bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Psychological Effects of Sudden Infant Death on Grandmothers and Grandfathers
Authors: De Frain John D. , Jakub Deanne K. , Mendoza Betty Lou
Published: May 2005

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) affects perhaps 8,000 to 10,000 families in the United States each year. Earlier research has indicated that this sudden, unexplainable death of an infant greatly affects the parents of the baby. This study examines the psychological and social impact of SIDS on eighty grandmothers and grandfathers. It is clear from both a statistical, quantitative perspective, and from a more laborious content analysis of their qualitative responses to a survey instrument, that SIDS for most grandparents is a “devastating” experience. Common feelings expressed include: disbelief, anger, guilt, anxiety, depression, concern for their bereaved adult children and surviving siblings, exhaustion, and bitterness. Four percent of the grandparents considered suicide in the aftermath of the death. The findings suggest that almost every aspect of their lives are affected.
Independent of What? The Independent Medical Examination Business
Authors: Lax Michael
Published: May 2005

Workers suffering from a work-related health condition frequently are required to undergo examination by a physician chosen by the employer or a Workers' Compensation Insurance Carrier. While the opinions of physicians performing these “Independent Medical Examinations” (IMEs) have been criticized as biased by a conflict of interest, IME advocates assert that the methods used by the IME result in an objective and superior opinion. This article explores this claim to objectivity and superiority. It argues that proemployer/carrier bias is embedded in the methodology IMEs advocate, and that the practical impact of the IME approach is to reduce the recognition of occupationally related health conditions and to minimize the disability associated with such conditions. The IME approach is more accurately characterized as a tool to standardize a product that can be marketed to corporate clients, rather than a way to precisely assess work-related health conditions.
Transfer of Training from Simulators to Operational Equipment—Are Simulators Effective?
Authors: Thomson Douglas R.
Published: May 2005

Recent advances in computers and their capabilities have provided man with the knowledge to develop sophisticated simulators for training. This article will examine the degree of fidelity required of the simulation to ensure maximum transfer of training. A simulator is a special class of training device which attempts to reproduce or simulate the essential characteristics of a “real” system. Some of the most highly developed simulators are used in the military services for training pilots. The goal of simulators is to provide the trainee with the ability to effectively transfer skills learned to his performance on the operational equipment.
Bear Paw Petroglyphs and the Prehistoric Martis Complex
Authors: Gortner Willis A.
Published: May 2005

People of the Martis Complex occupied lands adjoining the north-central Sierra Nevada from approximately 2000 B.C. to 500 A.D. They left their rock art on 100 or more rock outcroppings. The appearance of glyphs clearly resembling a bear paw or bear track at several dozen petroglyph sites suggested that this symbol in the north-central Sierra Nevada might be unique to the Martis people. A review of the occurrence of bear paw glyphs at ninety nine recorded sites in Nevada and 265 petroglyph sites in California showed that none of these glyphs appeared at the 293 sites more than 90 km from Martis territory. By contrast, 133 bear paw glyphs were recorded at twenty-nine sites in or near Martis territory. The frequent use of the bear paw symbol in the Martis rock art suggests that it may be a ritualistic symbol related to a bear cult, bear clan, or a family or clan totem in the culture of these prehistoric people.
A Study of Computer Impact on Society and Computer Literacy Courses and Materials
Authors: Austing Richard H.
Published: May 2005

A project of the Education Board of the Association for Computing Machinery, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, to review computer impact on society and computer literacy courses and materials is presented. The effort to gather and maintain a comprehensive bibliography in the area is reviewed and an analysis of the literature currently included is given. A set of objectives for courses is specified. Future plans are discussed including the organization of a workshop to facilitate the preparation of course syllabi and to refine and enhance the bibliography.
New Perspectives on Type a Behavior: A Psychiatric Point of View
Authors: Larson John A.
Published: May 2005

Objective:

To propose an answer to Medicine's confusion about what Type A Behavior is.

Method:

To critically review early writings about Type A as well as current literature with a focus on five key articles which are frequently mentioned in medical and lay literature as containing relevant data undermining the Type A hypothesis. These five are critically evaluated for their definition of Type A, method of diagnosing Type A, nature of the cohort studied, and logic of their conclusions.

Results:

There is a failure in the literature to distinguish between Axis I symptoms and Axis II personality traits; the same term, Type A, being applied to quite different phenomena.

