bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the Effect of Iconic Linkage on the Usability of Software User Guides
Authors: Byrne Jody
Published: May 2005

This study investigates whether Iconic Linkage—the use of the identical wording to present the same information recurring in a text—can improve the usability of user guides. Iconic Linkage is a writing strategy that potentially allows users to work more quickly and effectively and which promotes better retention of information. The usefulness of Iconic Linkage was tested in a laboratory-based usability study that combined: 1) objective task-based evaluation; and 2) users' subjective evaluations of a software program used in recording parliamentary debates. A post-test survey designed to test subjects' retention of information contained in the user guides was also administered. The study shows that Iconic Linkage significantly improved usability of the user guide: in all tasks, subjects worked more effectively and made fewer mistakes; while in the three timed tasks, subjects completed the tasks much more quickly. Subjects also gave higher ratings for the software and their retention of information was noticeably improved.
A Measure of Primary Sociobiological Functions
Authors: Katz Sidney , Akpom C. Amechi
Published: May 2005

The Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living (Index of ADL) is a scale whose grades reflect profiles of behavioral levels of six sociobiological functions, namely, bathing, dressing, toileting, transfer, continence, and feeding. Its hierarchical nature makes it possible to rank the overall functional status of people in an ordered manner, to make comparisons among them as individuals or groups, and to detect changes over time. Developmental studies have encompassed children as well as adults, the mentally retarded as well as physically disabled, and noninstitutionalized as well as institutionalized people. In view of relationships to behavior of primitive societies and parallelisms between the order of index functions and patterns of child growth and development, the Index of ADL appears to be based on functions of sociobiological primacy. This concept is supported by twenty years of methodological and applied observations. The Index has been used to produce predictive information about chronic conditions and to evaluate the benefits of long-term services. It has been used in profiled measures of severity of illness. As a screening measure and survey measure, it has contributed information about health needs and outcomes which is useful for management, planning, policy making, research, and teaching.
Relations among Exercise Imagery, Self-Efficacy, Exercise Behavior, and Intentions
Authors: Rodgers Wendy M. , Munroe Krista J. , Hall Craig R.
Published: May 2005

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether exercise imagery contributed to the prediction of exercise behavior and intentions over and above self-efficacy. Whereas self-efficacy has been demonstrated to be a robust predictor of exercise intentions and behavior such a role of imagery has not been examined. Imagery, however, has been postulated to be a potential source of self-efficacy beliefs, therefore, it is possible that the influence of these two variables might not be independent. Recently, different types of self-efficacy (task, coping, and scheduling) and different types of imagery (appearance, technique, and energy) have been proposed and associated with different levels of exercise involvement. The relative influence of these types of self-efficacy and imagery was assessed in two samples of exercisers ( n = 388, n = 223) using hierarchical regressions. Results indicated that scheduling and coping efficacy were important predictors of exercise behavior, and that two types of self-efficacy and appearance imagery were significant predictors of behavioral intention. These results offer support for different functions of the different types of self-efficacy and imagery. They also suggest that influence of self-efficacy and imagery on behavioral intentions is not redundant.
Homicide, Sex Role Differences and Role Relationships
Authors: Ketner Linda G. , Humphrey John A.
Published: May 2005

This study, based upon Palmer's theory of role unreciprocity and other directed violence, investigates similarities and differences between male and female homicide offenders, as well as between murderers and non-aggressive property offenders. Role unreciprocity refers to blockage an individual experiences in the performance of social roles. Two hypotheses are tested: (1) as individual's lives tend to be characterized by situations of high unreciprocity, the likelihood of homicide increases; and (2) both male and female homicide offenders tend to experience similar degrees of unreciprocity. The findings support the first hypothesis and provide qualified support for the second hypothesis. High degrees of role unreciprocity are positively associated with female homicides in the childhood, marital and parental roles, while similarly high degrees of unreciprocity are positively associated with male homicide in roles of student and employee. Palmer's theoretical formulation is given empirical support and specification.
Group Therapy during a Modified Fasting Diet: Themes and Process
Authors: Wise Thomas N. , Cooper James N.
Published: May 2005

Individuals restricted to 400 calories per day were treated with weekly group therapy. The process involved development of group cohesiveness due to a commonly shared experience. The group was unable to accept that weight control meant severe caloric limitation. Themes of dependency and pairing tended to distract the group from their basic task of tolerating severe caloric limitation. Behavioral techniques as well as fostering of insight did not appear effective. Explanations for such a group format are discussed.
Voice Mail and Academics: Creating a Virtual Office
Authors: Okolica Carol , Stewart Concetta M.
Published: May 2005

