Preparing Students for the Future: Making Career Development a Priority.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughey, Kenneth F.; Hughey, Judith K.

1999-01-01

Presents information relevant to school counseling about the implications of work changes. Outlines foundational guides for student success: improving decision making, learning about career paths, acquiring employability skills, and developing lifelong learning attitudes. Describes activities to facilitate career development. (SK)

Exploration of the facilitators of and barriers to work engagement in nursing.

PubMed

Freeney, Yseult M; Tiernan, Joan

2009-12-01

Engagement is couched as the opposite to burnout and while there have been numerous studies that have supported the relationship between organizational antecedents and employee engagement, nurse engagement is still inadequately understood. Recent papers in the nursing literature have called for more research on this construct to be conducted with nurses so that nurse leaders can be better informed about the impact of engagement on outcomes for the organization. To explore nurses' experiences of their work environments and to reveal factors in the workplace that may facilitate or act as barriers to nurse engagement. A qualitative methodology was employed with the data from focus groups with a total of 20 nurses working in both general and psychiatric nursing. Facilitators of and barriers to engagement center around six areas of organizational life, namely; workload, control, reward, fairness, community and values. Interventions aimed at fostering engagement are called for and through future research in the area of engagement, it is believed that nurses will gain more positive experiences from their work and subsequently a greater sense of well-being.

Individuals with traumatic brain injuries perceptions and experiences of returning to work in South Africa.

PubMed

Soeker, Mogammad Shaheed; Van Rensburg, Viki; Travill, Andre

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to identify the central concepts of a model that would facilitate the return to work process of individuals with brain injury. However for the purpose of this paper there will be a focus only on the barriers and facilitators that influence the return to work process. Ten individuals who were diagnosed with a mild to moderate brain injury participated in this study. Qualitative research methods were used in order to explore the research question. The participants were selected by means of purposive sampling and the data was collected by means of in depth interviews. The results of the study revealed that the participants experienced a sense of loss of function after the brain injury, a fear of the future and loss of confidence in their worker roles. The participants also indicated that by means of adapting occupational routines an actively engaging in rehabilitation they developed confidence in their worker roles. Occupational therapists have to use a client centred holistic work integrative approach in order to successfully rehabilitate as well as facilitate the return to work process with people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury.

Medical students' and facilitators' experiences of an Early Professional Contact course: active and motivated students, strained facilitators.

PubMed

von Below, Bernhard; Hellquist, Gunilla; Rödjer, Stig; Gunnarsson, Ronny; Björkelund, Cecilia; Wahlqvist, Mats

2008-12-02

Today, medical students are introduced to patient contact, communication skills, and clinical examination in the preclinical years of the curriculum with the purpose of gaining clinical experience. These courses are often evaluated from the student perspective. Reports with an additional emphasis on the facilitator perspective are scarce. According to constructive alignment, an influential concept from research in higher education, the learning climate between students and teachers is also of great importance. In this paper, we approach the learning climate by studying both students' and facilitators' course experiences.In 2001, a new "Early Professional Contact" longitudinal strand through term 1-4, was introduced at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. General practitioners and hospital specialists were facilitators.The aim of this study was to assess and analyse students' and clinical facilitators' experiences of the Early Professional Contact course and to illuminate facilitators' working conditions. Inspired by a Swedish adaptation of the Course Experience Questionnaire, an Early Professional Contact Questionnaire was constructed. In 2003, on the completion of the first longitudinal strand, a student and facilitator version was distributed to 86 students and 21 facilitators. In the analysis, both Chi-square and the Mann-Whitney tests were used. Sixty students (70%) and 15 facilitators (71%) completed the questionnaire. Both students and facilitators were satisfied with the course. Students reported gaining iiration for their future work as doctors along with increased confidence in meeting patients. They also reported increased motivation for biomedical studies. Differences in attitudes between facilitators and students were found. Facilitators experienced a greater workload, less reasonable demands and less support, than students. In this project, a new Early Professional Contact course was analysed from both student and facilitator perspectives. The students experienced the course as providing them with a valuable introduction to the physician's professional role in clinical practice. In contrast, course facilitators often experienced a heavy workload and lack of support, despite thorough preparatory education. A possible conflict between the clinical facilitator's task as educator and member of the workplace is suggested. More research is needed on how doctors combine their professional tasks with work as facilitators.

Student-perceived barriers and facilitators to e-learning in continuing professional development in primary care.

PubMed

Docherty, Andrea; Sandhu, Harbinder

2006-01-01

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN IN THIS AREA • E-learning is being increasingly used within learning and teaching including its application within healthcare education and service provision. Multiple advantages have been identified including enhanced accessibility and increased flexibility of learning. Guidance on the generic-design and development of e-learning courses has been generated. WHAT THIS WORK ADDS • This paper provides a detailed understanding of the barriers and facilitators to e-learning as perceived by students on a continuing professional development (CPD); course arid highlights its multifaceted values. In addition, the paper ṕrovides evidence-based guidance for the development of courses within CPD utilising e-learning. SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH • Future research would benefit from, focusing upon the perceptions of staff including barriers and facilitators to the implementation of e-learning and awareness of student experience to generate a balanced and informed understanding of e-learning within the context-of CPD.

Identifying Collaborative Behaviours Online: Training Teachers in Wikis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vinagre Laranjeira, Margarita

2016-01-01

In this paper we explore the data gathered from a group of nine in-service teachers who were trained online to become future telecollaborative teachers. Participants from different countries worked in two small groups in a wiki designed specially to facilitate discussion and collaboration. Tasks included reading and reviewing articles on…

Building Collaborative Learning Opportunities between Future Veterinary and Design Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magallanes, Fernando; Stoskopf, Michael K.; Royal, Kenneth D.

2015-01-01

Positive inter-professional collaborations and interactions facilitate the effectiveness of veterinarians working on professional teams addressing a wide range of societal challenges. The need for these interactions extend far beyond the different medical professions, which is the limit of many discussions of inter-professional relations for…

Using Technology to Facilitate Collaboration in Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR)

PubMed Central

Jessell, Lauren; Smith, Vivian; Jemal, Alexis; Windsor, Liliane

2017-01-01

This study explores the use of Computer-Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW) technologies, by way of a computer-based system called iCohere. This system was used to facilitate collaboration conducting Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR). Data was gathered from 13 members of a Community Collaborative Board (CCB). Analysis revealed that iCohere served the following functions: facilitating communication, providing a depository for information and resource sharing, and allowing for remote meeting attendance. Results indicated that while iCohere was useful in performing these functions, less expensive technologies had the potential to achieve similar goals if properly implemented. Implications for future research on CSCW systems and CBPR are discussed. PMID:29056871

Excessive workload, uncertain career opportunities and lack of funding are important barriers to recruiting and retaining primary care medical researchers: a qualitative interview study.

PubMed

Thomsen, Janus Laust; Jarbøl, Dorthe; Søndergaard, Jens

2006-10-01

Research activity in primary care has been steadily increasing, but is still insufficient and more researchers are needed. Many initiatives have been launched to recruit and retain primary care researchers, but only little is known about barriers and facilitators to a research career in primary care. To examine barriers and facilitators to recruiting and retaining primary care medical researchers. Semi-structured interviews with 33 primary care medical researchers, all medical doctors. We used a phenomenological approach to analysing the interviews. Important barriers to pursuing a research career in primary care were heavy workload, isolation at work, short-term funding and low salary. Important facilitators to attracting and retaining primary care researchers were the desire and opportunity to improve primary care, the flexible working conditions, the career opportunities, including the possibility of combining university-based research with clinical work and a friendly and competent research environment. Better strategies for recruiting and retaining researchers are a prerequisite for the development of primary care, and in future the main emphasis should be on working conditions, networking and mentoring. Studies including those primary care physicians who have chosen not to do research are highly needed.

Future career plans of a cohort of senior doctors working in the National Health Service.

PubMed

Taylor, Kathryn; Lambert, Trevor; Goldacre, Michael

2008-04-01

To report on the future career plans of senior doctors working in the NHS. Postal questionnaires. All doctors who qualified in 1977 from all UK medical schools. Future plans and whether participants had any unmet needs for advice on how to put their future plans into effect. 25% definitely intended to continue with their current employment on the same basis until they retired; 75% hoped for change. A reduction in working hours was the most commonly desired change; but a substantial percentage also wanted changes in job content. 50% of respondents intended definitely (17%) or probably (33%) to work in the NHS to their normal retirement age; and 37% definitely (20%) or probably (17%) intended to retire early. 48% had made plans, in addition to the standard pension, to facilitate early retirement. The main factors given for considering early retirement were family reasons and wanting more time for leisure, a desire to maintain good health, excessive pressure of work, and disillusionment with NHS changes. A reduction in workload would be the greatest inducement to stay. 31% of respondents reported that they had unmet needs for advice about their future plans. Of these, about half were needs for advice about planning for retirement. Many senior NHS doctors would like to reduce their working hours. Less than a quarter definitely intend to work in the NHS to normal retirement age. Even for senior doctors, advice on career development is needed.

Future trials of endovascular mechanical recanalisation therapy in acute ischemic stroke patients - a position paper endorsed by ESMINT and ESNR : part II: methodology of future trials.

PubMed

Fiehler, Jens; Söderman, Michael; Turjman, Francis; White, Philip M; Bakke, Søren Jacob; Mangiafico, Salvatore; von Kummer, Rüdiger; Muto, Mario; Cognard, Christophe; Gralla, Jan

2012-12-01

Based on current data and experience, the joint working group of the European Society of Minimally Invasive Neurological Therapy (ESMINT) and the European Society of Neuroradiology (ESNR) make suggestions on trial design and conduct aimed to investigate therapeutic effects of mechanical thrombectomy (MT). We anticipate that this roadmap will facilitate the setting up and conduct of successful trials in close collaboration with our neighbouring disciplines.

Evaluating Industry-Based Doctoral Research Programs: Perspectives and Outcomes of Australian Cooperative Research Centre Graduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manathunga, Catherine; Pitt, Rachael; Cox, Laura; Boreham, Paul; Mellick, George; Lant, Paul

2012-01-01

Researchers of the future will need to be able to work across the increasingly porous boundaries between university, industry, government and community sectors. Concerns have been raised internationally for several decades about the content and approaches adopted in doctoral programs. Innovative doctoral programs that facilitate students'…

Expanding and Exporting Instructional Communication Scholarship: A Necessary New Direction. Forum: The Future of Instructional Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valenzano, Joseph M., III; Wallace, Samuel P.

2017-01-01

Communication is, by its nature, inherently interdisciplinary. In no other subfield of the discipline is this truer than instructional communication. To that end, instructional communication scholars contribute to the understanding of classroom dynamics and effective methods for facilitating learning. A close examination of that work highlights…

An evaluation of experiences and views of Scottish leadership training opportunities amongst primary care professionals.

PubMed

Power, Ailsa; Allbutt, Helen; Munro, Lucy; MacLeod, Marion; Kennedy, Susan; Cameron, Donald; Scoular, Ken; Orr, Graham; Gillies, John

2017-05-01

To determine experiences of leadership training of six primary care professions in Scotland and consider future development. A questionnaire on previous leadership course attendance and future intentions was distributed to community pharmacists, general dental practitioners, general practitioners, practice nurses, practice managers and optometrists. Analysis comprised descriptive statistics for closed questions and management of textual data. Formal leadership training participation was fairly low except for practice managers. Leadership was perceived to facilitate development of staff, problem-solving and team working. Preference for future delivery was similar across the six professions with e-modules and small group learning being preferred. Time and financial pressures to undertake courses were common barriers for professionals. Leadership is key to improve quality, safety and efficiency of care and help deliver innovative services and transformative change. To date, leadership provision for primary care professionals has typically been patchy, uni-disciplinary in focus and undertaken outwith work environments. Future development must reflect needs of busy primary care professionals and the reality of team working to deliver integrated services at local level.

Patient engagement in patient-centered outcomes research: challenges, facilitators and actions to strengthen the field.

PubMed

Ellis, Lauren E; Kass, Nancy E

2017-06-01

To describe challenges to and facilitators of patient engagement to inform future strategies and suggested actions to strengthen engagement. Interviews with 19 principal investigators of projects funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute and with 33 patients from 18 of the 19 projects. Facilitators included using existing resources, having clear goals, educating patients and treating patients respectfully. Logistical challenges included extra time and work, institutional barriers and difficulty having meetings. Substantive challenges to selecting, educating and engaging patients, and incorporating feedback were also reported. To bolster the infrastructure for engagement, we suggest funders, institutions and researchers focus on resources and training for researchers and patients, networks and programs to connect stakeholders and model policies.

Poland's Education and Training: Boosting and Adapting Human Capital. OECD Economics Department Working Papers, No. 495

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Brien, Paul; Paczynski, Wojciech

2006-01-01

An effective system of education and training is important for both social and economic reasons. Its role in the Polish economy is to provide the current and future labour force with skills to facilitate both continuing productivity growth and reallocation of resources as structural adjustment proceeds. Important reforms to decentralise primary…

Mechanics of Cutting and Boring. Part 7. Dynamics and Energetics of Axial Rotation Machines,

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-12-01

systematic analytical scheme that can be used to facilitate future work on the mechanics of cutting and boring machines. In the industrial sector, rock...Proceedings. Chapter 66, p. 1149-1158. Mellor, M. and I. Hawkes (1972) How to rate a hard-rock borer. World Construction, Sept, p. 21-23. (Also in Ingenieria

Developing a Diagnosis System of Work-Related Capabilities for Students: A Computer-Assisted Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liao, C. H.; Yang, M. H.; Yang, B. C.

2013-01-01

A gap exists between students' employment needs and higher education offerings. Thus, developing the capability to meet the learning needs of students in supporting their future aspirations should be facilitated. To bridge this gap in practice, this study uses multiple methods (i.e., nominal group technique and instructional systems development)…

Modernizing Our Industrial Base: The National Security Challenge of Our Time

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-01

situational awareness tools and applications, au- tonomy and robotics that we need to harness and fully develop for DoD missions . With this type of...to work for the DoD or its industrial base; rather they go to work in the commercial industry for companies such as Facebook, Google and Tesla . This...partnership with industry. The DoD continues talking to indus- try, communicating our vision for the future, to facilitate the best business decisions that

Neophyte facilitator experiences of interprofessional education: implications for faculty development.

PubMed

Egan-Lee, Eileen; Baker, Lindsay; Tobin, Stasey; Hollenberg, Elisa; Dematteo, Dale; Reeves, Scott

2011-09-01

The facilitation of learners from different professional groups requires a range of interprofessional knowledge and skills (e.g. an understanding of possible sources of tension between professions) in addition to those that are more generic, such as how to manage a small group of learners. The development and delivery of interprofessional education (IPE) programs tends to rely on a small cohort of facilitators who have typically gained expertise through 'hands-on' involvement in facilitating IPE and through mentorship from more experienced colleagues. To avoid burn-out and to meet a growing demand for IPE, a larger number of facilitators are needed. However, empirical evidence regarding effective approaches to prepare for this type of work is limited. This article draws on data from a multiple case study of four IPE programs based in an urban setting in North America with a sample of neophyte facilitators and provides insight into their perceptions and experiences in preparing for and delivering IPE. Forty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted before (n = 20) and after (n = 21) program delivery with 21 facilitators. Findings indicated that despite participating in a three-fold faculty development strategy designed to support them in their IPE facilitation work, many felt unprepared and continued to have a poor conceptual understanding of core IPE and interprofessional collaboration principles, resulting in problematic implications (e.g. 'missed teachable moments') within their IPE programs. Findings from this study are discussed in relation to the IPE, faculty development and wider educational literature before implications are offered for the future delivery of interprofessional faculty development activities.

Clinical placements and nursing students' career planning: a qualitative exploration.

PubMed

McKenna, Lisa; McCall, Louise; Wray, Natalie

2010-04-01

Many nursing students enter undergraduate programmes with preconceived ideas about their future nursing careers, and intend to practice in particular areas such as midwifery or paediatrics. Through clinical placements, students are exposed to different clinical areas and professional socialization is facilitated. However, little is known about the influence of clinical placements on students' career intentions. This paper reports nursing findings drawn from a large qualitative study conducted in Victoria, Australia that sought to explore the influence of health professional students' clinical placements on their future career intentions. Participants were invited to be involved in either face-to-face or focus group interviews depending upon their own preference. Thematic data analysis revealed three main themes: 're-affirming career choice', 'working in a particular area' and 'work location'. Findings from the study add to our understanding of factors influencing nursing students' planning for their future careers including the impact of clinical placements.

Use of the Job Model Concept to Guide Job Description Procedures for Army Officers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitmore, Paul G.

The objective of Work Unit SKYGUARD has been to facilitate the development of an improved Air Defense Officers Advanced Course (C-22) by the U.S. Army Air Defense School. Focus is on techniques for improving the completeness and relevance of the instructional objectives with respect to future job requirements. The job description procedures…

Capacities Facilitating School Change Involving Project-Based Learning at the Middle School Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Browder, Lee Shane

2014-01-01

With schools continuing to fall short of No Child Left Behind standards and with future challenges just around the corner, educators must identify and make positive changes in schools. Researchers must work to recognize and exhibit how student achievement is fostered and inform educators of options on how to move in a positive direction according…

A framework of knowledge creation processes in participatory simulation of hospital work systems.

PubMed

Andersen, Simone Nyholm; Broberg, Ole

2017-04-01

Participatory simulation (PS) is a method to involve workers in simulating and designing their own future work system. Existing PS studies have focused on analysing the outcome, and minimal attention has been devoted to the process of creating this outcome. In order to study this process, we suggest applying a knowledge creation perspective. The aim of this study was to develop a framework describing the process of how ergonomics knowledge is created in PS. Video recordings from three projects applying PS of hospital work systems constituted the foundation of process mining analysis. The analysis resulted in a framework revealing the sources of ergonomics knowledge creation as sequential relationships between the activities of simulation participants sharing work experiences; experimenting with scenarios; and reflecting on ergonomics consequences. We argue that this framework reveals the hidden steps of PS that are essential when planning and facilitating PS that aims at designing work systems. Practitioner Summary: When facilitating participatory simulation (PS) in work system design, achieving an understanding of the PS process is essential. By applying a knowledge creation perspective and process mining, we investigated the knowledge-creating activities constituting the PS process. The analysis resulted in a framework of the knowledge-creating process in PS.

Artificial intelligence-assisted occupational lung disease diagnosis.

PubMed

Harber, P; McCoy, J M; Howard, K; Greer, D; Luo, J

1991-08-01

An artificial intelligence expert-based system for facilitating the clinical recognition of occupational and environmental factors in lung disease has been developed in a pilot fashion. It utilizes a knowledge representation scheme to capture relevant clinical knowledge into structures about specific objects (jobs, diseases, etc) and pairwise relations between objects. Quantifiers describe both the closeness of association and risk, as well as the degree of belief in the validity of a fact. An independent inference engine utilizes the knowledge, combining likelihoods and uncertainties to achieve estimates of likelihood factors for specific paths from work to illness. The system creates a series of "paths," linking work activities to disease outcomes. One path links a single period of work to a single possible disease outcome. In a preliminary trial, the number of "paths" from job to possible disease averaged 18 per subject in a general population and averaged 25 per subject in an asthmatic population. Artificial intelligence methods hold promise in the future to facilitate diagnosis in pulmonary and occupational medicine.

Facilitation of creative performance by using blue and red accent lighting in work and learning areas.

PubMed

Kombeiz, Olga; Steidle, Anna

2018-03-01

Research has shown that colours influence motivation and cognitive performance. In achievement contexts, red evokes avoidance motivation that hinders creativity, while blue elicits an approach motivation that facilitates creativity. However, due to their position and mode of presentation, colours may convey a different message. Red accent lighting creates a cosy, friendly room atmosphere that may, even in an achievement context, elicit an approach rather than an avoidance motivation. Results (N = 146) showed that both blue and red accent light increased strategic approach motivation compared to white accent light. Moreover, through the heightened approach motivation, colourful accent light indirectly improved creative performance. Implications for future research on colour and practical implications for colour usage are discussed. Practitioner Summary: Designing work environments for creativity is a new topic in ergonomics research and practice. The present study demonstrates indirect effects of coloured accent light on creativity providing interesting possibilities for the design of workplaces for knowledge workers, classrooms and all other rooms in which people work on new ideas.

Watching the paint dry at work: psychometric examination of the Dutch Boredom Scale.

PubMed

Reijseger, Gaby; Schaufeli, Wilmar B; Peeters, Maria C W; Taris, Toon W; van Beek, Ilona; Ouweneel, Else

2013-09-01

Boredom at work is a state of employee unwell-being that is characterized by relatively low arousal and high dissatisfaction. At present little is known about boredom at work. In order to facilitate future research, the current study introduces a brief self-report questionnaire that assesses boredom at work, the Dutch Boredom Scale (DUBS). We argue that (1) boredom at work can be distinguished empirically from related concepts such as work engagement and job burnout; (2) boredom at work results from having an unchallenging, "passive" job; and (3) the subsequent lack of challenge in the form of boredom may result in dissatisfaction with the job and with the organization. Using data from 6315 employees, factor analysis supported the factorial and discriminant validity of the DUBS vis-à-vis engagement and burnout. As expected, structural equation modeling revealed that demands and resources were negatively associated with boredom. Moreover, boredom at work was negatively related with job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and positively with turnover intention. These findings support the validity of the DUBS. Future research may focus on underemployment as an antecedent of boredom at work, and on the effects of boredom on job performance.

The North Texas aerospace manufacturing and aviation industries: An explanatory case study of school-to-work collaborative networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Cynthia Ann

The purpose of this study is to explore how educators, business partners and facilitators developed ties or networks to initiate a school-to-work collaboration to prepare students for jobs and careers in the aerospace manufacturing and aviation industries. There is growing concern about preparing a future workforce supply in these industries in North Texas. Workforce projections call for 8000 additional jobs between 2010 and 2020 (North Central Texas Council of Governments, 2013). Collaboration is recognized as a valuable asset to connect disjointed segments within the K-16 trajectory. This study explores the contradiction between the stated need for collaborative strategies and the inability of stakeholders attempting to collaborate across organizational and institutional boundaries to sustain these connections. Through the lens of networking theory, the roles of facilitators and the operation of networks and ties between and among partners are investigated. Ten participants in a high school curriculum development project were interviewed, representing a business, community college, and K-12 education. Data analysis revealed findings associated with three major themes: facilitation, project activity and relationships. Nine individuals were identified as facilitators, and facilitators were perceived as helping the project move forward. Project activity benefited from the structured curriculum development process. Although relationships characterized by strong ties helped start the project, weak ties predominated among project participants. Implications for theory include the need for more knowledge about facilitator roles and group dynamics. Further research about the functioning of weak and strong ties and facilitator skill sets relating to collaborative leadership would be valuable. Implications for practice include capturing lessons learned to apply to other industries, and overtly acknowledging the existence and importance of facilitators.

Working Memory in the Classroom: An Inside Look at the Central Executive.

PubMed

Barker, Lauren A

2016-01-01

This article provides a review of working memory and its application to educational settings. A discussion of the varying definitions of working memory is presented. Special attention is given to the various multidisciplinary professionals who work with students with working memory deficits, and their unique understanding of the construct. Definitions and theories of working memory are briefly summarized and provide the foundation for understanding practical applications of working memory to assessment and intervention. Although definitions and models of working memory abound, there is limited consensus regarding universally accepted definitions and models. Current research indicates that developing new models of working memory may be an appropriate paradigm shift at this time. The integration of individual practitioner's knowledge regarding academic achievement, working memory and processing speed could provide a foundation for the future development of new working memory models. Future directions for research should aim to explain how tasks and behaviors are supported by the substrates of the cortico-striatal and the cerebro-cerebellar systems. Translation of neurobiological information into educational contexts will be helpful to inform all practitioners' knowledge of working memory constructs. It will also allow for universally accepted definitions and models of working memory to arise and facilitate more effective collaboration between disciplines working in educational setting.

An evidence-based approach to organization evaluation and change in human service organizations evaluation and program planning.

PubMed

Schalock, Robert L; Lee, Tim; Verdugo, Miguel; Swart, Kees; Claes, Claudia; van Loon, Jos; Lee, Chun-Shin

2014-08-01

The work described in this article focuses primarily on how human service organizations can use an evidence-based, self-assessment approach to organization evaluation to facilitate continuous quality improvement and organization change. Real-life examples are presented, strengths and challenges discussed, and future conceptual and measurement issues identified. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Teens Working: Turning Earning into Learning. Facilitator Guide [and] Critical Workplace Issues [and] Student Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Northwest Regional Educational Lab., Portland, OR. Education, Career, and Community Program.

These guides are part of a toolkit designed to help young people make connections between the jobs they now hold, the classes they are taking, and the goals they may have for the near and distant future. The guides contain a variety of materials and activities appropriate for all skill levels. The activities in the student guide are grounded in…

Information and Communication Technology to Facilitate Learning for Students in the Health Professions: Current Uses, Gaps, and Future Directions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Costello, Ellen; Corcoran, Mary; Barnett, Jacqueline S.; Birkmeier, Marisa; Cohn, Rhea; Ekmekci, Ozgur; Falk, Nancy L.; Harrod, Thomas; Herrmann, Debra; Robinson, Sean; Walker, Bryan

2014-01-01

Changes in the U.S. Healthcare System along with the need for institutions of higher education to prepare a work force ready to address the challenges of today and tomorrow have highlighted the need to incorporate technology in its broadest sense as part of the student learning experience. In health professional education, this becomes challenging…

Mass social contact interventions and their effect on mental health related stigma and intended discrimination.

PubMed

Evans-Lacko, Sara; London, Jillian; Japhet, Sarah; Rüsch, Nicolas; Flach, Clare; Corker, Elizabeth; Henderson, Claire; Thornicroft, Graham

2012-06-28

Stigma and discrimination associated with mental health problems is an important public health issue, and interventions aimed at reducing exposure to stigma and discrimination can improve the lives of people with mental health problems. Social contact has long been considered to be one of the most effective strategies for improving inter-group relations. For this study, we assess the impact of a population level social contact intervention among people with and without mental health problems. This study investigated the impact of social contact and whether presence of specific facilitating factors (equal status, common goals, cooperation and friendship potential): (1) improves intended stigmatising behaviour; (2) increases future willingness to disclose a mental health problem; and (3) promotes behaviours associated with anti-stigma campaign engagement. Two mass participation social contact programmes within England's Time to Change campaign were evaluated via a 2-part questionnaire. 403 participants completed initial questionnaires (70% paper, 30% online) and 83 completed follow-up questionnaires online 4-6 weeks later. This study investigated the impact of social contact and whether presence of specific facilitating factors (equal status, common goals, cooperation and friendship potential): (1) improves intended stigmatising behaviour; (2) increases future willingness to disclose a mental health problem; and (3) promotes behaviours associated with anti-stigma campaign engagement. Two mass participation social contact programmes within England's Time to Change campaign were evaluated via a 2-part questionnaire. 403 participants completed initial questionnaires (70% paper, 30% online) and 83 completed follow-up questionnaires online 4-6 weeks later. Campaign events facilitated meaningful intergroup social contact between individuals with and without mental health problems. Presence of facilitating conditions predicted improved stigma-related behavioural intentions and subsequent campaign engagement 4-6 weeks following social contact. Contact, however, was not predictive of future willingness to disclose mental health problems. Findings emphasise the importance of facilitating conditions to promote positive social contact between individuals and also suggest that social contact interventions can work on a mass level. Future research should investigate this type of large scale intervention among broader and more representative populations.

Mass social contact interventions and their effect on mental health related stigma and intended discrimination

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Stigma and discrimination associated with mental health problems is an important public health issue, and interventions aimed at reducing exposure to stigma and discrimination can improve the lives of people with mental health problems. Social contact has long been considered to be one of the most effective strategies for improving inter-group relations. For this study, we assess the impact of a population level social contact intervention among people with and without mental health problems. Methods This study investigated the impact of social contact and whether presence of specific facilitating factors (equal status, common goals, cooperation and friendship potential): (1) improves intended stigmatising behaviour; (2) increases future willingness to disclose a mental health problem; and (3) promotes behaviours associated with anti-stigma campaign engagement. Two mass participation social contact programmes within England’s Time to Change campaign were evaluated via a 2-part questionnaire. 403 participants completed initial questionnaires (70% paper, 30% online) and 83 completed follow-up questionnaires online 4–6 weeks later. Results This study investigated the impact of social contact and whether presence of specific facilitating factors (equal status, common goals, cooperation and friendship potential): (1) improves intended stigmatising behaviour; (2) increases future willingness to disclose a mental health problem; and (3) promotes behaviours associated with anti-stigma campaign engagement. Two mass participation social contact programmes within England’s Time to Change campaign were evaluated via a 2-part questionnaire. 403 participants completed initial questionnaires (70% paper, 30% online) and 83 completed follow-up questionnaires online 4–6 weeks later. Campaign events facilitated meaningful intergroup social contact between individuals with and without mental health problems. Presence of facilitating conditions predicted improved stigma-related behavioural intentions and subsequent campaign engagement 4–6 weeks following social contact. Contact, however, was not predictive of future willingness to disclose mental health problems. Conclusions Findings emphasise the importance of facilitating conditions to promote positive social contact between individuals and also suggest that social contact interventions can work on a mass level. Future research should investigate this type of large scale intervention among broader and more representative populations. PMID:22742085

Team-based work and work system balance in the context of agile manufacturing.

PubMed

Yauch, Charlene A

2007-01-01

Manufacturing agility is the ability to prosper in an environment characterized by constant and unpredictable change. The purpose of this paper is to analyze team attributes necessary to facilitate agile manufacturing, and using Balance Theory as a framework, it evaluates the potential positive and negative impacts related to these team attributes that could alter the balance of work system elements and resulting "stress load" experienced by persons working on agile teams. Teams operating within the context of agile manufacturing are characterized as multifunctional, dynamic, cooperative, and virtual. A review of the literature relevant to each of these attributes is provided, as well as suggestions for future research.

Return to work in multi-ethnic breast cancer survivors--a qualitative inquiry.

PubMed

Tan, Foo Lan; Loh, Siew Yim; Su, Tin Tin; Veloo, V W; Ng, Lee Luan

2012-01-01

Return-to-work (RTW) can be a problematic occupational issue with detrimental impact on the quality of life of previously-employed breast cancer survivors. This study explored barriers and facilitators encountered during the RTW process in the area of cancer survivorship. Six focus groups were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide on 40 informants (employed multiethnic survivors). Survivors were stratified into three groups for successfully RTW, and another three groups of survivors who were unable to return to work. Each of the three groups was ethnically homogeneous. Thematic analysis using a constant comparative approach was aided by in vivo software. Participants shared numerous barriers and facilitators which directly or interactively affect RTW. Key barriers were physical-psychological after-effects of treatment, fear of potential environment hazards, high physical job demand, intrusive negative thoughts and overprotective family. Key facilitators were social support, employer support, and regard for financial independence. Across ethnic groups, the main facilitators were financial-independence (for Chinese), and socialisation opportunity (for Malay). A key barrier was after-effects of treatment, expressed across all ethnic groups. Numerous barriers were identified in the non-RTW survivors. Health professionals and especially occupational therapists should be consulted to assist the increasing survivors by providing occupational rehabilitation to enhance RTW amongst employed survivors. Future research to identify prognostic factors can guide clinical efforts to restore cancer survivors to their desired level/type of occupational functioning for productivity and wellbeing.

Return-to-work success despite conflicts: an exploration of decision-making during a work rehabilitation program.

PubMed

Gouin, Marie-Michelle; Coutu, Marie-France; Durand, Marie-José

2017-11-12

Collective decision-making by stakeholders appears important to return-to-work success, yet few studies have explored the processes involved. This study aims to explore the influence of decision-making on return-to-work for workers with musculoskeletal or common mental disorders. This study is a secondary analysis using data from three earlier multiple-case studies that documented decision-making during similar and comparable work rehabilitation programs. Individual interviews were conducted at the end of the program with stakeholders, namely, the disabled workers and representatives of health care professionals, employers, unions and insurers. Verbatims were analysed inductively. The 28 decision-making processes (cases) led to 115 different decisions-making instances and included the following components: subjects of the decisions, stakeholders' concerns and powers, and types of decision-making. No differences were found in decision-making processes relative to the workers' diagnoses or return-to-work status. However, overall analysis of decision-making revealed that stakeholder agreement on a return-to-work goal and acceptance of an intervention plan in which the task demands aligned with the worker's capacities were essential for return-to-work success. These results support the possibility of return-to-work success despite conflictual decision-making processes. In addition to facilitating consensual decisions, future studies should be aimed at facilitating negotiated decisions. Implications for rehabilitation Facilitating decision-making, with the aim of obtaining agreement from all stakeholders on a return-to-work goal and their acceptance of an intervention plan that respects the worker's capacities, is important for return-to-work success. Rehabilitation professionals should constantly be on the lookout for potential conflicts, which may either complicate the reach of an agreement between the stakeholders or constrain return-to-work possibilities. Rehabilitation professionals should also be constantly watching for workers' and employers' return-to-work concerns, as they may change during work rehabilitation, potentially challenging a reached agreement.

Functional and structural cerebral changes in key brain regions after a facilitation programme for episodic future thought in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients.

PubMed

Ernst, Alexandra; Sourty, Marion; Roquet, Daniel; Noblet, Vincent; Gounot, Daniel; Blanc, Frédéric; De Seze, Jérôme; Manning, Liliann

2016-06-01

Increasingly studied, episodic future thought (EFT) impairment negatively affects patients' daily life. Along these lines, working with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RR-MS) patients, we documented the clinical effectiveness of a mental visual imagery (MVI)-based facilitation programme on EFT impairment related to executive function difficulties. We aimed at improving the characterisation of the cognitive and neural underpinnings of RR-MS patients' EFT amelioration, by exploring the structural and functional brain changes following the MVI programme. Seventeen non-depressed RR-MS patients were recruited and randomly assigned in the (i) experimental group (n=10), who followed the MVI programme or in the control group (n=7), who followed a verbal control programme. Using an adapted version of the Autobiographical Interview to assess EFT, after facilitation, significant improvement was observed in the experimental group only. This was accompanied by increased activation in the prefrontal region during the generation of future events and was positively correlated with grey matter volume increase in this same brain area. Increased activations in the parahippocampal and the middle temporal gyri were also observed in the experimental group in post-facilitation. Likewise, functional connectivity changes were observed in the posterior brain regions after facilitation. Only minor cerebral changes were observed in the control group, likely reflecting practice effects. Our study showed that EFT improvement following the MVI programme led to functional and structural changes in brain regions sustaining contextual processing, visual imagery, the integration and maintenance of multimodal information. Taken together, these findings suggest that a cognitive intervention focusing on scene construction can be efficient to alleviate EFT impairment related to executive dysfunction. As such, this study opens the way to the development of tailor-made rehabilitation programmes using the different cognitive mechanisms involved in EFT. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Depressive personality disorder: theoretical issues, clinical findings, and future research questions.

PubMed

Huprich, S K

1998-08-01

This article reviews the theoretical construct of depressive personality disorder and its related research. The history of depressive personality disorder is reviewed. It is concluded that differing theories converge on similar descriptions and mechanisms of development for the depressive personality disorder. Substantial empirical work supports the diagnostic distinctiveness of depressive personality disorder in clinical populations. Past and current assessment devices for assessing depressive personality disorder are also described along with their psychometric properties and clinical value. Suggestions are made for future research on the etiology and validity of the depressive personality disorder construct in order to facilitate deciding whether or not to include depressive personality disorder in future editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

How obstacles and facilitators predict academic performance: the mediating role of study burnout and engagement.

PubMed

Salanova, Marisa; Schaufeli, Wilmar; Martinez, Isabel; Breso, Edgar

2010-01-01

Most people would agree with the maxim that "success breeds success." However, this is not the whole story. The current study investigated the additional impact of psychosocial factors (i.e., performance obstacles and facilitators) as well as psychological well-being (i.e., burnout and engagement) on success (i.e., academic performance). More specifically, our purpose was to show that, instead of directly affecting future performance, obstacles and facilitators exert an indirect effect via well-being. A total of 527 university students comprised the sample and filled out a questionnaire. We obtained their previous and future academic performance Grade Point Average (GPA) from the university's records. Structural equations modeling showed that the best predictor of future performance was the students' previous performance. As expected, study engagement mediated the relationship between performance obstacles and facilitators on the one hand, and future performance on the other. Contrary to expectations, burnout did not predict future performance, although, it is significantly associated with the presence of obstacles and the absence of facilitators. Our results illustrate that, although "success breeds success" (i.e., the best predictor of future performance is past performance), positive psychological states like study engagement are also important in explaining future performance, at least more so than negative states like study burnout.

Space Technology Plasma Issues in 2001

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garrett, Henry (Editor); Feynman, Joan (Editor); Gabriel, Stephen (Editor)

1986-01-01

The purpose of the workshop was to identify and discuss plasma issues that need to be resolved during the next 10 to 20 years (circa 2001) to facilitate the development of the advanced space technology that will be required 20 or 30 years into the future. The workshop consisted of 2 days of invited papers and 2 sessions of contributed poster papers. During the third day the meeting broke into 5 working groups, each of which held discussions and then reported back to the conference as a whole. The five panels were: Measurements Technology and Active Experiments Working Group; Advanced High-Voltage, High-Power and Energy-Storage Space Systems Working Group; Large Structures and Tethers Working Group; Plasma Interactions and Surface/Materials Effects Working Group; and Beam Plasmas, Electronic Propulsion and Active Experiments Using Beams Working Group.

Improving Support for America's Hidden Heroes

PubMed Central

Terri, Tanielian; Kathryn E., Bouskill; Rajeev, Ramchand; Esther M., Friedman; Thomas E., Trail; Angela, Clague

2018-01-01

Abstract The United States is home to more than 21 million veterans, many of whom deployed to support combat operations around the globe during their military service and sustained service-related conditions or disabilities. Supporting these wounded, ill, and injured warriors once home are millions of informal caregivers—individuals who provide unpaid support with activities that enable the service member or veteran to live in a noninstitutionalized setting. In this study, researchers describe elements of a research blueprint to inform future efforts to improve support for military and veteran caregivers. To construct this blueprint, researchers inventoried currently available research on caregiving for disabled adults and children and gathered stakeholder input by conducting a survey and facilitating an online panel. The study highlights the need for more studies that examine how military and veteran caregiver needs evolve over time, how programs are working, and how caregiving affects specific subgroups. The resulting blueprint should serve as a guide for the caregiver support community to use in prioritizing and facilitating future research. PMID:29416949

Improving Support for America's Hidden Heroes: A Research Blueprint.

PubMed

Terri, Tanielian; Kathryn E, Bouskill; Rajeev, Ramchand; Esther M, Friedman; Thomas E, Trail; Angela, Clague

2018-01-01

The United States is home to more than 21 million veterans, many of whom deployed to support combat operations around the globe during their military service and sustained service-related conditions or disabilities. Supporting these wounded, ill, and injured warriors once home are millions of informal caregivers-individuals who provide unpaid support with activities that enable the service member or veteran to live in a noninstitutionalized setting. In this study, researchers describe elements of a research blueprint to inform future efforts to improve support for military and veteran caregivers. To construct this blueprint, researchers inventoried currently available research on caregiving for disabled adults and children and gathered stakeholder input by conducting a survey and facilitating an online panel. The study highlights the need for more studies that examine how military and veteran caregiver needs evolve over time, how programs are working, and how caregiving affects specific subgroups. The resulting blueprint should serve as a guide for the caregiver support community to use in prioritizing and facilitating future research.

Picking Up Artifacts: Storyboarding as a Gateway to Reuse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahid, Shahtab; Branham, Stacy M.; Cairco, Lauren; McCrickard, D. Scott; Harrison, Steve

Storyboarding offers designers the opportunity to illustrate a visual narrative of use. Because designers often refer to past ideas, we argue storyboards can be constructed by reusing shared artifacts. We present a study in which we explore how designers reuse artifacts consisting of images and rationale during storyboard construction. We find images can aid in accessing rationale and that connections among features aid in deciding what to reuse, creating new artifacts, and constructing. Based on requirements derived from our findings, we present a storyboarding tool, PIC-UP, to facilitate artifact sharing and reuse and evaluate its use in an exploratory study. We conclude with remarks on facilitating reuse and future work.

Dependence of future mortality changes on global CO2 concentrations: A review.

PubMed

Lee, Jae Young; Choi, Hayoung; Kim, Ho

2018-05-01

The heterogeneity among previous studies of future mortality projections due to climate change has often hindered comparisons and syntheses of resulting impacts. To address this challenge, the present study introduced a novel method to normalize the results from projection studies according to different baseline and projection periods and climate scenarios, thereby facilitating comparison and synthesis. This study reviewed the 15 previous studies involving projected climate change-related mortality under Representative Concentration Pathways. To synthesize their results, we first reviewed the important study design elements that affected the reported results in previous studies. Then, we normalized the reported results by CO 2 concentration in order to eliminate the effects of the baseline period, projection period, and climate scenario choices. For twenty-five locations worldwide, the normalized percentage changes in temperature-attributable mortality per 100 ppm increase in global CO 2 concentrations ranged between 41.9% and 330%, whereas those of total mortality ranged between 0.3% and 4.8%. The normalization methods presented in this work will guide future studies to provide their results in a normalized format and facilitate research synthesis to reinforce our understanding on the risk of climate change. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Range Information Systems Management (RISM) Phase 1 Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bastin, Gary L.; Harris, William G.; Nelson, Richard A.

2002-01-01

RISM investigated alternative approaches, technologies, and communication network architectures to facilitate building the Spaceports and Ranges of the future. RISM started by document most existing US ranges and their capabilities. In parallel, RISM obtained inputs from the following: 1) NASA and NASA-contractor engineers and managers, and; 2) Aerospace leaders from Government, Academia, and Industry, participating through the Space Based Range Distributed System Working Group (SBRDSWG), many of whom are also; 3) Members of the Advanced Range Technology Working Group (ARTWG) subgroups, and; 4) Members of the Advanced Spaceport Technology Working Group (ASTWG). These diverse inputs helped to envision advanced technologies for implementing future Ranges and Range systems that builds on today s cabled and wireless legacy infrastructures while seamlessly integrating both today s emerging and tomorrow s building-block communication techniques. The fundamental key is to envision a transition to a Space Based Range Distributed Subsystem. The enabling concept is to identify the specific needs of Range users that can be solved through applying emerging communication tech

How Positivity Links With Job Satisfaction: Preliminary Findings on the Mediating Role of Work-Life Balance.

PubMed

Orkibi, Hod; Brandt, Yaron Ilan

2015-08-01

The positive characteristics that can help people juggle their work and personal roles and experience greater job satisfaction are attracting increased research attention. This study presents a conceptual model to account for the association between employees' positive orientation (i.e., the tendency to evaluate self, life, and the future in a positive way) and their job satisfaction (N = 108). As theorized, the results indicate that employees' ability to manage their work-life balance fully mediates the relation between their positive orientation and job satisfaction. This suggests that a positive orientation serves as an adaptive personal resource that can facilitate employees' ability to balance work and non-work demands and hence can foster job satisfaction. The practical implications for positive psychological interventions in organizational settings are discussed.

How would case managers' practice change in a consumer-directed care environment in Australia?

PubMed

You, Emily Chuanmei; Dunt, David; Doyle, Colleen

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to explore case managers' perceived changes in their practice in the future when consumer-directed care (CDC) is widely implemented in Australia's community aged care system. Purposeful sampling was used and semi-structured individual and group interviews were conducted between September 2012 and March 2013. Participants were drawn from a list of all case managers who administered publicly funded community aged care packages in Victoria, Australia. Empowerment theory was used to guide the analysis and interpretation of the data. The thematic analysis revealed that case managers had mixed views about CDC. They also perceived changes in case managers' practice in the future when CDC is widely implemented. These might specifically include: first, case managers would not directly manage clients' budgets. While some case managers were concerned about losing power for this change, others believed that they would still have important financial roles to perform, such as setting rules, providing financial support and monitoring clients' use of budgets. Second, case managers would focus on performing roles in providing information, and empowering, facilitating and educating clients. These would help to strengthen clients' capacities and assist them to self-manage their care. Third, case managers would work in partnership with clients through frequent or skilful communication, mutual goal setting and goal facilitation. Fourth, case managers would manage more clients. In addition, they would provide less support to each individual client and perform less care co-ordination role. The findings suggest case managers paying attention to power balance regarding budget management in a CDC environment. Furthermore, they might frequently or skilfully communicate with, empower, facilitate and educate clients; work together with them to set up goals; and facilitate them to achieve goals. New research using empowerment theory to examine the actual practice of case managers in a well-established CDC system is warranted. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Family-friendliness in business as a key issue for the future.

PubMed

Stutzer, Erich

2012-01-01

These days family-friendliness is a key issue for the future of businesses. Investments in a family conscious personnel policy are considered as forward-looking decisions in companies. This happens against the background of a sustainable personnel policy in times of a decrease in the number of employable persons, an increasing shortage of skilled workers and an ageing workforce. Family-friendly working conditions are becoming a key factor in the competition for staff. When choosing an employer, family-friendliness has become a crucial topic. Employment participation and skills of women, especially of mothers, have greatly increased. To facilitate the realisation of their wish to return to paid employment, however, measures to reconcile work and family are required. Family-conscious measures have been proven to lead to higher employee productivity. Job satisfaction and motivation of employees and accumulation of human capital increase, absenteeism declines, the return of investment rises. Fields of activity for family-friendly measures in companies range from working arrangements, parental leave and re-entry programmes and various child care offers to services for families. In connection with the demographic development the demand for a better reconciliation of work and elder care should in future become ever more important, just as the upkeep of the occupational skills and working capacity of an ageing workforce. Family-friendliness has to become an integral part of corporate culture.

Multifunctional cell therapeutics with plasmonic nanobubbles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lukianova-Hleb, Ekaterina Y.; Kashinath, Shruti; Lapotko, Dmitri O.

2012-03-01

We report our new discovery of the nanophenomenon called plasmonic nanobubbles to devise faster, safer and more accurate ways of manipulating the components of human tissue grafts. The reported work facilitates future cell and gene therapies by allowing specific cell subsets to be positively or negatively selected for culture, genetic engineering or elimination. The technology will have application for a wide range of human tissues that can be used to treat a multiplicity of human diseases.

Desk-based workers' perspectives on using sit-stand workstations: a qualitative analysis of the Stand@Work study.

PubMed

Chau, Josephine Y; Daley, Michelle; Srinivasan, Anu; Dunn, Scott; Bauman, Adrian E; van der Ploeg, Hidde P

2014-07-25

Prolonged sitting time has been identified as a health risk factor. Sit-stand workstations allow desk workers to alternate between sitting and standing throughout the working day, but not much is known about their acceptability and feasibility. Hence, the aim of this study was to qualitatively evaluate the acceptability, feasibility and perceptions of using sit-stand workstations in a group of desk-based office workers. This article describes the qualitative evaluation of the randomized controlled cross-over Stand@Work pilot trial. Participants were adult employees recruited from a non-government health agency in Sydney, Australia. The intervention involved using an Ergotron Workfit S sit-stand workstation for four weeks. After the four week intervention, participants shared their perceptions and experiences of using the sit-stand workstation in focus group interviews with 4-5 participants. Topics covered in the focus groups included patterns of workstation use, barriers and facilitators to standing while working, effects on work performance, physical impacts, and feasibility in the office. Focus group field notes and transcripts were analysed in an iterative process during and after the data collection period to identify the main concepts and themes. During nine 45-min focus groups, a total of 42 participants were interviewed. Participants were largely intrinsically motivated to try the sit-stand workstation, mostly because of curiosity to try something new, interest in potential health benefits, and the relevance to the participant's own and organisation's work. Most participants used the sit-stand workstation and three common usage patterns were identified: task-based routine, time-based routine, and no particular routine. Common barriers to sit-stand workstation use were working in an open plan office, and issues with sit-stand workstation design. Common facilitators of sit-stand workstation use were a supportive work environment conducive to standing, perceived physical health benefits, and perceived work benefits. When prompted, most participants indicated they were interested in using a sit-stand workstation in the future. The use of a sit-stand workstation in this group of desk-based office workers was generally perceived as acceptable and feasible. Future studies are needed to explore this in different desk-based work populations and settings.

Review of levoglucosan in glacier snow and ice studies: Recent progress and future perspectives.

PubMed

You, Chao; Xu, Chao

2018-03-01

Levoglucosan (LEV) in glacier snow and ice layers provides a fingerprint of fire activity, ranging from modern air pollution to ancient fire emissions. In this study, we review recent progress in our understanding and application of LEV in glaciers, including analytical methods, transport and post-depositional processes, and historical records. We firstly summarize progress in analytical methods for determination of LEV in glacier snow and ice. Then, we discuss the processes influencing the records of LEV in snow and ice layers. Finally, we make some recommendations for future work, such as assessing the stability of LEV and obtaining continuous records, to increase reliability of the reconstructed ancient fire activity. This review provides an update for researchers working with LEV and will facilitate the further use of LEV as a biomarker in paleo-fire studies based on ice core records. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Planning and managing future space facility projects. [management by objectives and group dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sieber, J. E.; Wilhelm, J. A.; Tanner, T. A.; Helmreich, R. L.; Burgenbauch, S. F.

1979-01-01

To learn how ground-based personnel of a space project plan and organize their work and how such planning and organizing relate to work outcomes, longitudinal study of the management and execution of the Space Lab Mission Development Test 3 (SMD 3) was performed at NASA Ames Research Center. A view of the problems likely to arise in organizations and some methods of coping with these problems are presented as well as the conclusions and recommendations that pertain strictly to SMD 3 management. Emphasis is placed on the broader context of future space facility projects and additional problems that may be anticipated. A model of management that may be used to facilitate problem solving and communication - management by objectives (MBO) is presented. Some problems of communication and emotion management that MBO does not address directly are considered. Models for promoting mature, constructive and satisfying emotional relationships among group members are discussed.

Skin Bioprinting: Impending Reality or Fantasy?

PubMed

Ng, Wei Long; Wang, Shuai; Yeong, Wai Yee; Naing, May Win

2016-09-01

Bioprinting provides a fully automated and advanced platform that facilitates the simultaneous and highly specific deposition of multiple types of skin cells and biomaterials, a process that is lacking in conventional skin tissue-engineering approaches. Here, we provide a realistic, current overview of skin bioprinting, distinguishing facts from myths. We present an in-depth analysis of both current skin bioprinting works and the cellular and matrix components of native human skin. We also highlight current limitations and achievements, followed by design considerations and a future outlook for skin bioprinting. The potential of bioprinting with converging opportunities in biology, material, and computational design will eventually facilitate the fabrication of improved tissue-engineered (TE) skin constructs, making bioprinting skin an impending reality. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of single cortisol administrations on human affect reviewed: Coping with stress through adaptive regulation of automatic cognitive processing.

PubMed

Putman, Peter; Roelofs, Karin

2011-05-01

The human stress hormone cortisol may facilitate effective coping after psychological stress. In apparent agreement, administration of cortisol has been demonstrated to reduce fear in response to stressors. For anxious patients with phobias or posttraumatic stress disorder this has been ascribed to hypothetical inhibition of retrieval of traumatic memories. However, such stress-protective effects may also work via adaptive regulation of early cognitive processing of threatening information from the environment. This paper selectively reviews the available literature on effects of single cortisol administrations on affect and early cognitive processing of affectively significant information. The concluded working hypothesis is that immediate effects of high concentration of cortisol may facilitate stress-coping via inhibition of automatic processing of goal-irrelevant threatening information and through increased automatic approach-avoidance responses in early emotional processing. Limitations in the existing literature and suggestions for future directions are briefly discussed. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Ounce of Prevention is a Ton of Work: Mass Antibiotic Prophylaxis for Anthrax, New York City, 2001

PubMed Central

Moskin, Linda C.; Zucker, Jane R.

2003-01-01

Protocols for mass antibiotic prophylaxis against anthrax were under development in New York City beginning in early 1999. This groundwork allowed the city’s Department of Health to rapidly respond in 2001 to six situations in which cases were identified or anthrax spores were found. The key aspects of planning and lessons learned from each of these mass prophylaxis operations are reviewed. Antibiotic distribution was facilitated by limiting medical histories to issues relevant to prescribing prophylactic antibiotic therapy, formatting medical records to facilitate rapid decision making, and separating each component activity into discrete work stations. Successful implementation of mass prophylaxis operations was characterized by clarity of mission and eligibility criteria, well-defined lines of authority and responsibilities, effective communication, collaboration among city agencies (including law enforcement), and coordination of staffing and supplies. This model can be adapted for future planning needs including possible attacks with other bioterrorism agents, such as smallpox. PMID:12780998

How Positivity Links With Job Satisfaction: Preliminary Findings on the Mediating Role of Work-Life Balance

PubMed Central

Orkibi, Hod; Brandt, Yaron Ilan

2015-01-01

The positive characteristics that can help people juggle their work and personal roles and experience greater job satisfaction are attracting increased research attention. This study presents a conceptual model to account for the association between employees’ positive orientation (i.e., the tendency to evaluate self, life, and the future in a positive way) and their job satisfaction (N = 108). As theorized, the results indicate that employees’ ability to manage their work-life balance fully mediates the relation between their positive orientation and job satisfaction. This suggests that a positive orientation serves as an adaptive personal resource that can facilitate employees’ ability to balance work and non-work demands and hence can foster job satisfaction. The practical implications for positive psychological interventions in organizational settings are discussed. PMID:27247666

Building a Shared Definitional Model of Long Duration Human Spaceflight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arias, Diana; Orr, Martin; Whitmire, Alexandra; Leveton, Lauren; Sandoval, Luis

2012-01-01

Objective: To establish the need for a shared definitional model of long duration human spaceflight, that would provide a framework and vision to facilitate communication, research and practice In 1956, on the eve of human space travel, Hubertus Strughold first proposed a "simple classification of the present and future stages of manned flight" that identified key factors, risks and developmental stages for the evolutionary journey ahead. As we look to new destinations, we need a current shared working definitional model of long duration human space flight to help guide our path. Here we describe our preliminary findings and outline potential approaches for the future development of a definition and broader classification system

Investigation of type-I interferon dysregulation by arenaviruses : a multidisciplinary approach.

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

Kozina, Carol L.; Moorman, Matthew Wallace; Branda, Catherine

2011-09-01

This report provides a detailed overview of the work performed for project number 130781, 'A Systems Biology Approach to Understanding Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Pathogenesis.' We report progress in five key areas: single cell isolation devices and control systems, fluorescent cytokine and transcription factor reporters, on-chip viral infection assays, molecular virology analysis of Arenavirus nucleoprotein structure-function, and development of computational tools to predict virus-host protein interactions. Although a great deal of work remains from that begun here, we have developed several novel single cell analysis tools and knowledge of Arenavirus biology that will facilitate and inform future publications and funding proposals.

[SWOT Analysis of the National Survey on Current Status of Major Human Parasitic Diseases in China].

PubMed

ZHU, Hui-hui; ZHOU, Chang-hai; CHEN, Ying-dan; ZANG, Wei; XIAO, Ning; ZHOU, Xiao-nong

2015-10-01

The National Survey on Current Status of Major Human Parasitic Diseases in China has been carried out since 2014 under the organization of the National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People's Republic of China. The National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NIPD, China CDC) provided technical support and was responsible for quality control in this survey. This study used SWOT method to analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that were encountered by he NIPD, China CDC during the completion of the survey. Accordingly, working strategies were proposed to facilitate the future field work.

High-dependency care: experiences of the psychosocial work environment.

PubMed

Rahman, Hanif Abdul; Naing, Lin; Abdul-Mumin, Khadizah

2017-11-23

to explore high-dependency care nurses' experiences of their psychosocial work environment. four focus groups were conducted with 23 emergency and critical care hospital nurses in Brunei. All sessions were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using inductive-approach thematic analysis. three major themes were identified. 'Specialisation/specific skills' explained a fundamental requirement for the high-dependency care nurses to work effectively and efficiently in their workplace. 'Task completion' narrated the pressure they experienced to complete their tasks within time constraints exacerbated by a reduced number of staff. 'Acknowledgement' signified their need for fair and adequate reward for their hard work through career progression and promotion. this study facilitates the design of future interventions and policies that promote a healthy psychosocial work environment by ensuring nurses working in these areas have the required specialisation skills, there is a balance of workload and nurse-to-patient ratios, and they are offered fairness and equity in career progression and promotion.

The relationship between facilitators' questions and the level of reflection in postsimulation debriefing.

PubMed

Husebø, Sissel Eikeland; Dieckmann, Peter; Rystedt, Hans; Søreide, Eldar; Friberg, Febe

2013-06-01

Simulation-based education is a learner-active method that may enhance teamwork skills such as leadership and communication. The importance of postsimulation debriefing to promote reflection is well accepted, but many questions concerning whether and how faculty promote reflection remain largely unanswered in the research literature. The aim of this study was therefore to explore the depth of reflection expressed in questions by facilitators and responses from nursing students during postsimulation debriefings. Eighty-one nursing students and 4 facilitators participated. The data were collected in February and March 2008, the analysis being conducted on 24 video-recorded debriefings from simulated resuscitation teamwork involving nursing students only. Using Gibbs' reflective cycle, we graded the facilitators' questions and nursing students' responses into stages of reflection and then correlated these. Facilitators asked most evaluative and fewest emotional questions, whereas nursing students answered most evaluative and analytic responses and fewest emotional responses. The greatest difference between facilitators and nursing students was in the analytic stage. Only 23 (20%) of 117 questions asked by the facilitators were analytic, whereas 45 (35%) of 130 students' responses were rated as analytic. Nevertheless, the facilitators' descriptive questions also elicited student responses in other stages such as evaluative and analytic responses. We found that postsimulation debriefings provide students with the opportunity to reflect on their simulation experience. Still, if the debriefing is going to pave the way for student reflection, it is necessary to work further on structuring the debriefing to facilitate deeper reflection. Furthermore, it is important that facilitators consider what kind of questions they ask to promote reflection. We think future research on debriefing should focus on developing an analytical framework for grading reflective questions. Such research will inform and support facilitators in devising strategies for the promotion of learning through reflection in postsimulation debriefings.

A vocational rehabilitation intervention for young adults with physical disabilities: participants' perception of beneficial attributes.

PubMed

Bal, M I; Sattoe, J N T; van Schaardenburgh, N R; Floothuis, M C S G; Roebroeck, M E; Miedema, H S

2017-01-01

Finding and maintaining employment is a major challenge for young adults with physical disabilities and their work participation rate is lower than that of healthy peers. This paper is about a program that supports work participation amongst young adults with chronic physical disabilities. The study aims to explore their experienced barriers and facilitators for finding and maintaining employment after starting this program, the participant-perceived beneficial attributes of the program and participants' recommendations for additional intervention components. Semi-structured interviews (n = 19) were held with former intervention participations. Interviews were recorded and transcribed ad verbatim. Themes were derived using the phenomenological approach. Physical functions and capacities, supervisor's attitude, self-esteem and self-efficacy and openness and assertiveness were experienced barriers and facilitators for finding and maintaining employment. Improvement of self-promoting skills and disclosure skills through job interview-training, increased self-esteem or self-efficacy through peer-support, a suitable job through job placement, improvement of work ability through arrangement of adjusted work conditions and change of supervisor's attitude through education provided to the supervisor were perceived as beneficial attributes of the intervention. Respondents recommended to incorporate assertiveness and openness skills training into future intervention programs. The findings suggest that programs supporting work participation should be designed to provide challenging, real-world experiential opportunities that provide young adults with physical disabilities with new insights, self-efficacy and life skills. Also, such programs should facilitate context centered learning. Former intervention participants, therefore, evaluated job-interview training, sharing learning and social experiences with peers, job placement, arrangement of adjusted work conditions and education as beneficial attributes of the 'At Work' program. In addition, they recommended, to incorporate more training on assertiveness and disclosure. We advise professionals to include these beneficial attributes in similar interventions in other contexts. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Open access to Water Indicators for Climate Change Adaptation: proof-of-concept for the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lottle, Lorna; Arheimer, Berit; Gyllensvärd, Frida; Dejong, Fokke; Ludwig, Fulco; Hutjes, Ronald; Martinez, Bernat

2017-04-01

Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) is still in the development phase and will combine observations of the climate system with the latest science to develop authoritative, quality-assured information about the past, current and future states of the climate and climate dependent sectors in Europe and worldwide. C3S will provide key indicators on climate change drivers and selected sectorial impacts. The aim of these indicators will be to support adaptation and mitigation. This presentation will show one service already operational as a proof-of-concept of this future climate service. The project "Service for Water Indicators in Climate Change Adaptation" (SWICCA) has developed a sectorial information service for water management. It offers readily available climate-impact data, for open access from the web-site http://swicca.climate.copernicus.eu/. The development is user-driven with the overall goal to speed up the workflow in climate-change adaptation of water management across Europe. The service is co-designed by consultant engineers and agencies in 15 case-studies spread out over the continent. SWICCA has an interactive user-interface, which shows maps and graphs, and facilitates data download in user-friendly formats. In total, more than 900 open dataset are given for various hydrometeorological (and a few socioeconomical) variables, model ensembles, resolutions, time-periods and RCPs. The service offers more than 40 precomputed climate impact indicators (CIIs) and transient time-series of 4 essential climate variables ECVs) with high spatial and temporal resolution. To facilitate both near future and far future assessments, SWICCA provides the indicators for different time ranges; normally, absolute values are given for a reference period (e.g. 1971-2000) and the expected future changes for different 30-year periods, such as early century (2011-2040), mid-century (2041-2070) and end-century (2071-2100). An ensemble of model results is always given to indicate confidence in the estimates. The SWICCA demonstrator also includes user guidance, information sheets, tutorials, and links to other relevant websites. The aim of this service is to provide research data and guidance for climate impact assessments in the water sector. The main target group is consulting engineers (so called Purveyors) working with climate change adaptation in the water sector. By using indicators, climate impact assessments can be done without having to run a full production chain from raw climate model results - instead the indicators can be included in the local workflow with local methods applied, to facilitate decision-making and strategies to meet the future. Working with real users will ensure that useful data is inserted into the C3S Climate Data Store (CDS).

