bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Heat capacity measurement in polymers using a differential scanning calorimeter: Area measurement method
Authors: Hernández‐Sánchez F. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractIt has always been difficult to determine the heat capacity of a polymer experimentally. However, with the arrival of differential scanning calorimetry, the determination of such heat capacity could be achieved more quickly, but the precision of the measurement was always limited by the need to correlate the relative heights of thermogram signals obtained from the polymer under study and a standard reference material. The technique reported in this article is as fast as the traditional technique in differential scanning calorimeter, but the accuracy of the measured heat capacity is high because it is based on the measurement of areas rather than determination of height differences. In addition, it is not necessary to use a standard sample as a reference. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007
Evaluation of the reinforcing effect of ground wood pulp in the preparation of polypropylene‐based composites coupled with maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene
Authors: Méndez J. A. , Vilaseca F. , Pèlach M. A. , López J. P. , Barberà L. , Turon X. , Gironès J. , Mutjé P. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractPolypropylene‐based composites reinforced with ground wood pulp (pulp stone) were prepared in the reinforcing range of 20–50 wt %. The mechanical properties of the system were evaluated through the observation of a stiffening effect of the prepared materials, which reached Young's moduli up to 2.3 times higher than that of plain polypropylene, for formulations with 50 wt % ground wood pulp as a reinforcement. In contrast to this result, the ultimate tensile strength decreased because of the different polarities of the components of the composite. To overcome this problem, maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene was added as a coupling agent (6 wt %, with respect to the ground wood pulp content, as the optimal composition), giving rise to an important improvement in the ultimate tensile strength close to 125%, in comparison with the uncoupled composite, for the composite filled with 50 wt % ground wood pulp. The addition of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene also diminished the capacity for absorbing water, improving the durability of the composite under wet conditions. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007
Synthesis of high‐molecular‐weight poly(lactic acid) from aqueous lactic acid cocatalyzed by ϵ‐caprolactam and tin(II) chloride dihydrate
Authors: Lei Zi‐Qiang , Wang Shou‐Feng , Bai Yan‐Bin 
Published: June 2007

AbstractPoly(lactic acid) was synthesized from cheap, commercially available aqueous lactic acid (85–90% w/w) with ε‐caprolactam and SnCl2·2H2O as catalysts in the absence of organic solvents. As a result, poly(lactic acid) with a molecular weight of 50,000 and a yield of 87–94% was prepared in 16 h. The new procedure is quite simple and cheap. The starting material is renewable aqueous lactic acid. The effects of the amount of the catalyst, the reaction temperature, and the reaction time on the polymerization were investigated in detail. The polymers obtained by ε‐caprolactam and SnCl2·2H2O were characterized with gel permeation chromatography, infrared, and nuclear magnetic resonance. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007
Comparison of the influence of different compatibilizers on the structure and properties of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer/modified clay nanocomposites
Authors: Guduri B. R. , Luyt A. S. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractNanocomposites of an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer and clay were prepared by melt blending and extrusion. Two different compatibilizers, ethylene glycidyl methacrylate (EGMA) and maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP), were used in these nanocomposites. The structural properties of the composites were characterized with X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The surface morphology was characterized with polarized optical microscopy. The tensile and permeability properties were studied. The thermal stability of the nanocomposites was characterized through thermogravimetric analysis. MAPP‐compatibilized nanocomposites had intercalated and partially exfoliated structures, whereas EGMA‐compatibilized nanocomposites had completely exfoliated structures. The EGMA‐compatibilized nanocomposites were thermally more stable than the MAPP‐compatibilized nanocomposites. The mechanical and permeability properties of the EGMA‐compatibilized nanocomposites were better than those of the MAPP‐compatibilized nanocomposites. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007
Behavioral conceptualizations and treatments of Tourette's syndrome: A review and overview
Authors: Houlihan Daniel , Hofschulte Lisa , Patten Christi 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis article reviews behavioral conceptualizations and approaches to the treatment of Tourette's Syndrome. The main purpose of the review is to point out the importance of associated aberrant behaviors that frequently coincide with Tourette's and discuss the efficacy of behaviour therapy as a viable option in the treatment of the disorder. There is discussion of past and present treatments, as well as comments on possible future directions in the behavioral treatment of the disorder.
