bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Family Nursing Interventions: What Families Say Makes a Difference
Authors: Robinson Carole A. , Wright Lorraine M.
Published: March 2007

Within the nursing offamilies, assessment skills have become more and more sophisticated. However, our ability to intervene in relation to the family problems that are identified has lagged behind. There is growing awareness that it is time to attend to what we do that helps healfamily suffering. This article reports on the interventions that one group offamilies identified and described as making a difference that matters in living with a chronic condition. Thesefamilies experienced difficulty managing a member's chronic condition and sought assistance in an outpatient nursing clinic. The interventions were illuminated through a grounded theory study designed to explore both the process and outcomes of family nursing interventions. From the family perspective, the intervention process involved two stages: (a) creating the circumstancesfor change and (b) moving beyond and overcoming problems. Examples are given of specific interventions thatfamiliesfound useful within the intervention process.
Part 2: Family Health During and After Death of a Family Member
Authors: Denham Sharon A.
Published: March 2007

An ethnographic study of families who used hospice services was conducted to identify how families defined and practiced family health during a time of family transition. Eight families (N = 29) who recently experienced the death of a family member participated in three interviews. Key findings were: (a) family health is a complex construct with dynamic intergenerational linked patterns, (b) mothers continue to have roles related to family health when children are adults, (c) household context influences family health, and (d) health routines changed during caregiving and loss. Hospice care was a valued family health support during caregiving and following death. Family members deconstructed, reconstructed, and established some new health routines during the terminal phase and bereavement. Future family research should consider transgenerational influences, mothers’ roles related to the health of adult children, contextual influences most predictive of family health, and interventions most supportive of families during change and transition.
Consensus Development Conference
Authors: Larsen Judith K. , Rogers Everett M.
Published: March 2007

A pair of consensus development conferences held in the United States and in Sweden presented an unusual opportunity for a cross-cultural study of technology transfer The two conferences were based on the same topic and the same set ofprocedures, providing a chance to test the replicability of the concept of the consensus development conference in different cultures with different health care systems. The purpose of the study was to compare the two experiences, addressing the following questions (I) Can the consensus development process operate across cultural differences and still yield similar results ? (2) Do differences in the health payment system effect the consensus development process ? The study concluded that the consensus development conference is an effective technology transfer procedure both in the United States and in Sweden. The process was effective regardless of differences in language, culture, and health care delivery systems Conclusions reached by consensus development panels regarding the safety and efficacy of the technology were similar Inclusion of issues of need and cost at the Swedish conference expanded the agenda beyond that of the U S conference, however the consensus development process remained the same
Role Parity in International Social Science Collaborative Research
Authors: Kumar Krishna
Published: March 2007

The article reports the findmgs of a study on the subject of role parity in international collaborative research projects. Two dimensions of role relationships in research settings—the centrality of research roles and the locus of decision making-have been examined within a theoretical framework. The data are based on the research roles of 65 U.S. university professors and their counterparts. The data are separately examined for the counterparts from the industrialized and developing nations.
Managing Knowledge in Policymaking and Decision Making
Authors: Hart Stuart L.
Published: March 2007

The combined effect of increasing problem complexity and growing demand for participation in decisions has forced policymaking and decision making in organizations to become less an analytic endeavor and more a process of "knowledge management ' This requires an intermediarv to mediate among conflicting perspectives and integrate the different forms and levels of knowledge This article describes one such approach to knowledge management that utilizes a third party to create and facilitate a temporary task organization Following a brief case example, some research resultsfrom an evaluation of six past applications of the approach are presented These results provide insight into the effective structuring and conduct of knowledge management procedures
State Strategies to Support Local School Improvement
Authors: Anderson Beverly , Odden Allan , Farrar Eleanor , Fuhrman Susan , Davis Alan , Huddle Eugene , Armstrong Jane , Flakus-Mosqueda Patricia
Published: March 2007

In recent years, state departments of education have undertaken strategies to support local school improvement. Some emphasize school wide improvement while others focus specifically on instructional improvement. This study, based on case study methodology, sought to determine what factors were most important in the process of actually putting in place an improvement effort. The study indicated that the implementation within the school could be best thought of in four stages—initiation, initial implementation, complete implementation, and institutionalization. Each stage contained several factors that seemed essential to success. These factors included district support of several types as well as characteristics and actions in the school. Also certain factors/actions on the part of the state helped to support these efforts. These factors are described in this article. The types of school improvement programs reported here were found to work best in local environments that lacked turmoil, were not overloaded with innovation, were small in size and low in complexity at both the school and district levels.
Electronic Mail and Scientific Communication
Authors: Carley Kathleen , Wendt Kira
Published: March 2007

