bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Strategies for Human Resource Development Supporting Technology Transfer
Authors: Meals Donald W.
Published: May 2005

The successful transfer of technology to developing countries is recognized as highly dependent on matching the knowledge and skills of the indigenous recipients with what is required to apply the technology successfully. Strategies for ensuring a timely supply of appropriately trained human resources are examined in light of linkages between the sources of technology, the implementing/operating organization and educational/training institutions. Based on this assessment, a more adaptive strategy is suggested. It emphasizes the source/implementer linkage, adds training capabilities to it and “pulls” both users of the technology and educational/training institutions toward sharply focused needs growing out of each specific transfer activity. Seen as less effective is the more traditional “push” strategy that depends on less effective linkages and produces more generally qualified implementers whose competences tend to be out of phase with requirements. The more promising strategy is seen as capable of improving the effectiveness of the educational/training institutions rather than reducing their importance.
Computer Support of a Competency-Determined Curriculum
Authors: Church Timothy , Prietula Michael , Schroeder Roger , Naumann Dave
Published: May 2005

A previous paper described in detail the development of a competency-determined pharmacy curriculum at the University of Minnesota [1]. A second major project was initiated for the development of a patient-oriented, holistic pharmaceutical curriculum. This paper describes the management information system being developed to support the information and data management needs for both of these projects.

The development process being used is evolutionary in motive, allowing the system to support the old curriculum as it is phased out, replaced by the new curriculum. In this way, the complexity of the management system increases as the curriculum requires, affording both time to test and debug new procedures and the ability to correct mistakes as work progresses.
Children's Anniversary Reactions to the Death of a Family Member
Authors: Fox Sandra Sutherland
Published: May 2005

Anniversary reactions–psychological, physical, and/or behavioral responses occurring at a time of special significance related to the death of a family member–have received little attention in children. In adults, anniversary reactions are described as signs of incomplete or pathological mourning. If childhood responses to bereavement become pathological in adulthood, it is important to study early anniversaries and develop strategies for prevention. This article describes an exploratory study that had the goals of identifying and understanding symptomatic behavior that may occur as a part of a child's anniversary reaction to the death of a family member, and differentiating children's normal and predictable anniversary responses from pathological reactions. An extensive review of literature about children's anniversary reactions to the death of a family member, anniversary reactions in adults, the development of the child's concepts of death and of time, and about children's mourning suggests significant gaps in the understanding of this process. Findings from the exploratory study of eighteen children's anniversary reactions are reported and areas for future study are identified.
A Study of Family Support, Friendship, and Psychological Well-Being among Older Women in Hong Kong
Authors: Siu Oi-Ling , Phillips David R.
Published: May 2005

The “dual-channel” hypothesis (Lawton, 1996), which suggests the dual-antecedent pattern for positive and negative aspects of psychological well-being, was tested by examining the differential relationships between objective and subjective measures of family support (family contact, family quality, perceived importance of family) and friendship (friends support, friends quality, perceived importance of friendship) to two facets of psychological well-being (positive and negative affect). Face-to-face interviews were conducted with a sample of 60 older women aged 60 to 85 in one district of Hong Kong. A series of hierarchical multiple regression analyses, controlling for age and marital status, demonstrated that two subjective measures (family quality and perceived importance of friendship) were significant predictors of positive affect; and one subjective measure (family quality) was a significant predictor of negative affect. The “dual-channel” hypothesis was partially supported. Recommendations regarding informal support provision for older women are discussed.
Chronic Illness and Depressive Symptoms among Chinese Older Adults: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Chou Kee-Lee , Chi Iris
Published: May 2005

Depression is quite common among the elderly members of Hong Kong Chinese society. This study examined the impact of a series of chronic illnesses on change in depressive symptoms among the older people. The respondents were 260 people aged 70 years or older from a longitudinal study of a representative community sample of the elderly population in Hong Kong. Using multiple regression models, the authors found that, of six chronic illnesses examined, only arthritis was associated with depressive symptoms three years later, even after controlling socio-demographic, functional impairment, and social support variables were applied. Service and policy implications of the findings are discussed.
Knowledge Acquisition in Computer-Based Learning Environments among Elementary Children
Authors: Chirwa Andrew S.
Published: May 2005

