bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vulnerability and Disclosure in Science
Authors: GOLDBERG ALBERT I.
Published: March 2007

The interplay between agency and structure explains a scientist's readiness to disclose information about research efforts. In a survey of 628 Israeli researchers, personal strategies in the pursuit of collegial appreciation were influenced by conflicting value guidelines at different time-space frameworks for scientific work. When researchers encountered the value of communality, they were encouraged to communicate freely to obtain community recognition. When a greater stress was placed on universalism, restricting communication became a reasonable strategy to protect acknowledgment rights. The influence of universalism was intensified when researchers inferred a structural vulnerability because of exposure to contextual conditions that increased the possibility of losing acknowledgment. A balanced impact of the two values—communality and universalism—may be postulated as contributing to a more rapid development of the scientific enterprise.
Peer Review for Journals as it Stands Today—Part 1
Authors: CAMPANARIO JUAN MIGUEL
Published: March 2007

This two-part article reviews the current literature on journal peer review. Research on this subject has grown during the 1980s and 1990s, and has increased our awareness of both the myths and facts about peer review. Part 1 summarizes research findings on the participants in the system (the appointment mechanisms of editors and referees, and reviewer tasks and qualifications), and systemic problems of reliability, accuracy, and bias. Part 2 describes current research on how fraud, favoritism, and self-interest may affect the review system and on such policy issues as interference of particularistic criteria; connections among editors, authors, and referees; and double-blind reviewing. Although the literature indicates that peer review has many problems, the author concludes that it is difficult to imagine how science could advance without such a key quality control mechanism.
Peer Review for Journals as it Stands Today—Part 2
Authors: CAMPANARIO JUAN MIGUEL
Published: March 2007

This two-part article reviews the current literature on journal peer review. Research on this subject has grown during the 1980s and 1990s and has increased our awareness of both the myths and facts about peer review. Part 1 summarizes research findings on the participants in the system (the appointment mechanisms of editors and referees, and reviewer tasks and qualifications) and systemic problems of reliability, accuracy, and bias. Part 2 describes current research on how fraud, favoritism, and self-interest may affect the review system and on such policy issues as interference of particularistic criteria; connections among editors, authors, and referees; and double-blind review. Although the literature indicates that peer review has many problems, the author concludes that it is difficult to imagine how science could advance without such a key quality control mechanism.
Seeing and Believing
Authors: CHIA AUDREY
Published: March 2007

Scientists rely on data and evidence to construct scientific knowledge or justified beliefs about the world. How are data and scientific beliefs related? In what ways do scientists respond to data? Sixty scientists were interviewed. Content analyses of scientists' accounts of their experiences with contrary data revealed their views of the relation between scientific belief and data. The scientists expressed a range of epistemological positions. Positivist and constructivist positions were articulated almost equally. More than half of the scientists held more than one epistemological position, and shifted between positions in their accounts. Scientists' accounts were used to generate a model of the variety of ways in which scientists respond to contrary data. The model shows six alternative paths that scientists could take when faced with contrary data, and makes predictions about the likely behavior that follows.
Authority in Science and Technology Policy
Authors: BARKE RICHARD P.
Published: March 2007

Many persistent issues in science and technology policy derive from confusion about the boundaries of internal and external authority. One of the most important questions within science and technology policy is how to balance the creative energy of individual scientists with institutional needs, the requirements of research sponsors, and their own professional norms.
Selection Bias in HMOs: A Review of the Evidence
Authors: Hellinger Fred J. , Wong Herbert S.
Published: March 2007

Early reviews found that health maintenance organizations (HMOs) attracted healthier beneficiaries in the Medicare program and healthier employees in the market for employer-based insurance. This review finds that HMOs still attract healthier Medicare beneficiaries, that HMOs no longer attract healthier employees, and that HMOs attract healthier Medicaid recipients. This review also found conflicting evidence about whether Medicare HMOs are overpaid, no evidence that HMOs are overpaid in the market for employer-based insurance, and evidence that concerns about overpaying Medicaid HMOs have diminished because many states are adopting mandatory programs.
Toward a Strategy for Reducing Potentially Avoidable Hospital Admissions among Home Care Clients
Authors: Weissert William G. , Lafata Jennifer Elston , Williams Brent , Weissert Carol S.
Published: March 2007

