bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Logo Programming and the Refinement of Problem-Solving Skills in Disabled and Nondisabled Children
Authors: Mathinos Debra A.
Published: May 2005

The study provides specific information concerning changes in the types of problem-solving skills learning disabled and nondisabled children employ while working with LOGO. The results suggest that minimally, working in the LOGO programming environment provided children an opportunity to practice already mastered problem-solving skills. However, the results also indicate that programming in the LOGO environment under specific conditions used in this study allowed some children to refine and extend their use of problem-solving skills both within and across computer and noncomputer contexts. Finally, the study provides information concerning the instructional role that may be filled by LOGO.
The Passive Voice Verb: A Selected, Annotated Bibliography — Parts II — V
Authors: Warren Thomas L.
Published: May 2005

Various style manuals, advice to authors, and textbooks on writing stress that writers should prefer the active voice of the verb and avoid the passive form. The following bibliography brings together references to the passive voice of the verb from linguists, grammarians, and researchers of the use of passive voice verbs; comments from technical writing textbooks; comments from books on language; comments from style manuals; and references from various other sources. The annotations summarize the principal points the article makes about passive voice verbs (abstracts provided by the authors of the articles are marked with an asterisk (*)). Part I covered materials from linguists while Parts II through V list references in technical writing textbooks, style manuals and authors' guides, and various other sources.
Computer/Telephone Pairing for Long Distance Learning
Authors: Maxcy D. O. , Maxcy S. J.
Published: May 2005

In this study two approaches to the teaching of a social foundations of education course are compared. The first approach incorporates a computer-telephone linkage between two remote sites. The second consists of discussion and lectures in a traditional face-to-face classroom setting. The question the study seeks to answer is: Can the teleconferencing approach compare favorably with more traditional single-site teaching in terms of student satisfaction? The methods used to determine the level of satisfaction were primarily anthropological in nature: questionnaire and field notes. Findings indicate that students preferred the telelearning approach over the traditional face-to-face format. It is concluded that student satisfaction indicators auger well for the future of telelearning technology in continuing education programs.
Has the Period of Rising Mortality in the Soviet Union Come to an End?
Authors: Cooper Richard S.
Published: May 2005

After a decade and a half of rapid increase, adult mortality rates in the U.S.S.R. appear to have turned downward. As would be expected given the role played by coronary heart disease in producing this rise in mortality, fewer coronary deaths have been recorded in the U.S.S.R. in recent years. If this trend persists, the Soviet Union will join a number of other industrialized countries that have succeeded in curbing the coronary heart disease epidemic.
Barriers to the Nurse Practitioner Movement: Problems of Women in a Woman's Field
Authors: Bullough Bonnie
Published: May 2005

Barriers to the nurse practitioner movement are explored in this article. Historically, the subordination of women and the sex segregation of nursing and medicine have helped to establish interaction patterns between the two professions which included a subordination of nurses as well as informal doctor-nurse games. These patterns were reinforced by hospital training schools and state laws which restricted the roles of nurses. Recent changes in state licensure and educational reform in nursing are now facilitating the nurse practitioner movement, but the stereotyped communication patterns between nurses and physicians remain as a barrier to the full use of the talents of nurses in practitioner roles.
Assessing Consciousness: The Consciousness Perception Questionnaire (CPQ)
Authors: DiTommaso Enrico , Szeligo Frank
Published: May 2005

The present work is based in a dichotomy that is evident in the literature on consciousness. Research findings, which are often ‘counter-intuitive,’ are presented as being in opposition to the common (lay) perceptions of how consciousness is characterized. Authors often use these perceptions for contrast and as background against which to interpret their research results. However, the source of these perceptions is left uncertain, though presumably they are based in the author's understanding of consciousness rather than in measurement. Two studies were conducted to develop a questionnaire that would more directly assess lay perceptions of consciousness. Questions were based on such perceptions as conscious unity and conscious control of behavior. Results from principal components analyses, based on a total sample of 894 participants, indicate that the Consciousness Perception Questionnaire (CPQ) is a multidimensional measure of individuals' perceptions of consciousness. Consciousness is characterized by five distinct dimensions: internal versus external control attributions, perceived awareness of the sources of experience, dynamism, preference for physical over mental activity, and similarity to other functions. The five subscales have internal consistencies ranging from' .56 to .89. Furthermore, results indicate that the majority of these subscales appear to measure relatively stable perceptions of consciousness over time. Findings also suggest that this measure displays moderate concurrent validity versus the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory [1]. Normative data indicate that there is significant individual variance on the five emergent dimensions.
An Investigation into the Effects of Questionnaire Format and Color Variations on Mail Survey Response Rates
Authors: Lagarce Raymond , Washburn Judith
Published: May 2005