Voice-messaging (also called voice mail) is a computer-based technology that uses a standard touch-tone telephone for input and retrieval. Because of its ability to enhance communication, voice mail is a powerful communication tool. Voice mail systems allow users to access their messages from any touch-tone telephone, twenty-four hours a day, distribute one message to many recipients, forward messages with covering remarks to other users, mark a message for future delivery, and create personal greetings. In addition, many of the voice mail systems currently available offer interfaces to electronic mail and fax communication—thereby providing a complete communication management facility. Although much has been written about the use of voice messaging, little is known about how voice messaging is used by faculty at institutions of higher education. The communication needs of this group differ in crucial ways from business organizations and even from the needs of their own administrators. While faculty have as strong a need for communication and interaction with their students and colleagues, their varied hours often prevent them from being available to do so. This article describes the unique communication needs of academicians and how innovative use of voice mail can address these needs. By creating a virtual office, voice mail can serve as a solution to: the conflict many academicians have between being in the office for students and conducting research; the frustration inherent in trying to contact committee members and colleagues; receiving messages meant for someone else; and extended absences from campus that put faculty out of touch with students and others.
The Anatomy of the Job-Generation Issue and its Impact on Health Insurance Policy
Authors: Hirschberg David
Published: May 2005

Small business does not create most jobs in the United States, but, as the author argues, small business has successfully used this myth to counter demands that it should provide health insurance for its workers, What is at stake in this job-generation claim is no less than the economic well-being of millions of Americans.
Plain Comma Sense
Authors: Foley Louis
Published: May 2005

There is nothing mysterious about punctuation. It is based upon simple principles. The “rules” which one can find in all sorts of books are usually true enough, but they tend to make the matter seem unnecessarily complicated, and they do not show why they are true. The more practical approach is to consider certain typical situations and what they naturally require. The important thing, of course, is good sentence-structure. What correct punctuation does is to keep that structure unmistakably clear for the innocent reader who does not know what is coming.
Practice Makes Perfect: Using Computer-Assisted Instruction in a College Course
Authors: Luyben Paul D.
Published: May 2005

Two lines of empirical evidence have led me to include computer-assisted instruction (CAI) in two of four components in my college classes. The “Question Mark” software program is designed to develop mastery of basic concepts, facts and information in the course while the other software program, called “Think Fast,” is used to develop fluency with basic concepts. This article presents a brief rationale for using these two software programs, outlines the structure of the course, and highlights some of the features of both programs. I close with some personal observations about using computer-assisted instruction.
Sociocultural Considerations in Schistosomiasis Control: Focus Group Data from 3 Egyptian Villages
Authors: Sallam Sunny , Glik Deborah , Sherif Aida , Mandil Ahmed , Selim Mohamed , Gad Ashry , Galal Osman
Published: May 2005

Transmission, control, and prevention of schistosomiasis are linked with a range of individual and collective human behaviors, perceptions, and social and environmental conditions. The objective of this study was to describe the social and cultural factors related to schistosomiasis transmission in three Egyptian villages where prevalence rates of diseases are high. Data reported are based on focus group interviews collected among children and adults. Topics discussed were knowledge about disease, transmission behaviors (risky behaviors), risk perceptions, prevention behaviors (response to risk), symptoms, treatment behaviors, treatment satisfaction, knowledge of prevention, source of information, and more general concerns and grievances. Both adults and children were concerned about schistosomiasis, and were knowledgeable about disease symptoms, transmission, control, and risky behaviors such as swimming in canals or polluting their banks. The adults were concerned with lack of collective solutions such as limited piped water supply, little sewage control, and governmental responsibility to solve village health problems. Findings support the notion that schistosomiasis transmission and control must be understood as sustained by environmental conditions and patterned sets of behaviors that are culturally embedded, their alteration a key to changing schistosomiasis' long history and widespread prevalence in Egypt.
Current Contents of Theoretical Scientific Papers
Authors: Harmon Joseph E.
Published: May 2005

This article discusses the typical form and content of forty theoretical scientific papers. These papers were chosen from the 400 most-cited papers in the Science Citation Index for the period 1945–1988 (reported by Eugene Garfield in a series of recent essays appearing in Current Contents). It was found that the typical form for these papers is similar to that for experimental and methods papers, but the content differs substantially. In brief, the content follows the logical sequence: problem or need, assumptions made in attempting to solve problem or meet need, theorem derived from those assumptions and additional considerations, proof of theorem by logical reasoning or validation by comparison with what is established or establishable, conclusions from previous discussion, and recommendations on future experimental or theoretical work. Also, compared with experimental and methods papers, these theoretical papers have somewhat fewer figures and tables, but many more references and equations.
Poetry and the Ordinary Reader: A Study of Immediate Responses
Authors: De Beaugrande Robert
Published: May 2005

