bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neuropsychiatric Sequelae of Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury: The Role of Psychostimulants
Authors: Kraus Marilyn F.
Published: May 2005

Objective:

The primary purpose of this article is to review certain neuropsychiatric sequelae of stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI), and the role of the psychostimulants methylphenidate (MPD) and dextroamphetamine (DAMP) in their treatment.

Method:

A general review of the topic is presented. Controlled and uncontrolled studies involving the use of the psychostimulants are discussed. These consist of 11 studies listed with Medline 2000 that deal specifically with stroke or head injury, with the oldest study reviewed dating back to 1984. Studies concerning the use of psychostimulants in the medically or neurologically ill are reviewed to the extent that they are pertinent.

Results:

The current literature consists primarily of uncontrolled case studies. However, these are reviewed and found to suggest a role for the use of the psychostimulants, which is discussed.

Conclusions:

In general, these drugs appear to be a reasonable treatment choice for certain types of mood, behavior, and cognitive symptoms following brain injury. However, it is noted that larger scale controlled studies are needed to adequately assess the clinical usefulness of these drugs.
Modelling Alternative Subsistence Strategies for the Middle Snake River
Authors: Plew Mark G.
Published: May 2005

This article models acquisition costs and nutritional returns for Late Archaic (post-A.D. 1200) peoples of the Middle Snake River. It is an attempt to demonstrate probable deficiencies in the ethnographic record relating to storage for winter consumption and to provide for the generation of hypotheses which may explain diversity in the recent archaeological record. The article proposes three alternative subsistence strategies: relatively sedentary river dwellers who maintain fishing equipment, including weirs, and are the primary exploiters of the riverline resources, particularly anadromous fishes; transhumant groups who rely upon high yield, low cost root crops; and highly mobile groups placing minimal emphasis upon root crops or salmon, electing to pursue large game during winter months. Finally, it is proposed that hunters and gatherers who store for winter prefer high yield resources with low acquisition costs obtainable over extended periods of time.
Trends in Entry-Level Technology, Interpersonal, and Basic Communication Job Skills: 1992–1998
Authors: North Alexa Bryans , Worth William E.
Published: May 2005

This longitudinal study was conducted to identify trends in entry-level technology, interpersonal, and basic communication competencies and skills using entry-level classified newspaper advertisements from ten standard U.S. metropolitan statistical areas. Two competencies and one skill were selected from the “Workplace Know-How's” identified by the 1991 U.S. Department of Labor Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS). Specifically, ads including interpersonal competencies increased for the fourth consecutive year; ads including basic communication skills increased for the second consecutive year. Ads including technology competencies decreased slightly; however, the overall trend for technology remains strong. Therefore, the workplace continues seeking the competencies and skills advocated by the SCANS authors.
The Technical Writer-Readability Formulas and the Nontechnical Reader
Authors: Schenck Eleanor M.
Published: May 2005

This article examines currently popular technical editorial practices in the preparation of communications directed at nontechnical readers. In light of these practices it presents source materials for reviewing readability research on available formulas and procedures, explaining their development, and demonstrating some of the benefits and pitfalls for editors and writers directing technical materials to the nontechnical reader. Concluding, the writer suggests that theoretical readability formula research become part of the corpus of information presented at pre- and in-service training programs for technical writers.
Dying as Social Behavior: Mormon Behavior through Half a Century
Authors: Vernon Glenn M. , Waddell Charles E.
Published: May 2005

Distinction is made between biological, clinical, psychological and social death. In an analysis of death behavior of Mormons for 50 years it was found that their rate is consistently lower than that of the U.S. and Utah. However, it evidences essentially the same change patterns as these two other populations. Although some biases may be operating in the available statistics, Mormons are shown to be responsive to both their church and their society. Mormonism incorporates somewhat distinctive meanings of death and also a strong health code, both of which it is assumed are related to the identified patterns.
The Impact of Gambling on Suicidal Behavior in Louisiana
Authors: Campbell Frank , Simmons Chris , Lester David
Published: May 2005

A study of the sixty-four Louisiana parishes indicated that the per capita spending on lotteries (but not on video poker) and the unemployment rate were associated with changes in the suicide rate from 1989–1990 to 1994–1995. Parishes with higher rates of unemployment and more per capita spending on the lottery had a greater increase in the suicide rate over this period.
Mothers' and Physicians' Sources of Information on Infant Feeding: Relation to Nutrition Knowledge and Attitudes
Authors: Morse Winifred , Sims Laura S.
Published: May 2005