Cognizant of the disappointing health status effects of home care in past studies, the authors argue that home care (homemaker, chore, day care, and other personal care services) is ill equipped to alter health status but could alter the way in which patients, family, and physicians respond to health status changes. If it does this, it should be effective in preventing some of certain types of hospitalizations: those for death, nursing home placement, and evaluation. This study, which reanalyzes the National Channeling Demonstration Project data set to focus on these three most promising outcome effects of home care found that it did not prevent these types of potentially avoidable hospitalizations. Indeed, there is little evidence that such targeted preventive efforts took place. This may suggest that the objective function of home care should be redefined to focus on altering responses to health status change rather than on altering health status.
Physical Restraints in Nursing Homes: A Review of the Literature Since the Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987
Authors: Castle Nicholas G.
Published: March 2007

The use of physical restraints is one of the most negative features of nursing home care. Their use significantly affects the quality of life of residents. In an attempt to limit the use of restraints, the Nursing Home Reform Act (NHRA) of 1987 contained provisions regulating their use. In this article, the authors review the literature on the use and consequences of physical restraints in nursing homes since the passage of the NHRA. First, they describe the history behind the use of restraints and define what is considered to be a physical restraint. Second, they examine the four most common justifications for restraint use. Third, they describe the incidence and prevalence of restraint use. Fourth, they address demographic and clinical characteristics of residents that have been found to be associated with restraint use. Fifth, they examine negative outcomes of restraining residents. Finally, they describe alternatives to using restraints.
Substantiation and Early Decision Points in Public Child Welfare: A Conceptual Reconsideration
Authors: Drake Brett , Jonson-Reid Melissa
Published: March 2007

This article will overview substantiation in the context of early intervention decision points faced in state child welfare. The conceptual complexities underlying these interventions and how substantiation does or does not play a role in these interventions are explored. Specific attention will be given to the voluntary or involuntary nature of services, the availability of evidence, and the past or future orientation of the decision-making process. The conceptual consistency of recent child welfare policies will be explored, and suggestions for policy and research will be put forward.
Dating Experiences of Bullies in Early Adolescence
Authors: Connolly Jennifer , Pepler Debra , Craig Wendy , Taradash Ali
Published: March 2007

In this study, 196 young adolescents who reported that they bullied their peers were identified out of a sample of 1,758 students in Grades 5 through 8. After selecting from the total sample a group of nonbullying youth who were matched on gender, school, and grade, a comparison was made of the groups' dating experiences, quality of friend and boyfriend or girlfriend relationships, and acts of physical and social aggression. The results indicated that bullies started dating earlier and engaged in more advanced dyadic dating than comparison adolescents. Bullies were highly relationship oriented, yet their views of their friends and boyfriends or girlfriends were less positive and less equitable than the comparison adolescents. Finally, bullies were more likely to report physical and social aggression with their boyfriends or girlfriends. Although the bullies reported more advanced pubertal development, this factor did not fully account for their dating precocity and negative romantic relationships. The results confirmed our hypotheses that adolescents whose peer relationships are characterized by bullying are at risk in their development of healthy romantic relationships.
Child Maltreatment in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities: Integrating Culture, History, and Public Health for Intervention and Prevention
Authors: DeBruyn Lemyra , Chino Michelle , Serna Patricia , Fullerton-Gleason Lynne
Published: March 2007

This article addresses child maltreatment intervention and prevention among American Indians and Alaska Natives. The authors argue that history and culture must be included as context and variables for developing and implementing prevention programs in Indian Country. They propose that the public health violence prevention model would benefit from incorporating tenets of the history and culture(s) of diverse groups, in this instance American Indians and Alaska Natives. The authors offer an approach that focuses on population- and individual-level risk and protective factors for child maltreatment intervention and prevention in American Indian/Alaska Native communities. They include suggestions and examples for doing the work in Indian Country.
A Reporting and Response Model for Culture and Child Maltreatment
Authors: Terao Sherri Y. , Borrego Joaquin , Urquiza Anthony J.
Published: March 2007

As our society becomes increasingly culturally diverse, there is a growing concern in the mental health field as to whether clinicians are able to accurately distinguish different cultural parenting discipline practices from child maltreatment. Clinicians in various fields continue to differ on what is reportable. Although there is literature describing characteristics of various ethnic minority groups, there are limited data to support why clinicians do what they do and no decision-making model to guide a clinician's reporting behavior when working with clients from different cultures. This article focuses on cultural discipline practices rather than healing practices (e.g., coining) that may be challenging to assess. The authors propose a model to guide clinicians through the decision-making process and discuss interventions and clinical responses that may be most appropriate when presented with different scenarios involving cultural parenting discipline practices and child maltreatment. Finally, limitations of the presented model along with future clinical and research directions are discussed.
Factors in the Underreporting of Crimes Against Juveniles
Authors: Finkelhor David , Ormrod Richard K.
Published: March 2007

