Using Twitter for breast cancer prevention: an analysis of breast cancer awareness month

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background One in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. The best-known awareness event is breast cancer awareness month (BCAM). BCAM month outreach efforts have been associated with increased media coverage, screening mammography and online information searching. Traditional mass media coverage has been enhanced by social media. However, there is a dearth of literature about how social media is used during awareness-related events. The purpose of this research was to understand how Twitter is being used during BCAM. Methods This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study. We collected breast cancer- related tweets from 26 September - 12 November 2012, using Twitter’s application programming interface. We classified Twitter users into organizations, individuals, and celebrities; each tweet was classified as an original or a retweet, and inclusion of a mention, meaning a reference to another Twitter user with @username. Statistical methods included ANOVA and chi square. For content analysis, we used computational linguistics techniques, specifically the MALLET implementation of the unsupervised topic modeling algorithm Latent Dirichlet Allocation. Results There were 1,351,823 tweets by 797,827 unique users. Tweets spiked dramatically the first few days then tapered off. There was an average of 1.69 tweets per user. The majority of users were individuals. Nearly all of the tweets were original. Organizations and celebrities posted more often than individuals. On average celebrities made far more impressions; they were also retweeted more often and their tweets were more likely to include mentions. Individuals were more likely to direct a tweet to a specific person. Organizations and celebrities emphasized fundraisers, early detection, and diagnoses while individuals tweeted about wearing pink. Conclusions Tweeting about breast cancer was a singular event. The majority of tweets did not promote any specific preventive behavior. Twitter is being used

Using Twitter for breast cancer prevention: an analysis of breast cancer awareness month.

PubMed

Thackeray, Rosemary; Burton, Scott H; Giraud-Carrier, Christophe; Rollins, Stephen; Draper, Catherine R

2013-10-29

One in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. The best-known awareness event is breast cancer awareness month (BCAM). BCAM month outreach efforts have been associated with increased media coverage, screening mammography and online information searching. Traditional mass media coverage has been enhanced by social media. However, there is a dearth of literature about how social media is used during awareness-related events. The purpose of this research was to understand how Twitter is being used during BCAM. This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study. We collected breast cancer- related tweets from 26 September - 12 November 2012, using Twitter's application programming interface. We classified Twitter users into organizations, individuals, and celebrities; each tweet was classified as an original or a retweet, and inclusion of a mention, meaning a reference to another Twitter user with @username. Statistical methods included ANOVA and chi square. For content analysis, we used computational linguistics techniques, specifically the MALLET implementation of the unsupervised topic modeling algorithm Latent Dirichlet Allocation. There were 1,351,823 tweets by 797,827 unique users. Tweets spiked dramatically the first few days then tapered off. There was an average of 1.69 tweets per user. The majority of users were individuals. Nearly all of the tweets were original. Organizations and celebrities posted more often than individuals. On average celebrities made far more impressions; they were also retweeted more often and their tweets were more likely to include mentions. Individuals were more likely to direct a tweet to a specific person. Organizations and celebrities emphasized fundraisers, early detection, and diagnoses while individuals tweeted about wearing pink. Tweeting about breast cancer was a singular event. The majority of tweets did not promote any specific preventive behavior. Twitter is being used mostly as a one-way communication tool. To

Event segmentation improves event memory up to one month later.

PubMed

Flores, Shaney; Bailey, Heather R; Eisenberg, Michelle L; Zacks, Jeffrey M

2017-08-01

When people observe everyday activity, they spontaneously parse it into discrete meaningful events. Individuals who segment activity in a more normative fashion show better subsequent memory for the events. If segmenting events effectively leads to better memory, does asking people to attend to segmentation improve subsequent memory? To answer this question, participants viewed movies of naturalistic activity with instructions to remember the activity for a later test, and in some conditions additionally pressed a button to segment the movies into meaningful events or performed a control condition that required button-pressing but not attending to segmentation. In 5 experiments, memory for the movies was assessed at intervals ranging from immediately following viewing to 1 month later. Performing the event segmentation task led to superior memory at delays ranging from 10 min to 1 month. Further, individual differences in segmentation ability predicted individual differences in memory performance for up to a month following encoding. This study provides the first evidence that manipulating event segmentation affects memory over long delays and that individual differences in event segmentation are related to differences in memory over long delays. These effects suggest that attending to how an activity breaks down into meaningful events contributes to memory formation. Instructing people to more effectively segment events may serve as a potential intervention to alleviate everyday memory complaints in aging and clinical populations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Mental Health Awareness Month & Speak Up for Kids

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cowan, Katherine C.

2012-01-01

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. This is a great time to highlight the importance of mental wellness and school-based mental health services to children's positive learning and development. There is heightened urgency to the imperative to advance school-based mental health and school psychologists' expertise as essential to the…

78 FR 54739 - National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2013

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-06

... National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2013 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation In the United States, obesity affects millions of children and teenagers, raising their risk of... pressure. While childhood obesity remains a serious public health issue, we have made significant strides...

78 FR 54745 - National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2013

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-06

... National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2013 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Among American men, prostate cancer is both the second most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second-leading cause of cancer deaths. Although prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates have...

78 FR 61805 - National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 2013

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-04

... National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 2013 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Every October, America stands in solidarity with those battling breast cancer and those at risk for breast cancer. This disease touches every corner of the United States--in 2013 alone, more than...

77 FR 66519 - National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, 2012

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-06

... National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, 2012 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Every day, families across our country confront the tragic realities of Alzheimer's disease--an.... As the number of older Americans grows in the coming years, Alzheimer's disease will continue to pose...

78 FR 61811 - National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, 2013

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-04

... Proclamation Since the passage of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) nearly 20 years ago, our Nation's... National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we stand with domestic abuse survivors, celebrate our Nation's.... Although we have made substantial progress in reducing domestic violence, one in four women and one in...

76 FR 55205 - National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2011

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-06

... childhood obesity in our country has tripled, and today a third of American children are overweight or obese... initiative incorporates childhood obesity prevention in its goals for increasing the health of all Americans... Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2011 #0; #0; #0; Presidential Documents #0; #0; #0;#0;Federal Register...

75 FR 62303 - National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, 2010

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-08

... National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, 2010 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation In the 16 years since the passage of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), we have broken the silence surrounding domestic violence to reach thousands of survivors, prevent countless incidences of...

77 FR 55093 - National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2012

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-06

... National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2012 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Over the past several decades, childhood obesity has become a serious public health issue that... problems associated with obesity. Thankfully, while more remains to be done, we are making real progress...

75 FR 56455 - National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, 2010

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-15

... year, thousands of children face the battle against cancer with inspiring hope and incredible bravery... children. During National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we honor the young lives taken too soon and the... and healthy life. While survival rates for many childhood cancers have risen sharply over the past few...

3 CFR 9030 - Proclamation 9030 of September 30, 2013. National Disability Employment Awareness Month, 2013

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Disability Employment Awareness Month, 2013 9030 Proclamation 9030 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 9030 of September 30, 2013 Proc. 9030 National Disability Employment Awareness Month, 2013By the... unique talents to contribute and points of view to express. During National Disability Employment...

3 CFR 8591 - Proclamation 8591 of October 29, 2010. National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, 2010

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, 2010 8591 Proclamation 8591 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 8591 of October 29, 2010 Proc. 8591 National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, 2010By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Alzheimer’s disease tragically robs individuals of...

3 CFR 8897 - Proclamation 8897 of November 1, 2012. National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, 2012

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, 2012 8897 Proclamation 8897 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 8897 of November 1, 2012 Proc. 8897 National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, 2012By the... tragic realities of Alzheimer's disease—an irreversible, fatal illness that robs men and women of their...

3 CFR 8408 - Proclamation 8408 of August 31, 2009. National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2009

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2009 8408 Proclamation 8408 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 8408 of August 31, 2009 Proc. 8408 National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2009By the President... fight against prostate cancer. Over the last decade, prostate cancer mortality rates have fallen...

3 CFR 8556 - Proclamation 8556 of September 10, 2010. National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, 2010

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, 2010 8556 Proclamation 8556 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 8556 of September 10, 2010 Proc. 8556 National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, 2010By the... against cancer with inspiring hope and incredible bravery. When a child is diagnosed with cancer, an...

3 CFR 8551 - Proclamation 8551 of August 31, 2010. National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, 2010

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, 2010 8551 Proclamation 8551 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 8551 of August 31, 2010 Proc. 8551 National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, 2010By the President... ovarian cancer, this disease continues to claim more lives than any other gynecologic cancer. During...

3 CFR 8852 - Proclamation 8852 of August 31, 2012. National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2012

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2012 8852 Proclamation 8852 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 8852 of August 31, 2012 Proc. 8852 National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2012By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Over the past several decades, childhood obesity...

3 CFR 8429 - Proclamation 8429 of October 1, 2009. National Information Literacy Awareness Month, 2009

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... communication technologies, including computers and mobile devices that can help in our day-to-day... Information Literacy Awareness Month, 2009 8429 Proclamation 8429 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 8429 of October 1, 2009 Proc. 8429 National Information Literacy Awareness Month, 2009By the...

3 CFR 8724 - Proclamation 8724 of October 3, 2011. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 2011

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 2011 8724 Proclamation 8724 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 8724 of October 3, 2011 Proc. 8724 National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 2011By the President of... commitment to preventing and treating breast cancer, and to supporting those courageously battling this...

3 CFR 8705 - Proclamation 8705 of September 1, 2011. National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, 2011

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, 2011 8705 Proclamation 8705 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 8705 of September 1, 2011 Proc. 8705 National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, 2011By the... fight pediatric cancer each year, facing life-threatening battles that would challenge men and women of...

77 FR 60605 - National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 2012

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-04

... National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 2012 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Breast cancer touches the lives of Americans from every background and in every community across...,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and tens of thousands are expected to lose...

3 CFR 8407 - Proclamation 8407 of August 31, 2009. National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, 2009

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, 2009 8407 Proclamation 8407 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 8407 of August 31, 2009 Proc. 8407 National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, 2009By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Ovarian cancer remains the leading cause of death from...

3 CFR 9007 - Proclamation 9007 of August 30, 2013. National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2013

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2013 9007 Proclamation 9007 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 9007 of August 30, 2013 Proc. 9007 National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2013By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation In the United States, obesity affects millions of...

3 CFR 8554 - Proclamation 8554 of September 1, 2010. National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2010

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2010 8554 Proclamation 8554 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 8554 of September 1, 2010 Proc. 8554 National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2010By the... obesity crisis, with nearly one in every three of America’s children being overweight or obese. There are...

3 CFR 9006 - Proclamation 9006 of August 30, 2013. National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, 2013

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, 2013 9006 Proclamation 9006 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 9006 of August 30, 2013 Proc. 9006 National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, 2013By the President... curing childhood cancer and offers our support to the brave young people who are fighting this disease...

3 CFR 8851 - Proclamation 8851 of August 31, 2012. National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, 2012

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, 2012 8851 Proclamation 8851 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 8851 of August 31, 2012 Proc. 8851 National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, 2012By the President... diagnosed with cancer—an often life-threatening illness that remains the leading cause of death by disease...

3 CFR 9010 - Proclamation 9010 of August 30, 2013. National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2013

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2013 9010 Proclamation 9010 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 9010 of August 30, 2013 Proc. 9010 National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2013By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Among American men, prostate cancer is both the second...

3 CFR 8855 - Proclamation 8855 of August 31, 2012. National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2012

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2012 8855 Proclamation 8855 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 8855 of August 31, 2012 Proc. 8855 National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2012By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Prostate cancer is among the most common cancers for...

3 CFR 8874 - Proclamation 8874 of October 1, 2012. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 2012

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 2012 8874 Proclamation 8874 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 8874 of October 1, 2012 Proc. 8874 National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 2012By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Breast cancer touches the lives of Americans from every...

77 FR 55095 - National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, 2012

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-06

... the disease. Women who are middle-aged or older, who have a family history of ovarian or breast cancer... National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, 2012 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation This year, thousands of American women will lose their lives to ovarian cancer. They are mothers...

75 FR 54453 - National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2010

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-07

... National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2010 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Although its mortality rate has steadily fallen in the last decade, prostate cancer is still the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the United States. This year alone, nearly 218,000 men...

77 FR 60611 - National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, 2012

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-04

... National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, 2012 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation For far too long, domestic violence was ignored or treated as a private matter where victims were... Violence Against Women Act, authored by Vice President Joe Biden, we reflect on how far we have come. We...

3 CFR 8572 - Proclamation 8572 of October 1, 2010. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 2010

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 2010 8572 Proclamation 8572 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 8572 of October 1, 2010 Proc. 8572 National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 2010By the President of... against breast cancer, it remains the most frequently diagnosed type of non-skin cancer and the second...

3 CFR 8552 - Proclamation 8552 of August 31, 2010. National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2010

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2010 8552 Proclamation 8552 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 8552 of August 31, 2010 Proc. 8552 National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2010By the President... last decade, prostate cancer is still the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the United...

3 CFR 8702 - Proclamation 8702 of August 31, 2011. National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2011

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2011 8702 Proclamation 8702 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 8702 of August 31, 2011 Proc. 8702 National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2011By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Since the 1970s, the rate of childhood obesity in...

3 CFR 9008 - Proclamation 9008 of August 30, 2013. National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, 2013

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, 2013 9008 Proclamation 9008 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 9008 of August 30, 2013 Proc. 9008 National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, 2013By the President... ovarian cancer, and more than half that number of women will die of this disease. During National Ovarian...

3 CFR 9028 - Proclamation 9028 of September 30, 2013. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 2013

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 2013 9028 Proclamation 9028 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 9028 of September 30, 2013 Proc. 9028 National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 2013By the President... battling breast cancer and those at risk for breast cancer. This disease touches every corner of the United...

Brief report: trends in US National autism awareness from 2004 to 2014: the impact of national autism awareness month.

PubMed

DeVilbiss, Elizabeth A; Lee, Brian K

2014-12-01

We sought to evaluate the potential for using historical web search data on autism spectrum disorders (ASD)-related topics as an indicator of ASD awareness. Analysis of Google Trend data suggested that National Autism Awareness Month and televised reports concerning autism are an effective method of promoting online search interest in autism.

Women's History Month Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-03-27

JoAnn Morgan, former associate director of NASA Kennedy Space Center, speaks to workers during a Women's History Month event at the center. With the theme "Nevertheless She Persisted," Morgan described her experience as the first female engineer working in the space program in the 1960s. Morgan was the first female in the Launch Control Center firing room during the Apollo 11 launch. The event was hosted by the center's Kennedy Networking Opportunities for Women (KNOW) and Launching Leaders organizations. The purpose of KNOW is to provide focus on issues such as employment, retention, promotion, training, career and personal development, education, and identify and eliminate barriers that hinder the advancement of women in the workforce.

Women's History Month Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-03-27

JoAnn Morgan, former associate director of NASA Kennedy Space Center, was the keynote speaker during a Women's History Month event at the center. With the theme "Nevertheless She Persisted," Morgan described her experience as the first female engineer working in the space program in the 1960s. Morgan was the first female in the Launch Control Center firing room during the Apollo 11 launch. The event was hosted by the center's Kennedy Networking Opportunities for Women (KNOW) and Launching Leaders organizations. The purpose of KNOW is to provide focus on issues such as employment, retention, promotion, training, career and personal development, education, and identify and eliminate barriers that hinder the advancement of women in the workforce.

Women's History Month Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-03-27

JoAnn Morgan, former associate director of Kennedy Space Center, was the keynote speaker during a Women's History Month event at the center. With the theme "Nevertheless She Persisted," Morgan described her experience as the first female engineer working in the space program in the 1960s. Morgan was the first female in the Launch Control Center firing room during the Apollo 11 launch. The event was hosted by the center's Kennedy Networking Opportunities for Women (KNOW) and Launching Leaders organizations. The purpose of KNOW is to provide focus on issues such as employment, retention, promotion, training, career and personal development, education, and identify and eliminate barriers that hinder the advancement of women in the workforce.

3 CFR 8425 - Proclamation 8425 of September 30, 2009. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 2009

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 2009 8425 Proclamation 8425 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 8425 of September 30, 2009 Proc. 8425 National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 2009By the President... diagnosed with breast cancer, and more than 40,000 women are expected to die from this disease. It is the...

3 CFR 8428 - Proclamation 8428 of October 1, 2009. National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, 2009

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 3 The President 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Proclamation 8428 of October 1, 2009. National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, 2009 8428 Proclamation 8428 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 8428 of October 1, 2009 Proc. 8428 National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, 2009By the President of the United States of America A...

Women's History Month Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-03-27

NASA Kennedy Space Center's Deputy Director Janet Petro welcomes workers to the center's Women's History Month event, with the theme "Nevertheless She Persisted." Keynote speaker, JoAnn Morgan, former associate director of the center, spoke to the group about her experience as the first female engineer working in the space program in the 1960s. Morgan was the first female in the Launch Control Center firing room during the Apollo 11 launch. The event was hosted by the center's Kennedy Networking Opportunities for Women (KNOW) and Launching Leaders organizations. The purpose of KNOW is to provide focus on issues such as employment, retention, promotion, training, career and personal development, education, and identify and eliminate barriers that hinder the advancement of women in the workforce.

Women's History Month Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-03-27

JoAnn Morgan, former associate director of Kennedy Space Center, at left, accepts a special coin from Janet Petro, deputy director of Kennedy, during a Women's History Month event at the center. With the theme "Nevertheless She Persisted," Morgan described her experience as the first female engineer working in the space program in the 1960s. Morgan was the first female in the Launch Control Center firing room during the Apollo 11 launch. The event was hosted by the center's Kennedy Networking Opportunities for Women (KNOW) and Launching Leaders organizations. The purpose of KNOW is to provide focus on issues such as employment, retention, promotion, training, career and personal development, education, and identify and eliminate barriers that hinder the advancement of women in the workforce.

Women's History Month Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-03-27

JoAnn Morgan, far left at the podium, former associate director of Kennedy Space Center, was the keynote speaker during a Women's History Month event at the center. With the theme "Nevertheless She Persisted," Morgan described her experience as the first female engineer working in the space program in the 1960s. Morgan was the first female in the Launch Control Center firing room during the Apollo 11 launch. The event was hosted by the center's Kennedy Networking Opportunities for Women (KNOW) and Launching Leaders organizations. The purpose of KNOW is to provide focus on issues such as employment, retention, promotion, training, career and personal development, education, and identify and eliminate barriers that hinder the advancement of women in the workforce.

Organizational Twitter Use: Content Analysis of Tweets during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

PubMed

Diddi, Pratiti; Lundy, Lisa K

2017-03-01

On an average, at least one out of eight women are at risk of falling prey to breast cancer during their lifespan. Amongst varied initiatives to spread awareness about breast cancer, the most well-known campaign is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This article explored, through content analysis, how four different health-related organizations-Susan G. Komen, U.S. News Health, Woman's Hospital, and Breast Cancer Social Media-used their Twitter accounts to talk about varied aspects of breast cancer during the month of October, which is observed as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. All the tweets by these organizations were analyzed for the presence or absence of the theoretical parameters of the Health Belief Model (HBM). A content analysis of 2916 tweets based on the HBM revealed that the content posted by these organizations reflected the use of varied theoretical constructs of the framework. Overall, the study demonstrated that while different organizations shared valuable breast cancer-related content on Twitter, each used the social media platform in a different fashion, evident through focus on different types of HBM constructs while publishing breast cancer-related tweets.

Brief Report: Trends in U.S. National Autism Awareness from 2004 to 2014: The Impact of National Autism Awareness Month

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeVilbiss, Elizabeth A.; Lee, Brian K.

2014-01-01

We sought to evaluate the potential for using historical web search data on autism spectrum disorders (ASD)-related topics as an indicator of ASD awareness. Analysis of Google Trend data suggested that National Autism Awareness Month and televised reports concerning autism are an effective method of promoting online search interest in autism.

Women's History Month Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-03-27

JoAnn Morgan, former associate director of Kennedy Space Center, was the keynote speaker during a Women's History Month event at the center. With the theme "Nevertheless She Persisted," Morgan described her experience as the first female engineer working in the space program in the 1960s. Morgan was the first female in the Launch Control Center firing room during the Apollo 11 launch. Third from the left is Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, launch director for Exploration Mission-1. The event was hosted by the center's Kennedy Networking Opportunities for Women (KNOW) and Launching Leaders organizations. The purpose of KNOW is to provide focus on issues such as employment, retention, promotion, training, career and personal development, education, and identify and eliminate barriers that hinder the advancement of women in the workforce.

77 FR 5377 - National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, 2012

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-03

... violence remains a reality for millions of young people. In a 12 month period, one in 10 high school... National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, 2012 By the President of the United States of... emotional abuse as part of a controlling or violent dating relationship. The consequences of dating violence...

78 FR 8349 - National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, 2013

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-06

... National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, 2013 By the President of the United States of... disproportionately affected by both dating violence and sexual assault. This month, we stand with those who have known the pain and isolation of an abusive relationship, and we recommit to ending the cycle of violence...

3 CFR 8745 - Proclamation 8745 of November 1, 2011. National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, 2011

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Alzheimerâs Disease Awareness Month, 2011 8745 Proclamation 8745 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 8745 of November 1, 2011 Proc. 8745 National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, 2011By the... watching a loved one struggle with Alzheimer’s disease is a pain they know all too well. Alzheimer’s...

Women's History Month Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-03-27

JoAnn Morgan, at right, former associate director of Kennedy Space Center, was the keynote speaker during a Women's History Month event at the center. With the theme "Nevertheless She Persisted," Morgan described her experience as the first female engineer working in the space program in the 1960s. Morgan was the first female in the Launch Control Center firing room during the Apollo 11 launch. Morgan is speaking to Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, the first female launch director, who will lead countdown and launch for Exploration Mission-1. The event was hosted by the center's Kennedy Networking Opportunities for Women (KNOW) and Launching Leaders organizations. The purpose of KNOW is to provide focus on issues such as employment, retention, promotion, training, career and personal development, education, and identify and eliminate barriers that hinder the advancement of women in the workforce.

Seniors: Current Events and Consumer Awareness. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Molek, Carol

A project was conducted to design and implement a curriculum for older adults in the areas of consumer events and consumer awareness. The project aimed to improve the seniors' basic skills by providing relevant content in a basic education context. During the project a curriculum was developed and presented through workshops held in 2 senior…

Finding Your Way™: a collaborative approach to increase awareness of missing person events among persons with dementia.

PubMed

Hillier, Loretta M; Harvey, David; Conway, Cathy; Hunt, Jocelyn; Hoffman, Ron

2016-04-01

To describe an innovative community-wide program aimed at increasing awareness of risks of missing person events among persons with dementia targeting various cultural groups and to present preliminary evaluation findings. Review of program records to describe program implementation and a community partner survey. Over 23 months, 386 partnerships were established to implement the program; 941 awareness-raising sessions were conducted reaching 23,495 individuals. There is an upward trend in number of sessions conducted in various languages and attendance. Community partners' (>85%) responded positively to the program and consultation process. This partnership experience demonstrates the effectiveness of a collaborative approach to the development and widespread dissemination of information and resource materials aimed at ensuring the safety of a vulnerable population.

The impact of walking while using a smartphone on pedestrians' awareness of roadside events.

PubMed

Lin, Ming-I Brandon; Huang, Yu-Ping

2017-04-01

Previous studies have shown that using a cell phone to talk or text while walking changes gait kinematics and encourages risky street-crossing behaviors. However, less is known about how the motor-cognitive interference imposed by smartphone tasks affects pedestrians' situational awareness to environmental targets relevant to pedestrian safety. This study systematically investigated the influence of smartphone use on detection of and responses to a variety of roadside events in a semi-virtual walking environment. Twenty-four healthy participants completed six treadmill walking sessions while engaged in a concurrent picture-dragging, texting, or news-reading task. During distracted walking, they were required to simultaneously monitor the occurrence of road events for two different levels of event frequency. Performance measures for smartphone tasks and event responses, eye movements, and perceived workload and situational awareness were compared across different dual-task conditions. The results revealed that during dual-task walking, the reading app was associated with a significantly higher level of perceived workload, and impaired awareness of the surrounding environment to a greater extent compared with the texting or picture-dragging apps. Pedestrians took longer to visually detect the roadside events in the reading and texting conditions than in the dragging condition. Differences in event response performances were mainly dependent on their salient features but were also affected by the type of smartphone task. Texting was found to make participants more reliant on their central vision to detect road events. Moreover, different gaze-scanning patterns were adopted by participants to better protect dual-task performance in response to the changes in road-event frequency. The findings of relationships between workload, dual-task performances, and allocation strategies for visual attention further our understanding of pedestrian behavior and safety. By knowing

Teen drivers' awareness of vehicle instrumentation in naturalistic research.

PubMed

Ehsani, J P; Haynie, D; Ouimet, M C; Zhu, C; Guillaume, C; Klauer, S G; Dingus, T; Simons-Morton, B G

2017-12-01

Naturalistic driving methods require the installation of instruments and cameras in vehicles to record driving behavior. A critical, yet unexamined issue in naturalistic driving research is the extent to which the vehicle instruments and cameras used for naturalistic methods change human behavior. We sought to describe the degree to which teenage participants' self-reported awareness of vehicle instrumentation changes over time, and whether that awareness was associated with driving behaviors. Forty-two newly-licensed teenage drivers participated in an 18-month naturalistic driving study. Data on driving behaviors including crash/near-crashes and elevated gravitational force (g-force) events rates were collected over the study period. At the end of the study, participants were asked to rate the extent to which they were aware of instruments in the vehicle at four time points. They were also asked to describe their own and their passengers' perceptions of the instrumentation in the vehicle during an in-depth interview. The number of critical event button presses was used as a secondary measure of camera awareness. The association between self-reported awareness of the instrumentation and objectively measured driving behaviors was tested using correlations and linear mixed models. Most participants' reported that their awareness of vehicle instrumentation declined across the duration of the 18-month study. Their awareness increased in response to their passengers' concerns about the cameras or if they were involved in a crash. The number of the critical event button presses was initially high and declined rapidly. There was no correlation between driver's awareness of instrumentation and their crash and near-crash rate or elevated g-force events rate. Awareness was not associated with crash and near-crash rates or elevated g-force event rates, consistent with having no effect on this measure of driving performance. Naturalistic driving studies are likely to yield

OHS Wraps Up American Heart Month | Poster

Cancer.gov

With February coming to a close, Occupational Health Services (OHS) has wrapped up American Heart Month, a four-week-long series of events that raised awareness about heart disease and promoted heart-healthy habits.

A Web Portal-Based Time-Aware KML Animation Tool for Exploring Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Hydrological Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bao, X.; Cai, X.; Liu, Y.

2009-12-01

Understanding spatiotemporal dynamics of hydrological events such as storms and droughts is highly valuable for decision making on disaster mitigation and recovery. Virtual Globe-based technologies such as Google Earth and Open Geospatial Consortium KML standards show great promises for collaborative exploration of such events using visual analytical approaches. However, currently there are two barriers for wider usage of such approaches. First, there lacks an easy way to use open source tools to convert legacy or existing data formats such as shapefiles, geotiff, or web services-based data sources to KML and to produce time-aware KML files. Second, an integrated web portal-based time-aware animation tool is currently not available. Thus users usually share their files in the portal but have no means to visually explore them without leaving the portal environment which the users are familiar with. We develop a web portal-based time-aware KML animation tool for viewing extreme hydrologic events. The tool is based on Google Earth JavaScript API and Java Portlet standard 2.0 JSR-286, and it is currently deployable in one of the most popular open source portal frameworks, namely Liferay. We have also developed an open source toolkit kml-soc-ncsa (http://code.google.com/p/kml-soc-ncsa/) to facilitate the conversion of multiple formats into KML and the creation of time-aware KML files. We illustrate our tool using some example cases, in which drought and storm events with both time and space dimension can be explored in this web-based KML animation portlet. The tool provides an easy-to-use web browser-based portal environment for multiple users to collaboratively share and explore their time-aware KML files as well as improving the understanding of the spatiotemporal dynamics of the hydrological events.

Resisting "National Breast Cancer Awareness Month": The Rhetoric of Counterpublics and Their Cultural Performances

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pezzullo, Phaedra C.

2003-01-01

Since 1984, October has been recognized in the U.S. as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In 1997, the Toxic Links Coalition of the Bay Area, California, began organizing annual "Stop Cancer Where It Starts" tours to counter attempts to obscure the environmentally-linked causes of cancer. By drawing on research including participant…

Post-Decision Wagering Affects Metacognitive Awareness of Emotional Stimuli: An Event Related Potential Study

PubMed Central

Wierzchoń, Michał; Wronka, Eligiusz; Paulewicz, Borysław; Szczepanowski, Remigiusz

2016-01-01

The present research investigated metacognitive awareness of emotional stimuli and its psychophysiological correlates. We used a backward masking task presenting participants with fearful or neutral faces. We asked participants for face discrimination and then probed their metacognitive awareness with confidence rating (CR) and post-decision wagering (PDW) scales. We also analysed psychophysiological correlates of awareness with event-related potential (ERP) components: P1, N170, early posterior negativity (EPN), and P3. We have not observed any differences between PDW and CR conditions in the emotion identification task. However, the "aware" ratings were associated with increased accuracy performance. This effect was more pronounced in PDW, especially for fearful faces, suggesting that emotional stimuli awareness may be enhanced by monetary incentives. EEG analysis showed larger N170, EPN and P3 amplitudes in aware compared to unaware trials. It also appeared that both EPN and P3 ERP components were more pronounced in the PDW condition, especially when emotional faces were presented. Taken together, our ERP findings suggest that metacognitive awareness of emotional stimuli depends on the effectiveness of both early and late visual information processing. Our study also indicates that awareness of emotional stimuli can be enhanced by the motivation induced by wagering. PMID:27490816

Post-Decision Wagering Affects Metacognitive Awareness of Emotional Stimuli: An Event Related Potential Study.

PubMed

Wierzchoń, Michał; Wronka, Eligiusz; Paulewicz, Borysław; Szczepanowski, Remigiusz

2016-01-01

The present research investigated metacognitive awareness of emotional stimuli and its psychophysiological correlates. We used a backward masking task presenting participants with fearful or neutral faces. We asked participants for face discrimination and then probed their metacognitive awareness with confidence rating (CR) and post-decision wagering (PDW) scales. We also analysed psychophysiological correlates of awareness with event-related potential (ERP) components: P1, N170, early posterior negativity (EPN), and P3. We have not observed any differences between PDW and CR conditions in the emotion identification task. However, the "aware" ratings were associated with increased accuracy performance. This effect was more pronounced in PDW, especially for fearful faces, suggesting that emotional stimuli awareness may be enhanced by monetary incentives. EEG analysis showed larger N170, EPN and P3 amplitudes in aware compared to unaware trials. It also appeared that both EPN and P3 ERP components were more pronounced in the PDW condition, especially when emotional faces were presented. Taken together, our ERP findings suggest that metacognitive awareness of emotional stimuli depends on the effectiveness of both early and late visual information processing. Our study also indicates that awareness of emotional stimuli can be enhanced by the motivation induced by wagering.

75 FR 41084 - Amendments to Regulations Regarding Major Life-Changing Events Affecting Income-Related Monthly...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-15

... to Regulations Regarding Major Life-Changing Events Affecting Income-Related Monthly Adjustment... major life-changing events for the Medicare Part B income- related monthly adjustment amount (IRMAA) and what evidence we require to support a claim of a major life-changing event. Recent changes in the...

Sounds can boost the awareness of visual events through attention without cross-modal integration.

PubMed

Pápai, Márta Szabina; Soto-Faraco, Salvador

2017-01-31

Cross-modal interactions can lead to enhancement of visual perception, even for visual events below awareness. However, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. Can purely bottom-up cross-modal integration break through the threshold of awareness? We used a binocular rivalry paradigm to measure perceptual switches after brief flashes or sounds which, sometimes, co-occurred. When flashes at the suppressed eye coincided with sounds, perceptual switches occurred the earliest. Yet, contrary to the hypothesis of cross-modal integration, this facilitation never surpassed the assumption of probability summation of independent sensory signals. A follow-up experiment replicated the same pattern of results using silent gaps embedded in continuous noise, instead of sounds. This manipulation should weaken putative sound-flash integration, although keep them salient as bottom-up attention cues. Additional results showed that spatial congruency between flashes and sounds did not determine the effectiveness of cross-modal facilitation, which was again not better than probability summation. Thus, the present findings fail to fully support the hypothesis of bottom-up cross-modal integration, above and beyond the independent contribution of two transient signals, as an account for cross-modal enhancement of visual events below level of awareness.

AWARE-AWAreness during REsuscitation-a prospective study.

PubMed

Parnia, Sam; Spearpoint, Ken; de Vos, Gabriele; Fenwick, Peter; Goldberg, Diana; Yang, Jie; Zhu, Jiawen; Baker, Katie; Killingback, Hayley; McLean, Paula; Wood, Melanie; Zafari, A Maziar; Dickert, Neal; Beisteiner, Roland; Sterz, Fritz; Berger, Michael; Warlow, Celia; Bullock, Siobhan; Lovett, Salli; McPara, Russell Metcalfe Smith; Marti-Navarette, Sandra; Cushing, Pam; Wills, Paul; Harris, Kayla; Sutton, Jenny; Walmsley, Anthony; Deakin, Charles D; Little, Paul; Farber, Mark; Greyson, Bruce; Schoenfeld, Elinor R

2014-12-01

Cardiac arrest (CA) survivors experience cognitive deficits including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is unclear whether these are related to cognitive/mental experiences and awareness during CPR. Despite anecdotal reports the broad range of cognitive/mental experiences and awareness associated with CPR has not been systematically studied. The incidence and validity of awareness together with the range, characteristics and themes relating to memories/cognitive processes during CA was investigated through a 4 year multi-center observational study using a three stage quantitative and qualitative interview system. The feasibility of objectively testing the accuracy of claims of visual and auditory awareness was examined using specific tests. The outcome measures were (1) awareness/memories during CA and (2) objective verification of claims of awareness using specific tests. Among 2060 CA events, 140 survivors completed stage 1 interviews, while 101 of 140 patients completed stage 2 interviews. 46% had memories with 7 major cognitive themes: fear; animals/plants; bright light; violence/persecution; deja-vu; family; recalling events post-CA and 9% had NDEs, while 2% described awareness with explicit recall of 'seeing' and 'hearing' actual events related to their resuscitation. One had a verifiable period of conscious awareness during which time cerebral function was not expected. CA survivors commonly experience a broad range of cognitive themes, with 2% exhibiting full awareness. This supports other recent studies that have indicated consciousness may be present despite clinically undetectable consciousness. This together with fearful experiences may contribute to PTSD and other cognitive deficits post CA. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Transitions in Prognostic Awareness Among Terminally Ill Cancer Patients in Their Last 6 Months of Life Examined by Multi-State Markov Modeling.

PubMed

Hsiu Chen, Chen; Wen, Fur-Hsing; Hou, Ming-Mo; Hsieh, Chia-Hsun; Chou, Wen-Chi; Chen, Jen-Shi; Chang, Wen-Cheng; Tang, Siew Tzuh

2017-09-01

Developing accurate prognostic awareness, a cornerstone of preference-based end-of-life (EOL) care decision-making, is a dynamic process involving more prognostic-awareness states than knowing or not knowing. Understanding the transition probabilities and time spent in each prognostic-awareness state can help clinicians identify trigger points for facilitating transitions toward accurate prognostic awareness. We examined transition probabilities in distinct prognostic-awareness states between consecutive time points in 247 cancer patients' last 6 months and estimated the time spent in each state. Prognostic awareness was categorized into four states: (a) unknown and not wanting to know, state 1; (b) unknown but wanting to know, state 2; (c) inaccurate awareness, state 3; and (d) accurate awareness, state 4. Transitional probabilities were examined by multistate Markov modeling. Initially, 59.5% of patients had accurate prognostic awareness, whereas the probabilities of being in states 1-3 were 8.1%, 17.4%, and 15.0%, respectively. Patients' prognostic awareness generally remained unchanged (probabilities of remaining in the same state: 45.5%-92.9%). If prognostic awareness changed, it tended to shift toward higher prognostic-awareness states (probabilities of shifting to state 4 were 23.2%-36.6% for patients initially in states 1-3, followed by probabilities of shifting to state 3 for those in states 1 and 2 [9.8%-10.1%]). Patients were estimated to spend 1.29, 0.42, 0.68, and 3.61 months in states 1-4, respectively, in their last 6 months. Terminally ill cancer patients' prognostic awareness generally remained unchanged, with a tendency to become more aware of their prognosis. Health care professionals should facilitate patients' transitions toward accurate prognostic awareness in a timely manner to promote preference-based EOL decisions. Terminally ill Taiwanese cancer patients' prognostic awareness generally remained stable, with a tendency toward developing

76 FR 38552 - Amendments to Regulations Regarding Major Life-Changing Events Affecting Income-Related Monthly...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-01

... to Regulations Regarding Major Life-Changing Events Affecting Income-Related Monthly Adjustment.... SUMMARY: This final rule adopts, without change, the interim final rule with request for comments we... consider major life-changing events for the Medicare Part B income- related monthly adjustment amount...

The practical oral care video--evaluation of a dental awareness month initiative.

PubMed

Chalmers, J M; Robinson, J; Nankivell, N

2005-06-01

A collaborative effort for the Australian Dental Association's Dental Awareness Month in 2002 included the production of 'Practical Oral Care - a video for residential care staff'. This evaluation of the project aimed to profile the video purchasers, evaluate the usefulness and appropriateness of the video and accompanying booklet using a mailed questionnaire, and elicit appropriate and practical themes for future geriatric oral health promotion and research. A national mail-out of evaluation questionnaires was undertaken to all purchasers of the video. Of the 792 purchasers at the time of the project, 294 questionnaires were returned with 83.7 per cent from residential aged care facilities, 12.6 per cent from dental professionals and 3.7 per cent from health educators. The great majority of purchasers agreed or strongly agreed that the booklet was practical and useful, video was the best format, video length was appropriate, content was realistic, the video assisted staff to identify residents at risk for dental problems and better meet their oral care needs, and improved awareness about oral care issues. Analysis of purchasers' comments highlighted the need for the production of videos on more specific practical oral care issues with behaviourally difficult residents and residents with dementia, to be supplemented with a self-directed learning package. The Practical Oral Care video was a successful national collaborative geriatric oral health promotion initiative and provided the opportunity to increase awareness about oral care issues in residential care.

Occupational Health Services Plans to Make February a Healthy, Heart-y Month | Poster

Cancer.gov

In celebration of American Heart Month this February, Occupational Health Services is hosting multiple events to promote heart health and raise awareness about heart disease and its associated risks. American Heart Month kicks off on Monday, January 29, when staff will be sponsoring a table outside of the 15th Annual Protective Services Chili Cookoff and holding a raffle for

Adverse Events following 12 and 18 Month Vaccinations: a Population-Based, Self-Controlled Case Series Analysis

PubMed Central

Wilson, Kumanan; Hawken, Steven; Kwong, Jeffrey C.; Deeks, Shelley; Crowcroft, Natasha S.; Van Walraven, Carl; Potter, Beth K.; Chakraborty, Pranesh; Keelan, Jennifer; Pluscauskas, Michael; Manuel, Doug

2011-01-01

Background Live vaccines have distinct safety profiles, potentially causing systemic reactions one to 2 weeks after administration. In the province of Ontario, Canada, live MMR vaccine is currently recommended at age 12 months and 18 months. Methods Using the self-controlled case series design we examined 271,495 12 month vaccinations and 184,312 18 month vaccinations to examine the relative incidence of the composite endpoint of emergency room visits or hospital admissions in consecutive one day intervals following vaccination. These were compared to a control period 20 to 28 days later. In a post-hoc analysis we examined the reasons for emergency room visits and the average acuity score at presentation for children during the at-risk period following the 12 month vaccine. Results Four to 12 days post 12 month vaccination, children had a 1.33 (1.29–1.38) increased relative incidence of the combined endpoint compared to the control period, or at least one event during the risk interval for every 168 children vaccinated. Ten to 12 days post 18 month vaccination, the relative incidence was 1.25 (95%, 1.17–1.33) which represented at least one excess event for every 730 children vaccinated. The primary reason for increased events was statistically significant elevations in emergency room visits following all vaccinations. There were non-significant increases in hospital admissions. There were an additional 20 febrile seizures for every 100,000 vaccinated at 12 months. Conclusions There are significantly elevated risks of primarily emergency room visits approximately one to two weeks following 12 and 18 month vaccination. Future studies should examine whether these events could be predicted or prevented. PMID:22174753

Awareness of antiplatelet resistance in patient with repeated episodes of thrombotic events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dalimunthe, N. N.; Hamonangan, R.; Antono, D.; Prasetya, I.; Rusdi, L.

2018-03-01

Antiplatelet has been the cornerstones management of acute coronary syndrome. However, numbers of patients on these agents had episodes of adverse cardiovascular events. A 65-year-old woman post cardiac coronary bypass surgery on dual antiplatelet therapy, Aspirin, and Clopidogrel underwent several episodes of thrombotic events despite good adhered to thedailyantiplatelet regimen.These recurrent events had led to clinical suspicious of antiplatelet resistance. Platelet function test was performed which indicates a poor platelet response to Clopidogrel. Clopidogrelwas discontinued and Ticagrelor was prescribed together with Aspirin. During two months of follow up, there is no episode of chest discomfort.

Risk awareness and knowledge of patients with stroke: results of a questionnaire survey 3 months after stroke

PubMed Central

Croquelois, A; Bogousslavsky, J

2006-01-01

Background Secondary prevention of stroke has been shown to dramatically reduce recurrence and has been described as suboptimal. Objective To analyse patients' awareness and knowledge about cerebrovascular risk factors (CVRF) and their influence on CVRF control. Methods Patients (n = 164) who were attending a stroke outpatient clinic for the first time after hospital discharge (3 months) for a first stroke were asked to answer a short questionnaire including questions on awareness and knowledge of CVRF, visits to a CVRF specialist, number of visits to a general practitioner, adherence to drug treatments, cigarette smoking and cessation. Results CVRF were spontaneously mentioned as relevant for their stroke by only13% of patients. A specialist was visited by only one‐third of the patients and a general practitioner was not visited at all by 27% of the patients since their stroke. Awareness was inversely correlated with older age and good recovery. More than half of the patients had high blood pressure (≥140 mmHg for systolic and ≥90 mmHg for diastolic values) at the time of follow‐up. These high values were correlated with poor awareness. Appropriate secondary stroke prevention measures were not received by one‐fourth of the patients; this was also correlated with poor awareness. Conclusions CVRF control is not optimal and is at least partially related to patients' awareness and knowledge and suboptimal medical follow‐up. Older patients and patients with excellent recovery are at particular risk for poor awareness and CVRF control. PMID:16549417

Using national news events to stimulate local awareness of public policy issues.

PubMed Central

Convissor, R B; Vollinger, R E; Wilbur, P

1990-01-01

Community leaders in Atlanta, GA, the Detroit and Lansing, MI, areas, and San Francisco, CA, participated in a demonstration of techniques to disseminate information and increase public awareness of the recommendations from the Surgeon General's Workshop on Drunk Driving, held in December 1988. Local officials worked with the Public Health Service's Office for Substance Abuse Prevention, of the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration, to educate and inform the public about the workshop recommendations as well as other alcohol-related concerns, and to encourage public involvement in their communities with the issue of alcohol-impaired driving and other alcohol-related concerns. With minimal assistance from Federal agencies and Washington-based health and public interest groups, the communities developed unique approaches to generating local television, radio, and newspaper coverage of an event that had originated as national news. The events demonstrated that, with minimal Federal resources and support, local groups can create media attention in conjunction with national news, and local media events can lead to successful community activism. The techniques can be applied by other community groups to gain sufficient news media attention to encourage the public to organize around issues of common concern. PMID:2113684

A novel briefing checklist at shift handoff in an emergency department improves situational awareness and safety event identification.

PubMed

Mullan, Paul C; Macias, Charles G; Hsu, Deborah; Alam, Sartaj; Patel, Binita

2015-04-01

Emergency department (ED) shift handoffs are sources of potential medical error, delays in care, and medicolegal liabilities. Few handoff studies exist in the ED literature. We aimed to describe the implementation of a standardized checklist for improving situational awareness during physician handoffs in a pediatric ED. This is a descriptive observational study in a large academic pediatric ED. Checklists were evaluated for rates of use, completion, and identification of potential safety events. We defined a complete checklist as 80% or more of items checked.  A user perception survey was used. After 1 year, all checklist users (residents, fellows, faculty, and charge nurses with ED experience before and after checklist implementation) were anonymously surveyed to assess the checklist's usability, perceived contributions to Institute of Medicine quality domains, and situational awareness. The electronically administered survey used Likert frequency scales. Of 732 handoffs, 98% used the checklist, and 89% were complete. A mean of 1.7 potential safety events were identified per handoff. The most frequent potential safety events were identification of intensive care unit-level patients in the ED (48%), equipment problems (46%), staffing issues (21%), and intensive care unit-level patients in transport (16%). Eighty-one subjects (88%) responded to the survey. The users agreed that the checklist promoted better communication, safety, efficiency, effective care, and situational awareness. The Physician Active Shift Signout in the Emergency Department briefing checklist was used often and at a high completion rate, frequently identifying potential safety events. The users found that it improved the quality of care and team communication. Future studies on outcomes and processes are needed.

Event-Related Potentials Discriminate Familiar and Unusual Goal Outcomes in 5-Month-Olds and Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Michel, Christine; Kaduk, Katharina; Ní Choisdealbha, Áine; Reid, Vincent M.

2017-01-01

Previous event-related potential (ERP) work has indicated that the neural processing of action sequences develops with age. Although adults and 9-month-olds use a semantic processing system, perceiving actions activates attentional processes in 7-month-olds. However, presenting a sequence of action context, action execution and action conclusion…

Social-aware Event Handling within the FallRisk Project.

PubMed

De Backere, Femke; Van den Bergh, Jan; Coppers, Sven; Elprama, Shirley; Nelis, Jelle; Verstichel, Stijn; Jacobs, An; Coninx, Karin; Ongenae, Femke; De Turck, Filip

2017-01-09

With the uprise of the Internet of Things, wearables and smartphones are moving to the foreground. Ambient Assisted Living solutions are, for example, created to facilitate ageing in place. One example of such systems are fall detection systems. Currently, there exists a wide variety of fall detection systems using different methodologies and technologies. However, these systems often do not take into account the fall handling process, which starts after a fall is identified or this process only consists of sending a notification. The FallRisk system delivers an accurate analysis of incidents occurring in the home of the older adults using several sensors and smart devices. Moreover, the input from these devices can be used to create a social-aware event handling process, which leads to assisting the older adult as soon as possible and in the best possible way. The FallRisk system consists of several components, located in different places. When an incident is identified by the FallRisk system, the event handling process will be followed to assess the fall incident and select the most appropriate caregiver, based on the input of the smartphones of the caregivers. In this process, availability and location are automatically taken into account. The event handling process was evaluated during a decision tree workshop to verify if the current day practices reflect the requirements of all the stakeholders. Other knowledge, which is uncovered during this workshop can be taken into account to further improve the process. The FallRisk offers a way to detect fall incidents in an accurate way and uses context information to assign the incident to the most appropriate caregiver. This way, the consequences of the fall are minimized and help is at location as fast as possible. It could be concluded that the current guidelines on fall handling reflect the needs of the stakeholders. However, current technology evolutions, such as the uptake of wearables and smartphones, enables

Statistical model for forecasting monthly large wildfire events in western United States

Treesearch

Haiganoush K. Preisler; Anthony L. Westerling

2006-01-01

The ability to forecast the number and location of large wildfire events (with specified confidence bounds) is important to fire managers attempting to allocate and distribute suppression efforts during severe fire seasons. This paper describes the development of a statistical model for assessing the forecasting skills of fire-danger predictors and producing 1-month-...

Event Segmentation Improves Event Memory up to One Month Later

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flores, Shaney; Bailey, Heather R.; Eisenberg, Michelle L.; Zacks, Jeffrey M.

2017-01-01

When people observe everyday activity, they spontaneously parse it into discrete meaningful events. Individuals who segment activity in a more normative fashion show better subsequent memory for the events. If segmenting events effectively leads to better memory, does asking people to attend to segmentation improve subsequent memory? To answer…

Level of Awareness of Various Aspects of Lung Cancer Among College Teachers in India: Impact of Cancer Awareness Programmes in Prevention and Early Detection.

PubMed

Shankar, Abhishek; Roy, Shubham; Malik, Abhidha; Rath, G K; Julka, P K; Kamal, Vineet Kumar; Barnwal, Keshav; Upadhyaya, Sneha; Singh, Rajan; Srivastava, Vivek

2016-12-01

Lung cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer mortality among men in India and incidence is increasing, but actually, they are largely preventable diseases. In India, advanced stage at the time of presentation is responsible for high mortality and morbidity and early detection is the only way to reduce it. The purpose of this study is to know the level of awareness of various aspects of lung cancer among college teachers and impact of awareness programmes in its prevention and early detection. This assessment was part of Pink Chain Campaign-a campaign on cancer awareness. During the cancer awareness events in 2011-2013 at various women colleges in different parts in India, pre-test related to lung cancer was followed by awareness programme. Post-test using the same questionnaire was conducted at the end of interactive session, at 6 months and 1 year. A total of 872 out of 985 teachers participated in the study (overall response rate was 88.5 %). Mean age of the study population was 41.6 years (range 26-59 years). There was a significant increase in the level of knowledge regarding lung cancer at 6 months, and this was sustained at 1 year. Among teachers who were just asked yes or no question, 117 teachers (13.4 %) were smokers and 241 teachers (27.6 %) were alcoholics. Magazines and newspapers were sources for knowledge in 50-60 % of teachers, whereas approximately 30 % of teachers were educated by TV and Internet regarding various aspects of lung cancer. Post awareness at 6 months and 1 year, Pink Chain Campaign was the major source of knowledge related to lung cancer in more than 90 % of teachers by continuous and timely update on subject. Post awareness at 6 months and 1 year, there was a significant change in alcohol and smoking habits. Major reasons for not going for check-up were ignorance (83.1 %), fear (30.1 %) and lethargic attitude (29.3 %) initially, but over time, lack of time, lethargic attitude and hesitation became

Measles vaccine coverage and factors related to uncompleted vaccination among 18-month-old and 36-month-old children in Kyoto, Japan.

PubMed

Matsumura, Takayo; Nakayama, Takeo; Okamoto, Shigeru; Ito, Hideko

2005-06-04

Due to low vaccine coverage, Japan has not only experienced outbreaks of measles but has also been exporting it overseas. This study aims to survey measles vaccine coverage and the factors uncompleted vaccination among community-living children. Subjects were the parents whose children had undergone either an 18-month or a 36-month checkup publicly provided by Kyoto City during November 2001 to January 2002. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted. The coverage was 73.2% among the 18-month-old children (n = 2707) and 88.9% among the 36-month-old children (n = 2340), respectively. The following characteristics of mothers were related to uncompleted measles vaccination: aged below 30, working, concerned about the adverse events of the vaccine, and had insufficient knowledge. Similarly, the following characteristics among children were related to uncompleted measles vaccination: not the first-born child, interacting with other children in group settings. The coverage was the lowest among the children whose mothers were concerned about the adverse events of the vaccine without proper knowledge of measles and its vaccination. To increase vaccine coverage among children, parents' awareness about measles and vaccination against it should be promoted, especially for working mothers. Efforts to enhance access to vaccination services and to communicate with parents about changing vaccination schedules are necessary.

Psychological impact of unexpected explicit recall of events occurring during surgery performed under sedation, regional anaesthesia, and general anaesthesia: data from the Anesthesia Awareness Registry.

