bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The New Wars That are upon Us
Authors: Trumka Richard L.
Published: May 2005

In this speech that he delivered to an AFL-CIO health and safety conference only weeks after the disasters of Sept. 11, 2001, the Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO looks at the harsh new world for labor and for worker health and safety. He links his viewpoint, too, to the policy changes resulting from George Bush's installation as President only a few months earlier: “We are witnessing one of the most anti-worker administrations in recent memory, perhaps in the entire history of this country.” Then, he tells where the union battles of the future will be fought.
Leukemia in Petroleum Refinery Workers: A Review of Recent Studies
Authors: Clapp Richard W. , Coogan Patricia F.
Published: May 2005

A previous review of the published epidemiologic literature on cancer risk in workers in the petrochemical industry indicated excess risks of leukemia and several other cancers. Here we update this review, focusing on the risk of hematologic cancers (for example, leukemia and lymphoma) reported in studies of oil refinery workers published in the last ten years. Limitations of recent studies are discussed, including the dilution of highly exposed groups of workers with workers with little or no exposure. We consider the evidence for a “safe level” or threshold of benzene exposure in the light of its ability to cause several types of damage, including damage to stem cells which may cause a variety of malignancies. We conclude that there is evidence of a slight increase in mortality from leukemia among oil refinery workers, particularly among those employed before 1950. And continuing exposures to benzene and other carcinogens occurring in this industry should be controlled.
A Type of Disability Neurosis: The Humpty Dumpty Syndrome
Authors: Ford Charles V.
Published: May 2005

Eight selected male patients with disability neurosis are presented. Past histories were remarkably similar in that they indicated childhood deprivation, premature independence and early excessive responsibility. It is hypothesized that these men reacted to injury or illness with a crumbling of previous defenses against massive dependency wishes and that their symptoms are perpetuated by ambivalent relationships with employers and physicians. Treatment needs to be prophylactic before the symptoms become so entrenched as to be refractory to therapeutic intervention.
The Urban Poor: An Appropriate Population for Breastfeeding Promotion Programs
Authors: Stranahan Susan D.
Published: May 2005

Breastfeeding has won universal endorsement as a major contributor to child survival. The proliferation of breastfeeding promotion programs demonstrates the importance health professionals and funding agencies place on improving the incidence and duration of breastfeeding. An effective, cost-efficient breastfeeding promotion program should be directed at those who will receive the greatest health benefit from such an intervention, i.e., the group who 1) would experience the greatest threat to health by decreasing its breastfeeding practice, and 2) is at greatest risk of changing its breastfeeding habits. Since it is the urban poor primarily who satisfy both of these criteria breastfeeding promotion strategies should focus on them.
Aftercare Services from Funeral Directors to Bereaved Men: Surveys of Both Providers and Recipients
Authors: Mastrogianis Laurie , Lumley Mark A.
Published: May 2005

Little is known about the aftercare practices of funeral directors toward bereaved men or about bereaved men's use of aftercare services. We addressed these issues in two studies. In Study 1, 145 funeral directors were surveyed about their attitudes and aftercare services for bereaved men. They offered a range of services, but only a minority of men utilized them, and primarily only those services initiated by the funeral home (e.g., mailings, phone calls), rather than initiated by the men themselves (e.g., use of support groups, using reading material, counseling). Funeral directors who acknowledged men's emotional needs and adjustment problems were more active in providing services, and in turn, reached more men. In Study 2, we interviewed 69 men who had funeral services for their wives in the prior 16 months. Their use of aftercare services paralleled reports by funeral directors. On average, these men reported that such services were only moderately helpful. However, men who used services that they initiated (i.e., support group or reading material) had significantly better emotional status than men who did not use such services, whereas the use of funeral home-initiated services was unrelated to men's emotional state. We conclude that aftercare services that are actively sought by men are potentially helpful but underutilized. Funeral directors may be able to provide for bereaved men's aftercare needs, but funeral personnel should offer services or make referrals that are tailored to men's preferred style of coping with loss.
The Healthcom Project and the Behavioral Management of Diarrhea
Authors: Elder John , Touchette Paul , Smith William , Geller Scott , Foote Dennis
Published: May 2005

Sixteen million children die annually from causes which are largely preventable. Many of these deaths stem from malnutrition and diarrheal disease. This article presents a model of nutritional health and describes activities of the HEALTHCOM project related to nutritional health promotion and diarrheal disease control in developing countries. Specifically, HEALTHCOM includes a unique combination of communication and behavioral techniques for promoting health. One HEALTHCOM project took place in The Gambia where mass media and behavioral incentives proved a powerful combination in increasing mothers' knowledge of oral rehydration.
Making Technical Communication a Real-World Exercise: A Report of Classroom and Industry-Based Research
Authors: German Carol J. , Rath William R.
Published: May 2005

