bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of the Stretch Breaking Process on Fiber Length Distribution
Authors: Dae Hoon Lee  , Chowdhary Usha , Moon Hwo Seo  , Boong Soo Jeon
Published: April 2009

The stretch breaking process has been useful in the cotton industry because long staple fibers such as wool need to be shortened so that they can be spun in the cotton spinning system with its higher production rate. The blending of wool with other fibers such as wool/cotton, wool/ micro-fiber and several wool-blended yarns produces diverse wool products. In the present study, the distribution functions of the fiber length after the stretch breaking process have been newly derived after considering the fiber's recovery function. The number and mean length of the fibers after the stretch breaking process have been investigated by the computer simulation according to variables such as the roller gauge, the breaking strain of the fiber, and the standard deviation of the fiber length.
Reexamination of Young Children's Racial Attitudes and Skin Tone Preferences
Authors: Jordan Phillip , Hernandez-Reif Maria
Published: April 2009

This study continues the line of research on children's racial preferences that dates to Kenneth and Mamie Clark's classic research that revealed that Black children preferred White dolls and attributed more positive characteristics to White dolls than to Black dolls. In the current research, the authors examined Black and White preschool children's preferences for cartoon characters of different skin tones and whether their preferences shifted after listening to a moral story depicting a Black child as a hero. Findings are discussed in the context of how method of presentation may affect young children's responses and children's preferences in relation to race awareness and self-identification.
Daytime Sleepiness and Functional Outcomes in Older Adults With Diabetes
Authors: Chasens Eileen R. , Sereika Susan M. , Burke Lora E.
Published: April 2009

Purpose

This secondary analysis examined the effect of excessive sleepiness on daytime function in older adults with diabetes from the National Sleep Foundation's Sleep and Aging poll.

Methods

Respondents were older adults (N = 1506; age range, 55-84 years) evaluated by telephone survey on their sleep duration, sleep disturbances, daytime functional outcomes, and self-reported height, weight, and comorbidities.

Results

Approximately 16% (n = 244) of the sample acknowledged a diagnosis of diabetes; they were older, had more comorbidities, had a higher body mass index (BMI), and were more likely to be sleepy during the daytime than nondiabetic respondents (all P < .05). Respondents with diabetes who reported frequent daytime sleepiness (n = 50; 20%) had significantly (P < .05) higher BMI, lower self-rated health, and more sleep disturbances than those who were not sleepy (n = 194). Sleepy respondents with diabetes also reported more frequent feelings of depression, decreased pleasure in life, naps, feeling drowsy, or dozing off while driving (all P < .05). Excessive sleepiness was significantly associated (P < .001) with an increased risk for depressive symptoms while controlling for BMI, age, and number of comorbidities.

Conclusions

These results indicate that sleep disturbances affect not only sleep quality but also daytime function in older adults with diabetes.
Fallacies of Virtualization
Authors: Boonstra Wiebren J. , Bock Bettina B.
Published: April 2009

The recent rapprochement between Science and Technology Studies (STS) and Political Science (PS) is induced by the broadened understanding of political action. The debate concerning the nature of ``the political'' produces an important question concerning the possibilities of an issue- or object-oriented focus for understanding political action. The purpose of this article is to contribute to this debate through an analysis of how relations between material and social entities are continuously recontextualized and decontextualized in social and political interaction. The authors discuss established approaches to explain the concept of virtualization. Virtualization is then used in a case study on the implementation of manure regulation in East Fryslân, the Netherlands, to illustrate how cases or issues are virtualized in political decision making, which produces initial presumptions that carry conclusive weight. The authors conclude that a broad understanding of the political in both STS and PS can only be sustained through an understanding of how relations between social and material entities are continuously decontextualized and recontextualized in political and social interaction.
Prepaid Card Technology and the Concept of the Socio-Technological Aggregate
Authors: Koizumi Kenkichiro
Published: April 2009

This paper compares two case studies of prepaid card technology where the same ``technology'' is applied in two separate industries, the public telephone industry and the pachinko game industry in Japan. The different outcomes in the two areas are analyzed in terms of the functions of what is introduced here as ``socio-technological aggregates'' (STA). A socio-technological aggregate is composed of an initiating innovator component and heterogeneous components necessary for the technology to function in a given society. The analysis of technology as an STA gained insights from the phenomena of aggregates in other areas: the socio-literary aggregate created by Russell McCormmach in Night Thoughts of a Classical Physicist; by the ``collage'' phenomenon created by Picasso, Braque; and others, and the socio-musical aggregates of John Cage. Two important aspects of an STA are: the bonding/managing component that dictates how a technology is applied; and the evaluator component that triggers multimodality.
METHODS AND MEASURES: Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Multidimensional Scaling for Construct Validation of Cognitive Abilities
Authors: Tucker-Drob Elliot M. , Salthouse Timothy A.
Published: April 2009