A new type of scientific research group is emerging-the extended research group (a large number of geographically dispersed researchers working together in a coordinated fashion). This article describes the roles that various modes of communication (such as face-to-face discussion and EMail), types of information communicated, and types of social ties played in the communication behavior of one such group, computer analysts and programmers working on a specialized language model called Soar, which stands for "state operator and result. " The authors show that the Soar group used different communication modes to acquire different types of information and that EMail enhanced rather than reduced the impact of traditional scientific communication networks.
The Dilemmas of Change
Authors: Ruscoe Gordon C. , Miller Stephen K.
Published: March 2007

In a post hoc analysrs of a school improvement effort that provided individually tailored reports to 93 Kentucky schools, the authors describe the research project from which these reports were derived, their purpose and format, and the dilemmas encountered in encouraging schools to use their results. Established patterns of school organization and practitioners' attitudes toward educational research influenced the effects of these reports. The implications of the analysis are also considered in the context of the educational knowledge utilization process in general.
Commentary
Authors: Hanna Judith Lynne
Published: March 2007

Academic publishing requires peer review evaluation as part of its system. However, the review process reflects its participants' biases. When a work's topic, conclusions, or methodologies challenge conventional wisdom, established paradigms, or political views, then peer review may act as a form of insidious censorship or pressure to change one's topic, interpretations, conclusions, or methods. The effects of unmodified peer review may stifle discovery, hinder the dissemination of new "truths" that challenge conventional wisdom and political taboos, and ramify beyond institutions of knowledge. Scholars may unwittingly perpetuate social problems by impeding the production and diffusion of knowledge. Ethics, selection of reviewers, and appeal procedures need attention.
Unresolved Issues in Scientific Misconduct
Authors: Moss Thomas H.
Published: March 2007

As discussion of scientific misconduct movesfrom theprivate to the public domain, new demands are placed on the research system. This article focuses on those aspects related to universities: development and implementation of procedures for handling allegations, how to handle the role that intuition plays in research, and the entanglement of scientific misconduct allegations with other issues of interpersonal relations.
Contrasting Assessments of Interdisciplinarity in Emerging Specialties
Authors: McCain Katherine W. , Whitney P.Joy
Published: March 2007

The degree of interdiseiplinarity observed in the analysis of a research literature can depend on the analytical approach Subject assignments of highly cited journals and those frequently publishing topic-relevant articles are compared with data from a recent survey of neural networks researchers. Publication subject patterns parallel the survey results-concentrating heavily in the physical sciences and engineering-while the biological and psychological literature is more visible in citation patterns This finding may reflect both discipline-specific differences in size and publishing patterns and cross-boundary problems in the perceived usefulness of and access to published information.
Network Influences on Involvement in the Hybrid Problem Area of Developmental Dyslexia
Authors: PERRY CLAUDIA A. , RICE RONALD E.
Published: March 2007

A scientific communication model of the emergence of a hybrid research area was developed and tested in the field of developmental dyslexia, using multiple data sources concerning personal, professional, publication, and network aspects of seventy-four dyslexia researchers. Results suggest that societal concerns, federal research policy, and grant funding may play major roles in encouraging growth and change in a problem area, but that subject background and perceptions of past controversies also strongly influence researchers' involvement. The findings suggest the value of conceptualizing all of science communication, including the popularization of science, as a continuum within the larger society.
Predicting Elderly People’s Risk for Nursing Home Placement, Hospitalization, Functional Impairment, and Mortality: A Synthesis
Authors: Miller Edward Alan , Weissert William G.
Published: March 2007

Long-term care resources would be allocated more cost-effectively if care planning and medical/functional eligibility decisions were grounded more firmly in extant evidence regarding the risk of nursing home placement, hospitalization, functional impairment, and mortality. This article synthesizes the studies that longitudinally assess the predictors of each of these outcomes for the 65 and older population in the United States. A database was assembled containing 167 multivariate analyses abstracted from 78 journal articles published between 1985 and 1998. Findings show that 22 risk factors consistently predict two or more outcomes, including three that predict all four: worse performance on physical function measures not based on activities of daily living, greater illness severity, and prior hospital use. Findings should help prioritize variable selection choices of those setting eligibility criteria, allocating care resources, and doing descriptive studies. Gaps are shown to exist in the understanding of outcome effects of facility, market, policy, and other system attributes.
How Much did the Medicaid Expansions for Children Cost? An Analysis of State Medicaid Spending, 1984-1994
Authors: Gordon Leslie V. , Selden Thomas M.
Published: March 2007

