A Program For Caring Church Ministry In The Eugene, Oregon, Seventh-day Adventist Church

Problem Caring Church Ministry is a strategy for church growth which was developed by the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists. How that strategy might be implemented in the Eugene Seventh-day Adventist Church was the basic concern of this research project. How theology and management philosophy inform a caring church membership, how to implement a program involving the church membership, and dynamics of that church which favored or inhibited church growth were questions that had to be addressed. Method A theological investigation and an examination of contemporary concepts of caring in management literature form a basis for the study. Two surveys establish the felt needs of the community, and their awareness and attitudes toward Seventh-day Adventists. A third survey documents the attitudes and behavior of church members which enhance or inhibit church growth. A descriptive narrative is given of the planning and administration of a one-year program for caring church ministry in the Eugene, Oregon, Seventhday Adventist church. Results While many caring ministries were engaged in by the church during the year\u27s program, the number of new members added to the congregation was minimal. In the last chapter, both church growth enhancing and church-growth inhibiting characteristics of the Eugene Church are identified. The identification of those characteristics and recommendations for change are of great value to many older congregations who have reached a plateau in growth. Conclusions Heritage and contemporary goals of members must be respected for a church-growth climate to exist. In churches where there is a long term tenure of membership, an intentional effort must be given to include a broad spectrum of the membership in policy-making decisions that will support a positive caring church ministry

Distribution of cells responsive to 5-HT6 receptor antagonist-induced hypophagia

Open Access funded by Medical Research CouncilPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Time resolved structural dynamics of butadiyne-linked porphyrin dimers

In this work the timescales and mechanisms associated with the structural dynamics of butadiyne-linked porphyrin dimers are investigated through time resolved narrowband pump / broadband probe transient absorption spectroscopy. Our results confirm previous findings that the broadening is partly due to a distribution of structures with different (dihedral) angular conformations. Comparison of measurements with excitations on the red and blue sides of the Q-band unravel the ground and excited state conformational re-equilibration timescales. Further comparison to a planarized dimer, through addition of a ligand, provide conclusive evidence for the twisting motion performed by the porphyrin dimer in solution

The Relationship of snowmobile year, track length, and riding terrain to the occurrence of musculosketetal symptoms in recreational snowmobile drivers

The purpose of this retrospective study was to examine the occurrence of musculoskeletal symptoms in recreational snowmobile drivers and relate them to the manufacture year of the snowmobile, the length of the track, and/or the riding terrain. Participants included 186 males and 57 females (n=243), aged 18 years and older, and were all snowmobile drivers. Subjects were asked to complete either an online survey or a paper survey to gather information about the year of snowmobile they drove, the track length of that snowmobile, the typical riding terrain they drove on, and any musculoskeletal symptoms they developed from driving snowmobile. Each variable (snowmobile year, track length, and riding terrain) was compared to the musculoskeletal symptoms reported to find the percentage of each symptom (soreness in the neck and shoulders, arms, lower back, legs, and no soreness reported) reported in each category. In all three categories (snowmobile year, track length, and riding terrain) musculoskeletal symptoms in the neck and shoulder (45%) regions were most commonly reported followed by, symptoms of the lower back (33%) and drivers reporting to have multiple symptoms (33%) (those who reported more than one symptom)

An Examination of Male and Female Students\u27 Perceptions of Relational Closeness: Does the Basic Course Have an Influence?

Several scholars have argued that men and women are socialized to establish interpersonal relationships, such as friendships, in different ways. Traditionally feminine individuals emphasize empathy, self-disclosure, and interdependence while masculine individuals rely on activities, helping behaviors, and advice/problem-solving. In spite of these differences, basic communication courses have provided students with only a model of traditionally feminine closeness skills in coursework and materials. This study sought to determine if, after 16 weeks of instruction in a basic communication course emphasizing feminine intimacy skills, male students would prefer masculine closeness behaviors. Three-hundred and seventy-three male and female students provided self-report data on the course and perceptions of relational closeness. Results indicated that male and female students did have differing perceptions of relational intimacy. Additionally, male students did indicate a preference for some of the traditionally masculine intimacy behaviors. Limitations and suggestions for future research are provided

Study protocol: The Adherence and Intensification of Medications (AIM) study - a cluster randomized controlled effectiveness study

