Environmental governance in China: Interactions between the state and "nonstate actors".

In the West, limited government capacity to solve environmental problems has triggered the rise of a variety of "nonstate actors" to supplement government efforts or provide alternative mechanisms for addressing environmental issues. How does this development - along with our efforts to understand it - map onto environmental governance processes in China? China's efforts to address environmental issues reflect institutionalized governance processes that differ from parallel western processes in ways that have major consequences for domestic environmental governance practices and the governance of China "going abroad." China's governance processes blur the distinction between the state and other actors; the "shadow of the state" is a major factor in all efforts to address environmental issues. The space occupied by nonstate actors in western systems is occupied by shiye danwei ("public service units"), she hui tuanti ("social associations") and e-platforms, all of which have close links to the state. Meanwhile, international NGOs and multinational corporations are also significant players in China. As a result, the mechanisms of influence that produce effects in China differ in important ways from mechanisms familiar from the western experience. This conclusion has far-reaching implications for those seeking to address global environmental concerns, given the importance of China's growing economy and burgeoning network of trade relationships.

Achieving restraint-free on an inpatient behavioral health unit.

Restraint use in the treatment of mental illness has long been a controversial practice. Regulatory agencies, licensing organizations, and professional and advocacy groups have called for reduction of restraint use. Responding to this call for action, the leadership team of a behavioral health unit in a private, nonprofit community hospital evaluated reducing restraint use. Following training through the National Executive Training Institute of the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, a restraint-reduction project team was formed. Instead of reducing restraint use, it was decided to eliminate restraint use. Vision guided, the team developed an action plan. Culture change focused on the Mental Health Recovery Model and principles of trauma-informed care. Emphasizing person-centered care, this unit has now been restraint free for nearly 2 years. A surprise finding was that restraint elimination accompanied a decrease in use of "as needed" sedative-hypnotic medications. Person-centered care delivered by frontline staff led to culture change, a restraint-free environment, and less medication.

The impact of self-construal on aesthetic preference for angular versus rounded shapes.

In this article, the authors examine the role of self-construal in aesthetic preference for angular versus rounded shapes. Previous research found an independent self-construal is associated with a confrontation approach to conflict resolution, whereas an interdependent self-construal is associated with compromise. Furthermore, the literature in empirical aesthetics suggests that angular shapes tend to generate confrontational associations, and rounded shapes tend to generate compromise associations. Accordingly, the authors propose individuals with independent self-construals should perceive angular shapes as more attractive, whereas individuals with interdependent self-construals should find rounded shapes more attractive. The authors argue this effect of self-construal should be more pronounced when people expect that their shape preferences will be evaluated by others because culturally consistent responses will be more accessible in this situation. These hypotheses were largely confirmed in a field study that classified logos from a variety of countries and two experiments in which self-construal was experimentally primed.