Insurance American Family

You can get clothes according to your style and sizes.

2010-12-17T01:12:00.001-08:00

This recent study was presented at a conference after testing Vitamin D products.

(Realize the Vita D from XCAP is the highest standard of vitamin D product currently made. Vita D from XCAP meets label claims unlike the products tested)

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients taking over-the-counter vitamin D aren’t getting what they’re paying for, or what their neurologists recommend, according to a study presented here.

The mean vitamin D content from 10 OTC (over the counter) brands was only 33% of what the label claimed, with the actual content ranging from less than 1% to 82% of the advertised level. The study was presented at the meeting of the Joint Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers and America’s Committee on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis.

Vitamin D supplements are increasingly being recommended to MS patients, both for osteoporosis, which is common in the disease, and for presumed immunomodulatory actions as well, according to senior author Peter Calabresi, MD, of the Department of Neurology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. “As the role of vitamin D in immune regulation in MS gains increasing focus, oral supplementation is growing,” he said.

The level of recommended supplementation depends on the patient’s individual deficiency, although 4000 IU daily is a common dose.

However, given the wide variety of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) supplements available and “limited regulation within the nutritional supplement industry, the true vitamin D3 content of over-the-counter supplements is a concern,” Calabresi said.

To test levels in commonly purchased supplements, his group collected 10 bottles of OTC supplements from local and on-line retail pharmacies. Vitamin D3 was extracted by standard techniques and samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry.

The labeled doses ranged from 400 IU to 10,000 IU, but the mean actual dose was only 33.5% of the labeled dose, with a range from 0.24% to 81.7%.

Lower-dose products tended to be closer to their labeled dose than higher-dose products, with the three 400-IU products averaging 51.5%, the two 1000-IU products averaging 34%, and the three 10,000-IU products averaging 29.9%.

On the other hand, the single worst sample — the one with only 0.24% of what it claimed — was a 400-IU sample.

Neither national in-store retail brands nor online brands were more true to their labels.

The discrepancy between the advertised and actual vitamin D content “may contribute to the difficulty for some patients to reach adequate serum vitamin D levels despite supplementation,” Calabresi said.

“This reflects the need for increased regulation of the vitamin industry.” Because their lab is not certified to do drug testing, Calabresi declined to name the products tested in this study. Patients taking vitamin D supplements should have serum measurements made after starting therapy to determine whether they are reaching target levels, he said.

Primary source: Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers Source reference: Eckstein C, et al “Vitamin D3 content in commercially available oral supplements”

CMSC-ACTRIMS 2010; P. 33-34.

NOTE FROM BLOOD DOC: I say it all the time, very few supplements have what it says on the bottle. That is why you should choose XCAP products. XCAP products are under much higher regulation than other supplements.

Celerion, the premier provider of innovative early stage clinical research solutions, and BryanLGH Health System, a locally owned, non-profit healthcare organization, announce an alliance to provide a dedicated wing at BryanLGH Medical Center West in Lincoln, Nebraska for early clinical studies including Phase I and First-In-Human…

via Health News from Medical News Today

Reference research: research Dr. and home research and general research and my social page

computer promote

Their efforts are highly valued in return.

2010-11-12T09:13:00.001-08:00

You mean you had to GO to the library to do research?

Understanding Research Types:
Basic: Seeks to create new knowledge and is not directly related to technical or practical problems. Example: analyze the types of information systems used by people with disabilities.

Applied: Seeks to solve problems. Example: A study conducted on how information systems can be used to improve communication with people with disabilities.

Research Terminology:
There are many types of research and each type of research can utilize different methods for collecting information. This glossary can be utilized to clarify the research terms you may come across during your search. In addition, this glossary is a good resource for refining questions you may have of your professor regarding the assignment.

Case Studies: Examines in-depth the practices or trends of a single or limited number of groups. According to the Second Edition of the Dictionary of Sociology edited by Gordon Marshal, case studies include "descriptive reports on typical, illustrative, or deviant examples; descriptions of good practices in policy research; evaluations of policies after implementation in an organization; studies that focus on extreme or strategic cases; the rigorous test of a well-defined hypothesis through the carefully selected contrasting cases; and studies of natural experiments."

Empirical Studies: Research based on critical evaluation through observation or experimentation.

Experimental Research: Examines the relationship between two variables. This type of research conducts experiments on test and control groups to test a hypothesis about the relationship between two variables.

Historical or Interpretive Research Studies: By examining past events and procedures, this type of study attempts to predict future events or make suggestions for future actions. Types of historical or interpretive research studies include: biographical; histories of institutions and organizations; investigation of sources and influences; editing and translating historical documents; studying the history of ideas; or compiling bibliographies.

Qualitative Research: Observes the experiences of a particular group and attempts to understand the actions and reactions of the group. Field studies and ethnographic techniques are examples of this type of research.

Survey Research Studies: Examines small groups of the population in order to learn about the larger population. Observation of the smaller group produces data about the larger population. This data is used to predict future actions or results.

User Studies: Research that evaluates the way in which systems or institutions are utilized and how the needs of users can be addressed.

Identifying Research Articles:
Listed below are some clues to help identify research articles. However, it should be noted that numerous exceptions occur for all of the points listed below. Therefore, the following information should be used as a guideline when looking for research articles

Topic: Research articles tend to be highly specific in nature, relate to a particular field, or specialty within a field, and are written by authors who have done research in the field.

Audience: The target audience is other researchers, colleagues, students and specialists in the same field. Research articles are written for the scholarly community, rather than a general audience.

Language: The language of research articles is formal, generally does not use the first person, and includes jargon used in the field. Research articles are written to contribute to the knowledge base of the discipline.

Length: research articles can vary in length, but are typically five to fifty pages long.

Authors: Research articles may have numerous authors. The organization, institute or professional society the authors belong to will be listed.

Content: Generally the article is written at a sophisticated enough level that the reader will need to read the article more than once in order to understand and evaluate the article.

Identifying Refereed Journals:
Listed below are some clues to help identify refereed journals. However, it should be noted that numerous exceptions occur for any and all of the points listed below. Therefore, the following information should be used as a guideline when looking for refereed journals

Issue identification: Each issue has a publishing date, volume number and issue number. Generally a volume number is consistent throughout the calendar year, with each issue assigned a corresponding number e.g. vol. 55, issue 4.

Length: A refereed journal may have one to fifty articles, with most having eight to eighteen.

Advertising and graphics: Very little, if any, advertising is included in refereed journals. Any advertising that is included will directly relate to the field. Generally journals of this nature do not have photographs and use black print on white paper. The size of the journal may vary in size from a small paperback size to a large magazine format.

Table of contents: In addition to research articles, refereed journals may contain book reviews, literature reviews, and essays. Therefore, just because an article is published in a refereed journal, it does not necessarily mean that it is a research article!

Publishing: Refereed journals are usually published regularly - once a week, once a month, every quarter, or annually. The majority of journals are published four to six times per year and are often published by a professional society, organization or research institution.

Editorial board: Refereed journals have a peer review process. The editorial board is listed (generally at the beginning of the journal) along with the organizations they are affiliated with. Information about what types of papers are chosen for publication, the selection process, the length of papers accepted, and how to submit a paper is also provided.

Indexing: A listing of where the refereed journal is indexed is often provided.

Title: The title of a refereed journal usually has an "academic" sounding name.

Availability: The location, call number, and availability of the journal can be determined by using the online catalog.

Refereed Materials:
Refereed materials are publications reviewed by "expert readers" or referees prior to the publication of the material. After reading and evaluating the material, the referee informs the publisher if the document should be published or if any changes should be made prior to publication. Refereed materials are also referred to as Peer Reviewed. Refereed materials are significant to the research and the literature of library and information science because they assure readers that the information conveyed is reliable and timely.

Non-Refereed Materials:
Non-refereed materials such as Trade Journals or Magazines use less rigorous standards of screening prior to publication. In some publications, each article may be only screened by the publication's editor. While knowledgeable, no editor can be an authority on all the subject matter printed in a journal. Other non-refereed materials accept almost anything submitted in order to have something to print. The term "scholarly materials" is often used to describe refereed materials, but this term is not exclusive to refereed material. Non-refereed materials may not by scrutinized as intensely as refereed materials, but they can still be considered scholarly.

Locating Materials:
Databases are repositories of article information from journals, magazines, conferences, and sometimes books and newspapers. Databases cover a wide range of topics. Some databases offer a full text feature that links you directly to an article, so you can download and print it directly off the Internet. Explore databases that you use regularly to determine if they have this feature (usually denoted by an "FT" next to the article citation).

Evaluating On-line sources:
Online sources can be a valuable tool if you know how to accurately assess the value and validity of the online information source. In trying to determine the validity of a webpage, it is useful to see what type of organization publishes the page. Sites ending in .edu or .gov are generally more accurate and trustworthy than most, since they emanate from academic and governmental organizations. It is important to verify that you are not looking at a student page located on an academic server, which may or may not be as trustworthy as a page produced by the school. Another element to be cautious of when evaluating your potential source is bias. For example, if you are looking at a commercial site, are they accurately portraying information, or bending the truth to fit their needs? The next criterion to evaluate is accuracy. Begin by looking for spelling mistakes, poor grammar, and typos. Next, look at the sources quoted within the page. Are they well-known, trusted sources and people with expertise in the field at hand? If the page is valid, accurate, and published by a trusted source, then it is generally considered acceptable for research purposes.

Search Strategies:
Your search strategy will vary depending upon which database you are using. Research articles' abstracts & include terms that most non-research articles' abstracts do not. Some examples of these terms are methodology, hypothesis, research, experiment, etc. You can search the field "Words Anywhere" for these terms while simultaneously searching for the keywords of your topic. If you retrieve too many or too few hits, narrow or expand your search by adding or dropping search terms.

Reference research: finance research and health research and travel research and my social page

Social Bookmarking

research topics

2010-11-08T23:42:00.001-08:00

Patricia L. Sullivan, an assistant professor at the University of Georgia's School of Public and International Affairs recently completed a study advancing a new model which predicts a nation's probability of accomplishing military objectives. Sullivan's research, reported in the June issue of the Journal of Conflict Resolution and by the UGA Office of Public Affairs News Service, found that since WWII major countries, including the United States, the Soviet Union, Russia, China, Britain or France, have failed in 39% of 122 military objectives against smaller, weaker nations.

Under a grant funded by the National Science Foundation and institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation Sullivan conducted research to explain the "circumstances under which more powerful nations are likely to fail and creates a model that allows policymakers to calculate the probability of success in current and future conflicts, "according to the UGA News Service.

Factors which Sullivan found important are the objective, the nature of the target, whether or not the target cooperates with the objective, whether the target or country initiating the action has allies, whether allies will intervene on either side, and the military strength or weakness of allies.

The factor most easily defined is the objective. The objective is the reason for military intervention. Objective, in Sullivan's model, is based on a continuum from "brute force" to "coercion." According to UGA News Service, the nature of the target is defined by the type of group which composes the target: guerilla, formal nation states, or terrorists. Examining these factors allows you to draw some conclusions about the odds of winning a military conflict.

Of the factors Sullivan identified the most important as whether the objective can be reached by military strength alone, or if target cooperation is essential in the military objective.

Sullivan explains that in the 1991 Gulf War Kuwait was a cooperative target. The citizens and government of Kuwait wanted the assistance of the United States. Driving out Hussein's forces was accomplished quickly and efficiently with the compliance of the nation of Kuwait.

Iraq has proven to be a different war story. Iraq did not invite the United States to enter their country. Although the United States entered on the stated premise of humanitarianism and a quest to end Hussein's reign of terror, that doesn't mean the U.S. was invited, and it doesn't mean the target is cooperative. The United States' objective to free the people of Iraq from the iron rule of Saddam Hussein and his Republican Guard was based on the plausible assumption that no human being wants to live in a state of suffering, euthanasia, and general brutality from a dictator. The United States government presumed the people of Iraq preferred freedom and democracy to the dictatorial, totalitarian government under which they lived. However, as a nation, Iraq has not proven cooperative to that objective.

Sectarian violence has kept the United States from meeting their military objective. Rather than welcoming international assistance in building a free nation, divided allegiances in the country have prolonged the military action. Many Muslim extremists view the United States as the face of the enemy, literally and spiritually. They continue to fight hard against governmental and social changes.

The lack of cooperation in Iraq is a huge indicator, according to Sullivan's model of the future of the war. It illuminates the need for target cooperation in military objectives. It does not, however, satisfy the question as to whether the probability of victory affirms or denies the call for military force to implement changes in the interest of humanitarianism.

Military force and humanitarianism, philosophically, should be mutually exclusive terms. However, often, in the face of brutality and oppression force is necessary to break the bonds of oppression. This creates a paradox which the United States government and citizens continue to grapple. It is, however, the same paradox that prompted the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolutionary War.

Sullivan reported to the UGA news service, "We can try to use brute force to kill insurgents and terrorists, but what we really need is for the population to be supportive of the government and to stop supporting the insurgents. Otherwise, every time we kill an insurgent or a terrorist, they're going to be replaced by others."

Once Sullivan developed her model, she tested it and found that her paradigm was accurate in 80% of the conflicts she examined, according to the UGA news service. Her model was used to examine the current war between the U.S. and its allies, and Iraq. Extrapolating an end to the war in Iraq based on Sullivan's model, theUGA news service estimates that there is a 26% chance of victory, in a war that could endure approximately ten years. Sullivan points out that factions, insurgents, and covert allies, such as Iran and Syria, seriously undermine the U.S. objective in Iraq.

