bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Unhealthy Cities: Corporate Medicine, Community Economic Underdevelopment, and Public Health
Authors: Whiteis David G.
Published: May 2005

The growing corporate dominance in U.S. medical care has been a major factor in the increasingly inequitable distribution of health care resources and the declining public health conditions in poor and minority urban communities. Alongside this trend has been a parallel phenomenon of economic disinvestment and political neglect in these same at-risk neighborhoods. This article analyzes these trends as related components of austerity, retrenchment, and capital consolidation policies that have characterized the U.S. political economy for several decades. Emphasized are the relationships among corporatization, capital consolidation, deindustrialization of the workforce, and medical indigence; the resulting economic stress placed upon community hospitals and other caregivers in poor and minority communities; and the marked discrepancy between conditions of development and underdevelopment in American cities. It is argued that the effects of these policies are pathogenic in nature: they place populations at risk for disease and social dysfunction, they reduce access to necessary preventive and curative services, and they weaken coping mechanisms. Community economic development, empowerment, and a direct challenge to the growing concentration of wealth and power in the corporate class are proposed as essential elements of public health policy.
Impact of Elderly Mother's Death on Middle Age Daughters
Authors: Moss Miriam S. , Moss Sidney Z. , Rubinstein Robert , Resch Nancy
Published: May 2005

Daughters' responses to an elderly mother's death are found to be multidimensional. In the first six months of bereavement many daughters experience themes of both holding on and letting go. Measured were depression, grief, somatic reactions, as well as impact on the sense of self, degree of acceptance of the death, and ways in which the tie with the mother endures. Though many of these reactions are intercorrelated, they are differentially associated with characteristics of the daughter, mother, and the quality of their relationship. Relatively sudden deaths were associated with more intense grief, less acceptance, and more thoughts of reunion than deaths that occurred in a nursing home.
“How Far can an Intellectual Effort Diminish Pain?” William McDougall's Journal as a Model for Facing Death
Authors: Kastenbaum Robert
Published: May 2005

The distinguished psychologist William McDougall (1871–1938) kept a journal during the last month of his life. This Journal is published here for what appears to be the first time, accompanied by a preliminary textual analysis. McDougall's major themes are increasingly intolerable pain, a self-evaluation focused primarily on his career achievements, and his attempt to “take a strong course” through the intensive application of intellectual and moral effort. He emphasizes “will power” and the bridging concept of “structural integrity” that relates his personal encounter with dissolution to the challenges faced by nations and other human-created systems. McDougall's own implicit model of the dying process is compared with current theories that emphasize stages, communicational interactions, and coping tasks. It is suggested that textual analysis of self-narratives can help to expand and refine our understanding of the ways in which individuals interpret the last phases of their lives.
An Investigation of Death Anxiety, Sense of Competence, and Need for Achievement
Authors: Nogas Catherine , Schweitzer Kathy , Grumet Judy
Published: May 2005

Eighty female undergraduates were administered four written questionnaires on death anxiety, sense of competence, need for achievement, and general anxiety. An open ended question on the personification of death was also included. As predicted, a negative correlation was found between death anxiety and sense of competence. No correlation was found between death anxiety and need for achievement and no interaction effect occurred between need for achievement and sense of competence. General anxiety correlated highly with death anxiety. Degree of death anxiety and type of personification were also related.
Management of the Persistent Somatizer
Authors: Lowy Frederick H.
Published: May 2005

Patients who suffer and complain of symptoms for which no adequate organic pathology is found present serious management problems. Patients who display somatization phenomena are discussed with respect to incidence, psychopathology and predisposing factors—social and cultural, early life experiences, personality characteristics and individual psychodynamics. Although primary prevention of somatization is not yet feasible, early recognition and treatment are possible. The role of the psychiatrist includes: formulation of diagnosis; assessment for therapy; planning of treatment; and, at times, becoming the primary therapist. The family physician has the best opportunity for early detection and prevention of chronicity of somatization phenomena. Pharmacotherapy, behavior modification and some newer approaches in the management of these persistent somatizers are discussed.
Promoting Smoking Control through Worksites in the Community Intervention Trial for Smoking Cessation (COMMIT)
Authors: Sorensen Glorian , Glasgow Russell E. , Corbett Kitty ,   For the COMMIT Research Group
Published: May 2005

