US Conference Research Articles

DIA/NORD 2013 US Conference on Rare Diseases and Orphan Products: Poster Abstracts.

DIA/NORD 2013 US Conference on Rare Diseases and Orphan Products: Poster Abstracts.

The interplay of personal, professional and field development: a dialogue with K. Peter Kuchinke

This article contains a conversation with K. Peter Kuchinke, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies at the Department of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The aim is to reflect upon factors that influenced his professional and personal development and his life experiences as lens to understand his contributions and the field. For the past 30 years, his career has focused on HRD research and scholarly practice. He has published over 150 refereed articles and book chapters, and lectures widely on issues of HRD, leadership and career studies in the United States and abroad. He served on the Board of Directors of the Academy of HRD as VP of Research from 2000 to 2004, was Proceedings Editor for the US conference in 1997–2000 and served for HRDI as Associate Editor, General Editor and Editor-in-Chief from 2002 to 2009. Currently, he is the President-Elected of the University Council for Workforce and Human Resource Education (UCWHRE) and one of 25 North American PromoDoc Ambassadors for the European Commission Education and Training, Erasmus Mundus Program. The conversation considers the influence of his life experiences in Germany and the United States on his professional career, and his reflections about the trade-offs, meanings and dynamics between life and work in the context of HRD research and practice.

Introduction: Special Issue on 8th European Conference on Precision Agriculture (ECPA)

The 8th European Conference on Precision Agriculture took place in Prague, Czech Republic at the Czech University of Life Sciences in July 2011. Of all the many papers presented at that conference, a number have been updated and added to with new results and analyses. Some are published in this special issue. Special issues have been a feature of recent ECPA conferences and also for the biennial US conferences. Both conferences now come under the auspices of the International Society for Precision Agriculture. Multidisciplinarity is a feature of Society, Conferences—and this Special Issue! Here you will find an interesting mix of papers on soils, crops, remote sensing and sensing techniques.

DIA/NORD 2012 US Conference on Rare Diseases and Orphan Products: Poster Abstracts

DIA/NORD 2012 US Conference on Rare Diseases and Orphan Products: Poster Abstracts

Leaders, Followers, and Laggards: Adoption of the Us Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement in California

Limited quantitative research has been devoted to voluntary climate actions at the local level. It is unclear why some cities act as leaders in the fight against climate change, some act as followers, while others remain laggards. This study tests hypotheses about local climate proactiveness to mitigate climate change. Applying a survival analysis to California cities' adoption of the US Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, I examine the association between cities' adoption of the agreement, a range of cities' characteristics, and the behavior of neighboring jurisdictions. The results suggest important roles of the overall capacity of a local jurisdiction, its staff capacity with relevant expertise, average household income level, and voter preferences. Study results also suggest the importance of local traffic conditions and the positive peer effect.

Ministry by Women Religious and the U.S. Apostolic Visitation

The concurrent investigations of women religious in the United States, begun in 2009, mark a turning point in defining women’s apostolic religious life and ecclesial ministry. Further, the investigations raise interesting questions in ecclesiology and interpretations of the Second Vatican Council. Each is directed by curial offices directly to the institutes and organization involved, rather than via diocesan bishops or, even, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.1 The January 2009 announcement of an Apostolic Visitation of US wom n religious was quickly followed by announcement of a doctrinal investigation of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), the membership group for leadership of 95% of women’s religious institutes in the country. Some commentators implied the combined events were a coordinated attempt by conservative forces in the Church, following a conference held at Stonehill College, Massachusetts at which the speakers presented a single view of apostolic religious life.2 As some women’s leadership struggled to be positive in the face of the Apostolic Visitation, even as others welcomed it, passive aggressive patterns emerged on both sides. The Apostolic Visitation “office”—really one part-time secretary and some volunteer help in addition to the appointed Visitator, Mother Mary Clare Millea, Rome-based superior general of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus—was mostly unresponsive to media as a critical mass of the 325 institutes under scrutiny reportedly refused to complete sections of the Visitation questionnaire, returning only copies of their approved constitutions. Separately, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith assigned Toledo, Ohio Bishop Leonard P. Blair “to review

Procedural (Dis)obedience in Bicameral Bargaining in the United States and the European Union

The EU co‐decision procedure gave the Parliament and the Council the possibility to reconcile differences in a conciliation committee similar to US conference committees. This article examines why important rules regulating the scope of these committees, which at first outset look similar, are applied more flexibly in the US than the EU context. Learning about the conditions under which scope rules are applied flexibly is important for EU scholars because these rules control who affects the final legislative outputs. In accordance with insights from recent institutional literature, the article argues that variation in rule ambiguity, demand for flexible rule interpretation, and bargaining power of the actors interested in modifying the scope rules can help explain these differences in rule application between the two systems. However, it also shows how flexible interpretation of even unambiguous rules may occur.

