20 CFR 266.6 - Information to be submitted by a representative payee-applicant; face-to-face interview.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... representative payee-applicant; face-to-face interview. 266.6 Section 266.6 Employees' Benefits RAILROAD... be submitted by a representative payee-applicant; face-to-face interview. Before the Board selects a... listed in § 266.4 of this part. An employee of the Board may also conduct a face-to-face interview with...

20 CFR 266.6 - Information to be submitted by a representative payee-applicant; face-to-face interview.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... representative payee-applicant; face-to-face interview. 266.6 Section 266.6 Employees' Benefits RAILROAD... be submitted by a representative payee-applicant; face-to-face interview. Before the Board selects a... listed in § 266.4 of this part. An employee of the Board may also conduct a face-to-face interview with...

Comparison of web-based and face-to-face interviews for application to an anesthesiology training program: a pilot study

PubMed Central

Malkin, Mathew R.; Lenart, John; Stier, Gary R.; Gatling, Jason W.; Applegate II, Richard L.

2016-01-01

Objectives This study compared admission rates to a United States anesthesiology residency program for applicants completing face-to-face versus web-based interviews during the admissions process. We also explored factors driving applicants to select each interview type. Methods The 211 applicants invited to interview for admission to our anesthesiology residency program during the 2014-2015 application cycle were participants in this pilot observational study. Of these, 141 applicants selected face-to-face interviews, 53 applicants selected web-based interviews, and 17 applicants declined to interview. Data regarding applicants' reasons for selecting a particular interview type were gathered using an anonymous online survey after interview completion. Residency program admission rates and survey answers were compared between applicants completing face-to-face versus web-based interviews. Results One hundred twenty-seven (75.1%) applicants completed face-to-face and 42 (24.9%) completed web-based interviews. The admission rate to our residency program was not significantly different between applicants completing face-to-face versus web-based interviews. One hundred eleven applicants completed post-interview surveys. The most common reasons for selecting web-based interviews were conflict of interview dates between programs, travel concerns, or financial limitations. Applicants selected face-to-face interviews due to a desire to interact with current residents, or geographic proximity to the residency program. Conclusions These results suggest that completion of web-based interviews is a viable alternative to completion of face-to-face interviews, and that choice of interview type does not affect the rate of applicant admission to the residency program. Web-based interviews may be of particular interest to applicants applying to a large number of programs, or with financial limitations. PMID:27039029

12 CFR 221.115 - Accepting a purpose statement through the mail without benefit of face-to-face interview.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... without benefit of face-to-face interview. 221.115 Section 221.115 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE...) Interpretations § 221.115 Accepting a purpose statement through the mail without benefit of face-to-face interview... wishes to obtain the required purpose statement by mail rather than by a face-to-face interview. Personal...

12 CFR 221.115 - Accepting a purpose statement through the mail without benefit of face-to-face interview.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... without benefit of face-to-face interview. 221.115 Section 221.115 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE...) Interpretations § 221.115 Accepting a purpose statement through the mail without benefit of face-to-face interview... wishes to obtain the required purpose statement by mail rather than by a face-to-face interview. Personal...

12 CFR 221.115 - Accepting a purpose statement through the mail without benefit of face-to-face interview.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... without benefit of face-to-face interview. 221.115 Section 221.115 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE...) Interpretations § 221.115 Accepting a purpose statement through the mail without benefit of face-to-face interview... wishes to obtain the required purpose statement by mail rather than by a face-to-face interview. Personal...

12 CFR 221.115 - Accepting a purpose statement through the mail without benefit of face-to-face interview.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... without benefit of face-to-face interview. 221.115 Section 221.115 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE...) Interpretations § 221.115 Accepting a purpose statement through the mail without benefit of face-to-face interview... wishes to obtain the required purpose statement by mail rather than by a face-to-face interview. Personal...

12 CFR 221.115 - Accepting a purpose statement through the mail without benefit of face-to-face interview.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... without benefit of face-to-face interview. 221.115 Section 221.115 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE...) Interpretations § 221.115 Accepting a purpose statement through the mail without benefit of face-to-face interview... wishes to obtain the required purpose statement by mail rather than by a face-to-face interview. Personal...

Relaxation, Structure and Properties of Semi-coherent Interfaces

DOE PAGES

Shao, Shuai; Wang, Jian

2015-11-05

Materials containing high density of interfaces are promising candidates for future energy technologies, because interfaces acting as sources, sinks, and barriers for defects can improve mechanical and irradiation properties of materials. Semi-coherent interface widely occurring in various materials is composed of a network of misfit dislocations and coherent regions separated by misfit dislocations. Lastly, in this article, we review relaxation mechanisms, structure and properties of (111) semi-coherent interfaces in face centered cubic structures.

Effect of Interviewer's Eyeglasses on Compliance with a Face-to-Face Survey Request and Perception of the Interviewer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guéguen, Nicolas; Martin, Angélique

2017-01-01

Several studies have shown that people photographed wearing eyeglasses were perceived more positively as to intelligence and honesty. However, the effect of wearing glasses on behavior and in real face-to-face relationships has never been examined. In two studies, interviewers wearing or not wearing eyeglasses were instructed to ask people in the…

Hypochondriasis Y-BOCS: a study of the psychometric properties of a clinician-administered semi-structured interview to assess hypochondriacal thoughts and behaviours.

PubMed

Greeven, Anja; Spinhoven, Philip; van Balkom, Anton J L M

2009-01-01

This study investigated the psychometric properties of the first clinician-administered semi-structured interview for assessing the severity of hypochondriacal symptoms. The Hypochondriasis Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (H-YBOCS) consisted of three a priori dimensions: hypochondriacal obsessions, compulsions and avoidance. The 16-item interview was conducted with 112 participants with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, hypochondriasis. We analysed factor analytic structure, reliability, construct validity and sensitivity to change. Factor analysis supported a three-factor model similar to the a priori dimensions. Internal consistency ranged from satisfactory to good. Inter-rater reliability was excellent. The construct validity was low to moderate. The H-YBOCS was sensitive for measuring changes in symptom severity. The H-YBOCS is a (factorially) valid and coherent interview with a high level of agreement across different raters. The relatively low discriminant validity could be due to co-morbid anxiety and depressive disorders. Overall, the H-YBOCS seems to be a promising contribution to the assessment of hypochondriasis. *The hypochondriasis Y-BOCS is a feasible clinician rated interview to assess the severity of hypochondriacal complaints.

A comparison of audio computer-assisted self-interviews to face-to-face interviews of sexual behavior among perinatally HIV-exposed youth.

PubMed

Dolezal, Curtis; Marhefka, Stephanie L; Santamaria, E Karina; Leu, Cheng-Shiun; Brackis-Cott, Elizabeth; Mellins, Claude Ann

2012-04-01

Computer-assisted interview methods are increasingly popular in the assessment of sensitive behaviors (e.g., substance abuse and sexual behaviors). It has been suggested that the effect of social desirability is diminished when answering via computer, as compared to an interviewer-administered face-to-face (FTF) interview, although studies exploring this hypothesis among adolescents are rare and yield inconsistent findings. This study compared two interview modes among a sample of urban, ethnic-minority, perinatally HIV-exposed U.S. youth (baseline = 148 HIV+, 126 HIV-, ages 9-16 years; follow-up = 120 HIV+, 110 HIV-, ages 10-19 years). Participants were randomly assigned to receive a sexual behavior interview via either Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interview (ACASI) or FTF interview. The prevalence of several sexual behaviors and participants' reactions to the interviews were compared. Although higher rates of sexual behaviors were typically reported in the ACASI condition, the differences rarely reached statistical significance, even when limited to demographic subgroups--except for gender. Boys were significantly more likely to report several sexual behaviors in the ACASI condition compared to FTF, whereas among girls no significant differences were found between the two conditions. ACASI-assigned youth rated the interview process as easier and more enjoyable than did FTF-assigned youth, and this was fairly consistent across subgroup analyses as well. We conclude that these more positive reactions to the ACASI interview give that methodology a slight advantage, and boys may disclose more sexual behavior when using computer-assisted interviews.

Oral Academic Discourse Socialisation: Challenges Faced by International Undergraduate Students in a Malaysian Public University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mahfoodh, Omer Hassan Ali

2014-01-01

This paper reports a qualitative study which examines the challenges faced by six international undergraduate students in their socialisation of oral academic discourse in a Malaysian public university. Data were collected employing interviews. Students' presentations were also collected. Semi-structured interviews were transcribed verbatim and…

A Comparison of Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interviews to Face-to-Face Interviews of Sexual Behavior Among Perinatally HIV-Exposed Youth

PubMed Central

Marhefka, Stephanie L.; Santamaria, E. Karina; Leu, Cheng-Shiun; Brackis-Cott, Elizabeth; Mellins, Claude Ann

2013-01-01

Computer-assisted interview methods are increasingly popular in the assessment of sensitive behaviors (e.g., substance abuse and sexual behaviors). It has been suggested that the effect of social desirability is diminished when answering via computer, as compared to an interviewer-administered face-to-face (FTF) interview, although studies exploring this hypothesis among adolescents are rare and yield inconsistent findings. This study compared two interview modes among a sample of urban, ethnic-minority, perinatally HIV-exposed U.S. youth (baseline = 148 HIV+, 126 HIV−, ages 9–16 years; follow-up = 120 HIV+, 110 HIV−, ages 10–19 years). Participants were randomly assigned to receive a sexual behavior interview via either Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interview (ACASI) or FTF interview. The prevalence of several sexual behaviors and participants’ reactions to the interviews were compared. Although higher rates of sexual behaviors were typically reported in the ACASI condition, the differences rarely reached statistical significance, even when limited to demographic subgroups—except for gender. Boys were significantly more likely to report several sexual behaviors in the ACASI condition compared to FTF, whereas among girls no significant differences were found between the two conditions. ACASI-assigned youth rated the interview process as easier and more enjoyable than did FTF-assigned youth, and this was fairly consistent across subgroup analyses as well. We conclude that these more positive reactions to the ACASI interview give that methodology a slight advantage, and boys may disclose more sexual behavior when using computer-assisted interviews. PMID:21604065

Recommendations to reduce inequalities for LGBT people facing advanced illness: ACCESSCare national qualitative interview study.

PubMed

Bristowe, Katherine; Hodson, Matthew; Wee, Bee; Almack, Kathryn; Johnson, Katherine; Daveson, Barbara A; Koffman, Jonathan; McEnhill, Linda; Harding, Richard

2018-01-01

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or trans (LGBT) people have higher risk of certain life-limiting illnesses and unmet needs in advanced illness and bereavement. ACCESSCare is the first national study to examine in depth the experiences of LGBT people facing advanced illness. To explore health-care experiences of LGBT people facing advanced illness to elicit views regarding sharing identity (sexual orientation/gender history), accessing services, discrimination/exclusion and best-practice examples. Semi-structured in-depth qualitative interviews analysed using thematic analysis. In total, 40 LGBT people from across the United Kingdom facing advanced illness: cancer ( n = 21), non-cancer ( n = 16) and both a cancer and a non-cancer conditions ( n = 3). In total, five main themes emerged: (1) person-centred care needs that may require additional/different consideration for LGBT people (including different social support structures and additional legal concerns), (2) service level or interactional (created in the consultation) barriers/stressors (including heteronormative assumptions and homophobic/transphobic behaviours), (3) invisible barriers/stressors (including the historical context of pathology/criminalisation, fears and experiences of discrimination) and (4) service level or interactional facilitators (including acknowledging and including partners in critical discussions). These all shape (5) individuals' preferences for disclosing identity. Prior experiences of discrimination or violence, in response to disclosure, were carried into future care interactions and heightened with the frailty of advanced illness. Despite recent legislative change, experiences of discrimination and exclusion in health care persist for LGBT people. Ten recommendations, for health-care professionals and services/institutions, are made from the data. These are simple, low cost and offer potential gains in access to, and outcomes of, care for LGBT people.

The psychiatric interview: validity, structure, and subjectivity.

PubMed

Nordgaard, Julie; Sass, Louis A; Parnas, Josef

2013-06-01

There is a glaring gap in the psychiatric literature concerning the nature of psychiatric symptoms and signs, and a corresponding lack of epistemological discussion of psycho-diagnostic interviewing. Contemporary clinical neuroscience heavily relies on the use of fully structured interviews that are historically rooted in logical positivism and behaviorism. These theoretical approaches marked decisively the so-called "operational revolution in psychiatry" leading to the creation of DSM-III. This paper attempts to examine the theoretical assumptions that underlie the use of a fully structured psychiatric interview. We address the ontological status of pathological experience, the notions of symptom, sign, prototype and Gestalt, and the necessary second-person processes which are involved in converting the patient's experience (originally lived in the first-person perspective) into an "objective" (third person), actionable format, used for classification, treatment, and research. Our central thesis is that psychiatry targets the phenomena of consciousness, which, unlike somatic symptoms and signs, cannot be grasped on the analogy with material thing-like objects. We claim that in order to perform faithful distinctions in this particular domain, we need a more adequate approach, that is, an approach that is guided by phenomenologically informed considerations. Our theoretical discussion draws upon clinical examples derived from structured and semi-structured interviews. We conclude that fully structured interview is neither theoretically adequate nor practically valid in obtaining psycho-diagnostic information. Failure to address these basic issues may have contributed to the current state of malaise in the study of psychopathology.

Healthcare professionals experience with motivational interviewing in their encounter with obese pregnant women.

PubMed

Lindhardt, Christina Louise; Rubak, Sune; Mogensen, Ole; Hansen, Helle Ploug; Goldstein, Henri; Lamont, Ronald F; Joergensen, Jan Stener

2015-07-01

to explore and describe how healthcare professionals in the Southern Region of Denmark experienced motivational interviewing as a communication method when working with pregnant women with obesity. a qualitative, descriptive study based on face-to-face interviews with 11 obstetric healthcare professionals working in a perinatal setting. a thematic descriptive method was applied to semi-structured interviews. The healthcare professional's experiences were recorded verbatim during individual semi-structured qualitative interviews, transcribed, and analysed using a descriptive analysis methodology. motivational interviewing was found to be a useful method when communicating with obese pregnant women. The method made the healthcare professionals more aware of their own communication style both when encountering pregnant women and in their interaction with colleagues. However, most of the healthcare professionals emphasised that time was crucial and they had to be dedicated to the motivational interviewing method. The healthcare professionals further stated that it enabled them to become more professional in their daily work and made some of them feel less 'burned out', 'powerless' and 'stressed' as they felt they had a communication method in handling difficult workloads. healthcare professionals experienced motivational interviewing to be a useful method when working perinatally. The motivational interviewing method permitted heightened awareness of the healthcare professionals communication method with the patients and increased their ability to handle a difficult workload. Overall, lack of time restricted the use of the motivational interviewing method on a daily basis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Unmarried women’s ways of facing single motherhood in Sri Lanka – a qualitative interview study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background In Sri Lanka, motherhood within marriage is highly valued. Sex out of wedlock is socially unacceptable and can create serious public health problems such as illegal abortions, suicide and infanticide, and single motherhood as a result of premarital sex is considered shameful. The way unmarried women facing single motherhood reflect on and make use of their agency in their social environments characterised by limited social and financial support has consequences for the health and well-being of both themselves and their children. The aim of this study was to explore and describe how unmarried women facing single motherhood in Sri Lanka handle their situation. Methods This qualitative study comprised semi-structured interviews with 28 unmarried pregnant women or single mothers. The data were analysed by qualitative content analysis and the results related to the conceptual framework of social navigation. Results The women facing single motherhood expressed awareness of having trespassed norms of sexuality through self-blame, victimhood and obedience, and by considering or attempting suicide. They demonstrated willingness to take responsibility for becoming pregnant before marriage by giving the child up for adoption, bringing up the child themselves, claiming a father for their child, refraining from marriage in the future, permanently leave their home environment, and taking up employment. Throughout the interviews, the women expressed fear of shame, and striving for familial and societal acceptance and financial survival. Conclusions A social environment highly condemning of unmarried motherhood hindered these women from making strategic choices on how to handle their situation. However, to achieve acceptance and survival, the women tactically navigated norms of femininity, strong family dependence, a limited work market, and different sources of support. Limited access to resources restricted the women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights

Recommendations to reduce inequalities for LGBT people facing advanced illness: ACCESSCare national qualitative interview study

PubMed Central

Bristowe, Katherine; Hodson, Matthew; Wee, Bee; Almack, Kathryn; Johnson, Katherine; Daveson, Barbara A; Koffman, Jonathan; McEnhill, Linda; Harding, Richard

2017-01-01

Background: Lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or trans (LGBT) people have higher risk of certain life-limiting illnesses and unmet needs in advanced illness and bereavement. ACCESSCare is the first national study to examine in depth the experiences of LGBT people facing advanced illness. Aim: To explore health-care experiences of LGBT people facing advanced illness to elicit views regarding sharing identity (sexual orientation/gender history), accessing services, discrimination/exclusion and best-practice examples. Design: Semi-structured in-depth qualitative interviews analysed using thematic analysis. Setting/participants: In total, 40 LGBT people from across the United Kingdom facing advanced illness: cancer (n = 21), non-cancer (n = 16) and both a cancer and a non-cancer conditions (n = 3). Results: In total, five main themes emerged: (1) person-centred care needs that may require additional/different consideration for LGBT people (including different social support structures and additional legal concerns), (2) service level or interactional (created in the consultation) barriers/stressors (including heteronormative assumptions and homophobic/transphobic behaviours), (3) invisible barriers/stressors (including the historical context of pathology/criminalisation, fears and experiences of discrimination) and (4) service level or interactional facilitators (including acknowledging and including partners in critical discussions). These all shape (5) individuals’ preferences for disclosing identity. Prior experiences of discrimination or violence, in response to disclosure, were carried into future care interactions and heightened with the frailty of advanced illness. Conclusion: Despite recent legislative change, experiences of discrimination and exclusion in health care persist for LGBT people. Ten recommendations, for health-care professionals and services/institutions, are made from the data. These are simple, low cost and offer potential gains in access

Effect of face-to-face interview versus computer-assisted self-interview on disclosure of intimate partner violence among African American women in WIC clinics.

PubMed

Fincher, Danielle; VanderEnde, Kristin; Colbert, Kia; Houry, Debra; Smith, L Shakiyla; Yount, Kathryn M

2015-03-01

African American women in the United States report intimate partner violence (IPV) more often than the general population of women. Overall, women underreport IPV because of shame, embarrassment, fear of retribution, or low expectation of legal support. African American women may be especially unlikely to report IPV because of poverty, low social support, and past experiences of discrimination. The purpose of this article is to determine the context in which low-income African American women disclose IPV. Consenting African American women receiving Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) services in WIC clinics were randomized to complete an IPV screening (Revised Conflict Tactics Scales-Short Form) via computer-assisted self-interview (CASI) or face-to-face interview (FTFI). Women (n = 368) reported high rates of lifetime and prior-year verbal (48%, 34%), physical (12%, 7%), sexual (10%, 7%), and any (49%, 36%) IPV, as well as IPV-related injury (13%, 7%). Mode of screening, but not interviewer race, affected disclosure. Women screened via FTFI reported significantly more lifetime and prior-year negotiation (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 10.54, 3.97) and more prior-year verbal (aOR = 2.10), sexual (aOR = 4.31), and any (aOR = 2.02) IPV than CASI-screened women. African American women in a WIC setting disclosed IPV more often in face-to-face than computer screening, and race-matching of client and interviewer did not affect disclosure. Findings highlight the potential value of face-to-face screening to identify women at risk of IPV. Programs should weigh the costs and benefits of training staff versus using computer-based technologies to screen for IPV in WIC settings. © The Author(s) 2014.

Building managed primary care practice networks to deliver better clinical care: a qualitative semi-structured interview study.

PubMed

Pawa, Jasmine; Robson, John; Hull, Sally

2017-11-01

Primary care practices are increasingly working in larger groups. In 2009, all 36 primary care practices in the London borough of Tower Hamlets were grouped geographically into eight managed practice networks to improve the quality of care they delivered. Quantitative evaluation has shown improved clinical outcomes. To provide insight into the process of network implementation, including the aims, facilitating factors, and barriers, from both the clinical and managerial perspectives. A qualitative study of network implementation in the London borough of Tower Hamlets, which serves a socially disadvantaged and ethnically diverse population. Nineteen semi-structured interviews were carried out with doctors, nurses, and managers, and were informed by existing literature on integrated care and GP networks. Interviews were recorded and transcribed, and thematic analysis used to analyse emerging themes. Interviewees agreed that networks improved clinical care and reduced variation in practice performance. Network implementation was facilitated by the balance struck between 'a given structure' and network autonomy to adopt local solutions. Improved use of data, including patient recall and peer performance indicators, were viewed as critical key factors. Targeted investment provided the necessary resources to achieve this. Barriers to implementing networks included differences in practice culture, a reluctance to share data, and increased workload. Commissioners and providers were positive about the implementation of GP networks as a way to improve the quality of clinical care in Tower Hamlets. The issues that arose may be of relevance to other areas implementing similar quality improvement programmes at scale. © British Journal of General Practice 2017.

Facilitating collaboration between pharmacists and physicians using an iterative interview process

PubMed Central

Chui, Michelle A.; Stone, Jamie A.; Odukoya, Olufumilola K.; Maxwell, Leigh

2014-01-01

Objective To elicit and describe mutually agreed upon common problems and subsequent solutions resulting from a facilitated face-to-face meeting between pharmacists and physicians. Design Descriptive, exploratory, non-experimental study. Setting Wisconsin from October to December 2011. Participants Physicians and community pharmacists Intervention Face-to-face semi-structured interviews with pharmacists and physicians from the same community, informed by previous individual interviews. Main outcome measure Methods to enhance collaboration and barriers to implementing collaboration between pharmacists and physicians Results Physicians and pharmacists generated ideas in which collaboration could improve patient care, including controlled substance monitoring, medication adherence, collaborative practice agreements for point of service issues, and a mechanism for urgent communication. Methods on how to collaborate on these issues were also discussed. Conclusions Bringing physicians and pharmacists together for a face-to-face interaction that was informed by information gained in previous individual interviews successfully stimulated conversation on ways in which each profession could help the other provide optimal patient care. This interaction appeared to dispel assumptions and build trust. Results of this project may provide pharmacists with the confidence to reach out to their physician colleagues. PMID:24362573

Color-coded audio computer-assisted self-interviews (C-ACASI) for poorly educated men and women in a semi-rural area of South India: "good, scary and thrilling".

PubMed

Bhatnagar, Tarun; Brown, Joelle; Saravanamurthy, P Sakthivel; Kumar, Raju Mohan; Detels, Roger

2013-07-01

It is challenging to collect accurate and complete data on sensitive issues such as sexual behaviors. Our objective was to explore experience and perceptions regarding the use of a locally programmed color-coded audio computer-assisted self interview (C-ACASI) system among men and women in a semi-rural setting in south India. We conducted a mixed-methods cross-sectional survey using semi-structured interviews among 89 truck drivers and 101 truck driver wives who had participated earlier in the C-ACASI survey across a predominantly rural district in Tamil Nadu. To assess the color-coded format used, descriptive quantitative analysis was coupled with thematic content analysis of qualitative data. Only 10% of participants had ever used a computer before. Nearly 75% did not report any problem in using C-ACASI. The length of the C-ACASI survey was acceptable to 98% of participants. Overall, 87% of wives and 73% of truck drivers stated that C-ACASI was user-friendly and felt comfortable in responding to the sensitive questions. Nearly all (97%) participants reported that using C-ACASI encouraged them to respond honestly compared to face-to-face personal interviews. Both the drivers and wives expressed that C-ACASI provided confidentiality, privacy, anonymity, and an easy mechanism for responding truthfully to potentially embarrassing questions about their personal sexual relationships. It is feasible and acceptable to use C-ACASI for collecting sensitive data from poorly computer-literate, non-English-speaking, predominantly rural populations of women and men. Our findings support the implementation of effective and culturally sensitive C-ACASI for data collection, albeit with additional validation.

Color-Coded Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interviews (C-ACASI) for Poorly Educated Men and Women in a Semi-rural Area of South India: “Good, Scary and Thrilling”

PubMed Central

Bhatnagar, Tarun; Brown, Joelle; Saravanamurthy, P. Sakthivel; Kumar, Raju Mohan; Detels, Roger

2013-01-01

It is challenging to collect accurate and complete data on sensitive issues such as sexual behaviors. Our objective was to explore experience and perceptions regarding the use of a locally programmed color-coded audio computer-assisted self interview (C-ACASI) system among men and women in a semi-rural setting in south India. We conducted a mixed-methods cross-sectional survey using semi-structured interviews among 89 truck drivers and 101 truck driver wives who had participated earlier in the C-ACASI survey across a predominantly rural district in Tamil Nadu. To assess the color-coded format used, descriptive quantitative analysis was coupled with thematic content analysis of qualitative data. Only 10 % of participants had ever used a computer before. Nearly 75 % did not report any problem in using C-ACASI. The length of the C-ACASI survey was acceptable to 98 % of participants. Overall, 87 % of wives and 73 % of truck drivers stated that C-ACASI was user-friendly and felt comfortable in responding to the sensitive questions. Nearly all (97 %) participants reported that using C-ACASI encouraged them to respond honestly compared to face-to-face personal interviews. Both the drivers and wives expressed that C-ACASI provided confidentiality, privacy, anonymity, and an easy mechanism for responding truthfully to potentially embarrassing questions about their personal sexual relationships. It is feasible and acceptable to use C-ACASI for collecting sensitive data from poorly computer-literate, non-English-speaking, predominantly rural populations of women and men. Our findings support the implementation of effective and culturally sensitive C-ACASI for data collection, albeit with additional validation. PMID:23361948

Experiences of living with dementia: qualitative content analysis of semi-structured interviews.

PubMed

Mazaheri, Monir; Eriksson, Lars E; Heikkilä, Kristiina; Nasrabadi, Alireza Nikbakht; Ekman, Sirkka-Liisa; Sunvisson, Helena

2013-11-01

To describe people's experiences of living with dementia in Iran. A knowledge gap exists regarding the experiences of living with dementia in nonWestern contexts. This gap may be especially apparent within the Iranian context, where dementia research is relatively new. Deeper understanding about context-related experiences of dementia is a prerequisite for nurses' ability to provide adequate and meaningful care. Qualitative, cross-sectional design. Qualitative content analysis of semi-structured interviews with people living with dementia in urban Iran (six women and nine men; 60-87 years old). The participants experienced their condition as a state of forgetfulness that was accompanied by losses and dependency on others. They wanted to feel good about themselves and feel important, but they continually struggled with matters such as a loss of accountability, feelings of futility and the frustration of others. Economic dependency and a lack of economic resources were sources of feelings of futility. Experiences of living with dementia in Iran included a substantial struggle to stay connected to the social world and to deal with dramatic life changes, aspects of living with dementia that seem to be universal. However, the feelings of financial burden and the experience of being nagged for their shortfalls by family members have seldom been described in other studies and seem to represent a cultural aspect of their experience. The results of the study call for further nursing efforts in supporting people living with dementia in their struggle with their altered lives and in retaining their connections to everyday life. Furthermore, their family members might benefit from specific nursing interventions including information about dementia and advice on how to help the family members with dementia to interact with others while exercising their individual strengths. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Querying Semi-Structured Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abiteboul, Serge

1997-01-01

The amount of data of all kinds available electronically has increased dramatically in recent years. The data resides in different forms, ranging from unstructured data in the systems to highly structured in relational database systems. Data is accessible through a variety of interfaces including Web browsers, database query languages, application-specic interfaces, or data exchange formats. Some of this data is raw data, e.g., images or sound. Some of it has structure even if the structure is often implicit, and not as rigid or regular as that found in standard database systems. Sometimes the structure exists but has to be extracted from the data. Sometimes also it exists but we prefer to ignore it for certain purposes such as browsing. We call here semi-structured data this data that is (from a particular viewpoint) neither raw data nor strictly typed, i.e., not table-oriented as in a relational model or sorted-graph as in object databases. As will seen later when the notion of semi-structured data is more precisely de ned, the need for semi-structured data arises naturally in the context of data integration, even when the data sources are themselves well-structured. Although data integration is an old topic, the need to integrate a wider variety of data- formats (e.g., SGML or ASN.1 data) and data found on the Web has brought the topic of semi-structured data to the forefront of research. The main purpose of the paper is to isolate the essential aspects of semi- structured data. We also survey some proposals of models and query languages for semi-structured data. In particular, we consider recent works at Stanford U. and U. Penn on semi-structured data. In both cases, the motivation is found in the integration of heterogeneous data.

Cell Phone and Face-to-Face Interview Responses in Population-Based Surveys: How Do They Compare?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mahfoud, Ziyad; Ghandour, Lilian; Ghandour, Blanche; Mokdad, Ali H.; Sibai, Abla M.

2015-01-01

Findings on the reliability and cost-effectiveness of the use of cellular phones vis-à-vis face-to-face interviews in investigating health behaviors and conditions are presented for a national epidemiological sample from Lebanon. Using self-reported responses on identical questions, percentage agreement, ? statistics, and McNemar's test were used…

Chronic kidney disease in Nicaragua: a qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with physicians and pharmacists.

PubMed

Ramirez-Rubio, Oriana; Brooks, Daniel R; Amador, Juan Jose; Kaufman, James S; Weiner, Daniel E; Scammell, Madeleine Kangsen

2013-04-16

Northwestern Nicaragua has a high prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) of unknown cause among young adult men. In addition, frequent occurrence of urinary tract infections (UTI) among men and a dysuria syndrome described by sugarcane workers as "chistata" are both reported. This study examines health professionals´ perceptions regarding etiology of these conditions and their treatment approaches, including use of potentially nephrotoxic medications. Nineteen in-person semi-structured interviews were conducted in November 2010 among ten physicians and nine pharmacists practicing in the region. Health professionals perceived CKD as a serious and increasing problem in the region, primarily affecting young men working as manual laborers. All interviewees regarded occupational and environmental exposure to sun and heat, and dehydration as critical factors associated with the occurrence of CKD. These factors were also considered to play a role in the occurrence of chistata in the region. Health professionals indicated that reluctance among workers to hydrate might be influenced by perceptions of water contamination. Symptoms often were treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), diuretics and antibiotics. Physicians acknowledged that the diagnosis of UTI usually was not based on microbial culture and opined that the use of potentially nephrotoxic medications may be contributing to CKD. Interviews provided evidence suggesting that medications such as diuretics, antibiotics and NSAIDs are widely used and sold over the counter for symptoms that may be related to dehydration and volume depletion. These factors, alone or in combination, may be possible contributors to kidney damage. Acute kidney damage coupled with volume depletion and exposures including medications and infectious agents should be further evaluated as causal factors for CKD in this region.

The Relationship between Health Professionals and the Elderly Patient Facing Drug Prescription: A Qualitative Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lefevre, Fernando; Teixeira, Jorge Juarez Vieira; Lefevre, Ana Maria Cavalcanti; de Castro, Lia Lusitana Cardozo; Spinola, Aracy Witt de Pinho

2004-01-01

Aiming at identifying the relationship between the elderly patient facing drug prescription and health professionals, an exploratory and descriptive study of a qualitative cut was carried out using semi-structured interviews. To this end, the Collective Subject Discourse analysis technique was employed. Thirty elderly patients living in the urban…

Engaging New Migrants in Infectious Disease Screening: A Qualitative Semi-Structured Interview Study of UK Migrant Community Health-Care Leads

PubMed Central

Seedat, Farah; Hargreaves, Sally; Friedland, Jonathan S.

2014-01-01

Migration to Europe - and in particular the UK - has risen dramatically in the past decades, with implications for public health services. Migrants have increased vulnerability to infectious diseases (70% of TB cases and 60% HIV cases are in migrants) and face multiple barriers to healthcare. There is currently considerable debate as to the optimum approach to infectious disease screening in this often hard-to-reach group, and an urgent need for innovative approaches. Little research has focused on the specific experience of new migrants, nor sought their views on ways forward. We undertook a qualitative semi-structured interview study of migrant community health-care leads representing dominant new migrant groups in London, UK, to explore their views around barriers to screening, acceptability of screening, and innovative approaches to screening for four key diseases (HIV, TB, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C). Participants unanimously agreed that current screening models are not perceived to be widely accessible to new migrant communities. Dominant barriers that discourage uptake of screening include disease-related stigma present in their own communities and services being perceived as non-migrant friendly. New migrants are likely to be disproportionately affected by these barriers, with implications for health status. Screening is certainly acceptable to new migrants, however, services need to be developed to become more community-based, proactive, and to work more closely with community organisations; findings that mirror the views of migrants and health-care providers in Europe and internationally. Awareness raising about the benefits of screening within new migrant communities is critical. One innovative approach proposed by participants is a community-based package of health screening combining all key diseases into one general health check-up, to lessen the associated stigma. Further research is needed to develop evidence-based community-focused screening

"It's Intense, to an Extent": A Qualitative Study of the Emotional Challenges Faced by Staff Working on a Treatment Programme for Intellectually Disabled Sex Offenders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandhu, Daljit K.; Rose, John; Rostill-Brookes, Helen J.; Thrift, Su

2012-01-01

Background: This study explores the emotional challenges faced by staff working on a sex offender treatment programme for people with an intellectual disability. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were carried out with eight participants working on a treatment programme for sex offenders with an intellectual disability. Interviews were analysed…

Chronic kidney disease in Nicaragua: a qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with physicians and pharmacists

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Northwestern Nicaragua has a high prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) of unknown cause among young adult men. In addition, frequent occurrence of urinary tract infections (UTI) among men and a dysuria syndrome described by sugarcane workers as “chistata” are both reported. This study examines health professionals´ perceptions regarding etiology of these conditions and their treatment approaches, including use of potentially nephrotoxic medications. Methods Nineteen in-person semi-structured interviews were conducted in November 2010 among ten physicians and nine pharmacists practicing in the region. Results Health professionals perceived CKD as a serious and increasing problem in the region, primarily affecting young men working as manual laborers. All interviewees regarded occupational and environmental exposure to sun and heat, and dehydration as critical factors associated with the occurrence of CKD. These factors were also considered to play a role in the occurrence of chistata in the region. Health professionals indicated that reluctance among workers to hydrate might be influenced by perceptions of water contamination. Symptoms often were treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), diuretics and antibiotics. Physicians acknowledged that the diagnosis of UTI usually was not based on microbial culture and opined that the use of potentially nephrotoxic medications may be contributing to CKD. Conclusions Interviews provided evidence suggesting that medications such as diuretics, antibiotics and NSAIDs are widely used and sold over the counter for symptoms that may be related to dehydration and volume depletion. These factors, alone or in combination, may be possible contributors to kidney damage. Acute kidney damage coupled with volume depletion and exposures including medications and infectious agents should be further evaluated as causal factors for CKD in this region. PMID:23590528

Patients' Perspectives on the Prevention and Treatment of Peritonitis in Peritoneal Dialysis: A Semi-Structured Interview Study.

PubMed

Campbell, Denise J; Craig, Jonathan C; Mudge, David W; Brown, Fiona G; Wong, Germaine; Tong, Allison

♦ BACKGROUND: Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is recommended for adults with residual kidney function and without significant comorbidities. However, peritonitis is a serious and common complication that is associated with hospitalization, pain, catheter loss, and death. This study aims to describe the beliefs, needs, and experiences of PD patients about peritonitis, to inform the training, support, and care of these patients. ♦ METHODS: Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 29 patients from 3 renal units in Australia who had previous or current experience of PD. The interviews were conducted between November 2014 and November 2015. Transcripts were analyzed thematically. ♦ RESULTS: We identified 4 themes: constant vigilance for prevention (conscious of vulnerability, sharing responsibility with family, demanding attention to detail, ambiguity of detecting infection, ineradicable inhabitation, jeopardizing PD success); invading harm (life-threatening, wreaking internal damage, debilitating pain, losing control and dignity); incapacitating lifestyle interference (financial strain, isolation and separation, exacerbating burden on family); and exasperation with hospitalization (dread of hospital admission, exposure to infection, gruelling follow-up schedule, exposure to harm). ♦ CONCLUSIONS: Patients perceived that peritonitis could threaten their health, treatment modality, and lifestyle, which motivated vigilance and attention to hygiene. They felt a loss of control due to debilitating symptoms including pain and having to be hospitalized, and they were uncertain about how to monitor for signs of peritonitis. Providing patients with education about the causes and signs of peritonitis and addressing their concerns about lifestyle impact, financial impact, hospitalization, and peritonitis-related anxieties may improve treatment satisfaction and outcomes for patients requiring PD. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis.

Face Hallucination with Linear Regression Model in Semi-Orthogonal Multilinear PCA Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asavaskulkiet, Krissada

2018-04-01

In this paper, we propose a new face hallucination technique, face images reconstruction in HSV color space with a semi-orthogonal multilinear principal component analysis method. This novel hallucination technique can perform directly from tensors via tensor-to-vector projection by imposing the orthogonality constraint in only one mode. In our experiments, we use facial images from FERET database to test our hallucination approach which is demonstrated by extensive experiments with high-quality hallucinated color faces. The experimental results assure clearly demonstrated that we can generate photorealistic color face images by using the SO-MPCA subspace with a linear regression model.

Structured Interviews: Developing Interviewing Skills in Human Resource Management Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doll, Jessica L.

2018-01-01

Structured interviews are widely used in the employment process; however, students often have little experience asking and responding to structured interview questions. In a format similar to "speed dating," this exercise actively engages students in the interview process. Students pair off to gain experience as an interviewer by asking…

Development and reliability of a structured interview guide for the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (SIGMA).

PubMed

Williams, Janet B W; Kobak, Kenneth A

2008-01-01

The Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) is often used in clinical trials to select patients and to assess treatment efficacy. The scale was originally published without suggested questions for clinicians to use in gathering the information necessary to rate the items. Structured and semi-structured interview guides have been found to improve reliability with other scales. To describe the development and test-retest reliability of a structured interview guide for the MADRS (SIGMA). A total of 162 test-retest interviews were conducted by 81 rater pairs. Each patient was interviewed twice, once by each rater conducting an independent interview. The intraclass correlation for total score between raters using the SIGMA was r=0.93, P<0.0001. All ten items had good to excellent interrater reliability. Use of the SIGMA can result in high reliability of MADRS scores in evaluating patients with depression.

The Structured Interview and Interviewer Training in the Admissions Process

PubMed Central

Cox, Wendy C.; White-Harris, Carla; Blalock, Susan J.

2007-01-01

Objectives To determine the extent to which the structured interview is used in the PharmD admissions process in US colleges and schools of pharmacy, and the prevalence and content of interviewer training. Methods A survey instrument consisting of 7 questions regarding interviews and interviewer training was sent to 92 colleges and schools of pharmacy in the United States that were accredited or seeking accreditation. Results Sixty survey instruments (65% response rate) were returned. The majority of the schools that responded (80%) used interviews as part of the PharmD admissions process. Of the schools that used an interview as part of the admissions process, 86% provided some type of interviewer training and 13% used a set of predefined questions in admissions interviews. Conclusions Most colleges and schools of pharmacy use some components of the structured interview in the PharmD admissions process; however, training for interviewers varies widely among colleges and schools of pharmacy. PMID:17998980

Acceptance of a structured diagnostic interview in children, parents, and interviewers.

PubMed

Neuschwander, Murielle; In-Albon, Tina; Meyer, Andrea H; Schneider, Silvia

2017-09-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the satisfaction and acceptance of a structured diagnostic interview in clinical practice and in a research setting. Using the Structured Diagnostic Interview for Mental Disorders in Children and Adolescents (Kinder-DIPS), 28 certified interviewers conducted 202 interviews (115 with parents, 87 with children). After each interview, children, parents, and interviewers completed a questionnaire assessing the overall satisfaction (0 = not at all satisfied to 100 = totally satisfied) and acceptance (0 = completely disagree to 3 = completely agree) with the interview. Satisfaction ratings were highly positive, all means >82. The mean of the overall acceptance for children was 2.43 (standard deviation [SD] = 0.41), 2.54 (SD = 0.33) of the parents, 2.30 (SD = 0.43) of the children's interviewers, and 2.46 (SD = 0.32) of the parents' interviewers. Using separate univariate regression models, significant predictors for higher satisfaction and acceptance with the interview are higher children's Global Assessment of Functioning, fewer number of children's diagnoses, shorter duration of the interview, a research setting, female sex of the interviewer, and older age of the interviewer. Results indicate that structured diagnostic interviews are highly accepted by children, parents, and interviewers. Importantly, this is true for different treatment settings. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Validation of a structured interview for telephone assessment of the modified Rankin Scale in Brazilian stroke patients.

PubMed

Baggio, Jussara A O; Santos-Pontelli, Taiza E G; Cougo-Pinto, Pedro T; Camilo, Millene; Silva, Nathalia F; Antunes, Paula; Machado, Laura; Leite, João P; Pontes-Neto, Octavio M

2014-01-01

The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) is a commonly used scale to assess the functional outcome after stroke. Several studies on mRS showed good reliability, feasibility, and interrater agreement of this scale using a face-to-face assessment. However, telephone assessment is a more time-efficient way to obtain an mRS grade than a face-to-face interview. The aim of this study was to validate the telephone assessment of mRS among the Portuguese using a structured interview in a sample of Brazilian stroke patients. We evaluated 50 stroke outpatients twice. The first interview was face-to-face and the second was made by telephone and the time between the two assessments ranged between 7 and 14 days. Four certified raters evaluated the patients using a structured interview based on a questionnaire previously published in the literature. Raters were blinded for the Rankin score given by the other rater. For both assessments, the rater could also interview a caregiver if necessary. The patients' mean age was 62.8 ± 14.7, mean number of years of study 5.2 ± 3.4, 52% were males, 55.2% of patients needed a caregiver's help to answer the questions. The majority of caregivers were female (85%), mean age 49.1 ± 15, and mean number of years of study 8.3 ± 3.4. Perfect agreement between the telephone and face-to-face assessments was obtained for 27 (54%) patients, corresponding to an unweighted Kappa of 0.44 (95% CI 0.27-0.61) and a weighted Kappa of 0.89. The median of telephone assessment mRS was 3.5 (interquartile range = 2-4) and of face-to-face assessment was 4 (interquartile range = 2-5). There was no difference between the two assessments (Wilcoxon test, p = 0.35). Despite the low education level of our sample, the telephone assessment of functional impairment of stroke patients using a translated and culturally adapted Brazilian Portuguese version of the mRS showed good validity and reliability. Therefore, the telephone assessment of mRS can be used in clinical practice and

Interviews in qualitative research.

PubMed

Peters, Kath; Halcomb, Elizabeth

2015-03-01

Interviews are a common method of data collection in nursing research. They are frequently used alone in a qualitative study or combined with other data collection methods in mixed or multi-method research. Semi-structured interviews, where the researcher has some predefined questions or topics but then probes further as the participant responds, can produce powerful data that provide insights into the participants' experiences, perceptions or opinions.

The use of semi-structured interviews for collection of qualitative and quantitative data in hydrological studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Keeffe, Jimmy; Buytaert, Wouter; Mijic, Ana; Brozovic, Nicholas

2015-04-01

To build an accurate, robust understanding of the environment, it is important to not only collect information describing its physical characteristics, but also the drivers which influence it. As environmental change, from increasing CO2 levels to decreasing water levels, is often heavily influenced by human activity, gathering information on anthropogenic as well as environmental variables is extremely important. This can mean collecting qualitative, as well as quantitative information. In reality studies are often bound by financial and time constraints, limiting the depth and detail of the research. It is up to the researcher to determine what the best methodology to answer the research questions is likely to be. Here we present a methodology of collecting qualitative and quantitative information in tandem for hydrological studies through the use of semi-structured interviews. This is applied to a case study in two districts of Uttar Pradesh, North India, one of the most intensely irrigated areas of the world. Here, decreasing water levels exacerbated by unchecked water abstraction, an expanding population and government subsidies, have put the long term resilience of the farming population in doubt. Through random selection of study locations, combined with convenience sampling of the participants therein, we show how the data collected can provide valuable insight into the drivers which have led to the current water scenario. We also show how reliable quantitative information can, using the same methodology, be effectively and efficiently extracted for modelling purposes, which along with developing an understanding of the characteristics of the environment is vital in coming up with realistic and sustainable solutions for water resource management in the future.

Engaging clinicians in motivational interviewing: Comparing online with face-to-face post-training consolidation.

PubMed

Clancy, Richard; Taylor, Andrew

2016-02-01

Motivational interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based intervention that has been widely recommended in clinical settings where consumer behaviour change is a goal of treatment. Training clinicians in MI, as with other translational endeavours, does not always result in changes to clinical practice. The present study compares two post-training approaches to consolidate MI skills following a training workshop. We randomly assigned 63 clinicians working in mental health or drug and alcohol services to receive either face-to-face group consolidation sessions or to access a series of online consolidation resources. We compared clinician engagement and devised a new instrument to measure clinician outcomes. Participants who completed follow-up consolidation retained knowledge, attitudes, and practices, regardless of consolidation method. Face-to-face consolidation sessions were superior to online materials in engaging participants (mean sessions attended was 2.1 (maximum possible = 3) compared to a mean of 1.38 sessions, respectively (t(61) = -2.73, P = 0.008, d = 0.72, 95% confidence interval: 0.19-1.25). Engagement to the completion of consolidation sessions was also influenced by previous training in MI. For every additional hour of previous MI training, there was a 10% increase in the odds that the participant would complete the final consolidation session. © 2016 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc.

Semi-Supervised Sparse Representation Based Classification for Face Recognition With Insufficient Labeled Samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Yuan; Ma, Jiayi; Yuille, Alan L.

2017-05-01

This paper addresses the problem of face recognition when there is only few, or even only a single, labeled examples of the face that we wish to recognize. Moreover, these examples are typically corrupted by nuisance variables, both linear (i.e., additive nuisance variables such as bad lighting, wearing of glasses) and non-linear (i.e., non-additive pixel-wise nuisance variables such as expression changes). The small number of labeled examples means that it is hard to remove these nuisance variables between the training and testing faces to obtain good recognition performance. To address the problem we propose a method called Semi-Supervised Sparse Representation based Classification (S$^3$RC). This is based on recent work on sparsity where faces are represented in terms of two dictionaries: a gallery dictionary consisting of one or more examples of each person, and a variation dictionary representing linear nuisance variables (e.g., different lighting conditions, different glasses). The main idea is that (i) we use the variation dictionary to characterize the linear nuisance variables via the sparsity framework, then (ii) prototype face images are estimated as a gallery dictionary via a Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM), with mixed labeled and unlabeled samples in a semi-supervised manner, to deal with the non-linear nuisance variations between labeled and unlabeled samples. We have done experiments with insufficient labeled samples, even when there is only a single labeled sample per person. Our results on the AR, Multi-PIE, CAS-PEAL, and LFW databases demonstrate that the proposed method is able to deliver significantly improved performance over existing methods.

Assessment of personality-related levels of functioning: a pilot study of clinical assessment of the DSM-5 level of personality functioning based on a semi-structured interview.

PubMed

Thylstrup, Birgitte; Simonsen, Sebastian; Nemery, Caroline; Simonsen, Erik; Noll, Jane Fjernestad; Myatt, Mikkel Wanting; Hesse, Morten

2016-08-25

The personality disorder categories in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV have been extensively criticized, and there is a growing consensus that personality pathology should be represented dimensionally rather than categorically. The aim of this pilot study was to test the Clinical Assessment of the Level of Personality Functioning Scale, a semi-structured clinical interview, designed to assess the Level of Personality Functioning Scale of the DSM-5 (Section III) by applying strategies similar to what characterizes assessments in clinical practice. The inter-rater reliability of the assessment of the four domains and the total impairment in the Level of Personality Functioning Scale were measured in a patient sample that varied in terms of severity and type of pathology. Ratings were done independently by the interviewer and two experts who watched a videotaped Clinical Assessment of the Level of Personality Functioning Scale interview. Inter-rater reliability coefficients varied between domains and were not sufficient for clinical practice, but may support the use of the interview to assess the dimensions of personality functioning for research purposes. While designed to measure the Level of Personality Functioning Scale with a high degree of similarity to clinical practice, the Clinical Assessment of the Level of Personality Functioning Scale had weak reliabilities and a rating based on a single interview should not be considered a stand-alone assessment of areas of functioning for a given patient.

Face-to-Face and Online Networks: College Students' Experiences in a Weight-Loss Trial.

PubMed

Merchant, Gina; Weibel, Nadir; Pina, Laura; Griswold, William G; Fowler, James H; Ayala, Guadalupe X; Gallo, Linda C; Hollan, James; Patrick, Kevin

2017-01-01

This study aimed to understand how college students participating in a 2-year randomized controlled trial (Project SMART: Social and Mobile Approach to Reduce Weight; N = 404) engaged their social networks and used social and mobile technologies to try and lose weight. Participants in the present study (n = 20 treatment, n = 18 control) were approached after a measurement visit and administered semi-structured interviews. Interviews were analyzed using principles from grounded theory. Treatment group participants appreciated the timely support provided by the study and the integration of content across multiple technologies. Participants in both groups reported using non-study-designed apps to help them lose weight, and many participants knew one another outside of the study. Individuals talked about weight-loss goals with their friends face to face and felt accountable to follow through with their intentions. Although seeing others' success online motivated many, there was a range of perceived acceptability in talking about personal health-related information on social media. The findings from this qualitative study can inform intervention trials using social and mobile technologies to promote weight loss. For example, weight-loss trials should measure participants' use of direct-to-consumer technologies and interconnectivity so that treatment effects can be isolated and cross-contamination accounted for.

Family medicine in Iran: facing the health system challenges.

PubMed

Esmaeili, Reza; Hadian, Mohammad; Rashidian, Arash; Shariati, Mohammad; Ghaderi, Hossien

2014-11-30

In response to the current fragmented context of health systems, it is essential to support the revitalization of primary health care in order to provide a stronger sense of direction and integrity. Around the world, family medicine recognized as a core discipline for strengthening primary health care setting. This study aimed to understand the perspectives of policy makers and decision makers of Iran's health system about the implementation of family medicine in Iran urban areas. This study is a qualitative study with framework analysis. Purposive semi-structured interviews were conducted with Policy and decision makers in the five main organizations of Iran health care system. The codes were extracted using inductive and deductive methods. According to 27 semi-structured interviews were conducted with Policy and decision makers, three main themes and 8 subthemes extracted, including: The development of referral system, better access to health care and the management of chronic diseases. Family medicine is a viable means for a series of crucial reforms in the face of the current challenges of health system. Implementation of family medicine can strengthen the PHC model in Iran urban areas. Attempting to create a general consensus among various stakeholders is essential for effective implementation of the project.

The development of a semi-structured home interview (CHIF) to directly assess function in cognitively impaired elderly people in two cultures

PubMed Central

Hendrie, H. C.; Lane, K. A.; Ogunniyi, A.; Baiyewu, O.; Gureje, O.; Evans, R.; Smith-Gamble, V.; Pettaway, M.; Unverzagt, F. W.; Gao, S.; Hall, K. S.

2010-01-01

Background Assessing function is a crucial element in the diagnosis of dementia. This information is usually obtained from key informants. However, reliable informants are not always available. Methods A 10-item semi-structured home interview (the CHIF, or Clinician Home-based Interview to assess Function) to assess function primarily by measuring instrumental activities of daily living directly was developed and tested for inter-rater reliability and validity as part of the Indianapolis–Ibadan dementia project. The primary validity measurements were correlations between scores on the CHIF and independently gathered scores on the Blessed Dementia Scale (from informants) and the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE). Sensitivities and specificities of scores on the CHIF and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed with dementia as the dependent variable. Results Inter-rater reliability for the CHIF was high (Pearson’s correlation coefficient 0.99 in Indianapolis and 0.87 in Ibadan). Internal consistency, in both samples, was good (Cronbach’s α 0.95 in Indianapolis and 0.83 in Ibadan). Scores on the CHIF correlated well with the Blessed Dementia scores at both sites (−0.71, p < 0.0001 for Indianapolis and −0.56, p < 0.0001 for Ibadan) and with the MMSE (0.75, p < 0.0001 for Indianapolis and 0.44, p < 0.0001 for Ibadan). For all items at both sites, the subjects without dementia performed significantly better than those with dementia. The area under the ROC curve for dementia diagnosis was 0.965 for Indianapolis and 0.925 for Ibadan. Conclusion The CHIF is a useful instrument to assess function directly in elderly participants in international studies, particularly in the absence of reliable informants. PMID:16640794

Understanding health care provider barriers to hospital affiliated medical fitness center facility referral: a questionnaire survey and semi structured interviews.

PubMed

Smock, Carissa; Alemagno, Sonia

2017-08-03

The purpose of this study is to understand health care provider barriers to referring patients to Medical Fitness Center Facilities within an affiliated teaching hospital system using referral of diabetic services as an example. The aims of this study include: (1) to assess health care providers' awareness and use of facilities, (2) to determine barriers to referring patients to facilities, (3) identify current and needed resources and/or changes to increase referral to facilities. A 20-item electronic survey and requests for semi-structured interviews were administered to hospital system directors and managers (n = 51). Directors and managers instructed physicians and staff to complete the survey and interviews as applicable. Perceived barriers, knowledge, utilization, and referral of patients to Medical Fitness Center Facilities were collected and examined. Descriptive statistics were generated regarding practice characteristics, provider characteristics, and referral. Of the health care providers surveyed and interviewed (n = 25) 40% indicated verbally suggesting use of facilities, 24% provided a flyer about the facilities. No respondents indicated that they directly referred patients to the facilities. However, 16% referred patients to other locations for physical activity - including their own department's management and prevention services. 20% do not refer to Medical Fitness Center Facilities or any other lifestyle programs/locations. Lack of time (92%) and lack of standard guidelines and operating procedures (88%) are barriers to referral. All respondents indicated a strong ability to refer patients to Medical Fitness Center Facilities if given education about referral programs available as well as standard clinical guidelines and protocol for delivery. The results of this study indicate that, although few healthcare providers are currently referring patients to Medical Fitness Center Facilities, health care providers with an affiliated Medical Fitness

Alternatives to the face-to-face consultation in general practice: focused ethnographic case study.

PubMed

Atherton, Helen; Brant, Heather; Ziebland, Sue; Bikker, Annemieke; Campbell, John; Gibson, Andy; McKinstry, Brian; Porqueddu, Tania; Salisbury, Chris

2018-04-01

NHS policy encourages general practices to introduce alternatives to the face-to-face consultation, such as telephone, email, e-consultation systems, or internet video. Most have been slow to adopt these, citing concerns about workload. This project builds on previous research by focusing on the experiences of patients and practitioners who have used one or more of these alternatives. To understand how, under what conditions, for which patients, and in what ways, alternatives to face-to-face consultations present benefits and challenges to patients and practitioners in general practice. Focused ethnographic case studies took place in eight UK general practices between June 2015 and March 2016. Non-participant observation, informal conversations with staff, and semi-structured interviews with staff and patients were conducted. Practice documents and protocols were reviewed. Data were analysed through charting and the 'one sheet of paper' mind-map method to identify the line of argument in each thematic report. Case study practices had different rationales for offering alternatives to the face-to-face consultation. Beliefs varied about which patients and health issues were suitable. Co-workers were often unaware of each other's practice; for example, practice policies for use of e-consultations systems with patients were not known about or followed. Patients reported benefits including convenience and access. Staff and some patients regarded the face-to-face consultation as the ideal. Experience of implementing alternatives to the face-to-face consultation suggests that changes in patient access and staff workload may be both modest and gradual. Practices planning to implement them should consider carefully their reasons for doing so and involve the whole practice team. © British Journal of General Practice 2018.