This article describes the worksite intervention and assessment aspects of the COMMIT project. Following a brief review of the rationale for worksite smoking control efforts and how planning for such activities can be conducted as part of community-based interventions, we describe the COMMIT worksite protocol. All intervention communities conduct specified activities in the areas of smoking policy, motivational and incentive procedures to encourage smoking cessation, and provision of self-help materials and cessation services for employees. Assessment procedures include a computerized process objectives system, surveys of worksites in each of the 22 COMMIT communities, and work related questions on surveys of community residents. Baseline data that have informed the process objectives for the worksite channel are presented, as are examples of how intervention activities have been tailored to different communities.
Using Articulate Virtual Laboratories in Teaching Energy Conversion at the U.S. Naval Academy
Authors: Wu C.
Published: May 2005

The Mechanical Engineering Department at the United States Naval Academy is currently evaluating a new teaching method which implements the use of a computer software. Utilizing the thermodynamic based software CyclePad, Intelligent Computer Aided Instruction (ICAI) is incorporated in an advanced energy conversion course (EM443) for Mechanical Engineering students. The use of the CyclePad software enhances lectures and aids students in visualization and design.
Caring for the Suicidal in Custody: Developing a Multi-Disciplinary Approach
Authors: Biggar Kathy , Neal David
Published: May 2005

Faced with a sharp increase in the overall number of completed suicides in the prison population in England and Wales (up to 5 times the average for the rest of the population in 1989/90), HM Prison Service, with the support of The Samaritans, has been developing a new strategy to reduce the level of suicide and self-harm in custody. The strategy focuses on replacing the “medical model” with a “community care” model, involving prison staff, prisoners, medical staff and Samaritan volunteers as “helpers” in the very difficult area of supporting those at risk of suicide while in prison. It places particular emphasis on a better quality of care through supportive relationships at all levels. This article describes the background to the problem and gives a general outline of the new strategy, an example of the strategy in practice, the role of training and support, and the steps that have been taken to spread good practice.
Parenting Styles, Adolescent Substance Use, and Academic Achievement
Authors: Cohen Deborah A. , Rice Janet
Published: May 2005

This article investigates how children and their parents rate their parenting styles, and how this rating is associated with academic achievement, alcohol, and tobacco use. We surveyed students and their parents in two public school districts. A total of 386 matched parent-child pairs from eighth- and ninth-grade students were analyzed for parent and student classification of parents as authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, or mixed parenting styles. Agreement on parenting styles between parents and children was poor. Students perceived parents as less authoritative, less permissive and more authoritarian than parents considered themselves. High grades were associated with child and parent perception of higher authoritativeness, lower permissiveness, and lower authoritarianism. Child tobacco and alcohol use was associated with child perception of lower authoritativeness, and higher permissiveness while parent perception of parenting style was not associated with child substance use. This study provides further evidence that parenting styles and adolescents' perceptions of them are associated with child achievement and substance use. While we cannot determine whether child or parent perception of parenting style is more accurate, child perception is more strongly associated with grades and substance use than is parent perception. It is likely that parents would benefit from understanding how they are perceived by their children.
Professionally-Led Support Groups for Cancer Patients: An Intervention in Search of a Model
Authors: Krupnick Janice L. , Rowland Julia H. , Goldberg Richard L. , Daniel Ursula V.
Published: May 2005

Objective:

The objective of this review was to evaluate the clinical and research literature on professionally-led support groups for cancer patients and to propose an approach that would address patients' needs from diagnosis through survivorship.

Method:

Computerized and manual searches, including Medline and Psychlit searches, were completed for reviews of the literature. Twelve research studies were identified that met our criteria for in-depth review. A clinical model emerged from discussions of an oncology study group based on theoretical formulations and clinical experience with oncology patients.

Results:

We found that recent research suggests that professionally-led support groups are increasing in number and that participation in such groups seems to enhance patients' quality, and possibly even quantity, of survival. Despite this, little effort has been made to determine what type of group may be appropriate for which patients and when in their course of care.

Conclusions:

If psychosocial intervention, in the form of professionally-led support groups for cancer patients, is to be more effective, it should be guided by a model which takes into consideration the changing needs and concerns of patients over the course of illness and, in many cases, recovery. The authors present an outline delineating what such a model might entail.
Business as Usual: Heroin Distribution in the United States
Authors: McBride Robert B.
Published: May 2005

This article criticizes the predominant analysis of heroin use as a social aberration and argues instead that the normal structure and functioning of U.S. capitalism generate both the market for the drug and the industry which supplies it. The structure of the distribution industry is much like those for comparable legal goods, but with distinctive features which provide reduced risk for dealers and long-term stability for the industry as a whole. The expansionary dynamic of the industry and the key role of syndicates in it are analyzed. The heroin industry is deeply integrated into the economy, and far-reaching social and economic change will be necessary if heroin use is to be significantly reduced.
A French View of Technical Publishing
Authors: Richardson Jacques
Published: May 2005

