bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Talent Beyond Words: Identification of Potential Talent in Dance and Music in Elementary Students
Authors: Baum Susan M. , Owen Steven V. , Oreck Barry A.
Published: September 2007

We present evidence for the reliability and validity of the Talent Identification Instrument (TII), an observation process in music and dance in which multiple judges rate students throughout a multisession audition. The approach was designed to recognize previously overlooked abilities in urban elementary students, including low income, bilingual, and special education students. The TII observation process was designed to evoke artful behaviors that can be readily recognized by arts specialists and classroom teachers. We found strong agreement among raters and adequate stability estimates. Evidence for validity was obtained through factor analysis and a variety of construct validity procedures. The performance-based assessment described here may have implications for discovering hidden potential in academic as well as artistic domains.
Exceptional Academic Performance: Perfect Scores on the PLAN
Authors: Colangelo Nicholas , Assouline Susan G. , Cole Valerie , Cutrona Carolyn , Maxey James E.
Published: September 2007

This study describes the characteristics of students who made perfect scores on one or more subtests (English, Mathematics, Reading, Science Reasoning) of the PLAN. The sample were 4,751 perfect scorers from a total population of 374,527 students (mostly sophomores) who took the test in the fall of 1991. Boys had a higher incidence of perfect scores than girls in Mathematics while more girls than boys had perfect scores in English. There were no significant differences between boys and girls on Reading and Science Reasoning. Comparisons are presented on perfect scorers by gender, ethnicity, and subtest performance. Finally, a profile is provided on the career choices of perfect scorers.
Identifying Cognitively Gifted Ethnic Minority Children
Authors: Strong Scott Marcia , Stoyko Deuel Lois-Lynn , Jean-Francois Beda , Urbano Richard C.
Published: September 2007

Four hundred kindergarten children in regular education and 31 kindergarten children identified as gifted were presented a cognitive battery consisting of nine different tasks. Five measures representing the three open-ended tasks were associated with both a significant group difference and the presence of high performing outliers from the regular education sample. When frequency distributions for the two groups were computed based on a total score summed over the five measures, seven of the eight regular education students with the highest score, the upper 2%, were either Black/NonHispanic or White/Hispanic. The upper 2% of the regular education sample performed at a level above 81% of the gifted sample, The data suggest that using a child's performance on a cognitive battery may prove to be effective for identifying gifted minority children who have not previously been identified as having superior cognitive abilities.
Psychological Adjustment in Mathematically Gifted Students
Authors: Parker Wayne D.
Published: September 2007

The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) was adminis were identified by a national talent search and attended a summer program in precalculus. Results indicated that these students were significantly better adjusted than the adolescent normative group for the instrument Gender, grade level, and verbal abilities were not related to adjustment scores. The scores obtained by the most gifted students were not significantly different from scores obtained by the rest of the sample.
Motivational Orientations and Metacognitive Abilities of Intellectually Gifted Students
Authors: Chan Lorna K. S.
Published: September 2007

The study compared the motivational orientations (beliefs about the causes for school successes and failures and self-perceptions of competence) and metacognitive abilities (knowledge and reported use of learning and reading strategies) of 143 Grade 7 intellectually gifted students from a selective high school in Australia with 133 average-achieving age peers from comprehensive schools. Results revealed a general pattern of the gifted sample perceiving themselves to be cognitively more competent, thus less likely to attribute failures to lack of ability. In comparison with average-achieving peers, gifted students had greater confidence in their own personal control over successes or failures in school tasks (control over the amount of effort to put in and in the use of strategies), demonstrated more knowledge of learning strategies, and achieved higher levels of reading competence. The findings also revealed different patterns of relationships among motivation, metacognition, and academic competence for gifted students and the general cohort.
Gifted and Non-Selected Children's Perceptions of Academic Achievement, Academic Effort, and Athleticism
Authors: Udvari Stephen J. , Rubin Kenneth H.
Published: September 2007

The purpose of the study was to examine gifted and non-selected children's perceptions of academic achievement, academic effort, and athleticism. 62 gifted and 61 non-selected 8 to 14-year-old children rated a series of hypothetical male and female characters differing in the aforementioned traits. Repeated-measures ANOVAs indicated that academic achievement and athleticism were important determinants of a character's acceptance, but that academic effort was not. We hypothesized that gifted children would view brilliant and studious characters more positively than would non-selected children. Gifted and non-selected children did not differ in their perceptions of studious characters, but marginal support was revealed for the contention that gifted children would be more accepting of brilliant characters than would non-selected children.
Specialized Counseling Services for Gifted Youth and Their Families: A Needs Assessment
Authors: Moon Sidney M. , Kelly Kevin R. , Feldhusen John F.
Published: September 2007

