Financial Planning for Catholic Secondary Schools: Essential but not Determinative

Financial planning is one of the essential ingredients in successful Catholic secondary schools. Along with effective budgeting, solid financial management, financial reporting, and an effective teaching/learning program and environment, financial planning is key to the long-term viability of Catholic secondary schools. However, with increased emphasis on the need for financial planning, some Catholic school administrators and board members have allowed financial planning to determine the future direction of the Catholic secondary school. This article argues that this is an inappropriate course of action. Rather, long-range financial planning is one element in the comprehensive Catholic-school planning model. Indeed, this model should be mission driven, and any financial plan should be based upon the school’s strategic model which has proven to be effective for Catholic secondary schools

Giant Cell Tumor of Bone: Documented Progression over 4 Years from Its Origin at the Metaphysis to the Articular Surface.

The exact location of origin for giant cell tumors of bone (GCTB) remains controversial, as lesions are not routinely imaged early but rather late when the tumor is large and clinically symptomatic. At the time of diagnosis, GCTB are classically described as lucent, eccentric lesions with nonsclerotic margins, located within the epiphysis to a greater extent than the metaphysis. Here we present a case of a biopsy proven GCTB initially incidentally seen on MRI as a small strictly metaphyseal lesion, which over the course of several years expanded across a closed physis to involve the epiphysis and abut the articular surface/subchondral bone plate

The decline of laparoscopic sterilisation

Female sterilisation is an extensively used method of contraception all over the world but there appears to be a decline in the performance of this procedure in Ireland. There also appears to be an increased uptake of safe, long-acting contraceptive alternatives. We set out to establish the extent of the decline of laparoscopic sterilisation and to explore possible explanations. Data for female sterilisation from Ireland was obtained from the Hospital In-Patient Enquiry Scheme (HIPE) section of the Economic and Social Research Institute for the years 1999 to 2004. Recent sales figures for long acting reversible contraceptives, specifically the levo-norgestrel-loaded intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) (Mirena) and the etonogestrel implant (Implanon) were also obtained. Laparoscopic tubal ligations reduced from 2,566(1999) to 910 (2004). In the corresponding period the use of Mirena coils increased from 4,840 (1999) to 17,077 (2004)

Local Beats, National Consequences: The Link Between Local News and American Democratic Health

Shifts in the media landscape in recent decades have left an increasing number of Americans living in "news deserts," or counties without a local paper. Since 2004, approximately 2,100 newspapers — nearly one in four — have gone out of print, leaving well over 1,300 communities without local news outlets. Hundreds more have reduced their coverage to the point that they've become what researchers characterize as "ghost newspapers" – papers that cling to life but are too financially hobbled to serve any worthwhile democratic function. Nearly all of the others have scaled back as well, just not as far. This trend has certainly been consequential for these local communities, but the decline of local news nationwide has also deprived American democracy of one of its key support structures, and it has fueled the nationalization and, by extension, polarization, of our politics. Finding a way to revitalize local media could be a big part of the solution to revitalizing our politics

Contracting Out: A Study of the Honduran Experience

This study was conducted by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) at the request of USAID/Honduras under the terms of NASPAA\u27s Technical Cooperative Agreement with USAID. The study examined the experiences of USAID/Honduras and the Government of Honduras with the contracting out of construction activities in three sectors. The purpose of the study was to document empirical evidence regarding the performance of contracting out as a policy measure to increase private sector initiatives in Honduras

Functional neuroimaging of conversion disorder: The role of ancillary activation

AbstractBackgroundPrevious functional neuroimaging studies investigating the neuroanatomy of conversion disorder have yielded inconsistent results that may be attributed to small sample sizes and disparate methodologies. The objective of this study was to better define the functional neuroanatomical correlates of conversion disorder.MethodsTen subjects meeting clinical criteria for unilateral sensory conversion disorder underwent fMRI during which a vibrotactile stimulus was applied to anesthetic and sensate areas. A block design was used with 4 s of stimulation followed by 26 s of rest, the pattern repeated 10 times. Event-related group averages of the BOLD response were compared between conditions.ResultsAll subjects were right-handed females, with a mean age of 41. Group analyses revealed 10 areas that had significantly greater activation (p < .05) when stimulation was applied to the anesthetic body part compared to the contralateral sensate mirror region. They included right paralimbic cortices (anterior cingulate cortex and insula), right temporoparietal junction (angular gyrus and inferior parietal lobule), bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (middle frontal gyri), right orbital frontal cortex (superior frontal gyrus), right caudate, right ventral-anterior thalamus and left angular gyrus. There was a trend for activation of the somatosensory cortex contralateral to the anesthetic region to be decreased relative to the sensate side.ConclusionsSensory conversion symptoms are associated with a pattern of abnormal cerebral activation comprising neural networks implicated in emotional processing and sensory integration. Further study of the roles and potential interplay of these networks may provide a basis for an underlying psychobiological mechanism of conversion disorder