bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Determinants of Tourism Destination Competitiveness in Asia Pacific: Comprehensiveness and Universality
Authors: Enright Michael J. , Newton James
Published: April 2005

Recent conceptual work on tourism destination competitiveness has proposed a comprehensive approach that adds industry-level competitiveness attributes to more conventional tourism destination attributes. This study builds on these ideas by generating sets of both attributes, developing a methodology for assessing their relative importance and examining the degree to which their relative importance varies across locations. Survey data were gathered from tourism industry practitioners in three closely competing destinations in Asia Pacific and were subjected to statistical testing. The results provide strong empirical support for the inclusion of both industry-level and destination attributes in studies of tourism competitiveness. The results also question approaches to competitiveness that assume that the relative importance of attributes is common across locations, suggesting, rather, that the importance of competitiveness attributes may vary across locations, depending on product mix and target market segments, especially in complex, multifaceted industries such as tourism.
Innovations in Measuring Economic Impacts of Regional Festivals: A Do-It-Yourself Kit
Authors: Jackson Julie , Houghton Meg , Russell Roslyn , Triandos Petra
Published: April 2005

Festivals and events are increasingly important to the tourism industry, especially in regional areas, where the possible sources of gross regional product are more limited than in metropolitan areas. In recognition of the potential economic contribution of arts festivals and other special events to regional economies, there is a need for a rigorous and replicable model/methodology for assessing such impacts. A project initiated in the state of Victoria, Australia, by Arts Victoria, constituting the development of a software tool, the Festivals Do-it-Yourself (DIY) kit, enables regional event organizers to assess the economic impact of their events to the region simply and relatively inexpensively. As well as providing information to the festival organizers, the results for festivals are able to be compared by external sponsors and stakeholders. A key to the successful application of the kit was the dissemination project discussed in this article. Preliminary results from the use of the DIY kit and reactions of some users are also presented.
Casting Off
Authors: Yarnal Careen Mackay , Kerstetter Deborah
Published: April 2005

Growth in tourism during the past 20 years means more people are using physical spaces away from home for vacation. Yet research on vacation spaces is noticeably absent. Focusing on a cruise ship, the primary purpose of this article is to draw attention to how social interaction in a group vacation context intersects with vacation experiences. A secondary purpose is to introduce space and how it can extend thinking about the role that tourism spaces play in the development of social interaction. The results indicate that individuals use cruise ships to feel at ease and comfortable with themselves, as well as in control and liberated. They also develop social interactions during a cruise and make “playful” spaces on the cruise ship. Using these themes, the authors highlight limitations in current conceptualizations of tourism behavior. The authors also suggest how cruise lines might use the study to create more meaningful passenger experiences.
Analyzing the Behavioral Trends in Tourist Arrivals from Japan to Australia
Authors: Lim Christine , McAleer Michael
Published: April 2005

As tourism forecasts are obtained based on past observations, an historical analysis of Japan’s postwar economic success, social factors, and the national government’s institutional policies and reforms can help to provide a better understanding of the growth in Japanese outbound travel and the trending patterns in Japanese tourist arrivals to Australia. To achieve these aims, a statistical analysis of the time series behavior of tourism demand, specifically quarterly tourist arrivals from Japan to Australia from 1976 to 2000, are examined. In addition to analyzing the full sample, the authors also consider three subsamples, namely quarter 1 of 1976 to quarter 2 of 1987, quarter 3 of 1987 to quarter 2 of 1997, and quarter 3 of 1997 to quarter 2 of 2000, to evaluate the sensitivity of the estimates to changes in trends arising from the 1987 stock market crash and the Asian economic and financial crises in 1997. Autoregressive moving average time series models are estimated to analyze alternative patterns of trending behavior within this class of models.
Applying a Weighted Maximum Likelihood Latent Trait Estimator to the Generalized Partial Credit Model
Authors: Penfield Randall D. , Bergeron Jennifer M.
Published: April 2005

This article applies a weighted maximum likelihood (WML) latent trait estimator to the generalized partial credit model (GPCM). The relevant equations required to obtain the WML estimator using the Newton-Raphson algorithm are presented, and a simulation study is described that compared the properties of the WML estimator to those of the maximum likelihood (ML) and expected a posteriori (EAP) estimators for fixed-length tests composed of polytomous items. The results of the simulation study suggest that the WML estimator maintains better properties than both the ML and EAP estimators.
A Randomized Experiment to Compare Conventional, Computerized, and Computerized Adaptive Administration of Ordinal Polytomous Attitude Items
Authors: Hol A. Michiel , Vorst Harrie C. M. , Mellenbergh Gideon J.
Published: April 2005

