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2008

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Academic Impropriety: Violation Of Normative Teaching Behaviors As Identified By Nursing Educators, Melanie Hilburn Green Jan 2008

Academic Impropriety: Violation Of Normative Teaching Behaviors As Identified By Nursing Educators, Melanie Hilburn Green

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

With public criticism of American higher education on the rise, it is prudent for those in the academy to reflect upon their responsibilities to their students. Of particular salience is an examination of what constitutes misconduct within the faculty role. This dissertation reports the results of a study designed to identify what nursing educators believe to be the violation of normative teaching behaviors. A sequential explanatory mixed methods design was utilized to develop an understanding of the actions that constitute academic impropriety. The College Teaching Behaviors Inventory, a survey instrument designed by Braxton and Bayer (1999), was distributed to deans …

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The Human Dignity Of Clients, Katherine R. Kruse Jan 2008

The Human Dignity Of Clients, Katherine R. Kruse

Scholarly Works

This essay reviews David Luban's forthcoming book, Legal Ethics and Human Dignity. At the heart of this new book is an argument that interactions between lawyers and clients ought to be at the center of jurisprudential inquiry. Pointing out that most cases do not go to trial and that much transactional work occurs outside the litigation context, he argues that law's defining moments occur when a "client sketches out a problem and a lawyer tenders advice," rather than when a judge decides a litigant's case. This review essay examines how Luban might elaborate a new "jurisprudence of lawyering" by examining …

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Assessing The Effectiveness Of The Response To Instruction Model For English Language Learners By Utilizing A Non-Language-Based Intervention, Chisato Komatsu Jan 2008

Assessing The Effectiveness Of The Response To Instruction Model For English Language Learners By Utilizing A Non-Language-Based Intervention, Chisato Komatsu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the current investigation was to examine the use of the Response to Intervention (RTI) model for English Language learners (ELLs) by using a computerized constant time delay procedure (CTD) that de-emphasized the use of language. Forty-five ELLs, 22 native English speakers, and five students with a diagnosis of mild mental retardation participated in the study. A computer-administered CTD procedure was utilized for paired associate tasks. The study found differences and patterns in students’ performances that could be used to differentiate responders and non-responders to intervention. An interesting finding was that once the students were divided into groups …

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A Comparison Of Fall-Related Psychological Measures In A Community-Based Setting, Delilah Susanne Moore Jan 2008

A Comparison Of Fall-Related Psychological Measures In A Community-Based Setting, Delilah Susanne Moore

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Falls and the fall-related psychological concerns associated with these events pose a serious public health problem among aging adults. Fall-related psychological instruments can be useful in quantifying important endpoints for fall prevention programs (Jorstad et al., 2005), yet no research currently exists to justify the use of these psychological instruments in a community-based falls risk screening. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was to examine the psychometric properties of several fall-related psychological measures in a falls risk screening context by: (a) examining the reliability and validity of the Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I), Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC), modified Survey of Activities …

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Function Based Interventions Versus Non-Function Based Interventions Within A General Education Setting, Michael J. Vance Jan 2008

Function Based Interventions Versus Non-Function Based Interventions Within A General Education Setting, Michael J. Vance

LSU Master's Theses

Functional Behavioral Assessment is a multi-method set of strategies used to determine a particular behaviors purpose. This method, currently seen as the gold standard for creating behavioral interventions, has since 1997 been required by law for a number of special education concerns. While there is a great deal of data supporting the use of function based interventions for populations with low incidence disabilities, little has been done to analyze their effectiveness for more typically developing children. Given that functional behavioral assessment can be quite time consuming and requires prior training the purpose of this study is to compare function based …

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The Detection Of Malingered Mental Retardation In High- And Low-Cognitive Ability Individuals, Daniel Anthony Proto Jan 2008

The Detection Of Malingered Mental Retardation In High- And Low-Cognitive Ability Individuals, Daniel Anthony Proto

LSU Master's Theses

The detection of malingering is an area of research that has received increasing attention in recent decades. Neuropsychologists in particular are often asked to assess the validity of symptoms such as cognitive impairment due to brain injury or toxic chemical exposure. Additionally, given the decision of the U.S. Supreme court in Atkins v. Virginia (2002), incentive to feign mental retardation in order to avoid capital punishment has greatly increased. However, few measures of malingering detection have been thoroughly studied for their applicability to mentally retarded individuals, and for their ability to accurately distinguish between malingerers, normal controls, and individuals with …

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Systematically Increasing Contextual Interference Is Beneficial For Learning Novel Motor Skills, Jared Marak Porter Jan 2008