[The Basel Interview for Psychosis (BIP): structure, reliability and validity].

PubMed

Riecher-Rössler, A; Ackermann, T; Uttinger, M; Ittig, S; Koranyi, S; Rapp, C; Bugra, H; Studerus, E

2015-02-01

Although several instruments have been developed to identify patients with an at-risk mental state (ARMS) for psychosis and first episode of psychosis (FEP), up to now there were no instruments for a detailed assessment of risk factors and indicators of emerging psychosis and the temporal development of psychiatric symptoms over the whole life span in these patients. We therefore developed the Basle Interview for Psychosis (BIP). The aim of this study is to describe the development of the BIP and to report about its psychometric properties. The BIP is a comprehensive semi-structured interview that was developed for the Basel early detection of psychoses (FePsy) study. Its items were derived from the most important risk factors and indicators of psychosis described in the literature and from several existing instruments. It contains the following six sections: 1) social and physical development and family, 2) signs and symptoms, 3) vulnerability, 4) help-seeking behavior, 5) illness insight, 6) evaluation of the interview. To estimate the inter-rater reliabilities of the items of sections 2 and 3, 20 interviews were conducted and rated by 8 well-trained raters. The factorial structure of the BIP section "signs and symptoms" was explored in a sample of 120 ARMS and 77 FEP patients. On the basis of the discovered factorial structure, we created new subscales and assessed their reliabilities and validities. Of the 153 studied items of sections 2 and 3, 150 (98 %) were rated with sufficiently high agreement (inter-rater reliability > 0.4). The items of section "signs and symptoms" could be grouped into 5 subscales with predominantly good to very good internal consistencies, homogeneities, and discriminant and convergent validities. Predictive validities could be demonstrated for the subscales "Positive Psychotic Symptoms", "Disturbance of Thinking" and the total score. The BIP is the first interview for comprehensively assessing risk factors and indicators of

Factors associated with Taiwanese lesbians' breast health-care behavior and intentions: Qualitative interview findings.

PubMed

Wang, Ya-Ching; Griffiths, Jane; Grande, Gunn

2017-09-01

This article presents the qualitative findings of a mixed-methods study that explored factors influencing lesbians' breast health-care behavior and intentions. A total of 37 semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted among women who self-identified as lesbians or women who partnered with the same gender who were aged 20 years or above in four areas of Taiwan (North, Central, South, and East Taiwan) between August 2012 and October 2012. Interviews were audio recorded with participants' consent. The interviews were analyzed using constant comparative analysis with Nvivo audio-coding support. Four themes were identified to be strongly associated with the lesbians' breast health-care behavior and their intentions, namely, gender identity, gender role expression, partners' support, and concerns about health-care providers' reactions. Important barriers to the women's breast health-care behavior and intentions were masculine identity ("T-identity" in Taiwan), masculine appearance, concerns about health-care providers' lack of knowledge of multiple gender diversity, and their attitudes toward lesbians. Conversely, their partners' support was a factor facilitating the women's breast health-care behavior and intentions, particularly for the T-identity lesbians. These findings suggest the significance of and need for culturally competent care and are important for improving Taiwanese lesbians' breast health.

Alternatives to the face-to-face consultation in general practice: focused ethnographic case study

PubMed Central

Atherton, Helen; Brant, Heather; Ziebland, Sue; Bikker, Annemieke; Campbell, John; Gibson, Andy; McKinstry, Brian; Porqueddu, Tania; Salisbury, Chris

2018-01-01

Background NHS policy encourages general practices to introduce alternatives to the face-to-face consultation, such as telephone, email, e-consultation systems, or internet video. Most have been slow to adopt these, citing concerns about workload. This project builds on previous research by focusing on the experiences of patients and practitioners who have used one or more of these alternatives. Aim To understand how, under what conditions, for which patients, and in what ways, alternatives to face-to-face consultations present benefits and challenges to patients and practitioners in general practice. Design and setting Focused ethnographic case studies took place in eight UK general practices between June 2015 and March 2016. Method Non-participant observation, informal conversations with staff, and semi-structured interviews with staff and patients were conducted. Practice documents and protocols were reviewed. Data were analysed through charting and the ‘one sheet of paper’ mind-map method to identify the line of argument in each thematic report. Results Case study practices had different rationales for offering alternatives to the face-to-face consultation. Beliefs varied about which patients and health issues were suitable. Co-workers were often unaware of each other’s practice; for example, practice policies for use of e-consultations systems with patients were not known about or followed. Patients reported benefits including convenience and access. Staff and some patients regarded the face-to-face consultation as the ideal. Conclusion Experience of implementing alternatives to the face-to-face consultation suggests that changes in patient access and staff workload may be both modest and gradual. Practices planning to implement them should consider carefully their reasons for doing so and involve the whole practice team. PMID:29378697

Reliability and validity of a semi-structured DSM-based diagnostic interview module for the assessment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in adult psychiatric outpatients.

PubMed

Gorlin, Eugenia I; Dalrymple, Kristy; Chelminski, Iwona; Zimmerman, Mark

2016-08-30

Despite growing recognition that the symptoms and functional impairments of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) persist into adulthood, only a few psychometrically sound diagnostic measures have been developed for the assessment of ADHD in adults, and none have been validated for use in a broad treatment-seeking psychiatric sample. The current study presents the reliability and validity of a semi-structured DSM-based diagnostic interview module for ADHD, which was administered to 1194 adults presenting to an outpatient psychiatric practice. The module showed excellent internal consistency and interrater reliability, good convergent and discriminant validity (as indexed by relatively high correlations with self-report measures of ADHD and ADHD-related constructs and little or no correlation with other, non-ADHD symptom domains), and good construct validity (as indexed by significantly higher rates of psychosocial impairment and self-reported family history of ADHD in individuals who meet criteria for an ADHD diagnosis). This instrument is thus a reliable and valid diagnostic tool for the detection of ADHD in adults presenting for psychiatric evaluation and treatment. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Comparison of audio computer assisted self-interview and face-to-face interview methods in eliciting HIV-related risks among men who have sex with men and men who inject drugs in Nigeria.

PubMed

Adebajo, Sylvia; Obianwu, Otibho; Eluwa, George; Vu, Lung; Oginni, Ayo; Tun, Waimar; Sheehy, Meredith; Ahonsi, Babatunde; Bashorun, Adebobola; Idogho, Omokhudu; Karlyn, Andrew

2014-01-01

Face-to-face (FTF) interviews are the most frequently used means of obtaining information on sexual and drug injecting behaviours from men who have sex with men (MSM) and men who inject drugs (MWID). However, accurate information on these behaviours may be difficult to elicit because of sociocultural hostility towards these populations and the criminalization associated with these behaviours. Audio computer assisted self-interview (ACASI) is an interviewing technique that may mitigate social desirability bias in this context. This study evaluated differences in the reporting of HIV-related risky behaviours by MSM and MWID using ACASI and FTF interviews. Between August and September 2010, 712 MSM and 328 MWID in Nigeria were randomized to either ACASI or FTF interview for completion of a behavioural survey that included questions on sensitive sexual and injecting risk behaviours. Data were analyzed separately for MSM and MWID. Logistic regression was run for each behaviour as a dependent variable to determine differences in reporting methods. MSM interviewed via ACASI reported significantly higher risky behaviours with both women (multiple female sexual partners 51% vs. 43%, p = 0.04; had unprotected anal sex with women 72% vs. 57%, p = 0.05) and men (multiple male sex partners 70% vs. 54%, p≤0.001) than through FTF. Additionally, they were more likely to self-identify as homosexual (AOR: 3.3, 95%CI:2.4-4.6) and report drug use in the past 12 months (AOR:40.0, 95%CI: 9.6-166.0). MWID interviewed with ACASI were more likely to report needle sharing (AOR:3.3, 95%CI:1.2-8.9) and re-use (AOR:2.2, 95%CI:1.2-3.9) in the past month and prior HIV testing (AOR:1.6, 95%CI 1.02-2.5). The feasibility of using ACASI in studies and clinics targeting key populations in Nigeria must be explored to increase the likelihood of obtaining more accurate data on high risk behaviours to inform improved risk reduction strategies that reduce HIV transmission.

Collecting maternal health information from HIV-positive pregnant women using mobile phone-assisted face-to-face interviews in Southern Africa.

PubMed

van Heerden, Alastair; Norris, Shane; Tollman, Stephen; Richter, Linda; Rotheram-Borus, Mary Jane

2013-06-10

Most of the world's women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reside in sub-Saharan Africa. Although efforts to reduce mother-to-child transmission are underway, obtaining complete and accurate data from rural clinical sites to track progress presents a major challenge. To describe the acceptability and feasibility of mobile phones as a tool for clinic-based face-to-face data collection with pregnant women living with HIV in South Africa. As part of a larger clinic-based trial, 16 interviewers were trained to conduct mobile phone-assisted personal interviews (MPAPI). These interviewers (participant group 1) completed the same short questionnaire based on items from the Technology Acceptance Model at 3 different time points. Questions were asked before training, after training, and 3 months after deployment to clinic facilities. In addition, before the start of the primary intervention trial in which this substudy was undertaken, 12 mothers living with HIV (MLH) took part in a focus group discussion exploring the acceptability of MPAPI (participant group 2). Finally, a sample of MLH (n=512) enrolled in the primary trial were asked to assess their experience of being interviewed by MPAPI (participant group 3). Acceptability of the method was found to be high among the 16 interviewers in group 1. Perceived usefulness was reported to be slightly higher than perceived ease of use across the 3 time points. After 3 months of field use, interviewer perceptions of both perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness were found to be higher than before training. The feasibility of conducting MPAPI interviews in this setting was found to be high. Network coverage was available in all clinics and hardware, software, cost, and secure transmission to the data center presented no significant challenges over the 21-month period. For the 12 MHL participants in group 2, anxiety about the multimedia capabilities of the phone was evident. Their concern centered on the

Collecting Maternal Health Information From HIV-Positive Pregnant Women Using Mobile Phone-Assisted Face-to-Face Interviews in Southern Africa

PubMed Central

Norris, Shane; Tollman, Stephen; Richter, Linda; Rotheram-Borus, Mary Jane

2013-01-01

Background Most of the world’s women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reside in sub-Saharan Africa. Although efforts to reduce mother-to-child transmission are underway, obtaining complete and accurate data from rural clinical sites to track progress presents a major challenge. Objective To describe the acceptability and feasibility of mobile phones as a tool for clinic-based face-to-face data collection with pregnant women living with HIV in South Africa. Methods As part of a larger clinic-based trial, 16 interviewers were trained to conduct mobile phone–assisted personal interviews (MPAPI). These interviewers (participant group 1) completed the same short questionnaire based on items from the Technology Acceptance Model at 3 different time points. Questions were asked before training, after training, and 3 months after deployment to clinic facilities. In addition, before the start of the primary intervention trial in which this substudy was undertaken, 12 mothers living with HIV (MLH) took part in a focus group discussion exploring the acceptability of MPAPI (participant group 2). Finally, a sample of MLH (n=512) enrolled in the primary trial were asked to assess their experience of being interviewed by MPAPI (participant group 3). Results Acceptability of the method was found to be high among the 16 interviewers in group 1. Perceived usefulness was reported to be slightly higher than perceived ease of use across the 3 time points. After 3 months of field use, interviewer perceptions of both perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness were found to be higher than before training. The feasibility of conducting MPAPI interviews in this setting was found to be high. Network coverage was available in all clinics and hardware, software, cost, and secure transmission to the data center presented no significant challenges over the 21-month period. For the 12 MHL participants in group 2, anxiety about the multimedia capabilities of the phone was

Challenges Facing Families at the End of Life in Three Settings

PubMed Central

Kehl, Karen A.; Kirchhoff, Karin T.; Kramer, Betty J.; Hovland-Scafe, Cyndi

2010-01-01

This study examined the challenges faced by family members at the end of life in different care settings and how those challenges compare across settings. A total of 30 participants, who had a family member die in inpatient hospice, a skilled nursing facility or a community support program were interviewed. Semi-structured interviews were recorded and transcribed. Text was coded using qualitative thematic analysis. Themes were determined by consensus. Twelve challenges were identified across care sites. Two themes emerged in all three settings: bearing witness and the experience of loss. The study findings contribute to our knowledge of family perceptions of care in different settings and raises awareness of the need for further research describing the experiences at the end of life in different settings and the importance of creating and testing interventions for both setting specific needs and universal issues. PMID:20563315

Motivational interviewing and cognitive behaviour therapy in the treatment of adolescent overweight and obesity: study design and methodology.

PubMed

Brennan, Leah; Walkley, Jeff; Fraser, Steve F; Greenway, Kate; Wilks, Ray

2008-05-01

Despite the high prevalence and negative physical and psychosocial consequences of overweight and obesity in adolescents, very little research has evaluated treatment in this population. Consequently, clinicians working with overweight and obese adolescents have little empirical research on which to base their practise. Cognitive behavioural therapy has demonstrated efficacy in promoting behaviour change in many treatment resistant disorders. Motivational interviewing has been used to increase motivation for change and improve treatment outcomes. In this paper we describe the rationale and design of a randomised controlled trial testing the efficacy of motivational interviewing and cognitive behaviour therapy in the treatment of overweight and obese adolescents. Participants took part in a motivational interview or a standard semi-structured assessment interview and were then randomly allocated to a cognitive behavioural intervention or a wait-list control condition. The cognitive behavioural intervention, the CHOOSE HEALTH Program, consisted of 13 individual treatment sessions (12 face-to-face, 1 phone call) followed by 9 maintenance sessions (7 phone calls, 2 face-to-face). Assessments were conducted prior to participation, after the treatment phase and after the maintenance phase of intervention. Improvement in body composition was the primary outcome; secondary outcomes included improved cardiovascular fitness, eating and physical activity habits, family and psychosocial functioning. Despite the demonstrated effectiveness of motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioural therapy in the long-term management of many treatment resistant disorders, these approaches have been under-utilised in adolescent overweight and obesity treatment. This study provides baseline data and a thorough review of the study design and treatment approach to allow for the assessment of the efficacy of motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioural therapy in the treatment of

The Structured Clinically Relevant Interview for Psychiatrists in Training (SCRIPT): A New Standardized Assessment Tool for Recruitment in the UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rao, Rahul

2007-01-01

Objective: The multifaceted nature of training and the diverse backgrounds of potential Senior House Officers (Postgraduate Residents) require a novel approach to the selection of trainees wishing to pursue a career in psychiatry. The author reports the properties of a semi-structured interview (the SCRIPT) for assessing doctors short-listed for a…

Comparison of Audio Computer Assisted Self-Interview and Face-To-Face Interview Methods in Eliciting HIV-Related Risks among Men Who Have Sex with Men and Men Who Inject Drugs in Nigeria

PubMed Central

Adebajo, Sylvia; Obianwu, Otibho; Eluwa, George; Vu, Lung; Oginni, Ayo; Tun, Waimar; Sheehy, Meredith; Ahonsi, Babatunde; Bashorun, Adebobola; Idogho, Omokhudu; Karlyn, Andrew

2014-01-01

Introduction Face-to-face (FTF) interviews are the most frequently used means of obtaining information on sexual and drug injecting behaviours from men who have sex with men (MSM) and men who inject drugs (MWID). However, accurate information on these behaviours may be difficult to elicit because of sociocultural hostility towards these populations and the criminalization associated with these behaviours. Audio computer assisted self-interview (ACASI) is an interviewing technique that may mitigate social desirability bias in this context. Methods This study evaluated differences in the reporting of HIV-related risky behaviours by MSM and MWID using ACASI and FTF interviews. Between August and September 2010, 712 MSM and 328 MWID in Nigeria were randomized to either ACASI or FTF interview for completion of a behavioural survey that included questions on sensitive sexual and injecting risk behaviours. Data were analyzed separately for MSM and MWID. Logistic regression was run for each behaviour as a dependent variable to determine differences in reporting methods. Results MSM interviewed via ACASI reported significantly higher risky behaviours with both women (multiple female sexual partners 51% vs. 43%, p = 0.04; had unprotected anal sex with women 72% vs. 57%, p = 0.05) and men (multiple male sex partners 70% vs. 54%, p≤0.001) than through FTF. Additionally, they were more likely to self-identify as homosexual (AOR: 3.3, 95%CI:2.4–4.6) and report drug use in the past 12 months (AOR:40.0, 95%CI: 9.6–166.0). MWID interviewed with ACASI were more likely to report needle sharing (AOR:3.3, 95%CI:1.2–8.9) and re-use (AOR:2.2, 95%CI:1.2–3.9) in the past month and prior HIV testing (AOR:1.6, 95%CI 1.02–2.5). Conclusion The feasibility of using ACASI in studies and clinics targeting key populations in Nigeria must be explored to increase the likelihood of obtaining more accurate data on high risk behaviours to inform improved risk reduction strategies

[Suffering at work among medical students: qualitative study using semi-structured interviews].

PubMed

Le Provost, A-S; Loddé, B; Pietri, J; De Parscau, L; Pougnet, L; Dewitte, J-D; Pougnet, R

2018-01-01

Suffering at work among health professionals is a hot topic. Medical students, doctors of tomorrow, are far from being spared. Prevalence of anxiety and mood disorders range from 20.3 to 69 % for the former and from 12 to 30 % for the latter. The purpose of this article is to determine these factors by qualitative research, according to medical students' points of view. It is a qualitative study using semistructured interviews. The analysis is done according to the Grounded Theory. 12 medical students are interviewed. They expressed difficulties at work and positive factors. Three major themes are identified in selective coding: occupational factors, " study " factors and individual factors. All themes are both a source of well-being and ill-being according to the situations specified in the results. Studying medicine includes positive and negative aspects. Abandonment issues, lack of recognition and insufficient coaching emerge from our study. Screening of suffering at work should be systematic for medical students.

Assessment of the face validity of two pain scales in Kenya: a validation study using cognitive interviewing

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Patients in sub-Saharan Africa commonly experience pain, which often is un-assessed and undertreated. One hindrance to routine pain assessment in these settings is the lack of a single-item pain rating scale validated for the particular context. The goal of this study was to examine the face validity and cultural acceptability of two single-item pain scales, the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) and the Faces Pain Scale-Revised (FPS-R), in a population of patients on the medical, surgical, and pediatric wards of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kenya. Methods Swahili versions of the NRS and FPS-R were developed by standard translation and back-translation. Cognitive interviews were performed with 15 patients at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya. Interview transcripts were analyzed on a question-by-question basis to identify major themes revealed through the cognitive interviewing process and to uncover any significant problems participants encountered with understanding and using the pain scales. Results Cognitive interview analysis demonstrated that participants had good comprehension of both the NRS and the FPS-R and showed rational decision-making processes in choosing their responses. Participants felt that both scales were easy to use. The FPS-R was preferred almost unanimously to the NRS. Conclusions The face validity and acceptability of the Swahili versions of the NRS and FPS-R has been demonstrated for use in Kenyan patients. The broader application of these scales should be evaluated and may benefit patients who currently suffer from pain. PMID:22512923

Developing a customized multiple interview for dental school admissions.

PubMed

Gardner, Karen M

2014-04-01

From the early 1980s until recently, the University of British Columbia Faculty of Dentistry had employed the Canadian Dental Association (CDA) Structured Interview in its Phase 2 admissions process (with those applicants invited for interviews). While this structured interview had demonstrated reliability and validity, the Faculty of Dentistry came to believe that a multiple interview process using scenarios would help it better identify applicants who would match its mission. After a literature review that investigated such interview protocols as unstructured, semi-structured, computerized, and telephone formats, a multiple interview format was chosen. This format was seen as an emerging trend, with evidence that it has been deemed fairer by applicants, more reliable by interviewers, more difficult for applicants to provide set answers for the scenarios, and not to require as many interviewers as other formats. This article describes the process undertaken to implement a customized multiple interview format for admissions and reports these outcomes of the process: a smoothly running multiple interview; effective training protocols for staff, interviewers, and applicants; and reports from successful applicants and interviewers that they felt the multiple interview was a more reliable and fairer recruiting tool than other models.

Face it: collecting mental health and disaster related data using Facebook vs. personal interview: the case of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

PubMed

Ben-Ezra, Menachem; Palgi, Yuval; Aviel, Or; Dubiner, Yonit; Evelyn Baruch; Soffer, Yechiel; Shrira, Amit

2013-06-30

Collecting mental health data during disaster is a difficult task. The aim of this study was to compare reported sensitive information regarding the disaster and general questions on physical or psychological functioning between social network (Facebook) interview and face-to-face interview after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. Data were collected from a battery of self-reported questionnaires. The questionnaires were administered to 133 face-to-face participants and to 40 Facebook interviewees, during March-April 2011. The face-to-face interview group showed a significantly higher level of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and elevated risk for clinical level of PTSD and reported more worries about another disaster, lower life satisfaction, less perceived social support and lower self-rated health than the Facebook group. Our data may suggest that the reliability of internet surveys is jeopardized during extreme conditions such as large-scale disasters as it tends to underestimate the reactions to such events. This indicates the discrepancy from data collected in situ to data collected using social networks. The implications of these results are discussed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of HIV-related risky behaviour: a comparative study of face-to-face interviews and polling booth surveys in the general population of Cotonou, Benin.

PubMed

Béhanzin, Luc; Diabaté, Souleymane; Minani, Isaac; Lowndes, Catherine M; Boily, Marie-Claude; Labbé, Annie-Claude; Anagonou, Séverin; Zannou, Djimon Marcel; Buvé, Anne; Alary, Michel

2013-11-01

During the 2008 HIV prevalence survey carried out in the general population of Cotonou, Benin, face-to-face interviews (FTFI) were used to assess risky behaviours for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI). We compared sexual behaviours reported in FTFI with those reported in polling booth surveys (PBS) carried out in parallel in an independent random sample of the same population. In PBS, respondents grouped by gender and marital status answered simple questions by putting tokens with question numbers in a green box (affirmative answers) or a red box (negative answers). Both boxes were placed inside a private booth. For each group and question, data were gathered together by type of answer. The structured and gender-specific FTFI guided by trained interviewers included all questions asked during PBS. Pearson χ2 or Fisher's exact test was used to compare FTFI and PBS according to affirmative answers. Overall, respondents reported more stigmatised behaviours in PBS than in FTFI: the proportions of married women and men who reported ever having had commercial sex were 17.4% and 41.6% in PBS versus 1.8% and 19.6% in FTFI, respectively. The corresponding proportions among unmarried women and men were 16.1% and 25.5% in PBS versus 3.9% and 13.0% in FTFI, respectively. The proportion of married women who reported having had extramarital sex since marriage was 23.6% in PBS versus 4.6% in FTFI. PBS are suitable to monitor reliable HIV/STI risk behaviours. Their use should be expanded in behavioural surveillance.

Can We Get Faculty Interviewers on the Same Page? An Examination of a Structured Interview Course for Surgeons.

PubMed

Gardner, Aimee K; D'Onofrio, Brenna C; Dunkin, Brian J

Guidance on how to train faculty to conduct structured interviews and implement them into current screening processes is lacking. The goal of this study is to describe a structured interview training program designed specifically for surgeons and examine its effectiveness. Faculty involved in advanced surgical fellowship interviews completed a 20-item knowledge assessment and video-based applicant interview ratings before taking a half-day course on conducting structured interviews. The course consisted of evidence-based strategies and methods for conducting structured interviews, asking questions, and rating applicants in a highly interactive format. After the course, faculty again completed the knowledge assessment and provided ratings for 3 video-based applicant interviews. All faculty members (N = 5) responsible for selecting fellows in minimally invasive and bariatric surgery completed the training. Faculty had an average of 15.8 ± 9.12 years in practice. Average performance on the precourse knowledge assessment was 35% ± 6.12% and the group was unable to achieve acceptable agreement for applicant interview scores for any of the competencies assessed. After the course, faculty demonstrated significant improvements (p < 0.01) on the knowledge assessment, more than doubling their scores on the pretest with average scores of 80% ± 9.35%. Faculty also improved their interrater agreement of applicant competency, with 80% of the applicant interview ratings within 2 points of each other. Implementation of a half-day course designed to teach principles and skills around structured interviewing and assessment demonstrated significant improvements in both interviewing knowledge and interrater agreement. These findings support the time and resources required to develop and implement a structured interview training program for surgeons for the postgraduate admissions process. Copyright © 2018 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All

Structure and function of SemiSWEET and SWEET sugar transporters.

PubMed

Feng, Liang; Frommer, Wolf B

2015-08-01

SemiSWEETs and SWEETs have emerged as unique sugar transporters. First discovered in plants with the help of fluorescent biosensors, homologs exist in all kingdoms of life. Bacterial and plant homologs transport hexoses and sucrose, whereas animal SWEETs transport glucose. Prokaryotic SemiSWEETs are small and comprise a parallel homodimer of an approximately 100 amino acid-long triple helix bundle (THB). Duplicated THBs are fused to create eukaryotic SWEETs in a parallel orientation via an inversion linker helix, producing a similar configuration to that of SemiSWEET dimers. Structures of four SemiSWEETs have been resolved in three states: open outside, occluded, and open inside, indicating alternating access. As we discuss here, these atomic structures provide a basis for exploring the evolution of structure-function relations in this new class of transporters. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Shah-Kan-Daw: Anthropogenic simplification of semi-arid vegetation structure

Treesearch

David A. Charlet

2008-01-01

Semi-arid shrublands and woodlands of Nevada are changing in the face of many daunting challenges. I compare Nevada to Iran to understand these challenges better, because Iran and Nevada have similar climate, geology, physiography, and latitude. Floristically, Iran and Nevada share many dominant genera, and many of Nevada?s troubling invasive species are native to Iran...

Challenges Faced and Support Received: Older Adults' Perceptions of Hurricane Sandy.

PubMed

Heid, Allison R; Schug, Seran; Cartwright, Francine P; Pruchno, Rachel

2017-02-01

Individuals exposed to natural disasters are at risk for negative physical and psychological outcomes. Older adults may be particularly vulnerable; however, social support can act as a resource to help individuals respond to severe stressors. This study explored the challenges older people faced before, during, and after Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 and the people they turned to for support. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 older adults in New Jersey drawn from the ORANJ BOWL (Ongoing Research on Aging in New Jersey - Bettering Opportunities for Wellness in Life) research panel, who experienced high levels of primary home damage during Hurricane Sandy. Content analysis of interview transcripts classified older adults' perceptions on how they "made it" through-the challenges they faced and the support they received. The findings suggested that older adults experienced emotional, instrumental, social, and financial challenges before, during, and after the storm. However, by relying on family and friends, as well as neighbors and community networks, older people were able to respond to stressors. Our findings carry implications for ensuring that older adults are connected to social networks before, during, and after disasters. The role of neighbors is particularly important when disasters strike. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:39-47).

Assessment of HIV related risky behaviour: a comparative study of face-to-face interviews and Polling Booth Surveys in the general population of Cotonou, Benin

PubMed Central

BÉHANZIN, Luc; DIABATÉ, Souleymane; MINANI, Isaac; LOWNDES, Catherine M.; BOILY, Marie-Claude; LABBÉ, Annie-Claude; ANAGONOU, Séverin; ZANNOU, Djimon Marcel; BUVÉ, Anne; ALARY, Michel

2013-01-01

Objectives During the 2008 HIV prevalence survey carried out in the general population of Cotonou, Benin, face-to-face interviews (FTFI) were used to assess risky behaviours for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI). We compared sexual behaviours reported in FTFI with those reported in polling booth surveys (PBS) carried out in parallel in an independent random sample of the same population. Methods In PBS, respondents grouped by gender and marital status answered simple questions by putting tokens with question numbers in a green box (affirmative answers) or a red box (negative answers). Both boxes were placed inside a private booth. For each group and question, data were gathered together by type of answer. The structured and gender-specific FTFI guided by trained interviewers included all questions asked during the PBS.. Pearson chi-square or Fisher’s exact test were used to compare FTFI and PBS according to affirmative answers. Results Overall, respondents reported more stigmatized behaviours in PBS than in FTFI: the proportions of both married women and men who reported ever having had commercial sex were 17.4% and 41.6% in PBS versus 1.8% and 19.6% in FTFI, respectively. The corresponding proportions among unmarried women and men were 16.1% and 25.5% in PBS versus 3.9% and 13.0% in FTFI, respectively. The proportion of married women who reported having had extramarital sex since marriage was 23.6% in PBS versus 4.6% in FTFI. Conclusion Polling booth surveys are suitable to monitor reliable HIV/STI risk behaviours. Their use should be expanded in behavioural surveillance. PMID:23723251

‘Not Until I'm Absolutely Half-Dead and Have To:’ Accounting for Non-Use of Antiretroviral Therapy in Semi-Structured Interviews with People Living with HIV in Australia

PubMed Central

Mao, Limin; Persson, Asha; Holt, Martin; Slavin, Sean; Kidd, Michael R.; Post, Jeffrey J.; Wright, Edwina; de Wit, John

2015-01-01

Abstract Current debates regarding the use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) to promote both individual- and population-level health benefits underscore the importance of understanding why a subpopulation of people with diagnosed HIV and access to treatment choose not to use it. Semi-structured interviews were conducted between 2012 and 2014 with 27 people living with HIV in Australia who were not using ART at the time of interview. Analytic triangulation permitted an appreciation of not only the varied personal reasons for non-use of treatment, but also underlying views on HIV treatment, and the ideal conditions imagined necessary for treatment initiation. Policy goals to increase the number of people with HIV using ART must recognize the diverse explanations for non-use of ART, which include concerns about the various impacts of committing to lifelong pharmaceutical treatment use. Our research identified distinctive subgroups among people who are not using antiretroviral therapy, with a range of individual and social needs that may affect treatment decisions. These findings challenge assumptions about treatment non-use in resource-rich settings, revealing persistent consumer fears about the potent and unknown effects of HIV medications that deserve greater recognition in policy debate on treatment uptake. PMID:25806574

Telephone and Face-to-Face Interviews with Low-Income Males with Child Care Responsibilities Support Inclusion as a Target Audience in SNAP-Ed.

PubMed

Krall, Jodi Stotts; Wamboldt, Patricia; Lohse, Barbara

2015-06-01

Federally funded nutrition programs mostly target females. Changes in family dynamics suggest low-income men have an important role in food management responsibilities. The purpose of this study was to inform nutrition education program planning to meet needs of lower-income males. Cross-sectional telephone and face-to-face interviews. Stratified random sample of men (n = 101), 18-59 years of age, with child care responsibilities, living in households participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and a convenience sample of adult males (n = 25) recruited from lower income venues. (1) Scripted telephone interviews about health status, eating behaviors, eating competence, food security, technology usage and topics and strategies for nutrition education. (2) In-person cognitive interviews during review of selected online nutrition education lessons. Nutrition education topics of interest, preferred educational strategies, influences on and barriers to intake, eating competence, critiques of online program content, graphics, format. Bivariate correlations, independent t tests, one-way analysis of variance or Chi square, as appropriate. Thematic analyses of cognitive interviews. Of telephone interviewees, 92.1% prepared meals/snacks for children and 54.5% made major household food decisions. Taste was the greatest influence on food selection and the greatest barrier to eating healthful foods. Topics of highest interest were "which foods are best for kids" and "how to eat more healthy foods." Preferred nutrition education strategies included online delivery. Online lessons were highly rated. Interactive components were recognized as particularly appealing; enhanced male centricity of lessons was supported. Findings provided compelling evidence for including needs specific to low-income males when planning, designing, and funding nutrition education programs.

Structural basis for the facilitative diffusion mechanism by SemiSWEET transporter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Yongchan; Nishizawa, Tomohiro; Yamashita, Keitaro; Ishitani, Ryuichiro; Nureki, Osamu

2015-01-01

SWEET family proteins mediate sugar transport across biological membranes and play crucial roles in plants and animals. The SWEETs and their bacterial homologues, the SemiSWEETs, are related to the PQ-loop family, which is characterized by highly conserved proline and glutamine residues (PQ-loop motif). Although the structures of the bacterial SemiSWEETs were recently reported, the conformational transition and the significance of the conserved motif in the transport cycle have remained elusive. Here we report crystal structures of SemiSWEET from Escherichia coli, in the both inward-open and outward-open states. A structural comparison revealed that SemiSWEET undergoes an intramolecular conformational change in each protomer. The conserved PQ-loop motif serves as a molecular hinge that enables the ‘binder clip-like’ motion of SemiSWEET. The present work provides the framework for understanding the overall transport cycles of SWEET and PQ-loop family proteins.

Eyewitness performance in cognitive and structured interviews.

PubMed

Memon, A; Wark, L; Holley, A; Bull, R; Koehnken, G

1997-09-01

This paper addresses two methodological and theoretical questions relating to the Cognitive Interview (CI), which previous research has found to increase witness recall in interviews. (1) What are the effects of the CI mnemonic techniques when communication techniques are held constant? (2) How do trained interviewers compare with untrained interviewers? In this study, witnesses (college students) viewed a short film clip of a shooting and were questioned by interviewers (research assistants) trained in conducting the CI or a Structured Interview (SI)--similar to the CI except for the "cognitive" components--or by untrained interviewers (UI). The CI and SI groups recalled significantly more correct information compared to the UI group. However they also reported more errors and confabulated details. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed in terms of precisely identifying the CI facilitatory effects and consequent good practice in the forensic setting.

Reshould I Take More MIS Courses? Implications from Interviews with Business Recruiters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

He, Jun; Guo, Yi Maggie

2015-01-01

It is important for MIS educators to have a good understanding of what IT knowledge and skills are required in business. In this study, 103 open job positions in the Midwestern United States were investigated via semi-structured interviews with hiring companies. The interviews with key business recruiters suggest that IT knowledge and skills are…

Validation of a Brief Structured Interview: The Children's Interview for Psychiatric Syndromes (ChIPS).

PubMed

Young, Matthew E; Bell, Ziv E; Fristad, Mary A

2016-12-01

Evidence-based assessment is important in the treatment of childhood psychopathology. While researchers and clinicians frequently use structured diagnostic interviews to ensure reliability, the most commonly used instrument, the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Aged Children (K-SADS) is too long for most clinical applications. The Children's Interview for Psychiatric Syndromes (ChIPS/P-ChIPS) is a highly-structured brief diagnostic interview. The present study compared K-SADS and ChIPS/P-ChIPS diagnoses in an outpatient clinical sample of 50 parent-child pairs aged 7-14. Agreement between most diagnoses was moderate to high between the instruments and with consensus clinical diagnoses. ChIPS was significantly briefer to administer than the K-SADS. Interviewer experience level and participant demographics did not appear to affect agreement. Results provide further evidence for the validity of the ChIPS and support its use in clinical and research settings.

Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship Interviews: Structure and Organization of the Interview Day.

PubMed

Haislup, Brett D; Kraeutler, Matthew J; Baweja, Rishi; McCarty, Eric C; Mulcahey, Mary K

2017-12-01

Over the past few decades, there has been a trend toward an increasing subspecialization in orthopaedic surgery, with orthopaedic sports medicine being one of the most competitive subspecialties. Information regarding the application and interview process for sports medicine fellowships is currently lacking. To survey orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship program directors (PDs) to better define the structure of the sports medicine fellowship interview and to highlight important factors that PDs consider in selecting fellows. Cross-sectional study. A complete list of accredited programs was obtained from the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) website. An anonymous survey was distributed to fellowship PDs of all Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited orthopaedic sports medicine fellowships in the United States. The survey included 12 questions about the fellowship interview and selection process. Of the 95 orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship PDs surveyed, 38 (40%) responded. Of these, 16 (42.1%) indicated that they interview between 21 and 30 applicants per year. Eleven of the 38 fellowship programs (28.9%) have only 1 fellow per year at their respective program. Most programs (27/37, 73%) reported that between 0 and 5 faculty members interview applicants, and 29 of the 38 programs (76.3%) arrange for applicants to have ≥4 interviews during their interview day. Large group interviews are conducted at 36 of 38 (94.7%) sports medicine fellowship programs, and most programs (24/38, 63.2%) hold individual interviews that last between 5 and 15 minutes. The most important applicant criterion taken into account by PDs was the quality of the interview, with an average score of 8.68 of 10. The most significant factor taken into account by PDs when deciding how to rank applicants was the quality of the interview. Many orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship programs interview between 21 and 30 applicants per year

Advanced BCD technology with vertical DMOS based on a semi-insulation structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kui, Ma; Xinghua, Fu; Jiexin, Lin; Fashun, Yang

2016-07-01

A new semi-insulation structure in which one isolated island is connected to the substrate was proposed. Based on this semi-insulation structure, an advanced BCD technology which can integrate a vertical device without extra internal interconnection structure was presented. The manufacturing of the new semi-insulation structure employed multi-epitaxy and selectively multi-doping. Isolated islands are insulated with the substrate by reverse-biased PN junctions. Adjacent isolated islands are insulated by isolation wall or deep dielectric trenches. The proposed semi-insulation structure and devices fixed in it were simulated through two-dimensional numerical computer simulators. Based on the new BCD technology, a smart power integrated circuit was designed and fabricated. The simulated and tested results of Vertical DMOS, MOSFETs, BJTs, resistors and diodes indicated that the proposed semi-insulation structure is reasonable and the advanced BCD technology is validated. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 61464002), the Science and Technology Fund of Guizhou Province (No. Qian Ke He J Zi [2014]2066), and the Dr. Fund of Guizhou University (No. Gui Da Ren Ji He Zi (2013)20Hao).

ACASI and face-to-face interviews yield inconsistent estimates of domestic violence among women in India: The Samata Health Study 2005-2009.

PubMed

Rathod, Sujit D; Minnis, Alexandra M; Subbiah, Kalyani; Krishnan, Suneeta

2011-08-01

Audio computer-assisted self-interviews (ACASI) are increasingly used in health research to improve the accuracy of data on sensitive behaviors. However, evidence is limited on its use among low-income populations in countries like India and for measurement of sensitive issues such as domestic violence. We compared reports of domestic violence and three less sensitive behaviors related to household decision making and spousal communication in ACASI and face-to-face interviews (FTFI) among 464 young married women enrolled in a longitudinal study of gender-based power and adverse health outcomes in low-income communities in Bangalore, India. We used a test-retest design. At the 12-month study visit, we elicited responses from each participant through FTFI first, followed by ACASI. At the 24-month visit, we reversed the order, implementing ACASI first, followed by FTFI. Univariable log-linear regression models and kappa statistics were used to examine ACASI's effects on self-reports. Regression results showed significantly lower reporting in ACASI relative to FTFI at both visits, including for domestic violence (12-month risk ratio [RR] = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.52, 0.73; 24-month RR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.62, 0.89). Response agreement between interview modes, calculated by kappa scores, was universally low, though highest for domestic violence (12-month κ = 0.45; 24-month κ = 0.48). Older age and greater educational attainment appeared associated with higher response agreement. Greater reporting in FTFI may be due to social desirability bias for the less sensitive questions and perceptions of therapeutic benefit for domestic violence. These results cast doubt on the appropriateness of using ACASI for measurement of sensitive behaviors in India.

Eyewitness Memory in Face-to-Face and Immersive Avatar-to-Avatar Contexts.

PubMed

Taylor, Donna A; Dando, Coral J

2018-01-01

Technological advances offer possibilities for innovation in the way eyewitness testimony is elicited. Typically, this occurs face-to-face. We investigated whether a virtual environment, where interviewer and eyewitness communicate as avatars, might confer advantages by attenuating the social and situational demands of a face-to-face interview, releasing more cognitive resources for invoking episodic retrieval mode. In conditions of intentional encoding, eyewitnesses were interviewed 48 h later, either face-to-face or in a virtual environment ( N = 38). Participants in the virtual environment significantly outperformed those interviewed face-to-face on all episodic performance measures - improved correct reporting reduced errors, and increased accuracy. Participants reported finding it easier to admit not remembering event information to the avatar, and finding the avatar easier to talk to. These novel findings, and our pattern of retrieval results indicates the potential of avatar-to-avatar communication in virtual environments, and provide impetus for further research investigating eyewitness cognition in contemporary retrieval contexts.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Global Positioning System (GPS) Data-Loggers and Semi-structured Interviews for Capturing Fine-scale Human Mobility: Findings from Iquitos, Peru

PubMed Central

Paz-Soldan, Valerie A.; Reiner, Robert C.; Morrison, Amy C.; Stoddard, Steven T.; Kitron, Uriel; Scott, Thomas W.; Elder, John P.; Halsey, Eric S.; Kochel, Tadeusz J.; Astete, Helvio; Vazquez-Prokopec, Gonzalo M.

2014-01-01

Quantifying human mobility has significant consequences for studying physical activity, exposure to pathogens, and generating more realistic infectious disease models. Location-aware technologies such as Global Positioning System (GPS)-enabled devices are used increasingly as a gold standard for mobility research. The main goal of this observational study was to compare and contrast the information obtained through GPS and semi-structured interviews (SSI) to assess issues affecting data quality and, ultimately, our ability to measure fine-scale human mobility. A total of 160 individuals, ages 7 to 74, from Iquitos, Peru, were tracked using GPS data-loggers for 14 days and later interviewed using the SSI about places they visited while tracked. A total of 2,047 and 886 places were reported in the SSI and identified by GPS, respectively. Differences in the concordance between methods occurred by location type, distance threshold (within a given radius to be considered a match) selected, GPS data collection frequency (i.e., 30, 90 or 150 seconds) and number of GPS points near the SSI place considered to define a match. Both methods had perfect concordance identifying each participant's house, followed by 80–100% concordance for identifying schools and lodgings, and 50–80% concordance for residences and commercial and religious locations. As the distance threshold selected increased, the concordance between SSI and raw GPS data increased (beyond 20 meters most locations reached their maximum concordance). Processing raw GPS data using a signal-clustering algorithm decreased overall concordance to 14.3%. The most common causes of discordance as described by a sub-sample (n = 101) with whom we followed-up were GPS units being accidentally off (30%), forgetting or purposely not taking the units when leaving home (24.8%), possible barriers to the signal (4.7%) and leaving units home to recharge (4.6%). We provide a quantitative assessment of the strengths and

An improved semi-implicit method for structural dynamics analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, K. C.

1982-01-01

A semi-implicit algorithm is presented for direct time integration of the structural dynamics equations. The algorithm avoids the factoring of the implicit difference solution matrix and mitigates the unacceptable accuracy losses which plagued previous semi-implicit algorithms. This substantial accuracy improvement is achieved by augmenting the solution matrix with two simple diagonal matrices of the order of the integration truncation error.

Atypical face shape and genomic structural variants in epilepsy

PubMed Central

Chinthapalli, Krishna; Bartolini, Emanuele; Novy, Jan; Suttie, Michael; Marini, Carla; Falchi, Melania; Fox, Zoe; Clayton, Lisa M. S.; Sander, Josemir W.; Guerrini, Renzo; Depondt, Chantal; Hennekam, Raoul; Hammond, Peter

2012-01-01

Many pathogenic structural variants of the human genome are known to cause facial dysmorphism. During the past decade, pathogenic structural variants have also been found to be an important class of genetic risk factor for epilepsy. In other fields, face shape has been assessed objectively using 3D stereophotogrammetry and dense surface models. We hypothesized that computer-based analysis of 3D face images would detect subtle facial abnormality in people with epilepsy who carry pathogenic structural variants as determined by chromosome microarray. In 118 children and adults attending three European epilepsy clinics, we used an objective measure called Face Shape Difference to show that those with pathogenic structural variants have a significantly more atypical face shape than those without such variants. This is true when analysing the whole face, or the periorbital region or the perinasal region alone. We then tested the predictive accuracy of our measure in a second group of 63 patients. Using a minimum threshold to detect face shape abnormalities with pathogenic structural variants, we found high sensitivity (4/5, 80% for whole face; 3/5, 60% for periorbital and perinasal regions) and specificity (45/58, 78% for whole face and perinasal regions; 40/58, 69% for periorbital region). We show that the results do not seem to be affected by facial injury, facial expression, intellectual disability, drug history or demographic differences. Finally, we use bioinformatics tools to explore relationships between facial shape and gene expression within the developing forebrain. Stereophotogrammetry and dense surface models are powerful, objective, non-contact methods of detecting relevant face shape abnormalities. We demonstrate that they are useful in identifying atypical face shape in adults or children with structural variants, and they may give insights into the molecular genetics of facial development. PMID:22975390

Semi-Automated Air-Coupled Impact-Echo Method for Large-Scale Parkade Structure.

PubMed

Epp, Tyler; Svecova, Dagmar; Cha, Young-Jin

2018-03-29

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) has moved to data-dense systems, utilizing numerous sensor types to monitor infrastructure, such as bridges and dams, more regularly. One of the issues faced in this endeavour is the scale of the inspected structures and the time it takes to carry out testing. Installing automated systems that can provide measurements in a timely manner is one way of overcoming these obstacles. This study proposes an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) application that determines intact and damaged locations from a small training sample of impact-echo data, using air-coupled microphones from a reinforced concrete beam in lab conditions and data collected from a field experiment in a parking garage. The impact-echo testing in the field is carried out in a semi-autonomous manner to expedite the front end of the in situ damage detection testing. The use of an ANN removes the need for a user-defined cutoff value for the classification of intact and damaged locations when a least-square distance approach is used. It is postulated that this may contribute significantly to testing time reduction when monitoring large-scale civil Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures.

Semi-Automated Air-Coupled Impact-Echo Method for Large-Scale Parkade Structure

PubMed Central

Epp, Tyler; Svecova, Dagmar; Cha, Young-Jin

2018-01-01

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) has moved to data-dense systems, utilizing numerous sensor types to monitor infrastructure, such as bridges and dams, more regularly. One of the issues faced in this endeavour is the scale of the inspected structures and the time it takes to carry out testing. Installing automated systems that can provide measurements in a timely manner is one way of overcoming these obstacles. This study proposes an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) application that determines intact and damaged locations from a small training sample of impact-echo data, using air-coupled microphones from a reinforced concrete beam in lab conditions and data collected from a field experiment in a parking garage. The impact-echo testing in the field is carried out in a semi-autonomous manner to expedite the front end of the in situ damage detection testing. The use of an ANN removes the need for a user-defined cutoff value for the classification of intact and damaged locations when a least-square distance approach is used. It is postulated that this may contribute significantly to testing time reduction when monitoring large-scale civil Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures. PMID:29596332

The objective structured interview for medical student selection

PubMed Central

Powis, D A; Neame, R L B; Bristow, T; Murphy, L B

1988-01-01

An objective structured interview is an integral part of the process of selecting and admitting applicants to study medicine at this university. During the nine years (to the end of 1986) that the interview has been used 1600 candidates were interviewed out of roughly 13 000 applicants, and from these, 584 students were admitted to the course. Analysis of the interview data was carried out based on two aspects of student progress: graduation with honours and failure to complete the course of study. The interview as a whole, and especially some of the subscales, appears to identify students who may fail to complete the course: it may also help to predict which students are likely to graduate with honours. PMID:3126966

Systems face challenges. Interview by Donald E.L. Johnson.

PubMed

Brown, F L

1991-04-01

The regional hospital system has become a mainstay in the structuring of health care during the past decade. How will it fare in the next 10 years? In the following interview with Health Care Strategic Management's editor and publisher Donald E.L. Johnson, Fred L. Brown, president and chief executive officer of Christian Health System, the St. Louis, Mo.-based umbrella organization for nine hospitals, six nursing facilities, and one retirement community, predicts a bright future for the health care system. He also discusses the strategies that are unique to the success of such a system.

Validation of a Brief Structured Interview: The Children’s Interview for Psychiatric Syndromes (ChIPS)

PubMed Central

Young, Matthew E.; Bell, Ziv E.; Fristad, Mary A.

2016-01-01

Evidence-based assessment is important in the treatment of childhood psychopathology (Jensen-Doss, 2011). While researchers and clinicians frequently use structured diagnostic interviews to ensure reliability, the most commonly used instrument, the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Aged Children (K-SADS; Kaufman et al., 1997), is too long for most clinical applications. The Children’s Interview for Psychiatric Syndromes, (ChIPS/P-ChIPS; Weller, Weller, Rooney, & Fristad, 1999a; 1999b) is a highly-structured brief diagnostic interview. The present study compared K-SADS and ChIPS/P-ChIPS diagnoses in an outpatient clinical sample of 50 parent-child pairs aged 7–14. Agreement between most diagnoses was moderate to high between instruments and with consensus clinical diagnoses. ChIPS was significantly briefer to administer than the K-SADS. Interviewer experience level and participant demographics did not appear to affect agreement. Results provide further evidence for the validity of the ChIPS and support its use in clinical and research settings. PMID:27761777

Beyond face-to-face individual counseling: A systematic review on alternative modes of motivational interviewing in substance abuse treatment and prevention.

PubMed

Jiang, Shan; Wu, Lingli; Gao, Xiaoli

2017-10-01

This systematic review aimed to synthesize the evidence on the effectiveness of motivational interviewing (MI), delivered in modes other than face-to-face individual counseling, in preventing and treating substance abuse related behaviors. Four databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, ISI Web of Science and Cochrane Library) were searched for randomised clinical trials (RCTs) that evaluated the effectiveness of alternative modes of MI (other than face-to-face individual counseling) in preventing and treating substance abuse. Eligible studies were rated on methodological quality and their findings were qualitatively synthesized. A total of 25 articles (on 22 RCTs) were eligible for this review. Beyond face-to-face counseling, telephone was the most frequently used medium for delivering MI (11 studies), followed by Internet communication (4 studies) and short message service (SMS) (2 studies). Mail was incorporated as a supplement in one of the studies for telephone MI. In contrast to one-to-one individual counseling, group MI was adopted in 5 studies. The effectiveness of telephone MI in treating substance abuse was supported by all of the published RCTs we located. Internet-based MI was effective in preventing and treating alcoholism, but its outcome appeared to be inconsistent for smoking cessation and poor for abstinence from illicit drugs. SMS-based MI appeared to be useful for controlling tobacco and drinking. Group MI was attempted for quitting alcohol and drugs, with mixed findings on its outcomes. Collectively, the studies reviewed indicate that telephone MI is a promising mode of intervention in treating and preventing substance abuse. The effectiveness of other alternative modes (SMS-based MI, Internet-based MI and group MI) remains inconclusive given the controversial findings and a limited number of studies. By synthesizing the currently available evidence, this systematic review suggested that telephone MI might be considered as an alternative to face-to-face

Relaxation mechanisms, structure and properties of semi-coherent interfaces

DOE PAGES

Shao, Shuai; Wang, Jian

2015-10-15

In this work, using the Cu–Ni (111) semi-coherent interface as a model system, we combine atomistic simulations and defect theory to reveal the relaxation mechanisms, structure, and properties of semi-coherent interfaces. By calculating the generalized stacking fault energy (GSFE) profile of the interface, two stable structures and a high-energy structure are located. During the relaxation, the regions that possess the stable structures expand and develop into coherent regions; the regions with high-energy structure shrink into the intersection of misfit dislocations (nodes). This process reduces the interface excess potential energy but increases the core energy of the misfit dislocations and nodes.more » The core width is dependent on the GSFE of the interface. The high-energy structure relaxes by relative rotation and dilatation between the crystals. The relative rotation is responsible for the spiral pattern at nodes. The relative dilatation is responsible for the creation of free volume at nodes, which facilitates the nodes’ structural transformation. Several node structures have been observed and analyzed. In conclusion, the various structures have significant impact on the plastic deformation in terms of lattice dislocation nucleation, as well as the point defect formation energies.« less

Prevention of and dealing with poor performance: an interview study about how professional associations aim to support healthcare professionals.

PubMed

Weenink, Jan-Willem; Kool, Rudolf B; Hesselink, Gijs; Bartels, Ronald H; Westert, Gert P

2017-10-01

To explore how professional associations of nine healthcare professions aim to support professionals to prevent and deal with poor performance. Qualitative interview study. The Netherlands. Representatives of professional associations for dentists, general practitioners, medical specialists, midwives, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, psychologists and psychotherapists. During nine face-to-face semi-structured interviews we asked how associations aim to support professionals in prevention of and dealing with poor performance. Following the first interview, we monitored new initiatives in support over a 2.5-year period, after which we conducted a second interview. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Available policy and support regarding poor performance. Three themes emerged from our data (i.e. elaborating on professional performance, performance insight and dealing with poor performance) for which we identified a total of 10 categories of support. Support concerned professional codes, guidelines and codes of conduct, quality registers, individual performance assessment, peer consultation, practice evaluation, helpdesk and expert counselling, a protocol for dealing with poor performance, a place for support and to report poor performance, and internal disciplinary procedures. This study provides an overview of support given to nine healthcare professions by their associations regarding poor performance, and identifies gaps that associations could follow up on, such as clarifying what to do when confronted with a poorly performing colleague, supporting professionals that poorly perform, and developing methods for individual performance assessment to gain performance insight. A next step would be to evaluate the use and effect of different types of support. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

[Impact of disabling chronic pain: results of a cross-sectional population study with face-to-face interview].

PubMed

Cabrera-Leon, Andrés; Cantero-Braojos, Miguel Ángel

2017-11-16

To assess the impact of disabling chronic pain (DCP) on quality of life, work, consumption of medication and usage of health services. Cross-sectional population study with face-to-face interview. Andalusian Health Survey (2011 edition). 6,507 people over the age of 16 (p=q=0.5; confidence level=95%; sampling error=1.49, design effect=1.52). Not applicable. Dependent variable: DCP: population limited in their activity by any of the CP specified in the survey. quality of life, absence from work, consumption of medication and utilization of health services. Compared to a population without CP, DCP impact is 6 points less on the mental quality of life and 12 points on the physical one, medication consumption is triple, health services utilization is almost double, and long absence from work is triple. On the other hand, a population with nondisabling chronic pain (nDCP) presents similar results to a population without CP. We have considered DCP as another CP category because of its huge impact, as is shown in our study, on the study variables. On the contrary, the population with nDCP does not obtain significant impact differences when compared to the population without CP. Therefore, we believe that Primary Care and Public Health should lead different prevention strategies for DCP as well as for the identification of the nDCP population to decrease its possible deterioration towards DCP. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Semi Active Control of Civil Structures, Analytical and Numerical Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerboua, M.; Benguediab, M.; Megnounif, A.; Benrahou, K. H.; Kaoulala, F.

