bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Human Immunodeficiency Virus in Cuba: The Public Health Response of a Third World Country
Authors: Santana Sarah , Faas Lily , Wald Karen
Published: May 2005

This article describes Cuba's effort to develop a comprehensive program for control of its human immunodeficiency virus (HTV) epidemic. The program consists of multiple interventions, including blood donor screening, a ban on imported blood and blood products, widespread semicompulsory screening of defined and general populations, research and clinical trials on treatment and diagnostic methods, and health eduction in the press, radio, television, workplace, and schools. The most controversial of the program's measures has been the treatment of HIV antibody-positive persons (both asymptomatic and clinically ill) through what Cubans term a “sanatorial regimen,” consisting of admission into an institutional setting where both preventive and curative treatment is offered, and where residents have limited contact with their families, neighborhoods, friends, and the rest of society. The Cuban HTV control program merits studying because of the comprehensiveness of the measures in a poor country; the special experience of screening large, mostly healthy populations; its potential contribution to understanding the natural history of the disease due to the early identification and follow-up of HIV antibody-positive individuals; and the cultural, political, and socioeconomic conditions that give rise to a different epidemiologic profile of the disease and to an apparent societal consensus on the controversial issue of institutional semiconfinement.
Office Automation as a Managerial Tool: The Underlying Importance of Education
Authors: Khosrowpour Mehdi
Published: May 2005

Computer technology has assisted many manufacturing companies to automate various production functions, bearing significant results. Despite rapid growth of automation in the manufacturing sectors in general, the automation process of many office-related functions is still at the early developmental stages. Contributing to this slow growth of office automation are lack of management enthusiasm, unrecognized economic and productivity incentives, and lack of effective management. Lack of proper educational programs or curricula underlies these factors.
Marketing Corporate Wellness Programs to Small Firms: A Challenge for Health Educators
Authors: Matthews Margaret , Mitic Wayne
Published: May 2005

Despite significant growth in the number of corporate wellness programs during the past decade, their full potential for improving health and reducing corporate health costs has yet to be realized. Most small firms still fail to offer any health promotion programs to their workers and many programs presently in place are poorly organized and fail to address employee needs. In order for the corporate wellness movement to gain momentum, health educators must overcome the misconceptions many small business people share about corporate wellness programs. In order for these programs to become viable, health educators need to become effective marketers incorporating the social marketing components of product, price, place, and promotion. Based on these components, this article outlines strategies the health educator can utilize when approaching, planning, or implementing health promotion programs for small businesses and concludes with a number of recommendations concerning appropriate program evaluation and follow-up.
Secondary Losses in Bereaved Children when Both Parents have Died: A Case Study
Authors: Mahon Margaret M.
Published: May 2005

The death of a child's parent engenders many primary and secondary losses. In this article, a case study is used to examine secondary losses for two children following the sudden deaths of their parents. Childhood bereavement is described as comprised of prolonged pain, gradual acclimation, and tainted experiences. The framework is used to understand primary and secondary losses, as well as the effects of secondary losses and lack of control on the process of childhood bereavement. In this case, secondary losses, especially isolation, exacerbated the bereavement processes of these children. It is proposed that anticipating secondary losses, and minimizing them when possible, perhaps by providing bereaved children more control, is an appropriate framework for intervening with parentally bereaved children.
The Impact of Advance Organizers upon Students' Achievement in Computer-Assisted Video Instruction
Authors: Saidi Houshmand
Published: May 2005

One of the newer tools for instruction today is Computer-Assisted Video Instruction (CAVI). The focus of this study was the impact of advance organizers as an instructional strategy upon students' achievement in CAVI. Specifically, this research examined the increase of students' rule-learning when exposed to advance organizers presented in a CAVI mediated lesson. It was hypothesized that subjects who receive the advance organizer treatment in a CAVI mediated lesson would achieve higher mean rule-learning test scores than those who do not receive the advance organizer treatment. To test the hypotheses, a sample of seventy college students were subjected to one of two treatment conditions. The instructional material dealing with rule-learning in basic computer programming for the CAVI lesson was developed on the basis of the Principles of Instructional Design suggested by Gagne' and Briggs [1]. The advance organizer for the CAVI mediated lesson was developed based on Ausubel et al.'s conceptual definition of the term [2]. Translated into operational terms, Mayer's checklist of attributes for advance organizers provided the basis for the advance organizer developed [3]. The results—obtained by a 2 × 2 factorial posttest—showed that the visual-spoken advance organizer did not significantly influence rule-learning in the CAVI situation.
Determinants of Outcome following Bereavement
Authors: Parkes C. Murray
Published: May 2005

