Lessons Learned in Evaluating a Multisite, Comprehensive Teen Dating Violence Prevention Strategy: Design and Challenges of the Evaluation of Dating Matters: Strategies to Promote Healthy Teen Relationships

PubMed Central

Niolon, Phyllis Holditch; Taylor, Bruce G.; Latzman, Natasha E.; Vivolo-Kantor, Alana M.; Valle, Linda Anne; Tharp, Andra T.

2018-01-01

Objective This paper describes the multisite, longitudinal cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) design of the evaluation of the Dating Matters: Strategies to Promote Healthy Relationships initiative, and discusses challenges faced in conducting this evaluation. Method Health departments in 4 communities are partnering with middle schools in high-risk, urban communities to implement 2 models of teen dating violence (TDV) prevention over 4 years. Schools were randomized to receive either the Dating Matters comprehensive strategy or the “standard of care” strategy (an existing, evidence-based TDV prevention curriculum). Our design permits comparison of the relative effectiveness of the comprehensive and standard of care strategies. Multiple cohorts of students from 46 middle schools are surveyed in middle school and high school, and parents and educators from participating schools are also surveyed. Results Challenges discussed in conducting a multisite RCT include site variability, separation of implementation and evaluation responsibilities, school retention, parent engagement in research activities, and working within the context of high-risk urban schools and communities. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of our approaches to these challenges in the hopes of informing future research. Conclusions Despite multiple challenges, the design of the Dating Matters evaluation remains strong. We hope this paper provides researchers who are conducting complex evaluations of behavioral interventions with thoughtful discussion of the challenges we have faced and potential solutions to such challenges. PMID:29607239

Where's the Evidence? Finding Support for Separating Middle and Junior High School Choirs by Gender

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zemek, Michael D.

2010-01-01

Choral experts, namely conductors and textbook authors, have long recommended separating middle and junior high school singers into all-male and all-female choirs to address the unique challenges facing young adolescents and those who teach them. However, limited research-based evidence exists on the decisions conductors and choral music educators…

Diverting the Radicalization Track

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Jared A.

2009-01-01

The struggle against violent extremism is the most significant national-security challenge of the 21st century. It is the challenge that makes all the threats Americans face that much more dangerous. The ungoverned spaces, urban slums, and impoverished regions of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, along with the poorly integrated immigrant…

An Action Research Study of Barriers to Differentiated Instruction in Reading for Georgia Middle School Students in the Inclusive Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boston, Alicia

2017-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to explore middle school inclusion teacher perceptions to overcome barriers to successful DI implementation in reading for students with special needs. Inclusion reading teachers are faced with the challenge of providing classroom instruction to students with varying abilities, levels, and…

Integration of mental health into primary care in low- and middle-income countries: the PRIME mental healthcare plans.

PubMed

Lund, Crick; Tomlinson, Mark; Patel, Vikram

2016-01-01

This supplement outlines the development and piloting of district mental healthcare plans from five low- and middle-income countries, together with the methods for their design, evaluation and costing. In this editorial we consider the challenges that these programmes face, highlight their innovations and draw conclusions. © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2016.

Boundary Activities of Middle School Teacher Teams in a Global Era: Empirical Evidence from China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Shengnan; Feng, Daming

2016-01-01

With the tide of globalization, the external environment that schools face turns uncertain and complex. In response to the new challenges, teacher teams need to manage boundaries to maintain the sustainable development. The two studies reported in this paper, aimed to examine the boundary activities of teacher teams of middle schools in China. In…

Enjoyment Fosters Engagement: The Key to Involving Middle School Students in Physical Education and Physical Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pharez, Emily S.

2016-01-01

This article describes the challenges faced by a middle school teacher who inherited a recreation-based physical education program in which students had been accustomed to choosing what they wanted to do. Stressing the importance of implementing a standards-based program in which students of all skill levels and activity preferences were able to…

"Life Skills": A Single-Sex Classroom Intervention for Black Boys Transitioning from Middle School to High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flennaugh, Terry

2017-01-01

The transition from middle school to high school can be difficult for many students due to increases in school size, the structure of an academic schedule, and the complexity of social interactions in high school. However, Black boys face unique challenges during this transition period due to racism and structural inequalities. In response to…

Where Are the Gardens in the Garden State? Middle School Lessons on Sustainable Agriculture and Farmland Preservation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Loris

This unit helps middle school students explore the local face of a global challenge: vanishing farmland and the need for sustainable agriculture. With an eye on the National Geography Standards and five areas of the New Jersey core curriculum standards, this unit also develops the skills needed to contribute toward creative solutions for such…

The Sexual and Reproductive Health of Young People in Low and Middle Income Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Orain; Peterson, Nicholas

2013-01-01

Young people ages 10-24 account for 25 percent of the world's population: a total of 1.8 billion, most of whom are living in low- and middle-income countries. They face significant challenges, including HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), adolescent pregnancy, unsafe abortion, and gender-based violence. Youth have the right to lead…

Challenges in Distributed Leadership: Evidence from the Perspective of Headteachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tahir, Lokman Mohd; Lee, Sui Liang; Musah, Mohammed Borhandden; Jaffri, Hadijah; Said, Mohd Nihra Haruzuan Mohamad; Yasin, Mohd Hanafi Mohd

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the issues and challenges faced by headteachers in practicing the suggested distributed leadership (DL) approach in three primary schools to their middle layer leaders. Design/methodology/approach: The study employed a case study design and data were collected through semi-structured interviews.…

Enhancing Research Ethics Capacity in the Middle East: Experience and Challenges of a Fogarty-Sponsored Training Program

PubMed Central

Silverman, Henry; Edwards, Hillary; Shamoo, Adil; Matar, Amal

2014-01-01

we describe the research ethics capacity needs of the countries from the Middle East region. Against this background, we relate the experience of an international training program focused on providing long-term training in research ethics to individuals from low- and middle-income countries in the Middle East area. We describe our pedagogical approach to training, program changes to address challenges faced, and accomplishments of trainees. Many former trainees developed research ethics curricula in their home institutions, established or enhanced their institutions’ research ethics committees, provided leadership to national research ethics systems, and conducted research in research ethics. Based on our analysis, we make recommendations for how trainees can further address current regional research ethics needs in the Middle East and conduct future research. This paper is part of a collection of papers analyzing the Fogarty International Center’s International Research Ethics Education and Curriculum Development program. PMID:24384515

Computer Programming in Middle School: How Pairs Respond to Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Denner, Jill; Werner, Linda

2007-01-01

Many believe that girls lack the confidence and motivation to persist with computers when they face a challenge. In order to increase the number of girls and women in information technology careers, we need a better understanding of how they think about and solve problems while working on the computer. In this article, we describe a qualitative…

Boyer in the Middle: Second Generation Challenges to Emerging Scholarship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crow, Robert; Cruz, Laura; Ellern, Jill; Ford, George; Moss, Hollye; White, Barbara Jo

2018-01-01

This article reports on an examination of the distinctive second-generation challenges and opportunities faced by an early institutional adopter of the Boyer model of scholarship. Following the first cohort of faculty to be reviewed for tenure and promotion based on these criteria, we report the results of a survey designed to determine the…

The Digital Learning Imperative: How Technology and Teaching Meet Today's Education Challenges. Digital Learning Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwartzbeck, Terri Duggan; Wolf, Mary Ann

2012-01-01

This report outlines how digital learning can connect middle and high school students with better teaching and learning experiences while also addressing three major challenges facing the nation's education system--access to good teaching, tight budgets, and boosting student achievement. But simply slapping a netbook on top of a textbook will not…

The Digital Learning Imperative: How Technology and Teaching Meet Today's Education Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwartzbeck, Terri Duggan; Wolf, Mary Ann

2012-01-01

This report outlines how digital learning can connect middle and high school students with better teaching and learning experiences while also addressing three major challenges facing the nation's education system--access to good teaching, tight budgets, and boosting student achievement. But simply slapping a netbook on top of a textbook will not…

From Phenotype to Genotype: Exploring Middle School Students' Understanding of Genetic Inheritance in a Web-Based Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Michelle; Montgomery, Beronda L.; Manokore, Viola

2012-01-01

Research shows that students face challenges as they learn about genetic inheritance. The challenges could emanate from the fact that genetic inheritance involves unseen processes at different organizational levels. We explored students' understanding of heredity and related concepts such as cells and reproduction using a Web-based Science Inquiry…

Human-Nature Relationships in School Science: A Critical Discourse Analysis of a Middle-Grade Science Textbook

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharma, Ajay; Buxton, Cory A.

2015-01-01

Science education has a central role to play in preparing a scientifically literate citizenry that is capable of understanding complex environmental challenges facing human societies and making well-informed and evidence-based decisions that help resolve these challenges. However, evidence suggests that most Americans are poorly equipped with the…

A Multi-Method Qualitative Study of a New Teacher Inservice Training Program to Improve Teaching in a Primary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

James, Diann C.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this multi-method qualitative study was to collect data for a future development of an in-service training program for new teachers employed by Lake Forest Academy (pseudonym). New teachers of children with special educational needs faced challenges teaching in this Middle East country in addition to those faced by the new general…

Achieving Universal General Secondary Education in Ethiopia in Line with the Middle-Income Country Vision: A Reality or a Dream?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gbre-eyesus, Mulugeta Tsegai

2017-01-01

This article analyses the challenges facing secondary education in the context of Ethiopia's Growth and transformation Plan (GtP) for 2010/11-2014/15 and its stated goal of becoming a middle-income country by 2025. It does not aim to provide a definitive set of recommendations for universalising general secondary education to meet the demands of a…

Testing the Waters: Exploring the Teaching of Genres in a Cape Flats Primary School in South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerfoot, Caroline; Van Heerden, Michelle

2015-01-01

Twenty years after democracy, the legacy of apartheid and hitherto unmet challenges of resourcing and teacher development are reflected in a severely inequitable and underperforming education system. This paper focuses on second language writing in the middle years of schooling when 80% of learners face a double challenge: to move from…

Preventing School Dropout with Secondary Students: The Implementation of an Individualized Reading Intervention and Dropout Prevention Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Greg; Vaughn, Sharon; Fall, Anna-Mária; Vaughn, Michael

2013-01-01

Students transitioning from middle school to high school face a range of academic and social challenges. Academic content is more diverse and challenging, and its delivery is increasingly text based, requiring competence in literacy and problem-solving skill areas. Students entering 9th grade often struggle to find an appropriate peer group and…

Oral Braille Reading Decoding Strategies of Middle School Students Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nannemann, Allison C.; Bruce, Susan M.; Hussey, Colleen; Vercollone, Becky S.; McCarthy, Mary

2017-01-01

Students who are visually impaired may face unique literacy challenges as they learn to read and write braille. One such challenge relates to slower reading speeds for students who read braille as compared to those who read print. In addition to learning letters, sounds, grammar, and spelling, braille readers must learn contractions and…

Middle School General Education Teachers Attitudes toward Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the General Education Classroom: A Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jeffery-Turner, Patricia

2017-01-01

The problem is that many general education teacher's face challenges with including students with ASD in general education classrooms due to the lack of training, resources, and support. These impotent outcomes have not been well document in the research-based literature. General education teacher's challenges of providing research based evidence…

Optimizing Burn Treatment in Developing Low-and Middle-Income Countries with Limited Health Care Resources (Part 3)

PubMed Central

Atiyeh, B.; Masellis, A.; Conte, F.

2010-01-01

Summary The present review of the literature aims at analysing the challenges facing burn management in low- and middleincome countries and exploring probable modalities to optimize burn management in these countries. In Part I, epidemiology of burns injuries and the formidable challenges for proper management due to limited resources and inaccessibility to sophisticated skills and technologies in low- and middle income countries (LMICs) were presented. Part II discussed the actual state of burn injuries management in LMICs. In Part III of this review strategies for proper prevention and burn care in LMICs will be presented. PMID:21991190

Challenges in the management of community pharmacies in Malaysia

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Background: The provision of professional pharmacy services by community pharmacists continues to be limited, particularly in low and middle income countries. It was postulated that multiple management challenges faced by community pharmacists contribute to this situation. Objective: The primary aim of the research was to determine the challenges faced in the management of community pharmacies in Sarawak (the largest state in Malaysia), and practical strategies to cope and overcome the challenges. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were carried out with community pharmacists practising in Sarawak. Purposive and snowball sampling were employed to ensure a diverse group of informants. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, with the resultant data analysed using thematic analysis. Data collection, coding, interpretation were carried out iteratively until theoretical saturation. Results: Twenty respondents from different demographic characteristics were recruited. Six major themes were identified. Management challenges faced by community pharmacists traverse five major domains: market competition, legislative issues, customers’ knowledge and expectations, macroeconomic impacts and operational challenges. Most of these challenges require government intervention to be resolved. In the meantime, improving customer service and expanding the range of professional services were seen as the most viable strategies to cope with existing challenges. The main concern is that current legislative and economic landscape may hinder these strategies. Enactment of dispensing separation and more protective measures against market competition were suggested to alleviate the challenges faced. Conclusion: Numerous management challenges faced by community pharmacists that distract them from delivering professional pharmacy services have been highlighted. Urgent affirmative actions by the government are warranted in supporting community pharmacists to realise and maximise their potentials. PMID:28690697

Management challenges faced by managers of New Zealand long-term care facilities.

PubMed

Madas, E; North, N

2000-01-01

This article reports on a postal survey of 78 long-term care managers in one region of New Zealand, of whom 45 (58%) responded. Most long-term care managers (73.2%) were middle-aged females holding nursing but not management qualifications. Most long-term care facilities (69%) tended to be stand-alone facilities providing a single type of care (rest home or continuing care hospital). The most prominent issues facing managers were considered to be inadequate funding to match the growing costs of providing long-term care and occupancy levels. Managers believed that political/regulatory, economic and social factors influenced these issues. Despite a turbulent health care environment and the challenges facing managers, long-term care managers reported they were coping well and valued networking.

Prevalence of aging population in the Middle East and its implications on cancer incidence and care

PubMed Central

Hajjar, R. R.; Atli, T.; Al-Mandhari, Z.; Oudrhiri, M.; Balducci, L.; Silbermann, M.

2013-01-01

The Middle Eastern population is aging rapidly, and as aging is the main risk factor for cancer, the incidence and prevalence of that disease are increasing among all the populations in the region. These developments represent huge challenges to national and community-based health services. At the current state of affairs, most Middle Eastern countries require the cooperation of international agencies in order to cope with such new challenges to their health systems. The focus and emphasis in facing these changing circumstances lie in the education and training of professionals, mainly physicians and nurses, at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels of health services. It is imperative that these training initiatives include clinical practice, with priority given to the creation of multidisciplinary teams both at the cancer centers and for home-based services. PMID:24001758

The Challenge of Stress-Related Non-Communicable Diseases.

PubMed

Fricchione, Gregory L

2018-06-15

The greatest challenge facing medicine today involves the so-called non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This is true regardless of whether one's location is considered high-income, middle-income, or low-income. Basic research at all "OMICs" system levels will be significant in uncovering causal links that create NCD vulnerabilities in mind, brain, body, and society. Therefore, meeting this 21st century challenge by improving NCD management and prevention around the world will rely on advancement in this type of basic research.

Supporting Older Students' Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gutchewsky, Kim; Curran, Joanne

2012-01-01

According to a 2010 report by ACT, "Only 31 percent of students are performing at a college-and-career reading level with respect to successfully understanding complex text" (p. 5). This statistic demonstrates what educators know: Middle and high school students face numerous challenges in reading, understanding, connecting to, and…

Popular Music Helps Students Focus on Important Social Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, James R.

2007-01-01

One of the biggest challenges facing middle school social studies educators is creating powerful lessons that engage young adolescents in acquiring knowledge, stimulate critical thinking skills, inspire passionate interest in social studies and social issues, encourage active participation in civic life, and provide them with opportunities to…

Opportunity Texas[TM]: Learn. Earn. Save.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center for Public Policy Priorities, 2010

2010-01-01

Texas faces numerous challenges but also has abundant opportunities to build the middle class and increase prosperity. Unfortunately, too many Texans are on the sideline, lacking access to opportunities to learn, earn, and save to secure a more prosperous future for themselves and their families. To create jobs, increase income, and promote…

Being #2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grebenau, Maury

2016-01-01

Educational leaders who are second in command face specific challenges. Dealing with these stresses is integral to being successful in such a position. Seconds in command must learn to deal with that "caught in the middle" feeling: They need to accept what they can't change and change what they can, not get lured into badmouthing their…

Holding Students Accountable in Team Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mentzer, Nathan

2014-01-01

This article describes an efficient peer evaluation process that can be implemented at the middle and high school levels, and that holds students accountable for their individual contributions in a team-based project. Teachers faced with this challenge will welcome the web-based peer-evaluation interface that was capable of soliciting student…

Classroom Management Strategies for Difficult Students: Promoting Change through Relationships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beaty-O'Ferrall, Mary Ellen; Green, Alan; Hanna, Fred

2010-01-01

Teachers in middle level schools face overwhelming demands and challenges in their classrooms. They are expected to know content and pedagogy, develop engaging lessons that meet the needs of diverse learners, and use a variety of instructional strategies that will boost student achievement while they simultaneously develop positive relationships…

Educational Challenges of the 1980's.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wegmann, Robert G.

Education will have to face fewer students and less money in the next decade. The white middle class migration to the suburbs will cause greater concentrations of minority students in the large cities, intensifying the problems caused by non-English speaking students, and the increasingly isolated socioeconomic environment. Projections for…

Opportunity Knocks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoskins, Barbara

2009-01-01

Many people are finding themselves in the middle of a messy muddle these days. Faced with budget cuts and the challenge of extending the reach of the institution to increase enrollments, people are in the classic do-more-with-less situation. In this article, the author discusses how distance-education programs can rapidly grow with limited…

Teaching to Multiple Intelligence by Following a "Slime Trail"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delaney, Carol J.; Shafer, Francie Keller

2007-01-01

In this age of teacher accountability and high-stakes testing, practicing middle school teachers face many complex issues. Because adolescents must deal with the challenges of physical, social, emotional, and intellectual change, they are considered the most diverse population in the public school system. One way to increase achievement and…

Improving Content Knowledge and Comprehension for English Language Learners: Findings from a Randomized Control Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaughn, Sharon; Martinez, Leticia R.; Wanzek, Jeanne; Roberts, Greg; Swanson, Elizabeth; Fall, Anna-Mária

2017-01-01

Supporting the reading comprehension and content knowledge acquisition of English language learners (ELs) requires instructional practices that continue beyond developing the foundational skills of reading. In particular, the challenges ELs face highlight the importance of teaching reading comprehension practices in the middle grades through…

Schools of public health in low and middle-income countries: an imperative investment for improving the health of populations?

PubMed

Rabbani, Fauziah; Shipton, Leah; White, Franklin; Nuwayhid, Iman; London, Leslie; Ghaffar, Abdul; Ha, Bui Thi Thu; Tomson, Göran; Rimal, Rajiv; Islam, Anwar; Takian, Amirhossein; Wong, Samuel; Zaidi, Shehla; Khan, Kausar; Karmaliani, Rozina; Abbasi, Imran Naeem; Abbas, Farhat

2016-09-07

Public health has multicultural origins. By the close of the nineteenth century, Schools of Public Health (SPHs) began to emerge in western countries in response to major contemporary public health challenges. The Flexner Report (1910) emphasized the centrality of preventive medicine, sanitation, and public health measures in health professional education. The Alma Ata Declaration on Primary Health Care (PHC) in 1978 was a critical milestone, especially for low and middle-income countries (LMICs), conceptualizing a close working relationship between PHC and public health measures. The Commission on Social Determinants of Health (2005-2008) strengthened the case for SPHs in LMICs as key stakeholders in efforts to reduce global health inequities. This scoping review groups text into public health challenges faced by LMICs and the role of SPHs in addressing these challenges. The challenges faced by LMICs include rapid urbanization, environmental degradation, unfair terms of global trade, limited capacity for equitable growth, mass displacements associated with conflicts and natural disasters, and universal health coverage. Poor governance and externally imposed donor policies and agendas, further strain the fragile health systems of LMICs faced with epidemiological transition. Moreover barriers to education and research imposed by limited resources, political and economic instability, and unbalanced partnerships additionally aggravate the crisis. To address these contextual challenges effectively, SPHs are offering broad based health professional education, conducting multidisciplinary population based research and fostering collaborative partnerships. SPHs are also looked upon as the key drivers to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs). SPHs in LMICs can contribute to overcoming several public health challenges being faced by LMICs, including achieving SDGs. Most importantly they can develop cadres of competent and well-motivated public health professionals: educators, practitioners and researchers who ask questions that address fundamental health determinants, seek solutions as agents of change within their mandates, provide specific services and serve as advocates for multilevel partnerships. Funding support, human resources, and agency are unfortunately often limited or curtailed in LMICs, and this requires constructive collaboration between LMICs and counterpart institutions from high income countries.

Dance All Night: Motivation in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Criss, Ellen

2011-01-01

One of the biggest challenges that teachers of adolescents face is the necessity to motivate them. This article begins with an overview of motivational theories and then focuses on process theory and its application in the middle school and high school classrooms. An effective teacher can create motivation in students by forming relationships with…

A Naturalistic Study of Executive Function and Mathematical Problem-Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kotsopoulos, Donna; Lee, Joanne

2012-01-01

Our goal in this research was to understand the specific challenges middle-school students face when engaging in mathematical problem-solving by using executive function (i.e., shifting, updating, and inhibiting) of working memory as a functional construct for the analysis. Using modified talk-aloud protocols, real-time naturalistic analysis of…

Ready, Steady, Go! Strategies to Improve Texans' Financial Readiness to Pay for College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Helmcamp, Leslie

2011-01-01

Texas faces numerous challenges, but also abundant opportunities to build the middle class and increase prosperity. Unfortunately, too many Texans are sidelined, lacking access to opportunities to learn, earn, and save to secure a prosperous future for themselves and their families. A college education provides opportunities for Texans to obtain…

Effects of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports on Middle School Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knowles, Chad Allen

2014-01-01

Today's teachers face more frequent and more severe challenges than perhaps any generation of teachers that have come before them. Administrators attempt to support teaching in an environment of ever-increasing accountability and dwindling financial resources with new and innovative strategies. One such strategy employed by modern educators has…

Taking Off the Cape: The Stories of Novice Urban Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tredway, Lynda; Brill, Fred; Hernandez, Janette

2007-01-01

New administrators in urban schools face enormous challenges. The novice leaders in this study are graduates of a preparation program at UC Berkeley, and are participants in a leadership induction program. This research examines one aspect of their new position--disciplinarian--through the lens of leadership stories. Although the middle manager…

Enterprising University Put to the Test: Transnational Education in the Middle East

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fusilier, Marcelline; Munro, Douglas

2014-01-01

Educational leaders are increasingly required to become effective change agents as schools and universities are faced with pressures to cut costs and adapt to stakeholder demands. This case details the administrative challenges of restructuring a private-sector higher education provider from a traditional to an enterprising university capable of…

Beyond the Four Walls: Examining the Use of Authentic Learning Modules

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jagielski, Donna Marie

2016-01-01

While attempting to provide real world experiences in STEM, educators face numerous challenges including adhering to curriculum requirements and working with potentially limited resources. The purpose of this action research study was to examine how the addition of authentic learning modules to the existing University of Arizona Middle School…

Maximizing Credit Accrual and Recovery for Homeless Students. Best Practices in Homeless Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Homeless Education at SERVE, 2010

2010-01-01

Middle and high school students experiencing homelessness often face challenges in accruing credits. Class offerings, methods of calculating credits, and graduation requirements can vary greatly among school districts. Students who change schools late in high school can find themselves suddenly in danger of not graduating due to differing class…

Advancing Elementary and Middle School STEM Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

English, Lyn D.

2017-01-01

Navigating the current STEM agendas and debates is complex and challenging. Perspectives on the nature of STEM education and how it should be implemented without losing discipline integrity, approaches to incorporating the arts (STEAM) and how equity in access to STEM education can be increased are just a few of the many issues faced by…

Making Physics Fun: Key Concepts, Classroom Activities, and Everyday Examples, Grades K-8

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prigo, Robert

2007-01-01

Teaching physical science in the elementary and middle grades can be challenging for busy teachers faced with growing science demands and limited classroom resources. Robert Prigo provides fun and engaging activities using safe, available materials that educators can easily incorporate into lesson plans. Extensive examples, sample inquiry…

Student-Led Conferences: Students Taking Responsibility

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nauss, Sherri A.

2010-01-01

One of the many challenges that face middle grade students, parents, and teachers is the student's lack of ownership of their academic achievements. Student-led conferences are a unique way to engage the student and the parent in the academic progress. Parents and teachers discuss the student's attitude toward the work, the student's work ethic in…

Outcome Results from "Yo Veo": A Visual Intervention for Teachers Working with Immigrant Latino/Latina Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chapman, Mimi V.; Hall, William J.

2016-01-01

Objective: This study reports results from the outcome evaluation of "Yo Veo," a visual intervention with schoolteachers, which structures conversations about challenges that teachers face teaching Latino/Latina immigrant students. Method: The intervention was delivered to teachers at two middle schools in the southeastern United States,…

Challenges in the management of breast cancer in low- and middle-income countries.

PubMed

Yip, Cheng-Har; Taib, Nur Aishah

2012-12-01

The incidence of breast cancer is rising in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to 'westernization' of risk factors for developing breast cancer. However, survival remains low because of barriers in early detection and optimal access to treatment, which are the two main determinants of breast cancer outcome. A multidisciplinary approach to treatment gives the best results. An accurate diagnosis is dependent on a reliable pathology service, which will provide an adequate pathology report with prognostic and predictor information to allow optimal oncological treatment. Stratification of clinical practice guidelines based on resource level will ensure that women will have access to treatment even in a low-resource setting. Advocacy and civil society play a role in galvanizing the political will required to meet the challenge of providing opportunities for breast cancer control in LMICs. Collaboration between high-income countries and LMICs could be a strategy in facing these challenges.

Optimizing Burn Treatment in Developing Low-and Middle-Income Countries with Limited Health Care Resources (Part 2)

PubMed Central

Atiyeh, B.; Masellis, A.; Conte, C.

2009-01-01

Summary The present review of the literature aims at analysing the challenges facing burn management in low- and middleincome countries (LMICs) and exploring probable modalities to optimize burn management in these countries. In Part 1, the epidemiology of burn injuries and the formidable challenges for proper management due to limited resources and inaccessibility to sophisticated skills and technologies in LMICs were presented. Part II will discuss the actual state of burn injuries management in LMICs. PMID:21991180

The Missing Middle: Aligning Education and the Knowledge Economy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carnevale, Anthony P.; Desrochers, Donna M.

2002-01-01

While no one can predict the future, today's economic and demographic realities suggest the opportunities and challenges that will face America in the years to come. The U.S. economy has already undergone dramatic changes in the latter part of the twentieth century. The extension of product and labor markets has expanded global competition, and…

Administrators' and Teachers' Perceptions of Bullying and Bullying Policies in Middle Schools in Three South Carolina School Districts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jordon, Kelly J.

2014-01-01

Our nation's schools are faced with numerous critical challenges and problems; meeting federal and state mandates, state standards, elevating academic achievement, increasing parental involvement, and violence in the schools (Gould, 2011; Kowalski & Cangemi, 2011; Simpson, LaCava, & Graner, 2004). Violence in many U.S. schools continues to…

Innovation in Data-Driven Decision Making within SWPBIS Systems: Welcome to the Gallery Walk

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kennedy, Michael J.; Mimmack, Jody; Flannery, K. Brigid

2012-01-01

Schools implementing school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SWPBIS) at the high school level face the same challenges as elementary and middle schools, but also encounter an additional set of barriers all their own. To name but a few, these barriers include the need to focus on dropout prevention, postsecondary outcomes,…

Choice, Challenge, and Collaboration: Giving Teachers of Gifted Students What They Need in Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Bonnie Rhyne

2013-01-01

Since the implementation of NCLB initiatives, rural K-12 teachers in Middle Georgia have been working to gain highly qualified status in their area of certification. These educators have faced struggles that are characteristic of rural schools to include: limited resources, isolated geographic locations, and lack of funds. The In-field Gifted…

Evaluating Processes and Platforms for Potential ePortfolio Use: The Role of the Middle Agent

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slade, Christine; Murfin, Keith; Readman, Kylie

2013-01-01

With the changing face of higher education comes a demand to include new technological tools. Universities need to build their capacity to respond to new technology-related challenges. The introduction of ePortfolios is a significant strategy in this response. A number of organizational change management models are used to analyze the…

Music at Lincoln Junior High (Minneapolis) and the Lincoln Junior High Girls' Band: 1923-1940

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamann, Keitha Lucas

2010-01-01

Examination of the music opportunities available to students in the junior high schools of the early twentieth century lends historical perspective to current challenges facing middle level music educators. This article describes the specific music offerings at Lincoln Junior High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from the school opening in 1923…

Applying Research in Reading Comprehension to Social Studies Instruction for Middle and High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanson, Elizabeth; Wanzek, Jeanne

2014-01-01

Secondary-level content area teachers face unique challenges in helping their students successfully read, understand, and learn content from complex texts in their discipline. In this article, a set of research-based practices designed to provide effective and feasible instruction to improve students' reading and comprehension of text and content…

The Role of Leadership in Surviving a School Shooting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Carleton H.

2018-01-01

At a small rural middle school in the southern United States, two students murdered a teacher, four students, and injured 10 during a shooting spree. This case represents the lived experiences of a school principal, counselor, and community that survived the deadly rampage. The case highlights the challenges that school leaders may face such as…

Using Impact Bonds to Achieve Early Childhood Development Outcomes in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gustafsson-Wright, Emily; Gardiner, Sophie

2016-01-01

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, or Global Goals) and their associated targets set out by the United Nations in 2015 explicitly seek to address some of the largest challenges facing children around the world. Early Childhood Development (ECD) interventions have been found to improve adult health and education levels, reduce crime, and…

Understanding Middle School Students' Difficulties in Explaining Density Differences from a Language Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seah, Lay Hoon; Clarke, David; Hart, Christina

2015-01-01

This study examines how a class of Grade 7 students employed linguistic resources to explain density differences. Drawing from the same data-set as a previous study by, we take a language perspective to investigate the challenges students face in learning the concept of density. Our study thus complements previous research on learning about…

Postsecondary Transitions for Youth in Appalachia's Central Subregions: A Review of Education Research, 1995-2015

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kannapel, Patricia J.; Flory, Michael A.

2017-01-01

This article reviews research on issues surrounding postsecondary transitions for youth in middle (North Central, Central, and South Central) Appalachia, a region that faces numerous education challenges because of its geography, poverty, and economy. Examining published research and data from 1995 to 2015, the review seeks to inform education…

The Effect of Tutoring and Mentoring on Student Success in Single-Parent Middle Class African American Households

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Lachelle Yavette

2013-01-01

Evidence suggests that African American male students from single mother households may face more challenges than white male students in obtaining educational success in terms of graduation and test performance. This association has been generated from previous studies that identified themes of poverty, parents' lack of education, absent…

Vital Interests: Cultivating Global Competence in the International Studies Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Paula R.; Boyer, Mark A.; Brown, Scott W.

2011-01-01

Are students being prepared for the challenges they will face in a globalising world? We investigated whether middle school students were interested in global issues, had knowledge of global issues and possessed the skills needed for competence as a citizen in a globalising world in the context of participating in a five-week, web-based…

Cardiovascular diseases in mega-countries: the challenges of the nutrition, physical activity and epidemiologic transitions, and the double burden of disease

PubMed Central

Barquera, Simon; Pedroza-Tobias, Andrea; Medina, Catalina

2016-01-01

Purpose of review There are today 11 mega-countries with more than 100 million inhabitants. Together these countries represent more than 60% of the world's population. All are facing noncommunicable chronic disease (NCD) epidemic where high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases are becoming the main public health concerns. Most of these countries are facing the double burden of malnutrition where undernutrition and obesity coexist, increasing the complexity for policy design and implementation. The purpose of this study is to describe diverse sociodemographic characteristics of these countries and the challenges for prevention and control in the context of the nutrition transition. Recent findings Mega-countries are mostly low or middle-income and are facing important epidemiologic, nutrition, and physical activity transitions because of changes in food systems and unhealthy lifestyles. NCDs are responsible of two-thirds of the 57 million global deaths annually. Approximately, 80% of these are in low and middle-income countries. Only developed countries have been able to reduce mortality rates attributable to recognized risk factors for NCDs, in particular high cholesterol and blood pressure. Summary Mega-countries share common characteristics such as complex bureaucracies, internal ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic heterogeneity, and complexities to implement effective health promotion and education policies across population. Priorities for action must be identified and successful lessons and experiences should be carefully analyzed and replicated. PMID:27389629

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-05-17

In this photograph, Jeff Alden (left) and Justin O'Cornor, two middle school students at Lane Middle School in Portland, Oregon are demonstrating their Earth-to-Orbit (ETO) Design Challenge project at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama. Jeff and Justin, who are just a couple of "typical teens," have been spending their time tackling some of the same challenges NASA engineers face when designing propulsion systems at MSFC. The ETO Design Challenge is a hands-on educational program, targeted to middle school students, in which students are assigned a project engaging in related design challenges in their classrooms under the supervision of their teachers. The project is valuable because it can be used by any student and any teacher, even those without technical backgrounds. Students in 12 states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Missouri, Montana, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington, are taking part in the MSFC's Earth-to-Orbit program. NASA uses such programs to support educational excellence while participating in educational outreach programs through centers around the country. The Oregon students' teacher, Joanne Fluvog, commented, "the biggest change I've seen is in the students' motivation and their belief in their ability to think." Both Justin and Jeff said being involved in a real engineering project has made them realize that "science is cool."

Earth-to-Orbit Education Program 'Makes Science Cool'

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

In this photograph, Jeff Alden (left) and Justin O'Cornor, two middle school students at Lane Middle School in Portland, Oregon are demonstrating their Earth-to-Orbit (ETO) Design Challenge project at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama. Jeff and Justin, who are just a couple of 'typical teens,' have been spending their time tackling some of the same challenges NASA engineers face when designing propulsion systems at MSFC. The ETO Design Challenge is a hands-on educational program, targeted to middle school students, in which students are assigned a project engaging in related design challenges in their classrooms under the supervision of their teachers. The project is valuable because it can be used by any student and any teacher, even those without technical backgrounds. Students in 12 states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Missouri, Montana, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington, are taking part in the MSFC's Earth-to-Orbit program. NASA uses such programs to support educational excellence while participating in educational outreach programs through centers around the country. The Oregon students' teacher, Joanne Fluvog, commented, 'the biggest change I've seen is in the students' motivation and their belief in their ability to think.' Both Justin and Jeff said being involved in a real engineering project has made them realize that 'science is cool.'

The Relationship between Readability Level of Mississippi's Middle Schools' Websites and Seventh Grade Language Arts MCT2 Scores

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pickard, Anna Marlene Graves

2011-01-01

Today's educators face the unprecedented challenge of increasing achievement for all students. One response has been to increase and improve parent involvement and school-to-home communication through the use of school websites. The quantitative section of this study analyzed the readability grade level of the website as it relates to state test…

Reaching New Heights in Middle School Science: Straw Tower Competition Builds Student Interest

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pliskow, Tia

2008-01-01

Science educators face the challenge of piquing students' interest in subjects whose concepts are often entirely foreign to them. The author wanted to give her students a hands-on, "real world" experience rooted in scientific concepts. What evolved was an engineering design competition. The point of the project was two-fold: to work on real-world…

Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School. IES Practice Guide. NCEE 2014-4012

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Scott; Lesaux, Nonie; Jayanthi, Madhavi; Dimino, Joseph; Proctor, C. Patrick; Morris, Joan; Gersten, Russell; Haymond, Kelly; Kieffer, Michael J.; Linan-Thompson, Sylvia; Newman-Gonchar, Rebecca

2014-01-01

As English learners face the double demands of building knowledge of a second language while learning complex grade-level content, teachers must find effective ways to make challenging content comprehensible for students. This updated English learner practice guide, "Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and…

Character Education in Texas Middle Schools: An Analysis of Student Achievement, Attendance, and Discipline

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solis, Juan

2013-01-01

Character education has been a part of education since the early settlers in America (McClellan, 1999). The history of the United States tells the challenges faced such as revolutionary wars, civil wars, world wars, and economic downfalls. George Washington (1790) once said, "A good moral character is the first essential in a man, and that…

Weak surveillance and policy attention to cancer in global health: the example of Mozambique

PubMed Central

Carrilho, Carla; Ismail, Mamudo R; Castillo, Paola; Augusto, Orvalho; Sidat, Mohsin; Menéndez, Clara; Garcia-Basteiro, Alberto L; Ordi, Jaume

2018-01-01

Cancer is an emerging public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa due to population growth, ageing and westernisation of lifestyles. The increasing burden of cancer calls for urgent policy attention to develop cancer prevention and control programmes. Cancer surveillance is an essential prerequisite. Only one in five low-income and middle-income countries have the necessary data to drive policy and reduce the cancer burden. In this piece, we use data from Mozambique over a 50-year period to illustrate cancer epidemiological trends in low-income and middle-income countries to hypothesise potential circumstances and factors that could explain changes in cancer burden and to discuss surveillance weaknesses and potential improvements. Like many low-income and middle-income countries, Mozambique faces the dual challenge of a still high morbidity and mortality due to infectious diseases in rural areas and increased incidence of cancers associated with westernisation of lifestyles in urban areas, as well as a rise of cancers related to the HIV epidemic. An increase in cancer burden and changes in the cancer profile should be expected in coming years. The Mozambican healthcare and health-information systems, like in many other low-income and middle-income countries, are not prepared to face this epidemiological transition, which deserves increasing policy attention. PMID:29607101

Decoding Face Information in Time, Frequency and Space from Direct Intracranial Recordings of the Human Brain

PubMed Central

Oya, Hiroyuki; Howard, Matthew A.; Adolphs, Ralph

2008-01-01

Faces are processed by a neural system with distributed anatomical components, but the roles of these components remain unclear. A dominant theory of face perception postulates independent representations of invariant aspects of faces (e.g., identity) in ventral temporal cortex including the fusiform gyrus, and changeable aspects of faces (e.g., emotion) in lateral temporal cortex including the superior temporal sulcus. Here we recorded neuronal activity directly from the cortical surface in 9 neurosurgical subjects undergoing epilepsy monitoring while they viewed static and dynamic facial expressions. Applying novel decoding analyses to the power spectrogram of electrocorticograms (ECoG) from over 100 contacts in ventral and lateral temporal cortex, we found better representation of both invariant and changeable aspects of faces in ventral than lateral temporal cortex. Critical information for discriminating faces from geometric patterns was carried by power modulations between 50 to 150 Hz. For both static and dynamic face stimuli, we obtained a higher decoding performance in ventral than lateral temporal cortex. For discriminating fearful from happy expressions, critical information was carried by power modulation between 60–150 Hz and below 30 Hz, and again better decoded in ventral than lateral temporal cortex. Task-relevant attention improved decoding accuracy more than10% across a wide frequency range in ventral but not at all in lateral temporal cortex. Spatial searchlight decoding showed that decoding performance was highest around the middle fusiform gyrus. Finally, we found that the right hemisphere, in general, showed superior decoding to the left hemisphere. Taken together, our results challenge the dominant model for independent face representation of invariant and changeable aspects: information about both face attributes was better decoded from a single region in the middle fusiform gyrus. PMID:19065268

An Adult Developmental Approach to Perceived Facial Attractiveness and Distinctiveness

PubMed Central

Ebner, Natalie C.; Luedicke, Joerg; Voelkle, Manuel C.; Riediger, Michaela; Lin, Tian; Lindenberger, Ulman

2018-01-01

Attractiveness and distinctiveness constitute facial features with high biological and social relevance. Bringing a developmental perspective to research on social-cognitive face perception, we used a large set of faces taken from the FACES Lifespan Database to examine effects of face and perceiver characteristics on subjective evaluations of attractiveness and distinctiveness in young (20–31 years), middle-aged (44–55 years), and older (70–81 years) men and women. We report novel findings supporting variations by face and perceiver age, in interaction with gender and emotion: although older and middle-aged compared to young perceivers generally rated faces of all ages as more attractive, young perceivers gave relatively higher attractiveness ratings to young compared to middle-aged and older faces. Controlling for variations in attractiveness, older compared to young faces were viewed as more distinctive by young and middle-aged perceivers. Age affected attractiveness more negatively for female than male faces. Furthermore, happy faces were rated as most attractive, while disgusted faces were rated as least attractive, particularly so by middle-aged and older perceivers and for young and female faces. Perceivers largely agreed on distinctiveness ratings for neutral and happy emotions, but older and middle-aged compared to young perceivers rated faces displaying negative emotions as more distinctive. These findings underscore the importance of a lifespan perspective on perception of facial characteristics and suggest possible effects of age on goal-directed perception, social motivation, and in-group bias. This publication makes available picture-specific normative data for experimental stimulus selection. PMID:29867620

Academic and emotional functioning in middle school: the role of implicit theories.

PubMed

Romero, Carissa; Master, Allison; Paunesku, Dave; Dweck, Carol S; Gross, James J

2014-04-01

Adolescents face many academic and emotional challenges in middle school, but notable differences are evident in how well they adapt. What predicts adolescents' academic and emotional outcomes during this period? One important factor might be adolescents' implicit theories about whether intelligence and emotions can change. The current study examines how these theories affect academic and emotional outcomes. One hundred fifteen students completed surveys throughout middle school, and their grades and course selections were obtained from school records. Students who believed that intelligence could be developed earned higher grades and were more likely to move to advanced math courses over time. Students who believed that emotions could be controlled reported fewer depressive symptoms and, if they began middle school with lower well-being, were more likely to feel better over time. These findings illustrate the power of adolescents' implicit theories, suggesting exciting new pathways for intervention.

Challenging Characters: Learning to Reach Inward and Outward from Characters Who Face Oppression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsieh, Betina

2012-01-01

Throughout the author's 10 years in the middle school classroom, Anne Frank remains one of the most powerful figures that her students take away from their eighth-grade year. At first glance, her students don't think they share much more than their age with the World War II heroine. They are from almost every part of the world "except" Europe;…

Livelihood Planning and Career Guidance in Palestine and the Broader MENA Region

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sultana, Ronald G.

2014-01-01

It has often been stated that the Arab "world" is faced by a demographic challenge which is very different to that of many countries in the global North. As the Arab Spring has shown, youths across the region of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are keen to make a mark, and despite the internal conflicts and contests for power and…

The Growth of Neurosurgery in East Africa: Challenges.

PubMed

Santos, Maria M; Qureshi, Mubashir M; Budohoski, Karol P; Mangat, Halinder S; Ngerageza, Japhet G; Schöller, Karsten; Shabani, Hamisi K; Zubkov, Micaella R; Härtl, Roger

2018-05-01

As the second of 3 articles in this series, the aim of this article is to provide readers with an understanding of the development of neurosurgery in East Africa (foundations), the challenges that arise in providing neurosurgical care in developing countries (challenges), and an overview of traditional and novel approaches to overcoming these challenges and improving health care in the region (innovations). Recognizing the challenges that need to be addressed is the first step to implementing efficient and qualified surgery delivery systems in low- and middle-income countries. We reviewed the major challenges facing health care in East Africa and grouped them into 5 categories: 1) burden of surgical disease and workforce crisis; 2) global health view of surgery as "the neglected stepchild"; 3) need for recognizing the surgical system as an interdependent network and importance of organizational and equipment deficits; 4) lack of education in the community, failure of primary care systems, and net result of overwhelming tertiary care systems; 5) personal and professional burnout as well as brain drain of promising human resources from low- and middle-income countries in East Africa and similar regions across the world. Each major challenge was detailed and analyzed by authors who have worked or are currently working in the region, providing a personal perspective. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Clinical Assessment and Management of Spondyloarthritides in the Middle East: A Multinational Investigation.

PubMed

Hammoudeh, Mohammed; Al Rayes, Hanan; Alawadhi, Adel; Gado, Kamel; Shirazy, Khalid; Deodhar, Atul

2015-01-01

Data on spondyloarthritis (SpA) from the Middle East are sparse and the management of these diseases in this area of the world faces a number of challenges, including the relevant resources to enable early diagnosis and referral and sufficient funds to aid the most appropriate treatment strategy. The objective was to report on the characteristics, disease burden, and treatment of SpA in the Middle East region and to highlight where management strategies could be improved, with the overall aim of achieving better patient outcomes. This multicenter, observational, cross-sectional study collected demographic, clinical, laboratory, and treatment data on 169 consecutive SpA patients at four centers (Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia). The data collected presents the average time from symptom onset to diagnosis along with the presence of comorbidities in the region and comparisons between treatment with NSAIDs and biologics. In the absence of regional registries of SpA patients, the data presented here provide a rare snapshot of the characteristics, disease burden, and treatment of these patients, highlighting the management challenges in the region.

Teachers' Perception of African American Middle School Girls' Interest in Mathematics and Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Best, Bonnie M.

Research into African American female underrepresentation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields has become an area of interest due to the fact that a majority of African American middle school females do not possess the high levels of mathematics and science knowledge because of social and cultural barriers both inside and outside school that challenge their academic success. The purpose of this qualitative interpretative phenomenological study was to explore teachers' shared, lived experiences of teaching mathematics and science to African American middle school girls. Delgado and Stefancic's critical race theory, Pratt-Clarke's critical race feminism, and Baker-Miller's relational-cultural theory were used to guide this study. Research questions focused on the perceptions and experiences of teachers' lived experiences teaching mathematics and science to African American middle school females. Criterion, purposive, and maximum variation sampling techniques were used to recruit 10 teachers who have 3 or more years' experience teaching African American middle school girls. Semistructured face-to-face interviews were the primary data collection source. First cycle and second cycle coding methods were used to support the analysis of this study. Findings suggest that there is a connection between a positive student-teacher relationship and academic success. The results of this study contribute to positive social change by providing empirical evidence policymakers and teachers can use to improve the mathematics and science instruction and practices that are needed to meet the needs of African American middle school females and reduce the underrepresentation and underachievement of African American females in mathematics and science.

Conflict, displacement and health in the Middle East.

PubMed

Mowafi, Hani

2011-01-01

Displacement is a hallmark of modern humanitarian emergencies. Displacement itself is a traumatic event that can result in illness or death. Survivors face challenges including lack of adequate shelter, decreased access to health services, food insecurity, loss of livelihoods, social marginalisation as well as economic and sexual exploitation. Displacement takes many forms in the Middle East and the Arab World. Historical conflicts have resulted in long-term displacement of Palestinians. Internal conflicts have driven millions of Somalis and Sudanese from their homes. Iraqis have been displaced throughout the region by invasion and civil strife. In addition, large numbers of migrants transit Middle Eastern countries or live there illegally and suffer similar conditions as forcibly displaced people. Displacement in the Middle East is an urban phenomenon. Many displaced people live hidden among host country populations in poor urban neighbourhoods - often without legal status. This represents a challenge for groups attempting to access displaced populations. Furthermore, health information systems in host countries often do not collect data on displaced people, making it difficult to gather data needed to target interventions towards these vulnerable populations. The following is a discussion of the health impacts of conflict and displacement in the Middle East. A review was conducted of published literature on migration and displacement in the region. Different cases are discussed with an emphasis on the recent, large-scale and urban displacement of Iraqis to illustrate aspects of displacement in this region.

Putting the "Shop" in Reading Workshop: Building Reading Stamina in a Ninth-Grade Literacy Class in a Bronx Vocational High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gulla, Amanda N.

2012-01-01

For many teachers of middle school and high school, the greatest challenge they face in trying to help struggling readers improve their skills can be students' self-perception. When young people do not see themselves as members of the "literacy club," it is not just a simple matter of persuading them that becoming a fluent reader is…

From Middle School to the Workforce: Latino Students in the Educational Pipeline. Latino Students & the Educational Pipeline, Part I

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swail, Watson Scott; Cabrera, Alberto F.; Lee, Chul; Williams, Adriane

2005-01-01

This report is one of a series of three reports on Latino students in the educational pipeline. The purpose of this series is to provide a sense of the challenges facing Latino youth compared to White youth on the pathways to postsecondary education and the baccalaureate. In researching Part I, our interest was in finding out what happened to NELS…

What Counts When it Comes to School Enjoyment and Aspiration in the Middle Grades.

