Concrete Services Research Articles

Psychoeducation as a Response to Community Disaster

Public education is a means of supporting trauma survivors without impeding their natural recovery process by providing accurate information about normal reactions and ways to cope in the aftermath of community disaster. It can also be used to screen for high-risk individuals who could benefit from ongoing care. Normalizing trauma reactions and eliminating the hardship of seeking mental health resources may reduce the stigma associated with obtaining this type of support. One way to accomplish this is by linking psychoeducation with concrete services, a tactic that may also attract greater numbers of participants. This article explores the literature on the subject and reports the results of psychoeducation interventions provided in response to the events of September 11, 2001. The format and outcome of the public education workshops are presented along with case material. Recommendations for implementation, including other potential applications of this methodology, are highlighted. Language: en

Durability of concrete structures

This paper provides a brief overview of Session 8 ‘Durability of Concrete Structures’ of the fib 2002 congress on Concrete Structures in the 21st Century, which was held in Osaka on 13-19 October 2002. The keynote speaker of the session, Dr Odd E. Gjørv, Professor and Head of the Department of Building Materials at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology at Trondheim, has conducted concrete research for more than 40 years. His research has focused on a broad range of topics related to the durability of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures in severe environments. His paper addressed durability and service-life issues of concrete structures. In addition to the keynote address, more than 50 papers were considered for this session, covering topics in the following areas: general issues related to concrete serviceability and durability, corrosion of reinforcement, and grouting of post-tensioned systems, as well as several case studies. The highlights of some of the papers are described here.

Durability of concrete structures

This paper provides a brief overview of Session 8 ‘Durability of Concrete Structures’ of the fib 2002 congress on Concrete Structures in the 21st Century, which was held in Osaka on 13-19 October 2002. The keynote speaker of the session, Dr Odd E. Gjørv, Professor and Head of the Department of Building Materials at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology at Trondheim, has conducted concrete research for more than 40 years. His research has focused on a broad range of topics related to the durability of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures in severe environments. His paper addressed durability and service-life issues of concrete structures. In addition to the keynote address, more than 50 papers were considered for this session, covering topics in the following areas: general issues related to concrete serviceability and durability, corrosion of reinforcement, and grouting of post-tensioned systems, as well as several case studies. The highlights of some of the papers are described here.

Introduction: the scientific basis for injury control.

Archie Cochrane was a British epidemiologist whose guiding motto was, All effective health care should be free (1). While there is a spectrum of availability of health care across nations of the world, there is increasing unanimity on the need to base what is done on scientific evidence of effectiveness. This movement to evidence-based medicine has expanded beyond the boundaries of traditional personal health care and now includes efforts in nursing, public health, the social sciences, health policy, and health management. In these fields, application of scarce resources to accomplish the greatest good demands that only effective interventions be implemented. This is certainly true of the field of injury control. The magnitude of the problem is very large, and resources devoted to prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of trauma are scarce. The argument that an intervention is worthwhile if it “can save just one life” is specious. The same resources applied to an effective intervention might save one hundred or one thousand lives. Moreover, the potential to do harm by implementing ineffective interventions is great. For example, the Cambridge-Somerville Project was an ambitious randomized controlled trial to prevent juvenile delinquency, violence, and injury (2). Social workers were assigned to visit families of intervention group participants monthly for a mean of 4.5 years to provide concrete services to high-risk boys and to act as their advocates with schools, courts, and other official agencies. When these boys were followed into adulthood, the rate of crime, violence, and untimely death in the intervention group was found to be higher than that in the control group. In another example, treatment of severe traumatic brain injury has traditionally included control of increased intracranial pressure through hyperventilation. However, when subjected to a randomized controlled trial, hyperventilated patients were found to have worse outcomes than patients not undergoing …

The utilization of treatment and case management services by HIV-infected youth

Purpose This article describes the essential components for effective and comprehensive HIV care for youth who have tested positive and have been linked to HIV treatment. Descriptive profile data are also presented that detail the demographics, risk behaviors and health care barriers of youth served in the five Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS), which focused on adolescents and young adults. Methods Data presented are from the core multi-site data set, which was standardized across the five youth-oriented SPNS projects. Substance use and mental health symptoms were gathered using the Personal Problem Questionnaire (PPQ) screener, which was an adaptation of the PRIME-MD. In-depth qualitative interviews with enrolled HIV-positive youth were also conducted by several Projects. Results and conclusions Medical care alone is not enough and cannot be effective without supportive program components such as flexible scheduling, and a multi-disciplinary team approach that includes assertive case management. Case Managers help enrolled youth with concrete service needs such as housing, emergency financial assistance for food/utilities, transportation, child care, coverage for prescriptions, and public entitlements. They also help isolated youth to connect with a personal support system. Addressing those needs helps to facilitate and reinforce treatment adherence and retention. In addition to other identified needs such as stable housing and transportation, a significant number of enrolled youth self-reported having experienced physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse in their lives and articulated a need for mental health services. Therefore, effective HIV care for youth must be multi-faceted; it must consist of more than a medical component.