A total of 520 high school students were randomly assigned to a paper-and-pencil test (PPT), a computerized standard test (CST), or a computerized adaptive test (CAT) version of the Dutch School Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ), consisting of ordinal polytomous items. The CST administered items in the same order as the PPT. The CAT administered all items of three SAQ subscales in adaptive order using Samejima’s graded response model, so that six different stopping rule settings could be applied afterwards. School marks were used as external criteria. Results showed significant but small multivariate administration mode effects on conventional raw scores and small to medium effects on maximum likelihood latent trait estimates. When the precision of CAT latent trait estimates decreased, correlations with grade point average in general decreased. However, the magnitude of the decrease was not very large as compared to the PPT, the CST, and the CAT without the stopping rule.
The Consensual Norm on the High Court of Australia: 1904-2001
Authors: Narayan Paresh Kumar , Smyth Russell
Published: April 2005

This article applies cointegration and error-correction testing to re-examine Smyth’s (2002) conclusion that there is no consensual norm on the High Court of Australia (High Court). While Smyth (2002) concluded there was no consensual norm on the High Court using data up to 1975, we find that dissenting opinions and concurring opinions on the High Court are cointegrated once Smyth’s (2002) dataset is updated to 2001. In Smyth (2002) it was suggested that a consensual norm never emerged on the High Court because the institutional arrangements were hostile to building consensus. This entails defining “consensual norm” to mean a norm where there is a high level of consensus. But, this interpretation of how the term “consensual norm” was used in Caldeira and Zorn (1998) is incorrect. Instead Caldeira and Zorn (1998) use the term consensual norm to refer to a prevailing norm where there is some level of consensus, which could be either high or low. We offer an explanation for our findings in this article which is consistent with this reading of Caldeira and Zorn (1998). In light of the long tradition of seriatim opinion writing on the High Court, we interpret our findings as being consistent with the existence of a low consensus equilibrium, at least relative to the US Supreme Court before the 1940s.
Toward a Hegemonic Resolution in the Banana Trade
Authors: Frundt Henry J.
Published: April 2005

Free and fair trade can assume various meanings, depending on who defines the terms. This study draws on the Gramscian notion of hegemony to link meaning and social structure. Taking bananas as a test case, the study employs documents, interviews, and on-site observation to explore five meanings of fair trade: supporting smallholder markets; assuring historical shipping arrangements; encouraging national development; guaranteeing decent working conditions; and preserving ecological balance. Structurally, the first two meanings emerged within the banana trade’s competing hegemonic systems, one dominated by three US-based transnational corporations and the other by former colonial powers in the European Union that favored their own shipping. Although the battle finally required WTO intervention, as Gramsci points out, hegemony can also comes from below. Independent national banana growers made direct trade arrangements with supermarkets. Militant unions became especially active within the TNC system, while small-scale producers and “Fair Trade” advocates refined the EU approach. They each have forced fresh approaches to product certification. As TNC domination weakens and independent producers cultivate supermarket outlets, the expiration of EU banana quotas in 2006 may determine which of these competing approaches to trade prevails. A bottom-up alliance among labor, smallholders, and consumers/environmentalists threatens to inspire a fresh hegemonic trade discourse.
“All My Hopes and Dreams”
Authors: Jamieson Katherine M.
Published: April 2005

The title quote indicates that despite the success of the women who were interviewed for this research, many of them felt ill prepared to access the system of collegiate softball. Yet the women interviewed represent Latinas who successfully navigated family and educational structures in their quest to compete in collegiate softball. Four focus-group interviews and 17 individual interviews were conducted with 27 former and current collegiate softball athletes. Critical sociological analyses illustrate the interdependence of sport, family, and education, especially as they interact with colonial projects. Findings suggest that softball may be an integral, though contested, resource in a network of resources engaged by this select group of U.S. Latina student athletes.
Disciplining Bodies at Risk
Authors: Wheatley Elizabeth E.
Published: April 2005

Based on ethnographic research in cardiac rehabilitation clinics, this article demonstrates how messages about risk are contradictory and shifting. In education sessions that teach clients about risk, technicians shift back and forth between oppositional logics: from the logic of epidemiology to the logic of the clinic, from narratives of biological fate to lifestyle determinism, and from depictions of medical knowledge as factual scientific progress to medical practice as uncertain craft. Shifts in logic are strategically communicated to discourage fatalistic pessimism, excessive guilt, self-blame, and false hopes about illness and instead encourage risk reduction among clients. Technicians’ accounts of risk individualize illness and reproduce biological and behavioral reductionisms of biomedicine. The analysis shows how rehabilitation risk discourse offers moralistic messages, which stigmatize and blame people with heart disease for so-called unhealthy lifestyles. Rehabilitation risk discourse masks social sources of disease and diverts attention from politically progressive strategies of health promotion.
The Image Problem in Women’s Football
Authors: Harris John
Published: April 2005