Although factor analysis is the most commonly-used method for examining the structure of cognitive variable interrelations, multidimensional scaling (MDS) can provide visual representations highlighting the continuous nature of interrelations among variables. Using data ( N = 8,813; ages 17—97 years) aggregated across 38 separate studies, MDS was applied to 16 cognitive variables representative of five well-established cognitive abilities. Parallel to confirmatory factor analytic solutions, and consistent with past MDS applications, the results for young (18—39 years), middle (40—65 years), and old (66—97 years) adult age groups consistently revealed a two-dimensional radex disk, with variables from fluid reasoning tests located at the center. Using a new method, target measures hypothesized to reflect three aspects of cognitive control ( updating, storage-plus-processing, and executive functioning) were projected onto the radex disk. Parallel to factor analytic results, these variables were also found to be centrally located in the cognitive ability space. The advantages and limitations of the radex representation are discussed.
Transcendence in Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex
Authors: Changfoot Nadine
Published: April 2009

A large number of feminist philosophers and social critics accept that Simone de Beauvoir's conception of transcendence in The Second Sex relies on masculinist ontology. In contrast with feminist interpretations that see Beauvoir claiming the success of masculinist ontology, this article argues that transcendence as masculinist ontology does not succeed in The Second Sex because it requires a relation of domination, something contrary to its own definition of freedom-producing relations. The Second Sex obliquely reveals this failure, but Beauvoir does not ruminate upon it. Instead, Beauvoir turns to imagine freedom-producing gender relations in the future where the body and consciousness are already emancipated from constitutive domination. This is a future that resonates with G. W. F. Hegel's `Stoic Consciousness'. The significance of this finding is that the location of freedom neither resides in the intertwinement of the male body and consciousness previously argued to be the case, for Beauvoir, nor does it reside in the intertwinement of the female body and consciousness. Rather, freedom resides in the intertwinement of male and female bodies and consciousness where domination is already absent, that is, a place outside of history. Thus, the conclusion of The Second Sex can be read as a consolation and an escape from the inescapable limits of the present.
Beyond representation and participation
Authors: Visker Rudi
Published: April 2009

Whereas Arendt's work has been traditionally received, both by its critics and its admirers, as of one piece, this article uses her proposals for some sort of `organic representation' in On Revolution as a lever to break open that unity and show that it comprises two lines of thought that as such contradict one another. On the one hand her misgivings about representation betray a political version of the metaphysics of presence Derrida has taught us to deconstruct. On the other hand her concept of political freedom and of the role of the public realm goes against the very presuppositions of that metaphysics. That this tension goes unnoticed is largely due to the weight Arendt attached to the theme of participation. By shifting that weight to some of the less prominent themes in her work, I try to give it a different relief, more apt to confront the difficult pluralism of our times.
Ultimate referentiality
Authors: Vahabzadeh Peyman
Published: April 2009

A brief and selective conceptual glance at the history of sociological foundation shows that a certain assumption about the `ultimate referentiality' of society has been at the heart of sociology. The late modern responses to, and reactions against, foundationalism in various schools in the human and social sciences provide a springboard for a new beginning in sociological inquiry. Drawing on radical phenomenology and postmetaphysical hermeneutical philosophy, this article summons attention to the concept of ultimate referentiality as the point of moorage that supposedly secures our theoretical postulates in a presumed locus in the `real' — namely, `society'. Given our late modern crisis of metaphysical claims about ultimate foundations, the article makes an invitation to an interpretative sociological renewal with an acute sensitivity toward praxis. The article provisionally makes a number of suggestions with respect to the modes of sociological practice that would render the discipline attuned to our age.
(In)finite responsibility
Authors: Evink Eddo
Published: April 2009

In this article a difference is discussed between the early work and the later work of Jacques Derrida. This difference can be described as a shift from inscription to transcendence and is related to the growing attention for ethics and politics in Derrida's later work. Some characteristics of his ethics (infinite and absolute responsibility as well as his thoughts on forgiveness) are criticized in this article. An alternative approach is suggested, following the emphasis on the movement of inscription that can be found in Derrida's early work.
An Investigation of the Physical Properties of Extruded Glycerol- and Formamide-Plasticized Cornstarch
Authors: Ning Wang  , Yu Jiugao  , Ma Xiaofei  , Han Chunmei
Published: April 2009

