bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relationship between Alzheimer's Disease Severity and Patient Participation in Decisions about Their Medical Care
Authors: Karlawish Jason H. T. , Casarett David , Propert Kathleen Joy , James Bryan D. , Bioethics M. , Clark Christopher M.
Published: March 2007

To examine the relationships between Alzheimer's disease (AD) severity and patient participation in decisions about their medical care, we performed a cross-sectional study of 74 caregivers' ratings of the degree to which AD patients participate in making decisions about their medical care. The majority of the caregivers reported that they made the final decisions about medical care (n = 48, 64%), one-quarter (n = 19, 26%) reported an equal role, and a small proportion (n = 7, 9%) reported that the patient made the final decisions. Multivariate models showed that the sig nificant predictors of the patient's participation in decisions about medical care were measures of dementia severity: Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR). Patients with mild-stage disease (CDR = 1 or MMSE ≥ 20) are involved in decision making largely in a collaborative role with the caregiver. Beyond mild-stage disease, the clinician can largely expect that the caregiver is making the final decisions. These results illustrate how and when caregivers can expect changes in their decision making role. (J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 2002; 15:68-72).
Acquired Dementia with Retinitis Pigmentosa
Authors: Grollman Edwin M. , Papacostas Savvas S.
Published: March 2007

The coexistence of mental retardation and retinitis pigmentosa has been well described in a number of congenital syndromes such as the Lawrence-Moon and Bardet-Biedl disorders. In contrast to this, little information is available regarding the association of acquired dementia with retinitis pigmentosa. This report summarizes the clinical features of a developmentally normal adult having the unusual symptom complex of retinitis pigmentosa, early-onset dementia, sensorineural hearing loss, and sensorimotor neuropathy. Though the coexistence of retinitis pigmentosa and dementia in this particular patient may be completely coincidental, it could be representative of a previously unrecognized subset of dementing illness. The literature pertaining to related symptom complexes is reviewed and discussed.
Characterization Methods for the Mechanical Behavior of Thermoplastic Composites
Authors: Falabella R.
Published: March 2007

The tensile and shear moduli of four thermoplastic composites are deter mined using three-point beam flex tests at different spans. The experimental values are compared to the predictions of the rule of mixtures and the rule of mixtures modified by the stress partitioning function. Tensile and flexure strengths are also determined. The results are compared to data for a thermoset composite. The measured shear moduli of thermoplastic composites is lower than that predicted when a stress partitioning function of .4 is used. Laminates with large areas of voids had lower shear moduli, and lower ten sile and flexure strength than void-free laminates.
Compression Thermal Analysis of the Consolidation Process for Thermoplastic Matrix Composites
Authors: Nelson K.M. , Manson J.-A.E. , Seferis J.C.
Published: March 2007

Consolidation of thermoplastic prepregs was measured with an integrally- heated parallel platen apparatus attached to a servo-hydraulic mechanical testing machine. The apparatus was designed as a small-scale, well-instrumented press The lamination or consolidation process was viewed as a superposition of three distinctly occurring events identified as void volume reduction, fiber spreading, and autohesion. Consolidation was measured in relation to the original prepreg thickness and was reported as compressive or consolidation strain as a function of temperature. The derivative of the consolidation strain, the consolidation strain rate, was found to be qualitatively descriptive of vis coelastic phenomena occurring in the prepreg stack during consolidation. The apparatus was sensitive enough to identify glass and melt transitions of the polymer matrix, and to provide a measure of the net consolidation for a given processing cycle. The strain and the strain rate data were compared to thermoanalytical prepreg data obtained by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA). Three different thermoplastic matrix composite systems were examined with this apparatus: Poly (etheretherketone) (PEEK), Poly(etherimide) (PEI), and Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). Each of these materials exhibited a distinct consolidation profile. Collectively, the results generated by these diverse systems established the usefulness of this consolidation thermal analysis as a processing screening tool for thermoplastic-based composites.
Toughness of Flake-Reinforced Polypropylene
Authors: Vu-Khanh T.
Published: March 2007

This paper discusses the mechanisms governing the fracture toughness of polypropylene reinforced by either mica or glass flakes. The toughness of these compos ites is found to be controlled by the competition between shear yielding and voiding in the matrix. Shear yielding occurs around filler particles, because of debonding at the filler/matrix interface. The filler onentation does not affect the crack growth resistance, but there is a unique relationship between the latter and the average distance between par ticles, regardless of the nature of the filler. It has also been found that the glass-rubber relaxation of the matrix polypropylene is the governing parameter for the time dependence of the dynamic fracture toughness of these composites.
Short Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastics: Prediction of Stiffness in Injection Molded PS-PPO Blends
Authors: Tekkanat Bora , Gibala Ronald
Published: March 2007

