bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nurses' Perceived Knowledge, Beliefs, Skills, and Needs Regarding Evidence‐Based Practice: Implications for Accelerating the Paradigm Shift
Authors: Melnyk Bernadette Mazurek , Fineout‐Overholt Ellen , Fischbeck Feinstein Nancy , Li Hong , Small Leigh , Wilcox Larry , Kraus Rachel
Published: August 2004

Background: The paradigm shift to evidence‐based nursing practice in the United States has been slow. Although multiple barriers to evidence‐based practice (EBP) have been identified through prior studies, there is a gap in the literature specifically identifying key variables (e.g., belief that EBP produces quality outcomes) that are correlated with the extent to which nurses engage in EBP.

Aim: The primary aims of this study were to (1) describe nurses' knowledge, beliefs, skills, and needs regarding EBP; (2) determine whether relationships exist among these variables; and (3) describe major barriers and facilitators to EBP.

Methods: A descriptive survey was conducted with a convenience sample of 160 nurses who were attending EBP conferences or workshops in four states located within the Eastern Region of the United States.

Results: Although participant beliefs about the benefit of EBP were high, knowledge of EBP was relatively low. Significant relationships were found between the extent to which the nurses' practice is evidence‐based and (1) nurses' knowledge of EBP, (2) nurses' beliefs about the benefits of EBP, (3) having an EBP mentor, and (4) using the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and the National Guideline Clearinghouse.

Conclusion and Implications: Health care systems need to implement interventions that not only increase nurses' EBP knowledge and skills, but also strengthen their beliefs about the benefit of evidence‐based care. EBP mentors may be key in accelerating a more rapid shift toward evidence‐based nursing practice. Theoretically driven randomized controlled trials are urgently needed to test the effectiveness of interventions on advancing evidence‐based care.
Detection and Management of Falls and Instability in Vulnerable Elders by Community Physicians
Authors: Rubenstein Laurence Z. , Solomon David H. , Roth Carol P. , Young Roy T. , Shekelle Paul G. , Chang John T. , MacLean Catherine H. , Kamberg Caren J. , Saliba Debra , Wenger Neil S.
Published: August 2004

Objectives: To investigate quality of care for falls and instability provided to vulnerable elders.

Design: Six process of care quality indicators (QIs) for falls and instability were developed and applied to community‐living persons aged 65 and older who were at increased risk of death or decline. QIs were implemented using medical records and patient interviews.

Setting: Northeastern and southwestern United States.

Participants: Three hundred seventy‐two vulnerable elders enrolled in two senior managed care plans.

Measurements: Percentage of QIs satisfied concerning falls or mobility disorders.

Results: Of the 372 consenting vulnerable elders with complete medical records, 57 had documentation of 69 episodes of two or more falls or fall with injury during the 13‐month study period (14% of patients fell per year, 18% incidence). Double this frequency was reported at interview. An additional 22 patients had documented mobility problems. Clinical history of fall circumstances, comorbidity, medications, and mobility was documented from 47% of fallers and two or more of these four elements from 85%. Documented physical examination was less complete, with only 6% of fallers examined for orthostatic blood pressure, 7% for gait or balance, 25% for vision, and 28% for neurological findings. The evaluation led to specific recommendations in only 26% of cases, but when present they usually led to appropriate treatment modalities. Mobility problems without falls were evaluated with gait or balance examination in 23% of cases and neurological examination in 55%.

Conclusion: Community physicians appear to underdetect falls and gait disorders. Detected falls often receive inadequate evaluation, leading to a paucity of recommendations and treatments. Adhering to guidelines may improve outcomes in community‐dwelling older adults.
Older Women and HIV: How Much Do They Know and Where Are They Getting Their Information?
Authors: Henderson Susan J. , Bernstein Lisa B. , George Diane Marie St. , Doyle Joyce P. , Paranjape Anuradha S. , Corbie‐Smith Giselle
Published: August 2004

Objectives: To assess older urban women's knowledge about sexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and to evaluate the relationship between their HIV/AIDS knowledge level and sources of information.

Design: Cross‐sectional survey conducted between June 2001 and July 2002. Trained research assistants administered a questionnaire in a face‐to‐face interview.

Setting: General medicine clinic in a large public hospital in a high HIV/AIDS incidence area.

Participants: Five hundred fourteen women aged 50 and older.

Measurements: Nine questions assessing knowledge of risk of HIV sexual transmission with potential scores ranging from 0 to 9 correct answers. Participants identified all sources of HIV information.

Results: The mean knowledge score was 3.7 out of a possible 9 correct responses (range 0 (3%) to 8 (1%)). Younger age, employment, and higher educational level were associated with higher knowledge scores, whereas marital status was unrelated. No respondent correctly answered all of the nine questions. The most commonly identified sources of HIV/AIDS information were television (85%), friends (54%), and newspapers (51%). Only 38% of respondents identified health professionals as a source of information about HIV/AIDS. Health professionals, newspapers, and family members were each independently associated with higher knowledge scores (P<.05).