Conclusions:

Type A should be defined as a Axis II Personality Disorder, and a new term, Stress Disorder (or Hostility Disorder) to the Axis I symptoms. This opens up endless possibilities in Medicine for Stress Disorder research, since Medicine can rightly argue that the research is to better treat the Stress Disorder disease, that precedes Coronary Artery disease.
Copyright: The New Law's Major Revisions Affecting Writers
Authors: Stephens Irving E.
Published: May 2005

The copyright reform bill should become law in January, 1978. Among its major revisions are the extension of protection for life plus fifty years and the mitigation of penalties for either omission of notice or “innocent infringement.” For the first time the law specifically identifies “fair use” and certain other copying practices as user rights. The issues of integrity of text and the use of protected text within computer systems have not been treated. The law's text itself remains general in the hope that it will prove to be a flexible vehicle for the future. An era of informal agreements and litigation between publishers and users can be anticipated. Scientific and technical publishing must be recognized as a special area within the publishing community on the verge of change.
The Effects of Web-Assisted Learning on Students' Anxiety
Authors: Macaulay Michael
Published: May 2005

As increasing amounts of study materials migrate onto the Web, a future is now conceivable in which using the Web for studying will be the most common method of studying. However, there is the suggestion that using the Internet can evoke specific types of anxiety in novice adult students. This study investigated the effects of using the Web to study on the anxiety levels of students who have used the Web regularly for at least six months and considered themselves familiar with it. The subjective anxiety levels of two groups of 30 postgraduate students were recorded immediately before and after using either the Web or a non-Web-based medium for studying. The group that used the Web recorded significantly higher anxiety levels than those who did not. The implication of this finding and possible solutions are discussed.
Report of the WHO Commission on Macroeconomics and Health: A Critique
Authors: Banerji Debabar
Published: May 2005

The World Health Organization has been able to interest some of the world's top economists in joining the Commission on Macroeconomics and Health, to study macroeconomics of health services for the poor peoples of the world. The commission has been ahistorical, apolitical, and atheoretical. It has adopted a selective approach to conform to a preconceived ideology. It has ignored earlier work done in this field. And it has pointedly ignored such major developments in the health services as the Alma-Ata Declaration. These failings have brought the quality of the scholastic work to an almost rock-bottom level. The commission's tunnel vision in its recommendations on so important a subject is not surprising. Its emphatic recommendations for perpetuating vertical programs against major communicable diseases (tuberculosis, AIDS, and malaria) on the grounds that such programs have proved convenient to “donors” reveals the real motivations for an almost openly ideology-driven agenda. This is a serious danger signal for scholars who wish to take a scientific attitude toward program formulations for the poor that provide maximum returns from limited resources. The concept of DALYs (disability adjusted life years) is bristling with gross infirmities. The WHO-generated data used for DALY calculations, converted into dollar terms, are patently invalid, unreliable, and not comparable between and even within countries.
Monosymptomatic Hypochondriacal Psychosis: Belief of Contracting Rabies
Authors: Fishbain David A. , Barsky Steve , Goldberg Myron
Published: May 2005

The authors describe a forty-one-year-old female with possible monosymptomatic hypochondriacal psychosis (MHP): a delusional belief that she had contracted rabies. This is the first report of this type of delusion in MHP. The patient failed to respond to multiple somatic therapies and finally made a serious suicide attempt. The authors discuss the reasons for the failed treatment and suggest a sequential protocol for treatment of MHP based on the current literature.
What if You Cannot Test All Documents for Usability?
Authors: Clegg John M.
Published: May 2005

Time and money limitations normally make it impossible to do usability testing on every document, particularly by the method of controlled observation of users performing set tasks. I describe approaches that are intended to make the feedback from testing useful to more writers than just those who wrote the tested documents, and that gradually improve the corporate wisdom available to writers. Methods of approaching these goals include judicious selection of what to test and how, special empirical studies on issues of general importance, improving the quality of a company's prescriptive rules, and better ways of making new knowledge known and available to writers.
Predictors of Teachers' Confidence in Their Ability to Implement Computer-Based Instruction
Authors: Ross John A. , Hogaboam-Gray Anne , Hannay Lynne
Published: May 2005

The purpose of the research was to investigate the effect of selected personal, school, and district factors on K-3 teachers' confidence in their ability to implement computer-based instruction in two conditions: before ( N = 128 teachers) and after an infusion of Information Technology (IT) ( N = 135 teachers). Increased IT resources changed the strength and structure of teachers' confidence: Confidence in teaching various student uses of the computer increased and the sources of information that teachers used to determine their expectations changed as teachers used the technology. The strongest predictors of teaching confidence were teacher cognitions, especially confidence in personal computing skills. Other personal variables (frequency of personal computer use, gender, teaching experience, and computer ownership) dropped out of the regression equations when teacher cognitions were introduced. After the IT infusion, but not before, self-reported instructional practice and contextual factors (shared sense of purpose of the school with its community and experience with district amalgamation) also contributed to variance in confidence about teaching with computers.
An Evaluation of Prototype School-Based Peer Counseling Program
Authors: Kim Sehwan , McLeod Jonnie H. , Rader Donna , Johnston Grace
Published: May 2005

