bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Date of First Positive HIV Test: Reliability of Information Collected for HIV/AIDS Surveillance in the United States
Authors: Hall H. Irene , Li Jianmin , Campsmith Michael , Sweeney Patricia , Lee Lisa M.
Published: January 2017

Objectives.

This study examined the reliability of the first positive HIV test date reported in the U.S. HIV/AIDS Reporting System (HARS). This date is essential to determine case counts for resource allocation for HIV treatment and prevention efforts.

Methods.

The dates of first positive HIV tests reported by individuals with HIV in an interview survey conducted in 16 states ( n=16,394, interviewed 1995–2002) were compared with the dates of HIV diagnosis reported to HARS. The percentage of agreement for the year of diagnosis and the weighed kappa ( k) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was calculated.

Results.

Self-reported year of diagnosis agreed with the year of diagnosis in HARS for 56% of date pairs ( k=0.69; 95% CI 0.68, 0.70); 30% reported an earlier diagnosis year. Agreement differed by sex, age, race, exposure, and reason or place of testing ( p<.01). Lower agreement was found when the self-reported diagnostic test was anonymous ( k=0.57; 95% CI 0.52, 0.62) compared with confidential tests ( k=0.66; 95% CI 0.64, 0.68). Lower agreement was also found for cases first reported with AIDS ( k=0.58; 95% CI 0.55, 0.62) compared with cases first reported with HIV not AIDS ( k=0.71; 95% CI 0.70, 0.73) as well as for participants interviewed three years or more after their HARS diagnosis date ( k=0.55; 95% CI 0.52, 0.57) compared with those interviewed within one year ( k=0.62; 95% CI 0.61, 0.63). More than 20% of participants in almost all groups, however, reported earlier diagnosis years than those recorded in HARS.

Conclusion.

As many as 30% of HIV diagnoses may have occurred earlier than recorded in HARS. Additional studies need to determine mechanisms to adequately capture diagnosis dates in HARS.
Results from a State-Based Surveillance System for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Authors: Graber Judith M. , Smith Andrew E.
Published: January 2017

Objectives.

The purpose of this study was to describe results from a pilot surveillance system for carbon monoxide poisoning—a significant yet preventable public health issue for which most public health agencies do not conduct routine public health surveillance.

Methods.

The authors developed a rate-based statewide surveillance system. Cases were identified using the 1998 Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists' case definition in hospital discharges, emergency department and hospital outpatient visits, and mortality data. Intentional and fire-related injuries were excluded. The system was supplemented with qualitative information from newspaper articles. Annual, age, and sex-specific incidence rates were estimated. Exposure source/setting was described using E-codes; occupational setting was assessed by combining E-codes and payer code. Cases occurring during a disaster-related power outage in January 1998 were compared with cases identified during routine surveillance from 1999 through 2003.

Results.

During the five years of routine surveillance, 740 cases were identified; 47 (6.4%) were hospitalized, 442 (59.7%) were seen in an emergency department, and 251 (34.3%) were seen in another outpatient setting. More cases were observed in fall/winter; 23.1% of patients aged 16 or older were classified as exposed in an occupational setting. Among disaster-related cases, more were older (≥65 years of age; 11.9% vs. 4.2%) and female (61.6% vs. 45.3%); and fewer were in occupational settings (1.8% vs. 23.1%).

Conclusions.

Establishing state-based public health surveillance for CO poisoning is feasible and essential for guiding prevention and control efforts. The finding that more than 20% of cases were classified as occupational should be investigated further.
Estimating Health Care-Associated Infections and Deaths in U.S. Hospitals, 2002
Authors: Klevens R. Monina , Edwards Jonathan R. , Richards Chesley L. , Horan Teresa C. , Gaynes Robert P. , Pollock Daniel A. , Cardo Denise M.
Published: January 2017

Objective.

The purpose of this study was to provide a national estimate of the number of healthcare-associated infections (HAI) and deaths in United States hospitals.

Methods.

No single source of nationally representative data on HAIs is currently available. The authors used a multi-step approach and three data sources. The main source of data was the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) system, data from 1990–2002, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey (for 2002) and the American Hospital Association Survey (for 2000) were used to supplement NNIS data. The percentage of patients with an HAI whose death was determined to be caused or associated with the HAI from NNIS data was used to estimate the number of deaths.

Results.

In 2002, the estimated number of HAIs in U.S. hospitals, adjusted to include federal facilities, was approximately 1.7 million: 33,269 HAIs among newborns in high-risk nurseries, 19,059 among newborns in well-baby nurseries, 417,946 among adults and children in ICUs, and 1,266,851 among adults and children outside of ICUs. The estimated deaths associated with HAIs in U.S. hospitals were 98,987: of these, 35,967 were for pneumonia, 30,665 for bloodstream infections, 13,088 for urinary tract infections, 8,205 for surgical site infections, and 11,062 for infections of other sites.

