bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Self-Confidence in College Students: Conceptualization, Measurement, and Behavioral Implications
Authors: Shrauger J. Sidney , Schohn Mary
Published: March 2007

Self-confidence was conceptualized and a multidimensional measure, the Personal Evaluation Inventory, was developed which assesses college students' confidence in six areas most important to them. The measure's psychometric properties and relationships with other personality attributes were described. Three studies exploring behavioral correlates of confidence demonstrated the following: People's expressed self-confidence is consistent with others' appraisals of their confidence; when given a choice between two activities, people choose the one on which their confidence is higher; and less confident people perceive their futures, although not those of other people, less favorably than highly confident people. The importance of distinguishing and assessing both domain-specific and general confidence is discussed.
Test-Retest Reliability of Psychological and Neurobehavioral Tests Self-Administered by Computer
Authors: Campbell Keith A. , Rohlman Diane S. , Storzbach Daniel , Binder Laurence M. , Anger W. Kent , Kovera Craig A. , Davis Kelly L. , Grossmann Sandra J.
Published: March 2007

A series of 12 psychological and 7 neurobehavioral performance tests were administered twice to a nonclinical normative sample with 1 week between administrations. The tests were presented in a self-administered computerized format. One week test-retest reliabilities were comparable to conventional administration formats. The results suggest that individual test reliability is not affected when tests are administered as part of an extensive multi-measure battery. Computer administered test reliability coefficients also were compared to a Mixed Format (computer-conventional) administration with mixed format reliabilities generally similar to the reliabilities of published conventional tests but also generally lower than same format testing. Compared to psychological test reliability, neurobehavioral test reliability appeared more vulnerable to decreases with mixed format testing. These conclusions should not be generalized to all computer implemented tests as the qualities of the test implementation will affect the outcome.
The Utility of K-Correction to Adjust for a Defensive Response Set on the MMPI
Authors: Putzke John D. , Williams Mark A. , Daniel F. Joseph , Boll Thomas J.
Published: March 2007

This study examined the utility of the K-correction procedure to adjust for a defensive response set on the MMPI. The sample consisted of 61 patients with end-stage lung disease undergoing psychosocial evaluation for transplantation. Participants were separated into "defensive" and "non-defensive" groups using a median split on the K scale (defensive group T score? 59) as the cutoff score. The MMPI was scored once in the standard manner and then rescored omitting all K-scale items from the clinical scales. As hypothesized, raw score analysis after omitting K-scale items showed the defensive group endorsed significantly fewer items on all five scales involving K-correction (Scales Hs, Pd, Pt, SC, Ma). Analysis of K-corrected T scores on Scales Hs, Pd, Pt, and Sc using standard procedures showed a significant group difference only on Scale Hs with a higher T score found among the defensive group. The defensive and nondefensive groups were not significantly different in demographic, medical, or psychiatric characteristics suggesting that the tendency to respond in a defensive manner is the major characteristic that distinguishes the two groups. Taken together, these results provide support for the use of the K-correction procedure when examining MMPI clinical profiles among patients with endstage pulmonary disease undergoing evaluation for transplantation.
Do Action Potentials Regulate Myelination?
Authors: Zalc Bernard , Douglas Fields R.
Published: March 2007

A variety of anatomical features suggest that functional activity in the nervous system can influence the process of myelination, yet direct evidence of this is lacking. Research by Zalc and colleagues shows that myelination of optic nerve is inhibited by a neurotoxin that blocks action potential activity and is stimulated by a toxin that increases impulse activity, suggesting that impulse activity is necessary for initiating myelination during development of the optic nerve. Research by Fields and colleagues, using electrical stimulation of axons, shows that low frequency impulse activity inhibits myelination of dorsal root ganglion neurons, but high frequency impulse activity has no effect. This results from reduced expression of a cell adhesion molecule on the stimulated axons that is critical for inducing myelination. Together these studies support the conclusion that impulse activity can influence the process of myelination, probably through more than one molecular mechanism operating during discrete steps in the myelination process. NEUROSCIENTIST 6:5-13, 2000
Neurotrophins and the Synapse
Authors: Finkbeiner Steven
Published: March 2007

Neurotrophins have become the subject of intensive research because they regulate neuronal differentiation and survival during development and may prove to be useful in the treatment of certain neurodegenerative diseases. Neurotrophins regulate neuronal survival through a signaling cascade that depends on gene expression and new protein synthesis. Recently, several laboratories have shown independently that neurotrophins produce rapid and lasting changes in synaptic efficacy in the adult nervous system. Application of certain neurotrophins rapidly potentiates the efficacy of synaptic transmission. Conversely, brain slices from animals deficient for the brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene show marked impairments in long-term potentiation. In vivo application of specific neurotrophins blocks ocular dominance column formation, and ocular dominance depends on activity-dependent synaptogenesis. The mechanisms of neurotrophin-mediated synaptic plasticity are unknown but may involve the same signaling molecules that mediate neurotrophin-induced gene expression. Neurotrophins may prove to be a new class of molecules that regulate synaptic plasticity in the developing and adult nervous system. NEUROSCIENTIST 2:139-142, 1996
REVIEW ■ : Activation of Microglia: A Dangerous Interlude in Immune Function in the Brain
Authors: Spranger Matthias , Fontana Adriano
Published: March 2007