Editing and publishing specialized periodicals in a language other than English poses some problems in the world of scientific and technical communication. This article reviews how a major French scientific monthly has addressed itself to the problem, and how it deals with a lack of specialized manpower in the field.
Role Rehearsal and Efficacy: Two 15-Month Evaluations of a Ninth-Grade Alcohol Education Program
Authors: Newman Ian M. , Anderson Carolyn S. , Farrell Katherine A.
Published: May 2005

A ninth-grade alcohol education program aimed at reducing drinking, drinking and driving, and riding with a drinking driver was developed on the basis of problem behavior theory, social cognitive theory and role theory. In Year 1 the program was taught by Social Studies teachers to half of the eighty-four ninth-grade classes in all nine junior high schools in a single school system; the other half served as controls. In Year 2 the program was taught to the ninth-grade students of the same school system by English teachers. Students' knowledge, skills and practices were measured before and four-six weeks and one year after the program. Results indicated significant increases in knowledge and perceived ability to resist pressures to drink among experimental students. No significant differences were noted for the drinking or the drinking and driving practices of either group. One year after the program, significantly fewer students in the experimental classes reported riding with a driver who had been drinking. Results suggested that English teachers were more effective than Social Studies teachers in teaching this program.
Waste Not, Want Not—Differential Lithic Utilization and Efficiency of Use
Authors: Feder Kenneth L.
Published: May 2005

Prehistoric people utilized different lithic raw materials differently. The differential “efficiency of use” as measured by average debitage flake weight and average percentage of flake edge retouched should differ as a function of raw materials' value. Value is a product of inherent qualities in the stone including ease of flake production and edge characteristics. Value is also a function of the labor input necessary for a material's procurement. The further a source, the greater the necessary labor input, the higher the value and, hypothetically, the greater the expected efficiency of use.

The above construct was tested at the Loomis II site in central Connecticut. Here, raw materials used in stone toolmaking included locally available quartz and basalt and exotic flint and jasper. Efficiency of use as measured by an Efficiency Index indicates that indeed, the further a raw material's source, the higher the efficiency of use.
Teamwork: A Multidisciplinary Pediatric-Liaison Service
Authors: Froese Arthur P. , Kamin Louisa E. , Levine Carol A.
Published: May 2005

Psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers are often consulted about the same hospitalized patient. Since each may differ in their training, orientation and experience, the opinions expressed by them to the consultee may differ. The authors have described a multidisciplinary liaison team operating within a pediatric teaching hospital. The consultants work as a team in close collaboration with each other and with the psychiatric nurse clinician and an occupational therapist. The team approach has specific advantages. It allows for a concise and unified approach to the emotional and social needs of the patients. It presents a forum for informal consultations and interdisciplinary meetings. In addition, teaching opportunities are many as each discipline learns from the other.
When Violence Has a Benevolent Face: The Paradox of Hunger in the World's Wealthiest Democracy
Authors: Brown J. Larry
Published: May 2005

During the last two decades, Americans initially discovered that millions of fellow-citizens were going hungry, then acted to virtually eliminate the problem, and, in the 1980s, learned that hunger has reappeared in epidemic proportions. Hunger, particularly in a wealthy democracy, is most appropriately seen as a form of institutionalized violence, the product of ideologies that fail to distribute national abundance in a manner that achieves the possible goal of preventing hunger. The return of hunger to the United States is associated with economic and tax policies that have reallocated income distribution from poor and middle-income groups to the wealthy, and with a concomitant reluctance to utilize the federal government to protect needy citizens from undernutrition associated with growing economic deprivation.
Integrating Clinical Nurse Specialists into the Treatment of Primary Care Patients with Depression
Authors: Swindle Ralph W. , Rao Jaya K. , Helmy Ahdy , Plue Laurie , Zhou X. H. , Eckert George J. , Weinberger Morris
Published: May 2005

Objective:

To examine the effectiveness of integrating generalist and specialist care for veterans with depression.

Method:

We conducted a randomized trial of patients screening positive for depression at two Veterans Affairs Medical Center general medicine clinic firms. Control firm physicians were notified prior to the encounter when eligible patients had PRIME-MD depression diagnoses. In the intervention firm, a mental health clinical nurse specialist (CNS) was to: design a treatment plan; implement that plan with the primary care physician; and monitor patients via telephone or visits at two weeks, one month and two months. Primary outcomes (depressive symptoms, patient satisfaction with health care) were collected at 3 and 12 months.