A survey was conducted with 148 women patients (131 first-time mothers and 17 pregnant women) of ten physicians to determine their channels of information and specific sources within each channel on infant feeding and to examine where they receive their information in relation to their level of nutrition knowledge and selected nutrition-related attitudes and beliefs. It was shown that physicians are frequently used as a source of information on infant nutrition, but are not the women's primary source. Several information channels (formal, media, professional, and interpersonal) and different sources within each channel were used according to the type of information needed. Specific channels of nutrition information were related to whether the mothers breast-fed or bottle-fed their infants, their nutrition knowledge score, and to certain attitudes about nutrition and health.
Stress Encountered by Significant others of Cancer Patients Receiving Chemotherapy
Authors: Hart Kay
Published: May 2005

This study was directed toward identifying and describing the perceived stress and coping responses of family and nonfamily significant others of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Identification of the similarities and differences among the responses given by family and nonfamily significant others was one of the primary purposes of this research. Using an exploratory research design, the investigator conducted structured interviews with one family and one nonfamily significant other identified in earlier interviews with twenty-five cancer patients receiving chemotherapy in ambulatory care settings. Significant others were asked to identify stressful events related to treatment factors, relationship factors, and perception of the patient's condition. Reported coping responses to events perceived as stressful were categorized into those behaviors that reduced or eliminated the stressful event or those that altered the appraisal of the event without changing the event itself. Statistical analyses revealed 1) no significant difference between the level of stress was expressed by family and nonfamily significant others; 2) significantly higher levels of stress were reported by female family members when compared to male family members; 3) significant others who had previous experience coping with cancer of a loved one reported higher levels of stress than persons without previous experience; 4) nonfamily members reported significantly higher levels of stress when the cancer patient lived with family; and 5) no relationship was demonstrated between level of stress and time since diagnosis of cancer.
An Analysis of the Effects of Self-Esteem, Social Support, and Participation in Student Support Services on Students' Adjustment and Commitment to College
Authors: Grant-Vallone Elisa , Reid Kelly , Umali Christine , Pohlert Edward
Published: May 2005

Universities are becoming increasingly concerned with ways to increase retention rates, student success in college, and comfort level on campus for demographically underrepresented and first-generation college students. Although there are many approaches for helping students' transition to a university, one important intervention strategy is to increase supportive relationships on campus through counseling and support services. Specifically, by providing academic and social support services, through programs like Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), Academic Support Program for Intellectual Rewards and Enhancement (A.S.P.I.R.E.), and Faculty Mentoring Program (FMP), students are able to develop significant relationships with others and in turn feel more integrated into campus life. Survey data were collected from 118 college students to examine the relationship between self-esteem, family support, peer support, and program utilization and academic and social adjustment and college commitment. Results indicated that students who reported higher levels of self-esteem and more peer support had better academic and social adjustment. In addition, students who more frequently utilized student support services and counseling reported higher social adjustment. Finally, students who were better adjusted to campus life were more likely to be committed to the goal of a college degree and more committed to their university.
An Analysis of the Role of Health Care in Reducing Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health: The Case of the Netherlands
Authors: MaCkenbach Johan P.
Published: May 2005

The aim of this article is to analyze the role of the health care system in reducing socioeconomic inequalities in health in countries with good access to health services, using the Dutch example. In the past, health care has contributed substantially to reducing a number of health problems in the population, particularly health problems leading to mortality. Data on trends in mortality from selected conditions by socioeconomic group show that both higher and lower socioeconomic groups have profited from these mortality reductions, probably because of largely equal access to essential health care services, and that absolute inequalities in mortality from these conditions have declined notably. The current situation is still one of largely equal financial access to health care services, with relatively small differences between socioeconomic groups in health care utilization, after adjustment for differences in prevalence of health problems. There is no evidence that inequalities in health care utilization contribute to a widening of socioeconomic inequalities in health. Financing of the health care system, however, is slightly regressive, and out-of-pocket payments contribute to the poor financial situation of the chronically ill. For the future, three possible contributions of the health care system to reducing socioeconomic inequalities in health are described: preservation of equal access to high-quality health care; development of specific care packages for lower socioeconomic groups; promotion and support of intersectoral activities.
Effects of Cortical Lesion Location on Psychiatric Consultation Referral for Depressed Stroke Inpatients
Authors: Rosse Richard B. , Ciolino Charles P.
Published: May 2005