Conclusion.

HAIs in hospitals are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. The method described for estimating the number of HAIs makes the best use of existing data at the national level.
The Public's Preparedness for Hurricanes in Four Affected Regions
Authors: Blendon Robert J. , Benson John M. , DesRoches Catherine M. , Lyon-Daniel Katherine , Mitchell Elizabeth W. , Pollard William E.
Published: January 2017

Objectives.

The purpose of this article is to look at how prepared people in communities outside the main areas devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita thought they were for those storms and for major hurricanes in the near future, what factors were related to why people did not evacuate, and what concerns people had in communities that took in evacuees from the hurricanes.

Methods.

Telephone interviews were conducted with randomly selected adults in Baton Rouge, Houston, Dallas, and Mississippi/Alabama (excluding the immediate Gulf Coast) to assess respondents' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors about hurricane preparedness and response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Results.

The surveys found a sizeable proportion of respondents who might not, for a number of reasons, comply with future orders to evacuate. A substantial proportion reported that they were not prepared for another major hurricane and indicated a desire for more information about how to prepare for future hurricanes. In communities that reported taking in large numbers of evacuees, residents expressed concern about the impact of the evacuees on their community.

Conclusion.

Evacuating communities involves a number of concrete problems that were not adequately addressed in the cases of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Responses to these surveys indicate a need for more comprehensive hurricane disaster planning.
Extending Medicaid Coverage for Family Planning Services: Alabama's First Four Years
Authors: Bronstein Janet M. , Vosel Annie , George Sherry K. , Freeman Charlena , Payne Leigh Anne
Published: January 2017

Objectives.

This study examines whether Alabama's Medicaid family planning demonstration program reaches a different segment of the population than the health department-based Title X family planning program, whether service use rates differ across clients using care within and outside of the Title X provider system, and whether additional risk assessment and care coordination services provided by health department personnel increase the likelihood that family planning clients return for follow-up visits over time.

Methods.

Administrative data from four years of operation of the program were used to examine characteristics of the clientele, differences in services used across provider types included in the program, and the impact of risk assessments and care coordination on return visit rates.

Results.

The number of family planning service users increased dramatically over the four-year period, but were more similar demographically to Title X clients than to Medicaid maternity clients. Growth was greatest among clients of non-Title X providers. Newly covered services, including risk assessments and care coordination, were available mostly to Title X clients, and these services were associated with a greater likelihood that clients returned for care in subsequent years.

Conclusion.

Expanded provider networks can increase the number of low income women using family planning services while risk assessment and care coordination can improve the effectiveness of these services. However, enhanced services may not be equally available across provider systems. Additional outreach efforts are needed to reach women eligible for publicly supported family planning services who are not currently using these services.
Prevalence of Residential Smoke Alarms and Fire Escape Plans in the U.S.: Results from the Second Injury Control and Risk Survey (ICARIS-2)
Authors: Ballesteros Michael F. , Kresnow Marcie-Jo
Published: January 2017

Objectives.

This study was conducted to estimate ( 1) the proportion of U.S. homes with installed smoke alarms and fire escape plans, and ( 2) the frequency of testing home smoke alarms and of practicing the fire escape plans.

Methods.

The authors analyzed data on smoke alarms and fire escape plans from a national cross-sectional random-digit dialed telephone survey of 9,684 households.

Results.

Ninety-five percent of surveyed households reported at least one installed smoke alarm and 52% had a fire escape plan. The prevalence of alarms varied by educational level, income, and the presence of a child in the home. Only 15% tested their alarms once a month and only 16% of homes with an escape plan reported practicing it every six months.

Conclusion.

While smoke alarm prevalence in U.S. homes is high, only half of homes have a fire escape plan. Additional emphasis is needed on testing of installed smoke alarms and on preparedness for fire escape plans.
HIV Behavioral Surveillance among the U.S. General Population
Authors: Lansky Amy , Drake Amy , DiNenno Elizabeth , Lee Chung-Won
Published: January 2017

HIV behavioral surveillance in the United States is conducted among three groups: infected populations, high-risk populations, and the general population. We describe the general population component of the overall U.S. HIV behavioral surveillance program and identify priority analyses. This component comprises several data systems (ongoing, systematic, population-based surveys) through which data on risk behaviors and HIV testing are collected, analyzed, and disseminated. Multiple data systems are needed to balance differences in scope and purpose, as well as strengths and weaknesses of the sampling frames, mode of administration, and frequency of data collection. In a concentrated epidemic, such as in the United States, general population data play a small but important role in monitoring the potential spread of infection more broadly, particularly given increases in HIV transmission through heterosexual contact.
The Status of National HIV Case Surveillance, United States 2006
Authors: Glynn M. Kathleen , Lee Lisa M. , McKenna Matthew T.
Published: January 2017

