bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
iDistance
Authors: Jagadish H. V. , Ooi Beng Chin , Tan Kian-Lee , Yu Cui , Zhang Rui
Published: August 2005

In this article, we present an efficient B
+
-tree based indexing method, called iDistance, for K-nearest neighbor (KNN) search in a high-dimensional metric space. iDistance partitions the data based on a space- or data-partitioning strategy, and selects a reference point for each partition. The data points in each partition are transformed into a single dimensional value based on their similarity with respect to the reference point. This allows the points to be indexed using a B
+
-tree structure and KNN search to be performed using one-dimensional range search. The choice of partition and reference points adapts the index structure to the data distribution.We conducted extensive experiments to evaluate the iDistance technique, and report results demonstrating its effectiveness. We also present a cost model for iDistance KNN search, which can be exploited in query optimization.
Letters
Authors: Maurer Jim
Published: August 2005

The Queue interview with Pat Selinger (April 2005) was very interesting and a great review of major developments in database technology. I recognize how much computer science has advanced in the past 30 years, but when I read her answer about what areas she thinks need more research, I could not take from my mind that image of Captain Picard saying, “Computer, investigate all cross-references of this incident in the last 200 years and narrow the search to relevant information.” I really hope to ask the same kinds of questions to my computer in 2035. Of course, that will require a lot of investigation, research, and some changes in the way we develop and work with computers.
A Conversation with Peter Tippett and Steven Hofmeyr
Authors: Maurer Jim
Published: August 2005

There have always been similarities and overlap between the worlds of biology and computer science. Nowhere is this more evident than in computer security, where the basic terminology of viruses and infection is borrowed from biomedicine.
The Answer is 42 of Course
Authors: Wadlow Thomas
Published: August 2005

Why is security so hard? As a security consultant, I’m glad that people feel that way, because that perception pays my mortgage. But is it really so difficult to build systems that are impenetrable to the bad guys?
Syntactic Heroin
Authors: Bates Rodney
Published: August 2005

User-defined overloading is a drug. At first, it gives you a quick, feel-good fix. No sense in cluttering up code with verbose and ugly function names such as IntAbs, FloatAbs, DoubleAbs, or ComplexAbs; just name them all Abs. Even better, use algebraic notation such as A+B, instead of ComplexSum(A,B). It certainly makes coding more compact. But a dangerous addiction soon sets in. Languages and programs that were already complex enough to stretch everyone’s ability suddenly get much more complicated.
Optimal Control of Redundant Muscles in Step-Tracking Wrist Movements
Authors: Haruno Masahiko , Wolpert Daniel M.
Published: August 2005

An important question in motor neuroscience is how the nervous system controls the spatiotemporal activation patterns of redundant muscles in generating accurate movements. The redundant muscles may not only underlie the flexibility of our movements but also pose the challenging problem of how to select a specific sequence of muscle activation from the huge number of possible activations. Here, we propose that noise in the motor command that has an influence on task achievement should be considered in determining the optimal motor commands over redundant muscles. We propose an optimal control model for step-tracking wrist movements with redundant muscles that minimizes the end-point variance under signal-dependent noise. Step-tracking wrist movements of human and nonhuman primates provide a detailed data set to investigate the control mechanisms in movements with redundant muscles. The experimental EMG data can be summarized by two eminent features: 1) amplitude-graded EMG pattern, where the timing of the activity of the agonist and antagonist bursts show slight variations with changes in movement directions, and only the amplitude of activity is modulated; and 2) cosine tuning for movement directions exhibited by the agonist and antagonist bursts, and the discrepancy found between a muscle's agonist preferred direction and its pulling direction. In addition, it is also an important observation that subjects often overshoot the target. We demonstrate that the proposed model captures not only the spatiotemporal activation patterns of wrist muscles but also trajectory overshooting. This suggests that when recruiting redundant muscles, the nervous system may optimize the motor commands across the muscles to reduce the negative effects of motor noise.
Gene expression profiling and localization of Hoechst-effluxing CD45− and CD45+ cells in the embryonic mouse lung
Authors: Liang Simon X. , Summer Ross , Sun Xi , Fine Alan
Published: August 2005

