bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Labor and Climate Change: Dilemmas and Solution
Authors: Cohen-Rosenthal Edward , Fabens Bruce , McGalliard Tad
Published: May 2005

Labor unions in the United States and internationally are concerned about climate change issues as they affect employment and impact the broader social fabric and natural environment. This article examines how and why unions are involved. The employment impacts caused by action or inaction stemming from the Kyoto Protocol and other climate change measures are examined for their potential dangers and opportunities. There is a broad array of strategies that trade unions can deploy in order to play a positive role including: involvement in macro-level policy discussions; participation in relevant industrial decision-making; advocacy of just transition measures; and by encouraging changes and new activities in the workplace.
The Value of Faculty Internships in Technical Communication
Authors: Hirst Russel
Published: May 2005

Technical communication professionals have been considering the value of faculty internships in technical communication. Whether professional societies, or industry, will fund such internships on any large scale is still in question. I believe that faculty internships are a superb option for professional development and that the benefits to the profession of technical communication accruing from them justify their support. This article reviews the debate about this topic and then describes some benefits derived from a faculty internship I served in 1991.
The Effects of Personality Traits on the Perception of Written Mass Communication
Authors: Bruno Sam J.
Published: May 2005

In the perception of mass communication, different personality traits favor reader-oriented and company-oriented advertisements. Experimental results also suggest that personality types (extraverts and introverts) perceive mass communication differently.
Knowledge Maps and Their Use in Computer-Based Collaborative Learning Environments
Authors: Kealy William A.
Published: May 2005

Conceptual learning of 13 graduate students at a university in the southeastern United States was studied during a six-week course that employed the Internet for collaborative learning of on-line articles. Five groups were formed with each creating a knowledge map—a diagram that graphically arranges and interconnects concepts to show their relationship—during the first and fifth week of the course. Multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis was used to study the change in each group's mapping over time to determine the influence of a computer-based collaborative learning environment on conceptual understanding. MDS analysis was also used to compare a knowledge map and a similarity rating (of the same 10 concepts) completed by each student at the end of the course. Results of the first analysis indicated that, despite the collaborative nature of the learning environment, groups did not become more similar over time in their understanding of key concepts. However, the second analysis revealed common student perceptions about the dimensions that characterized the conceptual relationships involved. Importantly, this analysis provided evidence that knowledge maps are comparable to rating instruments, thereby supporting recent research claims that they are valid representations of conceptual knowledge. Prescriptions are made for the expanded role of MDS in collaborative knowledge mapping activities.
Aspects of Guilt and Self-Reported Substance Use in Adolescence
Authors: Quiles Zandra N. , Kinnunen Taru , Bybee Jane
Published: May 2005

The use of addictive substances is undergoing moralization in American society—behaviors once viewed as personal preferences now carry moral significance. Research has shown that sociomoral emotions like guilt, thought to be reflective of one's internalized standards and societal mores, can be an important influence on behavior. The present study explored the relationship between college students' self-reports of adolescent substance use (cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana) and scores on indices tapping different aspects of guilt (Standards, Situational, and Chronic Guilt). Participants were 230 undergraduate students (mean age = 19; 55 percent female; 69 percent White). Substance users had lower scores on Standards and Situational Guilt than non-users, but no difference was observed in Chronic Guilt. The present results suggest that a stronger internalization of societal standards, as reflected by higher scores on Standards and Situational Guilt, may prove a useful tool in the prevention of substance use.
Weathering Widowhood: Problems and Adjustment of the Widowed during the First Year
Authors: Carey Raymond G.
Published: May 2005

Widows (n = 78) and widowers (n = 41) whose spouses died at a midwest suburban hospital were interviewed thirteen to sixteen months after they were widowed. An 8–item self-report measure of adjustment-depression was developed. The article discusses the factors related to adjustment, the problems faced by the widowed during the first year of bereavement, those who helped the most during the final hospitalization and during bereavement, and finally some practical considerations for those who are concerned with the problems of the widowed. Key results showed that adjustment was more difficult for widows than for widowers, that anticipatory grief was an important factor in the adjustment of widows, and that follow-up visits by physicians and local clergy were helpful to the widowed, 25 per cent of whom were still depressed after one year.
Attitudes toward the Survivors of Suicide as a Function of the Motive for Suicide
Authors: Lester David
Published: May 2005

