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PubMed2005

Victimization of the elderly homeless.

Using data from the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients (NSHAPC), this article examines the applicability of Felson's Routine Activities Theory to a national probability sample of older homeless individuals. Results indicate that the relative protection that women often have from most crimes is not transferred to the older homeless woman who is more likely than her male counterparts to be the victim of sexual assault but equally as likely to be the victim of theft and physical assault. Likewise, the protection often noted afforded by age against victimization is also not seen among the homeless. The research demonstrates that being male and having mental and physical health problems as well as substance abuse problems increases the likelihood of victimizations among the homeless population, in general When predictors of victimization were considered for the 50 and older sample, these predictors remained the same except that the gender remained significant only for sexual assault. These findings are consistent with and supportive of utilizing Felson's Routine Activities Theory to understand and explain victimization among the older homeless population.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

The pleasure of dissent: a critical theory of psychotherapy as an emancipatory practice.

The intent of this paper is to examine the inherent contradictions in the practice of psychotherapy that, if left unexamined, ruin the emancipatory prospects that it holds. Critical theory and, more specifically, Jurgen Habermas' theory of communicative action is utilized as a starting point for reconceptualizing psychotherapy. This paper then establishes a phenomenological and ethical basis for solidarity despite the power differences and conflicting goals for therapists and clients. It draws heavily on a consideration of intersubjectivity and the self as fundamentally relational as conceived by theorists such as Schutz, Levinas, and Vygotsky. Through such an analysis psychotherapy will be constituted consciously as a free space for critique, dissent and action, allowing for a core experience of one's self as a source of power in the social field that will foster replication in society at large.

Affect↗

PubMed2002

Life-history theory and risky drinking.

AIMS: Life-history theory, a major theory related to evolutionary biology and behavioral ecology, is applied to analyze patterns in alcohol abuse and dependence. The life-history approach examines how intensity of reproductive competition affects the benefits and costs of risk-taking, which are typically greater for young men than for women or older men. We used this framework to predict demographic variation in hazardous patterns of alcohol use, assuming that they reflect risk-taking in general. DESIGN: This paper is a review of literature on demographic patterns in risky drinking and alcohol dependence. Predictions are generated using evolutionary analysis of risk-taking. Existing surveys of drinking behavior are reviewed, and findings are compared to predictions. FINDINGS: Results were generally consistent with predictions. The frequency of risky drinking and dependence is higher for men, and people of younger age, single marital status, childless parental status or unstable environmental resources. An exception is the effect of educational attainment. which is inconsistent. CONCLUSIONS: Risky drinking behavior, as with other forms of physical risk-taking, is more frequently observed in young men, and it increases where environmental instability is higher. The utility of life-history theory is compared to alternate conceptions of risky drinking and dependence. Implications of this perspective for research and clinical efforts are explored.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Comparing the incommensurable: where science and politics collide.

Arguments about the possibility that cognitive variables may play a causal role in human behavior are unlikely to be resolved in favor of one side or the other, because they set against each other two incommensurable views of human agency. Contemporary cognitive models of psychology are based on an implicitly dualist view of human behavior, assuming the existence of a nonmaterial mental realm which has the capacity to act on the material world. Critics, by comparison, frequently argue from an epiphenomenalist position. While there may be sound scientific reasons for rejecting self-efficacy theory, and particularly for rejecting the utility of the concept that behavior is caused by efficacy expectations, this paper argues that epistemic criteria are frequently less important than a sense that a theory is compatible with a particular world view. I argue that cognitive theories are accepted by the psychological mainstream because their dualist basis accords with deeply held cultureal beliefs about the relationship between the person and the world. However, the social and political consequences of such models are rarely articulated, and there is a need for psychologists to develop a more explicit understanding of the relationship between psychological theories and their broader implications.

Cognition↗

PubMed2005

Hand hygiene posters: selling the message.

This literature review was undertaken to determine the established theory and research that might be utilized to inform the construction of persuasive messages on hand hygiene posters. It discusses the principles of message framing and the use of fear appeals. Current theory suggests that the most effective messages for health promotion behaviours should be framed in terms of gains rather than losses for the individual. However, as clinical hand hygiene is largely for the benefit of others (i.e. patients), messages should also invoke a sense of personal responsibility and appeal to altruistic behaviour. The use of repeated minimal fear appeals have their place. Posters that simply convey training messages are not effective persuaders.

Fear↗

PubMed2002

Application of Neuman's framework: infant exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how Neuman's systems model can be applied to nursing practice and research through the examination of the problem of infant exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. By operationalizing Neuman's framework, it was possible to develop a research-based theory investigating the interaction between the infant's physiological variable and the environment. A nursing process tool and theoretical model developed from Neuman's framework are utilized to examine the problem. Further theory development could identify relationships among Neuman's other variables and create a theoretical basis for providing holistic nursing care to infants exposed to environmental tobacco smoke.