The following article offers an insight into the experiences of female football players at a college of higher education in the south of England. Its principal focus is the image of the game and, in particular, how the women themselves interpret and define their involvement in the sport. Using an interpretive, inductive approach, the study highlights the struggles of heterosexual women in explaining and making sense of their participation in a traditionally male activity. Because of the game’s perceived association to lesbianism, anumberofthefootballplayershavetomakeexplicittheirownsexualityand some embark on a process of identity management. The study explores the complex relationship between women and football and provides an alternative insight into the game and the people who play it.
Modeling and Experiments of Untethered Quadrupedal Running with a Bounding Gait: The Scout II Robot
Authors: Poulakakis Ioannis , Smith James Andrew , Buehler Martin
Published: April 2005

In this paper we compare models and experiments involving Scout II, an untethered four-legged running robot with only one actuator per compliant leg. Scout II achieves dynamically stable running of up to 1.3 m s-1 on flat ground via a bounding gait. Energetics analysis reveals a highly efficient system with a specific resistance of only 1.4. The running controller requires no task-level or body-state feedback, and relies on the passive dynamics of the mechanical system. These results contribute to the increasing evidence that apparently complex dynamically dexterous tasks may be controlled via simple control laws. We discuss general modeling issues for dynamically stable legged robots. Two simulation models are compared with experimental data to test the validity of common simplifying assumptions. The need for including motor saturation and non-rigid torque transmission characteristics in simulation models is demonstrated. Similar issues are likely to be important in other dynamically stable legged robots as well. An extensive suite of experimental results documents the robot’s performance and the validity of the proposed models.
Efficient Information-based Visual Robotic Mapping in Unstructured Environments
Authors: Sujan Vivek A. , Dubowsky Steven
Published: April 2005

In field environments it is often not possible to provide robot teams with detailed a priori environment and task models. In such unstructured environments, robots will need to create a dimensionally accurate three-dimensional geometric model of its surroundings by performing appropriate sensor actions. However, uncertainties in robot locations and sensing limitations/occlusions make this difficult. A new algorithm, based on iterative sensor planning and sensor redundancy, is proposed to build a geometrically consistent dimensional map of the environment for mobile robots that have articulated sensors. The aim is to acquire new information that leads to more detailed and complete knowledge of the environment. The robot(s) is controlled to maximize geometric knowledge gained of its environment using an evaluation function based on Shannon’s information theory. Using the measured and Markovian predictions of the unknown environment, an information theory based metric is maximized to determine a robotic agent’s next best view (NBV) of the environment. Data collected at this NBV pose are fused using a Kalman filter statistical uncertainty model to the measured environment map. The process continues until the environment mapping process is complete. The work is unique in the application of information theory to enhance the performance of environment sensing robot agents. It may be used by multiple distributed and decentralized sensing agents for efficient and accurate cooperative environment modeling. The algorithm makes no assumptions of the environment structure. Hence, it is robust to robot failure since the environment model being built is not dependent on any single agent frame, but is set in an absolute reference frame. It accounts for sensing uncertainty, robot motion uncertainty, environment model uncertainty and other critical parameters. It allows for regions of higher interest receiving greater attention by the agents. This algorithm is particularly well suited to unstructured environments, where sensor uncertainty and occlusions are significant. Simulations and experiments show the effectiveness of this algorithm.
Coordinating Multiple Robots with Kinodynamic Constraints Along Specified Paths
Authors: Peng Jufeng , Akella Srinivas
Published: April 2005

This paper focuses on the collision-free coordination of multiple robots with kinodynamic constraints along specified paths. We present an approach to generate continuous velocity profiles for multiple robots; these velocity profiles satisfy the dynamics constraints, avoid collisions, and minimize the completion time. The approach, which combines techniques from optimal control and mathematical programming, consists of identifying collision segments along each robot’s path, and then optimizing the robots’ velocities along the collision and collision-free segments. First, for each path segment for each robot, the minimum and maximum possible traversal times that satisfy the dynamics constraints are computed by solving the corresponding two-point boundary value problems. The collision avoidance constraints for pairs of robots can then be combined to formulate a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problem. Since this nonconvex MINLP model is difficult to solve, we describe two related mixed integer linear programming (MILP) formulations, which provide schedules that give lower and upper bounds on the optimum; the upper bound schedule is designed to provide continuous velocity trajectories that are feasible. The approach is illustrated with coordination of multiple robots, modeled as double integrators subject to velocity and acceleration constraints. An application to coordination of nonholonomic car-like robots is described, along with implementation results for 12 robots.
Flammability of Polymer-Clay and Polymer-Silica Nanocomposites
Authors: Yang Feng , Yngard Ria , Nelson Gordon L.
Published: April 2005

