bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Attitudes and Decision Making About Neonatal Male Circumcision in a Hispanic Population in New York City
Authors: Bisono Gabriela M. , Simmons Lisa , Volk Robert J. , Meyer Dodi , Quinn Thomas C. , Rosenthal Susan L.
Published: April 2012

Objective. To understand attitudes and decision making regarding neonatal male circumcision. Methods. Parents (n = 150) with a son 3 years old were interviewed regarding demographics, communication with a medical provider, attitudes, and process by which the neonatal circumcision decision was made. Results. Thirty-three percent of sons were circumcised. In univariate analyses, choosing male circumcision was associated with parents being interviewed in English, the father being circumcised, positive attitudes, being informed of the advantages of circumcision, making a decision before birth, and being offered a choice. In the final model, parents who came from a culture and family that believed in circumcision and who believed that it was not too risky were more likely to circumcise their sons. Conclusions. Decisions regarding circumcision appear to be influenced by values, risk perceptions, and medical providers. Future research should address ways of ensuring that families have the opportunity to make an informed decision.
Missing Documentation of Weight and Height at Preventive Visits for Children
Authors: Burman Natalie J. , Cabana Michael D. , Maselli Judith H. , Hilton Joan F. , Patel Anisha I.
Published: April 2012

Despite the importance of measuring weight and height at well-child visits, there are limited data on frequency of anthropometric documentation. The authors aimed to identify characteristics associated with missing weight and height documentation at preventive visits for children. Among preventive visits for children from birth to 18 years old, recorded in the National Ambulatory Medical Care and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys for 2005-2009, the authors found that 20.8% had missing weight and/or height (n = 19 033) documentation. Compared with infants younger than 2 years, school-age children (odds ratio [OR] = 1.30; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03-1.64), and adolescents (OR = 1.61; 95% CI = 1.26-2.04) were more likely to lack documentation. Missing documentation was also more likely for visits with nonphysicians (OR = 4.53; 95% CI = 3.17-6.48) and nonpediatricians (OR = 2.63; 95% CI = 2.02-3.41) compared with pediatricians. Efforts to improve weight and height surveillance should be directed to clinics in which midlevel providers and nonpediatric physicians are caring for school-age children and adolescents.
Economic Incentives as a Strategy for Responding to Teacher Staffing Problems
Authors: Kolbe Tammy , Strunk Katharine O.
Published: April 2012

Background: Many district and school leaders experience difficulties staffing their classrooms with qualified teachers. Economic incentives may motivate teachers to enter and remain in the workforce and entice teachers to work in less desirable districts and schools. However, very little is known about incentives in use, how they are used to address teacher staffing challenges, or their relative effectiveness in meeting teacher staffing needs. Purpose: This article presents a typology that organizes and differentiates among economic incentive policies. The typology provides a framework for understanding the alignment between incentive policies and dimensions of the teacher staffing problem and interactions among incentive policies across levels of the educational system. Research Design: The typology is based on a broad review of scholarly literature, state and district documents and websites, and research and interest group reports and briefings. The typology was tested and refined using descriptive case studies in four districts in two states. Findings: The authors’ findings confirm the typology’s applicability, highlight patterns in the use of economic incentive policies, and point to the importance of considering the incentive “packages” to which teachers may be entitled in policy making and research. Conclusions: The study makes both conceptual and empirical contributions. Conceptually, the authors develop and test a tool policy makers, educational leaders, and researchers can use to examine economic incentive policies and align policies with teacher staffing problems. Empirically, the study identifies patterns that raise important questions about the ways in which economic incentive policies are implemented and evaluated.
Academically Gifted Students’ Perceived Interpersonal Competence and Peer Relationships
Authors: Lee Seon-Young , Olszewski-Kubilius Paula , Thomson Dana Turner
Published: April 2012

Perceptions of the interpersonal competence and peer relationships of 1,526 gifted adolescents who had previously participated in academic gifted programs at the Center for Talent Development were examined, using an online survey. Major findings included that the gifted students had generally positive perceptions of their abilities to initiate, form, and maintain relationships with other people, including same-age nongifted peers, and demonstrated levels of interpersonal ability and peer relationships, comparable to that of grade equivalent students in the norming group. The students did not perceive their giftedness as a negative factor affecting their peer relationships but rated their academic self-concept more positively than their social self-concept. Differences were found by gender and experience with subject acceleration in school, favoring female students over male students and favoring students who were accelerated in a subject in school over students who were not. The results also suggested that gifted students whose academic strength was in the verbal area over other areas were more likely to face difficulties with peer relationships.
Regression Discontinuity Design in Gifted and Talented Education Research
Authors: Matthews Michael S. , Peters Scott J. , Housand Angela M.
Published: April 2012

