bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Retrospective Reports of Pregnancy Wantedness and Child Well-Being in the United States
Authors: Hummer Robert A. , Hack Kimberly A. , Raley R. Kelly
Published: May 2004

Survey estimates indicate that about one half of all U.S. pregnancies that result in birth are reported as unwanted or mistimed. As a result, there is substantial interest in the association between pregnancy wantedness and infant and child well-being. The objective of this study is to expand our knowledge of the effects of pregnancy wantedness on several measures of child well-being using the National Maternal and Infant Health Survey-Longitudinal Follow-up data. The results indicate that pregnancies retrospectively classified as unwanted or mistimed are associated with overall worse measures of child well-being across all three out come measures that are employed. These associations are generally weakened, but not eliminated, with controls for a number of biologic and social risk factor control variables. Program interventions that alleviate some of the negative circumstances associated with unwanted and mistimed pregnancies may work to reduce the health and developmental disadvantages experienced by these children.
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of the New South Wales Adult Drug Court Program
Authors: Shanahan Marian , Lancsar Emily , Haas Marion , Lind Bronwyn , Weatherburn Don , Chen Shuling
Published: May 2004

In New South Wales, Australia, a cost-effectiveness evaluation was conducted of an adult drug court (ADC) program as an alternative to jail for criminal offenders addicted to illicit drugs. This article describes the program, the cost-effectiveness analysis, and the results. The results of this study reveal that, for the 23-month period of the evaluation, the ADC was as cost-effective as were conventional sanctions in delaying the time to the first offense and more cost-effective in reducing the frequency of offending for those outcome measures selected. Although the evaluation was conducted using the traditional steps of a cost-effectiveness analysis, because of the complexity of the program and data limitations it was not always possible to adhere to textbook procedures. As such, each step involved in undertaking the cost-effectiveness analysis is discussed, highlighting the key issues faced in the evaluation.
Casaworks for Families
Authors: Morgenstern Jon , Nakashian Mary , Woolis Diana D. , Gibson Fay M. , Bloom Nancy L. , Kaulback Brenda G.
Published: May 2004

This article provides a brief overview of CASAWORKS for Families(CWF), an innovative intervention designed to help substance-abusing parentingwomen on welfare. CWFwas developed in response to the passage of welfare reform legislation in 1996. Factors that provided a background and context for the development ofCWFare considered. The rationale, key elements, and the conduct of a pilot demonstration of CWFar e described. Evaluation findings that serve to guide the next steps to improve the intervention are reviewed. Finally, new welfare policy priorities emerging around the importance of addressing behavioral health problems among welfare recipients are highlighted.
One-Year Outcomes from the Casaworks for Families Intervention for Substance-Abusing Women on Welfare
Authors: Mclellan A. Thomas , Gutman Marjorie , Lynch Kevin , Mckay James R. , Ketterlinus Robert , Morgenstern Jon , Woolis Diana
Published: May 2004

Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of a multiservice intervention designed to move substanceabusing women on welfare to sobriety and self-sufficiency by addressing their substance abuse, domestic violence, employment, and basic needs. Design: A field evaluation with repeated measures at 6 and 12 months on an intent-to-treat sample of 529 women conducted in 11 selected sites across the country. There were significant improvements shown in substance use and family and social functioning by the 6-month point, and additional improvements in employment by the 12-month point. By 12 months, more than 46% were abstinent from alcohol and other drugs, and 30% were employed at least part-time. There were only modest improvements shown in the medical and psychiatric status of these women. These preliminary findings suggest that site-level interagency coordination and program-level case management were associated with improvements in the targeted areas as predicted by the model. Future work will require a more closely specified, manual-guided form of the intervention plus the inclusion of control groups and cost measures to fully evaluate the cost benefits from the final form of the intervention.
How Does Active Parental Consent Influence the Findings of Drug-Use Surveys in Schools?
Authors: White Victoria M. , Hill David J. , Effendi Yuksel
Published: May 2004

This study examines the impact of passive and active parental consent procedures on the type of adolescents participating in a school-based survey examining substance use. Schools recruited from a random sample of metropolitan schools were assigned to passive or active parental consent condition. Results showed that participationrates in active consent schools were lower than in passive consent schools for junior students (60% vs. 80%) but not senior students. Although consent condition had limited impact on prevalence estimates among older students, among younger students estimates of cannabis use and ecstasy use were higher in the passive consent condition than the active consent condition. Active consent procedures introduce some degree of selection bias into studies of adolescents’ substance use and may compromise the external validity of prevalence estimates produced, especially among younger students.
Picking Up the Challenge
Authors: Farrell S. J. , Reissing E. D.
Published: May 2004