Structural control for civil structures was born out of a need to provide safer and more efficient designs with the reality of limited resources. The purpose of structural control is to absorb and to reflect the energy introduced by dynamic loads such as winds, waves, earthquakes, and traffic. Today, the protection of civil structures from severe dynamic loading is typically achieved by allowing the structures to be damaged. Semi-active control devices, also called "smart" control devices, assume the positive aspects of both the passive and active control devices. A semi-active control strategy is similar to the active control strategy. Only here, the control actuator does not directly apply force to the structure, but instead it is used to control the properties of a passive energy device, a controllable passive damper. Semi-active control strategies can be used in many of the same civil applications as passive and active control. One method of operating smart cable dampers is in a purely passive capacity, supplying the dampers with constant optimal voltage. The advantages to this strategy are the relative simplicity of implementing the control strategy as compared to a smart or active control strategy and that the dampers are more easily optimally tuned in- place, eliminating the need to have passive dampers with unique optimal damping coefficients. This research investigated semi-active control of civil structures for natural hazard mitigation. The research has two components, the seismic protection of buildings and the mitigation of wind-induced vibration in structures. An ideal semi-active motion equation of a composite beam that consists of a cantilever beam bonded with a PZT patch using Hamilton's principle and Galerkin's method was treated. A series R-L and a parallel R-L shunt circuits are coupled into the motion equation respectively by means of the constitutive relation of piezoelectric material and Kirchhoff's law to control the beam vibration. A

Fuzzy control for nonlinear structure with semi-active friction damper

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Da-Hai; Li, Hong-Nan

2007-04-01

The implementation of semi-active friction damper for vibration mitigation of seismic structure generally requires an efficient control strategy. In this paper, the fuzzy logic based on Takagi-Sugeno model is proposed for controlling a semi-active friction damper that is installed on a nonlinear building subjected to strong earthquakes. The continuous Bouc-Wen hysteretic model for the stiffness is used to describe nonlinear characteristic of the building. The optimal sliding force with friction damper is determined by nonlinear time history analysis under normal earthquakes. The Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy logic model is employed to adjust the clamping force acted on the friction damper according to the semi-active control strategy. Numerical simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method is very efficient in reducing the peak inter-story drift and acceleration of the nonlinear building structure under earthquake excitations.

A Comparison of Organizational Structure and Pedagogical Approach: Online versus Face-to-Face

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McFarlane, Donovan A.

2011-01-01

This paper examines online versus face-to-face organizational structure and pedagogy in terms of education and the teaching and learning process. The author distinguishes several important terms related to distance/online/e-learning, virtual learning and brick-and-mortar learning interactions and concepts such as asynchronous and synchronous…

[Facing the difficult experience even with support: the underage adolescent experiencing motherhood].

PubMed

Andrade, Paula Rosenberg de; Ohara, Conceição Vieira da Silva; Borba, Regina Issuzu Hirooka de; Ribeiro, Circéa Amalia

2015-01-01

To understand the meaning of childcare for the underage adolescent mother, to reveal the demands of care and to build a theoretical model based on this experience. Qualitative research with symbolic interactionism as the theoretical framework and the grounded theory as the methodological framework; nine adolescents participated in the study. The semi-structured interview was used to collect data from September 2008 to September 2011, during paediatric nursing consultation at the Centro Assistencial Cruz de Malta, a philanthropic institution in the city of São Paulo/Brazil. Data analysis led to the construction of the theoretical model,Facing a difficult experience even with support. The experience shows that the difficulties to care for a child, even with help, are not met, only mitigated, and that underage adolescents do not have the maturity to cope with this experience.

The value of artefacts in stimulated-recall interviews.

PubMed

Burden, Sarah; Topping, Annie; O'Halloran, Catherine

2015-09-01

To assess the use of artefacts in semi-structured, stimulated-recall interviews in a study exploring mentors' decisions regarding students' competence in practice. Few empirical studies have examined how mentors reach a decision when assessing students' performance in practice. Concerns have repeatedly been voiced that students may lack essential skills at the point of registration or that mentors may have failed or been reticent to judge students' performance as unsatisfactory. Student practice assessment documents (PADs) were used in stimulated-recall (SR) interviews with mentors to explore decision making. A review of the literature identified that artefacts can play a role in triggering a more comprehensive retrospective examination of decision making, thus helping to capture the essence of a mentor's decision over time and in context. Use of an artefact to stimulate recall can elicit evidence of thought processes, which may be difficult to obtain in a normal, semi-structured interview. PADs proved to be a valuable way to generate naturalistic decision making. In addition, discussion of artefacts created by participants can promote participant-driven enquiry, thereby reducing researcher bias. Identifying an approach that captures post hoc decision making based on sustained engagement and interaction between students and their mentors was a challenge. Artefacts can be used to address the difficulties associated with retrospective introspection about a unique decision. There is the potential to increase the use of artefacts in healthcare research. SR can also help novice mentors develop their skills in making decisions regarding assessments of students.

In the Information Age, do dementia caregivers get the information they need? Semi-structured interviews to determine informal caregivers' education needs, barriers, and preferences.

PubMed

Peterson, Kendra; Hahn, Howard; Lee, Amber J; Madison, Catherine A; Atri, Alireza

2016-09-23

Most patients with dementia or cognitive impairment receive care from family members, often untrained for this challenging role. Caregivers may not access publicly available caregiving information, and caregiver education programs are not widely implemented clinically. Prior large surveys yielded broad quantitative understanding of caregiver information needs, but do not illuminate the in-depth, rich, and nuanced caregiver perspectives that can be gleaned using qualitative methodology. We aimed to understand perspectives about information sources, barriers and preferences, through semi-structured interviews with 27 caregivers. Content analysis identified important themes. We interviewed 19 women, 8 men; mean age 58.5 years; most adult children (15) or spouses (8) of the care recipient. Dementia symptoms often developed insidiously, with delayed disease acknowledgement and caregiver self-identification. While memory loss was common, behavioral symptoms were most troublesome, often initially unrecognized as disease indicators. Emerging themes: 1.) Barriers to seeking information often result from knowledge gaps, rather than reluctance to assume the caregiver role; 2.) Most caregivers currently receive insufficient information. Caregivers are open to many information sources, settings, and technologies, including referrals to other healthcare professionals, print material, and community and internet resources, but expect the primary care provider (PCP) to recommend, endorse, and guide them to specific sources. These findings replicated and expanded on results from previous quantitative surveys and, importantly, revealed a previously unrecognized essential factor: despite receiving insufficient information, caregivers place critical value on their relationship with care recipient PCPs to receive recommendations, guidance and endorsement to sources of caregiving information. Implications include: 1.) Greater public education is needed to help caregivers identify and

Difficulties experienced by migrant physicians working in German hospitals: a qualitative interview study.

PubMed

Klingler, Corinna; Marckmann, Georg

2016-09-23

With Germany facing a shortage of doctors, hospitals have been increasingly recruiting physicians from abroad. Studies in other countries have shown that migrant physicians experience various difficulties in their work, which might impact the quality of patient care, physician job satisfaction, and, accordingly, retention. The experiences of migrant doctors in Germany have not been systematically studied so far and will likely differ from experiences migrant physicians make in other contexts. A thorough understanding of challenges faced by this group, however, is needed to develop adequate support structures-as required by the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel. A qualitative study was conducted to give an overview of the multifaceted difficulties migrant physicians might face in German hospitals. Twenty semi-structured interviews with foreign-born and foreign-trained physicians were conducted in German. Participants were recruited via the State Chambers of Physicians and snowballing based on a maximum variation sampling strategy varying purposefully by source country and medical specialty. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using qualitative content analysis. Participants described difficulties relating to healthcare institutions, own competencies, and interpersonal interactions. Participants experienced certain legal norms, the regulation of licensure and application for work, and the organization of the hospital environment as inadequate. Most struggled with their lack of setting-specific (language, cultural, clinical, and system) knowledge. Furthermore, behaviour of patients and co-workers was perceived as discriminating or inadequate for other reasons. This is the first study to describe the broad range of issues migrant physicians experience in Germany. Based on this information, institutional actors should devise support structures to ensure quality of care, physician wellbeing, and

Audio computer-assisted self interview compared to traditional interview in an HIV-related behavioral survey in Vietnam.

PubMed

Le, Linh Cu; Vu, Lan T H

2012-10-01

Globally, population surveys on HIV/AIDS and other sensitive topics have been using audio computer-assisted self interview for many years. This interview technique, however, is still new to Vietnam and little is known about its application and impact in general population surveys. One plausible hypothesis is that residents of Vietnam interviewed using this technique may provide a higher response rate and be more willing to reveal their true behaviors than if interviewed with traditional methods. This study aims to compare audio computer-assisted self interview with traditional face-to-face personal interview and self-administered interview with regard to rates of refusal and affirmative responses to questions on sensitive topics related to HIV/AIDS. In June 2010, a randomized study was conducted in three cities (Ha Noi, Da Nan and Can Tho), using a sample of 4049 residents aged 15 to 49 years. Respondents were randomly assigned to one of three interviewing methods: audio computer-assisted self interview, personal face-to-face interview, and self-administered paper interview. Instead of providing answers directly to interviewer questions as with traditional methods, audio computer-assisted self-interview respondents read the questions displayed on a laptop screen, while listening to the questions through audio headphones, then entered responses using a laptop keyboard. A MySQL database was used for data management and SPSS statistical package version 18 used for data analysis with bivariate and multivariate statistical techniques. Rates of high risk behaviors and mean values of continuous variables were compared for the three data collection methods. Audio computer-assisted self interview showed advantages over comparison techniques, achieving lower refusal rates and reporting higher prevalence of some sensitive and risk behaviors (perhaps indication of more truthful answers). Premarital sex was reported by 20.4% in the audio computer-assisted self-interview survey

Depth Structure from Asymmetric Shading Supports Face Discrimination

PubMed Central

Chen, Chien-Chung; Chen, Chin-Mei; Tyler, Christopher W.

2013-01-01

To examine the effect of illumination direction on the ability of observers to discriminate between faces, we manipulated the direction of illumination on scanned 3D face models. In order to dissociate the surface reflectance and illumination components of front-view face images, we introduce a symmetry algorithm that can separate the symmetric and asymmetric components of the face in both low and high spatial frequency bands. Based on this approach, hybrid faces stimuli were constructed with different combinations of symmetric and asymmetric spatial content. Discrimination results with these images showed that asymmetric illumination information biased face perception toward the structure of the shading component, while the symmetric illumination information had little, if any, effect. Measures of perceived depth showed that this property increased systematically with the asymmetric but not the symmetric low spatial frequency component. Together, these results suggest that (1) the asymmetric 3D shading information dramatically affects both the perceived facial information and the perceived depth of the facial structure; and (2) these effects both increase as the illumination direction is shifted to the side. Thus, our results support the hypothesis that face processing has a strong 3D component. PMID:23457484

Structure and properties of semi-interpenetrating network hydrogel based on starch.

PubMed

Zhu, Baodong; Ma, Dongzhuo; Wang, Jian; Zhang, Shuang

2015-11-20

Starch-g-P(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide)/PVA semi-interpenetrating network (semi-IPN) hydrogels were prepared by aqueous solution polymerization method. Starch grafting copolymerization reaction, semi-IPN structure and crystal morphology were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The PVA in the form of partial crystallization distributing in the gel matrix uniformly were observed by Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The space network structure, finer microstructure and pore size in the interior of hydrogel were presented by biomicroscope. The results demonstrated that absorption ratio of water and salt generated different degree changes with the effect of PVA. In addition, the mechanical strength of hydrogel was improved. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Equity in interviews: do personal characteristics impact on admission interview scores?

PubMed

Lumb, Andrew B; Homer, Matthew; Miller, Amy

2010-11-01

Research indicates that some social groups are disadvantaged by medical school selection systems. The stage(s) of a selection process at which this occurs is unknown, but at interview, when applicant and interviewer are face-to-face, there is potential for social bias to occur. We performed a detailed audit of the interview process for a single-entry year to a large UK medical school. Our audit included investigating the personal characteristics of both interviewees and interviewers to find out whether any of these factors, including the degree of social matching between individual pairs of interviewees and interviewers, influenced the interview scores awarded. A total of 320 interviewers interviewed 734 applicants, providing complete data for 2007 interviewer-interviewee interactions. The reliability of the interview process was estimated using generalisability theory at 0.82-0.87. For both interviewers and interviewees, gender, ethnic background, socio-economic group and type of school attended had no influence on the interview scores awarded or achieved. Staff and student interviewer marks did not differ significantly. Although numbers in each group of staff interviewers were too small for formal statistical analysis, there were no obvious differences in marks awarded between different medical specialties or between interviewers with varying amounts of interviewing experience. Our data provide reassurance that the interview does not seem to be the stage of selection at which some social groups are disadvantaged. These results support the continued involvement of senior medical students in the interview process. Despite the lack of evidence that an interview is useful for predicting future academic or clinical success, most medical schools continue to use interviews as a fundamental component of their selection process. Our study has shown that at least this arguably misplaced reliance upon interviewing is not introducing further social bias into the selection

Comparative Reliability of Structured Versus Unstructured Interviews in the Admission Process of a Residency Program

PubMed Central

Blouin, Danielle; Day, Andrew G.; Pavlov, Andrey

2011-01-01

Background Although never directly compared, structured interviews are reported as being more reliable than unstructured interviews. This study compared the reliability of both types of interview when applied to a common pool of applicants for positions in an emergency medicine residency program. Methods In 2008, one structured interview was added to the two unstructured interviews traditionally used in our resident selection process. A formal job analysis using the critical incident technique guided the development of the structured interview tool. This tool consisted of 7 scenarios assessing 4 of the domains deemed essential for success as a resident in this program. The traditional interview tool assessed 5 general criteria. In addition to these criteria, the unstructured panel members were asked to rate each candidate on the same 4 essential domains rated by the structured panel members. All 3 panels interviewed all candidates. Main outcomes were the overall, interitem, and interrater reliabilities, the correlations between interview panels, and the dimensionality of each interview tool. Results Thirty candidates were interviewed. The overall reliability reached 0.43 for the structured interview, and 0.81 and 0.71 for the unstructured interviews. Analyses of the variance components showed a high interrater, low interitem reliability for the structured interview, and a high interrater, high interitem reliability for the unstructured interviews. The summary measures from the 2 unstructured interviews were significantly correlated, but neither was correlated with the structured interview. Only the structured interview was multidimensional. Conclusions A structured interview did not yield a higher overall reliability than both unstructured interviews. The lower reliability is explained by a lower interitem reliability, which in turn is due to the multidimensionality of the interview tool. Both unstructured panels consistently rated a single dimension, even when

Comparative reliability of structured versus unstructured interviews in the admission process of a residency program.

PubMed

Blouin, Danielle; Day, Andrew G; Pavlov, Andrey

2011-12-01

Although never directly compared, structured interviews are reported as being more reliable than unstructured interviews. This study compared the reliability of both types of interview when applied to a common pool of applicants for positions in an emergency medicine residency program. In 2008, one structured interview was added to the two unstructured interviews traditionally used in our resident selection process. A formal job analysis using the critical incident technique guided the development of the structured interview tool. This tool consisted of 7 scenarios assessing 4 of the domains deemed essential for success as a resident in this program. The traditional interview tool assessed 5 general criteria. In addition to these criteria, the unstructured panel members were asked to rate each candidate on the same 4 essential domains rated by the structured panel members. All 3 panels interviewed all candidates. Main outcomes were the overall, interitem, and interrater reliabilities, the correlations between interview panels, and the dimensionality of each interview tool. Thirty candidates were interviewed. The overall reliability reached 0.43 for the structured interview, and 0.81 and 0.71 for the unstructured interviews. Analyses of the variance components showed a high interrater, low interitem reliability for the structured interview, and a high interrater, high interitem reliability for the unstructured interviews. The summary measures from the 2 unstructured interviews were significantly correlated, but neither was correlated with the structured interview. Only the structured interview was multidimensional. A structured interview did not yield a higher overall reliability than both unstructured interviews. The lower reliability is explained by a lower interitem reliability, which in turn is due to the multidimensionality of the interview tool. Both unstructured panels consistently rated a single dimension, even when prompted to assess the 4 specific domains

Compatibility of the Relationship of Early Recollections and Life Style with Parent Schemas Obtained through Adlerian Interviews

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canel, Azize Nilgün

2016-01-01

In this study, the Adlerian Interview Form has been used as a semi-structured, in-depth interview method to identify the experiences of six participants regarding Adler's concepts of early recollections and life style. Subsequent to transcribing the obtained information, recollections to be included in the analysis were subjected to the criterion…

Qualitative interviews on the beliefs and feelings of adults towards their ownership, but non-use of hearing aids.

PubMed

Linssen, Anouk M; Joore, Manuela A; Minten, Rianne K H; van Leeuwen, Yvonne D; Anteunis, Lucien J C

2013-10-01

Up to a quarter of the adults who own hearing aids never use them. To provide these 'non-users' with the best help, hearing care professionals need to have an in-depth understanding of the non-users' beliefs and feelings with regard to the non-use. This qualitative study explored these beliefs and feelings in order to increase our understanding of hearing aid non-users. Individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews were completed. Eleven hearing aid owners (aged 54-80 years) who reported that they never or hardly ever used their hearing aids. The participants expressed a variety of feelings towards their non-use, including indifference, self-annoyance, frustration, powerlessness, shame, and guilt. Their feelings were related to beliefs about: (1) the severity of their hearing handicap with and without hearing aids, (2) whom or what was responsible for the non-use, and (3) the attitudes of significant others towards the non-use. Hearing-aid non-users differ in their beliefs and feelings towards the non-use. A patient-centred approach is needed.

Enhancing Student Experiential Learning with Structured Interviews

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cornell, Robert M.; Johnson, Carol B.; Schwartz, William C., Jr.

2013-01-01

Learning through experience can be rewarding but intimidating. To maximize the benefits of experiential learning assignments, students need to have confidence in their abilities. The authors report how a structured-interview instrument effectively facilitated experiential learning for accounting students without extensive content-specific…

Using Electronic Interviews to Explore Student Understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, D. J.; Rivera, J. J.; Mateycik, Fran; Jennings, Sybillyn

2005-09-01

This paper reports on methods used to probe student understandings of optical fibers and total internal reflection (TIR). The study was conducted as part of the expansion and improvement of web-based materials for an innovative introductory physics course. Initially, we conducted face-to-face Piaget-style interviews with a convenience sample. Our next step was to interview students taking the course at Rensselaer. Physical limitations necessitated that this be done from a distance, so we conducted "e-interviews" using a Chat Room. In this paper we focus on the e-interview experience, discussing similarities to and differences from the traditional face-to-face approach. In the process, we address how each method informs us about students' activation of prior experiences in making sense of unfamiliar phenomena (e.g., "transfer of learning").

Designing Structured Interviews for Educational Research. ERIC/AE Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation, Washington, DC.

This digest reviews the basic building blocks of a structured interview, points out some of the pitfalls in interviewing, and suggests ways for researchers to avoid these difficulties to produce questions that have the best possibility of generating reliable and accurate data on the topics of interest. The data collection instrument is a document…

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.

A semi-supervised learning approach for RNA secondary structure prediction.

PubMed

Yonemoto, Haruka; Asai, Kiyoshi; Hamada, Michiaki

2015-08-01

RNA secondary structure prediction is a key technology in RNA bioinformatics. Most algorithms for RNA secondary structure prediction use probabilistic models, in which the model parameters are trained with reliable RNA secondary structures. Because of the difficulty of determining RNA secondary structures by experimental procedures, such as NMR or X-ray crystal structural analyses, there are still many RNA sequences that could be useful for training whose secondary structures have not been experimentally determined. In this paper, we introduce a novel semi-supervised learning approach for training parameters in a probabilistic model of RNA secondary structures in which we employ not only RNA sequences with annotated secondary structures but also ones with unknown secondary structures. Our model is based on a hybrid of generative (stochastic context-free grammars) and discriminative models (conditional random fields) that has been successfully applied to natural language processing. Computational experiments indicate that the accuracy of secondary structure prediction is improved by incorporating RNA sequences with unknown secondary structures into training. To our knowledge, this is the first study of a semi-supervised learning approach for RNA secondary structure prediction. This technique will be useful when the number of reliable structures is limited. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Structural phase study in un-patterned and patterned PVDF semi-crystalline films

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

Pramod, K., E-mail: rameshg.phy@pondiuni.edu.in; Gangineni, Ramesh Babu, E-mail: rameshg.phy@pondiuni.edu.in

2014-04-24

This work explores the structural phase studies of organic polymer- polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) thin films in semi-crystallized phase and nano-patterned PVDF thin films. The nanopatterns are transferred with the CD layer as a master using soft lithography technique. The semi-crystalline PVDF films were prepared by a still and hot (SH) method, using a homemade spin coater that has the proficiency of substrate heating by a halogen lamp. Using this set up, smooth PVDF thin films in semi-crystalline α-phase were prepared using 2-Butanone as solvent. XRD, AFM and confocal Raman microscope have been utilized to study the structural phase, crystallinity andmore » quality of the films.« less

Assessing the anticipated consequences of Computer-based Provider Order Entry at three community hospitals using an open-ended, semi-structured survey instrument.

PubMed

Sittig, Dean F; Ash, Joan S; Guappone, Ken P; Campbell, Emily M; Dykstra, Richard H

2008-07-01

To determine what "average" clinicians in organizations that were about to implement Computer-based Provider Order Entry (CPOE) were expecting to occur, we conducted an open-ended, semi-structured survey at three community hospitals. We created an open-ended, semi-structured, interview survey template that we customized for each organization. This interview-based survey was designed to be administered orally to clinicians and take approximately 5 min to complete, although clinicians were allowed to discuss as many advantages or disadvantages of the impending system roll-out as they wanted to. Our survey findings did not reveal any overly negative, critical, problematic, or striking sets of concerns. However, from the standpoint of unintended consequences, we found that clinicians were anticipating only a few of the events, emotions, and process changes that are likely to result from CPOE. The results of such an open-ended survey may prove useful in helping CPOE leaders to understand user perceptions and predictions about CPOE, because it can expose issues about which more communication, or discussion, is needed. Using the survey, implementation strategies and management techniques outlined in this paper, any chief information officer (CIO) or chief medical information officer (CMIO) should be able to adequately assess their organization's CPOE readiness, make the necessary mid-course corrections, and be prepared to deal with the currently identified unintended consequences of CPOE should they occur.

Nonverbal Vocal Communication of Emotions in Interviews with Child and Adolescent Psychoanalysts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tokgoz, Tuba

2014-01-01

This exploratory study attempted to examine both the words and the prosody/melody of the language within the framework of Bucci's Multiple Code Theory. The sample consisted of twelve audio-recorded, semi-structured interviews of child and adolescent psychoanalysts who were asked to describe their work with patients. It is observed that emotionally…

How Exemplary Dyads Describe Their Practice of Collaborative Consultation: An Interview Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levac, Michelle L.

2004-01-01

The purpose of this study was to understand and report how exemplary dyads describe their practice of collaborative consultation in inclusive classrooms. A dyad was made up of one resource teacher and one classroom teacher. This study discovered, through semi-structured interviews, how these educators collaborated and consulted as a team to meet…

Clinical Interview Assessment of Financial Capacity in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease

PubMed Central

Marson, Daniel C.; Martin, Roy C.; Wadley, Virginia; Griffith, H. Randall; Snyder, Scott; Goode, Patricia S.; Kinney, F. Cleveland; Nicholas, Anthony P.; Steele, Terri; Anderson, Britt; Zamrini, Edward; Raman, Rema; Bartolucci, Alfred; Harrell, Lindy E.

2009-01-01

Objectives To investigate financial capacity in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) using a clinician interview approach. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Tertiary care medical center. Participants Healthy older adults (N=75), patients with amnestic MCI (N=58), mild AD (N=97), and moderate AD (N=31). Measurements The investigators and five study physicians developed a conceptually based, semi-structured clinical interview for evaluating seven core financial domains and overall financial capacity (Semi-Structured Clinical Interview for Financial Capacity; SCIFC). For each participant, a physician made capacity judgments (capable, marginally capable, or incapable) for each financial domain and for overall capacity. Results Study physicians made a total of over 11,000 capacity judgments across the study sample (N=261). Very good inter-rater agreement was obtained for the SCIFC judgments. Increasing proportions of marginal and incapable judgment ratings were associated with increasing disease severity across the four study groups. For overall financial capacity, 95 percent of physician judgments for older controls were rated as capable, as compared to only 82% for patients with MCI, 26% for patients with mild AD, and 4% for patients with moderate AD. Conclusion Financial capacity in cognitively impaired older adults can be reliably evaluated by physicians using a relatively brief, semi-structured clinical interview. Financial capacity shows mild impairment in MCI, emerging global impairment in mild AD, and advanced global impairment in moderate AD. MCI patients and their families should proactively engage in financial and legal planning given these patients’ risk of developing AD and accelerated loss of financial abilities. PMID:19453308

Communication networks of men facing a diagnosis of prostate cancer.

PubMed

Brown, Dot; Oetzel, John; Henderson, Alison

2016-11-01

This study seeks to identify the factors that shape the communication networks of men who face a potential diagnosis of prostate cancer, and how these factors relate to their disclosure about their changing health status. Men facing a potential diagnosis of prostate cancer are in a challenging situation; the support benefits of disclosing their changing health status to others in their communication networks is set against a backdrop of the potential stigma and uncertainty of the diagnosis. All men on a prostate biopsy waiting list were eligible for inclusion in an exploratory and interpretive study. Semi-structured interviews with 40 men explored their network structures and disclosure of health information. Thematic analysis highlighted the factors which contributed to their network structures and their disclosure about their health status. Four network factors shaped men's perspectives about disclosing their health status: (1) tie strength, comprising both strong and weak ties; (2) knowledgeable others, with a focus on medical professionals in the family; (3) homophily, which included other individuals with a similar medical condition; and (4) geographical proximity, with a preference for face-to-face communication. Communication networks influence men's disclosure of their health status and in particular weak ties with medical knowledge have an important role. Men who use the potential for support in their networks may experience improved psychosocial outcomes. Using these four network factors-tie strength, knowledgeable others, homophily or geographical proximity-to forecast men's willingness to disclose helps identify men who lack potential support and so are at risk of poor psychosocial health. Those with few strong ties or knowledgeable others in their networks may be in the at-risk cohort. The support provided in communication networks complements formal medical care from nurses and other health professionals, and encouraging patients to use their

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Stakeholders' perspectives on access-to-medicines policy and research priorities in Latin America and the Caribbean: face-to-face and web-based interviews.

PubMed

Azeredo, Thiago Botelho; Luiza, Vera Lucia; Oliveira, Maria Auxiliadora; Emmerick, Isabel Cristina Martins; Bigdeli, Maryam

2014-06-25

This study aims to rank policy concerns and policy-related research issues in order to identify policy and research gaps on access to medicines (ATM) in low- and middle-income countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), as perceived by policy makers, researchers, NGO and international organization representatives, as part of a global prioritization exercise. Data collection, conducted between January and May 2011, involved face-to-face interviews in El Salvador, Colombia, Dominican Republic, and Suriname, and an e-mail survey with key-stakeholders. Respondents were asked to choose the five most relevant criteria for research prioritization and to score policy/research items according to the degree to which they represented current policies, desired policies, current research topics, and/or desired research topics. Mean scores and summary rankings were obtained. Linear regressions were performed to contrast rankings concerning current and desired policies (policy gaps), and current and desired research (research gaps). Relevance, feasibility, and research utilization were the top ranked criteria for prioritizing research. Technical capacity, research and development for new drugs, and responsiveness, were the main policy gaps. Quality assurance, staff technical capacity, price regulation, out-of-pocket payments, and cost containment policies, were the main research gaps. There was high level of coherence between current and desired policies: coefficients of determination (R2) varied from 0.46 (Health system structure; r = 0.68, P <0.01) to 0.86 (Sustainable financing; r = 0.93, P <0.01). There was also high coherence between current and desired research on Rational selection and use of medicines (r = 0.71, P <0.05, R2 = 0.51), Pricing/affordability (r = 0.82, P <0.01, R2 = 0.67), and Sustainable financing (r = 0.76, P <0.01, R2 = 0.58). Coherence was less for Health system structure (r = 0.61, P <0.01, R2 = 0.38). This study combines metrics approaches

Stakeholders’ perspectives on access-to-medicines policy and research priorities in Latin America and the Caribbean: face-to-face and web-based interviews

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background This study aims to rank policy concerns and policy-related research issues in order to identify policy and research gaps on access to medicines (ATM) in low- and middle-income countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), as perceived by policy makers, researchers, NGO and international organization representatives, as part of a global prioritization exercise. Methods Data collection, conducted between January and May 2011, involved face-to-face interviews in El Salvador, Colombia, Dominican Republic, and Suriname, and an e-mail survey with key-stakeholders. Respondents were asked to choose the five most relevant criteria for research prioritization and to score policy/research items according to the degree to which they represented current policies, desired policies, current research topics, and/or desired research topics. Mean scores and summary rankings were obtained. Linear regressions were performed to contrast rankings concerning current and desired policies (policy gaps), and current and desired research (research gaps). Results Relevance, feasibility, and research utilization were the top ranked criteria for prioritizing research. Technical capacity, research and development for new drugs, and responsiveness, were the main policy gaps. Quality assurance, staff technical capacity, price regulation, out-of-pocket payments, and cost containment policies, were the main research gaps. There was high level of coherence between current and desired policies: coefficients of determination (R2) varied from 0.46 (Health system structure; r = 0.68, P <0.01) to 0.86 (Sustainable financing; r = 0.93, P <0.01). There was also high coherence between current and desired research on Rational selection and use of medicines (r = 0.71, P <0.05, R2 = 0.51), Pricing/affordability (r = 0.82, P <0.01, R2 = 0.67), and Sustainable financing (r = 0.76, P <0.01, R2 = 0.58). Coherence was less for Health system structure (r = 0.61, P <0.01, R2 = 0.38). Conclusions This

Reliability of a structured interview for admission to an emergency medicine residency program.

PubMed

Blouin, Danielle

2010-10-01

Interviews are most important in resident selection. Structured interviews are more reliable than unstructured ones. We sought to measure the interrater reliability of a newly designed structured interview during the selection process to an Emergency Medicine residency program. The critical incident technique was used to extract the desired dimensions of performance. The interview tool consisted of 7 clinical scenarios and 1 global rating. Three trained interviewers marked each candidate on all scenarios without discussing candidates' responses. Interitem consistency and estimates of variance were computed. Twenty-eight candidates were interviewed. The generalizability coefficient was 0.67. Removing the central tendency ratings increased the coefficient to 0.74. Coefficients of interitem consistency ranged from 0.64 to 0.74. The structured interview tool provided good although suboptimal interrater reliability. Increasing the number of scenarios improves reliability as does applying differential weights to the rating scale anchors. The latter would also facilitate the identification of those candidates with extreme ratings.

Event-related potentials to structural familiar face incongruity processing.

PubMed

Jemel, B; George, N; Olivares, E; Fiori, N; Renault, B

1999-07-01

Thirty scalp sites were used to investigate the specific topography of the event-related potentials (ERPs) related to face associative priming when masked eyes of familiar faces were completed with either the proper features or incongruent ones. The enhanced negativity of N210 and N350, due to structural incongruity of faces, have a "category specific" inferotemporal localization on the scalp. Additional analyses support the existence of multiple ERP features within the temporal interval typically associated with N400 (N350 and N380), involving occipitotemporal and centroparietal areas. Seven reliable dipole locations have been evidenced using the brain electrical source analysis algorithm. Some of these localizations (fusiform, parahippocampal) are already known to be involved in face recognition, the other ones being related to general cognitive processes related to the task's demand. Because of their specific topography, the observed effects suggest that the face structural congruency process might involve early specialized neocortical areas in parallel with cortical memory circuits in the integration of perceptual and cognitive face processing.

Facing the challenges and building solutions in clinical psychiatric nursing in Iran: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Zarea, Kourosh; Nikbakht-Nasrabadi, Alireza; Abbaszadeh, Abbas; Mohammadpour, Ali

2012-10-01

Psychiatric nurses play an important role in the process of caring for mentally ill patients and are continually faced with the numerous challenges and complex issues related to this field. This study aimed to understand the perspectives of psychiatric nurses regarding the issues they face while providing care and examine the possible solutions for improvement of inpatient care in clinical settings. The study adopted a qualitative approach that utilized a content analysis of audio taped, semi-structured interviews that had been conducted with 24 nurses. Two main themes emerged from the data. The first, Challenges in Providing Care within Psychiatric Wards, had the following subthemes: Politics and Rules of Organization, Safety and Security Issues, Uncertainty about the Role, Lack of Trained Staff, and Sociocultural Issues. The second theme, Solutions for Improving Psychiatric Care, had the subthemes of Empowerment across four domains: Psychiatric Nurses, Mentally Ill Patients and their Families, The Psychiatric Mental Health System, and the Cultural Context. The results indicated that if nurses are expected to provide optimal nursing care within a psychiatric ward, then there is a need for a stable and responsible organizational structure, skilled psychiatric nurses, and community-based care along with an anti-stigma program.

Incongruence between women's survey- and interview-determined decision control preferences: A mixed methods study of decision-making in metastatic breast cancer.

PubMed

Ejem, Deborah; Dionne-Odom, J Nicholas; Turkman, Yasemin; Knight, Sara J; Willis, Dan; Kaufman, Peter A; Bakitas, Marie

2018-04-30

Women with metastatic breast cancer face numerous, complex treatment and advance care planning (ACP) decisions. Our aim was to develop a better understanding of women with metastatic breast cancer's decision-making preferences overtime and relative to specific types of decisions. Convergent, parallel mixed-methods study. Participants completed the Control Preferences Scale (CPS) and a semi-structured interview of decision-making experiences at enrollment (T1; n = 22) and when facing a decision or 3 months later (T2; n = 19). We categorized women's decision-making experience descriptions into one of the CPS decisional styles and compared them to their CPS response. We constructed an analytic grid that aligned the interview-determined treatment and ACP decisional preferences with the CPS categories at T1 and T2 and calculated Cohen's kappa coefficient and congruence percentages. Participants (n = 22) were White (100%), averaged 62 years, married (54%), retired (45%), and had a bachelor's degree (45%). Congruence between CPS response and interview-determined treatment preferences at T1 was 32% (kappa = 0.083) and 33% (kappa = 0.120) at T2. Congruence between CPS survey response and interview-determined ACP preferences at T1 was 22.7% (kappa =0.092) at T1 and 11% (kappa = 0.011) at T2. Although women selected a "shared" treatment decision-making style using the CPS validated tool, when interviewed their descriptions generally reflected a passive process in which they followed the oncologists' treatment suggestions. Future research should explore whether the incongruence between stated and actual decision-making style is a function of misinterpreting the CPS choices or a true inconsistency that could lead to adverse consequences such as decisional regret. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Patient attitudes towards remote continuous vital signs monitoring on general surgery wards: An interview study.

PubMed

Downey, C L; Brown, J M; Jayne, D G; Randell, R

2018-06-01

Vital signs monitoring is used to identify deteriorating patients in hospital. The most common tool for vital signs monitoring is an early warning score, although emerging technologies allow for remote, continuous patient monitoring. A number of reviews have examined the impact of continuous monitoring on patient outcomes, but little is known about the patient experience. This study aims to discover what patients think of monitoring in hospital, with a particular emphasis on intermittent early warning scores versus remote continuous monitoring, in order to inform future implementations of continuous monitoring technology. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 12 surgical inpatients as part of a study testing a remote continuous monitoring device. All patients were monitored with both an early warning score and the new device. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Patients can see the value in remote, continuous monitoring, particularly overnight. However, patients appreciate the face-to-face aspect of early warning score monitoring as it allows for reassurance, social interaction, and gives them further opportunity to ask questions about their medical care. Early warning score systems are widely used to facilitate detection of the deteriorating patient. Continuous monitoring technologies may provide added reassurance. However, patients value personal contact with their healthcare professionals and remote monitoring should not replace this. We suggest that remote monitoring is best introduced in a phased manner, and initially as an adjunct to usual care, with careful consideration of the patient experience throughout. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Issues and Strategies for Establishing Work-Integrated Learning for Multidisciplinary Teams: A Focus on Degrees in Sustainability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Robyn Fay

2015-01-01

This study was conducted to identify challenges and potential strategies to streamline work-integrated learning placements for multidisciplinary teams of students undertaking degrees in sustainability. Face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire were conducted with 15 academics and senior university staff, from four universities…

"Don't lock me out": life-story interviews of family business owners facing succession.

PubMed

Solomon, Alexandra; Breunlin, Douglas; Panattoni, Katherine; Gustafson, Mara; Ransburg, David; Ryan, Carol; Hammerman, Thomas; Terrien, Jean

2011-06-01

This qualitative study used a grounded theory methodology to analyze life-story interviews obtained from 10 family business owners regarding their experiences in their businesses with the goal of understanding the complexities of family business succession. The grounded theory that emerged from this study is best understood as a potential web of constraints that can bear on the succession process. Coding of these interviews revealed four key influences, which seem to have the potential to facilitate or constrain the family business owner's approach to succession. Influence 1, "The business within," captures intrapsychic dynamics of differentiation and control. Influence 2, "The marriage," addresses how traditional gender roles shape succession. Influence 3, "The adult children," examines the role of having a natural (accidental, organic, passively groomed) successor. Influence 4, "The vision of retirement," captures the impact of owners' notions of life post-succession. Family therapists frequently encounter family systems in which the family business is facing succession. Even if succession is not the presenting problem, and even if the business owner is in the indirect (rather than direct) system, this research reminds clinicians of the importance of the family's story about the family business. Therefore, clinical implications and recommendations are included. 2011 © FPI, Inc.

The interview with a patient on dialysis: feeling, emotions and fears.

PubMed

Brunori, Francesco; Dozio, Beatrice; Colzani, Sara; Pozzi, Marco; Pisano, Lucia; Galassi, Andrea; Santorelli, Gennaro; Auricchio, Sara; Busnelli, Luisa; Di Carlo, Angela; Viganò, Monica; Calabrese, Valentina; Mariani, Laura; Mossa, Monica; Longoni, Stefania; Scanziani, Renzo

2016-01-01

This study has been performed in the Nephrology and Dialysis Unit, in Desio Hospital, Italy. The aim of this study is to evaluate, starting from research questions, which information is given to patient in the pre-dialysis colloquia for his/her chosen dialysis methods. Moreover, the study evaluated feelings, emotions and fears since the announcement of the necessity of dialysis treatment. The objective of the study was reached through the interview with patients on dialysis. The fact-finding survey was based on the tools of social research, as the semi-structured interview. Instead of using the questionnaire, even though it make it easier to collect larger set of data, the Authors decided to interview patients in person, since the interview allows direct patient contact and to build a relationship of trust with the interviewer, in order to allow patient explain better his/her feeling.

The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Childhood Diagnoses (Kid-SCID): first psychometric evaluation in a Dutch sample of clinically referred youths.

PubMed

Roelofs, Jeffrey; Muris, Peter; Braet, Caroline; Arntz, Arnoud; Beelen, Imke

2015-06-01

The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Childhood Disorders (Kid-SCID) is a semi-structured interview for the classification of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents. This study presents a first evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Kid-SCID in a Dutch sample of children and adolescents who had been referred to an outpatient treatment centre for mental health problems. Results indicated that the inter-rater reliability of the Kid-SCID classifications and the internal consistency of various (dimensional) criteria of the diagnoses were moderate to good. Further, for most Kid-SCID diagnoses, reasonable agreement between children and parents was found. Finally, the correspondence between the Kid-SCID and the final clinical diagnosis as established after the full intake procedure, which included the information as provided by the Kid-SCID, ranged from poor to good. Results are discussed in the light of methodological issues pertaining to the assessment of psychiatric disorders in youths. The Kid-SCID can generally be seen as a reliable and useful tool that can assist clinicians in carrying out clinical evaluations of children and adolescents.

A methodology for enhancing implementation science proposals: comparison of face-to-face versus virtual workshops.

PubMed

Marriott, Brigid R; Rodriguez, Allison L; Landes, Sara J; Lewis, Cara C; Comtois, Katherine A

2016-05-06

With the current funding climate and need for advancements in implementation science, there is a growing demand for grantsmanship workshops to increase the quality and rigor of proposals. A group-based implementation science-focused grantsmanship workshop, the Implementation Development Workshop (IDW), is one methodology to address this need. This manuscript provides an overview of the IDW structure, format, and findings regarding its utility. The IDW methodology allows researchers to vet projects in the proposal stage in a structured format with a facilitator and two types of expert participants: presenters and attendees. The presenter uses a one-page handout and verbal presentation to present their proposal and questions. The facilitator elicits feedback from attendees using a format designed to maximize the number of unique points made. After each IDW, participants completed an anonymous survey assessing perceptions of the IDW. Presenters completed a funding survey measuring grant submission and funding success. Qualitative interviews were conducted with a subset of participants who participated in both delivery formats. Mixed method analyses were performed to evaluate the effectiveness and acceptability of the IDW and compare the delivery formats. Of those who participated in an IDW (N = 72), 40 participated in face-to-face only, 16 in virtual only, and 16 in both formats. Thirty-eight (face-to-face n = 12, 35 % response rate; virtual n = 26, 66.7 % response rate) responded to the surveys and seven (15.3 % response rate), who had attended both formats, completed an interview. Of 36 total presenters, 17 (face-to-face n = 12, 42.9 % response rate; virtual n = 5, 62.9 % response rate) responded to the funding survey. Mixed method analyses indicated that the IDW was effective for collaboration and growth, effective for enhancing success in obtaining grants, and acceptable. A third (35.3 %) of presenters ultimately received funding for their proposal, and more than

Experience of nursing staff facing the hospitalization of burned children.

PubMed

Inocencio Soares, Nataly Tsumura; Grubisich Mendes Tacla, Mauren Teresa

2014-01-01

To present the experiences of nursing staff working with hospitalized burned children. Qualitative study. Data were obtained from semi-structured interviews applied to 16 people of the nursing team (12 professional technicians and 4) working at a burn treatment center. For the analysis, the Method information Interpretation of the Senses was used. The theoretical basis used to support the discussion of the study was proposed by Geertz's interpretive anthropology. The narratives showed that the process of care to burned children is stressful for the participants because they are psychologically involved with the tragic story of a patient who suffered burns, and therefore with the clinical situation. This allows for the development of empathy. On the other hand there cultural involvement facing and accepting the consequences of what happened to the patient, due to the change of body image stigma that the child will suffer hamper the re-socialization of the child after discharge. The nursing team is affected in various ways during the care of hospitalized burned children. There is need for educational programs for their preparation in the care of these patients.

Access Barriers to Distance Education in Secondary Career and Technical Education Programs in Central Virginia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodwyn, Patrell Vachyi

2010-01-01

The qualitative phenomenological study explored the perceived institutional access barriers to distance education at comprehensive high schools with secondary career and technical education programs in central Virginia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather data via email, telephone, and face-to-face. A purposive sample of 24…

A Qualitative Study on How Health Professional Students and Their PBL Facilitators Perceive the Use of Mobile Devices during PBL

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Lap Ki; Bridges, Susan M.; Doherty, Iain; Ng, Manwa L.; Jin, Jun; Sharma, Neel; Chan, Nam Kiu; Lai, Henrietta Yan Yu

2015-01-01

Mobile devices are increasingly being used by undergraduate students to access online information in the problem-based learning (PBL) process, initially in the self-directed phase, and more recently within face-to-face tutorials. This qualitative study across three undergraduate health professional programs used semi-structured interviews to…

Expanding Cooperative Extension's Audience: Establishing a Relationship with Cowboy Church Members

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Katy; Strong, Robert; Lockett, Landry

2013-01-01

The study reported here provided a descriptive report on cowboy churches, while identifying the potential for Extension-cowboy church collaborations and examining the direct implications to Extension. The diffusion of innovations conceptualized the qualitative study. Semi-structured, face-to-face and phone interviews were conducted with 10 adults…

Challenges faced by nurses in managing pain in a critical care setting.

PubMed

Subramanian, Pathmawathi; Allcock, Nick; James, Veronica; Lathlean, Judith

2012-05-01

To explore nurses' challenges in managing pain among ill patients in critical care. Pain can lead to many adverse medical consequences and providing pain relief is central to caring for ill patients. Effective pain management is vital since studies show patients admitted to critical care units still suffer from significant levels of acute pain. The effective delivery of care in clinical areas remains a challenge for nurses involved with care which is dynamic and constantly changing in critically ill. Qualitative prospective exploratory design. This study employed semi structured interviews with nurses, using critical incident technique. Twenty-one nurses were selected from critical care settings from a large acute teaching health care trust in the UK. A critical incident interview guide was constructed from the literature and used to elicit responses. Framework analysis showed that nurses perceived four main challenges in managing pain namely lack of clinical guidelines, lack of structured pain assessment tool, limited autonomy in decision making and the patient's condition itself. Nurses' decision making and pain management can influence the quality of care given to critically ill patients. It is important to overcome the clinical problems that are faced when dealing with pain experience. There is a need for nursing education on pain management. Providing up to date and practical strategies may help to reduce nurses' challenges in managing pain among critically ill patients. Broader autonomy and effective decision making can be seen as beneficial for the nurses besides having a clearer and structured pain management guidelines. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Motivational interviewing: experiences of primary care nurses trained in the method.

PubMed

Östlund, Ann-Sofi; Wadensten, Barbro; Kristofferzon, Marja-Leena; Häggström, Elisabeth

2015-03-01

Motivational interviewing is a person-centered counseling style used to promote behavioral change regarding a wide variety of lifestyle problems. Use of motivational interview is growing worldwide and among many different healthcare professions, including primary care nursing. The study aim was to describe motivational interview trained nurses' experiences of motivational interviewing in primary care settings. The study had a qualitative descriptive design. It was carried out in Swedish primary care settings in two county council districts, with 20 primary care nurses trained in motivational interviewing. Half of them used the method in their work, half did not. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were used. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The nurses experienced that openness to the approach and an encouraging working climate are required to overcome internal resistance and to increase use of motivational interviewing. They also experienced mutual benefit: motivational interviewing elicits and develops abilities in both nurses and patients. For the nurses using it, motivational interviewing is perceived to facilitate work with patients in need of lifestyle change. Lack of training/education, support, interest and appropriate work tasks/patients are reasons for not using motivational interviewing.

An exploration of emotional protection and regulation in nurse-patient interactions: The role of the professional face and the emotional mirror.

PubMed

Cecil, Penelope; Glass, Nel

2015-01-01

While interpersonal styles of nurse-patient communication have become more relaxed in recent years, nurses remain challenged in emotional engagement with patients and other health professionals. In order to preserve a professional distance in patient care delivery however slight, nurses need to be able to regulate their emotions. This research aimed to investigate nurses' perceptions of emotional protection and regulation in patient care delivery. A qualitative approach was used for the study utilising in-depth semi-structured interviews and researcher reflective journaling. Participants were drawn from rural New South Wales. Following institutional ethics approval 5 nurses were interviewed and reflective journaling commenced. The interviews and the reflective journal were transcribed verbatim. The results revealed that nurses' emotional regulation demonstrated by a 'professional face' was an important strategy to enable delivery of quality care even though it resulted in emotional containment. Such regulation was a protective mechanism employed to look after self and was critical in situations of emotional dissonance. The results also found that nurses experience emotional dissonance in situations where they have unresolved personal emotional issues and the latter was a individual motivator to manage emotions in the workplace. Emotions play a pivotal role within nurse-patient relationships. The professional face can be recognised as contributing to emotional health and therefore maintaining the emotional health of nurses in practice. This study foregrounds the importance of regulating emotions and nurturing nurses' emotional health in contemporary practice.

Participants' views of telephone interviews within a grounded theory study.

PubMed

Ward, Kim; Gott, Merryn; Hoare, Karen

2015-12-01

To offer a unique contribution to the evolving debate around the use of the telephone during semistructured interview by drawing on interviewees' reflections on telephone interview during a grounded theory study. The accepted norm for qualitative interviews is to conduct them face-to-face. It is typical to consider collecting qualitative data via telephone only when face-to-face interview is not possible. During a grounded theory study, exploring users' experiences with overnight mask ventilation for sleep apnoea, the authors selected the telephone to conduct interviews. This article reports participants' views on semistructured interview by telephone. An inductive thematic analysis was conducted on data pertaining to the use of the telephone interview in a grounded theory study. The data were collected during 4 months of 2011 and 6 months in 2014. The article presents an inductive thematic analysis of sixteen participants' opinions about telephone interviewing and discusses these in relation to existing literature reporting the use of telephone interviews in grounded theory studies. Overall, participants reported a positive experience of telephone interviewing. From each participants reports we identified four themes from the data: being 'phone savvy; concentrating on voice instead of your face; easy rapport; and not being judged or feeling inhibited. By drawing on these data, we argue that the telephone as a data collection tool in grounded theory research and other qualitative methodologies need not be relegated to second best status. Rather, researchers can consider telephone interview a valuable first choice option. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The organisational and human resource challenges facing primary care trusts: protocol of a multiple case study

PubMed Central

2001-01-01

Background The study is designed to assess the organisational and human resource challenges faced by Primary Care Trusts (PCTs). Its objectives are to: specify the organisational and human resources challenges faced by PCTs in fulfilling the roles envisaged in government and local policy; examine how PCTs are addressing these challenges, in particular, to describe the organisational forms they have adopted, and the OD/HR strategies and initiatives they have planned or in place; assess how effective these structures, strategies and initiatives have been in enabling the PCTs to meet the organisational and human resources challenges they face; identify the factors, both internal to the PCT and in the wider health community, which have contributed to the success or failure of different structures, strategies and initiatives. Methods The study will be undertaken in three stages. In Stage 1 the key literature on public sector and NHS organisational development and human resources management will be reviewed, and discussions will be held with key researchers and policy makers working in this area. Stage 2 will focus on detailed case studies in six PCTs designed to examine the organisational and human resources challenges they face. Data will be collected using semi-structured interviews, group discussion, site visits, observation of key meetings and examination of local documentation. The findings from the case study PCTs will be cross checked with a Reference Group of up to 20 other PCG/Ts, and key officers working in organisational development or primary care at local, regional and national level. In Stage 3 analysis of findings from the preparatory work, the case studies and the feedback from the Reference Group will be used to identify practical lessons for PCTs, key messages for policy makers, and contributions to further theoretical development. PMID:11737883

Evaluation of the Criterion and Convergent Validity of the Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders in Young and Low-Functioning Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maljaars, Jarymke; Noens, Ilse; Scholte, Evert; van Berckelaer-Onnes, Ina

2012-01-01

The Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders (DISCO; Wing, 2006) is a standardized, semi-structured and interviewer-based schedule for diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The objective of this study was to evaluate the criterion and convergent validity of the DISCO-11 ICD-10 algorithm in young and low-functioning…

Shaking table experimentation on adjacent structures controlled by passive and semi-active MR dampers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basili, M.; De Angelis, M.; Fraraccio, G.

2013-06-01

This paper presents the results of shaking table tests on adjacent structures controlled by passive and semi-active MR dampers. The aim was to demonstrate experimentally the effectiveness of passive and semi-active strategies in reducing structural vibrations due to seismic excitation. The physical model at issue was represented by two adjacent steel structures, respectively of 4 and 2 levels, connected at the second level by a MR damper. When the device operated in semi-active mode, an ON-OFF control algorithm, derived by the Lyapunov stability theory, was implemented and experimentally validated. Since the experimentation concerned adjacent structures, two control objectives have been reached: global and selective protection. In case of global protection, the attention was focused on protecting both structures, whereas, in case of selective protection, the attention was focused on protecting only one structure. For each objective the effectiveness of passive control has been compared with the situation of no control and then the effectiveness of semi-active control has been compared with the passive one. The quantities directly compared have been: measured displacements, accelerations and force-displacement of the MR damper, moreover some global response quantities have been estimated from experimental measures, which are the base share force and the base bending moment, the input energy and the energy dissipated by the device. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the control action in both passive and semi-active case, an energy index EDI, previously defined and already often applied numerically, has been utilized. The aspects investigated in the experimentation have been: the implementation and validation of the control algorithm for selective and global protection, the MR damper input voltage influence, the kind of seismic input and its intensity.

Grade Inflation: Faculty Lived-Experiences and Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schroeder, Nan

2016-01-01

The research area of this study is the phenomenon of grade inflation in higher educational organizations. Using a qualitative phenomenological research design, seven faculty members from a higher educational organization were purposefully selected to participate in a semi-structured, face-to-face interview. The participants were of various ages,…

Role of International Study Experiences in the Personal and Professional Development of University Lecturers in the Humanities and Social Sciences Fields in Thailand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaowiwattanakul, Sukanya

2016-01-01

This study investigates the role of international experience on personal and professional development of university academic staff in the Humanities and Social Sciences fields in Thailand. The participants were 23 lecturers from nine universities in Thailand. A semi-structured face-to-face interviewing method was employed. The findings reveal that…

A Qualitative Study of Information Technology Managers' Experiences and Perceptions Regarding Outsourced Data Centers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reid, Eric Justin

2015-01-01

This qualitative study explored the perceptions and experiences of IT Managers in publicly traded companies within the San Antonio, Texas area about outsourced data centers. Narrative data was collected using open-ended questions and face-to-face interviews within semi-structured environments. The research questions guided the study: (1)…

What do men want from antenatal screening? Findings from an interview study in England.

PubMed

Dheensa, Sandi; Metcalfe, Prof Alison; Williams, Robert

2015-01-01

in the UK, midwives are facing a policy-drive to include men in antenatal care, and men will soon receive paternity leave to enable their involvement. As a result, more men will be able to attend screening, support women and participate in decision-making. We therefore conducted a timely exploration of what being involved means for men and what they want from antenatal screening and midwives. in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 12 men were carried out, mostly by telephone. Data were analysed using grounded theory. we constructed three themes and showed that (1) in normal pregnancies, men knew little about screening, and were happy for midwives to take control during appointments, (2) in complicated pregnancies, men wanted to be more actively involved but some perceived that they faced suspicions of being coercive if voicing opinions, and (3) over time, men became more adept at communicating with midwives, but some disengaged from screening because of poor communication with midwives and/or a lack of faith in the benefits of screening. findings build on other studies to highlight the multiplicity of roles men play during screening. For men and women to reap the benefits of men's involvement in antenatal screening, good communication is required between midwives and couples. Communication training could help to improve care delivery and the relationships between men, women and midwives. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Floquet band structure of a semi-Dirac system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Qi; Du, Liang; Fiete, Gregory A.