Hoechst-effluxing cells (side population cells) are a rare subset of cells found in adult tissues that are highly enriched for stem and progenitor cell activity. To identify potential stem and progenitor cells during lung development, we generated gene expression profiles for CD45− and CD45+ side population cells in the embryonic day 17.5 lung. We found that side population cells comprise 1% of total embryonic day 17.5 lung cells (55% CD45+, 45% CD45−). Gene profiling data demonstrated an overrepresentation of endothelial genes within the CD45− side population. We used expression of several distinct genes to identify two types of CD45− side population cells: 1) von Willebrand factor+/smooth muscle actin+ cells that reside in the muscular layer of select large vessels and 2) von Willebrand factor+/intercellular adhesion molecule+ cells that reside within the endothelial layer of select small vessels. Gene profiling of the CD45+ side population indicated an overrepresentation of genes associated with myeloid cell differentiation. Consistent with this, culturing CD45+ side population cells was associated with induction of mature dendritic markers (CD86). The microarray results suggested that expression of myeloperoxidase and proteinase-3 might be used to identify CD45+ side population cells. By immunohistochemistry, we found that myeloperoxidase+/proteinase-3+ cells represent a small subset of total CD45+ cells in the embryonic day 17.5 lung and that they reside in the mesenchyme and perivascular regions. This is the first detailed information regarding the phenotype and localization of side population cells in a developing organ.
Impact of the use of waste on trace element concentrations in cement and concrete
Authors: Achternbosch Matthias , Bräutigam Klaus-Rainer , Hartlieb Nicola , Kupsch Christel , Richers Ulf , Stemmermann Peter
Published: August 2005

The results of model calculations carried out to identify and quantify the input pathways of trace elements into cement and concrete and to estimate the extent to which trace element concentrations in cement may change due to waste utilization are presented. As expected, primary raw materials represented the most important input pathway for trace elements into cement, but the contribution from wastes was not negligible. The use of waste led to a slight increase of the concentrations of cadmium, antimony and zinc in cement. For cobalt, lead and vanadium, this increase was less distinct and for all other trace elements considered, the effect of the use of wastes on trace element concentrations in cement could not be demonstrated clearly. The trace element content of concrete was governed by the aggregates for most elements considered. However, for arsenic, cadmium, lead and zinc, both cement and the additive coal fly ash contributed noticeably to the total trace element concentration in the concrete.
Melatonin: Characteristics, Concerns, and Prospects
Authors: Arendt Josephine
Published: August 2005

Melatonin is of great importance to the investigation of human biological rhythms. Its rhythm in plasma or saliva provides the best available measure of the timing of the internal circadian clock. Its major metabolite 6-sulphatoxymelatonin is robust and easily measured in urine. It thus enables long-term monitoring of human rhythms in real-life situations where rhythms may be disturbed, and in clinical situations where invasive procedures are difficult. Melatonin is not only a “hand of the clock”; endogenous melatonin actsto reinforce the functioning of the human circadian system, probably in many ways. Most is known about its relationship to sleep and the decline in core body temperature and alertness at night. Current perspectives also include a possible influence on major disease risk, arising from circadian rhythm disruption. Melatonin clearly has the ability to induce sleepiness and lower core body temperature during “biological day” and to change the timing of human rhythms when treatment is appropriately timed. It can entrain free-running rhythms and maintain entrainment in most blind and some sighted people. Used therapeutically it has proved a successful treatment for circadian rhythm disorder, particularly the non-24-h sleep wake disorder of the blind. Numerous other clinical applications are under investigation. There are, however, areas of controversy, large gaps in knowledge, and insufficient standardization of experimental conditions and analysis for general conclusions to be drawn with regard to most situations. The future holds much promise for melatonin as a therapeutic treatment. Most interesting, however, will be the dissection of its effects on human genes.
Photons, Clocks, and Consciousness
Authors: Brainard George C. , Hanifin John P.
Published: August 2005

Light profoundly impacts human consciousness through the stimulation of the visual system and powerfully regulates the human circadian system, which, in turn, has a broad regulatory impact on virtually all tissues in the body. For more than 25 years, the techniques of action spectroscopy have yielded insights into the wavelength sensitivity of circadian input in humans and other mammalian species. The seminal discovery of melanopsin, the photopigmentin intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells, has provided a significant turning point for understanding human circadian phototransduction. Action spectra in humans show that the peak wavelength sensitivity for this newly discovered sensory system is within the blue portion of the spectrum. This is fundamentally different from the three-cone photopic visual system, as well as the individual rod and cone photoreceptor peaks. Studies on rodents, nonhuman primates, and humans indicate that despite having a different wavelength fingerprint, these classic visual photoreceptors still provide an element of input to the circadian system. These findings open the door to innovations in light therapy for circadian and affective disorders, as well as possible architectural light applications.
Anti-War Children
Authors: Such Elizabeth , Walker Oliver , Walker Robert
Published: August 2005

Debate over the role that young people should play in politics reflects different conceptions of childhood and adult concerns about loss of authority and political hegemony. Coverage of youth protests against the Second Iraq War by the British national press echoes adult discourse on the nature of childhood and exposes the limits set by adults on political activity by young people. Analysis of news-text and images reveals adult concerns about the political competence of youth, their susceptibility to adult manipulation and the requirement for social control. Adult approval of youth’s right to protest was often conditional on the cause espoused.
Making sense of urban poverty
Authors: Amis Philip
Published: August 2005