The need to understand how children acquire knowledge in computer-based learning environments led the researcher to undertake this study. The purpose was to develop a conceptualization of what learning strategies children frequently use to process conceptually demanding material. The goal was to expose children to different categories of courseware that featured multimedia, drill and practice, simulations, tutorials, spreadsheets, and databases; and to determine learning strategies including elaboration, organization, integration, and recall. The object was to compare the types of learning strategy and nature of knowledge forms acquired during the process of learning the given material in a subject area. The study was conducted at Washington Elementary School; and participants were children in the third through sixth grades. Data was collected by using surveys, formal observations, and formative and summative evaluation procedures. Results show that 80 percent of the time the students had attention focused on the learning material and gained an elevated level of awareness. The learning strategies imagery, exemplifying, and networking were used 70 percent of the time as means to gain conceptual knowledge, factual knowledge, procedural knowledge, and develop high order thinking. The learning strategies covert practice, overt practice, and identifying key ideas were used 60 percent of the time to gain conceptual knowledge, factual knowledge, procedural knowledge, and rules in the subject areas. The learning strategy categorization was used 40 percent of the time as means to gain conceptual knowledge, factual knowledge, procedural knowledge, and rules. The learning strategies sentence elaboration and anticipation were used 30 percent of the time to gain conceptual knowledge, factual knowledge, procedural knowledge, rules, high-order rules, and develop high order thinking. These findings have implications to learning and knowledge acquisition in computer-based learning environments, instructional design, program development and improvement, and technology and teacher education.
Autoerotic Asphyxiation: A Challenge to Death Educators and Counselors
Authors: Garos Sheila
Published: May 2005

Autoerotic asphyxiation is a form of erotic activity that has been practiced in many cultures for many years. It has been estimated that approximately 250–1000 deaths each year in the United States are the result of hangings that were intended to enhance sexual excitement. Educators and counselors may be called upon to respond to concerns about autoerotic asphyxiation both in general and in its sometimes lethal consequences. Family members and friends of people who have died in this way may have complicated grief responses because of the unanswered questions and anxieties that are likely to be aroused by autoerotic asphyxiation. Professional caregivers may also be disturbed by this seldom-discussed connection between sexuality and death. There may also be mistakes made in determining whether the death was accidental or the result of suicidal intent. Attention needs to be given to the individual's self-rescue mechanism. This article reviews the scattered literature on autoerotic asphyxiation and includes observations by two psychiatrists and a medical examiner. Much remains to be learned about this practice and the circumstances that lead to a fatal outcome.
Social and Structural Factors Affecting Psychiatric Consultation in the Ambulatory Medical Setting
Authors: Linn Lawrence S. , Daniels Marcia
Published: May 2005

The kinds of help primary care physicians requested from a psychiatric consultant in an ambulatory medical clinic are described. Based upon data from 173 encounters involving fifty-four physicians over a five and one-half month period, no single issue characterized a majority of encounters, and the nature of the help requested was diverse. Female physicians were more likely to initiate encounters that dealt with personal feelings about themselves or their patients. Male physicians were more likely to ask for assistance in evaluating patients. Whether or not a patient was seen as part of the consultation also significantly influenced the type of interaction that ensued as did the location of the interaction (hallway, room, or telephone) and whether or not the interaction was planned. Implications of these findings with regard to the training of primary care psychiatrists as well as the use of their services in ambulatory medical settings are explored.
Ceramic Attributes and Accokeek Creek Chronology: An Analysis of Sherds from the Falcon's Landing (18PR131) and the Accotink Meander (44FX1908) Sites
Authors: Klein Michael J. , Stevens J. Sanderson
Published: May 2005

Stephenson (1963) defined Accokeek Creek ware based on his analysis of ceramics from undated contexts at the Accokeek Creek site in Maryland. Subsequently, excavations at stratified sites in the Potomac Valley placed friable, sand and grit tempered Accokeek ceramics between 800 and 500 B.C. However, disagreement about the definition and chronological placement of Accokeek Creek pottery continues (cf., Thurman, 1987 and Stewart, 1987). Analysis of ceramics from the Falcon's Landing site (18PR131) and the Accotink Meander site (44FX1908), combined with a review of data from throughout the region, suggests temporal variation in the attributes of Accokeek Creek sherds underlies these difficulties.
A Long-Run View of Israeli Society through the Looking Glass of Mourning Announcements in the Press
Authors: Roniger Luis
Published: May 2005

This study analyzes death (‘mourning’) announcements published in the Hebrew press in twentieth century Mandatory Palestine and Israel within the context of a decades-long social and cultural transformation. It discusses the process of diffusion of these announcements, the shifting forms of postmortem allocation of prestige, trends of inclusion and exclusion, the variable functions of the announcements and the extent to which public notice of death has been increasingly or decreasingly monitored by friendship, kinship, asso-ciational and occupational networks.
Death at a Distance: A Study of Family Survivors
Authors: Owen Greg , Fulton Robert , Markusen Eric
Published: May 2005

This paper reports the findings of a social-psychological investigation of bereavement conducted in the metropolitan area of Minneapolis and St. Paul over a period of twelve months. Information was solicited using both questionnaires and home interviews from 558 bereaved persons, including spouses (434), parents (85), and adult children (39) responding to the death of an elderly parent. Strong emotional ties were evidenced in each of the three subsamples and a wide variety of physical and emotional reactions were demonstrated by all three groups following the death.