Results:

Of 268 randomized patients, 246 (92%) and 222 (83%) completed 3- and 12-month follow-up interviews. There were no between-group differences in depressive symptoms or satisfaction at 3 or 12 months. The intervention group had greater chart documentation of depression at baseline (63% versus 33%, p = 0.003) and a higher referral rate to mental health services at 3 months (27% versus 9%, p = 0.019). There was no difference in the rate of new prescriptions for, or adequate dosing of, anti-depressant medications. In 40% of patients, CNSs disagreed with the PRIME-MD depression diagnosis, and their rates of watchful waiting were correspondingly high.

Conclusions:

Implementing an integrated care model did not occur as intended. Experienced CNSs often did not see the need for treatment in many primary care patients identified by the PRIME-MD. Integrating integrated care models in actual practice may prove challenging.
Excavated Fish Vertebrae as Predictors in Bioarchaeological Research
Authors: Rojo Alfonso
Published: May 2005

A sample of fifty-eight fish vertebrae from an archaeological site (Gooseberry Point, Campobello Island, N.B. Canada), has been identified as belonging to Atlantic cod ( Gadus morhua). From their morphometric study, it was possible to conclude the original size of the fish, their age, the seasonality of the campsite and the minimum number of individuals represented by the sample. The ages estimated from reading the vertebral rings varied from five to ten years. Some showed the growth of the “summer” in which they were caught, but many didn't have the growth-of-the-year suggesting a winter fishing activity. These estimates, along with the calculated live total length (from 523–961 mm) and the total weight (from 1,126–7,522 g) indicate that the fish utilized in the site were of a large size. This study used a number of methods to calculate MNIs which resulted in variance ranging from two to thirteen individuals.
Workplace Democracy and Worker Health: Strategies for Implementation
Authors: Deutsch Steven
Published: May 2005

A large body of literature documents that increased worker participation leads to improvements in the working environment. This article identifies the Swedish and Norwegian sources of some of this research and notes the link with social policy, namely, legislative reform in those countries. In contrast, the United States has resisted legislative solutions, but that may be changing. New strategies to democratize the workplace are a result of global economic competition, desire to reduce job stress and compensation costs, and more successful application of new technologies at work. These are examined and some conclusions are drawn about next stages in the reform efforts.
A Case of Bipolar Disorder and Typhoid Fever
Authors: Santangelo Christopher G. , Goldstein David , Green Stephen
Published: May 2005

Many medical disorders present with psychiatric symptoms. Teasing out what is caused by the medical problem and what is underlying psychopathology can be a tremendous challenge. We report the case of a young man with no documented past psychiatric history that developed symptoms consistent with bipolar disorder with mood-congruent psychotic features as well as typhoid fever. In this report, we summarize the biological, psychological, and social underpinnings of this rare and interesting case.
Psychiatric-Orthopedic Liaison in the Hospital Management of the Amputee War Casualty
Authors: Frank John L. , Herndon James H.
Published: May 2005

The authors, then military physicians, collaborated over a year and a half on the evolution of a psychiatric-orthopedic liaison in the hospital management of amputee war casualties. From a situation of minimal professional contact, the authors initiated a program leading to a strong working relationship between the psychiatrist and nonpsychiatrist members of the orthopedic team. The psychiatrist's regular presence during ward rounds as well as his availability to talk with staff on an informal basis helped to diminish some of the usual mistrust and misunderstanding of psychiatry so common in general hospital settings. Brief examples highlight how the sharing of raw clinical data by the psychiatrist and team members can teach the staff psychiatric principles and increase their awareness and skills in dealing with the emotional side of patient care.
The Role of Hardiness in the Resolution of Grief
Authors: Campbell Jane , Swank Paul , Vincent Ken
Published: May 2005

Little attention has been paid to personality and its role in resolving grief. This study investigated the relation of the personality factor, hardiness, to resolution of grief. In an anonymous sample of seventy widows, hardiness was a significant predictor of grief resolution in addition to general mental health, time since the death, and the widow's age. Surprisingly, whether the death was expected did not relate to the course of resolution.
Perinatal Care Services for Hispanic Women: A Study of Provider-Receiver Communication
Authors: Alcalay Rina
Published: May 2005

The present case study 1) identified and evaluated perinatal care needs among Hispanics in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as perceived by a sample of perinatal care providers and receivers in the community, and 2) compared those needs with needs previously identified by a national team of Hispanic health experts and political and academic leaders.