This paper synthesizes recent work on urban poverty with an emphasis being placed on the relationship between urban poverty and the labour market. The themes considered include the distinction between permanent and temporary poverty and between trends and shocks. A number of distinctive features of urban poverty are discussed including the informal labour market, female headed households, the individualized nature of urban poverty and the greater exposure of urban residents to environmental risks. A final section considers policy implications, differentiating between promotive and protective strategies.
Survival and accumulation strategies at the rural-urban interface in north-west Tanzania
Authors: Baker Jonathan
Published: August 2005

This paper presents empirical material collected in the small town of Biharamulo (population 20,000) and four surrounding villages in 1993. The study area is located in the Kagera Region of north-west Tanzania. The paper attempts to demonstrate how rural areas and small urban centres are economically interdependent. Biharamulo is a district headquarter town and fulfils, inter alia, important administrative, marketing, service and retailing functions. The paper discusses how the four villages interact with the town and illustrates how village households adopt a combination of survival and accumulation strategies including the use of rural and urban resources. The most successful village households appear to be those which use urban opportunities and assets (for example, urban employment, urban house and shop ownership) to diversify income sources and thereby avoid the uncertainties of relying solely on marketable crop production for household security. As a backdrop to the whole discussion, an attempt is made to analyze the types of households which might be poor or, at least, susceptible to poverty.
A systematic approach to urban environmental planning and management: project report from Thailand
Authors: Atkinson Adrian , Vorratnchaiphan Chamniern Paul
Published: August 2005

This paper describes an initiative to introduce an urban environmental planning and management system into Thailand as part of a broader “decentralization” agenda. Its main emphasis was on enhancing cooperation between local community organizations and municipal authorities in identifying problems and developing plans to address them. But it also encouraged provincial and national authorities to facilitate self-organized action at municipal and community level and to move away from traditional modes of centralized planning and control.
Reconstructing social capital in a poor urban settlement: the Integral Improvement Programme in Barrio San Jorge
Authors: Schusterman Ricardo , Hardoy Ana
Published: August 2005

This paper describes how the continuous support provided by an external team over a ten year period in a lowincome informal settlement in Buenos Aires (Barrio San Jorge) resulted in a development process which helped to improve living conditions, to change the inhabitants' relationship with society and to reduce the deprivations normally associated with low income. Over time, and with each new initiative seeking to build on the momentum achieved by previous initiatives, considerable improvements have been achieved, including improvements in housing quality, access roads, land tenure and provision for water and sanitation and for child health and development. Perhaps as important has been the development of a representative community organization within the barrio since no such organization had existed previously. This, in turn, has helped change the relationship of this settlement's inhabitants with the rest of society - the settlement is no longer “illegal” as the inhabitants are acquiring legal tenure of the land on which they live, as provision for water and sanitation is now managed by the official utilities and as an engagement has developed between the inhabitants and government agencies at municipal and other levels. This case study suggests that many low-income illegal settlements need a long and continuous support programme to allow the many kinds of deprivation and illegality their inhabitants face to be addressed. Poverty is not “solved” through one or two quick, sectoral interventions. Action is needed on many fronts. But this case study also shows the important catalytic role that international funds can have in helping low-income communities develop their own representative organizations. This is important for allowing them to address their own problems but it is also central to them being able to successfully negotiate with their own local governments and utilities for the infrastructure and services to which they are entitled.
Tenancy and sanitation provision in informal settlements in Nairobi: revisiting the public latrine option
Authors: Wegelin-Schuringa Madeleen , Kodo Teresia
Published: August 2005

This paper describes experiences with the construction or improvement of public latrines in three informal settlements in Nairobi – including the type of latrine used and the organization developed for their maintenance and for cost recovery. It also describes why public latrines are the only possible sanitation solution for most such settlements, given the high densities, the high proportion of tenants and the very low incomes. The paper ends with a discussion on what has been learnt from these experiences, including how best to ensure maintenance and revenue generation.
An appraisal of Chaani low-income housing programme in Kenya
Authors: Magutu Jerry
Published: August 2005

This paper describes how Chaani settlement in Mombasa has developed during this century and how the scale and nature of land ownership has changed over time, influenced by indigenous custom, Muslim law, British colonial practices and, more recently, a low-income housing programme implemented by the government. It then describes a serviced site and upgrading programme that failed to address the needs of the low-income households and ended up primarily benefitting higher-income groups including staff from the government agency that was in charge of the project. Large sums were also spent on trunk infrastructure for water, sewers and electricity but most residents cannot afford the connection charges.
Coping with house waste management in Cotonou
Authors: Dedehouanou Ir Houinsou
Published: August 2005