PubMed

Smith, Megan L; Mann, Michael J; Georgieva, Zornitsa; Curtis, Reagan; Schimmel, Christine J

2016-01-01

Young adolescents, and the middle level educators who work with them, face many exciting but demanding challenges during this key period of development. According to stage-environment fit theory, the degree to which middle grades students perceive a good fit between their school environment and their needs impacts their academic and life outcomes. The authors endeavored to build on middle level research by studying the extent to which students' needs are supported by school environment factors and how this "fit" relates to two academic outcome variables: school enjoyment and aspiration. The sample consisted of middle grades students ( N = 1,027) between the ages of 10 and 14. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses were conducted. After controlling for age, ethnicity, and gender, four subscales (Social Skills Needs, Mental Health Needs, Academic and Career Needs, and School Support) were entered as potential predictors. Both models were significant and accounted for ~20% of the variance. This study suggests that middle level educators, counselors, and administrators may benefit from considering ways to enhance the match between students' and the middle grades' learning environment, especially by considering non-academic factors as a way to provide indirect, but powerful, support for academic and life success.

Development of activities to promote the interest in science and technology in elementary and middle school students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sicardi-Segade, A.; Campos-Mejía, A.; Solano, C.

2016-09-01

Innovation through science and technology will be essential to solve important challenges humanity will have to face in the years to come, regarding clean energies, food quality, medicine, communications, etc. To deal with these important issues, it is necessary to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education in children. In this work, we present the results of the strategies that we have implemented to increase the elementary and middle school students interest in science and technology by means of activities that allow them to use and develop their creativity, team work, critical thinking, and the use of the scientific method and the engineering design process.

Building the Capacity to Manage Orthopaedic Trauma After a Catastrophe in a Low-Income Country.

PubMed

Furey, Andrew; Rourke, James; Larsen, Hans

2015-10-01

Providing trauma care in an austere environment is very challenging, especially when the country is faced with a natural disaster. Unfortunately the combination of these elements highlights the deficiencies in managing orthopaedic trauma both in a developing country and in the face of a natural disaster, exponentially amplifying the effects of each. When considering the implementation and practice of orthopaedic trauma care in such an environment, one must consider the initial phase of program development and look further to the future in the development of a resilient program, which is sustainable. Through the use of the example of Haiti and a specific Non-Governmental Organization, we discuss the evidence for and thoughts behind developing orthopaedic trauma care program immediately after a natural disaster. This program aims to build capacity and empower a developing nation's health professionals to advance the care of orthopaedic trauma patients. We describe a model of capacity building that serves as a framework to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of low-to middle-income countries in providing orthopaedic trauma care when faced with such a challenge.

Attitudes of Middle School Students: Learning Online Compared to Face to Face

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Clayton; Rule, Audrey

2013-01-01

Education in an online setting is an increasingly popular method of instruction. Previous studies comparing college or high school student performance in online and face-to-face courses found, in most cases, similar achievement between conditions. However, research is lacking regarding middle school students' academic performance and attitudes…

The Relationship of Leadership Styles, Gender and Years of Experience of Middle School Principals in North Carolina on Achievement and Growth Trends on the End of Grade Exams

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brooks, Morris, Jr.

2009-01-01

Leadership is an ever changing process and principals play a key role in the instructional focus of a school which often times created success in instruction (Riordan, 2003). Principals face different challenges today while improving schools and student academic achievement. The perceptions of an effective school leader has changed over the years…

Adlerian Marital Therapy Strategies with Middle Income Couples Facing Financial Stress.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freeman, Criswell; And Others

1993-01-01

Describes the impact of economic stressors on marriage. Discusses how Adlerian marital therapy strategies can be tailored to help middle-income couples deal with such stressors. Identifies problems facing middle income families experiencing financial hardship, describes Adlerian counseling for financial conflict in marriage, and delineates…

Prohibit, constrain, encourage, or purchase: how should we engage with the private health-care sector?

PubMed

Montagu, Dominic; Goodman, Catherine

2016-08-06

The private for-profit sector's prominence in health-care delivery, and concern about its failures to deliver social benefit, has driven a search for interventions to improve the sector's functioning. We review evidence for the effectiveness and limitations of such private sector interventions in low-income and middle-income countries. Few robust assessments are available, but some conclusions are possible. Prohibiting the private sector is very unlikely to succeed, and regulatory approaches face persistent challenges in many low-income and middle-income countries. Attention is therefore turning to interventions that encourage private providers to improve quality and coverage (while advancing their financial interests) such as social marketing, social franchising, vouchers, and contracting. However, evidence about the effect on clinical quality, coverage, equity, and cost-effectiveness is inadequate. Other challenges concern scalability and scope, indicating the limitations of such interventions as a basis for universal health coverage, though interventions can address focused problems on a restricted scale. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Albuquerque/Middle Rio Grande Urban Waters Viewer

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

These data have been compiled in support of the Middle Rio Grande/Albuquerque Urban Waters Partnership for the region including Albuquerque, New Mexico.The Middle Rio Grande/Albuquerque Urban Waters Federal Partnership is co-chaired by the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. There are also a number of other federal agencies engaged in projects with Tribal, State, and local officials, and community stakeholders. Like many western river ecosystems, the Middle Rio Grande faces numerous challenges in balancing competing needs within a finite water supply and other resource constrains. Historical practices by our ancestors and immigrants to the Middle Rio Grande have established the conditions that we have inherited. Long-term drought exacerbated by climate change is changing conditions that affect natural and human communities as we strive to improve our precious Rio Grande.The Middle Rio Grande/Albuquerque Urban Waters Federal Partnership will reconnect our urban communities, particularly those that are overburdened or economically distressed, with the waterway by improving coordination among federal agencies and collaborating with community-led revitalization efforts. Our projects will improve our community water systems and promote their economic, environmental and social benefits. Specifically, the Middle Rio Grande/Albuquerque Urban Waters Federal Partnership will support the development of the Valle de Oro

The Impact of Mentoring Programs on Teachers in Urban Middle Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wider, Beyonka Shantel

2012-01-01

Retaining teachers is a pressing issue facing many urban middle schools in the southern US. Urban middle schools continually face increased teacher turnover rates in spite of state mandated induction and mentoring programs. Drawing from Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory, the purpose of the qualitative case study was to examine urban middle…

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-05-17

In this photograph, students from all over the country gathered and discussed their Earth-to-Orbit (ETO) Design Challenge project at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. These students who are just "typical teens," have been spending their time tackling some of the same challenges NASA engineers face when designing propulsion systems at MSFC. The ETO Design Challenge is a hands-on educational program, targeted to middle school students, in which students are assigned a project engaging in related design challenges in their classrooms under the supervision of their teachers. The project is valuable because it can be used by any student, and any teacher, even those without technical backgrounds. Student in 12 states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Missouri, Montana, New York, Ohio, Ternessee, Virginia, and Washington, are taking part in MSFC's Earth-to-Orbit program. NASA uses such programs to support educational excellence while participating in educational outreach programs through centers around the country. One of the students' teachers, Joanne Fluvog, commented, "the biggest change I've seen is in the students' motivation and their belief in their ability to think." Justin O'Connor and Jeff Alden, students of Lane Middle School in Portland, Oregon, participated in the ETO program and said being involved in a real engineering project has made them realize that "science is cool."

Earth-to-Orbit Education Program 'Makes Science Cool'

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

In this photograph, students from all over the country gathered and discussed their Earth-to-Orbit (ETO) Design Challenge project at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. These students who are just 'typical teens,' have been spending their time tackling some of the same challenges NASA engineers face when designing propulsion systems at MSFC. The ETO Design Challenge is a hands-on educational program, targeted to middle school students, in which students are assigned a project engaging in related design challenges in their classrooms under the supervision of their teachers. The project is valuable because it can be used by any student, and any teacher, even those without technical backgrounds. Student in 12 states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Missouri, Montana, New York, Ohio, Ternessee, Virginia, and Washington, are taking part in MSFC's Earth-to-Orbit program. NASA uses such programs to support educational excellence while participating in educational outreach programs through centers around the country. One of the students' teachers, Joanne Fluvog, commented, 'the biggest change I've seen is in the students' motivation and their belief in their ability to think.' Justin O'Connor and Jeff Alden, students of Lane Middle School in Portland, Oregon, participated in the ETO program and said being involved in a real engineering project has made them realize that 'science is cool.'

Challenges of Integrating Affordable and Sustainable Housing in Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syed Jamaludin, S. Z. H.; Mahayuddin, S. A.; Hamid, S. H. A.

2018-04-01

Developing countries including Malaysia have begun to comprehend the needs for affordable and sustainable housing development. The majority of the population is still aspiring for a comfortable, safe and reasonably priced house. Households in the low-middle income range face difficulties to find housing that can satisfy their needs and budget. Unfortunately, most of the housing development programs are considering affordability rather than sustainable aspects. Furthermore, developers are more interested in profit and neglect sustainability issues. Thus, the aim of this paper is to review the challenges in integrating affordable housing and sustainable practices in Malaysia. This paper is produced based on an extensive literature review as a basis to develop strategies of integrated affordable and sustainable housing in Malaysia. The challenges are divided into four sections, namely market challenges, professional challenges, societal challenges and technological challenges. The outcomes of this paper will assist in the decision making involving housing development and in enhancing quality of life for sustainable communities.

Managing the Growing Chinese Power in SE Asia: The U.S. Struggle to Maintain Power Projection in the Face of the Rising Middle Kingdom

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-04

Westport: Greenwood Press 1973, p. 110. 2 Ibid., p. 112. 3 Krepinevich, Andrew. “How to deter China: The case for archipelagic defense.” Foreign...say that the Chinese government has some master plan to challenge the United States for hegemony and is using this ideological doctrine to finesse...political warfare. “Political Warfare is the logical application of Clausewitz’s doctrine in time of peace. In the broadest definition, political

An examination of how middle school science teachers conduct collaborative inquiry and reflection about students' conceptual understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Todd-Gibson, Christine

This qualitative case study examined how middle school science teachers conducted collaborative inquiry and reflection about students' conceptual understanding, and how individual teachers in the middle school science group acted and made reflections in response to their collaborative inquiry. It also examined external influences that affected the teachers' ability to engage in collaborative inquiry. Observational, written, and interview data were collected from observations of teachers' face-to-face meetings and reflections, individual interviews, a focus group interview, and online reflections. The results of this study revealed that collaborative inquiry is a form of professional development that includes answering curricular questions through observation, communication, action, and reflection. This approach was developed and implemented by middle school science teachers. The premise of an inquiry is based on a need with students. Middle school science teachers came to consensus about actions to affect students' conceptual understanding, took action as stated, and shared their reflections of the actions taken with consideration to current and upcoming school activities. Activities involved teachers brainstorming and sharing with one another, talking about how the variables were merged into their curriculum, and how they impacted students' conceptual understanding. Teachers valued talking with one another about science content and pedagogy, but did find the inquiry portion of the approach to require more development. The greatest challenge to conducting collaborative inquiry and reflection was embedding teacher inquiry within a prescribed inquiry that was already being conducted by the Sundown School District. Collaborative inquiry should be structured so that it meets the needs of teachers in order to attend to the needs of students. A conducive atmosphere for collaborative inquiry and reflection is one in which administrators make the process mandatory and facilitate the process by removing an existing inquiry.

Rethinking health research capacity strengthening

PubMed Central

Vasquez, Emily; Hirsch, Jennifer S.; Giang, Le Minh; Parker, Richard G.

2013-01-01

Health research capacity strengthening (HRCS) is a strategy implemented worldwide to improve the ability of developing countries to tackle the persistent and disproportionate burdens of disease they face. Drawing on a review of existing HRCS literature and our experiences over the course of an NIH-funded HRCS project in Vietnam, we summarise major challenges to the HRCS enterprise at the interpersonal, institutional and macro levels. While over the course of several decades of HRCS initiatives many of these challenges have been well documented, we highlight several considerations that remain under-articulated. We advance critical considerations of the HRCS enterprise by discussing 1) how the organisation of US public health funding shapes the ecology of knowledge production in low- and middle-income country contexts, 2) the barriers US researchers face to effectively collaborating in capacity strengthening for research-to-policy translation, and 3) the potential for unintentional negative consequences if HRCS efforts are not sufficiently reflexive about the limitations of dominant paradigms in public health research and intervention. PMID:23651463

NOW AND THEN: The Global Nutrition Transition: The Pandemic of Obesity in Developing Countries

PubMed Central

Popkin, Barry M.; Adair, Linda S.; Ng, Shu Wen

2011-01-01

Decades ago discussion of an impending global pandemic of obesity was thought of as heresy. Diets in the 1970’s began to shift toward increased reliance upon processed foods, increased away from home intake and greater use of edible oils and sugar-sweetened beverages. Reduced physical activity and increased sedentary time was seen also. These changes began in the early 1990-‘s in the low and middle income world but did not become clearly recognized until diabetes, hypertension and obesity began to dominate the globe. Urban and rural areas from sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia’s poorest countries to the higher income ones are shown to have experienced rapid increases in overweight and obesity status. Concurrent rapid shifts in diet and activity are documented. An array of large-scale programmatic and policy shifts are being explored in a few countries; however despite the major health challenges faced, few countries are serious in addressing prevention of the dietary challenges faced. PMID:22221213

The Vietnam Multicomponent Collaborative Care for Depression Program: Development of Depression Care for Low- and Middle-Income Nations

PubMed Central

Ngo, Victoria K.; Weiss, Bahr; Lam, Trung; Dang, Thanh; Nguyen, Tam; Nguyen, Mai Hien

2014-01-01

In this article, we discuss the Vietnam Multicomponent Collaborative Care for Depression Program, which was designed to provide evidence-based depression care services in low-resource, non-Western settings such as Vietnam. The article provides the program development background; the social, economic, and political context in which the program was developed; and the structure and content of the program and their underlying rationale in the context of rural Vietnam. Although the program was found to be acceptable, feasible, and effective in reducing depression outcomes, we did face challenges in implementation, which are outlined in this article. Key challenges included cultural factors (e.g., a lack of recognition of depression as a health-related entity amenable to professional treatment, relatively low levels of psychological mindedness useful for understanding of psychological interventions) and health system (e.g., lack of mental health specialists, overburdened health providers unfamiliar with behavioral interventions) factors. We discuss the strategies we employed to resolve these challenges and our successes and failures therein. We conclude with recommendations for others interested in implementing similar programs in low- and middle-income countries settings. PMID:25568593

Tobacco Dependence Treatment Training Programs: An International Survey

PubMed Central

Rigotti, Nancy A.; Raw, Martin; McNeill, Ann; Murray, Rachael; Piné-Abata, Hembadoon; Bitton, Asaf; McEwen, Andy

2016-01-01

Abstract Introduction: In line with Article 14 guidelines for the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, we aimed to assess the progress in training individuals to deliver tobacco cessation treatment. Methods: Cross-sectional web-based survey in May–September 2013 among 122 experts in tobacco control and training from 84 countries (73% response rate among 115 countries surveyed). We measured training program prevalence, participants, and challenges faced. Results: Overall, 21% ( n = 18/84) of countries, mostly low and middle-income countries (LMICs; P = .002), reported no training program. Among 66 countries reporting at least one training program, most (84%) trained healthcare professionals but 54% also trained other individuals including community health workers, teachers, and religious leaders. Most programs (54%) cited funding challenges, although stability of funding varied by income level. Government funding was more commonly reported in higher income countries (high 56%, upper middle 50%, lower middle 27%, low 25%; P = .03) while programs in LMICs relied more on nongovernmental organizations (high 11%, upper middle 37%, lower middle 27%, low 38%; P = .02). Conclusions: One in five countries reported having no tobacco treatment training program representing little progress in terms of training individuals to deliver tobacco treatment in LMICs. Without more trained tobacco treatment providers, one of the tenets of Article 14 is not yet being met and health inequalities are likely to widen. More effort and resources are needed to ensure that healthcare worker educational programs include training to assess tobacco use and deliver brief advice and that training is available for individuals outside the healthcare system in areas with limited healthcare access. PMID:26117835

Caring for children with colorectal disease in the context of limited resources.

PubMed

Poenaru, Dan; Borgstein, Eric; Numanoglu, Alp; Azzie, Georges

2010-05-01

The management of patients with colorectal disease in the pediatric population is challenging. Such management is all the more challenging when facing the constraints imposed by an environment with limited clinical resources. Three types of colorectal problems are highlighted in this article: anorectal malformations, Hirschsprung's disease, and acquired rectovaginal fistula in the human immunodeficiency virus-positive population. Through the use of illustrative cases, the authors discuss the pitfalls and challenges encountered in the diagnosis, treatment, and appropriate disposition of these patients. The bulk of the experience used to write this article was acquired in low- and middle-income countries in Africa. The authors hope that the lessons learned will help others manage such patients in the context of limited resources, but recognize that challenges will vary from place to place. There is no substitute for local, contextual expertise. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Resistive heater geometry and regeneration method for a diesel particulate filter

DOEpatents

Phelps, Amanda [Malibu, CA; Kirby, Kevin W [Calabasas Hills, CA; Gregoir, Daniel J [Thousand Oaks, CA

2011-10-25

One embodiment of the invention includes a diesel particulate filter comprising a first face and a second face; a bottom electrode layer formed over the first face of the diesel particulate filter; a middle resistive layer formed over a portion of the bottom electrode layer; and a top electrode layer formed over a portion of the middle resistive layer.

Reforms and emerging noncommunicable disease: some challenges facing a conflict-ridden country--the case of the Syrian Arab Republic.

PubMed

Sen, Kasturi; Al-Faisal, Waleed

2013-01-01

The past year witnessed considerable turbulence in the Arab world-in this case, Syria, a lower middle-income country with a record of a strong public health infrastructure. This paper explores the current challenges facing its health system from reforms, civil strife and international sanctions all of which we argue have serious implications for population health. The health sector in Syria was little known, and until recently, it was well integrated to provide preventive and specialized care when needed. Regionally, it was one of the few countries ready and capable of addressing the challenges of demographic and epidemiologic transition with a long-standing emphasis on primary care and prevention, unlike most countries of the region. This context has changed dramatically through the recent implementation of reforms and the current civil war. Changes to financing, management and the delivery of health service placed access to services in jeopardy, but now, these are compounded by the destruction from an intractable and violent conflict and international sanctions. This paper explores some of the combined effects of reforms, conflict and sanctions on population health. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Ethical challenges in developing an educational video to empower potential participants during consent processes in HIV cure research in South Africa.

PubMed

Staunton, Ciara; de Roubaix, Malcolm; Baatjies, Dianno; Black, Gill; Hendricks, Melany; Rossouw, Theresa; Moodley, Keymanthri

2018-04-01

Obtaining consent for HIV research is complex, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Low levels of education, complexity of science and research processes, confusion about basic elements of research, and socio-economic conditions that make access to medical care difficult have collectively led to concerns about the adequacy of the consent process. Given the exponential growth of HIV prevention and treatment research in South Africa, HIV researchers are increasingly facing challenges obtaining authentic informed consent from potential participants. It is anticipated that HIV cure research, despite being in its infancy in South Africa, will introduce a new discourse into a population that is often struggling to understand the differences between 'cure', 'preventive and therapeutic vaccines' and other elements of the research process. Coupled with this, South Africa has a complex history of 'illegitimate' or 'false cures' for HIV. It is therefore logical to anticipate that HIV cure research may face significant challenges during consent processes. HIV prevention research in South Africa has demonstrated the importance of early community engagement in educating potential research participants and promoting community acceptance of research. Consequently, in an attempt to extrapolate from this experience of engaging with communities early regarding cure research, a 15-minute educational video entitled ' I have a dream: a world without HIV ' was developed to educate and ultimately empower potential research participants to make informed choices during consent processes in future HIV cure clinical trials. To aid others in the development of educational interventions, this paper discusses the challenges faced in developing this educational video.

Development and implementation of Models of Care for musculoskeletal conditions in middle-income and low-income Asian countries.

PubMed

Lim, Keith K; Chan, Madelynn; Navarra, Sandra; Haq, Syed Atiqul; Lau, Chak Sing

2016-06-01

This chapter discusses the challenges faced in the development and implementation of musculoskeletal (MSK) Models of Care (MoCs) in middle-income and low-income countries in Asia and outlines the components of an effective MoC for MSK conditions. Case studies of four such countries (The Philippines, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Myanmar) are presented, and their unique implementation issues are discussed. The success experienced in one high-income country (Singapore) is also described as a comparison. The Community Oriented Program for Control of Rheumatic Diseases (COPCORD) project and the role of Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology (APLAR), a professional body supporting MoC initiatives in this region, are also discussed. The experience and lessons learned from these case studies can provide useful information to guide the implementation of future MSK MoC initiatives in other middle-income and low-income countries. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Systematic review of laparoscopic surgery in low- and middle-income countries: benefits, challenges, and strategies.

PubMed

Chao, Tiffany E; Mandigo, Morgan; Opoku-Anane, Jessica; Maine, Rebecca

2016-01-01

Laparoscopy may prove feasible to address surgical needs in limited-resource settings. However, no aggregate data exist regarding the role of laparoscopy in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study was designed to describe the issues facing laparoscopy in LMICs and to aggregate reported solutions. A search was conducted using Medline, African Index Medicus, the Directory of Open Access Journals, and the LILACS/BIREME/SCIELO database. Included studies were in English, published after 1992, and reported safety, cost, or outcomes of laparoscopy in LMICs. Studies pertaining to arthroscopy, ENT, flexible endoscopy, hysteroscopy, cystoscopy, computer-assisted surgery, pediatrics, transplantation, and bariatrics were excluded. Qualitative synthesis was performed by extracting results that fell into three categories: advantages of, challenges to, and adaptations made to implement laparoscopy in LMICs. PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews were followed. A total of 1101 abstracts were reviewed, and 58 articles were included describing laparoscopy in 25 LMICs. Laparoscopy is particularly advantageous in LMICs, where there is often poor sanitation, limited diagnostic imaging, fewer hospital beds, higher rates of hemorrhage, rising rates of trauma, and single income households. Lack of trained personnel and equipment were frequently cited challenges. Adaptive strategies included mechanical insufflation with room air, syringe suction, homemade endoloops, hand-assisted techniques, extracorporeal knot tying, innovative use of cheaper instruments, and reuse of disposable instruments. Inexpensive laboratory-based trainers and telemedicine are effective for training. LMICs face many surgical challenges that require innovation. Laparoscopic surgery may be safe, effective, feasible, and cost-effective in LMICs, although it often remains limited in its accessibility, acceptability, and quality. This study may not capture articles written in languages other than English or in journals not indexed by the included databases. Surgeons, policymakers, and manufacturers should focus on plans for sustainability, training and retention of providers, and regulation of efforts to develop laparoscopy in LMICs.

Children's perceptions of and beliefs about facial maturity.

PubMed

Gross, Thomas F

2004-03-01

The author studied children's and young adult's perceptions of facial age and beliefs about the sociability, cognitive ability, and physical fitness of adult faces. From pairs of photographs of adult faces, participants (4-6 years old, 8-10 years old, 13-16 years old, and 19-23 years old) selected the one face that appeared younger, older, better at remembering, smarter, more caring, friendlier, healthier, or stronger. Pairings consisted of faces at different adult age levels (young adults, middle-age adults, older adults, and very old adults.) Older participants were more sensitive to age differences in older faces and to faces more proximal in age. Children and adolescents believed that very old adult faces appeared to be less cognitively able than middle-aged faces (for children) and young adult faces (for adolescents). Very old male faces were judged to be less sociable. Old and very old faces were judged to be less physically fit than young and middle-aged faces. Significant positive correlation coefficients were found between the youngest children's abilities to discriminate between the adult faces of proximal age and youthful biases when selecting faces appearing to be more sociable and cognitively able. The results are discussed with respect to the development of facial information-processing skills and how those skills may be associated with the development of and changes in beliefs about older adults.

Can Training Enhance Face Cognition Abilities in Middle-Aged Adults?

PubMed Central

Dolzycka, Dominika; Herzmann, Grit; Sommer, Werner; Wilhelm, Oliver

2014-01-01

Face cognition is a crucial skill for social interaction and shows large individual differences in healthy adults, suggesting a possibility for improvement in some. We developed and tested specific training procedures for the accuracy of face memory and the speed of face cognition. Two groups each of 20 healthy middle-aged trainees practiced for 29 daily sessions of 15 minutes duration with different computerized home-based training procedures. In addition, 20 matched and 59 non-matched controls were included. Face cognition speed training enhanced performance during the training and transferred to the latent factor level as measured in a pre-post comparison. Persistence of the training effect was evidenced at the manifest level after three months. However, the training procedure influenced the speed of processing object stimuli to the same extent as face stimuli and therefore seems to have affected a more general ability of processing complex visual stimuli and not only faces. No effects of training on the accuracy of face memory were found. This study demonstrates that face-specific abilities may be hard to improve but also shows the plasticity of the speed of processing complex visual stimuli – for the first time in middle-aged, normal adults. PMID:24632743

mHealth to revolutionize information retrieval in low and middle income countries: introduction and proposed solutions using Botswana as reference point.

PubMed

Littman-Quinn, Ryan; Luberti, Anthony A; Kovarik, Carrie

2013-01-01

Information retrieval (IR) practice is invaluable in health care, where the growth of medical knowledge has long surpassed human memory capabilities, and health care workers often have unmet information needs. While the information and communications technology (ICT) revolution is improving, IR in the Western world, the global digital divide has never been wider. Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) have the least advanced ICT infrastructure and service provision, and are also burdened with the majority of the world's health issues and severe shortages of health care workers. Initiatives utilizing mobile technology in healthcare and public health (mHealth) have shown potential at addressing these inequalities and challenges. Using Botswana as a reference point, this paper aims to broadly describe the healthcare and ICT challenges facing LMICs, the promise of mHealth as a field in health informatics, and then propose health informatics solutions that specifically address IR content and needs. One solution proposes utilizing Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) for accessing treatment guidelines, and the other solution outlines applications of smart devices for IR.

When health systems are barriers to health care: challenges faced by uninsured Mexican kidney patients.

PubMed

Kierans, Ciara; Padilla-Altamira, Cesar; Garcia-Garcia, Guillermo; Ibarra-Hernandez, Margarita; Mercado, Francisco J

2013-01-01

Chronic Kidney Disease disproportionately affects the poor in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs). Mexico exemplifies the difficulties faced in supporting Renal Replacement Therapy (RRT) and providing equitable patient care, despite recent attempts at health reform. The objective of this study is to document the challenges faced by uninsured, poor Mexican families when attempting to access RRT. The article takes an ethnographic approach, using interviewing and observation to generate detailed accounts of the problems that accompany attempts to secure care. The study, based in the state of Jalisco, comprised interviews with patients, their caregivers, health and social care professionals, among others. Observations were carried out in both clinical and social settings. In the absence of organised health information and stable pathways to renal care, patients and their families work extraordinarily hard and at great expense to secure care in a mixed public-private healthcare system. As part of this work, they must navigate challenging health and social care environments, negotiate treatments and costs, resource and finance healthcare and manage a wide range of formal and informal health information. Examining commonalities across pathways to adequate healthcare reveals major failings in the Mexican system. These systemic problems serve to reproduce and deepen health inequalities. A system, in which the costs of renal care are disproportionately borne by those who can least afford them, faces major difficulties around the sustainability and resourcing of RRTs. Attempts to increase access to renal therapies, therefore, need to take into account the complex social and economic demands this places on those who need access most. This paper further shows that ethnographic studies of the concrete ways in which healthcare is accessed in practice provide important insights into the plight of CKD patients and so constitute an important source of evidence in that effort.

Intelligent Web-Based English Instruction in Middle Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jia, Jiyou

2015-01-01

The integration of technology into educational environments has become more prominent over the years. The combination of technology and face-to-face interaction with instructors allows for a thorough, more valuable educational experience. "Intelligent Web-Based English Instruction in Middle Schools" addresses the concerns associated with…

Modulations of eye movement patterns by spatial filtering during the learning and testing phases of an old/new face recognition task.

PubMed

Lemieux, Chantal L; Collin, Charles A; Nelson, Elizabeth A

2015-02-01

In two experiments, we examined the effects of varying the spatial frequency (SF) content of face images on eye movements during the learning and testing phases of an old/new recognition task. At both learning and testing, participants were presented with face stimuli band-pass filtered to 11 different SF bands, as well as an unfiltered baseline condition. We found that eye movements varied significantly as a function of SF. Specifically, the frequency of transitions between facial features showed a band-pass pattern, with more transitions for middle-band faces (≈5-20 cycles/face) than for low-band (≈<5 cpf) or high-band (≈>20 cpf) ones. These findings were similar for the learning and testing phases. The distributions of transitions across facial features were similar for the middle-band, high-band, and unfiltered faces, showing a concentration on the eyes and mouth; conversely, low-band faces elicited mostly transitions involving the nose and nasion. The eye movement patterns elicited by low, middle, and high bands are similar to those previous researchers have suggested reflect holistic, configural, and featural processing, respectively. More generally, our results are compatible with the hypotheses that eye movements are functional, and that the visual system makes flexible use of visuospatial information in face processing. Finally, our finding that only middle spatial frequencies yielded the same number and distribution of fixations as unfiltered faces adds more evidence to the idea that these frequencies are especially important for face recognition, and reveals a possible mediator for the superior performance that they elicit.

PARACENTRAL ACUTE MIDDLE MACULOPATHY IN A PERIVENULAR FERN-LIKE DISTRIBUTION WITH EN FACE OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY.

PubMed

Garrity, Sean T; Tseng, Victoria L; Sarraf, David

2017-11-22

To report a case of central retinal vein occlusion resulting in a perivenular pattern of paracentral acute middle maculopathy lesions best identified with en face optical coherence tomography (OCT). Retrospective case report. Optos ultra-widefield fluorescein angiography, spectral domain OCT, en face OCT, and OCT angiography were performed. A 41-year-old man presented with decreased vision in the right eye for 2 weeks. Funduscopic examination of the affected right eye was notable for subtle retinal whitening in the macula, mild retinal venous dilation and tortuosity, and few scattered retinal dot and blot hemorrhages consistent with an acute central retinal vein occlusion. Widefield fluorescein angiography demonstrated delayed arterial and venous filling but no evidence of significant peripheral retinal vascular ischemia. En face OCT segmented at the inner nuclear layer illustrated a remarkable and precise perivenular distribution of fern-like paracentral acute middle maculopathy with periarterial sparing, whereas en face OCT segmented at the outer nuclear layer demonstrated florid cystoid macular edema. At 6-week follow-up, OCT demonstrated patchy areas of atrophic inner nuclear layer and spontaneous resolution of the cystoid macular edema. Optical coherence tomography angiography at the level of the deep capillary plexus illustrated remarkable flow reduction of the deep capillary plexus in mainly a perivenular distribution. The authors report a case of a central retinal vein occlusion with mild retinal findings associated with a remarkable perivenular pattern of paracentral acute middle maculopathy with en face OCT. Follow-up OCT angiography demonstrated significant flow reduction of the deep capillary plexus in a perivenular pattern. The perivenular pattern of paracentral acute middle maculopathy lesions with en face OCT can be an important finding suggestive of a central retinal vein occlusion.

Satellite-aided survey sampling and implementation in low- and middle-income contexts: a low-cost/low-tech alternative.

PubMed

Haenssgen, Marco J

2015-01-01

The increasing availability of online maps, satellite imagery, and digital technology can ease common constraints of survey sampling in low- and middle-income countries. However, existing approaches require specialised software and user skills, professional GPS equipment, and/or commercial data sources; they tend to neglect spatial sampling considerations when using satellite maps; and they continue to face implementation challenges analogous to conventional survey implementation methods. This paper presents an alternative way of utilising satellite maps and digital aides that aims to address these challenges. The case studies of two rural household surveys in Rajasthan (India) and Gansu (China) compare conventional survey sampling and implementation techniques with the use of online map services such as Google, Bing, and HERE maps. Modern yet basic digital technology can be integrated into the processes of preparing, implementing, and monitoring a rural household survey. Satellite-aided systematic random sampling enhanced the spatial representativeness of the village samples and entailed savings of approximately £4000 compared to conventional household listing, while reducing the duration of the main survey by at least 25 %. This low-cost/low-tech satellite-aided survey sampling approach can be useful for student researchers and resource-constrained research projects operating in low- and middle-income contexts with high survey implementation costs. While achieving transparent and efficient survey implementation at low costs, researchers aiming to adopt a similar process should be aware of the locational, technical, and logistical requirements as well as the methodological challenges of this strategy.

The changing face of cardiovascular disease 2000-2012: An analysis of the world health organisation global health estimates data.

PubMed

McAloon, Christopher J; Boylan, Luke M; Hamborg, Thomas; Stallard, Nigel; Osman, Faizel; Lim, Phang B; Hayat, Sajad A

2016-12-01

The pattern and global burden of disease has evolved considerably over the last two decades, from primarily communicable, maternal, and perinatal causes to non-communicable disease (NCD). Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has become the single most important and largest cause of NCD deaths worldwide at over 50%. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 17.6 million people died of CVD worldwide in 2012. Proportionally, this accounts for an estimated 31.43% of global mortality, with ischaemic heart disease (IHD) accounting for approximately 7.4 million deaths, 13.2% of the total. IHD was also the greatest single cause of death in 2000, accounting for an estimated 6.0 million deaths. The global burden of CVD falls, principally, on the low and middle-income (LMI) countries, accounting for over 80% of CVD deaths. Individual populations face differing challenges and each population has unique health burdens, however, CVD remains one of the greatest health challenges both nationally and worldwide. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Interdisciplinary Team Training for Prospective Middle Grades Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warner, Mark

2001-01-01

Describes how face-to-face meetings, field trips, and Internet technology with team planning helped a teacher educator at Augusta State University in Georgia overcome barriers to preparing prospective middle school teachers as effective team members. Illustrates impact on small-group decision making, expectations for team functioning, and…

Hydromechanical Advanced Coal Excavator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Estus, Jay M.; Summers, David

1990-01-01

Water-jet cutting reduces coal dust and its hazards. Advanced mining system utilizes full-face, hydromechanical, continuous miner. Coal excavator uses high-pressure water-jet lances, one in each of cutting heads and one in movable lance, to make cuts across top, bottom and middle height, respectively, of coal face. Wedge-shaped cutting heads advance into lower and upper cuts in turn, thereby breaking coal toward middle cut. Thrust cylinders and walking pads advance excavator toward coal face.

Challenges of Communicating Climate Change in North Dakota: Undergraduate Internship and Collaboration with Middle School Educators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mullendore, G. L.; Munski, L.; Kirilenko, A.; Remer, F.; Baker, M.

2012-12-01

In summer 2010, the University of North Dakota (UND) hosted an internship for undergraduates to learn about climate change in both the classroom and group research projects. As a final project, the undergraduates were tasked to present their findings about different aspects of climate change in webcasts that would be later used in middle school classrooms in the region. Interns indicated that participation significantly improved their own confidence in future scholarly pursuits. Also, communicating about climate change, both during the project and afterwards, helped the interns feel more confident in their own learning. Use of webcasts widened the impact of student projects (e.g. YouTube dissemination), and multiple methods of student communication should continue to be an important piece of climate change education initiatives. Other key aspects of the internship were student journaling and group building. Challenges faced included media accessibility and diverse recruiting. Best practices from the UND internship will be discussed as a model for implementation at other universities. Lesson plans that complement the student-produced webcasts and adhere to regional and national standards were created during 2011. Communication between scientists and K-12 education researchers was found to be a challenge, but improved over the course of the project. These lesson plans have been reviewed both during a teacher workshop in January 2012 and by several Master teachers. Although select middle school educators have expressed enthusiasm for testing of these modules, very little hands-on testing with students has occurred. Wide-ranging roadblocks to implementation exist, including the need for adherence to state standards and texts, inadequate access to technology, and generally negative attitudes toward climate change in the region. Feedback from regional educators will be presented, and possible solutions will be discussed. Although some challenges are specific to the Northern Great Plains region, understanding these challenges are important for agencies and universities with goals of national dissemination.

Neurophysiological Organization of the Middle Face Patch in Macaque Inferior Temporal Cortex

PubMed Central

Aparicio, Paul L.; Issa, Elias B.

2016-01-01

While early cortical visual areas contain fine scale spatial organization of neuronal properties, such as orientation preference, the spatial organization of higher-level visual areas is less well understood. The fMRI demonstration of face-preferring regions in human ventral cortex and monkey inferior temporal cortex (“face patches”) raises the question of how neural selectivity for faces is organized. Here, we targeted hundreds of spatially registered neural recordings to the largest fMRI-identified face-preferring region in monkeys, the middle face patch (MFP), and show that the MFP contains a graded enrichment of face-preferring neurons. At its center, as much as 93% of the sites we sampled responded twice as strongly to faces than to nonface objects. We estimate the maximum neurophysiological size of the MFP to be ∼6 mm in diameter, consistent with its previously reported size under fMRI. Importantly, face selectivity in the MFP varied strongly even between neighboring sites. Additionally, extremely face-selective sites were ∼40 times more likely to be present inside the MFP than outside. These results provide the first direct quantification of the size and neural composition of the MFP by showing that the cortical tissue localized to the fMRI defined region consists of a very high fraction of face-preferring sites near its center, and a monotonic decrease in that fraction along any radial spatial axis. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The underlying organization of neurons that give rise to the large spatial regions of activity observed with fMRI is not well understood. Neurophysiological studies that have targeted the fMRI identified face patches in monkeys have provided evidence for both large-scale clustering and a heterogeneous spatial organization. Here we used a novel x-ray imaging system to spatially map the responses of hundreds of sites in and around the middle face patch. We observed that face-selective signal localized to the middle face patch was characterized by a gradual spatial enrichment. Furthermore, strongly face-selective sites were ∼40 times more likely to be found inside the patch than outside of the patch. PMID:27810930

Neurophysiological Organization of the Middle Face Patch in Macaque Inferior Temporal Cortex.

PubMed

Aparicio, Paul L; Issa, Elias B; DiCarlo, James J

2016-12-14

While early cortical visual areas contain fine scale spatial organization of neuronal properties, such as orientation preference, the spatial organization of higher-level visual areas is less well understood. The fMRI demonstration of face-preferring regions in human ventral cortex and monkey inferior temporal cortex ("face patches") raises the question of how neural selectivity for faces is organized. Here, we targeted hundreds of spatially registered neural recordings to the largest fMRI-identified face-preferring region in monkeys, the middle face patch (MFP), and show that the MFP contains a graded enrichment of face-preferring neurons. At its center, as much as 93% of the sites we sampled responded twice as strongly to faces than to nonface objects. We estimate the maximum neurophysiological size of the MFP to be ∼6 mm in diameter, consistent with its previously reported size under fMRI. Importantly, face selectivity in the MFP varied strongly even between neighboring sites. Additionally, extremely face-selective sites were ∼40 times more likely to be present inside the MFP than outside. These results provide the first direct quantification of the size and neural composition of the MFP by showing that the cortical tissue localized to the fMRI defined region consists of a very high fraction of face-preferring sites near its center, and a monotonic decrease in that fraction along any radial spatial axis. The underlying organization of neurons that give rise to the large spatial regions of activity observed with fMRI is not well understood. Neurophysiological studies that have targeted the fMRI identified face patches in monkeys have provided evidence for both large-scale clustering and a heterogeneous spatial organization. Here we used a novel x-ray imaging system to spatially map the responses of hundreds of sites in and around the middle face patch. We observed that face-selective signal localized to the middle face patch was characterized by a gradual spatial enrichment. Furthermore, strongly face-selective sites were ∼40 times more likely to be found inside the patch than outside of the patch. Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/3612729-17$15.00/0.

Looking at the future and seeing the past: the challenge of the middle years of parenting a child with intellectual disabilities.

PubMed

Todd, S; Jones, S

2005-06-01

This paper seeks to understand and conceptualize the experience of mothers of adolescents with intellectual disabilities (IDs) at a time in their lives which others have characterized as 'mid-life' or the 'middle years of parenting'. The concerns of the paper are the lifecourse concerns in mothers' own lives and with biographical elements of becoming and being such a parent. Qualitative interviews were conducted with mothers of adolescents with IDs. The average age of mothers was 48 years. Typically parents were interviewed on two to three occasions. The data suggest that despite the difficulties they faced, these parents had constructed a 'life-as-ordinary' in the early phase of their parental careers. They saw themselves as 'ordinary mothers'. However, the social content and events of the middle years of parenting prompt a realization that their lives and, for some, their sense of 'self', are undergoing considerable change. Mothers are forced to look over their lives to find the meaning and significance of these events. For some, there is biographical reinforcement. For others, there is only disruption. The overall picture of these years is one of considerable changes and challenges, and underlines the need for a focus on the lifecourse concerns of parents as well as their children. The implications of the data for further research and service development are discussed in the context of identity theory.

Newborn screening progress in developing countries--overcoming internal barriers.

PubMed

Padilla, Carmencita D; Krotoski, Danuta; Therrell, Bradford L

2010-04-01

Newborn screening is an important public health measure aimed at early identification and management of affected newborns thereby lowering infant morbidity and mortality. It is a comprehensive system of education, screening, follow-up, diagnosis, treatment/management, and evaluation that must be institutionalized and sustained within public health systems often challenged by economic, political, and cultural considerations. As a result, developing countries face unique challenges in implementing and expanding newborn screening that can be grouped into the following categories: (1) planning, (2) leadership, (3) medical support, (4) technical support, (5) logistical support, (6) education, (7) protocol and policy development, (8) administration, (9) evaluation, and (10) sustainability. We review some of the experiences in overcoming implementation challenges in developing newborn screening programs, and discuss recent efforts to encourage increased newborn screening through support networking and information exchange activities in 2 regions-the Asia Pacific and the Middle East/North Africa. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Challenges in Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Modelling of HPV Vaccines in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Practice Recommendations.

PubMed

Ekwunife, Obinna I; O'Mahony, James F; Gerber Grote, Andreas; Mosch, Christoph; Paeck, Tatjana; Lhachimi, Stefan K

2017-01-01

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face a number of challenges in implementing cervical cancer prevention programmes that do not apply in high-income countries. This review assessed how context-specific challenges of implementing cervical cancer prevention strategies in LMICs were accounted for in existing cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) models of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. The databases of MEDLINE, EMBASE, NHS Economic Evaluation Database, EconLit, Web of Science, and the Center for the Evaluation of Value and Risk in Health (CEA) Registry were searched for studies published from 2006 to 2015. A descriptive, narrative, and interpretative synthesis of data was undertaken. Of the 33 studies included in the review, the majority acknowledged cost per vaccinated girl (CVG) (26 studies) and vaccine coverage rate (21 studies) as particular challenges for LMICs, while nine studies identified screening coverage rate as a challenge. Most of the studies estimated CVG as a composite of different cost items. However, the basis for the items within this composite cost was unclear. The majority used an assumption rather than an observed rate to represent screening and vaccination coverage rates. CVG, vaccine coverage and screening coverage were shown by some studies through sensitivity analyses to reverse the conclusions regarding cost-effectiveness, thereby significantly affecting policy recommendations. While many studies recognized aspects of the particular challenges of HPV vaccination in LMICs, greater efforts need to be made in adapting models to account for these challenges. These include adapting costings of HPV vaccine delivery from other countries, learning from the outcomes of cervical cancer screening programmes in the same geographical region, and taking into account the country's previous experience with other vaccination programmes.

Adolescent Literacy Tutoring: Face-to-Face and Via Webcam Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Houge, Timothy T.; Peyton, David; Geier, Constance; Petrie, Bruce

2007-01-01

The purpose of this research project was to examine the effectiveness of supervised literacy tutoring delivered by 25 secondary teacher candidates to middle and high school students via webcam technology and in person. The results stem from two semester-long studies of technology-delivered tutoring from a university to middle and high school…

Blended-Format Professional Development and the Emergence of Communities of Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodges, Thomas E.; Cady, JoAnn

2013-01-01

In this paper, we draw on Wenger's (1998) conception of communities of practice to observe the emergence of a community of practice among middle grades mathematics teachers who participated in a two-year blended-format (online synchronous, online asynchronous, and face to face) professional development program designed to increase middle-grades…

Human resources for mental health care: current situation and strategies for action.

PubMed

Kakuma, Ritsuko; Minas, Harry; van Ginneken, Nadja; Dal Poz, Mario R; Desiraju, Keshav; Morris, Jodi E; Saxena, Shekhar; Scheffler, Richard M

2011-11-05

A challenge faced by many countries is to provide adequate human resources for delivery of essential mental health interventions. The overwhelming worldwide shortage of human resources for mental health, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries, is well established. Here, we review the current state of human resources for mental health, needs, and strategies for action. At present, human resources for mental health in countries of low and middle income show a serious shortfall that is likely to grow unless effective steps are taken. Evidence suggests that mental health care can be delivered effectively in primary health-care settings, through community-based programmes and task-shifting approaches. Non-specialist health professionals, lay workers, affected individuals, and caregivers with brief training and appropriate supervision by mental health specialists are able to detect, diagnose, treat, and monitor individuals with mental disorders and reduce caregiver burden. We also discuss scale-up costs, human resources management, and leadership for mental health, particularly within the context of low-income and middle-income countries. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Structural Barriers to Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: The Urgent Need for Scaling Up

PubMed Central

Magrath, Ian; Kingham, T. Peter; Elzawawy, Ahmed

2016-01-01

Noncommunicable diseases are now recognized by the United Nations and WHO as a major public health crisis. Cancer is a main part of this problem, and health care systems are facing a great challenge to improve cancer care, control costs, and increase systems efficiency. The disparity in access to care and outcomes between high-income countries and low- and middle-income countries is staggering. The reasons for this disparity include cost, access to care, manpower and training deficits, and a lack of awareness in the lay and medical communities. Diagnosis and treatment play an important role in this complex environment. In different regions and countries of the world, a variety of health care systems are in place, but most of them are fragmented or poorly coordinated. The need to scale up cancer care in the low- and middle-income countries is urgent, and this article reviews many of the structural mechanisms of the problem, describes the current situation, and proposes ways for improvement. The organization of cancer services is also included in the analysis. PMID:26578618

Identification and Classification of Facial Familiarity in Directed Lying: An ERP Study

PubMed Central

Sun, Delin; Chan, Chetwyn C. H.; Lee, Tatia M. C.

2012-01-01

Recognizing familiar faces is essential to social functioning, but little is known about how people identify human faces and classify them in terms of familiarity. Face identification involves discriminating familiar faces from unfamiliar faces, whereas face classification involves making an intentional decision to classify faces as “familiar” or “unfamiliar.” This study used a directed-lying task to explore the differentiation between identification and classification processes involved in the recognition of familiar faces. To explore this issue, the participants in this study were shown familiar and unfamiliar faces. They responded to these faces (i.e., as familiar or unfamiliar) in accordance with the instructions they were given (i.e., to lie or to tell the truth) while their EEG activity was recorded. Familiar faces (regardless of lying vs. truth) elicited significantly less negative-going N400f in the middle and right parietal and temporal regions than unfamiliar faces. Regardless of their actual familiarity, the faces that the participants classified as “familiar” elicited more negative-going N400f in the central and right temporal regions than those classified as “unfamiliar.” The P600 was related primarily with the facial identification process. Familiar faces (regardless of lying vs. truth) elicited more positive-going P600f in the middle parietal and middle occipital regions. The results suggest that N400f and P600f play different roles in the processes involved in facial recognition. The N400f appears to be associated with both the identification (judgment of familiarity) and classification of faces, while it is likely that the P600f is only associated with the identification process (recollection of facial information). Future studies should use different experimental paradigms to validate the generalizability of the results of this study. PMID:22363597

An ERP study of famous face incongruity detection in middle age.

