Going Public as Political Strategy: The Bush Administration,an Echoing Press,and Passage of the Patriot Act

Research suggests that political elites excel at controlling political and media information environments, particularly in times of national crisis, such as the events and aftermath of September 11. This study examines the creation and passage of the Patriot Act, which was proposed by the Bush administration following the terrorist attacks and quickly passed with strong support by the U.S. Congress. We argue that (a) the public communications of the Bush administration, particularly those by George W. Bush and John Ashcroft, and (b) news coverage about the legislation were instrumental in this outcome. Public communications by Bush and Ashcroft and news coverage about the Act were content analyzed to identify the timing of the messages and the themes and perspectives emphasized, and congressional debates and activities were examined for insight into their relation with administration and press discourse. Findings suggest that Bush and Ashcroft's communications, in combination with a press that largely echoed the administration's messages, created an environment in which Congress faced significant pressure to pass the legislation with remarkable speed.     

Promoting Social and Emotional Learning in Middle School: Intervention Effects of Facing History and Ourselves

Journal of Youth and Adolescence - There are fewer evidence-based social and emotional learning programs for middle school students compared to younger grades. This randomized controlled trial...     

A legal perspective on body implants for therapy and enhancement

This paper focuses on the regulation of body and neural implants used in healthcare. The current state of these ICT body implants is outlined, and the adequacy of the relevant legal regime regulating these implants is assessed in light of the ongoing scientific and technological advances in this field. Regulatory gaps are discussed, with a particular emphasis placed on clinical investigations with brain computer interfaces and advanced prosthetics, in order to better understand whether such gaps reduce innovation and act as an institutional barrier that diminishes the opportunities for the development of valuable technologies. Finally, the divide between therapy/treatment and enhancement/augmentation is examined in order to distinguish between the various kinds of body implants, in terms of the rules they ought to comply with and the limits that ought to be set.     

An Experiment in “Practice to Theory” in Conflict Resolution

Negotiation Journal -     

An Investigation of Normal Urine with a Creatinine Concentration Under the Cutoff of 20 mg/dL for Specimen Validity Testing in a Toxicology Laboratory,

In clinical and forensic toxicology laboratories, one commonly used method for urine specimen validity testing is creatinine concentration. In this study, workplace guidelines are examined to determine their relevance to forensic and clinical toxicology samples. Specifically, it investigates the occurrence of urine creatinine concentrations under 20 mg/dL and notes potential issues with factors influencing creatinine concentration by utilizing a simple, novel method consisting of cation‐paring high‐pressure liquid chromatography in tandem with ultraviolet detection to determine the creatinine concentration in 3019 donors. Of the 4227 sample population in this study, 209 (4.94%) were below the cutoff value of 20 mg/dL for dilute urine. Because there are many factors that can influence the urinary creatinine concentration, samples that have creatinine under the 20 mg/dL cutoff do not always implicate sample adulteration.