Conclusion: Older women in a general medicine clinic had limited knowledge of sexual transmission of HIV. HIV/AIDS education specifically targeted to this subpopulation is warranted, and health professionals may have an important role in disseminating such messages.
Empirically Unbinding the Double Bind: Review of Research and Conceptual Reformulations
Authors: OLSON DAVID H.
Published: August 2004

This article reviews the empirical research on the double‐bind concept and describes the conceptual and methodological limitations of the studies. Because of the difficulty in defining and operationalizing the concept, most studies have not adequately tested substantive issues related to the double‐bind hypothesis. The relationship of the concept to other family dynamics concepts is discussed and a reformulation of some of the basic tenets are presented. The article also attempts to clarify several of the theoretical and methodological issues related to the double‐bind hypothesis, and specific recommendations are made regarding future research on this topic.
The Results of Family Therapy: A Critical Review of the Literature
Authors: WELLS RICHARD A. , DILKES THOMAS C. , TRIVELLI NINA
Published: August 2004

A search was conducted in the family therapy literature for studied which reported on the outcome of family therapy. It was difficult to find any consensus on a definition of family therapy. Therefore an arbitrary definition, involving the predominant use of joint and family interviews, was stipulated. A total of eighteen studies met minimal standards for inclusion and were summarized and discussed in this paper. Only two of these studies could be considered adequate in their research design; the remainder of the studies were (with one borderline exception) considered inadequate. The clinical evaluations of family therapy were summarized and possible methods and goals for future research into the outcome of family therapy are discussed.
Monadic Orientation: A Contribution to the Structure of Families with Autistic Children
Authors: CRABTREE LOREN H. , BRECHT JAMES A. , SONNE JOHN C.
Published: August 2004

In the schizophrenogenic family, many interactions appear to function to maintain pathological dyadic alliances. This paper reports the family treatment of a family with an autistic child and develops the view that in an autistogenic family interactions tend toward maintaining self‐isolation and disaffiliation. This process of splitting and dissolving dyads and the tendency to maintain isolation of family members is held to be an essential feature of the autistogenic process; it is referred to as the monadic orientation.
Contrasting Multi‐Generational Attitudes Toward Psychosis in Two Norwegian Families
Authors: VAGLUM PER
Published: August 2004

Two families reacted quite differently when their eldest daughters exhibited unmanageable, psychotic symptoms. One family's reaction was to keep the daughter at home and hide from the world; the other's reaction was to push the daughter out of the family and to forget her. This paper illustrates the influence of cultural, socioeconomic, and psychological backgrounds on these patterns of reaction. The problems of establishing a working relationship with the families are also discussed.
Patterns of Response to Out‐of‐focus Slides of Families with an Emotionally Disturbed Member
Authors: RAKOFF VIVIAN , ROSE ANN
Published: August 2004

Mutual facial recognition was studied in thirty families with and without a disturbed member. It appears that families with a markedly disturbed child have idiosyncratic modes of mutual recognition, particularly in the case of the mother, whereas families without a disturbed member or with a moderately disturbed child do not display idiosyncratic patterns. Although the sample is very small, there is a suggestion that families with a disturbed parent have patterns of recognition that are entirely different from those of the other families in the study.
FAMILY AFFAIRS
Authors: Meltzer Rae
Published: August 2004

This department solicits reports of work‐in‐progress; applications of family therapy techniques and principles to new areas; reports of innovative programs of research, training, and therapy in the family field; accounts of relevant, personal experience. Material for consideration should be sent to The Editor.
New Procedures for Analyzing Relational Communication
Authors: ERICSON PHILIP M. , ROGERS L. EDNA
Published: August 2004

The purpose of this paper is to present a system for describing and indexing patterns of communication at the relational level, primarily in dyadic systems. Relational communication refers to the control aspects of message exchanges that define an interactor's relationships with others. The reciprocal definition of each individual's role at a given moment in the interaction is reflected in the relative control each individual has and/or is given by the other individual. The control‐defining aspects of communication, rather than other information such communication may convey, is the focus of the coding system to be described. Further, the analysis deals with sequences of messages rather than individual messages, and attempts to index the control dimensions of those messages according to their similarity or difference. While previous interaction analysis techniques have been predominantly monadic in nature, i.e., single‐message coding schemes, the present approach is based on a systems level of analysis.1
Aspects of Live Supervision
Authors: MONTALVO BRAULIO
Published: August 2004

Live supervision is a term describing the process by which someone guides the therapist while he works. The person supervising watches the session, usually behind a one‐way mirror, and intrudes upon it to guide the therapist's behavior at the moment the action is happening. Goals and methods used are described.
RAE WEINER
Authors: WALTERS MARIANNE
Published: August 2004