The prediction of stiffness in short fiber reinforced thermoplastics is stud ied as a function of fiber length using injection molded blends of PS and PPO. The theoret ical models for predicting composite stiffness are reviewed. The results are first compared with the theoretical models advanced for uniaxially aligned composites. These models predict higher than experimental values. However, agreement between the predictions and experimental values improves when the effect of fiber orientation distribution in the injec tion molded samples is taken into account and as the ductility (or the PPO content) of the matrix increases. Cox's model when used with the "laminate analogy" gives the closest prediction to the experimental stiffness. Reinforcement efficiency factor for stiffness is a strong function of retained fiber lengths. The dependence of composite stiffness on the matrix ductility and the effects of compatibility on the mechanical properties of PS-PPO blend system are also discussed.
LDF™ Thermoplastic Composites Technology
Authors: Chang Ike Y. , Pratte James F.
Published: March 2007

Recent developments of the innovative LDF™ thermoplastic composites technology are reviewed with emphasis on discussion of the technology's fundamental basis and composites' property performance. The proprietary technology employs reinforce ment of long, aligned discontinuous fibers including carbon, Kevlar® or glass. Fabrication processes such as stretch forming and press forming can be employed in fabrication of LDF™ composite parts. The LDF™ composites technology is cost effective for manu facturing complex-shaped parts of aerospace structures. LDF™ composites show ex cellent mechanical properties comparable to that of the continuous fiber reinforced counterpart, since the reinforcing long fibers with thermoplastic matrix are well aligned. Mechanical test results with various LDF™ composites confirm the fundamental theory for non-continuous fiber reinforcement describing critical fiber length necessary to achieve efficient average stress transfer in a composite.

The mechanical and other relevant property data are discussed for performance compar ison of LDF™ AS-4/PEKK or Kevlar®/PEKK composite material systems relative to the matched continuous fiber reinforced composites. Potential application of LDF™ ther moplastic composites technology for high performance aerospace structural parts are discussed with demonstration of thermoplastic wing ribs fabricated for V-22 tiltrotor air craft.
Composite Substrate for Bipolar Electrodes
Authors: Tekkanat Bora , Meka Prasadarao , Mckinney Bryan L.
Published: March 2007

Substrate compositions having a polymeric matrix, a reinforcing compo nent, and a conductive filler were developed for bipolar electrodes to be used in zinc- bromine battery systems. Among the various possible composite combinations, those based on carbon black as a conductive filler were given special attention. They combine the inherent properties of polymers—such as toughness, flexibility, low density, etc—with a high conductivity (σ = 0.2 to 1 ohm-1-cm-1). One of the problems recognized with the use of bipolar electrodes containing high surface area carbon blacks in zinc-bromide bat teries is the warpage of the electrodes. Under service conditions, warpage causes an uneven flow distribution of the electrolyte on the electrode surface and results in loss of cell capacity at low cycle life. The warpage was found to occur because of physical expan sion of electrodes resulting from bromine absorption by the high surface area carbon black. Composite substrate compositions with excellent dimensional stability that have eliminated electrode warpage as the primary battery failure mechanism were prepared by using two novel thermoplastic-composite fabrication techniques.
Thermo-Stress Analysis of a Plated-Through-Hole in a Composite Printed Wiring Board
Authors: Whitney J.M. , Haq I.U. , Soni S.R.
Published: March 2007

A stress analysis model for determining the thermal stresses in the vicinity of a plated-through-hole in a printed wiring board is presented. The model is based on axi symmetnc deformation and the superposition of an exact elasticity solution for far field stresses (away from the outer free surfaces) and an approximate near field solution (near the outer free surfaces). The approximate solution exactly satisfies point-by-point equilib rium, but violates compatibility.
FRP Composite Compressive Strength and Its Dependence upon Interfacial Bond Strength, Fiber Misalignment, and Matrix Nonlinearity
Authors: Zhang G. , Latour R.A.
Published: March 2007