PubMed

Chaby, L; Jemel, B; George, N; Renault, B; Fiori, N

2001-04-01

Age-related changes in famous face incongruity detection were examined in middle-aged (mean = 50.6) and young (mean = 24.8) subjects. Behavioral and ERP responses were recorded while subjects, after a presentation of a "prime face" (a famous person with the eyes masked), had to decide whether the following "test face" was completed with its authentic eyes (congruent) or with other eyes (incongruent). The principal effects of advancing age were (1) behavioral difficulties in discriminating between incongruent and congruent faces; (2) a reduced N400 effect due to N400 enhancement for both congruent and incongruent faces; (3) a latency increase of both N400 and P600 components. ERPs to primes (face encoding) were not affected by aging. These results are interpreted in terms of early signs of aging. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

Complex contribution of combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder to veteran suicide: facing an increasing challenge.

PubMed

Lee, Elizabeth A D

2012-04-01

The purpose of this case study is to present the complex contribution of combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to suicide and international standards of treatment among veterans deployed to the Middle East. PTSD carries increased physical and psychological health risk in combat soldiers. Internationally, guidelines for PTSD promote cognitive behavior therapies, specifically exposure therapy, as first line treatment; however, implementation varies among countries. Evidence supports the benefit of exposure-based psychotherapy for combat-related PTSD. Commonly prescribed antidepressants and other psychotherapy treatments may not be as beneficial. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Challenges Faced by New Science Teachers in Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alsharari, Salman

Growing demand for science teachers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, fed by increasing numbers of public school students, is forcing the Saudi government to attract, recruit and retain well-qualified science teachers. Beginning science teachers enter the educational profession with a massive fullfilment and satisfaction in their roles and positions as teachers to educating children in a science classroom. Nevertheless, teachers, over their early years of practice, encounter numerous challenges to provide the most effective science instruction. Therefore, the current study was aimed to identify academic and behavioral classroom challenges faced by science teachers in their first three years of teaching in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In addition, new science teacher gender, school level and years of teaching experience differences in perceptions of the challenges that they encountered at work were analyzed. The present study also investigated various types of support that new science teachers may need to overcome academic and behavioral classroom challenges. In order to gain insights about ways to adequately support novice science teachers, it was important to examine new science teachers' beliefs, ideas and perceptions about effective science teaching. Three survey questionnaires were developed and distributed to teachers of both sexes who have been teaching science subjects, for less than three years, to elementary, middle and high school students in Al Jouf public schools. A total of 49 novice science teachers responded to the survey and 9 of them agreed to participate voluntarily in a face-to-face interview. Different statistical procedures and multiple qualitative methodologies were used to analyze the collected data. Findings suggested that the top three academic challenges faced by new science teachers were: poor quality of teacher preparation programs, absence of appropriate school equipment and facilities and lack of classroom materials and instructional supplies. Moreover, excessive student absenteeism, student readiness to learn science and student lack of interest in science were the three most behavioral challenges encountered by beginning science teachers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Results also indicated that the perceptions of academic and behavioral classroom challenges may vary according to new science teacher gender, school level and years of teaching experience. More importantly, to become more effective science teachers, novice science teachers are expecting to receive more and better support from their schools. School principals and administrators should provide opportunities for beginning science teachers to attend effective new teacher orientation programs, use complete and well-developed curriculum materials with detailed sequence of teaching procedures, help in dealing with classroom management, and opportunities to participate in successful mentoring programs, coherent in-service training programs and regular professional development programs. Implications for Saudi Arabia government and policy makers, school principals and administrators, students and their parents were discussed and recommendations were made.

The Effect of Online Collaboration on Middle School Student Science Misconceptions as an Aspect of Science Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wendt, Jillian L.; Rockinson-Szapkiw, Amanda

2014-01-01

This quantitative, quasi-experimental pretest/posttest control group design examined the effects of online collaborative learning on middle school students' science literacy. For a 9-week period, students in the control group participated in collaborative face-to-face activities whereas students in the experimental group participated in online…

Assessing Middle School Student Participation in Online vs. Face-to-Face Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oravetz, Cathleen L.

2011-01-01

Educators have observed reluctance in middle school students to vocally engage in small group learning tasks, the result of which could be a decrease in student learning. The same students have been observed collaborating with peers outside of the classroom when using technology. The purpose of this study is to determine if technology provides a…

Parental Goals and Parenting Practices of Upper-Middle-Class Korean Mothers with Preschool Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Ju-Hee; Kwon, Young In

2009-01-01

In order to understand how mothers develop their parenting styles under rapidly changing cultural contexts, this study examines and compares Korean upper-middle-class mothers' parental goals and real parenting practices as they reported. For this purpose, face-to-face in-depth interviews with 20 Korean mothers were conducted. By analyzing the…

An approach to mental health in low and middle income countries: a case example from urban India

PubMed Central

Maitra, Shubhada; Brault, Marie A.; Schensul, Stephen L.; Schensul, Jean J.; Nastasi, Bonnie K.; Verma, Ravi K.; Burleson, Joseph A.

2015-01-01

Women in low and middle income countries (LMICs) facing poverty, challenging living conditions and gender inequality often express their emotional difficulties through physical health concerns and seek care at primary health facilities. However, primary care providers in LMICs only treat the physical health symptoms and lack appropriate services to address women's mental health problems. This paper, presents data from the counseling component of a multilevel, research and intervention project in a low income community in Mumbai, India whose objective was to improve sexual health and reduce HIV/STI risk among married women. Qualitative data from counselor notes shows that poor mental health, associated with negative and challenging life situations, is most often expressed by women as gynecological concerns through the culturally-based syndrome of tenshun. A path analysis was conducted on baseline quantitative data that confirmed the relationships between sources of tenshum, emotional status and symptoms of common mental disorders (CMDs). Based on these findings, the authors propose a need for culturally appropriate primary care services for LMICs that would integrate mental and physical health. This approach would reduce mental health morbidity among women through early intervention and prevention of the development of CMDs. PMID:26834278

Medical education and research environment in Qatar: a new epoch for translational research in the Middle East

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Recent advances in medical technology and key discoveries in biomedical research have the potential to improve human health in an unprecedented fashion. As a result, many of the Arab Gulf countries, particularly Qatar are devoting increasing resources toward establishing centers of excellence in biomedical research. However, there are challenges that must be overcome. The low profile of private medical institutions and their negligible endowments in the region are examples of such challenges. Business-type government controlled universities are not the solution for overcoming the challenges facing higher education and research programs in the Middle East. During the last decade, Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development has attracted six branch campuses of American Institutions of higher learning to the Education City in Qatar, a 2500-acre area, which is rapidly becoming a model of integrating higher education and research in the region. Not-for profit, time-tested education institutions from abroad in public-private partnership with local organizations offer favorable conditions to build robust research programs in the region. Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) of Cornell University is an example such an institution. It is the first and only medical school in Qatar. WCMC-Q's interwoven education, research and public health based framework lays a sturdy foundation for developing and implementing translational medicine research programs of importance to the State of Qatar and Middle Eastern nations. This approach is yielding positive results. Discoveries from this program should influence public policy in a positive fashion toward reducing premature mortality and morbidity due to diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer, examples of health conditions commonly encountered in Qatar. PMID:21272322

Medical education and research environment in Qatar: a new epoch for translational research in the Middle East.

PubMed

Chouchane, Lotfi; Mamtani, Ravinder; Al-Thani, Mohammed H; Al-Thani, Al-Anoud M; Ameduri, Marco; Sheikh, Javaid I

2011-01-27

Recent advances in medical technology and key discoveries in biomedical research have the potential to improve human health in an unprecedented fashion. As a result, many of the Arab Gulf countries, particularly Qatar are devoting increasing resources toward establishing centers of excellence in biomedical research. However, there are challenges that must be overcome. The low profile of private medical institutions and their negligible endowments in the region are examples of such challenges. Business-type government controlled universities are not the solution for overcoming the challenges facing higher education and research programs in the Middle East.During the last decade, Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development has attracted six branch campuses of American Institutions of higher learning to the Education City in Qatar, a 2500-acre area, which is rapidly becoming a model of integrating higher education and research in the region. Not-for profit, time-tested education institutions from abroad in public-private partnership with local organizations offer favorable conditions to build robust research programs in the region. Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) of Cornell University is an example such an institution. It is the first and only medical school in Qatar.WCMC-Q's interwoven education, research and public health based framework lays a sturdy foundation for developing and implementing translational medicine research programs of importance to the State of Qatar and Middle Eastern nations. This approach is yielding positive results. Discoveries from this program should influence public policy in a positive fashion toward reducing premature mortality and morbidity due to diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer, examples of health conditions commonly encountered in Qatar.

STEM and Career Exploratory Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chase, Darrell

2010-01-01

Districts face increasing pressure to improve students' mastery of curriculum in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Yet the number of students enrolling in science and math courses drops dramatically in middle and high school. At Sylvester Middle School, Chinook Middle School and Cascade Middle School of the…

A Comparison of Online and Face-to-Face Collaboration on the Performance of Middle School Math Students' Standardized Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eliason, Norma Lynn

2014-01-01

The effects of incorporating an online social networking platform, hosted through Wikispace, as a method to potential improve the performance of middle school students on standardized math assessments was investigated in this study. A principal strategy for any educational setting may provide an instructional approach that improves the delivery of…

Blended Learning: Understanding the Middle Ground between Traditional Classroom and Fully Online Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Welker, Jan; Berardino, Lisa

2006-01-01

Blended learning is any combined use of electronic learning tools that supplement but do not replace face-to-face learning. This article is about how two researchers are trying to comfortably and logically place blended learning somewhere in the middle of two extremes--traditional classroom at one end and fully online distance learning at the…

Strengthening capacity to research the social determinants of health in low- and middle-income countries: lessons from the INTREC programme.

PubMed

Henschke, Nicholas; Mirny, Anna; Haafkens, Joke A; Ramroth, Heribert; Padmawati, Siwi; Bangha, Martin; Berkman, Lisa; Trisnantoro, Laksono; Blomstedt, Yulia; Becher, Heiko; Sankoh, Osman; Byass, Peter; Kinsman, John

2017-05-25

The INDEPTH Training & Research Centres of Excellence (INTREC) collaboration developed a training programme to strengthen social determinants of health (SDH) research in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It was piloted among health- and demographic researchers from 9 countries in Africa and Asia. The programme followed a blended learning approach and was split into three consecutive teaching blocks over a 12-month period: 1) an online course of 7 video lectures and assignments on the theory of SDH research; 2) a 2-week qualitative and quantitative methods workshop; and 3) a 1-week data analysis workshop. This report aims to summarise the student evaluations of the pilot and to suggest key lessons for future approaches to strengthen SDH research capacity in LMICs. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires with 24 students from 9 countries in Africa and Asia were used to evaluate each teaching block. Information was collected about the students' motivation and interest in studying SDH, any challenges they faced during the consecutive teaching blocks, and suggestions they had for future courses on SDH. Of the 24 students who began the programme, 13 (54%) completed all training activities. The students recognised the need for such a course and its potential to improve their skills as health researchers. The main challenges with the online course were time management, prior knowledge and skills required to participate in the course, and the need to get feedback from teaching staff throughout the learning process. All students found the face-to-face workshops to be of high quality and value for their work, because they offered an opportunity to clarify SDH concepts taught during the online course and to gain practical research skills. After the final teaching block, students felt they had improved their data analysis skills and were better able to develop research proposals, scientific manuscripts, and policy briefs. The INTREC programme has trained a promising cadre of health researchers who live and work in LMICs, which is an essential component of efforts to identify and reduce national and local level health inequities. Time management and technological issues were the greatest challenges, which can inform future attempts to strengthen research capacity on SDH.

How to allocate water resources under climate change in the arid endorheic river basin, Northwest China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, A.; Feng, D.; Tian, Y.; Zheng, Y.

2017-12-01

Water resource is of fundamental importance to the society and ecosystem in arid endorheic river basins, and water-use conflicts between upstream and downstream are usually significant. Heihe river basin (HRB) is the second largest endorheic river basin in china, which is featured with dry climate, intensively irrigated farmlands in oases and significant surface water-groundwater interaction. The irrigation districts in the middle HRB consume a large portion of the river flow, and the low HRB, mainly Gobi Desert, has an extremely vulnerable ecological environment. The water resources management has significantly altered the hydrological processes in HRB, and is now facing multiple challenges, including decline of groundwater table in the middle HRB, insufficient environmental flow for the lower HRB. Furthermore, future climate change adds substantial uncertainty to the water system. Thus, it is imperative to have a sustainable water resources management in HRB in order to tackle the existing challenges and future uncertainty. Climate projection form a dynamical downscaled climate change scenario shows precipitation will increase at a rate of approximately 3 millimeter per ten years and temperature will increase at a rate of approximately 0.2 centigrade degree per ten years in the following 50 years in the HRB. Based on an integrated ecohydrological model, we evaluated how the climate change and agricultural development would collaboratively impact the water resources and ecological health in the middle and lower HRB, and investigated how the water management should cope with the complex impact.

Mentoring health researchers globally: Diverse experiences, programmes, challenges and responses.

PubMed

Cole, Donald C; Johnson, Nancy; Mejia, Raul; McCullough, Hazel; Turcotte-Tremblay, Anne-Marie; Barnoya, Joaquin; Falabella Luco, María Soledad

2016-10-01

Mentoring experiences and programmes are becoming increasingly recognised as important by those engaged in capacity strengthening in global health research. Using a primarily qualitative study design, we studied three experiences of mentorship and eight mentorship programmes for early career global health researchers based in high-income and low- and middle-income countries. For the latter, we drew upon programme materials, existing unpublished data and more formal mixed-method evaluations, supplemented by individual email questionnaire responses. Research team members wrote stories, and the team assembled and analysed them for key themes. Across the diverse experiences and programmes, key emergent themes included: great mentors inspire others in an inter-generational cascade, mentorship is transformative in personal and professional development and involves reciprocity, and finding the right balance in mentoring relationships and programmes includes responding creatively to failure. Among the challenges encountered were: struggling for more level playing fields for new health researchers globally, changing mindsets in institutions that do not have a culture of mentorship and building collaboration not competition. Mentoring networks spanning institutions and countries using multiple virtual and face-to-face methods are a potential avenue for fostering organisational cultures supporting quality mentorship in global health research.

Mentoring health researchers globally: Diverse experiences, programmes, challenges and responses

PubMed Central

Cole, Donald C.; Johnson, Nancy; Mejia, Raul; McCullough, Hazel; Turcotte-Tremblay, Anne-Marie; Barnoya, Joaquin; Falabella Luco, (María) Soledad

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Mentoring experiences and programmes are becoming increasingly recognised as important by those engaged in capacity strengthening in global health research. Using a primarily qualitative study design, we studied three experiences of mentorship and eight mentorship programmes for early career global health researchers based in high-income and low- and middle-income countries. For the latter, we drew upon programme materials, existing unpublished data and more formal mixed-method evaluations, supplemented by individual email questionnaire responses. Research team members wrote stories, and the team assembled and analysed them for key themes. Across the diverse experiences and programmes, key emergent themes included: great mentors inspire others in an inter-generational cascade, mentorship is transformative in personal and professional development and involves reciprocity, and finding the right balance in mentoring relationships and programmes includes responding creatively to failure. Among the challenges encountered were: struggling for more level playing fields for new health researchers globally, changing mindsets in institutions that do not have a culture of mentorship and building collaboration not competition. Mentoring networks spanning institutions and countries using multiple virtual and face-to-face methods are a potential avenue for fostering organisational cultures supporting quality mentorship in global health research. PMID:26234691

Supports for libraries'restoration from the Great East Japan Earthquake : Challenges we address at Miyagi Prefectural Library

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumagai, Shinichiro

This article overviews the situations of damage and reconstruction of mainly public libraries in Miyagi Prefecture about 9 months after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Serious damage of library buildings was due not only to the tsunami or seismic sea wave but to violent shaking, the latter less reported by the media. We at the Miyagi Prefectural Library implemented reconstruction assistance for regional public libraries in both direct and indirect ways. Among them, we report in detail on the support we offered until the Minami-sanriku Town Library reopened its service. We highlight a prefectural library's role, acting between supporters and those supportees, to consider the necessity of middle organizations. We clarify what challenges we face and examine how best to provide assistance in case of large-scale disasters.

The effect of online collaborative learning on middle school student science literacy and sense of community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wendt, Jillian Leigh

This study examines the effects of online collaborative learning on middle school students' science literacy and sense of community. A quantitative, quasi-experimental pretest/posttest control group design was used. Following IRB approval and district superintendent approval, students at a public middle school in central Virginia completed a pretest consisting of the Misconceptions-Oriented Standards-Based Assessment Resources for Teachers (MOSART) Physical Science assessment and the Classroom Community Scale. Students in the control group received in-class assignments that were completed collaboratively in a face-to-face manner. Students in the experimental group received in-class assignments that were completed online collaboratively through the Edmodo educational platform. Both groups were members of intact, traditional face-to-face classrooms. The students were then post tested. Results pertaining to the MOSART assessment were statistically analyzed through ANCOVA analysis while results pertaining to the Classroom Community Scale were analyzed through MANOVA analysis. Results are reported and suggestions for future research are provided.

Middle Level Education in Rural Communities: Implications for School Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Douglas D.

2005-01-01

Middle level teachers and administrators working in small or rural schools often face unique obstacles in implementing recommended middle level practices. From sharing staff and schedules with other school sites, to inappropriate instructional techniques, to a general lack of understanding of the middle level philosophy, these obstacles can be a…

Teaching Energy Science as Inquiry: Reflections on Professional Development as a Tool to Build Inquiry Teaching Skills for Middle and High School Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seraphin, Kanesa Duncan; Philippoff, Joanna; Parisky, Alex; Degnan, Katherine; Warren, Diana Papini

2013-01-01

A hybrid (face-to-face and online) professional development (PD) course focused on energy science for middle and high school teachers (N = 47) was conducted using the teaching science as inquiry (TSI) framework. Data from the PD indicates that online opportunities enhanced participation and that the TSI structure improved teachers' inquiry…

When Health Systems Are Barriers to Health Care: Challenges Faced by Uninsured Mexican Kidney Patients

PubMed Central

Kierans, Ciara; Padilla-Altamira, Cesar; Garcia-Garcia, Guillermo; Ibarra-Hernandez, Margarita; Mercado, Francisco J.

2013-01-01

Background Chronic Kidney Disease disproportionately affects the poor in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs). Mexico exemplifies the difficulties faced in supporting Renal Replacement Therapy (RRT) and providing equitable patient care, despite recent attempts at health reform. The objective of this study is to document the challenges faced by uninsured, poor Mexican families when attempting to access RRT. Methods The article takes an ethnographic approach, using interviewing and observation to generate detailed accounts of the problems that accompany attempts to secure care. The study, based in the state of Jalisco, comprised interviews with patients, their caregivers, health and social care professionals, among others. Observations were carried out in both clinical and social settings. Results In the absence of organised health information and stable pathways to renal care, patients and their families work extraordinarily hard and at great expense to secure care in a mixed public-private healthcare system. As part of this work, they must navigate challenging health and social care environments, negotiate treatments and costs, resource and finance healthcare and manage a wide range of formal and informal health information. Conclusions Examining commonalities across pathways to adequate healthcare reveals major failings in the Mexican system. These systemic problems serve to reproduce and deepen health inequalities. A system, in which the costs of renal care are disproportionately borne by those who can least afford them, faces major difficulties around the sustainability and resourcing of RRTs. Attempts to increase access to renal therapies, therefore, need to take into account the complex social and economic demands this places on those who need access most. This paper further shows that ethnographic studies of the concrete ways in which healthcare is accessed in practice provide important insights into the plight of CKD patients and so constitute an important source of evidence in that effort. PMID:23349868

Veterans' informal caregivers in the "sandwich generation": a systematic review toward a resilience model.

PubMed

Smith-Osborne, Alexa; Felderhoff, Brandi

2014-01-01

Social work theory advanced the formulation of the construct of the sandwich generation to apply to the emerging generational cohort of caregivers, most often middle-aged women, who were caring for maturing children and aging parents simultaneously. This systematic review extends that focus by synthesizing the literature on sandwich generation caregivers for the general aging population with dementia and for veterans with dementia and polytrauma. It develops potential protective mechanisms based on empirical literature to support an intervention resilience model for social work practitioners. This theoretical model addresses adaptive coping of sandwich- generation families facing ongoing challenges related to caregiving demands.

WASH and gender in health care facilities: The uncharted territory.

PubMed

Kohler, Petra; Renggli, Samuel; Lüthi, Christoph

2017-11-08

Health care facilities in low- and middle-income countries are high-risk settings, and face special challenges to achieving sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. Our applied interdisciplinary research conducted in India and Uganda analyzed six dimensions of WASH services in selected health care facilities, including menstrual hygiene management. To be effective, WASH monitoring strategies in health care facilities must include gender sensitive measures. We present a novel strategy, showing that applied gender sensitive multitool assessments are highly productive in assessments of WASH services and facilities from user and provider perspectives. We discuss its potential for applications at scale and as an area of future research.

Valuable yet Vulnerable-A review of the challenges encountered by older nurses in the workplace.

PubMed

Ryan, C; Bergin, M; Wells, J S

2017-07-01

As the global nursing workforce ages, developing a comprehensive understanding of the experiences, needs and values specific to older nurses is increasingly significant. This paper reviews the evidence with regard to the specific challenges encountered by older nurses in the workplace. A scoping review of the published literature was conducted using the electronic databases Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Science Direct and Google Scholar. A total of 20 papers were included in this review, most of which were qualitative (n=14). Three quantitative studies were identified (including one study which combined a physical exam with survey methods) as well as three mixed method studies. The challenges faced by older nurses in their practice are synthesised across three primary domains: Nursing and the ageing body; Recognition and support of the older nurse and Demands associated with middle-age. As older nurses form a substantial proportion of the healthcare workforce in many countries, the development and implementation of strategies to address these challenges is of utmost importance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The role of health technology assessment on pharmaceutical reimbursement in selected middle-income countries.

PubMed

Oortwijn, Wija; Mathijssen, Judith; Banta, David

2010-05-01

Middle-income countries are often referred to as developing or emerging economies and face multiple challenges of severe financial stresses in their health care sectors, and high disease burden. The objective of this study is to provide an overview of how health technology assessment (HTA) is used and organized in selected middle-income countries and its role in the process of pharmaceutical coverage. We selected middle-income countries where HTA activities are evident: Argentina, Brazil, China, Colombia, Israel, Mexico, Philippines, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey. We collected and reviewed relevant information to describe the health care and reimbursement systems and how HTA relates to coverage decision-making of pharmaceuticals. This was supplemented by information from a structured survey among professionals working in public and private health insurance, industry, regulatory authorities, ministries of health, academic units or HTA. All countries require market authorization for pharmaceuticals to be sold and most countries have a national plan defining which pharmaceuticals can be reimbursed. However, the use of HTA in reimbursement decisions is still in its early stages with varying levels of HTA guidance implementation. The study provides evidence of the development of HTA in coverage decision-making in middle-income countries. Increased health care spending and the resulting access to modern technology give a strong impetus to HTA. However, HTA is developing with uneven speed in middle-income countries and many countries are building on the organisational and methodological experience from established HTA agencies. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neural Correlates of Covert Face Processing: fMRI Evidence from a Prosopagnosic Patient

PubMed Central

Liu, Jiangang; Wang, Meiyun; Shi, Xiaohong; Feng, Lu; Li, Ling; Thacker, Justine Marie; Tian, Jie; Shi, Dapeng; Lee, Kang

2014-01-01

Brains can perceive or recognize a face even though we are subjectively unaware of the existence of that face. However, the exact neural correlates of such covert face processing remain unknown. Here, we compared the fMRI activities between a prosopagnosic patient and normal controls when they saw famous and unfamiliar faces. When compared with objects, the patient showed greater activation to famous faces in the fusiform face area (FFA) though he could not overtly recognize those faces. In contrast, the controls showed greater activation to both famous and unfamiliar faces in the FFA. Compared with unfamiliar faces, famous faces activated the controls', but not the patient's lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) known to be involved in familiar face recognition. In contrast, the patient showed greater activation in the bilateral medial frontal gyrus (MeFG). Functional connectivity analyses revealed that the patient's right middle fusiform gyrus (FG) showed enhanced connectivity to the MeFG, whereas the controls' middle FG showed enhanced connectivity to the LPFC. These findings suggest that the FFA may be involved in both covert and overt face recognition. The patient's impairment in overt face recognition may be due to the absence of the coupling between the right FG and the LPFC. PMID:23448870

The relationship between accessibility of healthcare facilities and medical care utilization among the middle-aged and elderly population in Taiwan.

PubMed

Yang, Ya-Ting; Iqbal, Usman; Ko, Hua-Lin; Wu, Chia-Rong; Chiu, Hsien-Tsai; Lin, Yi-Chieh; Lin, Wender; Elsa Hsu, Yi-Hsin

2015-06-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between accessibility of healthcare facilities and medical care utilization among the middle-aged and elderly population in Taiwan. Cross-sectional study from 2007 Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TLSA) survey. Community-based study. A total of 4249 middle-aged and elderly subjects were recruited. None. Outpatient visits within 1 month, and hospitalization, emergency visits as well as to shop in pharmacy stores within 1 year, respectively. Adjusting for important confounding variables, the middle-aged and elderly with National Health Insurance (NHI) and commercial insurance compared with those with NHI alone tended to have outpatient visits. The middle-aged and elderly with longer time to access healthcare facilities were less likely to shop in pharmacy stores compared with those with <30 min. The middle-aged and elderly who perceived inconvenient to access health care tended to shop in pharmacy stores compared with those with perceived convenience. Our study of Taiwan's experience could provide a valuable lesson for countries that are planning to launch universal health insurance system, locate budgets in health care and transportation. The middle-aged and elderly who were facing more challenges in accessing health care, no matter in perceived accessibility or real time to access health care, had less outpatient visits and more drug stores shopping. Strategic policies are needed to improve accessibility in increasing patients' perception on access and escalating convenience of transportation system for improving accessibility. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care; all rights reserved.

Task relevance of emotional information affects anxiety-linked attention bias in visual search.

PubMed

Dodd, Helen F; Vogt, Julia; Turkileri, Nilgun; Notebaert, Lies

2017-01-01

Task relevance affects emotional attention in healthy individuals. Here, we investigate whether the association between anxiety and attention bias is affected by the task relevance of emotion during an attention task. Participants completed two visual search tasks. In the emotion-irrelevant task, participants were asked to indicate whether a discrepant face in a crowd of neutral, middle-aged faces was old or young. Irrelevant to the task, target faces displayed angry, happy, or neutral expressions. In the emotion-relevant task, participants were asked to indicate whether a discrepant face in a crowd of middle-aged neutral faces was happy or angry (target faces also varied in age). Trait anxiety was not associated with attention in the emotion-relevant task. However, in the emotion-irrelevant task, trait anxiety was associated with a bias for angry over happy faces. These findings demonstrate that the task relevance of emotional information affects conclusions about the presence of an anxiety-linked attention bias. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Access and use of human tissues from the developing world: ethical challenges and a way forward using a tissue trust

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Scientists engaged in global health research are increasingly faced with barriers to access and use of human tissues from the developing world communities where much of their research is targeted. In part, the problem can be traced to distrust of researchers from affluent countries, given the history of 'scientific-imperialism' and 'biocolonialism' reflected in past well publicized cases of exploitation of research participants from low to middle income countries. Discussion To a considerable extent, the failure to adequately engage host communities, the opacity of informed consent, and the lack of fair benefit-sharing have played a significant role in eroding trust. These ethical considerations are central to biomedical research in low to middle income countries and failure to attend to them can inadvertently contribute to exploitation and erode trust. A 'tissue trust' may be a plausible means for enabling access to human tissues for research in a manner that is responsive to the ethical challenges considered. Summary Preventing exploitation and restoring trust while simultaneously promoting global health research calls for innovative approaches to human tissues research. A tissue trust can reduce the risk of exploitation and promote host capacity as a key benefit. PMID:21266076

Versatility of Subscapular Chimeric Free Flaps in the Secondary Reconstruction of Composite Posttraumatic Defects of the Upper Face

PubMed Central

Stalder, Mark Winston; Wise, Matthew Whitten; Dupin, Charles L.; St Hilaire, Hugo

2014-01-01

High energy injuries to the upper face present challenging reconstructive problems. In some cases, initial reconstructive efforts result in unfavorable outcomes that require secondary intervention. Chimeric free flaps based on the subscapular system offer the tissue components and volume needed for these complex reconstructions. This is a series of five patients who underwent secondary reconstruction of the middle and upper face following traumatic injury. Mechanism of injury, prior attempts at reconstruction, and characteristics of the tissue defects and the flaps used in their reconstruction are described. Two patients were female and three were male. Three injuries resulted from gunshot wounds, and two from motor vehicle accidents. All patients had multiple prior failed attempts at reconstruction using local/regional tissue. Defects included symptomatic oronasal or oro-orbital fistulas, enophthalmos, and forehead contour deformities. Two of the flaps used included scapular bone and latissimus muscular components, and three included scapular bone and thoracodorsal artery perforator-based skin paddle components. All free tissue transfers were successful, and no patients suffered significant complications. Chimeric free flaps based on the subscapular system offer a valuable secondary strategy for reconstruction of composite defects of the upper face when other options have been exhausted through previous efforts. PMID:25709752

A practical field guide to conducting nursing research in low- and middle-income countries.

PubMed

LeBaron, Virginia T; Iribarren, Sarah J; Perri, Seneca; Beck, Susan L

2015-01-01

The purpose of this report is to offer practical guidance to nurse investigators interested in international research in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Lessons learned and strategies for planning and implementing an international research project are addressed. Four nurse researchers who conducted studies in diverse international settings (Argentina, India, South Africa, and Tanzania) describe their collective experiences regarding study planning and implementation; data collection using a variety of methods; and cultural, contextual and ethical considerations. Nurses who undertake international health research projects, particularly in LMICs, can face unique challenges and opportunities. Recommendations for success include advance planning, remaining flexible, having a backup plan, cultivating an attitude of curiosity and cultural humility, establishing collaborative and respectful partnerships, and budgeting adequate time. Nurse scientists often receive little training and support to conduct international research. Guidance to undertake research projects in LMICs can build capacity for nurses to make significant contributions to global health. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Medical Tourism and Telemedicine: A New Frontier of an Old Business.

PubMed

Hong, Yan Alicia

2016-05-23

In October 2015, the "Chinese American Physicians E-Hospital" celebrated its "grand opening" online. All physicians affiliated with this E-Hospital are bilingual Chinese American physicians, who provide services ranging from initial teleconsulting to international transfer and treatment in the United States. Such telemedicine platform for medical tourism not only saves the patients from the hassles of identifying and connecting with an appropriate health service provider but also minimizes the language and cultural barriers. As a growing number of patients from middle- and low-income countries travel to the United States (US) for medical care, we face promising opportunities as well as mounting challenges. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the US has guidance for Americans seeking care overseas, but is not available for international patients seeking care in US. This article opens a dialogue on the challenges associated with flourishing medical tourism and telemedicine, including quality assessment, risk communication, ethical guidelines, and legal concerns.

Tools for Tomorrow's Science and Technology Workforce: MATE's 2006 ROV Competition Sets Students' Sights on Ocean Observing Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zande, Jill; Meeson, Blanche; Cook, Susan; Matsumoto, George

2006-01-01

Teams participating in the 2006 ROV competition organized by the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center and the Marine Technology Society's (MTS) ROV Committee experienced first-hand the scientific and technical challenges that many ocean scientists, technicians, and engineers face every day. The competition tasked more than 1,000 middle and high school, college, and university students from Newfoundland to Hong Kong with designing and building ROVs to support the next generation of ocean observing systems. Teaming up with the National Office for Integrated and Sustained Ocean Observations, Ocean. US, and the Ocean Research Interactive Observatory Networks (ORION) Program, the competition highlighted ocean observing systems and the careers, organizations, and technologies associated with ocean observatories. The student teams were challenged to develop vehicles that can deploy, install, and maintain networks of instruments as well as to explore the practical applications and the research questions made possible by observing systems.

Understanding and acting on the developmental origins of health and disease in Africa would improve health across generations.

PubMed

Norris, Shane A; Daar, Abdallah; Balasubramanian, Dorairajan; Byass, Peter; Kimani-Murage, Elizabeth; Macnab, Andrew; Pauw, Christoff; Singhal, Atul; Yajnik, Chittaranjan; Akazili, James; Levitt, Naomi; Maatoug, Jihene; Mkhwanazi, Nolwazi; Moore, Sophie E; Nyirenda, Moffat; Pulliam, Juliet R C; Rochat, Tamsen; Said-Mohamed, Rihlat; Seedat, Soraya; Sobngwi, Eugene; Tomlinson, Mark; Toska, Elona; van Schalkwyk, Cari

2017-01-01

Data from many high- and low- or middle-income countries have linked exposures during key developmental periods (in particular pregnancy and infancy) to later health and disease. Africa faces substantial challenges with persisting infectious disease and now burgeoning non-communicable disease.This paper opens the debate to the value of strengthening the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) research focus in Africa to tackle critical public health challenges across the life-course. We argue that the application of DOHaD science in Africa to advance life-course prevention programmes can aid the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and assist in improving health across generations. To increase DOHaD research and its application in Africa, we need to mobilise multisectoral partners, utilise existing data and expertise on the continent, and foster a new generation of young African scientists engrossed in DOHaD.

Welcome to Clipper Camp!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holler, Edward W.

2008-01-01

Rising middle level students face many new situations when they enter middle school. Stress is not uncommon for new students in any grade, but it is most acute during middle level years when students are dealing with the rapidly changing physical characteristics and emotions associated with early adolescence. The community of adults at a middle…

Mathematics in the Middle.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leutzinger, Larry, Ed.

This book contains articles that help to further the process of reform in the middle grades, recognizing that the knowledge acquired during these years greatly affects how well the secondary school curriculum will attain its goals. Critical issues facing middle grade classes in particular and all mathematics classrooms in general are discussed.…

48 CFR 1480.903 - Award in the face of challenge.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Award in the face of challenge. 1480.903 Section 1480.903 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR... Award in the face of challenge. (a) Award of a contract in the face of challenge may be made on the...

48 CFR 1480.903 - Award in the face of challenge.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Award in the face of challenge. 1480.903 Section 1480.903 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR... Award in the face of challenge. (a) Award of a contract in the face of challenge may be made on the...

English Language Arts Scores among Sixth Grade Students Enrolled on an Elementary versus Middle School Campus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, La-Trice

2013-01-01

A K-12 school district located in southern California was faced with overcrowding at 1of its middle schools for the 2011-2012 school year. This project study was designed to explore if an elementary or middle school campus was best in supporting students' academics while they were in transition to 6th grade middle school. Maslow's hierarchy of…

Influence of socio-economic status on access to different components of SCI management across Indian population.

PubMed

Chhabra, H S; Bhalla, A M

2015-11-01

To assess the influence of financial constraints on access to different components of spinal cord injury (SCI) management in various socio-economic strata of the Indian population. Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC). One hundred fifty SCI individuals who came for follow-up at ISIC between March 2009 and March 2013 with at least 1 year of community exposure after discharge were included in the study. Socio-economic classification was carried out according to the Kuppuswamy scale, a standard scale for the Indian population. A self-designed questionnaire was administered. No sample was available from the lower group. There was a statistically significant difference (P<0.05) for the levels of difficulty perceived by different socio-economic groups in accessing different components of SCI management. Aided upper lower group was dependent on welfare schemes for in-hospital treatment but could not access other components of management once discharged. Unaided upper lower group either faced severe difficulty or could not access management. Majority of lower middle group faced severe difficulty. Upper middle group was equally divided into facing severe, moderate or no difficulty. Most patients in the upper group faced no difficulty, whereas some faced moderate and a small number of severe difficulty. Financial constraints affected all components of SCI management in all except the upper group. The results of the survey suggest that a very large percentage of the Indian population would find it difficult to access comprehensive SCI management and advocate extension of essential medical coverage to unaided upper lower, lower middle and upper middle groups.

Towards a Rhetoric of On-line Tutoring.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coogan, David

Electronic mail-based tutoring of undergraduate writing students upsets the temporal basis of the face-to-face paradigm for writing tutorials. Taking place in real time in a specified place, the face-to-face tutorial session has a beginning, middle and end. Further, the session must have a tangible point. By contrast, in on-line tutoring, time is…

Developing Face-to-Face Argumentation Skills: Does Arguing on the Computer Help?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iordanou, Kalypso

2013-01-01

Arguing on the computer was used as a method to promote development of face-to-face argumentation skills in middle schoolers. In the study presented, sixth graders engaged in electronic dialogues with peers on a controversial topic and in some reflective activities based on transcriptions of the dialogues. Although participants initially exhibited…

Emotional Responses to Bullying among Japanese Adolescents: Gender, Context, and Incidence Visibility

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aoyama, Ikuko; Yanagida, Takuya; Wright, Michelle F.

2018-01-01

Bullying can occur with differing levels of visibility (e.g., public or private) and in various contexts (e.g., face-to-face or online). This study examined 474 Japanese middle-school students' emotional responses to public versus private bullying scenarios in face-to-face and digital contexts. After reading four hypothetical bullying vignettes,…

Patterns of antibiotic use in the community and challenges of antibiotic surveillance in a lower-middle-income country setting: a repeated cross-sectional study in Vellore, South India.

PubMed

Chandy, Sujith J; Thomas, Kurien; Mathai, Elizabeth; Antonisamy, Belavendra; Holloway, Kathleen A; Stalsby Lundborg, Cecilia

2013-01-01

There is considerable evidence linking antibiotic usage to bacterial resistance. Intervention strategies are needed to contain antibiotic use and thereby resistance. To plan appropriate strategies, it is imperative to undertake surveillance in the community to monitor antibiotic encounters and drivers of specific antibiotic misuse. Such surveillance is rarely in place in lower-middle-income countries (LMICs). This study describes antibiotic patterns and challenges faced while developing such surveillance systems in an LMIC. Surveillance of antibiotic encounters (prescriptions and dispensations) was carried out using a repeated cross-sectional design for 2 years in Vellore, south India. Every month, patients attending 30 health facilities (small hospitals, general practitioner clinics and pharmacy shops) were observed until 30 antibiotic encounters were attained in each. Antibiotic use was expressed as the percentage of encounters containing specific antibiotics and defined daily doses (DDDs)/100 patients. Bulk antibiotic sales data were also collected. Over 2 years, a total of 52,788 patients were observed and 21,600 antibiotic encounters (40.9%) were accrued. Fluoroquinolones and penicillins were widely used. Rural hospitals used co-trimoxazole more often and urban private hospitals used cephalosporins more often; 41.1% of antibiotic prescriptions were for respiratory infections. The main challenges in surveillance included issues regarding sampling, data collection, denominator calculation and sustainability. Patterns of antibiotic use varied across health facilities, suggesting that interventions should involve all types of health facilities. Although challenges were encountered, our study shows that it is possible to develop surveillance systems in LMICs and the data generated may be used to plan feasible interventions, assess impact and thereby contain resistance.

From Online Student to Online Instructor: Assistive Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKnight, Jodi

2012-01-01

With the influx of online learning opportunities, online students and instructors are faced with a variety of challenges. Online students face the same challenges as do face-to-face learners, but by facing them in an online context, the interpretations of those challenges can lead to the success or failure of their overall educational experience.…

Indications and limitations for the use of botulinum toxin for the treatment of facial wrinkles.

PubMed

Sarrabayrouse, Manuel A M

2002-01-01

Botulin toxin is a strong blocking agent which has shown great usefulness in a variety of neuromuscular disorders related to hypertonicity and spasticity. Since 1992 it has been used in the attenuation of facial wrinkles. In this article we describe the different applications in the upper third, middle third, and lower third of the face, as well as the platysmal bands of the neck. We emphasize the use of this procedure for the upper third of the face. Limits are indicated when it is used on the middle and lower parts of the face. The author has found excellent results in the attenuation of wrinkles of the neck region.

Age- and gender-related variations of emotion recognition in pseudowords and faces.

PubMed

Demenescu, Liliana R; Mathiak, Krystyna A; Mathiak, Klaus

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND/STUDY CONTEXT: The ability to interpret emotionally salient stimuli is an important skill for successful social functioning at any age. The objective of the present study was to disentangle age and gender effects on emotion recognition ability in voices and faces. Three age groups of participants (young, age range: 18-35 years; middle-aged, age range: 36-55 years; and older, age range: 56-75 years) identified basic emotions presented in voices and faces in a forced-choice paradigm. Five emotions (angry, fearful, sad, disgusted, and happy) and a nonemotional category (neutral) were shown as encoded in color photographs of facial expressions and pseudowords spoken in affective prosody. Overall, older participants had a lower accuracy rate in categorizing emotions than young and middle-aged participants. Females performed better than males in recognizing emotions from voices, and this gender difference emerged in middle-aged and older participants. The performance of emotion recognition in faces was significantly correlated with the performance in voices. The current study provides further evidence for a general age and gender effect on emotion recognition; the advantage of females seems to be age- and stimulus modality-dependent.

An Investigation of the Concerns of Fifth Graders Transitioning to Middle School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bailey, Gahan; Giles, Rebecca M.; Rogers, Sylvia E.

2015-01-01

Entering middle school can cause apprehension for young adolescents who face many cognitive, physical, social, and emotional changes. A quantitative, descriptive study was designed to identify and explain the concerns of rising sixth graders (n = 225) regarding their transition to the middle grades. Survey data were analyzed with regard to gender,…

Holistic Face Categorization in Higher Order Visual Areas of the Normal and Prosopagnosic Brain: Toward a Non-Hierarchical View of Face Perception

PubMed Central

Rossion, Bruno; Dricot, Laurence; Goebel, Rainer; Busigny, Thomas

2011-01-01

How a visual stimulus is initially categorized as a face in a network of human brain areas remains largely unclear. Hierarchical neuro-computational models of face perception assume that the visual stimulus is first decomposed in local parts in lower order visual areas. These parts would then be combined into a global representation in higher order face-sensitive areas of the occipito-temporal cortex. Here we tested this view in fMRI with visual stimuli that are categorized as faces based on their global configuration rather than their local parts (two-tones Mooney figures and Arcimboldo's facelike paintings). Compared to the same inverted visual stimuli that are not categorized as faces, these stimuli activated the right middle fusiform gyrus (“Fusiform face area”) and superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), with no significant activation in the posteriorly located inferior occipital gyrus (i.e., no “occipital face area”). This observation is strengthened by behavioral and neural evidence for normal face categorization of these stimuli in a brain-damaged prosopagnosic patient whose intact right middle fusiform gyrus and superior temporal sulcus are devoid of any potential face-sensitive inputs from the lesioned right inferior occipital cortex. Together, these observations indicate that face-preferential activation may emerge in higher order visual areas of the right hemisphere without any face-preferential inputs from lower order visual areas, supporting a non-hierarchical view of face perception in the visual cortex. PMID:21267432

The challenge of cancer in middle-income countries with an ageing population: Mexico as a case study

PubMed Central

Aggarwal, Ajay; Unger-Saldaña, Karla; Lewison, Grant; Sullivan, Richard

2015-01-01

Mexico is undergoing rapid population ageing as a result of its epidemiological transition. This study explores the interface between this rapid population ageing and the burden of cancer. The number of new cancer cases is expected to increase by nearly 75% by 2030 (107,000 additional cases per annum), with 60% of cases in the elderly (aged ≥ 65). A review of the literature was supplemented by a bibliometric analysis of Mexico’s cancer research output. Cancer incidence projections for selected sites were estimated with Globocan software. Data were obtained from recent national census, surveys, and cancer death registrations. The elderly, especially women and those living in rural areas, face high levels of poverty, have low rates of educational attainment, and many are not covered by health insurance schemes. Out of pocket payments and private health care usage remain high, despite the implementation of Seguro Popular that was designed to achieve financial protection for the lowest income groups. A number of cancers that predominate in elderly persons are not covered by the scheme and individuals face catastrophic expenditure in seeking treatment. There is limited research output in those cancer sites that have a high burden in the elderly Mexican population, especially research that focuses on outcomes. The elderly population in Mexico is vulnerable to the effects of the rising cancer burden and faces challenges in accessing high quality cancer care. Based on our evidence, we recommend that geriatric oncology should be an urgent public policy priority for Mexico. PMID:26015805

Prevalence of face recognition deficits in middle childhood.

PubMed

Bennetts, Rachel J; Murray, Ebony; Boyce, Tian; Bate, Sarah

2017-02-01

Approximately 2-2.5% of the adult population is believed to show severe difficulties with face recognition, in the absence of any neurological injury-a condition known as developmental prosopagnosia (DP). However, to date no research has attempted to estimate the prevalence of face recognition deficits in children, possibly because there are very few child-friendly, well-validated tests of face recognition. In the current study, we examined face and object recognition in a group of primary school children (aged 5-11 years), to establish whether our tests were suitable for children and to provide an estimate of face recognition difficulties in children. In Experiment 1 (n = 184), children completed a pre-existing test of child face memory, the Cambridge Face Memory Test-Kids (CFMT-K), and a bicycle test with the same format. In Experiment 2 (n = 413), children completed three-alternative forced-choice matching tasks with faces and bicycles. All tests showed good psychometric properties. The face and bicycle tests were well matched for difficulty and showed a similar developmental trajectory. Neither the memory nor the matching tests were suitable to detect impairments in the youngest groups of children, but both tests appear suitable to screen for face recognition problems in middle childhood. In the current sample, 1.2-5.2% of children showed difficulties with face recognition; 1.2-4% showed face-specific difficulties-that is, poor face recognition with typical object recognition abilities. This is somewhat higher than previous adult estimates: It is possible that face matching tests overestimate the prevalence of face recognition difficulties in children; alternatively, some children may "outgrow" face recognition difficulties.

Better than fish on land? Hearing across metamorphosis in salamanders.

PubMed

Christensen, Christian Bech; Lauridsen, Henrik; Christensen-Dalsgaard, Jakob; Pedersen, Michael; Madsen, Peter Teglberg

2015-03-07

Early tetrapods faced an auditory challenge from the impedance mismatch between air and tissue in the transition from aquatic to terrestrial lifestyles during the Early Carboniferous (350 Ma). Consequently, tetrapods may have been deaf to airborne sounds for up to 100 Myr until tympanic middle ears evolved during the Triassic. The middle ear morphology of recent urodeles is similar to that of early 'lepospondyl' microsaur tetrapods, and experimental studies on their hearing capabilities are therefore useful to understand the evolutionary and functional drivers behind the shift from aquatic to aerial hearing in early tetrapods. Here, we combine imaging techniques with neurophysiological measurements to resolve how the change from aquatic larvae to terrestrial adult affects the ear morphology and sensory capabilities of salamanders. We show that air-induced pressure detection enhances underwater hearing sensitivity of salamanders at frequencies above 120 Hz, and that both terrestrial adults and fully aquatic juvenile salamanders can detect airborne sound. Collectively, these findings suggest that early atympanic tetrapods may have been pre-equipped to aerial hearing and are able to hear airborne sound better than fish on land. When selected for, this rudimentary hearing could have led to the evolution of tympanic middle ears. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Parting Moon Shots from NASAs GRAIL Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-01-10

Video of the moon taken by the NASA GRAIL mission's MoonKam (Moon Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students) camera aboard the Ebb spacecraft on Dec. 14, 2012. Features forward-facing and rear-facing views.

Assessing strategies for increasing urban routine immunization coverage of childhood vaccines in low and middle-income countries: A systematic review of peer-reviewed literature.

