Laboring for peace and development: evaluating the United States-Jordan free trade agreement’s effects

This thesis examines the United States-Jordan Free Trade Agreement in the context of American foreign and trade policy in the aftermath of the Cold War. The agreement, ratified in 2001, was the first signed by the United States which includes labor and environmental protections in the main text of the Agreement. The thesis examines the Agreement in the context of the Middle East peace process, the overarching goals of American foreign policy after the Cold War. It places the Agreement in the context American trade policy at a time when bilateral FTAs grew in importance and the Clinton Administration\u27s desire to create a broad coalition that would support such agreements through including labor and environmental provisions in the main text of the Agreement. It examines the economic effects of the Agreement in the decade and a half following its ratification, including the surprising development of the Jordanian textile industry using a largely imported labor force. These results are then used to discuss current American political attitudes towards trade, with a focus on bilateral FTAs in particular

Impact of a Standardized Neurologic Exam on Diagnosis of and Referral Pattern for Neurologic Disorder in Pediatric Toe Walking

Successful management of toe walking, a common patient complaint addressed by pediatric orthopedic providers, requires detection of concerning neurologic causes for toe walking. However, nurse practitioners in an outpatient orthopedic clinic were not following recommended guidelines for the history and physical exam for children who toe walk, resulting in delayed referrals and poorer patient outcomes. A performance improvement project was initiated that included an educational intervention, chart review, and data analysis. The goal was to improve the performance and documentation of neurologic exam when nurse practitioners saw patients for an initial visit for toe walking. A literature review provided evidence-based guidelines for practice and informed the educational intervention. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Models, including Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, were utilized for implementation and evaluation. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis of pre- and post- intervention findings. The number of pertinent history and physical points charted improved post-intervention. Post-intervention data did not have enough power to determine impact because of the small number of patients seen and referred, but a trend towards increased referral occurred. The nurse practitioners verbalized understanding of the education provided and expressed willingness to apply this knowledge to practice. A standardized neurologic exam does have an impact on the diagnosis of and referral pattern for neurologic disorders in pediatric toe walking. An educational intervention had an impact on the understanding of the neurologic exam, with some improvement of documentation of salient points

An Examination of Individual Differences in Italian and American Fashion Cultures: Past, Present, and Projections for the Future

What does it mean for a nation to be a “global icon” in the fashion world and how exactly do they get there? Today, both the United States and Italy are part of the leading nations in the fashion world, yet the two countries have significantly different histories and cultures. By examining the individual histories, cultures, and global interactions of Italy and the United States, a pattern emerges for the manner in which a nation rises to power in the fashion industry. Important historical events tend to result in sociological and psychological responses and changes within a society. Consequently, individual differences in fashion culture correspond to the major political and cultural events throughout the course of a nation’s history. How can we use the histories of Italy and the United States to understand the method in which they came to be global fashion icons today, and how can this knowledge be used to make predictions for the future of the fashion industry? These are the questions this paper seeks to answer. Fashion design has been used by various groups of people over the course of history to outwardly express their thoughts and emotions regarding political and social climates of the time. The United States and Italy are two nations that not only influence fashion for many others, but they also have a stronghold on the direction of current social and political climates. The first task is to examine the complete history of each nations, identifying the major political and cultural events that sparked changes in society and consequently influenced fashion design. The second task is to examine the present-day fashion cultures of Italy and the United States, while considering their global interactions and influences on each other. The third and final task is to use historical evidence to develop and propose predictions for the future of the fashion industry on a global scale and within each nation.Human Ecolog

Electron Capture Dissociation Mass Spectrometry of Metallo-Supramolecular Complexes

The electron capture dissociation (ECD) of metallo-supramolecular dinuclear triple-stranded helicate Fe2L3 4 ions was determined by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. Initial electron capture by the di-iron(II) triple helicate ions produces dinuclear double-stranded complexes analogous to those seen in solution with the monocationic metal centers CuI or AgI. The gas-phase fragmentation behavior [ECD, collision-induced dissociation (CID), and infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD)] of the di-iron double-stranded complexes, (i.e., MS3 of the ECD product) was compared with the ECD, CID, and IRMPD of the CuI and AgI complexes generated from solution. The results suggest that iron-bound dimers may be of the formFeI 2L2 2 and that ECD by metallo-complexes allows access, in the gas phase,to oxidation states and coordination chemistry that cannot be accessed in solution