Microglial cells are representatives of the immune system in the CNS parenchyma. Their most characteristic property is their ability to modify their behavior in response to diverse signals from other cells in a variety of experimental conditions and human diseases, both acute and chronic. The transformation from a quiescent state into phagocytic brain macrophages is under strict control and accompanied by the production of several secretory products. These include cytokines, excitatory amino acids, and reactive oxygen metabolites by which the activated microglial cells correspond with other cells of the brain and immune system. Thus, they represent an essential host defense and repair system, and may be responsible for tissue destruction and neuronal death, depending on the balance of activating and inhibitory signals. NEUROSCIENTIST 2:293-299, 1996
Carrier-mediated GABA Release: Is There a Functional Role?
Authors: Richerson George B. , Gaspary Heidi L.
Published: March 2007

Neurotransmitters are normally released from neurons via calcium-dependent exocytosis of synaptic vesicles. However, after blockade of vesicular release by removal of calcium, or treatment with tetanus toxin, neurotransmitter release can still occur. In the case of GABA, nonvesicular release results from reversal of its uptake transporter, found on both neurons and glia. These GABA transporters are sodium-dependent and electrogenic, and therefore can be induced to operate in reverse by cell depolarization or by breakdown of the sodium gradient. Although demonstrated biochemically, less is known about whether this form of release occurs in vivo or whether it results in electrophysiological effects. Because conditions that favor reversal of the GABA transporter occur during high-frequency firing, nonvesicular GABA release may occur with excessive neuronal activity, such as during seizures. NEUROSCIENTIST 3:151-157, 1997
REVIEW ■ : Prospects for a Visual Prosthesis
Authors: Rizzo Joseph F. , Wyatt John
Published: March 2007

Diseases of the retina and optic nerve are common causes of irreversible blindness. Given the lack of effective treatments, several laboratories are utilizing microelectronic technology to develop either a cortical or retinal prosthesis. Each strategy offers certain advantages, but both face numerous and formidable chal lenges. Consequently, a clinically useful device of either type is still conceptual. The technological means to build prostheses are available, but the ultimate obstacle is the integration of the technology with the brain. This article reviews achievements of the ongoing efforts and focuses on our project to develop a retinal prosthesis. NEUROSCIENTIST 3:251-262, 1997
Spinal Cord Repair: Progress Towards a Daunting Goal
Authors: Waxman Stephen G. , Kocsis Jeffery D.
Published: March 2007

Research over the past decade has demonstrated that, under some circumstances, structural reorganization of the CNS, including the spinal cord, can occur after injury, raising hopes that spinal cord repair associated with functional recovery, although a daunting goal, may not be an unreachable one. This brief review dis cusses recent approaches to this problem: use of neurotrophins and the rerouting of axons within the transected spinal cord from white matter to gray matter through nerve grafts, and the transplantation of exogenous myelin-forming glial cells to spinal cord tracts in which myelin has been lost. Results available to date indicate that, in models mimicking some aspects of human spinal cord injury, these approaches may yield anatomical repair that is associated with partial restoration of physiological and behavioral func tion. Many important questions remain unanswered. Nevertheless, although the clinical goal of repairing spinal cords in humans is a very challenging one, results in animal models suggest that spinal cord repair is a realistic objective and provide a glimpse of what is likely to be a period of rapid progress. NEURO SCIENTIST 3:263-269, 1997
Review : Metabolic Imaging: A Window on Brain Development and Plasticity
Authors: Chugani Harry T.
Published: March 2007

Various biochemical and physiological processes that undergo maturational changes during human brain development can be now studied in vivo using PET. The distribution of local cerebral glucose utilization shows regional alterations in the first year of life in agreement with behavioral, neurophysiological, and anatomical changes known to occur during development of the infant. Measurement of the absolute rates of glucose utilization with PET reveals that during the major portion of the first decade, the human brain has a higher energy (glucose) demand compared with both the newborn and adult brains. With adolescence, glucose utilization rates decline to reach adult values by age 16-18 years. This nonlinear course of cerebral glucose 'metabolic' maturation is also seen in a number of animal models and coincides with the develop mental course of transient synaptic exuberance associated with enhanced brain plasticity and efficient learn ing. Evidence of brain reorganization detected with PET is discussed in children with unilateral brain injury and early sensory deprivation. NEUROSCIENTIST 5:29-40, 1999
■ REVIEW : The Pathology of Pain
Authors: Oaklander Anne Louise
Published: March 2007