This Methodological Brief introduces the reader to the regression discontinuity design (RDD), which is a method that when used correctly can yield estimates of research treatment effects that are equivalent to those obtained through randomized control trials and can therefore be used to infer causality. However, RDD does not require the random assignment of individuals to treatment and control groups, making it very attractive for applied researchers in educational settings. This Brief introduces the method, discusses applications and limitations, and illustrates an idealized example as well as some potential pitfalls and their relevance to the context of gifted education research.
Nonexplicit Change Detection in Complex Dynamic Settings
Authors: Vachon François , Vallières Benoît R. , Jones Dylan M. , Tremblay Sébastien
Published: April 2012

Objective:

We employed a computer-controlled command-and-control (C2) simulation and recorded eye movements to examine the extent and nature of the inability to detect critical changes in dynamic displays when change detection is implicit (i.e., requires no explicit report) to the operator’s task.

Background:

Change blindness—the failure to notice significant changes to a visual scene—may have dire consequences on performance in C2 and surveillance operations.

Method:

Participants performed a radar-based risk-assessment task involving multiple subtasks. Although participants were not required to explicitly report critical changes to the operational display, change detection was critical in informing decision making. Participants’ eye movements were used as an index of visual attention across the display.

Results:

Nonfixated (i.e., unattended) changes were more likely to be missed than were fixated (i.e., attended) changes, supporting the idea that focused attention is necessary for conscious change detection. The finding of significant pupil dilation for changes undetected but fixated suggests that attended changes can nonetheless be missed because of a failure of attentional processes.

Conclusion:

Change blindness in complex dynamic displays takes the form of failures in establishing task-appropriate patterns of attentional allocation.

Application:

These findings have implications in the design of change-detection support tools for dynamic displays and work procedure in C2 and surveillance.
Development and preliminary validation of a measure of social inclusion for use in people with mental health problems: The SInQUE
Authors: Mezey Gillian , White Sarah , Thachil Ajoy , Berg Rachel , Kallumparam Sen , Nasiruddin Omar , Wright Christine , Killaspy Helen
Published: April 2012

Background:

Social exclusion can be both a cause and a consequence of mental health problems. Socially inclusive practice by mental health professionals can mitigate against the stigmatizing and excluding effects of severe mental illness.

Aim:

To develop and test the validity of a measure of social inclusion for individuals with severe mental illness – the Social Inclusion Questionnaire User Experience (SInQUE).

Method:

The domains of the SInQUE were chosen to reflect the domains of social inclusion identified in the Poverty and Social Exclusion Survey. Patients with severe mental illness were recruited from rehabilitation, general and forensic psychiatric services and were asked to complete the questionnaire in an individual interview with a researcher.

Results:

Sixty six patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder completed the SInQUE, alongside measures of psychiatric symptoms, needs and quality of life, to assess its acceptability, and concurrent and construct (convergent and discriminant) validity. The SInQUE took 45 minutes to complete and was found to have good concurrent and discriminant validity. Convergent validity was established for two domains: social integration and productivity.

Conclusion:

Preliminary findings suggest that the SInQUE may be a useful tool for assessing and monitoring social inclusion in individuals with severe mental illness. It has construct and concurrent validity with measures of unmet need and quality of life in this group. Further testing of the reliability of the SInQUE on a larger population is indicated.
See Your Friends Close and Your Enemies Closer
Authors: Xiao Y. Jenny , Van Bavel Jay J.
Published: April 2012

Three studies demonstrated that collective identity and identity threat shape representations of the physical world. In Study 1, New York Yankees fans estimated Fenway Park, the stadium of a threatening out-group (but not Camden Yards, the stadium of a neutral out-group) to be closer than did non-Yankees fans. In Study 2, the authors manipulated identity threat among people affiliated (or not) with New York University (NYU). When Columbia University was portrayed as threatening to NYU, NYU affiliates estimated Columbia as closer than did non-affiliates, compared with when Columbia was nonthreatening. In Study 3, Americans who perceived more symbolic threats from Mexican immigration estimated Mexico City as closer. Collective identification with the in-group moderated effects of threat on distance estimations. These studies suggest that social categorization, collective identification, and identity threat work in concert to shape the representations of the physical world.
Team Reflexivity and Innovation
Authors: Schippers Michaéla C. , West Michael A. , Dawson Jeremy F.
Published: April 2012

Team reflexivity, the extent to which teams collectively reflect upon and adapt their working methods and functioning, has been shown to be an important predictor of team outcomes, notably innovation. As described in the current article, the authors developed and tested a team-level contingency model of team reflexivity, work demands, and innovation. They argue that highly reflexive teams will be more innovative than teams low in reflexivity when facing a demanding work environment. A field study of 98 primary health care teams in the United Kingdom corroborated their predictions: Team reflexivity was positively related to team innovation, and team reflexivity and work demands interacted such that high levels of both predicted higher levels of team innovation. Furthermore, an interaction between team reflexivity, quality of physical work environment (PWE), and team innovation showed that poor PWE coupled with high team reflexivity was associated with higher levels of team innovation. These results are discussed in the context of the need for team reflexivity and team innovation among teams at work facing high levels of work demands.
A Critical Analysis of the Workplace Creativity Criterion Space
Authors: Montag Tamara , Maertz Carl P. , Baer Markus
Published: April 2012