Although post-stroke depression occurs with lesions to either cortical hemisphere, increasing evidence supports the view that depression is more prevalent after left hemispheric damage. This retrospective study of depressed post-stroke inpatients referred for psychiatric consultation shows a significantly higher referral rate for patients with right-hemispheric lesions. The results suggest an underutilization of psychiatric consultation to patients with left-sided lesions, and perhaps underrecognition of affective disorders in these patients. Various reasons for this underutilization are proposed, including the greater likelihood of speech impairment in left-sided brain-damaged stroke patients, who may have greater difficulty verbally communicating their psychic distress. Increased physician awareness of the clinical presentations of post-stroke depression will result in more patients benefitting from available treatments.
Predicting Retention from Students' Experiences with College Processes
Authors: Heverly Mary Ann
Published: May 2005

Over the past decade, retention was studied at this college by a variety of methods. Although valuable information resulted from these studies, a major limitation has been the difficulty in identifying specific, focused changes in college processes that have “leverage,” that is, high potential for having an impact on retention patterns. A prospective study of students was conducted. Data was gathered shortly after students' encounters with key college processes in order to determine which components of those processes predict student retention. The results identified a small set of process characteristics (both administrative and instructional) that differentiated between returning and nonreturning students.
An Analysis of the Impact of Microcomputers on the Secondary Special Education Classroom Ecology
Authors: Rieth Herbert , Bahr Christine , Okolo Cynthia , Polsgrove Lewis , Eckert Robert
Published: May 2005

The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of microcomputers on the ecology of secondary special education classrooms. Observational data were collected in twenty-six secondary school special education classes located in an urban midwestern school system. The data indicated that despite the ready availability of computers, only approximately 60 percent of the teachers chose to use them for instruction and they were in use only 25.3 percent of the time. The infrequent use was attributed to the lack of appropriate software, logistical problems in scheduling the microcomputer, and lack of training and support for teachers. The use of microcomputers was found to be related to increased student active engagement and decreased off-task behaviors. Unfortunately, teachers who used computers spent less time engaged in direct instructional activities and did not integrate the computer-based instruction with the teacher-based instruction.
Bracketing and Stabilization: Interventative Steps in Counseling the Suicidal Client
Authors: Spero Moshe Halevi
Published: May 2005

After a brief review of the descriptive literature on crisis theory, the author suggests that its stress on the rapid establishment of “cognitive re-structuring” of a client's perceptions is inappropriate for work with many types of suicidal clients. A discussion of the pathological nature of suicide follows which indicates the generally poor or defensive ego-functioning level of suicidal clients at the moment of initial crisis contact. Bracketing and stabilization are suggested as alternative means by which to rapidly effect an increased client ability to get a grasp on own orientations and perspectives of need and time. Stress on client's ability to control is also seen as an important initial counseling step. People upon whom this theory is based are adolescents yet it could apply to adults as well.
Bridging the Digital Divide in Public Schools
Authors: Garland Virginia E. , Wotton Sara E.
Published: May 2005

Most American public schools and the communities that fund them are finding it increasingly difficult to keep pace with the new wave of technology. Unfortunately, the “digital divide” between the “haves” and the “have nots” is widening. While some well-financed suburban schools have installed “wireless” computers and have trained teachers to use the new technologies, poorer urban and rural schools are lagging behind with outdated computers and insufficient Internet access. This gap has serious negative consequences for the future of the next generation. Those students from urban and rural working class families, largely racial and ethnic minorities, will be unable to compete with their wealthier, better educated, and more technologically advanced peers in the global marketplace. The purpose of this comparative analysis is to discover the causes of this “digital divide” between public schools and to recommend solutions to the inequities in students' access to technological innovations.
Small Farmers' Habits of Reading Agricultural Extension Publications: The Case of Moshav Farmers in Israel
Authors: Blum Abraham , Azencot Moshe
Published: May 2005

With the personnel cutback in agricultural extension services at a time when farmers need to receive more agro-technical information than ever, the need for efficient written communication channels between extension and farmers grows. This is especially true for small farmers, like those living in Moshavim, in Israel. A representative sample of 171 farmers were interviewed. They had quite good reading habits and fewer reading problems than could be expected. Farmers also made good use of the extension publications which they received. The main problems encountered were a weak distribution system and the necessity for authors of extension pamphlets and brochures to consider more the special needs of small farmers. The findings in this study reinforce earlier data from other countries on the potential (and actual) value of written communication as an agricultural extension tool.
Animation with Power Point: A Fog Cutter
Authors: Schultz William C.
Published: May 2005

This article demonstrates how to take a traditional approach to the development of a lesson in a management science course and replace it with an approach that takes advantage of course technology available today. The traditional approach contains elements that are hard to present to students. The new approach takes advantage of presentation software. Examples, selected from presentations for a management science course at Buffalo State College, feature use of animation techniques that were developed with Power Point. Use of this animation technique in Power Point presentations offers a very sharp tool for cutting through the often foggy, dull, and at times even boring details of the mathematical analysis associated with management science and decision theory. Animation offers a dramatic and exciting contrast to the alternative of scanning through several pages of printed graphs or tables in a textbook.
Time Perspective, Mood Disturbance, and Suicide Liberation
Authors: Lennings C.J.
Published: May 2005