Clinical Nursing Research↗

PubMed2003

The heritability theory of heterosis and its meaning for global agriculture.

This paper begins with the overthrow of the concept of combining ability in crossbreeding by the concept of heritability. The reason is that general combining ability changes with the number and kind of pure strains in the foundation stock and hence special combining ability changes also, so that work with different kinds of pure strains in the foundation stock cannot be compared. Hence combining ability is useless as a parameter to predict the amount of heterosis expected in the next generation. On the other hand, since each cross has a separate heritability, it can be applied to a cross population just as successfully as in purebreeding. Since the same concept holds in both cases, resort to any other concept would be superfluous. That's why combining ability must be rejected. Another reason (not given in the full text) is, an infinite number of pure strains would be required in the foundation stock for its results to be comparable with those of the heritability theory, which disposes of its utility altogether. The main content of the thesis is then the centennial enigma of heterosis can be resolved by Descarte's theoretic method of deduction. Accordingly we start from the definition of heterosis. [formula: see text] where H is heterosis, F1 is the first generation offspring, MP is the mean of the parents or midparent, and from the use of a binomial random variable and its extension to the multinomial case derive the basic relations of heterosis with its components. Starting with second degree statistics, we obtain [formula: see text] where V and cov stand for variance and covariance. The equations of heterosis are [formula: see text] where N is number of genes controlling a trait, a = (Pi - Pj)/2, d is deviation from midparent, while the variance components are all indicated by their names under the respective terms. It turns out that all these can be easily computed from the data so that the problem becomes a simple one which any college student may solve. In other words, the right answers are found when the right questions are asked. Who had ever shown that the heritability principle is inapplicable in crossbreeding, e.g., in a crossing of two pure strains? From this cue arose the realization that the F1 of a cross of two pure strains must also be a Mendelian population, with p and q both equal to 1/2 which simplifies the algebra outright. This Heritability Theory of Heterosis, or HTH in capital letters, rests on 2 initial arguments: 1) Since 0.5 + 0.5 = 1, crossing two pure strains gives a population which is only a special case of pure-breeding, therefore a heritability coefficient must exist for the F1; 2) Our problem reduces to that of finding that coefficient; the answer is given by the additive component divided by VF1, i.e., (1/2) Na2/VF1. which is readily found from the solution of the heterosis equations. Thus the eternal enigma of heterosis is resolved! This happened at the end of the 20th century. We now come to the second point of the discovery, the new genetic parameter crossheritability which will rise in size with the increase of the number of times it's used and form the link between breeding and evolution. The advent of the Age of Evolution Engineering in the 21st century marks a totally new era, showing that artificial will ultimately supercede natural selection, with the long span of time element eliminated. For agriculture at least, it means there is no limit to the increase of food supply by the new method, with the concentration of desirable genes by hybridization in place of the old theory of their fixation. Genetic gain is achieved through artificial selection, with an 80% saving of time, labor and cost by adoption of the new method. Applied to a further increase in all kinds of agricultural products including hybrid rice, it means that a huge escalation, in fact a New Green Revolution, on a much larger scale than that of any such before, is in view, provided it is adopted in our research and educational institutions as early as possible, ere its spread elsewhere. The possibilities from the evolution point of view can only be pictured by science fiction.

Agriculture↗

PubMed1979

Changing concepts in psychosomatic theory. I. Historical analysis.

Psychosomatic medicine has utilized static, linear, two-dimensional models in attempting to identify a causative relationship between psychosocially conceptualized events and biologically conceptualized ones. This has led to inherent difficulties that are logistically unresolvable. For example, the different language systems lend themselves to overlap with the possibility of addressing themselves to describing manifestations of the same phenomenon from dissimilar conceptual orientations. The problem is further complicated by attempting to link these together in a temporal sequence suggesting a causal relationship. We have ignored both feedback processes in terms of a sequential process modifying a preceding one and the possibility that a reverse order of relationships might explain some processes. In our quest for specificity, we have ignored that disease states are not static ones any more than is life but change over time, suggesting that alterations will occur in the original relationships proposed among our different systems of conceptualization. Among the remedies suggested for a reordering of our thinking are: (a) a revision of linear unidirectional causative models to cyclical bidirectional models; (b) a reformulation of two-dimensional temporal linear relationships toward three-dimensional spherical ones which overlap in time; (c) the relating of these aspects not to each other but to a third factor, common to the three which remains to be identified; (d) the development of a language that bridges the psychological, social and biological.

History, 19th Century↗

PubMed1984

The concept of crisis: its utility for nursing.