This paper describes how the restructuring process of the 1990s has improved the solid and liquid house waste management systems in Cotonou, the largest urban area of Benin – but also how the deepening economic crisis impinges on the proper functioning of this process, which is why results achieved through sectoral planning are meagre when compared to expectation. Its main focus is on the structural and organizational aspects of the reforms with an emphasis on liquid and solid house waste management. Stakeholder and institutional analyses are used to evaluate their impact. These show persistent government failure – mainly with regard to coordinating different actors and activities, supplying supportive infrastructure, and taking needed steps towards instituting a real dialogue between all stakeholders. The piecemeal approach to interventions by diverse actors is damaging to the reforms and more government intervention is needed in these areas of the provision process for effective and efficient waste management systems.
Governmental responses to air pollution: summary of a study of the implementation ofrodízio in São Paulo
Authors: Jacobi Pedro , Segura Denise Baena , Kjellén Marianne
Published: August 2005

This paper describes the “rodízio” programme in São Paulo which has sought to reduce air pollution by banning the use of every car for one day a week. After summarizing the serious problems that São Paulo faces from air pollution and the extent to which these are generated by motor vehicles, it describes the difficulties the city authorities faced in getting approval for this programme, including opposition of the press. However, it has still been implemented - for a month in 1996 and for the period June-September in 1997 and 1998 - and accompanied by a large information programme. Its implementation brought significant reductions in some air pollutants and reduced traffic congestion. It also received considerable public support. The paper ends by reflecting on this experience in the light of the need for city authorities to increase information about environmental risks and ensure democratic interaction between local government and citizenry about environmental priorities.
Clinical Nurse Specialist and Evidence-Based Practice: Managing Anthracycline Extravasation
Authors: Hooke Mary C.
Published: August 2005

The clinical nurse specialist (CNS) is a clinical expert and client advocate in a specialized area of nursing practice, who directs efforts toward the improvement of nursing care. The CNS role is essential in closing the therapeutic gap between the development of science knowledge and its implementation in daily patient care situations. An essential step in developing evidence-based interventions is rating the quality of the evidence. An example of the CNS’s role in improving care can be found in a response to an anthracycline extravasation. The clinical standard for extravasation was amended to incorporate new evidence-based guidelines that included prevention of extravasation and a new assessment method and intervention. When an extravasation is suspected with an anthracycline agent, a Wood’s lamp (ultraviolet lamp) is shined on the area of interest, in a dark room. The anthracycline extravasation area, if present, will illuminate in the lamp’s light. In addition to the standard interventions of topical DMSO applications, current literature also suggests an intravenous infusion of dexrazoxane (Zinecard) as an effective antidote to prevent tissue damage.
Development of the Role of the Pediatric Oncology Nurse Practitioner in the Netherlands
Authors: van den Hoed-Heerschop Corry
Published: August 2005

The role of the nurse practitioner is rather new in the Netherlands. This is certainly applicable to the nurse practitioner in pediatric oncology (NPPO). Currently, 7 NPPOs are working in 4 different hospitals in the Netherlands. They all have relatively different roles within their own organization, which are dependent on the specific structure and culture of the organization. The NPPO role is not intended to fill a gap in medical care; rather, it is filling a gap in care for children and parents due to the shift of care to the home environment following early discharge. In the future, research will be necessary to ask children and parents about their experience with the NPPO.
Seriously Seeking Fairness: Strategies for Crafting Non-partisan Evaluations in a Partisan World
Authors: Datta Lois-Ellin
Published: August 2005

Non-partisan, as defined here, refers to an evaluation that is and is regarded by partisans of all persuasions as balanced, fair, and faithful, so that if methodological quality is high, debates focus on the implications of the findings for practice or policy, not on the credibility of the findings themselves. This paper examines, from an historical perspective, what strategies have been used to achieve non-partisan evaluation, how well these have worked, and whether, however hard we try, there is a limit after which our virtue is unrewarded.
The Evaluation of International Development Programs: A View from the Front
Authors: Bamberger Michael
Published: August 2005

International program evaluation is a booming business, with important and challenging evaluations of development programs being conducted in almost every country in the developing world. However, many U.S. domestic evaluation practitioners are not yet familiar with this field. Evaluators of international development programs normally must operate in a very different environment than one would expect to find when evaluating U.S. programs. These differences are discussed and a number of promising developments and methodological approaches are described here. I conclude by suggesting a number of areas in which a closer exchange of experiences between U.S. evaluation practitioners and their colleagues from developing countries could be mutually beneficial.
A Proposal for the International Organization for Cooperation in Evaluation
Authors: Mertens Donna M. , Russon Craig
Published: August 2005