Results showed that while Hispanic experts emphasized technical needs, the community emphasized humanistic and communication needs in perinatal care services. Within the community, there were also differences between providers' and receivers' identification of barriers. Providers thought that cultural biases of receivers toward the medical profession prevented effective use of services. Receivers identified structural, mainly service related, limitations as barriers to effective perinatal care. This study shows the need to not base programs on “expert” opinion of public needs only.
The Political Economy of Federal Health Programs in the United States: An Historical Review
Authors: Russell Louise B. , Burke Carol S.
Published: May 2005

In the 1960s the federal government of the United States added a wide range of new health programs—Medicare, Medicaid, health manpower training, occupational safety, and others—to its long-established support for biomedical research and hospital construction. Total federal health outlays rose from $5 billion in 1965 to almost $37 billion in 1975. This paper describes the legislative history of federal health programs and reports the recent trends in expenditures by functional category. The expenditures of major programs are related to the populations they serve and data are presented to document the enormous inflow of resources to medical care during the last 10 years. This inflow has been induced by the structural changes in the medical care market first set in motion by private health insurance, and accelerated by the new federal programs. Designing some way to control it is a major problem in health policy for the late 1970s.
The Effect of a Videotape about Death on Bereaved Children in Family Therapy
Authors: York Janet B. , Weinstein Sanford A.
Published: May 2005

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of a videotape of childrens' reactions to death on viewer's subsequent verbalizations about death in the course of family therapy. Two groups of thirty children in family therapy who had lost a member of their family participated as viewers and non-viewers of the videotape. The two groups were compared on the change in frequency with which they spoke about death during recorded family therapy sessions before and after the viewer group was shown the videotape. Significant gains in frequency were found for the viewer group and none were found for the non-viewer group.
Fish, Fires, and Foresight: Middle Woodland Economic Adaptations in the Abbott Farm National Landmark
Authors: Cavallo John A.
Published: May 2005

The “Abbott Farm site,” now known as the Abbott Farm National Landmark, is known for its unique and abundant artifact assemblages from presumed Middle Woodland contexts. Several researchers attributed the presence of large quantities of argillite raw material, argillite and chert blades and blade caches, cut and uncut mica, and aberrant zone-decorated ceramics to either Hopewellian manifestations or to the Abbott Farm's role in the regional redistribution of argillite. On the basis of a cultural resource survey conducted by Louis Berger and Associates prior to the proposed construction of I-195 and I-295 and New Jersey Routes 29 and 129, a specialized economic adaptation focused upon the intensive procurement, processing, and storage of anadromous fish, especially sturgeon, is hypothesized.
An Archaeological Correlate of War
Authors: Peregrine Peter
Published: May 2005

War is a critical variable in a large number of theoretical models used in archaeology, yet there has been little research to date on archaeological correlates of war. An archaeological correlate of war based on patterns of community organization is developed and tested using ethnographic data. This correlate is applied to the archaeological record of Mississippian societies in eastern North America, and the presence of warfare during the Mississippian period is confirmed. In addition, it is suggested that the pattern of warfare made evident through Mississippian community organization appears to be one focused solely on riverine centers and not affecting more rural Mississippian communities.
Preventable Causes of Death versus Infant Mortality as an Indicator of the Quality of Health Services
Authors: Buck Carol , Bull Shelley
Published: May 2005

We have made a preliminary comparison of infant mortality with the preventable causes of death proposed by Rutstein and colleagues, as indicators of the quality of health care. Two analyses were carried out. The first analysis compared the correlations of infant mortality and of the preventable deaths with four health service variables in 17 developed countries. Infant mortality was more highly correlated with the health service variables and less highly correlated with per capita income in comparison with the preventable deaths. The second analysis examined correlations of the two mortality indicators with variables reflecting the quality of general practitioner training in England. Here again, infant mortality appeared to be more sensitive, although reasons for regarding this result with caution are emphasized. Suggestions are made for further research on the concept of preventable mortality as a health outcome indicator.
Melted Copper from the Archaic Midwest (1000 BC)
Authors: Neiburger E. J.
Published: May 2005

A large lump of documented copper from the 1000 BC Riverside, Michigan, site was found to possess internal porosity and a microstructure indicative of casting and hammering as the means of manufacture. Prior to this discovery, Archaic Native American Indians were considered technologically primitive and incapable of possessing the high heat technology necessary to cast metal.
Immanence and Configuration in Analogical Reasoning
Authors: Wolverton Steve , Lyman R. Lee
Published: May 2005