Sullivan's conclusions regarding the war with Iraq were reported by the UGA news service as follows:

"No one could have predicted exactly what would happen after we overthrew the regime of Saddam Hussein," Sullivan said. "But what my model could say was that if the population was not supportive of whatever new regime we put in power and the American strategic objective shifted from regime removal to maintaining the authority of a new government, the likelihood of a successful outcome would drop from almost 70 percent to just under 26 percent."

Sullivan's research and reporting prove timely as the fierce debate over whether to pull our troops out of Iraq rages in the United States. According to Sullivan, the chances for the successful establishment of a new government in a free and independent Iraq are slim, without the cooperation of the Iraqis and surrounding nations. The research, however, does nothing to discourage those who believe in the fight in the name of higher moral law and justice.

Sullivan's paradigm is helpful, but must be weighed against the one's acceptance of age old adage, "It's not whether you win or lose, but how (or why) you play the game." One factor that Sullivan's research did not address includes an equation which may never be quantified: How much is one life worth in the pursuit of freedom and justice for all?

Sources:

Fahmy, Sam. "UGA study finds that weaker nations prevail in 39 percent of military conflicts, UGA Office of Public Affairs News Service, June 11, 2007.

http://www.uga.edu/news/artman/publish/070611_Sullivan.shtml

http://www.uga.edu/intl/sullivan.htm

http://jcr.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/51/3/496

Reference research: finance research and computer research and general research and recent update

social bookmark

research paper topics

2010-11-05T04:13:00.001-07:00

Stem cell research continues to be controversial topic among all aspects of the population. From scientists to politicians, the debate rages on with full force. For many, there is an obvious understanding of the long term biomedical benefits to stem cell research but at issue is the ethical debate.

Since much of middle America does not fully understand the issues at debate involving stem cell research, it is important, especially with the up and coming elections, to become familiar with the issue of concern. Adult stem cells are the cells that may provide the ability for those with disease or injury to repair or regenerate damage tissue through use of healthy tissue.

At issue is the origin of stem cells, while cells can be obtained from adult healthy tissue and umbilical cord tissue, the issue of debate involves the use of embryos as a method by which to obtain stem cells. While we use the term "adult" to describe stem cells, these cell samples can be obtained from placenta, umbilical cord and even aborted or still born fetuses.

The issue of concern involves the ethical use of pregnancy tissue, fetal tissue and embryo tissue to create stem cells for use in curing disease. Going one step further, there is added concern over the success of stem cells, in curing disease, unless taken from specific areas of the body. For example, in most research it has been found that stem cells most effective in biomedical research would come from the epidermal layer of skin, the germ cells, the gastrointestinal tract and the blood cells.

Biomedical research, however, desires approval for government funding into the continued research of stem cell use in other human tissue samples. The concern, from a political and ethical standpoint, is the tendency to use human lives as studies for which the life may be affected, even resulting in death, or using humans to acquire tissue samples that, ultimately, prove ineffective in stem cell research and disease resolution.

There are many dynamics and facets to the stem cell research debate. This is only a brief synopsis of the political, biomedical and ethical issues of concern. When considering your personal view on stem cell research, it may be prudent to vote for political candidates who carry your same opinion with regard to government funding into stem cell research. While many countries are moving forward with stem cell research, it will be the American voter who may determine the direction of stem cell research in the United States.

Reference research: business research and law research and travel research and my social page

social bookmark

Its a quick and simple way to get a message out there.

2010-11-03T07:25:00.001-07:00

Wordpress is a powerful, free blogging platform. It comes in two flavors: hosted on Wordpress.Com or on your own server (which can, for development purposes, be run on your own computer using a web server such as XAMPP). While the hosted version of Wordpress does offer a small number of free themes which can be used to change a blog's appearance, this article focuses on the full version of Wordpress (version 2.8.3).

Questions answered in this article will be the following:

What is a Wordpress theme?
Which sites offer free, high-quality Wordpress themes?
How to download and install Wordpress themes
What kind of themes are best-suited to which kinds of websites?
How to customize ready-made Wordpress themes
When to spend money on premium or original Wordpress themes

So, what is a Wordpress theme?

Themes determine the appearance of a Wordpress blog. This includes the blog's layout, menus, logos, and color schemes, among other things. Because Wordpress uses PHP (a server-side programming language, meaning that it runs on the server where the blog resides) in conjunction with XHTML (the most standards-compliant version of HTML, the mark-up language used to create web pages) and CSS (cascading style sheets, which set rules for how the web page will be "styled"), most of what makes up a Wordpress theme is the CSS style sheet, followed by graphics used in the web design and a few template files containing the XHTML and PHP code. This can be scary to a person with little or no experience in coding for the web, but fear not... hundreds, if not thousands, of ready-made themes are available online for use with Wordpress, and many of these were created with user customization in mind.

Where can I find free themes?

There are plenty of websites that offer Wordpress theme downloads. To start with, try searching the themes directory on Wordpress.Org. New themes are uploaded every day, and they can be searched by keywords or viewed by popularity, newest submissions, or most recently updated. Clicking on a theme's thumbnail will bring up a quick info page about that theme, including a star rating given by users. From this page, the theme can be previewed full-size and downloaded.

A quick Google search may also bring up many websites where Wordpress themes not submitted to the official website may be downloaded free. Lots of them are blogs dedicated to reviewing or listing top Wordpress themes, including graphic design ezines. Smashing Magazine, for example, has a few popular blog postings (100 Excelent Free WordPress Themes, 83 Beautiful Wordpress Themes You (Probably) Haven't Seen, 21 Fresh, Usable and Elegant Wordpress Themes, 30 Free High Quality Wordpress Themes) listing some of the best, premium-quality free themes on the 'net, although some have unfortunately become outdated as the artists took them down.

I suggest finding a number of themes that have the right look for your blog and installing them. This is because some themes might be broken or will not work well with your particular blog's contents and needs. Getting a few themes allows you to experiment a bit to get just the right one.

Download & Install Themes

There are two methods of downloading and installing Wordpress themes. The more traditional way, which will work with themes from all over the Internet, is to download the .zip package for the website. From there, unzip on your computer, then upload to your web server. Each theme goes under its own folder, located in the wp-content/themes folder for your blog. Once the files are there, log-in to the dashboard (admin area) and look on the left-hand toolbar. Click on "Appearance," which brings up the "themes" page. You should find your new theme there. Clicking "activate" will make that the theme for your blog. Other themes will remain in your theme gallery for later use.

Another method of putting up a new theme is to download and install it directly from the dashboard. This is a new feature of Wordpress 2.8. All themes available on Wordpress.Org are searchable and previewable from your dashboard, with some extra search features, and you can click to have them install instantly to your blog. With this, there is no longer any need to use FTP when installing new themes, so long as Wordpress's official website has them.

Choosing the Best Theme

For personal blogs, any theme will do, and many themes have content-specific designs for all interests, whether it's music, video games, cooking, etc.
Wordpress blogs make great virtual writers' desks. Try using a clean, simple theme with one side-bar. Be sure that the colors and fonts for that theme will not burn your eyes after hours of reading!
Magazine-style blogs are great for creating ezines. These can look like online newspapers or edgy design or music mags.
Themes are also available for those looking to make some money. These themes may advertise themselves as "Adsense ready" or "SEO ready."
Need a theme that's easy to tweek and customize? Try looking for "simple" or "sandbox" themes.

Customizing Themes

Found a theme that looks great, but the colors are not quite right? Log into your dashboard, go to "Appearance," and then click on "editor." Click on "style.css" and look for the style rules that set up colors. This may take some searching, but the names of elements and rules are in plain English, luckily. Colors will be set in hexadecimal code, which looks like a pound sign followed by a combination of six letters and numbers. Copy and past these into a graphics program's color selector to see what color the code is for, then change the color to what you would like. Copy and paste the hexadecimal color code back into the style sheet. Save and check the results on your blog. It may take a few tries, but once used to the process, changing colors is not too difficult, even with little programming experience.

To replace images, such as a logo, look for that image in the code of any of the template (that is, .php) files (other than function.php, which is not a template) and replace it with the URL for your new image. Be sure to also change things like "width" and "height" to the new graphic's dimensions. For logos, the best bet is to look in the "header.php" file, which is where all of the theme's top-of-page stuff goes.

Determining what goes in the side bar(s) is easier. The "widgets" menu under "Appearance" determines which widgets will be used where, if at all. Standard widgets that come with Wordpress include archive menus, search forms, etc. These are the typical items that are shown in the sidebars of most blogs. Want more things in your sidebar, like pictures, advertisements, or Twitter feeds? Go to "Plugins" and click on "add new" to search for and install new widgets directly from your dashboard. You should find all you need there.

About Premium Wordpress Themes

When running a professional website for a business that will not necessarily be in blog form, you may consider purchasing a Wordpress theme. The benefit of premium themes is that they often come with their own customization panel under "Appearance" that show when the theme is active, plus the creator will tend to offer assistance in setting up and using the theme. It is advisable to first exhaust the free options before considering a premium Wordpress theme, unless the project has a big budget, in which case, get a web designer to do some original work. Premium themes are not unique, just nicer and more feature-rich. Premium themes run from about $30 to $100 on average and can be purchased from such sites as StudioPress or Press75, for example.

Source article: online blogging bloggers and Blogger Reviews and Free Blog Sites and News Blog and Famous Blogger
blog

research science fair projects

2010-10-31T23:46:00.001-07:00

You mean you had to GO to the library to do research?

Understanding Research Types:
Basic: Seeks to create new knowledge and is not directly related to technical or practical problems. Example: analyze the types of information systems used by people with disabilities.

Applied: Seeks to solve problems. Example: A study conducted on how information systems can be used to improve communication with people with disabilities.

Research Terminology:
There are many types of research and each type of research can utilize different methods for collecting information. This glossary can be utilized to clarify the research terms you may come across during your search. In addition, this glossary is a good resource for refining questions you may have of your professor regarding the assignment.

Case Studies: Examines in-depth the practices or trends of a single or limited number of groups. According to the Second Edition of the Dictionary of Sociology edited by Gordon Marshal, case studies include "descriptive reports on typical, illustrative, or deviant examples; descriptions of good practices in policy research; evaluations of policies after implementation in an organization; studies that focus on extreme or strategic cases; the rigorous test of a well-defined hypothesis through the carefully selected contrasting cases; and studies of natural experiments."

Empirical Studies: Research based on critical evaluation through observation or experimentation.

Experimental Research: Examines the relationship between two variables. This type of research conducts experiments on test and control groups to test a hypothesis about the relationship between two variables.

Historical or Interpretive Research Studies: By examining past events and procedures, this type of study attempts to predict future events or make suggestions for future actions. Types of historical or interpretive research studies include: biographical; histories of institutions and organizations; investigation of sources and influences; editing and translating historical documents; studying the history of ideas; or compiling bibliographies.

Qualitative Research: Observes the experiences of a particular group and attempts to understand the actions and reactions of the group. Field studies and ethnographic techniques are examples of this type of research.

Survey Research Studies: Examines small groups of the population in order to learn about the larger population. Observation of the smaller group produces data about the larger population. This data is used to predict future actions or results.

User Studies: Research that evaluates the way in which systems or institutions are utilized and how the needs of users can be addressed.

Identifying Research Articles:
Listed below are some clues to help identify research articles. However, it should be noted that numerous exceptions occur for all of the points listed below. Therefore, the following information should be used as a guideline when looking for research articles

Topic: Research articles tend to be highly specific in nature, relate to a particular field, or specialty within a field, and are written by authors who have done research in the field.

Audience: The target audience is other researchers, colleagues, students and specialists in the same field. Research articles are written for the scholarly community, rather than a general audience.

Language: The language of research articles is formal, generally does not use the first person, and includes jargon used in the field. Research articles are written to contribute to the knowledge base of the discipline.

Length: research articles can vary in length, but are typically five to fifty pages long.

Authors: Research articles may have numerous authors. The organization, institute or professional society the authors belong to will be listed.

Content: Generally the article is written at a sophisticated enough level that the reader will need to read the article more than once in order to understand and evaluate the article.

Identifying Refereed Journals:
Listed below are some clues to help identify refereed journals. However, it should be noted that numerous exceptions occur for any and all of the points listed below. Therefore, the following information should be used as a guideline when looking for refereed journals

Issue identification: Each issue has a publishing date, volume number and issue number. Generally a volume number is consistent throughout the calendar year, with each issue assigned a corresponding number e.g. vol. 55, issue 4.

Length: A refereed journal may have one to fifty articles, with most having eight to eighteen.

Advertising and graphics: Very little, if any, advertising is included in refereed journals. Any advertising that is included will directly relate to the field. Generally journals of this nature do not have photographs and use black print on white paper. The size of the journal may vary in size from a small paperback size to a large magazine format.

Table of contents: In addition to research articles, refereed journals may contain book reviews, literature reviews, and essays. Therefore, just because an article is published in a refereed journal, it does not necessarily mean that it is a research article!

Publishing: Refereed journals are usually published regularly - once a week, once a month, every quarter, or annually. The majority of journals are published four to six times per year and are often published by a professional society, organization or research institution.

Editorial board: Refereed journals have a peer review process. The editorial board is listed (generally at the beginning of the journal) along with the organizations they are affiliated with. Information about what types of papers are chosen for publication, the selection process, the length of papers accepted, and how to submit a paper is also provided.

Indexing: A listing of where the refereed journal is indexed is often provided.

Title: The title of a refereed journal usually has an "academic" sounding name.

Availability: The location, call number, and availability of the journal can be determined by using the online catalog.

Refereed Materials:
Refereed materials are publications reviewed by "expert readers" or referees prior to the publication of the material. After reading and evaluating the material, the referee informs the publisher if the document should be published or if any changes should be made prior to publication. Refereed materials are also referred to as Peer Reviewed. Refereed materials are significant to the research and the literature of library and information science because they assure readers that the information conveyed is reliable and timely.