Since the height of HIV incidence in the mid-1980s, advances in treatment have delayed progression of HIV infection. As a result, surveillance of AIDS cases alone is no longer sufficient to monitor the current status of the HIV epidemic. At the national level, new HIV diagnoses and progression of these cases to AIDS are used to describe the epidemic. The capacity to monitor the national HIV epidemic has consistently improved over the last several years. An increasing number of states report diagnosed HIV cases to the national surveillance system, allowing data from this system to better represent the national picture. Monitoring the national HIV epidemic depends on a nationwide system using standardized methods of data collection, and establishing such a comprehensive system remains one of the highest priorities for national HIV case surveillance.
Monitoring the Incidence of HIV Infection in the United States
Authors: Lee Lisa M. , McKenna Matthew T.
Published: January 2017

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains a national surveillance system that provides data about the HIV/AIDS epidemic for program planning and resource allocation. Until recently, incidence of HIV infection (i.e., the number of individuals recently infected with HIV) has not been directly measured. New serologic testing methods make it possible to distinguish between recent and long-standing HIV-1 infection on a population level. This article describes the new National HIV Incidence Surveillance System.
HIV/AIDS Education: Still an Important Issue for Veterinarians
Authors: Davis Radford G.
Published: January 2017

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a significant cause of immunosuppression that puts infected individuals at higher risk for developing severe complications from zoonotic infections and other animal-related hazards. The number of people living with HIV grows each year, assuring that veterinary practitioners will have clients and/or employees who are afflicted with HIV/AIDS. Veterinarians need to better understand HIV/AIDS for many reasons: to dispel unfounded beliefs; to address discrimination and liability issues; to educate and protect the health of clients and employees; to help those with HIV/AIDS keep their pets; and to meet legal and professional requirements. To do this, veterinarians must become proactive in learning about HIV/AIDS and in reaching out to pet owners living with HIV/AIDS, as well as the physicians of those individuals. Through discussion on historical and contemporary issues surrounding HIV/AIDS, this article examines why veterinarians need to better understand HIV/AIDS, advocates for more time in the veterinary curriculum on the topic of HIV/AIDS, and provides resources for veterinarians and their clients.
Zoonoses Likely to Be Used in Bioterrorism
Authors: Ryan C. Patrick
Published: January 2017

Bioterrorism is the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria, or other agents used to cause illness or death in people, animals, or plants. Only modest microbiologic skills are needed to produce and effectively use biologic weapons. And biological warfare has afflicted campaigns throughout military history, at times playing an important role in determining their outcomes.

There is a long list of potential pathogens for use by terrorists, but only a few are easy to prepare and disperse. Of the infectious diseases, the vast majority are zoonoses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's highest-priority bioterrorism agents are in Category A. The only disease that does not affect animals in Category A is smallpox, which was eliminated by a worldwide vaccination program in the late 1970s. Because these diseases can infect animals and humans, the medical and veterinary communities should work closely together in clinical, public health, and research settings.
Animals as Early Detectors of Bioevents: Veterinary Tools and a Framework for Animal-Human Integrated Zoonotic Disease Surveillance
Authors: Gubernot Diane M. , Boyer Benita L. , Moses Marina S.
Published: January 2017

The threat of bioterrorism and emerging infectious diseases has prompted various public health agencies to recommend enhanced surveillance activities to supplement existing surveillance plans. The majority of emerging infectious diseases and bioterrorist agents are zoonotic. Animals are more sensitive to certain biological agents, and their use as clinical sentinels, as a means of early detection, is warranted.

This article provides design methods for a local integrated zoonotic surveillance plan and materials developed for veterinarians to assist in the early detection of bioevents. Zoonotic surveillance in the U.S. is currently too limited and compartmentalized for broader public health objectives. To rapidly detect and respond to bioevents, collaboration and cooperation among various agencies at the federal, state, and local levels must be enhanced and maintained. Co-analysis of animal and human diseases may facilitate the response to infectious disease events and limit morbidity and mortality in both animal and human populations.
Public Health Systems and Services Research: Dataset Development, Dissemination, and Use
Authors: Scutchfield F. Douglas , Lawhorn Nikki , Ingram Rick , Pérez Debra Joy , Brewer Rick , Bhandari Michelyn
Published: January 2017

Public health systems and services research (PHSSR) is defined as “a field of study that examines the organization, financing, and delivery of public health services within communities and the impact of those services.” PHSSR is a relatively young field and suffers from a paucity of research resources. In this article, we describe the development and utility of a data resource, housed on the Health Services and Sciences Research Resources website maintained by the National Library of Medicine, which provides easy access to instruments, indices, and datasets that are relevant to PHSSR researchers. We also investigate efforts to promote the use and dissemination of these data resources, including the awarding of research grants and the organization of a PHSSR conference.
Multivitamin Use in Pregnant and Nonpregnant Women: Results from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
Authors: Sullivan Kevin M. , Ford Earl S. , Azrak M. Fuad , Mokdad Ali H.
Published: January 2017

Objective.

