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Critical Look (critical + look)
Selected AbstractsA CRITICAL LOOK AT PAP ADEQUECY: ARE OUR CRITERIA SATISFACTORY?CYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 2006D.R. Bolick Liquid based Pap (LBP) specimen adequacy is a highly documented, yet poorly understood cornerstone of our GYN cytology practice. Each day, as cytology professionals, we make adequacy assessments and seldom wonder how the criteria we use were established. Are the criteria appropriate? Are they safe? What is the scientific data that support them? Were they clinically and statistically tested or refined to achieve optimal patient care? In this presentation, we will take a fresh look at what we know about Pap specimen adequacy and challenge some of the core assumptions of our daily practice. LBP tests have a consistent, well-defined surface area for screening, facilitating the quantitative estimates of slide cellularity. This provides an unprecedented opportunity to establish reproducible adequacy standards that can be subjected to scientific scrutiny and rigorous statistical analysis. Capitalizing on this opportunity, the TBS2001 took the landmark step to define specimen adequacy quantitatively, and set the threshold for a satisfactory LBP at greater than 5,000 well visualized squamous epithelial cells. To date, few published studies have attempted to evaluate the validity or receiver operator characteristics for this threshold, define an optimal threshold for clinical utility or assess risks of detection failure in ,satisfactory' but relatively hypocellular Pap specimens. Five years of cumulative adequacy and cellularity data of prospectively collected Pap samples from the author's laboratory will be presented, which will serve as a foundation for a discussion on ,Pap failure'. A relationship between cellularity and detection of HSIL will be presented. Risk levels for Pap failure will be presented for Pap samples of different cellularities. The effect of different cellularity criterion on unsatisfactory Pap rates and Pap failure rates will be demonstrated. Results from this data set raise serious questions as to the safety of current TBS2001 adequacy guidelines and suggest that the risk of Pap failure in specimens with 5,000 to 20 000 squamous cells on the slide is significantly higher than those assumed by the current criteria. TBS2001 designated all LBP to have the same adequacy criterion. Up to this point, it has been assumed that ThinPrep, SurePath, or any other LBP would be sufficiently similar that they should have the same adequacy criteria. Data for squamous cellularity and other performance characteristics of ThinPrep and SurePath from the author's laboratory will be compared. Intriguing data involving the recently approved MonoPrep Pap Test will be reviewed. MonoPrep clinical trial data show the unexpected finding of a strong correlation between abundance of endocervical component and the detection of high-grade lesions, provoking an inquiry of a potential new role for a quantitative assessment of the transition zone component. The current science of LBP adequacy criteria is underdeveloped and does not appear to be founded on statistically valid methods. This condition calls us forward as a body of practitioners and scientists to rigorously explore, clarify and define the fundamental nature of cytology adequacy. As we forge this emerging science, we will improve diagnostic performance, guide the development of future technologies, and better serve the patients who give us their trust. Reference:, Birdsong GG: Pap smear adequacy: Is our understanding satisfactory? Diagn Cytopathol. 2001 Feb; 24(2): 79,81. [source] Responsibility for Harm: A Critical Look at the Protection of Commerce in Arms ActBUSINESS AND SOCIETY REVIEW, Issue 3 2006RONALD J. ADAMS First page of article [source] Currency boards: More than a quick fix?ECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 31 2000Atish R. Ghosh Once a popular colonial monetary arrangement, currency boards fell into disuse as countries gained political independence. But recently, currency boards have made a remarkable come-back. This essay takes a critical look at their performance. Are currency boards really a panacea for achieving low inflation and high growth? Or do they merely provide a ,quick fix' allowing authorities to neglect fundamental reforms and thus fail to yield lasting benefits? We have three major findings. First, the historical track record of currency boards is sterling, with few instances of speculative attacks and virtually no ,involuntary' exits. Countries that did exit from currency boards did so mainly for political, rather than economic reasons, and such exits were usually uneventful. Second, modern currency boards have often been instituted to gain credibility following a period of high or hyperinflation, and in this regard, have been remarkably successful. Countries with currency boards experienced lower inflation and higher (if more volatile) GDP growth compared to both floating regimes and simple pegs. The inflation difference reflects both a lower growth rate of money supply (a ,discipline effect'), and a faster growth of money demand (a ,credibility effect'). The GDP growth effect is significant, but may simply reflect a rebound from depressed levels. Third, case studies reveal the successful introduction of a currency board to be far from trivial, requiring lengthy legal and institutional changes, as well as a broad economic and social consensus for the implied commitment. Moreover, there