Traditionally, technical communication courses have focused on the written transmission of information. Recent research, however, indicates that oral presentation and interpersonal exchange are as important as writing to on-the-job communication. This article reviews a research project conducted by the authors and students from their technical communication classes that offers important new insights into the rapidly changing environment of technical communication. Based on these insights, it also suggests some new strategies for teaching technical communication — strategies that place an equal emphasis on writing, oral presentation, and interpersonal communication.
Disproportionate Clan Growth in Crow-Omaha Societies: A Kinship-Demographic Model for Explaining Settlement Hierarchies and Fissioning in the Prehistoric U.S. Southeast
Authors: Ensor Bradley E.
Published: May 2005

Ethnohistoric data on the Omaha tribe of Nebraska indicate that marriage practices favored the disproportionate demographic growth of ceremonially prominent clans while other clans remained small or decreased in population. Ultimately, this process may lead to a “crisis in exogamy” for the larger, more ceremonially active clans, which can lead to fissioning or social transformations. As a model, the disproportionate demographic growth among ceremonially prominent clans is suggested to account for the formation of large multi-mound sites and ranked settlement hierarchies in the prehistoric U.S. Southeast. The model may also explain subsequent fissioning to establish new settlements and the formation of large sites comprised of multiple kin groups.
Teaching Technical Communication at the Graduate Level: An Interdisciplinary Approach
Authors: Potvin Janet H. , Woods Robert L.
Published: May 2005

Native and international science, engineering, and humanities graduate students at The University of Texas at Arlington experience real-world communication situations in an interdisciplinary, projected-oriented technical communication course team-taught by a technical writer and a mechanical engineer. The course simulates the writing requirements of industry and helps students prepare theses and dissertations. A special feature for international students is a supplementary weekly laboratory session devoted to intensive review of writing fundamentals. The course, which has been offered three times since 1976 with enrollments of eleven, five, and nine students, has been received well by science and engineering students for whom it was initially designed and by humanities students who now also enroll. Even though in some cases the progress that a foreign student makes in one semester is limited, all students have found the course of great benefit. The interdisciplinary team approach is an effective way of teaching graduate-level technical communication, providing engineers an opportunity to learn to express ideas to humanists and providing humanists an opportunity to learn to communicate effectively with engineers and scientists.
Critical Incident Stress Debriefing for Health Care Workers
Authors: Lane Pamela S.
Published: May 2005

A critical incident may be defined as a life-threatening crisis that requires rescue or emergency care. These incidents evoke strong emotional responses from health care workers. Some of the responses produced are normal and some are pathological stress and grief reactions. The Critical Incident Stress Debriefing process (CISD) is a model designed to mitigate the impact of such incidents on health care workers, to facilitate their return to routine functioning, and to prevent pathological responses to the trauma that is an inherent aspect of their profession. CISD is relied upon by hospital and emergency rescue professionals throughout the United States. The process was observed at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center/Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. This article examines the development of CISD and explores its implementation at St. Joseph's. Interviews conducted with health care workers who participated in the debriefing process following critical incident deaths are excerpted. Implications for death educators/counselors are discussed.
Treatment of Perinatal Delusional Disorder: A Case Report
Authors: Friedman Susan Hatters , Rosenthal Miriam B.
Published: May 2005

This article is a report on a complicated case of delusional disorder in pregnancy and lactation, and effective multidisciplinary treatment. Few reports in the literature concern delusional disorder in pregnancy, or regard olanzapine's safety in pregnancy and lactation. A gravid woman in her third trimester merited twin diagnoses of delusional disorder and borderline personality disorder, and was successfully treated with olanzapine and psychotherapy during pregnancy and lactation. Her infant was large for gestational age (LGA) and had Erb's palsy, which resolved, and remained healthy at six months, with continued breastfeeding. Her delusional beliefs did not recur, nor did she have postpartum depression or psychosis.
The Arc of Justice: The Ethical Implications of Framing the HIV/AIDS Pandemic as a National Security Threat: An Annotated Bibliography
Authors: Coyle Jennifer Logan
Published: May 2005

This annotated bibliography explores the ethical implications of the U.S. Government's reframing of HIV/AIDS in Africa from a public health to a national security threat in the late 1990s. It emphasizes the advantages and disadvantages from a utilitarian viewpoint of likely increased national agenda and funding priority in the United States and the offsetting potential distrust of developing countries about the long history of U.S. exploitation and colonialism. The annotated selections are drawn primarily from U.S. Government documents and news reports during 1999–2000 when this transition was occurring.
The Decline in U.S. Cancer Mortality from 1991 to 1995: What's behind the Numbers?
Authors: Clapp Richard W.
Published: May 2005