Time perspective has been viewed as having important but subtle effects on cognition, mood and behavior. Previous research has suggested that the dimensions of extension and temporal attitude may be important as regards predicting suicide ideation or attempts. The manner in which people construct their future may have important ramifications for beliefs about the importance of life. Temporal attitude, of all the dimensions of time perspective, appears to be most important in this regard. Other research has suggested that both depression, and, to a lesser extent, impulsivity may also be important predictor variables for suicide ideation. In this study 238 university students and 159 senior high school students were assessed on a variety of temporal and personality measures. It was found that temporal extension, temporal attitude and impulsivity had comparatively little effect on suicide ideation after the effects of mood disturbance were controlled. However, negative temporal attitudes appeared to have significant impact on suicide ideation when depression was ignored and a highly significant impact on mood disturbance, suggesting that its relevance for the prediction of suicide is primarily through its effect on depression.
Physicians for a National Health Program
Authors: Woolhandler Steffie , Himmelstein David U.
Published: May 2005

A new organization called Physician's for a National Health Program (PNHP) is mobilizing physician support for a universal, comprehensive public system of health care for the United States. Recent changes in power relations within medicine (the so-called proletarianization of physicians) are prodding many physicians to abandon their traditional reactionary role in health policy. PNHP is working with elderly, labor, community, and health care activist groups to put a national health program (NHP) back on the U.S. health policy agenda. In this article, five key features of an NHP needed to simultaneously assure access, control costs, and minimize bureaucracy are noted.
Ethnic Differences in Perceptions, Preparations and Rituals Regarding Death in Singapore
Authors: Mehta Kalyani
Published: May 2005

The Study Of Ethnic Interpretations Of Death Paves The Way For A Deeper Understanding Of The Psychosocial And Behavioral Patterns Of Aging. Using A Qualitative Methodology, multiple long interviews were conducted with forty-five non-institutionalized very old Singaporeans (between 70 to 84 years) regarding their life story, attitudes and beliefs, health, family, and community involvement. The three ethnic groups captured were the Chinese, Malays, and Indians. There were similarities as well as differences across the ethnic group in terms of perceptions and preparations for death. Generally, the majority were more concerned with the manner of death than death itself. In terms of preparation for death, the Chinese had more pragmatic strategies than the Malays and Indians. In their old age, the Malays focused on retribution for past sins while the Indians underscored building of good Karma and spiritual upliftment. Understanding the nuances of ethnocultural perceptions and preparation for death provides added value to counselling for older adults and the terminally ill.
Critical Public Health Problems Perceived by Urban Chinese Health Workers
Authors: Li Virginia Cheng
Published: May 2005

This study surveyed a cross section of urban Chinese health workers' perception of problems, needs and priorities in health care delivery. Eleven categories of problems were identified by the health workers. When asked to prioritize what they perceived as critical public health problems in China, more respondents (25.9%) cited family planning and maternal child health as the most critical problem. However, in terms of response frequency, family planning and maternal child health ranked fifth (10.7%) behind disease prevention (18.4%), health education of the public (15.4%), health services administration (13.1%), and environmental health (12.1%). Other critical problems identified were medical education (10.0%). industrial health (5.3%), research (4.5%), nutrition and food sanitation (4.5%), young adults (3.6%), and the elderly (3.6%). Apparently, family planning is perceived as the most critical societal health problem affecting the welfare of the state, but heart disease, cancer, dysentery, hepatitis, and others were perceived as personal health problems critical to the individual and the public. The delineation suggests a distinction of state versus individual priorities. The Chinese health workers saw solutions to these critical problems more often in combined measures of health education, policy regulation, and medical care, than in single measures. They recognized the importance of an enlightened public and felt that educating the public must undergrid all health measures to reach the goal of Health for All by the Year 2000.
Health Organization in the European Economic Community
Authors: Quaethoven P.
Published: May 2005

This bibliography includes over forty publications, divided into five groups: (1) general; (2) costs; (3) social security; (4) professional staff; and (5) national health care. The first group includes comparative analyses dealing with either the European Economic Community as a whole or some EEC countries. The section on costs covers only two articles, indicating the lack of publications in this field. Special attention has been given to social security as one of the major issues of health organization in Europe. The free movement of persons, services, and capital is one of the most difficult problems in the European Economic Community. Professional staff therefore has been listed as a specific topic. Finally, a few studies dealing with problems of national health care are included.