Although many authors have recommended counseling for the gifted (Colangelo, 1991; Kerr, 1986; Silverman, 1993b), little research has been done to find out what types of counseling services parents, teachers, and counseling professionals believe to be most beneficial to the development of gifted and talented individuals (Myers & Pace, 1986; Passow, 1991; Shore, Cornell, Robinson, & Ward, 1991). In this study 335 parents, school personnel, and related counseling professionals were surveyed to determine their perceptions of the specialized counseling needs of gifted children and adolescents as part of a needs assessment for a proposed university-based counseling center. Results indicated that all groups of respondents believed that gifted and talented youth have important social, emotional, family and talent and career development needs that can best be met by differentiated counseling services; and that such services are not readily available to gifted youth. Implications of the study for the development of counseling services and the training of counseling professionals are discussed.
I Don't Want to Sit in the Corner Cutting Out Valentines: Leadership Roles for Teachers of Talented Art Students
Authors: Zimmerman Enid
Published: September 2007

Two research studies which focus on the process and results of educating teachers of high ability schools, communities, and beyond are presented. One study involved focus groups of 1994 participants University, the other included a survey sent to all A framework based on a content analysis of the data in these two studies has applicability to other inservice education programs for teachers of talented art students. Knowledge of subject matter content, pedagogy, building self-esteem, and allowing choices can lead teachers of artistically talented students, who have leadership potential, to collaborate with others. Teachers can become empowered to make changes in their private and professional lives that eventually result in communities of caring professionals able to assume leadership roles.
An Analysis of Teacher Nominations and Student Performance in Gifted Programs
Authors: Hunsaker Scott L. , Finley Vernon S. , Frank Elaine L.
Published: September 2007

This study evaluated the relationship of teacher nomination instruments to later performance of students in a gifted program. Teacher nominations were based on two instruments, an instrument designed specifically to assess gifted behaviors of students from culturally divergent and/or low income populations and an instrument designed to assess gifted behaviors in the general population. Separate canonical correlation analyses between these two instruments and a gifted teacher rating of student performance resulted in significant findings indicating relationships between the teacher nominations and later school performance. Structure correlations showed nominations based on thinking abilities, general gifted behaviors, and special learning skills were related to later performance on creativity, group skills, and language abilities.
Expanding Lazarus and Folkman's Paradigm to the Social and Emotional Adjustment of Gifted Children and Adolescents (SEAM)
Authors: Sowa Claudia J.
Published: September 2007

A qualitative study of how 20 gifted children and adolescents cope with demands and pressures they experience is the basis of the model of social and emotional adjustment presented in this article. The model combines patterns in the ways the children and adolescents responded to the stressors in their lives with theoretical and empirical information from the fields of child development and personal adjustment to stress. Intrapersonal, family, school, and peer influences, as well as functional and dysfunctional patterns of social and emotional adjustment, are explained within the framework of the model.
Childhood Traits and Conditions of Eminent Women Scientists
Authors: Filippelli Laura A. , Walberg Herbert J.
Published: September 2007

The childhood traits and conditions of 21 eminent American women scientists were compared with those of 235 eminent women in other fields. As girls, those who became eminent scientists were much more like, rather than different form, other girls who became eminent. All girls were, for example, precocious and hard working. In early life, however, young scientists did exhibit several distinguishing traits from girls who became eminent in other fields. They were more concentrated on science and engaged in scientific activities; they were also more bookish and scholarly. Many lived in rural areas and were allowed or encouraged to pursue nature study, reading, and writing. Case studies of two women scientists exemplify early traits and opportunities that distinguish girls who became eminent women scientists.
Perennial Debates and Tacit Assumptions in the Education of Gifted Children
Authors: Coleman Laurence J. , Sanders Michael D. , Cross Tracy L.
Published: September 2007

For many years, educators of the gifted have debated topics central to the field such as definition, identification, and curriculum (Getzels & Dillon, 1973). This paper explores the possible relationships between gifted educators periodic debates and the philosophical war among advocates of differing perspectives of social science research. The authors discuss how the acceptance of a particular mode of inquiry embeds tacit ideas into the debate that make resolution difficult. The tacit assumptions of three modes of disciplined inquiry (empirical-analytic, interpretive, and transformative) are presented in conjunction with the accompanying reformulation and reconceptualization of issues (definition, identification, and curriculum) that occur with each mode of inquiry.
Models of Underachievement Among Gifted Preadolescents: The Role of Personal, Family, and School Factors
Authors: Baker Jean A. , Bridger Robert , Evans Karen
Published: September 2007