This study reports short-term outcome evaluation results of a school-based peer counseling (PRC) program as implemented by North Forsyth High School during January 1990-February 1991. The PRC program is evaluated in terms of: 1) the content of the program as evaluated by the PRC trainees; 2) the quality of the PRC instructor as perceived by these trainees; 3) several instrumental objectives deduced from the PRC training program; and 4) the degree to which the program was able to reach other students at North Forsyth during the time the PRC was in operation. In the absence of a control group, the treatment effect of the program is determined in terms of individual growth curve models. Through the multiple evaluation designs employed in this research, it has been learned that a significantly larger proportion of students in the PRC group had more favorable attitude toward the content of the PRC program when compared to the content of what they learned from their regular school curricula. Furthermore, a significantly larger proportion of students in the PRC program reported more favorable attitude toward their instructor than their regular school teachers. The PRC program was able to elicit an improvement of trainee self-esteem (p < .01) and their social values (p <.05) between pre and post of the Peer Training Evaluation Instrument. In terms of client access, 18.4 percent of the totality of potential clients at North Forsyth have been reached through sixty-one peer counselors sanctioned by the school.
Estimated Physician Services in a United States Metropolitan Area
Authors: Rabin D. L. , Starfield B. H. , Burns C. F. , Krasno J. R. , McCormick M. C.
Published: May 2005

A sample of Baltimore Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA) physicians was interviewed to determine hours devoted to professional activities and numbers of patients seen. Results were extrapolated to the total active physician population of the area. The SMSA, with 227 physicians per 100,000 population, has proportionately fewer physicians in private practice than the United States as a whole. Among private practitioners, 34 per cent of all patients and 55 per cent of all inpatients are seen by surgical specialists, while general practitioners see 39 per cent of all outpatients. However, 60 per cent of all patient care hours provided by Baltimore SMSA physicians are inpatient hours, three-fifths of which are provided by physicians-in-training. Institution-based physicians together provide 55 per cent of total patient care hours. The influence of medical institutions on the patient care available to the population of the Baltimore SMSA is stressed and its implications are discussed.
Rhetoric and Relevance in Technical Writing
Authors: Killingsworth M. Jimmie , Gilbertson Michael
Published: May 2005

As a concept of rhetoric in technical writing, relevance involves an awareness of time. The report deals with the past; the manual, with the present; the proposal, with the future. To be considered relevant, however, all the modes of technical writing must relate to the present reality of the audience. Writers must recognize this need not only as it influences grammar and style but also as it affects larger concerns of organization and tone. Realizing that the temporal classification of modem reports, manuals, and proposals correlates with Aristotle's designation of forensic, epideictic, and deliberative discourse, technical writers can discover a body of rhetorical theory on which to base choices about selection, arrangement, and presentation of subject matter.
The Meanings of Modern Art
Authors: Ullan Ana M. , Belver Manuel H.
Published: May 2005

The aim of this article is to explore the meanings which are attached by different non-specialist individuals to the expressions “modern art” and “modern painting.” These meanings will then be related to the individuals' attitudes to modern art and other variables concerning their social background. People have different conceptions of art. These shape the attitude of each individual to artistic products. The meaning of these conceptions cannot be regarded as independent of the social group to which each individual belongs. On the contrary, the social context conditions the meanings which each individual attaches to an object of art. As a result, the attitude of each individual in relation to art must be analyzed in their social context.
More in Sorrow Than in Anger: The British Nurses' Strike of 1988
Authors: Hayward Sarah , Fee Elizabeth
Published: May 2005

In early 1988 the nurses of Britain's National Health Service reached a peak of frustration. They took unprecedented industrial action to bring the state of nursing, and problems within the Health Service, to the attention of the nation. Throughout the crisis there was acrimonious debate between the Royal College of Nursing, which acts as both a professional association and a negotiating unit and opposed the strike, and the trade unions, which organized it. Their conflict undermined the nurses' solidarity and highlighted deep and complex tensions within the profession. On the day of action, labor withdrawal was widespread but inconsistent. In the end, the nurses made some gains, but most of their concerns were ignored. The government promoted the divisions between nursing unions; the media were critical of the nurses' actions; however, the labor movement supported them, and the British Medical Journal voiced the merits of the nurses' case. The struggle of the British nurses exemplifies issues and dilemmas facing nurses throughout the world. The increasing militancy of nurses in many countries reflects their dissatisfaction with pay, working conditions, and career opportunities. Many nurses are torn between the ideals of professionalism and the realities of their workplace and are ambivalent about the principles of collective bargaining. This article addresses these ambivalences and stresses the need to find creative solutions to match nurses' unique place in the political economy of health care.
Was I Dreaming or Did it Really Happen? A Comparison between Real and Artificial Dream Reports
Authors: Cavallero Corrado , Natale Vincenzo
Published: May 2005

