bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adolescents and Parental Aids Death: The Role of Social Support
Authors: Dillon Diane Huebner , Brassard Marla R.
Published: May 2005

Adolescents who lose a parent to AIDS often deal with an aura of secrecy which hinders opportunities to receive social support and their abilities to cope with their loss (Nagler, Adnopoz, & Forsyth, 1995). A study was conducted to investigate the relationship between social support and coping strategies, gender, and likelihood of reporting a parent's cause of death as AIDS. Participants included fifteen males and five females, between the ages of eleven and seventeen years, who had one or both parents die from AIDS. Results indicate that higher amounts of support are related to greater numbers of coping strategies, and a greater likelihood of reporting a parent's cause of death as AIDS. Female adolescents reported a greater number of coping strategies than male adolescents. Implications of the findings are discussed.
The Ivory Pond Mastodon Project
Authors: Moeller Roger W.
Published: May 2005

The Ivory Pond mastodon was discovered in June, 1982, in western Massachusetts during a backhoe operation to make a stock pond on the edge of a bog. The recovered material includes several large bone slabs, chunks of ivory, and teeth from a mastodon associated with seeds of Najas flexilis and white spruce cones. Carbon-14 dates of 11,440 +/− 655 years BP (GX-9024-G) and 11,630 +/− 470 years BP (GX-9259) were returned on bone gelatin and white spruce cones respectively. Identification and analysis of pollen, wood, invertebrates, and geological features are still in process.
Developing Information-Processing Skills through Structured Activities with a Computerized File-Management Program
Authors: White Charles S.
Published: May 2005

Considerable attention has been focused recently on the development of thinking skills among pre-college students. Advocates of computer-based education have suggested that computerized file-management programs can enhance thinking skills, especially those involving the identification, retrieval, organization and evaluation of information required for effective problem solving. Employing a randomized block design, a two-treatment experiment to test this claim was devised, involving fourteen paired classrooms and 665 seventh- through twelfth-grade students. The treatments and treatment materials were adapted from commercially produced social studies curriculum data bases. The computer-using/structured-activities treatment group achieved significantly higher mean scores than the non-computer-using/non-structured-activities group on a 14-item power test of selected information-processing skills (effect size = .27). The difference persisted when verbal ability and grade level were controlled. Suggestions for further research are proposed, and implications for instructional methodology, curriculum development, and conceptions of pre-college computer literacy are discussed.
Scientific and Technical Communicators' Perceptions of the Performance Appraisal Interview
Authors: McDowell Earl E.
Published: May 2005

This study surveys scientific and technical communicators to determine their perceptions of their role as interviewees in the performance appraisal interview. The results reveal that interviewees think the appraisal process is unreliable and invalid, that managers do not stimulate growth and development in the appraisal interview, and that subordinates have little influence concerning what goes on in the department. Other results are discussed in the article.
Perceptions of Memo Quality: A Case Study of Engineering Practitioners, Professors, and Students
Authors: Amare Nicole , Brammer Charlotte
Published: May 2005

One goal of college technical writing courses is to prepare students for real-world writing situations. Business writing textbooks function similarly, using guidelines, sample assignments, and model documents to help students develop rhetorical strategies to use in the workplace. Students attend class, or read and perform exercises in a textbook, with the faith that these skills will apply to workplace writing. In an attempt to better understand the similarities and differences between industry and academe's expectations of one genre of workplace writing, the memo, we compared the perceptions of memo quality by engineering faculty, students, and practitioners. All three groups responded to three sample memos taken from textbooks used by engineering professors in their undergraduate classrooms. The results indicate that students' and engineers' opinions of memo quality were more closely related to one another than to professors' comments, focusing on content, while professors were the most critical of style issues.
Wither the Dinosaur
Authors:   Bureau of Educational Communications Staff, New York State Education Department
Published: May 2005

This paper reports on the development of a television managed learning system for elementary school students. A working model called “Place of Doors” has been tested with 4th grade students. Preliminary findings indicate that this type of technology based learning system is not dehumanizing, helps students learn, and frees the classroom teacher. For half a day, freed teachers can work with students individually or in small groups to overcome persistent learning problems.
Latina and African American Women: Continuing Disparities in Health
Authors: Lillie-Blanton Marsha , Martinez Rose Marie , Taylor Andrea Kidd , Robinson Betty Garman
Published: May 2005

