Competence and consent to research: A critique of the recommendations of the national bioethics advisory commission*

Concern about the participation of incompetent subjects in psychiatric research has grown in the last several years. In response, the National Bioethics Advisory Commission (NBAC) recommended in its recent report that all investigations involving persons with mental disorders that may be associated with cognitive impairment that may pose greater than minimal risk to subjects utilize independent assessors to verify the capacities of subjects prior to entry into the study. This recommendation poses several problems for the conduct of research and the protection of research subjects. First, it fails to target that group of subjects most likely to be at risk for incapacity. Second, it focuses on too broad a range of research projects, many of which pose little risk to participants. The substantial costs of this approach are therefore not likely to be outweighed by concomitant benefits. In place of the NBAC recommendation, the author proposes a more flexible system of capacity assessment, designed to balance the costs with a greater likelihood of achieving meaningful protection for research subjects with mental disorders.     

Social Competence in Preschool Children: Replication of Results and Clarification of a Hierarchical Measurement Model

This study tested assumptions and conclusions reached in an earlier confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) study of the social competence (SC) construct for preschool children. Two samples (total N = 408; a new Portuguese sample and one from US samples that had participated in the original study) contributed data. Seven SC indicators were tested for mean differences across age, sex, and sample. Significant sex differences were found for peer acceptance (favoring girls) and for initiating affectively neutral interactions (boys had higher rates), and the sex by sample interaction also was significant for initiating interactions (i.e., effect significant only in the Portuguese sample). In CFAs, the hypothesized structure of SC fits the data and was invariant across sample and age within sample in both measurement and structural tests. The model was invariant at the measurement level for sex within sample tests, but not at the structural level. The results replicate and extend understandings of SC reported in the original study.     

Emotion Knowledge, Social Competence, and Behavior Problems in Childhood and Adolescence: A Meta-analytic Review

The present meta-analytic review examined the magnitude of the relation between discrete emotion knowledge and three of its most commonly studied correlates in childhood and adolescence: social competence, internalizing problems, and externalizing problems. Emotion knowledge demonstrated small to medium-sized relations with each correlate. Moderators of effect size were also examined and included multiple sample and methodological characteristics. Using random effects models, significant moderators of effect size for relations between emotion knowledge and externalizing problems included sample recruitment, sample age, and the source of externalizing problems ratings. Moderators of effect size were not found for emotion knowledge and social competence, and the effect sizes across samples for emotion knowledge and internalizing problems were homogeneous. Results highlight the relatively consistent yet modest relations between emotion knowledge and its correlates. Implications for applied research and new directions for research on emotion knowledge using innovative methods are discussed.     

How to make e-Procurement viable for SME suppliers

Due to their common role as suppliers, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are especially challenged by today's turbulent business conditions. In order to meet this challenge, short-term WWW-based enterprise cooperations are regarded as an appropriate way to enhance the competitive strength of SMEs. Hence, the Institute of Machine Tools and Industrial Management (IWB) operates three so-called competence networks for engineering (www.engineering-net.de), rapid prototyping (www.rp-net.de) and manufacturing (www.produktionsnetz.de) services. For the purpose of an applied research project, more than 80 participating SME suppliers have been included in these specialized virtual markets, which are based on the core competencies of the cooperating SMEs. Additionally, the platform (www.virtueller-markt.de) enables customers to configure their specific supply chains via the above-mentioned competence networks. The presented paper depicts how to establish and operate these competence networks as well as how to configure supply chains via these virtual markets.     

Dementia Policy Revisited

Abstract

Even though state governments assume public responsibility for persons with dementia, formal analysis of state laws concerning individuals with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia has been rare. We responded to this by collecting and evaluating state legislation targeted towards individuals with dementia. These laws were collected by searching online statutory archives and were defined by the type of action, year of passage, and legislative purpose. Our research revealed that the legislatures have targeted an average of slightly more than five actions towards persons with dementia. We also discovered that the earliest legislative act targeting individuals with dementia was passed by South Dakota in 1939, and by the end of the 1997 sessions, 49 state legislatures had enacted at least one targeted law. We sorted the variety of legislative actions into eight categories and illuminated how the purposes of these laws differed from one state legislature to the next. This research expands knowledge concerning state policies targeting people with dementia, introduces a reliable method of collecting state laws, and contributes to the advocacy effort made on behalf of persons with dementia.     

AsianWORKs

ABSTRACT

Achieving economic self-sufficiency through employment is the ultimate goal of recent changes to the welfare program. The Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) population is most vulnerable to failing in this goal because of language difficulty, low education levels and lack of job skills in the labor market. Many AAPI immigrants, and Southeast Asian Americans in particular, suffer from adjustment and mental health problems due to their experiences as refugees. These are but a few of the obstacles for AAPI welfare recipients to become self-sufficient, making them one of the most “hard-to-serve” populations. The goal of self-sufficiency through employment can be reached if culturally appropriate and adequate support services are provided to meet the unique needs of the population. Few programs, however, are targeted at AAPIs. Using key-informant interviews and the case material review method, this article highlights the difficulties of AAPI welfare recipients and describes a unique program serving the Southeast Asian American, particularly the Cambodian, population. The article focuses on the program components of outreach and engagement, day socialization and job readiness, and family support services, and it discusses improvement to service access and lessons learned for the practice of cultural competence.     

论ESP评估中的争议问题

ESP评估一直是ESP研究领域的焦点和难点。评估ESP能力的思路应与ESP教学相结合,将学科专业知识、学科专业能力、语用能力、交际能力等非纯语言知识和能力也纳入教学内容,全面提升学习者ESP素质,从而使这些ESP评估中的干扰因素也成为权重不同的评估因子而存在。ESP评估的目的应该是促进学习者自发、自主地探索性学习。     

完善我国国际工程承包法律制度的基本构想

文章认为 ,加强和完善我国国际工程承包法律制度 ,必须遵循国家主权、公平互惠、国际惯例、质量第一诸原则 ,制定科学的立法规划 ,加强高层次立法 ,推行的工程承包标准合同条件不仅要立足本土资源 ,而且 ,更应考虑与国际接轨的客观需要。     

农业产业化是西部农业发展的必由之路

西部农业发展要变地域资源优势为市场竞争优势、要调整农业产业结构、要创农产品的品牌、提高农产品的市场竞争力、要增强农民参与市场谈判与竞争的能力、提高西部农民的生活水平 ,只有走农业产业化的道路。而政府的“绿箱”政策、农业保险体系的建立、市场外部环境的完善与规范等 ,是对农业产业化的有力支持和保障。     

组织创新研究的主要流派及发展趋势

组织创新研究主要有两大流派,即内容学派和过程学派。前者着眼于组织创新影响因素的研究,其缺陷在于研究方法的静态性;后者则研究创新过程的性质,但它仍不能准确地表达组织创新实施的过程。目前,资源、能力、核心能力(包括企业家能力)对组织创新的影响日益受到关注。组织创新研究未来的发展趋势应是理论研究与实证研究相结合,广泛吸取相关领域的研究成果,突出资源、能力和企业家对组织创新的影响。