The authors examine the relationship between the Medicaid eligibility expansions for children and state Medicaid spending during the period from 1984 to 1994. They find that the Medicaid expansions had relatively low incremental cost per enrollee—substantially below the average Medicaid expenditure for children. Expansion children tend to be older and have fewer disabilities. Moreover, many of the most expensive expansion children would have been covered by Medicaid-medically-needy provisions had the expansions not occurred. The authors examine the implications of our findings for intensified Medicaid outreach efforts and for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.
The Impact of Financial Incentives on Physician Behavior in Managed Care Plans: A Review of the Evidence
Authors: Hellinger Fred J.
Published: March 2007

This review examines the relationship between the financial incentives confronting physicians in managed care plans and the utilization of services. The primary conclusion of this review is that the financial incentives confronting physicians are a key element in explaining the lower utilization rates of enrollees in managed care plans. However, this conclusion is not definitive because it is based on studies that are subject to numerous sources of potential bias. To isolate the impact of financial incentives facing physicians on the performance of health plans, it is necessary to adjustor patient, physician, health plan, and market characteristics related to utilization, and most studies include little information about these characteristics.
Biased Selection and Medicare HMOs: Analysis of the 1989-1994 Experience
Authors: Cox Donald F. , Hogan Christopher
Published: March 2007

This article presents the results of an analysis of the preenrollment and postdisenrollment experiences of Medicare-risk HMO enrollees. The results indicate that in the 6 months prior to their enrollment, new HMO enrollees use on average 37 percent fewer services than do beneficiaries in traditional fee-for-service Medicare. Furthermore, HMO disenrollees use 60 percent more services in the six months after disenrollment than do fee-for-service beneficiaries. Finally, new enrollees had relatively lower chronic-condition expenditures and mortality rates, whereas disenrollees had higher values for both. These findings suggest that the overall results, in part, reflect permanent differences between the HMO and fee-for-service Medicare populations. Moving to an annual enrollment with a 90-day cooling-off period appears to be a reasonable approach to addressing these differences in enrollees.
Case-Mix Adjustment Using Administrative Databases: A Paradigm to Guide Future Research
Authors: Wray Nelda P. , Hollingsworth John C. , Petersen Nancy J. , Ashton Carol M.
Published: March 2007

One of the most persistent problems in the field of quality assessment remains how to remove the confounding effect of different institutions providing care to patients with dissimilar severity of illness and case complexity. The authors review the literature to determine whether risk adjustment systems based on administrative data are inherently inferior to systems that depend on primary data collection and conclude that they are not. In light of the potential competence of risk adjustment systems based on administrative data, the authors identify those systems that are best supported by theory and evidence. Data elements that have been found most explanatory of medical outcomes are also identified. On the basis of an evaluation of the performance of various risk adjustment approaches, the authors propose a paradigm that could serve to unify and direct future studies.
Child Abuse and Forensic Pediatric Medicine Fellowship Curriculum Statement
Authors: Starling Suzanne P. , Sirotnak Andrew P. , Jenny Carole
Published: March 2007

Physicians have been involved in the diagnosis and treatment of victims of child abuse and neglect for more than 35 years. In the past decade, a cadre of physicians has developed extensive expertise in the field. Now, physicians are requested for expert consultation by medical, investigative, and legal colleagues. As the field advances, it has become necessary to train more physicians in the field of child abuse and forensic pediatrics as well as to standardize the curricula of the existing fellowships. A joint working group of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Child Abuse and Neglect and the Forensic Pediatrics Physician Leadership Group convened to develop a curriculum for medical fellowships in child abuse and neglect. The authors present the model curriculum developed by this group.
Psychometric Properties of the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC) with Psychiatrically Hospitalized Adolescents
Authors: Sadowski Christine M. , Friedrich William N.
Published: March 2007

A sample of 119 consecutively hospitalized adolescents, including 32 sexually abused teenagers, was assessed with the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC). Participants also completed the Beck Depression Inventory, Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), Adolescent- Dissociative Experience Scale, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), Rorschach, and the Family Environment Scale. The reliability and validity of each of the six TSCC scales and four subscales was determined. Analyses suggest that the individual scales are reliable and significantly intercorrelated. Independent measures of depression, anxiety, anger, and dissociation typically correlated significantly with the reference TSCC scales, and in fact, the Posttraumatic Stress subscale significantly discriminated the sexually abused group from the remainder of the sample. These findings suggested that with a psychiatric sample, the TSCC is a valid measure of distress.
Father Involvement and Children's Functioning at Age 6 Years: A Multisite Study
Authors: Dubowitz Howard , Black Maureen M. , Cox Christine E. , Kerr Mia A. , Litrownik Alan J. , Radhakrishna Aruna , English Diana J. , Schneider Mary Wood , Runyan Desmond K.
Published: March 2007