Brief report: The development of superstitious beliefs in the effectiveness of treatment of anger: Evidence for the importance of experimental program evaluation in applied settings
Authors: Moore Kevin J. , Shannon Kelly K. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractMany youth placed in out of home care have serious anger and aggression problems. These youth create much administrative and staff frustration. This frustration can cause program administrators to look to new treatment modalities whether inside or outside of their specific milieu for the therapeutic solutions to these problems. This randomized control group study provides an example of the importance of experimental program evaluation when an applied setting begins a drift towards the use of new treatment modalities. The results showed that both treatment and control groups improved over time but that there was no differences between groups in the daily number of angry incidents, the number of youth negatively terminated from the program, or self‐report of state‐trait anger expression. The results also suggest that without this research the noneffective intervention would have continued to be funded and given causative status for the observed improvements in referred youth behavior into the foreseeable future. Moreover, the development of these types of superstitious beliefs may lead child care organizations to spend scarce dollars on expensive treatments that do not increase the efficacy of the treatment as usual. Thus, this study shows that there are potential economic and treatment efficacy reasons for the use of experimental program evaluation when new treatments are implemented.
Preparing direct service staff to teach people with severe disabilities: A comprehensive evalution of an effective and acceptable training program
Authors: Parsons Marsha B. , Reid Dennis H. , Green Carolyn W. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractIn light of the continuing need for residential, direct service staff to be able to teach people with severe disabilities, we comprehensively evaluated a program to train staff in behavioral teaching strategies. The program was developed and evaluated with attention given to recent concerns in the staff management literature regarding shortcomings with staff training research. The training program, involving a maximum of four, 2‐hr classroom instruction sessions and three in vivo observation and feedback sessions, was evaluated in four studies. In Study 1, the program was shown to improve verbal skills of 13 direct service staff regarding behavioral teaching principles and terminology. In Study 2, the program was demonstrated to improve performance based teaching skills of nine staff and four staff supervisors. In Study 3, the program was shown to result in improvements in adaptive skills of three clients with severe disabilities when direct care staff used their newly acquired teaching skills with the clients. In Study 4, the training program was shown to be well received among 17 staff trainees, although the trainees were more accepting of some program components than others. Results of the studies are discussed in regard to the importance of agencies providing effective and acceptable staff training programs. Future research areas also are noted, focusing on the need to determine, and minimize where possible, the amount of time required to conduct successful staff training.
Quality care in residential placement for children and youth with developmental disabilities
Authors: McDonald Linda , Owen Marya , McDonald Stewart 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThere is a growing concern for quality care in residential placements outside of the natural family for children and youth with developmental disabilities. Ideally, children with developmental disabilities should remain with their natural parent or parents of parents with appropriate supports until the age when children typically leave home. In reality, parents of children and youth with development disabilities are not always able or willing to care for their children at home, and alternate residential placements must be found. This paper will discuss some of the issues surrounding the provision of quality care in out‐of‐home residential placements for children and youth with developmental disabilities.
Validation of technical criteria for setting IPP goals for persons with developmental disabilities in residential settings
Authors: Dagnan David J. , Sturmey Peter 
Published: June 2007

AbstractData were collected from documentation from an annual IPP system on the technical adequacy of goals set and subsequently achieved. Goal characteristics coded included functionality of goal set (natural environment, natural materials, and age‐appropriateness), ideological characteristics (community presence, choices and decisions, maintaining and developing competence, positive social role, and community participation), behavioral technical adequacy (named person responsible, achievement date, and stated in measurable terms), and curriculum domain. Multiple regression analysis revealed that goals that were written in a technically correct fashion and that involved functional skills were more likely to be achieved. A greater variety of life goals predicted fewer goals being achieved.
Using sociometric measures to predict help seeking behaviors of youth in a positive peer culture program
Authors: Vincent James , Houlihan Daniel , Mitchell Patricia 
Published: June 2007

AbstractSociometric measures were used to predict help seeking behaviors of youth in a residential treatment center. Seventeen female adolescents with conduct disorders were asked to choose three peers in their group who were most popular, similar, and competent. These sociometric measures were correlated with the degree to which the participants would seek help from their peers across four problem scenarios representing actual situations encountered in residential settings. A multiple linear regression analysis suggested that sociometric measures of “competence” was the best predictor of intentions to seek help across the problem scenarios. Discussion focused on the implications of using sociometric measures within a residential treatment setting.
Toilet training children with sensory impairments in a residential school setting
Authors: Luiselli James K. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractAcquisition of toileting skills is an essential educational objective for children with developmental disabilities. However, there are few empirical reports of toilet training programs for children who have developmental disabilities and combined sensory impairments. The present studies evaluated toileting programs for two children with multiple disabilities and vision and hearing deficits. The programs featured systematic prompting, scheduling, and reinforcement procedures that were applied in a residential school setting. Each child was successfully habit‐trained with results maintained 1–5 months posttraining. One of the children also demonstrated consistent, self‐initiated toileting.