Relatively few studies have investigated characteristics associated with multivitamin use in pregnant women in the U.S. We examined multivitamin use among pregnant and nonpregnant women of childbearing age, in relation to socioeconomic factors, demographic data, health behaviors, and health status.

Methods.

This investigation used 2004 data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a cross-sectional study of noninstitutionalized adults aged 18 years or older. Analyses were limited to women 18 to 44 years of age in states and territories where questions about multivitamin use were asked.

Results.

Overall, 78% of pregnant women reported multivitamin use, compared with 47% of women who were not pregnant. Using logistic regression, two factors were found to be significantly associated with multivitamin use in pregnant women: income and marital status. Among nonpregnant women, the significant predictors were age, income, physical activity, education level, desire for a child in the near future, race/ethnicity, body mass index, and cigarette smoking status.

Conclusion.

We found differences in the reported use of multivitamins between pregnant and nonpregnant women of childbearing age as well as predictors of use.
The Challenge of Multisite Epidemiologic Studies in Diverse Populations: Design and Implementation of a 22-Site Study of Tuberculosis in Foreign-Born People
Authors: Davidow Amy L. , Katz Dolly , Reves Randall , Bethel James , Ngong Lolem ,   Tuberculosis Epidemiologic Studies Consortium
Published: January 2017

Objectives.

We designed a population-based study of the epidemiology of tuberculosis among foreign-born people in the U.S. and Canada. Challenges included standardizing recruitment and data entry at 22 sites, enrolling individuals who did not speak English and may be undocumented, and obtaining clearance from 36 institutional review boards (IRBs).

Methods.

We used stratified sampling to recruit patients through the Tuberculosis Epidemiologic Studies Consortium, a research consortium funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Because recruitment sites were overseen by more than 30 local IRBs, we developed a simple process to designate a central IRB. We translated instruments into 10 main languages, arranged for fast translation of consent “short forms” into other languages, used one telephone interpretation service at all sites, and provided extensive interviewer training including mock interviews with simulated patients.

Results.

We interviewed 1,696 participants in 19 states and provinces. Participants from 99 countries were interviewed in 40 languages. Twenty-three percent did not speak English at all; 64% needed an interpreter. More than 20% of participants reported they were undocumented. Participants' age, gender, and birthplaces were broadly similar to the target populations. One-third of local IRBs used the central IRB.

Conclusions.

Special confidentiality protections, substantial resources for translation and interpretation, and a centralized IRB made possible the recruitment of a representative sample of foreign-born people. The approaches may be applicable to studies of other diseases in multinational populations in the U.S. and Canada.
HIV Testing and Referral to Care in U.S. Hospitals Prior to 2006: Results from a National Survey
Authors: Torres Gretchen Williams , Yonek Juliet , Pickreign Jeremy , Whitmore Heidi , Hasnain-Wynia Romana
Published: January 2017

Objectives.

We sought to provide a benchmark for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing availability and practices in U.S. hospitals prior to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) 2006 revised recommendations.

Methods.

We conducted a survey of nonfederal general hospitals in the U.S. in 2004. Chi-square tests detected significant associations with hospital characteristics. Questionnaires were completed electronically via a secure Internet site or on paper. Nonresponse analysis was conducted and data were weighted to adjust for nonresponse.

Results.

HIV testing (on the basis of clinical symptoms or behavioral risk factors) was available in more than half of hospital inpatient units (62%), employee health departments (58%), and emergency departments (57%). Twenty-three percent offered routine screening (testing for people in a defined population regardless of clinical symptoms or behavioral risk), most commonly in labor and delivery. Teaching status, region, size, and type of metropolitan area were associated with the availability of HIV testing and routine screening ( p<0.01). Hospitals used a variety of methods to link patients to care: referral to a hospital-based clinic (36%); on-site, same-day evaluation (35%); and referral to an unaffiliated HIV or community clinic (42%).

Conclusions.

Hospitals offered HIV testing on the basis of clinical suspicion or risk, but were far from meeting CDC's current recommendation to routinely test all patients aged 13 to 64. Hospital size, teaching status, and geographic location were associated with HIV testing availability and testing practices. Our understanding of current practice identifies opportunities for public health action at the practitioner, organization, and systems levels.
Risk Factors for Mumps at a University with a Large Mumps Outbreak
Authors: Huang Angela S. , Cortese Margaret M. , Curns Aaron T. , Bitsko Rebecca H. , Jordan Hannah T. , Soud Fatma , Villalon-Gomez Jose , Denning Patricia M. , Ens Kim A. , Hanson Gail R. , Dayan Gustavo H.
Published: January 2017

Objectives.

Routine measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine use has greatly decreased the incidence of mumps in the U.S. However, a resurgence of mumps occurred in 2006. We investigated the large outbreak at a university and assessed risk factors for disease.