This article is the first to appear in the new section entitled The Historical Record (an event of historic note in itself!). The article describes: (a) the 500% increase in the number of regional and national evaluation organizations throughout the world over a 5-year period; (b) the historic W. K. Kellogg Foundation-funded meeting of many of these organizations in Barbados, West Indies; and (c) one of the outcomes of Barbados, which was a proposal to form a networked organization, tentatively called the International Organization for Cooperation in Evaluation (IOCE). The article goes on to list the benefits of such an organization to AEA members and discuss challenges that must be overcome before the IOCE becomes a reality.
Evaluating Instructional Technology Implementation in a Higher Education Environment
Authors: Bullock Cheryl , Ory John
Published: August 2005

For decades colleges and universities have experimented with various technological innovations to deliver instruction. Although not new in higher education, use of learning technology has greatly increased in recent years (Burnaska, 1998). This increased use brings an increased need for understanding the methodologies and approaches best suited to the evaluation of learning technologies in higher education. Here we first review the literature and describe the methods used in a myriad of evaluation studies in this area. Our primary purpose, however, is to describe our experiences evaluating a campus-wide learning technology effort (the SCALE Project) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This evaluation spanned three years and used multiple methods. More importantly, it provided some challenges from which others may learn and benefit.
An Integral Approach to Evaluating Outcome Evaluation Training
Authors: Brown Robert E. , Reed Celeste Sturdevant
Published: August 2005

Public and private nonprofit organizations are increasing training efforts to build individual and organizational capacity to carry out and utilize outcome evaluation. Evaluators of training are challenged to find comprehensive evaluative frameworks. Traditional training evaluation tend to focus individual change, while organization-focused efforts tend to incorporate individual change as a necessary sub-component of the larger entity’s change. Neither approach adequately incorporates a developmental context within the evaluative framework. This article presents an integral, developmental approach that links individual and collective attributes. The use of the framework is illustrated with examples from Check Points, an outcome evaluation training program of Michigan State University and United Way of Michigan. The article concludes with suggestions for improving training and evaluative efforts.
Evaluations of After-School Programs: A Meta-Evaluation of Methodologies and Narrative Synthesis of Findings
Authors: Scott-Little Catherine , Hamann Mary Sue , Jurs Stephen G.
Published: August 2005

Funding for after-school programs has increased dramatically, and there has been a corresponding increase in the need for sound evaluations to document the quality and impact of the programs. A comprehensive search for after-school evaluations was completed in order to conduct a meta-evaluation of evaluation methodologies used and to synthesize the findings of the evaluations. Results of the meta-evaluation indicate that the after-school evaluation reports located for the study demonstrated moderate compliance with The Program Evaluation Standards established by the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation but limited use of research designs that support causal conclusions and insufficient information to allow for meta-analysis of program effects. However, some tentative conclusions can be reached about the effectiveness of after-school programs. Overall, it appears that after-school programs may have positive impacts on participants, but more rigorous research designs are necessary to provide data that clearly document program effects.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as an Evaluation Tool
Authors: Renger Ralph , Cimetta Adriana , Pettygrove Sydney , Rogan Seumas
Published: August 2005

Evaluators must seek methods that convey the results of an evaluation so that those who intend on using the information easily understand them. The purpose of this article is to describe how Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can be used to assist evaluators to convey complex information simply, via a spatial representation. Although the utility of GIS in such disciplines as geography, planning, epidemiology and public health is well documented, a review of the literature suggests that its usefulness as a tool for evaluators has gone relatively unnoticed. The paper posits that evaluators may have not recognized the potential of GIS, because of two beliefs that GIS can only provide cross-sectional, snapshots of data, and hence cannot depict change and that many of the available databases that underlie GIS do not contain data relevant to the evaluation at hand. This article demonstrates how GIS can be used to plot change over time, including impact and outcome data gathered by primary data collection.
Evaluating Housing Revitalization Projects: Critical Lessons for all Evaluators
Authors: Renger Ralph , Passons Omar , Cimetta Adriana
Published: August 2005

The article describes the challenges faced by the authors in evaluating a neighborhood revitalization project. The challenges are placed in the context of three of the Program Evaluation Standards published by the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation: Values Identification, Fiscal Responsibility, and Analysis of Quantitative Information. For each problem presented, the authors provide solutions that should assist all evaluators working on other similar types of broad-based community initiatives to conduct their evaluations in a more efficient and timely manner.
Subgroup Analysis in Social Experiments: Measuring Program Impacts Based on Post-Treatment Choice
Authors: Peck Laura R.
Published: August 2005