Sexual Abstinence Counseling among Trainees and Teachers in a Catholic Pediatric Residency Program: Clinical Education within the Context of Conflicting Ideologies

Purpose The negative impact of teenage sexual activity in the US is well established. The American Academy of Pediatrics policy guidelines recommend a comprehensive approach to sexual health counseling that includes abstinence and contraception. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops recommends an abstinence-only approach. Both views converge on the importance of delayed initiation of intercourse. Data on physician compliance with abstinence counseling is scant.

Efficacy of 5-ASA in the Treatment of Colonic Diverticular Disease

To assess the therapeutic efficacy of 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) in patients with colonic diverticular disease performing a systematic review of the literature. Cochrane Trial Register (until Issue 4, 2008), Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (1966 to October 1, 2008), Excerpta Medica Database (1980 to October 1, 2008), and abstracts from the major US, European, and Asian gastroenterology conferences. Expert opinions sought and reference lists of identified studies and any relevant published reviews checked. Randomized controlled trial (RCT) or a controlled clinical trial with a parallel group design using 5-ASA as 1 treatment arm. Six RCTs enrolling 818 patients were found: 3 were performed in patients with uncomplicated diverticulitis, and the remaining in patients with symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease. The results of these studies showed that patients treated with 5-ASA had significantly better outcomes and that also mesalazine scheduled daily was superior to cyclic administration to prevent relapse of diverticular disease. However, several of these studies have not included an endoscopy at the start of the study and when patients had recurrences. From this systematic review, it seems that 5-ASAs may have a role in patients with colonic diverticular disease. However, high-quality well-designed RCTs are necessary to confirm these initial observations.

Sequential Therapy or Triple Therapy for Helicobacter pylori Infection

Eradication rates with triple therapy (TT) for Helicobacter pylori infection have declined to unacceptable levels. Sequential therapy (ST) is a novel treatment that has shown promise in several controlled trials. Our aim was to assess the efficacy of ST in adults and children compared with that of TT by performing a systematic review and meta-analysis. We performed an electronic search of the following: Cochrane Trial Register (until Issue 4, 2008), MEDLINE (1966 to 21 October 2008), EMBASE (1980 to 21 October 2008), and abstracts from the major US, European, and Asian gastroenterology conferences. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials with a parallel group design comparing the ST with a TT lasting at least 7 days were used. Ten RCTs enrolled 3,006 adult patients and the odds ratio (OR) for eradication of H. pylori with ST compared with TT was 2.99 (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.47-3.62), giving a number needed to treat (NNT) of 6 (95% CI: 5-7) favoring ST. There was no publication bias. The OR for eradication with ST compared with 10-day TT was 2.92 (95% CI: 1.95-4.38), yielding an NNT of 8 (95% CI: 6-12), favoring ST. In patients with clarithromycin resistance, the OR for eradication with ST was 10.21 (95% CI: 3.01-34.58) compared with TT, but the numbers studied are small. Three RCTs enrolled 260 children and adolescents, and the OR for eradication was 1.98 (95% CI: 0.96-4.07). There was no difference in the rate of side effects between the ST and the TT (OR, 1.01; 95% CI: 0.78-1.30). ST appears to be better than TT in the eradication of H. pylori. This is a promising therapy, but further trials are needed in other European countries and North America before it can be recommended as a first-line treatment.

W1235 Efficacy of 5-ASA in the Treatment of Colonic Diverticular Disease: A Systematic Review

Objective: to assess the therapeutic efficacy of 5-ASA in patients with colonic diverticular disease performing a systematic review of the literature. Data Sources: Cochrane Trial Register (until Issue 4, 2008), MEDLINE (1966 October 1st 2008), EMBASE (1980October 1st 2008) and abstracts from the major US, European and Asian gastroenterology conferences. Expert opinions sought and reference lists of identified studies and any relevant published reviews checked. Study Selection: randomized controlled trial (RCT) or a controlled clinical trial (CCT) with a parallel group design using 5-ASA as one treatment arm. Results: 6 RCTs enrolling 818 patients were found: 3 were performed in patients with uncomplicated diverticulitis, and the remaining in patients with symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease. The results of these studies showed that patients treated with 5-ASA had significantly better outcomes and that alsomesalazine scheduled daily was superior to cyclic administration to prevent relapse of diverticular disease. Conclusions: from this systematic review appears that 5-ASAs may have a role in patients with colonic diverticular disease. However high quality well designed RCTs are necessary to confirm these initial observations.