Rae Weiner, a pioneer of the concept of family therapy with the Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic and the Family Institute of Philadelphia, died Monday, August 13th at the age of 46. Mrs. Weiner received a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master of social studies from Bryn Mawr College. Mrs. Weiner joined the Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic in 1968 where she was instrumental in creating and overseeing family counseling programs. She was also closely affiliated with the Family Institute of Philadelphia, an organization of family therapists and social workers. Mrs. Weiner was president‐elect of the Family Institute and served on its executive council. She is survived by her husband, Oscar R. Weiner, M.D., two sons and a daughter.
Parent and Child Effects on Cognitive Performance: An Experimental Approach to the Etiological and Responsive Theories of Schizophrenia
Authors: WAXLER NANCY E.
Published: August 2004

While many theorists have assumed that the family has an etiological part in the development of schizophrenia, most findings, since they come predominantly from observations after the illness has occurred, could plausibly be interpreted as family responses to the illness. In this experimental study, we constructed artificial families in order to measure independently of each other the effects of parents of schizophrenics on children and the effects of schizophrenic children on parents. Findings from a cognitive task requiring abilities to attend and abstract show that the presence of a schizophrenic child has only minor disruptive effects upon the performance of normal parents; parents of schizophrenics also have little effect upon normal children. Instead, the most consistent effects are those of normal parents on the schizophrenic child. Adolescent schizophrenic patients whose cognitive performance deficit is apparent prior to the experiment show significant improvement after having worked on the cognitive task with normal parents; their cognitive deficit disappears, and their performance is not different from matched normal children. Further investigation will center on the quality of the normal parents' “normalizing” effects.
Aging and Family Personality: A Developmental View
Authors: Brody Elaine M.
Published: August 2004

The dramatic numerical and proportional increase in the elderly population has important implications for family dynamics and the family life cycle. This paper considers some of the issues of aging, death, loss, and separation, as they relate to individual and family development and to shifting roles and responsibilities of family members.
Multi‐Family Group Therapy: A Multidimensional Approach
Authors: LEICHTER ELSA , SCHULMAN GERDA L.
Published: August 2004

The procedures, dynamics, and process of multi‐family group therapy are presented with case examples from the authors' practice.
Brief Therapy: Focused Problem Resolution
Authors: WEAKLAND JOHN H. , FISCH RICHARD , WATZLAWICK PAUL , BODIN ARTHUR M.
Published: August 2004

This article describes a general view of the nature of human problems and their effective resolution and of related specific procedures, growing out of our prior work in family therapy, that have developed during six years of research on rapid problem resolution. With treatment limited to a maximum of ten sessions, we have achieved significant success in about three‐fourths of a sample of 97 widely varied cases, and this approach to problems appears to have considerable potential for further development and wider application.
Grandparents and Intergenerational Family Therapy
Authors: SPARK GERALDINE M.
Published: August 2004

Unresolved loyalty conflicts and unsettled accounts between first‐and second‐generation family members are often projected onto, or lived out, in the marital or parental relationship. An intergenerational treatment focus may yield greater possibilities for constructive and fundamental change in family system.
Teaching Interpersonal Communication to Troubled Families
Authors: BOYD EDWARD , CLARK JONATHAN , KEMPLER HYMAN , JOHANNET PIERRE , LEONARD BONNIE , McPHERSON PETER
Published: August 2004

Assumptions family members make about each other exert considerable influence on communication in families. Rigidly held assumptions restrict the flow of information, reinforcing counterproductive behavioral patterns. Combining psychoanalytic and structural components, this paper offers a new approach to family intervention that addresses itself to the exchange of information within troubled families. Groups of families convene for a series of camping weekends. The shared life experience in a recreational setting plus the use of a teaching model help family members to break through rigid conceptualizations of themselves and others. In following the observational model, which slows down and fosters reciprocation in communication, family members pursue the following steps: (a) observe each other; (b) compare notes with a co‐observer; (c) share observations with those observed; and (d) receive feedback from the observed.
Core Labor Standards in the WTO
Authors: Greenfield Gerard
Published: August 2004

Efforts to ensure labor rights in the World Trade Organization are superseded by the member governments' economic and political priorities, which subvert efforts to reduce violations of core labor standards. Since the WTO sanctions governments, not transnational corporations, for labor rights violations, companies face few penalties or financial consequences. Moreover, attention must be paid to violations of labor rights in the United States rather than focusing exclusively on low‐wage competitors.
Labor and the Living‐Wage Movement
Authors: Reynolds David , Kern Jen
Published: August 2004

Over the past seven years, living‐wage campaigns have emerged as one of the most significant signs of a grassroots reawakening around economic justice. Organized labor continues to play a major role in this blossoming movement. This article examines how and why unions have come to organize for the living wage, what distinct resources they bring to the coalition table, the limits of union participation, and the likely paths for the movement's future development.
Trade Union Rights in the Twenty‐first Century
Authors: Ewing Keith
Published: August 2004

How can the United States, the European Union, and other developed countries of the world demand compliance with international labor standards when they have not ratified or complied with many of these conventions and are in breach of their provisions? Stronger labor unions, which are conscious of the need to rein in hostile global corporations that regularly violate worker rights and freedoms, are needed to advance the rights of workers and the poor.
The International Trade Union Campaign for Core Labor Standards in the WTO
Authors: Anner Mark
Published: August 2004