This analysis of 1995 to 1996 National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) data finds substantial underreporting to police of violent and property crimes against youth (age 12 to 17) compared with the reporting of such crimes against adults. This underreporting is not explained by the crimes involved being less serious, being committed by juvenile perpetrators, or by any other aspect of the crimes for which NCVS information is available. Counting reports to nonpolice authorities (in lieu of police) equalizes the level of reporting for property crime but not for violent crime. Law enforcement should undertake a variety of policies to try to encourage the police reporting of juvenile crime victimization, including steps to emphasize the criminal seriousness of such offenses, to undermine the code of silence, to provide incentives to report, to make reporting easier, and to work with schools about policies concerning when to involve the police.
Development and Preliminary Evaluation of the Ontario Child Neglect Index
Authors: Trocmé Nico
Published: March 2007

The Child Neglect Index is designed to provide child welfare practitioners and researchers with a validated and easy-to-use instrument that specifies type and severity of neglect. Field testing shows that the validity and reliability of this one-page index compare favorably with the Child Well-Being Scales. Although the Child Neglect Index was designed within the context of Ontario's child welfare laws, the instrument and the structured expert-based method used to develop it can be easily applied to other jurisdictions.
How Child Welfare Workers Assess and Intervene Around Issues of Domestic Violence
Authors: Shepard Melanie , Raschick Michael
Published: March 2007

Research shows a close connection between domestic violence and child maltreatment. In recent years, there has been an increased recognition of this by child welfare professionals. However, little empirical work has been done on the actual assessments and interventions of frontline child welfare workers in relationship to domestic violence. Through surveying public child welfare workers in a Midwestern community, this article examines these issues.
Data as Drama: Reflections on the Use of Readers Theater as a Mode of Qualitative Data Display
Authors: Donmoyer Robert , Yennie-Donmoyer June
Published: March 2007

This article focuses on using readers theater for the purpose of qualitative data display. The article describes what readers theater is and differentiates this approach from more conventional forms of theater. The article also uses a recent attempt to present data in a readers theater context to ground discussions of (a) the procedures used to convert qualitative data into a readers theater display format and (b) the advantages and disadvantages of displaying data in the context of a readers theater production.
The 1,000-Page Question
Authors: Kvale Steinar
Published: March 2007

This article takes issue with a question sometimes heard at workshops on interview research: "How shall I find a method to analyze the 1,000 pages of interview transcripts I have collected?" Rather than merely dismiss the question as one posed too late and leading in unproductive directions or attempt to answer the question directly, the article seeks to bring into the open the empiristic presuppositions about qualitative research implied by the question. The question is itself treated as a text to be analyzed. Seven critical key terms are selected for interpretation: how, have, method, analyze, 1,000 pages, transcripts, and collected. The interpretation focuses on both what is said and what is not said in the question, as well as what could have been said to lead interview analyses in more constructive directions. Finally, the present interpretation of the question is discussed as an example of qualitative analysis.
Some Methodological Principles From Research in Practice: Validity, Truth, and Method in the Study of Lived Time
Authors: Flaherty Michael G.
Published: March 2007

The author has spent much of the last 10 years investigating variation in the perceived passage of time. In this article, the author reflects on the conduct of that research and discusses 5 principles that are pertinent to issues of validity, truth, and method in the study of temporal experience: intellectual curiosity, systematic empiricism, analytic induction, pragmatic orientation, and commitment to progress. The article concludes with a call for a revitalization of these principles in social research.
Postcards, Ghosts, and Fathers: Revising Family Stories
Authors: Jago Barbara J.
Published: March 2007

Storytelling is fundamental to human experience. Through narration, we make meaning out of experience and live within the stories we create. In this layered account, I weave together my family story with a writing-story about the narration of lived experience. My family story conveys an image of my family as it has changed over time and invites the reader to experience my experience with the therapeutic process of story revision. In the writing-story, I explore some of the theoretical, methodological, and epistemological aspects of narrative. I conclude with a discussion of the dialectical relationship between living and telling.
Poverty: Talk, Identity, and Action
Authors: Cohen Jodi R.
Published: March 2007

This is a study of poverty as it is constructed in the talk of 11 guests who regularly eat at a soup kitchen in upstate New York. Framed within the perspective that talk constitutes identity and action, this study offers a critical interpretation of how the soup kitchen guests present themselves and the other impoverished guests of the kitchen. The essay also evaluates their characterizations in terms of how they may reflect or influence society's views and policies on poverty. The interpretation and evaluation are guided by the concept "relevancy in meaning" as it is being developed in interpretive audience studies.
"Response Work": Approaching Answers to Open Interviews as Readings
Authors: Nijhof Gerhard
Published: March 2007