Both books and articles are included. With a few exceptions, the books were published after 1965, the articles after 1969. Each book or article deals with at least one EEC country. Books precede journal articles in the bibliography. Hospital Abstracts (London), Informationsdienst Krankenhauswesen (Dusseldorf and Berlin), and Health Economics (Amsterdam) have been used.
Correlates of Willingness to Die for One's Religion and One's Country in American and Filipino Populations
Authors: Reimer Wilbert L.
Published: May 2005

A population of 780 Filipinos and 398 Americans were compared across cultural and religious groups on variables of willingness to die for one's religious beliefs and willingness to die for one's country. A significantly higher percentage of Filipinos as compared to American respondents acknowledged their willingness to die for their religious beliefs and for their country. Death anxiety and death depression had a significant negative correlation with willingness to die for one's religious beliefs in the American Protestant group but not for the American Catholics or Filipinos. For Americans being male correlated significantly with their willingness to die for their country. For Protestants religious variables related to strength of attachment to their belief system were highly correlated with willingness to die for their religious beliefs but not with their willingness to die for their country. Willingness to die appears specifically related to a belief or social group. Belief in an afterlife is one variable that showed a relatively consistent relationship between the questions of willingness to die for one's religion and willingness to die for one's country.
Racial Ideology and Explanations for Health Inequalities among Middle-Class Whites
Authors: Muntaner Carles , Nagoshi Craig , Diala Chamberlain
Published: May 2005

Middle-class whites' explanations for racial inequalities in health can have a profound impact on the type of questions addressed in epidemiology and public health research. These explanations also constitute a subset of white racial ideology (i.e., racism) that in itself powerfully affects the health of non-whites. This study begins to examine the nature of attributions for racial inequalities in health among university students who by definition are likely to be involved in the research, policy, and service professions (the upper middle class). Investigation of the degree to which middle-class whites attribute racial inequalities in cardiovascular health (between themselves and African Americans, American Indians, or Asian Americans) to biological, social, or lifestyle factors reveals that whites tend to attribute their own health to lifestyle choice and to biology rather than to social factors. These results suggest that contemporary middle-class whites' “self-serving” explanations for racial inequalities in health are comprised of two beliefs: implicit biologism (race is an attribute of organisms rather than a social relation) and liberal belief in self-determination, choice, and individual responsibility—some of the core lay beliefs of the worldview that sustains neoliberal capitalism. Contemporary white middle-class explanations for racial inequalities in health appear to include assumptions that justify class inequality. Liberal approaches to racism in public health are bound to miss a key component of racial ideology that is currently used to justify racial and class inequalities.
Psychotherapy of a Suicidal, Terminal Cancer Patient
Authors: Leigh Hoyle
Published: May 2005

Psychotherapy of a terminal cancel patient who had attempted suicide is described. The suicidal attempt occurred when she was unable to ventilate her sad feelings to either her doctors or family. Immediately after the suicidal attempt, psychotherapy while on the medical floor opened a channel of communication between the patient and the psychiatrist, resulting in a trusting relationship. Second phase, outpatient therapy, was characterized by the patient's insistence to find psychologic meanings of her illness, in addition to dealing with feelings of jealousy regarding healthy acquaintances and mourning over her health and youth. By identifying the cancer as an introjected bad mother, she began to see it as an alien object, thus gaining a sense of psychological control. The final phase was characterized by increasing signs of metastases and increasing efforts on her part to “psychologize” the illness, without neglecting medical treatment. There were few signs of “acceptance” of death in this patient who was once suicidal. Some terminal cancer patients can use exploratory psychotherapy to make remaining life more gratifying. This presupposes a close collaboration between the psychiatrist, oncologist, and the patient's family.
PRIME-MD: Its Utility in Detecting Mental Disorders in American Indians
Authors: Parker Tassy , May Philip A. , Maviglia Marcello A. , Petrakis Steven , Sunde Scott , Gloyd Susan V.
Published: May 2005

Objective:

To examine the utility of using PRIME-MD (Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders) for diagnosing mental disorders in American Indians.

Method:

One hundred randomly selected, adult, American-Indian patients who receive health care services at an urban Indian Health Service primary care clinic were evaluated for mental disorder by three primary care physicians using the PRIME-MD diagnostic assessment procedure. The main outcome measures were PRIME-MD diagnoses, diagnoses by an independent mental health professional, and treatment/referral decisions.