Within the total picture of literary communication, the reader has usually been an expert, mainly the literary critic. This article explores the immediate responses reported by a group of ordinary readers after reading a contemporary poem by Richard Eberhart. These responses are classified according to typical operations: staging, hedging, citing, associating with key words, paraphrasing, normalizing and generalizing. Examples of each type are discussed.
Returning Home: The Interstate Transportation of Human Remains
Authors: Rowles Graham D. , Comeaux Malcolm L.
Published: May 2005

Many people who die in the United States are transported across state boundaries for burial at a place viewed as “home” by the decedent or the next of kin. This article employs an analysis of data from death certificates to explore the transportation of human remains from Arizona where, in 1983, 17.1 percent of those who died were shipped beyond the state. A sample of 783 removals reveals a predominant geographical pattern of flows to the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes states. This pattern is the reverse of recent patterns of both seasonal (“snowbird”) and permanent in-migration of the living to Arizona. A propensity for individuals to be transported back to their state of birth or to their most recent previous residence is also revealed.
The Effects of Image and Animation in Enhancing Pedagogical Agent Persona
Authors: Baylor Amy L. , Ryu Jeeheon
Published: May 2005

The purpose of this experimental study was to test the role of image and animation on: a) learners' perceptions of pedagogical agent persona characteristics (i.e., extent to which agent was person-like, engaging, credible, and instructor-like); b) agent value; and c) performance. The primary analysis consisted of two contrast comparisons: 1) comparing the presence/absence of agent image; and 2) comparing static versus animated agent images. In the study, 75 preservice teachers developed an instructional plan for a case study involving designing economics instruction for the concepts of supply and demand within the MIMIC (Multiple Intelligent Mentors Instructing Collaboratively) agent-based environment. Overall, animation was found to be beneficial for all four persona characteristics, but not always as the single best implementation. For the agent to be perceived as instructor-like, a strong positive effect was found for the presence of agent animation. Agent credibility was facilitated by either a static or animated image, with the presence of an image being critical. Perceptions of the agent as engaging and person-like were also improved by animation, although person-like was not affected by presence/absence of image. Results are discussed in terms of implementing anthropomorphic pedagogical agents to support computer-based instruction.
Grief among Surviving Family Members of Homicide Victims: A Causal Approach
Authors: Sprang M. Virginia , McNeil John S. , Wright Roosevelt
Published: May 2005

A causal model is proposed to delineate predictors of self-reported grief among surviving family members of homicidal victims. The model specifies structural linkages among sociodemographic characteristics, psychological factors, and subjective ratings of grief. The proposed model is evaluated using data from a survey of members of “Victims of Violence” support groups. The results, for the most part, support the proposed model and indicate that correlates of grief differ across gender-specific subgroups in terms of their relative importance, predictive power, complexity, and overall patterns. Implications of the findings for developing program interventions and future research are discussed.
Depressive Symptoms in Hospitalized Patients: A Cross-Sectional Survey
Authors: Soskolne Varda , Bonne Omer , Denour Atara Kaplan , Shalev Arieh Y.
Published: May 2005

Objective:

To evaluate the level of depressive symptoms among medical inpatients, and to examine the associations with sociodemographic, medical, and psychosocial characteristics.

Method:

A point prevalence study (1 day) of all adult medical patients hospitalized at Hadassah University Hospital. Patients who were too incapacitated to be interviewed were excluded. The questionnaire included sociodemographic data, social supports (MOS Social Support Scale), Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC), and depressive symptoms (CES-D scale). Medical data were collected from the patients' charts. Of the 331 eligible patients, 256 (77%) were interviewed.

Results:

The level of depressive symptoms was high (mean = 21, s.d. = 12). About 60 percent of the patients had scores above 16, which is the suggested cut-off point for psychopathology. A multifactorial analysis of covariance showed that higher scores of depression were significantly ( p < 0.01) associated with being a female, with lower scores of internal and higher scores of external health locus of control and only marginally ( p = .08) with medical diagnosis (multiple R2 = .33, multiple R = .58). Depressive symptoms were not associated with age, education, marital status, social supports, type of admission, ward, or length of stay prior to evaluation.