The concept of crisis is important to nursing; yet, discrepancies exist in the way the term is viewed conceptually and applied clinically. This lack of clarity makes systematic research more difficult. In this article, crisis intervention theory is used to describe the concept of emotional crisis. Traditional and more recent constitutive definitions are discussed using related theories of stress and threat. The utility of crisis for nursing is outlined with a focus on crisis as a continuous entity as opposed to the dichotomous variable it is often considered to be. Implications for research and clinical practice are explored.

Crisis Intervention↗

PubMed1988

Age, education, and sex effects on adult moral reasoning.

The role of age and education in adult moral reasoning was examined utilizing Kohlberg's cognitive-developmental stage theory of moral development and the most recent Standard Scoring System for assessing moral judgments. Individual interviews utilizing standard Kohlberg moral dilemmas were conducted with 195 adults ranging in age from nineteen to eight-two years and in years of education from three to twenty-five years. Results indicated no overall significant effect for age of reasoner, no significant effect for sex, and a significant effect for education (p less than .01). However, the effect of age was significant in the group with eighteen or more years of education, but not in the group with less than eighteen years of education.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Comparison of two diagnostic algorithms for regular broad complex tachycardia by decision theory analysis.

Sensitivity and specificity are two inversely related properties of a diagnostic test and it is often practically infeasible to secure a high value for both simultaneously. Decision theory analysis shows that the utility of a diagnostic test depends not only on its sensitivity and specificity but also on the prevalence of the intended target disorder: when prevalence is low, a high specificity is more important than a high sensitivity, whereas when prevalence is high, a high sensitivity is more important than a high specificity. The significance of this principle is illustrated by two popular algorithms for the electrocardiographic diagnosis of regular broad complex tachycardia (BCT), of which the two main differential diagnoses are ventricular tachycardia (VT) and supraventricular tachycardia with aberrant conduction (SVTAG). Brugada et al. focused on criteria highly specific for VT and used them to build a four-step algorithm. In contrast, Griffith et al. first selected criteria highly sensitive for VT and then criteria highly specific for VT to build a simple two-step algorithm. It can be objectively demonstrated that the Griffith algorithm is more efficient and effective than the Brugada algorithm in terms of clinching the final diagnosis and improving overall diagnostic accuracy. The main reason for this is that VT is more common than SVTAC as the cause of regular BCT, and the Griffith algorithm adhered to the aforementioned principle governing the choice between sensitivity and specificity according to prevalence in its design. The Griffith algorithm also embodies an additional important principle, namely, it is easier and more efficient to choose alternatively between criteria highly specific and highly sensitive for the intended target disorder than concentrating on just one or the other in designing a multiple-step sequential diagnostic algorithm.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2005

The victorian ethos of evolution.

The Victorian Age was the culmination of changes in the political, social, scientific, theological and cultural spheres throughout Europe. Darwin's newly elaborated evolutionary idea was the pivot for social Darwinism, a theory based on the gradual movement of the species toward greater self-awareness and strength. Shaw described this process in his play Man and Superman. Freud also utilized the concept in his libido theory. Horney interpreted the process as a psychic response to the intense societal pressures to succeed. A linkage of interdependence and progression of these ideas emerges as the world continues to evolve.

Biological Evolution↗

PubMed1987

DRGs: justice and the invisible rationing of health care resources.

Are DRGs just? This is the primary question which this essay will answer. But there is a prior methodological question that also needs to be addressed: How do we go about rationally (non-arbitrarily) assessing whether DRGs are just or not? I would suggest that grand, ideal theories of justice (Rawls, Nozick) have only very limited utility for answering this question. What we really need is a theory of "interstitial justice," that is, an approach to making justice judgments that is suitable to assessing the social practices and institutions that comprise the interstices of our social life as opposed to its basic structure. Rawls's appeal to "our considered moral judgments" provides us with a useful starting point for this task, which we shall discuss in the first part of this essay. In the second part, we shall actually assess DRGs from the perspective of interstitial justice. What we shall show is that DRGs violate a large number of our considered judgments regarding a just approach to financing health care for the elderly in a cost-effective manner. This is true to such an extent that efforts to reform DRGs and make them fairer, such as the recent effort by Robert Veatch, should be abandoned. In the concluding section of the essay we discuss one especially pernicious feature of DRGs, namely, that they represent an invisible approach to rationing access to health care. In the minds of many this is one of the virtues of DRGs. That claim needs critical examination.

Aged↗

PubMed1994

A theory of holistic comfort for nursing.