This study examines the effect on mail survey response rates of variations in questionnaire color and format. A follow-up mail survey to a corporate incentive program was sent to more than 3,500 participants. Monitoring response rates by questionnaire version showed that a user-friendly format, followed by a two-color design, significantly increased response rates. Question wording and sequencing remained the same across questionnaire versions while format and color varied. A literature review revealed three issues addressed by past studies—structural, functional, and incentive—that impact response rates. Previous studies have found no response rate increases due to altering the color of a questionnaire. However, this study found that a user-friendly format, and to some extent color, was valuable for increasing mail survey response rates. Implications for writers of all forms of communication are drawn.
Clarity in Science Writing is Not Enough
Authors: Brouse Albert J.
Published: May 2005

It is misleading to take for granted that scientific writing need not be pleasurable reading. Aiming only for clarity, simplicity, brevity, and directness, the writer may still produce writing that is tedious reading. The student scientist or engineer may learn to write with style and creative imagination by developing sensitive critical faculties through reading literature (even scientific literature) that displays these qualities.
The Politics of Reform: Public Health Insurance in Canada
Authors: Swartz Donald
Published: May 2005

The centerpiece of Canadian health policy is a system of public health insurance covering the cost of hospital and medical services for all Canadians. The author analyzes the historical development of this policy and critically assesses its structure and dynamics. He argues that health insurance was won by Canadian workers through protracted industrial and political struggle. At the same time, health insurance was accommodated to the existing structure of power and privilege within the health care delivery system, which precluded a significant shift in the distribution of health care consumption and perpetuated the “irrationality” of a system that treats health as a problem located in the sphere of personal consumption.
Involvement While Reading: An Empirical Exploration
Authors: van der Bolt Ulian , Tellegen Saskia
Published: May 2005

Emotional and imaginative involvement while reading are often associated with immature reading processes. To explore the validity of this viewpoint we investigated over a thousand reader responses among pupils aged nine to fifteen and among adults who, due to their professional occupation, regularly read themselves. In preliminary inquiries we first investigated main categories of reading involvement such as absorption while reading, imaginative involvement and emotional involvement. In a second phase of our research we looked for subdivisions of these main categories, resulting in descriptions of many different phenomena within the categories as mentioned above. These descriptions enabled us to construct questionnaires on the many aspects of reading involvement for the main part of our project. Our preliminary results indicate that there are differences in several areas of reading involvement between children and adult readers. The general trend of those differences is that the probability of personal experience of reader-responses in the areas of imagination and emotion is greater among adult readers than among pupils. In this article we consider the implications of this general trend, using results from the area of emotional reading involvement as an example. Questionnaires on emotional involvement were completed by 198 pupils, 106 teachers and 135 librarians.
Instructional Product Review: Procedure and Instrumentation
Authors: Poole Richard L.
Published: May 2005

An instructional product review process is conceived and analyzed from a generic and systemic viewpoint. As conceived, it is composed of the planning, implementation, and analysis stages, with each stage converging on a series of generic concerns.

The review process is illustrated with materials which can be used to assess the quality of an instructional package or module. And includes a set of “Directions for Reviewers,” a list of module assessment or development criteria, and an instrument entitled “External Module Review Form.”
Online Collaborative Learning: Relating Theory to Practice
Authors: Fisher Mercedes
Published: May 2005

Educational institutions have rushed to provide online courses; however, too often schools have discovered the difficulty in transferring effective teaching strategies in the classroom to an online environment. A unique aspect of quality online courses is how they rely heavily on effective collaboration to create a meaningful learning environment. Unfortunately, online instruction is not as simple as replicating the community atmosphere that is found in the traditional brick and mortar classroom. New strategies are demanded for the successful transfer of knowledge utilizing the Web. Investigating the pedagogical strategies of a program that promotes dialogue and collective intellect in a community model could benefit faculty designing courses. We will present a detailed case study using a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods (including observation, focus groups, transcripts from synchronous and asynchronous discussions, surveys, and interviews) collected over a two-year span to identify perceptions of effective online collaboration and performance. Community formation, support, and sustainability are also explored. Examples are included that not only describe what participants perceive as enabling aspects of the support system but also ways in which educators can enhance program development by learning from other pioneers in this area.
Psychiatric Disorders in Patients with Fabry's Disease
Authors: Grewal R. P.
Published: May 2005

Objective:

To determine the frequency and etiology of psychiatric complications in patients with Fabry's disease. Method-Retrospective analysis and review of the records of thirty-three patients with confirmed Fabry's disease.