This study explored individual, family, and school-related factors contributing to underachievement among gifted preadolescents. We explored three simple models of factors contributing to underachievement as well as a complex model provided the best fit for the data, yet each of the three simple models was significant, suggesting the importance of an ecological approach to problems of underachievement among gifted students. Intervention approaches deriving from each model were discussed.
Products of Mind: Exploring Student Preferences for Product Development Using My Way ... An Expression Style Instrument
Authors: Kettle Karen E. , Renzulli Joseph S. , Rizza Mary G.
Published: September 2007

In this article, students' preferences for creating potential products are explored through the use of an expression style inventory. A total of 3,532 students from 45 school districts in 24 states completed surveys designed to assess their interest in creating a variety of products. Factor analytic procedures yielded 11 factors with alpha reliabilities ranging from .72 to .95. The analysis allowed examination of the content and construct validity for the instrument. The article concludes with practical classroom applications for the expression style inventory in talent development programs such as those based on the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (Renzulli & Reis, 1985).
A Proposal for Subcategories Within Gifted or Talented Populations
Authors: Gagne Françoys
Published: September 2007

Following a survey of the literature and a critique of an earlier proposal by Gagné (1993), the author describes a new system of categories to subdivide the gifted and talented populations into more homogeneous subgroups. Based on the metric system, each of the five levels, including the minimum threshold, selects the top 10% of the previous level; to each subgroup is attributed a qualifying label: mild, moderate, high, exceptional, extreme. The author argues for its widespread adoption by professionals in the field of gifted education.
Gifted Students with Attention Deficits: Fact and/or Fiction? Or, Can We See the Forest for the Trees?
Authors: Baum Susan M. , Olenchak F. Richard , Owen Steven V.
Published: September 2007

According to Gordon (1990), far too many high ability students arc referred for problems with impulsivity, hyperactivity, and sustaining attention. Several important issues, rarely discussed in the literature on attention deficits, offer alternative hypotheses for the increasing incidence of hyperactivity and attention problems of gifted youngsters. These include theories on emotional development and excitability of gifted students (Dabrowski, 1938; Piechowski & Colangelo, 1984), evidence of unchallenging curricula for high ability students (Reif, 1993), implications of the multiple intelligences paradigm (Gardner, 1983), and adult reaction to students' extreme precocity (Rimm, 1994). These issues are examined in light of Barkley's theory of inhibition as it relates to the manifestation of ADHD. The issues represent environmental conditions that may cause or influence ADHD-like behaviors in high ability students. Diagnostie and intervention strategies are suggested to counteract environmental contributors to the problem.
Perceived Factors Influencing the Academic Underachievement of Talented Students of Puerto Rican Descent
Authors: Diaz Eva I.
Published: September 2007

This qualitative investigation explored the self and environmental perceptions of six talented students of Puerto Riean descent who were underachieving in an urban high school in the northeastern section of the United States. Family, school, classroom, community, and personality issues were examined, as were the ways that these experiences contributed to their actual academic status. Participant observation, interviews, doeument review, and other supplementary techniques were used to gather data. The major finding of this study was that the absence of early appropriate academic experiences thwarted students' possibilities of developing their high abilities or talents later in life. Other interactive factors influencing the students' academic life were also identified. A model explaining the phenomenon of underachievement among the students emerged, as did suggestions for meeting their needs.
Dynamic Assessment and Its Use With Underserved Gifted and Talented Populations
Authors: Kirschenbaum Robert J.
Published: September 2007

A relatively new, nontraditional approach to assessing cognitive ability is to instruct students on how to perform on certain tasks and then measure their progress in learning to solve similar problems. This approach, called dynamic assessment, usually consists of a test-intervene-retest format that focuses attention on the improvement in student performance when an adult provides mediated assistance on how to master the testing task. The dynamic assessment approach can provide a means for assesstog disadvantaged, disabled, or limited English proficiency students who have not demonstrated high ability on traditional tests of intelligence and creativity. Dynamic assessment methods should be considered by school districts with large numbers of disadvantaged students which are dissatisfied with the effectiveness of traditional methods for identifying students for specialized enrichment programs.
Family Factors Associated With High Academic Competence Among Former Head Start Children
Authors: Robinson Nancy M. , Weinberg Richard A. , Redden David , Ramey Sharon L. , Ramey Craig T.
Published: September 2007

From a database generated by the multi-site National Head Start/Public School Early Childhood Transition Demonstration Project, a subsample of the 154 children with the highest academic achievement was drawn from the 5,142 non-handicapped participants from English-speaking homes with relatively complete data collected in Spring of first grade. Their families reported higher educational and income levels and had fewer children, more of the families were Caucasian, children's caretakers less often reported prolonged depression, parenting practices were more responsive and flexible and less restrictive, and the children were seen by parents and teachers as more socially skilled than were the comparison group. Within this low-income group (half reporting monthly incomes of $1,000 or less), conditions propitious for child development are demonstrated to be associated with high academic competence.
Gender-Related Differences in Academically Talented Students' Scores and Use of Time on Tests of Spatial Ability
Authors: Stumpf Heinrich
Published: September 2007