The uniaxial compressive strength of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) com posites is a very complex issue which is still not fully understood. Although FRP compos ites characteristically possess excellent ultimate and fatigue strength when loaded in ten sion in the fiber direction, compressive properties are typically not as good. This behavior is due to the fact that while tensile properties are fiber dominated, compressive properties are dependent upon other factors such as matrix modulus and strength, fiber/matrix inter facial bond strength, and fiber misalignment. An analytical model of fiber microbuckling within a polymer matrix has been developed for the purpose of investigating the micro mechanical relationships between compressive strength and fiber microbuckling deforma tion, fiber volume fraction, matrix nonlinearity, interfacial bond strength, and initial fiber curvature. The results for this study provide insight into the micromechamcs governing the uniaxial compressive behavior of FRP composite materials. Results indicate that when both normal and shear interfacial stresses are considered, extension mode microbuckling is actually never the favored low energy mode of microbuckling. Results also demonstrate that depending upon material properties, service environment, and processing (fiber mis alignment), the fiber, the matrix, or the fiber/matrix interface can be the material compo nent initiating compressive failure.
Recycling of SMC and BMC in Standard Process Equipment
Authors: Petterson Joakim , Nilsson Peter
Published: March 2007

Recycling of SMC has been simulated by adding reground SMC scrap into new products. The full-scale tests showed that the reground materials could be incor porated into new SMC- and BMC-products using standard process equipment and with minor modifications in the formulations. Improved flexural strength, together with a slightly reduced flexural modulus, was achieved for SMC containing 10% reground material. The BMC material showed overall reduced mechanical properties when 30% reground material was added.
Effect of Pre-strain on Nonlinear Deformation of Reinforced Polymer/Aluminum Laminates
Authors: Sun W.
Published: March 2007

An analytical model to predict the effect of pre-strain on nonlinear defor mation of Reinforced Polymer/Aluminum Laminates (RPALL) is proposed. The devel oped model incorporates the constituent properties of the fiber/polymer layers and the alu minum layers and the RPALL thermal-mechanical processing parameters. The model can be applied to predict the RPALL laminate initial yielding and subsequent deformation. The theoretical predictions are compared with available experimental data for RPALL systems. Some parametric predictions for RPALL nonlinear deformation response under different pre-straining levels are also presented.
Dialogic Mentoring
Authors: Bokeno R. Michael , Gantt Vernon W.
Published: March 2007

Organizational learning has become a popular initiative for responding to unstable environmental conditions. Relational development and community building that cultivate exploration, experimentation, and risk are foundational to the organizational learning enterprise. This essay offers a conception of mentoring as a dialogic practice and as a core relational practice for learning organizations. We argue that dialogic mentoring has advantages over both conventional mentoring relationships and extant practices for generative learning in organizations, and we suggest implications for research and practice.
Occupational Differences in the Influence of Communication on Stress and Burnout in the Workplace
Authors: Miller Katherine I. , Zook Eric G. , Ellis Beth Hartman
Published: March 2007

This article reports on research that explored the experience of stress and burnout, and the influence of communicative variables on stress and burnout, in four distinct employee groups within a single organization. Research and theory reviewed suggest that distinctions in job characteristics and organizational subcultures should influence relationships among stressors, burnout, and communicative behaviors for different occupations. The research conducted bears this out. There were not large differences among employee groups in terms of levels of stress, burnout, and satisfaction, or in the relationships between stressors and burnout and between burnout and satisfaction. However, the role of communication in the burnout process varied in the different employee groups. Participation in decision making had a large impact on burnout for administrative employees and support from co-workers had a large effect on burnout for nursing employees.
Setting the Rules
Authors: Morley Donald Dean , Shockley-Zalabak Pamela
Published: March 2007

The most important contribution of this research is the empirical test of founders' values related to employee perceptions of organizational rules, organizational satisfactions, and levels of uncertainty for communication sending and receiving. Specifically, this research extends previous work by Shockley-Zalabak and Morley by seeking to determine interrelationships among founders' values, culture, and individual members' values. Findings indicate that (a) employees' own values and their perception of organizational rules were related to communication behaviors and organizational outcomes of work satisfaction, company satisfaction, perceived quality of the company, and perceived likelihood of the company's surviving; (b) founders experienced significantly less ambiguity about organizational rules than all other work groups, including managers and supervisors; (c) perception of organizational rules and values varied by organizational level; and (d) differences existed by organizational levels in communication behaviors, satisfaction, and perceived competitive quality of the organization.
Effective Group Decision Making in Organizations
Authors: Hirokawa Randy Y. , Rost Kathryn M.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the relationship between group interaction quality and group decision performance can be generalized to established organizational groups. Four hypotheses derived from previous historical and laboratory studies of group decision-making efficacy were examined using nine established, ongoing decision-making groups obtained from a large utility company in the midwest. The results of the study generally support the process-outcome relationship. Specifically, it was discovered that group decision performance is directly related to a group's efforts to analyze and understand its task and objective(s) as well as identify the positive and negative qualities of alternative choices. These findings reaffirm the claim that group decision performance is enhanced by a group's ability to engage in vigilant interaction prior to arriving at a decision.
Computer-Mediated Communications in Organizational Settings
Authors: Steinfield Charles
Published: March 2007