This article outlines a criterion-oriented framework for understanding workplace creativity. Drawing from research on job performance, the authors make three important conceptual distinctions. First, they add theoretical and methodological precision to the workplace creativity literature by separating creative performance behaviors from the creative outcomes they produce. Second, they explain inconsistent findings in the extant creativity literature by distinguishing expected versus unexpected creative performance behaviors. Third, they provide an alternative approach to conceptualizing and measuring novelty and usefulness by considering them as formative dimensions of a creative outcome. These distinctions form the basis for their framework, which provides researchers with a theoretically grounded approach to measuring creativity in a more nuanced way. Finally, the authors highlight several key avenues for future research.
Making Nano Matter
Authors: Simakova Elena
Published: April 2012

The article examines science-policy conversations mediated by social science in attempts to govern, or set up terms for, scientific research. The production of social science research accounts about science faces challenges in the domains of emerging technosciences, such as nano. Constructing notions of success and failure, participants in science actively engage in the interpretation of policy notions, such as the societal relevance of their research. Industrial engagement is one of the prominent themes both in policy renditions of governable science, and in the participants’ attempts to achieve societally relevant research, often oriented into the future. How do we, as researchers, go about collecting, recording, and analyzing such future stories? I examine a series of recent interviews conducted in a number of US universities, and in particular at a university campus on the West Coast of the United States. The research engages participants through interviews, which can be understood as occasions for testing the interpretive flexibility of nano as “good” scientific practice and of what counts as societal relevance, under what circumstances and in view of what kind of audiences.
Natures, Contexts, and Natural History
Authors: Brenna Brita
Published: April 2012

How are contexts made and narrated? This article addresses the question of how to identify relevant contexts for understanding a work of natural history, in this case The First Natural History of Norway, published in two volumes in 1752 and 1753. In addition to offering a rich and complex description of Norwegian nature, this historical work serves as an important source for investigating the ways in which nature was perceived in the kingdom of Denmark-Norway in the middle of the eighteenth century. Nature was manifold, serving as a source of aesthetic pleasure, economic gain, religious reverence, and political power. It is argued that to understand the different natures presented in this book, we need to relate them to more than one context. But how do we determine the relevant contexts? The approach explored in this article is to read the book closely in search of the specific audiences that are addressed. By focusing on the ways audiences are addressed, it is argued, we can make better historical accounts of how natures are conceived and change in relation to different contexts.
Latinos’ Perceptions of Interethnic Couples
Authors: Garcia Amber L. , Riggio Heidi R. , Palavinelu Subha , Culpepper Lane Locher
Published: April 2012

Numerous survey findings indicate that the majority of White Americans are accepting of interracial romantic relationships. However, relatively few studies have looked at how different American ethnic minority groups view such relationships. The current research examined Latinos’ evaluations of intraethnic and interethnic couples. Latino participants ( N = 207) read information about either a Latina-Latino, Latina-White, or Latina-Black romantic couple. The results indicate that the Latina-Black couple was evaluated less positively than the Latina-White couple on relationship quality and less positively than the other two couples on perceptions of social support. Latino men were especially likely to express negative emotions toward the Latina-Black couple compared with Latina women. The results are discussed in the context of intergroup relationships.
Using Qualitative Methods for Revising Items in the Hispanic Stress Inventory
Authors: Cervantes Richard C. , Goldbach Jeremy T. , Padilla Amado M.
Published: April 2012

Despite progress in the development of measures to assess psychosocial stress experiences in the general population, a lack of culturally informed assessment instruments exist to enable clinicians and researchers to detect and accurately diagnosis mental health concerns among Hispanics. The Hispanic Stress Inventory (HSI) was developed specifically for Hispanic adults, however, significant social and geopolitical changes over the past two decades have affected the types and intensity of stress experienced by Hispanics. Immigration related policy changes, for example, affect stress experiences among newer immigrants from Mexico and other Latin American countries in ways that items in the original HSI may no longer capture the full range of today’s stressors. Using expert interviews from Hispanic mental health experts and data gathered in 16 community-based focus groups at two distinct study sites, the goal of the current study was to identify new item content to include in a revised HSI. Using content analysis of all interview data, a total of 155 new stressor items and seven unique stress domains were generated. Content validity analysis using Kappa coefficient reveal high interrater validity for new HSI item content. Findings are described in depth, and recommendations for future research are identified.
Facile synthesis of highly conductive PPy/graphene nanosheet /Gd3+ composites
Authors: Sun Wanhong , Mo Zunli , Guo Ruibin , Xie Tingting , He Jingxian , Feng Chao
Published: April 2012