Results:

Eighteen percent of the patients had a threshold (met full DSM-IV criteria) PRIME-MD diagnosis, and an additional 17 percent had a subthreshold PRIME-MD diagnosis. The most frequently occurring PRIME-MD diagnoses were: probable alcohol abuse/dependence, major depressive disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. Over 60 percent of the patients with a PRIME-MD diagnosis who were known “somewhat” or “fairly well” to their physician had not been recognized as having that psychiatric disorder prior to the PRIME-MD assessment. Therapy and/or referral was initiated for nineteen of the twenty-seven patients with a PRIME-MD diagnosis who were not previously receiving treatment. The primary care physicians were able to complete the PRIME-MD evaluations within an average of 7.8 minutes. There was a fair agreement between the PRIME-MD diagnoses and the diagnoses of the mental health professional (kappa = 0.56; overall accuracy rate = 79%).

Conclusions:

The present study represents the first formal examination of the use of PRIME-MD with American Indians. The results are encouraging. Further studies using PRIME-MD with other urban groups and reservation populations are recommended.
Word Processing: Two Ethical Concerns
Authors: Jobst Jack
Published: May 2005

The technological marvel of word processing should greatly improve teaching effectiveness in the writing class, but this beneficial technology also brings its potential dark side: unethical activity, from plagiarism to the manipulation of a writer's words and, potentially, thoughts. Naive computer users may view the machine as a passive provider of electronic games, not realizing its potential for questionable activities. Teachers and business professionals must become aware of how this technological marvel could be misused.
The Film Experience as Cognitive Structure
Authors: Carroll John M.
Published: May 2005

A structural analysis of film can make good on the traditional “film is language” metaphor in several ways. As a linguistic grammar formally partitions the world into sentential and nonsentential objects, a structural theory of film partitions the world into those objects that are narrative film scenes and those that are not. Additionally, it is argued, such an analysis offers substantive foundation for descriptions of structural relations between film scenes, the organization of film perception, the film as an aspect of human symbolic capacity, and of film aesthetics.
Commentary: Sexism, Sex Stereotyping, and the Technical Writer
Authors: Veiga Nancy E.
Published: May 2005

This article discusses the impact of possible sex-based differences in communication styles on the technical writer's job. Linguistic research proposes a male and female style of communication. While it is helpful to acknowledge possible differences in communication styles, technical writers must be concerned with the moral and legal implications of sex stereotyping. To explore these issues, the article discusses what it is technical writers do, and who they interact with on a daily basis. It then reviews linguistic research, and linguistic folklore. Finally, the article determines that technical writers can choose to use both male and female traits to acknowledge multiple audiences, and improve the quality of their documents.
‘Gold Standard’ for Remediation of WTC Contamination
Authors: Newman David ,   Technical Working Group
Published: May 2005

The events of September 11, 2001 and thereafter resulted in arguably the worst environmental disaster in the history of New York City. Particulate matter and combustion by-products containing asbestos, lead, mercury, dioxin, PAHs, and other toxic substances, not only affected rescue and recovery workers but also infiltrated thousands of residences and workplaces. Government agencies did not acknowledge responsibility for residential indoor environmental quality until eight months later, and still have not accepted responsibility for indoor environmental quality in commercial or government buildings. In May 2002, 200 representatives from 38 community, labor, environmental, and public health organizations met to discuss unmet post-9/11 public health needs. They established a technical working group to press the Environmental Protection Agency to expand and improve its proposals for the cleanup of Lower Manhattan. This 2002 document, “The ‘Gold Standard’ for Remediation of WTC Contamination,” articulates the environmental health concerns and suggestions of grassroots organizations active in 9/11 response efforts at that time.
The Recent History of Parasitic Disease in China: The Case of Schistosomiasis, Some Public Health and Economic Aspects
Authors: Andreano Ralph L.
Published: May 2005

This paper examines the extent to which the prevalence of schistosomiasis may have increased during the period 1958–1964. Certain hypotheses are examined, mainly dealing with irrigation and water conservancy construction. The probable economic and demographic effects of schistosomiasis are also examined. The article concludes that schistosomiasis prevalence probably did increase, but that the economic-demographic effects of this were probably minimal.
Theory and Action for Effective Condom Promotion: Illustrations from a Behavior Intervention Project for Sex Workers in Singapore
Authors: Wong Mee Lian , Chan Roy , Koh David , Wong Christina Misa
Published: May 2005

Acquired immunodeficiency virus (AIDS) and sexually transmitted diseases (STD) control programs targeted at sex workers have focused on condom use. Reasons for non-condom use among female brothel-based sex workers in Singapore were found to be low self-efficacy, lack of condom negotiation skills, and barriers such as fear of annoying clients. Green's PRECEDE framework and Bandura's self-efficacy theory were applied to develop a project aimed at equipping sex workers with negotiation skills, overcoming barriers to condom use, and gathering support from brothel keepers and peers. The experimental group showed significant improvements in negotiation skills and outcome behavior of always refusing sex without a condom, that were supported by a decline in gonorrhea incidence. This article describes the application of behavior change and health education theories to achieve reduction in gonorrhea risk.
The Politics of Alzheimer's Disease: A Case Study in Apocalyptic Demography
Authors: Robertson Ann
Published: May 2005