Conclusions:

The high levels of depressive symptoms found across medical and most of the personal and social characteristics in this first survey of its kind in Israel may reflect a reaction to the event of hospitalization; sex and locus of control may be suggested as risk markers of elevated depression to be used for screening and prompt psychiatric consultation in this population.
Racial Inequality and Occupational Health in the United States: The Effect on White Workers
Authors: Robinson James C.
Published: May 2005

While a number of studies have shown that black workers in the United States face higher levels of occupation-related hazards to health and safety than do whites, even controlling for differences in education and experience, little attention has been paid to the implications of racial inequality for the overall level of hazard in the economy. Alternative theories of the causes of occupational diseases and injuries imply that greater inequality helps white workers, by assigning them to the safer jobs, or on the contrary hurts white workers, by weakening the unity and bargaining power of the workforce as a whole. This article analyzes the impact of racial inequality on the level of hazard reported by white workers. Consistent with the institutional and Marxian theories of the labor market, the statistical findings indicate that white workers employed in occupations and industries containing greater numbers of blacks report greater exposure to hazard than comparable white workers in occupations and industries employing fewer blacks.
A Dynamic Spatial Analysis of Changes in Aesthetic Responses
Authors: Holbrook Morris B. , Greenleaf Eric A. , Schindler Robert M.
Published: May 2005

Models of evaluative judgment in applied aesthetics generally assume that movements of objects' positions in a multidimensional perceptual space will produce corresponding changes in preferences. However, such spatial representations have usually been tested using static designs or, at best, longitudinal studies that fail to tie perceptual movements to shifts in affective response. This study reports what we believe to be a first dynamic analysis of changes in aesthetic responses. Specifically, twenty-nine aesthetically naive subjects supplied perceptual and affective ratings of twenty art prints on four occasions spaced a week apart. Multiple discriminant analysis (MDA) of the perception data created an MDA space representing each person's perceptions of each print at the beginning and end of the period. We then constructed each individual's preference function based on the MDA space, used beginning and ending perceived positions to compute changes in that preference function, regarded these as predictions of changes in actual affect, and correlated predicted with actual affective shifts to obtain a validity assessment of about r2 = .25 for our dynamic spatial analysis of trends in tastes.
The Free Trade Agreement and the Mexican Health Sector
Authors: Laurell Asa Cristina , Ortega Maria Elena
Published: May 2005

This article presents a discussion of the probable implications for the Mexican health sector of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The authors argue that the FTA should be seen as part of neoliberal policies adopted by the Mexican government in 1983 that are based on large-scale privatization and deregulation of labor relations. In this general context the health sector, which traditionally has been dominated by public institutions, is undergoing a deep restructuring. The main trends are the decapitalization of the public sector and a selective process of privatization that tends to constitute the private health sector in a field of capital accumulation. The FTA is likely to force a change in Mexican health legislation, which includes health services in the public social security system and recognizes the right to health, and to accelerate selective privatization. The U.S. insurance industry and hospital corporations are interested in promoting these changes in order to gain access to the Mexican market, estimated at 20 to 25 million persons. This would lead to further deterioration of the public institutions, increasing inequalities in health and strengthening the private sector. The historical trend toward the integration of a National Health Service in Mexico would be interrupted in favor of formation of a dual private-public system.
The Unemployment Iceberg: What is Beneath, Behind, and Ahead?
Authors: Therborn Göran
Published: May 2005

Unemployment is a complex issue, affected by many different factors, institutions, and policies. It can be viewed as the ultimate of four levels of institutional settings, each with its own options and processes: the potential working population; family/household patterns affecting labor force participation; the employment system, its working time regimens, and the allocation of paid and unpaid work; and finally, economic exclusion, by unemployment, poverty, or both. The author examines this complexity and describes the experiences of some OECD countries over the last few decades, then outlines some policy options for addressing the problem of unemployment. The article concludes with a discussion of some crucial tests confronting social democracy and the trade union movement.
The United States and the Universality of Human Rights
Authors: Chomsky Noam
Published: May 2005

The United States takes a highly relativistic stance toward the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It regards the socio-economic rights and the right to development as without status; exempts itself from all provisions of the Declaration by failing to sign the conventions designed to implement these provisions; and unilaterally qualifies its support of civil and political rights. Leading recipients of U.S. aid have traditionally included regimes with atrocious human rights records. Those struggling for human rights should have no illusions about the systems of power and their servants.
Age Differences in Alcohol and Cocaine Expectancies and Attitudes
Authors: Sigelman Carol K. , Weir Catherine , Davies Elizabeth , Silk Alyson
Published: May 2005