Non-Refereed Materials:
Non-refereed materials such as Trade Journals or Magazines use less rigorous standards of screening prior to publication. In some publications, each article may be only screened by the publication's editor. While knowledgeable, no editor can be an authority on all the subject matter printed in a journal. Other non-refereed materials accept almost anything submitted in order to have something to print. The term "scholarly materials" is often used to describe refereed materials, but this term is not exclusive to refereed material. Non-refereed materials may not by scrutinized as intensely as refereed materials, but they can still be considered scholarly.

Locating Materials:
Databases are repositories of article information from journals, magazines, conferences, and sometimes books and newspapers. Databases cover a wide range of topics. Some databases offer a full text feature that links you directly to an article, so you can download and print it directly off the Internet. Explore databases that you use regularly to determine if they have this feature (usually denoted by an "FT" next to the article citation).

Evaluating On-line sources:
Online sources can be a valuable tool if you know how to accurately assess the value and validity of the online information source. In trying to determine the validity of a webpage, it is useful to see what type of organization publishes the page. Sites ending in .edu or .gov are generally more accurate and trustworthy than most, since they emanate from academic and governmental organizations. It is important to verify that you are not looking at a student page located on an academic server, which may or may not be as trustworthy as a page produced by the school. Another element to be cautious of when evaluating your potential source is bias. For example, if you are looking at a commercial site, are they accurately portraying information, or bending the truth to fit their needs? The next criterion to evaluate is accuracy. Begin by looking for spelling mistakes, poor grammar, and typos. Next, look at the sources quoted within the page. Are they well-known, trusted sources and people with expertise in the field at hand? If the page is valid, accurate, and published by a trusted source, then it is generally considered acceptable for research purposes.

Search Strategies:
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Hostgator

research paper outline

2010-10-30T00:48:00.001-07:00

Patricia L. Sullivan, an assistant professor at the University of Georgia's School of Public and International Affairs recently completed a study advancing a new model which predicts a nation's probability of accomplishing military objectives. Sullivan's research, reported in the June issue of the Journal of Conflict Resolution and by the UGA Office of Public Affairs News Service, found that since WWII major countries, including the United States, the Soviet Union, Russia, China, Britain or France, have failed in 39% of 122 military objectives against smaller, weaker nations.

Under a grant funded by the National Science Foundation and institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation Sullivan conducted research to explain the "circumstances under which more powerful nations are likely to fail and creates a model that allows policymakers to calculate the probability of success in current and future conflicts, "according to the UGA News Service.

Factors which Sullivan found important are the objective, the nature of the target, whether or not the target cooperates with the objective, whether the target or country initiating the action has allies, whether allies will intervene on either side, and the military strength or weakness of allies.

The factor most easily defined is the objective. The objective is the reason for military intervention. Objective, in Sullivan's model, is based on a continuum from "brute force" to "coercion." According to UGA News Service, the nature of the target is defined by the type of group which composes the target: guerilla, formal nation states, or terrorists. Examining these factors allows you to draw some conclusions about the odds of winning a military conflict.

Of the factors Sullivan identified the most important as whether the objective can be reached by military strength alone, or if target cooperation is essential in the military objective.

Sullivan explains that in the 1991 Gulf War Kuwait was a cooperative target. The citizens and government of Kuwait wanted the assistance of the United States. Driving out Hussein's forces was accomplished quickly and efficiently with the compliance of the nation of Kuwait.

Iraq has proven to be a different war story. Iraq did not invite the United States to enter their country. Although the United States entered on the stated premise of humanitarianism and a quest to end Hussein's reign of terror, that doesn't mean the U.S. was invited, and it doesn't mean the target is cooperative. The United States' objective to free the people of Iraq from the iron rule of Saddam Hussein and his Republican Guard was based on the plausible assumption that no human being wants to live in a state of suffering, euthanasia, and general brutality from a dictator. The United States government presumed the people of Iraq preferred freedom and democracy to the dictatorial, totalitarian government under which they lived. However, as a nation, Iraq has not proven cooperative to that objective.

Sectarian violence has kept the United States from meeting their military objective. Rather than welcoming international assistance in building a free nation, divided allegiances in the country have prolonged the military action. Many Muslim extremists view the United States as the face of the enemy, literally and spiritually. They continue to fight hard against governmental and social changes.

The lack of cooperation in Iraq is a huge indicator, according to Sullivan's model of the future of the war. It illuminates the need for target cooperation in military objectives. It does not, however, satisfy the question as to whether the probability of victory affirms or denies the call for military force to implement changes in the interest of humanitarianism.

Military force and humanitarianism, philosophically, should be mutually exclusive terms. However, often, in the face of brutality and oppression force is necessary to break the bonds of oppression. This creates a paradox which the United States government and citizens continue to grapple. It is, however, the same paradox that prompted the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolutionary War.

Sullivan reported to the UGA news service, "We can try to use brute force to kill insurgents and terrorists, but what we really need is for the population to be supportive of the government and to stop supporting the insurgents. Otherwise, every time we kill an insurgent or a terrorist, they're going to be replaced by others."

Once Sullivan developed her model, she tested it and found that her paradigm was accurate in 80% of the conflicts she examined, according to the UGA news service. Her model was used to examine the current war between the U.S. and its allies, and Iraq. Extrapolating an end to the war in Iraq based on Sullivan's model, theUGA news service estimates that there is a 26% chance of victory, in a war that could endure approximately ten years. Sullivan points out that factions, insurgents, and covert allies, such as Iran and Syria, seriously undermine the U.S. objective in Iraq.

Sullivan's conclusions regarding the war with Iraq were reported by the UGA news service as follows:

"No one could have predicted exactly what would happen after we overthrew the regime of Saddam Hussein," Sullivan said. "But what my model could say was that if the population was not supportive of whatever new regime we put in power and the American strategic objective shifted from regime removal to maintaining the authority of a new government, the likelihood of a successful outcome would drop from almost 70 percent to just under 26 percent."

Sullivan's research and reporting prove timely as the fierce debate over whether to pull our troops out of Iraq rages in the United States. According to Sullivan, the chances for the successful establishment of a new government in a free and independent Iraq are slim, without the cooperation of the Iraqis and surrounding nations. The research, however, does nothing to discourage those who believe in the fight in the name of higher moral law and justice.

Sullivan's paradigm is helpful, but must be weighed against the one's acceptance of age old adage, "It's not whether you win or lose, but how (or why) you play the game." One factor that Sullivan's research did not address includes an equation which may never be quantified: How much is one life worth in the pursuit of freedom and justice for all?

Sources:

Fahmy, Sam. "UGA study finds that weaker nations prevail in 39 percent of military conflicts, UGA Office of Public Affairs News Service, June 11, 2007.

http://www.uga.edu/news/artman/publish/070611_Sullivan.shtml

http://www.uga.edu/intl/sullivan.htm

http://jcr.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/51/3/496

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Multiple Social Bookmark

research channel

2010-10-28T04:21:00.001-07:00

July 24, 2006: In May 2006, the American Diabetes Association publicly urged the United States Senate to lift restrictions on stem cell research, and to pass the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005. It had been stalled in the Senate for over a year, despite strong bi-partisan support.

The bill is no longer stalled. This past Tuesday, the bill was passed by a 67-37 vote, again, with strong support from both parties. The next day, President George W. Bush vetoed the bill.

In the first ever veto issued by the President, after 5½ years in office, embryonic stem cell researchers and patients living with myriad diseases and debilitating conditions were disappointed in their quest for better federal funding for research.

Hours after the veto was issued, the House of Representatives convened to hold a vote to override. They fell 51 votes short of the 286 required to override the veto.

Surrounding himself with adopted babies born from frozen embryos, Bush announced his veto of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act from the East Room of the White House. “These boys and girls are not spare parts,” he said. “They remind us of that is lost when embryos are destroyed in the name of research.”

“This bill would support the taking of innocent human life in the hope of finding medical benefits for others,” said President Bush.

Advocates for the bill ranging from patients and researchers to politicians on both sides of the political fence cried “foul,” Republican California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and former first lady Nancy Reagan among them, both of whom urged the president to reconsider his position.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the day after the veto, Governor Schwarzenegger authorized $150 million in loans to California’s stem cell agency, a move that quadrupled the amount of money the agency had previously had access to for their embryonic stem cell research.

Nationally, however, the sting has been deeply felt by those invested in embryonic stem cell research and the potential outcomes of better funding for it. “We're just profoundly disappointed with the president's decision,” said pathologist Leo Furcht of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, president of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. “The fact that legitimate prospects are there for treating terrible diseases with these cells makes it very troubling.” (USA Today: July 20, 2006)

In a 2005 survey of 2,200 people conducted by the Genetics and Public Policy Center, 67% of people polled responded that they “approved” or “strongly approved” of embryonic stem cell research, according to USA Today.

President Bush remained unmoved by public and political support for the issue. “It crosses a moral boundary that our decent society needs to respect,” said the President. “So, I vetoed it.”

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Bestpriceshopping

research methods in anthropology

2010-10-26T01:26:00.001-07:00

Introduction

There is a growing urgency among sex researchers to bridge the overwhelming gap between two dominant approaches to understanding sexuality – the positivist, empirical approach and the social constructionist approach (Bancroft, 2000). While on the one hand, it is undeniable that such fundamental biological processes as genetics, hormones, and biological development play important roles in the expression of sexuality at every level, it is also undeniable, on the other hand, that a culture’s discourse around sexuality also influences sexual expression in ways that are not necessarily amenable to quantifiable, empirical study. Although it is generally acknowledged that there is some kind of interaction between individual biology and culture, these two strains of research have not yet found a shared language which mutually satisfies the two camps, and no methodologically useful way of modeling this interaction has been widely accepted among sex researchers. If we hope to understand sexuality in all its complexity, we must account for both sides of the story. The positivists must acknowledge as legitimate and incorporate into their research the important cultural factors that influence sexuality; in parallel, the social constructionists must acknowledge that basic genetic and biological processes affect cultural expressions of gender and sex.

Sex research needs simplified models of sexuality that are valuable insofar as they help create positive change (Bancroft, 2000). Dynamical systems theory may be a possible solution. Already utilized in fields as diverse as developmental psychology (cf. Thelen and Smith, 1994), artificial intelligence and philosophy of mind (Clark, 1998), meteorology (Lorenz 1963), anthropology (Bateson, 1980), and curriculum development (Doll, 1993), dynamical systems theory (DST) differs from both the traditional medical approach and the critical social constructionist approach in its theoretical assumptions and, more significantly, in its methodological approach to studying its subject. Dynamical systems theory may provide a practical, coherent way to model sexual development, identity, and culture in a way that accounts for the complex interactions between individual biology and psychology with social forces, accounting for both individual variability as well as social-level characteristics.

Dynamical systems theory has been used with increasing frequency in social psychology and related fields, though its original use was in physical sciences (Lewin, 1943). Today its dominant use in the social sciences is in the realm of cognitive science and developmental psychology, where it is used to explain motor development, cognition, and perception (cf. Thelen and Smith, 1994). There is also a growing agenda in social psychology to model social interaction using dynamic models (cf. Nowak and Vallacher, 1998).

Two lines of research in sexuality currently use dynamical systems theory. First, Rodgers (2000) is using an epidemiology-inspired non-linear model in studying sexual debut and pregnancy in adolescents. Second, an emerging application of the theory is in the development of gender identity – a research agenda newly adopted by Fausto-Sterling (2003), examining the development of gender in infants to one year olds. This promises to be a highly useful agenda which will establish a precedent in the fields of sex and gender research.
In this paper, I discuss the theoretical gap left between the positivists and the social constructionists. I then offer initial and tentative ideas about a dynamical systems framework which has the potential to bridge the gap. I give a basic overview of dynamical systems theory, including the goals of a dynamical systems research agenda, and essential constructs and principles that govern the structure of dynamical systems. I then offer historical and philosophical justification for applying the theory to health behavior, followed by three possible strains of sex research which might usefully apply dynamical systems. Next, I describe some potential shortcomings of DST. Finally, I discuss the research and practical implications that dynamical systems may have on the field of sex research. I rely heavily on the work of Bancroft – a psychiatrist by training – (2000) and colleagues, Clark – a philosopher of mind – (1998), Nowak and Vallacher – social psychologists – (1998; 1994), and Thelen and Smith – developmental psychologists – (1994, 2000). The interdisciplinarity of my sources illustrates the complexity and adaptability of dynamical models.

Dominant Theories in Sex Research
In this section, I will review the two dominant camps in current sex research, here referred to as positivism and social constructionism. For each, I will give a brief overview of the main characteristics of the approach, followed by a summary of their strengths and their weaknesses as epistemologies of sexuality. I will conclude with a brief overview of the problems each has had in past sex research and a discussion about what issues researchers might face without an adequate solution to the problems presented by each – in short, the need for an interactionist account that is simple, plausible, and yet falsifiable.

Positivism
Positivism is a dominant camp which relies on observation, induction, and experimentation to test or refute hypotheses based on the outcome of experimentation (Glaz, Rimer, and Lewis, 2002). As the most common and historically most relied on scientific approach, the positivist approach forms the foundation for the vast majority of modern science – indeed modern science is defined by its reliance on empiricism to deduce truth. Positivism is good at investigation, at asking answerable questions and offering methods for answering them that appear objective. Methods used by positivists include what we commonly understand as the “scientific method” – proposing a theory and then testing it empirically. Any question not answerable by these methods is meaningless for the positivists. Where it falls short is in its assumption that measurement is an accurate reflection of the truth and in its emphasis on the individual, rather than the social or cultural. Fields typified by the positivist approach include biology, chemistry, medicine, and much of psychology.

