Digital Commons Network^™

Review Of Kate M. Cleary: A Literary Biography With Selected Works By Susanne K. George, Sharon M. Harris

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

"Sometimes it seemed to her that she could endure everything save the silence." Thus begins Kate McPhelim Cleary's 1893 short story, "Feet of Clay"; like many of her best stories, it captures Plains settlers'-and Cleary's-pervasive sense of isolation in the harsh environment of the Midwest at the turn of the century. Having moved nine years earlier from Chicago to Hubbell, Nebraska, Cleary in her life and writings adds to our growing understanding of middle-class homesteaders who migrated to the Midwest in the late nineteenth century, and to our recognition of the important contributions of Midwestern women writers to nineteenth-century US …

Nebline, July 1999

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

A day at the fair: Is competition good or bad?
Vegetable gardening in the fall
1999 “Plants of the Year” recommended for Nebraska
Water use in the landscape
Watch for Squash Vine Borer
Powdery mildew on ornamentals
Are you afraid of snakes? spiders? insects?
Master beekeeping and queen rearing workshops
Tread carefully when hiking in Nebraska: watch for poisonous snakes
Fertilizing grass pastures and hay lands-Part 2
Scouting for rootworm beetles could save big money next year
Be alert to the danger; poison hemlock abounds this year
Tips for late summer alfalfa planting
Field day will feature profitable crops and …

Review Of Wright Morris Revisited By Joseph J. Wydeven, Helen Winter Stauffer

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

A major American writer, author of thirty novels, Wright Morris is highly regarded by critics, but some readers find his work difficult. Morris himself felt that a full understanding of any of his novels required a thorough reading of them all. His style, too, is sometimes deliberately enigmatic; he did not believe in a tidy closure to the problems he introduced. Joseph J. Wydeven discusses these and other perplexities in Wright Morris Revisited, aptly titled, as the last Twayne study of Morris was published in 1964.

A number of Morris's books are set in Nebraska, where he was born. …

Pod Network News, June 1999

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: POD Network News

President's Column

POD Grant Program

To Improve the Academy

Share Your Bright Ideas!

Position Announcement

Center Updates

Regional Association News

Member News

Emeritus/Emerita Membership Update

Tom Creed: In Memorium

Conference Notes

Scholarly Writers Institute

Subscribing to POD Digest

Future Newsletter Items

Call for Proposals POD Network 1999

To Improve the Academy Associate Editor/Reviewer Self-Nomination Form

Call For Manuscripts for the 2000 Edition of To Improve the Academy

Manuscript Cover Sheet 2000 To Improve the Academy

Application for POD Retired Membership Status: Member Emeritus/a

The Probe, Issue 201 – June 1999

The Probe: Newsletter of the National Animal Damage Control Association

Reflections On NADCA's Two Decades -- Robert M. Timm, PROBE Editor
Video review: "Whitetails at the Crossroads" Northeast Deer Technical Committee, Griff en Productions (produced with a grant from Wildlife Restoration Funds, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). 1996. 30 minutes.
Coyote Subdued in Central Park, New York
Supplement: The insert in this issue is a retrospective, gleaned from the 100+ issues of THE PROBE that 'Fitz' composed and published. For some of you long-time NADCA members, this will bring back memories and recollections of the issues of the 80s, as the federal ADC agency (and all ADC practitioners) struggled to …

The Probe, Issue 201 - June 1999

The Probe: Newsletter of the National Animal Damage Control Association

CONTENTS:
GENESIS
THE SECRETARY'S DECISION
PROBING FOR THE PROBE
THE BLACK DEATH
COMPLAINTS
OL'TIMER'S CORNER
BATS IN THE BELFRY?
IT IS NICE TO KNOW YOUR ARE NOT ALONE!!!
ADOPT A 1080 STATION
LETTERS TO YE ED
GOOD GNUS FOR EWES
MEMBERSHIP
ANIMAL RIGHTS
A LAST PLEA FOR MEMBERS
KISSED BY A RAT
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING - Sept. 21. 1985
HUNTERS BEWARE
ON BEING MASOCHISTIC
EPA DOUBLE TALK
IN THE CAT HOUSE - - AGAIN ? !
CATS AND MORE CATS
ON ADC'S TRANSFER TO USDA
AHH! A KINDRED SPIRIT
MONTEREY PEST CONF.
HUMANS GOT RIGHTS???
THAT SMARTS!
ALL THE NEWS …

Turning Points In The Development Of Blended Families, Leslie A. Baxter, Dawn O. Braithwaite, John H. Nicholson