Systematically Increasing Contextual Interference Is Beneficial For Learning Novel Motor Skills, Jared Marak Porter

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Traditionally, contextual interference (CI) has been investigated by the use of extreme low and high levels of CI (blocked and random practice schedules); with results generally suggesting that higher rather than lower amounts of CI facilitated motor skill learning (Magill & Hall, 1990). To better understand the CI effect, two experiments were conducted investigating an alternative form of practice schedule. Practice using this alternative schedule provided novices experiences with systematic increases in CI, which were compared to traditional blocked and random scheduling. Experiment 1 tested the hypothesis that practicing variations of the same tasks with systematic increases in CI would …

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Neuroimaging Research Into Disorders Of Consciousness: Moral Imperative Or Ethical And Legal Failure?, Stacey A. Tovino Jan 2008

Neuroimaging Research Into Disorders Of Consciousness: Moral Imperative Or Ethical And Legal Failure?, Stacey A. Tovino

Scholarly Works

This article explores the ethical and legal implications of enrolling individuals with disorders of consciousness (DOC) in neuroimaging research studies. Many scientists have strongly emphasized the need for additional neuroimaging research into DOC, characterizing the conduct of such studies as morally imperative. On the other hand, institutional review boards charged with approving research protocols, scientific journals deciding whether to publish study results, and federal agencies that disburse grant money have limited the conduct, publication, and funding of consciousness investigations based on ethical and legal concerns. Following a detailed examination of the risks and benefits of neuroimaging research involving individuals with …

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The Culture Of Conservative Protestantism And Income Inequality: A Multilevel Analysis, Skylar Craig Gremillion Jan 2008

The Culture Of Conservative Protestantism And Income Inequality: A Multilevel Analysis, Skylar Craig Gremillion

LSU Master's Theses

Despite major advances in equality of rights, women still earn less money than men. Social science researchers see sex-based income inequality as an issue of discrimination. While the problem has been identified, its causes are a matter of debate. In this study I offer one possible influence on this discrimination. I theorize that conservative Protestant culture has a strong effect on local norms and business practices. Those norms are a part of the institutional environment, and manifest themselves as allocative and valuative discrimination, keeping women out of high paying jobs or paying women in high skilled jobs less than men …

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Digital Storytelling As A Literacy-Based Intervention For A Sixth Grade Student With Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Exploratory Case Study, Brent A. Daigle Jan 2008

Digital Storytelling As A Literacy-Based Intervention For A Sixth Grade Student With Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Exploratory Case Study, Brent A. Daigle

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigates the use of Digital Storytelling as an intervention to improve the academic performance and social interactions of a sixth grade student with High-Functioning Autism. Qualitative methodology, using an inductive approach informed by grounded theory, was employed throughout this exploratory case study. Three separate data sources, consisting of document analysis, interviews, and participant observation, contributed to the findings of this study. Triangulation of inquiry methods enhanced the validity and rigor of this investigation. The findings from this inquiry indicate that Digital Storytelling was beneficial to the participant in this exploratory case study. Engaged student processes and critical analysis …

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Only Skin Deep: The Cost Of Partisan Politics On Minority Diversity Of The Federal Bench: Why Care Whether Judges Look “Like America” If, Because Of Politics, A “Voice Of Color” Has Become A “Whisper Of Color”?, Sylvia R. Lazos Jan 2008

Only Skin Deep: The Cost Of Partisan Politics On Minority Diversity Of The Federal Bench: Why Care Whether Judges Look “Like America” If, Because Of Politics, A “Voice Of Color” Has Become A “Whisper Of Color”?, Sylvia R. Lazos

Scholarly Works

This article explores the difficulties encountered in diversifying the federal bench and why the partisanship of the confirmation process decreases the diversity of viewpoints on the bench. Presidents value diversity in nominating judges. While Bill Clinton and George W. Bush had very contrasting political styles and judicial philosophies, the judges appointed by these two presidents now account for almost 80% of the current active federal minority judges. There has been progress in the area of descriptive diversity; currently 18% of the active federal bench is made up of minority judges according to data compiled from the Judicial Center. However, there …

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When Shakespeare Meets Al Gore: Imagine Interactions, Communication Competence, And Immediacy Traditional And Online-Based Distance Education, Tammy L. Croghan Jan 2008