A comprehensive discussion on the flammability of organic-inorganic nano-composites is presented based on different fire testing methods. Based on various flammability tests, reduced peak heat release rate, an increased oxygen index, and an enhanced thermal stability were observed, while faster burning rates were found when the nanocomposites underwent horizontal and vertical burning tests. Moreover, it has also been found that when traditional flame-retardant additives were added to the nanocomposites, less additive was required to achieve the same level of flame retardancy.
GC/MS Identification of Pyrolysis Products from Fire-retardant Brominated Epoxy Resin
Authors: Balabanovich A. I. , Luda M. P. , Operti L.
Published: April 2005

Brominated epoxy resins cured with diaminodiphenyl sulfone are thermally less stable than nonbrominated analogs. This thermal instability is likely to be caused by the formation of hydrogen bromide which destabilizes the epoxy network. As a result of the reaction of HBr with the epoxy resin, bromine-containing aromatics (brominated phenols, alkenyl aryl ether, hydroxyalkyl aryl ethers), as well as nonbromine-containing compounds form high-boiling decomposition products. The mass spectra of the brominated products collected from pyrolysis at 300 C in the open system under helium are presented and discussed.
Propagation of Precursor Flame Tip in Surrounding Airflow along the Ground Soaked with High-volatile Liquid Fuel
Authors: Ishida Hiroki
Published: April 2005

The propagation of a precursor flame tip through a layered flammable gas mixture along a fuel-soaked ground is studied experimentally under the effect of the surrounding airflow. The behavior of the precursor flame tip is investigated by the simultaneous measurement of the images of color Schlieren photograph and a visualized chemiluminescence zone due to the OH radical in the flame tip. The effects of the ground conditions; the surface inclination, the ground temperature, and the surrounding airflow velocities, on the propagation velocity of the flame tip and on the thickness of the flammable gas layer are investigated. The thickness and the length of the OH luminescence zone in the flame tip are of the order of 1 and 2-3 cm, respectively. The tip of the OH luminescence zone propagates in the velocity boundary layer of the airflow. When the ground temperature is not so high, even above the stoichiometric temperature of combustion of the liquid fuel, no propagation of flame tip occurs in the counter airflow, the velocity of which is more than the flame propagation velocity with no airflow. Also in a high speed assist airflow, no propagation of the flame tip occurs. These results are in contrast to the flame propagation along the liquid pool surface in the surrounding airflow. This is mainly due to the low rate of formation of a flammable gas layer on the unburned ground and the blow-off of it by the surrounding airflow.
Backdraft in Descensionally Ventilated Mine Fire
Authors: Zhou Fubao , Wang Deming
Published: April 2005

The backdraft in an underground mine tunnel fire is investigated by means of experimental simulation. According to the results, such a backdraft phenomenon is different from a general one in a compartment fire. A backdraft of tunnel fire takes place in an open system with flowing gases and no newly formed vents are needed to result in it under such an occasion. The backdraft occurs with the reversal of descensionally ventilated airflow. The results obtained extend the range where a backdraft can occur and promote a better understanding of the backdraft phenomenon.
Students’ Preconceptions of Professors: Benefits and Barriers According to Ethnicity and Gender
Authors: Anderson Kristin J. , Smith Gabriel
Published: April 2005

The present study examined the influence of professor and student characteristics on students’ preconceptions of college professors. Course syllabi for a politically charged social science course were constructed with versions varying by teaching style, professor gender, and professor ethnicity. A total of 633 (44% Latino; 34% African American; 22% Anglo) undergraduates rated the course and the instructor on professor warmth, professor capability, and political bias. Among several findings associated with professor ethnicity and teaching style, Latina professors were viewed as more warm when they had a lenient teaching style andless warm when they hada strict teaching style when compared with Anglo women professors with respective styles. Anglo men students perceived professors as more politically biased than did other students. Results are discussed in the context of aversive racism and a double standard of evaluation for Latino professors.
Latinos and Political Party Affiliation
Authors: Dutwin David , Brodie Mollyann , Herrmann Melissa , Levin Rebecca
Published: April 2005

The past few elections have witnessed an increased contestation of votes across racial and ethnic identities, especially with regard to Latinos. As such, this article explores and reports on the important relationship between Latino identity and political party identification. Using the 2002 National Survey of Latinos (with its representative sample of nearly 3,000 Latinos), it is found that in addition to traditional measures of party identification, Latinos are significantly and considerably more likely to identify themselves as Republican versus Democrats based on their retention of traditional Latino family values and ideals, their self-identification along ethnic lines, and their overall trust of politicians and view of politicians’ concern for Latinos. Implications for future party identification and political strategy are far ranging and discussed.
A New Scale to Measure Adolescent Reports of Academic Support by Mothers, Fathers, Teachers, and Friends in Latino Immigrant Families
Authors: Sands Tovah , Plunkett Scott W.
Published: April 2005