Partners in Health: A Conceptual Framework for the Role of Community Health Workers in Facilitating Patients' Adoption of Healthy Behaviors

PubMed Central

Van Devanter, Nancy; Islam, Nadia; Trinh-Shevrin, Chau

2015-01-01

We formulated a conceptual framework that begins to answer the national call to improve health care access, delivery, and quality by explaining the processes through which community health workers (CHWs) facilitate patients’ adoption of healthy behaviors. In September 2011 to January 2012, we conducted a qualitative study that triangulated multiple data sources: 26 in-depth interviews, training documents, and patient charts. CHWs served as partners in health to immigrant Filipinos with hypertension, leveraging their cultural congruence with intervention participants, employing interpersonal communication techniques to build trust and rapport, providing social support, and assisting with health behavior change. To drive the field forward, this work can be expanded with framework testing that may influence future CHW training and interventions. PMID:25790405

Community response grids: using information technology to help communities respond to bioterror emergencies.

PubMed

Jaeger, Paul T; Fleischmann, Kenneth R; Preece, Jennifer; Shneiderman, Ben; Wu, Philip Fei; Qu, Yan

2007-12-01

Access to accurate and trusted information is vital in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from an emergency. To facilitate response in large-scale emergency situations, Community Response Grids (CRGs) integrate Internet and mobile technologies to enable residents to report information, professional emergency responders to disseminate instructions, and residents to assist one another. CRGs use technology to help residents and professional emergency responders to work together in community response to emergencies, including bioterrorism events. In a time of increased danger from bioterrorist threats, the application of advanced information and communication technologies to community response is vital in confronting such threats. This article describes CRGs, their underlying concepts, development efforts, their relevance to biosecurity and bioterrorism, and future research issues in the use of technology to facilitate community response.

Partners in health: a conceptual framework for the role of community health workers in facilitating patients' adoption of healthy behaviors.

PubMed

Katigbak, Carina; Van Devanter, Nancy; Islam, Nadia; Trinh-Shevrin, Chau

2015-05-01

We formulated a conceptual framework that begins to answer the national call to improve health care access, delivery, and quality by explaining the processes through which community health workers (CHWs) facilitate patients' adoption of healthy behaviors. In September 2011 to January 2012, we conducted a qualitative study that triangulated multiple data sources: 26 in-depth interviews, training documents, and patient charts. CHWs served as partners in health to immigrant Filipinos with hypertension, leveraging their cultural congruence with intervention participants, employing interpersonal communication techniques to build trust and rapport, providing social support, and assisting with health behavior change. To drive the field forward, this work can be expanded with framework testing that may influence future CHW training and interventions.

Intelligent communication assistant for databases

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

Jakobson, G.; Shaked, V.; Rowley, S.

1983-01-01

An intelligent communication assistant for databases, called FRED (front end for databases) is explored. FRED is designed to facilitate access to database systems by users of varying levels of experience. FRED is a second generation of natural language front-ends for databases and intends to solve two critical interface problems existing between end-users and databases: connectivity and communication problems. The authors report their experiences in developing software for natural language query processing, dialog control, and knowledge representation, as well as the direction of future work. 10 references.

Implications of work and community demands and resources for work-to-family conflict and facilitation.

PubMed

Voydanoff, Patricia

2004-10-01

Based on a differential salience approach, this article examines the combined effects of work and community demands and resources on work-to-family conflict and facilitation. The study uses information from 2,507 employed respondents from the 1995 National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States. The findings indicate that work demands are relatively strongly related to work-to-family conflict, whereas work resources are relatively more important in relation to work-to-family facilitation. Social incoherence and friend demands are positively related to work-to-family conflict, whereas sense of community and support from friends have positive effects on facilitation. Community resources also show weak amplifying effects on some of the positive relationships between work resources and work-to-family facilitation. The findings provide modest support for the hypotheses.

Post-retirement intentions of nurses and midwives living and working in the Northern Territory of Australia.

PubMed

Voit, Katharina; Carson, D B

2014-01-01

Previous research undertaken in the Northern Territory of Australia has identified interest among nurses in engaging in the active workforce post-retirement. Relatively little is known about which nurses are interested in such engagement, and the types of work arrangements that might be of interest. This study aims to provide an enhanced understanding of the retirement plans and post-retirement employment intentions of nurses and midwives living and working in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. An online survey was developed to examine retirement intentions, and investigate the types and facilitators significant for post-retirement engagement. The results indicated a strong interest among nurses and midwives in engaging in post-retirement work, with 73.2% of respondents (n=207) having considered continuing in the active workforce. The most preferred types of engagement included the gradual reduction of hours in current workplaces, part-year or seasonal employment, short-term placements, job-sharing or job-rotation, mentoring, research and policy development or acting as 'Northern Territory representatives' promoting jobs to prospective nurses and midwives elsewhere in Australia. A range of facilitators for post-retirement engagement was found, including for nurses who had not currently considered such engagement. The data collected from this research also identified barriers to post-retirement employment. The most favoured facilitators were financial incentives (90.0% of respondents identified it as a facilitator for post-retirement engagement), followed by support from line management (82.0%). Regardless of whether they had considered engaging post-retirement, the largest proportion of respondents intended to leave the NT for the time of their retirement (33.7%). The most prominent barrier to post-retirement engagement was that only a smaller proportion intended to retire in the NT (24.1%). Importantly, many nurses who had not currently considered post-retirement engagement were interested in some of the opportunities listed in the survey, and may therefore be tempted to consider continued engagement in the future. This study has provided an enhanced understanding of the retirement intentions of nurses and midwives living and working in the NT, and the significant types and facilitators of post-retirement engagement. The barriers arising from the inability of workplaces to cater to the needs of older workers potentially continuing their employment post-retirement are consistent with previous research. The types and facilitators of engagement presented in this study might assist in overcoming these barriers.

Harmonisation of Global Land-Use Scenarios for the Period 1500-2100 for IPCC-AR5

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

Hurtt, George; Chini, Louise Parsons; Frolking, Steve

2009-06-01

In preparation for the fifth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change climate change assessment (IPCC-AR5), the international community is developing new advanced computer models (CMs) to address the combined effects of human activities (e.g. land-use and fossil fuel emissions) on the carbon-climate system. In addition, four Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios of the future (2005-2100) are being developed by four Integrated Assessment Modeling teams (IAMs) to be used as input to the CMs for future climate projections. The diversity of requirements and approaches among CMs and IAMs for tracking land-use changes (past, present, and future), presents major challenges for treating land-usemore » comprehensively and consistently between these communities. As part of an international working group, we have been working to meet these challenges by developing a "harmonized" set of land-use change scenarios that smoothly connects gridded historical reconstructions of land-use with future projections, in a format required by CMs. This approach to harmonizing the treatment of land-use between two key modeling communities, CMs and IAMs, represents a major advance that will facilitate more consistent and fuller treatments of land-use/land-use change effects including both CO2 emissions and corresponding land-surface changes.« less

Integrating geological archives and climate models for the mid-Pliocene warm period.

PubMed

Haywood, Alan M; Dowsett, Harry J; Dolan, Aisling M

2016-02-16

The mid-Pliocene Warm Period (mPWP) offers an opportunity to understand a warmer-than-present world and assess the predictive ability of numerical climate models. Environmental reconstruction and climate modelling are crucial for understanding the mPWP, and the synergy of these two, often disparate, fields has proven essential in confirming features of the past and in turn building confidence in projections of the future. The continual development of methodologies to better facilitate environmental synthesis and data/model comparison is essential, with recent work demonstrating that time-specific (time-slice) syntheses represent the next logical step in exploring climate change during the mPWP and realizing its potential as a test bed for understanding future climate change.

Integrating geological archives and climate models for the mid-Pliocene warm period

PubMed Central

Haywood, Alan M.; Dowsett, Harry J.; Dolan, Aisling M.

2016-01-01

The mid-Pliocene Warm Period (mPWP) offers an opportunity to understand a warmer-than-present world and assess the predictive ability of numerical climate models. Environmental reconstruction and climate modelling are crucial for understanding the mPWP, and the synergy of these two, often disparate, fields has proven essential in confirming features of the past and in turn building confidence in projections of the future. The continual development of methodologies to better facilitate environmental synthesis and data/model comparison is essential, with recent work demonstrating that time-specific (time-slice) syntheses represent the next logical step in exploring climate change during the mPWP and realizing its potential as a test bed for understanding future climate change. PMID:26879640

Examining the nomological network of satisfaction with work-life balance.

PubMed

Grawitch, Matthew J; Maloney, Patrick W; Barber, Larissa K; Mooshegian, Stephanie E

2013-07-01

This study expands on past work-life research by examining the nomological network of satisfaction with work-life balance-the overall appraisal or global assessment of how one manages time and energy across work and nonwork domains. Analyses using 456 employees at a midsized organization indicated expected relationships with bidirectional conflict, bidirectional facilitation, and satisfaction with work and nonwork life. Structural equation modeling supported the utility of satisfaction with balance as a unique component of work-life interface perceptions. Results also indicated that satisfaction with balance mediated the relationship between some conflict/facilitation and life satisfaction outcomes, though conflict and facilitation maintained unique predictive validity on domain specific outcomes (i.e., work-to-life conflict and facilitation with work life satisfaction; life-to-work conflict and facilitation with nonwork life satisfaction). PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Improving communication for interdisciplinary teams working on storage of digital information in DNA.

PubMed

Hesketh, Emily E; Sayir, Jossy; Goldman, Nick

2018-01-01

Close collaboration between specialists from diverse backgrounds and working in different scientific domains is an effective strategy to overcome challenges in areas that interface between biology, chemistry, physics and engineering. Communication in such collaborations can itself be challenging.  Even when projects are successfully concluded, resulting publications - necessarily multi-authored - have the potential to be disjointed. Few, both in the field and outside, may be able to fully understand the work as a whole. This needs to be addressed to facilitate efficient working, peer review, accessibility and impact to larger audiences. We are an interdisciplinary team working in a nascent scientific area, the repurposing of DNA as a storage medium for digital information. In this note, we highlight some of the difficulties that arise from such collaborations and outline our efforts to improve communication through a glossary and a controlled vocabulary and accessibility via short plain-language summaries. We hope to stimulate early discussion within this emerging field of how our community might improve the description and presentation of our work to facilitate clear communication within and between research groups and increase accessibility to those not familiar with our respective fields - be it molecular biology, computer science, information theory or others that might become relevant in future. To enable an open and inclusive discussion we have created a glossary and controlled vocabulary as a cloud-based shared document and we invite other scientists to critique our suggestions and contribute their own ideas.

Optical fiber cabling technologies for flexible access network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanji, Hisashi

2008-07-01

Fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) outside plant infrastructure should be so designed and constructed as to flexibly deal with increasing subscribers and system evolution to be expected in the future, taking minimization of total cost (CAPEX and OPEX) into consideration. With this in mind, fiber access architectures are reviewed and key technologies on optical fiber and cable for supporting flexible access network are presented. Low loss over wide wavelength (low water peak) and bend-insensitive single mode fiber is a future proof solution. Enhanced separable ribbon facilitates mid-span access to individual fibers in a cable installed, improving fiber utilizing efficiency and flexibility of distribution design. It also contributes to an excellent low PMD characteristic which could be required for video RF overlay system or high capacity long reach metro-access convergence network in the future. Bend-insensitive fiber based cabling technique including field installable connector greatly improves fiber/cable handling in installation and maintenance work.

Work-related barriers, facilitators, and strategies of breast cancer survivors working during curative treatment.

PubMed

Sun, Wenjun; Chen, Karen; Terhaar, Abigail; Wiegmann, Douglas A; Heidrich, Susan M; Tevaarwerk, Amye J; Sesto, Mary E

2016-01-01

Research has identified barriers and facilitators affecting cancer survivors' return to work (RTW) following the end of active treatment (surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy). However, few studies have focused on barriers and facilitators that cancer survivors experience while working during active treatment. Strategies used by cancer survivors to solve work-related problems during active treatment are underexplored. The aim of this study was to describe factors that impact, either positively or negatively, breast cancer survivors' work activities during active treatment. Semi-structured, recorded interviews were conducted with 35 breast cancer survivors who worked during active treatment. Transcripts of interviews were analyzed using inductive content analysis to identify themes regarding work-related barriers, facilitators and strategies. Barriers identified included symptoms, emotional distress, appearance change, time constraints, work characteristics, unsupportive supervisors and coworkers, family issues and other illness. Facilitators included positive aspects of work, support outside of work, and coworker and supervisor support. Strategies included activities to improve health-related issues and changes to working conditions and tasks. Breast cancer survivors encounter various barriers during active treatment. Several facilitators and strategies can help survivors maintain productive work activities.

Work-related barriers, facilitators, and strategies of breast cancer survivors working during curative treatment

PubMed Central

Sun, Wenjun; Chen, Karen; Terhaar, Abigail; Wiegmann, Douglas A.; Heidrich, Susan M.; Tevaarwerk, Amye J.; Sesto, Mary E.

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND Research has identified barriers and facilitators affecting cancer survivors’ return to work (RTW) following the end of active treatment (surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy). However, few studies have focused on barriers and facilitators that cancer survivors experience while working during active treatment. Strategies used by cancer survivors to solve work-related problems during active treatment are underexplored. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to describe factors that impact, either positively or negatively, breast cancer survivors’ work activities during active treatment. METHODS Semi-structured, recorded interviews were conducted with 35 breast cancer survivors who worked during active treatment. Transcripts of interviews were analyzed using inductive content analysis to identify themes regarding work-related barriers, facilitators and strategies. RESULTS Barriers identified included symptoms, emotional distress, appearance change, time constraints, work characteristics, unsupportive supervisors and coworkers, family issues and other illness. Facilitators included positive aspects of work, support outside of work, and coworker and supervisor support. Strategies included activities to improve health-related issues and changes to working conditions and tasks. CONCLUSIONS Breast cancer survivors encounter various barriers during active treatment. Several facilitators and strategies can help survivors maintain productive work activities. PMID:28059814

Long-term follow-up of a facilitated peer mentoring program.

PubMed

Mayer, Anita P; Blair, Janis E; Ko, Marcia G; Patel, Salma I; Files, Julia A

2014-03-01

Mentoring plays an important role in career success of academic medical faculty. New mentoring models such as peer mentoring have emerged. To evaluate the long-term impact of a facilitated peer mentoring program on academic achievements. Women faculty at the instructor or assistant professor rank were recruited to voluntarily participate in a facilitated peer mentoring program. Recruitment occurred over 3.8 years between 2005 and 2009. A 26-item questionnaire to assess academic skill, career satisfaction, and self-efficacy was administered before program participation and again with seven additional questions in 2011. Curriculum vitae were reviewed retrospectively to tally peer-reviewed publications, other academic activities, and promotions. Participants had long-term improvement in their perceived mastery of academic skills. Peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, abstracts, posters, and other academic activities increased when activities before the program were compared to those in the five years after program enrollment. At follow-up, participants reported positive perceptions of the program and 44% continued to work with their original peer mentor groups. Involvement in the facilitated peer mentoring program was associated with increased skills and academic activities for most participants. Future studies are needed to assess its applicability and success among various demographic groups in academic medicine.

A Spatially-Explicit Modeling Approach to Examine the Interaction of Reproductive Traits and Landscape Characteristics on Arctic Shrub Expansion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naito, A. T.; Cairns, D. M.; Feldman, R. M.; Grant, W. E.

2014-12-01

Shrub expansion is one of the most recognized components of terrestrial Arctic change. While experimental work has provided valuable insights into its fine-scale drivers and implications, the contribution of shrub reproductive characteristics to their spatial patterns is poorly understood at broader scales. Building upon our previous work in river valleys in northern Alaska, we developed a C#-based spatially-explicit model that simulates historic landscape-scale shrub establishment between the 1970s and the late 2000s on a yearly time-step while accounting for parameters relating to different reproduction modes (clonal development with and without the "mass effect" and short-distance dispersal), as well as the presence and absence of the interaction of hydrologic constraints using the topographic wetness index. We examined these treatments on floodplains, valley slopes, and interfluves in the Ayiyak, Colville, and Kurupa River valleys. After simulating 30 landscape realizations using each parameter combination, we quantified the spatial characteristics (patch density, edge density, patch size variability, area-weighted shape index, area-weighted fractal dimension index, and mean distance between patches) of the resulting shrub patches on the simulation end date using FRAGSTATS. We used Principal Components Analysis to determine which treatments produced spatial characteristics most similar to those observed in the late 2000s. Based upon our results, we hypothesize that historic shrub expansion in northern Alaska has been driven in part by clonal reproduction with the "mass effect" or short-distance dispersal (< 5 m). The interactive effect of hydrologic characteristics, however, is less clear. These hypotheses may then be tested in future work involving field observations. Given the potential that climate change may facilitate a shift from a clonal to a sexual reproductive strategy, this model may facilitate predictions regarding future Arctic vegetation patterns.

Workplace Interventions to Prevent Disability from Both the Scientific and Practice Perspectives: A Comparison of Scientific Literature, Grey Literature and Stakeholder Observations.

PubMed

Williams-Whitt, Kelly; Bültmann, Ute; Amick, Benjamin; Munir, Fehmidah; Tveito, Torill H; Anema, Johannes R

2016-12-01

Purpose The significant individual and societal burden of work disability could be reduced if supportive workplace strategies could be added to evidence-based clinical treatment and rehabilitation to improve return-to-work (RTW) and other disability outcomes. The goal of this article is to summarize existing research on workplace interventions to prevent disability, relate these to employer disability management practices, and recommend future research priorities. Methods The authors participated in a year-long collaboration that ultimately led to an invited 3-day conference, Improving Research of Employer Practices to Prevent Disability, held October 14-16, 2015, in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, USA. The collaboration included a topical review of the literature, group conference calls to identify key areas and challenges, drafting of initial documents, review of industry publications, and a conference presentation that included feedback from peer researchers and a question/answer session with an expert panel with direct employer experience. Results Evidence from randomized trials and other research designs has shown general support for job modification, RTW coordination, and organizational support, but evidence is still lacking for interventions at a more granular level. Grey literature reports focused mainly on job re-design and work organization. Panel feedback focused on organizational readiness and the beliefs and values of senior managers as critical factors in facilitating changes to disability management practices. While the scientific literature is focused on facilitating improved coping and reducing discomforts for individual workers, the employer-directed grey literature is focused on making group-level changes to policies and procedures. Conclusions Future research might better target employer practices by tying interventions to positive workplace influences and determinants, by developing more participatory interventions and research designs, and by designing interventions that address factors of organizational change.

Using a Transdisciplinary Interpretive Lens to Broaden Reflections on Alleviating Poverty and Promoting Decent Work.

PubMed

Di Fabio, Annamaria; Maree, Jacobus G

2016-01-01

This article aims to broaden current reflections on definitions of decent work and poverty using a transdisciplinary interpretive lens comprising philosophical, juridical, economic, sociological, and psychological understandings. We (the authors) undertook an adapted systematic qualitative review to gather data on different perspectives on decent work and poverty. The article summarizes and compares reflections on the two constructs and proposes an enhancement of the current definition of decent work. The aim is to facilitate the identification and development of new research and intervention projects that can be implemented to promote fair and sustainable economic development, the provision of decent work, and the reduction of poverty globally. We believe that challenges should be dealt with pro-actively rather than reactively and that intervening at the level of primary prevention should lie at the heart of any strategy to promote decent work and alleviate poverty. Radical intervention is needed to ensure that future generations not only survive but develop, grow, and express themselves meaningfully through decent work.

Using a Transdisciplinary Interpretive Lens to Broaden Reflections on Alleviating Poverty and Promoting Decent Work

PubMed Central

Di Fabio, Annamaria; Maree, Jacobus G.

2016-01-01

This article aims to broaden current reflections on definitions of decent work and poverty using a transdisciplinary interpretive lens comprising philosophical, juridical, economic, sociological, and psychological understandings. We (the authors) undertook an adapted systematic qualitative review to gather data on different perspectives on decent work and poverty. The article summarizes and compares reflections on the two constructs and proposes an enhancement of the current definition of decent work. The aim is to facilitate the identification and development of new research and intervention projects that can be implemented to promote fair and sustainable economic development, the provision of decent work, and the reduction of poverty globally. We believe that challenges should be dealt with pro-actively rather than reactively and that intervening at the level of primary prevention should lie at the heart of any strategy to promote decent work and alleviate poverty. Radical intervention is needed to ensure that future generations not only survive but develop, grow, and express themselves meaningfully through decent work PMID:27148115

Turning Knowledge Into Action at the Point-of-Care: The Collective Experience of Nurses Facilitating the Implementation of Evidence-Based Practice

PubMed Central

Dogherty, Elizabeth J; Harrison, Margaret B; Graham, Ian D; Vandyk, Amanda Digel; Keeping-Burke, Lisa

2013-01-01

Background: Facilitation is considered a way of enabling clinicians to implement evidence into practice by problem solving and providing support. Practice development is a well-established movement in the United Kingdom that incorporates the use of facilitators, but in Canada, the role is more obtuse. Few investigations have observed the process of facilitation as described by individuals experienced in guideline implementation in North America. AimTo describe the tacit knowledge regarding facilitation embedded in the experiences of nurses implementing evidence into practice. Methods: Twenty nurses from across Canada were purposively selected to attend an interactive knowledge translation symposium to examine what has worked and what has not in implementing evidence in practice. This study is an additional in-depth analysis of data collected at the symposium that focuses on facilitation as an intervention to enhance evidence uptake. Critical incident technique was used to elicit examples to examine the nurses’ facilitation experiences. Participants shared their experiences with one another and completed initial data analysis and coding collaboratively. The data were further thematically analyzed using the qualitative inductive approach of constant comparison. Results: A number of factors emerged at various levels associated with the successes and failures of participants’ efforts to facilitate evidence-based practice. Successful implementation related to: (a) focus on a priority issue, (b) relevant evidence, (c) development of strategic partnerships, (d) the use of multiple strategies to effect change, and (e) facilitator characteristics and approach. Negative factors influencing the process were: (a) poor engagement or ownership, (b) resource deficits, (c) conflict, (d) contextual issues, and (e) lack of evaluation and sustainability. Conclusions: Factors at the individual, environmental, organizational, and cultural level influence facilitation of evidence-based practice in real situations at the point-of-care. With a greater understanding of factors contributing to successful or unsuccessful facilitation, future research should focus on analyzing facilitation interventions tailored to address barriers and enhance facilitators of evidence uptake. PMID:23796066

Future Dietitian 2025: informing the development of a workforce strategy for dietetics.

PubMed

Hickson, M; Child, J; Collinson, A

2018-02-01

Healthcare is changing and the professions that deliver it need to adapt and change too. The aim of this research was to inform the development of a workforce strategy for Dietetics for 2020-2030. This included an understanding of the drivers for change, the views of stakeholders and recommendations to prepare the profession for the future. The research included three phases: (i) establishing the context which included a literature and document review (environmental scan); (ii) discovering the profession and professional issues using crowd-sourcing technology; and (iii) articulating the vision for the future using appreciative inquiry. The environmental scan described the current status of the dietetic profession, the changing healthcare environment, the context in which dietitians work and what future opportunities exist for the profession. The online conversation facilitated by crowd-sourcing technology asked the question: 'How can dietitians strengthen their future role, influence and impact?' Dietitians and interested stakeholders (726 and 109, respectively) made 6130 contributions. Seven priorities were identified and fed into the appreciative inquiry event. The event bought together 54 dietitians and analysis of the discussions generated five themes: (i) professional identity; (ii) strong foundations-creating structure and direction for the profession; (iii) amplifying visibility and influence; (iv) embracing advances in science and technology; and (v) career advancement and emerging opportunities. A series of recommendations were made for the next steps in moving the workforce to a new future. The future for dietetics looks bright, embracing technology, as well as exploring different ways of working and new opportunities, as this dynamic profession continues to evolve. © 2017 The British Dietetic Association Ltd.

Jim Sanovia - South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Undergrad: Geological Engineering (Jr.) September 7, 2004 thesanoves@hotmail.com Abstract Experiences Interning at NASA/GSFC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanovia, J. J.

2004-12-01

In the summer of 2001 and 2004 I experienced internships at the NASA/ Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. Through these internships I was introduced to Geographical Information Systems and Remote Sensing. My experiences at NASA have also helped me acquire the ability to learn how I can now best utilize my networking contacts at NASA and other connections to facilitate my future plans as an engineer working on Indian and non-Indian Reservation lands. My experiences working at a large agency such as NASA have shown me the significance how a Native American engineer can strive to improve and preserve Indian and non-Indian lands for future generations. Formulating new and inventive methodologies on how to better approach Indian Reservation research while incorporating Native American culture I feel are vital for success. My accomplishments throughout the recent past years have also allowed me conduct outreach to Indian K-12 kids and college students alike.

The ALIVE program: developing a web-based professional development program for nursing leaders in the home healthcare sector.

PubMed

Lankshear, Sara; Huckstep, Sherri; Lefebre, Nancy; Leiterman, Janis; Simon, Deborah

2010-05-01

Home healthcare nurses often work in isolation and rarely have the opportunity to meet or congregate in one location. As a result, nurse leaders must possess unique leadership skills to supervise and manage a dispersed employee base from a distance. The nature of this dispersed workforce creates an additional challenge in the ability to identify future leaders, facilitate leadership capacity, and enhance skill development to prepare them for future leadership positions. The ALIVE (Actively Leading In Virtual Environments) web-based program was developed to meet the needs of leaders working in virtual environments such as the home healthcare sector. The program, developed through a partnership of three home healthcare agencies, used nursing leaders as content experts to guide program development and as participants in the pilot. Evaluation findings include the identification of key competencies for nursing leaders in the home healthcare sector, development of program learning objectives and participant feedback regarding program content and delivery.

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

Christon, Mark A.; Baksoi, Jozsef; Barnett, Nathan

This report describes the work carried out for completion of the Thermal Hydraulics Methods (THM) Level 2 Milestone THM.CFD.P5.01 for the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL). This milestone focused primarily on the initial integration of Hydra-TH in VERA. The primary objective for this milestone was the integration of Hydra-TH as a standalone executable in VERA. A series of code extensions/modifications have been made to Hydra-TH to facilitate integration of Hydra-TH in VERA and to permit future tighter integration and physics coupling. A total of 61 serial and 64 parallel regression tests have been supplied with Hydra-TH.more » These tests are are being executed in the TriBITS environment. Once the VERA team enables the full suite of tests, the results can be posted to the VERA CDash site. Future work will consider the use of the LIME 2.0 interface for tighter integration in VERA with additional efforts focused on multiphysics coupling with radiation transport, fuel performance, and solid/structural mechanics.« less

Restoring dignity: social reintegration after obstetric fistula repair in Ukerewe, Tanzania.

PubMed

Pope, Rachel; Bangser, Maggie; Requejo, Jennifer Harris

2011-01-01

This study explores barriers and facilitating factors women experience re-integrating into society after treatment of an obstetric fistula in rural Tanzania. A total of 71 women were interviewed in the Mwanza region of Tanzania, including a community control group. The majority of the women who received successful surgical repairs reported that, over time, they were able to resume many of the social and economic activities they engaged in prior to the development of a fistula. Familial support facilitated both accessing repair and recovery. For 60% of the women recovering from an obstetric fistula, work was the most important factor in helping them feel 'normal again'. However, physical limitations and other residual problems often hampered their ability to continue working. All of the treated women expressed interest in follow-up discussions with health care providers regarding their health and concerns about future pregnancies. Special attention is needed for women who are not completely healed and/or for those who experience other related medical or emotional problems after repair, especially if they lack a social network.

The advent of canine performance science: offering a sustainable future for working dogs.

PubMed

Cobb, Mia; Branson, Nick; McGreevy, Paul; Lill, Alan; Bennett, Pauleen

2015-01-01

Working and sporting dogs provide an essential contribution to many industries worldwide. The common development, maintenance and disposal of working and sporting dogs can be considered in the same way as other animal production systems. The process of 'production' involves genetic selection, puppy rearing, recruitment and assessment, training, housing and handling, handler education, health and working life end-point management. At present, inefficiencies throughout the production process result in a high failure rate of dogs attaining operational status. This level of wastage would be condemned in other animal production industries for economic reasons and has significant implications for dog welfare, as well as public perceptions of dog-based industries. Standards of acceptable animal use are changing and some historically common uses of animals are no longer publicly acceptable, especially where harm is caused for purposes deemed trivial, or where alternatives exist. Public scrutiny of animal use appears likely to increase and extend to all roles of animals, including working and sporting dogs. Production system processes therefore need to be transparent, traceable and ethically acceptable for animal use to be sustainable into the future. Evidence-based approaches already inform best practice in fields as diverse as agriculture and human athletic performance. This article introduces the nascent discipline of canine performance science, which aims to facilitate optimal product quality and production efficiency, while also assuring evidence-based increments in dog welfare through a process of research and development. Our thesis is that the model of canine performance science offers an objective, transparent and traceable opportunity for industry development in line with community expectations and underpins a sustainable future for working dogs. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Canine Behavior. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Phenomenological Study of the Work Environment in Long-Term Care Facilities for the Older Adults.

PubMed

Choi, Sandy Pin Pin; Yeung, Cheryl Chi Yan; Lee, Joseph Kok Long

2018-05-01

Attempts to meet the increasing demand for long-term care (LTC) services have been hindered by acute staff shortages and high turnover. Distinct from previous studies, a descriptive phenomenological approach with van Kaam's controlled explication method was adopted in this study, to delineate how attributes of the LTC work environment shape the workforce crisis. Individual interviews were conducted with 40 LTC workers from 10 facilities in Hong Kong. The results suggest that the work environment in LTC facilities is not only characterized by organization- and job-related attributes that influence staff outcomes but also is a socially constructed concept with derogatory connotations that can influence staff recruitment and retention. Concerted efforts from facility administrators and policy makers are needed to improve the quality of the work environment. Future initiatives should focus on developing a vision and strategic plan to facilitate the rise of the LTC sector as a profession.

Improving cardiac surgical care: a work systems approach.

PubMed

Wiegmann, Douglas A; Eggman, Ashley A; Elbardissi, Andrew W; Parker, Sarah Henrickson; Sundt, Thoralf M

2010-09-01

Over the past 50 years, significant improvements in cardiac surgical care have been achieved. Nevertheless, surgical errors that significantly impact patient safety continue to occur. In order to further improve surgical outcomes, patient safety programs must focus on rectifying work system factors in the operating room (OR) that negatively impact the delivery of reliable surgical care. The goal of this paper is to provide an integrative review of specific work system factors in the OR that may directly impact surgical care processes, as well as the subsequent recommendations that have been put forth to improve surgical outcomes and patient safety. The important role that surgeons can play in facilitating work system changes in the OR is also discussed. The paper concludes with a discussion of the challenges involved in assessing the impact that interventions have on improving surgical care. Opportunities for future research are also highlighted throughout the paper. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Motivational Influences on the Safer Sex Behavior of Agency-based Male Sex Workers

PubMed Central

Smith, Michael D.; Seal, David W.

2017-01-01

Although indoor male sex workers (MSWs) have been found to engage in lower rates of HIV risk behavior with clients than street-based MSWs, few studies have examined the motivations behind such practices. We interviewed 30 MSWs working for the same escort agency regarding their safer sex practices with clients and their reasons for these. As in other research, MSWs reported little risk behavior with clients. Five motivational themes related to safer sex on the job emerged: health concerns, emotional intimacy, client attractiveness, relationships, and structural work factors. Results suggest that participants engaged in rational decision-making relative to sex with clients, facilitated by reduced economic incentive for riskier behavior and a supportive social context. MSWs desired a safe sexual work place, personal integrity, and minimal negative consequences to personal relationships. Collaborating with sex work employers to study their role in encouraging a safer workplace may be important to future research. PMID:18288599

Motivational influences on the safer sex behavior of agency-based male sex workers.

PubMed

Smith, Michael D; Seal, David W

2008-10-01

Although indoor male sex workers (MSWs) have been found to engage in lower rates of HIV risk behavior with clients than street-based MSWs, few studies have examined the motivations behind such practices. We interviewed 30 MSWs working for the same escort agency regarding their safer sex practices with clients and their reasons for these. As in other research, MSWs reported little risk behavior with clients. Five motivational themes related to safer sex on the job emerged: health concerns, emotional intimacy, client attractiveness, relationships, and structural work factors. Results suggest that participants engaged in rational decision-making relative to sex with clients, facilitated by reduced economic incentive for riskier behavior and a supportive social context. MSWs desired a safe sexual work place, personal integrity, and minimal negative consequences to personal relationships. Collaborating with sex work employers to study their role in encouraging a safer workplace may be important to future research.

Exposing Baccalaureate Nursing Students to Transitional Care.

PubMed

OʼConnor, Melissa; Arcamone, Angelina; Amorim, Frances; Hoban, Mary Beth; Boyd, Regina M; Fowler, Lauren; Marcelli, Theresa; Smith, Jacalyn; Nassar, Kathleen; Fitzpatrick, M Louise

2016-10-01

Management and facilitation of care transitions from hospital to alternative settings requires skill and attention to avoid adverse events. Several interprofessional organizations and nurse leaders have called for the expansion and redesign of undergraduate nursing curricula to include care transitions. Yet there is little evidence describing how undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students are educated on this critical topic or how successful they are in improving student knowledge about care transitions. To address this gap, an in-classroom and clinical experience was implemented to prepare students to manage and facilitate care transitions from the hospital to alternative settings-including the home. Perceptions of undergraduate nursing students and home healthcare nurse preceptors were assessed via an electronic survey that was emailed to participants. Forty-eight responses to the survey were received. Students agreed this experience contributed to their understanding of caring for adults and older adults who are experiencing a care transition and they had a good understanding of care transitions to apply to their future nursing courses. Home healthcare nurse preceptors agreed they were able to demonstrate transitional care and that students were engaged. Future work should include expanding transitional care immersion to other care settings as well as the inclusion of additional healthcare disciplines in care transition education.

Promoting emotional literacy, equity and interest in science lessons for 11-14 year olds; the 'Improving Science and Emotional Development' project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matthews, Brian

2004-03-01

One hundred and sixty-five Year 7 (11-12 years old) pupils in co-educational schools in England participated in a study investigating the effects of mixed gender working on attitudinal and social measures. Eighty-two children working in mixed-gender groups and 83 control children working mainly in single-gender groups were tested on a variety of measures. Attitudes to science, social cohesion, self-reported individual learning, group learning, conflict resolution, and social facilitation, were recorded and analysed. In addition, pre-test and posttest evaluations were carried out and measures were related to test outcomes. The findings from the study indicated a positive effect of working in mixed groups: they were more likely than the control groups to like science lessons and consider taking it up as a subject in the future. Social measures indicated: (1) a better understanding of opposite-gender classmates, (2) a greater enjoyment of the collaborative nature of science, and (3) increased tendencies to offer academic support to peers. It is thus proposed that the integration of emotional learning within science lessons will facilitate boys' and girls' social development as well as increasing the likelihood of them being interested in science. These findings give support for the integration of emotional literacy with learning concepts in the science classroom and for co-educational schools.

A game plan: Gamification design principles in mHealth applications for chronic disease management.

PubMed

Miller, Aaron S; Cafazzo, Joseph A; Seto, Emily

2016-06-01

Effective chronic disease management is essential to improve positive health outcomes, and incentive strategies are useful in promoting self-care with longevity. Gamification, applied with mHealth (mobile health) applications, has the potential to better facilitate patient self-management. This review article addresses a knowledge gap around the effective use of gamification design principles, or mechanics, in developing mHealth applications. Badges, leaderboards, points and levels, challenges and quests, social engagement loops, and onboarding are mechanics that comprise gamification. These mechanics are defined and explained from a design and development perspective. Health and fitness applications with gamification mechanics include: bant which uses points, levels, and social engagement, mySugr which uses challenges and quests, RunKeeper which uses leaderboards as well as social engagement loops and onboarding, Fitocracy which uses badges, and Mango Health, which uses points and levels. Specific design considerations are explored, an example of the efficacy of a gamified mHealth implementation in facilitating improved self-management is provided, limitations to this work are discussed, a link between the principles of gaming and gamification in health and wellness technologies is provided, and suggestions for future work are made. We conclude that gamification could be leveraged in developing applications with the potential to better facilitate self-management in persons with chronic conditions. © The Author(s) 2014.

Using Gemba Boards to Facilitate Evidence-Based Practice in Critical Care.

PubMed

Bourgault, Annette M; Upvall, Michele J; Graham, Alison

2018-06-01

Tradition-based practices lack supporting research evidence and may be harmful or ineffective. Engagement of key stakeholders is a critical step toward facilitating evidence-based practice change. Gemba , derived from Japanese, refers to the real place where work is done. Gemba boards (visual management tools) appear to be an innovative method to engage stakeholders and facilitate evidence-based practice. To explore the use of gemba boards and gemba huddles to facilitate practice change. Twenty-two critical care nurses participated in interviews in this qualitative, descriptive study. Thematic analysis was used to code and categorize interview data. Two researchers reached consensus on coding and derived themes. Data were managed with qualitative analysis software. The code gemba occurred most frequently; a secondary analysis was performed to explore its impact on practice change. Four themes were derived from the gemba code: (1) facilitation of staff, leadership, and interdisciplinary communication, (2) transparency of outcome data, (3) solicitation of staff ideas and feedback, and (4) dissemination of practice changes. Gemba boards and gemba huddles became part of the organizational culture for promoting and disseminating evidence-based practices. Unit-based, publicly located gemba boards and huddles have become key components of evidence-based practice culture. Gemba is both a tool and a process to engage team members and the public to generate clinical questions and to plan, implement, and evaluate practice changes. Future research on the effectiveness of gemba boards to facilitate evidence-based practice is warranted. ©2018 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

RSVP: An experimental organization.

PubMed

Oram, P G

1967-09-01

RSVP is a volunteer organization of psychologists formed to facilitate participation in community activities. Its first venture was in working with 10 tutoring programs in the Boston area. Emphasis in the first year was on discovering areas in which psychologists could be helpful. Projects included group discussion leadership, workshops, and recruitment of tutors and professionals. At present the organization is attempting to broaden the number and kind of activities in which it is engaged and is facing a number of questions relative to future programs. The members consider that RSVP has been a successful experiment.

On-orbit damage detection and health monitoring of large space trusses: Status and critical issues

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kashangaki, Thomas A. L.

1991-01-01

The long lifetimes, delicate nature and stringent pointing requirements of large space structures such as Space Station Freedom and geostationary Earth sciences platforms might require that these spacecraft be monitored periodically for possible damage to the load carrying structures. A review of the literature in damage detection and health monitoring of such structures is presented, along with a candidate structure to be used as a testbed for future work in this field. A unified notation and terminology is also proposed to facilitate comparisons between candidate methods.

Investigating the relative importance of individual differences on the work-family interface and the moderating role of boundary preference for segmentation.

PubMed

Michel, Jesse S; Clark, Malissa A

2013-10-01

This study examines the relative importance of individual differences in relation to perceptions of work-family conflict and facilitation, as well as the moderating role of boundary preference for segmentation on these relationships. Relative importance analyses, based on a diverse sample of 380 employees from the USA, revealed that individual differences were consistently predictive of self-reported work-family conflict and facilitation. Conscientiousness, neuroticism, negative affect and core self-evaluations were consistently related to both directions of work-family conflict, whereas agreeableness predicted significant variance in family-to-work conflict only. Positive affect and core self-evaluations were consistently related to both directions of work-family facilitation, whereas agreeableness and neuroticism predicted significant variance in family-to-work facilitation only. Collectively, individual differences explained 25-28% of the variance in work-family conflict (primarily predicted by neuroticism and negative affect) and 11-18% of the variance in work-family facilitation (primarily predicted by positive affect and core self-evaluations). Moderated regression analyses showed that boundary preference for segmentation strengthened many of the relationships between individual differences and work-family conflict and facilitation. Implications for addressing the nature of work and family are discussed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Modern Advances in Genetic Testing: Ethical Challenges and Training Implications for Current and Future Psychologists

PubMed Central

Richmond-Rakerd, Leah S.

2014-01-01

The ethical implications for psychological practice of genetic testing are largely unexplored. Predictive testing can have a significant impact on health and well-being, and increasing numbers of individuals with knowledge of their risk for various disorders are likely to present for psychotherapy. In addition, more people will struggle with the decision of whether to obtain information regarding their genetic material. Psychologists will need to have the appropriate knowledge and clinical skills to effectively counsel this population. This article highlights the relevant ethical issues surrounding psychological treatment of individuals pursuing or considering undergoing genetic testing. These issues are extended to psychologists working in research, education, and policy domains. Recommendations for graduate training programs to facilitate current and future practitioner competence are also discussed. PMID:24707160

Landscape Characterization and Representativeness Analysis for Understanding Sampling Network Coverage

DOE Data Explorer

Maddalena, Damian; Hoffman, Forrest; Kumar, Jitendra; Hargrove, William

2014-08-01

Sampling networks rarely conform to spatial and temporal ideals, often comprised of network sampling points which are unevenly distributed and located in less than ideal locations due to access constraints, budget limitations, or political conflict. Quantifying the global, regional, and temporal representativeness of these networks by quantifying the coverage of network infrastructure highlights the capabilities and limitations of the data collected, facilitates upscaling and downscaling for modeling purposes, and improves the planning efforts for future infrastructure investment under current conditions and future modeled scenarios. The work presented here utilizes multivariate spatiotemporal clustering analysis and representativeness analysis for quantitative landscape characterization and assessment of the Fluxnet, RAINFOR, and ForestGEO networks. Results include ecoregions that highlight patterns of bioclimatic, topographic, and edaphic variables and quantitative representativeness maps of individual and combined networks.

[Realistic possibilities of utilization of a personal computer in the office of a general practitioner].

PubMed

Masopust, V

1991-04-01

In May 1990 work on the programme "Computer system of the health community doctor Mic DOKI was" completed which resolves more than 70 basic tasks pertaining to the keeping of health documentation by health community doctors; it resolves automatically the entire administrative work in the health community, makes it possible to evaluate the activity of doctors and nurses it will facilitate the work of control organs of future health insurance companies and contribute to investigations of the health status of the population. Despite some problems ensuing from the contemporary economic situation of the country, the validity of contemporary health regulations and minimal training of our health personnel in the use of personal computers computerization of the health community system can be considered an asset to the reform of the health services which is under way.

Mobile health solutions for the aging population: A systematic narrative analysis.

PubMed

Kruse, Clemens Scott; Mileski, Michael; Moreno, Joshua

2017-05-01

Introduction The ubiquitous nature of mobile technology coupled with the acceptance of mobile health (mHealth) among the elderly offers an opportunity to augment the existing medical workforce in long-term care. The objective of this review and narrative analysis is to identify and analyse facilitators and barriers to adoption of mHealth for the elderly. Methods Studies over the last year were identified in multiple database indices, and three reviewers examined abstracts ( k = 0.82) and analysed articles for themes which were tallied in affinity diagrams to identify frequency of occurrence in the literature (n = 36). Results The three facilitators mentioned most often were independence (18%), understanding (13%), and visibility (13%). The three barriers mentioned most often were complexity (21%), limited by users (12%) and ineffective (12%). Discussion and conclusions The reviewers concluded that the work done so far illustrates that mHealth enables a perception of independence. Future research should focus on the barriers of complexity of technology and improving existing medical literacy in order to facilitate further adoption.

Early Origins of Child Obesity: Bridging Disciplines and Phases of Development - September 30–October 1, 2010

PubMed Central

Christoffel, Katherine Kaufer; Wang, Xiaobin; Binns, Helen J.

2012-01-01

This report summarizes a conference: “Early Origins of Child Obesity: Bridging Disciplines and Phases of Development”, held in Chicago on September 30–October 1, 2010. The conference was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health and the Williams Heart Foundation, to achieve the conference objective: forging a next-step research agenda related to the early origins of childhood obesity. This research agenda was to include working with an array of factors (from genetic determinants to societal ones) along a continuum from prenatal life to age 7, with an emphasis on how the developing child deals with the challenges presented by his/her environment (prenatal, parental, nutritional, etc.). The conference offered a unique opportunity to facilitate communication and planning of future work among a variety of researchers whose work separately addresses different periods in early life. Over the span of two days, speakers addressed existing, critical research topics within each of the most-studied age ranges. On the final day, workshops fostered the discussion needed to identify the highest priority research topics related to linking varied early factor domains. These are presented for use in planning future research and research funding. PMID:23443002

Barriers and facilitators to staying in work after stroke: insight from an online forum.

PubMed

Balasooriya-Smeekens, Chantal; Bateman, Andrew; Mant, Jonathan; De Simoni, Anna

2016-04-06

To explore barriers and facilitators to staying in work following stroke. Qualitative analysis of posts regarding staying in work following stroke using the archives of an online forum for stroke survivors. 60 stroke survivors (29 male, 23 female, 8 not stated; mean age at stroke 44 years) who have returned to work, identified using terms 'return to work' and 'back at work'. Posts from UK stroke survivors and family members on Talkstroke, the forum of the Stroke Association, between 2004 and 2011. Stroke and transient ischaemic attack (TIA) survivors reported residual impairments that for many had impact on work. Most impairments were 'invisible', including fatigue, problems with concentration, memory and personality changes. Participants described positive (eg, back at work being better than expected) and negative work experiences, including being at risk of losing the job because of stroke-related impairments. Barriers to successfully staying in work included lack of understanding of stroke--in particular invisible impairments--of survivors, employers and general practitioners (GPs), and lack of support in terms of formal adjustments, and 'feeling supported'. Stroke survivors described how they developed their own coping strategies, and how workplace and employer helped them to stay in work. Despite having been able to return to work after a stroke, people may still experience difficulties in staying in work and risking losing their job. There is a need to improve awareness, in particular of invisible stroke-related impairments, among stroke survivors, work personnel and clinicians. This might be achieved through improved assessments of residual impairments in the workplace and in general practice. Future studies should investigate the effect of unrecognised fatigue and invisible impairments on staying in work following stroke, and explore the potential role for primary care in supporting stroke survivors who have returned to employment. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

BUILDING TRIBAL CAPABILITIES IN ENERGY RESOURCE TRIBES

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

Mary Lopez

2003-04-01

The CERT Tribal Internship Program is part of the education and training opportunities provided by CERT to accelerate the development of American Indian technical professionals available to serve Tribes and expand the pool of these professionals. Tribes are severely impacted by the inadequate number of Indian professionals available to serve and facilitate Tribal participation and support of the energy future of Tribes,and subsequently the energy future of the nation. By providing interns with hands-on work experience in their field of study two goals are accomplished: (1) the intern is provided opportunities for professional enhancement; and (2) The pool of Indianmore » professionals available to meet the needs of Tribal government and Tribal communities in general is increased. As of January 17, 2003, Lance M Wyatt successfully completed his internship with the Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice on the Task Force that specifically focuses their work on Tribal nations. While working as an intern with the National Transportation Program, Albuquerque operations, Jacqueline Agnew received an offer to work for the Alaska Native Health Board in Anchorage, Alaska. This was an opportunity that Ms. Agnew did not feel she could afford to forego and she left her internship position in February 2003. At present, CERT is in the process of finding another qualified individual to replace the internship position vacated by Ms. Agnew. Mr. Wyatt's and Ms. Agnew's final comments are given.« less

Future Forests Webinar Series, Webinar Proceedings and Summary: Ongoing Research and Management Responses to the Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak

Treesearch

M. Matonis; R. Hubbard; K. Gebert; B. Hahn; C. Regan

2014-01-01

The Future Forest Webinar Series facilitated dialogue between scientists and managers about the challenges and opportunities created by the mountain pine beetle (MPB) epidemic. The series consisted of six webinar facilitated by the USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station, the Northern and Rocky Mountain Regions, and the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute. The series...

[Symposium The future of informal care].

PubMed

Broese van Groenou, Marjolein; de Boer, Alice; Putters, Kim; Henkens, Kène; Nies, Henk; Dykstra, Pearl A; van Solinge, Hanna; van Campen, Cretien; Kooiker, Sjoerd

2017-04-01

Due to the reform of long term care in 2015, there is growing concern about whether groups at risk receive the care they need. People in need of care have to rely more on help from their social network. The increased need for informal care requires resilience and organizational skills of families, but also of volunteers, professionals and employers. What does this mean for the provision of informal care in the next decennia? The symposium 'The future of informal care', organized on January 26 2017 by the National Institute for Social Research and the Institute for Societal Resilience of the Vrije Universiteit, addressed possible answers to this question. In her inaugural speech Alice de Boer discussed social inequality as possible determinant and outcome of informal care. Some conclusions:Until 2050 the absolute number of 75-plus doubled to about 3 million persons, but the number of informal caregivers will decrease. In addition to the importance of social and economic resources (the 'have & have-nots'), the ability to arrange care (the 'can & can-nots') gains importance.Almost half of the older employers provides informal care just before retirement. Flexibility in working hours and work location facilitates combining work and care, but about half of the employers indicates that partial retirement and working at home are no options.Informal caregivers and professionals often provide care from comparable perspectives and identities. Addressing similarities rather than differences improves their chances for collaboration.The number of adult children providing household care to older parents increased between 2002 and 2014. This suggests an increase in family solidarity, but current reform policies may increase the gender inequality in caregiving families.Spouses and children remain primary caregivers in the future, preferably supported by many different types of caregivers. Not everybody has the capabilities to organize and direct such a large care network.Providing informal care increases the risk for overburden and absence at work or education. Informal caregivers at risk remain, also in the future, women, spouses, migrants, and younger carers.

Personal and professional challenges confronted by hospital staff following hurricane sandy: a qualitative assessment of management perspectives.

PubMed

Morris, Andrea M; Ricci, Karen A; Griffin, Anne R; Heslin, Kevin C; Dobalian, Aram

2016-05-05

Adequate hospital staffing during and after a disaster is critical to meet increased health care demands and to ensure continuity of care and patient safety. However, when a disaster occurs, staff may become both victim and responder, decreasing their ability and willingness to report for work. This qualitative study assessed the personal and professional challenges that affected staff decisions to report to work following a natural disaster and examined the role of management in addressing staff needs and concerns. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals who filled key management roles in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System's response to Superstorm Sandy and during the facility's initial recovery phase. All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Three major themes were identified: 1) Barriers to reporting ("Barriers"), 2) Facilitators to reporting ("Facilitators"), and 3) Responses to staff needs and concerns ("Responses"). Atlas.ti 7.1.6 software program was used for the management and analysis of the transcripts. Results indicated that staff encountered several barriers that impeded their ability to report to work at mobile vans at the temporarily nonoperational Manhattan campus or at two other VA facilities in Brooklyn and the Bronx in the initial post-Sandy period including transportation problems, personal property damage, and communication issues. In addition, we found evidence of facilitators to reporting as expressed through descriptions of professional duty. Our findings also revealed that management was aware of the challenges that staff was facing and made efforts to reduce barriers and accommodate staff affected by the storm. During and after a disaster event, hospital staff is often confronted with challenges that affect decisions to report for work and perform effectively under potentially harsh conditions. This study examined barriers and facilitators that hospital staff encountered following a major natural disaster from the management perspective. Insights gained from this study can be used to inform future disaster planning and preparedness efforts, and help ensure that there is adequate staffing to mount an effective response when a disaster occurs, and to recover from its aftermath.

"Una mujer trabaja doble aqui": Vignette-based focus groups on stress and work for Latina blue-collar women in eastern North Carolina.

PubMed

Easter, Michele M; Linnan, Laura A; Bentley, Margaret E; DeVellis, Brenda M; Meier, Andrea; Frasier, Pamela Y; Kelsey, Kristine S; Campbell, Marci K

2007-01-01

Latina women are a growing percentage of the working population, and very little is known about their health needs and interests. The purpose of this article is to share qualitative research results gathered from Latina women with a particular focus on exploring stress and health. This project was a substudy of Health Works in the Community, a 5-year CDC-funded multiple risk-factor reduction trial using participatory action research approaches to address smoking, healthy eating, stress, and physical activity among blue-collar women from 12 manufacturing work sites in rural, eastern North Carolina. Five focus groups were conducted with trained, bilingual facilitators using a vignette-based moderator guide that appeared particularly effective with this population. Results from the focus groups are used to make recommendations for future research with Latinas and for developing effective work-site-based interventions to address issues of stress and health within this population.

Simulation of Smart Home Activity Datasets

PubMed Central

Synnott, Jonathan; Nugent, Chris; Jeffers, Paul

2015-01-01

A globally ageing population is resulting in an increased prevalence of chronic conditions which affect older adults. Such conditions require long-term care and management to maximize quality of life, placing an increasing strain on healthcare resources. Intelligent environments such as smart homes facilitate long-term monitoring of activities in the home through the use of sensor technology. Access to sensor datasets is necessary for the development of novel activity monitoring and recognition approaches. Access to such datasets is limited due to issues such as sensor cost, availability and deployment time. The use of simulated environments and sensors may address these issues and facilitate the generation of comprehensive datasets. This paper provides a review of existing approaches for the generation of simulated smart home activity datasets, including model-based approaches and interactive approaches which implement virtual sensors, environments and avatars. The paper also provides recommendation for future work in intelligent environment simulation. PMID:26087371

An Evaluation of Talent 4 . . . : A Programme to Identify Talent and Skills for Prisoners, Disadvantaged, Unemployed, and Vulnerable Groups.

PubMed

McGuire-Snieckus, Rebecca; Caulfield, Laura

2017-11-01

Previous research suggests that the relationship between employment and recidivism is complex, with more support needed to facilitate employability motivation for sustained change. An arts-based programme designed to facilitate vocational self-determinism among prisoners with evidence of impact across three prisons in the United Kingdom was replicated and delivered to 234 prisoners and long-term unemployed participants from six European countries, to explore whether the findings from the previous evaluation would be replicated on a much larger scale. The research presented in this article found that supporting prisoners and the long-term unemployed to articulate employability goals had a positive effect on personal growth as well as understanding of individual strengths and weaknesses with respect to work, employment, problem solving, and thinking styles. Future research might explore the longer term impact on employment and recidivism.

Facilitating Co-Design for Extreme-Scale Systems Through Lightweight Simulation

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

Engelmann, Christian; Lauer, Frank

This work focuses on tools for investigating algorithm performance at extreme scale with millions of concurrent threads and for evaluating the impact of future architecture choices to facilitate the co-design of high-performance computing (HPC) architectures and applications. The approach focuses on lightweight simulation of extreme-scale HPC systems with the needed amount of accuracy. The prototype presented in this paper is able to provide this capability using a parallel discrete event simulation (PDES), such that a Message Passing Interface (MPI) application can be executed at extreme scale, and its performance properties can be evaluated. The results of an initial prototype aremore » encouraging as a simple 'hello world' MPI program could be scaled up to 1,048,576 virtual MPI processes on a four-node cluster, and the performance properties of two MPI programs could be evaluated at up to 16,384 virtual MPI processes on the same system.« less

The progress of family health nursing in remote and rural Scotland.

PubMed

Macduff, Colin

2005-12-01

Since 2001 the World Health Organization Europe's family health nurse (FHN) role has been developing in remote and rural areas of Scotland. In 2003, an independent evaluation identified a need for facilitation of the FHN role and family-health orientated approaches with local primary health care teams. The Scottish Executive Health Department appointed three part-time, regionally-based family health practice development facilitators (FHPDFs) in December 2003 to work over an 18-month period. This article presents findings from a small study which sought these FHPDFs' judgements on individual FHN autonomy and supportive colleague action at 24 sites where FHNs were practising. These judgements reveal a picture of mixed progress that is consistent with findings from other related research. This collective overview is presented in the form of a new typology and the resultant implications for future development of family health nursing are discussed.

Simulation of Smart Home Activity Datasets.

PubMed

Synnott, Jonathan; Nugent, Chris; Jeffers, Paul

2015-06-16

A globally ageing population is resulting in an increased prevalence of chronic conditions which affect older adults. Such conditions require long-term care and management to maximize quality of life, placing an increasing strain on healthcare resources. Intelligent environments such as smart homes facilitate long-term monitoring of activities in the home through the use of sensor technology. Access to sensor datasets is necessary for the development of novel activity monitoring and recognition approaches. Access to such datasets is limited due to issues such as sensor cost, availability and deployment time. The use of simulated environments and sensors may address these issues and facilitate the generation of comprehensive datasets. This paper provides a review of existing approaches for the generation of simulated smart home activity datasets, including model-based approaches and interactive approaches which implement virtual sensors, environments and avatars. The paper also provides recommendation for future work in intelligent environment simulation.

Contextual Factors Influencing the Facilitation of Others' Learning through Everyday Work Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellinger, Andrea D.; Cseh, Maria

2007-01-01

Purpose: Interest and research on workplace learning has intensified in recent years, however, research on assessing how employees facilitate each other's learning through everyday work experiences and how organizational contextual factors promote or impede the facilitation of others' learning at work is underdeveloped. Therefore, the purpose of…

A user-centered model for designing consumer mobile health (mHealth) applications (apps).

PubMed

Schnall, Rebecca; Rojas, Marlene; Bakken, Suzanne; Brown, William; Carballo-Dieguez, Alex; Carry, Monique; Gelaude, Deborah; Mosley, Jocelyn Patterson; Travers, Jasmine

2016-04-01

Mobile technologies are a useful platform for the delivery of health behavior interventions. Yet little work has been done to create a rigorous and standardized process for the design of mobile health (mHealth) apps. This project sought to explore the use of the Information Systems Research (ISR) framework as guide for the design of mHealth apps. Our work was guided by the ISR framework which is comprised of 3 cycles: Relevance, Rigor and Design. In the Relevance cycle, we conducted 5 focus groups with 33 targeted end-users. In the Rigor cycle, we performed a review to identify technology-based interventions for meeting the health prevention needs of our target population. In the Design Cycle, we employed usability evaluation methods to iteratively develop and refine mock-ups for a mHealth app. Through an iterative process, we identified barriers and facilitators to the use of mHealth technology for HIV prevention for high-risk MSM, developed 'use cases' and identified relevant functional content and features for inclusion in a design document to guide future app development. Findings from our work support the use of the ISR framework as a guide for designing future mHealth apps. Results from this work provide detailed descriptions of the user-centered design and system development and have heuristic value for those venturing into the area of technology-based intervention work. Findings from this study support the use of the ISR framework as a guide for future mHealth app development. Use of the ISR framework is a potentially useful approach for the design of a mobile app that incorporates end-users' design preferences. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Barriers and facilitators to staying in work after stroke: insight from an online forum

PubMed Central

Balasooriya-Smeekens, Chantal; Bateman, Andrew; Mant, Jonathan; De Simoni, Anna

2016-01-01

Objective To explore barriers and facilitators to staying in work following stroke. Design Qualitative analysis of posts regarding staying in work following stroke using the archives of an online forum for stroke survivors. Participants 60 stroke survivors (29 male, 23 female, 8 not stated; mean age at stroke 44 years) who have returned to work, identified using terms ‘return to work’ and ‘back at work’. Setting Posts from UK stroke survivors and family members on Talkstroke, the forum of the Stroke Association, between 2004 and 2011. Results Stroke and transient ischaemic attack (TIA) survivors reported residual impairments that for many had impact on work. Most impairments were ‘invisible’, including fatigue, problems with concentration, memory and personality changes. Participants described positive (eg, back at work being better than expected) and negative work experiences, including being at risk of losing the job because of stroke-related impairments. Barriers to successfully staying in work included lack of understanding of stroke—in particular invisible impairments—of survivors, employers and general practitioners (GPs), and lack of support in terms of formal adjustments, and ‘feeling supported’. Stroke survivors described how they developed their own coping strategies, and how workplace and employer helped them to stay in work. Conclusions Despite having been able to return to work after a stroke, people may still experience difficulties in staying in work and risking losing their job. There is a need to improve awareness, in particular of invisible stroke-related impairments, among stroke survivors, work personnel and clinicians. This might be achieved through improved assessments of residual impairments in the workplace and in general practice. Future studies should investigate the effect of unrecognised fatigue and invisible impairments on staying in work following stroke, and explore the potential role for primary care in supporting stroke survivors who have returned to employment. PMID:27053267

An evaluation of the role of the clinical education facilitator.

PubMed

McCormack, Brendan; Slater, Paul

2006-02-01

The objective of the study was to identify whether clinical education facilitators made a difference to the learning experiences of nurses in a large teaching hospital. Strategies for enabling continuous professional development are well established in health care organizations as key components of approaches to lifelong learning. The benefits of continuous professional development include the maintenance of high standards of care, the improvement and development of services, ensuring the competency of all nursing staff and guaranteeing the accountability of nurses for their actions. The role of clinical education facilitator is relatively new and little evaluation of this role has been undertaken. This study highlights important issues to be considered in developing a 'learning culture' in a hospital organization, through the adoption of such roles as clinical education facilitators. Whilst the roles have had an important function in the active coordination of learning activities in the hospital, there is little evidence of the role directly impacting on the learning culture of clinical settings. Learning mechanisms have been identified. The results of this evaluation can be subjected to further testing through ongoing evaluation of the outcomes arising from the learning mechanisms in place. Given the emphasis on work-based learning and continuing professional development in health care, then this ongoing evaluation can yield important information about future directions for nurse education. The study highlights the importance of supported learning in the workplace. However, more importantly, it identifies the need for a culture of professional practice to be developed in order to sustain learning in practice. Classroom-based learning alone, cannot create a culture of development in nursing and there is thus a need for models of work-based learning to be integrated into practice environments.

Contagious flexibility? A study on whether schedule flexibility facilitates work-life enrichment.

PubMed

Pedersen, Vivi Bach; Jeppesen, Hans Jeppe

2012-08-01

Schedule flexibility defines an important generating resource for work-life enrichment; however, our knowledge about how such spillovers take place is limited. This multiple case study examines how workers from different working time contexts with varying levels of schedule flexibility experience work-life interplay. Given the adopted explorative design, it is important to interpret the findings in a tentative light. Nonetheless, the study offers important insight into work-life enrichment that may guide future research in this field. The findings indicate that schedule flexibility may act as a boundary-spanning resource owing to the agency potential it offers workers. Thus, it seemed that flexible schedule opportunities enabled workers to engage more fully in personal life activities, which in turn had a positive influence on their work involvement through positive affect. Such positive role engagements appeared, however, to be greatly determined by workers' boundary management and by time conditions of work and family. In conclusion, the major findings and limitation of the study are discussed against existing research and theory. © 2012 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology © 2012 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.