This paper explores the international campaign for a labor rights clause in the WTO. The author argues that, while the campaign has successfully highlighted the importance of core labor standards, it could greatly benefit by broadening the campaign to include development‐related demands; increasing Southern union and base‐level involvement; and complementing lobbying efforts with increased membership mobilization and protest activity.
New Economic Challenge to Japan's Trade Union Movement
Authors: Dean Amy B. , Guevara Poncho J.
Published: August 2004

Precipitated by forces of globalization, a new economy is creating unprecedented challenges for working people everywhere. Japan's touted system of “lifelong” employment is eroding as growing numbers of contingent jobs are produced. Given the preponderance of key growth industries in Japan and the nation's increasing influence in Asia, the opportunity and necessity have never been greater for Japan's labor movement to exercise its considerable influence to the benefit of trade union rights and to organize these new workers.
Big Brother and Big Boss Are Watching You
Authors: Bupp Nancy
Published: August 2004

Employers may not be looking over workers' shoulders anymore, at least not literally, but workers can be sure that surveillance of their activities and work is taking place. From computer keystrokes to video taping to digital records of the machines workers use, they are being observed. This article examines the new means of surveillance and how pervasive the monitoring of worker activities is becoming.
Anatomy of Vermont's Livable Wage Campaign
Authors: Kahler Ellen
Published: August 2004

Vermont's Livable Wage Campaign stands out for the way in which it combined winnable goals, such as raising the state's minimum wage, with a long‐term strategy to raise awareness and activism about the increasing wage gap between family needs and available jobs. Key participant Ellen Kahler describes how the campaign moved from building public recognition of the issue, to labor‐community action, to activism among the state's small business community.
Tomorrow's Cyber Unions
Authors: Shostak Arthur B.
Published: August 2004

Extraordinary changes in information technologies challenge organized labor to adapt without end. Technological advances are evident in the building of alliances, modernization of communications, fresh tactics in organizing, and the upgrading of staff development. Worries persist about a possible related erosion in face‐to‐face relations, loss of control over the medium, generational rifts, loss of confidentiality, and (unappreciated) work overload. Thanks to a growing core of digerati inside the labor movement, there is hope that the CyberUnion model will soon receive the fair trial it warrants.
Reviews
Authors: Shepard Benjamin , Horne Gerald , Early Steve , Waterman Peter
Published: August 2004

Out at Work: Building a Gay–Labor Alliance. Edited by Kitty Krupat and Patric McCreery.

Working Class New York: Life and Labor Since World War II. By Joshua B. Freeman.

The New Rank‐and‐File. Edited by Staughton Lynd and Alice Lynd.

Globalization from Below: The Power of Solidarity. By Jeremy Brecher, Tim Costello, and Brendan Smith.
Review
Authors: Horne Gerald , Duncombe Stephen
Published: August 2004

America's Forgotten Majority: Why the White Working Class Still Matters. By Ruy Teixeira AND Joel Rogers.

One Market Under God: Extreme Capitalism, Market Populism, and the End of Economic Democracy. By Thomas Frank.
What Is the Use of Job Descriptions?
Authors: Ducey Ariel
Published: August 2004

The political and functional utility of job descriptions for delimiting and controlling the labor process, rather than detailing the work people do, obscures the structural causes of poor work conditions. This essay focuses attention on job descriptions as the basis for fair contracts and equitable work relations in the healthcare industry. To understand the work process, more attention must be given to the structural conditions in the workplace that legitimize unequal power relations through job descriptions.
The Supervisory Exclusion Under the NLRA
Authors: Abraham Steven E.
Published: August 2004

Supervisors are expressly excluded from the coverage of the National Labor Relations Act by Section 2(11). It is the contention of this article that the Supreme Court's decisions interpreting which employees are excluded from the act by that section go beyond Congress's intent in excluding supervisors. As result, many employees whom Congress fully intended to be covered by the NLRA are deprived of the act's protections.
Is the Secret to Labor's Future in Its Past?
Authors: Eisenscher Michael
Published: August 2004

Eisenscher contends that the labor movement will be unable to reverse its decline without extensive changes in institutional practices that became hegemonic during and immediately after World War II. This article considers current efforts to restore union power and the problems inherent in them. The article concludes with discussion of changes that are required for U.S. organized labor to avoid becoming little more than a niche influence in the twenty‐first century.
Review
Authors: Grote Jason , Estey Ken
Published: August 2004

The Amoral Elephant: Globalization and the Struggle for Social Justice in the Twenty‐First Century.

By William K. Tabb.