In 1996, a series of articles and news stories about cancer mortality in the United States proclaimed a “turning point in the 25-year war on cancer.” While these articles and stories pointed to a recent decline in overall cancer mortality, they missed some important points about increases in specific types. They also ignored the politics behind the emphasis on smoking and diet as the main contributors to the cancer rates and the racial disparities in the U.S. data. In addition, recent articles on the decline in cancer mortality fail to note the much sharper decline in heart disease mortality. Continued efforts to reduce carcinogenic exposures at work and in the environment are needed to truly reduce the cancer burden.
Awareness of Dying: An Experience of Chinese Patients with Terminal Cancer
Authors: Mak Mui Hing June
Published: May 2005

Despite the effort to provide an alternate way to dying, there seems to be little effort to examine the real situation of hospice care. For example, the patients' desired outcomes are seldom addressed. It is recently that studies began to investigate the features of “good death.” However, work in eastern cultures, such as Chinese, remains scarce. The purpose of this study is to gain an understanding of what it means to die a “good death” from the perspective of Chinese patients. Thirty-three Chinese hospice patients with terminal cancer were interviewed. Grounded in the analysis of qualitative data, seven elements that contribute to dying a good death emerged. Awareness of dying was identified as the foremost essential element of good death. From the findings of this study, most respondents considered receiving a diagnosis of cancer as one of the significant points of psychological distress in the course of their illness. Half of the patients openly talked about their cancers and more than half of them discussed various issues related to death. That means, about one-third of the respondents talked about death and cancer with openness. These preliminary findings may reflect the progress of hospice work in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, 13 respondents did not mention the word “death” and 16 of them did not mention that they had cancer. They talked about their illness and future using the expressions that they preferred. It is important that health care professionals also respect people who show awareness of dying as much as those who do not present clear evidence of this awareness. Both groups of people can have a positive experience when they die.
Impacts of Personal Characteristics on Computer Attitude and Academic Users Information System Satisfaction
Authors: Lim Kee-Sook
Published: May 2005

This study evaluated the relationships between three personal characteristics on computer attitude and user satisfaction. The three personal characteristics tested were gender, computer experience, and overall academic performance. Survey results revealed that computer experience and gender make a significant difference in the computer attitude of the respondents. However, the three personal characteristics did not make a significant difference in academic computer system user satisfaction. Also found is a significant moderating effect of the three personal characteristics on the relationship between computer attitude and user satisfaction. Women, those with moderate computer experience, and those with low academic performance tend to show stronger relationships between computer attitude and computer user information system satisfaction than their counterparts.
Women and Aids in Zimbabwe: The Making of an Epidemic
Authors: Bassett Mary T. , Mhloyi Marvellous
Published: May 2005

As the AIDS epidemic in Africa assumes major proportions, the need to understand the social context in which heterosexual transmission occurs takes on urgent importance. In this article we explore how the intersection of traditional culture with the colonial legacy and present-day political economy has influenced family structure and sexual relations, and particularly the social position of women. Drawing on Zimbabwe's historical experience, we show how land expropriation, rural impoverishment, and the forcible introduction of male migrant labor fostered new patterns of sexual relations, characterized by multiple partners. Traditional patriarchal values reinterpreted in European law resulted in further subjugation of women as even limited rights to ownership were withdrawn. For many women, sexual relations with men, either within marriage (for the majority) or outside, become inextricably linked to economic and social survival. In this setting, all sexually transmitted diseases became rampant, including genital ulcer, which facilitates transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Intervention programs to halt the spread of AIDS need to take into the account the epidemic's historical roots and social nature. For example, efforts to reduce risk of HIV transmission should seek to expand women's limited options, both technically (e.g., by providing alternatives to condoms) and socially (e.g., by promoting employment).
Psychological Reactions to the PSA Crash
Authors: Shuchter Stephen R. , Zisook Sidney
Published: May 2005

Psychological reactions to the crash of a commercial airliner, resulting in the deaths of 145 people in San Diego in September of 1978, are presented. Emotional sequelae of the crash included psychophysiologic concomitants of stress (headaches, sleep disturbances, hyperventilation, nightmares, gastrointestinal disturbances), disorientation, depressive symptoms, phobias, emotional dyscontrol, obsessions and psychotic manifestations. In addition, there were re-emergences of reactions to past traumatic events. A full range of psychological defenses was mobilized to help deal with the stress. Universal themes expressed were the experience of loss of control and identification with the deceased. Brief crisis intervention techniques, which included ventilation, support, clarification, interpretation, and particularly education, appeared helpful.
Reactions to the Death of a Parent during Midlife
Authors: Scharlach Andrew E. , Fredriksen Karen I.
Published: May 2005