Connecting today's climates to future climate analogs to facilitate movement of species under climate change.

PubMed

Littlefield, Caitlin E; McRae, Brad H; Michalak, Julia L; Lawler, Joshua J; Carroll, Carlos

2017-12-01

Increasing connectivity is an important strategy for facilitating species range shifts and maintaining biodiversity in the face of climate change. To date, however, few researchers have included future climate projections in efforts to prioritize areas for increasing connectivity. We identified key areas likely to facilitate climate-induced species' movement across western North America. Using historical climate data sets and future climate projections, we mapped potential species' movement routes that link current climate conditions to analogous climate conditions in the future (i.e., future climate analogs) with a novel moving-window analysis based on electrical circuit theory. In addition to tracing shifting climates, the approach accounted for landscape permeability and empirically derived species' dispersal capabilities. We compared connectivity maps generated with our climate-change-informed approach with maps of connectivity based solely on the degree of human modification of the landscape. Including future climate projections in connectivity models substantially shifted and constrained priority areas for movement to a smaller proportion of the landscape than when climate projections were not considered. Potential movement, measured as current flow, decreased in all ecoregions when climate projections were included, particularly when dispersal was limited, which made climate analogs inaccessible. Many areas emerged as important for connectivity only when climate change was modeled in 2 time steps rather than in a single time step. Our results illustrate that movement routes needed to track changing climatic conditions may differ from those that connect present-day landscapes. Incorporating future climate projections into connectivity modeling is an important step toward facilitating successful species movement and population persistence in a changing climate. © 2017 Society for Conservation Biology.

[Statements of general practitioners on cooperation with specialists and a future health care system].

PubMed

Heintze, Christoph; Matysiak-Klose, Dorothea; Howorka, Antje; Kröhn, Thorsten; Braun, Vittoria

2004-08-15

Ideas of general practitioners (GPs) could be of value for the restructuring of the German ambulant health care system. The way managed care is seen by GPs is of particular interest. The aim of this study was to record opinions of GPs, working in Berlin, in regard to several aspects of their daily work. 14 female and 16 male GPs from Berlin participated in a qualitative survey. These 30 GPs were interviewed about their attitude toward cooperation with specialized colleagues and their opinions on a future medical care system. The interviews performed were summarized, structured and analyzed according to the qualitative content analysis by Mayring. From the GPs' point of view, ambulant cooperation is facilitated by knowing specialized colleagues, by staying in close contact to them via telephone and by being able to arrange short-term appointments with these specialists. A closer cooperation with specialists in a network as well as an advanced use of digital information systems for accessing patients' data were considered to be vital elements for a future health care system. An important reason for choosing the cooperation with specialists is to find quick comprehensive treatment strategies for patients. It may be concluded that ambulant managed care of patients could be optimized with the creation of medical networks.

Towards the Future "Earthquake" School in the Cloud: Near-real Time Earthquake Games Competition in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, K. H.; Liang, W. T.; Wu, Y. F.; Yen, E.

2014-12-01

To prevent the future threats of natural disaster, it is important to understand how the disaster happened, why lives were lost, and what lessons have been learned. By that, the attitude of society toward natural disaster can be transformed from training to learning. The citizen-seismologists-in-Taiwan project is designed to elevate the quality of earthquake science education by means of incorporating earthquake/tsunami stories and near-real time earthquake games competition into the traditional curricula in schools. Through pilot of courses and professional development workshops, we have worked closely with teachers from elementary, junior high, and senior high schools, to design workable teaching plans through a practical operation of seismic monitoring at home or school. We will introduce how the 9-years-old do P- and S-wave picking and measure seismic intensity through interactive learning platform, how do scientists and school teachers work together, and how do we create an environment to facilitate continuous learning (i.e., near-real time earthquake games competition), to make earthquake science fun.

Competency-based Radiology Residency: A Survey of Expectations from Singapore's Perspective.

PubMed

Yang, Hui; Tan, Colin J X; Lau, Doreen A H; Lim, Winston E H; Tay, Kiang Hiong; Kei, Pin Lin

2015-03-01

In response to the demands of an ageing nation, the postgraduate medical education in Singapore is currently in the early stage of transition into the American-styled residency programme. This study assessed the expectations of both radiology trainees and faculty on their ideal clinical learning environment (CLE) which facilitates the programme development. A modified 23-item questionnaire was administered to both trainees and faculty at a local training hospital. All items were scored according to their envisioned level of importance and categorised into 5 main CLE domains-supervision, formal training programme, work-based learning, social atmosphere and workload. 'Supervision' was identified as the most important domain of the CLE by both trainees and faculty, followed by 'formal training programmes', 'work-based learning' and 'social atmosphere'. 'Workload' was rated as the least important domain. For all domains, the reported expectation between both trainees and faculty respondents did not differ significantly. Intragroup comparison also showed no significant difference within each group of respondents. This study has provided valuable insights on both respondents' expectations on their ideal CLE that can best train competency in future radiologists. Various approaches to address these concerns were also discussed. The similarities in findings between ours and previous studies suggest that the 'supervision', 'formal training programmes' and 'work-based learning' domains are crucial for the success of a postgraduate medical training and should be emphasised in future curriculum. 'Workload' remains a challenge in postgraduate medical training, but attempts to address this will have an impact in future radiology training.

Living in the moment: Effects of time perspective and emotional valence of episodic thinking on delay discounting

PubMed Central

Lin, Henry; Epstein, Leonard H.

2014-01-01

Excessive delay discounting (DD) has been related to various maladaptive behaviors, and may stem from a myopic focus on immediate gratification. Neuroimaging studies have shown that episodic future thinking (EFT) – vivid mental simulation of future experiences – may reduce DD by promoting consideration of delayed outcomes. However, the EFT manipulations in these experiments may have induced positive affect, which could independently enhance executive functions that facilitate self-regulation. To clarify the mechanism of this effect, 87 participants were randomized to visualize neutral- or positive-valenced events expected to occur in the present or in the future while completing a standardized DD questionnaire. Working memory capacity, inhibitory control, the genotypes of 3 functional dopaminergic polymorphisms (DRD1 rs686, DRD2 rs1800497 and COMT rs4680), as well as an additive dopamine genetic risk score were assessed as potential moderators. The results indicate that EFT reduces DD primarily by shifting the time perspective of intertemporal decision-making, and that this effect is moderated by working memory capacity. In addition, positive episodic thinking may independently attenuate the protective effects of high working memory capacity, high inhibitory control, and lower dopamine genetic risk scores on DD. The current findings dovetail with previous research to suggest that the time perspective and emotional valence of episodic thinking may dynamically shape intertemporal choice, perhaps in part by transiently modulating executive function and dopaminergic neurotransmission. PMID:24512061

Doing mental health care integration: a qualitative study of a new work role.

PubMed

Smith-Merry, Jennifer; Gillespie, Jim; Hancock, Nicola; Yen, Ivy

2015-01-01

Mental health care in Australia is fragmented and inaccessible for people experiencing severe and complex mental ill-health. Partners in Recovery is a Federal Government funded scheme that was designed to improve coordination of care and needs for this group. Support Facilitators are the core service delivery component of this scheme and have been employed to work with clients to coordinate their care needs and, through doing so, bring the system closer together. To understand how Partners in Recovery Support Facilitators establish themselves as a new role in the mental health system, their experiences of the role, the challenges that they face and what has enabled their work. In-depth qualitative interviews were carried out with 15 Support Facilitators and team leaders working in Partners in Recovery in two regions in Western Sydney (representing approximately 35 % of those working in these roles in the regions). Analysis of the interview data focused on the work that the Support Facilitators do, how they conceptualise their role and enablers and barriers to their work. The support facilitator role is dominated by efforts to seek out, establish and maintain connections of use in addressing their clients' needs. In doing this Support Facilitators use existing interagency forums and develop their own ad hoc groupings through which they can share knowledge and help each other. Support Facilitators also use these groups to educate the sector about Partners in Recovery, its utility and their own role. The diversity of support facilitator backgrounds are seen as both and asset and a barrier and they describe a process of striving to establish an internally collective identity as well as external role clarity and acceptance. At this early stage of PIR establishment, poor communication was identified as the key barrier to Support Facilitators' work. We find that the Support Facilitators are building the role from within and using trial and error to develop their practice in coordination. We argue that a strong organisational hierarchy is necessary for support facilitation to be effective and to allow the role to develop effectively. We find that their progress is limited by overall program instability caused by changing government policy priorities.

The relationships between lost work time and duration of absence spells: proposal for a payroll driven measure of absenteeism.

PubMed

Hill, James J; Slade, Martin D; Cantley, Linda; Vegso, Sally; Fiellin, Martha; Cullen, Mark R

2008-07-01

To propose a standard measure of absenteeism (the work lost rate [WLR]) be included in future research to facilitate understanding and allow for translation of findings between scientific disciplines. Hourly payroll data derived from "punch clock" reports was used to compare various measures of absenteeism used in the literature and the application of the proposed metric (N = 4000 workers). Unpaid hours and full absent days were highly correlated with the WLR (r = 0.896 to 0.898). The highest percentage of unpaid hours (lost work time) is captured by absence spells of 1 and 2 days duration. The proposed WLR metric captures: 1) The range and distribution of the individual WLRs, 2) the percentage of subjects with no unpaid hours, and 3) the population WLR and should be included whenever payroll data is used to measure absenteeism.

The Relationships Between Lost Work Time and Duration of Absence Spells: Proposal for a Payroll Driven Measure of Absenteeism

PubMed Central

Hill, James J.; Slade, Martin D.; Cantley, Linda; Vegso, Sally; Fiellin, Martha; Cullen, Mark R.

2011-01-01

Objective To propose a standard measure of absenteeism (the work lost rate [WLR]) be included in future research to facilitate understanding and allow for translation of findings between scientific disciplines. Methods Hourly payroll data derived from “punch clock” reports was used to compare various measures of absenteeism used in the literature and the application of the proposed metric (N = 4000 workers). Results Unpaid hours and full absent days were highly correlated with the WLR (r = 0.896 to 0.898). The highest percentage of unpaid hours (lost work time) is captured by absence spells of 1 and 2 days duration. Conclusion The proposed WLR metric captures: 1) The range and distribution of the individual WLRs, 2) the percentage of subjects with no unpaid hours, and 3) the population WLR and should be included whenever payroll data is used to measure absenteeism. PMID:18617841

A first exploration of genome size diversity in sponges.

PubMed

Jeffery, Nicholas W; Jardine, Catherine B; Gregory, T Ryan

2013-08-01

The phyla known as early-branching lineages of animals have become the subject of increasing interest from the perspectives of genomics and evolutionary biology. Unfortunately, data on even the most fundamental properties of their genomes, such as genome size, remain very scarce. In this study, genome size estimates are reported for 75 species of sponges (phylum Porifera) representing 33 families and 12 orders, marking the first large survey of genome size diversity for an early-branching phylum. Sponge genome sizes averaged around 0.2 pg but exhibited a 17-fold range overall (0.04-0.63 pg). In addition, the results of comparisons of two methods of genome size quantification (flow cytometry and Feulgen image analysis densitometry) are presented, thereby facilitating future work on these animals. Some particularly promising avenues for future investigation are highlighted.

The future in clinical genetics: affective forecasting biases in patient and clinician decision making.

PubMed

Peters, S A; Laham, S M; Pachter, N; Winship, I M

2014-04-01

When clinicians facilitate and patients make decisions about predictive genetic testing, they often base their choices on the predicted emotional consequences of positive and negative test results. Research from psychology and decision making suggests that such predictions may often be biased. Work on affective forecasting-predicting one's future emotional states-shows that people tend to overestimate the impact of (especially negative) emotional events on their well-being; a phenomenon termed the impact bias. In this article, we review the causes and consequences of the impact bias in medical decision making, with a focus on applying such findings to predictive testing in clinical genetics. We also recommend strategies for reducing the impact bias and consider the ethical and practical implications of doing so. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Land of the Summer People, a multidisciplinary educational experiment in flooding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández Arconada, S.; Wagener, T.

2015-12-01

Our changing climate brings with it unpredictable extreme weather events.Therefore working creatively with communities to generate sustainable solutions becomes vital, to be more resilient to an uncertain environmental future. The Land of the Summer People (TLOTSP) is an experiment regarding the unstable relationship between society, water and place by exploring flooding impacts in Somerset (UK). Using creative and scientific methods this multidisciplinary project applies participatory research to understand societal responses to extreme weather events, including academics, practitioners and local communities to generate an open dialogue from the local to the global (climate change). TLOTSP is a joint project between and artist and an engineer. During this project the artist developed a number of creative activities to facilitate dialogue with both engineering students and local artists working together in the case study: Flooding in Somerset Levels and Moors. Each working group generated a particular method to work in collaboration, together with locals in Somerset, while also creating an artistic outcome as a result of the process. We worked around communication looking at how disciplinary training [academics] acquire the capacity for the specialised "coding" of information, a language that detaches from the wider apprehension. We asked whether art could offer a language to facilitate the process of "decoding" knowledge. In addition, we looked at how communities affected by extreme weather events perceive and communicate the historical context, realising that responses are determined by living memory rather than archival history. This helped us to understand how short-term connections with nature have shaped the way we live today.

Communicating the promise, risks, and ethics of large-scale, open space microbiome and metagenome research.

PubMed

Shamarina, Daria; Stoyantcheva, Iana; Mason, Christopher E; Bibby, Kyle; Elhaik, Eran

2017-10-04

The public commonly associates microorganisms with pathogens. This suspicion of microorganisms is understandable, as historically microorganisms have killed more humans than any other agent while remaining largely unknown until the late seventeenth century with the works of van Leeuwenhoek and Kircher. Despite our improved understanding regarding microorganisms, the general public are apt to think of diseases rather than of the majority of harmless or beneficial species that inhabit our bodies and the built and natural environment. As long as microbiome research was confined to labs, the public's exposure to microbiology was limited. The recent launch of global microbiome surveys, such as the Earth Microbiome Project and MetaSUB (Metagenomics and Metadesign of Subways and Urban Biomes) project, has raised ethical, financial, feasibility, and sustainability concerns as to the public's level of understanding and potential reaction to the findings, which, done improperly, risk negative implications for ongoing and future investigations, but done correctly, can facilitate a new vision of "smart cities." To facilitate improved future research, we describe here the major concerns that our discussions with ethics committees, community leaders, and government officials have raised, and we expound on how to address them. We further discuss ethical considerations of microbiome surveys and provide practical recommendations for public engagement.

Spatio-Temporal Change Modeling of Lulc: a Semantic Kriging Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharjee, S.; Ghosh, S. K.

2015-07-01

Spatio-temporal land-use/ land-cover (LULC) change modeling is important to forecast the future LULC distribution, which may facilitate natural resource management, urban planning, etc. The spatio-temporal change in LULC trend often exhibits non-linear behavior, due to various dynamic factors, such as, human intervention (e.g., urbanization), environmental factors, etc. Hence, proper forecasting of LULC distribution should involve the study and trend modeling of historical data. Existing literatures have reported that the meteorological attributes (e.g., NDVI, LST, MSI), are semantically related to the terrain. Being influenced by the terrestrial dynamics, the temporal changes of these attributes depend on the LULC properties. Hence, incorporating meteorological knowledge into the temporal prediction process may help in developing an accurate forecasting model. This work attempts to study the change in inter-annual LULC pattern and the distribution of different meteorological attributes of a region in Kolkata (a metropolitan city in India) during the years 2000-2010 and forecast the future spread of LULC using semantic kriging (SemK) approach. A new variant of time-series SemK is proposed, namely Rev-SemKts to capture the multivariate semantic associations between different attributes. From empirical analysis, it may be observed that the augmentation of semantic knowledge in spatio-temporal modeling of meteorological attributes facilitate more precise forecasting of LULC pattern.

An Overview of Phytoconstituents, Biotechnological Applications, and Nutritive Aspects of Coconut (Cocos nucifera).

PubMed

Roopan, Selvaraj Mohana

2016-08-01

Cocos nucifera is one of the highest nutritional and medicinal value plants with various fractions of proteins which play a major role in several biological applications such as anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-neoplastic, anti-parasitic, insecticidal, and leishmanicidal activities. This review is focused on several biotechnological, biomedical aspects of various solvent extracts collected from different parts of coconut and the phytochemical constituents which are present in it. The results obtained from this source will facilitate most of the researchers to focus their work toward the process of diagnosing diseases in future.

Work, Family, and Mental Health: Testing Different Models of Work-Family Fit.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grzywacz, Joseph G.; Bass, Brenda L.

2003-01-01

Using family resilience theory, this study examined the effects of work-family conflict and work-family facilitation on mental health among working adults to gain a better understanding of work-family fit. Results suggest that family to work facilitation is a family protective factor that offsets and buffers the deleterious effects of work-family…

Design and Evaluation of an Actuated Exoskeleton for Examining Motor Control in Stroke Thumb

PubMed Central

Wang, Furui; Jones, Christopher L.; Shastri, Milind; Qian, Kai; Kamper, Derek G.; Sarkar, Nilanjan

2016-01-01

Chronic hand impairment is common following stroke. This paper presents an actuated thumb exoskeleton (ATX) to facilitate research in examining motor control and hand rehabilitation. The ATX presented in this work aims to provide independent bi-directional actuation in each of the 5 degrees-of-freedom (DOF) of the thumb using a novel flexible shaft based mechanism that has 5 active DOF and 3 passive DOF. A prototype has been built and experiments have been conducted to measure the allowable workspace at the thumb and evaluate the kinematic and kinetic performance of the ATX. The experimental results show that the ATX is able to provide individual actuation at all 5 thumb joints with high joint velocity and torque capacities. Further improvement and future work are discussed. PMID:27672232

Web-based access, aggregation, and visualization of future climate projections with emphasis on agricultural assessments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villoria, Nelson B.; Elliott, Joshua; Müller, Christoph; Shin, Jaewoo; Zhao, Lan; Song, Carol

2018-01-01

Access to climate and spatial datasets by non-specialists is restricted by technical barriers involving hardware, software and data formats. We discuss an open-source online tool that facilitates downloading the climate data from the global circulation models used by the Inter-Sectoral Impacts Model Intercomparison Project. The tool also offers temporal and spatial aggregation capabilities for incorporating future climate scenarios in applications where spatial aggregation is important. We hope that streamlined access to these data facilitates analysis of climate related issues while considering the uncertainties derived from future climate projections and temporal aggregation choices.

'You already drank my beer, I can decide anything': using structuration theory to explore the dynamics of alcohol use, gender-based violence and HIV risk among female sex workers in Tanzania.

PubMed

Leddy, Anna M; Kerrigan, Deanna; Kennedy, Caitlin E; Mbwambo, Jessie; Likindikoki, Samuel; Underwood, Carol R

2018-03-16

Female sex workers experience high rates of gender-based violence and HIV. Alcohol has been shown to facilitate women's risk of both gender-based violence and HIV; however, little research has explored how aspects of the sex work environment shape this risk. Drawing on structuration theory, this study explored how social conduct is patterned across time and space within the sex work environment to influence alcohol consumption, gender-based violence and HIV risk among female sex workers. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 24 female sex workers enrolled in an ongoing community randomised controlled trial of a combination HIV prevention intervention in Iringa, Tanzania. Data were analysed using both inductive and deductive approaches. Findings reveal how routine interactions between female sex workers and their clients occur at three moments of time and space during the sex exchange process to facilitate alcohol consumption and increase women's risk of gender-based violence and HIV. Findings also highlight how sex workers utilise collective agency to address aspects of the sex work environment that place them at risk of alcohol abuse, gender-based violence and HIV. Implications for future interventions to prevent gender-based violence and HIV among female sex workers in Tanzania and similar contexts are discussed.

Stakeholders identify similar barriers but different strategies to facilitate return-to-work: A vignette of a worker with an upper extremity condition.

PubMed

Peters, Susan E; Truong, Anthony P; Johnston, Venerina

2018-01-01

Stakeholders involved in the return-to-work (RTW) process have different roles and qualificationsOBJECTIVE:To explore the perspectives of Australian stakeholders of the RTW barriers and strategies for a worker with an upper extremity condition and a complex workers' compensation case. Using a case vignette, stakeholders were asked to identify barriers and recommend strategies to facilitate RTW. Content analysis was performed on the open-ended responses. The responses were categorised into RTW barriers and strategies using the biopsychosocial model. Pearson's Chi Square and ANOVA were performed to establish group differences. 621 participants (488 healthcare providers (HCPs), 62 employers, 55 insurers and 16 lawyers) identified 36 barriers (31 modifiable): 4 demographic; 8 biological; 15 psychological and 9 social barriers. 484 participants reported 16 RTW strategies: 4 biological; 6 psychological and 6 social strategies. 'Work relationship stressors' (83.4%) and 'Personal relationship stressors' (64.7%) were the most frequently nominated barriers. HCPs most frequently nominated 'Pain management' (49.6%), while employers, insurers and lawyers nominated 'RTW planning/Suitable duties programs' (40.5%; 42.9%; 80%). Stakeholders perceived similar barriers for RTW but recommended different strategies. Stakeholders appeared to be more proficient in identifying barriers than recommending strategies. Future research should focus on tools to both identify RTW barriers and direct intervention.

Enhancing international collaboration among early career researchers.

PubMed

Carroll, Jennifer K; Albada, Akke; Farahani, Mansoureh; Lithner, Maria; Neumann, Melanie; Sandhu, Harbinder; Shepherd, Heather L

2010-09-01

The European Association of Communication in Healthcare (EACH) Early Career Researchers Network (ECRN) aims are to (1) promote international collaboration among young investigators and (2) provide a support network for future innovative communication research projects. In October 2009, Miami, USA at a workshop facilitated by the ECRN at the International Conference on Communication in Healthcare (ICCH) hosted by the American Academy of Communication in Healthcare we explored common facilitators and challenges faced by early career researchers in health communication research. Attendees introduced themselves, their research area(s) of interest, and listed one facilitator and one barrier for their career development. EACH ECRN members then led a discussion of facilitators and challenges encountered in communication research projects and career development. We discussed potential collaboration opportunities, future goals, and activities. Having supportive collegial relationships, institutional support, job security, and funding are critical facilitators for early career investigators. Key challenges include difficulty with time management and prioritizing, limited resources, and contacts. International collaboration among early career researchers is a feasible and effective means to address important challenges, by increasing opportunities for professional support and networking, problem-solving, discussion of data, and ultimately publishing. Future AACH-EACH Early Career Researcher Networks should continue to build collaborations by developing shared research projects, papers, and other scholarly products. Copyright (c) 2010. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Enhancing international collaboration among early-career researchers

PubMed Central

Carroll, Jennifer K; Albada, Akke; Farahani, Mansoureh; Lithner, Maria; Neumann, Melanie; Sandhu, Harbinder; Shepherd, Heather L

2010-01-01

Objective The European Association of Communication in Healthcare (EACH) Early Career Researchers Network (ECRN) aims are to (1) promote international collaboration among young investigators and (2) provide a support network for future innovative communication research projects. In October 2009, Miami, USA at a workshop facilitated by the ECRN at the International Conference on Communication in Healthcare (ICCH) hosted by the American Academy of Communication in Healthcare we explored common facilitators and challenges faced by early career researchers in health communication research. Methods Attendees introduced themselves, their research area(s) of interest, and listed one facilitator and one barrier for their career development. EACH ECRN members then led a discussion of facilitators and challenges encountered in communication research projects and career development. We discussed potential collaboration opportunities, future goals, and activities. Results Having supportive collegial relationships, institutional support, job security, and funding are critical facilitators for early career investigators. Key challenges include difficulty with time management and prioritizing, limited resources, and contacts. Conclusion International collaboration among early career researchers is a feasible and effective means to address important challenges, by increasing opportunities for professional support and networking, problem-solving, discussion of data, and ultimately publishing. Practice Implications Future AACH-EACH Early Career Researcher Networks should continue to build collaborations by developing shared research projects, papers, and other scholarly products. PMID:20663630

Internal evaluation of the European network for health technology assessment project.

PubMed

Håheim, Lise Lund; Imaz, Iñaki; Loud, Marlène Läubli; Gasparetto, Teresa; González-Enriquez, Jesús; Dahlgren, Helena; Trofimovs, Igor; Berti, Elena; Mørland, Berit

2009-12-01

The internal evaluation studied the development of the European network for Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA) Project in achieving the general objective of establishing an effective and a sustainable network of health technology assessment (HTA) in Europe. The Work Package 3 group was dedicated to this task and performed the work. Information on activities during the project was collected from three sources. First, three yearly cross-sectional studies surveyed the participants' opinions. Responses were by individuals or by institutions. The last round included surveys to the Steering Committee, the Stakeholder Forum, and the Secretariat. Second, the Work Package Lead Partners were interviewed bi-annually, five times in total, to update the information on the Project's progress. Third, additional information was sought in available documents. The organizational structure remained stable. The Project succeeded in developing tools aimed at providing common methodology with intent to establish a standard of conducting and reporting HTA and to facilitate greater collaboration among agencies. The participants/agencies expressed their belief in a network and in maintaining local/national autonomy. The Work Package Leaders expressed a strong belief in the solid base of the Project for a future network on which to build, but were aware of the need for funding and governmental support. Participants and Work Package Leaders have expressed support for a future network that will improve national and international collaboration in HTA based on the experience from the EUnetHTA project.

From challenges to advanced practice registered nursing role development: Qualitative interview study.

PubMed

Jokiniemi, Krista; Haatainen, Kaisa; Pietilä, Anna-Maija

2015-12-01

The aim of this study is to describe the factors hindering and facilitating the implementation of the advanced practice registered nurses role at Finnish university hospitals, and to examine the implications for its future development. A descriptive qualitative approach, using thematic individual interviews, was conducted in 2011 with a sample of 11 advanced practice registered nurses. The data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The advanced practice registered nurses role barriers had an impact on the role development needs. In turn, the facilitating factors helped encounter the challenges of the role, therefore having an impact on both the current role achievement, as well as contributing to the future role development. The factors hindering and facilitating the advanced practice registered nurses role need to be acknowledged to support the role implementation and planning of the future of the role. © 2014 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Work-Family Facilitation and Conflict, Working Fathers and Mothers, Work-Family Stressors and Support

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, E. Jeffrey

2005-01-01

Work-family research frequently focuses on the conflict experienced by working mothers. Using data from the National Study of the Changing Workforce (N = 1,314), this study also examined work-family facilitation and working fathers. Ecological systems, family stress, family resilience, and sex role theories were used to organize the data and…

An integrative model of evolutionary covariance: a symposium on body shape in fishes.

PubMed

Walker, Jeffrey A

2010-12-01

A major direction of current and future biological research is to understand how multiple, interacting functional systems coordinate in producing a body that works. This understanding is complicated by the fact that organisms need to work well in multiple environments, with both predictable and unpredictable environmental perturbations. Furthermore, organismal design reflects a history of past environments and not a plan for future environments. How complex, interacting functional systems evolve, then, is a truly grand challenge. In accepting the challenge, an integrative model of evolutionary covariance is developed. The model combines quantitative genetics, functional morphology/physiology, and functional ecology. The model is used to convene scientists ranging from geneticists, to physiologists, to ecologists, to engineers to facilitate the emergence of body shape in fishes as a model system for understanding how complex, interacting functional systems develop and evolve. Body shape of fish is a complex morphology that (1) results from many developmental paths and (2) functions in many different behaviors. Understanding the coordination and evolution of the many paths from genes to body shape, body shape to function, and function to a working fish body in a dynamic environment is now possible given new technologies from genetics to engineering and new theoretical models that integrate the different levels of biological organization (from genes to ecology).

Establishing national priorities for Australian occupational health and safety research.

PubMed

Smith, Derek R

2010-01-01

This study aimed to identify current and emerging issues relevant to Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) research in Australia, and to formulate strategic research directions and strategies for the future. A national research forum was held which included leading OHS academics, employer and employee representative groups, as well as executives from state (New South Wales) and national (Safe Work Australia) representative bodies. A modified Delphi technique was used for collecting data in three phases. When ranked according to group consensus, the top three priorities for future OHS research in Australia were identified as being psychosocial and soft tissue injury hazards, work/life issues, and the impact of multiple, long-term exposures. Strategies to enhance collaboration despite limited research funding included the need to focus on complementary skills, to make the best use of Safe Work Australia's role (particularly to link with strategic and operational plans), and to foster closer engagement with research communities. While certain research priorities appear to be similar to those of other countries, the current study did identify some unique characteristics within an Australian context. High quality investigations of these issues should now be considered, in conjunction with greater cooperation between governments, regulators, employers and employee groups for the more effective facilitation of applied OHS research in the coming years.

Implementing a psycho-educational intervention for care assistants working with people with dementia in aged-care facilities: facilitators and barriers.

PubMed

Barbosa, Ana; Nolan, Mike; Sousa, Liliana; Figueiredo, Daniela

2017-06-01

Many intervention studies lack an investigation and description of the factors that are relevant to its success or failure, despite its relevance to inform future interventions. This study aimed to explore the facilitators and barriers to the implementation of a psycho-educational intervention for care assistants caring for people with dementia in aged-care facilities. A process evaluation was carried out alongside a pretest/post-test controlled study conducted in aged-care facilities. Seven focus-group interviews involving 21 care assistants (female; mean age 43.37 ± 10.0) and individual semi-structured interviews with two managers (female; mean age 45.5 ± 10.26) were conducted 2 weeks and 6 months after the intervention, in two aged-care facilities. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and submitted to content analysis by two independent researchers. Results were organised into implementer, participant and organisation level hindered and facilitator factors. Findings enable the interpretation of the experimental results and underscore the importance of collecting the perception of different grades of staff to obtain information relevant to plan effective interventions. © 2016 Nordic College of Caring Science.

Implementation of an ergonomics intervention in a Swedish flight baggage handling company—A process evaluation

PubMed Central

Mathiassen, Svend Erik; Larsson, Johan; Kwak, Lydia

2018-01-01

Objective To conduct a process evaluation of the implementation of an ergonomics training program aimed at increasing the use of loading assist devices in flight baggage handling. Methods Feasibility related to the process items recruitment, reach, context, dose delivered (training time and content); dose received (participants’ engagement); satisfaction with training; intermediate outcomes (skills, confidence and behaviors); and barriers and facilitators of the training intervention were assessed by qualitative and quantitative methods. Results Implementation proved successful regarding dose delivered, dose received and satisfaction. Confidence among participants in the training program in using and talking about devices, observed use of devices among colleagues, and internal feedback on work behavior increased significantly (p<0.01). Main facilitators were self-efficacy, motivation, and perceived utility of training among the trainees. Barriers included lack of peer support, opportunities to observe and practice behaviors, and follow-up activities; as well as staff reduction and job insecurity. Conclusions In identifying important barriers and facilitators for a successful outcome, this study can help supporting the effectiveness of future interventions. Our results suggest that barriers caused by organizational changes may likely be alleviated by recruiting motivated trainees and securing strong organizational support for the implementation. PMID:29513671

Learning together for effective collaboration in school-based occupational therapy practice.

PubMed

Villeneuve, Michelle A; Shulha, Lyn M

2012-12-01

School-based occupational therapy (SBOT) practice takes place within a complex system that includes service recipients, service providers, and program decision makers across health and education sectors. Despite the promotion of collaborative consultation at a policy level, there is little practical guidance about how to coordinate multi-agency service and interprofessional collaboration among these stakeholders. This paper reports on a process used to engage program administrators in an examination of SBOT collaborative consultation practice in one region of Ontario to provide an evidence-informed foundation for decision making about implementation of these services. Within an appreciative inquiry framework (Cooperrider, Whitney, & Stavros, 2008), Developmental Work Research methods (Engeström, 2000) were used to facilitate shared learning for improved SBOT collaborative consultation. Program administrators participated alongside program providers and service recipients in a series of facilitated workshops to develop principles that will guide future planning and decision making about the delivery of SBOT services. Facilitated discussion among stakeholders led to the articulation of 12 principles for effective collaborative practice. Program administrators used their shared understanding to propose a new model for delivering SBOT services. Horizontal and vertical learning across agency and professional boundaries led to the development of powerful solutions for program improvement.

Understanding the dark and bright sides of anxiety: A theory of workplace anxiety.

PubMed

Cheng, Bonnie Hayden; McCarthy, Julie M

2018-05-01

Researchers have uncovered inconsistent relations between anxiety and performance. Although the prominent view is a "dark side," where anxiety has a negative relation with performance, a "bright side" of anxiety has also been suggested. We reconcile past findings by presenting a comprehensive multilevel, multiprocess model of workplace anxiety called the theory of workplace anxiety (TWA). This model highlights the processes and conditions through which workplace anxiety may lead to debilitative and facilitative job performance and includes 19 theoretical propositions. Drawing on past theories of anxiety, resource depletion, cognitive-motivational processing, and performance, we uncover the debilitative and facilitative nature of dispositional and situational workplace anxiety by positioning emotional exhaustion, self-regulatory processing, and cognitive interference as distinct contrasting processes underlying the relationship between workplace anxiety and job performance. Extending our theoretical model, we pinpoint motivation, ability, and emotional intelligence as critical conditions that shape when workplace anxiety will debilitate and facilitate job performance. We also identify the unique employee, job, and situational characteristics that serve as antecedents of dispositional and situational workplace anxiety. The TWA offers a nuanced perspective on workplace anxiety and serves as a foundation for future work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Considering the Role of Personality in the Work-Family Experience: Relationships of the Big Five to Work-Family Conflict and Facilitation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wayne, Julie Holliday; Musisca, Nicholas; Fleeson, William

2004-01-01

Using a national, random sample (N=2130), we investigated the relationship between each of the Big Five personality traits and conflict and facilitation between work and family roles. Extraversion was related to greater facilitation between roles but was not related to conflict, whereas neuroticism was related to greater conflict but only weakly…

Rhythms of life: antecedents and outcomes of work-family balance in employed parents.

PubMed

Aryee, Samuel; Srinivas, E S; Tan, Hwee Hoon

2005-01-01

This study examined antecedents and outcomes of a fourfold taxonomy of work-family balance in terms of the direction of influence (work-family vs. family-work) and type of effect (conflict vs. facilitation). Respondents were full-time employed parents in India. Confirmatory factor analysis results provided evidence for the discriminant validity of M. R. Frone's (2003) fourfold taxonomy of work-family balance. Results of moderated regression analysis revealed that different processes underlie the conflict and facilitation components. Furthermore, gender had only a limited moderating influence on the relationships between the antecedents and the components of work-family balance. Last, work-family facilitation was related to the work outcomes of job satisfaction and organizational commitment.

Climate change negotiation simulations for students: responses across gender and age.A case study: San Francisco State University World Climate Exercises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasheva, E. A.

2015-12-01

For decades, role-play and simulation exercises have been utilized for learning and policy decision making. While the power of Model UN simulations in building first-person experience and understanding of complex international issues is well known, the effectiveness of simulations for inspiring citizen engagement in scientific public-policy issues is little studied. My work hypothesizes that climate-change negotiation simulations can enhance students' scientific literacy and policy advocacy. It aims to determine how age and gender influence the responsiveness of students to such simulations. During the 2015 fall semester, I am conducting World Climate exercises for fellow graduate and undergraduate students at San Francisco State University. At the end of the exercise, I will have collected the responses to an anonymous questionnaire in which the participants indicate age and gender. The questionnaire asks participants to describe their hopes and fears for the future and to propose public and personal actions for achieving a strong climate change agreement. I am tracking differences to determine whether participants' age and gender correlate with particular patterns of feeling and thinking. My future research will aim to determine whether and how strongly the World Climate Exercise has affected participants' actual policy engagement. This work will also reflect on my experiences as a World Climate facilitator. I will describe the facilitation process and then discuss some of my observations from the sessions. I will specify the challenges I have encountered and suggest strategies that can strengthen the learning process. World Climate is a computer-simulation-based climate change negotiations role-playing exercise developed by Climate Interactive in partnership with the System Dynamics Group at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Digital health now and in the future: Findings from a participatory design stakeholder workshop

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Objectives While digital health technologies hold potential for improving healthcare and the generation and dissemination of health information, there are many issues to be resolved in facilitating their provision and efficacy and ensuring ethical management of personal health data. In the face of high-stakes digital health initiatives, debates and controversies, eliciting the views and experiences of the diverse constituents in the digital health ecosystem is important. Methods A digital health stakeholder workshop was held in Canberra, Australia, to address two key questions: 1) What is currently working and not working in digital health? and 2) Where should digital health go in the future? As part of a living lab approach, the 25 workshop participants from research, industry, patient and other healthcare consumer groups and government, engaged in participatory design activities directed at stimulating ideas and discussion. The design artefacts and videos generated during the workshop were thematically analysed. Results Digital health technologies offer valuable ways for healthcare consumers, providers, community groups and health industries to create and share information about health, medicine and healthcare. However, members of some social groups are currently excluded from full participation in the digital health ecosystem. Mechanisms for facilitating further consultation between the various stakeholders involved in digital health, including patients and carers, need to be established. The rights and responsibilities of the different stakeholders involved in connected digital health also need to be better identified and highlighted. At the same time, personal data privacy and security need protection. Conclusion Establishing the effective and responsible delivery of digital health technologies and collection, protection and sharing of health data is highly complex. Infrastructure, ethical and social issues need to be considered. PMID:29942616

"We get them up, moving, and out the door. How do we get them to do what is recommended?" Using behaviour change theory to put exercise evidence into action for rehabilitation professionals.

PubMed

McArthur, Caitlin; Ziebart, Christina; Papaioannou, Alexandra; Cheung, Angela M; Laprade, Judi; Lee, Linda; Jain, Ravi; Giangregorio, Lora M

2018-01-25

Recommendations suggest a multicomponent exercise for people with osteoporosis. We identified rehabilitation professionals' barriers and facilitators to implementing exercise recommendations with people with osteoporosis, and used those to make suggestions for targeted knowledge translation interventions. Future work will report on development and evaluation of the interventions informed by our study. Rehabilitation professionals can help people with osteoporosis to engage in a multicomponent exercise program and perform activities of daily living safely. However, rehabilitation professional face barriers to implementing exercise evidence, especially for specific disease conditions like osteoporosis. We performed a behavioural analysis and identified rehabilitation professionals' barriers to and facilitators of implementing disease-specific physical activity and exercise recommendations (Too Fit to Fracture recommendations), and used the Behaviour Change Wheel to select interventions. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with rehabilitation professionals, including physical therapists, kinesiologists, and occupational therapists, and transcribed verbatim. Two researchers coded data and identified emerging themes. Using the Behaviour Change Wheel framework, themes were categorized into capability, opportunity, and motivation, and relevant interventions were identified. Ninety-four rehabilitation professionals (mean age 40.5 years, 88.3% female) participated. Identified barriers were as follows: capability-lack of training in behaviour change, how to modify recommendations for physical and cognitive impairments; opportunity-lack of resources, time, and team work; motivation-lack of trust between providers, fear in providing interventions that may cause harm. Interventions selected were as follows: education, training, enablement, modelling and persuasion. Policy categories are communication/marketing, guidelines, service provision and environmental/social planning. Key barriers to implementing the recommendations are rehabilitation professionals' ability to use behaviour change techniques, to modify the recommendations for physical and cognitive limitations and to feel comfortable with delivering challenging but safe interventions for people with osteoporosis, and lacking trust and team work across sectors. Future work will report on development and evaluation of knowledge translation interventions informed by our study.

Implementing stakeholder-informed research in the substance abuse treatment sector: strategies used by Connections, a Canadian knowledge translation and exchange project.

PubMed

Henderson, Joanna; Sword, Wendy; Niccols, Alison; Dobbins, Maureen

2014-05-29

Researcher-stakeholder collaboration has been identified as critical to bridging research and health system change. While collaboration models vary, meaningful stakeholder involvement over time ("integrated knowledge translation") is advocated to improve the relevance of research to knowledge users. This short report describes the integrated knowledge translation efforts of Connections, a knowledge translation and exchange project to improve services for women with substance abuse problems and their children, and implementation barriers and facilitators. Strategies of varying intensities were used to engage diverse stakeholders, including policy makers and people with lived experience, and executive directors, program managers, and service providers from Canadian addiction agencies serving women. Barriers to participation included individual (e.g., interest), organizational (e.g., funding), and system level (e.g., lack of centralized stakeholder database) barriers. Similarly, facilitators included individual (e.g., perceived relevance) and organizational (e.g., support) facilitators, as well as initiative characteristics (e.g., multiple involvement opportunities). Despite barriers, Connections' stakeholder-informed research efforts proved essential for developing clinically relevant and feasible processes, measures, and implementation strategies. Stakeholder-researcher collaboration is possible and robust integrated knowledge translation efforts can be productive. Future work should emphasize developing and evaluating a range of strategies to address stakeholders' knowledge translation needs and to facilitate sustained and meaningful involvement in research.

Barriers and facilitators related to implementation of regulated midwifery in Manitoba: a case study.

PubMed

Thiessen, Kellie; Heaman, Maureen; Mignone, Javier; Martens, Patricia; Robinson, Kristine

2016-03-15

In 2000, midwifery was regulated in the Canadian Province of Manitoba. Since the establishment of the midwifery program, little formal research has analyzed the utilization of regulated midwifery services. In Manitoba, the demand for midwifery services has exceeded the number of midwives in practice. The specific objective of this study was to explore factors influencing the implementation and utilization of regulated midwifery services in Manitoba. The case study design incorporated qualitative exploratory descriptive methods, using data derived from two sources: interviews and public documents. Twenty-four key informants were purposefully selected to participate in semi-structured in-depth interviews. All documents analyzed were in the public domain. Content analysis was employed to analyze the documents and transcripts of the interviews. The results of the study were informed by the Behavioral Model of Health Services Use. Three main topic areas were explored: facilitators, barriers, and future strategies and recommendations. The most common themes arising under facilitators were funding of midwifery services and strategies to integrate the profession. Power and conflict, and lack of a productive education program emerged as the most prominent themes under barriers. Finally, future strategies for sustaining the midwifery profession focused on ensuring avenues for registration and education, improving management strategies and accountability frameworks within the employment model, enhancing the work environment, and evaluating both the practice and employment models. Results of the document analysis supported the themes arising from the interviews. These findings on factors that influenced the implementation and integration of midwifery in Manitoba may provide useful information to key stakeholders in Manitoba, as well as other provinces as they work toward successful implementation of regulated midwifery practice. Funding for new positions and programs was consistently noted as a successful strategy. While barriers such as structures of power within Regional Health Authorities and inter and intra-professional conflict were identified, the lack of a productive midwifery education program emerged as the most prominent barrier. This new knowledge highlights issues that impact the ongoing growth and capacity of the midwifery profession and suggests directions for ensuring its sustainability.

Migration among temporary foreign workers: Examining health and access to health care among Filipina live-in caregivers.

PubMed

Carlos, Jessica Krystle; Wilson, Kathi

2018-07-01

In 2015, approximately 14,000 migrants were accepted into Canada as live-in caregivers. While extensive research has documented the working conditions of migrant live-in caregivers, few studies examine the health experiences of this population related to their employment as caregivers. This research examines the relationship between employment under the Federal Government's (Live-in) Caregiver Program and health and access to healthcare services among 21 Filipina caregivers working in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario. Results of in-depth interviews reveal that long work hours are perceived to negatively affect physical health while separation from family negatively impacts mental health. Among the women interviewed, work responsibilities and living-in the place of employment are perceived to negatively impact both physical and mental health. The research also demonstrates that working as a live-in caregiver both facilitates and creates barriers to accessing health services. Future research is needed to better understand the health of more socially isolated caregivers and caregivers living-out(side) their place of employment. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thermodynamics of complexity and pattern manipulation.

PubMed

Garner, Andrew J P; Thompson, Jayne; Vedral, Vlatko; Gu, Mile

2017-04-01

Many organisms capitalize on their ability to predict the environment to maximize available free energy and reinvest this energy to create new complex structures. This functionality relies on the manipulation of patterns-temporally ordered sequences of data. Here, we propose a framework to describe pattern manipulators-devices that convert thermodynamic work to patterns or vice versa-and use them to build a "pattern engine" that facilitates a thermodynamic cycle of pattern creation and consumption. We show that the least heat dissipation is achieved by the provably simplest devices, the ones that exhibit desired operational behavior while maintaining the least internal memory. We derive the ultimate limits of this heat dissipation and show that it is generally nonzero and connected with the pattern's intrinsic crypticity-a complexity theoretic quantity that captures the puzzling difference between the amount of information the pattern's past behavior reveals about its future and the amount one needs to communicate about this past to optimally predict the future.

Investigating Factors that Generate and Maintain Variation in Migratory Orientation: A Primer for Recent and Future Work.

PubMed

Delmore, Kira E; Liedvogel, Miriam

2016-01-01

The amazing accuracy of migratory orientation performance across the animal kingdom is facilitated by the use of magnetic and celestial compass systems that provide individuals with both directional and positional information. Quantitative genetics analyses in several animal systems suggests that migratory orientation has a strong genetic component. Nevertheless, the exact identity of genes controlling orientation remains largely unknown, making it difficult to obtain an accurate understanding of this fascinating behavior on the molecular level. Here, we provide an overview of molecular genetic techniques employed thus far, highlight the pros and cons of various approaches, generalize results from species-specific studies whenever possible, and evaluate how far the field has come since early quantitative genetics studies. We emphasize the importance of examining different levels of molecular control, and outline how future studies can take advantage of high-resolution tracking and sequencing techniques to characterize the genomic architecture of migratory orientation.

Thermodynamics of complexity and pattern manipulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garner, Andrew J. P.; Thompson, Jayne; Vedral, Vlatko; Gu, Mile

2017-04-01

Many organisms capitalize on their ability to predict the environment to maximize available free energy and reinvest this energy to create new complex structures. This functionality relies on the manipulation of patterns—temporally ordered sequences of data. Here, we propose a framework to describe pattern manipulators—devices that convert thermodynamic work to patterns or vice versa—and use them to build a "pattern engine" that facilitates a thermodynamic cycle of pattern creation and consumption. We show that the least heat dissipation is achieved by the provably simplest devices, the ones that exhibit desired operational behavior while maintaining the least internal memory. We derive the ultimate limits of this heat dissipation and show that it is generally nonzero and connected with the pattern's intrinsic crypticity—a complexity theoretic quantity that captures the puzzling difference between the amount of information the pattern's past behavior reveals about its future and the amount one needs to communicate about this past to optimally predict the future.

Reverse Ecology: from systems to environments and back.

PubMed

Levy, Roie; Borenstein, Elhanan

2012-01-01

The structure of complex biological systems reflects not only their function but also the environments in which they evolved and are adapted to. Reverse Ecology-an emerging new frontier in Evolutionary Systems Biology-aims to extract this information and to obtain novel insights into an organism's ecology. The Reverse Ecology framework facilitates the translation of high-throughput genomic data into large-scale ecological data, and has the potential to transform ecology into a high-throughput field. In this chapter, we describe some of the pioneering work in Reverse Ecology, demonstrating how system-level analysis of complex biological networks can be used to predict the natural habitats of poorly characterized microbial species, their interactions with other species, and universal patterns governing the adaptation of organisms to their environments. We further present several studies that applied Reverse Ecology to elucidate various aspects of microbial ecology, and lay out exciting future directions and potential future applications in biotechnology, biomedicine, and ecological engineering.

Facilitation among plants in alpine environments in the face of climate change.

PubMed

Anthelme, Fabien; Cavieres, Lohengrin A; Dangles, Olivier

2014-01-01

While there is a large consensus that plant-plant interactions are a crucial component of the response of plant communities to the effects of climate change, available data remain scarce, particularly in alpine systems. This represents an important obstacle to making consistent predictions about the future of plant communities. Here, we review current knowledge on the effects of climate change on facilitation among alpine plant communities and propose directions for future research. In established alpine communities, while warming seemingly generates a net facilitation release, earlier snowmelt may increase facilitation. Some nurse plants are able to buffer microenvironmental changes in the long term and may ensure the persistence of other alpine plants through local migration events. For communities migrating to higher elevations, facilitation should play an important role in their reorganization because of the harsher environmental conditions. In particular, the absence of efficient nurse plants might slow down upward migration, possibly generating chains of extinction. Facilitation-climate change relationships are expected to shift along latitudinal gradients because (1) the magnitude of warming is predicted to vary along these gradients, and (2) alpine environments are significantly different at low vs. high latitudes. Data on these expected patterns are preliminary and thus need to be tested with further studies on facilitation among plants in alpine environments that have thus far not been considered. From a methodological standpoint, future studies will benefit from the spatial representation of the microclimatic environment of plants to predict their response to climate change. Moreover, the acquisition of long-term data on the dynamics of plant-plant interactions, either through permanent plots or chronosequences of glacial recession, may represent powerful approaches to clarify the relationship between plant interactions and climate change.

Barriers and facilitators for breastfeeding among working women in the United States.

PubMed

Johnston, Marina L; Esposito, Noreen

2007-01-01

To review the literature and describe the barriers and facilitators to the continuation of breastfeeding for at least 6 months by working women in the United States. A search of PubMed, CINAHL, Sociological Abstracts, ISI, PsychInfo, and ProQuest. Twenty studies based on the inclusion criteria and published between January 1, 1995, and January 2006. An ecologic framework, which includes the individual (microsystem), social support and relationships (mesosystem), and the workplace environment (exosystem). When working mothers possess certain personal characteristics and develop a strategic plan, breastfeeding is promoted. When social support is available and when support groups are utilized, lactation is also facilitated. Part-time work, lack of long mother-infant separations, supportive work environments and facilities, and child care options facilitate breastfeeding. Health care providers can use the findings of this review to promote breastfeeding among working women by using tactics geared toward the mother, her social network, and the entire community.

How work-self conflict/facilitation influences exhaustion and task performance: A three-wave study on the role of personal resources.

PubMed

Demerouti, Evangelia; Sanz-Vergel, Ana Isabel; Petrou, Paraskevas; van den Heuvel, Machteld

2016-10-01

Although work and family are undoubtedly important life domains, individuals are also active in other life roles which are also important to them (like pursuing personal interests). Building on identity theory and the resource perspective on work-home interface, we examined whether there is an indirect effect of work-self conflict/facilitation on exhaustion and task performance over time through personal resources (i.e., self-efficacy and optimism). The sample was composed of 368 Dutch police officers. Results of the 3-wave longitudinal study confirmed that work-self conflict was related to lower levels of self-efficacy, whereas work-self facilitation was related to improved optimism over time. In turn, self-efficacy was related to higher task performance, whereas optimism was related to diminished levels of exhaustion over time. Further analysis supported the negative, indirect effect of work-self facilitation on exhaustion through optimism over time, and only a few reversed causal effects emerged. The study contributes to the literature on interrole management by showing the role of personal resources in the process of conflict or facilitation over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Organs-on-chips: Progress, challenges, and future directions

PubMed Central

Low, Lucie A

2017-01-01

The National Institutes of Health Microphysiological Systems (MPS) program, led by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, is part of a joint effort on MPS development with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and with regulatory guidance from FDA, is now in its final year of funding. The program has produced many tangible outcomes in tissue chip development in terms of stem cell differentiation, microfluidic engineering, platform development, and single and multi-organ systems—and continues to help facilitate the acceptance and use of tissue chips by the wider community. As the first iteration of the program draws to a close, this Commentary will highlight some of the goals met, and lay out some of the challenges uncovered that will remain to be addressed as the field progresses. The future of the program will also be outlined. Impact statement This work is important to the field as it outlines the progress and challenges faced by the NIH Microphysiological Systems program to date, and the future of the program. This is useful information for the field to be aware of, both for current program stakeholders and future awardees and partners. PMID:28343437

Greater than the Sum of Its Parts: A Qualitative Study of the Role of the Coordinating Center in Facilitating Coordinated Collaborative Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rolland, Betsy; Lee, Charlotte P.; Potter, John D.

2017-01-01

As collaborative biomedical research has increased in size and scope, so, too, has the need to facilitate the disparate work being done by investigators across institutional, geographic and, often, disciplinary boundaries. Yet we know little about what facilitation is on a day-to-day basis or what types of facilitation work contribute to the…

The mental health benefits of employment: Results of a systematic meta-review.

PubMed

Modini, Matthew; Joyce, Sadhbh; Mykletun, Arnstein; Christensen, Helen; Bryant, Richard A; Mitchell, Philip B; Harvey, Samuel B

2016-08-01

The literature on mental health in the workplace largely focuses on the negative impacts of work and how work may contribute to the development of mental disorders. The potential mental health benefits of employment have received less attention. A systematic search of reviews or meta-analyses that consider the benefits of work in regards to mental health was undertaken using academic databases. All relevant reviews were subjected to a quality appraisal. Eleven reviews were identified as meeting the inclusion criteria, with four deemed to be of at least moderate quality. The available evidence supports the proposition that work can be beneficial for an employee's well-being, particularly if good-quality supervision is present and there are favourable workplace conditions. The benefits of work are most apparent when compared with the well-documented detrimental mental health effects of unemployment. The potential positive effects of good work and the role work can play in facilitating recovery from an illness and enhancing mental well-being need to be highlighted and promoted more widely. Future research should aim to further investigate what constitutes a 'good' workplace or a 'good' job in terms of mental health outcomes. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2016.

More than just teaching procedural skills: How RN clinical tutors perceive they contribute to medical students' professional identity development.

PubMed

McLean, Michelle; Johnson, Patricia; Sargeant, Sally; Green, Patricia

2015-01-01

On their journey to "becoming" doctors, medical students encounter a range of health professionals who contribute to their socialisation into clinical practice. Amongst these individuals are registered nurses (RNs) in clinical practice who are often employed by medical schools as clinical tutors. These RNs will encounter medical students on campus and later in the clinical setting. This qualitative study explored RNs' perceptions of their contribution to medical students' developing professional identities in order to provide a greater understanding of this process and ultimately inform future curriculum. This qualitative study took place in 2012 at one Australian medical school as part of a broader study exploring medical students' professional identity development from the perspectives of their teachers and trainers. Eight of the nine RNs involved in teaching procedural skills were interviewed. Recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed inductively by the research team. Two major themes emerged: RNs as change agents and RNs as facilitators of medical students' transition to the clinical environment. RNs as change agents related to their role modelling good practice, being patient-centred, and by emphasising factors contributing to good teamwork such as recognising and respecting individual professional roles. They facilitated students' transition to the clinical environment often through personal narratives, by offering advice on how to behave and work with members of the healthcare team, and by being a point of contact in the hospital. Based on their descriptions of how they role modelled good practice and how they facilitated students' transition to clinical practice, we believe that RN clinical tutors do have the experience and expertise in clinical practice and a professional approach to patients to contribute to medical students' developing professional identities as future doctors.

Bulk Data Dissemination in Low Power Sensor Networks: Present and Future Directions

PubMed Central

Xu, Zhirong; Hu, Tianlei; Song, Qianshu

2017-01-01

Wireless sensor network-based (WSN-based) applications need an efficient and reliable data dissemination service to facilitate maintenance, management and data distribution tasks. As WSNs nowadays are becoming pervasive and data intensive, bulk data dissemination protocols have been extensively studied recently. This paper provides a comprehensive survey of the state-of-the-art bulk data dissemination protocols. The large number of papers available in the literature propose various techniques to optimize the dissemination protocols. Different from the existing survey works which separately explores the building blocks of dissemination, our work categorizes the literature according to the optimization purposes: Reliability, Scalability and Transmission/Energy efficiency. By summarizing and reviewing the key insights and techniques, we further discuss on the future directions for each category. Our survey helps unveil three key findings for future direction: (1) The recent advances in wireless communications (e.g., study on cross-technology interference, error estimating codes, constructive interference, capture effect) can be potentially exploited to support further optimization on the reliability and energy efficiency of dissemination protocols; (2) Dissemination in multi-channel, multi-task and opportunistic networks requires more efforts to fully exploit the spatial-temporal network resources to enhance the data propagation; (3) Since many designs incur changes on MAC layer protocols, the co-existence of dissemination with other network protocols is another problem left to be addressed. PMID:28098830

Professional identity development: Learning and journeying together.

PubMed

Bridges, Stephanie J

2018-03-01

Pharmacy students start to develop their professional values through engagement with the course, practice exposure, staff and fellow students. Group working is an element of pedagogy which draws on the social aspects of learning to facilitate knowledge and skills development, but its potential role in facilitating professional identity formation has as yet been under researched. This study aimed to explore the potential of mutual learning through group work to contribute not only to academic knowledge and understanding, but also to the development of students' professional values and selves. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 home and international first year undergraduate pharmacy students in a UK School of Pharmacy, to explore their experiences of interacting for learning with other students on the course. Thematic analysis of the interview data highlighted four main benefits of mutual learning, which are that it: promotes friendly interactions; aids learning about the subject and the profession; opens the mind through different opinions and ways of thinking; and enables learning about other people. Through working together students developed their communication skills and confidence; reflectively considered their own stance in the light of others' experiences and healthcare perspectives; and started to gain a wider worldview, potentially informing their future interactions with patients and colleagues. Some difficulties arose when group interactions functioned less well. Opportunity for collaboration and exchange can positively influence development of students' professional outlook and values. However, careful management of group working is required, in order to create a mutually supportive environment wherein students feel able to interact, share and develop together. Copyright © 2017 The Author. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Parents' knowledge of and opinions about healthcare laws and technology in primary care.

PubMed

Thompson, Lindsay A; Black, Erik W; Saliba, Heidi; Schentrup, Anzeela M

2012-01-01

Historically, parents have demonstrated poor understanding of adolescent healthcare laws. This study assessed US parents' current knowledge and opinions about technology facilitated physician-adolescent communication and applicable laws to enhance transition to adult health care. A brief survey in two low-income academic paediatric clinics asked parents about their knowledge of health care and laws, and their opinions about technology facilitated contact between physicians and adolescents. Almost all parents (96.7%) have internet access at home, work or via a mobile device. Only 44.1% approved of having a physician directly contact their child about annual examinations, immunisations or to discuss issues of sexuality. Half (55.4%) were aware that adolescents could receive confidential sexuality information and treatment without parents' permission. Only one-third (32.2%) approved of a specific technology for direct communication. Parents are divided about direct physician-adolescent contact. Future plans to engage adolescents to understand their health will require parental education and involvement on the value of physician-adolescent communication.

Drivers for OSH interventions in small and medium-sized enterprises.

PubMed

Cagno, Enrico; Masi, Donato; Leão, Celina Pinto

2016-01-01

The debate concerning occupational safety and health (OSH) interventions has recently focused on the need of improving the evaluation of interventions, and in particular on the need for providing information about why the intervention worked or not, under what circumstances and in which context. Key concepts in the analysis of the context are the drivers, i.e., those factors enabling, fostering or facilitating OSH interventions. However, the concept of driver for an OSH intervention is both confused and contested. Although the term is widely used, there is little consensus on how drivers should be understood, how important they are in different contexts and how they can facilitate interventions. This exploratory study based on interviews with the owner-managers and the safety officers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) gives an overview of the most characteristic drivers for OSH interventions. The results will be used to make an initial evaluation of SMEs' needs, and will help orient interventions and future research.

Behavior of Internal Customer in Family Business: Strategies and Actions for Improving Their Satisfaction

PubMed Central

Gutiérrez-Broncano, Santiago; Jiménez-Estévez, Pedro; del Carmen Zabala-Baños, María

2017-01-01

Determining the relevant aspects of family businesses (FBs) that make them increasingly competitive is the main objective of researchers in this field. Despite this, there is little empirical literature on the behavior of the internal customer (IC) in FBs or how businesses increase their satisfaction. Basing our work on psychological theories and with both quantitative and qualitative information from 31 semi-structured interviews, this work establishes certain characteristics of the ICs of the FB and proposes a series of guidelines for increasing their satisfaction, thereby facilitating the continuity of this type of business. FBs that are able to understand that the motivation of their ICs is more important than other qualities, and that this requires a more comprehensive management will be able to get sustainable competitive advantages in the future. PMID:28790958

Team behavioral norms: a shared vision for a healthy patient care workplace.

PubMed

Parsons, Mickey L; Clark, Paul; Marshall, Michelle; Cornett, Patricia A

2007-01-01

Leaders are bombarded with healthy workplace articles and advice. This article outlines a strategy for laying the foundation for healthy patient care workplaces at the pivotal unit level. This process facilitates the nursing unit staff to create and implement a shared vision for staff working relationships. Fourteen acute care hospital units, all participants in a healthy workplace intervention, were selected for this analysis because they chose team behavioral norms as a top priority to begin to implement their vision for a desired future for their units, a healthy workplace. These units developed specific team behavioral norms for their expectations of each other. The findings revealed 3 major norm themes and attributes: norms for effective communication, positive attitude, and accountability. Attributes of each norm are described to assist nurses to positively influence their core unit work culture.

Behavior of Internal Customer in Family Business: Strategies and Actions for Improving Their Satisfaction.

PubMed

Gutiérrez-Broncano, Santiago; Jiménez-Estévez, Pedro; Del Carmen Zabala-Baños, María

2017-01-01

Determining the relevant aspects of family businesses (FBs) that make them increasingly competitive is the main objective of researchers in this field. Despite this, there is little empirical literature on the behavior of the internal customer (IC) in FBs or how businesses increase their satisfaction. Basing our work on psychological theories and with both quantitative and qualitative information from 31 semi-structured interviews, this work establishes certain characteristics of the ICs of the FB and proposes a series of guidelines for increasing their satisfaction, thereby facilitating the continuity of this type of business. FBs that are able to understand that the motivation of their ICs is more important than other qualities, and that this requires a more comprehensive management will be able to get sustainable competitive advantages in the future.

Curriculum-based neurosurgery digital library.