The purpose of this article was to report factor structures, reliability, and validity of the Significant Other Academic Support Scale from two different Latino samples of Mexican and Central American origin youth. Self-report data were collected from 394 Mexican and 220 Central American youth from immigrant families living in Los Angeles. Exploratory factor analyses indicated that the same four factors (i.e., academic support by mothers, fathers, teachers, and friends) emerged in both the Mexican and Central American samples. Also, high internal consistency reliabilities were found for all four subscales in both samples. The initial evidence of construct validity was provided through the tests of convergent validity, discriminant validity, and predictive validity.
Reliability and Validity of the SCL-90-R With Hispanic College Students
Authors: Martinez Sandra , Stillerman Lee , Waldo Michael
Published: April 2005

Reliability and validity of the Symptom Checklist 90 Revised (SCL-90-R) was investigated to determine if this instrument is appropriate for use with Hispanic college students. The sample(28males, 177females) consistedof 101participantswho identified as Anglo and 104 who identified as Hispanic (6 did not identify their ethnicity). Participants ranged in age from 17 to 50. Cronbach’s alpha was used to assess each of the SCL-90-R’s subscales. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was employed to check for significant differences between Anglo and Hispanic students’pretest scores. The extent to which the SCL-90-R measures change in both samples in a similar way was investigated. The data support the reliability and validity of the SCL-90-R as a measure of psychological symptoms for Hispanic college students.
An Examination of Academic Nonpersistence Decisions of Latino Undergraduates
Authors: Gloria Alberta M. , Castellanos Jeanett , Lopez Ambrocia G. , Rosales Rocio
Published: April 2005

This study assessed the extent to which university comfort, social support, and self-beliefs were interrelated and subsequently predictive of academic nonpersistence decisions for 99 Latina/o undergraduates. The majority of the sample was female, traditional college aged, second generation, and of Mexican heritage. Previously used or specifically developed standardized instruments for Latina/o college students were implemented. The three constructs were significantly interrelated and predictive of academic nonpersistence decisions. Social support was the strongest predictor of academic nonpersistence decisions, followed by university comfort. Individual variables of perceived social support from friends, perceived mentorship, and perception of the university environment had the strongest predictive value. Implications for recruitment and retention of Latina/os and programming directives for university personnel are provided.
Modularity and the Facilitation Effect: Psychological Mechanisms of Transfer in Bilingual Students
Authors: Macswan Jeff , Rolstad Kellie
Published: April 2005

This article draws upon recent work in the cognitive neurosciences to suggest that the facilitation effect follows naturally within current psychological theory. A view of the mind as consisting of discrete mental modules, called psychological modularity, is defended with case study evidence of double dissociation. It is argued that transfer of academic subject knowledge occurs in bilingual settings as an epiphenomenon of mental architecture: Because content knowledge is independent of linguistic knowledge, it is accessible to any language or languages a person happens to know. As such, transfer should be seen as a metaphor for a process; it is simply a natural consequence of our mental architecture. Cummins’s developmental interdependence hypothesis, threshold hypothesis, and common underlying proficiency model are discussed. It is concluded that the facilitation effect is derived by the modularity thesis within a framework in which language is viewed as a cognitive domain separate from literacy and school subject matter knowledge.
Mainstreaming gender in the EU-accession process: the case of the Baltic Republics
Authors: van der Molen Irna , Novikova Irina
Published: April 2005

Since the early 1990s, the Baltic states have gone through processes of economic transition and liberalization. Although various reports give an overview of gendered impacts of these economic reforms, they fail to elaborate on the more complex relations between gender, citizenship, and social exclusion. This article explores these relations in more detail. The first decade of reforms in the Baltic states resulted in a lack of economic prospects, in particular for women from minority groups and women working in low-pay sectors. This made them increasingly vulnerable to trafficking for sexual purposes: migration to Western Europe was an attractive alternative for those without work, whether through legal or illegal migration channels. The failure to address this issue and other issues effectively cannot be attributed to the European level only. This argues that effective mainstreaming is also hampered by rapid changes in national governments, by political ideologies regarding the role of women, and by a lack of information and expertise within newly established gender-equality units.
New modes of business organization and precarious employment: towards the recommodification of labour?
Authors: Frade Carlos , Darmon Isabelle
Published: April 2005

While much of the international debate on the future of work focuses on the links between new forms of employment and social protection, and especially on transitions between jobs, this paper addresses a still under-researched issue: the interconnections between employment regulations and business strategies in the production of precarious employment. It seeks to make a contribution to a new strand of research which has emerged in France, Britain and the United States and has cast light on the link between new modes of business organization and new forms of employment. The paper particularly highlights labour recommodification processes as the key instrument in this link and illustrates the dynamics at play in three service sectors known for a high incidence of precarious employment - call centres, performing arts, and domiciliary care for the elderly, in five European countries.
So-Called Brightness in Color Ethnography: Potentials for LCD Technology in Fieldwork and Categorization Research
Authors: MacLaury Robert E.
Published: April 2005