Research suggests that fathers' involvement in their children's lives is associated with enhanced child functioning. The current study examined (a) whether presence of a father was associated with better child functioning, (b) whether children's perceptions of fathers' support was associated with better functioning, and (c) whether the above association was moderated by the father's relationship to the child, the child's race, and the child's gender. Participants included 855 six-year-old children and their caregivers. Father presence was associated with better cognitive development and greater perceived competence by the children. For children with a father figure, those who described greater father support had a stronger sense of social competence and fewer depressive symptoms. The associations did not differ by child's gender, race, or relationship to the father figure. These findings support the value of fathers' presence and support to their children's functioning. Priorities for future research include clarifying what motivates fathers to be positively involved in their children's lives and finding strategies to achieve this.
The Criminal Justice System and Child Placement in Child Sexual Abuse Cases
Authors: Cross Theodore P. , Martell Diane , McDonald Elizabeth , Ahl Marilyn
Published: March 2007

This study examined the relationship between declining to prosecute child sexual abuse and child placement. All cases involving child sexual abuse charges referred to prosecutors in four jurisdictions across the country were tracked. A sample (N = 289) of the child victims and families from these cases were interviewed at the time of referral for prosecution and 8 to 9 months later, and data on life events (including child placement), maternal support, and child and family adjustment were gathered. In cases declined for prosecution, 41% of children were placed outside the home since the first interview, as compared to 19% of children in accepted cases (p < .001). A multivariate analysis demonstrated that children were significantly more likely to be placed outside the home when alleged abuse lasted more than 1 month, families were more disturbed, maternal support was less, and cases were declined for prosecution. Possible explanations for the relationship between prosecution and child placement are discussed as well as recommendations for practice and further research.
Characteristics of Repeated Referrals to Child Protective Services in Washington State
Authors: English Diana J. , Marshall David B. , Brummel Sherry , Orme Matthew
Published: March 2007

This study replicates and extends prior research on the characteristics and correlates of child maltreatment recurrences based on an ecological model of child maltreatment. The use of a very large sample with a large number of risk factors avoids methodological shortcomings based on small samples size and sample selection bias. The risk and other characteristics of 12,329 referrals were studied to determine which factors related to recidivism within an 18-month period. Rereferral rates increase with the increasing number of prior referrals and of placements in foster care (followed by reunification), but there is little difference in rates of rereferral by substantiation. Several of the risk factors associated with an increased likelihood of rereferral, history of domestic violence, history of caregiver child abuse/neglect (CA/N) as a child, and substance abuse, are the risk factors least often assessed by socialworkers. Rates of rereferral vary by ethnicity, type of abuse, and population type (rural, urban).
Fictional Methods in Ethnography: Believability, Specks of Glass, and Chekhov
Authors: Rinehart Robert
Published: March 2007

With recent calls for new, often radical and experimental ways of "doing" ethnographic writing (e.g., Denzin, Ellis & Bochner, Harrington, Richardson), the responsibility of ethnographers to write convincingly comes to the fore. In this article, the author explores the use, worldview, and evaluation of writing that stems from a humanistic tradition for the human disciplines. The author delineates some strands of ethnography—the use of fictional methods, the use of fiction that has been factualized, and the use of fictional ethnography. He examines why fiction and fictional devices may in fact be more effective in conveying certain aspects of lived experience, especially to academics, than so-called scienttfic language, and explores, throughout the article, selected macro- and microtech niques that may make fictional ethnography more engaging, palatable, and effective as but one form of the ethnographic strand.
University Women's Acknowledgment of Rape
Authors: BONDURANT BARRIE
Published: March 2007

An ecological framework was used to examine individual, situational, and social predictors of university women's acknowledgment of rape experiences. Only individual and situational factors uniquely predicted acknowledgment. Women were more likely to acknowledge a rape if they experienced higher levels of violence during the rape, possessed factors congruent with an acquaintance rape script rather than a blitz rape script, and blamed their behavior for the rape. All women experienced a generally low amount of self-blame and blamed the perpetrator more than themselves. Implications for rape awareness programs are discussed.
Rape-Prone Versus Rape-Free Campus Cultures
Authors: SANDAY PEGGY REEVES
Published: March 2007

Using the concepts of rape-free and rape-prone societies, I suggest that the next step for rape research is to investigate rape-free campus environments. Based on the articles in this volume and ethnographic research, I summarize what is known about rape-prone campus cultures and compare this information with rape-free fraternity cultures. The question of variation is also examined by comparing the rape incidence and prevalence rates averaged by campus using the data of Koss's national study of 32 campuses. The question of the criteria by which campuses might be labeled rape-free or rape-prone is raised.
Wife Battering in Asian American Communities
Authors: HUISMAN KIMBERLY A.
Published: March 2007