PubMed

Langevin, Jean-Philippe; Dang, Thai; Kon, David; Sapo, Monica; Batzdorf, Ulrich; Martin, Neil

2010-11-01

Recent work-hour restrictions and the constantly evolving body of knowledge are challenging the current ways of teaching neurosurgery residents. To develop a curriculum-based digital library of multimedia content to face the challenges in neurosurgery education. We used the residency program curriculum developed by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons to structure the library and Microsoft Sharepoint as the user interface. This project led to the creation of a user-friendly and searchable digital library that could be accessed remotely and throughout the hospital, including the operating rooms. The electronic format allows standardization of the content and transformation of the operating room into a classroom. This in turn facilitates the implementation of a curriculum within the training program and improves teaching efficiency. Future work will focus on evaluating the efficacy of the library as a teaching tool for residents.

Developing Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) for Parents of Treatment-Resistant Adolescents.

PubMed

Kirby, Kimberly C; Versek, Brian; Kerwin, MaryLouise E; Meyers, Kathleen; Benishek, Lois A; Bresani, Elena; Washio, Yukiko; Arria, Amelia; Meyers, Robert J

2015-05-04

We describe a project focused on training parents to facilitate their treatment-resistant adolescent's treatment entry and to manage their child after entry into community-based treatment. Controlled studies show that Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) is a unilateral treatment that fosters treatment entry of adults; however, there are no controlled trials for parents with a substance-abusing child. We examined the behavioral parent training literature to guide us in tailoring CRAFT for parents of adolescents. We discuss adaptations to CRAFT, outcomes and experiences gained from a brief pilot of the revised CRAFT program, and the future directions of this work.

The ruler of inclusion in the process of people learning with visual disability.

PubMed

Mafra, Eliane; Batiz, Eduardo Concepcion; Macedo, Marcelo

2012-01-01

The aim of this project is the development of a pedagogical tool that could address the needs related to the learning process of the blind and could also be used in the pedagogical process of people who are visually impaired. This project also has the objective of showing how the forms of the Ruler of Inclusion were planned in order to facilitate learning while addressing issues related to its safety, practicality and multifunctionality, aspects that are broached in a future work using descriptive, exploratory and phenomenological analyses to verify the understanding of the learning concepts applied to the ruler.

Man and machine design for space flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Louviere, A. J.

1979-01-01

The factors involved in creating effective designs for living and working in a weightless environment are discussed. Among the areas covered are special provisions for eating and drinking, a special shower nozzle to remove soap, electric shavers designed for vacuum containment of the clippings, and the need for restraint systems at the crew's workstations. Attention is given to the fact that the crewmen assume a neutral body posture in weightlessness which is an important consideration in designing displays, controls, and windows. It is concluded that the incorporation of the change in body posture and the requirement for restraint into future designs will greatly facilitate the crewman's task in the weightless environment.

Recent advances in terahertz technology for biomedical applications.

PubMed

Sun, Qiushuo; He, Yuezhi; Liu, Kai; Fan, Shuting; Parrott, Edward P J; Pickwell-MacPherson, Emma

2017-06-01

Terahertz instrumentation has improved significantly in recent years such that THz imaging systems have become more affordable and easier to use. THz systems can now be operated by non-THz experts greatly facilitating research into many potential applications. Due to the non-ionising nature of THz light and its high sensitivity to soft tissues, there is an increasing interest in biomedical applications including both in vivo and ex vivo studies. Additionally, research continues into understanding the origin of contrast and how to interpret terahertz biomedical images. This short review highlights some of the recent work in these areas and suggests some future research directions.

Behavior change interventions: the potential of ontologies for advancing science and practice.

PubMed

Larsen, Kai R; Michie, Susan; Hekler, Eric B; Gibson, Bryan; Spruijt-Metz, Donna; Ahern, David; Cole-Lewis, Heather; Ellis, Rebecca J Bartlett; Hesse, Bradford; Moser, Richard P; Yi, Jean

2017-02-01

A central goal of behavioral medicine is the creation of evidence-based interventions for promoting behavior change. Scientific knowledge about behavior change could be more effectively accumulated using "ontologies." In information science, an ontology is a systematic method for articulating a "controlled vocabulary" of agreed-upon terms and their inter-relationships. It involves three core elements: (1) a controlled vocabulary specifying and defining existing classes; (2) specification of the inter-relationships between classes; and (3) codification in a computer-readable format to enable knowledge generation, organization, reuse, integration, and analysis. This paper introduces ontologies, provides a review of current efforts to create ontologies related to behavior change interventions and suggests future work. This paper was written by behavioral medicine and information science experts and was developed in partnership between the Society of Behavioral Medicine's Technology Special Interest Group (SIG) and the Theories and Techniques of Behavior Change Interventions SIG. In recent years significant progress has been made in the foundational work needed to develop ontologies of behavior change. Ontologies of behavior change could facilitate a transformation of behavioral science from a field in which data from different experiments are siloed into one in which data across experiments could be compared and/or integrated. This could facilitate new approaches to hypothesis generation and knowledge discovery in behavioral science.

The Relationship between Core Self-Evaluations and Work and Family Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Work-Family Conflict and Facilitation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyar, Scott L.; Mosley, Donald C., Jr.

2007-01-01

This study examines the impact of work-family conflict and work-family facilitation on work and family outcomes and explores the influence of core self-evaluations (CSE) among these relationships. CSE is comprised of self-esteem, neuroticism, locus of control, and general self-efficacy. CSE was found to be negatively related to work interfering…

Fundamental constructs in food parenting practices: a content map to guide future research

PubMed Central

Ward, Dianne S.; Fisher, Jennifer O.; Faith, Myles S.; Hughes, Sheryl O.; Kremers, Stef P.J.; Musher-Eizenman, Dara R.; O’Connor, Teresia M.; Patrick, Heather; Power, Thomas G.

2016-01-01

Although research shows that “food parenting practices” can impact children’s diet and eating habits, current understanding of the impact of specific practices has been limited by inconsistencies in terminology and definitions. This article represents a critical appraisal of food parenting practices, including clear terminology and definitions, by a working group of content experts. The result of this effort was the development of a content map for future research that presents 3 overarching, higher-order food parenting constructs – coercive control, structure, and autonomy support – as well as specific practice subconstructs. Coercive control includes restriction, pressure to eat, threats and bribes, and using food to control negative emotions. Structure includes rules and limits, limited/guided choices, monitoring, meal- and snacktime routines, modeling, food availability and accessibility, food preparation, and unstructured practices. Autonomy support includes nutrition education, child involvement, encouragement, praise, reasoning, and negotiation. Literature on each construct is reviewed, and directions for future research are offered. Clear terminology and definitions should facilitate cross-study comparisons and minimize conflicting findings resulting from previous discrepancies in construct operationalization. PMID:26724487

"Hoping for Greatness": Exploring the Notion of "Novicity" in Communication Support Partnerships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woodfield, Casey; Jung, Eunyoung; Ashby, Christine

2014-01-01

This research explores the stage of novicity in communicative partnerships between new facilitators and the individuals with disabilities who use supported typing as their primary method of communication with whom they work. We interviewed novice and experienced facilitators, and typers who have recently worked with new facilitators to examine not…

The rapid disintegration of projections: the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and the intergovernmental panel on climate change.

PubMed

O'Reilly, Jessica; Oreskes, Naomi; Oppenheimer, Michael

2012-10-01

How and why did the scientific consensus about sea level rise due to the disintegration of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), expressed in the third Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment, disintegrate on the road to the fourth? Using ethnographic interviews and analysis of IPCC documents, we trace the abrupt disintegration of the WAIS consensus. First, we provide a brief historical overview of scientific assessments of the WAIS. Second, we provide a detailed case study of the decision not to provide a WAIS prediction in the Fourth Assessment Report. Third, we discuss the implications of this outcome for the general issue of scientists and policymakers working in assessment organizations to make projections. IPCC authors were less certain about potential WAIS futures than in previous assessment reports in part because of new information, but also because of the outcome of cultural processes within the IPCC, including how people were selected for and worked together within their writing groups. It became too difficult for IPCC assessors to project the range of possible futures for WAIS due to shifts in scientific knowledge as well as in the institutions that facilitated the interpretations of this knowledge.

Comparison of mechanical energy profiles of passive and active below-knee prostheses: a case study.

PubMed

Takahashi, Kota Z; Horne, John R; Stanhope, Steven J

2015-04-01

With the recent technological advancements of prosthetic lower limbs, there is currently a great desire to objectively evaluate existing prostheses. Using a novel biomechanical analysis, the purpose of this case study was to compare the mechanical energy profiles of anatomical and two disparate prostheses: a passive prosthesis and an active prosthesis. An individual with a transtibial amputation who customarily wears a passive prosthesis (Elation, Össur) and an active prosthesis (BiOM, iWalk, Inc.) and 11 healthy subjects participated in an instrumented gait analysis. The total mechanical power and work of below-knee structures during stance were quantified using a unified deformable segment power analysis. Active prosthesis generated greater peak power and total positive work than passive prosthesis and healthy anatomical limbs. The case study will enhance future efforts to objectively evaluate prosthetic functions during gait in individuals with transtibial amputations. A prosthetic limb should closely replicate the mechanical energy profiles of anatomical limbs. The unified deformable (UD) analysis may be valuable to facilitate future clinical prescription and guide fine adjustments of prosthetic componentry to optimize gait outcomes. © The International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics 2014.

National Institute for Rocket Propulsion Systems (NIRPS): Solutions Facilitator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Tom

2011-01-01

National Institute for Rocket Propulsion Systems (NIRPS) "Solutions" plans to enable our nation's future in rocket propulsion systems by leveraging existing skills and capabilities to support industry's future needs

Emotion processing facilitates working memory performance.

PubMed

Lindström, Björn R; Bohlin, Gunilla

2011-11-01

The effect of emotional stimulus content on working memory performance has been investigated with conflicting results, as both emotion-dependent facilitation and impairments are reported in the literature. To clarify this issue, 52 adult participants performed a modified visual 2-back task with highly arousing positive stimuli (sexual scenes), highly arousing negative stimuli (violent death) and low-arousal neutral stimuli. Emotional stimulus processing was found to facilitate task performance relative to that of neutral stimuli, both in regards to response accuracy and reaction times. No emotion-dependent differences in false-alarm rates were found. These results indicate that emotional information can have a facilitating effect on working memory maintenance and processing of information.

Predicted shortage of vascular surgeons in the United Kingdom: A matter for debate?

PubMed

Harkin, D W; Beard, J D; Shearman, C P; Wyatt, M G

2016-10-01

Vascular surgery became a new independent surgical specialty in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013. In this matter for debate we discuss the question, is there a "shortage of vascular surgeons in the United Kingdom?" We used data derived from the "Vascular Surgery United Kingdom Workforce Survey 2014", NHS Employers Electronic Staff Records (ESR), and the National Vascular Registry (NVR) surgeon-level public report to estimate current and predict future workforce requirements. We estimate there are approximately 458 Consultant Vascular Surgeons for the current UK population of 63 million, or 1 per 137,000 population. In several UK Regions there are a large number of relatively small teams (3 or less) of vascular surgeons working in separate NHS Trusts in close geographical proximity. In developed countries, both the number and complexity of vascular surgery procedures (open and endovascular) per capita population is increasing, and concerns have been raised that demand cannot be met without a significant expansion in numbers of vascular surgeons. Additional workforce demand arises from the impact of population growth and changes in surgical work-patterns with respect to gender, working-life-balance and 7-day services. We predict a future shortage of Consultant Vascular Surgeons in the UK and recommend an increase in training numbers and an expansion in the UK Consultant Vascular Surgeon workforce to accommodate population growth, facilitate changes in work-patterns and to create safe sustainable services. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rational design of a carboxylic esterase RhEst1 based on computational analysis of substrate binding

DOE PAGES

Chen, Qi; Luan, Zheng -Jiao; Yu, Hui -Lei; ...

2015-10-31

A new carboxylic esterase RhEst1 which catalyzes the hydrolysis of (S)-(+)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylate (S-DmCpCe), the key chiral building block of cilastatin, was identified and subsequently crystallized in our previous work. Mutant RhEst 1A147I/V148F/G254A was found to show a 5-fold increase in the catalytic activity. In this work, molecular dynamic simulations were performed to elucidate the molecular determinant of the enzyme activity. Our simulations show that the substrate binds much more strongly in the A147I/V148F/G254A mutant than in wild type, with more hydrogen bonds formed between the substrate and the catalytic triad and the oxyanion hole. The OH group of the catalytic residuemore » Ser101 in the mutant is better positioned to initiate the nucleophilic attack on S-DmCpCe. Interestingly, the "170-179" loop which is involved in shaping the catalytic sites and facilitating the product release shows remarkable dynamic differences in the two systems. Based on the simulation results, six residues were identified as potential "hot-spots" for further experimental testing. Consequently, the G126S and R133L mutants show higher catalytic efficiency as compared with the wild type. In conclusion, this work provides molecular-level insights into the substrate binding mechanism of carboxylic esterase RhEst1, facilitating future experimental efforts toward developing more efficient RhEst1 variants for industrial applications.« less

Managing 'Generation Y' occupational therapists: optimising their potential.

PubMed

Hills, Caroline; Ryan, Susan; Warren-Forward, Helen; Smith, Derek R

2013-08-01

'Generation Y' is a descriptor of those therapists born between 1982 and 2000. According to generational theory, each generation have unique characteristics due to the social and historical factors they have experienced during their formative years. Occupational therapy educators have reported on 'Generation Y' characteristics observed in occupational therapy students. This study aimed to investigate if managers considered there was a 'Generation Y' therapist and their observed characteristics in practice, as well as successful management strategies used to maximise their potential in the workplace. A hard copy survey based on the 'Generation Y' literature was sent to all managers listed on an Australian University database. Almost all respondents considered there was a 'Generation Y' therapist. Overall, managers reported characteristics of this staff group as being hard working, confident with technology, needing positive feedback and demanding professional development opportunities. Managers also reported that this group may be a challenge to retain in work positions. Managers also viewed 'Generation Y' staff as a positive energy and considered that in the future they will be of benefit to the profession. While there may be generational differences between therapists in the workplace, inclusive management styles may be the most appropriate management approach. Career guidance, facilitating creativity, increasing work responsibility and integrating new technologies like social networking into practice may be appropriate strategies for this staff group, to facilitate both their professional development and to retain them in the profession. © 2013 Occupational Therapy Australia.

Identifying the Correlates and Barriers of Future Planning among Parents of Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burke, Meghan; Arnold, Catherine; Owen, Aleksa

2018-01-01

Although individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are living longer lives, fewer than half of parents of individuals with IDD conduct future planning. The correlates and barriers to future planning must be identified to develop targeted interventions to facilitate future planning. In this study, 388 parents of individuals…

Understanding the working relationships between National Health Service clinicians and finance staff.

PubMed

Minogue, Virginia; McCaffry, Rebecca

2017-03-13

Purpose The Department of Health and the National Health Service (NHS) Future Focused Finance (FFF) programme promotes effective engagement between clinical and finance staff. Surveys undertaken by the Department of Health between 2013 and 2015 found few NHS Trusts reported high levels of engagement. The purpose of this paper is to gain a better understanding of current working relationships between NHS clinical and finance professionals and how they might be supported to become more effective. Design/methodology/approach Ipsos MORI were commissioned by the NHS FFF programme to undertake an online survey of NHS clinical and finance staff between June and August 2015. Findings The majority of clinicians had a member of a finance team linked to their speciality or directorate. Clinical and finance professionals have a positive view of joint working preferring face-to-face contact. Clinician's confidence in their understanding of finance was generally good and finance staff felt they had a good understanding of clinical issues. Effective working relationships were facilitated by face-to-face contact, a professional relationship, and the availability of clear, well presented finance and activity data. Research limitations/implications Data protection issues limited the accessibility of the survey team to NHS staff resulting in a relatively low-response rate. Other forms of communication, including social media, were utilised to increase access to the survey. Originality/value The FFF programme is a unique programme aimed at making the NHS finance profession fit for the future. The close partnering work stream brings together the finance and clinical perspective to share knowledge, evidence, training, and to develop good practice and engagement.

Social Work Assessment Notes: A Comprehensive Outcomes-Based Hospice Documentation System.

PubMed

Hansen, Angela Gregory; Martin, Ellen; Jones, Barbara L; Pomeroy, Elizabeth C

2015-08-01

This article describes the development of an integrated psychosocial patient and caregiver assessment and plan of care for hospice social work documentation. A team of hospice social workers developed the Social Work Assessment Notes as a quality improvement project in collaboration with the information technology department. Using the Social Work Assessment Tool as an organizing framework, this comprehensive hospice social work documentation system is designed to integrate assessment, planning, and outcomes measurement. The system was developed to guide the assessment of patients' and caregivers' needs related to end-of-life psychosocial issues, to facilitate collaborative care plan development, and to measure patient- and family-centered outcomes. Goals established with the patient and the caregiver are documented in the plan of care and become the foundation for patient-centered, strengths-based interventions. Likert scales are used to assign numerical severity levels for identified issues and progress made toward goals and to track the outcome of social work interventions across nine psychosocial constructs. The documentation system was developed for use in an electronic health record but can be used for paper charting. Future plans include automated aggregate outcomes measurement to identify the most effective interventions and best practices in end-of-life care.

A new approach to managing work-related road traffic injury: The development of a health investment framework.

PubMed

Warmerdam, Amanda; Newnam, Sharon; Sheppard, Dianne; Griffin, Mark; Stevenson, Mark

2017-08-18

Statistics indicate that employees commuting or traveling as part of their work are overrepresented in workplace injury and death. Despite this, many organizations are unaware of the factors within their organizations that are likely to influence potential reductions in work-related road traffic injury. This article presents a multilevel conceptual framework that identifies health investment as the central feature in reducing work-related road traffic injury. Within this framework, we explore factors operating at the individual driver, workgroup supervisor, and organizational senior management levels that create a mutually reinforcing system of safety. The health investment framework identifies key factors at the senior manager, supervisor, and driver levels to cultivating a safe working environment. These factors are high-performance workplace systems, leader-member exchange and autonomy, trust and empowerment, respectively. The framework demonstrates the important interactions between these factors and how they create a self-sustaining organizational safety system. The framework aims to provide insight into the future development of interventions that are strategically aligned with the organization and target elements that facilitate and enhance driver safety and ultimately reduce work-related road traffic injury and death.

Evolution in thermodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bejan, Adrian

2017-03-01

This review covers two aspects of "evolution" in thermodynamics. First, with the constructal law, thermodynamics is becoming the domain of physics that accounts for the phenomenon of evolution in nature, in general. Second, thermodynamics (and science generally) is the evolving add-on that empowers humans to predict the future and move more easily on earth, farther and longer in time. The part of nature that thermodynamics represents is this: nothing moves by itself unless it is driven by power, which is then destroyed (dissipated) during movement. Nothing evolves unless it flows and has the freedom to change its architecture such that it provides greater and easier access to the available space. Thermodynamics is the modern science of heat and work and their usefulness, which comes from converting the work (power) into movement (life) in flow architectures that evolve over time to facilitate movement. I also review the rich history of the science, and I clarify misconceptions regarding the second law, entropy, disorder, and the arrow of time, and the supposed analogy between heat and work.

The Development of a Dental Diagnostic Terminology

PubMed Central

Kalenderian, Elsbeth; Ramoni, Rachel L.; White, Joel M.; Schoonheim-Klein, Meta E.; Stark, Paul C.; Kimmes, Nicole S.; Zeller, Gregory G.; Willis, George P.; Walji, Muhammad F.

2011-01-01

There is no commonly accepted standardized terminology for oral diagnoses. The purpose of this article is to report the development of a standardized dental diagnostic terminology by a work group of dental faculty members. The work group developed guiding principles for decision making and adhered to principles of terminology development. The members used an iterative process to develop a terminology incorporating concepts represented in the Toronto/University of California, San Francisco/Creighton University and International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9/10 codes and periodontal and endodontic diagnoses. Domain experts were consulted to develop a final list of diagnostic terms. A structure was developed, consisting of thirteen categories, seventy-eight subcategories, and 1,158 diagnostic terms, hierarchically organized and mappable to other terminologies and ontologies. Use of this standardized diagnostic terminology will reinforce the diagnosis-treatment link and will facilitate clinical research, quality assurance, and patient communication. Future work will focus on implementation and approaches to enhance the validity and reliability of diagnostic term utilization. PMID:21205730

Educational Leadership: A Description of the Administrator's Role in Facilitating the Work of Literacy Coaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Faught, Kelly Owens

2013-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the relationship between the administrator and the literacy coach and describe the administrator's role in facilitating the work of literacy coaches. This study was guided by four questions: (1) What essential knowledge must administrators possess in order to effectively facilitate the work…

Managing Data and Facilitating Science: A spectrum of activities in the Centre for Environmental Data Archival. (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawrence, B.; Bennett, V.; Callaghan, S.; Juckes, M. N.; Pepler, S.

2013-12-01

The UK Centre for Environmental Data Archival (CEDA) hosts a number of formal data centres, including the British Atmospheric Data Centre (BADC), and is a partner in a range of national and international data federations, including the InfraStructure for the European Network for Earth system Simulation, the Earth System Grid Federation, and the distributed IPCC Data Distribution Centres. The mission of CEDA is to formally curate data from, and facilitate the doing of, environmental science. The twin aims are symbiotic: data curation helps facilitate science, and facilitating science helps with data curation. Here we cover how CEDA delivers this strategy by established internal processes supplemented by short-term projects, supported by staff with a range of roles. We show how CEDA adds value to data in the curated archive, and how it supports science, and show examples of the aforementioned symbiosis. We begin by discussing curation: CEDA has the formal responsibility for curating the data products of atmospheric science and earth observation research funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). However, curation is not just about the provider community, the consumer communities matter too, and the consumers of these data cross the boundaries of science, including engineers, medics, as well as the gamut of the environmental sciences. There is a small, and growing cohort of non-science users. For both producers and consumers of data, information about data is crucial, and a range of CEDA staff have long worked on tools and techniques for creating, managing, and delivering metadata (as well as data). CEDA "science support" staff work with scientists to help them prepare and document data for curation. As one of a spectrum of activities, CEDA has worked on data Publication as a method of both adding value to some data, and rewarding the effort put into the production of quality datasets. As such, we see this activity as both a curation and a facilitation activity. A range of more focused facilitation activities are carried out, from providing a computing platform suitable for big-data analytics (the Joint Analysis System, JASMIN), to working on distributed data analysis (EXARCH), and the acquisition of third party data to support science and impact (e.g. in the context of the facility for Climate and Environmental Monitoring from Space, CEMS). We conclude by confronting the view of Parsons and Fox (2013) that metaphors such as Data Publication, Big Iron, Science Support etc are limiting, and suggest the CEDA experience is that these sorts of activities can and do co-exist, much as they conclude they should. However, we also believe that within co-existing metaphors, production systems need to be limited in their scope, even if they are on a road to a more joined up infrastructure. We shouldn't confuse what we can do now with what we might want to do in the future.

Facilitators and barriers of implementing and delivering social prescribing services: a systematic review.

PubMed

Pescheny, Julia Vera; Pappas, Yannis; Randhawa, Gurch

2018-02-07

Social Prescribing is a service in primary care that involves the referral of patients with non-clinical needs to local services and activities provided by the third sector (community, voluntary, and social enterprise sector). Social Prescribing aims to promote partnership working between the health and the social sector to address the wider determinants of health. To date, there is a weak evidence base for Social Prescribing services. The objective of the review was to identify factors that facilitate and hinder the implementation and delivery of SP services based in general practice involving a navigator. We searched eleven databases, the grey literature, and the reference lists of relevant studies to identify the barriers and facilitators to the implementation and delivery of Social Prescribing services in June and July 2016. Searches were limited to literature written in English. No date restrictions were applied. Findings were synthesised narratively, employing thematic analysis. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool Version 2011 was used to evaluate the methodological quality of included studies. Eight studies were included in the review. The synthesis identified a range of factors that facilitate and hinder the implementation and delivery of SP services. Facilitators and barriers were related to: the implementation approach, legal agreements, leadership, management and organisation, staff turnover, staff engagement, relationships and communication between partners and stakeholders, characteristics of general practices, and the local infrastructure. The quality of most included studies was poor and the review identified a lack of published literature on factors that facilitate and hinder the implementation and delivery of Social Prescribing services. The review identified a range of factors that facilitate and hinder the implementation and delivery of Social Prescribing services. Findings of this review provide an insight for commissioners, managers, and providers to guide the implementation and delivery of future Social Prescribing services. More high quality research and transparent reporting of findings is needed in this field.

Environmental Scanning for Occupational Education. A Facilitator's Guide. A Model for Environmental Scanning to Systematically Assess Future Occupational Education and Training Needs of a Michigan Community College Service Area.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kellogg Foundation, Battle Creek, MI.

This manual is designed to facilitate the planning and implementation of an environmental scanning project in Michigan's community colleges. (Environmental scanning is a systematic process for gathering and analyzing information about the external environment and relating it to an organization's internal environment.) This facilitator's guide is…

77 FR 50730 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Order...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-22

... (``CFTC''), and currently operates a substantial business clearing both IRS and interest rate futures... Proposed Rule Change To Amend Rules To Facilitate Customer Portfolio Margining of Interest Rate Futures and...'') and interest rate futures clearing offerings by establishing a portfolio margining program for...

Burnout in medical residents: a questionnaire and interview study.

PubMed

Ringrose, Rik; Houterman, Saskia; Koops, Willem; Oei, Guid

2009-08-01

High burnout levels have been observed in medical residents. The purpose of this study is to assess the burnout rates and potential determinants of burnout in a sample of medical residents. In total, 58 medical residents working in a Dutch teaching hospital, received questionnaires at home, including the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). In addition, they were asked for an in-depth interview to investigate the relevant indicators for developing burnout. In total, 47 residents responded (81%) from which 15 (31%) met the MBI criteria for burnout. Work-family conflict, work-related autonomy and level of work-engagement were significantly associated with burnout. Ten respondents were interviewed; none of those reported any serious burnout symptoms but two met the criteria for burnout. In this study, burnout rates from questionnaires and interviews in medical residents are not consistent. Regular burnout screenings and performing interviews are recommended in addition to burnout questionnaires, in order to efficiently identify residents at risk for burnout. This allows improved monitoring of a resident's mental state thus facilitating prevention of escalating burnout symptoms. Future research could focus on preventive factors for developing burnout.

Health Status and Experience of the Migrant Workers Returned from Spain to Colombia: A Qualitative Approach.

PubMed

Zapata-Villa, Carolina; Agudelo-Suárez, Andrés A; Cardona-Arango, Doris; Ronda-Pérez, Elena

2017-12-14

This study aims to understand the migratory experience and the employment, work and health conditions of the returned migrants from Spain to Colombia. A qualitative study was conducted by means of 23 semi-structured interviews with Colombian returned migrant workers. Qualitative narrative content analysis was performed using Atlas.Ti software. Main findings are represented by nine categories emerged from the participants' discourses: (1) impact of the economic crisis on work and employment conditions in Spain, (2) economic crisis and return, (3) characteristics of returnees, (4) perception of the returnees about Colombia, (5) the role of social support networks, (6) employment and working conditions in Colombia, (7) health and wellbeing, (8) future plans and expectations, (9) the experience of being immigrant. Adjustment difficulties in participants are evidenced by the return migration process and the conditions of the social, political and economic system in Colombia. Return migration represents the reconfiguration of personal and working lives of this population. This situation requires the development of global policies and strategies in public health to facilitate the adaptation of these people.

Perturbative unitarity constraints on gauge portals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El Hedri, Sonia; Shepherd, William; Walker, Devin G. E.

2017-12-01

Dark matter that was once in thermal equilibrium with the Standard Model is generally prohibited from obtaining all of its mass from the electroweak phase transition. This implies a new scale of physics and mediator particles to facilitate dark matter annihilation. In this work, we focus on dark matter that annihilates through a generic gauge boson portal. We show how partial wave unitarity places upper bounds on the dark gauge boson, dark Higgs and dark matter masses. Outside of well-defined fine-tuned regions, we find an upper bound of 9 TeV for the dark matter mass when the dark Higgs and dark gauge bosons both facilitate the dark matter annihilations. In this scenario, the upper bound on the dark Higgs and dark gauge boson masses are 10 TeV and 16 TeV, respectively. When only the dark gauge boson facilitates dark matter annihilations, we find an upper bound of 3 TeV and 6 TeV for the dark matter and dark gauge boson, respectively. Overall, using the gauge portal as a template, we describe a method to not only place upper bounds on the dark matter mass but also on the new particles with Standard Model quantum numbers. We briefly discuss the reach of future accelerator, direct and indirect detection experiments for this class of models.

Rehabilitation in Madagascar: Challenges in implementing the World Health Organization Disability Action Plan.

PubMed

Khan, Fary; Amatya, Bhasker; Mannan, Hasheem; Burkle, Frederick M; Galea, Mary P

2015-09-01

To provide an update on rehabilitation in Madagascar by using local knowledge to outline the potential barriers and facilitators for implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Disability Action Plan (DAP). A 14-day extensive workshop programme (September-October 2014) was held at the University Hospital Antananarivo and Antsirabe, with the Department of Health Madagascar, by rehabilitation staff from Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia. Attendees were rehabilitation professionals (n=29) from 3 main rehabilitation facilities in Madagascar, who identified various challenges faced in service provision, education and attitudes/approaches to people with disabilities. Their responses and suggested barriers/facilitators were recorded following consensus agreement, using objectives listed in the DAP. The barriers and facilitators outlined by participants in implementing the DAP objectives include: engagement of health professionals and institutions using a multi-sectoral approach, new partnerships, strategic collaboration, provision of technical assistance, future policy directions, and research and development. Other challenges for many basic policies included: access to rehabilitation services, geographical coverage, shortage of skilled work-force, limited info-technology systems; lack of care-models and facility/staff accreditation standards; limited health services infrastructure and "disconnect" between acute and community-based rehabilitation. The DAP summary actions were useful planning tools to improve access, strengthen rehabilitation services and community-based rehabilitation, and collate data for outcome research.

A clinically useful diabetes electronic medical record: lessons from the past; pointers toward the future.

PubMed

Gorman, C; Looker, J; Fisk, T; Oelke, W; Erickson, D; Smith, S; Zimmerman, B

1996-01-01

We have analysed the deficiencies of paper medical records in facilitating the care of patients with diabetes and have developed an electronic medical record that corrects some of them. The diabetes electronic medical record (DEMR) is designed to facilitate the work of a busy diabetes clinic. Design principles include heavy reliance on graphic displays of laboratory and clinical data, consistent color coding and aggregation of data needed to facilitate the different types of clinical encounter (initial consultation, continuing care visit, insulin adjustment visit, dietitian encounter, nurse educator encounter, obstetric patient, transplant patient, visits for problems unrelated to diabetes). Data input is by autoflow from the institutional laboratories, by desk attendants or on-line by all users. Careful attention has been paid to making data entry a point and click process wherever possible. Opportunity for free text comment is provided on every screen. On completion of the encounter a narrative text summary of the visit is generated by the computer and is annotated by the care giver. Currently there are about 7800 patients in the system. Remaining challenges include the adaptation of the system to accommodate the occasional user, development of portable laptop derivatives that remain compatible with the parent system and improvements in the screen structure and graphic display formats.

Use of a Computer-Mediated Delphi Process to Validate a Mass Casualty Conceptual Model

PubMed Central

CULLEY, JOAN M.

2012-01-01

Since the original work on the Delphi technique, multiple versions have been developed and used in research and industry; however, very little empirical research has been conducted that evaluates the efficacy of using online computer, Internet, and e-mail applications to facilitate a Delphi method that can be used to validate theoretical models. The purpose of this research was to develop computer, Internet, and e-mail applications to facilitate a modified Delphi technique through which experts provide validation for a proposed conceptual model that describes the information needs for a mass-casualty continuum of care. Extant literature and existing theoretical models provided the basis for model development. Two rounds of the Delphi process were needed to satisfy the criteria for consensus and/or stability related to the constructs, relationships, and indicators in the model. The majority of experts rated the online processes favorably (mean of 6.1 on a seven-point scale). Using online Internet and computer applications to facilitate a modified Delphi process offers much promise for future research involving model building or validation. The online Delphi process provided an effective methodology for identifying and describing the complex series of events and contextual factors that influence the way we respond to disasters. PMID:21076283

Use of a computer-mediated Delphi process to validate a mass casualty conceptual model.

PubMed

Culley, Joan M

2011-05-01

Since the original work on the Delphi technique, multiple versions have been developed and used in research and industry; however, very little empirical research has been conducted that evaluates the efficacy of using online computer, Internet, and e-mail applications to facilitate a Delphi method that can be used to validate theoretical models. The purpose of this research was to develop computer, Internet, and e-mail applications to facilitate a modified Delphi technique through which experts provide validation for a proposed conceptual model that describes the information needs for a mass-casualty continuum of care. Extant literature and existing theoretical models provided the basis for model development. Two rounds of the Delphi process were needed to satisfy the criteria for consensus and/or stability related to the constructs, relationships, and indicators in the model. The majority of experts rated the online processes favorably (mean of 6.1 on a seven-point scale). Using online Internet and computer applications to facilitate a modified Delphi process offers much promise for future research involving model building or validation. The online Delphi process provided an effective methodology for identifying and describing the complex series of events and contextual factors that influence the way we respond to disasters.

Antecedents and outcomes of a fourfold taxonomy of work-family balance in Chinese employed parents.

PubMed

Lu, Jia-Fang; Siu, Oi-Ling; Spector, Paul E; Shi, Kan

2009-04-01

The study provided validity evidence for a fourfold taxonomy of work-family balance that comprises direction of influence (work to family vs. family to work) and types of effect (work-family conflict vs. work-family facilitation). Data were collected from 189 employed parents in China. The results obtained from a confirmatory factor analysis supported the factorial validity of the fourfold taxonomy of work-family balance with a Chinese sample. Child care responsibilities, working hours, monthly salary, and organizational family-friendly policy were positively related to the conflict component of work-family balance; whereas new parental experience, spouse support, family-friendly supervisors and coworkers had significant positive effects on the facilitation component of work-family balance. In comparison with the inconsistent effects of work-family conflict, work to family facilitation had consistent positive effects on work and life attitudes. The implications of findings in relation to China and other countries are discussed in the paper.

The experience of return to work in individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI): A qualitative study.

PubMed

Libeson, Lauren; Downing, Marina; Ross, Pamela; Ponsford, Jennie

2018-05-10

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a leading cause of disability in young people, with return to work (RTW) a major goal of recovery. This qualitative study aimed to understand the RTW experience of individuals with TBI who received comprehensive vocational rehabilitation, and to identify facilitating and limiting factors in the RTW process. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 individuals (mean age = 47.33 years) approximately 4.5 years post-injury, of whom 14 had moderate to severe TBI. Twelve individuals had successfully returned to work. Thematic analysis of transcribed interviews identified three key factors affecting RTW: client, work and rehabilitation factors. Across these factors, 12 themes reported to be critical to the success or failure of the RTW programme were identified. Client themes included social support, cognitive difficulties and motivation, with RTW too early associated with unfavourable outcomes. Work themes included work modifications, employer support and financial incentives. Rehabilitation themes included the RTW programme, the role of the vocational occupational therapist and work preparation. These key factors were reported to have impacted the RTW outcome, comprising three further themes: work satisfaction, future vocational outlook, and quality of life. Consideration of these factors can inform vocational rehabilitation programmes, potentially improving employment outcomes following TBI.

Independent Coactors May Improve Performance and Lower Workload: Viewing Vigilance Under Social Facilitation.

PubMed

Claypoole, Victoria L; Szalma, James L

2018-04-01

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of an independent coactor on vigilance task performance. It was hypothesized that the presence of an independent coactor would improve performance in terms of the proportion of false alarms while also increasing perceived workload and stress. Vigilance, or the ability to maintain attention for extended periods, is of great interest to human factors psychologists. Substantial work has focused on improving vigilance task performance, typically through motivational interventions. Of interest to vigilance researchers is the application of social facilitation as a means of enhancing vigilance. Social facilitation seeks to explain how social presence may improve performance. A total of 100 participants completed a 24-min vigil either alone or in the presence of an independent (confederate) coactor. Participants completed measures of perceived workload and stress. The results indicated that performance (i.e., proportion of false alarms) was improved for those who completed the vigil in the presence of an independent coactor. Interestingly, perceived workload was actually lower for those who completed the vigil in the presence of an independent coactor, although perceived stress was not affected by the manipulation. Authors of future research should extend these findings to other forms of social facilitation and examine vigilance task performance in social contexts in order to determine the utility of social presence for improving vigilance. The use of coactors may be an avenue for organizations to consider utilizing to improve performance because of its relative cost-effectiveness and easy implementation.

Upstream effects of dams on alluvial channels: state-of-the-art and future challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liro, Maciej

2017-04-01

More than 50,000 large dams (with the height above 15 m) operate all over the world and, thus, they significantly disturb water and sediment transport in river systems. These disturbances are recognized as one of the most important factors shaping river morphology in the Anthropocene. Downstream effects of dams have been well documented in numerous case studies and supported by predictions from existing models. In contrast, little is known on the upstream effects of dams on alluvial channels. This review highlights the lack of studies on sedimentological, hydromorphological and biogeomorphological adjustments of alluvial rivers in the base-level raised zones of backwater upstream of dam reservoirs where water level fluctuations occur. Up to date, it has been documented that backwater effects may facilitate fine and coarse sediment deposition, increase groundwater level, provide higher and more frequent channel and floodplain inundation and lead to significant morphological changes. But there have been no studies quantifying short- and long-term consequences of these disturbances for the hydromorphological and biogeomorphological feedbacks that control development of alluvial channels. Some recent studies carried out on gravel-bed and fine-grained bed rivers show that the above mentioned disturbances facilitate vegetation expansion on exposed channel sediments and floodplain influencing river morphology, which suggests that backwater area of alluvial rivers may be treated as the hotspot of bio-geomorphological changes in a fluvial system. To set the stage for future research on upstream effects of dams, this work presents the existing state-of-art and proposes some hypotheses which may be tested in future studies. This study was carried out within the scope of the Research Project 2015/19/N/ST10/01526 financed by the National Science Centre of Poland

Facilitated transport of small molecules and ions for energy-efficient membranes.

PubMed

Li, Yifan; Wang, Shaofei; He, Guangwei; Wu, Hong; Pan, Fusheng; Jiang, Zhongyi

2015-01-07

In nature, the biological membrane can selectively transport essential small molecules/ions through facilitated diffusion via carrier proteins. Intrigued by this phenomenon and principle, membrane researchers have successfully employed synthetic carriers and carrier-mediated reversible reactions to enhance the separation performance of synthetic membranes. However, the existing facilitated transport membranes as well as the relevant facilitated transport theories have scarcely been comprehensively reviewed in the literature. This tutorial review primarily covers the two aspects of facilitated transport theories: carrier-mediated transport mechanisms and facilitated transport chemistries, including the design and fabrication of facilitated transport membranes. The applications of facilitated transport membranes in energy-intensive membrane processes (gas separation, pervaporation, and proton exchange membrane fuel cells) have also been discussed. Hopefully, this review will provide guidelines for the future research and development of facilitated transport membranes with high energy efficiency.

Facilitation among plants in alpine environments in the face of climate change

PubMed Central

Anthelme, Fabien; Cavieres, Lohengrin A.; Dangles, Olivier

2014-01-01

While there is a large consensus that plant–plant interactions are a crucial component of the response of plant communities to the effects of climate change, available data remain scarce, particularly in alpine systems. This represents an important obstacle to making consistent predictions about the future of plant communities. Here, we review current knowledge on the effects of climate change on facilitation among alpine plant communities and propose directions for future research. In established alpine communities, while warming seemingly generates a net facilitation release, earlier snowmelt may increase facilitation. Some nurse plants are able to buffer microenvironmental changes in the long term and may ensure the persistence of other alpine plants through local migration events. For communities migrating to higher elevations, facilitation should play an important role in their reorganization because of the harsher environmental conditions. In particular, the absence of efficient nurse plants might slow down upward migration, possibly generating chains of extinction. Facilitation–climate change relationships are expected to shift along latitudinal gradients because (1) the magnitude of warming is predicted to vary along these gradients, and (2) alpine environments are significantly different at low vs. high latitudes. Data on these expected patterns are preliminary and thus need to be tested with further studies on facilitation among plants in alpine environments that have thus far not been considered. From a methodological standpoint, future studies will benefit from the spatial representation of the microclimatic environment of plants to predict their response to climate change. Moreover, the acquisition of long-term data on the dynamics of plant–plant interactions, either through permanent plots or chronosequences of glacial recession, may represent powerful approaches to clarify the relationship between plant interactions and climate change. PMID:25161660

Replication of a Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial of Resource Facilitation to Improve Return to Work and School After Brain Injury.

PubMed

Trexler, Lance E; Parrott, Devan R; Malec, James F

2016-02-01

To determine the extent to which previous findings on the effectiveness of resource facilitation to impact return to work and school could be replicated. Randomized controlled trial. Outpatient rehabilitation clinic. Outpatients with acquired brain injury (N=44). Fifteen months of resource facilitation services. A revised version of the Vocational Independence Scale and the Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory-4 Participation Index. Participants randomized to the resource facilitation group demonstrated a significant advantage in terms of rate and timing of return to productive community-based work relative to control participants. When examining only return to competitive work (and not return to school), 69% of the resource facilitation group was able to return compared with 50% of the control participants. Analyses of measures of participation in household and community activities revealed that both groups improved significantly over the 15-month study period, but no significant advantage for either group was demonstrated. This study replicates the positive impact of resource facilitation in improving productive community-based activity, including competitive employment and volunteering in the community. Copyright © 2016 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Factors influencing work functioning after cancer diagnosis: a focus group study with cancer survivors and occupational health professionals.

PubMed

Dorland, H F; Abma, F I; Roelen, C A M; Smink, J G; Ranchor, A V; Bültmann, U

2016-01-01

Cancer survivors (CSs) frequently return to work, but little is known about work functioning after return to work (RTW). We aimed to identify barriers and facilitators of work functioning among CSs. Three focus groups were conducted with CSs (n = 6, n = 8 and n = 8) and one focus group with occupational health professionals (n = 7). Concepts were identified by thematic analysis, using the Cancer and Work model as theoretical framework to structure the results. Long-lasting symptoms (e.g. fatigue), poor adaptation, high work ethics, negative attitude to work, ambiguous communication, lack of support and changes in the work environment were mentioned as barriers of work functioning. In contrast, staying at work during treatment, open dialogue, high social support, appropriate work accommodations and high work autonomy facilitated work functioning. Not only cancer-related symptoms affect work functioning of CSs after RTW but also psychosocial and work-related factors. The barriers and facilitators of work functioning should be further investigated in studies with a longitudinal design to examine work functioning over time.

Collaborative Relationships between Principals and School Counselors: Facilitating a Model for Developing a Working Alliance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Odegard-Koester, Melissa A.; Watkins, Paul

2016-01-01

The working relationship between principals and school counselors have received some attention in the literature, however, little empirical research exists that examines specifically the components that facilitate a collaborative working relationship between the principal and school counselor. This qualitative case study examined the unique…

Determinants of work ability and its predictive value for disability.

PubMed

Alavinia, S M; de Boer, A G E M; van Duivenbooden, J C; Frings-Dresen, M H W; Burdorf, A

2009-01-01

Maintaining the ability of workers to cope with physical and psychosocial demands at work becomes increasingly important in prolonging working life. To analyse the effects of work-related factors and individual characteristics on work ability and to determine the predictive value of work ability on receiving a work-related disability pension. A longitudinal study was conducted among 850 construction workers aged 40 years and older, with average follow-up period of 23 months. Disability was defined as receiving a disability pension, granted to workers unable to continue working in their regular job. Work ability was assessed using the work ability index (WAI). Associations between work-related factors and individual characteristics with work ability at baseline were evaluated using linear regression analysis, and Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate the predictive value of work ability for disability. Work-related factors were associated with a lower work ability at baseline, but had little prognostic value for disability during follow-up. The hazard ratios for disability among workers with a moderate and poor work ability at baseline were 8 and 32, respectively. All separate scales in the WAI had predictive power for future disability with the highest influence of current work ability in relation to job demands and lowest influence of diseases diagnosed by a physician. A moderate or poor work ability was highly predictive for receiving a disability pension. Preventive measures should facilitate a good balance between work performance and health in order to prevent quitting labour participation.

The Effects of Work Demands and Resources on Work-to-family Conflict and Facilitation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Voydanoff, Patricia

2004-01-01

This article uses a differential salience-comparable salience approach to examine the effects of work demands and resources on work-to-family conflict and facilitation. The analysis is based on data from 1,938 employed adults living with a family member who were interviewed for the 1997 National Study of the Changing Workforce. The results support…

Who Can Help Working Students? The Impact of Graduate School Involvement and Social Support on School-Work Facilitation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wyland, Rebecca L.; Winkel, Doan E.; Lester, Scott W.; Hanson-Rasmussen, Nancy

2015-01-01

A significant number of employees attend graduate school, and the impact of the student role may be substantial and valuable to the work-life literature. In this study the authors examine whether psychological involvement in graduate school increases school-work facilitation. Further, they suggest that employers and graduate schools can provide…

Materials, Structures and Manufacturing: An Integrated Approach to Develop Expandable Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Belvin, W. Keith; Zander, Martin E.; Sleight, Daid W.; Connell, John; Holloway, Nancy; Palmieri, Frank

2012-01-01

Membrane dominated space structures are lightweight and package efficiently for launch; however, they must be expanded (deployed) in-orbit to achieve the desired geometry. These expandable structural systems include solar sails, solar power arrays, antennas, and numerous other large aperture devices that are used to collect, reflect and/or transmit electromagnetic radiation. In this work, an integrated approach to development of thin-film damage tolerant membranes is explored using advanced manufacturing. Bio-inspired hierarchical structures were printed on films using additive manufacturing to achieve improved tear resistance and to facilitate membrane deployment. High precision, robust expandable structures can be realized using materials that are both space durable and processable using additive manufacturing. Test results show this initial work produced higher tear resistance than neat film of equivalent mass. Future research and development opportunities for expandable structural systems designed using an integrated approach to structural design, manufacturing, and materials selection are discussed.

Towards a greener labour market: occupational health and safety implications.

PubMed

Valenti, Antonio; Gagliardi, Diana; Fortuna, Grazia; Iavicoli, Sergio

2016-01-01

Climate change and environmental degradation are seriously jeopardizing the future environmental and economic sustainability at the global level prompting urgent calls for a shift towards more sustainable development and greener economies. The use of the so called green jobs is a key strategy to overcome economic and ecological crisis. The present study discusses the implications for employment and decent work of green jobs in order to identify information/training measures to enhance skills of employees protecting their working conditions. Despite all the emphasis laid today on the green economy, occupational health and safety (OHS) issues have still been talked only limited, as already noted in previous studies and literature reviews. It is needed to assess traditional and new OHS risks within green jobs in order to facilitate the transfer of OHS knowledge to green technologies as well as identifying OHS training needs.

SEIPS-based process modeling in primary care.

PubMed

Wooldridge, Abigail R; Carayon, Pascale; Hundt, Ann Schoofs; Hoonakker, Peter L T

2017-04-01

Process mapping, often used as part of the human factors and systems engineering approach to improve care delivery and outcomes, should be expanded to represent the complex, interconnected sociotechnical aspects of health care. Here, we propose a new sociotechnical process modeling method to describe and evaluate processes, using the SEIPS model as the conceptual framework. The method produces a process map and supplementary table, which identify work system barriers and facilitators. In this paper, we present a case study applying this method to three primary care processes. We used purposeful sampling to select staff (care managers, providers, nurses, administrators and patient access representatives) from two clinics to observe and interview. We show the proposed method can be used to understand and analyze healthcare processes systematically and identify specific areas of improvement. Future work is needed to assess usability and usefulness of the SEIPS-based process modeling method and further refine it. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PD-atricians: Leveraging Physicians and Participatory Design to Develop Novel Clinical Information Tools

PubMed Central

Pollack, Ari H; Miller, Andrew; Mishra, Sonali R.; Pratt, Wanda

2016-01-01

Participatory design, a method by which system users and stakeholders meaningfully contribute to the development of a new process or technology, has great potential to revolutionize healthcare technology, yet has seen limited adoption. We conducted a design session with eleven physicians working to create a novel clinical information tool utilizing participatory design methods. During the two-hour session, the physicians quickly engaged in the process and generated a large quantity of information, informing the design of a future tool. By utilizing facilitators experienced in design methodology, with detailed domain expertise, and well integrated into the healthcare organization, the participatory design session engaged a group of users who are often disenfranchised with existing processes as well as health information technology in general. We provide insight into why participatory design works with clinicians and provide guiding principles for how to implement these methods in healthcare organizations interested in advancing health information technology. PMID:28269900

Art at the Bedside: Reflections on Use of Visual Imagery in Hospital Chaplaincy.

PubMed

Dodge-Peters Daiss, Susan

2016-03-01

'Art at the Bedside' is the name given to a hospital visitation program during which works of art loaded onto a computer are used to start conversations with patients and their families. The article traces the genesis of the program that evolved from the author's dual training in art museum education and hospital chaplaincy through the evolution of the practice, now in its sixth year. Reflections on the practice itself are the focus of this article, from identifying the kinds of responses frequently elicited by the artwork to understanding how these works of art seem to forge immediate connections between the patient and the facilitator. Ultimately posed in this reflection is whether the 'Art at the Bedside' experience might suggest a future for the integration of the visual arts more broadly into hospital - and related - chaplaincy. © The Author(s) 2016.

Using practice development methodology to develop children's centre teams: ideas for the future.

PubMed

Hemingway, Ann; Cowdell, Fiona

2009-09-01

The Children's Centre Programme is a recent development in the UK and brings together multi-agency teams to work with disadvantaged families. Practice development methods enable teams to work together in new ways. Although the term practice development remains relatively poorly defined, its key properties suggest that it embraces engagement, empowerment, evaluation and evolution. This paper introduces the Children's Centre Programme and practice development methods and aims to discuss the relevance of using this method to develop teams in children's centres through considering the findings from an evaluation of a two-year project to develop inter-agency public health teams. The evaluation showed that practice development methods can enable successful team development and showed that through effective facilitation, teams can change their practice to focus on areas of local need. The team came up with their own process to develop a strategy for their locality.

TRWG developmental pathway for biospecimen-based assessment modalities

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

Translational Research Working Group; Srivastava, Sudhir; Gray, Joe W.

The Translational Research Working Group (TRWG) was created as a national initiative to evaluate the current status of NCI's investment in translational research and envision its future. The TRWG conceptualized translational research as a set of six developmental processes or pathways focused on various clinical goals. One of those pathways describes the development of biospecimen-based assays that utilize biomarkers for the detection, diagnosis, prognosis, and assessment of response to cancer treatment. The biospecimen-based assessment modality (BM) pathway was conceived not as comprehensive description of the corresponding real-world processes, but rather as a tool designed to facilitate movement of a candidatemore » assay through the translational process to the point where it can be handed off for definitive clinical testing. This paper introduces the pathway in the context of prior work and discusses key challenges associated with the biomarker development process in light of the pathway.« less

SEIPS-Based Process Modeling in Primary Care

PubMed Central

Wooldridge, Abigail R.; Carayon, Pascale; Hundt, Ann Schoofs; Hoonakker, Peter

2016-01-01

Process mapping, often used as part of the human factors and systems engineering approach to improve care delivery and outcomes, should be expanded to represent the complex, interconnected sociotechnical aspects of health care. Here, we propose a new sociotechnical process modeling method to describe and evaluate processes, using the SEIPS model as the conceptual framework. The method produces a process map and supplementary table, which identify work system barriers and facilitators. In this paper, we present a case study applying this method to three primary care processes. We used purposeful sampling to select staff (care managers, providers, nurses, administrators and patient access representatives) from two clinics to observe and interview. We show the proposed method can be used to understand and analyze healthcare processes systematically and identify specific areas of improvement. Future work is needed to assess usability and usefulness of the SEIPS-based process modeling method and further refine it. PMID:28166883

Occupational rehabilitation in Hong Kong: current status and future needs.

PubMed

Kwok, H K H; Szeto, G P Y; Cheng, A S K; Siu, H; Chan, C C H

2011-03-01

This paper reviews the development of occupational rehabilitation in Hong Kong, both in terms of the science as well as the service for injured workers. Besides, it also reviews the existing Employees' Compensation Ordinance for work injury to illustrate how the policy could influence the success and development of the discipline. Five experienced occupational rehabilitation providers, including 1 occupational medicine specialist, 3 occupational therapists, and 1 physiotherapist critically reviewed the past and current development of occupational rehabilitation in Hong Kong as well as the local contextual factors, which could influence its future development. Since the enactment of the Employees' Compensation Ordinance in the 1950s, there have been progressive improvements in the field of occupational rehabilitation in Hong Kong. Services in the early years were mostly based on the biomedical model, where doctors and patients tended to focus on clinical symptoms and physical pathology when making clinical decisions. Since then, remarkable academic achievements have been made in the field locally, from the validation of clinical instruments for assessment of work capacity, assessment of employment readiness to the evaluation of efficacy of interventional programs for injured workers focusing on work related outcomes. However, there has been a relatively lack of progress in the development of related policies and implementation of related programs for occupational rehabilitation. There is no built in linkage between rehabilitation, compensation and prevention in the current system in Hong Kong, and there is no rehabilitation policy specific to those workers with occupational diseases and injuries. There are still deficiencies in the development and provision of occupational rehabilitation services in Hong Kong. Incorporation of requirements for occupational rehabilitation at the legislation and policy levels should be seriously considered in the future. Besides, the development of the Occupational Medicine subspecialty in the public hospital system in Hong Kong is considered a facilitator to the future development of occupational rehabilitation in Hong Kong.

Buddies in bad times? the role of co-workers after a work-related injury.

PubMed

Kosny, Agnieszka; Lifshen, Marni; Pugliese, Diana; Majesky, Gary; Kramer, Desre; Steenstra, Ivan; Soklaridis, Sophie; Carrasco, Christine

2013-09-01

Co-workers can play an important role after a work-related injury. They can provide details about the circumstances of an accident, offer emotional support to the injured worker and help with job tasks upon a co-worker's return to work (RTW). Working with an injured co-worker, however, can also strain work relationships and increase workload. The purpose of this study was to determine the role that co-workers play after a work-related injury and during the RTW process in the unionized, electrical construction sector. We conducted two focus groups with injured electricians and union representatives. We also interviewed co-workers who had worked with someone who had been injured in the course of employment. We examined the role that co-workers can play after a work-related injury and some of the factors facilitating and hindering co-worker support. The structure of work in the electrical sector-a focus on cost-cutting and competition, job insecurity, perceptions of "different camps" among co-workers, little modified work and poor formal communication-can impede co-worker support and contribute to making injured workers' experiences difficult. Management can play an important role in setting an example for how injured workers are regarded and treated. Future research should explore how workers can better be supported after a work-related injury and during the RTW process.

Psychosocial job characteristics and psychological distress / well-being: the mediating role of personal goal facilitation.

PubMed

Pisanti, Renato; van der Doef, Margot; Maes, Stan; Violani, Cristiano; Lazzari, David

2016-01-01

This study examined the mediating role of personal goal facilitation through work (PGFW), defined as perceptions of the extent to which one's job facilitates the attainment of one's personal goals, in the association between psychosocial job characteristics and psychological distress and job-related well-being. Questionnaire data from 217 nurses (84% female, with a mean age of 42.7 years, SD=7.2) were analyzed. Participants completed the following measures: the Leiden Quality of Work Questionnaire for Nurses, Workplace Goal Facilitation Inventory, Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey, and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (short version). A cross-sectional study design was applied. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted. The results indicated that unfavorable psychosocial job characteristics (high demands, low control, and low social support) were associated with lower PGFW. Furthermore, personal goal facilitation through work explained significant additional variance (from 2 to 11%) in psychological distress (somatic complaints and emotional exhaustion) and job-related well-being (personal accomplishment, job satisfaction, and work engagement), controlling for demographic indicators and psychosocial job characteristics. Finally, the results provided support for the mediating effects of PGFW between all psychosocial job characteristics and all outcomes, except in the case of depersonalization. This study suggests that hindered personal goal facilitation may be a mechanism through which psychosocial job characteristics have a negative impact on employees' well-being.

Low-income working immigrant families in Quebec: Exploring their challenges to well-being.

PubMed

Pitt, Rebecca S; Sherman, Jessica; Macdonald, Mary Ellen

2016-03-16

To identify low-income working families' health challenges and understand their barriers and facilitators to navigating those challenges. We conducted a focused ethnographic study in a food bank in Montreal, Quebec. Using purposeful sampling, we recruited participants who had at least one employed family member and one live-in child. Sensitizing concepts included social determinants of health (SDH) and family strengths. Participant observation, focus groups and in-depth interviews constituted the primary means of data collection. Thematic and contextual analyses were conducted iteratively. We recruited 25 participants, 22 clients (15 women and 7 men with up to 5 children per family) and 3 members of staff. All clients were immigrants, having been in Canada for a range of 2 months to 23 years, thus reflecting the ethnic demography of the site. Families described health as physical, mental and socio-cultural well-being. Challenges to well-being included insufficient finances, non-standard work, hurdles in professional equivalency, isolation, children's acculturation, inadequate access to health care and the Canadian winter. Personal and structural barriers and facilitators to navigating challenges centred on parents' sense of the challenges being finite, control over discrete dimensions of life and hope of children's future success. Families who incorporated these perceptions into their narratives seemed to describe the challenges as navigable. Importantly, the SDH model did not anticipate the degree to which challenges would be defined by immigration factors. In order to help low-income working immigrant families face diverse challenges to well-being, community workers and policy-makers must consider the specific challenges of immigration and the importance of individual families' outlooks as they navigate them.

Lean thinking in hospitals: is there a cure for the absence of evidence? A systematic review of reviews

PubMed Central

Andersen, Hege; Røvik, Kjell Arne; Ingebrigtsen, Tor

2014-01-01

Objective Lean interventions aim to improve quality of healthcare by reducing waste and facilitate flow in work processes. There is conflicting evidence on the outcomes of lean thinking, with quantitative and qualitative studies often contradicting each other. We suggest that reviewing the literature within the approach of a new contextual framework can deepen our understanding of lean as a quality-improvement method. This article theorises the concept of context by establishing a two-dimensional conceptual framework acknowledging lean as complex social interventions, deployed in different organisational dimensions and domains. The specific aim of the study was to identify factors facilitating intended outcomes from lean interventions, and to understand when and how different facilitators contribute. Design A two-dimensional conceptual framework was developed by combining Shortell's Dimensions of capability with Walshes’ Domains of an intervention. We then conducted a systematic review of lean review articles concerning hospitals, published in the period 2000–2012. The identified lean facilitators were categorised according to the intervention domains and dimensions of capability provided by the framework. Results We provide a framework emphasising context by relating facilitators to domains and dimensions of capability. 23 factors enabling a successful lean intervention in hospitals were identified in the systematic review, where management and a supportive culture, training, accurate data, physicians and team involvement were most frequent. Conclusions In the absence of evidence, the two-dimensional framework, incorporating the context, may prove useful for future research on variation in outcomes from lean interventions. Findings from the review suggest that characteristics and local application of lean, in addition to strategic and cultural capability, should be given further attention in healthcare quality improvement. PMID:24435890

The opinions of radiographers, nuclear medicine technologists and radiation therapists regarding technology in health care: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Aarts, Sil; Cornelis, Forra; Zevenboom, Yke; Brokken, Patrick; van de Griend, Nicole; Spoorenberg, Miriam; Ten Bokum, Wendy; Wouters, Eveline

2017-03-01

New technology is continuously introduced in health care. The aim of this study was (1) to collect the opinions and experiences of radiographers, nuclear medicine technologists and radiation therapists regarding the technology they use in their profession and (2) to acquire their views regarding the role of technology in their future practice. Participants were recruited from five departments in five hospitals in The Netherlands. All radiographers, nuclear medicine therapists and radiation therapists who were working in these departments were invited to participate (n = 252). The following topics were discussed: technology in daily work, training in using technology and the role of technology in future practice. The recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using open and axial coding. A total of 52 participants (57.7% radiographer) were included, 19 men and 33 women (age range: 20-63). Four major themes emerged: (1) technology as an indispensable factor, (2) engagement, support and training in using technology, (3) transitions in work and (4) the radiographer of the future. All participants not only value technological developments to perform their occupations, but also aspects such as documentation and physical support. When asked about the future of their profession, contradictory answers were provided; while some expect less autonomy, others belief they will get more autonomy in their work. Technology plays a major role in all three occupations. All participants believe that technology should be in the best interests of patients. Being involved in the implementation of new technology is of utmost importance; courses and training, facilitated by the managers of the departments, should play a major role. Only when a constant dialogue exists between health care professionals and their managers, in which they discuss their experiences, needs and expectations, technology can be implemented in a safe and effective manner. This, in turn, might positively influence quality of care. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australian Society of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy and New Zealand Institute of Medical Radiation Technology.

The Influence of Temporal Orientation and Affective Frame on use of Ethical Decision-Making Strategies

PubMed Central

Martin, Laura E.; Stenmark, Cheryl K.; Thiel, Chase E.; Antes, Alison L.; Mumford, Michael D.; Connelly, Shane; Devenport, Lynn D.

2011-01-01

This study examined the role of temporal orientation and affective frame in the execution of ethical decision-making strategies. In reflecting on a past experience or imagining a future experience, participants thought about experiences that they considered either positive or negative. The participants recorded their thinking about that experience by responding to several questions, and their responses were content-analyzed for the use of ethical decision-making strategies. The findings indicated that a future temporal orientation was associated with greater strategy use. Likewise, a positive affective frame was associated with greater strategy use. Future orientation may permit better strategy execution than a past orientation because it facilitates more objective, balanced contemplation of the reflected-upon situation, and minimizes potential self-threat associated with past behavior. A positive affective frame likely improves strategy execution because it facilitates active analysis of the experience. Future directions and implications of these findings are discussed. PMID:21572582

A soft robotic exosuit improves walking in patients after stroke.

