Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Effects Of Subchronic Dietary Lead Exposure On Dmtp And Dnmtp Performance In Fisher 344 Rats, Joshua D. Vardigan

Masters Theses

Recent attention has focused on the possibility that even low-level Pb exposure can produce subtle neurological impairments in the absence of overt signs of toxicity. Previous behavioral assessments of learning and memory using DMTS procedures have documented learning impairments in monkeys exposed to Pb during early postnatal development, and although a variety of operant behavioral assays have documented detrimental effects of dietary Pb treatment in rats, the DMTS procedure has not been examined in rats following short-term low levels of Pb through dietary exposure. Thus, the objective of this study was to measure the degree of cognitive impairment produced by …

A Qualitative Study Of Letters To President Kennedy From Persons With Mental Illness And Their Families: Using The Research Poem In Policy Oriented Research, Rich Furman, Allison Shukraft

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Using the research poem as a tool of data representation, this paper presentsfindingsfrom an analysis of letters sent to President John F. Kennedy regarding the formulation of mental health policy during the early 1960s. The article presents the experiences of consumers of mental health services and their families-shapers and receivers of mentalhealthprovisionsth atareinfrequentlygivenv oice. Traditional thematic analysis was conducted, and data subsequently were represented in three poetic forms:free verse, the pantoum, and the tanka.

Negotiating 'Professional Agency': Social Work And Decision-Making Within The Ontario Child Welfare System, Henry Parada, Lisa Barnoff, Brienne Coleman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article explores how social work as a discipline has helped to negotiate professional agency in decision-making within the restructured child protection system. The narratives of child protection workers affirm that a restrictive climate does exist in child protection agencies and that it indeed shapes the way they make their decisions. This study uses institutional ethnography as the methodology for exploring the decision-making practices of child protection workers. Three forms of data collection were used: experience as data, documentation reviews and in-depth interviews.

Review Of Human Behavior For Social Work Practice: A Developmental-Ecological Framework. Wendy Haight And Edward H. Taylor. Reviewed By Marvin D. Feit., Marvin D. Feit

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Wendy Haight and Edward H. Taylor, Human Behavior for Social Work Practice: A Developmental-Ecological Framework. Chicago, IL: Lyceum Books, 2006. $ 39.95 papercover.

Unsung Heroines: Single Mothers And The American Dream. Ruth Sidel.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Ruth Sidel, Unsung Heroines: Single Mothers and the American Dream. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2006. $ 45.00 hardcover, $ 17.95 papercover.

Humanitarian Aid Work: A Critical Approach. Carlos Martin Beristain., David K. Androff

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Carlos Martin Beristain, Humanitarian Aid Work: A Critical Approach. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006. $ 59.95 hardcover.

No Child Left Behind: The Process Behind The Policy, Amanda Patience Beedie

Masters Theses

My research will entail studying the political policy making process m reference to the education policy, No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The purpose of this Masters thesis is to take a more in-depth look of how the policy process functions, the steps used in the policy process, and if the steps are a valid process.

This study will look at the early. theories of the policy process. I am going to look at the classic works done by J. Leiper Freeman, Randall B. Ripley and Grace A. Franklin, and Theodore J. Lowi and their views on subgovemments. I will also …

Review Of Strategic Giving: The Art And Science' Of Philanthropy. Peter Frumkin. Reviewed By Ram Cnaan., Ram Cnaan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Peter Frumkin, Strategic Giving: The Art and Science of Philanthropy. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2006. $ 39.00 hardcover.

Review Of The Relationship Rights Of Children. James G. Dwyer. Reviewed By Mary Ann Mason., Mary Ann Mason

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of James G. Dwyer, The Relationship Rights of Children. Cambridge University Press, 2006, $ 55.00 hardcover.

Social Theory: Central Issues In Sociology. John Scott.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for John Scott, Social Theory: Central Issues in Sociology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2006. $ 99.95 hardcover, $ 37.95 papercover.

American Families: Past And Present. Susan M. Ross, Editor., Lorelei Mitchell

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Susan M. Ross (Ed.), American Families: Past and Present. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2006. $25.95 papercover.

Gender Disparity In Nigerian Education: Women’S Experience Of Barriers To Equal Educational Opportunity, Eugene Okoli

Dissertations

Discrepancies between males and females in access to schooling, school completion rates, and participation in employment opportunities are still more the norm in some regions of the world than others. Limited access to education plagues women in Nigeria as well as in Sub-Saharan Africa. Disparity in access to educational opportunity is a pressing gender equity issue in Nigeria (World Bank, 2003).