Two approaches to the analysis of textual data—exposition of the meaning of texts and interpretation by the researcher—are evaluated m a reanalysis of Oakley's (1980) research. Three assumptions of these approaches are established: (1) that a formulation's meaning can be located in the words of the formulation; (2) that a researcher can read the meaning; (3) that a theory can be used to clarify the meaning. All three assumptions are unacceptable in the field of empirical sociology, which regards social meaning not as being situated in the words of a formulation but instead as being realized in responses to, or readings of, previous formulations. Instead of exposing or interpreting the respondent's words, readings of formulations make it possible to describe the meaning of what the respondent is saying, first, by regarding the answer as a reading of the interviewer's question, and, second, by seeing it as an internal reading of the respondents' earlier formulations.
Woman Abuse in South Africa
Authors: DANGOR ZUBEDA , HOFF LEE ANN , SCOTT RENAE
Published: March 2007

This exploratory study addresses the issue of woman abuse in South Africa and the resources for victimized women and children, or their absence. It provides documentation for the expansion of social, health, and legal services on behalf of this at-risk population. Ethnographic interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 37 South African women from various community settings and institutions in the Johannesburg region, and interview data were grouped in categories. Two focus groups addressed issues that emerged from interview data. This study affirms the need for national survey data and in-depth research with abused women themselves to obtain a fuller picture of the personal, familial, and societal costs of violence against women. An unvarnished acknowledgment of domestic violence and its physical, emotional, and social toll on community stability and health is integral to the new South Africa's pursuit of political and economic reform.
The Development of a Comprehensive Measure of the Sexual Victimization of College Women
Authors: BELKNAP JOANNE , FISHER BONNIE S. , CULLEN FRANCIS T.
Published: March 2007

It is only in recent years that sexual victimization has been identified as a salient problem on college and university campuses. Researchers have used a variety of different methodologies and data sources to describe the extent and the nature of sexual victimization of college women. These studies, however, are most commonly flawed by an incomplete conceptualization of sexual victimization (e.g., omitting sexual harassment and stalking), and by the inability to distinguish between different ranges of more and less serious sexual victimizations. This article presents a comprehensive measure of sexual victimization that includes incident reports to gather detailed accounts of sexual victimizations.
The Distribution of Benefits in an Urban Environment
Authors: Mladenka Kenneth R. , Hill Kim Quaile
Published: March 2007

The research reported here examines the neighborhood distribution of park and library services in Houston. The analysis reveals that inequalities in distribution on the basis of race and wealth are dispersed rather than cumulative. The distribution of park acreage and facilities is equal while the location pattern is skewed in the direction of low income neighborhoods. The distribution of library resources favors upper income neighbor hoods, while the spatial distribution of branch libraries advantages black and other low income areas. Distributional decisions are made on the basis of bureaucratic rules and appear to be little affected by explicit racial and socioeconomic criteria. However, these rules may have distributional consequences.
National Dominance and Urban Exploitation
Authors: Abrahamson Mark , D Michael
Published: March 2007

This article examines the role of 70 U.S. cities in the national urban system. Greater dominance of cities is found to be positively related to the long-term (per capita) debt of cities. This relationship is explained as the result of nonreimbursed costs that are associated with dominance. The results are examined from both natural and planned system models, each of which suggests different policy implications.
Contracting out by Urban Governments
Authors: Hirsch Werner Z.
Published: March 2007

In this article the author seeks to provide a review of the recent literature on contracting out for urban government services in the United States. The review is selective in that the author focuses on analytical frameworks of the contracting out decision, the efficiency argument, empirical efficiency, and cost studies, as well as other considerations such as accountability, equity, and tax consequences. He concludes by wondering whether the common conclusion about the benefits of contracting out urban government services may at times have been exaggerated.
Controlled-Choice Desegregation Plans
Authors: Rossell Christine H.
Published: March 2007

Supporters of controlled choice argue that it is a superior desegregation tool and a superior educational reform. This author addresses the first of these claims in a sample of 20 school districts above 30% minority and finds that controlled-choice plans are almost as unpopular as mandatory-reassignment plans. In addition, they produce more white flight than magnet-voluntary plans but less than mandatory-reassignment plans. Finally, controlled-choice plans produce less interracial exposure than do voluntary desegregation plans with magnets. Thus there is no evidence for the superiority of controlled choice as a desegregation tool for urban school districts.
Election Roll-Off
Authors: Bullock Charles S. , Dunn Richard E.
Published: March 2007