Positive and negative expectancies regarding the behavioral effects of alcohol and cocaine were assessed and used to predict attitudes toward their use across four age groups (5–7, 8–10, 11–14, and 18–25, N = 121). Regardless of gender and minority status, children and early adolescents appeared to overgeneralize their beliefs about alcohol to a less familiar drug, cocaine, perceiving the effects of the two drugs similarly. Only college students differentiated between drugs, perceiving cocaine as less likely than alcohol to produce drunkenness and more likely to have stimulant and elation/empowerment effects. With age and other expectancies controlled, expectancy of drunkenness was the best predictor of disapproval of alcohol use; attitudes toward cocaine use were unrelated to expectancies but became more negative with age. Drug prevention programs should rest on data regarding children's preexisting beliefs about the consequences of drug use and should help them understand that different drugs (for example, stimulants and depressants) pose different dangers.
Nurses and Trade Unions in Britain
Authors: Lewis Susan Scott
Published: May 2005

The nature of the negotiating body for pay and conditions of nurses in Britain and some of the reasons for the body's past failure to negotiate a substantial pay increase for nurses are described in this article. A description is given of a series of events, including strike action by nurses during 1974, which led to a substantial pay raise. The pay award, however, represented only a partial success for the trade unions and the negotiating body.

Methods of nurses' organization and the roles of their representative unions and professional body indicate some of the reasons for only a partial success. The lack of unity between the National Health Service trade unions and the reactionary role of the professional body were notable. However, many important political and organizational lessons were learned by nurses in this struggle. We are now facing savage cuts in National Health Service expenditure, leading to a reduction in the number of nurses employed. These lessons are clearly useful for the nurses and their organization with the labor movement in fighting these cuts in National Health Service expenditure.
Psychiatric Themes in the Rehabilitation of Mastectomy Patients
Authors: Silberfarb Peter M.
Published: May 2005

The author discusses the psychological variables involved in the rehabilitation of patients who have undergone a mastectomy. The scope of the problem, the psychological meaning and fears suffered by mastectomy patients, and importance of body image is discussed along with the psychological treatment.
Occupational Mobility of Health Workers in the United States
Authors: Wash Patrick
Published: May 2005

This article presents data from the 1970 U.S. Census Public Use Sample on occupational mobility patterns and labor force separations for health occupations. Turnover among health workers is significantly lower than in the labor force in general. Occupations with the strongest occupational attachment are those predominately male occupations that require the heaviest investment in training. Those with the highest attrition rate are traditionally female occupations that require relatively few skills and are often viewed as entry points for possible upward mobility.
Reading Smoke and Mirrors: The Rhetoric of Corporate Annual Reports
Authors: Hager Peter J. , Scheiber H. J.
Published: May 2005

In trying to project a positive corporate image and financial health in their annual reports, companies too often confuse and alienate readers with rhetorical smoke and statistical mirrors. Through a more complete understanding of their audiences and by applying effective rhetorical principles to reach those audiences, corporations can both meet the informational needs of report readers and promote a positive and accurate corporate ethos.
Assessing the Self-Reported Health Risks of Urban Street Children Working in the Dominican Republic
Authors: Westhoff Wayne W. , Coulter Martha L. , McDermott Robert J. , Holcomb Derek R.
Published: May 2005

Children throughout the world work on street corners selling newspapers, washing car windows, shining shoes, or hustling anything that will earn cash for the day. Many of them start early in the morning, work all day without attending school, and then return home late in the evening. A 26-item questionnaire was given to a sample of forty children working the streets of Santo Domingo. Examination of the responses revealed that the mean age was 14.5 years. Over 92 percent of the children had contact with a relative in the past thirty days. Fifty percent responded that they were victims of physical abuse at home, while 97 percent said they believe they are healthy. Qualitative data on family, friends, and future goals are discussed.
Using Corporate Lore to Create Boundaries in the Workplace
Authors: Racine Sam J.
Published: May 2005

In the workplace setting professionals use language to create boundaries of exclusion and inclusion, using the discourses of their professions and of specific workplace domain. Some boundaries are marked by formal tests—directed memos, posted notices, stamps that read “For Your Eyes Only.” Less overt forms, and arguably more effective, are specific rhetorical devices relying on knowledge of the corporate and professional culture. People are included or excluded from such cultures by their knowledge and ability to manipulate professional fables and folklore, historical data, workplace experience narratives, and practical knowledge. These discourse practices can be used to promote solidarity and positively strengthen professional cultures, but they can also be used to obstruct communication and to create social fragmentation in the workplace. This article examines some examples of discourse practices among managers and employees in the customer service department of a large manufacturing firm, and shows how knowledge of the ways that language can both include and exclude people from cultural groups in the worksite can help professional communicators facilitate more effective and responsible communication practices in workplace settings.
Children's Interpretations of Dance Expressions
Authors: Van Meel Jacques , Verburgh Henriette , De Meijer Marco
Published: May 2005