Women of all races have faced incredible challenges as they sought to realize the promises of America. For women of color, these challenges were compounded by the second-class citizenship of U.S. racial and ethnic minority population groups. In an effort to assess the quality of life experienced by Latina and African American women, this article provides descriptive information on racial/ethnic differences in women's social conditions, health status, exposure to occupational and environmental risks, and use of health services. When possible, indices are stratified by family income to limit the effects of social class on the comparison of racial differences. The authors provide evidence that Latina and African American women are more likely than nonminority women to encounter social environments (e.g., poverty, densely populated neighborhoods, hazardous work conditions) that place them at risk for ill-health and injury. Although persistent racial disparities in health are often attributed to the lifestyle behaviors of racial minority populations, they are undoubtedly a consequence of poorer social conditions as well as barriers in access to quality health services. To achieve further gains, public policies must reduce social inequalities (i.e., by gender, race, and social class) and assure greater equity in access to resources that facilitate healthier environments and lifestyles. Public health initiatives should be community-based, reflecting a shared partnership that actively engages minority women in decision-making about their lives.
From Zero to Line 21: Closing the TV Gap for Deaf Viewers
Authors: Schein Jerome D.
Published: May 2005

The options available to close the gap in televised communication for deaf people are considered under two major headings: captioning and interpreting. Each technique has advantages and disadvantages. The final decisions by televisers must include considerations of market size, but the preferences of deaf people should not be ignored.
Psychological Profile of Somatizing Patients Attending the Integrative Clinic
Authors: Dickson Lesley R. , Hays Lon R. , Kaplan Craig , Scherl Eileen , Abbott Susan , Schmitt Frederick
Published: May 2005

Objective:

A clinic to evaluate and treat referred somatizing patients was established in the medicine clinic of a university medical center.

Method:

Fifty-four patients were evaluated and compared to an age- and sex-matched non-somatizing patient group.

Results:

Somatizing patients had increased rates of psychiatric and alcohol and substance abuse histories. Somatizing patients scored high on all subscales of the SCL-90 and were most frequently found in the Anxious/Moody Cluster of the MBHI. These patients also endorsed highly beliefs in medical problems as a focus of their lives.

Conclusions:

These patients' psychological beliefs set the stage for conflict in the medical setting. The implications of these results are discussed in relation to liaison clinics, early identification, and treatment approaches.
Bereavement Support Groups: Timing of Participation and Reasons for Joining
Authors: Picton Cliff , Cooper Brian K. , Close Diana , Tobin Jean
Published: May 2005

This exploratory study investigated the experiences of a small group of people who had participated in professionally led bereavement support groups, with particular emphasis on perceptions of the appropriate timing for initial involvement with a group and the reasons for joining. The results support the need for timely group-based bereavement support. The proposition that bereavement support in the early weeks of bereavement is too early was voiced by some participants but strongly negated by others who found early support of major value to their well-being. Taking account of the small sample size, qualitative data suggest that the reasons for joining are similar regardless of the length of time since the death, although there is evidence that the need for emotional support is felt most acutely by those without adequate family support and who join within the first three months after the death. Findings suggest that group interventions are helpful to target individual circumstances, needs, and reactions throughout the process of mourning and offer direction for future research.
Training in Psychological Medicine: An Attempt to Assess Tavistock Clinic Seminars
Authors: Bacal Howard A.
Published: May 2005

In recent years there have been a number of attempts to evaluate the effects of postgraduate training seminars in psychological medicine for primary physicians. All of these studies agree in one respect–the enormously complex task of choosing meaningful criteria for assessment. This paper describes a pilot project in which twelve pre-seminar and twelve post-seminar doctors were interviewed. Analysis of the data suggests two general criteria which reflect a “limited though considerable change” in the personality of the doctor: (1) the doctor engages in work commensurate with his limits and he makes appropriate use of available consultant help; and (2) the interference by his own psychopathology in his work is minimal.

The study also suggests that seminar work promotes this kind of limited personal change in the doctor, and that improvement on these criteria may be necessary for the maintenance of skills gained in seminars. Implications for training and for further research are discussed.
Immunity and Somatic Health in Bereavement. A Prospective Study of 39 Norwegian Widows
Authors: Lindstrøm Torill Christine
Published: May 2005

Immunity and health have been reported to be negatively affected after bereavement. It seems probable that these findings are interrelated. However, few studies have studied both health and immunity simultaneously. The present investigation addressed the question of whether immunity was related to health in forty-five widows studied shortly after the death of their husband, and one year later. General health, health subscales (UHI) and immunoglobulins (IgA, IgM, IgG) with components (C3, C4) were measured. Statistics employed were frequencies, paired t-tests, and correlations. Major findings show that general health improved and IgM increased significantly after one year of bereavement. Few and weak relationships were found between health scores and immune parameters. The results were primarily discussed in relation to the connection between depression and immunity, and the unclear connection between changes in immune parameters within normal ranges and health consequences.
Tinker, Tailor, Technical Communicator
Authors: Cederborg Gibson A.
Published: May 2005