When Shakespeare Meets Al Gore: Imagine Interactions, Communication Competence, And Immediacy Traditional And Online-Based Distance Education, Tammy L. Croghan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The growth of distance education, in its many forms, has had consequences for both online universities as well as more traditional universities. This study examines instructional behaviors and communication strategies used in face-to-face and online educational settings. The purpose of this study is to explore student perceptions of instructor immediacy, motivation, and communicator competence in addition to their own motivation and intrapersonal communication use in higher education settings. This dissertation follows a social scientific organizational pattern: introduction, literature review, methods, results, and discussion. The first two chapters examine the purpose of the study and the appropriate research on distance education, …

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A Study Of Regret And Rejoicing And A New Mcdm Method Based On Them, Xiaoting Wang Jan 2008

A Study Of Regret And Rejoicing And A New Mcdm Method Based On Them, Xiaoting Wang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) is one of the most widely used decision methodologies in the sciences, business, and engineering worlds. MCDM methods aim at improving the quality of decisions by making the process more explicit, rational, and efficient. One controversial problem is that some well-known MCDM methods, like the additive AHP methods and the ELECTRE II and III methods, may cause some types of rank reversal problems. Rank reversal means that the ranking between two alternatives might be reversed after some variation occurs to the decision problem, like adding a new alternative, dropping an old alternative or replacing a non-optimal alternative …

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The Effect Of Consistency Of Price Promotion Cues On Retailer Credibility, Product Quality, Value Of A Deal And Purchase Intentions, Igor Makienko Jan 2008

The Effect Of Consistency Of Price Promotion Cues On Retailer Credibility, Product Quality, Value Of A Deal And Purchase Intentions, Igor Makienko

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Research on price promotions suggests that higher discounts often result in more favorable deal evaluations. However, consumers’ reactions do not always follow a consistently linear path when evaluating the deal. Price promotions offering “too high” or “too low” value may result in adverse deal evaluations. In this dissertation we investigate consumers’ reactions and possible evaluations of price promotions when they are provided information on the two primary price promotion attributes - discount and time restrictions. If the price promotion attributes, acting as cues, are consistent with consumers’ expectations (e.g., a high discount with a short time period, or vice versa), …

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Off-Line Maldi Mass Spectrometry Of Bioaerosols, Jae-Kuk Kim Jan 2008

Off-Line Maldi Mass Spectrometry Of Bioaerosols, Jae-Kuk Kim

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used for off-line analysis of bioaerosols. The overall goal of the work is to develop methods and instrumentation to minimize sample treatment and maximize sensitivity and selectivity for bioaerosol analysis. This work is divided into three parts: sample preparation, test bioaerosol analysis, and instrument development. Untreated silicon wafer substrates were used as an alternate to conventional stainless steel targets and proved to be excellent substrates for large molecule analyses as well as small molecule analyses with excellent spot-to-spot and shot-to-shot reproducibility, which is useful for high-throughput and automated sample analysis. MALDI sample preparation …

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The Emerging Importance Of "Social Visibility" In Defining A Particular Social Group And Its Potential Impact On Asylum Claims Related To Sexual Orientation And Gender, Fatma E. Marouf Jan 2008

The Emerging Importance Of "Social Visibility" In Defining A Particular Social Group And Its Potential Impact On Asylum Claims Related To Sexual Orientation And Gender, Fatma E. Marouf

Scholarly Works

An emerging issue in U.S. asylum claims based on "membership in a particular social group" is the relevance of social visibility in determining whether such a group exists. Of the five protected grounds for asylum, "membership in a particular social group" has always generated the most debate. In 2002, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) issued guidelines that present the "protected characteristic" and "social perception" approaches as alternative ways of establishing a particular social group, instructing States Parties to the 1951 Refugee Convention (the "Convention") to determine first if there is a protected characteristic and, only if no …

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A Critical Item Analysis Of The Qabf: Development Of A Short Form Assessment Instrument, Ashvind Nand Singh Jan 2008

A Critical Item Analysis Of The Qabf: Development Of A Short Form Assessment Instrument, Ashvind Nand Singh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Due to the relative inability of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) to provide an accurate and reliable self-report, assessment in this population is more difficult than with individuals in the general population. As such, assessment procedures must be adjusted to compensate for the relative lack of information that the individual can provide and rely more on the behavioral expression of communication. One method commonly used is the indirect functional assessment that utilizes behavior rating scales that have been developed to gather behavioral data in a short time. One of the few empirically derived and psychometrically sound is the QABF, a …

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An Investigation Of Decision-Making Style Of Chinese College Student Online Apparel Shoppers, Yao Zeng Jan 2008

