Clear Thinking Research Articles

Kava, a Tonic for Relieving the Irrational Development of Natural Preventive Agents

The last two decades have witnessed explosive growth in the study of natural and other cancer chemopreventive agents ([1][1], [2][2]). Extensive preclinical data have been generated for natural agents, and many (such as green tea, curcumin, phenyl isothiocyanate, indole-3-carbinol, silibinin,

Critical Whiteness Theories and the Evangelical “Race Problem”: Extending Emerson and Smith's Divided by Faith

In their 2000 book, Divided by Faith, Michael Emerson and Christian Smith use the case of evangelical Christians to demonstrate how uncompromising individualist ideals get in the way of clear thinking and decisive action about racial inequalities in contemporary American society. We use insights developed from whiteness studies and critical race theory to sharpen and further extend this analysis. More specifically, we suggest: (1) that anti‐black stereotypes may be subtler, more pervasive, and more functionally necessary than Emerson and Smith assume; and (2) that the individualistic ideals Emerson and Smith focus on are not race neutral but, instead, are part of a taken‐for‐granted and vigorously defended majority white culture and identity. These points are developed through a theoretical reconstruction of Emerson and Smith's argument and a reevaluation of their methodological approach and data. Finally, we present data from a recent national survey of race and religion in American life that provide preliminary quantitative support for our revisionist claims.

Writing Sociologies: A Coda

Writing Sociologies: A Coda

Oran's dictionary of the law

Orans Dictionary of the Law is the clearest and easiest to use dictionary on the market. The only major law dictionary created for paralegals and law-related professionals, this comprehensive version has nearly 6,000 main headings and 12,000 definitions. It can be used as a reference tool or as an informal method of learning more about the law. Oran's also identifies the legalese that gets in the way of clear thinking and writing, has an additional built-in study aid included on How to Use sections, and the Basic 50 Words list gives a quick entry to the terms every person needs to know to understand the law.

From the editor's bench - Systems Engineering: Clear Thinking, Shipping Air, and Solar Energy Isn't Free

We engineers and scientists tend to focus on specific technology solutions; we can sometimes get tunnel vision and miss the bigger picture.

Preceptorship and Mentorship: Not Merely a Matter of Semantics

In academic writing on mentoring and preceptorship there is little consensus on the meaning or characteristics surrounding these terms. The writers of this paper contend that the correct usage of preceptorship and mentorship, which gives credence and respect to the very different concepts embedded in each, is a very important precursor to the evolution of these two concepts in nursing education, both academically and within practical application. Although language is continually changing, lack of clarity robs language of its richness and complexity and interferes with clear thinking about the issues. In professional terms, clarity demands that concepts, around which a body of knowledge is growing, be consistent in their meaning and characteristics. Such clarity between the related educational concepts of mentor(ship) and preceptor(ship) is lacking.

Echo and Mirror: Clone Hysteria, Genetic Determinism and Star Trek Nemesis

This essay examines the hysteria that surrounded cloning and the law that this hysteria called forth in Australia in 2002. Through a parallel reading of two accounts of clones, the public record of cloning that ended with the Prohibition of Human Cloning Act 2002 (Cth), and Star Trek: Nemesis, it argues that instead of fearing the clone, it is clone hysteria that should be feared. Star Trek: Nemesis exposes the constitute anxieties (clone as double, clone as artefact) of clone hysteria, and offers a partial critique. In doing so it points to the foundational place of genetic determinism in thinking about cloning. Although its critique turns out to be illusionary, the film highlights the need for addressing genetic determinism in clearer thinking and lawmaking about clones and cloning. Law, Culture and the Humanities 2007; 3: 361—380

Value of Information Analysis in Remedial Investigations

Site investigations of contaminated land are associated with high costs. From a societal perspective, just enough economic resources should be spent on investigations so that society's limited resources can be used optimally. The solution is to design investigation programs that are cost effective, which can be performed using value of information analysis (VOIA). The principle of VOIA is to compare the benefit at the present state of knowledge with the benefit that is expected after an investigation has been performed. A framework for VOIA of site investigations is presented based on Bayesian risk-cost-benefit decision analysis. The result is an estimate of the value of an investigation program and, for specific problems, the optimal number of samples. The main strength of the methodology is that it promotes clear thinking and compels the decision maker to reflect on issues that otherwise would be ignored. The main weakness is the complexity of VOIA models.

