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A study examined the message features that influence an innovation's acceptance by a mass audience. The study looked at three strategies of innovational rhetoric (denial of controversy, subtle criticism of existing institutions, and projection of a rhetorical vision) used by a commercial broadcasting company, called Whittle Communications in 1989, in an attempt to gain acceptance for the "Channel One" programming which Whittle was attempting to place into the New York State school system. Corporate discourse of Whittle Communications immediately prior to the June 1989 meeting of the New York State Board of Regents was examined to illuminate the use of innovative rhetoric as a response to a social institution's actions. Advertisements sponsored by Whittle Communications that appeared in "The New York Times" from June 7-15, 1989, were also analyzed. Results indicated that although the use of innovational strategies was not a total success for Whittle Communications, Whittle did, however, shape much of the public debate surrounding the issue of commercially sponsored news broadcasts in the nation's public schools, and says that it has persuaded 5,761 schools in 45 states to use Channel One. (Copies of the advertisements analysed and 63 references are attached.) (PRA)

Scholars can learn much from analyzing discourse within a statewide political debate. A study used W. R. Fisher's theory of narrative rationality to analyze the first intra-party debate (April 16, 1990) between Republican candidates for Governor of Arkansas, Sheffield Nelson and Tommy Robinson, to ascertain the narrative rationality employed by each and the roles portrayed by each. A detailed examination of the question, answers, and closing statements of the debate, using R. P. Hart's method of role analysis, revealed that of Nelson's 188 statements referring to himself, the largest number fell into the category of performative action, followed by narrative action, then behavioral action and lastly emotional/moral action. Results further showed that of Robinson's 92 self-references, the largest number were in the category of narrative action, followed by performative action, then emotional/moral action, with behavioral action as the smallest category. Findings suggest that Nelson was able to play the successful chief executive officer, and by concentrating his self references in the behavioral category, was able to provide Arkansas voters a consistent picture of his plans for the future of the state. Findings further suggest that Robinson, with the bulk of his statements in the category of narrative action, was not able to promote his vision of the future of the state. (One table is included and 93 references are attached.) (PRA)

This report summarizes the background and purpose of the Friedrichsdorf, West Germany UNISIST meeting and describes the principal issues which emerged from the papers presented and the accompanying discussion. Topics of discussion reported include: (1) the availability of information resources at the national level, particularly concerns of document delivery and information transfer; (2) expansion of the scope of the scientific and technological information universe to include unpublished report literature, numeric databases, and other nonconventional sources of information, as well as the extension of the UNISIST concept into more fields of knowledge than science and technology; (3) accommodation to rapid technological change in computers, computer networks, online searching, and other technologies; and (4) the interdependence of and the need for cooperation between national information systems. Background details on the 1976 UNISIST meeting and interim developments are also provided. Annexes comprise comments by the meeting rapporteur on the significance and accomplishments of the UNISIST program and a list of meeting participants, consultants, representatives, observers, and conference staff and UNESCO personnel in attendance. (ESR)

This report summarizes the formation of UNISIST and the topics of discussion at the first UNISIST meeting (1976) on the planning and implementation of national information activities in science and technology. Topics of discussion reported include: (1) the objectives of national information activities in the areas of science and technology; (2) the functions, structure, and establishment of national focal points for scientific and technical information services and policy development; (3) the setting of priorities for information activities in the context of national needs; (4) aspects of the implementation of a national information plan; and (5) the interaction of national information focal points with international and regional activities. Background details on the information revolution and information as a resource for development are also provided, as well as information on the development of the UNISIST program and its accomplishments. A list of six items of significance arising from the 1976 meeting concludes the report. (ESR)