Relatively few studies have focused on obtaining the viewpoints of women who experience this phenomenon. To hear the voices of these women regarding how they gained or were denied access to education in the Nigerian context, a cross-section of …

Behavioral, Attitudinal, And Decision-Altering Effects Of Aggressive Video Games On Young Adults, Kent Smallwood

Dissertations

Each year, interactive video game technology becomes more and more advanced, offering more lifelike environments, immersive experiences, and realistic situations in which the player must decide how to act. As a result of these technological advancements, the violent content in video games has become increasingly realistic and graphic. Unlike the passive viewing experience of television, video game players adopt roles in which they initiate actions and direct the progression of video game experience. In these active roles, they may engage in and be rewarded for violent acts against fictitious video game characters or other online players. Furthermore, the videogame industry …

Neuropsychopharmacological Investigations Of Mdma/Cocaine Combinations, John J. Panos

Masters Theses

Despite the popularity of polydrug abuse among recreational MDMA users, relatively few controlled experimental studies have documented the neurobehavioral effects of MDMA in combination with other abused substances. In this study, the neurochemical and behavioral effects of MD MA/cocaine combinations were assessed using in vivo microdialysis with simultaneous measurement of locomotor activity (LMA). Rats were administered cocaine (10 mg/kg or 20 mg/kg, IP), MDMA (1.5 mg/kg or 3.0 mg/kg, IP) or combinations of cocaine and MDMA during microdialysis experiments. Microdialysis samples were collected every 30 min for three hours prior to drug injections. Following drug administration, six additional 30 min …

Leadership Behavior And Perceived Team Communication Effectiveness: A Study Of Division 1 College Hockey Coaches' Perceptions, William Chris Brooks

Masters Theses

The purpose of the research was to begin testing assumptions about coaches' leadership and team communication by starting with an examination of the relationship between a head coach's perception of his leadership behavior and his perception of the effectiveness of his team's communication.

The sample in the study consisted of fifty NCAA Division I Men's Head Hockey Coaches during the 2006-2007 season. Demographic data reported included the following: the participants' age, education level, nationality, number of years as a head coach, number of years as an assistant coach, 2006-2007 record, and number of years as head coach at their current …

The Effects Of Feedback On The Accuracy Of Completing Flight Checklists, William G. Rantz

Masters Theses

This study examined whether pilots completed airplane checklists more accurately when they received post-flight graphic and verbal feedback. Participants were 8 college student pilots with instrument rating. The task consisted of flying flight patterns using a Personal Computer Aviation Training Device. The main dependent variable was the number of checklist items completed correctly per flight. A multiple baseline design across pairs with reversal was used. During baseline, the average number of correctly completed items per flight varied considerably across participants, ranging from 21 to 39 out of 40. It increased to near perfect levels for all participants after they were …

Wal-Mart Versus Meijer: A Spatial And Economic Analysis Of Supercenter Competition In Michigan, Christopher J. Washebek

Masters Theses

My research will examine the spatial and demographic strategies of supercenter firms in the State of Michigan, namely those operated by Meijer, Inc. and Wal-Mart, Inc. The competitive nature of retailing in Michigan shifted heavily in 2000 when Wal-Mart brought its Supercenter format to Michigan, making it a direct competitor to Meijer, who has operated in Michigan since 1962. Within seven years, Wal-Mart expanded its Michigan Supercenter operations from one in 2000 to forty-five in 2007. In many cases, small towns throughout the state are supporting both Meijer and a Wal-Mart Supercenter. Heavy competition of this nature between two supercenter …

A Critique Of The Global Trafficking Discourse And U.S. Policy, Moshoula Capous Desyllas

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article examines the dominant discourse on trafficking in persons and the implementation of international and U.S. policy to address trafficking globally. Features of the United Nations Protocol and the Trafficking in Victims Protection Act demonstrate how trafficking frameworks currently in place contain underlying fears of migration and female sexuality. The implications of policy on the construction of third world women as "victims to be saved" through governments, National Government Organizations, feminists and the media will show how these misrespresentations only reinforce racism and dualistic simplifications of a complex issue. An emphasis is placed on the importance of women's agency …

Solving The Health Care Problem: How Other Nations Succeeded And Why The United States Has Not. Pamela Behan., Krista Drescher Burke

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Pamela Behan, Solving the Health Care Problem: How Other Nations Succeeded and Why the United States Has Not. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2006. $ 60.00 hardcover.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 34, No. 4 (December 2007)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• TWO DECADES AFTER MCMARTIN: A FOLLOW-UP OF 22 CONVICTED DAY CARE EMPLOYEES - Mary deYoung
• NEGOTIATING 'PROFESSIONAL AGENCY': SOCIAL WORK AND DECISION-MAKING WITHIN THE ONTARIO CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM - Henry Parada, Lisa Barnoff, and Brienne Coleman
• A CRITIQUE OF THE GLOBAL TRAFFICKING DISCOURSE AND U.S. POLICY - Moshoula Capous Desyllas
• A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF LETTERS TO PRESIDENT KENNEDY FROM PERSONS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS AND THEIR FAMILIES:USING THE RESEARCH POEM IN POLICY ORIENTED RESEARCH - Rich Furman and Allison Shukraft
• THE RESEARCH PRACTICES AND NEEDS OF NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS IN AN URBAN CENTER - Randy Stoecker
• PUBLIC AND PRIVATE …