It has recently become recognized that neuropathic forms of chronic pain represent true neurologic disease. Current investigations are largely molecular, yet knowledge of the anatomy and cell biology of pain is also important for the development of more effective medications. Although acute pain is beneficial, neuropathic pain is pathological and creates devastating disability. It occurs when an abnormal somatosensory system chronically transmits pain signals despite the absence of acute injury. Any type of lesion anywhere in the peripheral or central spinothalamic pathway can cause it. The most common scenario involves interruption of peripheral sensory axons with distal Wallerian degeneration. Regenerating peripheral sensory axons can develop ongoing spontaneous action potentials or ectopic mechano- and chemosensitivity that contribute to pain. Axotomy also induces morphological and functional alterations proximally that can contribute to pain. Central axon terminals can degenerate or sprout aberrantly within the dorsal horn. Higher order sensory neurons within the CNS can experience trans-synaptic damage. Lesions wholly within the CNS, such as stroke and multiple sclerosis, can also produce neuropathic pain. This review of a nascent field is presented in hopes of stimulating further investigation into this common, under-recognized medical problem. NEURO SCIENTIST 5:302-310, 1999
The Ethics of Relational Stance in Family Nursing: Resisting the View of “Nurse as Expert”
Authors: Tapp Dianne M.
Published: March 2007

Nurses make choices about how to situate themselves in relation to the people they encounter in clinical practice. In this article, the notion of resisting the view of the “nurse as expert” is offered as a caution against some of the ways that professional values and practices of experts can influence relational skills in clinical nursing practice with families. These ideas are based on a hermeneutic research project that explored the advanced clinical practice of nurses engaged in therapeutic conversations with families experiencing ischemic heart disease. Exemplars from the research project illustrate relational practices that can counterbalance expert professional views by explicitly acknowledging the expertise and knowledge of those persons and families encountered in practice. These practices include offering commendations, coevolving a description using the family’s language, exploring the illness story and the medical story, asking questions that invite reflection, and initiating conversations about family members’ preferences.
Children in Research: The Experience of Ill Children and Adolescents
Authors: Broome Marion E. , Richards Deborah J. , Hall Joanne M.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to describe children’s and adolescents’ experiences with clinical research. Thirty-four children and adolescents, age 8 to 22, who had a diagnosis of either diabetes or a hematological malignancy participated. Two major themes were identified: (a) understanding about research and (b) involvement in the decision to participate in the clinical trial. Children’s and adolescents’ understanding of research was influenced by their age, their diagnosis, and their previous experience with research. The involvement in the decision to participate was quite variable across age and disease groups. For instance, the recruitment process was markedly different for children with diabetes than for those with cancer. The structure of the trials for diabetics differed on several dimensions, including duration, offering of monetary incentives, and clear distinctions between standard treatment and experimental protocols.
Living with Loss: The Stroke Family Caregiver
Authors: Grant Joan S. , Davis Linda Lindsey
Published: March 2007

Stroke family caregiver self-losses are the focus of this study. The data presented here were collected as part of a larger study of stress, coping, and adaptation in stroke family caregiving. Information on personal losses was derivedfrom a series of intensive interviews over time with stroke caregivers involved in home careforfirst-time stroke survivors during the acute phase of recovery. Thematic analysis of audiotaped transcriptions indicated that family caregivers experienced four major self-losses in caringfor the stroke survivor in the home: loss of the familiar self, loss of the autonomous self, loss of the affiliative self, and loss of the knowing self. Implications for family-centered practice to address these four losses are discussed.
Using Art to Stimulate Interactional Thinking in a Family Nursing Clinical Practicum
Authors: de Montigny Francine
Published: March 2007

Teaching the practice skills offamily nursing is a challenge. Very little has been written about educational strategies that invite students to reflect on their own personal family experiences to enhance their awareness of the impact of these life experiences on their nursing care offamilies. This article describes the use of art as a teaching and learning strategy that facilitates interactional thinking infamily systems nursing.
Media Representations of “Sustainable Development”
Authors: LEWIS TAMMY L.
Published: March 2007

How is the concept of sustainable development represented in major U.S. newspapers? Are academic and activists' critiques part of the media message? Using a systematic qualitative analysis, the author examines the themes and sources of newspaper articles from 1987 to 1997. Sustainable development is presented almost exclusively within an economic growth paradigm that assumes that economic growth, technology, and northern expertise are the most effective way to achieve development. The activists and academics that are used as sources do not present alternatives to the dominant development discourse. Instead, the few alternatives that are presented are by the authors of commentaries who are not identified with environmental activist groups.
Climbing the Ladder of Research Utilization
Authors: LANDRY RÉJEAN , AMARA NABIL , LAMARI MOKTAR
Published: March 2007