The impact of the motives expressed in the suicide note on the reactions of the survivor of a suicide were explored by presenting respondents with cases of suicide to read and judge which were identical except for the suicide note which expressed either anger toward the survivor, self-blame, or the desire to escape from psychological pain. Respondents felt that it would be harder to express sympathy toward the survivors of suicides who expressed self-blame. The implications of this finding are discussed.
Does Computer Technology Improve Student Learning and Achievement? How, When, and under What Conditions?
Authors: Schacter John , Fagnano Cheryl
Published: May 2005

There have been widespread claims that technology can make learning easier, more efficient, and more motivating. This article argues that ease and efficiency should not be the leading criteria for advocating and implementing computer technology in schools. The authors assert that to produce more meaningful learning, computer technologies need to be designed according to sound learning theories and pedagogy. When administrators, teachers, and parents understand that different computer technologies serve and augment different learning experiences, they can make informed judgments about which technologies are best suited to enhance student learning and achievement.
Psychiatric Assessment of Patients with Life-Threatening Cardiac Arrhythmias
Authors: Baker Brian , Kazarian Shahe S. , Dorian Paul , Lanphier Caroline
Published: May 2005

Objective:

This article describes the development of a protocol specifically designed for the psychiatric assessment of patients with life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias.

Method:

Psychiatric assessment occurs in the context of a team approach in which the cardiologist has a pivotal role. Initial findings and one-year follow-up data on the first twenty-five patients evaluated psychiatrically are presented.

Results:

Findings tend to confirm that psychiatric complaints are common on initial assessment and suggest that patients with life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias who do not use the psychological mechanism of denial and volunteer psychological complaints may constitute a subgroup of patients who would be more amenable to psychiatric intervention compared to those denying psychological complaints at initial psychiatric interview.

Conclusion:

Psychiatrists and associated professionals should become more involved with patients with life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias.
The Comparative Effectiveness of Systematic Desensitization and an Integrative Approach in Treating Public Speaking Anxiety: A Literature Review and a Preliminary Investigation
Authors: Rossi Ana M. , Seiler William J.
Published: May 2005

An analysis of the literature related to public speaking anxiety (PSA) and various treatments of it are discussed. PSA is a state or situational type of anxiety which can have tremendous effects on those who suffer from it. Two of the major treatments–systematic desensitization (SD) and the integrative approach (IA) are reviewed and then experimentally tested to determine which is the more effective in treating PSA. The results are somewhat inclusive but there is strong evidence to suggest that both SD and IA reduce trait and state anxiety. It was, however, found that IA is more effective in decreasing the symptoms associated with PSA.
Thanatology
Authors: Lucente Frank E.
Published: May 2005

Increasing aggressiveness in tackling the problem of head and neck cancer has been paralleled by a rising death rate on the E.N.T. service. As a result, the otolaryngologist has had to re-examine not only the manner in which he takes care of the terminally-ill patient but also his own thoughts on death and dying.

This paper presents a review of 100 consecutive deaths on the otolaryngology service at Barnes Hospital, St. Louis between July 1965 and June 1970. The age, sex, race, and diagnosis for each patient is listed as well as the duration of his final admission. The frequently-seen themes of denial, pain, fear and loneliness are considered, particularly in regard to one patient who was hospitalized over ten months. Finally, some suggestions are made for the care of the dying patient.
Death as Seen in Books Suitable for Young Children
Authors: Ordal Carol C.
Published: May 2005

This article summarizes and evaluates thirty-four children's books which deal with death in terms of their usefulness in helping three- to nine-year-old children understand and cope with the concept of death. Included in the analysis are books dealing with death in plants, of an animal, and of a person. In addition, another seventeen books are commented on briefly. All of the books chosen for analysis explain death in a positive way by 1) using direct and concrete words and avoiding euphemisms, 2) involving the main characters in the funeral and at the cemetery, 3) showing respect for and acceptance of feelings, 4) understanding the child's grieving process, and/or 5) ending on a hopeful note with the main characters getting on with life. Some of the books are not only psychologically sound but have creative merit as well. They will help young children begin to make a dialectic synthesis of the opposites they encounter in life–e.g., sadness/joy, love/hate–and to understand that life and death are really one.
Activity Interests and Holland's Riasec System in Older Adults
Authors: Kerby Dave S. , Ragan Katie M.
Published: May 2005

Leisure activities are widely used in research to predict important outcomes, but the existing studies use different classification schemes and apparently rely on the intuition of the researcher to classify activities. The goal of the current study was to use the Holland RIASEC personality system to empirically classify activities using a sample of older adults. Nine activity scales were identified. The correlation of these activity scales with the Holland system showed that they could be reliably classified; further, multidimensional scaling suggested that the pattern of relationship could be interpreted in terms of the RIASEC hexagon. The overall findings suggest that Holland's RIASEC system may offer a useful way to classify many activities.
Health Status and the Development of Health Services in a Colonial State: The Case of British Malaya
Authors: Leng Chee Heng
Published: May 2005