Highly conductive PPy/graphene nanosheet and PPy/graphene nanosheet/Gd3+ composites were prepared via in-situ polymerization with p-toluenesulfonic acid as a dopant and FeCl3 as an oxidant. The effects of graphene nanosheet obtained by two different synthetic methods and Gd3+ on the electrical conductivity of the composites were investigated. The results showed that the graphene nanosheet as a filler had an effect on the conductivity of PPy/graphene nanosheet similar to PPy/graphene nanosheet/Gd3+ composites, which played an important role in forming a conducting network in PPy matrix. Thermal gravimetric analysis demonstrated an improved thermal stability of PPy in the PPy/graphene nanosheet/Gd3+ composites. The microstructures of PPy/graphene nanosheet/Gd3+ were characterized by scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope examinations.
Synthesis and characterization of three kinds of bifunctionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes with the same cage structure
Authors: Chen Chao , Huang Shiqiang , Chen Ming , Lu Qin
Published: April 2012

A facile, single-step synthetic pathway leading to bifunctionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) with two different reactive functional groups attached to the same cage structure, namely Vi-Cl POSS, is reported in this paper. The Vi-Cl POSS were synthesized through the cohydrolysis and cocondensation of (3-chloropropyl)trimethoxysilane, vinyltrimethoxysilane and propyltrimethoxysilane in ethanol media under acidic conditions, the number of vinyls and chloropropyls which attached to cage structure can be controlled by the monomers feed ratio of three kinds of trialk-oxysilanes. In this method, three different bifunctional polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes were synthesized, including [Si8O12 (CH=CH2)(C3H6Cl)2(C3H7)5] (POSS1), [Si8O12(CH=CH2)2(C3H6Cl)(C3H7)5] (POSS2) and [Si8O12(CH=CH2)(C3H6Cl)(C3H7)6] (POSS3). Due to the reactive functional groups attached to the cage, these specific bifunctional polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes can be copolymerized with other organic monomers by free radical polymerization, hydrosilylation reactions and atom transfer radical polymerization to obtain organic–inorganic hybrid nanocomposites, respectively. The outstanding advantage of cohydrolysis–cocondensation routes is that the substitution pattern of different substituents around the POSS cage can be precisely controlled.
Computational fluid dynamics simulation and experimental investigations into the magnetic-field-assisted nano-finishing process
Authors: Das Manas , Jain Vijay K , Ghoshdastidar Partha S
Published: April 2012

This article deals with a new approach to understand the magnetic-field-assisted nano-finishing process in which computational fluid dynamics is used to simulate the forces. A finite element method is used to evaluate the magnetic field intensity, mathematical modelling is applied to model the nano-finishing operation, and the experiments are conducted to compare the experimental results with the simulated results. A flexible polishing tool comprising a magnetorheological polishing medium is used for this process. The relative motion between the polishing medium and the workpiece surface provides the required finishing action. In the present work, a two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics simulation of a magnetorheological polishing medium inside the workpiece fixture is performed to evaluate the axial and radial stresses developed owing to the flow of magnetically stiffened magnetorheological polishing medium. A finite element analysis is performed in order to find out the direction and the magnitude of the magnetic field. A microstructure of the mixture of magnetic and abrasive particles in the magnetorheological polishing medium is proposed in order to calculate forces acting on an active abrasive particle. Modelling of the surface finish is performed after analysing the surface roughness profile data. Further finishing experiments are conducted in order to compare the simulated surface roughness value with the experimental results and they are found to agree well.
Analysis of a complete model of rotating machinery excited by magnetic actuator system
Authors: Mendes Ricardo Ugliara , Cavalca Kátia Lucchesi , Ferreira Luiz Otávio Saraiva
Published: April 2012