are thorny issues, as yet untested, regarding possible exits from a currency board. Thus currency boards do not provide easy solutions. But if introduced in the right circumstances, with some built-in flexibility, they can be an important tool for gaining credibility and achieving macroeconomic stabilization. [source] The Underside of Conflict Management , in Africa and ElsewhereIDS BULLETIN, Issue 1 2001Laura Nader Summaries This article traces the evolution of thought on dispute resolution in recent decades and takes a critical look at its latest incarnation, the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) revolution. It argues that ADR is premised on the harmony model of law that denies the unequal power of disputing parties and ignores issues of social justice. It calls for a real dialogue by serious scholars willing to examine the now plentiful evidence of the performance of ADR devices. The article also shows that dispute resolution is not autonomous from other social and economic components of social systems, and that as a consequence it is not possible to divorce law and power. Any ADR scheme, therefore, needs careful study of the social conditions in which it may operate. [source] A critical look at the construction of power between Applied Linguistics and Critical Applied LinguisticsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS, Issue 2 2004Matthew Carlson This article addresses the potential power relationships between Critical Applied Linguistics (CALx) and Applied Linguistics (AL). The discussion is based on the presentation of AL and CALx in Davies (1999) and Pennycook (2001), respectively. Four basic possibilities will frame the arguments: either AL or CALx may exert power over the other, as when CALx is seen as simply a subfield of the more comprehensive AL, or insofar as CALx provides a forum in which to discuss ethics within AL. Furthermore, both CALx and AL may have a position of power, such that they are in conflict with each other. Finally, the possibility will be explored that CALx and AL may indeed work together, exerting power in tandem, as it were. Through this discussion, a dialectical relationship will emerge in which CALx and AL may be seen as creating a tension and balance in which both operate in a context inclusive of the other. [source] Allen Denver Russell Memorial Lecture, 2006JOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2006The use of microbiocides in infection control: a critical look at safety, applications, testing Abstract Microbial pathogens continue as major threats to health. Indeed, many ongoing societal changes are enhancing our vulnerability and exposure to several frank and opportunistic pathogens. This, together with rampant antimicrobial resistance and reduced prospects for newer drugs and vaccines, is forcing a higher reliance on microbiocides in infection prevention and control. That this reliance may not be well-founded becomes apparent from a closer look at current ways of testing and registering microbiocides, their label claims as well as human and environmental safety of certain widely used microbicidal chemicals. Many methods to test microbiocides for registration are flawed and/or entail test conditions irrelevant to field use. Pathogens listed on product labels may not be among those amenable to interruption through microbiocide use. The wide variations and discrepancies in existing national/regional regulations for registering microbiocides for sale stifle innovation. This is a critical look at the above-mentioned issues with emphasis on chemicals meant for use on environmental surfaces and medical devices. It highlights better ways to test microbiocides and to attain global harmonization of testing and product registration. It also details the known and potential dangers of microbiocide use and what to consider in choosing such formulations for optimal safety and effectiveness. End users are advised to be more critical and prudent in the selection and application of microbicidal chemicals, manufacturers are encouraged to explore infection control products and technologies that are safer in the workplace and for the environment, and regulators are urged to review and update the requirements and procedures for premarket review of microbiocide efficacy data and label claims. Independent investigations are also urgently needed to document the proportion of nosocomial infections that would be amenable to prevention through chemical disinfection of environmental surfaces. [source] Cultural relevance as program-to-community alignment,JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 4 2009Jayanthi Mistry Calls for cultural sensitivity in the design and implementation of human services programs have become a standard response to the increasing diversity among the families and communities being served. In this article, we take a critical look at the construct, using data from a multi-year evaluation of a statewide family support program. We examine how selected, locally implemented programs operationalize the state program's cultural sensitivity standard, using both etic and emic approaches; that is, we apply extant cultural competence definitions to assess program cultural sensitivity and document how the program staff articulated their approach to the cultural sensitivity. Findings suggest that programs focus more directly on the immediate cultural relevance of their services, rather than on developing more generalized competencies among their staff. Further, findings indicate that program-to-community alignment may well be a more useful representation of how programs address cultural issues. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Due diligence issues in ChinaJOURNAL OF CORPORATE ACCOUNTING & FINANCE, Issue 2 2009Jo Ann McGee The People's Republic of China was identified as one of the most attractive locations for anticipated mergers and acquisitions (M&As) over the next 18 months. Unfortunately, it is also considered to be one of the riskiest locations for investment,partly due to the growth of white-collar crime (WCC). So any multinational firm planning M&A activities in China should include a search for WCC in their due diligence. However, conducting due diligence in China is very difficult. The authors take a critical look at these issues and detail the challenges that multinational firms will face. They also give some practical advice on how to handle those problems. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] A critical look at the kinematic-wave theory for sedimentation,consolidation processes in closed vesselsMATHEMATICAL METHODS IN THE APPLIED SCIENCES, Issue 16 2001R. Bürger Abstract The two-phase flow of a flocculated suspension in a closed settling vessel with inclined walls is investigated within a consistent extension of the kinematic wave theory to sedimentation processes with compression. Wall boundary conditions are used to spatially derive one-dimensional field equations for planar flows and flows which are symmetric with respect to the vertical axis. We analyse the special cases of a conical vessel and a roof-shaped vessel. The case of a small initial time and a large time for the final consolidation state leads to explicit expressions for the flow fields, which constitute an important test of the theory. The resulting initial-boundary value problems are well posed and can be solved numerically by a simple adaptation of one of the newly developed numerical schemes for strongly degenerate convection-diffusion problems. However, from a physical point of view, both the analytical and numerical results reveal a deficiency of the general field equations. In particular, the strongly reduced form of the linear momentum balance turns out to be an oversimplification. Included in our discussion as a special case are the Kynch theory and the well-known analyses of sedimentation in vessels with inclined walls within the framework of kinematic waves, which exhibit the same shortcomings. In order to formulate consistent boundary conditions for both phases in a closed vessel and in order to predict boundary layers in the presence of inclined walls, viscosity terms should be taken into account. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A critical look at the immunologically favorable adult-sized kidney transplant in small childrenPEDIATRIC TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 3 2009Oscar Salvatierra No abstract is available for this article. [source] A case example of assessment and evaluation: Building capability in a corporate universityPERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT, Issue 6 2009Shawn Overcast One corporate university makes measurement a priority by dedicating resources and assigning responsibilities to a centralized analytics function: the assessment, measurement, and evaluation team. As more measurement became a focus for learning and business leaders alike, the more the team became motivated to take a critical look at how it was approaching assessment, measurement, and evaluation activities and how it could leverage its capabilities, technology, and processes to have a greater reach across the organization. [source] Der späte Fluch des Dritten Reichs: Pfadabhängigkeiten in der Entstehung der bundesdeutschen WirtschaftsordnungPERSPEKTIVEN DER WIRTSCHAFTSPOLITIK, Issue 2 2005Albrecht Ritschl The present article takes a critical look at this myth, and examines the continuity between the economic framework of the Third Reich and the Social Market Economy. In a whole array of sectors of the German economy, regulations from the Nazi period continued to be in force after the war, or were even reintroduced. To accommodate these regulations, the Anti-Cartel Act of 1957 defined these areas as exempt from its general ban on cartels. In this sense, Germany's current reforms may be viewed as the laborious transformation of an economic system whose substance originated not in the Social Market Economy of the 1950s, but rather in the command economy of the 1930s. The findings of this article confirm that the impact of the Third Reich on the economic policies of post-war Germany was significantly greater than hitherto known. [source] ONE FIGHT, ONE TEAM: THE 9/11 COMMISSION REPORT ON INTELLIGENCE, FRAGMENTATION AND INFORMATIONPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Issue 2 2006HANS DE BRUIJN In its report published in 2004, the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (known as the ,9/11 Commission') analyses the functioning of the Intelligence Community (ICo). It indicates that the ICo is both over-fragmented and guilty of not sharing enough information. The Commission recommends that central control of the ICo needs to be strengthened and that more incentives for information-sharing should be designed. This article takes a critical look at these two recommendations. Sharing information carries major risks and is therefore not something that can take place as a matter of course. Moreover, information has to be subject to a selection process before it can be shared. This selection cannot be measured objectively, so mistakes in