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Background: Community pharmacists (CPs) have the capacity to contribute to patient care given their expertise in medication and accessibility to residents in the community. However, multidisciplinary patient care programmes where CPs collaborate with general practitioners (GPs) in patient care is rare in Singapore despite increasing healthcare demand. Objectives: This study explores GPs' perceptions of CPs' current roles and GPs' ideas for and attitudes towards interprofessional collaboration. Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 private GPs from August to December 2020 via an online video-chat platform. GPs were recruited from the Primacy Care Research Network (pcRn), primary care networks, and using snowballing strategies. All interviews were recorded, transcribed and coded thematically. Results: Current working relationships between GPs and CPs appeared amicable but limited. GPs appreciate the existing roles of CPs: dispensing drugs not stocked in their practices and clarifying prescription details. Still, GPs appeared to rarely consider collaborative working. GPs acknowledged that CPs could enhance patient care with initiatives including medication reconciliation and advising on using medical devices. It was suggested that CPs could coordinate the purchase of drugs for primary care networks to improve GPs' inventory management, but less enthusiasm was expressed for clinical collaborations with CPs. Major concerns about GP–CP clinical collaborations included direct competition with GPs' own business interests, perceived low acceptability of pharmacy-led services by patients (citing extra time and cost), threat to continuity of care and the absence of a shared patient electronic health record system. Current funding mechanisms do not enable reimbursement of clinical services provided by CPs. Adoption of telemedicine technologies and governmental financial support were identified as possible enablers of GP–CP collaboration. Conclusions: GPs saw potential in CPs' increased involvement in patient care, but perceived multiple barriers. Strategies focusing on overcoming these barriers could enable GP–CP collaboration to enhance patient care. Highlights: Multidisciplinary patient care programmes where community pharmacists collaborate with general practitioners remains a challenge in many countries despite increasing healthcare demands. Inter-professionals collaborative care is hindered by direct competition with general practitioners' own business interests; Perceived low acceptability of pharmacy-led services by patients (inconvenience and extra costs); Threat to continuity of care and absence of a shared patient electronic health record system. Collaborative programmes can be encouraged by adoption of telemedicine technologies and governmental financial support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how economies change through interactions with science and government as different spheres of activity requires both new conceptual tools and methodologies. In this paper, the evolution of the metaphor of a Triple Helix of university–industry–government relations is elaborated into an evolutionary model, and positioned within the context of global economic changes. We highlight how Triple Helix relations are both continuing and mutating, and the conditions under which a Triple Helix might be seen to be unraveling in the face of pressures on each of the three helices – university, industry, and government. The reciprocal dynamics of innovation both in the Triple Helix thesis and in the global economy are empirically explored: we find that footlooseness of high technology manufacturing and knowledge-intensive services counteract the embeddedness prevailing in medium technology manufacturing. The geographical level at which synergy in Triple Helix relations can be expected and sustained varies among nations and regions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background aims. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are pluripotent adult stem cells capable of osteogenesis and chondrogenesis to form bone and cartilage. This characteristic gives them the potential for bone and cartilage regeneration. Synthetic polymers have been studied to examine whether they could be used as a scaffold for tissue engineering. In the current study a two-dimensional (2-D) poly( l-lactic acid) (PLLA) scaffold was treated with chemokine, adhesion and extracellular matrix molecules with the aim of using biologic molecules to improve the attachment of human MSC. Methods. MSC were isolated from human bone marrow and applied to a 2-D PLLA scaffold. Chemokines ligand (CXCL12 and CXCL13), adhesion molecules [P-selectin, vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 and heparin] and extracellular matrix molecules (fibronectin and type IV collagen) were coated on the scaffold and their effects on the number of MSC that adhered were recorded. Results. When used alone CXCL12 and CXCL13 enhanced MSC adhesion, as did VCAM-1, P-selectin, fibronectin and collagen, but not heparin. The effects of VCAM-1, P-selectin and heparin were enhanced by the addition of CXCL12. Incubation of MSC with antibodies to integrins α4 and α5β1 inhibited their adhesion to VCAM-1 and fibronectin-treated PLLA respectively, suggesting that these integrins were involved in the MSC interactions. Conclusions. The use of certain chemokines and adhesion and extracellular matrix molecules, alone or in combination, is beneficial for the attachment of MSC to PLLA, and may be helpful as natural molecules in scaffolds for regenerative medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special issue brings together creativity and enterprise through the geographies of the creative industries. In recent years the focus of academic debate has privileged business and corporate economies, and so this issue seeks to contribute both empirically and theoretically to the burgeoning literature of creative industries. Economic geography offers a rich domain through which to engage with these debates, exploring the nuances of creativity and enterprise. Our aim, as well as bringing together a set of interesting papers, is to contribute critically to understanding the organization and spatial structure of creative industries and the broader creative economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article relates the author in building a museum project suggested by Randi Kawakita, a fellow teacher, for a culminating project. According to the author, it is a great opportunity for students to employ their English skills to demonstrate their history knowledge. She said it would provide a venue for true authentic assessment of the language arts curriculum standards. The museum project has become both the logical conclusion to a year's worth of interdisciplinary blending and a source of motivation and excitement for students. Several activities during the opening of the said museum are also presented.