Rotating machines have a wide range of application involving shafts rotating at high speeds that must have high confidence levels of operation. Therefore, the dynamic behavior analysis of such rotating systems is required to establish operational patterns of the equipment, providing the basis for controller development in order to reduce vibrations or even to control oil instabilities in lubricated bearings. A classical technique applied in parameter identification of machines and structures is the modal analysis, which consists of applying a perturbation force into the system and then to measure its response. However, there are mainly two problems in modal analysis concerning the excitation of rotating systems. First, there are limitations to the excitation of systems with rotating shafts when using impact hammers or shakers, due to friction, undesired tangential forces, and noise that can be introduced in the system response. The second problem relies in the difficulty of exciting backward whirl modes, an inherent characteristic from these systems. Therefore, the study of a non-contact technique of external excitation, also capable of exciting backward whirl modes, becomes of high interest. In this sense, this article deals with the study and modeling of a magnetic actuator, used as an external excitation source for a rotating machine, mainly in backward whirl mode. Special attention is given to the actuator model and its interaction with the rotor system. Differently from previous works with similar proposal, which uses current and air gap measurements, here the external excitation force control is based on the magnetic field directly measured by hall sensor positioned in the pole center of the magnetic actuator core. The magnetic actuator design was completely developed for this purpose, opening different paths to experimental application of this device, for example, fault detection analysis based on directional modes. It is also presented a comparison between the numerical simulations and practical tests obtained from a rotor test rig and an experimental evidence of the backward whirl was accomplished based on the numerical simulation results.
Ultra-precision grinding of asymmetric curved surfaces by line contact with cup wheel
Authors: Feng Guang , Huo Fengwei , Guo Dongming , Kang Renke , Jin Zhuji
Published: April 2012

The wheel wear is a crucial factor affecting the shape accuracy while grinding the asymmetric curved surface components. To decrease the effects of the wheel wear and improve the machining accuracy, a novel approach of grinding with large-size and fine-grained cup wheel was suggested. This method has many advantages: a full line contact of the cup wheel against the work-piece can be realized, the wheel shape can be well maintained, and the wheel wear is uniform and can be compensated just by feeding along its axis. Moreover, a mathematical model was developed to analyze the grinding motion and the grinding principle deviation. Two hydrodynamic seal rings with wavy surfaces used in reactor coolant pumps were taken as examples to verify the practicability. It is expected to be an efficient method to manufacture more complex asymmetric curved surfaces with high shape accuracy and high surface quality.
From Neural Responses to Population Behavior
Authors: Falk Emily B. , Berkman Elliot T. , Lieberman Matthew D.
Published: April 2012

Can neural responses of a small group of individuals predict the behavior of large-scale populations? In this investigation, brain activations were recorded while smokers viewed three different television campaigns promoting the National Cancer Institute’s telephone hotline to help smokers quit (1-800-QUIT-NOW). The smokers also provided self-report predictions of the campaigns’ relative effectiveness. Population measures of the success of each campaign were computed by comparing call volume to 1-800-QUIT-NOW in the month before and the month after the launch of each campaign. This approach allowed us to directly compare the predictive value of self-reports with neural predictors of message effectiveness. Neural activity in a medial prefrontal region of interest, previously associated with individual behavior change, predicted the population response, whereas self-report judgments did not. This finding suggests a novel way of connecting neural signals to population responses that has not been previously demonstrated and provides information that may be difficult to obtain otherwise.
Elemental (C/N ratios) and isotopic (δ15Norg, δ13Corg) compositions of sedimentary organic matter from a high-altitude mountain lake (Meidsee, 2661 m a.s.l., Switzerland): Implications for Lateglacial and Holocene Alpine landscape evolution
Authors: Thevenon Florian , Adatte Thierry , Spangenberg Jorge E , Anselmetti Flavio S
Published: April 2012

The deposition of Late Pleistocene and Holocene sediments in the high-altitude lake Meidsee (located at an altitude of 2661 m a.s.l. in the Southwestern Alps) strikingly coincided with global ice-sheet and mountain-glacier decay in the Alpine forelands and the formation of perialpine lakes. Radiocarbon ages of bottom-core sediments point out (pre-) Holocene ice retreat below 2700 m a.s.l., at about 16, 13, 10, and 9 cal. kyr BP. The Meidsee sedimentary record therefore provides information about the high-altitude Alpine landscape evolution since the Late Pleistocene/Holocene deglaciation in the Swiss Southwestern Alps. Prior to 5 cal. kyr BP, the C/N ratio and the isotopic composition of sedimentary organic matter (δ15Norg, δ13Corg) indicate the deposition of algal-derived organic matter with limited input of terrestrial organic matter. The early Holocene and the Holocene climatic optimum (between 7.0 and 5.5 cal. kyr BP) were characterized by low erosion (decreasing magnetic susceptibility, χ) and high content of organic matter (Corg > 13 wt.%), enriched in 13Corg (> −18‰) with a low C/N (~10) ratio, typical of modern algal matter derived from in situ production. During the late Holocene, there was a long-term increasing contribution of terrestrial organic matter into the lake (C/N > 11), with maxima between 2.4 and 0.9 cal. kyr BP. A major environmental change took place 800 years ago, with an abrupt decrease in the relative contribution of terrestrial organic material into the lake compared with aquatic organic material which subsequently largely dominated (C/N drop from 16 to 10). Nonetheless, this event was marked by a rise in soil erosion (χ), in nutrients input (N and P contents) and in anthropogenic lead deposition, suggesting a human disturbance of Alpine ecosystems 800 years ago. Indeed, this time period coincided with the migration of the Walser Alemannic people in the region, who settled at relatively high altitude in the Southwestern Alps for farming and maintaining Alpine passes.
Mindful of the gaps: enhancing psychiatry training through a trainee workshop
Authors: Wand Anne , Maheshwari Rajesh , Holton Matthew
Published: April 2012

Objectives:

The aim of this study was to develop and pilot a workshop for basic trainees in psychiatry to address perceived gaps in the specialist training program and to foster a culture of mentorship.