Technical communicators—both writers and editors—should know their inherent abilities, and how these abilities interface with related occupations. Publications supervisors and managers can also benefit from this knowledge by applying it to improve their units' functional efficiency. By using the Job and Talent Matrix—occupation blocks fitted into a lattice of aptitudes—we can define the general attributes of technical writers/editors, and establish their interrelationships with people from associated professions such as engineers.
Back to the Market: Yet More Reform of the National Health Service
Authors: Lewis Richard , Gillam Stephen
Published: May 2005

Yet more reform of the National Health Service in England has been announced by the Department of Health. In opposition, the Labour Party criticized the creation of an “internal market” for health care by the Conservative government, but five years into the Blair administration, market incentives are to be reinvigorated and the private sector is to be embraced in ways not seen hitherto. New guidance signals the introduction of competitive contracting using cost-per-case currencies, more choice for patients in where they will receive hospital treatment, and the freeing of NHS care providers from the direct political control of ministers. It is intended that the monopolistic features of the NHS in England should give way to greater pluralism, in particular through contracts with privately owned health care organizations. However, there is little evidence to suggest that these policies will be effective, and a number of practical problems may obstruct implementation.
Evaluating the Use of Technology in Education
Authors: Anandam Kamala , Kelly J. Terence
Published: May 2005

Evaluating the use of technology in education in the past has yielded conflicting results due to inadequate implementation of technology and premature attempts at evaluation. The necessary phases in using technology had been ignored. This article introduces the concept of the three E's — Extensiveness, Effectiveness, and Endurance — as the three phases in an innovation diffusion process; reviews previous research studies on uses of technology in education in the context of the three E's; and discusses the implication of the three E's for technological innovations in education and for evaluation.
Sexual Dysfunction in Renal Failure: A Survey of Chronic Hemodialysis Patients
Authors: Milne Judith F. , Golden Joshua S. , Fibus Lorna
Published: May 2005

Eighteen chronic hemodialysis patients were interviewed by staff trained in sex therapy. Compared with the pre-uremic phase, sexual satisfaction was less in nine subjects, greater in four; frequency of intercourse had declined in ten subjects. Dysfunctions of sexual response were reported by five men and six women. Analysis of physical factors, medication and depression showed no clear association with sexual dysfunction, suggesting the importance of psychosocial factors. A trial of sex therapy in renal patients is proposed.
Correlations of Cardiac Function and SCL-90R in Heart Transplantation Candidates
Authors: Maricle Robert A. , Burt Alex R. , Hosenpud Jeffrey D.
Published: May 2005

Measurements of cardiac function and Symptom Checklist-90R (SCL-90R) data were retrospectively analyzed in two independent groups of cardiac transplant candidates in an effort to identify organic correlates of depressive syndromes. In the first study, no significant inverse correlations were found between depression measures and cardiac index as had been predicted. However, elevated right atrial pressure was associated with increased scores of the SCL-90R depression subscale (DEP) and global symptom index (GSI). A significant positive correlation was also found between the phobia subscale and cardiac index. In a second sample, again, cardiac index did not correlate inversely with DEP or GSI. The phobia-cardiac index correlation was replicated but the right atrial pressure correlations were not. Combining both groups, there were significant correlations between six SCL-90R subscales (including DEP and GSI) and cardiac index. All were positive correlations, refuting the initial hypothesis and suggesting patients with the best cardiac function reported the worst psychological distress and that patients with the worst cardiac function reported the least psychological distress. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed.
College Students' Smoking Behavior, Perceived Stress, and Coping Styles
Authors: Naquin M. R. , Gilbert Glen G.
Published: May 2005

The purpose of this study was to examine college students' smoking behavior as well as their current smoking status and its effects on perceived levels of stress and coping styles. Students from four universities completed the Perceived Stress Scale, the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations and a smoking questionnaire. Of the 1330 students who participated in the study, 19 percent were current smokers. On the Perceived Stress Scale, current smokers' mean score was significantly higher than that of the students who had never smoked. In addition, the current smokers' mean score for Emotion-oriented Coping was significantly higher than that of the students who had never smoked or formerly smoked. The former smokers' mean score on Avoidance-oriented Coping was significantly lower than the never and the current smokers. Ten percent of the students smoked their first cigarette after high school, while 11 percent started to smoke on a daily basis after high school. Based on the findings, programs that focus on smoking prevention and cessation for college students are recommended.
The Role of Developmental Factors in Susceptibility to Disease
Authors: Ader Robert
Published: May 2005

