The Social and Cultural Context of Coping with Sickle Cell Disease: III. Stress, Coping Tasks, Family Functioning, and Children’s Adjustment

Conceptions of individual and family coping with sickle cell disease (SCD) must incorporate several disease and sociocultural factors. This article proposes an integrative model and tests the relative contribution of model parameters to the prediction of social, academic, and psychological adjustment of children with SCD. The individual coping and family functioning variables most highly predictive of the child’s psychological outcomes (anxiety, depression, and positive mood) include parental psychological functioning, maturity demands made of the ill child, and the quality of relations with parents and siblings. Academic adjustment was significantly predicted by parental academic expectations and by the child’s rejection of a restrictive sick role. Competent social functioning also was predicted by the extent to which the ill child rejected the role of being sick.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67288/2/10.1177_0095798499025003006.pd

On the design of electrically pumped vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting lasers

Vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VECSELs) yield an excellent beam quality in conjunction with a scalable output power. This paper presents a detailed numerical analysis of electrically pumped VECSEL (EP-VECSEL) structures. Electrical pumping is a key element for compact laser devices. We consider the optical loss, current confinement, and device resistance. The main focus of our investigation is on the achievement of an adequate radial carrier distribution for fundamental transverse mode operation. It will be shown that a trade off between the conflicting optical and electrical optimization has to be found and we derive an optimized design resulting in guidelines for the design of EP-VECSELs which are compatible with passive mode lockin

Yangians, finite W-algebras and the Non Linear Schrodinger hierarchy

We show an algebra morphism between Yangians and some finite W-algebras. This correspondence is nicely illustrated in the framework of the Non Linear Schrodinger hierarchy. For such a purpose, we give an explicit realization of the Yangian generators in terms of deformed oscillators.Comment: LaTeX2e, 10 pages, Talk presented by E. Ragoucy at ACTP-Nankai Symposium on Yang-Baxter systems, non linear models and their applications, Seoul (Korea) October 20-23, 199

Algebra of one-particle operators for the Calogero model

An algebra ${\cal G}$ of symmetric {\em one-particle} operators is constructed for the Calogero model. This is an infinite-dimensional Lie-algebra, which is independent of the interaction parameter $\lambda$ of the model. It is constructed in terms of symmetric polynomials of raising and lowering operators which satisfy the commutation relations of the $S_N$-{\em extended} Heisenberg algebra. We interpret ${\cal G}$ as the algebra of observables for a system of identical particles on a line. The parameter $\lambda$, which characterizes (a class of) irreducible representations of the algebra, is interpreted as a statistics parameter for the identical particles.Comment: 23 pages, LaTe

Parents' Perspectives on the School Experiences of Children with Cancer

Interviews with 59 parents of school age children with cancer indicate problems children encountered in returning to school: missing significant amounts of school due to illness and treatments, teasing by classmates and peers, and strained relations with teachers. Most parents report that despite missing much school their child was caught up with schoolwork, suggesting that academic difficulties are not paramount. Most parents also report receiving substantial help from sympathetic and competent educators. However, parents also indicate that some teachers were insensitive to their child's condition, while others were overprotective, suggesting the need for a delicate balance in defining appropriate teacher behavior. A responsive yet normalizing school environment can be facilitated by vigorous and proactive partnerships among the medical staff, family, and school system.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68682/2/10.1177_027112148600500405.pd

The Social and Cultural Context of Coping with Sickle Cell Disease: I. A Review of Biomedical and Psychosocial Issues

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is widely conceived in the United States as a group of blood disorders that principally affect African Americans. Although pain is its principal feature, strokes, lung problems, sepsis, anxiety, depression, impaired social functioning, and maladjustment at work are frequent concomitants. This article selectively reviews biomedical and psychosocial aspects of SCD related to pain assessment, medical treatment, genetic counseling, education, and employment. The strongest support exists for claims of social deficits among adolescents and depression and work-related problems among adults. The social context of SCD, including issues related to socioeconomic status (SES), urbanicity, ethnicity, cultural values, and racial stigmatization, are important to include in empirical assessments and theoretical analyses of the effects of SCD on children and their families. The adverse psychosocial functioning often described as an effect of SCD might indeed be a consequence of these factors acting alone or in concert with the strains of SCD.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67048/2/10.1177_0095798499025003002.pd