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

A modified retrospective interview technique (RIT) was employed with members of 53 blended families to determine the types of turning points they reported experiencing and the developmental trajectories of their respective blended family’s first 4 years. Findings revealed 15 primary types of turning points, of which “Changes in Household Configuration,” “Conflict,” “Holidays/Special Events,” “Quality Time,” and “Family Crisis” were the most frequent. A cluster analysis revealed five basic trajectories of development for the first 48 months of family development: Accelerated, Prolonged, Stagnating, Declining, and High-Amplitude Turbulent. The trajectories differed in the overall positive-to-negative valence ratio, the frequency of conflict related …

Recent Editions--June 1999

Documentary Editing: Journal of the Association for Documentary Editing (1979–2011)

This quarterly feature provides an annotated bibliography of current documentary editions on subjects in the fields of American and English history, literature, and culture. It is generally restricted to first editions of works edited from manuscript and published in English, but significant exceptions may occasionally be made. A separate annual list of other scholarship and literature published by members of the Association will also be compiled if interest warrants it.

Room To Maneuver: !Kung Women Cope With Men, Patricia Draper

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

Among the !Kung San of Botswana, women are sometimes beaten by their husbands and coerced by other men, particularly their fathers. The factors that contribute to this form of aggression are various and are changing over time as a consequence of new economic and residential practices now seen among the !Kung as they have transformed themselves from mobile foragers to primarily sedentary food producers. The responses of women and their supporters to incidents of wife abuse are also changing. In this essay several episodes of wife beating that came to my attention during recent fieldwork among the !Kung will be …

Treating People With Information: An Analysis And Review Of Approaches To Communicating Health Risk Information, Alex Rothman, Marc T. Kiviniemi

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The communication of risk information is a fundamental aspect of nearly all health promotion interventions. However, no consensus exists regarding the most effective way to provide people with risk information. We will review and evaluate the relative merits of two approaches to risk communication. One approach relies on the presentation of numerical information regarding the probability of a health problem occurring, whereas the other relies on the presentation of information about the antecedents and consequences of a health problem. Because people have considerable difficulty understanding and using quantitative information, the effectiveness of interventions that rely solely on numerical probability information …

Data-Based Clinical Decision Making In The Treatment Of An Adolescent With Severe Conduct Problems, Douglass W. Nangle, Rebecca E. Carr, David J. Hansen

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

This case illustrates the contributions of continuous data monitoring to clinical decision making in the treatment of an adolescent with severe conduct problems. Treatment began with a comprehensive point system that required the continual monitoring of a range of target behaviors. Beginning each session with a review of graphs of the monitored behaviors helped keep the sessions focused and rewarded the client and his parents with visual feedback of their progress. A subjective rating system was also implemented in which the client’s parents quantified their evaluations of his overall behavior on a daily basis. This system enhanced the client’s parents’ …

Early Adolescence And Prosocial/Moral Behavior Ii: The Role Of Social And Contextual Influences, Gustavo Carlo, Richard A. Fabes, Deborah Laible, Kristina Kupanoff

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

This is the second installment of the special issue on prosocial and moral development in early adolescence. This issue focuses on social and contextual processes in young adolescents’ prosocial and moral behaviors. In this introductory article, a brief review of the research on parents or family, peers, school environment, culture, and nationality as correlates of prosocial and moral development was presented. The research indicates that the social context plays an important role in prosocial and moral development. However, research on the social and contextual correlates of prosocial and moral development in early adolescence is at an embryonic stage. Research is …

At Risk In The Writing Classroom: Negotiating A Lesbian Teacher Identity, Irene G. Meaker

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

"Education is a fearful enterprise," says teacher and philosopher, Parker Palmer. Student-centered/ processoriented pedagogy asks teachers to step out from behind the relative safety of the teacher mask and to enter the risky arena of learning. For the writing teacher, a special challenge is to help students negotiate the risks inherent in the act of writing and in sharing writing with the "Other."

To prevent fears from dominating our students, teachers must model risk-taking and risk negotiation. In my own teaching, my fears around students' reactions to learning my sexual identity meant that I more often reinforced fears than dispelled …

Adolescent Victims And Intergenerational Issues In Sexual Abuse, Debra B. Hecht, David J. Hansen

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The transitional period of adolescence is characterized by a number of changes and challenges that occur both within and outside the individual. Many developmental events occur during adolescence that have a significant impact on an adolescent’s functioning, including a variety of physical, cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and social changes. In addition, adolescents may experience a variety of other important events, such as peer group changes, school moves, changes in family structure or functioning, and alterations in societal and community expectations (Hansen, Giacoletti, & Nangle, 1995; Peterson & Hamburg, 1986). Unfortunately, many adolescents are further challenged by being a victim of sexual …

Child Physical Abuse And Neglect, Jody E. Warner-Rogers, David J. Hansen, Debra B. Hecht

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Children ideally develop and learn about their world from the safe and stimulating environment of their home. Therefore, it is quite disturbing when violence occurs within the supposedly protective domains of the home and the parent-child relationship, although such acts have been committed throughout history (Zigler & Hall, 1989). Even though acts of child maltreatment have a long history, the concept that society should be responsible for the protection of children, including identification, reporting, and treatment of both the victims and perpetrators of maltreatment, is a relatively recent development.