An attempt is made to provide a perspective within which to view the role of developmental processes in the pathogenesis of disease. Given the presence of potentially pathogenic stimuli, conditions would be optimal for the development of manifest disease if there exists a biologic “vulnerability,” changes in the psychosocial environment are perceived as “stressful,” and the individual is unable to cope with the altered environmental demands. Experiences that occur during early life represent only one of the factors that could contribute to the manner in which the individual perceives and adapts to changes within his environment. Examples from the animal research literature illustrate the potential of events occurring during the course of development to alter specific sensory capacities in the adult exposed to extraordinary environmental demands, and to modify psychophysiological function and ultimate disease susceptibility. Experientially determined differences in disease susceptibility, however, depend upon the nature of the disease process under study. In the case of experimentally-induced gastric lesions, early life experiences interact with subsequent social factors to decrease susceptibility even in animals genetically predisposed to the development of such lesions. It is suggested that events occurring during the course of development result in chronic changes which contribute to the psychophysiological background upon which potentially pathogenic stimulation is superimposed.
Online Learners and Their Learning Strategies
Authors: Dewar Tammy , Whittington Dave
Published: May 2005

The authors have used the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®), a personality assessment tool, to look at online learning styles. MBTI is briefly explained and some work on how MBTI has been applied to online behavior in general is outlined. The article describes and discusses an experiment that looked at how adult learners made use of their MBTI type to cope with the challenges of learning in an online environment. Results of the experiment are presented and some tentative conclusions are drawn. The authors go on to provide notes related to the four psychological dimensions of the MBTI that might be useful to course designers, course facilitators, and students. The article concludes with a brief discussion of where further work might prove useful.
Religious Practice and Depression among Geriatric Home Care Patients
Authors: Milstein Glen , Bruce Martha L. , Gargon Nina , Brown Ellen , Raue Patrick J. , McAvay Gail
Published: May 2005

Objective:

To examine the relationship between religious practice and depression in a sample of geriatric patients receiving homecare nursing services.

Methods:

Patients were sampled weekly for six months from all those aged 65 to 102, and newly enrolled in a visiting nurse agency ( N = 130). Depression was assessed by home interviews using the SCID and HRSD. Patients reported their religious service participation prior to receiving homecare and currently. Health status, disability, pain, social support and history of depression were also assessed.

Results:

The current prevalence of DSM-IV Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) was significantly greater ( p < .05), and depressive symptoms were more severe ( p < .02), among those persons who had not attended religious services prior to receiving homecare. Logistic regression demonstrated that the effect of religious attendance remained significant when controlling for health status, disability, pain, social support and history of depression. A subsequent analysis compared three groups of patients. They were those who had: 1) Not attended religious services; 2) Stopped attending since homecare; 3) Continued attending. Data demonstrated significantly decreasing prevalence of MDD ( p < .03) across the groups.

Conclusions:

Prevalence of DSM-IV Major Depressive Disorder and the severity of depressive symptoms were significantly lower among homecare patients who attend religious services. Because a large proportion of persons stop attending religious services after initiating homecare, it is suggested that visitation by clergy may improve depressive symptoms for these patients.
Women's Health and Social Change: The Case of Lay Midwives
Authors: Kay Bonnie J. , Butter Irene H. , Chang Deborah , Houlihan Kathleen
Published: May 2005

One reaction to the medicalization of birth has been the comeback of lay midwives in the past 10 years. While many practice alone as did midwives 80 years ago, now midwives are networking and organizing in regional and statewide groups, an important new distinction in the light of increasing regulatory policy formation by many states. Are these groups the beginnings of traditional bureaucratic health professional organizations or are they better described as alternative women's health groups that espouse nonhierarchical philosophies of women's health? In this article, we describe an empirical study of one such group, the Michigan Midwives' Association, and explore the philosophies and practices of individual members as well as the internal organization of the group and its influence on members. Data were collected using individual telephone interviews with 48 of 50 members, group newsletters and documents, and two spokespersons who developed an oral history of the Association since its origin in 1978. Results suggest that the group plays an important role in reinforcing individually held philosophies about women-controlled birth and in providing social support to health workers practicing outside the traditional system.
A Collation of Funeral Directors' Impressions of Suicidal Deaths
Authors: Calhoun Lawrence G. , Selby James W. , Steelman Jonathan K.
Published: May 2005