Sixty-eight widows and widowers were interviewed shortly after bereavement and again a year later. Factors which at the early interviews predicted poor outcome included “low socio-economic status,” “short terminal illness with little warning of impending death,” “multiple life crises (particularly those involving disturbance of marital relationship) and reactions to bereavement of severe distress, yearning, anger or self-reproach.”
The Eel Fisheries of the St. Lawrence Iroquoians
Authors: Junker-Andersen C.
Published: May 2005

Recent zooarchaeological analyses of faunal materials recovered from the Steward (BfFt-2), Beckstead (BfFt-1), and Driver's (BeFu-2) archaeological sites in Eastern Ontario have demonstrated that the late prehistoric Iroquoian peoples who inhabited the upper St. Lawrence River valley depended to a great degree upon the exploitation of freshwater fish resources. Among the fish species found to be of primary importance to these peoples was the American Eel ( Anguilla rostrata [Lesueur]). The author examines both the ethnographic evidence and the available archaeological data concerning the native exploitation of this species to reconstruct the methods used in its capture and preparation, as well as its role in the St. Lawrence Iroquoians' seasonal cycle of faunal resource exploitation activities.
Developing a Cost and Outcome Evaluation System
Authors: Litsios Socrates
Published: May 2005

This paper is concerned with the problem of introducing an evaluative capability in the administration of the health services of developing countries. The scarcity of resources available for evaluation is taken for granted; as a consequence, the approach to evaluation must be simple and straightforward. A strategy for developing such an approach is presented. The strategy is characterized by a gradual build-up of an evaluative capability along with a strong tie with existing decision-making and planning activities. If successful, the evaluation activity constitutes an integral part of the management system of the services, one which should permeate all service levels.
The Relations between Dimensions of Thought Reported in Two Thought-Sampling Studies
Authors: Reise Steve P. , Hurlburt Russell T.
Published: May 2005

Thought-Sampling scales used by Hurlburt and by Klinger were combined to form a single scale to determine the interdependency of factor patterns produced by the two separate thought-sampling rating scales. The new scale was administered to a group of subjects ( n = 80) who thought-sampled while viewing the movie Annie Hall. Factor analysis revealed the Hurlburt items and the Klinger items yielded factors orthogonal to one another. The lone exception was Hurlburt's Clear Thought factor which merged with Klinger's Visual Modality and Operantness factors.
Sloppy Typing and Reproduction in a Written Technical Message—An Experiment
Authors: Davis Richard M.
Published: May 2005

An experiment was performed to determine the effect (if any) of sloppy typing and reproduction upon the effectiveness of a written technical message. The variables tested were the margins, the way in which corrections were made, and the reproduction of the message. Approximately seven hundred subjects in five definably different audiences were tested. Measures were taken of comprehension, reading time, judgment of the author's credibility, and judgment of the author's competence as a writer. Five main effects and five interactions were found at the 0.05 level of probability. Each variable, each measure of the effectiveness of the message, and each audience was involved in one or more of these effects. In each main effect and each interaction subject to easy interpretation, the unaltered form (good typing and good reproduction) of the variable(s) concerned appeared to be the more effective.
Archaeological Evidence of Storage on the Snake River Plain
Authors: Plew Mark G.
Published: May 2005

This article reviews the archaeological evidence for storage on the Snake River Plain. A review of the literature indicates the presence of four types of facilities that include small shallow oval-basin shaped pits with rounded bottoms, larger but shallow oval-shaped pits, sagebrush platforms in ice caves, and stone and grass platform beds. The evidence of storage features is, however, quite limited in the Middle and Late Archaic periods. Though preservation and sampling may well account for distribution, a number of other explanations are provided.
The Exemplar Project: Using Group Support Systems to Improve the Learning Environment
Authors: Briggs Robert O. , Ramesh V. , Romano Nicholas C. , Latimer Joseph
Published: May 2005

Learning theory predicts, and studies have demonstrated that immediate and frequent feedback, cooperative learning, and well structured exposition can improve learning. Electronic group support systems offer new support for these concepts, and may lead to an improved learning environment. In this article we describe group support technology developed for the Exemplar project, and report the results of an experiment using the new technology to support learning. We found that students using the Exemplar system participated in lecture sessions at a much higher rate, generated significantly higher quality and quantity answers, and were more interested in both the proceedings that were students in traditional lectures.
Disease versus Social-Learning Models of Alcoholism in the Prediction of Alcohol Problem Recognition, Help-Seeking, and Stigma
Authors: Rather Bruce C.
Published: May 2005