This study represents the first enumeration of the street homeless population in Canada. Past enumeration attempts have been challenged on their significant methodological shortcomings. This enumeration directly addressed the lessons learned from previous attempts, and improvements to the methodology are presented and discussed. In addition, lessons learned and recommendations are discussed for application to future enumerations.
Issues and Challenges of Instrument Translation
Authors: Yu Doris S. F. , Lee Diana T. F. , Woo Jean
Published: May 2004

The purpose of this article was to discuss the challenges of instrument translation, using the translation of the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey into Chinese as an example. Brislin’s model of translation, which highlights the need for forward and backward translation, was used. Major considerations in conducting translation, and the strategies used to overcome the challenges arising from cultural and linguistic differences between the source and target languages, were discussed. Examples were used to illustrate how difficulties, such as maintenance of the original intent of the questionnaire, maximization of the cultural relevancy of the concept in question, and enhancement of the comprehensibility of the translated questionnaire, were handled. The importance of literal and cultural adaptation of a developed instrument, rather than its simple word translation in the maintenance of an equivalent translation is highlighted.
Spiritual Perspectives of Nurses in the United States Relevant for Education and Practice
Authors: Cavendish Roberta , Luise Barbara Kraynyak , Russo Donna , Mitzeliotis Claudia , Bauer Maria , Bajo Mary Ann McPartlan , Calvino Carmen , Horne Karen , Medefindt Judith
Published: May 2004

The purpose of the current study was to describe nurses’ spiritual perspectives as they relate to education and practice. A multiple triangulation research design encompassing a questionnaire and a descriptive qualitative content analysis were used with the purpose of capturing a more complete, holistic, and contextual description of nurses’ spiritual perspectives. Multiple triangulation included two data sources, two methodological approaches, and nine investigators. Using survey methods, Reed’s Spiritual Perspective Scale (SPS) was sent to 1,000 members of Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society (STTI). Results support Reed’s premise that spirituality permeates one’s life. Regardless of gender, participants with a religious affiliation had significantly higher SPS scores than those without one. Nurses having a spiritual base use it in practice. Six themes emerged from the qualitative analysis: Nurses perceive spirituality as strength, guidance, connectedness, a belief system, as promoting health, and supporting practice. The integration of spirituality in nursing curriculums can facilitate spiritual care.
Correlates of Quality of Life in Older Adult Veterans
Authors: Mowad Linda
Published: May 2004

The purpose of this correlational study was to test theoretical propositions describing positive relationships between health promotion, sense of coherence, personal autonomy, and quality of life in older adult veterans and to explore their overall contribution to the prediction of quality of life. The sample consisted of 135 veterans aged 65 to 85 years who completed the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile, the Sense of Coherence-13 Scale, the Perceived Enactment of Autonomy Scale, and the Quality of Life Profile: Seniors Version, Short Scale. Health-promoting lifestyle, sense of coherence, and autonomy were positively correlated to quality of life. When the independent variables were subjected to a regression analysis, health-promoting lifestyle and autonomy explained 38% of the variance in quality of life.
Manufactured Civil Society: Counting the Cost
Authors: Hodgson Lesley
Published: May 2004

Since its election in 1997, the New Labour government has espoused the value of civil society. Civil society has become increasingly utilized in policy initiatives, especially in regard to regenerating communities and fighting social exclusion. In this regard, civil society, traditionally viewed as a sphere outside of the state, now finds itself engaged in various types of ‘partnerships’ with both the state and the business community. This has had the effect of redrawing the boundaries between civil society and the state. This article examines what I term ‘manufactured’ civil society; that is, groups that look like civil society, but are in fact a mixture of state/voluntary sector organizations. The article concludes that civil society pays a high price for involvement with the state.
Risk and the Responsible Health Consumer: The Problematics of Entitlement among Callers to NHS Direct
Authors: Goode Jackie , Greatbatch David , O’cathain Alicia , Luff Donna , Hanlon Gerard , Strangleman Tim
Published: May 2004

NHS Direct, the 24-hour telephone helpline, uses modern communications technology to offer easier and faster access to advice about health, illness and the NHS so that people are better able to care for themselves and their families. In-depth interviews with callers to the service show that they bring with them discourses of the ‘deserving’ and ‘ undeserving’ familiar in the provision of other welfare services. The figure of the ‘time-waster’ is the NHS equivalent of the welfare ‘scrounger’, acting as a mechanism to problematize entitlement. NHS Direct dispels such fears and legitimizes demand. At the same time, ever-rising levels of service use constitute a threat to what callers value most about it.
‘Working and Saving for Retirement’: New Labour’s Reform of Company Pensions
Authors: Hyde Mark , Dixon John
Published: May 2004