The authors use the 1993 municipal election in Atlanta, Georgia, and a special election to fill two vacancies on the Fulton County (Georgia) Commission to test ballot-confusion, saliency-of-the-contest, and voter-fatigue explanations for roll-off (ballot noncompletion). No evidence of the ballot-confusion explanation is found, but some evidence of voter fatigue and contest visibility is apparent. Racial differences in roll-off have implications for the responsiveness of public officials and the creation of single-member districts.
The Issue of Governance in Neighborhood-Based Initiatives
Authors: Chaskin Robert J. , Garg Sunil
Published: March 2007

The authors of this issue-mapping article explore the rationale behind, and issues bearing on, the governance of community-based initiatives. They examine three issues relevant to the formation of local governance structures: the relationship between neighborhood-based governance structures and local government; issues of representation, legitimacy, and connection; and long-term viability. They suggest an agenda for further exploration that includes examining the relative benefits of different governance structures, exploring the issue of capacity in community-building, and investigating the perspective of local governments that have jurisdiction over the areas in which these efforts are being implemented.
Russian Elections and TV News
Authors: Oates Sarah , Roselle Laura
Published: March 2007

Recent parliamentary and presidential election campaigns in the Russian Federation offer a chance to study the political role of television in a post-Soviet state. Television has many roles to play during an election in a developing democracy: It should inform voters about choices, report on the events of the campaign, and educate voters about the electoral process itself. This article examines how the news coverage of parliamentary and presidential elections on Russia's primary state television channel and on its largest private television station fulfilled these goals. The results of coding television news during the campaign periods for the 1995 Duma campaign and the 1996 presidential race show that these channels generally failed to contribute fully to the legitimization of the electoral process. During the parliamentary campaign, state-controlled Russian Public Television (ORT) focused on pro-government parties and neglected coverage of the competition. Although the elections coverage on the private NTV station was more balanced, the elections were relatively ignored in favor of aggressive coverage of the war in Chechnya. By the 1996 presidential election, the two stations both abandoned the pretense of neutrality to promote the incumbent presidential candidate, Boris Yeltsin. What emerges from this study is evidence of a missed opportunity to consolidate the growth of an independent media in Russia—and the failure of voters to obtain disinterested information from primary television outlets in a fragile democracy.
Black Talk Radio
Authors: Squires Catherine R.
Published: March 2007

This article presents research concerning the relationship between media and public spheres through an investigation of an African-American-owned and -operated talk-radio station in Chicago. The article concludes that, contrary to some scholars' pessimistic view of commercial media's role in the decline of the public sphere, the radio station portrayed here is an integral and useful institution for the Black public sphere in Chicago. The study reveals how African-American community members and listeners use the station as a public forum wherein traditional political concerns, as well as identity politics, are aired and discussed. Furthermore, the article argues that it is precisely because the station is owned and operated by Blacks that it is able to draw and sustain a substantial and loyal audience. Because they trust the station to “talk their talk,” community members are enthusiastic about participating in the station's conversational activities and are even willing to make personal financial contributions when advertising revenue is low.
Citizens' Knowledge of Foreign Affairs
Authors: Bennett Stephen Earl , Flickinger Richard S. , Baker John R. , Rhine Staci L. , Bennett Linda L. M.
Published: March 2007

Although scholars have long known that most Americans are woefully ignorant of foreign affairs (Almond 1960; Kriesberg 1949), they are uncertain about how the U.S. public's knowledge of international politics compares to that of people in other countries. We address this uncertainty with a study of citizens' knowledge of foreign affairs in five western democracies: Britain, Canada, France, Germany, and the United States. The focus is on the roles each country's mass media play in the process by which citizens learn about international politics.

The study found that Germans are the most knowledgeable about international politics, citizens in Britain, Canada, and France displayed moderate knowledge, and Americans had the least knowledge. We conclude that people learn about foreign affairs due to their opportunity, defined by their location in the social structure, and their motivation, indexed by attention paid to news accounts of world politics. The better educated and more politically attentive citizens also proved to be more informed in each country, whereas citizens who most often watched popular television entertainment programs proved to be less informed about foreign affairs.
Watching between the Lines
Authors: Schroeder Alan
Published: March 2007

Televised presidential debates are among the most watched TV programs of all time. In this article, the staggering popularity of debates is linked to characteristics that apply to other high-profile programming: an emphasis on personalities, conflict, and managed spontaneity. In viewing TV debates, the challenge to both voters and the press is to “watch between the lines.”
Killing the Messenger
Authors: McCargo Duncan
Published: March 2007

