In Praise of Process: Examining the SEC, Rule 14a-8(i)(8), and AFSCME v. AIG

Part one of this essay will discuss the rule, including a brief analysis of proxy access generally and the election exclusion specifically. Part two will examine the AFSCME v. AIG case and the SEC\u27s response thereto in more detail-discussing the arguments posited both for and against increased shareholder access, as well as the aftermath of the SEC\u27s decision. Part three will analyze how the SEC\u27s failure to change Rule 14a-8(i)(8) to allow greater shareholder access specifically caused one thread in the financial crisis-as a direct result of a loss of shareholder empowerment. Finally, part four offers an epilogue-a discussion of the SEC\u27s current position on shareholder access generally and the election exclusion specifically as a portend for the future

A Cluttered Exchange of Cluster Munitions: A Comparative Examination of Russian and American Application and Shipment of the Weapons

    Few weapons in human history have drawn as much ire, controversy, and international outcry as cluster munitions. The international community has uniquely cracked down on cluster bombs via treaties barring their production, use, and shipment. Despite the stigma against their use, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has seen renewed controversy and created a legal quagmire over their use from both the United States and Russian Federation. Within the United States, proponents of sending cluster munitions have asserted they are vital to assisting Ukraine in its defensive war against Russia’s invasion. In contrast, opponents assert cluster munitions are marred with ethical and humanitarian problems that will haunt Ukraine for decades to come. Regardless of how the international community, American electorate, or policymakers in Washington feel, cluster bombs will continue to be utilized in the ongoing war in Ukraine

Submitting for Dollars: Playing the Funding Game to Promote Transcultural Nursing

Research requires funding, and every researcher understands the crucial role that money plays in implementing a research study. Research in the nursing field is no different. In the current economic environment, funding sources have become limited and researchers need to be prepared to submit grant proposals which will give them a competitive edge over other grant proposals. This paper will describe the development of a grant proposal for National Institutes of Health funding and provide suggestions to novice researchers about how to write a proposal that has the potential to receive a fundable score. The team of early stage investigators in this study submitted a proposal which received a fundable score, but was not selected for funding. The proposal was revised and resubmitted, and received a highly competitive score that did result in funding. The lessons that the researchers learned from this process can be useful for other nurses seeking to secure funding for their research projects

Physical experiments and numerical modeling to determine critical requirements for monitored natural attenuation of methyl tert-butyl ether

Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) is a common fuel additive found in oxygenated gasoline at concentrations up to 15% by volume. Releases of oxygenated fuels from underground storage tanks have resulted in MTBE becoming a potentially long-term groundwater contamination problem because the compound is more soluble, more mobile, and slower to degrade than other gasoline constituents of concern. This is significant because corrective actions for MTBE-containing releases may necessarily differ from those used for other gasoline constituents. This is particularly true for monitored natural attenuation (MNA), an approach that relies on demonstrating that naturally occurring processes such as dispersion, sorption, and biodegradation will control and mitigate groundwater contamination

Contributing to Family Health Using a Promotora Program in Guatemala

Pneumonia and diarrhea can be addressed with early detection and education, yet low rates of literacy and high rates of poverty impact the ability of parents in rural Guatemala to recognize and seek treatment for their children. This article describes the health promotion program implemented to address these and other common health problems in one isolated community. A promotora program utilizes informal, indigenous leaders within the community to promote health in Latino populations. Developing a health education program based on the promotora concept empowered the women of the community by giving them the knowledge and skills to improve the health of their families and their community. The lessons learned from this culturally-based health promotion model are appropriate for application in local and international communities

Energy and Speed a multidisciplinary 4th grade lesson

This project will be called energy and speed, a fourth-grade multidisciplinary lesson. In this project I will go into a fourth grade classroom and teach a science lesson on the connections between energy and speed. There will also be an element of writing in the lesson. Overall, the lessons goals and objectives will be about both writing and science. It is more effective for students to work on both of these skills and knowledge at the same time versus taking time out of the day to teach each lesson and subject individually. I will be doing this lesson to teach a class of fourth grade students some science content while using their writing skills. Multidisciplinary lessons are valuable in the field of elementary education. According to open.edu, multidisciplinary lessons can help improve a students critical thinking, problem solving, communication, application of information, flexibility, and synthesizing ideas. Multidisciplinary lessons help students see information from other perspectives as well as make connections about the real world across subject topics. Using multidisciplinary lessons also help the teacher. They are a way to get more standards learned throughout the day without having to teach a lesson for each one. There is simply not enough time in the year for teachers to teach a standard for each lesson, and elementary students could not sit through that many lessons in a day and still learn