In a number of recent policy statements, the Labour government has developed a series of reforms for employer-sponsored company pension schemes, an integral element of the contracting out arrangement of compulsory second-tier pensions. At best, the reforms are ambivalent. While they address a number of important issues, they are likely to reinforce income insecurity. Above all, we identify a range of issues that must be integral to the reform of company pensions, but that have been ignored by the government – compulsory employer contributions, universality and the role of employees in sponsoring and administering pension schemes.
‘Active Citizens’ or ‘Irresponsible Truants’? School Student Strikes against the War
Authors: Cunningham Steve , Lavalette Michael
Published: May 2004

This article looks at the development of citizenship education within schools and assesses its impact on the school strike wave against the war on Iraq that took place during February and March 2003, in part utilizing interview material drawn from active strikers. Although citizenship, as outlined in the Crick Report, should have welcomed young people’s active engagement with the political process, the overwhelming response of the educational establishment was to castigate and punish those who took part in the strikes. In conclusion, the article argues that the actuality of citizenship classes focuses on individual aspects of responsibility and moral education and had little influence on the engaged ‘active citizens’ who demonstrated against war by walking out of their schools.
Between Elite Hysteria and Subaltern Carnivalesque: the Politics of Street-Food in the City of Calcutta
Authors: Mukhopadhyay Bhaskar
Published: May 2004

Deriving from the recent discussions on paideia (spiritual exercise), which links knowledge with mores and manners, this article argues that the expurgation of certain extreme tastes from the genteel Bengali palate, in the course of ‘nationalist’ reform in the 19th century, demonstrates the operation of a certain ‘civilizing process’ coterminous with the wider process of westernization. Positing a homology between this and the suppression of the carnivalesque in Europe, it further shows that through the well-known process of the ‘return of the repressed’, the marginalized elements are reconfigured in a new category of anti-food – street-food – consumed by marginal sections of the population. In sum, the historic process of disavowal of the extreme tastes leads to the formation of a new symbolic economy.
Rawlsian Harmonies
Authors: Love Nancy S.
Published: May 2004

John Rawls’s distinction between a comprehensive liberalism and his political version remains unclear to even his sympathetic critics. They stress his over-reliance on intuitive ideas of a liberal political culture in formulating the original position and its principles of justice. In this article, I argue that Rawls defends his liberal intuitions in a way philosophers might least expect. He conveys the sense of justice that motivates political liberalism through his metaphors. Rawls draws his concept of a well-ordered society – a social union of social unions – from Wilhelm von Humboldt, a seldom-noticed source. Paralleling von Humboldt’s use of musical metaphors, Rawls characterizes liberal democracy as a symphony orchestra. Analyzing this metaphor, I argue, reveals the cultural limitations of Rawls’s overlapping consensus and the political project which undergirds his theory of justice.
W.G. Sebald and the Condition of Exile
Authors: Schlesinger Philip
Published: May 2004

W.G. Sebald’s literary output has consistently addressed the theme of exile, which is most fully explored in his last novel, Austerlitz. This article places Sebald’s literary output in the context of contemporary debate in the social sciences about memory and identity. It is argued that Sebald used the form of a biographical memoir to illuminate powerfully the ‘condition of exile’. His focus is the impact of the Holocaust on European Jews. As a self-conscious German writer possessed of a sense of historical responsibility, he chose to treat this subject obliquely. Sebald used the device of the unreliable narrator. At least some of the disconcerting effect of his literary work lies in its playful use of an ethnographic style and method. It is argued that Sebald has developed a hybrid style, method and form that may be called ‘literary ethnography’. For Sebald, himself in self-exile, the recovery of memory and the seeking of one’s past do not – and cannot – ultimately resolve the problems of being in exile. Knowing one’s past has no ultimately redemptive qualities. The condition of exile remains irredeemably liminal and there is no repairing the damage.
From Doxa to Experience
Authors: Myles John F.
Published: May 2004

This article examines Bourdieu’s adoption of Husserl’s concept of ‘doxa’ and argues that Bourdieu’s reading of Husserl overpolarizes doxa (or sens pratique) and reflexivity. The article argues that there is a need for Bourdieusian sociology to adopt a more complex interpretation of Husserlian phenomenology in order to understand the potential range of states of consciousness between doxa and reflexivity. In contrast to Bourdieu’s reading of Husserl, this article argues that the philosophical underlabouring for an adequate understanding of doxa is now available within recent Husserlian studies which marks a radical development from earlier readings in the ‘sociology of consciousness’.
Emotion Regulation in Romantic Relationships: The Cognitive Consequences of Concealing Feelings
Authors: Richards Jane M. , Butler Emily A. , Gross James J.
Published: May 2004