Working in America: A Blueprint for the New Labor Market.
By Paul Osterman, Thomas A. Kochan, Richard M. Locke, and Michael J. Piore.
Acts of God, Acts of Man
Authors: Barab Jordan
Published: August 2004

Why does society take the death on the job of some people more seriously than that of others? The deaths of astronauts and soldiers are greeted with great concern by opinion leaders who vow that they will not to be tolerated, but the deaths of day laborers and other blue‐collar workers seem to be accepted as an inevitable act of nature. This double standard of death is reinforced by the bifurcated way that the mass media frames the issue. The labor movement and the safety and health community must confront this problem head‐on and develop an educational strategy to rectify the distorted idea that some lives are more valuable than others.
Got Air?
Authors: Greenbaum Joan , Kotelchuck David
Published: August 2004

For more than a century the industrial sector was center stage for safety and health struggles. While industrial issues are still vital, the scope of conflict has broadened to include white‐collar and service occupations, which now constitute the overwhelming majority of American workers. In many workplaces, the air quality may be as poor as–or worse than–it is outdoors. Unions are becoming increasingly aware of such issues, and the Health and Safety Committee of the Professional Staff Congress of the City University of New York is taking an innovative approach to the problem with its “Got Air?” campaign.
Labor‐Environmental Coalitions
Authors: Rose Fred
Published: August 2004

Fred Rose, author of Coalitions Across the Class Divide, explores the dynamics of emerging partnerships between labor and environmental groups. His article begins with a theoretical model that reminds us that any coalition mix involves multiple possibilities. Labor may partner with community groups, but either may also build ties to employers at the expense of the other. Then Rose uses a wealth of examples to explore the forces promoting labor‐environmental coalitions as well as the difficulties that keep the two sides apart.
Driving Taxis in New York City
Authors: Mitra Diditi
Published: August 2004

Immigrants from the northwest Indian state of the Punjab have occupied a dominant position in the New York taxi industry as drivers since the early 1980s. What factors enabled this niche formation? This article examines the relative importance of demand, supply, and networks and subsequent niche formation in the New York taxi industry labor market.
Forced Labor of Public Employees in the United States
Authors: Germanotta Paul
Published: August 2004

In this essay, the writer discusses an unusual development at the International Labor Organization: The ILO supervisory committees have found the U.S. government to be in noncompliance with conventions it has ratified, including Convention 105 on the abolition of forced labor. In light of the government's defiant position, the ILO committees will have difficulty assessing the scope of the problem that may exist under U.S. law and practice, unless they receive direct help from U.S. workers and their unions or associations.
ACORN and Community‐Labor Partnerships
Authors: Kest Steven
Published: August 2004

Steven Kest is executive director of the largest network of low‐income neighborhood groups in the country—the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Across the country ACORN has built partnerships with unions to pass living‐wage laws, raise the minimum wage, fight for affordable housing, open job access for local residents, and other initiatives. His article highlights the wide variety of ways in which unions and community groups can partner. Kest also explains, from a community perspective, the potential hazards to labor‐community coalitions.
The “Institutions” in Institutionalization
Authors: Mastracci Sharon H.
Published: August 2004

During the 1990s, one program successfully increased women's participation in highly skilled, higher‐wage occupations where women are underrepresented, but the cases highlighted here reveal the important role of institutions and contexts in successful program implementation. In contexts where grant recipients obtained support from both policymakers and industry, longer‐term program institutionalization was more likely. Where policy intervention was viewed negatively, longer‐term integration of the program's initiatives, and therefore success of the program, was less likely.
Comparison of unintentional fatal occupational injuries in the Republic of Korea and the United States
Authors: Ahn Y-S , Bena J F , Bailer A J
Published: August 2004

Objectives:To compare the profile of unintentional fatal occupational injuries in the Republic of Korea and the United States to help establish prevention strategies for Korea and to understand country specific differences in fatality risks in different industries.

Methods:Occupational fatal injury data from 1998–2001 were collected from Korea’s Occupational Safety and Health Agency’s Survey of Causes of Occupational Injuries (identified by the Korea Labor Welfare Corporation) and from the United States Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. Employment estimates were obtained in both countries. Industry coding and external cause of death coding were standardized. Descriptive analyses of injury rates and Poisson regression models to examine time trends were conducted.

Results:Korea exhibited a significantly higher fatal injury rate, at least two times higher than the United States, after accounting for different employment patterns. The ordering of industries with respect to risk is the same in the two countries, with mining, agriculture/forestry/fishing, and construction being the most dangerous. Fatal injury rates are decreasing in these two countries, although at a faster rate in Korea.

Conclusions:Understanding industrial practices within different countries is critical for fully understanding country specific occupational injury statistics. However, differences in surveillance systems and employment estimation methods serve as caveats to any transnational comparison, and need to be harmonized to the fullest extent possible.
Assessing safety awareness and knowledge and behavioral change among West Virginia loggers
Authors: Helmkamp J C , Bell J L , Lundstrom W J , Ramprasad J , Haque A
Published: August 2004

Objective:To determine if a video used during logger training influences safety attitude, knowledge, and workplace habits.

Method:From April 2002 to October 2003, loggers receiving training through the West Virginia Division of Forestry were given a new safety module. This consisted of a pre-training survey, viewing video, brief introduction to field safety guide, and an immediate post-training survey. Six months after training, loggers were contacted by telephone to assess workplace behavioral changes.