Gender-related differences in test scores of spatial ability have been ascribed to a tendency of females to take more time in working on such tasks, which is believed to be to their disadvantage in time-limited tests. This hypothesis was examined in a population of academically talented students who took four subtests on the computer of the Spatial Test Battery of the Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth. Males had higher scores on three of these tests, females on another test which was a measure of visual memory. Females tended to take more time to work on the tests, even when their scores were higher than those of males, but this difference was substantial only for two of the tests. The time taken to work on the items was positively correlated with the scores on two of the tests. These results indicate that the amount of time taken can neither explain gender-related score differences on spatial tests in general nor is the habit to use more time necessarily detrimental to test performance. The habit to work quickly or slowly on spatial tests appeared to be a fairly general characteristic. It seems to be different from speed of cognitive processing. When asked to give ratings on their performance on the tests, females tended to estimate their scores more modestly than males, although females, like males, tended to overestimate their performance on two of the measures.
`Heroic Virgins' and `Bellicose Amazons': Armed Women, the Gender Order and the German Public during and after the Anti-Napoleonic Wars
Authors: Hagemann Karen
Published: September 2007

In Prussian-German history, the period of the Anti-Napoleonic Wars between 1806 and 1815 is central for the formation of a national political culture. These wars accelerated and intensified the nationalization of the gender order and the ‘gendering’ of the nation, while permanently influencing the fundamental structures of the relationship between women, the state and the nation. The article analyses one form of female patriotic activities during this period: the participation of armed women in the wars, as well as the ways in which they were perceived and commemorated. By studying their collective perception and remembrance with a focus on Prussia in a broader European context, the article explores the relationship between women, war and the nation.
Nelson's Women: Female Masculinity and Body Politics in the French and Napoleonic Wars
Authors: Wilson Kathleen
Published: September 2007

British women’s participation in public life expanded significantly in the period of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars, when women served as crucial actors in the home front’s battles of ideas and political loyalties. But as war with Revolutionary France escalated, and British women were enjoined by conservatives to refrain from politics, some responded by enacting a ‘female masculinity’ that demonstrated that neither patriotism nor masculine values were ever solely the product of male bodies and their effects. The impact of this ‘female masculinity’ on perceptions of gender is traced in popular political culture and in attitudes towards Admiral Horatio Nelson and Lady Emma Hamilton, two controversial figures of the day. Their unconventional gender performances and their representation illuminated a larger shift in the valences of body politics, from the universal and neo-classical forms of the eighteenth-century public sphere to the fragmented and individuated images of nineteenth-century modernity.
Lessons learned on the path to a healthier brain: dispelling the myths and challenging the hypotheses
Authors: Rubens Fraser D. , Nathan Howard
Published: September 2007

Neurologic dysfunction remains the most significant complication associated with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The insidious change of cognitive decline has been perceived as a key factor that has contributed to the shift to percutaneous intervention for coronary disease. Current neuropsychologic testing provides the most sensitive means of demonstrating clinically relevant cerebral damage of this nature. Through extensive experience in randomized clinical trials of over 900 patients undergoing CPB, our team has addressed several key hypotheses related to the embolic/ischemic nature of cerebral injury in cardiac surgery, using this testing. In the first temperature study, patients randomized to hypothermia with passive re-warming had a lower incidence of neurocognitive deficit when compared with those patients who were actively re-warmed to 37°. In order to clarify the role of the hypothermia as opposed to the re-warming process, a second temperature study was completed. In the hypothermic group, patients were cooled and maintained at 34° with no active re-warming whereas, in the normothermic group, the patients were kept at 37° throughout the perioperative period. No difference in neurocognitive outcome in the two groups was seen, implying that the benefit seen in the first temperature study was related not to the hypothermia, but rather to the absence of active re-warming. In the cardiotomy study, patients were randomized to either a control group in which their cardiotomy blood was returned unprocessed, or a treatment group in which this blood was sequestered and processed with centrifugal washing and fat filtration. No significant difference in neurocognitive outcome was found in these two groups. On the other hand, there was a significant increase in bleeding and transfusion requirements in the treatment group. Many of our daily practices in CPB management are based upon assumptions from observational studies without sound reference to evidence-based medicine. Our recent studies have challenged our assumptions related to ischemia and embolic events during CPB. They have also confirmed that, when high standards in trial design are applied, the results can have universal implications in terms of our practice. Perfusion (2007) 22, 153—160.
Point of care hematocrit and hemoglobin in cardiac surgery: a review
Authors: Myers Gerard J. , Browne Joe
Published: September 2007