New Approaches to Religious Education Programs for the Mentally Retarded

SUMMARY The program of religious education at the Kansas Neurological Institute drew its life from the children, adolescents and adults with mental retardation as they decorated the chapel and were involved in the simple, concrete, and repetitive services. In addition, the adolescents initiated service through singing in community nursing homes, mentoring younger children, and worship. Religious education is done on a case-by-case basis, since students are at such varied skill levels. In doing this, it has remained flexible, helping blind students to become acquainted enough with the chapel and material to feel comfortable.

Hierarchical representation of satisfactory consumer service experience

What conceptual organization underlies evaluative judgments in the mind of consumers? Drawing from the theory of cognitive schemata and from means‐end theory, here we show that customer evaluations can be represented as a set of self‐relevant, interconnected and hierarchically organized elements. Elements of the hierarchy are components of a satisfactory service experience that range from concrete service attributes (such as staff kindness), to higher level benefits (such as the feeling of being looked after), to more abstract values (such as happiness). To construct a hierarchical map of components and explain overall satisfaction the laddering technique was applied to a sample of hotel customers. Results suggest that the links between concrete attributes, high‐level benefits, and values provide a better explanation of overall satisfaction than service attributes alone.

Comparison between American Indian and Non-Indian Out-of-Home Placements

American Indian children are overrepresented in out-of-home placements, yet research into this phenomenon is limited. We explored all first-time placements of American Indian children in 1996 and a comparison group of non-Indian children in a Minnesota county and found significant differences between the two groups. In this study, American Indian families are for the most part single-parent households and the vast majority live in poverty. American Indian children are younger and more likely to be exposed to physical neglect than their non-Indian counterparts. For both populations, alcohol use is a significant problem, yet rates are statistically higher among the American Indian families. Clearly, early prevention and intervention programs must include chemical assessment and concrete services to preserve the cultural integrity of families. To this end, emphasis must be placed on adequate funding of tribal human services, as well as collaboration among tribal, county, and state human services.

Evaluating Efficiency of Nondestructive Detection of Flaws in Concrete

Tests have been performed to assess feasibility of using the impact-echo method (IEM) and ultrasonic pulse velocity method (UPVM) in detecting flaws and evaluating their depths on the early stage of a concrete structure's service life. Five reinforced concrete (RC) slabs of grades 25, 30, 40, and 50 with fabricated voids at known locations were studied on the 3rd, 7th, 14th, and 28th day. The results were compared to estimate the accuracy of both methods and their efficiency. Both methods detected flaws in the tested samples on the early stages of their operation. Depth measurements of flaws by IEM, however, are more accurate. Results of our tests indicate that both methods can be used in determining depths of flaws in concrete and in performing on-site tests. The accuracy of both methods proved to be better in tests of stronger concretes, and the detection probability ranged from 51.81 to 99.8% after aging during 3 to 28 days under full load, respectively.

Design Factors Influencing the Aesthetics of Architectural Precast Concrete

Sidney Freedman Director Architectural Precast Concrete Services Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute Chicago, Illinois Aesthetics is playing an increasingly important role in the design of building facades. In North America and Europe the concept that aesthetics (form) must follow function is well established. This article demonstrates the enormous potential of architectural precast concrete applications. The abundance of possibilities gives rise to a multitude of different forms, colors, surface finishes, and architectural designs. The era is long over when concrete was known simply as a utilitarian material. Technological innovations in concrete composition, molds, and finishes have increased the quality of this material, enabling it to compete with the most exclusive facade claddings. It is the architect’s responsibility to exploit these varied possibilities. The important aspects of sample selection for color and texture as well as the use of range samples to set production standards for color and texture, are illustrated. The myth that precasting leads to little flexibility in facade design no longer holds true. On the contrary, because of the inherent properties and varieties in shape, architectural precast concrete is at the forefront of architecture as one of the most flexible contemporary solutions for structural facades.

Concrete weighting services

Concrete weighting services

Sexual Contact with Clients: Assessment of Social Workers' Attitudes and Educational Preparation

The purpose of this study was to assess social work students' attitudes about sexual contact with clients and their perceptions about their training and education in this area. The sample included 349 social work students in their final semester of an MSW program. There were relatively high levels of approval for sexual contact between social workers and clients in certain circumstances. Approval was not limited to circumstances in which professional relationships were terminated, were brief, or had involved only concrete services. Students with less social work experience and who thought class content on sexual ethics was inadequate were more likely to approve of sexual contact between social worker and client. Students did not feel that they had received adequate education or training on sexual ethics, and many felt unprepared to handle sexual feelings from or toward a client. Implications for education, training, and practice, and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Inviting New Stories: Narrative Ideas in Family-Centered Services

Home-based family therapy and family-centered services have become a new way of working with “difficult to engage” families. This article examines the “fit” between family-centered services and narrative approaches to therapy. It outlines the core values and basic assumptions of family-centered services, provides a basic overview of narrative therapy, and explores ways to adopt a narrative stance in home-based work with families. The article applies a narrative metaphor to family therapy sessions, concrete services to families, work with larger systems, and program design.