This article examines the political significance of the Indonesian government's banning of three leading weekly publications ( Tempo, DeTik, and Editor) in 1994. It argues that the bannings illustrated a loss of focus and direction on the part of the aging New Order regime of then-President Suharto and were part of a crude attempt to balance rival interest groups and suppress political dissent. Suharto's unwillingness to allow the press to evolve from passively legitimating state power to restraining and monitoring the excesses of his regime was shortsighted. Suharto lost power in May 1998 partly as a result of his failure to listen to criticism and his intolerance of dissenting voices. The policy of “killing the messenger” seen in the 1994 bannings marked the beginning of the end for Suharto and the New Order.
Constitutive Modelling of Rubber-Like and Biological Materials with Limiting Chain Extensibility
Authors: Horgan Cornelius O. , Saccomandi Giuseppe
Published: March 2007

Many rubber-like materials and soft tissues exhibit a significant stiffening or hardening in their stress-strain curves at large strains. The accurate modelling of this phenomenon is a key issue for a better understanding of the thermomechanics of rubber and the biomechanics of arteries, blood vessels, tendons and other biological tissues. In this paper, we consider several strain-energy functions that have been proposed to model this strain hardening effect in the framework of the theory of isotropic hyperelasticity. These models may be divided in two main families: power law models and limiting chain extensibility models, both of which are based on non-Gaussian statistics for their molecular structure. The known limiting chain extensibility models involve a constraint on the strain invariants. Here we consider alternative models which limit the maximum stretch. The two homogeneous deformations of uniaxial extension and pure shear are examined in detail. It is shown that simple modifications of the incompressible neo-Hookean or Varga materials to reflect limiting chain extensibility can be used to match well with the classic experimental data of Treloar. Some remarks on empirical inequalities and ellipticity are also given.
Tensorial Representation of the Orientation Distribution Function of Internal Structure Elements for Heterogeneous Solids
Authors: Lagzdiņŝ A. , Tamužs V.
Published: March 2007

The paper deals with constructing the anisotropic orientation distribution function of internal structure elements in nonhomogeneous material. This function is necessary for estimating the average mechanical properties of the materials. For the specifying of this function, we propose to utilize the partial sums of Fourier series on three-dimensional rotation group. We show that these partial sums can be pre- sented in coordinate free tensorial form, thereby reducing the anisotropy of distribution function to the anisotropy of tensors possessing some specific properties. By way of illustration, we consider a simple example in case of cubic symmetry.
Chemorheological Relaxation, Residual Stress, and Permanent Set Arising in Radial Deformation of Elastomeric Hollow Spheres
Authors: Huntley Hugh E. , Wineman Alan S. , Rajagopal K. R.
Published: March 2007

Recently, a constitutive theory for rubber-like materials has been developed by which stress arises from different micromechanisms at different levels of deformation. For small deformations, the stress is given by the usual theory of rubber elasticity. As the deformation increases, there is scission of some junctions of the macromolecular microstructure. Junctions then reform to generate a new microstructure. The constitutive equation allows for continuous scission of the original junctions and formation of new ones as deformation increases. The macromolecular scission causes stress reduction, termed chemorheological relaxation. The new macromolecular structure results in permanent set on release of external load.

The present work considers a hollow sphere composed of such a material, also assumed to be incom-pressible and isotropic, which undergoes axisymmetric deformation under radial traction. There develops an outer zone of material with the original microstructure and an inner zone of material having undergone macromolecular scission, separated by a spherical interface whose radius increases with the deformation. The stress distribution, radial load-expansion response, residual stress distribution, and permanent set on release of traction are determined. It is found that a residual state of high compressive stress can arise in a thin layer of material at the inner boundary of the sphere.
On the Elliptic Inclusion in Anti-Plane Shear
Authors: Ru Chong-Qing , Schiavone Peter
Published: March 2007

In this paper, we consider the anti-plane shear problem of an elliptic inclusion embedded in an infinite, isotropic, elastic medium, subjected at infinity to a uniform stress field. Using complex variable methods and the theory of analytic functions, we prove that the state of deformation in the inclusion is a simple shear if and only if the curve enclosing the inclusion is an ellipse.
Spatial Decay Estimates for a Class of Second-Order Quasilinear Elliptic Partial Differential Equations Arising in Anisotropic Nonlinear Elasticity
Authors: Horgan C. O. , Payne L. E.
Published: March 2007

The spatial decay behavior of solutions of second-order quasilinear elliptic partial differential equations, in divergence form, defined on a two-dimensional semi-infinite strip, is investigated. Such equations arise in the theory of anti-plane shear deformations for anisotropic nonlinearly elastic solids and also in anisotropic nonlinear steady-state heat conduction. Differential inequality techniques are employed to obtain exponential decay estimates. The results are illustrated by several examples, one of which is the (isotropic) minimal surface equation. The results are relevant to Saint-Venant principles for nonlinear elasticity as well as to theorems of Phragmen-Lindelof type.
A Thermomechanical Theory of Solid-Fluid Mixtures
Authors: Krishnaswamy Shankar , Batra R. C.
Published: March 2007

