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Primary grade teachers are challenged to establish firm learning foundations for all children, yet for many teachers cultural diversity makes this a complex pedagogical challenge. It is widely assumed that the success with which teachers meet this challenge is reflected in their dispositions toward diversity, and ultimately toward culturally relevant pedagogy as a professional orientation. This article describes a multi-year study of cultural relevance in early mathematics teaching. Using the case of one kindergarten teacher who exhibited positive dispositions toward cultural relevance, the authors examine factors that seemed to work against its adoption in her pedagogy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article gives specific steps on how to create a codebook for coding interview data. The authors examine the development of theory- and data-driven codes through the discussion of a professional development (PD) research project. They also discuss how to train others to code using the codebook, including how to establish reliability. The authors end with practical suggestions from their experiences in creating a codebook. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The International HapMap Consortium has developed the HapMap, a resource that describes the common patterns of human genetic variation (haplotypes). Processes of community/public consultation and individual informed consent were implemented in each locality where samples were collected to understand and attempt to address both individual and group concerns. Perceptions about the research varied, but we detected no critical opposition to the research. Incorporating community input and responding to concerns raised was challenging. However, the experience suggests that approaching genetic variation research in a spirit of openness can help investigators better appreciate the views of the communities whose samples they seek to study and help communities become more engaged in the science. Copyright © 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of bioethics, scholars have begun to consider carefully the impact of structural issues on global population health, including socioeconomic and political factors influencing the disproportionate burden of disease throughout the world. Human rights and social justice are key considerations for both population health and biomedical research. In this paper, I will briefly explore approaches to human rights in bioethics and review guidelines for ethical conduct in international health research, focusing specifically on health research conducted in resource-poor settings. I will demonstrate the potential for addressing human rights considerations in international health research with special attention to the importance of collaborative partnerships, capacity building, and respect for cultural traditions. Strengthening professional knowledge about international research ethics increases awareness of ethical concerns associated with study design and informed consent among researchers working in resource-poor settings. But this is not enough. Technological and financial resources are also necessary to build capacity for local communities to ensure that research results are integrated into existing health systems. Problematic issues surrounding the application of ethical guidelines in resource-poor settings are embedded in social history, cultural context, and the global political economy. Resolving the moral complexities requires a commitment to engaged dialogue and action among investigators, funding agencies, policy makers, governmental institutions, and private industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most research on the benefits of syringe exchange programs (SEPs) has focused on assessing program effectiveness and identifying risk profiles of SEP customers. To our knowledge, no empirical studies have considered the psychosocial characteristics of IDUs who do and do not use SEPs. To determine whether IDUs who do and do not use SEPs differ along demographic, psychosocial, and HIV risk characteristics and behaviors, we analyzed data from a three-city (Chicago, IL; Hartford, CT; Oakland, CA) observational study of how HIV prevention messages and supplies diffuse from SEPs. The study sample consisted of 350 participants with no reported history of HIV, hepatitis B or C virus infection. Self-efficacy was the only psychosocial factor to differentiate SEP customers from all non-customers groups; injecting others and pre-injection cleaning of the injection site differentiated some non-customers from customers. Implications for future interventions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Better sterile syringe access should be associated with a lower likelihood of syringe re-use and receptive syringe sharing, although few empirical studies have examined gradients in syringe access using both individual and ecological data. In this study, we compare syringe re-use and receptive syringe sharing among injection drug users (IDUs) with syringe exchange program (SEP) and legal over-the-counter pharmacy access with limits on syringes that can be purchased, exchanged or possessed to IDUs with no pharmacy sales but unlimited syringe access through SEPs. We address three questions: ( ) Does residing in an area with no legal syringe possession increase the likelihood of police contact related to possessing drug paraphernalia? ( ) Among direct SEP users, is use of more permissive SEPs associated with less likelihood of syringe re-use and receptive syringe sharing? ( ) Among non-SEP users, is residing in an area with pharmacy access associated with lower likelihood of syringe re-use and receptive syringe sharing? Quantitative survey of IDUs recruited from SEPs, subject nomination and outreach methods. Multivariate analyses compared police contact, syringe re-use and receptive syringe sharing among IDUs recruited in three cities. In multivariate analyses, we found that police contact was associated independently with residing in the area with no legal possession of syringes; among SEP users, those with access to SEPs without limits had lower syringe re-use but not lower syringe sharing; and that among non-SEP users, no significant differences in injection risk were observed among IDUs with and without pharmacy access to syringes. We found that greater legal access to syringes, if accompanied by limits on the number of syringes that can be exchanged, purchased and possessed, may not have the intended impacts on injection-related infectious disease risk among IDUs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on health disparities in the United States. Indication that racial discrimination and poverty contribute to unequal health care; Idea that genetic research has a role in alleviating the problem of disparity in medical care; Uncertainty about the potential genetic contribution to disparities in aggregate group health status; Discussion of this hypothesis, research funding initiatives that promote genetic research proposals, and the demographic patterns in the United States.