Much of the research on communication media in organizations was and still is guided by a dominant paradigm emanating from contingency theory. It is argued that the contingency theory paradigm has proven to be inadequate, not only because of a wide range of anomalous empirical findings, but also because it has led to a limited view of computer-mediated communications (CMC) that constrains the creative application of this set of communication technologies. Two new theoretical approaches, critical mass and social influence models, are described that focus on the social context in which the communication technologies are embedded as a source of explanation for adoption, use, and impact. Finally, three avenues for extending existing theory are suggested: Researchers are encouraged to explore CMC systems as (a) an interorganizational communication medium, (b) one of a set of information services available over a telecommunications infrastructure, and (c) as a tool for achieving strategic organizational objectives and competitive advantage.
An Information-Processing Model of Crisis Management
Authors: Egelhoff William G. , Sen Falguni
Published: March 2007

This article develops a contingency model for managing a variety of corporate crises. It views crisis management as an information-processing situation and organizations that must cope with crises as information-processing systems. Depending on whether a crisis originates in the more immediate or relevant environment of a firm or in its more remote environment and whether it involves technical failure or sociopolitical failure, the information-processing requirements confronting a firm will vary. The model attempts to fit appropriate information-processing mechanisms to different categories of crises. To facilitate future research and empirical testing of the model, specific propositions are deduced from the conceptual framework.
Communicating Visions
Authors: Holladay Sherry J. , Coombs W. Timothy
Published: March 2007

The concept of charismatic leadership has emerged as a central concern in leadership research. This investigation examines the impact of delivery on perceptions of leader charisma. Respondents were exposed to a supervisor presenting a charismatic message in either a weak or strong delivery condition. The results indicate that delivery does make a difference in evaluations of leader charisma. The concept of communicator style is offered as a way to interpret the findings.
The Skills of Inquiry and Advocacy
Authors: Thompson Michael P.
Published: March 2007

The growing emphasis on the role of learning in organizations will highlight the need to balance the skills of inquiry with the skills of advocacy. Most organizations in the West draw their communicative styles from a tradition of argumentation and debate. The core communicative skills, the skills that are often rewarded and modeled, are the skills of advocacy. Advocacy skills are crucial when persuasion and motivation are needed; however, another set of communicative skills are usually required before a proposal or position even exists. These skills are rooted not in the ability to advocate a position, but to create one. These are inquiry skills. Too often in organizations, the ability to prevail overpowers the ability to explore. We promote leaders, often on the basis of their advocacy skills, but neglect the increasing importance of inquiry skills. Management education, and particularly our management communication curricula, should foster both of these vital communication skills and offer students the forums and tasks that require their cultivation.
Perceptions of Discrimination During Downsizing
Authors: Larkey Linda Kathryn
Published: March 2007

Effects of layoffs on employees—both stayers and leavers—have been studied extensively, but very little research has been conducted on layoff effects on ethnically diverse employee populations nor on discrimination during layoffs. This case study begins with a set of interviews to uncover employee perceptions of ethnic discrimination during a “voluntary” downsizing process. Themes identified in the interviews include issues that co-occur with complaints of ethnic discrimination: perceptions of selection fairness and information accessibility. A subsequent survey examines the relationships between ethnic discrimination and these two variables. Results of the study demonstrate that perceptions of ethnic discrimination are moderately correlated with perceptions of selection fairness and information access during the layoff process. Also, in the company examined, both minority and majority ethnic group members felt equally discriminated against. Findings are discussed in light of current research on the continuing lack of upward mobility for minority employees and implications for layoff planning.
Cognitive Elements in the Social Construction of Communication Technology
Authors: Fulk Janet , Schmitz Joseph , Ryu Daehee
Published: March 2007

Social constructivist theories of communication technology in organizations propose that interactions with social agents influence technology-related cognitions and behaviors. Empirical evidence of such influences was found for a sample of 65 research and development personnel. Each individual's communication partners were identified using communication network measures. In an analysis using LISREL VII, individuals' cognitions of their combined network partners' attitudes and behaviors in using electronic mail predicted the individuals' own attitudes and behaviors. Implications of these findings for social constructivist and media richness theories of communication technology are discussed.
Communication within the Manager's Context
Authors: Smeltzer Larry R.
Published: March 2007