Motivated by Rivlin's ideas on the thermomechanics of continuous media, we state the second law of thermodynamics in two parts and apply it to study the behavior of a mixture of an elastic solid and a viscous fluid.
Nonlinear Elasticity Theory with Discontinuous Internal Variables
Authors: Lazopoulos K. A. , Ogden R. W.
Published: March 2007

In this paper, a modified theory of nonlinear elasticity in which the strain energy function depends on discontinuous internal variables is proposed. Specifically, the internal variables are allowed to be discontinuous across one or more surfaces. The objective is to model nonclassical phenomena in which two or more material phases are separated by a surface or surfaces of discontinuity. While in the present theory the internal variables may suffer discontinuities, the deformation itself is smooth, and this distinguishes the theory from that initiated by Ericksen, which involves discontinuities in the deformation gradient. The governing equilibrium equations and jump conditions are derived from a variational principle and then specialized to the case of an incompressible isotropic elastic solid with a single internal variable by application to the equilibrium of the radially symmetric deformation of a thick walled circular cylindrical tube under combined extension and inflation. The governing equations include an equation relating the deformation implicitly to the internal variables. By taking a suitable model for the dependence of the internal variable on the deformation, it is shown that a jump in the internal variable may occur across a circular cylindrical surface concentric with the cylinder. At a critical value of the internal radius, the jump surface is initiated at the inner boundary and then propagates through the material as inflation proceeds, and the two phases, separated by the jump surface, coexist in equilibrium. It is then shown that for the unloading process, the theory allows for the possibility of a residual strain remaining once the pressure is removed, and this aspect of the theory is illustrated by use of a simple material model.
Two-Dimensional Approximation of Eigenvalue Problems in Shallow Shell Theory
Authors: Kesavan S. , Sabu N.
Published: March 2007

The authors consider a thin, linearly elastic shell clamped along its lateral surface and study the corresponding eigenvalue problem. Under specific assumptions of the geometry of the shell, it is shown that, as the thickness of the shell tends to zero, the eigenvalues converge to those of a two-dimensional problem involving only the vertical component of the eigenvector.
Scattering of High-Frequency Flexural Oscillations in Thin Plates
Authors: Thomson Gavin R. , Constanda Christian
Published: March 2007

The direct boundary equation method is used to find representations for the solutions of the exterior Dirichlet and Neumann problems in the case of high-frequency flexural oscillations in plates with transverse shear deformation. The method leads to integral equations with unique solutions for all frequencies.
Home Care: Where the Elderly and Chronic Issues Meet
Authors: Meis Martha
Published: March 2007

Chronic conditions are the major cause of illness, disability, and death in the United States. The elderly have more disabling conditions to service in the home care industry. Medicare+Choice HMO plans must maximize opportunities inherent in the managed care model of health care delivery to improve the quality of chronic care by integrating home health services, tracking patients, and measuring outcomes. Complex case management is care coordination provided in a systematic standardized way across the continuum of care. With Prospective Payment Systems, it is timely for case managers and home health nurses to work closely together.
Quality, Performance, and Operations: Pulling it All Together … Electronically!
Authors: Henderlight J. Douglas , Campbell Gary S.
Published: March 2007

Fostering timely and accurate communications in a multilevel system with 10 home care agencies covering five states is no easy feat. This article describes how one system did just that in a cost-efficient way using the Internet. Now, accessing patient information, educational materials, and management reports is as easy as logging on to the intranet and pushing a few buttons.
Managed care: The coming revolution in home health care
Authors: Jones Kenneth C.
Published: March 2007

Reimbursement for home health care is not the same as it used to be. Managed care integrates the delivery of services with the financial aspects of the payors. This article provides the reader with an overview of the information necessary for managed care negotiations. It presents the risk factors of the various models of delivery as well as the key issues for managed care companies and home care organizations.
Case management of HIV-positive and AIDS patients
Authors: Rutkowsky Kathryn
Published: March 2007

Elmhurst Hospital Home Care, which is one of six municipal home health agencies within New York City's Health and Hospital Corporation, is hospital based and operates within the structure of Elmhurst Hospital Center. Elmhurst Hospital Center is a major treatment center for patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the borough of Queens. Finding resources to service underinsured and uninsured AIDS patients and patients who are positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in a concentrated geographical area was initiated through a grant proposal. Awareness of the complex care needs created a model design emphasizing a clinical and coordinating relationship with the infectious disease department. The model ultimately achieved all original goals.
Home parenteral nutrition therapy
Authors: Reider Carroll , Guss William
Published: March 2007