Although previous research has revealed that wife battering transcends all boundaries, little research has been done on the problem of wife battering in Asian communities in the United States. Drawing from interviews conducted with 18 Asian community activists and service providers throughout the United States, this article examines the specific needs of Asian women who are battered and explores the various structural and cultural constraints that inhibit Asian women from securing help from mainstream social service providers. Results of this study indicate that Asian women who are battered, particularly recently arrived immigrant and refugee women, have needs that differ markedly from most battered women in the general U.S. population. These needs center around language issues, cultural issues, immigration issues, and structural issues. The article concludes by identifying some of the specific needs of battered Asian women and providing recommendations for social service providers to better meet these needs.
Disability Pornography
Authors: ELMAN R. AMY
Published: March 2007

This work provides a critical exploration of various media that both sexualize and ridicule women and girls whose health and relative immobility make them especially vulnerable to sexual abuse. More specifically, pornography made of disabled women and girls is the prominent focus. The article considers how, like all pornography, but in its own way, this genre contributes to the second-class safety and status of all women, and women with disabilities in particular.
“That Wasn't Even Me They Showed”
Authors: BOND-MAUPIN LISA
Published: March 2007

This study examines images of female offenders on America's Most Wanted, a popular, reality-based television crime program. It is designed to identify demographic characteristics of victims and offenders and to describe the crimes, escapes, and recapture of female offenders featured on the show. It focuses on television images of female offenders—specifically sexuality, conventional gender roles, and male control—to reveal dominant interpretations of femininity. Findings indicate that female fugitives are older and more ethnically diverse than most women on television. The crimes committed by female fugitives are more violent than those normally committed by women. Female offenders are depicted as motivated by greed and invested with sexual power, and although they may violate conventional gender norms, they are not subject to the control of men.
Forced Sex and Intimate Partner Violence
Authors: CAMPBELL JACQUELYN C. , SOEKEN KAREN L.
Published: March 2007

A volunteer community sample of 159 primarily (77%) African American battered women were interviewed about forced sex by their partner (or ex-partner). Almost half (45.9%) of the sample had been sexually assaulted as well as physically abused. Except for ethnicity, there were no demographic differences between those who were forced into sex and those who were not, and there was no difference in history of child sexual abuse. However, those who were sexually assaulted had higher scores on negative health symptoms, gynecological symptoms, and risk factors for homicide even when controlling for physical abuse and demographic variables. The number of sexual assaults (childhood, rape, and intimate partner) was significantly correlated with depression and body image.
Structure, Function, and Policy in American Cities
Authors: Dye Thomas R. , Garcia John A.
Published: March 2007

This paper examines four major concerns regarding functional responsibilities in Ameri can cities. They are: (1) to describe the variation in functional responsibilities (i.e., service functions) of cities; (2) to observe some of the regional, structural, and demographic correlates of the variations; (3) to assess the impact of variation in functional responsi bilities on taxing and spending levels; and (4) to sort out the effects of functional differ ences among cities on policy responsiveness from the effects of structural characteristics of municipal government. Twelve municipal functions were examined in the 243 cities. Implications of the findings suggest reducing the scope of "older, northeastern" cities and transferring functions to other levels of government.
Capital and Neighborhood in the United States
Authors: Molotch Harvey
Published: March 2007

An attempt is made to solve the problem of how the existence of a natural ruling class in the United States determines the shape and character of locality, particularly the urban residential neighborhood. It is posited that the connecting link is the local rentier class, which prepares the ground for capital, on the one hand, and organizes the built environ ment and local ideological system on the other. This structure is illustrated through a number of historical and contemporary examples: the oil spill in Santa Barbara, racial change in old cities, the development of the contemporary Sun Belt and the emergence of big capital as a force in city building.
The Impact of the Operationalization of "Innovation"
Authors: Bowman Ann O.
Published: March 2007

This research note reports the results of a study into differences in the definition and measurement of the innovation phenomenon. Such an undertaking addresses the conten tion that the lack of agreement on what an innovation is contributes to variability in identifying the determinants of innovation. Using Florida cities, innovativeness is mea sured by three different methods. It is found that these operationalizations produce highly correlated innovation scores for the cities.
The School Desegregation- Resegregation Scenario
Authors: Dennis Lord J. , Catau John C.
Published: March 2007