Thirty-six mentation reports (24 dream reports and 12 simulated dream reports) were provided by six subjects during experimental sessions. Dream reports were collected upon REM and Sleep Onset experimental awakenings. Artificial reports were obtained by asking the subject: “Try to invent a dream and tell me it as you go along.” To detect differences between the two types of reports, comparisons along seven structural dimensions were carried out. These dimensions included self-involvement, continuity, temporal attributes, implausibility, and three types of bizarreness. None of the analyses performed yielded significant results. Moreover, three groups of thirty judges each were unable to distinguish real from artificial reports at a rate greater than chance. Results are interpreted as supporting the hypothesis that cognitive processing involved in dream production is not unique to the sleeping state.
Minitab and Pizza: A Workshop Experiment
Authors: Romeu Jorge Luis , Gascon Vicente Gascon
Published: May 2005

Laboratory, workshop, and cooperative learning approaches are some pedagogical methods that raise student interest and involvement in their course work. The present article describes an experiment in applying such methods to teaching a general statistics course to non-mathematics majors, and its statistical assessment. A voluntary, one-hour weekly lab was offered to the general statistics course students. It was developed using computers, e-mail, and Minitab, in conjunction with learning groups, and with the utilization of a Lab Assistant. The results of such experience was then assessed through several instruments, including a student survey that collected their reactions, comments, and suggestions for improvements. Then, a preliminary statistical analysis of some of the course data collected, comparing grade results of students who attended the workshop with those who did not, is presented. Finally, some general conclusions regarding this workshop's effectiveness, its recruitment and retention efforts and directions for future work, are also discussed.
The Co-Occurrence of Mania with Medical and other Psychiatric Disorders
Authors: Strakowski Stephen M. , McElroy Susan L. , Keck Paul W. , West Scott A.
Published: May 2005

Objective:

The co-occurrence of mania with other medical and psychiatric disorders has been little studied. The authors reviewed the literature in order to clarify the current state of knowledge of this subject and to identify possible areas of future research.

Methods:

Published articles which specifically addressed associations of mania with medical disorders and other psychiatric syndromes were identified using the Paperchase® medical literature search system and by cross-referencing from other published work. The articles were then organized into three categories: 1) medical disorders associated with secondary mania; 2) medical comorbidity in bipolar disorder; and 3) psychiatric comorbidity in bipolar disorder.

Results:

The review of medical illness and secondary mania supports the hypothesis that injuries involving right-side and mid-line brain structures are associated with so-called secondary mania. Additionally, an association between bipolar disorder and migraine is identified. Several psychiatric disorders appear to occur with mania at rates higher than expected including obsessive-compulsive disorder, bulimia nervosa, panic disorder, impulse control disorders, and substance abuse.

Conclusions:

The authors discuss the potential implications of these findings and suggest research approaches to further examine the relationships between mania and other medical and psychiatric syndromes.
Health Planning and the U.S. Federal Government
Authors: Levin A. L.
Published: May 2005

The history of health planning efforts within the federal government is summarized, starting with enactment of the Hill—Burton legislation in 1946. Shortcomings in planning by the central government and in its guidance of the states are noted. The recent development of certain federal health planning techniques—a program structure, the five—year program and financial plan, and program analyses—is summarized. Political and administrative constraints on planners, within the system of federal—state—local relationships, are explored. The degree to which planning is applicable to current health problems, including those of rising prices and misuse of resources, and future federal reactions to these problems, are commented upon.
The Lincoln Terminal System (LTS)
Authors: Frick F. C.
Published: May 2005

The Lincoln Terminal System is being developed to support individual self-instruction outside of, as well as in a conventional classroom setting. It uses microfiche to deliver instructional material and a small computer to control interaction with the student. It has proven possible to include an audio channel on the fiche and a completely stand-alone system appears technically and economically feasible. This paper presents the current status of this development program.
Learned Helplessness in Children: Perception of Control and Causal Attributions
Authors: Friedlander Steven
Published: May 2005

The concept of learned helplessness is reviewed and its applicability to children critically evaluated. The development of helplessness is seen to be a function of the perception of uncontrollability and the nature of the causal attributions generated to explain the experienced lack of control. With children, uncontrollability has been operationalized primarily as the experience of failure. A review of selected studies from the developmental literature relevant to the perception of uncontrollability, to the experience of failure and to causal attribution indicates that in each instance cognitive-developmental factors tend to render the child relatively resistant to the development of helplessness. To the extent that young children experience the cognitively mediated phenomenon known as learned helplessness, the factors underlying it would seem to be different from those operative in adults. In order to be applied productively to young children, helplessness theory will require further revision along cognitive-developmental lines.
Death, Anxiety, and Depression: A Comparison between Egyptian, Kuwaiti, and Lebanese Undergraduates
Authors: Abdel-Khalek Ahmed M.
Published: May 2005