People frequently regulate the emotions that arise during tense social interactions. Common regulation strategies include cognitive reappraisal, which involves interpreting a situation in positive terms, and expressive suppression, which involves inhibiting overt signs of inner emotional states. According to our analysis, during tense social interactions reappraisal should (i) increase memory for what was said, whereas suppression should (ii) decrease memory for what was said, and (iii) increase memory for emotions. To test these predictions, we experimentally manipulated reappraisal and suppression in dating couples as they discussed a relationship conflict. As predicted, memory for conversation utterances was increased by reappraisal and decreased by suppression, and memory for emotional reactions was increased by suppression. Self-monitoring mediated the effect of suppression on memory for emotional reactions, but not for conversation utterances. These findings suggest that, if it is important to preserve the fidelity of cognitive functioning during emotionally trying social interactions, some forms of emotion regulation may have more to recommend them than others.
Strivings for Romantic Intimacy Following Partner Complaint or Partner Criticism: A Terror Management Perspective
Authors: Hirschberger Gilad , Florian Victor , Mikulincer Mario
Published: May 2004

The current study examines the effects of partner complaint and partner criticism on strivings for romantic intimacy from the perspective of terror management theory. One hundred and seventy-four Israeli undergraduate students were randomly assigned to either a mortality salience or control condition and were then asked to read a vignette in which they imagined themselves either receiving praise from their romantic partner, receiving a specific complaint from their partner, or being criticized by their partner. Following this procedure, all participants completed a scale assessing their strivings for intimacy with their romantic partner. The results indicated that under mortality nonsalient conditions strivings for intimacy were highest under conditions of praise, followed by conditions of complaint and were lowest under conditions of criticism. However, when mortality was made salient strivings of intimacy were equally high under all three feedback conditions. The results are discussed in light of the growing body of literature on the terror management functions of close relationships.
Partner Influence on Health Behavior Decision-Making: Increasing Breastfeeding Duration
Authors: Rempel Lynn A. , Rempel John K.
Published: May 2004

This longitudinal study examined how male partners affect the breastfeeding decisions and behavior of first-time mothers. Based on the reasons model by Meichenbaum and Fong (1993), the breastfeeding reasons, intentions, and behavior of 317 first-time mothers were assessed prenatally and at six time points in the first year postpartum. In a prenatal assessment, men indicated their prescriptive beliefs about whether their partner should breastfeed at the same six time points. Men’s prescriptive breastfeeding beliefs predicted the strength of their partners’ breastfeeding intentions, over and above the women’s own breastfeeding reasons, and they predicted breastfeeding behavior over and above the women’s intentions. These results demonstrate the influence wielded by intimate partners and highlight the importance of focusing on partners’ beliefs when predicting and intervening in health behavior decisions.
The Power of Talk: African Americans’ Communication with Family Members about Organ Donation and Its Impact on the Willingness to Donate Organs
Authors: Morgan Susan E.
Published: May 2004

Because organ donation does not take place without the consent of next-of-kin and because family discussion is known to be the strongest predictor of consent to donate, transplant advocates have promoted family communication about organ donation, but without much success. Fewer than half of all people who are willing to be organ donors discuss their wishes with family members. Family discussions about donation in the African-American community are especially critical because the need for organs in this ethnic group dramatically outstrips the availability, thus leading to a disproportionate number of deaths among African Americans. This study, grounded in the Organ Donation Model, surveyed 311 African-American adults about their attitudes and behaviors regarding family discussions about organ donation. Logistic and multiple regression analyses revealed that, as hypothesized, family talk attitudes and behaviors were predicted by attitudes, knowledge, and social norms associated with organ donation. In addition, variables such as bodily integrity, medical mistrust, religiosity, and altruism were found to contribute significantly to the explained variance. The implications of these findings for health communication researchers and campaign organizers are discussed.
Interaction and Relationship Quality in Late Adolescent Romantic Couples
Authors: Galliher Renee V. , Welsh Deborah P. , Rostosky Sharon S. , Kawaguchi Myra C.
Published: May 2004

This study examined the association between late adolescent romantic couple members’ interaction and their overall relationship quality. Stepwise regression analyses were used to predict couple members’ global self-reports of relationship quality from their own ratings of their interaction. Positive and negative behaviors, as well as patterns of interaction, were associated with relationship quality, with different patterns of association emerging for males and females. Girlfriends’ global reports of relationship quality were predicted from their perceptions of their boyfriends’ conflict and harmony, or the balance of supportive and conflictual behaviors in the interaction. In contrast, boyfriends’ global reports of relationship quality were predicted from their perceptions of their own support and their ratings of their own willingness to accept influence from their girlfriends. Gender differences in patterns of association are discussed in light of current theories of the development of romantic and peer relationships.
Reformation History and Political Mythology in the German Democratic Republic, 1949-89
Authors: Walinski-Kiehl Robert
Published: May 2004

