The Investigator Who Vanished

Excerpt Stepping outside the glass doors of the Phoenix airport was like prying open a mummy’s tomb. The dry, stifling air caught like dust in my throat. Had Finn thought the same thing when he passed through these doors? Gathering the sun’s last rays, Phoenix shimmered from the center of a massive volcanic crater surrounded by low ridges. Mountains to the north and south stood as hulking pyramids. Of course, my assumption about Finn being in Phoenix could be a total mistake. I might have placed too much weight on the flimsy evidence of a mysterious postcard, and he had never made it to Phoenix at all. If so, like the ancient pharaohs, he had disappeared completely

Paper Cuts

Excerpt Alexandra Stark? Lexy? The soft male voice outside my apartment hauled me out of hibernation

The Investigator Who Vanished

Excerpt Stepping outside the glass doors of the Phoenix airport was like prying open a mummy’s tomb. The dry, stifling air caught like dust in my throat. Had Finn thought the same thing when he passed through these doors? Gathering the sun’s last rays, Phoenix shimmered from the center of a massive volcanic crater surrounded by low ridges. Mountains to the north and south stood as hulking pyramids. Of course, my assumption about Finn being in Phoenix could be a total mistake. I might have placed too much weight on the flimsy evidence of a mysterious postcard, and he had never made it to Phoenix at all. If so, like the ancient pharaohs, he had disappeared completely

The Snow Angel

Excerpt Greta’s voice snaked along the murky corners of her dorm room. “When the police broke down the door, they found the kid staring at them from the middle of a pool of blood on the coffee table. Just the head.

A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Depressotypic Cognitions and Suitability for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Although some researchers have suggested that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) might be an effective treatment paradigm for minority clients, there is little empirical evidence to support this claim. In addition, few studies have explored the cross-cultural expression of the maladaptive cognitions that CBT targets for change in the treatment of major depressive disorder. The purpose of the present study was twofold: (a) to compare the applicability of CBT approaches and assumptions in Caucasians and American Indians, and (b) to evaluate whether depressotypic cognitions found in the literature related to CBT are equally prevalent in both groups. In study one, an applicability scale for CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Applicability Scale; CBT-AS) was constructed to explore the first aim of the study. The standardization sample for the CBT-AS was composed of 222 undergraduates from the University of North Dakota. The extracted factor structure and reliability data of the CBT-AS provide preliminary evidence that the instrument is a conceptually meaningful and psychometrically sound measure. Three factor scales were derived: focused in-session behavior, active stance, and structured therapeutic relationship. In study two, the generalizability of depressotypic cognitions and CBT applicability between American Indians and Caucasians were compared. American Indian participants (n = 41) were recruited from the Time-Out Wacipi Pow-Wow, whereas Caucasian participants (r. = 41) matched for age and gender were recruited from a community blues festival. Consistent with expectations, a discriminant analysis procedure revealed significant differences between the two groups in terms of perceived CBT applicability. Caucasian participants rated a stronger preference for CBT’s focused in-session behavior and structured therapeutic relationship than the American Indian participants. Both groups rated the active stance ./\u27•.I %! j . ft domain of CBT as mutually acceptable. In contrast, no significant differences were found between the groups in-terms .of depressotypic cognitions. Based upon the American Indians’ preferences found in this study as well as the treatment literature, several modifications to CBT were proposed for future investigation

Art for our sakes: An analysis of arts coverage at city and regional magazines

The purpose of this research was to better understand how decisions about arts coverage are made at city and regional magazines and the value that these stories have to both the publications they appear in and the communities they are targeted toward. City and regional magazines, which cover specific areas and have more intimate relationships with their readers than, say, a national consumer magazine or arts periodical, were chosen because of the unique opportunity afforded to them by their position as a cross between the community-oriented city newspaper and the glossy, in-depth monthly magazine. In discussing the arts, their value, and the ways in which they are covered with arts and culture editors and top editors at magazines from around the country, this research found value in arts journalism for city magazines, both in the fulfillment of these publications' missions and the enrichment of their communities. This research approached the topic through the use of gatekeeping theory, which explains how media messages travel from their producers to their consumers

Professorial roles: a study of the professorial populations within nursing and midwifery, social work and allied health professions

The professorial populations in nursing/midwifery, social work and allied health are relatively new in academia compared to longer established professions such as medicine and dentistry. Less is known about the roles, career pathways, characteristics and career aspirations of the professoriate within these emerging professions. A survey was undertaken from sample populations in each of the three professorial groups in order to obtain qualitative and quantitative data on professorial roles and activities, career pathway information and support mechanisms for professorial positions. This paper discusses the findings of the survey which relate specifically to professorial roles and activities and whether the identified roles reflect the professorial activities proposed by the National Conference of University Professors (NCUP) Other aspects of this survey including career pathways, findings relating to gender and support mechanisms will form the basis of future papers. Result

Implementing performance improvement through the enterprise culture

The purpose of this article is to evaluate performance improvements made through a case study of a rural English hospital’s emergency department within the framework of the enterprise culture—the NHS adoption of the private sector’s performance improvement best practice. Additionally, the process of the research and the significant barriers encountered are documented to inform future researchers of potential drawbacks when considering this type of research. An intervention addressing local performance issues was defined by medical consultants. A pathway to care for emergency care patients requiring clinical observation for more than four hours—but not admission as a hospital inpatient—was created. The efficacy of the intervention was evaluated by measuring compliance to the pathway standards and conducting an ethnographic study and semi-structured interviews. Structural barriers to research caused by lack of staff availability were encountered. Additionally, although improvement from the intervention was encouraging, the ability of the people within the system to consistently enact the process caused performance issues against expected targets