Nine emotional themes were presented in dance expressions by a group of three professional dance students. In a first experiment these dance expressions were presented to children in the age groups of five-, eight-, ten-, and twelve-year-olds. Children's free response interpretations were analyzed for adequacy, conceptual level, and complexity of response. Clear age trends emerged, especially differentiating the five-year-olds from the other groups. In a second experiment a multiple choice response format was used. The same age trends were found. In a third experiment children with and without dance experience were compared. Experienced children used more emotional labels in interpreting the dance items. In the discussion it is suggested that, in the medium of dance, emotional interpretations gradually emerge from a preceding stage in which movements are imbued with action tendencies.
A Receiver-Bound Concept of Communications
Authors: Wilkins Keith A.
Published: May 2005

Communication research has not fully come to grips with the important role of receiver control over message content and treatment within a communication event. The assumption seems to be that source success depends upon source credibility, selection of the right channel, and use of certain cognitive approaches. However, receiver motivational factors predispose the receiver to respond in a particular manner to a particular message. If the source hopes to elicit a specifically desired response, he must fashion his message content and treatment so as to identify with receiver motivational predispositions within the particular communication event.
The Role of Abstracting in “Professional Documentation,” a Technical Writing Class for Hungarian Students of English Translation
Authors: Koltay Tibor
Published: May 2005

In “Professional Documentation,” a class designed to make Hungarian students of English translation familiar with written genres, that are not translation, abstracting plays an important role. Students get theoretical background to abstracting in a lecture and by analyzing the appropriate chapters of technical writing textbooks. The structure and objectivity of the abstract, the features of its informative variant receive special attention. Practical student activities include analyzing and writing abstracts in different settings. Many of the methods applied can be used in the education of translators in other languages and in technical writing classes in other countries.
Rehabilitation of Post MI Depression and Psychological Invalidism: A Pilot Study
Authors: Brown Murray A. , Munford Arna
Published: May 2005

The majority of survivors of myocardial infarction experience an array of psychological and emotional reactions. Often, persistent anxiety and depression impair recuperation and rehabilitation. A behaviorally based treatment approach is utilized which consists of a combination of deep muscle relaxation, imagery based desensitization, social reinforcement, stress management, activity scheduling and shaping techniques. The spouse is utilized as a facilitator/co-therapist. This approach is shown to be effective in increasing adaptive function, decreasing depressive symptomology and facilitating return to acceptable premorbid levels of activity.
Psychological Aspects of Renal Transplantation
Authors: Chambers Marcia
Published: May 2005

Renal transplantation offers the patient with end stage renal disease an alternative treatment to dialysis. A successful graft can lead to a greatly improved quality of life. Physicians, staff and patients often do not anticipate the adverse post-operative psychological reactions. At some stage, practically all patients experience episodes of anxiety, depression and anger secondary to complications, painful treatments, drug therapy, fear of death, etc. This article explores the psychological stages a renal transplantee goes through in the first few months postoperatively. Additionally, the role of the mental health consultant is examined.
Practices in Technical Writing in Agriculture and Engineering Industries, Firms, and Agencies
Authors: Casari Laura E. , Povlacs Joyce T.
Published: May 2005

This article describes a study of written communication on-the-job and reports writing practices found in seventeen agricultural and engineering firms and agencies in the authors' immediate geographical region. Information was gathered by questionnaire and on-site interviews. Data confirmed the importance of writing on-the-job. Our findings demonstrate the importance of context and reveal the variations in types and length of documents, rhetorical genres, and strategies. The study proved useful for designing instructional materials and strategies and for expanding our basic understanding of what on-the-job writing entails.
Correlates of Attitudes about “The Right to Die” among 1973 and 1976 High School and College Students
Authors: Steininger Marion , Colsher Sandra
Published: May 2005

Attitudes about “the right to die” were studied among high school and college students at three recent points in time. A general item about the right to decide between life and death, and a specific one about that right for the terminally ill were accepted by more than half the students; both were more accepted than an item rejecting life after death. All three items were related to beliefs about religion, abortion, teenage birth control, and the worth of current ideas. The “right to die” items were positively correlated in all groups; the more conservative the students, the likelier they were to disagree with them. Agreement was related to belief in self-determination in moral/social matters. The item rejecting life after death was generally unrelated to the “right to die” items and to liberalism-conservatism, but its acceptance was greater among the more dogmatic college students, and among those derogating ideas and people. Possible reasons for the combined personality and time period effects were discussed; they suggest a potential backlash after more legislation such as the California law is passed, as is currently happening in the area of abortion.
From Health Services to Medical Markets: The Commodity Transformation of Medical Production and the Nonprofit Sector
Authors: Imershein Allen W. , Estes Carroll L.
Published: May 2005