The use of point-of-care blood gas analyzers in cardiac surgery has been on the increase over the past decade. The availability of these analyzers in the operating room and post-operative intensive care units eliminates the time delays to transport samples to the main laboratory and reduces the amount of blood sampled to measure such parameters as electrolytes, blood gases, lactates, glucose and hemoglobin/hematocrit. Point-of-care analyzers also lead to faster and more reliable clinical decisions while the patient is still on the heart lung machine. Point-of-care devices were designed to provide safe, appropriate and consistent care of those patients in need of rapid acid/base balance and electrolyte management in the clinical setting. As a result, clinicians rely on their values to make decisions regarding ventilation, acid/base management, transfusion and glucose management. Therefore, accuracy and reliability are an absolute must for these bedside analyzers in both the cardiac operating room and the post-op intensive care units.

Clinicians have a choice of two types of technology to measure hemoglobin/hematocrit during bypass, which subsequently determines their patient's level of hemodilution, as well as their transfusion threshold. All modern point-of-care blood gas analyzers measure hematocrit using a technology called conductivity, while other similar devices measure hemoglobin using a technology called co-oximetry. The two methods are analyzed and compared in this review.

The literature indicates that using conductivity to measure hematocrit during and after cardiac surgery could produce inaccurate results when hematocrits are less than 30%, and, therefore, result in unnecessary homologous red cell transfusions in some patients. These inaccuracies are influenced by several factors that are common and unique to cardiopulmonary bypass, and will also be reviewed here.

It appears that the only accurate, consistent and reliable method to determine hemodilution and establish transfusion thresholds based on nadir hematocrits during cardiopulmonary bypass, and immediately post cardiac surgery, is with the use of co-oximetry. Perfusion (2007) 22, 179—183.
Interpreting studies of cognitive function following cardiac surgery: a guide for surgical teams
Authors: Rubens Fraser D. , Boodhwani Munir , Nathan Howard
Published: September 2007

Patients with coronary disease and related health care providers are faced with confusing and often conflicting information with regards to the neurocognitive impact of different strategies for coronary revascularization. Studies involving the measurement of postoperative cognitive deficit (POCD) have significant limitations that may ultimately impact on their interpretation and clinical relevance.

In this review, we have described the origin of these tests and delineated the rationale for the design of testing that is commonly used in cardiac surgery patients. In general, neurocognitive tests assess domains of memory/new learning, psychomotor speed/dexterity and attentional capacity/mental control. Pre- and post-intervention tests in each domain can be evaluated either by the measurement of mean change scores (Group Comparison Model) for the entire group as continuous data, or by using categorical or continuous data to examine patterns of individual decline (Individual Comparison Model). This latter approach requires a specific definition of what constitutes a decline, which can be criticized as being arbitrary. There are limitations to each of these approaches that necessitate that critical information in trial design is available to the reviewer to facilitate interpretation. For example, the impact of factors such as test/re-test reliability and practice effect can be mitigated by the use of an appropriately chosen control population.

Liberal parlance of neurocognitive outcome as a rationale for therapeutic choice must be tempered by wise interpretation of these tests. It is only through the understanding of their limitations and the implications of trial design that we can translate these results to provide the best therapeutic options for our patients in unbiased manner. Perfusion (2007) 22, 185—192.
Insulin binding to the cardiopulmonary bypass biomaterials
Authors: Urban Kristyn , Redford Daniel , Larson Douglas F.
Published: September 2007

Hyperglycemia associated with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is an independent predictor of morbidity and mortality. One suggested cause of hyperglycemia during CPB is a decline of serum insulin concentrations. Since plasma C-proteins are not reduced during CPB — suggesting that pancreatic insulin secretion is not affected — the reduction of insulin concentrations is hypothesized to be due to the binding of the insulin protein to the CPB biomaterials. The hypothesis of this study is that insulin binds to the CPB polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubing and that selected bio-coatings inhibit this process. Human insulin was diluted to a physiologic concentration of 30 μU/mL in saline and exposed to four types of sterile PVC tubing, namely: uncoated, Terumo X-coated, Medtronic Carmeda, and Cobe SMARxT for 30 minutes at 37°C. Insulin concentrations were determined with ELISA. The recovered insulin concentrations were found to be 9.3 ± 0.6 μU/mL in the uncoated (control), 17.7 ± 1.9 μU/mL in the X-coating, 17.9 ± 1.1 μU/mL in the Carmeda, and 14.28 ± 0.17 μU/mL in the SMARxT coated tubing. These data support the hypothesis that the insulin binding to the PVC tubing can be reduced by 48% and up to 35% with X-coating and Carmeda, and SMARxT coating, respectively. Therefore, the use of coated CPB systems is justified to reduce CPB-associated hyperglycemia. Perfusion (2007) 22, 207—210.
Single, percutaneous, femoral venous cannulation for cardiopulmonary bypass
Authors: Riley William , FitzGerald Daniel , Cohn Lawrence
Published: September 2007