A fundamental question within the field of program evaluation is “Do social programs work?” Although experiments allow us to answer this question with certainty, they have some limitations. Experiments generate mean program impacts and even mean impacts by subgroup, but they often leave unexplored the impacts on subgroups determined by treatment use. This work proposes a methodology for analyzing the impacts of social programs on previously unexamined subgroups. Rather than using a single trait to define subgroups—which is currently the dominant method of subgroup analysis—the proposed approach estimates the impact of programs on subgroups identified by a post-treatment choice while still maintaining the integrity of the experimental research design. Analysis of data from the experimental evaluation of New York State’s Child Assistance Program (CAP) provides an application of the proposed technique.
What’s All the Talk About? Examining EVALTALK, an Evaluation Listserv
Authors: Christie Christina A. , Azzam Tarek
Published: August 2005

Listservs have become a popular computer-mediated method for communicating with others who share a common interest. They offer subscribers quick feedback and provide a forum for ideas and beliefs to be exchanged, discussed, and modified. Although rarely studied, in some practical fields listserves have been shown to increase communication of best practices. EVALTALK is an online evaluation discussion forum, and the official listserv of the American Evaluation Association. The current study examined EVALTALK exchanges generated over a one-year period in order to better understand how the listserv is used by its members. Results from our analysis suggest that a significant proportion of the EVALTALK listserv postings are not directly related to evaluation; however, when lengthy discussions ensue, they are most likely to be evaluation related. Additionally, much of the EVALTALK activity centers on requests for evaluation examples, procedures, and experiences. We also found that the typical subscriber is more likely to be a “lurker” than an active participant.
Written Parental Consent and the Use of Incentives in a Youth Smoking Prevention Trial: A Case Study From Project SPLASH
Authors: Leakey Tricia , Lunde Kevin B. , Koga Karin , Glanz Karen
Published: August 2005

More Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) are requiring written parental consent in school health intervention trials. Because this requirement presents a formidable challenge in conducting large-scale research, it is vital for investigators to share effective strategies learned from completed trials. Investigators for the recently completed Project SPLASH ( n = 3,716) smoking prevention trial, conducted in 20 Hawaii middle schools, were required to obtain active parental consent for three surveys across 2 years. This case study describes the consent procedures and incentives used in the trial, and their effectiveness. The overall parental response rate was 85.4%. The highest response rate (89.5%) came from the 7th grade baseline survey, where project staff distributed consent materials and provided class-based incentives. In addition, nearly all students (99.0%) with parental permission assented to participate in the three surveys. The experiences in this study lead to several recommendations for future research, including the importance of assuring adequate funds for recruitment and retention in research grants.
Exemplars as Case Studies: Reflections on the Links Between Theory, Practice, and Context
Authors: Fitzpatrick Jody L.
Published: August 2005

Responding to the call for more research on the practice of evaluation and its link to theory, this article uses the interviews conducted with exemplary evaluators or exemplars in the American Journal of Evaluation as cases to describe and analyze the practice of exemplary evaluators. Dimensions of analysis included context, purpose, advance organizers, breadth and depth of stakeholder involvement, method proclivity, and use of results. Results showed that on these cases, evaluators differed on purpose, advance organizers, and choices on breadth or depth of stakeholder involvement. Determining merit and worth was a frequent and primary purpose for many. All used mixed methods, but varied in the confidence they placed in different methods. Instrumental use was identified in each evaluation. Some evaluators’ practice was congruent with theories; others were more atheoretical. Differences were often nuanced, influenced by both context and evaluator proclivity.
Multidimensional Implementation Evaluation of a Residential Treatment Program for Adolescent Substance Abuse
Authors: Faw Leyla , Hogue Aaron , Liddle Howard A.
Published: August 2005

The authors applied contemporary methods from the evaluation literature to measure implementation in a residential treatment program for adolescent substance abuse. A logic model containing two main components was measured. Program structure (adherence to the intended framework of service delivery) was measured using data from daily activity logs completed by program staff. Treatment process, conceptualized as therapeutic milieu, was measured using an adapted version of a scale used to measure implementation in therapeutic communities. In addition, variability in implementation was measured using statistical process control (SPC) procedures. Adolescents completed, on average, 50% of the weekly prescribed services. The milieu of the program was rated by the adolescents as highly therapeutic. Moreover, preliminary psychometrics suggest therapeutic milieu can be measured reliably in adolescents. These two main variables were implemented with consistency across adolescents. These findings are discussed along with implications for evaluation work in similar fields.
Research and Legal Perspectives on the Implications of the Family Privacy Protection Act for Research and Evaluation Involving Minors
Authors: Renger Ralph , Gotkin Vicki , Crago Marjorie , Shisslak Catherine
Published: August 2005