the selection are unavoidable. Strengthening central control also poses risks: it engenders more battles over territory, it does not improve understanding of the capillaries of the organization , the capillaries being where the primary processes of information gathering, validation and assessment take place , and it involves the destruction of checks and balances. Fragmentation may even be functional since it leads to redundancy, itself a safeguard against the risk of misselecting relevant information. [source] Do We Need a ,Naughty Step'?THE HOWARD JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE, Issue 5 2008Rethinking the Parenting Order After Ten Years Abstract: This article takes a critical look at the ideology and functioning of the parenting order, tracing its political and legislative history and reasons for its geographically varied and largely limited use. It questions the need for mandated parental training which is, anyway, unlikely to prevent offending by children aged over ten years. [source] Singapore's Emerging Knowledge Economy: Role of Intellectual Property and its Possible Implications for Singaporean SocietyTHE JOURNAL OF WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, Issue 3 2006Robin Ramcharan This article seeks to take an exploratory and critical look at the role of intellectual property (IP) in the development of Singapore. IP protection has become an important factor in the move to a knowledge-based economy (KBE), in which information is a prized asset. In order to preserve its traditional role as a regional trading entrepôt, its economy has evolved from an initial concentration on heavy industry-based manufacturing to manufacturing in knowledge-intensive products (electronics, chemicals and engineering), and the provision of financial and banking services. IP is now, arguably, a critical factor in the latest attempts by the Singaporean leadership to remain relevant to the regional and global economy. Faced with numerous competitors and cheaper labor markets, an impressive drive has been launched towards the enhancement of knowledge-intensive industries for which IP protection is vital. These include the creative industries strategy (copyright industries) and the provision of biomedical services (pharmaceutical, medical devices, biotechnology and healthcare services), the "fourth pillar" of Singapore's manufacturing sector, in addition to electronics, chemicals and engineering. Singapore seeks a competitive edge in this niche, for which IP protection seems vital. Patents are particularly relevant to the fourth pillar. This article will examine the following: (1) the place of IP historically in its economic development; (2) its role in various aspects of various strategies in its current economic development plans,the creative industries strategy, the intelligent island strategy and the fourth pillar strategy; and (3) critical IP issues for Singapore's economy. It does so with several key questions in mind. (1) Could the drive to an IP intensive knowledge economy generate social dislocations? (2) Which segments of Singaporean society stand to gain or lose in the move to an intensively knowledge-based economy? (3) Can the IP system contribute to softening the blow in any such dislocations? This article seeks to stimulate research into the social and economic impact of IP in Singapore's developmental process, an area thus far understudied. [source] Front and Back Covers, Volume 24, Number 3.ANTHROPOLOGY TODAY, Issue 3 2008June 200 Front cover and back cover caption, volume 24 issue 3 Front cover Front cover: Front cover In this issue of ANTHROPOLOGY TODAY, Adrian Peace takes a critical look at the way in which neo-evolutionary theories and anthropological concepts are brought together in an award-winning campaign to sell more meat in Australia (his article is debated by four respondents on pp 23,25). Among others adopting a critical perspective, the animal rights movement was outraged at claims made about red meat as a ,natural', ,healthy' and ,essential' part of the average Australian diet. Just as a prominent film star was recruited to the ,Red Meat , Feel Good' campaign, the hugely popular Missy Higgins was deployed to front the response from the animal rights movement. The youthful and fresh-faced Australian singer-songwriter, cuddling the vulnerable white piglet, iconically represents an informed, intelligent and humane vegetarian approach to the future in the relationship between human and non-human animals. Higgins here makes a striking plea for ,enlightenment'. Enlightenment of a different kind is offered by the poster reprinted on the back cover, where an Indian transvestite celebrates the joy of a minority gender identity. Although the rights of both human minorities and non-human animals may be ,universal', they must be rendered in culturally specific terms in order to be politically effective. Back cover Back cover: modern enlightenment in ancient sacred sites ,Be enlightened!' In 2006 ,Shelly Innocence' launched a new phone service in Bodhgaya, Bihar, offering customers the opportunity to receive personal text messages of EnlightenmentÔ on their mobile phones. Large billboards with images of this virtual transgendered guru were erected outside the main temple to advertise the service. Not only is Bodhgaya a site of inspiration for millions of Buddhists around the world, but the seat of enlightenment has also come to mean very different things as this cosmopolitan pilgrimage town goes global. For many decades the state of Bihar, where Bodhgaya is located, has