From the Editor's Bench

This issue focuses on several specific topics in systems engineering. A major aspect for the systems engineering of a project is to know the end-goal and to understand how the development activities within the project fit into the bigger picture to reach the end-goal. Anyone preparing the development of a project by doing the systems engineering must understand the ramifications of each stage. Figuring out those ramifications can be mind-boggling, complex and absolutely requires clear, careful and thorough thinking.

Elliot S Valenstein, The war of the soups and the sparks: the discovery of neurotransmitters and the dispute over how nerves communicate, New York, Columbia University Press, 2005, pp. xviii, 237, illus., £19.50, $31.00 (hardback 0-231-13588-2).

Elliot S Valenstein, The war of the soups and the sparks: the discovery of neurotransmitters and the dispute over how nerves communicate, New York, Columbia University Press, 2005, pp. xviii, 237, illus., £19.50, $31.00 (hardback 0-231-13588-2).

Clear writing, clear thinking and the disappearing art of the problem list

Clear writing, clear thinking and the disappearing art of the problem list

MOTOR INNERVATION OF THE MUSCLE SPINDLE: THE CONTRIBUTION OF BERNHARD KATZ

![Graphic][1] Anthony Taylor discusses Bernhard Katz's 1949 paper entitled: The efferent regulation of the muscle spindle in the frog. A copy of the paper can be obtained from . In this article, we go back over 55 years to the paper by

On speaking, writing and inspiration

On speaking, writing and inspiration

Barbara Yvonne Wright

After junior house posts at the Bolingbroke Hospital, London, Barbara was a paediatric senior house officer at Sydenham Children's Hospital, London, where she worked for, among others, Desmond Ellison Nash....

Cross-cultural Validation of the Japanese Version of the Lung Cancer Subscale on the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung

The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung (FACT-L) questionnaire, which consists of a core questionnaire (the General Measure of FACT [FACT-G]) and a 9-item Additional Concerns comprised of a 7-item Lung Cancer Subscale (LCS), was developed in an English-speaking culture. The validation of the Japanese FACT-G was reported previously, and this report describes the cross-cultural validation of the LCS. The Japanese version of the LCS was developed through an iterative forward-backward translation sequence used throughout the FACT Multilingual Translation Project. In evaluating psychometric performance, its construct validity was investigated with Cronbach's alpha coefficient and factor analysis. Clinical validities of a known-groups comparison and longitudinal validity were also investigated. The FACT-L was administered twice to 180 patients with lung cancer within 2 weeks. The Japanese LCS had borderline values for Cronbachs alpha coefficients (0.62-0.67). Factor analysis indicated that the LCS had the three dimensions of respiratory symptoms, appetite plus body weight, and clear thinking. For clinical validity, a known-groups comparison showed that the LCS could differentiate patients according to truth disclosure, as Japanese doctors sometimes do not fully inform terminally ill patients. However, responsiveness was not proved when performance status was used as an anchor, probably owing to the short interval between the administration of the two measures. The Japanese version of the LCS asked questions about multiple symptoms of patients with lung cancer, as did the original English LCS. The longitudinal clinical validity of the Japanese version should be investigated in future clinical trials.

Viète's Controversy with Clavius Over the Truly Gregorian Calendar

Some twenty years after the Gregorian calendar reform, towards the end of his life, Francois Viete published his own calendar proposal. This treatise contains a sharp attack against the Jesuit scholar Clavius, the mathematical mind behind the reform. Understandably enough, Clavius prepared a negative reply. Viete heard of it and exploded in a fit of rage, ``I demonstrated that you are a false mathematician [ . . . ], and a false theologian.'' Sadly, Clavius' rejection, added as a chapter to his monumental apology of the Gregorian reform, appeared when Viete had already passed away. Viete seriously believed that the true aim of the Gregorian reform has been betrayed and he was furious about some logical inconsistencies which he claimed to have found in Clavius' calendar. Clavius apparently confused solar day and epactal day (or ``tithi''), the thirtieth part of a lunar month. This is the very core of Viete's attack against Clavius whom he accused of having introduced a false lunar period (``falsa periodus lunaris''). But his own work has some logical inconsistencies too. For instance, he reproaches Clavius for having introduced lunar months of 31 days which, indeed, are unrealistic. Grievously, his own rules can likewise give rise to lunations of unnatural lengths. In order to understand these subtle twists reader and author must work largely through both Clavius and Viete's methods of Easter reckoning. The fruit of all those efforts might be an insight into Viete's clear mathematical thinking. His calendar, however, was never considered.