Background: Community health workers (CHWs) can play vital roles in increasing coverage of basic health services. However, there is a need for a systematic categorisation of CHWs that will aid common understanding among policy makers, programme planners, and researchers. Objective: To identify the common themes in the definitions and descriptions of CHWs that will aid delineation within this cadre and distinguish CHWs from other healthcare providers. Design: A systematic review of peer-reviewed papers and grey literature. Results: We identified 119 papers that provided definitions of CHWs in 25 countries across 7 regions. The review shows CHWs as paraprofessionals or lay individuals with an in-depth understanding of the community culture and language, have received standardised job-related training of a shorter duration than health professionals, and their primary goal is to provide culturally appropriate health services to the community. CHWs can be categorised into three groups by education and pre-service training. These are lay health workers (individuals with little or no formal education who undergo a few days to a few weeks of informal training), level 1 paraprofessionals (individuals with some form of secondary education and subsequent informal training), and level 2 paraprofessionals (individuals with some form of secondary education and subsequent formal training lasting a few months to more than a year). Lay health workers tend to provide basic health services as unpaid volunteers while level 1 paraprofessionals often receive an allowance and level 2 paraprofessionals tend to be salaried. Conclusions: This review provides a categorisation of CHWs that may be useful for health policy formulation, programme planning, and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, policy focused on improving access to maternity services has led to measures to reduce cost barriers impeding women's access to care. Specifically, these include cash transfer or voucher schemes designed to stimulate demand for services, including antenatal, delivery and post-partum care. In spite of their popularity, however, little is known about the impact or effectiveness of these schemes. This paper provides an overview of five major interventions: the Aama (Mothers') Programme (cash transfer element) in Nepal; the Janani Suraksha Yojana (Safe Motherhood Scheme) in India; the Chiranjeevi Yojana (Scheme for Long Life) in India; the Maternal Health Voucher Scheme in Bangladesh and the Sehat (Health) Voucher Scheme in Pakistan. It reviews the aims, rationale, implementation challenges, known outcomes, potential and limitations of each scheme based on current available data. Increased use of maternal health services has been reported since the schemes began, though evidence of improvements in maternal health outcomes has not been established due to a lack of controlled studies. Areas for improvement in these schemes, identified in this review, include the need for more efficient operational management, clear guidelines, financial transparency, plans for sustainability, evidence of equity and, above all, proven impact on quality of care and maternal mortality and morbidity. Au Népal, en Inde, au Bangladesh et au Pakistan, la politique centrée sur l'élargissement de l'accès aux services de maternité a débouché sur des mesures de réduction des obstacles financiers qui empêchent les femmes d'avoir accès aux soins, plus précisément des transferts de fonds ou des chèques conçus pour stimuler la demande, notamment de soins prénatals, obstétricaux et du post-partum. Pourtant, en dépit de leur popularité, on sait peu de choses de l'impact de ces programmes. L'article décrit cinq interventions majeures : le programme Aama (des mères) (élément de transfert de fonds) au Népal, le Janani Suraksha Yojana (plan de maternité sans risque) en Inde, le Chiranjeevi Yojana (plan pour une longue vie) en Inde, le projet de chèques de santé maternelle au Bangladesh et le système de chèques Sehat (santé) au Pakistan. Il examine les objectifs, les justificatifs, les obstacles à l'application, les résultats connus, le potentiel et les limites de chaque projet, avec les données disponibles. Un recours accru aux services de santé maternelle a été enregistré depuis le début des projets, mais sans qu'il soit possible de déterminer les améliorations de la santé maternelle, faute d'études contrôlées. L'étude recense les domaines d'amélioration des projets qui ont besoin d'une gestion opérationnelle plus efficace, de directives claires, de transparence financière, de plans de viabilité, de preuves d'équité et, surtout, de confirmer leur impact sur la qualité des soins, et la mortalité et morbidité maternelles. En Nepal, India, Bangladesh y Pakistán, debido a políticas centradas en mejorar el acceso a los servicios de maternidad, se ha intentado reducir las barreras de costo que impiden el acceso de las mujeres a los servicios: específicamente, transferencias de dinero o programas de cupones diseñados para estimular la demanda de los servicios, incluida la atención antes, durante y después del parto. Pese a su popularidad, no se sabe mucho acerca de su impacto o eficacia. En este artículo se resumen cinco intervenciones importantes: el Programa de Madres (transferencias de dinero) en Nepal; el Plan por una Maternidad sin Riesgos y el Plan por una Vida Larga, ambos en India; el Programa de Cupones para Servicios de Salud Materna en Bangladesh; y el Programa de Cupones para servicios de salud, en Pakistán. Se analizan los objetivos, la justificación y los retos de la implementación, los resultados, el potencial y las limitaciones de cada plan según los datos. Desde el inicio de estos planes, ha aumentado el uso de los servicios de salud materna, aunque por falta de estudios controlados no hay evidencia de mejoras en los resultados. Entre las áreas a mejorar figuran: la eficiencia de la administración operativa, directrices claras, transparencia financiera, planes de sostenibilidad, evidencia de equidad y, sobre todo, un impacto comprobado en la calidad de la atención y en las tasas de mortalidad y morbilidad maternas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the recent trend among Northern development organisations to represent development as sexy in awareness and fundraising campaigns. The article argues that the ways in which development organisations represent the global South and development work play an important role in the construction of social power relations between people in the global North and the global South. The representation of development as sexy is compared and contrasted to other representations of development that highlight scarcity and deprivation. The article argues that, although the representation of development as sexy avoids portrayals of poor people in the global South as helpless victims, it presents an image of development in which the most important form of agency is Northern charity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A subject index for the December 2007 issue of the "Annals of the Association of American Geographers" is presented.