Although the term management communication is frequently used, it has not been defined and the discipline has no focus. As a result, a problem in professional identity and reputation exists. Identity problems exist because the discipline consists of professionals with disparate backgrounds who approach management communication from different perspectives. Academic reputation problems occur because management communication emphasizes skills development. Because of identity and reputation problems, it is important to look at the purpose of management communication. The discipline can best distinguish itself by conducting research within the managerial context, which is difficult for professors to understand because managers and academics operate in such different environments. Also, serious obstacles exist to conducting valuable management communication research. The challenge remains to conduct rigorous, valid communication research within the managerial context that results in relevant implementation guidelines. These research results will develop a focus and definition for management communication.
Beyond Abuse: Parse's Theory in Practice
Authors: Butler Mary Jo , Snodgrass Frances G.
Published: March 2007

A nursing practice with abused women and their families based on Parse's theory of Man-Living-Health is described with emphasis on implementation of the practice processes flowing from the theory and common outcomes of the processes. A case study is presented to illustrate how the practice processes aided one couple in transforming from an abusive relationship to a new and valued way of coexisting. Information on the nursing practice and the case study are used to help demonstrate the utility of the theory of Man-Living-Health in enhancing the quality of life.
Aging in the Oldest Old Living in Scotland: A Phenomenological Study
Authors: Futrell May , Wondolowski Catherine , Mitchell Gail J.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to uncover ways in which the oldest old living in a Scottish community view the experience of aging. The research was guided by Parse's theory and followed the van Kaam method to elicit a structural definition of the meaning of aging, as described by the oldest old. Through the processes of intuiting, analyzing, and describing, it was found that the experience of aging is intensifying engagements as transfigurations signify maturity tempering the unavoidable with buoyant serenity.Findings are discussed in light of meaning specified in other explorations of the aging experience. Conceptual expansion enhances understanding for practice and further research.
Contrasting Two Approaches in a Community-Based Nursing Practice with Older Adults: The Medical Model and Parse's Nursing Theory
Authors: Baumann Steven L.
Published: March 2007

This article contrasts the assumptions and concepts of two distinct approaches, the medical model and Parse's human becoming theory, as applied in a nurse-managed capitated community healthcare program for older adults. Many nurses incorporate aspects of the medical model into their practice without fully appreciating the implications or being aware of alternative perspectives. Within capitated health programs a nursing practice based on a nursing theory which emphasizes an intersubjective dialogue with older adults as they move toward different meanings and free choice is seen as more likely to be associated with greater satisfaction and reduced healthcare expenditures than a nursing approach based on the medical model, which relies on the objectification of human experience. Nurses can best balance the problem-focused orientation of a medical model dominated healthcare system by adopting an approach committed to recognizing that persons are the coauthors of their existence.
Superintendents and Interest Groups
Authors: Bjork Lars , Lindle Jane Clark
Published: March 2007

U.S. citizens traditionally have abhorred politics at the schoolhouse door At the turn of the 19th century, the office of superintendent was designed as a professional buffer to politics in education. Mid-20th century scholars of school politics recorded the persistence of politics in education and, more important, the diversity of political roles necessary for superintendents to appease local interests. This article reviews results from one mid-century investigation of superintendents' relationships with their school boards and communities. Survey results from 2,262 superintendents in office during the 1998-1999 school year revealed that superintendents persist in practicing professional decision making while at the same time recognizing the politically charged, interest driven environment of their school districts and communities. The article concludes with recommendations for superintendents and educational administration programs to end their naïve, a political professional approach to community interest groups.
An Academic Counter-Revolution: The Roots of the Current Movement to Reform Undergraduate Education
Authors: Gamson Zelda F.
Published: March 2007

While it was one of the arguments of the university emphasis that by being abandoned to the dictates of his own interests, his own passions, the student was being trained in the school of self-reliance, actually this did not always happen. Many young men and women knew the experience of being abandoned, but somehow the sensations of self-reliance never seemed to follow.1
Minerva and the Market: The Sources of the Movement for School Choice
Authors: Dougherty Kevin J. , Sostre Lizabeth
Published: March 2007

This article examines why the idea of school choice was reborn in the 1980s after appearing and dying 15 years earlier. We argue that it is due both to renewed interest among conservatives and to unprecedented changes in sentiment toward public schooling among liberal policy scholars, urban educators, Black parents, and State governors. Though bringing success, this heterogeneous political base also makes the movement for school choice vulnerable to reverse. To analyze the sources of the movement, the article draws on the "state relative autonomy" theory of political power and the "garbage can" theory of organizational decision making.
The Role of Agenda Setting in the Politics of School Finance: 1970-1990
Authors: Odden Allan , Wohlstetter Priscilla
Published: March 2007