Interviews with eighty-three adults aged thirty-five to sixty who had lost a parent one to five years previously found that 60 percent continued to experience emotional reactions and 44 percent continued to experience somatic reactions to the death. The majority also reported changes in their sense of maturity, personal priorities, work and/or career objectives, feelings about their own mortality, and the importance and nature of various social relationships. These impacts generally corresponded to developmentally significant midlife themes of autonomy, personal freedom, and responsibility.
Drought and Dependence in the Sahel
Authors: Ball Nicole
Published: May 2005

The relationship between human activity and environmental degradation has been documented in numerous studies. With regard to West Africa, E. P. Stebbing was already warning of ecological degradation due to overcultivation and overgrazing in the 1930s. Less well documented are the reasons why people who understand many of the requirements of ecologically sound farming and herding nonetheless mismanage natural resources to the point of disaster. An examination of the 1968–1973 drought in the Sahel zone of West Africa (formerly French West Africa) suggests that the lack of economic autonomy for Sahelian countries is a major cause not only of their economic stagnation and underdevelopment but equally of the degradation of their ecosystems. Specific policies, initiated during the colonial period and continued by independent governments, can be identified as reducing the ability of West African farmers and herders to exploit their environment with an adequate safety margin.

Largely as a result of the 1968–1973 drought, there has been an upsurge of interest in the Sahel on the part of international and national aid agencies. However, it is very possible that the programs devised by these groups will promote neither economic autonomy nor ecological stability for the countries in that region. A development strategy based largely on self-reliance, on the other hand, could be more successful in protecting both the populations and the ecology of the Sahel.
Soviet Applications of Microcomputers in Education: Developments in Research and Practice during the Gorbachev Era
Authors: Kerr Stephen T.
Published: May 2005

In 1985, the USSR inaugurated a major program to teach computer literacy to all secondary school students in the country. That program is discussed here first in light of several trends in Soviet education during the past twenty years; the courses and resources which support the program are then characterized, and the system of hardware and software development that supports the effort is described. Some research directions that are related to the program are then discussed. These include: a broad attempt to use computing to encourage the development of a variety of cognitive functions; a series of efforts intended to link research in pedagogy to the design of computerized instructional programs; and, as an example of the latter, a specific project to design intelligent computer-based tutoring systems. Finally, the likelihood of success for the program is assessed in the context of limited resources, limited goals, and centralized control. Soviet educators probably have a good chance to add computer literacy to the curriculum, but in a narrower sense than the way that subject is commonly conceived in the West.
Dimensions of Control as Related to Work Organization, Stress, and Health
Authors: Aronsson Gunnar
Published: May 2005

The aim of this article is to examine how increased worker control-on the individual as well as on the collective level-may be a means to reduce the risk of work environment-related stress and diseases. Control is also an important element in socialization processes and in work reform activities directed to a democratization of working life. The concept of control connects a number of research perspectives. It deals with the individual and the collective level, as well as the relationship between them, and it may be a bridge between a social psychological and a psychobiological perspective. In this article, the author considers the control concept primarily from a stress perspective, but also examines how production techniques, legislation, and management strategies create the structure of control at work.
Pain Control Research in the Terminally ILL
Authors: Levy Michael H.
Published: May 2005

The realities of clinical practice as well as the intricacies of basic science must be taken into account by future research into pain control for the terminally ill. Attention is also needed to the integration of various approaches to pain control in order to develop the best possible treatment plan for each individual. An encouraging development in this regard is the rapid growth of interdisciplinary pain clinics and hospice programs. A review of the research literature also suggests that the politics of pain control is another topic requiring closer attention. As a recent National Institutes of Health conference has found, pain control is often inadequate across all settings: acute pain, chronic non-malignant pain, and pediatric pain. It is necessary not only to make further strides in pain control per se, but also to identify those factors that facilitate or hinder the dissemination and implementation of improved techniques. The two main goals in care of the terminally ill are to optimize the quality of their remaining life and to alleviate the distress of their survivors. Pain control research has contributed significantly to meeting those goals, but continued progress is needed in both basic studies and the expanded application of new techniques.
Detection and Management of Depressive Disorders in Primary Care in Spain
Authors: Aragonès Enric , Piñol Josep Lluís , Labad Antonio , Folch Sílvia , Mèlich Núria
Published: May 2005

Objective:

Many patients with depression who attend primary care are not detected and are unaware of the benefits of therapeutic intervention. Our aim is to evaluate the recognition and management of depressed patients presenting in primary care in Spain.

Methods:

This was a two-phase cross-sectional study in primary care centers in Tarragona (Spain). In the first phase, we screened 906 consecutive patients using the Zung's Self-Rating Depression Scale. In the second phase, all 209 patients whose results were positive and 97 patients whose results were negative (1/7 at random) were given the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Disorders, a series of questionnaires, and the judgment of the physician about the presence of depression was determined. In the 120 patients with major depression and/or dysthymia, predictors of detection and treatment of depression were determined.