Glycerol and formamide are used as plasticizers to prepare dry thermoplastic starch (DTPS) in a single-screw extruder. Glycerol/formamide—water plasticized starch (TPS) is also studied as a standard. Scanning electron microscopy reveals that more residual granules exist in glycerol-plasticized dry starch than in other blends. After the removal of water, DTPS becomes rigid and fragile. Increasing the formamide content results in a dramatic increase in the elongation of DTPS, and it maintains a high tensile strength. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis demonstrates that formamide can decrease the glass transition temperature (Tg) of TPS and replace water to form formamide—starch mixtures in DTPS. Thermogravimetric analysis shows that destructurization of the polysaccharide chain is accelerated after removal of water, but it is alleviated by increasing the formamide content. It is also shown using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy that formamide can form stronger hydrogen-bond interactions with starch than glycerol. At the same time, X-ray diffractometry shows that starch is plasticized more completely both in TPS and DTPS with a high formamide content. Finally, rheological study shows that formamide can decrease the shear viscosity and improve the fluidity of TPS and DTPS.
Short Nylon Fiber-reinforced HDPE: Melt Rheology
Authors: Abraham Thomas N. , George K.E.
Published: April 2009

Short fiber-reinforced thermoplastics have generated much interest these days since fibrous materials tend to increase both mechanical and thermal properties, such as tensile strength, flexural strength, flexural modulus, heat deflection temperature, and creep resistance, and some times impact strength of thermoplastics. If the matrix and reinforcement are both based on polymers the composite are recyclable. The rheological behavior of recyclable composites based on nylon fiber-reinforced high density polyethylene (HDPE) is reported in this paper. The rheological behavior is evaluated both using a capillary rheometer and a torque rheometer. The study shows that the composite becomes pseudoplastic with fiber content and hence fiber addition does not affect processing adversely at higher shear rates. The torque rheometer data resemble that obtained from the capillary rheometer. The energy of mixing and activation energy of mixing also do not show much variation from that of HDPE alone.
Influence of Sawdust on the Mechanical Properties of Vinyl Plasticized Composites
Authors: Crespo J.E. , Sánchez L. , Parres F. , López J.
Published: April 2009

The present study develops a composite material using environmental friendly materials. The influence of lignocellulosic products, as sawdust, on the mechanical properties of compound materials elaborated using a thermoplastic matrix of PVC and plasticizer, is analyzed. The results obtained for the mechanical properties: tensile strength, elastic modulus, and hardness have been analyzed focusing on the amount of plasticizer and the grain size of sawdust used. In addition, the analysis of the fracture of obtained compound materials by scanning electronic microscopy has been done to understand the behavior of the composite material. Finally, the mechanical behavior of the materials obtained based on the relation between the matrix phase of the compound material (PVC and plasticizer) and the disperse phase of sawdust is justified.
Dielectric Relaxation of Curing DGEBA/mPDA System at 2.45 GHz
Authors: Liming Zobg  , Hawley Martin C. , Rensheng Sun  , Kempel Leo C.
Published: April 2009

The dielectric behavior of a curing system of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A and m-phenylenediamine has been studied over the temperature range of 20—100°C under 2.45 GHz microwave radiation. The dielectric constant and the dielectric loss factor of the system increase as temperature increases while they decrease as the curing reaction progresses. The epoxy resins at different extents of cure exhibit the g relaxation, which can be described by the Arrhenius rate law. The relaxation is attributed to the motions of the dipolar groups associated with the crosslinking system. The Davidson—Cole model is used to represent the temperature dependency of the dielectric properties.
Optoelectrical Properties of Ferroelectric PC/Ceramic Composites
Authors: Ibrahim S.S. , Ayesh A.S. , Shoaibi Adil Al
Published: April 2009

Polycarbonate (PC)/ceramic (YSiBTS) composites were prepared using the casting technique. The dependence of the absorption coefficient (α) on photon energy (hυ) was determined in the spectral range from 200 nm to 800 nm at room temperature. The variation of the absorption coefficient (α), optical gap (Eopt), relative permittivity (ε'), AC conductivity (σAC) with YSiBTS ceramic concentration and frequency are reported. The observed optical energy gap (Eopt) was calculated from the measured absorption spectra. It was found that optical energy gap decreases with ceramic concentration and the absorption coefficient highly increases in the UV region at concentration of 18 wt% compared with the PC host. The dielectric constant and AC conductivity was measured for PC/ceramic composites at temperature range between 25°C to 140°C and at different frequency values (120 Hz, 1 kHz, 10 kHz, and 100 kHz). The obtained results indicate that PC modifies the dielectric properties of ceramic. At the same time addition of ceramic to PC polymer enhanced both dielectric constant and the polar character of PC matrix. It is also shown that at high ceramic content, the dielectric constant is independent of temperature between 30°C and 90°C. Additionally, there is agreement between the optical energy gap and AC conductivity results. Correlation between obtained results and SEM results is presented.
Mechanical Performances of Wood Polypropylene Composite due to Extended Moisture Immersion
Authors: Qingzheng Cheng  , Jingxin Wang  , Shaler Stephen M.
Published: April 2009