In this article, the Knott and Wildavsky stages of knowledge utilization are considered separately and compared with the previous stage to find factors explaining why researchers are able to climb up the ladder of knowledge utilization from the echelon of no transmission to transmission, then to cognition, reference, effort, influence, and application. The results suggest that there are barriers to climbing and that these barriers are primarily located between the stage of no transmission and the stage of transmission. These results carry theoretical and policy implications that are explored in the last part of the article.
Distributed Expert Systems for Planners
Authors: Kochen Manfred , Barr Charles
Published: March 2007

Expert systems can increase the effectiveness of planning. Planning information can be exchanged through intelligent computer/communication aids. More effective knowledge- based management of planning projects is possible through the use of such aids in distributed networks. We discuss the potential and limitations of such networks.
A Howie Dream That Came A live
Authors: Strommen Merton
Published: March 2007

It was 10 years ago. In a call from Howie Davis, I heard him say, "Mert, I'm going to be in Denver a few weeks. Should you be in Buena Vista at that time, I could drive down and meet with you. We could spend a few hours dicussing in greater detail a possible Readiness project." He was referring to a session we had been discussing one day on the Potomac. There, sitting in his sail boat we talked about organizations and the way they varied in readiness to make needed changes. He wondered if a tool could be developed for consultants that they could use in diagnosing an organization's readiness to move and a process by which that organization could be helped to increase its capacity or readiness for change. Wonder of wonders—the big man arrived in Buena Vista on a gorgeous fall day, having driven 120 miles through the mountains he had grown to love. Hisfirst words were these, "Mert, let's not meet in a motel and miss the beauty of this setting. Is there a place in the mountains where we can meet?" Wefound Cottonwood Lake 18 miles away—nestled below peaks reaching 13,000 on three sides. There on a campsite table, looking down on the blue lake and its awesome setting, we pursued one of Howie's passions. He began to describe a project that he wished could be done, with a clarity and word choice that impressed me. As the ideas tumbled out, I made notes of what he hoped could be done. During a pause in the conversation, the wilderness silence was broken by the call of an elk. He never forgot the thrill of that moment. By the time our visit was ended and Howie had settled his huge frame in the rented car for his return trip to Denver, we had conceptualized a project that now has a nine-year history. Its outcomes stand as a memorial to this man.
Toward Congenial Environments for Knowledge Utilization in Today's University
Authors: Perloff Robert
Published: March 2007

Among the myriad discussions in which Howard Davis and I engaged, the most animated and provocative—yet agonizingly frustrating—ones were centered around a topic that conunuously plagued him, a problem, the searchfor a solution of which he sought, in vain, until the end of his days. I refer to Howie's passionate desire to come up with a plan whereby the science and practice of knowledge utilization might find a respected and enduring home in the groves of academe. Howie—what an unsuitable nickname, implying diminutiveness, for such a physically and intellectually towering personage—was bedeviled by the painful reality that unless scholars and professionals found a sympathetic home in academia, the field of knowledge utilization would never be quite whole, and hence would probably never flourish, let alone survive. Any field of study built to last and grow and maintain a solid and esteemed footing in the family of learned disciplines and professions needs to have the approval of one's scientific, disciplinary, and professional brethren. It needs to be able to attract "hard money" support as an intellectual endeavor and to be nurtured institutionally through good times and bad. Any field of inquiry or application, the survival of which is dependent upon outside support and is not viewed as an area worthy of institutional support, will be destined to live in a precarious hand-to- mouth fashion and will, probably, vanish before very long. Howie Davis "commissioned" me to enter into a continuing dialogue with him about thisproblem. We never did get very far in a systematic way, although I daresay that I enjoyed to the hilt and benefited enormously from the opportunity to ruminate over this problem, enabling me to grow and exult in the world of ideas through these delightful intellectual odysseys with the incomparable Howard R. Davis.
Edited Excerpts From a Smithsonian Seminar Series
Authors: Borden Carla M. , Stine Jeffrey K. , Zimmer Elizabeth A.
Published: March 2007

In the second of three excerpts from seminars on collaborative knowledge generation in the arts, the sciences, and the humanities, a historian and biologist explore the special circumstances for science. Jeffrey K. Stine describes the historical trends of collaborative work in the sciences and how these changes affect the policy as well as the sociology of science. Elizabeth A. Zimmer outlines the concept of synergistic collaboration, how it works, and how it may be influenced subtly by gender bias.
Stratification in Science
Authors: McNamee Stephen J. , Willis Cecil L.
Published: March 2007

