Individual progress toward self-selected goals among older adults enrolled in a physical activity counseling intervention

The purpose of this study was to examine what happens to goals over the course of a physical activity counseling trial in older veterans. At baseline, participants (N = 313) identified 1 health-related goal and 1 walking goal for their participation in the study and rated where they perceived themselves to be relative to that goal at the current time. They rated their current status on these same goals again at 6 and 12 mo. Growth-curve analyses were used to examine longitudinal change in perceived goal status. Although both the intervention and control groups demonstrated improvement in their perceived proximity to their health-related and walking goals (L = 1.19, p < .001), the rates of change were significantly greater in the intervention group (β = -.30, p < .05). Our results demonstrate that this physical activity counseling intervention had a positive impact on self-selected goals over the course of the intervention.     

A content analysis of intervention research in social work doctoral dissertations

It is imperative for the social work profession that the on-going schism between researchers and practitioners commented on in the literature for the past 40 years be effectively addressed. Doctoral programs are in a unique position to affect the production of research focusing on intervention. The purpose of this study was to determine if social work doctoral programs are currently successful in encouraging their doctoral candidates to engage in intervention research. A content analysis was conducted on 252 dissertation abstracts produced by social work doctoral students in 2006. Only 13.49% of the abstracts indicated a focus on social work intervention. The researchers argue that this finding indicates a need for a paradigm shift in social work education and practice.     

Hidden boundaries and shared meanings: the roles of researcher characteristics and cultural norms in shaping understandings of sexuality in the unstructured interview setting

This paper examines the role of the research process in shaping the construction of knowledge about sensitive topics in in-depth interviews particularly with regard to researcher identity and cultural influences or norms. We argue that these influences shape all aspects of the research process and that researchers will benefit from reflecting upon them when planning, undertaking and interpreting qualitative studies. Drawing on an empirical study interviewing Australian women aged 55 years and older about sexuality we address differences and similarities between researchers and participants; cultural constructions of sexuality and ageing, and generational influences. Using examples from our interview data we interrogate the contribution of each of these aspects to the interview dynamic and the co-production of meaning. Our analysis draws attention to the fluidity of insider and outsider status and to the existence of hidden boundaries that impact on how certain topics can be discussed in interviews. The paper argues that knowledge about sensitive topics such as older people’s sexuality must be viewed as a situated occurrence shaped by the particularities of the interview and the cultural context. Finally, we discuss the implications of these findings for qualitative inquiries into sensitive topics.     

Transforming a hospital safety and ergonomics program: a four year journey of change

The conception of "Patient Safety" being the number one priority at Hospitals can reduce the emphasis on overall employee safety and health. This review examines a hospital's need to improve 24/7 active (i.e., not reactive) coverage, regulatory compliance, as well as the frequency and severity of employee injury losses. It also discusses a journey to integrate and improve safety and ergonomics to achieve these goals. Three approaches used by the ergonomist to create the transformation included: 1) adoption of the safety and ergonomic hazard identification; 2) safe patient handling; and 3) implementation of a 5S program. The results of the four (4) year effort at the not for profit, 637 bed, full service, acute-care hospital has shown a steady decline in frequency, reduced waste, and improved housekeeping. Ergonomists can have a key role in transforming Hospital Safety and Ergonomic Programs.     

Some notes on poisson limits for empirical point processes

The authors define the scaled empirical point process. They obtain the weak limit of these point processes through a novel use of a dimension‐free method based on the convergence of compensators of multiparameter martingales. The method extends previous results in several directions. They obtain limits at points where the density may be zero, but has regular variation. The joint limit of the empirical process evaluated at distinct points is given by independent Poisson processes. They provide applications both to nearest‐neighbour density estimation in high dimensions, and to the asymptotic behaviour of multivariate extremes such as those arising from bivariate normal copulas. The Canadian Journal of Statistics 37: 347–360; 2009 © 2009 Statistical Society of Canada     

Expanding the School Counselor Repertoire Through STEM‐Focused Career Development

The call to generate increased student interest in math and science careers continues to receive tremendous amounts of national attention, most recently in President Barack Obama's (2011) State of the Union address when he referred to the current climate as “our generation's Sputnik moment.” Responses to this call focus predominantly on teacher training and standards‐based instruction. However, considering the explosive momentum within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education initiatives and the pivotal role school counselors can and should play in academic and career planning, school counselors would benefit from taking the necessary steps toward adopting and integrating elements of these STEM initiatives into their work.     

The use of landsat for county estimates of crop areas: evaluation of the huddleston-ray and the battese-fuller estimators for & the case of stratified sampling

The paper addresses the problem of using LANDSAT data to obtain estimates of crop areas at the county level. In the paper, LANDSAT data are used to supplement ground data collected in a nationwide agricultural survey. The paper extends the Battese-Fuller estimation model to a stratified sample design. The resulting estimator is evaluated on a six county area in South Dakota     

Contradictions,Dialectics, and Paradoxes in Organizations: A Constitutive Approach†

This article presents a constitutive approach to the study of organizational contradictions, dialectics, paradoxes, and tensions. In particular, it highlights five constitutive dimensions (i.e., discourse, developmental actions, socio-historical conditions, presence in multiples, and praxis) that appear across the literature in five metatheoretical traditions—process-based systems, structuration, critical, postmodern, and relational dialectics. In exploring these dimensions, it defines and distinguishes among key constructs, links research to process outcomes, and sets forth a typology of alternative ways of responding to organizational tensions. It concludes by challenging researchers to sharpen their focus on time in process studies, privilege emotion in relation to rationality, and explore the dialectic between order and disorder.