2018-01-01

In this work we use Floquet-Bloch theory to study the influence of circularly and linearly polarized light on two-dimensional band structures with semi-Dirac band touching points, taking the anisotropic nearest neighbor hopping model on the honeycomb lattice as an example. We find that circularly polarized light opens a gap and induces a band inversion to create a finite Chern number in the two-band model. By contrast, linearly polarized light can either open up a gap (polarized in the quadratically dispersing direction) or split the semi-Dirac band touching point into two Dirac points (polarized in the linearly dispersing direction) by an amount that depends on the amplitude of the light. Motivated by recent pump-probe experiments, we investigated the nonequilibrium spectral properties and momentum-dependent spin texture of our model in the Floquet state following a quench in the absence of phonons, and in the presence of phonon dissipation that leads to a steady state independently of the pump protocol. Finally, we make connections to optical measurements by computing the frequency dependence of the longitudinal and transverse optical conductivity for this two-band model. We analyze the various contributions from interband transitions and different Floquet modes. Our results suggest strategies for optically controlling band structures and experimentally measuring topological Floquet systems.

A semi-implicit level set method for multiphase flows and fluid-structure interaction problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cottet, Georges-Henri; Maitre, Emmanuel

2016-06-01

In this paper we present a novel semi-implicit time-discretization of the level set method introduced in [8] for fluid-structure interaction problems. The idea stems from a linear stability analysis derived on a simplified one-dimensional problem. The semi-implicit scheme relies on a simple filter operating as a pre-processing on the level set function. It applies to multiphase flows driven by surface tension as well as to fluid-structure interaction problems. The semi-implicit scheme avoids the stability constraints that explicit scheme need to satisfy and reduces significantly the computational cost. It is validated through comparisons with the original explicit scheme and refinement studies on two-dimensional benchmarks.

Summary health statistics for U.S. children: National Health Interview Survey, 2001.

PubMed

Bloom, Barbara; Cohen, Robin A; Vickerie, Jackline L; Wondimu, Ethiopia A

2003-11-01

This report presents statistics from the 2001 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) on selected health measures for children under 18 years of age, classified by sex, age, race, Hispanic origin, family structure, parent's education, family income, poverty status, health insurance coverage, residence, region, and health status. The topics covered are asthma, allergies, learning disability, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), prescription medication, respondent-assessed health status, school-loss days, usual place of health care, time since last contact with a health care professional, unmet dental need, time since last dental contact, and selected measures of health care access. The NHIS is a multistage probability sample survey conducted annually by interviewers of the U.S. Census Bureau for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, and is representative of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States. Data are collected during face-to-face interviews with adults present at the interview. Information about children is collected for one randomly selected child per family in face-to-face interviews with an adult proxy respondent familiar with the child's health. In 2001, most U.S. children under 18 years of age enjoyed excellent or very good health (84%). However, 10% had no health insurance coverage, and 5% had no usual place of health care. Thirteen percent of children had ever been diagnosed with asthma. Eight percent of children 3-17 years of age had a learning disability, and 6% of children had ADHD. Lastly, 11% of children in single-mother families had two or more visits to an emergency room in the past year compared with 6% of children in two-parent families.

Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses of the Structured Interview for Disorders of Extreme Stress

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scoboria, Alan; Ford, Julian; Lin, Hsiu-ju; Frisman, Linda

2008-01-01

Two studies were conducted to provide the first empirical examination of the factor structure of a revised version of the clinically derived Structured Interview for Disorders of Extreme Stress, a structured interview designed to assess associated features of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) thought to be related to early onset, interpersonal,…

The admissions process of a bachelor of science in nursing program: initial reliability and validity of the personal interview.

PubMed

Carpio, B; Brown, B

1993-01-01

The undergraduate nursing degree program (B.Sc.N.) at McMaster University School of Nursing uses small groups, and is learner-centered and problem-based. A study was conducted during the 1991 admissions cycle to determine the initial reliability and validity of the semi-structured personal interview which constitutes the final component of candidate selection for this program. During the interview, three-member teams assess applicant suitability to the program based on six dimensions: applicant motivation, awareness of the program, problem-solving abilities, ability to relate to others, self-appraisal skills, and career goals. Each interviewer assigns the applicant a global rating using a seven-point scale. For the purposes of this study four interviewer teams were randomly selected from the pool of 31 teams to interview four simulated (preprogrammed) applicants. Using two-factor repeated-measures ANOVA to analyze interview ratings, inter-rater and inter-team intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated. Inter-team reliability ranged from .64 to .97 for the individual dimensions, and .66 to .89 on global ratings. Inter-rater ICC for the six dimensions ranged from .81 to .99, and .96 to .99 for the global ratings. The item-to-total correlation coefficients between individual dimensions and global ratings ranged from .8 to 1.0. Pearson correlations between items ranged from .77 to 1.0. The ICC were then calculated for the interview scores of 108 actual applicants to the program. Inter-rater reliability based on global ratings was .79 for the single (1 rater) observation, and .91 for the multiple (3 rater) observation. These findings support the continued use of the interview as a reliable instrument with face validity. Studies of predictive validity will be undertaken.

An Investigation of the Difficulties Faced by EFL Undergraduates in Speaking Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Jamal, Dina A.; Al-Jamal, Ghadeer A.

2014-01-01

Since speaking well in English is crucial for English language literature undergraduates, the present study aimed at describing difficulties that may be encountered at an EFL setting. The sample was stratified random as drawn from six Jordanian public universities. Survey questionnaires as well as semi-structured interviews were constructed. 64…

Reasons for Choosing a Technically Oriented Education: An Interview Study within the Fields of Pipefitting and Industry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bjurulf, Veronica

2012-01-01

The article examines how professionals within technical businesses describe their ways into their trade and why they have remained. Semi-structured interviews, analyzed by analysis of narratives, have been conducted with six informants within pipefitting and industrial work aiming to understand how technically oriented professions can attract…

Getting on the same page: The effect of normative feedback interventions on structured interview ratings.

PubMed

Hartwell, Christopher J; Campion, Michael A

2016-06-01

This study explores normative feedback as a way to reduce rating errors and increase the reliability and validity of structured interview ratings. Based in control theory and social comparison theory, we propose a model of normative feedback interventions (NFIs) in the context of structured interviews and test our model using data from over 20,000 interviews conducted by more than 100 interviewers over a period of more than 4 years. Results indicate that lenient and severe interviewers reduced discrepancies between their ratings and the overall normative mean rating after receipt of normative feedback, though changes were greater for lenient interviewers. When various waves of feedback were presented in later NFIs, the combined normative mean rating over multiple time periods was more predictive of subsequent rating changes than the normative mean rating from the most recent time period. Mean within-interviewer rating variance, along with interrater agreement and interrater reliability, increased after the initial NFI, but results from later NFIs were more complex and revealed that feedback interventions may lose effectiveness over time. A second study using simulated data indicated that leniency and severity errors did not impact rating validity, but did affect which applicants were hired. We conclude that giving normative feedback to interviewers will aid in minimizing interviewer rating differences and enhance the reliability of structured interview ratings. We suggest that interviewer feedback might be considered as a potential new component of interview structure, though future research is needed before a definitive conclusion can be drawn. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

EFL Teaching and Learning at a Vietnamese University: What Do Teachers Say?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nguyen, Hong Thi; Fehring, Heather; Warren, Wendy

2015-01-01

This paper reports part of a study that documents the factors affecting the efficacy of teaching and learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Vietnamese higher education from the teachers' perspectives. Individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve EFL teachers at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology…

Tensions in Higher Education Leadership: Towards a Multi-Level Model of Leadership Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bolden, Richard; Petrov, Georgy; Gosling, Jonathan

2008-01-01

UK higher education is undergoing a period of significant change that generates a series of tensions and difficulties for universities and university leaders. This paper explores these tensions through analysis of findings from a study comprising 152 semi-structured face-to-face interviews in 12 UK universities. Building on from theories of…

Asian Students' Perceptions of Group Work and Group Assignments in a New Zealand Tertiary Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Mingsheng; Campbell, Jacqui

2008-01-01

This study, conducted in 2005 in a New Zealand tertiary institution, examines Asian students' perceptions of the much-promulgated cooperative learning concepts in the form of group work and group assignments. Twenty-two Asian students participated in one-hour individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews. The study found that Asian students…

Fostering Social and Emotional Competencies in Students Diagnosed with Dyslexia: Teachers' Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott-Beale, Hope

2016-01-01

This research study is the result of an investigation into the lived experiences of ten teachers' commitment to working with students diagnosed with dyslexia. The methodology used to collect and analyze the data was Corbin and Strauss' (2008) grounded theory. The data was collected through face-to-face, semi-structured interviews that were…

Learning Processes in Blended Language Learning: A Mixed-Methods Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shahrokni, Seyed Abdollah; Talaeizadeh, Ali

2013-01-01

This article attempts to investigate the learning processes in blended language learning through assessing sources of information: logs, chat and forum scripts, and semi-structured interviews. Creating a MOODLE-based parallel component to face-to-face instruction for a group of EFL learners, we probed into 2,984 logged actions providing raw…

Korean American males' interracial contact experiences during serious leisure activity

Treesearch

KangJae Jerry Lee; David Scott

2012-01-01

This study investigated serious leisure among Korean Americans and examined the ways in which Koreans' marginalized status impact their pursuit of serious leisure and participation patterns in the context of recreational sports. Face-to-face, in-depth, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 Korean basketball players and 4 soccer players.

The Interplay between Change and Learning at the Workplace: A Qualitative Study from Retail Banking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hetzner, Stefanie; Gartmeier, Martin; Heid, Helmut; Gruber, Hans

2009-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse employees' perception of a change at their workplaces and the requirements for learning, and factors supporting or inhibiting learning in the context of this change. Design/methodology/approach: Data collection included personal face-to-face semi-structured interviews with ten client advisors in the…

Parental Concerns Regarding a Centre-Based Early Intervention Programme for Down Syndrome in Malaysia: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kunagaratnam, Nagasangari; Loh, Sau Cheong

2010-01-01

This qualitative study provides information on the concerns faced by parents having children with Down syndrome in a centre-based Early Intervention Programme in Malaysia and how they coped with these concerns. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a total of five parents and two special educators. The interview and observation findings…

Comparison of text messaging data collection vs face-to-face interviews for public health surveys: a cluster randomized crossover study of care-seeking for childhood pneumonia and diarrhoea in rural China.

PubMed

van Velthoven, Michelle Helena; Wang, Wei; Wu, Qiong; Li, Ye; Scherpbier, Robert W; Du, Xiaozhen; Chen, Li; Zhang, Yanfeng; Car, Josip; Rudan, Igor

2018-06-01

To compare text messaging and face-to-face interviews to conduct a survey on childhood diarrhoea and pneumonia. Caregivers of young children able to send text messages in Zhao County in rural China were included in this crossover study. Villages (clusters) were randomized into two groups using the ratio 1:1.6 to account for an expected higher drop-out in group 2. In group 1, participants first completed the face-to-face and then text messaging survey; this order was reversed in group 2. We determined data equivalence of 17 questions that were answered by participants who were the same person in both surveys. For the text messaging survey, we assessed the overall and item response rate. We included 1014 participants between 16 and 28 March 2013: 371 in 15 villages in group 1 and 643 in 27 villages in group 2. A total of 662 (65.3%) out of 1014 participants responded (first text message question) and a significantly higher proportion who did not respond were from rural areas ( P  = 0.005). Of 651 participants willing to participate, 356 (54.7%) completed the text messaging survey, which was marginally significantly different between the groups ( P  = 0.05). In total, 409 participants took part in both surveys: 183 in group 1 and 226 in group 2. There was a significantly higher proportion of caregivers from rural areas in Zhao County in the non-responder group compared to the responder group ( P  = 0.004). Kappas were substantial for six (0.61-0.80), moderate for two (0.58 and 0.60), and fair for three questions (0.31, 0.35 and 0.37). The proportion of agreement was >90% for five questions; 80.0%-90.0% for five questions; 70.0%, 65.0% and 45.5%. The remaining questions had too small numbers to calculate these values. This study shows that text messaging data collection produces data similar to data from face-to-face interviews in a middle-income setting, but the response rate was insufficient for use in public health surveys. Improving the response rate is

Sipping Coffee with a Serial Killer: On Conducting Life History Interviews with a Criminal Genius

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oleson, J. C.

2004-01-01

As part of my Ph.D. research on criminal genius, I conducted 44 semi-structured interviews. One of the 44 subjects, in particular, stood out. This noteworthy individual claimed that he had killed 15 people. His story was particularly interesting because--unlike most social research involving serial killers--he claimed that he had never been…

Reacting to Face Loss in Chinese Business Culture: An Interview Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cardon, Peter W.

2006-01-01

In Chinese culture, the concept of face refers to personal dignity, prestige, and status and serves to maintain harmony in social relationships and hierarchies. The fear of the loss of face permeates Chinese society. In business, face loss may disrupt deals and harm goodwill. However, limited empirical research has addressed the emotional…

Development of Interviewer Response Rate Standards for National Surveys

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erdman, Chandra; Adams, Tamara; O'Hare, Barbara C.

2016-01-01

Realistic response rate expectations are important for successfully allocating and managing data collection efforts under limited resources. Interviewer performance is often evaluated against response rate standards, and face-to-face interviewer performance can vary due to, in part, the socioeconomic characteristics of the neighborhoods in which…

Barriers to medication adherence for the secondary prevention of stroke: a qualitative interview study in primary care.

PubMed

Jamison, James; Graffy, Jonathan; Mullis, Ricky; Mant, Jonathan; Sutton, Stephen

2016-08-01

Medications are highly effective at reducing risk of recurrent stroke, but success is influenced by adherence to treatment. Among survivors of stroke and transient ischaemic attack (TIA), adherence to medication is known to be suboptimal. To identify and report barriers to medication adherence for the secondary prevention of stroke/TIA. A qualitative interview study was conducted within general practice surgeries in the East of England, UK. Patients were approached by letter and invited to take part in a qualitative research study. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with survivors of stroke, caregivers, and GPs to explore their perspectives and views around secondary prevention and perceived barriers to medication adherence. Key themes were identified using a grounded theory approach. Verbatim quotes describing the themes are presented here. In total, 28 survivors of stroke, including 14 accompanying caregivers and five GPs, were interviewed. Two key themes were identified. Patient level barriers included ability to self-care, the importance people attach to a stroke event, and knowledge of stroke and medication. Medication level barriers included beliefs about medication and beliefs about how pills work, medication routines, changing medications, and regimen complexity and burden of treatment. Patients who have had a stroke are faced with multiple barriers to taking secondary prevention medications in UK general practice. This research suggests that a collaborative approach between caregivers, survivors, and healthcare professionals is needed to address these barriers and facilitate medication-taking behaviour. © British Journal of General Practice 2016.

Structural building principles of complex face-centered cubic intermetallics.

PubMed

Dshemuchadse, Julia; Jung, Daniel Y; Steurer, Walter

2011-08-01

Fundamental structural building principles are discussed for all 56 known intermetallic phases with approximately 400 or more atoms per unit cell and space-group symmetry F43m, Fd3m, Fd3, Fm3m or Fm3c. Despite fundamental differences in chemical composition, bonding and electronic band structure, their complex crystal structures show striking similarities indicating common building principles. We demonstrate that the structure-determining elements are flat and puckered atomic {110} layers stacked with periodicities 2p. The atoms on this set of layers, which intersect each other, form pentagon face-sharing endohedral fullerene-like clusters arranged in a face-centered cubic packing (f.c.c.). Due to their topological layer structure, all these crystal structures can be described as (p × p × p) = p(3)-fold superstructures of a common basic structure of the double-diamond type. The parameter p, with p = 3, 4, 7 or 11, is determined by the number of layers per repeat unit and the type of cluster packing, which in turn are controlled by chemical composition.

Investigating Postgraduate College Admission Interviews: Generalizability Theory Reliability and Incremental Predictive Validity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arce-Ferrer, Alvaro J.; Castillo, Irene Borges

2007-01-01

The use of face-to-face interviews is controversial for college admissions decisions in light of the lack of availability of validity and reliability evidence for most college admission processes. This study investigated reliability and incremental predictive validity of a face-to-face postgraduate college admission interview with a sample of…

Decentralized stabilization of semi-active vibrating structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pisarski, Dominik

2018-02-01

A novel method of decentralized structural vibration control is presented. The control is assumed to be realized by a semi-active device. The objective is to stabilize a vibrating system with the optimal rates of decrease of the energy. The controller relies on an easily implemented decentralized switched state-feedback control law. It uses a set of communication channels to exchange the state information between the neighboring subcontrollers. The performance of the designed method is validated by means of numerical experiments performed for a double cantilever system equipped with a set of elastomers with controlled viscoelastic properties. In terms of the assumed objectives, the proposed control strategy significantly outperforms the passive damping cases and is competitive with a standard centralized control. The presented methodology can be applied to a class of bilinear control systems concerned with smart structural elements.

Disability, Riding, and Identity: A Qualitative Study on the Influence of Riding on the Identity Construction of People with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lundquist Wanneberg, Pia

2014-01-01

Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were used to examine the influence of riding on the identity construction of people with disabilities. The 15 participants, three men and 12 women, were between 15 and 65 years old and have various physical disabilities. The data analysis derives from identity theory, a social-psychological theory that…

A Study of the Structure and Content of Principal Selection Interviews in Pennsylvania

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weber, Elizabeth A.

2012-01-01

The principal plays a key role in student success. The employment interview is a critical element in the principal selection process. This study examined the interview structure and the content of the interview questions that districts used in their principal search for the 2011-2012 school year. The research-based practices for interview…

A new structured interview for children with autism spectrum disorder based on the DSM-IV.

PubMed

Hansakunachai, Tippawan; Roongpraiwan, Rawiwan; Sombuntham, Tasnawat; Limprasert, Pornprot; Ruangdaraganon, Nichara

2014-08-01

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder in children. The clinical spectrum of ASD includes autism, childhood disintegrative disorder Asperger syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). Although the DSM-IVcriteria are well acceptedforASD diagnosis, there are some known limitations for clinicians. The most important issue is lack'ofspecific age-appropriate items in each domain. Thus, the DSM-IVneeds some modifications in order to be appropriate for clinical use. To develop a structured interview for children based on the DSM-IVdiagnostic criteria ofautism and PDD-NOS. MATERIAL ANDMETHOD: From June 2006 to December 2008, 140 Thai children, 121 boys and 19 girls, already diagnosed with ASD, were recruited through the child development clinics of Ramathibodi and Thammasat University Hospitals in Thailand. A 26-item structured interview was developed with scoring according to the DSM-IVdiagnostic criteria for autism andPDD- NOS. To test the accuracy of the structured interview and its reliability, 32 children with ASD were selected and interviewed by four clinicians using the new instrument. One clinician interviewed the parents or caregivers, while three others independently took notes and observed the play behavior of the children. All items from the structured interview as scored by each clinician were compared using inter-rater agreement statistics (Kappa). All of the original 140 patients were then clinically diagnosed again using the structured interview and the results were compared with the initial diagnoses. Ofthe 140patients originally diagnosed with ASD, 110 and 30patients were finally diagnosed with the new interview as having autism and PDD-NOS, respectively. The initial diagnoses from 15 cases (10.7%) were changed according to the structured interview Inter-rater reliability among the four clinicians showed a good level ofagreement (Kappa = 0.897) with statistical significance (p<0

Face-Name Association Learning and Brain Structural Substrates in Alcoholism

PubMed Central

Pitel, Anne-Lise; Chanraud, Sandra; Rohlfing, Torsten; Pfefferbaum, Adolf; Sullivan, Edith V.

2011-01-01

Background Associative learning is required for face-name association and is impaired in alcoholism, but the cognitive processes and brain structural components underlying this deficit remain unclear. It is also unknown whether prompting alcoholics to implement a deep level of processing during face-name encoding would enhance performance. Methods Abstinent alcoholics and controls performed a levels-of-processing face-name learning task. Participants indicated whether the face was that of an honest person (deep encoding) or that of a man (shallow encoding). Retrieval was examined using an associative (face-name) recognition task and a single-item (face or name only) recognition task. Participants also underwent a 3T structural MRI. Results Compared with controls, alcoholics had poorer associative and single-item recognition, each impaired to the same extent. Level of processing at encoding had little effect on recognition performance but affected reaction time. Correlations with brain volumes were generally modest and based primarily on reaction time in alcoholics, where the deeper the processing at encoding, the more restricted the correlations with brain volumes. In alcoholics, longer control task reaction times correlated modestly with volumes across several anterior to posterior brain regions; shallow encoding correlated with calcarine and striatal volumes; deep encoding correlated with precuneus and parietal volumes; associative recognition RT correlated with cerebellar volumes. In controls, poorer associative recognition with deep encoding correlated significantly with smaller volumes of frontal and striatal structures. Conclusions Despite prompting, alcoholics did not take advantage of encoding memoranda at a deep level to enhance face-name recognition accuracy. Nonetheless, conditions of deeper encoding resulted in faster reaction times and more specific relations with regional brain volumes than did shallow encoding. The normal relation between associative

Face-name association learning and brain structural substrates in alcoholism.

PubMed

Pitel, Anne-Lise; Chanraud, Sandra; Rohlfing, Torsten; Pfefferbaum, Adolf; Sullivan, Edith V

2012-07-01

Associative learning is required for face-name association and is impaired in alcoholism, but the cognitive processes and brain structural components underlying this deficit remain unclear. It is also unknown whether prompting alcoholics to implement a deep level of processing during face-name encoding would enhance performance. Abstinent alcoholics and controls performed a levels-of-processing face-name learning task. Participants indicated whether the face was that of an honest person (deep encoding) or that of a man (shallow encoding). Retrieval was examined using an associative (face-name) recognition task and a single-item (face or name only) recognition task. Participants also underwent 3T structural MRI. Compared with controls, alcoholics had poorer associative and single-item learning and performed at similar levels. Level of processing at encoding had little effect on recognition performance but affected reaction time (RT). Correlations with brain volumes were generally modest and based primarily on RT in alcoholics, where the deeper the processing at encoding, the more restricted the correlations with brain volumes. In alcoholics, longer control task RTs correlated modestly with smaller tissue volumes across several anterior to posterior brain regions; shallow encoding correlated with calcarine and striatal volumes; deep encoding correlated with precuneus and parietal volumes; and associative recognition RT correlated with cerebellar volumes. In controls, poorer associative recognition with deep encoding correlated significantly with smaller volumes of frontal and striatal structures. Despite prompting, alcoholics did not take advantage of encoding memoranda at a deep level to enhance face-name recognition accuracy. Nonetheless, conditions of deeper encoding resulted in faster RTs and more specific relations with regional brain volumes than did shallow encoding. The normal relation between associative recognition and corticostriatal volumes was not

Summary health statistics for U.S. children: National Health Interview Survey, 1998.

PubMed

Blackwell, Debra L; Tonthat, Luong

2002-10-01

This report presents statistics from the 1998 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) on selected health measures for children under 18 years of age, classified by sex, age, race/ethnicity, family structure, parent's education, family income, poverty status, health insurance coverage, place of residence, region, and current health status. The topics covered are asthma, allergies, learning disabilities, Attention Deficit Disorder, use of medication, respondent-assessed health status, school-loss days, usual place of medical care, time since last contact with a health care professional, selected health care risk factors, and time since last dental contact. The NHIS is a multistage probability sample survey conducted annually by interviewers of the U.S. Census Bureau for the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is representative of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States. Data are collected during face-to-face interviews with adults present at the time of interview. Information about children is collected for one randomly selected child per family in face-to-face interviews with an adult proxy respondent familiar with the child's health. In 1998 most U.S. children under 18 years of age enjoyed excellent or very good health (84%). However, 12% of children had no health insurance coverage, and 6% of children had no usual place of medical care. Twelve percent of children had ever been diagnosed with asthma. An estimated 8% of children 3-17 years of age had a learning disability, and an estimated 6% of children had Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Lastly, 11% of children in single mother families had two or more visits to an emergency room in the past year compared with 6% of children in two-parent or single-father families.

Facing the fear of failure: An explorative qualitative study of client experiences in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program for university students with academic evaluation anxiety.

PubMed

Hjeltnes, Aslak; Binder, Per-Einar; Moltu, Christian; Dundas, Ingrid

2015-01-01

The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate the subjective experiences of 29 university students who participated in an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program for academic evaluation anxiety. Participants who self-referred to the Student Counseling Service underwent individual semi-structured interviews about how they experienced the personal relevance and practical usefulness of taking the MBSR program. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed through a team-based explorative-reflective thematic approach based on a hermeneutic-phenomenological epistemology. Five salient patterns of meaning (themes) were found: (1) finding an inner source of calm, (2) sharing a human struggle, (3) staying focused in learning situations, (4) moving from fear to curiosity in academic learning, and (5) feeling more self-acceptance when facing difficult situations. We contextualize these findings in relation to existing research, discuss our own process of reflexivity, highlight important limitations of this study, and suggest possible implications for future research.

Facing the fear of failure: An explorative qualitative study of client experiences in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program for university students with academic evaluation anxiety

PubMed Central

Hjeltnes, Aslak; Binder, Per-Einar; Moltu, Christian; Dundas, Ingrid

2015-01-01

The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate the subjective experiences of 29 university students who participated in an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program for academic evaluation anxiety. Participants who self-referred to the Student Counseling Service underwent individual semi-structured interviews about how they experienced the personal relevance and practical usefulness of taking the MBSR program. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed through a team-based explorative–reflective thematic approach based on a hermeneutic-phenomenological epistemology. Five salient patterns of meaning (themes) were found: (1) finding an inner source of calm, (2) sharing a human struggle, (3) staying focused in learning situations, (4) moving from fear to curiosity in academic learning, and (5) feeling more self-acceptance when facing difficult situations. We contextualize these findings in relation to existing research, discuss our own process of reflexivity, highlight important limitations of this study, and suggest possible implications for future research. PMID:26297629

Genome Re-Sequencing of Semi-Wild Soybean Reveals a Complex Soja Population Structure and Deep Introgression

PubMed Central

Wu, Sanling; Wang, Ying-Ying; Ye, Chu-Yu; Bai, Xuefei; Li, Zefeng; Yan, Chenghai; Wang, Weidi; Wang, Ziqiang; Shu, Qingyao; Xie, Jiahua; Lee, Suk-Ha; Fan, Longjiang

2014-01-01

Semi-wild soybean is a unique type of soybean that retains both wild and domesticated characteristics, which provides an important intermediate type for understanding the evolution of the subgenus Soja population in the Glycine genus. In this study, a semi-wild soybean line (Maliaodou) and a wild line (Lanxi 1) collected from the lower Yangtze regions were deeply sequenced while nine other semi-wild lines were sequenced to a 3-fold genome coverage. Sequence analysis revealed that (1) no independent phylogenetic branch covering all 10 semi-wild lines was observed in the Soja phylogenetic tree; (2) besides two distinct subpopulations of wild and cultivated soybean in the Soja population structure, all semi-wild lines were mixed with some wild lines into a subpopulation rather than an independent one or an intermediate transition type of soybean domestication; (3) high heterozygous rates (0.19–0.49) were observed in several semi-wild lines; and (4) over 100 putative selective regions were identified by selective sweep analysis, including those related to the development of seed size. Our results suggested a hybridization origin for the semi-wild soybean, which makes a complex Soja population structure. PMID:25265539

Popular or Unpopular? Therapists' Use of Structured Interviews and Their Estimation of Patient Acceptance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruchmuller, Katrin; Margraf, Jurgen; Suppiger, Andrea; Schneider, Silvia

2011-01-01

An accurate diagnosis is an important precondition for effective psychotherapeutic treatment. The use of structured interviews provides the gold standard for reliable diagnosis. Suppiger et al. (2009) showed that structured interviews have a high acceptance among patients. On a scale from 0 ("not at all satisfied") to 100 ("totally…

From Face-to-Face to Paired Oral Proficiency Interviews: The Nut Is yet to Be Cracked

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Birjandi, Parviz; Bagherkazemi, Marzieh

2011-01-01

The pressing need for English oral communication skills in multifarious contexts today is compelling impetus behind the large number of studies done on oral proficiency interviewing. Moreover, given the recently articulated concerns with the fairness and social dimension of such interviews, parallel concerns have been raised as to how most fairly…

Face to Face Communications in Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cohen, Malcolm M.; Davon, Bonnie P. (Technical Monitor)

1999-01-01

It has been reported that human face-to-face communications in space are compromised by facial edema, variations in the orientations of speakers and listeners, and background noises that are encountered in the shuttle and in space stations. To date, nearly all reports have been anecdotal or subjective, in the form of post-flight interviews or questionnaires; objective and quantitative data are generally lacking. Although it is acknowledged that efficient face-to-face communications are essential for astronauts to work safely and effectively, specific ways in which the space environment interferes with non-linguistic communication cues are poorly documented. Because we have only a partial understanding of how non-linguistic communication cues may change with mission duration, it is critically important to obtain objective data, and to evaluate these cues under well-controlled experimental conditions.

Does the Computer Make a Difference? Computerized versus Face-to-Face versus Self-Report Assessment of Alcohol, Drug and Tobacco Use.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skinner, Harvey A.; Allen, Barbara A.

1983-01-01

Compared histories of alcohol, drug, and tobacco use obtained by computerized interview, face-to-face interview, and self-report in clients (N=150) from an addiction treatment center. Multivariate analyses revealed no important differences. The computerized interview was rated less friendly but faster and more interesting. (Author/JAC)

Semi-automatic mapping of geological Structures using UAV-based photogrammetric data: An image analysis approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasuki, Yathunanthan; Holden, Eun-Jung; Kovesi, Peter; Micklethwaite, Steven

2014-08-01

Recent advances in data acquisition technologies, such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), have led to a growing interest in capturing high-resolution rock surface images. However, due to the large volumes of data that can be captured in a short flight, efficient analysis of this data brings new challenges, especially the time it takes to digitise maps and extract orientation data. We outline a semi-automated method that allows efficient mapping of geological faults using photogrammetric data of rock surfaces, which was generated from aerial photographs collected by a UAV. Our method harnesses advanced automated image analysis techniques and human data interaction to rapidly map structures and then calculate their dip and dip directions. Geological structures (faults, joints and fractures) are first detected from the primary photographic dataset and the equivalent three dimensional (3D) structures are then identified within a 3D surface model generated by structure from motion (SfM). From this information the location, dip and dip direction of the geological structures are calculated. A structure map generated by our semi-automated method obtained a recall rate of 79.8% when compared against a fault map produced using expert manual digitising and interpretation methods. The semi-automated structure map was produced in 10 min whereas the manual method took approximately 7 h. In addition, the dip and dip direction calculation, using our automated method, shows a mean±standard error of 1.9°±2.2° and 4.4°±2.6° respectively with field measurements. This shows the potential of using our semi-automated method for accurate and efficient mapping of geological structures, particularly from remote, inaccessible or hazardous sites.

The Lived Experience of the Adult African American Female Who Has Lived in Multiple Foster Care Placements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Avonda C.

2012-01-01

The purpose of the study was to examine and describe the lived experiences of the adult African American woman who had lived in multiple foster care placements. Eleven adult African American women ages 22-25 participated in semi-structured, face-to-face interviews to tell their stories and provide data of the memories of the experience. The…

Theoretical investigation of structural and optical properties of semi-fluorinated bilayer graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao-Jiao, San; Bai, Han; Jing-Geng, Zhao

2016-03-01

We have studied the structural and optical properties of semi-fluorinated bilayer graphene using density functional theory. When the interlayer distance is 1.62 Å, the two graphene layers in AA stacking can form strong chemical bonds. Under an in-plane stress of 6.8 GPa, this semi-fluorinated bilayer graphene becomes the energy minimum. Our calculations indicate that the semi-fluorinated bilayer graphene with the AA stacking sequence and rectangular fluorinated configuration is a nonmagnetic semiconductor (direct gap of 3.46 eV). The electronic behavior at the vicinity of the Fermi level is mainly contributed by the p electrons of carbon atoms forming C=C double bonds. We compare the optical properties of the semi-fluorinated bilayer graphene with those of bilayer graphene stacked in the AA sequence and find that the semi-fluorinated bilayer graphene is anisotropic for the polarization vector on the basal plane of graphene and a red shift occurs in the [010] polarization, which makes the peak at the low-frequency region located within visible light. This investigation is useful to design polarization-dependence optoelectronic devices. Project supported by the Program of Educational Commission of Heilongjiang Province, China (Grant No. 12541131).

Chemistry Teachers' Views on Teaching "Climate Change"--An Interview Case Study from Research-Oriented Learning in Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feierabend, Timo; Jokmin, Sebastian; Eilks, Ingo

2011-01-01

This paper presents a case study from research-oriented learning in chemistry teacher education. The study evaluates the views of twenty experienced German chemistry teachers about the teaching of climate change in chemistry education. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews about the teachers' experiences and their views about…

'Difficulties come to humans and not trees and they need to be faced': a study on resilience among Indian women experiencing intimate partner violence.

PubMed

Shanthakumari, R Shobitha; Chandra, Prabha S; Riazantseva, Ekaterina; Stewart, Donna E

2014-11-01

Not much is known about factors that contribute to resilience among women facing intimate partner violence (IPV), particularly from countries where patriarchy predominates. This qualitative study aimed to gather the perspectives of Indian women self-identified as resilient in the face of IPV and tried to understand the strategies and resources that helped them to maintain or regain resilience. Data were collected from 16 consenting women who reported IPV and whose husbands were being treated for alcohol problems at a psychiatric centre in Bangalore, India. A semi-structured guided interview format that aimed at understanding factors that enabled them to feel resilient despite IPV in their challenging circumstances was used to gather narratives from the participants. Six themes were identified using QSR NVivo software. They were as follows: the support of women, men and family; personal attributes; dignity and work; being strong for the children; and faith in God. Among these women, supportive social networks, personal attributes and aspirations were major clusters contributing to resilience. Attention to these factors may provide an important, strengths-based perspective for interventions to enhance women's resilience when facing IPV. © The Author(s) 2013.

[Healthy eating and the difficulties faced in making it a reality: perceptions of parents/guardians of pre-school children in Belo Horizonte/MG, Brazil].

PubMed

Bento, Isabel Cristina; Esteves, Juliana Maria de Melo; França, Thaís Elias

2015-08-01

A cross-sectional qualitative study was conducted to establish the perceptions of 77 guardians of preschool children enrolled in a Child Day Care Center in Belo Horizonte/Minas Gerais State, regarding what is a healthy diet and the difficulties faced in having a healthy diet. The instrument used was a pretested semi-structured questionnaire containing leading questions obtained in face-to-face interviews. For data analysis, the Collective Subject Discourse technique was used, which elicited data organization of a verbal nature. It was revealed that the guardians have a notion of what healthy diet is, however their answers implied inadequate eating habits. They attributed insufficient financial resources, lack of time and ingrained eating habits as being the main difficulties in having a healthy diet. These three difficulties are the reasons given by some guardians who do not believe they have a healthy diet. The conclusion drawn is that the guardians need to have a better diet, because their eating habits influence their children's eating habits. These findings revealed the need for food and nutrition education strategies to enable the guardians to recognize and have a healthy diet.

Comparison of text messaging data collection vs face-to-face interviews for public health surveys: a cluster randomized crossover study of care-seeking for childhood pneumonia and diarrhoea in rural China

PubMed Central

van Velthoven, Michelle Helena; Wang, Wei; Wu, Qiong; Li, Ye; Scherpbier, Robert W; Du, Xiaozhen; Chen, Li; Zhang, Yanfeng; Car, Josip; Rudan, Igor

2018-01-01

Background To compare text messaging and face-to-face interviews to conduct a survey on childhood diarrhoea and pneumonia. Methods Caregivers of young children able to send text messages in Zhao County in rural China were included in this crossover study. Villages (clusters) were randomized into two groups using the ratio 1:1.6 to account for an expected higher drop-out in group 2. In group 1, participants first completed the face-to-face and then text messaging survey; this order was reversed in group 2. We determined data equivalence of 17 questions that were answered by participants who were the same person in both surveys. For the text messaging survey, we assessed the overall and item response rate. Results We included 1014 participants between 16 and 28 March 2013: 371 in 15 villages in group 1 and 643 in 27 villages in group 2. A total of 662 (65.3%) out of 1014 participants responded (first text message question) and a significantly higher proportion who did not respond were from rural areas (P = 0.005). Of 651 participants willing to participate, 356 (54.7%) completed the text messaging survey, which was marginally significantly different between the groups (P = 0.05). In total, 409 participants took part in both surveys: 183 in group 1 and 226 in group 2. There was a significantly higher proportion of caregivers from rural areas in Zhao County in the non-responder group compared to the responder group (P = 0.004). Kappas were substantial for six (0.61–0.80), moderate for two (0.58 and 0.60), and fair for three questions (0.31, 0.35 and 0.37). The proportion of agreement was >90% for five questions; 80.0%-90.0% for five questions; 70.0%, 65.0% and 45.5%. The remaining questions had too small numbers to calculate these values. Conclusions This study shows that text messaging data collection produces data similar to data from face-to-face interviews in a middle-income setting, but the response rate was insufficient for use in public health

Ethics Issues Arising in the Transition to Learning Health Care Systems: Results from Interviews with Leaders from 25 Health Systems.

PubMed

Morain, Stephanie R; Kass, Nancy E

2016-01-01

There is increased interest in transitioning to a "learning health care system" (LHCS). While this transition brings the potential for significant benefits, it also presents several ethical considerations. Identifying the ethical issues faced by institutions in this transition is critical for realizing the goals of learning health care so that these issues can be anticipated and, where possible, resolved. 29 semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with leaders within 25 health care institutions. Respondents were recruiting using purposive sampling, targeting institutions considered as LHCS leaders. All interviews were audiorecorded and transcribed. NVIVO10 software was used to support qualitative analysis. Respondents described seven ethical challenges: (1) ethical oversight of learning activities; (2) transparency of learning activities to patients; (3) potential tensions between improving quality and reducing costs; (4) data sharing and data management; (5) lag time between discovery and implementation; (6) transparency to patients about quality; and (7) randomization for quality improvement initiatives. To move towards LHCS, several ethical considerations require further attention, including: the continued appropriateness of the research-treatment distinction; policy frameworks for privacy and data sharing; informing patients about learning activities; obligations to share data on quality; and the potential for trade-offs between quality improvement and cost control. To our knowledge, this is the first project to ask leaders from health care systems committed to ongoing learning about the ethical issues they have faced in this effort. Their experiences can provide guidance on relevant ethical issues, and what might be done to resolve them.

The Multidimensional Aggression Scale for the Structured Doll Play Interview

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abramson, Paul R.; And Others

1974-01-01

A multidimensional aggression scoring system for preschool children's responses to the structured doll play interview is described. The system, which incorporates previous investigator's findings, scales doll play responses along three dimensions of aggression: intensity, agent, and directionality. (Author)

Atomically informed nonlocal semi-discrete variational Peierls-Nabarro model for planar core dislocations

PubMed Central

Liu, Guisen; Cheng, Xi; Wang, Jian; Chen, Kaiguo; Shen, Yao

2017-01-01

Prediction of Peierls stress associated with dislocation glide is of fundamental concern in understanding and designing the plasticity and mechanical properties of crystalline materials. Here, we develop a nonlocal semi-discrete variational Peierls-Nabarro (SVPN) model by incorporating the nonlocal atomic interactions into the semi-discrete variational Peierls framework. The nonlocal kernel is simplified by limiting the nonlocal atomic interaction in the nearest neighbor region, and the nonlocal coefficient is directly computed from the dislocation core structure. Our model is capable of accurately predicting the displacement profile, and the Peierls stress, of planar-extended core dislocations in face-centered cubic structures. Our model could be extended to study more complicated planar-extended core dislocations, such as <110> {111} dislocations in Al-based and Ti-based intermetallic compounds. PMID:28252102

3. View of Japanese village, type C structure, facing eastsoutheast ...

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

3. View of Japanese village, type C structure, facing east-southeast - Nevada Test Site, Japanese Village, Type C Structure, Area 4, Yucca Flat, 4-04 Road near Rainier Mesa Road, Mercury, Nye County, NV

Effect of survey mode on response patterns: comparison of face-to-face and self-administered modes in health surveys.

PubMed

Christensen, Anne Illemann; Ekholm, Ola; Glümer, Charlotte; Juel, Knud

2014-04-01

While face-to-face interviews are considered the gold standard of survey modes, self-administered questionnaires are often preferred for cost and convenience. This article examines response patterns in two general population health surveys carried out by face-to-face interview and self-administered questionnaire, respectively. Data derives from a health interview survey in the Region of Southern Denmark (face-to-face interview) and The Danish Health and Morbidity Survey 2010 (self-administered questionnaire). Identical questions were used in both surveys. Data on all individuals were obtained from administrative registers and linked to survey data at individual level. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to examine the effect of survey mode on response patterns. The non-response rate was higher in the self-administered survey (37.9%) than in the face-to-face interview survey (23.7%). Marital status, ethnic background and highest completed education were associated with non-response in both modes. Furthermore, sex and age were associated with non-response in the self-administered mode. No significant mode effects were observed for indicators related to use of health services, but significant mode effects were observed for indicators related to self-reported health-related quality of life, health behaviour, social relations and morbidity (long-standing illness). The same factors were generally associated with non-response in both modes. Indicators based on factual questions with simple answers categories were overall more comparable according to mode than indicators based on questions that involved more subjective assessments. Other measures such as efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the mode should also be considered when determining the most appropriate form of data collection.

What Affects Authors’ and Editors’ Use of Reporting Guidelines? Findings from an Online Survey and Qualitative Interviews

PubMed Central

Fuller, Thomas; Pearson, Mark; Peters, Jaime; Anderson, Rob

2015-01-01

Objectives To identify and understand, through data from multiple sources, some of the factors that affect authors’ and editors’ decisions to use reporting guidelines in the publication of health research. Design Mixed methods study comprising an online survey and semi-structured interviews with a sample of authors (online survey: n = 56; response rate = 32%; semi-structured interviews: n = 5) and journal editors (online survey: n = 43; response rate = 27%; semi-structured interviews: n = 6) involved in publishing health and medical research. Participants were recruited from an earlier study examining the effectiveness of the TREND reporting guideline. Results Four types of factors interacted to affect authors’ and editors’ likelihood of reporting guideline use; individual (e.g. having multiple reasons for use of reporting guidelines); the professional culture in which people work; environmental (e.g. policies of journals); and, practical (e.g. having time to use reporting guidelines). Having multiple reasons for using reporting guidelines was a particularly salient factor in facilitating reporting guidelines use for both groups of participants. Conclusions Improving the completeness and consistency of reporting of research studies is critical to the integrity and synthesis of health research. The use of reporting guidelines offers one potentially efficient and effective means for achieving this, but decisions to use (or not use) reporting guidelines take many factors into account. These findings could be used to inform future studies that might, for example, test the factors that we have identified within a wider theoretical framework for understanding changes in professional practices. The use of reporting guidelines by senior professionals appears to shape the expectations of what constitutes best practice and can be assimilated into the culture of a field or discipline. Without evidence of effectiveness of reporting guidelines, and sustained

Point of view filming and the elicitation interview.

PubMed

Skinner, Jonathan; Gormley, Gerard J

2016-08-01

Face-to-face interviews are a fundamental research tool in qualitative research. Whilst this form of data collection can provide many valuable insights, it can often fall short of providing a complete picture of a research subject's experiences. Point of view (PoV) interviewing is an elicitation technique used in the social sciences as a means of enriching data obtained from research interviews. Recording research subjects' first person perspectives, for example by wearing digital video glasses, can afford deeper insights into their experiences. PoV interviewing can promote making visible the unverbalizable and does not rely as much on memory as the traditional interview. The use of such relatively inexpensive technology is gaining interest in health profession educational research and pedagogy, such as dynamic simulation-based learning and research activities. In this interview, Dr Gerry Gormley (a medical education researcher) talks to Dr Jonathan Skinner (an anthropologist with an interest in PoV interviewing), exploring some of the many crossover implications with PoV interviewing for medical education research and practice.

A Spatial View of the Interpersonal Structure of Family Interviews: Similarities and Differences Across Counselors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedlander, Myrna L.; Highlen, Pamela S.

1984-01-01

Examined the interpersonal structures of interviews by Ackerman, Bowen, Jackson, and Whitaker with the same family to identify common features across counselors. Multidimensional scaling provided a spatial representation of the hidden structure in the communication patterns of these interviews. Correlations indicated counselors' interactions were…

Resilience in the Face of Adversity: Stories from Adults with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knorr, Lyndsay; McIntyre, Laureen J.

2016-01-01

This study explored the school and life experiences of four adults diagnosed with a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) from an urban area in western Canada. Semi-structured interviews provided insight into the lives of these adults, including their experiences with this disorder as it related to their social interactions and peer relationships…

Learning motivational interviewing in a real-life setting: a randomised controlled trial in the Swedish Prison Service.

PubMed

Forsberg, Lars; Ernst, Denise; Farbring, Carl Åke

2011-07-01

Motivational interviewing (MI) is a client-centred, directive counselling style for helping people to explore and resolve ambivalence about behaviour change and shown to decrease drug and alcohol use. A five-session semi-structured MI intervention [Beteende, Samtal, Förändring (BSF; Behaviour, Counselling, Change)] was implemented in Swedish prisons. To examine whether, in a real-life implementation of semi-structured MI, staff receiving ongoing MI training, based on audio-recorded feedback in peer groups (BSF+), possess greater MI skill compared with staff receiving workshop-only MI training (BSF), and staff conducting usual prison planning interviews (UPI). Prisoners were randomised to one of the three interventions. The fi rst sessions between staff and prisoner with complete data were assessed with the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity Code 3.0. Content analysis of 45 staff: prisoner sessions revealed that counsellors in the BSF+ group were significantly more competent in MI than those in the UPI group, but there was no difference in MI competency between the BSF and UPI groups. Overall, staff were rated as not having achieved beginning proficiency. Our findings suggest that staff delivering motivational interviewing programmes for substance-misusing prisoners in Sweden are not being given sufficient training for the task. Previous literature has suggested that staff need more than a basic 3- to 5-day workshop training, but our findings suggest that they may need longer-term continuing supervision and support than previously recognised.

Error analysis for creating 3D face templates based on cylindrical quad-tree structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gutfeter, Weronika

2015-09-01

Development of new biometric algorithms is parallel to advances in technology of sensing devices. Some of the limitations of the current face recognition systems may be eliminated by integrating 3D sensors into these systems. Depth sensing devices can capture a spatial structure of the face in addition to the texture and color. This kind of data is yet usually very voluminous and requires large amount of computer resources for being processed (face scans obtained with typical depth cameras contain more than 150 000 points per face). That is why defining efficient data structures for processing spatial images is crucial for further development of 3D face recognition methods. The concept described in this work fulfills the aforementioned demands. Modification of the quad-tree structure was chosen because it can be easily transformed into less dimensional data structures and maintains spatial relations between data points. We are able to interpret data stored in the tree as a pyramid of features which allow us to analyze face images using coarse-to-fine strategy, often exploited in biometric recognition systems.

Damage Tolerance of Sandwich Plates with Debonded Face Sheets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Avery, John L., III; Sankar, Bhavani V.

1998-01-01

Axial compression tests were performed on debonded sandwich composites made of graphite/epoxy face-sheets and aramid fiber honeycomb core. The sandwich beams were manufactured using a vacuum baccrin2 process. The face-sheet and the sandwich beam were co-cured. Delamination between one of the face sheets and the core was introduced by using a Teflon layer during the curing process. Axial compression tests were performed to determine the ultimate load carrying capacity of the debonded beams. Flatwise tension tests and Double Cantilever Beam tests were performed to determine. respectively, the strength and fracture toughness of the face-sheet/core interface. From the test results semi-empirical formulas were derived for the fracture toughness and ultimate compressive load carrying capacity in terms of the core density. core thickness. face-sheet thickness and debond length. Four different failure modes and their relation to the structural properties were identified. Linear buckling analysis was found to be inadequate in predicting the compressive load carrying capacity of the debonded sandwich composites.

The effect of emotional distance on psychophysiologic concordance and perceived empathy between patient and interviewer.

PubMed

Marci, Carl D; Orr, Scott P

2006-06-01

This preliminary study investigated the effect of emotional distance on psychophysiologic concordance and perceived empathy in a clinical population. Participants included 20 adult outpatients from a mental health clinic that underwent a brief semi-structured interview with a trained psychiatrist in either an emotionally neutral or an emotionally distant condition. Simultaneous skin conductance (SC) levels of the patient and interviewer were recorded and used to calculate a measure of psychophysiologic concordance. Interviewer gaze was rated by an independent observer and used as a proxy indicator of emotional distance. Observer ratings of interviewer gaze, SC concordance, and patient ratings of perceived interviewer empathy were significantly lower in the emotionally distant condition compared with the emotionally neutral condition (p < 0.05). Results suggest that increased emotional distance is associated with decreased psychophysiologic concordance and reduced subjective ratings of perceived empathy. The observed differences in psychophysiologic concordance support the use of this measure as a potential marker of empathy in a clinical population in an interview setting.

Beliefs about and Intention to Learn a Foreign Language in Face-to-Face and Online Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alhamami, Munassir

2018-01-01

This mixed-methods study investigates language learners' intention to attend a class and learn a foreign language in face-to-face and online settings using Ajzen's theory of planned behavior (TPB). The data were collected using interviews, questionnaires, and treatments with participants in two groups: a face-to-face language learning (FLL) group…

The acceptability to patients of PhysioDirect telephone assessment and advice services; a qualitative interview study.

PubMed

Pearson, Jennifer; Richardson, Jane; Calnan, Michael; Salisbury, Chris; Foster, Nadine E

2016-03-28

In response to long waiting lists and problems with access to primary care physiotherapy, several Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) (now Clinical Commissioning Groups CCGs) developed physiotherapy-led telephone assessment and treatment services. The Medical Research Council (MRC) funded PhysioDirect trial was a randomised control trial (RCT) in four PCTs, with a total of 2252 patients that compared this approach with usual physiotherapy care. This nested qualitative study aimed to explore the acceptability of the PhysioDirect telephone assessment and advice service to patients with musculoskeletal conditions. We conducted 57 semi-structured interviews with adults from 4 PCTs who were referred from general practice to physiotherapy with musculoskeletal conditions and were participating in the PhysioDirect trial. The Framework method was used to analyse the qualitative data. The PhysioDirect service was largely viewed as acceptable although some saw it as a first step to subsequent face-to-face physiotherapy. Most participants found accessing the PhysioDirect service straightforward and smooth, and they valued the faster access to physiotherapy advice offered by the telephone service. Participants generally viewed both the PhysioDirect service and the physiotherapists providing the service as helpful. Participants' preferences and priorities for treatment defined the acceptable features of PhysioDirect but the acceptable features were traded off against less acceptable features. Some participants felt that the PhysioDirect service was impersonal and impaired the development of a good relationship with their physiotherapist, which made the service feel remote and less valuable. The PhysioDirect service was broadly acceptable to participants since it provided faster access to physiotherapy advice for their musculoskeletal conditions. Participants felt that it is best placed as one method of accessing physiotherapy services, in addition to, rather than as a replacement for

Telepsychiatry: assessment of televideo psychiatric interview reliability with present- and next-generation internet infrastructures.

PubMed

Yoshino, A; Shigemura, J; Kobayashi, Y; Nomura, S; Shishikura, K; Den, R; Wakisaka, H; Kamata, S; Ashida, H

2001-09-01

We assessed the reliability of remote video psychiatric interviews conducted via the internet using narrow and broad bandwidths. Televideo psychiatric interviews conducted with 42 in-patients with chronic schizophrenia using two bandwidths (narrow, 128 kilobits/s; broad, 2 megabits/s) were assessed in terms of agreement with face-to-face interviews in a test-retest fashion. As a control, agreement was assessed between face-to-face interviews. Psychiatric symptoms were rated using the Oxford version of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), and agreement between interviews was estimated as the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The ICC was significantly lower in the narrow bandwidth than in the broad bandwidth and the control for both positive symptoms score and total score. While reliability of televideo psychiatric interviews is insufficient using the present narrow-band internet infrastructure, the next generation of infrastructure (broad-band) may permit reliable diagnostic interviews.

The Perceptions of Commoditisation and Internationalisation of Higher Education in Australia: An Interview Study of Chinese International Students and Their Lecturers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCrohon, Mark; Nyland, Berenice

2018-01-01

This paper examined domestic educator and Chinese international student (CIS) perspectives on their experience of the commoditisation of international higher education in Australia. Data consisted of semi-structured interviews with academic and student participants. A Trans-disciplinary Framework derived from grounded theory and the Auditable…

Modeling Cooperation in an Address-Register-Based Telephone/Face-to-Face Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lipps, Oliver

2016-01-01

I analyze the effects of household sociodemography, interviewer performance in the current survey, and fieldwork characteristics on cooperation in a central telephone survey, where households with no publicly listed landline number receive face-to-face visits. Using the 2013 refreshment sample of the Swiss Household Panel, I employ…

Nutritional rehabilitation after ICU - does it happen: a qualitative interview and observational study.

PubMed

Merriweather, Judith; Smith, Pam; Walsh, Timothy

2014-03-01

To compare and contrast current nutritional rehabilitation practices against recommendations from National Institute for Health and Excellence guideline Rehabilitation after critical illness (NICE) (2009, http://www.nice.org.uk/cg83). Recovery from critical illness has gained increasing prominence over the last decade but there is remarkably little research relating to nutritional rehabilitation. The study is a qualitative study based on patient interviews and observations of ward practice. Seventeen patients were recruited into the study at discharge from the intensive care unit (ICU) of a large teaching hospital in central Scotland in 2011. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on transfer to the ward and weekly thereafter. Fourteen of these patients were followed up at three months post-ICU discharge, and a semi-structured interview was carried out. Observations of ward practice were carried out twice weekly for the duration of the ward stay. Current nutritional practice for post-intensive care patients did not reflect the recommendations from the NICE guideline. A number of organisational issues were identified as influencing nutritional care. These issues were categorised as ward culture, service-centred delivery of care and disjointed discharge planning. Their influence on nutritional care was compounded by the complex problems associated with critical illness. The NICE guideline provides few nutrition-specific recommendations for rehabilitation; however, current practice does not reflect the nutritional recommendations that are detailed in the rehabilitation care pathway. Nutritional care of post-ICU patients is problematic and strategies to overcome these issues need to be addressed in order to improve nutritional intake. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Challenges of Integrating Mobile Technology into Mathematics Instruction in Secondary Schools: An Indonesian Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abidin, Zaenal; Mathrani, Anuradha; Hunter, Roberta; Parsons, David

2017-01-01

Implementing mobile learning in curriculum-based educational settings faces challenges related to perceived ethical and learning issues. This study investigated the affordances of mobile technologies to support mathematics instruction by teachers. An exploratory study employing questionnaires and semi-structured interviews revealed that, while…

The challenges of emerging HISs in bridging the communication gaps among physicians and nurses in China: an interview study.