Investigating attitudes of Catholic priests toward the media and the US Conference of Catholic Bishops Response to the Sexual Abuse Scandals of 2002

Since 2002, researchers have investigated the incidence of clergy sexual abuse and the perceptions and attitudes of non-ordained Catholics toward the responses of the U.S. Catholic bishops. The perceptions of functioning Catholic priests were investigated in 2002. There has been little follow-up research about priests who have never been accused of sexual misconduct. Using non-probability sampling techniques, this study employed a structured format to confidentially interview 22 Catholic priests in 2006 and 2007. The interviews yielded themes around the reporting of the events of 2002 by the media, and the response of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to the crisis and the media. Findings suggest that most priest-respondents believed that the media had accurately reported that the bishops had engaged in a cover-up. Most respondents believed that the media had portrayed all priests as pedophiles. Most priest-respondents believed the response of the USCCB was inadequate, poorly conceived, and generated to satisfy public pressure. Most respondents believed that bishops had abandoned their priests and compromised the canonical rights of priests. Finally, several priest respondents identified a double standard in the process and outcome by which allegations against priests and bishops are handled.

What did we learn from the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference?

The North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference is an opportunity for the clinicians, multidisciplinary teams and scientists working in the field of cystic fibrosis (CF) to present the latest research and developments. In order to ensure that as many people as possible gain from this impressive event, the American Cystic Fibrosis Foundation make the plenary talks available on their website.1 This article does not attempt to simply reproduce conference talks but to highlight some key messages which emerged and to capture the sense of optimism which was gained by the attendees in Anaheim in October 2007. In the past we may have returned from US conferences with one major headline regarding a single breakthrough dominating our thinking, but in 2007 we left with a real sense of progress on every level in all dimensions of research and care. It is clear that survival for people with CF has improved because of rigorous application of a multidisciplinary approach with attention to detail in all areas of disease management. We have learnt that looking after the lungs without attending to nutrition is a suboptimal approach. It appears that the CF community has adopted the multidisciplinary approach to research and development for ensuring further improvements in outcomes for people with CF. Knowledge of the pathophysiology of lung disease in CF has allowed the CF community to plan interventions at each point of disease development (Figure 1) and at the Anaheim conference there were examples of reports of clinical trials of potential new therapies at every point along the pathophysiological map. I will use this map to describe the advances that were emerging at the meeting. Figure 1 Cystic fibrosis pathopysiology and possible therapies

Infection Control Dogma Among Nurses in Iran

Using 33 dogmatic statements about infection control, we assessed the knowledge of infection control nurses at a conference in Iran and compared their responses with those of infection control nurses at a conference in the United States. A majority of those at the Iran conference responded correctly to 11 (33%) of 33 statements, whereas a majority at the US conference responded correctly to 20 (61%) of the statements. The differences in responses were significant (P<.001). Nurses at the Iran conference were more likely to agree with dogma not supported by the literature and to put more faith in general cleanliness to prevent infection than is supported by the literature. A similar questionnaire survey might be useful in countries like Iran that are developing their infection control personnel and infrastructure.

Cross-cultural pragmatic differences in US and Chinese press conferences: the case of the North Korea nuclear crisis

This study investigated request and refusal strategies in the question-response sequences of interactions in routine press conferences held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and the US Department of State on the topic of the North Korea nuclear crisis during a period of 5 months. All utterances by journalists were identified as requests, and instances of spokes-persons’ non-compliance with requests were considered to be refusals. Findings demonstrated that: (1) request for specific information was the most frequently adopted strategy in both US and Chinese press conferences, but more clarification and confirmation questions were used in the US data and more questions for comments were found in the Chinese data; (2) in the case of refusals, direct refusals and reasons for refusal were frequent in the US data while avoidance and insufficient answers were prevalent in the Chinese data. The cross-cultural differences in the strategies of requests and refusals are discussed briefly in relation to different ideological and cultural assumptions.

Forecasting UK commercial real estate cycle phases with leading indicators: a probit approach

This paper examines the significance of widely used leading indicators of the UK economy for predicting the cyclical pattern of commercial real estate performance. The analysis uses monthly capital value data for UK industrials, offices and retail from the Investment Property Databank (IPD). Prospective economic indicators are drawn from three sources namely, the series used by the US Conference Board to construct their UK leading indicator and the series deployed by two private organisations, Lombard Street Research and NTC Research, to predict UK economic activity. We first identify turning points in the capital value series adopting techniques employed in the classical business cycle literature. Probit models are then estimated using the leading economic indicators as independent variables and forecast the probability of different phases of capital values, that is, periods of declining and rising capital values. The forecast performance of the models is tested and found to be satisfactory. The predictability of lasting directional changes in property performance represents a useful tool for real estate investment decision-making.