The aversive nature of gentle teaching
Authors: Jones Robert S. P. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe proponents of gentle teaching have undertaken a sustained attack on the aversive nature of procedures used in applied behavior analysis and this attack was recently updated in an article (McGee, 1992) which suggested similarities between methods of torture and methods of applied behavior analysis. The relativity and contextual nature of aversiveness is discussed using examples from the gentle teaching literature itself and it is concluded that any intervention, be it contingent electric shock or “unconditional valuing,” can be regarded as aversive depending on the function of the problem behavior and specific circumstances surrounding the treatment administration.
Case study: The combined use of imipramine and behavior modification to reduce aggression in an adult male diagnosed as having autistic disorder
Authors: Hittner James B. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe present study examined the behavior decelerative effects of combined imipramine (tofranil) and behavior modification in a severely retarded, depressed autistic man. A simple interrupted time‐series design was conducted and the primary data analytic techniques consisted of modified trend analyses and dependent samples t‐tests. Consistent with previous theory and scant empirical research, results indicated that combined imipramine and behavior modification significantly reduced daily episodes of self‐directed and other‐directed aggression. Specifically, controlling for the effects of time, the combined treatment regimen led to significant reductions in both level and slope across three topographies of aggressive behavior. Limitations of the present study and recommendations for future research were discussed. It was concluded that combined imipramine and behavior modification may be an effective strategy for reducing aggression in the developmentally disabled.
An examination of response covariation in the behavioral treatment of identical twin boys with multiple behavioral disorders
Authors: Soutor Todd A. , Houlihan Daniel , Young April 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis study examined the response covariation phenomenon in the behavioral treatment of a noncompliant, nonattentive child with autism in a school setting. The treatment consisted of reinforcement for compliance and attention. Results showed that the reinforcement of compliance was associated with increased levels of compliance, attending, and directed verbalizations. Sequential scatterplot data analysis suggested that compliance and attending directly covaried as a function of the reinforcement for compliance contingency. The results of this multiple treatment study suggests that reinforcement of compliance had the broadest positive effect for the subject since positive collateral changes were observed in attending and directed verbalizations when compliance was reinforced.
Testing for spontaneous use of requests after sign language training with two severely handicapped adults
Authors: Sigafoos Jeff 
Published: June 2007

AbstractA variety of procedures have been used to promote spontaneous requesting in persons with developmental disabilities. However, effective use of such procedures depends in part on identifying the stimuli that gained control of requests during intervention. In the present study, two adults with severe disabilities were taught to request a preferred food item with a modified gesture for “eat.” After learning to respond when the trainer held up an item, an assessment of stimulus control was conducted to determine if requests would occur spontaneously, that is, without the trainer having to offer the item. One learner displayed a number of spontaneous requests during the assessment. Natural maintaining contingencies were then introduced to maintain his spontaneous requests. The other learner made no spontaneous requests during the initial assessment, but subsequent tests revealed that he sometimes requested as the trainer was about to display the item. It thus appeared that both learners were responding at an earlier point in the trial sequence. The results suggest that an assessment of stimulus control may be helpful when selecting strategies to promote spontaneous requesting.
Evaluating and improving residential treatment during group leisure situations: An independent replication
Authors: Sturmey Peter 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis study reports an independent replication of Parson and Reid's (1993) Group active treatment procedure for adults with developmental disabilities. This study differed from the earlier study in that it took place over a 12‐month period, and involved all scheduled leisure activities from Monday through Sunday at all scheduled times of the day. In this study maladaptive behaviors decreased, the percentage of clients with materials increased, the percentage of clients receiving interactions increased, and the percentage of clients receiving social reinforcement increased as a function of the introduction of the Group active treatment. The data in the intervention phase were highly variable indicating that staff performance was a function of variables other than the intervention. Nevertheless, this procedure lead to a sustained improvement in the use of leisure time throughout the intervention period.