Social Constructionism
Bancroft (2000) refers to this camp as “post-modern,” (336) a fitting conceptualization of this theoretical perspective borne from the work of postmodern philosophers like Foucault (1972) and Derrida (1981). Social constructionism relies on the process of discovery as the source of knowledge (Glanz, Rimer, and Lewis, 2002). An essential element of the epistemology of social constructionism is the inability to separate the perspective of the observer (or researcher) from that which he is observing. Methods used in social constructionist research include qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews, ethnography, and critical readings of scientific and cultural work. Reduction or decontextualization of these data renders them meaningless for social constructionists. In terms of its shortcomings, as Richard Parker put it so succinctly, “If one takes a social constructionist position, how does one account for the possibility that individuals make choices?” (Bancroft, 2000 p. 314). Social constructionism is the theory of the social, and at its logical end it denies the agency of the individual to make decisions independent of the social discourse. Without some breakdown of reality into smaller chunks, researchers find themselves equipped with a one-to-one map of reality, an unmanageable account which describes rather than predicts. Fields typified by the social constructionist approach include anthropology, some sociology, and educational ethnography. The humanities, such as comparative literature and history, also often take a social constructionist stance in their critiques of culture, politics, and science.

The Need for an Interactionist Account
It should be noted that both camps generally acknowledge that each has a claim to some of the truth and hardly any researcher would deny that a great deal of interaction takes place, but neither paradigm is equipped to manage the questions posed by the other, and neither can account fully for the data already at hand. As a single example, a study of men in Scotland and in China found at their responses to injections of androgens did not differ on the biological measurement – namely nocturnal penile tumescence – but did differ on the psychological assessment of mood and level of sexual interest (Bancroft, 2000). If all human biology is essentially the same, how can a positivist, biomedical account of the data explain the more subjective response of the two groups? And if sexuality is cultural, how can the social constructivist account adequately explain the similarity in biological response, given the difference in psychological response?

Given the shortcomings of both paradigms, what must an interactionist account do? It must create a uniform language which social constructivists and logical empiricists can share, a language which can explain not only the influence of pre-natal hormones on the development of sexual orientation in American culture, but also the influence of American culture on the sexual identity of Navaho people living on reservations and those living in cities or rural areas. That is a tall order. To finish the quote from Richard Parker:
I see it in some ways as the social constructionist’s dilemma: If one takes a social constructionist position, how does one account for the possibility that individuals make choices? It’s because they operate in a field that does give them options, so we really have to pay a good deal of attention to that.” (Bancroft, 2000 p. 314)

An interactionist theory must model the field in which the individual has choice, but not infinite choice. It must represent the constraints on individual choice, and it must represent individual variability to account for different people in the same situation making different choices. It must represent relationships – between an individual and her culture, between more than one culture, between an individual and his own biology – in a systematic, concrete, and falsifiable way, to satisfy the empiricists. Yet it must not reduce or decontextualize data and human behavior, in order to satisfy the social constructionists. Given the complexity of the real world, how can a researcher manage these interactions theoretically in order to make them accessible to investigation?

What is Dynamical Systems Theory?
Dynamical systems theory is not a theory about human behavior or any other single type of complex system: it is a theory about systems generally, which can be applied to any system whose behavior is determined by interactions among difference and differential equations. It is “an area of mathematics used to describe the behavior of complex systems by employing differential and difference equations” (Eliasmith, 2003). As such, DST enthusiasts sometimes present the theory as an overarching metatheory of everything –for example, one biologist who applies dynamical systems theory to the global carbon cycle describes his research interest as “he role of life in the Earth system” (Volk, 2003). DST critics make the same claim and point to it as a failing in the theory – it accounts for too much. Like evolution, it is difficult to disprove and may therefore lose its usefulness insofar as it is virtually unfalsifiable. I would posit that there is some potential ground for both claims. With applications as diverse as physics, developmental psychology, and curriculum design, it is hard to argue that any aspect of scientific endeavor about the natural world – of which humans are a part – cannot be modeled effectively in a dynamical approach. Hence, sexual researchers may establish that sexual behavior at any particular level may be modeled with difference or differential equations, just as evolution, population and predator-prey ratios, and infants learning to walk may be modeled thus. Dynamical systems is about interaction, and sex research is currently torn in its need for a coherent account of interaction.

What, if any, aspect of sexuality, is a dynamical system? Before I answer, I want to distinguish between real versus mathematical dynamical systems. A “real” dynamical system is anything that exists in space which changes over time (Guinti, 1995). Given that definition, all aspects of sexuality are dynamic systems, from sexual dimorphism to the social construction of sexuality. A mathematical dynamical system is a mathematical representation of the change process a real system undergoes (Guinti, 1995). The model, unlike the real system, is constant, representing the change, rather than practicing change. The model consists of time, the set of all possible states in which the system might, at any given time exist, and “a set of functions… which tell us the state of the system at any instant…” (Guinti, 1995 p. 551). This distinction begs the question: what disciplines of sexuality (given that they are dynamical systems), if any, can be represented mathematically this way?

At least two research agendae are already using dynamical systems. Rodgers (2000), Rodgers and Rowe (1993), and Rodgers and Buster (1998) applied an epidemiological mathematical model to sociosexual behavior, a model called Epidemic Models of the Onset of Social Activities (EMOSA). While some express concern about the language of the model, which relies on epidemiological terminology of infection and contagions, the mathematical model powerfully account for sexual onset and risk for pregnancy (Rodgers and Buster, 1998). Use of non-linear dynamic modeling in epidemiology is traditional, and this application of the model to social, rather than biological, functioning takes a step toward representing humans at the behavioral and social level. The other research agenda is the exploration of the development of gender in infants (Fausto-Sterling, 2003). This research is in its preliminary stages and has produced no data yet. But I will propose here that DST can be used to model sexuality at every level, from the genetic and hormonal to inter-culture interactions.
In order to explore the extent of the possibility of using this system in the interdisciplinary study of sexuality, in this section I will identify six major goals of dynamical systems it relates to human development and behavior. Next, I will define several essential concepts which are important to the theory. Then I will discuss how these constructs are operationalized within a research agenda, in order to build and test a model.

Goals of DST Modeling
Thelen and Smith (1994) describe 6 majors goals of a dynamic theoretical ground for human development, which are equally relevant to sexuality and provide a good starting point for discussing what DST can do for sex research that we have not yet been able to do with other conceptual frameworks. These 6 goals are:
1. To understand the origins of novelty
2. To reconcile global regularities with local variability, complexity, and context-specificity.
3. To integrate developmental data at many levels of explanation.
4. To provide a biologically plausible yet non-reductionist account of the development of behavior.
5. To understand how local processes lead to global outcomes.
6. To establish a theoretical basis for generating and interpreting empirical research. (Thelen and Smith, 19994, p. xviii)

“Novelty” is the emergence of a new behavior. In the context of human development, this includes things like learning to walk or produce language. In sexuality, novel behavior may be sexual debut, infection with HIV, first homosexual behavior, or starting contraceptive use.

Global regularities are those aspects of human behavior that seem universal – all people learn to walk and talk. In the context of sexuality, quite simply, all living people are have genitals and nervous systems. Local variability is a reference to individual differences inside those global regularities – people learn to speak different languages depending on their environment. In sexuality, many people are attracted to people of the opposite sex, some to people of the same sex, and others to both.

Integrating developmental data at many levels of explanation refers to the experimental and theoretical process of modeling and explaining the available data about human development. I would transfer this goal to sexuality and set the goal of modeling and explaining the available data about human sexuality – for example the difference between male and female sexual responsiveness. This is a complex problem which no model has yet resolved. Dynamical systems theory may be able to clarify it.

Potentially the most important goal of DST applied to human development, establishing a biologically plausible yet non-reductionist explanation for human behavior is key to wedding the positivists to the social constructionists in a single language which satisfies both. The biological plausibility establishes a basic, undeniable connection with the physical world. The non-reductionistic nature of the explanation avoids the social constructionist critique of positivism that it bases generalizations about humans on deprived stimuli, overly deterministic, heuristically questionable theoretical approaches and conclusions.

To understand how local processes lead to global outcomes in sex research may take many forms, from the emergence of a homosexual identity from a particular combination of culture with pre-natal hormone levels to the emergence of dominant sexual groups with minority groups oppressed and subjugated. Dynamical systems is equipped readily to cope with the biological processes involved in sexuality. It will need a great deal of careful operationalization for the more social aspects, as we will see.

Key Concepts
Systems are components interacting in an organized way (Nowak and Vallacher, 1998). Closed systems consist of components interacting in the absence of external influence. Open systems consist of components interacting both internally (see “intrinsic dynamics” below) as well as in response to the “suprasystem,” or to external influences. In the context of sexuality, researchers may analyze many different levels of analysis, from genetics to cultures. Both can be conceptualized (and, I will argue, operationalized) as systems.

Dynamics refers to the nature of change (Nowak and Vallacher, 1998). Sexual science is largely concerned with change processes – from the process of sexual anatomical differentiation in vitro to the mutual interaction and influence among cultures. Dynamic systems in this sense are characterized by several qualities, including intrinsic dynamics, emergence, and equifinality, which will be elaborated below. These characteristics form a system which is deterministic but not predictive, a characteristic which may be problematic in the social sciences, as discussed later in this paper.

Phase Space or State Space is “a visual means of representing the state of a particular system; phase-space being the entire range of values that are possible within a particular system” (Puddifoot, 2000 p. 85). A phase space is a picture or mathematical representation of the system. It is the assessment of phase spaces that methodologically differentiates a dynamical systems approach to social science from the standard statistical approaches.

Attractors are phase spaces toward which a dynamical system will tend (Puddifoot, 2000; Clark, 1998). They can be understood as two general types – “classical” attractors, drawn directly from mechanical models, and “strange” attractors, which are characterized by a systems tendency toward a state (or “basin of attraction” [Clark, 1998 p. 100]) which it never quite reaches, but rather circles around.

Trajectories are the paths possible through the state space, which are determined by the interaction of the systems components and the attractors of the field (Clark 1998).

Degrees of Freedom are the scope of the states possible within the phase space (Clark, 1998). These are not infinite, but rather constrained by the real parameters that govern the system and the subsequent dynamics of the components’ interactions (interdeterminacy) (Thelen and Smith, 1994). Degrees of freedom is a particularly important concept in the modeling of a dynamic system in order to make it represent the real system, rather than acting merely as a conceptual framework or heuristic.

Bifurcations are phase transitions, where the system shifts to a different trajectory when the control parameters cross a threshold (Thelen and Smith, 1994). If we modeled human sexual response dynamically, we would likely find that orgasm represents a bifurcation in the dynamic system of sexual arousal, where the system behaves in a qualitatively different way when neuromuscular tension associated with arousal crosses a threshold.

Intrinsic Dynamics – This refers to changes that occur within the system in the absence of external influence (Clark, 1998). A key characteristic of intrinsic dynamics in complex systems is that from minute alterations in the parameters of the systems can arise large-scale changes (Doll, 1993). The classic expression of this is the so-called “butterfly effect,” postulated by Lorenz (196x), that a butterfly flapping its wings in Mexico may lead to a tornado in Texas.

Periodicity refers to the cyclic structure of some systems (CITE). Periodicity is observable in many human behaviors such as the sleep-wake cycle, hormonal fluctuations in women across their menstrual cycles, and, arguably, in sexual response.

Equifinality is the capacity for systems to arrive at the same end via different means (Fausto-Sterling, 2003). This is a key characteristic of complex systems because it is their robustness in the face of perturbation which illustrates their internal structure(Thelen and Smith, 1994). Philosophically, it presents issues which social constructionists may find problematic, as I will discuss later.

Perturbation is interference with the functioning of the system from a source external to the system.
At times of transition, when attractors are not strongly coherent, small changes in the organism, the task, or the environment can lead to profound reorganizations…. ven relatively minor and sometimes seemingly unconnected manipulations have a major impact on behavior. Before the transition, and after the behavior is well-established, these same factors do not disrupt ongoing performance.” (Thelen and Smith, 1994, p. 87)
Perturbation is a key tool in developing and testing a dynamic model because it allows the researcher to set the initial state (perturb the system) and then watch it run (internal dynamics) (Thelen and Smith, 1994).

Emergence, also known as self-organization, is a pattern of behavior that both arises from and influences the internal functioning from the system (Clark, 1998). To put it another way, according to Nowak (1998):
Rather than being imposed on the system from above or from outside the system altogether, the higher order structures emerge from the internal workings of the system itself. In this process, the system loses degrees of freedom, and the state of the system may be described by a small number of variables. Ironically, then, complex systems can sometimes be described by fewer variables than can relatively simple systems. (53)

Emergence, then, is one primary principle of dynamical systems. It is also a primary differentiating factor from conventional health behavior theories. Dominant theories such as Health Belief Model and Transtheoretical Model are componential, describing behavior as arising from controlled variables that are immediately available within the theoretical framework for “twiddling” (Clark 1998, p. 99) in order to change the structure of the behavior. Emergent properties of a system cannot be altered directly; rather one must change an element within the system and determine if that change results in the change in emergence one sought. However, dynamic systems as a rule have two characteristics which make that twiddling difficult. First, systems tend toward equilibrium, or balance, and some systems are extremely robust and will tolerate a great deal of alteration before a change happens. Second, as mentioned above, minute changes in parameters can give rise to large changes. The metaphor for this characteristic is Lorenz’s butterfly metaphor: if a butterfly flaps its wings in Brazil, it may eventually give rise to a hurricane in Texas (Doll, 1993).

