The Introduction Of Management By Objectives Into the Buchanan, Michigan, Seventh-day Adventist Church

The most urgent concern of the twentieth-century church is building an effective working team composed of pastor and laymen (or lay people) that will be responsive to the commission of carrying the gospel to the world. Methods must be discovered so that intentional pastors can help bring intentional congregations into being. In the context of management by objectives, self-assessment and goal setting may be the means by which intentional congregations are created. If this is true, the pastor needs to know how to apply the concept of management by objectives to his ministry. To develop guidelines for the introduction of a system of management by objectives into the local church, models have been studied and literature surveyed in the areas of (1 ) theology of the church as an institution in need of management, (2 ) management by objectives in modern profit organizations, (3) management by objectives in non-profit organizations. In addition, surveys were conducted among members of one congregation to discover the degree of change that could be attributed to the introduction into the church of management by objectives. The study of Scripture reveals that the church is an institution in need of organization and management. Literature in the management field was found to be rich in sound theoretical principles that can be adapted to effective management of the church. The management-by-objectives plan introduced into the Buchanan, Michigan, Seventh-day Adventist church sought to implement these principles arid ideals into the everyday life of the church members. The interest and participation of the congregation suggest that the same program could be used with some modification in other congregations. Some areas should be expanded and others shortened or adjusted to include additional strategies. An oral and written survey conducted among the members of the congregation showed generally favorable responses to the facilitative style of church management which is a broad management-by-objectives concept. Church growth, increased attendance, and improved stewardship each attest to the favor with which the project was accepted by the congregation. While a new pastor naturally effects some changes in a congregation, the introduction of a new well-developed plan of management into the church effects greater and more long-range changes. The employment of modified objectives and goals each year using the principles of management by objectives will help the congregation become a better witness to the community in which it lives, and in the process the congregation and pastor become united by their common goals. There was an enthusiastic response when sixty members of the Buchanan congregation met to evaluate the 1978 program and set their goals for 1979. In this meeting laymen led in the goal-setting process and the pastor served as secretary

The Impact of Contemporary Management Ideas: their influence on the Constitution of Public Sector Management Work

Public sector reforms informed by contemporary management ideas that have taken place across Anglo-American polities since the 1980s were focused on economic rationalist concepts and managerialist approaches that prevailed in the private sector. Hence, concepts such as efficiency and effectiveness were advocated for the public sector, often on the assumption that they were relevant and could be applied easily. Private sector management concepts, principles, processes and practices were promoted under the mantra of ‘let the managers manage’ to be followed by ‘make the managers manage’. Critics have deemed public sector reforms, inspired by contemporary management ideas, as unsuitable in application to the public sector, given the unique character of public management (Brunsson, 2006; Gregory, 2003; Moe, 1994; Savoie, 1994; Sundstrom, 2006; Talbot, 2001; Williams, 2000). Nonetheless, these ideas became very fashionable in the English-speaking world. This chapter discusses the impact of contemporary management ideas couched as public sector reforms from the 1980s onward and specifically addresses the question of how contemporary management ideas have influenced Departmental Secretaries and their work. The role played by the Departmental Secretaries, central agencies and the government of the day, in the acceptance or rejection of contemporary management ideas, as well as the analysis of how such ideas travelled, were translated, trans-ferred and transformed, is also considered

The challenge of acute-stroke management: does telemedicine offer a solution?