The health of a population and the development of health services in a country at a particular time in history are directly linked to the socioeconomic system. This paper discusses health and health services in the Malay Peninsula during the time that it was a British colony. Economic production under British colonialism, which is basically a capitalist system, is organized primarily for the purpose of realizing profits. The health of the population is in direct conflict with and generally subordinated to this main objective. The pattern of health that emerges reflects this general framework. Moreover, health services under the colonialist system are developed primarily to serve the economic interests of the colonialists. Hence, the structure of health services is biased toward curative medicine and centered mainly in the urban areas.
The Involvement of the Behavioral Sciences in American Medicine: A Historical Perspective
Authors: Riska Elianne , Vinten-Johansen Peter
Published: May 2005

This paper discusses the medical profession's underlying motivations in initiating recent changes in medical education in the United States. The first part briefly examines the transition from a holistic to a scientific theory and practice in American medicine. The second part of the paper analyzes and interprets the increasing incorporation of behavioral scientists into medical education in recent decades. A review of the debate on reforms in medical education, appearing in The Journal of the American Medical Association since the 1940s, indicates that the primary function of these behavioral scientists is to provide future physicians with techniques for managing problems in the physician-patient relationship. The concluding interpretation is that behavioral science expertise is actually used to strengthen and legitimize the traditional status of the medical profession in the existing structure of health care delivery.
Adapting Asynchronous Communication to Meet the Seven Principles of Effective Teaching
Authors: DeBard Robert , Guidera Stan
Published: May 2005

Two potentially conflicting forces are currently impacting higher education. On the one hand, there is the relentless advancement of educational technology as a means of delivering, enhancing, and otherwise becoming an integral part of the teaching-learning process. On the other, there is continuing concern over the economy and quality of education being provided to college students. We propose that asynchronous communication through the use of e-mail, course Web pages, and the Internet can be adapted in such a way as to not only meet the seven principles of effective teaching but to enhance student outcomes. Without sensitive adaptation, however, such computer technology can actually detract from the educational process. Research findings and the resulting strategies for successful implementation of asynchronous communication in the classroom will be provided.
Beliefs as Motivational Influences at Stages in Behavior Change
Authors: Baranowski Tom
Published: May 2005

A problem for health education practice is how to interest people in making a health behavior change and maintain that interest throughout the behavior change process. Beliefs can provide motivational force for people to perform health behaviors. Five theories: 1) Diffusion of Innovations (DIT); 2) Health Belief Model (HBM); 3) Reasoned Action (TRA); 4) Locus of Control (LOC); and 5) Social Learning (SLT), are reviewed for motivational factors in promoting health behavior changes at each of six stages in the behavior change process: precontemplation, decision, training, initiation, and maintenance. A degree of overlap and complementariness are identified among the theories resulting in a syntheoretical model of beliefs as motivators in the behavior change process. The common emphasis among the theories on expectancies or cost-benefit calculations is highlighted, suggesting several strategies for employing these considerations in health education campaigns. The paucity of motivational ideas for promoting change among the externally controlled—late majority is noted. Further research must be conducted before these ideas should be generally implemented in practice.
Converting a Traditional Multimedia Kit into an Interactive Video CD-ROM
Authors: Nicholson Annie Y. W. , Ngai Johnson Y. K.
Published: May 2005

For twenty-five years, Educational Television (ETV) programs have been available to schools in Hong Kong through broadcasting and video tapes. Supporting materials including booklets of Teachers' Notes and Pupils' Notes are also produced and used together with the programs. The emergence of desktop video means that an ETV program together with the supporting teaching and learning materials can be converted into digital data, integrated into a courseware, and stored in a CD-ROM for easy retrieval. In addition, the advantages of interactivity, where a structure of linked elements through which the user can navigate, can also be of use. This article reports the development of a courseware with full motion and full screen video stored in a CD-ROM by making use of the latest compression and decompression (CODEC) technology.
India's Voiceless and the New Population Policy
Authors: Banerji Debabar
Published: May 2005

Since the early 1950s, India's family planning program has failed to achieve the expected results, has entailed a massive waste of the country's resources, and has had a devastating effect on the health service system. Now the bureaucrats who have drawn up the New National Population Policy (NPP) have, again, decided what is best for the country's voiceless population. In setting out the NPP's “sociodemographic goals” and “strategic themes,” the authors have ignored the recommendations made six years ago by the well-respected Swaminathan Committee and the sensible policy framework propounded ten years ago by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The outcome is a policy resulting from a process that has failed to take into account the complexity of the policy-formulation process, the necessary inputs from a wide array of disciplines, and the experiences of the past.
Do Nutrition Programs Make a Difference? The Case of Brazil
Authors: Musgrove Philip
Published: May 2005