There are a few additional characteristics of dynamic systems worth noting: chaotic systems are deterministic, but non-predictive. These systems are orderly in their disorder – that is to say, although we could map all the potential positions of the system, and we can follow its trajectory, we cannot predict with certainty the state of the system at any given time.

Thus, a “dynamical system” is an organization of parts, wherein all elements behave according to fundamental rules, from which cooperation emerges self-organized behavior. By formulating simple rules followed by multiple variables within a system, dynamical systems accounts for emergent system-level properties that do not exist in any single element of the system.

Modeling a System
These constructs, by themselves, provide a useful metaphor for describing human social systems – one can imagine organizations which function according to these principles and assign certain characteristics as “emergent properties” of those systems. However, a greater potential power for DST, and its greatest distinction for other interactionist models and from social constructionist uses of dynamical inspired metaphor, is the actual process of modeling systems in order to quantify them. DST is not mere metaphor; it is not simply a framework in which hang descriptions of interactions. It can be used as a concrete, specific formulation for studying, understanding, and potentially changing systems in more complex ways than social science currently does.

The process of generating a model of a system is relatively straightforward on the surface. In order to generate a model of a system, there are essentially four steps, per Thelen and Smith, 1997):

1. Identify the elements which change within the system – the statistical model’s equivalent would be the dependent variables.
2. Hypothesize principles which govern the interaction of the elements
3. Express these principles as difference or differential equations
4. Define “plausible parameters” for the system (Thelen and Smith, 1997, p. 578)

Once the equations have been fit with parameters, the equations generate a trajectory within the phase space, which the modeler can compare with preexisting data and with empirical evidence about the behavior being modeled. If the trajectory matches the data, then the model presumably matches the real system informing the observed behavior. If the trajectory does not match the data, the modeler may alter the parameters until she finds a match (Thelen and Smith, 1997). The practice of establishing the state of a field at a given time follows Lewin’s foundational work (1943).

However, a characteristic of complex, dynamic systems is the emergence of large changes due to minute characteristics of the initial parameters. The metaphor for this characteristic is Lorenz’s butterfly metaphor: if a butterfly flaps its wings in Brazil, it may eventually give rise to a hurricane in Texas (Doll, 1993). This becomes problematic in the measurement of complex systems because the assessment of what elements are significant in the system, what types of interaction they have, and what mathematical model best represents those interactions must be extremely precise. It also becomes the primary mode of testing the model, by way of perturbing the system in order to generate a precisely understood initial state; from that initial state, the researcher lets the system run and notes its behavior. She then gives the system a different initial state and lets it run, noting if the system is stable – i.e., it returns to a given state – or unstable – i.e., returns to a different state under different conditions (Thelen and Smith, 1994).

The output of these models differs substantially from that of traditional models. Rather than generating statistical models, which predict future behavior of an individual or groups based on statistical representation of a population samples’ behavior, these models create a multidimensional phase space which defines all the possible states of the system at any given time – the state space. Its validation lies in the ability of the system to reproduce reality, rather than in its “validity,” as measured statistically. Particularly in modeling motor or biological processes, the model is essentially a direct representation of the system. In this, DST can be remarkably powerful. However, this becomes problematic, as I discuss below, in terms of the operationalization of complex social-level behaviors.

Historical and Philosophical Justification for Applying DST to Sexuality
How do these goals, concepts, and methods for modeling systems help resolve the problems related to both positivism and social constructionism? To review, the primary problem with these two approaches was their failure to bridge both biological, essentialist elements of sexuality to social, cultural, and interpersonal elements of sexuality. In this section of the paper, I put forward two propositions:
o I propose that dynamical systems is a historically and philosophically justified step in the progression of sexual science, incorporating the scientific roots of postmodernism into the social sciences.
o I propose further that a dynamical systems resolves this problem by modeling both the biological and the social in one uniform, unifying language that is appropriate for both.

Dynamical systems is a historically and philosophically justified.
To begin with, there is no logical reason to suppose that human beings follow different rules than any other element in the universe. The separation of mind from body – that is human being’s minds from the environment – dates at least to Descartes (1641/1996), who fundamentally divided human existence into these two categories and impacted the structure of studying humans. This philosophy of dualism has dominated positivist, logical empiricist science for the last 400 years. More recent work in anthropology and philosophy advocates reuniting mind and body, conceptually acknowledging the interrelatedness and complexity of individual human beings interacting with each other and their environment (e.g., Bateson, 1980; Clark, 1995). This shift represents a fundamental change in epistemology, from rationalist epistemology to “recursive” or “ecological” epistemology (Bateson, 1980), which unites the thinker to the subject of his thoughts, each reciprocally affecting the other. Following Heidegger and his “Dasein” (“being there”) (1927/1962), this different epistemology acknowledges that mind and identity cannot be separated in any meaningful way from body, environment, and experience. Thus our study of humans must be informed more complexly by the nature of a human’s interaction with the world, the structure and meaning of “mind” or “consciousness,” and how body and mind mediate as a unit the individual’s navigation through the world.

The historical antecedents of dynamical systems reach beyond the turn of the twentieth century. Lewin’s 1935 exploration of field theory in social science established the foundation for dynamical systems research. Noted by Thelen and Smith (1994) as a prime innovator in the field of dynamics applied to psychology, Kurt Lewin interpreted psychological research in the first half of the twentieth century in terms of field theory, then most commonly used in philosophy and physics (cf., Lewin 1940).

Given these historical and philosophical roots, dynamical systems represents an alternative epistemology, based not on the dualism represented by the dichotomy between the positivists and the social constructivists, but on an integration of body, mind, and world. In the very equations which define dynamic interactions, environmental factors and organismic factors interact interdependently, bringing a new and potentially powerful method for modeling behavior of systems, human and otherwise, biological and social, microscopic and macroscopic.

Dynamical systems models the biological and the social in one uniform, unifying language.
Dynamical systems consist of multiples components interacting in an organized way which gives rise to emergent phenomena. To explain emergent phenomena requires an approach that has two characteristics:
1. “[It must be] well suited to modeling both organismic and environmental parameters” (Clark, 1998, p. 113). Emergence happens from the interaction of multiple layers of organism with environment and mind. Due to the multidimensional nature of sexuality, the individual responding to and interacting with his environment, our field requires a theory that can account both for variations within the organic creature, as well as the social and ecological events which surround him. Thus this rule reflects what is necessary to describe emergence and what is necessary to describe sexual phenomena.
2. “[It must] model them both in a uniform vocabulary” (Clark, 1998, p 113). Under the essential principle of parsimony, a single language to describe these excruciatingly complex behaviors brings much needed clarity to a theory which might otherwise marry multiple theories together in a mangled approximation of complete explanation.

DST offers these two primary principles (Clark, 1998) which are potentially extremely useful in understanding sex. The positivists and the social constructions have critically responded to each other, but their language has been completely different, based on their different epistemological approaches to the subject of sexuality. While the positivists have couched their research in dualistic, reductionist, empirical terms, social constructionists have discussed sexuality in terms of dominant discourses, social processes, and post-modern conceptualizations of meaning embedded in culture.

A dynamical systems approach is not necessarily an absolute departure from more traditional positivist theoretical bases, nor from typical constructionist perspectives. I propose that an emergent, dynamical explanation provides a likely match with measurable phenomena in the realm of sexual behavior. Unlike componential explanations, dynamical systems, as an emergence-oriented theory, can provide a manageable yet rich representation of judgment, choice, action, and belief precisely because it acknowledges and accounts for complexity, the usual purview of the social constructionists. Indeed, it may provide the most powerful theoretical background for determining an individual’s state space within a given system, and thus may suggest the most effective mode of intervention to create positive change in that person’s health state.
Dynamical systems weds the two by accounting for essentialist functions like biology, anatomy, and physiology, and their interactions with environmental forces such as social processes and the discourses which surround the organism. It involves both in a single, functional language. A more complete account of precisely how this language works is outside the scope of this paper, but further work in the mathematical details of dynamical systems modeling will elucidate the exact nature of how this method captures the interaction of both (Clark, 1998; Thelen and Smith, 1994; Thelen and Smith, 1997).

Possibilities and Precedents for Using DST
So far I have used the term “sex research” unclearly. My reason for that is the basic lack of clarity of the term, in the sense that sex research is dizzyingly interdisciplinary. While Fausto-Sterling (2003) is developing a gender development research program based in close parallel with the motor development research of Thelen and Smith (1994), social psychologists around the world are building research on the possibility of modeling human social interactions dynamically (Nowak and Vallacher, 1998). This is a young, immature, unstable field with many questions remaining unanswered, but the metaphors are powerful and persuasive; and the logical consistency of identical models for both social and biological behavior is strong (see above). Thus in this section I argue for the intriguing and appealing possibility that this single framework can be used in many different kinds of sex research. For the sake of simplicity, I will present here two possible areas of research. The first is the agenda already taken on by Fausto-Sterling, creating a dynamical systems model of gender development in infants to one year olds. The second is an adaptation of the Kinsey Institute’s Dual Control model of sexual response to a dynamical systems framework. For each, I will examine the possibilities of dynamical systems, in the context of social psychological and biological research that sets precedents for similar research agendas.
Fausto-Sterling (2003) has begun the initial phases of establishing the phase space for the development of gender in infants. Her inspiration is the developmental work of Thelen and Smith (1994), whose dynamical approach to motor development in infants has established precedents for applying dynamical systems to developmental psychology. Fausto-Sterling’s work is extremely new and has not yet generated independent data, but the current status of the work is the massive assessment of gender development data, finding what we know definitely, what findings need replication, and where we have utter gaps in our knowledge. By framing gender development as a dynamical system, Fausto-Sterling provides a practical, suitably complex system for examining what has been a key area of dispute between the positivists (who typically argue for an essentialist origin of gender) and the social constructionists (who typically argue for a socially constructed origin of gender). Because dynamical systems includes in its functional elements both relevant aspects of the organism and relevant aspects of the environment, it provides a bridge for calculating the nature of the coupling of multiple layers of interaction.

Adapting the Dual Control Model of sexual response, developed at the Kinsey Institute (Bancroft and Janssen, 2000) poses a possible application of DST immediately available in sex research. The dual control model, in brief, proposes that a mechanism in the central nervous system has inhibitory and excitatory capability, and that individuals vary in their “excitability” and “inhibition.” The inhibitory process is divided theoretically into two processes, one based on fear of performance failure and another based on fear of consequences from the sexual arousal. People who are high on the first are prone to sexual dysfunction, and people who are low on the second are prone to sexual risk-taking. Currently the model is assessed with a survey, on which participants receive a score for each of the three variables. This is useful for assessing an individual’s proneness to risk-taking (which can lead to negative health consequences) or to sexual dysfunction (which can lead to negative emotional situations, relationship issues, and inability to reproduce).

To adapt this theory to a dynamical model, we would probably need three equations, one for each function within the central nervous system, interacting dynamically over time. In order to build a dynamic model, we must identify the elements which function within the system, hypothesize the principles which govern the interaction of the elements, express these principles as difference or differential equations, and then define plausible parameters for the system. The elements which function within the system are the body and mind of the individual, plus any external stimulus involved in his arousal. The principles which govern the interaction of those elements, per Bancroft and Janssen (2000) are the central excitation and inhibition of arousal. To express these functions as difference or differential equations is outside the scope of this paper, but I would suggest a model similar to that found in Thelen, Schoner, Scheier, and Smith (2000), which coupled a motor field with a perceptual field and relied on the nature of the coupling between these two. Reasonable parameters for the fields would be defined by the legitimate boundaries of human capacity for excitation and inhibition (i.e., it is not plausible for a possible parameter to allow for continuous, perpetual orgasm). With a hypothesized mathematical system, with three equations simultaneously solving for the same variable over time, we can collect data from individuals who go through a process of sexual arousal and perturb the system in ways that explore what attractors may alter the functioning of the system at any possible state in the phase space.

Problems with DST
There seems little argument with the claim that sexuality is dynamic, involving mutually influencing systems, both organic and social (if one can legitimately distinguish social systems as “not organic”), from which arise behaviors which are, in theory, at least broadly predictable. Operationalizing this conception in terms of dynamical systems theory, however, is far from simple. Neither the positivists nor the social constructionists would feel fully comfortable with dynamical systems, and it is important to delineate where DST falls short, from each of those perspectives.

DST and the Positivists
Critiques of dynamical systems theory from the positivist perspective generally take three forms. First, there is the possibility that some systems cannot generate predictions, which flies in the face of positivism. Second, there is the difficulty in operationalizing complex concepts like “social process.” And third, there are mathematical hurdles to be crossed in transferring knowledge from a statistical standard to a dynamical systems model.

Positivism asserts not only that reality can be tested and measured, but that from those measurements we can derive predictions. Dynamical modeling, although it certainly assumes that mathematical representation can accurately illustrate a system, generates non-predictive models in extremely complex systems (like the weather) (Doll, 1993). I would respond to this criticism by pointing out that if a system is genuinely chaotic, it is a Sisyphusian endeavor for researchers to attempt to formulate predictive models. Better we should know what is unpredictable than never admit that the system has, indeed, beaten our best science.

Another criticism from the positivists generates from the difficulty in operationalizing the elements of the system. Puddifoot (2000) focuses on the difficulty of operationalizing the concept of “social process,” a fundamental problem with which any dynamic model of a social system much content. This critique is a good example of the painstaking care social psychological, sociological, anthropological, and other social science disciplines must take in operationalizing concepts which otherwise would seem well-established within their discipline. Here the social constructionists will be useful in their analytical critiques of the positivists construction of terminology within different experimental frameworks.
A positivist critique of the EMOSA (Stoolmiller, 1998) focused on the statistical aspects of the model.