PubMed

Wen, Dong; Zhang, Xingting; Wan, Jie; Fu, Jing; Lei, Jianbo

2017-06-12

To explore the current situation, existing problems and possible causes of said problems with regards to physician-nurse communication under an environment of increasingly widespread usage of Hospital Information Systems and to seek out new potential strategies in information technology to improve physician-nurse communication. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 physicians and nurses in five leading tertiary grade A hospitals in Beijing, China (two physicians and two nurses in each hospital). The interviews primarily included three aspects comprising the current situation and problems of clinical physician-nurse communication, the application and problems of Hospital Information Systems, and assessments on the improvement of physician-nurse communication through the usage of information technology. The inductive conventional content analysis approach was employed. (1) Physicians and nurses are generally quite satisfied with the current situation of communication. However, the information needs of nurses are prone to being overlooked, and the communication methods are primarily synchronous communication such as face-to-face and phone communication. (2) Hospital Information Systems are gradually being used for physician-nurse communication; in the meantime, physicians and nurses face challenges with regards to the improvement of physician-nurse communication through the usage of information technology. Challenges differ based on the different stages of using the system and the different levels of understanding of physicians and nurses towards information technology. Their dissatisfaction mainly deals with system errors and the level of convenience in using the system. (3) In-depth interviews found that in general, physicians and nurses have a strong interest and trust in improving physician-nurse communication through appropriate information technology, e.g., communication methods such as information reminders for physicians and nurses through mobile

A Look at Advanced Learners' Use of Mobile Devices for English Language Study: Insights from Interview Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kruk, Mariusz

2017-01-01

The paper discusses the results of a study which explored advanced learners of English engagement with their mobile devices to develop learning experiences that meet their needs and goals as foreign language learners. The data were collected from 20 students by means of a semi-structured interview. The gathered data were subjected to qualitative…

Co-ordinated structural and functional covariance in the adolescent brain underlies face processing performance

PubMed Central

Joel Shaw, Daniel; Mareček, Radek; Grosbras, Marie-Helene; Leonard, Gabriel; Bruce Pike, G.

2016-01-01

Our ability to process complex social cues presented by faces improves during adolescence. Using multivariate analyses of neuroimaging data collected longitudinally from a sample of 38 adolescents (17 males) when they were 10, 11.5, 13 and 15 years old, we tested the possibility that there exists parallel variations in the structural and functional development of neural systems supporting face processing. By combining measures of task-related functional connectivity and brain morphology, we reveal that both the structural covariance and functional connectivity among ‘distal’ nodes of the face-processing network engaged by ambiguous faces increase during this age range. Furthermore, we show that the trajectory of increasing functional connectivity between the distal nodes occurs in tandem with the development of their structural covariance. This demonstrates a tight coupling between functional and structural maturation within the face-processing network. Finally, we demonstrate that increased functional connectivity is associated with age-related improvements of face-processing performance, particularly in females. We suggest that our findings reflect greater integration among distal elements of the neural systems supporting the processing of facial expressions. This, in turn, might facilitate an enhanced extraction of social information from faces during a time when greater importance is placed on social interactions. PMID:26772669

The Analysis of Prospective Chemistry Teachers' Cognitive Structure: The Subject of Covalent and Ionic Bonding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Temel, Senar; Özcan, Özgür

2016-01-01

This study aims to analyse prospective chemistry teachers' cognitive structure related to the subject of covalent and ionic bonding. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants in order to determine their cognitive structure, and the interviews were audio recorded to prevent the loss of data. The data were transcribed and…

Structural and optical properties of semi-polar (11-22) InGaN/GaN green light-emitting diode structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Guijuan; Wang, Lianshan; Li, Huijie; Meng, Yulin; Li, Fangzheng; Yang, Shaoyan; Wang, Zhanguo

2018-01-01

Semi-polar (11-22) InGaN multiple quantum well (MQW) green light-emitting diode (LED) structures have been realized by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition on an m-plane sapphire substrate. By introducing double GaN buffer layers, we improve the crystal quality of semi-polar (11-22) GaN significantly. The vertical alignment of the diffraction peaks in the (11-22) X-ray reciprocal space mapping indicates the fully strained MQW on the GaN layer. The photoluminescence spectra of the LED structure show stronger emission intensity along the [1-100] InGaN/GaN direction. The electroluminescence emission of the LED structure is very broad with peaks around 550 nm and 510 nm at the 100 mA current injection for samples A and B, respectively, and exhibits a significant blue-shift with increasing drive current.

Experiences of faith group members using new reproductive and genetic technologies: A qualitative interview study.

PubMed

Scully, Jackie Leach; Banks, Sarah; Song, Robert; Haq, Jackie

2017-04-01

This paper explores the experiences of members of faith groups deciding whether or not to use new reproductive or genetic technologies (NRGTs). It is based on 16 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with people with direct experience of NRGTs. Participants identified as members of Christian or Muslim faith traditions and had been faced with deciding whether or not to make use of novel forms of fertility treatment or genetic testing. The findings show that members of faith groups may experience specific barriers of access, and distinctive ethical difficulties, when considering the use of different forms of NRGTs. Both Christian and Muslim interviewees reported difficulties in obtaining information on the official faith teaching, or found that their faith group had not yet crafted an official position. Participants' needs for information, and the opportunity to discuss the faith implications of their clinical choices, were not being met in either the clinic or the faith setting. This paper concludes that clinics should indicate more clearly their acknowledgement of patients' faith concerns. Appropriate training is needed for both healthcare professionals and chaplains, while faith groups should be encouraged to engage with healthcare providers to ensure that guidance is available to their members.

The Structured Interview & Scoring Tool-Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (SIST-M): development, reliability, and cross-sectional validation of a brief structured clinical dementia rating interview.

PubMed

Okereke, Olivia I; Copeland, Maura; Hyman, Bradley T; Wanggaard, Taylor; Albert, Marilyn S; Blacker, Deborah

2011-03-01

The Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) and CDR Sum-of-Boxes can be used to grade mild but clinically important cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer disease. However, sensitive clinical interview formats are lengthy. To develop a brief instrument for obtaining CDR scores and to assess its reliability and cross-sectional validity. Using legacy data from expanded interviews conducted among 347 community-dwelling older adults in a longitudinal study, we identified 60 questions (from a possible 131) about cognitive functioning in daily life using clinical judgment, inter-item correlations, and principal components analysis. Items were selected in 1 cohort (n=147), and a computer algorithm for generating CDR scores was developed in this same cohort and re-run in a replication cohort (n=200) to evaluate how well the 60 items retained information from the original 131 items. Short interviews based on the 60 items were then administered to 50 consecutively recruited older individuals, with no symptoms or mild cognitive symptoms, at an Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. Clinical Dementia Rating scores based on short interviews were compared with those from independent long interviews. In the replication cohort, agreement between short and long CDR interviews ranged from κ=0.65 to 0.79, with κ=0.76 for Memory, κ=0.77 for global CDR, and intraclass correlation coefficient for CDR Sum-of-Boxes=0.89. In the cross-sectional validation, short interview scores were slightly lower than those from long interviews, but good agreement was observed for global CDR and Memory (κ≥0.70) as well as for CDR Sum-of-Boxes (intraclass correlation coefficient=0.73). The Structured Interview & Scoring Tool-Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Research Center is a brief, reliable, and sensitive instrument for obtaining CDR scores in persons with symptoms along the spectrum of mild cognitive change.

An Extensible Schema-less Database Framework for Managing High-throughput Semi-Structured Documents

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maluf, David A.; Tran, Peter B.; La, Tracy; Clancy, Daniel (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Object-Relational database management system is an integrated hybrid cooperative approach to combine the best practices of both the relational model utilizing SQL queries and the object oriented, semantic paradigm for supporting complex data creation. In this paper, a highly scalable, information on demand database framework, called NETMARK is introduced. NETMARK takes advantages of the Oracle 8i object-relational database using physical addresses data types for very efficient keyword searches of records for both context and content. NETMARK was originally developed in early 2000 as a research and development prototype to solve the vast amounts of unstructured and semi-structured documents existing within NASA enterprises. Today, NETMARK is a flexible, high throughput open database framework for managing, storing, and searching unstructured or semi structured arbitrary hierarchal models, XML and HTML.

Reflecting on the experience of interviewing online: perspectives from the Internet and HIV study in London.

PubMed

Davis, M; Bolding, G; Hart, G; Sherr, L; Elford, J

2004-11-01

This paper considers some of the strengths and weaknesses of conducting synchronous online interviews for qualitative research. It is based on a study among gay/bisexual men that used both qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the association between seeking sex through the Internet and HIV transmission risk. Between June 2002 and January 2004, 128 gay/bisexual men living in London were interviewed one-to-one by the first author (MD) about their experience of using the Internet to find sexual partners and negotiating condom use for anal sex. Thirty-five men were interviewed online, while 93 were interviewed face-to-face (i.e. offline). This paper draws on MD's experience of conducting these interviews--both online and face-to-face. Synchronous online interviews have the advantage of being cheap, convenient and attractive to people who do not like face-to-face interviews. However, some of the social conventions and technical limitations of computer-mediated-communication can introduce ambiguity into the online dialogue. To minimize this ambiguity, both interviewer and interviewee have to edit their online interaction. One of the distinctive features of the online interview is that it emerges as a form of textual performance. This raises fundamental questions about the suitability of the synchronous online interview for exploring sensitive topics such as risky sexual behaviour.

Co-ordinated structural and functional covariance in the adolescent brain underlies face processing performance.

PubMed

Shaw, Daniel Joel; Mareček, Radek; Grosbras, Marie-Helene; Leonard, Gabriel; Pike, G Bruce; Paus, Tomáš

2016-04-01

Our ability to process complex social cues presented by faces improves during adolescence. Using multivariate analyses of neuroimaging data collected longitudinally from a sample of 38 adolescents (17 males) when they were 10, 11.5, 13 and 15 years old, we tested the possibility that there exists parallel variations in the structural and functional development of neural systems supporting face processing. By combining measures of task-related functional connectivity and brain morphology, we reveal that both the structural covariance and functional connectivity among 'distal' nodes of the face-processing network engaged by ambiguous faces increase during this age range. Furthermore, we show that the trajectory of increasing functional connectivity between the distal nodes occurs in tandem with the development of their structural covariance. This demonstrates a tight coupling between functional and structural maturation within the face-processing network. Finally, we demonstrate that increased functional connectivity is associated with age-related improvements of face-processing performance, particularly in females. We suggest that our findings reflect greater integration among distal elements of the neural systems supporting the processing of facial expressions. This, in turn, might facilitate an enhanced extraction of social information from faces during a time when greater importance is placed on social interactions. © The Author (2016). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Reliability of DSM-III anxiety disorder categories using a new structured interview.

PubMed

Di Nardo, P A; O'Brien, G T; Barlow, D H; Waddell, M T; Blanchard, E B

1983-10-01

The reliability of DSM-III anxiety disorder diagnoses was determined using a new structured interview, the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule (ADIS). Two interviewers examined 60 consecutive outpatients at an anxiety disorders clinic and assigned primary and secondary diagnoses based on the ADIS. The kappa statistic, calculated on the basis of perfect matches on primary diagnoses, indicated good agreement for anxiety, affective, and adjustment disorders, as well as for the specific anxiety disorder categories of agoraphobia, panic, social phobia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, but not for generalized anxiety disorder. We evaluated the causes for diagnostic disagreement, particularly in relation to the difficult differentiation between generalized anxiety disorder and other anxiety disorders.

An Investigation of Preservice Teachers' Use of Guess and Check in Solving a Semi Open-Ended Mathematics Problem

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Capraro, Mary Margaret; An, Song A.; Ma, Tingting; Rangel-Chavez, A. Fabiola; Harbaugh, Adam

2012-01-01

Open-ended problems have been regarded as powerful tools for teaching mathematics. This study examined the problem solving of eight mathematics/science middle-school teachers. A semi-structured interview was conducted with (PTs) after completing an open-ended triangle task with four unique solutions. Of particular emphasis was how the PTs used a…

The Effects of Vocal Activity and Race of Applicant on Job Selection Interview Decisions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byrd, Marquita L.

Because interviewing is a face-to-face interaction belonging to the genre of interpersonal relationships, the employment interview is subject to some of the same problems that beset interpersonal relationships. Problems can occur in both interviews and interpersonal relationships because of bias, which originates from background characteristics,…

Away from Home: A Qualitative Exploration of Health Experiences of Nigerian Students in a U.K. University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alloh, Folashade T.; Tait, Desiree; Taylor, Clare

2018-01-01

This study explored the factors that contribute to the health experience of Nigerian students in the United Kingdom. Challenges faced by international students include dietary issues, isolation, stress, depression, and others. Nine semi-structured interviews were conducted combination of purposive sampling and snowball sampling techniques were…

Benefits of participating in internet interviews: women helping women.

PubMed

Beck, Cheryl Tatano

2005-03-01

Advantages of face-to-face qualitative interviews for participants have been addressed in the literature. The benefits of participating in qualitative interviews over the Internet, however, have yet to be discussed. Based on the experiences of 40 women who made up the sample for an Internet study on birth trauma, the author describes in this article the benefits reaped by these mothers through their participation in qualitative e-mail interviews. She used content analysis to identify these benefits. Seven themes emerged: experiencing caring by being listened to and acknowledged, sense of belonging, making sense of it all, letting go, being empowered, women helping women, and providing a voice.

Reporting on first sexual experience: The importance of interviewer-respondent interaction

PubMed Central

Poulin, Michelle

2010-01-01

Survey methodologists typically seek to improve data on sensitive topics by standardizing surveys and avoiding the use of human interviewers. This study uses data collected from 90 never-married young adults in rural Malawi to compare reports on first sexual encounters between a standard survey and an in-depth interview. A significant fraction of young women who claimed in the survey to have never been sexually active affirmed sexual experience during the in-depth interview, fielded shortly thereafter. Two elements of the in-depth interview, flexibility and reciprocal exchange, foster trust and more truthful reporting. The findings contradict the long-standing presumption that face-to-face interviews are inherently threatening when the topic is sex. PMID:20357897

Learning to Teach English Language in the Practicum: What Challenges do Non-Native ESL Student Teachers Face?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gan, Zhengdong

2013-01-01

This study investigates the challenges sixteen non-native preservice ESL teachers in a Bachelor of Education (English Language) (BEdEL) programme from Hong Kong experienced in an eight-week teaching practicum. Qualitative data from semi-structured interviews and reflective journals were collected from all 16 participants to obtain a detailed…

The use of impression management tactics in structured interviews: a function of question type?

PubMed

Ellis, Aleksander P J; West, Bradley J; Ryan, Ann Marie; DeShon, Richard P

2002-12-01

This study investigated impression management tactic use during structured interviews containing both experience-based and situational questions. Specifically, the authors examined whether applicants' use of impression management tactics depended on question type. Results from 119 structured interviews indicated that almost all of the applicants used some form of impression management. Significantly more assertive than defensive impression management tactics were used, and among assertive tactics, applicants tended to use self-promotion rather than ingratiation. However, different question types prompted the use of different impression management tactics. Ingratiation tactics were used significantly more when applicants answered situational questions, whereas self-promotion tactics were used significantly more when applicants answered experience-based questions. Furthermore, the use of self-promotion and ingratiation tactics was positively related to interviewer evaluations.

The facilitators of communication with people with dementia in a care setting: an interview study with healthcare workers

PubMed Central

Stanyon, Miriam Ruth; Griffiths, Amanda; Thomas, Shirley A.; Gordon, Adam Lee

2016-01-01

Objectives: to describe the views of healthcare workers on the facilitators of communication with people with dementia in a care setting. Design: thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews. Setting: all participants were interviewed in their place of work. Participants: sixteen healthcare workers whose daily work involves interacting with people with dementia. Results: four overarching categories of themes were identified from the interviews that impact on communication: the attributes of a care worker, communication strategies used, organisational factors and the physical characteristics of the care environment. Conclusion: many strategies used by healthcare workers to facilitate communication have not yet been studied in the research literature. Participants' views on training should be incorporated into future dementia training programmes. PMID:26764403

Is there a bias against telephone interviews in qualitative research?

PubMed

Novick, Gina

2008-08-01

Telephone interviews are largely neglected in the qualitative research literature and, when discussed, they are often depicted as a less attractive alternative to face-to-face interviewing. The absence of visual cues via telephone is thought to result in loss of contextual and nonverbal data and to compromise rapport, probing, and interpretation of responses. Yet, telephones may allow respondents to feel relaxed and able to disclose sensitive information, and evidence is lacking that they produce lower quality data. This apparent bias against telephone interviews contrasts with a growing interest in electronic qualitative interviews. Research is needed comparing these modalities, and examining their impact on data quality and their use for studying varying topics and populations. Such studies could contribute evidence-based guidelines for optimizing interview data. 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Is There a Bias Against Telephone Interviews In Qualitative Research?

PubMed Central

Novick, Gina

2011-01-01

Telephone interviews are largely neglected in the qualitative research literature and, when discussed, they are often depicted as a less attractive alternative to face-to-face interviewing. The absence of visual cues via telephone is thought to result in loss of contextual and nonverbal data and to compromise rapport, probing, and interpretation of responses. Yet, telephones may allow respondents to feel relaxed and able to disclose sensitive information, and evidence is lacking that they produce lower quality data. This apparent bias against telephone interviews contrasts with a growing interest in electronic qualitative interviews. Research is needed comparing these modalities, and examining their impact on data quality and their use for studying varying topics and populations. Such studies could contribute evidence-based guidelines for optimizing interview data. PMID:18203128

Structured-Light Based 3d Laser Scanning of Semi-Submerged Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Lucht, J.; Bleier, M.; Leutert, F.; Schilling, K.; Nüchter, A.

2018-05-01

In this work we look at 3D acquisition of semi-submerged structures with a triangulation based underwater laser scanning system. The motivation is that we want to simultaneously capture data above and below water to create a consistent model without any gaps. The employed structured light scanner consist of a machine vision camera and a green line laser. In order to reconstruct precise surface models of the object it is necessary to model and correct for the refraction of the laser line and camera rays at the water-air boundary. We derive a geometric model for the refraction at the air-water interface and propose a method for correcting the scans. Furthermore, we show how the water surface is directly estimated from sensor data. The approach is verified using scans captured with an industrial manipulator to achieve reproducible scanner trajectories with different incident angles. We show that the proposed method is effective for refractive correction and that it can be applied directly to the raw sensor data without requiring any external markers or targets.

The Structured Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ljusberg, Anna-Lena

2011-01-01

The aim of this article is to highlight the organisation of the remedial classroom. The data were collected from observations and semi-structured interviews with 10 teachers in remedial classes for children seen and treated as having concentration deficits. The teachers use primarily compensatory language that places the deficits in the pupils.…

78 FR 11156 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Southeast Region Dealer and Interview Family of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-15

... Collection; Comment Request; Southeast Region Dealer and Interview Family of Forms AGENCY: National Oceanic... includes interview with fishermen to gather information on the fishing effort, location and type of gear.... Information from fisherman is obtained by face-to-face interviews. III. Data OMB Control Number: 0648-0013...

Mentoring Doctoral Students Online: Mentor Strategies and Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kumar, Swapna; Johnson, Melissa

2017-01-01

The purpose of our research was to explore faculty members' experiences with online mentoring during the dissertation stage of an online doctoral program. During semi-structured interviews, four mentors reflected on their online mentoring of students, specifically the strategies that worked well, challenges faced while mentoring online, and other…

Challenges Implementing Work-Integrated Learning in Human Resource Management University Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rook, Laura

2017-01-01

The examination of work-integrated learning (WIL) programs in the undergraduate Human Resource Management (HRM) curriculum is an area under-represented in the Australian literature. This paper identifies the challenges faced in implementing WIL into the HRM undergraduate curriculum. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 38…

Structure constrained semi-nonnegative matrix factorization for EEG-based motor imagery classification.

PubMed

Lu, Na; Li, Tengfei; Pan, Jinjin; Ren, Xiaodong; Feng, Zuren; Miao, Hongyu

2015-05-01

Electroencephalogram (EEG) provides a non-invasive approach to measure the electrical activities of brain neurons and has long been employed for the development of brain-computer interface (BCI). For this purpose, various patterns/features of EEG data need to be extracted and associated with specific events like cue-paced motor imagery. However, this is a challenging task since EEG data are usually non-stationary time series with a low signal-to-noise ratio. In this study, we propose a novel method, called structure constrained semi-nonnegative matrix factorization (SCS-NMF), to extract the key patterns of EEG data in time domain by imposing the mean envelopes of event-related potentials (ERPs) as constraints on the semi-NMF procedure. The proposed method is applicable to general EEG time series, and the extracted temporal features by SCS-NMF can also be combined with other features in frequency domain to improve the performance of motor imagery classification. Real data experiments have been performed using the SCS-NMF approach for motor imagery classification, and the results clearly suggest the superiority of the proposed method. Comparison experiments have also been conducted. The compared methods include ICA, PCA, Semi-NMF, Wavelets, EMD and CSP, which further verified the effectivity of SCS-NMF. The SCS-NMF method could obtain better or competitive performance over the state of the art methods, which provides a novel solution for brain pattern analysis from the perspective of structure constraint. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

What do IPAQ questions mean to older adults? Lessons from cognitive interviews

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Most questionnaires used for physical activity (PA) surveillance have been developed for adults aged ≤65 years. Given the health benefits of PA for older adults and the aging of the population, it is important to include adults aged 65+ years in PA surveillance. However, few studies have examined how well older adults understand PA surveillance questionnaires. This study aimed to document older adults' understanding of questions from the International PA Questionnaire (IPAQ), which is used worldwide for PA surveillance. Methods Participants were 41 community-dwelling adults aged 65-89 years. They each completed IPAQ in a face-to-face semi-structured interview, using the "think-aloud" method, in which they expressed their thoughts out loud as they answered IPAQ questions. Interviews were transcribed and coded according to a three-stage model: understanding the intent of the question; performing the primary task (conducting the mental operations required to formulate a response); and response formatting (mapping the response into pre-specified response options). Results Most difficulties occurred during the understanding and performing the primary task stages. Errors included recalling PA in an "average" week, not in the previous 7 days; including PA lasting <10 minutes/session; reporting the same PA twice or thrice; and including the total time of an activity for which only a part of that time was at the intensity specified in the question. Participants were unclear what activities fitted within a question's scope and used a variety of strategies for determining the frequency and duration of their activities. Participants experienced more difficulties with the moderate-intensity PA and walking questions than with the vigorous-intensity PA questions. The sitting time question, particularly difficult for many participants, required the use of an answer strategy different from that used to answer questions about PA. Conclusions These findings indicate a

Using skype as an alternative for residency selection interviews.

PubMed

Edje, Louito; Miller, Christine; Kiefer, Jacklyn; Oram, David

2013-09-01

Residency interviews can place significant time and financial burdens on applicants. To determine whether the use of Skype as a screening tool during interview season in a family medicine residency is cost-effective and time-efficient for the applicant and the residency program. We surveyed 2 groups of medical students during interviews for our family medicine program. Thirty-two students were interviewed via our face-to-face, traditional interview (TI) process, and 10 students, the second group, who did not meet the program's standard interview selection criteria for TI, underwent our Skype interview (SI) process. Using an unpaired t test, we found that the applicants' costs of an SI were significantly less than a TI, $566 (95% confidence interval [CI] $784-$349, P < .001). Direct cash savings plus indirect salary savings to the program were $5,864, with a time savings of 7 interview days. Three of the applicants who were participants in the SI limb of the study were in our final rank order list. For interviewing in family medicine residencies, use of Skype may be a cost-effective and time-efficient screening tool for both the applicant and the program. Alternate uses of SI may include the time-sensitive, postmatch Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program.

Using Skype as an Alternative for Residency Selection Interviews

PubMed Central

Edje, Louito; Miller, Christine; Kiefer, Jacklyn; Oram, David

2013-01-01

Background Residency interviews can place significant time and financial burdens on applicants. Objective To determine whether the use of Skype as a screening tool during interview season in a family medicine residency is cost-effective and time-efficient for the applicant and the residency program. Methods We surveyed 2 groups of medical students during interviews for our family medicine program. Thirty-two students were interviewed via our face-to-face, traditional interview (TI) process, and 10 students, the second group, who did not meet the program's standard interview selection criteria for TI, underwent our Skype interview (SI) process. Results Using an unpaired t test, we found that the applicants' costs of an SI were significantly less than a TI, $566 (95% confidence interval [CI] $784–$349, P < .001). Direct cash savings plus indirect salary savings to the program were $5,864, with a time savings of 7 interview days. Three of the applicants who were participants in the SI limb of the study were in our final rank order list. Conclusions For interviewing in family medicine residencies, use of Skype may be a cost-effective and time-efficient screening tool for both the applicant and the program. Alternate uses of SI may include the time-sensitive, postmatch Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program. PMID:24404318

Comparison of the structural properties of Zn-face and O-face single crystal homoepitaxial ZnO epilayers grown by RF-magnetron sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schifano, R.; Riise, H. N.; Domagala, J. Z.; Azarov, A. Yu.; Ratajczak, R.; Monakhov, E. V.; Venkatachalapathy, V.; Vines, L.; Chan, K. S.; Wong-Leung, J.; Svensson, B. G.

2017-01-01

Homoepitaxial ZnO growth is demonstrated from conventional RF-sputtering at 400 °C on both Zn and O polar faces of hydrothermally grown ZnO substrates. A minimum yield for the Rutherford backscattering and channeling spectrum, χmin, equal to ˜3% and ˜12% and a full width at half maximum of the 00.2 diffraction peak rocking curve of (70 ± 10) arc sec and (1400 ± 100) arc sec have been found for samples grown on the Zn and O face, respectively. The structural characteristics of the film deposited on the Zn face are comparable with those of epilayers grown by more complex techniques like molecular beam epitaxy. In contrast, the film simultaneously deposited on the O-face exhibits an inferior crystalline structure ˜0.7% strained in the c-direction and a higher atomic number contrast compared with the substrate, as revealed by high angle annular dark field imaging measurements. These differences between the Zn- and O-face films are discussed in detail and associated with the different growth mechanisms prevailing on the two surfaces.

Propagation of SH waves in an infinite/semi-infinite piezoelectric/piezomagnetic periodically layered structure.

PubMed

Pang, Yu; Liu, Yu-Shan; Liu, Jin-Xi; Feng, Wen-Jie

2016-04-01

In this paper, SH bulk/surface waves propagating in the corresponding infinite/semi-infinite piezoelectric (PE)/piezomagnetic (PM) and PM/PE periodically layered composites are investigated by two methods, the stiffness matrix method and the transfer matrix method. For a semi-infinite PE/PM or PM/PE medium, the free surface is parallel to the layer interface. Both PE and PM materials are assumed to be transversely isotropic solids. Dispersion equations are derived by the stiffness/transfer matrix methods, respectively. The effects of electric-magnetic (ME) boundary conditions at the free surface and the layer thickness ratios on dispersion curves are considered in detail. Numerical examples show that the results calculated by the two methods are the same. The dispersion curves of SH surface waves are below the bulk bands or inside the frequency gaps. The ratio of the layer thickness has an important effect not only on the bulk bands but also on the dispersion curves of SH surface waves. Electric and magnetic boundary conditions, respectively, determine the dispersion curves of SH surface waves for the PE/PM and PM/PE semi-infinite structures. The band structures of SH bulk waves are consistent for the PE/PM and PM/PE structures, however, the dispersive behaviors of SH surface waves are indeed different for the two composites. The realization of the above-mentioned characteristics of SH waves will make it possible to design PE/PM acoustic wave devices with periodical structures and achieve the better performance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

NETMARK: A Schema-less Extension for Relational Databases for Managing Semi-structured Data Dynamically

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maluf, David A.; Tran, Peter B.

2003-01-01

Object-Relational database management system is an integrated hybrid cooperative approach to combine the best practices of both the relational model utilizing SQL queries and the object-oriented, semantic paradigm for supporting complex data creation. In this paper, a highly scalable, information on demand database framework, called NETMARK, is introduced. NETMARK takes advantages of the Oracle 8i object-relational database using physical addresses data types for very efficient keyword search of records spanning across both context and content. NETMARK was originally developed in early 2000 as a research and development prototype to solve the vast amounts of unstructured and semi-structured documents existing within NASA enterprises. Today, NETMARK is a flexible, high-throughput open database framework for managing, storing, and searching unstructured or semi-structured arbitrary hierarchal models, such as XML and HTML.

[Comparison between methods as polling booth survey and face-to-face interview in understanding the high-risk behavior among HIV-positive clients of female sex workers].

PubMed

Wu, Peili; Zhou, Chu; Zhou, Yang; Ren, Xianlong; Chen, Xi; Zhao, Junshi; Deng, Xiaojun; Rou, Keming; Wu, Zunyou

2015-04-01

Face-to-face interview (FTFI) and polling booth survey (PBS) were applied to compare the high risk behavior among HIV-positive clients of female sex workers (CFSWs). This study was conducted in antiretroviral therapy (ART) out-patients centers in Hengyang city, where clients who had been informed on their HIV-positive status for 6 months or longer were recruited. FTFI was first used to tackle on 8 sensitive questions related to sexual behavior, followed by PBS to poke on the same questions. Results from FTFI and PBS were then compared. Compared with FIFI, results in the PBS showed higher proportion of participants who reported "having had history of sexually transmitted diseases before knowing that they were infected with HIV" (40.6% vs. 24.2%) but lower proportions on "frequency of having sex with regular sexual partner less than 4 times per month" and "using condoms consistently with regular sexual partners in past 6 months (44.4% vs. 63.0%)". There were no significant differences in the remaining 5 questions shown in the results from the two methods. HIV-positive CFSWs continued to practice unsafe sexual behaviors after knowing their HIV related status. Compared with FTFI, PBS seemed to have revealed higher proportion of unsafe sex behaviors, so as to generated more reliable data. While comparing with PBS, the traditional FTFI might have underestimated the risk behaviors among those HIV-positive CFSWs.

The Face of Digital Literacy for Muslim Teenage Girls: A Comparative Study of Bradford Muslim Girl Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iqbal, Javed; Hardaker, Glenn; Sabki, Aishah Ahmad; Elbeltagi, Ibrahim

2014-01-01

This paper is grounded in a qualitative approach, to call forth the views of Muslim teenage girls on their access and use of learning technologies for inclusive educational practice. The 45 Muslim teenage girls, aged 14-19 years old, from three British Muslim girls schools participated in this empirical study. Semi-structured interviews were used…

Interviewing to develop Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) measures for clinical research: eliciting patients’ experience

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures must provide evidence that their development followed a rigorous process for ensuring their content validity. To this end, the collection of data is performed through qualitative interviews that allow for the elicitation of in-depth spontaneous reports of the patients’ experiences with their condition and/or its treatment. This paper provides a review of qualitative research applied to PRO measure development. A clear definition of what is a qualitative research interview is given as well as information about the form and content of qualitative interviews required for developing PRO measures. Particular attention is paid to the description of interviewing approaches (e.g., semi-structured and in-depth interviews, individual vs. focus group interviews). Information about how to get prepared for a qualitative interview is provided with the description of how to develop discussion guides for exploratory or cognitive interviews. Interviewing patients to obtain knowledge regarding their illness experience requires interpersonal and communication skills to facilitate patients’ expression. Those skills are described in details, as well as the skills needed to facilitate focus groups and to interview children, adolescents and the elderly. Special attention is also given to quality assurance and interview training. The paper ends on ethical considerations since interviewing for the development of PROs is performed in a context of illness and vulnerability. Therefore, it is all the more important that, in addition to soliciting informed consent, respectful interactions be ensured throughout the interview process. PMID:24499454

Problems Encountered during the Scientific Research Process in Graduate Education: The Institute of Educational Sciences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akyürek, Erkan; Afacan, Özlem

2018-01-01

This study was conducted to determine the problems faced by graduate students when conducting scientific research and to make suggestions for solving these problems. The research model was a case study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants in the study with questions about the problems encountered during scientific research…

Challenges to Prepare Pre-Service Teachers for Inclusive Education in Bangladesh: Beliefs of Higher Educational Institutional Heads

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahsan, M. Tariq; Sharma, Umesh; Deppeler, Joanne M.

2012-01-01

This paper reveals the beliefs of higher education institutional heads about the challenges they face in preparing pre-service teachers for inclusive education in Bangladesh. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 institutional heads. Data were analysed by applying thematic analysis procedure. Challenges were found in four theme areas:…

NGOs, Pluralism and Advisory Services--Timor Leste

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Max

2013-01-01

Purpose: This article analyses the role, approach, issues and opportunities faced by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the promotion of agriculture in Timor Leste from independence through to the countrywide roll out of a public extension service in 2009. Design/methodology/approach: The research draws on semi-structured interviews with NGO…

The facilitators of communication with people with dementia in a care setting: an interview study with healthcare workers.

PubMed

Stanyon, Miriam Ruth; Griffiths, Amanda; Thomas, Shirley A; Gordon, Adam Lee

2016-01-01

to describe the views of healthcare workers on the facilitators of communication with people with dementia in a care setting. thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews. all participants were interviewed in their place of work. sixteen healthcare workers whose daily work involves interacting with people with dementia. four overarching categories of themes were identified from the interviews that impact on communication: the attributes of a care worker, communication strategies used, organisational factors and the physical characteristics of the care environment. many strategies used by healthcare workers to facilitate communication have not yet been studied in the research literature. Participants' views on training should be incorporated into future dementia training programmes. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society.

Clinical value of the cultural formulation interview in Pune, India

PubMed Central

Paralikar, Vasudeo P.; Sarmukaddam, Sanjeev B.; Patil, Kanak V.; Nulkar, Amit D.; Weiss, Mitchell G.

2015-01-01

Context: Development of the cultural formulation interview (CFI) in DSM-5 required validation for cross-cultural and global use. Aims: To assess the overall value (OV) of CFI in the domains of feasibility, acceptability, and utility from the vantage points of clinician-interviewers, patients and accompanying relatives. Settings and Design: We conducted cross-sectional semi-structured debriefing interviews in a psychiatric outpatient clinic of a general hospital. Materials and Methods: We debriefed 36 patients, 12 relatives and eight interviewing clinicians following the audio-recorded CFI. We transformed their Likert scale responses into ordinal values – positive for agreement and negative for disagreement (range +2 to −2). Statistical Analysis: We compared mean ratings of patients, relatives and clinician-interviewers using nonparametric tests. Clinician-wise grouping of patients enabled assessment of clinician effects, inasmuch as patients were randomly interviewed by eight clinicians. We assessed the influence of the presence of relatives, clinical diagnosis and interview characteristics by comparing means. Patient and clinician background characteristics were also compared. Results: Patients, relatives and clinicians rated the CFI positively with few differences among them. Patients with serious mental disorders gave lower ratings. Rating of OV was lower for patients and clinicians when relatives were present. Clinician effects were minimal. Clinicians experienced with culturally diverse patients rated the CFI more positively. Narratives clarified the rationale for ratings. Conclusions: Though developed for the American DSM-5, the CFI was valued by clinicians, patients and relatives in out-patient psychiatric assessment in urban Pune, India. Though relatives may add information and other value, their presence in the interview may impose additional demands on clinicians. Our findings contribute to cross-cultural evaluation of the CFI. PMID:25657458

Why are adolescents addicted to online gaming? An interview study in Taiwan.

PubMed

Wan, Chin-Sheng; Chiou, Wen-Bin

2006-12-01

The purpose of this study was twofold: to investigate the conscious and unconscious psychological motivations of online game addicts, and to further discuss the relationship between surface and source motivations. Ten Taiwanese adolescents with online game addiction were selected for in-depth interviews. Through sentence completion test and semi-structured interviews, data were collected and analyzed from the following four realms: (1) surface motivations, (2) source motivations, (3) self-conception, and (4) interpersonal relationships in real life. After content analysis, five categories with distinct themes were formed: (1) addicts' psychological needs and motivations; (2) online games as the everyday focus of the addicts; (3) the interplay of real self and virtual self; (4) online games as the compensatory or extensive satisfaction for addicts' needs; and (5) addicts' self-reflections. The implications of the present study are discussed.

Reliability of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Sleep Disorders Module.

PubMed

Taylor, Daniel J; Wilkerson, Allison K; Pruiksma, Kristi E; Williams, Jacob M; Ruggero, Camilo J; Hale, Willie; Mintz, Jim; Organek, Katherine Marczyk; Nicholson, Karin L; Litz, Brett T; Young-McCaughan, Stacey; Dondanville, Katherine A; Borah, Elisa V; Brundige, Antoinette; Peterson, Alan L

2018-03-15

To develop and demonstrate interrater reliability for a Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) Sleep Disorders (SCISD). The SCISD was designed to be a brief, reliable, and valid interview assessment of adult sleep disorders as defined by the DSM-5. A sample of 106 postdeployment active-duty military members seeking cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in a randomized clinical trial were assessed with the SCISD prior to treatment to determine eligibility. Audio recordings of these interviews were double-scored for interrater reliability. The interview is 8 pages long, includes 20 to 51 questions, and takes 10 to 20 minutes to administer. Of the nine major disorders included in the SCISD, six had prevalence rates high enough (ie, n ≥ 5) to include in analyses. Cohen kappa coefficient (κ) was used to assess interrater reliability for insomnia, hypersomnolence, obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea (OSAH), circadian rhythm sleep-wake, nightmare, and restless legs syndrome disorders. There was excellent interrater reliability for insomnia (1.0) and restless legs syndrome (0.83); very good reliability for nightmare disorder (0.78) and OSAH (0.73); and good reliability for hypersomnolence (0.50) and circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders (0.50). The SCISD is a brief, structured clinical interview that is easy for clinicians to learn and use. The SCISD showed moderate to excellent interrater reliability for six of the major sleep disorders in the DSM-5 among active duty military seeking cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in a randomized clinical trial. Replication and extension studies are needed. Registry: ClinicalTrials.gov; Title: Comparing Internet and In-Person Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy of Insomnia; Identifier: NCT01549899; URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01549899. © 2018 American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Fabrication of Bendable Circuits on a Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) Surface by Inkjet Printing Semi-Wrapped Structures

PubMed Central

Sun, Jiazhen; Jiang, Jieke; Bao, Bin; Wang, Si; He, Min; Zhang, Xingye; Song, Yanlin

2016-01-01

In this work, an effective method was developed to fabricate bendable circuits on a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surface by inkjet printing semi-wrapped structures. It is demonstrated that the precured PDMS liquid film could influence the depositing morphology of coalesced silver precursor inkjet droplets. Accordingly, continuous and uniform lines with a semi-wrapped structure were fabricated on the PDMS surface. When the printed silver precursor was reduced to Ag nanoparticles, the fabricated conductive film exhibited good transparency and high bendability. This work presented a facile way to fabricate flexible patterns on a PDMS surface without any complicated modification or special equipment. Meanwhile, an in situ hydrazine reduction of Ag has been reported using the vapor phase method in the fabricating process. PMID:28773374

Local structure-based image decomposition for feature extraction with applications to face recognition.

PubMed

Qian, Jianjun; Yang, Jian; Xu, Yong

2013-09-01

This paper presents a robust but simple image feature extraction method, called image decomposition based on local structure (IDLS). It is assumed that in the local window of an image, the macro-pixel (patch) of the central pixel, and those of its neighbors, are locally linear. IDLS captures the local structural information by describing the relationship between the central macro-pixel and its neighbors. This relationship is represented with the linear representation coefficients determined using ridge regression. One image is actually decomposed into a series of sub-images (also called structure images) according to a local structure feature vector. All the structure images, after being down-sampled for dimensionality reduction, are concatenated into one super-vector. Fisher linear discriminant analysis is then used to provide a low-dimensional, compact, and discriminative representation for each super-vector. The proposed method is applied to face recognition and examined using our real-world face image database, NUST-RWFR, and five popular, publicly available, benchmark face image databases (AR, Extended Yale B, PIE, FERET, and LFW). Experimental results show the performance advantages of IDLS over state-of-the-art algorithms.

Scaffolded Semi-Flipped General Chemistry Designed to Support Rural Students' Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lenczewski, Mary S.

2016-01-01

Students who lack academic maturity can sometimes feel overwhelmed in a fully flipped classroom. Here an alternative, the Semi-Flipped method, is discussed. Rural students, who face unique challenges in transitioning from high school learning to college-level learning, can particularly profit from the use of the Semi-Flipped method in the General…

The Eating Disorder Assessment for DSM-5 (EDA-5): Development and Validation of a Structured Interview for Feeding and Eating Disorders

PubMed Central

Sysko, Robyn; Glasofer, Deborah R.; Hildebrandt, Tom; Klimek, Patrycja; Mitchell, James E.; Berg, Kelly C.; Peterson, Carol B.; Wonderlich, Stephen A.; Walsh, B. Timothy

2016-01-01

Objective Existing measures for DSM-IV eating disorder diagnoses have notable limitations, and there are important differences between DSM-IV and DSM-5 feeding and eating disorders. This study developed and validated a new semi-structured interview, the Eating Disorders Assessment for DSM-5 (EDA-5). Method Two studies evaluated the utility of the EDA-5. Study 1 compared the diagnostic validity of the EDA-5 to the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) and evaluated the test-retest reliability of the new measure. Study 2 compared the diagnostic validity of an EDA-5 electronic application (“app”) to clinician interview and self-report assessments. Results In Study 1, the kappa for EDE and EDA-5 eating disorder diagnoses was 0.74 across all diagnoses (n= 64), with a range of κ=0.65 for Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED)/Unspecified Feeding or Eating Disorder (USFED) to κ=0.90 for Binge Eating Disorder (BED). The EDA-5 test-retest kappa coefficient was 0.87 across diagnoses. For Study 2, clinical interview versus “app” conditions revealed a kappa of 0.83 for all eating disorder diagnoses (n=71). Across individual diagnostic categories, kappas ranged from 0.56 for OSFED/USFED to 0.94 for BN. Discussion High rates of agreement were found between diagnoses by EDA-5 and the EDE, and EDA-5 and clinical interviews. As this study supports the validity of the EDA-5 to generate DSM-5 eating disorders and the reliability of these diagnoses, the EDA-5 may be an option for the assessment of Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and BED. Additional research is needed to evaluate the utility of the EDA-5 in assessing DSM-5 feeding disorders. PMID:25639562

"I don't like talking about it because that's not who I am": Challenges children face during epilepsy-related family communication.

PubMed

O'Toole, S; Lambert, V; Gallagher, P; Shahwan, A; Austin, J K

2016-09-01

Childhood epilepsy not only significantly impacts a child's social relationships and psychosocial wellbeing, but it can also cause disruptions in family relations. Children living with epilepsy often rely on parental figures for guidance in relation to their condition. A paucity of research has examined the challenges for children when communicating about epilepsy with parental figures. This qualitative study explored the challenges faced by children when talking about epilepsy with their parent(s). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 29 children (aged 6-16 years) living with epilepsy. Participants were recruited from a neurology department of a major pediatric hospital and from a national epilepsy association. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed. Findings revealed four themes: communication impeding normalcy, parental overprotection, parental reactions to epilepsy-related communication, and restriction of activities as a consequence of epilepsy-related communication. The study highlights the need for a greater understanding of parent-child dialogue surrounding epilepsy and where challenges lie for children in conversing about their condition. Parents and health care professionals play a pivotal role in facilitating an environment where children feel comfortable talking about epilepsy. This information will be instrumental in the development of a communication-based intervention for families living with epilepsy. © The Author(s) 2016.

Students' perceived experience of university admission based on tests and interviews.

PubMed

Röding, K; Nordenram, G

2005-11-01

The aim of the study was to generate an impression, from the perspective of graduating dental students, of the individualised admissions procedures, which they had undergone 5 years before. The subjects comprised 10 randomly selected students, five male and five female, from two different admission rounds. Qualitative research was used and data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews. The results show that even 5 years later, the students remember clearly the different steps in the selection procedure and they found the procedure relevant. In particular, the admission interviews made a lasting impression. The students consider that being interviewed by one admissions committee member at a time reduces the applicant's apprehension and allows a more personal interview. Several believe that the admissions procedure influences academic achievement or improves self-confidence: implicit in their selection by a committee of experienced professionals is affirmation that they have the potential to become good dentists. The students therefore feel encouraged to aspire to higher achievement. All students believe that motivation is an important non-cognitive attribute for success and that students selected through this mode are not only highly motivated but also well informed, with realistic expectations of the undergraduate programme and their future professional career.

The Intersection of Online and Face-to-Face Teaching: Implications for Virtual School Teacher Practice and Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garrett Dikkers, Amy

2015-01-01

This mixed-method study reports perspectives of virtual school teachers on the impact of online teaching on their face-to-face practice. Data from a large-scale survey of teachers in the North Carolina Virtual Public School (n = 214), focus groups (n = 7), and interviews (n = 5) demonstrate multiple intersections between online and face-to-face…

Training and Developing Non-Irish Workers: The Perspectives of Interested Stakeholders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prendergast, Mary

2016-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the challenges facing Irish organisations in the training and development of non-Irish workers. It analyses the importance of fluency in the host country's language and the approach taken by organisations in relation to language training. In-depth semi-structured interviews provide significant insights for the…

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.…

Deterioration in Teachers' Performance: Causes and Some Remedies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yariv, Eliezer

2011-01-01

Why do teachers become poor performers? In semi-structured interviews, forty elementary school principals in Israel described the personal story of one poor-performing staff member. Half of the problematic teachers were veteran teachers who faced a marked internal and external shift in mid-career. The seeds of their problems were probably planted…

Issues and Challenges in Higher Education Leadership: Engaging for Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drew, Glenys

2010-01-01

It is proposed from this study that engaging productively with others to achieve change has never been more critical in educational environments, such as universities. Via semi-structured interviews with a cohort of senior leaders from one Australian university, this paper explores their perceptions of the key issues and challenges facing them in…

A School Council's Experience with School Improvement: A Saskatchewan Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Preston, Jane P.

2012-01-01

Based on a qualitative case study conducted within one Saskatchewan (Canada) rural community, the purpose of this article is to describe the challenges a school council faced when supporting a school improvement plan. The primary data for the study were 35 semi-structured individual interviews conducted with school council members, teachers, and…

Barriers faced by Vietnamese immigrant women in Taiwan who do not regularly undergo cervical screenings: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Lee, Fang Hsin; Wang, Hsiu Hung; Yang, Yung Mei; Tsai, Hsiu Min

2014-01-01

To assess and understand the barriers faced by Vietnamese marital immigrant women who do not regularly undergo cervical screenings in Southeast Taiwan. Studies have shown a low uptake rate of preventive medical services among immigrants. As immigrant women may not be aware of the healthcare delivery system in their host country, their uptake of and access to healthcare services might be limited. A qualitative, descriptive inquiry design was adopted. This qualitative study employed semi-structured, individual, in-depth interviews of 17 Vietnamese immigrant women. Data were collected from February-July 2011 and analysed using content analysis. The barriers to receiving cervical screening were lack of health literacy, lack of female healthcare providers, negative perceptions of cervical screening and personal reasons. The results might serve as a reference for government entities and healthcare providers in Taiwan to improve cervical screening rates; this should help enhance the effectiveness of healthcare services for Vietnamese immigrant women. The findings can also provide a reference for making appropriate healthcare policies for immigrant women in other countries. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Challenges faced by health volunteers in comprehensive health centers in the southwest of Iran: A qualitative content analysis.

PubMed

Vizeshfar, Fatemeh; Momennasab, Marzieh; Yektatalab, Shahrzad; Iman, Mohamad Taghi

2018-01-01

Introduction: Health volunteers are employed to execute governmental health promotion programs in most countries around the world. The present study aimed to assess the challenges of health volunteers program to provide a better understanding of the present situation. Methods: This study was conducted using a qualitative approach. 14 participants were selected purposively selected from two comprehensive health care centers in the southwest of Iran. The data were collected through 14 semi-structured interviews, 2 observations, and 3 diaries and analyzed using content analysis. Results: Data analysis resulted in emergence four themes, namely role confusion, the inefficiency of volunteers training, the inefficiency of attraction and maintenance of volunteers, and being unknown to people. Unfertilized capacity is the main theme extracted from all themes. Conclusion: Health volunteers' perfect accomplishment of roles will have a positive impact on the provision of primary healthcare services and health objectives. Hence, comprehensive planning based on the needs of health volunteers will change them into a strong arm in the health system. Thus, managerial support and precise planning seem to be necessary for facing these challenges.

Challenges faced by health volunteers in comprehensive health centers in the southwest of Iran: A qualitative content analysis

PubMed Central

Vizeshfar, Fatemeh; Momennasab, Marzieh; Yektatalab, Shahrzad; Iman, Mohamad Taghi

2018-01-01

Introduction:Health volunteers are employed to execute governmental health promotion programs in most countries around the world. The present study aimed to assess the challenges of health volunteers program to provide a better understanding of the present situation. Methods:This study was conducted using a qualitative approach. 14 participants were selected purposively selected from two comprehensive health care centers in the southwest of Iran. The data were collected through 14 semi-structured interviews, 2 observations, and 3 diaries and analyzed using content analysis. Results:Data analysis resulted in emergence four themes, namely role confusion, the inefficiency of volunteers training, the inefficiency of attraction and maintenance of volunteers, and being unknown to people. Unfertilized capacity is the main theme extracted from all themes. Conclusion:Health volunteers’ perfect accomplishment of roles will have a positive impact on the provision of primary healthcare services and health objectives. Hence, comprehensive planning based on the needs of health volunteers will change them into a strong arm in the health system. Thus, managerial support and precise planning seem to be necessary for facing these challenges. PMID:29696067

Data Collection Methods. Semi-Structured Interviews and Focus Groups

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

erence. For example, consider the dif- ferences between informants, subjects, respondents, and actors.3 Bernard (2000) notes that anthropology generally...Cohesion, and Morale, Santa Monica, Calif.: RAND Corporation, MR-896-OSD, 1997; and Margaret C. Harrell, Laura Werber Castaneda, Peter Schirmer, Bryan...not divulging “secrets” if the researcher already knows ( Bernard , 2002). There are a couple of potential problems with probes for which the

Electroactive semi-interpenetrating polymer networks architecture with tunable IR reflectivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chevrot, C.; Teyssié, D.; Verge, P.; Goujon, L.; Tran-Van, F.; Vidal, F.; Aubert, P. H.; Peralta, S.; Sauques, L.

2011-04-01

A promising alternative of multi-layered devices showing electrochromic properties results from the design of a self-supported semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) including an electronic conductive polymer (ECP) formed within. The formation of the ECP in the network has already been described by oxidative polymerization using iron trichloride as an oxidant and leading to conducting semi-IPN with mixed electronic and ionic conductivities as well as convenient mechanical properties. This presentation relates to the elaboration of such semi-IPN using polyethyleneoxide (PEO) network or a PEO/NBR (Nitrile Butadiene Rubber) IPN in which a linear poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) is formed symmetrically and selectively as very thin layers very next to the two main faces of the film matrix. PEO/PEDOT semi-IPNs lead to interesting optical reflective properties in the IR between 0.8 and 25 μm. Reflectance contrasts up to 35 % is observed when, after swelling in an ionic liquid, a low voltage is applied between the two main faces of the film. However the low flexibility and brittleness of the film and a slow degradation in air at temperature up from 60°C prompted to replace the PEO matrix by a flexible PEO/NBR IPN one. Indeed, the combination of NBR and PEO in an IPN leads to materials possessing flexible properties, good ionic conductivity at 25°C as well as a better resistance to thermal ageing. Finally, NBR/PEO/PEDOT semi-IPNs allow observing comparable reflectance contrast in the IR range than those shown by PEO/PEDOT semi-IPNs.

A structured interview for the DSM-III personality disorders. A preliminary report.

PubMed

Stangl, D; Pfohl, B; Zimmerman, M; Bowers, W; Corenthal, C

1985-06-01

With few exceptions, published studies fail to indicate that the DSM-III personality disorders can be distinguished from each other with respect to etiology, prognosis, treatment response, or family history. The Structured Interview for the DSM-III Personality Disorders (SIDP) was developed to improve axis II diagnostic reliability, and hence allow validity testing of axis II. Sixty-three subjects were independently rated by two interviewers using the SIDP. The kappa coefficients for interrater agreement reached .70 or higher for histrionic, borderline, and dependent personalities. While it is impossible to separate the validity testing of the SIDP from validity testing of the DSM-III personality criteria themselves, preliminary results from 102 inpatient SIDP interviews suggest some criterion-based validity with respect to standard personality rating scales and some construct validity with respect to the dexamethasone suppression test.

Telephone interview strategy can be used for screening inflammatory back pain in the community.

PubMed

Solmaz, Dilek; Gunduz, Ozgul; Akar, Servet; Can, Gercek; Birlik, Merih; Akkoc, Yesim; Gerdan, Vedat; Onen, Fatos; Akkoc, Nurullah

2017-01-01

Telephone surveys are less expensive and time-consuming for both interviewers and interviewees, with similar or even higher response rates than face-to-face interviews. In rheumatology, telephone technique has been used in a number of epidemiologic studies. In the present study, we conducted a telephone survey for screening inflammatory back pain (IBP) in the community. One hundred and seventy-two patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and 25 patients with chronic mechanical back pain were included. A telephone interview and a face-to-face interview was conducted by the same physician using a standardized questionnaire that elicited information on all the components of IBP addressed in the Calin, Berlin and ASAS (the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society) criteria sets. The telephone survey was repeated by another rheumatologist within the same week to assess the inter-rater agreement. Of 172 patients with axSpA, 114 could be classified as ankylosing spondylitis (AS) according to the modified New York criteria (AS group).The remaining 58 patients had active sacroiliitis on magnetic resonance imaging and they constituted the non-radiographic axSpA group (nr-axSpA group). Calin's criteria showed the highest sensitivity but also the lowest specificity with both interview methods. Calin's criteria showed the best agreement between the interview methods (kappa = 0.60). The results of our study indicate that telephone surveys based on Calin's criteria for IBP has a moderate, almost substantial agreement with face-to-face interviews and can be used as an easily applicable, less expensive and time-saving method in screening subjects for IBP. © 2015 Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Whole-face procedures for recovering facial images from memory.

PubMed

Frowd, Charlie D; Skelton, Faye; Hepton, Gemma; Holden, Laura; Minahil, Simra; Pitchford, Melanie; McIntyre, Alex; Brown, Charity; Hancock, Peter J B

2013-06-01

Research has indicated that traditional methods for accessing facial memories usually yield unidentifiable images. Recent research, however, has made important improvements in this area to the witness interview, method used for constructing the face and recognition of finished composites. Here, we investigated whether three of these improvements would produce even-more recognisable images when used in conjunction with each other. The techniques are holistic in nature: they involve processes which operate on an entire face. Forty participants first inspected an unfamiliar target face. Nominally 24h later, they were interviewed using a standard type of cognitive interview (CI) to recall the appearance of the target, or an enhanced 'holistic' interview where the CI was followed by procedures for focussing on the target's character. Participants then constructed a composite using EvoFIT, a recognition-type system that requires repeatedly selecting items from face arrays, with 'breeding', to 'evolve' a composite. They either saw faces in these arrays with blurred external features, or an enhanced method where these faces were presented with masked external features. Then, further participants attempted to name the composites, first by looking at the face front-on, the normal method, and then for a second time by looking at the face side-on, which research demonstrates facilitates recognition. All techniques improved correct naming on their own, but together promoted highly-recognisable composites with mean naming at 74% correct. The implication is that these techniques, if used together by practitioners, should substantially increase the detection of suspects using this forensic method of person identification. Copyright © 2013 Forensic Science Society. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Individual face-to-face tutorials: the value in nurse education.