One of the most important findings of the study is that the type of relationship severed by the death is an important determinant of the nature of the grief experienced by survivors. For example, within the adult child sample, the data suggest that the death of elderly parents is less disruptive, less emotionally debilitating and generally less significant for surviving adult children in terms of the continuity and stability of established behavioral patterns than for the other two groups. The adult child group also displayed less illness during bereavement than either the surviving parents or surviving spouses and were less likely to utilize traditional funerary rituals.

It is hypothesized that these observed differences reflect significant changes in the larger society, including 1) the nature and function of the nuclear family and its members, 2) institutionalization of the dying and professionalization of their care, and 3) cultural conceptions of the meaning of life and death. Discussion focuses on the theoretical implications of the findings as they relate to the impact of death, grief and bereavement on the contemporary family, as well as to specific issues relevant to practicing clinicians in their attempts to aid families coping with separation and loss.
Creativity and Speed of Mental Processing
Authors: Kwiatkowski Jonna , Vartanian Oshin , Martindale Colin
Published: May 2005

It is reasonable to expect a correlation between creativity and speed of mental processing. Faster mental processing would allow one to learn the elements relevant to a domain and to screen more ideas for creative potential more quickly. However, there is evidence that highly creative people exhibit cognitive disinhibition and defocused attention. Thus, for ambiguous tasks, their speed of mental processing may be slow because they are poor at filtering out irrelevant aspects of stimuli. We tested the hypothesis that creative people should show faster reaction times on unambiguous tasks and slower reaction times on ambiguous tasks than less-creative people. The hypothesis was confirmed. There was a negative correlation between creativity and reaction time on an unambiguous Concept Verification Test and a positive correlation between creativity and a negative priming task.
Medical Education and Instructional Design
Authors: Boutwell Richard C.
Published: May 2005

The rising costs of medical care and the training of medical professionals has brought about circumstances which threatens the acceptable quality of medical care in the United States. Fewer medical schools and a drop in the rate of enrolled medical students are but two indicators reflecting the issue between cost versus quality of medical training.

One of the medical communities responses to this crisis has been the introduction of educational technology and instructional design processes in the training of medical professionals. This paper discusses the background of the problem and offers an instructional design model which has applied success.
Evaluation of a Local Designated Driver and Responsible Server Program to Prevent Drinking and Driving
Authors: Simons-Morton Bruce G. , Cummings Sharon Snider
Published: May 2005

Point of purchase interventions by beverage alcohol servers provide one promising approach to preventing drinking and driving and many communities now support such programs. To evaluate the impact of a designated driver and responsible server program in Houston, we assessed server training courses, observed and interviewed servers and patrons at five establishments participating in the program, and reviewed the distribution of vouchers awarded for a safe ride home by taxi. The training course for alcoholic beverage servers produced significant improvements in the participants' perceptions about their role in preventing drunk driving. In five participating establishments 15.6 percent of servers wore buttons announcing the establishment's participation in the program; immediately after retraining 26.6 percent wore the buttons. Of the eligible patrons in these establishments 6.6 percent actually participated in the designated driver program. The program provided an average of 0.7 safe ride home vouchers per establishment per month. In one additional establishment an experiment was conducted in which servers always announced the designated driver program to patrons, but no increase in the prevalence of designated drivers occurred.
Identifying Effective Writing Exercises for Lower-Division Technical Writing Courses
Authors: Henson Leigh
Published: May 2005

Conceptual and empirical research were combined to develop information concerning the kinds of papers appropriate for lower-division technical writing in various kinds of institutions: the community college, the technical institute, the four-year college or small university, and the multi-purpose university. Relationships were studied between types of papers rated highly appropriate by teachers of technical writing and types of institutions as well as instructional aims. Also studied were those teachers' suggestions for specialized kinds of papers. The author discusses the implications of this research for determining instructional aims of lower-division technical writing courses in four-year institutions.
Religion and Medicine I: Historical Background and Reasons for Separation
Authors: Koenig Harold G.
Published: May 2005

Religion and medicine have a long, intertwined, tumultuous history, going back thousands of years. Only within the past 200–300 years (less than 5 percent of recorded history) have these twin healing traditions been clearly separate. This series on religion and medicine begins with a historical review, proceeding from prehistoric times through ancient Egypt, Greece, and early Christianity through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the Age of Enlightenment, when the split between religion and medicine became final and complete. Among the many reasons for the continued separation is that religion may either be simply irrelevant to health or, worse, that it may have a number of negative health effects. I review here both opinion and research supporting this claim.
Tactics of the Interview
Authors: Sachs Harley L.
Published: May 2005

The importance of technique in the interview is stressed by the author. He starts out by describing some of the classical kinds of interviews, then goes on to discuss qualities that characterize a good interview: demonstrating enthusiasm, deciding the angle, conserving time, and drawing on insight and experience.