Methods:

A literature review and consultations with clinicians and managers determined interest in the workshop, preferences for content, and feasibility. Six psychiatrists met on several occasions to plan the workshop. Supervisors were surveyed prior to the workshop to ascertain their perceptions of their trainees’ knowledge of particular topics and the content of supervision. Registrar self-evaluations and knowledge were assessed before and after the workshop.

Results:

Twenty-four registrars attended the first session of the workshop and 22 the second. Following the workshop, self-ratings of knowledge and confidence of trainees in topics including risk assessment and duty of care were significantly better. Registrars rated the program highly for collegiate interactions, format, originality and usefulness. Supervisors identified weaknesses in trainee knowledge corresponding to workshop topics.

Conclusions:

Trainee self-evaluations of key aspects of clinical psychiatry improved significantly after the workshop. The development process described here for implementing a service-based initiative in psychiatry trainee education tailored to local needs may be transferable to other services.
Patterns of mental health service contact before and after forensic mental health contact in New Zealand
Authors: Cavney James , Skipworth Jeremy , Madell Dominic , McKenna Brian
Published: April 2012

Objective:

To describe patterns of mental health service contact before and after contact with a regional forensic mental health service (FMHS) to assist regional mental health service planning.

Method:

All new referrals to Auckland Regional FMHS in 2006 were audited for contact with mental health services in the three years before and three years after their contact in 2006.

Results:

A total of 925 identified individuals were referred to the Auckland Regional FMHS in 2006, predominantly through the court (81%) or prison (17%). In the preceding three years, 30.2% of these service users had no mental health service contact, 41.4% had general adult mental health service (GAMHS) contact alone, 22.6% had both FMHS and GAMHS contact, and 5.8% had FMHS contact alone. In the three years after 2006, 13.4% had no further contact with either FMHS or GAMHS, 20.3% had GAMHS contact alone, 51.2% of the sample had contact with both FMHS and GAMHS, and 15% had only FMHS contact.

Conclusions:

The service utilization patterns of this population support the establishment of strong links between GAMHS and FMHS in courts and prisons. Further research is needed to determine the specific models most likely to improve clinical outcomes.
HK Fry: an early contributor to Australian psychiatry
Authors: Goldney Robert
Published: April 2012

Objective:

To examine the contribution of HK Fry to early Australian psychiatry.

Method:

A brief biographical review and an examination of Fry’s published work.

Results:

Fry provided not only insightful research in to what he described as ‘Aboriginal mentality’, but he also promoted a consideration of psychological factors in general medical therapeutics.

Conclusion:

HK Fry warrants recognition as a significant contributor in the history of Australian psychiatry.
Design for Research Results
Authors: Eladhari Mirjam P. , Ollila Elina M. I.
Published: April 2012

In this article, the authors examine iterative design methods for experimental game prototype development. They recognize the area of game design as a wicked problem space, that is, an area where attempts at producing solutions change the understanding of the problems. They argue that it is vital in game-design research to build and test designs in order to explore how certain game mechanics can result in different play dynamics and play experiences. Depending on the scope of research questions and available resources, it is important to carefully plan the design process of prototypes, their development, and the testing of them. It is also important to consider what types of data to obtain, and how to treat the data, in order to acquire materials for analysis that can support the exploration of the research questions of a study. The purpose of this article is to provide a navigation aid through this process. Various methods of prototyping and types of prototypes are described, along with considerations regarding the type of game that is developed. Then, various types of play tests are presented along with recommendations, depending on timing within the production cycle and availability of test-players. Also, an overview of potential methods of obtaining data from play tests is provided.
Purpose-Driven Conversations: An Interview With James Bitter
Authors: Young Mark A.
Published: April 2012

James Bitter is a professor of counseling at East Tennessee State University. He is a Diplomat in Adlerian Psychology (National Association of Student Affairs Professionals, 2002) and a former editor of the Journal of Individual Psychology. Jim received a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from Gonzaga University and a master’s and a doctorate from Idaho State University (ISU). At ISU, he coordinated the first Conference on Adlerian Psychology, and later worked with the late Adlerian family and group counselor, Manford A. Sonstegard. In 1980, he became a member of Virginia Satir’s Avanta Network, a training program for therapists using her model. He worked with Virginia for 10 years as a trainer in her summer process communities and writing several articles and chapters with her. In the 1990s, Jim studied with the master Gestalt therapists, Erv and Miriam Polster, and later studied with the founder of narrative therapy, Michael White. This interview was captured while Dr. Bitter returned to Gonzaga University for his 40th class reunion. He shares insights from his life, career, and training.
Psychometric Properties of the Lithuanian Version of the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ): Pilot Study
Authors: Kern Roy M. , Jonyniene Jolita
Published: April 2012