Estrogen Therapy and Breast Cancer

In an area like treatment with sex hormones, where clear thinking must be conducted in the face of unregulated emotion, ill-conceived publication policies with respect to sensational studies are a disservice to all concerned. Our Board member discusses herein a case in point from the medical literature of this past year

Twenty‐first century learning after school: The case of 4‐H

Founded in the early 1900s, the 4-H Youth Development program can serve as a model for out-of-school programs of the twenty-first century. The 4-H pledge, repeated by its members--over 7 million, ranging in age from five to twenty--articulates its core values: "I pledge: My head to clearer thinking, My heart to greater loyalty, My hands to larger service, and My health to better living for my club, my community, my country, and my world." The 4-H Development movement was created to provide opportunities for rural children, to help them become constructive adults. Through an emphasis on "learning by doing," 4-H teaches children the habits of lifelong learning. Historically, 4-H has tapped into university-level advancements, extending such knowledge to youth and thereby giving them early access to scientific discoveries and technological progress. Members apply this learning in their communities through hands-on projects crossing a wide-range of pertinent topics. Research shows that 4-H members are more successful in school than other children and develop a wide range of skills essential in the twenty-first century. Thus, the author makes the case that the foundation of 4-H is exceptionally relevant in today's complex world, perhaps even more so than a century ago. 4-H is a leader in youth development, making it a natural model for twenty-first century after-school programs. Expanding on the 4-H pledge, the author outlines the principles a successful youth development program would have: an emphasis on leadership skills, a feeling of connection and belonging, a forum for exploring career opportunities, and a component of meaningful community service.

THE CLASSIC: Anterior Spinal Fusion

Professor Arthur Hodgson ("Hoddy") turned 75 years old in June 1990 (Figure not shown). This was the year of the 35th anniversary of the first anterior surgical approach for spinal tuberculosis. In 1955, three patients were surgically treated with this procedure and received follow-up treatment for several months. At this stage, the patients had solid healing of the bone grafts and no sign of paraparesis. It was then decided, on the basis of these initial surgical observations, to proceed. Since then, Hodgson's contribution has been legendary. A paper that reported the surgical treatment of the first 50 patients was published in the British Journal of Surgery in 1956. During the next few years, large series of patients were reported with dramatic recovery of Pott's paraplegia and a very high rate of anterior bone graft fusion. Doctor Hodgson, his wife Monica, and their five children arrived in Hong Kong in 1951. He had left Rochester, England, where he was a senior registrar, and sailed to Hong Kong to take up the post as lecturer in orthopaedic surgery within the Department of General Surgery at Hong Kong University. During these early years in Hong Kong, Hodgson also had to deal with endemic poliomyelitis, osteomyelitis, and all the Third World orthopaedic problems. His first assistant in these early years was Dr. Harry Fang. By 1960, his work was well recognized, and he was made the first professor of the new Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, separate from the Department of General Surgery in which he began this monumental work. I was fortunate to spend eight years as lecturer in the department, leaving at the end of 1975. During this period, there was a renaissance in spinal surgery that was solely attributable to the hard work and clear thinking of Hodgson. Not only did he think and write clearly (his papers are few in number, but classical in quality), but he provided a great stimulus and influence on many leaders in spinal surgery during the past quarter of a century, including Doctors John Hall, Kenton Leatherman, and the late Alan Dwyer. It is no secret that without Hodgson's continuing support for Dwyer's screw and cable technique, it probably would have failed. All told, he spent 24 years in orthopaedic surgery at Hong Kong University, 15 of these as professor and head of the department. This volume of Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research is a tribute to Professor Hodgson. I personally thank those who made the effort to put together their thoughts. The spinal papers in this Symposium represent much of the latest contemporary thought in spinal surgery, and would have been strongly approved of and encouraged by Professor Hodgson himself. As he looks back during his years of contribution to spinal surgery, Hodgson can be more than gratified by the knowledge that this concepts and ideas have been disseminated throughout the world. His contribution and the development of the anterior approach to spinal tuberculosis remain a milestone; from this flowed the anterior approach for so many other diseases of the vertebral column as we know it today. Professor Hodgson died on November 16, 1993 at the age of 78. His leadership in spinal surgery will be sorely missed throughout the world.

Toward Ending Cultural and Cognitive Relativism in Special Education

Postmodernism, by whatever label, is intellectually bankrupt. It cannot be reconciled with a scientific view. If taken seriously, it leads to catastrophic consequences for any field of study, including special education. It also leads to malpractice in special education. Whole language instruction, radical multicultural education, and facilitated communication are areas in which it has led to serious compromise of clear thinking and best practice. We urge special educators to resoundingly reject postmodern ideas, as they are poisonous and can lead only to regression.