Results:

Six patients (18%) developed psychiatric disorders. Five patients suffered depression and two of these patients committed suicide. One patient developed an acute confusional episode with subsequent development of behavioral changes as a complication of cerebrovascular disease.

Conclusions:

Psychiatric disorders, most commonly depression, complicate Fabry's disease and contribute to the morbidity and mortality of this disease.
Class Matters: U.S. versus U.K. Measures of Occupational Disparities in Access to Health Services and Health Status in the 2000 U.S. National Health Interview Survey
Authors: Krieger Nancy , Barbeau Elizabeth M. , Soobader Mah-Jabeen
Published: May 2005

To inform current debates over whether occupational class is causally linked to health inequities, the authors used data from the 2000 U.S. National Health Interview Survey to compare occupational disparities in access to health services, socioeconomic resources, and health status, using (1) the United Kingdom's new National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification (NS-SEC), premised on type of labor contract (salaried vs. hourly wage) and class position (employer, self-employed, supervisory and non-supervisory employee), and (2) the conventional U.S. occupational categories, premised on status and skill. Analyses included all working-age adults (age 25 to 64) for whom data on occupation and race/ethnicity were available (N = 22,500). Risk of inadequate access to health services, poverty, and low education were two times greater for persons in NS-SEC class 5 versus class 1, compared with blue-collar versus white-collar, and for both measures persons with the worst health status were in jobs that afforded the least access to health care. Controlling for earned income and workplace health insurance markedly reduced health service disparities, especially for the NS-SEC measure, thereby implying structural characteristics of jobs are causally relevant for resources and benefits necessary to address health inequities in the United States.
Reaction of New Soviet Immigrants to Primary Health Care Services in Israel
Authors: Remennick Larissa I. , Ottenstein-Eisen Naomi
Published: May 2005

The post-1989 immigration wave from the former U.S.S.R. has increased the Israeli population by over 12 percent, seriously affecting the host health care system. This study draws on semi-structured interviews with the immigrants visiting outpatient clinics in the Tel-Aviv area in order to explore organizational and cultural aspects of their encounter with the Israeli medical services. While instrumental aspects of care were seen as an improvement over the Soviet standards, communication between providers and clients was seriously flawed, reflecting both a language barrier and diverse cultures of illness and cure. Many interviewees complained of the impersonal, “technical” attitude of Israeli physicians toward patients and the lack of holism in care, which they allegedly enjoyed before emigration. Some immigrant patients feel deprived of the paternalism of the Soviet medical system, complaining that Israeli providers “forego responsibility” for patients' health. A consumerist approach to medical services is also a novelty, and immigrants have to learn to be informed and assertive clients. Most problems are experienced by the elderly patients; overall, women seem to adjust to the new system better than men.
Aesthetic Success in Classical Music: A Computer Analysis of 1935 Compositions
Authors: Simonton Dean Keith
Published: May 2005

To further elucidate the basis of aesthetic success in classical music, data on 8992 themes were aggregated into 1935 compositions by 172 composers from the Renaissance to the present day. Aesthetic success was gauged via compositional popularity and ratings of aesthetic significance and audience accessibility, while aesthetic attributes were assessed by melodic originality and originality variation as determined by a computer content analysis of melodic structure. The results demonstrate that the probability of a work being performed and recorded is a function of aesthetic attributes and melodic content, with direct and indirect effects of artistic, biographical, and historical conditions. Aesthetic taste is thus not arbitrary but lawful, for it is grounded in the intrinsic qualities of a piece which in turn reflect the state of the composer at the time of composition.
Comparison of Three Statistical Computer Programs in Teaching Analysis of Variance
Authors: Brecht M. L. , Woodward J. Arthur , Gistenson Jodi
Published: May 2005

Subjects analyzed data from typical ANOVA designs using three different computer programs. Several measures of cost, completion, and ease of program use were recorded and compared in a repeated measures Latin square design. Within time constraints and support that simulate an instructional setting, subjects could not answer the research questions using two traditional computer packages, but subjects completed all analyses using an interactive personal computer program designed to minimize computer-related difficulties. Such results can be useful in guiding design of instructional strategies and computer programs.
The Role of the World Health Organization in Health Related Aspects of Family Planning
Authors: Zahra Albert , Strudwick Richard
Published: May 2005