Using Cobb and Elder's theory of agenda setting in the public policy arena, this article assesses the politics and impacts of school finance during the 1970s and 1980s, an intense period of education policy reformer Cobb and Elder identify four "triggering mechanisms " that catapult issues to the formal policy agenda. unanticipated events, technological changes, ecological changes, and biases in the distribution of resources. As a result, four categories of policy initiators respond: exploiters, circumstantial reactors, do-gooders, and re-adjusters. The article shows how the various triggering mechanisms and policy initiators functioned on public school finance policy over the past two decades and assesses impacts on the new school finance structures that were created. The results show that the array of policy initiators has continually expanded during the past 20 years, from educators to governors, legislators, the courts, and the business community. The results also show a wide range of new school finance policies, the complexity of which is partially caused by the various triggering mechanisms and motivations of the policy initiators.
Educational Planning: The Transformation of Symbols, Frames of Reference, and Behavior
Authors: Inbar Dan E.
Published: March 2007

Plans are not prescriptions or assembly guidance, and the concept of educational planning should not be confused with the rather dull perception that it is no more than the composition of a known sequence of steps to be carried out later: Assuming that educational planning is a communicative process, as the transmission of symbols the object of which is to bring about change based on perceptual modification and dependent on behavioral change, a transformational approach to educational planning is offered. This approach consolidates three basic transformations: of symbols, of frames of reference, and of behavior. The articulation of vision, the socialization of expectations, and empowerment are conceptualized as charismatic virtues of the approach, serving as the activating forces of the various transformations.
Outcomes-Based Education Reexamined: From Structural Functionalism to Poststructuralism
Authors: Capper Colleen A. , Jamison Michael T.
Published: March 2007

Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) views itself as a drastic break from current educational practices and a means of providing educational success for all students. Though not stated in overt terms, OBE also positions it self as a means of "emancipating " students and teachers from traditional practices which lead to educational inequity. This article reexamines OBE from a multiparadigm perspective of organizations and educational administration. This examination reveals that although there does indeed seem to befacets of outcome-based practice which are empowering to students and teachers, much of the system continues to be lodged in a framework which aims toward structure and control.
Thoughts on Program Equity: Productivity and Incentives for Performance in Education
Authors: Elmore Richard F.
Published: March 2007

William Clune 's case for "adequate" standards contains the following agenda: to raise and meet higher standards for student performance through combining larger compensatory expenditures with increased site-based management in disadvantaged schools. This agenda toward adequacy illuminates a general problem: the problem of productivity in educational spending. The author is skeptical that a mere infusion of money will result in proportional improvement in student performance. As long as public organizations continue to operate within the traditional model of the base budget, without developing a systematic measure of cost-benefit relations, there will be no increase in understanding how existing resources are best used to improve learning. The Clune proposal invokes the need for research focused on schools that consider how base expenditures on such factors as staffing, professional development, and curriculum can be altered to produce drastically different relationships between resources and performance.
Institutionalization and the Reform Process: A System Dynamics Perspective
Authors: Morris Don R.
Published: March 2007

This article examines educational reform as a function of a systemic process. School districts are viewed as dynamic systems that use reforms to reinforce their equilibrium as institutionalized organizations. It is argued that institutionalization effectively blocks formal feedback to decision makers and that educational reforms exhibit an alternating pattern resulting from the operation of a default feedback process based on reaction to undesirable side effects generated by those reforms. Reform is seen not as a vehicle of improvement but as a means of perpetuating the condition of institutionalization. System dynamics is suggested as a perspective and methodology for effecting systemic change.
The Organizational and Political Threats to School-Linked Integrated Services
Authors: Smrekar Claire
Published: March 2007

The accumulating evidence from the array of school-linked social service initiatives launched over the past decade provides a glimpse of the enduring obstacles and challenges to integrated services. The notable failure of two prominent foundation efforts indicates a critical crossroads for this public policy movement. This article explores the organizational and political constraints that threaten to undercut the school-linked services movement. The discussion focuses on the misguided messages that have helped slide the issue of children 's services to the center of the policy table on the naive and narrow assumption that integrated services will produce more economical and efficient systems for families. The concluding argument urges educators and policy makers to move beyond the erratic and irregular child-saving impulses that have marked earlier education and social services policies to efforts that understand the complexity of the lives of children and the economic foundation of their families.
Immigrant Workers and the Shadow Education System
Authors: Boyle Mary-Ellen
Published: March 2007