PubMed

Nelson, Kristin N; Wallace, Aaron S; Sodha, Samir V; Daniels, Danni; Dietz, Vance

2016-11-04

Immunization programs in developing countries increasingly face challenges to ensure equitable delivery of services within cities where rapid urban growth can result in informal settlements, poor living conditions, and heterogeneous populations. A number of strategies have been utilized in developing countries to ensure high community demand and equitable availability of urban immunization services; however, a synthesis of the literature on these strategies has not previously been undertaken. We reviewed articles published in English in peer-reviewed journals between 1990 and 2013 that assessed interventions for improving routine immunization coverage in urban areas in low- and middle-income countries. We categorized the intervention in each study into one of three groups: (1) interventions aiming to increase utilization of immunization services; (2) interventions aiming to improve availability of immunization services by healthcare providers, or (3) combined availability and utilization interventions. We summarized the main quantitative outcomes from each study and effective practices from each intervention category. Fifteen studies were identified; 87% from the African, Eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asian regions of the World Health Organization (WHO). Six studies were randomized controlled trials, eight were pre- and post-intervention evaluations, and one was a cross-sectional study. Four described interventions designed to improve availability of routine immunization services, six studies described interventions that aimed to increase utilization, and five studies aiming to improve both availability and utilization of services. All studies reported positive change in their primary outcome indicator, although seven different primary outcomes indicators were used across studies. Studies varied considerably with respect to the type of intervention assessed, study design, and length of intervention assessment. Few studies have assessed interventions designed explicitly for the unique challenges facing immunization programs in urban areas. Further research on sustainability, scalability, and cost-effectiveness of interventions is needed to fill this gap. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing strategies for increasing urban routine immunization coverage of childhood vaccines in low and middle-income countries: A systematic review of peer-reviewed literature

PubMed Central

Nelson, Kristin N.; Wallace, Aaron S.; Sodha, Samir V.; Daniels, Danni; Dietz, Vance

2016-01-01

Introduction Immunization programs in developing countries increasingly face challenges to ensure equitable delivery of services within cities where rapid urban growth can result in informal settlements, poor living conditions, and heterogeneous populations. A number of strategies have been utilized in developing countries to ensure high community demand and equitable availability of urban immunization services; however, a synthesis of the literature on these strategies has not previously been undertaken. Methods We reviewed articles published in English in peer-reviewed journals between 1990 and 2013 that assessed interventions for improving routine immunization coverage in urban areas in low- and middle-income countries. We categorized the intervention in each study into one of three groups: (1) interventions aiming to increase utilization of immunization services; (2) interventions aiming to improve availability of immunization services by healthcare providers, or (3) combined availability and utilization interventions. We summarized the main quantitative outcomes from each study and effective practices from each intervention category. Results Fifteen studies were identified; 87% from the African, Eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asian regions of the World Health Organization (WHO). Six studies were randomized controlled trials, eight were pre- and post-intervention evaluations, and one was a cross-sectional study. Four described interventions designed to improve availability of routine immunization services, six studies described interventions that aimed to increase utilization, and five studies aiming to improve both availability and utilization of services. All studies reported positive change in their primary outcome indicator, although seven different primary outcomes indicators were used across studies. Studies varied considerably with respect to the type of intervention assessed, study design, and length of intervention assessment. Conclusion Few studies have assessed interventions designed explicitly for the unique challenges facing immunization programs in urban areas. Further research on sustainability, scalability, and cost-effectiveness of interventions is needed to fill this gap. PMID:27692772

Category-selective attention modulates unconscious processes in the middle occipital gyrus.

PubMed

Tu, Shen; Qiu, Jiang; Martens, Ulla; Zhang, Qinglin

2013-06-01

Many studies have revealed the top-down modulation (spatial attention, attentional load, etc.) on unconscious processing. However, there is little research about how category-selective attention could modulate the unconscious processing. In the present study, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the results showed that category-selective attention modulated unconscious face/tool processing in the middle occipital gyrus (MOG). Interestingly, MOG effects were of opposed direction for face and tool processes. During unconscious face processing, activation in MOG decreased under the face-selective attention compared with tool-selective attention. This result was in line with the predictive coding theory. During unconscious tool processing, however, activation in MOG increased under the tool-selective attention compared with face-selective attention. The different effects might be ascribed to an interaction between top-down category-selective processes and bottom-up processes in the partial awareness level as proposed by Kouider, De Gardelle, Sackur, and Dupoux (2010). Specifically, we suppose an "excessive activation" hypothesis. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Brief Report: Developing Spatial Frequency Biases for Face Recognition in Autism and Williams Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leonard, Hayley C.; Annaz, Dagmara; Karmiloff-Smith, Annette; Johnson, Mark H.

2011-01-01

The current study investigated whether contrasting face recognition abilities in autism and Williams syndrome could be explained by different spatial frequency biases over developmental time. Typically-developing children and groups with Williams syndrome and autism were asked to recognise faces in which low, middle and high spatial frequency…

School-Wide Discipline Policies: In-School Suspension in One Middle School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chung, Gloria; Paul, Rachel

One of the more perplexing problems facing middle schools is the use of in-school suspension (ISS). So as to understand better the effects of this practice, one middle school's ISS program was studied and evaluated. Current research on ISS polices and practices is limited, and there is little evidence that supports its use or reform; however, in…

1. From northwest facing southeast, at corner of Techwood Drive ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. From northwest facing southeast, at corner of Techwood Drive and Parker Street; Building L on left, Building M in middle. - Techwood Homes, Building No. 9, 112-126 Parker Street, Atlanta, Fulton County, GA

"Discovering Plate Boundaries in Data-Rich Environments": Supporting Pre-service Teachers involvement in Unique Practices of Geosciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrie, A. S.; Moore, J.

2012-12-01

Plate tectonics is one of the core scientific concepts in both the NRC K-12 standards documents (#ESS2.B) and College Board Standards for Science (#ES.1.3). These documents also mention the scientific practices expected to improve as students are learning plate tectonics: interpreting data based on their observations of maps and argumentation around the evidence based on data. Research on students' understanding of maps emphasizes the difficulty of reading maps in science classrooms.We are conducting an ethnographic case study of the process of learning and teaching by novice teachers in the middle school science major at a mid-Atlantic University. The participants of the study are third-year majors (in the middle school science program and middle students at a suburban middle school. The study uses the data from four different fields (geography, geochronology, volcanology and seismology) to help involve preservice teachers in the practices of geosciences.The data for the study includes video and audio records of novice teachers' learning and teaching processes as well as teachers' reflections about their learning and on teaching Plate Tectonics by using real data. The video and audio data will be compiled and synthesized into event maps and transcripts, which are necessary for sociolinguistic analysis. Event maps provide an overall view of the events and are used to map the learning and teaching events into timely sequences and phases based on the subtopics and types of educational activities. Transcripts cover in detail the discussion and activity observed at each phase of the learning and teaching events. After compilation, event maps and transcripts will be analyzed by using Discourse analysis with an ethnographic perspective in order to identify novice teachers' challenges and the improvement they want to make on their teaching and assessment artifacts. The preliminary findings of the project identified challenges faced by novice teachers learning and teaching plate tectonics using key scientific practices. As a result of the educational activities developed in this project, we will try help teachers to overcome their challenges and develop the pedagogical skills that novice teachers need to use to teach plate tectonics by focusing on key scientific practices with the help of previously-developed educational resources. Learning about the processes that occur at plate boundaries will help future teachers (and their students) understand natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanoes. Furthermore, the study will have a significant, and broader, impact by 'teaching the teachers' and empowering novice teachers to overcome the challenges of reading maps and using argumentation in science classrooms.

Assessment of Institutional and Personnel-Related Challenges Facing Educational Programme for the Mentally Challenged Persons at Kaimosi Special School, Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mmbwanga, Daniel M.; Matemba, Collins K.; Bota, Kennedy N.

2015-01-01

The mentally challenged child (MC) can achieve a lot if the right environment and curriculum are designed for him/her. However, the realization of the desirable outcomes faces many challenges. The objective of the study was to examine institutional and personnel-related challenges facing education programs for the MC persons at Kaimosi Special…

Assessing cost-effectiveness of HPV vaccines with decision analytic models: what are the distinct challenges of low- and middle-income countries? A protocol for a systematic review.

PubMed

Ekwunife, Obinna I; Grote, Andreas Gerber; Mosch, Christoph; O'Mahony, James F; Lhachimi, Stefan K

2015-05-12

Cervical cancer poses a huge health burden, both to developed and developing nations, making prevention and control strategies necessary. However, the challenges of designing and implementing prevention strategies differ for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) as compared to countries with fully developed health care systems. Moreover, for many LMICs, much of the data needed for decision analytic modelling, such as prevalence, will most likely only be partly available or measured with much larger uncertainty. Lastly, imperfect implementation of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination may influence the effectiveness of cervical cancer prevention in unpredictable ways. This systematic review aims to assess how decision analytic modelling studies of HPV cost-effectiveness in LMICs accounted for the particular challenges faced in such countries. Specifically, the study will assess the following: (1) whether the existing literature on cost-effectiveness modelling of HPV vaccines acknowledges the distinct challenges of LMICs, (2) how these challenges were accommodated in the models, (3) whether certain parameters systemically exhibited large degrees of uncertainty due to lack of data and how influential were these parameters on model-based recommendations, and (4) whether the choice of modelling herd immunity influences model-based recommendations, especially when coverage of a HPV vaccination program is not optimal. We will conduct a systematic review to identify suitable studies from MEDLINE (via PubMed), EMBASE, NHS Economic Evaluation Database (NHS EED), EconLit, Web of Science, and CEA Registry. Searches will be conducted for studies of interest published since 2006. The searches will be supplemented by hand searching of the most relevant papers found in the search. Studies will be critically appraised using Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) statement checklist. We will undertake a descriptive, narrative, and interpretative synthesis of data to address the study objectives. The proposed systematic review will assess how the cost-effectiveness studies of HPV vaccines accounted for the distinct challenges of LMICs. The gaps identified will expose areas for additional research as well as challenges that need to be accounted for in future modelling studies. PROSPERO CRD42015017870.

Discovering Plate Boundaries in Data-integrated Environments: Preservice Teachers' Conceptualization and Implementation of Scientific Practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sezen-Barrie, Asli; Moore, Joel; Roig, Cara E.

2015-08-01

Drawn from the norms and rules of their fields, scientists use variety of practices, such as asking questions and arguing based on evidence, to engage in research that will contribute to our understanding of Earth and beyond. In this study, we explore how preservice teachers' learn to teach scientific practices while teaching plate tectonic theory. In particular, our aim is to observe which scientific practices preservice teachers use while teaching an earth science unit, how do they integrate these practices into their lessons, and what challenges do they face during their first time teaching of an earth science content area integrated with scientific practices. The study is designed as a qualitative, exploratory case study of seven preservice teachers while they were learning to teach plate tectonic theory to a group of middle school students. The data were driven from the video records and artifacts of the preservice teachers' learning and teaching processes as well as written reflections on the teaching. Intertextual discourse analysis was used to understand what scientific practices preservice teachers choose to integrate into their teaching experience. Our results showed that preservice teachers chose to focus on four aspects of scientific practices: (1) employing historical understanding of how the theory emerged, (2) encouraging the use of evidence to build up a theory, (3) observation and interpretation of data maps, and (4) collaborative practices in making up the theory. For each of these practices, we also looked at the common challenges faced by preservice teachers by using constant comparative analysis. We observed the practices that preservice teachers decided to use and the challenges they faced, which were determined by what might have come as in their personal history as learners. Therefore, in order to strengthen preservice teachers' background, college courses should be arranged to teach important scientific ideas through scientific practices. In addition, such practices should also reflect the authentic practices of earth scientists such as use of historical record and differentiating observation versus interpretation.

Middle Years. For Middle Level Educators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hechinger, Fred M.; And Others

1992-01-01

This supplement offers 10 articles focusing on middle school education. Topics include remembering adolescence, resources and teaching tips, active middle school students, adolescent development, challenges in middle school education, integrated studies, planning middle school special events, a writing-science-consumerism miniunit on popcorn,…

Challenges Inherent in the Design and Implementation of After-School Intervention Programs for Middle Grade Underachieving Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Velten, Justin; Mokhtari, Kouider

2016-01-01

In this brief report, we share three challenges we encountered when designing and implementing an after school intervention program for an ethnically diverse group of middle grade underachieving readers. We also offer practical solutions to help guide middle school teams in anticipating and addressing potential problems when putting in place…

Foundations in Science and Mathematics Program for Middle School and High School Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desai, Karna Mahadev; Yang, Jing; Hemann, Jason

2016-01-01

The Foundations in Science and Mathematics (FSM) is a graduate student led summer program designed to help middle school and high school students strengthen their knowledge and skills in mathematics and science. FSM provides two-week-long courses over a broad spectrum of disciplines including astronomy, biology, chemistry, computer programming, geology, mathematics, and physics. Students can chose two types of courses: (1) courses that help students learn the fundamental concepts in basic sciences and mathematics (e.g., "Precalculus"); and (2) knowledge courses that might be excluded from formal schooling (e.g., "Introduction to Universe"). FSM has served over 500 students in the Bloomington, IN, community over six years by acquiring funding from Indiana University and the Indiana Space Grant Consortium. FSM offers graduate students the opportunity to obtain first hand experience through independent teaching and curriculum design as well as leadership experience.We present the design of the program, review the achievements, and explore the challenges we face. We are open to collaboration with similar educational outreach programs. For more information, please visit http://www.indiana.edu/~fsm/ .

The elusive ideal of inclusiveness: lessons from a worldwide survey of neurologists on the ethical issues raised by whole-genome sequencing.

PubMed

Hurlimann, Thierry; Jaitovich Groisman, Iris; Godard, Béatrice

2017-04-11

The anticipation of ethical issues that may arise with the clinical use of genomic technologies is crucial to envision their future implementation in a manner sensitive to local contexts. Yet, populations in low- and middle-income countries are underrepresented in studies that aim to explore stakeholders' perspectives on the use of such technologies. Within the framework of a research project entitled "Personalized medicine in the treatment of epilepsy", we sought to increase inclusiveness by widening the reach of our survey, inviting neurologists from around the world to share their views and practices regarding the use of whole-genome sequencing in clinical neurology and its associated ethics. We discuss herein the compelling scientific and ethical reasons that led us to attempt to recruit neurologists worldwide, despite the lack, in many low- or middle-income countries, of access to genomic technologies. Recruitment procedures and their results are presented and discussed, as well as the barriers we faced. We conclude that inclusive recruitment remains a challenging, albeit necessary and legitimate, endeavour.

Barriers and Opportunities in Consent and Access Procedures in Low- and Middle-Income Country Biobanks: Meeting Notes from the BCNet Training and General Assembly.

PubMed

Zawati, Ma'n H; Tassé, Anne Marie; Mendy, Maimuna; Caboux, Elodie; Lang, Michael

2018-04-18

As biobanking research in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) continues to grow, novel legal and policy considerations have arisen. Also, while an expansive literature has developed around these issues, the views and concerns of individual researchers in these contexts have been less actively studied. These meeting notes aim to contribute to the growing literature on biobanking in LMICs by communicating a number of challenges and opportunities identified by biobank researchers themselves. Specifically, we describe concerns that emerge in consent and access policy domains. First, we present a review of the literature on distinct policy and legal concerns faced in LMICs, giving special attention to the general absence of practitioner perspectives. From there, we outline and discuss considerations that were raised by meeting participants at a Biobank and Cohort Building Network (BCNet) Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues training program. We conclude by proposing that the unique perspectives of biobank researchers in LMICs should be given serious attention and further research on these perspectives should be conducted.

Resilient parenting of children at developmental risk across middle childhood.

PubMed

Ellingsen, Ruth; Baker, Bruce L; Blacher, Jan; Crnic, Keith

2014-06-01

This paper focuses on factors that might influence positive parenting during middle childhood when a parent faces formidable challenges defined herein as "resilient parenting." Data were obtained from 162 families at child age 5 and 8 years. Using an adapted ABCX model, we examined three risk domains (child developmental delay, child ADHD/ODD diagnosis, and low family income) and three protective factors (mother's education, health, and optimism). The outcome of interest was positive parenting as coded from mother-child interactions. We hypothesized that each of the risk factors would predict poorer parenting and that higher levels of each protective factor would buffer the risk-parenting relationship. Positive parenting scores decreased across levels of increasing risk. Maternal optimism appeared to be a protective factor for resilient parenting concurrently at age 5 and predictively to age 8, as well as a predictor of positive change in parenting from age 5 to age 8, above and beyond level of risk. Maternal education and health were not significantly protective for positive parenting. Limitations, future directions, and implications for intervention are discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Resilient Parenting of Children at Developmental Risk Across Middle Childhood

PubMed Central

Baker, Bruce L.; Blacher, Jan; Crnic, Keith

2015-01-01

This paper focuses on factors that might influence positive parenting during middle childhood when a parent faces formidable challenges defined herein as “resilient parenting.” Data were obtained from 162 families at child age 5 and 8 years. Using an adapted ABCX model, we examined three risk domains (child developmental delay, child ADHD/ODD diagnosis, and low family income) and three protective factors (mother’s education, health, and optimism). The outcome of interest was positive parenting as coded from mother-child interactions. We hypothesized that each of the risk factors would predict poorer parenting and that higher levels of each protective factor would buffer the risk-parenting relationship. Positive parenting scores decreased across levels of increasing risk. Maternal optimism appeared to be a protective factor for resilient parenting concurrently at age 5 and predictively to age 8, as well as a predictor of positive change in parenting from age 5 to age 8, above and beyond level of risk. Maternal education and health were not significantly protective for positive parenting. Limitations, future directions, and implications for intervention are discussed. PMID:24713516

Extending Marketplace Tax Credits Would Make Coverage More Affordable for Middle-Income Adults.

PubMed

Liu, Jodi; Eiber, Christine

2017-07-01

ISSUE: Affordability of health coverage is a growing challenge for Americans facing rising premiums, deductibles, and copayments. The Affordable Care Act's tax credits make marketplace insurance more affordable for eligible lower-income individuals. However, individuals lose tax credits when their income exceeds 400 percent of the federal poverty level, creating a steep cliff. GOALS: To analyze the effects of extending eligibility for tax credits to individuals with incomes above 400 percent of the federal poverty level. METHODS: We used RAND's COMPARE microsimulation model to examine changes in insurance coverage and health care spending. KEY FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS: Extending tax-credit eligibility increases insurance enrollment by 1.2 million, at a total federal cost of $6.0 billion. Those who would benefit from the tax-credit extension are mostly middle-income adults ages 50 to 64. These new enrollees would be healthier than current enrollees their age, which would improve the risk pool and lower premiums. Eliminating the cliff at 400 percent of the federal poverty level is one policy option that may be considered to increase affordability of insurance.

Understanding Leadership in Schools Facing Challenging Circumstances: A Chilean Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahumada, Luis; Galdames, Sergio; Clarke, Simon

2016-01-01

During the last 10 years, research into schools facing challenging circumstances has attracted the attention of researchers around the world. The aim of this study was to understand the challenges that school leaders face as they per form their work, the nature of the context in which these challenges arise, the strategies school leaders adopt to…

2. VIEW SHOWING SOUTHWEST FACE OF BATTERY OFFICES FOREGROUND, DIRECTOR ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

2. VIEW SHOWING SOUTHWEST FACE OF BATTERY OFFICES FOREGROUND, DIRECTOR PIT LEFT MIDDLE-GROUND. AND HEIGHT FINDER RIGHT FOREGROUND, LOOKING NORTHEAST - Fort Cronkhite, Anti-Aircraft Battery No. 1, Battery Offices, Wolf Ridge, Sausalito, Marin County, CA

Collaborative Systems Thinking: A Response to the Problems Faced by Systems Engineering's 'Middle Tier'

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Phfarr, Barbara B.; So, Maria M.; Lamb, Caroline Twomey; Rhodes, Donna H.

2009-01-01

Experienced systems engineers are adept at more than implementing systems engineering processes: they utilize systems thinking to solve complex engineering problems. Within the space industry demographics and economic pressures are reducing the number of experienced systems engineers that will be available in the future. Collaborative systems thinking within systems engineering teams is proposed as a way to integrate systems engineers of various experience levels to handle complex systems engineering challenges. This paper uses the GOES-R Program Systems Engineering team to illustrate the enablers and barriers to team level systems thinking and to identify ways in which performance could be improved. Ways NASA could expand its engineering training to promote team-level systems thinking are proposed.

How do young people in Cambodia perceive the impact of societal attitudes, media and religion on suicidal behaviour?

PubMed

Jegannathan, Bhoomikumar; Kullgren, Gunnar; Dahlblom, Kjerstin

2016-03-01

Young people in low and middle income countries (LMICs) in societal transitions with rapidly changing norms face an increased risk of suicide. This study explores how young people in Cambodia understand the impact on suicidal behaviour from societal attitudes, media and religion. Focus group discussions were held with school students from a suburban area. Thematic analysis was used to interpret the data. Participants perceived the prevailing suicide-stigmatizing societal attitudes, the double-edged media and suicide-ambiguity in Buddhist religion as challenging. Globalization was recognized as contradicting with traditional Cambodian norms and values. Suicide prevention programmes should take into consideration the complex picture of suicide that young people are exposed to. © The Author(s) 2015.

Local IRBs vs. federal agencies: shifting dynamics, systems, and relationships.

PubMed

Klitzman, Robert L

2012-07-01

How IRBs relate to federal agencies, and the implications of these relationships, have received little, if any, systematic study. I interviewed 46 IRB chairs, directors, administrators, and members, contacting the leadership of 60 U.S. IRBs (every fourth one in the list of the top 240 institutions by NIH funding), interviewing IRB leaders from 34 (response rate=55%). IRBs describe complex direct and indirect relationships with federal agencies that affect IRBs through audits, guidance documents, and other communications, and can generate problems and challenges. Researchers often blame IRBs for frustrations, but IRBs often serve as the "local face" of federal regulations and agencies and are "stuck in the middle." These data have critical implications for policy, practice, and research.

Similarities in neural activations of face and Chinese character discrimination.

PubMed

Liu, Jiangang; Tian, Jie; Li, Jun; Gong, Qiyong; Lee, Kang

2009-02-18

This study compared Chinese participants' visual discrimination of Chinese faces with that of Chinese characters, which are highly similar to faces on a variety of dimensions. Both Chinese faces and characters activated the bilateral middle fusiform with high levels of correlations. These findings suggest that although the expertise systems for faces and written symbols are known to be anatomically differentiated at the later stages of processing to serve face processing or written-symbol-specific processing purposes, they may share similar neural structures in the ventral occipitotemporal cortex at the stages of visual processing.

Neural basis of distorted self-face recognition in social anxiety disorder.

PubMed

Kim, Min-Kyeong; Yoon, Hyung-Jun; Shin, Yu-Bin; Lee, Seung-Koo; Kim, Jae-Jin

2016-01-01

The observer perspective causes patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD) to excessively inspect their performance and appearance. This study aimed to investigate the neural basis of distorted self-face recognition in non-social situations in patients with SAD. Twenty patients with SAD and 20 age- and gender-matched healthy controls participated in this fMRI study. Data were acquired while participants performed a Composite Face Evaluation Task, during which they had to press a button indicating how much they liked a series of self-faces, attractively transformed self-faces, and attractive others' faces. Patients had a tendency to show more favorable responses to the self-face and unfavorable responses to the others' faces compared with controls, but the two groups' responses to the attractively transformed self-faces did not differ. Significant group differences in regional activity were observed in the middle frontal and supramarginal gyri in the self-face condition (patients < controls); the inferior frontal gyrus in the attractively transformed self-face condition (patients > controls); and the middle frontal, supramarginal, and angular gyri in the attractive others' face condition (patients > controls). Most fronto-parietal activities during observation of the self-face were negatively correlated with preference scores in patients but not in controls. Patients with SAD have a positive point of view of their own face and experience self-relevance for the attractively transformed self-faces. This distorted cognition may be based on dysfunctions in the frontal and inferior parietal regions. The abnormal engagement of the fronto-parietal attentional network during processing face stimuli in non-social situations may be linked to distorted self-recognition in SAD.

Challenges Facing a Deaf Family Member Concerning a Loved One’s Dying

PubMed Central

Kehl, Karen A.; Gartner, Constance M.

2010-01-01

Individuals who are Deaf face challenges both similar and unique from those faced by hearing individuals when a family member is dying. This study was guided by the question “What are the challenges faced by a Deaf family member when a loved one is dying?” Methods - This qualitative study is guided by critical theory and an interpretive perspective. Robert, a college-educated older adult who has been Deaf from birth was interviewed in American Sign Language using a death history format. Results – There are challenges for Deaf family members that affect communication with both the dying person and health care professionals. Patient-family communication issues included physical challenges and financial challenges. Lack of cultural competence concerning the Deaf community created challenges communicating with professionals. Decision-making was also a challenge. Conclusions These findings provide a framework for future research concerning the needs of Deaf individuals facing the end of life and provide guidance for clinicians. PMID:19910395

Medical Tourism and Telemedicine: A New Frontier of an Old Business

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

In October 2015, the “Chinese American Physicians E-Hospital” celebrated its “grand opening” online. All physicians affiliated with this E-Hospital are bilingual Chinese American physicians, who provide services ranging from initial teleconsulting to international transfer and treatment in the United States. Such telemedicine platform for medical tourism not only saves the patients from the hassles of identifying and connecting with an appropriate health service provider but also minimizes the language and cultural barriers. As a growing number of patients from middle- and low-income countries travel to the United States (US) for medical care, we face promising opportunities as well as mounting challenges. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the US has guidance for Americans seeking care overseas, but is not available for international patients seeking care in US. This article opens a dialogue on the challenges associated with flourishing medical tourism and telemedicine, including quality assessment, risk communication, ethical guidelines, and legal concerns. PMID:27215230

Forensic autopsy practice in the Middle East: comparisons with the west.

PubMed

Al-Waheeb, Salah; Al-Kandary, Nadia; Aljerian, Khaldoon

2015-05-01

Autopsies are performed in the majority of Arab, Muslim countries. Several of these countries face social challenges and others do not have well established academic programs to teach the science. In this article we intend to review the history and practice of the forensic part of autopsies in a few Arab, Muslim countries (Egypt, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Kuwait) and compare it with the United States of America (USA) and the United Kingdom (UK), 2 countries where the practice of forensic science and Forensic pathology is well established. This was achieved by pub med literature search and the distribution of a questionnaire to colleagues in Arab countries. We recommend that Arab countries explore the field of virtual autopsy to overcome some of the social challenges related to dissection of the cadaver. Kuwait can benefit from the introduction of Forensic training given the high workload in the country. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

Aging and Emotion Recognition: Not Just a Losing Matter

PubMed Central

Sze, Jocelyn A.; Goodkind, Madeleine S.; Gyurak, Anett; Levenson, Robert W.

2013-01-01

Past studies on emotion recognition and aging have found evidence of age-related decline when emotion recognition was assessed by having participants detect single emotions depicted in static images of full or partial (e.g., eye region) faces. These tests afford good experimental control but do not capture the dynamic nature of real-world emotion recognition, which is often characterized by continuous emotional judgments and dynamic multi-modal stimuli. Research suggests that older adults often perform better under conditions that better mimic real-world social contexts. We assessed emotion recognition in young, middle-aged, and older adults using two traditional methods (single emotion judgments of static images of faces and eyes) and an additional method in which participants made continuous emotion judgments of dynamic, multi-modal stimuli (videotaped interactions between young, middle-aged, and older couples). Results revealed an age by test interaction. Largely consistent with prior research, we found some evidence that older adults performed worse than young adults when judging single emotions from images of faces (for sad and disgust faces only) and eyes (for older eyes only), with middle-aged adults falling in between. In contrast, older adults did better than young adults on the test involving continuous emotion judgments of dyadic interactions, with middle-aged adults falling in between. In tests in which target stimuli differed in age, emotion recognition was not facilitated by an age match between participant and target. These findings are discussed in terms of theoretical and methodological implications for the study of aging and emotional processing. PMID:22823183

[Advances in genetics of congenital malformation of external and middle ear].

PubMed

Wang, Dayong; Wang, Qiuju

2013-05-01

Congenital malformation of external and middle ear is a common disease in ENT department, and the incidence of this disease is second only to cleft lip and palate in the whole congenital malformations of the head and face. The external and middle ear malformations may occur separately, or as an important ear symptom of the systemic syndrome. We systematically review and analysis the genetic research progress of congenital malformation of external and middle ear, which would be helpful to understand the mechanism of external and middle ear development, and to provide clues for the further discovery of new virulence genes.

The Functional Architecture for Face-processing Expertise: FMRI Evidence of the Developmental Trajectory of the Core and the Extended Face Systems

PubMed Central

Haist, Frank; Adamo, Maha; Han, Jarnet; Lee, Kang; Stiles, Joan

2013-01-01

Expertise in processing faces is a cornerstone of human social interaction. However, the developmental course of many key brain regions supporting face preferential processing in the human brain remains undefined. Here, we present findings from an FMRI study using a simple viewing paradigm of faces and objects in a continuous age sample covering the age range from 6 years through adulthood. These findings are the first to use such a sample paired with whole-brain FMRI analyses to investigate development within the core and extended face networks across the developmental spectrum from middle childhood to adulthood. We found evidence, albeit modest, for a developmental trend in the volume of the right fusiform face area (rFFA) but no developmental change in the intensity of activation. From a spatial perspective, the middle portion of the right fusiform gyrus most commonly found in adult studies of face processing was increasingly likely to be included in the FFA as age increased to adulthood. Outside of the FFA, the most striking finding was that children hyperactivated nearly every aspect of the extended face system relative to adults, including the amygdala, anterior temporal pole, insula, inferior frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus, and parietal cortex. Overall, the findings suggest that development is best characterized by increasing modulation of face-sensitive regions throughout the brain to engage only those systems necessary for task requirements. PMID:23948645

Can an evidence-based book club intervention delivered via a tablet computer improve physical activity in middle-aged women?

PubMed

Ehlers, Diane K; Huberty, Jennifer L; de Vreede, Gert-Jan

2015-02-01

Fewer than 50% of middle-aged women participate in regular physical activity (PA). Innovative approaches that engage women who may not otherwise participate in PA programs are warranted. The purpose of this study was to explore the acceptability and feasibility of a 12-week tablet-based book club for improving middle-aged women's PA. Thirty women (35-64 years of age) were randomized to the Fit Minded Tablet (n=15) and the Standard Fit Minded (i.e., face-to-face intervention) (n=15) groups. The Fit Minded Tablet was adapted from the Standard Fit Minded, a previously tested, theory-based book club intervention using books as a platform for discussion and group support to help women adopt regular PA. Both interventions met weekly for 3 months, for a total of 12 sessions. Tablet group participants accessed materials (e.g., e-books, workbook, live/recorded videoconferencing) via a tablet computer; Standard group participants received materials (e.g., printed books, workbook, live face-to-face meetings) in person. Feasibility (i.e., implementation and expansion) was assessed using process evaluation, qualitative interviews, satisfaction surveys, and quantitative outcome assessments. Women in the Tablet group attended fewer meetings (mean, 8.25) than women in the Standard group (mean, 9.9). Videoconferencing, digital literacy, and participant engagement limitations were observed in the Tablet group. Tablet participants enjoyed the e-books but thought technology barriers hindered their engagement during meetings. Women in both groups valued the support they received from other group members. Standard participants cited this support as a key contributor to their PA changes, whereas Tablet participants reported needing in-person contact to feel more connected. Given the popularity of tablet computers and the value that middle-aged women place on group interaction to support their PA behaviors, additional research is warranted to determine best strategies for optimizing social support, mitigating technology barriers, and improving engagement in online and mobile health promotion programs targeting middle-aged women.

Homeland Security. Management Challenges Facing Federal Leadership

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-12-01

Security Management Challenges Facing Federal Leadership 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT...including attention to management practices and key success factors. HOMELAND SECURITY Management Challenges Facing Federal Leadership www.gao.gov/cgi...significant management and coordination challenges if it is to provide this leadership and be successful in preventing and responding to any future

The Scary World of Middle School: How to Be Sure Your Kids Are Ready

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Caralee

2008-01-01

Middle school, which is generally thought of as sixth to eighth grades, is not easy for anybody. It is a rough time to be a student, and a tough age to teach. Teachers are expected to ease the transition of students from elementary to middle school. However, if you are an elementary teacher, you may not know what kids will be facing in middle…

77 FR 71673 - Decision To Rescind Buy America Waiver for Minivans and Minivan Chassis

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-03

... vehicle (as provided in the MV-1) constitutes a ``row'' and that a single rear-facing jump seat in the middle constitutes a ``row,'' the middle jump seat is not standard equipment on the MV-1. 3. The MV-1...

The Development of the Guide to Economic Analysis and Research (GEAR) Online Resource for Low- and Middle-Income Countries' Health Economics Practitioners: A Commentary.

PubMed

Adeagbo, Chiaki Urai; Rattanavipapong, Waranya; Guinness, Lorna; Teerawattananon, Yot

2018-05-01

Public health authorities around the world are increasingly using economic evaluation to set priorities and inform decision making in health policy, especially in the development of health benefit packages. Nevertheless, researchers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) encounter many barriers when conducting economic evaluations. In 2015, the Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program identified key technical and context-specific challenges faced in conducting and using health economic evaluations in LMICs. On the basis of these research findings, the Guide to Economic Analysis and Research (GEAR) online resource (www.gear4health.com) was developed as a reliable aid to researchers in LMICs that would help overcome those challenges. Funded by the Thailand Research Fund and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, GEAR is a free online resource that provides a visual aid tool for planning economic evaluation studies (GEAR mind maps), a repository of national and international economic evaluation guidelines (GEAR guideline comparison), and an active link to a network of volunteer international experts (GEAR: Ask an expert). GEAR will evolve over time to provide relevant, reliable, and up-to-date information through inputs from its users (e.g., periodic survey on methodological challenges) and experts (e.g., in responding to users' questions). The objective of this commentary was to give a brief description of the development and key features of this unique collective information hub aimed at facilitating high-quality research and empowering health care decision makers and stakeholders to use economic evaluation evidence. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A short narrative - Challenges and opportunities in expanding research in the Middle East, North Afr

Cancer.gov

CGH CRTA, Hedieh Mehrtash interviews CGH's Dr. Marie Ricciardone who works with a network of partners in the Middle East and North Africa region, on experiences, challenges, and opportunities in the region.

E-Mentoring the Online Doctoral Student from the Dissertation Prospectus through Dissertation Completion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Black, Ronald

2017-01-01

Faculty who mentor online doctoral candidates face many of the same challenges and opportunities as those mentoring doctoral candidates in traditional, face-to-face modalities. The main difference is that E-Mentoring is based on interacting in the online space rather than interacting face-to-face, which may present challenges for both the…

But I Don't Understand You: One Faculty's Observations of the Challenges Facing International Healthcare Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DuBose, Cheryl O.

2017-01-01

International students face many challenges when pursuing a degree in higher education. Communication and cultural differences are typically cited as the most challenging aspects of any study abroad program. Students attempting to complete a healthcare program face sometimes insurmountable issues, as communication, cultural differences, and…

The Sisters of Mercy in the Crimean War: Lessons for Catholic health care

PubMed Central

Paradis, Mary Raphael; Hart, Edith Mary; O’Brien, Mary Judith

2017-01-01

In 1856, an appeal went out to nurses in both England and Ireland, and especially to religious nurses, to care for the troops fighting in the Crimean War. The Sisters of Mercy, founded in 1831 by Venerable Catherine McAuley, answered that call. This article describes the enormous challenges the Sisters faced in that mission, which was a test of their nursing skills, flexibility, organizational ability, and their spirit of mercy. The challenges they faced professionally and as religious Sisters, the manner in which they faced those challenges, and their spiritual lives as religious women shaped their ability to give comprehensive care. Some applications are made to the challenges which religious communities and organizations working in health care face in our country at this time. Summary: This article describes the challenges faced by a group of Sisters of Mercy from England and Ireland who volunteered to serve as nurses in the Crimean War from 1856 to 1858. Applications are made to challenges which are faced by religious communities and organizations in the current secular healthcare environment. PMID:28392597

The Sisters of Mercy in the Crimean War: Lessons for Catholic health care.

PubMed

Paradis, Mary Raphael; Hart, Edith Mary; O'Brien, Mary Judith

2017-02-01

In 1856, an appeal went out to nurses in both England and Ireland, and especially to religious nurses, to care for the troops fighting in the Crimean War. The Sisters of Mercy, founded in 1831 by Venerable Catherine McAuley, answered that call. This article describes the enormous challenges the Sisters faced in that mission, which was a test of their nursing skills, flexibility, organizational ability, and their spirit of mercy. The challenges they faced professionally and as religious Sisters, the manner in which they faced those challenges, and their spiritual lives as religious women shaped their ability to give comprehensive care. Some applications are made to the challenges which religious communities and organizations working in health care face in our country at this time. Summary: This article describes the challenges faced by a group of Sisters of Mercy from England and Ireland who volunteered to serve as nurses in the Crimean War from 1856 to 1858. Applications are made to challenges which are faced by religious communities and organizations in the current secular healthcare environment.

Neural correlates of own- and other-race face recognition in children: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study

PubMed Central

Ding, Xiao Pan; Fu, Genyue; Lee, Kang

2013-01-01

The present study used the functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) methodology to investigate the neural correlates of elementary school children’s own- and other-race face processing. An old-new paradigm was used to assess children’s recognition ability of own- and other-race faces. FNIRS data revealed that other-race faces elicited significantly greater [oxy-Hb] changes than own-race faces in the right middle frontal gyrus and inferior frontal gyrus regions (BA9) and the left cuneus (BA18). With increased age, the [oxy-Hb] activity differences between own- and other-race faces, or the neural other-race effect (NORE), underwent significant changes in these two cortical areas: at younger ages, the neural response to the other-race faces was modestly greater than that to the own-race faces, but with increased age, the neural response to the own-race faces became increasingly greater than that to the other-race faces. Moreover, these areas had strong regional functional connectivity with a swath of the cortical regions in terms of the neural other-race effect that also changed with increased age. We also found significant and positive correlations between the behavioral other-race effect (reaction time) and the neural other-race effect in the right middle frontal gyrus and inferior frontal gyrus regions (BA9). These results taken together suggest that children, like adults, devote different amounts of neural resources to processing own- and other-race faces, but the size and direction of the neural other-race effect and associated functional regional connectivity change with increased age. PMID:23891903

Neural correlates of own- and other-race face recognition in children: a functional near-infrared spectroscopy study.

PubMed

Ding, Xiao Pan; Fu, Genyue; Lee, Kang

2014-01-15

The present study used the functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) methodology to investigate the neural correlates of elementary school children's own- and other-race face processing. An old-new paradigm was used to assess children's recognition ability of own- and other-race faces. FNIRS data revealed that other-race faces elicited significantly greater [oxy-Hb] changes than own-race faces in the right middle frontal gyrus and inferior frontal gyrus regions (BA9) and the left cuneus (BA18). With increased age, the [oxy-Hb] activity differences between own- and other-race faces, or the neural other-race effect (NORE), underwent significant changes in these two cortical areas: at younger ages, the neural response to the other-race faces was modestly greater than that to the own-race faces, but with increased age, the neural response to the own-race faces became increasingly greater than that to the other-race faces. Moreover, these areas had strong regional functional connectivity with a swath of the cortical regions in terms of the neural other-race effect that also changed with increased age. We also found significant and positive correlations between the behavioral other-race effect (reaction time) and the neural other-race effect in the right middle frontal gyrus and inferior frontal gyrus regions (BA9). These results taken together suggest that children, like adults, devote different amounts of neural resources to processing own- and other-race faces, but the size and direction of the neural other-race effect and associated functional regional connectivity change with increased age. © 2013.

Hospital payment systems based on diagnosis-related groups: experiences in low- and middle-income countries

PubMed Central

Wittenbecher, Friedrich

2013-01-01

Abstract Objective This paper provides a comprehensive overview of hospital payment systems based on diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) in low- and middle-income countries. It also explores design and implementation issues and the related challenges countries face. Methods A literature research for papers on DRG-based payment systems in low- and middle-income countries was conducted in English, French and Spanish through Pubmed, the Pan American Health Organization’s Regional Library of Medicine and Google. Findings Twelve low- and middle-income countries have DRG-based payment systems and another 17 are in the piloting or exploratory stage. Countries have chosen from a wide range of imported and self-developed DRG models and most have adapted such models to their specific contexts. All countries have set expenditure ceilings. In general, systems were piloted before being implemented. The need to meet certain requirements in terms of coding standardization, data availability and information technology made implementation difficult. Private sector providers have not been fully integrated, but most countries have managed to delink hospital financing from public finance budgeting. Conclusion Although more evidence on the impact of DRG-based payment systems is needed, our findings suggest that (i) the greater portion of health-care financing should be public rather than private; (ii) it is advisable to pilot systems first and to establish expenditure ceilings; (iii) countries that import an existing variant of a DRG-based system should be mindful of the need for adaptation; and (iv) countries should promote the cooperation of providers for appropriate data generation and claims management. PMID:24115798

Identification of countermeasures for the youth crash problem related to alcohol

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1975-01-01

Face-to-face interviews were conducted with male New York State drivers. These groups, each containing young (16-24 years) and middle aged (35-49 years) drivers were sampled as follows: 1) random sample of the general population of licensed drivers (...

[How five-year-old children distribute rewards: effects of the amount of reward and a crying face].

PubMed

Tsutsu, Kiyomi

2013-10-01

Five-year-old children were presented with two scenes in which one character made three stars and the other made nine stars. In one of the scenes, both characters' facial expressions were neutral (neutral face scene), and in the other scene the character who produced three stars had a crying face (crying face scene). Children distributed different numbers of rewards to the two characters: equal to (Middle-N), less than (Small-N), or more than (Large-N) the total number of stars in each scene. Then the children were asked for their reason after they distributed the rewards. It was found that (a) the participants' distributions depended on the total number of rewards but (b) not on the characters' facial expressions, and (c) the justifications of their distributions in the Middle-N condition were different between the scenes. These results suggest that the total number of rewards triggers an automatic distribution process, and that an ex post facto justification takes place when needed.

Environmental Literacy of Hispanic, Urban, Middle School Students in Houston, Texas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meuth, Amber M.

2010-01-01

With the global crises facing the planet that bring major implications, (Hart & Nolan, 1999; Hungerford & Simmons, 2003) it is imperative that there be an environmentally literate citizenry who can identify, solve, and prevent environmental issues. Since middle school students are evolving into participating citizens and are developing the…

Shams 1 - Design and operational experiences of the 100MW - 540°C CSP plant in Abu Dhabi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alobaidli, Abdulaziz; Sanz, Borja; Behnke, Klaus; Witt, Thomas; Viereck, Detlef; Schwarz, Mark André

2017-06-01

SHAMS 1 ("Shams" means "Sun" in Arabic) Concentrated Solar Power plant is a very successful example of a modern plant, which combines the known configuration of a parabolic trough technology with the well-established power generation technologies operated at 540°C live steam temperature while respecting the specific requirement of the daily starts and shutdowns. In addition to the high live steam temperature challenge and being located in the middle of the desert approx. 120 km south west of the city of Abu Dhabi, the plant has to face, the plant has to fact several atmospheric challenges like the high dust concentration, wind storms, and high ambient temperature. This paper, written jointly by Shams Power Company - the project and operating company and MAN Diesel & Turbo - the steam turbine original manufacturer, describes the challenges in optimizing the design of the steam turbine to fulfill the requirement of fast start up while operating the plant on daily transient pattern for minimum 30 years. It also addresses the several atmospheric challenges and how the project and operating company has overcame them. Finally, the paper gives a snap shot on the operational experience and record of the plant showing that despite the very challenging environment, the budgeted target has been exceeded in the first two years of operation.

Health challenges in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.

PubMed

Adambekov, Shalkar; Kaiyrlykyzy, Aiym; Igissinov, Nurbek; Linkov, Faina

2016-01-01

The Central Asian region, which encompasses Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan, is an interesting geographic region with a rich history dating back to the Silk Road, Mongol conquests and expansion of the Russian Empire. However, from a public health viewpoint, the Central Asian region is under-investigated, and many public health challenges exist, as countries of Central Asia inherited the centralised medical systems practiced in the Soviet Union, and are currently undergoing rapid transitions. A large number of low and middle-income countries around the world, including countries of Central Asia, face a double burden of chronic and infectious disease. This essay focuses on the exploration of the most important public health challenges in the Central Asian region, including limited scientific productivity, the double burden of chronic and infectious disease, the need for healthcare reform and the reduction in care variation. Central Asia has a large number of medical schools, medical centres, and emerging research institutes that can be used to foster a change in medical and public health practice in the region. 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/

The Effect of Enrollment in Middle School Challenge Courses on Advanced Placement Exams in Social Studies and Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glaude-Bolte, Katherine

2010-01-01

Educators seek to guide students through appropriate programs and courses that prepare them for future success, in more advanced coursework and in other challenges of life. Some middle schools offer Challenge, or honors, courses for students who have demonstrated high ability. High schools often offer Advanced Placement (AP) courses, which are…

Community in Online Higher Education: Challenges and Opportunities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arasaratnam-Smith, Lily A.; Northcote, Maria

2017-01-01

Exploring the challenges and opportunities associated with the concepts of community and communication in online higher education, this paper reconsiders the intention to replicate face-to-face learning and teaching strategies in online learning environments. Rather than beginning with the assumption that face-to-face education is the prototype…

2. OVERVIEW OF STRUCTURES S748, S749 AND S750, FACING NORTHEAST ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

2. OVERVIEW OF STRUCTURES S748, S749 AND S750, FACING NORTHEAST (From West End of Tank Farm) - U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, Bulk Fuel Storage Tank Type, Middle Tank Farm, east of North Road, Pearl City, Honolulu County, HI

Global health perspective on gynecologic oncology.

PubMed

del Carmen, Marcela G; Rice, Laurel W; Schmeler, Kathleen M

2015-05-01

To describe challenges faced by low-middle income countries (LMICs) across the cancer spectrum, with specific focus on gynecologic cancers. MEDLINE was searched for research articles published in English between January 1, 2000 and February 1, 2015 which reported on global health efforts in LMICs. An estimated 80% of global cancer burden and only 5% of global cancer spending affect LMICs. The overwhelming majority of cervical cancer cases and related deaths occur in LMICs. The charge to close this cancer divide is at the center of global health efforts. Prevention is central to global health efforts to close the cancer divide. The gynecologic oncology community is well positioned to lead efforts in global health by partnering with institutions, professional societies and advocacy groups. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Building innovative and creative character through mathematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suyitno, Hardi; Suyitno, Amin

2018-03-01

21st century is predicted as the century with rapid development in all aspects of life. People require creative and innovative character to exist. Specifically, mathematics has been given to students from the kindergarten until the middle school. Thus, building character through mathematics should begin since the early age. The problem is how to build creative and innovative character through mathematics education? The goal expected from this question is to build innovative and creative characters to face the challenges of the 21st century. This article discusses the values of mathematics, the values in mathematics education, innovative and creative character, and the integration of these values in teaching mathematics that support the innovative and creative character building, and applying the values in structurely programmed, measurable, and applicable learning activities.

Design of an Information System for Palliative Care: User Analysis.

PubMed

Alvarez-Tobón, Veronica A; Luna-Gómez, Ivan F; Torres-Silva, Ever A; Florez-Arango, Jose F; Rivera-Mejia, Paula T; Higuita Usuga, Andrea

2018-01-01

To explore the demographic factors and the level of knowledge related to information and communication technologies of potential users of a palliative care information system. The Task, User, Representation, Functionality (TURF) framework was applied to characterize potential users (patients and caregivers) of an information system for palliative care in a private clinic in Medellin, Colombia, through a survey. We analyzed 35 patients and 39 caregivers. The majority were women, that lived in urban area and belonged to middle-income socioeconomic stratum. Caregivers, in contrast to patients, are common users of information and communication technologies. An information system should focus on the needs of caregivers, and it would be targeted to subjects facing challenges related to technology adoption; information and communication technologies are interesting and important tools for the improvement of health team.

Critical Issues in Evaluating National-Level Health Data Warehouses in LMICs: Kenya Case Study.

PubMed

Gesicho, Milka B; Babic, Ankica; Were, Martin C

2017-01-01

Low-Middle-Income-Countries (LMICs) are beginning to adopt national health data warehousing (NHDWs) for making strategic decisions and for improving health outcomes. Given the numerous challenges likely to be faced in establishment of NHDWs by LMICs, it is prudent that evaluations are done in relation to the data warehouses (DWs), in order to identify and mitigate critical issues that arise. When critic issues are not identified, DWs are prone to suboptimal implementation with compromised outcomes. Despite the fact that several publications exist on evaluating DWs, evaluations specific to health data warehouses are scanty, with almost none evaluating NHDWs more so in LMICs. This paper uses a systematic approach guided by an evaluation framework to identify critical issues to be considered in evaluating Kenya's NHDW.