As part of its mandate and in answer to requests from governments, the World Health Organization works in three main areas relating to human reproduction, family planning, and population dynamics: the introduction of family planning into health services, provision of appropriate education and training for health personnel at all levels, and research in human reproduction, both biomedical and operational. The underlying strategy of the organization is to assist the strengthening of national health services, family planning being included as an integral part of health care. To help administrations to meet the demands posed by the increased scope and multidisciplinary nature of family planning, WHO pays particular attention to the planning, administration, and evaluation of projects, emphasizing the use of modern managerial techniques and the importance of operational research. WHO sponsors scientific and technical meetings in human reproduction, family planning, and population dynamics, to provide an international forum for collaborative efforts and to emphasize the importance of national and international coordination of efforts and resources.
The Relationship between Response Qualities of Life Change Events and Future Illness Rates
Authors: Sheehan David V. , O'Donnell James , Fitzgerald Anne , Hervig Linda , Ward Harold
Published: May 2005

A prospective study over three months explored whether measures of response “qualities” of life change events (e.g., whether the event was positive or negative in its subjective impact) enhance the ability of a simple counting of recent life change events to predict near future illness rates. Thirty-four nursing students were studied. Results confirm previous reports that future illness rates increase positively and significantly in direct relationship to the accumulation of recent past life change events. A simple count of the number of untimely or unexpected life stresses (31% of total life changes) or a simple count of the number of negative life events (53.8%) were as potent predictors as the total count of recent life changes. The total number of times each event occurred did not add to the predictive power of a count of the number of events experienced. Anticipated life events were poor predictors of future illness rates. The subjective life change unit scaling system (SLCU) did not add to the predictive power of a simple count of the number of events. Social support availability did not significantly lower illness rates.
A Microcomputer-Based Evaluation Subsystem for the Textual Component of an Instructional System
Authors: Palumbo David B. , Reed W. Michael
Published: May 2005

The purpose of this study was to extend the notion of evaluation to determine and improve the reliability and validity of an evaluation instrument. This process was facilitated by a microcomputer testing program designed to collect performance data of both students and the evaluation instrument. The study was conducted in two cycles. In the first cycle, potentially flawed items were identified. These items were then pulled from the test pool and examined by the instructional staff. Thirty-four items out of the 120 test items were flagged as being potentially faulty items. These flagged items fell into five categories: 1) items containing more than one correct answer, 2) items which were incorrectly keyed, 3) items with no correct answers, 4) items with “give-away” answer foils, and 5) items in which no flaws were identified. The faulty items were revised by the instructional staff and reinserted in the test pool. In cycle two of the study, the entire test pool, including the revised items, was readministered. Of the thirty-four flagged items in cycle one, twenty items fell within the acceptable range during cycle two. An added benefit to these revisions was that the mean score for each of the six behavioral objectives reflected by the test pool increased, while the standard deviation for each objective decreased. In addition to the discussion of this process in terms of reliability and validity, a discussion of the use of microcomputers as a means of facilitating this evaluation and redesign process is also given.
Predictors of Intention to Seek Medical Help by Peruvian Mothers for Children Who Have Signs of Pneumonia
Authors: Gálvez Cesar Augusto , Modeste Naomi , Lee Jerry W. , Betancourt Hector , Wilkins Robert
Published: May 2005

The Theory of Planned Behavior was used to assess predictors of Peruvian mothers seeking medical help when they believed their child had signs of pneumonia. Open-ended interviews to identify beliefs were followed by a questionnaire administered to 500 mothers from low-income settlements in Lima in June and July 2000. Subjective norm (what important referents want) was the best predictor of intention, followed by mothers' feelings about how easy it would be to take the child to the clinic. Attitude toward taking the child to a clinic was not a significant predictor of intention. This study indicates a stronger role for subjective norm than attitudes and perceived control in similar studies done with this model in other settings. It, of course, only predicts intention to act and not behavior, important here given social-economic barriers, e.g., cost, to access to care among this study group.
Is there a Relationship between Death Anxiety and Engagement in Lethal Behaviors among African-American Students?
Authors: Cotton Allison
Published: May 2005

Two hundred and fifty-four African-American students volunteered to examine the relationship between death anxiety and engagement in lethal behavior. A three-part questionnaire was administered: Parts I and II of the questionnaire consisted of the Revised Death Anxiety Scale (RDAS) and the Lethal Behaviors Scale (LBS). Part III of the questionnaire consisted of questions about demography. The research was designed to assess the effect of gender, age, income, and geographic location on the relationship between death anxiety and lethal behavior. Chi square, ANOVA, and Multiple Regression analyses were employed to calculate the results. Findings include: 1) an inverse relationship exists between death anxiety and engagement in lethal behaviors, 2) females scored higher than males on the RDAS, 3) males scored higher than females on the LBS, and 4) income significantly effected Lethal Behavior Scale scores.
Putting the Search for Genes in Perspective
Authors: Holtzman Neil A.
Published: May 2005