An improved 2D model for bonded composite joints

A growing number of structural applications and repairs require strong adhesively bonded joints between composite parts. The viability of the finite elements method (FEM) for the design and analysis of such joints has been shown by several researchers (Composites 13(1982) 29, mechanics and mechanisms of damage in composites and multi-materials, ESIS11, Mechanical Engineering Publications, London, 1991, Structural adhesive joints in engineering, Elsevier Applied science Publishers, Amsterdam, 1984). Most of the proposed plane stress models for adhesively bonded joints have traditionally relied on effective lamina properties for the composite adherends because one of the primary goals was the study of adhesive stresses and failure criteria (J. Adhes. 42 (1993)). Such work has also been usually carried out on mainframe computers. However, with the rapid developments in computing, commercial FE codes now exists for PC applications. These present new possibilities, namely the construction of models which are closer in their approximation to the structures they represent. Within this context, a new 2D plane stress approach has been developed which allows ply-by-ply modelling of composite adherends in a joint. It is a development of the traditional 2D plane stress model used by several authors such as Siener (Compos. Mater.: Testing Des. 10 (1992) 444) in investigating of composite repair joints. This paper reports the application of this new approach to the modelling of scarf joints between composite adherends under tensile loading. Various scarf angles were investigated and ultimate joint failure predicted. The results of the analysis were compared to the experimental results published by Adkins and Pipes (Proceedings of the Fourth Japan–US Conference on Composite Materials, 1988, pp. 845–854). The main aim of work was to develop a model which could provided more information than conventional models. The new approach offers the prospect of accurately modelling more realistic joints because, through the retention of the laminated nature of the composite adherends, scope now exists for the application of more physically based failure criteria. This work has shown that it is possible to model adhesively bonded composite joints using an improved 2D plane stress model which retains the laminated nature of the composite adherends. There was good agreement between the predicted failure loads and the experimental results for 3.0°, 6.2° and 9.2° scarf joints. These predictions are dependent on the type of failure criteria used. For the composite adherends, the maximum stress criterion faired better in predicting the 3.0° scarf joint strength.

An improved 2D model for bonded composite joints

A growing number of structural applications and repairs require strong adhesively bonded joints between composite parts. The viability of the finite elements method (FEM) for the design and analysis of such joints has been shown by several researchers (Composites 13(1982) 29, mechanics and mechanisms of damage in composites and multi-materials, ESIS11, Mechanical Engineering Publications, London, 1991, Structural adhesive joints in engineering, Elsevier Applied science Publishers, Amsterdam, 1984). Most of the proposed plane stress models for adhesively bonded joints have traditionally relied on effective lamina properties for the composite adherends because one of the primary goals was the study of adhesive stresses and failure criteria (J. Adhes. 42 (1993)). Such work has also been usually carried out on mainframe computers. However, with the rapid developments in computing, commercial FE codes now exists for PC applications. These present new possibilities, namely the construction of models which are closer in their approximation to the structures they represent. Within this context, a new 2D plane stress approach has been developed which allows ply-by-ply modelling of composite adherends in a joint. It is a development of the traditional 2D plane stress model used by several authors such as Siener (Compos. Mater.: Testing Des. 10 (1992) 444) in investigating of composite repair joints. This paper reports the application of this new approach to the modelling of scarf joints between composite adherends under tensile loading. Various scarf angles were investigated and ultimate joint failure predicted. The results of the analysis were compared to the experimental results published by Adkins and Pipes (Proceedings of the Fourth Japan–US Conference on Composite Materials, 1988, pp. 845–854). The main aim of work was to develop a model which could provided more information than conventional models. The new approach offers the prospect of accurately modelling more realistic joints because, through the retention of the laminated nature of the composite adherends, scope now exists for the application of more physically based failure criteria. This work has shown that it is possible to model adhesively bonded composite joints using an improved 2D plane stress model which retains the laminated nature of the composite adherends. There was good agreement between the predicted failure loads and the experimental results for 3.0°, 6.2° and 9.2° scarf joints. These predictions are dependent on the type of failure criteria used. For the composite adherends, the maximum stress criterion faired better in predicting the 3.0° scarf joint strength.

Honolulu, US Filter Receive Award From US Mayors

This article reports that the US Conference of Mayors has presented an Outstanding Achievement Award to the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, and US Filter Operating Services for their 20‐ year partnership that helps preserve the island of Oahu's drinking water resources and provides high‐quality water for area industries.

Review: angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors reduce the progression of non-diabetic renal disease

(2001) Ann Intern Med 135, 73. Jafar TH, Schmid CH, Landa M . , et al, for the ACE Inhibition in Progressive Renal Disease Study Group. . Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors...