bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Psychosocial and Medical Effects of Vasectomy in a Sample of Health Plan Subscribers
Authors: Janke Lois D. , Wiest William M.
Published: May 2005

The effects of vasectomy on psychosocial adjustment assessed by interviews, and on physical health assessed by physicians and other medical personnel, were examined by comparing 33 vasectomized men with a matched group of 33 non-vasectomized men in a pre-paid health plan. Consistent with favorable self-reports in earlier studies, the vasectomized men experienced no greater marital, job, or general living stress than the non-vasectomized men. In fact the psychosocial adjustment of the vasectomized men appeared superior to that of the non-vasectomized men, perhaps because of reduced anxiety about unwanted pregnancy. The hypothesis advanced by some investigators that vasectomized men exaggerate their masculinity in an overcompensating maneuver to reduce a perceived threat to their masculinity was not supported; instead, men volunteering for vasectomy exhibited as many masculine traits prior to the operation as after it. There was no evidence that vasectomy led to either impairment or enhancement of medical health.
Linking While Writing — Do You or Don't You?
Authors: Broer Jan W.
Published: May 2005

Linking while writing technical prose is a predominantly logical activity which creates clearly comprehensible relations of meaning between text elements. Some systematics based on sign theory is brought into the great variety of pathologic links. A few cases histories of what may be called monopodes, squinters, fadeouts, hoodwinkers, posers, and antiposers are described, together with their therapeutics. The tool for diagnostics is strategic text questioning.
The Effects of Guided Imagery (GI) on Allergic Subjects' Responses to Ragweed-Pollen Nasal Challenge: An Exploratory Investigation
Authors: Cohen Robert E. , Creticos Peter S. , Norman Philip S.
Published: May 2005

This study investigated the effects of guided imagery (GI) on allergic subjects' responses to ragweed-pollen nasal challenge. Complete data was obtained for fourteen subjects ranging from twenty-one to sixty-two years of age. Nasal challenges were performed before and after GI. Dependent variables consisted of two biochemical mediators obtained from nasal secretions and two subject-reported measures of symptoms, respectively: TAME (tosylarginine methyl ester)-esterase; histamine; severity of symptoms (e.g., nasal congestion); and numbers of sneezes. An experimental group ( n = 7) participated in a three-week program of GI designed to promote relaxation, psychosynthesis, and modulation of immunological activity at the cellular level. A posttreatment, between-groups analysis of the experimental group and a no-contact control group ( n = 7) determined that treatment significantly suppressed TAME-esterase release ( p < .03). Thereafter, the control group participated in the treatment program, and a posttreatment, within-group analysis also indicated significantly suppressed TAME-esterase release ( p < .05). A two-week, follow-up nasal challenge administered to the experimental group indicated maintenance of suppressed TAME-esterase release ( p < .03) and reduced severity of symptoms ( p < .05).
Psychiatric Consultations with Depressed Medical Inpatients: A Randomized Controlled Cost-Effectiveness Study
Authors: Hengeveld Michiel W. , Ancion Frans A. J. M. , Rooijmans Harry G. M.
Published: May 2005

Nonspecific, supportive psychiatric consultations were performed with a random sample of thirty-three general medical inpatients scoring thirteen or more on the Beck Depression Inventory. The control group consisted of thirty-five patients, matched for sex, marital status, somatic history, and seriousness of illness. The number of patients receiving no analgesic and/or psychotropic medication in the consult group (39%) was significantly greater than that in the control group (17%). When compared with their mean BDI score on admission, the BDI score just before discharge had decreased significantly in the consult group (from 20 to 13), but not in the control group (from 19 to 16). Probably because the patient sample was too heterogeneous, with too low a prevalence of mental disorders (45%), a significant reduction in other medical care expenditures and in length of hospital stay could not be demonstrated.
Postoperative Care: In Hospital or at Home?
Authors: Echeverri O. , Manzano C. , Gomez A. , Quintero M. , Cobo A.
Published: May 2005

This study was carried out, first, to determine the feasibility of postoperative home care for three elective operations and, second, to explore the feasibility of introducing postoperative home care as a more economical alternative for the following surgical procedures: herniorrhaphy, vaginal hysterectomy, and vein stripping. Clinical, environmental, operative, and socioeconomic criteria were applied to 487 outpatients of which 44 pairs were selected and matched by age, sex, diagnosis, environmental, and socioeconomic characteristics. Each member of a pair was randomly assigned to either hospital care or home care. The place of postoperative care was disclosed only after the operation. After three to five hours in the recovery room, the hospital care patient was transferred to the general surgical wards and the home care patient was transferred by ambulance to his home. There were two minor complications in the home care group and three in the hospital care group. The duration of convalescence was significantly shorter for home care patients with post–hernia repair and with hysterectomy. Economic analysis showed that from the hospital viewpoint, the average cost for both herniorrhaphy and hysterectomy home care patients is one–fourth of the average cost of hospital care. The home care alternative also provides for other savings which are described in the study.
Preschoolers' Imaginativeness: Subtypes, Correlates, and Maladaptive Extremes
Authors: Tower Roni Beth
Published: May 2005

In a study of forty-three preschool children, ratings of four types of the children's imaginativeness were correlated with observational, behavioral, and interview measures. Research questions were: 1) Do correlates of imaginativeness found in observational studies replicate if trait rather than state measures are examined? 2) Do different types of imaginativeness have different correlates? and 3) What characteristics distinguish children at the maladaptive extremes of imaginativeness from those at more moderate levels? The conceptual and empirical utility of considering imaginativeness to have two dimensions, Expressive and Constructive, was demonstrated. While optimal levels of Constructive Imaginativeness correlated significantly with other indices of healthy child development, the correlations were fewer and tended to be weaker for Expressive Imaginativeness. The negative implication of extremes was documented.
The Ten Point Clock Test: A Quick Screen and Grading Method for Cognitive Impairment in Medical and Surgical Patients
Authors: Manos Peter J. , Wu Rae
Published: May 2005

Objective:

The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of the ten point clock test in screening for and grading cognitive deficits in medical and surgical patients.

Method:

The setting was the hospital and clinics of Virginia Mason Medical Center, a tertiary referral center. Consecutive samples of hospitalized patients, and clinic outpatients—with and without a dementia—were administered the ten point clock test as well as a number of other neuropsychological tests and measures of cognitive impairment.

Results:

Clock scores correlated with neuropsychological test scores and with the mini-mental state examination. They were stable from rater to rater, and from day to day in stable patients. The mean clock score of elderly outpatient controls was 8.5, significantly different from the mean of 5.5 scored by patients with a dementia. A cut off score of seven identified 76 percent of outpatients with dementia and 78 percent of elderly controls. Clock scores correlated well with nurses' ratings of their inpatients' cognitive deficits (Spearman's rs = −0.61). The test was easy to administer, even to hospitalized patients.

Conclusions:

The ten point clock test is reliable, valid, and useful as a quick screen and grading method for cognitive deficits in medical and surgical patients.
False Allegations of Child Physical Abuse: A Case of Münchausen by Proxy-like Syndrome?
Authors: Savvidou Ioanna , Bozikas Vasilis P. , Karavatos Athanasios
Published: May 2005

The diagnosis of factitious disorder by proxy is still under investigation. Few studies have researched the psychological status and potential underlying psychopathology of the perpetrator, as well as the impact on the child's development and the pathological reactions of rearing a child within the context of a distorted reality. In this article, we present the case of a 12-year-old boy where this diagnosis was suspected. Both he and his parents brought forth false allegations of repeated physical abuse induced by his schoolteacher. The parents presented with shared psychosis and the child presented with conduct disorder, factitious disorder, and emotional problems. We suggest that this case represents a Munchausen by proxy-like syndrome involving both the legal and medical systems. Hypotheses regarding the pathogenesis of symptoms in the child are noted, underscoring the differences between Munchausen by proxy syndrome appearing in infancy with that appearing in older children.
Process Evaluation of Nebraska's Team Training Project
Authors: Scott David M. , Merkel Pamela A. , Barlow Thomas W.
Published: May 2005

Background.

A process evaluation of the Nebraska Drug Free School/ Community Residential Team Training Project is described. This training project utilizes a “system approach” in the formation and implementation of localized strategic (action) plans targeting alcohol and other drug (AOD) abuse prevention.

Methods.

In June of 1990, training participants completed a pre-post survey in conjunction with the four-day training. The majority of the participants (51.2%) were teachers, 19.2 percent were parents, 13.6 percent administrators, and 9.6 percent were counselors.

Results.

Although the overall attitudes of the participants ( N = 125) were positive initially, they became even more so by the end of the training ( N = 121). Prior to training participants felt they could have a significant impact on their local AOD abuse problem, and this attitude became more positive by the completion of training ( p < 0.05).

Conclusions.

The Nebraska team training process immerses team members in an active planning process allowing teams to develop a plan of action for their school and community. During this process, participants experience a positive growth in attitudes reflecting not only the training experience itself, but even more importantly their ability to meaningfully affect AOD abuse and related destructive behaviors in their homes, schools, and community.
Epidemiology and the Scientific Method
Authors: Chalmers Alan F.
Published: May 2005

This article refutes the claim that the field of epidemiology and community health would benefit from the application of the scientific method. It is argued that the methods of physics are not appropriate for other disciplines. When applied to the social sciences, positivism is a conservatizing force, causing theory to become based on a mere description of social phenomenon. Since it cannot lead to a deep understanding of social phenomena, positivism is incapable of revealing ways in which society could be radically changed. Moreover, such theory is far from neutral. Rather, it is formed and influenced by the forms of life experienced and practiced in the society. This is illustrated by an analysis of the origin of modern physics at the time when society was changing from a feudal to capitalist form of organization. It is concluded that advances will be made in epidemiology and community health when this field breaks from its focus on the individual and incorporates class into its analysis. However, given the interconnection between social structure and social theory, resistance to such a radical change can be expected.
Management of the Borderline Patient on a Medical or Surgical Ward: The Psychiatric Consultant's Role
Authors: Groves James E.
Published: May 2005

The patient with borderline personality hospitalized on a medical or surgical ward has a disorganizing effect on the house staff, who may regress in response to the patient's impulsivity, dependency, entitlement, and rage. The psychiatric consultant's role in the management of such a patient should consist of a specialized type of consultee-oriented approach in which countertransference1 hatred and fear, typically generated in the staff by the borderline, are drawn away from the patient and strategically metabolized within the staff-consultant relationship. The consultant should actively promote a behavioral management practicum, placed in the medical chart for reference and as a symbol of the psychiatrist's helping presence, which discusses: a) clear communication with the patient and among staff, b) understanding the patient's need for constant personnel, c) dealing with the patient's entitlement without confronting the patient's needed defenses, and d) setting firm limits on the patient's dependency, manipulativeness, rage, and self-destructive behaviors. The consultant should work to counteract feelings of helplessness in the staff, to neutralize punitive superego in the staff, and to diminish fearfulness toward the patient.
Toward a New Paradigm in Substance Abuse and other Problem Behavior Prevention for Youth: Youth Development and Empowerment Approach
Authors: Kim Sehwan , Crutchfield Charles , Williams Charles , Hepler Nancy
Published: May 2005

The purpose of this article is to 1) address a paradigm shift taking place in the field of substance abuse prevention directed for youth and 2) to introduce an innovative approach to substance abuse and other problem behavior prevention that reflects this shift in prevention paradigm. The new path introduced is youth development and empowerment (YD&E) approach. In order to establish a conceptual foundation for this approach, this article 3) reviews the theoretical advances made in the field of substance abuse prevention during the last three decades. This is followed by a conceptualization of the processes of implementing the YD&E program by 4) specifying the mechanism used for the empowering processes and by 5) identifying the structural components of the youth empowerment model that serve the empowering processes. It is hoped that this article serves as a conduit for an improved approach to adolescent substance abuse prevention and youth development that goes beyond, rather than against, the traditional risk-factor approach. In this new approach, youths are viewed as assets and resources to our community rather than social problems or community liabilities. The organizing concept of this new paradigm is: social, economic, and public opportunity denied to youth is equal to social problems imposed on youth by adults.
Globalization of Clinical Research by the Pharmaceutical Industry
Authors: Shah Sonia
Published: May 2005

Drug companies' quest for speedy results has led to a boom in trials based in developing countries, where ethical standards may be lax and the impoverished sick abundant. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General's office, the number of researchers based outside the United States seeking new drug approvals has increased 16-fold over the last decade. In this article, a 1996 Pfizer trial in Nigeria—the subject of a controversial class-action suit—illustrates the dangers.
Pediatric Referrals to Psychiatry: II. Factors Relating to Delays in Referral
Authors: Froese Arthur P.
Published: May 2005

Delays in requesting psychiatric consultation were examined, in relation to 220 referrals from a medical ward in a pediatric hospital, to determine why children referred for psychiatric evaluation remained in hospital longer than the nonreferred. Request delays did not correlate with age, sex, or length of hospitalization, but were likely to be shorter for acutely ill patients and those whose admission diagnosis evidenced the pediatrician's awareness of the possibility of significant emotional factors. The onus may be on the psychiatrist to increase the medical staff's awareness of the possibility that emotional factors often contribute to their patient's ills. This increased awareness may result in prompt referrals to psychiatry, and shorter, less costly hospitalization.
Evidence for a Prehistoric Petroglyph Trail Map in the Sierra Nevada
Authors: Gortner Willis A.
Published: May 2005

A single petroglyph site in the North-Central Sierra Nevada in the upper watershed of the North Fork of the American River has a unique glyph with meandering and connecting wavy lines that are now proposed as trail maps. A tracing of this glyph was made from a photograph, and this was then placed with the same compass alignment on a topographic map showing all petrographic sites along the North Fork watershed. The ability to superimpose and accurately orient the glyph tracing over a map of these petroglyph sites, and the presence of petroglyphs on seventy-seven individual rock outcroppings mostly within 50 m of the presumed trails, support the trail map interpretation of this rock carving. It is suggested that a hunt shaman may have incised this glyph for ritualistic use.
Validity and Reliability of Provided Constructs in Assessing Death Threat
Authors: Krieger Seth R. , Epting Franz R. , Hays Charles H.
Published: May 2005

A self-administered form of the Threat Index (TI) was introduced and compared to the original interview form along dimensions of validity, reliability, internal consistency, and independence from social desirability response set. The assumption that a split between self and death is indicative of threat was empirically tested by means of an expanded format. In addition, the death-relevant situations used to generate constructs in the interview form were tested for generalizability. Thirty-two introductory psychology students completed the study which required two administrations of the instruments, with a four week intervel between the sessions. Results supported the theoretical and psychometric soundness of both forms. Advantages, disadvantages, and appropriate applications of each form were discussed.
Collaborative Learning on the Internet
Authors: Kitchen David , McDougall Douglas
Published: May 2005

This study examined graduate students perceptions of the educational value of their collaborative learning when using the Internet for course delivery. Students enrolled in a summer class conducted entirely online were interviewed, and their communications analyzed, to determine the salient factors associated with their collaborative experiences. Respondents indicated that although they enjoyed the convenience and opportunity for collaboration, a number of dissatisfiers were apparent with the instructional strategy and the delivery medium. Recommendations are documented in an effort to improve future courses utilizing this methodology.
Copayment and National Health Insurance in the United States: A Critique of Work by Newhouse, Phelps, and Schwartz
Authors: Jonas Steven
Published: May 2005

In “Policy Options and the Impact of National Health Insurance,” Newhouse, Phelps, and Schwartz concluded that any national health insurance program which did not provide for high user copayments, particularly for ambulatory services, would swamp, and ultimately wreck, the health care delivery system, particularly for ambulatory services. This paper presents a detailed critique of their work. Three major points of criticism are raised:- First, Newhouse et al. have engaged in some questionable methodological practices. Second, they fall into a serious contradiction in gathering evidence to support their basic postulate. Third, they adopt a unidimensional view in proposing solutions to the problems which they predict will arise. From these criticisms, the conclusion is drawn that Newhouse et al. failed to prove their case.
ECT in the Treatment of Patients with Neurological and Somatic Disease
Authors: Zwil Alexander S. , Pelchat Rodney J.
Published: May 2005

Objective:

An evaluation of the safety and efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), for the treatment of patients with severe medical and neurological illness, was undertaken.

Method:

The English-language literature reporting the use of ECT in patients with neurological and somatic disease was reviewed. This review included reports describing ECT used for the treatment of affective disturbances and catatonia in patients with concurrent neurological or somatic disease, as well as reports dealing with the efficacy of ECT for the treatment of certain neurological conditions for which it has been reported to have some benefit independent of its psychiatric effect.

Conclusions:

ECT is safe and effective for the treatment of affective and catatonic disorders in patients with most neurological and medical diseases, including elderly and debilitated patients with multiple illnesses, if the specific medical risks are carefully evaluated in each case, and appropriate modifications of technique are used to reduce the risk of potential complications. Apart from its use in psychiatry, ECT has been reported to have therapeutic effects in Parkinson's disease, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, aggressive behavioral disorders following brain injury, certain forms of epilepsy, and some forms of delirium due to toxic or metabolic encephalopathies. The potential for ECT to play an active role in the clinical management of patients with these disorders, many of whom are presently refractory to maximal medical treatment, should be evaluated by systematic studies.
The Stigma of Dying: Attitudes toward the Terminally Ill
Authors: Epley Rita J. , McCaghy Charles H.
Published: May 2005

The objective of this study is to explore whether the terminally ill role is conceptualized as disvalued. Using a range of semantic differential adjectives, 233 college students indicated their attitudes toward young and old people who were healthy, ill, or terminally ill. Analysis of mean scores, Pearson correlations between summary scores, and factor analyses of the underlying pattern of response, support the following conclusions. First, within both young and old categories, attitudes toward each state of health category separate into three factors: attitudes toward healthy, ill, and dying persons. Second, within each health category, attitudes separate into two factors, identified as attitudes toward the young, and attitudes toward the old. The negative attitudes toward the dying are indicative of the terminally ill as stigmatized.
New Ideas in the Workplace: Learning from Interactive Television
Authors: Kwiatek Kathy Krendl
Published: May 2005

Data collected in a study of cable television use for in-service training by teachers in elementary schools were analyzed in terms of learning about new ideas to be used in the classroom.

The findings present a direct challenge to the traditional bias of strict reliance upon the individual as the unit of analysis in television research in general. Learning about and implementing new ideas did not emerge as simple linear effects of viewing. Rather, they proved to be processes strongly related to differences in viewing contexts (viewing alone or with others) and levels of feedback (interpersonal or technological interaction), as well as a function of communications structure within the organization (amount of talking and levels of agreement about good teaching within a school).
Impact of Hospice Volunteer Training on Death Anxiety and Locus of Control
Authors: Hayslip Bert , Walling Mary L.
Published: May 2005

This investigation examined the effects of a hospice volunteer training program on locus of control and death anxiety. Experimental participants consisted of hospice volunteers who underwent an eight-week volunteer training course ( N = 29) and controls who were selected from the hospice mailing list ( N = 30). Results indicated both groups decreased in generalized conscious death fear, but increased in their conscious fear of others' deaths, although experimental participants did so to a somewhat greater extent. An overall decrease in several unconscious death-related fears (e.g., loss of control, overall covert death anxiety) was also observed. Training participants repressed death fears more often, relative to controls. While training seemed to sensitize participants to the uncontrollability of death, covert fears of loss of goals and achievements were lower for volunteers with training than for controls. Regardless of training, unconscious fears appeared to become conscious, as did Templer death anxiety scores (indicating a lessening of denial), with the exception of overt fear of the death of others, suggesting that hospice volunteers may continue to fear the loss of others irrespective of training.
An Adaptive Coping Model of Intervention with the Severely Burn-Injured
Authors: Vanderplate Cal
Published: May 2005

Aspects of severe burn injury which distinguish it from other injuries or physical illnesses are outlined, and psychosocial issues in hospitalization and rehabilitation are discussed. With this as background, a psychotherapeutic approach to severe burn injury based upon an adaptive coping model is proposed. Specific adaptive tasks required to adjust to severe burn injury and therapeutic interventions considered best suited to facilitate adaptation are presented.
Technology and International Education
Authors: Romeu Jorge Luis
Published: May 2005

Technology, particularly e-mail communication, listservers, newsgroups participation and uses of Web pages, has greatly increased the interaction between faculty and students of universities of different countries. These advances have also raised the interest in, the need for, and the possibilities about participating in international faculty and student exchanges and international course development and implementation. For example, for several years now this panelist has worked on a Student/Faculty exchange project between State University of New York (SUNY) and Mexican universities, using these technologies to substitute scant funds, yet obtaining significant results. This article describes Conference on Instructional Technology (CIT) Panel discussion that addressed some of the problems panelists found in developing their international exchange projects. It also discusses some problems encountered in developing the traditional and two new models of student exchanges and in the lack of a central SUNY structure capable of sustaining projects developed in one campus but benefitting all SUNY. We discuss how technology has helped to circumvent these problems and to provide working solutions that contribute positively. Benefits from as well as the costs of such exchanges are examined, traded off, and openly debated.
Health Care Providers as Key Change Agents in the Community Intervention Trial for Smoking Cessation (COMMIT)
Authors: Ockene Judith K. , Lindsay Elizabeth , Berger Lawrence , Hymowitz Norman ,   For the COMMIT Research Group
Published: May 2005

The Community Intervention Trial for Smoking Cessation (COMMIT) is a multi-center collaborative trial sponsored by the National Cancer Institute. COMMIT utilizes multiple, community-based channels to facilitate quit attempts among heavy cigarette smokers. The “health care provider channel” is important, in that physicians, dentists, and other health care providers can effect changes in smoking behavior at both the individual and community level. There are over 1,600 primary care physicians and general practice dentists in the COMMIT intervention communities. This article describes the conceptual basis for the health care provider activities; results of a survey of Community attitudes and behaviors regarding smoking and health care; specific training and intervention activities; and the role of health care providers as community change agents in the smoking cessation arena.
Corporatization of Medicine: The Use of Medical Management Information Systems to Increase the Clinical Productivity of Physicians
Authors: Feinglass Joe , Salmon J. Warren
Published: May 2005

Large corporate health care firms are seeking to reorganize the production of health services under growing cost-containment pressures from government and business payors. Medical management information systems (MMIS) applications are producing an increasing number of financially motivated utilization management interventions designed to constrain wide variations in the practice of medicine. In this article we examine how innovations in MMIS will be used to monitor practitioners' clinical decisions in order to improve the productivity of physicians and other health care personnel. As MMIS technology shifts power from previously autonomous physicians to corporate health care managers, the medical profession is likely to be subjected to far more administrative and bureaucratic controls than conceivable even a few years ago.
Psychosocial Environment: A Health Promotion Model
Authors: Kar Snehendu B.
Published: May 2005

This article presents a multidimensional model of psychosocial determinants of health behavior for health promotion research and policy analysis. Frequently, health promotion focuses almost exclusively on intrapsychic determinants and on individual level behavior. Based upon Field Theory and attitude theories, this proposed model holds that in populations with comparable sociodemographic and biological status (exogenous variables) a health behavior is a function of direct and interaction effects of five key intrapsychic and external variables. These are: behavioral intentions, social support, accessibility of means for action, personal autonomy, and action situation. Empirical tests with cross-cultural studies in Venezuela, Kenya, and the Philippines provide substantial support for the model. The findings suggest that while health promotion strategies should deal with intrapsychic determinants of behavior, key extrapsychic factors (such as social support, quality and accessibility of health care measures, and situational factors) all have direct and independent effects on health behavior as well. Health promotion research and interventions which aim exclusively at intrapsychic determinants would thus have rather limited overall value. The article discusses key research and policy implications of the model presented.
Relationship of Microcomputer-Based Instruction and Learning Style
Authors: Smith Carolena L.
Published: May 2005

In this technological age, sight must not be lost in recognizing individual differences in applying technology to the instructional process. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between achievement of field-dependent and field-independent students using microcomputer instruction. T-test was calculated on mean posttest scores to analyze the difference between the groups. There was a significant difference at the 0.5 level in testing the null hypothesis of no difference between the groups in this study.
In Defense of Life: On the Mental-Health Professions' Failure to Confront the Suicide Epidemic
Authors: Elitzur Avshalom C.
Published: May 2005

The mental-health professions have so far failed to reduce the increasing rate of suicide in Western society, especially among adolescents. This failure calls for a radical revision in the present approach to the problem. It is argued that no professional approach suffices to fight the suicide epidemic without an explicit commitment to the sanctity of life. A moral stand against suicide, denouncing its cruelty toward loved and loving ones and its senselessness from the suicide's own viewpoint, is called for. Only such an open plea can make the clinical efforts efficient.
The “New Economics” and Industrial Health: An Explanation
Authors: Chelius James R.
Published: May 2005

In a recent issue of the International Journal of Health Services, John Chasse and David LeSourd presented a critical evaluation of what they call the “new” economics of industrial health. The focus of their review is the fairly extensive research over the past decade on the impact of workers' compensation laws on workplace safety and health. They conclude that the work is conceptually and empirically flawed and represents a “dangerous hypothesis” that “… directs research down a ‘dead-end’ road and threatens to influence public policy in a way that could damage the welfare of large numbers of workers” (1, p. 21). Although not presuming to speak for all researchers in this field, I have conducted many of the studies reviewed and would like to demonstrate why I feel Chasse and LeSourd's criticism is misguided and largely incorrect. This response first addresses the theoretical basis for the research and then the empirical evidence. The implications for workers' compensation policy are then briefly considered. While the thrust of these remarks is directed to the general issues raised by Chasse and LeSourd, there are several misinterpretations of specific empirical results and policy recommendations that are addressed.
Many Faces of Depression in Patients with Chronic Pain
Authors: Roy Ranjan
Published: May 2005

Depression is commonly associated with chronic pain patients. How common is it and what are its manifestations? Research findings are unclear. Besides, depression is defined by some as a syndrome and by others as an affect or symptom. This leads to further confusion. This paper attempts to answer those questions by a selected review of the pertinent literature and case examples to demonstrate reactive, clinical and masked depression and also depression as an affect or symptom. Some of the treatment issues are considered.
Calculus & Technology: Calculus Reform for High School Teachers
Authors: King Nancy T.
Published: May 2005

Technology has changed our lives. It affects how we work, play, handle business transactions, and even how and when we die. The fact that it influences our daily activities is undebatable. That technology would be used to enhance the teaching of mathematics was inevitable. While technology is not the only component of the Calculus Reform movement, it is the central focus of the movement. It is what separates this movement from reform movements of years past. Mathematicians and math educators are changing how we teach calculus. Critics may question the role of calculators and computers in the classroom, but the opportunities provided by technology will make it virtually impossible to ignore this medium of delivering classroom instructions. It is gernerally accepted that the problems associated with poor mathematics performance in this country must be solved in the institutions of higher education [1]. CAL-TECH is the beginning of Texas Southern University's contribution to the solution.
Konstantin E. T̂siolkovskii: Fantasy in a Scientist, an Adlerian Interpretation
Authors: Windholz George , Hernandez Jean-Maurice
Published: May 2005

Konstantin E. Tsiolkovskii (1857–1935), a Russian scientist, was an inspiring pioneer in aeronautics and space travel. In addition to his important scientific writings, Tsiolkovskii envisioned a future with immortal humans, progressively evolving in the Darwinian struggle for existence and leaving the Earth by rocket-powered vehicles to inhabit the endless universe. Tsiolkovskii's futuristic ideas, a blend of fantasy and science, are explained in terms of Adlerian concept of fictionalism. Physically handicapped, living in dire poverty, holding the low social position of a school teacher in a Russian provincial town, disrespected by other teachers, his scientific works ignored by scientists, Tsiolkovskii resorted to fictionalism, that is, to the creation of a personal hierarchy of values and goals. Fictionalism allowed him to escape daily reality and search for an improved life among immortal humans in a coming Utopian society existing somewhere in the universe.
Writing Workshops for Eligibility Examiners
Authors: Walsh Dennis M.
Published: May 2005

The three technical writing workshops a colleague and I gave to Idaho eligibility examiners were especially challenging because of the discrepancy in education and writing ability within each group — as well as our own initial ignorance of what eligibility examiners do and write. The workshops gradually improved as we modified our material based on our increased knowledge of the examiners and their work, became increasingly problem oriented in our approach, and effectively implemented our inductive pedagogy.
“The Responsibility to Inform, the Power to Act”: A Conference for New England College Newspaper Editors on the Role of the Campus Press in Addressing Substance Use Issues
Authors: Wechsler Henry , Dejong William , Shapiro Gail R. , Lavin Auson T.
Published: May 2005

College newspapers are a powerful but underutilized medium for educating students on health issues, including those related to drug and alcohol use on campus. Editors of these publications are in a position to wield significant influence among their readers. In addition to communicating factual information about the prevalence and impact of substance use among college students, editors can use the press to advocate changes in students' attitudes and behaviors and in college or community policies that affect substance use. A pilot conference was held to help New England college newspaper editors perceive the importance of their role in educating their peers about substance use and other health-related issues, and to offer concrete suggestions as to how they can incorporate these topics into an “activist” campus press.
A Tool for Language Teachers: A Spread (Use of the) Sheet
Authors: Silva Antonio A.
Published: May 2005

The commercial packages known as spreadsheets, like Lotus 1-2-3 and Microsoft Excel (we use here Microsoft Excel for Windows), are among the most versatile, universal and broadly diffused personal computing tools. But, excepting for obvious purposes like accounting, file management and some kinds of mathematics, spreadsheets are not being widely used in educational environments. This is particularly true for the languages domain, mostly because they are viewed as belonging to a different world—a world of numbers, databases and charts. Two examples of very straightforward uses of a spreadsheet in the languages domain are presented: they are both applicable at various levels and scopes. Two other examples of easy utilization are referenced, and a discussion is made of some topics that emerge naturally and are related to educational software and strategies for its development.
Sherds as Tools: The Roles of Vessel Fragments in Prehistoric Succulent Plant Processing
Authors: Suluvan Alan P. , Skibo James M. , van Buren Mary
Published: May 2005

Excavation of an agave-roasting site in southern Arizona disclosed an unexpectedly large collection of sherds. Sherd aggregation and use-alteration analyses were undertaken to determine the role of the ceramics in agave processing. Results indicate that sherds and not vessels were brought to the site, and that sherds may have been used as scoops and possibly as nonflammable covers or receptacles during agave processing. These findings underscore the point that analyses of assemblages of sherds that are not refitted may disregard important information about the nature and organization of prehistoric processing technologies.
From Natural Resources to Natural Assets
Authors: Boyce James K.
Published: May 2005

This article examines the scope for strategies to build natural assets in the hands of low-income individuals and communities. Natural assets include sources of raw materials such as forests and fisheries, and the airsheds, lands, and water bodies that provide “environmental sinks” for the disposal of wastes. These resources become assets when people have rights to access their benefits. Four strategies for natural asset-building are identified: investment to increase the total stock of natural assets; redistribution to transfer natural assets from others; internalization to increase the ability of the poor to capture benefits generated by their stewardship of natural assets; and appropriation to establish rights for the poor to open-access resources. Building on the democratic principle that all individuals have equal rights to clean air, clean water, and other common heritage resources, these strategies simultaneously can advance the goals of poverty reduction, environmental protection, and environmental justice.
The Impact of Information and Communication Factors on Mitigation of Workers' Health in the Chernobyl Zone, 1986–1990
Authors: Mirnyi Sergii , Yastrzhembska Anna
Published: May 2005

Several important features of the Chernobyl disaster make it an outstanding event among the industrial accidents in the world's history. We want to draw the readers' attention to three of them: 1) Chernobyl involved severe occupational injuries and caused chronic disorders in an unprecedented number of mitigation workers; 2) the health problems in question cannot be attributed solely to the specific radiation injury in the zone1; and 3) the Chernobyl disaster has been a unique communication (media, in particular) event in terms of its international coverage, impact, and the controversies it has generated. The purpose of this article is to trace the links between these peculiarities of the accident and to suggest a framework for relating the communication and information factors to the health condition of the people who were occupationally involved in the Chernobyl disaster mitigation. We also will propose a number of ideas about how the factors in question can be managed within the Chernobyl disaster mitigation policy, which at present is critically shaped by the post-Soviet political, economic, and cultural context.
Psychological Reactions among Family Members of Patients with Implantable Defibrillators
Authors: Marx Alexandra , Bollmann Andreas , Dunbar Sandra B. , Jenkins Louise S. , Hawthorne Mary
Published: May 2005

Objective:

To describe psychological reactions among family members of patients receiving an implantable cardioverter/defibrillator (ICD) during the first 9 months after implantation.

Methods:

Eighty-two family members (age 56 ± 12 years, 74 percent female, 79 percent married, 88 percent Caucasian) of ICD patients completed questionnaires regarding their mood (Profile of Mood State), cognitive illness appraisals (Meaning of Illness Questionnaire) and coping strategies (Jalowiec Coping Scale) prior to ICD implantation, and as well as 1 and 9 months postoperatively.

Results:

Total mood disturbance score (TMD), threat appraisal, and emotion- and problem-focused coping were highest prior to ICD implantation, and decreased during the first postoperative month showing stable values thereafter. There was no change in challenge appraisal. Multiple regression analysis found that the use of psychotropic drugs (anxiolytics, sedatives; Beta = .25), emotion-focused coping (Beta = .37), and challenge appraisal (Beta = .21) at 1 month accounted for 26 percent of variance in TMD at 9 months.

Conclusion:

A spouse's ICD implantation is a major stressful event for family members leading to a diminished mood state prior ICD implantation. Reduction in emotion-focused coping and the use of challenge appraisal may improve mood state in family members of ICD patients during early follow-up.
Psychiatric Consultation: Part II. Conceptual and Pragmatic Issues of Formulation
Authors: Miller Warren B.
Published: May 2005

Seven principles governing the selection and organization of data during the process of psychiatric consultation are presented. These are based upon conceptual decisions implicitly made by the psychiatrist during his clinical investigation. Three case examples illustrate the principles, followed by discussion which focuses on the pragmatic considerations influencing how these decisions are made. Three additional case examples serve to illustrate the effects of the pragmatic factors. The entire analysis is based upon the general systems model developed in Part I.1
Typical Activities of Health Educators in Public and Private Settings in California
Authors: Winder Alvin E.
Published: May 2005

Some typical activities of health educators employed in public and private settings in California are reported. These reports are based upon interviews with a number of directors of health education programs and the chairpersons of two university programs. Typical activities include the generalist role of rural health educators, the emphasis of urban health educators on health promotion programs, patient education as a major activity of health educators in medical care settings, and the continued commitment of health educators in occupational settings to community health education. The diversity of activities in which health educators in California are engaged suggests the outlook for the eighties is for many arenas for the practice of health education.
The Globalization of Capital, the Welfare State, and Old Age Policy
Authors: Estes Carroll L. , Phillipson Chris
Published: May 2005

A new political economy is shaping the lives of present and future generations of older people. The key change has been the move from the mass institutions that defined growing old in the period from 1945 through the late 1970s to the more individualized structures—privatized pensions, privatized health and social care—that increasingly inform the current period. The authors examine the role of international governmental organizations in promoting this trend, with examples drawn from the work of the World Bank, World Trade Organization, and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the relationship between international governmental organizations and the state. The article concludes with an assessment of the changes to citizenship that accompany globalization and the implications for political organization among older people themselves.
EEG Recordings of Experiments in Hypnotic Age Regression
Authors: Raikov Vladimir L.
Published: May 2005

Previous studies have shown that certain subjects, highly susceptible to deep hypnosis, display neurological and electrical activity similar to that of a newborn infant. This was accomplished with appropriate suggestions introduced during hypnosis. In this study, four out of five subjects with a high susceptibility to hypnosis showed a remarkable quantity of high amplitude EEG theta and delta waves (2–4 Hz), reaching 50 to 150 microvolts. Coincidentally all subjects demonstrated behavioral and neurological reflex symptoms appropriate to the infancy state. No similar changes were observed with the same subjects who were given identical suggestions, but without hypnotic induction. A second group with only a slight susceptibility to hypnosis were used as controls. Under hypnosis these subjects did not show any change in their EEG patterns or the appearance of any neurological reflexes. The possibility exists that under hypnosis we were able to stimulate the subjects' unconscious memory of infantile reflexes. Under the influence of very deep hypnosis, subjects revived their memory in some unknown way, producing the ascribed reactions and EEG patterns.