Also discussed are possible problems involving tact, note taking, photographs, and confirmation and approval.
The Stream of Consciousness: XXII. Apprehension and the Feeling Aspect
Authors: Natsoulas Thomas
Published: May 2005

The feeling aspect that, according to James, every state of consciousness possesses—what is it and what is its function? From a previous article, I continue here an effort to spell out how the feeling aspect and a cognitive aspect—which, too, was proposed to characterize all pulses of mentality—belong together to a single integral whole. Every state of consciousness is both a feeling and a mental apprehension of something, or at least as though of something. Although states of consciousness vary in veridicality, no state of consciousness is more or less cognitive than any other. Nor is any state of consciousness more abstract, less finite, than any another, less of a concrete feeling. Even an awareness of something universal or general is a “perfectly determinate, singular, and transient thing. … a perishing segment of thought's stream, consubstantial with other facts of sensibility.” The feeling aspect is the experiential, qualitative way in which—or form by which—a state of consciousness feels the totality of items, properties, events, relations, and so on, that it apprehends or seems to apprehend.
Master Concepts in the Field of Death, Dying, and Bereavement: Coping Versus Adaptive Strategies
Authors: Corr Charles A. , Doka Kenneth J.
Published: May 2005

This article proposes that thanatological studies attempt to develop broad master concepts that integrate knowledge both within the field and in relation to other disciplines. The authors then debate the adequacy of two possible master concepts—coping or adaptation—as ways to increase understandings of responses to events related to death and loss, such as dying, bereavement, grief, and mourning. Each of the co-authors of this article offers arguments and a rejoinder or rebuttal on behalf of one of these favored concepts. The article concludes by noting areas in which they agree in this discussion and by suggesting ways in which the discussion itself can benefit our field.
Physical Activity and Psychosocial Discomfort among High School Students in Taipei, Taiwan
Authors: Page Randy M. , Lee Ching-Mei , Miao Nae-Fang , Dearden Kirk , Carolan Athena
Published: May 2005

The relationship between physical activity and psychosocial discomfort was investigated among a sample of 2,665 high school students in Taipei, Taiwan. Results showed that both boys and girls who were physically inactive or engaged in infrequent physical activity scored higher than their more physically active counterparts on three measures of psychosocial discomfort—loneliness, shyness, and hopelessness. Results also showed that a high proportion of Taipei City and Taipei County high school students did not report frequent participation in vigorous physical activity and strengthening exercises. This study's findings are discussed in the context of implications for health education programs aimed at increasing physical activity in youth. Additionally, this study explores cross-national differences in loneliness, shyness, and hoplessness between this sample of adolescents and samples of adolescents in the United States and another Asian country.
The Amputee War Casualty in a Military Hospital: Observations on Psychological Management
Authors: Frank John L.
Published: May 2005

The psychological tasks facing the amputee war casualty change according to the phases of rehabilitation from wound healing through ambulation and the transition to civilian life. Psychiatric experience on the amputee ward in a military hospital over an eighteen month period, including individual and group psychotherapy, reveals that patient conflict over feelings of loss, guilt, dependency and anger are not uncommon. Impulsive behavior, social withdrawal, and lack of cooperation with recommended medical procedure may be symptomatic of earlier maladaptive responses to stress which have been exacerbated by the loss of a limb. Clinical examples are presented which highlight the importance of attachment to loved ones and magical wishful thinking in the experience of loss in the hospital setting. The psychiatric-orthopedic liaison helps to increase staff awareness of psychological processes so that the patient's emotional difficulties can be defined and minimized.
Color Elements in National Schools of Painting: A Statistical Investigation
Authors: Gribkov Vitaly S. , Petrov Vladimir M.
Published: May 2005

A deductive model to explain the functioning of art brings forward regularities concerning the color elements which are used in paintings. To provide optimal perception both of individual paintings and of systems of paintings it is necessary to organize them in such a way that: each given painting consists of four spectral color elements and one or two non-spectral ones (black and/or white); each national school of painting should be based on its “color-and-light standard” which is nothing but white color representing sunlight, and the properties of this “standard” should respond to the parameters of the sunlight typical for the region of a given culture; quite a definite “color triad” is inherent to each national school, dominating the majority of its paintings.