Methods.

We described the outbreak and conducted a case-control study. We interviewed case students (identified from student health service and health department records) and control students (selected from a randomly ordered administrative list) and assessed their vaccination status. We compared case students with ≥2 MMR doses and control students with ≥2 MMR doses in univariate and multivariate analyses.

Results.

The mean age of the 174 case students was 20.9 years; 65% were women. Ninety-seven case students and 147 control students were enrolled in the study. Two-dose MMR coverage was 99% among case and control students with complete records. Only 33% of case students reported exposure to someone with mumps. Case students were more likely than control students to be aged 18 to 19 years (vs. aged 22 years, adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 5.55; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.09, 14.74), to report exposure to mumps (AOR=2.31, 95% CI 1.13, 4.73), and to have worked/volunteered on campus (AOR=2.91, 95% CI 1.33, 6.33). Also, women in dormitories had increased odds of mumps compared with men in dormitories.

Conclusion.

High two-dose MMR coverage was not sufficient to prevent the outbreak. Further study is needed to better understand the effects of dormitory residency and gender on mumps transmission. Clinicians should be vigilant for mumps in young adults presenting with parotitis regardless of immunization history.
Children with Orofacial Clefts: Health-Care Use and Costs among a Privately Insured Population
Authors: Boulet Sheree L. , Grosse Scott D. , Honein Margaret A. , Correa-Villaseñor Adolfo
Published: January 2017

Objectives.

Orofacial clefts are common birth defects that often require multiple surgeries and medical treatments during childhood. We used healthcare insurance claims data to estimate health-care expenditures for infants and children ≤10 years of age with an orofacial cleft.

Methods.

The data were derived from the 2000–2004 MarketScan® Commercial Claims and Encounters databases, which include person-specific information on health-care use, expenditures, and enrollment for approximately 50 large employers, health plans, and government and public organizations. Health insurance claims data from 821,619 children ≤10 years of age enrolled in employer-sponsored plans during 2004 were analyzed. Expenditures for inpatient admissions, outpatient services, and prescription drug claims were calculated for children with and those without an orofacial cleft.

Results.

The difference in annual mean costs (i.e., incremental costs) between children aged 0 through 10 years with an orofacial cleft and those without an orofacial cleft was $13,405. The mean and median costs for children ≤10 years of age with an orofacial cleft were eight times higher than for children of the same age without an orofacial cleft. Mean costs for infants with a cleft and another major, unrelated defect were 25 times higher than those for an infant without a cleft, and five times higher than for infants with an isolated cleft.

Conclusion.

These findings document substantially elevated medical care costs for privately insured children with an orofacial cleft. Additional study of the economic burden associated with this condition should include a broader range of economic costs.
The Middle Eastern Jesus: Messianic Jewish and Palestinian Christian Understandings
Authors: Shenk Calvin E.
Published: January 2017

Messianic Jews and Palestinian Christians each claim Jesus as the center of their faith. Their location in the Middle East gives them special affection for the Middle Eastern Jesus. But their varied histories, cultures, and socio-political dynamics condition each to see particular aspects of Jesus.

Messianic Jews explore the meaning of Jesus in the context of normative Judaism, which has not accepted Jesus as Messiah. Messianic Jews are keen to show how Jesus makes them more Jewish, not less Jewish. Palestinian Christians who experience the oppression of the state of Israel are encouraged by Jesus, the refugee who acted justly and spoke against injustice. Messianic Jews and Palestinian Christians see Jesus as the basis of reconciliation, but their different understandings of Jesus in relation to the power of the state of Israel are a source of tension.
Jamaican and British Baptists in West Africa, 1841–1888
Authors: Dekar Paul R.
Published: January 2017

This article surveys West Africa outreach between 1841–1888 by the London-based Baptist Missionary Society (hereafter BMS) and the Kingston-based Jamaican Baptist Missionary Society (hereafter JBMS). Documentation focuses on responses of mission board leaders, missionaries, the local Creole community, and African Christians to the reality of growing interference by European powers and the imposition of colonial rule on the region. This case study elucidates the complex role of missionaries in the process by which the West came to exercise political and economic domination of Africa. It complements a survey of the role of Black Americans in the Protestant missionary movement in Africa.1
Training Future Leaders in Our Classrooms
Authors: Lingenfelter Judith
Published: January 2017

Mission literature has addressed the issues of contextualization in planting churches, but has largely overlooked the impact of expatriate teaching in both formal and nonformal contexts. Missionaries teaching cross-culturally encounter classroom differences that they are ill prepared to cope with because they often teach as they were taught. This paper proposes a model of teaching-role variations that can help teachers understand the cultural issues they may face, and it suggests possible new strategies to improve the quality of the training we provide for national leaders.
Robert E. Speer and the Development of North American Mission Theology and Theory, 1891-1914
Authors: Patterson James A.
Published: January 2017