In recent years the language and logic of medical care have moved from providing medical services to marketing product lines. Analysis in this article examines this task transformation and its implications for transformation of the nonprofit sector and of the state. The authors argue that these transformations are essential explanatory elements to account for the origins of medical services in the nonprofit sector, the early exclusion of capitalist organizations from hospital care, and the changes that fostered corporate entry. To wit, medical care tasks have undergone a two-stage transformation. The first transformation changed open-ended, ill-defined services with uncertain funding into more highly organized and codified services with stable funding, attracting both capitalist enterprises and capitalist logic into the nonprofit sector. The second transformation standardized medical care tasks into product lines, a process that also challenged the status of the nonprofit organizations performing these tasks. In an analysis of the second transformation, the authors argue that this challenge is in the process of turning back upon itself, undermining the conditions that fostered capitalist entry into medical care delivery in the first place.
Environment and Animal Procurement by the Mogollon of the Southwest
Authors: Shaffer Brian S. , Schick Christopher P.
Published: May 2005

Prehistoric horticulturalists of the American Southwest relied on crop complexes for much of their vegetal diet, but also relied heavily on hunting and trapping. Permanent settlement by the Mogollon resulted in resource depression of larger animal taxa (primarily artiodactyls) in some areas that could not withstand sustained human predation. This resulted in the predation of smaller animals (primarily jackrabbits, cottontail rabbits, and rodents) that could withstand intensive predation. The extent to which small animal taxa were incorporated into the prehistoric food regime is closely tied to the inability of the site catchment environments to support viable populations of larger taxa capable of withstanding human predation. This scenario is exemplified by five Mogollon sites from western and southwestern New Mexico.
Popular Opinion on Tax Cuts and Social Security
Authors: Teixeira Ruy
Published: May 2005

A review of recent opinion polls reveals the U.S. public's views on budget priorities and Social Security. The public wants more spending on Social Security, Medicare, and other domestic programs, chiefly education and health care, and prefers these spending priorities—by up to a 70 percent majority—to paying down the national debt and cutting taxes. The public supports the Social Security system but doubts it can continue to deliver the goods. To remedy this problem, it is willing not only to use part of the surplus but to raise the cap on payroll taxes. The public does not support benefit cuts or an increase in the retirement age. And the public remains unsure to hostile about the role of the stock market, whether in individual accounts or in the Social Security trust fund.
Teachers' Characteristics and Information Application Strategies of the World Wide Web
Authors: Chen Li-Ling , Huntsberger John
Published: May 2005

This study investigated the use of the World Wide Web (WWW) for instruction by two groups of teachers: teachers who are naïve or knowledgeable about the Web. Both groups of teachers' characteristics and associated information-seeking strategies for using a hypermedia information system such as the WWW were identified. The teachers' instructional application strategies for applying Web-based information were studied. This study found that WWW-knowledgeable teachers were able to utilize advanced application strategies and higher-level learning activities for teaching, and their application strategies were reflexive.
A Malignant Neuroleptic Spectrum: Review of Diagnostic Criteria and Treatment Implications in Three Case Reports
Authors: Pandya Mayur , Pozuelo Leopoldo
Published: May 2005

Prompt identification of cases of Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS) pose a diagnostic and treatment challenge. Three hospital cases of neuroleptic toxicity were reviewed and compared across five published diagnostic criteria sets for NMS. Of these criteria sets, only Levenson's criteria led to the detection of NMS in two out of our three patients. This criteria set supports a NMS spectrum concept, allowing earlier diagnosis and intervention. Lorazepam was used as initial treatment, which provided significant improvement. Use of Levenson's criteria for early diagnosis of NMS and lorazepam for its treatment may be useful tools for the early management of NMS.
Psychophysiological Responses to the Urban Environment
Authors: Ostfeld Adrian M. , D'Atri David A.
Published: May 2005

The relationship of urbanization to bodily changes and chronic disease is examined. Urban stress, as defined principally by one of its components, crowding, is examined in its role in the development of high blood pressure as well as in the modification of behavior and bodily function. Several sources of data are presented including those from animal studies, observations in man and some new data collected by the authors. The concept of information overload, the effects of noise on performance and on chronic disease, the psychophysiological effects of driving in traffic and the behavioral and bodily effects of crowding in man and animals are all presented. This paper intends to give the reader an overview of the complexity of the relationship of urban stress to behavioral changes and chronic disease. This relationship is described, and its multiple components, both in the environment and the nervous system, are enumerated.
Communication across Language Barriers
Authors: Lewert Henry V.
Published: May 2005