These regularities were verified using 822 paintings representing French, Italian, Spanish, and Russian national schools. The results obtained may be used not only for model purposes but also for various studies in history of art.
Increasing Teacher Receptivity toward Use of Tobacco Prevention Education Programs
Authors: Gingiss Phyllis Levenson , Gottlieb Nell H. , Brink Susan G.
Published: May 2005

An empirical examination of teacher receptivity to and practice of tobacco prevention education provides the foundation for comprehensive staff development to increase diffusion of drug prevention education curricula. Randomly-selected first grade Texas teachers ( n = 313) were asked to complete a questionnaire during the first and second years of the Smoke-Free Class of 2000 (SFC2000) project. Initially 64 percent of recipients used materials. However, two of every five first-year users did not maintain use one year later, and many who intended use never implemented. Principal components analysis of fourteen items pertaining to receptivity resulted in four scales with acceptable reliability scores: general receptivity to tobacco prevention education, personal support for teaching tobacco prevention education, personal involvement, and school involvement in tobacco prevention. Scales were predictive of initial and continued use and provide a teacher receptivity measure to guide staff development.
The Cognitive and Behavioral Basis of an Instructional Design: Using CBT to Teach Technical Information and Learning Strategies
Authors: Cook E. K. , Kazlauskas E. J.
Published: May 2005

The efficacy of CBT as an instructional medium has been researched extensively. Studies show that when there is a good instructional design, there is a moderately positive effect on trainee performance. Therefore, when working on the initial stages of a large-scale CBT project, one must create an instructional design that enforces a consistent style for all lessons and yet is solidly rooted in behavioral and cognitive learning theory. One must carefully design lesson structure and strategies; consider navigation and learner control issues; and incorporate learning strategy training into the lesson structure if such training is necessary. This article summarizes a nine-month effort to create CBT production guidelines that address these concerns. It concludes with recommendations for practice.
Observing-Self in Memories of Obsessive-Compulsives
Authors: Terry William S. , Barwick Elizabeth C.
Published: May 2005

College students recalled ten specific events (e.g., giving a public performance) to test the hypothesis that obsessive-compulsives more often take the observing-self perspective in autobiographical memories. A curvilinear relationship was found with scores on the Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory: individuals with low-to-moderate scores had fewer observing-self memories than did either high obsessives or those with the lowest scores. Observer memories were rated higher in vividness and emotionality than were field memories, and as having been rehearsed more often. As compared to non-obsessives, the obsessives reported that their memories in general, whether observer or field, were more vivid and detailed, and had been more frequently rehearsed.
Teachers' Beliefs about Computers: Report of a Case Study
Authors: Hinostroza Enrique , Mellar Harvey
Published: May 2005

Much of the research on the use of computers in education either looks at the computer as a cognitive tool or as a catalyst for change aimed at fostering students' learning and changing teachers' actual routines. However, neither of these perspectives gives much consideration to the teaching framework in which the computer is actually used. In order to address this issue, a case study was designed to explore teachers' concepts and beliefs about computers. In this case study two teachers were involved in a software development process, and observation of their discussions during this process was used as a technique to uncover the teachers' beliefs about using computers. The case study led to a model of how teachers use computers in classroom teaching. This model conceptualizes the computer as a teaching resource that helps teachers to develop their teaching strategy, replacing the teachers in their role of managing students' rehearsal of materials and serving as a classroom management tool. This model of using computers demonstrates significant links between teachers' teaching strategies and the use of computers in education and thereby provides a support for a view of computers as professional tools for educators.
Conservation of Archaeological Collections
Authors: Morris Kenneth
Published: May 2005

The conservation of archaeological materials should be considered part of any archaeological recovery analysis or storage operation. In the past two decades, conservation has begun to emerge as a profession. With this advent should come an increased awareness on the part of archaeologists that specialized techniques and practices used by conservators can prolong the life and usefulness of irreplaceable data base collections. With a few notable exceptions, professional conservation for collections has been ignored in the past. The result of neglect has been lost or badly damaged artifacts. This situation can and should be rectified.
Self-Induced Hypoglycemia: A Review of Psychiatric Aspects and Report of Three Cases
Authors: Moore Gordon L. , McBurney P. Louis , Service F. John
Published: May 2005

Unauthorized self-administration of hypoglycemic agents produces a unique clinical situation. Because the symptoms and laboratory findings are consistent with a functioning adenoma of the pancreas, there is a significant hazard of unnecessary surgery. By appropriate laboratory tests, however, the alert physician may be able to justify suspicion that the disorder is self-induced.