Moving from answer finding to sensemaking: Supporting middle school students' online inquiry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Meilan

Online inquiry, use of the Web as an information source to conduct inquiry for a scientific question, has become increasingly common in middle schools in recent years. However, while valuable Web resources provide unprecedented learning opportunities, easy access to information does not guarantee learning. Previous research has found that middle school students tend to use the Web in a superficial manner. To address the challenges that students face in online inquiry, this study explored several supporting strategies implemented in Digital IdeaKeeper, a scaffolded software tool to help students move from passively finding a ready-made answer to actively making sense of the information they encounter through support for inquiry planning, information search, analysis, and synthesis. This study examined the differences and similarities between regular online inquiry and supported online inquiry performed by several sixth-graders in real classroom settings. Four pairs from a sixth grade class used IdeaKeeper for their online inquiry project, and another four pairs from a different sixth grade class taught by the same teacher used regular online search engines only. Both groups worked on the same science topic-water, and the entire project lasted about four weeks. During that time, students in both groups used computers for about 10-14 days to conduct online research. Multiple sources of data were collected, including video recordings of students' computer activities and conversations, students' artifacts, log files and student final writings. Several themes emerged from the data analysis. First, the findings refer to the importance of providing a structure for students' online inquiry, to promote a more integrated, efficient, continuous, metacognitive and engaging online inquiry. In addition, guidance is important to promote more careful, thorough, and purposeful online reading, Overall, the results suggest that middle school students' online inquiry needs to be structured and their online reading needs to be guided. However, challenges still remain to engage students in high-level critical thinking in online inquiry, because some prompts designed to guide students' reading do not seem effective. Implications of the research findings are discussed.

Processing of Fear and Anger Facial Expressions: The Role of Spatial Frequency

PubMed Central

Comfort, William E.; Wang, Meng; Benton, Christopher P.; Zana, Yossi

2013-01-01

Spatial frequency (SF) components encode a portion of the affective value expressed in face images. The aim of this study was to estimate the relative weight of specific frequency spectrum bandwidth on the discrimination of anger and fear facial expressions. The general paradigm was a classification of the expression of faces morphed at varying proportions between anger and fear images in which SF adaptation and SF subtraction are expected to shift classification of facial emotion. A series of three experiments was conducted. In Experiment 1 subjects classified morphed face images that were unfiltered or filtered to remove either low (<8 cycles/face), middle (12–28 cycles/face), or high (>32 cycles/face) SF components. In Experiment 2 subjects were adapted to unfiltered or filtered prototypical (non-morphed) fear face images and subsequently classified morphed face images. In Experiment 3 subjects were adapted to unfiltered or filtered prototypical fear face images with the phase component randomized before classifying morphed face images. Removing mid frequency components from the target images shifted classification toward fear. The same shift was observed under adaptation condition to unfiltered and low- and middle-range filtered fear images. However, when the phase spectrum of the same adaptation stimuli was randomized, no adaptation effect was observed. These results suggest that medium SF components support the perception of fear more than anger at both low and high level of processing. They also suggest that the effect at high-level processing stage is related more to high-level featural and/or configural information than to the low-level frequency spectrum. PMID:23637687

'Don't blame the middle man': an exploratory qualitative study to explore the experiences of translators breaking bad news.

PubMed

Prentice, Joanna; Nelson, Annmarie; Baillie, Jessica; Osborn, Hannah; Noble, Simon

2014-07-01

Healthcare professionals find breaking bad news difficult and upsetting. Increasing cultural diversity has led to a greater number of patients whose first language differs to that of the healthcare provider, with more patients requiring a translator to facilitate communication. Hospitals often ask non-clinical translators to facilitate breaking bad news. We sought to explore the experiences of translators within a specialist oncology centre. Following ethical and governance approvals, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with five translators recruited from the specialist oncology centre. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. The data were analysed thematically, with major themes and subthemes identified. Outpatient setting of a regional cancer centre. Translators serving a regional cancer centre. Qualitative data identified through thematic analysis. Major themes included the significant emotional impact of translating distressing information, the challenges of accurately conveying information in a culturally congruent format and the need for formal briefing, debriefing and support. Subthemes included feeling guilty for divulging distressing news, being the focus of patients' distress or anger, and feeling in conflict with the patient or family and issues surrounding confidentiality. Translators also felt a strong sense of advocacy for the patients and found encounters with death and dying emotionally challenging. The increasing use of translators in the care of patients with advanced cancer is increasingly resulting in lay people being subject to similar emotional pressures faced by clinical staff, yet without the necessary formal training or support mechanisms that are recommended for clinicians. This exploratory study highlights the training and support needs of non-clinical staff as identifying a unique set of communication challenges faced by translators. © The Royal Society of Medicine.

Trauma and Early Adolescent Development: Case Examples from a Trauma-Informed Public Health Middle School Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frydman, Jason Scott; Mayor, Christine

2017-01-01

Middle-school-age children are faced with a variety of developmental tasks, including the beginning phases of individuation from the family, building peer groups, social and emotional transitions, and cognitive shifts associated with the maturation process. This article summarizes how traumatic events impair and complicate these developmental…

Motivating Adolescent Readers: A Middle School Reading Fluency and Prosody Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whittington, Marta

2012-01-01

Adolescent learners face a complexity of reading content they have never before encountered as they enter middle school and become independent in structuring their own academic frameworks. Some students become disconnected and unmotivated readers as school competes with their multiple reading lives. This study examined the use of choice along with…

Looking for a Struggle: Exploring the Emotions of a Middle School Reader

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Triplett, Cheri Foster

2004-01-01

The purpose of this case study was to explore a middle school student's emotions in the tutoring context in order to better understand the "struggles"faced by a struggling reader. Through cognitive explanations of emotions, the researcher identified aspects of tutoring that influenced Mitchell's feelings of enjoyment, pride, and success. These…

Culture and Language Learning: Middle Eastern Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magrath, Douglas

Middle Eastern students face cultural conflicts in adapting to the western value system. While feeling obligated to maintain their native culture they also need to feel comfortable with the culture of their target language. In attempting to identify with a new group, ESL students may sense a loss of membership in their native group. Culture stress…

Perspectives on the Community College: A Journey of Discovery.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Noreen, Ed.

This monograph was designed to provide a comprehensive and enlightened view of the community college as it faces complicated new demands. It offers articles written by community college professionals, including the following: (1) "A Journey of Discovery" by Albert L. Lorenzo; (2) "Organizational Readiness: Middle Age and the Middle Way" by Cindy…

Challenges of Virtual School Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson, Jayson W.; LaFrance, Jason; Beck, Dennis

2015-01-01

The purpose of this case study was to examine challenges faced by virtual school leaders in the United States. Through semistructured interviews, the researchers explored challenges faced by eighteen leaders of fully online or blended online programs. Analysis revealed six main challenges: funding, staff, accountability, time, parents, and…

Who is who: areas of the brain associated with recognizing and naming famous faces.

PubMed

Giussani, Carlo; Roux, Franck-Emmanuel; Bello, Lorenzo; Lauwers-Cances, Valérie; Papagno, Costanza; Gaini, Sergio M; Puel, Michelle; Démonet, Jean-François

2009-02-01

It has been hypothesized that specific brain regions involved in face naming may exist in the brain. To spare these areas and to gain a better understanding of their organization, the authors studied patients who underwent surgery by using direct electrical stimulation mapping for brain tumors, and they compared an object-naming task to a famous face-naming task. Fifty-six patients with brain tumors (39 and 17 in the left and right hemispheres, respectively) and with no significant preoperative overall language deficit were prospectively studied over a 2-year period. Four patients who had a partially selective famous face anomia and 2 with prosopagnosia were not included in the final analysis. Face-naming interferences were exclusively localized in small cortical areas (< 1 cm2). Among 35 patients whose dominant left hemisphere was studied, 26 face-naming specific areas (that is, sites of interference in face naming only and not in object naming) were found. These face naming-specific sites were significantly detected in 2 regions: in the left frontal areas of the superior, middle, and inferior frontal gyri (p < 0.001) and in the anterior part of the superior and middle temporal gyri (p < 0.01). Variable patterns of interference were observed (speech arrest, anomia, phonemic, or semantic paraphasia) probably related to the different stages in famous face processing. Only 4 famous face-naming interferences were found in the right hemisphere. Relative anatomical segregation of naming categories within language areas was detected. This study showed that famous face naming was preferentially processed in the left frontal and anterior temporal gyri. The authors think it is necessary to adapt naming tasks in neurosurgical patients to the brain region studied.

Early (N170/M170) Face-Sensitivity Despite Right Lateral Occipital Brain Damage in Acquired Prosopagnosia

PubMed Central

Prieto, Esther Alonso; Caharel, Stéphanie; Henson, Richard; Rossion, Bruno

2011-01-01

Compared to objects, pictures of faces elicit a larger early electromagnetic response at occipito-temporal sites on the human scalp, with an onset of 130 ms and a peak at about 170 ms. This N170 face effect is larger in the right than the left hemisphere and has been associated with the early categorization of the stimulus as a face. Here we tested whether this effect can be observed in the absence of some of the visual areas showing a preferential response to faces as typically identified in neuroimaging. Event-related potentials were recorded in response to faces, cars, and their phase-scrambled versions in a well-known brain-damaged case of prosopagnosia (PS). Despite the patient’s right inferior occipital gyrus lesion encompassing the most posterior cortical area showing preferential response to faces (“occipital face area”), we identified an early face-sensitive component over the right occipito-temporal hemisphere of the patient that was identified as the N170. A second experiment supported this conclusion, showing the typical N170 increase of latency and amplitude in response to inverted faces. In contrast, there was no N170 in the left hemisphere, where PS has a lesion to the middle fusiform gyrus and shows no evidence of face-preferential response in neuroimaging (no left “fusiform face area”). These results were replicated by a magnetoencephalographic investigation of the patient, disclosing a M170 component only in the right hemisphere. These observations indicate that face-preferential activation in the inferior occipital cortex is not necessary to elicit early visual responses associated with face perception (N170/M170) on the human scalp. These results further suggest that when the right inferior occipital cortex is damaged, the integrity of the middle fusiform gyrus and/or the superior temporal sulcus – two areas showing face-preferential responses in the patient’s right hemisphere – might be necessary to generate the N170 effect. PMID:22275889

The "expert patient" approach for non-communicable disease management in low and middle income settings: When the reality confronts the rhetoric.

PubMed

Xiao, Yue

2015-09-01

This paper seeks to explore the relevance between the Western "expert patient" rhetoric and the reality of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) control and management in low and middle income settings from the health sociological perspective. It firstly sets up a conceptual framework of the "expert patient" or the patient self-management approach, showing the rhetoric of the initiative in the developed countries. Then by examining the situation of NCDs control and management in low income settings, the paper tries to evaluate the possibilities of implementing the "expert patient" approach in these countries. Kober and Van Damme's study on the relevance of the "expert patient" for an HIV/AIDS program in low income settings is critically studied to show the relevance of the developed countries' rhetoric of the "expert patient" approach for the reality of developing countries. In addition, the MoPoTsyo diabetes peer educator program is analyzed to show the challenges faced by the low income countries in implementing patient self-management programs. Finally, applications of the expert patient approach in China are discussed as well, to remind us of the possible difficulties in introducing it into rural settings.

Challenges and barriers for implementation of the World Health Organization Global Disability Action Plan in low- and middle- income countries.

PubMed

Khan, Fary; Owolabi, Mayowa Ojo; Amatya, Bhasker; Hamzat, Talhatu Kolapo; Ogunniyi, Adesola; Oshinowo, Helen; Elmalik, Alaeldin; Galea, Mary P

2018-04-18

To identify potential barriers and facilitators for implementation of the World Health Organization Global Disability Action Plan (GDAP) in Nigeria and compare these with other low- and middle-income countries. A rehabilitation team from the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Australia, conducted intensive workshops at medical/academic institutions in Nigeria for healthcare professionals from various local Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation facilities. A modified Delphi method identified challenges for person with disability, using 3 GDAP objectives. Findings were compared with similar exercises in Madagascar, Pakistan and Mongolia. Despite differences in the healthcare system and practice, the challenges reported in Nigeria were similar to those in other 3 low- and middle-income countries, at both macro (governmental/policymakers) and micro levels (community/social/individual). Common challenges identified were: limited knowledge of disability services, limited Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation workforce, guidelines and accreditation standards; coordination amongst healthcare sectors; social issues; data and research; legislation and political commitment. Common potential facilitators included: need for strong leadership; advocacy of disability-inclusive development; investment in infrastructure/human resources; coordination/partnerships in healthcare sector; and research. Disability care is an emerging priority in low- and middle-income countries to address the needs of people with disability. The challenges identified in Nigeria are common to most low- and middle-income countries. The GDAP framework can facilitate access and strengthen Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation services.

Challenges Faced by Female-Students in Engineering-Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madara, Diana Starovoytova; Cherotich, Sharon

2016-01-01

Gender-related challenges in learning technical courses are universal phenomenon. These challenges could restrain female students from achieving their fullest potential. The main focus of this study, therefore, is to examine self-recognized challenges faced by undergraduate female students in pursuing engineering at the School of Engineering…

Marching to a Different Drummer: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Young Adolescents Who Challenge Gender Norms.

PubMed

Yu, Chunyan; Zuo, Xiayun; Blum, Robert W; Tolman, Deborah L; Kågesten, Anna; Mmari, Kristin; De Meyer, Sara; Michielsen, Kristien; Basu, Sharmistha; Acharya, Rajib; Lian, Qiguo; Lou, Chaohua

2017-10-01

Little is known about how gender norms regulate adolescents' lives across different cultural settings. This study aims to illustrate what is considered as violating gender norms for boys and girls in four urban poor sites as well as the consequences that follow the challenging of gender norms. Data were collected as part of the Global Early Adolescent Study, a 15-country collaboration to explore gender norms and health in early adolescence. The current study analyzed narrative and in-depth interviews conducted in urban poor sites in two middle-income (Shanghai, China; and New Delhi, India) and two high-income countries (Baltimore, U.S.; and Ghent, Belgium). A total of 238 participants, 59 boys and 70 girls aged 11-13 years old and 109 of their parents/guardians (28 male adults and 81 female adults), were interviewed. A thematic analysis was conducted across sites using Atlas.Ti 7.5 software. Findings revealed that although most perceptions and expressions about gender were regulated by stereotypical norms, there was a growing acceptability for girls to wear boyish clothes and engage in stereotypical masculine activities such as playing soccer/football. However, there was no comparable acceptance of boys engaging in traditional feminine behaviors. Across all sites, challenging gender norms was often found to lead to verbal, physical, and/or psychological retribution. While it is sometimes acceptable for young adolescents to cross gender boundaries, once it becomes clear that a behavior is socially defined as typical for the other sex, and the adolescent will face more resistance. Researchers, programmers, and clinicians working in the field of adolescent health need not only attend to those who are facing the consequences of challenging prevailing gender norms, but also to address the environment that fosters exclusion and underscores differences. Copyright © 2017 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Challenges Faced by Maine School Districts in Providing High Quality Public Education. Research Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silvernail, David L.; Linet, Sarah R.

2014-01-01

The goal of this study was to: (1) identify challenges faced by Maine school districts in providing high quality public education; (2) describe the magnitude of the challenges; and (3) identify areas where school districts were experiencing some success in meeting these challenges. The School Districts Challenge Survey was distributed online to…

In the Beginning of the Middle: Curriculum Considerations for Middle School General Music

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giebelhausen, Robin

2015-01-01

Middle school general music is an experience that numerous music educators feel underprepared to teach. Because many undergraduate programs spend little time on this teaching scenario and because the challenges of middle school general music are different from those of elementary general music or middle school ensembles, teachers often lack the…

Control of Future Air Traffic Systems via Complexity Bound Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alexandrov, Natalia

2013-01-01

The complexity of the present system for managing air traffic has led to "discreteness" in approaches to creating new concepts: new concepts are created as point designs, based on experience, expertise, and creativity of the proposer. Discrete point designs may be highly successful but they are difficult to substantiate in the face of equally strong substantiation of competing concepts, as well as the state of the art in concept evaluation via simulations. Hybrid concepts may present a compromise - the golden middle. Yet a hybrid of sometimes in principle incompatible concepts forms another point design that faces the challenge of substantiation and validation. We are faced with the need to re-design the air transportation system ab initio. This is a daunting task, especially considering the problem of transitioning from the present system to any fundamentally new system. However, design from scratch is also an opportunity to reconsider approaches to new concept development. In this position paper we propose an approach, Optimized Parametric Functional Design, for systematic development of concepts for management and control of airspace systems, based on optimization formulations in terms of required system functions and states. This reasoning framework, realizable in the context of ab initio system design, offers an approach to deriving substantiated airspace management and control concepts. With growing computational power, we hope that the approach will also yield a methodology for actual dynamic control of airspace

Age-differentiated Risk Factors of Suicidal Ideation among Young and Middle-aged Korean Adults

PubMed Central

Jo, Ahra; Jeon, Minho; Oh, Heeyoung

2017-01-01

Objectives This study aimed to determine the prevalence of suicidal ideation among young and middle-aged adults, and explore the risk factors that affect suicidal ideation. Methods A descriptive study design was used for secondary data analysis. A total sample of 5,214 was drawn from two waves (2012–2013) of the 7th Korea Health Panel (KHP) survey. The KHP data were collected by a well-trained interviewer using the face-to-face method during home visits as well as self-report method. Descriptive statistics of frequency, percentage, chi-square test, and logistic regression analysis were performed using SPSS 22.0. Results The prevalence of suicidal ideation in young and middle-aged adults was 4.4% and 5.6%, respectively. For young adults, suicidal ideation risk was higher among those with low income or heavy drinking habits. In middle-aged adults, low income, poor perceived health status, negative perception of peer-compared health status, and negative social perspective were the major risk factors. Conclusion There is considerable risk of suicidal ideation in adulthood. Opportunities for increased income, avoidance of heavy drinking, and the construction of positive subjective health status and social perspective should be considered in suicide prevention interventions for Korean young and middle-aged adults. PMID:28781943

Comparison of face types in Chinese women using three-dimensional computed tomography.

PubMed

Zhou, Rong-Rong; Zhao, Qi-Ming; Liu, Miao

2015-04-01

This study compared inverted triangle and square faces of 21 young Chinese Han women (18-25 years old) using three-dimensional computed tomography images retrieved from a records database. In this study, 11 patients had inverted triangle faces and 10 had square faces. The anatomic features were examined and compared. There were significant differences in lower face width, lower face height, masseter thickness, middle/lower face width ratio, and lower face width/height ratio between the two facial types (p < 0.01). Lower face width was positively correlated with masseter thickness and negatively correlated with gonial angle. Lower face height was positively correlated with gonial angle and negatively correlated with masseter thickness, and gonial angle was negatively correlated with masseter thickness. In young Chinese Han women, inverted triangle faces and square faces differ significantly in masseter thickness and lower face height. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Rebels Without a Cause? Socialization and Subcultural Style among the Children of the New Middle Classes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aggleton, Peter J.; Whitty, Geoff

1985-01-01

A study of upper-middle-class college students in England who responded with "resistance" to their schooling showed that the students' challenges do not constitute effective resistances to prevailing patterns of class or gender relations, i.e., their challenges are not transformative. (RM)

The Challenge of Sexual Maturation in Early Adolescence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ERIC Clearinghouse on Counseling and Personnel Services, Ann Arbor, MI.

This fifth chapter in "The Challenge of Counseling in Middle Schools" looks at the issue of sexual maturation in early adolescence via four articles. "The Counselor's Impact on Middle-Grade Students," by Hershel Thornburg, examines physical, intellectual, and social developmental tasks of early adolescence. "Contraceptive and Sexuality Knowledge…

A Customized Campaign against Bullying

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruder, Robert

2005-01-01

Delivering a powerful anti-bullying message to middle school students is a challenge for middle level administrators, their staff members, and their students. However, there are many options to tackle this challenge. One option is to import a well-respected and capable external expert to present an anti-bullying program to students and offer…

Deteriorating food security in India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milesi, C.; Samanta, A.; Hashimoto, H.; Kumar, K.; Ganguly, S.; Thenkabail, P. S.; Srivastava, A. N.; Nemani, R. R.; Myneni, R. B.

2009-12-01

One of the major challenges we face on our planet is increasing agricultural production to meet the dietary requirements of an additional 2.5 billion people by the mid of the century while limiting cropland expansion and other damages to natural resources. This problem is even more so challenging given that nearly all the population growth will take place where the majority of the hungry live today and where ongoing and future climate changes are projected to most negatively impact agricultural production, the semi-arid tropics (SAT). The SAT contain 40% of the global irrigated and rainfed croplands in over 50 developing countries and a growing population of over a billion and half people, many of which live in absolute poverty and strongly depend on agriculture that is constrained by chronic water shortages. Rates of food grain production in many of the countries of the SAT have progressively increased since the mid 1960s aided by the Green Revolution and relatively favourable climatic conditions. However, aggregated agricultural production statistics indicate that the rate of food grain production has recently stalled or declined in several of the countries in this region, escalating the concerns over matters of food security, that is availability of food and one’s access to it, in a region where many people live in extreme poverty, depend on an agrarian economy and are expected to face increasingly worse climatic conditions in the near future. In this paper we analyze the agricultural deceleration and its drivers over the country of India, which faces the daunting challenge of needing a 50-100% increase in yields of major crops by the middle to the 21st century to feed its growing population. We analyze the long term (1982-2006) record of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (NOAA/AVHRR) together with climate, land use, and crop production statistics. We show that while there are no significant changes in long-term precipitation, there are geographically matching patterns of enhanced crop production and irrigation expansion with groundwater, initially, but both of which have levelled off in the past decade. In addition to increasing pressure on water resources, a decline in expansion of cropland area, a warming climate and increasing air pollution compound to challenging long term food security in India.

Surgical anatomy of the middle premasseter space and its application in sub-SMAS face lift surgery.

PubMed

Mendelson, Bryan C; Wong, Chin-Ho

2013-07-01

The premasseter space is a recognized, sub-superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS) soft-tissue space overlying the lower masseter immediately anterior to the parotid. The performance, safety, and effectiveness of composite face lifts are enhanced when the space is used. This has drawn attention to the need for better understanding of the premasseter anatomy above the space. The anatomy of the upper premasseter region was investigated in 20 fresh cadaver dissections as well as intraoperatively in hundreds of composite face lifts. A small, transverse, rectangular soft-tissue space overlies the upper masseter and was named the middle premasseter space. The space (transverse width, 25 to 28 mm; vertical width, 10 mm) is separated from the originally described (lower) premasseter space by a double membrane. It is a safe space between the upper and lower buccal trunks of the facial nerve, which are immediately outside the space and separated from it by the respective upper and lower boundary membranes. The parotid duct immediately beneath the floor of the space usually underlies the upper boundary membrane. The middle premasseter space is significant, as it is the center of the key anatomy immediately cephalad to the lower premasseter space. When used in composite face lifts, the space provides predictable sub-SMAS dissection between the buccal trunks of the facial nerve to the mobile area beyond the anterior border of the masseter where the SMAS overlies the buccal fat pad.

Fathers of a Certain Age: The Joys and Problems of Middle-aged Fatherhood.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carnoy, Martin; Carnoy, David

In light of the increasing numbers of men becoming fathers during middle age, this book examines the social and economic pressures facing older fathers and the personal adjustments that they and their families must make. Chapter 1 introduces the topic through a narrative recounting a personal experience. Chapter 2, "The Twilight Zone," presents…

Stuffed in a Locker: A Case Study Involving Guns on Campus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lampron, Phillip Andrew

2017-01-01

Ensuring that children are safe is imperative for any educational institution. This case presents a realistic scenario of the safety concerns of leaders and staff in a middle school concerned with potential gang activity. Inspired by actual events, this case illustrates burdens that many middle school leaders across the nation face on a daily…

The American Role in Education in the Middle East: Ideology and Experiment, 1920-1940

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ment, David M.

2011-01-01

In a significant 1925 essay, "Western Education in Moslem Lands", Paul Monroe addressed the emerging cultural and political forces faced by American educators in the Middle East. Monroe was widely recognised at the time as editor of the Cyclopedia of Education and director of the International Institute of Teachers College, Columbia…

Actively Engaging Middle School Readers: One Teacher's Story

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hammon, Amber; Hess, Carol

2004-01-01

This article discusses the story of a middle school teacher and her reading class frustrations. She faces the reality that her class of 23 students hates reading, despite her enthusiasm and attempts to motivate them. However, she discovered that the literacy program she was using was not the way she had been taught in her preservice classes or the…

3. View of middle DR 2 antenna looking north 30 ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

3. View of middle DR 2 antenna looking north 30 degrees west and showing radar scanner building no. 105 east face through antenna. - Clear Air Force Station, Ballistic Missile Early Warning System Site II, One mile west of mile marker 293.5 on Parks Highway, 5 miles southwest of Anderson, Anderson, Denali Borough, AK

Principal Pressure in the Middle of Accountability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Derrington, Mary Lynne; Larsen, Donald E.

2012-01-01

When a new superintendent is hired, Tom Thompson, middle school principal, is squeezed between complying with the demands of the district and cultivating a positive culture in his school. He wrestles with the stress of facing tough leadership choices that take a toll on his physical and mental health. Tom realizes that a career-ending move might…

Food Safety Knowledge and Beliefs of Middle School Children: Implications for Food Safety Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byrd-Bredbenner, Carol; Abbot, Jaclyn Maurer; Quick, Virginia

2010-01-01

To create effective educational interventions that address the food safety informational needs of youth, a greater understanding of their knowledge and skills is needed. The purposes of this study were to explore, via focus groups, the food-handling responsibilities of middle school youth and obstacles they face in practicing safe food handling…

Developing Patterns of Parenting in Two Cultural Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keller, Heidi; Borke, Joern; Lamm, Bettina; Lohaus, Arnold; Yovsi, Relindis Dzeaye

2011-01-01

This paper is aimed at analyzing verbal and nonverbal strategies in terms of body contact, face-to-face contact, and discourse style during the first three months of life in two cultural communities that have been characterized as embodying different cultural models of parenting: German middle-class, and Nso farmer families. It can be demonstrated…

Blended Learning for Learner Empowerment: Voices from the Middle East

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tamim, Rana M.

2018-01-01

Blended learning (BL) is still in its infancy in the United Arab Emirates, but is gaining growing attention and acceptance. The particular university under investigation offers its nationally accredited graduate programs with a BL format that makes use of synchronous virtual classrooms, asynchronous self-study, and face-to-face sessions. The…

Middle School Students' Mathematics Knowledge Retention: Online or Face-To-Face Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Clayton M.; Rule, Audrey C.; Boody, Robert M.

2017-01-01

Educators seek to develop students' mathematical knowledge retention to increase student efficacy in follow-on classwork, improvement of test scores, attainment of standards, and preparation for careers. Interactive visuals, feedback during problem solving, and incorporation of higher-order thinking skills are known to increase retention, but a…

A Curriculum-Linked Professional Development Approach to Support Teachers' Adoption of Web GIS Tectonics Investigations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bodzin, Alec; Anastasio, David; Sahagian, Dork; Henry, Jill Burrows

2016-01-01

A curriculum-linked professional development approach designed to support middle level science teachers' understandings about tectonics and geospatial pedagogical content knowledge was developed. This approach takes into account limited face-to-face professional development time and instead provides pedagogical support within the design of a…

Cancer surveillance in northern Africa, and central and western Asia: challenges and strategies in support of developing cancer registries.

PubMed

Znaor, Ariana; Eser, Sultan; Anton-Culver, Hoda; Fadhil, Ibtihal; Ryzhov, Anton; Silverman, Barbara G; Bendahou, Karima; Demetriou, Anna; Nimri, Omar; Yakut, Cankut; Bray, Freddie

2018-02-01

The Global Initiative for Cancer Registry Development partnership, led by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), was established in response to an overwhelming need for high-quality cancer incidence data from low-income and middle-income countries. The IARC Regional Hub for cancer registration in North Africa, Central and West Asia was founded in 2013 to support capacity building for cancer registration in each of the countries in this region. In this Series paper, we advocate the necessity for tailored approaches to cancer registration given the rapidly changing cancer landscape for this region, and the challenges faced at a national level in developing data systems to help support this process given present disparities in resources and health infrastructure. In addition, we provide an overview of the status of cancer surveillance and activities country-by-country, documenting tailored approaches that are informing local cancer-control policy, and potentially curbing the growing cancer burden across the region. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Frequency and impact of midlife stressors among men and women with physical disability.

PubMed

Terrill, Alexandra L; Molton, Ivan R

2018-03-09

Middle-age may be a challenging time for people with physical disabilities as life demands, secondary symptoms such as fatigue, and risk for depression increase, yet little is known about types, levels, and impact of life stressors in individuals aging with disability. Our aims were to describe aging- and disability-associated life stressors, explore gender differences, and evaluate effects of resilience on adjustment to these stressors. Longitudinal data analysis of self-report surveys completed by 541 middle-aged community-dwelling participants with long-term physical disability from baseline to 5-year follow-up. 97% of participants endorsed one or more stressful life events (M = 8.2, SD = 4.9), all of whom endorsed at least one life stressor with a negative impact. Reporting more life stressors and having lower resilience were significantly associated with developing more depressive symptoms. Interaction analyses indicated that women developed more depressive symptoms as negative impact increased than men. Findings suggest that middle-aged individuals with physical disability experience a range of life stressors, many with negative impact. Women are at higher risk of depressive symptoms than men. Resilience may buffer against negative impact of life stressors on development of depressive symptoms. Targeted intervention to increase resilience, especially in women, may decrease risk of depression in persons aging with disability. Implications for Rehabilitation Middle-age adults living with physical disability experience a number of aging- and disability-associated stressors that can have a negative impact and contribute to depression. Women aging with disability who experience more negative impact from life stressors may be more vulnerable to developing depression. Providing interventions that enhance resilience when faced with life stressors could prevent development of depression.

Geoscientists and the Radical Middle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tinker, S. W.

2015-12-01

Addressing the great challenges facing society requires industry, government, and academia to work together. I call this overlap space, where compromises are made and real solutions determined, the Radical Middle. Radical because it can appear at times as if the loudest and most publicly influential voices lie outside of the actual solution space, content to provoke but not problem-solve. One key area where geoscientists can play a lead role in the Radical Middle is in the overlap between energy, the environment, and the economy. Globally, fossil fuels still represent 85% of the aggregate energy mix. As existing conventional oil and natural-gas reservoir production continues to slowly decline, unconventional reservoirs, led today by shale and other more expensive resources, will represent a growing part of the oil and gas production mix. Many of these unconventional reservoirs require hydraulic fracturing. The positive economic impact of hydraulic fracturing and associated natural gas and oil production on the United States economy is well documented and undeniable. Yet there are environmental concerns about fracking, and some states and nations have imposed moratoria. This energy-environment-economy space is ideal for leadership from the geosciences. Another such overlap space is the potential for geoscience leadership in relations with China, whose economy and global presence continue to expand. Although China is building major hydropower and natural-gas power plants, as well as nuclear reactors, coal is still king—with the associated environmental impacts. Carbon sequestration—onshore in brine and to enhance oil recovery, as well as offshore—could prove viable. It is vital that educated and objective geoscientists from industry, government, and academia leave their corners and work together in the Radical Middle to educate the public and develop and deliver balanced, economically sensible energy and environmental strategies.

Drought is a recurring challenge in the Middle East.

PubMed

Kaniewski, David; Van Campo, Elise; Weiss, Harvey

2012-03-06

Climate change and water availability in the Middle East are important in understanding human adaptive capacities in the face of long-term environmental changes. The key role of water availability for sedentary and nomad populations in these arid to semiarid landscapes is understood, but the millennium-scale influence of hydrologic instability on vegetation dynamics, human occupation, and historic land use are unknown, which has led to a stochastic view of population responses and adaptive capacities to precipitation anomalies. Within the time-frame of the last two global climate events, the Medieval Climate Anomaly and the Little Ice Age, we report hydrologic instability reconstructed from pollen-derived climate proxies recovered near Tell Leilan, at the Wadi Jarrah in the Khabur Plains of northeastern Syria, at the heart of ancient northern Mesopotamia. By coupling climate proxies with archaeological-historical data and a pollen-based record of agriculture, this integrative study suggests that variability in precipitation is a key factor on crop yields, productivity, and economic systems. It may also have been one of the main parameters controlling human settlement and population migrations at the century to millennial timescales in the arid to semiarid areas of the Middle East. An abrupt shift to drier conditions at ca. AD 1400 is contemporaneous with a change from sedentary village life to regional desertion and nomadization (sheep/camel pastoralists) during the preindustrial era in formerly Ottoman realms, and thereby adds climate change to the multiple causes for Ottoman Empire "decline."

Drought is a recurring challenge in the Middle East

PubMed Central

Kaniewski, David; Van Campo, Elise; Weiss, Harvey

2012-01-01

Climate change and water availability in the Middle East are important in understanding human adaptive capacities in the face of long-term environmental changes. The key role of water availability for sedentary and nomad populations in these arid to semiarid landscapes is understood, but the millennium-scale influence of hydrologic instability on vegetation dynamics, human occupation, and historic land use are unknown, which has led to a stochastic view of population responses and adaptive capacities to precipitation anomalies. Within the time-frame of the last two global climate events, the Medieval Climate Anomaly and the Little Ice Age, we report hydrologic instability reconstructed from pollen-derived climate proxies recovered near Tell Leilan, at the Wadi Jarrah in the Khabur Plains of northeastern Syria, at the heart of ancient northern Mesopotamia. By coupling climate proxies with archaeological-historical data and a pollen-based record of agriculture, this integrative study suggests that variability in precipitation is a key factor on crop yields, productivity, and economic systems. It may also have been one of the main parameters controlling human settlement and population migrations at the century to millennial timescales in the arid to semiarid areas of the Middle East. An abrupt shift to drier conditions at ca. AD 1400 is contemporaneous with a change from sedentary village life to regional desertion and nomadization (sheep/camel pastoralists) during the preindustrial era in formerly Ottoman realms, and thereby adds climate change to the multiple causes for Ottoman Empire “decline.” PMID:22355126

Challenges Facing Teachers New to Working in Schools Overseas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halicioglu, Margaret L.

2015-01-01

This article considers the potential challenges facing teachers moving abroad for the first time, both professional challenges in their school and personal challenges in their private life. It suggests that such teachers embarking on a professional adventure overseas would benefit from careful consideration of the kind of school they will thrive…

An Exploration of Challenges Facing Division III Athletic Directors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engbers, Jeffrey L.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to establish a basic understanding of the challenges associated with directing athletic programs at NCAA Division III Institutions. Specifically, this study identified the frequency, intensity, and time allocated to common challenges facing the position of the NCAA Division III AD. The challenges were examined using…

The Challenges Facing School Governing Bodies in England: A "Perfect Storm"?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

James, Chris; Brammer, Steve; Connolly, Michael; Spicer, David Eddy; James, Jane; Jones, Jeff

2013-01-01

The governing bodies of publicly funded schools in England are currently facing a number of substantive challenges of various kinds. Many of the challenges are long-standing, while others relate to the current context for governing wrought by recent education policy developments initiated by central government. A number of the challenges are…

Gender, Peer Relations, and Challenges for Girlfriends and Boyfriends Coming Together in Adolescence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Underwood, Marion K.; Rosen, Lisa H.

2009-01-01

This article examines how girls' and boys' different peer cultures in middle childhood may set the stage for challenges in emerging heterosexual romantic relationships in adolescence. Two theoretical frameworks are presented for understanding gender differences in children's same-gender friendships and peer groups in middle childhood: the two…

Inspiring Middle School Minds: Gifted, Creative, and Challenging

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willis, Judy

2009-01-01

Teaching adolescents can be quite challenging. Dr. Judy Willis, a neurologist and teacher, explains the inner workings of the adolescent brain. She uses the findings of brain research in her classroom to explain how parents and teachers can trigger untapped inspiration in students. Middle school education has often been a "black hole" for gifted…

The Challenge of Self-Discovery in Early Adolescence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ERIC Clearinghouse on Counseling and Personnel Services, Ann Arbor, MI.

This first chapter in "The Challenge of Counseling in Middle Schools" contains four articles that describe strategies for counselors to use in helping middle school students move toward self-understanding. "A Dialogue with Self: The Journal as an Educational Tool," by Dalva Hedlund, Tanis Furst, and Kathryn Foley, describes journal writing as a…

The Health of Men: Structured Inequalities and Opportunities

PubMed Central

Williams, David R.

2008-01-01

I have summarized in this article data on the magnitude of health challenges faced by men in the United States. Across a broad range of indicators, men report poorer health than women. Although men in all socioeconomic groups are doing poorly in terms of health, some especially high-risk groups include men of low socioeconomic status (SES) of all racial/ethnic backgrounds, low-SES minority men, and middle-class Black men. Multiple factors contribute to the elevated health risks of men. These include economic marginality, adverse working conditions, and gendered coping responses to stress, each of which can lead to high levels of substance use, other health-damaging behaviors, and an aversion to health-protective behaviors. The forces that adversely affect men’s health are interrelated, unfold over the life course, and are amenable to change. PMID:18687602

The Health of Men: Structured Inequalities and Opportunities

PubMed Central

Williams, David R.

2003-01-01

I have summarized in this article data on the magnitude of health challenges faced by men in the United States. Across a broad range of indicators, men report poorer health than women. Although men in all socioeconomic groups are doing poorly in terms of health, some especially high-risk groups include men of low socioeconomic status (SES) of all racial/ethnic backgrounds, low-SES minority men, and middle-class Black men. Multiple factors contribute to the elevated health risks of men. These include economic marginality, adverse working conditions, and gendered coping responses to stress, each of which can lead to high levels of substance use, other health-damaging behaviors, and an aversion to health-protective behaviors. The forces that adversely affect men’s health are interrelated, unfold over the life course, and are amenable to change. PMID:12721133

An explosion in the mouth caused by a firework.

PubMed

Di Benedetto, Giovanni; Grassetti, Luca; Forlini, William; Bertani, Aldo

2009-06-01

Explosion and gunshot mouth injuries represent a challenging problem with regard to restoring optimal oral function. These wounds exhibit a spectrum of complexity and mostly include extensive soft tissue trauma complicated by burns, foreign bodies, fractures and concomitant traumas. To gain maximal restoration of oral function, the use of reconstructive techniques, together with microsurgical techniques, such as grafting of nerves, vessels and soft tissue, as an acute free flap to cover a large defect, are immediately necessary. We report the case of a young Caucasian patient who destroyed the middle and lower thirds of the face when a firecracker blasted in his mouth. His clinical history is unusual in terms of the modality of injury, i.e. a Russian roulette game, and the lesions suffered, in the reconstruction of which we used both surgical and microsurgical techniques.

Employment hardship among older workers: does residential and gender inequality extend into older age?

PubMed

Slack, Tim; Jensen, Leif

2008-01-01

The realities of a rapidly aging society make the employment circumstances of older workers an increasingly important social issue. We examine the prevalence and correlates of underemployment among older Americans, with a special focus on residence and gender, to provide an assessment of the labor market challenges facing older workers. We analyzed data from the March Current Population Surveys for the years 2003, 2004, and 2005. We used descriptive statistics to explore the prevalence of underemployment among older workers and developed multivariate models to assess the impact of age, residence, and gender on the likelihood of underemployment, net of other predictors. We found clear disadvantages for older workers relative to their middle-aged counterparts, and particular disadvantages for older rural residents and women. Multivariate models showed that the disadvantages of older age held net of other predictors. The results also indicated that much of the disadvantage faced by older rural workers and women was explained by factors other than age, particularly education. In an aging society, underemployment among older workers comes at an increasing social cost. Policies aimed at supporting older workers and alleviating employment hardship among them are increasingly in the public interest.

Health Surveys Using Mobile Phones in Developing Countries: Automated Active Strata Monitoring and Other Statistical Considerations for Improving Precision and Reducing Biases

PubMed Central

Blynn, Emily; Ahmed, Saifuddin; Gibson, Dustin; Pariyo, George; Hyder, Adnan A

2017-01-01

In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), historically, household surveys have been carried out by face-to-face interviews to collect survey data related to risk factors for noncommunicable diseases. The proliferation of mobile phone ownership and the access it provides in these countries offers a new opportunity to remotely conduct surveys with increased efficiency and reduced cost. However, the near-ubiquitous ownership of phones, high population mobility, and low cost require a re-examination of statistical recommendations for mobile phone surveys (MPS), especially when surveys are automated. As with landline surveys, random digit dialing remains the most appropriate approach to develop an ideal survey-sampling frame. Once the survey is complete, poststratification weights are generally applied to reduce estimate bias and to adjust for selectivity due to mobile ownership. Since weights increase design effects and reduce sampling efficiency, we introduce the concept of automated active strata monitoring to improve representativeness of the sample distribution to that of the source population. Although some statistical challenges remain, MPS represent a promising emerging means for population-level data collection in LMICs. PMID:28476726

Employment Hardship Among Older Workers: Does Residential and Gender Inequality Extend Into Older Age?

PubMed Central

Slack, Tim; Jensen, Leif

2008-01-01

Objectives. The realities of a rapidly aging society make the employment circumstances of older workers an increasingly important social issue. We examine the prevalence and correlates of underemployment among older Americans, with a special focus on residence and gender, to provide an assessment of the labor market challenges facing older workers. Methods. We analyzed data from the March Current Population Surveys for the years 2003, 2004, and 2005. We used descriptive statistics to explore the prevalence of underemployment among older workers and developed multivariate models to assess the impact of age, residence, and gender on the likelihood of underemployment, net of other predictors. Results. We found clear disadvantages for older workers relative to their middle-aged counterparts, and particular disadvantages for older rural residents and women. Multivariate models showed that the disadvantages of older age held net of other predictors. The results also indicated that much of the disadvantage faced by older rural workers and women was explained by factors other than age, particularly education. Discussion. In an aging society, underemployment among older workers comes at an increasing social cost. Policies aimed at supporting older workers and alleviating employment hardship among them are increasingly in the public interest. PMID:18332197

Globalizing rehabilitation psychology: Application of foundational principles to global health and rehabilitation challenges.

PubMed

Bentley, Jacob A; Bruyère, Susanne M; LeBlanc, Jeanne; MacLachlan, Malcolm

2016-02-01

This article reviewed foundational principles in rehabilitation psychology and explored their application to global health imperatives as outlined in the World Report on Disability (World Health Organization & World Bank, 2011). Historical theories and perspectives are used to assist with conceptual formulation as applied to emerging international rehabilitation psychology topics. According to the World Report on Disability (World Health Organization & World Bank, 2011), there are approximately 1 billion individuals living with some form of disability globally. An estimated 80% of persons with disabilities live in low- to middle-income countries (WHO, 2006). The primary messages and recommendations of the World Report on Disability have been previously summarized as it relates to potential opportunities for contribution within the field of rehabilitation psychology (MacLachlan & Mannan, 2014). Yet, undeniable barriers remain to realizing the full potential for contributions in low- to middle-income country settings. A vision for engaging in international capacity building and public health efforts is needed within the field of rehabilitation psychology. Foundational rehabilitation psychology principles have application to the service of individuals with disabilities in areas of the world facing complex socioeconomic and sociopolitical challenges. Foundational principles of person-environment interaction, importance of social context, and need for involvement of persons with disabilities can provide guidance to the field as it relates to global health and rehabilitation efforts. The authors illustrate the application of rehabilitation psychology foundational principles through case examples and description of ongoing work, and link foundational principles to discreet domains of intervention going forward. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Household Expenditure for Dental Care in Low and Middle Income Countries

PubMed Central

Masood, Mohd; Sheiham, Aubrey; Bernabé, Eduardo

2015-01-01

This study assessed the extent of household catastrophic expenditure in dental health care and its possible determinants in 41 low and middle income countries. Data from 182,007 respondents aged 18 years and over (69,315 in 18 low income countries, 59,645 in 15 lower middle income countries and 53,047 in 8 upper middle income countries) who participated in the WHO World Health Survey (WHS) were analyzed. Expenditure in dental health care was defined as catastrophic if it was equal to or higher than 40% of the household capacity to pay. A number of individual and country-level factors were assessed as potential determinants of catastrophic dental health expenditure (CDHE) in multilevel logistic regression with individuals nested within countries. Up to 7% of households in low and middle income countries faced CDHE in the last 4 weeks. This proportion rose up to 35% among households that incurred some dental health expenditure within the same period. The multilevel model showed that wealthier, urban and larger households and more economically developed countries had higher odds of facing CDHE. The results of this study show that payments for dental health care can be a considerable burden on households, to the extent of preventing expenditure on basic necessities. They also help characterize households more likely to incur catastrophic expenditure on dental health care. Alternative health care financing strategies and policies targeted to improve fairness in financial contribution are urgently required in low and middle income countries. PMID:25923691

Challenges of International Students in a Japanese University: Ethnographic Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Ju Seong

2017-01-01

The author investigates what challenges four international students (Vietnamese, Filipino, Brazilian, and Chinese) faced and how they coped with these dilemmas in a Japanese language program during the first semester in 2014. Multiple apparatuses (e.g., field notes, face-to-face oral interviews, focal group conversations, and semi-structured…

America's Middle Schools: Practices and Progress. A 25 Year Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McEwin, C. Kenneth; And Others

The 1990s will likely be a watershed period for middle level education, as the real challenges surrounding making "second level" changes replace the euphoria that accompanied early growth of the middle school movement. Yet, zealousness still characterizes reform efforts at the middle level. This study, the most comprehensive ever…

The Challenge of Counseling in Middle Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Rourke, Kathleen, Ed.

This book of readings presents 33 articles that address topics of importance to counselors who serve middle school students. It was written for counselors already working in middle schools and for individuals who are preparing for careers as middle school counselors. The book will also benefit both elementary school counselors who help children…

The Association between Violence Exposure and Aggression and Anxiety: The Role of Peer Relationships in Adaptation for Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodearl, Anna Ward; Salzinger, Suzanne; Rosario, Margaret

2014-01-01

This study examined how peer relationships contribute to young adolescents' adaptation in the face of exposure to community and family violence. It tested hypotheses about peers' role in processes relating exposure to behavioral and psychological outcomes, specifically, aggression and anxiety. Data were collected from 667 middle school students,…

Qianlong Meets Macartney: Collision of Two World Views. A Dramatization for Middle and High School Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watt, John R.

This play, intended for middle school and high school students, uses the historical events of the Macartney mission to China from 1792-94 to illustrate the problems that can occur when different cultures interact. The play describes the first major encounter in which government officials representative of the European Enlightenment come face to…

Afterschool: An Ally in Promoting Middle School Improvement. MetLife Foundation Afterschool Alert. Issue Brief No. 55

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Afterschool Alliance, 2012

2012-01-01

The Afterschool Alliance, in partnership with MetLife Foundation, is proud to present the first in its latest series of four issue briefs examining critical issues facing middle school youth and the vital role afterschool programs play in addressing these issues. This brief explores afterschool and school improvement. In communities across the…

Service-Learning in Afterschool: Helping Students Grow and Communities Prosper. MetLife Foundation Afterschool Alert. Issue Brief No. 52

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Afterschool Alliance, 2011

2011-01-01

The Afterschool Alliance, in partnership with MetLife Foundation, is proud to present the third in a series of four issue briefs examining critical issues facing middle school youth and the vital role afterschool programs play in addressing these issues. This brief focuses on service-learning opportunities for middle schoolers. Pairing service…

Students, Mobile Devices and Classrooms: A Comparison of US and Arab Undergraduate Students in A Middle Eastern University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mohammad Abu Taleb, Bibi Rahima; Coughlin, Chris; Romanowski, Michael H.; Semmar, Yassir; Hosny, Khaled

2017-01-01

The use of mobile devices in the university classroom is not limited to Western cultures. Rather universities in the Middle East, particularly in the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) face similar problems regarding smartphone usage in classrooms. This study utilizes Tindell and Bohlander's (2012) survey to compare results regarding cell phones and…

Weight-Control Practices Reported by Students in a Maine Middle School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Majka, Alan

2011-01-01

Extension professionals who work with youth are often faced with issues of body weight, diet and/or body image. How we handle these topics has the potential to either help or harm. The goal of the study reported here was to explore the prevalence and types of weight-control methods practiced by middle school students. The majority of students…

Examining Student Cognitive and Affective Engagement and Reading Instructional Activities: Spanish-Speaking English Learners' Reading Profiles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barber, Ana Taboada; Gallagher, Melissa; Smith, Peet; Buehl, Michelle M.; Beck, Jori S.

