Threats,risk and protection work in graduate life science research 1

This paper explores some basic questions about how graduate life science students manage risks in their research and educational careers. Because they work with living systems [cells], they constantly face conditions which threaten to destroy the very objects of their work. More generally, they face organizational circumstances in the laboratory which fundamentally condition the kinds of projects they may develop and, consequently, their progress toward graduation. How do the students identify threats to their research work, learn to protect themselves against risks, and negotiate the development of their educational careers? These issues are addressed by analysing cases in the manufacture of a hybridoma and the development of a Ph.D. research project. The paper offers suggestions about the general relevance of the analysis to the theory of risk in education and everyday life.

     

Verbal Bourbon: Speaking Secrets to Intoxicate Your Audience

Public speaking strikes fear in the heart of many people. This tactics session sought to sharpen the audience's public speaking and presentation skills by providing them with six ingredients to a successful presentation: comfort level, gaining attention, organization, presentation style, discussion, and the wrap-up. Incorporating these principles in one's presentation would help the speaker gain the attention of the audience, communicate effectively, and enact change.     

Review Essay: Cultivating a Rhetoric of Agrarianism

CONTROL AND CONSOLATION IN AMERICAN CULTURE AND POLITICS: RHETORICS OF THERAPY. By Dana Cloud. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 1998; pp. 224. Cloth $67.95; Paper $31.95.

DANGEROUS LIAISONS: GENDER, NATION, AND POSTCOLONIAL PERSPECTIVES. By Anne McClintock, Aamir Mufti, and Ella Shohat. Minneapolis and London: University of Minnesota Press, 1997; pp. 560. Cloth $62.95; Paper $24.95.

WHITENESS: THE COMMUNICATION OF SOCIAL IDENTITY. Edited by Thomas Nakayama and Judith Martin. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 1999; pp. xiv + 314. Cloth $73.95; Paper $36.95.     

Pharmacists’ utilization and interest in usage of personal digital assistants in their professional responsibilities

Background and objectives: Pharmacists use PDAs for performing various activities related to their profession. The objective of this study was to examine pharmacists’ utilization pattern and interest in usage of personal digital assistants (PDAs) in various facets of health care. Methods: A cross‐sectional survey was conducted by distributing a pre‐validated 23‐item instrument to a convenience sample of pharmacists (n = 295) in the Houston area. Usage frequency (0 = never to 5 = frequently) and interest in future use (1 = extremely disinterested to 5 = extremely interested) of PDAs for various activities were evaluated and compared across pharmacy practice settings. Results: Most pharmacists reported maximum use of PDAs, as personal organizers (3.7 ± 1.8), in obtaining drug information (2.9 ± 1.8) and as medical calculators (2.6 ± 1.9). Similar results were obtained while evaluating interest of pharmacists who did not have PDAs and have never used PDAs for these three activities. Hospital pharmacists owned and used PDAs significantly (P < 0.05) more often than community pharmacists. Conclusions: Pharmacists used PDAs for basic functions in their profession role. Application of PDA technology in community pharmacy settings may result in its better adoption in both the settings.