PubMed

Nathan, Martina

The individual, face-to-face tutorial is one means by which academic support can be provided to students in higher education. This mode of tutorial support has been deemed effective but it can be considered labour-intensive, which is a concern in the UK with the recession currently impacting on higher education institutions. Nevertheless, with increasing student fees come higher student expectations. With all UK pre-registration nursing study programmes at degree level and with the emphasis on widening access, students may require additional academic support to ensure success. This study aimed to examine the value of individual, face-to-face tutorials for academic support in nurse education. A descriptive and exploratory design was used, mixing qualitative and quantitative methods. The survey approach employed a web-based, self-completion questionnaire, which was distributed to lecturers and pre-registration student nurses in a UK university. Following analysis of the questionnaire results, students were invited to attend a group interview. Findings highlighted the importance of individual, face-to-face tutorials with qualitative data supplying detailed accounts regarding their value.

Development and Initial Evaluation of an Internet-Based Support System for Face-to-Face Cognitive Behavior Therapy: A Proof of Concept Study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Evidence-based psychological treatments, such as cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), have been found to be effective in treating several anxiety and mood disorders. Nevertheless, issues regarding adherence are common, such as poor patient compliance on homework assignments and therapists’ drifting from strictly evidence-based CBT. The development of Internet-delivered CBT (ICBT) has been intensive in the past decade and results show that guided ICBT can be as effective as face-to-face CBT but also indicate a need to integrate the two forms of CBT delivery. Objective In this study, we developed and tested a new treatment format in which ICBT and face-to-face therapy were blended. We designed a support system accessible via the Internet (using a computer or an Apple iPad) for patients and therapists delivering CBT face-to-face. The support system included basic CBT components and a library of interventions gathered from existing ICBT manuals. Methods The study involved 15 patients with mild to moderate anxiety or depression (or both). Eight therapists conducted the treatments. All participants were interviewed after the nine-week intervention. Further, patients provided self-reports on clinical measures pre- and post-trial, as well as at a 12-month follow-up. Results A reduction was found in symptom scores across all measures. The reliable change index ranged from 60% to 87% for depression and anxiety. Large effect sizes (Cohen’s d) ranging from 1.62 (CI 95% 0.59-2.66) to 2.43 (CI 95% 1.12-3.74) were found. There were no missing data and no treatment dropouts. In addition, the results had been maintained at the 12-month follow-up. Qualitative interviews revealed that the users perceived the support system as beneficial. Conclusions The results suggest that modern information technology can effectively blend with face-to-face treatments and be used to facilitate communication and structure in therapy, thus reducing therapist drift. PMID:24326065

Minnesota Impulse Disorders Interview (MIDI): Validation of a structured diagnostic clinical interview for impulse control disorders in an enriched community sample.

PubMed

Chamberlain, Samuel R; Grant, Jon E

2018-07-01

Disorders of impulsivity are common, functionally impairing, and highly relevant across different clinical and research settings. Few structured clinical interviews for the identification and diagnosis of impulse control disorders exist, and none have been validated in a community sample in terms of psychometric properties. The Minnesota Impulse control disorders Interview (MIDI v2.0) was administered to an enriched sample of 293 non-treatment seeking adults aged 18-35 years, recruited using media advertisements in two large US cities. In addition to the MIDI, participants undertook extended clinical interview for other mental disorders, the Barratt impulsiveness questionnaire, and the Padua obsessive-compulsive inventory. The psychometric properties of the MIDI were characterized. In logistic regression, the MIDI showed good concurrent validity against the reference measures (versus gambling disorder interview, p < 0.001; Barratt impulsiveness attentional and non-planning scores p < 0.05), and good discriminant validity versus primarily non-impulsive symptoms, including against anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (all p > 0.05). Test re-test reliability was excellent (0.95). The MIDI has good psychometric properties and thus may be a valuable interview tool for clinical and research studies involving impulse control disorders. Further research is needed to better understanding the optimal diagnostic classification and neurobiology of these neglected disorders. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Information Management of a Structured Admissions Interview Process in a Medical College with an Apple II System

PubMed Central

O'Reilly, Robert; Fedorko, Steve; Nicholson, Nigel

1983-01-01

This paper describes a structured interview process for medical school admissions supported by an Apple II computer system which provides feedback to interviewers and the College admissions committee. Presented are the rationale for the system, the preliminary results of analysis of some of the interview data, and a brief description of the computer program and output. The present data show that the structured interview yields very high interrater reliability coefficients, is acceptable to the medical school faculty, and results in quantitative data useful in the admission process. The system continues in development at this time, a second year of data will be shortly available, and further refinements are being made to the computer program to enhance its utilization and exportability.

Facilitating the Development of School-Based Learning Networks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kubiak, Chris; Bertram, Joan

2010-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to contribute to the knowledge base on leading and facilitating the growth of school improvement networks by describing the activities and challenges faced by network leaders. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 19 co-leaders from 12 networks were interviewed using a semi-structured schedule about the growth of their…

Creating Culturally Responsive Environments: Ethnic Minority Teachers' Constructs of Cultural Diversity in Hong Kong Secondary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hue, Ming-tak; Kennedy, Kerry John

2014-01-01

One of the challenges facing Hong Kong schools is the growing cultural diversity of the student population that is a result of the growing number of ethnic minority students in the schools. This study uses semi-structured interviews with 12 American, Canadian, Indian, Nepalese and Pakistani teachers working in three secondary schools in the public…

Building Community One Child at a Time: A Grassroots Approach to Taking Young South Africans off the Streets

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Polk, Denise M.

2017-01-01

Young South Africans face challenges in their attempts to rise out of the poverty and community violence surrounding them. These challenges might affect their sense of well-being. A thematic analysis based on semi-structured interviews from 18 field workers who work for a non-governmental organization focused on helping children in the Western…

Ethical Dilemmas: The "Bread and Butter" of Educational Leaders' Lives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cranston, Neil; Ehrich, Lisa C.; Kimber, Megan

2006-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report on research into the ethical dilemmas faced by school heads from seven independent schools in Australia. Design/methodology/approach: Data for the research were gathered by semi-structured in-depth interviews with the Heads, all of whom were experienced school leaders. All the schools had religious…

Quality characteristics, structural changes, and storage stability of semi-dried noodles induced by moderate dehydration: understanding the quality changes in semi-dried noodles.

PubMed

Li, Man; Zhu, Ke-Xue; Sun, Qing-Jie; Amza, Tidjani; Guo, Xiao-Na; Zhou, Hui-Ming

2016-03-01

Based on the critical water content (for noodle deterioration) concluded previously, high-temperature-short-time (HTST; 105-135°C) and medium-temperature-long-time (MTLT; 45-75°C) dehydrations were introduced in this study to produce semi-dried noodles. The effects of HTST and MTLT on the quality parameters of semi-dried noodles, as well as noodle structure, storage stability, and changes in starch and protein components were thoroughly investigated. Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and birefringent analysis presented few starch gelatinization (approximately 30%) in HTST dehydrated noodles. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed more compact noodle surface, with uniform pores in the cross section, probably due to enhanced protein-starch combination after HTST dehydration. Meanwhile, HTST induced protein polymerizations in semi-dried noodles, mainly by -SH-S-S interchange, and resulted in significantly (P<0.05) reduced cooking loss. Furthermore, HTST noodles showed higher microbial and color stability. Shelf-life of dehydrated samples at 120°C was extended to 5days from 1day of the control. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Inter-rater reliability of Hamilton depression rating scale using video-recorded interviews — Focus on rater-blinding

PubMed Central

Prasad, M. Krishna; Udupa, K.; Kishore, K. R.; Thirthalli, J.; Sathyaprabha, T. N.; Gangadhar, B. N.

2009-01-01

Background: Hamilton depression rating scale (Ham-D) is the most widely used clinician rating scale for depression. There has been no Indian study that has examined the inter-rater reliability (IRR) of video-recorded interviews of the 21-item Ham-D. Aim: To study the IRR of scoring video-recorded interviews for 21-item Ham-D. Materials and Methods: Eighteen subjects with major depressive disorder involved in a larger study were interviewed using the semi-structured clinical interview of the 21-item Ham-D by a primary rater after informed consent. These interviews were video-recorded and portions edited to ensure rater blinding. Subsequently, the video-recorded interviews were rated by a “blind” rater. Both rated the different sub-domains of Ham-D according to Rhoades and Overall (1983). IRR was evaluated using intra-class correlation coefficient. Results: Excellent IRR was observed (0.9891) between the two raters. This was true for each of the primary factors and super-factors. Conclusion: Video recorded 21-item Ham-D has excellentIRR. Video-recorded interviews of Ham-D can be reliably used to blind raters in research. PMID:19881046

Resilience for family carers of advanced cancer patients-how can health care providers contribute? A qualitative interview study with carers.

PubMed

Røen, Ingebrigt; Stifoss-Hanssen, Hans; Grande, Gunn; Brenne, Anne-Tove; Kaasa, Stein; Sand, Kari; Knudsen, Anne Kari

2018-05-01

Caring for advanced cancer patients affects carers' psychological and physical health. Resilience has been defined as "the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or even significant sources of threat." The aim of this study was to explore factors promoting carer resilience, based on carers' experiences with and preferences for health care provider support. Qualitative, semi-structured, individual interviews with family carers of advanced cancer patients were performed until data saturation. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using systematic text condensation. Carers ( n = 14) of advanced cancer patients, not receiving curative treatment, admitted to an integrated curative and palliative care cancer outpatient clinic or to a university hospital cancer clinic, were included. 14 carers of advanced cancer patients were included; 7 men, 7 women, and mean age of 59 years; 3 were bereaved; 12 were partners; 5 had young and teenage children. Four main resilience factors were identified: (1) being seen and known by health care providers-a personal relation; (2) availability of palliative care; (3) information and communication about illness, prognosis, and death; and (4) facilitating a good carer-patient relation. Health care providers may enhance carers' resilience by a series of simple interventions. Education should address carers' support needs and resilience. Systematic assessment of carers' support needs is recommended. Further investigation is needed into how health care providers can help carers and patients communicate about death.

Communication: Recovering the flat-plane condition in electronic structure theory at semi-local DFT cost

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bajaj, Akash; Janet, Jon Paul; Kulik, Heather J.

2017-11-01

The flat-plane condition is the union of two exact constraints in electronic structure theory: (i) energetic piecewise linearity with fractional electron removal or addition and (ii) invariant energetics with change in electron spin in a half filled orbital. Semi-local density functional theory (DFT) fails to recover the flat plane, exhibiting convex fractional charge errors (FCE) and concave fractional spin errors (FSE) that are related to delocalization and static correlation errors. We previously showed that DFT+U eliminates FCE but now demonstrate that, like other widely employed corrections (i.e., Hartree-Fock exchange), it worsens FSE. To find an alternative strategy, we examine the shape of semi-local DFT deviations from the exact flat plane and we find this shape to be remarkably consistent across ions and molecules. We introduce the judiciously modified DFT (jmDFT) approach, wherein corrections are constructed from few-parameter, low-order functional forms that fit the shape of semi-local DFT errors. We select one such physically intuitive form and incorporate it self-consistently to correct semi-local DFT. We demonstrate on model systems that jmDFT represents the first easy-to-implement, no-overhead approach to recovering the flat plane from semi-local DFT.

The structural and functional correlates of the efficiency in fearful face detection.

PubMed

Wang, Yongchao; Guo, Nana; Zhao, Li; Huang, Hui; Yao, Xiaonan; Sang, Na; Hou, Xin; Mao, Yu; Bi, Taiyong; Qiu, Jiang

2017-06-01

Human visual system is found to be much efficient in searching for a fearful face. Some individuals are more sensitive to this threat-related stimulus. However, we still know little about the neural correlates of such variability. In the current study, we exploited a visual search paradigm, and asked the subjects to search for a fearful face or a target gender. Every subject showed a shallower search function for fearful face search than face gender search, indicating a stable fearful face advantage. We then used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis and correlated this advantage to the gray matter volume (GMV) of some presumably face related cortical areas. The result revealed that only the left fusiform gyrus showed a significant positive correlation. Next, we defined the left fusiform gyrus as the seed region and calculated its resting state functional connectivity to the whole brain. Correlations were also calculated between fearful face advantage and these connectivities. In this analysis, we found positive correlations in the inferior parietal lobe and the ventral medial prefrontal cortex. These results suggested that the anatomical structure of the left fusiform gyrus might determine the search efficiency of fearful face, and frontoparietal attention network involved in this process through top-down attentional modulation. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Existence problem of proton semi-bubble structure in the 21 + state of 34Si

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Feng; Bai, C. L.; Yao, J. M.; Zhang, H. Q.; Zhang, X. Z.

2017-09-01

The fully self-consistent Hartree-Fock (HF) plus random phase approximation (RPA) based on Skyrme-type interaction is used to study the existence problem of proton semi-bubble structure in the 21+ state of 34Si. The experimental excitation energy and the transition strength of the 21+ state in 34Si can be reproduced quite well. The tensor effect is also studied. It is shown that the tensor interaction has a notable impact on the excitation energy of the 21+ state and a small effect on the B( E2) value. Besides, its effect on the density distributions in the ground and 21+ state of 34Si is negligible. Our present results with T36 and T44 show that the 21+ state of 34Si is mainly caused by proton transition from π 1d_{5/2} orbit to π 2s_{1/2} orbit, and the existence of a proton semi-bubble structure in this state is very unlikely.

Communication-related behavior change techniques used in face-to-face lifestyle interventions in primary care: a systematic review of the literature.

PubMed

Noordman, Janneke; van der Weijden, Trudy; van Dulmen, Sandra

2012-11-01

To systematically review the literature on the relative effectiveness of face-to-face communication-related behavior change techniques (BCTs) provided in primary care by either physicians or nurses to intervene on patients' lifestyle behavior. PubMed, EMBASE, PsychINFO, CINAHL and The Cochrane Library were searched for studies published before October 2010. Fifty studies were included and assessed on methodological quality. Twenty-eight studies reported significantly favorable health outcomes following communication-related BCTs. In these studies, 'behavioral counseling' was most frequently used (15 times), followed by motivational interviewing (eight times), education and advice (both seven times). Physicians and nurses seem equally capable of providing face-to-face communication-related BCTs in primary care. Behavioral counseling, motivational interviewing, education and advice all seem effective communication-related BCTs. However, BCTs were also found in less successful studies. Furthermore, based on existing literature, one primary care profession does not seem better equipped than the other to provide face-to-face communication-related BCTs. There is evidence that behavioral counseling, motivational interviewing, education and advice can be used as effective communication-related BCTs by physicians and nurses. However, further research is needed to examine the underlying working mechanisms of communication-related BCTs, and whether they meet the requirements of patients and primary care providers. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parenting a child at home with hypoplastic left heart syndrome: experiences of commitment, of stress, and of love.

PubMed

Cantwell-Bartl, Annie M; Tibballs, James

2017-09-01

To evaluate the experiences of parenting a child with hypoplastic left heart syndrome after the child has been discharged home from hospital. A study of the parents' experiences using face-to-face interviews and psychometric measures with parents whose child had survived stage surgery. Parents were interviewed within the home environment or within the hospital if that was their choice. A total of 29 parents (16 mothers and 13 fathers) of surviving children. Intervention A semi-structured face-to-face interview plus psychometric tests (parent demographics, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Impact on Family Scale, and the Psychological Check List - Civilian). Measurements and main results The parents' experience in supporting a child with hypoplastic left heart syndrome is one of stress, of commitment, and of love. Although parents experienced joy in their child, they were also subjected to anxiety with four parents test positive to post-traumatic stress disorder and hypervigilance while monitoring their child's condition. Parents lived with many difficulties, and demands.

Effects of Age, Task Performance, and Structural Brain Development on Face Processing

PubMed Central

Cohen Kadosh, Kathrin; Johnson, Mark H; Dick, Frederic; Cohen Kadosh, Roi; Blakemore, Sarah-Jayne

2013-01-01

In this combined structural and functional MRI developmental study, we tested 48 participants aged 7–37 years on 3 simple face-processing tasks (identity, expression, and gaze task), which were designed to yield very similar performance levels across the entire age range. The same participants then carried out 3 more difficult out-of-scanner tasks, which provided in-depth measures of changes in performance. For our analysis we adopted a novel, systematic approach that allowed us to differentiate age- from performance-related changes in the BOLD response in the 3 tasks, and compared these effects to concomitant changes in brain structure. The processing of all face aspects activated the core face-network across the age range, as well as additional and partially separable regions. Small task-specific activations in posterior regions were found to increase with age and were distinct from more widespread activations that varied as a function of individual task performance (but not of age). Our results demonstrate that activity during face-processing changes with age, and these effects are still observed when controlling for changes associated with differences in task performance. Moreover, we found that changes in white and gray matter volume were associated with changes in activation with age and performance in the out-of-scanner tasks. PMID:22661406

Barriers and Strategies on Adoption of E-Learning in Tanzanian Higher Learning Institutions: Lessons for Adopters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kisanga, Dalton; Ireson, Gren

2015-01-01

Tanzanian Higher learning institutions (HLIs) are faced with challenges of adopting e-learning in education. This study involved experts in e-learning to examine barriers of adopting e-learning and the best strategies to address them. Data were gathered from a series of semi-structured interviews with e-learning experts from two HLIs in Tanzania.…

Parental Grief Following the Brain Death of a Child: Does Consent or Refusal to Organ Donation Affect Their Grief?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bellali, Thalia; Papadatou, Danai

2006-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the grieving process of parents who were faced with the dilemma of donating organs and tissues of their underage brain dead child, and to explore the impact of their decision on their grief process. A grounded theory methodology was adopted and a semi-structured interview was conducted with 11 bereaved…

How Do African American Young Adult Females (AAYAF) over 16 Years of Age Make Career Decisions?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grayson, Nancy Mathea

2010-01-01

Scope and Method of Study: The overall purpose of the study was to describe the perceptions regarding how AAYAF over 16 years of age plan and make career decisions. The study participants included ten AAYAF over 16 years of age. The young women were interviewed fact-to-face using a semi-structured open-ended questionnaire. The questionnaire was…

75 FR 69677 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-15

... interviews will participate in this interview. Questions vary by respondent type. 6. Post-implementation semi... semi-structured interviews will participate in this interview. Questions do not vary by respondent type... each nursing home. 4. Pre-implementation semi-structured interview--The purpose of this interview is to...

Cathodoluminescence studies of chevron features in semi-polar (11 2 ¯ 2 ) InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brasser, C.; Bruckbauer, J.; Gong, Y.; Jiu, L.; Bai, J.; Warzecha, M.; Edwards, P. R.; Wang, T.; Martin, R. W.

2018-05-01

Epitaxial overgrowth of semi-polar III-nitride layers and devices often leads to arrowhead-shaped surface features, referred to as chevrons. We report on a study into the optical, structural, and electrical properties of these features occurring in two very different semi-polar structures, a blue-emitting multiple quantum well structure, and an amber-emitting light-emitting diode. Cathodoluminescence (CL) hyperspectral imaging has highlighted shifts in their emission energy, occurring in the region of the chevron. These variations are due to different semi-polar planes introduced in the chevron arms resulting in a lack of uniformity in the InN incorporation across samples, and the disruption of the structure which could cause a narrowing of the quantum wells (QWs) in this region. Atomic force microscopy has revealed that chevrons can penetrate over 150 nm into the sample and quench light emission from the active layers. The dominance of non-radiative recombination in the chevron region was exposed by simultaneous measurement of CL and the electron beam-induced current. Overall, these results provide an overview of the nature and impact of chevrons on the luminescence of semi-polar devices.

Translating the semi-structured assessment for drug dependence and alcoholism in the Western Pacific: rationale, study design and reliability of alcohol dependence.

PubMed

Quinn, Amity E; Rosen, Rochelle K; McGeary, John E; Amoa, Francine; Kranzler, Henry R; Francazio, Sarah; McGarvey, Stephen T; Swift, Robert M

2014-01-01

The aims of this study were to develop a bilingual version of the Semi-Structured Assessment for Drug Dependence and Alcoholism (SSADDA) in English and Samoan and determine the reliability of assessments of alcohol dependence in American Samoa. The study consisted of development and reliability-testing phases. In the development phase, the SSADDA alcohol module was translated and the translation was evaluated through cognitive interviews. In the reliability-testing phase, the bilingual SSADDA was administered to 40 ethnic Samoans, including a sub-sample of 26 individuals who were retested. Cognitive interviews indicated the initial translation was culturally and linguistically appropriate except items pertaining to alcohol tolerance, which were modified to reflect Samoan concepts. SSADDA reliability testing indicated diagnoses of DSM-III-R and DSM-IV alcohol dependence were reliable. Reliability varied by language of administration. The English/Samoan version of the SSADDA is appropriate for the diagnosis of DSM-III-R alcohol dependence, which may be useful in advancing research and public health efforts to address alcohol problems in American Samoa and the Western Pacific. The translation methods may inform researchers translating diagnostic and assessment tools into different languages and cultures. © The Author 2014. Medical Council on Alcohol and Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

Comprehension and engagement in survey interviews with virtual agents

PubMed Central

Conrad, Frederick G.; Schober, Michael F.; Jans, Matt; Orlowski, Rachel A.; Nielsen, Daniel; Levenstein, Rachel

2015-01-01

This study investigates how an onscreen virtual agent's dialog capability and facial animation affect survey respondents' comprehension and engagement in “face-to-face” interviews, using questions from US government surveys whose results have far-reaching impact on national policies. In the study, 73 laboratory participants were randomly assigned to respond in one of four interviewing conditions, in which the virtual agent had either high or low dialog capability (implemented through Wizard of Oz) and high or low facial animation, based on motion capture from a human interviewer. Respondents, whose faces were visible to the Wizard (and videorecorded) during the interviews, answered 12 questions about housing, employment, and purchases on the basis of fictional scenarios designed to allow measurement of comprehension accuracy, defined as the fit between responses and US government definitions. Respondents answered more accurately with the high-dialog-capability agents, requesting clarification more often particularly for ambiguous scenarios; and they generally treated the high-dialog-capability interviewers more socially, looking at the interviewer more and judging high-dialog-capability agents as more personal and less distant. Greater interviewer facial animation did not affect response accuracy, but it led to more displays of engagement—acknowledgments (verbal and visual) and smiles—and to the virtual interviewer's being rated as less natural. The pattern of results suggests that a virtual agent's dialog capability and facial animation differently affect survey respondents' experience of interviews, behavioral displays, and comprehension, and thus the accuracy of their responses. The pattern of results also suggests design considerations for building survey interviewing agents, which may differ depending on the kinds of survey questions (sensitive or not) that are asked. PMID:26539138

Interactions between concentric form-from-structure and face perception revealed by visual masking but not adaptation

PubMed Central

Feczko, Eric; Shulman, Gordon L.; Petersen, Steven E.; Pruett, John R.

2014-01-01

Findings from diverse subfields of vision research suggest a potential link between high-level aspects of face perception and concentric form-from-structure perception. To explore this relationship, typical adults performed two adaptation experiments and two masking experiments to test whether concentric, but not nonconcentric, Glass patterns (a type of form-from-structure stimulus) utilize a processing mechanism shared by face perception. For the adaptation experiments, subjects were presented with an adaptor for 5 or 20 s, prior to discriminating a target. In the masking experiments, subjects saw a mask, then a target, and then a second mask. Measures of discriminability and bias were derived and repeated measures analysis of variance tested for pattern-specific masking and adaptation effects. Results from Experiment 1 show no Glass pattern-specific effect of adaptation to faces; results from Experiment 2 show concentric Glass pattern masking, but not adaptation, may impair upright/inverted face discrimination; results from Experiment 3 show concentric and radial Glass pattern masking impaired subsequent upright/inverted face discrimination more than translational Glass pattern masking; and results from Experiment 4 show concentric and radial Glass pattern masking impaired subsequent face gender discrimination more than translational Glass pattern masking. Taken together, these findings demonstrate interactions between concentric form-from-structure and face processing, suggesting a possible common processing pathway. PMID:24563526

Does simulation enhance nurses' ability to assess deteriorating patients?

PubMed

Bliss, Maria; Aitken, Leanne M

2018-01-01

Recognising and responding to patient deterioration has been identified as a key skill in nursing care to ensure that care is escalated for prompt, efficient management of the potentially critically ill patient. Simulation is one teaching strategy that has been established in nurse education as a method for enhancing skills. The objective was to explore the experiences of registered nurses to ascertain whether they perceived that simulation enhanced their skills in recognising the deteriorating patient. An exploratory qualitative design was used. Data were collected from registered nurses using semi-structured interviews following a professional development course where scenario-based simulation had been used to assess the patient. Eight registered nurses were interviewed for this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted face to face. Verbatim transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis to identify major themes. Four themes were identified: knowledge, improved assessment skills in caring for the acutely ill patient, the learning environment and decision making. The use of simulation as a strategy was perceived by nurses to improve their own ability in identifying deteriorating patients. The participants described how their knowledge was transferred to clinical practice, with the overall perception that this led to improved patient care. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An equivalence study of interview platform: Does videoconference technology impact medical school acceptance rates of different groups?

PubMed

Ballejos, Marlene P; Oglesbee, Scott; Hettema, Jennifer; Sapien, Robert

2018-02-14

Web-based interviewing may be an effective element of a medical school's larger approach to promotion of holistic review, as recommended by the Association of American Medical Colleges, by facilitating the feasibility of including rural and community physicians in the interview process. Only 10% of medical schools offer videoconference interviews to applicants and little is known about the impact of this interview modality on the admissions process. This study investigated the impact of overall acceptance rates using videoconference interviews and face-to-face interviews in the medical school selection process using an equivalence trial design. The University of New Mexico School of Medicine integrated a videoconferencing interview option for community and rural physician interviewers in a pseudo-random fashion during the 2014-2016 admissions cycles. Logistic regression was conducted to examine whether videoconference interviews impacted acceptance rates or the characteristics of accepted students. Demographic, admissions and diversity factors were analyzed that included applicant age, MCAT score, cumulative GPA, gender, underrepresented in medicine, socioeconomic status and geographic residency. Data from 752 interviews were analyzed. Adjusted rates of acceptance for face-to-face (37.0%; 95% CI 28.2, 46.7%) and videoconference (36.1%; 95% CI 17.8, 59.5%) interviews were within an a priori ± 5% margin of equivalence. Both interview conditions yielded highly diverse groups of admitted students. Having a higher medical college admission test score, grade point average, and self-identifying as disadvantaged increased odds of admission in both interview modalities. Integration of the videoconference interview did not impact the overall acceptance of a highly diverse and qualified group of applicants, and allowed rural and community physicians to participate in the medical school interview process as well as allowed campus faculty and medical student committee members

Development of ZL400 Mine Cooling Unit Using Semi-Hermetic Screw Compressor and Its Application on Local Air Conditioning in Underground Long-Wall Face

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Zhaoxiang; Ji, Jianhu; Zhang, Xijun; Yan, Hongyuan; Dong, Haomin; Liu, Junjie

2016-12-01

Aiming at heat injuries occurring in the process of deep coal mining in China, a ZL400 mine-cooling unit employing semi-hermetic screw compressor with a cooling capacity of 400 kW is developed. This paper introduced its operating principle, structural characteristics and technical indexes. By using the self-built testing platform, some parameters for indication of its operation conditions were tested on the ground. The results show that the aforementioned cooling unit is stable in operation: cooling capacity of the unit was 420 kW underground-test conditions, while its COP (coefficient of performance) reached 3.4. To address the issue of heat injuries existing in No. 16305 U-shaped long-wall ventilation face of Jining No. 3 coal mine, a local air conditioning system was developed with ZL400 cooling unit as the system's core. The paper presented an analysis of characteristics of the air current flowing in the air-mixing and cooling mode of ZL400 cooling unit used in air intake way. Through i-d patterns we described the process of the airflow treatment, such as cooling, mixing and heating, etc. The cooling system decreased dry bulb temperature on working face by 3°C on average and 3.8°C at most, while lowered the web bulb temperature by 3.6°C on average and 4.8°C at most. At the same time, it reduced relative humidity by 5% on average and 8.6% at most. The field application of the ZL400 cooling unit had gain certain effects in air conditioning and provided support for the solution of mine heat injuries in China in terms of technology and equipment.

The facing bias in biological motion perception: structure, kinematics, and body parts.

PubMed

Schouten, Ben; Troje, Nikolaus F; Verfaillie, Karl

2011-01-01

Depth-ambiguous point-light walkers (PLWs) elicit a facing bias: Observers perceive a PLW as facing toward them more often than as facing away (Vanrie,Dekeyser, & Verfaillie, Perception, 33, 547-560, 2004). While the facing bias correlates with the PLW's perceived gender (Brooks et al., Current Biology, 18, R728-R729, 2008; Schouten, Troje, Brooks, van der Zwan, & Verfaillie, Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 72,1256-1260, 2010), it remains unclear whether the change in perceived in-depth orientation is caused by a change in perceived gender. In Experiment 1, we show that structural and kinematic stimulus properties that lead to the same changes in perceived gender elicit opposite changes in perceived in-depth orientation, indicating that the relation between perceived gender and in-depth orientation is not causal. The results of Experiments 2 and 3 further suggest that the perceived in-depth orientation of PLWs is strongly affected by locally acting stimulus properties. The facing bias seems to be induced by stimulus properties in the lower part of the PLW.

Experimental and simulation of split semi-torus key in PVC foam core to improve the debonding resistance of composite sandwich panel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juliyana, M.; Santhana Krishnan, R.

2018-02-01

The sandwich composite panels consisting of facesheet and core material are used as a primary structural member for aerospace, civil and marine areas due to its high stiffness to weight ratio. But the debonding nature of facesheet from the foam core under shear loading conditions leads to failure of the composite structure. To inhibit the debonding, an innovative methodology of introducing semi-torus key is used in the present study. The polyvinyl chloride foam core(PVC) is grooved and filled with semi-torus shaped chopped strand prepregs which are sandwiched between alternate layers of woven roven(WR) and chopped strand mat(CSM) skins by vacuum infusion process. The sandwich panel manufactured with semi-torus keys is evaluated regarding experimental and numerical simulations under shear loading conditions. The present innovative concept delays the debonding between face-sheet and foam core with enhancement the shear load carrying capability as the initial stiffness is higher than the conventional model. Also, the shear behaviour of the proposed concept is in good agreement with experimental results. The split semi-torus keys sustain the shear failure resulting in resistance to debonding capability.

Trained student pharmacists' telephonic collection of patient medication information: Evaluation of a structured interview tool.

PubMed

Margolis, Amanda R; Martin, Beth A; Mott, David A

2016-01-01

To determine the feasibility and fidelity of student pharmacists collecting patient medication list information using a structured interview tool and the accuracy of documenting the information. The medication lists were used by a community pharmacist to provide a targeted medication therapy management (MTM) intervention. Descriptive analysis of patient medication lists collected with telephone interviews. Ten trained student pharmacists collected the medication lists. Trained student pharmacists conducted audio-recorded telephone interviews with 80 English-speaking, community-dwelling older adults using a structured interview tool to collect and document medication lists. Feasibility was measured using the number of completed interviews, the time student pharmacists took to collect the information, and pharmacist feedback. Fidelity to the interview tool was measured by assessing student pharmacists' adherence to asking all scripted questions and probes. Accuracy was measured by comparing the audio-recorded interviews to the medication list information documented in an electronic medical record. On average, it took student pharmacists 26.7 minutes to collect the medication lists. The community pharmacist said the medication lists were complete and that having the medication lists saved time and allowed him to focus on assessment, recommendations, and education during the targeted MTM session. Fidelity was high, with an overall proportion of asked scripted probes of 83.75% (95% confidence interval [CI], 80.62-86.88%). Accuracy was also high for both prescription (95.1%; 95% CI, 94.3-95.8%) and nonprescription (90.5%; 95% CI, 89.4-91.4%) medications. Trained student pharmacists were able to use an interview tool to collect and document medication lists with a high degree of fidelity and accuracy. This study suggests that student pharmacists or trained technicians may be able to collect patient medication lists to facilitate MTM sessions in the community pharmacy

Trained student pharmacists’ telephonic collection of patient medication information: Evaluation of a structured interview tool

PubMed Central

Margolis, Amanda R.; Martin, Beth A.; Mott, David A.

2016-01-01

Objective To determine the feasibility and fidelity of student pharmacists collecting patient medication list information using a structured interview tool and the accuracy of documenting the information. The medication lists were used by a community pharmacist to provide a targeted medication therapy management (MTM) intervention. Design Descriptive analysis of patient medication lists collected via telephone interviews. Participants 10 trained student pharmacists collected the medication lists. Intervention Trained student pharmacists conducted audio-recorded telephone interviews with 80 English-speaking community dwelling older adults using a structured interview tool to collect and document medication lists. Main outcome measures Feasibility was measured using the number of completed interviews, the time student pharmacists took to collect the information, and pharmacist feedback. Fidelity to the interview tool was measured by assessing student pharmacists’ adherence to asking all scripted questions and probes. Accuracy was measured by comparing the audio recorded interviews to the medication list information documented in an electronic medical record. Results On average it took student pharmacists 26.7 minutes to collect the medication lists. The community pharmacist said the medication lists were complete and that having the medication lists saved time and allowed him to focus on assessment, recommendations, and education during the targeted MTM session. Fidelity was high with an overall proportion of asked scripted probes of 83.75% (95%CI: 80.62–86.88%). Accuracy was also high for both prescription (95.1%, 95%CI: 94.3–95.8%) and non-prescription (90.5%, 95%CI: 89.4–91.4%) medications. Conclusion Trained student pharmacists were able to use an interview tool to collect and document medication lists with a high degree of fidelity and accuracy. This study suggests that student pharmacists or trained technicians may be able to collect patient medication

HIV-Related Stigma and Discriminatory Attitudes among a Semi-Urban Population.

PubMed

Lugova, Halyna; Mon, Aye Aye; Daher, Aqil Mohammad; Suleiman, Adlina

2015-09-01

Stigma and discriminatory attitudes (SDAs) have a negative impact on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention, testing, and treatment as well as on family and social networks. There is a lack of understanding about HIV-related SDAs among people living outside large cities. This study is aimed to determine the level of HIV-related SDAs among a semi-urban population in Malaysia and to compare the SDA results among people with different sociodemographic characteristics. A sample of 106 respondents was generated by convenience sampling during the screening campaign in Alor Gajah, Malaysia. Data collection was carried out based on a pre-tested questionnaire via face-to-face interviews. More than half of the respondents (62.3%) thought that an HIV-positive teacher should not be allowed to continue teaching at school; 81.1% were unsure or were unwilling to care for their family member with AIDS at home; 81.2% thought children with HIV/AIDS should not continue to be raised in families; and 77.3% thought they would not reveal if a family member had HIV/AIDS. Priority should be given to evidence-based interventions to reduce HIV-related SDAs. This study did not reveal any significant relationship between sociodemographic profiles and HIV-related SDAs. Therefore, further research with a larger sample size is needed to investigate the underlying causes of HIV-related SDAs.

Structural issues affecting mixed methods studies in health research: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Background Health researchers undertake studies which combine qualitative and quantitative methods. Little attention has been paid to the structural issues affecting this mixed methods approach. We explored the facilitators and barriers to undertaking mixed methods studies in health research. Methods Face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 20 researchers experienced in mixed methods research in health in the United Kingdom. Results Structural facilitators for undertaking mixed methods studies included a perception that funding bodies promoted this approach, and the multidisciplinary constituency of some university departments. Structural barriers to exploiting the potential of these studies included a lack of education and training in mixed methods research, and a lack of templates for reporting mixed methods articles in peer-reviewed journals. The 'hierarchy of evidence' relating to effectiveness studies in health care research, with the randomised controlled trial as the gold standard, appeared to pervade the health research infrastructure. Thus integration of data and findings from qualitative and quantitative components of mixed methods studies, and dissemination of integrated outputs, tended to occur through serendipity and effort, further highlighting the presence of structural constraints. Researchers are agents who may also support current structures - journal reviewers and editors, and directors of postgraduate training courses - and thus have the ability to improve the structural support for exploiting the potential of mixed methods research. Conclusion The environment for health research in the UK appears to be conducive to mixed methods research but not to exploiting the potential of this approach. Structural change, as well as change in researcher behaviour, will be necessary if researchers are to fully exploit the potential of using mixed methods research. PMID:20003210

Structural issues affecting mixed methods studies in health research: a qualitative study.

PubMed

O'Cathain, Alicia; Nicholl, Jon; Murphy, Elizabeth

2009-12-09

Health researchers undertake studies which combine qualitative and quantitative methods. Little attention has been paid to the structural issues affecting this mixed methods approach. We explored the facilitators and barriers to undertaking mixed methods studies in health research. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 20 researchers experienced in mixed methods research in health in the United Kingdom. Structural facilitators for undertaking mixed methods studies included a perception that funding bodies promoted this approach, and the multidisciplinary constituency of some university departments. Structural barriers to exploiting the potential of these studies included a lack of education and training in mixed methods research, and a lack of templates for reporting mixed methods articles in peer-reviewed journals. The 'hierarchy of evidence' relating to effectiveness studies in health care research, with the randomised controlled trial as the gold standard, appeared to pervade the health research infrastructure. Thus integration of data and findings from qualitative and quantitative components of mixed methods studies, and dissemination of integrated outputs, tended to occur through serendipity and effort, further highlighting the presence of structural constraints. Researchers are agents who may also support current structures - journal reviewers and editors, and directors of postgraduate training courses - and thus have the ability to improve the structural support for exploiting the potential of mixed methods research. The environment for health research in the UK appears to be conducive to mixed methods research but not to exploiting the potential of this approach. Structural change, as well as change in researcher behaviour, will be necessary if researchers are to fully exploit the potential of using mixed methods research.

Everyday life for users of electric wheelchairs - a qualitative interview study.

PubMed

Blach Rossen, Camilla; Sørensen, Bodil; Würtz Jochumsen, Bente; Wind, Gitte

2012-09-01

The aim of this paper is to explore how users of electric wheelchairs experience their everyday life and how their electric wheelchairs influence their daily occupation. Occupation is defined as a personalized dynamic interaction between person, task and environment, and implies the value and meaning attached. Nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with experienced electric wheelchair users. ValMo was used as the theoretical framework for both interviewing and the analysis. The transcribed interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings revealed key elements in electric wheelchair users' experience of how the use of a wheelchair influences everyday life and occupation. Four central themes emerged from the participants' experiences 1) The functionality of the wheelchair, 2) The wheelchair as an extension of the body, 3) The wheelchair and social life, and 4) The wheelchair and identity issues. The themes were interrelated and show how all levels of occupation were influenced both in a positive and negative way, and how it affected identity. It is essential that professionals working with electric wheelchair users are aware of how all levels of occupation and identity are influenced by using a wheelchair. This will assist professionals in supporting the users living an autonomous and meaningful life.

Thinking ahead--the need for early Advance Care Planning for people on haemodialysis: A qualitative interview study.

PubMed

Bristowe, Katherine; Horsley, Helen L; Shepherd, Kate; Brown, Heather; Carey, Irene; Matthews, Beverley; O'Donoghue, Donal; Vinen, Katie; Murtagh, Felicity E M

2015-05-01

There is a need to improve end-of-life care for people with end-stage kidney disease, particularly due to the increasingly elderly, frail and co-morbid end-stage kidney disease population. Timely, sensitive and individualised Advance Care Planning discussions are acceptable and beneficial for people with end-stage kidney disease and can help foster realistic hopes and goals. To explore the experiences of people with end-stage kidney disease regarding starting haemodialysis, its impact on quality of life and their preferences for future care and to explore the Advance Care Planning needs of this population and the timing of this support. Semi-structured qualitative interview study of people receiving haemodialysis. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Recruitment ceased once data saturation was achieved. A total of 20 patients at two UK National Health Service hospitals, purposively sampled by age, time on haemodialysis and symptom burden. Themes emerged around: Looking Back, emotions of commencing haemodialysis; Current Experiences, illness and treatment burdens; and Looking Ahead, facing the realities. Challenges throughout the trajectory included getting information, communicating with staff and the 'conveyor belt' culture of haemodialysis units. Participants reported a lack of opportunity to discuss their future, particularly if their health deteriorated, and variable involvement in treatment decisions. However, discussion of these sensitive issues was more acceptable to some than others. Renal patients have considerable unmet Advance Care Planning needs. There is a need to normalise discussions about preferences and priorities in renal and haemodialysis units earlier in the disease trajectory. However, an individualised approach is essential - one size does not fit all. © The Author(s) 2014.

Building the Peanut: Simulations and Observations of Peanut-shaped Structures and Ansae in Face-on Disk Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saha, Kanak; Graham, Alister W.; Rodríguez-Herranz, Isabel

2018-01-01

Peanut/x-shaped features observed in a significant fraction of disk galaxies are thought to have formed from vertically buckled bars. Despite being three-dimensional structures, they are preferentially detected in near edge-on projection. Only a few galaxies are found to have displayed such structures when their disks are relatively face-on—suggesting that either they are generally weak in face-on projection or many may be hidden by the light of their galaxy’s face-on disk. Here, we report on three (collisionless) simulated galaxies displaying peanut-shaped structures when their disks are seen both face-on and edge-on—resembling a three-dimensional peanut or dumbbell. Furthermore, these structures are accompanied by ansae and an outer ring at the end of the bar—as seen in real galaxies such as IC 5240. The same set of quantitative parameters used to measure peanut structures in real galaxies has been determined for the simulated galaxies, and a broad agreement is found. In addition, the peanut length grows in tandem with the bar, and is a maximum at half the length of the bar. Beyond the cutoff of these peanut structures, toward the end of the bar, we discover a new positive/negative feature in the B 6 radial profile associated with the isophotes of the ansae/ring. Our simulated, self-gravitating, three-dimensional peanut structures display cylindrical rotation even in the near-face-on disk projection. In addition, we report on a kinematic pinch in the velocity map along the bar minor axis, matching that seen in the surface density map.

Cash incentives improve participation rate in a face-to-face survey: an intervention study.

PubMed

Chen, Ke; Lei, Han; Li, Ge; Huang, Wei; Mu, Lihong

2015-02-01

Our study examined the effect of a ChinaYuan (CNY) 10 cash incentive on the participation rate in a face-to-face health survey among the general Chinese population. Subjects older than 15 years of age and had been living in the two selected districts for more than 6 months were selected using multistage random sampling. Participants from only one district received a cash incentive (CNY 10) for completing the survey. The participation rates in the nonincentive and incentive groups were 39.9% and 61.2%, respectively, P < 0.01. In the nonincentive group, the 65-74 years age group had the highest participation rate (54.4%); no significant difference was found between men (39.4%) and women (40.5%), P = 0.59. In the incentive group, the highest participation rate was observed in the ≥75 years (78.1%) age group. The cost for a completed interview was CNY 34.5 in the incentive group and CNY 35.8 in the nonincentive group. Cash incentives might increase participation rates in face-to-face surveys in China. The absolute cost was higher for the incentive group, whereas cost for a completed interview was actually the lowest. Furthermore, participation rate did not differ between men and women, but elders were more likely to participate in health surveys. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

EXTENSIBLE DATABASE FRAMEWORK FOR MANAGEMENT OF UNSTRUCTURED AND SEMI-STRUCTURED DOCUMENTS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gawdiak, Yuri O. (Inventor); La, Tracy T. (Inventor); Lin, Shu-Chun Y. (Inventor); Malof, David A. (Inventor); Tran, Khai Peter B. (Inventor)

2005-01-01

Method and system for querying a collection of Unstructured or semi-structured documents to identify presence of, and provide context and/or content for, keywords and/or keyphrases. The documents are analyzed and assigned a node structure, including an ordered sequence of mutually exclusive node segments or strings. Each node has an associated set of at least four, five or six attributes with node information and can represent a format marker or text, with the last node in any node segment usually being a text node. A keyword (or keyphrase) is specified. and the last node in each node segment is searched for a match with the keyword. When a match is found at a query node, or at a node determined with reference to a query node, the system displays the context andor the content of the query node.

Using biomarkers to assess the validity of sexual behavior reporting across interview modes among young women in Kampala, Uganda

PubMed Central

Kelly, Christine A.; Hewett, Paul C.; Mensch, Barbara S.; Rankin, Johanna; Nsobya, Sam; Kalibala, Sam; Kakande, Pamela

2015-01-01

Understanding the transmission dynamics of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections is critically dependent on accurate behavioral data. This paper investigates the effect of questionnaire delivery mode on the quality of sexual behavior reporting in a survey conducted in Kampala in 2010 among 18–24 year old females using the women’s instrument of the 2006 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey. We compare the reported prevalence of five sexual outcomes across three interview modes: traditional face-to-face interview (FTFI) in which question rewording was permitted, FTFI administered via computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) in which questions were read as written, and audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (ACASI). We then assess the validity of the data by evaluating reporting of sexual experience against three biological markers. Results suggest that ACASI elicits higher reporting of some key indicators than face-to-face interviews, but self-reports from all interview methods were subject to validity concerns when compared with biomarker data. The paper highlights the important role biomarkers play in sexual behavior research. PMID:24615574

Maintaining Teachers' Face in the Context of Change: Results from a Study of Vietnamese College Lecturers' Perceptions of Face

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nguyen, Thi Quynh Trang

2017-01-01

Gaining and saving face are very important in Vietnam as a mechanism of social control, including the professional behaviour of teachers. Interviews with 15 lecturers (aged 24-37) at a teacher training college in a Central Coast province of Vietnam illustrated the relationship between their concepts of face and their beliefs about good teaching.…

Males Are Not as Active as Females in Online Discussion: Gender Differences in Face-to-Face and Online Discussion Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai, Meng-Jung; Liang, Jyh-Chong; Hou, Huei-Tse; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2015-01-01

This study examined the gender difference in students' perceived discussion strategies in face-to-face and online asynchronous contexts. A survey of 363 university students and follow-up interviews of 20 participants was conducted to examine any gender differences within each context and between the two contexts. The Discussion Strategies Scale…

Examining the structural challenges to communication as experienced by nurse managers in two US hospital settings.

PubMed

Marx, Marcia

2014-11-01

This study examined the structural barriers to communication for first-line nurse managers with their staff nurses. The delivery of quality care depends on effective communication in hospital units. First-line nurse managers are central figures in networks whose responsibility is to communicate information from the senior management to staff nurses. The data were collected using face-to-face interviews with first-line managers at two US hospitals The interviews were transcribed and coded with limited use of the qualitative software atlas Interview questions focused on work experiences of managers with special emphases on communication. Structural barriers that influenced managers' communication included the amount of face-to-face interaction with nurses, the amount of information to communicate, levels of formalization, outreach to all nurses, time constraints and nurses' subcultural networks These factors compromised managers' ability to communicate effectively with nurses. Managers should carefully examine how structure affects communication recognizing that some dynamics of structure cannot be changed but that they can influence others, such as formalization and communication networks. Managers should examine their own positioning within nurses' networks and demonstrate to nurses that their expertise contributes to the collaborative capital upon which nursing practice depends. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Development and validation of the interview version of the Hong Kong Chinese WHOQOL-BREF.

PubMed

Leung, K F; Wong, W W; Tay, M S M; Chu, M M L; Ng, S S W

2005-06-01

The Hong Kong Chinese version of the WHOQOL-BREF was designed as a self-administered questionnaire and has limitations in clinical application on subjects who have limitations in reading or writing. An interview version is therefore needed to avoid sampling biases in clinical studies. Since there are significant differences in the written Chinese and spoken Cantonese, which is a dialect commonly spoken among people in Hong Kong, and adaptation process for converting the written Chinese into spoken Cantonese was necessary. The interview version was designed to allow administration in both face-to-face interview and telephone interview mode. Three members of the research team translated the formal written Chinese in the self-administered version of the WHOQOL-BREF(HK) into colloquial Cantonese separately. Brief notes extracted from the facet definitions of the WHOQOL-100 were added in brackets after some questions to further explain the intention of the questions. Two series of focus groups were conducted and subsequently the field test version was produced. 329 subjects were recruited by convenient sampling method for the field test. The interview version and the self-administered version was found equivalent. The ICC values of the domain scores ranged from 0.73 in the environment domain to 0.83 in the psychological domain. The face-to-face interview and telephone interview mode of administration were also found equivalent. The ICC for the domain scores ranged from 0.76 in the social interaction domain to 0.84 in the psychological domain. The other psychometric properties of the interview version were found comparable to the self-administered version. The self-administered and the interview version of the WHOQOL-BREF are regarded as identical in group comparison. The authors advise that it is acceptable to use different versions on different subjects in the same study, provided that the same version is applied on the same subject throughout the study.

Thinking ahead – the need for early Advance Care Planning for people on haemodialysis: A qualitative interview study

PubMed Central

Horsley, Helen L; Shepherd, Kate; Brown, Heather; Carey, Irene; Matthews, Beverley; O’Donoghue, Donal; Vinen, Katie; Murtagh, Felicity EM

2015-01-01

Background: There is a need to improve end-of-life care for people with end-stage kidney disease, particularly due to the increasingly elderly, frail and co-morbid end-stage kidney disease population. Timely, sensitive and individualised Advance Care Planning discussions are acceptable and beneficial for people with end-stage kidney disease and can help foster realistic hopes and goals. Aim: To explore the experiences of people with end-stage kidney disease regarding starting haemodialysis, its impact on quality of life and their preferences for future care and to explore the Advance Care Planning needs of this population and the timing of this support. Study design: Semi-structured qualitative interview study of people receiving haemodialysis. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Recruitment ceased once data saturation was achieved. Setting/participants: A total of 20 patients at two UK National Health Service hospitals, purposively sampled by age, time on haemodialysis and symptom burden. Results: Themes emerged around: Looking Back, emotions of commencing haemodialysis; Current Experiences, illness and treatment burdens; and Looking Ahead, facing the realities. Challenges throughout the trajectory included getting information, communicating with staff and the ‘conveyor belt’ culture of haemodialysis units. Participants reported a lack of opportunity to discuss their future, particularly if their health deteriorated, and variable involvement in treatment decisions. However, discussion of these sensitive issues was more acceptable to some than others. Conclusion: Renal patients have considerable unmet Advance Care Planning needs. There is a need to normalise discussions about preferences and priorities in renal and haemodialysis units earlier in the disease trajectory. However, an individualised approach is essential – one size does not fit all. PMID:25527527

The experience of sessional teachers in nursing: A qualitative study.

PubMed

Dixon, Kathleen A; Cotton, Antoinette; Moroney, Robyn; Salamonson, Yenna

2015-11-01

Worldwide, there is a growing reliance on sessional teachers in universities. This trend is reflected in an undergraduate nursing program in a large Australian metropolitan university where a significant proportion of contact hours is staffed by sessional teachers, yet little is known about what type of support is needed for sessional teachers to optimise their capacity to contribute to the academic program. To describe the experiences of sessional teachers in a Bachelor of Nursing program in an Australian university. This is an exploratory qualitative study; fifteen sessional teachers were interviewed using semi-structured questions to explore their experiences of teaching. This study was conducted in a large metropolitan school of nursing located on three sites. A purposive sample of 15 sessional teachers was interviewed for this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted face to face. Thematic analysis was used to identify major themes in the interview data and collaborative analysis was undertaken to ensure rigour. Findings revealed that sessional teachers enjoyed teaching, were committed to their role and viewed their clinical currency as a valuable asset for teaching. However, participants also spoke about wanting a sense of belonging to the School, with most feeling they were "outsiders". Areas identified for improvement included system and process issues, micro teaching and assessment skills, classroom management and timely access to resources. There is a need to improve sessional teachers' sense of belonging and to provide an inclusive structure and culture to optimise their capacity to contribute to the academic program. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Escaping Embarrassment: Face-Work in the Rap Cipher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jooyoung

2009-01-01

How do individuals escape embarrassing moments in interaction? Drawing from ethnographic fieldwork, in-depth interviews, and video recordings of weekly street corner ciphers (impromptu rap sessions), this paper expands Goffman's theory of defensive and protective face-work. The findings reveal formulaic and indirect dimensions of face-work. First,…

Problems faced and coping strategies used by adolescents with mentally ill parents in Delhi.

PubMed

George, Shoba; Shaiju, Bindu; Sharma, Veena

2012-01-01

The present study was conducted to assess the problems faced by adolescents whose parents suffer from major mental illness at selected mental health institutes of Delhi. The objectives also included assessment of the coping strategies of the adolescents in dealing with these problems. The Stuart Stress Adaptation Model of Psychiatric Nursing Care was used as the conceptual framework. A descriptive survey approach with cross-sectional design was used in the study. A structured interview schedule was prepared. Purposive non-probability sampling technique was employed to interview 50 adolescents whose parents suffer from major mental illness. Data gathered was analysed and interpreted using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study showed that majority of the adolescents had moderate problems as a result of their parent's mental illness. Area-wise analysis of the problems revealed that the highest problems faced were in family relationship and support and majority of the adolescents used maladaptive coping strategies. A set of guidelines on effective coping strategies was disseminated to these adolescents.

Parental views on childhood vaccination against viral gastroenteritis-a qualitative interview study.

PubMed

Lugg, Fiona V; Butler, Christopher C; Evans, Meirion R; Wood, Fiona; Francis, Nick A

2015-08-01

Gastroenteritis (GE) causes significant morbidity, especially in young children. A vaccine against rotavirus, a common cause of viral GE (vGE), was added to the childhood immunization schedule in the UK in July 2013 and further related vaccines are under development. To explore parents' beliefs about vGE and their attitudes towards vaccinating. Qualitative interview study with parents of children who had recently experienced an episode of GE. Twenty-eight semi-structured interviews were conducted over the phone with parents. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using standard thematic approaches. Parents varied in their perception of the threat posed by GE, and parents who did not perceive GE as serious were less enthusiastic about vaccines. Other parents were supportive of vaccines in general and considered benefits to their child, their family and the wider community. Many parents said that they lacked knowledge about efficacy and effectiveness of GE vaccines but their underlying belief about the seriousness of illness motivated their attitudes. Acceptability of GE vaccines to parents could be improved by providing more information on both the burden of illness and the impact of rotavirus vaccine in other comparable countries. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Elaboration of the Charge Constructions of Explosives for the Structure of Facing Stone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khomeriki, Sergo; Mataradze, Edgar; Chikhradze, Nikoloz; Losaberidze, Marine; Khomeriki, Davit; Shatberashvili, Grigol

2017-12-01

Increased demand for high-strength facing material caused the enhancement of the volume of explosives use in modern technologies of blocks production. The volume of broken rocks and crushing quality depends on the rock characteristics and on the properties of the explosive, in particular on its brisance and serviceability. Therefore, the correct selection of the explosive for the specific massif is of a considerable practical importance. For efficient mining of facing materials by explosion method the solving of such problems as determination of the method of blasthole drilling as well as of the regime and charge values, selection of the explosive, blastholes distribution in the face and their order is necessary. This paper focuses on technical solutions for conservation of rock natural structure in the blocks of facing material, mined by the use of the explosives. It has been established that the efficient solving of mentioned problem is attained by reducing of shock pulse duration. In such conditions the rigidity of crystalline lattice increases in high pressure area. As a result, the hazard if crack formation in structural unites and the increases of natural cracks are excluded. Short-time action of explosion pulse is possible only by linear charges of the explosives, characterized by high detonation velocity which detonate by the velocity of 7-7.5 km/sec and are characterized by very small critical diameter.