<p><b>Background:</b> Several studies have described successful experiences with the use of telemedicine in acute stroke. The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and treatment delivery reliability, of telemedicine systems for the clinical and radiological assessment, and management of acute-stroke patients.</p> <p><b>Summary of Review:</b> A systematic review of the literature was carried out. Studies were included if they met the following criteria: (1) study population included participants with a diagnosis of suspected acute stroke, (2) intervention included the use of telemedicine systems to aid assessment, diagnosis, or treatment in acute stroke, and (3) outcomes measured related to feasibility in clinical practice, acceptability to patients, carers, and staff, reliability of telemedicine systems, and effectiveness in delivering treatment, especially tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). Overall, 17 relevant non-randomised studies reported that telemedicine systems were feasible and acceptable. Interrater reliability was excellent for global clinical assessments and decisions on radiological exclusion criteria although agreement for individual assessment items was more variable. Telemedicine systems were associated with increased use of tPA.</p> <p><b>Conclusion:</b> Although there is limited reliable evidence, observational studies have indicated that telemedicine systems can be feasible, acceptable, and reliable in acute-stroke management. In addition, telemedicine consultations were associated with improved delivery of tPA.</p&gt

Early Clinical and Subclinical Visual Evoked Potential and Humphrey's Visual Field Defects in Cryptococcal Meningitis.

Cryptococcal induced visual loss is a devastating complication in survivors of cryptococcal meningitis (CM). Early detection is paramount in prevention and treatment. Subclinical optic nerve dysfunction in CM has not hitherto been investigated by electrophysiological means. We undertook a prospective study on 90 HIV sero-positive patients with culture confirmed CM. Seventy-four patients underwent visual evoked potential (VEP) testing and 47 patients underwent Humphrey's visual field (HVF) testing. Decreased best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was detected in 46.5% of patients. VEP was abnormal in 51/74 (68.9%) right eyes and 50/74 (67.6%) left eyes. VEP P100 latency was the main abnormality with mean latency values of 118.9 (±16.5) ms and 119.8 (±15.7) ms for the right and left eyes respectively, mildly prolonged when compared to our laboratory references of 104 (±10) ms (p<0.001). Subclinical VEP abnormality was detected in 56.5% of normal eyes and constituted mostly latency abnormality. VEP amplitude was also significantly reduced in this cohort but minimally so in the visually unimpaired. HVF was abnormal in 36/47 (76.6%) right eyes and 32/45 (71.1%) left eyes. The predominant field defect was peripheral constriction with an enlarged blind spot suggesting the greater impact by raised intracranial pressure over that of optic neuritis. Whether this was due to papilloedema or a compartment syndrome is open to further investigation. Subclinical HVF abnormalities were minimal and therefore a poor screening test for early optic nerve dysfunction. However, early optic nerve dysfunction can be detected by testing of VEP P100 latency, which may precede the onset of visual loss in CM

Case study on the efficacy of a lanthanum-enriched clay (Phoslock®) in controlling eutrophication in Lake Het Groene Eiland (The Netherlands)

Lake Het Groene Eiland was created in the beginning of 2008 by construction of dikes for isolating it from the surrounding 220-ha water body. This so-called claustrum of 5 ha was treated using lanthanum-modified clay (Phoslock®) to control eutrophication and mitigate cyanobacterial nuisance. Cyanobacteria chlorophyll-a were significantly lower in the claustrum than those in the reference water body, where a massive bloom developed in summer, 2008. However, PO4-P and TP did not statistically differ in these two waters. TN and NO3-N were significantly lower in the claustrum, where dense submerged macrophytes beds developed. Lanthanum concentrations were elevated after the applications of the modified clay in the claustrum, but filterable lanthanum dropped rapidly below the Dutch standard of 10.1 μg l−1. During winter, dozens of Canada geese resided at the claustrum. Geese droppings contained an average of 2 mg PO4-P g−1 dry weight and 12 mg NH3-N g−1 dry weight and might present a growing source of nutrients to the water. Constructing the claustrum enabled unrestricted bathing in subsequent three summers, as no swimming bans had to be issued due to cyanobacteria blooms. However, the role of the modified clay in this positive outcome remains unclear, and longevity of the measures questionable.

Relationship between IHC4 score and response to neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.