This article suggests that resegregation is likely to be a common "second-generation" school desegregation problem. Once a desegregation plan is implemented, changes in housing patterns can bring about the need for adjustments in the pupil assignments plan in order to reduce emerging racial imbalance in schools. An investigation of Charlotte- Mecklenburg's past desegregation experience revealed a frequently reoccurring desegre gation-resegregation cycle. On three occasions since 1970 Charlotte school officials have made changes in the pupil-assignment plan in order to keep schools racially balanced. The resegregation of schools was due to intradistrict residential shifts and inmigration. The future desegregation status of school systems may hinge upon the position of the courts on the resegregation issue. It is clear that desegregation is a continuing process and not a one-time event.
American Business Organizations and Redistributive Preferences
Authors: Williams John A. , Zimmerman Erwin
Published: March 2007

In 30 investigated cities, business groups tend not to support leaders who favor poor- oriented redistributive policies, but the degree to which this is so varies greatly from city to city. Although business groups tend to be less supportive of leaders favoring redistributive policies than other city groups are, business groups sometimes support more moderate leaders in cities where organizational opposition to redistributively oriented leaders is strong. This suggests that preferences of organizations in cities should not be assumed, but studied empirically. Only then can the influence of such organizations on policy outputs be determined for a particular case.
In Search of the Growth Coalition
Authors: Strom Elizabeth
Published: March 2007

The author considers the relevance of American urban theories, particularly regime approaches, to an understanding of development politics cross-nationally. Studying recent developments in Berlin, she suggests that both political and cultural characteristics influence the nature of local coalition building. In Berlin, patterns of federal support, the nature of the state bureaucracy, and the weak organization of the private sector have all shaped the city's approach to redevelopment. In addition, architects and architectural debates have historically carried great weight in Berlin's planning culture.
A Reversal of Fortunes
Authors: Joyce Patrick D.
Published: March 2007

Contrary to theoretical predictions, blacks have been more successful at acquiring municipal jobs in New York City than in Chicago. Moreover, the reverse was true earlier in the century: Blacks were once better represented in city jobs in Chicago. Using longitudinal data and historical accounts, the author argues that this reversal of fortunes happened because blacks were able to mobilize and exploit a critical juncture in political development—the decline of the political machine—earlier in New York City than in Chicago.
Poverty and Economic Morphology of Ohio Central-City Neighborhoods
Authors: Bingham Richard D. , Zhang Zhongcai
Published: March 2007

The authors examine the relationship between poverty and economic activities in 24 selected industries in more than 100 neighborhoods in Ohio central cities. As expected, local economies deteriorated as poverty levels increased. However, the economic deterioration began much earlier, and was much more serious, than has been suggested in earlier ghetto studies. Furthermore, the decline in neighborhood jobs associated with the economic deterioration was massive. If neighborhood jobs are seen as a road to economic and social recovery for ghetto residents, the findings are very bleak indeed.
Indirect Tests of the Spatial Mismatch Hypothesis in the Cleveland PMSA
Authors: Zhang Zhongcai
Published: March 2007

This article presents two indirect tests of the spatial mismatch hypothesis. Awage-gradient model and a two-sample t-test procedure are used to examine wage differences across the Cleveland primary metropolitan statistical area (PMSA) for 18 selected low-wage industries. Empirical evidence produced in both sets of tests do not support the spatial mismatch hypothesis in the context of the Cleveland PMSA: A positive wage gradient was not found, and two-sample t-tests did not indicate that wages in industries typified as being predominantly low skilled are higher in suburbs than in the central city—an outcome predicted by a spatial mismatch—for all industries in the sample, with the exception of gasoline service stations.
Tourism Urbanization in the United States
Authors: Gladstone David L.
Published: March 2007

The rapid growth of the tourism industry over the past 50 years has had a number of important consequences. One of these is the evolution of entire metropolitan areas heavily dependent on tourism, a phenomenon Mullins calls tourism urbanization. Such urban centers include Las Vegas and Orlando in the United States, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast in Australia, and Cancun in Mexico. Studies of tourism-dependent cities outside the United States have shown them to differ symbolically and socially from more traditional metropolitan areas. The author evaluates the effects of tourism on American metropolitan areas and determines whether tourism-dependent cities in the United States are similar to those elsewhere. The author found two distinct types of tourism urbanization in the United States. One type specializes in "sun, sand, and sea" tourism, and the other specializes in highly capital-intensive tourist attractions. The two types of tourist cities exhibit different social structures, and both differ in important ways from tourist cities outside the United States.
Homeowner Associations and California Politics
Authors: McKenzie Evan
Published: March 2007