This article critically examines the development of Robert E. Speer's missiology during its most formative years before World War I. Speer, a Presbyterian mission board administrator from 1891 to 1937, exemplified the American Protestant missionary impulse in virtually all his endeavors. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, he played a significant role as a shaper of evangelical Protestantism's consensus about the aims and purposes of foreign missions. He also functioned as one of the most eloquent apologists for the missionary cause as he spoke of the urgency of the task, responded to critics, and grappled with the questions of Christianity and culture.
The World in My Parish: Rethinking the Standard Missiological Model
Authors: Rynkiewich Michael A.
Published: January 2017

Missiologists, borrowing from anthropology as practiced from the 1950s through the 1980s, have trained a generation of missionaries by using the “standard anthropological model.” Culture is portrayed as causative, but has no cause itself. Communication is portrayed as a transmission within a dyad, involving no one else except God. Thus, the missionary problem is the communication of the gospel between two people from two different cultures. In fact, this is not the situation, if it ever was. Regional and global flows of ideas, goods, people, and beliefs have always breached the “boundaries” of seemingly self-contained cultures. People have never been slaves to the past. Instead, they selectively bring certain interpretations of the past to bear on everyday life. There have always been competing narratives about the nature of reality and the necessity of particular beliefs and actions. Contrary to the standard model, culture is contingent, culture is constructed, and culture is contested. The missionary situation is not as simple as it has seemed.
Mennonite Chaco Mission, Iglesia Evangélica Unida (IEU), and Argentina's Nation-State
Authors: Miller Elmer S.
Published: January 2017

Research reports on Christian missions to foreign lands have tended to focus on the relationship between missionary and native people, giving little attention to the interplay of nation-state agencies. Furthermore, the reports portray a one-way process in which the missionary gives and natives receive, although the intervention actually entails multiple agents influencing one another. This study documents the dynamic interaction among a Mennonite Mission, Argentine national and state indigenous policies, and Toba aborigines throughout the latter twentieth century. It illustrates the active role played by the Toba in reformulating both the missionary message and nation-state policy.
Theology of Religions, Missiology, and Evangelicals
Authors: Netland Harold
Published: January 2017

Although evangelicals have long been involved in the discipline of missiology, their contribution to the theology of religions is more recent. I explore the relationship between theology, theology of religions, and missiology, as these are understood by evangelicals, noting areas of common concern as well distinctives of each discipline. Some basic principles for an evangelical theology of religions are suggested. I argue that missiology must include discussion of theology of religions, and I conclude with some implications of this for evangelical missiology.
Trinity and Religions: On the Way to a Trinitarian Theology of Religions for Evangelicals
Authors: Kärkkäinen Veli-Matti
Published: January 2017

A new paradigm is emerging in the Christian theology of religions, namely a trinitarian approach to other religions. Taking a critical look at existing proposals, this article argues that Trinity is the uniquely Christian resource for interfaith dialogue and provides needed guidelines for dialogue that helps avoid the typical fallacies of pluralisms and exclusivistic attitudes.
A P(new)Matological Paradigm for Christian Mission in a Religiously Plural World
Authors: Yong Amos
Published: January 2017

In this essay, the author summarizes previous work done (by himself and others) in the formulation of a theology of religions approached from the standpoint of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit (pneumatology), assesses the implications of such a pneumatological theology of religions for Christian mission in the religiously plural world of the twenty-first century, and responds to some of the most important critical questions regarding Christology, soteriology, and the doctrine of revelation that have been raised in response to this project so far.
Mission and Dialogue
Authors: Knitter Paul F.
Published: January 2017

Given the seismic shift from church-centeredness to kingdom-centeredness in the Christian understanding of mission, given the growing awareness that to pursue the kingdom as Jesus did requires a preferential concern for the poor and marginalized, given the recognition that Jesus went about his ministry by means of a self-emptying dialogue with others — putting together all three of these new perspectives in Christian theology, we can describe the contemporary Christian understanding of mission as follows: Mission is dialogue with others in service of God's kingdom for the poor and marginalized. In such mission-as-dialogue, conversion remains a goal, but it is primarily (not exclusively) conversion to the service of God's kingdom.
Suicide by Cop and Criminal Responsibility
Authors: Miller Robert D.
Published: January 2017

The phenomenon of “suicide by cop” is well known in the law enforcement community but less so in the mental health community. Although clinicians are of course familiar with suicidal patients and with those who utilize suicide gestures in an attempt to control their environments, their experience with persons who challenge law enforcement officers is limited, in great part because a high percentage of them are successful in getting officers to kill them and thus are not available for evaluation. There have been a number of wrongful-death and negligence suits against law enforcement officers who have killed or wounded suicidal persons, but very few cases involving the criminal responsibility of those who provoke officers into shooting them. This article presents several such cases and discusses how the legal system typically assigns criminal responsibility to those who survive suicidal encounters with law enforcement.
Isaac Ray's Affair with Phrenology
Authors: Weiss Kenneth J.
Published: January 2017