Results:1197 loggers attended 80 training sessions and completed surveys; 21% were contacted at follow up. Pre-training surveys indicated that half said “accidents” were part of the job and had experienced a “close call” in their work. An overwhelming majority felt that safety management and periodic meetings were important. Over 75% indicated they would not take risks in order to make a profit. Several statistically significant improvements were noted in safety knowledge after viewing the video: logger’s location in relation to the tree stump during fatal incidents and the pictorial identification of an overloaded truck and the safest cutting notch. At follow up, many of the loggers said they related to the real life victim stories portrayed in the video. Further, the field guide served as a quick and easy reference and taught them valuable tips on safe cutting and felling.

Conclusions:Significant changes in safety knowledge and attitude among certified loggers resulted from viewing the video during training. Subsequent use of the video and field guide at the worksite encouraged positive change in self reported work habits and practices.
Construction safety research in the United States: targeting the Hispanic workforce
Authors: Brunette M J
Published: August 2004

While it is known that Hispanics have a continuous growing participation in the construction workforce and that their fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries are higher than any other ethnic group, very little construction safety and health research has been conducted in the United States. Research that focuses on safety and health of Hispanic workers employed in the construction industry might prove beneficial in reducing injuries and promoting safe and decent workplaces for all.

The purpose of this article was twofold. First, to propose a research agenda where topics such as surveillance, intervention research on high risk occupations, intervention effectiveness evaluation, design and development of effective and appropriate safety training and educational materials, and the socioeconomic impact of injuries and illnesses, are investigated among the Hispanic construction workforce. Second, to present relevant aspects inherent to this particular population that need to be incorporated into the design and development stages of any safety and health research initiative. They include the occupational, social, economic, and cultural background of Hispanic workers; use of a participatory approach, proper selection and use of translation methods; and conducting collaborative research. Certain limitations and challenges related to the availability of resources for conducting safety and health research on Hispanic workers are further discussed.
SUSY-EXTENDED FIELD THEORY
Authors: SARDANASHVILY GENNADI
Published: August 2004

A field model on fibre bundles can be extended in a standard way to the BRS-invariant SUSY field model which possesses the Lie supergroup ISp(2) of symmetries.
MASS AND COUPLING CONSTANT LIMITS FROM CONVERGENCE CONDITIONS ON THE EFFECTIVE CHARGE IN QED
Authors: FIELD J. H.
Published: August 2004

The massless fermion limit of QED is discussed. For on-shell renormalization the high energy behavior fixes no lower limit on the mass of the lightest fermion if the fine structure constant α is allowed to vary. The choice of an arbitrary (spacelike) subtraction point does, however, fix a lower limit on the mass of the lightest fermion, for any subtraction scale μ, if the effective charge α eff (μ) respects both quantum mechanical superposition and renormalization scale invariance. Limits on the values of α or the electron mass are obtained within the Standard Electroweak Model by requiring convergence of α eff (MZ).
AN ANALYTIC APPROACH TO PERTURBATIVE QCD
Authors: MAGRADZE B. A.
Published: August 2004

The two-loop invariant (running) coupling of QCD is written in terms of the Lambert W function. The analyticity structure of the coupling in the complex Q2-plane is established. The corresponding analytic coupling is reconstructed via a dispersion relation. We also consider some other approximations to the QCD β-function, when the corresponding couplings are solved in terms of the Lambert function. The Landau gauge gluon propagator has been considered in the renormalization group invariant analytic approach (IAA). It is shown that there is a nonperturbative ambiguity in determination of the anomalous dimension function of the gluon field. Several analytic solutions for the propagator at the one-loop order are constructed. Properties of the obtained analytical solutions are discussed.
IRREDUCIBLE HAMILTONIAN BRST SYMMETRY FOR REDUCIBLE FIRST-CLASS SYSTEMS
Authors: BIZDADEA C. , CIOROIANU E. M. , SALIU S. O.
Published: August 2004

An irreducible Hamiltonian BRST quantization method for reducible first-class systems is proposed. The general theory is illustrated on a two-stage reducible model, the link with the standard reducible BRST treatment being also emphasized.
BIANCHI COSMOLOGIES AS DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS WITHOUT THE CONSTRAINT
Authors: SZYDŁOWSKI MAREK , KRAWIEC ADAM
Published: August 2004

The Bianchi class A cosmology is treated as a nonlinear dynamical system. In the new variables in which Hamiltonian constraint is solved algebraically, the Bianchi class A model assumes the form of autonomous dynamical system in ℝ4 with polynomial form of vector field. It is proposed that the dimension of minimum reduced phase spaces of unconstrained autonomous systems be treated as a measure of generality of solution. The behavior of these models is studied in terms of qualitative analysis of differential equations. It is shown that the more general Bianchi IX and Bianchi VIII models (called Mixmaster models) can be presented as four-dimensional. We argue that the reduced Mixmaster dynamical systems are chaotic in the same sense as the original ones. The Bianchi I and Bianchi II world models are described by one-dimensional and two-dimensional systems, respectively. We also study dynamics of Bianchi VI0 and Bianchi VII0 models as a three-dimensional dynamical system. For two-dimensional dynamical system, the phase portraits are constructed with the Poincaré sphere which allows the analysis of dynamics both in finite domain and at infinity. For the last class of models we find an invariant submanifold on which systems are analyzed in details.
A CANONICAL DECOMPOSITION IN COLLECTIVE AND RELATIVE VARIABLES OF A KLEIN–GORDON FIELD IN THE REST-FRAME WIGNER-COVARIANT INSTANT FORM
Authors: LUSANNA LUCA , MATERASSI MASSIMO
Published: August 2004