The sequencing of the human genome has been heralded by both the mass media and scientists as a breakthrough that will allow the detection of individuals at increased risk for common diseases and the tailoring of drugs to an individual's genetic profile in order to prevent disease. Sequencing is likely to benefit those at risk of developing rare diseases in which inherited mutations in a single gene play a major causal role. In the vast majority of people with common diseases, however, genotypes at many different loci, as well as environmental exposures, must be simultaneously present before disease appears. Elucidating the genes involved will prove elusive. In addition to the large number, different combinations account for a particular disease. Most of the genotypes that contribute to the constellation of necessary genes are uncommon and will be difficult to find. Common genotypes may confer susceptibility but will be weak predictors of disease. Because of the difficulty of discovering genes for common diseases, designing therapies will also prove difficult. More attention to environmental risk factors for particular diseases will have greater yield than a genetic search, but this too will be difficult because of environmental-genetic and other interactions. The search for risk factors for particular diseases neglects the political and social milieu in which individuals swim or sink and in which all diseases occur.
Some Thoughts on Primary Care: Problems in Implementation
Authors: Jonas S.
Published: May 2005

This paper presents definitions of primary care and the dimensions of the health care crisis in general and of the primary care crisis in particular. The importance of team practice in primary care is described, as are the necessity of creating the social physician as team leader and some changes which appear to be necessary in medical education in order to begin moving toward a solution of the primary care crisis. Primary care is what most patients need most of the time. Changes in the medical education system—changes as fundamental as those which paved the way for the research establishment-will be required to provide it.
Community Participation: The Maasai Health Services Project, Tanzania
Authors: Nangawe Elihuruma , Shomet Francis , Rowberg Erik , McGinn Therese , van Wie William
Published: May 2005

The Maasai Health Services Project in northern Tanzania is a primary health care undertaking in which individuals chosen by their communities are trained as providers of selected preventive and curative services, including family planning, and as facilitators of change in their areas. The communities, through the selection, support, and supervision of these community health workers (CHWs), are actively involved in every stage of project activities. This article examines in detail the process through which community management of the project is promoted. Important elements within this process include: 1) holding several unhurried meetings with community members and leaders to discuss health problems and solutions fully; 2) cultivating leadership and management from within the community while providing technical assistance from the outside; 3) working with CHWs who are selected by their communities; 4) conducting the training of CHWs in their own communities instead of at a distant site; and 5) integrating community organization skills and activities into CHW training. Some of the lessons learned are that 1) project staff must resist the role of expert and maintain that of facilitator; 2) the pace of the project must be in step with the communities' understanding and readiness to accept it; 3) the role of the CHW must respond to the urgently felt need for curative services; the real need for preventive services, such as family planning; and the long-range need for social change; and 4) the project must respect the traditional social structure of the Maasai and Waarusha groups served and must also recognize and adapt to the differences between them.
Illness as Subjective Experience
Authors: Lipowski Z. J. , Stewart Anne M.
Published: May 2005

This is a patient's autobiographical account of her illness while hospitalized at the place of her employment. She discusses her emotional reactions to her illness experience–her anxiety and depression over seizure activity and concomitant debilitation, her frustration over her failure to communicate with the staff, her request for psychiatric consultation, and her eventual rehabilitation. She raises such issues as the reluctance of physicians to recommend psychiatric consultation, the obstacles to effective communication and patient care posed by medical territorialism, and the complications that arise when a health worker must assume the role of patient, cared for by fellow staff members.
Perceived Barriers to HIV Prevention among University Students in Sierra Leone, West Africa
Authors: Stewart Thomas J. , Richter Donna L.
Published: May 2005

This article presents the results of a small pilot study of students at Fourah Bay College in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, West Africa, to provide baseline data to the National AIDS Programme in planning educational interventions aimed at preventing the spread of HIV. Results of the survey indicate that barriers to HIV prevention in Sierra Leone include persistence of belief in the idea that AIDS is not real but is a conspiracy to prevent Africans from having sex or having children, an ambivalence among women students regarding sexuality issues, a lack of familiarity with the parameters of the epidemic in Africa, and a belief that condom use behavior is not amenable to change. Implications of these findings are discussed. Further research is needed to include the portion of the population that is not literate.
A Reader's View of Text and Graphics: Implications for Transactional Text
Authors: Rubens Philip M.
Published: May 2005

The underlying principles of graphic theory have been largely ignored by the technical and scientific communication community. This impatience with theory creates numerous problems for readers of technical information since about 30 percent of such material is graphic in nature. This article offers an overview of the major theoretical schools that have some importance for these fields and discusses their implications for the design and preparation of referential texts.
Interactive Videodisc Instruction in Pre-Calculus
Authors: Henderson Ronald W. , Landesman Edward M.
Published: May 2005