The author examines the rapid spread of common interest housing developments (CIDs) throughout much of California in recent years and the potential consequences of that phenomenon for electoral politics. Covering 34 counties, the analysis includes census data, construction industry data, and results from the statewide general election of 1994. The study supports the view that considerations of land economics that affect developers and fiscal constraints that affect local governments are the dominant forces behind the spread of CID housing. The study also suggests that this form of privatization may have underappreciated implications for electoral and interest group politics at the state and local levels.
From Polis to Agora
Authors: Novotny Patrick
Published: March 2007

Political campaigns have borrowed from the latest in advertising, public relations, and marketing, especially since the 1952 Eisenhower campaign. There has been a tendency for those who have honed their expertise in the trenches of campaigning for elected office to offer their services on behalf of clients in the business world. Firms accustomed to working on campaigns now provide a range of services to businesses, including polling, television production, and the buying of advertisement time. Consultants assist corporations in writing op-ed columns, scheduling television interviews with business spokespeople, and placing advertisements in local markets to target the desired audience. This article addresses the shift in political consultants' working with businesses and corporations, considers specific cases of their involvement with private clients, and offers some thoughts on the blurred distinctions between private businesses, corporations, public relations, the campaigns of elected officials, and political consultants.
Agent of Change or Stability?
Authors: Ette Mercy
Published: March 2007

This article examines the role of the press in military-mediated transition programs in Nigeria. It takes as a starting point the understanding that for democracy to thrive, civil society must have access to information that could empower the electorate to make informed political decisions. The article argues that though the press in Nigeria covered the transition programs implemented by Generals Murtala Mohammed and Olusegun Obasanjo (1978-79) and General Ibrahim Babangida (1986-93) extensively, its pattern of coverage did not promote democratization. The editorial direction and presentation of key political actors of the periods were more likely to consolidate military rule than to facilitate democratic transformation. In fact, the press generally served as an agent of stability for the military instead of being an agent of change to democracy.
British Party Election Broadcasts
Authors: Hodess Robin , Tedesco John C. , Kaid Lynda Lee
Published: March 2007

This article presents a content analysis of the British party election broadcasts (PEBs) aired by the Conservative and Labour Parties during the 1992 and 1997 general elections. Using “videostyle,” a content analysis catagorical framework that measures components of verbal, nonverbal, and production techniques, several revealing findings are presented in this article. Among the more interesting findings is the increased tendency for the British electoral advertising to follow the American example in terms of negativity and heightened personalization. In addition, the trend during the period was toward greater use of commercial advertising techniques in PEBs as part of a more concerted communication strategy. As a result, PEBs are now the subject of news and are part of a wider debate on the role of media in electoral politics. The 1997 PEBs placed greater focus on the party leaders than the 1992 PEBs, particularly in the case of Tony Blair's role in the 1997 Labour PEBs. The dominant negative nature of the PEB, while on the rise, also appears to present more direct, hard-hitting, personal attacks at the opposing party and party leaders. Furthermore, like their U.S. counterparts, PEBs are dominated by discussion of policy issues. However, despite the greater length of the PEBs, there were many missed opportunities for specific policy proposal presentation.
Constant-Stress Inclusions in an Elastic Plate
Authors: Vigdergauz S.
Published: March 2007

A set of perfectly bonded inclusions in an elastic plate is considered. We employ the Kolosov-Muskhelishvili potentials to identify the interface shapes which provide a constant stress field inside the inclusions under a uniform loading at infinity. Coupled inequalities are explicitly derived for a single inclusion to prove that the only such contour is an ellipse. Within certain limits, these findings are extended to the multiconnected case.
Sensitivity to Imperfections in a Class of Nearly Double Bucklings
Authors: Wu Baisheng
Published: March 2007

The imperfection-sensitivity of a class of nearly double-bucklings in singly Z2-symmetric structures is investigated. Two types of imperfections are distinguished: the first is the imperfection of an auxiliary parameter, denoted by A, whose variation from its critical value Mc splits the double-buckling load into two simple ones; the second is a geometric imperfection with amplitude r. In the case of r = 0, such structures display secondary bifurcations for values of M 54 Mc near tic. Based on the scaling technique and the implicit function theorem, the explicit asymptotic expressions of the first unstable point of bifurcation or local maximum load of the imperfect structures are established. The derived formulas are applied to an imperfect cylindrical panel subjected to axial compression to account for its load-bearing capacity.
Global Equivalence for Rigid Heat-Conducting Bodies
Authors: Montanaro A.
Published: March 2007