PubMed

Awad, Louis N; Bae, Jaehyun; O'Donnell, Kathleen; De Rossi, Stefano M M; Hendron, Kathryn; Sloot, Lizeth H; Kudzia, Pawel; Allen, Stephen; Holt, Kenneth G; Ellis, Terry D; Walsh, Conor J

2017-07-26

Stroke-induced hemiparetic gait is characteristically slow and metabolically expensive. Passive assistive devices such as ankle-foot orthoses are often prescribed to increase function and independence after stroke; however, walking remains highly impaired despite-and perhaps because of-their use. We sought to determine whether a soft wearable robot (exosuit) designed to supplement the paretic limb's residual ability to generate both forward propulsion and ground clearance could facilitate more normal walking after stroke. Exosuits transmit mechanical power generated by actuators to a wearer through the interaction of garment-like, functional textile anchors and cable-based transmissions. We evaluated the immediate effects of an exosuit actively assisting the paretic limb of individuals in the chronic phase of stroke recovery during treadmill and overground walking. Using controlled, treadmill-based biomechanical investigation, we demonstrate that exosuits can function in synchrony with a wearer's paretic limb to facilitate an immediate 5.33 ± 0.91° increase in the paretic ankle's swing phase dorsiflexion and 11 ± 3% increase in the paretic limb's generation of forward propulsion ( P < 0.05). These improvements in paretic limb function contributed to a 20 ± 4% reduction in forward propulsion interlimb asymmetry and a 10 ± 3% reduction in the energy cost of walking, which is equivalent to a 32 ± 9% reduction in the metabolic burden associated with poststroke walking. Relatively low assistance (~12% of biological torques) delivered with a lightweight and nonrestrictive exosuit was sufficient to facilitate more normal walking in ambulatory individuals after stroke. Future work will focus on understanding how exosuit-induced improvements in walking performance may be leveraged to improve mobility after stroke. Copyright © 2017 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

Development of a Theory-Based Intervention to Increase Clinical Measurement of Reactive Balance in Adults at Risk of Falls.

PubMed

Sibley, Kathryn M; Brooks, Dina; Gardner, Paula; Janaudis-Ferreira, Tania; McGlynn, Mandy; OʼHoski, Sachi; McEwen, Sara; Salbach, Nancy M; Shaffer, Jennifer; Shing, Paula; Straus, Sharon E; Jaglal, Susan B

2016-04-01

Effective balance reactions are essential for avoiding falls, but are not regularly measured by physical therapists. Physical therapists report wanting to improve reactive balance assessment, and theory-based approaches are recommended as the foundation for the development of interventions. This article describes how a behavior change theory for health care providers, the theoretical domains framework (TDF), was used to develop an intervention to increase reactive balance measurement among physical therapists who work in rehabilitation settings and treat adults who are at risk of falls. We employed published recommendations for using the TDF-guided intervention development. We identified what health care provider behavior is in need of change, relevant barriers and facilitators, strategies to address them, and how we would measure behavior change. In this case, identifying strategies required selecting both a reactive balance measure and behavior change techniques. Previous research had determined that physical therapists need to increase reactive balance measurement, and identified barriers and facilitators that corresponded to 8 TDF domains. A published review informed the selection of the Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Reactive Postural Responses Section) as addressing the barriers and facilitators, and existing research informed the selection of 9 established behavior change techniques corresponding to each identified TDF domain. The TDF framework were incorporated into a 12-month intervention with interactive group sessions, local champions, and health record modifications. Intervention effect can be evaluated using health record abstraction, questionnaires, and qualitative semistructured interviews. Although future research will evaluate the intervention in a controlled study, the process of theory-based intervention development can be applied to other rehabilitation research contexts, maximizing the impact of this work.Video Abstract is available for more insights from the authors (see Supplemental Digital Content 1, http://links.lww.com/JNPT/A123).

Factors affecting nebulised medicine adherence in adult patients with cystic fibrosis: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Hogan, Alice; Bonney, Mary-Ann; Brien, Jo-Anne; Karamy, Rita; Aslani, Parisa

2015-02-01

Nebulised medicines contribute to the high treatment burden experienced by patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). This study explored experiences of adult patients with CF when using nebulised medicines, factors impacting on their adherence to nebulised therapy and strategies they used to facilitate adherence. Community setting, in Sydney, Australia. Ten patients with CF were recruited through a CF patient organisation. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted, addressing the study objectives. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and content analysed for anticipated and emergent themes. Experiences with using nebulised medicines; and barriers and facilitators of adherence to nebulised medicines. Participants' age ranged from 22 to 45 years, with half being male. Four broad themes (with more specific sub-themes) were identified from the interviews: experiences with using nebulised medicines (cleaning nebuliser, time taken to use nebuliser medicine, flexibility in use of nebuliser); feelings about using nebulised medicines (necessary/important, dislike, part of life); factors impacting non-adherence (time consuming therapy, side effects/effects of medicine, work/social demands, lack of perceived importance); factors and strategies facilitating adherence (perceived medicine importance, habit/routine, support, health benefits, technology/medicine dose form, timetabling). Nebulised therapy for cystic fibrosis patients takes a substantial amount of time, with patients trying to alter their routine to incorporate nebulising into their daily lives. However there are still many factors that lead to low adherence, including work/social demands and travelling. Patients balance the necessity for nebulised therapy against the barriers, and engage in intentional non-adherence at times. Future strategies and resources should target and address specific factors identified by patients with CF as being important and impacting their adherence to nebulised medicines.

Autonomy support and need satisfaction in prevocational programs on care farms: The self-determination theory perspective.

PubMed

Ellingsen-Dalskau, Lina H; Morken, Margrete; Berget, Bente; Pedersen, Ingeborg

2015-01-01

Mental health problems are leading causes for early and prolonged withdrawal from the workforce. Green work on care farms represents a prevocational training program intended to stimulate return to work for people with mental health problems. Research suggests that care farms may improve mental health, but there is still little knowledge of the subjective perspective of clients in green work programs. To gain a deeper and broader understanding of the individual experiences of people with mental health problems participating in green work on care farms in Norway. A hermeneutic phenomenological research design was applied. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted. The self-determination theory (SDT) was adapted to gain a deeper understanding of the themes that emerged in the analysis process of the interviews. Five main themes materialize describing participants' experiences within the green work program. The main themes consist of (1) structure and flexibility, (2) understanding and acknowledgement, (3) guidance and positive feedback, (4) nature and animals, and (5) reflections on personal functioning and the future. The main themes identified indicate a high degree of autonomy support and need satisfaction within the care farm context, which according to SDT can facilitate good human functioning, and well-being.

Integrated System Design: Promoting the Capacity of Sociotechnical Systems for Adaptation through Extensions of Cognitive Work Analysis

PubMed Central

Naikar, Neelam; Elix, Ben

2016-01-01

This paper proposes an approach for integrated system design, which has the intent of facilitating high levels of effectiveness in sociotechnical systems by promoting their capacity for adaptation. Building on earlier ideas and empirical observations, this approach recognizes that to create adaptive systems it is necessary to integrate the design of all of the system elements, including the interfaces, teams, training, and automation, such that workers are supported in adapting their behavior as well as their structure, or organization, in a coherent manner. Current approaches for work analysis and design are limited in regard to this fundamental objective, especially in cases when workers are confronted with unforeseen events. A suitable starting point is offered by cognitive work analysis (CWA), but while this framework can support actors in adapting their behavior, it does not necessarily accommodate adaptations in their structure. Moreover, associated design approaches generally focus on individual system elements, and those that consider multiple elements appear limited in their ability to facilitate integration, especially in the manner intended here. The proposed approach puts forward the set of possibilities for work organization in a system as the central mechanism for binding the design of its various elements, so that actors can adapt their structure as well as their behavior—in a unified fashion—to handle both familiar and novel conditions. Accordingly, this paper demonstrates how the set of possibilities for work organization in a system may be demarcated independently of the situation, through extensions of CWA, and how it may be utilized in design. This lynchpin, conceptualized in the form of a diagram of work organization possibilities (WOP), is important for preserving a system's inherent capacity for adaptation. Future research should focus on validating these concepts and establishing the feasibility of implementing them in industrial contexts. PMID:27445924

Integrated System Design: Promoting the Capacity of Sociotechnical Systems for Adaptation through Extensions of Cognitive Work Analysis.

PubMed

Naikar, Neelam; Elix, Ben

2016-01-01

This paper proposes an approach for integrated system design, which has the intent of facilitating high levels of effectiveness in sociotechnical systems by promoting their capacity for adaptation. Building on earlier ideas and empirical observations, this approach recognizes that to create adaptive systems it is necessary to integrate the design of all of the system elements, including the interfaces, teams, training, and automation, such that workers are supported in adapting their behavior as well as their structure, or organization, in a coherent manner. Current approaches for work analysis and design are limited in regard to this fundamental objective, especially in cases when workers are confronted with unforeseen events. A suitable starting point is offered by cognitive work analysis (CWA), but while this framework can support actors in adapting their behavior, it does not necessarily accommodate adaptations in their structure. Moreover, associated design approaches generally focus on individual system elements, and those that consider multiple elements appear limited in their ability to facilitate integration, especially in the manner intended here. The proposed approach puts forward the set of possibilities for work organization in a system as the central mechanism for binding the design of its various elements, so that actors can adapt their structure as well as their behavior-in a unified fashion-to handle both familiar and novel conditions. Accordingly, this paper demonstrates how the set of possibilities for work organization in a system may be demarcated independently of the situation, through extensions of CWA, and how it may be utilized in design. This lynchpin, conceptualized in the form of a diagram of work organization possibilities (WOP), is important for preserving a system's inherent capacity for adaptation. Future research should focus on validating these concepts and establishing the feasibility of implementing them in industrial contexts.

Facilitating Active Engagement of the University Student in a Large-Group Setting Using Group Work Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinsella, Gemma K.; Mahon, Catherine; Lillis, Seamus

2017-01-01

It is envisaged that small-group exercises as part of a large-group session would facilitate not only group work exercises (a valuable employability skill), but also peer learning. In this article, such a strategy to facilitate the active engagement of the student in a large-group setting was explored. The production of student-led resources was…

Facilitative Leadership: A Framework for the Creative Arts Therapies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaimal, Girija; Metzl, Einat; Millrod, Eri

2017-01-01

We propose a leadership framework for the creative art therapies (CATs) as a means to affect the sociopolitical contexts of our clinical and scholarly practices. The new model of facilitative leadership includes 3 aspects: developing the self, developing others, and envisioning a creative and just future.

Can seed-caching enhance seedling survival of Indian ricegrass (Achnatherum hymenoides) through intraspecific facilitation?

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Positive interactions among individual plants (facilitation) may often enhance seedling survival in stressful environments. Many granivorous small mammal species cache groups of seeds for future consumption in shallowly buried scatterhoards, and seeds of many plant species germinate and establish ag...

A Model for Collaborative Working to Facilitate Knowledge Mobilisation in Public Health

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCabe, Karen Elizabeth; Wallace, Annie; Crosland, Ann

2015-01-01

This paper introduces a model for collaborative working to facilitate knowledge mobilisation in public health. The model has been developed by university researchers who worked collaboratively with public health commissioners and strategic partners to evaluate a portfolio of short-term funded interventions to inform re-commissioning. Within this…

Perceived Barriers and Facilitators to School Social Work Practice: A Mixed-Methods Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teasley, Martell; Canifield, James P.; Archuleta, Adrian J.; Crutchfield, Jandel; Chavis, Annie McCullough

2012-01-01

Understanding barriers to practice is a growing area within school social work research. Using a convenience sample of 284 school social workers, this study replicates the efforts of a mixed-method investigation designed to identify barriers and facilitators to school social work practice within different geographic locations. Time constraints and…

Facilitating Interdisciplinary Work: Using Quality Assessment to Create Common Ground

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oberg, Gunilla

2009-01-01

Newcomers often underestimate the challenges of interdisciplinary work and, as a rule, do not spend sufficient time to allow them to overcome differences and create common ground, which in turn leads to frustration, unresolved conflicts, and, in the worst case scenario, discontinued work. The key to successful collaboration is to facilitate the…

Facilitating Expansive Learning in a Public Sector Organization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gustavsson, Maria

2009-01-01

The aim of this article is to discuss how learning opportunities can be organized to promote expansive learning in work practice. The discussion draws on results from a case study examining local development work and conditions that facilitate processes of expansive learning in a work team within a public sector organization in a Swedish…

Proceedings of the Second Noncontact Temperature Measurement Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hale, Robert R. (Editor)

1989-01-01

The state of the art in noncontact temperature measurement (NCTM) technology was reviewed and the NCTM requirements of microgravity materials processing community identified. The workshop included technical presentations and discussions which ranged from research on advanced concepts for temperature measurement to laboratory research and development regarding measurement principles and state-of-the-art engineering practices for NCTM methodology in commercial and industrial applications. Technical presentations were made concerning: NCTM needs as perceived by several NASA centers, recent ground-based NCT, research and development of industry, NASA, academia, and selected national laboratories, work-in-progress communication, and technical issues of the implementation of temperature measurement in the space environment to facilitate future U.S. materials science investigations.

Planning Hospital Library Quarters: References to Help the Librarian

PubMed Central

Hayne, Frances

1965-01-01

When a hospital planned an addition that would allow library expansion, the librarian looked into relevant literature for information on what improvements she should request for the new library. Shortly she was reading not for self-instruction alone but also to strengthen her credentials for membership on the planning team. The bibliography which resulted has been annotated and, by means of an index, classified. Topics examined in the twenty-five references range from library standards and the writing of a significant building program to attainment of happy collaboration between librarian and architect, space relationships designed to facilitate work flow, planned flexibility for the sake of the future, and heating, lighting, decoration, library equipment, and furniture. PMID:14306022

Towards Ubiquitous Blood Pressure Monitoring via Pulse Transit Time: Theory and Practice

PubMed Central

Hahn, Jin-Oh; Inan, Omer T.; Mestha, Lalit K.; Kim, Chang-Sei; Töreyin, Hakan; Kyal, Survi

2015-01-01

Ubiquitous blood pressure (BP) monitoring is needed to improve hypertension detection and control and is becoming feasible due to recent technological advances such as in wearable sensing. Pulse transit time (PTT) represents a well-known, potential approach for ubiquitous BP monitoring. The goal of this review is to facilitate the achievement of reliable, ubiquitous BP monitoring via PTT. We explain the conventional BP measurement methods and their limitations; present models to summarize the theory of the PTT-BP relationship; outline the approach while pinpointing the key challenges; overview the previous work towards putting the theory to practice; make suggestions for best practice and future research; and discuss realistic expectations for the approach. PMID:26057530

Future Challenges in Managing Human Health and Performance Risks for Space Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Corbin, Barbara J.; Barratt, Michael

2013-01-01

The global economy forces many nations to consider their national investments and make difficult decisions regarding their investment in future exploration. To enable safe, reliable, and productive human space exploration, we must pool global resources to understand and mitigate human health & performance risks prior to embarking on human exploration of deep space destinations. Consensus on the largest risks to humans during exploration is required to develop an integrated approach to mitigating risks. International collaboration in human space flight research will focus research on characterizing the effects of spaceflight on humans and the development of countermeasures or systems. Sharing existing data internationally will facilitate high quality research and sufficient power to make sound recommendations. Efficient utilization of ISS and unique ground-based analog facilities allows greater progress. Finally, a means to share results of human research in time to influence decisions for follow-on research, system design, new countermeasures and medical practices should be developed. Although formidable barriers to overcome, International working groups are working to define the risks, establish international research opportunities, share data among partners, share flight hardware and unique analog facilities, and establish forums for timely exchange of results. Representatives from the ISS partnership research and medical communities developed a list of the top ten human health & performance risks and their impact on exploration missions. They also drafted a multilateral data sharing plan to establish guidelines and principles for sharing human spaceflight data. Other working groups are also developing methods to promote international research solicitations. Collaborative use of analog facilities and shared development of space flight research and medical hardware continues. Establishing a forum for exchange of results between researchers, aerospace physicians and program managers takes careful consideration of researcher concerns and decision maker needs. Active participation by researchers in the development of this forum is essential, and the benefit can be tremendous. The ability to rapidly respond to research results without compromising publication rights and intellectual property will facilitate timely reduction in human health and performance risks in support of international exploration missions.

77 FR 25889 - Drawbridge Operation Regulations; Niantic River, Niantic, CT

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-02

... 20 nights to facilitate completion of work on machinery and the lift span. DATES: This deviation is... completion of machinery installation and lift span work at the new Niantic River RR Bridge. To facilitate...

Factors affecting return to work after injury or illness: best evidence synthesis of systematic reviews.

PubMed

Cancelliere, Carol; Donovan, James; Stochkendahl, Mette Jensen; Biscardi, Melissa; Ammendolia, Carlo; Myburgh, Corrie; Cassidy, J David

2016-01-01

Work disability is a major personal, financial and public health burden. Predicting future work success is a major focus of research. To identify common prognostic factors for return-to-work across different health and injury conditions and to describe their association with return-to-work outcomes. Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, Cinahl, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and the grey literature were searched from January 1, 2004 to September 1, 2013. Systematic reviews addressing return-to-work in various conditions and injuries were selected. Eligible studies were critically appraised using the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network criteria to identify low risk of bias reviews. Of the 36,193 titles screened and the 94 eligible studies reviewed, 56 systematic reviews were accepted as low risk of bias. Over half of these focused on musculoskeletal disorders, which were primarily spine related (e.g., neck and low back pain). The other half of studies assessed workers with mental health or cardiovascular conditions, stroke, cancer, multiple sclerosis or other non-specified health conditions. Many factors have been assessed, but few consistently across conditions. Common factors associated with positive return-to-work outcomes were higher education and socioeconomic status, higher self-efficacy and optimistic expectations for recovery and return-to-work, lower severity of the injury/illness, return-to-work coordination, and multidisciplinary interventions that include the workplace and stakeholders. Common factors associated with negative return-to-work outcomes were older age, being female, higher pain or disability, depression, higher physical work demands, previous sick leave and unemployment, and activity limitations. Expectations of recovery and return-to-work, pain and disability levels, depression, workplace factors, and access to multidisciplinary resources are important modifiable factors in progressing return-to-work across health and injury conditions. Employers, healthcare providers and other stakeholders can use this information to facilitate return-to-work for injured/ill workers regardless of the specific injury or illness. Future studies should investigate novel interventions, and other factors that may be common across health conditions.

Facilitators and barriers to exercise adherence in patients with osteopenia and osteoporosis: a systematic review.

PubMed

Rodrigues, I B; Armstrong, J J; Adachi, J D; MacDermid, J C

2017-03-01

The aim of this study was to categorize the facilitators and barriers of exercise and identify methods to promote exercise adherence in the osteoporosis population. Despite the fair methodological quality of included randomized controlled trials (RCTs), less than 75 % identified facilitators and barriers to exercise. Methods to promote and measure exercise adherence were poorly reported. Several studies have shown exercise to be successful in maintaining or increasing BMD in individuals with low bone mass. Yet, adherence to exercise is poor, with 50 % of those registered in an exercise program dropping out within the first 6 months, lack of time being the number one barrier in many populations. However, in the osteoporosis population, the main facilitator and barrier to exercise is still unclear. The aim of this study is to examine the extent to which RCTs reported the facilitators and the barriers to exercise and identified methods to promote adherence to an exercise program. PubMed, CINHAL, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Review were queried using a predefined search criterion, and the resulting citations were imported into DistillerSR. Screening was carried out by two independent reviewers, and articles were included in the analysis by consensus. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the PEDro scale. Fifty-four RCTs examining exercise interventions in patients with osteopenia or osteoporosis were included. A spectrum of facilitators and barriers to exercise for osteoporotic patients were identified; however, no one facilitator was more frequently reported than the other. The most commonly reported barriers were lack of time and transportation. In most RCTs, methods to promote and measure exercise adherence were unsatisfactory. Of the 54 papers, 72 % reported an adherence rate to an exercise program; the lowest reported rate was 51.7 %, and the highest 100 %. Most RCTs found were of fair quality; however, less than three quarters identified facilitators and barriers to exercise. Reporting of methods to promote and measure exercise adherence were low. Future work should be directed toward identifying major facilitators and barriers to exercise adherence within RCTs. Only then can methods be identified to leverage facilitators and overcome barriers, thus strengthening the evidence for efficacy of optimal interventional exercise programs. This review has been registered in PROSPERO under registration number CRD42016039941.

Nuclear emergency management procedures in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, Emma

The Chernobyl accident brought to the fore the need for decision-making in nuclear emergency management to be transparent and consistent across Europe. A range of systems to support decision-making in future emergencies have since been developed, but, by and large, with little consultation with potential decision makers and limited understanding of the emergency management procedures across Europe and how they differ. In nuclear emergency management, coordination, communication and information sharing are of paramount importance. There are many key players with their own technical expertise, and several key activities occur in parallel, across different locations. Business process modelling can facilitate understanding through the representation of processes, aid transparency and structure the analysis, comparison and improvement of processes. This work has been conducted as part of a European Fifth Framework Programme project EVATECH, whose aim was to improve decision support methods, models and processes taking into account stakeholder expectations and concerns. It has involved the application of process modelling to document and compare the emergency management processes in four European countries. It has also involved a multidisciplinary approach taking a socio-technical perspective. The use of process modelling did indeed facilitate understanding and provided a common platform, which was not previously available, to consider emergency management processes. This thesis illustrates the structured analysis approach that process modelling enables. Firstly, through an individual analysis for the United Kingdom (UK) model that illustrated the potential benefits for a country. These are for training purposes, to build reflexive shared mental models, to aid coordination and for process improvement. Secondly, through a comparison of the processes in Belgium, Germany, Slovak Republic and the UK. In this comparison of the four processes we observed that the four process models are substantially different in their organisational structure and identified differences in the management of advice, where decisions are made and the communication network style. Another key aspect of this work is that through the structured analysis conducted we were able to develop a framework for the evaluation of DSS from the perspective of process. This work concludes reflecting on the challenges, which the European off-site nuclear emergency community face and suggest direction for future work, with particular reference to a recent conference on the capabilities and challenges of offsite nuclear emergency management, the Salzburg Symposium 2003.

Early identification in primary health care of people at risk for sick leave due to work-related stress - study protocol of a randomized controlled trial (RCT).

PubMed

Holmgren, Kristina; Sandheimer, Christine; Mårdby, Ann-Charlotte; Larsson, Maria E H; Bültmann, Ute; Hange, Dominique; Hensing, Gunnel

2016-11-25

Early identification of persons at risk of sickness absence due to work-related stress is a crucial problem for society in general, and primary health care in particular. Tho date, no established method to do this exists. This project's aim is to evaluate whether systematic early identification of work-related stress can prevent sickness absence. This paper presents the study design, procedure and outcome measurements, as well as allocation and baseline characteristics of the study population. The study is a two-armed randomized controlled trial with follow-up at 3, 6 and 12 months. Non-sick-listed employed women and men, aged 18 to 64 years, who had mental and physical health complaints and sought care at primary health care centers (PHCC) were eligible to participate. At baseline work-related stress was measured by the Work Stress Questionnaire (WSQ), combined with feedback at consultation, at PHCC. The preventive intervention included early identification of work-related stress by the WSQ, GP training in the use of WSQ, GP feedback at consultation and finding suitable preventive measures. A process evaluation was used to explore how to facilitate future implementation and structural use of the WSQ at the PHCC. The primary outcome to compare the preventive sick leave intervention by the general practitioner (GP) versus treatment as usual is sick leave data obtained from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency register. Early screening for sick leave due to work-related stress makes it possible not only to identify those at risk for sick leave, but also to put focus on the patient's specific work-related stress problems, which can be helpful in finding suitable preventive measures. This study investigates if use of the WSQ by GPs at PHCCs, combined with feedback at consultation, prevents future sickness absence. ClinicalTrials.gov. Identifier: NCT02480855 . Registered 20 May 2015.

Person-Centered Planning: Strategies to Encourage Participation and Facilitate Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wells, Jenny C.; Sheehey, Patricia H.

2012-01-01

Person-centered planning is a process that allows individuals, family members, and friends an opportunity to share information to develop a personal profile and a future vision for an individual. This article describes strategies and technology that teachers can use to promote parents' participation and facilitate communication while maintaining…

Procedural training and assessment of competency utilizing simulation.

PubMed

Sawyer, Taylor; Gray, Megan M

2016-11-01

This review examines the current environment of neonatal procedural learning, describes an updated model of skills training, defines the role of simulation in assessing competency, and discusses potential future directions for simulation-based competency assessment. In order to maximize impact, simulation-based procedural training programs should follow a standardized and evidence-based approach to designing and evaluating educational activities. Simulation can be used to facilitate the evaluation of competency, but must incorporate validated assessment tools to ensure quality and consistency. True competency evaluation cannot be accomplished with simulation alone: competency assessment must also include evaluations of procedural skill during actual clinical care. Future work in this area is needed to measure and track clinically meaningful patient outcomes resulting from simulation-based training, examine the use of simulation to assist physicians undergoing re-entry to practice, and to examine the use of procedural skills simulation as part of a maintenance of competency and life-long learning. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Detailed Design Documentation, without the Pain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramsay, C. D.; Parkes, S.

2004-06-01

Producing detailed forms of design documentation, such as pseudocode and structured flowcharts, to describe the procedures of a software system:(1) allows software developers to model and discuss their understanding of a problem and the design of a solution free from the syntax of a programming language,(2) facilitates deeper involvement of non-technical stakeholders, such as the customer or project managers, whose influence ensures the quality, correctness and timeliness of the resulting system,(3) forms comprehensive documentation of the system for its future maintenance, reuse and/or redeployment.However, such forms of documentation require effort to create and maintain.This paper describes a software tool which is currently being developed within the Space Systems Research Group at the University of Dundee which aims to improve the utility of, and the incentive for, creating detailed design documentation for the procedures of a software system. The rationale for creating such a tool is briefly discussed, followed by a description of the tool itself, a summary of its perceived benefits, and plans for future work.

Current Trends in Robot-Assisted Upper-Limb Stroke Rehabilitation: Promoting Patient Engagement in Therapy.

PubMed

Blank, Amy A; French, James A; Pehlivan, Ali Utku; O'Malley, Marcia K

2014-09-01

Stroke is one of the leading causes of long-term disability today; therefore, many research efforts are focused on designing maximally effective and efficient treatment methods. In particular, robotic stroke rehabilitation has received significant attention for upper-limb therapy due to its ability to provide high-intensity repetitive movement therapy with less effort than would be required for traditional methods. Recent research has focused on increasing patient engagement in therapy, which has been shown to be important for inducing neural plasticity to facilitate recovery. Robotic therapy devices enable unique methods for promoting patient engagement by providing assistance only as needed and by detecting patient movement intent to drive to the device. Use of these methods has demonstrated improvements in functional outcomes, but careful comparisons between methods remain to be done. Future work should include controlled clinical trials and comparisons of effectiveness of different methods for patients with different abilities and needs in order to inform future development of patient-specific therapeutic protocols.

Rehabilitation Practitioners' Prioritized Care Processes in Hip Fracture Post-Acute Care

PubMed Central

Kim, Lauren H.; Leland, Natalie E.

2017-01-01

Aims Occupational and physical therapy in post-acute care (PAC) has reached the point where quality indicators for hip fracture are needed. This study characterizes the practitioners' prioritized hip fracture rehabilitation practices, which can guide future quality improvement initiatives. Methods Ninety-two practitioners participating in a parent mixed methods study were asked to rank a series of evidence-based best practices across five clinical domains (assessment, intervention, discharge planning, caregiver training and patient education). Results Prioritized practices reflected patient-practitioner collaboration, facilitating an effective discharge, and preventing adverse events. The highest endorsed care processes include: developing meaningful goals with patient input (84%) in assessment, using assistive devices in intervention (75%) and patient education (65%), engaging the patient and caregiver (50%) in discharge planning, and fall prevention (60%) in caregiver education. Conclusions Practitioners identified key care priorities. This study lays the foundation for future work evaluating the extent to which these practices are delivered in PAC. PMID:28989216

An Inquiry-Based Vision Science Activity for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Research Scientists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Putnam, N. M.; Maness, H. L.; Rossi, E. A.; Hunter, J. J.

2010-12-01

The vision science activity was originally designed for the 2007 Center for Adaptive Optics (CfAO) Summer School. Participants were graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and professionals studying the basics of adaptive optics. The majority were working in fields outside vision science, mainly astronomy and engineering. The primary goal of the activity was to give participants first-hand experience with the use of a wavefront sensor designed for clinical measurement of the aberrations of the human eye and to demonstrate how the resulting wavefront data generated from these measurements can be used to assess optical quality. A secondary goal was to examine the role wavefront measurements play in the investigation of vision-related scientific questions. In 2008, the activity was expanded to include a new section emphasizing defocus and astigmatism and vision testing/correction in a broad sense. As many of the participants were future post-secondary educators, a final goal of the activity was to highlight the inquiry-based approach as a distinct and effective alternative to traditional laboratory exercises. Participants worked in groups throughout the activity and formative assessment by a facilitator (instructor) was used to ensure that participants made progress toward the content goals. At the close of the activity, participants gave short presentations about their work to the whole group, the major points of which were referenced in a facilitator-led synthesis lecture. We discuss highlights and limitations of the vision science activity in its current format (2008 and 2009 summer schools) and make recommendations for its improvement and adaptation to different audiences.

Perspectives and reflections on the practice of behaviour change communication for infant and young child feeding.

PubMed

Pelto, Gretel H; Martin, Stephanie L; van Liere, Marti J; Fabrizio, Cecilia S

2016-04-01

Behaviour change communication (BCC) is a critical component of infant and young child feeding (IYCF) interventions. In this study we asked BCC practitioners working in low- and middle-income countries to participate in an examination of BCC practice. We focus here on results of their personal reflections related to larger issues of practice. We used a combination of iterative triangulation and snowball sampling procedures to obtain a sample of 29 BCC professionals. Major themes include (1) participants using tools and guidelines to structure their work, and many consider their organisation's tools to be their most important contribution to the field; (2) they value research to facilitate programme design and implementation; (3) half felt research needed to increase; (4) they have a strong commitment to respecting cultural beliefs and culturally appropriate programming; (5) they are concerned about lack of a strong theoretical foundation for their work. Based on participants' perspectives and the authors' reflections, we identified the following needs: (1) conducting a systematic examination of the alternative theoretical structures that are available for nutrition BCC, followed by a review of the evidence base and suggestions for future programmatic research to fill the gaps in knowledge; (2) developing a checklist of common patterns to facilitate efficiency in formative research; (3) developing an analytic compendium of current IYCF BCC guidelines and tools; (4) developing tools and guidelines that cover the full programme process, including use of innovative channels to support 'scaling up nutrition'; and (5) continued support for programmes of proven effectiveness. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Rational design of a carboxylic esterase RhEst1 based on computational analysis of substrate binding.

PubMed

Chen, Qi; Luan, Zheng-Jiao; Yu, Hui-Lei; Cheng, Xiaolin; Xu, Jian-He

2015-11-01

A new carboxylic esterase RhEst1 which catalyzes the hydrolysis of (S)-(+)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylate (S-DmCpCe), the key chiral building block of cilastatin, was identified and subsequently crystallized in our previous work. Mutant RhEst1A147I/V148F/G254A was found to show a 5-fold increase in the catalytic activity. In this work, molecular dynamic simulations were performed to elucidate the molecular determinant of the enzyme activity. Our simulations show that the substrate binds much more strongly in the A147I/V148F/G254A mutant than in wild type, with more hydrogen bonds formed between the substrate and the catalytic triad and the oxyanion hole. The OH group of the catalytic residue Ser101 in the mutant is better positioned to initiate the nucleophilic attack on S-DmCpCe. Interestingly, the "170-179" loop which is involved in shaping the catalytic sites and facilitating the product release shows remarkable dynamic differences in the two systems. Based on the simulation results, six residues were identified as potential "hot-spots" for further experimental testing. Consequently, the G126S and R133L mutants show higher catalytic efficiency as compared with the wild type. This work provides molecular-level insights into the substrate binding mechanism of carboxylic esterase RhEst1, facilitating future experimental efforts toward developing more efficient RhEst1 variants for industrial applications. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Five Ways to Facilitate the Teacher Assistant's Work in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tobin, Ruthanne

2006-01-01

A teacher and a teacher assistant, working together in an inclusive grade-six classroom, provided an invaluable insider perspective on the kind of context that leads to effective support for all students. Findings from this case study revealed five ways in which the teacher could facilitate the work of the teacher assistant, by: 1) focusing on…

A cloud based tool for knowledge exchange on local scale flood risk.

PubMed

Wilkinson, M E; Mackay, E; Quinn, P F; Stutter, M; Beven, K J; MacLeod, C J A; Macklin, M G; Elkhatib, Y; Percy, B; Vitolo, C; Haygarth, P M

2015-09-15

There is an emerging and urgent need for new approaches for the management of environmental challenges such as flood hazard in the broad context of sustainability. This requires a new way of working which bridges disciplines and organisations, and that breaks down science-culture boundaries. With this, there is growing recognition that the appropriate involvement of local communities in catchment management decisions can result in multiple benefits. However, new tools are required to connect organisations and communities. The growth of cloud based technologies offers a novel way to facilitate this process of exchange of information in environmental science and management; however, stakeholders need to be engaged with as part of the development process from the beginning rather than being presented with a final product at the end. Here we present the development of a pilot Local Environmental Virtual Observatory Flooding Tool. The aim was to develop a cloud based learning platform for stakeholders, bringing together fragmented data, models and visualisation tools that will enable these stakeholders to make scientifically informed environmental management decisions at the local scale. It has been developed by engaging with different stakeholder groups in three catchment case studies in the UK and a panel of national experts in relevant topic areas. However, these case study catchments are typical of many northern latitude catchments. The tool was designed to communicate flood risk in locally impacted communities whilst engaging with landowners/farmers about the risk of runoff from the farmed landscape. It has been developed iteratively to reflect the needs, interests and capabilities of a wide range of stakeholders. The pilot tool combines cloud based services, local catchment datasets, a hydrological model and bespoke visualisation tools to explore real time hydrometric data and the impact of flood risk caused by future land use changes. The novel aspects of the pilot tool are; the co-evolution of tools on a cloud based platform with stakeholders, policy and scientists; encouraging different science disciplines to work together; a wealth of information that is accessible and understandable to a range of stakeholders; and provides a framework for how to approach the development of such a cloud based tool in the future. Above all, stakeholders saw the tool and the potential of cloud technologies as an effective means to taking a whole systems approach to solving environmental issues. This sense of community ownership is essential in order to facilitate future appropriate and acceptable land use management decisions to be co-developed by local catchment communities. The development processes and the resulting pilot tool could be applied to local catchments globally to facilitate bottom up catchment management approaches. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Education and Capacity Building with Research: A Possible Case for Future Earth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fukushima, Yasuhiro; Ishimura, Gakushi; Komasinski, Andrew James; Omoto, Reiko; Managi, Shunsuke

2017-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to suggest the structure of a platform for education and capacity building for Future Earth, which is an intensive program open to the eight stakeholders and which utilizes existing research programs/facilities associated with Future Earth. An intention of this paper is to facilitate a policy brief for projects associated…

Inherent Association Between Academic Delay of Gratification, Future Time Perspective, and Self-Regulated Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bembenutty, Hefer; Karabenick, Stuart A.

2004-01-01

We review the association between delay of gratification and future time perspective (FTP), which can be incorporated within the theoretical perspective of self-regulation of learning. We propose that delay of gratification in academic contexts, along with facilitative beliefs about the future, increase the likelihood of completing academic tasks.…

How Are Scientists Using Social Media in the Workplace?

PubMed

Collins, Kimberley; Shiffman, David; Rock, Jenny

2016-01-01

Social media has created networked communication channels that facilitate interactions and allow information to proliferate within professional academic communities as well as in informal social circumstances. A significant contemporary discussion in the field of science communication is how scientists are using (or might use) social media to communicate their research. This includes the role of social media in facilitating the exchange of knowledge internally within and among scientific communities, as well as externally for outreach to engage the public. This study investigates how a surveyed sample of 587 scientists from a variety of academic disciplines, but predominantly the academic life sciences, use social media to communicate internally and externally. Our results demonstrate that while social media usage has yet to be widely adopted, scientists in a variety of disciplines use these platforms to exchange scientific knowledge, generally via either Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or blogs. Despite the low frequency of use, our work evidences that scientists perceive numerous potential advantages to using social media in the workplace. Our data provides a baseline from which to assess future trends in social media use within the science academy.

Shading Vita In-ceram YZ substructures: influence on value and chroma, part II.

PubMed

Devigus, A; Lombardi, G

2004-10-01

In this study, the influence of differently shaded substructures made of Y-TZP from different manufacturers (without, with 0.5 mm or 1.0 mm ceramic veneer with Vita VM9 Base Dentin) on the lightness, the saturation, and the color shade (= value, chroma, and hue) was measured and assessed with a spectral photometer (Easy Shade, Vita) on a clinical case in the mouth and on models of different color. Shading substructures made of Y-TZP facilitated adaptation to the basic shade and reduced the layer thickness of the veneer ceramic required to achieve the desired color. This should be done in the future as a matter of routine. In this way, tooth substance can be better conserved when preparing the teeth, and the esthetic result is not diminished. The material used for the production of the working models (plaster or plastic) should be tooth colored and in terms of lightness--analogous to the shading of the substructure--in order to facilitate clinical color measurement and quality control in the laboratory.

GEIA's Vision for Improved Emissions Information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frost, G. J.; Granier, C.; Tarrason, L.; Middleton, P.

2014-12-01

Accurate, timely, and accessible emissions information is critical for understanding and making predictions about the atmosphere. We will present recent progress of the Global Emissions InitiAtive (GEIA, http://www.geiacenter.org/), a community-driven joint activity of IGAC, iLEAPS, and AIMES within the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme. Since 1990, GEIA has served as a forum for the exchange of expertise and information on anthropogenic and natural emissions of trace gases and aerosols. GEIA supports a worldwide network of emissions data developers and users, providing a solid scientific foundation for atmospheric chemistry research. By the year 2020, GEIA envisions being a bridge between the environmental science, regulatory, assessment, policy, and operational communities. GEIA's core activities include 1) facilitating analysis that improves the scientific basis for emissions data, 2) enhancing access to emissions information, and 3) strengthening linkages within the international emissions community. We will highlight GEIA's current work distributing emissions data, organizing the development of new emissions datasets, facilitating regional emissions studies, and initiating analyses aimed at improving emissions information. GEIA welcomes new partnerships that advance emissions knowledge for the future.

Why don't dentists talk to patients about oral cancer?

PubMed

Awojobi, O; Newton, J T; Scott, S E

2015-05-08

Up to half of oral cancer patients are diagnosed with advanced lesions. One route to early diagnosis could involve dentists raising awareness of oral cancer through discussions with patients, emphasising prompt help-seeking. This study explores opinions and practices of dentists regarding discussing oral cancer with patients including views on barriers and facilitators. Qualitative in-depth interviews.Setting Dentists working in general dental practices in the United Kingdom were interviewed in 2013. In-depth interviews with dentists (n = 16) were conducted. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Data was analysed using framework analysis. Dentists recognised the importance of raising awareness but identified several barriers to discussions including system factors (for example, time constraints and a lack of financial incentive), patient factors (for example, fear of invoking undue anxiety) and dentist factors (for example, a lack of sufficient knowledge, training and self-confidence). Facilitators included developing practice standards and good dentist-patient relationships. Identified barriers may hold back efforts to raise awareness of oral cancer and could be targeted in future initiatives to encourage early detection.

Implementing a National Scottish Digital Health & Wellbeing Service at Scale: A Qualitative Study of Stakeholders' Views.

PubMed

Agbakoba, Ruth; McGee-Lennon, Marilyn; Bouamrane, Matt-Mouley; Watson, Nicholas; Mair, Frances

2015-01-01

Digital technologies are being used as part of international efforts to revolutionize healthcare in order to meet increasing demands such as the rising burden of chronic disease and ageing populations. In Scotland there is a government push towards a national service (Living It Up) as a single point of reference where citizens can access information, products and services to support their health and wellbeing. The aim of the study is to examine implementation issues including the challenges or facilitators which can help to sustain this intervention. We gathered data in three ways: a) participant observation to gain an understanding of LiU (N=16); b) in-depth interviews (N=21) with stakeholders involved in the process; and c) analysis of documentary evidence about the progress of the implementation (N=45). Barriers included the need to "work at risk" due to delays in financing, inadequate infrastructure and skill-set deficiencies, whilst facilitators included trusted relationships, champions and a push towards normalisation. The findings suggest that a Scottish ehealth service is achievable but identifies key considerations for future large scale initiatives.

How Are Scientists Using Social Media in the Workplace?

PubMed Central

Collins, Kimberley; Shiffman, David

2016-01-01

Social media has created networked communication channels that facilitate interactions and allow information to proliferate within professional academic communities as well as in informal social circumstances. A significant contemporary discussion in the field of science communication is how scientists are using (or might use) social media to communicate their research. This includes the role of social media in facilitating the exchange of knowledge internally within and among scientific communities, as well as externally for outreach to engage the public. This study investigates how a surveyed sample of 587 scientists from a variety of academic disciplines, but predominantly the academic life sciences, use social media to communicate internally and externally. Our results demonstrate that while social media usage has yet to be widely adopted, scientists in a variety of disciplines use these platforms to exchange scientific knowledge, generally via either Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or blogs. Despite the low frequency of use, our work evidences that scientists perceive numerous potential advantages to using social media in the workplace. Our data provides a baseline from which to assess future trends in social media use within the science academy. PMID:27732598

Mental health issues in the workplace: maintaining a productive work force.

PubMed

Raderstorf, Mark; Kurtz, Jennifer

2006-08-01

Occupational health nurses must intervene early and validate the conditions and experiences of employees with psychiatric disabilities. Occupational health nurses must ensure employees are receiving appropriate treatment. They must be aware of and prepared to mitigate iatrogenic influences. Occupational health nurses can facilitate resolution of workplace conflicts and issues regarding changing supervisors or departments. They can also facilitate return to work by establishing clear restrictions and coordinating accommodations. compassionate and supportive, yet assertive, approach is key to managing mental health disability. It will, in most cases, facilitate successful return to full-time work.

Architectural Optimization of Digital Libraries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Biser, Aileen O.

1998-01-01

This work investigates performance and scaling issues relevant to large scale distributed digital libraries. Presently, performance and scaling studies focus on specific implementations of production or prototype digital libraries. Although useful information is gained to aid these designers and other researchers with insights to performance and scaling issues, the broader issues relevant to very large scale distributed libraries are not addressed. Specifically, no current studies look at the extreme or worst case possibilities in digital library implementations. A survey of digital library research issues is presented. Scaling and performance issues are mentioned frequently in the digital library literature but are generally not the focus of much of the current research. In this thesis a model for a Generic Distributed Digital Library (GDDL) and nine cases of typical user activities are defined. This model is used to facilitate some basic analysis of scaling issues. Specifically, the calculation of Internet traffic generated for different configurations of the study parameters and an estimate of the future bandwidth needed for a large scale distributed digital library implementation. This analysis demonstrates the potential impact a future distributed digital library implementation would have on the Internet traffic load and raises questions concerning the architecture decisions being made for future distributed digital library designs.

A multi-dimensional environment-health risk analysis system for the English regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vitolo, Claudia; Scutari, Marco; Ghalaieny, Mohamed; Tucker, Allan; Russell, Andrew

2017-04-01

There is an overwhelming body of evidence that environmental pollution, and air pollution in particular, is a significant threat to health worldwide. While in developed countries the introduction of environmental legislation and sustainable technologies aims to mitigate adverse effects, developing countries are at higher risk. Within the scope of the British Council funded KEHRA project, work is on-going to develop a reproducible and reliable system to assess health risks due to exposure to pollution under climate change and across countries. Our approach is based on the use of Bayesian Networks. We used these graphical models to explore and model the statistical dependence structure of the intricate environment-health nexus. We developed a robust modelling workflow in the R programming language to facilitate reproducibility and tested it on the English regions in the United Kingdom. Preliminary results are encouraging, showing that the model tests generally well in sample (training data spans the period 1981-2005) and has good predictive power when tested out of sample (testing data spans the period 2006-2014). We plan to show the results of this preliminary analysis as well as test the model under future climate change scenarios. Future work will also investigate the transferability of the model from a data-rich (England) to a data-poor environment (Kazakhstan).

Predictable and SuStainable Implementation of National Cardiovascular Registries (PASSION) infrastructure: A think tank report from Medical Device Epidemiological Network Initiative (MDEpiNet).

PubMed

Zeitler, Emily P; Al-Khatib, Sana M; Drozda, Joseph P; Kessler, Larry G; Kirtane, Ajay J; Kong, David F; Laschinger, John; Marinac-Dabic, Danica; Morice, Marie-Claude; Reed, Terrie; Sedrakyan, Art; Stein, Kenneth M; Tcheng, James; Krucoff, Mitchell W

2016-01-01

The MDEpiNet is a public-private partnership between the US Food and Drug Administration's Center for Devices and Radiological Health and participating partners. The PASSION program is an MDEpiNet-sponsored program that aims to demonstrate the goals of MDEpiNet by using cardiovascular medical device registries to bridge evidence gaps across the medical device total product life cycle. To this end, a PASSION Think Tank meeting took place in October 2014 in Silver Spring, MD, to facilitate discussion between stakeholders about the successes, challenges, and future novel applications of medical device registries, with particular emphasis on identifying pilot projects. Participants spanned a broad range of groups including patients, device manufacturers, regulators, physicians/academicians, professional societies, providers, and payers. The meeting focus included 4 areas of cardiovascular medicine intended to cultivate interest in 4 MDEpiNet disease-specific/device-specific working groups: coronary intervention, electrophysiology, valvular disease, and peripheral vascular disease. In addition, more general issues applying to registry-based infrastructure and analytical methodologies for assessing device benefit/risk were considered to provide context for the working groups as PASSION programs going forward. This article summarizes the discussions at the meeting and the future directions of the PASSION program. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sleep and memory in healthy children and adolescents - a critical review.

PubMed

Kopasz, Marta; Loessl, Barbara; Hornyak, Magdolna; Riemann, Dieter; Nissen, Christoph; Piosczyk, Hannah; Voderholzer, Ulrich

2010-06-01

There is mounting evidence that sleep is important for learning, memory and the underlying neural plasticity. This article aims to review published studies that evaluate the association between sleep, its distinct stages and memory systems in healthy children and adolescents. Furthermore it intends to suggest directions for future research. A computerised search of the literature for relevant articles published between 1966 and March 2008 was performed using the keywords "sleep", "memory", "learn", "child", "adolescents", "adolescence" and "teenager". Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Published studies focused on the impact of sleep on working memory and memory consolidation. In summary, most studies support the hypothesis that sleep facilitates working memory as well as memory consolidation in children and adolescents. There is evidence that performance in abstract and complex tasks involving higher brain functions declines more strongly after sleep deprivation than the performance in simple memory tasks. Future studies are needed to better understand the impact of a variety of variables potentially modulating the interplay between sleep and memory, such as developmental stage, socioeconomic burden, circadian factors, or the level of post-learning sensory and motor activity (interference). This line of research can provide valuable input relevant to teaching, learning and public health policy. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The HOME network: an Australian national initiative for home therapies.

PubMed

Chow, Josephine; Fortnum, Debbie; Moodie, Jo-Anne; Simmonds, Rosemary; Tomlins, Melinda

2013-01-01

Longer, more frequent dialysis at home can improve life expectancy for patients with chronic kidney disease. Increased use of home dialysis therapies also benefits the hospital system, allowing for more efficient allocation of clinic resources. However, the Australian and New Zealand Data Registry statistics highlight the low uptake of home haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis across Australia. In August 2009, the Australia's HOME Network was established as a national initiative to engage and empower healthcare professionals working in the home dialysis specialty. The aim was to develop solutions to advocate for and ultimately increase the use of home therapies. This paper describes the development, achievement and future plan of the Australian HOME Network. Achievements to date include: a survey of HOME Network members to assess the current state of patient and healthcare professional-targeted education resources; development of two patient case studies and activities addressing how to overcome the financial burden experienced by patients on home dialysis. Future projects aim to improve patient and healthcare professional education, and advocacy for home dialysis therapies. The HOME Network is supporting healthcare professionals working in the home dialysis specialty to develop solutions and tools that will help to facilitate greater utilisation of home dialysis therapies. © 2013 European Dialysis and Transplant Nurses Association/European Renal Care Association.

Design and impact assessment of watershed investments: An approach based on ecosystem services and boundary work

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

Adem Esmail, Blal, E-mail: blal.ademesmail@unitn.it; Geneletti, Davide

Watershed investments, whose main aim is to secure water for cities, represent a promising opportunity for large-scale sustainability transitions in the near future. If properly designed, they promote activities in the watershed that enhance ecosystem services while protecting nature and biodiversity, as well as achieving other societal goals. In this paper, we build on the concepts of ecosystem services and boundary work, to develop and test an operative approach for designing and assessing the impact of watershed investments. The approach is structured to facilitate negotiations among stakeholders. Its strategic component includes setting the agenda; defining investment scenarios; and assessing themore » performance of watershed investments as well as planning for a follow-up. Its technical component concerns data processing; tailoring spatially explicit ecosystem service models; hence their application to design a set of “investment portfolios”, generate future land use scenarios, and model impacts on selected ecosystem services. A case study illustrates how the technical component can be developed in a data scarce context in sub-Saharan Africa in a way that is functional to support the steps of the strategic component. The case study addresses soil erosion and water scarcity-related challenges affecting Asmara, a medium-sized city in Eritrea, and considers urban water security and rural poverty alleviation as two illustrative objectives, within a ten-year planning horizon. The case study results consist in spatially explicit data (investment portfolio, land use scenario, impact on ecosystem services), which were aggregated to quantitatively assess the performance of different watershed investments scenarios, in terms of changes in soil erosion control. By addressing stakeholders' concerns of credibility, saliency, and legitimacy, the approach is expected to facilitate negotiation of objectives, definition of scenarios, and assessment of alternative watershed investments, ultimately, to contribute to implementing an adaptive watershed management.« less

Development of data representation standards by the human proteome organization proteomics standards initiative

PubMed Central

Albar, Juan Pablo; Binz, Pierre-Alain; Eisenacher, Martin; Jones, Andrew R; Mayer, Gerhard; Omenn, Gilbert S; Orchard, Sandra; Vizcaíno, Juan Antonio; Hermjakob, Henning

2015-01-01

Objective To describe the goals of the Proteomics Standards Initiative (PSI) of the Human Proteome Organization, the methods that the PSI has employed to create data standards, the resulting output of the PSI, lessons learned from the PSI’s evolution, and future directions and synergies for the group. Materials and Methods The PSI has 5 categories of deliverables that have guided the group. These are minimum information guidelines, data formats, controlled vocabularies, resources and software tools, and dissemination activities. These deliverables are produced via the leadership and working group organization of the initiative, driven by frequent workshops and ongoing communication within the working groups. Official standards are subjected to a rigorous document process that includes several levels of peer review prior to release. Results We have produced and published minimum information guidelines describing what information should be provided when making data public, either via public repositories or other means. The PSI has produced a series of standard formats covering mass spectrometer input, mass spectrometer output, results of informatics analysis (both qualitative and quantitative analyses), reports of molecular interaction data, and gel electrophoresis analyses. We have produced controlled vocabularies that ensure that concepts are uniformly annotated in the formats and engaged in extensive software development and dissemination efforts so that the standards can efficiently be used by the community. Conclusion In its first dozen years of operation, the PSI has produced many standards that have accelerated the field of proteomics by facilitating data exchange and deposition to data repositories. We look to the future to continue developing standards for new proteomics technologies and workflows and mechanisms for integration with other omics data types. Our products facilitate the translation of genomics and proteomics findings to clinical and biological phenotypes. The PSI website can be accessed at http://www.psidev.info. PMID:25726569

An Overview of Practice Facilitation Programs in Canada: Current Perspectives and Future Directions

PubMed Central

Liddy, Clare; Laferriere, Dianne; Baskerville, Bruce; Dahrouge, Simone; Knox, Lyndee; Hogg, William

2013-01-01

Practice facilitation has proven to be effective in improving the quality of primary care. A practice facilitator is a health professional, usually external to the practice, who regularly visits the practice to provide support in change management that targets improvements in the delivery of care. Our environmental scan shows that several initiatives across Canada utilize practice facilitation as a quality improvement method; however, many are conducted in isolation as there is a lack of coordinated effort, knowledge translation and dissemination in this field across the country. We recommend that investments be made in capacity building, knowledge exchange and facilitator training, and that partnership building be considered a priority in this field. PMID:23968627

Barriers and facilitators to young children's physical activity and sedentary behaviour: a systematic review and synthesis of qualitative literature

PubMed Central

Lakshman, R.; van Sluijs, E. M. F.

2017-01-01

Summary Positive activity behaviours (i.e. higher physical activity [PA]/lower sedentary behaviour [SB]) are beneficial from infancy, yet evidence suggests that young children (0‐ to 6‐year‐olds) are relatively inactive. To better understand the perceived influences on these behaviours and to aid intervention development, this paper systematically synthesizes the extensive qualitative literature regarding perceived barriers and facilitators to PA and SB in young children (0–6 years old). A search of eight electronic databases (July 2016) identified 43 papers for inclusion. Data extraction and evidence synthesis were conducted using thematic content analysis, underpinned by the socio‐ecological model (i.e. individual, interpersonal, community, organizational and policy levels). Parents, childcare providers and children perceived seven broad themes to be important for PA and SB, including the child; the home; out‐of‐home childcare; parent–childcare provider interactions; environmental factors; safety; and weather. Each theme mapped onto between one and five levels of the socio‐ecological model; barriers and facilitators at the interpersonal level (e.g. parents, care providers and family) were most frequently cited, reflecting the important (perceived) role adults/peers play in shaping young children's behaviours. We provide an overarching framework to explain PA and SB in early childhood. We also highlight where gaps in the current literature exist (e.g. from male carers; in developing countries; and barriers and facilitators in the environmental and policy domains) and where future quantitative work may focus to provide novel insights about children's activity behaviours (e.g. safety and weather). PMID:28589678

The role of social support in facilitating postpartum women's return to employment.

PubMed

Killien, Marcia Gruis

2005-01-01

More than half of mothers with infants under 1 year are employed. This study explored the role of social support in facilitating women's return to employment during the 1st year postpartum. Analysis of existing longitudinal, repeated-measures questionnaire data gathered at 4 and 12 months postpartum. 94 postpartum women who were married or partnered, employed, and residing in a large urban area in the northwestern United States. Satisfaction with decision to return to work, role performance, work-family balance. Relationships between indicators of social support and return-to-work experiences were absent to modest. Satisfaction with child care was related to satisfaction with the decision to return to work. Workplace support was related to work-family balance at 12 months postpartum. Satisfactory child care arrangements and supportive relationships in the workplace are the most significant facilitators of women's return to work postpartum.

Monitoring and evaluation of disaster response efforts undertaken by local health departments: a rapid realist review.

PubMed

Gossip, Kate; Gouda, Hebe; Lee, Yong Yi; Firth, Sonja; Bermejo, Raoul; Zeck, Willibald; Jimenez Soto, Eliana

2017-06-29

Local health departments are often at the forefront of a disaster response, attending to the immediate trauma inflicted by the disaster and also the long term health consequences. As the frequency and severity of disasters are projected to rise, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) efforts are critical to help local health departments consolidate past experiences and improve future response efforts. Local health departments often conduct M&E work post disaster, however, many of these efforts fail to improve response procedures. We undertook a rapid realist review (RRR) to examine why M&E efforts undertaken by local health departments do not always result in improved disaster response efforts. We aimed to complement existing frameworks by focusing on the most basic and pragmatic steps of a M&E cycle targeted towards continuous system improvements. For these purposes, we developed a theoretical framework that draws on the quality improvement literature to 'frame' the steps in the M&E cycle. This framework encompassed a M&E cycle involving three stages (i.e., document and assess, disseminate and implement) that must be sequentially completed to learn from past experiences and improve future disaster response efforts. We used this framework to guide our examination of the literature and to identify any context-mechanism-outcome (CMO) configurations which describe how M&E may be constrained or enabled at each stage of the M&E cycle. This RRR found a number of explanatory CMO configurations that provide valuable insights into some of the considerations that should be made when using M&E to improve future disaster response efforts. Firstly, to support the accurate documentation and assessment of a disaster response, local health departments should consider how they can: establish a culture of learning within health departments; use embedded training methods; or facilitate external partnerships. Secondly, to enhance the widespread dissemination of lessons learned and facilitate inter-agency learning, evaluation reports should use standardised formats and terminology. Lastly, to increase commitment to improvement processes, local health department leaders should possess positive leadership attributes and encourage shared decision making. This study is among the first to conduct a synthesis of the CMO configurations which facilitate or hinder M&E efforts aimed at improving future disaster responses. It makes a significant contribution to the disaster literature and provides an evidence base that can be used to provide pragmatic guidance for improving M&E efforts of local health departments. PROSPERO 2015: CRD42015023526 .

Brownfields to School Sites: How Can the State Facilitate Cleanup To Build Essential Schools?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

California State Legislature, Sacramento. Select Committee on Environmental Justice.

This document presents background information and testimony concerning the cleanup of potentially contaminated vacant or underutilized property for use as future school sites in low-income and minority communities. Various proposals are offered that would allow the state, where necessary, to facilitate the cleanup of these "brownfields"…

Language and the Facilitation of Authority: The Discourse of Noam Chomsky (Reader Response).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beaugrande, Robert de

1991-01-01

Applies discourse analysis to an interview with Noam Chomsky to show the use of language to facilitate authority. Discusses idealism and scientism, change and the role of the intellectual, Chomsky's dualism, his "problem," his method, creativity and composition, activism and the intellectual, and the future of intellectualism. (PRA)

Learning to Facilitate Advance Care Planning: The Novice Social Worker's Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Washington, Karla; Bowland, Sharon; Mueggenburg, Kay; Pederson, Margaret; Otten, Sheila; Renn, Tanya

2014-01-01

Professional leaders have identified clear roles for social workers involved in advance care planning (ACP), a facilitated process whereby individuals identify their preferences for future medical care; yet information about effective teaching practices in this area is scant. This study reports on the experiences of 14 social workers who…

Metadata, Identifiers, and Physical Samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arctur, D. K.; Lenhardt, W. C.; Hills, D. J.; Jenkyns, R.; Stroker, K. J.; Todd, N. S.; Dassie, E. P.; Bowring, J. F.

2016-12-01

Physical samples are integral to much of the research conducted by geoscientists. The samples used in this research are often obtained at significant cost and represent an important investment for future research. However, making information about samples - whether considered data or metadata - available for researchers to enable discovery is difficult: a number of key elements related to samples are difficult to characterize in common ways, such as classification, location, sample type, sampling method, repository information, subsample distribution, and instrumentation, because these differ from one domain to the next. Unifying these elements or developing metadata crosswalks is needed. The iSamples (Internet of Samples) NSF-funded Research Coordination Network (RCN) is investigating ways to develop these types of interoperability and crosswalks. Within the iSamples RCN, one of its working groups, WG1, has focused on the metadata related to physical samples. This includes identifying existing metadata standards and systems, and how they might interoperate with the International Geo Sample Number (IGSN) schema (schema.igsn.org) in order to help inform leading practices for metadata. For example, we are examining lifecycle metadata beyond the IGSN `birth certificate.' As a first step, this working group is developing a list of relevant standards and comparing their various attributes. In addition, the working group is looking toward technical solutions to facilitate developing a linked set of registries to build the web of samples. Finally, the group is also developing a comparison of sample identifiers and locators. This paper will provide an overview and comparison of the standards identified thus far, as well as an update on the technical solutions examined for integration. We will discuss how various sample identifiers might work in complementary fashion with the IGSN to more completely describe samples, facilitate retrieval of contextual information, and access research work on related samples. Finally, we welcome suggestions and community input to move physical sample unique identifiers forward.

Reuse and recycle--considering the soil below constructions.

PubMed

Suer, Pascal; Wik, Ola; Erlandsson, Martin

2014-07-01

The European Construction Products Regulation provides a life cycle based framework for the environmental assessment of construction products. Harmonised European standards for the assessment of the release of dangerous substances and for declaration of environmental performance are in progress. Risk based limit values for the protection of soil and groundwater below construction works will still bet set nationally. In this paper we review the possibilities to expand the ongoing harmonisation to include risk assessment and life cycle assessment (LCA). Based on reviews of national European limit value models (LMVs) for assessment of release to soil and groundwater, two areas for harmonisation emerge: 1- The toxicological criteria. Toxicological endpoints to protect human health and environment are similar, and data from the same toxicological data sets are used to establish acceptance criteria. 2- The emission part of LMVs. We extracted six generic construction works for granular materials. These encompass the most common choices and span the different release scenarios applied. Harmonised emission models would also facilitate LCA and environmental product declaration (EPD). The immission or transport part of the LVMs is less promising for harmonisation. Locating the acceptance criteria point of compliance close to the construction works is advantageous from many aspects and would facilitate harmonisation of assessments. We have identified two different strategies to include recycling in the assessments: 1- Tiered procedure where assessment and declaration of performance are made for the intended primary use of the product only and renewed assessments are made whenever the construction works are demolished and the product is recovered. 2- Scenario based procedure where future recycling scenarios, into new products and construction works, are forecasted. In this case the initial assessment and declaration of environmental performance of a construction product is performed both for the intended primary use of the product and for the recycling scenarios. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Implementation of a Personalized, Cost-Effective Physical Therapy Approach (Coach2Move) for Older Adults: Barriers and Facilitators.