A prospective ascertainment of cancer incidence in sub-Saharan Africa: The case of Kaposi sarcoma.

In resource-limited areas, such as sub-Saharan Africa, problems in accurate cancer case ascertainment and enumeration of the at-risk population make it difficult to estimate cancer incidence. We took advantage of a large well-enumerated healthcare system to estimate the incidence of Kaposi sarcoma (KS), a cancer which has become prominent in the HIV era and whose incidence may be changing with the rollout of antiretroviral therapy (ART). To achieve this, we evaluated HIV-infected adults receiving care between 2007 and 2012 at any of three medical centers in Kenya and Uganda that participate in the East Africa International Epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) Consortium. Through IeDEA, clinicians received training in KS recognition and biopsy equipment. We found that the overall prevalence of KS among 102,945 HIV-infected adults upon clinic enrollment was 1.4%; it declined over time at the largest site. Among 140,552 patients followed for 319,632 person-years, the age-standardized incidence rate was 334/100,000 person-years (95% CI: 314-354/100,000 person-years). Incidence decreased over time and was lower in women, persons on ART, and those with higher CD4 counts. The incidence rate among patients on ART with a CD4 count >350 cells/mm(3) was 32/100,000 person-years (95% CI: 14-70/100,000 person-years). Despite reductions over time coincident with the expansion of ART, KS incidence among HIV-infected adults in East Africa equals or exceeds the most common cancers in resource-replete settings. In resource-limited settings, strategic efforts to improve cancer diagnosis in combination with already well-enumerated at-risk denominators can make healthcare systems attractive platforms for estimating cancer incidence

The Influence of International Service-Learning on Cultural Competence in Baccalaureate Nursing Graduates and Their Subsequent Nursing Practice

A series of research studies was completed over 3 years to evaluate baccalaureate nursing students\u27 transcultural self-efficacy following the completion of service-learning projects. A quantitative pilot study was completed in 2007 with a convenience sample of students (n=60) enrolled in a community health nursing course. Several clinical groups worked with local communities and one clinical group took part in a one-week program in Guatemala. The Transcultural Self-Efficacy Tool (TSET) was administered at the beginning and completion of the semester. A paired-samples t test demonstrated a significant increase for pre-test to post-test total and subscale scores. A follow-up field study was completed in 2008 using a sequential explanatory mixed method design. The quantitative component followed the same format as the pilot study conducted in 2007. Pre-test and post-test surveys (n=45) again revealed a significant increase in total and subscale scores. The qualitative component of the research project utilized a case study approach with two clinical groups (n=16). Each student maintained reflection notes which were completed prior to, during, and at the conclusion of the experience. One clinical group completed a service-learning project in a local, African American community, while the other group participated in a one-week international service-learning experience in Ecuador. Themes were categorized based on the learning dimensions of cultural competence. The with-in case analysis of the local group revealed 4 themes, while the international group revealed 6 themes. The cross-case analysis of the 2 clinical groups revealed similar themes, yet the students who participated in the Ecuador trip were able to provide more explicit details of culturally relevant knowledge and experiences. In 2009, an explanatory case study was used to explain how participation in an international service-learning project influenced transcultual self-efficacy of baccalaurate nursing graduates following graduation and their subsequent clinical practice. Telephone interviews were conducted with 14 nursing graduates, who had participated in international experiences. Comparative analysis revealed increased self-efficacy in cognitive, practical, and affective learning dimensions. As a result of the increased transcultural self-efficacy, graduates were able to provide culturally congruent care. Findings suggest that international service-learning is an effective teaching strategy for cultural competence