This paper reviews the Family Privacy Protection Act of 1995 (FPPA) and its potential impact on research and evaluation involving minors. First it discusses the issues surrounding the FPPA as debated in the United States House of Representatives. The FPPA requires written, or “active,” consent from the parent/guardian for survey research involving minors, rather than “passive” consent, which researchers have presumed when parents fail to return forms “opting” their children out of studies. The paper then presents per-presentation in which researchers relied upon passive consent, and discusses how that case might have been different had the FPPA been in effect.
Attrition Revisited
Authors: Harris Patricia M.
Published: August 2005

Attrition of subjects from therapeutic treatment programs, long recognized as a bane of evaluation researchers, is the focus of hundreds of studies purporting to explain, measure or correct it. This article discusses the scope and limitations of research regarding the causes of premature termination from psychotherapeutic and substance abuse programs and examines the applicability of proposed methodological remedies for assessing and countering attrition to the specific problem of research involving dropouts from treatment. By and large, research on the causes of attrition suffers from inadequate conceptualization and weak methodological designs. The researcher’s anticipation and measurement of factors driving premature program termination is key to the effective assessment and correction of problematic attrition in treatment evaluations. The phenomenon of attrition from treatment requires more rigorous attention from the evaluation community.
Evaluation and the Information Needs of Organizational Leaders
Authors: Owen John M. , Lambert Faye C.
Published: August 2005

The work of evaluators is constantly being reshaped in recognition of changes in the information needs of stakeholders. New thinking about the functioning of organizations poses a challenge for evaluators to provide information to make organizations more effective in terms of their structure, coordination, and delivery of programs and services. While the ways in which evaluation can serve the needs of organizational management have been well documented, far less attention has been given to the evaluation needs of leaders. This paper conceptualizes key differences between management and leadership as a basis for suggesting ways in which evaluators might operate to serve the decision making needs of organizational leaders.
Evaluation and People of Color—A Response to Professor Stanfield
Authors: House Ernest R.
Published: August 2005

Inappropriate racial categorizations of minorities have routinely infected evaluations and social research. By adhering to principles of democracy, evaluators can avoid such damaging effects in their work. Specifically, they should be aware of historical miscategorizations and engage in inclusion, dialogue, and deliberation which includes minorities as active participants.
Bringing It All Together: Modeling Intervention Processes Using Structural Equation Modeling
Authors: Hennessy Michael , Greenberg Judith
Published: August 2005

The combination of programmatic theory and structural equation modeling (SEM) can act as the basic intellectual machinery for designing and evaluating behavioral interventions. As an example of the integration, we consider a case study of a randomized experiment to reduce sexual risk taking, the WINGS Project. Barriers to combining systematic use of SEM with programmatic theory for program improvement and assessing program effectiveness are also discussed.
Measuring the outcomes of day hospital attendance: a comparison of the Barthel Index and London Handicap Scale
Authors: Harwood Rowan H , Ebrahim Shah
Published: August 2005

Objective: To assess the ability of two scales to measure the effects of attendance at a geriatric day hospital.

Design: ‘Before-and-after’ measurements. Setting: Day hospital serving a defined, urban, catchment area. Subjects: One hundred and three consecutive new patients over a three-month period.

Intervention: Day hospital attendance for as long as the multidisciplinary team thought warranted.

Outcome measures: Barthel Index and London Handicap Scale. Results: Seventy-six patients (74%) attended for broadly defined ‘rehabilitation’. Measurements on the Barthel Index and London Handicap Scale were completed on 54 of these. Repeat measurements after discharge from the day hospital were achieved on 37 patients. Patients attended between two and 57 times, with a median of eight. Mean Barthel Index did not change over the period of attendance. There was a small improvement in mean handicap score. Eight patients were identified post hoc who attended for 10 or more sessions, and they experienced a large mean reduction in handicap.

Conclusion: Overall, neither the Barthel Index nor the London Handicap Scale changed much during attendance at the day hospital. Generally very short lengths of attendance may have explained this. For patients with more prolonged attendance, who might be expected to change more, the London Handicap Scale proved more responsive than the Barthel Index.
Acute whiplash-associated disorders (WAD): the effects of early mobilization and prognostic factors in long-term symptomatology
Authors: Söderlund Anne , Olerud Claes , Lindberg Per
Published: August 2005

Objective: To compare two different home exercise programmes for patients with acute whiplash-associated disorders (WAD). A further aim was to describe the initial prognostic variables related to self-reported pain at six months follow-up.

Design: A randomized treatment study with a follow-up period of six months.

Settings: The study was undertaken in an orthopaedic clinic at a university hospital.

Subjects: A total of 59 symptomatic (neck pain, stiffness, etc.) patients with acute whiplash injury.

Interventions: Patients were randomized to a regular treatment group (RT group) and an additional-exercise treatment group (AT group).

Main outcome measures: Pain Disability Index (PDI), Self-Efficacy Scale (SES), Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ), neck range of motion (ROM), head posture, kinaesthetic sensibility, visual analogue scale (VAS).