Home total parenteral nutrition (TPN) presents many challenges to the home health care team, with the increase in patient acuity, advance in technologies, and increase in stringent guide lines set by insurance companies. The purpose of this article is to review the current state of home TPN, including specifying indications and contraindications for home TPN candidacy; assessing, instructing, and monitoring patients on home TPN; as well as discussing parameters for terminating home TPN. A well-managed home TPN program can provide benefits through decreased health care cost to society and increased quality of life for the patient. Key words: dietitian, health care, home, parenteral nutrition, pharmacist
To IV or not to IV? Home intravenous service is safe, practical, and economical
Authors: Shearn Nancy J. , Shearn Robert J.
Published: March 2007

This article is an attempt to advance a proven medical regimen—intravenous antibiotic therapy in a nontraditional arena, the home. We use statistics gathered in a small experimental program to suggest that this treatment is medically feasible and surprisingly efficient in terms of cost reduction to the overall medical system in the macro sense. The article points out obstacles such as Medicare and insurance industry restrictions standing in the way of the therapy's broader use and acceptance and holds out the hope that this therapy will eventually come to be standard practice in the medical profession. Key words: cost reduction, home IV antibiotic therapy, ob stacles and restrictions
Potential Conflicts Associated with Utilization Management and Quality Improvement in Home Care
Authors: Hughes Angela
Published: March 2007

A transition from utilization review to utilization management and quality improvement (UM/QI) is occurring in home health care today. Prior authorization of payment by managed care companies for services delivered by providers is an area of concern. Questions arise regarding service delivery, payment, and patient need. Health care reform calls for agencies to take a closer look at their utilization patterns regardless of the payment source. Services delivered must match patient need for care if the outcomes are to be of high quality and the care cost effective. The UM/QI specialist must be aware of the expectations and requirements of managed care companies, federal and state regulatory agencies, accrediting bodies, and, ultimately, the patients whom they serve. This article discusses the potential conflicts faced by providers and the role of the UM/QI specialist in home health care today.
Capitation: Impact on Managed Care
Authors: Cecil Connie
Published: March 2007

The practice of capitation is gaining momentum throughout the health care continuum. The key components for successful implementation of capitation are clear contractual agreements, accurate ongoing assessments of patients' needs, and careful utilization review to monitor the provision of the appropriate services in a timely manner and to identify the need for education if there are problems or variances in the process.
Psychiatric Home Health: Patient Advocacy in the Home Setting
Authors: Rhein Toni , Callahan Rita R.
Published: March 2007

Patient transition from hospital to home can be a devastating experience. A change in environment requires time for adjusting appropriately; the amount of time differs for each individual. This transition can be more stressful for psychiatric patients readjusting to their environment. Home health psychiatric nursing is a unique and intriguing specialty. For patients requiring in-home care management, it is essential to focus on the home health environment and create programs that will benefit the specific needs of these patients. The psychiatric patient must be included as health care changes take place. As the need for home health continues to rise, addressing psychiatric patient care concerns is of primary importance and the establishment of psychiatric home health programs is imperative.
Planning Ecology
Authors: Browne David R. , Keil Roger
Published: March 2007

This article reviews two areas of environmental policy making in Los Angeles: policies regulating the Los Angeles River, and the South Coast’s air quality management policies. At the empirical base of the article is an analysis of policy and planning documents as well as personal interviews with major policy makers. Engaging with recent literature on ecological modernization and discourse coalitions, the authors argue that during the 1990s, discourses of urban environmental policy making, which have been strongly influenced by environmentalists, have now become the domain of economic forces interested in the region’s growth. Both the air and the river cases demonstrate a shift from environmental questions as ecological and human health concerns to concerns of efficiency, economic well-being, and capital accumulation.
Henry Carey’s Political-Ecological Economics
Authors: Perelman Michael
Published: March 2007

Henry Carey was the most important American economist of the middle part of the 19th century. Although he lacked an academic following in the United States, he was influential in Europe. In the course of denouncing British trade policy and British political economy, Carey developed an ecological-economic analysis that prefigures much modern thought. Carey began with the dangers of soil depletion and developed a dynamic theory of value based on the cost of reproduction. He called for a development strategy based on the complete, local recycling of all goods, including even waste products from both animate and inanimate sources. This article details the strengths and shortcomings of Carey’s work. Although Carey was quite conservative and trusted in markets, his theories point in the direction of a radical ecological-economic program.