Accurate diagnosis may be further facilitated by recognizing certain similarities in these patients. Review of published reports and study of three cases newly presented have revealed these characteristics with enough consistency for proposal of a psychiatric syndrome. In hypoglycemia, factitial causation is suggested by the combination of female sex, single status, medical knowledge derived from experience as a diabetic or from vocational or family contacts, and features of the hysterical personality.
The Browser War: An Ethical Analysis of the Struggle between Microsoft and the U.S. Department of Justice
Authors: Meier Dennis
Published: May 2005

The ongoing antitrust battle between the U.S. Department of Justice and Microsoft Corporation presents technical communicators with two ethical questions: 1) Is it right, good, or fair for Microsoft to give away its Internet Explorer browser? 2) If Microsoft gains monopoly control over the PC browser market, will this be good for us? In this article, I exam these questions using traditional rights-based ethical theory (Kant), utilitarianism, and John Rawls' principles of justice, concluding that it is neither good nor fair for a company having a near-monopoly over a market to sell products below fair market value, nor is it good that one company stands to gain monopoly control over the PC browser market.

When the discussion turned to Netscape, one Intel executive, who asked not to be identified, recalled Martiz [Paul Martiz, Microsoft Group Vice President, Platforms & Application] saying: “We are going to cut off their air supply. Everything they're selling, we're going to give away for free” [1].

“We're giving away a pretty good browser as part of the operating system. How long can they survive selling it?”—Statement by Steve Ballmer, Microsoft President and CEO [2].

“Our business model works even if all Internet software is free,” says Mr. Gates. “We are still selling operating systems.” Netscape, in contrast, is dependent upon its Internet software for profits, he points out.—Statements by Bill Gates, Microsoft Chairman [3].

Only a monopolist could study a competitor and destroy its business by giving away products—Statement by Scott McNealy, Sun Microsystems Chairman [4].
Psychological Problems in Christian and Moslem Primary Care Patients in Greece
Authors: Androutsopoulou C. , Livaditis M. , Xenitidis K. I. , Trypsianis G. , Samakouri M. , Pastelmatzi A. , Tzavaras N.
Published: May 2005

Objective:

Psychiatric problems are often expressed through, or coexist with, somatic symptoms. Cultural factors may influence this association. This study aims to 1) estimate the prevalence of mental health problems in a sample of primary care attendees in a rural area of Greece, and 2) investigate the differences in psychiatric symptomatology among patients from different religious/cultural backgrounds.

Method:

Over a three-month period, 300 consecutive adult patients (Christians and Moslems) at the rural Primary Care Health Centre of Iasmos in Thrace, Greece, were assessed with the 28-item General Health Questionnaire.

Results:

The probable prevalence of mental health problems was estimated at 32 percent. Only for a small minority of the patients (3.3 percent) psychological problems were the presenting complaint. Moslems scored significantly higher than Christians in the somatic complaints subscale ( p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

Mental health problems are common in primary care although they rarely constitute a reason for consultation. Sociocultural background may affect the presentation of psychological distress. Primary health care staff have a significant role in identifying hidden psychiatric morbidity.
False Expectations? Expectations vs. Probabilities for Dying
Authors: Smith Carolyn M.
Published: May 2005

It is widely recognized that the role of the physician has undergone dramatic changes in the last century—changes which have serious implications for the patient-physician relationship. This is an ethnographic study examining how certain changes in the role and abilities of biomedical physicians have affected patient attitudes and expectations about end-of-life care. In-home interviews were conducted with eighteen persons age fifty-five and older, including a sample of Hemlock Society members. Results indicate a broad spectrum of end-of-life concerns including capacity, autonomy, pain, and burden to loved ones. Most participants reported a reluctance to begin a discussion of death or future deteriorating capacity with their physicians. Instead, when conversations about death were reported, they had been largely limited to the scenarios of catastrophic illness (e.g., hospitalization, ventilator, etc.) and the Living Will. While this discussion does not overlook the utility of the Living Will, it proposes that reliance on this document for preparing patients for end-of-life care is inadequate.
Beyond Written Communication: A/V in the Classroom
Authors: Wyld Lionel
Published: May 2005

The use of audiovisual materials, graphics, acoustics, special effects, and the like, to enhance, supplement, or even supplant the lecture, paper, or standard written/oral forms of communication has become increasingly important in today's technologically oriented business world. Available products and new developments offer both a challenge and a satisfaction that can be highly advantageous to the classroom situation. Students profit with increased learning and often a more avid interest in communication studies; teachers profit by having interested, involved students and the satisfaction that comes with employing up-to-the-minute resources and materials. (Examples of films for use in teaching communications classes are cited.)
The Preeminence of Primary Care within Cuban Predoctoral Medical Education
Authors: Cardelle Alberto J. F.
Published: May 2005