Mechanical properties of an extruded wood polypropylene composite that was soaked in both osmotic water and artificial seawater were tested and compared in dry, wet, and redried states. Water did influence the material's flexural, compressive, and tensile strength and chord modulus after 13 months immersion. Flexural and compressive properties of the unsaturated specimens soaked in seawater were degraded slower than those of the specimens soaked in osmotic water. There was a significant effect of water type on tensile modulus of elasticity. Both nonreversible damage and recoverable portion of the material from dry to wet and then to redried state were observed for most of the mechanical properties. Results also indicated that impact strength was not affected by water immersion and redrying.
Feminism's Queer Theory
Authors: Jagose Annamarie
Published: April 2009

This article argues that, in contradistinction to its widely promoted ethical openness to its future, queer theory has been less scrupulous about its messy, flexible and multiple relations to its pasts, the critical and activist traditions from which it emerged and that continue to develop alongside in mutually informing ways. In particular, it assesses queer theory's tangled, productive and ongoing relations with feminist theory. Returning to the controversial analytic separation of gender and sexuality that has been prominently theorized as key to distinguishing between feminist and queer theoretical projects, the article traces the influence of Gayle Rubin's `Thinking Sex: Notes for a Radical Theory of the Politics of Sexuality' through feminist and queer scholarship in order to demonstrate that, however different their projects, feminist theory and queer theory together have a stake in both desiring and articulating the complexities of the traffic between gender and sexuality.
`Empowerment' and the Pole: A Discursive Investigation of the Reinvention of Pole Dancing as a Recreational Activity
Authors: Whitehead Kally , Kurz Tim
Published: April 2009

The activity of `pole dancing' has recently been transformed from an act performed exclusively in strip clubs to one currently marketed as a form of aerobic exercise. While much feminist academic work has investigated aspects of the sex industry, such as stripping, very little research has been conducted into this recent social phenomenon of pole dancing as a recreational activity. This study takes a feminist poststructuralist approach to the investigation of this topic through the discursive analysis of talk produced in a range of focus groups and interviews. Participants included instructors at pole dancing studios, pupils regularly attending the studios, one-off pole dancers and general university students (a total of 25 participants; 20 females and five males). Our analysis focuses on the ways in which ideological dilemmas surrounding issues such as empowerment, control and the male gaze are managed within the participants' accounts. Implications of these constructions are discussed in relation to the redefinition/reiteration of hegemonic, patriarchal notions of female sexuality.
Imagining the Other? Ethical Challenges of Researching and Writing Women's Embodied Lives
Authors: Rice Carla
Published: April 2009

Feminists influenced by post-conventional and critical perspectives confront a significant challenge when researching women's embodiments: the dilemma of representation. For researchers from positions of bodily privilege, issues of interpretation intensify when researching and writing across physical differences distorted by colonial and other hegemonic histories and legacies. In this article, I draw from interviews with diversely embodied women to discuss difficulties encountered in interpreting their narratives of embodiment. I reflect on strategies of embodied engagement, including de-centring my bodily self, re-visiting my body story, and imagining the other's embodied experiences in the creation of provisional meanings about participants' bodies and lives. To shed light on risks and rewards of researcher-embodied reflexivity to study sensitive subjects such as appearance and difference, I show how analysing my `body secrets' invites deeper exploration into dynamics of bodily privilege and abjection underpinning women's accounts. I conclude by questioning the ethics of my `imaginative leap' into other/ed women's lives and by considering more broadly the perils and possibilities of traversing the space between self and other, and other in the self, within feminist research.
The Social Construction of a Serial Killer
Authors: Bartels Ross , Parsons Ceri
Published: April 2009

Much psychological research examining the serial killer has adopted an essentialist theoretical focus concentrating on the `nature' of the individual who commits the murder. This study, in contrast, aims to analyse the talk of a serial killer using principles taken from discursive psychology. A courtroom transcript concerning the confession to 10 murders by the serial killer, Dennis Rader, was analysed. The transcript was read and reread in order to examine how the killer drew upon popular understandings of serial killing, until eventually three main discourses were identified: perpetrator as `sympathetic', `serial killer' and `driven by sexual fantasy'. The analysis demonstrated that these discourses all served to reinforce the widely shared construction of the serial killer, i.e. being sexually motivated. Furthermore, the findings show how this construction served the functions of mitigating responsibility, justifying certain actions and obscuring violence. Possible implications of this construction and its discursive functions are discussed.
Perspectives on Growth and Development in the Northeast
Authors: Barua Alokesh , Das Santosh Kumar
Published: April 2009