Utilizing a review of relevant literature concerning complimentary and alternative medicine (CAM) and the policies of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), this paper focuses on the important role that semantics play in policy decisions regarding health care. Of specific interest is DHHS' refusal to reimburse any services associated with CAM through Medicare or Medicare. This policy is justified by DHHS because the deaprtment cites a lack of evidence showing the safety and effectiveness of CAM (Kamerow 1999). In addition, physicians have been known to make attempts to limit the practice of CAM (Wolpe 1985) to protect their professional turf (Hafferty and Light 1995). However, music therapy, a popular form of therapy considered to be part of the CAM category by a number of medical institutions (National Institute of Health 2006), is reimbursable under the policy of DHHS if music therapy is classified as activity therapy. The example of music therapy illustrates that inconsistencies can exist because different labels can be applied to the same treatment. Moreover, the relationship between music therapy and DHHS shows why the label a treatment carries is significant. This observation of the importance of semantics in health care policy illustrates both challenges and opportunities for the future of CAM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there has been a relative lack of attention to the effectiveness of collaborative depression treatment as it may vary across rural and urban populations, recent work by Adams et al. (2006) suggests that collaborative care interventions improve the outcomes for urban, but not rural, primary care patients. We use Quality Enhancement for Strategic Teaming (QuEST) study data to examine whether these differences remain when feelings of social support and/or the prevalence of stressful life events are included in the analyses. Our results show that even when these psychosocial variables are controlled for, the collaborative depression care intervention has differential effectiveness for rural and urban patients: the intervention improved outcomes for urban patients, but failed to do so for rural patients. Our analyses also show that the intervention functions to improve feelings of social support in urban, but not rural, patients, and that it does not affect stressful life events in either population. Implications are discussed. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perceived social support both within marriage and outside of marriage is often an important predictor of health and well-being. While a great deal of prior research focuses on the relationship between marriage and the expansiveness of social networks, little is known about the linkages between social support in marriage and social support from non-marital sources. Given the salience of social support in relation to overall physical and mental well-being, it is important to better understand how the supportiveness of what is often one's most meaningful relationship, marriage, is associated with the supportiveness of other important social relationships. Using nationally representative data from a sample of individuals between the ages of 25 to 74, this research examines the effects of perceived spousal support and strain on perceived support from family and friends in cross-sectional and longitudinal frameworks. Cross-sectional results indicate that spousal support has a positive effect on family and friend support, whereas spousal strain has a negative effect. Longitudinal results suggest that declines in spousal support spur declines in support from family and friends. These results demonstrate that the supportiveness of one's marriage impacts the availability of support from family and friends across time, emphasizing that when important social needs are not perceived to be met by one's spouse, family and friends are not likely to be perceived as compensatory means of meeting such needs. In fact, when spousal support decreases, the availability of support from family and friends also decreases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contrary to popular social myths that portray older adults as asexual, many individuals engage in regular sexual activity and maintain a strong interest in sexuality later in life. Yet, both doctors and patients are often reluctant to discuss issues of sexual health. Given that support from one's spouse is conceptualized and empirically demonstrated as protective factor that promotes healthy behaviors, including regular medical care, this study examines the influence of positive marital quality on attitudes related to openness regarding discussions of sexuality with a doctor. Results from nationally representative data of a sample of adults between the ages of 57 and 85 suggest that higher levels of positive marital quality predict greater comfort discussing sex with a doctor among men as well as greater approval of such discussions among both men and women. These results suggest that many older adults are willing to discuss their sexual health with doctors as well as demonstrate the salient influence that support from a spouse has on assessments of openness to such sexual health conversations, especially among men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the potential theoretical contribution of neofunctionalism to the study of social support and health. I begin by providing a general overview of fundamental neofunctionalist ideas, especially those exemplified by Alexander and Luhmann. Next, I present a review of the literature regarding received and perceived social support and health outcomes, with particular emphasis on the argument that perceived social support is more consequential to health than received social support. Then I discuss in greater detail how neofunctionalism can enhance our understanding of the relationship between social support and health, focusing particularly on the neofunctionalist emphasis on the importance of highlighting both subjective interpretation and social frames of reference when examining social phenomenon. I argue that this attention to micro- and macro-level linkages in neofunctionalist thought is especially useful when interpreting the salience of perceived social support, versus received social support, in relation to health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tips for writers found in books, articles, blogs, and website forums often focus on the first sentence, engaging the reader to read the entire text. Tips for writing the first sentence are mostly applied to essays, including academic essays. On the other hand, good examples of the first sentence are usually chosen from classical literary works, making it possible to assume that the first sentence has meaning in every text, including a scientific article. The aim is to study and describe the first sentence in articles in various disciplines in the Latvian language to establish the connections between the recommendations on how to start the text and the actual language material. For the aim's implementation, sentences from 848 scientific articles in Latvian (a total of 9700-word usage) are analyzed. The articles chosen for the study have been published between 2008 and 2018 in three branches and sub-branches of science: medical and health sciences, social sciences, humanities and arts. The main conclusions are as follows: the authors of Latvian scientific articles most often choose in the first sentence 1) to make a statement, 2) indicate the historical or geographical context, 3) define the main term used in the article. This is partly consistent with the suggestions given by writing instructors on the possible attractive content of the first sentence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]