Foundation Grantmaking in the 1980s: How Three Human Service Fields Fared

Analyzing three recent reports on grantmaking trends that use the Foundation (Center\u27s grants database, at picture emerges of how three human service fields-aging, substance abuse, and crime and justice fared in terms of foundation grantmaking during the turbulent period from 1983 to 1987 when federal support was reduced. Despite a sizeable increase in foundation dollars to each field which outpaced overall foundation giving, the authors caution that this increase may not indicate greater foundation commitment to human services

Urine Specimens from Pregnant and Nonpregnant Women Inhibitory to Amplification of \u3cem\u3eChlamydia trachomatis\u3c/em\u3e Nucleic Acid by PCR, Ligase Chain Reaction, and Transcription-Mediated Amplification: Identification of Urinary Substances Associated with Inhibition and Removal of Inhibitory Activity

The presence of endogenous amplification inhibitors in urine may produce false-negative results for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis nucleic acids by tests such as PCR, ligase chain reaction (LCR), and transcription-mediated amplification (TMA). Consecutive urine specimens from 101 pregnant women and 287 nonpregnant women submitted for urinalysis were processed for C. trachomatis detection. Aliquots were spiked with the equivalent of one C. trachomatis elementary body and were tested by three commercial assays: AMPLICOR CT/NG, Chlamydia LCX, and Chlamydia TMA. The prevalence of inhibitors resulting in complete inhibition of amplification was 4.9% for PCR, 2.6% for LCR, and 7.5% for TMA. In addition, all three assays were partially inhibited by additional urine specimens. Only PCR was more often inhibited by urine from pregnant women than by urine from nonpregnant women (9.9 versus 3.1%; P = 0.011). A complete urinalysis including dipstick and a microscopic examination was performed. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the following substances were associated with amplification inhibition: beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (odd ratio [OR], 3.3) and crystals (OR, 3.3) for PCR, nitrites for LCR (OR, 14.4), and hemoglobin (OR, 3.3), nitrites (OR, 3.3), and crystals (OR, 3.3) for TMA. Aliquots of each inhibitory urine specimen were stored at 4 and -70°C and a dilution of 1:10 (84% for PCR, 100% for LCR, and 92% for TMA). Five urine specimens (three for PCR and two for TMA) required phenol-chloroform extraction to remove inhibitors. The results indicate that the prevalence of nucleic acid amplification inhibitors in female urine is different for each technology, that this prevalence may be predicted by the presence of urinary factors, and that storage and dilution remove most of the inhibitors

Ambivalence about Leadership in Women's Organizations: a Look at Bangladesh

Summary Women's organizations present special challenges for leadership. Feminist organizers are trying to create new organizational structures based on sharing power more equitably among members but they are still in transition and are capable of recreating hierarchical patterns of behaviour. The pressure of the male?dominated public sphere to conform to hierarchical modes of operation and attempts to undermine women's collective action also affects these change efforts. Women end up feeling ambivalent both as leaders and towards leadership and authority. Self?reflection and open communication on these issues can increase group effectiveness and solidarity. RESUME Les ambigus concernant la direction des organisations pour les femmes: une étude de cas au Bangladesh Les organisations pour les femmes présentent des problèmes particuliers au niveau de leur direction. Les organisatrices féministes tentent de créer de nouvelles structures organisationnelles fondées sur un partage plus équitable du pouvoir parmi les membres or ces nouvelles structures n'en sont qu'à un stade transitionnel et de ce fait, elles restent capables de recréer des modèles de comportement d'ordre hiérarchique. Les pressions dans un domaine public à dominance masculine pour se conformer à des normes d'opération hierarchisées, ainsi que les tentatives de saper l'action collective des femmes militent contre les efforts de changement. En fin de compte, les femmes ressentent une certaine ambivalence envers leur propre responsabilité et envers leurs responsables et l'autorité en général. L'introspection et la communication ouverte sont deux moyens qui permettent d'augmenter l'efficacité et la solidarité des groupes en ce qui concerne ces questions. RESUMEN Ambivalencia sobre liderazgo en organizaciones femeninas; el caso de Bangladesh Las organizaciones femeninas presentan desafíos especiales al liderazgo. Los organizadores feministas están tratando de crear nuevas estructuras basadas en una distribución más justa del poder entre sus miembros, pero todavía están en un período de transición y podrían llegar a recrear pautas jerárquicas de acción. La presión por parte de las esferas públicas para una aceptación de modos jerárquicos de acción y los intentos de socavar la acción colectiva de las mujeres también afectan estos esfuerzos dirigidos al cambio. Las mujeres terminan con un sentimiento de ambivalencia tanto con respecto a su posición de líderes como hacia el liderazgo y la autoridad en general. Para aumentar la efectividad del grupo y la solidaridad deben existir mas auto reflexión y mas comunicación