PubMed

Kent, C D; Mashour, G A; Metzger, N A; Posner, K L; Domino, K B

2013-03-01

Anaesthetic awareness is a recognized complication of general anaesthesia (GA) and is associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although complete amnesia for intraprocedural events during sedation and regional anaesthesia (RA) may occur, explicit recall is expected by anaesthesia providers. Consequently, the possibility that there could be psychological consequences associated with unexpected explicit recall of events during sedation and RA has not been investigated. This study investigated the psychological sequelae of unexpected explicit recall of events during sedation/RA that was reported to the Anesthesia Awareness Registry. The Registry recruited subjects who self-identified as having had anaesthetic awareness. Inclusion criteria were a patient-reported awareness experience in 1990 or later and availability of medical records. The sensations experienced by the subjects during their procedure and the acute and persistent psychological sequelae attributed to this explicit recall were assessed for patients receiving sedation/RA and those receiving GA. Among the patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria, medical record review identified 27 sedation/RA and 50 GA cases. Most patients experienced distress (78% of sedation/RA vs 94% of GA). Approximately 40% of patients with sedation/RA had persistent psychological sequelae, similar to GA patients. Some sedation/RA patients reported an adverse impact on their job performance (15%), family relationships (11%), and friendships (11%), and 15% reported being diagnosed with PTSD. Patients who self-reported to the Registry unexpected explicit recall of events during sedation/RA experienced distress and persistent psychological sequelae comparable with those who had reported anaesthetic awareness during GA. Further study is warranted to determine if patients reporting distress with explicit recall after sedation/RA require psychiatric follow-up.

How 7-Month-Olds Interpret Ambiguous Motion Events: Category-Based Reasoning in Infancy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pauen, Sabina; Trauble, Birgit

2009-01-01

This paper investigates the role of static and dynamic attributes for the animate-inanimate distinction in category-based reasoning of 7-month-olds. Three experiments tested infants' responses to movement events involving an unfamiliar animal and a ball. When either the animal or the ball showed self-initiated irregular movements (Experiment 1),…

Ticagrelor vs prasugrel one-month maintenance therapy: impact on platelet reactivity and bleeding events.

PubMed

Alexopoulos, D; Stavrou, K; Koniari, I; Gkizas, V; Perperis, A; Kontoprias, K; Vogiatzi, C; Bampouri, T; Xanthopoulou, I

2014-09-02

Platelet reactivity (PR) and bleeding events following therapy with ticagrelor vs prasugrel have not been adequately studied. We aimed to compare PR and bleeding events in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) while on ticagrelor vs prasugrel for one month. Consecutive patients who were discharged either on ticagrelor 90 mg bid maintenance dose (MD) or prasugrel 10 mg MD were invited for PR assessment (VerifyNow, in PRU) at one month. High PR (HPR) was defined as >208 PRU. Bleeding events [Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) classification] were monitored. Out of 937 screened patients, 512 were analysed, 278 under ticagrelor MD and 234 under prasugrel MD. PR at 30 days (C-statistic of the propensity score model 0.63, 0.58-0.67 95% CI, p<0.001) was lower when on ticagrelor compared with prasugrel (33.3, 95% CI 29.3-37.3 vs 84.6, 95% CI 73.6-95.6, p<0.001). In the analysed population more BARC type 1 bleeding events were observed with ticagrelor compared to prasugrel (36.7% vs 28.2%, p=0.047). In 221 propensity score matched pairs, BARC type 1 bleeding rate was marginally higher in ticagrelor vs prasugrel treated patients (35.7% vs 27.1%, p=0.05). BARC type ≥2 events did not differ between groups 5 (2.3%) vs 5 (2.3%). HPR rate was higher for prasugrel-treated patients (5.4% vs 0%, p<0.001). In conclusion, in patients with ACS undergoing PCI, ticagrelor MD produces a significantly higher platelet inhibition compared to prasugrel MD. This pharmacodynamic difference might be associated with more nuisance bleeding events with ticagrelor use.

Demonstration of a Novel Synchrophasor-based Situational Awareness System: Wide Area Power System Visualization, On-line Event Replay and Early Warning of Grid Problems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rosso, A.

Since the large North Eastern power system blackout on August 14, 2003, U.S. electric utilities have spent lot of effort on preventing power system cascading outages. Two of the main causes of the August 14, 2003 blackout were inadequate situational awareness and inadequate operator training In addition to the enhancements of the infrastructure of the interconnected power systems, more research and development of advanced power system applications are required for improving the wide-area security monitoring, operation and planning in order to prevent large- scale cascading outages of interconnected power systems. It is critically important for improving the wide-area situation awarenessmore » of the operators or operational engineers and regional reliability coordinators of large interconnected systems. With the installation of large number of phasor measurement units (PMU) and the related communication infrastructure, it will be possible to improve the operators’ situation awareness and to quickly identify the sequence of events during a large system disturbance for the post-event analysis using the real-time or historical synchrophasor data. The purpose of this project was to develop and demonstrate a novel synchrophasor-based comprehensive situational awareness system for control centers of power transmission systems. The developed system named WASA (Wide Area Situation Awareness) is intended to improve situational awareness at control centers of the power system operators and regional reliability coordinators. It consists of following main software modules: • Wide-area visualizations of real-time frequency, voltage, and phase angle measurements and their contour displays for security monitoring. • Online detection and location of a major event (location, time, size, and type, such as generator or line outage). • Near-real-time event replay (in seconds) after a major event occurs. • Early warning of potential wide-area stability problems. The system

The Influence of Life Events and Psychological Stress on Objectively Measured Physical Activity: A 12-Month Longitudinal Study.

PubMed

Paluch, Amanda E; Shook, Robin P; Hand, Gregory A; O'Connor, Daniel P; Wilcox, Sara; Drenowatz, Clemens; Baruth, Meghan; Burgess, Stephanie; Blair, Steven N

2018-05-01

This study examined how life event occurrences and stressfulness influence objectively measured light through vigorous physical activity (PA) among young adults. Every 3 months over a 12-month period, 404 healthy young adults completed questionnaires on the occurrence and stress of 16 life events and wore an accelerometer for 10 days. A modest positive relationship was seen between cumulative life event occurrences [between effect: β = 22.2 (9.7) min/d, P = .02] and cumulative stress [between effect: β = 7.6 (2.9) min/d, P = .01] with light through vigorous PA among men. When considering events individually, job change, starting a first job, beginning a mortgage, and changes in a relationship influenced men's PA. For women, mortgage, starting a first job, job change, and engagement had significant associations. Life event stressfulness influenced PA in women more than in men. For men, stress from changes in a relationship or job positively influenced PA. Stress of a mortgage, quitting a job, changing jobs or a first job influenced women's PA. Considering each life event individually was more informative than the summation of life events or summation of stress. Specific life events substantially altered PA, and this change varied by gender, direction of association, and PA intensity and duration.

Level of awareness of cervical and breast cancer risk factors and safe practices among college teachers of different states in india: do awareness programmes have an impact on adoption of safe practices?

PubMed

Shankar, Abhishek; Rath, Gk; Roy, Shubham; Malik, Abhidha; Bhandari, Ruchir; Kishor, Kunal; Barnwal, Keshav; Upadyaya, Sneha; Srivastava, Vivek; Singh, Rajan

2015-01-01

Breast and cervical cancers are the most common causes of cancer mortality among women in India, but actually they are largely preventable diseases. Although early detection is the only way to reduce morbidity and mortality, there are limited data on breast and cervical cancer knowledge, safe practices and attitudes of teachers in India. The purpose of this study is to assess the level of awareness and impact of awareness programs in adoption of safe practices in prevention and early detection. This assessment was part of a pink chain campaign on cancer awareness. During cancer awareness events in 2011 at various women colleges in different parts in India, a pre-test related to cervical cancer and breast cancer was followed by an awareness program. Post-tests using the same questionnaire were conducted at the end of the interactive session, at 6 months and 1 year. A total of 156 out of 182 teachers participated in the study (overall response rate was 85.7 %). Mean age of the study population was 42.4 years (range- 28-59 yrs). There was a significant increase in level of knowledge regarding cervical and breast cancer at 6 months and this was sustained at 1 year. Adoption of breast self examination (BSE) was significantly more frequent in comparison to CBE, mammography and the Pap test. Magazines and newspapers were sources for knowledge regarding screening tests for breast cancer in more than 60% of teachers where as more than 75% were educated by doctors regarding the Pap test. Post awareness at 6 months and 1 year, there was a significant change in alcohol and smoking habits. Major reasons for not doing screening test were found to be ignorance (50%), lethargic attitude (44.8%) and lack of time (34.6%). Level of knowledge of breast cancer risk factors, symptoms and screening methods was high as compared to cervical cancer. There was a significant increase in level of knowledge regarding cervical and breast cancer at 6 months and this was sustained at 1 year

Event-based Sensing for Space Situational Awareness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohen, G.; Afshar, S.; van Schaik, A.; Wabnitz, A.; Bessell, T.; Rutten, M.; Morreale, B.

A revolutionary type of imaging device, known as a silicon retina or event-based sensor, has recently been developed and is gaining in popularity in the field of artificial vision systems. These devices are inspired by a biological retina and operate in a significantly different way to traditional CCD-based imaging sensors. While a CCD produces frames of pixel intensities, an event-based sensor produces a continuous stream of events, each of which is generated when a pixel detects a change in log light intensity. These pixels operate asynchronously and independently, producing an event-based output with high temporal resolution. There are also no fixed exposure times, allowing these devices to offer a very high dynamic range independently for each pixel. Additionally, these devices offer high-speed, low power operation and a sparse spatiotemporal output. As a consequence, the data from these sensors must be interpreted in a significantly different way to traditional imaging sensors and this paper explores the advantages this technology provides for space imaging. The applicability and capabilities of event-based sensors for SSA applications are demonstrated through telescope field trials. Trial results have confirmed that the devices are capable of observing resident space objects from LEO through to GEO orbital regimes. Significantly, observations of RSOs were made during both day-time and nighttime (terminator) conditions without modification to the camera or optics. The event based sensor’s ability to image stars and satellites during day-time hours offers a dramatic capability increase for terrestrial optical sensors. This paper shows the field testing and validation of two different architectures of event-based imaging sensors. An eventbased sensor’s asynchronous output has an intrinsically low data-rate. In addition to low-bandwidth communications requirements, the low weight, low-power and high-speed make them ideally suitable to meeting the demanding

Short-term effects of announcing revised lower risk national drinking guidelines on related awareness and knowledge: a trend analysis of monthly survey data in England.

PubMed

Holmes, John; Brown, Jamie; Meier, Petra; Beard, Emma; Michie, Susan; Buykx, Penny

2016-12-01

To evaluate short-term effects of publishing revised lower risk national drinking guidelines on related awareness and knowledge. To examine where drinkers heard about guidelines over the same period. Trend analysis of the Alcohol Toolkit Study, a monthly repeat cross-sectional national survey. England, November 2015 to May 2016. A total of 11 845 adults (18+) living in private households in England. Publication of revised national drinking guidelines in January 2016 which reduced the male guideline by approximately one-third to 14 units per week. Whether drinkers (1) had heard of drinking guidelines (awareness), (2) stated the guideline was above, exactly or below 14 units (knowledge) and (3) reported seeing the stated guideline number of units in the last month in each of 11 locations (exposure). Sociodemographics: sex, age (18-34, 35-64, 65+), social grade (AB, C1C2, DE). Alcohol consumption derived from graduated frequency questions: low risk (<14 units/week), increasing/high risk (14+ units/week). Following publication of the guidelines, the proportion of drinkers aware of guidelines did not increase from its baseline level of 85.1% (CI 82.7% to 87.1%). However, the proportion of male drinkers saying the guideline was 14 units or less increased from 22.6% (CI 18.9% to 26.7%) in December to 43.3% (CI 38.9% to 47.8%) in January and was at 35.6% (CI 31.6% to 39.9%) in May. Last month exposure to the guidelines was below 25% in all locations except television/radio where exposure increased from 33% (CI 28.8% to 36.2%) in December to 65% (CI 61.2% to 68.3%) in January. Awareness and knowledge of guidelines was lowest in social grade DE and this gap remained after publication. Publication of new or revised lower risk drinking guidelines can improve drinkers' knowledge of these guidelines within all sociodemographic groups; however, in the absence of sustained promotional activity, positive effects may not be maintained and social inequalities in awareness and

Evaluating the impact of a community-based cancer awareness roadshow on awareness, attitudes and behaviors.

PubMed

Smith, Samuel G; Osborne, Kirstie; Tring, Sophie; George, Helen; Power, Emily

2016-06-01

Improving public awareness of cancer and encouraging health behavior change are important aspects of cancer control. We investigated whether a community-based roadshow was an effective way of communicating with the public about cancer and encouraging behavior change. Data were from 1196 people who completed questionnaires at a Cancer Research UK Cancer Awareness Roadshow in 2013. Of these, 511 (43%) completed questionnaires immediately before their visit (pre-visit group) and 685 (57%) completed questionnaires immediately after their visit (post-visit group). Among the post-visit sample, 217 (32%) were retained after two months. Self-reported data were available on risk factor and symptom awareness, help-seeking barriers, use of healthcare services and health behaviors. Compared with the pre-visit sample, the post-visit group had greater awareness of cancer risk factors and was more positive about aspects of help-seeking but awareness of potential symptoms was similar. Most effects were maintained over two months. Intentions to eat more fruit and vegetables and to exercise more were comparable between the groups but more people in the post-visit sample intended to quit smoking. At 2-month follow-up, smoking prevalence had significantly reduced but fruit and vegetable consumption decreased and there was no change to physical activity. User of weight loss services and general practitioner visits were high at follow-up and largely attributed to the Roadshow. The Cancer Research UK Roadshow appears to improve risk factor awareness, promote positive attitudes towards help-seeking and increase smoking cessation. This approach could be a useful building block for additional cancer prevention and control strategies. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

77 FR 55087 - National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, 2012

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-06

... Vol. 77 Thursday, No. 173 September 6, 2012 Part IV The President Proclamation 8850--National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, 2012 Proclamation 8851--National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, 2012 Proclamation 8852--National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2012 Proclamation 8853...

Tour NREL Facilities During Energy Awareness Month

Science.gov Websites

laboratories for photovoltaics (solar electricity) research; the Photovoltaic Outdoor Test Facility, where scientists test photovoltaic systems; and the Alternative Fuels User Facility, which houses a biofuels pilot month. Space is limited and pre-registration is required at (303) 384-6565. NREL is a national

77 FR 207 - National Mentoring Month, 2012

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-03

... Month, 2012 Proclamation 8769--National Stalking Awareness Month, 2012 #0; #0; #0; Presidential... National Mentoring Month, 2012 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Every day... Nation's youth for a bright future. During National Mentoring Month, we celebrate the contributions of...

Ultraviolet radiation protection and skin cancer awareness in recreational athletes: a survey among participants in a running event.

PubMed

Christoph, Sebastian; Cazzaniga, Simone; Hunger, Robert Emil; Naldi, Luigi; Borradori, Luca; Oberholzer, Patrick Antony

2016-01-01

Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) protection and skin cancer awareness are essential in the avoidance of cutaneous malignancies. Skin cancer prevention programmes involve public educational campaigns, for example, for outdoor workers or school children. Since nonprofessional sun exposure (e.g. during outdoor sport) is increasing with today's lifestyle, we assessed UVR protection and skin cancer awareness among recreational athletes. This survey-based, paper/pencil study was designed to assess UVR protection and skin cancer awareness among recreational athletes attending the largest running event in Switzerland. All adults (age 18 and older) attending this run were invited to complete our survey at our study booth. Our form consisted of questions about participants' personal characteristics such as age, gender, educational attainment, skin type, history of sunburns, and personal/family history of skin cancer, as well as participants' subjective attitudes and behaviours relating to UVR protection and skin cancer avoidance. We calculated separate scores for individual UVR protection and skin cancer awareness. We tested these two scores in relation to educational level as a primary endpoint. In addition, the impacts of further distinct characteristics were assessed in multivariable analysis. A total of 970 runners (457 males, 513 females, mean age 41.0 years) completed our survey. Our results indicate that UVR protection is dependent on age, gender, skin type and personal history of skin cancer. Educational attainment (at univariate level), age, gender and skin type (in multivariable analysis) significantly affected the skin cancer awareness score. Our findings suggest that protection measures among recreational sportsmen can be improved. Achievements are notable in older, fair skinned, female runners. Our findings indicate that further work is needed in the education of the general public, and athletes in particular.

Joint awareness after total knee arthroplasty is affected by pain and quadriceps strength.

PubMed

Hiyama, Y; Wada, O; Nakakita, S; Mizuno, K

2016-06-01

There is a growing interest in the use of patient-reported outcomes to provide a more patient-centered view on treatment. Forgetting the artificial joint can be regarded as the goal in joint arthroplasty. The goals of the study were to describe changes in joint awareness in the artificial joint after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), and to determine which factors among pain, knee range of motion (ROM), quadriceps strength, and functional ability affect joint awareness after TKA. Patients undergoing TKA demonstrate changes in joint awareness and joint awareness is associated with pain, knee ROM, quadriceps strength, and functional ability. This prospective cohort study comprised 63 individuals undergoing TKA, evaluated at 1, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. Outcomes included joint awareness assessed using the Forgotten Joint Score (FJS), pain score, knee ROM, quadriceps strength, and functional ability. Fifty-eight individuals completed all postoperative assessments. All measures except for knee extension ROM improved from 1 to 6 months. However, there were no differences in any measures from 6 to 12 months. FJS was affected most greatly by pain at 1 month and by quadriceps strength at 6 and 12 months. Patients following TKA demonstrate improvements in joint awareness and function within 6 months after surgery, but reach a plateau from 6 to 12 months. Quadriceps strength could contribute to this plateau of joint awareness. Prospective cohort study, IV. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Awareness of deficits and error processing after traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Larson, Michael J; Perlstein, William M

2009-10-28

Severe traumatic brain injury is frequently associated with alterations in performance monitoring, including reduced awareness of physical and cognitive deficits. We examined the relationship between awareness of deficits and electrophysiological indices of performance monitoring, including the error-related negativity and posterror positivity (Pe) components of the scalp-recorded event-related potential, in 16 traumatic brain injury survivors who completed a Stroop color-naming task while event-related potential measurements were recorded. Awareness of deficits was measured as the discrepancy between patient and significant-other ratings on the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale. The amplitude of the Pe, but not error-related negativity, was reliably associated with decreased awareness of deficits. Results indicate that Pe amplitude may serve as an electrophysiological indicator of awareness of abilities and deficits.

Celebration Time: Black History Month

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pinkney, Andrea Davis

2008-01-01

Nowadays, more students, teachers, and librarians are aware of African-American History Month and try to give it greater attention. However, the author questions herself if people do really "celebrate" African-American History Month or is it just something folks feel obligated to do, so they "celebrate" by displaying a collection of books about…

The Effects of a Park Awareness Campaign on Rural Park Use and Physical Activity.

PubMed

Banda, Jorge A; Hooker, Steven P; Wilcox, Sara; Colabianchi, Natalie; Kaczynski, Andrew T; Hussey, James

To examine the effects of a park awareness campaign on park use in 6 community parks. One-group pretest-posttest design. Six community parks located in a South Carolina county. Children, adolescents, and adults observed in community parks. A 1-month awareness campaign that culminated in single 1.5-hour events at 6 parks in April 2011 and May 2011. The System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities was used to objectively measure park use in May 2010 (baseline) and May 2011 (postcampaign). Zero-inflated Poisson models tested whether the number of total park users and the number of park users engaged in sedentary, walking, and vigorous activities differed by observation date. Park use was significantly greater at baseline than postcampaign (97 vs 84 users, respectively; χ = 4.69, P = .03). There were no significant differences in the number of park users engaged in sedentary (χ = 2.45, P = .12), walking (χ = 0.29, P = .59), and vigorous (χ = 0.20, P = .65) activities between baseline and postcampaign. Although only 97 and 84 people were observed across all parks at baseline and postcampaign, a total of 629 people were observed during the 6 separate 1.5-hour campaign park events. This suggests that there is potential for greater park utilization in these communities, and important questions remain on how to conduct effective awareness campaigns and how to harness interest in park events for the purpose of contributing to future community-wide physical activity and health promotion efforts.

Impact of Cancer Awareness Drive on Generating Understanding and Improving Screening Practices for Breast Cancer: a Study on College Teachers in India

PubMed

Shankar, Abhishek; Roy, Shubham; Rath, Goura Kishor; Chakraborty, Abhijit; Kamal, Vineet Kumar; Biswas, Aalekhya Sarma

2017-07-27

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in India and most present at advanced stage. Although early detection is the only way to reduce morbidity and mortality, people have a very low awareness about breast cancer signs and symptoms and screening practices. The purpose of this study was to assess the level of awareness and impact of awareness programs in adoption of safe practices in prevention and early detection. Methods: This assessment was part of a pink chain campaign on cancer awareness. During events from 2011 to 2015 at various women colleges in different parts in India, a pre-test of knowledge related to breast cancer was followed by an awareness program. Post-tests using the same questionnaire were conducted at the end of the interactive sessions, at 6 months and after1 year. Results: A total of 872 out of 985 teachers participated in the study (overall response rate of 88.5 %). Mean age of the study population was 41.6 years (range 28-59 yrs). There was a significant increase in level of knowledge regarding breast cancer at 6 months and this was sustained at 1 year. Adoption of breast self-examination (BSE) was significantly more frequent in comparison to CBE and mammography. Magazines and newspapers were sources for knowledge regarding screening tests for breast cancer for more than 60% of teachers. Regarding post-awareness at 6 months and 1 year, there was a significant change in alcohol and smoking habits. Major reasons came out to be ignorance (83%) at the start of the campaign which was changed to lack of time (37.7%), lethargic attitude (32.2 %) and lack of time (31.5 %) at 6 months and same at 1 year also. Conclusions: With our awareness program there was a significant increase in level of knowledge regarding breast cancer at 6 months and this was sustained at 1 year. Adoption of BSE was significantly greater in comparison to CBE, mammography. To inculcate safe lifestyle practices in people, awareness programmes such as

Impact of Cancer Awareness Drive on Generating Understanding and Improving Screening Practices for Breast Cancer: a Study on College Teachers in India

PubMed Central

Shankar, Abhishek; Roy, Shubham; Rath, Goura Kishor; Chakraborty, Abhijit; Kamal, Vineet Kumar; Biswas, Aalekhya Sarma

2017-01-01

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in India and most present at advanced stage. Although early detection is the only way to reduce morbidity and mortality, people have a very low awareness about breast cancer signs and symptoms and screening practices. The purpose of this study was to assess the level of awareness and impact of awareness programs in adoption of safe practices in prevention and early detection. Methods: This assessment was part of a pink chain campaign on cancer awareness. During events from 2011 to 2015 at various women colleges in different parts in India, a pre-test of knowledge related to breast cancer was followed by an awareness program. Post-tests using the same questionnaire were conducted at the end of the interactive sessions, at 6 months and after1 year. Results: A total of 872 out of 985 teachers participated in the study (overall response rate of 88.5 %). Mean age of the study population was 41.6 years (range 28-59 yrs). There was a significant increase in level of knowledge regarding breast cancer at 6 months and this was sustained at 1 year. Adoption of breast self-examination (BSE) was significantly more frequent in comparison to CBE and mammography. Magazines and newspapers were sources for knowledge regarding screening tests for breast cancer for more than 60% of teachers. Regarding post-awareness at 6 months and 1 year, there was a significant change in alcohol and smoking habits. Major reasons came out to be ignorance (83%) at the start of the campaign which was changed to lack of time (37.7%), lethargic attitude (32.2 %) and lack of time (31.5 %) at 6 months and same at 1 year also. Conclusions: With our awareness program there was a significant increase in level of knowledge regarding breast cancer at 6 months and this was sustained at 1 year. Adoption of BSE was significantly greater in comparison to CBE, mammography. To inculcate safe lifestyle practices in people, awareness programmes such as

76 FR 62287 - National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, 2011

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-07

... ensures a coordinated national response to major disruptive cyber events. This May, we also proposed to... infrastructure. And because we have seen the benefits and risks of cyber- and information-related technologies... public and private sectors to ensure coordinated and planned responses to cyber incidents, as we do with...

Scalable Joint Models for Reliable Uncertainty-Aware Event Prediction.

PubMed

Soleimani, Hossein; Hensman, James; Saria, Suchi

2017-08-21

Missing data and noisy observations pose significant challenges for reliably predicting events from irregularly sampled multivariate time series (longitudinal) data. Imputation methods, which are typically used for completing the data prior to event prediction, lack a principled mechanism to account for the uncertainty due to missingness. Alternatively, state-of-the-art joint modeling techniques can be used for jointly modeling the longitudinal and event data and compute event probabilities conditioned on the longitudinal observations. These approaches, however, make strong parametric assumptions and do not easily scale to multivariate signals with many observations. Our proposed approach consists of several key innovations. First, we develop a flexible and scalable joint model based upon sparse multiple-output Gaussian processes. Unlike state-of-the-art joint models, the proposed model can explain highly challenging structure including non-Gaussian noise while scaling to large data. Second, we derive an optimal policy for predicting events using the distribution of the event occurrence estimated by the joint model. The derived policy trades-off the cost of a delayed detection versus incorrect assessments and abstains from making decisions when the estimated event probability does not satisfy the derived confidence criteria. Experiments on a large dataset show that the proposed framework significantly outperforms state-of-the-art techniques in event prediction.

The "serendipitous brain": Low expectancy and timing uncertainty of conscious events improve awareness of unconscious ones (evidence from the Attentional Blink).

PubMed

Lasaponara, Stefano; Dragone, Alessio; Lecce, Francesca; Di Russo, Francesco; Doricchi, Fabrizio

2015-10-01

To anticipate upcoming sensory events, the brain picks-up and exploits statistical regularities in the sensory environment. However, it is untested whether cumulated predictive knowledge about consciously seen stimuli improves the access to awareness of stimuli that usually go unseen. To explore this issue, we exploited the Attentional Blink (AB) effect, where conscious processing of a first visual target (T1) hinders detection of early following targets (T2). We report that timing uncertainty and low expectancy about the occurrence of consciously seen T2s presented outside the AB period, improve detection of early and otherwise often unseen T2s presented inside the AB. Recording of high-resolution Event Related Potentials (ERPs) and the study of their intracranial sources showed that the brain achieves this improvement by initially amplifying and extending the pre-conscious storage of T2s' traces signalled by the N2 wave originating in the extra-striate cortex. This enhancement in the N2 wave is followed by specific changes in the latency and amplitude of later components in the P3 wave (P3a and P3b), signalling access of the sensory trace to the network of parietal and frontal areas modulating conscious processing. These findings show that the interaction between conscious and unconscious processing changes adaptively as a function of the probabilistic properties of the sensory environment and that the combination of an active attentional state with loose probabilistic and temporal expectancies on forthcoming conscious events favors the emergence to awareness of otherwise unnoticed visual events. This likely provides an insight on the attentional conditions that predispose an active observer to unexpected "serendipitous" findings. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Safety Awareness & Communications Internship

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jefferson, Zanani

2015-01-01

The projects that I have worked on during my internships were updating the JSC Safety & Health Action Team JSAT Employee Guidebook, conducting a JSC mishap case study, preparing for JSC Today Close Call success stories, and assisting with event planning and awareness.

Context-aware event detection smartphone application for first responders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boddhu, Sanjay K.; Dave, Rakesh P.; McCartney, Matt; West, James A.; Williams, Robert L.

2013-05-01

The rise of social networking platforms like Twitter, Facebook, etc…, have provided seamless sharing of information (as chat, video and other media) among its user community on a global scale. Further, the proliferation of the smartphones and their connectivity networks has powered the ordinary individuals to share and acquire information regarding the events happening in his/her immediate vicinity in a real-time fashion. This human-centric sensed data being generated in "human-as-sensor" approach is tremendously valuable as it delivered mostly with apt annotations and ground truth that would be missing in traditional machine-centric sensors, besides high redundancy factor (same data thru multiple users). Further, when appropriately employed this real-time data can support in detecting localized events like fire, accidents, shooting, etc…, as they unfold and pin-point individuals being affected by those events. This spatiotemporal information, when made available for first responders in the event vicinity (or approaching it) can greatly assist them to make effective decisions to protect property and life in a timely fashion. In this vein, under SATE and YATE programs, the research team at AFRL Tec^Edge Discovery labs had demonstrated the feasibility of developing Smartphone applications, that can provide a augmented reality view of the appropriate detected events in a given geographical location (localized) and also provide an event search capability over a large geographic extent. In its current state, the application thru its backend connectivity utilizes a data (Text & Image) processing framework, which deals with data challenges like; identifying and aggregating important events, analyzing and correlating the events temporally and spatially and building a search enabled event database. Further, the smartphone application with its backend data processing workflow has been successfully field tested with live user generated feeds.

Assessment of hypoglycaemia awareness using continuous glucose monitoring.

PubMed

Kubiak, T; Hermanns, N; Schreckling, H J; Kulzer, B; Haak, T

2004-05-01

To investigate the possibility of assessing hypoglycaemia awareness in patients with Type 1 diabetes using continuous glucose monitoring. Twenty patients with Type 1 diabetes were investigated. Ten patients with Type 1 diabetes and strongly impaired hypoglycaemia awareness were compared with 10 patients with intact hypoglycaemia awareness regarding quality of hypoglycaemia perception (number of undetected hypoglycaemic episodes per 24 h, glucose level < 3.3 mmol/l). Hypoglycaemia detection was assessed using the event function of the Continuous Glucose Monitoring System (CGMS; Medtronic MiniMed, Northridge, CA, USA). Patients were instructed to enter an event upon suspecting being hypoglycaemic. Satisfactory CGMS performance could be achieved [mean r = 0.893 between calibration measurements and CGMS data, mean absolute difference (MAD) = 20.6%], although artefacts were observable and had to be controlled. Hypoglycaemia unaware patients showed a significantly higher total number of hypoglycaemic episodes (P < 0.05), number of undetected hypoglycaemic episodes (P < 0.01), and mean glucose levels (P < 0.05). Even in aware patients, undetected hypoglycaemia was observable. No significant differences regarding occurrence of nocturnal hypoglycaemia were observable. The possibility of direct assessment of hypoglycaemia awareness using continuous glucose monitoring was demonstrated. Its application in clinical practice could be of use for assessing hypoglycaemia perception and evaluating the impact of treatment changes on hypoglycaemia awareness.

Precocious development of self-awareness in dolphins.

PubMed

Morrison, Rachel; Reiss, Diana

2018-01-01

Mirror-self recognition (MSR) is a behavioral indicator of self-awareness in young children and only a few other species, including the great apes, dolphins, elephants and magpies. The emergence of self-awareness in children typically occurs during the second year and has been correlated with sensorimotor development and growing social and self-awareness. Comparative studies of MSR in chimpanzees report that the onset of this ability occurs between 2 years 4 months and 3 years 9 months of age. Studies of wild and captive bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) have reported precocious sensorimotor and social awareness during the first weeks of life, but no comparative MSR research has been conducted with this species. We exposed two young bottlenose dolphins to an underwater mirror and analyzed video recordings of their behavioral responses over a 3-year period. Here we report that both dolphins exhibited MSR, indicated by self-directed behavior at the mirror, at ages earlier than generally reported for children and at ages much earlier than reported for chimpanzees. The early onset of MSR in young dolphins occurs in parallel with their advanced sensorimotor development, complex and reciprocal social interactions, and growing social awareness. Both dolphins passed subsequent mark tests at ages comparable with children. Thus, our findings indicate that dolphins exhibit self-awareness at a mirror at a younger age than previously reported for children or other species tested.

Person-Centered Fall Risk Awareness Perspectives: Clinical Correlates and Fall Risk.

PubMed

Verghese, Joe

2016-12-01

To identify clinical correlates of person-centered fall risk awareness and their validity for predicting falls. Prospective cohort study. Community. Ambulatory community-dwelling older adults without dementia (N = 316; mean age 78, 55% female). Fall risk awareness was assessed using a two-item questionnaire that asked participants about overall likelihood of someone in their age group having a fall and their own personal risk of falling over the next 12 months. Incident falls were recorded over study follow-up. Fifty-three participants (16.8%) responded positively to the first fall risk awareness question about being likely to have a fall in the next 12 months, and 100 (31.6%) reported being at personal risk of falling over the next 12 months. There was only fair correlation (κ = 0.370) between responses on the two questions. Prior falls and depressive symptoms were associated with positive responses on both fall risk awareness questions. Age and other established fall risk factors were not associated with responses on either fall risk awareness question. The fall risk awareness questionnaire did not predict incident falls or injurious falls. Fall risk awareness is low in older adults. Although person-centered fall risk awareness is not predictive of falls, subjective risk perceptions should be considered when designing fall preventive strategies because they may influence participation and behaviors. © 2016, Copyright the Author Journal compilation © 2016, The American Geriatrics Society.

Patient centered fall risk awareness perspectives: clinical correlates and fall risk

PubMed Central

Verghese, Joe

2016-01-01

Background While objective measures to assess risk of falls in older adults have been established; the value of patient self-reports in the context of falls is not known. Objectives To identify clinical correlates of patient centered fall risk awareness, and their validity for predicting falls. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting and Participants 316 non-demented and ambulatory community-dwelling older adults (mean age 78 years, 55% women). Measurements Fall risk awareness was assessed with a two-item questionnaire, which asked participants about overall likelihood and personal risk of falling over the next 12 months. Incident falls were recorded over study follow-up. Results Fifty-three participants (16.8%) responded positively to the first fall risk awareness question about being likely to have a fall in the next 12 months, and 100 (31.6%) reported being at personal risk of falling over the next 12 months. There was only fair correlation (kappa 0.370) between responses on the two questions. Prior falls and depressive symptoms were associated with positive responses on both fall risk awareness questions. Age and other established fall risk factors were not associated with responses on both fall risk awareness questions. The fall risk awareness questionnaire did not predict incident falls or injurious falls. Conclusion Fall risk awareness is low in older adults. While patient centered fall risk awareness is not predictive of falls, subjective risk perceptions should be considered when designing fall preventive strategies as they may influence participation and behaviors. PMID:27801936

High and equitable mass vitamin A supplementation coverage in Sierra Leone: a post-event coverage survey.

PubMed

Hodges, Mary H; Sesay, Fatmata F; Kamara, Habib I; Turay, Mohamed; Koroma, Aminata S; Blankenship, Jessica L; Katcher, Heather I

2013-08-01

In Sierra Leone, children ages 6-59 months receive twice-yearly vitamin A supplementation (VAS) through Maternal and Child Health Week (MCHW) events. VAS coverage in 2011 was calculated using government tally sheets of vitamin A capsule distribution and outdated population projections from the 2004 census. We conducted a national post-event coverage (PEC) survey to validate coverage and inform strategies to reach universal coverage of VAS in Sierra Leone. Immediately following the November 2011 MCHW event, we conducted a national PEC survey by interviewing caregivers with children ages 6-59 months using a randomized 30X30 cluster design (N = 900). We also interviewed one health worker and one community health worker in each cluster to determine their knowledge about VAS (N = 60). VAS coverage was 91.8% among children ages 6-59 months, which was lower than the 105.1% reported through tally sheets. Coverage was high and equitable among all districts and between age groups (98.5% for infants ages 6-11 months and 90.5% for children ages 12-59 months). Major reasons for not receiving VAS were that the child was out of the area (42.4%), the household was not visited by community health workers (28.0%), and the caretaker was not aware of the event (11.9%). Twice-yearly delivery of VAS through MCHW events achieved consistently high and equitable coverage in Sierra Leone. Universal coverage may be achieved through continued focus on communication and targeted outreach to hard-to-reach areas during the MCHWs.

An investigation into whether clients and/or their respective clinicians are aware of pending service exit in the first two months of treatment admission.

PubMed

Pulford, Justin; Adams, Peter; Sheridan, Janie

2009-11-01

When a client exits an alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment service against clinical advice, they and their service may incur significant disadvantage. The extent of awareness by both clients and clinicians that treatment would not continue has not been examined. Accordingly, this paper presents findings from a study that sought to identify whether clients and/or their respective clinicians were aware of pending service exit that occurred within the first 2 months of treatment admission. The study was set in an outpatient AOD treatment service located in Auckland, New Zealand. Data were obtained by structured questionnaire and were reported for a group of clients (n = 49), clinicians (n = 46) and matched client/clinician pairs (n = 36). Overall, clients and clinicians were no more likely to accurately identify pending service exit at a rate greater than would be expected by chance alone. However, clinicians were significantly more likely to identify pending service exit as compared with their respective clients (47% vs. 25%), although a large proportion of both groups expected treatment to continue beyond what proved to be the final treatment appointment (44% and 52%, respectively). These findings suggest that service exit that occurs within the first 2 months of treatment admission may be largely unpredictable and that, as a result of this unpredictability, the opportunities for a targeted response may be limited.

Situational awareness and its application in the delivery suite.

PubMed

Edozien, Leroy C

2015-01-01

The delivery suite is a high-risk environment. Transitions between low-risk and high-risk can be swift, and sentinel events can occur without warning. The prevention of accidents in this environment rests on the vigilance of the individual practitioner at the frontline. It is, therefore, important that the individual practitioner should develop and maintain the cognitive skills to anticipate, recognize, and intercept unfolding error chains. This commentary gives an overview of a nontechnical skill that is essential for safe practice in a delivery suite: situational awareness. A basic description of situational awareness is provided, using examples of loss of situational awareness in the delivery suite and examples of simple interventions that could promote situational awareness. Involuntary automaticity readily creeps in during performance of routine tasks, and cognitive overload could deplete attentional resources that are, by nature, limited. Strategies and tactics for maintaining situational awareness include proactively seeking and managing information on unfolding events, continually updating individual and team mental models, mindful use of checklists and scoreboards, and avoidance of attentional blindness. These simple interventions require minimal financial resources but could immensely enhance clinical performance and patient safety. Situational awareness should be included in the training of obstetrician-gynecologists and other staff working in a delivery suite.

Predictive and postdictive mechanisms jointly contribute to visual awareness.

PubMed

Soga, Ryosuke; Akaishi, Rei; Sakai, Katsuyuki

2009-09-01

One of the fundamental issues in visual awareness is how we are able to perceive the scene in front of our eyes on time despite the delay in processing visual information. The prediction theory postulates that our visual system predicts the future to compensate for such delays. On the other hand, the postdiction theory postulates that our visual awareness is inevitably a delayed product. In the present study we used flash-lag paradigms in motion and color domains and examined how the perception of visual information at the time of flash is influenced by prior and subsequent visual events. We found that both types of event additively influence the perception of the present visual image, suggesting that our visual awareness results from joint contribution of predictive and postdictive mechanisms.

April Spotlight: National Minority Health Month

Cancer.gov

Each April, we recognize National Minority Health Month and National Minority Cancer Awareness Week. Dr. Peter Ogunbiyi shares how CRCHD’s work is related to the 2017 theme: Bridging Health Equity Across Communities.

Prosodic Awareness Skills and Literacy Acquisition in Spanish

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Defior, Sylvia; Gutierrez-Palma, Nicolas; Cano-Marin, Maria Jose

2012-01-01

There has been very little research in Spanish on the potential role of prosodic skills in reading and spelling acquisition, which is the subject of the present study. A total of 85 children in 5th year of Primary Education (mean age 10 years and 9 months) performed tests assessing memory, stress awareness, phonological awareness, reading and…

Visual Attention to Global and Local Stimulus Properties in 6-Month-Old Infants: Individual Differences and Event-Related Potentials

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guy, Maggie W.; Reynolds, Greg D.; Zhang, Dantong

2013-01-01

Event-related potentials (ERPs) were utilized in an investigation of 21 six-month-olds' attention to and processing of global and local properties of hierarchical patterns. Overall, infants demonstrated an advantage for processing the overall configuration (i.e., global properties) of local features of hierarchical patterns; however,…

Impact of new traumatic or stressful life events on pre-existing PTSD in traumatized refugees: results of a longitudinal study.

PubMed

Schock, Katrin; Böttche, Maria; Rosner, Rita; Wenk-Ansohn, Mechthild; Knaevelsrud, Christine

2016-01-01

A significant proportion of trauma survivors experience an additional critical life event in the aftermath. These renewed experiences of traumatic and stressful life events may lead to an increase in trauma-related mental health symptoms. In a longitudinal study, the effects of renewed experiences of a trauma or stressful life event were examined. For this purpose, refugees seeking asylum in Germany were assessed for posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS), Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale (PDS), anxiety, and depression (Hopkins Symptom Checklist [HSCL-25]) before treatment start as well as after 6 and 12 months during treatment ( N =46). Stressful life events and traumatic events were recorded monthly. If a new event happened, PDS and HSCL were additionally assessed directly afterwards. Mann-Whitney U -tests were performed to calculate the differences between the group that experienced an additional critical event (stressful vs. trauma) during treatment ( n =23) and the group that did not ( n =23), as well as differences within the critical event group between the stressful life event group ( n =13) and the trauma group ( n =10). Refugees improved significantly during the 12-month period of our study, but remained severely distressed. In a comparison of refugees with a new stressful life event or trauma, significant increases in PTS, anxiety, and depressive symptoms were found directly after the experience, compared to the group without a renewed event during the 12 months of treatment. With regard to the different critical life events (stressful vs. trauma), no significant differences were found regarding overall PTS, anxiety, and depression symptoms. Only avoidance symptoms increased significantly in the group experiencing a stressful life event. Although all clinicians should be aware of possible PTS symptom reactivation, especially those working with refugees and asylum seekers, who often experience new critical life events, should understand symptom

Awareness campaign.

PubMed

2007-01-01

LifeBridge Health developed and implemented an awareness campaign to generate buzz about the breast cancer services at the Alvin & Lois Lapidus Cancer Institute of LifeBridge Health and the Herman & Walter Samuelson Breast Cancer Care Center at Northwest Hospital Center. With the help of talented local breast cancer survivors, celebrities, fashion designers, and artists, LifeBridge Health created a campaign, including an interactive Web site, public relations outreach, and a unique event in October 2006 that featured a collection of hand-made decorated bras.

Situational Awareness During Mass-Casualty Events: Command and Control

PubMed Central

Demchak, Barry; Chan, Theordore C.; Griswold, William G.; Lenert, Leslie

2006-01-01

In existing Incident Command systems1, situational awareness is achieved manually through paper tracking systems. Such systems often produce high latencies and incomplete data, resulting in inefficient and ineffective resource deployment. The WIISARD2 system collects much more data than a paper-based system, dramatically reducing latency while increasing the kinds and quality of information available to Incident Commanders. The WIISARD Command Center solves the problem of data overload and uncertainty through the careful use of limited screen area and novel visualization techniques. PMID:17238524

Cognitive control of conscious error awareness: error awareness and error positivity (Pe) amplitude in moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI)

PubMed Central

Logan, Dustin M.; Hill, Kyle R.; Larson, Michael J.

2015-01-01

Poor awareness has been linked to worse recovery and rehabilitation outcomes following moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (M/S TBI). The error positivity (Pe) component of the event-related potential (ERP) is linked to error awareness and cognitive control. Participants included 37 neurologically healthy controls and 24 individuals with M/S TBI who completed a brief neuropsychological battery and the error awareness task (EAT), a modified Stroop go/no-go task that elicits aware and unaware errors. Analyses compared between-group no-go accuracy (including accuracy between the first and second halves of the task to measure attention and fatigue), error awareness performance, and Pe amplitude by level of awareness. The M/S TBI group decreased in accuracy and maintained error awareness over time; control participants improved both accuracy and error awareness during the course of the task. Pe amplitude was larger for aware than unaware errors for both groups; however, consistent with previous research on the Pe and TBI, there were no significant between-group differences for Pe amplitudes. Findings suggest possible attention difficulties and low improvement of performance over time may influence specific aspects of error awareness in M/S TBI. PMID:26217212

Health Awareness Days: Sufficient Evidence to Support the Craze?

PubMed Central

Roman, Leah A.

2015-01-01

Health awareness initiatives are a ubiquitous intervention strategy. Nearly 200 health awareness days, weeks, and months are on the US National Health Observances calendar, and more than 145 awareness day bills have been introduced in Congress since 2005. We contend that health awareness days are not held to appropriate scrutiny given the scale at which they have been embraced and are misaligned with research on the social determinants of health and the tenets of ecological models of health promotion. We examined health awareness days from a critical public health perspective and offer empirically supported recommendations to advance the intervention strategy. If left unchecked, health awareness days may do little more than reinforce ideologies of individual responsibility and the false notion that adverse health outcomes are simply the product of misinformed behaviors. PMID:25879148

Situational Awareness in Mass Emergency: A Behavioral and Linguistic Analysis of Microblogged Communications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vieweg, Sarah Elizabeth

2012-01-01

In times of mass emergency, users of Twitter (a popular microblogging service) often communicate information about the event, some of which contributes to situational awareness. Situational awareness refers to a state of understanding the "big picture" in time- and safety-critical situations. The more situational awareness people have,…

Monetary Incentive Effects on Event-Based Prospective Memory Three Months after Traumatic Brain Injury in Children

PubMed Central

Pedroza, Claudia; Chapman, Sandra B.; Cook, Lori G.; Vásquez, Ana C.; Levin, Harvey S.

2011-01-01

Information regarding the remediation of event-based prospective memory (EB-PM) impairments following pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) is scarce. Addressing this, two levels of monetary incentives were used to improve EB-PM in children ages 7 to 16 years with orthopedic injuries (OI, n = 51), or moderate (n = 25), and severe (n = 39) TBI at approximately three months postinjury. The EB-PM task consisted of the child giving a specific verbal response to a verbal cue from the examiner while performing a battery of neuropsychological measures (ongoing task). Significant effects were found for Age-at-Test, Motivation Condition, Period, and Group. Within-group analyses indicated OI and moderate TBI groups performed significantly better under the high-versus low-incentive condition, but the severe TBI group demonstrated no significant improvement. These results indicate EB-PM can be significantly improved at three months postinjury in children with moderate, but not severe, TBI. PMID:21347945

Women's History Month at NASA

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-03-14

NASA Astronaut and Expeditions 23 and 24 Flight Engineer, Tracy Caldwell Dyson, speaks at a Women's History Month event at NASA Headquarters, Wednesday, March 16, 2011 in Washington. The event entitled Women Inspiring the Next Generation to Reveal the Unknown is a joint venture with NASA and the White House Council on Women and Girls. Caldwell Dyson recently returned from a six-month stay aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Women's History Month at NASA

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-03-14

NASA Astronaut and Expeditions 23 and 24 Flight Engineer, Tracy Caldwell Dyson, far left, speaks at a Women's History Month event at NASA Headquarters, Wednesday, March 16, 2011 in Washington. The event entitled Women Inspiring the Next Generation to Reveal the Unknown is a joint venture with NASA and the White House Council on Women and Girls. Caldwell Dyson recently returned from a six-month stay aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Conflict-Aware Scheduling Algorithm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Yeou-Fang; Borden, Chester

2006-01-01

conflict-aware scheduling algorithm is being developed to help automate the allocation of NASA s Deep Space Network (DSN) antennas and equipment that are used to communicate with interplanetary scientific spacecraft. The current approach for scheduling DSN ground resources seeks to provide an equitable distribution of tracking services among the multiple scientific missions and is very labor intensive. Due to the large (and increasing) number of mission requests for DSN services, combined with technical and geometric constraints, the DSN is highly oversubscribed. To help automate the process, and reduce the DSN and spaceflight project labor effort required for initiating, maintaining, and negotiating schedules, a new scheduling algorithm is being developed. The scheduling algorithm generates a "conflict-aware" schedule, where all requests are scheduled based on a dynamic priority scheme. The conflict-aware scheduling algorithm allocates all requests for DSN tracking services while identifying and maintaining the conflicts to facilitate collaboration and negotiation between spaceflight missions. These contrast with traditional "conflict-free" scheduling algorithms that assign tracks that are not in conflict and mark the remainder as unscheduled. In the case where full schedule automation is desired (based on mission/event priorities, fairness, allocation rules, geometric constraints, and ground system capabilities/ constraints), a conflict-free schedule can easily be created from the conflict-aware schedule by removing lower priority items that are in conflict.

Interoceptive Awareness Skills for Emotion Regulation: Theory and Approach of Mindful Awareness in Body-Oriented Therapy (MABT).

PubMed

Price, Cynthia J; Hooven, Carole

2018-01-01

Emotion regulation involves a coherent relationship with the self, specifically effective communication between body, mind, and feelings. Effective emotion regulation involves the ability to accurately detect and evaluate cues related to physiological reactions to stressful events, accompanied by appropriate regulation strategies that temper and influence the emotional response. There is compelling evidence demonstrating links between poor or disrupted awareness of sensory information, or interoceptive awareness, and difficulties with emotion regulation. This paper presents a framework, based on psychological and neurobiological research, for understanding how interoceptive awareness facilitates regulation and an integrated sense of self, and thus contributes to health and well-being. A mind-body therapeutic approach called mindful awareness in body-oriented therapy (MABT), uniquely designed to teach fundamental skills of interoceptive awareness, is described. MABT develops the distinct interoceptive awareness capacities of identifying, accessing, and appraising internal bodily signals that are identified in physiological models as the critical components of interoception for emotion regulation. The explanatory model is that the development of these key interoceptive capacities improves sensory (physical and emotional) awareness, reduces distress, and improves regulation. Strategies for teaching and learning interoceptive awareness are not well-developed in mindfulness or psychotherapeutic approaches, particularly important for people who may have difficulty attending to interoceptive awareness due to stress, chronic pain or trauma. To address this issue, MABT provides an individualized protocol for scaffolding interoceptive awareness through a combination of psychoeducation and somatic approaches explicitly addressing difficulties with interoceptive processing. Clinical vignettes are included to provide exemplars of this approach and to highlight key components of

Interoceptive awareness moderates neural activity during decision-making.

PubMed

Werner, Natalie S; Schweitzer, Nicola; Meindl, Thomas; Duschek, Stefan; Kambeitz, Joseph; Schandry, Rainer

2013-12-01

The current study examined the relationship between conscious perception of somatic feedback (interoceptive awareness) and neural responses preceding decision-making. Previous research has suggested that decision-making is influenced by body signals from the periphery or the central representation of the periphery. Using event-related fMRI, participants whose interoceptive awareness was assessed using a heartbeat perception paradigm performed the Iowa Gambling Task. The results show a positive relationship between the degree of interoceptive awareness and selection related activity in the right anterior insula and the left postcentral gyrus. Neural activity within the right anterior insula was associated with decision-making performance only in individuals with accurate but not in those with non-accurate interoceptive awareness. These findings support the role of somatic feedback in decision-making processes. They indicate that the right anterior insula holds a representation of somatic markers and that these are more strongly processed with increased interoceptive awareness. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Design and short-term impact of an event to promote careers in clinical pharmacy.