Although the construct of comfort has been analysed, diagrammed in a two-dimensional content map, and operationalized as a holistic outcome, it has not been conceptualized within the context of a broader theory for the discipline of nursing. The theoretical work presented here utilizes an intra-actional perspective to develop a theory of comfort as a positive outcome of nursing case. A model of human press is the framework within which comfort is related to (a) interventions that enhance the state of comfort and (b) desirable subsequent outcomes of nursing care. The paper concludes with a discussion about the theory of comfort as a significant one for the discipline of nursing.

Drive↗

PubMed1988

Psychohistory before Hitler: early military analyses of German national psychology.

As part of a grandiose post-World War I psychological project to predict the behavior of nations, the U.S. Military Intelligence Division (MID) utilized racial and social psychological theories to explain an alleged problematic German national character. Though unsuccessful, this project has major significance in the history of psychohistory. For the newly discovered MID files reveal that ideas, attitudes, and biases many psychohistorians subsequently identified as manifestations of a peculiar German national character had previously been held by American officers and reputable psychologists. What American analysts would, in 1940, view as symptoms of a maladjusted German mind, their predecessors had, in 1920, considered valid scientific concepts.

Ethnicity↗

PubMed1994

Diagnostic accuracy in cytopathology.

Cytopathologic diagnoses play an important role in clinical decision making. As a result, the tests that produce material for cytopathologic interpretation must be evaluated critically and carefully. One way to evaluate these tests is by the assessment of diagnostic accuracy. The commonly used sensitivity and specificity format dichotomizes the data set and often loses or misinterprets important diagnostic information, especially the data which is semiquantitative. In addition, sensitivity and specificity do not allow the clinician to revise the probability of disease depending upon the test result. The LR and ROC analysis are two methods that systematically measure the diagnostic accuracy of tests, including those that produce semiquantitative data. LR and ROC measurements incorporate the concepts of sensitivity and specificity, but, in addition, provide a way to assess the clinical utility of a test by estimating the post-test probability of disease. These methods are related to other techniques in medical decision making such as decision analysis and information theory, and are straightforward and easily utilized by clinicians and pathologists.

Biopsy, Needle↗

PubMed1996

A new iterative reconstruction technique for attenuation correction in high-resolution positron emission tomography.

A new iterative reconstruction technique (NIRT) for positron emission computed tomography (PET), which uses transmission data for nonuniform attenuation correction, is described. Utilizing the general inverse problem theory, a cost functional which includes a noise term was derived. The cost functional was minimized using a weighted-least-square maximum a posteriori conjugate gradient (CG) method. The procedure involves a change in the Hessian of the cost function by adding an additional term. Two phantoms were used in a real data acquisition. The first was a cylinder phantom filled with uniformly distributed activity of 74 MBq of fluorine-18. Two different inserts were placed in the phantom. The second was a Hoffman brain phantom filled with uniformly distributed activity of 7.4 MBq of 18F. Resulting reconstructed images were used to test and compare a new iterative reconstruction technique with a standard filtered backprojection (FBP) method. The results confirmed that NIRT, based on the conjugate gradient method, converges rapidly and provides good reconstructed images. In comparison with standard results obtained by the FBP method, the images reconstructed by NIRT showed better noise properties. The noise was measured as rms% noise and was less, by a factor of 1.75, in images reconstructed by NIRT than in the same images reconstructed by FBP. The distance between the Hoffman brain slice reconstructed by FBP and the perfect PET Hoffman brain slice created from the MRI image was 0.526, while the same distance for the Hoffman brain slice reconstructed by NIRT was 0.328. The NIRT method suppressed the propagation of the noise without visible loss of resolution in the reconstructed PET images.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2006

Parental modeling, attachment, and supervision as moderators of adolescent gambling.

Utilizing Jessor's Problem Behavior Theory as a theoretical foundation, 116 male and female students in grades 9-12 (mean age 16.8) from a Midwestern urban high school were surveyed to determine the prevalence and relationship among gambling behavior and parental and peer influences. To measure these variables, the following instruments were used: The SOGS-RA, the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment-Parent Scale, and The Alabama Parenting Questionnaire-Parental Monitoring and Supervision Scale. Almost all of the students (91%) reported gambling at least once in their lifetime while 36.2% reported gambling once a week, 19% reported gambling on a daily basis, and 26% were classified as problem gamblers (10% using the "narrow" SOGS-RA criteria). Parental gambling was related to levels of past year gambling as well as increased likelihood of being classified as a problem gambler. Increased parental attachment was also associated with decreased levels of adolescent gambling, while decreased parental trust and communication resulted in increased problem gambling. Measures of parental monitoring and supervision found similar outcomes in that increased monitoring and supervision resulted in lower levels of adolescent gambling. Additionally, when peer influences were moderated by parental influences, there was a moderating effect on gambling behavior. This study illuminates the continued importance parents play in both risk enhancing and risk inhibiting influences on adolescent participation in problem behaviors.

Adolescent↗