Publication patterns in the leading journals of chemistry, economics, philosophy, and sociology between 1960 and 1985 are examined Patterns of institutional stratification are indicated by the dispersion of institutional affiliations among authors, peripheral status of authors, and the extent of the bureaucratization of knowledge produced within the respective disciplines. The data show that patterns of institutional stratification vary across indicators and among the disciplines examined; that is, on some indicators, certain disciplines appear more relatively open than others. The relative openness among the leading journals in these disciplines, however, should not obscure the fact that institutional representation in these leading journals is generally restricted to an inner circle of prestigious academic institutions.
Commentary: Balancing Cyberspace Promise, Privacy, and Protection—Tracking the Debate
Authors: METIVIER-CARREIRO KAREN A. , LAFOLLETTE MARCEL C.
Published: March 2007

Those who wish to become informed about cyberspace policy can quickly find themselves drowning in a deluge of papers, positions, and proposals. This commentary describes some of the linkages which make current cyberspace policy debate so complex and which indicate the need for dedicated efforts to sort out the situation for citizens as well as policymakers concerned about communications networking technologies and their use or content.
When a Bottom-Up Innovation Meets Itself as a Top-Down Policy
Authors: HUBBARD LEA A. , OTTOSON JUDITH M.
Published: March 2007

While practitioner-based research holds potential for closing the theory and practice gap, it is unclear how such research contributes to the policy and practice gap. This case study traces an educational innovation from its practice-based creation to its mandated implementation as public policy. Findings indicate that these bottom-up innovations face the same kind of implementation challenges as their top-down cousins. The authors take the position that practice-based innovations can engage in multiple contexts if knowledge creation (research) continues into knowledge utilization (policy and practice). The authors argue that this happens when knowledge utilization, like implementation, is understood as mutual adaptation. If innovations are frozen as knowledge creations in time and context, they cannot mutually adapt elsewhere. The result is that the good innovations of one practitioner will remain just that.
Commentary: Three Perspectives on Science Exhibits in the Museum of Science and Industry, Franklin Institute, and National Zoo
Authors: FITZGERALD ALISON , YEZRIL ALLISON , DIAL MARJORIE
Published: March 2007

In separate but related comments, each coauthor describes how controversial content is handled within a specific science exhibit or exhibits at the Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago, Illinois), the Franklin Institute (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), and the Smithsonian Institution's National Zoological Park (Washington, D.C.). Together, the authors demonstrate how context, design, sponsorship, and politics increasingly influence science museum content and visitors' experiences.
The Future of Psychology
Authors: JOHNSON DAVID
Published: March 2007

The future of psychology lies in explaining how mind, the brain, other biological systems of the body, and human environments interact to produce behavior. Political, scientific, and technical forces are shaping psychology as a whole, but the subdisciplines of psychology are also acted on by their own forces. The influences of biology and computer science are especially important in the development of some subdisciplines. Infrastructure developments including electronic communication, mathematically based methodologies, and imaging devices are affecting research in many of the subdisciplines. The future of psychology will be bright if the field can take advantage of periods of political favor, train new scientists to work collaboratively, facilitate access to infrastructure, and broaden the view of what constitutes psychological research.
Report: Scientists Meet to Learn How to Communicate
Authors: VALENTI JOANN MYER
Published: March 2007

“Communicating Science,” a conference designed to explore various aspects of communication within the scientific community, with students, and with the general public, was held at Hamilton College, Clinton, NY, in early October 1998. Following is a news report from the conference.
Measuring Shortages of Hospital Nurses: How do you Know a Hospital with a Nursing Shortage When you See One?
Authors: Grumbach Kevin , Ash Michael , Seago Jean Ann , Spetz Joanne , Coffman Janet
Published: March 2007

Lack of clarity in definitions of shortages of hospital registered nurses may cause problems for effective policy making, particularly if different measures for identifying a nurse shortage lead to different conclusions about which hospitals and regions are experiencing a shortage. The authors compared different methods of identifying hospitals and regions with a shortage of registered nurses, including both relatively subjective measures (e.g., a hospital administrator’s report of a nurse shortage) and more objective measures (e.g., number of registered nurses per inpatient year). Associations were strongest between self-reported shortage status and nursing vacancy rates and weaker for self-reported shortage status and registered nurses per inpatient year and overall regional supply of nurses. Different definitions of nursing shortage are not equally reliable in discriminating between hospitals and regions with and without nursing shortages. When faced with reports sounding an alarm about a hospital nursing shortage, policy makers should carefully consider the definition of shortage being used.
Quality of Care and Patient Satisfaction: A Review of Measuring Instruments
Authors: van Campen Cretien , Sixma Herman , Friele Roland D. , Kerssens Jan J. , Peters Loe
Published: March 2007

Surveying the literature on the assessment of quality of care from the patient's perspective, the concept has often been operationalized as patient satisfaction. Patient satisfaction has been a widely investigated subject in health care research, and dozens of measuring instruments were developed during the past decade. Quality of care from the patient's perspective, however, has been investigated only very recently, and only a few measuring instruments have explicitly been developed for the assessment of quality of care from the patient's perspective. The authors consider patient satisfaction as an indicator of quality of care from the patient's perspective. This review is concerned with the question of whether any reliable and valid instruments have been developed to measure quality of care from the patient's perspective.
The Impact of Residency Training on Physicians' Outlook on AIDS: A Cohort Analysis
Authors: Yedidia Michael J. , Berry Carolyn A.
Published: March 2007