Percutaneous femoral venous cannulation for cardiopulmonary bypass has emerged as an indispensable technique in the management of cardiac surgical procedures requiring cardiopulmonary bypass. A review of cases at Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, MA, USA) relying solely on percutaneous femoral venous cannulation for venous return to the heart-lung machine demonstrated achievable blood flow and complexity of case-load. Operations performed in this manner include, but are not limited to, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), valve, CABG/valve, and aortic procedures. Minimally invasive procedures and re-operations comprise a portion of each group. Complications of cardiopulmonary bypass and site-related complications were considered. Percutaneous femoral venous cannulation is a safe method to provide most patients with adequate venous return to perform any cardiac surgery. Patients demanding greater flow than this method will provide, may require a second venous cannula at some time during cardiopulmonary bypass. Perfusion (2007) 22, 211—215.
Which competencies are necessary for clinical perfusion in Germany? Interviews with perfusionists
Authors: Merkle Frank
Published: September 2007

Background: The professional education of cardiovascular perfusionists in Germany and the expertise required for successful practice have not often been studied. Here, the necessary skills for clinical cardiovascular perfusionists are described.

Method: The prerequisites for the practice of the profession, expected future developments and the question of the positioning of a future professional perfusionist training within the educational system were discussed with ten experienced perfusionists. These individuals were interviewed in a semi-standardized fashion following an interview manual and the interviews were evaluated using qualitative research methods.

Results: The professional skills currently required of perfusionists correspond to the list of activities published by the German Society of Cardiovascular Enginering. New areas are knowledge of management and, increasingly, social competence and self-management skills. Future tasks for perfusionists will be more diversified than at present.

Conclusion: Training for perfusionists should be made broader than it is today. The current restructuring taking place in the profession makes interdisciplinary orientation and increased emphasis on practical training necessary. Academic level education is both feasible and desirable. Perfusion (2007) 22, 201—205.
Differences in the Placement of the Tibial Tunnel during Reconstruction of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament with and without Computer-Assisted Navigation
Authors: Mauch Frieder , Apic Goran , Becker Ulrich , Bauer Gerhard
Published: September 2007

Background

Next to graft fixation, correct positioning of the tibial and femoral tunnel is a deciding factor for the clinical result of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery. Computer-assisted navigation has been proposed as a method to improve tunnel positioning.

Purpose

To examine the differences in tibial tunnel placement between cruciate ligament operations using manual and computer-assisted navigation.

Study Design

Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1.

Methods

Between December 2003 and April 2004, 53 athletes underwent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery with arthroscopic press-fit technique. The first group (group N; 24 athletes) were operated on with the aid of a navigation system (OrthoPilot, Aesculap AG & Co. KG, Braun), and the second group (group M; 29 athletes) were “manually” operated on. A lateral radiograph of the knee at maximum extension was used to determine the exact position of the tibial tunnel four days postoperatively. In the measurements, the anterior and posterior boundaries of the tibial tunnel, as well as the center of the tibial tunnel in relation to the maximum tibia anteroposterior diameter were evaluated (indicated in percent). An analysis of the tibial tunnel position proportional to the slope of the intercondylar roof was done to determine intercondylar impingement (method according to Howell). The centers of the tibial tunnels were compared with the “optimal” position noted in previous studies. The standard deviation was determined for both groups to determine the variance of placement.

Results

The anterior tibial tunnel border was 19.4 mm in group M (29.7%) and 21.2 mm in group N (32.2%) (P=.18). The center of the tibial tunnel was located at 24.6 mm in group M (35.6%) and at 26.6 mm in group N (40.3%) (P=.19). In group M, the posterior tibial tunnel position was located at 30.2 mm (46.2%), and in group N at 32.2 mm (49.1%) (P=.21). When comparing the centers of the tibial tunnels with the optimal 44% found in previous studies, the value for group M (37.6%) varied significantly, while group N (40.5%) did not. However, there was no significant difference in the range variance for either group; the standard deviation was 6.9% (4.3 mm) for group M and 5.9% (3.5 mm) for group N. One athlete showed moderate impingement in group N, and two athletes in group M.