Results:

Seventy-two percent of depressed patients were detected. The detection was associated with educational level, severity of the depression, level of impairment, and the complaint of explicit psychological symptoms. Thirty-four percent were receiving treatment with antidepressants. Antidepressant treatment was associated with marital status, severity of and impairment from the depression, frequency of visits to the family physician, and the patients' complaint of psychological symptoms.

Conclusion:

Many depressed patients are not detected, but these are often the patients who present with the mildest forms of depression and for whom the benefits of detection are far from clear. Although treatment was associated with the severity of depression, most depressed patients, at any level of seriousness, do not receive appropriate treatment.
Shell Mounds and Mortuary Behavior in the San Francisco Bay Area
Authors: Luby Edward M.
Published: May 2005

The mortuary behavior of hunter-gatherers associated with a San Francisco Bay area shell mound is analyzed. Mortuary analyses in the region are reviewed and critiqued, highlighting the general difficulties associated with investigating the mortuary behavior of hunter-gatherers. Using the concept of inequality and its link to surplus, a mortuary analysis of an example of a shell mound in the area, CA-ALA-328, is then conducted. A formal cemetery located beneath the shell mound is identified, followed by a burial setting involving inhumation into the matrix of the shell mound. A decrease in the level of inequality is observed in the burials as the site transitions from a cemetery to a shell mound. The implications of this change in inequality are explored, and a new interpretation of mortuary behavior at shell mounds is presented. Finally, several areas where the analysis contributes to the development of archaeological theory are outlined.
The Health of Peoples: Predicaments Facing a Reasoned Utopia
Authors: Horton Richard
Published: May 2005

How might nations cooperate to improve the health of their most vulnerable peoples? There is, presently, no coherent political, social, or ethical framework to answer this question. What progress there is remains piecemeal. Despite a long-term strategy to 2015 enshrining health as part of the process of human development—the Millennium Development Goals—existing institutions are struggling to meet these challenges. The WHO is underfunded and its work in countries is weak. The World Bank is rich but remains unable to free itself from a neoliberal Washington consensus. New institutions—such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria—distort efforts to build a coordinated international strategy for global health. And major policy initiatives (e.g., the Commission on Macroeconomics and Health) lack political commitment to invest in health. In this article, the author traces the beginnings of an answer to the question of what might constitute a political (specifically, foreign policy) approach to improving the health of peoples. A normative model for defining a just health system is urgently required. The author uses the framework of international relations provided by John Rawls to devise a series of policy principles for the health of peoples.
Emotion and Life Threatening Illness: A Typology of Hope Sources
Authors: Klenow Daniel J.
Published: May 2005

This article presents a typology of hope sources for patients with life-threatening illness. Ten sources of hope are detailed in the typology, including five major hope sources: religion, medical science, fallibilism, self-discipline, and renewal and deception by others (false hope). These hope sources are also divided into cognitive and behavioral dimensions. Further analysis examines varying hope orientations among patients and physicians. Suggestions for additional research are outlined.
Design Guidelines for Optimum Teaching and Learning on the Web
Authors: Fisher Mercedes
Published: May 2005

In the past few years the literature has changed focus from computers in the classroom to using the World Wide Web for instruction [1–4]. Students are part of the “Net-centric” generation and have greater technical expertise than older generations. Their common complaint is that many Web-based resources are not well designed for exploration and use. Students are starting to expect high levels of interactivity as they come into a Web-based learning environment. With these facts in mind, teachers must be prepared to think critically about resources and their own ability to design and illustrate concepts with interactive media on the Web. In this paper, Web-based instructional design practices are analyzed as to how they may influence the student experience and guidelines are suggested for achieving optimal learning effectiveness. This includes an evaluation of barriers to successful Web teaching and credibility of resources on the Web that negatively impact student ability to achieve prescribed learning goals. The suggested guidelines are intended as a directional means to help educators create and identify Web-based educational resources that enhance delivery of instruction.
Stress and Coping of Volunteers Counseling the Dying and Bereaved
Authors: Garfield Charles A. , Jenkins Gary J.
Published: May 2005

The stress and coping experience of forty-five community volunteers who have counseled dying clients and their families for three to thirty-five months is reported. Many volunteers joined SHANTI having experienced the death of a significant other, having a positive view of their friends/family, and having a professional interest in counseling or a related profession. Volunteers most frequently reported turning to themselves or to the client when distressed, although they also turned to peers, friends, and family. Volunteers most frequently associated feeling of uplift (“something that makes you feel good”) with empathic contact with the client or as a result of their own evaluation of their client contact. The perception that the “social climate” of SHANTI provided training, a milieu conducive to resolving personal and counseling issues, and a common role-defined purpose seemed to be a significant factor in the stress response and coping experience of this population.
Premarital Sex among Urban Adolescents in Bangladesh
Authors: Rob Ubaidur , Mutahara Marium Ul
Published: May 2005