The workplace is the site of English language and basic skills education for increasing numbers of U.S. workers, particularly immigrants. Most such literacy education is funded by the employer, and there can be public and/or union support. Though immigrants are not the specific targets of these literacy programs, they constitute the majority of the participants. A case study of workplace literacy programs allows consideration of the nature of this education and its consequences for various stakeholders. Employees appear to benefit from such programs, as do their organizations. Yet, there are limits to the learning that occurs: Managers may value workers' attitudinal changes more highly than skill improvements, opportunities to attend class are constrained by workplace demands, and workplace education can be used as a means to control the labor force. Employer-sponsored literacy education thus has contradictory, yet significant, consequences for immigrant workers and for immigrant education policy.
Teachers and Structural Adjustment in South Africa
Authors: Chisholm Linda , Soudien Crain , Vally Salim , Gilmour Dave
Published: March 2007

The achievement of equity is a central component of attempts to restructure education in postapartheid South Africa. But recent efforts to do so have faced significant challenges. This article traces the impact, consequences, and contradictions of recent initiatives to achieve equity through teacher redeployment and rationalization policies and provides two main explanations for their contradictory short-term outcomes: one related to the technical-rational approach underlying the implementation process and the other to the neoliberal policy frames that structure the policies. We argue that these specific policies are aspects of wider cost-reduction strategies linked to voluntarily imposed structural adjustment policies. We examine the obstacles to implementation decentralized decision-making processes and financial crises in the provinces and then explore responses by teacher unions and teachers in schools. It shows that redeployment was not a popular policy, was more expensive than anticipated, and evoked widespread opposition as the cost-reduction imperatives became evident.
Broadening Utility of Tablet and Capsule Imprints
Authors: Muno Francis J.
Published: March 2007

From a strategic 1962 article cataloging the imprints on tablets, capsules and softgels, the art of identification of solid medication dosage form has proceeded to where all prescription medications, including controlled substance, over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, veterinary and homeopathic drug products must be imprinted. Imprints may be comprised of logos, numerical and/or alphabetical information. Imprints are electronically searchable by two computer programs, one of which provides graphics of logos. The public and health, law enforcement and teaching professionals have a need to know when a "stray" tablet or capsule is found what it is with a high degree of accuracy. Imprints may soon be on prescription labels and searchable through various websites on the internet.
Management of Type 2 Diabetes in the Geriatric Patient
Authors: Campbell Suzanne
Published: March 2007

Type 2 diabetes is prevalent in the elderly population. In the past five years, there has been an increased number of drugs with unique mechanisms of action which have become available for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Recent studies have shown that attaining optimal glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes will prevent or delay the complications associated with this disease. This article will review the management of type 2 diabetes.
Drug-Induced Esophagitis
Authors: O'Donnell James
Published: March 2007

Corrosive esophagitis is caused by the ingestion of caustic agents. The elderly consume a large number of medications that potentially could cause Drug-Induced Esophagitis (DIE). This article reviews the signs and symptoms, diagnosis, prognosis, and epidemiology of DIE. Drugs reported to cause DIE are reviewed, including alendronate, potassium chloride, antibiotics known to cause DIE, as well as others. Illustrative cases are presented.
Avoiding Civil Liability Under OBRA 1990: Documentation is the Key
Authors: Holleran Michael J.
Published: March 2007

The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (OBRA 90) and the various state regulations enacted in response to that act have already required a substantial change in the daily activities of pharmacists while performing their professional duties. OBRA 90 requires pharmacists to engage in patient counseling efforts and sets forth specific topics that pharmacists must discuss with the patient or primary caregiver. From a civil liability perspective, however, OBRA 90 requires pharmacists to do far more than counsel patients with regard to those patients' pharmaceutical care. It is anticipated that the requirements of OBRA 90 will establish minimum standards of care which must be met by all pharmacists. Courts will likely view a pharmacist's failure to adhere to the requirements of OBRA 90 as a failure to meet the standard of care applicable to pharmacists. Such failure to meet the applicable standard of care may lead to civil liability under the tort theories of ordinary negligence and negligence per se. Although OBRA 90 mandates that certain records be created and maintained, the prudent pharmacist in today's litigious world must develop a more comprehensive, accurate, and detailed system for documentation of the various counseling activities in which he or she engages. Because most pharmacies employ more than one pharmacist, and because memories of both patients and pharmacists can fail, creating and maintaining accurate records that exceed the documentation requirements of OBRA 90 and are admissible in court may well be the key to avoiding civil liability for an alleged failure to comply with the requirements of OBRA 90. Copyright © 1995 by W.B. Saunders Company
Pharmacy Malpractice: Antimicrobial, Cross-Sensitivity and Infection Control
Authors: Torf Philip R.
Published: March 2007