PubMed

Ray, Sarah; Ticcioni, Andrew; Mueller, Robert; Battaglia, Jessica

2018-03-01

There is a role for local pharmacy organizations to promote clinical pharmacy and increase awareness to both potential and current pharmacy students. The Greater Milwaukee College of Clinical Pharmacy (GMCCP) chapter sought to promote clinical pharmacy amongst current and prospective pharmacy students to increase the knowledge, awareness, and interest in clinical pharmacy. Subcommittee members designed programming to introduce the basics of clinical pharmacy. Students from three schools of pharmacy and more than 40 colleges in the region were invited to the event. Didactic and discussion-based content was developed. Pharmacists from GMCCP were solicited as presenters, along with a current pharmacy student and resident. Participants were asked to complete pre-event and post-event surveys to assess their awareness of and interest in clinical pharmacy. Volunteer pharmacists were also surveyed after the event. Twenty-eight individuals attended the event. Nineteen students completed both the pre- and post-survey. The comparison between median score pre- and post-event was analyzed with the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test. Students' awareness and knowledge of clinical pharmacy improved after attending the event. Students' interest in a career in clinical pharmacy also increased after attending the event. Nine of the thirteen volunteer breakout session pharmacists (69%) responded to the post-event survey. The majority strongly agreed that participants were interested in learning about their area of practice and asked meaningful questions appropriate for their area of practice. The Exploring Careers in Clinical Pharmacy event increased awareness of clinical pharmacy career choices available within the profession of pharmacy. Local, regional, and national pharmacy organizations may consider utilizing the diverse talent of their membership and collaborate with colleges of pharmacy or other organizations to impact the knowledge, awareness, and interest in clinical pharmacy as a

Awareness of Cancer Susceptibility Genetic Testing

PubMed Central

Mai, Phuong L.; Vadaparampil, Susan Thomas; Breen, Nancy; McNeel, Timothy S.; Wideroff, Louise; Graubard, Barry I.

2014-01-01

Background Genetic testing for several cancer susceptibility syndromes is clinically available; however, existing data suggest limited population awareness of such tests. Purpose To examine awareness regarding cancer genetic testing in the U.S. population aged ≥25 years in the 2000, 2005, and 2010 National Health Interview Surveys. Methods The weighted percentages of respondents aware of cancer genetic tests, and percent changes from 2000–2005 and 2005–2010, overall and by demographic, family history, and healthcare factors were calculated. Interactions were used to evaluate the patterns of change in awareness between 2005 and 2010 among subgroups within each factor. To evaluate associations with awareness in 2005 and 2010, percentages were adjusted for covariates using multiple logistic regression. The analysis was performed in 2012. Results Awareness decreased from 44.4% to 41.5% (p<0.001) between 2000 and 2005, and increased to 47.0% (p<0.001) in 2010. Awareness increased between 2005 and 2010 in most subgroups, particularly among individuals in the South (p-interaction=0.03) or with a usual place of care (p-interaction=0.01). In 2005 and 2010, awareness was positively associated with personal or family cancer history and high perceived cancer risk, and inversely associated with racial/ethnic minorities, age 25–39 or ≥60 years, male gender, lower education and income levels, public or no health insurance, and no provider contact in 12 months. Conclusions Despite improvement from 2005 to 2010, ≤50% of the U.S. adult population was aware of cancer genetic testing in 2010. Notably, disparities persist for racial/ethnic minorities and individuals with limited health care access or income. PMID:24745633

Marketing Career Speed Networking: A Classroom Event to Foster Career Awareness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buff, Cheryl L.; O'Connor, Suzanne

2012-01-01

This paper describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of a marketing career speed networking event held during class time in two sections of the consumer behavior class. The event was coordinated through a partnering effort with marketing faculty and the college's Career Center. A total of 57 students participated in the event, providing…

Educational Value of a Medical Student-Led Head and Neck Cancer Screening Event.

PubMed

Freiser, Monika E; Desai, Dipan D; Azcarate, Patrick M; Szczupak, Mikhaylo; Cohen, Erin R; Raffa, Francesca N; George, Joshua S; Lo, Kaming; Nayak, Chetan S; Weed, Donald T; Sargi, Zoukaa B

2016-04-01

To evaluate improvement of medical student knowledge of head and neck cancer (HNC) through participation in HNC screening fairs run by medical students. Prospective cohort study of surveys assessing medical students' knowledge of HNC before and after volunteering at screening fairs. Four screening fairs held at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine during Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week. Medical student screening fair volunteers. Four HNC screening fairs were organized by medical student volunteers. All students completed a preevent survey assessing baseline knowledge and participated in an otolaryngologist-led training session about HNC and the screening examination. During the screening events, students educated guests about HNC and performed physician-guided history and physical examinations. Finally, students completed identical surveys 1 week and 3 months after the event. Thirty-four (n = 34) students completed the preevent surveys. At baseline, 59%, 44%, and 24% named tobacco, alcohol, and human papilloma virus as risk factors, compared with 84%, 81%, and 69% on 3 month follow-up, respectively. Out of 6 analyzed questions, the median total number of correctly answered questions improved from 2 on pretest to 5 at 3 months (P < .0001). Volunteer participation in a HNC screening program improves medical students' knowledge of HNC risk factors and symptoms. This innovative approach to students' education via participation and organization of screening events is a useful method of improving their HNC knowledge. © American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2016.

Meta-awareness, perceptual decoupling and the wandering mind.

PubMed

Schooler, Jonathan W; Smallwood, Jonathan; Christoff, Kalina; Handy, Todd C; Reichle, Erik D; Sayette, Michael A

2011-07-01

Mind wandering (i.e. engaging in cognitions unrelated to the current demands of the external environment) reflects the cyclic activity of two core processes: the capacity to disengage attention from perception (known as perceptual decoupling) and the ability to take explicit note of the current contents of consciousness (known as meta-awareness). Research on perceptual decoupling demonstrates that mental events that arise without any external precedent (known as stimulus independent thoughts) often interfere with the online processing of sensory information. Findings regarding meta-awareness reveal that the mind is only intermittently aware of engaging in mind wandering. These basic aspects of mind wandering are considered with respect to the activity of the default network, the role of executive processes, the contributions of meta-awareness and the functionality of mind wandering. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Semantic processing of actions at 9months is linked to language proficiency at 9 and 18months.

PubMed

Kaduk, Katharina; Bakker, Marta; Juvrud, Joshua; Gredebäck, Gustaf; Westermann, Gert; Lunn, Judith; Reid, Vincent M

2016-11-01

The current study uses event-related potential methodologies to investigate how social-cognitive processes in preverbal infants relate to language performance. We assessed 9-month-olds' understanding of the semantic structure of actions via an N400 event-related potential (ERP) response to action sequences that contained expected and unexpected outcomes. At 9 and 18months of age, infants' language abilities were measured using the Swedish Early Communicative Development Inventory (SECDI). Here we show that 9-month-olds' understanding of the semantic structure of actions, evidenced in an N400 ERP response to action sequences with unexpected outcomes, is related to language comprehension scores at 9months and is related to language production scores at 18months of age. Infants who showed a selective N400 response to unexpected action outcomes are those who are classed as above mean in their language proficiency. The results provide evidence that language performance is related to the ability to detect and interpret human actions at 9months of age. This study suggests that some basic cognitive mechanisms are involved in the processing of sequential events that are shared between two conceptually different cognitive domains and that pre-linguistic social understanding skills and language proficiency are linked to one another. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Design Considerations for Attitude State Awareness and Prevention of Entry into Unusual Attitudes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ellis, Kyle K. E.; Prinzel, Lawrence J., III; Arthur, Jarvis J.; Nicholas, Stephanie N.; Kiggins, Daniel; Verstynen, Harry; Hubbs, Clay; Wilkerson, James

2017-01-01

Loss of control - inflight (LOC-I) has historically represented the largest category of commercial aviation fatal accidents. A review of the worldwide transport airplane accidents (2001-2010) evinced that loss of attitude or energy state awareness was responsible for a large majority of the LOC-I events. A Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST) study of 18 worldwide loss-of-control accidents and incidents determined that flight crew loss of attitude awareness or energy state awareness due to lack of external visual reference cues was a significant causal factor in 17 of the 18 reviewed flights. CAST recommended that "Virtual Day-Visual Meteorological Condition" (Virtual Day-VMC) displays be developed to provide the visual cues necessary to prevent loss-of-control resulting from flight crew spatial disorientation and loss of energy state awareness. Synthetic vision or equivalent systems (SVS) were identified for a design "safety enhancement" (SE-200). Part of this SE involves the conduct of research for developing minimum aviation system performance standards (MASPS) for these flight deck display technologies to aid flight crew attitude and energy state awareness similar to that of a virtual day-VMC-like environment. This paper will describe a novel experimental approach to evaluating a flight crew's ability to maintain attitude awareness and to prevent entry into unusual attitudes across several SVS optical flow design considerations. Flight crews were subjected to compound-event scenarios designed to elicit channelized attention and startle/surprise within the crew. These high-fidelity scenarios, designed from real-world events, enable evaluation of the efficacy of SVS at improving flight crew attitude awareness to reduce the occurrence of LOC-I incidents in commercial flight operations.

Impact of first-ever mild stroke on participation at 3 and 6 month post-event: the TABASCO study.

PubMed

Adamit, Tal; Maeir, Adina; Ben Assayag, Einor; Bornstein, Natan M; Korczyn, Amos D; Katz, Noomi

2015-01-01

This study focused on the relationships between cognition, participation and quality of life (QoL) among first-ever mild ischemic stroke patients 3 months post-event. We hypothesized that significant correlations exist between cognition, executive functions (EF), QoL and participation; and that EF and QoL will significantly contribute to participation beyond demographics and stroke severity at 3 and from 3 to 6 months post-stroke. A prospective cohort study, recruiting consecutive first-ever stroke patients from a large tertiary hospital. The inclusion criteria were first event, mild stroke (NIHSS ≤ 5), and no previous significant neurological or cognitive impairment. In addition to assessment every 6 month at the hospital, an assessment battery was administered at home 3 months post-stroke. Participants showed mild to moderate difficulties in cognition and participation (n = 249). Low to moderate correlations were found between cognition and EF with participation (-0.380, p < 0.05; r = 0.460, p < 0.001, respectively); and cognition with QoL (r = 0.421, p < 0.001). EF and QoL contributed significantly to participation at 3 months (R(2) = 0.961) and in addition education at 6 months (R(2) = 0.701). Participants after mild ischemic stroke experienced cognitive and EF difficulties that affect their participation and QoL. Further studies are needed of mild stroke survivors to enhance our understanding of the variables that affect participation. The findings of the current study have significant implications for the participation of people after mild stroke in the community. Health care systems in general and rehabilitation programs, in particular, do not consider that these clients need rehabilitation as most of them perform basic daily functions independently. Thus, although cognitive and EF deficits are found in people following even mild stroke, but are not externally apparent, these impairments are mostly neglected by the health care system. Mild stroke has long

It gets better with time: Enhancement of age-related positivity effect in the six months following a highly negative public event.

PubMed

Ford, Jaclyn H; DiBiase, Haley D; Ryu, Ehri; Kensinger, Elizabeth A

2018-05-01

Age is associated with shifts toward more positive memory retrieval. The current study examined these shifts following a negative public event. Participants completed two surveys examining emotional responses to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, one immediately following the attack and another 6 months later. Age was associated with different effects of time on how individuals reflected on this event. Time was associated with an increased focus on negative components in young adults but a decreased focus in older adults. These findings reveal a role of time in age-related positivity effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Awareness, treatment and control of hypertension among Filipino immigrants.

PubMed

Ursua, Rhodora; Aguilar, David; Wyatt, Laura; Tandon, Shiv Darius; Escondo, Kirklyn; Rey, Mariano; Trinh-Shevrin, Chau

2014-03-01

Filipino Americans have high rates of hypertension, yet little research has examined hypertension awareness, treatment, and control in this group. In a community-based sample of hypertensive Filipino American immigrants, we identify 1) rates of hypertension awareness, treatment, and control; and 2) factors associated with awareness, treatment, and control. Cross-sectional analysis of survey data from health screenings collected from 2006 to 2010. A total of 566 hypertensive Filipino immigrants in New York City, New York and Jersey City, New Jersey. Hypertension awareness, treatment, and control. Participants were included in analysis if they were hypertensive, based on: a past physician diagnosis, antihypertensive medication use, and/or high blood pressure (BP) screening measurements. Demographic variables included sex, age, time in the United States, location of residence, and English spoken language fluency. Health-related variables included self-reported health, insurance status, diabetes diagnosis, high cholesterol diagnosis, clinical measures (body mass index [BMI], glucose, and cholesterol), exercise frequency, smoking status, cardiac event history, family history of cardiac event, and family history of hypertension. Among the hypertensive individuals, awareness, treatment, and control rates were suboptimal; 72.1 % were aware of their status, 56.5 % were on medication, and only 21.7 % had controlled BP. Factors related to awareness included older age, worse self-reported health, family history of hypertension, and a diagnosis of high cholesterol or diabetes; factors related to treatment included older age, longer time lived in the United States, and being a non-smoker; having health insurance was found to be the main predictor of hypertension control. Many individuals had other cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors; 60.4 % had a BMI ≥25, 12.0 % had at-risk glucose measurements and 12.8 % had cholesterol ≥ 240. Hypertensive Filipinos exhibit poor

Intraoperative dreams reported after general anaesthesia are not early interpretations of delayed awareness.

PubMed

Samuelsson, P; Brudin, L; Sandin, R H

2008-07-01

Dreams are more frequently reported than awareness after surgery. We define awareness as explicit recall of real intraoperative events during anaesthesia. The importance of intraoperative dreaming is poorly understood. This study was performed to evaluate whether intraoperative dreams can be associated with, or precede, awareness. We also studied whether dreams can be related to case-specific parameters. A cohort of 6991 prospectively included patients given inhalational anaesthesia were interviewed for dreams and awareness at three occasions; before they left the post-anaesthesia care unit, days 1-3 and days 7-14 after the operation. Uni- and multivariate statistical relations between dreams, awareness and case-specific parameters were assessed. Two hundred and thirty-two of 6991 patients (3.3%) reported a dream. Four of those also reported awareness and remembered real events that were distinguishable from their dream. Awareness was 19 times more common among patients who after surgery reported a dream [1.7% vs. 0.09%; odds ratio (OR) 18.7; P=0.000007], but memories of dreams did not precede memories of awareness in any of the 232 patients reporting a dream. Unpleasant dreams were significantly more common when thiopentone was used compared with propofol (OR 2.22; P=0.005). Neutral or pleasant dreams were related to lower body mass index, female gender and shorter duration of anaesthesia. We found a statistically significant association between dreams reported after general anaesthesia and awareness, although intraoperative dreams were not an early interpretation of delayed awareness in any case. A typical dreamer in this study is a lean female having a short procedure.

The Central Neural Foundations of Awareness and Self-Awareness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pfaff, D.; Martin, E. M.; Weingarten, W.; Vimal, V.

In the past, neuroscientists have done very well to concentrate onexplaining the mechanisms for very specific, simple behaviors. For example, our laboratory's work with molecular and neural mechanisms of a simple sex behavior proved for the first time that specific biochemical reactions in specific parts of the brain govern a specific behavior [D. W. Pfaff, Drive: Neurobiological and Molecular Mechanisms of Sexual Motivation (The MIT Press, Cambridge, 1999)]. Now, advances in our field coupled with new techniques permit us to attack the problems of explaining global changes of state in the central nervous system. For example, how does a simple sex behavior depend on sexual arousal, and in turn, how does that sexual arousal depend on other forms of CNS arousal? Of surpassing interest is the explanation of the primary causes of brain arousal [D. W. Pfaff, textit{Brain Arousal and Information Theory: Neural and Genetic Mechanisms} (Harvard University Press, Cambridg e, 2006)]. We have hypothesized that the earliest and most elementary event in waking up the brain is the activation of certain primitive nerve cells in the hindbrain reticular formation. Hypothesizing a `generalized arousal' force emanating from these cells puts forth an idea roughly analogous to the hypothesis of a `big bang' in astrophysics, or to our ideas about the magma of the earth in geophysics. Following the activation of this primitive arousal force we are able to be alert and aware. The neuroanatomical pathways serving brain arousal are fairly well known: they are Bilateral, Bidirectional, Universal among vertebrate animals including humans, and they are always involved in Response Potentiation, approach or avoidance responses (BBURP theory). More than 120 genes are involved in the regulation of brain arousal. In theoretical terms, the discussion so far has dealt with `bottoms up' approaches to awareness -- from mechanisms in the hindbrain working through several phylogenetically ancient

Outcomes of ≤6-month versus 12-month dual antiplatelet therapy after drug-eluting stent implantation

PubMed Central

Villablanca, Pedro A.; Massera, Daniele; Mathew, Verghese; Bangalore, Sripal; Christia, Panagiota; Perez, Irving; Wan, Ningxin; Schulz-Schüpke, Stefanie; Briceno, David F.; Bortnick, Anna E.; Garcia, Mario J.; Lucariello, Richard; Menegus, Mark; Pyo, Robert; Wiley, Jose; Ramakrishna, Harish

2016-01-01

Abstract Background: The benefit of ≤6-month compared with 12-month dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stent (DES) placement remains controversial. We performed a meta-analysis and meta-regression of ≤6-month versus 12-month DAPT in patients undergoing PCI with DES placement. Methods: We conducted electronic database searches of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing DAPT durations after DES placement. For studies with longer follow-up, outcomes at 12 months were identified. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were computed with the Mantel–Haenszel method. Fixed-effect models were used; if heterogeneity (I2) > 40 was identified, effects were obtained with random models. Results: Nine RCTs were included with total n = 19,224 patients. No significant differences were observed between ≤6-month compared with 12-month DAPT in all-cause mortality (OR 0.87; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.69–1.11), cardiovascular (CV) mortality (OR 0.89; 95% CI: 0.66–1.21), non-CV mortality (OR 0.85; 95% 0.58–1.24), myocardial infarction (OR 1.10; 95% CI: 0.89–1.37), stroke (OR 0.97; 95% CI: 0.67–1.42), stent thrombosis (ST) (OR 1.37; 95% CI: 0.89–2.10), and target vessel revascularization (OR 0.95; 95% CI: 0.77–1.18). No significant difference in major bleeding (OR 0.72; 95% CI: 0.49–1.05) was observed, though the all-bleeding event rate was significantly lower in the ≤6-month DAPT group (OR 0.76; 95% CI: 0.59–0.96). In the meta-regression analysis, a significant association between bleeding events and non-CV mortality with 12-month DAPT was found, as well as between ST and mortality in addition to MI with ≤6-month DAPT. Conclusion: DAPT for ≤6 months is associated with similar mortality and ischemic outcomes but less bleeding events compared with 12-month DAPT after PCI with DES. PMID:28033306

Frequency and Type of Situational Awareness Errors Contributing to Death and Brain Damage: A Closed Claims Analysis.

PubMed

Schulz, Christian M; Burden, Amanda; Posner, Karen L; Mincer, Shawn L; Steadman, Randolph; Wagner, Klaus J; Domino, Karen B

2017-08-01

Situational awareness errors may play an important role in the genesis of patient harm. The authors examined closed anesthesia malpractice claims for death or brain damage to determine the frequency and type of situational awareness errors. Surgical and procedural anesthesia death and brain damage claims in the Anesthesia Closed Claims Project database were analyzed. Situational awareness error was defined as failure to perceive relevant clinical information, failure to comprehend the meaning of available information, or failure to project, anticipate, or plan. Patient and case characteristics, primary damaging events, and anesthesia payments in claims with situational awareness errors were compared to other death and brain damage claims from 2002 to 2013. Anesthesiologist situational awareness errors contributed to death or brain damage in 198 of 266 claims (74%). Respiratory system damaging events were more common in claims with situational awareness errors (56%) than other claims (21%, P < 0.001). The most common specific respiratory events in error claims were inadequate oxygenation or ventilation (24%), difficult intubation (11%), and aspiration (10%). Payments were made in 85% of situational awareness error claims compared to 46% in other claims (P = 0.001), with no significant difference in payment size. Among 198 claims with anesthesia situational awareness error, perception errors were most common (42%), whereas comprehension errors (29%) and projection errors (29%) were relatively less common. Situational awareness error definitions were operationalized for reliable application to real-world anesthesia cases. Situational awareness errors may have contributed to catastrophic outcomes in three quarters of recent anesthesia malpractice claims.Situational awareness errors resulting in death or brain damage remain prevalent causes of malpractice claims in the 21st century.

20 CFR 404.325 - The termination month.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... activity level and continue to do so throughout the 36 months following completion of your trial work... third month following the earliest month you perform substantial gainful activity or are determined able to perform substantial gainful activity; however, in no event will the termination month under these...

20 CFR 404.325 - The termination month.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... activity level and continue to do so throughout the 36 months following completion of your trial work... third month following the earliest month you perform substantial gainful activity or are determined able to perform substantial gainful activity; however, in no event will the termination month under these...

Data Quality for Situational Awareness during Mass-Casualty Events

PubMed Central

Demchak, Barry; Griswold, William G.; Lenert, Leslie A.

2007-01-01

Incident Command systems often achieve situational awareness through manual paper-tracking systems. Such systems often produce high latencies and incomplete data, resulting in inefficient and ineffective resource deployment. WIISARD (Wireless Internet Information System for Medical Response in Disasters) collects much more data than a paper-based system, dramatically reducing latency while increasing the kinds and quality of information available to incident commanders. Yet, the introduction of IT into a disaster setting is not problem-free. Notably, system component failures can delay the delivery of data. The type and extent of a failure can have varying effects on the usefulness of information displays. We describe a small, coherent set of customizble information overlays to address this problem, and we discuss reactions to these displays by medical commanders. PMID:18693821

A binary genetic programing model for teleconnection identification between global sea surface temperature and local maximum monthly rainfall events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Danandeh Mehr, Ali; Nourani, Vahid; Hrnjica, Bahrudin; Molajou, Amir

2017-12-01

The effectiveness of genetic programming (GP) for solving regression problems in hydrology has been recognized in recent studies. However, its capability to solve classification problems has not been sufficiently explored so far. This study develops and applies a novel classification-forecasting model, namely Binary GP (BGP), for teleconnection studies between sea surface temperature (SST) variations and maximum monthly rainfall (MMR) events. The BGP integrates certain types of data pre-processing and post-processing methods with conventional GP engine to enhance its ability to solve both regression and classification problems simultaneously. The model was trained and tested using SST series of Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Red Sea as potential predictors as well as classified MMR events at two locations in Iran as predictand. Skill of the model was measured in regard to different rainfall thresholds and SST lags and compared to that of the hybrid decision tree-association rule (DTAR) model available in the literature. The results indicated that the proposed model can identify potential teleconnection signals of surrounding seas beneficial to long-term forecasting of the occurrence of the classified MMR events.

Comparison of adverse events with daily disposable hydrogels and spectacle wear: results from a 12-month prospective clinical trial.

PubMed

Sankaridurg, Padmaja R; Sweeney, Deborah F; Holden, Brien A; Naduvilath, Thomas; Velala, Indira; Gora, Rashmi; Krishnamachary, Murali; Rao, Gullapalli N

2003-12-01

To evaluate the type and incidence of adverse events seen with daily disposable hydrogel contact lens wear compared with a control (spectacle) group over 12 months. Prospective, randomized, observer-masked, comparative clinical trial. Two hundred eighty-one myopes with no prior contact lens wear experience were enrolled from August to December 1996. Subjects were 16 to 35 years old and had refractive errors ranging from a -0.75-diopter (D) sphere to a -6.00-D sphere with a cylinder less than -1.00 D. Each subject was randomly assigned to wear either bilateral disposable hydrogels on a daily disposable wear schedule or spectacles. Type and incidence of adverse events from each group. Adverse events were categorized as serious, significant, and nonsignificant based on the potential to cause vision impairment, severity at event, and level of clinical concern. At baseline, 1.6% of eyes had asymptomatic infiltrates that were nonsignificant. During the study, asymptomatic infiltrates were seen in both contact lens and spectacle groups at 20.5 events versus 11.3 events per 100 eyes per year of wear. No significant events were seen with the spectacle group. With the contact lens group, the type and incidence of significant events per 100 eyes per year of lens wear were corneal peripheral ulcer, 2.5 events; infiltrative keratitis, 1.5 events; and papillary conjunctivitis, 1 event. The incidence of both significant and nonsignificant events was greater with the contact lens group (P<0.05). No serious events (i.e., microbial keratitis) were seen in either group. A greater number of subjects were lost to follow-up or permanently discontinued from the contact lens group relative to the spectacle group (33% vs. 17%, P = 0.002). Lens-related problems such as dryness, discomfort, and difficulty with insertion and removal accounted for 27% of discontinuations from the contact lens group. Poor compliance (40%) was the greatest reason for discontinuations from the spectacle group. No

Natural Gas Monthly

EIA Publications

2017-01-01

Highlights activities, events, and analyses associated with the natural gas industry. Volume and price data are presented each month for natural gas production, distribution, consumption, and interstate pipeline activities. Producer related activities and underground storage data are also reported.

The Earliest Electrophysiological Correlate of Visual Awareness?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koivisto, Mika; Lahteenmaki, Mikko; Sorensen, Thomas Alrik; Vangkilde, Signe; Overgaard, Morten; Revonsuo, Antti

2008-01-01

To examine the neural correlates and timing of human visual awareness, we recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) in two experiments while the observers were detecting a grey dot that was presented near subjective threshold. ERPs were averaged for conscious detections of the stimulus (hits) and nondetections (misses) separately. Our results…

Maintaining relevance: an evaluation of health message sponsorship at Australian community sport and arts events.

PubMed

Rosenberg, Michael; Ferguson, Renee

2014-12-04

Health message sponsorship at community sport and arts events is an established component of a health promotion settings approach. Recent increases in commercial sponsorship of sport and community events has swelled competition for consumer attention and potentially reduced the impact of health message sponsorship. The purpose of this study was to evaluate awareness, understandings and behavioural intentions of health messages promoted at sponsored community sport and arts events. Interview and self-administered surveys were completed by 2259 adults attending one of 29 sport and arts events held in Western Australia between 2008 and 2013. The surveys measured participant awareness of the health message promoted at the event, as well as comprehension, acceptance and behavioural intention as a result of exposure to health messages. Awareness of the sponsored health message was 58% across all sponsored events, with high levels of comprehension (74%) and acceptance (92%) among those aware of the health message. Forming behavioural intentions was significantly related to the type of sponsored message promoted at the event, being female and over 40 years of age. Messages about sun protection and promoting mental health were the most likely to result in behavioural intention. Health message sponsorship, at least within a comprehensive sponsorship program, appears to remain an effective health promotion strategy for generating awareness and behavioural intention among people attending sport and arts events. Remaining relevant within a modern sponsorship environment appears closely aligned to selecting health messages that promote behavioural action relevant to the sponsored event that are also supported by broader health promotion campaigns.

Predictors of beer advertising awareness among eighth graders.

PubMed

Collins, Rebecca L; Schell, Terry; Ellickson, Phyllis L; McCaffrey, Daniel

2003-09-01

To identify correlates of beer advertising awareness among adolescents at an age when most initiate use of alcohol. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of an in-school survey about alcohol advertising. Structural equation modeling was used to test for independent predictors of a latent beer advertising awareness construct, separately among boys and girls. Twenty middle schools in South Dakota, USA participated during their spring semester. A total of 1530 eighth graders. A latent advertisement awareness variable was derived based on recognition of six masked beer advertisements, knowledge of beer brands and knowledge of beer slogans. Tested predictors included measures of exposure to alcohol advertising in various venues, social norms regarding drinking, drinking beliefs and behavior and gender. Adolescents with greater exposure to advertisements in magazines, at sporting and music events and on television were more advertisement aware than those with less exposure, as were teens who watch more TV, pay attention to beer advertisements and know adults who drink. Beer advertisement awareness was dramatically higher among boys, and was associated with drinking only among boys. Each of a variety of advertising venues appears to influence independently the extent to which beer advertising is incorporated into an adolescent's cognitive world. Boys are more likely to be aware of and remember beer marketing, and may be more likely to drink as a result of this awareness than girls.

Accurate Prognostic Awareness Facilitates, Whereas Better Quality of Life and More Anxiety Symptoms Hinder End-of-Life Care Discussions: A Longitudinal Survey Study in Terminally Ill Cancer Patients' Last Six Months of Life.

PubMed

Tang, Siew Tzuh; Chen, Chen Hsiu; Wen, Fur-Hsing; Chen, Jen-Shi; Chang, Wen-Cheng; Hsieh, Chia-Hsun; Chou, Wen-Chi; Hou, Ming-Mo

2018-04-01

Terminally ill cancer patients do not engage in end-of-life (EOL) care discussions or do so only when death is imminent, despite guidelines for EOL care discussions early in their disease trajectory. Most studies on patient-reported EOL care discussions are cross sectional without exploring the evolution of EOL care discussions as death approaches. Cross-sectional studies cannot determine the direction of association between EOL care discussions and patients' prognostic awareness, psychological well-being, and quality of life (QOL). We examined the evolution and associations of accurate prognostic awareness, functional dependence, physical and psychological symptom distress, and QOL with patient-physician EOL care discussions among 256 terminally ill cancer patients in their last six months by hierarchical generalized linear modeling with logistic regression and by arranging time-varying modifiable variables and EOL care discussions in a distinct time sequence. The prevalence of physician-patient EOL care discussions increased as death approached (9.2%, 11.8%, and 18.3% for 91-180, 31-90, and 1-30 days before death, respectively) but only reached significance in the last month. Accurate prognostic awareness facilitated subsequent physician-patient EOL care discussions, whereas better patient-reported QOL and more anxiety symptoms hindered such discussions. The likelihood of EOL care discussions was not associated with levels of physical symptom distress, functional dependence, or depressive symptoms. Physician-patient EOL care discussions for terminally ill Taiwanese cancer patients remain uncommon even when death approaches. Physicians should facilitate EOL care discussions by cultivating patients' accurate prognostic awareness early in their cancer trajectory when they are physically and psychologically competent, with better QOL, thus promoting informed and value-based EOL care decision making. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative

Use of NSAIDs in triathletes: prevalence, level of awareness and reasons for use.

PubMed

Gorski, T; Cadore, E Lusa; Pinto, S Santana; da Silva, E Marczwski; Correa, C Silva; Beltrami, F Gabe; Kruel, L F Martins

2011-02-01

to determine the level of awareness regarding nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and the prevalence and reasons for their consumption among athletes competing at the 2008 Brazil Ironman Triathlon (3.8 km swim, 180 km cycle and 42.2 km run). survey study. 2008 Brazil Ironman Triathlon, Florianópolis, Brazil, May 2008. 327 Of the 1250 athletes competing at the 2008 Brazil Ironman Triathlon were enrolled in the study. athletes answered a questionnaire about NSAID effects, side effects and consumption at the bike checkout or awards lunch. 196 (59.9%) Athletes reported using NSAIDs in the previous 3 months; of these, 25.5% (n=50), 17.9% (n=35) and 47.4% (n=93) consumed NSAIDs the day before, immediately before and during the race, respectively. Among NSAID users, 48.5% (n=95) consumed them without medical prescription. The main reason given for NSAID consumption in the previous 3 months was the treatment of injuries, while the main reason given for consuming NSAIDs during the race was pain prevention. Despite anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, most athletes were unaware of the effects of NSAIDs, and the only adverse effects known by most athletes were the gastrointestinal complications. this study found a high prevalence of NSAID consumption, limited awareness of the effects and side effects of them and a high rate of nonprescribed use. It is suggested that long-distance triathlon events include in their programmes educational devices such as talks or folders about NSAID use, effects and side effects.

Anesthesia awareness: narrative review of psychological sequelae, treatment, and incidence.

PubMed

Bruchas, Robin R; Kent, Christopher D; Wilson, Hilary D; Domino, Karen B

2011-09-01

Awareness during general anesthesia occurs when patients recall events or sensations during their surgeries, although the patients should have been unconscious at the time. Anesthesiologists are cognizant of this phenomenon, but few discussions occur outside the discipline. This narrative review summarizes the patient recollections, psychological sequelae, treatment and follow-up of psychological consequences, as well as incidence and etiology of awareness during general anesthesia. Recalled memories include noises, conversations, images, mental processes, feelings of pain and/or paralysis. Psychological consequences include anxiety, flashbacks, and posttraumatic stress disorder diagnosis. Limited discussion for therapeutic treatment after an anesthesia awareness experience exists. The incidence of anesthesia awareness ranges from 0.1 to 0.2% (e.g., 1-2/1000 patients). Increased recognition of awareness during general anesthesia within the psychological/counseling community, with additional research focusing on optimal therapeutic treatment, will improve the care of these patients.

Individual differences in emotional processing and autobiographical memory: interoceptive awareness and alexithymia in the fading affect bias.

PubMed

Muir, Kate; Madill, Anna; Brown, Charity

2017-11-01

The capacity to perceive internal bodily states is linked to emotional awareness and effective emotional regulation. We explore individual differences in emotional awareness in relation to the fading affect bias (FAB), which refers to the greater dwindling of unpleasant compared to pleasant emotions in autobiographical memory. We consider interoceptive awareness and alexithymia in relation to the FAB, and private event rehearsal as a mediating process. With increasing interoceptive awareness, there was an enhanced FAB, but with increasing alexithymia, there was a decreased FAB. Further, the effects of interoceptive awareness were partially mediated by private rehearsal of pleasant events. We provide novel evidence that capacity for emotional awareness and thus effective processing is an important factor predictive of the FAB. Moreover, our results imply an important role for maintaining positive affect in the FAB. Our findings offer new insights into the effects of interoception and alexithymia on autobiographical memory, and support concepts of the FAB emerging as a result of adaptive emotional regulation processes.

The effect of public awareness campaigns on suicides: evidence from Nagoya, Japan.

PubMed

Matsubayashi, Tetsuya; Ueda, Michiko; Sawada, Yasuyuki

2014-01-01

Public awareness campaigns about depression and suicide have been viewed as highly effective strategies in preventing suicide, yet their effectiveness has not been established in previous studies. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a public-awareness campaign by comparing suicide counts before and after a city-wide campaign in Nagoya, Japan, where the city government distributed promotional materials that were aimed to stimulate public awareness of depression and promote care-seeking behavior during the period of 2010-2012. In each of the sixteen wards of the city of Nagoya, we count the number of times that the promotional materials were distributed per month and then examine the association between the suicide counts and the frequency of distributions in the months following such distributions. We run a Poisson regression model that controls for the effects of ward-specific observed and unobserved heterogeneities and temporal shocks. Our analysis indicates that more frequent distribution of the campaign material is associated with a decrease in the number of suicides in the subsequent months. The campaign was estimated to have been especially effective for the male residents of the city. The underlying mechanism of how the campaign reduced suicides remains to be unclear. Public awareness campaigns can be an effective strategy in preventing suicide. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

World Rabies Day - a decade of raising awareness.

PubMed

Balaram, Deepashree; Taylor, Louise H; Doyle, Kim A S; Davidson, Elizabeth; Nel, Louis H

2016-01-01

World Rabies Day was set up in 2007 to raise global awareness about rabies, to provide information on how to prevent the disease in at-risk communities and support advocacy for increased efforts in rabies control. It is held annually on September 28th, with events, media outreach and other initiatives carried out by individuals, professionals, organisations and governments from the local to the international level. The Global Alliance for Rabies Control coordinates World Rabies Day, amplifying the campaign's reach through the provision of a central event platform and resources to support events across the world, the promotion of messages through key rabies stakeholders, and the implementation of specific activities to highlight particular issues. Over the last decade, more than 1,700 registered events have been held across the world and shared with others in the global rabies community. Events in canine rabies endemic countries, particularly in Africa and Asia, have increased over time. Beyond the individual events, World Rabies Day has gained the support of governments and international agencies that recognise its value in supporting existing rabies control initiatives and advocating for improvements. As the rabies landscape has changed, World Rabies Day remains a general day of awareness but has also become an integral part of national, regional and global rabies elimination strategies. The global adoption of 2030 as the goal for the elimination of rabies as a public health threat has led to even greater opportunities for World Rabies Day to make a sustainable impact on rabies, by bringing the attention of policy makers and donors to the ongoing situation and elimination efforts in rabies-endemic countries.

RotaTeq vaccine adverse events and policy considerations.

PubMed

Geier, David A; King, Paul G; Sykes, Lisa K; Geier, Mark R

2008-03-01

Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe gastroenteritis in children <5 years-old worldwide. On February 3, 2006, the US Food and Drug Administration licensed RotaTeq (Merck and Co.), a bioengineered combination of five human-bovine hybridized reassortment rotaviruses. In August of 2006, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended RotaTeq for routine vaccination of US infants administered orally at the ages 2, 4, and 6 months. An evaluation of data reported to VAERS following the first five quarters of post-marketing surveillance of RotaTeq was undertaken. Trends in adverse events reported following RotaTeq and cost-effectiveness calculations of RotaTeq in the context of the disease burden of rotavirus in the US were examined. From February 3, 2006 through July 31, 2007, a total of 160 (of the 165 reported) intussusception and 11 (of the 16 reported) Kawasaki disease adverse event reports were identified when RotaTeq was administered or co-administered with other vaccines. Time-trend analyses showed that there were significant increases in the total number of intussusception and Kawasaki disease adverse events entered into VAERS in comparison to previous years. These observations, coupled with limited rotavirus disease burden, cost-effectiveness, and potential contact viral transmission concerns, raise serious questions regarding the use of RotaTeq in the US. Healthcare providers should diligently report adverse events following RotaTeq vaccination to VAERS, and those who have experienced a vaccine-associated adverse event should be made aware that they may be eligible for compensation from the no-fault National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP).

Blood glucose awareness training (BGAT-2): long-term benefits.

PubMed

Cox, D J; Gonder-Frederick, L; Polonsky, W; Schlundt, D; Kovatchev, B; Clarke, W

2001-04-01

Blood glucose awareness training (BGAT) has been shown to improve awareness of blood glucose (BG) fluctuations among adults with type 1 diabetes. This study investigates the long-term (12-month) benefits of BGAT-2. A total of 73 adults with type 1 diabetes participated in a 6-month repeated baseline design with a 12-month follow-up. At 6 months and 1 month before BGAT-2 and at 1,6, and 12 months after BGAT-2, subjects used a handheld computer for 50 trials and completed psychological tests. Throughout assessment, subjects completed diaries, recording occurrences of diabetic ketoacidosis, severe hypoglycemia, and motor vehicle violations During follow-up, 50% of the subjects received booster training. During the first and last halves of both the baseline period and the follow-up period, dependent variables were generally stable. However, from baseline to follow-up, BGAT-2 led to 1) improved detection of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia; 2) improved judgment regarding when to lower high BG, raise low BG, and not drive while hypoglycemic; 3) reduction in occurrence of diabetic ketoacidosis, severe hypoglycemia, and motor vehicle violations; and 4) improvement in terms of worry about hypoglycemia, quality of life, and diabetes knowledge. Reduction in severe hypoglycemia was not associated with a worsening of metabolic control (HbA1). The presence or absence of booster training did not differentially affect these benefits. BGAT has sustained broad-ranging benefits, independent of booster intervention.

Women's History Month at NASA

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-03-14

NASA Administrator Lori Garver listens to astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson (off camera) at a Women's History Month event at NASA Headquarters, Wednesday, March 16, 2011 in Washington. The event entitled Women Inspiring the Next Generation to Reveal the Unknown is a joint venture with NASA and the White House Council on Women and Girls. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Cyber situational awareness and differential hardening

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dwivedi, Anurag; Tebben, Dan

2012-06-01

The advent of cyber threats has created a need for a new network planning, design, architecture, operations, control, situational awareness, management, and maintenance paradigms. Primary considerations include the ability to assess cyber attack resiliency of the network, and rapidly detect, isolate, and operate during deliberate simultaneous attacks against the network nodes and links. Legacy network planning relied on automatic protection of a network in the event of a single fault or a very few simultaneous faults in mesh networks, but in the future it must be augmented to include improved network resiliency and vulnerability awareness to cyber attacks. Ability to design a resilient network requires the development of methods to define, and quantify the network resiliency to attacks, and to be able to develop new optimization strategies for maintaining operations in the midst of these newly emerging cyber threats. Ways to quantify resiliency, and its use in visualizing cyber vulnerability awareness and in identifying node or link criticality, are presented in the current work, as well as a methodology of differential network hardening based on the criticality profile of cyber network components.

Knowledge regarding fertility preservation in cancer patients: a population-based survey among Brazilian people during the Pink October awareness event.

PubMed

Chehin, Mauricio B; Bonetti, Tatiana Cs; Serafini, Paulo C; Motta, Eduardo LA

2017-06-01

The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge about the risk of infertility in cancer patients after treatment, and the options for fertility preservation based on a survey carried out during the 2013 Pink October campaign. This survey was carried out during the 2013 Pink October event in the most important public park of São Paulo, Brazil. Approximately 900 people expressed interest in learning about breast cancer prevention and fertility preservation by participating in workshops, and 242 people filled out a questionnaire. Most of the respondents (78.5%) were women, and one-fourth (25%) had at least one relative with gynecological cancer. Among women over 40 years of age, 86.3% had been screened for breast cancer at some point. However, few participants (34.0%) were aware that cancer treatment can lead to infertility or had heard about fertility preservation options (22.0%). Having a relative with cancer did not influence their knowledge about fertility preservation (22.4% versus 21.3%; p=0.864). However, a higher educational level was significantly associated with more knowledge about the effects of cancer on fertility and options for fertility preservation. The majority of participants did not have knowledge about the impact of oncologic treatment on fertility and did not know that there are options to preserve fertility in cancer patients. Awareness of infertility risk factors is an essential first step to safeguard future fertility, and therefore, more educational initiatives are needed to spread knowledge about oncofertility.

Awareness is relative: dissociation as the organisation of meaning.

PubMed

Lesley, Joan

2006-09-01

This essay discusses how the organisation of mental material within the cognitive system can influence consciousness and awareness, and presents a theory of dissociation based on the premise that awareness is relative, contingent on the activated representation of the ongoing event being linked to the activated self-representation. It allows four possible variations of integration: (i) non-integrated experience--perceptions about an object/event are either not perceived or they remain at the sensory level: traditional dissociative states, amnesia, depersonalisation etc; (ii) variably integrated experience--activation of information of a specific valence about an object blocks activation of information of contrasting valence: splitting; (iii) alternatively integrated experience--experience is integrated into a specific, limited active self-representation: fugue and multiple identity states; (iv) dis-integrated experience-the ongoing experience of innate drives and needs is no longer consistently activated in the core self-representation: repression and isolation.

NASA Hispanic Heritage Month Event, ¡Latinos STEM Up!

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-10-12

On Oct. 12, NASA’s Hispanic Outreach and Leadership Alliance (HOLA) celebrated Hispanic Heritage month with a panel discussion of the contributions of Hispanics to NASA’s mission and the importance of Hispanic representation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and careers.

A Visual Language for Situational Awareness

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-01

listening. The arrival of the information age has delivered the ability to transfer larger volumes of data at far greater rates. Wireless digital... wireless infrastructure for use in large-scale events where domestic power and private wireless networks are overloaded or unavailable. States should...lacking by responders using ANSI INCITS 415 symbols sets.226 When combined with the power of a wireless network, a situational awareness metalanguage is

AWARE - The Automated EUV Wave Analysis and REduction algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ireland, J.; Inglis; A. R.; Shih, A. Y.; Christe, S.; Mumford, S.; Hayes, L. A.; Thompson, B. J.

2016-10-01

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) waves are large-scale propagating disturbances observed in the solar corona, frequently associated with coronal mass ejections and flares. Since their discovery over two hundred papers discussing their properties, causes and physics have been published. However, their fundamental nature and the physics of their interactions with other solar phenomena are still not understood. To further the understanding of EUV waves, and their relation to other solar phenomena, we have constructed the Automated Wave Analysis and REduction (AWARE) algorithm for the detection of EUV waves over the full Sun. The AWARE algorithm is based on a novel image processing approach to isolating the bright wavefront of the EUV as it propagates across the corona. AWARE detects the presence of a wavefront, and measures the distance, velocity and acceleration of that wavefront across the Sun. Results from AWARE are compared to results from other algorithms for some well known EUV wave events. Suggestions are also give for further refinements to the basic algorithm presented here.

The Fluctuating Development of Cross-Linguistic Semantic Awareness: A Longitudinal Multiple-Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zheng, Yongyan

2014-01-01

Second language (L2) learners' awareness of first language-second language (L1-L2) semantic differences plays a critical role in L2 vocabulary learning. This study investigates the long-term development of eight university-level Chinese English as a foreign language learners' cross-linguistic semantic awareness over the course of 10 months. A…

Improving Sexual Risk Communication With Adolescents Using Event History Calendars

PubMed Central

Martyn, Kristy K.; Darling-Fisher, Cynthia; Pardee, Michelle; Ronis, David L.; Felicetti, Irene L.; Saftner, Melissa A.

2012-01-01

This study was conducted to explore the effects of an event history calendar (EHC) approach on adolescent sexual risk communication and sexual activity. Adolescent school-linked health clinic patients (n = 30) who reported sexual activity self-administered the EHC that was used by nurse practitioners (NPs; n = 2) during a clinic visit. Immediately pre- and post-visit, and at 1 and 3 months, adolescents reported sexual risk behaviors and perceptions about EHC communication on questionnaires and by interview. NPs reported their perceptions of EHCs by questionnaire after the visit and poststudy interview. The EHC approach facilitated communication and adolescent awareness of their risk behaviors. Scores increased on Amount of Communication, t(29) = 8.174, p < .001; Satisfaction with Communication, t(29) = 3.112, p = .004; Client Involvement in Decision Making, t(29) = 3.901, p = .001, and Client Satisfaction with Interpersonal Style, t(29) = 3.763, p = .001. Adolescents reported decreased sexual intercourse at 1 month, p = .031. School nurses could use the EHC approach to facilitate adolescent communication and tailoring of interventions. PMID:22071717

Improving sexual risk communication with adolescents using event history calendars.

PubMed

Martyn, Kristy K; Darling-Fisher, Cynthia; Pardee, Michelle; Ronis, David L; Felicetti, Irene L; Saftner, Melissa A

2012-04-01

This study was conducted to explore the effects of an event history calendar (EHC) approach on adolescent sexual risk communication and sexual activity. Adolescent school-linked health clinic patients (n = 30) who reported sexual activity self-administered the EHC that was used by nurse practitioners (NPs; n = 2) during a clinic visit. Immediately pre- and post-visit, and at 1 and 3 months, adolescents reported sexual risk behaviors and perceptions about EHC communication on questionnaires and by interview. NPs reported their perceptions of EHCs by questionnaire after the visit and poststudy interview. The EHC approach facilitated communication and adolescent awareness of their risk behaviors. Scores increased on Amount of Communication, t(29) = 8.174, p < .001; Satisfaction with Communication, t(29) = 3.112, p = .004; Client Involvement in Decision Making, t(29) = 3.901, p = .001, and Client Satisfaction with Interpersonal Style, t(29) = 3.763, p = .001. Adolescents reported decreased sexual intercourse at 1 month, p = .031. School nurses could use the EHC approach to facilitate adolescent communication and tailoring of interventions.

Accidental awareness during general anaesthesia - a narrative review.

PubMed

Tasbihgou, S R; Vogels, M F; Absalom, A R

2018-01-01

Unintended accidental awareness during general anaesthesia represents failure of successful anaesthesia, and so has been the subject of numerous studies during the past decades. As return to consciousness is both difficult to describe and identify, the reported incidence rates vary widely. Similarly, a wide range of techniques have been employed to identify cases of accidental awareness. Studies which have used the isolated forearm technique to identify responsiveness to command during intended anaesthesia have shown remarkably high incidences of awareness. For example, the ConsCIOUS-1 study showed an incidence of responsiveness around the time of laryngoscopy of 1:25. On the other hand, the 5th Royal College of Anaesthetists National Audit Project, which reported the largest ever cohort of patients who had experienced accidental awareness, used a system to identify patients who spontaneously self-reported accidental awareness. In this latter study, the incidence of accidental awareness was 1:19,600. In the recently published SNAP-1 observational study, in which structured postoperative interviews were performed, the incidence was 1:800. In almost all reported cases of intra-operative responsiveness, there was no subsequent explicit recall of intra-operative events. To date, there is no evidence that this occurrence has any psychological consequences. Among patients who experience accidental awareness and can later remember details of their experience, the consequences are better known. In particular, when awareness occurs in a patient who has been given neuromuscular blocking agents, it may result in serious sequelae such as symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and a permanent aversion to surgery and anaesthesia, and is feared by patients and anaesthetists. In this article, the published literature on the incidence, consequences and management of accidental awareness under general anaesthesia with subsequent recall will be reviewed. © 2017 The Association

Natural gas monthly, June 1996

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1996-06-24

The natural gas monthly (NGM) highlights activities, events, and analyses of interest to public and private sector organizations associated with the natural gas industry. Volume and price data are presented each month for natural gas production, distribution, consumption, and interstate pipeline activities. Producer-related activities and underground storage data are also reported. From time to time, the NGM features articles designed to assist readers in using and interpreting natural gas information. The feature article for this month is Natural Gas Industry Restructuring and EIA Data Collection.

Nutrition education and leadership for improved clinical outcomes: training and supporting junior doctors to run 'Nutrition Awareness Weeks' in three NHS hospitals across England.

PubMed

Ray, Sumantra; Laur, Celia; Douglas, Pauline; Rajput-Ray, Minha; van der Es, Mike; Redmond, Jean; Eden, Timothy; Sayegh, Marietta; Minns, Laura; Griffin, Kate; McMillan, Colin; Adiamah, Alfred; Gillam, Stephen; Gandy, Joan

2014-05-29

One in four adults are estimated to be at medium to high risk of malnutrition when screened using the 'Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool' upon admission to hospital in the United Kingdom. The Need for Nutrition Education/Education Programme (NNEdPro) Group was developed to address this issue and the Nutrition Education and Leadership for Improved Clinical Outcomes (NELICO) is a project within this group.The objective of NELICO was to assess whether an intensive training intervention combining clinical and public health nutrition, organisational management and leadership strategies, could equip junior doctors to contribute to improvement in nutrition awareness among healthcare professionals in the National Health Service in England. Three junior doctors were self-selected from the NNEdPro Group original training. Each junior doctor recruited three additional team members to attend an intensive training weekend incorporating nutrition, change management and leadership. This equipped them to run nutrition awareness weeks in their respective hospitals. Knowledge, attitudes and practices were evaluated at baseline as well as one and four months post-training as a quality assurance measure. The number and type of educational events held, pre-awareness week Online Hospital Survey results, attendance and qualitative feedback from training sessions, effectiveness of dissemination methods such as awareness stalls, Hospital Nutrition Attitude Survey results and overall feedback were also used to determine impact. When the weighted average score for knowledge, attitudes and practices at baseline was compared with four months post-intervention scores, there was a significant increase in the overall score (p = 0.03). All three hospital teams conducted an effective nutrition awareness week, as determined by qualitative data collected from interviews and feedback from educational sessions. The NELICO project and its resulting nutrition awareness weeks were considered

Assessment of Arabic phonological awareness and its relation to word reading ability.

PubMed

Abou-Elsaad, Tamer; Ali, Rawhia; Abd El-Hamid, Haidy

2016-12-01

Phonological awareness (PA) is one of the most important components in the development of normal reading ability. It refers to the ability to detect and manipulate the sound structure of words independently of their meaning. The current study aimed to assess Arabic PA skills and the relation to word reading abilities in Egyptian Arabic-speaking children. The designed assessment was applied to 80 typically developing children, divided into two subgroups ranging in age from 5 years 6 months to 8 years 6 months. The design of assessment involved six PA tasks covering three levels: rhyme awareness, syllabic awareness, and phonemic awareness, as well as the assessment of reading abilities that include real word and nonsense word reading tasks. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation), Student's t tests, and Pearson correlation coefficient tests were used to analyze the data. The reliability of the test was proven using the test-retest procedure. Validity of the test was estimated through internal consistency validity. The results revealed that the Arabic PA assessment test (APAAT) proved to be a reliable and valid tool for assessing Arabic reading skills. Findings from the study provided important insights into the developmental patterns of Arabic PA. In addition, the findings revealed a strong relationship between phonological awareness skills and the proficiency in word reading abilities in Arabic school-aged children.

