Contesting meaning: Newfie and the politics of ethnic labelling

The ethnic label Newfie is a site of ideological dispute: for some, it is simply an informal term for residents and expatriates of the Canadian province of Newfoundland, for others it may function as an in–group term of solidarity which takes on negative connotations when used by non–Newfoundlanders, and for still others it is the equivalent of a racial slur. In this study we first trace the history of the term, a fairly recent innovation. We then examine present–day attitudes as expressed in (provincial and national) media discourse and in self–report data. We argue that debate over Newfie is part of a larger ideological struggle concerning the commodification of an ‘invented’ Newfoundland culture, which itself must be understood in terms of Newfoundland’s socioeconomic position as Canada’s poorest province. Finally, we compare the Newfie case to other instances of contested group labelling.     

Cryotherapy for treatment of ECT-induced headache

Because headache is a common side effect of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), this study sought to determine the effectiveness of cryotherapy (i.e., a frozen gel band) in relieving pain in patients with post-ECT headaches, and whether headache intensity and physiological measurements could predict use of an alternative analgesic (rescue medication). We used a quasi-experimental, crossover design to collect data from 31 patients ages 24 to 85 who had been referred for ECT at two medical facilities in San Diego, California. Measurements of patients' pain intensity were made at three intervals: upon perceiving headache, and at 30 and 60 minutes following the cryotherapy or acetaminophen interventions, based on the order of the crossover design. Data were analyzed using Hotelling's T2 and logistic regression. No significant difference was found between cryotherapy and acetaminophen in relieving ECT-induced headaches (p = .420). There was no influence due to the crossover design (p = .313), nor where there significant changes in physiological measures from treatment (p = .420). Logistic regression showed that 50% of patients required rescue medication after 60 minutes for both treatments (R2 = .498, p = .001), and 66% required rescue medication based on pain level and physiological measures (R2 = .662, p < .008). Based on these results, cryotherapy is an alternative treatment that may be helpful to some patients with ECT-induced headaches.     

Football fandom and post-national identity in the New Europe

Through European club football, we can begin to detect the outlines of a new Europe of competing cities and regions which are being disembedded from their national contexts into new transnational matrices. Focusing on a specific network of Manchester United fans, broadly located in the city of Manchester, this article examines the development of European consciousness among this group of individuals. This consciousness does not consist of a European supranationalism but rather of a new emphasis on the locale of Manchester and an increasing recognition that Manchester United and the city of Manchester must compete autonomously with other major clubs and cities in Europe.     

Predictors of exercise relapse in a college population

Exercise improves physical and mental health. Nevertheless, most 20-year-olds do not exercise, and approximately 50% of the participants in exercise programs drop out in the first 3 to 6 months. In view of the health benefits of exercise, college health educators and clinicians need to be able to identify factors that predict exercise relapse in a student population. The authors administered questionnaires measuring Prochaska's 10 processes of change for exercise, self-efficacy, and decisional balance to 52 physically active undergraduate students. They assessed baseline exercise levels in October and reassessed them about 8 weeks later. At baseline, relapsers had significantly lower self-efficacy scores than those who maintained their exercise levels. The relapsers also had higher perceived negative views of exercise. These findings provide support for applying the transtheoretical model of behavioral change to a college population.     

An experimental study of the value of information

The value that is placed on information by managers, who are the users of information systems, is an important construct in all aspects of systems design, development and evaluation. This study uses a multidimensional attribute approach to assess the value of information and reports on tests of hypotheses related to differences that have been assumed to exist among managers in various functional areas and at various hierarchical levels in a business firm. The results generally fail to confirm the existence of such differences.     

Design of a strategic planning management information system

Information systems that are to support strategic planning must be developed on bases that reflect the unique nature of strategic organizational decisions. This paper presents a systems design methodology which implements five basic criteria for the design of a strategic planning Management Information System (MIS). The methodology uses discriminant analyses of the perceived importance to managers of various categories of strategic information to delineate the most significant information requirements of various managerial groups. These results are augmented with similar analyses based on the personal characteristics of the potential system users in order to implement a design criterion related to the integrated nature of a planning MIS and a ‘teaching’ objective which is posited to be valid and feasible for such a system.