Abstract Background Many patients with diabetes have poor blood pressure (BP) control. Pharmacological therapy is the cornerstone of effective BP treatment, yet there are high rates both of poor medication adherence and failure to intensify medications. Successful medication management requires an effective partnership between providers who initiate and increase doses of effective medications and patients who adhere to the regimen. Methods In this cluster-randomized controlled effectiveness study, primary care teams within sites were randomized to a program led by a clinical pharmacist trained in motivational interviewing-based behavioral counseling approaches and authorized to make BP medication changes or to usual care. This study involved the collection of data during a 14-month intervention period in three Department of Veterans Affairs facilities and two Kaiser Permanente Northern California facilities. The clinical pharmacist was supported by clinical information systems that enabled proactive identification of, and outreach to, eligible patients identified on the basis of poor BP control and either medication refill gaps or lack of recent medication intensification. The primary outcome is the relative change in systolic blood pressure (SBP) measurements over time. Secondary outcomes are changes in Hemoglobin A1c, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), medication adherence determined from pharmacy refill data, and medication intensification rates. Discussion Integration of the three intervention elements - proactive identification, adherence counseling and medication intensification - is essential to achieve optimal levels of control for high-risk patients. Testing the effectiveness of this intervention at the team level allows us to study the program as it would typically be implemented within a clinic setting, including how it integrates with other elements of care. Trial Registration The ClinicalTrials.gov registration number is NCT00495794.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78258/1/1745-6215-11-95.xmlhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78258/2/1745-6215-11-95.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78258/3/1745-6215-11-95-S1.DOCPeer Reviewe

Developing Student-to-Student Connectedness: An Examination of Instructors’ Humor, Nonverbal Immediacy, and Self-Disclosure in Public Speaking Courses

Students often do not look forward to enrolling in public speaking courses, and therefore, it is warranted to examine opportunities to develop a supportive peer communication climate in what is typically seen as an anxiety inducing course. The present study collected data at three points in a semester (first day, mid-semester, and end-semester) to determine if initial perceptions of student-to-student connectedness and instructors’ communication behaviors (humor, nonverbal immediacy, and self-disclosure) lead to positive increases in student-to-student connectedness over the course of a semester in public speaking classes. Changes in perceptions of student-to-student connectedness at mid- and end-semester were predicted by first day perceptions of connectedness, followed by nonverbal immediacy, and teacher humor. Also, connectedness predicted students’ affect for the course, and teacher nonverbal immediacy and humor predicted students’ affect toward the instructor. However, teacher self-disclosure (i.e., amount) was negatively linked to students’ affective learning

5-HT obesity medication efficacy via POMC activation is maintained during aging

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

COLA II - Radio and Spectroscopic Diagnostics of Nuclear Activity in Galaxies

We present optical spectroscopic observations of 93 galaxies taken from the infra-red selected COLA (Compact Objects in Low Power AGN) sample. The sample spans the range of far-IR luminosities from normal galaxies to LIRGs. Of the galaxies observed, 78 (84%) exhibit emission lines. Using a theoretically-based optical emission-line scheme we classify 15% of the emission-line galaxies as Seyferts, 77% as starbursts, and the rest are either borderline AGN/starburst or show ambiguous characteristics. We find little evidence for an increase in the fraction of AGN in the sample as a function of far-IR luminosity but our sample covers only a small range in infrared luminosity and thus a weak trend may be masked. As a whole the Seyfert galaxies exhibit a small, but significant, radio excess on the radio-FIR correlation compared to the galaxies classified as starbursts. Compact (<0.05'') radio cores are detected in 55% of the Seyfert galaxies, and these galaxies exhibit a significantly larger radio excess than the Seyfert galaxies in which cores were not detected. Our results indicate that there may be two distinct populations of Seyferts, ``radio-excess'' Seyferts, which exhibit extended radio structures and compact radio cores, and ``radio-quiet'' Seyferts, in which the majority of the radio emission can be attributed to star-formation in the host galaxy. No significant difference is seen between the IR and optical spectroscopic properties of Seyferts with and without radio cores. (Abridged)Comment: 24 pages, 4 figures, 6 tables. Accepted for publication in ApJ, February 200