An Evaluation Of The Impact Of Computerized Physician Order Entry On Medical Errors, Shannon Loewy

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of a computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system on medication error. The study took place in a 343-bed hospital in the pediatrics inpatient unit. During baseline, participants placed medication orders in the same manner that they always had, handwriting them on a specific form and handing the form to the unit clerk who then faxed the order to the pharmacy. In the CPOE phase, participants used the computerized system to place orders, which were electronically sent to the pharmacy. The primary dependent variable was errors made during physician medication …

Breaking The Be Nice Rule: Direct Action Community Organizing, Adriana Rosas

Masters Theses

Focusing on the Kalamazoo Homeless Action Network (KHAN), this thesis explores the dynamics of transformation in community organizing, and the crucial and often complicated role of anger in that process. Current Anthropological literature on the topic of resistance and poverty leaves unexamined the micropolitics of individuals' transformation as they become civically engaged as well as the laborious organizing techniques culminating in such events that lead to social change and individual empowerment. I will contribute to the literature on poverty and resistance by examining the 'behind-the-scenes' dimensions of direct action community organizing that influence individual and social transformation. Through this examination …

Hiv/Aids Policies In The United States And The United Kingdom: Emerging At-Risk Groups And The Struggle For Limited Resources, Jennifer Lorren Willis

Masters Theses

This thesis compares the HIV/ AIDS policies in the United States of America and the United Kingdom since the emergence of the virus in 1981. Despite a privatized health care system in the U.S. and the universal system in the UK, which lie on opposite ends of the policy care spectrum, similar populations have recently emerged as those most in need of health care services, preventative programs, and financial assistance. This thesis employs several quantitative and qualitative data to highlight the emergence of women and minorities in both nations as those that are most in need of resources. Data has …

Two Decades After Mcmartin: A Follow-Up Of 22 Convicted Day Care Employees, Mary Deyoung

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

It has been more that two decades since the notorious McMartin Preschool case created a day care ritual abuse master-narrative that recruited many social workers into becoming involved in case-finding, investigations, interviewing and advocacy. The purpose of this article is threefold: it introduces a sample of 22 day care employees who were convicted in day care ritual abuse cases; it updates their current legal status; and it discusses the relevance of these cases to social workers who currently are being recruited by today's new master narratives about extrafamilial sexual threats to children, whether from neighborhood pedophiles, child pornographers, parish priests …

The Research Practices And Needs Of Non-Profit Organizations In An Urban Center, Randy Stoecker

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

How do nonprofit organizations use data and research? What challenges do they face in conducting research and managing data? In spring of 2004, 80 nonprofit organizations in Toledo, Ohio returned a survey on their research and data needs and practices. The survey found that nonprofits collect data on a wide variety of topics, but do not use much of the data that they collect, and do not collect much data that could be useful for other groups, particularly neighborhood organizations. The average nonprofit in the survey has five employees and four volunteers who, together, spend 56 hours per week collecting, …

Public And Private Sources Of Assistance For Low-Income Households, Chi-Fang Wu, Mary Keegan Eamon

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study examined the types and combinations of public and private assistance received by three types of low-income households, including those with children, without children, and elderly without children. Using data from the 1996 and 2001 panels of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), the results indicate that a large percentage of low-income households rely on public assistance, and receipt of private assistance is much less common. Approximately 7% of the sample use both types of assistance. The findings highlight differences in combinations of public and private assistance used by different household types. Wealsofound some significant differences in …

Social Functioning: A Sociological Common Base For Social Work Practice, Thomas J. Blakely, Gregory M. Dziadosz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article describes the experience of a social work mental health agency with Social Role Theory (SRT), that is an organizing concept for the delivery of its assessment and treatment program. SRT has been called the process variable of the program, meaning how services are delivered. Social functioning, a concept taken from SRT, is a treatment outcome. The overall purposes of the article are to describe the contribution of sociology to social work practice, and to advance the argument that social functioning is a common base for social work practice generally.

Review Of International Social Work Research: Issues And Prospects. Tony Tripodi And Miriam Potoky-Tripodi. Reviewed By Teresa Morris., Teresa Morris

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Tony Tripodi and Miriam Potocky-Tripodi, International Social Work Research: Issues and Prospects. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. $ 55.00 hardcover, $ 24.95 papercover.

Review Of Welfare Discipline: Discourse, Governance And Globalization. Sanford F. Schram. Reviewed By Pranab Chatterjee And Kathleen M. Alman., Pranab Chatterjee, Kathleen M. Alman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Sanford F. Schram, Welfare Discipline: Discourse, Governance, and Globalization. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2006. $ 64.50 hardcover, $ 21.95 paperback.

Review Of The Future Of Europe: Reform Or Decline. Alberto Alesina And Francesco Gianvassi. Reviewed By James Midgley., James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Alberto Alesina and Francesco Gianvassi, The Future of Europe: Reform or Decline. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2006. $ 24.95 hardcover.