This study examines the political foundation myths associated specifically with the sixteenth-century Reformation era that the German Democratic Republic constructed in order to legitimate the state and raise socialist consciousness. The article argues that, ultimately, the GDR failed in its bid to incorporate Reformation history into its mythic repertoire because, as the regime progressed, the constructed myths became increasingly ambivalent and contradictory. The 1950s myths were initially consistent and appeared appropriate subjects for demonstrating East Germany’s progressive tradition. They focused on radical personalities that GDR citizens could easily recognise as precursors of the new socialist state, such as Thomas Müntzer, the rebel priest. However, by 1989, inconsistencies had emerged in East Germany’s portrayal of Müntzer. The disparity between the traditional and the more recent perspectives on Müntzer was indicative of the wider chasms opening up within the GDR between supporters and critics of the regime. Research into GDR perspectives on the Reformation era provides us with a further understanding of Communist domination and its eventual crisis, as well as offering insights into Marxist interpretations of sixteenth-century history.
Positive Integration in Wilhelmine Germany: The Case of Nuremberg’s Building Workers, 1899–1914
Authors: Ford Graham
Published: May 2004

Interpretations of the free trade unions' position in Wilhelmine state hsociety in the years before 1914 remain divided, with `pessimists' arguing that the unions were in a strategic cul-de-sac, while `optimists' point to the unions' positive integration. This article considers the nature and extent of positive integration by examining the activities of Nuremberg's Building Workers' Health and Safety Commission. It suggests that, while the Bavarian model of partial cooperation produced significant reforms between 1899 and 1904, thereafter the government's progressive impetus stalled and trade union disillusionment grew. At the local level, Nuremberg's municipal administration resisted even partial cooperation until 1912. It is this article's contention that the municipality's more conciliatory approach to building health and safety from this date was primarily a consequence of the city's changing political landscape. In this respect, trade union objectives were effectively tied to the political fortunes of the Social Democratic Party.
Not So Elusive - Quality Information on Private European Companies: Bureau van Dijk’s Response to the Business Information Resources Survey 2003
Authors: Green Louise
Published: May 2004

Offers a number of comments and observations on the Business Information Resources Survey 2003 from the viewpoint of the work and experience of Bureau van Dijk (BvD), in order to balance out any misconceptions that exist regarding gaps in its own areas of expertise. Focuses attention on the section of the survey entitled ‘Inadequate coverage’, where survey participants were asked: ‘Are there any areas of business information that are not covered adequately by the current range of sources?’ Points out that, at BvD, there is a lack of information for private European companies and pan-European official company data. BvD finds that customers are normally very familiar with methods of filing company information in their own country; but confusion often exists when this differs in other countries. In the case of Europe, and specifically the European Union (EU) member states, it would be helpful to set out how company results are filed in Europe, explaining the official sites for registration and explaining how gaps are caused by a lack of the legal obligation to file information rather than oversight by information providers. Describes how BvD has endeavoured to minimize any gaps and how effectively the need for information on private company information in Europe is provided for by BvD’s pan-European company information product, AMADEUS. In creating AMADEUS, which is updated monthly, BvD developed a financial template that best reflects all European accounting formats and that facilitates cross-border searching and analysis. AMADEUS is updated monthly. Statistics are tabulated to show the worldwide coverage of AMADEUS. It is concluded that good quality information on private companies in Europe, from official sources, is not as elusive as suggested in point 26 of the survey.
Knowledge Management Strategy or Not, it’s a KM Environment Anyway: Factiva’s Response to the Business Information Resources Survey 2003
Authors: Sabosik Patricia
Published: May 2004

Offers a number of comments and observations on the Business Information Resources Survey 2003 from the viewpoint of the work and experience of Factiva. Points out that, despite the fact that many of the respondents to the Survey stated that the majority of their organisations are still without a clearly defined knowledge management (KM) strategy, many of the findings are encouraging for the overall business information provider industry and its vendors. The increase in respondents from the corporate and government sectors versus academia, public and association libraries in contrast to 2002 may be indicative of the fact that corporations remain the sector most likely to continue to pay a premium for value-added content. This is confirmed by the fact that five of the survey’s corporate respondents indicate an annual budget of over one million pounds. The increase in government respondents over 2002 may be a further reflection of the new, post-9/11 2001 era in which government entities are experiencing an increasing need to obtain more robust business and politically-oriented information in a timelier manner. Factiva’s launch of its Factiva Public Figures & Associates’ index in 2002 is, in part, a response to this new political climate and growing need. The survey’s results indicate a significant move towards a virtual information environment across all sectors as well as an overall increase in usage among most of the online information vendors, including Factiva and further indicates that this may be a result of periodical publishers offering more flexibility in their e-offerings. The Survey results succinctly capture many of the challenges associated with current knowledge management for the business library across all of its sectors.
Using Business Information Services at the British Library
Authors: Spencer Nigel , Ruston Phil , Duncan Shelah
Published: May 2004