The role of analogical reasoning has been extensively discussed by American archaeologists. Geologists and evolutionary biologists suggest two kinds of analogy are necessary in historical science. The distinction between immanent and configurational properties and processes in these affinal disciplines clarifies the role of analogical reasoning in archaeology. Examples of archaeological analogies reveals conflation of the two kinds of processes and properties. Distinction between immanence and configuration provides a basis to identify the potentials and pitfalls of analogical reasoning in archaeology.
Cognitive Effects of a Logo-Enriched Mathematics Program for Middle School Students
Authors: Turner Sandra V. , Land Michael L.
Published: May 2005

This study investigated the effect of learning Logo on middle-school students' understanding of specific mathematical concepts and on their level of cognitive development. Students in the Logo Group ( n = 91) learned Logo for one hour a week for sixteen weeks as part of their regular mathematics curriculum. The Control Group ( n = 90) did not participate in the Logo program but received the full allotted time for their regular mathematics curriculum. No significant differences were found between the two groups in their understanding of mathematics concepts or in their growth in cognitive development. However, among the students in the Logo Group, those who learned the most Logo gained significantly more than those who learned a minimal amount of Logo both in their understanding of the mathematics concepts and in their level of cognitive development. When the High Logo group was compared to the Control Group, and also to a matched subset of the Control Group, there were large differences in favor of the High Logo group, but the results were not significant. The findings of this study suggest that cognitive development, achievement in mathematics, and achievement in Logo programming all share a common factor and that students who do well in one area are also likely to do well in the other two areas.
Give Me Discipline and Give Me Death: Neoliberalism and Health in Chile
Authors: Trumper Ricardo , Phillips Lynne
Published: May 2005

The authors examine the connections between apartheid-like social relations and health in pre-Pinochet/neoliberal “democratic” Chile and explore how these intersections have rearticulated with the perpetuation of a neoliberal regime imposed during 20 years of military dictatorship and continued by a Christian Democrat/Socialist neoliberal regime.
Global AIDS: Critical Issues for Prevention in the 1990s
Authors: Mann Jonathan M.
Published: May 2005

A review of the first decade of global experience with the struggle against HIV/AIDS suggests that prevention will require both full application of existing approaches and fundamental changes in concepts and values. The critical deeper issues can be grouped under three headings: behavior, societal action, and globalism. Behavior, individual and collective, will be increasingly recognized as the major challenge for public health. However, for purposes of HIV prevention (and other issues) a sufficient understanding of behavior has not yet been developed. At the societal level, the activism of community organizations has shifted the balance of initiative in public health toward the community. The long-term implications of this evolution for roles and responsibilities at the community, national, and international levels must be explored. Finally, an understanding of global solidarity, based on respect for human rights and on the objective conditions of the modern world, will be critical for the future capability to deal effectively with HIV/AIDS. In summary, the future of HIV/AIDS prevention and control cannot be separated from the major public health and social issues of our time.
Gender and Attitudes toward Computers and Calculators: Their Relationship to Math Performance
Authors: Munger Gail F. , Loyd Brenda H.
Published: May 2005

In education, computers and calculators historically have been associated with mathematics and the sciences, and are frequently incorporated into these areas of the curriculum. This may have serious implications for females because of the long history of reported sex differences in achievement and attitudes in mathematics and related disciplines. This study of sixty high school students examines the relationship between mathematics performance and students' attitudes toward technology (computers and calculators), and whether the relationship is similar for males and females. A practice form of the General Educational Development (GED) test was used to measure mathematics performance. Students' attitudes toward computers were assessed by the Computer Attitude Scale, and attitudes toward calculators were assessed by a 4-item measure developed by the authors. In general, students with more positive attitudes toward computers and calculators were found to perform better than students with more negative attitudes.
Classical Rhetoric for the Engineering Student
Authors: Halloran Stephen M.
Published: May 2005

The revival of interest in rhetoric raises the question of the relevance of the discipline to the modern student, particularly the engineering student. In general, rhetoric can be defined as the study of language emphasizing its practical rather than its aesthetic qualities. As a theory of composition, classical rhetoric stresses writing as communication rather than self-expression, and provides a systematic method for dealing with problems of achieving cooperation among men. As a “systems approach” to composition, rhetoric is suited to the mental style of the engineering student. Moreover, engineers and scientists skilled in rhetoric would be equipped to deal with the problem of alienation between the scientific community and society at large.
Ethical Reasoning: Real and Simulated
Authors: McQuaide Judith , Leinhardt Gaea , Stainton Catherine
Published: May 2005