Examines the tensions produced as various visions of bioethics circulate in a globalizing world. Bioethics' engagement with social context and cultural difference; Reflexive critique of bioethics; Global traffic in human organs.

Plasmodium sporozoites develop in oocysts on the midgut wall of the mosquito and are released into the hemocoel. Approximately 15–20% of oocyst sporozoites will successfully attach to and invade salivary glands, their target organ. We have previously shown that the major surface protein of sporozoites, the circumsporozoite (CS) protein, binds specifically to salivary glands and not to other mosquito organs exposed to circulating hemolymph. In addition, a peptide from the N-terminal portion of CS protein inhibits binding of the protein to the glands. In this study, we have extended these findings and show that both the protein and the peptide can inhibit sporozoite invasion of salivary glands. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aims Injection drug use is a major risk factor for HIV and hepatitis infections. Whereas programs to prevent new infections have focused on HIV, they have generally neglected hepatitis B and C. This study was designed to examine the interrelationships among HIV and hepatitis knowledge, risky drug preparation and injection practices, and participation in syringe exchange programs (SEPs). Design Surveys of injection drug users (IDUs) collected data on sociodemographics, medical history, drug use and injection practices, and HIV- and hepatitis-related knowledge. Setting Inner-city US neighborhoods in Chicago, 1L, Hartford, CT and Oakland, CA. Participants The study population was a convenience sample of 493 IDUs recruited using street outreach and snowball sampling strategies. Measurements HIV and hepatitis knowledge, injection-related risks for virus transmission, associations between the two, and with SEP use. Findings HIV knowledge was significantly higher than hepatitis knowledge among SEP customers and non-customers alike. Elevated hepatitis knowledge was associated with a history of substance abuse treatment, hepatitis infection, hepatitis B vaccination and injection practices that reduced contact with contaminated blood or water but not with SEP use. SEP customers were consistently less likely to engage in risk behaviors, with the notable exception of safely staunching blood postinjection. Conclusion Increased hepatitis awareness among IDUs is necessary for reducing hepatitis transmissions. Although SEPs continue to effectively disseminate HIV prevention messages—as evidenced by lowered risk behaviors among their customers—they must do more to prevent hepatitis transmissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of profound worldwide demographic change, physicians will increasingly care for patients from cultural backgrounds other than their own. Differences in beliefs, values, and traditional health care practices are of particular relevance at the end of life. Health care providers and patients and families may not have shared understandings of the meaning of illness or death and may not agree on the best strategies to plan for the end of life or to alleviate pain and suffering. Good end-of-life care may be complicated by disagreements between physicians and patients, difficult interactions, or decisions the physician does not understand. Challenges may result from cultural differences between the patient's background and traditional medical practice. Values so ingrained in physicians as to be unquestioned may be alien to patients from different backgrounds. Physicians need to be sensitive to cultural differences and to develop the skills necessary to work with patients from diverse backgrounds. Community and cultural ties provide a source of great comfort as patients and families prepare for death. This paper describes two cases that raise issues about cross-cultural end-of-life practice and suggests strategies for negotiating common problems. Physicians should assess the cultural background of each patient and inquire about values that may affect care at the end of life. They should become aware of the specific beliefs and practices of the populations they serve, always remembering to inquire whether an individual patient adheres to these cultural beliefs. Attention to cultural difference enables the physician to provide comprehensive and compassionate palliative care at the end of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the legends and myths surrounding Thomas Day, an African American master cabinetmaker in the 18th century North Carolina. Definition of myth and legend; Origin of the mythology surrounding Day; Reason for elevating Day into a legendary hero.