Conclusion

Assisted navigation offers good support for correct placement of the tibial tunnel, although experienced surgeons can achieve essentially the same positioning as surgeons using computer-assisted navigation. Whether it is advisable to implement this procedure in daily surgical routine should be decided based on clinical results.
A Comparison of Stress Concentrations in Thin Sheets with Plastic Anisotropy
Authors: Baykara C.
Published: September 2007

The subject of the present article is the stress concentration factors at a small circular hole in a large sheet of plastic anisotropy, subjected to equi-biaxial tension. In the present analysis an orthotropic yield function suggested by Hill and approximate solution technique developed by Durban are used. Numerical results for aluminum and copper sheets are presented.
Characterization and Modeling of Fracture and Damage Behavior of Notched Woven Fabric GFRP Laminates under Three-point Bending at Cryogenic Temperatures
Authors: Sanada Kazuaki , Shindo Yasuhide
Published: September 2007

This study focuses on understanding the cryogenic fracture and damage behavior of woven fabric GFRP laminates. Fracture toughness tests were conducted in three-point bending using single-edge-notched bend (SENB) specimens at room, liquid nitrogen, and liquid helium temperatures. The effects of temperature and specimen size on the apparent fracture toughness were evaluated. A three-dimensional finite element analysis coupled with damage was also employed to study the nonlinear load-displacement response and the damage evolution of SENB specimens, and to examine the effects of temperature, specimen size and damage on the fracture mechanics parameter. The predictions were compared with the experimental data.
Effects of State Managed Care Patient Protection Laws on Physician Satisfaction
Authors: Sloan Frank A. , Rattliff John R. , Hall Mark A.
Published: September 2007

Physician dissatisfaction often drives public policy, and is associated with lower quality of care and disruption of treatment relationships. Physicians expressed strong dissatisfaction with managed care, leading to enactment of patient protection laws. By 2001, almost all states enacted laws to curb alleged abuses of managed care organizations. To date, no studies have examined whether such laws improved physician satisfaction. This article examines whether enactment of these laws improved physician satisfaction, using responses to the Physician Survey component of the Community Tracking Study (CTS), supplemented with data on state statutes/regulations. Career satisfaction increased for both primary care physicians (PCPs) and specialists following enactment of such laws; improvements were limited to early-adopting states. Enactment was associated with improvements in early-adopting states for specialists but not for PCPs on: ability to provide high quality care, clinical freedom, and ability to make clinical decisions in patients' interests without sacrificing physician income.
Do HMOs Reduce Preventable Hospitalizations for Medicare Beneficiaries?
Authors: Basu Jayasree , Mobley Lee R.
Published: September 2007

This study assesses the association of HMO enrollment with preventable hospitalizations among the elderly in four states. Using 2001 hospital discharge abstracts for elderly Medicare enrollees (age 65 and above) residing in four states (New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, and California), from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP-SID) database of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, we use a multivariate cross-sectional design with patient-level data for each state. Holding other factors such as demographics and illness severity constant, we find that in three out of four states, Medicare HMO patients had lower odds of a preventable admission versus marker admission than Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) patients. Moreover, in the two states with longest tenure and greatest Medicare HMO penetration, California and Florida, the reduction in preventable admissions among Medicare HMO patients was mainly concentrated among more ill patients. These findings add to the evidence that managed care outperforms traditional care among the elderly, rather than simply skimming off the healthiest populations.
Characteristics of VA Patients Who Use Low-Quality Private-Sector CABG Centers in New York
Authors: Weeks William B. , Fisher Elliott S.
Published: September 2007

Little is known about the quality of care that veterans obtain in the private sector. To explore this issue, we identified the hospital in which 4,008 veterans enrolled in the Veterans Administration (VA) obtained coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery in the New York private sector between 1997 and 2000. We used published risk-adjusted mortality rates to assign New York CABG centers to performance quintiles. VA patients with the lowest incomes were 2.4 times more likely than those in the highest incomes to use the highest-mortality hospitals (95 percent CI: 2.0—3.0). Compared with white patients, black (OR 1.8; 95 percent CI: 1.2—2.8) and Hispanic VA patients (OR 1.6; 95 percent CI: 0.9—2.8) were more likely to use the highest-mortality hospitals. About one third of patients using the highest-mortality hospitals lived closer to low-mortality hospitals. Efforts to direct VA patients' care to high-performance hospitals could improve outcomes and reduce racial and ethnic disparities in care.
Characteristics of Community Nursing Homes Serving Per Diem Veterans, 1999 to 2002
Authors: Johnson Christopher E. , Weech-Maldonado Robert , Huanguang Jia  , Reker Dean , Buchanan Robert , Laberge Alexandre
Published: September 2007

This study compared the characteristics of community nursing homes where veterans received their care with those of facilities that did not treat veterans from 1999 to 2002 using the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Online Survey Certification and Reporting system data merged with the CMS Minimum Data Set. A structure, process, and outcome model was used to examine whether the presence of per diem veterans had any impact on multidimensional quality measures. Facilities with any veterans were less likely to meet recommended nurse staffing standards; more likely to have patients with tube feeding, new catheterizations, and mobility restraints; and more likely to have actual harm citations and new pressure sores, plus quality-of-care, quality-of-life, and total deficiencies, than facilities without veterans. The implications of this study are that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs may need to examine its contracting policies with community facilities to understand both quality and selection effects that may be occurring.
Interventions to Enhance Breast Cancer Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment among Racial and Ethnic Minority Women
Authors: Masi Christopher M. , Blackman Dionne J. , Peek Monica E.
Published: September 2007