Perceptions of family caregivers of cancer patients about the challenges of caregiving: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Nemati, Shahnaz; Rassouli, Maryam; Ilkhani, Mahnaz; Baghestani, Ahmad Reza

2018-03-01

The experience of caring for a family member with cancer is associated with several care-related problems and challenges for the caregiver. The comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the trials and tribulations of caregiving can be a step towards resolving the problems faced by family caregivers of these patients. The present study aimed to explore challenges faced by Iranian family caregivers of cancer patients. The present qualitative study was conducted through in-depth semi-structured interviews held with 21 family caregivers of cancer patients selected through purposive sampling. Interviews continued until saturation of data. All interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed through conventional content analysis. The codes extracted from interviews produced four main themes, including 'confusion', 'uncertainty', 'disintegration' and 'setback', which collectively caused suffering for family caregivers. Care provided in an atmosphere of suffering and discontent diminishes caregiver's quality of life and quality of patient care. Health planners should therefore consider the challenges and sufferings faced by family caregivers and should seek to obviate them through appropriate plans. © 2017 Nordic College of Caring Science.

Using block pulse functions for seismic vibration semi-active control of structures with MR dampers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahimi Gendeshmin, Saeed; Davarnia, Daniel

2018-03-01

This article applied the idea of block pulse functions in the semi-active control of structures. The BP functions give effective tools to approximate complex problems. The applied control algorithm has a major effect on the performance of the controlled system and the requirements of the control devices. In control problems, it is important to devise an accurate analytical technique with less computational cost. It is proved that the BP functions are fundamental tools in approximation problems which have been applied in disparate areas in last decades. This study focuses on the employment of BP functions in control algorithm concerning reduction the computational cost. Magneto-rheological (MR) dampers are one of the well-known semi-active tools that can be used to control the response of civil Structures during earthquake. For validation purposes, numerical simulations of a 5-story shear building frame with MR dampers are presented. The results of suggested method were compared with results obtained by controlling the frame by the optimal control method based on linear quadratic regulator theory. It can be seen from simulation results that the suggested method can be helpful in reducing seismic structural responses. Besides, this method has acceptable accuracy and is in agreement with optimal control method with less computational costs.

Exploring Perception of Vibrations from Rail: An Interview Study

PubMed Central

Maclachlan, Laura; Pedersen, Eja

2017-01-01

Rail transport is an environmentally responsible approach and traffic is expected to increase in the coming decades. Little is known about the implications for quality of life of populations living close to railways. This study explores the way in which vibrations from rail are perceived and described by these populations. The study took place in the Västra Götaland and Värmland regions of Sweden. A qualitative study approach was undertaken using semi-structured interviews within a framework of predetermined questions in participants’ homes. A 26.3% response rate was achieved and 17 participants were interviewed. The experience of vibrations was described in tangible terms through different senses. Important emerging themes included habituation to and acceptance of vibrations, worry about property damage, worry about family members and general safety. Participants did not reflect on health effects, however, chronic exposure to vibrations through multimodal senses in individual living environments may reduce the possibility for restoration in the home. Lack of empowerment to reduce exposure to vibrations was important. This may alter individual coping strategies, as taking actions to avoid the stressor is not possible. The adoption of other strategies, such as avoidance, may negatively affect an individual’s ability to cope with the stressor and their health. PMID:29072612

Exploring Perception of Vibrations from Rail: An Interview Study.

PubMed

Maclachlan, Laura; Waye, Kerstin Persson; Pedersen, Eja

2017-10-26

Rail transport is an environmentally responsible approach and traffic is expected to increase in the coming decades. Little is known about the implications for quality of life of populations living close to railways. This study explores the way in which vibrations from rail are perceived and described by these populations. The study took place in the Västra Götaland and Värmland regions of Sweden. A qualitative study approach was undertaken using semi-structured interviews within a framework of predetermined questions in participants' homes. A 26.3% response rate was achieved and 17 participants were interviewed. The experience of vibrations was described in tangible terms through different senses. Important emerging themes included habituation to and acceptance of vibrations, worry about property damage, worry about family members and general safety. Participants did not reflect on health effects, however, chronic exposure to vibrations through multimodal senses in individual living environments may reduce the possibility for restoration in the home. Lack of empowerment to reduce exposure to vibrations was important. This may alter individual coping strategies, as taking actions to avoid the stressor is not possible. The adoption of other strategies, such as avoidance, may negatively affect an individual's ability to cope with the stressor and their health.

Brief Report: Telephone Administration of the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised--Reliability and Suitability for Use in Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ward-King, Jessica; Cohen, Ira L.; Penning, Henderika; Holden, Jeanette J. A.

2010-01-01

The Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised is one of the "gold standard" diagnostic tools for autism spectrum disorders. It is traditionally administered face-to-face. Cost and geographical concerns constrain the employment of the ADI-R for large-scale research projects. The telephone interview is a reasonable alternative, but has not yet been…

Lessons from Early Medicaid Expansions Under Health Reform: Interviews with Medicaid Officials

PubMed Central

Sommers, Benjamin D; Arntson, Emily; Kenney, Genevieve M; Epstein, Arnold M

2013-01-01

Background The Affordable Care Act (ACA) dramatically expands Medicaid in 2014 in participating states. Meanwhile, six states have already expanded Medicaid since 2010 to some or all of the low-income adults targeted under health reform. We undertook an in-depth exploration of these six “early-expander” states—California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Washington—through interviews with high-ranking Medicaid officials. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 high-ranking Medicaid officials in six states and analyzed the interviews using qualitative methods. Interviews explored enrollment outreach, stakeholder involvement, impact on beneficiaries, utilization and costs, implementation challenges, and potential lessons for 2014. Two investigators independently analyzed interview transcripts and iteratively refined the codebook until reaching consensus. Results We identified several themes. First, these expansions built upon pre-existing state-funded insurance programs for the poor. Second, predictions about costs and enrollment were challenging, indicating the uncertainty in projections for 2014. Other themes included greater than anticipated need for behavioral health services in the expansion population, administrative challenges of expansions, and persistent barriers to enrollment and access after expanding eligibility—though officials overall felt the expansions increased access for beneficiaries. Finally, political context—support or opposition from stakeholders and voters—plays a critical role in shaping the success of Medicaid expansions. Conclusions Early Medicaid expansions under the ACA offer important lessons to federal and state policymakers as the 2014 expansions approach. While the context of each state’s expansion is unique, key shared experiences were significant implementation challenges and opportunities for expanding access to needed services. PMID:24834369

The participants' perspective: how biographic-narrative intervention influences identity negotiation and quality of life in aphasia.

PubMed

Corsten, Sabine; Schimpf, Erika J; Konradi, Jürgen; Keilmann, Annerose; Hardering, Friedericke

2015-01-01

People with aphasia experience a pronounced decrease in quality of life (QoL). Beyond that identity negotiation is hindered, which is crucial for QoL. Biographic-narrative approaches use life story telling to support identity (re)development after disruptive events like stroke. Because of the language deficits inherent in aphasia such 'talk-based' approaches have to be modified for an optimal use. To evaluate an adapted interdisciplinary biographic-narrative intervention using quantitative measures of health-related quality of life (HRQL) and mood. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain a deeper understanding of identity development processes in people with aphasia. Twenty-seven participants with various types of chronic aphasia were enrolled. The biographic narrative intervention consisted of five face-to-face in-depth interviews and seven group sessions conducted over 10 weeks in a mixed-method design with pre- and post-tests and a follow-up assessment 3 months post-intervention. For quantitative evaluation the Aachen Life Quality Inventory (ALQI), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and the Visual Analog Mood Scales (VAMS) were used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted post-treatment, including questions concerning the participants' experiences with the intervention and identity change. Results were analysed using interpretative principles from Grounded Theory. For all 27 participants, we found significant and stable growth in HRQL. Self-reported states of mood also improved. As expected, overall cognitively based life satisfaction did not change. The interviews revealed two main categories: 'evaluation of the face-to-face interviews' and 'evaluation of the group sessions'. Further analysis found four overlapping main themes which were identified as identity issues: agency, control, disease concept and doing things. Our quantitative and qualitative results demonstrated the benefits associated with the biographic

SEMCARE: Multilingual Semantic Search in Semi-Structured Clinical Data.

PubMed

López-García, Pablo; Kreuzthaler, Markus; Schulz, Stefan; Scherr, Daniel; Daumke, Philipp; Markó, Kornél; Kors, Jan A; van Mulligen, Erik M; Wang, Xinkai; Gonna, Hanney; Behr, Elijah; Honrado, Ángel

2016-01-01

The vast amount of clinical data in electronic health records constitutes a great potential for secondary use. However, most of this content consists of unstructured or semi-structured texts, which is difficult to process. Several challenges are still pending: medical language idiosyncrasies in different natural languages, and the large variety of medical terminology systems. In this paper we present SEMCARE, a European initiative designed to minimize these problems by providing a multi-lingual platform (English, German, and Dutch) that allows users to express complex queries and obtain relevant search results from clinical texts. SEMCARE is based on a selection of adapted biomedical terminologies, together with Apache UIMA and Apache Solr as open source state-of-the-art natural language pipeline and indexing technologies. SEMCARE has been deployed and is currently being tested at three medical institutions in the UK, Austria, and the Netherlands, showing promising results in a cardiology use case.

Improving the Quality of Facial Composites Using a Holistic Cognitive Interview

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frowd, Charlie D.; Bruce, Vicki; Smith, Ashley J.; Hancock, Peter J. B.

2008-01-01

Witnesses to and victims of serious crime are normally asked to describe the appearance of a criminal suspect, using a Cognitive Interview (CI), and to construct a facial composite, a visual representation of the face. Research suggests that focusing on the global aspects of a face, as opposed to its facial features, facilitates recognition and…

Use of top tethers with forward-facing child restraints: observations and driver interviews.

PubMed

Eichelberger, Angela H; Decina, Lawrence E; Jermakian, Jessica S; McCartt, Anne T

2014-02-01

Despite the safety benefits, many parents do not use top tethers with forward-facing child restraints. Detailed information was collected about why parents are not using tethers. The sample included 479 drivers who had forward-facing child restraints installed in passenger vehicles equipped with tether anchors. The survey was conducted primarily at shopping centers, recreation facilities, child care facilities, car seat check events, and health care facilities in mostly suburban areas surrounding Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Fredericksburg (VA), and Seattle. Drivers were surveyed about their knowledge and use of tethers and experience with child restraints. Tether use was observed to verify whether tethers were being used correctly. Fifty-six percent of forward-facing child restraints were installed with the tether; 39% were installed with the tether used correctly. The tether was used with 71% of LATCH lower anchor installations and 33% of seat belt installations. Drivers who installed child restraints without tethers most often said they did not know about the tether or how to use it. Although the tether use rate was slightly higher in the current research than in previous studies, many parents and caregivers still use forward-facing child restraints without attaching the tether. Because the main problem is lack of awareness of the tether or how to use it, public education should focus specifically on the safety benefits of tethers and how to use them. Information about why caregivers fail to use top tethers is potentially useful to child restraint manufacturers, child passenger safety technicians, and others who work with parents to improve motor vehicle safety. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and National Safety Council. All rights reserved.

The SIST-M: Predictive validity of a brief structured Clinical Dementia Rating interview

PubMed Central

Okereke, Olivia I.; Pantoja-Galicia, Norberto; Copeland, Maura; Hyman, Bradley T.; Wanggaard, Taylor; Albert, Marilyn S.; Betensky, Rebecca A.; Blacker, Deborah

2011-01-01

Background We previously established reliability and cross-sectional validity of the SIST-M (Structured Interview and Scoring Tool–Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Research Center), a shortened version of an instrument shown to predict progression to Alzheimer disease (AD), even among persons with very mild cognitive impairment (vMCI). Objective To test predictive validity of the SIST-M. Methods Participants were 342 community-dwelling, non-demented older adults in a longitudinal study. Baseline Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) ratings were determined by either: 1) clinician interviews or 2) a previously developed computer algorithm based on 60 questions (of a possible 131) extracted from clinician interviews. We developed age+gender+education-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models using CDR-sum-of-boxes (CDR-SB) as the predictor, where CDR-SB was determined by either clinician interview or algorithm; models were run for the full sample (n=342) and among those jointly classified as vMCI using clinician- and algorithm-based CDR ratings (n=156). We directly compared predictive accuracy using time-dependent Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves. Results AD hazard ratios (HRs) were similar for clinician-based and algorithm-based CDR-SB: for a 1-point increment in CDR-SB, respective HRs (95% CI)=3.1 (2.5,3.9) and 2.8 (2.2,3.5); among those with vMCI, respective HRs (95% CI) were 2.2 (1.6,3.2) and 2.1 (1.5,3.0). Similarly high predictive accuracy was achieved: the concordance probability (weighted average of the area-under-the-ROC curves) over follow-up was 0.78 vs. 0.76 using clinician-based vs. algorithm-based CDR-SB. Conclusion CDR scores based on items from this shortened interview had high predictive ability for AD – comparable to that using a lengthy clinical interview. PMID:21986342

Examining the effect of down regulation under high [CO2] on the growth of soybean assimilating a semi process-based model and FACE data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakurai, G.; Iizumi, T.; Yokozawa, M.

2011-12-01

The actual impact of elevated [CO2] with the interaction of the other climatic factors on the crop growth is still debated. In many process-based crop models, the response of photosynthesis per single leaf to environmental factors is basically described using the biochemical model of Farquhar et al. (1980). However, the decline in photosynthetic enhancement known as down regulation has not been taken into account. On the other hand, the mechanisms causing photosynthetic down regulation is still unknown, which makes it difficult to include the effect of down regulation into process-based crop models. The current results of Free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) experiments have reported the effect of down regulation under actual environments. One of the effective approaches to involve these results into future crop yield prediction is developing a semi process-based crop growth model, which includes the effect of photosynthetic down regulation as a statistical model, and assimilating the data obtained in FACE experiments. In this study, we statistically estimated the parameters of a semi process-based model for soybean growth ('SPM-soybean') using a hierarchical Baysian method with the FACE data on soybeans (Morgan et al. 2005). We also evaluated the effect of down regulation on the soybean yield in future climatic conditions. The model selection analysis showed that the effective correction to the overestimation of the Farquhar's biochemical C3 model was to reduce the maximum rate of carboxylation (Vcmax) under elevated [CO2]. However, interestingly, the difference in the estimated final crop yields between the corrected model and the non-corrected model was very slight (Fig.1a) for future projection under climate change scenario (Miroc-ESM). This was due to that the reduction in Vcmax also brought about the reduction of the base dark respiration rate of leaves. Because the dark respiration rate exponentially increases with temperature, the slight difference in base

Experiences of a Motivational Interview Delivered by a Robot: Qualitative Study

PubMed Central

Galvão Gomes da Silva, Joana; Kavanagh, David J; Belpaeme, Tony; Taylor, Lloyd; Beeson, Konna

2018-01-01

Background Motivational interviewing is an effective intervention for supporting behavior change but traditionally depends on face-to-face dialogue with a human counselor. This study addressed a key challenge for the goal of developing social robotic motivational interviewers: creating an interview protocol, within the constraints of current artificial intelligence, which participants will find engaging and helpful. Objective The aim of this study was to explore participants’ qualitative experiences of a motivational interview delivered by a social robot, including their evaluation of usability of the robot during the interaction and its impact on their motivation. Methods NAO robots are humanoid, child-sized social robots. We programmed a NAO robot with Choregraphe software to deliver a scripted motivational interview focused on increasing physical activity. The interview was designed to be comprehensible even without an empathetic response from the robot. Robot breathing and face-tracking functions were used to give an impression of attentiveness. A total of 20 participants took part in the robot-delivered motivational interview and evaluated it after 1 week by responding to a series of written open-ended questions. Each participant was left alone to speak aloud with the robot, advancing through a series of questions by tapping the robot’s head sensor. Evaluations were content-analyzed utilizing Boyatzis’ steps: (1) sampling and design, (2) developing themes and codes, and (3) validating and applying the codes. Results Themes focused on interaction with the robot, motivation, change in physical activity, and overall evaluation of the intervention. Participants found the instructions clear and the navigation easy to use. Most enjoyed the interaction but also found it was restricted by the lack of individualized response from the robot. Many positively appraised the nonjudgmental aspect of the interview and how it gave space to articulate their motivation for

A Study on Flexural Properties of Sandwich Structures with Fiber/Metal Laminate Face Sheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dariushi, S.; Sadighi, M.

2013-10-01

In this work, a new family of sandwich structures with fiber metal laminate (FML) faces is investigated. FMLs have benefits over both metal and fiber reinforced composites. To investigate the bending properties of sandwich beams with FML faces and compare with similar sandwich beams with fibrous composite faces, 6 groups of specimen with different layer arrangements were made and tested. Results show that FML faces have good resistance against transverse local loads and minimize stress concentration and local deformations of skin and core under the loading tip. In addition, FML faces have a good integrity even after plateau region of foam cores and prevent from catastrophic failures, which cannot be seen in fibrous composite faces. Also, FML faces are lighter than metal faces and have better connection with foam cores. Sandwich beams with FML faces have a larger elastic region because of simultaneous deformation of top and bottom faces and larger failure strain thanks to good durability of FMLs. A geometrical nonlinear classical theory is used to predict force-deflection behavior. In this model an explicit formula between symmetrical sandwich beams deflections and applied force which can be useful for designers, is derived. Good agreement is obtained between the analytical predictions and experimental results. Also, analytical results are compared with small deformation solution in a parametric study, and the effects of geometric parameters on difference between linear and nonlinear results are discussed.

Making a structured psychiatric diagnostic interview faithful to the nomenclature.

PubMed

Robins, Lee N; Cottler, Linda B

2004-10-15

Psychiatric diagnostic interviews to be used in epidemiologic studies by lay interviewers have, since the 1970s, attempted to operationalize existing psychiatric nomenclatures. How to maximize the chances that they do so successfully has not previously been spelled out. In this article, the authors discuss strategies for each of the seven steps involved in writing, updating, or modifying a diagnostic interview and its supporting materials: 1) writing questions that match the nomenclature's criteria, 2) checking that respondents will be willing and able to answer the questions, 3) choosing a format acceptable to interviewers that maximizes accurate answering and recording of answers, 4) constructing a data entry and cleaning program that highlights errors to be corrected, 5) creating a diagnostic scoring program that matches the nomenclature's algorithms, 6) developing an interviewer training program that maximizes reliability, and 7) computerizing the interview. For each step, the authors discuss how to identify errors, correct them, and validate the revisions. Although operationalization will never be perfect because of ambiguities in the nomenclature, specifying methods for minimizing divergence from the nomenclature is timely as users modify existing interviews and look forward to updating interviews based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, and the International Classification of Diseases, Eleventh Revision.

Expertise among professional magicians: an interview study.

PubMed

Rissanen, Olli; Pitkänen, Petteri; Juvonen, Antti; Kuhn, Gustav; Hakkarainen, Kai

2014-01-01

The purpose of the present investigation was to analyse interviews of highly regarded Finnish magicians. Social network analysis (N = 120) was used to identify Finland's most highly regarded magicians (N = 16). The selected participants' careers in professional magic and various aspects of their professional conduct were examined by relying on semi-structured interviews. The results revealed that cultivation of professional level competence in magic usually requires an extensive period of time compared with other domains of expertise. Magic is a unique performing art and it differs from other professions focusing on deceiving the audience. A distinctive feature of magical expertise is that the process takes place entirely through informal training supported by communities of magical practitioners. Three interrelated aspects of magical activity were distinguished: magic tricks, performance, and audience. Although magic tricks constitute a central aspect of magic activity, the participants did not talk about their tricks extensively; this is in accordance with the secretive nature of magic culture. The interviews revealed that a core aspect of the magicians' activity is performance in front of an audience that repeatedly validates competence cultivated through years of practice. The interviewees reported investing a great deal of effort in planning, orchestrating, and reflecting on their performances. Close interaction with the audience plays an important role in most interviewees' activity. Many participants put a great deal of effort in developing novel magic tricks. It is common to borrow magic effects from fellow magicians and develop novel methods of implementation. Because magic tricks or programs are not copyrighted, many interviewees considered "stealing" an unacceptable and unethical aspect of magical activity. The interviewees highlighted the importance of personality and charisma in the successful pursuit of magic activity.

Expertise among professional magicians: an interview study

PubMed Central

Rissanen, Olli; Pitkänen, Petteri; Juvonen, Antti; Kuhn, Gustav; Hakkarainen, Kai

2014-01-01

The purpose of the present investigation was to analyse interviews of highly regarded Finnish magicians. Social network analysis (N = 120) was used to identify Finland's most highly regarded magicians (N = 16). The selected participants' careers in professional magic and various aspects of their professional conduct were examined by relying on semi-structured interviews. The results revealed that cultivation of professional level competence in magic usually requires an extensive period of time compared with other domains of expertise. Magic is a unique performing art and it differs from other professions focusing on deceiving the audience. A distinctive feature of magical expertise is that the process takes place entirely through informal training supported by communities of magical practitioners. Three interrelated aspects of magical activity were distinguished: magic tricks, performance, and audience. Although magic tricks constitute a central aspect of magic activity, the participants did not talk about their tricks extensively; this is in accordance with the secretive nature of magic culture. The interviews revealed that a core aspect of the magicians' activity is performance in front of an audience that repeatedly validates competence cultivated through years of practice. The interviewees reported investing a great deal of effort in planning, orchestrating, and reflecting on their performances. Close interaction with the audience plays an important role in most interviewees' activity. Many participants put a great deal of effort in developing novel magic tricks. It is common to borrow magic effects from fellow magicians and develop novel methods of implementation. Because magic tricks or programs are not copyrighted, many interviewees considered “stealing” an unacceptable and unethical aspect of magical activity. The interviewees highlighted the importance of personality and charisma in the successful pursuit of magic activity. PMID:25566156

Automated face detection for occurrence and occupancy estimation in chimpanzees.

PubMed

Crunchant, Anne-Sophie; Egerer, Monika; Loos, Alexander; Burghardt, Tilo; Zuberbühler, Klaus; Corogenes, Katherine; Leinert, Vera; Kulik, Lars; Kühl, Hjalmar S

2017-03-01

Surveying endangered species is necessary to evaluate conservation effectiveness. Camera trapping and biometric computer vision are recent technological advances. They have impacted on the methods applicable to field surveys and these methods have gained significant momentum over the last decade. Yet, most researchers inspect footage manually and few studies have used automated semantic processing of video trap data from the field. The particular aim of this study is to evaluate methods that incorporate automated face detection technology as an aid to estimate site use of two chimpanzee communities based on camera trapping. As a comparative baseline we employ traditional manual inspection of footage. Our analysis focuses specifically on the basic parameter of occurrence where we assess the performance and practical value of chimpanzee face detection software. We found that the semi-automated data processing required only 2-4% of the time compared to the purely manual analysis. This is a non-negligible increase in efficiency that is critical when assessing the feasibility of camera trap occupancy surveys. Our evaluations suggest that our methodology estimates the proportion of sites used relatively reliably. Chimpanzees are mostly detected when they are present and when videos are filmed in high-resolution: the highest recall rate was 77%, for a false alarm rate of 2.8% for videos containing only chimpanzee frontal face views. Certainly, our study is only a first step for transferring face detection software from the lab into field application. Our results are promising and indicate that the current limitation of detecting chimpanzees in camera trap footage due to lack of suitable face views can be easily overcome on the level of field data collection, that is, by the combined placement of multiple high-resolution cameras facing reverse directions. This will enable to routinely conduct chimpanzee occupancy surveys based on camera trapping and semi

Memory for fearful faces across development: specialization of amygdala nuclei and medial temporal lobe structures.

PubMed

Pinabiaux, Charlotte; Hertz-Pannier, Lucie; Chiron, Catherine; Rodrigo, Sébastian; Jambaqué, Isabelle; Noulhiane, Marion

2013-01-01

Enhanced memory for emotional faces is a significant component of adaptive social interactions, but little is known on its neural developmental correlates. We explored the role of amygdaloid complex (AC) and medial temporal lobe (MTL) in emotional memory recognition across development, by comparing fMRI activations of successful memory encoding of fearful and neutral faces in children (n = 12; 8-12 years) and adolescents (n = 12; 13-17 years). Memory for fearful faces was enhanced compared with neutral ones in adolescents, as opposed to children. In adolescents, activations associated with successful encoding of fearful faces were centered on baso-lateral AC nuclei, hippocampus, enthorhinal and parahippocampal cortices. In children, successful encoding of fearful faces relied on activations of centro-mesial AC nuclei, which was not accompanied by functional activation of MTL memory structures. Successful encoding of neutral faces depended on activations in anterior MTL region (hippocampal head and body) in adolescents, but more posterior ones (hippocampal tail and parahippocampal cortex) in children. In conclusion, two distinct functional specializations emerge from childhood to adolescence and result in the enhancement of memory for these particular stimuli: the specialization of baso-lateral AC nuclei, which is associated with the expertise in processing emotional facial expression, and which is intimately related to the specialization of MTL memory network. How the interplay between specialization of AC nuclei and of MTL memory structures is fundamental for the edification of social interactions remains to be elucidated.

Memory for fearful faces across development: specialization of amygdala nuclei and medial temporal lobe structures

PubMed Central

Pinabiaux, Charlotte; Hertz-Pannier, Lucie; Chiron, Catherine; Rodrigo, Sébastian; Jambaqué, Isabelle; Noulhiane, Marion

2013-01-01

Enhanced memory for emotional faces is a significant component of adaptive social interactions, but little is known on its neural developmental correlates. We explored the role of amygdaloid complex (AC) and medial temporal lobe (MTL) in emotional memory recognition across development, by comparing fMRI activations of successful memory encoding of fearful and neutral faces in children (n = 12; 8–12 years) and adolescents (n = 12; 13–17 years). Memory for fearful faces was enhanced compared with neutral ones in adolescents, as opposed to children. In adolescents, activations associated with successful encoding of fearful faces were centered on baso-lateral AC nuclei, hippocampus, enthorhinal and parahippocampal cortices. In children, successful encoding of fearful faces relied on activations of centro-mesial AC nuclei, which was not accompanied by functional activation of MTL memory structures. Successful encoding of neutral faces depended on activations in anterior MTL region (hippocampal head and body) in adolescents, but more posterior ones (hippocampal tail and parahippocampal cortex) in children. In conclusion, two distinct functional specializations emerge from childhood to adolescence and result in the enhancement of memory for these particular stimuli: the specialization of baso-lateral AC nuclei, which is associated with the expertise in processing emotional facial expression, and which is intimately related to the specialization of MTL memory network. How the interplay between specialization of AC nuclei and of MTL memory structures is fundamental for the edification of social interactions remains to be elucidated. PMID:24399958

Adapting qualitative research strategies to technology savvy adolescents.

PubMed

Mason, Deanna Marie; Ide, Bette

2014-05-01

To adapt research strategies involving adolescents in a grounded theory qualitative research study by conducting email rather than face-to-face interviews. Adolescent culture relies heavily on text-based communication and teens prefer interactions mediated through technology. Traditional qualitative research strategies need to be rethought when working with adolescents. Adapting interviewing strategies to electronic environments is timely and relevant for researching adolescents. Twenty three adolescents (aged 16-21) were interviewed by email. A letter of invitation was distributed. Potential participants emailed the researcher to convey interest in participating. If the inclusion criteria were met, email interviews were initiated. Participants controlled the interviews through their rate of response to interview questions. A grounded theory methodology was employed. Initial contact with participants reiterated confidentiality and the ability to withdraw from the study at any time. Interviews began with the collection of demographic information and a broad opening based on a semi-structured interview guide. All data were permissible, including text, photos, music, videos or outside media, for example YouTube. The participant was allowed to give direction to the interview after initial questions were posed. Email interviews continued until saturation was reached in the data. Participants were enthusiastic about email interviewing. Attrition did not occur. Email interviewing gave participants more control over the research, decreased power differentials between the adolescent and researcher, allowed the study to be adapted to cultural, linguistic and developmental needs, and maintained confidentiality. As participants said that email communication was slow and they preferred instant messaging, replication in faster-paced media is recommended. Repetition in face-to-face settings is warranted to evaluate how technology may have influenced the findings. Implications for

International health electives: thematic results of student and professional interviews.

PubMed

Petrosoniak, Andrew; McCarthy, Anne; Varpio, Lara

2010-07-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the complexities (including harms and benefits) of international health electives (IHEs) involving medical trainees. This exploration contributes to the ongoing debate about the goals and implications of IHEs for medical trainees. This qualitative study used anonymous, one-to-one, semi-structured interviews. All participants had previous international health experiences. Between September 2007 and March 2008, we interviewed a convenience sample of health care professionals (n=10) and medical trainees (n=10). Using a modified grounded theory methodology, we carried out cycles of data analysis in conjunction with data collection in an iterative and constant comparison process. The study's thematic structure was finalised when theme saturation was achieved. Participants described IHEs in both negative and positive terms. IHEs were described as unsustained short-term contributions that lacked clear educational objectives and failed to address local community needs. Ethical dilemmas were described as IHE challenges. Participants reflected that many IHEs included aspects of medical tourism and the majority of participants described the IHE in negative terms. However, a few participants acknowledged the benefits of the IHE. Specifically, it was seen as an introduction to a career in global health and as a potential foundation for more sustainable projects with positive host community impacts. Finally, despite similar understandings among participants, self-awareness of medical tourism was low. International health electives may include potential harms and benefits for both the trainee and the host community. Educational institutions should encourage and support structured IHEs for trainee participation. We recommend that faculties of medicine and global health educators establish pre-departure training courses for trainees and that IHE opportunities have sufficient structures in place to mitigate the negative effects of medical

An automatic granular structure generation and finite element analysis of heterogeneous semi-solid materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharifi, Hamid; Larouche, Daniel

2015-09-01

The quality of cast metal products depends on the capacity of the semi-solid metal to sustain the stresses generated during the casting. Predicting the evolution of these stresses with accuracy in the solidification interval should be highly helpful to avoid the formation of defects like hot tearing. This task is however very difficult because of the heterogeneous nature of the material. In this paper, we propose to evaluate the mechanical behaviour of a metal during solidification using a mesh generation technique of the heterogeneous semi-solid material for a finite element analysis at the microscopic level. This task is done on a two-dimensional (2D) domain in which the granular structure of the solid phase is generated surrounded by an intergranular and interdendritc liquid phase. Some basic solid grains are first constructed and projected in the 2D domain with random orientations and scale factors. Depending on their orientation, the basic grains are combined to produce larger grains or separated by a liquid film. Different basic grain shapes can produce different granular structures of the mushy zone. As a result, using this automatic grain generation procedure, we can investigate the effect of grain shapes and sizes on the thermo-mechanical behaviour of the semi-solid material. The granular models are automatically converted to the finite element meshes. The solid grains and the liquid phase are meshed properly using quadrilateral elements. This method has been used to simulate the microstructure of a binary aluminium-copper alloy (Al-5.8 wt% Cu) when the fraction solid is 0.92. Using the finite element method and the Mie-Grüneisen equation of state for the liquid phase, the transient mechanical behaviour of the mushy zone under tensile loading has been investigated. The stress distribution and the bridges, which are formed during the tensile loading, have been detected.

How anaesthesiologists understand difficult airway guidelines-an interview study.

PubMed

Knudsen, Kati; Pöder, Ulrika; Nilsson, Ulrica; Högman, Marieann; Larsson, Anders; Larsson, Jan

2017-11-01

In the practice of anaesthesia, clinical guidelines that aim to improve the safety of airway procedures have been developed. The aim of this study was to explore how anaesthesiologists understand or conceive of difficult airway management algorithms. A qualitative phenomenographic design was chosen to explore anaesthesiologists' views on airway algorithms. Anaesthesiologists working in three hospitals were included. Individual face-to-face interviews were conducted. Four different ways of understanding were identified, describing airway algorithms as: (A) a law-like rule for how to act in difficult airway situations; (B) a cognitive aid, an action plan for difficult airway situations; (C) a basis for developing flexible, personal action plans for the difficult airway; and (D) the experts' consensus, a set of scientifically based guidelines for handling the difficult airway. The interviewed anaesthesiologists understood difficult airway management guidelines/algorithms very differently.

Does my face FIT?: a face image task reveals structure and distortions of facial feature representation.

PubMed

Fuentes, Christina T; Runa, Catarina; Blanco, Xenxo Alvarez; Orvalho, Verónica; Haggard, Patrick

2013-01-01

Despite extensive research on face perception, few studies have investigated individuals' knowledge about the physical features of their own face. In this study, 50 participants indicated the location of key features of their own face, relative to an anchor point corresponding to the tip of the nose, and the results were compared to the true location of the same individual's features from a standardised photograph. Horizontal and vertical errors were analysed separately. An overall bias to underestimate vertical distances revealed a distorted face representation, with reduced face height. Factor analyses were used to identify separable subconfigurations of facial features with correlated localisation errors. Independent representations of upper and lower facial features emerged from the data pattern. The major source of variation across individuals was in representation of face shape, with a spectrum from tall/thin to short/wide representation. Visual identification of one's own face is excellent, and facial features are routinely used for establishing personal identity. However, our results show that spatial knowledge of one's own face is remarkably poor, suggesting that face representation may not contribute strongly to self-awareness.

How GPs implement clinical guidelines in everyday clinical practice--a qualitative interview study.

PubMed

Le, Jette V; Hansen, Helle P; Riisgaard, Helle; Lykkegaard, Jesper; Nexøe, Jørgen; Bro, Flemming; Søndergaard, Jens

2015-12-01

Clinical guidelines are considered to be essential for improving quality and safety of health care. However, interventions to promote implementation of guidelines have demonstrated only partial effectiveness and the reasons for this apparent failure are not yet fully understood. To investigate how GPs implement clinical guidelines in everyday clinical practice and how implementation approaches differ between practices. Individual semi-structured open-ended interviews with seven GPs who were purposefully sampled with regard to gender, age and practice form. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and then analysed using systematic text condensation. Analysis of the interviews revealed three different approaches to the implementation of guidelines in clinical practice. In some practices the GPs prioritized time and resources on collective implementation activities and organized their everyday practice to support these activities. In other practices GPs discussed guidelines collectively but left the application up to the individual GP whilst others again saw no need for discussion or collective activities depending entirely on the individual GP's decision on whether and how to manage implementation. Approaches to implementation of clinical guidelines vary substantially between practices. Supporting activities should take this into account. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Gathering time-series data for evaluating behavior-change campaigns in developing countries: reactivity of diaries and interviews.

PubMed

Tobias, Robert; Inauen, Jennifer

2010-10-01

Gathering time-series data of behaviors and psychological variables is important to understand, guide, and evaluate behavior-change campaigns and other change processes. However, repeated measurement can affect the phenomena investigated, particularly frequent face-to-face interviews, which are often the only option in developing countries. This article presents three intervention control studies to investigate this issue. Daily diaries in Cuba did not affect behavior or attitudes for persons with intervention but reduced attitudes for persons without intervention. Reactivity of face-to-face interviews in Bolivia was negligible if applied weekly, but strong if applied twice per week. The article concludes with recommendations for gathering time-series data in developing countries.

Online health information search and evaluation: observations and semi-structured interviews with college students and maternal health experts.

PubMed

Kim, Hyojin; Park, Sun-Young; Bozeman, Ingrid

2011-09-01

While the Internet is a popular source of health information, health seekers' inadequate skills to locate and discern quality information pose a potential threat to their healthcare decision-making. We aimed to examine health information search and appraisal behaviours among young, heavy users of the Internet. In study 1, we observed and interviewed 11 college students about their search strategies and evaluation of websites. In study 2, three health experts evaluated two websites selected as the best information sources in study 1. Familiarity with health websites and confidence in search strategies were major factors affecting search and evaluation behaviours. Website quality was mostly judged by aesthetics and peripheral cues of source credibility and message credibility. In contrast to users' favourable website evaluation, the experts judged the websites to be inappropriate and untrustworthy. Our results highlight a critical need to provide young health seekers with resources and training that are specifically geared toward health information search and appraisal. The role of health seekers' knowledge and involvement with the health issue in search effort and success warrants future research. © 2011 The authors. Health Information and Libraries Journal © 2011 Health Libraries Group.

Co-interviewing across gender and culture: expanding qualitative research methods in Melanesia.

PubMed

Redman-MacLaren, Michelle L; Api, Unia K; Darius, Matupit; Tommbe, Rachael; Mafile'o, Tracie A; MacLaren, David J

2014-09-06

The social and cultural positions of both researchers and research participants influence qualitative methods and study findings. In Papua New Guinea (PNG), as in other contexts, gender is a key organising characteristic and needs to be central to the design and conduct of research. The colonial history between researcher and participant is also critical to understanding potential power differences. This is particularly relevant to public health research, much of which has emerged from a positivist paradigm. This paper describes our critical reflection of flexible researcher responses enacted during qualitative research in PNG. Led by a senior male HIV researcher from PNG, a male from a PNG university and a female from an Australian university conducted qualitative interviews about faith-based responses to HIV in PNG. The two researchers planned to conduct one-on-one interviews matching gender of participants and interviewer. However, while conducting the study, four participants explicitly requested to be interviewed by both researchers. This experience led us to critically consider socially and culturally situated ways of understanding semi-structured interviewing for public health research in Melanesia. New understandings about public health research include: (i) a challenge to the convention that the researcher holds more power than the research participant, (ii) the importance of audience in Melanesia, (iii) cultural safety can be provided when two people co-interview and (iv) the effect an esteemed leader heading the research may have on people's willingness to participate. Researchers who occupy insider-outsider roles in PNG may provide participants new possibilities to communicate key ideas. Our recent experience has taught us public health research methods that are gender sensitive and culturally situated are pivotal to successful research in Melanesia. Qualitative research requires adaptability and reflexivity. Public health research methods must continue

Exploration of the impacts of distributed-site Research Experiences for Undergraduates using pre-/post- student interviews

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colella, H.; Hubenthal, M.; Brudzinski, M. R.

2013-12-01

The benefits for student participants of undergraduate research opportunities have been well documented. However, advancements in information and communications technologies (ICT) and cultural shifts around online education and virtual peer-to-peer interaction have lead to new models in which to structure such experiences. Currently, these ICT-enabled Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs connect geographically distributed interns in supportive e-learning communities while maintaining a traditional local mentoring arrangement. To document and explore the effects of distributed REU Sites in more depth, six interns from such a program, the Incorporated Research Institution for Seismology (IRIS) REU, were selected at random and asked to be interviewed about the REU experience. The primary targets of the interviews are to understand the mentor/mentee relationships, feeling of support and development and value of near-peer and far-peer relationships throughout their internship in a distributed REU program, and whether they receive the training necessary to gain confidence as a researcher. We also examine the various communication technologies as well as best practices and strategies that can increase intern connectedness. Pre-internship interviews were conducted in-person at the start of the centralized internship orientation week, while post-internship interviews were virtual (e.g. video chat with Skype or Google Hangout). These semi-structured interviews have full audio recordings and subsequent transcriptions. An additional, virtual follow-up interview will be conducted next spring after the interns have an opportunity to attend and present their research at a national conference (e.g., AGU). Interview material will be analyzed through a process of coding, sorting, local integration, and inclusive integration. Results will also be triangulated with pre- and post- survey data both from participants and other survey data from previous years of the IRIS

Native Americans in the Health Professions: Two Interviews.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westberg, Jane

1999-01-01

Interviews with Dr. Joseph Bell, president of the American Association of Indian Physicians (AAIP), and Wabanang Kuczek, physician assistant, discuss health-care services needed by Native people, AAIP efforts to recruit Indian students into medicine, links to traditional healing, key health issues facing Indian people, and career opportunities as…

Reflections on the mechanical structure of the base of the skull and on the face. Part 1: Classical theories, observed structures.

PubMed

Ferré, J C; Chevalier, C; Robert, R; Degrez, J; Le Cloarec, A Y; Legoux, R; Orio, E; Barbin, J Y

1989-01-01

Using thick sections of the base of the skull and face their mechanical structure is viewed from the engineering aspect and the anatomic solutions evolved are compared with those selected by Aerospatiale engineers for the concept and development of the Airbus. It is concluded that the anterior and middle cranial fossae, together with the face, constitute an inseparable mechanical assembly each of whose component units participate in the rigidity of the others. Since this mechanical assembly must provide maximal rigidity for minimal weight, this suggests that aeronautical solutions should throw much light on the detail of construction of the skull and face. Indeed, the rigidity and lightness of the latter are obtained by means of solutions familiar in aeronautics: the reliance on thin-shelled beams with a honeycomb filling, the diploe analogous to a preconstrained composite or sandwich structure, a system of frames, struts and stiffeners, and the use of fillets at the sites of junction of struts.

A Semi-Structured MODFLOW-USG Model to Evaluate Local Water Sources to Wells for Decision Support.

PubMed

Feinstein, Daniel T; Fienen, Michael N; Reeves, Howard W; Langevin, Christian D

2016-07-01

In order to better represent the configuration of the stream network and simulate local groundwater-surface water interactions, a version of MODFLOW with refined spacing in the topmost layer was applied to a Lake Michigan Basin (LMB) regional groundwater-flow model developed by the U.S. Geological. Regional MODFLOW models commonly use coarse grids over large areas; this coarse spacing precludes model application to local management issues (e.g., surface-water depletion by wells) without recourse to labor-intensive inset models. Implementation of an unstructured formulation within the MODFLOW framework (MODFLOW-USG) allows application of regional models to address local problems. A "semi-structured" approach (uniform lateral spacing within layers, different lateral spacing among layers) was tested using the LMB regional model. The parent 20-layer model with uniform 5000-foot (1524-m) lateral spacing was converted to 4 layers with 500-foot (152-m) spacing in the top glacial (Quaternary) layer, where surface water features are located, overlying coarser resolution layers representing deeper deposits. This semi-structured version of the LMB model reproduces regional flow conditions, whereas the finer resolution in the top layer improves the accuracy of the simulated response of surface water to shallow wells. One application of the semi-structured LMB model is to provide statistical measures of the correlation between modeled inputs and the simulated amount of water that wells derive from local surface water. The relations identified in this paper serve as the basis for metamodels to predict (with uncertainty) surface-water depletion in response to shallow pumping within and potentially beyond the modeled area, see Fienen et al. (2015a). Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

A qualitative evaluation of occupational therapy-led work rehabilitation for people with inflammatory arthritis: Perspectives of therapists and their line managers.

PubMed

Prior, Yeliz; Amanna, Evangeline A; Bodell, Sarah J; Hammond, Alison

2015-08-01

Occupational therapy-led work rehabilitation for employed people with inflammatory arthritis and work problems was piloted in five hospitals in the United Kingdom. This qualitative study explored the views of participating occupational therapists and their line managers about the work rehabilitation training received and conducting the intervention, with particular focus on the structured interview used, the Work Experience Survey - Rheumatic Conditions. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with occupational therapists ( n  = 9), followed by telephone interviews with their line managers ( n  = 2). Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed by three researchers to maximize validity. The main themes emerging from the occupational therapists' interviews were: varying levels of prior knowledge and experience of work rehabilitation, initial concerns about the feasibility of a lengthy work assessment in practice and increased confidence in delivering work rehabilitation as the study progressed. The line managers' interviews generated themes around the positive impact of the work rehabilitation training the occupational therapists received, and changes in their practice. The Work Experience Survey - Rheumatic Conditions was considered a good choice of work assessment which can be implemented in practice. Once therapists had provided the work intervention several times, their confidence and skills increased.

A qualitative evaluation of occupational therapy-led work rehabilitation for people with inflammatory arthritis: Perspectives of therapists and their line managers

PubMed Central

Amanna, Evangeline A; Bodell, Sarah J; Hammond, Alison

2015-01-01

Introduction Occupational therapy-led work rehabilitation for employed people with inflammatory arthritis and work problems was piloted in five hospitals in the United Kingdom. This qualitative study explored the views of participating occupational therapists and their line managers about the work rehabilitation training received and conducting the intervention, with particular focus on the structured interview used, the Work Experience Survey – Rheumatic Conditions. Method Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with occupational therapists (n = 9), followed by telephone interviews with their line managers (n = 2). Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed by three researchers to maximize validity. Results The main themes emerging from the occupational therapists’ interviews were: varying levels of prior knowledge and experience of work rehabilitation, initial concerns about the feasibility of a lengthy work assessment in practice and increased confidence in delivering work rehabilitation as the study progressed. The line managers’ interviews generated themes around the positive impact of the work rehabilitation training the occupational therapists received, and changes in their practice. Conclusion The Work Experience Survey – Rheumatic Conditions was considered a good choice of work assessment which can be implemented in practice. Once therapists had provided the work intervention several times, their confidence and skills increased. PMID:26321786

The impossible interview with the man of the hidden biological structures. Interview by Paolo Mazzarello.

PubMed

Golgi, Camillo

2006-12-01

This paper presents an "impossible interview" to Professor Camillo Golgi, placed in time in December 1906. The Italian Professor Golgi from Pavia has been awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine ex aequo with the Spanish anatomist Santiago Ramón y Cajal. Both scientists have obtained the award for their work on the anatomy of the nervous system. However, they have opposite views on the mechanisms underlying nervous functions. Golgi believes that the axons stained by his "black reaction" form a continuous anatomical or functional network along which nervous impulses propagate. Ramón y Cajal is the paladin of the neuron theory, a hypothesis questioned by Golgi in his Nobel lecture of Tuesday, December 11. After the ceremony, an independent journalist has interviewed Professor Golgi in the Grand Hotel in Stockholm. Excerpts about his education, his main scientific discoveries, and his personal life are here given (reconstructing the "impossible interview" on the basis of Golgi's original writings).

Hospital agenda to prioritize. Interview by Donald E. Johnson..

PubMed

Forsyth, J D

1991-09-01

How does a teaching hospital balance the needs of patient care with its educational mission? What changes in focus must the CEO make to accommodate reductions in federal funding while maintaining academic excellence? In the following interview with Health Care Strategic Management's Donald E. L. Johnson, John D. Forsyth, executive director of the University of Michigan Hospitals, discusses the challenges facing his institution. The interview focuses on many topics including setting priorities, funding researchers and countering any "anti-science" perceptions.

Computer-mediated and face-to-face communication in metastatic cancer support groups.

PubMed

Vilhauer, Ruvanee P

2014-08-01

To compare the experiences of women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in computer-mediated and face-to-face support groups. Interviews from 18 women with MBC, who were currently in computer-mediated support groups (CMSGs), were examined using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The CMSGs were in an asynchronous mailing list format; women communicated exclusively via email. All the women were also, or had previously been, in a face-to-face support group (FTFG). CMSGs had both advantages and drawbacks, relative to face-to-face groups (FTFGs), for this population. Themes examined included convenience, level of support, intimacy, ease of expression, range of information, and dealing with debilitation and dying. CMSGs may provide a sense of control and a greater level of support. Intimacy may take longer to develop in a CMSG, but women may have more opportunities to get to know each other. CMSGs may be helpful while adjusting to a diagnosis of MBC, because women can receive support without being overwhelmed by physical evidence of disability in others or exposure to discussions about dying before they are ready. However, the absence of nonverbal cues in CMSGs also led to avoidance of topics related to death and dying when women were ready to face them. Agendas for discussion, the presence of a facilitator or more time in CMSGs may attenuate this problem. The findings were discussed in light of prevailing research and theories about computer-mediated communication. They have implications for designing CMSGs for this population.

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

Community-Based Participatory Research Conceptual Model: Community Partner Consultation and Face Validity.

PubMed

Belone, Lorenda; Lucero, Julie E; Duran, Bonnie; Tafoya, Greg; Baker, Elizabeth A; Chan, Domin; Chang, Charlotte; Greene-Moton, Ella; Kelley, Michele A; Wallerstein, Nina

2016-01-01

A national community-based participatory research (CBPR) team developed a conceptual model of CBPR partnerships to understand the contribution of partnership processes to improved community capacity and health outcomes. With the model primarily developed through academic literature and expert consensus building, we sought community input to assess face validity and acceptability. Our research team conducted semi-structured focus groups with six partnerships nationwide. Participants validated and expanded on existing model constructs and identified new constructs based on "real-world" praxis, resulting in a revised model. Four cross-cutting constructs were identified: trust development, capacity, mutual learning, and power dynamics. By empirically testing the model, we found community face validity and capacity to adapt the model to diverse contexts. We recommend partnerships use and adapt the CBPR model and its constructs, for collective reflection and evaluation, to enhance their partnering practices and achieve their health and research goals. © The Author(s) 2014.

Future Schools: Blending Face-to-Face and Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schorr, Jonathan; McGriff, Deborah

2012-01-01

"Hybrid schools" are schools that combine "face-to-face" education in a specific place with online instruction. In this article, the authors describe school models which offer a vision for what deeply integrated technology can mean for children's education, for the way schools are structured, and for the promise of greater…

How anaesthesiologists understand difficult airway guidelines—an interview study

PubMed Central

Knudsen, Kati; Nilsson, Ulrica; Larsson, Anders; Larsson, Jan

2017-01-01

Background In the practice of anaesthesia, clinical guidelines that aim to improve the safety of airway procedures have been developed. The aim of this study was to explore how anaesthesiologists understand or conceive of difficult airway management algorithms. Methods A qualitative phenomenographic design was chosen to explore anaesthesiologists’ views on airway algorithms. Anaesthesiologists working in three hospitals were included. Individual face-to-face interviews were conducted. Results Four different ways of understanding were identified, describing airway algorithms as: (A) a law-like rule for how to act in difficult airway situations; (B) a cognitive aid, an action plan for difficult airway situations; (C) a basis for developing flexible, personal action plans for the difficult airway; and (D) the experts’ consensus, a set of scientifically based guidelines for handling the difficult airway. Conclusions The interviewed anaesthesiologists understood difficult airway management guidelines/algorithms very differently. PMID:29299973

Experiences of a Motivational Interview Delivered by a Robot: Qualitative Study.

PubMed

Galvão Gomes da Silva, Joana; Kavanagh, David J; Belpaeme, Tony; Taylor, Lloyd; Beeson, Konna; Andrade, Jackie

2018-05-03

Motivational interviewing is an effective intervention for supporting behavior change but traditionally depends on face-to-face dialogue with a human counselor. This study addressed a key challenge for the goal of developing social robotic motivational interviewers: creating an interview protocol, within the constraints of current artificial intelligence, which participants will find engaging and helpful. The aim of this study was to explore participants' qualitative experiences of a motivational interview delivered by a social robot, including their evaluation of usability of the robot during the interaction and its impact on their motivation. NAO robots are humanoid, child-sized social robots. We programmed a NAO robot with Choregraphe software to deliver a scripted motivational interview focused on increasing physical activity. The interview was designed to be comprehensible even without an empathetic response from the robot. Robot breathing and face-tracking functions were used to give an impression of attentiveness. A total of 20 participants took part in the robot-delivered motivational interview and evaluated it after 1 week by responding to a series of written open-ended questions. Each participant was left alone to speak aloud with the robot, advancing through a series of questions by tapping the robot's head sensor. Evaluations were content-analyzed utilizing Boyatzis' steps: (1) sampling and design, (2) developing themes and codes, and (3) validating and applying the codes. Themes focused on interaction with the robot, motivation, change in physical activity, and overall evaluation of the intervention. Participants found the instructions clear and the navigation easy to use. Most enjoyed the interaction but also found it was restricted by the lack of individualized response from the robot. Many positively appraised the nonjudgmental aspect of the interview and how it gave space to articulate their motivation for change. Some participants felt that the

Small-Scale Farming in Semi-Arid Areas: Livelihood Dynamics between 1997 and 2010 in Laikipia, Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ulrich, Anne; Speranza, Chinwe Ifejika; Roden, Paul; Kiteme, Boniface; Wiesmann, Urs; Nusser, Marcus

2012-01-01

The rural population of semi-arid lands in Kenya face multiple challenges that result from population growth, poor markets, land use and climatic changes. In particular, subsistence oriented farmers face various risks and opportunities in their attempt to secure their livelihoods. This paper presents an analysis on how livelihood assets and…

Structures and ice-binding faces of the alanine-rich type I antifreeze proteins.

PubMed

Patel, Shruti N; Graether, Steffen P

2010-04-01

Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) protect cold-blooded organisms from the damage caused by freezing through their ability to inhibit ice growth. The type I AFP family, found in several fish species, contains proteins that have a high alanine content (>60% of the sequence) and structures that are almost all alpha-helical. We examine the structure of the type I AFP isoforms HPLC6 from winter flounder, shorthorn sculpin 3, and the winter flounder hyperactive type I AFP. The HPLC6 isoform structure consists of a single alpha-helix that is 37 residues long, whereas the shorthorn sculpin 3 isoform consists of two helical regions separated by a kink. The high-resolution structure of the hyperactive type I AFP has yet to be determined, but circular dichroism data and analytical ultracentrifugation suggest that the 195 residue protein is a side-by-side dimer of two alpha-helices. The alanine-rich ice-binding faces of HPLC6 and hyperactive type I AFP are discussed, and we propose that the ice-binding face of the shorthorn sculpin 3 AFP contains Ala14, Ala19, and Ala25. We also propose that the denaturation of hyperactive type I AFP at room temperature is explained by the stabilization of the dimerization interface through hydrogen bonds.

Divergent personality structures of brown (Sapajus apella) and white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus).