An Investigation Of Decision-Making Style Of Chinese College Student Online Apparel Shoppers, Yao Zeng

LSU Master's Theses

Internet users in China increased to 210 million with an annual growth rate of 53.3 percent in 2007 (CNNIC, 2008). This dramatic increase of Internet usage in China provides numerous opportunities for online marketers. Thirty-eight percent of Chinese netizens are 18 to 24 years old, among whom college netizens account for a large proportion in China (CNNIC, 2008). Given the market potential of targeting this group, research is needed to understand Chinese college students’ online shopping behavior. The purpose of this research was to better understand Chinese college student online apparel shoppers by investigating their decision-making style and explore the …

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Exhibition Next: The Future Of Exhibition Design, Santanu Majumdar Jan 2008

Exhibition Next: The Future Of Exhibition Design, Santanu Majumdar

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT The ubiquitous presence of design guides our day-to-day actions, determining our awareness, configuring our environment, and modifying our lives. We must acknowledge the power and the opportunity of this dynamic force of design. “At the very least,” Peter Lunenfeld says, “design research saves us from reinventing the wheel. At its best, a lively research methodology can reinvigorate the passion that so often fades after designers join the profession.” Lunenfeld inspires me to consider the evolution of exhibition design. My thesis is about the future of exhibition design, enabling me to explore the changes this area of design is now …

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The Principal As Technology Leader: The Skills E-Learners Consider Essential To The Creation Of A Technology-Rich School Community, Tammy Sue Seneca Jan 2008

The Principal As Technology Leader: The Skills E-Learners Consider Essential To The Creation Of A Technology-Rich School Community, Tammy Sue Seneca

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the skills that e-learners considered essential to the creation of a technology-rich school community. The focus was upon the skills that acting district and school administrators deemed essential to becoming an effective e-leader. The quantitative investigation associated with this study consisted of a researcher created survey based upon the International Society of Technology Educators (ISTE) National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators (NETS-A). The intent of this survey was to obtain a list of skills that the participants felt were necessary for administrators to obtain in order to be effective leaders. These skills are categorized into both theory-based …

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A Longitudinal Study Of Married Women's Probability Of Being Housewives In Reforming Urban China, Chiung-Yin Hu Jan 2008

A Longitudinal Study Of Married Women's Probability Of Being Housewives In Reforming Urban China, Chiung-Yin Hu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines married women’s employment status and the factors associated with their being full-time housewives between 1989 and 2004 in urban China. I argue that the transition from a command economy to a market-oriented economy since the early 1980s has had negative impacts on married women’s labor force participation. Using six waves of the Chinese Health and Nutrition Survey (1989, 1991, 1993, 1997, 2000, and 2004), I find that the percentages of full-time housewives in urban China tripled in just 15 years, and the largest amount of growth occurred in the most recent period. Regression analyses confirm that married …

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The Effects Of Cross-Age Mentoring In An Online Collaborative Environment, Gail Lorraine Johnson Jan 2008

The Effects Of Cross-Age Mentoring In An Online Collaborative Environment, Gail Lorraine Johnson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This mixed method research was designed to examine the effects of cross-age mentoring in an inter-institutional online learning community. The research questions focused on the impact of mentoring on high school students’ confidence in their information seeking skills, perceptions of their information seeking standards, and the application of these standards to an information seeking task. Also of interest was the dialogic interaction between the students at the two sites, the impact of the facilitator on the process, and the university students’ perceptions about their experience. The participants included 26 students (mentees) enrolled in an American history class at a rural …

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Psychological Stress And Immune Function, Allison Rubin Jan 2008

Psychological Stress And Immune Function, Allison Rubin

Quill & Scope

Dr. Henry Maudsley said, "The sorrow which has no vent in tears may make other organs weep." The medical community has always acknowledged that psychological stress can affect physical wellbeing, even though the mechanism was not always known. Now we know that this phenomenon is mediated by the body’s response to external stress and a person who does not cope with stress appropriately can experience immunosuppression. This phenomenon is especially important for the already immunosuppressed HIV+ population because life stresses specific to HIV+ people may contribute to disease progression. Furthermore, improving life stress in this population is linked with increased …

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Weight Control And Wrestling, David Bates Jan 2008

Weight Control And Wrestling, David Bates

Quill & Scope

This brief review article examines some of the beliefs and practices of amateur wrestlers at various levels of competition. Physicians should be aware of the rapid weight loss and weight cycling associated with the sport. These issues may become of increasing concern to pediatricians in the New York Metropolitan area, as programs such as Beat the Streets (http://www.beat-the-streets.org/index.html) increase the popularity of amateur wrestling in the region. Familiarity with the weight management practices of the sport will enable physicians to educate and monitor their patients who participate in wrestling.