The internal consistency reliability and structure-related validity of the Lithuanian version of Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ), a 32-item instrument originally developed to assess the parenting behavior of parents of 4- to 12-year-olds, was the focus of the research study. The translated instrument was completed by 265 parents (mostly mothers) of nonclinical elementary school-aged children from a metro school district in Lithuania. In this pilot study, it was found that the PSDQ Lithuanian version had preliminary sufficient internal consistency reliability and structure-related validity similar to those reported by the authors of the original instrument. However, the PSDQ Lithuanian version still needs further studies with a more balanced gender representation, larger sample, and more diverse number of schools for exploring the psychometric properties more thoroughly. Nevertheless, in that there are few instruments on parenting that have already been translated and used with Lithuanian parents; the authors believe that this pilot study is a very important first step in the process of creating a valid and reliable instrument based on Baumrind’s parenting model.
Dyadic Consensus and Well-Being in Individuals With Traumatic Brain Injury and Their Caregivers in Colombia
Authors: Lehan Tara J. , Arango-Lasprilla Juan Carlos , Aragón Carlos José de los Reyes , Quijano María Cristina , Godwin Emilie
Published: April 2012

More individuals are living with traumatic brain injury due to medical and technological advancements. Consequently, family researchers and clinicians will likely work with families facing this type of injury. It is important to examine how family members’ perceptions of challenges associated with brain injury influence their outcomes and whether families experience difficulties when members have differing perceptions. Results of hierarchical linear modeling analyses showed that survivors’ and caregivers’ satisfaction with life was negatively influenced by their own, but not the other’s, perceptions of survivor functioning. Survivors and caregivers with similar perceptions of survivor neurobehavioral functioning also reported greater satisfaction with life. Research and clinical implications are discussed.
A Comparison of Cohabiting and Noncohabiting Couples Who Participated in Premarital Counseling Using the PREPARE Model
Authors: Carlson Ryan G. , Daire Andrew P. , Munyon Matthew D. , Young Mark E.
Published: April 2012

Premarital counseling is a preventive tool against future marital discord. Research targeting premarital counseling interventions typically examined the effects of the intervention on later marital unions, as well as risk factors associated with cohabiting. This study evaluated differences among 120 premarital counseling participants using the PREPARE model. However, not all participants completed treatment. Therefore, we examined differences in preintervention levels of relationship satisfaction, as measured by the Marital Adjustment Test and individual distress, as measured by the Outcomes Questionnaire 45.2 between participants that completed premarital counseling ( n = 46) versus those that did not ( n = 74). Participants who completed attended an average of eight sessions. Additionally, for the 46 men ( n = 23) and women ( n = 23) who completed premarital counseling, changes in relationship satisfaction and individual distress were examined along with differences between those who were cohabiting ( n = 28; 14 men and 14 women) and noncohabiting ( n = 18; 9 men and 9 women). The authors found statistically significant improvements in relationship satisfaction for men and women who completed premarital counseling and statistically significant improvements in individual distress for men upon completion of treatment. The authors also found statistically significant differences in relationship satisfaction for men and women between those who completed and those who did not complete the premarital counseling treatment. Implications for couples counselors, as well as recommendations for future research, are discussed.
A Review of Treatment With Couples Post-Affair: An Emphasis on the Use of Disclosure
Authors: Wilkinson R. Tyler , Littlebear Sarah , Reed Shelley
Published: April 2012

Studies conclude that extramarital affairs are considered by counselors to be the third most difficult marital problem to treat and the second most damaging problem to couples. Often times the damage goes unresolved and leads to the dissolution of the relationship. The authors reviewed the current literature regarding the consequences extramarital affairs have on a couple’s relationship and the impact affairs have on treatment. Additionally, the authors discuss the counselor’s role in facilitating treatment specifying the clinical and ethical implications involved when disclosing an extramarital affair.
Dibs! Customer Territorial Behaviors
Authors: Griffiths Merlyn A. , Gilly Mary C.
Published: April 2012