The interactive videodisc player, managed by a microcomputer, combines the unique instructional qualities of video with the interactive flexibility of the computer. This article reports on the design considerations involved in the development of a series of eight interactive videodisc modules in pre-calculus mathematics. This system, entitled Preparing for Calculus, takes advantage of the unique attributes of each component of the system. The materials provide systematic instruction along dimensions that teachers often have difficulty implementing in classroom situations, but which have been demonstrated to be effective in mathematics instruction. Preliminary field test results indicate that the materials are highly effective, both for review and for initial learning of new concepts and operations.
Effects of Field Dependence-Independence on Size and Type of Visuals
Authors: Moore David M.
Published: May 2005

This study concerns the effect of field dependence-independence on short term recall of content information from visuals described as photographs, paintings and line drawings of different sizes. It was hypothesized that field dependents would be able to perform better on recall tasks with visuals of less complexity and less distracting information. The results showed interaction between size and type of visual, but no significant difference in means due to cognitive style.
A Survey of Technical Communication Students: Attitudes, Skills, and Aspirations
Authors: Covington David H. , Krowne Clifford M.
Published: May 2005

A survey of technical communication students at North Carolina State University has revealed information about students' perceptions of their communication skills and abilities, their immediate and long-range career plans, and what should be offered in a technical communication course. This information complements information gathered from surveys of business and industrial employers and of technical graduates on the job. The results of the survey suggest the desirability of increased technical communication course emphasis on oral reports and simulating professional communication activities. The survey also suggests specific areas for emphasis in the teaching of organization, format, and style.
Applying Work-Role Attachment Theory to Retirement Decision-Making
Authors: Adams Gary A. , Prescher Julie , Beehr Terry A. , Lepisto Lawrence
Published: May 2005

This study examined the relationships between work-role attachment variables (job involvement, affective organizational commitment, and career identification) and intention to retire. Results indicated that organizational commitment was negatively related to retirement intent. Contrary to expectations, job involvement displayed a positive relationship and career identification had no relationship to retirement intent.
E-Books—The Future of Reading and Ultimate Book Publishing
Authors: Gandhi Subash
Published: May 2005

The author provides an introduction and historical development of electronic books, or e-books. The prevailing confusion regarding terminology of e-book as a format or a device is clarified. The main features for the four models of e-books— RocketBook, SoftBook, EveryBook, and Librius—are comparedin a tabular form followed by the unique features of each e-book. The advantages and disadvantages of e-books are discussed in detail. Main drawbacks and current problems associated with e-books are examined. The proprietary issues, format and encryption standards, and copyright problems connected with e-books are explored. New technological breakthrough of e-ink and e-paper are highlighted. Some new ventures in e-books industry such as netLibrary, market potentials, and the future of e-books are discussed in detail.
Socio-Medical Indicators of Health in South Africa
Authors: Jinabhai Champak C. , Coovadia Hoosen M. , Abdool-Karim Salim S.
Published: May 2005

Socio-medical indicators developed by WHO for monitoring progress towards Health-for-All have been adapted to reveal, clearly and objectively, the devastating impact of state planning based on an outmoded immoral and unscientific philosophy of race superiority in South Africa on the health of the disenfranchised majority within the context of social and economic discrimination; Health policy indicators confirm that the government is committed to three options (Bantustans, A New Constitution, and A Health Services Facilities Plan) all of which are inconsistent with the attainment of Health-for-All; Social and economic indicators reveal gross disparities between African, Coloured, Indian, and White living and working conditions; Provision of health care indicators show the overwhelming dominance of high technology curative medical care consuming about 97 percent of the health budget with only minor shifts towards community-based comprehensive care; and Health status indicators illustrate the close nexus between privilege, dispossession and disease with Whites falling prey to health problems related to affluence and lifestyle, while Africans, Coloureds, and Indians suffer from disease due to poverty.

All four categories of the indicator system reveal discrepancies which exist between Black and White, rich and poor, urban and rural. To achieve the social goal of Health-for-All requires a greater measure of political commitment from the state.