Four Brazilian food and nutrition programs operating during some part of 1974–86 are evaluated for their effectiveness in curing or preventing infant and child malnutrition, including low birth weight when pregnant women were beneficiaries. Two programs distributed free food to identified clients: traditional commercial foods in one case and specially formulated supplements in the other. The other two programs subsidized four or more basic foodstuffs: one experiment quantitatively restricted a subsidy to identified families, and the other was unrestricted and open to all families patronizing certain shops. The programs were more effective at curing than at preventing malnutrition, and more effective at increasing weight than height. Many beneficiaries, even when initially underweight, showed no change, and some deteriorated despite the food transfer. Results were better after than during the first year of life, when deterioration is most likely. Donation programs including medical and educational components proved more effective than pure subsidies, showing that while poverty may be the chief cause of malnutrition, the problem should be seen as poor health rather than simply low food consumption. Evaluation also shows that programs were inefficient in transferring benefits, and that clients were deterred from participating by the costs of obtaining the food and its poor quality and small volume. Longer participation improved results, but more frequent participation in a given interval did not necessarily do so.
Race and Sex Differences and Fear of Dying: A Test of Two Hypotheses — High Risk or Social Loss?
Authors: Marks Alan
Published: May 2005

A national sample of noninstitutionalized adult Americans is used to test two hypotheses and their relation to fear of death, The first hypothesis, referred to as the high risk hypothesis (i.e., groups with higher mortality rates will express more fear of death than groups with lower rates of mortality), is rejected. The second hypothesis, referred to as the social loss hypothesis, is developed and tested across six status categories—race, sex, age, religion, level of education, and health status. Zero order differences did appear for sex and race, however, these differences were eliminated with the introduction of controls. Both hypotheses are rejected.
Attitude toward the Editing Process: Theory, Research and Pedagogy
Authors: Lutz Jean A.
Published: May 2005

Some theoreticians and practitioners view editing as a superficial task, often no more than the mindless following of a set of prescriptive rules for grammar, syntax, and style. In addition, the editor-author relationship is typically perceived as an interaction between an editor and words. However, drawing upon rhetoric and cognitive psychology, I argue in this article for the complexity and importance of the editing process and the writer-editor relationship. This perspective is tentatively supported by a study of the revising and editing patterns of professional and experienced writers. The study suggests that revising and editing may be equally complex tasks. Further, the complexity increases if editors and authors discuss their changes as opposed to legislating them. Several methods for imparting this perspective and related knowledge to students are discussed.
The Interfering Effects of Music with Imagery
Authors: Stratton Valerie N. , Zalanowski Annette H.
Published: May 2005

The effect of music on imagery was examined by having 164 subjects rate the vividness of suggested images presented with matching music, mismatched music, or no music. Mismatched music led to less vivid images, but there was no overall difference between the matching-music and no-music groups. In comparing subjects on the basis of cognitive style (hemisphere orientation), however, it was found that subjects with a right hemisphere orientation reported less vivid images with matching music than with no music. The same effect occurred with a free image developed with and without music. The results can be interpreted within a hemisphere-sharing interference model, and clearly illustrate individual differences in responses to music and imagery.
Facilitating the Reportage of Dreams with Semantic Cues
Authors: Botman Harvey I. , Crovitz Herbert F.
Published: May 2005

Three experiments investigated dream reports from the previous night. The major hypothesis tested was that the reportage of dreams could be facilitated with cues. Three different types of cues were examined: semantic cues related to the themes of dreams, event cues related to experiences from the day before the dream, and color-names. On the whole, cuing increased the reportage of dreams beyond free-recall, with semantic cues related to the theme of dreams being the most effective prompts. The results were discussed in terms of findings from the study of amnesia and theories of memory that emphasize the retrieval cuing.
Designing an Oral Sex Condom Promotion Program for Female Sex Workers in Singapore
Authors: Wong Mee Lian , Chan Roy , Koh David , Wong Christina , Wee Sharon , Lee Evelyn
Published: May 2005