Subjects ( N = 254) were presented with either a disease or social-learning view of alcoholism and their subsequent attitudes were examined. Presentation of a disease view strengthened endorsement of that model, but attitudes toward alcoholics, treatment effectiveness, problem recognition, and help-seeking were not significantly different between the experimental conditions. Differences in attitudes between high and low disease and social-learning belief subjects were examined in 2 × 2 ANOVAs. Separate multiple regression analyses with alcohol problem recognition, help-seeking, and stigma as composite dependent variables and etiologic beliefs, drinking measures, family history of alcoholism, and responsibility for drinking problems as independent variables were performed. Results show that neither disease nor social-learning beliefs are particularly effective in predicting the dependent variables.
A Psychophysiological Interpretation of Voodoo Illness and Voodoo Death
Authors: Lachman Sheldon J.
Published: May 2005

Voodoo illness is a form of psychosomatic illness. When sufficiently intense and prolonged, the extreme physiological arousal pattern to stimulation that comprises emotional behavior produces pathological changes in physiological functioning and anatomic structure, which are psychophysiological and psychosomatic disorders. New stimuli may become associated with established autonomic reaction patterns that are emotional behavior; also particular autonomic reactions may be strengthened through differential reinforcement. Thus, emotional stimuli and emotional response patterns may be learned. When the emotional reaction patterns are sufficiently frequent or prolonged and sufficiently intense in the person socially prepared to react and physically predisposed (i.e., vulnerable via genetically determined or later acquired biological weakness), changes of such magnitude may occur in physiological functioning or anatomical structure as to be incompatible with continued life. Voodoo death corresponds to that formulation of psychosomatic death.
Managers' Attitudes toward Involvement of Males in Pakistan's Family Planning Program
Authors: Rob Ubaidur , Cernada George P.
Published: May 2005

Male involvement in Pakistan's family planning program has been negligible but for the preponderance of Federal, Provincial, and District government Population Welfare officers who are primarily male. In general, there has been no organized effort to promote male contraceptive methods, and vasectomy services are scarcely available. Selected governmental public health and family planning program managers were interviewed in 1993 to ascertain their knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions about male involvement in the family planning program. Although a majority felt that a family planning decision was a joint one between wife and husband, and that male methods were effective, the vast majority of all managers suggested female rather than male contraception should be recommended for the general public. Two-thirds indicated that the public is not informed about the advantage of vasectomy. A majority felt that the lack of educational and IEC activities is a major reason for public inaction. Lack of political commitment and inadequate service provider training were cited as reasons why programs are not directed toward male involvement. Suggestions to increase male involvement were made, including private sector involvement, using community leaders, mass media, and expanding male service facilities.
Primary Care and Physician Extenders in Affluent Countries
Authors: Roemer Milton I.
Published: May 2005

The worldwide growth of specialization in medicine has led to a perceived shortage of primary care. A major response in the United States has been the training of physician extenders (both physician assistants and nurse practitioners). Other industrialized countries have rejected this approach, in favor of strengthening general medical practice through continuing education, provision of ancillary personnel, use of health centers, and by other methods. Developing countries use doctor-substitutes as a reasonable adjustment to their lack of economic resources. All countries use ancillary personnel for selected procedures, such as midwifery, which involve only limited judgment and decision making. The American strategy on use of doctor-substitutes for primary care, however, follows from unwillingness to train greater numbers of primary care physicians and to require them to serve in places of need. This results in an inequitable concentration of doctor-substitutes on service to the poor in both urban and rural areas.
Clay Vessels at 35CS43 on the Oregon Coast
Authors: Hall Roberta L.
Published: May 2005

This article describes and analyzes two large unfired, non-portable clay vessels found at site 35CS43, at the mouth of the Coquille River on the Oregon coast, in levels estimated to be 1500–2000 B.P. These vessels are unique but share some features with other clay artifacts in the Northwest. Origin and production, use and breakdown, burial, and antiquity of these artifacts are discussed.
Printed Instructions: An Examination of Some Visual Formats for Presenting Procedures
Authors: Boekelder Angelique
Published: May 2005

Three formats for presenting a number of similar procedures in printed instructions were compared in an experiment: separate lists, an integrated list, and a table. Participants had to operate a device on the computer screen, following procedures that were presented in one of these three formats. The integrated list format and the table format were expected to provide an overview of the features common to the similar procedures, which would help incidental learning of the procedures. However, the experiment did not yield such results. None of the formats scored significantly better than the other in the augmentation of incidental learning. Since instructions in integrated list format take more time to read in the beginning than the other formats, the integrated list format can be considered as the least favorable format.
Enhanced Afterimage Persistence in Waking and Hypnosis: High Hypnotizables Report More Enduring Afterimages
Authors: Atkinson Richard P.
Published: May 2005

This study investigated the moderating influences of hypnotic susceptibility level (high/low) and visuospatial skill level (high/low) on afterimage persistence in waking and hypnosis. All Ss were administered the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form A (HGSHS:A; [1]), the Group Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C (SHSS:C; [2]), and the Mental Rotations Test (MRT; [3]). In counterbalanced sessions of waking and hypnosis, 80 Ss (20 high/high, 20 high/low, 20 low/high, 20 low/low) were dark adapted for twenty minutes each, after which a brief flash of light was presented. Visuospatial skills, as measured by the MRT, did not significantly influence first afterimage intervals or afterimage durations. High hypnotizables reported significantly longer first afterimage intervals and afterimage durations in hypnosis than did low hypnotizables. High hypnotizables reported significantly longer first afterimage intervals, but not afterimage durations, in waking than did low hypnotizables. High hypnotizables reported significantly longer afterimage durations and first afterimage intervals in hypnosis than in waking. Low hypnotizables reported similar afterimage durations and first afterimage intervals in waking and hypnosis. Implications of these results for the ability of high hypnotizables to focus attention upon and maintain valid visual images are discussed.
Bush's and Clinton's Fat Cats
Authors: Denny Jeffrey , Kemper Vicki , Novak Viveca , Overby Peter , Young Amy E.
Published: May 2005

As the 1992 presidential race went into full swing, Republican and Democratic fundraisers were busy soliciting $100,000 donations from corporations, labor unions and wealthy individuals. This kind of money is supposedly illegal in presidential campaigns, but both parties have found a way to launder it: by channeling it through their state affiliates and calling it “soft money.” Whatever its name, it is compromising the integrity of the system.
Attempts to Decentralize in Recent Brazilian Health Policy: Issues and Problems, 1988–1994
Authors: Araäjo José Luiz A. C.
Published: May 2005

Decentralization became an official policy in the Brazilian health sector after the fall of the military regime of 1964–1985. In this article the author reviews the concept and types of decentralization, with particular attention to the process of decentralization itself. There is a gap between the type of decentralization (devolution) called for in the national constitution and the deconcentration of activities actually implemented. This gap is explained by Brazil's centralist tradition and its supporters, staff resistance at the national level, and the weaknesses of local governments. Several methods could be used to redirect the reforms toward their original purpose, such as improving community participation, establishing a clear agenda for the decentralization process, and setting up some mechanisms to enhance this policy.
The Evolution of the Air Force Advanced Instructional System
Authors: Rockway Marty R. , Yasutake Joseph Y.
Published: May 2005

Since 1969, the Technical Training Division of the Air Force Human Resources Laboratory (AFHRL) has been engaged in planning and developing a design philosophy and development approach for the Air Force Advanced Instructional System (AIS). The AIS is a proposed computer-based multimedia system for the administration and management of individualized technical training on a large scale. The system is scheduled for installation and demonstration at Lowry Air Force Base. The initial version will provide day-to-day training in three selected courses for approximately 2000 students and will also provide a training research facility to allow systematic evaluations of innovations in instructional technology. The purpose of this presentation is to trace the evolutionary process which led to the current design and development approach to the AIS. The objectives and findings of some preliminary studies will be discussed and the current functional system configuration will be described.
The Use of Physical Restraint in Patients with Cerebral Contusion
Authors: Edlund Mathew J. , Goldberg Richard J. , Morris Philip L. P.
Published: May 2005

Behavioral problems resulting in the use of physical restraint is a clinical problem seen in the acute phase of recovery from cerebral contusion. However, little is known about the frequency of physical restraint, factors that might predispose to its use, the pattern of adjunctive psychotropic drugs used or the outcome for patients needing this form of management. In order to examine these issues, a retrospective study of all patients ( N = 34) admitted with cerebral contusion to a neurosurgical service over a one-year period was undertaken. Physical restraint was used in twelve patients (35%) for an average length of 4.3 days. The use of physical restraint was associated with presumptive evidence of alcohol abuse or dependence but not with level of consciousness on admission. Restrained patients were frequently prescribed psychotropic drugs during hospitalization. Patients requiring physical restraint stayed in hospital nearly twice as long as those not needing restraint. Close attention to the identification and treatment of alcohol problems and their complications in this population may reduce the need for physical restraint and shorten length of hospital stay.
Identification and Restoration of Lapsed Skills for Primary Care Providers
Authors: Grant William D.
Published: May 2005

Objective:

Individualized educational programs based upon structured comprehensive evaluations have the highest opportunity for success in addressing the needs of physicians with lapsed skills. The purpose of this article is to describe the Physician Prescribed Educational Program (PPEP), an integrated series of programs that incorporate a formalized, structured evaluation strategy.

Methods:

The PPEP is structured to determine: 1) The presence of deficits which are amenable to educational remediation, 2) The likelihood that an appropriate educational program can be developed, and 3) The structure of such a program.

Results:

Of 300 referrals, 100 have received evaluations thus far. A wide range of deficits were addressable, although there were specific exclusions to participation.

Conclusions:

Administrators and others who wish to undertake these efforts should avail themselves of educational and other resources but should not expect rapid results. With careful planning and execution, these programs can provide appropriate and successful experiences for participants.
Hippocrates, Maimonides and the Doctor's Responsibility
Authors: Kaplan Kalman J. , Schwartz Matthew B.
Published: May 2005

Jack Kevorkian criticizes the Hippocratic tradition in Greek medicine, which bans the physician from giving his patient a lethal medication. He sees this prohibition as potentially bringing harm to a suffering patient and not reflective of the larger Greek society which was tolerant and even approving of suicide. However, Kevorkian's advocacy of doctor-assisted suicide can be seen as the polarity of doctor abandonment of the suffering patient rather than as an antidote to it. Both positions involve an outcome of physician removal from the suffering patient, which can be contrasted with Maimonides' command to the physician to watch over the life and death of his patients.
Teaching and Learning with Computers: A Classroom Analysis
Authors: Clouse R. Wilburn
Published: May 2005

This article reports on the findings of a follow-up study to an earlier article “Computer-Based At-Risk Instructional Model,” which was published in Volume 20, Number 2, 1991–92 of this journal. The research took place in a small rural school district in Kentucky over a period of approximately two years. Detailed statistical information is presented as evidence of the many benefits of using the TLC (Teaching and Learning with Computers) approach.
Stage Theory and Research on Tobacco, Alcohol, and other Drug Use
Authors: Werch Chudley Ec. , Anzalone Debra
Published: May 2005

The purpose of this article was to examine the conceptual and empirical foundations of individual drug use stage development and progression related to tobacco, alcohol, and drugs. This review indicated that while greater acceptance of the idea that drug use is a complex process, the majority of stage conceptualizations suffer from significant limitations. Although limited, research conducted to date is supportive of the existence of intra-drug use stages of acquisition for cigarettes and other drugs. Research examining inter-drug use progression among youth supports the idea of a generally invariant sequence at a macro-sequential level, involving nonuse to legal drug use, marijuana use, and finally other illegal drug use.
Imagery Nonvividness and the Mnemonic Advantage of Bizarreness
Authors: Worthen James B. , Loveland James M.
Published: May 2005

Previous research has demonstrated that bizarre elaboration can facilitate free recall despite the fact that such elaboration evokes less vivid mental imagery than does common elaboration. The present study investigated the possibility that the nonvividness of bizarre imagery enhances the distinctiveness of a bizarre representation and thus serves as a cue that facilitates recall. The results indicated that bizarre information required significantly more time to comprehend and image, and that bizarre imagery was significantly less vivid than common imagery. However, a correlational analysis indicated that the relationship between bizarre and common vividness differences and bizarre and common recall differences was not in the direction predicted by the nonvividness-cue hypothesis. It is concluded that bizarre-imagery nonvividness is related to a reduction in the magnitude of the bizarre recall advantage.
A Comparison of the Resource Intensity of Inpatients in Urban and Rural Nonteaching Hospitals
Authors: Long Michael J. , Fisher James C. , Dreachslin Janice L.
Published: May 2005

PL 98–21 mandated a prospective payment system based on diagnosis related groups (DRGs) for all Medicare inpatients. The predetermined payment for each DRG is intended to reflect the resources used to treat patients within the DRG. Eventually, the system will allow for one payment level for each DRG in rural hospitals and a higher payment level for the same DRG in urban hospitals. This represents an equitable approach, provided there is not a predominance of high severity cases in rural hospitals and that higher costs in urban hospitals are reflective of higher priced exogenous factors beyond the control of the hospital. Equitability also requires that DRGs capture the resource intensity of treatment for a given classification of patients, equally for urban and rural patients.

This work compares the pediatric population of urban hospitals without a pediatric residency program with that of rural hospitals in terms of major diagnostic category, DRG, disease severity, length of stay, and charges. It also compares the capacity of DRGs to explain the variation in resource consumption in urban and rural hospitals. A sample of 116,721 discharges from 130 urban hospitals and a sample of 54,073 discharges from 97 rural hospitals are used in this work. The results indicate that there is no difference in the patient populations of these two hospital groups. The results also indicate that DRGs explain only 50 percent of the variance in the resource variables, but this obtains equally for both populations.
Death in Disney Films: Implications for Children's Understanding of Death
Authors: Cox Meredith , Garrett Erin , Graham James A.
Published: May 2005

This study examined the potential influence of Disney films on children's concepts of death. A content analysis was performed on 23 death scenes from 10 selected full-length Disney Classic animated films. The portrayal of death focused on five categories: character status; depiction of death; death status; emotional reaction; and causality. The findings indicate that some animated Disney films present scenes that eclipse the permanence and irreversibility of death and often leave deaths (especially those of villains) emotionally unacknowledged. Previous work has shown that many children tend not to discuss death with their friends or parents for many reasons. More importantly, the films may serve as catalysts to introduce the concept of death into discussions between children, peers, and adults.
Developing and Evaluating a Radio-Linked Telephone Helpline for Hispanics
Authors: Anderson D. Michael , Huerta Elmer E.
Published: May 2005

The goal of this research was to develop and evaluate a Spanish language telephone helpline staffed by bi-lingual nurses, to assist Hispanic people make knowledgeable, skill-based health and medical care decisions. The helpline was directly linked to educational vignettes broadcast on Spanish language radio. The radio program and helpline provided four main services to listeners and callers: 1) advice on routine medical concerns; 2) guidance and behavioral suggestions on chronic disease prevention; 3) information about cancer screening and treatment; and 4) references to local Spanish-speaking health care services. We broadcast one year's worth of five-minute educational radio programs three times each weekday on Spanish language radio in the greater Washington-Baltimore and San Francisco-Oakland metropolitan areas. Nurses staffed the helpline telephones on week nights, and data were collected from each call ( n = 1,569). Main findings are that Hispanic people: 1) do listen to health messages on the radio, and 2) will call a health professional for information.
Primary Health Care as an Educational Process: A Model and a Freirean Perspective
Authors: MacDonald J. J. , Warren W. G.
Published: May 2005

This is a discussion that attempts to open up to reflection some of the deeper aspects of Primary Health Care. A model originally derived to assist reflection on philosophies of education is drawn on and illustrated with the very pertinent ideas of Paulo Freire. The article aims at assisting that deeper level of deliberation which is especially important to a comprehensively conceived Primary Health Care.
Patterns and Predictors of Cigarette Use among Public School Children in Tijuana, Mexico
Authors: Elder John P. , Molgaard Craig A. , Laborin Rafael Laniado
Published: May 2005

The use of cigarettes and other forms of tobacco poses a major and growing health threat to populations of developing countries. The present study examined the onset of cigarette use among public school students in Tijuana, Mexico. Fifty-four percent of the males and 34 percent of the females had experimented with smoking. Maternal smoking was more strongly associated with smoking among girls, while peer smoking had a relatively stronger association with future intentions to smoke among boys. Rates of smoking behavior among Mexican-American school children in nearby San Diego more closely resembled the higher rates of their Tijuana than those of their Anglo-American counterparts.
The Systematic Identification, Evaluation, and Selection of a Multimedia Authoring System
Authors: Beasley Robert E.
Published: May 2005

The importance of a systematic approach to identifying, evaluating, and selecting a multimedia authoring system becomes evident once the developer understands the impact that an authoring system has on the development and costs of a multimedia project. This article provides the instructional multimedia developer with a methodical approach for selecting the most appropriate authoring system—based on his or her needs and requirements as well as on the needs and requirements of his or her organization—from the myriad authoring tools available. It also organizes the most important authoring system selection criteria into two general classes for analysis—non-functional and functional—and provides a detailed description of each.
Microteaching and Minicourses: Using Technology for Teacher Training
Authors: Keough John J. , La Mantia Gerald
Published: May 2005

Microteaching and the minicourses is being used as a means of preservice and inservice training of teachers. This article discusses the elements that comprise the minicourses, the origin of the mini-courses, its rationale, research, and means of implementation in schools. In order to have a successful program of microteaching, planning is important with special attention given to the roles of the administrators and teachers connected with the program.
Envisioning other Minds: The Artistic Drawing and Psychometric Rating of Images and Percepts
Authors: Kunzendorf Robert G. , Sansom Robert , Davis Annette
Published: May 2005

During half of this two-hour study, 28 individually tested subjects completed the MMPI. At the outset of the second hour, each subject photographed a frightening view, then described his or her percept of the view as a student artist made a colored chalk drawing of the perceptual experience described. Independent raters later compared the subject's color photograph of the view itself and the colored drawing of the subject's perceptual experience, and rated the extent to which the view itself had been 1) embellished, 2) diminished, and 3) transformed in the subject's perceptual experience of the view. During the conclusion of the second hour, each subject mentally envisioned a frightening image, then described the image as the student artist made a colored chalk drawing of the imaginal experience described. The independent raters, on three more scales, rated the extent to which the drawn image expressed 1) paranoid fear, 2) phobic fear, and 3) chronic fear. Subjects whose perceptual experiences of frightening views transformed the actually viewed stimuli scored significantly higher on the MMPI Schizophrenia scale. In addition, subjects whose frightening images expressed paranoid fear scored significantly higher on both the MMPI Paranoia scale and the MMPI Schizophrenia scale. Such results suggest that artists' drawings of subjects' percepts and images can, with psychological validity, serve to envision other minds.
The NHS Company Inc.? The Social Consequence of the Professional Dominance in the National Health Service
Authors: Robson John
Published: May 2005

The technology and organization of medicine has long outgrown its sociology with the result that physicians and medical care institutions have tended to become divorced from the actual needs and demands of most patients. The artificial maintenance of social polarization between patient and doctor and the preservation of an obsolete professional ideology have facilitated the development of trends in care better suited to those that control health care than those that use it. In recent years, the hegemony of the medical profession has been challenged by corporate and state interests as a more rational condominium has been sought for the pursuance of health care policy. However, there has been little or no attempt at an assessment of the actual health needs of the population. Implicit in the principles behind the inception of a National Health Service lay the promise that the history of health care would be determined by those it served. But failure to initiate an educational system representative and appreciative of the patients' milieu and to bring the control of health policy under the decisive influence of those who both work in and receive health care actually perpetuates and extends regional, sectional, and class distortions in the patterns and delivery of care.
Those Misappreciated and Complex Biotopes: The Human Burial Places
Authors: Nicoli R.M.
Published: May 2005

The various types of burial-places found in southern France are surveyed. The author gives a description of four different funerary biotopes: Tethneotopes, linked with the human remains proper, either in the course of putrefaction (tethneosepedenotopes), or in that withering (tethneoxerotopes), Sorotopes linked with coffins, Chomatotopes found in potter's field, and Kryptotopes found in burial vaults. These biotopes are presented in a vast dynamical system, which the author calls to mind by means of organigram.
Effects of Postpartum Psychiatric Illnesses on Family Planning
Authors: Peindl Kathleen S. , Zolnik Edmund J. , Wisner Katherine L. , Hanusa Barbara H.
Published: May 2005

Objective:

We investigated the relationship between postpartum psychiatric episodes and subsequent family planning. Our hypothesis was that women who had a postpartum illness would plan to have fewer children.

Method:

We conducted a mail survey of members of the self-help group Depression After Delivery (DAD). The membership was asked about changes in family planning after a postpartum illness. Two groups were defined: women who took action to prevent further pregnancies after the illness (CHANGE) and women who did not take action to prevent future pregnancies (NO CHANGE).

Results:

Among respondents 32 percent changed their family plans after suffering a postpartum illness. Fear of recurrence, effects on the family, treatment costs and severity of the episode manifested by suicide or infanticide attempt, hospitalization, and prescribed medication were reasons given for altering plans.

Conclusions:

The postpartum illness dramatically changed some women's reproductive plans. Prevention strategies for these illnesses need to be addressed when women are making decisions about having other children.
Research on Technical and Scientific Communication in Canada: A Bibliographical Odyssey
Authors: Connor Jennifer J.
Published: May 2005

This select bibliography highlights research on technical communication published by, for or about Canadians. It classifies Canadian research by form (books and articles) and by subject (translation studies; technology studies; graphics studies; historical studies; studies of the profession; specialty studies; genre studies; and linguistics/stylistic analyses).
Positive Aspects of Critical Life Problems: Recollections of Grief
Authors: Calhoun Lawrence G. , Tedeschi Richard G.
Published: May 2005

Fifty-two adults were interviewed about their bereavement, with specific focus on the ways in which the experience led to positive psychological changes in their lives. Most respondents described themselves as stronger or more competent in several ways, for example, being more mature, more independent, and better able to face other crises. A large number also reported that bereavement had led to positive experiences with their social support systems. These results are discussed in terms of their generalizability to other life crises and populations, and the degree to which they represent accurate insight and psychological health.
The Impact of U.S. Energy Policy on International Health: Alternate Paths into the Future
Authors: Ratcliffe John W. , Merrill Judith C.
Published: May 2005

Historical, sociological, and epidemiological research shows that international health and mortality levels are determined primarily not by health sector policies but, instead, by national and international policies that shape the broader sociopolitical and economic systems within which health sectors are embedded. Such policies have traditionally been considered to lie outside the domain of the health sector and, therefore, not of concern to health educators. One such national policy with the potential to powerfully influence international health and mortality levels is the looming choice between alternate American energy paths: the capital-intensive, large-scale, and centralized “hard” path of non-renewable energy resources; and the labor-intensive, small-scale, and decentralized “soft” path of renewable energy sources. Substantial effort has been directed to projecting the physical environmental impacts in the United States for both paths. But the social environmental impacts of each path and their implications for international health have been ignored. This article reviews links between alternate U.S. energy paths and alternate international health futures, and their implications for health educators around the world.
Community Health Centers and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Healthy Life
Authors: Shi Leiyu , Regan Jerrilynn , Politzer Robert M. , Luo Jue
Published: May 2005

