicity and neuroteratogenicity that can cause cognitive, affective and behavioral disorders in children born to mothers exposed to nicotine during pregnancy, and the detrimental effects of nicotine on the growing organism. Hence, the use of nicotine, whose efficacy in treating nicotine addiction is controversial even in adults, must be strictly avoided in pregnancy, breastfeeding, childhood and adolescence.
Socioeconomic Differences in the Effects of Prayer on Physical Symptoms and Quality of Life
Authors: Banthia Rajni , Moskowitz Judith Tedlie , Acree Michael , Folkman Susan
Published: February 2007

The extent to which religiosity is related to well-being may differ as a function of race/ethnicity, education or income. We asked 155 caregivers to complete measures of religiosity, prayer, physical symptoms and quality of life. Lower education and, to a lesser extent, lower income were correlated with religiosity and prayer. There were few direct relationships of religiosity and prayer with quality of life and health symptoms. However, the relationships became significant when education and, to a lesser degree, income were taken into account. Prayer was associated with fewer health symptoms and better quality of life among less educated caregivers.
Factorial Invariance of the 13-item Sense of Coherence Scale across Gender
Authors: Hittner James B.
Published: February 2007

This study examined the gender invariance of the 13-item Sense of Coherence (SOC) scale. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a single factor model with one pair of correlated errors fit the data well. Invariance testing indicated that the scale is both congeneric and tau equivalent, meaning that a single latent SOC construct holds equally well for males and females, and that both genders demonstrate an equivalent pattern of factor loadings. There was little evidence in support of latent factor mean equivalence across gender. Explanations for the lack of factor mean equivalence were discussed and recommendations for future research were suggested.
A Self-determination Theory Approach to the Study of Body Image Concerns, Self-presentation and Self-perceptions in a Sample of Aerobic Instructors
Authors: Thøgersen-Ntoumani Cecilie , Ntoumanis Nikos
Published: February 2007

This study examined motivational predictors of body image concerns, self-presentation and self-perceptions using Self-determination Theory as a guiding framework. Aerobic instructors ( N = 149) completed questionnaires measuring general need satisfaction, exercise motivational regulations, body image concerns, social physique anxiety and self-perceptions. Introjected regulation predicted all outcome variables in the expected direction. Intrinsic motivation positively predicted physical self-worth. Further, autonomy need satisfaction negatively predicted body image concerns. Finally, differences existed in need satisfaction, introjected regulation, self-perceptions and social physique anxiety between those at risk of developing eating disorders and those not at risk. The results underline the importance of overall and exercise-specific feelings of self-determination in dealing with body image concerns and low self-perceptions of aerobics instructors.
Chronic Illness Experiences, Clinical Markers and Living with Hepatitis C
Authors: Sutton Rebecca , Treloar Carla
Published: February 2007

This study explores the experiences of people with hepatitis C within two models of chronic illness—illness trajectory and shifting perspectives—and examines the effects of clinical markers of disease in relation to perceived health. The findings show some support for both models and suggest how they can be seen as complementary and inter-related. The social consequences of living with hepatitis C, such as potential social limitations and isolation, were more significant and had greater impact than clinical markers of disease progress and should be emphasized in understandings of transformation experiences in chronic illness.
Patient-related Factors Predicting HIV Medication Adherence among Men and Women with Alcohol Problems
Authors: Parsons Jeffrey T. , Rosof Elana , Mustanski Brian
Published: February 2007

The study explored the relationship between HIV medication adherence and alcohol, cognitive, social and affective factors in 272 persons with alcohol problems. Alcohol and cognitive factors significantly differentiated those who did and did not adhere. Specifically, adherence confidence and number of drinks emerged as subfactors driving the associations to adherence. Among those who were less than perfectly adherent ( n = 154), only alcohol factors predicted levels of nonadherence. Cognitive factors play a role in understanding some of the differences between those who do and do not adhere to their HIV medications, but they do not differentiate among levels of nonadherence.
‘Our ears and our eyes’
Authors: Palmer Jerry , Fontan Victoria
Published: February 2007

News from Iraq in the Western media is highly dependent upon Iraqi journalists and coworkers, especially fixers. This is partly due to the degradation of the security situation since the 2003 invasion, and partly due to language: few Western journalists speak Arabic at a professional level of competence. Interviews with Western journalists and fixers in Iraq reveal the high level of dependence involved. They also reveal some commonalities of understanding of the relationships between journalists and fixers and some significant differences. The dependence upon fixers is seen in the light of changes in foreign news gathering in Western media, especially the use of ‘parachute’ journalists.