DST and the Social Constructionists
Dynamic modeling is fundamentally more positivist than social constructionist insofar as it (1) posits the possibility of empirically validating a pre-constructed theory and (2) assumes it can accurately represent mathematically a system which exists in space and time. Yet it matches the social constructionist agenda closer than purely statistical representations of a theory because it is explicitly a mathematical representation of change, of relationship, and it is not necessarily predictive (however deterministic) in extremely complex systems.

Another aspect which matches it more with social constructionist work is its non-impoverishment of data. Dynamical systems want to represent human behavior at every level in all its complexity, without reducing it to the interaction among heuristics; dynamical interaction is interaction among real concepts in space and time, not hypothetical constructs.
Social constructionist criticism of EMOSA (see Bancroft, 2000) focuses not on the methods but on the labels and language used in the operationalization of the concepts. Presented at a conference on the role of theory in sex research (Rodgers, 2000), many critiques of this work focused on the language used (“virgins and nonvirgins” rather than “intercourse experienced or inexperienced” or “sexual debut”, etc) and the utility of measuring a binary such as pre- and post-first intercourse (Bancroft, 2000 pp. 273-8). I believe these comments missed the primary innovation of this work, which is an initial attempt to apply a mathematical model that is widely used in many other fields to an area of sex research which has not only otherwise eluded quantification, but also been stuffed into predictive, regressive statistical models which are theoretically inappropriate to the behavior, as I will discuss below.

DST, Causation, and Prediction
The structure of complex systems does not allow for basic causal theories of the behavior of that system. Because large changes may emerge from miniscule characteristics of the start-state of a system, and because interactions over time interact complexly, it is impossible to point to a single factor or even a group of factors which are necessarily causes of any given sexual characteristic or behavior. In a dynamical systems framework, sex researchers can only indicate that a group of factors interacting over time produced a particular state, and that the nature of the coupling of different parameters determines outcome. Also, as discussed in the History and Philosophy section of this paper, DST is not useful for prediction of behavior because highly complex systems are, by their very nature, non-predictive. If we take the weather as an illustrative example, we can determine within a range of time what possible conditions are likely to arise, but we cannot predict with certainty any given outcome. Because a key function of sex research is the prediction of, say, sexual risk taking or the outcome of a therapeutic intervention, we have a fundamental conflict in epistemology if these models turn out to be chaotic. However, we will not know whether or not those systems are chaotic (and thus unpredictable) unless we attempt to model them dynamically.

Conclusion
In this paper, I have attempted to examine dynamical systems theory as a potential new way of interrogating sexuality, from the genetic and hormonal level, to the psychological and cultural level. What I have not done is provided a specific agenda for sex researchers, nor have I delved in depth to mathematical methods of modeling of systems and the philosophical and practical implications of modeling not by standard statistical methods but with difference and differential equations. As a beginning doctoral student, I lack the knowledge to make any claims regarding mathematical modeling of any kind. But this is an area in great need of elaboration in the field of sex research if we are to adopt these methods appropriately. Further elaboration of types of attractor models which might best represent male and female development, sexual response, and identity, and the reciprocal influence of these on social dynamics remain unexplored.

Sexual response is a single aspect of sexuality as it exists in human organisms, and it arises from the complex interplay of chromosomes, hormones, social conditioning, and other factors. In order to understand sexual response per se, we must also understand sex and gender development and the social regulation of sexuality. DST has the potential to assist in these pursuits as well; as discussed, Fausto-Sterling (2003) has begun a research agenda to apply DST to the study of gender development in infants to one-year-olds. It may also be helpful in understanding the emergence of sexual identity: for example, researchers exploring basic hormonal differences in vitro and in infancy that seem correlated with homosexual desires or identity may be able to build a complex, dynamic model of development which illustrates how these minute chemical differences, functioning within the intrinsic dynamics of the system, may give rise to behavioral-level differences. In short, I have no doubt that the addition of a dynamical modeling of sexuality to the already vastly multidisciplinary field of sex research armamentarium will help bring cohesion and clarity to the basic contradictions and complexities in the data.

The theory is problematic in several ways, not the least of which is the unfamiliarity of the mathematical models used to represent the system quantitatively. Few sex researchers are prepared to perform and evaluate nonlinear differential equations; the profession’s emphasis on statistics has brought about a field full of professional and amateur statisticians, not connoisseurs of calculus. Beyond that, it requires minute data on the processes underlying health behavior: in order for the theory to account accurately for health behavior, it must incorporate precise data on the phenomenon it wishes to predict. In this way, dynamical systems demands a quality and quantity of research not yet available in this young field.
Yet the model offers a compellingly complete perspective on sexuality, perhaps the most thorough and comprehensive theory of human behavior. With such potential power, it is difficult to reject the model, despite the obstacles between the current state of health behavior research and the theory’s application in our work. As the field develops and we accumulate a more thorough-going picture of human behavior around health, the theory will grow increasingly explanatory, allowing us to design interventions that account not only for the variables we can measure directly, but also for the mechanisms underlying those variables.

Human behavior’s complexity challenges our best understanding. Social scientists have begun using dynamical systems to present parsimonious yet thorough explanations for emergent complexity in individual behavior and social organization. Sexual health behavior exemplifies the complexity of human behavior: with competing biological, interpersonal, social, and political agendas, the behavior we exhibit is a hybrid, a composite of all these competing factors. A dynamical systems model can potentially represent all these dimensions and the nature of their interaction.

References

Bancroft, John (Ed.). (2000). The Role of Theory in Sex Research. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.

Bancroft, J. and Janssen, E. (2000) The dual control model of male sexual response: a theoretical approach to centrally mediated erectile dysfunction. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Review; 24, 571-579.

Bateson G. (1980). Mind and nature: A necessary unity. London: Fontana.

Derrida, J. (1981). Dissemination. Chicago: University Press.

Clark, Andy. (2001). Being There: Putting Brain, Body, and World Together Again. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Descartes, Rene. (1641/1996). Meditations on First Philosophy. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.

Doll, William. (1993). A Post-modern Perspective on Curriculum. New York City: Teachers College Press.

Eliasmith, C. (Ed.) (n.d.) Dynamical Systems Theory. Retrieved October 30, 2003 from Washington University Philosphy of Mind Dictionary website: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~philos/MindDict/dynamicsystems.html

Fausto-Sterling, A. (2003). Thinking Systematically about the Emergence of Gender. Opening Plenary: Women’s Sexualities: Historical, Interdisciplinary, and International Perspectives Conference.

Michel Foucault. (1972).“The discourse on language.” In The Archaeology of Knowledge, New York: Pantheon Books.

Glanz, Karen, Rimer, Barbara K., and Lewis, Frances Marcus. (2002). Theory, Research, and Practice in Health Behavior and Health Education. In K. Glanz, B. Rimer, and F. Lewis (Eds.), Health Behavior and Health Education: Theory, research, and practice (pp. 22-39). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Guinti, Marco. (1995). Dynamical Models of Cognition. In R. Port and T van Gelder (Eds.), Mind as Motion (pp. 551-571). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Heidegger, Martin. (1927/1962). Being and time Translated by John Macquarrie and Edward Robinson. New York: Harper, 1962.

Lewin, Kurt. (1943/1963). Defining the “Field at a Given Time.” In Dorwin Cartwright (Ed.). Field Theory in Social Science. London: Tavistock Publication Limited.

Lorenz EN (1963) Deterministic nonperiodic flow. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 20:130-141.

Nowak, Andrzej and Vallacher, Robin. (1998). Dynamical Social Psychology. New York: Guilford Press.

Puddifoot, John. (2000). Some Problems and Possibilities in the Study of Dynamical Social Processes. Journal for the Theory of Social Behavior. 30(1), 79-97.

Rodgers, Joseph Lee. (2000). Social Contagion and Adolescent Sexual Behavior: Theoretical and Policy Implications. In Bancroft J. (Ed.) The Role of Theory in Sex Research. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.

Rodgers, Joseph Lee; Rowe, David C. (1993). Social contagion and adolescent sexual behavior: A developmental EMOSA model. Psychological Review, 100(3), 479-511.

Rodgers, Joseph Lee; Buster, Maury. (1998a). Social Contagion, Adolescent Sexual Behavior, and Pregnancy: A Nonlinear Dynamic EMOSA Model. Developmental Psychology, 34(5) 1096-1113.

Rodgers, Joseph Lee; Buster, Maury. (1998b). Nonlinear Dynamic Modeling and Social Contagion: Reply to Stoolmiller (1998). Developmental Psychology, 34(5) 1117-1119.

Stoolmiller, Mike. (1998). Comments on `Social Contagion, Adolescent Sexual Behavior, and Pregnancy: A Nonlinear Dynamic... Developmental Psychology 34(5) 1114-16.

Thelen, Esther and Smith, Linda. (1994). A Dynamic Systems Approach to the Development of Cognition and Action. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Thelen, E., & Smith, L. B. (1997). Dynamic systems theories. In R. M. Lerner (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology: Vol. 1. Theoretical models of human development (5th ed., pp. 563- 633). New York: Wiley.

Thelen, E., Schoner, G. Scheier, C, and Smith, L. (2000). The Dynamics of Embodiment: A field theory of infant perseverative reaching. Behavioral and Brain Sciences.

Vallacher, R. and Nowak, A. (Eds.). (1994). Dynamical Systems in Social Psychology. London: Academic Press, Inc.

Volk, Tyler (2003). Retrieved November 20, 2003 from the New York University Biology Department Faculty webpage: http://www.nyu.edu/fas/dept/biology/faculty/index.html

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This is more than $ 250 per person, including those who are not old enough to buy a ticket. Can you imagine if these funds were invested in retirement accounts? Now, I wonder something else. Have you ever won the lottery? You know who? And 'the participation of all people on their profits with you? Exactly. So go.Marry: how it works for you so far? There is a saying that is so easy to marry a rich man as poor. Really? The truth is that people who marry for money usually end they must pay for the rest of their, insurance american family, lives.

So let's skip that, too, unless, of course, are really in love with a man who simply money.Inherit: Of course not, it's worth thinking about it, if your parents are rich. And even if they do, there's something a little 'sick visit during the holidays, asking how they, and then think "nuisance" when they say: "I feel very good"? Sue because it's in the United States, where per cent were more than three quarters of the practice of lawyers in the world and more than 94 of the needs of the world.

However, Canadians are also increasingly controversial. While Canadians are generally left Americans to sue others for the spill coffee on your lap or the refusal to wheel RV on cruise control, some Canadians believe that instead of earning, saving and investment, the best way to find 'Em Sue 'Em, and a model for' Em In any case, there is a real system that can be expected to build wealth.Budget for this: to get a brown paper bag cheap, coupons, tracking every penny expenditure is always funny, and refer their lives during, insurance american family, the past three decades, with the hope of hope that one day we can retire and begin to enjoy life.

Ugh. That sounds terrible. Not surprisingly, this leaves us only rarely works.This an easy way to become rich. This ... Pay yourself first FIRSTPay means exactly what it says. When you earn a dollar in the first person who pays you. Most people do not. Most people when they earn a dollar in the first person you pay is the government. Earn a dollar and, even before making payment of wages, the Canadian government has paid something like 30 cents, while Americans pay somewhere around 18 cents in federal taxes on income (often more).

Also, for Canadians, the Canada Pension Plan, provincial health insurance and unemployment insurance. In the end, the first end, the Government has to pay for 35 or 40 cents earned their hard. It seems that all the clothes and the man who won the secret lies in the ability of money paycheque.The right FlowsYou law to prevent federal and provincial taxes for the money they earn. The key word is "legally". Legally, you can pay yourself first, not the government, simply by using the, insurance american family, so-called registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) for the Canadians, or 401 (k) plan for Americans.

You can store a large number of investments in the RRSP or 401 (K). Who's waiting in HomeAs works the same way our employers want us to believe otherwise, the reason for most of us go to work every morning, 'T mission of the company or customer service. Ultimately on us. When it comes to this reason most of us go to work

insurance american family: Can Celebs Like Tiger Woods Weather the Economic Crisis?

2010-02-19T05:04:00.001-08:00

Golf champion Tiger Woods has lost at least part of their income, when General Motors discontinued its relationship with him. The instability of the automotive sector is certainly a factor in Woods endorsement contract, ending a year earlier, and $ 8 million. But I'm not worried about Tiger, he would roar of other agreements, sponsorship. Other celebrities, but how many of us are not so lucky.Take Damon Dash, individual business partner of rapper Jay-Z, who could lose two of their Manhattan apartment exceptions for failure to pay 7.

3 million dollars in loans. The judge also called for the confiscation of its Chevrolet Tahoe, default is $ 2.1 million in tax claims against the State of New York, and the process on the basis of claims that do not match the law firm of lawyers involved in your If the custody of the children. As one commentator, "... to borrow a phrase from my hometown in Kentucky, I have a P pot --- In any price." Scott Storch, the former Roc-A-Fella Records moguls who, insurance american family, created results for Fat Joe, Beyonce, Dr.

Dre, and G-Unit (and ex-girlfriend Paris Hilton), had a villa in Miami Ferrari payments repossessed, insurance american family, .I and work with well-known in his private practice and so aware that I have all the same problems, Joe Six-Pack, only larger. Among the economic crisis. As we are all mortal, there are stars (and the people around them) that were not very good financial advice or simply have been very arrogant of his wealth, and now found themselves in a difficult situation. There is much we can learn from them the problems addressed, and the recession that we have all these big names have been saved days.