Three samples of male and female undergraduates were recruited from Egypt ( N=208), Kuwait ( N=215), and Lebanon ( N=228). The Death Anxiety Scale, Death Depression Scale, Trait Anxiety Scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Beck Depression Inventory were administered to participants in small group sessions in each country. Alpha reliabilities of the four scales in the three nations ranged from almost satisfactory to high levels. In death anxiety, Lebanese subjects had significantly the lowest mean score. As for death depression in males, Kuwaitis attained the highest mean score, while the Lebanese had the lowest. In females, Egyptians and Kuwaitis had the highest mean death depression scores, while the Lebanese attained the lowest. Regarding the trait anxiety, female Egyptians had the highest mean score, while the Lebanese attained the lowest. The differences between the mean scores of the three nations in the Beck Depression Inventory were not statistically significant. By and large, the gender differences were significant denoting the higher mean scores of females than their male counterparts.
Computer Assisted Instruction with Learning Disabled Students: Achievement, Engagement, and other Factors That Influence Achievement
Authors: MacArthur Charles A. , Haynes Jacqueline A. , Malouf David B. , Harris Karen , Owings Maria
Published: May 2005

The study compared computer assisted instruction (CAI) and paper-and-pencil instruction (PPI) as means of delivering independent spelling practice in classes for learning disabled (LD) students. Forty-four fifth- and sixth-grade LD students worked for four weeks on CAI or PPI spelling programs. The CAI and PPI programs had identical content and similar activities, but differed in instructional design features based on the capabilities of the two media. Important contextual factors were controlled, including the teacher, the teacher's role, time of day, amount of practice time, and proximity to peers and teachers in the classroom. Significant achievement differences favoring the CAI group were found on the weekly spelling tests and on a retention test. In addition, the CAI group had a significantly higher engagement rate, and engagement was positively correlated with average weekly achievement. Recursive path analysis was used to explore further the hypothesis that improved achievement with CAI is mediated by engagement. The path analysis indicated that approximately 31 percent of the difference in achievement between groups was mediated by engagement and another 22 percent by engagement through number of responses.
OMB Estimates Indicate That 900,000 Children Will Lose Health Insurance Due to Reductions in Federal Schip Funding
Authors: Park Edwin , Ku Leighton , Broaddus Matthew
Published: May 2005

Despite the success of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) in reducing the ranks of uninsured children, the program now faces significant financing challenges. Analysis based on a model developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services indicates that by 2007, 20 states will have insufficient federal funding to sustain their current programs, with the first states affected in 2004. As a result, the Office of Management and Budget projected last year that SCHIP enrollment will fall by 900,000 children between 2003 and 2007. The funding shortfalls are the result of several factors. Federal SCHIP funding fell by 26 percent—by more than $1 billion—in each of fiscal years 2002, 2003, and 2004; $1.2 billion in SCHIP funds has already expired and reverted to the Treasury at the end of fiscal year 2002, and another $1.5 billion will expire at the end of 2003. The SCHIP program also has a redistribution system with targeting and timing problems. However, proposed Congressional legislation restoring federal funding, extending the $2.7 billion in expiring funds, and targeting the funds to the states that most need them could avert most, if not all, of the projected enrollment decline. On the other hand, the Bush administration proposed to extend the expiring funds but does not target them to needy states; the proposal will do little to reduce the magnitude of the decline.
The Effect of Student-Instructor Interaction on Achievement in a Dyad Computer-Based Training (CBT) Environment
Authors: Stephenson Stanley D.
Published: May 2005

Most computer-based training (CBT) research has ignored variables other than the software itself. Yet there are other factors which can influence achievement. This study explored the impact of instructor-student interaction when students worked CBT in pairs. Compared to an earlier study in which instructor interaction positively influence achievement when students worked CBT individually, instructor interaction had no effect on achievement. Evidently, many if not all of the social functions served by the instructor in the traditional classroom can be provided by a CBT team partner. Implications of these results, to include the role of the instructor and the responsibility of the software developer, are discussed.
Learned Helplessness at Work
Authors: Lennerlöf Lennart
Published: May 2005