The present study was focused on whether or not suicidal deaths produce reactions in the surviving family that are different from those caused by other types of death. Structured interviews were conducted with twenty-five funeral directors. Their observations were obtained on the severity of the family's reaction and on the social responses of others to the bereaved family. The response of the funeral directors indicated that suicide produces different reactions by the family and different social responses to the family than other types of death. Suicide was viewed as producing more shame and embarrassment, greater difficulty in coping with the death, and greater likelihood of guilt feelings and unanswered questions about the death in the surviving family. Most of the sample of directors indicated that others feel more uncomfortable in expressing sympathy to the survivors of suicide and less confident about the expression of sympathy.
Managing Computer-Related Anxiety and Stress within Organizations
Authors: Craig John S.
Published: May 2005

Computer-related anxiety and stress affects everyone who uses a computer and is aggravated by poor management, faulty system design, inadequate training, misunderstandings by users of what computers can do, and substandard documentation. Research has shown that computer users, no matter how experienced they are, can experience anxiety and stress that negatively affect their job performance. The problem is so pervasive that no single management strategy, ergonomic plan, training model, or system design can resolve the dilemma. Physical and psychological problems that afflict computer users can be reduced only by a united effort of all people involved with designing systems, training, and operating computers within organizations. This article reviews research in the field, and outlines how management, system designers, and technical communicators can help users relieve stress and anxiety when using and learning how to operate computers. When managers, designers, and technical communicators work together, factors that create computer stress and anxiety can be identified and reduced when computer systems and training are properly designed and managed.
Improving Reading Instruction through Newer Media
Authors: Sleeman Phillip J.
Published: May 2005

This author states that early man's fears and distrust of fellow man are basic phenomena, which he postulates were caused by lack of communication—a complex process requiring intelligence and understanding. Methods of classroom communication determine the amount of learning by students. Audiovisual materials used in conjunction with proven teaching methods interact with perceptor sensory mechanisms through which learning is accomplished.

Various kinds of audiovisual aids are compared and assessed: chalkboards, the overhead projector and programmed learning are discussed at length but author states much research is still needed before definitive conclusions can be drawn.
If They Get Sick, They are in Trouble: Health Care Restructuring, User Charges, and Equity in Vietnam
Authors: Sepehri Ardeshir , Chernomas Robert , Akram-Lodhi A. Haroon
Published: May 2005

The transition from a centrally planned economy in the 1980s and the implementation of a series of neoliberal health policy reform measures in 1989 affected the delivery and financing of Vietnam's health care services. More specifically, legalization of private medical practice, liberalization of the pharmaceutical industry, and introduction of user charges at public health facilities have effectively transformed Vietnam's near universal, publicly funded and provided health services into a highly unregulated private-public mix system, with serious consequences for Vietnam's health system. Using Vietnam's most recent household survey data and published facility-based data, this article examines some of the problems faced by Vietnam's health sector, with particular reference to efficiency, access, and equity. The data reveal four important findings: self-treatment is the dominant mode of treatment for both the poor and nonpoor; there is little or no regulation to protect patients from financial abuse by private medical providers, pharmacies, and drug vendors; in the face of a dwindling share of the state health budget in public hospital revenues and low salaries, hospitals increasingly rely on user charges and insurance premiums to finance services, including generous staff bonuses; and health care costs, especially hospital costs, are substantial for many low- and middle-income households.
Examining Scientific and Technical Literature
Authors: Sawyer Thomas M.
Published: May 2005

Professors emeritii from both engineering and the humanities can usefully serve as External Examiners to determine the student's final grade in a scientific and technical communication course.
The Consequences of Universalizing Health Services: Children's Use of Health Services in Catalonia
Authors: Rajmil Luis , Starfield Barbara , Plasència Antoni , Segura Andreu
Published: May 2005

The purpose of this study was to assess the role of needs and social factors in the use of health services among children under age 15 in Catalonia, Spain, where health care reform was explicitly designed to facilitate universal access to primary care according to health needs. Data from the Catalan Health Interview Survey of 1994, a multistage probability sample (2,433 children under 15 years old), were analyzed. Multiple regression examined the relationship between health needs and number of visits in the last year, controlling for the effect of sociodemographic characteristics. Two logistic regression equations were selected to predict heavy (more than seven visits per year) and light (less than two visits) utilization of services. The multiple regression model explained 14.3 percent of the variance in number of visits, with health status perception, disability, reported chronic condition, restriction of activities, and having had a recent accident by far the most important determinants. No familial socioeconomic characteristics, including social class, education, or family size, influenced the extent of use. In contrast to health systems not designed to achieve either universal access according to need or strong primary care, universal access to health services in Catalonia appears to enhance the use of services among children with health needs, regardless of socioeconomic characteristics.
Computer Programming and Logical Reasoning: Unintended Cognitive Effects
Authors: Seidman Robert H.
Published: May 2005