2016-01-01

Recent research has emphasized the key role of engagement in helping students succeed in school and beyond. Given the academic struggles that many English learners (ELs) face as they transition to middle school, exploring the facets of engagement in middle school ELs is needed. We established reader profiles for eight sixth grade Hispanic ELs and…

Optimising molecular diagnostic capacity for effective control of tuberculosis in high-burden settings.

PubMed

Sabiiti, W; Mtafya, B; Kuchaka, D; Azam, K; Viegas, S; Mdolo, A; Farmer, E C W; Khonga, M; Evangelopoulos, D; Honeyborne, I; Rachow, A; Heinrich, N; Ntinginya, N E; Bhatt, N; Davies, G R; Jani, I V; McHugh, T D; Kibiki, G; Hoelscher, M; Gillespie, S H

2016-08-01

The World Health Organization's 2035 vision is to reduce tuberculosis (TB) associated mortality by 95%. While low-burden, well-equipped industrialised economies can expect to see this goal achieved, it is challenging in the low- and middle-income countries that bear the highest burden of TB. Inadequate diagnosis leads to inappropriate treatment and poor clinical outcomes. The roll-out of the Xpert(®) MTB/RIF assay has demonstrated that molecular diagnostics can produce rapid diagnosis and treatment initiation. Strong molecular services are still limited to regional or national centres. The delay in implementation is due partly to resources, and partly to the suggestion that such techniques are too challenging for widespread implementation. We have successfully implemented a molecular tool for rapid monitoring of patient treatment response to anti-tuberculosis treatment in three high TB burden countries in Africa. We discuss here the challenges facing TB diagnosis and treatment monitoring, and draw from our experience in establishing molecular treatment monitoring platforms to provide practical insights into successful optimisation of molecular diagnostic capacity in resource-constrained, high TB burden settings. We recommend a holistic health system-wide approach for molecular diagnostic capacity development, addressing human resource training, institutional capacity development, streamlined procurement systems, and engagement with the public, policy makers and implementers of TB control programmes.

Comparison of Face-to-Face and Online Mathematics Learning of Sixth Graders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Clayton M.; Rule, Audrey C.; Boody, Robert M.

2013-01-01

Online education is increasing in popularity at the college and high school levels with several studies showing the comparability of e-learning and more traditional methods. Middle school students' ability to function well with this mode of instruction has not been established in the literature, although the circumstances of Generation Z growing…

Working Together: How Teachers Teach and Students Learn in Collaborative Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burns, Mary; Pierson, Elizabeth; Reddy, Shylaja

2014-01-01

Active Learning in Maths and Science (ALMS) was a six-month face-to-face professional development program for middle school maths and science teachers carried out between June and November, 2010 in two Indian states. ALMS's theory of action is grounded in the belief that collaborative learning serves as a "gateway" to learner-centered…

Developing a Side Bias for Conspecific Faces during Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balas, Benjamin; Moulson, Margaret C.

2011-01-01

Adults preferentially use information from the left side of face images to judge gender, emotion, and identity. In this study, we examined the development of this visual-field bias over middle childhood (5-10 years). Our goal was to both characterize the developmental trajectory of the left-side bias (should one exist) and examine the selectivity…

The Reasons behind Early Adolescents' Responses to Peer Victimization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bellmore, Amy; Chen, Wei-Ting; Rischall, Emily

2013-01-01

Victims of school-based peer harassment face a range of risks including psycho-social, physical, and academic harm. The aim of the present study was to examine the behavioral coping responses used by early adolescents when they face peer victimization. To meet this aim, 216 sixth grade students (55% girls) from two urban middle schools and 254…

Muslims in America: Identity, Diversity and the Challenge of Understanding. 2001 Carnegie Challenge.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Afridi, Sam

This paper discusses challenges and opportunities facing Muslims in the United States, where between 5 to 8 million Muslims live (the fastest growing religion in the country). American Muslims face many challenges, and the public has little understanding of the teachings and practice of Islam. Muslims are prone to negative stereotypes, ethnic…

A mixture of sparse coding models explaining properties of face neurons related to holistic and parts-based processing

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Experimental studies have revealed evidence of both parts-based and holistic representations of objects and faces in the primate visual system. However, it is still a mystery how such seemingly contradictory types of processing can coexist within a single system. Here, we propose a novel theory called mixture of sparse coding models, inspired by the formation of category-specific subregions in the inferotemporal (IT) cortex. We developed a hierarchical network that constructed a mixture of two sparse coding submodels on top of a simple Gabor analysis. The submodels were each trained with face or non-face object images, which resulted in separate representations of facial parts and object parts. Importantly, evoked neural activities were modeled by Bayesian inference, which had a top-down explaining-away effect that enabled recognition of an individual part to depend strongly on the category of the whole input. We show that this explaining-away effect was indeed crucial for the units in the face submodel to exhibit significant selectivity to face images over object images in a similar way to actual face-selective neurons in the macaque IT cortex. Furthermore, the model explained, qualitatively and quantitatively, several tuning properties to facial features found in the middle patch of face processing in IT as documented by Freiwald, Tsao, and Livingstone (2009). These included, in particular, tuning to only a small number of facial features that were often related to geometrically large parts like face outline and hair, preference and anti-preference of extreme facial features (e.g., very large/small inter-eye distance), and reduction of the gain of feature tuning for partial face stimuli compared to whole face stimuli. Thus, we hypothesize that the coding principle of facial features in the middle patch of face processing in the macaque IT cortex may be closely related to mixture of sparse coding models. PMID:28742816

A mixture of sparse coding models explaining properties of face neurons related to holistic and parts-based processing.

PubMed

Hosoya, Haruo; Hyvärinen, Aapo

2017-07-01

Experimental studies have revealed evidence of both parts-based and holistic representations of objects and faces in the primate visual system. However, it is still a mystery how such seemingly contradictory types of processing can coexist within a single system. Here, we propose a novel theory called mixture of sparse coding models, inspired by the formation of category-specific subregions in the inferotemporal (IT) cortex. We developed a hierarchical network that constructed a mixture of two sparse coding submodels on top of a simple Gabor analysis. The submodels were each trained with face or non-face object images, which resulted in separate representations of facial parts and object parts. Importantly, evoked neural activities were modeled by Bayesian inference, which had a top-down explaining-away effect that enabled recognition of an individual part to depend strongly on the category of the whole input. We show that this explaining-away effect was indeed crucial for the units in the face submodel to exhibit significant selectivity to face images over object images in a similar way to actual face-selective neurons in the macaque IT cortex. Furthermore, the model explained, qualitatively and quantitatively, several tuning properties to facial features found in the middle patch of face processing in IT as documented by Freiwald, Tsao, and Livingstone (2009). These included, in particular, tuning to only a small number of facial features that were often related to geometrically large parts like face outline and hair, preference and anti-preference of extreme facial features (e.g., very large/small inter-eye distance), and reduction of the gain of feature tuning for partial face stimuli compared to whole face stimuli. Thus, we hypothesize that the coding principle of facial features in the middle patch of face processing in the macaque IT cortex may be closely related to mixture of sparse coding models.

'Everyone has a secret they keep close to their hearts': challenges faced by adolescents living with HIV infection at the Kenyan coast.

PubMed

Abubakar, Amina; Van de Vijver, Fons J R; Fischer, Ronald; Hassan, Amin S; K Gona, Joseph; Dzombo, Judith Tumaini; Bomu, Grace; Katana, Khamis; Newton, Charles R

2016-02-29

The upsurge in the uptake of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has led to a significant increase in the survival of vertically acquired HIV infected children, many of whom are currently living into adolescence and early adulthood. However little if anything is known of the lived experiences and the challenges faced by HIV positive adolescents in the African context. We set out to investigate psychosocial challenges faced by HIV infected adolescents on the Kenyan coast. A total of 44 participants (12 HIV-infected adolescents, 7 HIV uninfected adolescents, and 25 key informants) took part in this qualitative study, using individually administered in-depth interviews. A framework approach was used to analyze the data using NVIVO software. We observed that the challenges faced by adolescents in rural Kenya could be placed into six major themes: poverty, poor mental and physical health, the lack of a school system that is responsive to their needs, challenges in how to disclose to peers and family members, high levels of stigma in its various forms, and challenges of medical adherence leading to the need for close monitoring. In this African community, vertically acquired HIV-infected adolescents face a complex set of social, economic and medical challenges. Our study points to the urgent need to develop multisectorial intervention support programmes to fully address these challenges.

Army Communicator. Volume 32, Number 3, Summer 2007

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

goal of bringing people from across the Army together to talk about the issues and challenges they are experiencing in the field and try to work out...actually facing the challenges . Each work- shop had a mediator who collected information on issues being faced and suggested solutions to these problems...these possible items that Signal Center actions may be put forth to bring about resolutions to the challenges facing the warfighter in the field. “I

Exploring the challenges faced by polytechnic students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matore, Mohd Effendi @ Ewan Mohd; Khairani, Ahmad Zamri

2015-02-01

This study aims to identify other challenges besides those already faced by students, in seven polytechnics in Malaysia as a continuation to the previous research that had identified 52 main challenges faced by students using the Rasch Model. The explorative study focuses on the challenges that are not included in the Mooney Problem Checklist (MPCL). A total of 121 polytechnic students submitted 183 written responses through the open questions provided. Two hundred fifty two students had responded from a students' perspective on the dichotomous questions regarding their view on the challenges faced. The data was analysed qualitatively using the NVivo 8.0. The findings showed that students from Politeknik Seberang Perai (PSP) gave the highest response, which was 56 (30.6%) and Politeknik Metro Kuala Lumpur (PMKL) had the lowest response of 2 (1.09%). Five dominant challenges were identified, which were the English language (32, 17.5%), learning (14, 7.7%), vehicles (13, 7.1%), information technology and communication (ICT) (13, 7.1%), and peers (11, 6.0%). This article, however, focus on three apparent challenges, namely, English language, vehicles, as well as computer and ICT, as the challenges of learning and peers had been analysed in the previous MPCL. The challenge of English language that had been raised was regarding the weakness in commanding the aspects of speech and fluency. The computer and ICT challenge covered the weakness in mastering ICT and computers, as well as computer breakdowns and low-performance computers. The challenge of vehicles emphasized the unavailability of vehicles to attend lectures and go elsewhere, lack of transportation service in the polytechnic and not having a valid driving license. These challenges are very relevant and need to be discussed in an effort to prepare polytechnics in facing the transformational process of polytechnics.

Challenges and Changes Faced by Rural Superintendents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamkin, Marcia L.

2006-01-01

This research study was designed to build grounded theory about the challenges faced by rural superintendents. Participating rural superintendents identified five areas that presented a challenge but that also applied to superintendents in other settings: school law, finance, personnel, government mandates, and district or board policies. Further,…

Finding a Trans-Affirmative Provider: Challenges Faced by Trans and Gender Diverse Psychologists and Psychology Trainees.

PubMed

Dickey, Lore M; Singh, Anneliese A

2017-08-01

This article explores some of the challenges faced by trans and gender diverse (TGD) individuals who not only are attempting to access trans-affirmative care, but who are also members of the very profession from which they are seeking services. The authors explore challenges related to finding supervision, accessing care for assessment services, and finding a provider for personal counseling. With each example, the authors unpack the challenges and also address the implications for training for all involved. Based on these challenges that TGD psychologists and trainees face in attempting to access care, the authors provide recommendations related to trans-affirmative training for psychologists. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Invisible Army

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT The “invisible army” of clinical microbiologists is facing major changes and challenges. The rate of change in both the science and technology is accelerating with no end in sight, putting pressure on our army to learn and adapt as never before. Health care funding in the United States is undergoing dramatic change which will require a new set of assumptions about how clinical microbiology is practiced here. A major challenge facing the discipline is the replacement of a generation of clinical microbiologists. In my opinion, it is incumbent on us in the invisible army to continue to work with the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) in meeting the future challenges faced by our discipline. In this commentary, I will first discuss some recent history of clinical microbiology within ASM and then some current challenges we face. PMID:28659316

Recent Advances in Face Lift to Achieve Facial Balance.

PubMed

Ilankovan, Velupillai

2017-03-01

Facial balance is achieved by correction of facial proportions and the facial contour. Ageing affects this balance in addition to other factors. We have strived to inform all the recent advances in providing this balance. The anatomy of ageing including various changed in clinical features are described. The procedures are explained on the basis of the upper, middle and lower face. Different face lift, neck lift procedures with innovative techniques are demonstrated. The aim is to provide an unoperated balanced facial proportion with zero complication.

Children at Risk: Global Views on Challenges Facing Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neugebauer, Roger

2011-01-01

Members of the World Forum community were invited to respond to the question: "What is the most urgent challenge facing young children in your country?" Here are some of their responses. Jamils Richard Achunji Anguaseh mentions that in Cameroon, young children face lots of insecurity, both from health hazards and poor parenting practices. There…

The middle manager role in energy company environmental efforts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fischhoff, Maya E.

2005-12-01

This research examines the internal organizational processes determining corporate environmental action. Corporations have a tremendous environmental impact, yet relatively little is known about how employees within them view and work on these issues. The research focused on middle managers, a level of the company whose value is often questioned. Interviews were conducted with 70 middle managers at two energy companies (comprising utilities and unregulated businesses). Interviews examined the shape and significance of middle manager involvement in environmental issues, looking specifically at what issues middle managers deal with, what goals they pursue, and what approaches they use. The research finds middle managers' roles with respect to environmental issues to be far-reaching and complex. Much of their effort is focused on meeting regulatory requirements ("complying"). They are committed to compliance, in part for ethical reasons, but often find regulations frustrating and costly. Compliance is more challenging than commonly thought; it demands time, knowledge, and substantial creativity. In pursuing it, interviewees work with employees throughout the organization. This research shows middle managers interacting with those hierarchically above and below them in ways that greatly modify earlier portrayals of middle managers. Earlier portrayals often emphasized struggles for power within the organization. Here, middle managers work in ways best characterized as collaborative and supportive. Middle managers also have extensive involvement laterally within the company and with groups outside the company. These links have received modest attention in literature, yet are found to be terribly important. Middle managers' lateral efforts inside the company, often on teams, allow diverse expertise (e.g., from people in different functions) to be applied to environmental issues. Documenting middle managers' involvement externally, with governmental officials and sectors of the public, illuminates areas of very visible corporate impact. External interactions are also settings in which middle managers encounter alternative views about environmental issues. The study reveals the importance of middle managers in the challenge of environmental compliance. It provides knowledge that can be used by external entities seeking to connect with companies, and by companies seeking to address environmental issues better. It thus aids understanding of a critical societal challenge and opportunity.

Challenges When Introducing Electronic Exam

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuikka, Matti; Kitola, Markus; Laakso, Mikko-Jussi

2014-01-01

Time pressures often necessitate the use of more efficient exam tools, such as electronic exams (e-exams), instead of traditional paper exams. However, teachers may face challenges when introducing e-exams in a higher education context. This paper describes what kinds of challenges teachers may face when introducing e-exams, based on experiences…

Bridging the Gap: The Challenges of Employing Entrepreneurial Processes within University Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wardale, Dorothy; Lord, Linley

2016-01-01

In Australia and elsewhere, universities face increasing pressure to improve research output and quality, particularly through partnerships with industry. This raises interesting challenges for academic staff with considerable industry experience who are "new" to academe. Some of these challenges were faced by the authors who have been…

Confronting Unsuccessful Practices: Repositioning Teacher Identities in English Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vetter, Amy; Hartman, Shana V.; Reynolds, Jeanie M.

2016-01-01

Teacher education programs attempt to prepare preservice teachers for the various challenges faced in the classroom. One particular challenge new teachers face is how to handle unsuccessful practices. This paper argues that confronting ineffective practices require that teachers respond to complex and dynamic challenges, making change difficult…

Challenges Faced by Project Competition Participants and Recommended Solutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demirel, Turgay; Baydas, Ozlem; Yilmaz, Rabia M.; Goktas, Yuksel

2013-01-01

The numbers of project competitions and interest in this kind of competition have been steadily increasing in Turkey. Accordingly, it is important to determine what challenges teachers and students may face while preparing themselves for project competitions, so that recommendations may be made to overcome these challenges. This study investigated…

2015 President's Plenary International Psycho-oncology Society: psychosocial care as a human rights issue-challenges and opportunities.

PubMed

Travado, Luzia; Breitbart, William; Grassi, Luigi; Fujisawa, Daisuke; Patenaude, Andrea; Baider, Lea; Connor, Stephen; Fingeret, Michelle

2017-04-01

The International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) Human Rights Task Force has been working since 2008 to raise awareness and support, for the relevance of psychosocial cancer care as a human rights issue. In 2014 the "Lisbon Declaration: Psychosocial Cancer Care as a Universal Human Right" was fully endorsed by IPOS. Subsequently, the IPOS Standard on Quality Cancer Care, endorsed by 75 cancer organizations worldwide, has been updated and now includes 3 core principles: Psychosocial cancer care should be recognised as a universal human right; Quality cancer care must integrate the psychosocial domain into routine care; Distress should be measured as the 6th vital sign. The President's plenary held at the 2015 World Congress of Psycho-Oncology in Washington DC was devoted to discussing psychosocial care as a human rights issue. Many challenges and opportunities are illustrated in different continents and contexts: from Africa where resources for basic cancer treatment are scarce and children and their parents face significant difficulties with hospital detention practices; to Europe where for many countries psychosocial care is still seen as a luxury; and the Middle East where Muslim women face stigma and a culture of silence over cancer. We further discuss how to move the Lisbon Declaration forward towards its implementation into clinical practice globally, using the successful example of the World Health Assembly resolution supporting palliative care as a human right which has achieved widespread approval, and identifying the vital role the IPOS Federation of National Psychoncology Societies plays worldwide to move this agenda forward. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

2015 President's Plenary International Psycho-oncology Society: psychosocial care as a human rights issue–challenges and opportunities

PubMed Central

Travado, Luzia; Breitbart, William; Grassi, Luigi; Fujisawa, Daisuke; Patenaude, Andrea; Baider, Lea; Connor, Stephen; Fingeret, Michelle

2017-01-01

The International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) Human Rights Task Force has been working since 2008 to raise awareness and support, for the relevance of psychosocial cancer care as a human rights issue. In 2014 the “Lisbon Declaration: Psychosocial Cancer Care as a Universal Human Right” was fully endorsed by IPOS. Subsequently, the IPOS Standard on Quality Cancer Care, endorsed by 75 cancer organizations worldwide, has been updated and now includes 3 core principles: Psychosocial cancer care should be recognised as a universal human right; Quality cancer care must integrate the psychosocial domain into routine care; Distress should be measured as the 6th vital sign. The President's plenary held at the 2015 World Congress of Psycho-Oncology in Washington DC was devoted to discussing psychosocial care as a human rights issue. Many challenges and opportunities are illustrated in different continents and contexts: from Africa where resources for basic cancer treatment are scarce and children and their parents face significant difficulties with hospital detention practices; to Europe where for many countries psychosocial care is still seen as a luxury; and the Middle East where Muslim women face stigma and a culture of silence over cancer. We further discuss how to move the Lisbon Declaration forward towards its implementation into clinical practice globally, using the successful example of the World Health Assembly resolution supporting palliative care as a human right which has achieved widespread approval, and identifying the vital role the IPOS Federation of National Psychoncology Societies plays worldwide to move this agenda forward. PMID:27530206

High Anxiety: Addressing Family Issues in the Transition of Students with Disabilities from Middle Grades to High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brigham, Nancy; Aguilar, Cynthia M.

2011-01-01

This article documents the development of a protocol that addresses the anxieties and tensions felt by the families of students with disabilities when they face the daunting transition from middle grades to high school. The tool grew out of a study of schools that form meaningful partnerships with diverse families of students with disabilities,…

An Exploratory Study of Factors That Affect the Research Progress of International PhD Students from the Middle East

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khozaei, Fatemeh; Naidu, Sivabala; Khozaei, Zahra; Salleh, Nor Aini

2015-01-01

Purpose: Despite the critical issues involving Middle East countries such as war and a drop in currency exchange rates, a large number of students leave their country to pursue a higher education abroad, every year. The purpose of this paper is to understand the difficulties that these students face while conducting their research in a foreign…

Afterschool: A Strategy for Addressing and Preventing Middle School Bullying. MetLife Foundation Afterschool Alert. Issue Brief No. 51

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Afterschool Alliance, 2011

2011-01-01

The Afterschool Alliance, in partnership with MetLife Foundation, is proud to present the second in a series of four issue briefs examining critical issues facing middle school youth and the vital role afterschool programs play in addressing these issues. This brief focuses on bullying awareness and prevention. Bullying is a dangerous behavior…

Challenges and Opportunities for Implementing Integrated Mental Health Care: A District Level Situation Analysis from Five Low- and Middle-Income Countries

PubMed Central

Hanlon, Charlotte; Luitel, Nagendra P.; Kathree, Tasneem; Murhar, Vaibhav; Shrivasta, Sanjay; Medhin, Girmay; Ssebunnya, Joshua; Fekadu, Abebaw; Shidhaye, Rahul; Petersen, Inge; Jordans, Mark; Kigozi, Fred; Thornicroft, Graham; Patel, Vikram; Tomlinson, Mark; Lund, Crick; Breuer, Erica; De Silva, Mary; Prince, Martin

2014-01-01

Background Little is known about how to tailor implementation of mental health services in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to the diverse settings encountered within and between countries. In this paper we compare the baseline context, challenges and opportunities in districts in five LMICs (Ethiopia, India, Nepal, South Africa and Uganda) participating in the PRogramme for Improving Mental health carE (PRIME). The purpose was to inform development and implementation of a comprehensive district plan to integrate mental health into primary care. Methods A situation analysis tool was developed for the study, drawing on existing tools and expert consensus. Cross-sectional information obtained was largely in the public domain in all five districts. Results The PRIME study districts face substantial contextual and health system challenges many of which are common across sites. Reliable information on existing treatment coverage for mental disorders was unavailable. Particularly in the low-income countries, many health service organisational requirements for mental health care were absent, including specialist mental health professionals to support the service and reliable supplies of medication. Across all sites, community mental health literacy was low and there were no models of multi-sectoral working or collaborations with traditional or religious healers. Nonetheless health system opportunities were apparent. In each district there was potential to apply existing models of care for tuberculosis and HIV or non-communicable disorders, which have established mechanisms for detection of drop-out from care, outreach and adherence support. The extensive networks of community-based health workers and volunteers in most districts provide further opportunities to expand mental health care. Conclusions The low level of baseline health system preparedness across sites underlines that interventions at the levels of health care organisation, health facility and community will all be essential for sustainable delivery of quality mental health care integrated into primary care. PMID:24558389

Distal and Proximal Parenting as Alternative Parenting Strategies during Infants' Early Months of Life: A Cross-Cultural Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keller, Heidi; Borke, Joern; Staufenbiel, Thomas; Yovsi, Relindis D.; Abels, Monika; Papaligoura, Zaira; Jensen, Henning; Lohaus, Arnold; Chaudhary, Nandita; Lo, Wingshan; Su, Yanjie

2009-01-01

Cultures differ with respect to parenting strategies already during infancy. Distal parenting, i.e., face-to-face context and object stimulation, is prevalent in urban educated middle-class families of Western cultures; proximal parenting, i.e., body contact and body stimulation, is prevalent in rural, low-educated farmer families. Parents from…

Reading Achievement and Reading Efficacy Changes for Middle School Students with Disabilities through Blended Learning Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pace, Jesse R.; Mellard, Daryl F.

2016-01-01

This study evaluated the effects of a blended learning instructional experience for sixth-grade students in an English/language arts (ELA) course. Students at two treatment schools participated in a blended learning instructional paradigm, and their ELA test scores were compared to one comparison school that used a face-to-face delivery. Other…

Social Media in the Classroom: A Simple yet Complex Hybrid Environment for Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casey, Gail

2013-01-01

This article reports on part of the author's PhD action research study. It examines the complexity of features that social media and Web 2.0 offer when combined with face-to-face teaching and learning. Action research was used to help redesign the learning programs of XXX's thirteen Middle Years classes over an eighteen month period. These…

Mathematics Education in Rural Middle Schools: Parent Perceptions of Their Role in Mathematics Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bradley, Austrai

2017-01-01

This qualitative study explored parent perceptions of parental involvement in mathematics learning. The study was conducted in a rural area of South Carolina. Face-to-face interviews, online interviews, and review of documents were the sources of data for this inquiry. Findings revealed that parents admitted to a lack of involvement as long as…

Student Engagement and Achievement of Middle School Black Males in Single-Gender and Co-Educational Reading Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Small, Christopher Lee

2012-01-01

This dissertation presents an historical overview of the systematic educational limitations that have been faced by African-American's in the United States and then considers issues facing contemporary educational leaders in the context of current educational policy and institutional inequality. A portrait of the Black male in the United…

Small-Group, Computer-Mediated Argumentation in Middle-School Classrooms: The Effects of Gender and Different Types of Online Teacher Guidance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asterhan, Christa S. C.; Schwarz, Baruch B.; Gil, Julia

2012-01-01

CoBackground: Research has shown the importance of careful teacher support during collaborative group work to promote productive discourse between students (Webb, 2009). However, this research has traditionally focused on face-to-face communication. The role of online teacher guidance of small-group computer-mediated discussions has received…

Short assessment of the Big Five: robust across survey methods except telephone interviewing.

PubMed

Lang, Frieder R; John, Dennis; Lüdtke, Oliver; Schupp, Jürgen; Wagner, Gert G

2011-06-01

We examined measurement invariance and age-related robustness of a short 15-item Big Five Inventory (BFI-S) of personality dimensions, which is well suited for applications in large-scale multidisciplinary surveys. The BFI-S was assessed in three different interviewing conditions: computer-assisted or paper-assisted face-to-face interviewing, computer-assisted telephone interviewing, and a self-administered questionnaire. Randomized probability samples from a large-scale German panel survey and a related probability telephone study were used in order to test method effects on self-report measures of personality characteristics across early, middle, and late adulthood. Exploratory structural equation modeling was used in order to test for measurement invariance of the five-factor model of personality trait domains across different assessment methods. For the short inventory, findings suggest strong robustness of self-report measures of personality dimensions among young and middle-aged adults. In old age, telephone interviewing was associated with greater distortions in reliable personality assessment. It is concluded that the greater mental workload of telephone interviewing limits the reliability of self-report personality assessment. Face-to-face surveys and self-administrated questionnaire completion are clearly better suited than phone surveys when personality traits in age-heterogeneous samples are assessed.

Two-dimensional morphometric analysis of young Asian females to determine attractiveness.

PubMed

Pothanikat, Joseph John K; Balakrishna, Ramdas; Mahendra, P; Neeta, J

2015-01-01

Attractive people do not seem to consistently possess such ideal characteristics or share common features. There is no general consensus about the linear and angular characteristics that discriminate between attractive and normal persons. This study determines how young Asian women considered to be attractive differ in their twodimensional facial characteristics from normal women of the same age and race. Frontal and lateral photographs of 70 young Asian females were taken under standardized setting and were given to 15 judges who did not know the subjects in the study, to rate the attractiveness of each photograph. All 70 photographs were arranged in descending order of their total score by all the judges and were classified into three groups. Three angular, 8 linear measurements, and 3 ratios were compared between these groups. This study showed that most attractive group had least convex face, larger forehead, and wider faces. Conversely, the middle facial height was larger in the least attractive group. The ratio of middle third to total face of the most attractive group is higher than the average attractive ones. The ratio of lower third to total face of the most attractive group is lower than the average attractive ones.

When a loved one feels unfamiliar: a case study on the neural basis of Capgras delusion.

PubMed

Thiel, Christiane M; Studte, Sara; Hildebrandt, Helmut; Huster, Rene; Weerda, Riklef

2014-03-01

Perception of familiar faces depends on a core system analysing visual appearance and an extended system dealing with inference of mental states and emotional responses. Damage to the core system impairs face perception as seen in prosopagnosia. In contrast, patients with Capgras delusion show intact face perception but believe that closely related persons are impostors. It has been suggested that two deficits are necessary for the delusion, an aberrant perceptual or affective experience that leads to a bizarre belief as well as an impaired ability to evaluate beliefs. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we compared neural activity to familiar and unfamiliar faces in a patient with Capgras delusion and an age matched control group. We provide evidence that Capgras delusion is related to dysfunctional activity in the extended face processing system. The patient, who developed the delusion for the partner after a large right prefrontal lesion sparing the ventromedial and medial orbitofrontal cortex, lacked neural activity to the partner's face in left posterior cingulate cortex and left posterior superior temporal sulcus. Further, we found impaired functional connectivity of the latter region with the left superior frontal gyrus and to a lesser extent with the right superior frontal sulcus/middle frontal gyrus. The findings of this case study suggest that the first factor in Capgras delusion may be reduced neural activity in the extended face processing system that deals with inference of mental states while the second factor may be due to a lesion in the right middle frontal gyrus. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Virtual Academic Community: Online Education Instructors' Social Presence in Association with Freshman Composition Students' Critical Thinking and Argumentation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paquette, Paige Fuller

2009-01-01

There is much literature addressing challenges face-to-face freshman composition instructors encounter in developing college courses that foster critical thinking skills crucial to developing written argument. Composition instructors may face challenges in teaching students that writing is a means of making meaning, there are many different…

The Challenges of Adopting the Learning Organisation Philosophy in a Singapore School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Retna, Kala S.; Tee, Ng Pak

2006-01-01

Purpose: To report on a case study that examines how the Learning Organisation (LO) concept can be applied in a Singapore school and the challenges that the school faces in the process. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative research inquiry was adopted using ethnographic methods. Data includes in-depth face-to-face interviews, observation of…

Challenges Faced by Undergraduate Military Students at American Public University System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Machuca, Ana; Torres, Karin; Morris, Pamela; Whitley, William

2014-01-01

This paper will summarize some of challenges faced by military students enrolled in an associate and bachelors online program at American Public University System (APUS). The survey results on which the study is based exposed the following problems faced by military personnel: 48.7% had difficulties working around military obligations, 33.3%…

A note on age differences in mood-congruent vs. mood-incongruent emotion processing in faces

PubMed Central

Voelkle, Manuel C.; Ebner, Natalie C.; Lindenberger, Ulman; Riediger, Michaela

2014-01-01

This article addresses four interrelated research questions: (1) Does experienced mood affect emotion perception in faces and is this perception mood-congruent or mood-incongruent?(2) Are there age-group differences in the interplay between experienced mood and emotion perception? (3) Does emotion perception in faces change as a function of the temporal sequence of study sessions and stimuli presentation, and (4) does emotion perception in faces serve a mood-regulatory function? One hundred fifty-four adults of three different age groups (younger: 20–31 years; middle-aged: 44–55 years; older adults: 70–81 years) were asked to provide multidimensional emotion ratings of a total of 1026 face pictures of younger, middle-aged, and older men and women, each displaying six different prototypical (primary) emotional expressions. By analyzing the likelihood of ascribing an additional emotional expression to a face whose primary emotion had been correctly recognized, the multidimensional rating approach permits the study of emotion perception while controlling for emotion recognition. Following up on previous research on mood responses to recurring unpleasant situations using the same dataset (Voelkle et al., 2013), crossed random effects analyses supported a mood-congruent relationship between experienced mood and perceived emotions in faces. In particular older adults were more likely to perceive happiness in faces when being in a positive mood and less likely to do so when being in a negative mood. This did not apply to younger adults. Temporal sequence of study sessions and stimuli presentation had a strong effect on the likelihood of ascribing an additional emotional expression. In contrast to previous findings, however, there was neither evidence for a change from mood-congruent to mood-incongruent responses over time nor evidence for a mood-regulatory effect. PMID:25018740

A note on age differences in mood-congruent vs. mood-incongruent emotion processing in faces.

PubMed

Voelkle, Manuel C; Ebner, Natalie C; Lindenberger, Ulman; Riediger, Michaela

2014-01-01

(1) Does experienced mood affect emotion perception in faces and is this perception mood-congruent or mood-incongruent?(2) Are there age-group differences in the interplay between experienced mood and emotion perception? (3) Does emotion perception in faces change as a function of the temporal sequence of study sessions and stimuli presentation, and (4) does emotion perception in faces serve a mood-regulatory function? One hundred fifty-four adults of three different age groups (younger: 20-31 years; middle-aged: 44-55 years; older adults: 70-81 years) were asked to provide multidimensional emotion ratings of a total of 1026 face pictures of younger, middle-aged, and older men and women, each displaying six different prototypical (primary) emotional expressions. By analyzing the likelihood of ascribing an additional emotional expression to a face whose primary emotion had been correctly recognized, the multidimensional rating approach permits the study of emotion perception while controlling for emotion recognition. Following up on previous research on mood responses to recurring unpleasant situations using the same dataset (Voelkle et al., 2013), crossed random effects analyses supported a mood-congruent relationship between experienced mood and perceived emotions in faces. In particular older adults were more likely to perceive happiness in faces when being in a positive mood and less likely to do so when being in a negative mood. This did not apply to younger adults. Temporal sequence of study sessions and stimuli presentation had a strong effect on the likelihood of ascribing an additional emotional expression. In contrast to previous findings, however, there was neither evidence for a change from mood-congruent to mood-incongruent responses over time nor evidence for a mood-regulatory effect.

Suicidal ideation and its determinants in Korean adults: The role of physical activity and functional limitations.

PubMed

Park, S M

2015-01-01

The recognition of suicide as a major public health problem has suggested the need to identify risk factors that have implications for preventive intervention. In the suicidal process, suicidal ideation is a key stage in the pathway leading to eventual suicide. This study investigated the influence of physical activity and functional limitations on suicidal ideation among young and middle-aged adults in a high suicidal society. Data for the current study were obtained from the Fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2009 (KNHANES), a cross-sectional study conducted by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The survey conducted face-to-face interviews with young adults (n = 2326) and middle-aged adults (n = 3396). Using multivariate logistic regression analysis, the relationship of physical activity and functional limitations with suicidal ideation in young and middle-aged adults was assessed. A notable outcome was that the absence of a regular walking was correlated with increased suicidal ideation in middle-aged women. The other major finding was that young women and middle-aged adults with functional limitations had a high rate of suicidal thoughts. Multiple intervention approaches, including informational, social and behavioural approaches, are needed to promote regular walking in middle-aged women. For instance, mass media campaigns, community walking groups and individually adapted health behaviour modification may provide opportunities for positive intervention. Additionally, another important public health implication from these findings is the need for a suicide-intervention support system that includes screening for suicide risk in healthcare settings, especially among young women with physical limitations.

Ethics challenges and guidance related to research involving adolescent post-abortion care: a scoping review.

PubMed

Zulu, Joseph M; Ali, Joseph; Hallez, Kristina; Kass, Nancy; Michelo, Charles; Hyder, Adnan A

2018-05-02

An increase in post abortion care (PAC) research with adolescents, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, has brought to attention several associated research ethics challenges. In order to better understand the ethics context of PAC research with adolescents, we conducted a scoping review of published literature. Following a systematic search of PubMed, HINARI, and Google Scholar, we analysed articles meeting inclusion criteria to determine common themes across both the ethical challenges related to PAC research with adolescents and any available guidance on the identified challenges. The literature search identified an initial 3321 records of which 14 were included in analysis following screening. Several ethical challenges stem from abortion being a controversial, sensitive, and stigmatized topic in many settings. Ethical dilemmas experienced by researchers conducting adolescent PAC research included: difficulties in convincing local health providers to permit PAC research; challenges in recruiting and seeking consent due to sensitivity of the subject; effectively protecting confidentiality; managing negative effects of interventions; creating a non-prejudicial atmosphere for research; managing emotional issues among adolescents; and dealing with uncertainty regarding the role of researchers when observing unethical health care practices. Suggested strategies for addressing some of these challenges include: using several sources to recruit study participants, using research to facilitate dialogue on abortion, briefing health workers on any observed unethical practices after data collection, fostering a comprehensive understanding of contextual norms and values, selecting staff with experience working with study populations, and avoiding collection of personal identifiers. Addressing ethical challenges that researchers face when conducting PAC research with adolescents requires guidance at the individual, institutional, community, and international levels. Overall, despite the documentation of challenges in the published literature, guidance on handling several of these ethics challenges is sparse. We encourage further research to clarify the identified challenges and support the development of formal guidance in this area.

Trade challenges at the World Trade Organization to national noncommunicable disease prevention policies: A thematic document analysis of trade and health policy space.

PubMed

Barlow, Pepita; Labonte, Ronald; McKee, Martin; Stuckler, David

2018-06-01

It has long been contested that trade rules and agreements are used to dispute regulations aimed at preventing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Yet most analyses of trade rules and agreements focus on trade disputes, potentially overlooking how a challenge to a regulation's consistency with trade rules may lead to 'policy or regulatory chill' effects whereby countries delay, alter, or repeal regulations in order to avoid the costs of a dispute. Systematic empirical analysis of this pathway to impact was previously prevented by a dearth of systematically coded data. Here, we analyse a newly created dataset of trade challenges about food, beverage, and tobacco regulations among 122 World Trade Organization (WTO) members from January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2016. We thematically describe the scope and frequency of trade challenges, analyse economic asymmetries between countries raising and defending them, and summarise 4 cases of their possible influence. Between 1995 and 2016, 93 food, beverage, and tobacco regulations were challenged at the WTO. 'Unnecessary' trade costs were the focus of 16.4% of the challenges. Only one (1.1%) challenge remained unresolved and escalated to a trade dispute. Thirty-nine (41.9%) challenges focussed on labelling regulations, and 18 (19.4%) focussed on quality standards and restrictions on certain products like processed meats and cigarette flavourings. High-income countries raised 77.4% (n = 72) of all challenges raised against low- and lower-middle-income countries. We further identified 4 cases in Indonesia, Chile, Colombia, and Saudi Arabia in which challenges were associated with changes to food and beverage regulations. Data limitations precluded a comprehensive evaluation of policy impact and challenge validity. Policy makers appear to face significant pressure to design food, beverage, and tobacco regulations that other countries will deem consistent with trade rules. Trade-related influence on public health policy is likely to be understated by analyses limited to formal trade disputes.

Applying the Rasch Model to Measure Acculturation Challenges Faced by Saudi Female Students in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hakami, Samah Mohammed

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the major acculturation challenges faced by Saudi female students who study in the U.S. and to develop a scale to measure potential acculturation challenges. The construction of the scale was based on a table of specification that included nine domains of possible acculturation challenges: (a)…

Leaders for a Movement: Professional Preparation and Development of Middle Level Teachers and Administrators. The Handbook of Research in Middle Level Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrews, P. Gayle, Ed.; Anfara, Vincent A., Jr., Ed.

Papers included in this volume include: "Leaders for Movement: An Introduction to the Professional Preparation and Development of Middle Level Teachers and Administrators" (P. Gayle Andrews and Vincent A. Anfara, Jr.); (1) "Middle Level Teacher Preparation: Status, Progress, and Challenges" (C. Kenneth McEwin, Tracy W. Smith,…

Complexity and the Limits of Revolution: What Will Happen to the Arab Spring?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gard-Murray, Alexander S.; Bar-Yam, Yaneer

The recent social unrest across the Middle East and North Africa has deposed dictators who had ruled for decades. While the events have been hailed as an "Arab Spring" by those who hope that repressive autocracies will be replaced by democracies, what sort of regimes will eventually emerge from the crisis remains far from certain. Here we provide a complex systems framework, validated by historical precedent, to help answer this question. We describe the dynamics of governmental change as an evolutionary process similar to biological evolution, in which complex organizations gradually arise by replication, variation, and competitive selection. Different kinds of governments, however, have differing levels of complexity. Democracies must be more systemically complex than autocracies because of their need to incorporate large numbers of people in decision-making. This difference has important implications for the relative robustness of democratic and autocratic governments after revolutions. Revolutions may disrupt existing evolved complexity, limiting the potential for building more complex structures quickly. Insofar as systemic complexity is reduced by revolution, democracy is harder to create in the wake of unrest than autocracy. Applying this analysis to the Middle East and North Africa, we infer that in the absence of stable institutions or external assistance, new governments are in danger of facing increasingly insurmountable challenges and reverting to autocracy.

Low- and middle-income countries face many common barriers to implementation of maternal health evidence products.

PubMed

Puchalski Ritchie, Lisa M; Khan, Sobia; Moore, Julia E; Timmings, Caitlyn; van Lettow, Monique; Vogel, Joshua P; Khan, Dina N; Mbaruku, Godfrey; Mrisho, Mwifadhi; Mugerwa, Kidza; Uka, Sami; Gülmezoglu, A Metin; Straus, Sharon E

2016-08-01

To explore similarities and differences in challenges to maternal health and evidence implementation in general across several low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and to identify common and unique themes representing barriers to and facilitators of evidence implementation in LMIC health care settings. Secondary analysis of qualitative data. Meeting reports and articles describing projects undertaken by the authors in five LMICs on three continents were analyzed. Projects focused on identifying barriers to and facilitators of implementation of evidence products: five World Health Organization maternal health guidelines, and a knowledge translation strategy to improve adherence to tuberculosis treatment. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Among identified barriers to evidence implementation, a high degree of commonality was found across countries and clinical areas, with lack of financial, material, and human resources most prominent. In contrast, few facilitators were identified varied substantially across countries and evidence implementation products. By identifying common barriers and areas requiring additional attention to ensure capture of unique barriers and facilitators, these findings provide a starting point for development of a framework to guide the assessment of barriers to and facilitators of maternal health and potentially to evidence implementation more generally in LMICs. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Global child health priorities: what role for paediatric oncologists?

PubMed

Kellie, Stewart J; Howard, Scott C

2008-11-01

Despite increasing globalisation, international mobility and economic interdependence, 9.7 million children aged less than 5 years in low income countries will die this year, almost all from preventable or treatable diseases. Diarrhoea, pneumonia and malaria account for 5 million of these deaths each year, compared to about 150,000 deaths from childhood cancer in low- and middle-income countries. In high-income countries, 80% of the 50,000 children diagnosed with cancer each year survive, yet cancer remains the leading disease-related cause of childhood death. In low- and middle-income countries, where 80% of children live, the 200,000 children diagnosed with cancer each year have limited access to curative treatment, and only about 25% survive. Some might argue that death from paediatric cancer in poor countries is insignificant compared to death from other causes, and that scarce health resources may be better used in other areas of public health. Is there a role for the treatment of children with cancer in these regions? Do international partnerships or 'twinning' programmes enhance local health care or detract from other public health priorities? What is ethical and what is possible? This review examines the health challenges faced by infants and children in low-income countries, and assesses the role and impact of international paediatric oncology collaboration to improve childhood cancer care worldwide.

Barriers in the mind: promoting an economic case for mental health in low- and middle-income countries

PubMed Central

MCDAID, DAVID; KNAPP, MARTIN; RAJA, SHOBA

2008-01-01

In recent years, policy makers in high-income countries have placed an increasing emphasis on the value of maintaining good mental health, recognizing the contribution that this makes to quality of life, whilst ever more mindful of the socio-economic consequences of poor mental health. The picture in many other parts of the world is much less encouraging; policy attention and resources are still directed largely at communicable diseases. We reflect on some of the challenges faced in these countries and outline the role that economic evidence could play in strengthening the policy case for investment in mental health. Clearly this should include assessment of the economic impact of strategies implemented outside, as well as within the health sector. The ways in which mental health services are delivered is also of critical importance. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have long been shown to be key stakeholders in the funding, coordination and delivery of these services in high-income countries. Their role in low- and middle-income countries, where infrastructure and policy focus on mental health are more limited, can be even more vital in overcoming some of the barriers to the development of mental health policy and practice. PMID:18560485

Challenges for Novice School Leaders: Facing Today's Issues in School Administration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beam, Andrea P.; Claxton, Russell L.; Smith, Samuel J.

2016-01-01

Challenges for novice school leaders evolve as information is managed differently and as societal and regulatory expectations change. This study addresses unique challenges faced by practicing school administrators (n = 159) during their first three years in a school leadership position. It focuses on their perceptions, how perceptions of present…

Leading Schools Facing Challenging Circumstances: Some Insights from Western Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillett, Jonathan; Clarke, Simon; O'Donoghue, Tom

2016-01-01

This paper examines leadership strategies that are most likely to engender success in schools that may be defined as facing challenging circumstances. First, it presents an overview of the relevant literature in order to illustrate distinctive challenges that tend to be encountered in these environments, as well as strategies that are adopted for…

The Value of Conceptual Models in Coping with Complexity and Interdisciplinarity in Environmental Sciences Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fortuin, Karen P. J.; van Koppen, C. S. A.; Leemans, Rik

2011-01-01

Conceptual models are useful for facing the challenges of environmental sciences curriculum and course developers and students. These challenges are inherent to the interdisciplinary and problem-oriented character of environmental sciences curricula. In this article, we review the merits of conceptual models in facing these challenges. These…

CAEP Challenges for a Mid-South U.S. College Teacher Education Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moffett, David W.

2016-01-01

What are the challenges faced by a mid-south liberal arts college teacher education program, in its attempt to successfully meet the new Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) accreditation requirements? The Investigator studied the Educator Program Provider (EPP) during academic year 2015-2016. The challenges faced by the…

Challenges of Attending E-Learning Studies in Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bugi, Stephan Z.

2012-01-01

This study set out to find out what challenges the E-leaner faces in the Nigerian environment. Survey research design was used to obtain the opinion of 200 randomly selected E-learners in Kaduna metropolis. Their responses revealed that the most prominent challenges they face are, Inadequate Power supply, Internet connectivity problems, Efficacy…

Challenges and Instructional Approaches Impacting the Literacy Performance of English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Markham, Paul L.; Gordon, Karen E.

2007-01-01

For English Language Learners (ELLs), the process of becoming literate in English is daunting. Not only are these students faced with the same literacy challenges faced by native English-speaking students, but they are also challenged with extensive diversity issues relating to substantial differences in linguistic, cultural, and academic…

Exploring Parental Involvement Strategies Utilized by Middle School Interdisciplinary Teams

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robbins, Chris; Searby, Linda

2013-01-01

Adolescents present a unique collection of characteristics and challenges which middle school interdisciplinary teams were designed to address. This article describes a research study which explored parental involvement strategies employed by interdisciplinary teaching teams from three very different middle schools: an affluent suburban school, a…

Young persons with visual impairment: challenges of participation.

PubMed

Salminen, Anna-Liisa; Karhula, Maarit E

2014-07-01

To describe the challenges to activity and participation faced by young people with visual impairment within the framework of the International Classification of Functioning (ICF). 14 young persons (aged 16-22 years) with visual impairment and their parents (n = 22) participated in the study. The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) was used to describe challenges of participation as perceived by the young persons themselves. Individual interviews with the young persons and their parents were used to investigate in more depth the challenges the young persons face with regard to participation. Young persons with visual impairment face challenges to participation most frequently with regard to mobility, domestic life, interpersonal interaction and relationships, major life areas, and leisure activities. The environment in which they live has a central role as a barrier or facilitator of participation. The challenges related to activities and participation that young persons with visual impairment face are diverse. It is important that these challenges are assessed individually and with the help of subjective measures. Serving as a broad framework for classifying the data, the ICF proved to be a useful tool, but used strictly at category level it may limit the coding of data and narrow interpretation.

Becoming a nurse faculty leader: facing challenges through reflecting, persevering and relating in new ways.