Women's History Month at NASA

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-03-14

Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor and assistant to the president for Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs for the Obama administration, speaks at a Women's History Month event at NASA Headquarters, Wednesday, March 16, 2011 in Washington. The event entitled Women Inspiring the Next Generation to Reveal the Unknown is a joint venture with NASA and the White House Council on Women and Girls. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Triptorelin embonate (6-month formulation).

PubMed

Keating, Gillian M

2010-02-12

A 6-month formulation of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist triptorelin embonate (designed to deliver 22.5 mg of triptorelin over a 6-month period) has been developed for use in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. Following intramuscular administration of the 6-month formulation of triptorelin embonate 22.5 mg to men with advanced prostate cancer (subset of 15 patients from the pivotal clinical trial), serum testosterone levels initially increased, followed by a rapid, sustained decrease. Castrate serum testosterone levels (i.e. < or =1.735 nmol/L) were achieved in a geometric mean time of 18.8 days. The 6-month formulation of triptorelin embonate achieved and maintained castrate serum testosterone levels in patients with advanced prostate cancer (n = 120), according to the results of the pivotal, noncomparative, multicentre trial (patients received intramuscular triptorelin embonate 22.5 mg on day 1 and at month 6 [week 24]). By day 29, 97.5% of patients had castrate serum testosterone levels. Castrate serum testosterone levels were maintained from months 2 to 12 in 93.0% of patients. Prior to the second injection at month 6, 98.3% of patients had castrate serum testosterone levels, and 98.3% of patients had castrate serum testosterone levels at study completion. The 6-month formulation of triptorelin embonate 22.5 mg was generally well tolerated in patients with advanced prostate cancer; adverse events were of mild severity in the majority of patients. Drug-related adverse events (e.g. hot flushes) were consistent with the pharmacological action of triptorelin. Injection-site reactions occurred in 6.7% of triptorelin embonate recipients.

Transmissibility of the Campaign for Colorectal Cancer Awareness in Korea Among Twitter Users

PubMed Central

Lee, Keun Chul; Park, Gibeom; Park, SoHyun; Bae, Woo Kyung; Kim, Jin Won; Yoon, Hyuk; Kim, Myung Jo; Kang, Sung-Il; Son, Il Tae; Kim, Duck-Woo; Kang, Sung-Bum

2016-01-01

Purpose The Korean Society of Coloproctology holds its annual colorectal awareness month every September. This study analyzed the users and the contents of Korean tweets regarding colorectal cancer and estimated the transmissibility of the awareness campaign among Twitter users. Methods Prospective data collection was employed to accumulate Korean tweets containing the keywords "colorectal cancer," "colorectal cancer awareness campaign," "gold ribbon," and/or "love handle," from August 1 to September 30, 2014. Twitter users and contents were analyzed, and the credibility of information-sharing tweets throughout the study period was evaluated. Results In total, 10,387 tweets shared by 1,452 unique users were analyzed. As for users, 57.8% were individuals whereas 5.8% were organizations/communities; spambots accounted for a considerable percentage (36.4%). As for content, most tweets were spam (n = 8,736, 84.1%), repetitively advertising unverified commercial folk remedies, followed by tweets that shared information (n = 1,304, 12.6%) and non-information (n = 347, 3.3%). In the credibility assessment, only 80.6% of the information-sharing tweets were medically correct. After spam tweets had been excluded, a significant increase was seen in the percentage of information-sharing tweets (77.1% to 81.1%, P = 0.045) during the awareness campaign month. Conclusion Most Korean tweets regarding colorectal cancer during the study months were commercial spam tweets; informative public tweets accounted for an extremely small percentage. The transmissibility of the awareness campaign among Twitter users was questionable at best. To expand the reach of credible medical information on colorectal cancer, public health institutions and organizations must pay greater attention to social media. PMID:27847789

Intertwining Implicit and Explicit Awareness of Wellbeing to Support Peace of Mind and Connectedness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dadlani, Pavan; Markopoulos, Panos; Aarts, Emile

An awareness system was designed to provide peace of mind and a sense of connectedness to adults who care for an elderly parent living alone. Our empirical research, including a field trial of six months, confirms the potential of awareness systems to support both generations suggesting that future research should examine, firstly, how to convey long-term trends regarding the wellbeing of the elderly and, secondly, how to intertwine the communication of awareness information with expressive forms of communication. We discuss implications of our studies for the design of ambient intelligent systems supporting awareness between elderly and their adult children.

Public health situation awareness: toward a semantic approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirhaji, Parsa; Richesson, Rachel L.; Turley, James P.; Zhang, Jiajie; Smith, Jack W.

2004-04-01

We propose a knowledge-based public health situation awareness system. The basis for this system is an explicit representation of public health situation awareness concepts and their interrelationships. This representation is based upon the users" (public health decision makers) cognitive model of the world, and optimized towards the efficacy of performance and relevance to the public health situation awareness processes and tasks. In our approach, explicit domain knowledge is the foundation for interpretation of public health data, as apposed to conventional systems where the statistical methods are the essence of the processes. Objectives: To develop a prototype knowledge-based system for public health situation awareness and to demonstrate the utility of knowledge intensive approaches in integration of heterogeneous information, eliminating the effects of incomplete and poor quality surveillance data, uncertainty in syndrome and aberration detection and visualization of complex information structures in public health surveillance settings, particularly in the context of bioterrorism (BT) preparedness. The system employs the Resource Definition Framework (RDF) and additional layers of more expressive languages to explicate the knowledge of domain experts into machine interpretable and computable problem-solving modules that can then guide users and computer systems in sifting through the most "relevant" data for syndrome and outbreak detection and investigation of root cause of the event. The Center for Biosecurity and Public Health Informatics Research is developing a prototype knowledge-based system around influenza, which has complex natural disease patterns, many public health implications, and is a potential agent for bioterrorism. The preliminary data from this effort may demonstrate superior performance in information integration, syndrome and aberration detection, information access through information visualization, and cross-domain investigation of the

Emotional Awareness: A Transdiagnostic Predictor of Depression and Anxiety for Children and Adolescents.

PubMed

Kranzler, Amy; Young, Jami F; Hankin, Benjamin L; Abela, John R Z; Elias, Maurice J; Selby, Edward A

2016-01-01

Research increasingly suggests that low emotional awareness may be associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety among children and adolescents. However, because most studies have been cross-sectional, it has remained unclear whether low emotional awareness predicts subsequent internalizing symptoms. The current study used longitudinal data to examine the role of emotional awareness as a transdiagnostic predictor of subsequent symptoms of depression and anxiety. Participants were 204 youth (86 boys and 118 girls) ages 7-16 who completed self-report measures of emotional awareness, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms at baseline, as well as measures of depression and anxiety symptoms every 3 months for a year. Results from hierarchical mixed effects modeling indicated that low baseline emotional awareness predicted both depressive and anxiety symptoms across a 1-year period. These findings suggest that emotional awareness may constitute a transdiagnostic factor, predicting symptoms of both depression and anxiety, and that emotional awareness training may be a beneficial component of treatment and prevention programs for youth depression and anxiety.

Natural gas monthly, July 1994

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1994-07-20

The Natural Gas Monthly (NGM) highlights activities, events, and analyses of interest to public and private sector organizations associated with the natural gas industry. Volume and price data are presented each month for natural gas production, distribution, consumption, and interstate pipeline activities. Producer-related activities and underground storage data are also reported. From time to time, the NGM features articles designed to assist readers in using and interpreting natural gas information.

Natural gas monthly, September 1995

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1995-09-27

The (NGM) Natural Gas Monthly highlights activities, events, and analyses of interest to public and private sector organizations associated with the natural gas industry. Volume and price data are presented each month for natural gas production, distribution, consumption, and interstate pipeline activities. Producer-related activities and underground storage data are also reported. From time to time, the NGM features articles designed to assist readers in using and interpreting natural gas information.

Body Awareness in Preschool Children with Psychiatric Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simons, J.; Leitschuh, C.; Raymaekers, A.; Vandenbussche, I.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the body awareness of preschool children with a psychiatric disorder as measured by the test imitation of gestures (Berges & Lezine, 1978), using the subsections for pointing to body parts (passive vocabulary) and naming body parts (active vocabulary). Seventy-seven children from 37 to 72 months of age…

The neural basis of impaired self-awareness after traumatic brain injury

PubMed Central

Ham, Timothy E.; Bonnelle, Valerie; Hellyer, Peter; Jilka, Sagar; Robertson, Ian H.; Leech, Robert

2014-01-01

Self-awareness is commonly impaired after traumatic brain injury. This is an important clinical issue as awareness affects long-term outcome and limits attempts at rehabilitation. It can be investigated by studying how patients respond to their errors and monitor their performance on tasks. As awareness is thought to be an emergent property of network activity, we tested the hypothesis that impaired self-awareness is associated with abnormal brain network function. We investigated a group of subjects with traumatic brain injury (n = 63) split into low and high performance-monitoring groups based on their ability to recognize and correct their own errors. Brain network function was assessed using resting-state and event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging. This allowed us to investigate baseline network function, as well as the evoked response of networks to specific events including errors. The low performance-monitoring group underestimated their disability and showed broad attentional deficits. Neural activity within what has been termed the fronto-parietal control network was abnormal in patients with impaired self-awareness. The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex is a key part of this network that is involved in performance-monitoring. This region showed reduced functional connectivity to the rest of the fronto-parietal control network at ‘rest’. In addition, the anterior insulae, which are normally tightly linked to the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, showed increased activity following errors in the impaired group. Interestingly, the traumatic brain injury patient group with normal performance-monitoring showed abnormally high activation of the right middle frontal gyrus, putamen and caudate in response to errors. The impairment of self-awareness was not explained either by the location of focal brain injury, or the amount of traumatic axonal injury as demonstrated by diffusion tensor imaging. The results suggest that impairments of self-awareness

The neural basis of impaired self-awareness after traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Ham, Timothy E; Bonnelle, Valerie; Hellyer, Peter; Jilka, Sagar; Robertson, Ian H; Leech, Robert; Sharp, David J

2014-02-01

Self-awareness is commonly impaired after traumatic brain injury. This is an important clinical issue as awareness affects long-term outcome and limits attempts at rehabilitation. It can be investigated by studying how patients respond to their errors and monitor their performance on tasks. As awareness is thought to be an emergent property of network activity, we tested the hypothesis that impaired self-awareness is associated with abnormal brain network function. We investigated a group of subjects with traumatic brain injury (n = 63) split into low and high performance-monitoring groups based on their ability to recognize and correct their own errors. Brain network function was assessed using resting-state and event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging. This allowed us to investigate baseline network function, as well as the evoked response of networks to specific events including errors. The low performance-monitoring group underestimated their disability and showed broad attentional deficits. Neural activity within what has been termed the fronto-parietal control network was abnormal in patients with impaired self-awareness. The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex is a key part of this network that is involved in performance-monitoring. This region showed reduced functional connectivity to the rest of the fronto-parietal control network at 'rest'. In addition, the anterior insulae, which are normally tightly linked to the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, showed increased activity following errors in the impaired group. Interestingly, the traumatic brain injury patient group with normal performance-monitoring showed abnormally high activation of the right middle frontal gyrus, putamen and caudate in response to errors. The impairment of self-awareness was not explained either by the location of focal brain injury, or the amount of traumatic axonal injury as demonstrated by diffusion tensor imaging. The results suggest that impairments of self-awareness

Zooming in on Life Events: Is Hedonic Adaptation Sensitive to the Temporal Distance from the Event?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uglanova, Ekaterina A.; Staudinger, Ursula M.

2013-01-01

This paper analyzed the effect of major positive and negative life events (marriage, divorce, birth of child, widowhood, and unemployment) on life satisfaction. For the first time, this study estimated the effects of life events not with a precision of 12 months but of 3 months. Specifically, two questions were addressed: (1) Does the precision of…

Operationally Responsive Space Launch for Space Situational Awareness Missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freeman, T.

The United States Space Situational Awareness capability continues to be a key element in obtaining and maintaining the high ground in space. Space Situational Awareness satellites are critical enablers for integrated air, ground and sea operations, and play an essential role in fighting and winning conflicts. The United States leads the world space community in spacecraft payload systems from the component level into spacecraft and in the development of constellations of spacecraft. This position is founded upon continued government investment in research and development in space technology, which is clearly reflected in the Space Situational Awareness capabilities and the longevity of these missions. In the area of launch systems that support Space Situational Awareness, despite the recent development of small launch vehicles, the United States launch capability is dominated by unresponsive and relatively expensive launchers in the Expandable, Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELV). The EELV systems require an average of six to eight months from positioning on the launch table until liftoff. Access to space requires maintaining a robust space transportation capability, founded on a rigorous industrial and technology base. To assure access to space, the United States directed Air Force Space Command to develop the capability for operationally responsive access to space and use of space to support national security, including the ability to provide critical space capabilities in the event of a failure of launch or on-orbit capabilities. Under the Air Force Policy Directive, the Air Force will establish, organize, employ, and sustain space forces necessary to execute the mission and functions assigned including rapid response to the National Command Authorities and the conduct of military operations across the spectrum of conflict. Air Force Space Command executes the majority of spacelift operations for DoD satellites and other government and commercial agencies. The

Dark Skies Awareness Cornerstone Project for the International Year of Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, C. E.; Pompea, S. M.; Iya Dark Skies Awareness Working Group

2010-12-01

Astronomy Month, in which the International Dark Sky Week will be celebrated. DSA will be collaborating with Belgium’s “Night of Darkness” to endeavor to make that lights out event a more global event. DSA will endeavor to support dark skies education worldwide, as in Northern Ireland. DSA will seek to expand light pollution prevention campaigns like Austria’s. People whose homes meet the criteria of good lighting are invited to put a sticker from Austria’s biggest newspaper in their front window to show their support. DSA also seeks to collaborate with the IAU Office for Astronomy Development. The presentation will focus on the DSA programs during IYA and the sustainability of the DSA programs after IYA, as well as the expansion to other programs worldwide, with particular emphasis in communicating dark skies awareness with the public and its educational value in attracting young people to study science and technology. See www.darkskiesawareness.org for more information on the programs.

InforMD: a new initiative to raise public awareness about breast density

PubMed Central

Hugo, Honor J; Zysk, Aneta; Dasari, Pallave; Britt, Kara; Hopper, John L; Stone, Jennifer; Thompson, Erik W; Ingman, Wendy V

2018-01-01

On a mammogram, breast density (also known as mammographic density) is shown as white and bright regions and is associated with reduced sensitivity in cancer detection and increased breast cancer risk. However, many Australian women are unaware of the significance of breast density as it is not routinely reported or discussed. In order to address this lack of knowledge, Australian breast cancer researchers with expertise in mammographic density formed the InforMD alliance (INformation FORum on Mammographic Density) in 2016. The alliance is working to raise awareness of breast density with the goal of improving breast cancer diagnosis and health outcomes for women. The InforMD website (www.InforMD.org.au) was launched in October 2016, coinciding with a major nationwide public awareness campaign by the alliance during breast cancer awareness month. The website contains unbiased, accurate, updated information on breast density. The website also provides summaries of major research articles in layperson language, recent news items related to breast density, links to relevant information for health professionals, events, and feature articles. Members of the public and health professionals can also subscribe for news updates. The interactive online Forum section facilitates discussion between health professionals, scientists and members of the public. To increase online traffic to the website, Facebook (www.facebook.com/BeInforMD) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/BeInforMD_) pages were launched in December 2016. Since its launch, InforMD has generated considerable interest. The public awareness campaign reached over 7 million Australians through a combination of newspaper, TV, radio, and online news. The website has attracted 13,058 unique visitors and 30,353 page views (data as of 19/12/2017). Breast cancer researchers have a significant role to play in disseminating information to the public on breast density. A combination of mainstream and social media, together with

InforMD: a new initiative to raise public awareness about breast density.

PubMed

Hugo, Honor J; Zysk, Aneta; Dasari, Pallave; Britt, Kara; Hopper, John L; Stone, Jennifer; Thompson, Erik W; Ingman, Wendy V

2018-01-01

On a mammogram, breast density (also known as mammographic density) is shown as white and bright regions and is associated with reduced sensitivity in cancer detection and increased breast cancer risk. However, many Australian women are unaware of the significance of breast density as it is not routinely reported or discussed. In order to address this lack of knowledge, Australian breast cancer researchers with expertise in mammographic density formed the InforMD alliance (INformation FORum on Mammographic Density) in 2016. The alliance is working to raise awareness of breast density with the goal of improving breast cancer diagnosis and health outcomes for women. The InforMD website (www.InforMD.org.au) was launched in October 2016, coinciding with a major nationwide public awareness campaign by the alliance during breast cancer awareness month. The website contains unbiased, accurate, updated information on breast density. The website also provides summaries of major research articles in layperson language, recent news items related to breast density, links to relevant information for health professionals, events, and feature articles. Members of the public and health professionals can also subscribe for news updates. The interactive online Forum section facilitates discussion between health professionals, scientists and members of the public. To increase online traffic to the website, Facebook (www.facebook.com/BeInforMD) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/BeInforMD_) pages were launched in December 2016. Since its launch, InforMD has generated considerable interest. The public awareness campaign reached over 7 million Australians through a combination of newspaper, TV, radio, and online news. The website has attracted 13,058 unique visitors and 30,353 page views (data as of 19/12/2017). Breast cancer researchers have a significant role to play in disseminating information to the public on breast density. A combination of mainstream and social media, together with

Low rate of self-awareness and medical recognition of migraine in Germany.

PubMed

Radtke, A; Neuhauser, H

2012-10-01

The study's objective was to assess self-awareness and medical recognition of migraine and their determinants in Germany. We conducted a nationally representative study of the general population of Germany (N = 7341, aged ≥18 years) by means of computer-assisted telephone interviews. Migraine was diagnosed based on the International Classification of Headache Disorders, second edition (ICDH-II). Twelve-month prevalence of ICHD-II-migraine was 10.6% (women 15.6%, men 5.3%). Seventy percent of ICDH-II-migraineurs recognised their headaches as migraine (moderate agreement between ICDH-II and self-diagnosis, κ = 0.46). Only 42% of migraineurs consulted a physician in the previous 12 months. Of those, 63% reported a medical diagnosis of migraine (moderate agreement, κ = 0.40). Women were more likely to be self-aware (odds ratio [OR] 1.81, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.27-2.60), but the difference was no longer significant when adjusting for migraine features. Physician recognition was more likely in patients with higher educational level (high vs. low education OR 3.90, 95% CI 1.43-10.61 after adjusting for migrainous features). Best predictors for self-awareness and medical recognition of migraine were typical migraine accompaniments and greater headache intensity. Self-awareness and physician recognition of migraine are low in Germany. Presence of typical migraine features and greater headache intensity facilitate medical recognition and awareness of migraine, especially in females.

Global trends in the awareness of sepsis: insights from search engine data between 2012 and 2017.

PubMed

Jabaley, Craig S; Blum, James M; Groff, Robert F; O'Reilly-Shah, Vikas N

2018-01-17

Sepsis is an established global health priority with high mortality that can be curtailed through early recognition and intervention; as such, efforts to raise awareness are potentially impactful and increasingly common. We sought to characterize trends in the awareness of sepsis by examining temporal, geographic, and other changes in search engine utilization for sepsis information-seeking online. Using time series analyses and mixed descriptive methods, we retrospectively analyzed publicly available global usage data reported by Google Trends (Google, Palo Alto, CA, USA) concerning web searches for the topic of sepsis between 24 June 2012 and 24 June 2017. Google Trends reports aggregated and de-identified usage data for its search products, including interest over time, interest by region, and details concerning the popularity of related queries where applicable. Outlying epochs of search activity were identified using autoregressive integrated moving average modeling with transfer functions. We then identified awareness campaigns and news media coverage that correlated with epochs of significantly heightened search activity. A second-order autoregressive model with transfer functions was specified following preliminary outlier analysis. Nineteen significant outlying epochs above the modeled baseline were identified in the final analysis that correlated with 14 awareness and news media events. Our model demonstrated that the baseline level of search activity increased in a nonlinear fashion. A recurrent cyclic increase in search volume beginning in 2012 was observed that correlates with World Sepsis Day. Numerous other awareness and media events were correlated with outlying epochs. The average worldwide search volume for sepsis was less than that of influenza, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Analyzing aggregate search engine utilization data has promise as a mechanism to measure the impact of awareness efforts. Heightened information-seeking about sepsis

2011 Women's History Month

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-03-24

John C. Stennis Space Center employees (l to r) Janet Kovac (NASA Shared Services Center), Lael Butler (Environmental Protection Agency Gulf of Mexico Program), Mary Carter (NSSC) and Maura Lohrenz (Naval Research Laboratory) celebrate a correct answer during the Women's History Month Quiz Bowl held onsite March 24. The contest between the women and a panel of four men tested each side's knowledge of women's history facts and events. This year's Women's History Month theme was 'Our History is Our Strength.' Befitting that sentiment, the panel of women won the contest.

Patient-reported frequency, awareness and patient-physician communication of hypoglycaemia in Belgium.

PubMed

Peene, B; D'Hooge, D; Vandebrouck, T; Mathieu, C

2014-12-01

Limited data exist on the frequency of non-severe hypoglycaemic events in patients with insulin-treated diabetes outside of clinical trial settings. Our study investigated the rates of self-reported non-severe events in a sample of Belgian patients. We also investigated self-reported awareness of the symptoms of hypoglycaemia and communication about hypoglycaemia between patients and their physicians. Patients aged >15 years with Type 1 (T1DM) and insulin-treated Type 2 (T2DM) diabetes were recruited via existing panels in Belgium to complete four questionnaires at weekly intervals. In addition to demographics, data on frequency of non-severe hypoglycaemic events (7-day recall), severe hypoglycaemic events (1-year recall), awareness of hypoglycaemia and reporting of hypoglycaemia to physicians were recorded. In total, 412 patients (44% T1DM, 56% T2DM) completed 1148 patient-week records. Mean insulin-treatment duration was 11 years, mean HbA(1c) 7·7%. Mean reported non-severe hypoglycaemic events per patient-week were 2·3 in T1DM patients, 0·3 in T2DM patients receiving basal-only therapy, 0·7 in T2DM patients receiving basal-bolus therapy and 0·8 in T2DM patients receiving another form of insulin. Mean reported annual frequencies of severe hypoglycaemic events were 0·9 in T1DM and 0·4 in T2DM. Impaired awareness or unawareness of hypoglycaemia was reported by 70% of T1DM patients, 55% of T2DM patients receiving basal-only therapy, 61% of T2DM patients receiving basal-bolus therapy and 73% of T2DM patients receiving another form of insulin. Overall, 60% of T1DM patients and 46% of T2DM patients rarely/never discuss hypoglycaemia with their GP/specialist. In addition, 10% of T1DM patients and 13% of T2DM patients stated that GPs/specialists did not ask them about their hypoglycaemia in routine appointments. Hypoglycaemic events and unawareness of these events are common in Belgian insulin-treated diabetes patients. Patients often fail to report hypoglycaemic

Risk and dynamics of unprecedented hot months in South East China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, Vikki; Dunstone, Nick J.; Scaife, Adam A.; Smith, Doug M.; Hardiman, Steven C.; Ren, Hong-Li; Lu, Bo; Belcher, Stephen E.

2018-06-01

The Yangtze region of South East China has experienced several extreme hot summer months in recent years. Such events can have devastating socio-economic impacts. We use a large ensemble of initialised climate simulations to assess the current chance of unprecedented hot summer months in the Yangtze River region. We find a 10% chance of an unprecedented hot summer month each year. Our simulations suggest that monthly mean temperatures up to 3 °C hotter than the current record are possible. The dynamics of these unprecedented extremes highlights the occurrence of a stationary atmospheric wave, the Silk Road Pattern, in a significant number of extreme hot events. We present evidence that this atmospheric wave is driven by variability in the Indian summer monsoon. Other extreme events are associated with a westward shift in the western North Pacific subtropical high. The most extreme simulated events exhibit combined characteristics of both the Silk Road Pattern and the shifted western North Pacific subtropical high.

The role of pregnancy awareness on female sexual function in early gestation.

PubMed

Corbacioglu, Aytul; Bakir, Vuslat Lale; Akbayir, Ozgur; Cilesiz Goksedef, Behiye Pinar; Akca, Aysu

2012-07-01

Female sexual function is negatively influenced by pregnancy due to the physical and emotional changes. Although the most significant effect is seen in the third trimester of pregnancy, a considerable decrease in the frequency of intercourse and sexual desire in the first trimester has also been shown. To investigate the factors that affect sexuality in early pregnancy and the impact of awareness of pregnancy on female sexual function in the first trimester of pregnancy using two self-reported questionnaires. In this cross-sectional study, 130 healthy, married pregnant women who were admitted to the gynecology clinic between the 4th and 10th week of gestation were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire and the female sexual function index (FSFI). The factors associated with FSFI score and monthly sexual activity frequency in the first trimester, as well as the differences in sexual activity frequency and FSFI scores between the women who were previously aware of their pregnancy and those who were yet unaware of their pregnancy. Women who were unaware of their pregnancy had significantly higher coitus frequency in comparison with the aware group (P = 0.002). Total FSFI score was 21.99 ± 8.13 in the aware group and 24.66 ± 3.76 in the unaware group (P = 0.02). None of the obstetric and sociodemographic variables had an influence on desire and pain scores. Arousal, lubrication, and satisfaction scores were adversely affected by awareness of pregnancy. Orgasm scores were influenced negatively by awareness and positively by love marriage; however, in multivariate linear regression analysis none of these were defined as independent factor for orgasm scores. Overall FSFI scores and monthly frequency of sexual activity were only affected by awareness. The results of this study suggest that in early gestation, awareness of pregnancy is associated with lower female sexual function. Furthermore, obstetric and sociodemographic factors seem to be

Natural conception rates in subfertile couples following fertility awareness training.

PubMed

Frank-Herrmann, P; Jacobs, C; Jenetzky, E; Gnoth, C; Pyper, C; Baur, S; Freundl, G; Goeckenjan, M; Strowitzki, T

2017-04-01

To analyze cumulative pregnancy rates of subfertile couples after fertility awareness training. A prospective observational cohort study followed 187 subfertile women, who had received training in self-observation of the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle with the Sensiplan method, for 8 months. The women, aged 21-47 years, had attempted to become pregnant for 3.5 years on average (range 1-8 years) before study entry. Amenorrhea, known tubal occlusion and severe male factor had been excluded. An additional seven women, who had initially been recruited, became pregnant during the cycle immediately prior to Sensiplan training: this is taken to be the spontaneous pregnancy rate per cycle in the cohort in the absence of fertility awareness training. The cumulative pregnancy rate of subfertile couples after fertility awareness training was 38% (95% CI 27-49%; 58 pregnancies) after eight observation months, which is significantly higher than the estimated basic pregnancy rate of 21.6% in untrained couples in the same cohort. For couples who had been seeking to become pregnant for 1-2 years, the pregnancy rate increased to 56% after 8 months. A female age above 35 (cumulative pregnancy rate 25%, p = 0.06), couples who had attempted to become pregnant for more than 2 years (cumulative pregnancy rate 17%, p < 0.01), all significantly reduce the chances of conceiving naturally at some point. Training women to identify their fertile window in the menstrual cycle seems to be a reasonable first-line therapy in the management of subfertility.

A principled approach to the measurement of situation awareness in commercial aviation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tenney, Yvette J.; Adams, Marilyn Jager; Pew, Richard W.; Huggins, A. W. F.; Rogers, William H.

1992-01-01

The issue of how to support situation awareness among crews of modern commercial aircraft is becoming especially important with the introduction of automation in the form of sophisticated flight management computers and expert systems designed to assist the crew. In this paper, cognitive theories are discussed that have relevance for the definition and measurement of situation awareness. These theories suggest that comprehension of the flow of events is an active process that is limited by the modularity of attention and memory constraints, but can be enhanced by expert knowledge and strategies. Three implications of this perspective for assessing and improving situation awareness are considered: (1) Scenario variations are proposed that tax awareness by placing demands on attention; (2) Experimental tasks and probes are described for assessing the cognitive processes that underlie situation awareness; and (3) The use of computer-based human performance models to augment the measures of situation awareness derived from performance data is explored. Finally, two potential example applications of the proposed assessment techniques are described, one concerning spatial awareness using wide field of view displays and the other emphasizing fault management in aircraft systems.

Impact of a social marketing media campaign on public awareness of hypertension.

PubMed

Petrella, Robert J; Speechley, Mark; Kleinstiver, Peter W; Ruddy, Terry

2005-02-01

Barriers to high blood pressure (BP) awareness and control are exacerbated by poor knowledge of the consequences and uncertainty regarding how to and who should direct care. We developed a social marketing hypertension awareness program to determine baseline awareness, knowledge, and treatment behavior, and then studied the impact of a targeted, media intervention among randomly surveyed adults at risk in a representative urban community compared to a control community immediately and 6 months after the intervention. The program consisted of three random-digit telephone surveys conducted in two mid-sized Ontario cities to determine high BP awareness, knowledge, and treatment behavior. Using baseline knowledge and attitudes toward high BP in both communities, a social marketing awareness strategy and mass media intervention campaign incorporating television, radio, print, direct to patient, and interactive techniques was developed and implemented in the test city only. Both test and control cities were resurveyed immediately after and at 6 months post-media intervention to detect change and decay. A sample of 6873 men and women more than 35 years old who were aware of their high BP demonstrated a high prevalence of high BP in the general population ( approximately 34% in both communities). At baseline this population had poor knowledge of their own BP numbers and poor understanding of the diseases related to high BP. Although few considered high BP a health concern, they had good understanding of lifestyle interventions for high BP prevention and control. The number of the respondents who claimed to have high BP increased immediately after intervention in the test city (38%; P < .02), whereas the number of respondents who were treated and uncontrolled decreased (P < .05) compared to control. There was a significant increase in patients' knowledge of consequences and in their perception that they were most responsible for high BP control in the test city (P < .005

What makes patients aware of their artificial knee joint?

PubMed

Loth, F L; Liebensteiner, M C; Giesinger, J M; Giesinger, K; Bliem, H R; Holzner, B

2018-01-08

Joint awareness was recently introduced as a new concept for outcome assessment after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Findings from qualitative and psychometric studies suggest that joint awareness is a distinct concept especially relevant to patients with good surgical outcome and patients at late follow-up time points. The aim of this study was to improve the understanding of the concept of joint awareness by identifying situations in which patients are aware of their artificial knee joint and to investigate what bodily sensations and psychological factors raise a patient's awareness of her/his knee. In addition, we evaluated the relative importance of patient-reported outcome parameters that are commonly assessed in orthopaedics. Qualitative interviews were conducted with patients being at least 12 months after TKA. The interviews focused on when, where and for what reasons patients were aware of their artificial knee joint. To evaluate the relative importance of 'joint awareness' after TKA among nine commonly assessed outcome parameters (e.g. pain or stiffness), we collected importance ratings ('0' indicating no importance at all and '10' indicating high importance). We conducted interviews with 40 TKA patients (mean age 69.0 years; 65.0% female). Joint awareness was found to be frequently triggered by kneeling on the floor (30%), climbing stairs (25%), and starting up after resting (25%). Patients reported joint awareness to be related to activities of daily living (68%), specific movements (60%), or meteoropathy (18%). Sensations causing joint awareness included pain (45%) or stiffness (15%). Psychological factors raising a patient's awareness of his/her knee comprised for example feelings of insecurity (15%), and fears related to revision surgeries, inflammations or recurring pain (8%). Patients' importance ratings of outcome parameters were generally high and did not allow differentiating clearly among them. We have identified a wide range of situations

Women's History Month at NASA

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-03-14

NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver, far left at table, answers a students question at a Women's History Month event at NASA Headquarters, Wednesday, March 16, 2011 in Washington. Garver is joined on the panel by NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson, center, and NASA Aerospace Engineer Sabrina Thompson. The event entitled Women Inspiring the Next Generation to Reveal the Unknown is a joint venture with NASA and the White House Council on Women and Girls. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Awareness and Incidence of Health Problems among Conservatoire Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williamon, Aaron; Thompson, Sam

2006-01-01

A survey of conservatoire students is reported in which information was gathered regarding their awareness and incidence of physical and mental health problems resulting from performing music, as well as places and/or people they would turn to for advice in the event of a future problem. Pain and discomfort relating to posture and excessive…

Event detection in an assisted living environment.

PubMed

Stroiescu, Florin; Daly, Kieran; Kuris, Benjamin

2011-01-01

This paper presents the design of a wireless event detection and in building location awareness system. The systems architecture is based on using a body worn sensor to detect events such as falls where they occur in an assisted living environment. This process involves developing event detection algorithms and transmitting such events wirelessly to an in house network based on the 802.15.4 protocol. The network would then generate alerts both in the assisted living facility and remotely to an offsite monitoring facility. The focus of this paper is on the design of the system architecture and the compliance challenges in applying this technology.

Emotional Awareness: A Transdiagnostic Risk Factor for Internalizing Symptoms in Children and Adolescents?

PubMed Central

Kranzler, Amy; Young, Jami F.; Hankin, Benjamin L.; Abela, John R. Z.; Elias, Maurice J.; Selby, Edward A.

2015-01-01

The current study used longitudinal data to examine the role of emotional awareness as a transdiagnostic risk factor for internalizing symptoms. Participants were 204 youth, ages 7 to 16, who completed assessments every three months for a year. Results from hierarchical mixed effects modeling indicated that low emotional awareness predicted both depressive and anxiety symptoms for up to one year follow-up. In addition, emotional awareness predicted which youth went on to experience subsequent increases in depressive and anxiety symptoms over the course of the year. Emotional awareness also mediated both the cross-sectional and the longitudinal associations between anxiety and depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that emotional awareness may constitute a transdiagnostic risk factor for the development and/or maintenance of symptoms of depression and anxiety, which has important implications for youth treatment and prevention programs. PMID:25658297

Reporting vaccine-associated adverse events.

PubMed Central

Duclos, P.; Hockin, J.; Pless, R.; Lawlor, B.

1997-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To determine family physicians' awareness of the need to monitor and report vaccine-associated adverse events (VAAE) in Canada and to identify mechanisms that could facilitate reporting. DESIGN: Mailed survey. SETTING: Canadian family practices. PARTICIPANTS: Random sample of 747 family physicians. Overall response rate was 32% (226 of 717 eligible physicians). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Access to education on VAAE; knowledge about VAAE monitoring systems, reporting criteria, and reporting forms; method of reporting VAAEs and reasons for not reporting them; and current experience with VAAEs. RESULTS: Of 226 respondents, 55% reported observing VAAEs, and 42% reported the event. Fewer than 50% were aware of a monitoring system for VAAE, and only 39% had had VAAE-related education during medical training. Only 28% knew the reporting criteria. Reporting was significantly associated with knowledge of VAAE monitoring systems and reporting criteria (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Physicians need more feedback and education on VAAE reporting and more information about the importance of reporting and about reporting criteria and methods. PMID:9303234

Natural gas monthly, October 1995

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1995-10-23

The Natural Gas Monthly highlights activities, events, and analyses of interest to public and private sector organizations associated with the natural gas industry. Volume and price data are presented each month for natural gas production, distribution, consumption, and interstate pipeline activities. Producer-related activities and underground storage data are also reported. A glossary of the terms used in this report is provided to assist readers in understanding the data presented in this publication. 6 figs., 30 tabs.

January Monthly Spotlight: Cervical Health and Cervical Cancer Disparities

Cancer.gov

In January, CRCHD joins the nation in raising awareness for Cervical Health and Cervical Cancer Disparities. This month we share a special focus on NCI/CRCHD research programs that are trying to reduce cervical cancer disparities in underserved communities and the people who are spreading the word about the importance of early detection.

Restaurant challenge offers healthful meal options and builds diabetes awareness.

PubMed

Blair, Angela M; Drass, Janice A; Stone, Marylou; Rhoades, Deborah; Baldwin, Susan A; Russ, Kelsey M

2011-01-01

The Frederick Restaurant Challenge is an innovative project based on a collaborative effort among community organizations and partners designed to offer delicious healthful meal options at local restaurants during the month of November for American Diabetes Month. Local restaurants were challenged to participate and submitted recipes for healthful meals to the Frederick County Diabetes Coalition for review by registered dietitians. Diners voted on meals to determine the challenge winner(s), and were eligible to win prizes as well. Publicity prior to and during the month was effective in creating positive news about healthful meals when eating out, raised awareness about diabetes, and provided restaurants with desirable advertising opportunities. Feedback from restaurants and diners was overwhelmingly positive. The purpose of this article is to describe this successful low-budget project to encourage its replication in local communities. The Frederick Restaurant Challenge proved to be a very successful, innovative, low-budget project that met its intended goals: to develop healthful meal options for people with diabetes (or for anyone wishing to eat healthier); to demonstrate that healthful food can taste delicious; and to encourage restaurants to continue offering healthful options on their menus beyond the challenge month. Community interventions such as the Frederick Restaurant Challenge offer unique and important strategies for affecting change and raising awareness not only for people with diabetes but also for the entire community.

Learning, awareness, and instruction: subjective contingency awareness does matter in the colour-word contingency learning paradigm.

PubMed

Schmidt, James R; De Houwer, Jan

2012-12-01

In three experiments, each of a set colour-unrelated distracting words was presented most often in a particular target print colour (e.g., "month" most often in red). In Experiment 1, half of the participants were told the word-colour contingencies in advance (instructed) and half were not (control). The instructed group showed a larger learning effect. This instruction effect was fully explained by increases in subjective awareness with instruction. In Experiment 2, contingency instructions were again given, but no contingencies were actually present. Although many participants claimed to be aware of these (non-existent) contingencies, they did not produce an instructed contingency effect. In Experiment 3, half of the participants were given contingency instructions that did not correspond to the correct contingencies. Participants with these false instructions learned the actual contingencies worse than controls. Collectively, our results suggest that conscious contingency knowledge might play a moderating role in the strength of implicit learning. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Awareness and Interest in the West Virginia Health Insurance Marketplace.

PubMed

Bias, Thomas K; Fitzgerald, M Paula; Agarwal, Parul; Vasile, Emily

2015-08-01

The objective of this study is to examine the level of awareness of and interest in the Health Insurance Marketplace in West Virginia. Primary survey data were collected in July/August 2013 from a stratified sampling of West Virginians. A mailed survey was completed by respondents in a cross-sectional study. Key variables included general awareness of the Health Insurance Marketplace and the availability of subsidies, the individual mandate, interest in using the Marketplace, and perceptions of respondents' ability to qualify for financial assistance. A total of 6000 surveys were mailed containing a 9-page questionnaire; 1198 completed surveys were returned. Two months prior to launch, awareness of the Health Insurance Marketplace was low in West Virginia, yet interest in the Marketplace was higher among those most likely to benefit--the uninsured and residents likely to qualify for financial subsidies. West Virginians reported being familiar with the individual mandate. Efforts should be increased among government and nongovernment organizations at the federal, state, and local levels to heighten awareness of the Health Insurance Marketplace in West Virginia and, particularly, the availability of subsidies. Many, once made aware, expressed interest in learning more.

[Recent life events preceding suicide attempt by drug overdose].

PubMed

Kubiak, Małgorzata; Musikowska, Barbara; Sein Anand, Jacek

2013-01-01

Recent stressful life events (ASLE) are considered to be one of the factors precipitating suicidal behavior. They precede a suicide attempt in most cases and according to research occur more often during the month or week before the suicide attempt. Interpersonal events are most common. The article presents an analysis of ASLE timing and incidence of events from specific categories during the month preceding suicide attempt by drug overdose. 124 patients admitted to the hospital because of suicidal intoxication were included in the study. Data regarding ASLE were collected with the use of a structured interview. Majority of patients attempting suicide by drug overdose experience a stressful event during the month prior to the suicide attempt. Nearly 4 out of 10 study subjects experience a stressful event on the day of the attempt or on the preceding day. Most common events that occur during the month prior to the attempt and immediately before the attempt are interpersonal events and most of them are related to relationships with spouses or partners.

Light Pollution Awareness through Globe at Night & IYL2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, Constance E.

2015-01-01

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) will be coordinating extensive activities to raise awareness of light pollution through running the Cosmic Light theme of the International Year of Light (IYL2015) and by partnering in particular with the popular Globe at Night program.Globe at Night (www.globeatnight.org) is an international campaign to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by having people measure night-sky brightness and submit observations in real-time with smart phone or later with a computer. In 2015, Globe at Night will run for 10-nights each month, an hour after sunset til before the Moon rises. Students can use the data to monitor levels of light pollution around the world, as well as understand light pollution's effects on energy consumption, plants, wildlife, human health and our ability to enjoy a starry night sky.Since its inception in 2006, more than 115,000 measurements from 115 countries have been reported. The last 9 years of data can be explored with Globe at Night's interactive world map or with the 'map app' to view a particular area. A spreadsheet of the data is downloadable from any year. One can compare Globe at Night data with a variety of other databases to see, for example, how light pollution affects the foraging habits of bats.To encourage public participation in Globe at Night during IYL2015, each month will target an area of the world that habitually contributes during that time. Special concerns for how light pollution affects that area and solutions will be featured on the Globe at Night website (www.globeatnight.org), through its Facebook page, in its newsletter or in the 365DaysofAstronomy.org podcasts.Twice during IYL there will be a global Flash Mob event, one on Super Pi Day (March 14, 2015) and a second in mid-September, where the public will be invited to take night-sky brightness measurements en masse. In April, the International Dark-Sky Week hosted by the International Dark-Sky Association will be

“So Big”: The Development of Body Self-awareness in Toddlers

PubMed Central

Brownell, Celia A.; Zerwas, Stephanie; Ramani, Geetha B.

2012-01-01

Early development of body self-awareness was examined in 57 children at 18, 22, or 26 months of age, using tasks designed to require objective representation of one’s own body. All children made at least one body representation error, with approximately 2.5 errors per task on average. Errors declined with age. Children’s performance on comparison tasks that required them to reason about the relative size of objects and about objects as obstacles, without considering their own bodies, was unrelated to performance on the body awareness tasks. Thus, the ability to represent and reflect on one’s own body explicitly and objectively may be a unique dimension of early development, a distinct component of objective self-awareness which emerges in this age period. PMID:17883440

Leveraging the BPEL Event Model to Support QoS-aware Process Execution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaid, Farid; Berbner, Rainer; Steinmetz, Ralf

Business processes executed using compositions of distributed Web Services are susceptible to different fault types. The Web Services Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) is widely used to execute such processes. While BPEL provides fault handling mechanisms to handle functional faults like invalid message types, it still lacks a flexible native mechanism to handle non-functional exceptions associated with violations of QoS levels that are typically specified in a governing Service Level Agreement (SLA), In this paper, we present an approach to complement BPEL's fault handling, where expected QoS levels and necessary recovery actions are specified declaratively in form of Event-Condition-Action (ECA) rules. Our main contribution is leveraging BPEL's standard event model which we use as an event space for the created ECA rules. We validate our approach by an extension to an open source BPEL engine.

Level of awareness of lung cancer risk factors, signs, symptoms and safe practices among college teachers of different states in India: Do awareness programmes have an impact on adoption of safe practices?

PubMed

Shankar, A; Roy, S; Bhandari, R; Malik, A; Rath, G K; Julka, P K; Barnwal, K; Upadhyaya, S; Singh, R; Srivastava, V

2015-09-01

Lung cancer is the one of the most common cause of cancer mortality among men in India where incidence rates are increasing although they are largely preventable diseases. In India, late presentation is generally responsible for high mortality and morbidity rates and early detection is one of the best ways to control it. The purpose of this study is to measure the level of awareness on lung cancer among women represented by a sample of college teachers in India and the impact of awareness programs in changing or adopting safer practices and the prevention and early detection of the disease. The assessment was conducted during a Pink Chain Campaign on cancer awareness in 2011 in various women colleges in India. Pre-test related to lung cancer was followed by awareness programs. Posttest using the same questionnaire was conducted at the end of interactive session, at 1 year and 6 months. A total of 156 out of 182 teachers participated in the study (overall response rate was 85.7%). Mean age of the study population was 42.4 years (range- 28-59 yrs). There was a significant increase in level of knowledge regarding lung cancer at 6 months and this was sustained at 1 year. Magazines and newspapers were the primary source for information regarding risk factors, signs and symptoms of lung cancer in more than 60% of teachers whereas more than 30% teachers were educated by doctors. At post-awareness after 1 year and 6 months, there was a significant change in alcohol and smoking habits. The main reasons for not undergoing screening tests are: ignorance (50%), lethargic attitude (44.8 %) and lack of time (34.6 %). Knowledge about lung cancer was very low among teachers. Overall awareness of risk factors, signs and symptoms, and screening modalities of lung cancer have improved after 1 year along with practices related to smoking and alcohol consumption. There was a significant improvement in people undergoing regular check-up's. Improved means of communication, access to

Dark-Skies Awareness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, Constance E.

2009-05-01

The arc of the Milky Way seen from a truly dark location is part of our planet's natural heritage. More than one fifth of the world population, two thirds of the United States population and one half of the European Union population have already lost naked eye visibility of the Milky Way. This loss, caused by light pollution, is a serious and growing issue that impacts astronomical research, the economy, ecology, energy conservation, human health, public safety and our shared ability to see the night sky. For this reason, "Dark Skies” is a cornerstone project of the International Year of Astronomy. Its goal is to raise public awareness of the impact of artificial lighting on local environments by getting people worldwide involved in a variety of programs that: 1. Teach about dark skies using new technology (e.g., an activity-based planetarium show on DVD, podcasting, social networking on Facebook and MySpace, a Second Life presence) 2. Provide thematic events on light pollution at star parties and observatory open houses (Dark Skies Discovery Sites, Nights in the (National) Parks, Sidewalk Astronomy) 3. Organize events in the arts (e.g., a photography contest) 4. Involve citizen-scientists in naked-eye and digital-meter star hunting programs (e.g., GLOBE at Night, "How Many Stars?", the Great World Wide Star Count and the radio frequency interference equivalent: "Quiet Skies") and 5. Raise awareness about the link between light pollution and public health, economic issues, ecological consequences, energy conservation, safety and security, and astronomy (e.g., The Starlight Initiative, World Night in Defense of Starlight, International Dark Sky Week, International Dark-Sky Communities, Earth Hour, The Great Switch Out, a traveling exhibit, downloadable posters and brochures). The presentation will provide an update, describe how people can become involved and take a look ahead at the program's sustainability. For more information, visit www.darkskiesawareness.org.

Breast cancer knowledge and awareness among university students in Angola.

PubMed

Sambanje, Martha Nyanungo; Mafuvadze, Benford

2012-01-01

The high breast cancer mortality rate in Sub-Saharan Africa has been attributed to a lack of public awareness of the disease which often leads to late diagnosis of the disease. Little is known about the level of knowledge and awareness of breast cancer in Angola. Previous studies have shown that breast cancer awareness is higher among well-educated people. The goal of this study was to assess breast cancer knowledge and awareness among university students in Angola. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of university students using a self-administered questionnaire to investigate participants' awareness and knowledge of breast cancer. A total of 595 university students in medical and non-medical programs successfully completed the survey. Our results showed insufficient knowledge of breast cancer among university students in Angola irrespective of whether they were in medical or non-medical programs. The majority of the participants were not aware of some of the early signs of breast cancer such as change in color or shape of the nipple, even though they appreciated the need for monthly breast self-examination. Overall most of the participants indicated the need for increased breast cancer awareness among university students. The study points to the insufficient knowledge of university students in Angola about breast cancer. We expect that our results may provide useful data that may be used by the department of health in Angola and other African countries to formulate health education programs aimed at increasing awareness and promote screening and early detection of breast cancer in the continent.

Patient awareness and acceptability of antenatal perineal massage.

PubMed

Ismail, S I M F; Emery, S J

2013-11-01

Antenatal perineal massage is recommended to reduce perineal trauma at the time of delivery. The practice has been shown to be acceptable to pregnant women taking part in research studies. The aim of this study was to establish its acceptability to pregnant women in day-to-day clinical practice, as well as their awareness of its technique. An anonymous self-construct questionnaire was given to mothers after their first delivery. A total of 113 questionnaires were returned over a 4-month period. With regard to acceptability, 61.4% of respondents indicated that the practice was acceptable, only 25.7% felt the practice was embarrassing and 56.7% were happy for their husband/partner to perform it for them. With respect to awareness, 37.2% of the respondents had heard about the practice, 9.7% knew it should be practised from 34 weeks onwards, 11.5% knew it should be maintained for 5-10 min and 30.1% knew it ought to be performed daily. This showed first time mothers' awareness of antenatal perineal massage to be low, despite the idea being acceptable to them, which calls for action to improve awareness and provide more instruction and encouragement to take up the practice.

Center Director Bridges visits Disability Awareness and Action working Group Technology Fair

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Center Director Roy Bridges (standing, center) poses with members of the Disability Awareness and Action Working Group (DAAWG), which is holding the 1999 Technology Fair Oct. 20-21 at Kennedy Space Center. The Fair is highlighting vendors demonstrating mobility, hearing, vision and silent disability assistive technology. The purpose is to create an awareness of the types of technology currently available to assist people with various disabilities in the workplace. The theme is that of this year's National Disability Employment Awareness Month, 'Opening Doors to Ability.' Some of the vendors participating are Canine Companions for Independence, Goodwill Industries, Accessible Structures, Division of Blind Services, Space Coast Center for Independent Living, KSC Fitness Center and Delaware North Parks Services.

Sonification of network traffic flow for monitoring and situational awareness

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Maintaining situational awareness of what is happening within a computer network is challenging, not only because the behaviour happens within machines, but also because data traffic speeds and volumes are beyond human ability to process. Visualisation techniques are widely used to present information about network traffic dynamics. Although they provide operators with an overall view and specific information about particular traffic or attacks on the network, they often still fail to represent the events in an understandable way. Also, because they require visual attention they are not well suited to continuous monitoring scenarios in which network administrators must carry out other tasks. Here we present SoNSTAR (Sonification of Networks for SiTuational AwaReness), a real-time sonification system for monitoring computer networks to support network administrators’ situational awareness. SoNSTAR provides an auditory representation of all the TCP/IP traffic within a network based on the different traffic flows between between network hosts. A user study showed that SoNSTAR raises situational awareness levels by enabling operators to understand network behaviour and with the benefit of lower workload demands (as measured by the NASA TLX method) than visual techniques. SoNSTAR identifies network traffic features by inspecting the status flags of TCP/IP packet headers. Combinations of these features define particular traffic events which are mapped to recorded sounds to generate a soundscape that represents the real-time status of the network traffic environment. The sequence, timing, and loudness of the different sounds allow the network to be monitored and anomalous behaviour to be detected without the need to continuously watch a monitor screen. PMID:29672543

Sonification of network traffic flow for monitoring and situational awareness.

PubMed

Debashi, Mohamed; Vickers, Paul

2018-01-01

Maintaining situational awareness of what is happening within a computer network is challenging, not only because the behaviour happens within machines, but also because data traffic speeds and volumes are beyond human ability to process. Visualisation techniques are widely used to present information about network traffic dynamics. Although they provide operators with an overall view and specific information about particular traffic or attacks on the network, they often still fail to represent the events in an understandable way. Also, because they require visual attention they are not well suited to continuous monitoring scenarios in which network administrators must carry out other tasks. Here we present SoNSTAR (Sonification of Networks for SiTuational AwaReness), a real-time sonification system for monitoring computer networks to support network administrators' situational awareness. SoNSTAR provides an auditory representation of all the TCP/IP traffic within a network based on the different traffic flows between between network hosts. A user study showed that SoNSTAR raises situational awareness levels by enabling operators to understand network behaviour and with the benefit of lower workload demands (as measured by the NASA TLX method) than visual techniques. SoNSTAR identifies network traffic features by inspecting the status flags of TCP/IP packet headers. Combinations of these features define particular traffic events which are mapped to recorded sounds to generate a soundscape that represents the real-time status of the network traffic environment. The sequence, timing, and loudness of the different sounds allow the network to be monitored and anomalous behaviour to be detected without the need to continuously watch a monitor screen.