Recent research results having to do with explicit instruction in computer programming and cognitive skills indicate an increased emphasis upon the structure of the learning environment surrounding programming languages. A new research direction concerned with transfer effects due to environmental aspects of programming instruction is emerging. A conceptual analysis of the syntax and semantics of the IF-THEN [ELSE] conditional command is presented which suggests that mastering a procedural language itself (independent of environment) might have unintended, indirect, and potentially negative effects upon fundamental intellectual skills. Research is reported which suggests that there are unintended side-effects upon childrens' conditional reasoning ability due to learning a procedural computer programming language.
Three-Year Results of Prevention Programs on Marijuana Use: The New Hampshire Study
Authors: Stevens Marguerite M. , Freeman Daniel H. , Mott Leila , Youells Fay
Published: May 2005

The effects on marijuana use of 1) a drug prevention curriculum, or 2) this curriculum with added parent and other adult community activities in comparison with 3) a control community were investigated. Baseline information on drug-related behaviors from a sample of fourth, fifth, and sixth graders aged nine to fourteen years in rural New Hampshire ( N = 1200) were obtained. The children completed these initial questionnaires in classrooms in 1987. In the comprehensive community intervention regular marijuana use was reduced by over 50 percent. No program had a significant effect on the initiation of marijuana use. The predictors of initiation were being in a higher grade, low school satisfaction, poor academic achievement, feeling unloved by one's family, feeling unpopular, and being part of a drug-using peer group. The baseline predictors of subsequent regular marijuana use were poor academic achievement, feeling unpopular, and being part of a drug-using peer group. In interviews the cultural and social contexts of marijuana use were explored. Strategies to prevent marijuana use need to take into account the profile of the marijuana-using child, the adult community's attitudes and beliefs about drugs, and the access of drug sellers and users to children.
A Single Sample Study of Dissociation between Expressed and Experienced Pleasure by Gender in Mild Depression
Authors: Brown Serena-Lynn
Published: May 2005

Thirty male and thirty female adult subjects were divided equally into three groups on the basis of the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale; mildly depressed (50–63), normal (40–49), and “low normal” (20–39). Observer ratings of positive affect were made during a one and one-half hour laboratory experiment, and self-ratings of pleasurable experience were collected at the end of the experiment. Results showed no significant differences between groups for self-report of experienced pleasure. However, a significant difference between groups was found for observer ratings of positive affect, with the mildly depressed and “low normal” subjects showing a shorter duration and a lower degree of positive affect than the normals. These results partially replicate and extend previous work. Implications for theory, research, and psychotherapy are discussed.
Better Health—But Not for All: The Swedish Public Health Report, 1987
Authors: Diderichsen Finn , Lindberg Gudrun
Published: May 2005

This article is a summary of the Public Health Report submitted to the Swedish Parliament in 1987. Health development, especially that of underprivileged groups, is regarded as an indicator of the quality of social and economic development of the country. Sweden is a very egalitarian country, but in spite of decreasing inequalities in living standards, the Report shows increasing inequalities in health. At the same time, the state has put restraints on health care spending, and the shift in the health care budget toward more primary care has stopped. This development seriously impairs the ability of the health and medical services to cope with inequities described in this Report.
Instructional Technology: Its Emerging Role in the Education of the Handicapped
Authors: Norwood Malcolm J.
Published: May 2005

An historical description of the beginning of media/technology as applied to the education of the handicapped through federal programs in the U.S. Office of Education, and the further development of federal involvement which has led to greater attention to the application of technology to the problems of the handicapped educationally, culturally, and socially.
Cortisol Secretion and Urinary MHPG in Unipolar Depression
Authors: Sternbach Harvey A. , Extein Irl , Sweeney Donald R. , Gold Mark S. , Pottash A. L. C.
Published: May 2005

The authors examined the relationship between both pre-dexamethasone 8:00 AM serum cortisol level and the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) with urinary 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl glycol (MHPG) excretion in a group of fifteen men and fourteen women with unipolar depression. No significant difference was found between the mean MHPG excretion for either male or female DST suppressors or non-suppressors. No significant correlation was found between the pre-dexamethasone 8:00 AM serum cortisol level and urinary MHPG. These results do not support the hypothesis that DST non-suppression in depression is related to central noradrenergic deficiency.
The Foreign Medical Graduate and Public Policy: A Discussion of the Issues and Options
Authors: Feldstein Paul J. , Butter Irene
Published: May 2005