Describes the work of the British Library in its current and planned provision of information services for business researchers, where particular importance has been placed on making these services accessible and easy to use. The diversity of the British Library’s collections and the range of resources currently available to the business researcher are illustrated by means of a case study based on a review of the information sources for the alternative health care industry available to researchers using the British Library reading rooms and to those using the research and document delivery services. Pays particular attention to the work of the British Library Research Service, which offers expert research across the areas of business, patents, engineering and technology, medicine, chemistry and official publications; and can also organize the delivery of documents identified by the research, providing a one-stop shop for cross-disciplinary research and document delivery. Points to the way in which the British Library has focused on the development of collections to offer more material of value to business researchers. The case study illustrates how to find out what the British Library holds in its collections; examples of what is held on alternative health care; how the British Library can carry out research for users; and how documents may be ordered. Reviews some of the specific information resources provided, including: the business enquiry service; free online sources available via the World Wide Web; examples of information sources on alternative health care in the collections; electronic sources; market research reports; trade journals; directories and dictionaries; annual reports; trade literature; textbooks; official publications; and intellectual property.
Becoming ‘Information Practitioners’
Authors: Westcott Paul
Published: May 2004

Presents comments on the findings of the Business Information Resources Survey 2004 which suggest that few changes occurred in the business information profession in 2003; the major themes being consolidation rather than innovation, with budget cuts and static levels of staffing. Argues that the traditional, triangular relationship between vendor, information professional and end user will soon change, but the speed of change will depend on the ability of information professionals to determine what end users really want from their requests. In addition, vendors will need to work with both information professionals and end users if they are to deliver a new range of information products and services. Concludes that it is possible to identify three types of information that information professionals must recognise if they are to achieve their objectives: non value-added, but business-critical data; value-added information that appears difficult to interpret and requires expert assessment; and complex patterns of information that may be difficult to find and that only an expert can retrieve quickly. The strategy at ICC Information is to work in partnership with its clients to achieve the first two information types.
Minding My Own Business
Authors: Humphreys Garry
Published: May 2004

The author, who served the Corporation of London’s City Business Library for 34 years, successively as assistant librarian, sub-librarian and City Business Librarian, retiring from that post on 31 December 2003, describes his long career as a librarian, from his early days at Nottingham City Libraries in the 1960s, to the experience he gained that led him to the City Business Library, London, UK, after working at its precursor, the Guildhall Library Commercial Reference Room. Notes how the strength of the Commercial Reference Room and the City Business Library in its early days lay with its collection of directories (still true today) but recent years have seen demands for more diverse materials and media, particularly online databases and trouble was experienced in gaining access to certain materials, notably Mintel surveys (Market Intelligence, Leisure Intelligence and Retail Intelligence). Considerable effort went into preparing the Library for the introduction of successive waves of information technology (IT) and the introduction of IT based schemes, such as the computerization of the selective indexingof periodicals, which had been offered from the beginning of the Business Library in 1970 via cards filed in an album with transparent plastic pockets. Most recently, users have gained access to the Internet in the Library but the author’s view is that librarians are stillas essential an intermediary as ever in guiding enquirers to the information they require.
Marketing and Promotion of Information Services in the University of Ibadan Library
Authors: Ekpenyong Georgina Dien
Published: May 2004

Lack of an effective marketing strategy of library resources has been found to be the main reason why targeted users–university teachers, researchers and students–are not using the Kenneth Dike Library of the University of Ibadan as they should. It was found that less than a quarter of these targeted users register annually in the library. A more aggressive marketing strategy has been set in place to sensitize users to the wealth of information resources available in this great library.
Communication Needs and Media Change
Authors: Meyen Michael , Hillman William
Published: May 2004

Using the case study of the introduction of television in East and West Germany in the 1950s and 1960s, this article discusses the correlation between the use of media and the development of society. What factors determine the changes in communication relationships and how do these changes affect society? The authors based their analysis on all available survey data from East and West Germany as well as the most important media services and a systematic cross-section of the media itself. It is shown that the expectations of people in relation to media are neither predominantly influenced by politics and media systems nor by actual media content. Primarily, their communication needs are dependent on their working conditions and daily routines. Television has stood for a desire for a pleasant domestic life and has been able to satisfy, better than all other media alternatives, the need for entertainment and a summary knowledge of current events.
Lessons from Russia
Authors: Becker Jonathan
Published: May 2004