In 1996, a health promotion program began to increase condom use for oral sex among female brothel-based sex workers in Singapore. It was initiated based upon increasing evidence of HIV transmission through oral sex as well as increased oral sex among these workers and their clients. Condom use for oral sex increased from 42.2 percent in 1996 prior to the program to 91.7 percent in mid-2000, with a corresponding decline in pharyngeal gonorrhea from its peak of 10.7 percent to 3.6 percent (compared to no significant changes in the two-year period before intervention). A significant increase in oral condom use with decreased pharyngeal gonorrhea incidence was observed among sex workers where brothel educational interventions took place compared with matched controls without brothel interventions. This case study describes the application of a health promotion framework to effect behavior change. Major differences in the behavioral risk-education strategies and message contents between this program and our earlier program on condom use for vaginal sex also are highlighted.
Creative Farmers of the Northeast: A New View of Indian Maize Horticulture
Authors: Dimmick Frederica R.
Published: May 2005

Native American maize horticulture in New England has long been studied but often has not been viewed as part of an ongoing process of domestication. This process can be viewed as consisting of the four basic activities of perception of differences, selection for improved varieties, maintenance of genotypes, and dispersal of improved varieties. Information on maize horticulture from Native American informants and the ethnohistoric and archaeological records of the region has been analyzed for placement within these domestication activities. In New England, there is evidence that native peoples actively sought to improve maize and its production to suit their needs during the Contact and Early Historic periods. Native horticulturists developed maize varieties adapted to the New England climate and their maize technology allowed the long-term use of the same locations. Information from the sources of this study has been viewed in light of various theoretical models regarding the domestication of corn.
Widow's Grief: The Impact of Age and Mode of Death
Authors: Ball Justine F.
Published: May 2005

Two variables (age and mode of death) were tested to discover if they could predict the intensity of the grief reaction. It was hypothesized that widows who experienced anticipatory grief would resolve the bereavement crisis in an easier manner than those experiencing the sudden death of a mate, and that younger widows would experience the effects of acute grief to a greater degree than older widows. Information was obtained by a questionnaire from eighty widows bereaved six to nine months. They were divided into three age groups (young, middle, old) and two mode of death groups (sudden death and prolonged death). It was concluded that anticipatory grief is a mitigating influence on post-mortem grief for the young bereaved widow. It appears, however, that age is a more important factor than mode of death in relating to the intensity of the grief reaction. The restlessness symptom was found to be significantly higher in young widows and the irritability symptom showed an interaction effect-high for young (sudden) and middle (prolonged) widows.
Means, Goals, and Outcomes of a Comprehensive Occupational Health Program for Telephone Operators
Authors: Westlander Gunnela
Published: May 2005

A means-goals analysis requires a plan with some degree of distinctness, which is worked out beforehand and specifies reasonably clear goals and intended means. This article draws its material from a broadly designed strategy for organizational change that meets these criteria. A service division of Swedish Telecom underwent a program of comprehensive organizational change; major efforts were made to improve the occupational health of 300 telephone operators in manual service operations. Over a full three-year period, a number of specific problems were to be resolved. An independent research team evaluated the implementation of the program prospectively. The team followed an evaluation model in which stringent distinction was made between: (1) action areas, (2) intended specific means, (3) intended immediate goals, and (4) the longer-term favorable effects of achieving these immediate goals. In addition, an attempt was made to interpret and understand the findings of the means-goals evaluation by paying systematic attention to the implementation process and factors that might permit an understanding of the final outcomes of the program. Compared with other efforts to improve telephone operators' work conditions as reported in the research literature, this strategy for the promotion of change is broad and ambitious.
Dignity of Person in the Final Phase of Life - An Exploratory Study
Authors: Nash Mary Louise
Published: May 2005

An attempt was made to identify those factors which affect the “dignity” of a person when in the advanced or terminal phase of illness. A series of interviews (140 in all) was conducted with 24 adults in a large chronic care institution. Emphasis was on the informant's world of meaning. Only 10% of the coded responses could be classified as indicative of a sense of affirmed dignity. The most frequent non-dignity supportive responses were indicative of pain, loss, loneliness, and intrusiveness. Results of this exploratory study underline the necessity to promote consciousness-raising of health personnel about the human needs of persons who are in the final phase of their lives.
Psychosocial Processes and “Stress”: Theoretical Formulation
Authors: Cassel John
Published: May 2005

Despite widespread belief that psychosocial processes may be important in disease etiology, attempts to document the role of such factors in epidemiologic studies have led to conflicting and often confusing results. It is the thesis of this paper that this is largely a result of inadequacies in our theoretical framework. The point of view is presented that this stems from an uncritical subscription to and often erroneous interpretation of “stress” theory, a failure to recognize that psychosocial processes are unlikely to be directly pathogenic (in the way that, for example, a microorganism is) and unlikely to be unidimensional. An alternative point of view with data from animal and human studies is presented, and the implications for research strategy and the delivery of health care are discussed.
On the Use of Hypertext to Enhance Awareness of the Importance of Rhetorical Organization
Authors: Yoshimura Fumiko
Published: May 2005