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Potential National Voluntary Gamete Donor Registry Discussed At Recent Health Law Symposium, Pamela Foohey Jan 2008

Potential National Voluntary Gamete Donor Registry Discussed At Recent Health Law Symposium, Pamela Foohey

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

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Space-Time Multiresolution Approach To Atomistic Visualization, Dipesh Bhattarai Jan 2008

Space-Time Multiresolution Approach To Atomistic Visualization, Dipesh Bhattarai

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Time-varying three-dimensional positional atomistic data are rich in spatial and temporal information. The problem is to understand them. This work offers multiple approaches that enable such understanding. An interactive atomistic visualization system is developed integrating complex analyses with visualization to present the data on space-time multiresolution basis facilitating the information extraction and generate understanding. This work also shows the usefulness of such an integrated approach. The information obtained from the analyses represents the system at multiple length and time scales. Radial distribution function (RDF) provides a complete average spatial map of the distribution of the atoms in the system which …

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Increasing The Communicative Behaviors Of Children With Low Levels Of Communicative Initiations In An Inclusive Preschool Classroom, Susanna Melikyan Jan 2008

Increasing The Communicative Behaviors Of Children With Low Levels Of Communicative Initiations In An Inclusive Preschool Classroom, Susanna Melikyan

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of the study was to measure the current level of communicative initiations exhibited by children enrolled in the LSU preschool program. Child communication was categorized as specific, unclear, or negative. These descriptors referred to peers ability to interpret the target child’s communication. Additionally, peer responses were recorded as either positive or negative based on their reaction to the target child’s communication. Children identified with either low levels of communicative initiation or unclear/negative communications were targeted for the intervention. Single-subject research methods were used to record each child’s communicative behaviors. A least-to-most assistive prompting (Horner & Keilitz, 1975) intervention …

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Modeling The Relationship Among Occupational Stress, Psychological/Physical Symptoms And Injuries In The Construction Industry, Omosefe Osarieme Abbe Jan 2008

Modeling The Relationship Among Occupational Stress, Psychological/Physical Symptoms And Injuries In The Construction Industry, Omosefe Osarieme Abbe

LSU Master's Theses

The construction industry has one of the highest incidents of fatal and non-fatal accidents/injuries every year. As a high risk industry, there is a need to investigate factors that affect the occurrence of these accidents to be able to protect workers. Traditional approaches to workers’ safety in the construction industry have focused on the physical and biomechanical aspects of work by improving tools, equipment and task completion methods. However, the impact of psychosocial factors, specifically stress as experienced by construction workers is an area of growing research. Research in the area of occupational stress in the Construction Industry is yielding …

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The Consensual Assessment Technique As A Measure Of Creativity In Children's Musical Compositions Motivated By Visual And Verbal Stimuli, Katie Elizabeth Toups Jan 2008

The Consensual Assessment Technique As A Measure Of Creativity In Children's Musical Compositions Motivated By Visual And Verbal Stimuli, Katie Elizabeth Toups

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT The purposes of this study were: 1) To compare the relationship between the degrees of creativity shown in musical compositions of third grade students (N=163) when they were exposed to either a visual or verbal stimulus, and 2) to examine inter-judge reliability for creativity ratings using the Consensual Assessment Technique (CAT) with instrumental group compositions. Throughout a nine-week teaching unit, all subjects participated in regular music classes where they learned compositional techniques and concepts. They worked in small cooperative learning groups of 3 to 6 students throughout the unit to compose several “mini” compositions and two large-scale compositions. For …

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Adam, Martin And John: Iconography, Infrastructure, And America's Pathological Inconsistency About Medical Insurance, Jeffrey W. Stempel Jan 2008

Adam, Martin And John: Iconography, Infrastructure, And America's Pathological Inconsistency About Medical Insurance, Jeffrey W. Stempel

Scholarly Works

Following the ongoing health care and insurance debate, which has once again moved toward center stage in American politics, one might understandably get the impression that the most important names in the area are politicians such as Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards, John McCain, or Mitt Romney. Similarly, public intellectuals and pundits such as David Broder, David Brooks, Paul Krugman (or at least the New York Times and Wall Street Journal editorial pages) come to mind. Alternatively, health care scholars such as the instant Symposium participants or other health policy scholars such as Uwe Reinhardt, Troyen Brennan or Theodore …

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