This paper examines the influence of syringe exchange programs (SEPs) in three ethnically diverse Chicago neighborhoods on changes in injection risk behaviors and the settings in which they occur. Despite community diversity, findings show a trend away from large, traditional “cash” or “free” galleries, housed in neighborhood apartments or in abandoned buildings, to smaller, “cash” or “taste” galleries, located in drug associates’ residences or other spots requiring an injection drug user (IDU) to be known to others in order to obtain entry. The modification of IDUs’ injecting practices as a result of legal supplies of sterile syringes is described. Socioeconomic factors affecting shooting galleries, such as the rise of crack cocaine, gentrification, and community policing programs, are discussed. Impediments to SEP use and continuing risk behaviors among IDUs are addressed. Finally, recommendations for reaching greater numbers of IDUs with harm‐reduction information are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The development of the Multicultural Teaching Concerns Survey (MTCS), a 64-item self-report scale designed to assess the intensity of teachers' concerns about working with diverse student populations, is described in this study. Preservice education majors and inservice teachers (N = 146) served as participants. A factor analysis revealed 4 multicultural teaching concern factors, 2 of which roughly support extant research regarding the nature of teachers' concerns. However, the 2 remaining factors suggest that the self/task/impact conceptualization may be insufficient to describe the nature of teachers' concerns vis-à-vis their work with students of color. Implications for multicultural teacher education are discussed, and suggestions for future research using the MTCS are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The severe shortage of organs for transplantation and the continual reluctance of the public to voluntarily donate has prompted consideration of alternative strategies for organ procurement. This paper explores the development of market approaches for procuring human organs for transplantation and considers the social and moral implications of organ donation as both a 'gift of life' and a 'commodity exchange.' The problematic and paradoxical articulation of individual autonomy in relation to property rights and marketing human body parts is addressed. We argue that beliefs about proprietorship over human body parts and the capacity to provide consent for organ donation are culturally constructed. We contend that the political and economic framework of biomedicine, in western and non-western nations, influences access to transplantation technology and shapes the form and development of specific market approaches. Finally, we suggest that marketing approaches for organ procurement are and will be negotiated within cultural parameters constrained by several factors: beliefs about the physical body and personhood, religious traditions, economic conditions, and the availability of technological resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Explores the student readiness for substantive study of multicultural education and the place of role-taking experiences in making the more complex dimensions of multicultural education accessible to teacher education students. Description of Issues Exchange, an activity used in a graduate course, and how it may serve as a central component of developmental instructional approaches to multicultural teacher education; Citation of various studies about this subject.

Discusses the importance for classroom teachers to have tenure. Brief history of teacher tenure; Meaning of and practices of teacher tenure; Aspects of the definitions of teacher tenure; Ways of tenure policies can be reformulated.

Reports on the study on the innovative attempts to reform terminal care in the United States. Goals of the Study to Understand Prognosis and Preferences for Outcomes and Risks of Treatment (SUPPORT); Legitimation of authority in biomedicine; Patient-physician relations in the treatment of serious illness; Phases of the SUPPORT project.