This article demonstrates the advantage of having students create their own Web pages (hypertexts) to enhance their awareness of the importance of rhetorical organization. Hypertexts utilize a method of linking pages to each other. This “linking function” of hypertexts causes writers of hypertexts an increased need for more attractive pages and effective presentation of information. Compared with writers of regular writing, hypertext writers also have much more choices in showing information. By letting students exploit these choices and possibilities, instructors of writing can force students to analyze the relationships both within and between pieces of information. Thus, instructors can increase students' awareness of the importance of rhetorical organization, which is mainly responsible for indicating structures and relationships of information in regular writing.
Comfort and Empathy of Experienced Counselors in Client Situations Involving Death and Loss
Authors: Terry Marie L. , Bivens Alexander J. , Neimeyer Robert A.
Published: May 2005

Previous research has demonstrated that client issues related to death and dying are more problematic than other serious client issues for beginning counselors. The present study attempts to ascertain whether this holds true for counselors who have considerable experience counseling on issues of death or loss, and whether counselor comfort with and empathy toward death-related situations is related to demographic, professional, or personal variables such as death anxiety. Seventy-one experienced death counselors were asked to rate their degree of comfort with a variety of presenting client scenarios. Counselors were also asked to respond to four case vignettes, two of which were death related and two of which were serious, but non-death related. Results indicated that the experienced death counselors in our study were actually more comfortable and empathic with counseling vignettes that involved death and dying issues and that their level of empathy with such clients was positively correlated with their years of professional training and years of experience with death counseling. However, our findings also suggest that counselors whose case loads consist principally of the dying or bereaved may be less comfortable and empathic with other presenting problems.
Care of the Dying: A Swedish Perspective
Authors: Feigenberg Loma , Fulton Robert
Published: May 2005

Each year 85,000 people die in Sweden, the majority in hospital. Many die in pain, apprehension, torment, and loneliness. Yet many of these problems could be averted if all patients knew that they were entitled to terminal care which is good in both human and medical terms. This article illustrates various aspects of terminal care, and shows that rules and norms for such care do not exist today. “Standards of Care for the Terminally Ill” are presented, and the authors advocate the formulation of an aim for humane treatment of dying patients, and its application in a manner appropriate to Swedish medical concepts and Swedish conditions.
Health as an Essential Human Need, a Right of Citizenship, and a Public Good: Health for All is Possible and Necessary
Authors: McMahon Jean
Published: May 2005

This statement to the second World Social Forum, presented in Porto Alegre on January 30, 2002, summarizes the conclusions of the first International Forum for the Defense of the Health of People. The statement denounces macroeconomic adjustment policies and the militarization of international relationships for their devastating effects on people's health and quality of life, and proposes a wide public debate and action on a development model that moves toward equity and promotes health and well-being as a human right and a public good.
Computing at Dartmouth: A Survey of Faculty and Students
Authors: Cohen Peter A.
Published: May 2005

The present study assessed faculty and student use of, and attitudes toward instructional computing at Dartmouth College. Telephone interviews were conducted with 108 faculty members who used computing in their courses, and 416 students (81%) of a randomly selected sample returned completed questionnaires. Although all members of the academic community have free access to the use of computing, the frequency of use varies widely, particularly among courses and among students within a given course. In general, though, Dartmouth has a very literate computing community. About half the faculty and over 80 percent of the students have written a computer program. Both faculty and students have very positive attitudes toward computing.
Sewage Sludge—Looking Upstream: The Precautionary Principle
Authors: Schettler Ted
Published: May 2005

The health care industry makes a unique contribution to the potential public health and environmental impacts of sewage sludge production and disposal. As materials flow into and out of health care facilties, potentially hazardous substances, like mercury, solvents, and pharmaceutical compounds, are introduced into the waste stream and ultimately into sewage sludge. Although the hazards posed by these practices are often not fully understood or the risks quantified, concern about impacts on public health and the environment is fully justified. How to deal with the uncertainties surrounding the impacts of these practices becomes an ethical as well as a scientific question. A precautionary approach to materials manufacture, use, and disposal encourages us to look upstream and to re-design products and systems in ways that primarily prevent problems rather than dealing with them at the “end of the pipe.” Early warning systems, shifting the burden of proof, alternatives assessment, and monitoring programs are suggested as interventions that might be used as part of a precautionary approach to addressing the generation and disposal of sewage in an industrial society.
Sources of Alcohol and Drug Information among Israeli Urban Adolescents
Authors: Weiss Shoshana , Moore Michael
Published: May 2005