This paper critically examines the relevance of the Look East Policy for the industrialisation of the northeastern region of India. While recognising the strategic and political importance of the northeast in formulating India's neo-economic diplomacy and foreign policy is a positive step, it remains a mystery as to when the Look East Policy became the new paradigm of development for the region. A myth has been created, possibly to woo voters of the region, that the Look East Policy can be an effective instrument with unlimited scope for the region to engage in international trade with the booming east and the south-east Asian markets, which in turn would provide opportunities for industrialisation and growth. We argue in this paper that this is a far-fetched belief, as opportunities for trade have never been a constraint in the region. In fact, the region had been exposed to international trade on a massive scale during the late-nineteenth century, which continued until India's independence, but this has hardly had any impact on the region's economy. So, the real problem of development even today is not really the lack of trading opportunities. The crucial constraints to development faced by the region are the lack of intra-regional and intra-state connectivity and trade, infrastructure, security and governance. The new paradigm of development seems to ignore these constraints by diverting attention to an issue (i.e., connectivity with the outside world) which may have only a marginal impact upon the economy.
Sources of Total Factor Productivity Change
Authors: Sufian Fadzlan
Published: April 2009

By applying the non-parametric Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI) method, this paper attempts to investigate the sources of productivity change in China's State-Owned Commercial Banks (SOCBs) and Joint-Stock Commercial Banks (JSCBs) between 2000 and 2005. The empirical findings suggest that productivity has progressed in China's banking sector, which can be attributed to an increase in efficiency.
Indian System of Fringe Benefits Tax
Authors: Kishore Praveen
Published: April 2009

A recent controversial move by the Indian income tax authorities was the introduction of a fringe benefits tax (FBT) in 2005. Its introduction has been justified on the grounds that it taxes fringe benefits which are collectively enjoyed by employees and are in the form of facilities and amenities that are difficult to identify, segregate and apportion and tax among beneficiaries. Accordingly, the tax liability has been fixed on employers and not on employees. FBT collection data for the first two years have been analysed to gain deeper insight into reforming and fine-tuning the FBT regime. It has been found that banking and insurance, infotech and petrochemicals are some important sectors of the economy that contribute significantly to FBT collection. Further, out of the expense heads specified as the base of FBT, it was found that ‘employee welfare’, ‘conveyance’, ‘telephones’ and ‘maintenance of cars’ are most important in terms of collection. Evidence from statistical tests shows that the proportion of FBT collection from different heads has remained constant over the two years of its operation, even at the level of economy sectors. Other tests show that there are significant interaction effects between FBT heads and economy sectors. However, statistical evidence shows that sample data are not homogeneous, which points towards arbitrary booking of expenses under different heads, possibly to avoid the FBT.
Do Financial Sector Reforms Make Commercial Banks More Efficient? A Parametric Exploration of the Indian Case
Authors: Mahesh H.P. , Bhide Shashanka
Published: April 2009

India's financial sector reforms, introduced in 1992, may have influenced the performance of commercial banks through a variety of channels. The present study is an attempt to examine the efficiency levels of Indian banks for the period 1985–2004. We employ stochastic frontier analysis to estimate bank-specific cost, profit and advance efficiencies. Our results show that while loan advance efficiency has not shown much improvement after deregulation, cost and profit efficiencies show varying trends for different bank groups. Public sector banks rank first in two of the three efficiency measures, indicating that, as opposed to the general perception, these banks do not lag behind their private counterparts in efficiency. Our results also show that competition has a significant impact on the efficiency levels of commercial banks across all three efficiency measures. The impact of various factors captured in the study is clearly based on performance in a given setting, and the rapid changes in the financial sector that are underway will keep influencing the performance of the banking industry.
A Meta-Analysis of Published School Social Work Practice Studies
Authors: Franklin Cynthia , Kim Johnny S. , Tripodi Stephen J.
Published: April 2009

Objective: This systematic review examined the effectiveness of school social work practices using meta-analytic techniques. Method: Hierarchical linear modeling software was used to calculate overall effect size estimates as well as test for between-study variability. Results: A total of 21 studies were included in the final analysis. Unconditional random effects model shows an overall weighted mean effect size estimate of .23 for externalizing problem outcomes and .40 for internalizing problem outcomes; both categories were statistically significant at the p < .05 level. Subgroup analysis for academic outcomes showed mixed results for knowledge, attendance, and grade point average outcome measures. Conclusions: Results highlight the positive impact school social workers may have on student emotional, mental, behavioral, and academic outcomes.
Schizophrenia and Violence: Accepting and Forsaking
Authors: Rice Elizabeth
Published: April 2009