As a result of a massive public health system and state-of-the-art tertiary medical care services, Cuba's health profile now indicates a high incidence of chronic noncommunicable diseases; Cuban health authorities concluded that this required a community-based primary care solution. In the early 1980s the Ministry of Health (MINSAP) implemented a national family medicine program with the goal of providing one “Medico de la Familia” (family physician) for every 700 persons. To attain and ensure the sustainability of this primary care model, MINSAP reformed the medical education curriculum. The reform strategies created a primary care “specialty” and provided a broad-based interdisciplinary approach to primary care training. The reforms place primary care in a prominent position within the predoctoral medical education curriculum. Cuba's approach is an innovation for a country that attained impressive medical advances through a specialized high-technology medical system.
Ptsd, Depression, and Health Status in Lebanese Civilians Exposed to a Church Explosion
Authors: Farhood Laila F. , Noureddine Samar N.
Published: May 2005

Objective:

This study examined the effect of stressors on PTSD, depression, and health status in a sample of Lebanese civilians exposed to a church explosion and their comparison groups (33 victims, 30 family members, and 30 neighbors) one year after the event.

Method:

This descriptive study used interviews that were conducted with the participants in their homes. The main outcome measures were the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale Version I, Beck Depression Inventory, and change in health service utilization in the past year. Multivariate analysis was done using logistic regression to predict the study outcomes.

Results:

PTSD was present in 17.2% of the total sample, depression in 41.9% and the mean increase in doctors' visits was 2.05 ± 2.97. In the victims' group, 39% met PTSD diagnostic criteria, 51% were depressed, and 45% reported deterioration in their health status. These rates were significantly higher than those in the comparison groups. Also, females were 2.62 times more at risk than males for depression. Victims were 7.35 times and those with financial problems 2.67 times more at risk of having increased doctor's visits than their family or neighbor comparison groups.

Conclusion:

The results suggest that PTSD, depression, and health status deterioration in trauma victims may persist over time. Resources such as social support can help attenuate the symptoms of those at a higher risk.
Patient Concerns, Emotional Resources, and Perception of Nurse and Patient Roles
Authors: Castles Mary Reardon , Keith Patricia M.
Published: May 2005

Thirty-three patients in a cancer research hospital responded to questions on a semi-structured interview schedule. Patients in this sample did not perceive institution factors as contributing to their distress, identified cooperation with therapy and with institution staff as normative patient behavior, and instrumental activities as normative nurse behavior. Distress stimuli, categorized as physical, psychological, or social were not likely to be entirely amenable to staff care strategies.
Hospital Stressors Experienced by Elderly Medical Inpatients: Developing a Hospital Stress Index
Authors: Koenig Harold G. , George Linda K. , Stangl Dalene , Tweed Dan L.
Published: May 2005

Objective:

To develop a long and short version of an index to measure experiences during hospitalization perceived by elderly patients as stressful.

Samples and Methods:

Consecutive patients aged sixty or over admitted to a university teaching hospital were assessed for hospital-related stressors during two separate studies. In the first study, seventy-six patients were asked an open-ended question exploring what they found most stressful about being in the hospital. Responses were grouped into major categories, and questions were developed to address concerns in each category; the resulting forty items were called the Hospital Stress Index (HSI). The HSI was then administered to a separate group of ninety-two patients; data were also collected on functional disability (impaired ADLs), dysfunctional attitudes (DAS), and depressive symptoms (CES-D).

Results:

Spontaneously reported hospital stressors were grouped into seven categories: 1) adverse effects of diagnostic or therapeutic procedures/treatments, 2) forced life-style changes, 3) relationships with staff, 4) individual psychiatric issues, 5) understanding diagnosis/prognosis, 6) family issues, and 7) the physical environment. The largest category of stressors concerned relationships with doctors and nurses. High HSI scores were significantly more common among Whites than Blacks and among patients with high CES-D, high DAS, or impaired ADLs scores. A number of potentially modifiable hospital-related stressors and individual patient issues were identified. Finally, an abbreviated fifteen-item HSI was developed to maximize patient discriminability, highlight individual differences, and enhance the detection of modifiable stressors.

Conclusions:

Hospital-reported stressors may contribute to the emotional distress that elderly inpatients experience. We have developed an index to identify such stressors.
Archaeological Investigations of A Lithic Reduction Activity Area, Herring Island (18 Ce 146), Cecil County, Maryland
Authors: Ward H. Henry
Published: May 2005

Salvage archaeological investigations at the Herring Island site revealed a major base camp dating to Middle Archaic—Late Woodland times. During the Late Archaic and Early Woodland periods there is a clear distinction between a quarry-reduction area associated with ironstone outcroppings and habitation areas on the southwest section of the island. The high quality ironstone outcrops, the only identified to date in the Upper Chesapeake Bay region, and the intensive quarry-reduction activities suggest that Herring Island was a major center of ironstone artifact production which supplied the regional exchange networks that spread this lithic material throughout the Upper Chesapeake Bay region during Late Archaic—Early Woodland times.
The Role of the Hospital in the Health Policy of the German Social Democratic Movement before World War I
Authors: Labisch Alfons
Published: May 2005