In recognition of the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of Isaac Ray (1807–1881), the father of American forensic psychiatry, the author explores the influence of phrenology on Ray's early thought. Phrenology, popular at the time of the founding of the American Psychiatric Association in 1844, was a transitional discipline between spiritually based theories of mind and the materialistic concepts that continue to dominate psychiatric thought. Ray, a vocal advocate of phrenology during his days as a general practitioner in Maine, said little about the science in his Treatise on the Medical Jurisprudence of Insanity in 1838. Yet, remnants of phrenology can be found in his formulations of the biological bases of behavior well into his career. The author highlights the parallels between phrenological thought and modern biological psychiatry in their potential to inform legal matters.
The role of tense and aspect in the acquisition of factivity: children's interpretation of factive complements in English, German and Spanish
Authors: Pérez-Leroux Ana , Schulz Petra
Published: January 2017

Previous studies on the acquisition of factivity have shown partial understanding of factive complements, as well as problems with their syntactic structure. These studies fail to consider language variation and the possible role of tense and aspect as morphological markers of factivity. An experiment tested comprehension of factive complements in English, German and Spanish (67 children aged 3 to 6 years). A follow-up study (40 English children aged 3 to 6 years) replicated the first study with additional questions to assess story comprehension, and tested the understanding of the presuppositions of factive and non-factive complements in isolation. Our results indicate a general difficulty with understanding factive complements in contexts which contradict the presuppositions, as well as crosslinguistic variation in the understanding of presuppositions in the different syntactic conditions. The identified crosslinguistic differences in acquisition are attributed to language variation with respect to tense and aspect.
Ancient and medieval experiments on child language: a comment on Bonvillian, Garber and Dell (1997)
Authors: Grieve Robert , Campbell Robin
Published: January 2017

A recent paper published by Bonvillian, Garber & Dell (1997) examines one ancient and two medieval studies of children's language development, whereby children were allegedly isolated from hearing any spoken language in order to discover what, if any, language the children would come to produce. Bonvillian et al. consider studies attributed to Psamtik I, an Egyptian Pharaoh in the seventh century BC; to James IV of Scotland in the fifteenth century AD; and to Akbar the Great, Mogul Emperor in India, in the sixteenth century AD. Bonvillian et al. conclude, correctly, that the Akbar study did take place. However, their contention that the Akbar study indicates that a system of gestural communication is a precursor to language is, in our view, unwarranted. Here, we criticize the paper by Bonvillian et al. on three grounds: it fails to mention previously published research on the topic; it fails to mention another medieval study attributed to Frederick II, King of Sicily, in the thirteenth century ad; and its contention that gestural communication is a precursor to language is not supported by reference to the primary sources on Akbar's study.
Essay Review
Authors: Levy Yonata
Published: January 2017

Uncommon Understanding: Development and Disorders of Language Comprehension in Children. By D. V. M. Bishop (Hove, UK: Psychology Press, 1997). Pp. 277. Pbk, £16.50. ISBN 0-86377-260-9.
Spectres of Shakespeare
Authors: Tan Marcus
Published: January 2017

Located within the myth of Shakespeare’s universality is a belief in the power and poeticism of his language. If we acknowledge Richard Eyre’s assertion that ‘the life of the plays is in the language’, what becomes of this myth when Shakespeare is ‘transferred’ across cultures? What happens to Shakespeare’s ‘universality’ in these cultural re-articulations? Using Ong Keng Sen’s Search Hamlet (2002), this article examines the transference of myth and/as language in intercultural Shakespeare. It posits that intercultural imaginings of Shakespeare can be said to expose the hollow myth of universality yet in a paradoxical double-bind reify and reinstate this selfsame myth.
‘By indirections find directions out’
Authors: Hattaway Michael
Published: January 2017

The article will, by analysing appropriations by Nahum Tate and other Restoration writers of particular Shakespearean speeches, erect hypotheses concerning Shakespeare’s distinctive ways of writing heuristically. Shakespeare ‘thought with’ rather than ‘thought about’ words, concepts, images and tales and negotiated in a distinctive manner with myths of nature.
From Janus to Prometheus
Authors: Willems Michèle
Published: January 2017

The 1769 Stratford Jubilee, where Garrick celebrated Shakespeare as ‘the god of our idolatry’, is generally recognized as the first public manifestation of Bardolatry, the dramatist’s elevation to the status of a creative divinity being associated with Coleridge’s criticism. This article rather suggests that the construction of Shakespeare as an icon was a gradual process generated by the contradictions inherent to the reception of his plays by neoclassicism. It argues that the main catalyst in this paradoxical transfiguration of a playwright into a demigod was the instability of neoclassical concepts of nature and imitation when confronted with Shakespeare’s characters.
Mythical ghost
Authors: Chartier Roger
Published: January 2017