Violence remains highly problematic for women. Women diagnosed with schizophrenia are at particularly high risk for numerous types of violence. Many of these women receive services in the community through mental health case managers. These case managers have developed ongoing and close relationships with women, and are often the front-line service providers to assist them in negotiating with physical, mental, and social service agencies. This interpretive phenomenological study examined the perspective of mental health case managers to better understand how they cope with the intersection of violence with a diagnosis of schizophrenia among their clientele. Accepting and forsaking was a theme developed to describe how case managers gradually accepted violence in the lives of women with schizophrenia, and how this acceptance was eventually coupled with forsaking hope for a reduction or elimination of violence in women's lives.
The Ineffable Disease: Exploring Young People's Discourses About HIV/AIDS in Alberta, Canada
Authors: Graffigna Guendalina , Olson Kärin
Published: April 2009

The ongoing epidemic of HIV/AIDS in Western societies (in particular in North America), where most of the population knows about the disease and how it is transmitted, suggests that providing information is not enough to change unsafe conduct. More complex psychosocial processes, mainly still unexplored, seem to underlie the translation of health knowledge about the disease and the infection into safe practices. In this article we explore the discourse of young people in Alberta about HIV/AIDS and discuss ways in which this information might be used to shape preventive strategies. We conducted eight focus groups with young people 18 to 25 years of age living in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and analyzed the data using psychosocial discourse analysis. The results confirm the role of young people's interpersonal exchanges in determining HIV/AIDS preventive conduct and show the importance of social discourses about HIV/AIDS in mediating the impact of preventive campaigns on young people's attitudes and beliefs.
Experiences of Self-Monitoring: Successes and Struggles During Treatment for Weight Loss
Authors: Burke Lora E. , Swigart Valerie , Warziski Turk Melanie , Derro Nicole , Ewing Linda J.
Published: April 2009

We interviewed 15 individuals who completed a behavioral weight loss treatment study with the aim of exploring participants' reflections on their feelings, attitudes, and behaviors while using a paper diary to self-monitor their diet. Constant comparative and matrix analysis procedures were used to analyze interview data; the qualitative results were then interfaced with descriptive numerical data on individuals' adherence to self-monitoring and weight loss. Three categories of self-monitoring experience were identified: (a) well-disciplined—those who had high adherence to self-monitoring, high weight loss, and a “can do” positive approach, (b) missing the connection—those who had moderate adherence, moderate- to low weight loss, and an “it's an assignment” approach, without integrating self-monitoring into everyday life, and (c) diminished support—those who had poor adherence, poor weight control, and were adversely affected by coexisting negative factors. Given the variations in how individuals integrated the process of self-monitoring, we need to consider individualizing self-monitoring strategies to improve adherence.
“I'd Rather Not Take it, But . . .”: Young Women's Perceptions of Medicines
Authors: Hansen Dana Lee , Holstein Bjørn E. , Hansen Ebba Holme
Published: April 2009

Little is known about healthy young women's everyday experiences with medicine use and their general perceptions of medicines. In this article, we describe a user-perspective study involving in-depth qualitative interviews with 20 young women between the ages of 16 and 20 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Inspired by Schutz's phenomenology, informants' medicine-taking experiences were considered within the context of their life-worlds. Analysis revealed that the young women possessed predominantly negative perceptions of medicines, which were linked to a preference for complete avoidance of medicines and a desire to maintain a natural body ideal. The essence of participants' experiences was characterized by conflict, as most used medicines at least occasionally, despite the negative perceptions they held. Participants strove to make sense of their medicine-taking practices and provided rationales for their use of medicine, often based on perceptions of need and reduced personal risk.
A Structurational Analysis of Informed Consent to Treatment: (Re)productions of Contradictory Sociohistorical Structures in Practitioners' Interpretive Schemes
Authors: Olumide Olufowote James
Published: April 2009

Informed consent (IC) to treatment honors patient autonomy and bodily integrity. Yet, it is a leading reason for patient litigation, it has not been examined from discursive or theoretical perspectives, and its sociohistorical context is ignored. In a previous analysis of American IC law and the IC literature, structuration theory guided a reconceptualization of IC as unfolding amid contradictory sociohistorical structures or discursive formations—traditionalism, liability, and decision making—representing interests favoring a group's (physicians, states and administrative entities, and patients, respectively) control of IC. This study's focus groups with radiologists found them (re)producing these structures in their interpretive schemes of patients' reactions to IC, IC as protective paperwork, and IC as a patient- and relationship-centered process.
Nursing Home Participation in End-of-Life Programs: United States, 2004
Authors: Resnick Helaine E. , Foster Gregory L. , Hickman Susan E.
Published: April 2009