been one of the least attractive destinations for pilgrims, tourists and anthropologists because of its notorious reputation as one of the most impoverished and ,lawless' states in the country. However in recent years the Mahabodhi Temple complex in Bodhgaya has become the object of global attention as a UNESCO World Heritage site, setting in motion a series of initiatives to encourage tourism and city development plans. As a result of new conservation policies and demands on the built environment, the World Heritage designation has become invested with a diverse set of claims and meanings by various stakeholders and religious communities. As a site of dense historical, religious and political significance, Bodhgaya today is a unique locus where spiritual and digital worlds collide in the shade of the bodhi tree. [source] A Malaysia,United States free trade agreement: Malaysian media and domestic resistanceASIA PACIFIC VIEWPOINT, Issue 1 2009Sandra SmeltzerArticle first published online: 25 MAR 200 Abstract This article examines Malaysia's civil society resistance to a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States, focusing specifically on the role played by domestic mainstream and alternative media in raising awareness of trade negotiations. While challenges to a Malaysia,United States FTA may appear muted , especially if compared with the outpouring of dissent witnessed on the streets of Thailand and South Korea against similar deals with the United States , Malaysia's civil society agents have employed a range of mechanisms to oppose the agreement. Although these activists have focused their efforts on different sections of the proposed FTA , from intellectual property rights to food sovereignty to government procurement procedures , all share a common call for greater transparency in the negotiation process and greater public and parliamentary consultation. This article takes a critical look at who is involved in these resistance efforts, their key issues of concern, limitations to their success, and, most importantly, their relationship with and use of local media. [source] Development Economics through the Decades: a critical look at 30 years of the World Development Report , By Shahid Yusuf, with Angus Deaton, Kemal Dervis, William Easterley, Takatoshi Ito and Joseph E. StiglitzASIAN-PACIFIC ECONOMIC LITERATURE, Issue 2 2009Stephen Howes No abstract is available for this article. [source] Police Reform and the Peace Process in Guatemala: the Fifth Promotion of the National Civilian PoliceBULLETIN OF LATIN AMERICAN RESEARCH, Issue 4 2001Marie-Louise Glebbeek After 36 years of mostly authoritarian rule and often bitter civil conflict in Guatemala, the December 1996 Peace Accords prepared the ground for a new phase of reconstruction, democratisation and social and institutional reform. Prior to the Peace Accords, policing in Guatemala had been often violent, repressive and subordinated to the counterinsurgency logic of the military. Security sector reform intentions included the abolition of existing police forces and the creation of a new National Civil Police (PNC). The PNC was meant to give substance to a new way of policing in tune with the building of democratic governance and effective law enforcement. This paper examines the general background of the reforms, discusses the limitations of the results so far, and takes a particular and critical look at one of the key components of the police reform: the recruitment and training of PNC aspirants, using the case of the 1999 Fifth Promotion that entered the Academy of the PNC. [source] 2436: A critical look at meibometry as a means to monitor Meibomian gland functionACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 2010P VERSURA Purpose To evaluate the diagnostic performance of meibometry in classifying and quantifying Meibomian gland dysfunction(MGD) Methods Ninety-six patients with MGD (138 eyes, 62 women, 34 men) and 30 normal control subjects(55 eyes)were enrolled. Eighty six eyes were classified as high delivery (HD)-MGD (meibomian seborrhea/hypersecretory MGD), 52 as low delivery (LD)-MGD on the basis of expression quality scores and morphological signs. Direct Meibometry (DM) measurements were made with an MB550 Meibometer (Courage-Khazaka GmbH). Standard curves were constructed relating arbitrary Meibometer optical density units (AU). Integrated Meibometry (IM) was performed on scanned images of the lipid blots. Symptoms were scored by OSDI,Schirmer test I, Break Up Time (BUT), tear osmolarity (Tearlab, Ocusense), conjunctival scraping cytology were performed. Statistical analysis used SPSS 14.0 and MedCalc 5.0 Results AU values plotted on a log scale correlated highly with the lipid equivalent values (R2= 0.913). Significant differences were found between control subjects vs all MGD patients and between HD vs LD-MGD patients for all the parameters evaluated. In particular: controls: 300+/-121 AU (0.04+/-0.015 microliter), LD-MGD: 218+/-122 AU (0.03+/-0.015) and HD-MGD: 564+/-115 AU (0.07+0.015) (median+/-SD). Significant correlation was found DM vs IM (r=0.691,p<0.0001) and DM was shown to be correlated with BUT, OSDI score, scraping score and tear osmolarity, especially in LD-MGD patients. The selected DM diagnostic cut off for LD-MGD was <275 AU (sens 73, spec 60, PPV 63) and for HD-MGD was >450 AU; (sens 86, spec 87, PPV 91) Conclusion Meibometry is confirmed to be a reliable method to distinguish normal subjects from MGD subgroups with a good degree of accuracy [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||