Some. Whitney Houston was deeply in the proceedings for the recovery of his New Jersey mansion because it was more than $ 1 million for the guides and all taxes. Fortunately, he managed to sell the house. Ed McMahon, who played with Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show for decades, collected on his multimillion dollar Beverly Hills home because it was $ 644,000 behind on mortgage payments, which were saved by Donald Trump, who bought a home and allow McMahon to continue living in it. Michael Jackson on the verge of losing Neverland Ranch for the collection in May 2008 but was saved by a property company which bought 23.

5 million loan Jackson has not paid, which saved again block.We Neverland Auction "All injuries. In the 2008 presidential election and local Heft fact more influence in our pockets,, insurance american family, that compared the war in Iraq, our dependence on oil (foreign or otherwise), or gay people can marry. In other words, what is really important for our economic well-being came from. Those of us who are not rich (or once wealthy) celebrity face many challenges. We are in danger of losing our home? "We dug a deep hole in our debt card Credit? "Our job is safe and if not, we can find other insurance? We have enough to survive the financial crisis in the health sector? we can save our children to go into debt in order to get an education?" We can obtain loans under they need to keep our business afloat? "Why are we afraid of a time when we were in previous recessions, and what we do as individuals to change the situation?" I am a teacher of health and welfare, but for years My "day job" was as a lawyer specializing in commercial real estate transactions.

I realized how much the current economic crisis, compared to those who have worked all the way in the past. Last year, when my insurance agent said casually, as many have suffered in the housing market down, I ignored his comment. In the end, here in Southern California have always sunny. Malibu, the house seemed to be affected by the slowdown in economic growth in other sectors. without realizing that this was a serious crisis on the side before Christmas 2007, when he fell to the bottom of the housing market across the country.

Healthy real estate transactions plummeted. committed funds to providers has cold feet and with the support out.Then collapse of Bear Sterns released a shockwave throughout the industry, even in sunny California, and things are crumbling around us ever since. When my insurance agent called to upgrade my 2008, and asked him as he walked towards him, began to cry. He lost his home in January, his wife in February. Now everyone can say has a history of bad luck.

insurance american family: Looking into Buying Mobile Homes?

2010-02-18T05:04:00.001-08:00

The owners of the house of one of the dreams every common man can see, even from childhood. With hard work and years of savings, which can build or buy housing for themselves and their families. A place to feel safe from the weather and the sun, the house is also an investment option at hand. In this regard, the purchase of mobile homes is an option to consider. Recently, the United States, was to increase the number of people who prefer to live in a mobile home. Buying mobile homes is cheaper than other forms of accommodation and is widely regarded as a good investment choice too.

Statistics show that about 8.8 million households living in mobile homes.Before get along with the details of buying mobile homes, look at the fact that mobile homes. Mobile home residential structure that was built in a factory, then shipped as a part of the address. Sometimes this is not correct, since only 5% of them always the type of houses to leave their homes site.Buying mobile option is most effective when placed on the ground in a concrete slab with a good septic system is full. For those seeking affordable housing.

Well even if we sit on a piece of land, as an acre or more if you plan to build a new house on the packaging or, if you buy a mobile home investor.Before you need to make sure the mobile home meets the U.S. government working on housing and safety standards (known as the HUD Code). That is, each mobile home must conform to the federal building is not code, the building codes in destinations.When willing to purchase mobile homes is a good idea to check the latest varieties of mobile homes on the market.

Today, mobile homes options vary from one section of houses large number of units have fireplaces or a part of the ceiling of the Cathedral. Buying mobile homes is a good option for most homes, because the price range available.When buy a mobile home, make sure that everything is in order. First, look around for all that you can find the home of your choice. Compare the price, plant design, interior and exterior decoration and construction methods and materials used. Ensure that your mobile home displays the label certifying compliance with the Code and dealers registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles and Department traffic safety of motor vehicles.

To buy a mobile home, it is always, insurance american family, best to ensure that manufacturers and distributors of security in the context home.In buying mobile homes, there will be many providers of finance loan offers in addition to the financing of the concessionaire. Be careful to look around for the best financing and insurance plan. While the contract is concluded understand exactly centers under contract, your responsibility. Clearly define the responsibility of you and the dealer, so there is no ambiguity in the transaction.

Do not leave gaps in the contract, and be sure that all the elements, and the seller agreed to cover the contract. Saying no to oral agreements. Read the entire contract before signing it, and make a point to maintain a complete copy for you. And if the dealer has to keep the wheels, axles and mobilizing other hardware should be specified in contract, insurance american family, .Before invest in a mobile home or made sure to have a place for it. Remember that the structure should be linked, in accordance with, insurance american family, the instructions provided in the department of road safety and vehicle regulation 15C-1, or specifications supplied by manufacturers.

Remember that these facilities are open to inspections.Copyright 2005Buying site HomesSelling sell mobile mobile

insurance american family: Save Money on Auto Insurance, Business Insurance, Health Insurance

2010-02-17T05:03:00.001-08:00

These days insurance have been swarming the four sides of the United States. Whether we like it or not, insurance is a necessity. Why? One can not deny the fact that natural disasters can have devastating consequences for society, families and individuals. Perhaps the damage, failure, and death to name a few. What are the factors considered and how can we know the insurance need.CAR / AUTO INSURANCEOne should be taken into account for the possession for personal use, use public transport such as taxis or use for transporting goods and industrial materials.

Age is also an important consideration. Old cars, pay a higher premium than new ones. Type and model of car a role, too. Time to buy a car insurance online car, there are sites offering automated tools. Who are using the auto coverage analyzer, which must respond to a question arises about their financial situation, the condition of vehicles, etc. This information will generate what category of coverage need.BUSINESS INSURANCEThere are insurance companies that have policies, protection union of all goods and significant risks of liability in a single package.

But you can also go with a separate coverage policy is called a business owner (BOP). For protection against flooding, find out if your office is located in the floodplain. And if so, then you should go into a policy that provides coverage against floods. Special earthquake insurance policy or adoption of commercial property in the earthquake can cover, if you live in an area subject to earthquakes. However, their policies are different franchises. Meanwhile, break the insurance, recover lost revenue for completion only applies to damage covered by this policy.

Furthermore, the Terrorism Insurance Act of 2002, covers losses due to any terrorism only to those companies that have this type of coverage. Injuries and deaths caused by acts of terrorism are exceptions compensation, insurance american family, .HEALTH employee health insurance INSURANCEWith, protect you and your family if you need medical assistance, which can be very expensive. If you have insurance, many of their costs by a third party payor side companies (insurance / employer), not you.KINDS U.

S. INSURANCEGroup HEALTH InsuranceMost obtain health insurance through their jobs or are covered as a member of the family is safe workplace. Group insurance is usually the least expensive type. In several cases, the employer pays all or part of the costs. Some employers offer only one health insurance plan. Some employers offer a wide choice of plans. These include: a) the insurance companies pay fees for services rendered to insured persons covered by this, insurance american family, policy. This type of health insurance offers the choice of doctors and hospitals.

You can choose any doctor, and you want to change doctors at any time. You can go to any hospital in the country. The insurer pays only a portion of their doctor and hospital bills.b) Health Maintenance (HMO) health maintenance organizations, prepaid health plans. As a member of the HMO, you pay a monthly premium. In exchange for the HMO provides comprehensive care for you and your family, including doctor visits, hospitalization, emergency care, surgery, laboratory tests, X-rays and therapy.c) Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO) L ' preferred provider organization is a combination of traditional fee for service and HMO.

Like HMOs, there are a limited number of doctors and hospitals to choose from. When you use the service (sometimes called "providers" basic, sometimes called "network services"), the majority of medical costs covered.Individual InsuranceIf your employer does not, insurance american family, offer any group insurance, or if ' Insurance does not offer very limited, you can buy individual policies. You can obtain payment for services, HMO, PPO or protection. But you should compare the options and shop carefully because coverage and costs vary from company to company.

Individual plans may not offer benefits as broad as the group plans.Tips when purchasing individual insurance: Shop carefully. Very different policies regarding the scope and cost. Contact different insurance companies, or ask your agent to show you policies from several insurers so you can them.Make compare insurance policy that protects you from large medical costs.Read and understanding of politics. Ensure that provides

insurance american family: How To Get Affordable Health Insurance In Iowa

2010-02-16T05:04:00.001-08:00

Health insurance is expensive in the world. The fact is that, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 50% of all residents of Iowa, which reported the payment of health insurance is a serious financial crisis in its financial statements monthly and approximately 17% of all residents of Iowa can not afford health insurance for all. Shocking statistic. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to reduce the cost of health insurance and that you and your family covered.Start to stop smoking. Smokers pay more for health insurance of non-smokers.

If you smoke the first time I took the policy to stop, but then ask your agent as you can get the reduced premium - perhaps substantially.Most Americans are overweight, and weight loss is one of the hardest things for people do. However, a portion of their health insurance premiums, based on a body mass index - which means that the body mass index. This is, insurance american family, a fancy way of saying that the more overweight, insurance american family, you are more you pay for your insurance.

But really should not have lost a few pounds. If you can reduce or call the BMI scale can save on the premium, month after month, for T years.Don 'to participate in hazardous sports or hobbies. The more you put your health at risk, the more you pay for health insurance. This includes not driving a fast sports car or muscle or have a job, which is considered dangerous.Look pay the amount in the form of co-payment each time you visit the doctor or any medical procedure. If your co-payment is less than 50% can reduce the monthly payment, increasing the 50%.

Of course, you must have the means to pay an additional surcharge. This tactic is best suited for people who only go to the doctor several times in franchise year.Your probably the best choice to reduce the monthly premium payments - but make sure you can afford to increase the amount willing to pay out of pocket every year before asking your insurance company to start paying their share of medical expenses. The more you pay less than your insurance company will charge a monthly medical premiums.

If rare in a normal year, consider subscribing to an ultra-high-deductible policy, a policy with a deductible at $ 2000 or more. These measures do not help make regular visits to the doctor. The value of these health insurance policies at affordable prices, if you suffer a catastrophic illness or accident, and suddenly be confronted with the medical expenses of tens or even hundreds of thousands dollars.OK, now have a good understanding of what you are looking for health insurance, so now it's time to go online and find at least 3 different websites that allow you to compare policies and prices in the face head.

Keep note that, because the site is not to compare the prices policies and several insurance companies that will be necessary to compare your least 3 different sites. This is a pain to make some comparisons, but the result is that you can actually get a real affordable medical insurance here in Iowa and know that you save money year after year, while protecting, your family and property.

insurance american family: Cheap Car Insurance - 7 Tips To Reduce Your Car Insurance Costs

2010-02-15T05:02:00.001-08:00

Click here to save over $ 489 on car insurance in 2 minutes with the cost of auto insurance is becoming a bigger problem for the average American family, there are an increasing number of people looking for car insurance at low cost. But even if you can find car insurance low cost, the question arises whether or not to buy? Everyone knows that the company, car insurance, all the same. Cheap car insurance is wonderful when paying the bills, but made a mistake in choosing the company and can arrange for the cheapest car insurance policy, which found it could become a nightmare.

Cheap car insurance may not be so attractive when making a claim. So if you found a discount car insurance broker does not just take the cheapest quote you receive. You should know a little 'insurance company that offers low cost car insurance. Teresa and ways to reduce the cost of car insurance, even with the best companies. Here are some tips for those looking for a low cost car insurance to help reduce the cost of car insurance without compromising other things. Cheap Car Insurance 7 Tips 1.

Look at the size of the deductible. This is the amount to be paid in the first place, any claim. The cost of your policy is directly linked to that amount. Many people, especially those who have their own insurance policy for a long time, never considered whether they should change their tax base. If you have a good driving record and willingness to increase the risk of paying large sums in the case of a (hopefully unlikely) claim you can save by increasing your deductible. 2. Check the type of vehicle you drive.

Some types of cars attract higher car insurance rates. Machines, such as sports cars, and also makes several models that are candidates for the cost of stealing more than provide. If you buy a car then find out which brands and models of these before you buy. 3. Drive carefully. Although this sounds a bit 'a commonplace to say that the cost of car insurance is a risk factor in your profile. You will not get cheaper car insurance if you have 3 multi Gear and 2 accidents in the past year. These things were taken into consideration and pay attention to how you drive.

All this adds to your account. There are great discounts for safe drivers. 4. Considering installing safety and, insurance american family, anti-theft devices in cars. Again these affect the risk. If you have a car that is safer and less risk of theft could be cheaper to provide. And if you have a car with certain safety devices now check that your insurance company is aware of these, if not tell them. 5. Look at renewal time for politics, I just do not pay. There are many things you can change the policies that affect costs.

Often, there are some things that need to duplicate other insurance that you may have to liquidate. Be critical, look carefully and ask questions about all this, before returning to politics. 6. Look at who your other insurers. Many insurers offer discounts for multiple policies. If you insure your house with a certain company then ring them and find out if they do car insurance. Get quotes from them. Discover what they offer discounts. 7. Finding a good discount broker, insurance american family, car insurance online before upgrading.

The Internet is an enormous resource. Use it. There are all sorts of discount insurance brokers online where you can get quotes quickly from a wide range of companies. Do not just decide for the same company that I always use. Car insurance rates vary all the time. Always get comparable quotes before renewing any policy. So if you're, insurance american family, in the market for auto insurance Theres some ideas for you. Not just accept the fact that car insurance is always prohibitively expensive, to go out and do something

insurance american family: 1.7 Million Americans Forfeit $2 Billion to Uncle Sam on April 17th

2010-02-14T05:03:00.001-08:00

Unclaimed funds in the United States in its highest point, 25 billion U.S. dollars, and most unclaimed tax refund of that number. Approximately $ 2 billion the amount of unclaimed, insurance american family, in relation to the 1,714,500 Americans who have not filed their return 2002.People debt tax refunds for 2002 until 17 April 2006 as a gift, that fiscal year claiming damages. If the file is $ 2 billion will be forfeited in government.Unfortunately, unclaimed tax returns are common. There are many reasons to file.