This article seeks to answer two interrelated questions: where does press freedom stand in Russia more than 15 years after Mikhail Gorbachev’s policy glasnost began? and, what does Russia’s media transformation tell us about our understanding of mass political media systems? It is argued that while the Russian media are suffering under the presidency of Vladimir Putin, circumstances are in no way as dire as in the pre-Gorbachev Soviet period, nor even as bad as some journalists’ rights organizations would have it. By using comparative analysis, and incorporating political science literature that offers typologies of non-democratic systems of governance, the article demonstrates that contemporary Russian media find much in common with authoritarian regimes across the world and are not sui generis as some have argued. In the process, the author attempts to resurrect some of the important distinctions made in Siebert et al.’s much maligned Four Theories of the Press, particularly the role of the state as the leading threat to media freedom. The author also argues for the need to distinguish more clearly between different types of non-democratic mass political media systems.
The Press as Agents of Nationalism in the Queen’s Golden Jubilee
Authors: Wardle Claire , West Emily
Published: May 2004

The press coverage in anticipation of and during Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee celebrations in Britain in June 2002 illustrates Dayan and Katz’s theory that the media frequently adopt a ‘priestly’ role when it comes to media events. In the months leading up to the Jubilee, the press speculated about whether the celebrations would fail. When it became clear that the Jubilee had been an overwhelming success, the press heralded the occasion as evidence of Britain’s continued strength and national unity. The coverage of the Jubilee as a whole illustrates the role of the press in promoting and celebrating nationalism through this civic ritual.
The Sociocultural and Food Security Impacts of Genetic Pollution via Transgenic Crops of Traditional Varieties in Latin American Centers of Peasant Agriculture
Authors: Altieri Miguel A.
Published: May 2004

The introduction of transgenic crops into centers of diversity or areas dominated by traditional agriculture threatens genetic diversity as well as indigenous knowledge and culture. It is further argued that the impacts go beyond genetic changes in heterogeneous native crop varieties to embrace effects on evolutionary processes such as gene flow between native crops and wild relatives, and erosion of local knowledge systems such as folk taxonomies and selection of varieties that thrive in marginal environments in which resourcepoor farmers live.
Growing Up in Technological Worlds: How Modern Technologies Shape the Everyday Lives of Young People
Authors: Tully Claus J.
Published: May 2004

The purpose of this article is to show how young people typically interact with technology. Young people take up modern technology and incorporate it in their everyday lives more rapidly and more unceremoniously than others. As they make use of technical artifacts, the everyday lives of young people change, as does their perception of society, because it is through the artifacts that relationships with others are organized. The significance of technology in young people’s everyday lives remains largely unexplored. This deficiency clearly contrasts with an information society, the very basis of which is supposed to be the knowledge of its organizing principles. This article reports on recent findings of how clearly defined social relationships disintegrate because of new technologies and on how young people are challenged to put the applications that technology offers to them into new contexts. The idea is to make a subjectively important choice among the large variety of options given. It shows that technology is no longer result but rather experience oriented. One can foresee the considerable consequences not only for politics, education, and technology development but also for research done in the social sciences.
Toward an STS Experiment with Interdiciplinarity
Authors: Mitcham Carl
Published: May 2004

In discussion about the past and the future of STS studies, insufficient attention is paid to the interdisciplinary character of this interdiscipline. After a brief characterization of the dual past (anchored on one side by Rachel Carson and on the other by Thomas Kuhn) and a glance at contemporary assessments such as the Handbook of Science and Technology Studies, this article references the past and the present of interdisciplinarity, especially as reflected in the scholarship of Julie Thompson Klein. The conclusion seeks to indicate ways in which STS studies can draw on and make a special contribution to interdisciplinarity.
From Biotechnology to Nanotechnology: What Can We Learn from Earlier Technologies?
Authors: Mehta Michael D.
Published: May 2004

Using Canada as a case study, this article argues that regulating biotechnology and nanotechnology is made unnecessarily complex and inherently unstable because of a failure to consult the public early and of-ten enough. Furthermore, it is argued that future regulators (and promoters) of nanotechnology may learn valuable lessons from the mistakes made in regulating biotechnology.
Microsystems and Nanoscience for Biomedical Applications: A View to the Future
Authors: Pilarski Linda M. , Mehta Michael D. , Caulfield Timothy , Kaler Karan V. I. S. , Backhouse Christopher J.
Published: May 2004