Anthropologists and philologists specifically interpret brightness naming far and wide and through time. The World Color Survey shows that minor and tribal languages name reputed brightness categories that span the spectrum. Different languages construe them with substantial variability. Yet, the composition of these categories is unexplored, hindering progress toward a cross-cultural understanding of the color sense. Further, this genre of categories is fast disappearing due to globalization. Equipment and methods that would probe this resource for the benefit of color ethnography and psychological inquiry into the nature of color categorization are suggested.
Why GRUE? An Interpoint-Distance Model Analysis of Composite Color Categories
Authors: Jameson Kimberly A.
Published: April 2005

This article applies the interpoint-distance model (IDM) to explain composite color categories that continue to challenge existing models in the literature. Using universal cognitive principles and heuristics suggested in the IDM, analyses demonstrate that the composite category blue-green (or GRUE) seen in many languages is one of several natural coding configurations expected in the development of a color lexicon for communicating about color sensations within a given ethnolinguistic society. Using the IDM, these enigmatic composite color categories can be explained and integrated into an updated view of the psychological processing responsible for similarities in cross-cultural color processing. The IDM also allows for revision of existing theories and increases our understanding of the cognition that underlies individuals' color naming, categorization, and concept formation.
Ethics Instruction in an Issues-Oriented Course on Public Health Genetics
Authors: Modell Stephen M. , Citrin Toby
Published: April 2005

Public health ethics and genetics in public health have in the last decade emerged as fields in their own right. This article describes the ethics component of an “Issues in Public Health Genetics” course uniting the fields of genetics, ethics, and public health. As the third member of the University of Michigan Interdepartmental Concentration in Genetics, the course emphasizes the translation of ethical-social issues into substantive policies. A central tension repeated throughout the course exists between respect for individuals’ libertarian interests and the welfare of the entire population. Students become familiar with the process of resolving conflicting values through interactive exercises addressing the health needs of diverse communities. Key lessons in course design are described.
Breastfeeding and Sexuality: Professional Advice Literature from the 1970s to the Present
Authors: Saha Prantik
Published: April 2005

Since the 1970s, there has been a trend on the part of physicians and other health practitioners to promote breastfeeding in the United States, a movement that has not been as successful as hoped, since the majority of mothers in this country continue to feed their babies formula. Several socioeconomic factors are considered to be barriers to the success of breastfeeding promotion today. Yet, even among those who promote breastfeeding there exists a notable constraint in dealing with the issue of sexuality and breastfeeding. Indeed, as the female breast is eroticized in Western society, breastfeeding promotional messages have often exhibited a tacit conformity to social conventions regarding female sexuality. When analyzing selected works of advice literature written by health care practitioners from the 1970s to the present, it will be clear that breastfeeding promotional information often reflects dominant views of the sexuality of the female breast and her body.
Estimates of Intragroup Dependence for Drug Use and Skill Measures in School-Based Drug Abuse Prevention Trials: An Empirical Study of Three Independent Samples
Authors: Scheier Lawrence M. , Griffin Kenneth W. , Doyle Margaret M. , Botvin Gilbert J.
Published: April 2005

Group-randomized drug abuse prevention trials customarily designate schools as the unit of assignment to experimental condition; however, students within schools remain the unit of observation. Students nestedwithin schools may show some resemblance based on common (peer) selection or school climate factors (i.e., disciplinary practices, group norms, or rules). Appropriate analyses of any treatment effects must be statisticallycorrect for the magnitude of clustering within these intact social units (i.e., intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]). There is little reported evidence, however, of variation in ICCs that might occur with studies of raciallyor geographically diverse populations. The purpose of this study was to generate estimates of intragroupdependence for drug use and psychosocial measures (hypothesized mediators) from three separate drug abuseprevention trials. Clustering for the drug use measures averaged .02 across study and age-groups (range = .002to .053) and was equivalently small for the psychosocial measures (averaging .03 across studies and age-groups;range = .001 to .149). With few exceptions and across different samples, clustering decreased in magnitude overtime. Clustering was largest for peer smoking and drinking norms among white, suburban youth and smallestfor alcohol expectancies among urban black youth. Findings are discussed with respect to the influence of socialclimate factors and group norms in the design and analysis of school-based, drug abuse, prevention programs.
Keepin’ It R.E.A.L.!: Program Description and Results of Baseline Assessment
Authors: DiIorio Colleen , Resnicow Ken , Thomas Stephen , Wang Dongqing Terry , Dudley William N. , Van Marter Deborah F. , Lipana Jenny
Published: April 2005