Supporting structures for team situation awareness and decision making: insights from four delivery suites.

PubMed

Mackintosh, Nicola; Berridge, Emma-Jane; Freeth, Della

2009-02-01

'Human factors' (non-technical skills such as communication and teamwork) have been strongly implicated in adverse events during labour and delivery. The importance of shared 'situation awareness' between team members is highlighted as a key factor in patient safety. Arising from an ethnographic study of safety culture in the delivery suites of four UK hospitals, the aim of this study is to describe the main mechanisms supporting team situation awareness (TSA) and examine contrasting configurations of supports. Stage I: 177 hours of lightly structured non-participant observation (sensitizing concepts: safety culture, non-technical skills, teamwork and decision making) analysed to identify a core organizing concept, main supporting categories and preliminary conceptual models. Stage II: (approximately 11 months after first observations) 104 hours of observation to test and elaborate stage I analyses. Handover, whiteboard use and a coordinator role emerged as the key processes facilitating work and team coordination. The interplay between these supporting processes and the contextual features of each site promoted or inhibited TSA. Three configurations of supports for TSA were evident. These are described. Context configurations of supporting mechanisms and artefacts influence TSA, with implications for the maintenance of patient safety on delivery suites. A balanced model of supports for TSA is commended. Examining contrasting configurations helps reveal how local mechanisms or organizational, environmental and temporal factors might be manipulated to improve TSA.

Increasing Patient Safety Event Reporting in an Emergency Medicine Residency.

PubMed

Steen, Sven; Jaeger, Cassie; Price, Lindsay; Griffen, David

2017-01-01

Patient safety event reporting is an important component for fostering a culture of safety. Our tertiary care hospital utilizes a computerized patient safety event reporting system that has been historically underutilized by residents and faculty, despite encouragement of its use. The objective of this quality project was to increase patient safety event reporting within our Emergency Medicine residency program. Knowledge of event reporting was evaluated with a survey. Eighteen residents and five faculty participated in a formal educational session on event reporting followed by feedback every two months on events reported and actions taken. The educational session included description of which events to report and the logistics of accessing the reporting system. Participants received a survey after the educational intervention to assess resident familiarity and comfort with using the system. The total number of events reported was obtained before and after the educational session. After the educational session, residents reported being more confident in knowing what to report as a patient safety event, knowing how to report events, how to access the reporting tool, and how to enter a patient safety event. In the 14 months preceding the educational session, an average of 0.4 events were reported per month from the residency. In the nine months following the educational session, an average of 3.7 events were reported per month by the residency. In addition, the reported events resulted in meaningful actions taken by the hospital to improve patient safety, which were shared with the residents. Improvement efforts including an educational session, feedback to the residency of events reported, and communication of improvements resulting from reported events successfully increased the frequency of safety event reporting in an Emergency Medicine residency.

Temporal Dynamics of Awareness for Facial Identity Revealed with ERP

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Genetti, Melanie; Khateb, Asaid; Heinzer, Severine; Michel, Christoph M.; Pegna, Alan J.

2009-01-01

In this study, we investigated the scalp recorded event-related potential (ERP) responses related to visual awareness. A backward masking procedure was performed while high-density EEG recordings were carried out. Subjects were asked to detect a familiar face, presented at durations that varied parametrically between 16 and 266 ms. ERPs were…

The occurrence of early impaired self-awareness after traumatic brain injury and its relationship with emotional distress and psychosocial functioning.

PubMed

Geytenbeek, Megan; Fleming, Jennifer; Doig, Emmah; Ownsworth, Tamara

2017-01-01

To describe the occurrence of impaired self-awareness (ISA) after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its association with emotional distress and psychosocial functioning following discharge. Prospective cohort design with data collection at discharge and 1-, 3- and 6-month follow-up. 81 adults with TBI. Self-awareness was measured using a discrepancy score generated from the Mayo-Portland Adaptability Index (MPAI-4) Ability subscale, and significant other's ratings of Item 20 on the MPAI-4. Other measures were the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 and Sydney Psychosocial and Reintegration Scale. The discrepancy score method identified more cases of ISA than the single-item rating by significant others. Using discrepancy scores, the occurrence of ISA was 69.1% at discharge, and for those remaining in the study 6 months later, it was 54.3%. Better self-awareness was associated with greater anxiety at discharge, and stress at discharge, 3 and 6 months later, and better psychosocial functioning at all time points. Participants with ISA had significantly poorer relationships at 6 months post-discharge after controlling for injury severity. Whilst self-awareness is associated with greater stress in patients with TBI, it is also associated with better outcomes, indicating the importance of targeting ISA in rehabilitation.

Social, cognitive, and physiological aspects of humour perception from 4 to 8 months: Two longitudinal studies.

PubMed

Mireault, Gina C; Crockenberg, Susan C; Heilman, Keri; Sparrow, John E; Cousineau, Kassandra; Rainville, Brady

2018-03-01

Infants laugh by 4 months, but whether they understand humour based on social or cognitive factors is unclear. We conducted two longitudinal studies of 4-, 6-, and 8-month-olds (N = 60), and 5-, 6-, and 7-month-olds (N = 53) to pinpoint the onset of independent humour perception and determine when social and cognitive factors are most salient. Infants were shown six events in randomized repeated-measures designs: two ordinary events and two absurd iterations of those events, with parents' affect manipulated (laugh or neutral) during the latter. Four-month-olds did not smile/laugh more at absurd events, but exhibited a significant heart rate deceleration. Five-month-olds independently appraised absurd events as humorous, smiling/laughing despite their parents' neutrality. Parent laughter did not influence infants of any age to smile more, but captured 4-month-olds' attention. Results suggest that 4-month-olds laugh in response to social cues, while 5-month-olds' can laugh in response to cognitive features. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? By 6 months, infants can independently appraise absurd events as humorous, but it is not known whether younger infants can. What does this study add? This study replicated the finding on younger infants, showing that 5-month-olds are similarly capable of independent humour appraisal. These studies also found that although 4-month-olds do not respond to absurd events with positive affect, they do exhibit a heart rate decrease that is unrelated to looking. These studies help delineate when social and cognitive factors contribute to infant humour perception. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

Maximize Life Global Cancer Awareness Campaign: improving the lives of cancer patients while increasing global awareness of their needs.

PubMed

Garcia-Gonzalez, Pat; Schwartz, Erin L

2012-01-01

In October 2010 The Max Foundation, in partnership with 30 cancer patient associations in emerging countries, organized a global cancer awareness campaign. The aims of the campaign were: (i) to increase awareness of the needs of people living with cancer in developing countries; (ii) to increase local visibility of patient associations in their countries; (iii) to collect more than 10,000 signatures to the World Cancer Declaration (WCD); and (iv) to improve the lives of cancer survivors by providing them with an opportunity to express their feelings about the disease. The campaign was developed as a global effort, to be implemented by local patient associations through their volunteer survivors and caregivers. The methodology at the global level included developing the framework, branding, and communication tools, while making available limited funding and heavy logistical support. Local patient associations were encouraged to adapt the initiative to a culturally accepted format. Key elements of the campaign were the mix of low tech and high tech elements to allow low tech populations to participate while promoting the initiative using social media and high tech tools. Additionally, the participation of survivors and caregivers ensured the campaign provided immediate benefit to cancer patients. Finally, the addition of the World Cancer Declaration provided a strong unifying component. More than 60 events were held in 31 countries around the world, collecting more than 13,000 signatures to the World Cancer Declaration and a similar number of support messages to cancer survivors representing 84 countries. Local events gained local media visibility in many countries, and the campaign was promoted in multiple international forums and Web sites. This initiative involving mobilization of volunteers and the development of a global initiative as a grassroots movement taught important lessons on media outreach and selection of leaders for a cancer awareness campaign.

Incarcerated women's HPV awareness, beliefs, and experiences.

PubMed

Pankey, Tyson; Ramaswamy, Megha

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to explore incarcerated women's awareness, beliefs, and experiences with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and vaccination. Researchers conducted focus groups with 45 incarcerated women in an urban Midwestern US jail to assess how women talked about their Papanicolaou (Pap) test screening and abnormal Pap test follow-up experiences. Some focus group questions specifically assessed individual awareness, beliefs, and experiences with HPV infection and vaccination. Based on these data, the authors described participants' awareness of HPV, as well as used open coding to ultimately extract themes related to beliefs and experiences with HPV infection and vaccine. While all 45 participants reported experiencing an abnormal Pap test event within the last five years, only two-thirds of participants (n=30) reported having heard of the HPV infection. Several themes emerged from the analysis of the data: the women's beliefs about cause and severity of HPV; frustration with age requirements of the vaccine; varied experiences with vaccinations for themselves and their children; the impact of media exposure on knowledge; and desire for more HPV infection and vaccine information. Incarcerated women's awareness and limited experiences with HPV infection and vaccination may be a barrier to adequate screening and cervical cancer prevention. This study has implications for the development of cervical health education for this high-risk group of women, who are four to five times as likely to have cervical cancer as non-incarcerated women.

Object Permanence in 3 1/2- and 4 1/2-Month-Old Infants.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baillargeon, Renee

1987-01-01

Three experiments test object permanenece in 3 1/2- and 4 1/2-month-old infants, and use an impossible-possible-habituation event format. The 4 1/2-month-olds, and the 3 1/2-month-olds who were fast habituators, look reliably longer at the impossible than at the possible event. Results seriously question Piaget's (1954) claims regarding the age at…

Protecting children: intuition and awareness in the work of health visitors.

PubMed

Ling, M S; Luker, K A

2000-09-01

Protecting children: intuition and awareness in the work of health visitors This paper is based upon an ethnographic study of a group of health visitors engaged in child protection work. The purpose of this paper is to explore the meanings individual health visitors attach to events concerned with identifying children who may be at risk of harm from child abuse, and also the idiosyncratic nature of health visiting in this complex but everyday social situation. The paper focuses on understanding the importance of a particular form of knowledge which the health visitors referred to as 'intuitive awareness'.

Can eye-tracking technology improve situational awareness in paramedic clinical education?

PubMed

Williams, Brett; Quested, Andrew; Cooper, Simon

2013-01-01

Human factors play a significant part in clinical error. Situational awareness (SA) means being aware of one's surroundings, comprehending the present situation, and being able to predict outcomes. It is a key human skill that, when properly applied, is associated with reducing medical error: eye-tracking technology can be used to provide an objective and qualitative measure of the initial perception component of SA. Feedback from eye-tracking technology can be used to improve the understanding and teaching of SA in clinical contexts, and consequently, has potential for reducing clinician error and the concomitant adverse events.

Phonological Awareness and Print Knowledge of Preschool Children with Cochlear Implants

PubMed Central

Ambrose, Sophie E.; Fey, Marc E.; Eisenberg, Laurie S.

2012-01-01

Purpose To determine whether preschool-age children with cochlear implants have age-appropriate phonological awareness and print knowledge and to examine the relationships of these skills with related speech and language abilities. Method 24 children with cochlear implants (CIs) and 23 peers with normal hearing (NH), ages 36 to 60 months, participated. Children’s print knowledge, phonological awareness, language, speech production, and speech perception abilities were assessed. Results For phonological awareness, the CI group’s mean score fell within 1 standard deviation of the TOPEL’s normative sample mean but was more than 1 standard deviation below our NH group mean. The CI group’s performance did not differ significantly from that of the NH group for print knowledge. For the CI group, phonological awareness and print knowledge were significantly correlated with language, speech production, and speech perception. Together, these predictor variables accounted for 34% of variance in the CI group’s phonological awareness but no significant variance in their print knowledge. Conclusions Children with CIs have the potential to develop age-appropriate early literacy skills by preschool-age but are likely to lag behind their NH peers in phonological awareness. Intervention programs serving these children should target these skills with instruction and by facilitating speech and language development. PMID:22223887

78 FR 26211 - Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, 2013

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-03

... Proclamation 8969--National Mental Health Awareness Month, 2013 Proclamation 8970--National Physical Fitness... the AAPI community, that story is one also marked by lasting inequality and bitter wrongs. Immigrants... the bench. But even now, too many hardworking AAPI families face disparities in health care, education...

Awareness of Sexual Violence Services among LGBQ-Identified College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schulze, Corina; Perkins, Wendy

2017-01-01

The sexual victimization of sexual minorities enrolled in college is not a topic that has been well researched. The present study examines the awareness that college minority students have of services they can access in the event they experience sexual violence. The results indicate that many students are unaware of specific services that they can…

Prolonged Exposure Therapy Following Awareness under Anesthesia: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levinson, Cheri A.; Rodebaugh, Thomas L.; Bertelson, Amy D.

2013-01-01

Awareness during surgery is estimated to effect between 40,000 to 140,000 patients per year in the United States, and there is a growing literature suggesting that this event can lead to the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The current article describes treatment implemented from a manualized protocol of a woman diagnosed with…

Assessing Self-Awareness through Gaze Agency

PubMed Central

Crespi, Sofia Allegra; de’Sperati, Claudio

2016-01-01

We define gaze agency as the awareness of the causal effect of one’s own eye movements in gaze-contingent environments, which might soon become a widespread reality with the diffusion of gaze-operated devices. Here we propose a method for measuring gaze agency based on self-monitoring propensity and sensitivity. In one task, naïf observers watched bouncing balls on a computer monitor with the goal of discovering the cause of concurrently presented beeps, which were generated in real-time by their saccades or by other events (Discovery Task). We manipulated observers’ self-awareness by pre-exposing them to a condition in which beeps depended on gaze direction or by focusing their attention to their own eyes. These manipulations increased propensity to agency discovery. In a second task, which served to monitor agency sensitivity at the sensori-motor level, observers were explicitly asked to detect gaze agency (Detection Task). Both tasks turned out to be well suited to measure both increases and decreases of gaze agency. We did not find evident oculomotor correlates of agency discovery or detection. A strength of our approach is that it probes self-monitoring propensity–difficult to evaluate with traditional tasks based on bodily agency. In addition to putting a lens on this novel cognitive function, measuring gaze agency could reveal subtle self-awareness deficits in pathological conditions and during development. PMID:27812138

Longitudinal study of self-imposed driving restrictions and deficit awareness in patients with Alzheimer disease.

PubMed

Cotrell, V; Wild, K

1999-01-01

Thirty-five patients with Alzheimer disease (AD), including 19 who were still driving, were evaluated for level of awareness and driving status. There was no significant correlation between driving status and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores. Only the attention subscore of the awareness questionnaire yielded a statistically significant difference between drivers and nondrivers. Follow-up of the patients who were still driving was conducted 12-18 months later. All but 4 patients had stopped driving. Caregivers responded to a questionnaire assessing the patient's driving behaviors since the onset of AD. There was no correlation between MMSE and driving status. In 7 of 10 cases, caregivers or patients made the decision that the patient should stop driving. However, caregivers reported long periods between the caregiver's perception that the patient should stop driving and actual cessation (0.5-48 months). Results suggest that AD patients do restrict several areas of their driving voluntarily and that a failure to do so may be associated with an awareness deficit. In particular, a deficit of awareness for attention was significantly associated with an absence of restricted driving behaviors such as avoiding unfamiliar routes. Awareness of a deficit that is related to driving performance may be critical to restricted driving behavior, and this change in behavior may enable the patient to prolong his or her status as a driver.

Off-Road Vehicle Crash Risk during the Six Months after a Birthday

PubMed Central

Woodfine, Jason D.; Thiruchelvam, Deva; Redelmeier, Donald A.

2016-01-01

Background Off-road vehicles are popular and thrilling for youth outside urban settings, yet sometimes result in a serious crash that requires emergency medical care. The relation between birthdays and the subsequent risk of an off-road vehicle crash is unknown. Methods We conducted a population-based before-and-after longitudinal analysis of youth who received emergency medical care in Ontario, Canada, due to an off-road vehicle crash between April 1, 2002, and March 31, 2014. We identified youth injured in an off-road vehicle crash through population-based health-care databases of individuals treated for medical emergencies. We included youth aged 19 years or younger, distinguishing juniors (age ≤ 15 years) from juveniles (age ≥ 16 years). Results A total 32,777 youths accounted for 35,202 emergencies due to off-road vehicle crashes within six months of their nearest birthday. Comparing the six months following a birthday to the six months prior to a birthday, crashes increased by about 2.7 events per 1000 juniors (18.3 vs 21.0, p < 0.0001). The difference equaled a 15% increase in relative risk (95% confidence interval 12 to 18). The increase extended for months following a birthday, was not observed for traffic crashes due to on-road vehicles, and was partially explained by a lack of helmet wearing. As expected, off-road crash risks did not change significantly following a birthday among juveniles (19.2 vs 19.8, p = 0.61). Conclusions Off-road vehicle crashes leading to emergency medical care increase following a birthday in youth below age 16 years. An awareness of this association might inform public health messages, gift-giving practices, age-related parental permissions, and prevention by primary care physicians. PMID:27695070

Natural gas monthly, April 1997

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1997-04-01

The Natural Gas Monthly (NGM) highlights activities, events, and analyses of interest to public and private sector organizations associated with the natural gas industry. Volume and price data are present3ed each month for natural gas production, distribution, consumption, and interstate pipeline activities. Producer-related activities and underground storage data are also reported. From time to time, the NGM features articles designed to assist readers in using and interpreting natural gas information. The feature article is entitled ``Natural gas pipeline and system expansions.`` 6 figs., 27 tabs.

Quantized visual awareness.

PubMed

Escobar, W A

2013-01-01

The proposed model holds that, at its most fundamental level, visual awareness is quantized. That is to say that visual awareness arises as individual bits of awareness through the action of neural circuits with hundreds to thousands of neurons in at least the human striate cortex. Circuits with specific topologies will reproducibly result in visual awareness that correspond to basic aspects of vision like color, motion, and depth. These quanta of awareness (qualia) are produced by the feedforward sweep that occurs through the geniculocortical pathway but are not integrated into a conscious experience until recurrent processing from centers like V4 or V5 select the appropriate qualia being produced in V1 to create a percept. The model proposed here has the potential to shift the focus of the search for visual awareness to the level of microcircuits and these likely exist across the kingdom Animalia. Thus establishing qualia as the fundamental nature of visual awareness will not only provide a deeper understanding of awareness, but also allow for a more quantitative understanding of the evolution of visual awareness throughout the animal kingdom.

A Novel Approach for Creating Activity-Aware Applications in a Hospital Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bardram, Jakob E.

Context-aware and activity-aware computing has been proposed as a way to adapt the computer to the user’s ongoing activity. However, deductively moving from physical context - like location - to establishing human activity has proved difficult. This paper proposes a novel approach to activity-aware computing. Instead of inferring activities, this approach enables the user to explicitly model their activity, and then use sensor-based events to create, manage, and use these computational activities adjusted to a specific context. This approach was crafted through a user-centered design process in collaboration with a hospital department. We propose three strategies for activity-awareness: context-based activity matching, context-based activity creation, and context-based activity adaptation. We present the implementation of these strategies and present an experimental evaluation of them. The experiments demonstrate that rather than considering context as information, context can be a relational property that links ’real-world activities’ with their ’computational activities’.

Error-related brain activity and error awareness in an error classification paradigm.

PubMed

Di Gregorio, Francesco; Steinhauser, Marco; Maier, Martin E

2016-10-01

Error-related brain activity has been linked to error detection enabling adaptive behavioral adjustments. However, it is still unclear which role error awareness plays in this process. Here, we show that the error-related negativity (Ne/ERN), an event-related potential reflecting early error monitoring, is dissociable from the degree of error awareness. Participants responded to a target while ignoring two different incongruent distractors. After responding, they indicated whether they had committed an error, and if so, whether they had responded to one or to the other distractor. This error classification paradigm allowed distinguishing partially aware errors, (i.e., errors that were noticed but misclassified) and fully aware errors (i.e., errors that were correctly classified). The Ne/ERN was larger for partially aware errors than for fully aware errors. Whereas this speaks against the idea that the Ne/ERN foreshadows the degree of error awareness, it confirms the prediction of a computational model, which relates the Ne/ERN to post-response conflict. This model predicts that stronger distractor processing - a prerequisite of error classification in our paradigm - leads to lower post-response conflict and thus a smaller Ne/ERN. This implies that the relationship between Ne/ERN and error awareness depends on how error awareness is related to response conflict in a specific task. Our results further indicate that the Ne/ERN but not the degree of error awareness determines adaptive performance adjustments. Taken together, we conclude that the Ne/ERN is dissociable from error awareness and foreshadows adaptive performance adjustments. Our results suggest that the relationship between the Ne/ERN and error awareness is correlative and mediated by response conflict. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Innovative Breast Cancer Awareness and Advocacy Campaign

PubMed Central

Roberts, Alero A.; Isibor, Victor I.; Babatunde, Oluwatimilehin; Fatiregun, Omolara; Nwogu, Chukwumere N.

2017-01-01

Breast cancer is a major disease in Nigeria; in 2012, 27,304 new occurrences were diagnosed, and the number of mortalities was 13,960. Greater than 70% of patients present with advanced disease, which has a poor survival outcome. The mortality rates are high mainly because of a lack of awareness about breast health, screening guidelines, and treatment centers, and because of sociocultural barriers. In Nigeria, health care professionals remain the backbone for the provision of medical information to the public. This is a study of the innovative ways that breast health and cancer awareness were promoted across communities and institutions in Lagos State, Nigeria, in 2015. Several community awareness campaigns were carried out in the forms of health talks, breast cancer screenings, radio and television interviews, and campaigns on social media. Anomalies noticed during the screenings were promptly referred to appropriate hospitals for additional treatment. The campaign culminated in the #12KLLP, or 12,000 people light Lagos pink, which was a Guinness World Record attempt for the largest human awareness ribbon formed for breast cancer. There was a total reach of 28,774,812 people across platforms: 285,318 were on social media, 3,620 were in communities, 7,466,276 were on the website, 20 million were through media events, 12,000 were through publications, 7,598 were verified participants at the Guinness World Record, and approximately 1 million were through blogs. Eighty partnerships were made with various private and government institutions to facilitate different aspects of the campaign. The community members were able to learn about the need for early detection and awareness; volunteerism and corporate social responsibility were promoted among individuals and corporate institutions. PMID:28717755

A multicenter randomized trial indicates initial prednisolone treatment for childhood nephrotic syndrome for two months is not inferior to six-month treatment.

PubMed

Yoshikawa, Norishige; Nakanishi, Koichi; Sako, Mayumi; Oba, Mari S; Mori, Rintaro; Ota, Erika; Ishikura, Kenji; Hataya, Hiroshi; Honda, Masataka; Ito, Shuichi; Shima, Yuko; Kaito, Hiroshi; Nozu, Kandai; Nakamura, Hidefumi; Igarashi, Takashi; Ohashi, Yasuo; Iijima, Kazumoto

2015-01-01

In this multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trial, we determined whether 2-month prednisolone therapy for steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome was inferior or not to 6-month therapy despite significantly less steroid exposure. The primary end point was time from start of initial treatment to start of frequently relapsing nephrotic syndrome. The pre-specified non-inferiority margin was a hazard ratio of 1.3 with one-sided significance of 5%. We randomly assigned 255 children with an initial episode of steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome to either 2 - or 6-month treatment of which 246 were eligible for final analysis. The total prednisolone exposure counted both initial and relapse prednisolone treatment administered over 24 months. Median follow-up in months was 36.7 in the 2-month and 38.2 in the 6-month treatment group. Time to frequent relaps was similar in both groups; however, the median was reached only in the 6-month group (799 days). The hazard ratio was 0.86 (90% confidence interval, 0.64-1.16) and met the non-inferior margin. Time to first relapse was also similar in both groups: median day 242 (2-month) and 243 (6-month). Frequency and severity of adverse events were similar in both groups. Most adverse events were transient and occurred during initial or relapse therapy. Thus, 2 months of initial prednisolone therapy for steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome, despite less prednisolone exposure, is not inferior to 6 months of initial therapy in terms of time to onset of frequently relapsing nephrotic syndrome.

Promoting Dark Skies Awareness Programs Beyond the International Year of Astronomy 2009

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, Constance E.; Dark Skies Working Group

2010-01-01

The preservation of dark skies is a growing global concern, yet it is one of the easiest environmental problems people can address on local levels. For this reason, the goal of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) Dark Skies Awareness Cornerstone Project is to raise public awareness of the impact of artificial lighting on local environments by getting people worldwide involved in a variety of programs. These programs provide resources on light pollution for new technologies like a presence in Second Life and podcasts, for local thematic events at national parks and observatory open houses, for international thematic events like International Dark Skies Week and Earth Hour, for a program in the arts like an international photo contest, for global citizen-science programs that measure night sky brightness worldwide, and for educational materials like a kit with a light shielding demonstration. These programs have been successfully used around the world during IYA2009 to raise awareness of the effects of light pollution on public health, economic issues, ecological consequences, energy conservation, safety and security, and astronomy. The poster will provide an update, take a look ahead at the project's sustainability, and describe how people can be involved in the future. Information about the programs is at www.darkskiesawareness.org.

Awareness, Intention, and Needs Regarding Breastfeeding: Findings from First-Time Mothers in Shanghai, China

PubMed Central

Jiang, Hong; Li, Mu; Yang, Dongling; Wen, Li Ming; Hunter, Cynthia; He, Gengsheng

2012-01-01

Abstract Background and Objectives Despite efforts, a decline in breastfeeding rates has been documented in China recently. This study explored the awareness of the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for breastfeeding and intention to breastfeed among first-time mothers and identified the gap between mothers' needs and perinatal care provision regarding breastfeeding promotion. Subjects and Methods In total, 653 women at 5–22 gestational weeks were recruited from four community health centers in Shanghai, China. They completed a self-administered questionnaire at recruitment. Two focus group discussions were held among third-trimester pregnant women who had received prenatal education. Twenty-four in-depth interviews were conducted among postpartum mothers. Results During early pregnancy, a substantial proportion of mothers were not aware of the nutritional value of breastmilk (40%) or the value of exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months (80%) or any breastfeeding for 24 months (98%). The awareness of the WHO guidelines for breastfeeding was associated with intention to breastfeed (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.88, 3.78) or intention to breastfeed exclusively (adjusted OR 3.31, 95% CI 1.81, 6.06). In late pregnancy and postpartum, most mothers were still not fully aware of the breastfeeding recommendations and nutritional value of breastmilk. Limited communications with healthcare providers and lack of support for dealing with breastfeeding difficulties were reported. Conclusions Low awareness of the WHO breastfeeding guidelines was found among first-time mothers in Shanghai. Awareness of breastfeeding guidelines was independently associated with mothers' intention to breastfeed and intention to breastfeed exclusively. The health benefits of breastfeeding and the recommended duration of breastfeeding should be emphasized in prenatal education programs. PMID:22424469

Measuring Phonological Awareness in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webb, Mi-young L.; Lederberg, Amy R.

2014-01-01

Purpose: This study evaluated psychometric properties of 2 phonological awareness (PA) tests normed for hearing children when used with deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children with functional hearing. It also provides an in-depth description of these children's PA. Method: One hundred and eight DHH children (mean age = 63.3 months) with cochlear…

Validation of a measurement tool to assess awareness of breast cancer.

PubMed

Linsell, Louise; Forbes, Lindsay J L; Burgess, Caroline; Kapari, Marcia; Thurnham, Angela; Ramirez, Amanda J

2010-05-01

Until now, there has been no universally accepted and validated measure of breast cancer awareness. This study aimed to validate the new Breast Cancer Awareness Measure (BCAM) which assesses, using a self-complete questionnaire, knowledge of breast cancer symptoms and age-related risk, and frequency of breast checking. We measured the psychometric properties of the BCAM in 1035 women attending the NHS Breast Screening Programme: acceptability was assessed using a feedback questionnaire (n=292); sensitivity to change after an intervention promoting breast cancer awareness (n=576), and test-retest reliability (n=167). We also assessed readability, and construct validity using the 'known-groups' method. The readability of the BCAM was high. Over 90% of women found it acceptable. The BCAM was sensitive to change: there was an increase in the proportion of women obtaining the full score for breast cancer awareness one month after receiving the intervention promoting breast cancer awareness; this was greater among those who received a more intensive version (less intensive version (booklet): 9.3%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 4.5-14.1%; more intensive version (interaction with health professional plus booklet): 30%, 95% CI: 23.4-36.6%). Test-retest reliability of the BCAM was moderate to good for most items. Cancer experts had higher levels of cancer awareness than non-medical academics (50% versus 6%, p=0.001), indicating good construct validity. The BCAM is a valid and robust measure of breast cancer awareness suitable for use in surveys of breast cancer awareness in the general population and to evaluate the impact of awareness-raising interventions. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dissociable Electroencephalograph Correlates of Visual Awareness and Feature-Based Attention

PubMed Central

Chen, Yifan; Wang, Xiaochun; Yu, Yanglan; Liu, Ying

2017-01-01

Background: The relationship between awareness and attention is complex and controversial. A growing body of literature has shown that the neural bases of consciousness and endogenous attention (voluntary attention) are independent. The important role of exogenous attention (reflexive attention) on conscious experience has been noted in several studies. However, exogenous attention can also modulate subliminal processing, suggesting independence between the two processes. The question of whether visual awareness and exogenous attention rely on independent mechanisms under certain circumstances remains unanswered. Methods: In the current study, electroencephalograph recordings were conducted using 64 channels from 16 subjects while subjects attempted to detect faint speed changes of colored rotating dots. Awareness and attention were manipulated throughout trials in order to test whether exogenous attention and visual awareness rely on independent mechanisms. Results: Neural activity related to consciousness was recorded in the following cue-locked time-windows (event related potential, cluster- based permutation test): 0–50, 150–200, and 750–800 ms. With a more liberal threshold, the inferior occipital lobe was found to be the source of awareness-related activity in the 0–50 ms range. In the later 150–200 ms range, activity in the fusiform and post-central gyrus was related to awareness. Awareness-related activation in the later 750–800 ms range was more widely distributed. This awareness-related activation pattern was quite different from that of attention. Attention-related neural activity was emphasized in the 750–800 ms time window and the main source of attention-related activity was localized to the right angular gyrus. These results suggest that exogenous attention and visual consciousness correspond to different and relatively independent neural mechanisms and are distinct processes under certain conditions. PMID:29180950

A 12-month prospective cohort study of symptoms of common mental disorders among professional rugby players.

PubMed

Gouttebarge, Vincent; Hopley, Philip; Kerkhoffs, Gino; Verhagen, Evert; Viljoen, Wayne; Wylleman, Paul; Lambert, Mike

2018-04-26

The primary aims were to determine the 12-month incidence (and comorbidity) of symptoms of common mental disorders (CMD) among male professional rugby players and to explore their association with potential stressors. A secondary aim was to explore the view of male professional rugby players about the consequences of symptoms of CMD and related medical support/needs. An observational prospective cohort study with three measurements over a 12-month period was conducted among male professional rugby players from several countries. Symptoms of CMD (distress, anxiety/depression, sleep disturbance, eating disorders and adverse alcohol use) and stressors (adverse life events, rugby career dissatisfaction) were assessed through validated questionnaires. A total of 595 players (mean age of 26 years; mean career duration of 6 years) were enrolled, of which 333 completed the follow-up period. The incidence of symptoms of CMD were: 11% for distress, 28% for anxiety/depression, 12% for sleep disturbance, 11% for eating disorders and 22% for adverse alcohol use (13% for two simultaneous symptoms of CMD). Professional rugby players reporting recent adverse life events or career dissatisfaction were more likely to report symptoms of CMD but statistically significant associations were not found. Around 95% of the participants stated that symptoms of CMD can negatively influence rugby performances, while 46% mentioned that specific support measures for players were not available in professional rugby. Supportive and preventive measures directed towards symptoms of CMD should be developed to improve not only awareness and psychological resilience of rugby players but also their rugby performance and quality-of-life.

Global Maritime Awareness

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-01

to maritime information Mission: Act as a Maritime Awareness Coordinator and data critical to building situational awareness . We are...Maritime Awareness Technical Sub-committee (NMATS) July 2008 Desired Outcome Maritime Information Exchange Vision: Global maritime information ...Global Maritime Situational Awareness I i i i 1 Information Hubs n t at ves: . 2. MSSIS (Maritime Safety & Security Information Systems

The insight interview: a new tool for measuring deficits in awareness after traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Malouf, Tania; Langdon, Robyn; Taylor, Alan

2014-01-01

Awareness deficits are common after traumatic brain injury (TBI); however, relatively little is known of awareness deficits in the early stages post-injury. This study outlines the development of a new tool, 'The Insight Interview', designed to measure awareness across different domains (awareness of change, severity of deficits, current and future functional consequences) from 3 months post-TBI. Forty-three patients with at least a severe TBI, their nominated family member and treating clinician were all administered different versions of the Insight Interview during the patient's inpatient stay. Awareness was measured; (1) by calculating a discrepancy score between the patient's and their family informant's and/or clinician's ratings of the patient's abilities and (2) using interviewer-based ratings of the patients' responses to interview questions. Awareness differed depending upon the domain being assessed, with patients demonstrating greatest awareness in the current functional consequences domain. Evidence for a distinction between awareness of current and future functional consequences of impairments was also seen. Discrepancy scores and interviewer-based ratings showed good concordance. Adequate reliability and validity was demonstrated. The Insight Interview is a useful and valid tool for measuring awareness in the acute stages following TBI and highlights that awareness depends on domain assessed.

Focusing Events and Constrains on Policy Addressing Long-Term Climate Change Risks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Donovan, K.

2014-12-01

When policy makers are aware of immediate and long-term risks to communities, what do they do to plan for and mitigate the effects of climate change? This paper addresses that question in two ways. First, as an organizing framework it presents an overview of the empirical evidence on focusing events. Focusing events are defined as sudden, rare events that reveal harm or the potential for future harm that the general public and policy makers become aware of simultaneously. These large-scale events are typically natural and disasters, crisis, or technological accidents. This paper considers the empirical evidence of the relationship between focusing events, the harm revealed by the event and policy change aimed at reducing future risk of harm. Second, this paper reviews the case of flood mitigation policy in the United States from 1968 to 2008. It considers the ways in which policy makers have and have not integrated future flood risks into mitigation policy and planning, particularly after large-scale floods. It analyzes the political, intergovernmental, demographic and geographic factors that have promoted and constrained long-term flood mitigation policy. This paper concludes with a discussion of the meaning and implications of potential focusing events and constrains on policy for long-term climate change concerns.

Neural Correlates of Intersensory Processing in Five-Month-Old Infants

PubMed Central

Reynolds, Greg D.; Bahrick, Lorraine E.; Lickliter, Robert; Guy, Maggie W.

2014-01-01

Two experiments assessing event-related potentials in 5-month-old infants were conducted to examine neural correlates of attentional salience and efficiency of processing of a visual event (woman speaking) paired with redundant (synchronous) speech, nonredundant (asynchronous) speech, or no speech. In Experiment 1, the Nc component associated with attentional salience was greater in amplitude following synchronous audiovisual as compared with asynchronous audiovisual and unimodal visual presentations. A block design was utilized in Experiment 2 to examine efficiency of processing of a visual event. Only infants exposed to synchronous audiovisual speech demonstrated a significant reduction in amplitude of the late slow wave associated with successful stimulus processing and recognition memory from early to late blocks of trials. These findings indicate that events that provide intersensory redundancy are associated with enhanced neural responsiveness indicative of greater attentional salience and more efficient stimulus processing as compared with the same events when they provide no intersensory redundancy in 5-month-old infants. PMID:23423948

Does conflict control occur without awareness? Evidence from an ERP study.

PubMed

Wang, Baoxi; Xiang, Ling; Li, Juan

2013-01-15

The relationship between conflict control and awareness has attracted extensive interest. Although researchers have investigated the relationship between response conflict and awareness, it still remains unclear whether stimulus conflict can occur outside of awareness. In addition, previous studies on the role of awareness in conflict control have ignored the fact that conflict control includes both conflict detection and resolution. A modified version of the flanker task was used to manipulate stimulus and response conflicts under both masked and unmasked conditions. The masked condition elicited a sequence of distinct event-related potential components that were also observed in the unmasked condition. N2 amplitudes presented the following pattern: incongruent-eligible>incongruent-ineligible>congruent, they did not show any difference under the masked and unmasked conditions, suggesting that detection of stimulus-related conflict revealed by the comparison between incongruent-ineligible and congruent trials, and response-related conflict revealed by the comparison between incongruent-eligible and incongruent-ineligible trials can occur in the absence of awareness, and unconscious conflict detection might involve the same neural network employed for conscious conflict detection. Late positive component (LPC) amplitudes also presented as incongruent-eligible>incongruent-ineligible>congruent at CPz and Pz, irrespective of conscious awareness. However, LPC amplitudes under the masked condition were markedly reduced compared to unmasked trials. These LPC findings suggest that stimulus- and response-related conflict resolution can occur in the absence of awareness; furthermore, unconscious conflict resolution might involve a weaker cognitive control network compared to conscious conflict resolution. These findings have important implications for the theories concerning the relationship between cognitive control and awareness. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights

Defense.gov Special Report: Women's History Month 2013

Science.gov Websites

Department of Defense Submit Search July 18, 2014 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE: Women's History Month 2014 The became the first woman to attain the rank of four-star admiral in the Navy's 238-year history during a at a Women's History Month event at the Pentagon, March 31, 2014. Army Spc. Natasha Schuette wants

Natural gas monthly, August 1993

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1993-08-25

The Natural Gas Monthly (NGM) is prepared in the Data Operations Branch of the Reserves and Natural Gas Division, Office of Oil and Gas, Energy Information Administration (EIA), US Department of Energy (DOE). The NGM highhghts activities, events, and analyses of interest to public and private sector organizations associated with the natural gas industry. Volume and price data are presented each month for natural gas production, distribution, consumption, and interstate pipeline activities. Producer-related activities and underground storage data are also reported. From time to time, the NGM features articles designed to assist readers in using and interpreting natural gas information.

Infant Coping with Everyday Stressful Events.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karraker, Katherine Hildebrandt; And Others

1994-01-01

Mothers of 6 cohorts of infants at ages 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 months were interviewed to determine their children's responses to potentially stressful daily events. Found older infants and temperamentally more difficult infants experienced more events and reacted with distress to a greater proportion of the events than did younger infants and…

Somatosensory attention identifies both overt and covert awareness in disorders of consciousness.

PubMed

Gibson, Raechelle M; Chennu, Srivas; Fernández-Espejo, Davinia; Naci, Lorina; Owen, Adrian M; Cruse, Damian

2016-09-01

Some patients diagnosed with disorders of consciousness retain sensory and cognitive abilities beyond those apparent from their overt behavior. Characterizing these covert abilities is crucial for diagnosis, prognosis, and medical ethics. This multimodal study investigates the relationship between electroencephalographic evidence for perceptual/cognitive preservation and both overt and covert markers of awareness. Fourteen patients with severe brain injuries were evaluated with an electroencephalographic vibrotactile attention task designed to identify a hierarchy of residual somatosensory and cognitive abilities: (1) somatosensory steady-state evoked responses, (2) bottom-up attention orienting (P3a event-related potential), and (3) top-down attention (P3b event-related potential). Each patient was also assessed with a clinical behavioral scale and 2 functional magnetic resonance imaging assessments of covert command following. Six patients produced only sensory responses, with no evidence of cognitive event-related potentials. A further 8 patients demonstrated reliable bottom-up attention-orienting responses (P3a). No patient showed evidence of top-down attention (P3b). Only those patients who followed commands, whether overtly with behavior or covertly with functional neuroimaging, also demonstrated event-related potential evidence of attentional orienting. Somatosensory attention-orienting event-related potentials differentiated patients who could follow commands from those who could not. Crucially, this differentiation was irrespective of whether command following was evident through overt external behavior, or through covert functional neuroimaging methods. Bedside electroencephalographic methods may corroborate more expensive and challenging methods such as functional neuroimaging, and thereby assist in the accurate diagnosis of awareness. Ann Neurol 2016;80:412-423. © 2016 American Neurological Association.

Effects of Targeted Reading Instruction on Phonological Awareness and Phonic Decoding in Children with Down Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cologon, Kathy; Cupples, Linda; Wyver, Shirley

2011-01-01

This research evaluated the effectiveness of reading instruction targeting oral reading and phonological awareness for children with Down syndrome (affecting chromosome 21). The participants were 7 children ranging in age from 2 years, 11 months to 10 years, 8 months. Each child acted as his/her own control, with assessments of language,…

The Perfect Storm of Information: Combining Traditional and Non-Traditional Data Sources for Public Health Situational Awareness During Hurricane Response

PubMed Central

Bennett, Kelly J.; Olsen, Jennifer M.; Harris, Sara; Mekaru, Sumiko; Livinski, Alicia A.; Brownstein, John S.

2013-01-01

Background: Hurricane Isaac made landfall in southeastern Louisiana in late August 2012, resulting in extensive storm surge and inland flooding. As the lead federal agency responsible for medical and public health response and recovery coordination, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must have situational awareness to prepare for and address state and local requests for assistance following hurricanes. Both traditional and non-traditional data have been used to improve situational awareness in fields like disease surveillance and seismology. This study investigated whether non-traditional data (i.e., tweets and news reports) fill a void in traditional data reporting during hurricane response, as well as whether non-traditional data improve the timeliness for reporting identified HHS Essential Elements of Information (EEI). Methods: HHS EEIs provided the information collection guidance, and when the information indicated there was a potential public health threat, an event was identified and categorized within the larger scope of overall Hurricane Issac situational awareness. Tweets, news reports, press releases, and federal situation reports during Hurricane Isaac response were analyzed for information about EEIs. Data that pertained to the same EEI were linked together and given a unique event identification number to enable more detailed analysis of source content. Reports of sixteen unique events were examined for types of data sources reporting on the event and timeliness of the reports. Results: Of these sixteen unique events identified, six were reported by only a single data source, four were reported by two data sources, four were reported by three data sources, and two were reported by four or more data sources. For five of the events where news tweets were one of multiple sources of information about an event, the tweet occurred prior to the news report, press release, local government\\emergency management tweet, and federal situation

The perfect storm of information: combining traditional and non-traditional data sources for public health situational awareness during hurricane response.

PubMed

Bennett, Kelly J; Olsen, Jennifer M; Harris, Sara; Mekaru, Sumiko; Livinski, Alicia A; Brownstein, John S

2013-12-16

Hurricane Isaac made landfall in southeastern Louisiana in late August 2012, resulting in extensive storm surge and inland flooding. As the lead federal agency responsible for medical and public health response and recovery coordination, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must have situational awareness to prepare for and address state and local requests for assistance following hurricanes. Both traditional and non-traditional data have been used to improve situational awareness in fields like disease surveillance and seismology. This study investigated whether non-traditional data (i.e., tweets and news reports) fill a void in traditional data reporting during hurricane response, as well as whether non-traditional data improve the timeliness for reporting identified HHS Essential Elements of Information (EEI). HHS EEIs provided the information collection guidance, and when the information indicated there was a potential public health threat, an event was identified and categorized within the larger scope of overall Hurricane Issac situational awareness. Tweets, news reports, press releases, and federal situation reports during Hurricane Isaac response were analyzed for information about EEIs. Data that pertained to the same EEI were linked together and given a unique event identification number to enable more detailed analysis of source content. Reports of sixteen unique events were examined for types of data sources reporting on the event and timeliness of the reports. Of these sixteen unique events identified, six were reported by only a single data source, four were reported by two data sources, four were reported by three data sources, and two were reported by four or more data sources. For five of the events where news tweets were one of multiple sources of information about an event, the tweet occurred prior to the news report, press release, local government\\emergency management tweet, and federal situation report. In all circumstances where

Episodic Memory in Adults with Autistic Spectrum Disorders: Recall for Self- versus Other-Experienced Events

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hare, Dougal Julian; Mellor, Christine; Azmi, Sabiha

2007-01-01

People with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) have difficulties in recalling recently experienced events, which is dependent upon intact functioning of several aspects of "self awareness". The current study examined impaired episodic recall in ASD and its relationship to specific impairments in aspects of "self awareness". Between-group…

Aspirin and the risk of cardiovascular events in atherosclerosis patients with and without prior ischemic events.

PubMed

Bavry, Anthony A; Elgendy, Islam Y; Elbez, Yedid; Mahmoud, Ahmed N; Sorbets, Emmanuel; Steg, Philippe Gabriel; Bhatt, Deepak L

2017-09-01

The benefit of aspirin among patients with stable atherosclerosis without a prior ischemic event is not well defined. Aspirin would be of benefit in outpatients with atherosclerosis with prior ischemic events, but not in those without ischemic events. Subjects from the Reduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health registry were divided according to prior ischemic event (n =21 724) vs stable atherosclerosis, but no prior ischemic event (n = 11 872). Analyses were propensity score matched. Aspirin use was updated at each clinic visit and considered as a time-varying covariate. The primary outcome was the first occurrence of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. In the group with a prior ischemic event, aspirin use was associated with a marginally lower risk of the primary outcome at a median of 41 months (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.81, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.65-1.01, P = 0.06). In the group without a prior ischemic event, aspirin use was not associated with a lower risk of the primary outcome at a median of 36 months (HR: 1.03, 95% CI: 0.73-1.45, P = 0.86). In this observational analysis of outpatients with stable atherosclerosis, aspirin was marginally beneficial among patients with a prior ischemic event; however, there was no apparent benefit among those with no prior ischemic event. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Immediate Effects of Interoceptive Awareness Training through Mindful Awareness in Body-oriented Therapy (MABT) for Women in Substance Use Disorder Treatment.

PubMed

Price, Cynthia J; Thompson, Elaine A; Crowell, Sheila E; Pike, Kenneth; Cheng, Sunny C; Parent, Sara; Hooven, Carole

2018-06-27

Sensory information gained through interoceptive awareness may play an important role in affective behavior and successful inhibition of drug use. This study examined the immediate pre-post effects of the mind-body intervention Mindful Awareness in Body-oriented Therapy (MABT) as an adjunct to women's substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. MABT teaches interoceptive awareness skills to promote self-care and emotion regulation. Women in intensive outpatient treatment (IOP) for chemical dependency (N =217) at three community clinics in the Pacific NW of the United States were recruited and randomly assigned to one of three study conditions: MABT + Treatment as Usual (TAU), Women's Health Education (WHE) +TAU (active control condition), and TAU only. At baseline and three months post-intervention, assessments were made of interoceptive awareness skills and mindfulness, emotion regulation (self-report and psychophysiological measures), symptomatic distress (depression and trauma-related symptoms), and substance use (days abstinent) and craving. Changes in outcomes across time were assessed using multilevel mixed effects linear regression. Findings based on an intent-to-treat approach demonstrated significant improvements in interoceptive awareness and mindfulness skills, emotion dysregulation (self-report and psychophysiology), and days abstinent for women who received MABT compared to the other study groups. Additional analyses based on participants who completed the major components of MABT (at least 75% of the intervention sessions) revealed these same improvements as well as reductions in depressive symptoms and substance craving. Findings that interoceptive training is associated with health outcomes for women in SUD treatment are consistent with emerging neurocognitive models that link interoception to emotion regulation and to related health outcomes, providing knowledge critical to supporting and improving SUD treatment.

Brain signals do not demonstrate unconscious decision making: an interpretation based on graded conscious awareness.

PubMed

Miller, Jeff; Schwarz, Wolf

2014-02-01

Neuroscientific studies have shown that brain activity correlated with a decision to move can be observed before a person reports being consciously aware of having made that decision (e.g., Libet, Gleason, Wright, & Pearl, 1983; Soon, Brass, Heinze, & Haynes, 2008). Given that a later event (i.e., conscious awareness) cannot cause an earlier one (i.e., decision-related brain activity), such results have been interpreted as evidence that decisions are made unconsciously (e.g., Libet, 1985). We argue that this interpretation depends upon an all-or-none view of consciousness, and we offer an alternative interpretation of the early decision-related brain activity based on models in which conscious awareness of the decision to move develops gradually up to the level of a reporting criterion. Under this interpretation, the early brain activity reflects sub-criterion levels of awareness rather than complete absence of awareness and thus does not suggest that decisions are made unconsciously. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ALFIL: A Crowd Simulation Serious Game for Massive Evacuation Training and Awareness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

García-García, César; Fernández-Robles, José Luis; Larios-Rosillo, Victor; Luga, Hervé

2012-01-01

This article presents the current development of a serious game for the simulation of massive evacuations. The purpose of this project is to promote self-protection through awareness of the procedures and different possible scenarios during the evacuation of a massive event. Sophisticated behaviors require massive computational power and it has…

Assessment of the relationship between hypoglycaemia awareness and autonomic function following islet cell/pancreas transplantation.

PubMed

Kamel, Jordan T; Goodman, David J; Howe, Kathy; Cook, Mark J; Ward, Glenn M; Roberts, Leslie J

2015-09-01

This study assesses the autonomic function of patients who have regained awareness of hypoglycaemia following islet cell or whole pancreas transplant. Five patients with type 1 diabetes and either islet cell (four patients) or whole pancreas (one patient) transplant were assessed. These patients were age-matched and gender-matched to five patients with type 1 diabetes without transplant and preserved hypoglycaemia awareness and five healthy control participants without diabetes. All participants underwent (i) a battery of five cardiovascular autonomic function tests, (ii) quantitative sudomotor axonal reflex testing, and (iii) sympathetic skin response testing. Total recorded hypoglycaemia episodes per month fell from 76 pre-transplant to 13 at 0- to 3-month post-transplant (83% reduction). The percentage of hypoglycaemia episodes that patients were unaware of decreased from 97 to 69% at 0-3 months (p < 0.001, Fisher's exact test) and to 20% after 12 months (p < 0.0001, Fisher's exact test). This amelioration was maintained at the time of testing (mean time: 4.1 years later, range: 2-6 years). Presence of significant autonomic neuropathy was seen in all five transplanted patients (at least 2/3 above modalities abnormal) but in only one of the patients with diabetes without transplantation. The long-term maintenance of hypoglycaemia awareness that returns after islet cell/pancreas transplantation in patients with diabetes is not prevented by significant autonomic neuropathy and is better accounted for by other factors such as reversal of hypoglycaemia-associated autonomic failure. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The attention schema theory: a mechanistic account of subjective awareness

PubMed Central

Graziano, Michael S. A.; Webb, Taylor W.

2015-01-01

We recently proposed the attention schema theory, a novel way to explain the brain basis of subjective awareness in a mechanistic and scientifically testable manner. The theory begins with attention, the process by which signals compete for the brain’s limited computing resources. This internal signal competition is partly under a bottom–up influence and partly under top–down control. We propose that the top–down control of attention is improved when the brain has access to a simplified model of attention itself. The brain therefore constructs a schematic model of the process of attention, the ‘attention schema,’ in much the same way that it constructs a schematic model of the body, the ‘body schema.’ The content of this internal model leads a brain to conclude that it has a subjective experience. One advantage of this theory is that it explains how awareness and attention can sometimes become dissociated; the brain’s internal models are never perfect, and sometimes a model becomes dissociated from the object being modeled. A second advantage of this theory is that it explains how we can be aware of both internal and external events. The brain can apply attention to many types of information including external sensory information and internal information about emotions and cognitive states. If awareness is a model of attention, then this model should pertain to the same domains of information to which attention pertains. A third advantage of this theory is that it provides testable predictions. If awareness is the internal model of attention, used to help control attention, then without awareness, attention should still be possible but should suffer deficits in control. In this article, we review the existing literature on the relationship between attention and awareness, and suggest that at least some of the predictions of the theory are borne out by the evidence. PMID:25954242

75 FR 42681 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Drivers' Awareness of and Response to...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-22

... Collection; Comment Request; Drivers' Awareness of and Response to Significant Weather Events and the Correlation of Weather to Road Impacts AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA...), NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS), the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), and NorthWest...

