Building Civic Infrastructure: Implementing Community Partnership Grant Programmes in South Africa

This article examines recent efforts to establish Community Partnership Grant Programmes (CPG) in six South African communities. CPG programmes provide the financial and organizational infrastructure to support citizen-initiated neighbourhood projects

Molecular simulations of entangled defect structures around nanoparticles in nematic liquid crystals

We investigate the defect structures forming around two nanoparticles in a Gay-Berne nematic liquid crystal using molecular simulations. For small separations, disclinations entangle both particles forming the figure of eight, the figure of omega and the figure of theta. These defect structures are similar in shape and occur with a comparable frequency to micron-sized particles studied in experiments. The simulations reveal fast transitions from one defect structure to another suggesting that particles of nanometre size cannot be bound together effectively. We identify the 'three-ring' structure observed in previous molecular simulations as a superposition of the different entangled and non-entangled states over time and conclude that it is not itself a stable defect structure.Comment: keywords: molecular-simulation, defects, nematic, disclination, algorithmic classification ; 8 pages, 7 figures, 1 tabl

In Amazonia: A Natural History

In Amazonia: A Natural History. Hugh Raffles. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2002. xiii + 302 pp., notes, bibliography, index. $55.00 (cloth),$17.95 (paper). ISBN0-691-04884-3, ISBN 0-691-04885-1. [www.pup.princeton.edu]

THE POWER OF REASONING: HOW STUDENT NURSES DEVELOP CONFIDENCE IN REASONING

Background Clinical Reasoning (CR) is the intellectual capacity to understand the value of patient data related to current knowledge, skills, and experiences within a dynamic domain of patient care with reflective analysis relating the new experience and understanding into new knowledge to be applied in future clinical situations. Poorly developed CR skills inhibit effective problem-solving abilities of nursing students producing levels of unexpected confusion and loss of confidence impeding their adaptability and effectiveness in dynamic healthcare environments. This study explored the effectiveness of human patient simulation (HPS) as an innovative method to facilitate the development of CR in undergraduate nursing students. Method A two-group crossover experimental design testing the hypothesis that Baccalaureate Student Nurses (BSN) experiencing patient simulations will have higher Health Sciences Reasoning Test (HSRT) scores as compared to students without these experiences. The 33 item HSRT is a multiple choice test using health science situational mini-case vignettes assessing the takers clinical reasoning capacity. Participants were randomly assigned to treatment groups that received HPS or case studies. Pre and posttest HSRT scores were measured to measure CR of each participant. Data analysis through the Grizzle Model included a mixed linear approach that included fixed effects of treatment, sequence, period, base score, and experience. Results The residual effect value was very large signifying the absence of carryover effect (p=0.840) indicating further analysis for treatment effects could continue. The best-fit final mixed linear model selected for analysis with the Grizzle Model produced insignificant treatment results with significant (p Conclusion There were no significant treatment effects of HPS on the acquisition of CR yet the outcome illuminated additional considerations to explore with further research adding to the understanding of this complex concept. Additional considerations for future research should include investigating an effective timetable for the development of CR through HPS and consider a more sensitive evaluation tool. New research designs should also consider increasing the realism and designing HPS through best practice methods while respecting the effect of academic, clinical, and external student stressors

Tender Offerors: Enter the Control Battle at Your Own Risk

This comment analyzes the evolution of the cash tender offer as a mechanism for acquiring corporate control. The author begins by exploring the history and regulation of cash tender offers. Next, the author examines the Supreme Court\u27s decision in Piper v. Chris-Craft Industries, Inc. in which the Supreme Court held that a tender offeror does not have standing to sue for damages under the Williams Act when suing in its capacity as a takeover bidder. The author concludes that the Supreme Court\u27s decision effectively undermines the congressional purposes underlying the enactment of section 14(e) and should be limited to its facts and not used as precedent in future cases

Landscapes of Power and Identity: Comparative Histories in the Sonoran Desert and the Forests of Amazonia from Colony to Republic

Book review of Landscapes of Power and Identity: Comparative Histories in the Sonoran Desert and the Forests of Amazonia from Colony to Republic. Cynthia Radding. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 2005. 432 pp., 27 figures, 2 maps, 19 tables, bibliography, index. ISBN 0-8223-3652-9

NAGPRA from the Middle Distance: Legal Puzzles and Unintended Consequences

The global decolonization movement that gathered strength after World War II began to shake the genteel world of museums and cultural repositiories in the 1980s. Works of art qcquired by warriors, explorers, and, in more recent times, professional looters became the focus of concerted diplomatic efforts by countries determined to see the restitution of their national patrimony. Many improperly acquired items have been return to their original private owners or national museums; countless cases involving more ambiguous provenance await final resolution. It is safe to say that mere possession of art objects no longer guarantees that museums will be able to retain title to them indefinitely