The authors conduct a systematic review of the literature to identify interventions designed to enhance breast cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment among minority women. Most trials in this area have focused on breast cancer screening, while relatively few have addressed diagnostic testing or breast cancer treatment. Among patient-targeted screening interventions, those that are culturally tailored or addressed financial or logistical barriers are generally more effective than reminder-based interventions, especially among women with fewer financial resources and those without previous mammography. Chart-based reminders increase physician adherence to mammography guidelines but are less effective at increasing clinical breast examination. Several trials demonstrate that case management is an effective strategy for expediting diagnostic testing after screening abnormalities have been found. Additional support for these and other proven health care organization-based interventions appears justified and may be necessary to eliminate racial and ethnic breast cancer disparities.
Cardiovascular Health Disparities
Authors: Davis Andrew M. , Vinci Lisa M. , Okwuosa Tochi M. , Chase Ayana R. , Huang Elbert S.
Published: September 2007

Racial and ethnic disparities in cardiovascular health care are well documented. Promising approaches to disparity reduction are increasingly described in literature published since 1995, but reports are fragmented by risk, condition, population, and setting. The authors conducted a systematic review of clinically oriented studies in communities of color that addressed hypertension, hyperlipidemia, physical inactivity, tobacco, and two major cardiovascular conditions, coronary artery disease and heart failure. Virtually no literature specifically addressed disparity reduction. The greatest focus has been African American populations, with relatively little work in Hispanic, Asian, and Native American populations. The authors found 62 interventions, 27 addressing hypertension, 9 lipids, 18 tobacco use, 8 physical inactivity, and 7 heart failure. Only 1 study specifically addressed postmyocardial infarction care. Data supporting the value of registries, multidisciplinary teams, and community outreach were found across several conditions. Interventions addressing care transitions, using telephonic outreach, and promoting medication access and adherence merit further exploration.
Studying the Media, Public Opinion, and Foreign Policy in International Crises: The United States and the Bosnian Crisis, 1992—1995
Authors: Bloch-Elkon Yaeli
Published: September 2007

This study presents an integrative model of the press, public opinion, and foreign policy relations during times of international crises. It combines theories of mass communications and international relations, with emphasis on the various stages of the crisis, the roles and functions of the media, and the different positions adopted by the press and the public vis-à-vis government foreign policy. The model is then applied to the United States during the Bosnian crisis (1992—1995), by examining commentary and editorials from The Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, news headlines from USA Today and Washington Times, and public opinion data.The findings and conclusions regarding strong and significant correlations among media content, public opinion, and policy clarify the different roles of the press during various stages of an international crisis. They shed new light on scholars' and practitioners' understanding of the complex nature of theses relationships, during both times of crisis and more generally.
Reporting Germany's 2005 Bundestag Election Campaign: Was Gender an Issue?
Authors: Semetko Holli A. , Boomgaarden Hajo G.
Published: September 2007

Research conducted in the United States and Canada shows that female candidates for political office are covered differently in the news than their male counterparts: Female candidates receive less coverage, their electoral prospects are more negatively assessed, and the focus of reporting is often on “soft” issues compared with coverage of male candidates. We examine reporting during the 2005 Bundestag election campaign to assess the degree to which findings can be extended from North American and European contexts. Germany's first female chancellor candidate, Angela Merkel, and her male opponent, incumbent Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, were the main focus of campaign news. Drawing on an analysis of the four main evening national television newscasts and the most widely read newspaper in the six weeks prior to Election Day, we show that while the two candidates were rather equal in terms of visibility in the news, and did not differ substantially in terms of the issues on which they were reported, gender did play a considerable role in framing certain stories.
A Prison within a Prison?
Authors: Evans Tony , Wallace Patti
Published: September 2007

This study uses a narrative analysis to explore the masculinity narratives of male prisoners. Individual interviews were conducted with nine men aged twenty-two to forty-seven. Using a method described by Agar and Hobbs, extracts were taken from each narrative and grouped around local, global, and themal coherence. These showed that participants fell into three groups: one accepting and internalizing the normative codes of hegemonic masculinity, another growing up within these codes but transforming them through key life turning points into something “softer and gentler,” and the third defining their sense of self outside hegemonic norms. The implications of these findings for the men's emotional well-being and for working with hypermasculinity in prisons are discussed along with ideas for developing this research.