The canonical decomposition of a real Klein–Gordon field in collective and relative variables proposed by Longhi and Materassi is reformulated on spacelike hypersurfaces. This allows us to obtain the complete canonical reduction of the system on Wigner hyperplanes, namely in the rest-frame Wigner-covariant instant form of dynamics. From the study of Dixon's multipoles for the energy–momentum tensor on the Wigner hyperplanes we derive the definition of the canonical center-of-mass variable for a Klein–Gordon field configuration: it turns out that the Longhi–Materassi global variable should be interpreted as a center of phase of the field configuration. A detailed study of the kinematical "external" and "internal" properties of the field configuration on the Wigner hyperplanes is done. The construction is then extended to charged Klein–Gordon fields: the centers of phase of the two real components can be combined to define a global center of phase and a collective relative variable describing the action–reaction between the two Feshbach–Villars components of the field with definite sign of energy and charge. The Dixon multipoles for both the energy–momentum and the electromagnetic current are given. Also the coupling of the Klein–Gordon field to scalar relativistic particles is studied and it is shown that in the reduced phase space, besides the particle and field relative variables, there is also a collective relative variable describing the relative motion of the particle subsystem with respect to the field one.
JACOBI ELLIPTIC SOLUTIONS OF λϕ4 THEORY IN A FINITE DOMAIN
Authors: CARRILLO J. A. ESPICHÁN , MAIA A. , MOSTEPANENKO V. M.
Published: August 2004

The general static solutions of the scalar field equation for the potential [Formula: see text] are determined for a finite domain in (1+1)-dimensional space–time. A family of real solutions is described in terms of Jacobi Elliptic Functions. We show that the vacuum–vacuum boundary conditions can be reached by elliptic cn-type solutions in a finite domain, such as that of the Kink, for which they are imposed at infinity. We prove uniqueness for elliptic sn-type solutions satisfying Dirichlet boundary conditions in a finite interval (box) as well the existence of a minimal mass corresponding to these solutions in a box.

We defined expressions for the "topological charge," "total energy" (or classical mass) and "energy–density" for elliptic sn-type solutions in a finite domain. For large length of the box the conserved charge, classical mass and energy density of the Kink are recovered. Also, we have shown that using periodic boundary conditions the results are the same as in the case of Dirichlet boundary conditions. In the case of antiperiodic boundary conditions all elliptic sn-type solutions are allowed.
ENERGY ASSOCIATED WITH SCHWARZSCHILD BLACK HOLE IN A MAGNETIC UNIVERSE
Authors: XULU S. S.
Published: August 2004

In this paper we obtain the energy distribution associated with the Ernst space–time (geometry describing Schwarzschild black hole in Melvin's magnetic universe) in Einstein's prescription. The first term is the rest-mass energy of the Schwarzschild black hole, the second term is the classical value for the energy of the uniform magnetic field and the remaining terms in the expression are due to the general relativistic effect. The presence of the magnetic field is found to increase the energy of the system.
THE EXACT COSMOLOGICAL SOLUTION TO THE DYNAMICAL EQUATIONS FOR THE BIANCHI-IX MODEL
Authors: SAVCHENKO V. A. , SHESTAKOVA T. P. , VERESHKOV G. M.
Published: August 2004

Quantum geometrodynamics in extended phase space describes phenomenologically the integrated system "a physical object + observation means (a gravitational vacuum condensate)." The central place in this version of QGD belongs to the Schrödinger equation for a wave function of the Universe. An exact solution to the "conditionally-classical" set of equations in extended phase space for the Bianchi-IX model and the appropriate solution to the Schrödinger equation are considered. The physical adequacy of the obtained solutions to existing concepts about possible cosmological scenarios is demonstrated. The gravitational vacuum condensate is shown to be a cosmological evolution factor.
COMMUNICATION THROUGH AN EXTRA DIMENSION
Authors: KÄLBERMANN G.
Published: August 2004

If our visible universe is considered a trapped shell in a five-dimensional hyper-universe, all matter in it may be connected by superluminal signals traveling through the fifth dimension. Events in the shell are still causal, however, the propagation of signals proceeds at different velocities depending on the fifth coordinate.
ACCURACY OF APPROXIMATE EIGENSTATES
Authors: LUCHA WOLFGANG , SCHÖBERL FRANZ F.
Published: August 2004

