Flaked stone tools are the most durable and therefore the most common artifacts available to archaeologists for tracing the development of early Man. However, the essential mechanics of conchoidal flake formation has not yet been described. In order to successfully create a relatively thin flake that does not terminate prematurely, the direction of the flaking force has to be reasonably precise. We show that the direction of the flaking force is determined mainly by the stiffness of the flake, the actual angle of the blow or impulse having relatively little effect. Long thin flakes can be easily produced because this direction of the flaking force is very close to that necessary to produce local symmetry at the tip of the crack propago.ting parallel to the surface of the stone.

The public health nurse (PHN) has a unique opportunity to identify and provide support to women who are abused by their partners. Earlier studies indicated, however that health professionals identify less than 10% of the abused women in their practice. In this study, a sample of 125 nurses responded to a measure called the Public Health Nurse's Response to Women Who Are Abused (PHNR), which consists of a vignette portraying a home visit to a young mother who showed indicators of abuse. The average PHNR score obtained was 80.8% indicating a high frequency of thoughts, feelings, and interventions that would facilitate abused women feeling helped. High scores were correlated with increased age, personal experience, number of years of public health experience, and workshop attendance. The PHNs' responses to open-ended questions revealed that they experienced a wide range of strong emotions in dealing with these dangerous situations. While the nurses believed that addressing abuse was within their professional role, 55% were unsure of what to say to initiate the topic. Suggestions about how to introduce the subject of family violence and the training needs of PHNs are presented.

The Public Health Nurses’ Responses to Women Who Are Abused (PHNR) scale was designed to measure the degree of nurses’ helpfulness to women who are abused by their partners. The measure utilizes two vignettes of nursing practice situations. A factor analysis of the original 30-item scale found that 20 items loaded on one factor (n = 125). This revised 20-item PHNR demonstrated a strong internal consistency (alpha = .85). The two scenarios were compared over a 2-week time period, resulting in a moderately strong correlation of r = .74. High scores on the PHNR were associated with increased age, personal experience, greater number of years of nursing experience, and attendance at workshops on wife abuse. While the initial psychometric properties of the scale are supportive, further investigation is warranted. With this caution, the PHNR may prove useful in identifying nurses’ skill and knowledge levels in helping abused women, and for pre/posttest evaluations of educational programs for nurses regarding wife assault.

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