PubMed

van de Sant, Arjan J W; de Vries, Nienke M; Hoogeboom, Thomas J; Nijhuis-van der Sanden, Maria W G

2017-07-27

This article reports on a recent randomized clinical trial that showed a personalized approach to physical therapy (Coach2Move) by a physical therapist specialized in geriatrics (PTG) to be more cost-effective than usual physical therapy care in people with mobility problems (n = 130, mean age = 78 years). We used an explanatory mixed-methods sequential design alongside the randomized clinical trial to gain insight into (a) the contrast between the 2 interventions, (b) the fidelity of the Coach2Move delivery; (c) PTGs' experiences of Coach2Move; and (d) possible barriers and facilitators for future implementation. The study included 13 PTGs educated in the strategy and 13 physical therapists with expertise in geriatrics delivering the usual care. In total, 106 medical records were available for assessment: 57 (85%) Coach2Move, 49 (75%) usual care. Quantitative process indicators were used to analyze electronic medical records to determine contrasts in the phases of clinical reasoning. The fidelity of the delivery was tested using indicator scores focusing on 4 key elements of Coach2Move. In-depth interviews with Coach2Move therapists were thematically analyzed to explore experiences and facilitators/barriers related to implementation. Indicator scores showed significant and clinically relevant contrasts in all phases of clinical reasoning, with consistently higher scores among PTGs, except for the treatment plan. Moreover, the fidelity of Coach2Move delivery was more than 70% in all phases, except the evaluation phase (53%). Experiences of Coach2Move were positive. In particular, extended intake allowing motivational interviewing, physical examination and an in-depth problem analysis, and shared goal setting were considered valuable. Facilitators for implementation were the addition of a Coach2Move medical record, frequent coaching by the researcher, and readiness to change in the therapist. Barriers were (1) having to use 2 parallel electronic medical record systems, (2) having to clear the calendar to schedule an intake of 90 minutes, (3) fear of losing income, (4) the sense that patients do not want to change their lifestyle, and (5) not acknowledging that increasing physical activity is an important goal for older adults with mobility problems. Physical therapy based on the Coach2Move strategy is substantially different from usual care. Future implementation should focus on increasing regular evaluation and feedback, taking into account individuals' contextual factors, and improving organizational facilities while mitigating income loss.This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal.

Learning to Do Diversity Work: A Model for Continued Education of Program Organizers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dounas-Frazer, Dimitri R.; Hyater-Adams, Simone A.; Reinholz, Daniel L.

2017-09-01

Physics and physics education in the United States suffer from severe (and, in some cases, worsening) underrepresentation of Black, Latinx, and Native American people of all genders and women of all races and ethnicities. In this paper, we describe an approach to facilitating physics students' collective and continued education about such underrepresentation; its connections to racism, sexism, and other dimensions of marginalization; and models of allyship that may bring about social change within physics. Specifically, we focus on the efforts of undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdocs who are members of a student-run diversity-oriented organization in the physics department at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU), a large, selective, predominantly White public university with high research activity. This group's education was accomplished through quarterly Diversity Workshops. Here we report on six Diversity Workshops that were co-designed and facilitated by the authors. We describe the context, motivation, and goals of the workshops, the theories underlying their design and implementation, and their content. In addition, we discuss workshop attendance and suggest strategies for maintaining high attendance in the future. Because the details of our workshops were tailored to the specific needs and interests of a particular student organization, our workshop agendas may not be widely applicable beyond our local context. Nevertheless, our model, design principles, and facilitation strategies may be transferable to other contexts and provide inspiration to other diversity-oriented student groups.

Development of consensus guidance to facilitate service redesign around pharmacist prescribing in UK hospital practice.

PubMed

Tonna, Antonella; McCaig, Dorothy; Diack, Lesley; West, Bernice; Stewart, Derek

2014-10-01

The last decade has seen a drive towards non-medical prescribing in the United Kingdom (UK). However, there is a dearth of any published literature on applying the principles of service redesign to support pharmacist prescribing in any sphere of practice. To develop consensus guidance to facilitate service redesign around pharmacist prescribing. UK hospital practice. The Delphi technique was used to measure consensus of a panel of expert opinion holders in Scotland. Individuals with key strategic and operational roles in implementing initiatives of pharmacy practice and medicines management were recruited as experts. An electronic questionnaire consisting of 30 statements related to pharmacist prescribing service redesign was developed. These were presented as five-point Likert scales with illustrative quotes. Consensus, defined as 70 % of panel members agreeing (ranked strongly agree/agree) with each statement. Responses were obtained from 35/40 (87.5 %) experts in round one and 29 (72.5 %) in round two. Consensus in round one was achieved for 27/30 of statements relating to aspects of generic 'service development' (e.g. succession planning, multidisciplinary working, quality evaluation, practice development and outcome measures) and 'pharmacist prescribing role development' (e.g. education and future orientation of service). Issues of disagreement were around targeting of pharmacist prescribing to clinical specialities and financial remuneration for prescribing in the hospital setting. Consensus guidance has been developed to facilitate service redesign around hospital pharmacist prescribing.

Perturbative unitarity constraints on gauge portals

DOE PAGES

El Hedri, Sonia; Shepherd, William; Walker, Devin G. E.

2017-10-03

Dark matter that was once in thermal equilibrium with the Standard Model is generally prohibited from obtaining all of its mass from the electroweak phase transition. This implies a new scale of physics and mediator particles to facilitate dark matter annihilation. In this work, we focus on dark matter that annihilates through a generic gauge boson portal. We show how partial wave unitarity places upper bounds on the dark gauge boson, dark Higgs and dark matter masses. Outside of well-defined fine-tuned regions, we find an upper bound of 9 TeV for the dark matter mass when the dark Higgs andmore » dark gauge bosons both facilitate the dark matter annihilations. In this scenario, the upper bound on the dark Higgs and dark gauge boson masses are 10 TeV and 16 TeV, respectively. When only the dark gauge boson facilitates dark matter annihilations, we find an upper bound of 3 TeV and 6 TeV for the dark matter and dark gauge boson, respectively. Overall, using the gauge portal as a template, we describe a method to not only place upper bounds on the dark matter mass but also on the new particles with Standard Model quantum numbers. Here, we briefly discuss the reach of future accelerator, direct and indirect detection experiments for this class of models.« less

Perturbative unitarity constraints on gauge portals

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

El Hedri, Sonia; Shepherd, William; Walker, Devin G. E.

Dark matter that was once in thermal equilibrium with the Standard Model is generally prohibited from obtaining all of its mass from the electroweak phase transition. This implies a new scale of physics and mediator particles to facilitate dark matter annihilation. In this work, we focus on dark matter that annihilates through a generic gauge boson portal. We show how partial wave unitarity places upper bounds on the dark gauge boson, dark Higgs and dark matter masses. Outside of well-defined fine-tuned regions, we find an upper bound of 9 TeV for the dark matter mass when the dark Higgs andmore » dark gauge bosons both facilitate the dark matter annihilations. In this scenario, the upper bound on the dark Higgs and dark gauge boson masses are 10 TeV and 16 TeV, respectively. When only the dark gauge boson facilitates dark matter annihilations, we find an upper bound of 3 TeV and 6 TeV for the dark matter and dark gauge boson, respectively. Overall, using the gauge portal as a template, we describe a method to not only place upper bounds on the dark matter mass but also on the new particles with Standard Model quantum numbers. Here, we briefly discuss the reach of future accelerator, direct and indirect detection experiments for this class of models.« less

Planning in the 90's for Community Colleges: Coping with Rapid Change by Linking Futures Research with Professional Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Diana K.

The rate of the change now occurring outside of community colleges has made long-range planning an especially difficult task. Futures research, which attempts to forecast future scenarios by studying societal, economic, and demographic trends, can be used effectively to facilitate the institutional planning process by anticipating both internal…

The Future of Adult Education in the Military

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zacharakis, Jeffrey; Van Der Werff, Jay A.

2012-01-01

The future of adult education in the military is in many ways tied to the future of adult education. If adult educators limit their vision of what adult education is to adult learning principles, to facilitated learning, to adult basic education, and to training and education, they limit the potential of what they can do and how they do it. Adult…

The level of leisure time physical activity is associated with work ability-a cross sectional and prospective study of health care workers.

PubMed

Arvidson, Elin; Börjesson, Mats; Ahlborg, Gunnar; Lindegård, Agneta; Jonsdottir, Ingibjörg H

2013-09-17

With increasing age, physical capacity decreases, while the need and time for recovery increases. At the same time, the demands of work usually do not change with age. In the near future, an aging and physically changing workforce risks reduced work ability. Therefore, the impact of different factors, such as physical activity, on work ability is of interest. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the association between physical activity and work ability using both cross sectional and prospective analyses. This study was based on an extensive questionnaire survey. The number of participants included in the analysis at baseline in 2004 was 2.783, of whom 2.597 were also included in the follow-up in 2006. The primary outcome measure was the Work Ability Index (WAI), and the level of physical activity was measured using a single-item question. In the cross-sectional analysis we calculated the level of physical activity and the prevalence of poor or moderate work ability as reported by the participants. In the prospective analysis we calculated different levels of physical activity and the prevalence of positive changes in WAI-category from baseline to follow-up. In both the cross sectional and the prospective analyses the prevalence ratio was calculated using Generalized Linear Models. The cross-sectional analysis showed that with an increased level of physical activity, the reporting of poor or moderate work ability decreased. In the prospective analysis, participants reporting a higher level of physical activity were more likely to have made an improvement in WAI from 2004 to 2006. The level of physical activity seems to be related to work ability. Assessment of physical activity may also be useful as a predictive tool, potentially making it possible to prevent poor work ability and improve future work ability. For employers, the main implications of this study are the importance of promoting and facilitating the employees' engagement in physical activity, and the importance of the employees' maintaining a physically active lifestyle.

Impact of Student vs Faculty Facilitators on Motivational Interviewing Student Outcomes.

PubMed

Widder-Prewett, Rebecca; Draime, Juanita A; Cameron, Ginger; Anderson, Douglas; Pinkerton, Mark; Chen, Aleda M H

2017-08-01

Objective. To determine the impact of student or faculty facilitation on student self-assessed attitudes, confidence, and competence in motivational interviewing (MI) skills; actual competence; and evaluation of facilitator performance. Methods. Second-year pharmacy (P2) students were randomly assigned to a student or faculty facilitator for a four-hour, small-group practice of MI skills. MI skills were assessed in a simulated patient encounter with the mMITI (modified Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity) tool. Students completed a pre-post, 6-point, Likert-type assessment addressing the research objectives. Differences were assessed using a Mann-Whitney U test. Results. Student (N=44) post-test attitudes, confidence, perceived or actual competence, and evaluations of facilitator performance were not different for faculty- and student-facilitated groups. Conclusion. Using pharmacy students as small-group facilitators did not affect student performance and were viewed as equally favorable. Using pharmacy students as facilitators can lessen faculty workload and provide an outlet for students to develop communication and facilitation skills that will be needed in future practice.

Common Perceived Barriers and Facilitators for Reducing Sedentary Behaviour among Office Workers

PubMed Central

Kallings, Lena V.; Blom, Victoria; Forsell, Yvonne; Ekblom, Maria M.

2018-01-01

Qualitative studies identified barriers and facilitators associated with work-related sedentary behaviour. The objective of this study was to determine common perceived barriers and facilitators among office workers, assess subgroup differences, and describe sedentary behaviour. From two Swedish companies, 547 office workers (41 years (IQR = 35–48), 65% women, 66% highly educated) completed questionnaires on perceived barriers and facilitators, for which subgroup differences in age, gender, education, and workplace sedentary behaviour were assessed. Sedentary behaviour was measured using inclinometers (n = 311). The most frequently reported barrier was sitting is a habit (67%), which was reported more among women than men (Χ2 = 5.14, p = 0.03) and more among highly sedentary office workers (Χ2 = 9.26, p < 0.01). The two other most reported barriers were that standing is uncomfortable (29%) and standing is tiring (24%). Facilitators with the most support were the introduction of either standing- or walking-meetings (respectively 33% and 29%) and more possibilities or reminders for breaks (31%). The proportion spent sedentary was 64% at the workplace, 61% on working days, and 57% on non-working days. This study provides a detailed understanding of office workers’ ideas about sitting and means to reduce sitting. We advise to include the supported facilitators and individualized support in interventions to work towards more effective strategies to reduce sedentary behaviour. PMID:29670047

Common Perceived Barriers and Facilitators for Reducing Sedentary Behaviour among Office Workers.

PubMed

Nooijen, Carla F J; Kallings, Lena V; Blom, Victoria; Ekblom, Örjan; Forsell, Yvonne; Ekblom, Maria M

2018-04-18

Qualitative studies identified barriers and facilitators associated with work-related sedentary behaviour. The objective of this study was to determine common perceived barriers and facilitators among office workers, assess subgroup differences, and describe sedentary behaviour. From two Swedish companies, 547 office workers (41 years (IQR = 35–48), 65% women, 66% highly educated) completed questionnaires on perceived barriers and facilitators, for which subgroup differences in age, gender, education, and workplace sedentary behaviour were assessed. Sedentary behaviour was measured using inclinometers ( n = 311). The most frequently reported barrier was sitting is a habit (67%), which was reported more among women than men (Χ² = 5.14, p = 0.03) and more among highly sedentary office workers (Χ² = 9.26, p < 0.01). The two other most reported barriers were that standing is uncomfortable (29%) and standing is tiring (24%). Facilitators with the most support were the introduction of either standing- or walking-meetings (respectively 33% and 29%) and more possibilities or reminders for breaks (31%). The proportion spent sedentary was 64% at the workplace, 61% on working days, and 57% on non-working days. This study provides a detailed understanding of office workers’ ideas about sitting and means to reduce sitting. We advise to include the supported facilitators and individualized support in interventions to work towards more effective strategies to reduce sedentary behaviour.

The Mount Sinai international enhancement of social work leadership program: The past and the future.

PubMed

Gordon, Elisa; Green, Karen; Whitwam, Louisa; Epstein, Irwin; Bernstein, Susan

2018-07-01

Developed in 1988, the Mount Sinai International Enhancement of Social Work Leadership Program brings 4-6 social workers from several countries each year to the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, where they meet with leaders from the hospital, community based organizations and graduate schools of social work, to enhance their leadership ability, strengthen management and research skills, and build upon global social work relationships. This article reviews the results of a survey conducted in 2016 to assess whether the visiting scholars met established learning objectives of the Program. Survey outcomes, presented in quantitative and qualitative terms, show positive results, and the scholars reported that the Program was extremely beneficial. The Program is viewed through the lens of two select adult learning theories: Social Learning Theory, which incorporates collaboration and learning from others, and Transformative Learning Theory, which is comprised of self-reflection and individualized learning. The inclusion of these theories in the implementation of the Program will be discussed. An analysis of the survey's outcomes, through pre- and post-Program participation and learning, facilitates assessment of potential programmatic adjustments to help evaluate long-term viability of the Program and potential duplication by other academic medical centers.

'Being a conduit' between hospital and home: stakeholders' views and perceptions of a nurse-led Palliative Care Discharge Facilitator Service in an acute hospital setting.

PubMed

Venkatasalu, Munikumar Ramasamy; Clarke, Amanda; Atkinson, Joanne

2015-06-01

To explore and critically examine stakeholders' views and perceptions concerning the nurse-led Palliative Care Discharge Service in an acute hospital setting and to inform sustainability, service development and future service configuration. The drive in policy and practice is to enable individuals to achieve their preferred place of care during their last days of life. However, most people in UK die in acute hospital settings against their wishes. To facilitate individuals' preferred place of care, a large acute hospital in northeast England implemented a pilot project to establish a nurse-led Macmillan Palliative Care Discharge Facilitator Service. A pluralistic evaluation design using qualitative methods was used to seek stakeholders' views and perceptions of this service. In total, 12 participants (five bereaved carers and seven health professionals) participated in the evaluation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with bereaved carers who used this service for their relatives. A focus group and an individual interview were undertaken with health professionals who had used the service since its inception. Individual interviews were also conducted with the Discharge Facilitator and service manager. Analysis of all data was guided by Framework Analysis. Four key themes emerged relating to the role of the Discharge Facilitator Service: achieving preferred place of care; the Discharge Facilitator as the 'conduit' between hospital and community settings; delays in hospital discharge and stakeholders' perceptions of the way forward for the service. The Discharge Facilitator Service acted as a reliable resource and support for facilitating the fast-tracking of end-of-life patients to their preferred place of care. Future planning for hospital-based palliative care discharge facilitating services need to consider incorporating strategies that include: increased profile of the service, expansion of service provision and the Discharge Facilitator's earlier involvement in the discharge process. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Work-life balance among shift workers: results from an intervention study about self-rostering.

PubMed

Albertsen, Karen; Garde, Anne Helene; Nabe-Nielsen, Kirsten; Hansen, Ase Marie; Lund, Henrik; Hvid, Helge

2014-04-01

The aims of the study were to explore the effects of the implementation of IT-based tools for planning of rosters among shift workers on work-family-related outcomes and to interpret the results in light of the different implementation processes. A quasi-experimental intervention study was conducted with 12-month follow-up at 14 intervention and 14 reference worksites in Denmark. Workplaces planning to introduce IT-supported self-rostering were recruited, and three different kinds of interventions were implemented. Intervention A and B aimed at increasing workers satisfaction and well-being, while intervention C was designed to optimize the personnel resources. Questionnaire data were collected from 840 employees at baseline and 784 at follow-up. Process evaluation encompassed interviews with about 25 employees and 15 managers at baseline and follow-up. Work-family-related outcomes were work-life conflicts, work-life facilitation, marital conflicts and time with children. An overall decline in work-family conflicts and increase in work-family facilitation were found in the total intervention group. More specifically, in group B, work-family conflicts and marital conflicts decreased while work-family facilitation increased. In group C, work-family conflicts increased while work-family facilitation and time spend with children decreased, and no significant changes were observed in the reference group and in group A. An overall positive effect of the implementation of self-rostering was found on the balance between work and private life. However, results from the process evaluation suggested that the organizational aim with the intervention was crucial for the effect.

Barriers and facilitators to epilepsy self-management for patients with physical and psychological co-morbidity.

PubMed

Perzynski, Adam T; Ramsey, Riane K; Colón-Zimmermann, Kari; Cage, Jamie; Welter, Elisabeth; Sajatovic, Martha

2017-09-01

Objectives This exploratory study identifies barriers and facilitators to self-management to inform future epilepsy self-management interventions for persons who have epilepsy complicated by co-morbid mental health conditions and serious medical events. Methods Focus group methods were used in a series of community advisory board meetings. Analysis was conducted using a thematic, constant comparative approach aiming to describe the range of barriers and facilitators salient to participants. There were a total of 22 participants, including 8 health professionals, 9 patients with epilepsy, and 5 care partners. Mean age was 49.1 (SD = 11.0, range 32-69), 11 (50%) were female, and 11 (50%) were male. For those with epilepsy, mean years having epilepsy was 24.7 (SD = 19.9, range 1-58 years). Results Individual psychological barriers (mental illness, fatigue, and psychological distress) prominently interfered with health behaviors. Community and family barriers included stigma, lack of epilepsy knowledge, and poor social support. Facilitators included planning for seizures, learning about medications, stress management, socializing with others, and talking with other epilepsy patients. Discussion Qualitative evidence in this study suggests a linkage between social integration and positive health behaviors. Future efforts to embed patients with epilepsy and their caregivers into clinical care processes could offset barriers and enhance facilitators.

Facilitating comparative effectiveness research in cancer genomics: evaluating stakeholder perceptions of the engagement process.

PubMed

Deverka, Patricia A; Lavallee, Danielle C; Desai, Priyanka J; Armstrong, Joanne; Gorman, Mark; Hole-Curry, Leah; O'Leary, James; Ruffner, B W; Watkins, John; Veenstra, David L; Baker, Laurence H; Unger, Joseph M; Ramsey, Scott D

2012-07-01

The Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research in Cancer Genomics completed a 2-year stakeholder-guided process for the prioritization of genomic tests for comparative effectiveness research studies. We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of engagement procedures in achieving project goals and to identify opportunities for future improvements. The evaluation included an online questionnaire, one-on-one telephone interviews and facilitated discussion. Responses to the online questionnaire were tabulated for descriptive purposes, while transcripts from key informant interviews were analyzed using a directed content analysis approach. A total of 11 out of 13 stakeholders completed both the online questionnaire and interview process, while nine participated in the facilitated discussion. Eighty-nine percent of questionnaire items received overall ratings of agree or strongly agree; 11% of responses were rated as neutral with the exception of a single rating of disagreement with an item regarding the clarity of how stakeholder input was incorporated into project decisions. Recommendations for future improvement included developing standard recruitment practices, role descriptions and processes for improved communication with clinical and comparative effectiveness research investigators. Evaluation of the stakeholder engagement process provided constructive feedback for future improvements and should be routinely conducted to ensure maximal effectiveness of stakeholder involvement.

Online interprofessional education facilitation: A scoping review.

PubMed

Evans, Sherryn Maree; Ward, Catherine; Reeves, Scott

2018-04-22

The use of online media to deliver interprofessional education (IPE) is becoming more prevalent across health professions education settings. Facilitation of IPE activities is known to be critical to the effective delivery of IPE, however, specifics about the nature of online IPE facilitation remains unclear. To explore the health professions education literature to understand the extent, range and nature of research on online IPE facilitation. Scoping review methodology was used to guide a search of four electronic databases for relevant papers. Of the 2095 abstracts initially identified, after screening of both abstracts and full-text papers, 10 studies were selected for inclusion in this review. Following abstraction of key information from each study, a thematic analysis was undertaken. Three key themes emerged to describe the nature of the IPE facilitation literature: (1) types of online IPE facilitation contributions, (2) the experience of online IPE facilitation and (3) personal outcomes of online IPE facilitation. These IPE facilitation themes were particularly focused on facilitation of interprofessional student teams on an asynchronous basis. While the included studies provide some insight into the nature of online IPE facilitation, future research is needed to better understand facilitator contributions, and the facilitation experience and associated outcomes, both relating to synchronous and asynchronous online environments.

Science and technology convergence: with emphasis for nanotechnology-inspired convergence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bainbridge, William S.; Roco, Mihail C.

2016-07-01

Convergence offers a new universe of discovery, innovation, and application opportunities through specific theories, principles, and methods to be implemented in research, education, production, and other societal activities. Using a holistic approach with shared goals, convergence seeks to transcend existing human limitations to achieve improved conditions for work, learning, aging, physical, and cognitive wellness. This paper outlines ten key theories that offer complementary perspectives on this complex dynamic. Principles and methods are proposed to facilitate and enhance science and technology convergence. Several convergence success stories in the first part of the 21st century—including nanotechnology and other emerging technologies—are discussed in parallel with case studies focused on the future. The formulation of relevant theories, principles, and methods aims at establishing the convergence science.

Using Virtual and In-Person Engagement Opportunities to Connect K-12 Students, Teachers, and the Public With NASA Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Assets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Graff, P.; Foxworth, S.; Luckey, M. K.; McInturff, B.; Mosie, A.; Runco, S.; Todd, N.; Willis, K. J.; Zeigler, R.

2017-01-01

Engaging K-12 students, teachers, and the public with NASA Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) assets provides an extraordinary opportunity to connect audiences with authentic aspects unique to our nation's space program. NASA ARES has effectively engaged audiences with 1) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) experts, 2) NASA specialized facilities, and 3) NASA astromaterial samples through both virtual and in-person engagement opportunities. These engagement opportunities help connect local and national audiences with STEM role models, promote the exciting work being facilitated through NASA's Science Mission Directorate, and expose our next generation of scientific explorers to science they may be inspired to pursue as a future STEM career.

Toward a common identity for relationally oriented clinicians: a place to hang one's hat.

PubMed

Markin, Rayna D

2014-09-01

The goal of this special section is to work toward establishing a common identity for relationally inclined clinicians across proscribed theoretical orientations, facilitating a shared identity among diverse psychotherapists while placing a spotlight on relationship research. This article discusses the need for a more coherent and less polarizing professional identity for psychotherapists and why a more universal relational orientation to psychotherapy is timely given the current state of psychotherapy practice and research. Lastly, common relational themes that run throughout the diverse treatment paradigms presented in this special section are discussed, framing what it means to be a relational psychotherapist while hopefully providing some direction for future research and clinical training. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Promoting Ethical Research With American Indian and Alaska Native People Living in Urban Areas

PubMed Central

Bartgis, Jami; Demers, Deirdre

2014-01-01

Most health research with American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people has focused on tribal communities on reservation lands. Few studies have been conducted with AI/AN people living in urban settings despite their documented health disparities compared with other urban populations. There are unique considerations for working with this population. Engaging key stakeholders, including urban Indian health organization leaders, tribal leaders, research scientists and administrators, and policymakers, is critical to promoting ethical research and enhancing capacity of urban AI/AN communities. Recommendations for their involvement may facilitate an open dialogue and promote the development of implementation strategies. Future collaborations are also necessary for establishing research policies aimed at improving the health of the urban AI/AN population. PMID:25211730

Adopting exergy analysis for use in aerospace

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayes, David; Lone, Mudassir; Whidborne, James F.; Camberos, José; Coetzee, Etienne

2017-08-01

Thermodynamic analysis methods, based on an exergy metric, have been developed to improve system efficiency of traditional heat driven systems such as ground based power plants and aircraft propulsion systems. However, in more recent years interest in the topic has broadened to include applying these second law methods to the field of aerodynamics and complete aerospace vehicles. Work to date is based on highly simplified structures, but such a method could be shown to have benefit to the highly conservative and risk averse commercial aerospace sector. This review justifies how thermodynamic exergy analysis has the potential to facilitate a breakthrough in the optimization of aerospace vehicles based on a system of energy systems, through studying the exergy-based multidisciplinary design of future flight vehicles.

Microgravity sciences application visiting scientist program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glicksman, Martin; Vanalstine, James

1995-01-01

Marshall Space Flight Center pursues scientific research in the area of low-gravity effects on materials and processes. To facilitate these Government performed research responsibilities, a number of supplementary research tasks were accomplished by a group of specialized visiting scientists. They participated in work on contemporary research problems with specific objectives related to current or future space flight experiments and defined and established independent programs of research which were based on scientific peer review and the relevance of the defined research to NASA microgravity for implementing a portion of the national program. The programs included research in the following areas: protein crystal growth, X-ray crystallography and computer analysis of protein crystal structure, optimization and analysis of protein crystal growth techniques, and design and testing of flight hardware.

One institution's experience in transforming the health sciences library of the future.

PubMed

Allee, Nancy J; Blumenthal, Jane; Jordan, Karen; Lalla, Nadia; Lauseng, Deborah; Rana, Gurpreet; Saylor, Kate; Song, Jean

2014-01-01

Recognizing a need to be more relevant to its constituents, and aligned with institutional priorities, the Taubman Health Sciences Library redefined its mission, roles, and space. This transformation facilitated innovative, team-based collaborations within the health sciences community and the addition of new roles and responsibilities in academic and clinical engagement, research and informatics, enabling technologies, community outreach, and global health. Library space is being redesigned, and a branch library dedicated to interdisciplinary partnerships has been established. Information gained from this experience will be useful to other libraries faced with budget, resource, and staffing challenges and will offer practical ideas for becoming more integrated into the academic, research, and clinical work of the health sciences enterprise.

CMB anisotropies at all orders: the non-linear Sachs-Wolfe formula

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

Roldan, Omar, E-mail: oaroldan@if.ufrj.br

2017-08-01

We obtain the non-linear generalization of the Sachs-Wolfe + integrated Sachs-Wolfe (ISW) formula describing the CMB temperature anisotropies. Our formula is valid at all orders in perturbation theory, is also valid in all gauges and includes scalar, vector and tensor modes. A direct consequence of our results is that the maps of the logarithmic temperature anisotropies are much cleaner than the usual CMB maps, because they automatically remove many secondary anisotropies. This can for instance, facilitate the search for primordial non-Gaussianity in future works. It also disentangles the non-linear ISW from other effects. Finally, we provide a method which canmore » iteratively be used to obtain the lensing solution at the desired order.« less

Enhancing work outcomes of employees with autism spectrum disorder through leadership: leadership for employees with autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Parr, Alissa D; Hunter, Samuel T

2014-07-01

The focus of this study was to identify leader behaviors that elicit successful engagement of employees with autism spectrum disorder, a population that is powerfully emerging into the workplace. The ultimate goal was to improve the quality of life of employees with autism spectrum disorder by facilitating an environment leading to their success. Through a series of interviews with 54 employees with autism spectrum disorder, results indicated that leadership has a great effect on employee attitudes and performance, and that the notion of leadership preferences is quite complex culminating in several important behaviors rather than one superior leadership theory. Implications and future research directions are discussed. © The Author(s) 2013.

Development of use of an Operational Procedure Information System (OPIS) for future space missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Illmer, N.; Mies, L.; Schoen, A.; Jain, A.

1994-01-01

A MS-Windows based electronic procedure system, called OPIS (Operational Procedure Information System), was developed. The system consists of two parts, the editor, for 'writing' the procedure and the notepad application, for the usage of the procedures by the crew during training and flight. The system is based on standardized, structured procedure format and language. It allows the embedding of sketches, photos, animated graphics and video sequences and the access to off-nominal procedures by linkage to an appropriate database. The system facilitates the work with procedures of different degrees of detail, depending on the training status of the crew. The development of a 'language module' for the automatic translation of the procedures, for example into Russian, is planned.

Vicarious traumatization: concept analysis.

PubMed

Tabor, Pamela Diane

2011-12-01

There is growing knowledge of the effects of stress on professionals, including various negative symptoms that may mirror the biopsychosocial effects exhibited by the victims of trauma. Multiple concepts including burn out, compassion fatigue, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and secondary traumatic stress, are terms that have been incorrectly interchanged with the term vicarious traumatization (VT). Clarity of vicarious victimization and understanding contributing factors is imperative in order to facilitate future research and implement timely and effective interventions, as well as sculpt evidence based practice. This concept anaylsis, complete with a concept map, discusses VT; related terminology; symptomology; prevention and relevant interventions; and discusses opportunities for personal/professional growth for nurses and especially forensic nurses working with victims of violence. © 2011 International Association of Forensic Nurses.

Mechanization of library procedures in a medium-sized medical library: XVI. Computer-assisted cataloging, the first decade.

PubMed Central

Bolef, D

1975-01-01

After ten years of experimentation in computer-assisted cataloging, the Washington University School of Medicine Library has decided to join the Ohio College Library Center network. The history of the library's work preceding this decision is reviewed. The data processing equipment and computers that have permitted librarians to explore different ways of presenting cataloging information are discussed. Certain cataloging processes are facilitated by computer manipulation and printouts, but the intellectual cataloging processes such as descriptive and subject cataloging are not. Networks and shared bibliographic data bases show promise of eliminating the intellectual cataloging for one book by more than one cataloger. It is in this area that future developments can be expected. PMID:1148442

Developing facilitation skills--a narrative.

PubMed

Newton, Jennifer M

2003-07-01

Effective facilitation has been identified in the literature as one of three elements, along with context and evidence, that have a dynamic and coexisting relationship to enable the successful uptake of evidence into practice. This paper presents an overview of the concept of facilitation within the context of practice development, ahead of a personal and professional reflective account of a 'developing facilitator'. In the summer of 2001, the author was instrumental in organising the first Practice Development School in Melbourne. Thrown in at the deep end, she found herself co-facilitating with an experienced practice developer from the United Kingdom. Having never facilitated in the arena of an action learning group, nor worked in the field of practice development, there was initially a sense of impending overload and drowning in the new knowledge and skills that needed to be acquired. Drawing upon the work of narrative inquiry the author shares her experiences in the anticipation that in telling her story it will assist others in their journey of becoming a facilitator.

Using self-regulation theory to examine patient goals, barriers, and facilitators for taking medication.

PubMed

Kucukarslan, Suzan N; Thomas, Sheena; Bazzi, Abraham; Virant-Young, Deborah

2009-12-01

: Self-regulation theory predicts that patient behavior is determined by the patient's assessment of his/her condition (illness presentation) and related health goals. Patients will adapt their behavior to achieve those goals. However, there are multiple levels of goals. In such cases, those lower-level goals (health goals) that are strongly correlated with higher-level goals (i.e. quality of life [QOL]) are more likely to drive patient behavior. Medication non-compliance is a health behavior that challenges healthcare practitioners. Thus, the primary aim of this paper is to explore the relationship between the lower-level goals for taking medication with higher-level goals. This paper also identifies patient-perceived barriers and facilitators toward achieving goals as they may relate to patients' illness representation. : To identify lower- and higher-level goals associated with medication use for chronic conditions. To determine if there is a relationship between higher-level (global) goals and lower-level (health-related) goals. To identify patient-perceived facilitators and barriers to achieving those goals. : This was a prospective, observational study using a mailed survey. The setting was a US Midwestern state-wide survey. Participants were patients living in the community with hypertension, heart disease, diabetes mellitus, or arthritis, and taking prescription medication for any one of those conditions. The main outcome measures were lower- and higher-level goals related to medication use. The survey asked the participants if they had achieved their goals and to identify factors that may pose as barriers or facilitators to achieving them. Pearson correlation was used to test the relationship between the lower- and higher-level goals at p < 0.05. : Responses from 292 qualifying patients were obtained. A significant relationship between lower- and higher-level goals existed (p = 0.03). Preventing future health problems was the most important lower-level goal for almost half of the respondents. Approximately 43% of the respondents said 'improving or maintaining quality of life' was their most important higher-level goal. Elderly respondents (65 years or older) said that being able to carry out daily activities on their own was their most important higher-level goal. To achieve this goal, they identified 'preventing future health problems' as the associated lower-level goal. One-third of the respondents stated that they had not yet achieved their medication-related goals. Patients identified good communication with their physicians (35%), the effectiveness of the drug product (32%), and their ability to monitor their condition (20%) as important factors toward helping them achieve their goals. Medication costs (30%), drug adverse effects (25%), and the lack of drug effectiveness (22%) were factors that patients identified as barriers to achieving their goals. : There is a significant and positive relationship between the lower- and higher-level goals. Healthcare providers can work with their patients to achieve their goals. Both good communication with the prescriber and the effectiveness of the drug product were identified as the most important facilitator by one-third of the respondents. Future research should study if relating the impact of good symptom control or the reduction of future health risks to QOL or longevity, as deemed relevant by the patient, influences medication adherence behavior.

Do TRPC channels support working memory? Comparing modulations of TRPC channels and working memory through G-protein coupled receptors and neuromodulators.

PubMed

Reboreda, Antonio; Theissen, Frederik M; Valero-Aracama, Maria J; Arboit, Alberto; Corbu, Mihaela A; Yoshida, Motoharu

2018-03-01

Working memory is a crucial ability we use in daily life. However, the cellular mechanisms supporting working memory still remain largely unclear. A key component of working memory is persistent neural firing which is believed to serve short-term (hundreds of milliseconds up to tens of seconds) maintenance of necessary information. In this review, we will focus on the role of transient receptor potential canonical (TRPC) channels as a mechanism underlying persistent firing. Many years of in vitro work have been suggesting a crucial role of TRPC channels in working memory and temporal association tasks. If TRPC channels are indeed a central mechanism for working memory, manipulations which impair or facilitate working memory should have a similar effect on TRPC channel modulation. However, modulations of working memory and TRPC channels were never systematically compared, and it remains unanswered whether TRPC channels indeed contribute to working memory in vivo or not. In this article, we review the effects of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR) and neuromodulators, including acetylcholine, noradrenalin, serotonin and dopamine, on working memory and TRPC channels. Based on comparisons, we argue that GPCR and downstream signaling pathways that activate TRPC, generally support working memory, while those that suppress TRPC channels impair it. However, depending on the channel types, areas, and systems tested, this is not the case in all studies. Further work to clarify involvement of specific TRPC channels in working memory tasks and how they are affected by neuromodulators is still necessary in the future. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In a Time of Change: Integrating the Arts and Humanities with Climate Change Science in Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leigh, M.; Golux, S.; Franzen, K.

2011-12-01

The arts and humanities have a powerful capacity to create lines of communication between the public, policy and scientific spheres. A growing network of visual and performing artists, writers and scientists has been actively working together since 2007 to integrate scientific and artistic perspectives on climate change in interior Alaska. These efforts have involved field workshops and collaborative creative processes culminating in public performances and a visual art exhibit. The most recent multimedia event was entitled In a Time of Change: Envisioning the Future, and challenged artists and scientists to consider future scenarios of climate change. This event included a public performance featuring original theatre, modern dance, Alaska Native Dance, poetry and music that was presented concurrently with an art exhibit featuring original works by 24 Alaskan visual artists. A related effort targeted K12 students, through an early college course entitled Climate Change and Creative Expression, which was offered to high school students at a predominantly Alaska Native charter school and integrated climate change science, creative writing, theatre and dance. Our program at Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site is just one of many successful efforts to integrate arts and humanities with science within and beyond the NSF LTER Program. The efforts of various LTER sites to engage the arts and humanities with science, the public and policymakers have successfully generated excitement, facilitated mutual understanding, and promoted meaningful dialogue on issues facing science and society. The future outlook for integration of arts and humanities with science appears promising, with increasing interest from artists, scientists and scientific funding agencies.

The Key Is Knowing when--Or Whether--to Intervene

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garmston, Robert J.

2004-01-01

The greatest challenge of a facilitator is correcting individual or collective behaviors that detract from the group's work. Preparing to intervene and knowing when to do so are critical to effective facilitation. To facilitate means "to make easier." In conducting meetings, the facilitator serves the group by making easier or more effective the…

Student Learning Centre (SLC) Embraces the New Melbourne Model of Teaching: Facilitating Collaborative Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ball, Sarah

2010-01-01

Learning is about discovery and change. As schools and universities look to the future, it is fundamental that they provide environments that facilitate collaborative learning and act as points for interaction and social activity. The redevelopment of the existing Engineering Library into a Student Learning Centre (SLC) embraces the new Melbourne…

Recent research on emergent verbal behavior: clinical applications and future directions.

PubMed

Grow, Laura L; Kodak, Tiffany

2010-01-01

This paper describes recent studies that have evaluated the functional independence of verbal operants. Procedures that facilitate the emergence of untrained verbal operants and important areas of future research to increase efficiency of language programs for children diagnosed with developmental disabilities are discussed.

Pre-Service EFL Teachers' Online Participation, Interaction, and Social Presence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Satar, H. Muge; Akcan, Sumru

2018-01-01

Participation in online communities is an increasing need for future language teachers and their professional development. Through such participation, they can experience and develop an awareness of the behaviors required to facilitate their future learners' participation in online learning. This article investigates participation, interaction…

Information Control in the Virtual Office: Preparing Intermediaries To Facilitate Information Exchange in the Home Work Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fulton, Crystal

2002-01-01

Discusses work done by information professionals and the increase in teleworking, using telecommunications technology; considers teleworkers' information needs; examines ways in which library and information science professionals can facilitate teleworkers' information access; and investigates information environments of 20 teleworkers and 20…

Benefits and stressors - Perceived effects of ICT use on employee health and work stress: An exploratory study from Austria and Hong Kong.

PubMed

Ninaus, Katharina; Diehl, Sandra; Terlutter, Ralf; Chan, Kara; Huang, Anqi

2015-01-01

Stress has become a mass phenomenon in the modern workplace. The use of information and communication technologies is beginning to receive greater attention in the context of occupational stress. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted to examine both stressors and benefits resulting from technologies among practitioners in the advertising, public relations, and journalism industry in Hong Kong and Austria. Results suggest that technologies allow instant availability, which facilitates communication processes as well as information exchange. Notably, modern technologies enable employees to organize their work with greater temporal and spatial flexibility, thus creating an opportunity for better balancing work and private life. However, evolving technologies have come with a cost; the pressure to be constantly available via technologies constitutes a major source of stress, increasing the risk of experiencing prolonged work stress and its adverse consequences on employee health and well-being, such as a burnout. Furthermore, findings suggest that availability pressure may be attributed to an inner obligation rather than to an organizational expectation. Hence, making employees aware of their connectivity behaviour may help to diminish the experience of technology-induced work stress and improve and maintain employees' health and well-being in the long term. Practical implications, limitations, and future research directions are provided.

Benefits and stressors – Perceived effects of ICT use on employee health and work stress: An exploratory study from Austria and Hong Kong

PubMed Central

Ninaus, Katharina; Diehl, Sandra; Terlutter, Ralf; Chan, Kara; Huang, Anqi

2015-01-01

Stress has become a mass phenomenon in the modern workplace. The use of information and communication technologies is beginning to receive greater attention in the context of occupational stress. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted to examine both stressors and benefits resulting from technologies among practitioners in the advertising, public relations, and journalism industry in Hong Kong and Austria. Results suggest that technologies allow instant availability, which facilitates communication processes as well as information exchange. Notably, modern technologies enable employees to organize their work with greater temporal and spatial flexibility, thus creating an opportunity for better balancing work and private life. However, evolving technologies have come with a cost; the pressure to be constantly available via technologies constitutes a major source of stress, increasing the risk of experiencing prolonged work stress and its adverse consequences on employee health and well-being, such as a burnout. Furthermore, findings suggest that availability pressure may be attributed to an inner obligation rather than to an organizational expectation. Hence, making employees aware of their connectivity behaviour may help to diminish the experience of technology-induced work stress and improve and maintain employees’ health and well-being in the long term. Practical implications, limitations, and future research directions are provided. PMID:26462972

An exploration of tutors' experiences of facilitating problem-based learning. Part 2--implications for the facilitation of problem based learning.

PubMed

Haith-Cooper, Melanie

2003-01-01

This paper is the second of two parts exploring a study that was undertaken to investigate the role of the tutor in facilitating problem-based learning (PBL). The first part focussed on the methodological underpinnings of the study. This paper aims to focus on the findings of the study and their implications for the facilitation of PBL. Six essential themes emerged from the findings that described the facilitation role. The tutors believed that their facilitation role was essentially structured around the decision of when to intervene and how to intervene in the PBL process. Modelling and non-verbal communication were seen as essential strategies for the facilitator. Underpinning these decisions was the need to trust in the philosophy of PBL. However, within many of the themes, there was a divergence of opinion as to how the role should actually be undertaken. Despite this, these findings have implications for the future role of PBL facilitators in Health Professional Education.

How to Get Successfully Involved with K-12 Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duncan, D.; Fraknoi, A.; Bennett, M.

1998-05-01

Many astronomers now have some involvement in K-12 education, either through their children, through large projects with an education or outreach office, or through an educational component to their own grants. Some may need to incorporate education components into future proposals. For those new to education, it can be difficult to decide how best to use their limited resources without "re-inventing the wheel." Some astronomers are comfortable taking a direct role in the classroom or working with teachers, others prefer developing web-based or printed materials, while still others wouldrather work with local schools of education to enhance the training of future teachers. Which of these roles is most useful? In this session, participants will learn what has worked well in the past, with special attention paid to ways in which astronomers' and physicists' training and instincts may fail them when working in education. Invited teachers will describe their classrooms and how astronomers can be most helpful to them. Sample (successful) activities will be demonstrated, and information given about the wide range of existing astronomy and space-science education programs around the country. A full menu of useful ways that astronomers can get involved will be presented, as well as the organizations and institutions which can help in devising a meaningful education program. Handouts will include a catalog of national astronomy education projects, a list of educational web sites, information about the NASA OSS education brokers and facilitators, examples of successful educational materials, and a listing of roles astronomers have played or could play to enhance K-12 education. Registration is required; see the AAS Education WWW page or email aased@aas.org.

Employer Policies and Practices to Manage and Prevent Disability: Conclusion to the Special Issue.

PubMed

Main, Chris J; Shaw, William S

2016-12-01

Purpose Research of employer policies and practices to manage and prevent disability spans many disciplines and perspectives, and there are many challenges related to stakeholder collaboration, data access, and interventions. The purpose of this article is to synthesize the findings from a conference and year-long collaboration among a group of invited researchers intended to spur new research innovations in this field. Methods A multidisciplinary team of 26 international researchers with published research in employer-based disability management or related fields were invited to attend a 3-day conference in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, USA. The conference goals were to review the status of current research of workplace disability management and prevention, examine its relevance for employer decision-making, compare conceptual frameworks or theoretical perspectives, and recommend future research directions. In this paper, we summarize key points from the 6 resulting papers, compare them with an earlier 2005 conference on improving return-to-work research, and conclude with recommendations for further overarching research directions. Results/Conclusion In comparison with the 2005 conference, a greater emphasis was placed on organizational and social factors, employer roles and responsibilities, methods of implementation, non-clinical approaches, and facilitating stay-at-work as well as return-to-work. A special panel of employer consultants and representatives who were featured at the 2015 conference reinforced the importance of organizational culture, leadership style, and financial decision-making strategies at the employer level. Based on the conference proceedings, we recommend that future research in this area should strive for: (a) broader inclusion of workers and workplaces; (b) attention to multilevel influences in the workplace; (c) a focus on social as well as physical aspects of work; (d) earlier employer collaboration efforts; (e) more attention to implementation factors; and (f) a broader assessment of possible outcome domains.

Evaluation of the current landscape of respiratory nurse specialists in the UK: planning for the future needs of patients.

PubMed

Yorke, Janelle; Prigmore, Sam; Hodson, Matt; Stonham, Carol; Long, Hannah; Bellhouse, Sarah; Fletcher, Monica; Edwards, Sheila

2017-01-01

The National Health Service currently faces significant challenges and must optimise effective workforce planning and management. There are increasing concerns regarding poor workforce planning for respiratory medicine; a greater understanding of the role of respiratory nurse specialists will inform better workforce planning and management. This was a survey study. Two surveys were administered: an organisational-level survey and an individual respiratory nurse survey. There were 148 and 457 respondents to the organisational and individual nurse survey, respectively. Four main themes are presented: (1) breadth of service provided; (2) patient care; (3) work environment; and (4) succession planning. The majority of work conducted by respiratory nurse specialists relates to patient care outside the secondary care setting including supporting self-management in the home, supporting patients on home oxygen, providing hospital-at-home services and facilitating early discharge from acute care environments. Yet, most respiratory nursing teams are employed by secondary care trusts and located within acute environments. There was evidence of multidisciplinary working, although integrated care was not prominent in the free-text responses. High workload was reported with one-quarter of nursing teams short-staffed. Respiratory nurses reported working unpaid extra hours and a lack of administrative support that often took them away from providing direct patient care. Nearly half of the present sample either plan to retire or are eligible for retirement within 10 years. This survey report provides a current snapshot of the respiratory nurse specialist workforce in the UK. This workforce is an ageing population; the results from this survey can be used to inform succession planning and to ensure a viable respiratory nurse specialist workforce in future.

Evaluation of the current landscape of respiratory nurse specialists in the UK: planning for the future needs of patients

PubMed Central

Yorke, Janelle; Prigmore, Sam; Hodson, Matt; Stonham, Carol; Long, Hannah; Bellhouse, Sarah; Fletcher, Monica; Edwards, Sheila

2017-01-01

Introduction The National Health Service currently faces significant challenges and must optimise effective workforce planning and management. There are increasing concerns regarding poor workforce planning for respiratory medicine; a greater understanding of the role of respiratory nurse specialists will inform better workforce planning and management. Methods This was a survey study. Two surveys were administered: an organisational-level survey and an individual respiratory nurse survey. Results There were 148 and 457 respondents to the organisational and individual nurse survey, respectively. Four main themes are presented: (1) breadth of service provided; (2) patient care; (3) work environment; and (4) succession planning. The majority of work conducted by respiratory nurse specialists relates to patient care outside the secondary care setting including supporting self-management in the home, supporting patients on home oxygen, providing hospital-at-home services and facilitating early discharge from acute care environments. Yet, most respiratory nursing teams are employed by secondary care trusts and located within acute environments. There was evidence of multidisciplinary working, although integrated care was not prominent in the free-text responses. High workload was reported with one-quarter of nursing teams short-staffed. Respiratory nurses reported working unpaid extra hours and a lack of administrative support that often took them away from providing direct patient care. Nearly half of the present sample either plan to retire or are eligible for retirement within 10 years. Conclusions This survey report provides a current snapshot of the respiratory nurse specialist workforce in the UK. This workforce is an ageing population; the results from this survey can be used to inform succession planning and to ensure a viable respiratory nurse specialist workforce in future. PMID:28912954

‘In the Moment’: An Analysis of Facilitator Impact During a Quality Improvement Process

PubMed Central

Shaw, Erik; Looney, Anna; Chase, Sabrina; Navalekar, Rohini; Stello, Brian; Lontok, Oliver; Crabtree, Benjamin

2010-01-01

Facilitators frequently act ‘in the moment’ – deciding if, when and how to intervene into group process discussions. This paper offers a unique look at how facilitators impacted eleven primary care teams engaged in a 12-week quality improvement (QI) process. Participating in a federally funded QI trial, primary care practices in New Jersey and Pennsylvania formed practice-based teams comprised of physicians, nurses, administrative staff, and patients. External facilitators met with each team to help them identify and implement changes aimed at improving the organization, work relationships, office functions, and patient care. Audio-recordings of the meetings and descriptive field notes were collected. These qualitative data provided information on how facilitators acted ‘in the moment’ and how their interventions impacted group processes over time. Our findings reveal that facilitators impacted groups in multiple ways throughout the QI process, rather than through a linear progression of stages or events. We present five case examples that show what acting ‘in the moment’ looked like during the QI meetings and how these facilitator actions/interventions impacted the primary care teams. These accounts provide practical lessons learned and insights into effective facilitation that may encourage others in their own facilitation work and offer beneficial strategies to facilitators in other contexts. PMID:22557936

Diagramming Scientific Papers - A New Idea for Understanding/Teaching/Sharing Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saltus, R. W.; Fedi, M.

2014-12-01

How do we best communicate scientific results? As the number of scientists and scientific papers steadily increases, one of the greatest challenges is effective and efficient sharing of science. The official repository of scientific knowledge is the peer-reviewed journal archive. However, this primary knowledge can be difficult to access and understand by anyone but a relevant specialist. We propose some new ideas for diagramming the content and significance of scientific papers using a simple and intuitive graphical approach. We propose a visual mapping that highlights four fundamental aspects of most scientific papers: Data, Methods/Models, Results/Ideas, and Implications/Importance. Each of these aspects is illustrated within boxed fields which contain one or more labeled elements positioned to reflect novelty (aka originality) and impact relative to the vertical and horizontal axes. The relative position of the boxed fields themselves indicates the relative significance of data, methods, ideas, or implications to the paper. Optional lines between boxed elements indicate the flow and dependence of data/methods/ideas within the paper. As with any graphical depiction, you need to see it to best appreciate it -- this written abstract is only meant as an introduction to the idea.We anticipate that diagramming may prove useful in both communication of scientific ideas among scientists as well as in education and outreach. For example, professors could assign diagramming of papers as a way to help students organize their thoughts about the structure and impact of scientific articles. Students could compare and defend their diagrams as a way to facilitate discussion/debate. Authors could diagram their own work as a way to efficiently summarize the importance and significance of their work. We also imagine that (in the future) automatic diagramming might be used to help summarize or facilitate the discovery of archived work.

Beacon communities' public health initiatives: a case study analysis.

PubMed

Massoudi, Barbara L; Marcial, Laura H; Haque, Saira; Bailey, Robert; Chester, Kelley; Cunningham, Shellery; Riley, Amanda; Soper, Paula

2014-01-01

The Beacon Communities for Public Health (BCPH) project was launched in 2011 to gain a better understanding of the range of activities currently being conducted in population- and public health by the Beacon Communities. The project highlighted the successes and challenges of these efforts with the aim of sharing this information broadly among the public health community. The Beacon Community Program, designed to showcase technology-enabled, community-based initiatives to improve outcomes, focused on: building and strengthening health information technology (IT) infrastructure and exchange capabilities; translating investments in health IT to measureable improvements in cost, quality, and population health; and, developing innovative approaches to performance measurement, technology, and care delivery. Four multimethod case studies were conducted based on a modified sociotechnical framework to learn more about public health initiative implementation and use in the Beacon Communities. Our methodological approach included using document review and semistructured key informant interviews. NACCHO Model Practice Program criteria were used to select the public health initiatives included in the case studies. Despite differences among the case studies, common barriers and facilitators were found to be present in all areas of the sociotechnical framework application including structure, people, technology, tasks, overarching considerations, and sustainability. Overall, there were many more facilitators (range = 7-14) present for each Beacon compared to barriers (range = 4-6). Four influential promising practices were identified through the work: forging strong and sustainable partnerships; ensuring a good task-technology fit and a flexible and iterative design; fostering technology acceptance; and, providing education and demonstrating value. A common weakness was the lack of a framework or model for the Beacon Communities evaluation work. Sharing a framework or approach to evaluation at the beginning of implementation made the work more effective. Supporting evaluation to inform future implementations is important.

When is job rotation perceived useful and easy to use to prevent work-related musculoskeletal complaints?

PubMed

Leider, Priscilla C; Boschman, Julitta S; Frings-Dresen, Monique H W; van der Molen, Henk F

2015-11-01

Job rotation is often recommended to optimize physical work demands and prevent work-related musculoskeletal complaints, but little is known about possible facilitators and barriers to its usefulness and ease of use. Following a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews with employers (n = 12) and workers (n = 11) from the construction industry were conducted. Organizational climate, job autonomy, job characteristics and work processes were mentioned as either facilitators or barriers on an organizational level. Worker characteristics, work behavior and attitude were mentioned as either facilitators or barriers on an individual level. Following a structured approach to assess usefulness of job rotation to optimize physical work exposures and identifying barriers to usefulness and ease of use in relevant stakeholder groups is necessary in order to select or develop strategies to overcome these barriers, or to reject job rotation as a useful or easy to use intervention in the given context. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

RECENT RESEARCH ON EMERGENT VERBAL BEHAVIOR: CLINICAL APPLICATIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

PubMed Central

Grow, Laura L; Kodak, Tiffany

2010-01-01

This paper describes recent studies that have evaluated the functional independence of verbal operants. Procedures that facilitate the emergence of untrained verbal operants and important areas of future research to increase efficiency of language programs for children diagnosed with developmental disabilities are discussed. PMID:21541166

Transforming the Future of Learning with Educational Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Askell-Williams, Helen, Ed.

2015-01-01

The field of education is a vital component of today's society, enriching and facilitating the attainment of new knowledge. Progress continues to be achieved in this area as new methods are envisioned that increase education's value. "Transforming the Future of Learning with Educational Research" brings together diverse perspectives that…

Base-age invariance and inventory projections

Treesearch

C. J. Cieszewski; R. L. Bailey; B. E. Borders; G. H. Brister; B. D. Shiver

2000-01-01

One of the most important functions of forest inventory is to facilitate management decisions towards forest sustainability based on inventory projections into the future. Therefore, most forest inventories are used for predicting future states of the forests, in modern forestry the most common methods used in inventory projections are based on implicit functions...

Improving collaborative learning in online software engineering education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neill, Colin J.; DeFranco, Joanna F.; Sangwan, Raghvinder S.

2017-11-01

Team projects are commonplace in software engineering education. They address a key educational objective, provide students critical experience relevant to their future careers, allow instructors to set problems of greater scale and complexity than could be tackled individually, and are a vehicle for socially constructed learning. While all student teams experience challenges, those in fully online programmes must also deal with remote working, asynchronous coordination, and computer-mediated communications all of which contribute to greater social distance between team members. We have developed a facilitation framework to aid team collaboration and have demonstrated its efficacy, in prior research, with respect to team performance and outcomes. Those studies indicated, however, that despite experiencing improved project outcomes, students working in effective software engineering teams did not experience significantly improved individual achievement. To address this deficiency we implemented theoretically grounded refinements to the collaboration model based upon peer-tutoring research. Our results indicate a modest, but statistically significant (p = .08), improvement in individual achievement using this refined model.

Towards a theoretical clarification of biomimetics using conceptual tools from engineering design.

PubMed

Drack, M; Limpinsel, M; de Bruyn, G; Nebelsick, J H; Betz, O

2017-12-13

Many successful examples of biomimetic products are available, and most research efforts in this emerging field are directed towards the development of specific applications. The theoretical and conceptual underpinnings of the knowledge transfer between biologists, engineers and architects are, however, poorly investigated. The present article addresses this gap. We use a 'technomorphic' approach, i.e. the application of conceptual tools derived from engineering design, to better understand the processes operating during a typical biomimetic research project. This helps to elucidate the formal connections between functions, working principles and constructions (in a broad sense)-because the 'form-function-relationship' is a recurring issue in biology and engineering. The presented schema also serves as a conceptual framework that can be implemented for future biomimetic projects. The concepts of 'function' and 'working principle' are identified as the core elements in the biomimetic knowledge transfer towards applications. This schema not only facilitates the development of a common language in the emerging science of biomimetics, but also promotes the interdisciplinary dialogue among its subdisciplines.

Interaction initiatives between regulatory, health technology assessment and coverage bodies, and industry.

PubMed

Frønsdal, Katrine; Pichler, Franz; Mardhani-Bayne, Logan; Henshall, Chris; Røttingen, John-Arne; Mørland, Berit; Klemp, Marianne

2012-10-01

There has been an increased focus on the relationship between health technology assessment (HTA) and regulatory assessments and how regulatory, HTA and coverage bodies, and industry can work better together to improve efficiency and alignment of processes. There is increasingly agreement across sectors that improved communication and coordination could contribute to facilitating timely patient access to effective, affordable treatments that offer value to the health system. Discussions on aspects of this relationship are being held in different forums and various forms of coordination and collaboration are being developed or piloted within several jurisdictions. It is therefore both timely and of value to stakeholders to describe and reflect on current initiatives intended to improve interactions between regulatory, HTA and coverage bodies, and industry. Drawing on 2011 meetings of the HTAi Policy Forum and the Center for Innovation in Regulatory Science (CIRS), this study aims to describe and compare initiatives, and point to success factors and challenges that are likely to inform future work and collaboration.

Caring for dying infants: experiences of neonatal intensive care nurses in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Yam, B M; Rossiter, J C; Cheung, K Y

2001-09-01

Ten registered nurses working in a neonatal intensive care unit in Hong Kong were interviewed to explore their experiences of caring for infants whose disease is not responsive to curative treatment, their perceptions of palliative care, and factors influencing their care. Eight categories emerged from the content analysis of the interviews: disbelieving; feeling ambivalent and helpless; protecting emotional self; providing optimal physical care to the infant; providing emotional support to the family; expressing empathy; lack of knowledge and counselling skills; and conflicting values in care. The subtle cultural upbringing and socialization in nurse training and workplace environment also contributed to their moral distress. Hospital and nurse administrators should consider different ways of facilitating palliative care in their acute care settings. For example, by culture-specific death education, peer support groups, bereavement teams, modification of departmental policies, and a supportive work environment. Future research could include the identification of family needs and coping as well as ethical decision-making among nurses.

Constellation Program Lessons Learned in the Quantification and Use of Aerodynamic Uncertainty

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, Eric L.; Hemsch, Michael J.; Pinier, Jeremy T.; Bibb, Karen L.; Chan, David T.; Hanke, Jeremy L.

2011-01-01

The NASA Constellation Program has worked for the past five years to develop a re- placement for the current Space Transportation System. Of the elements that form the Constellation Program, only two require databases that define aerodynamic environments and their respective uncertainty: the Ares launch vehicles and the Orion crew and launch abort vehicles. Teams were established within the Ares and Orion projects to provide repre- sentative aerodynamic models including both baseline values and quantified uncertainties. A technical team was also formed within the Constellation Program to facilitate integra- tion among the project elements. This paper is a summary of the collective experience of the three teams working with the quantification and use of uncertainty in aerodynamic environments: the Ares and Orion project teams as well as the Constellation integration team. Not all of the lessons learned discussed in this paper could be applied during the course of the program, but they are included in the hope of benefiting future projects.

Neutron die-away experiment for remote analysis of the surface of the moon and the planets, phase 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mills, W. R.; Allen, L. S.

1972-01-01

Continuing work on the two die-away measurements proposed to be made in the combined pulsed neutron experiment (CPNE) for analysis of lunar and planetary surfaces is described. This report documents research done during Phase 3. A general exposition of data analysis by the least-squares method and the related problem of the prediction of variance is given. A data analysis procedure for epithermal die-away data has been formulated. In order to facilitate the analysis, the number of independent material variables has been reduced to two: the hydrogen density and an effective oxygen density, the latter being determined uniquely from the nonhydrogeneous elemental composition. Justification for this reduction in the number of variables is based on a set of 27 new theoretical calculations. Work is described related to experimental calibration of the epithermal die-away measurement. An interim data analysis technique based solely on theoretical calculations seems to be adequate and will be used for future CPNE field tests.

Reaction rates of oxygen with hemoglobin measured by non-equilibrium facilitated oxygen diffusion through hemoglobin solutions.

PubMed

Bouwer, S T; Hoofd, L; Kreuzer, F

2001-02-16

The purpose of this study was to verify the concept of non-equilibrium facilitated oxygen diffusion. This work succeeds our previous study, where facilitated oxygen diffusion by hemoglobin was measured at conditions of chemical equilibrium, and which yielded diffusion coefficients of hemoglobin and of oxygen. In the present work chemical non-equilibrium was induced using very thin diffusion layers. As a result, facilitation was decreased as predicted by theory. Thus, this work presents the first experimental demonstration of non-equilibrium facilitated oxygen diffusion. In addition, association and dissociation rate parameters of the reaction between oxygen and bovine and human hemoglobin were calculated and the effect of the homotropic and heterotropic interactions on each rate parameter was demonstrated. The results indicate that the homotropic interaction--which leads to increasing oxygen affinity with increasing oxygenation--is predominantly due to an increase in the association rate. The heterotropic interaction--which leads to decreasing oxygen affinity by anionic ligands--appears to be effected in two ways. Cl- increases the dissociation rate. In contrast, 2,3-diphosphoglycerate decreases the association rate.

The Role of the Facilitator on Total Quality Management Teams.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eakin, William L.

1993-01-01

As Total Quality Management teams work to improve organizational processes, several types of facilitators emerge: the director, the workhorse, and the cheerleader. Experience at the University of Kansas illustrates how different facilitator styles can affect team learning. (MSE)

Focused ultrasound-mediated noninvasive blood-brain barrier modulation: preclinical examination of efficacy and safety in various sonication parameters.