This paper analyzes four basic reasons for curtailing the number of foreign medical graduates (FMGs) entering the United States: the loss to less-developed countries, the possible lower quality of medical care delivered by FMGs, the inability of all U.S. citizens who desire to receive a medical education to do so, and the fear of a possible surplus of physicians in the U.S. For each of these concerns, alternatives are presented and analyzed according to how well they would achieve their objectives. Based on the options proposed for reducing the number of FMGs, the conclusion is reached that the primary concern at present is an oversupply of U.S. physicians.
Terminal Restlessness in the Dying: Hospice Attitudes and Practice
Authors: Thomas Diane M. , Guerrero Brenda Moretta
Published: May 2005

An exploratory study was conducted to ascertain hospice attitudes and practices related to terminal restlessness, a syndrome found in an estimated 1 to 2 percent of dying patients (Kaye, 1997). Three hundred two participating hospices responded to survey questions. Chi-square analyses were conducted to explore frequency differences between the independent variable, utilization of a terminal restlessness tool, and each of the dependent variables: location, census, utilization of a treatment protocol, and number of cases of terminal restlessness reported. Chi-square analysis was also conducted to explore a frequency difference between the independent variable, average daily census, and the dependent variable, number of cases of terminal restlessness reported. With the exception of two predicted relationships, there were no significant differences in the proportion of responses between the independent and dependent variables. Implications of these results for hospice attitudes and practice are discussed. Suggestions are made for standardization of identification, assessment, and treatment of terminal restlessness.
Gibson, James, and the Temporal Continuity of Experience
Authors: Natsoulas Thomas
Published: May 2005

Is the stream of consciousness a temporal continuum or a sequence of distinct awarenesses? The present article considers this question in the context of the different theoretical positions of James J. Gibson and William James. The view favored is one that Gibson's treatment of perceptual awareness per se suggests: Awareness qua brain process is a unitary occurrence that, barring interruptions, expands continuously in the temporal domain for an extended duration. The obvious variation in awareness from moment to moment is construed as continuous change in content belonging to a single, developing process. The contrasting view holds that the stream of consciousness consists of pulses or drops of experience. These are distinct, of course, though temporally adjacent one with the next. James's view was of the latter discontinuous type even when he was proposing his now famous characterization of the stream of consciousness as being, among other things, sensibly continuous.
Primary Care, Income Inequality, and Self-Rated Health in the United States: A Mixed-Level Analysis
Authors: Shi Leiyu , Starfield Barbara
Published: May 2005

Using the 1996 Community Tracking Study household survey, the authors examined whether income inequality and primary care, measured at the state level, predict individual morbidity as measured by self-rated health status, while adjusting for potentially confounding individual variables. Their results indicate that distributions of income and primary care within states are significantly associated with individuals' self-rated health; that there is a gradient effect of income inequality on self-rated health; and that individuals living in states with a higher ratio of primary care physician to population are more likely to report good health than those living in states with a lower such ratio. From a policy perspective, improvement in individuals' health is likely to require a multi-pronged approach that addresses individual socioeconomic determinants of health, social and economic policies that affect income distribution, and a strengthening of the primary care aspects of health services.
Maize Cultivation in Coastal New York: The Archaeological, Agronomical, and Documentary Evidence
Authors: Ceci Lynn
Published: May 2005

The traditional model for New York's coastal Algonquians assumes the development of sedentary life based on successful cultivation of maize beginning sometime in the Woodland period. Analyses of the archaeological, agronomical, and documentary evidence for maize, however, strongly suggests that productivity of this important cultigen was poor, limited, and of late most probably post-contact beginnings. It is therefore proposed that year-round village life first developed as a response to historic economic activities, such as wampum manufacture and European trade, rather than on a reliance on maize.
A Death Awareness Workshop: Theory, Application and Results
Authors: Whelan W. Michael , Warren William M.
Published: May 2005

A death awareness workshop is described which is experimental in nature and based on Kubler-Ross' theory [1]. Exercises have been developed which parallel the five stages of acceptance of dying for terminally ill patients. An encounter group format is utilized in order to facilitate group process. An approach which effectively integrated both the existential framework for this workshop and the behavioral techniques utilized is discussed. The research design testing the effectiveness of the workshop is presented. The effects of the workshop reveal cognitive and emotional changes indicating participants in the workshop to be moving towards an “acceptance of death.”
An Analysis of the American Medical Association's Recommendations for Change in the Medical Care Sector of the United States
Authors: Navarro Vicente
Published: May 2005