In this article, the authors present the results of the analysis of the baseline data from Keepin’it R.E.A.L.!, an HIV prevention project developed for mothers and their adolescents. Six hundred twelve mostly male (60.6%) and African American (98.2%) adolescents completed baseline assessments. Eleven percent of the adolescent participants reported initiating sexual intercourse. Adolescent participants expressing higher levels of self-efficacy to resist peer pressure, more favorable outcome expectancies, less communication about sex with their mothers, higherlevels of self-concept related to theirbehavior, lowerlevels of self-concept related to popularity, and less stress reported fewer types of intimate sexual behaviors. Adolescent participants who reported higher self-efficacy to resist peer pressure to have sex and lower levels of stress were less likely to have initiated sexual inter-course. Selected characteristics of mothers did not contribute to understanding factors associated with intimate sexual behaviors or initiation of sexual intercourse among adolescent participants.
Consumers’ Understanding of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Insights into the Future
Authors: Keenan Debra Palmer , AbuSabha Rayane , Robinson Natalie G.
Published: April 2005

The purpose of this study was to examine consumers’ knowledge and understanding of the 1995 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the sources from where consumers obtain their health information. A telephone survey was administered to 400 adults in the Twin Cities area in Minnesota. The number of guideline recommendations recalled per person was, on average, less than 2.5 of a total of 13 recommendations. Participants had difficulties interpreting the guidelines. Knowledge of the dietary fat guideline was especially poor. Only 17% of survey participants correctly stated the amount of total fat they should have in their diet. The total number of media sources used to obtain health information was the variable that best explained the variance in knowledge of the Dietary Guidelines recommendations. To effectively change dietary behavior, health educators must work effectively with the media to develop behavior-focused nutrition messages that are meaningful and clear to consumers.
Condom Use and Correlates of African American Adolescent Females’ Infrequent Communication with Sex Partners about Preventing Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Pregnancy
Authors: Crosby Richard A. , DiClemente Ralph J. , Wingood Gina M. , Cobb Brenda K. , Harrington Kathy , Davies Susan L. , Hook Edward W. , Oh M. Kim
Published: April 2005

This study of 522 African American female adolescents, ages 14 to 18, investigated associations between condom use and infrequently communicating with sex partners about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and pregnancy prevention. Correlates of infrequent communication were identified. Sexually active adolescents were recruited from schools and adolescent medicine clinics in low-income neighborhoods of Birmingham, Alabama. Adolescents completed a self-administered survey and face-to-face interview. Communication frequency was assessed using a five-item scale. Infrequent communication was significantly associated with lower odds of condom use. Multivariate correlates of infrequent communication were less frequent communication with parents about STD/pregnancy prevention, recent sex with a nonsteady partner, low perceived ability to negotiate condom use and fear of this negotiation, and low motivation to use condoms. Given the importance of partner communication in promoting safer sex behaviors, STD and pregnancy prevention programs may benefit adolescents by addressing the identified psychosocial correlates of infrequent communication with their partners.
Access to Resources for Substance Users in Harlem, New York City: Service Provider and Client Perspectives
Authors: Galea Sandro , Factor Stephanie H. , Palermo Ann-Gel , Aaron Daniel , Canales Eric , Vlahov David
Published: April 2005

The Urban Research Center (URC) in Harlem, New York City, is a collaboration of community members, service providers, and academics. A Community Advisory Board (CAB) meets regularly to formulate priorities for action and to direct research. A conceptual model of social determinants of health relevant to the Harlem community was developed. Early meetings of the CAB identified substance use as a health concern in the Harlem community. Access to social services was identified as a key social determinant that should guide research and intervention efforts of the URC. Surveys of service providers and of substance users were carried out to quantify availability of information and barriers to access. This article discusses the CAB process that led to the model of social determinants, development of surveys, and interpretation of results. The authors also discuss survey results and how the URC will use these results to develop interventions.
Are Differences in Exposure to a Multicomponent School-Based Intervention Associated with Varying Dietary Outcomes in Adolescents?
Authors: Birnbaum Amanda S. , Lytle Leslie A. , Story Mary , Perry Cheryl L. , Murray David M.
Published: April 2005

Multicomponent interventions are recommended for health behavior change among adolescents. However, it is difficult to disentangle the effects of multiple intervention components. This article reports outcomes associated with varying levels of exposure to a school-based nutrition intervention, Teens Eating for Energy and Nutrition at School (TEENS). Four incremental exposureswere possible: (1) control group, (2) school environment interventions only, (3) classroom plus environment interventions, and (4) peer leaders plus classroom plus environment interventions. Patterns suggesting dose response were observed, with peer leaders reporting the largest increases in fruit, vegetable, and lower fat food consumption. Students exposed to classroom plus environment interventions also improved, whereas students exposed only to school environment interventions showed trends toward choosing lower fat foods and declining fruit intake and no change in vegetable intake. Control students’ choices remained stable. Future studies may investigate mechanisms for peer leaders’ changes, maximizing curriculum effectiveness, and improving environmental interventions.
Evaluation of the Institutionalization of the Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) in a U.S./Mexico Border Community
Authors: Heath Edward M. , Coleman Karen J.
Published: April 2005

