An Empirical Investigation into the Power Behind Empowerment

Using the four dimensional frame that Hardy and Leiba-O’Sullivan (1998) developed to conceptually explore the “power behind empowerment” the study empirically illustrates how a police organization’s reform program, which was designed to empower lower level officers, foundered on its own innocence. The reform program adopts a resources dependency approach to power, which resonates with the first of the four dimensional frames of power; unobtrusive forms of power embedded at a deeper level of the organizations social system, which are consistent with the third and fourth dimensional frames, remain unaccounted for. A research and methodological framework is developed to bring the effects of these embedded forms of power into plain view. The results of the study indicate that while on the surface the organization has undergone significant change, at a deeper sociocultural level it has not. In consequence, under the guise of empowerment, somewhat paradoxically, unobtrusive forms of power continue to legitimize acts of domination

An Empirical Investigation into the Power Behind Empowerment

Using the four dimensional frame that Hardy and Leiba-O’Sullivan (1998) developed to conceptually explore the “power behind empowerment” the study empirically illustrates how a police organization’s reform program, which was designed to empower lower level officers, foundered on its own innocence. The reform program adopts a resources dependency approach to power, which resonates with the first of the four dimensional frames of power; unobtrusive forms of power embedded at a deeper level of the organizations social system, which are consistent with the third and fourth dimensional frames, remain unaccounted for. A research and methodological framework is developed to bring the effects of these embedded forms of power into plain view. The results of the study indicate that while on the surface the organization has undergone significant change, at a deeper sociocultural level it has not. In consequence, under the guise of empowerment, somewhat paradoxically, unobtrusive forms of power continue to legitimize acts of domination

Pancreatic cysts suspected to be branch duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm without concerning features have low risk for development of pancreatic cancer.

BackgroundThe risk of developing pancreatic cancer is uncertain in patients with clinically suspected branch duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (BD-IPMN) based on the "high-risk stigmata" or "worrisome features" criteria proposed in the 2012 international consensus guidelines ("Fukuoka criteria").MethodsRetrospective case series involving patients referred for endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) of indeterminate pancreatic cysts with clinical and EUS features consistent with BD-IPMN. Rates of pancreatic cancer occurring at any location in the pancreas were compared between groups of patients with one or more Fukuoka criteria ("Highest-Risk Group", HRG) and those without these criteria ("Lowest-Risk Group", LRG).ResultsAfter exclusions, 661 patients comprised the final cohort (250 HRG and 411 LRG patients), 62% female with an average age of 67 years and 4 years of follow up. Pancreatic cancer, primarily adenocarcinoma, occurred in 60 patients (59 HRG, 1 LRG). Prevalent cancers diagnosed during EUS, immediate surgery, or first year of follow up were found in 48/661 (7.3%) of cohort and exclusively in HRG (33/77, 42.3%). Using Kaplan-Meier method, the cumulative incidence of cancer at 7 years was 28% in HRG and 1.2% in LRG patients (P<0.001).ConclusionsThis study supports using Fukuoka criteria to stratify the immediate and long-term risks of pancreatic cancer in presumptive BD-IPMN. The risk of pancreatic cancer was highest during the first year and occurred exclusively in those with "high-risk stigmata" or "worrisome features" criteria. After the first year all BD-IPMN continued to have a low but persistent cancer risk

Blood Reservoir Function of the Fetal Guinea Pig Liver

To determine of the fetal liver functions as a blood reservoir, we measured liver blood volume under normal conditions and after hemorrhage and volume loading. Nineteen pregnant guinea pig sows and 54 near-term fetuses were injected intravenously with 51Cr-labeled red cells while the fetuses remained in utero. Ninety seconds later a 0.5-1.0 g sample of liver was garroted with a sharp wire into a tared tube with minimal blood loss. A blood sample was taken to measure counts per ml of blood, the fetus killed and the remainder of the liver weighed. Blood volume of the liver and body were calculated. Groups of fetuses were studied with normal volume, after 14% hemorrhage and 12% volume loading. Adult sows weighed 1235 ± 29 (SEM) g with a blood volume of 60.4 ± 2.3 ml, of which the liver contained 11.2 ± 0.5 ml. Fetuses weighed 58.2 ± 1.8 g. Under normal conditions fetal blood volume was 5.1 ± 0.2 ml and the liver contained 22.7 ± 1.8% of total blood volume. This fell to 16.9 ± 1.6% after hemorrhage, but did not change significantly from normal during volume loading. These results indicate the fetal liver is relatively larger than the adult and contains more blood per gram of tissue. Following decreases in blood volume the fetal liver acts as a blood reservoir by releasing blood into the circulation. It releases a volume equal to about 60% of the shed blood after a moderate hemorrhage

1001–24 Local Delivery of Urokinase to Porcine Coronary Arteries Using the Localmed Infusion Sleeve

Local Delivery of thrombolytic agents may reduce thrombus formation after balloon angioplasty. The Localmed Infusion Sleeve enables localized infusion of urokinase to be performed at the time of balloon angioplasty without the need for catheter exchange.MethodsBalloon angioplasty was performed on 13 coronary arteries of 5 pigs at 4 atmospheres with a balloon to artery ratio of approximately 1.1 to 1. After angioplasty the Infusion Sleeve was advanced over the dilatation balloon and the balloon was reinflated to 2 atmospheres to appose the sleeve to the vessel wall. 50,000 Units (8 cc) of 123l-urokinase was infused through the microperforations in the sleeve for 10 seconds by a computer controlled pump. The coronaries were then excised and counted in a gamma counter.ResultsConclusions(1) The Localmed Infusion Sleeve enables drug infusion to be uncoupled from balloon dilatation. (2) Successful delivery of Urokinase to the vessel wall may be achieved using this device without the need for catheter exchange. (3) Persistence of urokinase within the vessel wall occurs after local delivery

Combining multiple classifications of chemical structures using consensus clustering

Consensus clustering involves combining multiple clusterings of the same set of objects to achieve a single clustering that will, hopefully, provide a better picture of the groupings that are present in a dataset. This Letter reports the use of consensus clustering methods on sets of chemical compounds represented by 2D fingerprints. Experiments with DUD, IDAlert, MDDR and MUV data suggests that consensus methods are unlikely to result in significant improvements in clustering effectiveness as compared to the use of a single clustering method. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Spatial scale influences how people value and perceive green open space

It is important for landscape planners and managers to understand how urban residents value and interact with green open spaces. However, the effect of spatial scale on values and perceptions of green open spaces has to date received little attention. This study explored the influence of spatial scale using Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) methods in the Lower Hunter region of Australia. By asking respondents to assign markers denoting various values and preferences to green spaces displayed on maps of their suburb and municipality, the influence of scale could be assessed experimentally. A greater abundance and diversity of value markers were consistently assigned at the suburb scale, yet this pattern was more pronounced for some values (e.g. physical activity) than others (e.g. nature, cultural significance). The strength of this relationship was related to socio-demographic variables such as education and income. These results have implications for understanding human-environment relationships and the use of PPGIS techniques to inform environmental planning