We examined high school students' ethical reasoning in the context of their participation in a computer simulation of a workplace environment in order to determine whether such simulations can prompt students to think in more complex ways about ethical issues in the world of work. Students approach the world of work with information based both on their personal experience and on opportunities they have to learn about the workplace in school. In both contexts they are exposed, albeit obliquely, to ethical dilemmas and choices. The personal and the formally taught experiences allow access to different, often conflicting, kinds of knowledge. The question we are concerned with here is whether students will begin to develop a coherent, congruent ethical system that operates in a way that reflects the presence of a complex, nuanced reasoning system and not just a list of appropriate actions for specific situations. The study consisted of three parts. In Part One we examined the opportunities available within a particular workplace simulation for students to engage in ethical discussions and make ethical decisions. In Part Two we observed students as they engaged in the simulation. In Part Three we asked students from two high school classrooms (experimental and control) and laboratory students for written responses to hypothetical ethical dilemmas that are set in work environments both close to and far from their personal experience. Results of the study show that the simulation provides multiple and varied ethical dilemmas and situations requiring student discussion and action. Students observed working on the simulation exhibited a high level of engagement with the program, as evidenced by their spirited discussions. In their responses to post-measure hypothetical dilemmas, treatment students chose more responsible actions, ethical paradigms, and ethical reasoning.
An Experiment Designed to Maximize the Profitability of Customer Directed Post-Transaction Communications
Authors: Milliman Ronald E.
Published: May 2005

This study investigated post-transaction communications to improve direct marketing effectiveness. It presents a survey of relevant literature along with an empirical field study. The research design employed five levels of the independent variable: no post-purchase communications (control condition), an impersonal form letter expressing appreciation for the customer's patronage (with and without a discount offer), and an identical letter, but personalized (with and without a discount offer). It was found personalized post-transaction communications significantly reduced the number of orders returned for a refund. However, only the personalized letter with the discount offer produced significant increases in reorders.
Imprecise Frequency Descriptors and the Miscomprehension of Prescription Drug Advertising: Public Policy and Regulatory Implications
Authors: Davis Joel J.
Published: May 2005

Two separate studies, conducted among a total sample of 147 adults, explored the communicative effectiveness of imprecise frequency descriptors within the context of direct to consumer prescription drug advertising. Study One used imprecise frequency descriptors to describe level of side effect occurrence and then asked consumers to numerically estimate the frequency of side effect occurrence. A comparison of consumers' estimated to actual level of incidence indicated that they are unable to accurately estimate level of side effect occurrence when those levels are described by an imprecise frequency descriptor. Study Two presented consumers with a list of side effects preceded by an imprecise frequency descriptor. Consumers were then asked to estimate the relative likelihood of side effect occurrence. The results indicated that consumers are unable to accurately estimate the relative likelihood of side effect occurrence when a list of side effects are preceded by an imprecise frequency descriptor. The pattern of consumer response across both studies indicates that when imprecise frequency descriptors are used to describe the incidence of side effects within the context of direct to consumer prescription drug advertising, consumers estimate likelihood of side effect occurrence on the basis of an intuitive judgment of the side effect's commonness/severity within the general population.
The Underdevelopment of Health or the Health of Underdevelopment: An Analysis of the Distribution of Human Health Resources in Latin America
Authors: Navarro Vicente
Published: May 2005

In this presentation it is postulated that the present maldistribution of human health resources in Latin America is brought about by the same determinants that cause the underdevelopment of most of that continent. It is indicated that, contrary to the theories of development prevalent in the corridors of power and academic circles of developed countries (as well as in the leading circles of developing countries and in the international agencies), underdevelopment, and the uneven distribution of resources inside and outside the health sector, is not due to (a) the absence of cultural and technologic diffusion from developed to developing countries, (b) the scarcity of capital in poor nations, or (c) the presence of dual economies in underdeveloped countries, i.e. the urban-entrepreneurial economy and the rural primitive economy. To the contrary, underdevelopment and the concomitant maldistribution of resources is caused precisely because of the existence of the assumed “conditions” of development, i.e. (a) the cultural, technologic, and economic dependency of developing countries, and (b) economic and political control of resources by specific interests and social groups—the national lumpen-bourgeoisie and its foreign counterparts. Moreover, these two factors bring about the so-called dual economies in those countries. The uneven distribution, by type of health care, by region, by social class, and by subsectors (private, public, and social security), of human health resources, described in this article, is shown to be explained by the same determinants that cause underdevelopment in Latin America.
Training Tomorrow's Writers
Authors: Kowal John Paul
Published: May 2005