The pharmacist's involvement in litigation is destined to grow. The legislated duty to obtain and evaluate a patient's drug therapy will refute questions previously and inconsistently answered by courts about the pharmacist's duty. The pharmacist's involvement in infection control, antimicrobial therapy, and patient counseling requires him/her to know written policies and procedures and how other pharmacists are setting the standard of care. Copyright © 1995 by W.B. Saunders Company
The Impact of Controlled Substance Federal Regulation on the Practice of Pharmacy
Authors: Branding Frederick H.
Published: March 2007

The federal Controlled Substances Act requires all registrants, including pharmacists, to keep complete, accurate, and detailed records of the acquisition and disposition of all controlled substances. These records are to be maintained in a readily retrievable manner in order that they may be inspected, verified, and copied by inspectors of the Drug Enforcement Administration. When dispensing controlled substances, pharmacists have a statutorily imposed corresponding responsibility to verify that all prescriptions for controlled substances have been issued by a prescriber in the usual course of that prescriber's legitimate medical practice. Violations of the Controlled Substances Act and regulations can subject pharmacists to a variety of sanctions, ranging from an administrative letter of admoni tion to a civil fine, forfeiture, or criminal prosecution. Copyright © 1991 by W.B. Saunders Company
Management of the Child With Cystic Fibrosis
Authors: Tran Jennifer H. , Brennan Karen M.
Published: March 2007

Cystic fibrosis is one of the most common lethal inherited diseases among the Caucasian population, with an incidence of 1 in 2,000. With the progress made in the management of the disease, a once-regarded childhood illness has now an improved survival rate of up to 30 years. It is a multifaceted disease affecting a number of organ systems primarily pulmonary and gastrointestinal tract, with the former leading to most of the mortality. Therefore, good pulmonary toilet, including daily chest physiotherapy and appropriate antibiotic treatment for acute pulmonary exacerbations, remains the cornerstone of therapy. Disease-specific pharmacokinetics seen in these patients require special dosing considerations specifically for antibiotics to ensure adequate serum concentrations. In addition, bronchodilators, steroids, and mucolytics also play a role. With respect to the gastrointestinal tract, pancreatic insufficiency occurs and requires enzyme replacement. Intestinal obstruction may occur as early as the neonatal period, as "meconium ileus," and recur throughout the patient's lifespan. More recent modalities including chloride-channel facilitators, antiproteases, and gene therapy may hold promise to further improve the survival and quality of life in these individuals. The pharmacists' role is vital, especially with the unique pharmacokinetic considerations specific to this population and the complexity of medications necessary for appropriate management of the disease. Copyright © 1996 by W.B. Saunders Company
Chemical Dependence: A Look at What Does and Doesn't Work
Authors: Morton W. Alexander
Published: March 2007

Pharmacists are often unprepared to become actively clinically involved with patients in chemical dependence treatment programs. This article discusses problems frequently encountered with these patients and provides potential solutions to detriments in addressing their needs. A practitioner needs to develop credibility with patients, understand the neurochemistry of addictions, and understand the main concepts that maintain addictive disorders. Non-drug alternatives need to be understood and offered to recovering patients instead of immediately relying on pharmacological treatments. Issues regarding dual diagnoses, pain management, nicotine cessation, and concurrent medical problems are discussed. Essential treatment concerns, such as a practitioner's "philosophy of treat ment," concept of 12-step groups, the natural course of addiction, and recognizing impaired health professionals are addressed. The author offers suggestions for becoming successfully involved in a chemical dependency treatment program. Copyright © 1996 by W.B. Saunders Company
Pharmaceutical Care in a State Operated Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Department
Authors: Malan Randy D.
Published: March 2007

Pharmaceutical care in psychiatry is a specialized area of practice within the field of pharmacy and has been selected for Board Certification in the near future. In order to be maximally effective in this clinical setting, mental health pharmacists must combine their knowledge of psychopharmacology, pathophysiology, laboratory data, standardized assessment tools, and federal Health Care Financing Administration requirements, with non-pharmacological treatments to function within a treatment team concept. This treatment team concept aims at maximizing individual clinical outcomes while at the same time minimizing adverse side effects of the treatment regimen.
Nursing Theories of Caring
Authors: Saewyc Elizabeth M.
Published: March 2007

In the past four decades, caring has emerged as a central paradigm in nursing. Caring as a central focus in nursing care of adolescents is developmentally appropriate and has been documented as the primary mechanism of effective health promotion for working with teens throughout the world. Other disciplines in adolescent health are beginning to realize the importance of caring therapeutics in practice, but nursing remains in the forefront of theory development and research in this area and is well positioned to provide leadership in further articulating caring theory within adolescent health care. Beyond theory development and testing, however, nurses need to include advocacy for the legitimacy and the importance of caring modalities in promoting the health of adolescents.