The purpose of this report is to define the extent to which US nursing homes (NH) participate in end-of-life programs, using a nationally representative, cross-sectional sample of US NH. Data on EoL programs including Five Wishes, Last Acts, and Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) were collected. In 2004, 17.2% of NH reported participating in 1 or more of these programs, with the largest proportion participating in POLST (13.3%) and smaller proportions in Five Wishes (5.6%) and Last Acts (4.2%). Nursing homes were more likely to participate in EoL programs if they also offered specialty programs and staff training for hospice, end-of-life, pain management, and dementia services. In 2004, fewer than 1 in 5 US NH participated in an EoL program. However, facilities that had EoL programs were more likely to have programs and staff training for services related to EoL care, a finding that suggests a clustering of these programs, services, and training. Provision of appropriate staff training may be a key to expanding EoL program participation in skilled nursing.
The Division of Responsibilities in Families With Preschool Handicapped and Nonhandicapped Children
Authors: Gallagher James J. , Scharfman Wendy , Bristol Marie
Published: April 2009

The presence of a handicapped child within the family constellation suggests an added dimension of stress in the already complex dynamics of intrafamily social organization in contemporary American society. The present study compared the allocation of responsibilities within families with preschool handicapped children with those of families with preschool normal children. Subjects were 50 pairs of parents of moderately to severely handicapped preschool children and 83 pairs of parents of preschool nonhandicapped children, The Carolina Family Responsibility Scale was used to yield information on how responsibilities were divided between husband and wife. Research questions focused on differences between groups in parent responsibility allocations; differences between groups in level of satisfaction with current execution of family roles; and differences between mothers and fathers in their own role satisfactions and desired role behavior. Results are discussed and further questions posed regarding family role allocation and the ways in which families with handicapped members adapt to stress.
Involved Parents: Characteristics and Resources of Fathers and Mothers of Young Handicapped Children
Authors: Vadasy Patricla F. , Fewell Rebecca R. , Meyer Donald J. , Schell Greg , Greenberg Mark T.
Published: April 2009

Who are the families who choose to participate in an early intervention program tailored to meet the needs of traditionally underserved members of the young handicapped child's family? In an HCEEP project for fathers and their infants and toddlers, both parents completed a set of measures that provided demographic information, as well as data in the following areas: paternal information needs; family responsibilities; parent levels of depression; personal time; organized group affiliation; and satisfaction with their present situations. Fathers who participated in the pilot program for the project were compared to newly enrolled fathers along these variables, and husbands' and wives' responses were compared. Fathers who had been in the pilot program were less depressed, had more positive feelings about their interactions with their children, and had greater access to social supports than the newly enrolled fathers. Predisposing variables associated with families' program participation are discussed.
Goal Attainment Scaling with Moderately and Severely Handicapped Preschool Children
Authors: Shuster Susan K. , Fitzgerald Nicholas , Shelton Gen , Barber Pat , Desch Susan
Published: April 2009

Conventional assessment methods have serious limitations for measuring program impact with special education populations, and do not contribute much to managing effective IEP service delivery This article focuses on the utility of Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) as a methodology for meeting those dual needs of special educators. A feasibility study of GAS in a multicategorical preschool demonstration project pointed to the relevance of the method for improving IEP implementation effectiveness with severely impaired preschool students. However, there were serious limitations for using GAS as a measure of program impact. The advantages of GAS as an intervention to improve the overall functioning of the model program are discussed, along with considerations for improving its application to IEP management.
Preschool Integration and its Effects on the Social Interactions of Handicapped and Nonhandicapped Children: A Review
Authors: Curry O'Connell Joanne
Published: April 2009

Recent investigative studies on the integration of young handicapped children with nonhandicapped children in preschool settings and its effect on their social interactions are reviewed. Studies reviewed are divided into two sections: (a) those that report the spontaneous occurrence of social interactions between young handicapped and nonhandicapped children; and (b) those that report the need for structure and training to facilitate appropriate social interactions. A summary of the research related to the efficacy of integrated settings is provided. It is suggested that, based on available literature, young handicapped children can benefit from integrated settings.
A Comparison of Handicapped and Nonhandicapped Preschoolers' Interactions Across Classroom Activities
Authors: Kohl Frances L. , Beckman Paula J.
Published: April 2009

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the extent to which handicapped and nonhandicapped children interacted with other children and adults during four classroom activities: free play, fine motor, circle, and snack. Six handicapped and six nonhandicapped children participated. Observations were made using a time sampling technique, and information was obtained on whether or not a child was interacting and the nature of the interaction. Results revealed that the only noticeable differences between the two groups were observed during free play activities.
The Play Attending, and Language of Young Handicapped Children in Integrated and Segregated Settings
Authors: Fenrick Nancy J. , Pearson Mary Ellen , Pepelnjak Jan M.
Published: April 2009