PubMed

Horton-Deutsch, Sara; Young, Patricia K; Nelson, Kristine A

2010-05-01

The aim of the present study was to explore the experience of becoming a nurse faculty leader. In a recent interpretation of 23 interviews conducted with nurse faculty leaders from across the United States about their experiences of becoming a leader three themes were identified: being thrust into leadership, taking risks and facing challenges. This interpretive phenomenological study further explicates three aspects of how nurse educators faced challenges in becoming and serving as a leader. Facing challenges meant reflecting, persevering through difficulties and learning to relate to others in new ways. Exemplars of participant experiences are provided for concreteness, to assist readers in determining how findings resonate with their own experience and how they can actualize this resonance in their own leadership practice. In the present study, reflecting, persevering through difficulties and learning to relate with others in a new way was how leaders faced challenges. Leadership development opportunities that facilitate self-exploration, caring and thoughtful interactions with others and values clarification serve as the foundation for becoming a nurse faculty leader who is, in turn, able to build leadership capacity in other individuals and organizations.

Rural Residents’ Perspectives on Multiple Morbidity Management and Disease Prevention

PubMed Central

Bardach, Shoshana H.; Schoenberg, Nancy E.; Tarasenko, Yelena N.; Fleming, Steven T.

2013-01-01

Middle-aged and older adults often experience several simultaneously occurring chronic conditions or “multiple morbidity” (MM). The task of both managing MM and preventing chronic conditions can be overwhelming, particularly in populations with high disease burdens, low socioeconomic status, and health care provider shortages. This article sought to understand Appalachian residents’ perspectives on MM management and prevention. Forty-one rural Appalachian residents aged 50 and above with MM were interviewed about disease management and colorectal cancer (CRC) prevention. Transcripts were examined for overall analytic categories and coded using techniques to enhance transferability and rigor. Participants indicate facing various challenges to prevention due, in part, to conditions within their rural environment. Patients and providers spend significant time and energy on MM management, often precluding prevention activities. This article discusses implications of MM management for CRC prevention and strategies to increase disease prevention among this rural, vulnerable population burdened by MM. PMID:23833393

Possible seasonality in large deep-focus earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhan, Zhongwen; Shearer, Peter M.

2015-09-01

Large deep-focus earthquakes (magnitude > 7.0, depth > 500 km) have exhibited strong seasonality in their occurrence times since the beginning of global earthquake catalogs. Of 60 such events from 1900 to the present, 42 have occurred in the middle half of each year. The seasonality appears strongest in the northwest Pacific subduction zones and weakest in the Tonga region. Taken at face value, the surplus of northern hemisphere summer events is statistically significant, but due to the ex post facto hypothesis testing, the absence of seasonality in smaller deep earthquakes, and the lack of a known physical triggering mechanism, we cannot rule out that the observed seasonality is just random chance. However, we can make a testable prediction of seasonality in future large deep-focus earthquakes, which, given likely earthquake occurrence rates, should be verified or falsified within a few decades. If confirmed, deep earthquake seasonality would challenge our current understanding of deep earthquakes.

Towards reframing health service delivery in Uganda: the Uganda Initiative for Integrated Management of Non-Communicable Diseases.

PubMed

Schwartz, Jeremy I; Dunkle, Ashley; Akiteng, Ann R; Birabwa-Male, Doreen; Kagimu, Richard; Mondo, Charles K; Mutungi, Gerald; Rabin, Tracy L; Skonieczny, Michael; Sykes, Jamila; Mayanja-Kizza, Harriet

2015-01-01

The burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is accelerating. Given that the capacity of health systems in LMICs is already strained by the weight of communicable diseases, these countries find themselves facing a double burden of disease. NCDs contribute significantly to morbidity and mortality, thereby playing a major role in the cycle of poverty, and impeding development. Integrated approaches to health service delivery and healthcare worker (HCW) training will be necessary in order to successfully combat the great challenge posed by NCDs. In 2013, we formed the Uganda Initiative for Integrated Management of NCDs (UINCD), a multidisciplinary research collaboration that aims to present a systems approach to integrated management of chronic disease prevention, care, and the training of HCWs. Through broad-based stakeholder engagement, catalytic partnerships, and a collective vision, UINCD is working to reframe integrated health service delivery in Uganda.

Exploring Indigenous Identities of Urban American Indian Youth of the Southwest

PubMed Central

Kulis, Stephen; Wagaman, M. Alex; Tso, Crescentia; Brown, Eddie F.

2013-01-01

This study examined the indigenous identities of urban American Indian youth using measures related to three theoretical dimensions of Markstrom's identity model: identification (tribal and ethnic heritage), connection (reservation ties), and involvement in traditional cultural practices and spirituality. Data came from self-administered questionnaires completed by 142 urban American Indian middle school students in a southwestern metropolitan area with the largest urban American Indian population in the United States. Using both quantitative and qualitative measures, descriptive statistics showed most youth were connected to all three dimensions of indigenous identity. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that youth with the strongest sense of American Indian ethnic identity had native fathers and were heavily involved in traditional cultural practices and spirituality. Although urban American Indians may face challenges in maintaining their tribal identities, the youth in this study appeared strongly moored to their native indigenous heritage. Implications for future research are discussed. PMID:23766553

Brief report: glycemic control, quality of life, and school experiences among students with diabetes.

PubMed

Wagner, Julie; Heapy, Alicia; James, Amy; Abbott, Gina

2006-09-01

To investigate the relationships among perceived school experiences, diabetes control, and quality of life (QOL) in children with diabetes. Fifty-eight children with type 1 diabetes and their parents participated. The typical child was 12 years old, had diabetes for 5 years, and attended public, suburban, middle/junior high schools with 300-500 students. Children whose parents reported that school personnel received diabetes training showed significantly better diabetes control than those who reported untrained school personnel. Children who reported their classmates received diabetes training had significantly better QOL than those who reported untrained classmates. Children who reported greater flexibility in performing diabetes care tasks at school had significantly better diabetes control than children who reported less flexibility. Students with diabetes continue to face challenges at school. Training staff and classmates and allowing students the maximum appropriate flexibility in diabetes care appears beneficial for disease control and QOL.

Focusing a Transition: Challenges Facing the New Administration

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

FOCUSING A TRANSITION Challenges Facing the New Administration A Report by the Defense Business Board 2016 This report, DBB Report FY16-5, is a ...Facing the New Administration A Report by the Defense Business Board 5 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION...While reviewing the budget, the team should develop a list of items to propose for immediate termination. The Board offers the following

Implementing the No Child Left Behind Act: Using Student Engagement to Improve Adolescent Literacy. NCREL Quick Key 10 Action Guide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Learning Point Associates / North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL), 2005

2005-01-01

Literacy instruction does not end with reading success in early grades. As students move to middle and high school, new challenges emerge that can affect literacy achievement. Even for students who achieve early reading and writing success, the literacy demands of middle and high school can pose substantial challenges. Older students must be able…

Queering the spinsters: single middle-class women in Norway, 1880-1920.

PubMed

Hellesund, Tone

2008-01-01

Constituting what may be called "a community of spinsters," Norwegian middle-class unmarried woman played an important role in undermining and destabilizing the heterosexual cultural matrix during the period 1880-1920. In their anti-sexuality, self-sufficiency and hatred of men the spinsters challenged the heteronormativity of the period, and their queerness still presents a challenge to the harmony-oriented, heteromormative Norwegian women's history.

Defense Infrastructure: Challenges Increase Risks for Providing Timely Infrastructure Support for Army Installations Expecting Substantial Personnel Growth

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-01

Office Why GAO Did This Study Highlights Accountability Integrity Reliability September 2007 DEFENSE INFRASTRUCTURE Challenges Increase Risks for...authority to conduct evaluations on his own initiative. It addresses (1) the challenges and associated risks the Army faces in providing for timely...but it faces several complex implementation challenges that risk late provision of needed infrastructure to adequately support incoming personnel

A Successful Collaborative: Scientists and Middle School Teachers!

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, S. H.; Brown, S. A.; Culipher-Ross, S.; Spranger, M.; Dindo, J.; Tinnin, R.; Kastler, J.; Brook, R. D.; Bishop, T.; Tuddenham, P.

2004-12-01

This NSF/ONR-NOPP/NOAA-Sea Grant funded Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence:Central Gulf Of Mexico (COSEE:CGOM) presentation will review "best practices" and lessons learned in a successful ocean sciences and science education based graduate course, offered in a face-to-face and online format. Implementation strategies which will be discussed include: participant recruitment, the "face to face" and online graduate course infrastructure, as well as teachers-to-sea, website development, and cognitive and affective formation and summative evaluations. This COSEE:CGOM effort is helping research scientists meet the "broader impact" requirement being mandated by many funding agencies. Various URLs will also be provided to attendees.

More Effective Warfare: Warfare Waged Psychologically

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

32 "Timeline of Hezbollah Violence," Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America , accessed August 12, 2011, http...in Middle East Reporting in America . 15 objectives, as outlined by their 1985 “open letter,” were: Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon and subsequent...repressed by Israel, America , and France and will continue fighting until Israel is eradicated from the face of the earth. There are several core

Understanding Students' Transition to High School: Demographic Variation and the Role of Supportive Relationships.

PubMed

Benner, Aprile D; Boyle, Alaina E; Bakhtiari, Farin

2017-10-01

The transition to high school is disruptive for many adolescents, yet little is known about the supportive relational processes that might attenuate the challenges students face as they move from middle to high school, particularly for students from more diverse backgrounds. Identifying potential buffers that protect youth across this critical educational transition is important for informing more effective support services for youth. In this study, we investigated how personal characteristics (gender, nativity, parent education level) and changes in support from family, friends, and school influenced changes in socioemotional adjustment and academic outcomes across the transition from middle to high school. The data were drawn from 252 students (50% females, 85% Latina/o). The results revealed declines in students' grades and increases in depressive symptoms and feelings of loneliness across the high school transition, with key variation by student nativity and gender. Additionally, stable/increasing friend support and school belonging were both linked to less socioemotional disruptions as students moved from middle to high school. Increasing/stable school belonging was also linked to increases in school engagement across the high school transition. These findings suggest that when high school transitions disrupt supportive relationships with important others in adolescents' lives, adolescents' socioemotional well-being and, to a lesser extent, their academic engagement are also compromised. Thus, in designing transition support activities, particularly for schools serving more low-income and race/ethnic minority youth, such efforts should strive to acclimate new high school students by providing inclusive, caring environments and positive connections with educators and peers.

Neural Network Development in Late Adolescents during Observation of Risk-Taking Action

PubMed Central

Higuchi, Shigekazu; Hida, Akiko; Enomoto, Minori; Umezawa, Jun; Mishima, Kazuo

2012-01-01

Emotional maturity and social awareness are important for adolescents, particularly college students beginning to face the challenges and risks of the adult world. However, there has been relatively little research into personality maturation and psychological development during late adolescence and the neural changes underlying this development. We investigated the correlation between psychological properties (neuroticism, extraversion, anxiety, and depression) and age among late adolescents (n = 25, from 18 years and 1 month to 22 years and 8 months). The results revealed that late adolescents became less neurotic, less anxious, less depressive and more extraverted as they aged. Participants then observed video clips depicting hand movements with and without a risk of harm (risk-taking or safe actions) during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The results revealed that risk-taking actions elicited significantly stronger activation in the bilateral inferior parietal lobule, temporal visual regions (superior/middle temporal areas), and parieto-occipital visual areas (cuneus, middle occipital gyri, precuneus). We found positive correlations of age and extraversion with neural activation in the insula, middle temporal gyrus, lingual gyrus, and precuneus. We also found a negative correlation of age and anxiety with activation in the angular gyrus, precentral gyrus, and red nucleus/substantia nigra. Moreover, we found that insula activation mediated the relationship between age and extraversion. Overall, our results indicate that late adolescents become less anxious and more extraverted with age, a process involving functional neural changes in brain networks related to social cognition and emotional processing. The possible neural mechanisms of psychological and social maturation during late adolescence are discussed. PMID:22768085

Training and Capacity Building in LMICs for Research in Heart and Lung Diseases: The NHLBI-UnitedHealth Global Health Centers of Excellence Program

PubMed Central

Bloomfield, Gerald S.; Xavier, Denis; Belis, Deshirée; Alam, Dewan; Davis, Patricia; Dorairaj, Prabhakaran; Ghannem, Hassen; Gilman, Robert H.; Kamath, Deepak; Kimaiyo, Sylvester; Levitt, Naomi; Martinez, Homero; Mejicano, Gabriela; Miranda, J. Jaime; Koehlmoos, Tracey Perez; Rabadán-Diehl, Cristina; Ramirez-Zea, Manuel; Rubinstein, Adolfo; Sacksteder, Katherine A.; Steyn, Krisela; Tandon, Nikhil; Vedanthan, Rajesh; Wolbach, Tracy; Wu, Yangfeng; Yan, Lijing L.

2016-01-01

Stemming the tide of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) worldwide requires a multi-pronged approach. Although much attention has been paid to disease control measures, there is relatively little consideration of the importance of training the next generation of health-related researchers to play their important role in this global epidemic. The lack of support for early stage investigators in low- and middle-income countries interested in the global NCD field has resulted in inadequate funding opportunities for research, insufficient training in advanced research methodology and data analysis, lack of mentorship in manuscript and grant writing and meager institutional support for developing, submitting and administering research applications and awards. To address this unmet need, the NHLBI-UnitedHealth Collaborating Centers of Excellence initiative created a Training Subcommittee that coordinated and developed an intensive, mentored health-related research experience for a number of early stage investigators from the 11 Centers of Excellence around the world. We describe the challenges faced by early stage investigators in low- and middle-income countries, the organization and scope of the Training Subcommittee, training activities, early outcomes of the early stage investigators (foreign and domestic) and training materials that have been developed by this program that are available to the public. By investing in the careers of individuals in a supportive global NCD network, we demonstrate the impact that an investment in training individuals from low- and middle-income countries can have on the preferred future of or current efforts to combat NCDs. PMID:27102019

Training and Capacity Building in LMIC for Research in Heart and Lung Diseases: The NHLBI-UnitedHealth Global Health Centers of Excellence Program.

PubMed

Bloomfield, Gerald S; Xavier, Denis; Belis, Deshirée; Alam, Dewan; Davis, Patricia; Dorairaj, Prabhakaran; Ghannem, Hassen; Gilman, Robert H; Kamath, Deepak; Kimaiyo, Sylvester; Levitt, Naomi; Martinez, Homero; Mejicano, Gabriela; Miranda, J Jaime; Koehlmoos, Tracey Perez; Rabadán-Diehl, Cristina; Ramirez-Zea, Manuel; Rubinstein, Adolfo; Sacksteder, Katherine A; Steyn, Krisela; Tandon, Nikhil; Vedanthan, Rajesh; Wolbach, Tracy; Wu, Yangfeng; Yan, Lijing L

2016-03-01

Stemming the tide of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) worldwide requires a multipronged approach. Although much attention has been paid to disease control measures, there is relatively little consideration of the importance of training the next generation of health-related researchers to play their important role in this global epidemic. The lack of support for early stage investigators in low- and middle-income countries interested in the global NCD field has resulted in inadequate funding opportunities for research, insufficient training in advanced research methodology and data analysis, lack of mentorship in manuscript and grant writing, and meager institutional support for developing, submitting, and administering research applications and awards. To address this unmet need, The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-UnitedHealth Collaborating Centers of Excellence initiative created a Training Subcommittee that coordinated and developed an intensive, mentored health-related research experience for a number of early stage investigators from the 11 Centers of Excellence around the world. We describe the challenges faced by early stage investigators in low- and middle-income countries, the organization and scope of the Training Subcommittee, training activities, early outcomes of the early stage investigators (foreign and domestic) and training materials that have been developed by this program that are available to the public. By investing in the careers of individuals in a supportive global NCD network, we demonstrate the impact that an investment in training individuals from low- and middle-income countries can have on the preferred future of or current efforts to combat NCDs. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Americans in Middle Years: Career Options and Educational Opportunities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Entine, Alan D., Ed.

Twelve papers address three topics: the middle years--dimensions and dilemmas; the middle years--suggestions and solutions; and the changing university--new audiences for learning. Bruce Dearing examines personal, human questions posed by maturing individuals and indicates how they present challenges for a lifetime learning process. Bentley Glass…

Teacher Perspectives on Career-Relevant Curriculum in Middle School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akos, Patrick; Charles, Pajarita; Orthner, Dennis; Cooley, Valerie

2011-01-01

Relevant, challenging, integrative, and exploratory all describe the curriculum desirable in middle school (National Middle School Association, 2010). Career-relevant curriculum is one prominent strategy used since the 1970s to achieve these goals. Systematic, integrated, and contemporary efforts at career education often engage core teachers who…

A Multiyear Investigation of Combating Bullying in Middle School: Stakeholder Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shriberg, David; Burns, Mallory; Desai, Poonam; Grunewald, Stephanie; Pitt, Rachel

2015-01-01

Working collaboratively to address bullying among middle school students is an ongoing challenge. This study used participatory action research to collaborate with key stakeholders within a middle school to identify needs and implement more effective practices. Extensive qualitative and quantitative data are presented, along with process…

Applying Hope Theory to Support Middle School Transitions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akos, Patrick; Kurz, Maureen Shields

2016-01-01

Middle grades transitions pose challenges to many students who meet these tasks with varying levels of success. Contemporary developmental and strengths-based literature offers Hope Theory (Snyder, 2002), a research supported approach that can mitigate risks in school transitions. This article describes how middle grades educators can apply the…

Supporting Diverse Young Adolescents: Cooperative Grouping in Inclusive Middle-Level Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Nicole C.; McKissick, Bethany R.; Ivy, Jessica T.; Moser, Kelly

2017-01-01

The middle level classroom presents unique challenges to educators who strive to provide opportunities that acknowledge learner diversity in terms of social, cognitive, physical, and emotional development. This is confounded even further within inclusive middle-school classrooms where the responsibility to differentiate instruction is even more…

A qualitative exploration of the major challenges facing pharmacovigilance in Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

Aljadhey, Hisham; Mahmoud, Mansour A; Alshammari, Thamir M; Al-Dhaeefi, Mohammed; Le Louet, Herve; Perez-Gutthann, Susana; Pitts, Peter J

2015-09-01

To explore the challenges facing pharmacovigilance in Saudi Arabia and formulate recommendations to improve it from the perspective of healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia. This was a qualitative study of 4 focus group discussions with pharmacists, physicians, and academicians held under the auspices of the King Saud University School of Pharmacy and the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 29 eligible healthcare professionals were invited to participate in the discussion. The predefined themes of the study were the current practice and major challenges facing pharmacovigilance in regulatory bodies, hospitals, the community, and academia, as well as recommendations to improve pharmacovigilance practice.  Of the 29 participants invited, 27 attended the discussion. Challenges facing regulatory bodies included complicated adverse drug reactions (ADR) reporting forms, lack of feedback on ADRs submitted to the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, lack of decisions from the local authority to withdraw medications, and lack of data on pharmacovigilance. The challenges to pharmacovigilance in hospitals included the lack of knowledge of the significance of ADR reporting, workload, blaming culture, and lack of collaboration between regulatory bodies and hospitals. However, challenges facing pharmaceutical industries included the lack of drug manufacturers in Saudi Arabia and lack of interest in pharmacovigilance. Recommendations to improve pharmacovigilance included the need for communication, stronger regulatory requirements, the need for research, the need for unified ADRs reporting, and continuous education and training.  The study has identified the challenges facing pharmacovigilance in Saudi Arabia and made certain recommendations to overcome them. These recommendations might be helpful for regulatory bodies to enhance spontaneous reporting and promote pharmacovigilance.

Using GRADE methodology for the development of public health guidelines for the prevention and treatment of HIV and other STIs among men who have sex with men and transgender people

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) Department of HIV/AIDS led the development of public health guidelines for delivering an evidence-based, essential package of interventions for the prevention and treatment of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people in the health sector in low- and middle-income countries. The objective of this paper is to review the methodological challenges faced and solutions applied during the development of the guidelines. Methods The development of the guidelines followed the WHO guideline development process, which utilizes the GRADE approach. We identified, categorized and labeled the challenges identified in the guidelines development process and described the solutions through an interactive process of in-person and electronic communication. Results We describe how we dealt with the following challenges: (1) heterogeneous and complex interventions; (2) paucity of trial data; (3) selecting outcomes of interest; (4) using indirect evidence; (5) integrating values and preferences; (6) considering resource use; (7) addressing social and legal barriers; (8) wording of recommendations; and (9) developing global guidelines. Conclusion We were able to successfully apply the GRADE approach for developing recommendations for public health interventions. Applying the general principles of the approach while carefully considering specific challenges can enhance both the process and the outcome of guideline development. PMID:22640260

Building a Student-Centred Learning Framework Using Social Software in the Middle Years Classroom: An Action Research Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casey, Gail

2013-01-01

This article discusses the development of the online spaces that were used to create a learning framework: a student-centred framework that combined face-to-face teaching with online social and participatory media. The author, as part of her Doctoral research study, used action research as a mechanism for continual improvement as she redesigned…

Abraham Lincoln and the global economy.

PubMed

Hormats, Robert D

2003-08-01

Abraham Lincoln would have well understood the challenges facing many modern emerging nations. In Lincoln's America, as in many developing nations today, sweeping economic change threatened older industries, traditional ways of living, and social and national cohesion by exposing economies and societies to new and powerful competitive forces. Yet even in the midst of the brutal and expensive American Civil war--and in part because of it--Lincoln and the Republican Congress enacted bold legislation that helped create a huge national market, a strong and unified economy governed by national institutions, and a rising middle class of businessmen and property owners. Figuring out how to maximize the benefits of globalization while minimizing its disruptions is a formidable challenge for policy makers. How do you expand opportunities for the talented and the lucky while making sure the rest of society doesn't fall behind? It may be helpful to look at the principles that informed the policies that Lincoln and the Republican Congress instituted after they came to power in 1861: Facilitate the upward mobility of low- and middle-income groups to give them a significant stake in the country. Emphasize the good of the national economy over regional interests. Affirm the need for sound government institutions to temper the dynamics of the free enterprise system. Tailor policies to the national situation. Realize that a period of turmoil may present a unique opportunity for reform. These principles drove the reforms that helped Americans cope with and benefit from rapid technological advances and the fast integration of the American economy in the nineteenth century. They may be instructive to today's policy makers who are struggling to help their own citizens integrate into the fast-changing global economy of the twenty-first century.

The need for multisectoral food chain approaches to reduce trans fat consumption in India.

PubMed

Downs, Shauna M; Singh, Archna; Gupta, Vidhu; Lock, Karen; Ghosh-Jerath, Suparna

2015-07-22

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends virtually eliminating trans fat from the global food supply. Although several high-income countries have successfully reduced trans fat levels in foods, low- and middle-income countries such as India face additional challenges to its removal from the food supply. This study provides a systems analysis of the Indian food chain to assess intervention options for reducing trans fat intake in low-income consumers. Data were collected at the manufacturer, retailer and consumer levels. Qualitative interviews were conducted with vanaspati manufacturers (n = 13) and local food vendors (n = 44). Laboratory analyses (n = 39) of street foods/snacks sold by the vendors were also conducted. Trans fat and snack intakes were also examined in low-income consumers in two rural villages (n = 260) and an urban slum (n = 261). Manufacturers of vanaspati described reducing trans fat levels as feasible but identified challenges in using healthier oils. The fat content of sampled oils from street vendors contained high levels of saturated fat (24.7-69.3 % of total fat) and trans fat (0.1-29.9 % of total fat). Households were consuming snacks high in trans fat as part of daily diets (31 % village and 84.3 % of slum households) and 4 % of rural and 13 % of urban households exceeded WHO recommendations for trans fat intakes. A multisectoral food chain approach to reducing trans fat is needed in India and likely in other low- and middle-income countries worldwide. This will require investment in development of competitively priced bakery shortenings and economic incentives for manufacturing foods using healthier oils. Increased production of healthier oils will also be required alongside these investments, which will become increasingly important as more and more countries begin investing in palm oil production.

Finding Erich Jantsch's Five Crucial Innovations: A Study of Four Small Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacVie, Leah

2017-01-01

Institutions of higher education have faced many challenges over the last few decades. Though many large institutions have the resources needed to respond to these challenges, small institutions have had to be innovative in the ways in which they are adapting. There are similarities between the external challenges that institutions face today and…

The Challenges Faced by Chinese Higher Education as It Expands in Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xiaohao, Ding

2004-01-01

This article reports the challenges faced by Chinese higher education as it expands in scale. The scale of China's higher education has seen unprecedented expansion in recent years. This article explores the new opportunities and challenges that such expansion brings to China's higher education. The author states that, aside from the many…

Reflecting on the Challenges of Applied Theatre in Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okuto, Maxwel; Smith, Bobby

2017-01-01

In this article the authors draw on their own experience and research in applied theatre in Kenya in order to reflect on challenges currently facing practitioners working in the country. In order to outline the range of challenges faced by practitioners, issues related to the wider landscapes of government and politics in Kenya are explored,…

Special Education in Rural Schools: Why Less Takes More

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bouck, Emily C.; Albaugh, Diane; Bouck, Mary K.

2005-01-01

Everyone can understand the challenges teachers face in organizing and supervising field trips, challenges that are even greater when the students have special needs and live in poverty. But how daunting, the authors ask, are the challenges these students face every day? Very few people who have never tried it are truly aware of all the…

International Graduate Students' Academic Writing Practices in Malaysia: Challenges and Solutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singh, Manjet Kaur Mehar

2015-01-01

This article focuses on the challenges faced by non-native English speaking international graduate students in their academic writing practices while they studied at a university in Malaysia as well as the solutions they employed when faced with the challenges. Academic Literacies Questionnaire was used to collect data. Based on 131 participants,…

A Content Analysis Concerning the Studies on Challenges Faced by Novice Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kozikoglu, Ishak

2017-01-01

The purpose of this research is to analyze the studies concerning challenges faced by novice teachers in terms of various aspects and compare challenges according to location of the studies conducted in Turkey and abroad. A total of 30 research studies were included in detailed analysis. This is a descriptive study based on qualitative research…

Mentoring Matters: The Challenge for Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCann, Thomas M.; Ed.; Johannessen, Larry, Ed.

2009-01-01

Beginning teachers face many challenges and difficulties; as a result, one-third will leave the profession in the first three years and nearly half will be gone within their first five years in the profession. The challenge facing university teacher education programs is to fix the hole in the bottom of the bucket and find strategic new ways to…

BRAZILIAN BOOTY RETINOPATHY: PURTSCHER-LIKE RETINOPATHY WITH PARACENTRAL ACUTE MIDDLE MACULOPATHY ASSOCIATED WITH PMMA INJECTION INTO BUTTOCKS.

PubMed

Khatibi, Azadeh

2018-01-01

To report a case of Purtscher-like retinopathy with paracentral acute middle maculopathy preceded by febrile illness after filler injection into the buttock muscles bilaterally for cosmesis to achieve a "Brazilian booty." Retrospective case report. A 35-year-old female presented with febrile illness and then decreased vision after repeat polymethyl methacrylate injections into her buttock muscles in Mexico. Examination was significant for retinal whitening, especially in the perifoveal areas, and intraretinal hemorrhages. Optical coherence tomography and fluorescein angiography imaging were consistent with small-vessel ischemic disease in the retina and choroid. Once systemic infection was ruled out, patient was treated with high-dose intravenous and then oral steroids. Vision recovery was good, with retinal atrophy on optical coherence tomography in the previous areas of retinal whitening. A Purtscher-like retinopathy with paracentral acute middle maculopathy and loss of vision may occur after filler injection below the neck, not just the face. This is the first report of vision loss caused by filler injected outside the face.

New Ethical Challenges within Environmental and Sustainability Education: A Response

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Todd, Sharon

2016-01-01

One of the major points to grow out of the four papers presented in this issue is how to think of education in relation to the various challenges facing the biosphere, facing the future of human and other than human life forms, and facing the sheer difficulties of planning what to do about them. The differences in the role of education, of course,…

Performance and accountability : challenges facing the Department of Transportation

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-02-14

For surface transportation safety, DOT continues to face challenges in improving the safety of highways and pipelines. While the Department of Transportation appears to be making progress on some initiatives to reduce the number of large truck crashe...

Toward a Social Psychophysics of Face Communication.

PubMed

Jack, Rachael E; Schyns, Philippe G

2017-01-03

As a highly social species, humans are equipped with a powerful tool for social communication-the face. Although seemingly simple, the human face can elicit multiple social perceptions due to the rich variations of its movements, morphology, and complexion. Consequently, identifying precisely what face information elicits different social perceptions is a complex empirical challenge that has largely remained beyond the reach of traditional methods. In the past decade, the emerging field of social psychophysics has developed new methods to address this challenge, with the potential to transfer psychophysical laws of social perception to the digital economy via avatars and social robots. At this exciting juncture, it is timely to review these new methodological developments. In this article, we introduce and review the foundational methodological developments of social psychophysics, present work done in the past decade that has advanced understanding of the face as a tool for social communication, and discuss the major challenges that lie ahead.

Rural recruitment and retention of health workers across cadres and types of contract in north-east India: A qualitative study.

PubMed

Rajbangshi, Preety R; Nambiar, Devaki; Choudhury, Nandini; Rao, Krishna D

2017-09-01

Background Like many other low- and middle-income countries, India faces challenges of recruiting and retaining health workers in rural areas. Efforts have been made to address this through contractual appointment of health workers in rural areas. While this has helped to temporarily bridge the gaps in human resources, the overall impact on the experience of rural services across cadres has yet to be understood. This study sought to identify motivations for, and the challenges of, rural recruitment and retention of nurses, doctors and specialists across types of contract in rural and remote areas in India's largely rural north-eastern states of Meghalaya and Nagaland. Methods A qualitative study was undertaken, in which 71 semi-structured interviews were carried out with doctors (n = 32), nurses (n = 28) and specialists (n = 11). In addition, unstructured key informant interviews (n = 11) were undertaken, along with observations at health facilities and review of state policies. Data were analysed using Ritchie and Spencer's framework method and the World Health Organization's 2010 framework of factors affecting decisions to relocate to, stay in or leave rural areas. Results It was found that rural background and community attachment were strongly associated with health workers' decision to join rural service, regardless of cadre or contract. However, this aspiration was challenged by health-systems factors of poor working and living conditions; low salary and incentives; and lack of professional growth and recognition. Contractual health workers faced unique challenges (lack of pay parity, job insecurity), as did those with permanent positions (irrational postings and political interference). Conclusion This study establishes that the crisis in recruiting and retaining health workers in rural areas will persist until and unless health systems address the core basic requirements of health workers in rural areas, which are related to health-sector policies. Concerted attention and long-term political commitment to overcome system-level barriers and governance may yield sustainable gains in rural recruitment and retention across cadres and contract types.

Pretreatment Differences in BOLD Response to Emotional Faces Correlate with Antidepressant Response to Scopolamine.

PubMed

Furey, Maura L; Drevets, Wayne C; Szczepanik, Joanna; Khanna, Ashish; Nugent, Allison; Zarate, Carlos A

2015-03-28

Faster acting antidepressants and biomarkers that predict treatment response are needed to facilitate the development of more effective treatments for patients with major depressive disorders. Here, we evaluate implicitly and explicitly processed emotional faces using neuroimaging to identify potential biomarkers of treatment response to the antimuscarinic, scopolamine. Healthy participants (n=15) and unmedicated-depressed major depressive disorder patients (n=16) participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover infusion study using scopolamine (4 μg/kg). Before and following scopolamine, blood oxygen-level dependent signal was measured using functional MRI during a selective attention task. Two stimuli comprised of superimposed pictures of faces and houses were presented. Participants attended to one stimulus component and performed a matching task. Face emotion was modulated (happy/sad) creating implicit (attend-houses) and explicit (attend-faces) emotion processing conditions. The pretreatment difference in blood oxygen-level dependent response to happy and sad faces under implicit and explicit conditions (emotion processing biases) within a-priori regions of interest was correlated with subsequent treatment response in major depressive disorder. Correlations were observed exclusively during implicit emotion processing in the regions of interest, which included the subgenual anterior cingulate (P<.02) and middle occipital cortices (P<.02). The magnitude and direction of differential blood oxygen-level- dependent response to implicitly processed emotional faces prior to treatment reflect the potential to respond to scopolamine. These findings replicate earlier results, highlighting the potential for pretreatment neural activity in the middle occipital cortices and subgenual anterior cingulate to inform us about the potential to respond clinically to scopolamine. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of CINP 2015. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

Health Surveys Using Mobile Phones in Developing Countries: Automated Active Strata Monitoring and Other Statistical Considerations for Improving Precision and Reducing Biases.

PubMed

Labrique, Alain; Blynn, Emily; Ahmed, Saifuddin; Gibson, Dustin; Pariyo, George; Hyder, Adnan A

2017-05-05

In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), historically, household surveys have been carried out by face-to-face interviews to collect survey data related to risk factors for noncommunicable diseases. The proliferation of mobile phone ownership and the access it provides in these countries offers a new opportunity to remotely conduct surveys with increased efficiency and reduced cost. However, the near-ubiquitous ownership of phones, high population mobility, and low cost require a re-examination of statistical recommendations for mobile phone surveys (MPS), especially when surveys are automated. As with landline surveys, random digit dialing remains the most appropriate approach to develop an ideal survey-sampling frame. Once the survey is complete, poststratification weights are generally applied to reduce estimate bias and to adjust for selectivity due to mobile ownership. Since weights increase design effects and reduce sampling efficiency, we introduce the concept of automated active strata monitoring to improve representativeness of the sample distribution to that of the source population. Although some statistical challenges remain, MPS represent a promising emerging means for population-level data collection in LMICs. ©Alain Labrique, Emily Blynn, Saifuddin Ahmed, Dustin Gibson, George Pariyo, Adnan A Hyder. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 05.05.2017.

Drought vulnerability assessment: The case of wheat farmers in Western Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zarafshani, Kiumars; Sharafi, Lida; Azadi, Hossein; Hosseininia, Gholamhossein; De Maeyer, Philippe; Witlox, Frank

2012-12-01

Drought, as a natural and slow-onset phenomenon, creates numerous damages to agricultural communities. As a drought prone area in the Middle East, Iran has currently launched a crisis management approach to mitigate the harmful impacts of drought. However, thus far studies indicate that effective drought management strategies should be designed based upon vulnerability management which can increase farmers' ability to challenge the impacts. The purpose of this study was to assess drought vulnerability across three drought intensities (very high, extremely high, and critical) areas in Western Iran. Accordingly, a survey study was applied and 370 wheat farmers who all experienced drought during 2007-2009 were selected through a multi-stage stratified random sampling method. Face to face interviews were used to collect data on vulnerability indices from the farmers. Me-Bar and Valdez's vulnerability formula was applied to assess the vulnerability of wheat farmers during drought. Results revealed that the farmers' vulnerability is influenced mainly by economic, socio-cultural, psychological, technical, and infrastructural factors. The results also indicated that the farmers in Sarpole-Zahab township were most vulnerable compared to those in the Kermanshah township as the least vulnerable. Accordingly, some conclusions and recommendations are drawn for both policy-makers and practitioners who often must prioritize limited resources in the design vulnerability-reducing interventions.

Strengthening mental health care systems for Syrian refugees in Europe and the Middle East: integrating scalable psychological interventions in eight countries.

PubMed

Sijbrandij, Marit; Acarturk, Ceren; Bird, Martha; Bryant, Richard A; Burchert, Sebastian; Carswell, Kenneth; de Jong, Joop; Dinesen, Cecilie; Dawson, Katie S; El Chammay, Rabih; van Ittersum, Linde; Jordans, Mark; Knaevelsrud, Christine; McDaid, David; Miller, Kenneth; Morina, Naser; Park, A-La; Roberts, Bayard; van Son, Yvette; Sondorp, Egbert; Pfaltz, Monique C; Ruttenberg, Leontien; Schick, Matthis; Schnyder, Ulrich; van Ommeren, Mark; Ventevogel, Peter; Weissbecker, Inka; Weitz, Erica; Wiedemann, Nana; Whitney, Claire; Cuijpers, Pim

2017-01-01

The crisis in Syria has resulted in vast numbers of refugees seeking asylum in Syria's neighbouring countries as well as in Europe. Refugees are at considerable risk of developing common mental disorders, including depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Most refugees do not have access to mental health services for these problems because of multiple barriers in national and refugee specific health systems, including limited availability of mental health professionals. To counter some of challenges arising from limited mental health system capacity the World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a range of scalable psychological interventions aimed at reducing psychological distress and improving functioning in people living in communities affected by adversity. These interventions, including Problem Management Plus (PM+) and its variants, are intended to be delivered through individual or group face-to-face or smartphone formats by lay, non-professional people who have not received specialized mental health training, We provide an evidence-based rationale for the use of the scalable PM+ oriented programmes being adapted for Syrian refugees and provide information on the newly launched STRENGTHS programme for adapting, testing and scaling up of PM+ in various modalities in both neighbouring and European countries hosting Syrian refugees.

Strengthening mental health care systems for Syrian refugees in Europe and the Middle East: integrating scalable psychological interventions in eight countries

PubMed Central

Sijbrandij, Marit; Acarturk, Ceren; Bird, Martha; Bryant, Richard A; Burchert, Sebastian; Carswell, Kenneth; de Jong, Joop; Dinesen, Cecilie; Dawson, Katie S.; El Chammay, Rabih; van Ittersum, Linde; Jordans, Mark; Knaevelsrud, Christine; McDaid, David; Miller, Kenneth; Morina, Naser; Park, A-La; Roberts, Bayard; van Son, Yvette; Sondorp, Egbert; Pfaltz, Monique C.; Ruttenberg, Leontien; Schick, Matthis; Schnyder, Ulrich; van Ommeren, Mark; Ventevogel, Peter; Weissbecker, Inka; Weitz, Erica; Wiedemann, Nana; Whitney, Claire; Cuijpers, Pim

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT The crisis in Syria has resulted in vast numbers of refugees seeking asylum in Syria’s neighbouring countries as well as in Europe. Refugees are at considerable risk of developing common mental disorders, including depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Most refugees do not have access to mental health services for these problems because of multiple barriers in national and refugee specific health systems, including limited availability of mental health professionals. To counter some of challenges arising from limited mental health system capacity the World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a range of scalable psychological interventions aimed at reducing psychological distress and improving functioning in people living in communities affected by adversity. These interventions, including Problem Management Plus (PM+) and its variants, are intended to be delivered through individual or group face-to-face or smartphone formats by lay, non-professional people who have not received specialized mental health training, We provide an evidence-based rationale for the use of the scalable PM+ oriented programmes being adapted for Syrian refugees and provide information on the newly launched STRENGTHS programme for adapting, testing and scaling up of PM+ in various modalities in both neighbouring and European countries hosting Syrian refugees. PMID:29163867

Sexual identity stigma and social support among men who have sex with men in Lesotho: a qualitative analysis.

PubMed

Stahlman, Shauna; Bechtold, Kali; Sweitzer, Stephanie; Mothopeng, Tampose; Taruberekera, Noah; Nkonyana, John; Baral, Stefan

2015-11-01

Men who have sex with men (MSM) face sexual identity stigma in many settings, which can increase risk for HIV by limiting access to care. This paper examines the roles of social support, sexual identity stigma, and sexual identity disclosure among MSM in Lesotho, a lower-middle income country within South Africa. Qualitative data were collected from 23 in-depth interview and six focus group participants and content analysis was performed to extract themes. Four primary themes emerged: 1) Verbal abuse from the broader community is a major challenge faced by MSM in Lesotho, 2) participants who were open about their sexual identity experienced greater stigma but were more self-sufficient and had higher self-confidence, 3) relationships between MSM tend to be conducted in secrecy, which can be associated with unhealthy relationships between male couples and higher risk sexual practices, and 4) MSM community organisations provide significant social and emotional support. Friends and family members from outside the MSM community also offer social support, but this support cannot be utilised by MSM until the risk of disclosing their sexual identity is reduced. Greater acceptance of same-sex practices would likely result in more open, healthy relationships and greater access to social support for MSM. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pose-Invariant Face Recognition via RGB-D Images.

PubMed

Sang, Gaoli; Li, Jing; Zhao, Qijun

2016-01-01

Three-dimensional (3D) face models can intrinsically handle large pose face recognition problem. In this paper, we propose a novel pose-invariant face recognition method via RGB-D images. By employing depth, our method is able to handle self-occlusion and deformation, both of which are challenging problems in two-dimensional (2D) face recognition. Texture images in the gallery can be rendered to the same view as the probe via depth. Meanwhile, depth is also used for similarity measure via frontalization and symmetric filling. Finally, both texture and depth contribute to the final identity estimation. Experiments on Bosphorus, CurtinFaces, Eurecom, and Kiwi databases demonstrate that the additional depth information has improved the performance of face recognition with large pose variations and under even more challenging conditions.

Comprehension Strategies for Middle Grade Learners: A Handbook for Content Area Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadler, Charlotte Rose

Although students are expected to read and comprehend grade-level texts by the time they reach middle school, classroom teachers are constantly challenged to instruct students who have difficulty comprehending what they read. But how does a middle school teacher approach this task, particularly a teacher with limited experience in reading…

Enhancing Formative Assessment Practice and Encouraging Middle School Mathematics Engagement and Persistence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beesley, Andrea D.; Clark, Tedra F.; Dempsey, Kathleen; Tweed, Anne

2018-01-01

In the transition to middle school, and during the middle school years, students' motivation for mathematics tends to decline from what it was during elementary school. Formative assessment strategies in mathematics can help support motivation by building confidence for challenging tasks. In this study, the authors developed and piloted a…

The Professional Preparation of Middle Level Teachers: Profiles of Successful Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McEwin, C. Kenneth; Dickinson, Thomas S.

This publication focuses on 14 colleges and universities that are successfully meeting the challenge of preparing middle level teachers. After the Foreword (John H. Swaim), the 16 chapters are: (1) "Middle Level Teacher Preparation in Perspective"; (2) "Elizabeth City State University" (Eloise B. Roberts); (3) "Georgia Southwestern College" (Lynn…

Oscar F. Smith Middle School: One Extra Degree

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Principal Leadership, 2012

2012-01-01

This article features Oscar F. Smith Middle School, a challenging school in Chesapeake, Virginia. When Principal Linda Scott exclaims, "Oscar F. Smith Middle School is "hot"!" to visitors, she is not referring to the inside temperature of the bustling school of grades 6-8 located in the historic South Norfolk borough of…

Seizing Teachable Moments to Develop Integrative Middle Level Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Virtue, David C.

2007-01-01

September 11, 2001, was a critical teachable moment that provided the author of this article and his team with an avenue to middle level curriculum that was relevant, challenging, integrative, and exploratory. Hurricane Katrina opened a similar window of opportunity for middle level educators to focus the minds of young adolescents on important…

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doda, Nancy M.

2009-01-01

School leadership has always been wrought with high-stakes moral dilemmas. For today's middle level leaders, the stakes are about as high as they get. Beyond the challenges that all school leaders expect, middle level leaders must balance the demands of high-stakes accountability with the core principles of the middle school concept. No doubt all…

Human Resource Education in the Middle East Region

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dirani, Khalil M.; Hamie, Christine Silva

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of human resource development (HRD) education in Middle Eastern countries. In particular, the authors discuss the current state of HRD education, country readiness and challenges that hinder HRD progress in Middle Eastern countries. They argue that HRD programs need to prepare young…

Cross-national epidemiology of DSM-IV major depressive episode

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Major depression is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, yet epidemiologic data are not available for many countries, particularly low- to middle-income countries. In this paper, we present data on the prevalence, impairment and demographic correlates of depression from 18 high and low- to middle-income countries in the World Mental Health Survey Initiative. Methods Major depressive episodes (MDE) as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DMS-IV) were evaluated in face-to-face interviews using the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Data from 18 countries were analyzed in this report (n = 89,037). All countries surveyed representative, population-based samples of adults. Results The average lifetime and 12-month prevalence estimates of DSM-IV MDE were 14.6% and 5.5% in the ten high-income and 11.1% and 5.9% in the eight low- to middle-income countries. The average age of onset ascertained retrospectively was 25.7 in the high-income and 24.0 in low- to middle-income countries. Functional impairment was associated with recency of MDE. The female: male ratio was about 2:1. In high-income countries, younger age was associated with higher 12-month prevalence; by contrast, in several low- to middle-income countries, older age was associated with greater likelihood of MDE. The strongest demographic correlate in high-income countries was being separated from a partner, and in low- to middle-income countries, was being divorced or widowed. Conclusions MDE is a significant public-health concern across all regions of the world and is strongly linked to social conditions. Future research is needed to investigate the combination of demographic risk factors that are most strongly associated with MDE in the specific countries included in the WMH. PMID:21791035

A specialized face-processing model inspired by the organization of monkey face patches explains several face-specific phenomena observed in humans.

PubMed

Farzmahdi, Amirhossein; Rajaei, Karim; Ghodrati, Masoud; Ebrahimpour, Reza; Khaligh-Razavi, Seyed-Mahdi

2016-04-26

Converging reports indicate that face images are processed through specialized neural networks in the brain -i.e. face patches in monkeys and the fusiform face area (FFA) in humans. These studies were designed to find out how faces are processed in visual system compared to other objects. Yet, the underlying mechanism of face processing is not completely revealed. Here, we show that a hierarchical computational model, inspired by electrophysiological evidence on face processing in primates, is able to generate representational properties similar to those observed in monkey face patches (posterior, middle and anterior patches). Since the most important goal of sensory neuroscience is linking the neural responses with behavioral outputs, we test whether the proposed model, which is designed to account for neural responses in monkey face patches, is also able to predict well-documented behavioral face phenomena observed in humans. We show that the proposed model satisfies several cognitive face effects such as: composite face effect and the idea of canonical face views. Our model provides insights about the underlying computations that transfer visual information from posterior to anterior face patches.

A specialized face-processing model inspired by the organization of monkey face patches explains several face-specific phenomena observed in humans

PubMed Central

Farzmahdi, Amirhossein; Rajaei, Karim; Ghodrati, Masoud; Ebrahimpour, Reza; Khaligh-Razavi, Seyed-Mahdi

2016-01-01

Converging reports indicate that face images are processed through specialized neural networks in the brain –i.e. face patches in monkeys and the fusiform face area (FFA) in humans. These studies were designed to find out how faces are processed in visual system compared to other objects. Yet, the underlying mechanism of face processing is not completely revealed. Here, we show that a hierarchical computational model, inspired by electrophysiological evidence on face processing in primates, is able to generate representational properties similar to those observed in monkey face patches (posterior, middle and anterior patches). Since the most important goal of sensory neuroscience is linking the neural responses with behavioral outputs, we test whether the proposed model, which is designed to account for neural responses in monkey face patches, is also able to predict well-documented behavioral face phenomena observed in humans. We show that the proposed model satisfies several cognitive face effects such as: composite face effect and the idea of canonical face views. Our model provides insights about the underlying computations that transfer visual information from posterior to anterior face patches. PMID:27113635

Facilitating the High School-to-College Transition for Students with Psychiatric Disabilities: Information and Strategies for School Counselors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fier, Sara M.; Brzezinski, Lynda G.

2010-01-01

The transition from high school to college is challenging for many students. In addition to the typical challenges faced by students starting college, students with previously diagnosed psychiatric disabilities have illness-related challenges to face as they transition to college. This article provides information on the current state of concerns…

College Students with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder: Best Practices for Successful Transition to the World of Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dipeolu, Abiola O.; Storlie, Cassandra; Johnson, Carol

2015-01-01

The transition from college to work is a challenging time for students with autism spectrum disorder. College counselors who understand the challenges students face adjusting to the world of work can position themselves to be change agents for this population. This article illuminates the challenges facing these students to help close the…

Challenges Faced by Pre-Service Chemistry Teachers Teaching in a Laboratory and Their Solution Proposals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yalcin-Celik, Ayse; Kadayifci, Hakki; Uner, Sinem; Turan-Oluk, Nurcan

2017-01-01

This study examines the challenges faced by pre-service chemistry teachers teaching in a laboratory and their proposed solutions to these challenges. The study was conducted in a 13-week-long methodology course. Written statements from participants and observations from researchers were used as data sources. From these data, it was found that the…

Investigation of the Challenges, Mentoring Needs, and Support for Business and Marketing Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yohon, Teresa

2005-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the challenges that new business/marketing teachers face as well as the current support structures available to them and to determine experienced business/marketing teachers perceptions of the challenges faced by new teachers as well as the types of support that they were willing to provide to new…

Challenges Faced by a Faith-Based School in a Rural, Predominantly Secular Setting: Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evangelinou-Yiannakis, Angela

2016-01-01

A new, independent Catholic school in rural Australia has had to face significant challenges in relation to its distinct Catholic ethos and curriculum. The challenges have included resistance from parents of the School with regard to the weekly time allocation for Religious Education, the nature of the faith-based curriculum, and the way in which…

The global network on dental education: a new vision for IFDEA.