PubMed

Robinson, Lauren M; Morton, F Blake; Gartner, Marieke C; Widness, Jane; Paukner, Annika; Essler, Jennifer L; Brosnan, Sarah F; Weiss, Alexander

2016-11-01

One way to gain insights into personality evolution is by comparing the personality structures of related species. We compared the personality structure of 240 wild white-faced capuchin monkeys to the personality structure of 100 captive brown capuchin monkeys. An ancillary goal was to test the degree to which different personality questionnaires yielded similar personality dimensions. Both species were rated on a common set of 26 antonym pairs. The brown capuchin monkeys were also rated on the 54-item Hominoid Personality Questionnaire. Our cross-species comparisons revealed 3 personality dimensions-Assertiveness, Openness, and Neuroticism-shared by brown and white-faced capuchins, suggesting that these dimensions were present in the common ancestor of these species. Our comparison of the dimensions derived from the antonym pairs and the Hominoid Personality Questionnaire revealed that three common dimensions were identified by both questionnaires. In addition, the dimension Attentiveness was only identified using the Hominoid Personality Questionnaire. These results indicate that major features of capuchin personality are conserved and that the structure of some traits, such as those related to focus, persistence, and attention, diverged. Further work is needed to identify the evolutionary bases that led to the conservation of some dimensions but not others. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

76 FR 4700 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-26

.... Questions vary by respondent type. 5. Post-training semi-structured interview--The purpose of this interview.... Questions vary by respondent type. 6. Post-implementation semi-structured interview--The purpose of this... in this interview. Questions do not vary by respondent type. Estimated Annual Respondent Burden...

Seismic Response Control Of Structures Using Semi-Active and Passive Variable Stiffness Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salem, Mohamed M. A.

Controllable devices such as Magneto-Rheological Fluid Dampers, Electro-Rheological Dampers, and controllable friction devices have been studied extensively with limited implementation in real structures. Such devices have shown great potential in reducing seismic demands, either as smart base isolation systems, or as smart devices for multistory structures. Although variable stiffness devices can be used for seismic control of structures, the vast majority of research effort has been given to the control of damping. The primary focus of this dissertation is to evaluate the seismic control of structures using semi-active and passive variable stiffness characteristics. Smart base isolation systems employing variable stiffness devices have been studied, and two semi-active control strategies are proposed. The control algorithms were designed to reduce the superstructure and base accelerations of seismically isolated structures subject to near-fault and far-field ground motions. Computational simulations of the proposed control algorithms on the benchmark structure have shown that excessive base displacements associated with the near-fault ground motions may be better mitigated with the use of variable stiffness devices. However, the device properties must be controllable to produce a wide range of stiffness changes for an effective control of the base displacements. The potential of controllable stiffness devices in limiting the base displacement due to near-fault excitation without compromising the performance of conventionally isolated structures, is illustrated. The application of passive variable stiffness devices for seismic response mitigation of multistory structures is also investigated. A stiffening bracing system (SBS) is proposed to replace the conventional bracing systems of braced frames. An optimization process for the SBS parameters has been developed. The main objective of the design process is to maintain a uniform inter-story drift angle over the

Developing a short version of the Toronto Structured Interview for Alexithymia using item response theory.

PubMed

Sekely, Angela; Taylor, Graeme J; Bagby, R Michael

2018-03-17

The Toronto Structured Interview for Alexithymia (TSIA) was developed to provide a structured interview method for assessing alexithymia. One drawback of this instrument is the amount of time it takes to administer and score. The current study used item response theory (IRT) methods to analyze data from a large heterogeneous multi-language sample (N = 842) to investigate whether a subset of items could be selected to create a short version of the instrument. Samejima's (1969) graded response model was used to fit the item responses. Items providing maximum information were retained in the short model, resulting in the elimination of 12-items from the original 24-items. Despite the 50% reduction in the number of items, 65.22% of the information was retained. Further studies are needed to validate the short version. A short version of the TSIA is potentially of practical value to clinicians and researchers with time constraints. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Perception of Sexual Orientation from Facial Structure: A Study with Artificial Face Models.

PubMed

González-Álvarez, Julio

2017-07-01

Research has shown that lay people can perceive sexual orientation better than chance from face stimuli. However, the relation between facial structure and sexual orientation has been scarcely examined. Recently, an extensive morphometric study on a large sample of Canadian people (Skorska, Geniole, Vrysen, McCormick, & Bogaert, 2015) identified three (in men) and four (in women) facial features as unique multivariate predictors of sexual orientation in each sex group. The present study tested the perceptual validity of these facial traits with two experiments based on realistic artificial 3D face models created by manipulating the key parameters and presented to Spanish participants. Experiment 1 included 200 White and Black face models of both sexes. The results showed an overall accuracy (0.74) clearly above chance in a binary hetero/homosexual judgment task and significant differences depending on the race and sex of the face models. Experiment 2 produced five versions of 24 artificial faces of both sexes varying the key parameters in equal steps, and participants had to rate on a 1-7 scale how likely they thought that the depicted person had a homosexual sexual orientation. Rating scores displayed an almost perfect linear regression as a function of the parameter steps. In summary, both experiments demonstrated the perceptual validity of the seven multivariate predictors identified by Skorska et al. and open up new avenues for further research on this issue with artificial face models.

Interview with faz chowdhury.

PubMed

Chowdhury, Faz

2014-06-01

Faz Chowdhury is the Chief Executive Officer of Nemaura Pharma (Loughborough, UK), a pharmaceutical drug-delivery company developing patented formulation technologies alongside transdermal systems. Having originally trained as a pharmaceutical scientist, Dr Chowdhury received his PhD in Nanomedicine from the University of Oxford (Oxford, UK). With recognized expertise in the pharmaceutical industry and the holder of more than 15 patents on drug-delivery systems, Dr Chowdhury discussed the challenges faced in microneedle-based drug delivery, an area widely expected to revolutionize the transdermal field over the coming years. Interview conducted by James Potticary, Commissioning Editor.

'My pain was stronger than my happiness': experiences of caesarean births from Lebanon.

PubMed

Kabakian-Khasholian, Tamar

2013-11-01

the rising trends in caesarean section have been partially attributed to women's requests. Many studies in developed and very few in developing countries have attempted to understand this phenomenon. This qualitative study explores experiences of women having caesarean section on demand in a middle-income country with a private health-care system. an inductive qualitative design, using face-to-face semi-structured interviews. women were identified and recruited through a perinatal database and selected obstetricians' clinics in the Greater Beirut area in Lebanon. a purposive sample of women who had a caesarean childbirth within the four months preceding the interview, were visited for an interview at home using a semi-structured interview guide. Thematic content analysis was conducted on a sub-sample of 22 women who requested a caesarean birth. lack of information about caesarean sections fosters women's fear from labour pain and acts as the main impetus for women to consider caesareans as the pain free alternative. Findings reveal health-care providers' role in reinforcing beliefs about caesarean sections being the way for pain free deliveries by overestimating the safety of the procedure and disregarding postpartum health issues. caesarean birth is presented to women as a safe option for 'pain free' childbirth. This needs to be considered within the cultural context of understanding safety and pain as well as the dynamics of power in maternity care. Health-care professionals need to explore these dimensions and promote women's informed choice as well as encouraging the normality of birth. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The relationship between psychiatric morbidity and quality of life: interview study of Norwegian tsunami survivors 2 and 6 years post-disaster.

PubMed

Hussain, Ajmal; Nygaard, Egil; Siqveland, Johan; Heir, Trond

2016-05-31

The study investigated the impact of psychiatric disorders on Quality of Life (QOL) cross-sectionally and longitudinally in a group of Norwegian tourists severely exposed to the 2004 tsunami. Sixty-two adult Norwegian tsunami survivors were interviewed face to face 2 years post-tsunami (T1) and 58 were interviewed again by telephone 6 years post-tsunami (T2). The majority (81 %) reported direct exposure to the waves, and 14 participants (23 %) lost a close family member in the tsunami. Psychiatric morbidity was measured by structured clinical interviews and QOL was assessed with WHO's Quality of Life-Bref scale. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to assess the independent effects of psychiatric disorders on QOL 2 and 6 years after the tsunami. Psychiatric disorders, especially depression, but also PTSD and other anxiety disorders, were associated with reduced QOL. Psychiatric disorders were more strongly related to QOL at 6 years after the tsunami than at 2 years. Psychiatric disorders, and especially depression, is related to reduced QOL in a disaster exposed population. Post-disaster psychiatric disorders, such as PTSD and especially depression, should be addressed properly in the aftermath of disasters.

Perceptions of Empowerment Within and Across Partnerships in Community-Based Participatory Research: A Dyadic Interview Analysis.

PubMed

Paradiso de Sayu, Rebecca; Chanmugam, Amy

2016-01-01

Although the concept of empowerment is a key principle of community-based participatory research (CBPR), little is known about how academic and community partners perceive empowerment during a CBPR process. CBPR partners' perceptions of the process were explored using semi-structured interviews with both partners in 10 CBPR partnerships that had completed projects addressing social determinants of health. Dyadic interview analysis was employed to understand dynamics within and across partnerships. Five partnerships showed no differences in perceptions of empowerment. Four had minor discrepancies. Only one partnership varied considerably between partners, where the community partner perceived less empowerment regarding determining the study topic and overall control, influence, and respect throughout the process. This article discusses implications of findings for CBPR. Evaluating partners' perceived empowerment throughout a CBPR project might reveal areas to adjust, as not all projects with quantifiably successful outcomes involve processes that are successful in terms of empowerment. © The Author(s) 2015.

VIEW OF SEMIDISMANTLED HOPPER CAR ON THE ORE TRESTLE FACING ...

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

VIEW OF SEMI-DISMANTLED HOPPER CAR ON THE ORE TRESTLE FACING NORTHWEST WITH OPEN HEARTH BUILDING IN THE BACKGROUND AND THE INGOT MOLD CONDITIONING BUILDING TO THE RIGHT. - Pittsburgh Steel Company, Monessen Works, Open Hearth Plant, Donner Avenue, Monessen, Westmoreland County, PA

Pragmatic, consensus-based minimum standards and structured interview to guide the selection and development of cancer support group leaders: a protocol paper

PubMed Central

Schofield, Penelope; Xhilaga, Miranda; Gough, Karla

2017-01-01

Introduction Across the globe, peer support groups have emerged as a community-led approach to accessing support and connecting with others with cancer experiences. Little is known about qualities required to lead a peer support group or how to determine suitability for the role. Organisations providing assistance to cancer support groups and their leaders are currently operating independently, without a standard national framework or published guidelines. This protocol describes the methods that will be used to generate pragmatic consensus-based minimum standards and an accessible structured interview with user manual to guide the selection and development of cancer support group leaders. Methods and analysis We will: (A) identify and collate peer-reviewed literature that describes qualities of support group leaders through a systematic review; (B) content analyse eligible documents for information relevant to requisite knowledge, skills and attributes of group leaders generally and specifically to cancer support groups; (C) use an online reactive Delphi method with an interdisciplinary panel of experts to produce a clear, suitable, relevant and appropriate structured interview comprising a set of agreed questions with behaviourally anchored rating scales; (D) produce a user manual to facilitate standard delivery of the structured interview; (E) pilot the structured interview to improve clinical utility; and (F) field test the structured interview to develop a rational scoring model and provide a summary of existing group leader qualities. Ethics and dissemination The study is approved by the Department Human Ethics Advisory Group of The University of Melbourne. The study is based on voluntary participation and informed written consent, with participants able to withdraw at any time. The results will be disseminated at research conferences and peer review journals. Presentations and free access to the developed structured interview and user manual will be

Methodological and ethical issues related to qualitative telephone interviews on sensitive topics.

PubMed

Mealer, Meredith; Jones Rn, Jacqueline

2014-03-01

To explore the methodological and ethical issues of conducting qualitative telephone interviews about personal or professional trauma with critical care nurses. The most common method for conducting interviews is face-to-face. However, there is evidence to support telephone interviewing on a variety of sensitive topics including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Qualitative telephone interviews can limit emotional distress because of the comfort experienced through virtual communication. Critical care nurses are at increased risk of developing PTSD due to the cumulative exposure to work-related stress in the intensive care unit. We explored the methodological and ethical issues of conducting qualitative telephone interviews, drawing on our experiences communicating with a group of critical care nurses. Qualitative research interviews with 27 critical care nurses. Fourteen of the nurses met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD; 13 did not and had scores consistent with high levels of resilience. This is a methodology paper on the authors' experiences of interviewing critical care nurses on sensitive topics via the telephone. The authors found that establishing rapport and connections with the participants and the therapeutic use of non-verbal communication were essential, and fostered trust and compassion. The ethical issues of this mode of communication include protecting the privacy and confidentiality associated with the disclosure of sensitive information, and minimising the risk of psychological harm to the researcher and participants. Qualitative telephone interviews are a valuable method of collecting information on sensitive topics. This paper explores a method of interviewing in the workplace. It will help inform interventions to promote healthy adaptation following trauma exposure in the intensive care unit.

An Analysis of Knowledge Structure, Diversity and Diagnostic Abilities among Pre-Service Science Teachers within the Domain of Oxidation and Reduction Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bischoff, Paul J.; Avery, Leanne; Golden, Constance Feldt; French, Paul

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the development of preservice science teachers' knowledge structures in the domain of oxidation and reduction chemistry. Knowledge structures were elicited through video-recorded semi-structured interviews before and after the unit of instruction, and analyzed using a visual flow map representation.…

Structural encoding processes contribute to individual differences in face and object cognition: Inferences from psychometric test performance and event-related brain potentials.

PubMed

Nowparast Rostami, Hadiseh; Sommer, Werner; Zhou, Changsong; Wilhelm, Oliver; Hildebrandt, Andrea

2017-10-01

The enhanced N1 component in event-related potentials (ERP) to face stimuli, termed N170, is considered to indicate the structural encoding of faces. Previously, individual differences in the latency of the N170 have been related to face and object cognition abilities. By orthogonally manipulating content domain (faces vs objects) and task demands (easy/speed vs difficult/accuracy) in both psychometric and EEG tasks, we investigated the uniqueness of the processes underlying face cognition as compared with object cognition and the extent to which the N1/N170 component can explain individual differences in face and object cognition abilities. Data were recorded from N = 198 healthy young adults. Structural equation modeling (SEM) confirmed that the accuracies of face perception (FP) and memory are specific abilities above general object cognition; in contrast, the speed of face processing was not differentiable from the speed of object cognition. Although there was considerable domain-general variance in the N170 shared with the N1, there was significant face-specific variance in the N170. The brain-behavior relationship showed that faster face-specific processes for structural encoding of faces are associated with higher accuracy in both perceiving and memorizing faces. Moreover, in difficult task conditions, qualitatively different processes are additionally needed for recognizing face and object stimuli as compared with easy tasks. The difficulty-dependent variance components in the N170 amplitude were related with both face and object memory (OM) performance. We discuss implications for understanding individual differences in face cognition. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Social workers' role in tempering inequality in healthcare in hospitals and clinics: a study in Israel.

PubMed

Baum, Nehami; Shalit, Hani; Kum, Yishay; Tal, Malka

2016-09-01

The paper presents an empirical examination of the role social workers play in tempering inequality in medical care. Data were collected in 2011 through face-to-face, semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 60 social workers employed in hospitals and clinics in Israel and selected through purposive sampling. The interviews probed the social workers' perceptions of the scope, causes and manifestations of inequality in health and healthcare and the actions they took to ameliorate it. The interviews were analysed using grounded theory. The findings show that all the social workers were acutely aware of the inequalities in their places of work, regarded reducing the inequalities as a major part of their role and made efforts to do so. They facilitated communication between doctors and patients of low socioeconomic status and advocated for such patients with medical staff and administration, as well as with the country's medical and social welfare bureaucracies. The paper details the means they used and the challenges they faced. The study highlights the important role that social workers play in reducing inequality in healthcare. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Undergraduate Social Work Students: Learning Interviewing Skills in a Hybrid Practice Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barclay, Barbara

2012-01-01

This action research case study explored undergraduate social work students' perceived learning of interviewing skills in a hybrid environment course delivery. The single case study consisted of 19 students enrolled in a practice course blending web-based and face-to-face (f2f) meetings (4 of 15 f2f) within a large urban college. As part of…

Women deans' perceptions of the gender gap in American medical deanships.

PubMed

Humberstone, Elizabeth

2017-01-01

: Women account for 16% of deans of American medical schools. To investigate this gender gap, female deans were interviewed about the barriers facing women advancing toward deanships. The author conducted semi-structured interviews with eight women deans. Interviews were analyzed using provisional coding and sub coding techniques. Four main themes emerged during the interviews: (1) the role of relationships in personal and career development, (2) leadership challenges, (3) barriers between women and leadership advancement, and (4) recommendations for improvement. Recommendations included allocating resources, mentorship, career flexibility, faculty development, updating the criteria for deanships, and restructuring search committees. The barriers identified by the deans are similar to those found in previous studies on female faculty and department chairs, suggesting limited improvement in gender equity progress.

Decision Accuracy in Computer-Mediated versus Face-to-Face Decision-Making Teams.

PubMed

Hedlund; Ilgen; Hollenbeck

1998-10-01

Changes in the way organizations are structured and advances in communication technologies are two factors that have altered the conditions under which group decisions are made. Decisions are increasingly made by teams that have a hierarchical structure and whose members have different areas of expertise. In addition, many decisions are no longer made via strictly face-to-face interaction. The present study examines the effects of two modes of communication (face-to-face or computer-mediated) on the accuracy of teams' decisions. The teams are characterized by a hierarchical structure and their members differ in expertise consistent with the framework outlined in the Multilevel Theory of team decision making presented by Hollenbeck, Ilgen, Sego, Hedlund, Major, and Phillips (1995). Sixty-four four-person teams worked for 3 h on a computer simulation interacting either face-to-face (FtF) or over a computer network. The communication mode had mixed effects on team processes in that members of FtF teams were better informed and made recommendations that were more predictive of the correct team decision, but leaders of CM teams were better able to differentiate staff members on the quality of their decisions. Controlling for the negative impact of FtF communication on staff member differentiation increased the beneficial effect of the FtF mode on overall decision making accuracy. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

Are Leadership and Management Essential for Good Research? An Interview Study of Genetic Researchers

PubMed Central

Antes, Alison L.; Mart, Adelina; DuBois, James M.

2016-01-01

Principal investigators are responsible for a myriad of leadership and management activities in their work. The practices they employ to navigate these responsibilities ultimately influence the quality and integrity of research. However, leadership and management roles in research have received scant empirical examination. Semi-structured interviews with 32 National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded genetic researchers revealed that they considered leadership and management essential for effective research, but their scientific training inadequately prepared them. We also report management practices that the researchers described employing in their labs, as well as their perceptions of a proposed intervention to enhance laboratory leadership. These findings suggest best practices for the research community, future directions for scientific training, and implications for research on leadership and management in science. PMID:27646401

Are Leadership and Management Essential for Good Research? An Interview Study of Genetic Researchers.

PubMed

Antes, Alison L; Mart, Adelina; DuBois, James M

2016-12-01

Principal investigators are responsible for a myriad of leadership and management activities in their work. The practices they use to navigate these responsibilities ultimately influence the quality and integrity of research. However, leadership and management roles in research have received scant empirical examination. Semi-structured interviews with 32 National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded genetic researchers revealed that they considered leadership and management essential for effective research, but their scientific training inadequately prepared them. We also report management practices that the researchers described using in their labs, as well as their perceptions of a proposed intervention to enhance laboratory leadership. These findings suggest best practices for the research community, future directions for scientific training, and implications for research on leadership and management in science.

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…

How 'blended' is blended learning?: students' perceptions of issues around the integration of online and face-to-face learning in a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) health care context.

PubMed

Glogowska, Margaret; Young, Pat; Lockyer, Lesley; Moule, Pam

2011-11-01

This paper explores students' perceptions of blended learning modules delivered in a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) health care context in the UK. 'Blended learning' is the term used to describe a hybrid model of learning where traditional face-to-face teaching approaches and newer electronic learning activities and resources are utilised together. A new model of CPD for health care practitioners based on a blended learning approach was developed at a university in the south west of England. As part of the evaluation of the new modules, a qualitative study was conducted, in which 17 students who had experienced the modules were interviewed by telephone. Three main themes emerged from the interviews relating to the 'blended' nature of the blended learning modules. These were i) issues around the opportunities for discussion of online materials face-to-face; ii) issues of what material should be online versus face-to-face and iii) balancing online and face-to-face components. Teaching staff engaged in the development of blended learning courses need to pay particular attention to the ways in which they develop and integrate online and face-to-face materials. More attention needs to be paid to allowing opportunity for students to come together to create a 'community of inquiry'. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploring behavioural determinants relating to health professional reporting of medication errors: a qualitative study using the Theoretical Domains Framework.

PubMed

Alqubaisi, Mai; Tonna, Antonella; Strath, Alison; Stewart, Derek

2016-07-01

Effective and efficient medication reporting processes are essential in promoting patient safety. Few qualitative studies have explored reporting of medication errors by health professionals, and none have made reference to behavioural theories. The objective was to describe and understand the behavioural determinants of health professional reporting of medication errors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This was a qualitative study comprising face-to-face, semi-structured interviews within three major medical/surgical hospitals of Abu Dhabi, the UAE. Health professionals were sampled purposively in strata of profession and years of experience. The semi-structured interview schedule focused on behavioural determinants around medication error reporting, facilitators, barriers and experiences. The Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF; a framework of theories of behaviour change) was used as a coding framework. Ethical approval was obtained from a UK university and all participating hospital ethics committees. Data saturation was achieved after interviewing ten nurses, ten pharmacists and nine physicians. Whilst it appeared that patient safety and organisational improvement goals and intentions were behavioural determinants which facilitated reporting, there were key determinants which deterred reporting. These included the beliefs of the consequences of reporting (lack of any feedback following reporting and impacting professional reputation, relationships and career progression), emotions (fear and worry) and issues related to the environmental context (time taken to report). These key behavioural determinants which negatively impact error reporting can facilitate the development of an intervention, centring on organisational safety and reporting culture, to enhance reporting effectiveness and efficiency.

Non-structural origins of asymmetric topography in semi-arid environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richardson, P. W.; Perron, T.; Miller, S. R.

2012-12-01

Geoscientists have long noted that landscapes in some regions have pole-facing slopes that are steeper than equator-facing slopes. In some cases, the asymmetry has a simple structural cause, such as slopes that form parallel to bedrock strata, but in others, the absence of obvious structural controls and the consistent pole-equator orientation of the asymmetry suggest that different microclimates on opposing slopes may be the cause. Compelling as the microclimatic correlation may be, it has not been demonstrated how microclimatic effects can influence long-term landscape evolution sufficiently to generate asymmetric topography. Two conflicting hypotheses that depend on microclimates have been proposed. In one hypothesis, a microclimate-induced contrast in the efficiency of erosion processes, such as channel incision, creates a difference in erosion rates on opposing slopes that drives drainage divide migration until the slope asymmetry compensates for the difference in erosional efficiency. In the other, more popular hypothesis, the asymmetric erosional efficiency is not a sufficient condition. Instead, faster sediment aggradation at the foot of more efficiently eroding slopes forces axial streams to undercut the opposing slopes, eventually creating an asymmetry in steepness. We seek to determine whether undercutting is a necessary mechanism, and focus our efforts on understanding the mechanisms responsible for the topographic asymmetry at Gabilan Mesa, CA, a landscape with a high degree of asymmetry and a simple underlying lithology. We investigate the long-term topographic consequences of these mechanisms with a landscape evolution model. In the first set of model experiments, we explore the effects of aspect-dependent differences in the efficiency of soil creep, the magnitude of a channel incision threshold, and runoff production. The second model experiment includes undercutting of slopes in response to lateral base level migration. We examined which mechanism

A Swedish interview study: parents' assessment of risks in home births.

PubMed

Lindgren, Helena; Hildingsson, Ingegerd; Rådestad, Ingela

2006-03-01

to describe home-birth risk assessment by parents. interviews using a semi-structured interview guide. Data were analysed using a phenomenological approach. independent midwifery practices in Sweden. five couples who had had planned home births. the parents had a fundamental trust that the birth would take place without complications, and they experienced meaningfulness in the event itself. Risks were considered to be part of a complex phenomenon that was not limited to births at home. This attitude seems to be part of a lifestyle that has a bearing on how risks experienced during the birth were handled. Five categories were identified as counterbalancing the risk of possible complications: (1) trust in the woman's ability to give birth; (2) trust in intuition; (3) confidence in the midwife; (4) confidence in the relationship; and (5) physical and intellectual preparation. although the parents were conscious of the risk of complications during childbirth, a fundamental trust in the woman's independent ability to give birth was central to the decision to choose a home birth. Importance was attached to the expected positive effects of having the birth at home. knowledge of parents' assessment can promote an increased understanding of how parents-to-be experience the risks associated with home birth.

Prevalence of Fatigue and Associated Factors in a Spinal Cord Injury Population: Data from an Internet-Based and Face-to-Face Surveys.

PubMed

Cudeiro-Blanco, Javier; Onate-Figuérez, Ana; Soto-León, Vanesa; Avendaño-Coy, Juan; Mordillo-Mateos, Laura; Brocalero-Camacho, Angela; Esclarin-Ruz, Ana; Rotondi, Mario; Aguilar, Juan; Arias, Pablo; Oliviero, Antonio

2017-08-01

Fatigue has a profound impact on patients with spinal cord injury (SCI), but only limited treatments are available. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of fatigue in SCI and its association with clinical and demographic factors. We used an internet-based survey and a face-to-face interview to estimate the prevalence of fatigue in a SCI population. Fatigue was measured using the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). Clinically significant fatigue was defined as FSS scores greater than or equal to four. A total of 253 participants with SCI were included in the study. Clinically significant fatigue was present in one third of our sample. There was no relationship between fatigue and injury level or completeness. We found significant correlations between depression, pain, and level of injury. The relation of fatigue with completeness of injury and spasticity is less clear. Moreover, the online survey and the standard face-to-face interview showed similar results concerning fatigue evaluation. Several factors may contribute to fatigue, however. Future studies should be conducted to clarify which are the most relevant ones and, if possible, to determine which factors are modifiable.

Treatment fidelity of motivational interviewing delivered by a school nurse to increase girls' physical activity.

PubMed

Robbins, Lorraine B; Pfeiffer, Karin A; Maier, Kimberly S; Ladrig, Stacey M; Berg-Smith, Steven Malcolm

2012-02-01

Motivational interviewing, which involves the use of person-centered, directive counseling techniques, shows promise for changing adolescent behaviors. The purpose of this article was to describe the methodology and findings related to the treatment fidelity of three face-to-face motivational interviewing sessions involving middle school girls and a school nurse to help the girls increase their moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The following four areas related to treatment fidelity were addressed: (a) study design, (b) training of interventionists, (c) intervention delivery, and (d) intervention receipt. Findings showed that 34 of 37 (91.9%) girls completed all three sessions. An initial motivational interviewing training workshop followed by evaluation of audiotaped sessions with constructive feedback can result in successful and consistent delivery by a school nurse.

Methods to increase reporting of childhood sexual abuse in surveys: the sensitivity and specificity of face-to-face interviews versus a sealed envelope method in Ugandan primary school children.

PubMed

Barr, Anna Louise; Knight, Louise; Franҫa-Junior, Ivan; Allen, Elizabeth; Naker, Dipak; Devries, Karen M

2017-02-23

Underreporting of childhood sexual abuse is a major barrier to obtaining reliable prevalence estimates. We tested the sensitivity and specificity of the face-to-face-interview (FTFI) method by comparing the number of disclosures of forced sex against a more confidential mode of data collection, the sealed-envelope method (SEM). We also report on characteristics of individuals associated with non-disclosure in FTFIs. Secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2014, with n = 3843 children attending primary school in Luwero District, Uganda. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated, and mixed effects logistic regression models tested factors associated with disclosure in one or both modes. In the FTFI, 1.1% (n = 42) of children reported ever experiencing forced sex, compared to 7.0% (n = 268) in the SEM. The FTFI method demonstrated low sensitivity (13.1%, 95%CI 9.3-17.7%) and high specificity (99.8%, 95%CI 99.6-99.9%) in detecting cases of forced sex, when compared to the SEM. Boys were less likely than girls to disclose in the FTFI, however there was no difference in prevalence by sex using the SEM (aOR = 0.91, 95%CI 0.7-1.2; P = 0.532). Disclosing experience of other forms of sexual violence was associated with experience of forced sex for both modes of disclosure. The SEM method was superior to FTFIs in identifying cases of forced sex amongst primary school children, particularly for boys. Reporting of other forms of sexual violence in FTFIs may indicate experience of forced sex. Future survey research, and efforts to estimate prevalence of sexual violence, should make use of more confidential disclosure methods to detect childhood sexual abuse.

Possible Barriers to Enrollment in Substance Abuse Treatment among a Diverse Sample of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders: Opinions of Treatment Clients

PubMed Central

Masson, Carmen L.; Shopshire, Michael S.; Sen, Soma; Hoffman, Kim; Hengl, Nicholas; Bartolome, John; McCarty, Dennis; Sorensen, James L.; Iguchi, Martin

2012-01-01

This mixed methods study examined motivations and barriers to substance abuse treatment entry and treatment continuation among Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) substance users. AAPI substance users (N = 61) were recruited from substance abuse treatment programs in California and Hawaii. Semi-structured interviews and interviewer-administered surveys assessed barriers and facilitators to entering substance abuse treatment. Barriers included peer pressure, family influences, and face loss concerns. Facilitators included peer support, involvement in the criminal justice system, a perceived need for treatment, and culturally competent substance abuse treatment services. Family and peer influences may act as both facilitators and impediments. AAPI substance using populations face many of the same individual-level and structural and systems barriers to entry to treatment as other substance using populations. However, similar to other racial/ethnic minority groups, it is important to address cultural differences and develop culturally competent substance abuse treatments for the AAPI population. PMID:22985677

Possible barriers to enrollment in substance abuse treatment among a diverse sample of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders: opinions of treatment clients.

PubMed

Masson, Carmen L; Shopshire, Michael S; Sen, Soma; Hoffman, Kim A; Hengl, Nicholas S; Bartolome, John; McCarty, Dennis; Sorensen, James L; Iguchi, Martin Y

2013-03-01

This mixed methods study examined motivations and barriers to substance abuse treatment entry and treatment continuation among Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) substance users. AAPI substance users (N = 61) were recruited from substance abuse treatment programs in California and Hawaii. Semi-structured interviews and interviewer-administered surveys assessed barriers and facilitators to entering substance abuse treatment. Barriers included peer pressure, family influences, and face loss concerns. Facilitators included peer support, involvement in the criminal justice system, a perceived need for treatment, and culturally competent substance abuse treatment services. Family and peer influences may act as both facilitators and impediments. AAPI substance using populations face many of the same individual-level and structural and systems barriers to entry to treatment as other substance using populations. However, similar to other racial/ethnic minority groups, it is important to address cultural differences and develop culturally competent substance abuse treatments for the AAPI population. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Improved semi-supervised online boosting for object tracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yicui; Qi, Lin; Tan, Shukun

2016-10-01

The advantage of an online semi-supervised boosting method which takes object tracking problem as a classification problem, is training a binary classifier from labeled and unlabeled examples. Appropriate object features are selected based on real time changes in the object. However, the online semi-supervised boosting method faces one key problem: The traditional self-training using the classification results to update the classifier itself, often leads to drifting or tracking failure, due to the accumulated error during each update of the tracker. To overcome the disadvantages of semi-supervised online boosting based on object tracking methods, the contribution of this paper is an improved online semi-supervised boosting method, in which the learning process is guided by positive (P) and negative (N) constraints, termed P-N constraints, which restrict the labeling of the unlabeled samples. First, we train the classification by an online semi-supervised boosting. Then, this classification is used to process the next frame. Finally, the classification is analyzed by the P-N constraints, which are used to verify if the labels of unlabeled data assigned by the classifier are in line with the assumptions made about positive and negative samples. The proposed algorithm can effectively improve the discriminative ability of the classifier and significantly alleviate the drifting problem in tracking applications. In the experiments, we demonstrate real-time tracking of our tracker on several challenging test sequences where our tracker outperforms other related on-line tracking methods and achieves promising tracking performance.

Show what you know and deal with stress yourself: a qualitative interview study of medical interns’ perceptions of stress and gender

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Medical students report high stress levels and in particular, the clinical phase is a demanding one. The field of medicine is still described as having a patriarchal culture which favors aspects like a physicians’ perceived certainty and rationalism. Also, the Effort-Recovery Model explains stress as coming from a discrepancy between job demands, job control, and perceived work potential. Gendered differences in stress are reported, but not much is known about medical interns’ perceptions of how gender plays in relation to stress. The aim of this study is to explore how medical interns experience and cope with stress, as well as how they reflect on the gendered aspects of stress. Methods In order to do this, we have performed a qualitative study. In 2010–2011, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with seventeen medical interns across all three years of the Masters programme (6 male, 11 female) at a Dutch medical school. The interview guide is based on gender theory, the Effort-Recovery Model, and empirical literature. Transcribed interviews have been analyzed thematically. Results First, stress mainly evolves from having to prove one’s self and show off competencies and motivation (“Show What You Know…”). Second, interns seek own solutions for handling stress because it is not open for discussion (… “And Deal With Stress Yourself”). Patient encounters are a source of pride and satisfaction rather than a source of stress. But interns report having to present themselves as ‘professional and self-confident’, remaining silent about experiencing stress. Female students are perceived to have more stress and to study harder in order to live up to expectations. Conclusions The implicit message interns hear is to remain silent about insecurities and stress, and, in particular, female students might face disadvantages. Students who feel less able to manifest the ‘masculine protest’ may benefit from a culture that

Show what you know and deal with stress yourself: a qualitative interview study of medical interns' perceptions of stress and gender.

PubMed

Verdonk, Petra; Räntzsch, Viktoria; de Vries, Remko; Houkes, Inge

2014-05-17

Medical students report high stress levels and in particular, the clinical phase is a demanding one. The field of medicine is still described as having a patriarchal culture which favors aspects like a physicians' perceived certainty and rationalism. Also, the Effort-Recovery Model explains stress as coming from a discrepancy between job demands, job control, and perceived work potential. Gendered differences in stress are reported, but not much is known about medical interns' perceptions of how gender plays in relation to stress. The aim of this study is to explore how medical interns experience and cope with stress, as well as how they reflect on the gendered aspects of stress. In order to do this, we have performed a qualitative study. In 2010-2011, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with seventeen medical interns across all three years of the Masters programme (6 male, 11 female) at a Dutch medical school. The interview guide is based on gender theory, the Effort-Recovery Model, and empirical literature. Transcribed interviews have been analyzed thematically. First, stress mainly evolves from having to prove one's self and show off competencies and motivation ("Show What You Know…"). Second, interns seek own solutions for handling stress because it is not open for discussion (… "And Deal With Stress Yourself"). Patient encounters are a source of pride and satisfaction rather than a source of stress. But interns report having to present themselves as 'professional and self-confident', remaining silent about experiencing stress. Female students are perceived to have more stress and to study harder in order to live up to expectations. The implicit message interns hear is to remain silent about insecurities and stress, and, in particular, female students might face disadvantages. Students who feel less able to manifest the 'masculine protest' may benefit from a culture that embraces more collaborative styles, such as having open conversation

Recognizing pharmaceutical illiteracy in community pharmacy: Agreement between a practice-based interview guide and questionnaire based assessment.

PubMed

Koster, Ellen S; Philbert, Daphne; van Dijk, Liset; Rademakers, Jany; de Smet, Peter A G M; Bouvy, Marcel L; Vervloet, Marcia

2018-02-02

Patients with limited pharmaceutical literacy are at increased risk of drug-related problems. Recognizing these patients in daily practice is difficult. The Recognition and Addressing of Limited Pharmaceutical Literacy (RALPH) interview guide was developed as practical set of questions to recognize patients with limited pharmaceutical literacy in daily pharmacy practice. To compare agreement between pharmaceutical literacy measured with the RALPH guide and a validated general health literacy questionnaire. In addition, we provide insight into patients' pharmaceutical literacy using the RALPH interview guide. Structured face-to-face interviews with patients who visited a community pharmacy to fill a prescription for themselves were conducted. The interview included the RALPH guide as well as the Functional Communicative Critical Health Literacy (FCCHL) questionnaire to measure general health literacy. Functional, communicative and critical skills were measured and agreement between two methods was calculated. Data were collected from 508 patients. Patients with limited pharmaceutical literacy, indicated by the RALPH questions, also had a lower general health literacy level according to FCCHL scores. Agreement between the RALPH guide and FCCHL questionnaire was moderate (∼60%) for the three health literacy domains. Most patients (>90%) had correct understanding of frequency and timing of medication use, but 25% did not understand warnings or precautions correctly. Finding understandable information (39%), assessing information applicability (50%) and reliability (64%) were mentioned as difficult by patients. Patients experienced difficulties with more complex skills, e.g. interpretation of warnings or precautions when using a medicine, finding and analyzing medication information. Whereas the FCCHL questionnaire is useful to assess general health literacy, the RALPH interview guide provides insight in the level of skills needed for good medication use and is more

A semi-structured MODFLOW-USG model to evaluate local water sources to wells for decision support

USGS Publications Warehouse

Feinstein, Daniel T.; Fienen, Michael N.; Reeves, Howard W.; Langevin, Christian D.

2016-01-01

In order to better represent the configuration of the stream network and simulate local groundwater-surface water interactions, a version of MODFLOW with refined spacing in the topmost layer was applied to a Lake Michigan Basin (LMB) regional groundwater-flow model developed by the U.S. Geological. Regional MODFLOW models commonly use coarse grids over large areas; this coarse spacing precludes model application to local management issues (e.g., surface-water depletion by wells) without recourse to labor-intensive inset models. Implementation of an unstructured formulation within the MODFLOW framework (MODFLOW-USG) allows application of regional models to address local problems. A “semi-structured” approach (uniform lateral spacing within layers, different lateral spacing among layers) was tested using the LMB regional model. The parent 20-layer model with uniform 5000-foot (1524-m) lateral spacing was converted to 4 layers with 500-foot (152-m) spacing in the top glacial (Quaternary) layer, where surface water features are located, overlying coarser resolution layers representing deeper deposits. This semi-structured version of the LMB model reproduces regional flow conditions, whereas the finer resolution in the top layer improves the accuracy of the simulated response of surface water to shallow wells. One application of the semi-structured LMB model is to provide statistical measures of the correlation between modeled inputs and the simulated amount of water that wells derive from local surface water. The relations identified in this paper serve as the basis for metamodels to predict (with uncertainty) surface-water depletion in response to shallow pumping within and potentially beyond the modeled area, see Fienen et al. (2015a).

Orienting semi-conducting π-conjugated polymers.

PubMed

Brinkmann, Martin; Hartmann, Lucia; Biniek, Laure; Tremel, Kim; Kayunkid, Navaphun

2014-01-01

The present review focuses on the recent progress made in thin film orientation of semi-conducting polymers with particular emphasis on methods using epitaxy and shear forces. The main results reported in this review deal with regioregular poly(3-alkylthiophene)s and poly(dialkylfluorenes). Correlations existing between processing conditions, macromolecular parameters and the resulting structures formed in thin films are underlined. It is shown that epitaxial orientation of semi-conducting polymers can generate a large palette of semi-crystalline and nanostructured morphologies by a subtle choice of the orienting substrates and growth conditions. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Work Values, Cognitive Strategies, and Applicant Reactions in a Structured Pre-Employment Interview for Ethical Integrity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pawlowski, Donna R.; Hollwitz, John

2000-01-01

Notes that companies emphasize ethical behavior, and schools and professional groups devote many resources to applied ethics training. Describes initial construct validation of a structured ethical integrity pre-employment interview. Reviews evidence relating to cognitive and impression management strategies used when college students encounter an…

An interview study of how clinical teachers develop skills to attend to different level learners.

PubMed

Chen, H Carrie; Fogh, Shannon; Kobashi, Brent; Teherani, Arianne; Ten Cate, Olle; O'Sullivan, Patricia

2016-06-01

One clinical teaching challenge is the engagement of learners at different levels. Faculty development offerings mostly address general strategies applicable to all learners. This study examined how clinical faculty members develop the skills to work with different level learners. We conducted semi-structured interviews with medical school faculty members identified as excellent clinical teachers teaching multiple levels of learners. They discussed how they developed their approach to teaching different level learners and how their teaching evolved over time. We performed thematic analysis of the interview transcripts using open and axial coding. We interviewed 19 faculty members and identified three themes related to development of teaching practices: teacher agency and work-based learning of teaching strategies, developmental trajectory of clinical teachers, and interplay between clinical confidence and teaching skills. Faculty members were proactive in using on-the-job experiences to develop their teaching practices. Their teaching practices followed a developmental trajectory towards learner centeredness, and this evolution was associated with the development of clinical skills and confidence. Learning skills to teach multi-level learners requires workplace learning. Faculty development should include workplace learning opportunities and use a developmental approach that accounts for the trajectory of teaching as well as clinical skills attainment.

A Hybrid Interview Model for Medical School Interviews: Combining Traditional and Multisampling Formats.

PubMed

Bibler Zaidi, Nikki L; Santen, Sally A; Purkiss, Joel A; Teener, Carol A; Gay, Steven E

2016-11-01

Most medical schools have either retained a traditional admissions interview or fully adopted an innovative, multisampling format (e.g., the multiple mini-interview) despite there being advantages and disadvantages associated with each format. The University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS) sought to maximize the strengths associated with both interview formats after recognizing that combining the two approaches had the potential to capture additional, unique information about an applicant. In September 2014, the UMMS implemented a hybrid interview model with six, 6-minute short-form interviews-highly structured scenario-based encounters-and two, 30-minute semistructured long-form interviews. Five core skills were assessed across both interview formats. Overall, applicants and admissions committee members reported favorable reactions to the hybrid model, supporting continued use of the model. The generalizability coefficients for the six-station short-form and the two-interview long-form formats were estimated to be 0.470 and 0.176, respectively. Different skills were more reliably assessed by different interview formats. Scores from each format seemed to be operating independently as evidenced through moderate to low correlations (r = 0.100-0.403) for the same skills measured across different interview formats; however, after correcting for attenuation, these correlations were much higher. This hybrid model will be revised and optimized to capture the skills most reliably assessed by each format. Future analysis will examine validity by determining whether short-form and long-form interview scores accurately measure the skills intended to be assessed. Additionally, data collected from both formats will be used to establish baselines for entering students' competencies.

Relational Inquiries and the Research Interview: Mentoring Future Researchers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoskins, Marie L.; White, Jennifer

2013-01-01

In this article we describe some of the challenges and constraints that students face when they engage in qualitative research interviews. We borrow extensively from Ron Pelias' in-depth description of "leaning in" during everyday life encounters. Although he refers to other kinds of relationships, we believe that the similarities…

Experiences and attitudes about physical activity and exercise in patients with chronic pain: a qualitative interview study.

PubMed

Karlsson, Linn; Gerdle, Björn; Takala, Esa-Pekka; Andersson, Gerhard; Larsson, Britt

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to describe how patients with chronic pain experience physical activity and exercise (PA&E). This qualitative interview study included 16 women and two men suffering from chronic pain and referred to a multimodal pain rehabilitation program. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the interviews. One main theme emerged: "To overcome obstacles and to seize opportunities to be physically active despite chronic pain." This main theme was abstracted from five themes: "Valuing a life with physical activity," "Physical activity and exercise - before and after pain," "A struggle - difficulties and challenges," "The enabling of physical activity," and "In need of continuous and active support." Although these participants valued PA&E, they seldom achieved desirable levels, and performance of PA&E was undermined by difficulties and failure. The discrepancy between the intention to perform physical activity and the physical activity accomplished could be related to motivation, self-efficacy, and action control. The participants desired high-quality interaction with healthcare providers. The findings can be applied to chronic pain rehabilitation that uses PA&E as treatment.

Face and content validation of a novel three-dimensional printed temporal bone for surgical skills development.

PubMed

Da Cruz, M J; Francis, H W

2015-07-01

To assess the face and content validity of a novel synthetic, three-dimensional printed temporal bone for surgical skills development and training. A synthetic temporal bone was printed using composite materials and three-dimensional printing technology. Surgical trainees were asked to complete three structured temporal bone dissection exercises. Attitudes and impressions were then assessed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Previous cadaver and real operating experiences were used as a reference. Trainees' experiences of the synthetic temporal bone were analysed in terms of four domains: anatomical realism, usefulness as a training tool, task-based usefulness and overall reactions. Responses across all domains indicated a high degree of acceptance, suggesting that the three-dimensional printed temporal bone was a useful tool in skills development. A sophisticated three-dimensional printed temporal bone that demonstrates face and content validity was developed. The efficiency in cost savings coupled with low associated biohazards make it likely that the printed temporal bone will be incorporated into traditional temporal bone skills development programmes in the near future.

Summary of semi-initiative and initiative control automobile engine vibration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qu, Wei; Qu, Zhou

2009-07-01

Engine vibration accounts for around 55% of automobile vibration, separating the engine vibration from transmitting to automobile to the utmost extent is significant for improving NVH performance. Semi-initiative and initiative control of engine vibration is one of the hot spots of technical research in domestic and foreign automobile industry, especially luxury automobiles which adopt this technology to improve amenity and competitiveness. This article refers to a large amount of domestic and foreign related materials, fully introduces the research status of semi-initiative and initiative control suspension of engine vibration suspension and many kinds of structural style, and provides control policy and method of semi-initiative and initiative control suspension system. Compare and analyze the structural style of semi-initiative and initiative control and merits and demerits of current structures of semi-initiative and initiative control of mechanic electrorheological, magnetorheological, electromagnetic actuator, piezoelectric ceramics, electrostriction material, pneumatic actuator etc. Models of power assembly mounting system was classified.Calculation example indicated that reasonable selection of engine mounting system parameters is useful to reduce engine vibration transmission and to increase ride comfort. Finally we brought forward semi-initiative and initiative suspension which might be applied for automobiles, and which has a promising future.

An equine pain face

PubMed Central

Gleerup, Karina B; Forkman, Björn; Lindegaard, Casper; Andersen, Pia H

2015-01-01

Objective The objective of this study was to investigate the existence of an equine pain face and to describe this in detail. Study design Semi-randomized, controlled, crossover trial. Animals Six adult horses. Methods Pain was induced with two noxious stimuli, a tourniquet on the antebrachium and topical application of capsaicin. All horses participated in two control trials and received both noxious stimuli twice, once with and once without an observer present. During all sessions their pain state was scored. The horses were filmed and the close-up video recordings of the faces were analysed for alterations in behaviour and facial expressions. Still images from the trials were evaluated for the presence of each of the specific pain face features identified from the video analysis. Results Both noxious challenges were effective in producing a pain response resulting in significantly increased pain scores. Alterations in facial expressions were observed in all horses during all noxious stimulations. The number of pain face features present on the still images from the noxious challenges were significantly higher than for the control trial (p = 0.0001). Facial expressions representative for control and pain trials were condensed into explanatory illustrations. During pain sessions with an observer present, the horses increased their contact-seeking behavior. Conclusions and clinical relevance An equine pain face comprising ‘low’ and/or ‘asymmetrical’ ears, an angled appearance of the eyes, a withdrawn and/or tense stare, mediolaterally dilated nostrils and tension of the lips, chin and certain facial muscles can be recognized in horses during induced acute pain. This description of an equine pain face may be useful for improving tools for pain recognition in horses with mild to moderate pain. PMID:25082060

Pragmatic, consensus-based minimum standards and structured interview to guide the selection and development of cancer support group leaders: a protocol paper.

PubMed

Pomery, Amanda; Schofield, Penelope; Xhilaga, Miranda; Gough, Karla

2017-06-30

Across the globe, peer support groups have emerged as a community-led approach to accessing support and connecting with others with cancer experiences. Little is known about qualities required to lead a peer support group or how to determine suitability for the role. Organisations providing assistance to cancer support groups and their leaders are currently operating independently, without a standard national framework or published guidelines. This protocol describes the methods that will be used to generate pragmatic consensus-based minimum standards and an accessible structured interview with user manual to guide the selection and development of cancer support group leaders. We will: (A) identify and collate peer-reviewed literature that describes qualities of support group leaders through a systematic review; (B) content analyse eligible documents for information relevant to requisite knowledge, skills and attributes of group leaders generally and specifically to cancer support groups; (C) use an online reactive Delphi method with an interdisciplinary panel of experts to produce a clear, suitable, relevant and appropriate structured interview comprising a set of agreed questions with behaviourally anchored rating scales; (D) produce a user manual to facilitate standard delivery of the structured interview; (E) pilot the structured interview to improve clinical utility; and (F) field test the structured interview to develop a rational scoring model and provide a summary of existing group leader qualities. The study is approved by the Department Human Ethics Advisory Group of The University of Melbourne. The study is based on voluntary participation and informed written consent, with participants able to withdraw at any time. The results will be disseminated at research conferences and peer review journals. Presentations and free access to the developed structured interview and user manual will be available to cancer agencies. © Article author(s) (or their

Delegation: a solution to the workload problem? Observations and interviews with community pharmacists in England.

PubMed

Lea, Victoria M; Corlett, Sarah A; Rodgers, Ruth M

2016-05-01

This study aims to describe how pharmacists utilise and perceive delegation in the community setting. Non-participant observations and semi-structured interviews with a convenience sample of community pharmacists working in Kent between July and October 2011. Content analysis was undertaken to determine key themes and the point of theme saturation informed sample size. Findings from observations were also compared against those from interviews. Observations and interviews were undertaken with 11 pharmacists. Observations showed that delegation occurred in four different forms: assumed, active, partial and reverse. It was also employed to varying extents within the different pharmacies. Interviews revealed mixed views on delegation. Some pharmacists presented positive attitudes towards delegation while others were concerned about maintaining accountability for delegated tasks, particularly in terms of accuracy checking of dispensed medication. Other pharmacists noted the ability to delegate was not a skill they found inherently easy. Comparison of observation and interview data highlighted discrepancies between tasks pharmacists perceived they delegated and what they actually delegated. Effective delegation can potentially promote better management of workload to provide pharmacists with additional time to spend on cognitive pharmaceutical services. To do this, pharmacists' reluctance to delegate must be addressed. Lack of insight into own practice might be helped by self-reflection and feedback from staff. Also, a greater understanding of legal accountability in the context of delegation needs to be achieved. Finally, delegation is not just dependent on pharmacists, but also on support staff; ensuring staff are empowered and equipped to take on delegated roles is essential. © 2015 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Case-Based Web Learning Versus Face-to-Face Learning: A Mixed-Method Study on University Nursing Students.

PubMed

Chan, Aileen Wai-Kiu; Chair, Sek-Ying; Sit, Janet Wing-Hung; Wong, Eliza Mi-Ling; Lee, Diana Tze-Fun; Fung, Olivia Wai-Man

2016-03-01

Case-based learning (CBL) is an effective educational method for improving the learning and clinical reasoning skills of students. Advances in e-learning technology have supported the development of the Web-based CBL approach to teaching as an alternative or supplement to the traditional classroom approach. This study aims to examine the CBL experience of Hong Kong students using both traditional classroom and Web-based approaches in undergraduate nursing education. This experience is examined in terms of the perceived self-learning ability, clinical reasoning ability, and satisfaction in learning of these students. A mixture of quantitative and qualitative approaches was adopted. All Year-3 undergraduate nursing students were recruited. CBL was conducted using the traditional classroom approach in Semester 1, and the Web-based approach was conducted in Semester 2. Student evaluations were collected at the end of each semester using a self-report questionnaire. In-depth, focus-group interviews were conducted at the end of Semester 2. One hundred twenty-two students returned their questionnaires. No difference between the face-to-face and Web-based approaches was found in terms of self-learning ability (p = .947), clinical reasoning ability (p = .721), and satisfaction (p = .083). Focus group interview findings complemented survey findings and revealed five themes that reflected the CBL learning experience of Hong Kong students. These themes were (a) the structure of CBL, (b) the learning environment of Web-based CBL, (c) critical thinking and problem solving, (d) cultural influence on CBL learning experience, and (e) student-centered and teacher-centered learning. The Web-based CBL approach was comparable but not superior to the traditional classroom CBL approach. The Web-based CBL experience of these students sheds light on the impact of Chinese culture on student learning behavior and preferences.

Toward shared care for people with cancer: developing the model with patients and GPs.

PubMed

Hall, Susan J; Samuel, Leslie M; Murchie, Peter

2011-10-01

The number of people surviving cancer for extended periods is increasing. Consequently, due to workload and quality issues, there is considerable interest in alternatives to traditional secondary care-led cancer follow-up. To explore the views of potential recipients of shared follow-up of cancer. To conduct a modelling exercise for shared follow-up and to explore the opinions and experiences of both the patients and GPs involved. Semi-structured audio-taped telephone or face-to-face interviews were conducted with 18 patients with a range of cancers currently attending for structured follow-up in secondary care. Six GPs and five patients (four with melanoma and one with stable metastatic colorectal cancer) took part in a shared follow-up modelling exercise. During the modelling exercise, the GPs attended 4 review meetings, which included brief training seminars, and at the conclusion 10 individuals took part in semi-structured audio-taped telephone or face-to-face interviews. Many rural patients, and some urban patients, would appreciate follow-up being available nearer to home with the associated benefits of time saved and easier parking and continuity of care. Patients have concerns related to the level of extra training received by the GP and loss of contact with their consultant. GPs have concerns about gaining and maintaining the clinical skills needed to conduct follow-up, especially if the numbers of patients seen are small. They also have concerns about lack of support from other GPs, and some administrative and organizational issues. Many patients would be willing to have GPs share their cancer follow-up with the caveat that they had received extra training and were appropriately supported by secondary care specialists. Patients attending shared care clinics appreciated a local service and longer appointment times. GPs stress the importance of maintaining their own clinical skills and reliable clinical and administrative support from secondary care.

The face of equipoise - delivering a structured education programme within a randomized controlled trial: qualitative study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background In trials of behavioural interventions, the individuals who deliver the intervention are in a position of key influence on the success of the trial. Their fidelity to the intervention is crucial. Yet little is understood about the experiences of this group of trial personnel. This study aimed to investigate the views and experiences of educators who delivered a structured education intervention to people with type 2 diabetes, which incorporated training in self-monitoring of either blood glucose (SMBG) or urine glucose (SMUG) as part of a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Methods Educators’ views were explored through focus groups before and after training (N = 18) and approximately 1 year into the trial (N = 14), and semi-structured telephone interviews at approximately 2 years (N = 7). Analysis was based on the constant comparative method. Results Educators held preferences regarding the intervention variants; thus, they were not in individual equipoise. Training raised awareness of preferences and their potential to impact on delivery. Educators were confident in their unbiased delivery, but acknowledged the challenges involved. Concealing their preferences was helped by a sense of professionalism, the patient-centred nature of the intervention, and concessions in the trial protocol (enabling participants to swap monitoring methods if needed). Commitment to unbiased delivery was explained through a desire for evidence-based knowledge in the contentious area of SMBG. Conclusions The findings provide insight into a previously unexplored group of trial personnel - intervention deliverers in trials of behavioural interventions - which will be useful to those designing and running similar trials. Rather than individual equipoise, it is intervention deliverers’ awareness of personal preferences and their potential impact on the trial outcome that facilitates unbiased delivery. Further, awareness of community equipoise, the need for evidence

[Sport injuries in full contact and semi-contact karate].