The play, attending, and language of six handicapped preschoolers were compared in integrated and segregated settings. In the integrated settings the six children attended morning Head Start, kindergarten, or daycare/preschool programs for nonhandicapped children, In the segregated setting the six children attended a special education transition classroom consisting of only handicapped children. The analyses of play suggested more sophisticated levels of play in the segregated than in the integrated settings. There were no differences between the two settings in appropriateness of play or in type of interactions. There were also no significant differences in the percentage of attending to teacher-directed learning activities. In addition, the children did not differ in the quality or quantity of their language in the two settings. The implications of the failure to obtain better play attending, and language behaviors in mainstreamed environments are discussed.
Training and Certification for Early Childhood Special Education Personnel: A Six-Year Follow-up Study
Authors: Stile Stephen W , Abernathy Sandra M. , Pettibone Timothy J. , Wachtel William J.
Published: April 2009

A six-year follow-up survey of state, district and U.S. territory certification offices was conducted to determine current requirements for early childhood special education personnel. In addition, the status of known training programs was assessed. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, and Puerto Rico responded. Twenty respondents (20%) reported a separate early childhood special education certification/endorsement, 19 (35%) reported a special education training requirement for early childhood certification/endorsement, and 11 (20%) reported an early childhood training requirement for special education certification/endorsement. A total of 29 different states and the District of Columbia (56%) required some combination of early childhood special education coursework for certification/ endorsement in one or both of these fields. Certification offices in 26 states and the District of Columbia (50%) indicated awareness of at least one formal training program within their stated institutions of higher education.
Teaching Approaches in Programs Serving Preschool Handicapped Children in North Dakota
Authors: Glasser Dell Amy
Published: April 2009

This study examined the nature of programs serving preschool handicapped children in North Dakota, with particular focus on curriculum and instruction. A survey of teachers of preschool handicapped children was completed, covering the topics of population served, teaching approaches, and curricula. Results were obtained from 82% of programs serving such children in the state. The following problems were identified: (a) insufficient services for children under the age of 4; (b) isolation of handicapped preschoolers from their nonhandicapped peers; (c) lack of appropriate assessment procedures; (d) unbalanced curricula (i.e., overemphasis on language with inadequate consideration of social and affective development); and (e) narrow teaching approaches (i.e., deficit orientations with little regard for the importance of play social interactions, or children as active learners). Underscored was the need for programs to move beyond a minimal provision of services to the adoption of refined teaching approaches.
Screening for Otitis Media: Issues and Procedural Recommendations
Authors: Mandell Colleen J. , Johnson Ruth A.
Published: April 2009

Otitis media, a common childhood condition, has a high incidence among young children. Recent research reports link recurrent otitis media with language and learning problems, To prevent later learning problems, it is recommended that otitis media-prone children be treated with appropriate educational and medical procedures. Yet, many children afflicted with recurrent episodes of otitis media fail to be identified due to the widespread use of inappropriate and noncontinuous screening procedures. The components necessary for developing an appropriate screening program to identify young children with recurrent otitis media are identified. Suggestions for developing both periodic and ongoing screening programs are presented.
A Systematic Approach to Institutional Analysis: Applying Crawford and Ostrom’s Grammar
Authors: Basurto Xavier , Kingsley Gordon , McQueen Kelly , Smith Mshadoni , Weible Christopher M.
Published: April 2009

In 1995, Crawford and Ostrom proposed a grammatical syntax for examining institutional statements (i.e., rules, norms, and strategies) as part of the institutional analysis and development framework. This article constitutes the first attempt at applying the grammatical syntax to code institutional statements using two pieces of U.S. legislation. The authors illustrate how the grammatical syntax can serve as a basis for collecting, presenting, and analyzing data in a way that is reliable and conveys valid and substantive meaning for the researcher. The article concludes by describing some implementation challenges and ideas for future theoretical and field research.
Teaching Social Communication
Authors: Ingersoll Brooke R.
Published: April 2009

There are a variety of effective treatments designed for increasing social communication in young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Two such treatments, naturalistic behavioral and developmental, social-pragmatic/relationshipbased interventions, differ in their underlying philosophy yet share many similarities in their implementation. They also exhibit critical differences that may affect their effectiveness with children with ASD. This article provides a discussion of the similarities and differences between these two approaches. Based on this comparison, it recommends new research directions that should lead to the development of more effective social-communication interventions for young children with ASD.
Caregiver or worker
Authors: Tam Sandra H.S.
Published: April 2009

This article examines how young women in community-based young mothers’ housing and employment programmes make job and career decisions while balancing school, work and family responsibilities in Canada. The research reveals that these young women's experiences are not reflected in the current academic and policy discourses about youth transitions and work. The analysis shows how broader social relations of gender and class shape the labour market conditions, caregiving responsibilities and understanding of ‘at risk’ youth through which young women's contradictory experiences of provisioning arise. Provisioning, an expanded notion of work, is used to reveal the dynamics of choice and risk underlying youth, labour and welfare policies and programmes that affect young women's working lives. It is argued that under the current social policy arrangements, ‘at risk’ young women end up making risky choices that effectively reinforce rather than transcend their marginalized status.