PubMed

Shin, Jaewoo; Kong, Chanho; Cho, Jae Sung; Lee, Jihyeon; Koh, Chin Su; Yoon, Min-Sik; Na, Young Cheol; Chang, Won Seok; Chang, Jin Woo

2018-02-01

OBJECTIVE The application of pharmacological therapeutics in neurological disorders is limited by the ability of these agents to penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Focused ultrasound (FUS) has recently gained attention for its potential application as a method for locally opening the BBB and thereby facilitating drug delivery into the brain parenchyma. However, this method still requires optimization to maximize its safety and efficacy for clinical use. In the present study, the authors examined several sonication parameters of FUS influencing BBB opening in small animals. METHODS Changes in BBB permeability were observed during transcranial sonication using low-intensity FUS in 20 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. The authors examined the effects of FUS sonication with different sonication parameters, varying acoustic pressure, center frequency, burst duration, microbubble (MB) type, MB dose, pulse repetition frequency (PRF), and total exposure time. The focal region of BBB opening was identified by Evans blue dye. Additionally, H & E staining was used to identify blood vessel damage. RESULTS Acoustic pressure amplitude and burst duration were closely associated with enhancement of BBB opening efficiency, but these parameters were also highly correlated with tissue damage in the sonicated region. In contrast, MB types, MB dose, total exposure time, and PRF had an influence on BBB opening without conspicuous tissue damage after FUS sonication. CONCLUSIONS The study aimed to identify these influential conditions and provide safety and efficacy values for further studies. Future work based on the current results is anticipated to facilitate the implementation of FUS sonication for drug delivery in various CNS disease states in the near future.

Impact of Including Authentic Inquiry Experiences in Methods Courses for Pre-Service Secondary Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slater, T. F.; Elfring, L.; Novodvorsky, I.; Talanquer, V.; Quintenz, J.

2007-12-01

Science education reform documents universally call for students to have authentic and meaningful experiences using real data in the context of their science education. The underlying philosophical position is that students analyzing data can have experiences that mimic actual research. In short, research experiences that reflect the scientific spirit of inquiry potentially can: prepare students to address real world complex problems; develop students' ability to use scientific methods; prepare students to critically evaluate the validity of data or evidence and of the consequent interpretations or conclusions; teach quantitative skills, technical methods, and scientific concepts; increase verbal, written, and graphical communication skills; and train students in the values and ethics of working with scientific data. However, it is unclear what the broader pre-service teacher preparation community is doing in preparing future teachers to promote, manage, and successful facilitate their own students in conducting authentic scientific inquiry. Surveys of undergraduates in secondary science education programs suggests that students have had almost no experiences themselves in conducting open scientific inquiry where they develop researchable questions, design strategies to pursue evidence, and communicate data-based conclusions. In response, the College of Science Teacher Preparation Program at the University of Arizona requires all students enrolled in its various science teaching methods courses to complete an open inquiry research project and defend their findings at a specially designed inquiry science mini-conference at the end of the term. End-of-term surveys show that students enjoy their research experience and believe that this experience enhances their ability to facilitate their own future students in conducting open inquiry.

Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention in Workplace Settings and Social Services: A Comparison of Literature

PubMed Central

Schulte, Bernd; O’Donnell, Amy Jane; Kastner, Sinja; Schmidt, Christiane Sybille; Schäfer, Ingo; Reimer, Jens

2014-01-01

Background: The robust evidence base for the effectiveness of alcohol screening and brief interventions (ASBIs) in primary health care (PHC) suggests that a widespread expansion of ASBI in non-medical settings could be beneficial. Social service and criminal justice settings work frequently with persons with alcohol use disorders, and workplace settings can be an appropriate setting for the implementation of alcohol prevention programs, as a considerable part of their social interactions takes place in this context. Methods: Update of two systematic reviews on ASBI effectiveness in workplaces, social service, and criminal justice settings. Review to identify implementation barriers and facilitators and future research needs of ASBI in non-medical settings. Results: We found a limited number of randomized controlled trials in non-medical settings with an equivocal evidence of effectiveness of ASBI. In terms of barriers and facilitators to implementation, the heterogeneity of non-medical settings makes it challenging to draw overarching conclusions. In the workplace, employee concerns with regard to the consequences of self-disclosure appear to be key. For social services, the complexity of certain client needs suggest that a stepped and carefully tailored approach is likely to be required. Discussion: Compared to PHC, the reviewed settings are far more heterogeneous in terms of client groups, external conditions, and the focus on substance use disorders. Thus, future research should try to systematize these differences, and consider their implications for the deliverability, acceptance, and potential effectiveness of ASBI for different target groups, organizational frameworks, and professionals. PMID:25339914

Barriers and facilitators to influenza vaccination and vaccine coverage in a cohort of health care personnel.

PubMed

Naleway, Allison L; Henkle, Emily M; Ball, Sarah; Bozeman, Sam; Gaglani, Manjusha J; Kennedy, Erin D; Thompson, Mark G

2014-04-01

Annual influenza vaccination is recommended for health care personnel (HCP). We describe influenza vaccination coverage among HCP during the 2010-2011 season and present reported facilitators of and barriers to vaccination. We enrolled HCP 18 to 65 years of age, working full time, with direct patient contact. Participants completed an Internet-based survey at enrollment and the end of influenza season. In addition to self-reported data, we collected information about the 2010-2011 influenza vaccine from electronic employee health and medical records. Vaccination coverage was 77% (1,307/1,701). Factors associated with higher vaccination coverage include older age, being married or partnered, working as a physician or dentist, prior history of influenza vaccination, more years in patient care, and higher job satisfaction. Personal protection was reported as the most important reason for vaccination followed closely by convenience, protection of patients, and protection of family and friends. Concerns about perceived vaccine safety and effectiveness and low perceived susceptibility to influenza were the most commonly reported barriers to vaccination. About half of the unvaccinated HCP said they would have been vaccinated if required by their employer. Influenza vaccination in this cohort was relatively high but still fell short of the recommended target of 90% coverage for HCP. Addressing concerns about vaccine safety and effectiveness are possible areas for future education or intervention to improve coverage among HCP. Copyright © 2014 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. All rights reserved.

Toward High-Performance Communications Interfaces for Science Problem Solving

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oviatt, Sharon L.; Cohen, Adrienne O.

2010-12-01

From a theoretical viewpoint, educational interfaces that facilitate communicative actions involving representations central to a domain can maximize students' effort associated with constructing new schemas. In addition, interfaces that minimize working memory demands due to the interface per se, for example by mimicking existing non-digital work practice, can preserve students' attentional focus on their learning task. In this research, we asked the question: What type of interface input capabilities provide best support for science problem solving in both low- and high- performing students? High school students' ability to solve a diverse range of biology problems was compared over longitudinal sessions while they used: (1) hardcopy paper and pencil (2) a digital paper and pen interface (3) pen tablet interface, and (4) graphical tablet interface. Post-test evaluations revealed that time to solve problems, meta-cognitive control, solution correctness, and memory all were significantly enhanced when using the digital pen and paper interface, compared with tablet interfaces. The tangible pen and paper interface also was the only alternative that significantly facilitated skill acquisition in low-performing students. Paradoxically, all students nonetheless believed that the tablet interfaces provided best support for their performance, revealing a lack of self-awareness about how to use computational tools to best advantage. Implications are discussed for how pen interfaces can be optimized for future educational purposes, and for establishing technology fluency curricula to improve students' awareness of the impact of digital tools on their performance.

A film set for the elicitation of emotion in research: A comprehensive catalog derived from four decades of investigation.

PubMed

Gilman, T Lee; Shaheen, Razan; Nylocks, K Maria; Halachoff, Danielle; Chapman, Jessica; Flynn, Jessica J; Matt, Lindsey M; Coifman, Karin G

2017-12-01

Emotions are highly influential to many psychological processes. Indeed, research employing emotional stimuli is rapidly escalating across the field of psychology. However, challenges remain regarding discrete evocation of frequently co-elicited emotions such as amusement and happiness, or anger and disgust. Further, as much contemporary work in emotion employs college students, we sought to additionally evaluate the efficacy of film clips to discretely elicit these more challenging emotions in a young adult population using an online medium. The internet is an important tool for investigating responses to emotional stimuli, but validations of emotionally evocative film clips across laboratory and web-based settings are limited in the literature. An additional obstacle is identifying stimuli amidst the numerous film clip validation studies. During our investigation, we recognized the lack of a categorical database to facilitate rapid identification of useful film clips for individual researchers' unique investigations. Consequently, here we also sought to produce the first compilation of such stimuli into an accessible and comprehensive catalog. We based our catalog upon prior work as well as our own, and identified 24 articles and 295 film clips from four decades of research. We present information on the validation of these clips in addition to our own research validating six clips using online administration settings. The results of our search in the literature and our own study are presented in tables designed to facilitate and improve a selection of highly valid film stimuli for future research.

A randomized controlled trial of a Return-to-Work Coordinator model of care in a general hospital to facilitate return to work of injured workers.

PubMed

Tan, Heidi Siew Khoon; Yeo, Doreen Sai Ching; Giam, Joanna Yu Ting; Cheong, Florence Wai Fong; Chan, Kay Fei

2016-04-07

Return-to-work (RTW) programmes for injured workers have been prevalent in Western countries with established work injury management policies for decades. In recent years, more Asian countries have started to develop RTW programmes in the absence of work injury management policies. However, few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of RTW programmes in Asia. Return-to-work coordination has been found to be an important facilitator in RTW programmes. This study seeks to determine the effectiveness of a Return-to-work coordinator (RTWC) model of care in facilitating early RTW for injured workers in Singapore. A randomized controlled trial was used. 160 injured workers in a general hospital were randomly allocated to either control (receive usual hospital standard care) or intervention (assigned a RTWC) group. The RTWC closely supported RTW arrangements and proactively liaised with employers and healthcare professionals on RTW solutions for the injured workers. At three months post injury, workers in the intervention group RTW 10 days earlier than the control group, with a higher proportion of workers in the intervention group returning to modified jobs. There were no significant differences in the quality of life measures between the two groups. The addition of a RTWC into the hospital model of care is effective in facilitating early RTW for injured workers. This could be a potential model of care for injured workers in Asian countries where work injury management policies are not yet established.

Facilitators' Challenges and Critical Success Factors in Working with SAI Groups.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Festeu, Dorin

2002-01-01

A summer program at Ambleside (England) works with adolescents who are at risk of becoming disaffected with life. Challenging outdoor activities increase students' self-esteem and keep them in contact with education, training, or employment. Good facilities and a pleasant environment can contribute to meeting objectives, but facilitators'…

Career Development Specialties for the 21st Century. Trends and Issues Alert No. 13.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerka, Sandra

The need for career development services is growing. One-stop career centers and school-to-work programs have spurred demand for career development facilitators (CDFs). Working under the supervision of a qualified career counselor, CDFs can serve the following functions: career group facilitator, job search trainer, career resource center…

End user evaluation of a Kneeling Wheelchair with "on the fly" adjustable seating functions.

PubMed

Mattie, Johanne; Wong, Angie; Leland, Danny; Borisoff, Jaimie

2018-04-18

A "kneeling" ultralight wheelchair prototype has been developed that allows users to adjust seat position "on the fly" for different activities throughout the day. The wheelchair includes independent adjustment functions for rear seat height, front seat height ("kneeling") and backrest angle.  Aim: This work aimed to gather feedback about the wheelchair's functionality and performance through end user evaluation trials.  Methods: Eight manual wheelchair users evaluated the prototype Kneeling Wheelchair for a range of activities. User perspectives on parameters such as usability, comfort, stability and effectiveness were obtained through both open-ended and Likert-scale rating questions.  Results: Results indicate several potential benefits of the adjustment functions of the Kneeling Wheelchair. Rear seat height adjustment may facilitate a number of activities of daily living, as well as provide benefits for comfort and social interactions. Back rest adjustment may increase comfort and stability on slopes. Front seat height adjustment may be beneficial for transfers and conducting sustained low-to-the-ground activities. While benefits of this adjustment function were described by many participants, some struggled with usability of the kneeling mechanism and rated this function less favourably than the other two.  Conclusion: The findings of this study will inform future iterations of the Kneeling Wheelchair design and may spur future developments in wheeled mobility. In the long-term, it is anticipated that novel wheelchair solutions, such as the one described in this paper, may support improved health, quality of life and community participation for people with mobility impairments. Implications for rehabilitation Wheelchairs that allow users to easily adjust seat and backrest position "on the fly" to better suit different tasks throughout the day may provide benefits such as facilitating activities of daily living. A front seat height adjustment feature on a new wheelchair prototype may be beneficial for transfers and conducting sustained low-to-the ground activities. End user evaluations can provide valuable insight to direct future design modifications and innovation.

What facilitates the entry of persons with disabilities into South African companies?

PubMed

Wiggett-Barnard, Cindy; Swartz, Leslie

2012-01-01

The persistent high unemployment rate for persons with disabilities (PWDs) is a world-wide concern. The aim of this research was to identify facilitating factors for the entry of PWDs into the labour market. A survey of Human Resources (HR) managers in South African (SA) companies was conducted to explore what would assist with hiring PWDs. The sample population of companies was identified through the Marketline Library database and supplemented with all Johannesburg Stock Exchange companies. This rendered a population size of 348. A response rate of 25% (86) was achieved. Companies that have appointed PWDs in the past seem more willing to appoint PWDs in the future. Companies value information on accommodation (preparation of the environment and cost) and the impact of disability on job performance most. The use of specialised recruitment agencies, the development of targeted recruitment plans and staff sensitisation training, as well as internships are perceived as the best facilitators for the employment of PWDs. Rehabilitation practitioners can inform PWDs on the best strategies for approaching companies. Companies with facilitating factors already in place may also be more willing to employ PWDs and rehabilitation practitioners can target these companies as future employers of PWDs.

Work System Assessment to Facilitate the Dissemination of a Quality Improvement Program for Optimizing Blood Culture Use: A Case Study Using a Human Factors Engineering Approach.

PubMed

Xie, Anping; Woods-Hill, Charlotte Z; King, Anne F; Enos-Graves, Heather; Ascenzi, Judy; Gurses, Ayse P; Klaus, Sybil A; Fackler, James C; Milstone, Aaron M

2017-11-20

Work system assessments can facilitate successful implementation of quality improvement programs. Using a human factors engineering approach, we conducted a work system assessment to facilitate the dissemination of a quality improvement program for optimizing blood culture use in pediatric intensive care units at 2 hospitals. Semistructured face-to-face interviews were conducted with clinicians from Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital and University of Virginia Medical Center. Interview data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Blood culture-ordering practices are influenced by various work system factors, including people, tasks, tools and technologies, the physical environment, organizational conditions, and the external environment. A clinical decision-support tool could facilitate implementation by (1) standardizing blood culture-ordering practices, (2) ensuring that prescribing clinicians review the patient's condition before ordering a blood culture, (3) facilitating critical thinking, and (4) empowering nurses to communicate with physicians and advocate for adherence to blood culture-ordering guidelines. The success of interventions for optimizing blood culture use relies heavily on the local context. A work system analysis using a human factors engineering approach can identify key areas to be addressed for the successful dissemination of quality improvement interventions. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Impact of Student vs Faculty Facilitators on Motivational Interviewing Student Outcomes

PubMed Central

Widder-Prewett, Rebecca; Cameron, Ginger; Anderson, Douglas; Pinkerton, Mark; Chen, Aleda M. H.

2017-01-01

Objective. To determine the impact of student or faculty facilitation on student self-assessed attitudes, confidence, and competence in motivational interviewing (MI) skills; actual competence; and evaluation of facilitator performance. Methods. Second-year pharmacy (P2) students were randomly assigned to a student or faculty facilitator for a four-hour, small-group practice of MI skills. MI skills were assessed in a simulated patient encounter with the mMITI (modified Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity) tool. Students completed a pre-post, 6-point, Likert-type assessment addressing the research objectives. Differences were assessed using a Mann-Whitney U test. Results. Student (N=44) post-test attitudes, confidence, perceived or actual competence, and evaluations of facilitator performance were not different for faculty- and student-facilitated groups. Conclusion. Using pharmacy students as small-group facilitators did not affect student performance and were viewed as equally favorable. Using pharmacy students as facilitators can lessen faculty workload and provide an outlet for students to develop communication and facilitation skills that will be needed in future practice. PMID:28970608

Use of podcast technology to facilitate education, communication and dissemination in palliative care: the development of the AmiPal podcast

PubMed Central

Monnery, Daniel; Reid, Victoria Louise; Chapman, Laura

2017-01-01

Objectives Podcasts have the potential to facilitate communication about palliative care with researchers, policymakers and the public. Some podcasts about palliative care are available; however, this is not reflected in the academic literature. Further study is needed to evaluate the utility of podcasts to facilitate knowledge-transfer about subjects related to palliative care. The aims of this paper are to (1) describe the development of a palliative care podcast according to international recommendations for podcast quality and (2) conduct an analysis of podcast listenership over a 14-month period. Methods The podcast was designed according to internationally agreed quality indicators for medical education podcasts. The podcast was published on SoundCloud and was promoted via social media. Data were analysed for frequency of plays and geographical location between January 2015 and February 2016. Results 20 podcasts were developed which were listened to 3036 times (an average of 217 monthly plays). The Rich Site Summary feed was the most popular way to access the podcast (n=1937; 64%). The mean duration of each podcast was 10 min (range 3–21 min). The podcast was listened to in 68 different countries and was most popular in English-speaking areas, of which the USA (n=1372, 45.2%), UK (n=661, 21.8%) and Canada (n=221, 7.3%) were most common. Conclusions A palliative care podcast is a method to facilitate palliative care discussion with global audience. Podcasts offer the potential to develop educational content and promote research dissemination. Future work should focus on content development, quality metrics and impact analysis, as this form of digital communication is likely to increase and engage wider society. PMID:27580942

Barriers to Advance Care Planning at the End of Life: An Explanatory Systematic Review of Implementation Studies

PubMed Central

Lund, Susi; Richardson, Alison; May, Carl

2015-01-01

Context Advance Care Plans (ACPs) enable patients to discuss and negotiate their preferences for the future including treatment options at the end of life. Their implementation poses significant challenges. Objective To investigate barriers and facilitators to the implementation of ACPs, focusing on their workability and integration in clinical practice. Design An explanatory systematic review of qualitative implementation studies. Data sources Empirical studies that reported interventions designed to support ACP in healthcare. Web of Knowledge, Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, British Nursing Index and PubMed databases were searched. Methods Direct content analysis, using Normalization Process Theory, to identify and characterise relevant components of implementation processes. Results 13 papers identified from 166 abstracts were included in the review. Key factors facilitating implementation were: specially prepared staff utilizing a structured approach to interactions around ACPs. Barriers to implementation were competing demands of other work, the emotional and interactional nature of patient-professional interactions around ACPs, problems in sharing decisions and preferences within and between healthcare organizations. Conclusions This review demonstrates that doing more of the things that facilitate delivery of ACPs will not reduce the effects of those things that undermine them. Structured tools are only likely to be partially effective and the creation of a specialist cadre of ACP facilitators is unlikely to be a sustainable solution. The findings underscore both the challenge and need to find ways to routinely incorporate ACPs in clinical settings where multiple and competing demands impact on practice. Interventions most likely to meet with success are those that make elements of Advance Care Planning workable within complex and time pressured clinical workflows. PMID:25679395

Participants' evaluation of a group-based organisational assessment tool in Danish general practice: the Maturity Matrix.

PubMed

Buch, Martin Sandberg; Edwards, Adrian; Eriksson, Tina

2009-01-01

The Maturity Matrix is a group-based formative self-evaluation tool aimed at assessing the degree of organisational development in general practice and providing a starting point for local quality improvement. Earlier studies of the Maturity Matrix have shown that participants find the method a useful way of assessing their practice's organisational development. However, little is known about participants' views on the resulting efforts to implement intended changes. To explore users' perspectives on the Maturity Matrix method, the facilitation process, and drivers and barriers for implementation of intended changes. Observation of two facilitated practice meetings, 17 semi-structured interviews with participating general practitioners (GPs) or their staff, and mapping of reasons for continuing or quitting the project. General practices in Denmark Main outcomes: Successful change was associated with: a clearly identified anchor person within the practice, a shared and regular meeting structure, and an external facilitator who provides support and counselling during the implementation process. Failure to implement change was associated with: a high patient-related workload, staff or GP turnover (that seemed to affect small practices more), no clearly identified anchor person or anchor persons who did not do anything, no continuous support from an external facilitator, and no formal commitment to working with agreed changes. Future attempts to improve the impact of the Maturity Matrix, and similar tools for quality improvement, could include: (a) attention to matters of variation caused by practice size, (b) systematic counselling on barriers to implementation and support to structure the change processes, (c) a commitment from participants that goes beyond participation in two-yearly assessments, and (d) an anchor person for each identified goal who takes on the responsibility for improvement in practice.

Helping youth in underserved communities envision possible futures: an extension of the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility model.

PubMed

Walsh, David

2008-06-01

Empowering youth through the exploration of their possible futures is afresh and innovative approach to the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility model (TPSR). The purpose of this study was to examine the combination of TPSR with the theory of possible selves. This combination, called the Career Club, was a program specifically designed to better assist students in understanding and facilitating reflective discussions on their future decisions. Career Club was taught weekly for nine sessions, 90 min each, at an inner city elementary school in a large metropolitan city. Participants comprised 12 seventh- and eighth-grade boys and girls who had at least 1 year and up to 5 years of experience in a TPSR program. Data sources included document analysis, lesson observations, formal interviews, and observationalfield notes. Themes were classified into the following categories: hoped- for-selves and feared selves-a delicate balance, coaching as a necessary component, and coming to understand possible futures. These results indicated that Career Club was effective in providing the participants a meaningful career exploration in coaching. Data also suggested these coaching experiences facilitated reflective discussions on realizing their future orientation choices.

Nuclear materials safeguards for the future

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

Tape, J.W.

Basic concepts of domestic and international safeguards are described, with an emphasis on safeguards systems for the fuel cycles of commercial power reactors. Future trends in institutional and technical measures for nuclear materials safeguards are outlined. The conclusion is that continued developments in safeguards approaches and technology, coupled with institutional measures that facilitate the global management and protection of nuclear materials, are up to the challenge of safeguarding the growing inventories of nuclear materials in commercial fuel cycles in technologically advanced States with stable governments that have signed the nonproliferation treaty. These same approaches also show promise for facilitating internationalmore » inspection of excess weapons materials and verifying a fissile materials cutoff convention.« less

Clinical review: The hospital of the future - building intelligent environments to facilitate safe and effective acute care delivery

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

The translation of knowledge into rational care is as essential and pressing a task as the development of new diagnostic or therapeutic devices, and is arguably more important. The emerging science of health care delivery has identified the central role of human factor ergonomics in the prevention of medical error, omission, and waste. Novel informatics and systems engineering strategies provide an excellent opportunity to improve the design of acute care delivery. In this article, future hospitals are envisioned as organizations built around smart environments that facilitate consistent delivery of effective, equitable, and error-free care focused on patient-centered rather than provider-centered outcomes. PMID:22546172

Motor and linguistic linking of space and time in the cerebellum.

PubMed

Oliveri, Massimiliano; Bonnì, Sonia; Turriziani, Patrizia; Koch, Giacomo; Lo Gerfo, Emanuele; Torriero, Sara; Vicario, Carmelo Mario; Petrosini, Laura; Caltagirone, Carlo

2009-11-20

Recent literature documented the presence of spatial-temporal interactions in the human brain. The aim of the present study was to verify whether representation of past and future is also mapped onto spatial representations and whether the cerebellum may be a neural substrate for linking space and time in the linguistic domain. We asked whether processing of the tense of a verb is influenced by the space where response takes place and by the semantics of the verb. Responses to past tense were facilitated in the left space while responses to future tense were facilitated in the right space. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the right cerebellum selectively slowed down responses to future tense of action verbs; rTMS of both cerebellar hemispheres decreased accuracy of responses to past tense in the left space and to future tense in the right space for non-verbs, and to future tense in the right space for state verbs. The results suggest that representation of past and future is mapped onto spatial formats and that motor action could represent the link between spatial and temporal dimensions. Right cerebellar, left motor brain networks could be part of the prospective brain, whose primary function is to use past experiences to anticipate future events. Both cerebellar hemispheres could play a role in establishing the grammatical rules for verb conjugation.

Co-Creating the Cities of the Future

PubMed Central

Gutiérrez, Verónica; Theodoridis, Evangelos; Mylonas, Georgios; Shi, Fengrui; Adeel, Usman; Diez, Luis; Amaxilatis, Dimitrios; Choque, Johnny; Camprodom, Guillem; McCann, Julie; Muñoz, Luis

2016-01-01

In recent years, the evolution of urban environments, jointly with the progress of the Information and Communication sector, have enabled the rapid adoption of new solutions that contribute to the growth in popularity of Smart Cities. Currently, the majority of the world population lives in cities encouraging different stakeholders within these innovative ecosystems to seek new solutions guaranteeing the sustainability and efficiency of such complex environments. In this work, it is discussed how the experimentation with IoT technologies and other data sources form the cities can be utilized to co-create in the OrganiCity project, where key actors like citizens, researchers and other stakeholders shape smart city services and applications in a collaborative fashion. Furthermore, a novel architecture is proposed that enables this organic growth of the future cities, facilitating the experimentation that tailors the adoption of new technologies and services for a better quality of life, as well as agile and dynamic mechanisms for managing cities. In this work, the different components and enablers of the OrganiCity platform are presented and discussed in detail and include, among others, a portal to manage the experiment life cycle, an Urban Data Observatory to explore data assets, and an annotations component to indicate quality of data, with a particular focus on the city-scale opportunistic data collection service operating as an alternative to traditional communications. PMID:27886069

Can the Theory of Planned Behavior Predict Dietary Intention and Future Dieting in an Ethnically Diverse Sample of Overweight and Obese Veterans Attending Medical Clinics?

PubMed Central

Lash, Denise N.; Smith, Jane Ellen; Rinehart, Jenny K.

2016-01-01

Obesity has become a world-wide epidemic; in the United States (U.S.) approximately two-thirds of adults are classified as overweight or obese. Military veterans’ numbers are even higher, with 77% of retired or discharged U.S. veterans falling in these weight categories. One of the most common methods of changing one’s weight is through dieting, yet little is known regarding the factors that facilitate successful dieting behavior. The current investigation tested the Theory of Planned Behavior’s (TPB) ability to predict dietary intention and future dieting in a sample of 84 overweight and obese patients attending medical clinics at a Veterans Affairs Hospital in the southwestern part of the U.S. Participants primarily were male (92%) and ethnic/racial minorities (58%). Perceived need and anticipated regret were added to the standard TPB model. While the TPB predicted dietary intention, it did not significantly account for improved dietary behaviors. Anticipated regret significantly enhanced the basic TPB’s ability to predict intention to diet, while perceived need did not. These findings highlight the difficulty in predicting sustained change in a complex behavior such as dieting to lose weight. The need for more work with older, overweight/obese medical patients attending veterans’ facilities is stressed, as is the need for such work with male patients and ethnic minorities in particular. PMID:26792774

Co-Creating the Cities of the Future.

PubMed

Gutiérrez, Verónica; Theodoridis, Evangelos; Mylonas, Georgios; Shi, Fengrui; Adeel, Usman; Diez, Luis; Amaxilatis, Dimitrios; Choque, Johnny; Camprodom, Guillem; McCann, Julie; Muñoz, Luis

2016-11-23

In recent years, the evolution of urban environments, jointly with the progress of the Information and Communication sector, have enabled the rapid adoption of new solutions that contribute to the growth in popularity of Smart Cities. Currently, the majority of the world population lives in cities encouraging different stakeholders within these innovative ecosystems to seek new solutions guaranteeing the sustainability and efficiency of such complex environments. In this work, it is discussed how the experimentation with IoT technologies and other data sources form the cities can be utilized to co-create in the OrganiCity project, where key actors like citizens, researchers and other stakeholders shape smart city services and applications in a collaborative fashion. Furthermore, a novel architecture is proposed that enables this organic growth of the future cities, facilitating the experimentation that tailors the adoption of new technologies and services for a better quality of life, as well as agile and dynamic mechanisms for managing cities. In this work, the different components and enablers of the OrganiCity platform are presented and discussed in detail and include, among others, a portal to manage the experiment life cycle, an Urban Data Observatory to explore data assets, and an annotations component to indicate quality of data, with a particular focus on the city-scale opportunistic data collection service operating as an alternative to traditional communications.

Analysis and Evaluation of the Dynamic Performance of SMA Actuators for Prosthetic Hand Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Toole, Kevin T.; McGrath, Mark M.; Coyle, Eugene

2009-08-01

It is widely acknowledged within the biomedical engineering community that shape memory alloys (SMAs) exhibit great potential for application in the actuation of upper limb prosthesis designs. These lightweight actuators are particularly suitable for prosthetic hand solutions. A four-fingered, 12 degree-of-freedom prosthetic hand has been developed featuring SMA bundle actuators embedded within the palmar structure. Joule heating of the SMA bundle actuators generates sufficient torque at the fingers to allow a wide range of everyday tasks to be carried out. Transient characterization of SMA bundles has shown that performance/response during heating and cooling differs substantially. Natural convection is insufficient to provide for adequate cooling during elongation of the actuators. An experimental test-bed has been developed to facilitate analysis of the heat transfer characteristics of the appropriately sized SMA bundle actuators for use within the prosthetic hand design. Various modes of heat sinking are evaluated so that the most effective wire-cooling solution can be ascertained. SMA bundles of varying size will be used so that a generalized model of the SMA displacement performance under natural and forced cooling conditions can be obtained. The optimum cooling solution will be implemented onto the mechanical hand framework in future work. These results, coupled with phenomenological models of SMA behavior, will be used in the development of an effective control strategy for this application in future work.

Predictable And SuStainable Implementation Of National Cardiovascular Registries Infrastructure: A Think Tank Report from MDEpiNet

PubMed Central

Zeitler, Emily P.; Al-Khatib, Sana M.; Drozda, Joseph P.; Kessler, Larry G.; Kirtane, Ajay J.; Kong, David F.; Laschinger, John; Marinac-Dabic, Danica; Morice, Marie-Claude; Reed, Terrie; Sedrakyan, Art; Stein, Kenneth M.; Tcheng, James; Krucoff, Mitchell W.

2015-01-01

The Medical Device Epidemiological Network Initiative (MDEpiNet) is a public-private partnership between the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) and participating partners. The Predictable and SuStainable Implementation of National Cardiovascular Registries (PASSION) program is an MDEpiNet-sponsored program which aims to demonstrate the goals of MDEpiNet by using cardiovascular medical device registries to bridge evidence gaps across the medical device total product life cycle (TPLC). To this end, a PASSION Think Tank meeting took place in October 2014 in Silver Spring, MD, to facilitate discussion between stakeholders about the successes, challenges, and future novel applications of medical device registries, with particular emphasis on identifying pilot projects. Participants spanned a broad range of groups including patients, device manufacturers, regulators, physicians/academicians, professional societies, providers, and payers. The meeting focus included four areas of cardiovascular medicine intended to cultivate interest in four MDEpiNet Disease Specific/Device Specific Working Groups: coronary intervention, electrophysiology, valvular disease, and peripheral vascular disease. In addition, more general issues applying to registry-based infrastructure and analytical methodologies for assessing device benefit/risk were considered to provide context for the Working Groups as PASSION programs going forward. This article summarizes the discussions at the meeting and the future directions of the PASSION program. PMID:26699602

A survey of facilitators and barriers to recruitment to the MAGNETIC trial.

PubMed

Kaur, Geetinder; Smyth, Rosalind L; Powell, Colin V E; Williamson, Paula

2016-12-23

Recruitment to randomised controlled trials with children is challenging. It is imperative to understand the factors that boost or hinder recruitment of children to clinical trials. We conducted a survey of facilitators and barriers to recruitment to the MAGNETIC trial, using a previously developed web-based tool. MAGNETIC is a multicentre randomised trial of nebulised magnesium in acute severe asthma, recruiting 508 children from 30 UK sites. Recruiters were asked to grade a list of factors from -3 to +3 depending on whether the factor was perceived as a strong, intermediate or weak barrier (-3 to -1) or facilitator (+1 to + 3), and using (0) if it was thought to be not applicable. Free text responses were invited on strategies applied to counter the identified barriers. The commonly identified facilitators were motivation and experience of study teams, effective communication and coordination between teams at site and between sites and the Clinical Trials Unit, the presence of designated research nurses, good trial management, clinical trial publicity, simple inclusion criteria, effective communication with parents and presentation of trial information in a simple and clear manner. The commonly identified barriers were heavy clinical workload, shift patterns of work, Good Clinical Practice (GCP) training, inadequate number of trained staff, time and setting of consent seeking, non-availability of research staff out of hours and parents' concerns about their child taking an experimental medicine. Having a designated research nurse, arranging GCP training and trial-related training sessions for staff were the most commonly reported interventions. This study highlights important generic and trial-specific facilitators and barriers to recruitment to a paediatric trial in the acute setting and provides information on the recruitment strategies or interventions that were applied to overcome these barriers. This information can be very useful in informing the design and conduct of future clinical trials with children, particularly in the acute or emergency setting. ISRCTN, ISRCTN81456894 . Registered on 15 November 2007.

Fundamental constructs in food parenting practices: a content map to guide future research.

PubMed

Vaughn, Amber E; Ward, Dianne S; Fisher, Jennifer O; Faith, Myles S; Hughes, Sheryl O; Kremers, Stef P J; Musher-Eizenman, Dara R; O'Connor, Teresia M; Patrick, Heather; Power, Thomas G

2016-02-01

Although research shows that "food parenting practices" can impact children's diet and eating habits, current understanding of the impact of specific practices has been limited by inconsistencies in terminology and definitions. This article represents a critical appraisal of food parenting practices, including clear terminology and definitions, by a working group of content experts. The result of this effort was the development of a content map for future research that presents 3 overarching, higher-order food parenting constructs--coercive control, structure, and autonomy support--as well as specific practice subconstructs. Coercive control includes restriction, pressure to eat, threats and bribes, and using food to control negative emotions. Structure includes rules and limits, limited/guided choices, monitoring, meal- and snacktime routines, modeling, food availability and accessibility, food preparation, and unstructured practices. Autonomy support includes nutrition education, child involvement, encouragement, praise, reasoning, and negotiation. Literature on each construct is reviewed, and directions for future research are offered. Clear terminology and definitions should facilitate cross-study comparisons and minimize conflicting findings resulting from previous discrepancies in construct operationalization. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Life Sciences Institute. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Between two waves. Catholic healthcare providers must value their tradition and embrace the future.

PubMed

McTernan, B

1995-01-01

By paying attention to our personal individuation process, our inner work, we can better deal with whatever the world presents. Much of the chaos healthcare is experiencing today is because we are currently trying to become more conscious both individually and organizationally. The future of Catholic healthcare is in recognizing the call, the challenge, the moral imperative to facilitate the creation of healthy communities. We must reflect on and understand health not as a commodity, but rather as both a process and a state of being that is at once personal and collective. In indigenous cultures there has always been an understanding of the deep connection between personal and community health and between spiritual, mental, and physical health. The current synchronistic shift from professional-directed, acute care to an awareness of how the individual psyche and society in general influence health and well-being is spurring Americans to focus on mind-body and healthy-community concepts. If we can "stay present" to the mission of healthcare-keep people well, prevent disease, deal with the causes and symptoms of illness, create healthy communities-we will have a future in healthcare delivery. We can do this by being healthy ourselves, recognizing our global responsibility for health, and providing direct services.

Defining future directions for endometriosis research: workshop report from the 2011 World Congress of Endometriosis In Montpellier, France.

PubMed

Rogers, Peter A W; D'Hooghe, Thomas M; Fazleabas, Asgerally; Giudice, Linda C; Montgomery, Grant W; Petraglia, Felice; Taylor, Robert N

2013-05-01

Endometriosis, defined as estrogen-dependent lesions containing endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterus, is a chronic and often painful gynecological condition that affects 6% to 10% of reproductive age women. Endometriosis has estimated annual costs of US $12 419 per woman (approximately €9579), comprising one-third of the direct health care costs with two-thirds attributed to loss of productivity. Decreased quality of life is the most important predictor of direct health care and total costs. It has been estimated that there is a mean delay of 6.7 years between onset of symptoms and a surgical diagnosis of endometriosis, and each affected woman loses on average 10.8 hours of work weekly, mainly owing to reduced effectiveness while working. To encourage and facilitate research into this debilitating disease, a consensus workshop to define future directions for endometriosis research was held as part of the 11th World Congress on Endometriosis in September 2011 in Montpellier, France. The objective of this workshop was to review and update the endometriosis research priorities consensus statement developed following the 10th World Congress on Endometriosis in 2008.(1) A total of 56 recommendations for research have been developed, grouped under 6 subheadings: (1) diagnosis, (2) classification and prognosis, (3) clinical trials, treatment, and outcomes, (4) epidemiology, (5) pathophysiology, and (6) research policy. By producing this consensus international research priorities statement, it is the hope of the workshop participants that researchers will be encouraged to develop new interdisciplinary research proposals that will attract increased funding support for work on endometriosis.

Defining Future Directions for Endometriosis Research

PubMed Central

D’Hooghe, Thomas M.; Fazleabas, Asgerally; Giudice, Linda C.; Montgomery, Grant W.; Petraglia, Felice; Taylor, Robert N.

2013-01-01

Endometriosis, defined as estrogen-dependent lesions containing endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterus, is a chronic and often painful gynecological condition that affects 6% to 10% of reproductive age women. Endometriosis has estimated annual costs of US $12 419 per woman (approximately €9579), comprising one-third of the direct health care costs with two-thirds attributed to loss of productivity. Decreased quality of life is the most important predictor of direct health care and total costs. It has been estimated that there is a mean delay of 6.7 years between onset of symptoms and a surgical diagnosis of endometriosis, and each affected woman loses on average 10.8 hours of work weekly, mainly owing to reduced effectiveness while working. To encourage and facilitate research into this debilitating disease, a consensus workshop to define future directions for endometriosis research was held as part of the 11th World Congress on Endometriosis in September 2011 in Montpellier, France. The objective of this workshop was to review and update the endometriosis research priorities consensus statement developed following the 10th World Congress on Endometriosis in 2008.1 A total of 56 recommendations for research have been developed, grouped under 6 subheadings: (1) diagnosis, (2) classification and prognosis, (3) clinical trials, treatment, and outcomes, (4) epidemiology, (5) pathophysiology, and (6) research policy. By producing this consensus international research priorities statement, it is the hope of the workshop participants that researchers will be encouraged to develop new interdisciplinary research proposals that will attract increased funding support for work on endometriosis. PMID:23427182

The semantic category-based grouping in the Multiple Identity Tracking task.

PubMed

Wei, Liuqing; Zhang, Xuemin; Li, Zhen; Liu, Jingyao

2018-01-01

In the Multiple Identity Tracking (MIT) task, categorical distinctions between targets and distractors have been found to facilitate tracking (Wei, Zhang, Lyu, & Li in Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 589, 2016). The purpose of this study was to further investigate the reasons for the facilitation effect, through six experiments. The results of Experiments 1-3 excluded the potential explanations of visual distinctiveness, attentional distribution strategy, and a working memory mechanism, respectively. When objects' visual information was preserved and categorical information was removed, the facilitation effect disappeared, suggesting that the visual distinctiveness between targets and distractors was not the main reason for the facilitation effect. Moreover, the facilitation effect was not the result of strategically shifting the attentional distribution, because the targets received more attention than the distractors in all conditions. Additionally, the facilitation effect did not come about because the identities of targets were encoded and stored in visual working memory to assist in the recovery from tracking errors; when working memory was disturbed by the object identities changing during tracking, the facilitation effect still existed. Experiments 4 and 5 showed that observers grouped targets together and segregated them from distractors on the basis of their categorical information. By doing this, observers could largely avoid distractor interference with tracking and improve tracking performance. Finally, Experiment 6 indicated that category-based grouping is not an automatic, but a goal-directed and effortful, strategy. In summary, the present findings show that a semantic category-based target-grouping mechanism exists in the MIT task, which is likely to be the major reason for the tracking facilitation effect.

Exploring Dimensions of Critical Reflection in Activist-Facilitator Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanson, Cindy

2013-01-01

This article explores how 14 diverse, Canadian activist-facilitators working in international development experience and understand "critical reflection" as a component of participatory methodologies in facilitation practices. The findings, based on my doctoral study, demonstrate that although critical reflection is often discussed as…

Auditory Verbal Hallucinations in Schizophrenia From a Levels of Explanation Perspective.

PubMed

Hugdahl, Kenneth; Sommer, Iris E

2018-02-15

In the present article, we present a "Levels of Explanation" (LoE) approach to auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) in schizophrenia. Mental phenomena can be understood at different levels of explanation, including cultural, clinical, cognitive, brain imaging, cellular, and molecular levels. Current research on AVHs is characterized by accumulation of data at all levels, but with little or no interaction of findings between levels. A second advantage with a Levels of Explanation approach is that it fosters interdisciplinarity and collaboration across traditional borders, facilitating a real breakthrough in future research. We exemplify a Levels of Explanation approach with data from 3 levels where findings at 1 level provide predictions for another level. More specifically, we show how functional neuroimaging data at the brain level correspond with behavioral data at the cognitive level, and how data at these 2 levels correspond with recent findings of changes in neurotransmitter function at the cellular level. We further discuss implications for new therapeutic interventions, and the article is ended by suggestion how future research could incorporate genetic influences on AVHs at the molecular level of explanation by providing examples for animal work.

Renewable energy for an environmentally sustainable energy future

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

Sunderman, D.N.

1993-12-31

One of the major objectives of the renewable energy program is to allow the employment of environmentally benign energy technologies based upon the sun. Other objectives include national energy independence and industrial competitiveness in future energy technology markets. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (formerly SERI) in Golden, Colorado, has for 15 years been the lead U.S. laboratory in research on photovoltaics, wind energy systems, and ethanol from biomass. During this period, substantional cost reductions were achieved and efficiencies improved. NREL also works closely with industry to facilitate the commercialization of these and related technologies. As much as 50% of NRELmore » funding goes to industry in cost-shared contracts for research and development, planned with industry representatives and the U.S. Department of Energy. Besides lessening dependence on fossil fuels and their short-term environmental impacts, these technologies will also alleviate the impact on the potential global warming issue. Other direct environmental research at NREL is the solar-detox program, in which solar radiation is employed to destroy hazardous organic materials in ground water and other waste streams.« less

My care pathways - creating open innovation in healthcare.

PubMed

Lundberg, Nina; Koch, Sabine; Hägglund, Maria; Bolin, Peter; Davoody, Nadia; Eltes, Johan; Jarlman, Olof; Perlich, Anja; Vimarlund, Vivian; Winsnes, Casper

2013-01-01

In this paper we describe initial results from the Swedish innovation project "My Care Pathways" which envisions enabling citizens to track their own health by providing them with online access to their historical, current and prospective future events. We describe an information infrastructure and its base services as well as the use of this solution as an open source platform for open innovation in healthcare. This will facilitate the development of end-user e-services for citizens. We have technically enabled the information infrastructure in close collaboration with decision makers in three Swedish health care regions, and system vendors as well as with National eHealth projects. Close collaboration between heterogeneous actors made implementation in real practice possible. However, a number of challenges, mainly related to legal and business issues, persist when implementing our results. Future work should therefore target the development of business models for sustainable provision of end-user e-services in a public health care system such as the Swedish one. Also, a legal analysis of the development of third party provider (nonhealthcare based) personal health data e-services should be done.

Is Quaternary geology ready for the future?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ritter, Dale F.

1996-07-01

Armed with a better understanding of process and an array of developing dating techniques, Quaternary geology is poised to achieve greater recognition in the general scientific community. This recognition however, will require some thought adjustment. Quaternary geologists will have to convince government, industry and a variety of scientific groups that they possess unique training and expertise that is needed as part of the thrust to fully understand and/or resolve major scientific problems. Therefore, future research and education efforts should not focus on developing a rigidly defined identity within geoscience, but instead should seek ways to be integrated with interdisciplinary teams that will investigate complex environmental and climate change problems. Such a scenaria creates and enermous dilemma for Quaternary geologists because they will derive greater intellectual stimulation from scientists working in discplines other than geology, and their scientific collaboratiors will most likely not be their academic colleagues. This outward expansion of our scientific network will require the development of interdsciplinary research collaboration and/or degree-granting programs at the graduate level. To accomplish such goals, universities must resist "turf protection", and funding agencies muts become more efficient at facilitating interdisciplinary research.

Genetic tool development underpins recent advances in thermophilic whole‐cell biocatalysts

PubMed Central

Taylor, M. P.; van Zyl, L.; Tuffin, I. M.; Leak, D. J.; Cowan, D. A.

2011-01-01

Summary The environmental value of sustainably producing bioproducts from biomass is now widely appreciated, with a primary target being the economic production of fuels such as bioethanol from lignocellulose. The application of thermophilic prokaryotes is a rapidly developing niche in this field, driven by their known catabolic versatility with lignocellulose‐derived carbohydrates. Fundamental to the success of this work has been the development of reliable genetic and molecular systems. These technical tools are now available to assist in the development of other (hyper)thermophilic strains with diverse phenotypes such as hemicellulolytic and cellulolytic properties, branched chain alcohol production and other ‘valuable bioproduct’ synthetic capabilities. Here we present an insight into the historical limitations, recent developments and current status of a number of genetic systems for thermophiles. We also highlight the value of reliable genetic methods for increasing our knowledge of thermophile physiology. We argue that the development of robust genetic systems is paramount in the evolution of future thermophilic based bioprocesses and make suggestions for future approaches and genetic targets that will facilitate this process. PMID:21310009

Considerations for the Telehealth Systems of Tomorrow: An Analysis of Student Perceptions of Telehealth Technologies

PubMed Central

Bull, Tyler Preston; Malvey, Donna M; Szalma, James Leo

2016-01-01

Background While much is known about factors that facilitate telehealth adoption, less is known about why adoption does or does not occur in specific populations, such as students. Objective This study aims to examine the perceptions of telehealth systems within a large student sample. Methods Undergraduate students (N=315) participated in a survey of the perceived advantages and disadvantages of telehealth technologies. The responses to the survey were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results We found that students were likely to adopt telehealth systems for the following reasons: (1) the system worked efficiently, (2) the convenience of telehealth, and (3) to gain access to health services. Students also perceived several disadvantages to telehealth systems, such as issues of trust (ie, security, privacy), the impersonal nature of telehealth systems, and they were concerned about the potential for major system errors. Conclusion By understanding the current barriers to telehealth adoption in a cohort of students, we can not only better anticipate the future needs of this group, but also incorporate such needs into the design of future telehealth systems. PMID:27731865

Natural orifice transendoluminal surgery and laparoendoscopic single-site surgery: the future of laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.

PubMed

Barret, Eric; Sanchez-Salas, Rafael; Ercolani, Matthew C; Rozet, Francois; Galiano, Marc; Cathelineau, Xavier

2011-03-01

Techniques for minimally invasive radical prostatectomy (RP) have been carefully reviewed by surgical teams worldwide in order to identify possible weaknesses and facilitate further improvement in their overall performance. The initial plan of action has been to carefully study the best-practice techniques for open RP in order to reproduce and standardize performance from the laparoscopic perspective. Similar to open surgery, the learning curve of minimally invasive RP has been well documented in terms of objective evaluation of outcomes for cancer control and functional results. Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) and laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS) have recently gained momentum as feasible techniques for minimal access urological surgery. NOTES-LESS drastically limit the surgeon's ability to choose the site of entry for operative instruments; therefore, the advantages of NOTES-LESS are gained with the understanding that the surgical procedure is more technically challenging. There are several key elements in RP techniques (in particular, dorsal vein control, apex exposure and cavernosal nerve sparing) that can have significant implications on oncologic and functional results. These steps are hard to perform in a limited working field. LESS radical prostatectomy can clearly be facilitated by using robotic technology.

Smart Moves: Effects of Relative Brain Size on Establishment Success of Invasive Amphibians and Reptiles

PubMed Central

Amiel, Joshua J.; Tingley, Reid; Shine, Richard

2011-01-01

Brain size relative to body size varies considerably among animals, but the ecological consequences of that variation remain poorly understood. Plausibly, larger brains confer increased behavioural flexibility, and an ability to respond to novel challenges. In keeping with that hypothesis, successful invasive species of birds and mammals that flourish after translocation to a new area tend to have larger brains than do unsuccessful invaders. We found the same pattern in ectothermic terrestrial vertebrates. Brain size relative to body size was larger in species of amphibians and reptiles reported to be successful invaders, compared to species that failed to thrive after translocation to new sites. This pattern was found in six of seven global biogeographic realms; the exception (where relatively larger brains did not facilitate invasion success) was Australasia. Establishment success was also higher in amphibian and reptile families with larger relative brain sizes. Future work could usefully explore whether invasion success is differentially associated with enlargement of specific parts of the brain (as predicted by the functional role of the forebrain in promoting behavioural flexibility), or with a general size increase (suggesting that invasion success is facilitated by enhanced perceptual and motor skills, as well as cognitive ability). PMID:21494328

Smart moves: effects of relative brain size on establishment success of invasive amphibians and reptiles.

PubMed

Amiel, Joshua J; Tingley, Reid; Shine, Richard

2011-04-06

Brain size relative to body size varies considerably among animals, but the ecological consequences of that variation remain poorly understood. Plausibly, larger brains confer increased behavioural flexibility, and an ability to respond to novel challenges. In keeping with that hypothesis, successful invasive species of birds and mammals that flourish after translocation to a new area tend to have larger brains than do unsuccessful invaders. We found the same pattern in ectothermic terrestrial vertebrates. Brain size relative to body size was larger in species of amphibians and reptiles reported to be successful invaders, compared to species that failed to thrive after translocation to new sites. This pattern was found in six of seven global biogeographic realms; the exception (where relatively larger brains did not facilitate invasion success) was Australasia. Establishment success was also higher in amphibian and reptile families with larger relative brain sizes. Future work could usefully explore whether invasion success is differentially associated with enlargement of specific parts of the brain (as predicted by the functional role of the forebrain in promoting behavioural flexibility), or with a general size increase (suggesting that invasion success is facilitated by enhanced perceptual and motor skills, as well as cognitive ability).

Selling an Energy Efficiency Loan Portfolio in Oregon: Resale of the Craft3 loan portfolio to Self-Help Credit Union

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

Thompson, Peter; Borgeson, Merrian; Kramer, Chris

Under the Clean Energy Works (CEW) program, Craft3 developed a loan product that widened access to financing for homeowners, offered long term funding, and collected repayments through the customer?s utility bill. The program?s success led Craft3 to pursue the sale of the loan portfolio to both mitigate its own risks and replenish funds for lending. This sale breaks new ground for energy efficiency finance and is notable as it was completed even with many novel program design elements. It replenished Craft3?s program capital and uncovered some valuable lessons that may facilitate future transactions. However, the lack of data history andmore » the unproven nature of the loan portfolio meant that Craft3 had to limit the risk of losses to Self-Help, the purchaser of the portfolio. It remains to be seen whether this experience will pave the way for more sales of on-bill energy efficiency loan portfolios. This case study illustrates how certain program design decisions can sometimes both facilitate programmatic objectives and possibly present challenges for the sale of a portfolio of energy efficiency loans.« less

Delivering high quality hip fracture rehabilitation: the perspective of occupational and physical therapy practitioners.

PubMed

Leland, Natalie E; Lepore, Michael; Wong, Carin; Chang, Sun Hwa; Freeman, Lynn; Crum, Karen; Gillies, Heather; Nash, Paul

2018-03-01

The majority of post-acute hip fracture rehabilitation in the US is delivered in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). Currently, there are limited guidelines that equip occupational and physical therapy practitioners with a summary of what constitutes evidence-based high quality rehabilitation. Thus, this study aimed to identify rehabilitation practitioners' perspectives on the practices that constitute high quality hip fracture rehabilitation. Focus groups were conducted with 99 occupational and physical therapy practitioners working in SNFs in southern California. Purposive sampling of facilities was conducted to capture variation in key characteristics known to impact care delivery for this patient population (e.g., financial resources, staffing, and patient case-mix). Questions aimed to elicit practitioners' perspectives on high quality hip fracture rehabilitation practices. Each session was audio-recorded and transcribed. Data were systematically analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach. Seven themes emerged: objectives of care; first 72 h; positioning, pain, and precautions; use of standardized assessments; episode of care practices; facilitating insight into progress; and interdisciplinary collaboration. Clinical guidelines are critical tools to facilitate clinical decision-making and achieve desired patient outcomes. The findings of this study highlight the practitioners' perspective on what constitutes high quality hip fracture rehabilitation. This work provides critical information to advance the development of stakeholder-driven rehabilitation clinical guidelines. Future research is needed to verify the findings from other stakeholders (e.g., patients), ensure the alignment of our findings with current evidence, and develop measures for evaluating their delivery and relationship to desired outcomes. Implications for Rehabilitation This study highlights occupational and physiotherapy therapy practitioners' perspectives on the cumulative best practices that reflect high quality care, which should be delivered during hip fracture rehabilitation. While this study was limited to two professions within the broader interdisciplinary team, consistently occupational and physiotherapy therapy practitioners situated their role and practices within the team, emphasizing that high quality care was driven by collaboration among all members of the team as well as the patient and caregivers. Future research needs to evaluate the (a) frequency at which these practices are delivered and the relationship to patient-centered outcomes, and (b) perspectives of rehabilitation practitioners working in other PAC settings, patients, caregivers, as well as the other members of the interdisciplinary PAC team.

Ventromedial Frontal Cortex Is Critical for Guiding Attention to Reward-Predictive Visual Features in Humans.

PubMed

Vaidya, Avinash R; Fellows, Lesley K

2015-09-16

Adaptively interacting with our environment requires extracting information that will allow us to successfully predict reward. This can be a challenge, particularly when there are many candidate cues, and when rewards are probabilistic. Recent work has demonstrated that visual attention is allocated to stimulus features that have been associated with reward on previous trials. The ventromedial frontal lobe (VMF) has been implicated in learning in dynamic environments of this kind, but the mechanism by which this region influences this process is not clear. Here, we hypothesized that the VMF plays a critical role in guiding attention to reward-predictive stimulus features based on feedback. We tested the effects of VMF damage in human subjects on a visual search task in which subjects were primed to attend to task-irrelevant colors associated with different levels of reward, incidental to the search task. Consistent with previous work, we found that distractors had a greater influence on reaction time when they appeared in colors associated with high reward in the previous trial compared with colors associated with low reward in healthy control subjects and patients with prefrontal damage sparing the VMF. However, this reward modulation of attentional priming was absent in patients with VMF damage. Thus, an intact VMF is necessary for directing attention based on experience with cue-reward associations. We suggest that this region plays a role in selecting reward-predictive cues to facilitate future learning. There has been a swell of interest recently in the ventromedial frontal cortex (VMF), a brain region critical to associative learning. However, the underlying mechanism by which this region guides learning is not well understood. Here, we tested the effects of damage to this region in humans on a task in which rewards were linked incidentally to visual features, resulting in trial-by-trial attentional priming. Controls and subjects with prefrontal damage sparing the VMF showed normal reward priming, but VMF-damaged patients did not. This work sheds light on a potential mechanism through which this region influences behavior. We suggest that the VMF is necessary for directing attention to reward-predictive visual features based on feedback, facilitating future learning and decision-making. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/3512813-11$15.00/0.

Interventions that facilitate sustainable jobs and have a positive impact on workers' health: an overview of systematic reviews.

PubMed

Haby, Michelle M; Chapman, Evelina; Clark, Rachel; Galvão, Luiz A C

2016-11-01

To identify interventions that facilitate sustainable jobs and have a positive impact on the health of workers in health sector workplaces. This overview utilized systematic review methods to synthesize evidence from multiple systematic reviews and economic evaluations. A comprehensive search was conducted based on a predefined protocol, including specific inclusion criteria. To be classified as "sustainable," interventions needed to aim (explicitly or implicitly) to 1) have a positive impact on at least two key dimensions of the integrated framework for sustainable development and 2) include measures of health impact. Only interventions conducted in, or applicable to, health sector workplaces were included. Fourteen systematic reviews and no economic evaluations met the inclusion criteria for the overview. The interventions that had a positive impact on health included 1) enforcement of occupational health and safety regulations; 2) use of the "degree of experience rating" feature of workers' compensation; 3) provision of flexible working arrangements that increase worker control and choice; 4) implementation of certain organizational changes to shift work schedules; and 5) use of some employee participation schemes. Interventions with negative impacts on health included 1) downsizing/restructuring; 2) temporary and insecure work arrangements; 3) outsourcing/home-based work arrangements; and 4) some forms of task restructuring. What is needed now is careful implementation, in health sector workplaces, of interventions likely to have positive impacts, but with careful evaluation of their effects including possible adverse impacts. Well-evaluated implementation of the interventions (including those at the pilot-study stage) will contribute to the evidence base and inform future action. Interventions with negative health impacts should be withdrawn from practice (through regulation, where possible). If use of these interventions is necessary, for other reasons, considerable care should be taken to ensure an appropriate balance between business needs and human health and well-being.

Facilitating comparative effectiveness research in cancer genomics: evaluating stakeholder perceptions of the engagement process

PubMed Central

Deverka, Patricia A; Lavallee, Danielle C; Desai, Priyanka J; Armstrong, Joanne; Gorman, Mark; Hole-Curry, Leah; O’Leary, James; Ruffner, BW; Watkins, John; Veenstra, David L; Baker, Laurence H; Unger, Joseph M; Ramsey, Scott D

2013-01-01

Aims The Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research in Cancer Genomics completed a 2-year stakeholder-guided process for the prioritization of genomic tests for comparative effectiveness research studies. We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of engagement procedures in achieving project goals and to identify opportunities for future improvements. Materials & methods The evaluation included an online questionnaire, one-on-one telephone interviews and facilitated discussion. Responses to the online questionnaire were tabulated for descriptive purposes, while transcripts from key informant interviews were analyzed using a directed content analysis approach. Results A total of 11 out of 13 stakeholders completed both the online questionnaire and interview process, while nine participated in the facilitated discussion. Eighty-nine percent of questionnaire items received overall ratings of agree or strongly agree; 11% of responses were rated as neutral with the exception of a single rating of disagreement with an item regarding the clarity of how stakeholder input was incorporated into project decisions. Recommendations for future improvement included developing standard recruitment practices, role descriptions and processes for improved communication with clinical and comparative effectiveness research investigators. Conclusions Evaluation of the stakeholder engagement process provided constructive feedback for future improvements and should be routinely conducted to ensure maximal effectiveness of stakeholder involvement. PMID:23459832

Marathon Groups. Facilitating the Personal Growth of Imprisoned, Black Female Heroin Abusers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Page, Richard C.; Kubiak, Larry

1978-01-01

Apparent success of the marathon groups in altering the perceptions of Black female heroin addicts toward the future, counseling, and themselves offers preliminary evidence that marathons may have potential as a counseling strategy with these clients. Future research needs to be performed to substantiate or reject these findings. (Author/PD)

The Family-Study Interface and Academic Outcomes: Testing a Structural Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meeuwisse, Marieke; Born, Marise Ph.; Severiens, Sabine E.

2011-01-01

Expanding on family-work and work-study models, this article investigated a model for family-study conflict and family-study facilitation. The focus of the study was the relationship of family-study conflict and family-study facilitation with students' effortful behaviors and academic performance among a sample of university students (N = 1,656).…

Narratives Reflecting the Lived Experiences of People with Brain Disorders: Common Psychosocial Difficulties and Determinants

PubMed Central

Hartley, Sally; McArthur, Maggie; Coenen, Michaela; Cabello, Maria; Covelli, Venusia; Roszczynska-Michta, Joanna; Pitkänen, Tuuli; Bickenbach, Jerome; Cieza, Alarcos

2014-01-01

Background People with brain disorders - defined as both, mental disorders and neurological disorders experience a wide range of psychosocial difficulties (PSDs) (e.g., concentrating, maintaining energy levels, and maintaining relationships). Research evidence is required to show that these PSDs are common across brain disorders. Objectives To explore and gain deeper understanding of the experiences of people with seven brain disorders (alcohol dependency, depression, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, stroke). It examines the common PSDs and their influencing factors. Methods Seventy seven qualitative studies identified in a systematic literature review and qualitative data derived from six focus groups are used to generate first-person narratives representing seven brain disorders. A theory-driven thematic analysis of these narratives identifies the PSDs and their influencing factors for comparison between the seven disorders. Results First-person narratives illustrate realities for people with brain disorders facilitating a deeper understanding of their every-day life experiences. Thematic analysis serves to highlight the commonalities, both of PSDs, such as loneliness, anger, uncertainty about the future and problems with work activities, and their determinants, such as work opportunities, trusting relationships and access to self-help groups. Conclusions The strength of the methodology and the narratives is that they provide the opportunity for the reader to empathise with people with brain disorders and facilitate deeper levels of understanding of the complexity of the relationship of PSDs, determinants and facilitators. The latter reflect positive aspects of the lives of people with brain disorders. The result that many PSDs and their influencing factors are common to people with different brain disorders opens up the door to the possibility of using cross-cutting interventions involving different sectors. This strengthens the message that ‘a great deal can be done’ to improve the lived experience of persons with brain disorders when medical interventions are exhausted. PMID:24805128

Coalition building by drug user and sex worker community-based organizations in Vietnam can lead to improved interactions with government agencies: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Le, Leah T; Grau, Lauretta E; Nguyen, Huong H; Khuat, Oanh Hai T; Heimer, Robert

2015-10-16

Drug users and female sex workers are among the groups most vulnerable to HIV infection in Vietnam. To address the HIV epidemic within these communities, former drug users and sex workers established the first community-based organizations (CBOs) in 2009. The study provides a focused assessment of CBOs' expanding efforts to advocate for their members that identifies existing collaborations with Vietnamese government programs. This assessment explores the barriers to and facilitators of expansion in order to propose recommendations to improve the working relationship between CBOs and government programs. Thirty-two individuals from drug user and sex worker CBOs (n = 24) and relevant government programs (n = 8) participated in face-to-face interviews in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hai Phong. Coded interview transcripts were analyzed qualitatively concerning the purpose of CBOs, the interactions between CBOs and government programs, and the perceived barriers, facilitators, and feasibility of future CBO-government program collaborations. Services provided by the CBOs were considered to improve members' quality of life. The formation of coalitions among CBOs increased efficiency in meeting members' specific service needs, in addition to internal capacity building. Government field staff interacted with CBOs by providing CBOs with technical and legal support. CBOs and methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) clinics collaborated to help the clinics meet patient enrollment quotas and facilitate entry into treatment for CBO members. Barriers to CBO-government program collaboration included perceived conflicting missions on how to address drug use and sex work in the community, limited CBO-government program communication, CBO mistrust of the MMT system, and lack of legal status for CBOs. To reduce these barriers, we recommend (1) introduction of CBO consultative services at government healthcare centers, (2) enlistment of CBO outreach to ensure full access to the imminent scaled-up MMT program, and (3) establishment of standards by which CBOs can obtain legal status.