Enhancement of individual and community competence: The older adult as community worker

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44012/1/10464_2004_Article_BF00896496.pd

Polynomial super-gl(n) algebras

We introduce a class of finite dimensional nonlinear superalgebras $L = L_{\bar{0}} + L_{\bar{1}}$ providing gradings of $L_{\bar{0}} = gl(n) \simeq sl(n) + gl(1)$. Odd generators close by anticommutation on polynomials (of degree $>1$) in the $gl(n)$ generators. Specifically, we investigate `type I' super-$gl(n)$ algebras, having odd generators transforming in a single irreducible representation of $gl(n)$ together with its contragredient. Admissible structure constants are discussed in terms of available $gl(n)$ couplings, and various special cases and candidate superalgebras are identified and exemplified via concrete oscillator constructions. For the case of the $n$-dimensional defining representation, with odd generators $Q_{a}, \bar{Q}{}^{b}$, and even generators ${E^{a}}_{b}$, $a,b = 1,...,n$, a three parameter family of quadratic super-$gl(n)$ algebras (deformations of $sl(n/1)$) is defined. In general, additional covariant Serre-type conditions are imposed, in order that the Jacobi identities be fulfilled. For these quadratic super-$gl(n)$ algebras, the construction of Kac modules, and conditions for atypicality, are briefly considered. Applications in quantum field theory, including Hamiltonian lattice QCD and space-time supersymmetry, are discussed.Comment: 31 pages, LaTeX, including minor corrections to equation (3) and reference [60

Curriculum in early childhood education: critical questions about content, coherence, and control

A continuing struggle over curriculum in early childhood education is evident in contemporary research and debate at national and international levels. This reflects the dominant influence of developmental psychology in international discourses, and in policy frameworks that determine approaches to curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment. Focusing on early childhood education, we argue that this struggle generates critical questions about three significant themes within curriculum theory: content, coherence, and control. We outline two positions from which these themes can be understood: Developmental and Educational Psychology and contemporary policy frameworks. We argue that within and between these positions, curriculum content, coherence, and control are viewed in different and sometimes oppositional ways. Following this analysis, we propose that a focus on ‘working theories’ as a third position offers possibilities for addressing some of these continuing struggles, by exploring different implications for how content, coherence, and control might be understood. We conclude that asking critical questions of curriculum in early childhood education is a necessary endeavour to develop alternative theoretical frameworks for understanding the ways in which curriculum can be considered alongside pedagogy, assessment, play, and learning

Ethnic-Racial Socialization in Early Childhood: The Implications of Color-Consciousness and Colorblindness for Prejudice Development

This chapter outlines how early childhood teachers can bring children into conversations surrounding race and racism by drawing on literature on how parents of color discuss these topics. Although educators’ practices surrounding race and racism remain largely unexplored, decades of developmental psychological research indicate that parents of color engage in ethnic-racial socialization practices that are beneficial for children (Hughes et al., 2006). The established dimensions of parental ethnic-racial socialization include (1) cultural socialization, or teaching children about their ethnic heritage and instilling ethnic pride; (2) preparation for bias, or teaching children about racism and preparing them to face discrimination; (3) promotion of mistrust, or warning children about the need to distance themselves from other racial groups; and (4) egalitarianism, or emphasizing the similarities between and equality of all races (Hughes et al. 2006). One consideration to take into account from a developmental perspective is that children’s level of cognitive development impacts how they interpret messages about race. This chapter draws a link between parental ethnic-racial socialization and extends this body of work to school settings, with a focus on teachers. The ideologies of colorblindness and color-consciousness are discussed throughout