The Role of Social Work in HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials

ABSTRACT The social worker can facilitate screening, retention and patient adherence in HIV/AIDS clinical trials. This paper introduces the process and its key vocabulary, and uses three case studies to demonstrate how social workers can assist clients who may wish to participate in, or are already enrolled in a clinical trial. After examining five major issues that affect the client in a clinical trial (informed consent; treatment vs. research; risks and side effects; altruism; the role of family members; and gender, race and class issues), the authors elaborate on interventions at the screening level, and concrete services and psycho-social interventions for study participants.

Utilization of community-based services among homeless persons: An application of a theoretical model

Data from a longitudinal study of 379 homeless adults were analyzed to document the pattern of use of community-based social services and to identify the correlates of service use. The analytical framework employed was the Andersen model, adapted to take into consideration the life circumstances of homeless people in a demographically diverse setting. The relevance of predisposing, enabling, and need factors in predicting service use and type of assistance received was examined using multinomial logistic regression models. The study found that a significant portion of the homeless sample did not use social services and that among service users, most reported receipt of concrete services only. Our analyses suggest that there is a need for service providers to target their programs and interventions to the underserved and hard-to-reach segments of the adult homeless population including males, non-Whites, street users, episodically homeless people, and individuals experiencing alcohol problems. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Utilization-Focused Evaluation of Two Intensive Family Preservation Programs

The author evaluates The Brightside Intensive Family Intervention (IFI) Program and the Massachusetts Department of Social Services' Family Life Center (FLC), which share a referral pool of 47 client families. The families were interviewed to assess the two programs from the consumers' perspective. Applying Patton's utilization-focused evaluation, qualitative information offered feedback to program staff and supervisors and quantitative data provided an administrative summary of the success of both programs. The structure and process of each program, as experienced by its clients, were linked with outcome. Families found these tertiary prevention programs worked well to support their dignity and expand their community connections. Agency auspices were unimportant to most parents, who preferred a team model and relatively longer contact. Most parents viewed concrete services as ancillary to relationship-based work.

Applying Statistical Methods for Further Improvement of High-Performance Concrete for New York State Bridge Decks

A new concrete mixture designated “Class HP” for high-performance has been developed for bridge decks in New York State. A modification of the state’s standard Class H concrete, it has better handling and workability characteristics, reduced permeability, and greater resistance to cracking and displays little or no surface scaling. These improvements have potential to result in twice the previously expected concrete service life. The mixture incorporates substitutions for cement of 20 percent Class F fly ash and 6 percent microsilica. It has now been established as the required concrete mixture for all decks built by the New York State Department of Transportation. Its successful implementation has triggered further research toward an even better mixture. An experiment was designed and performed to investigate the effects on cracking and permeability of microsilica and fly ash content, as well as the effects of total weight of cementitious materials. Experimental designs allowed investigation of a broad range of possible combinations while only a limited number of mixtures were tested. Statistical analysis of experimental data is presented and some concrete mixes are recommended for further study, especially those having 10 to 25 percent fly ash, 11 to 12 percent microsilica, and 327 to 375 kg/m3 (550 to 630 lb/yd3) of cementitious materials, and also those with 20 to 35 percent fly ash, 4 to 6 percent microsilica, and 392 to 428 kg/m3 (660 to 720 lb/yd3) of cementitious materials.

Research on tourist demand in Spain: An analysis and summary

This paper analyzes the evolution of research undertaken in the last 35 years on tourist demand in Spain. The research considered has been classified into three fields with their own specific touristic characteristics; research projects that have been oriented toward the study of demand as a whole, those that study the origin of demand in specific zones and destinations and thirdly, those that address the demand of concrete tourist products and services. Forecast studies on tourist demand which are included in some of the above will also be included in this paper. The revision of these studies will take three basic factors into account: the area and the objectives of the project, the method used and the application and practical utility of the study.

Chapter 8. Counseling Homebound Clients and Their Families

This chapter has as its focus the means by which social workers and other health care professionals counsel homebound clients and their caregivers. Counseling techniques are presented through a discussion of four case examples which have been chosen to illustrate different social scenarios. The four situations are: (1) a frail elder who wishes to live alone; (2) a terminally ill frail elder whose caregiver is an aged sister; (3) a frail elder with Alzheimer's disease whose family caregiver is her daughter; and (4) a woman with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis whose caregiver is her husband. The case study format is meant to show the hand of the counseling professional, to describe exactly how that person intervenes in each scenario. At the end of each case study is a summary of counseling and other interventions. Throughout the chapter, reference is made to the following: counseling the homebound elderly individual, counseling the caregivers, effects of specific illness states, special issues the counselor must address, and always, the necessity for a reasonable availability of concrete services in order for counseling to make any difference in the lives of the homebound elderly.

Women and Substance Abuse

Until the, past decade, research related to women's patterns of substance abuse has rarely been reported. Although women's rates of substance use and abuse are generally lower than men's, the social, psychological, physiological and economic effects of substance abuse in women are particularly severe. This paper reviews patterns of substance abuse unique to women and examines their implications for treatment of women. Recommendations include revision of program and reimbursement policies and development of gender-sensitive assessment and intervention protocols. It is suggested that advocacy, parent training, and concrete, medical and vocational services be incorporated into treatment programming for female substance abusers.