The learning climate for administration students

This paper was originally presented at the Administration in Social Work Editorial Board Institute, Charleston, SC, June 2002. The authors would like to thank Mike Austin for his very useful comments on an earlier draft of the paper.The percentage of MSW students specializing in administrative practice has been declining in recent years, as has the percentage of NASW members who identify themselves as administrators or supervisors. One of many possible explanations for these trends is that schools of social work are inhospitable environments for social work administration. The research reported in this article sought to determine if administration students perceive the school climates at three different universities to be hostile to social work management practice, and, if so, to explore the dynamics of how these climates influence the choices made and the education of administration students. We found that at all three schools, nonadministration students were perceived to be critical of students who selected administration concentrations and administration as a career path, that majorities of students experienced anti-management comments and attitudes in a variety of forms, and that administration students thought their foundation courses provided inadequate background for their advanced studies. The article concludes with a discussion of the findings and recommendations for change. (C) 2004 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved

Performance of a New HPV Cervi-Collect Collection and Transportation Kit

Background. Liquid-based Pap (L-Pap) media are used for Pap and human papillomavirus (HPV) testing. Objectives. To compare RealTime High Risk (HR) HPV testing of a new collection kit (Cervi-Collect) and PreservCyt L-Pap specimens. To determine ease of use and safety of Cervi-Collect. Methods. L-Pap samples (n = 203) were tested with HC2 and RealTime HR HPV and Cervi-Collect with RealTime HR HPV. Discordant samples were genotyped. Results. L-Pap and Cervi-Collect specimens tested by RealTime HR HPV showed 93.1% agreement (Kappa 0.86). RealTime HR HPV and HC2 on L-Pap had 90.3% agreement (Kappa 0.80). RealTime HR HPV on Cervi-Collect and HC2 on L-Pap showed 88.2% agreement (Kappa 0.76). Sixteen of 21 samples which were HC2 negative and RealTime HR HPV positive on L-Pap or Cervi-Collect contained HR HPV genotypes. Eleven healthcare collectors were in strong agreement on a usability and safety questionnaire. Conclusion. Cervi-Collect samples were easy to collect and showed strong agreement with L-Pap samples tested with RealTime HR HPV or HC2

Rapid Diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis by Testing Vaginal Swabs in an Isothermal Helicase-Dependent AmpliVue Assay

The AmpliVue™ Trichomonas Assay (Quidel) is a new FDA cleared rapid test for qualitative detection of Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) DNA in female vaginal specimens. The assay is based on BioHelix’s Helicase-Dependent Amplification (HDA) isothermal technology in conjunction with a disposable lateral-flow detection device, with a total turn-around time of approximately 45 minutes

Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae Infections in North American Women by Testing SurePath Liquid-Based Pap Specimens in APTIMA Assays

The APTIMA COMBO 2 assay, which detects and amplifies rRNA from Chlamydia trachomatis and/or Neisseria gonorrhoeae, is approved for use on ThinPrep liquid-based Pap test specimens. The objective was to determine the clinical utility of the APTIMA assays (APTIMA COMBO 2 assay, APTIMA CT assay for Chlamydia trachomatis, and APTIMA GC assay for Neisseria gonorrhoeae) for screening women during their annual Pap exam, using SurePath liquid-based Pap test specimens. Two cervical samples were collected from 1,615 females attending six clinical sites in North America. A cervical broom sample was processed for cytology, with the residuum aliquoted into an APTIMA specimen transfer kit tube. The second cervical swab sample was put into APTIMA specimen transport medium, and both samples were tested with each APTIMA assay on a direct sampling system. Using a subject-infected status that utilized cervical-swab specimen results from two APTIMA assays, the prevalence was 7.9% for Chlamydia trachomatis and 2.5% for N. gonorrhoeae. For the liquid-based Pap samples, the sensitivities, specificities, positive predictive values, and negative predictive values for Chlamydia trachomatis detection were 85.2%, 99.5%, 93.2%, and 98.7%, respectively, for the APTIMA COMBO 2 assay and 89.1%, 98.7%, 85.7%, and 99.1%, respectively, for the APTIMA CT assay. For N. gonorrhoeae detection, the values were 92.5%, 100%, 100%, and 99.8%, respectively, for the APTIMA COMBO 2 assay and 92.5%, 99.9%, 97.4%, and 99.8%, respectively, for the APTIMA GC assay. The high predictive values support the use of the assays with SurePath liquid-based Pap specimens processed with the APTIMA specimen transfer kit

Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Test for Detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Urine Samples and Tolerance of the Assay to the Presence of Urea

A loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for open reading frame 1 (ORF1) of the glutamine synthetase gene of Neisseria gonorrhoeae was able to tolerate urea concentrations of ≤1.8 M, compared with a PCR assay that was functional at concentrations of <100 mM. The LAMP assay was as sensitive as the PCR assay while being faster and simpler to perform