Catastrophic projections of the burden to society of an increasing aging population abound. The prevailing belief is that an increasing dependent aging population means increasing demands on the resources of society, including health care resources, in the face of competing interests and diminishing, or at best finite, resources. But how justified is this “apocalyptic demography”? This article presents one challenge to the apocalyptic scenario by considering the politics surrounding the most publicized, although not the most prevalent, disease of elders: Alzheimer's disease. The recent emergence of Alzheimer's disease as the “fourth or fifth leading cause of adult deaths” is critically examined, and the evidence for the social construction of Alzheimer's disease in terms of the “biomedicalization of aging” discussed. The author considers that it is, in part, the response of the health care system (as it is currently constituted) to changes in demography and disease distribution—and not, as is commonly asserted, the numbers of elders or their increasing “morbidity”—that drives up health care costs.
The Impact of Cancer on the Family: An Overview
Authors: Northouse Laurel
Published: May 2005

Although trends in health care point to the increasing involvement of the family in caring for the ill family member, little attention has been directed toward the needs of other healthy family members or the impact that cancer has on their lives. In this article, literature on the impact of cancer on the family will be reviewed and specific problems that family members confront over the course of the patient's illness will be identified. During the initial phase of cancer family members feel excluded from care, have difficulty communicating with staff and experience considerable emotional tension. In the adaptation phase family members have problems with lifestyle changes, meeting the needs of well family members and living with uncertainty. In the terminal phase family members experience role strain, communication problems on the subject of death and feelings of loss. Intervention strategies that have been used to assist family members to cope with the cancer experience are also reviewed. Finally, how past research on this topic has suffered from methodological problems, such as using a single spokesperson for the whole family, relying on subjects' long term recall and using only one data collection period for multiphase questions will be discussed. Directions for additional research are suggested.
The Stream of Consciousness: V. William James's Change of View
Authors: Natsoulas Thomas
Published: May 2005

This is the fifth in a series of articles that compile and critically spell out what is known or knowledgeably held about the stream of consciousness. Discussed here are two aspects of James's conception: 1) the kind of mental-occurrence instance that is the stream's basic durational component, and 2) the change in James's explicit account of the temporal structure of the stream, from The Principles to his later understanding. James's stream consists of “consciousnesses” (“states of consciousness”) as defined in the second half of the OED's fourth entry for consciousness. All such components of the stream are conscious: that is, actual or potential objects of inner apprehension. James had held that the consciousnesses constituting the stream are not distinct occurrences, being phases, rather, of a single protracted process that goes on, except for “time gaps” when all mentality stops. However, he argued later that the stream consists of adjacent drops of experience with nothing in between them.
Nonprescription Drugs: An Overview
Authors: Hodes Benjamin
Published: May 2005

This article discusses a widely used class of medicinal agents—nonprescription drugs. The pertinent legislation affecting nonprescription drugs is reviewed historically, followed by a discussion of recent federal regulatory actions, especially those of the review panels convened by the United States Food and Drug Administration. The problems associated with nonprescription drugs are considered from the viewpoints of the health practitioner, the consumer, and the federal regulatory agency, taking into account such concerns as drug interactions, adverse drug reactions, overuse, and deceptive advertising. Finally, some problems in the assessment of the safety and efficacy of nonprescription drugs are discussed.
The Criteria Used to Judge Art: Marketplace and Academic Comparisons
Authors: Lindauer Martin S. , Long Doreen A.
Published: May 2005

The standards by which art is evaluated may be universal (agreed to by judges with different or no backgrounds in art) or relative (dependent on who is doing the judging). The issue of universalism/relativism was reviewed, along with the related issue of what criteria are used to judge art. Both scholarly and scientific resources were summarized. To test for the influence of different occupational roles on judgments about art, a survey was conducted among fourteen academics and seventeen business people in the arts. They rated, on mailed questionnaires, the importance of twenty criteria for judging art. Similarities between the two groups' ratings and among the criteria were the rule. Interviews supported these results. The criteria, though, differed in the magnitude of their importance. The consistency with which aesthetic criteria were judged favored the universal position.
Impact of Two Social-Cognitive Interventions to Prevent Adolescent Substance Use: Test of an Amenability to Treatment Model
Authors: Snow David L. , Tebes Jacob Kraemer , Ayers Tim S.
Published: May 2005