The development of theory and research on learned helplessness is reviewed and criticized on some points, e.g., for its reliance on artificial laboratory experiments. Some empirical findings are presented, indicating a connection between certain work characteristics and learned helplessness. Other research traditions have emphasized the importance of job qualifications, freedom of action, and development possibilities for well-being and health. There is, however, hardly any research on learned helplessness at work. Learned helplessness hypotheses should be tested on data from real life; if applied to work environment research, the theory of learned helplessness could generate important results.
Doctor Assisted Suicide: An Analysis of Public Opinion of Michigan Adults
Authors: Lachenmeier Flint , Kaplan Kalman J. , Caragacianu Diana
Published: May 2005

Michigan public opinion on Doctor Assisted Suicide (DAS) was assessed in January 1997 ( N = 603). Asked if they would consider DAS for themselves, two-thirds would if being kept alive by a machine or were experiencing chronic pain; one-half would if they experienced a loss in mobility or independence, became a burden to others, or were diagnosed with a terminal disease; and one-third would if they were incontinent or going to a nursing home. A series of demographic and attitudinal comparisons were made for support for the concept of DAS and as a hypothetical consideration for oneself. The highest support for the concept of DAS was found among the following: men eighteen to twenty-four years old, some college education, $35–60,000/year income, Caucasian, Democrat, liberal, Protestant, and frequent church attendee. The highest self-consideration of DAS was found among the following: men, fifty to fifty-five years old, post-graduate education, $35–60,000/year income, Caucasian, Democrat, liberal, Protestant, and infrequent church attendee.
Cybernetics—The Science of Management?
Authors: Charles Derek R.
Published: May 2005

Evolving from principles observed in telecommunications and servomechanisms, cybernetics is now a broad interdisciplinary science that embraces all biological and environmental activities, including human thought and social organization. Cybernetics provides the unifying basis for various scientific techniques used in business management today, but computer-aided administration and factory automation are only a start. Eventually, comprehensive systems of artificial intelligence will function at the highest level to direct, not merely manage, the total operation of industry, even the administration of society itself. Clearly, there will be marked impact on human communication, especially in scientific and technical publications for marketing and training.
Keyboarding Instruction: A Comparison of Five Approaches
Authors: McClurg Patricia , Kercher Lydia
Published: May 2005

This experimental study investigated whether third- and fourth-grade students participating in five representative approaches to learning keyboarding would differ in keyboarding competency. Three computer tutorials, a video-word processor combination, and a book-word processor combination constituted the five treatments. Significant F values were detected for the covariate set and the experimental treatment in the multiple regression analyses. The dexterity measure was the most powerful predictor for keyboarding competency. The textbook word processing group scored significantly higher than two of the computer tutorials. No other significant differences were detected among treatment conditions. No significant effects for age or sex were detected. An attitude measure revealed generally positive reactions but pinpointed dislike for pacing in the video treatment and mandatory accuracy levels in computer tutorials. Results of this study suggest several options available to educators.
Does Clio Have a Place in Technical Writing? Considering Patents in a History of Technical Communication
Authors: Brockmann R. John
Published: May 2005

Technical writers need a historical perspective in order to distinguish between enduring and transitory writing standards, to understand the variety of past styles in building future styles, and to give the profession a better sense of self-identity. To overcome the problems in developing a historical perspective, such as a dearth of artifacts to examine and the peculiarities in rhetorical time and place which undercut attempts to generalize on historical information, the 200 year-old federal collection of patents is offered as a solution. This collection of patents is also very often the only remaining written work of the ordinary mechanic of the nineteenth century, and this collection truly reflects technical not legal, business, or science writing.
Masked Depression: Its Interrelations with Somatization, Hypochondriasis and Conversion
Authors: Fisch Robert Z.
Published: May 2005

Masked depression appears to be a common clinical phenomenon. Most depressions present with some somatic complaints in addition to affective and cognitive ones. About one half of all depressions seen by primary care physicians initially present predominantly or exclusively with somatic symptoms. Many of these depressions are not recognized or are misdiagnosed and mistreated. The possible reasons for this are discussed here. The phenomenon of somatization in depressions and other conditions is reviewed and the interface with other related clinical problems like hypochondriasis and conversion is delineated. It is hypothesized that the proportion of depressions that are masked is positively correlated to the patients' tendency to somatize and negatively correlated to the doctors' ability to recognize depressions that hide behind somatic complaints. Suggestions for the diagnosis and treatment of masked depressions are given.
TNT: Teaching and Technology
Authors: Rosenthal Marilyn , Spiegelman Marsha
Published: May 2005