Besides perturbation theory, which requires the knowledge of the exact unperturbed solution, variational techniques represent the main tool for any investigation of the eigenvalue problem of some semibounded operator H in quantum theory. For a reasonable choice of the employed trial subspace of the domain of H, the lowest eigenvalues of H can be located with acceptable precision whereas the trial-subspace vectors corresponding to these eigenvalues approximate, in general, the exact eigenstates of H with much less accuracy. Accordingly, various measures for the accuracy of approximate eigenstates derived by variational techniques are scrutinized. In particular, the matrix elements of the commutator of the operator H and (suitably chosen) different operators with respect to degenerate approximate eigenstates of H obtained by the variational methods are proposed as new criteria for the accuracy of variational eigenstates. These considerations are applied to that Hamiltonian the eigenvalue problem of which defines the spinless Salpeter equation. This bound-state wave equation may be regarded as the most straightforward relativistic generalization of the usual nonrelativistic Schrödinger formalism, and is frequently used to describe, e.g. spin-averaged mass spectra of bound states of quarks.
DIFFERENTIAL GEOMETRY OF THE q-PLANE
Authors: ÇELIK SULTAN A. , ÇELIK SALIH
Published: August 2004

Hopf algebra structure on the differential algebra of the extended q-plane is defined. An algebra of forms which is obtained from the generators of the extended q-plane is introduced and its Hopf algebra structure is given.
APPLICATION OF ELASTIC MATERIALS IN PROTECTION FROM STRONG IMPACTS
Authors: LJILJANA MASKOVIC D. , EMILIJAN MOHORA , BRATISLAV TOSIC S. , RATKO VUJOVIC R.
Published: August 2004

The analysis of the behavior of elastic material subject to strong short pulse impact has shown that only one-dimensional structures support the impact without destruction. Compact two- and three-dimensional structures are destroyed during the impact along circular lines and spherical surfaces. For that reason, web-like shields are proposed for the protection of man and equipment. Polymer materials are most suitable for the production of web-like shields since they are made of fibers and highly stress resistant. Theoretical results are experimentally tested and the good agreement with theory was found.
ELECTROMAGNETICALLY-INDUCED ISOTHERMAL "GRAVITATIONAL" COLLAPSE IN MOLECULAR FERMIONIC GASES
Authors: ARTEMIEV A. I. , MAZETS I. E. , KURIZKI G. , O'DELL D.
Published: August 2004

We show that electromagnetically-induced isotropic dipole–dipole interactions in a spin-polarized non-degenerate fermionic gas can cause an extremely exothermic phase transition, analogous to the isothermal collapse in gravitationally interacting star clusters. This collapse may result in fragmentation of the gas into a hot "halo" and a highly degenerate "core". Possible realization is envisaged in microwave-illuminated fermionic molecular gases at microkelvin temperatures.
ADAPTIVE FEATURE SPACES FOR LAND COVER CLASSIFICATION WITH LIMITED GROUND TRUTH DATA
Authors: MORGAN JOSEPH T. , HAM JISOO , CRAWFORD MELBA M. , HENNEGUELLE ALEX , GHOSH JOYDEEP
Published: August 2004

Classification of land cover based on hyperspectral data is very challenging because typically tens of classes with uneven priors are involved, the inputs are high dimensional, and there is often scarcity of labeled data. Several researchers have observed that it is often preferable to decompose a multiclass problem into multiple two-class problems, solve each such subproblem using a suitable binary classifier, and then combine the outputs of this collection of classifiers in a suitable manner to obtain the answer to the original multiclass problem. This approach is taken by the popular error correcting output codes (ECOC) technique, as well by the binary hierarchical classifier (BHC). Classical techniques for dealing with small sample sizes include regularization of covariance matrices and feature reduction. In this paper we address the twin problems of small sample sizes and multiclass settings by proposing a feature reduction scheme that adaptively adjusts to the amount of labeled data available. This scheme can be used in conjunction with ECOC and the BHC, as well as other approaches such as round-robin classification that decompose a multiclass problem into a number of two (meta)-class problems. In particular, we develop the best-basis binary hierarchical classifier (BB-BHC) and best basis ECOC (BB-ECOC) families of models that are adapted to "small sample size" situations. Currently, there are few studies that compare the efficacy of different approaches to multiclass problems in general settings as well as in the specific context of small sample sizes. Our experiments on two sets of remote sensing data show that both BB-BHC and BB-ECOC methods are superior to their nonadaptive versions when faced with limited data, with the BB-BHC showing a slight edge in terms of classification accuracy as well as interpretability.
AUTOMATIC CLASSIFICATION OF DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHS BASED ON DECISION FORESTS
Authors: SCHETTINI RAIMONDO , BRAMBILLA CARLA , CUSANO CLAUDIO , CIOCCA GIANLUIGI
Published: August 2004

Annotating photographs with broad semantic labels can be useful in both image processing and content-based image retrieval. We show here how low-level features can be related to semantic photo categories, such as indoor, outdoor and close-up, using decision forests consisting of trees constructed according to CART methodology. We also show how the results can be improved by introducing a rejection option in the classification process. Experimental results on a test set of 4,500 photographs are reported and discussed.