Aims To determine whether IHC4 score assessed on pre-treatment core biopsies (i) predicts response to neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in ER-positive (ER+) breast cancer; (ii) provides more predictive information than Ki67 alone.Methods 113 patients with ER+ primary breast cancer treated with neo-adjuvant chemotherapy at the Royal Marsden Hospital between 2002 and 2010 were included in the study. Pathologic assessment of the excision specimen was made for residual disease. IHC4 was determined on pre-treatment core biopsies, blinded to clinical outcome, by immunohistochemistry using quantitative scoring of ER (H-score), PgR (%) and Ki67 (%). Determination of HER2 status was made by immunohistochemistry and fluorescent in situ hybridization for 2+ cases. IHC4 and Ki67 scores were tested for their association with pathological complete response (pCR) rate and residual cancer burden (RCB) score.Results 18 (16%) of the 113 patients and 8 (9%) of the 88 HER2-ve cases achieved pCR. Ki67 and IHC4 score were both positively associated with achievement of pCR (P -7 and P -9, respectively) and RCB0+1 (P -5 and P -9, respectively) following neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in all patients. Rates of pCR+RCB1 were 45 and 66% in the highest quartiles of Ki67 and IHC4 scores, respectively. In ER+HER2-ve cases, pCR+RCB1 rates were 35% and in the highest quartile of both Ki67 and IHC4. There were no pCRs in the lower half of IHC4 or Ki67 scores.Conclusions IHC4 was strongly predictive of pCR or near pCR in ER+ breast cancers following neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. Ki67 was an important component of this predictive ability, but was not as predictive as IHC4

Correspondence to Elizabeth ( Bessie ) McCaw Boggs Taylor, September 7, 1879 - May 22, 1887

Correspondence to Elizabeth ( Bessie ) McCaw Boggs Taylor, September 7, 1879 - May 22, 1887. Box 2, Folder 4.https://digitalcommons.wofford.edu/littlejohnboggs/1014/thumbnail.jp

The MIF antagonist ISO-1 attenuates corticosteroid-insensitive inflammation and airways hyperresponsiveness in an ozone-induced model of COPD

Copyright © 2016 Russell et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Introduction. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is an inflammatory cytokine associated with acute and chronic inflammatory disorders and corticosteroid insensitivity. Its expression in the airways of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a relatively steroid insensitive inflammatory disease is unclear, however. Methods. Sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) macrophages and serum were obtained from nonsmokers, smokers and COPD patients. To mimic oxidative stress-induced COPD, mice were exposed to ozone for six-weeks and treated with ISO-1, a MIF inhibitor, and/or dexamethasone before each exposure. BAL fluid and lung tissue were collected after the final exposure. Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and lung function were measured using whole body plethysmography. HIF-1α binding to the Mif promoter was determined by Chromatin Immunoprecipitation assays. Results. MIF levels in sputum and BAL macrophages from COPD patients were higher than those from non-smokers, with healthy smokers having intermediate levels. MIF expression correlated with that of HIF-1α in all patients groups and in ozone-exposed mice. BAL cell counts, cytokine mRNA and protein expression in lungs and BAL, including MIF, were elevated in ozone-exposed mice and had increased AHR. Dexamethasone had no effect on these parameters in the mouse but ISO-1 attenuated cell recruitment, cytokine release and AHR. Conclusion MIF and HIF-1α levels are elevated in COPD BAL macrophages and inhibition of MIF function blocks corticosteroid-insensitive lung inflammation and AHR. Inhibition of MIF may provide a novel anti-inflammatory approach in COPD

Atrial and placental melanoma metastasis: a case report and literature review

Malignant melanoma can metastasize to virtually any organ of the body. The aggressiveness is determined by the primary site, depth of dermal invasion, presence or absence of ulceration, lymphovascular infiltration and regional lymph node involvement. We report a case of a pregnant woman with a previous history of stage 3 melanoma who presented with cardiac metastasis and placental melanoma infiltration. A review of literature on cardiac and placental involvement of melanoma is also provided