Improving Preservice Teachers' Phonemic Awareness, Morphological Awareness and Orthographic Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNeill, Brigid C.

2018-01-01

Few studies have examined the effectiveness of methods to develop preservice teachers' phonemic, morphological and orthographic awareness for spelling instruction. Preservice teachers (n = 86) participated in 10 hours of metalinguistic coursework. The coursework focused on: phonological awareness, orthographic awareness, morphological awareness…

Cost-effectiveness analysis of 30-month vs 12-month dual antiplatelet therapy with clopidogrel and aspirin after drug-eluting stents in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

PubMed

Jiang, Minghuan; You, Joyce H S

2017-10-01

Continuation of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) beyond 1 year reduces late stent thrombosis and ischemic events after drug-eluting stents (DES) but increases risk of bleeding. We hypothesized that extending DAPT from 12 months to 30 months in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) after DES is cost-effective. A lifelong decision-analytic model was designed to simulate 2 antiplatelet strategies in event-free ACS patients who had completed 12-month DAPT after DES: aspirin monotherapy (75-162 mg daily) and continuation of DAPT (clopidogrel 75 mg daily plus aspirin 75-162 mg daily) for 18 months. Clinical event rates, direct medical costs, and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) gained were the primary outcomes from the US healthcare provider perspective. Base-case results showed DAPT continuation gained higher QALYs (8.1769 vs 8.1582 QALYs) at lower cost (USD42 982 vs USD44 063). One-way sensitivity analysis found that base-case QALYs were sensitive to odds ratio (OR) of cardiovascular death with DAPT continuation and base-case cost was sensitive to OR of nonfatal stroke with DAPT continuation. DAPT continuation remained cost-effective when the ORs of nonfatal stroke and cardiovascular death were below 1.241 and 1.188, respectively. In probabilistic sensitivity analysis, DAPT continuation was the preferred strategy in 74.75% of 10 000 Monte Carlo simulations at willingness-to-pay threshold of 50 000 USD/QALYs. Continuation of DAPT appears to be cost-effective in ACS patients who were event-free for 12-month DAPT after DES. The cost-effectiveness of DAPT for 30 months was highly subject to the OR of nonfatal stroke and OR of death with DAPT continuation. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Awareness of HPV and Uptake of Vaccination in a High-Risk Population.

PubMed

Fishman, Jessica; Taylor, Lynne; Frank, Ian

2016-08-01

Immunization against the human papillomavirus (HPV) is effective at preventing HPV-related cancers, but vaccination rates have remained low. Levels of awareness could conceivably influence vaccination rates, but currently the relationship is unknown. This is the first study to test how strongly levels of awareness among parents and adolescents are related to subsequent HPV vaccination among a high-risk population of adolescents. This longitudinal cohort study measured baseline levels of awareness (about HPV, cervical cancer, HPV vaccination, and news or advertisements about HPV vaccination) among parents of adolescents and also a separate sample of adolescents. Participants resided in predominantly low-income, African American neighborhoods of a large American city. During a 12-month follow-up period, the outcome measures were defined as adolescent receipt of any HPV vaccination, as measured by clinic records. Within 1 year, <16% of adolescents received vaccination. The relationship between awareness and subsequent vaccination was either not statistically significant or not meaningful in magnitude, with R(2) = 0.004 to 0.02. The predicted probability of getting vaccination was <0.50 for all awareness levels and prediction accuracy was poor (area under the curve = 0.56-0.64). In this high-risk population, levels of awareness among parents and adolescents were not substantially related to subsequent adolescent HPV vaccination. Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Electronic Cigarettes: Awareness, Recent Use, and Attitudes Within a Sample of Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Australian Smokers.

PubMed

Twyman, Laura; Bonevski, Billie; Paul, Christine; Bryant, Jamie; Gartner, Coral; Guillaumier, Ashleigh

2016-05-01

Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) awareness, trial of e-cigarettes in the past 12 months, source and perceptions of safety and effectiveness was assessed within a disadvantaged sample of adult Australian smokers receiving welfare aid. A cross-sectional survey was administered to clients who smoke at two community service organizations in New South Wales, Australia from October 2013 to July 2014. E-cigarette awareness, trial in past 12 months, sources of e-cigarettes and perceptions of the safety and effectiveness of e-cigarettes to help people quit were assessed along with sociodemographic and smoking-related variables. In total, 369 participants completed the survey (77% response rate). Awareness and trial of e-cigarettes were reported by 77% (n = 283) and 35% (n = 103) of the sample, respectively. E-cigarettes were most commonly obtained from friends/strangers followed by tobacco shops (tobacconists). Trying e-cigarettes in the past 12 months was significantly associated with positive perceptions of their safety (odds ratio [OR] = 1.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1, 3.1) and effectiveness (OR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.1, 3.2). Motivation to quit tobacco smoking was also significantly positively associated with positive perceptions of e-cigarette safety (OR = 1.2, 95% CI = 1.1, 1.4) and effectiveness (OR = 1.2, 95% CI = 1.0, 1.3). Rates of awareness and trial of e-cigarettes within a disadvantaged sample of Australian smokers are comparable to rates found within representative samples of the general Australian population. Previously trying e-cigarettes and higher levels of motivation to quit were associated with more positive perceptions of e-cigarette safety and effectiveness. This study demonstrates that socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers are aware of and accessing e-cigarettes in a country with relatively high restrictions covering e-cigarette sale and use. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on

The Impact of Alerting Designs on Air Traffic Controller's Eye Movement Patterns and Situation Awareness.

PubMed

Kearney, Peter; Li, Wen-Chin; Yu, Chung-San; Braithwaite, Graham

2018-06-26

This research investigated controller' situation awareness by comparing COOPANS's acoustic alerts with newly designed semantic alerts. The results demonstrate that ATCOs' visual scan patterns had significant differences between acoustic and semantic designs. ATCOs established different eye movement patterns on fixations number, fixation duration and saccade velocity. Effective decision support systems require human-centred design with effective stimuli to direct ATCO's attention to critical events. It is necessary to provide ATCOs with specific alerting information to reflect the nature of of the critical situation in order to minimize the side-effects of startle and inattentional deafness. Consequently, the design of a semantic alert can significantly reduce ATCOs' response time, therefore providing valuable extra time in a time-limited situation to formulate and execute resolution strategies in critical air safety events. The findings of this research indicate that the context-specified design of semantic alerts could improve ATCO's situational awareness and significantly reduce response time in the event of Short Term Conflict Alert activation which alerts to two aircraft having less than the required lateral or vertical separation.

On Levels of Awareness of Objects in Infants and Students Thereof.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gratch, Gerald

This paper describes a series of longitudinal experiments which dealt with the development of object awareness in infants, ages 6-18 months. The experiments were designed to document and evaluate Piaget's account of this development. The studies focused on two types of phenomena: (1) when infants first find an object hidden in one place, they will…

77 FR 39469 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Drivers' Awareness of and Response to...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-03

... Collection; Comment Request; Drivers' Awareness of and Response to Significant Weather Events and the Correlation of Weather to Road Impacts AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). ACTION... National Weather Service (NWS), the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), and NorthWest Weathernet (NWN...

Women's History Month at NASA

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-03-14

The Science Cheerleaders perform at a Women's History Month event for middle school and high school girls on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The Science Cheerleaders are a group professional cheerleaders-turned-scientists and engineers who challenge stereotypes while helping to inspire young women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Lessons from M 7.2 Seismic Event and How to Preserve Awareness Forty Years Later: The Case of the Vrancea, Romania, March 4, 1977 Earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Craifaleanu, Iolanda-Gabriela; Georgescu, Emil-Sever; Dragomir, Claudiu-Sorin

2016-10-01

Almost four decades after the MG-R = 7.2 (Mw =7.4) catastrophic earthquake of March 4, 1977 hit Romania, the population fears a new strong earthquake; however, awareness on preparedness and mitigation measures is rather low. As the last Mw > 6 has occurred in 1990, there is an increasing percentage of young population that has not yet witnessed a strong earthquake, and which has a rather fuzzy representation of urban and geological earthquake effects. After each strong seismic event in the past, due to its specific attributions, the National Institute for Building Research, INCERC, collected a considerable amount of information about the earthquake effects on built environment and lifelines, geological effects etc. To this, information from various documentary sources about damage caused by historic earthquakes was added by the institute's specialists. Stored today in the archives of the National Institute for Research and Development in Construction, Urban Planning and Sustainable Spatial Development, “URBAN-INCERC”, INCERC Bucharest Branch, this information is invaluable today for evaluating the present and future seismic risk of the country. Nonetheless, it could represent an essential educational resource for university students and young professionals in the field of civil engineering, seismology, geology, economy, sociology, history etc. and for raising population awareness on seismic risk mitigation measures. The paper presents new approaches for the dissemination and re-valuation of the March 4, 1977 earthquake data, from the perspective of present scientific knowledge.

Fishing, fish consumption and advisory awareness among Louisiana's recreational fishers.

PubMed

Katner, Adrienne; Ogunyinka, Ebenezer; Sun, Mei-Hung; Soileau, Shannon; Lavergne, David; Dugas, Dianne; Suffet, Mel

2011-11-01

This paper presents results from the first known population-based survey of recreational fishers in Louisiana (n=1774). The ultimate goal of this study was to obtain data in support of the development of regional advisories for a high exposure population with unique seafood consumption patterns. Between July and August of 2008, a survey was mailed to a random sample of licensed recreational fishers to characterize local fishing habits, sportfish consumption, and advisory awareness. Eighty-eight percent of respondents reported eating sportfish. Respondents ate an estimated mean of four fish meals per month, of which, approximately half were sportfish. Over half of all sportfish meals (54%) were caught in the Gulf of Mexico or bordering brackish areas. Sportfish consumption varied by license and gender; and was highest among Sportsman's Paradise license holders (2.8±0.2 meals per month), and males (2.2±0.1 meals per month). The most frequently consumed sportfish species were red drum, speckled trout, catfish, bass, crappie and bream. Advisory awareness rates varied by gender, ethnicity, geographic area, license type, age and education; and were lowest among women (53%), African-Americans (43%), fishers from the southeast of Louisiana (50%), holders of Senior Hunting and Fishing licenses (51%), individuals between 15 and 19 years of age (41%), and individuals with less than a high school education (43%). Results were used to identify ways to optimize monitoring, advisory development and outreach activities. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS HERITAGE MONTH

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-05-31

BO THAO-URABE, A MEMBER OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA’S COMMISSION ON ASIAN AMERICANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS, SPOKE TO TEAM MEMBERS OF NASA’S MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER DURING AN ASIAN AMERICANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS MONTH CELEBRATION EVENT MAY 31.

Cultural competence education for health professionals from pre-graduation to licensure delivered using facebook: Twelve-month follow-up on a randomized control trial.

PubMed

Chang, Li-Chun; Guo, Jong Long; Lin, Hui-Ling

2017-12-01

Cultural competence (CC) training is widely recognized as a crucial component of the professional development of healthcare providers. There is no study on the effect of Facebook (FB) as a strategy to promote continual learning to enhance CC among students in health professions. To test the effects of cultural competence education using FB as a delivery platform on knowledge, awareness, self-efficacy, and skill related to CC in health students from pre-graduation to licensed professional stages. A randomized controlled trial. We recruited students from professional nursing, pharmacy, and nutrition programs at six medical universities and randomly assigned them to study groups. Between T1 and T2 (months 1-3), the intervention group (IG) received pre-graduation education in CC while the control group (CG) received their regular educational program. Between T2 and T3 (months 6-9), IG received on-the-job education in CC while CG received the regular program. An online self-report questionnaire assessing CC knowledge, awareness, self-efficacy, and skill was analyzed at baseline, 6months, and 12months. Of 180 participants who completed the pretest, 120 (65 IG and 55 CG) completed both follow-ups. Changes over time were mixed; the only statistical difference between groups was an improvement in awareness in IG but not in CG. At 12months, intervention and control participants had different levels of awareness of CC (β=2.56, p<0.001), but other outcomes did not differ between groups. Health profession educators can adopt Facebook as an education delivery platform to offer personalized, social learning incorporating cultural competency curricula into ongoing education and training in rising awareness on CC. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Interventions for raising breast cancer awareness in women.

PubMed

O'Mahony, Máirín; Comber, Harry; Fitzgerald, Tony; Corrigan, Mark A; Fitzgerald, Eileen; Grunfeld, Elizabeth A; Flynn, Maura G; Hegarty, Josephine

2017-02-10

and usual care (intervention group 1), a written booklet and usual care plus a verbal interaction with a radiographer or research psychologist (intervention group 2) or usual care (control group); and the second RCT (130 women) randomised women to either an educational programme (three sessions of 60 to 90 minutes) or no intervention (control group). Knowledge of breast cancer symptomsIn the first study, knowledge of non-lump symptoms increased in intervention group 1 compared to the control group at two years postintervention, but not significantly (OR 1.1, 95% CI 0.7 to 1.6; P = 0.66; 449 women; moderate-quality evidence). Similarly, at two years postintervention, knowledge of symptoms increased in the intervention group 2 compared to the control group but not significantly (OR 1.4, 95% CI 0.9 to 2.1; P = 0.11; 434 women; moderate-quality evidence). In the second study, women's awareness of breast cancer symptoms had increased one month post intervention in the educational group (MD 3.45, SD 5.11; 65 women; low-quality evidence) compared to the control group (MD -0.68, SD 5.93; 65 women; P < 0.001), where there was a decrease in awareness. Knowledge of age-related riskIn the first study, women's knowledge of age-related risk of breast cancer increased, but not significantly, in intervention group 1 compared to control at two years postintervention (OR 1.8; 95% CI 0.9 to 3.5; P < 0.08; 447 women; moderate-quality evidence). Women's knowledge of risk increased significantly in intervention group 2 compared to control at two years postintervention (OR 4.8, 95% CI 2.6 to 9.0; P < 0.001; 431 women; moderate-quality evidence). In the second study, women's perceived susceptibility (how at risk they considered themselves) to breast cancer had increased significantly one month post intervention in the educational group (MD 1.31, SD 3.57; 65 women; low-quality evidence) compared to the control group (MD -0.55, SD 3.31; 65 women; P = 0.005), where a decrease in perceived

Assessing the Effects of the "McGraw Hill Phonemic Awareness" Program with Preschool Children with Developmental Delays: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Isakson, Lisa; Marchand-Martella, Nancy; Martella, Ronald C.

2011-01-01

This study assessed the effects of "McGraw Hill Phonemic Awareness" on the phonemic awareness skills of 5 preschool children with developmental delays. The children received 60 of the 110 lessons included in this program over 5 months. They were pre- and posttested using the kindergarten level Initial Sound Fluency and Phoneme…

Dark Skies Awareness Programs for the International Year of Astronomy: Involvement, Outcomes and Sustainability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, Constance E.

2010-01-01

The preservation of dark skies is a growing global concern, yet it is one of the easiest environmental problems people can address on local levels. For this reason, the goal of the IYA Dark Skies Awareness Cornerstone Project is to raise public awareness of the impact of artificial lighting on local environments by getting people worldwide involved in a variety of programs. These programs provide resources on light pollution for new technologies like a presence in Second Life and podcasts, for local thematic events at national parks and observatory open houses, for international thematic events like International Dark Skies Week and Earth Hour, for a program in the arts like an international photo contest, for global citizen-science programs that measure night sky brightness worldwide, and for educational materials like a kit with a light shielding demonstration. These programs have been successfully used around the world during IYA to raise awareness of the effects of light pollution on public health, economic issues, ecological consequences, energy conservation, safety and security, and astronomy. The presentation will provide an update, take a look ahead at the project's sustainability, and describe how people can be involved in the future. Information about the programs is at www.darkskiesawareness.org.

Physical inactivity at leisure and work: a 12-month study of cardiac patients.

PubMed

Rogerson, Michelle C; Murphy, Barbara M; Le Grande, Michael R; Worcester, Marian U C

2013-01-01

Physical inactivity has been identified as a distinct health risk. However, little is known about how this can vary at leisure and work in cardiac patients. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and predictors of inactivity during leisure and work in the 12 months following a cardiac event in Australian cardiac patients. A total of 346 patients consecutively admitted to hospital with acute coronary syndrome or to undergo coronary artery bypass graft surgery were interviewed in hospital, and 4 and 12 months later. Leisure and occupational physical activity was measured using the Stanford Brief Activity Survey. Sociodemographic, psychosocial, and clinical data were also collected. The prevalence of leisure-time physical inactivity declined over time, with 52% inactive preevent and 29% inactive at 12 months. Approximately 50% of participants were physically inactive in their work, regardless of whether this was measured before or after the cardiac event. Logistic regression revealed that the significant predictors of leisure-time physical inactivity at 12 months were non-home ownership (OR = 2.19; P = .007) and physical inactivity in leisure-time prior to the event (OR = 2.44; P = .001). The significant predictors of occupational physical inactivity at 12 months were white-collar occupation (OR = 3.10; P < .001) and physical inactivity at work prior to the event (OR = 12.99; P < .001). Preevent physical inactivity, socioeconomic, and clinical factors predicted both leisure and work inactivity after an acute cardiac event. Effective interventions could be designed and implemented to target those most at risk of being physically inactive at work or leisure.

Self-recognition, theory-of-mind, and self-awareness: what side are you on?

PubMed

Morin, Alain

2011-05-01

A fashionable view in comparative psychology states that primates possess self-awareness because they exhibit mirror self-recognition (MSR), which in turn makes it possible to infer mental states in others ("theory-of-mind"; ToM). In cognitive neuroscience, an increasingly popular position holds that the right hemisphere represents the centre of self-awareness because MSR and ToM tasks presumably increase activity in that hemisphere. These two claims are critically assessed here as follows: (1) MSR should not be equated with full-blown self-awareness, as it most probably only requires kinaesthetic self-knowledge and does not involve access to one's mental events; (2) ToM and self-awareness are fairly independent and should also not be taken as equivalent notions; (3) MSR and ToM tasks engage medial and left brain areas; (4) other self-awareness tasks besides MSR and ToM tasks (e.g., self-description, autobiography) mostly recruit medial and left brain areas; (5) and recent neuropsychological evidence implies that inner speech (produced by the left hemisphere) plays a significant role in self-referential activity. The main conclusions reached based on this analysis are that (a) organisms that display MSR most probably do not possess introspective self-awareness, and (b) self-related processes most likely engage a distributed network of brain regions situated in both hemispheres.

3 CFR 8725 - Proclamation 8725 of October 3, 2011. National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, 2011

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... cyber events. This May, we also proposed to the Congress a plan to strengthen protection of our power... of cyber- and information-related technologies play out across the world, this year we laid out the... planned responses to cyber incidents, as we do with natural disasters. The vast majority of our critical...

Subliminal (latent) processing of pain and its evolution to conscious awareness

PubMed Central

Borsook, David; Youssef, Andrew M.; Barakat, Nadia; Sieberg, Christine B.; Elman, Igor

2018-01-01

By unconscious or covert processing of pain we refer to nascent interactions that affect the eventual deliverance of pain awareness. Thus, internal processes (viz., repeated nociceptive events, inflammatory kindling, re-organization of brain networks, genetic) or external processes (viz., environment, socioeconomic levels, modulation of epigenetic status) contribute to enhancing or inhibiting the presentation of pain awareness. Here we put forward the notion that for many patients, ongoing sub-conscious changes in brain function are significant players in the eventual manifestation of chronic pain. In this review, we provide clinical examples of nascent or what we term pre-pain processes and the neurobiological mechanisms of how these changes may contribute to pain, but also potential opportunities to define the process for early therapeutic interventions. PMID:29476771

Fitting monthly Peninsula Malaysian rainfall using Tweedie distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yunus, R. M.; Hasan, M. M.; Zubairi, Y. Z.

2017-09-01

In this study, the Tweedie distribution was used to fit the monthly rainfall data from 24 monitoring stations of Peninsula Malaysia for the period from January, 2008 to April, 2015. The aim of the study is to determine whether the distributions within the Tweedie family fit well the monthly Malaysian rainfall data. Within the Tweedie family, the gamma distribution is generally used for fitting the rainfall totals, however the Poisson-gamma distribution is more useful to describe two important features of rainfall pattern, which are the occurrences (dry months) and the amount (wet months). First, the appropriate distribution of the monthly rainfall was identified within the Tweedie family for each station. Then, the Tweedie Generalised Linear Model (GLM) with no explanatory variable was used to model the monthly rainfall data. Graphical representation was used to assess model appropriateness. The QQ plots of quantile residuals show that the Tweedie models fit the monthly rainfall data better for majority of the stations in the west coast and mid land than those in the east coast of Peninsula. This significant finding suggests that the best fitted distribution depends on the geographical location of the monitoring station. In this paper, a simple model is developed for generating synthetic rainfall data for use in various areas, including agriculture and irrigation. We have showed that the data that were simulated using the Tweedie distribution have fairly similar frequency histogram to that of the actual data. Both the mean number of rainfall events and mean amount of rain for a month were estimated simultaneously for the case that the Poisson gamma distribution fits the data reasonably well. Thus, this work complements previous studies that fit the rainfall amount and the occurrence of rainfall events separately, each to a different distribution.

Developing Sound Skills for Reading: Teaching Phonological Awareness to Preschoolers with Hearing Loss

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilliver, Megan; Cupples, Linda; Ching, Teresa Y. C.; Leigh, Greg; Gunnourie, Miriam

2016-01-01

This study evaluated the effectiveness of intervention for developing deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) preschoolers' phonological awareness (PA) skills. Thirty children (mean age 57 months) with aided, bilateral hearing loss (and who primarily communicated using spoken English) were recruited in the year prior to commencing formal schooling. The…

Event-Driven Technology to Generate Relevant Collections of Near-Realtime Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graves, S. J.; Keiser, K.; Nair, U. S.; Beck, J. M.; Ebersole, S.

2017-12-01

Getting the right data when it is needed continues to be a challenge for researchers and decision makers. Event-Driven Data Delivery (ED3), funded by the NASA Applied Science program, is a technology that allows researchers and decision makers to pre-plan what data, information and processes they need to have collected or executed in response to future events. The Information Technology and Systems Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) has developed the ED3 framework in collaboration with atmospheric scientists at UAH, scientists at the Geological Survey of Alabama, and other federal, state and local stakeholders to meet the data preparedness needs for research, decisions and situational awareness. The ED3 framework supports an API that supports the addition of loosely-coupled, distributed event handlers and data processes. This approach allows the easy addition of new events and data processes so the system can scale to support virtually any type of event or data process. Using ED3's underlying services, applications have been developed that monitor for alerts of registered event types and automatically triggers subscriptions that match new events, providing users with a living "album" of results that can continued to be curated as more information for an event becomes available. This capability can allow users to improve capacity for the collection, creation and use of data and real-time processes (data access, model execution, product generation, sensor tasking, social media filtering, etc), in response to disaster (and other) events by preparing in advance for data and information needs for future events. This presentation will provide an update on the ED3 developments and deployments, and further explain the applicability for utilizing near-realtime data in hazards research, response and situational awareness.

Malaysian consumers’ awareness, perception, and attitude toward cosmetic products: Questionnaire development and pilot testing

PubMed Central

Ayob, Ain; Awadh, Ammar Ihsan; Hadi, Hazrina; Jaffri, Juliana; Jamshed, Shazia; Ahmad, Hawa Mas Azmar

2016-01-01

Background: Increased usage of cosmetic products has caused a growing concern about the safety of these products, and yet little is known about cosmetics from the consumers’ perspective. Hence, this study's aim is to develop a valid and reliable tool for assessing consumers’ awareness, perceptions, and attitudes toward cosmetic products. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire was developed in the English language based on information collected from a literature search, in-depth interviews conducted with consumers prior to this study and consultations with experts. Subsequently, the questionnaire was subjected to translation, validation, and test-retest reliability. A final version of the questionnaire was piloted among 66 consumers via convenient sampling. A descriptive analysis was performed, and the internal consistency and the differences between variables in the questionnaire were analyzed. Results: The developed and translated questionnaire produced repeatable data for each of the domains (Spearman's correlation ≥ 0.7, P < 0.001). The internal consistency for awareness, perceptions and attitudes indicates good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha value of more than 0.7 for each domain). Significant differences were found between the perception scores for the race, religion, and monthly expenses for cosmetic products, respectively, and the same pattern was found for the attitude scores, but monthly expenses for cosmetic products was replaced by monthly income. Conclusion: The results achieved via the Bahasa Malaysia questionnaire indicated that the developed and translated questionnaire can be used as a valid and reliable tool for assessing consumers’ awareness, perceptions, and attitudes toward cosmetic products in Malaysia in future studies. PMID:27413348

Students awareness of learning styles and their perceptions to a mixed method approach for learning.

PubMed

Bhagat, Anumeha; Vyas, Rashmi; Singh, Tejinder

2015-08-01

Individualization of instructional method does not contribute significantly to learning outcomes although it is known that students have differing learning styles (LSs). Hence, in order to maximally enhance learning, one must try to use a mixed method approach. Our hypothesis was that awareness of preferred LS and motivation to incorporate multiple learning strategies might enhance learning outcomes. Our aim was to determine the impact of awareness of LS among medical undergraduates and motivating students to use mixed methods of learning. Before awareness lecture, LS preferences were determined using Visual, Aural, Read/Write, and Kinesthetic (VARK) questionnaire. Awareness of LS was assessed using a validated questionnaire. Through a lecture, students were oriented to various LSs, impact of LS on their performance, and benefit of using mixed method approach for learning. Subsequently, group discussions were organized. After 3 months, VARK preferences and awareness of LSs were reassessed. Student narratives were collected. Qualitative analysis of the data was done. There was a significant increase in the number of students who were aware of LS. The number of participants showing a change in VARK scores for various modalities of learning was also significant (P < 0.001). Thus, awareness of LSs motivated students to adapt other learning strategies and use mixed methods for learning.

Political and news media factors shaping public awareness of the HPV vaccine.

PubMed

Gollust, Sarah E; Attanasio, Laura; Dempsey, Amanda; Benson, Allison M; Fowler, Erika Franklin

2013-01-01

In 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration licensed a vaccine for the human papillomavirus (HPV) that prevents the strains of HPV that cause 70% of cervical cancers. Within months, many states introduced legislation requiring the vaccine for girls, prompting controversy and heightened political and media attention to the issue. Previous research has shown differences in HPV vaccine awareness by individual-level characteristics such as race/ethnicity, income, and education levels. We examined how individual political orientation and exposure to media coverage can also shape awareness of the vaccine. Using data from a 2009 Internet survey of 1,216 nationally representative adult respondents linked to data on state-specific news coverage, we assessed how political orientation, media exposure, and state political context predicted HPV vaccine awareness. Younger people, women, and those with more education were significantly more likely to be aware of the vaccine. Even after controlling for these characteristics, we found that exposure to news media was associated with higher HPV vaccine awareness. Whereas liberals and conservatives were both more aware of the vaccine compared with moderates, the data are suggestive that liberals were more sensitive to news coverage. These findings suggest that individual-level political identities and their interaction with the informational environment may be important factors to consider in evaluating the determinants of individuals' attitudes and behaviors related to politically charged women's health issues. Copyright © 2013 Jacobs Institute of Women's Health. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Attention without awareness: Attentional modulation of perceptual grouping without awareness.

PubMed

Lo, Shih-Yu

2018-04-01

Perceptual grouping is the process through which the perceptual system combines local stimuli into a more global perceptual unit. Previous studies have shown attention to be a modulatory factor for perceptual grouping. However, these studies mainly used explicit measurements, and, thus, whether attention can modulate perceptual grouping without awareness is still relatively unexplored. To clarify the relationship between attention and perceptual grouping, the present study aims to explore how attention interacts with perceptual grouping without awareness. The task was to judge the relative lengths of two centrally presented horizontal bars while a railway-shaped pattern defined by color similarity was presented in the background. Although the observers were unaware of the railway-shaped pattern, their line-length judgment was biased by that pattern, which induced a Ponzo illusion, indicating grouping without awareness. More importantly, an attentional modulatory effect without awareness was manifested as evident by the observer's performance being more often biased when the railway-shaped pattern was formed by an attended color than when it was formed by an unattended one. Also, the attentional modulation effect was shown to be dynamic, being more pronounced with a short presentation time than a longer one. The results of the present study not only clarify the relationship between attention and perceptual grouping but also further contribute to our understanding of attention and awareness by corroborating the dissociation between attention and awareness.

Multisensory constraints on awareness

PubMed Central

Deroy, Ophelia; Chen, Yi-Chuan; Spence, Charles

2014-01-01

Given that multiple senses are often stimulated at the same time, perceptual awareness is most likely to take place in multisensory situations. However, theories of awareness are based on studies and models established for a single sense (mostly vision). Here, we consider the methodological and theoretical challenges raised by taking a multisensory perspective on perceptual awareness. First, we consider how well tasks designed to study unisensory awareness perform when used in multisensory settings, stressing that studies using binocular rivalry, bistable figure perception, continuous flash suppression, the attentional blink, repetition blindness and backward masking can demonstrate multisensory influences on unisensory awareness, but fall short of tackling multisensory awareness directly. Studies interested in the latter phenomenon rely on a method of subjective contrast and can, at best, delineate conditions under which individuals report experiencing a multisensory object or two unisensory objects. As there is not a perfect match between these conditions and those in which multisensory integration and binding occur, the link between awareness and binding advocated for visual information processing needs to be revised for multisensory cases. These challenges point at the need to question the very idea of multisensory awareness. PMID:24639579

Knowledge is power: averting safety-compromising events in the OR.

PubMed

Catalano, Kathleen

2008-12-01

Surgical procedures can be unpredictable, and safety-compromising events can jeopardize patient safety. Perioperative nurses should be watchful for factors that can contribute to safety-compromising events, as well as the errors that can follow, and know how to avert them if possible. Knowledge is power and increased awareness of patient safety issues and the resources that are available to both health care practitioners and consumers can help perioperative nurses ward off patient safety problems before they occur.

Use of documentary sources on past flood events for flood risk management and land planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cœur, Denis; Lang, Michel

2008-09-01

The knowledge of past catastrophic events can improve flood risk mitigation policy, with a better awareness against risk. As such historical information is usually available in Europe for the past five centuries, historians are able to understand how past society dealt with flood risk, and hydrologists can include information on past floods into an adapted probabilistic framework. In France, Flood Risk Mitigation Maps are based either on the largest historical known flood event or on the 100-year flood event if it is greater. Two actions can be suggested in terms of promoting the use of historical information for flood risk management: (1) the development of a regional flood data base, with both historical and current data, in order to get a good feedback on recent events and to improve the flood risk education and awareness; (2) the commitment to keep a persistent/perennial management of a reference network of hydrometeorological observations for climate change studies.

Phonological awareness of English by Chinese and Korean bilinguals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chung, Hyunjoo; Schmidt, Anna; Cheng, Tse-Hsuan

2002-05-01

This study examined non-native speakers phonological awareness of spoken English. Chinese speaking adults, Korean speaking adults, and English speaking adults were tested. The L2 speakers had been in the US for less than 6 months. Chinese and Korean allow no consonant clusters and have limited numbers of consonants allowable in syllable final position, whereas English allows a variety of clusters and various consonants in syllable final position. Subjects participated in eight phonological awareness tasks (4 replacement tasks and 4 deletion tasks) based on English phonology. In addition, digit span was measured. Preliminary analysis indicates that Chinese and Korean speaker errors appear to reflect L1 influences (such as orthography, phonotactic constraints, and phonology). All three groups of speakers showed more difficulty with manipulation of rime than onset, especially with postvocalic nasals. Results will be discussed in terms of syllable structure, L1 influence, and association with short term memory.

Effective Education Materials to Advance Stroke Awareness Without Teacher Participation in Junior High School Students.

PubMed

Ohyama, Satoshi; Yokota, Chiaki; Miyashita, Fumio; Amano, Tatsuo; Inoue, Yasuteru; Shigehatake, Yuya; Sakamoto, Yuki; Toyoda, Kazunori; Minematsu, Kazuo

2015-11-01

Youth stroke education is promising for the spread of stroke awareness. The aim of this study was to examine whether our stroke awareness teaching materials without teacher's participation can increase student awareness to act fast on suspected stroke signs. We used the face, arm, speech, and time (FAST) mnemonic derived from the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale. Seventy-three students of the second grade and 72 students of the third grade (age range, 13-15 years) in a junior high school were enrolled in the study. The students were divided into 2 groups: students who received a teacher's lesson (group I) and those who did not receive a teacher's lesson (group II). Students in group II watched an animated cartoon and read a Manga comic in class. All students took the educational aids home, including the Manga comic and magnetic posters printed with the FAST message. Questionnaires on stroke knowledge were examined at baseline and immediately and 3 months after receiving the intervention. At 3 months after the intervention, a significant improvement in understanding the FAST message was confirmed in both the groups (group I, 85%; group II, 94%). Significant increases in the knowledge of risk factors were not observed in each group. Our education materials include a Manga comic, an animated cartoon, and a magnetic poster, without an accompanying teacher's lesson can increase stroke awareness, including the FAST message, in junior high school students. Copyright © 2015 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Celebrating National Women's History Month

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-03-14

Lori Garver, NASA Deputy Administrator gave opening remarks at an event at NASA Headquarters celebrating National Women's History Month, Thursday, March 14, 2013 in Washington. This year's keynote speaker was Donna Brazile, adjunct professor at Georgetown University, syndicated newspaper columnist and vice chair of voter registration and participation at the Democratic National Committee (DNC). The theme of this year's program was "Women Inspiring Innovation Through Imagination." Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

2000 African American History Month Celebration Luncheon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

In the Early Space Exploration Conference Center at the KSC Visitor Complex, the planning committee for the 2000 African American History Month Celebration Luncheon gather in the lobby. At the far left is Mack McKinney, chief, Programs Resources Management, who was chairperson for the event.

Inferring the direction of implied motion depends on visual awareness

PubMed Central

Faivre, Nathan; Koch, Christof

2014-01-01

Visual awareness of an event, object, or scene is, by essence, an integrated experience, whereby different visual features composing an object (e.g., orientation, color, shape) appear as an unified percept and are processed as a whole. Here, we tested in human observers whether perceptual integration of static motion cues depends on awareness by measuring the capacity to infer the direction of motion implied by a static visible or invisible image under continuous flash suppression. Using measures of directional adaptation, we found that visible but not invisible implied motion adaptors biased the perception of real motion probes. In a control experiment, we found that invisible adaptors implying motion primed the perception of subsequent probes when they were identical (i.e., repetition priming), but not when they only shared the same direction (i.e., direction priming). Furthermore, using a model of visual processing, we argue that repetition priming effects are likely to arise as early as in the primary visual cortex. We conclude that although invisible images implying motion undergo some form of nonconscious processing, visual awareness is necessary to make inferences about motion direction. PMID:24706951

Inferring the direction of implied motion depends on visual awareness.

PubMed

Faivre, Nathan; Koch, Christof

2014-04-04

Visual awareness of an event, object, or scene is, by essence, an integrated experience, whereby different visual features composing an object (e.g., orientation, color, shape) appear as an unified percept and are processed as a whole. Here, we tested in human observers whether perceptual integration of static motion cues depends on awareness by measuring the capacity to infer the direction of motion implied by a static visible or invisible image under continuous flash suppression. Using measures of directional adaptation, we found that visible but not invisible implied motion adaptors biased the perception of real motion probes. In a control experiment, we found that invisible adaptors implying motion primed the perception of subsequent probes when they were identical (i.e., repetition priming), but not when they only shared the same direction (i.e., direction priming). Furthermore, using a model of visual processing, we argue that repetition priming effects are likely to arise as early as in the primary visual cortex. We conclude that although invisible images implying motion undergo some form of nonconscious processing, visual awareness is necessary to make inferences about motion direction.

Center Director Bridges visits Disability Awareness and Action working Group Technology Fair

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Center Director Roy Bridges stops at the Stewart Eye Institute table at the Disability Awareness and Action Working Group (DAAWG) 1999 Technology Fair being held Oct. 20-21 at Kennedy Space Center. Behind Bridges is Sterling Walker, director of Engineering Development at KSC and chairman of DAAWG. At the near right are George and Marian Hall, who are with the Institute. At the left is Nancie Strott, a multi-media specialist with Dynacs and chairperson of the Fair. The Fair is highlighting vendors demonstrating mobility, hearing, vision and silent disability assistive technology. The purpose is to create an awareness of the types of technology currently available to assist people with various disabilities in the workplace. The theme is that of this year's National Disability Employment Awareness Month, 'Opening Doors to Ability.' Some of the vendors participating are Canine Companions for Independence, Goodwill Industries, Accessible Structures, Division of Blind Services, Space Coast Center for Independent Living, KSC Fitness Center and Delaware North Parks Services.

Center Director Bridges visits Disability Awareness and Action working Group Technology Fair

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Center Director Roy Bridges stops to talk to one of the vendors at the Disability Awareness and Action Working Group (DAAWG) Technology Fair being held Oct. 20-21 at Kennedy Space Center. With him at the far left is Sterling Walker, director of Engineering Development at KSC and chairman of DAAWG, and Nancie Strott, a multi-media specialist with Dynacs and chairperson of the Fair; at the right is Carol Cavanaugh, with KSC Public Services. The Fair is highlighting vendors demonstrating mobility, hearing, vision and silent disability assistive technology. The purpose is to create an awareness of the types of technology currently available to assist people with various disabilities in the workplace. The theme is that of this year's National Disability Employment Awareness Month, 'Opening Doors to Ability.' Some of the vendors participating are Canine Companions for Independence, Goodwill Industries, Accessible Structures, Division of Blind Services, Space Coast Center for Independent Living, KSC Fitness Center and Delaware North Parks Services.

Center Director Bridges visits Disability Awareness and Action working Group Technology Fair

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Center Director Roy Bridges stops to pet one of the dogs that serves with Canine Companions for Independence, a vendor displaying its capabilities at the Disability Awareness and Action Working Group (DAAWG) 1999 Technology Fair being held Oct. 20-21 at Kennedy Space Center. Standing at the right is Carol Cavanaugh, with KSC Public Services; behind Bridges is Nancie Strott (left), a multi-media specialist with Dynacs and chairperson of the Fair, and Sterling Walker (right), director of Engineering Development and chairman of DAAWG. The Fair is highlighting vendors demonstrating mobility, hearing, vision and silent disability assistive technology. The purpose is to create an awareness of the types of technology currently available to assist people with various disabilities in the workplace. The theme is that of this year's National Disability Employment Awareness Month, 'Opening Doors to Ability.' Some of the other vendors participating are Goodwill Industries, Accessible Structures, Division of Blind Services, Space Coast Center for Independent Living, KSC Fitness Center and Delaware North Parks Services.

Relating Pitch Awareness to Phonemic Awareness in Children: Implications for Tone-Deafness and Dyslexia

PubMed Central

Loui, Psyche; Kroog, Kenneth; Zuk, Jennifer; Winner, Ellen; Schlaug, Gottfried

2011-01-01

Language and music are complex cognitive and neural functions that rely on awareness of one's own sound productions. Information on the awareness of vocal pitch, and its relation to phonemic awareness which is crucial for learning to read, will be important for understanding the relationship between tone-deafness and developmental language disorders such as dyslexia. Here we show that phonemic awareness skills are positively correlated with pitch perception–production skills in children. Children between the ages of seven and nine were tested on pitch perception and production, phonemic awareness, and IQ. Results showed a significant positive correlation between pitch perception–production and phonemic awareness, suggesting that the relationship between musical and linguistic sound processing is intimately linked to awareness at the level of pitch and phonemes. Since tone-deafness is a pitch-related impairment and dyslexia is a deficit of phonemic awareness, we suggest that dyslexia and tone-deafness may have a shared and/or common neural basis. PMID:21687467

Awareness and reactions of young stuttering children aged 2-7 years old towards their speech disfluency.

PubMed

Boey, Ronny A; Van de Heyning, Paul H; Wuyts, Floris L; Heylen, Louis; Stoop, Reinhard; De Bodt, Marc S

2009-01-01

Awareness has been an important factor in theories of onset and development of stuttering. So far it has been suggested that even young children might be aware of their speech difficulty. The purpose of the present study was to investigate (a) the number of stuttering children aware of their speech difficulty, (b) the description of reported behavioural expression of awareness, (c) the relationship with age-related variables and with stuttering severity. For a total group of 1122 children with mean age of 4 year 7 months (range 2-7 years old), parental-reported unambiguous verbal and non-verbal reactions as a response to stuttering were available. In the present study, awareness is observed for 56.7% of the very young children (i.e., 2 years old) and gradually increases with age up until 89.7% of the children at the age of seven. All considered age-related factors (i.e., chronological age, age at onset and time since onset) and stuttering severity are statistically significantly related to awareness. Readers will be able to: (1) Describe findings of awareness of speech disfluency of stuttering children based on an overview of literature; (2) Describe methodological aspects of studies on awareness; (3) Know reported data on awareness of speech disfluency in young stuttering children of the present study; (4) Describe the relationship of awareness of speech disfluency with chronological age, age at onset, time since onset, gender and stuttering severity.

Chemical Leukoderma Associated with Methylphenidate Transdermal System: Data From the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System.

PubMed

Cheng, Carmen; La Grenade, Lois; Diak, Ida-Lina; Brinker, Allen; Levin, Robert L

2017-01-01

To identify and characterize cases of chemical leukoderma, an underrecognized adverse event, associated with the methylphenidate transdermal system (MTS) reported to the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). We searched the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System for reports of chemical leukoderma associated with MTS, received by the Food and Drug Administration from April 6, 2006 to December 23, 2014. We identified 51 cases of chemical leukoderma reported with the use of MTS. The median age was 11 years; 43 cases reported leukoderma at or near the application site only, and 7 reported leukoderma at other parts of the body in addition to the application site; 1 case did not provide enough information to confirm the affected site. The time to onset ranged from 2 months to 4 years after the initiation of MTS. MTS was discontinued in 31 cases. Thirteen patients were prescribed treatment for repigmentation. Three cases reported continued spread of leukoderma after MTS was discontinued. Nineteen cases were diagnosed as vitiligo, including 5 cases reporting histologic features consistent with vitiligo. Leukoderma was persistent in all cases. The median follow-up interval after the discontinuation of MTS in 23 cases was 14 months. As outlined in recent changes to the prescribing information for MTS, health care professionals need to be aware of the potential risk of chemical leukoderma caused by MTS, especially given that chemical leukoderma is often misdiagnosed as idiopathic vitiligo. MTS should be discontinued at the earliest sign of pigment loss and other treatment options considered. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Monthly Zoledronic Acid, Zoledronic Acid Every 3 Months, and Monthly Denosumab in Women With Breast Cancer and Skeletal Metastases: CALGB 70604 (Alliance).

PubMed

Shapiro, Charles L; Moriarty, James P; Dusetzina, Stacie; Himelstein, Andrew L; Foster, Jared C; Grubbs, Stephen S; Novotny, Paul J; Borah, Bijan J

2017-12-10

Purpose Skeletal-related events (SREs) such as pathologic fracture, spinal cord compression, or the necessity for radiation or surgery to bone metastasis cause considerable morbidity, decrements in quality of life, and costs to the health care system. The results of a recent large randomized trial (Cancer and Leukemia Group B/Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology [CALGB/Alliance 70604]) showed that zoledronic acid (ZA) every 3 months was noninferior to monthly ZA in reducing the risks of SREs. We sought to determine the cost-effectiveness (CE) of monthly ZA, ZA every 3 months, and monthly denosumab in women with breast cancer and skeletal metastases. Methods Using a Markov model, costs per SRE avoided were calculated for the three treatments. Sensitivity analyses were performed where denosumab SRE probabilities were assumed to be 50%, 75%, and 90% lower than the ZA SRE probabilities. Quality-adjusted life-years were also calculated. The analysis was from the US payer perspective. Results The mean costs of the denosumab treatment strategy are nine-fold higher than generic ZA every 3 months. Quality-adjusted life-years were virtually identical in all the three treatment arms; hence, the optimal treatment would be ZA every 3 months because it was the least costly treatment. The sensitivity analyses showed that relative to ZA every 3 months, the incremental costs per mean SRE avoided for denosumab ranged from $162,918 to $347,655. Conclusion ZA every 3 months was more CE in reducing the risks of SRE than monthly denosumab. This analysis was one of the first to incorporate the costs of generic ZA and one of the first independent CE analyses not sponsored by either Novartis or Amgen, the makers of ZA and denosumab, respectively. ZA every 3 months is the more CE option and more reasonable alternative to monthly denosumab.

Stressful life events, perceived stress, and 12-month course of geriatric depression: direct effects and moderation by the 5-HTTLPR and COMT Val158Met polymorphisms.

PubMed

Zannas, Anthony S; McQuoid, Douglas R; Steffens, David C; Chrousos, George P; Taylor, Warren D

2012-07-01

Although the relation between stressful life events (SLEs) and risk of major depressive disorder is well established, important questions remain about the effects of stress on the course of geriatric depression. Our objectives were (1) to examine how baseline stress and change in stress is associated with course of geriatric depression and (2) to test whether polymorphisms of serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT Val158Met) genes moderate this relation. Two-hundred and sixteen depressed subjects aged 60 years or older were categorized by remission status (Montgomery-Asberg depression rating scale≤6) at 6 and 12 months. At 6 months, greater baseline numbers of self-reported negative and total SLEs and greater baseline perceived stress severity were associated with lower odds of remission. At 12 months, only baseline perceived stress predicted remission. When we examined change in stress, 12-month decrease in negative SLEs and level of perceived stress were associated with improved odds of 12-month remission. When genotype data were included, COMT Val158Met genotype did not influence these relations. However, when compared with 5-HTTLPR L/L homozygotes, S allele carriers with greater baseline numbers of negative SLEs and with greater decrease in negative SLEs were more likely to remit at 12 months. This study demonstrates that baseline SLEs and perceived stress severity may influence the 12-month course of geriatric depression. Moreover, changes in these stress measures over time correlate with depression outcomes. 5-HTTLPR S carriers appear to be more susceptible to both the effects of enduring stress and the benefit of interval stress reduction.

CAN INFANTS BE “TAUGHT” TO ATTEND TO A NEW PHYSICAL VARIABLE IN AN EVENT CATEGORY? THE CASE OF HEIGHT IN COVERING EVENTS

PubMed Central

Wang, Su-hua; Baillargeon, Renée

2009-01-01

As they observe or produce events, infants identify variables that help them predict outcomes in each category of events. How do infants identify a new variable? An explanation-based learning (EBL) account suggests three essential steps: (1) observing contrastive outcomes relevant to the variable; (2) discovering the conditions associated with these outcomes; and (3) generating an explanation for the condition-outcome regularity discovered. In Experiments 1–3, 9-month-old infants watched events designed to “teach” them the variable height in covering events. After watching these events, designed in accord with the EBL account, the infants detected a height violation in a covering event, three months earlier than they ordinarily would have. In Experiments 4–6, the “teaching” events were modified to remove one of the EBL steps, and the infants no longer detected the height violation. The present findings thus support the EBL account and help specify the processes by which infants acquire their physical knowledge. PMID:18177635

Creating environmental awareness among children.

PubMed

Nair, S M

1992-01-01

In India, most instruction in ecology and environment in schools and colleges comes from textbooks. Yet, this form of education rarely results in action. Children need to go into nature to study the flora, fauna, and ecosystems and into the environment to observe environmental problems, e.g., pollution, deforestation, and conservation processes. Educators need to first stir love and curiosity for nature so children can become aware of the environment and motivated to take action to preserve it. Well-conceived interpretive facilities with basic environmental information are needed in natural areas to help people identify plants and animals and learn about their characteristics and their interrelationships. They must incite joy and curiosity in what people can see rather than in what they cannot see. For example, many people go to national parks and sanctuaries to see a tiger or a leopard, but rarely see them. Nature study project material for children helps stir excitement about nature and their responsibility to respect it. Various groups have produced Joy of Learning, a handbook for environmental education activities. Environmental education depends on how educators can relate personal matters (e.g., wasteful use of paper to deforestation) to the environment. The National Museum of Natural History is committed to environmental education and to raising public awareness of conservation. It loans exhibits to classrooms. The Museum has a month-long summer program for teenagers called Exploring the Environment consisting of museum studies, nature field trips, urban field trips, and ecosystem observations in a national park or sanctuary. Its month-long program for younger children involves nature painting and animal modeling. The Touch, Feel, and Learn program benefits handicapped children. The Museum hosts 2-3 teacher workshops a year to orient them to museum resource materials and how to develop teaching aids. Other programs are outreach programs for children, college

Pitch Discrimination without Awareness in Congenital Amusia: Evidence from Event-Related Potentials

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moreau, Patricia; Jolicoeur, Pierre; Peretz, Isabelle

2013-01-01

Congenital amusia is a lifelong disorder characterized by a difficulty in perceiving and producing music despite normal intelligence and hearing. Behavioral data have indicated that it originates from a deficit in fine-grained pitch discrimination, and is expressed by the absence of a P3b event-related brain response for pitch differences smaller…

14-Month-Old Infants Form Novel Word-Spatial Relation Associations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casasola, Marianella; Wilbourn, Makeba Parramore

2004-01-01

This study explored 14-month-old infants' ability to form novel word-spatial relation associations. During habituation, infants heard 1 novel word (e.g., "teek") while viewing dynamic containment events (i.e., Big Bird placed in a box) and, on other habituation trials, a second novel word (e.g., "blick") while viewing dynamic support events (i.e.,…

2000 African American History Month Celebration Luncheon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Mack McKinney (left), chief, Programs Resources Management, and Delores Abraham (right), with the Astronaut office, flank one of the posters decorating the Early Space Exploration Conference Center at the KSC Visitor Complex for the 2000 African American History Month Celebration Luncheon. McKinney is chairperson for the event.

Subliminal (latent) processing of pain and its evolution to conscious awareness.

PubMed

Borsook, David; Youssef, Andrew M; Barakat, Nadia; Sieberg, Christine B; Elman, Igor

2018-05-01

By unconscious or covert processing of pain we refer to nascent interactions that affect the eventual deliverance of pain awareness. Thus, internal processes (viz., repeated nociceptive events, inflammatory kindling, reorganization of brain networks, genetic) or external processes (viz., environment, socioeconomic levels, modulation of epigenetic status) contribute to enhancing or inhibiting the presentation of pain awareness. Here we put forward the notion that for many patients, ongoing sub-conscious changes in brain function are significant players in the eventual manifestation of chronic pain. In this review, we provide clinical examples of nascent or what we term pre-pain processes and the neurobiological mechanisms of how these changes may contribute to pain, but also potential opportunities to define the process for early therapeutic interventions. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Effects of the Pulmonary Hypertension Manual (PulHMan) on Awareness of Exercise in Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension.