This study examined disparities in health status among individuals of different racial and ethnic groups cared for by the nation's community health centers (CHCs) and compared these results with the findings for individuals using non-CHC sites as their usual source of care. The sample consisted of CHC users from the 1994 CHC User Survey and non-CHC users from the 1994 National Health Interview Survey. Bivariate comparisons were made between individuals' race/ethnicity and their experience of healthy life, an integrated measure that incorporates both activity limitation and self-perceived health status. Multiple regressions were followed to examine the independent association of race/ethnicity with healthy life experience for both CHC and non-CHC users while controlling for sociodemographic correlates of health. Among CHC users, racial and ethnic minorities did not have worse health than whites, but among non-CHC users there were significant racial and ethnic disparities: whites experienced significantly healthier life than both blacks and non-white Hispanics. These findings persisted after controlling for sociodemographic correlates of health. The results indicate that while racial/ethnic disparities in health persist nationally, these disparities do not exist within CHCs, safety-net providers with an explicit mission to serve vulnerable populations.
Physician Management of Dying Patients: An Exploration
Authors: Friedman Henry J.
Published: May 2005

Although there are increasing numbers of disciplined observations and studies about the dying patient, the question remains as to whether they have been read and put into practice. This paper reports on a current study aimed at exploring how physicians actually work with patients suffering from fatal illnesses. Responding to a questionnaire on their methods of managing dying patients were 59 internists, 76 surgeons, 25 gynecologists, 13 general practitioners and 5 psychiatrists. Sixty-six percent of the physicians said they sometimes inform patients of a malignancy, 25 percent said they always tell the patient, and only 9 percent said they never tell the patient. The fact that very few physicians apparently feel justified in saying they never inform a patient about a fatal diagnosis is in itself a modification of previous practice. However, judging from answers to other questions, it is the author's impression that in actual practice many physicians tend to resist informing their patients of the diagnosis in a direct manner and are inclined to be quite selective in informing only those patients described as self-reliant, independent and able to face reality.
American and Soviet Children's Attitudes toward Computers
Authors: Martin C. Dianne , Heller Rachelle S. , Mahmoud Emad
Published: May 2005

For a decade significant resources in the United States have been expended to put computers in the schools. Many school districts are now taking stock of the effects of this computerization as they prepare strategic plans for the school reform of the next decade. Similarly, recent events in Eastern Europe are bringing about massive school reform, and the role that the computer could play in reform efforts is being carefully considered. As plans for increased use of computer technology are made, it is important for policy makers, educators and researchers to understand how children relate to the new technologies. In this study the attitudes of eight to twelve year old American and Soviet children toward computers were examined by comparing their responses to attitude statements and their drawings of computer users. Although some significant differences by country and gender were found, the attitudes of the children from both countries were found to be very similar and mostly positive. One of the greatest differences found was in the level of parental use of computers. A majority of Soviet parents were not computer users, whereas a majority of American parents were computer users. The most significant gender differences occurred in the drawings of computer users with most boys drawing males and most girls drawing females as computer users.
Sewers, Sewage Treatment, Sludge: Damage without End
Authors: Rockefeller Abby A.
Published: May 2005

It is in the nature of sewering and sewage treatment to compound environmental problems in the processof moving sewage and in attempting to remove from sewage the pollutants it carries. Spreading sewage sludge on land is but the latest in the compounding of environmental damage from sewerage. This practice must be banned and there must be a federal reorientation of all technology dealing with human excreta and the waste materials from industry and society that now are carried away by sewers. The reorientation must center on biologically based on-site pollution prevention and resource recycling technologies mandated through a revised Clean Water Act.
A Review of Data on the U.S. Health Sector Fall 2004
Authors: Hellander Ida
Published: May 2005

This report presents information on the state of the U.S. health sector in late 2004. It includes data on the uninsured and underinsured and their access to health care, underinsurance for long-term care and mental health, and the rising costs of health insurance and health care. The author presents data on the increasing social inequalities in health and access to health care; the role of corporate money in health and health care; and the hospital and pharmaceutical industries. The article also includes updates on the consequences of the Medicare prescription drug bill and the state of Medicare spending, and seniors' spending, on drugs; the results of some recent public opinion polls on health care; information on labor, labor unions, and health insurance; and some international comparisons of health insurance. The article concludes with some useful sources of information on single-payer, universal health care.
Practical Professional Training through Internships
Authors: Wyld Lionel D.
Published: May 2005

A summer program at the Naval Underwater Systems Center offers from two to four temporary positions each year, where graduate students in technical writing are introduced to a wide variety of assignments in technical communications. The program, now in its sixth year, provides practical professional training for technical writers and editors.