Since the 1990s, the mystery of Cardenio, one of the lost Shakespearean plays, has attracted novelists who have transformed it into detective stories, theatre directors who have staged a play that no longer exists and editors, with the inclusion of Cardenio in the canonical catalogue of the Arden Series. The fever is still there, with new productions, new fictions or scholarly collections. How can we understand such a lasting fascination for this textual ghost?
The Importance of the Eosinophil in Head and Neck Cancer
Authors: Goldsmith Manning M. , Belchis Deborah A. , Cresson David H. , Merritt Walter D. , Askin Frederic B.
Published: January 2017

In a previous study, we found tumor‐associated tissue eosinophilia (TATE) to be a favorable prognostic indicator for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (p < 0.05). The present expanded study was undertaken to confirm this finding. The pathology of 120 head and neck tumors was examined for histologic features suggestive of poor prognosis. Ten descriptive histopathologic variables, including two malignancy grading scales, were correlated with DNA flow cytometric data and clinical outcome. No correlation was found between the malignancy grading scales and DNA flow cytometric data or clinical outcome. The present expanded study confirmed with greater statistical significance (p < 0.001) that high‐grade TATE is a favorable prognostic indicator for head and neck cancer. Furthermore, high‐grade TATE was associated with the absence of distant metastasis (p < 0.05). Using a stepwise logistic regression analysis of the clinicopathologic variables in the study, high‐grade TATE was the most influential variable affecting clinical outcome, followed by border, stage, and perineural invasion. We conclude that the grade of TATE is a significant prognostic indicator for head and neck cancer. The significance and possible role of the eosinophil in the tumor–host interaction are discussed.
The Effect of Pentoxifylline on Cochlear Blood Flow
Authors: LaRouere Michael J. , Sillman Jonathan S. , Tsai Mary T. , Nuttall Alfred L.
Published: January 2017

Pentoxifylline, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor and hemorrheologic agent has been found to increase oxygen delivery to ischemic tissue. Intravenous pentoxifylline was administered to normal guinea pigs in order to assess the effect of pentoxifylline on cochlear blood flow and to elucidate its mechanism of action. Intravenous pentoxifylline was found to acutely increase cochlear blood flow in a dose‐dependent manner. In normal animals, the effect appeared strongly related to the rheologic properties of this agent rather than a vasodilative action. Normovolemic hemodilution with 75% dextran resulted in no Increase in cochlear blood flow during Infusion of pentoxifylline, whereas the application of nitroprusside over the round window failed to abolish the effect of pentoxifylline.
Balanced Scorecard in Indian Companies
Authors: Anand Manoj , Sahay B S , Saha Subhashish
Published: January 2017

There has been growing criticism of financial measures in performance evaluation system in postreform India as they are historic in nature and lack futuristic outlook. Their relevance in the information age, when the companies are building internal assets and capabilities, is questioned. The situation may worsen when the firm is compelled to pursue short-term goals at the cost of the organization's long-term objectives.

Kaplan and Norton developed an innovative and multi-dimensional corporate performance scorecard known as the Balanced Scorecard. It compels the firm to align its performance measurement and controls from the customers' perspective, internal business processes, and learning and growth perspectives and investigate their impact on the financial indicators. There are arguments that the Balanced Scorecard should be ‘unbalanced’ based on the strategy followed by the firm. The corporate experiences with the implementation of the Balanced Scorecard suggest mixed results. In this article, the authors a) identify the extent of the usage of the Balanced Scorecard by corporate India; b) explore whether Indian firms use all the four perspectives, namely, customer, financial, internal business, and learning and growth in their performance scorecard; c) capture the management motivations for implementation of the Balanced Scorecard; d) identify the key performance indicators in different perspectives of the performance scorecard; and e) evaluate the performance of the Balanced Scorecard as a management tool.

The major findings of this study are as follows: The Balanced Scorecard adoption rate is 45.28 per cent in corporate India which compares favourably with 43.90 per cent in the US. The financial perspective has been found to be the most important perspective followed by customers' perspective, shareholders' perspective, internal business perspective, and learning and growth perspective. The environmental, social, and employees' perspectives also figure in it. The expense centre budgets, brand revenue/market share monitoring, profit centre, and transfer pricing mechanism are the other performance management tools used by the Indian companies. Corporate India monitors the indicators as per ISO 14000 norms in the environmental and social perspectives of the performance scorecard. The difficulty in assigning ‘weightage’ to the different perspectives and in ‘establishing cause and effect relationship among these perspectives’ has been found to be the most critical issue in the implementation of the Balanced Scorecard in corporate India. Most companies claimed that the implementation of the Balanced Scorecard has led to the identification of cost reduction opportunities in their organizations which, in turn, has resulted in improvement in the bottom line.

Insights from such an analysis can be useful to both management practitioners and management accounting academics.