This article presents the results of a study conducted in Bangladesh to examine the reproductive and sexual health behavior of adolescents. It is observed that adolescents are not aware of their reproductive health (RH) needs. More than two-thirds of the girls reported that they usually discuss RH issues with their mothers. Findings suggest that approximately 5 percent of the unmarried adolescents had premarital sexual exposure and 98 percent of them were males. Half of the sexually active unmarried adolescents had sex in the last six months. Adolescents are engaged in risky sexual behavior without protection. Almost 95 percent of the adolescents heard about contraceptive methods and 85.4 percent had heard about RTI/STDs. It is observed that approximately 39 percent of male adolescents had sex with commercial sex workers and 56 percent of them did not use a condom.
Evidence of a Tense Shift in Personal Experience Narratives
Authors: Harvey Alynn Day
Published: May 2005

“Danger of death” narratives were collected and analyzed for their use of the historical present tense. The historical present tense in these narratives serves as a signal which fingerprints their identity as “danger of death” narratives and, thus, has a potential application in artificial intelligence programs.
The Jackson National Health Program
Authors: Navarro Vicente , Himmelstein David U. , Woolhandler Steffie
Published: May 2005

In this position paper we outline the major problems that exist in the U.S. health care system and present a proposal for addressing them. This paper contains the major health proposal put forward by the Jesse Jackson 1988 Campaign, calling for the establishment in the United States of a universal and comprehensive National Health Program (NHP) that will be federally funded and administered and be equitably financed. We also discuss how the NHP will affect patients, unions, corporations and employers, practitioners and other health workers, hospitals, and the insurance industry. Specific proposals are made for the transition from the current system to the proposed NHP, with a discussion of the major differences between national health proposals put forward by the two major Democratic contenders for the U.S. Presidency. This position paper also includes a brief appendix sketching some of the major differences between the U.S. and the Canadian medical care systems.
I am No Wolf, and You are Not Rabbits
Authors: Kinyon Jeannette E.
Published: May 2005

Learning to write, like learning to juggle, requires practice. Writing places the highest priority on thinking. The writer must decide not only the form his writing will take, but also the viewpoint from which he sees his material. The text Worlds in the Making provides examples of ways authors “grok,” or assimilate all aspects of a problem. Other aids to students are the handbook and the teacher, not Big Nurse nor a wolf, but rather a human being, whose response is the chief thing offered. Students are not rabbits; they are creative human beings, who can learn to write.

In this article, the author addresses her students and lays down some fundamentals of writing and teaching.
Housing Conditions and Respiratory Health in a Boston Public Housing Community
Authors: Brugge Doug , Rice Pamela W. , Terry Patricia , Howard Lenora , Best Joyce
Published: May 2005

Objectives: To determine frequency of and possible associations between environmental housing factors and self-reported respiratory symptoms in public housing. Methods: We used a community-participatory method in which trained residents conducted in-person interviews with a random sample of 53 households in one housing development in Boston, Massachusetts. Results: Environmental factors suspected of affecting respiratory health that were reported by more than 30 percent of respondents included: Moisture (43 percent), mold (43 percent), cracks in walls, floors and ceilings (49 percent), sewage leaks (33 percent), unexplained odor (35 percent), use of air fresheners (91 percent), use of gas ovens for heating (38 percent), no vent for the oven (74 percent), stuffy air (66 percent), overheating at least part of the winter (73 percent), cockroaches (70 percent), rodents (40 percent), pets (39 percent), frequent renovations (40 percent), repeated requests for repairs (52 percent), dust from construction (45 percent), use of more than three hazardous household products (32 percent), vehicle traffic nearby (81 percent), and smoking in the household (57 percent). Forty percent of respondents reported having asthma. Respondents also reported that 56 percent of their children had asthma. Forty percent of respondents reported wheeze and 48 percent reported coughing or sneezing episodes in the preceding month. We found the following positive statistically significant associations, adjusted for age, sex, Black or Hispanic origin, and years lived in public housing: wheeze with moisture problems (OR = 4.8; CI = 1.2, 19.3), sewage leaks (OR = 6.3; CI = 1.3, 30.3), odor (OR = 7.5; CI = 1.4, 39.0), cracks in walls, floors and ceilings (OR = 8.6; CI 1.9, 38.0), and frequency of renovations (OR = 9.8; CI = 1.8, 54.4); cough with moisture problems (OR = 5.3; CI = 1.3, 20.8), stuffy air (OR = 4.4; CI = 1.2, 16.7), cockroaches (OR = 5.4; CI = 1.2, 24.2), smoking (OR = 5.0; CI = 1.2, 20.5), odor (OR = 10.9; CI = 2.3, 53.0), cracks in walls, floors and ceilings (OR = 6.2; CI = 1.8, 22.3) and frequency of renovations (OR = 4.4; CI = 1.1, 17.5); and sneeze with cockroaches (OR = 5.2; CI = 1.1, 24.2), stuffy air (OR = 6.3; CI = 1.5, 26.5), cracks in walls, floors and ceilings (OR = 6.3; CI = 1.7, 23.1), repeated requests for repairs (OR = 5.6; CI = 1.4, 21.5), and construction dust (OR = 15.6; CI = 2.2, 112.3). Conclusions: Housing conditions that affect respiratory health were common in this public housing development. Self-reported rates of respiratory symptoms and asthma were extremely high. Statistical associations between housing conditions and respiratory symptoms in the preceding month were frequently positive and sometimes statistically significant. Engaging community residents strengthened the research process.
Depression and Magnesium Deficiency
Authors: Rasmussen Henrik Højgaard , Mortensen Preben Bo , Jensen Ivan W.
Published: May 2005