In this article, the author aims to contrast the traditional architecture-oriented history of hospitals with an empirical sociohistorical approach. The main topic discussed is the hospital's role in health policy as seen by German Social Democrats in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Social democratic hospital policy developed as a compromise between two extreme positions: the party theoretician's abstract ideals on the one side and the rank and file's pragmatic view on the other. Thus, the social history of the hospital can illustrate how, around the turn of the century, the political labor movement in Germany shifted from radical revolutionary aims to pragmatic social reform in everyday political practice. At the same time, the hospital underwent a fundamental social change from a charity institution to a municipal center of modern medical care. This implies that any static or one-sided interpretation of the hospital's history and sociology is inadequate: its social role constantly changes according to broader social change and different interests of social groups and organizations. As for the social history of medicine in general, modern medicine's development can not be adequately understood from the narrow perspective of medical institutions themselves. It has to be seen in the broader context of socioeconomic and sociocultural development.
Substance Abuse Treatment Staff: Recovery Status and Approaches to Treatment
Authors: Stoffelmayr Bertram E. , Mavis Brian E. , Kasim Rafa M.
Published: May 2005

Recovery status is an important characteristic of staff members working within substance abuse treatment Recovering and nonrecovering staff members were contrasted previously, however there is a third group: Individuals who are not recovering themselves but are part of families with recovering or addicted members. The purpose of the present study is to compare background, roles within program and approaches to treatment of these three groups. Six hundred and thirty-four staff members of fifty-one treatment programs completed questionnaires. Five hundred and seventy-five completed an item indicating their recovery status. Forty-four percent identified themselves as nonrecovering, 30 percent as recovering, and 26 percent as nonrecovering but part of families with an addicted or recovering member. Nonrecovering staff with addicted or recovering family members differed from the other two groups on gender, more of them were female, but were similar to nonrecovering staff in their approach to treatment but fell between recovering and nonrecovering staff on measures of roles within programs and background. Recovering counselors reported to pursue a wider range of treatment goals and to use more varied treatment techniques than nonrecovering counselors. The implication of these findings for training and licensure of paraprofessionals in the field of substance abuse treatment is discussed.
The Family Doctor and the Suicidal Family
Authors: Richman Joseph , Rosenbaum Milton
Published: May 2005

Suicide is a broad social problem, the full scope of which extends beyond the medical profession. The physician is, nevertheless, one of the most important figures in the field of suicide prevention. Particularly because of the growth of community psychiatry and other changes in psychiatric practice, it is more urgent than ever that the physician be alert to the problem of suicide and other derivatives of emotional and interpersonal disturbances. The presence of a great potential for saving lives and preventing suicide entails an equally great responsibility. This responsibility has not been fully met by the medical profession and especially not by the medical educators.

We therefore strongly recommend that the study of the theory and prevention of suicide be made an integral part of the medical school curriculum. In the light of the importance of the family in suicide we further recommend that family interviewing and counseling be incorporated into both medical school education and post-graduate training. Such a program would include not only a knowledge of how to interview and evaluate a family, but also how to recognize when a referral to a family therapy specialist is required.
Death Depression Scale-Revised
Authors: Templer Donald I. , Harville Michael , Hutton Shane , Underwood Rocky , Tomeo Marie , Russell Michele , Mitroff David , Arikawa Hiroko
Published: May 2005

A 21-item Death Depression Scale-Revised was constructed to be more independent of death anxiety than the original 17-item Death Depression Scale. This new instrument had a Chronbach's alpha of .92, reasonable correlations with death anxiety and general depression and general anxiety, a meaningful factor structure, and a correlation of .85 between Likert and true-false formats.
Perceptions of Life and Death among Suicidal Gay Adolescents
Authors: Ben-Ari Adital Tirosh , Gil Sharon
Published: May 2005

Suicide rates among homosexuals are higher than those among hetero-sexuals. This article suggests that gay youth who attempt suicide represent a special case in which the meanings associated with life and death are worth exploration. In light of the phenomenological paradigm, we are interested in how sixteen gay men who attempted suicide perceived life and death before the actual suicide attempt and how these perceptions are linked to the attempt. Orbach's model specifies four categories of attitudes toward life and death: attraction and aversion to life and attraction and aversion to death. Only three categories of Orbach's model emerged from the interview data. “Attraction to life” was missing and the analysis attempts to account for this gap.

Life and death are interdependent; they exist simultaneously, not consecutively; death whirs continuously beneath the membrane of life and exerts a vast influence upon experience and conduct (Yalom, 1980, p. 29).