Results: Patients given an additional exercise did not improve more than patients with regular treatment. Only one CSQ item, ‘Ability to decrease pain', showed a significant difference between the groups in its pattern of change over time: the AT group had a significant increase between three and six months whilst values in the RT group decreased. Nonsymptomatic patients at six months follow-up were characterized by initially better self-efficacy, lower disability and significantly different patterns in the use of ‘behavioural coping strategies' when compared with symptomatic patients. The nonsymptomatic patients also reported more frequent training than symptomatic patients, i.e. they complied better with the treatment regime.

Conclusion: This home exercise programme, including training of neck and shoulder ROM, relaxation and general advice seems to be sufficient treatment for acute WAD patients when used on a daily basis. Additionally, patients reporting low self-efficacy and high disability levels may profit from more attention initially, as these psychological factors are significant predictors of pain at long-term follow-up.
High-intensity cycling exercise after a stroke: a single case study
Authors: Dawes H , Bateman A , Wade D , Scott O M
Published: August 2005

Aerobic exercise training has demonstrated positive effects after brain injury. However, therapists express concern regarding the use of effortful exercise in individuals presenting with spasticity or involuntary muscle activity. This study aimed to address this concern and to evaluate whether an intervention of maximal intensity cycling exercise impaired an individual's ability to actively extend his hemiparetic elbow. Using a single case design, it was shown that active elbow extension improved during the period of this investigation, and was not impaired immediately following maximal cycling exercise.
Introduction of a new NHS electric-powered indoor/outdoor chair (EPIOC) service: benefits, risks and implications for prescribers
Authors: Frank A O , Ward J , Orwell N J , Mccullagh C , Belcher M
Published: August 2005

Objective: To determine problems associated with electric-powered indoor/outdoor wheelchairs (EPIOCs) and the benefits perceived by their users.

Design: Hospital-based cohort study of all patients referred over a 19-month period.

Setting: Regional Wheelchair Service for North West London serving nine district wheelchair services.

Subjects: Of the 174 subjects referred, 10 withdrew their application or were found to be unsuitable at screening, 164 were assessed and 124 were prescribed chairs. One hundred and thirteen subjects were interviewed by telephone four months after provision of the chair.

Main measures: Demographic and diagnostic data; current chair usage; self-reported accidents and component faults were compared with those recorded in the unit records; new activities embarked on since delivery; and benefits reported for main carers.

Results: Seventeen ‘mishaps’ were reported by 15 users including tipping from chairs (6) and falls during transfers (3). Three probably reflected mechanical failure. Component failure was found in 39% of EPIOCs, mostly affecting control boxes (22), frames (10) and footrests (10). New activities were undertaken by 56 (50%) users, usually shopping and visits to friends/family. Eighty-five per cent of users felt that the chairs made life easier for their informal carers through increased independence, reducing transfers and reduced need for ‘pushing’.

Conclusions: The component failures and self-reported accidents (some potentially dangerous) have implications for the NHS, manufacturers, prescribers and users. EPIOCs enhance the independence of severely physically disabled individuals in the community and assist carers by lessening dependence and enhancing social interaction. This study demonstrated the need for follow-up of EPIOC users and chairs.
Knowledge about the Initial Presentation of Smallpox among Emergency Physicians in Washington, DC
Authors: Freed Howard A. , Milzman David , Freed Max
Published: August 2005

Objectives: To assess the current knowledge of full‐time emergency physicians in Washington, DC, regarding the initial diagnosis of smallpox and the initial care of the patient with smallpox. Methods: A written true/false test was prepared based on information accessed from the current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Web site on smallpox. The 20‐question test was administered to full‐time emergency physicians practicing emergency medicine in all seven adult civilian hospitals in Washington, DC. Results: The overall response rate was 81% (52 of the 64 eligible full‐time emergency physicians). The average score was 59% correct. The facts most likely to be known were 1) that the symptoms of smallpox begin with a two‐ to four‐day prodrome of fever and myalgia (before the appearance of any rash), 2) that no antiviral treatment is of more proven value than vaccination of contacts, and 3) that a person with smallpox may be contagious before any rash appears (average, 90% correct). The facts least likely to be known were 1) that when dealing with a known case of smallpox, fit‐tested N95 masks are not needed by treating personnel if they have been vaccinated; 2) that the rash of smallpox begins with 24–48 hours of flat, erythematous macules (not papules or vesicles); and 3) that very typically the rash of smallpox begins in the mouth (average, 22% correct). Conclusions: Some facts from the current CDC Web site on smallpox are known by a large majority of full‐time emergency physicians in Washington, DC, whereas questions based on other facts were answered incorrectly by a majority of the physicians tested.