In several recent publications, the American Medical Association has provided explanations of the current crisis in the medical sector of the United States. This article presents empirical information that questions the basic assumptions behind the AMA's explanations of the U.S. realities and the AMA's recommendations on how to solve the current crisis. The author also critically reviews some of the major proposals—such as employer mandated coverage—that are being put forward by several forces in the United States, including the AMA, for resolving the twin problems of high costs and limited health benefits coverage for the U.S. population. The political context in which the AMA's calls for reforms are being made is also discussed.
Technical Writing: What it is and What it isn't
Authors: Stratton Charles R.
Published: May 2005

The author of this article directs his remarks primarily to teachers of literature who may be considering the teaching of technical writing. He shows the similarities existing among the forms of creative, expository, and technical writing. He then cites some of the differences: the interactions of writer, subject, and the audience; the use of graphics; and the emphasis of the practical rather than the aesthetic.
Economic Inequality, Working-Class Power, Social Capital, and Cause-Specific Mortality in Wealthy Countries
Authors: Muntaner Carles , Lynch John W. , Hillemeier Marianne , Lee Ju Hee , David Richard , Benach Joan , Borrell Carme
Published: May 2005

This study tests two propositions from Navarro's critique of the social capital literature: that social capital's importance has been exaggerated and that class-related political factors, absent from social epidemiology and public health, might be key determinants of population health. The authors estimate cross-sectional associations between economic inequality, working-class power, and social capital and life expectancy, self-rated health, low birth weight, and age- and cause-specific mortality in 16 wealthy countries. Of all the health outcomes, the five variables related to birth and infant survival and nonintentional injuries had the most consistent association with economic inequality and working-class power (in particular with strength of the welfare state) and, less so, with social capital indicators. Rates of low birth weight and infant deaths from all causes were lower in countries with more “left” (e.g., socialist, social democratic, labor) votes, more left members of parliament, more years of social democratic government, more women in government, and various indicators of strength of the welfare state, as well as low economic inequality, as measured in a variety of ways. Similar associations were observed for injury mortality, underscoring the crucial role of unions and labor parties in promoting workplace safety. Overall, social capital shows weaker associations with population health indicators than do economic inequality and working-class power. The popularity of social capital and exclusion of class-related political and welfare state indicators does not seem to be justified on empirical grounds.
Death in Children's Literature: A Conceptual Analysis
Authors: Bailis Lawrence A.
Published: May 2005

The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the concept of death in children's literature. From a sample of forty children's books on death, the concept of death was classified and elucidated, utilizing relevant literature in philosophy, psychology, and sociology. Death was viewed most often as temporary; it was also treated as an inevitable event. No book considered death as the termination of all existence. The effects of death are considered in several children's books. There was similarity between the relevant literature and the sampled children's literature: both expressed a strong tendency to appraise death in the context of ongoing existence.
Albert Einstein on Writing
Authors: Minor Dennis E.
Published: May 2005

While a great scientist such as Albert Einstein may seem to work in another dimension of thought, Einstein struggled with converting that thought into words. He found a “model for scientific historical writing” in the work of Ernst Mach, an Austrian physicist. Mach's model, as modified by Einstein, takes the reader through the writer's thought processes—discovery of an anomaly, free variation of mental images, finding the invariant in those images, and the communication in words of the new concept. Einstein followed this model in his famous 1905 relativity paper, On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies [1].
Epidemiological Studies in Psychosomatic Medicine
Authors: Eastwood M. R.
Published: May 2005

The epidemiological triad of host, agent and environment used conceptually in infectious disease may serve as a model for psychosomatic disorders, despite the involvement of many more variables. There are major problems with diagnosis and measurement, however, and the term “psychosomatic” has several meanings. The two main senses are “specific” psychosomatic disorders and an ecological view of illness.

The association between psychiatric and physical disorder has been examined in a variety of settings and the findings have suggested that there is a positive relationship. Despite considerable methodological and sampling difficulties in epidemiological research into psychosomatic illness, recent efforts have been made to overcome these. The results of ecological studies appear to be more consistent that those dealing with “specific” psychosomatic disorders and suggest that man has a general psychophysical propensity to disease. Although physical and mental illness do seem to be intimately linked, the reasons for “vulnerability” to illness and “clustering” of illness are obscure. The clarification of these areas appears to be the main task ahead for epidemiology in the field of psychosomatic medicine.
Sexual Violence within Marriage: A Case Study of Rural Uttar Pradesh, India
Authors: Khan M. E. , Townsend John W. , Sinha Ranjana , Lakhanpal Seema
Published: May 2005

A qualitative study of sexual violence within marriage in rural Bangladesh. The extent of and reasons for sexual coercion in marriage are analyzed and diagramed in a synthesis of the findings. Direct quotes from wives provide a realistic cultural context. Health education program interventions are suggested.