Confessionalism in Lebanon: Reflection and an analysis of issues

From June 22nd to July 3rd 2012 I traveled to Lebanon through a fellowship with the National Council on US Arab Relations along with nine other students from across the United States. We traveled to Lebanon in order to gain a better understanding of the political, economic, and social situation, in the country. During our visit we met with many different individuals: writers, politicians, non-profit workers, students, professors, and more. The fellowship also required each student upon returning back to the United States to share with others about what we learned during our time in Lebanon. These insights that I gained during my visit to Lebanon served as the spark for my Senior Honors Project. This project is a more in depth research into topics I learned about during my study trip to Lebanon compiled into lecture notes for future presentations

Power, Pathological Worldviews, and the Strengths Perspective in Social Work

This article takes up Blundo’s (2001) assertion in this journal that in order to practice from the strengths perspective, social workers need to alter their “frames.” Expanding on this assertion, we specify a particular frame that requires change: a pathological worldview. Examining the strengths perspective with regard to a Foucauldian analysis of power, we argue that to thoroughly implement the strengths perspective, we need to consider the dividing practices that allow us to maintain power and that reflect a pathological worldview. This article provides considerations for social work practice that will be of interest to practicing social workers and social work educators interested in continuing to develop their strengths-based practice

Adversarialism in informal, collaborative, and 'soft' inquisitorial settings : lawyer roles in child welfare legal environments

This article explores the challenges and benefits of increased legal representation in child welfare hearings, with reference to the Scottish Children’s Hearings System. We look at the role and impact of adversarial behaviours within legal environments intended to follow an informal, collaborative approach. We analyse the views of 66 individuals involved in the Hearings System, including reporters, social workers, panel members and lawyers, collected through four focus groups and 12 interviews held in 2015. We place this analysis in the context of previous research. Our findings identify concern about adversarialism, inter-professional tensions and various challenges associated with burgeoning legal representation. Difficulties stem from disparate professional values and perceived threats to the ethos of hearings. We conclude it is difficult, but possible, to incorporate an adversarial element into such forums. Doing so may help to protect rights and potentially improve decision-making for children and families. The article concludes by considering implications for the practice of lawyers and others

Repurposing the Ebola and Marburg Virus Inhibitors Tilorone, Quinacrine, and Pyronaridine: In Vitro Activity against SARS-CoV-2 and Potential Mechanisms

Severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a newly identified virus that has resulted in over 2.5 million deaths globally and over 116 million cases globally in March, 2021. Small-molecule inhibitors that reverse disease severity have proven difficult to discover. One of the key approaches that has been widely applied in an effort to speed up the translation of drugs is drug repurposing. A few drugs have shown in vitro activity against Ebola viruses and demonstrated activity against SARS-CoV-2 in vivo. Most notably, the RNA polymerase targeting remdesivir demonstrated activity in vitro and efficacy in the early stage of the disease in humans. Testing other small-molecule drugs that are active against Ebola viruses (EBOVs) would appear a reasonable strategy to evaluate their potential for SARS-CoV-2. We have previously repurposed pyronaridine, tilorone, and quinacrine (from malaria, influenza, and antiprotozoal uses, respectively) as inhibitors of Ebola and Marburg viruses in vitro in HeLa cells and mouse-adapted EBOV in mice in vivo. We have now tested these three drugs in various cell lines (VeroE6, Vero76, Caco-2, Calu-3, A549-ACE2, HUH-7, and monocytes) infected with SARS-CoV-2 as well as other viruses (including MHV and HCoV 229E). The compilation of these results indicated considerable variability in antiviral activity observed across cell lines. We found that tilorone and pyronaridine inhibited the virus replication in A549-ACE2 cells with IC50 values of 180 nM and IC50 198 nM, respectively. We used microscale thermophoresis to test the binding of these molecules to the spike protein, and tilorone and pyronaridine bind to the spike receptor binding domain protein with Kd values of 339 and 647 nM, respectively. Human Cmax for pyronaridine and quinacrine is greater than the IC50 observed in A549-ACE2 cells. We also provide novel insights into the mechanism of these compounds which is likely lysosomotropic

Working in the Best Interest of Children: Facilitating the Collaboration of Lawyers and Social Workers in Abuse and Neglect Cases

Working in the best interest of children in abuse and neglect cases is a daunting task for both lawyers and social workers. The legal system is inadequate to meet the myriad needs of children and families in crisis. Yet only under the authority of the legal system can social work and other mental health professions intervene in families on behalf of children. The juvenile court system has been buffeted historically by the competing values and methods of social work and law. The institution and its rules are still evolving today. This dynamic environment means that even if competition for ownership of the system can be set aside; collaboration will be challenged by ever-changing expectations. The adversarial system\u27s focus on winning and losing fails to adequately take into account the relationships that are at the heart of most child abuse and neglect matters. The American legal system often focuses on individual rights and responsibilities and does no accommodate a more inclusive view of a collective family right. The adversarial system\u27s focus on the individual neglects the relationships among many individuals. In the area of child welfare, rights must be viewed within the context of child protection. The adversarial system distorts the focus by pitting one party\u27s rights against another\u27s. Observers of the juvenile court system have long noted that the stakeholders in the system misunderstand or confuse their own roles and the roles of others. The source of these misunderstandings has been less thoroughly explored. This article will highlight some of the problems encountered by professionals working in this truly interdisciplinary field and will suggest methods for improving collaboration. Social workers and attorneys often lack a shared basis in language, ethical precepts and world view which leads to an inability to resolve those misunderstandings. This article examines the background, structure and history of the juvenile and family courts, emphasizing the tensions between social work and legal visions of the court. It examines the roles and conceptions held by both social workers and attorneys within the system and describe the difficulties both groups have in reconciling their competing views of the goals and methods for child protection. The article concludes by suggesting a variety of reforms that could facilitate more effective interdisciplinary cooperation between social workers and lawyers within the child protection system, including cross-training