The growth of the Internet as a viable research tool has created an unprecedented need to provide instruction. When Nassau Community College received access, the presenters were asked to gain Internet expertise and train faculty and students. Active-learning environments were developed, utilizing presentation software, team teaching, interactive exercises, and extensive handouts. These situations, which required an innovative approach to teaching, included a variety of settings from traditional student-centered classes and faculty training workshops to continuing education sessions for the general public. This article presents a case study of one such faculty Internet workshop which successfully incorporated these new instructional modes. Behavioral objectives are defined, course design described, and use of technology in teaching highlighted. The authors offer this example as a model for future sessions.
A Concept of Language for Technical Writing Students
Authors: Minor Dennis E.
Published: May 2005

Language in a technical writing course can be taught from the standpoint of its function in the student's papers. Three functions can be differentiated: generative—making later discussion necessary; substantive—giving supporting material from researched sources; and conclusive—making the author's conclusions clear and apparent.
Computer Controlled Spelling Instruction: A Case Study in Courseware Design
Authors: Assink Egbert , Van Der Linden Jan
Published: May 2005

The research project “Feedback Processes in Computer Managed Spelling Instruction” was aimed at developing and testing an instructional software program for teaching the orthography of Dutch verbs. The main focus of this article is on how to design an optimal learning environment. The design of human-computer interaction is highlighted from a number of respects: the sequencing of the learning content, the presentation of information on the screen, and the format of student input and feedback. The program consists of seven instructional modules. In each module, a specific grammatical operation, such as grammatical tense, person, number or voice, is highlighted. The effectiveness of the courseware was tested in a field experiment. Two versions of the program, a Standard Version and a Flexible Version, were compared, taking account of individual differences in spelling ability and motivation variables. Results with both versions are reported.
Attitudes of Physicians, Housestaff, and Nurses on Care for the Terminally Ill
Authors: Kincade Jean E.
Published: May 2005

A survey was made comparing attitudes of physicians, housestaff, and nurses on care of the dying. Although overall the three groups of health professionals appeared to feel quite comfortable in talking with dying patients, about 20 per cent still expressed a high degree of discomfort. The recent shift toward the belief that patients should be informed about their prognosis was supported by the present study. Age and recent experience with terminal patients appeared to affect this belief more than type of profession. Substantial differences were found in beliefs about analgesic administration among nurses, physicians, and housestaff. In addition, there seemed to be a general consensus that the present facilities to care for the dying were inadequate. Specific shortcomings and solutions were suggested by the respondents.
Workplace Drug Testing as Social Control
Authors: Hecker Steven , Kaplan Mark S.
Published: May 2005

In this article, the emergence of employee drug screening is examined in the context of the historical development of the principle and practice of workplace surveillance. The authors trace the evolution of disciplinary and control systems from the early Industrial Revolution through the Scientific Management movement and its recent offshoots. Industrial medicine and industrial psychology are presented as elements of the “scientification” of surveillance. Drug testing and other contemporary surveillance technologies are placed in this context, and their cultural, political–economic, and moral underpinnings are examined. The dilemma posed by the need to address the real problem of drug abuse in the context of a social control paradigm is explored.
Disaster, Crisis Theory, and Intervention Strategies
Authors: Schulberg Herbert C.
Published: May 2005

“Crisis” is a concept that has been approached as 1) an environmentally produced situation, 2) an individual's perception of an event, 3) a characteristic clinical syndrome, 4) interaction between a subjective state and an objective environmental situation, and, more recently, 5) a critical role transition. Central to most views is the acute time factor, marked behavioral change, subjective sense of helplessness, generation of organismic tension, and the perception of threat in relativistic and unique terms. This paper suggests a probability formulation of whether or not individuals or groups will experience crisis and discusses both anticipatory and participatory strategies of disaster intervention.
The Index as Editor
Authors: Bethke Frederick J.
Published: May 2005

No one doubts that indexes are of value to readers. But they can also be of value to their own authors as editing tools. Because an index provides a microcosm of the main text, errors in that text will often be reflected in the index, and reflected in a way that makes them more visible. As he creates the index, the author can use it to spot errors in the body of the work—errors of terminology, of arrangement, of proportion, and of omission. This technique can be used to supplement the normal editing process.
Comments on Navarro's Review of Health Services Research: An Anthology
Authors: White Kerr
Published: May 2005

In preparing Health Services Research: An Anthology, the editors attempted to broaden the definition of health services research promulgated by the National Library of Medicine. Many articles in the Anthology focused on stemming the avalanche of medicine's unevaluated procedures and prescribing practices, and on broadening the horizons of the medical establishment. Another anthology is clearly needed to address Virchow's dictum that medicine is politics writ large.
Moderators of Cognitive Coping Derived from Attentional and Parallel Processing Models of Pain
Authors: Stevens Michael J. , Terner Jessica L.
Published: May 2005