PubMed

De Vries, J; Murtomaa, H; Butler, M; Cherrett, H; Ferrillo, P; Ferro, M B; Gadbury-Amyot, C; Haden, N K; Manogue, M; Mintz, J; Mulvihill, J E; Murray, B; Nattestad, A; Nielsen, D; Ogunbodede, E; Parkash, H; Plasschaert, F; Reed, M T; Rupp, R L; Tandon, S; Wang, B; Wang, S; Yucel, T; Valachovic, R W; Watkinson, A; Shanley, D

2008-02-01

The advent of globalization has changed our perspectives radically. It presents increased understanding of world affairs, new challenges and exciting opportunities. The inequitable distribution and use of finite energy resources and global warming are just two examples of challenges that can only be addressed by concerted international collaboration. Globalization has become an increasingly important influence on dentistry and dental education. The International Federation for Dental Educators and Associations (IFDEA) welcomes the challenges it now faces as a player in a complex multifaceted global community. This report addresses the new circumstances in which IFDEA must operate, taking account of the recommendations made by other working groups. The report reviews the background and evolution of IFDEA and describes the extensive developments that have taken place in IFDEA over the past year with the introductions of a new Constitution and Bylaws overseen by a newly established Board of Directors. These were the consequence of a new mission, goals and objectives for IFDEA. An expanded organization is planned using http://www.IFDEA.org as the primary instrument to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, programmes and expertise between colleagues and federated associations throughout the world, thereby promoting higher standards in oral health through education in low-, middle- and high-income countries of the world. Such aspirations are modified by the reality and enormity of poverty-related global ill health.

Boundary-spanning actors in complex adaptive governance systems: The case of multisectoral nutrition.

PubMed

Pelletier, David; Gervais, Suzanne; Hafeez-Ur-Rehman, Hajra; Sanou, Dia; Tumwine, Jackson

2018-01-01

A growing literature highlights complexity of policy implementation and governance in global health and argues that the processes and outcomes of policies could be improved by explicitly taking this complexity into account. Yet there is a paucity of studies exploring how this can be achieved in everyday practice. This study documents the strategies, tactics, and challenges of boundary-spanning actors working in 4 Sub-Saharan Africa countries who supported the implementation of multisectoral nutrition as part of the African Nutrition Security Partnership in Burkina Faso, Mali, Ethiopia, and Uganda. Three action researchers were posted to these countries during the final 2 years of the project to help the government and its partners implement multisectoral nutrition and document the lessons. Prospective data were collected through participant observation, end-line semistructured interviews, and document analysis. All 4 countries made significant progress despite a wide range of challenges at the individual, organizational, and system levels. The boundary-spanning actors and their collaborators deployed a wide range of strategies but faced significant challenges in playing these unconventional roles. The study concludes that, under the right conditions, intentional boundary spanning can be a feasible and acceptable practice within a multisectoral, complex adaptive system in low- and middle-income countries. © 2017 The Authors. The International Journal of Health Planning and Management Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Challenges for nurses who work in community mental health centres in the West Bank, Palestine.

PubMed

Marie, Mohammad; Hannigan, Ben; Jones, Aled

2017-01-01

Nurses in Palestine (occupied Palestinian territory) work in a significantly challenging environment. The mental health care system is underdeveloped and under-resourced. For example, the total number of nurses who work in community mental health centres in the West Bank is seventeen, clearly insufficient in a total population of approximately three million. This research explored daily challenges that Palestinian community mental health nurses (CMHNs) face within and outside their demanding workplaces. An interpretive qualitative design was chosen. Face-to-face interviews were completed with fifteen participants. Thirty-two hours of observations of the day-to-day working environment and workplace routines were conducted in two communities' mental health centres. Written documents relating to practical job-related policies were also collected from various workplaces. Thematic analysis was used across all data sources resulting in four main themes, which describe the challenges faced by CMHNs. These themes consist of the context of unrest, stigma, lack of resources, and organisational or mental health system challenges. The study concludes with a better understanding of challenges in nursing which draws on wider cultural contexts and resilience. The outcomes from this study can be used to decrease the challenges for health professionals and enhance the mental health care system in Palestine.

The role of the right prefrontal cortex in self-evaluation of the face: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

PubMed

Morita, Tomoyo; Itakura, Shoji; Saito, Daisuke N; Nakashita, Satoshi; Harada, Tokiko; Kochiyama, Takanori; Sadato, Norihiro

2008-02-01

Individuals can experience negative emotions (e.g., embarrassment) accompanying self-evaluation immediately after recognizing their own facial image, especially if it deviates strongly from their mental representation of ideals or standards. The aim of this study was to identify the cortical regions involved in self-recognition and self-evaluation along with self-conscious emotions. To increase the range of emotions accompanying self-evaluation, we used facial feedback images chosen from a video recording, some of which deviated significantly from normal images. In total, 19 participants were asked to rate images of their own face (SELF) and those of others (OTHERS) according to how photogenic they appeared to be. After scanning the images, the participants rated how embarrassed they felt upon viewing each face. As the photogenic scores decreased, the embarrassment ratings dramatically increased for the participant's own face compared with those of others. The SELF versus OTHERS contrast significantly increased the activation of the right prefrontal cortex, bilateral insular cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and bilateral occipital cortex. Within the right prefrontal cortex, activity in the right precentral gyrus reflected the trait of awareness of observable aspects of the self; this provided strong evidence that the right precentral gyrus is specifically involved in self-face recognition. By contrast, activity in the anterior region, which is located in the right middle inferior frontal gyrus, was modulated by the extent of embarrassment. This finding suggests that the right middle inferior frontal gyrus is engaged in self-evaluation preceded by self-face recognition based on the relevance to a standard self.

Altered insular activation and increased insular functional connectivity during sad and happy face processing in adolescent major depressive disorder.

PubMed

Henje Blom, Eva; Connolly, Colm G; Ho, Tiffany C; LeWinn, Kaja Z; Mobayed, Nisreen; Han, Laura; Paulus, Martin P; Wu, Jing; Simmons, Alan N; Yang, Tony T

2015-06-01

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide and occurs commonly first during adolescence. The insular cortex (IC) plays an important role in integrating emotion processing with interoception and has been implicated recently in the pathophysiology of adult and adolescent MDD. However, no studies have yet specifically examined the IC in adolescent MDD during processing of faces in the sad-happy continuum. Thus, the aim of the present study is to investigate the IC during sad and happy face processing in adolescents with MDD compared to healthy controls (HCL). Thirty-one adolescents (22 female) with MDD and 36 (23 female) HCL underwent a well-validated emotional processing fMRI paradigm that included sad and happy face stimuli. The MDD group showed significantly less differential activation of the anterior/middle insular cortex (AMIC) in response to sad versus happy faces compared to the HCL group. AMIC also showed greater functional connectivity with right fusiform gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, and right amygdala/parahippocampal gyrus in the MDD compared to HCL group. Moreover, differential activation to sad and happy faces in AMIC correlated negatively with depression severity within the MDD group. Small age-range and cross-sectional nature precluded assessment of development of the AMIC in adolescent depression. Given the role of the IC in integrating bodily stimuli with conscious cognitive and emotional processes, our findings of aberrant AMIC function in adolescent MDD provide a neuroscientific rationale for targeting the AMIC in the development of new treatment modalities. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Three-Dimensional Accuracy of Facial Scan for Facial Deformities in Clinics: A New Evaluation Method for Facial Scanner Accuracy.

PubMed

Zhao, Yi-Jiao; Xiong, Yu-Xue; Wang, Yong

2017-01-01

In this study, the practical accuracy (PA) of optical facial scanners for facial deformity patients in oral clinic was evaluated. Ten patients with a variety of facial deformities from oral clinical were included in the study. For each patient, a three-dimensional (3D) face model was acquired, via a high-accuracy industrial "line-laser" scanner (Faro), as the reference model and two test models were obtained, via a "stereophotography" (3dMD) and a "structured light" facial scanner (FaceScan) separately. Registration based on the iterative closest point (ICP) algorithm was executed to overlap the test models to reference models, and "3D error" as a new measurement indicator calculated by reverse engineering software (Geomagic Studio) was used to evaluate the 3D global and partial (upper, middle, and lower parts of face) PA of each facial scanner. The respective 3D accuracy of stereophotography and structured light facial scanners obtained for facial deformities was 0.58±0.11 mm and 0.57±0.07 mm. The 3D accuracy of different facial partitions was inconsistent; the middle face had the best performance. Although the PA of two facial scanners was lower than their nominal accuracy (NA), they all met the requirement for oral clinic use.

Examining the Roles of the Facilitator in Online and Face-to-Face PD Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Gina; Johnson, Heather; Vath, Richard; Kubitskey, Beth; Fishman, Barry

2013-01-01

Online teacher professional development has become an alternative to face-to-face professional development. Such a shift from face-to-face to online professional development, however, brings new challenges for professional development facilitators, whose roles are crucial in orchestrating teacher learning. This paper is motivated by the need to…

Public-private partnerships in practice: collaborating to improve health finance policy in Ghana and Kenya.

PubMed

Suchman, Lauren; Hart, Elizabeth; Montagu, Dominic

2018-06-13

Social health insurance (SHI), one mechanism for achieving universal health coverage, has become increasingly important in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) as they work to achieve this goal. Although small private providers supply a significant proportion of healthcare in LMICs, integrating these providers into SHI systems is often challenging. Public-private partnerships in health are one way to address these challenges, but we know little about how these collaborations work, how effectively, and why. Drawing on semi-structured interviews conducted with National Health Insurance (NHI) officials in Kenya and Ghana, as well as with staff from several international NGOs (INGOs) representing social franchise networks that are partnering to increase private provider accreditation into the NHIs, this article examines one example of public-private collaboration in practice. We found that interviewees initially had incomplete knowledge about the potential for cross-sector synergy, but both sides were motivated to work together around shared goals and the potential for mutual benefit. The public-private relationship then evolved over time through regular face-to-face interactions, reciprocal feedback, and iterative workplan development. This process led to a collegial relationship that also has given small private providers more voice in the health system. In order to sustain this relationship, we recommend that both public and private sector representatives develop formalized protocols for working together, as well as less formal open channels for communication. Models for aggregating small private providers and delivering them to government programmes as a package have potential to facilitate public-private partnerships as well, but there is little evidence on how these models work in LMICs thus far.

Implementing Health Financing Reforms in Africa: Perspectives of Health System Stewards.

PubMed

Achoki, Tom; Lesego, Abaleng

A majority of health systems in the sub-Saharan Africa region are faced with multiple competing priorities amid pressing resource constraints. Health financing reforms, characterized by expansion of health insurance coverage, have been proposed as promising in the quest to improve health sustainably. However, in many countries where these measures are being attempted, their broader implications have not been fully appreciated. This study was based on perspectives of 37 health system stewards from Botswana who were interviewed in order to understand opportunities and challenges that would result in the quest to expand health insurance coverage in the country. Thematic synthesis of their perspectives, focusing on the key aspects of the health systems, was done in order to draw informative lessons that could be applicable to a broader set of low- and middle-income countries. Health systems attempting to expand health insurance coverage would be faced with various opportunities and challenges that have implications on performance. By increasing the pool of resources available to spend on health, health insurance would afford health systems the opportunity to increase population access to and use of health services. However, if unchecked, this could also translate to uncontrolled demand for expensive medicines and other health technologies, leading to cost escalation and inefficiencies within the system. Therefore, the success of any health financing reform is dependent on embracing sound policies, regulations, and accountability measures. Health financing reforms have broader implications to health system performance that should be fully appreciated and anticipated before implementation. Therefore, health system leaders who are keen to improve health must view any health financing reforms through the broader framework of the health system framework in order to make progress. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Challenges and strategies for coping with scleroderma: implications for a scleroderma-specific self-management program.

PubMed

Milette, Katherine; Thombs, Brett D; Maiorino, Kristina; Nielson, Warren R; Körner, Annett; Peláez, Sandra

2018-05-09

The purpose of this study was to explore challenges faced by patients with systemic sclerosis, also called scleroderma, in coping with their disease and the strategies they used to face those challenges. Five focus groups were held with scleroderma patients (4 groups, n = 34) and health care professionals who have experience treating scleroderma (1 group, n = 8). Participants' discussions were recorded, transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. Participants reported challenges accessing information (e.g., knowledgeable specialists), dealing with negative emotions (e.g., stress due to misunderstandings with loved ones), and accessing resources (e.g., helpful products or devices). Strategies for overcoming challenges were also discussed (e.g., advocating for own needs). When faced with significant challenges while coping with scleroderma, patients develop strategies to manage better and improve their quality of life. To help them cope, patients would benefit from easier access to supportive interventions, including tailored scleroderma self-management programs. Although the challenges experienced by patients with scleroderma are unique, findings from this study might help better understand patients' perspectives regarding coping and disease management for other chronic diseases as well. Implications for Rehabilitation People living with rare diseases, including the rare autoimmune disease scleroderma, face unique challenges and often do not have access to disease-specific educational or other support resources. People with scleroderma report that they face challenges in accessing information, including knowledgeable healthcare providers; managing difficult social interactions and negative emotions; and accessing resources. Strategies employed by scleroderma patients to overcome these challenges include seeking connections to other people with scleroderma or scleroderma patient organizations, actively seeking out local resources, and learning to communicate and advocate more effectively. Rehabilitation professionals can support people with scleroderma by providing them with information on connecting with scleroderma patient organizations or by facilitating local patient support networks.

Challenges newly-arrived migrant women in Montreal face when needing maternity care: Health care professionals' perspectives.

PubMed

Peláez, Sandra; Hendricks, Kristin N; Merry, Lisa A; Gagnon, Anita J

2017-01-25

People who leave their country of origin, or the country of habitual residence, to establish themselves permanently in another country are usually referred to as migrants. Over half of all births in Montreal, Canada are to migrant women. To understand healthcare professionals' attitudes towards migrants that could influence their delivery of care, our objective was to explore their perspectives of challenges newly-arrived migrant women from non-Western countries face when needing maternity care. In this qualitative multiple case study, we conducted face-to-face interviews with 63 health care professionals from four teaching hospitals in Montreal, known for providing maternity care to a high volume of migrant women. Interviews were transcribed and thematically analysed. Physicians, nurses, social workers, and therapists participated; 90% were female; and 17% were themselves migrants from non-Western countries. According to participants, newly-arrived migrant women face challenges at two levels: (a) direct care (e.g., understanding Canadian health care professionals' expectations, communicating effectively with health care professionals), and (b) organizational (e.g., access to appropriate health care). Challenges women face are strongly influenced by the migrant woman's background as well as social position (e.g., general education, health literacy, socio-cultural integration) and by how health care professionals balance women's needs with perceived requirement to adhere to standard procedures and regulations. Health care professionals across institutions agreed that maternity care-related challenges faced by newly-arrived migrant women often are complex in that they are simultaneously driven by conflicting values: those based on migrant women's sociocultural backgrounds versus those related to the implementation of Canadian guidelines for maternity care in which consideration of migrant women's particular needs are not priority.

Scotland: Education, Curriculum and Learning. the Strengths, Challenges and Solutions in Lifelong Learning. IBE Working Papers on Curriculum Issues No. 13

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armstrong, Alan

2014-01-01

This paper brings together the main strengths and challenges currently facing Scottish education and outlines approaches to the ways forward. Knowledge about how to improve education systems has grown rapidly over the last two decades. One key challenge facing Scotland, and no doubt many other countries, is in ensuring a smooth "learner…

Threat Control through Arms Control. Report to Congress 1994

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-07-13

reduction, chemical weapons’ elimination, or any of the other growing arms control and nonproliferation challenges America faces, ACDA is an essential...nuclear missile reduction, chemical weapons elimination, or any of. the other growing arms control and nonproliferation challenges America faces... challenging . Nonprolif eration agreements are our first line of defense against the creation of a far more unstable and hazardous world than we have ever

Stressors influencing Middle Eastern women's perceptions of the risk of cardiovascular disease: a focus group study.

PubMed

Gholizadeh, Leila; Digiacomo, Michelle; Salamonson, Yenna; Davidson, Patricia M

2011-08-01

To better understand Australia-dwelling Middle Eastern women's lack of service utilization in cardiovascular health, we undertook a study to investigate their understandings and meanings of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors. Eight focus groups were conducted in community settings with Turkish, Persian, and Arab women. We found that the women understated their risk of CVD, faced many barriers in reducing their risks, and perceived stress as the most significant contributor to CVD. Women described their stress as primarily emanating from issues surrounding migration and acculturation. Implications for development and delivery of tailored health interventions for Middle Eastern women are discussed.

Girls in Foster Care: Risk and Promotive Factors for School Adjustment Across the Transition to Middle School.

PubMed

Pears, Katherine C; Kim, Hyoun K; Leve, Leslie D

2012-01-01

Girls in foster care may face difficulties across the transition to middle school. Latent growth curve modeling was employed to examine trajectories and predictors of academic competence and aggression from and against peers for 75 girls in foster care from the end of elementary school to the 2(nd) year of middle school. Across the transition to middle school, academic competence increased. Poor self-regulation was associated with decreased academic competence, and higher caregiver support was associated with increased academic competence. Frequency of aggression from peers decreased across the transition, with perceived school competence predicting smaller decreases. Aggression against peers dropped initially and then increased to pretransition levels by the end of the 2(nd) year of middle school. Lower caregiver support was associated with higher rates of aggression against peers at the end of the 1(st) year of middle school. The results are discussed in terms of implications for interventions for girls in foster care.

Girls in Foster Care: Risk and Promotive Factors for School Adjustment Across the Transition to Middle School

PubMed Central

Pears, Katherine C.; Kim, Hyoun K.; Leve, Leslie D.

2011-01-01

Girls in foster care may face difficulties across the transition to middle school. Latent growth curve modeling was employed to examine trajectories and predictors of academic competence and aggression from and against peers for 75 girls in foster care from the end of elementary school to the 2nd year of middle school. Across the transition to middle school, academic competence increased. Poor self-regulation was associated with decreased academic competence, and higher caregiver support was associated with increased academic competence. Frequency of aggression from peers decreased across the transition, with perceived school competence predicting smaller decreases. Aggression against peers dropped initially and then increased to pretransition levels by the end of the 2nd year of middle school. Lower caregiver support was associated with higher rates of aggression against peers at the end of the 1st year of middle school. The results are discussed in terms of implications for interventions for girls in foster care. PMID:22389543

Stuck in the Middle: Strategies to Engage Middle-Level Learners. Newsletter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maday, Traci

2008-01-01

Keeping middle school students focused and engaged in the classroom is a challenge amid the physical, intellectual, emotional, and social changes that young people experience during this phase of their lives. Youth aged 11 to 13 years are characterized by a growing desire to think and act independently while at the same time caring about being…

Big Fish, Little Fish: Teaching and Learning in the Middle Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Groundwater-Smith, Susan, Ed.; Mockler, Nicole, Ed.

2015-01-01

"Big Fish, Little Fish: Teaching and Learning in the Middle Years" provides pre-service and early career teachers with a pathway to understanding the needs of students as they make the important transition from primary to secondary schooling. The book explores contemporary challenges for teaching and learning in the middle years, with a…

Middle Schools Preparing Young People for 21st Century Life and Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kay, Ken

2009-01-01

In this article, the author describes how middle schools can prepare young people for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. Integrating 21st century skills deliberately and systematically into middle school education will empower educators to accomplish many of the elusive goals they have tried to reach for years. Twenty-first…

Making the Invisible More Visible: Home Literacy Practices of Middle-Class and Working-Class Families.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthey, Sarah J.

1997-01-01

Interviews with eight families showed that literacy materials and goals for using literacy differed between middle and working class families, with middle class families drawing on more resources to learn about the child's classroom. However, all families expressed value for literacy activities, challenging the myth that working-class families do…

Recruiting and Retaining African American Students for Gifted Education and Accelerated Programs in Middle School: A Qualitative Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberson, Ivory S.

2017-01-01

Recruiting and retaining African American students in middle school gifted education continues to be challenging in American schools. African American students continue to be underrepresented in middle school gifted education and accelerated programs, even when they qualify to be gifted education participants. The case study that follows focuses…

Lost Opportunities: The Status of Science Education in California Middle Schools. CenterView

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning at WestEd, 2012

2012-01-01

California's middle schools have a critical role to play in furthering their students' pursuit of science learning, in high school and beyond. The rapidly changing economy, advances in technology, and the press of global challenges only increase the importance of this responsibility. The potential is there for California's middle schools to…

Teaching about the Middle East: Challenges and Resource

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jaffee, Cyrisse

2004-01-01

Barbara Petzen began working as a part-time outreach coordinator at Harvard University's Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES) a week before September 11, 2001. She was finishing her dissertation in Middle Eastern studies, specializing in the Ottoman Empire and Arab history, and thought it would be a good job to have while she completed her…

An Analysis of Middle School SATB and SAB Choral Sight Reading Contest Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poché-Rodriguez, Kelley

2013-01-01

Between 2006 and 2012, 9% of all middle school choral entries in the Texas University Interscholastic League (UIL) Concert and Sight Reading Contest consisted of mixed choirs (N = 842) (Texas UIL, 2012a). Middle school mixed choirs pose unique pedagogical problems for directors. One such challenge lies in the determination of whether to perform…

Shooting for the Sun: The Message of Middle School Reform.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mizell, M. Hayes

This book is a collection of speeches by M. Hayes Mizell. The book is divided into three parts. In part 1, Mizell reviews some of the challenges middle schools must overcome to become effective places of teaching and learning. His suggestions range from developing a new kind of middle school principal to better serving young people's…

Preservice Elementary and Middle School Teachers' Conceptions of Algebra Revealed through the Use of Exemplary Curriculum Materials.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stump, Sheryl; Bishop, Joyce

One of the greatest challenges for mathematics teacher educators committed to reforming and improving mathematics education is to help preservice elementary and middle school teachers develop an appreciation for algebraic reasoning. Preservice teachers' views of algebra are typically derived from their experiences in middle school and high school…

Laterality and Left-sidedness in the Nose, Face, and Body: A New Finding.

PubMed

Hafezi, Farhad; Javdani, Ali; Naghibzadeh, Bijan; Ashtiani, Abbas Kazemi

2017-12-01

Asymmetry is a common occurrence in bilaterian animals, particularly human beings. Through examination of patients and their photographs during rhinoplasty, we noted wider left-sided nasal and facial features in most patients. This observation led us to hypothesize that this might be consistent to the whole body. We conducted a study in 3 parts to test the question above. First, we analyzed operating notes of 50 rhinoplasty patients to determine the wider side of the upper, middle, and lower thirds of the nose. Second, we analyzed the width of the face and chest wall in 31 patients to discern any correlation between facial and bodily asymmetry. Third, computerized tomographic scans of the thorax and body of 48 patients were studied to measure the width of the hemithorax and hemipelvic bone. (1) Upper vault width was wider on left side (78%). Left middle vault width was wider (88%). The lower lateral cartilage, lateral crura convexity was more prominent on left side (48%), and a wider scroll area was found and trimmed in 21 (left) and 0 (right) cases. The alar base was wider on left side (56%). (2) In the body and face analysis, 64.5% had a wider left-sided face and body. (3) In the computed tomographic scan analysis, same-sided thorax and pelvis asymmetry was seen (85.35%), 33 and 7 of which were left- and right-sided, respectively. We observed generalized asymmetry of the face and body with left-sided predominance.

School Supplies on a Budget

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyrli, Kurt O.

2008-01-01

This article reports on the challenge that parents, teachers, and district administrators face in continuing to provide essential school supplies to their students despite budget cuts. At the Verona Area (Wisconsin) School District, administrators, teachers, and parents have recently faced this common challenge. Increasingly dependent on funding…

Challenges and Concerns Faced by Doctoral Candidates Seeking Academic Positions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Porter, Dion; Donnell, Chandra; Buck, Tina; Edwards, Yolanda

A panel discussion offered suggestions and recommendations for faculty and institutions of rehabilitation counseling education on more effective recruitment methods. Strategies were also considered for potential faculty members. Candidates seeking academic positions in rehabilitation counseling education face many challenges. Location of program;…

Brain activation while forming memories of fearful and neutral faces in women and men.

PubMed

Fischer, Håkan; Sandblom, Johan; Nyberg, Lars; Herlitz, Agneta; Bäckman, Lars

2007-11-01

Event-related functional MRI (fMRI) was used to assess brain activity during encoding of fearful and neutral faces in 12 women and 12 men. In a subsequent memory analysis, the authors separated successful from unsuccessful encoding of both types of faces, based on whether they were remembered or forgotten in a later recognition memory test. Overall, women and men recruited overlapping neural circuitries. Both sexes activated right-sided medial-temporal regions during successful encoding of fearful faces. Successful encoding of neutral faces was associated with left-sided lateral prefrontal and right-sided superior frontal activation in both sexes. In women, relatively greater encoding related activity for neutral faces was seen in the superior parietal and parahippocampal cortices. By contrast, men activated the left and right superior/middle frontal cortex more than women during successful encoding of the same neutral faces. These findings suggest that women and men use similar neural networks to encode facial information, with only subtle sex differences observed for neutral faces.

The Other-Race Effect Develops During Infancy

PubMed Central

Quinn, Paul C.; Slater, Alan M.; Lee, Kang; Ge, Liezhong; Pascalis, Olivier

2008-01-01

Experience plays a crucial role in the development of face processing. In the study reported here, we investigated how faces observed within the visual environment affect the development of the face-processing system during the 1st year of life. We assessed 3-, 6-, and 9-month-old Caucasian infants' ability to discriminate faces within their own racial group and within three other-race groups (African, Middle Eastern, and Chinese). The 3-month-old infants demonstrated recognition in all conditions, the 6-month-old infants were able to recognize Caucasian and Chinese faces only, and the 9-month-old infants' recognition was restricted to own-race faces. The pattern of preferences indicates that the other-race effect is emerging by 6 months of age and is present at 9 months of age. The findings suggest that facial input from the infant's visual environment is crucial for shaping the face-processing system early in infancy, resulting in differential recognition accuracy for faces of different races in adulthood. PMID:18031416

Blended learning across universities in a South-North-South collaboration: a case study.

PubMed

Protsiv, Myroslava; Rosales-Klintz, Senia; Bwanga, Freddie; Zwarenstein, Merrick; Atkins, Salla

2016-09-02

Increased health research capacity is needed in low- and middle-income countries to respond to local health challenges. Technology-aided teaching approaches, such as blended learning (BL), can stimulate international education collaborations and connect skilled scientists who can jointly contribute to the efforts to address local shortages of high-level research capacity. The African Regional Capacity Development for Health Systems and Services Research (ARCADE HSSR) was a European Union-funded project implemented from 2011 to 2015. The project consortium partners worked together to expand access to research training and to build the research capacity of post-graduate students. This paper presents a case study of the first course in the project, which focused on a meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy studies and was delivered in 2013 through collaboration by universities in Uganda, Sweden and South Africa. We conducted a mixed-methods case study involving student course evaluations, participant observation, interviews with teaching faculty and student feedback collected through group discussion. Quantitative data were analysed using frequencies, and qualitative data using thematic analysis. A traditional face-to-face course was adapted for BL using a mixture of online resources and materials, synchronous online interaction between students and teachers across different countries complemented by face-to-face meetings, and in-class interaction between students and tutors. Synchronous online discussions led by Makerere University were the central learning technique in the course. The learners appreciated the BL design and reported that they were highly motivated and actively engaged throughout the course. The teams implementing the course were small, with individual faculty members and staff members carrying out many extra responsibilities; yet, some necessary competencies for course design were not available. BL is a feasible approach to simultaneously draw globally available skills into cross-national, high-level skills training in multiple countries. This method can overcome access barriers to research methods courses and can offer engaging formats and personalised learning experiences. BL enables teaching and learning from experts and peers across the globe with minimal disruption to students' daily schedules. Transforming a face-to-face course into a blended course that fulfils its full potential requires concerted effort and dedicated technological and pedagogical support.

Using International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health to understand challenges in community reintegration of injured veterans.

PubMed

Resnik, Linda J; Allen, Susan M

2007-01-01

This pilot study used the framework of the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) to understand the challenges faced by Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) veterans as they reintegrate into the community. We conducted semistructured interviews with 14 injured veterans, 12 caregivers, and 14 clinicians. We used ICF taxonomy to code data and identify issues. We identified challenges in the following ICF domains: learning and applying knowledge; general tasks and demands; communication; mobility; self-care; domestic life; interpersonal interactions, major life areas; and community, social, and civic life. We found many similarities between the challenges faced by veterans with and without polytraumatic injuries, although veterans with polytraumatic injuries faced challenges of greater magnitude. Identifying community reintegration challenges early and promoting reintegration are important mandates for the Department of Veterans Affairs. The findings of this study are useful in understanding the needs of OEF/OIF veterans.

Tremor

MedlinePlus

Tremors are unintentional trembling or shaking movements in one or more parts of your body. Most tremors occur in the hands. You can also have arm, head, face, vocal cord, trunk, and leg tremors. Tremors are most common in middle-aged and ...

Ethical challenges facing veterinary professionals in Ireland: results from Policy Delphi with vignette methodology

PubMed Central

Magalhães-Sant'Ana, M.; More, S. J.; Morton, D. B.; Hanlon, A.

2016-01-01

Ethics is key to the integrity of the veterinary profession. Despite its importance, there is a lack of applied research on the range of ethical challenges faced by veterinarians. A three round Policy Delphi with vignette methodology was used to record the diversity of views on ethical challenges faced by veterinary professionals in Ireland. Forty experts, comprising veterinary practitioners, inspectors and nurses, accepted to participate. In round 1, twenty vignettes describing a variety of ethically challenging veterinary scenarios were ranked in terms of ethical acceptability, reputational risk and perceived standards of practice. Round 2 aimed at characterising challenges where future policy development or professional guidance was deemed to be needed. In round 3, possible solutions to key challenges were explored. Results suggest that current rules and regulations are insufficient to ensure best veterinary practices and that a collective approach is needed to harness workable solutions for the identified ethical challenges. Challenges pertaining mostly to the food chain seem to require enforcement measures whereas softer measures that promote professional discretion were preferred to address challenges dealing with veterinary clinical services. These findings can support veterinary representative bodies, advisory committees and regulatory authorities in their decision making, policy and regulation. PMID:27613779

Examining the Challenging Hindrances facing in the Construction Projects: South India’s Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subramanyam, K.; Haridharan, M. K.

2017-07-01

Developing countries like India require a huge infrastructure to facilitate needs of the people. Construction industry provides several opportunities to the individuals. Construction manager work is to supervise and organize the construction activities in construction projects. Now a day construction manager facing challenges. This paper aimed to study the challenges facing by the construction manager in the perception of construction professionals. 39 variables were taken from the literature review which found to be severe impact on construction managers’ performance. Construction manager, project manager and site engineers are the respondents for this survey. Using SPSS, regression analysis was done and recognized significant challenges. These challenges were classified into 5 domains. In management challenges, resource availability and allocation, risks and uncertainties existing in the project onsite, top management support and cost constraints are the most significant variables. In skills requirement of a construction manager challenges, technical skills required to learn and adapt new technology in the project, decision making and planning according to the situation in site are the most significant variables. In performance challenges, implementation of tasks according to the plan is the important variable whereas in onsite challenges, manage project risks, develop project policies and procedures are the most important.

Ethical challenges facing veterinary professionals in Ireland: results from Policy Delphi with vignette methodology.

PubMed

Magalhães-Sant'Ana, M; More, S J; Morton, D B; Hanlon, A

2016-10-29

Ethics is key to the integrity of the veterinary profession. Despite its importance, there is a lack of applied research on the range of ethical challenges faced by veterinarians. A three round Policy Delphi with vignette methodology was used to record the diversity of views on ethical challenges faced by veterinary professionals in Ireland. Forty experts, comprising veterinary practitioners, inspectors and nurses, accepted to participate. In round 1, twenty vignettes describing a variety of ethically challenging veterinary scenarios were ranked in terms of ethical acceptability, reputational risk and perceived standards of practice. Round 2 aimed at characterising challenges where future policy development or professional guidance was deemed to be needed. In round 3, possible solutions to key challenges were explored. Results suggest that current rules and regulations are insufficient to ensure best veterinary practices and that a collective approach is needed to harness workable solutions for the identified ethical challenges. Challenges pertaining mostly to the food chain seem to require enforcement measures whereas softer measures that promote professional discretion were preferred to address challenges dealing with veterinary clinical services. These findings can support veterinary representative bodies, advisory committees and regulatory authorities in their decision making, policy and regulation. British Veterinary Association.

Challenges facing developers of CAD/CAM models that seek to predict human working postures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiker, Steven F.

2005-11-01

This paper outlines the need for development of human posture prediction models for Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) design applications in product, facility and work design. Challenges facing developers of posture prediction algorithms are presented and discussed.

Challenges Facing Early Childhood Programs Worldwide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neugebauer, Roger

2008-01-01

In this article, the author presents the challenges faced by early childhood education in 29 countries, according to the World Forum National Representatives and Global Leaders for Young Children. The countries represented in these responses include: Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Fiji, India, Iran, Iraq, Japan,…

Exploring Biotechnology Using Case-Based Multimedia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergland, Mark; Lundeberg, Mary; Klyczek, Karen; Sweet, Jennifer; Emmons, Jean; Martin, Christine; Marsh, Katherine; Werner, Joy; Jarvis-Uetz, Michelle

2006-01-01

Today, teachers face more challenges than ever, and biology teachers face a special challenge. As technology continues to expand, biology teachers have a responsibility to keep students informed of technological and scientific advances. Biology teachers must also address ethical issues associated with these advances. In this paper, the authors…

Development of Critical Thinking Skills through Writing Tasks: Challenges Facing Maritime English Students at Aqaba College, AlBalqa Applied University, Jordan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alidmat, Ali Odeh Hammoud; Ayassrah, Mohamed Ayed

2017-01-01

Teaching English for Special Purposes (ESP) in a context where English is taught as a Foreign Language (EFL) is no easy task. There is in fact extensive research reporting on challenges facing both teacher and student in the Foreign Language classroom where language skills must be learnt outside their usual context. Even more challenging is…

Success counteracting tobacco company interference in Thailand: an example of FCTC implementation for low- and middle-income countries.

PubMed

Charoenca, Naowarut; Mock, Jeremiah; Kungskulniti, Nipapun; Preechawong, Sunida; Kojetin, Nicholas; Hamann, Stephen L

2012-04-01

Transnational tobacco companies (TTCs) interfere regularly in policymaking in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control provides mechanisms and guidance for dealing with TTC interference, but many countries still face 'how to' challenges of implementation. For more than two decades, Thailand's public health community has been developing a system for identifying and counteracting strategies TTCs use to derail, delay and undermine tobacco control policymaking. Consequently, Thailand has already implemented most of the FCTC guidelines for counteracting TTC interference. In this study, our aims are to describe strategies TTCs have used in Thailand to interfere in policymaking, and to examine how the public health community in Thailand has counteracted TTC interference. We analyzed information reported by three groups with a stake in tobacco control policies: Thai tobacco control advocates, TTCs, and international tobacco control experts. To identify TTC viewpoints and strategies, we also extracted information from internal tobacco industry documents. We synthesized these data and identified six core strategies TTCs use to interfere in tobacco control policymaking: (1) doing business with 'two faces', (2) seeking to influence people in high places, (3) 'buying' advocates in grassroots organizations, (4) putting up a deceptive front, (5) intimidation, and (6) undermining controls on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. We present three case examples showing where TTCs have employed multiple interference strategies simultaneously, and showing how Thai tobacco control advocates have successfully counteracted those strategies by: (1) conducting vigilant surveillance, (2) excluding tobacco companies from policymaking, (3) restricting tobacco company sales, (4) sustaining pressure, and (5) dedicating resources to the effective enforcement of regulations. Policy implications from this study are that tobacco control advocates in LMICs may be able to develop countermeasures similar to those we identified in Thailand based on FCTC guidelines to limit TTC interference.

Exploring strategies to overcome extra-organisational challenges faced by community pharmacies in Sarawak, Malaysia.

PubMed

Kho, Boon Phiaw; Hassali, Mohamed Azmi; Lim, Ching Jou; Saleem, Fahad

2018-03-15

The aims of this research were to determine extra-organisational challenges (e.g. market competition, governing policies) faced by community pharmacies in Sarawak, the coping strategies employed to deal with these challenges and explore potential legislative changes that can attenuate the intensity of these challenges. Survey questionnaires (n = 184) were posted to all eligible community pharmacies in Sarawak, Malaysia. The questionnaire included sections on participants' demographic data, extra-organisational challenges faced, coping strategies employed and proposals to improve community pharmacy legislations. Items were constructed based on the findings of a prior qualitative research supplemented with relevant literature about these issues. High levels of homogeneity in responses were recorded on various extra-organisational challenges faced, particularly those economy-oriented. Strategic changes to counter these challenges were focused on pricing and product stocked, rather than services provision. Highly rated strategies included increasing discounts for customers (n = 54; 68%) and finding cheaper suppliers (n = 70; 88%). Legislative changes proposed that might increase their share of the pharmaceutical market were strongly supported by respondents, particularly about making it compulsory for general practitioners to provide patients the option to have their medicines dispensed in community pharmacies (n = 72; 90%). Current legislative conditions and Malaysian consumer mindset may have constrained the strategic choices of community pharmacies to deal with the strong extra-organisational challenges. A long-term multipronged approach to address these issues and increased involvement of community pharmacists themselves in this agenda are required to influence practice change. © 2018 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Neural Correlate of the Thatcher Face Illusion in a Monkey Face-Selective Patch.

PubMed

Taubert, Jessica; Van Belle, Goedele; Vanduffel, Wim; Rossion, Bruno; Vogels, Rufin

2015-07-08

Compelling evidence that our sensitivity to facial structure is conserved across the primate order comes from studies of the "Thatcher face illusion": humans and monkeys notice changes in the orientation of facial features (e.g., the eyes) only when faces are upright, not when faces are upside down. Although it is presumed that face perception in primates depends on face-selective neurons in the inferior temporal (IT) cortex, it is not known whether these neurons respond differentially to upright faces with inverted features. Using microelectrodes guided by functional MRI mapping, we recorded cell responses in three regions of monkey IT cortex. We report an interaction in the middle lateral face patch (ML) between the global orientation of a face and the local orientation of its eyes, a response profile consistent with the perception of the Thatcher illusion. This increased sensitivity to eye orientation in upright faces resisted changes in screen location and was not found among face-selective neurons in other areas of IT cortex, including neurons in another face-selective region, the anterior lateral face patch. We conclude that the Thatcher face illusion is correlated with a pattern of activity in the ML that encodes faces according to a flexible holistic template. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/359872-07$15.00/0.

Is irrigation water price an effective leverage for water management? An empirical study in the middle reaches of the Heihe River basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Qing; Wu, Feng; Zhang, Qian

Serious water scarcity, low water-use efficiency, and over-exploitation of underground water have hindered socio-economic development and led to environmental degradation in the Heihe River basin, northwestern China. Price leveraging is an important tool in water demand management, and it is considered to be effective in promoting water conservation and improving water use efficiency on the premise that water demand is elastic. In the present study, we examine whether price is an effective and applicable instrument for restraining the increasing demand for agricultural irrigation water in the middle reaches of the Heihe River basin and how will it affect farmers' decisions on irrigation and crop structure. Specifically, the price elasticity of agricultural water demand was estimated based on the irrigation water demand function. The results show that the agricultural irrigation water price is statistically significant, but its elasticity is very low under current low water price. Price leverage cannot play a significant role in the context of the current pricing regime and farmers' response to price increase is intrinsically weak. To create incentives for conserving water and improving irrigation efficiency, price mechanism should be accompanied with clearly defined and legally enforceable water rights, restricted water quota measures, and reform of water authorities and water-user associations. Furthermore, increases of surface irrigation water price may lead to the over-withdrawal of groundwater, consequently, effective groundwater licensing and levying must take place to limit the total volume of groundwater withdrawal. In all, improving irrigation efficiency through better management and the adoption of water-saving technologies is the ultimate way to deal with the challenges facing irrigated agriculture in the middle reaches of the Heihe River basin.

What Middle School Students Need from Their General Music Class (and How We Can Help)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Virginia Wayman

2011-01-01

The middle school general music class is a course that holds many possibilities and challenges. In this research-based article, teachers are encouraged to "teach for transfer," to create worthwhile learning activities that prepare students for music making in the adult community. Three needs of the middle school music student are discussed:…

A systematic review of childhood obesity in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region: Prevalence and risk factors meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Farrag, Nesrine S.; Cheskin, Lawrence J.; Farag, Mohamed K.

2017-01-01

Obesity rates are rising globally, but there is evidence that young people in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are at particularly high risk. We systematically searched the literature to map the MENA region for prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity, and examine the underlying risk factors and adverse effects associated with obesity in this region. Inclusion criteria were: English-language, non-basic-science focused articles that used any of the standard obesity definitions and were conducted in the MENA countries within the last five years. We searched PubMed using combinations of key terms ((childhood) OR adolescence) AND obesity) AND (MENA or each country) AND (“last five years” [PDat]). Studies demonstrated an increasing prevalence of obesity among many countries in the MENA region, especially in the Gulf area. Notably, in Kuwait, prevalence rates of overweight and obesity were 25.6% and 34.8% among young males and 20.8% and 20.5% among females. A meta-analysis revealed that physical inactivity, increased screen time, and higher social status were risk factors for childhood obesity. Childhood and adolescent obesity is a major challenge facing countries of the MENA region. Further research is needed to fully investigate the role of nutrition and other specific risk factors and evaluate various interventions to manage this pervasive and growing health problem. PMID:29354689

Management of intestinal failure in middle-income countries, for children and adults.

PubMed

Gondolesi, Gabriel E; Pattín, Francisco; Nikkoupur, Hamed

2018-04-01

Intestinal failure is a life-threatening medical condition that remains as a rare or orphan disease in most countries. The prevalence of intestinal failure and the therapeutic options available in middle-income countries (MIC) remain unclear. We aim to provide an overview on the current differences in management of intestinal failure patients in MIC from Latin America and Asia. In order to fulfil the challenge, and after facing the difficulties of going over a topic with scarce available data, from countries with an extreme variety of social and economic problems, which are closely related to the treatment of intestinal failure patients, we have used both the existing publications and personal surveys to draft this document. Our results have shown that there is still significant disparity among MIC over the last years, concepts such as the need for establishing multidisciplinary dedicated teams as well as the need to evolve first home parenteral nutrition (HPN), then rehabilitation, and finally transplantation, have become important signals of an adequate understanding of this evolving field. The manuscript presents, for the first time, an overview of the different developments and needs to manage intestinal failure patients in MIC from Latin America and Asia. Future discussions will emerge from this manuscript, aiming to pursue the development of registries, guidelines and health policies to continue improving the long-term care of intestinal failure patients in all MIC.

A systematic review of childhood obesity in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region: Prevalence and risk factors meta-analysis.

PubMed

Farrag, Nesrine S; Cheskin, Lawrence J; Farag, Mohamed K

2017-01-01

Obesity rates are rising globally, but there is evidence that young people in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are at particularly high risk. We systematically searched the literature to map the MENA region for prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity, and examine the underlying risk factors and adverse effects associated with obesity in this region. Inclusion criteria were: English-language, non-basic-science focused articles that used any of the standard obesity definitions and were conducted in the MENA countries within the last five years. We searched PubMed using combinations of key terms ((childhood) OR adolescence) AND obesity) AND (MENA or each country) AND ("last five years" [PDat]). Studies demonstrated an increasing prevalence of obesity among many countries in the MENA region, especially in the Gulf area. Notably, in Kuwait, prevalence rates of overweight and obesity were 25.6% and 34.8% among young males and 20.8% and 20.5% among females. A meta-analysis revealed that physical inactivity, increased screen time, and higher social status were risk factors for childhood obesity. Childhood and adolescent obesity is a major challenge facing countries of the MENA region. Further research is needed to fully investigate the role of nutrition and other specific risk factors and evaluate various interventions to manage this pervasive and growing health problem.

Beyond menstrual hygiene: addressing vaginal bleeding throughout the life course in low and middle-income countries.

PubMed

Sommer, Marni; Phillips-Howard, Penelope A; Mahon, Therese; Zients, Sasha; Jones, Meredith; Caruso, Bethany A

2017-01-01

Girls and women experience numerous types of vaginal bleeding. These include healthy reproductive processes, such as menstruation and bleeding after childbirth, but also bleeding related to health conditions, such as fibroids or cancer. In most societies, the management of menstruation is handled covertly, something girls are often instructed about at menarche. The management of other vaginal bleeding is often similarly discreet, although behaviours are not well documented. In many societies, cultural taboos frequently hinder open discussion around vaginal bleeding, restricting information and early access to healthcare. Additionally, the limited availability of clean, accessible water and sanitation facilities in many low and middle-income countries augments the challenges girls and women face in conducting daily activities while managing vaginal bleeding, including participating in school or work, going to the market or fetching water. This paper aims to highlight the key vaginal bleeding experiences throughout a woman's life course and the intersection of these bleeding experiences with their access to adequate water and sanitation facilities, information and education sources, and supplies. The aim is to address the silence around girls and women's vaginal bleeding and their related social, physical and clinical management needs across the life course; and highlight critical gaps that require attention in research, practice and policy around this neglected topic of health and gender equality.

Multi-Institution Research Centers: Planning and Management Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spooner, Catherine; Lavey, Lisa; Mukuka, Chilandu; Eames-Brown, Rosslyn

2016-01-01

Funding multi-institution centers of research excellence (CREs) has become a common means of supporting collaborative partnerships to address specific research topics. However, there is little guidance for those planning or managing a multi-institution CRE, which faces specific challenges not faced by single-institution research centers. We…

Internationalising Teacher Education for a "Glocal" Curriculum: South Koreans Learning to Teach Hong Kong Liberal Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Liz; Han, Ana Yoon Jin

2016-01-01

Internationalisation in education facilitates student and teacher mobility. Though Hong Kong has embraced internationalisation in education, international university students can face challenges related to cultural difference. In teacher education, these challenges can be amplified, as student-teachers face expectations to teach schoolchildren…

Anger and Globalization among Young People in India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suchday, Sonia

2015-01-01

This article addresses the challenges faced by youth in developing countries. Using India as an example of a fast-globalizing country, this article highlights the experience and challenges faced by adolescents and emerging adults as they search for their interpersonal and professional identities. The difficulties of defining identity in the…

The Challenges Facing Catholic Education in France Today

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moog, François

2016-01-01

The effects of secularisation on society demand a rethinking of the identity and mission of Catholic schools in France. In 2013, the French bishops published a new directory which offers new approaches, described here, based on the three challenges facing Catholic education in France: linking social responsibility and evangelisation, setting up…

An Inventory and Use Analysis of Information Systems on Small Farms in Pennsylvania

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Jean S.

2007-01-01

Across the United States, today's farm operators face continuing challenges from global competition, increasing production costs, changing technology, increased regulations, scarce resources, and lower profit margins. To face these challenges, farm operators need to gather and utilize information allowing them to make informed decisions. Several…

Anatomy Education Faces Challenges in Pakistan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Memon, Ismail K.

2009-01-01

Anatomy education in Pakistan is facing many of the same challenges as in other parts of the world. Roughly, a decade ago, all medical and dental colleges in Pakistan emphasized anatomy as a core basic discipline within a traditional medical science curriculum. Now institutions are adopting problem based learning (PBL) teaching philosophies, and…