The American criminal justice system today focuses to an unprecedented degree on incarceration as a means to punish transgressors. As the author will see, this practice deviates substantially from practices of other Western nations, and, indeed, from Western justice tradition. Incarceration is expensive, which has led to attempts to reduce costs by relying on the discipline of the marketplace through "privatization" of prisons and, more importantly, by putting prisoners to work for private firms. These largely complementary movements are generating what might be termed a "prison-industrial complex," or a form of "penal Keynesianism." In the article, it will be argued that while penal Keynesianism does replicate some of the features of military Keynesianism, it is not likely to generate as many supply-side and demand-side benefits, and thus cannot be seen as a replacement for the old military-industrial complex. Most importantly, while military Keynesianism tended to enhance the employability of many young, lowly educated males who were able to enter military service, imprisonment does not generally do so. Indeed, even if full employment were attained within prison walls, it is not clear that this result would generate net benefits to society as a whole.

Lists 601 books, articles, and essays on the Pacific region which appeared in 1995 and early 1996. These are divided into general categories (reference, biography, history, missions/religions, prehistory-anthropology) and 19 geographical areas corresponding to the principal island groups.

The article presents information on a bibliography related to the theory and practice of sentence combining. It spans a period of fifteen years, from 1964 to 1979, beginning with Kellogg W, Hunt's report of his research on syntactic maturity, "Differences In Grammatical Structures Written at Three Grade Levels (1964)," and more or less ending with the proceedings of the Miami University conference, Sentence Combining and the Teaching of Writing (1979). The bibliography includes items concerned either wholly or in part with sentence combining.

We describe an 82-year-old man who was diagnosed with temporal arteritis (TA) on the basis of a 12-month history of jaw pain and intermittent deafness. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was 80 mm/hr, but there was no thrombocytosis and the patient''s jaw pain did not resolve with steroids. No temporal artery biopsy (TAB) was performed, and the patient went on to develop significant complications of long-term therapy with corticosteroids in the form of mandibular necrosis and fracture, cataracts, and postoperative endophthalmitis. The diagnosis was incorrect. This case stresses that much of the morbidity in TA is from the steroids, especially in the older age group. The diagnostic pathway in TA mandates a comprehensive and accurate history of the disorder, an assessment of its signs, and the performance of an adequate TAB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]