“Third Place” servicescapes are often created to reflect home-like characteristics, expecting customers to relax, mingle, and consume their purchases. Yet, customers coopt the space, often using it as an extension of workplaces or homes. In pursuit of undistracted privacy, customers engage in territorial behaviors that communicate to other customers that intrusion is not welcome. While place attachment by loyal customers is positive for service providers, territorial behavior can have negative implications for some service establishments. In a multi-method investigation of consumer territorial behavior within the context of cafés, the authors find that purchase or even use of an item with the café logo is believed by many to give customers territorial rights, decreasing turnover, and discouraging other customers who want to sit and consume café products. Employees are faced with mediating territorial disputes. Understanding and dealing with consumer territorial behavior will lead to better servicescape design, less inter-customer conflict, and smoother organizational processes.
How Can Supervisors Improve Employees’ Intention to Help Colleagues? Perspectives From Social Exchange and Appraisal-Coping Theories
Authors: Teng Ching-I , Lee I-Chen , Chu Tsung-Lan , Chang Hsin-Ting , Liu Tzu-Wei
Published: April 2012

Previous studies have not sufficiently investigated how supervisors can improve employees’ intention to help their colleagues. Therefore, research regarding this issue is required. Social exchange theory and the appraisal-coping model were adopted herein to hypothesize that supervisor-employee guanxi—informal interpersonal connections that involve the exchange of favors—and a supervisor’s negative mood are associated with employees’ intention to help their colleagues. The findings indicate that employees’ intention to help their colleagues is negatively related to their supervisor’s negative mood but positively related to employee agreeableness. Furthermore, for employees who have weak guanxi with their supervisors, the negative mood of the supervisors is negatively related to the employees’ intention to help colleagues, but this relationship does not apply to employees who have strong guanxi with their supervisors. The findings suggest that supervisors should manage their negative moods and strengthen their guanxi with employees to improve their employees’ intention to help colleagues.
Understanding Priorities for Service Attribute Improvement
Authors: Bacon Donald R.
Published: April 2012

To improve the overall quality of a service experience, managers often focus on enhancing particular attributes of the service. Yet identifying the attributes to improve—those with the greatest impact on customer satisfaction with the overall service—is often challenging. Generally, improving a poorly performing attribute provides a notable boost to the customer’s perceived overall experience, but further improvements have a diminishing positive effect. The task is further complicated by the fact that the point of diminishing returns, or more generally, the shape of attribute utility curves, likely differs by attribute. Thus, the priorities for attribute improvement may change as service performance changes. Marginal utility analysis (MUA), a new method for understanding the priorities for attribute improvement, is introduced. The method is demonstrated on a sample data set and compared to alternative techniques for understanding priorities including direct measures of customer priorities for improvement, importance–performance analysis (IPA), and multiple regression. MUA was found to provide a superior understanding of priorities for attribute improvement by more accurately modeling the shapes of attribute utility curves. MUA is not hindered by multicollinearity, a common phenomenon that reduces the reliability of some other methods of estimating utility curves. MUA provides diagrams of each utility curve where managers can readily identify which attributes are the highest priorities for improvement in the customer’s mind and how those priorities change as each attribute’s performance changes. The method is easy to implement with the necessary data obtained via minor modifications to a typical customer satisfaction survey.
Moderating Role of Stress in Evaluating Negative Services
Authors: Singh Sangeeta , Duque Lola C.
Published: April 2012

Since negative services are usually sought during emergencies or when problems arise or to ensure against unwanted outcomes, they are typically accompanied by high levels of stress. Our study investigates the role of stress in evaluating such services. We examine citizen satisfaction with a specific negative service, police services, and the moderating role of stress in the evaluation of these services. Findings from our study confirm the moderating role of stress in satisfaction with police services, which determines the differential importance of service attributes: helping consumers manage the stress is more important for satisfaction when consumers are stressed while courtesy and speediness of service delivery are more important when consumers are not stressed. This can be the basis for training police officers to better understand the state the consumer is in and reinforce specific service features accordingly. The study adds to extant knowledge in three areas: (i) public/police services: satisfaction with a public service is valuable in evaluating government and agency performance (ii) negative services: they are an integral part of many service providers, yet understudied (iii) unpleasant affective state: people assign greater weight to unpleasant situations when making satisfaction judgments.
Home and community factors influencing bilingual children’s ethnic language vocabulary development
Authors: Dixon L.Quentin , Zhao Jing , Quiroz Blanca G. , Shin Jee-Young
Published: April 2012

The influence of home and community factors in predicting ethnic or heritage language vocabulary were examined among 282 Singaporean children whose ethnic languages (or mother tongues) were Chinese, Malay, or Tamil, and who were also learning English. The results indicated that (1) parents speaking ethnic language to children had a strong positive effect on children’s ethnic language vocabulary, whereas parents speaking only English had a negative effect; (2) language community had an effect on children’s ethnic language vocabulary, which may reflect community support for the language among the broader community; (3) family income worked differently depending on the language community; and (4) watching television in English mostly/only had a negative effect on children’s ethnic language vocabulary. These findings lend support to other studies among language-minority children indicating that maintaining an ethnic or heritage language requires home support when schooling is through a societally dominant language.