At present there is an enormous discrepancy between our nanotechnological capabilities (particularly our nanobiotechnologies), our social wisdom, and consensus on how to apply them. To date, cost considerations have greatly constrained our application of nanotechnologies. However, novel advances in microsystem platform technologies are about to greatly diminish that economic constraint while developing new industries. Properly used in a solid legal and ethical framework, within an educated population, these advances will vastly enrich our quality of life without being intrusive. Improperly used, these technologies could lead to a modern-day Luddism, social turmoil, or possibly even to emulating those societies described in the darkest of novels. These technologies must be developed in tandem with the social and legal frameworks needed to ensure that they improve both individuals and our society. To ensure that this occurs, we need to have the ethical, legal, scientific, and engineering experts working together and with the public.
The Fate of Western Civilization: G. H. von Wright’s Reflections on Science, Technology, and Global Society
Authors: Heikkerö Topi
Published: May 2004

This article introduces the central ideas of G. H. von Wright’s cultural philosophy concerning the techno-scientific form of life. Georg Henrik von Wright (1916-2003) was best known for his achievements in the field of modal logic and for his association with LudwigWittgenstein. However, his work also included a critical analysis of science and technology. von Wright was concerned about ecological problems, human alienation, and the breakdown of traditional value systems. He analyzed the historical roots of modern techno-science. According to him, understanding the conceptual framework of modern natural science can help us in facing the problems produced by the powerful use of technology. As the most troubling feature of techno-science, he considered its manipulative approach toward reality.
Roderick Seidenberg
Authors: Stivers Richard
Published: May 2004

Roderick Seidenberg, a friend of Lewis Mumford, was an architect with a sociological perspective on technology. He understood that technology had become a system and that it needed to be situated within a historical context to understand its impact on humans. In this article, his work is compared to that of Jacques Ellul.
Using the Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition to Describe and Interpret Skill Acquisition and Clinical Judgment in Nursing Practice and Education
Authors: Benner Patricia
Published: May 2004

Three studies using the Dreyfus model of skill acquisition were conducted over a period of 21 years. Nurses with a range of experience and reported skill-fulness were interviewed. Each study used nurses’ narrative accounts of actual clinical situations. A subsample of participants were observed and interviewed at work. These studies extend the understanding of the Dreyfus model to complex, underdetermined, and fast-paced practices. The skill of involvement and the development of moral agency are linked with the development of expertise, and change as the practitioner becomes more skillful. Nurses who had some difficulty with understanding the ends of practice and difficulty with their skills of interpersonal and problem engagement did not progress to the level of expertise. Taken together, these studies demonstrate the usefulness of the Dreyfus model for understanding the learning needs and styles of learning at different levels of skill acquisition.
The Scientific Study of Adolescence
Authors: Steinberg Laurence , Lerner Richard M.
Published: May 2004

This article provides an overview of the history of research on adolescence. In our view, the history of the scientific study of adolescence has had two overlapping phases and is now on the cusp of a third. The first phase, which began early in the 20th century and lasted about 70 years, was characterized by grand theoretical models that purportedly pertained to all facets of adolescent development. The major studies of adolescence during this period were atheoretical, descriptive accounts. The second phase, which began in the mid–1970s and continues today, has been characterized by more focused hypothesis testing, an interest in developmental plasticity and in diversity, and in the application of science to real-world problems. We are now seeing the emergence of a third phase, in which the field of adolescent development is serving as an exemplar of the sort of developmental science that can be used by policy makers and by practitioners to advance civil society and to promote positive development.
Business Student Preferences: Exploring the Relative Importance of Web Management in Course Design
Authors: Taylor Steven A. , Humphreys Michael , Singley Roger , Hunter Gary L.
Published: May 2004

The following study investigates the relative importance of Web management practices in business curricular pedagogy from an undergraduate student perspective. Using conjoint methodology, the results suggest that students early in their program of studies tend to most value (more) tests in terms of course attributes, while students later in their program of studies tend to value Web management practices. Taken together, these results suggest that undergraduate course design can be effectively implemented, consistent with the marketing concept, based on a sensitivity to diverse student learning styles and needs.
The Reality-Based Learning Method: A Simple Method for Keeping Teaching Activities Relevant and Effective
Authors: Smith Louise W. , Van Doren Doris C.
Published: May 2004

Active and experiential learning theory have not dramatically changed collegiate classroom teaching methods, although they have long been included in the pedagogical literature. This article presents an evolved method, reality based learning, that aids professors in including active learning activities with feelings of clarity and confidence. The reality-based learning method subjects each learning activity to a 4-point framework that is used by the professor in all stages, planning, implementation, and review. Its solid rationale, rigorous standards, and logical applicability are intended to ease professors’ confusion and apprehension about active and experiential learning. Furthermore, professors will find that they can truly make a difference in their students’transferability of knowledge, skills, and attitudes from the confines of a classroom to their interactions in the broader world. Finally, its applications are demonstrated in an extended diagnostic approach to the selection of an activity for one specific content area.