An amenability to treatment model stipulates that interventions may be differentially effective for subgroups of individuals with similar characteristics. Using such a model, the present study tests the impact of two social-cognitive interventions implemented in the sixth (Intervention I) and eighth/ninth (Intervention II) grades on students' skill acquisition and on their ninth and tenth grade substance use. A randomized factorial design was used to examine main and interaction effects within the context of student family household status and gender. Positive program effects were found for Intervention II on skill acquisition and overall drug involvement. Interaction effects of Intervention II x Family Household Status provided support for the amenability to treatment model, but no support for the model was observed based on student gender. Possible explanations for the study findings are presented and future research directions are proposed to address why differences emerge in amenability to intervention and why such differences occur for specific subgroups.
The Hundred Days of Sara Mata: Explaining Unnatural Death in Vanuatu
Authors: Rodman Margaret , Rodman William
Published: May 2005

Who or what killed Sara Mata? During the hundred days of mourning that followed the young woman's “unnatural” death, residents of Aoba, an island in Vanuatu, sought to discover the cause of Sara's death. Alternative local explanations of the death highlight the ambiguity that characterizes Aoban beliefs about people's ability to cause death by supernatural means. We show the conventional anthropological categories of poison, sorcery, and witchcraft may misrepresent the dynamic complexity of such indigenous beliefs. Finally, we discuss a process of change in Aoban ideas concerning unnatural death, a shift from a belief in sorcery to a belief in self-destruction by supernatural means. The possibility that a society can “rewrite” a transitive process of sorcery into a reflexive mode raises new questions about the theoretical relations between witchcraft, sorcery, and structural principles of society.
Cadaver Use and Coping Mechanisms in a Biomechanics Laboratory
Authors: Fleischmann Kenneth R.
Published: May 2005

Although many studies have focused on emotional anxiety related to cadaver use in medical school gross anatomy laboratories and disaster relief settings, this study breaks new ground by investigating coping mechanisms employed by members of a research laboratory where cadaver use is common. This setting differs from those of other studies insofar as cadaver use is a common occurrence over an extended period of time, the laboratory is composed of engineers and computer programmers as well as medically trained individuals, and cadaver parts, rather than whole cadavers, are used in the studies. In this article, coping mechanisms are qualitatively described and then related to differences between this laboratory setting and the settings of previous studies on coping mechanisms related to cadaver use.
Crimes against Art: Social Meanings and Symbolic Attacks
Authors: Fine Gary Alan , Shatin Deborah
Published: May 2005

Modern society has learned to its regret that terrorists can effectively grab headlines and focus public discourse by well-timed attacks against symbols of the state. Assassinations, random acts of violence, and attacks on publicly valued artifacts can be used to publicize an attacker's grievance—whether real or imagined. Since control over the meaning of such a visible attack is a valued asset, both the attacker and the guardians of public order attempt to construct persuasive explanations of what has occurred. Such explanations are typically presented through press accounts and, when effective, constitute a suitable motive for a dramatic story. In this article we examine one class of these attacks and the explanations for them: that of “crimes against art”—physical attacks on prominent works of art. We draw material from four attacks on art works: the 1914 hacking of Velázquez's “Rokeby Venus;” the 1972 hammer attack on Michelangelo's “Pietà;” the 1975 slashing of Rembrandt's “The Night Watch;” and the 1978 bombing of Versailles Palace. We examine these acts of destruction in the light of the conflicting explanations used by both the perpetrators and societal guardians as attempts to control symbolic meaning. The authorities (public officials, reporters, and editorial writers) describe perpetrators as insane, whereas the actors themselves, despite differing perspectives, attempt to convince others that their actions were rational and socially significant. Surprisingly, in light of the evident cultural importance of these acts, courts typically have given light punishment to perpetrators when the act is legally defined as occurring within an art world. These “heinous crimes” are acts which, because of the symbolic richness of the act and of the target, can be used to establish a view of the world, and have parallels to other types of symbolic violence.
Developing Business Policy Skills: A Report on Alternatives
Authors: Pearce John A.
Published: May 2005

The reported empirical research results support the subjective opinions of practioneers and educators that both computer simulation gaming and case analysis pedagogies can be used successfully in the development of skills in business policy formulation.

Groups of policy trained business administration college seniors participated in an interactive, incident-style exercise which determined the emphasis they placed on key considerations in the process of policy formulation.

The results indicate that the game-trained students' emphasis on the considerations was significantly greater than that of a control group, which stressed relatively trivial factors, and not significantly different from that of students trained by the more widely appreciated case analysis method.