This chapter addresses the physical abuse and neglect of children by …

Homeless And Working Street Youth In Latin America: A Developmental Review, Marcela Raffaelli

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

In most Latin American countries, a substantial proportion of children grow up in circumstances of extreme deprivation and early independence. These include "street youth", youngsters who work and sometimes live on city streets in developing countries. Most street youth research has been conducted from an applied perspective and emphasizes service and policy needs. Little developmental research has been conducted with street youth, and the long-term impact of street life is largely unknown. This review synthesizes empirical findings on the developmentally-relevant experiences of sub-groups of street youth in Latin America. It includes research in four areas: social networks, daily survival, health …

Letter From The Social Sciences Associate Director

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Exciting changes at Great Plains Research (GPR) are occurring. As the new Associate Editor for the social sciences, I will be encouraging and handling submissions relevant to the social sciences, including anthropology, cultural science, economics, ethnography, family science, psychology, and sociology. Our aim is to expand the scope of high quality submissions to GPR in several ways. First, we are working to add major abstract and indexing services in the social sciences. We understand the importance of promoting the impact of our published work. Second, we are soliciting synthesis and thoughtful reviews of major social issues for the Great Plains …

Implications Of Cloning For Breed Improvement Strategies: Are Traditional Methods Of Animal Improvement Obsolete?, L. Dale Van Vleck

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Can the optimum animal be defined? Will that definition change over time, by location, by market demand? First, assume what may be impossible, that the perfect animal can be defined or that only a limited number of definitions of “perfect” are needed. Then, can the “perfect” animal to match a definition be found? Suppose such an animal is found. Then the question to be answered before trying to clone as a method of genetic improvement becomes “Is the animal perfect because of phenotype or genotype?” In other words, the P = G + E problem exists, which requires traditional methods …

A Cueing Procedure To Control Impulsivity In Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Heidi D. Posavac, Susan M. Sheridan, Steven S. Posavac

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This study tested the efficacy of a cueing procedure for improving the impulse regulation of four boys with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) during social skills training. Impulse regulation was defined as raising hands before speaking. Effects on collateral behaviors (i.e., talking out of turn) were also assessed. A reversal design was used. Behavioral data collected by independent observers suggested that all subjects demonstrated positive changes in impulse regulation (i.e., an increase in the frequency with which subjects raised their hand before speaking). Likewise, the treatment effects appeared to have produced positive effects on a behavior not directly targeted for …

News And Notes

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Contents:

Calls for papers for special issues
Calls for papers
Conferences

Review Of Inventing The Savage: The Social Construction Of Native American Criminality By Luana Ross, Elizabeth Grobsmith

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Despite the growing literature on Native American crime and delinquency, alcoholism and unemployment, and the social ills that plague both urban and reservation Indians, there is a true dearth of information on incarcerated American Indians. Yet Indians comprise disproportionately high percentages of prisoners in all state penal facilities and federal prisons as well. Several factors account for this dearth. First, conducting sociological or anthropological research among incarcerated individuals certainly poses challenges. Second, the presumption that Native Americans prefer not to be studied or analyzed may deter some from considering research on such topics. Third, there is so little literature on …

Rationality In Medical Treatment Decisions: Is There A Sunk-Cost Effect?, Brian H. Bornstein, Christine Emler, Gretchen B. Chapman

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objective: To assess residents’ propensity to display the sunk-cost effect, an irrational decision-making bias, in medical treatment decisions; and to compare residents’ and undergraduates’ susceptibility to the bias in non-medical, everyday behaviors.
Design: Cross-sectional, in-person survey.
Setting: Louisiana State University, two locations: Medical Center-Baton Rouge and Main Campus–Psychology Department.
Participants: Internal medicine and family practice residents (N = 36, Mdn age = 27) and college undergraduates (N = 40, Mdn age = 20).
Measurements and main results: Residents evaluated medical and non-medical situations that varied the amount of previous investment and whether the present decision maker was the …

Fear And Exhilaration In Response To Risk: An Extension Of A Model Of Injury Risk In A Real-World Context, Scott Cook, Lizette Peterson, David Dilillo

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

This paper explored a model that predicted children’s actual injury risk behavior from their current typical reported reactions of excitement versus fear in risky play situations. Fourth-grade children were asked to report on their current typical levels of fear and excitement in response to common play situations, including those involving play in the water. A week or more later, the same children were observed during their turn at free play on the diving board of a local swimming pool. Reporting that current responses to risky play situations resulted in fear was related to lower rates of actual risky behavior and …