The psychiatric symptoms of magnesium deficiency are unspecific, ranging from apathy to psychosis, and may be attributed to other disease processes associated with poor intake, defect absorption, or excretion of magnesium. Serum magnesium should be determined when there are symptoms consistent with magnesium deficiency and/or in conditions which can lead to a deficiency, e.g., malabsorption, malnutrition, alcoholism and diuretic treatment. A low serum value suggests magnesium deficiency, but the diagnosis is reinforced with analyses of magnesium in the urine and a loading test with magnesium. Magnesium can be given orally or intramuscular/intravenously.
First Year Seminars Produce Long-Term Impact
Authors: Schnell Carolyn A. , Doetkott Curt D.
Published: May 2005

In an effort to provide insight into a strategy for increasing student retention, students enrolled in a first year seminar were paired with a matched comparison group, and retention of the 1,853 students in the two groups was compared over a period of four years. Results indicated significantly greater retention over a period of four years for students enrolled in the seminar. Review of the literature indicates that while such seminars are gaining in popularity, longitudinal studies of their effectiveness using matched comparison groups are lacking. In addition to expanding the research base of the first year seminars, this article also presents the background of the seminar and studies regarding the first year seminar that are relevant to retention.
Measuring an Individual's Investment in the Future: Symbolic Immortality, Sensation Seeking, and Psychic Numbness
Authors: Mathews Robert C. , Mister Rena D.
Published: May 2005

Robert Jay Lifton has proposed that humans have a compelling urge to relate to the future beyond their own life span, which he calls the need for symbolic immortality. According to Lifton this need may be expressed in different modes across different individuals and societies. These are the biological, religious, nature, creative, and experiential modes. Based on his research with survivors of the Hiroshima bomb, Lifton suggests that the threat of nuclear holocaust can destroy an individual's faith in the future of man, resulting in psychic numbness. This article operationalizes Lifton's constructs and develops an instrument to measure an individual's needs for symbolic immortality in the five modes. Age effects and the relation between symbolic immortality needs and Zuckerman's sensation seeking scales are also explored. The results are discussed in terms of Lifton's prediction that psychic numbness will tend to push people toward the experiential mode and away from the other four modes.
Survey Description of Stress of Parents Bereaved from a Child Killed in a Traffic Accident. A Retrospective Study of a Victim Support Group
Authors: Spooren Daniel J. , Henderick Hilde , Jannes Constantin
Published: May 2005

Objectives:

To assess parents' views of the care and support received at the time of the child's accident. To examine the presence of traumatic grief and general psychiatric distress among parents. Methods: Data were obtained from a self-help group of parents who lost a child in a traffic accident. Eighty-five parents responded to a survey including items about circumstances of the death, satisfaction with death handling and standardized questionnaires.

Results:

Parents reported insufficient satisfaction with services immediately following the death of their child. Even after considerable time they continued to show strong symptoms of traumatic grief and high levels of general psychiatric distress.