Or should we tax should not, as has been little, or not to take their earned income tax credit. Subscribe to the income tax benefits for 2002 employees who earn less than $ 11,060, and without children, earning less than $ 29,201 and gave birth to a child, or earned less than $ 33,178 and had two or more persons that kids.Considering entitled to a refund those who do not do much, probably more needed money. Most likely, they did not know that the money owed to them, or simply do not know how to enforce it.

The deadline for claiming tax credits for 2003, April 15, 2007. The movement, billions of people since 2003, Well.you can see if you owe money, if not yet submitted in 2003, after form.CLAIMING YOUR REFUNDThe IRS sent a refund check after receiving the relevant application form, Form 1040 (or 1040A or 1040EZ). This form will indicate how large the reimbursement should be checked http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-prior/f1040--2003.pdf be.you can download this form or call toll free (800) 829-3676 to request form.

If money owed since 2003, recalled that shortly before April 15, 2007 to file or have on the price permanently.If Uncle, insurance american family, Sam to tax refund claim may not be combined with other funds claimed. It is estimated that there are millions of Americans who have lost money, which can be fully aware exists.This unclaimed money "unclaimed property" and includes the following: savings and checking accounts and contents of safety deposit box, inheritance, mutual funds, bonds and dividends unliquidated cashiers checks or money orders IRS reimbursement of wages, payment of subsidy for children raised or termination of insurance policies Estates mineral interests and royalty payments, trust funds and trust accounts list continues and .

.. This money will sit in government hands until claimed its rightful owner. Everyone should check the database for unclaimed money in www.cashunclaimed.com least twice a year to see if they or their families are owed to them. This money does not stay there. State and federal governments provide no restriction on the number of years funds.If find money unclaimed against her, not the form and instructions to ask for funds. Oprah Winfrey said it was estimated that 8 out of 9 families in the United States against unclaimed money! Be sure to ask for compensation in 2002 and see how many supported the expectations www.

cashunclaimed.com you.Nicole Ackermann contains more detailed information on unclaimed money and research http://www.cashunclaimed.com free. Unclaimed Cash is the largest database of unclaimed property, including all state and federal databases and was created to help owners locate and easy to defend their loss

insurance american family: If I Should Die...

2010-02-13T05:02:00.001-08:00

"Now I lay me to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I called, I pray the Lord my soul to take." Millions of people around the world are reading this simple prayer before going to sleep, hoping that the next day was welcomed with open arms. This is a simplified illustration of confidence in the generosity of the destination becomes more complicated when we face the question of mortality.Death, not a pleasant fact for many people, which explains why millions of people die every year without the necessary tools to protect their families from financial devastation.

The theme of life insurance is one of the realities of mortality. At no other time, deeper than death is a part of life.At least 64 percent of men have some type of life insurance, compared to 59 percent of women, in accordance with the conditions of life and background Health Insurance for Education (LIFE). According to the latest statistics on life insurance for the Marketing Research Association (Limra), the difference between the coverage is about two to one. The average amount of the benefit of death for men is $ 143,100, compared with $ 76,000 U.

S. for mujeres.La underinsured, but the problem is worse among women, "said Jon Dressner, Vice President for Life." Many women underestimate the cost of services at home. And life insurance for the working mother is sometimes considered when the man is the main breadwinner. But in both cases, the family will be greatly affected if the contributions were lost mother. "This is the luxury of life insurance is a necessity. With the average cost of $ 10,000 towards the funeral of Mark, crude oil, the family may suffer serious financial setbacks.

The golden rule is that my company," " Mega capital resources, is recommended for those who believe that the policy is to achieve sufficient coverage equivalent to 8.10 times current earnings. This will ensure adequate coverage to take care of their operating costs, including loans, college, and debt.Nothing credit cards can compensate for the loss of the life of a loved one. Their responsibility is to act now that the soul before the Lord, what I call, you know, your family know how much you loved them and cared about their welfare.

For your free confidential financial needs analysis, e-mail, Kim Harris, senior partner Mega Capital Resources or by calling 1-888-429, insurance american family, -4654 Ext 149 .. This is an in-depth questionnaire help determine the financial needs of your family and prepare love.Kim inherit Harris is the recipient of the 2005 Women in Business "SBA Champion of the Year. They advise and educate businesses and, insurance american family, individuals to create cash flow and strategies of wealth creation.

To assess the financial needs, options, cash flows and tools for business development, visit the Mega Capital Resources or 7Figure

insurance american family: Property Casualty Insurance Company

2010-02-12T05:03:00.001-08:00

After reading this article, you can impress your friends with an amazing amount of knowledge gained in this story about crowd mortality subject.present surface of insurance is not always easy to find. Fortunately, this story includes the most recent fatality guarantee open.To surface coat crowd a story about their rights in case of insurance documents. accident insurance, in particular the surface is that everyone must. This will not only introduce the proposal shieldion document is also a requirement when you employ undersymbols is finance.

Below left company property insurance, you may notice that when youre looking for the document you want to protect your read more losses. Keep, to learn this subject can help, like the rest of this article will be provided with the necessary guarantees and the area of mortality information.Accredited crowdThis warranty mortality Accident Insurance Company property is described as brilliant, crowd AM Best. Specializing in non mining bind, is the insurance of property of victims of the, insurance american family, company approved to do sites in 49 states of the United States.

Accredited victim of a property is proposed to connect the insurance company pays crops, such as joins, joins the child in peace, loyalty and joins the deposit, as well as the Florida Attorney binds.Ace restricted area guarantee of mortality as it crowdSee can know the surface of a crowd of mortality insurance when you take a little 'time to read well researched? Do not run away from home this great meeting talermation.Based in Lafayette, PA, Ace victims of insurance companies accredited affiliate of the International Association of Conference Centers (IACC).

This company property insurance Casualty proposes to limit the different cultures and marine responses to entry for all customers. Life insurance company's own Ace proposed site / insurance company for protection against accidents and power, the compensation of personnel and aerospace power programs in a cage and risk management. For Sheer / property liability insurance for consumers, shields Ace and vitality of the vehicles and the house with the victim shieldage insurance insurance.apart property also offers reinsurance, insurance, non-traditional Navy, such as machinery, equipment and much more.

The surface of American International Underwriters (AIU) in order to ensure crowdAIU fatality, the victim's own insurance is a subsidiary of AIG pleanigious. This broad experience limit crop insurance is the insurance company owned by the victims is a leader in the insurance industry. Space for its customers that the accident insurance company's structure has policies to protect the main, insurance american family, victims, accident excess directors and officers, environmental shieldage, life insurance, and much more.

In addition, the insurance company owned by the victim of personal shieldage proposals for monetary compensation and the Navy in compensation, money, mortgage, and the residents of old age and mortality navy.American (ANPAC) surface crowdANPAC guarantees fate of the victims company's property insurance that insurance proposals for the families. Supporting live in the family business in the United States, owned by the victim ANPAC Insurance Company provides crop insurance at affordable prices and the Navy.

Victim company insurance agents can ANPAC shieldage proposals, including vehicles, home, umbrella, recreational vehicles and boats. Moreover, in cases of flooding, this insurance company owned by the victims of flood insurance documents reboot after the list of residents of flooding. ANPAC insurance company Sinister property also has an insurance policy for owners of the field and owners.Of The price of course is impossible to put everything on the surface of host mortality insurance on the same theme.

But you can not deny that just added to their understanding of the area of insurance host mortality, and this study useless.When time well, we continued to follow the path of economic, insurance american family, growth. Therefore, the study of this question has already helped more than you know.

insurance american family: Travel Insurance - Important Yet Often Overlooked!

2010-02-11T05:01:00.001-08:00

Prices for travel insurance is often the last thing anyone thinks of when planning a trip. In developing plans for business trips, family vacations or trips to visit most of the people involved in their itinerary, packing, etc., and not attack people insurance.Few very important to consider the sick, injured or even die when is outside. But travel insurance is a must, and therefore need to find a suitable travel insurance quotation, insurance american family, must be high for a trip, "" To-Do's list.

Too Many times people only think of being insured at the time - and if -- were at the airport and see, stalls, which offer travel insurance. As you can imagine, this is often the worst may find.One offers the best way to get competitive travel insurance quotes online. In most cases you can buy insurance companies, brokers, and quotes directly from your PC. But like the rest of the network, we recommend caution. Use common sense as you would buy anything online or off.You can determine the reliability of travel insurance is invited to find out who is the insurer.

This is the insurer supports the current plan. Major insurance companies are known for offering this coverage, so if you see the name you know, at least six quite sure she will, if necessary, to ensure the safety claim.Make details of his trip to the sides so can choose the plan. Cost, coverage and responsibility of business travel to major cities will be very different from the specific scope and cost Backpacking trip to Asia, or skiing in the Andes mountains.In many cases, if the burden of numbers Check, insurance american family, credit card, credit card companies, and includes "basic travel insurance, or can offer very competitive prices.

American Express, for example, offers sound insurance automatically or at a low rate of interest at the time of booking your travel through their cards.Banks are another good place to get insured. Many banks offer travel insurance and if you have a bank account that offers you can get a package.As very well with the rest is important to understand that buying what you get, and what is not. Unfortunately, few people read through the insurance policy because it can be difficult to understand, very boring to read and complete terms, provisions, and in a language not known to anyone outside industry.

If sure who travels a lot, be able to offer advice. Again, use caution and common sense.Make obtain travel insurance quote from a portion of any trip to the 'task list. a bit' of your budget travel or travel expenses for the insurance. This is one of those things in life that are more unfortunate when they are made, and, of course, if you need travel insurance when you need it too late for

insurance american family: Best Auto Insurance Company: What Should You Look For?

2010-02-10T05:03:00.001-08:00

The top ten car insurance companies in North America offers different features and bells and whistles to their clients, but most operate on similar principles of sales and bonuses. Find the best car insurance company is not an easy task, but one of the best ways to do this is to compare how the company compares with others. Looking at the overall responsibility and the scope of most companies, the differences, you find that can help you make better choices in terms of type of insurance that is Top Dog best.

The insurer of automobiles in the United States is Esurance, a company that offers online auto insurance quote. The website (http://www.esurance.com), customers can get their car insurance quote online in minutes, simply enter your zip code and some basic data. Esurance offers 24 hours seven days of technical support and customer service has many options for organizing the Internet and politics in the financial information as soon as possible.The second place in the rating of insurance Progressive car insurance.

Progressive Insurance offers compared to their competitors, right on the site, and claims to be able to give a quota of eight minutes through their representatives. They also have many thousands of agents across the United States to States.Next GEICO Direct. They, of course, the talisman Gecko, which is famous for advertising. GEICO also offers the application operations center to its Web site for the parameters of accidents and friendly service. There is also a quick quote a standard process that allows customers to find the best odds in minutes, insurance american family, .

GEICO also promotes popular umbrella package that allows people to ensure their families in package.Fourth seconds, 21 Century Insurance brings easy-to-manage policies and online bill payment as part of, insurance american family, their way of communicating with your customer base faster than the competition. 21 offers on-line insurance car insurance quote as quickly as possible, allowing customers to find their car insurance quote online in convenience.In fifth in the list of car insurance is a market test.

Promotes the comparison on the market as a courageous stand in comparison with any other insurance companies to offer its customers the best prices. They offer lots of news on its website (http://www.comparisonmarket.com) in addition to providing companies with immediate quotes.Other that make the list includes the largest ten o'clock American Automobile Association, Insurance Mercury Insurance Group Hagerty Insurance and National Motorclub around the list of the top ten car insurance companies.

Auto insurance is a product that these companies sell and, no doubt, every company wants to be the best car insurance car insurance companies. This means that we will continue to slug him in the battle to compete on price and service.

Insurance American Family - introduction

2010-02-03T06:12:00.000-08:00

American form of health insurance, you get all depends on your personal circumstances and capacities. Insurance for the families of the United States may vary depending on income, employers, and many other types of questions. This type of insurance is not just for Americans and Americans living abroad in the armed forces. For those in the United States from other countries that have applied for immigration proceedings, American Family Insurance are also available for their provinces and types of U.S. Family Health Plan gives you several types of plans now. The most common and widespread are the clinics and PPO. It can be purchased at a lower rate through their employer or privately, for whose employers offer no benefits or self-insured HMO plans employed.American family to offer our customers a, Insurance American Family, fixed monthly fee for the service, which by their general practitioner and medical treatment, the practice relates to the customer within, Insurance American Family, the network established by the insurance company. You can go to a doctor for treatment and examination, without providing for maintenance and insurance plans pay.Some CO, hospitals, known for compensation, as the stock option plan POS. With this type of HMO, POS plan, members can refer to the outside of the plan and continue receiving benefits. If your doctor will take you to a doctor from a portion of the network you will be fully covered by PPO plans cover the coverage of family plan.American for those who pay a small monthly fee and wants more freedom in the choice of procedures., Insurance American Family, Your doctor will be networked, from your insurance, but may be outside the network, if necessary,. Customers will also support the annual deductible and co-pay with every family visit.American health insurance for families can be NeedIf insurance for your family, but are unemployed or on low income you may qualify for American Family Insurance by the government. This type of insurance that you and your family need medical care in case of need for a small fee if the requirements. Medicaid and Medicare health insurance schemes are designed to help the needy and the elderly and disabled. To learn more about these insurance options for American families, from a local representative of the Federal Government and the Department of Social Services will be obtained. They'll tell you if you are eligible and what benefits you are entitled to to. additional contributions for health insurance and compare health insurance.