A Study of the Shape of Dose-Response Curves for Acute Lethality at Low Response: A "Megadaphnia Study"

Dose-response curves were developed for the immobilization response in Daphnia magna to four toxicants. The purpose of this work was to study the effect of the form of the model and the number of concentration levels used on the estimates of typical low-dose effective concentrations (1%, 5%, 10%). The generalized four-parameter logistic model was used as the reference. When using 12 concentration levels, one of the logistic family two- or three-parameter models was shown reliably to represent each of these various sets of dose-response data, and to provide adequate estimates of EC01 and EC05, as well as EC10 and EC50. For two of the toxicants, an asymmetric model was required. When reducing the number of concentrations to five, the EC10 and EC50 were well estimated by the probit model, with acceptable results at the EC05 level.     

THE SOUTHERN REGION

Analysts use a variety of indicators to assess whether the South remains a distinctive cultural region, and reach different conclusions. This analysis examined the distinctiveness of the South by comparing the attitudes and beliefs of Southerners to those of non-Southerners. A group of characteristics thought to be distinctively Southern was selected and factor analyzed to determine both the number of constructs which underlie the indicators and the degree to which each indicator measures these constructs. They were found to represent four conceptual domains of Southern culture. Logistic regression analyses of these indicators demonstrated that Southerners remain distinctive in their attitudes in a number of areas. Most analyses of trends over time and differences between age groups indicated that neither convergence nor divergence between regions had occurred between 1972 and 1982. The results show, then, that the South remains a distinctive cultural region.     

Using resistance resources to reduce stress: A study of rural Nevadans

Based upon Antonovsky's conceptual model of resources as resistors to stress, seven personal and three environmental resistance resources are identified, and quantified. The resistance resources and measure of tension are used as the predictor variables in a stepwise multiple regression analysis to identify the factors which best predict stress. The four variables which are statistically significant in explaining variance in stress scores are satisfaction with family life, total number of life events experienced, age, and satisfaction with family finances.This project was part of the W-167 Western Regional Agricultural Experiment Station Project, Coping with Stress: Adaptation of Nonmetropolitan Families to Socioeconomic Changes, and was partially funded by the Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station. The original instrument was developed and the first wave of data was collected by Dr. Judith Zimmerman, former faculty member of the School of Home Economics at the University of Nevada-Reno.Virginia A. Haldeman is Associate Professor, School of Home Economics, University of Nevada-Reno, Reno, NV 89557. She received her Ed.D. from Utah State University and her research interests include stress and conservation practices.Jeanne M. Peters received her Ph.D. from Oregon State University. She is Assistant Professor, School of Home Economics, University of Nevada-Reno, Reno, NV 89557. Research interests include stress and time use.     

Power to People with Disabilities: empowerment issues in employment programming

A view of empowerment that focuses exclusively or primarily on increasing the personal or individual power of people with disabilities violates the spirit of the disability rights movement which is a political movement organizing for social change. A view of empowerment more in keeping with the political organizing and protest that generated interest in empowerment focuses on the acquisition of social forms of power, especially power with which is an egalitarian social power based in individuals acting together as equal partners. An understanding of the importance of power with as a basis for empowerment is useful in developing empowering and effective employment programs for people with severe disabilities. Examples of employment programs based in power with are described including self-managed work crews, and businesses owned and operated co-operatively by people with disabilities.     

It takes a village to raise a child: A model of training for prevention of youth abuse of alcohol and other drugs

Regional Prevention Centers in Massachusetts established a training of trainers model to help communities prevent youth from the early use of alcohol and other drugs. The curriculum, called It Takes a Village to Raise a Child, teaches interested adults about prevention, empowers them to be positive role models, and helps them teach children skills that will strengthen resistance to alcohol and other drugs. The success of the program lies in its egalitarian climate for learning, its adaptability to different problems and populations, and its enhancement of communities' sense of responsibility for all children.Assistant Professor, Simmons College, School of Social Work.     

Approaching ADHD as a chronic condition: implications for long-term adherence

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common chronic conditions of childhood. Although evidence-based treatments for ADHD, including stimulant medication and behavior modification, have long been established, and guidelines for care of ADHD in primary care settings have been developed, adherence to long-term therapy is poor among youth with ADHD. This article proposes use of the Chronic Care Model for Child Health, the purpose of which is to develop informed, activated patients who will interact with a prepared, proactive health care team. Six "pillars" make up the model: decision support, delivery system design, clinical information systems, family and self-management support, community resources and policies, and health care organizations. Each of these is discussed, and an individual example is described. Adopting the Chronic Care Model for Child Health has the potential to improve the quality of care for ADHD.     

Growing up fast: stress exposure and subjective "weathering" in emerging adulthood

We examine "subjective weathering" among females entering adulthood, using three waves of a national study. Subjective weathering is a social psychological component of aging that is associated with "physical weathering" previously observed in research on physical health. We examine the influence of stressors from childhood and adolescence on subjective weathering and depressive symptoms in emerging adulthood. Childhood abuse is associated with early menarche, as anticipated in research on physical weathering. Early menarche and child abuse are in turn associated with intimate partner violence exposure in adolescence. Both early menarche and intimate partner violence are associated with early parenthood and diminish the likelihood of high school graduation. These experiences culminate in subjective weathering associated with depressive symptoms in emerging adulthood. Our findings connect physical and subjective weathering within the stress process paradigm.