In a previous paper of the author, the notion of global equivalence between two deformable thermoelastic bodies B and 13' was introduced. This equivalence is understood in the sense that a global thermokinetic process for B is admissible (in the sense of Coleman and Noll) if and only if its counterpart for B', according to a suitable bijective correspondence k between B and B'i, also is admissible. In this case, B and B' are said to be globally k-equivalent. Global k-equivalence does not imply piecewise k-equivalence, that is, the global equivalence of arbitrary k-corresponding subbodies of B and B'. Here we present two maximality theorems of global equivalence for a rigid heat-conducting body B: one in the thermodynamic theory with no heat sources and the other in the thermodynamic theory with heat supply. By these theorems, given the rigid heat-conducting body B referred to its configuration -% in both the theories we characterize the constitutive equations for all rigid heat conductors B' that have a configuration A' with '(13') = '5(B) and are globally k-equivalent to B for k = t-y oy.
Riemann Problems for an Elastoplastic Model for Antiplane Shearing With a Nonassociative Flow Rule
Authors: Garaizar F. Xabier , Gordon Michael
Published: March 2007

A system of partial differential equations describing antiplane shearing of an elastoplastic material is studied. The constitutive relations for plastic deformation include a nonassociative flow rule and strain hardening. Nonassociativity leads to the equations becoming ill-posed after sufficient strain hardening, which is commonly used as an indication of the formation of shear bands in the material. However, it also results in the existence of regions in stress space where the speed of plastic waves exceeds the speed of elastic waves. It is shown that a consequence of this ordering of wave speeds is that the Riemann problem cannot be solved for certain initial data. A modification of the model, which retains the occurrence of ill-posedness but removes the problem of reverse ordering of wave speeds, is presented.
The Stability Condition and Energy Estimate for Nonstationary Problems of Coupled Electroelasticity
Authors: Melnik Roderick V. Nicholas
Published: March 2007

In this article, a coupled problem of dynamic electroelasticity is investigated using the variational approach and the concept of generalized solutions. The author derives a numerical procedure directly from the definition of the generalized solution of the problem and proves the convergence of the numer- ical scheme (with the second order in space-time) to the solution of the original problem from a class of generalized solutions. The stability condition is obtained from an energy estimate. It is shown that such a condition is the Courant-Friederichs-Lewy-type stability condition, being dependant of the velocity mixed electroelastic waves. Coupling effects are discussed with a numerical example.
Constrained Elastic Bodies and Universal Solutions in the Class of Plane Deformations with Uniform Transverse Stretch
Authors: Martins L. C. , Duda F. P.
Published: March 2007

The determination of static fields that are producible in every isotropic, homogeneous, incompressible, elastic body under the sole action of surface traction is known as Ericksen's problem. In this paper, the authors consider a family of isotropic constraints including incompressibility, and for each class in the family, they obtain the complete set of plane deformations with uniform transverse stretch that are universal; that is, producible in any elastic body of the particular class under the sole action of surface traction. In fact, in the case where the plane stretches are not constant, the authors distinguish the class they consider only in the last step of their construction of a solution, and this renders possible a general analysis of the problem. The authors stress the singular aspects of nonhomogeneous solutions for which all stretches are constant, showing that for nearly all constraints, they are universal.
A Note on Ericksen's Problem for Radially Symmetric Deformations
Authors: Hill James M. , Arrigo Daniel J.
Published: March 2007

The determination of exact deformations that apply to all homogeneous, isotropic, incompressible, hyperelastic materials is referred to in the literature as Ericksen's problem. For this class of materials, there remains only the case of constant strain invariants to be examined. The authors consider, in spherical polar coordinates, a radially symmetric deformation for which the constancy of the strain invariants arises as a natural part of the equilibrium conditions. In addition, we show that the remaining equilibrium equations admit two exact first integrals, which can be exploited to reduce the order of the problem. Finally, we show in certain complex coordinates (Z, Z) that the determination of further solutions of Ericksen's problem hinges on finding a real function P(Z, Z) that must satisfy two nonlinear partial differential equations. One of these partial differential equations admits linearization, and separable solutions may be determined involving associated Legendre functions. However, the remaining partial differential equation does not simplify under this transformation, and the authors have been unable to proceed further. Although the authors have been unable to determine any new solutions as such, the present analysis constitutes a major simplification of one of the remaining outstanding problems of nonlinear continuum mechanics.
Designing a Patient Accounts Department
Authors: Kenney Gary
Published: March 2007

This article explains how to construct an effective Patient’s Account Department within today’s health care environment.
Dimensions of Wellness and the Health Matters Program at Penn State
Authors: Kitko Cassandra Thompson
Published: March 2007

Being well can no longer be thought of as one-dimensional. Rather, being well should be thought of as the delicate balance among many dimensions. This article offers a five-dimensional model to describe how wellness is multifaceted. The dimensions discussed are physical, mental/emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and social. In addition, Penn State's faculty and staff wellness program, Health Matters, offers programs that help participants keep their own dimensions in balance.