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Selected AbstractsWhite pines, Ribes, and blister rust: a review and synthesisFOREST PATHOLOGY, Issue 3-4 2010Brian W. Geils Summary For over a century, white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola) has linked white pines (Strobus) with currants and gooseberries (Ribes) in a complex and serious disease epidemic in Asia, Europe, and North America. Because of ongoing changes in climate, societal demands for forests and their amenities, and scientific advances in genetics and proteomics, our current understanding and management of the white pine blister rust pathosystem has become outdated. Here, we present a review and synthesis of international scope on the biology and management of blister rust, white pines, Ribes, and other hosts. In this article, we provide a geographical and historical background, describe the taxonomy and life cycle of the rust, discuss pathology and ecology, and introduce a series of invited papers. These review articles summarize the literature on white pines, Ribes, and blister rust with respect to their status, threats, and management through genetics and silviculture. Although the principal focus is on North America, the different epidemics in Europe and Asia are also described. In the final article, we discuss several of the key observations and conclusions from the preceding review articles and identify prudent actions for research and management of white pine blister rust. [source] Evidence-based practice and the professionalization of dental hygieneINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DENTAL HYGIENE, Issue 4 2004Sandra J Cobban Abstract: The application of knowledge is fundamental to human problem solving. In health disciplines, knowledge utilization commonly manifests through evidence-based decision making in practice. The purpose of this paper is to explore the development of the evidence-based practice (EBP) movement in health professions in general, and dental hygiene in particular, and to examine its relationship to the professionalization agenda of dental hygiene in Canada. EBP means integrating practitioner expertise with the best available external evidence from research. Proponents of EBP believe that it holds promise for reducing a research,practice gap by encouraging clinicians to seek current research results. Both the Canadian and American Dental Hygienists Associations support practice based on current research evidence, yet recent studies show variation in practice. Professionalization refers to the developmental stages through which an organized occupation passes as it develops traits that characterize it as a profession. The status conferred by professionalization privileges a group to make and monitor its own decisions relative to practice. Dental hygiene's success in acquiring attributes of a profession suggests that transformation to a profession is occurring. This paper compares the assumptions and challenges of both movements, and argues the need for a principal focus on the development of a culture of evidence-based dental hygiene practice. [source] The Europeanization of Czech Politics: The Political Parties and the EU ReferendumJCMS: JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES, Issue 2 2006MICHAEL BAUN This article explores the Europeanization of Czech politics in the pre-accession period, with a principal focus on the political parties and party system. It argues that Czech political parties and party politics became increasingly Europeanized with the increased integration of the Czech Republic into the EU. In turn, the parties have played a key role in the Europeanization of Czech politics. This role is evident in the outcome of the June 2003 referendum on EU membership, which reflected strong cross-party support for EU accession (excepting the Communists). However, factors other than party support also influenced voters' choices, including regional factors and socio-economic factors such as employment status and level of income and education. [source] Evidence based practice and its critics: what is a nurse manager to do?JOURNAL OF NURSING MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2010PETER O'HALLORAN PhD o'halloran p., porter s. & blackwood b. (2010) Journal of Nursing Management18, 90,95 Evidence based practice and its critics: what is a nurse manager to do? Aim(s), The purpose is to discuss the arguments against the evidence based practice (EBP) movement and suggest how nursing management might respond. Background, EBP is a pervasive approach to directing and regulating nursing care. There are, however, fierce critics who argue that it is fundamentally flawed and detrimental to patient care. Evaluation, We consider some of the more radical criticisms of EBP, weighing the arguments and reflecting on the extent to which alleged short-comings are supported in the literature. Postmodernist critics are amongst the most vocal and are therefore our principal focus. Key issue(s), ,Best evidence' implies a hierarchical approach to knowledge which excludes other forms of evidence that are needed to understand the complexity of care. Evidence based guidelines tend to stifle critical thinking amongst nurses. Conclusion(s), While EBP is increasingly open to a range of research methodologies, it still largely subscribes to a hierarchy of evidence, even though this approach to addressing the complexities of healthcare is limiting. Although the EBP approach can be shown to stifle critical thinking, this is not inherent to the approach, which can lend itself to supporting professional nursing practice. Implications for nursing management, Nursing managers should neither abandon EBP nor accept it uncritically. [source] Microsimulation Modelling of Tenure Choice and Grants to Promote Home OwnershipTHE AUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC REVIEW, Issue 1 2006Gavin Wood This article develops a microsimulation model of the Australian housing market that has tenure choice as its principal focus. The article sheds light on the role played by relative prices, wealth and borrowing constraints in shaping housing tenure choices. We explore the model's capabilities as an aid to policy making by reporting the findings from an impact analysis of grant programs designed to ease the transition of first home buyers into owner occupation. We find a large demand for home ownership that is not met because of borrowing constraints. The need to meet financial institutions' down payment requirements is particularly important. Government grants made available to first home buyers will ease down payment requirements, but the formal incidence of such a subsidy is found to be inequitable among potential first home buyers, and its impact is largely to bring forward purchase decisions. [source] IgG4-related systemic disease and lymphoplasmacytic aortitisARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 10 2009John H. Stone We describe herein a patient who developed a dissection of the ascending aorta in the setting of IgG4-related systemic disease, linking IgG4-related systemic disease with a newly-recognized subset of noninfectious aortitis. At the time of aortic surgery, a transmural lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate was detected in the patient's aorta, with a principal focus of inflammation within the media. Immunohistochemical studies demonstrated that >50% of the plasma cells in the lesion stained for IgG4. By in situ hybridization, the plasma cells showed polytypic staining for kappa and lambda light chains, consistent with a polyclonal plasma cell infiltrate. Serologic evaluation revealed that the patient's IgG4 levels were elevated nearly 10-fold. Four years before aortic surgery, the patient had undergone a mediastinal lymph node biopsy. Reexamination of the lymph node revealed features consistent with IgG4-related systemic disease, which had not been recognized at the time of the original biopsy. Glucocorticoid therapy for the IgG4-related systemic disease yielded a prompt response. Recognition that IgG4-related systemic disease can involve the ascending as well as the descending abdominal aorta indicates the need for a change in the way idiopathic aortitis is regarded. This case offers new potential considerations for short- and long-term management of noninfectious aortitis, because of the frequent good response of IgG4-related systemic disease to glucocorticoid treatment without additional therapy. Treatment of the aortitis may prevent progression of the IgG4-related systemic disease to involvement of other organs. IgG4-related systemic disease should be considered in all patients with aortitis judged to be of unknown etiology. [source] | ||||||||||