The impact of training on physicians' commitment to professional values is examined, using a cohort design to assess the evolution of attitudes toward AIDS during residency training. Cohorts of surgeons training in the same six residency programs were followed at key junctures, and their outlooks on three AIDS-related attitudes were examined: willingness to treat people with AIDS (PWAs), concern about exposure to HIV, and perceived benefits of treating AIDS. The findings revealed a consistent, negative impact of training on all three attitudes. Cohort and period (historical) effects were limited: younger cohorts more often viewed treating PWAs as a clinically valuable experience, and greater concern about exposure was evidenced as training progressed. The findings yield new evidence of the importance of residency training to professional socialization. More knowledge of alterable aspects of residency training that play a role is key to assuring that physicians emerge with a dedication to fulfilling their social responsibilities.
Does Dissatisfaction with Access to Specialists Affect the Desire to Leave a Managed Care Plan?
Authors: Kerr Eve A. , Hays Ron D. , Lee Martin L. , Siu Albert L.
Published: March 2007

Frequent changes in health plan enrollment may lead to discontinuity of care and compromise quality. Using multiple logistic regression, we investigated how four dimensions of patient satisfaction were associated with the desire to disenroll from a managed care plan. A total of 17,196 enrollees from a large health plan in California responded to a survey regarding their satisfaction with care and desire to disenroll from the plan. Nineteen percent stated that they wanted to change from the plan. Dissatisfaction with access to specialty care and convenience of care produced the highest calculated relative risks of desire to leave the plan [relative risk ERR] = 2.7 and 2.6, respectively), while dissatisfaction with the quality of care and with hospital care produced lower relative risks (1.8 and 1.5, respectively). Because limiting direct access to specialists is a cardinal feature of most managed care organizations, managed care organizations may need to reexamine their approaches to the specialty care referral process.
Meta-Analysis of Effectiveness of Interventions to Increase Influenza Immunization Rates among High-Risk Population Groups
Authors: Sarnoff Rhonda , Rundall Thomas
Published: March 2007

Public health interventions have been developed to increase influenza immunization rates among the high-risk elders and patients suffering from cardiopulmonary, metabolic, and other chronic conditions. The relative effectiveness of alternative intervention strategies is not yet well understood. Determination of the most effective strategy should consider characteristics of the target population and the health care delivery system. This meta-analysis of intervention evaluation studies highlights the importance of considering the baseline immunization rate of the target population in selecting the most effective strategy. While the analysis confirms the feasibility of achieving the 60 percent target coverage established in Healthy People 2000, the results also suggest that as coverage levels increase, single-faceted patient-focused interventions may need to be strengthened by the addition of complementary changes in provider behaviors and/or the delivery system. Further research is needed to identify the most cost-effective combination of intervention strategies, particularly in populations with higher immunization coverage.
Social Network Constellation and Sexuality of Sexually Abused and Comparison Girls in Childhood and Adolescence
Authors: Noll Jennie G. , Trickett Penelope K. , Putnam Frank W.
Published: March 2007

This longitudinal study examines how childhood and early adolescent (age 6 to 15) peer and nonpeer social networks relate to sexual attitudes and behaviors in adolescence and young adulthood (age 12 to 25) for sexually abused and comparison girls. A large number of male peers in childhood is related to heightened sexual activity, sexual preoccupation, increased sexual pressure, and risky sexual behavior in adolescence. High-quality, female, nonpeer relationships have a positive effect on attitudes toward casual sex. Multiple group models illuminate several cross-lag group moderators: (a) Abused girls who are happier with male nonpeers are less pre-occupied with sex; (b) abused girls who are happier with male peers are more likely to use birth control; and (c) abused girls who have early physical relationships are more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior. Treatment implications include monitoring the effects of low-status peer groups, encouraging contact with female role models, and encouraging the formation of high-quality relationships with male peers and nonpeers.
Concerning Practices of Interviewers When Using Anatomical Dolls in Child Protective Services Investigations
Authors: Boat Barbara W. , Everson Mark D.
Published: March 2007