Direct comparisons between residential and community students on school performance measures in a public school setting
Authors: Vincent James , Kramer Jack J. , Shriver Mark , Spies Rob 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe purpose of the current study was to evaluate the school performance of residential youth who attended a public school setting. Direct comparisons were made between the residential youth and students in the community on a number of school measures. Results from a multivariate analysis of covariance indicated that the residential students had significantly lower grades, participated in significantly fewer extracurricular activities, and exhibited more problematic behaviors such as tardies and absences. These findings were consistent with previous research which found that many residential youth have a number of behavioral, social, and academic difficulties that interfere with school functioning. A number of recommendations were made regarding educational placement for residential youth.
Brief report: Effects of informational feedback on aluminum can recycling
Authors: Larson Michael E. , Houlihan Daniel , Goernert Phillip N. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe impact of informational feedback on the depositing of aluminum cans in recycling receptacles at a medium‐sized university was investigated. Informational signs were placed over 20‐recycling receptacles in three academic buildings. Each informational sign was placed at eye level, with the number of aluminum cans deposited for recycling during the previous week displayed in red digits. A 65% increase in the number of aluminum cans deposited in recycling receptacles with the informational signs was observed. Furthermore, removal of the informational signs was observed to reliably decrease the number of aluminum cans deposited. These results are discussed in the context of employing feedback to increase environmental protection behaviors.
Antecedent exercise as a treatment for disruptive behavior: Testing hypothesized mechanisms of action
Authors: Basile Vincent C. , Motta Robert W. , Allison David B. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis study evaluated the effects of antecedent physical exercise (AE) and a mastery task on behaviorally disturbed children's self‐concepts and rates of disruptive behaviors. In addition, we evaluated whether changes in self‐concept mediated any exercise induced changes in rates of disruptive behavior. Fifty‐eight children were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (a) antecedent exercise (jog/walk), (b) “mastery” task (a successive improvement miniaturebasketball shooting task), and (c) no treatment control group. A week of baseline was followed by 4 weeks of treatment and, finally another week of return to baseline. Results indicated that: (a) AE produced significantly less disruptive behavior than no treatment, (b) the “Mastery” task did not produce significantly less disruptive behavior than no treatment, (c) neither treatment produced increases in self‐concept relative to no treatment, and (d) changes in self‐concept did not mediate AE induced reductions in disruptive behaviors.
Case study: Controlling self‐injurious escape behaviors
Authors: Blindert H. Dieter , Hartridge Cheryl L. , Gwadry Fuad G. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe present study investigated the effects of a treatment program on the self‐injurious behaviors of a 12‐year‐old autistic male. Initial observations indicated that these behaviors functioned primarily as escape responses to terminate performance demands. For 1 year the subject received general compliance training with the frequency of demands being systematically increased through consecutive treatment weeks. The subject's self‐injurious behaviors were no longer reinforced by his escaping from demands nor did they receive social attention. Compliance to demands and appropriate behaviors in general were positively reinforced. The treatment produced substantial reductions in the rates of self‐injurious behaviors and increased compliance. Additionally, the intensity of the subject's self‐injurious behaviors decreased over the course of treatment. The present study suggests that the treatment approach is a reliable means of not only reducing self‐injurious behaviors but also expanding performance repertoires.
Staff support strategies to increase the involvement of individuals with disabilities in meal preparation
Authors: Baker Daniel J. , Fox John , Albin Richard W. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractIn recent years, residential services for persons with disabilities have changed radically, reflecting a shift from custodial care to habilitation and community participation. This has resulted in a significant shift in the roles of direct‐care staff. Improvement of staff performance is recognized as a major objective of agencies providing residential support to persons with disabilities. This study examined the gap between existing technologies of support and performance of direct‐care staff, and focused on participation in an important activity of daily living, meal preparation. This study compared initial, baseline levels of participation to levels of involvement observed during three experimental intervention phases introduced sequentially within a multiple‐baseline design: staff prompting by interventionists, staff self‐management, and staff training. Increases from baseline levels of participation were observed for all five participating staff‐resident dyads. High levels of variability were observed in some dyads and amounts of increase differed across dyads. Findings are explained in terms of dyad‐specific information. A model of staff performance is presented along with implications for high‐quality residential service.
Brief report: Pictorial vs. auditory prompt systems for promoting independent task performance in adolescents with multiple handicaps
Authors: Lancioni Giulio E. , Klaase Mieke , Goossens Aloysius 
Published: June 2007

AbstractA pictorial and an auditory prompt systems were employed with two adolescents affected by multiple handicaps. The purpose was to assess whether one of the systems was more effective than the other for promoting independent task performance, and whether subjects and staff preferred one of the systems over the other. The results indicated that the two systems were comparably effective in promoting independent performance. The subjects as well as the staff differed with regard to the system they preferred.