PubMed

Babu, Abraham Samuel; Ramachandran, Padmakumar; Maiya, Arun G

2016-01-01

Patient education is an important part of holistic care for patients with chronic diseases. With the success of the Heart Manual, it was felt there is a strong need to develop such a manual for those with pulmonary hypertension (PH) - the Pulmonary Hypertension Manual (PulHMan). This was developed through a qualitative methodology in order to ensure the needs of the patients were being met. The impact of the PulHMan on awareness about exercise-related benefits and PH are not known. Therefore the aim of this study was to assess the effects of the PulHMan on improving awareness among individuals with PH. A repeat cross sectional study was carried out on 30 patients with PH to assess the effects of using the PulHMan on awareness of exercise-related benefits in PH. Awareness was assessed from a self-developed and validated questionnaire that included components of PH and exercise related components. Thirty patients with PH (mean right ventricular systolic pressure and six minute walk distance of 89.2±4.1mm Hg and 322.8±102m respectively) were included in the study. At baseline, it was seen that there was a low awareness regarding the benefits of exercise for PH. However, they were aware of the general health benefits of walking. After three months, it was seen that the PulHMan improved awareness on the benefits of exercising. Despite a low number willing to exercise (2/30) and participate in a home-based program (2/30), after using the PulHMan for three months, there was an improvement in those willing to exercise and participate in a home-based program (22/30 and 25/30 respectively). The PulHMan was seen to improve awareness regarding the exercise-related benefits among patients with PH. More studies are needed to determine if this change in awareness translates into a behavioural change for those with PH. Copyright © 2015 Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ

From Cultural Awareness to Intercultural Awareness: Culture in ELT

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Will

2012-01-01

Cultural awareness (CA) has emerged over the last few decades as a significant part of conceptualizing the cultural dimension to language teaching. That is, L2 users need to understand L2 communication as a cultural process and to be aware of their own culturally based communicative behaviour and that of others. However, while CA has provided a…

Environmental Awareness (Sensory Awareness).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carpenter, Marian

Capitalizing on the resources available within a city block, this resource guide for the emotionally handicapped (K-6) describes methods and procedures for developing sensory awareness in the urban out-of-doors. Conceptual focus is on interdependency ("living things are interdependent"). Involvement in the environment (observing, thinking, doing)…

Twelve- to 14-Month-Old Infants Can Predict Single-Event Probability with Large Set Sizes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Denison, Stephanie; Xu, Fei

2010-01-01

Previous research has revealed that infants can reason correctly about single-event probabilities with small but not large set sizes (Bonatti, 2008; Teglas "et al.", 2007). The current study asks whether infants can make predictions regarding single-event probability with large set sizes using a novel procedure. Infants completed two trials: A…

Celebrating National Women's History Month

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-03-14

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden gave the introduction to the keynote speaker at an event celebrating National Women's History Month at NASA Headquarters, Thursday, March 14, 2013 in Washington. This year's keynote speaker was Donna Brazile, adjunct professor at Georgetown University, syndicated newspaper columnist and vice chair of voter registration and participation at the Democratic National Committee (DNC). The theme of this year's program was "Women Inspiring Innovation Through Imagination." Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Analysis of Adverse Events in Identifying GPS Human Factors Issues

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adams, Catherine A.; Hwoschinsky, Peter V.; Adams, Richard J.

2004-01-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze GPS related adverse events such as accidents and incidents (A/I), Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) reports and Pilots Deviations (PDs) to create a framework for developing a human factors risk awareness program. Although the occurrence of directly related GPS accidents is small the frequency of PDs and ASRS reports indicated there is a growing problem with situational awareness in terminal airspace related to different types of GPs operational issues. This paper addresses the findings of the preliminary research and a brief discussion of some of the literature on related GPS and automation issues.

Students awareness of learning styles and their perceptions to a mixed method approach for learning

PubMed Central

Bhagat, Anumeha; Vyas, Rashmi; Singh, Tejinder

2015-01-01

Background: Individualization of instructional method does not contribute significantly to learning outcomes although it is known that students have differing learning styles (LSs). Hence, in order to maximally enhance learning, one must try to use a mixed method approach. Hypothesis: Our hypothesis was that awareness of preferred LS and motivation to incorporate multiple learning strategies might enhance learning outcomes. Aim: Our aim was to determine the impact of awareness of LS among medical undergraduates and motivating students to use mixed methods of learning. Materials and Methods: Before awareness lecture, LS preferences were determined using Visual, Aural, Read/Write, and Kinesthetic (VARK) questionnaire. Awareness of LS was assessed using a validated questionnaire. Through a lecture, students were oriented to various LSs, impact of LS on their performance, and benefit of using mixed method approach for learning. Subsequently, group discussions were organized. After 3 months, VARK preferences and awareness of LSs were reassessed. Student narratives were collected. Qualitative analysis of the data was done. Results: There was a significant increase in the number of students who were aware of LS. The number of participants showing a change in VARK scores for various modalities of learning was also significant (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Thus, awareness of LSs motivated students to adapt other learning strategies and use mixed methods for learning. PMID:26380214

Prospective effects of traumatic event re-exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder in syringe exchange participants.

PubMed

Peirce, Jessica M; Brooner, Robert K; Kolodner, Ken; Schacht, Rebecca L; Kidorf, Michael S

2013-01-01

Determine the effect of traumatic event re-exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity on proximal drug use and drug abuse treatment-seeking in syringe exchange participants. Prospective longitudinal 16-month cohort study of new syringe exchange registrants enrolled in a parent study of methods to improve treatment engagement. Data were collected in a research van next to mobile syringe exchange distribution sites in Baltimore, Maryland. Male and female (n = 162) injecting drug users (IDUs) registered for syringe exchange. Traumatic event re-exposure was identified each month with the Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire. PTSD symptoms were measured with the Modified PTSD Symptom Scale-Revised, given every 4 months. Outcome measures collected monthly were days of drug use (heroin, cocaine) and drug abuse treatment-seeking behavior (interest, calls to obtain treatment, treatment participation). Each traumatic event re-exposure was associated with about 1 more day of cocaine use after accounting for the previous month's cocaine use [same month adjusted B, standard error = 1.16 (0.34); 1 month later: 0.99 (0.34)], while PTSD symptoms had no effect. Traumatic event re-exposure increased interest in drug abuse treatment [same month adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals = 1.34 (1.11-1.63)] and calling to obtain treatment [same month 1.58 (1.24-2.01); 1 month later 1.34 (1.03-1.75)]. Each 10% increase in PTSD symptom severity was associated with persistent increased interest in treatment [same month 1.25 (1.10-1.42); 1 month later 1.16 (1.02-1.32); 2 months later 1.16 (1.02-1.32)] and calling to obtain treatment [same month 1.16 (1.02-1.32)]. Neither traumatic events nor PTSD symptoms were associated with participants receiving treatment. Becoming exposed again to traumatic events among injecting drug users is associated with an increase in cocaine use up to 1 month later, but drug use is not related to post-traumatic stress disorder

Recent negative life events increase hair cortisol concentrations in patients with bipolar disorder.

PubMed

Staufenbiel, Sabine M; Koenders, Manja A; Giltay, Erik J; Elzinga, Bernet M; Manenschijn, Laura; Hoencamp, Erik; van Rossum, Elisabeth F C; Spijker, Anne T

2014-12-01

Life events induce stress, which is considered to negatively impact the course of disease in patients with bipolar disorder (BD), its effects being predominantly mediated by cortisol. Cortisol in scalp hair has been identified as a biomarker for assessing long-term cortisol levels, and allows clarifying the relation between life events, hair cortisol concentrations (HCC), and clinical course over time. In 71 BD patients, we analyzed the proximal 3 cm of hair, reflecting 3 months of cortisol production, and investigated the association between HCC, the number of life events, the amount of social support, and mood in the 3 months prior to the hair assessment and between HCC and mood in the subsequent 3 months. Although the total number of life events was not associated with HCC (p > 0.05), the number of negative life events was associated with increased HCC (r(2)( )= 0.04, p = 0.02). Social support showed an inverse association with HCC in patients reporting negative life events (r(2)( )= 0.07, p = 0.03). HCC and mood were not associated in the 3 months prior to hair sampling or in the subsequent 3 months. This study indicates that patients who experienced recent negative life events have increased hair cortisol levels, which seem to be attenuated by social support.

Evaluating a Problem-Based Learning Strategy for Enhancing Ethical Awareness in Negotiation

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

experimental (training) or a control (no training) group . The experimental group was exposed to four negotiation scenarios at one-month intervals, and...obtained from the control group . Also, post exercise ethical awareness scores correlated significantly with Cadets’ negotiation strategies. The...completed a modified version of the Ethical Perceptions Scale (EPS) to provide a baseline ( pretest ) measure of their preferences for emphasizing

Let’s Get Healthy! Health Awareness Through Public Participation in an Education and Research Exhibit

PubMed Central

Marriott, Lisa K.; Cameron, William E.; Purnell, Jonathan Q.; Cetola, Stephano; Ito, Matthew K.; Williams, Craig D.; Newcomb, Kenneth C.; Randall, Joan A.; Messenger, Wyatt B.; Lipus, Adam C.; Shannon, Jackilen

2013-01-01

Background Health information technology (HIT) offers a resource for public empowerment through tailored information. Objective Use interactive community health events to improve awareness of chronic disease risk factors while collecting data to improve health. Methods Let’s Get Healthy! is an education and research program in which participants visit interactive research stations to learn about their own health (diet, body composition, blood chemistry). HIT enables computerized data collection that presents participants with immediate results and tailored educational feedback. An anonymous wristband number links collected data in a population database. Results and Lessons Learned Communities tailor events to meet community health needs with volunteers trained to conduct research. Participants experience being a research participant and contribute to an anonymous population database for both traditional research purposes and open-source community use. Conclusions By integrating HIT with community involvement, health fairs become an interactive method for engaging communities in research and raising health awareness. PMID:22982846

A Novel Audiovisual Brain-Computer Interface and Its Application in Awareness Detection.

PubMed

Wang, Fei; He, Yanbin; Pan, Jiahui; Xie, Qiuyou; Yu, Ronghao; Zhang, Rui; Li, Yuanqing

2015-06-30

Currently, detecting awareness in patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) is a challenging task, which is commonly addressed through behavioral observation scales such as the JFK Coma Recovery Scale-Revised. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) provide an alternative approach to detect awareness in patients with DOC. However, these patients have a much lower capability of using BCIs compared to healthy individuals. This study proposed a novel BCI using temporally, spatially, and semantically congruent audiovisual stimuli involving numbers (i.e., visual and spoken numbers). Subjects were instructed to selectively attend to the target stimuli cued by instruction. Ten healthy subjects first participated in the experiment to evaluate the system. The results indicated that the audiovisual BCI system outperformed auditory-only and visual-only systems. Through event-related potential analysis, we observed audiovisual integration effects for target stimuli, which enhanced the discriminability between brain responses for target and nontarget stimuli and thus improved the performance of the audiovisual BCI. This system was then applied to detect the awareness of seven DOC patients, five of whom exhibited command following as well as number recognition. Thus, this audiovisual BCI system may be used as a supportive bedside tool for awareness detection in patients with DOC.

A Novel Audiovisual Brain-Computer Interface and Its Application in Awareness Detection

PubMed Central

Wang, Fei; He, Yanbin; Pan, Jiahui; Xie, Qiuyou; Yu, Ronghao; Zhang, Rui; Li, Yuanqing

2015-01-01

Currently, detecting awareness in patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) is a challenging task, which is commonly addressed through behavioral observation scales such as the JFK Coma Recovery Scale-Revised. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) provide an alternative approach to detect awareness in patients with DOC. However, these patients have a much lower capability of using BCIs compared to healthy individuals. This study proposed a novel BCI using temporally, spatially, and semantically congruent audiovisual stimuli involving numbers (i.e., visual and spoken numbers). Subjects were instructed to selectively attend to the target stimuli cued by instruction. Ten healthy subjects first participated in the experiment to evaluate the system. The results indicated that the audiovisual BCI system outperformed auditory-only and visual-only systems. Through event-related potential analysis, we observed audiovisual integration effects for target stimuli, which enhanced the discriminability between brain responses for target and nontarget stimuli and thus improved the performance of the audiovisual BCI. This system was then applied to detect the awareness of seven DOC patients, five of whom exhibited command following as well as number recognition. Thus, this audiovisual BCI system may be used as a supportive bedside tool for awareness detection in patients with DOC. PMID:26123281

Female children with ambiguous genitalia in awareness-poor subregion.

PubMed

Osifo, Osarumwense D; Amusan, Taiwo I

2009-12-01

Congenital aberrations of female children's external genitalia are common worldwide with varied mode of presentation especially in regions with poor awareness. This prospective experience between July 2004 and June 2008 at two Nigerian healthcare facilities is on the mode of presentation and challenges of management of female children with ambiguous genitalia. Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) 19 (47.5%), female pseudohermaphroditism 20 (50%) and vaginal atresia 1 (2.5%) manifested as aberrations of external genitalia of 40 female children who presented between the ages of 3 months and 16 years (average 9 years). Cultural influence, lack of awareness, inadequate examination of external genitalia at birth and lack of diagnostic facilities resulted in late presentation and diagnosis with all the cases of CAH and pseudohermaphroditism raised as males. Five cases who developed female secondary sexual characteristics at puberty attempted suicide before presentation. Gender reassignment and feminizing genitoplasty were major challenges, but outcomes were encouraging.

Sustained Reduction in Severe Hypoglycemia in Adults With Type 1 Diabetes Complicated by Impaired Awareness of Hypoglycemia: 2-Year Follow-up in the HypoCOMPaSS Randomized Clinical Trial.

PubMed

Little, Stuart A; Speight, Jane; Leelarathna, Lalantha; Walkinshaw, Emma; Tan, Horng Kai; Bowes, Anita; Lubina-Solomon, Alexandra; Chadwick, Thomas J; Stocken, Deborah D; Brennand, Catherine; Marshall, Sally M; Wood, Ruth; Kerr, David; Flanagan, Daniel; Heller, Simon R; Evans, Mark L; Shaw, James A M

2018-04-16

Severe hypoglycemia is a feared complication of type 1 diabetes; yet, few trials have targeted prevention using optimized self-management (educational, therapeutic, and technological support). We aimed to investigate whether improved awareness and reduced severe hypoglycemia, achieved during an intensive randomized clinical trial (RCT), were sustained after return to routine care. Ninety-six adults with type 1 diabetes (29 ± 12 years' duration) and impaired awareness of hypoglycemia at five U.K. tertiary referral diabetes centers were recruited into a 24-week 2 × 2 factorial RCT (HypoCOMPaSS). Participants were randomized to pump (continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion [CSII]) or multiple daily injections (MDIs) and real-time continuous glucose monitoring (RT-CGM) or self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), with equal education/attention to all groups. At 24 weeks, participants returned to routine care with follow-up until 24 months, including free choice of MDI/CSII; RT-CGM vs. SMBG comparison continued to 24 months. Primary outcome was mean difference (baseline to 24 months [between groups]) in hypoglycemia awareness. Improvement in hypoglycemia awareness was sustained (Gold score at baseline 5.1 ± 1.1 vs. 24 months 3.7 ± 1.9; P < 0.0001). Severe hypoglycemia rate was reduced from 8.9 ± 12.8 episodes/person-year over the 12 months prestudy to 0.4 ± 0.8 over 24 months ( P < 0.0001). HbA 1c improved (baseline 8.2 ± 3.2% [66 ± 12 mmol/mol] vs. 24 months 7.7 ± 3.1% [61 ± 10 mmol/mol]; P = 0.003). Improvement in treatment satisfaction and reduced fear of hypoglycemia were sustained. There were no significant differences between interventions at 24 months. Optimized insulin replacement and glucose monitoring underpinned by hypoglycemia-focused structured education should be provided to all with type 1 diabetes complicated by impaired awareness of hypoglycemia. © 2018 by the American Diabetes Association.

Shared Book Reading Promotes Not Only Language Development, But Also Grapheme Awareness in German Kindergarten Children

PubMed Central

Wesseling, Patricia B. C.; Christmann, Corinna A.; Lachmann, Thomas

2017-01-01

Effects of shared book reading on expressive vocabulary and grapheme awareness without letter instruction in German kindergarteners (longitudinal; N = 69, 3;0–4;8 years) were investigated. Expressive vocabulary was measured by using a standardized test; grapheme awareness was measured by asking children to identify one grapheme per trial presented amongst non-letter distractors. Two methods of shared book reading were investigated, literacy enrichment (additional books) and teacher training in shared book reading strategies, both without explicit letter instruction. Whereas positive effects of shared book reading on expressive vocabulary were evident in numerous previous studies, the impact of shared book reading on grapheme awareness has not yet been investigated. Both methods resulted in positive effects on children’s expressive vocabulary and grapheme awareness over a period of 6 months. Thus, early shared book reading may not only be considered to be a tool for promoting the development of expressive vocabulary, but also for implicit acquisition of grapheme awareness. The latter is considered an important precondition required for the explicit learning of grapheme–phoneme conversion rules (letter knowledge). PMID:28377732

Shared Book Reading Promotes Not Only Language Development, But Also Grapheme Awareness in German Kindergarten Children.

PubMed

Wesseling, Patricia B C; Christmann, Corinna A; Lachmann, Thomas

2017-01-01

Effects of shared book reading on expressive vocabulary and grapheme awareness without letter instruction in German kindergarteners (longitudinal; N = 69, 3;0-4;8 years) were investigated. Expressive vocabulary was measured by using a standardized test; grapheme awareness was measured by asking children to identify one grapheme per trial presented amongst non-letter distractors. Two methods of shared book reading were investigated, literacy enrichment (additional books) and teacher training in shared book reading strategies, both without explicit letter instruction. Whereas positive effects of shared book reading on expressive vocabulary were evident in numerous previous studies, the impact of shared book reading on grapheme awareness has not yet been investigated. Both methods resulted in positive effects on children's expressive vocabulary and grapheme awareness over a period of 6 months. Thus, early shared book reading may not only be considered to be a tool for promoting the development of expressive vocabulary, but also for implicit acquisition of grapheme awareness. The latter is considered an important precondition required for the explicit learning of grapheme-phoneme conversion rules (letter knowledge).

Monthly paleostreamflow reconstruction from annual tree-ring chronologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stagge, J. H.; Rosenberg, D. E.; DeRose, R. J.; Rittenour, T. M.

2018-02-01

Paleoclimate reconstructions are increasingly used to characterize annual climate variability prior to the instrumental record, to improve estimates of climate extremes, and to provide a baseline for climate-change projections. To date, paleoclimate records have seen limited engineering use to estimate hydrologic risks because water systems models and managers usually require streamflow input at the monthly scale. This study explores the hypothesis that monthly streamflows can be adequately modeled by statistically decomposing annual flow reconstructions. To test this hypothesis, a multiple linear regression model for monthly streamflow reconstruction is presented that expands the set of predictors to include annual streamflow reconstructions, reconstructions of global circulation, and potential differences among regional tree-ring chronologies related to tree species and geographic location. This approach is used to reconstruct 600 years of monthly streamflows at two sites on the Bear and Logan rivers in northern Utah. Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiencies remain above zero (0.26-0.60) for all months except April and Pearson's correlation coefficients (R) are 0.94 and 0.88 for the Bear and Logan rivers, respectively, confirming that the model can adequately reproduce monthly flows during the reference period (10/1942 to 9/2015). Incorporating a flexible transition between the previous and concurrent annual reconstructed flows was the most important factor for model skill. Expanding the model to include global climate indices and regional tree-ring chronologies produced smaller, but still significant improvements in model fit. The model presented here is the only approach currently available to reconstruct monthly streamflows directly from tree-ring chronologies and climate reconstructions, rather than using resampling of the observed record. With reasonable estimates of monthly flow that extend back in time many centuries, water managers can challenge systems models with a

Natural gas monthly, September 1990. [Contains Glossary

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1990-11-30

This report highlights activities, events, and analyses of interest to public and private sector organizations associated with the natural gas industry. Volume and price data are presented each month for natural gas production, distribution, consumption, and interstate pipeline activities. Producer-related activities and underground storage data are also reported. 7 figs., 33 tabs.

Event-related brain potential correlates of two states of conscious awareness in memory

PubMed Central

Düzel, Emrah; Yonelinas, Andrew P.; Mangun, George R.; Heinze, Hans-Jochen; Tulving, Endel

1997-01-01

We report an event-related potential (ERP) experiment of human recognition memory that explored the relation between conscious awareness and electrophysiological activity of the brain. We recorded ERPs from healthy adults while they made “remember” and “know” recognition judgments about previously seen words. These two kinds of judgments reflect “autonoetic” and “noetic” awareness, respectively. The ERP effects differed between the two kinds of awareness while they were similar for “true” and “false” recognition. Noetic awareness was associated with a temporoparietal positivity in the N400 range (325–600 ms) and a late (600–1,000 ms) frontocentral negativity, whereas autonoetic awareness was associated with a widespread, late, bifrontal and left parietotemporal (600–1000 ms) positivity. In the very late (1,300–1,900 ms) time window, a right frontal positivity was observed for both remember and know judgments of both true and false targets. These results provide physiological evidence for two types of conscious awareness in episodic memory retrieval. PMID:9159185

Predicting Relapse among Young Adults: Psychometric Validation of the Advanced Warning of Relapse (AWARE) Scale

PubMed Central

Kelly, John F.; Hoeppner, Bettina B.; Urbanoski, Karen A.; Slaymaker, Valerie

2011-01-01

Objective Failure to maintain abstinence despite incurring severe harm is perhaps the key defining feature of addiction. Relapse prevention strategies have been developed to attenuate this propensity to relapse, but predicting who will, and who will not, relapse has stymied attempts to more efficiently tailor treatments according to relapse risk profile. Here we examine the psychometric properties of a promising relapse risk measure - the Advance WArning of RElapse scale (AWARE) scale (Miller and Harris, 2000) in an understudied but clinically important sample of young adults. Method Inpatient youth (N=303; Age 18-24; 26% female) completed the AWARE scale and the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI) at the end of residential treatment, and at 1-, 3-, and 6-months following discharge. Internal and convergent validity was tested for each of these four timepoints using confirmatory factor analysis and correlations (with BSI scores). Predictive validity was tested for relapse 1, 3, and 6 months following discharge, as was incremental utility, where AWARE scores were used as predictors of any substance use while controlling for treatment entry substance use severity and having spent time in a controlled environment following treatment. Results Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a single, internally consistent, 25-item factor that demonstrated convergent validity and predicted subsequent relapse alone and when controlling for other important relapse risk predictors. Conclusions The AWARE scale may be a useful and efficient clinical tool for assessing short-term relapse risk among young people and, thus, could serve to enhance the effectiveness of relapse prevention efforts. PMID:21700396

Predicting relapse among young adults: psychometric validation of the Advanced WArning of RElapse (AWARE) scale.

PubMed

Kelly, John F; Hoeppner, Bettina B; Urbanoski, Karen A; Slaymaker, Valerie

2011-10-01

Failure to maintain abstinence despite incurring severe harm is perhaps the key defining feature of addiction. Relapse prevention strategies have been developed to attenuate this propensity to relapse, but predicting who will, and who will not, relapse has stymied attempts to more efficiently tailor treatments according to relapse risk profile. Here we examine the psychometric properties of a promising relapse risk measure-the Advance WArning of RElapse (AWARE) scale (Miller & Harris, 2000) in an understudied but clinically important sample of young adults. Inpatient youth (N=303; Ages 18-24; 26% female) completed the AWARE scale and the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI) at the end of residential treatment, and at 1-, 3-, and 6-months following discharge. Internal and convergent validity was tested for each of these four timepoints using confirmatory factor analysis and correlations (with BSI scores). Predictive validity was tested for relapse 1, 3, and 6 months following discharge, as was incremental utility, where AWARE scores were used as predictors of any substance use while controlling for treatment entry substance use severity and having spent time in a controlled environment following treatment. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a single, internally consistent, 25-item factor that demonstrated convergent validity and predicted subsequent relapse alone and when controlling for other important relapse risk predictors. The AWARE scale may be a useful and efficient clinical tool for assessing short-term relapse risk among young people and, thus, could serve to enhance the effectiveness of relapse prevention efforts. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Internet search query analysis can be used to demonstrate the rapidly increasing public awareness of palliative care in the USA.

PubMed

McLean, Sarah; Lennon, Paul; Glare, Paul

2017-01-27

A lack of public awareness of palliative care (PC) has been identified as one of the main barriers to appropriate PC access. Internet search query analysis is a novel methodology, which has been effectively used in surveillance of infectious diseases, and can be used to monitor public awareness of health-related topics. We aimed to demonstrate the utility of internet search query analysis to evaluate changes in public awareness of PC in the USA between 2005 and 2015. Google Trends provides a referenced score for the popularity of a search term, for defined regions over defined time periods. The popularity of the search term 'palliative care' was measured monthly between 1/1/2005 and 31/12/2015 in the USA and in the UK. Results were analysed using independent t-tests and joinpoint analysis. The mean monthly popularity of the search term increased between 2008-2009 (p<0.001), 2011-2012 (p<0.001), 2013-2014 (p=0.004) and 2014-2015 (p=0.002) in the USA. Joinpoint analysis was used to evaluate the monthly percentage change (MPC) in the popularity of the search term. In the USA, the MPC increase was 0.6%/month (p<0.05); in the UK the MPC of 0.05% was non-significant. Although internet search query surveillance is a novel methodology, it is freely accessible and has significant potential to monitor health-seeking behaviour among the public. PC is rapidly growing in the USA, and the rapidly increasing public awareness of PC as demonstrated in this study, in comparison with the UK, where PC is relatively well established is encouraging in increasingly ensuring appropriate PC access for all. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Raising Awareness of Medicare Member Rights Among Seniors and Caregivers in California

PubMed Central

Grossman, Ruth M.; Fu, Patricia L.; Sabogal, Fabio

2010-01-01

Many Medicare recipients do not understand their health care rights. Lumetra, formerly California's Medicare quality improvement organization, developed a multifaceted outreach program to increase beneficiary awareness of its services and of the right to file quality-of-care complaints and discharge appeals. Layered outreach activities to Medicare members and their caregivers in 2 targeted counties consisted of paid media, direct mailings, community outreach, and online marketing. Calls to Lumetra's helpline and visits to its Web site—measures of beneficiary awareness of case review services—increased by 106% and 1214%, respectively, in the targeted counties during the 4-month outreach period. Only small increases occurred in nontargeted counties. Increases in quality-of-care complaints and discharge appeal rates were detected during a longer follow-up period. PMID:19965568

Raising awareness of Medicare member rights among seniors and caregivers in California.

PubMed

Olson, Rebecca; Grossman, Ruth M; Fu, Patricia L; Sabogal, Fabio

2010-01-01

Many Medicare recipients do not understand their health care rights. Lumetra, formerly California's Medicare quality improvement organization, developed a multifaceted outreach program to increase beneficiary awareness of its services and of the right to file quality-of-care complaints and discharge appeals. Layered outreach activities to Medicare members and their caregivers in 2 targeted counties consisted of paid media, direct mailings, community outreach, and online marketing. Calls to Lumetra's helpline and visits to its Web site--measures of beneficiary awareness of case review services--increased by 106% and 1214%, respectively, in the targeted counties during the 4-month outreach period. Only small increases occurred in nontargeted counties. Increases in quality-of-care complaints and discharge appeal rates were detected during a longer follow-up period.

Domains of awareness in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Gilleen, J; Greenwood, K; David, A S

2011-01-01

Patients with schizophrenia are often characterized as lacking insight or awareness into their illness and symptoms, yet despite considerable research, we still lack a full understanding of the factors involved in causing poor awareness. Within schizophrenia, there has been shown to be a fractionation across dimensions of awareness into mental illness: of being ill, of symptoms, and of treatment compliance. Recently, attention has turned to evidence of a fractionation between awareness of illness and of cognitive impairments and functioning. The current study investigated the degree of fractionation across a broad range of domains of function in schizophrenia and how each domain may be associated with neuropsychological functioning, clinical, mood, and demographic variables. Thirty-one mostly chronic stable patients with schizophrenia completed a battery of neuropsychological tests and measures of psychopathology, including mood. Cognitive insight and awareness of illness, symptoms, memory, and behavioral functioning were also measured. Insight and awareness were assessed using a combination of semistructured interview, observer-rated, self-rated, and objective measures, and included measures of the discrepancy between carer and self-ratings of impairment. Results revealed that awareness of functioning in each domain was largely independent and that awareness in each domain was predicted by different factors. Insight into symptoms was relatively poor while insight into cognitive deficits was preserved. Relative to neuropsychological variables, cognitive insight, comprising self-certainty and self-reflexivity, was a greater predictor of awareness. In conclusion, awareness is multiply fractionated and multiply determined. Therapeutic interventions could, therefore, produce beneficial changes within specific domains of awareness.

Domains of Awareness in Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Gilleen, J.; Greenwood, K.; David, A. S.

2011-01-01

Patients with schizophrenia are often characterized as lacking insight or awareness into their illness and symptoms, yet despite considerable research, we still lack a full understanding of the factors involved in causing poor awareness. Within schizophrenia, there has been shown to be a fractionation across dimensions of awareness into mental illness: of being ill, of symptoms, and of treatment compliance. Recently, attention has turned to evidence of a fractionation between awareness of illness and of cognitive impairments and functioning. The current study investigated the degree of fractionation across a broad range of domains of function in schizophrenia and how each domain may be associated with neuropsychological functioning, clinical, mood, and demographic variables. Thirty-one mostly chronic stable patients with schizophrenia completed a battery of neuropsychological tests and measures of psychopathology, including mood. Cognitive insight and awareness of illness, symptoms, memory, and behavioral functioning were also measured. Insight and awareness were assessed using a combination of semistructured interview, observer-rated, self-rated, and objective measures, and included measures of the discrepancy between carer and self-ratings of impairment. Results revealed that awareness of functioning in each domain was largely independent and that awareness in each domain was predicted by different factors. Insight into symptoms was relatively poor while insight into cognitive deficits was preserved. Relative to neuropsychological variables, cognitive insight, comprising self-certainty and self-reflexivity, was a greater predictor of awareness. In conclusion, awareness is multiply fractionated and multiply determined. Therapeutic interventions could, therefore, produce beneficial changes within specific domains of awareness. PMID:20851850

Women, Innovation and Aerospace Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-08

NASA Deputy Administrator, Lori Garver, gives the keynote address at the Women, Innovation and Aerospace event celebrating Women's History Month at the George Washington University Jack Morton Auditorium, Thursday, March 8, 2012 in Washington. The WIA day-long event will help to foster a discussion for students and early career professionals about how to continue to encourage women to enter and succeed in the field of aerospace. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Women, Innovation and Aerospace Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-08

NASA Deputy Administrator, Lori Garver, far right, gives the keynote address at the Women, Innovation and Aerospace event celebrating Women's History Month at the George Washington University Jack Morton Auditorium, Thursday, March 8, 2012 in Washington. The WIA day-long event will help to foster a discussion for students and early career professionals about how to continue to encourage women to enter and succeed in the field of aerospace. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Women, Innovation and Aerospace Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-08

Marcia Smith, President, spacepolicyonline.com, participates in a panel discussion at the Women, Innovation and Aerospace event celebrating Women's History Month at the George Washington University Jack Morton Auditorium, Thursday, March 8, 2012 in Washington. The WIA day-long event will help to foster a discussion for students and early career professionals about how to continue to encourage women to enter and succeed in the field of aerospace. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Infants Segment Continuous Events Using Transitional Probabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stahl, Aimee E.; Romberg, Alexa R.; Roseberry, Sarah; Golinkoff, Roberta Michnick; Hirsh-Pasek, Kathryn

2014-01-01

Throughout their 1st year, infants adeptly detect statistical structure in their environment. However, little is known about whether statistical learning is a primary mechanism for event segmentation. This study directly tests whether statistical learning alone is sufficient to segment continuous events. Twenty-eight 7- to 9-month-old infants…

Revisit, Subsequent Hospitalization, Recurrent Fall, and Death Within 6 Months After a Fall Among Elderly Emergency Department Patients.

PubMed

Sri-On, Jiraporn; Tirrell, Gregory P; Bean, Jonathan F; Lipsitz, Lewis A; Liu, Shan W

2017-10-01

We seek to describe the risk during 6 months and specific risk factors for recurrent falls, emergency department (ED) revisits, subsequent hospitalizations, and death within 6 months after a fall-related ED presentation. This was a secondary analysis of a retrospective cohort of elderly fall patients who presented to the ED from one urban teaching hospital. We included patients aged 65 years and older who had an ED fall visit in 2012. We examined the frequency and risk factors of adverse events (composite of recurrent falls, ED revisits, subsequent hospitalization, and death, selected a priori) at 6 months. Our study included 350 older adults. Adverse events steadily increased, from 7.7% at 7 days, 21.4% at 30 days, and 50.3% at 6 months. Within 6 months, 22.6% of patients had at least one recurrent fall, 42.6% revisited the ED, 31.1% had subsequent hospitalizations, and 2.6% died. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, psychological or sedative drug use predicted recurrent falls, ED revisits, subsequent hospitalizations, and adverse events. More than half of fall patients had an adverse event within 6 months of presenting to the ED after a fall. The risk during 6 months of these adverse events increased with psychological or sedative drug use. Larger future studies should confirm this association and investigate methods to minimize recurrent falls through management of such medications. Copyright © 2017 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Awareness is related to reduced post-stimulus alpha power: A no-report inattentional blindness study.

PubMed

Harris, Anthony M; Dux, Paul E; Mattingley, Jason B

2018-05-15

Delineating the neural correlates of sensory awareness is a key requirement for developing a neuroscientific understanding of consciousness. A neural signal that has been proposed as a key neural correlate of awareness is amplitude reduction of 8-14 Hz alpha oscillations. Alpha oscillations are also closely linked to processes of spatial attention, providing potential alternative explanations for past results associating alpha oscillations with awareness. We employed a no-report inattentional blindness (IB) paradigm with electroencephalography to examine the association between awareness and the power of 8-14 Hz alpha oscillations. We asked whether the alpha-power decrease commonly reported when stimuli are perceived is related to awareness, or other factors that commonly confound awareness investigations, specifically task-relevance and visual salience. Two groups of participants performed a target discrimination task at fixation while irrelevant non-salient shape probes were presented briefly in the left or right visual field. One group was explicitly informed of the peripheral probes at the commencement of the experiment (the control group), whereas the other was not told about the probes until halfway through the experiment (IB group). Consequently, the IB group remained unaware of the probes for the first half of the experiment. In all conditions in which participants were aware of the probes, there was an enhanced negativity in the event-related potential (the visual awareness negativity). Furthermore, there was an extended contralateral alpha-power decrease when the probes were perceived, which was not present when they failed to reach awareness. These results suggest alpha oscillations are intrinsically associated with awareness itself. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

[Four awareness of clinical lean management].

PubMed

Xiong, L Z; Zhang, C F

2017-01-20

Along with changes of medical model, hospitals need to provide best outcome with lowest cost and best patient's experience rather than merely medical treatments. It is the cultivation of lean awareness to the doctors that could acquire such outcome. The healthcare lean awareness can be summarized as responsibility awareness, digitalized awareness, detail awareness, and outstanding awareness. Through the cultivation of lean awareness, humanism can immerse into the doctors'practice, which is conducive to train for the great masters of the medicine.

Georgia's Cancer Awareness and Education Campaign: combining public health models and private sector communications strategies.

PubMed

Parker, Demetrius M

2004-07-01

The Georgia Cancer Awareness and Education Campaign was launched in September 2002 with the goals of supporting cancer prevention and early detection efforts, heightening awareness of and understanding about the five leading cancers among Georgia residents, and enhancing awareness and education about the importance of proper nutrition, exercise, and healthy lifestyles. The inaugural year of the campaign is outlined, beginning with adherence to the public health principles of surveillance, risk factor identification, intervention evaluation, and implementation. A strategic and integrated communications campaign, using tactics such as paid advertising, public service announcements, local community relations, media releases, a documentary film, special events, and other components, is described in detail with links to multimedia samples. With an estimated budget of 3.1 million dollars, the first year of the campaign focuses on breast and cervical cancer screening and early detection.

Measuring the Effects of Self-Awareness: Construction of the Self-Awareness Outcomes Questionnaire

PubMed Central

Sutton, Anna

2016-01-01

Dispositional self-awareness is conceptualized in several different ways, including insight, reflection, rumination and mindfulness, with the latter in particular attracting extensive attention in recent research. While self-awareness is generally associated with positive psychological well-being, these different conceptualizations are also each associated with a range of unique outcomes. This two part, mixed methods study aimed to advance understanding of dispositional self-awareness by developing a questionnaire to measure its outcomes. In Study 1, expert focus groups categorized and extended an initial pool of potential items from previous research. In Study 2, these items were reduced to a 38 item self-report questionnaire with four factors representing three beneficial outcomes (reflective self-development, acceptance and proactivity) and one negative outcome (costs). Regression of these outcomes against self-awareness measures revealed that self-reflection and insight predicted beneficial outcomes, rumination predicted reduced benefits and increased costs, and mindfulness predicted both increased proactivity and costs. These studies help to refine the self-awareness concept by identifying the unique outcomes associated with the concepts of self-reflection, insight, reflection, rumination and mindfulness. It can be used in future studies to evaluate and develop awareness-raising techniques to maximize self-awareness benefits while minimizing related costs. PMID:27872672

Detection of events of public health importance under the international health regulations: a toolkit to improve reporting of unusual events by frontline healthcare workers.

PubMed

MacDonald, Emily; Aavitsland, Preben; Bitar, Dounia; Borgen, Katrine

2011-09-21

The International Health Regulations (IHR (2005)) require countries to notify WHO of any event which may constitute a public health emergency of international concern. This notification relies on reports of events occurring at the local level reaching the national public health authorities. By June 2012 WHO member states are expected to have implemented the capacity to "detect events involving disease or death above expected levels for the particular time and place" on the local level and report essential information to the appropriate level of public health authority. Our objective was to develop tools to assist European countries improve the reporting of unusual events of public health significance from frontline healthcare workers to public health authorities. We investigated obstacles and incentives to event reporting through a systematic literature review and expert consultations with national public health officials from various European countries. Multi-day expert meetings and qualitative interviews were used to gather experiences and examples of public health event reporting. Feedback on specific components of the toolkit was collected from healthcare workers and public health officials throughout the design process. Evidence from 79 scientific publications, two multi-day expert meetings and seven qualitative interviews stressed the need to clarify concepts and expectations around event reporting in European countries between the frontline and public health authorities. An analytical framework based on three priority areas for improved event reporting (professional engagement, communication and infrastructure) was developed and guided the development of the various tools. We developed a toolkit adaptable to country-specific needs that includes a guidance document for IHR National Focal Points and nine tool templates targeted at clinicians and laboratory staff: five awareness campaign tools, three education and training tools, and an implementation plan. The

Differential Visual Processing of Animal Images, with and without Conscious Awareness

PubMed Central

Zhu, Weina; Drewes, Jan; Peatfield, Nicholas A.; Melcher, David

2016-01-01

The human visual system can quickly and efficiently extract categorical information from a complex natural scene. The rapid detection of animals in a scene is one compelling example of this phenomenon, and it suggests the automatic processing of at least some types of categories with little or no attentional requirements (Li et al., 2002, 2005). The aim of this study is to investigate whether the remarkable capability to categorize complex natural scenes exist in the absence of awareness, based on recent reports that “invisible” stimuli, which do not reach conscious awareness, can still be processed by the human visual system (Pasley et al., 2004; Williams et al., 2004; Fang and He, 2005; Jiang et al., 2006, 2007; Kaunitz et al., 2011a). In two experiments, we recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) in response to animal and non-animal/vehicle stimuli in both aware and unaware conditions in a continuous flash suppression (CFS) paradigm. Our results indicate that even in the “unseen” condition, the brain responds differently to animal and non-animal/vehicle images, consistent with rapid activation of animal-selective feature detectors prior to, or outside of, suppression by the CFS mask. PMID:27790106

Differential Visual Processing of Animal Images, with and without Conscious Awareness.

PubMed

Zhu, Weina; Drewes, Jan; Peatfield, Nicholas A; Melcher, David

2016-01-01

The human visual system can quickly and efficiently extract categorical information from a complex natural scene. The rapid detection of animals in a scene is one compelling example of this phenomenon, and it suggests the automatic processing of at least some types of categories with little or no attentional requirements (Li et al., 2002, 2005). The aim of this study is to investigate whether the remarkable capability to categorize complex natural scenes exist in the absence of awareness, based on recent reports that "invisible" stimuli, which do not reach conscious awareness, can still be processed by the human visual system (Pasley et al., 2004; Williams et al., 2004; Fang and He, 2005; Jiang et al., 2006, 2007; Kaunitz et al., 2011a). In two experiments, we recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) in response to animal and non-animal/vehicle stimuli in both aware and unaware conditions in a continuous flash suppression (CFS) paradigm. Our results indicate that even in the "unseen" condition, the brain responds differently to animal and non-animal/vehicle images, consistent with rapid activation of animal-selective feature detectors prior to, or outside of, suppression by the CFS mask.

Slope Failure Prediction and Early Warning Awareness Education for Reducing Landslides Casualty in Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koay, S. P.; Tay, L. T.; Fukuoka, H.; Koyama, T.; Sakai, N.; Jamaludin, S. B.; Lateh, H.

2015-12-01

Northeast monsoon causes heavy rain in east coast of Peninsular Malaysia from November to March, every year. During this monsoon period, besides the happening of flood along east coast, landslides also causes millions of Malaysian Ringgit economical losses. Hence, it is essential to study the prediction of slope failure to prevent the casualty of landslides happening. In our study, we introduce prediction method of the accumulated rainfall affecting the stability of the slope. If the curve, in the graph, which is presented by rainfall intensity versus accumulated rainfall, crosses over the critical line, the condition of the slope is considered in high risk where the data are calculated and sent from rain gauge in the site via internet. If the possibility of slope failure is going high, the alert message will be sent out to the authorities for decision making on road block or setting the warning light at the road side. Besides road block and warning light, we propose to disseminate short message, to pre-registered mobile phone user, to notify the public for easing the traffic jam and avoiding unnecessary public panic. Prediction is not enough to prevent the casualty. Early warning awareness of the public is very important to reduce the casualty of landslides happening. IT technology does not only play a main role in disseminating information, early warning awareness education, by using IT technology, should be conducted, in schools, to give early warning awareness on natural hazard since childhood. Knowing the pass history on landslides occurrence will gain experience on the landslides happening. Landslides historical events with coordinate information are stored in database. The public can browse these historical events via internet. By referring to such historical landslides events, the public may know where did landslides happen before and the possibility of slope failure occurrence again is considered high. Simulation of rainfall induced slope failure mechanism

Ontology-based prediction of surgical events in laparoscopic surgery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katić, Darko; Wekerle, Anna-Laura; Gärtner, Fabian; Kenngott, Hannes; Müller-Stich, Beat Peter; Dillmann, Rüdiger; Speidel, Stefanie

2013-03-01

Context-aware technologies have great potential to help surgeons during laparoscopic interventions. Their underlying idea is to create systems which can adapt their assistance functions automatically to the situation in the OR, thus relieving surgeons from the burden of managing computer assisted surgery devices manually. To this purpose, a certain kind of understanding of the current situation in the OR is essential. Beyond that, anticipatory knowledge of incoming events is beneficial, e.g. for early warnings of imminent risk situations. To achieve the goal of predicting surgical events based on previously observed ones, we developed a language to describe surgeries and surgical events using Description Logics and integrated it with methods from computational linguistics. Using n-Grams to compute probabilities of followup events, we are able to make sensible predictions of upcoming events in real-time. The system was evaluated on professionally recorded and labeled surgeries and showed an average prediction rate of 80%.

Awareness of cancer susceptibility genetic testing: the 2000, 2005, and 2010 National Health Interview Surveys.

PubMed

Mai, Phuong L; Vadaparampil, Susan Thomas; Breen, Nancy; McNeel, Timothy S; Wideroff, Louise; Graubard, Barry I

2014-05-01

Genetic testing for several cancer susceptibility syndromes is clinically available; however, existing data suggest limited population awareness of such tests. To examine awareness regarding cancer genetic testing in the U.S. population aged ≥25 years in the 2000, 2005, and 2010 National Health Interview Surveys. The weighted percentages of respondents aware of cancer genetic tests, and percent changes from 2000-2005 and 2005-2010, overall and by demographic, family history, and healthcare factors were calculated. Interactions were used to evaluate the patterns of change in awareness between 2005 and 2010 among subgroups within each factor. To evaluate associations with awareness in 2005 and 2010, percentages were adjusted for covariates using multiple logistic regression. The analysis was performed in 2012. Awareness decreased from 44.4% to 41.5% (p<0.001) between 2000 and 2005, and increased to 47.0% (p<0.001) in 2010. Awareness increased between 2005 and 2010 in most subgroups, particularly among individuals in the South (pinteraction=0.03) or with a usual place of care (pinteraction=0.01). In 2005 and 2010, awareness was positively associated with personal or family cancer history and high perceived cancer risk, and inversely associated with racial/ethnic minorities, age 25-39 or ≥60 years, male gender, lower education and income levels, public or no health insurance, and no provider contact in 12 months. Despite improvement from 2005 to 2010, ≤50% of the U.S. adult population was aware of cancer genetic testing in 2010. Notably, disparities persist for racial/ethnic minorities and individuals with limited health care access or income. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Context-Aware Intelligent Assistant Approach to Improving Pilot's Situational Awareness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spirkovska, Lilly; Lodha, Suresh K.

2004-01-01

Faulty decision making due to inaccurate or incomplete awareness of the situation tends to be the prevailing cause of fatal general aviation accidents. Of these accidents, loss of weather situational awareness accounts for the largest number of fatalities. We describe a method for improving weather situational awareness through the support of a contextaware,domain and task knowledgeable, personalized and adaptive assistant. The assistant automatically monitors weather reports for the pilot's route of flight and warns her of detected anomalies. When and how warnings are issued is determined by phase of flight, the pilot s definition of acceptable weather conditions, and the pilot's preferences for automatic notification. In addition to automatic warnings, the pilot is able to verbally query for weather and airport information. By noting the requests she makes during the approach phase of flight, our system learns to provide the information without explicit requests on subsequent flights with similar conditions. We show that our weather assistant decreases the effort required to maintain situational awareness by more than 5.5 times when compared to the conventional method of in-flight weather briefings.

Event centrality prospectively predicts PTSD symptoms.

PubMed

Boals, Adriel; Ruggero, Camilo

2016-09-01

Recent evidence suggests that event centrality has a prominent association with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. However, evidence for this notion thus far has been mostly correlational. We report two studies that prospectively examined the relationship between event centrality and PTSD symptoms. Study 1 METHODS: Participants (N = 1438) reported their most stressful event ("prior event"), along with event centrality, PTSD symptoms, and neuroticism. At Time 2 participants reported their most stressful event since Time 1 ("critical event"), along with measures of event centrality and PTSD symptoms. Study 1 RESULTS: Event centrality for the critical event predicted PTSD symptoms, after controlling for event centrality and PTSD symptoms of the prior event and neuroticism. Study In the second study (N = 161) we examined changes in event centrality and PTSD symptoms over a month. Study 2 RESULTS: Using a cross-lagged panel design, results revealed event centrality at Time 1 significantly predicted PTSD symptoms at Time 2, but the reverse was not significant. In two studies, a prospective association between event centrality and PTSD symptoms, but not the reverse, emerged. This evidence implicates event centrality in the pathogenesis and/or maintenance of PTSD symptoms.

Increasing transcultural awareness: the McMaster-Aga Khan-CIDA Project workshop model.

PubMed

Smith, S E

1997-01-01

McMaster-Aga Khan-CIDA Project personnel at McMaster University School of Nursing over a period of four years designed and conducted eight one-day introductory workshops for nurses, faculty, staff, host families, and others involved with Pakistani nurses and Lady Health Visitors studying in Canada. The workshops (entitled Increasing Intercultural Awareness) assisted the Canadian and international participants to improve their awareness and knowledge of transcultural communication in preparation for working and socializing together. Using a participatory and active-learning approach, the workshop method introduced participants to transcultural communication; emphasized appreciation of cultural values, similarities and differences; and provided country-specific information on Pakistan. This article outlines the workshop design and rationale and describes specific examples of the transcultural nursing principles, practices, and teaching activities included in the one-day event.

An Event-Level Analysis of Condom Use During Anal Intercourse Among Self-Reported Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Negative Gay and Bisexual Men in a Treatment as Prevention Environment.

PubMed

Lachowsky, Nathan John; Tanner, Zach; Cui, Zishan; Sereda, Paul; Rich, Asheligh; Jollimore, Jody; Montaner, Julio Sg; Hogg, Robert S; Moore, David M; Roth, Eric A

2016-12-01

We sought to identify factors associated with condom use during anal intercourse among self-identified human immunodeficiency virus-negative gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) in Vancouver, Canada following "treatment as prevention" (TasP) scale-up in 2010. Sexually active GBM were recruited using respondent-driven sampling from 2012 to 2014. We analyzed participants' most recent sexual encounter with up to their last 5 sexual partners within the past 6 months. In addition to individual- and event-level explanatory factors, we assessed potential associations with TasP awareness, TasP-related prevention practice (viral load sorting), and TasP-related attitudes (human immunodeficiency virus treatment optimism). Accounting for clustering at the respondent-driven sampling chain-level and participant-level, factors associated with event-level condom use versus nonuse were determined using a multivariable generalized linear mixed model built using backward selection and AIC minimization. Of 513 participants, 436 GBM (85%) reported a total of 1196 anal sex events with 56% condom use. The proportion of condom-protected sexual events decreased monthly over the study period (odds ratio [OR], 0.95 per month, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.92-0.98). The TasP practices and attitudes were significantly associated with lower odds of condom use at the univariate level, but were no longer significant at multivariate level. In the multivariable model, event-level partner methamphetamine use (adjusted OR [aOR], 0.18; 95% CI, 0.06-0.58), frequency of recent anal intercourse with that partner (aOR, 0.97 per act; 95% CI, 0.95-0.98) and time since first sex with that partner (aOR, 0.97 per 6 months; 95% CI, 0.95-0.99) were associated with lower odds of condom use, whereas event-level participant alcohol use (aOR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.01-1.98) and no planned future sex with that partner (aOR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.08-2.27) were associated with greater odds of condom use. Event

Challenges of early detection of oral cancer: raising awareness as a first step to successful campaigning.

PubMed

Baumann, Eva; Koller, Michael; Wiltfang, Jörg; Wenz, Hans-Jürgen; Möller, Björn; Hertrampf, Katrin

2016-04-01

In Germany, ∼ 13,000 people are found to have oral and pharyngeal cancer every year. Awareness and knowledge about this cancer remain insufficient, particularly amongst elderly people. A campaign for early detection was launched in Northern Germany in April 2012. The first step of the campaign was to increase awareness about oral cancer. Prior to a pre-campaign evaluation at the campaign start, March 2012 and an intermediate-campaign evaluation, November 2012, a sample representative for the population aged 50 ≥ years (target group; N = 500) was drawn for a first process evaluation. The surveys were conducted by means of telephone interviews including questions on behaviour, knowledge and sociodemographic/socioeconomic aspects and target group-oriented questions on issue, media and campaign material awareness. The process evaluation showed an increase in issue awareness from 25 to 40% (P < 0.001) and the media awareness increased by over 10% (P < 0.001). The results suggested that particularly women, the core age group (60-79 years) and the educationally disadvantaged group might benefit from the campaign. Awareness about the issue 'oral cancer' was already significantly increased 7 months after the campaign start. The highest general and media-related increase in awareness was achieved in the target group. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

N200 and P300 as orthogonal and integrable indicators of distinct awareness and recognition processes in memory detection.