This article describes a study which investigated sources of alcohol and drug information among Israeli urban adolescents in the north of Israel during the winter of 1993. Data were obtained from a sample of 1,346 students (50.9% males, 49.1% females), who were asked to indicate the amount of information (none, little, much) they had received from ten sources about eight categories of drugs. Among the findings: television is the primary source of information for all drugs, except inhalants, for which newspapers/magazines are the main source. Newspapers/magazines are of secondary importance for the rest of the seven categories of drugs. Teenagers are less likely to receive information from physicians/nurses and relatives than from other sources. Information based on personal experience is prominent concerning alcohol, cigarettes, inhalants and hashish/marijuana, and it prevails more among males than among females ( p < .01). Females use school teachers as a source of information in all drug categories more than males ( p < .01). There are differences in using various information sources among grades and types of places of living. Information based on personal experience with alcohol is notably correlated with that with cigarettes, whereas information based on personal experience with opiates is correlated with that with stimulants, hallucinogens and hashish/marijuana ( p < .001). The mean number of sources of information used by the respondents is the highest concerning alcohol and the lowest concerning depressants. Implications for prevention are discussed.
The Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union: Refining Strategies for Labor
Authors: Wooding John , Levenstein Charles , Rosenberg Beth
Published: May 2005

In a period of declining union membership and severe economic and environmental crisis it is important that labor unions rethink their traditional roles and organizational goals. Responding to some of these problems and reflecting a history of innovative and progressive unionism, the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers Union (OCAW) has sought to address occupational and environmental health problems within the context of a political struggle. This study suggests that by joining with the environmental movement and community activists, by pursuing a strategy of coalition building, and by developing an initiative to build and advocate for a new political party, OCAW provides a model for reinvigorating trade unionism in the United States.
Resource Allocation, Equality of Access, and Health
Authors: Gish Oscar
Published: May 2005

Based upon the experience of Tanzania, this paper relates resource allocation in the health sector to the output of health, by contrasting access to and utilization of available health services by urban and rural populations. The writer argues that increased health expenditures alone cannot yield an efficient health care return unless the additional expenditure is spread “thinly,” in keeping with the realities of population distribution, transport possibilities, and disease patterns in most poor countries. Detailed data are presented for recurrent and capital expenditures for health facilities at different levels, and the output of those institutions is considered in terms of the volume of services offered. Those services are then measured according to their utilization by urban and rural populations. Because referral systems are found to function only marginally, it is argued that further building of large hospitals is not justified in the present situation of most poor countries. Specifically, the writer describes the ways in which Tanzania is changing its inefficient and unjust health care system. The paper concludes that the major obstacles to change are not shortages of resources or technologic ignorance but social systems that do not place high value upon the health care needs of rural peasants. It is in this way that the professional and elitist interests of the few are often destructive of the needs of the many.
Effective Communication of Technical Information to a Nontechnical Group
Authors: Lazaro Timothy R.
Published: May 2005

Oral communication of technical information to a nontechnical group presents certain problems. This paper discusses the development of a rationale which should greatly improve the effectiveness of the communicative effort. The rationale consists of: 1) removing noise (information that could be considered irrelevant by the nontechnical political group) from the conclusions of the technical study; 2) selecting goals; 3) consideration of the motivational forces of the political group; 4) completing the development of the rationale, structuring the argument and recommendations; and 5) preparation of the presentation. The strategy of the rationale is to present an argument which will: 1) be easily interpreted by the nontechnical group; 2) initiate serious consideration; and 3) necessitate certain actions which will accomplish the goals selected.
The Mediating Effects of Expectation on Hypnotic and Nonhypnotic Pain Reduction
Authors: Spanos Nicholas P. , Voorneveld Peggy W. , Gwynn Maxwell I.
Published: May 2005

High and low hypnotically susceptible subjects were assigned to three treatments and administered a baseline trial and two posttest trials of finger pressure pain. Subjects in one treatment received hypnotic analgesia on both posttest trials while those in a second treatment received hypnotic analgesia before their first posttest trial and waking instructions to “do whatever you can to reduce pain” before their second posttest trial. Controls received their two posttest trials without intervening treatment instructions. During hypnotic analgesia high susceptibles reduced reported pain, increased pain tolerance and rated themselves as more deeply hypnotized than low susceptibles. Low susceptibles reduced pain to a significantly greater degree under waking instruction than under hypnotic analgesia. Importantly, lows given waking instruction reduced pain to the same degree as highs given hypnotic analgesia. These findings underscore the importance of attitudes and expectations in hypnotic pain reduction. However, they are inconsistent with the view that high susceptibles are intrinsically more able than low susceptibles to cognitively control pain.
Unhealthy Money: Health Reform and the 1994 Elections
Authors: Podhorzer Michael
Published: May 2005