We conclude that it is debatable whether a system which maintains race discrimination and exploitation can in fact be adapted to provide Health-for-All.
Health and Safety Organizing: Ocaw's Worker-to-Worker Health and Safety Training Program
Authors: Slatin Craig
Published: May 2005

In 1987, the Oil, Chemical, and Atomic Workers International Union (OCAW) was funded as one of the original eleven awardees of the Superfund Worker Training Program of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The OCAW, with the Labor Institute, developed a hazardous waste worker and hazardous materials emergency responder health and safety training program that was specific to its members in the represented industries. A social history is developed to explore a union-led, worker health education intervention. The program sought to develop worker-trainers who would conduct the training, using the Small-Group Activity Method, participate in curriculum development, and ultimately use health and safety training as a vehicle for identifying, developing, and mobilizing health and safety activists among the membership. Although the direction for this effort came from progressive leadership, it arose from the political economy of labor/management relations within specific industrial sectors.
Synergy of Constructivism and Hypermedia from Three Constructivist Perspectives— Social, Semiotic, and Cognitive
Authors: Yang Shu Ching
Published: May 2005

In this paper, constructivism is examined as an epistemological basis for the design and use of hypermedia systems. The aim is to synergize the constructivist view of learning and the potentialities of hypermedia. Constructivism is a rich source of epistemological offerings that can yield insights for conceptualizing hypermedia tools along with specific guidelines for designing these tools. Based on cognitive, semiotic, and social perspectives, a new conceptual framework for constructive hypermedia learning systems is proposed. Desirable features and design considerations that might be built into future hypermedia systems are discussed. A list of functionalities reflecting the emphasis and illumination of each perspective in order to fulfill the tenets of constructivism is outlined and elaborated. This new conceptual model offers a useful perspective for using and designing hypermedia to facilitate the constructivist view of learning. The conceptual framework proposed here is not exhaustive nor comprehensive but rather an epistemological and analytical prototype, that needs validation.
Inherent Response Leniency in the Modified Gordon Test of Visual Imagery Control Questionnaire
Authors: LeBoutillier Nicholas , Marks David
Published: May 2005

A. Richardson's 12-item version of the Gordon TVIC is the most frequently used measure of the control of mental imagery [1]. Although the TVIC is normally treated as a continuous variable, many studies have reported a negatively skewed response leniency. In the present study, 161 participants' responses to the TVIC were evaluated for skew and kurtosis. Transformation to z scores showed significant skew on 11 items and kurtosis on five of the items ( z > 3.10, p < 0.001). Attempts to transform the items were not successful and the overall item average was also skewed and kurtoic. These findings question the validity of performing multivariate analyses on the TVIC. They also show that the measure should not be used as a continuous variable in individual differences research. Although methods for resolving some of these problems are discussed it is concluded that a new test of imagery control needs to be developed.
Buried in Haste: Historic Interments from Governors Island, New York
Authors: Santone Lenore , Irish Joel D.
Published: May 2005

Data recovery investigations conducted by Louis Berger & Associates, Inc. at the U.S. Coast Guard Support Center, Governors Island, New York, recovered evidence of a heretofore undocumented late-18th to early-19th century cemetery outside of Castle Williams. Subsurface investigations were conducted to address questions related to the nature, context, and extent of human remains encountered during the excavation of an electrical utility trench in the northwest section of the island. A total of six human burials was recovered from within burial shafts manifest through soil color differences. On the basis of the archaeological, osteological, and paleopathological analysis, we concluded that the individuals interred outside of Castle Williams represent late-18th or early-19th century Colonial-born, Caucasoid males probably stationed on the island as enlisted military personnel.
The Politics of Pharmaceutical Reform: The Case of the Philippine National Drug Policy
Authors: Lee Mary Bessie
Published: May 2005

A national drug policy was formulated in the Philippines after the rise of the Aquino government in 1986. In this article, the author discusses the pharmaceutical situation before the policy was announced, and argues that the major push for a policy came from the confluence of four factors: a change in the structures of political power, especially the rise of a new government and the empowerment of health non-governmental organizations as new participants in the policy process; members of the Department of Health who pushed for a policy; a more conducive social and political climate, both locally and internationally; and a growing body of knowledge about the drug issue. The author discusses the policy's achievements as well as the limitations that have beset the policy from 1987 to 1992.
Learners' Cognitive Styles and Psychological Types as Intervening Variables Influencing Performance in Computer Science Courses
Authors: Sharma Sarla
Published: May 2005

During the past twenty years, many educators have tried to incorporate technological progress and processes into the nation's schools. As the demand for computer science courses continues its phenomenal growth into the 1980s, the problems of identifying components of computer science aptitude and predicting academic success in computer science courses become increasingly important. This article is based on the critical analysis of the most recent research studies concerning the identification of components of computer science aptitude responsible for success in computer science courses. The analysis attempts to answer three questions: 1. Do certain cognitive styles have a bearing on performance in computer science courses?; 2. Do certain psychological types have bearing on performance in computer science courses?, and 3. Do certain background variables (sex, age, academic classification, prior computer experience, academic program, and high school and college grade point averages) have relevance for performance in computer science courses? Finally, implications for matching curriculum and instructional strategies with students' different cognitive styles, personality types, and background information are presented and suggestions for advisement and placement of prospective computer science students, and recommendations for further research in this area are made.
Anorexia Nervosa at Normal Body Weight!–The Abnormal Normal Weight Control Syndrome
Authors: Crisp A. H.
Published: May 2005