PubMed

Hu, Xiaoqing; Pornpattananangkul, Narun; Rosenfeld, J Peter

2013-05-01

In an event-related potential (ERP)-based concealed information test (CIT), we investigated the effect of manipulated awareness of concealed information on the ERPs. Participants either committed a mock crime or not (guilty vs. innocent) before the CIT, and received feedback regarding either specific (high awareness) or general (low awareness) task performance during the CIT. We found that awareness and recognition of the crime-relevant information differentially influenced the frontal-central N200 and parietal P300: Probe elicited a larger N200 than irrelevant only when guilty participants were in the high awareness condition, whereas the P300 was mainly responsive to information recognition. No N200-P300 correlation was found, allowing for a combined measure of both yielding the highest detection efficiency in the high awareness group (AUC = .91). Finally, a color-naming Stroop task following the CIT revealed that guilty participants showed larger interference effects than innocent participants, suggesting that the former expended more attentional resources during the CIT. Copyright © 2013 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Traumatic Events among Undergraduate Students: Prevalence and Associated Symptoms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frazier, Patricia; Anders, Samantha; Perera, Sulani; Tennen, Howard; Tashiro, Ty; Park, Crystal; Tomich, Patricia

2009-01-01

This multisite study assessed the prevalence of exposure to traumatic events and associated symptoms among undergraduate students (N = 1,528) using online surveys. Most students (85%) reported having experienced a traumatic event in their lifetime (Time 1) and 21% reported experiencing an event over a 2-month period during college (Time 2). The…

Self-Consistency of Rain Event Definitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teves, J. B.; Larsen, M.

2014-12-01

A dense optical rain disdrometer array was constructed to study rain variability on spatial scales less than 100 meters with temporal resolution of 1 minute. Approximately two months of data were classified into rain events using methods common in the literature. These methods were unable to identify an array-wide consensus as to the total number of rain events; instruments as little as 2 meters apart with similar data records sometimes identified different rain event totals. Physical considerations suggest that these differing event totals are likely due to instrument sampling fluctuations that are typically not accounted for in rain event studies. Detection of varying numbers of rain events impact many commonly used storm statistics including storm duration distributions and mean rain rate. A summary of the results above and their implications are presented.

Women, Innovation and Aerospace Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-08

Catherine Didion, Senior Fellow, National Academy of Engineering, participates in a panel discussion at the Women, Innovation and Aerospace event celebrating Women's History Month at the George Washington University Jack Morton Auditorium, Thursday, March 8, 2012 in Washington. The WIA day-long event will help to foster a discussion for students and early career professionals about how to continue to encourage women to enter and succeed in the field of aerospace. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Women, Innovation and Aerospace Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-08

Rebecca Spyke-Keiser, NASA's Associate Deputy Administrator for policy integration, gives opening remarks at the Women, Innovation and Aerospace event celebrating Women's History Month at the George Washington University Jack Morton Auditorium, Thursday, March 8, 2012 in Washington. The WIA day-long event will help to foster a discussion for students and early career professionals about how to continue to encourage women to enter and succeed in the field of aerospace. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Patient education and basic body awareness therapy in hip osteoarthritis - a qualitative study of patients' movement learning experiences.

PubMed

Olsen, Aarid Liland; Strand, Liv Inger; Skjaerven, Liv Helvik; Sundal, Mary-Anne; Magnussen, Liv Heide

2017-08-01

Osteoarthritis (OA) is associated with pain, dysfunction and reduced quality of life. Patient education (PE) followed by 12 weekly sessions of Basic Body Awareness Therapy (BBAT) was offered to patients with hip OA, aiming to strengthen their ability to move and act functionally in daily life. To explore how patients described their experiences and outcome from participating in PE and BBAT. Individual, semi-structured interviews with five patients, aged 52-78 years, were performed after PE and BBAT at four and ten months. Interview data were analyzed by systematic text condensation. Three main themes emerged. "Becoming motivated and involved" reflected experiences of encouragement and support from information given and communication with group members. In "Movement awareness learning" patients described becoming aware of and improving functional movement, alleviating symptoms and increasing daily functioning. "Movement and disease in a long-term perspective" reflected patientś experience of increased self-awareness and taking better care of themselves at 10 months after baseline. Practicing basic movement principles, they felt empowered to handle daily life challenges in more functional and energy-economical ways. PE followed by BBAT in groups may be beneficial to patients with hip OA, and provide lasting benefits regarding daily life function. Implications for Rehabilitation Insight into disease process and relationship to functional movement gained through patient education may empower patients with hip osteoarthritis in management of daily life Movement awareness and exploration of movement quality using principles from Basic Body Awareness Therapy was found to support patients in finding resources for functional movement, implemented in daily actions Movement strategies characterized by adjustment rather than force was experienced by the patients to support their general functioning, despite of prevailing hip pain Implementing group therapeutic factors (Yalom

Perspectives of Women Decision-Makers Over the Participation and Recreational Events in Sports: A Turkish Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guzel, Pinar

2015-01-01

The purpose of this research is to put forth the role of the leisure and recreation events awareness including women decision-makers effects on their fellow women. Three main themes were recognized: Past; "Process of leisure and recreation events of women in Turkey", Present; "Model of Turkey for women on leisure and…

Norm-Aware Socio-Technical Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savarimuthu, Bastin Tony Roy; Ghose, Aditya

The following sections are included: * Introduction * The Need for Norm-Aware Systems * Norms in human societies * Why should software systems be norm-aware? * Case Studies of Norm-Aware Socio-Technical Systems * Human-computer interactions * Virtual environments and multi-player online games * Extracting norms from big data and software repositories * Norms and Sustainability * Sustainability and green ICT * Norm awareness through software systems * Where To, From Here? * Conclusions

Celebrating National Women's History Month

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-03-14

Dr. Woodrow Whitlow, Jr. (left), Associate Administrator for Mission Support Directorate at NASA Headquarters presents Donna Brazile, keynote speaker at a program celebrating National Women's History Month, with a framed NASA montage, Thursday, March 14, 2013 in Washington. The theme of theprogram was "Women Inspiring Innovation Through Imagination," and was sponsored by the HQ Equal Opportunity and Diversity Management Division at NASA Headquarters. The event also commemorates the 100th Anniversary of the Women's Suffrage March on Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Increasing Epilepsy Awareness in Schools: A Seizure Smart Schools Project.

PubMed

Brook, Heather A; Hiltz, Cynthia M; Kopplin, Vicki L; Lindeke, Linda L

2015-08-01

A high prevalence of epilepsy diagnoses and seizure events among students was identified at a large Midwestern school district. In partnership with the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota (EFMN), a quality improvement project was conducted to provide education and resources to staff caring for school children with seizures. School nurses (N = 26) were trained as seizure management educators and instructed staff in 21 schools on seizure awareness and response. School nurses utilized new seizure management resources, a procedural guideline, and care plan updates. The majority of school nurses rated the resources and training interventions as "very helpful." School nurse confidence in managing students with seizures increased, seizure action plan use increased, and 88% of children's records with new seizure diagnoses had completed documentation. School nurses played vital roles in increasing seizure awareness as educators and care managers. EFMN is using this project as an exemplar for expanding its Seizure Smart Schools program. © The Author(s) 2015.

Family physicians' awareness and knowledge of the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (GINA).

PubMed

Laedtke, Amanda L; O'Neill, Suzanne M; Rubinstein, Wendy S; Vogel, Kristen J

2012-04-01

Historically, physicians have expressed concern about their patients' risk of genetic discrimination, which has acted as a barrier to uptake of genetic services. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) is intended to protect patients against employer and health insurance discrimination. Physicians' awareness and knowledge of GINA has yet to be evaluated. In 2009, we mailed surveys to 1500 randomly selected members of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Questions measured physicians' current knowledge of GINA and their level of concern for genetic discrimination. In total, 401 physicians completed the survey (response rate 26.9%). Approximately half (54.5%) of physicians had no awareness of GINA. Of physicians who reported basic knowledge of GINA, the majority were aware of the protections offered for group health insurance (92.7%), private health insurance (82.9%), and employment (70.7%). Fewer physicians were aware of GINA's limitations regarding life insurance (53.7%) and long-term care insurance (58.8%). Physicians demonstrated highest levels of concern for health insurance, life insurance, and long-term care insurance discrimination, with less concern for employer and family/social discrimination. Level of concern for the risk of genetic discrimination did not correlate significantly with awareness of GINA. Approximately 17 months after GINA was signed into federal law, physicians' knowledge remained limited regarding the existence of this legislation and relevant details. Physicians who are aware of GINA continue to have significant concerns regarding the risk of genetic discrimination. This study reveals the need to further educate physicians about the existence of GINA and the protections offered.

Gamma band activity and the P3 reflect post-perceptual processes, not visual awareness

PubMed Central

Pitts, Michael A.; Padwal, Jennifer; Fennelly, Daniel; Martínez, Antígona; Hillyard, Steven A.

2014-01-01

A primary goal in cognitive neuroscience is to identify neural correlates of conscious perception (NCC). By contrasting conditions in which subjects are aware versus unaware of identical visual stimuli, a number of candidate NCCs have emerged, among them induced gamma band activity in the EEG and the P3 event-related potential. In most previous studies, however, the critical stimuli were always directly relevant to the subjects’ task, such that aware versus unaware contrasts may well have included differences in post-perceptual processing in addition to differences in conscious perception per se. Here, in a series of EEG experiments, visual awareness and task relevance were manipulated independently. Induced gamma activity and the P3 were absent for task-irrelevant stimuli regardless of whether subjects were aware of such stimuli. For task-relevant stimuli, gamma and the P3 were robust and dissociable, indicating that each reflects distinct post-perceptual processes necessary for carrying-out the task but not for consciously perceiving the stimuli. Overall, this pattern of results challenges a number of previous proposals linking gamma band activity and the P3 to conscious perception. PMID:25063731

Availability of EPA Tools and Resources to Increase Awareness of the Cardiovascular Health Effects of Air Pollution

EPA Science Inventory

On November 14, 2017 Dr. Wayne Cascio, Acting Director will present a webinar titled, “Availability of EPA Tools and Resources to Increase Awareness of the Cardiovascular Health Effects of Air Pollution” to HHS’ Million Hearts Federal Partner’s Monthly Cal...

Thinking like an expert: surgical decision making as a cyclical process of being aware.

PubMed

Cristancho, Sayra M; Apramian, Tavis; Vanstone, Meredith; Lingard, Lorelei; Ott, Michael; Forbes, Thomas; Novick, Richard

2016-01-01

Education researchers are studying the practices of high-stake professionals as they learn how to better train for flexibility under uncertainty. This study explores the "Reconciliation Cycle" as the core element of an intraoperative decision-making model of how experienced surgeons assess and respond to challenges. We analyzed 32 semistructured interviews using constructivist grounded theory to develop a model of intraoperative decision making. Using constant comparison analysis, we built on this model with 9 follow-up interviews about the most challenging cases described in our dataset. The Reconciliation Cycle constituted an iterative process of "gaining" and "transforming information." The cyclical nature of surgeons' decision making suggested that transforming information requires a higher degree of awareness, not yet accounted by current conceptualizations of situation awareness. This study advances the notion of situation awareness in surgery. This characterization will support further investigations on how expert and nonexpert surgeons implement strategies to cope with unexpected events. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Correlations Between Awareness of Illness (Insight) and History of Addiction in Heroin-Addicted Patients

PubMed Central

Maremmani, Angelo Giovanni Icro; Rovai, Luca; Rugani, Fabio; Pacini, Matteo; Lamanna, Francesco; Bacciardi, Silvia; Perugi, Giulio; Deltito, Joseph; Dell’Osso, Liliana; Maremmani, Icro

2012-01-01

In a group of 1066 heroin addicts, who were seeking treatment for opioid agonist treatment, we looked for differences in historical, demographic, and clinical characteristics, between patients with different levels of awareness of illness (insight). The results showed that, in the cohort studied, a majority of subjects lacked insight into their heroin-use behavior. Compared with the impaired-insight group, those who possessed insight into their illness showed significantly greater awareness of past social, somatic, and psychopathological impairments, and had a greater number of past treatment-seeking events for heroin addiction. In contrast with other psychiatric illnesses, the presence of awareness appears to be related to the passing of time and to the worsening of the illness. Methodologies to improve the insight of patients should, therefore, be targeted more directly on patients early in their history of heroin dependence, because the risk of lack of insight is greatest during this period. PMID:22787450

Partial and no recovery from delirium after hospital discharge predict increased adverse events.

PubMed

Cole, Martin G; McCusker, Jane; Bailey, Robert; Bonnycastle, Michael; Fung, Shek; Ciampi, Antonio; Belzile, Eric

2017-01-08

The implications of partial and no recovery from delirium after hospital discharge are not clear. We sought to explore whether partial and no recovery from delirium among recently discharged patients predicted increased adverse events (emergency room visits, hospitalisations, death) during the subsequent 3 months. Prospective study of recovery from delirium in older hospital inpatients. The Confusion Assessment Method was used to diagnose delirium in hospital and determine recovery status after discharge (T0). Adverse events were determined during the 3 months T0. Survival analysis to the first adverse event and counting process modelling for one or more adverse events were used to examine associations between recovery status (ordinal variable, 0, 1 or 2 for full, partial or no recovery, respectively) and adverse events. Of 278 hospital inpatients with delirium, 172 were discharged before the assessment of recovery status (T0). Delirium recovery status at T0 was determined for 152: 25 had full recovery, 32 had partial recovery and 95 had no recovery. Forty-four patients had at least one adverse event during the subsequent 3 months. In multivariable analysis of one or more adverse events, poorer recovery status predicted increased adverse events; the hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval, CI) was 1.72 (1.09, 2.71). The association of recovery status with adverse events was stronger among patients without dementia. Partial and no recovery from delirium after hospital discharge appear to predict increased adverse events during the subsequent 3 months These findings have potentially important implications for in-hospital and post-discharge management and policy.

The Relationship Between Speech, Language, and Phonological Awareness in Preschool-Age Children With Developmental Disabilities.

PubMed

Barton-Hulsey, Andrea; Sevcik, Rose A; Romski, MaryAnn

2018-05-03

A number of intrinsic factors, including expressive speech skills, have been suggested to place children with developmental disabilities at risk for limited development of reading skills. This study examines the relationship between these factors, speech ability, and children's phonological awareness skills. A nonexperimental study design was used to examine the relationship between intrinsic skills of speech, language, print, and letter-sound knowledge to phonological awareness in 42 children with developmental disabilities between the ages of 48 and 69 months. Hierarchical multiple regression was done to determine if speech ability accounted for a unique amount of variance in phonological awareness skill beyond what would be expected by developmental skills inclusive of receptive language and print and letter-sound knowledge. A range of skill in all areas of direct assessment was found. Children with limited speech were found to have emerging skills in print knowledge, letter-sound knowledge, and phonological awareness. Speech ability did not predict a significant amount of variance in phonological awareness beyond what would be expected by developmental skills of receptive language and print and letter-sound knowledge. Children with limited speech ability were found to have receptive language and letter-sound knowledge that supported the development of phonological awareness skills. This study provides implications for practitioners and researchers concerning the factors related to early reading development in children with limited speech ability and developmental disabilities.

Deja Vu All Over Again: Effects of Reenactment on Toddlers' Event Memory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheffield, Ellyn G.; Hudson, Judith A.

1998-01-01

Four experiments examined the effects of reenactment on 18-month-olds' event memory. Results indicated that reenacting novel activities in a laboratory playroom improved event memory. Reenactment was more effective after a time delay, and the effects of timing of reenactment were more pronounced after a six-month delay. Reenacting half of the…

Knowledge and awareness of heat-related morbidity among adult recreational endurance athletes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shendell, Derek G.; Alexander, Melannie S.; Lorentzson, Lauren; McCarty, Frances A.

2010-07-01

Adults have been increasingly motivated to compete in recreational endurance sports events. Amateurs may lack a complete understanding of recommended strategies for handling heat and humidity, making heat-related illnesses increasingly possible. This is compounded by global climate change and increasing average surface and air temperatures, especially in urban areas of industrialized nations in Europe and North America that have hosted most events to date. We conducted an on-line, secure survey at the 2nd Annual ING Georgia Marathon and Half-Marathon in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2008. We included previously validated questions on participant socio-demographics, training locations, and knowledge and awareness of heat-related illnesses. Participants were aware of heat illnesses, and of heat stroke as a serious form of heat stress. However, the majority, across age and gender, did not understand the potential severity of heat stroke. Furthermore, 1-in-5 participants did not understand the concept of heat stress as a form of heat-related illness, and how heat stress may result from buildup of muscle-generated heat in the body. Adult recreational endurance athletes are another susceptible, vulnerable population sub-group for applied research and public health educational interventions, especially in urban areas of industrialized nations in Europe and North America.

Knowledge and awareness of heat-related morbidity among adult recreational endurance athletes.

PubMed

Shendell, Derek G; Alexander, Melannie S; Lorentzson, Lauren; McCarty, Frances A

2010-07-01

Adults have been increasingly motivated to compete in recreational endurance sports events. Amateurs may lack a complete understanding of recommended strategies for handling heat and humidity, making heat-related illnesses increasingly possible. This is compounded by global climate change and increasing average surface and air temperatures, especially in urban areas of industrialized nations in Europe and North America that have hosted most events to date. We conducted an on-line, secure survey at the 2nd Annual ING Georgia Marathon and Half-Marathon in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2008. We included previously validated questions on participant socio-demographics, training locations, and knowledge and awareness of heat-related illnesses. Participants were aware of heat illnesses, and of heat stroke as a serious form of heat stress. However, the majority, across age and gender, did not understand the potential severity of heat stroke. Furthermore, 1-in-5 participants did not understand the concept of heat stress as a form of heat-related illness, and how heat stress may result from buildup of muscle-generated heat in the body. Adult recreational endurance athletes are another susceptible, vulnerable population sub-group for applied research and public health educational interventions, especially in urban areas of industrialized nations in Europe and North America.

[Situational awareness: oversimplification of reality].

PubMed

Hamming, Jaap

2015-01-01

Situational awareness appears to be an attractive term to describe attentiveness when performing complex tasks in an operating theatre, as its meaning seems clear and it is considered useful. It is embraced for describing human behaviour in the aftermath of incidents and appears to provide a clear explanation of what went wrong. But it actually describes a wide range of aspects of human behaviour and therefore comprises a risk of oversimplification. As a consequence, hasty and unwarranted conclusions may be drawn about a complex situation, especially where its outcome is known, leading to hindsight bias. To understand what happened, it is necessary to reconstruct the entire situation as it evolved at the time, considering all the activities, people, circumstances and equipment involved. People are always part of a system, so the proposed monitoring devices will be of only limited use in preventing adverse events.

A Lossy Compression Technique Enabling Duplication-Aware Sequence Alignment

PubMed Central

Freschi, Valerio; Bogliolo, Alessandro

2012-01-01

In spite of the recognized importance of tandem duplications in genome evolution, commonly adopted sequence comparison algorithms do not take into account complex mutation events involving more than one residue at the time, since they are not compliant with the underlying assumption of statistical independence of adjacent residues. As a consequence, the presence of tandem repeats in sequences under comparison may impair the biological significance of the resulting alignment. Although solutions have been proposed, repeat-aware sequence alignment is still considered to be an open problem and new efficient and effective methods have been advocated. The present paper describes an alternative lossy compression scheme for genomic sequences which iteratively collapses repeats of increasing length. The resulting approximate representations do not contain tandem duplications, while retaining enough information for making their comparison even more significant than the edit distance between the original sequences. This allows us to exploit traditional alignment algorithms directly on the compressed sequences. Results confirm the validity of the proposed approach for the problem of duplication-aware sequence alignment. PMID:22518086

An Assessment of ELINT Exploitation for Situational Awareness Visualisations on Operator Situational Awareness

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-10-01

C L A S I F I C A T I O N An Assessment of ELINT Exploitation for Situational Awareness Visualisations on Operator Situational...environment. The An Assessment of ELINT Exploitation for Situational Awareness Visualisations on Operator Situational Awareness EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...1. ELEXSA’s Process of Sequential Enrichment. 2 Figure 2. Sample ELEXSA Visualisation . 3 Figure 3. Example Llama/Cheetah Network Layout. 5

Self-reported and informant-reported memory functioning and awareness in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer´s disease.

PubMed

Silva, Martina Rios; Moser, Doris; Pflüger, Melanie; Pusswald, Gisela; Stögmann, Elisabeth; Dal-Bianco, Peter; Auff, Eduard; Lehrner, Johann

2016-06-01

Awareness of subjective memory is an important factor for adequate treatment of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study served to find out whether awareness of subjective memory complies with objective performance, if differences in awareness are observed longitudinally and whether decrease of awareness can serve as a predictor of AD in MCI patients. Thirty-four patients with MCI seeking help in a memory outpatient clinic were included. All participants underwent thorough neuropsychological examination. Awareness of subjective memory was obtained by calculating difference scores between patient and informant ratings on a 16-item questionnaire concerning complaints about loss of memory in every-day life. Retesting was performed after a mean follow-up period of 24 months. Whole group analyses showed that awareness remained relatively stable across time. Self-reported memory complaints correlated with episodic memory at baseline and with performance on a language task at follow-up. Retests displayed decrease of awareness. At group level differences in awareness between both times of assessment were not significant for MCI and MCI patients converting to mild AD at follow-up. The predictive value of awareness was low. Awareness of subjective memory deficit is linked to episodic memory function and decreases with decline of cognitive ability. Further studies evaluating predictive power of awareness of subjective memory should include a larger patient sample.

A Step Toward High Reliability: Implementation of a Daily Safety Brief in a Children's Hospital.

PubMed

Saysana, Michele; McCaskey, Marjorie; Cox, Elaine; Thompson, Rachel; Tuttle, Lora K; Haut, Paul R

2017-09-01

Health care is a high-risk industry. To improve communication about daily events and begin the journey toward a high reliability organization, the Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health implemented a daily safety brief. Various departments in our children's hospital were asked to participate in a daily safety brief, reporting daily events and unexpected outcomes within their scope of responsibility. Participants were surveyed before and after implementation of the safety brief about communication and awareness of events in the hospital. The length of the brief and percentage of departments reporting unexpected outcomes were measured. The analysis of the presurvey and the postsurvey showed a statistically significant improvement in the questions related to the awareness of daily events as well as communication and relationships between departments. The monthly mean length of time for the brief was 15 minutes or less. Unexpected outcomes were reported by 50% of the departments for 8 months. A daily safety brief can be successfully implemented in a children's hospital. Communication between departments and awareness of daily events were improved. Implementation of a daily safety brief is a step toward becoming a high reliability organization.

The 3HE in solar non-relativistic electron events

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reames, D. V.; Lin, R. P.

1985-01-01

The presence of 3He in 187 solar electron events observed on the ISEE-3 spacecraft during a 9-month period beginning in Aug. 1978 is reported. The 3He is present in over half of the events and in 2/3 of events with 19 keV electrons. It is suggested that 3He would be found in all electron events if these was a greater collection efficiency.

Oral cancer awareness of the general public in Gorakhpur city, India.

PubMed

Agrawal, Mamta; Pandey, Sushma; Jain, Shikha; Maitin, Shipra

2012-01-01

Global cancer statistical data show that India has one of the highest incidence rates of oral cancer worldwide. Early detection is extremely important as it results in lower morbidity and death rates. The present study was undertaken to assess awareness of oral cancer and knowledge of its early signs and risk factors in the general public of the semi-urban Gorakhpur area of Uttar Pradesh (India). It was also intended to educate the same population for early detection by increasing their ability to recognize signs and risk factors. A questionnaire-based household survey was conducted over a period of one month in different parts of Gorakhpur district, a region where tobacco use is apparently very high. A total of 2,093 persons participated in the survey. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software to assess and associate oral cancer awareness with the prevalence, and abstract risk factors, as well as other confounding variables. The general awareness, knowledge of signs and risk factors of oral cancer were found to be proportionate to the literacy level with the highest rate of awareness being among high school and graduates and lowest among illiterates. It was also observed that on most of these dimensions the younger age groups (<30 years) were significantly more knowledgeable. Overall, the awareness of oral cancer in the high-risk population of Gorakhpur was not satisfactory, pointing to a need for further dissemination of information on this issue and its associated risks. This is especially important for the youngsters, as this may possibly help them keep away from the deleterious habit of tobacco indulgence in any form. If necessary risk factor cessation counselling should be provided.

An Examination of the Relations between Oral Vocabulary and Phonological Awareness in Early Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cassano, Christina M.; Schickedanz, Judith A.

2015-01-01

This article reports a post hoc analysis conducted as part of a larger study in which 61 typically developing, 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds were assessed in phonological awareness (PA), vocabulary (i.e., receptive, expressive, and definitional), and grammatical skill at baseline and 3, 6, and 9 months later. The larger study's purpose was to shed light…

Women, Innovation and Aerospace Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-08

Kathy Sullivan, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Deputy Administrator and former NASA astronaut, participates in a panel discussion at the Women, Innovation and Aerospace event celebrating Women's History Month at the George Washington University Jack Morton Auditorium, Thursday, March 8, 2012 in Washington. The WIA day-long event will help to foster a discussion for students and early career professionals about how to continue to encourage women to enter and succeed in the field of aerospace. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Women, Innovation and Aerospace Event

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-03-08

Veronica Villalobos, Director, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Office of Personnel Management, participates in a panel discussion at the Women, Innovation and Aerospace event celebrating Women's History Month at the George Washington University Jack Morton Auditorium, Thursday, March 8, 2012 in Washington. The WIA day-long event will help to foster a discussion for students and early career professionals about how to continue to encourage women to enter and succeed in the field of aerospace. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

A Short Report: Word-Level Phonological and Lexical Characteristics Interact to Influence Phoneme Awareness

PubMed Central

Hogan, Tiffany P.

2010-01-01

In this study, we examined the influence of word-level phonological and lexical characteristics on early phoneme awareness. Typically-developing children, ages 61–78 months, completed a phoneme-based, odd-one-out task that included consonant-vowel-consonant word sets (e.g., “chair-chain-ship”) that varied orthogonally by a phonological characteristic, sound-contrast similarity (similar vs. dissimilar), and a lexical characteristic, neighborhood density (dense vs. sparse). In a subsample of the participants – those with the highest vocabularies – results were in line with a predicted interactive effect of phonological and lexical characteristics on phoneme awareness performance: word sets contrasting similar sounds were less likely to yield correct responses in words from sparse neighborhoods than words from dense neighborhoods. Word sets contrasting dissimilar sounds were most likely to yield correct responses regardless of the words’ neighborhood density. Based on these findings, theories of early phoneme awareness development should consider both word-level (e.g., phonological and lexical characteristics) and child-level (e.g., vocabulary knowledge) influences on phoneme awareness performance. Attention to these word-level item influences is predicted to result in more sensitive and specific measures of reading risk. PMID:20574064

Reported child awareness of parental depression.

PubMed

Eyre, Olga; Jones, Rhys Bevan; Mars, Becky; Hammerton, Gemma; Sellers, Ruth; Potter, Robert; Thapar, Ajay; Rice, Frances; Collishaw, Stephan; Thapar, Anita

2014-06-01

Aims and method To determine rates of parent-reported child awareness of parental depression, examine characteristics of parents, children and families according to child awareness, and explore whether child awareness is associated with child psychopathology. Data were available from 271 families participating in the Early Prediction of Adolescent Depression (EPAD) study, a longitudinal study of offspring of parents with recurrent depression. Results Seventy-three per cent of participating children were perceived as being aware of their parent's depression. Older children, and children of parents who experienced more severe depression, were more likely to be aware. Awareness was not associated with child psychopathology. Clinical implications Considering children in the context of parental depression is important. Child awareness may influence their access to early intervention and prevention programmes. Further research is needed to understand the impact of awareness on the child.

Interventional study plan to investigate the training effects on physical and psychological outcomes awareness of smoking in teenagers.

PubMed

Mohamadian, Fathola; Baghri, Maryam; Delpisheh, Ali; Veisani, Yousef

2017-01-01

Studies have found that nearly 90% of the first use of tobacco takes place before high school graduation (teenagers) and training discussion due to prevention can be useful, therefore, here, we aimed to determine the effects of training on awareness of cigarette outcomes (physical and psychological) in male teenagers. We conducted an interventional study using Solomon's four-group plan, which used a two-stage cluster sampling in four groups (two experimental groups and two control groups). The three sessions of at least 2 h of education intervention including visual displaying using photo, film, and short scientific texts were held for the interventional group. After 1 month, all four groups took posttest, and research groups were followed up after 8 months of intervention. All data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and covariance in SPSS. According to the results, the mean of posttest scores had increased rather than pretest scores, and generally, a significant difference was observed ( P ≤ 0.001). These results were significant in the aspect of both physical and psychological outcomes awareness. The difference between the mean of scores in follow-up period and posttest was not statistically significant, and it shows training retention after 8 months ( P < 0.666). It can be concluded that through the training, it is possible to increase the awareness of teenagers about physical and psychological outcomes of cigarette smoking that this can have an important role in smoking prevention.

Interventional study plan to investigate the training effects on physical and psychological outcomes awareness of smoking in teenagers

PubMed Central

Mohamadian, Fathola; Baghri, Maryam; Delpisheh, Ali; Veisani, Yousef

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND: Studies have found that nearly 90% of the first use of tobacco takes place before high school graduation (teenagers) and training discussion due to prevention can be useful, therefore, here, we aimed to determine the effects of training on awareness of cigarette outcomes (physical and psychological) in male teenagers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted an interventional study using Solomon's four-group plan, which used a two-stage cluster sampling in four groups (two experimental groups and two control groups). The three sessions of at least 2 h of education intervention including visual displaying using photo, film, and short scientific texts were held for the interventional group. After 1 month, all four groups took posttest, and research groups were followed up after 8 months of intervention. All data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and covariance in SPSS. RESULTS: According to the results, the mean of posttest scores had increased rather than pretest scores, and generally, a significant difference was observed (P ≤ 0.001). These results were significant in the aspect of both physical and psychological outcomes awareness. The difference between the mean of scores in follow-up period and posttest was not statistically significant, and it shows training retention after 8 months (P < 0.666). CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that through the training, it is possible to increase the awareness of teenagers about physical and psychological outcomes of cigarette smoking that this can have an important role in smoking prevention. PMID:29296600

Effects of stressful life events in young black men with high blood pressure.

PubMed

Han, Hae-Ra; Kim, Miyong T; Rose, Linda; Dennison, Cheryl; Bone, Lee; Hill, Martha N

2006-01-01

1) To describe stressful life events as experienced by a sample of young Black men with high blood pressure (HBP) living in inner-city Baltimore, Maryland; and 2) to examine the effect of cumulative stressful life events on substance use, depression, and quality of life. Data were obtained over 48 months by interview from 210 men in an HBP management study. Stressors repeatedly occurring over time included death of family member or close friend (65.2%), having a new family member (32.9%), change in residence (31.4%), difficulty finding a job (24.3%), and fired or laid off from work (17.6%). Involvement with crime or legal matters was reported at least twice during the 48 months by 33.3% of men. When a cumulative stressful life events score was calculated by summing the number of events experienced at 6-month points over 48 months and tested for its relationship with the health outcomes, the findings of multivariate analyses revealed significant associations between cumulative life stressors and depression and quality of life. No significant relationship was found between stressful life events and substance use. The results suggest that cumulative stressful life events have a negative effect on mental health and quality of life in young Black men with HBP. Future study should focus on developing interventions to assist individuals in managing distress related to stressful events with necessary community resources.

A qualitative study of Ottawa university students' awareness, knowledge and perceptions of infertility, infertility risk factors and assisted reproductive technologies (ART).

PubMed

Sabarre, Kelley-Anne; Khan, Zainab; Whitten, Amanda N; Remes, Olivia; Phillips, Karen P

2013-08-20

Awareness of infertility risk factors is an essential first step to safeguard future fertility. Whereas several studies have examined university students' awareness of female fertility and related risk factors, the topic of male infertility has not been well examined. The objective of this study was to assess young men and women's awareness, knowledge and perceptions of infertility, male and female infertility risk factors and assisted reproductive technologies (ART). Semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2008 with a multi-ethnic sample of sixteen male and twenty-three female Ottawa university students, followed by qualitative data analysis to identify major themes. Interview topics included awareness of male and female infertility risk factors, infertility diagnosis/treatments and personal options in the event of future infertility. Participants were generally familiar with infertility as a biomedical health problem, could identify sex-specific risk factors but overestimated fertility of women in their thirties and ART success rates. Reproductive health knowledge gaps and confusion of the physiological life-stage of menopause with infertility were apparent. Most participants would pursue in vitro fertilization or international adoption in the event of personal infertility. Some participants wished to use a 'natural' approach and were concerned with potential side effects of ART-related medications. The general awareness of infertility in young adults is promising and supports the potential uptake for health promotion of fertility preservation. This study underscores the continued need for comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education and promotion for adolescents and young adults.

Self-Awareness of Falls Risk Among Elderly Patients: Characterizing Awareness Deficits and Exploring Associated Factors.

PubMed

Mihaljcic, Tijana; Haines, Terry P; Ponsford, Jennie L; Stolwyk, Renerus J

2015-12-01

To characterize self-awareness in older adults undergoing inpatient rehabilitation and explore factors associated with reduced awareness of falls risk. Prospective, cross-sectional design. Older adult inpatient rehabilitation setting. Rehabilitation inpatients (N=91; mean age, 77.97±8.04y) and their treating physiotherapist. None. Three aspects of self-awareness (intellectual, emergent, anticipatory) were measured using the Self-Awareness of Falls Risk Measure. Demographic, medical, and cognitive (Mini-Mental State Examination) information were collected. Current ability was measured using the FIM and timed Up and Go test. Of the patients in the sample, 31% to 63% underestimated falls risk and 3% to 10% overestimated falls risk depending on the aspect of awareness measured. Different aspects of reduced self-awareness were correlated with being a man, higher educational attainment, neurologic history, lower cognitive ability, and lower functional ability. Regression analysis indicated that sex (β=-.33, P=.004), education (β=-.30, P=.006), and neurologic history (β=-.22, P=.038) were independently associated with overall self-awareness. The results suggest that a proportion of older adults undergoing inpatient rehabilitation underestimate personal falls risk. Further research is required to investigate the contributors to and effects of reduced self-awareness of falls risk. Greater understanding of these factors will facilitate the development of strategies to increase awareness of falls risk and increase engagement in falls prevention. Copyright © 2015 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Change or Durability? The Contribution of Metaconceptual Awareness in Preservice Early Childhood Teachers' Learning of Science Concepts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saçkes, Mesut; Trundle, Kathy Cabe

2017-06-01

This longitudinal study examined the role of metaconceptual awareness in the change and the durability of preservice teachers' conceptual understandings over the course of several months. Sixteen preservice early childhood teachers participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to reveal the participants' conceptual understandings of lunar phases (pre, post, and delayed-post) and level of metaconceptual awareness (delayed-post only). Based on the change and stability in participants' conceptual understandings from pre to post and from post to delayed-post interviews, participants' conceptual understandings were assigned into three groups that described the profile of their long-term conceptual understandings: " decay or stability", " continuous growth", and " growth and stability". The results indicated that participants in the " continuous growth" and " growth and stability" groups had significantly higher metaconceptual awareness scores than participants in the " decay or stability" group. The results provided evidence that metaconceptual awareness plays a more decisive role in the restructuring of conceptual understandings than the durability of conceptual understandings.

Raising H2 and Fuel Cell Awareness in Ohio

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Valente, Patrick R.

2013-03-31

The Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition was tasked with raising the awareness and understanding of Fuel Cells and the Hydrogen economy. This was done by increasing the understanding of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies among state and local governments using a target of more than 10% compared to 2004 baseline. We were also to target key populations by 20 percent compared to 2004 baseline. There are many barriers to an educated fuel cell population, including: a)Lack of Readily Available, Objective and Technical Accurate Information b)Mixed Messages c)Disconnect Between Hydrogen Information and Dissemination Networks d)Lack of Educated Trainers and Training Opportunities e)Regionalmore » Differences f)Difficulty of Measuring Success The approach we used for all the Community Leaders Forums were presentations by the Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition in conjunction with regional leaders. The presentations were followed by question and answers periods followed up by informal discussions on Fuel Cells and the Hydrogen Economy. This project held a total of 53 events with the following breakdown: From Aug 2009 through June 2010, the Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition held 19 community leaders forums and educated over 845 individuals, both from the State of Ohio and across the country: From July 2010 to June 2011 the OFCC held 23 community forum events and educated 915 individuals; From August 2011 to June 2012 there were 11 community forums educating 670 individuals. This report details each of those events, their date, location, purpose, and pertinent details to this report. In summary, as you see the Community Leader Forums have been very successful over the period of the grant with over 2,000 people being drawn to the forums. As always, we followed up the forums with a survey and the survey results were very positive in that the participants had a significant increase in knowledge and awareness of Fuel Cells and the Hydrogen Economy.« less

Comparing Canadian and American cybersecurity awareness levels: Educational strategies to increase public awareness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoggard, Amy

Cybersecurity awareness is an important issue that affects everyone who uses a computer or a mobile device. Canada and the United States both recognize the value of mitigating cybersecurity risks in terms of national safety, economic stability and protection of their citizens. The research performed compared the levels of cybersecurity awareness in Canadian and American Internet users. Canadian and American users were equally aware of cybersecurity measures, but were not implementing best practices to keep themselves safe. The research suggested users needed to understand why a cybersecurity measure was important before being motivated to implement it. Educational strategies were reviewed in both Canada and the United States and it was determined that although there were significant resources available, they were not being utilized by both the educators and the public. In order to increase cybersecurity awareness levels, nations should focus on increasing the public's awareness by using various types of messaging, such as cartoons, in media. One possible consideration is a compulsory awareness model before accessing the Internet. Cybersecurity topics should be included in the curriculum for students at all levels of education and a focus on providing training and resources to teachers will help increase the cybersecurity knowledge of children and youth.

Testing the impact on natural risks' awareness of visual communication through an exhibition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charrière, Marie; Bogaard, Thom; Junier, Sandra; Malet, Jean-Philippe; Mostert, Erik

2014-05-01

The need to communicate about natural disasters in order to improve the awareness of communities at risk is not a matter for debate anymore. However, communication can be implemented using different media and tools, and their effectiveness may be difficult to grasp. Current research on the topic is usually focused on assessing whether communication practices meet users' needs, whereas impact assessment is mostly left out. It can be explained by difficulties arising from (1) the definition of the impact to measure, i.e. awareness, and the appropriate indicators to measure it and its variations, and (2) the implementation of a research design that allows assessing these impacts without bias. This research aims at both developing a methodology to measure risk awareness and to use it for testing the effectiveness of visual communication. The testing was conducted in the Ubaye Valley in France, an alpine area affected by multiple hazards, from December 2013 to mid-February 2014. The setting consisted of an exhibition in the public library of the main town, Barcelonnette. The main natural hazards of the study case (i.e. landslides, avalanches, flooding, debris flows and earthquakes), as well as structural and non-structural measures were presented to the general public using local examples of hazards events and mitigation. Various visualization tools were used: videos, Google earth map, interactive timeline, objects, mock-ups, technical devices as well as posters with pictures, drawings and graphs. In order to assess the effects of the exhibition on risk awareness, several groups of children and adults were submitted to a research design, consisting of 1) a pre-test, 2) the visit of the exhibition and 3) a post-test similar to the pre-test. Close-ended questions addressed the awareness indicators according to the literature, i.e. worry level, previous experiences with natural hazards events, exposure to awareness raising, ability to mitigate/respond/prepare, attitude to

18- and 24-month-olds' discrimination of gender-consistent and inconsistent activities.

PubMed

Hill, Sara E; Flom, Ross

2007-02-01

18- and 24-month-olds' ability to discriminate gender-stereotyped activities was assessed. Using a preferential looking paradigm, toddlers viewed male and female actors performing masculine and feminine-stereotyped activities. Consistent with our predictions, and previous research, 24-month-olds, but not 18-month-olds, looked longer at the gender-inconsistent activities than the gender-consistent activities. Results are discussed in terms of toddlers emerging gender stereotypes and perception of everyday events.

Contraceptive awareness among men in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Islam, Mohammad Amirul; Padmadas, Sabu S; Smith, Peter W F

2006-04-01

A considerable gap exists between contraceptive awareness and use. Traditional approaches to measuring awareness are inadequate to properly understand the linkages between awareness and use. The objective of this study was to examine the degree of men's modern contraceptive awareness in Bangladesh and the associated determinants and further testing of a hypothesis that current contraceptive use confers a high degree of method awareness. This study used the couple data set from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (1999-2000). A two-level, multinomial logistic regression was used with the degree of contraceptive awareness as the dependent variable. The degree of awareness was measured by the reported number of modern contraceptive methods known among men aged 15-59 years. Men's responses on method awareness were classified according to those reported spontaneously and probed. Nearly 100% of the study participants reported having heard of at least one method and about half reported awareness of at least eight different methods of contraception. Multinomial logistic regression analyses showed that older and educated men were more likely to have reported a high degree of awareness. The findings confirmed our hypothesis that current contraceptive use is likely to confer a high degree of modern method awareness among men (p<0.001), after controlling for other important characteristics. Men who had a low degree of contraceptive awareness seem not properly informed of the wide range of contraceptive options. It is imperative that family planning intervention strategies in Bangladesh should focus on the degree and functional knowledge of contraceptive methods to improve the uptake of especially male-based modern methods.

Phonological Awareness, Vocabulary, and Word Reading in Children Who Use Cochlear Implants: Does Age of Implantation Explain Individual Variability in Performance Outcomes and Growth?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

James, Deborah; Rajput, Kaukab; Brinton, Julie; Goswami, Usha

2008-01-01

The phonological awareness (PA), vocabulary, and word reading abilities of 19 children with cochlear implants (CI) were assessed. Nine children had an implant early (between 2 and 3.6 years) and 10 had an implant later (between 5 and 7 years). Participants were tested twice over a 12-month period on syllable, rhyme, and phoneme awareness (see…

Impact of glycemic variability on the occurrence of periprocedural myocardial infarction and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) after coronary intervention in patients with stable angina pectoris at 6months follow-up.

PubMed

Xia, Jinggang; Xu, Ji; Hu, Shaodong; Hao, Hengjian; Yin, Chunlin; Xu, Dong

2017-08-01

We explored the impact of glycemic variability on the occurrence of periprocedural myocardial infarction and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) after coronary intervention in patients with stable angina pectoris (SAP) at 6months follow-up. From May 2015 to April 2016, a total of 746 patients with SAP were divided to high glycemic variability group (H group) (n=261) and low glycemic variability group (L group) (n=485). The primary end point was incidence of periprocedural myocardial infarction and MACE at 6months follow-up. The occurrence of periprocedural myocardial infarction occurred in 18.8% of patients in H group and in 12.4% in L group (P=0.03). The incidence of MACE at 6months follow-up was 9.6% in H group and 4.5% in L group (P=0.01). Multivariable analysis suggested that high glycemic variability conferred a 53% risk increment of 6months follow-up MACE (odds ratio 2.13, 95% confidence interval 1.85-5.38; P=0.01). The trial shows that higher blood glucose variability was correlated with higher incidence of periprocedural myocardial infarction and MACE at 6months follow-up. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Change or Durability? The Contribution of Metaconceptual Awareness in Preservice Early Childhood Teachers' Learning of Science Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saçkes, Mesut; Trundle, Kathy Cabe

2017-01-01

This longitudinal study examined the role of metaconceptual awareness in the change and the durability of preservice teachers' conceptual understandings over the course of several months. Sixteen preservice early childhood teachers participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to reveal the participants' conceptual…

Effect of public awareness campaigns on calls to ambulance across Australia.

PubMed

Bray, Janet E; Straney, Lahn; Barger, Bill; Finn, Judith

2015-05-01

The National Stroke Foundation of Australia has run 12 public awareness campaigns since 2004. Campaign exposure and funding has varied annually and regionally during this time. The aim of this study was to measure the effect of campaigns on calls to ambulance for stroke across Australia in exposed regions (paid or pro bono advertising). All ambulance services in Australia provided monthly ambulance dispatch data between January 2003 and June 2014. We performed multivariable regression to measure the effect of campaign exposure on the volume of stroke-related emergency calls, after controlling for confounders. The final model indicated that 11 of the 12 National Stroke Foundation campaigns were associated with increases in the volume of stroke-related calls (varying between 1% and 9.9%) in regions with exposure to advertising. This increase lasted ≈3 months, with an additional 10.2% relative increase in the volume of the calls in regions with paid advertising. We found no significant additional effect of the campaigns on stroke calls where ambulance services are publicly funded. The National Stroke Foundation stroke awareness campaigns are associated with increases to calls to ambulance for stroke in regions receiving advertising and promotion. Research is now required to examine whether this increased use in ambulance is for appropriate emergencies. © 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.

Cumulative Impact of Stressful Life Events on the Development of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy.

PubMed

Rosman, Lindsey; Dunsiger, Shira; Salmoirago-Blotcher, Elena

2017-12-01

The role of stressful life events in the onset of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) is unclear. This study sought to examine associations between type, timing, and number of stressful life events and onset of TC. A case-control study conducted among consecutive incident female TC cases and myocardial infarction (MI) controls admitted to two emergency departments in New England. Healthy female controls (HC) were recruited from a volunteers' registry. Information about the timing, type, and number of triggers during the 6 months preceding hospitalization was systematically collected using the PERI Life Events Scale about 1 month post-discharge. Group differences were evaluated using ANOVA, chi-square, and Kruskal-Wallis statistics. Generalized linear models were used to adjust for confounding variables. Between March 2013 and October 2015, 107 women were enrolled (45 TC, 32 MI, and 30 HC). Specific stressful events (death of a relative or close friend (p = 0.006); illness or injury to a relative or close friend (p = 0.001) were more prevalent in TC cases than MI and HC controls. The onset of TC was associated with exposure to multiple stressful life events during the 6 months preceding the index hospitalization (p < 0.001) but not with exposure to an acute, recent event (p = 0.96). TC onset was associated with specific life events (death or illness to close relative or friend) and with the number of stressful life events occurring in the 6 months preceding hospitalization. These findings suggest that grief and cumulative stress could play a major role in the onset of TC.

Trade-offs Between Command and Control Architectures and Force Capabilities Using Battlespace Awareness

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-01

information superiority in Network- centric warfare .34 A brief discussion of the implementation of battlespace awareness is given. The method 3 Figure 2...developing the model used for this study. Lanchester Equations,39 System Dynamics models,40–42 Discrete Event Simulation, and Agent-based models (ABMs) were...popularity in the military modeling community in recent years due to their ability to effectively capture complex interactions in warfare scenarios with many

Improving Speaking Accuracy through Awareness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dormer, Jan Edwards

2013-01-01

Increased English learner accuracy can be achieved by leading students through six stages of awareness. The first three awareness stages build up students' motivation to improve, and the second three provide learners with crucial input for change. The final result is "sustained language awareness," resulting in ongoing…

Result of randomized control trial to increase breast health awareness among young females in Malaysia.

PubMed

Akhtari-Zavare, Mehrnoosh; Juni, Muhamad Hanafiah; Said, Salmiah Md; Ismail, Irmi Zarina; Latiff, Latiffah A; Ataollahi Eshkoor, Sima

2016-08-08

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the second principal cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide as well as in Malaysia. Breast self-examination (BSE) has a role in raising breast cancer awareness among women and educational programs play an important role in breast cancer preventive behavior. The aim of this study is to develop, implement and evaluate the effectiveness of Breast Health Awareness program based on health belief model on knowledge of breast cancer and breast-selfexamination and BSE practice among female students in Malaysia. A single-blind randomized controlled trial was carried out among 370 female undergraduate students from January 2011 to April 2012 in two selected public universities in Malaysia. Participants were randomized to either the intervention group or the control group. The educational program was delivered to the intervention group. The outcome measures were assessed at baseline, 6, and 12 months after implementing the health educational program. Chi-square, independent samples t-test and two-way repeated measures ANOVA (GLM) were conducted in the course of the data analyses. Mean scores of knowledge on breast cancer (p<0.003), knowledge on breast self examination (p<0.001), benefits of BSE (p<0.00), barrier of BSE (0.01) and confidence of BSE practice (p<0.00) in the intervention group had significant differences in comparison with those of the control group 6 and 12 months after the intervention. Also, among those who never practiced BSE at baseline, frequency of BSE practice increased 6 and 12 months after the intervention (p<0.05). The Breast Health Awareness program based on health the belief model had a positive effect on knowledge of breast cancer and breast self-examination and practice of BSE among females in Malaysia. The ANZCTR clinical trial registry ( ACTRN12616000831482 ), retrospectively registered on Jun 23, 2016 in ANZCTR.org.au.

Talking about cancer with confidence: evaluation of cancer awareness training for community-based health workers.

PubMed

Grimmett, Chloe; Macherianakis, Alexis; Rendell, Helen; George, Helen; Kaplan, Gwen; Kilgour, Gillian; Power, Emily

2014-09-01

To examine the impact of cancer awareness training for community-based health workers on confidence to talk about cancer, and knowledge of cancer risk factors and signs and symptoms. Community-based health workers from Sandwell, Birmingham and Solihull were invited to take part in one of 14 one-day training workshops. Trainees completed questionnaires at the beginning of the workshop and were followed up one month later. Confidence in talking about cancer was examined. Knowledge of cancer risk factors and signs and symptoms was assessed. Trainees were asked to rate the usefulness of the workshop, whether they would recommend it to others and whether they had put what they had learnt into practice. A total of 187 community-based health workers took part in the workshops, and 167 (89%) completed the one-month follow-up. Considerable improvements were observed in confidence to discuss cancer. For example, the proportion of participants reporting feeling 'very confident'/'fairly confident' in discussing signs and symptoms of cancer increased from 32% to 96% (p < .001). Substantial improvements in trainees' knowledge were also observed, with 79% of participants correctly identifying 10 out of 11 known risk factors for cancer at one month compared with 21% before training (p < .001). Average (unprompted) recall of cancer signs and symptoms also increased from 2.3 (± 1.6) to 2.7 (± 1.5), (p = .02). Most trainees (83%) rated the workshop as 'very useful', and 89% said they would 'definitely' recommend the workshop. The cancer awareness training was reviewed positively by community-based health workers and led to improvements in confidence to talk about cancer, and knowledge of risk factors and warning signs of cancer. It is hoped that raising awareness among this group will help them to communicate and drive behaviour change in the at-risk populations with whom they work. © Royal Society for Public Health 2014.

Patient Compliance During Contact Lens Wear: Perceptions, Awareness, and Behavior

PubMed Central

Bui, Thai H.; Cavanagh, H. Dwight; Robertson, Danielle M.

2011-01-01

Objectives Patient noncompliance with recommended hygienic practices in contact lens wear is often considered a significant risk factor for microbial keratitis and adverse contact lens–related events. Despite advancements in lens materials and care solutions, noncompliant behavior continues to hinder efforts to maximize contact lens safety. The objective of this pilot study was to assess the relationship between perceived and actual compliance with awareness of risk and behavior. Methods One hundred sixty-two established contact lens wearers were sequentially evaluated after their routine contact lens examination at the Optometry Clinic at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, TX. Each patient was questioned by a single trained interviewer regarding his or her lens care practices and knowledge of risk factors associated with lens wear. Results Eighty-six percent of patients believed they were compliant with lens wear and care practices; 14% identified themselves as noncompliant. Using a scoring model, 32% demonstrated good compliance, 44% exhibited average compliance, and 24% were noncompliant; age was a significant factor (P = 0.020). Only 34% of patients who perceived themselves as compliant exhibited a good level of compliance (P<0.001). Eighty percent of patients reported an awareness of risk factors, but awareness did not influence negative behavior. Replacing the lens case was the only behavior associated with a positive history for having experienced a prior contact lens–related complication (P = 0.002). Conclusions Perceived compliance is not an indicator for appropriate patient behavior. A large proportion of patients remain noncompliant despite awareness of risk. Education alone is not a sufficient strategy to improve behavior; newer approaches aimed at improving compliance with lens care practices are urgently needed. PMID:20935569

Language development at 18 months is related to multimodal communicative strategies at 12 months.