After establishing baseline pain tolerance and intensity, ninety undergraduates, either low or high in private body consciousness, were distributed equally to cognitive distraction, sensation monitoring, or no treatment and then exposed to pressure stimulation. A 2 × 3 (private body consciousness × condition) MANOVA of residual tolerance and intensity data did not yield hypothesized interactions, but demonstrated that both coping strategies modified tolerance and intensity more than no treatment. Results are discussed in terms of adherence to and involvement in treatment, perceived effectiveness of coping strategies, and number of strategies used. The findings are integrated within attentional and parallel processing models of pain.
The Elderly Psychiatric Patient with Positive Syphilis Serology: The Problem of Neurosyphilis
Authors: Bharwani Ishwer L. , Hershey Charles O.
Published: May 2005

Objective:

Older patients have a high prevalence of neurological and psychiatric disorders. They also have a baseline prevalence of late latent syphilis or positive syphilis serology. Thus the clinical question arises as to whether a neuropsychiatric disorder in a geriatric patient is neurosyphilis or if the positive serology is incidental.

Method:

An illustrative case example is used to illustrate this dilemma. The relevant literature is reviewed.

Results:

The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) protein is an important indicator of inflammatory activity in the central nervous system and is used as a clinical guide in the diagnosis. Elderly patients have higher values of normal CSF protein than younger patients.

Conclusions:

Given the importance of CSF protein in the diagnosis of neurosyphilis, physicians must include this knowledge, that elderly patients have higher CSF protein values, in their clinical decision making in the differentiation between neurosyphilis and late latent syphilis in the elderly patient.
Fear of Death and Fertility Reconsidered
Authors: Kinlaw Bonnie J. R. , Dixon Richard D.
Published: May 2005

Kastenbaum raised and examined the hypothesis that fear of death and fertility are directly related phenomena, concluding that procreation was one among several desirable forms of self-continuation. Re-examination of this hypothesis, using Templer's Manifest Death Anxiety Scale and a community sample (N=234) of reproductive and post-reproductive aged males and females, revealed that the hypothesis was confirmed among high school or less educated respondents. Within this subsample, confirmation was found among all females concerning their experienced, desired, and expected fertility. However, their male counterparts exhibited confirmation only with respect to desired and expected fertility, and only if they were within the reproductive age range.
Bringing Together Technology and Students: Examining the Use of Technology in a Project-Based Class
Authors: Moss David M.
Published: May 2005

This case study was conducted at a New England public high school which experienced a recent technological and accompanying pedagogical revolution. The overall purpose of this study was twofold: 1) to describe how technology was utilized within a student centered project-based class, and 2) to examine student beliefs about their use of technology within this innovative environment. Seven students were selected and interviewed individually six times throughout the year. Verbatim transcripts were coded and interpreted so that emerging patterns of each students' conceptions could be identified and tracked over the entire school year. Findings from this study indicate that teachers and students held differing conceptions on what was valued in class in terms of learning. Students spent much more time and effort focusing on technology-related skills than exploring meaningful content. Content learning occurred best when students made use of focused essential questions that provided clear direction for their class projects to proceed.
Extenuating Circumstances in Perceptions of Suicide: Disease Diagnosis (Aids, Cancer), Pain Level, and Life Expectancy
Authors: Martin Stephen K. , Range Lillian M.
Published: May 2005

If a person is terminally ill, people are more tolerant of the suicide. To see if illness type, pain level, and life expectancy affected reactions toward a terminal illness suicide, 160 undergraduates completed community support, social interaction, and suicide scales about Pat, who had either AIDS or cancer, a lot or a little pain, and six months or two years to live. A 2 (Diagnosis) × 2 (Pain Level) × 2 (Life Expectancy) MANOVA yielded significant main effects for diagnosis and pain level, a trend for life expectancy, and no interactions. Follow-up ANOVAs indicated more social stigma associated with AIDS and a lot of pain, but less social stigma associated with AIDS and a lot of pain suicides. Increased education about AIDS may help alleviate the social stigma associated with the disease and diminish tolerance towards AIDS-related suicides.
Consciousness as Reflexive Shadow: An Operational Psychophenomenological Model
Authors: Nelson Peter L.
Published: May 2005

Starting from the position of Searle's critique of theories of consciousness cast in an objective ontological frame and using James's notion of Radical Empiricism, an ontologically neutral, operational notion of conscious experience (awareness) is developed. This empirically based model incorporates a systems approach to conscious states, but eschews duality and unnecessary ontological ascriptions as found in many other theoretical proposals. The model is, in effect, non-epistemic and avoids the usual category error implicit in neurophysiological or quantum physical reductions. It does this by casting all human knowledge as experiential creations arising from operationally generated reflexive attention. From this point of view both objective and subjective ontologies are understood to be explicate constructs of an experiential implicate order.