Success in developing overseas business depends, to a large extent, on successful communications. Printed materials in the local languages help to establish profitable commercial relations, but translations can do more harm than good unless sufficient attention is given to assuring their accuracy. For correspondence, the English language is suitable if you have no special facilities for accurate translation. The author has documented his conclusions with numerous examples.
The Conference Paradox: Progress or Pleasure?
Authors: Losano Wayne A.
Published: May 2005

The conference is looked upon as a nearly magical device for problem-solving, decision-making, strengthening intra-organizational communication, and building morale. These intended functions place a heavy burden on the conference leader and bring about a dichotomy in the conference between progress towards a goal and total member participation in discussion. This dichotomy can only be eliminated if a more realistic view of the conference is taken, a view which takes into account the impossibility of the conference fulfilling all of the functions which it is now expected to fulfill.
Establishing a Documentation Unit within a Software Development Corporation
Authors: Petito Joseph
Published: May 2005

Two closely related lectures on the development of manuals were presented at a recent AMA seminar. In the first set of lecture notes provided by the author, the function of the documentation unit in a company is described, as well as the development of material leading to the production of a systems manual. In the second set, the internal structure of the manual is discussed, particularly in gathering material and preparing the outline.
Preliminary Evaluation of a Resiliency-Based Preschool Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention Project
Authors: Dubas Judith Semon , Lynch Kathleen Bodisch , Galano Joseph , Geller Susan , Hunt Denise
Published: May 2005

The Resilient Children Making Healthy Choices (RCMHC) Project is an early childhood prevention initiative designed to promote health and social competence in young children by training their teachers in skills aimed at nurturing children's resilient development. Through a model program implemented in ten Head Start and other community-based preschool classrooms, teachers were trained in the use and integration of resiliency-based substance abuse/violence prevention strategies in their teaching practices. Analysis of outcome data from a pre-post comparison group design revealed increases in teacher interactional skills designed to enhance children's resiliency, and improvements in children's prosocial behaviors.
Heroism in Occupational Health
Authors: Castleman Barry
Published: May 2005

The author reports on an informative and confrontational discussion at the Indian Association of Occupational Health conference in New Delhi in February 2001. The president of the association, Dr. T. K. Joshi, took a strong and principled stand against the asbestos industry and many of his colleagues in maintaining his position that the use of asbestos should be banned in India.
Reducing Substance Abuse Risk Factors among Children through a Teacher as Facilitator Program
Authors: McLaughlin Robert J. , McClanahan Kimberly K. , Holcomb J. David , Gibbins Ann D. , Smith Quentin W. , Vlasak Jerry W. , Kingery Paul M.
Published: May 2005

A Teachers as Facilitators (TAF) Program used classroom teachers as leaders of small groups that promoted social, emotional, and academic development of children at high risk of adopting potentially destructive substance abuse patterns. The program was intended to increase participating students' positive socialization experiences and academic achievement by successfully integrating these students into the school's social system. A longer-range goal was to increase students' sense of worth as it affects their attitudes toward relationships with other people and academic demands.

Program results were: 1) school personnel were found capable of accurately identifying and referring to the TAF Program children who were at risk of substance usage and in need of assistance; 2) the TAF Program was effective in improving at-risk students' perceived academic self-concept, but was less effective in increasing students' perceived sense of social support; and 3) the program was endorsed by participating teachers, counselors, and administrators.
Crisis, Neoliberal Health Policy, and Political Processes in Mexico
Authors: Laurell Asa Cristina
Published: May 2005

The Mexican case represents an orthodox neoliberal health policy in the context of the structural adjustment adopted by the Mexican government in 1983. The social costs of this strategy are very high, including an increase in unemployment, wage depression, regressive redistribution of wealth, and profound changes in social policies. These transformations are reflected in the health sector, where the four main axes of neoliberal policy—expenditure restrictions, targeting, decentralization, and privatization—have been implemented. This represents a change in social policy from a model based on citizens' social rights and the state's obligation to guarantee them, to a model characterized by selective public charity. This strategy has been imposed on society as a result of the Mexican corporative political regime based on a state party system. Since 1985, however, there has been a growing process of independent organization of civil society. This led in the presidential elections of 1988 to the defeat of the candidate of the governing party by the candidate of a popular-democratic opposition front. Although the government party imposed its candidate through electoral fraud, social mobilization against neoliberal policies continues in the midst of an important political crisis that can only be resolved by profound democratization of Mexican society.