A Consonance Of Civility And Good-Will: Review Of Cleanth Brooks And Robert Penn Warren: A Literary Correspondence, Ed. James A. Grimshaw, Jr., Keen Butterworth

Documentary Editing: Journal of the Association for Documentary Editing (1979–2011)

The strength of Brooks's friendship pervades his letters published in Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren: A Literary Correspondence. Just as obvious is the strength of Warren's attachment to Brooks. Throughout these letters, extending from 1933 to 1988, mostly concerned with literary and professional matters, a tone of respectful deference obtains, but breaking through that tone quite often are glimpses of their heartfelt affection for one another. These glimpses usually come at the ends of letters, when the business matters have been concluded and one expresses his desire to see the other and his family, or is particularly warm in …

Texture Analysis Of Sar Sea Ice Imagery Using Gray Level Co-Occurrence Matrices, Leen-Kiat Soh, Costas Tsatsoulis

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

This paper presents a preliminary study for mapping sea ice patterns (texture) with 100-m ERS-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery. We used gray-level co-occurrence matrices (GLCM) to quantitatively evaluate textural parameters and representations and to determine which parameter values and representations are best for mapping sea ice texture. We conducted experiments on the quantization levels of the image and the displacement and orientation values of the GLCM by examining the effects textural descriptors such as entropy have in the representation of different sea ice textures. We showed that a complete gray-level representation of the image is not necessary for texture …

Segmentation Of Satellite Imagery Of Natural Scenes Using Data Mining, Leen-Kiat Soh, Costas Tsatsoulis

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

In this paper, we describe a segmentation technique that integrates traditional image processing algorithms with techniques adapted from knowledge discovery in databases (KDD) and data mining to analyze and segment unstructured satellite images of natural scenes. We have divided our segmentation task into three major steps. First, an initial segmentation is achieved using dynamic local thresholding, producing a set of regions. Then, spectral, spatial, and textural features for each region are generated from the thresholded image. Finally, given these features as attributes, an unsupervised machine learning methodology called conceptual clustering is used to cluster the regions found in the image …

Jurors’ Perception Of Violence: A Framework For Inquiry, Brian H. Bornstein, Robert J. Nemeth

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The impact that the perceived violence of a crime has on jury decision making has received much controversy lately. Violence may affect juries by how it is presented, as in the case of graphic evidence; its evidentiary purpose, as in establishing a history of violence in domestic abuse cases; and in sentencing, when the question of the heinousness of the crime is raised. Many judicial experts argue that evidence of violence may prejudice juries’ verdicts. There is also concern within the legal community that what constitutes a heinous crime cannot be objectively determined. Psychological research has only just begun to …

The Times, They Are A Changing: A Review Of Raising Children In A Socially Toxic Environment, Susan M. Sheridan, Richard J. Cowan

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Rarely does a book come along that we believe to be essential reading for all psychologists, educators, child care workers, physicians, clergy, and concerned community members. Garbarino’s Raising Children in a Socially Toxic Environment is one such book. In this book, Garbarino sets out to offer his views on what childhood ought to be, how children map their own worlds (thus define, themselves), what their basic needs are, the levels in which those needs are being met, as well as offer suggestions for ways in which readers can change the “toxic environment” to aid in the healthy development of children …

Early Adolescence And Prosocial/Moral Behavior I: The Role Of Individual Processes, Richard A. Fabes, Gustavo Carlo, Kristina Kupanoff, Deborah Laible

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

In this introductory article, the purpose of the special issue on prosocial and moral development during early adolescence is presented. This issue is the first of two special issues and focuses on the role that individual processes play in influencing young adolescents’ prosocial and moral development. Presented also is a new meta-analysis of data on age and gender differences in prosocial behavior with particular focus on early adolescence. It was found that prosocial behavior during adolescence rarely has been studied, but that there are general increases in prosocial behavior during this time when compared with early age periods. Moreover, gender …

Child Physical Abuse, David J. Hansen, Georganna Sedlar, Jody E. Warner-Rogers

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Widespread attention to the problem of child physical abuse has increased dramatically in recent decades. Extensive research evidence has described child physical abuse as a complex, multidimensional phenomenon that is best assessed by procedures using multiple modalities (e.g., interview, self-report, direct observation) that address multiple content areas. Comprehensive assessment is essential for identifying risk and occurrence of abuse, guiding the focus or direction of treatment, as well as monitoring treatment efficacy and outcome, all of which may be disseminated to interested parties as appropriate (e.g., CPS, judicial system, school, other treatment providers). Increasingly specific and relevant procedures have become available …