Health and insurance interests have substantially increased their contributions to members of Congress in response to the debate over national health care. During the 21 months from January 1, 1993, through September 30, 1994, campaign contributions from the health and insurance industries reached $37.9 million, a 51 percent increase over the same time period in the last election cycle. Health- and insurance-related large donor contributions ($200 or more) increased at the fastest rate, although both health- and insurance-related large donor and political action committee (PAC) contributions increased far faster than contributions by other industries. Contributions from health interests increased the fastest. The American Medical Association PAC was the leading contributor among health and insurance PACs. In the Senate, Republican incumbents received an average of 22.5 times as much from health and insurance interests as their Democratic challengers. No Democratic challenger was favored over an incumbent Republican. Democratic incumbents averaged only 3.5 times as much as their Republican challengers. Health and insurance interests favored seven of the nine Republicans seeking open Senate seats. Of course, one of the two Democrats favored was Jim Cooper, a leading opponent of comprehensive reform.
Depression and Internal Medicine
Authors: Kuhn Clifford C. , Schwab John J.
Published: May 2005

Although the Fathers of Internal Medicine described melancholia and wrote extensively about the affective disorders, internists continue to have difficulties diagnosing their medical patients' depressions. Consequently, it often falls to the psychiatric consultant to make the diagnosis amongst the medical population. We present current concepts of affective disorder that should be clinically relevant to the psychiatrist who works with internists and their patients. Early, accurate diagnosis of depressed medical patients requires increased awareness of depression, observation of the patient's appearance and mood, sensitivity to his or her feelings, and specific questioning about symptoms, losses, and stressors. For depressed medical patients, we present a comprehensive treatment program which often should include: 1) supportive psychotherapy, 2) antidepressant medications; and 3) resocialization or rehabilitation. We outline certain indications for psychiatric referral, and urge psychiatrists and internists to work together closely. Increasing the sensitivity of our colleagues in internal medicine toward affective illness should lead to more prompt identification and treatment of medical patients' depressions.
Population and Economic Development in Latin America
Authors: Singer Paul
Published: May 2005

Latin America has been sparsely populated since colonial times. The importation of slaves during the first half of the 19th century and European immigration during the second half have provided the manpower needed for the expansion of the Latin American colonial economies. At the end of the last century, industrialization in the form of import substitution began where sufficiently large domestic markets, brought about through increasing exports, permitted it. Consumer goods industries were created near population centers of sufficient size to provide a sizeable domestic market.

After 1930, development became the driving force of economic growth in several Latin American countries. The extent to which import substitution could be accomplished depended on the size of the domestic market in each country. This is the reason that industrialization has made more headway in the three largest countries of the area. The small population size of many Latin American countries is now a constraint to their development. The enlargement of their domestic markets through the formation of free trade areas may spur development, but this cannot be achieved in the near future. For them, population growth is still important. Fertility is, however, already decreasing in Latin America and population growth is likely to diminish in the near future. In order to develop, most Latin American countries will have to integrate a larger proportion of their population into the markets, since they will not be able to continue to rely on population growth for the expansion of effective demand.
Dimensional Structure of the Imaginal Processes Inventory for Children (IPI-C)
Authors: Vooijs Marcel W. , Beentjes Johannes W. J. , van der Voort Tom H. A.
Published: May 2005

The dimensional structure of Dutch versions of the Imaginal Processes Inventory for Children (IPI-C) was investigated with children in Grades 3–6. According to Study 1, the reliabilities of the nine subscales distinguished within the American instrument were not satisfactory. A principal components analysis (PCA) performed on the subscales resulted in three factors that paralleled the three fantasy styles found previously in a similar analysis of the American IPI-C. However, two of the three factors found were defined by subscales that had a number of items in common. When these shared items were removed from the subscales, a different three-factor solution emerged. The three fantasy styles found in the latter analysis were encountered again in Study 2, which was conducted with an adjusted version of the IPI-C. Three reliable fantasy scales were constructed, for positive-intense, heroic-aggressive, and dysphoric fantasy. The results of the two studies justify further research into the validity of these three fantasy scales.