Disgust with ‘fatness' and a consequent preoccupation with body weight, coupled with an inability to reduce it to or sustain it at the desired low level, characterizes the abnormal normal weight control syndrome. Individuals remain sexually active in a biological sense and often also socially. Indeed their sexual behaviour may be as impulse ridden as is their eating behaviour, which often comprises phases of massive bingeing coupled with vomiting and/or purgation. The syndrome is unlike frank anorexia nervosa in that the latter involves a regression to a position of phobic avoidance of normal body weight and consequent low body weight control with inhibition of both biological and social sexual activity. In abnormal normal weight control there is a strong and sometimes desperate hedonistic and extrovert element that will often not be denied so long as body weight does not get too low. Individuals nevertheless feel desperately ‘out of control’ and insecure beneath their bravura. The syndrome is much more common in females than in males. There is a clinical overlap with anorexia nervosa and obesity in many cases as the disorder evolves. Depression, stealing, drug dependence (including alcohol) and acute self-poisoning and self-mutilation are common complications. Clinic cases probably only represent the tip of the iceberg of a much more widespread morbidity within the general population. Like anorexia nervosa and for the same reasons the disorder is probably more common than it used to be.
Major Depressive Disorder and Health Care Costs in Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Patten Scott B. , Jacobs Philip , Petcu Ruxandra , Reimer Marlene A. , Metz Luanne M.
Published: May 2005

Objective:

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is associated with elevated levels of depressive symptoms and an elevated frequency of depressive disorders. Depressive disorders, in general, are associated with substantial direct and indirect economic costs, and have been shown to increase the costs associated with the management of medical conditions in a variety of clinical settings. However, the impact of depressive disorders on costs associated with MS have not been evaluated. The objective of this study was to evaluate this association.

Methods:

The Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) was used to identify subjects with major depressive disorder in a sample who had earlier been selected for a broader economic evaluation of the costs associated with MS. Costs were measured in two ways: retrospectively (by questionnaire covering a 2-year period) and prospectively (using a 6-month diary). The proportion of subjects reporting any costs and the proportion exceeding various cost thresholds were calculated in subjects with and without lifetime major depression. These proportions were compared using exact statistical tests and confidence intervals. Non-parametric (rank sum) tests were used to compare median costs.

Results:

Of 136 subjects, 31 had a lifetime history of major depression. MS-related expenses evaluated retrospectively (e.g., house and vehicle alterations and purchases) did not differ depending on major depression status. In the prospective analysis, subjects with lifetime major depression were more likely to purchase vitamins, herbs, and naturopathic remedies ( p < 0.01) and more likely to incur costs associated with utilization of services provided by alternative practitioners ( p = 0.04). Other differences (e.g., in mental health care, medical specialists, general practitioner visits) were not observed.

Conclusions:

Contrary to expectation, this study did not find increased direct medical costs in persons with comorbid major depressive disorder and multiple sclerosis. Persons with comorbid MS and (lifetime) major depression did not incur greater costs or utilize more services. The Canadian health care system is guided by principles of universality and is publicly funded and administered, however, the lack of an impact of major depression on utilization may reflect limited access to services. The lack of an association between costs and major depression may or may not be generalizable to health care systems in other countries.
Living Experiences with Death-A Journeyman's View through Psychodrama
Authors: Weiner Hannah B.
Published: May 2005

The psychodrama processes offer a valuable and flexible approach to death education. Basics of the psychodrama technique are presented and discussed. Techniques and concepts of particular relevance to death education are described, along with a variety of experiences that have been gained with them. Action therapy in the group setting can help people come to better terms with past death-related experiences, and also relate more adequately to future experiences.
A Database for Monitoring Curricular Changes in Graduate Academic Departments
Authors: Malaney Gary D.
Published: May 2005

This article discusses a database which was designed to improve the efficiency of a graduate school's records management process pertaining to establishing new courses and changing existing courses in graduate academic departments. The course approval process is described along with the former record-keeping system. Both the design and practical applications of the database are highlighted. The on-line query process and the report writing features of the relational database package are discussed. The design of this database represents another step in an ongoing process to computerize all of the administrative activities at this particular graduate school.