This research provides information on how frontline interviewers actually use anatomical dolls and the types and frequencies of concerning practices attributable to doll use. Based on reviews of 20 interviewing guidelines, five functional uses of anatomical dolls were identified (comforter, icebreaker, anatomical model, demonstration aid, and diagnostic screen), and the frequency of these uses of the dolls and associated concerning practices was documented. Videotaped interviews of 97 children involved in child sexual abuse investigations were obtained representing two age categories: 2 to 5 years and 6 to 12 years. The videotapes and their verbatim transcriptions were used in coding. Anatomical model and demonstration aid were the most common doll uses, whereas the most common concerning practice was to introduce the dolls as a demonstration aid before sufficiently encouraging the child's verbal account. The practices that might be considered most egregious, such as the interviewer posing the dolls in sexual positions or overinterpreting the child's doll behavior, were very rarely observed.
The Social Construction of Validity
Authors: Kvale Steinar
Published: March 2007

Validation of qualitative research is here discussed in relation to postmodern conceptions of knowledge. A modernist notion of true knowledge as a mirror of reality is replaced by a postmodern understanding of knowledge as a social construction. Of the common psychometric concepts of validity, predictive validity is related to a modernist correspon dence theory of truth, whereas construct validity may be extended to encompass a social construction of reality. Three approaches to validity are outlined in some detail. First, validity is treated as an expression of craftsmanship, with an emphasis on quality of research by checking, questioning, and theorizing on the nature of the phenomena investigated. Second, by going beyond correspondence criteria of validity, the emphasis on observation is extended to include conversation about the observations, with a communicative concept of validity. Third, by discarding a modern legitimation mania, justification of knowledge is replaced by application, with a pragmatic concept of validity. In conclusion, the validity of the validity question is questioned.
Sport Narratives
Authors: Denison Jim
Published: March 2007

Recently there has been a call for alternative styles of representation within the social sciences. This includes using fiction, poetry, and drama to convey people's lived experiences. Whereas many social scientists continue to theorize about experimenting with writing and research and to argue the benefits, few have provided examples of how this might look. With this article, the author attempts to fill that void by presenting three short stories that reflect his understanding of the sports retirement experiences of 12 New Zealand athletes. The men and women interviewed had all competed in either an Olympic Games or a world championship in their sports, and the transition out of sports required a serious adjustment for all of them. The three stories in this article explore the various stages of their adjustment.
It's About Time: Narrative and the Divided Self
Authors: Bochner Arthur P.
Published: March 2007

When I learned that my father had died while I was attending a national communication conference, two worlds within me—the academic and the personal—collided, and I was forced to confront the large gulf that divided them. In this article, I weave the story of that experience into the wider fabric of disconnections that promotes isolation and inhibits risk taking and change within universities and academic disciplines. In the process, I question whether the structures of power constitutive of academic socialization are not as difficult to resist as those of one's family, and the consequences as constraining. I use personal narrative to show how storytelling works to build a continuous life of experience, linking the past to the future from the standpoint of the present; to proble matize the process of assigning meanings to memories via language; to draw attention to the significance of institutional depression m universities; and to blur the line between theory and story.
Kinder Ethnographic Writing
Authors: Childress Herb
Published: March 2007

Ethnographic writing that exchanges narrative and exploration for the exposition of theoretical findings is ultimately a way for ethnographers to maintain power over the uninitiated and even over their participants. This style also serves to distort the unique forms of knowledge that ethnography can provide. The stronger, more intimate writing styles of literary journalists allow more interpretive space for more readers. However, ethnographers must choose those readers directly: It is unlikely that ethnographers will be able to write for both colleagues and the public simultaneously, as they have entirely different criteria for successful writing. This article compares a traditional and a literary ethnography, expands on the above argument on audience, and closes with an example of the author's work that is aimed explicitly at a general audience.
Estimating the Incidence and Prevalence of Violence Against Women
Authors: GELLES RICHARD J.
Published: March 2007

This article examines the national data systems and sources used to assess the extent and seriousness of violence against women. The major existing data sources consist of the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation's Supplementary Homicide Reports, which provide data on intimate partner homicides, the Department of Justice's National Crime Victimization Survey, three national self-report surveys, and various data from hospitals and emergency rooms. Although there are a variety of national data systems that could be used to collect data on cases of violence against women seen and/or treated by health care instituions, such data systems are not yet able to provide local or national data. Self-report surveys, including the National Crime Victimization Survey, and a number of other national surveys have yielded estimates of the rates of violence against women that vary from 7.5 per 1,000 women to 117 per 1,000 women. The strengths and weaknesses of data sources, systems, and estimates are analyzed.
Domestic Violence in the Lives of Women Receiving Welfare
Authors: TOLMAN RICHARD M. , ROSEN DANIEL
Published: March 2007

Using data from a random sample of women from the welfare caseload in an urban Michigan county, the authors investigate the prevalence of domestic violence and its association with mental health, health, and economic well-being. Nearly a quarter of the women experienced physical partner violence in the past 12 months, and almost two thirds in their lifetimes. Recent victims had significantly higher rates of five psychiatric disorders (depression, generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, drug dependence, and alcohol dependence) and health problems than women who never experienced domestic violence. Recent partner violence was also associated with greater material hardship. Analyses did not indicate any significant association between domestic violence, past or present, and employment.
Sexual Abuse During Childhood and Adolescence as Predictors of HIV-Related Sexual Risk During Adulthood Among Female Sexual Partners of Injection Drug Users
Authors: KLEIN HUGH , CHAO BETTY S.
Published: March 2007