The importance of effective communication in a technical services economy is cited as a reason for the expanding role of writing today. The time-tested method of training writers is reviewed. The problem of technical language, jargon, is introduced. One method for controlling inappropriate uses of jargon is explained. The traditional method of preparing writers is contrasted with a mail-order house that guarantees its students success.
Death Consciousness and Social Consciousness: A Critique of Ernest Becker and Jacques Choron on Denying Death
Authors: Killilea Alfred G.
Published: May 2005

Those who believe that more honest attitudes toward death will provoke more humane social and political attitudes need to confront directly the argument that the denial of death is both necessary and inevitable. Ernest Becker and Jacques Choron have made the most forceful recent cases that death deprives life of meaning and leads to massive denial in modern secular culture. However, while Becker vividly portrays the pervasiveness and desperation of death-denying behavior, he does not perceive that the denial of death may be an effect rather than a cause of inequality and competitiveness in modern culture. Choron's stress on the need for endurance in finding meaning in life amounts to a similar underestimation of the power of human relationships to provide life with significance in the face of death. Rather than establishing the necessity of denying death, Becker and Choron accentuate human vulnerability. The recognition of this vulnerability actually could challenge their assumptions by provoking a deep appreciation of the values of equality and community, which in turn could provide the critical social support needed for an acceptance of human mortality.
The Science Instrument Repair Center: A Prototype for Cooperation
Authors: Purnell Charlotte H. , Sutcliffe Charles
Published: May 2005

In order to assist teachers in repairing and maintaining science equipment, a Science Instrument Repair Center has been set up at the northern branch of the Delaware Technical and Community College. Equipment is brought to the Center by the school and repaired by students who are training to be instrument repair technicians. The total cost of the service is that incurred for replacement parts.
Comparison of Death Attitudes among Hospice Workers and Health Care Professionals in other Settings
Authors: Carr Michelle , Merriman Melanie Pratt
Published: May 2005

Since most health care professionals are trained in acute care settings where all efforts are employed to prolong life, they may not be comfortable caring for dying patients. Hospice professionals have a lot of experience dealing with dying patients. The purpose of this study was to compare and contrast the death attitudes of hospice and hospital-based health care professionals. The construct theory for the study was that comfort in dealing with dying patients is based on 1) personal beliefs about death and 2) experience dealing with dying patients. Seventy-six hospital and 106 hospice workers participated in the study and completed the thirty-four-item Death Attitude Index (DAI) and the fifteen-item Death Anxiety Scale [1]. The results showed that hospice employees had higher DAI scores (greater comfort caring for the terminally ill), as predicted. Social workers had the highest mean DAI scores and the lowest scores on the DAS (low death anxiety). Nurses aides exhibited high death anxiety and low comfort in dealing with terminal clients. For all disciplines, DAI and DAS scores were highly correlated (coefficient = −0.91). Independent variables that correlated with high DAI scores were educational level and a sacred (versus secular) value system.
Motivation to Learn via Computer Conferencing: Exploring How Task-Specific Motivation and CC Expectations are Related to Student Acceptance of Learning via CC
Authors: Bures Eva Mary , Amundsen Cheryl C. , Abrami Philip C.
Published: May 2005

This study investigated the relationship between student motivation and student acceptance of learning via computer conferencing (CC). Student acceptance of CC was operationalized as frequency of contributing messages online, satisfaction with CC, grades, and effort on CC. Student motivation was conceptualized to include students' general motivational characteristics, such as goal orientation, as well as more contextual aspects, such as personal relevance of tasks. Students ( n = 167) in ten courses filled out questionnaires at the beginning and end of each course. Personal relevance of the tasks, task attractiveness, and students' beliefs concerning the relationship of CC to learning (outcome expectations) were the most important predictors of student satisfaction with CC. Learning orientation was correlated with grades ( n = 78) and self-reported effort on CC activities ( n = 167). To provide a sense of the contexts in which CC was used, interviews were conducted with instructors ( n = 8). Suggestions are made concerning the implementation of CC for learning.
Butting Heads: Patients Who Refuse Necessary Procedures
Authors: Himmelhoch Jonathan M. , Davies Robert K. , Tucker Gary J. , Alderman Diane
Published: May 2005

A patient's refusal to undergo a medical procedure may be life threatening and also may lead to feelings which damage the doctor-patient relationship. Efforts to engage in a direct struggle against the refusal often lead to further frustration whereas a more investigative approach often leads not only to an understanding of the causes hut also to ways of solving the dilemma. Cases are presented to illustrate these findings.