El Paso Coordinated Approach to Child Health (El Paso CATCH) was evaluated in 24 schools for outcome measures of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during physical education (PE), content of PE lessons, content of school meals, and numerous process measures. Chi-square analyses compared frequency data across time for activity during PE and percentage fat in school meals. Descriptive summarieswere used for process questionnaire results. Data were also compared to CATCH program goals. For most intervention schools, El Paso CATCH significantly increased MVPA, decreased fat in school meals, and decreased sodium in school breakfasts. However, some schools were not meeting the fat content goals for school lunches, and no schools met the vigorous physical activity (VPA) goals for PE or the sodium goals for school lunches.
The Impact of the Work Environment on Condom Use among Female Bar Workers in the Philippines
Authors: Morisky Donald E. , Peña Melanie , Tiglao Teodora V. , Liu Kenn Y.
Published: April 2005

The purpose of this research is to examine how condom use is affected by specific aspects of the work environment: (1) social-structural and environmental influences and constraints, (2) mandatory condom use policy, and (3) the level of social influence and reinforcement between manager and employee. A total of 1,340 bar workers and 308 nonestablishment freelanceworkers comprise the study group. In establishments where a condom use policy exists, female barworkerswere 2.6 times more likely to consistently use condoms during sexual intercourse comparedwith establishments that do not have such a policy in place. The results suggest a need for the development of comprehensive educational policies in all entertainment establishments, including regular meetings with employees, reinforcing attendance at the Social Hygiene Clinic, promoting AIDS awareness, making condoms available in theworkplace, and mandating 100% condom use behavior among all employees.
Snakes and Leaders
Authors: Poynting Scott , Donaldson Mike
Published: April 2005

Recent events in a ruling-class boys’ boarding school college in Sydney prompted public discussion about “bullying.” Debate ranged between those seeing an endemic problemto be cured and those who saw minor, unfortunate, and atypical incidents in a system where bullying is under control. It is argued here that such practice is inherent in ruling-class boys’ education. It is an important part of making ruling-class men. Using life-history methods with available biographical material, the article shows thatruling-class schooling of boys in boarding schools involves “sending away” and initial loneliness, bonding in groups demanding allegiance, attachment to tradition, subjection to hierarchy and progress upward through it, group ridiculing and punishment of sensitiveness and close relationships, severe sanctions against difference, brutal bodily discipline, and inculcating competitive individualism. Brutalization and “hardening” are essential to all these processes and are characteristic of ruling-class masculinity.
Fight!! Ippatsu!!
Authors: Roberson James
Published: April 2005

This article focuses on the marketing of “genki” energy health drinks to consider the role of media representations in the every day construction of ideologies of masculinity in contemporary Japan. It is shown that advertisements for these drinks have employed two dominant sets of images of Japanese men and masculinity, portraying either work- and company-based needs for energy and mental acuity or the (masculine) physical strength needed to compete successfully, overcome obstacles, or defeat foes. It is argued that such advertisements have participated in the representational circumscription of the visual codes of masculinity in contemporary Japan, and through this representational regime have reflected and reproduced a dominant gender ideology that sanctions a powerful, corporatist, middle-class masculinity.
Fathers’ Home Health Care Work When a Child Has Cancer
Authors: Clarke Juanne N.
Published: April 2005

This report is based on qualitative interviews studying the health care work described by sixteen fathers whose children had been diagnosed with cancer. Childhood cancers are important diseases that are growing in incidence. Greater life expectancy is associated with intense treatment protocols, which often include chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and sometimes bone marrow transplants. Parents or parental figures play a significant role in the treatment in the home, in the outpatient clinic, and in the hospital. But very little is known about the health care work done by fathers or mothers when their children have cancer. This article examines fathers’ home health care work, including specific health care, medical advocacy, administration/financial management, and emotion work. It points to the value and the necessity of further systematic investigation of the often invisible health care work that fathers may do when their children are ill.
Sport Stripped Bare
Authors: Hill Jeffrey
Published: April 2005

Modernization and decline were matters of intense debate and concern in the Britain of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Among the many strands that made up the debate were the issues of gender and masculinity. This article examines them by means of a close reading of texts taken from the often-overlooked field of creative writing and film. In both the novel and film of This Sporting Life, attention is turned to questions of sporting heroism, social class and change, and, particularly, male-female relationships. The texts reveal a radical perspective on the problems of British society, seeing sport and the social and cultural conditions that sustain it as a conservative force to be confronted in the drive to modernize.