During the past few decades, increasing attention has been focused on the long-lasting effects that sexual abuse causes for its victims/survivors. This study examines the relationships between experiencing specific types of sexual abuse during childhood and adolescence and involvement in HIV-related sexual risk behaviors during adulthood. The work, which is based on data collected between 1990 and 1993, involved a sample of 2,794 women from Boston, Juarez (Mexico), Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Juan (Puerto Rico) who were the sexual partners of injection drug users. The data indicate that there is a strong link between sexual abuse victimization early in life and involvement later in life in sexual behaviors that place women at risk for contracting HIV. Certain types of sexual abuse (e.g., forced exposure of one's sexual parts, forced touching of one's sexual parts) were found to be more strongly related than were other forms of sexual abuse to subsequent involvement in HIV-related sexual risk behaviors. Likewise, certain types of sexual risk-taking behaviors (e.g., having sexual relations while high, trading sex for drugs and/or money) were found to be related more closely than were other types of sexual risk-taking behaviors to women's sexual abuse histories.
Magnitude Scaling of Intensity of Sexual Refusal Behaviors in a Date Rape
Authors: GROSS ALAN M. , WEED NATHAN C. , LAWSON GREGORY D.
Published: March 2007

Two studies examined college students' perceptions of the intensity of a woman's refusal behaviors in a date-rape situation. In Experiment 1, male and female college students were exposed to 15-second segments of an audiotape of a dramatized date rape in a random, context-free sequence. In Experiment 2, the vignette segments were presented in a natural story-line sequence. Using a magnitude-scaling procedure, participants in both studies rated the intensity of the woman's desire for the man to stop making sexual advances, after each tape segment. Intensity ratings in neither experiment varied in a monotonic manner with tape segment. Analyses also revealed similar ratings of refusal intensity across studies. Moreover, males and females did not differ in perceptions of refusal intensity. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Occupational Mobility and Minority Workers
Authors: Corwin R. David
Published: March 2007

Promotion is a major problem now and one that we are concerned with. We feel terribly inadequate in this area. Our plan is to tool up and to get to work on it. This is our number one problem.
The Housing Tenure Adjustments of the Young and the Elderly
Authors: Golant Stephen M.
Published: March 2007

The housing tenure adjustments of U.S. households which have recently moved are analyzed as a function of the chronological age of the household head and the intra- metropolitan location of the occupied dwelling unit. Emphasized is the tenure adjustment pattern of the elderly population. While elderly movers are more likely than younger movers to vacate owned units, elderly owner-occupants move less frequently, and a high proportion relocate into other owned units, particularly in suburban areas. Discussed are the implications of these tenure adjustments, for the supply of the housing stock available to younger population groups and the residential satisfaction of the elderly population.
The Electoral Base of Political Machines
Authors: Wald Kenneth D.
Published: March 2007

Unlike most cities which supported political machines, Memphis, Tennessee, lacked a large population of deprived ethnic voters. The success of the Crump machine in such an environment suggests that factors other than ethnicity per se account for electoral support of machines. With aggregate social and electoral data for Memphis, this study tests four alternate explanations of machine support. The results of regression analysis indicate that the Crump machine knitted together a coalition of blacks and white ethnics. These groups shared a status as outsiders in the dominant culture of the city, and such social estrangement, more so than other factors, probably accounts for their distinctive political behavior.
Power to Build
Authors: Warner Kee , Molotch Harvey
Published: March 2007

Growth controls and related regulations have been blamed for slowing economies and creating housing shortages and praised for preserving the environment. At first glance, these measures appear to challenge the priorities of the growth machines that dominate most urban governance. By analyzing a series of Southern California jurisdictions, the authors explain how growth takes place even under tight controls. Growth controls do not significantly limit development but, rather, enable local officials to generate higher public benefits from the growth that occurs. The specific conditions of growth under growth control help reveal how urban growth works in a more environmentalist era.
"The Myth of the North American City" Reconsidered
Authors: Garber Judith A. , Imbroscio David L.
Published: March 2007

Urban political economists observe that growth seeking dominates Canadian and U.S. local governance. Others believe Canada's collectivist culture exempts cities from the privatistic policies common in the United States. The authors argue that local constitutional regimes (the legal definition of cities, rules about private property, and federalism) best explain patterns of governance. Inducements shape urban development policy in both countries, but U.S. cities generally compete independently for growth, whereas provinces more often direct Canadian urban growth strategies. Provinces may reduce interlocal competition, but they may also move the locus of urban growth politics upward or stifle progressive initiatives.