Conclusion:

Confrontation with the death of a child killed in a vehicular crash increases the risk of prolonged psychiatric distress in bereaved parents. A closer immediate follow-up is needed, and long-term support should be provided when needed.
Programming and Problem Solving: Will Two Languages Do it?
Authors: McGrath Diane
Published: May 2005

High school students learning a second programming language, students learning a first language, and students receiving no programming instruction were compared to determine whether instruction in a second language helps produce transfer of problem-solving skills. Approximately half of each programming group received a two-week problem-solving intervention. Six problem-solving measures were used: use of re-useable procedures, solution of problems by analogy, solution of Hanoi-like problems (recursive procedures), creative problem solving, use of the biconditional, and debugging. Students receiving the problem-solving intervention in their first programming language course improved ( p < .05) on the use of the biconditional and on creative problem solving. Students learning a second language were significantly better at debugging ( p < .05) than those learning only a first language. Suggestions are made for further research.
A Survey of Current Research Studies on Drug Education Programs in America
Authors: Pellow Randall A. , Jengeleski James L.
Published: May 2005

This article surveys recent research findings on drug education programs in America. Findings have been somewhat contradictory but a pattern of encouraging results seem to favor prevention programs that focus on resistance training. Research results were complimentary of D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) and S.A.P. (Student Assistance Program) which emphasizes intervention strategies. Experts noted that drug education programs require interagency collaboration among schools, communities, and families. Authorities appealed for a higher funding priority toward evaluating the effectiveness of drug education programs. The article also provides information about what parents, schools, students, and communities can do concerning drug prevention efforts.
If the Ruler is Warped, How Dependable are the Measurements?: Presenting a Reliable and Valid Logo-Based Computer Adaptive Assessment Tool
Authors: Harris Judith B.
Published: May 2005

Four LOGO-based, computer adaptive angle and distance estimation assessment tools are described and verified for internal consistency, test/retest reliability, and construct, face and content validity in this article. The methods delineated serve as the foundation for a call for similar instrument verification in other educational research. Issues concerning the appropriateness of traditional notions of instrument reliability and assumed distinctions between measurement instruments and learning tools are also discussed.
Clinical Psychosomatic Research
Authors: Aitken Cairns , Cay Elizabeth
Published: May 2005

Psychosomatic medicine embraces the influence of psychological factors on the development and course of diverse physical symptoms. Reasons are given why it is recognized that physical morbidity is influenced by such factors, with illustrations from the authors' research on acute ischemic heart disease, peptic ulcer and bronchial asthma. The nature of the psychological factors can be elucidated with the use of recently developed psychometric tests; these relate particularly to mood disturbance, either attributable to affective disorder or prominent personality traits. To insure that samples studied are representative of the disease or symptom being considered, and that all relevant variables are taken into account, the research approach usually necessitates a multidisciplinary team.
Context-Driven: How is Traditional Chinese Medicine Labeling Developed?
Authors: Ding Daniel D.
Published: May 2005

To promote intercultural understanding in medical communication, this article studies a regulation issued by the Chinese government to standardize traditional Chinese medicine labeling. Then the author claims that the traditional Chinese medicine labeling is medicine-focused. This feature has its roots in traditional Chinese philosophy of stressing the context while de-emphasizing individuals. The author examines a particular medicine label to support his claim that the medicine-focused feature draws patients' attention to the situations that cause disorders.
Converting the Military-Industrial-Toxic Economy—Lessons from the U.S., Part I
Authors: Rose Fred , MacDougall John
Published: May 2005

This article draws lessons from the military conversion organizing since the end of the Cold War for how communities and workers can influence conversion decisions of corporations and government. National conversion policy has favored corporate over community interests because it has been ideologically committed to liberal reforms. Part 1 of this article outlines the need for national policy to guide the conversion of large corporations to preserve jobs and community stability. Part 2 draws lessons from local and national conversion efforts which have had impacts on smaller firms, communities, and regions and could create a shift in public understanding about the role of public intervention in the economy.
Models of Qualitative Data Use in the Assessment of Classroom-Based Microcomputer Education Programs
Authors: Levine Harold G.
Published: May 2005

As efforts to understand the benefits and consequences of classroom-based microcomputer programs increase, the use of qualitative strategies have increasingly become research methods of choice. Unfortunately, much confusion surrounds their use, partly because of uncertainty concerning just “what” should be evaluated and partly because the qualitative paradigm is not always well understood. This article discusses epistemological issues involved in the use of qualitative methods and specifies six models of qualitative data design and use: anecdotal, structured observations, case study, multisite case study, ethnography, and microethnography. Each is discussed in terms of its applicability to an ongoing evaluation of Apple Computer's “Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow.”
What Homer can Teach Technical Writers: The Mnemonic Value of Poetic Devices
Authors: Porush David
Published: May 2005

One of the primary purposes of technical writing is to create memorable texts, especially when they involve large amounts of interrelated information or complicated step-by-step procedures. Epic poetry traditionally employs poetic devices which aided the poet in recalling as many as 27,000 lines of verse. These devices include not only familiar features such as rhyme and meter, but higher-order patterns of organization called formulae and themes. Recent research shows that these features also enable readers to recall the material. This article explores how these poetic forms work to enhance memory, explores some contemporary research in cognition which has confirmed their mnemonic value, and suggests ways that technical writers may apply them in their work.