Why are there gaps in our management of those with high cardiovascular risk?

PubMed

Doolan-Noble, Fiona; Tracey, Jocelyn; Mann, Stewart

2012-03-01

Multiple New Zealand and other international studies have identified gaps in the management of those identified at high risk of a future cardiovascular (CV) event. This study sought to explore the views of health professionals about the barriers and facilitators present within the current primary health care system to the optimal management of those at high CV risk. This qualitative study utilised a focus group methodology to examine the barriers and facilitators within primary health care (PHC), and employed a general inductive approach to analyse the text data. The analysis of text data resulted in the emergence of interrelated themes, underpinned by subthemes. The patient, their circumstances and their characteristics and perceptions provided the first key theme and subthemes. The next key theme was primary health care providers, with subthemes of communication and values and beliefs. The general practice was the third theme and included multiple subthemes: implementation planning and pathway development, time and workload and roles and responsibilities. The final main theme was the health system with the subthemes linking to funding and leadership. This study determined the factors that act as barriers and facilitators to the effective management of those at high CV risk within the New Zealand PHC sector. General practice has a pivotal role in preventive health care, but to succeed there needs to be a refocusing of the PHC sector, requiring support from policy makers, District Health Boards and Primary Health Organisations, as well as those working in the sector.

[Technology and future ways of thinking related to work from ergonomics points of views in moments of global crisis].

PubMed

Puentes-Lagos, David E; García-Acosta, Gabriel

2012-06-01

Is it possible to establish (at short, medium and long term) future work conditions or expected work conditions for Colombian people considering upcoming work technologies? Is it possible to anticipate future work desirable work conditions for Colombian people in order to plan (foresee?) work technologies? These questions guided this research and they point to an action thesis and to a reaction one in this context of work crisis. Even though a work technology establishes where, when, how, who, who with, and using what element work is done, it also establishes certain work conditions. Besides, multiple forms of considering and deconstructing past have been created from many disciplines. However, in order to foresee or construct work technologies requires a different perspective for looking further. This research has been carried out considering other disciplines points of view regarding Future Studies and Future Thinking Studies. This research has the purpose of finding future paths for Future Thinking Studies from ergonomics point of view in this moment of global work crisis we are going through.

An innovative approach to addressing childhood obesity: a knowledge-based infrastructure for supporting multi-stakeholder partnership decision-making in Quebec, Canada.

PubMed

Addy, Nii Antiaye; Shaban-Nejad, Arash; Buckeridge, David L; Dubé, Laurette

2015-01-23

Multi-stakeholder partnerships (MSPs) have become a widespread means for deploying policies in a whole of society strategy to address the complex problem of childhood obesity. However, decision-making in MSPs is fraught with challenges, as decision-makers are faced with complexity, and have to reconcile disparate conceptualizations of knowledge across multiple sectors with diverse sets of indicators and data. These challenges can be addressed by supporting MSPs with innovative tools for obtaining, organizing and using data to inform decision-making. The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the development of a knowledge-based infrastructure to support MSP decision-making processes. The paper emerged from a study to define specifications for a knowledge-based infrastructure to provide decision support for community-level MSPs in the Canadian province of Quebec. As part of the study, a process assessment was conducted to understand the needs of communities as they collect, organize, and analyze data to make decisions about their priorities. The result of this process is a "portrait", which is an epidemiological profile of health and nutrition in their community. Portraits inform strategic planning and development of interventions, and are used to assess the impact of interventions. Our key findings indicate ambiguities and disagreement among MSP decision-makers regarding causal relationships between actions and outcomes, and the relevant data needed for making decisions. MSP decision-makers expressed a desire for easy-to-use tools that facilitate the collection, organization, synthesis, and analysis of data, to enable decision-making in a timely manner. Findings inform conceptual modeling and ontological analysis to capture the domain knowledge and specify relationships between actions and outcomes. This modeling and analysis provide the foundation for an ontology, encoded using OWL 2 Web Ontology Language. The ontology is developed to provide semantic support for the MSP process, defining objectives, strategies, actions, indicators, and data sources. In the future, software interacting with the ontology can facilitate interactive browsing by decision-makers in the MSP in the form of concepts, instances, relationships, and axioms. Our ontology also facilitates the integration and interpretation of community data, and can help in managing semantic interoperability between different knowledge sources. Future work will focus on defining specifications for the development of a database of indicators and an information system to help decision-makers to view, analyze and organize indicators for their community. This work should improve MSP decision-making in the development of interventions to address childhood obesity.

An Innovative Approach to Addressing Childhood Obesity: A Knowledge-Based Infrastructure for Supporting Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Decision-Making in Quebec, Canada

PubMed Central

Addy, Nii Antiaye; Shaban-Nejad, Arash; Buckeridge, David L.; Dubé, Laurette

2015-01-01

Multi-stakeholder partnerships (MSPs) have become a widespread means for deploying policies in a whole of society strategy to address the complex problem of childhood obesity. However, decision-making in MSPs is fraught with challenges, as decision-makers are faced with complexity, and have to reconcile disparate conceptualizations of knowledge across multiple sectors with diverse sets of indicators and data. These challenges can be addressed by supporting MSPs with innovative tools for obtaining, organizing and using data to inform decision-making. The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the development of a knowledge-based infrastructure to support MSP decision-making processes. The paper emerged from a study to define specifications for a knowledge-based infrastructure to provide decision support for community-level MSPs in the Canadian province of Quebec. As part of the study, a process assessment was conducted to understand the needs of communities as they collect, organize, and analyze data to make decisions about their priorities. The result of this process is a “portrait”, which is an epidemiological profile of health and nutrition in their community. Portraits inform strategic planning and development of interventions, and are used to assess the impact of interventions. Our key findings indicate ambiguities and disagreement among MSP decision-makers regarding causal relationships between actions and outcomes, and the relevant data needed for making decisions. MSP decision-makers expressed a desire for easy-to-use tools that facilitate the collection, organization, synthesis, and analysis of data, to enable decision-making in a timely manner. Findings inform conceptual modeling and ontological analysis to capture the domain knowledge and specify relationships between actions and outcomes. This modeling and analysis provide the foundation for an ontology, encoded using OWL 2 Web Ontology Language. The ontology is developed to provide semantic support for the MSP process, defining objectives, strategies, actions, indicators, and data sources. In the future, software interacting with the ontology can facilitate interactive browsing by decision-makers in the MSP in the form of concepts, instances, relationships, and axioms. Our ontology also facilitates the integration and interpretation of community data, and can help in managing semantic interoperability between different knowledge sources. Future work will focus on defining specifications for the development of a database of indicators and an information system to help decision-makers to view, analyze and organize indicators for their community. This work should improve MSP decision-making in the development of interventions to address childhood obesity. PMID:25625409

Results of a feasibility study: barriers and facilitators in implementing the Sherbrooke model in France.

PubMed

Fassier, Jean-Baptiste; Durand, Marie-José; Caillard, Jean-François; Roquelaure, Yves; Loisel, Patrick

2015-05-01

Return-to-work interventions associated with the workplace environment are often more effective than conventional care. The Sherbrooke model is an integrated intervention that has proved successful in preventing work disability due to low-back pain. Implementation, however, runs up against many obstacles, and failure has been reported in many countries. The present study sought to identify barriers to and facilitators of the implementation of the Sherbrooke model within the French health system. A multiple case study with nested levels of analysis was performed in two regions of France. A conceptual framework was designed and refined to identify barriers and facilitators at the individual, organizational and contextual levels. Qualitative data were collected via semi-structured interview (N=22), focus groups (N=7), and observation and from the gray literature. Participants (N=61) belonged to three fields: healthcare, social insurance, and the workplace. Numerous barriers and facilitators were identified in each field and at each level, some specific and others common to workers in all fields. Individual and organizational barriers comprised lack of time and resources, discordant professional values, and perceived risk. Legal barriers comprised medical confidentiality, legal complexity, and priority given to primary prevention. Individual-level facilitators comprised needs and perceived benefits. Some organizations had concordant values and practices. Legal facilitators comprised possibilities of collaboration and gradual return to work. The present feasibility analysis of implementing the Sherbrooke model revealed numerous barriers and facilitators suggesting a new implementation strategy be drawn up if failure is to be avoided.

The Doctor of Philosophy Experience of Athletic Trainers: Facilitators and Barriers to Anticipatory Faculty Socialization.

PubMed

Bowman, Thomas G; Klossner, Joanne C; Mazerolle, Stephanie M

2017-10-01

  It is important to understand the process whereby athletic trainers learn about their future roles, particularly when the roles can be complex and demanding. Little is known about the experiences of athletic training doctoral students, including facilitators and barriers to socialization as aspiring faculty members.   To investigate factors influencing the anticipatory socialization of athletic training doctoral students into future faculty roles.   Qualitative study.   Universities with athletic training doctoral students.   We recruited 28 students (19 women, 9 men, age = 28 ± 3 years) with a minimum of 1 year of doctoral coursework completed and participating in an assistantship at the time of the study to reach data saturation. Participants were certified for 6 ± 3 years and represented 5 National Athletic Trainers' Association districts and 9 institutions.   We completed semistructured, 1-on-1 telephone interviews with participants. We transcribed each interview verbatim and analyzed the data using an inductive approach. Peer review, multiple-analyst triangulation, and member checks ensured trustworthiness.   We uncovered 4 themes from our analysis related to facilitators and barriers to professional socialization. Participants described comprehensive autonomous experiences in research that allowed them to feel confident they could sustain a scholarly agenda. Independent experiences and lack of pedagogy training yielded mixed preparedness relative to teaching responsibilities. Limited formal experience led to incomplete role understanding related to the service component of the professoriate. Finally, with regard to the administrative duties associated with athletic training faculty positions, participants noted a lack of direct exposure to common responsibilities.   Role occupation in various aspects of the professoriate helped doctoral students prepare as future faculty members, although full role understanding was limited. Intentional exposure to research, teaching, service, and administrative expectations during doctoral experiences may facilitate the socialization of future athletic training faculty into academic roles.

Licancabur Volcano, Bolivia and life in the Atacama: Environmental physics and analogies to Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hock, Andrew Nelson

Although there is no perfect environmental analog to Mars on Earth, quantitative study of relevant terrestrial field sites can serve as the basis for physical models and technology development to aid future exploration. This dissertation describes original field and laboratory research on two terrestrial analog sites: Licancabur Volcano, Bolivia, and the Atacama Desert, Chile. Atop Licancabur, at an elevation of nearly 6,000 meters above sea level, sits the highest volcanic lake on Earth. Prior to this work, little was known about the lake, its waters, the role of volcanism or its potential relationship to locales on Mars. In the first part of this work, I describe observations of the lake resulting from several years of field study, including data on meteorological conditions and solar irradiance. These and other measurements provide the basis for (1) the first quantitative mass and energy balance model of the lake, and (2) the first determination of the altitude effect on solar visible and ultraviolet flux from the high altitude summit. Under the observed conditions, model results indicate: lake waters are primarily meteoric in origin and evaporating rapidly; volcanic input is not required to explain observations of lake water temperature or year-end model results. Nearby, Chile's Atacama Desert is known to be one of the driest, most inhospitable environments on Earth. There, environmental similarities to Mars provide an apt testing ground for new astrobiological exploration technologies. In the latter part of this work, I present results from my work with the Life In The Atacama (LITA) Mars rover field experiment. In particular, I report on the development of a new data analysis tool named the LITA Data Scoring System (DSS). Subject to the user-defined constraints, the DSS was used to facilitate targeting, analysis and mapping of rover science results relevant to potential habitability and evidence for life at three desert field sites. Although experimental in nature, the DSS demonstrated the utility of this type of tool for future astrobiology rovers. The quantitative environmental and operational analogies to Mars are discussed in the conclusion, where they form the basis for recommendations on future avenues of research.

Automated Work Package: Conceptual Design and Data Architecture

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

Al Rashdan, Ahmad; Oxstrand, Johanna; Agarwal, Vivek

The automated work package (AWP) is one of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program efforts to enhance the safety and economics of the nuclear power industry. An AWP is an adaptive and interactive work package that intelligently drives the work process according to the plant condition, resources status, and users progress. The AWP aims to automate several manual tasks of the work process to enhance human performance and reduce human errors. Electronic work packages (eWPs), studied by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), are work packages that rely to various extent on electronic data processingmore » and presentation. AWPs are the future of eWPs. They are envisioned to incorporate the advanced technologies of the future, and thus address the unresolved deficiencies associated with the eWPs in a nuclear power plant. In order to define the AWP, it is necessary to develop an ideal envisioned scenario of the future work process without any current technology restriction. The approach followed to develop this scenario is specific to every stage of the work process execution. The scenario development resulted in fifty advanced functionalities that can be part of the AWP. To rank the importance of these functionalities, a survey was conducted involving several U.S. nuclear utilities. The survey aimed at determining the current need of the nuclear industry with respect to the current work process, i.e. what the industry is satisfied with, and where the industry envisions potential for improvement. The survey evaluated the most promising functionalities resulting from the scenario development. The results demonstrated a significant desire to adopt the majority of these functionalities. The results of the survey are expected to drive the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) AWP research and development (R&D). In order to facilitate this mission, a prototype AWP is needed. Since the vast majority of earlier efforts focused on the frontend aspects of the AWP, the backend data architecture was researched and developed in this effort. The backend design involved data architecture aspects. It was realized through this effort that the key aspects of this design are hierarchy, data configuration and live information, data templates and instances, the flow of work package execution, the introduction of properties, and the means to interface the backend to the frontend. After the backend design was developed, a data structure was built to reflect the developed data architecture. The data structure was developed to accommodate the fifty functionalities identified by the envisioned scenario development. The data structure was evaluated by incorporating an example work order from the nuclear power industry. The implementation resulted in several optimization iterations of the data structure. In addition, the rearrangement of the work order information to fit the data structure highlighted several possibilities for improvement in the current work order design, and significantly reduced the size of the work order.« less

Supporting cancer patients with work-related problems through an oncological occupational physician: a feasibility study.

PubMed

Zaman, A C G N M; Bruinvels, D J; de Boer, A G E M; Frings-Dresen, M H W

2017-09-01

To evaluate the feasibility of an oncological occupational physician (OOP) who is trained in oncological work-related problems, and in providing work-related support to cancer patients within the curative setting. We assessed facilitators and barriers that affect the activities of an OOP, and the satisfaction of the OOPs and patients with this new form of health care. Interviews were held with (1) OOPs (N = 13) to assess facilitators, barriers and their satisfaction with their ability to give supportive care and (2) cancer patients (N = 8) to assess their satisfaction concerning consulting an OOP. The main facilitators were positive feedback from health care providers and patients about the received care and support that the OOP had given, and the additional knowledge of the OOPs about cancer and work-related problems. Major barriers for being active as an OOP were lack of financial support for the OOP and the unfamiliarity of patients and health care providers with the specialised occupational physician. Both OOPs and the specialised knowledge and additional training of the OOPs facilitated providing support to cancer patients and survivors with work-related problems. Familiarity with the specialised occupational physician and financial support should be improved. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Intelligent personal health record: experience and open issues.

PubMed

Luo, Gang; Tang, Chunqiang; Thomas, Selena B

2012-08-01

Web-based personal health records (PHRs) are under massive deployment. To improve PHR's capability and usability, we previously proposed the concept of intelligent PHR (iPHR). By introducing and extending expert system technology and Web search technology into the PHR domain, iPHR can automatically provide users with personalized healthcare information to facilitate their daily activities of living. Our iPHR system currently provides three functions: guided search for disease information, recommendation of home nursing activities, and recommendation of home medical products. This paper discusses our experience with iPHR as well as the open issues, including both enhancements to the existing functions and potential new functions. We outline some preliminary solutions, whereas a main purpose of this paper is to stimulate future research work in the area of consumer health informatics.

[Implementation of functional autonomy measurement system: barriers and facilitators in PISE-Dordogne project].

PubMed

Gervais, Pauline; Hébert, Réjean; Lamontagne, Julie; Tousignant, Michel

2011-12-01

The objectives of the study were to identify the adjustments made during the implantation and the conditions favouring or limiting the SMAF utilisation. A multiqualitative quote was developed. The Functional autonomy measurement system (SMAF) was implanted in 11 French medico-social establishments. Analyses were made with the mixed type thematic method from Miles and Huberman. Principal adjustments that have been made during implantation concern the informatics assistance and clinical support. Strategic, organizational and individual factors explained adhesion level of actors and the subsequent flow of implantation. Establishment of SMAF and of the software eSMAF® in the medico-social establishments rests on a certain number of conditions which could be identified during the study. These conditions made it possible to work out structured recommendations for future implementations.

Intracranial recordings and human memory.

PubMed

Johnson, Elizabeth L; Knight, Robert T

2015-04-01

Recent work involving intracranial recording during human memory performance provides superb spatiotemporal resolution on mnemonic processes. These data demonstrate that the cortical regions identified in neuroimaging studies of memory fall into temporally distinct networks and the hippocampal theta activity reported in animal memory literature also plays a central role in human memory. Memory is linked to activity at multiple interacting frequencies, ranging from 1 to 500Hz. High-frequency responses and coupling between different frequencies suggest that frontal cortex activity is critical to human memory processes, as well as a potential key role for the thalamus in neocortical oscillations. Future research will inform unresolved questions in the neuroscience of human memory and guide creation of stimulation protocols to facilitate function in the damaged brain. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Future of Interprofessional Education and Practice for Dentists and Dental Education.

PubMed

Andrews, Elizabeth A

2017-08-01

In the ever-changing landscape of education, health professions programs must be adaptable and forward-thinking. Programs need to understand the services students should be educated to provide over the next 25 years. The movement to increase collaboration among health professionals to improve health care outcomes is a significant priority for all health professions. Complex medical issues frequently seen in patients can best be addressed with interprofessional health care teams. Training future health care providers to work in such teams facilitates collaborative care and can result in improved outcomes for patients. What skills will dental students need in 2040 to practice as part of these interprofessional teams? Important skills needed for success are collaboration, communication, professionalism, and the ability to manage medically complex patients. These abilities are in alignment with the four Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) core competency domains and will continue to be key skills necessary in the future. Transitioning to a one university approach for preclinical and clinical training along with development of an all-inclusive electronic health record will drive this model forward. Faculty training and continuing education for clinicians, residents, and allied health providers will be necessary for comprehensive adoption of a team-based collaborative care system. With the health care delivery system moving towards more patient-centered, team-based care, interprofessional education helps future clinicians develop into confident team members who will lead health care into the future and produce better patient outcomes. This article was written as part of the project "Advancing Dental Education in the 21 st Century."

Methods to Succeed in Effective Knowledge Translation in Clinical Practice.

PubMed

Kitson, Alison L; Harvey, Gillian

2016-05-01

To explore the evidence around facilitation as an intervention for the successful implementation of new knowledge into clinical practice. The revised version of the Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS) framework, called the integrated or i-PARIHS framework, is used as the explanatory framework. This framework posits that evidence is a multidimensional construct embedded within innovation and operationalized by clinicians (individuals and within teams), working across multiple layers of context. Facilitation is the active ingredient that promotes successful implementation. An emerging body of evidence supports facilitation as a mechanism to getting new knowledge into clinical practice. Facilitation roles are divided into beginner, experienced, and expert facilitators. Facilitators can be internal or external to the organization they work in, and their skills and attributes complement other knowledge translation (KT) roles. Complex KT projects require facilitators who are experienced in implementation methods. Facilitation is positioned as the active ingredient to effectively introduce new knowledge into a clinical setting. Levels of facilitation experience are assessed in relation to the complexity of the KT task. Three core facilitation roles are identified, and structured interventions are established taking into account the nature and novelty of the evidence, the receptiveness of the clinicians, and the context or setting where the new evidence is to be introduced. Roles such as novice, experienced, and expert facilitators have important and complementary parts to play in enabling the successful translation of evidence into everyday practice in order to provide effective care for patients. © 2016 Sigma Theta Tau International.

[Predictors of return to work after occupational injury in a locomotive enterprise].

PubMed

Hu, Jia; He, Yong-hua; Peng, Hua; Liang, You-xin

2010-06-01

To identify the potential determinants of return to work (RTW) following work-related injury. A historical cohort of workers with occupational injury in a state-owned locomotive vehicle company in central China was followed up for RTW. Demographic, employment and medical information was retrieved from the company archival documents; and post-injury information was interviewed by questionnaires. Univariate analysis and Cox Regression Model were used to examine the associations between potential determinants and outcomes of RTW. Three hundred of the 323 included cases (92.9%) eventually returned to work after the median absence of 43 days (average of 49.2 days). Factors from socio-demographic, clinical, economic and psychological domains were found affecting RTW in the univariate analyses. The multivariate analysis indicated that age, injury severity, injury locus, injury nature, pain in the injury locus, self-reported health status and pre-injury monthly salary were significant determinants of RTW. There are multidimensional factors affecting RTW after occupational injury. Proper clinical treatment and rehabilitation, as well as economic and social support to facilitate workers' RTW would be the priorities for intervention. Future studies should be conducted in a larger representative sample to confirm the findings and to develop a multidisciplinary intervention strategy towards promoting RTW.

Love, power, resilience and vulnerability: relationship dynamics between female sex workers in Ghana and their intimate partners.

PubMed

Onyango, Monica Adhiambo; Adu-Sarkodie, Yaw; Adjei, Rose Odotei; Agyarko-Poku, Thomas; Kopelman, Carol Hunsberger; Green, Kimberly; Wambugu, Samuel; Clement, Nana Fosua; Wondergem, Peter; Beard, Jennifer

2018-04-19

Little is known about female sex workers' daily lives or emotional relationships. Using relational-cultural theory, this study explored the relationship dynamics between sex workers and their intimate partners in Kumasi, Ghana. We collected qualitative data from 37 male intimate partners through 24 in-depth interviews and two focus group discussions (FGDs) with 13 male partners. We also conducted three FGDs with 20 women involved in sex work. Relationships between sex workers and their intimate partners were mutual, reciprocal and transactional. Male partners provided protection for financial support, a place to sleep and intimacy. Both men and women described their relationships in terms of friendship, love and a hopeful future. Women were reluctant to quit sex work because they depended on it for income. Most respondents did not use condoms in these romantic relationships, citing trust, love, faithfulness and commitment. Both men and women described high levels of violence in their relationships. The context of sex work heightens vulnerability but also appears to facilitate resilience and creative coping strategies. The relational dynamics between sex workers and their intimate partners in Ghana merit further exploration to examine the extent to which women involved in sex work hold and exert power within these relationships.

Mechanisms of Change in Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)

PubMed Central

Lipsitz, Joshua D.; Markowitz, John C.

2014-01-01

Although interpersonal therapy (IPT) has demonstrated efficacy for mood and other disorders, little is known about how IPT works. We present interpersonal change mechanisms that we hypothesize account for symptom change in IPT. IPT’s interpersonal model integrates both relational theory, building on work by Sullivan, Bowlby, and others, and insights based on research findings regarding stress, social support, and illness to highlight contextual factors thought to precipitate and maintain psychiatric disorders. IPT frames therapy around a central interpersonal problem in the patient’s life, a current crisis or relational predicament that is disrupting social support and increasing interpersonal stress. By mobilizing and working collaboratively with the patient to resolve (better manage or negotiate) this problem, IPT seeks to activate several interpersonal change mechanisms. These include: 1) enhancing social support, 2) decreasing interpersonal stress, 3) facilitating emotional processing, and 4) improving interpersonal skills. We hope that articulating these mechanisms will help therapists to formulate cases and better maintain focus within an IPT framework. We propose interpersonal mechanisms that might explain how IPT’s interpersonal focus leads to symptom change. Future work needs to specify and test candidate mediators in clinical trials of IPT. We anticipate that pursuing this more systematic strategy will lead to important refinements and improvements in IPT and enhance its application in a range of clinical populations. PMID:24100081

Treatment of wastewater streams containing phenolic compounds using hybrid techniques based on cavitation: a review of the current status and the way forward.

PubMed

Gogate, Parag R

2008-01-01

Phenolic compounds, including its chloro and nitro derivatives, contribute significantly to environmental hazards due to high degree of toxicity as well as improper disposal methods. Cavitation can be used for degradation of phenolic compounds and recently Kidak and Ince [R. Kidak, N.H. Ince, Ultrason. Sonochem. 13 (2006) 195] have given an interesting review on the application of cavitation for destruction of phenolic compounds. A main finding of their work and generally accepted fact is that cavitation alone cannot be an economical technique for wastewater treatment. The present work overviews the different ways in which the cavitation phenomena can be intensified by using additives and/or combining cavitation with other oxidation processes. Hybrid methods viz. Ultrasound/H2O2 or ozone, cavitation assisted by use of catalysts/additives, sonophotocatalytic oxidation and cavitation coupled with biological oxidation have been discussed with specific reference to the principle behind the expected synergism, different reactor configurations used and optimum considerations for the operating and geometric parameters. Some of the important works evaluating the application of these processes for the destruction of phenolic compounds has been described in details. Some guidelines for the future work required to facilitate efficient large-scale operation have also been given.

The Facilitator's Edge: Group Sessions for Edge-ucators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Handcock, Helen

The Facilitator's Edge is a workshop series based on the life/work messages of The Edge magazine. The workshops are deigned to help educators, youth workers, and their career practitioners facilitate conscious career building. This manual consists of five group sessions, each focusing on a different career-building theme. "Megatrends and…

Facilitating North-South Partnerships for Sustainable Agriculture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Termeer, C. J. A. M.; Hilhorst, T.; Oorthuizen, J.

2010-01-01

The increased number of development cooperation and sustainable agriculture partnerships brings with it new challenges for professionals who are asked to facilitate these partnering processes. In this article we shed more light on the world of development cooperation and we explore questions that facilitators working with North-South partnerships…

Developing a Collaborative Agenda for Humanities and Social Scientific Research on Laboratory Animal Science and Welfare.

PubMed

Davies, Gail F; Greenhough, Beth J; Hobson-West, Pru; Kirk, Robert G W; Applebee, Ken; Bellingan, Laura C; Berdoy, Manuel; Buller, Henry; Cassaday, Helen J; Davies, Keith; Diefenbacher, Daniela; Druglitrø, Tone; Escobar, Maria Paula; Friese, Carrie; Herrmann, Kathrin; Hinterberger, Amy; Jarrett, Wendy J; Jayne, Kimberley; Johnson, Adam M; Johnson, Elizabeth R; Konold, Timm; Leach, Matthew C; Leonelli, Sabina; Lewis, David I; Lilley, Elliot J; Longridge, Emma R; McLeod, Carmen M; Miele, Mara; Nelson, Nicole C; Ormandy, Elisabeth H; Pallett, Helen; Poort, Lonneke; Pound, Pandora; Ramsden, Edmund; Roe, Emma; Scalway, Helen; Schrader, Astrid; Scotton, Chris J; Scudamore, Cheryl L; Smith, Jane A; Whitfield, Lucy; Wolfensohn, Sarah

2016-01-01

Improving laboratory animal science and welfare requires both new scientific research and insights from research in the humanities and social sciences. Whilst scientific research provides evidence to replace, reduce and refine procedures involving laboratory animals (the '3Rs'), work in the humanities and social sciences can help understand the social, economic and cultural processes that enhance or impede humane ways of knowing and working with laboratory animals. However, communication across these disciplinary perspectives is currently limited, and they design research programmes, generate results, engage users, and seek to influence policy in different ways. To facilitate dialogue and future research at this interface, we convened an interdisciplinary group of 45 life scientists, social scientists, humanities scholars, non-governmental organisations and policy-makers to generate a collaborative research agenda. This drew on methods employed by other agenda-setting exercises in science policy, using a collaborative and deliberative approach for the identification of research priorities. Participants were recruited from across the community, invited to submit research questions and vote on their priorities. They then met at an interactive workshop in the UK, discussed all 136 questions submitted, and collectively defined the 30 most important issues for the group. The output is a collaborative future agenda for research in the humanities and social sciences on laboratory animal science and welfare. The questions indicate a demand for new research in the humanities and social sciences to inform emerging discussions and priorities on the governance and practice of laboratory animal research, including on issues around: international harmonisation, openness and public engagement, 'cultures of care', harm-benefit analysis and the future of the 3Rs. The process outlined below underlines the value of interdisciplinary exchange for improving communication across different research cultures and identifies ways of enhancing the effectiveness of future research at the interface between the humanities, social sciences, science and science policy.

Developing a Collaborative Agenda for Humanities and Social Scientific Research on Laboratory Animal Science and Welfare

PubMed Central

Davies, Gail F.; Greenhough, Beth J; Hobson-West, Pru; Kirk, Robert G. W.; Applebee, Ken; Bellingan, Laura C.; Berdoy, Manuel; Buller, Henry; Cassaday, Helen J.; Davies, Keith; Diefenbacher, Daniela; Druglitrø, Tone; Escobar, Maria Paula; Friese, Carrie; Herrmann, Kathrin; Hinterberger, Amy; Jarrett, Wendy J.; Jayne, Kimberley; Johnson, Adam M.; Johnson, Elizabeth R.; Konold, Timm; Leach, Matthew C.; Leonelli, Sabina; Lewis, David I.; Lilley, Elliot J.; Longridge, Emma R.; McLeod, Carmen M.; Miele, Mara; Nelson, Nicole C.; Ormandy, Elisabeth H.; Pallett, Helen; Poort, Lonneke; Pound, Pandora; Ramsden, Edmund; Roe, Emma; Scalway, Helen; Schrader, Astrid; Scotton, Chris J.; Scudamore, Cheryl L.; Smith, Jane A.; Whitfield, Lucy; Wolfensohn, Sarah

2016-01-01

Improving laboratory animal science and welfare requires both new scientific research and insights from research in the humanities and social sciences. Whilst scientific research provides evidence to replace, reduce and refine procedures involving laboratory animals (the ‘3Rs’), work in the humanities and social sciences can help understand the social, economic and cultural processes that enhance or impede humane ways of knowing and working with laboratory animals. However, communication across these disciplinary perspectives is currently limited, and they design research programmes, generate results, engage users, and seek to influence policy in different ways. To facilitate dialogue and future research at this interface, we convened an interdisciplinary group of 45 life scientists, social scientists, humanities scholars, non-governmental organisations and policy-makers to generate a collaborative research agenda. This drew on methods employed by other agenda-setting exercises in science policy, using a collaborative and deliberative approach for the identification of research priorities. Participants were recruited from across the community, invited to submit research questions and vote on their priorities. They then met at an interactive workshop in the UK, discussed all 136 questions submitted, and collectively defined the 30 most important issues for the group. The output is a collaborative future agenda for research in the humanities and social sciences on laboratory animal science and welfare. The questions indicate a demand for new research in the humanities and social sciences to inform emerging discussions and priorities on the governance and practice of laboratory animal research, including on issues around: international harmonisation, openness and public engagement, ‘cultures of care’, harm-benefit analysis and the future of the 3Rs. The process outlined below underlines the value of interdisciplinary exchange for improving communication across different research cultures and identifies ways of enhancing the effectiveness of future research at the interface between the humanities, social sciences, science and science policy. PMID:27428071

Volcanology: Lessons learned from Synthetic Aperture Radar imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinel, V.; Poland, M. P.; Hooper, A.

2014-12-01

Twenty years of continuous Earth observation by satellite SAR have resulted in numerous new insights into active volcanism, including a better understanding of subsurface magma storage and transport, deposition of volcanic materials on the surface, and the structure and development of volcanic edifices. This massive archive of data has resulted in fundamental leaps in our understanding of how volcanoes work - for example, identifying magma accumulation at supposedly quiescent volcanoes, even in remote areas or in the absence of ground-based data. In addition, global compilations of volcanic activity facilitate comparison of deformation behavior between different volcanic arcs and statistical evaluation of the strong link between deformation and eruption. SAR data are also increasingly used in timely hazard evaluation thanks to decreases in data latency and growth in processing and analysis techniques. The existing archive of SAR imagery is on the cusp of being enhanced by a new generation of satellite SAR missions, in addition to ground-based and airborne SAR systems, which will provide enhanced temporal and spatial resolution, broader geographic coverage, and improved availability of data to the scientific community. Now is therefore an opportune time to review the contributions of SAR imagery to volcano science, monitoring, and hazard mitigation, and to explore the future potential for SAR in volcanology. Provided that the ever-growing volume of SAR data can be managed effectively, we expect the future application of SAR data to expand from being a research tool for analyzing volcanic activity after the fact, to being a monitoring and research tool capable of imaging a wide variety of processes on different temporal and spatial scales as those processes are occurring. These data can then be used to develop new models of how volcanoes work and to improve quantitative forecasts of volcanic activity as a means of mitigating risk from future eruptions.

Challenges Faced by Social Workers as Members of Interprofessional Collaborative Health Care Teams

PubMed Central

Ambrose-Miller, Wayne; Ashcroft, Rachelle

2016-01-01

Interprofessional collaboration is increasingly being seen as an important factor in the work of social workers. A focus group was conducted with Canadian social work educators, practitioners, and students to identify barriers and facilitators to collaboration from the perspective of social work. Participants identified six themes that can act as barriers and facilitators to collaboration: culture, self-identity, role clarification, decision making, communication, and power dynamics. These findings carry important implications for interprofessional collaboration with social workers in health practice. PMID:27263200

Reaching new heights: development of the emergency department nurse practitioner fellowship program.

PubMed

Varghese, Jane R; Silvestri, Antonette; Lopez, Patricia

2012-01-01

With nationwide resident shortages and decreasing resident shifts, and legislation decreasing resident work hours, the nurse practitioners (NPs) have been called upon to expand their scope of practice to encompass patients with immediate and critical conditions and to perform quick procedures. Most pediatric NP (PNP) programs do not have formal training for NP students to work in a pediatric emergency department (ED). Senior ED NPs in collaboration with an NP educator developed a comprehensive clinical program to prepare a general PNP student to practice in an ED. The fellowship committee, met with 3 local university PNP program directors. The fellowship program targeted highly motivated individuals with an interest in working in a pediatric ED at the completion of their program as recruits for the position. Based on positive feedback, there has been overwhelming support and acceptance from the ED attending physicians, the NPs in the specialty clinics, as well as the ED staff regarding the new NP fellowship role. The NP fellow experienced less stress transitioning from student to NP. The development of the fellowship program is a step forward in the future training of NPs. The structured fellowship will hopefully facilitate a seamless transition from student to NP.

Goal Conflict and Facilitation as Predictors of Work-Family Satisfaction and Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiese, Bettina S.; Salmela-Aro, Katariina

2008-01-01

In a study of working adults (N = 131; Mean age = 43.52 yrs; 62 males) in Germany and Finland, the mean level of goal facilitation was found to be significantly higher than that of goal interference. Hence, many individuals seem to be rather successful in constructing a personal goal system that is functional in terms of supportive links. As…

Exploring factors facilitating adults with spinal cord injury rejoining the workforce: a pilot study.

PubMed

Wilbanks, Susan R; Ivankova, Nataliya V

2015-01-01

Return-to-work (RTW) rates after spinal cord injury (SCI) in the USA are very low and are continuing to decline. Previous research has attempted to identify factors facilitating RTW; however, the phenomenon of RTW involves many personal factors and predicting RTW success remains difficult. The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the factors facilitating adults with SCI rejoining the workforce in an urban area in order to identify items that may be emphasized in the rehabilitation process. The study was completed using qualitative methods. Four adults who had acquired a traumatic SCI in adulthood and were currently employed participated. Their experiences in RTW after injury were collected via semi-structured interviews and photography of assistive devices. The most common facilitating factor was motivation, with family and rehabilitation professionals serving as extrinsic motivators. Other facilitators were resources and perceived benefits. Motivation and resources were important facilitators, including rehabilitation professional's personal influence and therapies, and resource assistance from state agencies. The results indicate that practitioners can play an important role in influencing RTW, and resources from state agencies are helpful when individuals know how to access and utilize them. Assistive technology supports successful return to work after SCI. Motivation strongly influences return to work after SCI and can be influenced by rehabilitation professionals, family and community members. Patients should be well informed about how to access assistance programs such as vocational rehabilitation.

Developing Therapies for Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction: Current State and Future Directions

PubMed Central

Butler, Javed; Fonarow, Gregg C.; Zile, Michael R.; Lam, Carolyn S.; Roessig, Lothar; Schelbert, Erik B.; Shah, Sanjiv J.; Ahmed, Ali; Bonow, Robert O.; Cleland, John GF; Cody, Robert J.; Chioncel, Ovidiu; Collins, Sean P.; Dunnmon, Preston; Filippatos, Gerasimos; Lefkowitz, Martin P.; Marti, Catherine N.; McMurray, John J.; Misselwitz, Frank; Nodari, Savina; O’Connor, Christopher; Pfeffer, Marc A.; Pieske, Burkert; Pitt, Bertram; Rosano, Guiseppe; Sabbah, Hani N.; Senni, Michele; Solomon, Scott D.; Stockbridge, Norman; Teerlink, John R.; Georgiopoulou, Vasiliki V.; Gheorghiade, Mihai

2014-01-01

The burden of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is considerable and is projected to worsen. To date, there are no approved therapies available for reducing mortality or hospitalizations for these patients. The pathophysiology of HFpEF is complex and includes alterations in cardiac structure and function, systemic and pulmonary vascular abnormalities, end-organ involvement, and comorbidities. There remain major gaps in our understanding of HFpEF pathophysiology. To facilitate a discussion of how to proceed effectively in future with development of therapies for HFpEF, a meeting was facilitated by the FDA and included representatives from academia, industry and regulatory agencies. This document summarizes the proceedings from this meeting. PMID:24720916

Working memory dependence of spatial contextual cueing for visual search.

PubMed

Pollmann, Stefan

2018-05-10

When spatial stimulus configurations repeat in visual search, a search facilitation, resulting in shorter search times, can be observed that is due to incidental learning. This contextual cueing effect appears to be rather implicit, uncorrelated with observers' explicit memory of display configurations. Nevertheless, as I review here, this search facilitation due to contextual cueing depends on visuospatial working memory resources, and it disappears when visuospatial working memory is loaded by a concurrent delayed match to sample task. However, the search facilitation immediately recovers for displays learnt under visuospatial working memory load when this load is removed in a subsequent test phase. Thus, latent learning of visuospatial configurations does not depend on visuospatial working memory, but the expression of learning, as memory-guided search in repeated displays, does. This working memory dependence has also consequences for visual search with foveal vision loss, where top-down controlled visual exploration strategies pose high demands on visuospatial working memory, in this way interfering with memory-guided search in repeated displays. Converging evidence for the contribution of working memory to contextual cueing comes from neuroimaging data demonstrating that distinct cortical areas along the intraparietal sulcus as well as more ventral parieto-occipital cortex are jointly activated by visual working memory and contextual cueing. © 2018 The British Psychological Society.

Evaluation of Future Internet Technologies for Processing and Distribution of Satellite Imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becedas, J.; Perez, R.; Gonzalez, G.; Alvarez, J.; Garcia, F.; Maldonado, F.; Sucari, A.; Garcia, J.

2015-04-01

Satellite imagery data centres are designed to operate a defined number of satellites. For instance, difficulties when new satellites have to be incorporated in the system appear. This occurs because traditional infrastructures are neither flexible nor scalable. With the appearance of Future Internet technologies new solutions can be provided to manage large and variable amounts of data on demand. These technologies optimize resources and facilitate the appearance of new applications and services in the traditional Earth Observation (EO) market. The use of Future Internet technologies for the EO sector were validated with the GEO-Cloud experiment, part of the Fed4FIRE FP7 European project. This work presents the final results of the project, in which a constellation of satellites records the whole Earth surface on a daily basis. The satellite imagery is downloaded into a distributed network of ground stations and ingested in a cloud infrastructure, where the data is processed, stored, archived and distributed to the end users. The processing and transfer times inside the cloud, workload of the processors, automatic cataloguing and accessibility through the Internet are evaluated to validate if Future Internet technologies present advantages over traditional methods. Applicability of these technologies is evaluated to provide high added value services. Finally, the advantages of using federated testbeds to carry out large scale, industry driven experiments are analysed evaluating the feasibility of an experiment developed in the European infrastructure Fed4FIRE and its migration to a commercial cloud: SoftLayer, an IBM Company.

A genetic test of the natal homing versus social facilitation models for green turtle migration.

PubMed

Meylan, A B; Bowen, B W; Avise, J C

1990-05-11

Female green turtles exhibit strong nest-site fidelity as adults, but whether the nesting beach is the natal site is not known. Under the natal homing hypothesis, females return to their natal beach to nest, whereas under the social facilitation model, virgin females follow experienced breeders to nesting beaches and after a "favorable" nesting experience, fix on that site for future nestings. Differences shown in mitochondrial DNA genotype frequency among green turtle colonies in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean are consistent with natal homing expectations and indicate that social facilitation to nonnatal sites is rare.

Implementing case-based teaching strategies in a decentralised nursing management programme in South Africa.

PubMed

Nkosi, Zethu; Pillay, Padmini; Nokes, Kathleen M

2013-01-01

Case-based education has a long history in the disciplines of education, business, law and the health professions. Research suggests that students who learn via a case-based method have advanced critical thinking skills and a greater ability for application of knowledge in practice. In medical education, case-based methodology is widely used to facilitate knowledge transfer from theoretical knowledge to application in patient care. Nursing education has also adopted case-based methodology to enhance learner outcomes and critical thinking. The objectives of the study was to describe a decentralised nursing management education programme located in Durban, South Africa and describe the perceptions of nursing faculty facilitators regarding implementation of this teaching method. Data was collected through the use of one-on-one interviews and also focus groups amongst the fifteen facilitators who were using a case-based curriculum to teach the programme content. The average facilitator was female, between 41 and 50 years of age, working part-time, educated with a baccalaureate degree, working as a professional nurse for between 11 and 20 years; slightly more than half had worked as a facilitator for three or more years. The facilitators identified themes related to the student learners, the learning environment, and strengths and challenges of using facilitation to teach the content through cases. Decentralised nursing management educational programmes can meet the needs of nurses who are located in remote areas which are characterised by poor transportation patterns and limited resources and have great need for quality healthcare services. Nursing faculty facilitators need knowledgeable and accessible contact with centrally based full-time nursing faculty in order to promote high quality educational programmes.

The 21st Century: Meeting the Challenges to Business Education. National Business Education Association Yearbook, No. 37.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Villee, Pat A. Gallo, Ed.; Curran, Michael G., Ed.

This yearbook examines six themes representative of the challenges to future business educators. "The Future We Create" (Arthur McEntee) discusses them: a thinking curriculum, opportunities for real-world learning, matching teaching and learning styles, teachers as knowledge facilitators, technology as a learning tool, and global thinking for a…

Looking towards the Future of Language Assessment: Usability of Tablet PCs in Language Testing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garcia Laborda, Jesus; Magal Royo, Teresa; Bakieva, Margarita

2016-01-01

This research addresses the change in how the Spanish University Entrance Examination can be delivered in the future. There is a wide acknowledgement that computer tests are very demanding for the delivering institutions which makes computer language testing difficult to implement. However, the use of tablet PCs can facilitate the delivery at even…

An Assessment of Future Educational and Occupational Plans for Brevard Community College Technical Program Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitehead, Everett

This practicum studies the future educational and/or occupational plans of 223 technical program students enrolled in Brevard Community College (BCC) during the Fall 1973 term in order to suggest adjustments in college procedures to facilitate student transition to continued college or to their chosen professions. The characteristics of technical…

Digital Skills Acquisition: Future Trends among Older Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilliam, Brian K.

2011-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify future trends and barriers that will either facilitate or impede the narrowing of the digital skills divide among older adults during the next 10 years. Methodology: To address the research questions, this study used a modified version of the Delphi process using a panel of experts who…

Current status, future opportunities, and remaining challenges in landscape genetics [Chapter 14

Treesearch

Niko Balkenhol; Samuel A. Cushman; Lisette P. Waits; Andrew Storfer

2016-01-01

Landscape genetics has advanced the field of evolutionary ecology by providing a direct focus on relationships between landscape patterns and population processes, such as gene flow, selection, and genetic drift. This chapter discusses the current and emerging challenges and opportunities, which focus and facilitate future progress in the field. It presents ten...

CreActive Accounting Education: Visioning Future-Oriented Accounting Programs through a Reflective Unlearning of Current Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGuigan, Nicholas; Kern, Thomas

2016-01-01

The future employment markets our graduates are likely to face are increasingly complex and unpredictable. Demands are being placed on higher-education providers to become more holistic and integrated in their approach. For business schools across Australia, this requires a significant (re)conceptualisation of how student learning is facilitated,…

Nuclear Security Futures Scenarios.

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

Keller, Elizabeth James Kistin; Warren, Drake Edward; Hayden, Nancy Kay

This report provides an overview of the scenarios used in strategic futures workshops conducted at Sandia on September 21 and 29, 2016. The workshops, designed and facilitated by analysts in Center 100, used scenarios to enable thought leaders to think collectively about the changing aspects of global nuclear security and the potential implications for the US Government and Sandia National Laboratories.

Organizational and Pedagogical Fundamentals of Professional Training of Engineers in the Field of Nanoelectronics in UK Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mykhailiuk, Maryna

2014-01-01

The article deals with the organizational and pedagogical principles of the professional training of future nanoelectronics engineers in UK universities. There has been substantiated a number of general didactic and specific principles of the professional training of future nanoelectronics engineers, which facilitate the concretization of content,…

Facilitating classroom based interprofessional learning: a grounded theory study of university educators' perceptions of their role adequacy as facilitators.

PubMed

Derbyshire, Julie A; Machin, Alison I; Crozier, Suzanne

2015-01-01

The provision of inter professional learning (IPL) within undergraduate programmes is now well established within many Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). IPL aims to better equip nurses and other health professionals with effective collaborative working skills and knowledge to improve the quality of patient care. Although there is still ambiguity in relation to the optimum timing and method for delivering IPL, effective facilitation is seen as essential. This paper reports on a grounded theory study of university educators' perceptions of the knowledge and skills needed for their role adequacy as IPL facilitators. Data was collected using semi structured interviews with nine participants who were theoretically sampled from a range of professional backgrounds, with varied experiences of education and involvement in facilitating IPL. Constant comparative analysis was used to generate four data categories: creating and sustaining an IPL group culture through transformational IPL leadership (core category), readiness for IPL facilitation, drawing on past interprofessional learning and working experiences and role modelling an interprofessional approach. The grounded theory generated from this study, although propositional, suggests that role adequacy for IPL facilitation is dependent on facilitator engagement in a process of 'transformational interprofessional learning leadership' to create and sustain a group culture. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Combining clinical practice and academic work in nursing: A qualitative study about perceived importance, facilitators and barriers regarding clinical academic careers for nurses in university hospitals.

PubMed

van Oostveen, Catharina J; Goedhart, Nicole S; Francke, Anneke L; Vermeulen, Hester

2017-12-01

To obtain in-depth insight into the perceptions of nurse academics and other stakeholders regarding the importance, facilitators and barriers for nurses combining clinical and academic work in university hospitals. Combining clinical practice and academic work facilitates the use of research findings for high-quality patient care. However, nurse academics move away from the bedside because clinical academic careers for nurses have not yet been established in the Netherlands. This qualitative study was conducted in two Dutch university hospitals and their affiliated medical faculties and universities of applied sciences. Data were collected between May 2015 and August 2016. We used purposive sampling for 24 interviews. We asked 14 participants in two focus groups for their perceptions of importance, facilitators and barriers in nurses' combined clinical and academic work in education and research. We audiotaped, transcribed and thematically analysed the interviews and focus groups. Three themes related to perceived importance, facilitators and barriers: culture, leadership and infrastructure. These themes represent deficiencies in facilitating clinical academic careers for nurses. The current nursing culture emphasises direct patient care, which is perceived as an academic misfit. Leadership is lacking at all levels, resulting in the underuse of nurse academics and the absence of supporting structures for nurses who combine clinical and academic work. The present nursing culture appears to be the root cause of the dearth of academic positions and established clinical academic posts. A culture change would require a show of leadership that would promote and enable combined research, teaching and clinical practice and that would introduce clinical academic career pathways for nurses. Meanwhile, nurse academics should collaborate with established medical academics for whom combined roles are mainstream, and they should take advantage of their established infrastructure for success. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Perceived Barriers and Facilitators for Return to Work Among Colorectal Cancer Survivors: Malaysian Healthcare Professionals Experience-　A Qualitative Inquiry.

PubMed

Chow, Sze Loon; Loh, Siew Yim; Su, Tin Tin

2015-06-01

Return to work (RTW) can be a challenging occupational health (OH) issue among previously-employed colorectal cancer survivors. This study aimed to explore the various perceived barriers and facilitators encountered during the RTW process in cancer survivorship, from the perception of healthcare professionals (HCP). Face to face, semistructured interviews were carried out on twelve HCP (government and private sectors) from various disciplines. Data collected were transcribed verbatim and data management was aided by NVivo software 8.0. A new theory from contextual data was generated using open coding, axial coding and selective coding. The HCP shared numerous barriers and facilitators associated with RTW, under four categories. The key barriers were disturbing side effects, psychological barriers (personal factor), compensation (financial factor), poor ability to multitask (work-related factor), long paid medical leaves policy, employer's lackadaisical attitude, lack of knowledge and awareness of RTW (environmental factor). Key facilitators identified were desire to resume working life and to contribute to society (personal factor), financial pressure, maintain organizational health insurance (financial factor), less physically demanding job (work-related factor), supportive workplace and strict organizational policy on medical leaves (environmental factor). While not all HCP were trained in RTW, they all agreed that RTW is important for survivors and workplace. Occupational health doctors have a direct role in helping survivors RTW. Early Intervention on RTW during survivorship should involve occupational health doctors and employers, targeting the modifiable factors (environmental and work-related) to improve RTW after cancer.

Partners in Quality: Facilitator's Guide = Partenaires Pour la Qualite.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beckman, Sandra

Partners in Quality is a research and development project sponsored by the Canadian Child Care Federation and its affiliates to explore how child care providers, parents, and other partners can work together to support and improve quality in child care. This facilitator's guide is designed to help facilitators prepare and deliver workshops based…

How Batterer Intervention Programs Work: Participant and Facilitator Accounts of Processes of Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silvergleid, Courtenay S.; Mankowski, Eric S.

2006-01-01

Understanding what facilitates change in men who perpetrate domestic violence can aid the development of more effective batterer intervention programs (BIPs). To identify and describe key change processes, in-depth interviews were conducted with nine successful BIP completers and with 10 intervention group facilitators. The accounts described a…

Leading Instructional Rounds in Education: A Facilitator?'s Guide. Instructional Rounds Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fowler-Finn, Thomas

2013-01-01

Instructional rounds is a powerful form of professional learning aimed at helping schools and systems develop the capacity to educate all children to high levels. In this practical book, Thomas Fowler-Finn, an experienced consultant who has worked closely with the Harvard team that pioneered instructional rounds, discusses how facilitators can…

Working Memory Capacity and Its Relation to Stroop Interference and Facilitation Effects in Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sung, Jee Eun; Kim, Jin Hee; Jeong, Jee Hyang; Kang, Heejin

2012-01-01

Purpose: The purposes of the study were to investigate (a) the task-specific differences in short-term memory (STM) and working memory capacity (WMC) in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and normal elderly adults (NEAs), (b) the Stroop interference and facilitation effects, and (c) the relationship of STM and WMC to the Stroop…

Professional Learning Communities Facilitator's Guide for the What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide: Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten through 3rd Grade. REL 2016-277

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kosanovich, Marcia; Foorman, Barbara

2016-01-01

The Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Southeast developed a Professional Learning Community (PLC) Facilitators Guide to support educators in the implementation of recommendations from the What Works Clearinghouse's. The practice guide focuses on the foundational reading skills that enable students to read words, relate those words to their…

Future perspectives on nonmedical prescribing

PubMed Central

Stewart, Derek; Jebara, Tesnime; Cunningham, Scott; Awaisu, Ahmed; Pallivalapila, Abdulrouf; MacLure, Katie

2017-01-01

Many countries have implemented nonmedical prescribing (NMP) and many others are scoping prescribing practices with a view to developing NMP. This paper provides a future perspective on NMP in light of findings of an umbrella review of aspects of NMP. This is followed by coverage of the Scottish Government strategy of pharmacist prescribing and finally, consideration of two key challenges. The review identified seven systematic reviews of influences on prescribing decision-making, processes of prescribing, and barriers and facilitators to implementation. Decision making was reported as complex with many, and often conflicting, influences. Facilitators of NMP included perceived improved patient care and professional autonomy, while barriers included lack of defined roles and resource pressures. Three systematic reviews explored patient outcomes that were noted to be equivalent or better to physician prescribing. In particular, a Cochrane review of 46 studies of clinical, patient-reported, and resource-use outcomes of NMP compared with medical prescribing showed positive intervention-group effects. Despite positive findings, authors highlighted high bias, poor definition and description of ‘prescribing’ and the ‘prescribing process’ and difficulty in separating NMP effects from the contributions of other healthcare team members. While evidence of benefit and safety is essential to inform practice, for NMP to be implemented and sustained on a large scale, there needs to be clear commitment at the highest level. The approach being taken by the Scottish Government to pharmacist prescribing implementation may inform developments in other professions and countries. The vision is that by 2023, all pharmacists providing pharmaceutical care will be pharmacist-independent prescribers. There are, however, challenges to implementing NMP into working practice; two key challenges are the need for sustainable models of care and evaluation research. These challenges could be met by considering the theoretical basis for implementation, and robust and rigorous evaluation. PMID:28607668

Advancing Symptom Science Through Use of Common Data Elements.

PubMed

Redeker, Nancy S; Anderson, Ruth; Bakken, Suzanne; Corwin, Elizabeth; Docherty, Sharron; Dorsey, Susan G; Heitkemper, Margaret; McCloskey, Donna Jo; Moore, Shirley; Pullen, Carol; Rapkin, Bruce; Schiffman, Rachel; Waldrop-Valverde, Drenna; Grady, Patricia

2015-09-01

Use of common data elements (CDEs), conceptually defined as variables that are operationalized and measured in identical ways across studies, enables comparison of data across studies in ways that would otherwise be impossible. Although healthcare researchers are increasingly using CDEs, there has been little systematic use of CDEs for symptom science. CDEs are especially important in symptom science because people experience common symptoms across a broad range of health and developmental states, and symptom management interventions may have common outcomes across populations. The purposes of this article are to (a) recommend best practices for the use of CDEs for symptom science within and across centers; (b) evaluate the benefits and challenges associated with the use of CDEs for symptom science; (c) propose CDEs to be used in symptom science to serve as the basis for this emerging science; and (d) suggest implications and recommendations for future research and dissemination of CDEs for symptom science. The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)-supported P20 and P30 Center directors applied published best practices, expert advice, and the literature to identify CDEs to be used across the centers to measure pain, sleep, fatigue, and affective and cognitive symptoms. We generated a minimum set of CDEs to measure symptoms. The CDEs identified through this process will be used across the NINR Centers and will facilitate comparison of symptoms across studies. We expect that additional symptom CDEs will be added and the list will be refined in future work. Symptoms are an important focus of nursing care. Use of CDEs will facilitate research that will lead to better ways to assist people to manage their symptoms. © 2015 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Filling the Gaps in a Fragmented Health Care System: Development of the Health and Welfare Information Portal (ZWIP).

PubMed

Robben, Sarah Hm; Huisjes, Mirjam; van Achterberg, Theo; Zuidema, Sytse U; Olde Rikkert, Marcel Gm; Schers, Henk J; Heinen, Maud M; Melis, René Jf

2012-09-19

Current health care systems are not optimally designed to meet the needs of our aging populations. First, the fragmentation of care often results in discontinuity of care that can undermine the quality of care provided. Second, patient involvement in care decisions is not sufficiently facilitated. To describe the development and the content of a program aimed at: (1) facilitating self-management and shared decision making by frail older people and informal caregivers, and (2) reducing fragmentation of care by improving collaboration among professionals involved in the care of frail older people through a combined multidisciplinary electronic health record (EHR) and personal health record (PHR). We used intervention mapping to systematically develop our program in six consecutive steps. Throughout this development, the target populations (ie, professionals, frail older people, and informal caregivers) were involved extensively through their participation in semi-structured interviews and working groups. We developed the Health and Welfare Information Portal (ZWIP), a personal, Internet-based conference table for multidisciplinary communication and information exchange for frail older people, their informal caregivers, and professionals. Further, we selected and developed methods for implementation of the program, which included an interdisciplinary educational course for professionals involved in the care of frail older people, and planned the evaluation of the program. This paper describes the successful development and the content of the ZWIP as well as the strategies developed for its implementation. Throughout the development, representatives of future users were involved extensively. Future studies will establish the effects of the ZWIP on self-management and shared decision making by frail older people as well as on collaboration among the professionals involved.

International health IT benchmarking: learning from cross-country comparisons.

PubMed

Zelmer, Jennifer; Ronchi, Elettra; Hyppönen, Hannele; Lupiáñez-Villanueva, Francisco; Codagnone, Cristiano; Nøhr, Christian; Huebner, Ursula; Fazzalari, Anne; Adler-Milstein, Julia

2017-03-01

To pilot benchmark measures of health information and communication technology (ICT) availability and use to facilitate cross-country learning. A prior Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development-led effort involving 30 countries selected and defined functionality-based measures for availability and use of electronic health records, health information exchange, personal health records, and telehealth. In this pilot, an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Working Group compiled results for 38 countries for a subset of measures with broad coverage using new and/or adapted country-specific or multinational surveys and other sources from 2012 to 2015. We also synthesized country learnings to inform future benchmarking. While electronic records are widely used to store and manage patient information at the point of care-all but 2 pilot countries reported use by at least half of primary care physicians; many had rates above 75%-patient information exchange across organizations/settings is less common. Large variations in the availability and use of telehealth and personal health records also exist. Pilot participation demonstrated interest in cross-national benchmarking. Using the most comparable measures available to date, it showed substantial diversity in health ICT availability and use in all domains. The project also identified methodological considerations (e.g., structural and health systems issues that can affect measurement) important for future comparisons. While health policies and priorities differ, many nations aim to increase access, quality, and/or efficiency of care through effective ICT use. By identifying variations and describing key contextual factors, benchmarking offers the potential to facilitate cross-national learning and accelerate the progress of individual countries. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association.

Barriers and facilitators associated with return to work after stroke: a qualitative meta-synthesis.

PubMed

Brannigan, Colm; Galvin, Rose; Walsh, Mary E; Loughnane, Cliona; Morrissey, Emma-Jane; Macey, Chris; Delargy, Mark; Horgan, N Frances

2017-02-01

To enhance the employment outcomes of individuals who experience a stroke, it is essential to understand the factors that determine successful return to work. The aim of this systematic review was to examine barriers to and facilitators of return to work after stroke from the perspective of people with stroke through the process of a qualitative meta-synthesis. A systematic literature search was conducted. Studies that employed qualitative methods to explore the experiences of individuals with stroke around return to work after stroke were included. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed by two independent reviewers. Overarching themes, concepts and interpretations were extracted from each individual study, compared and meta-synthesized. Fifteen studies were included and the overall methodological quality of the studies was good. Four broad themes emerged as factors associated with return to work after stroke. These included (i) the nature of the effects of stroke, (ii) the preparatory environment, (iii) personal coping strategies and internal challenges and (iv) the meaning of work. Return to work after stroke is a complex process which can be facilitated or impeded by organizational, social or personal factors, as well as accessibility to appropriate services. Implications for Rehabilitation Following a period of dedicated inpatient rehabilitation, there is a need to integrate community-support services to optimize return to work among stroke survivors. A dedicated community stroke support liaison officer may help to facilitate the transition between the hospital and the community and workplace environment. Education provided by healthcare professionals is necessary in the community and the workplace to ensure that family, friends and employers are aware of the impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions of the stroke survivor.

Barriers and facilitators to work reintegration and burn survivors' perspectives on educating work colleagues.

PubMed

Nguyen, Ngoc Tram; Lorrain, Mélyssa; Pognon-Hanna, Joe Nayima; Elfassy, Caroline; Calva, Valerie; de Oliveira, Ana; Nedelec, Bernadette

2016-11-01

Work reintegration constitutes a major milestone in the rehabilitation process of adults who have sustained a burn. Research studies with other conditions demonstrated that open, explicit communication about the worker's condition and potential limitations may facilitate this transition. However, the best approach to enable this discussion to occur has yet to be described. The aim of this exploratory qualitative study was to investigate burn survivors' and clinicians' perspectives of the barriers and facilitators to work reintegration that could be addressed through education of work colleagues, which information to communicate to the workplace and the most effective method to disseminate this knowledge. Five semi-structured focus groups were conducted with three groups of informants including: (1) 13 burn survivors who had already returned to work; (2) 7 who were planning on returning; and (3) 9 burn care professionals. Qualitative data were inductively analyzed employing constant comparative techniques. Key barriers and facilitators that were identified included residual impairments, individual characteristics, support from the social environment, work accommodations and resources from the healthcare and compensation systems. Burn survivors agreed that return to work efforts were not adequately supported and that education should be provided to work colleagues about the burn and rehabilitation process, but that information on residual impairments should be communicated judiciously as it may be used prejudiciously against those seeking new employment. In the latter case, it is preferable to inform the workplace of their strengths and abilities. Extensive literature demonstrating the benefits of educational programs for the peers and teachers of pediatric burn survivors when they return to school already exists. This study provides evidence that there is a need for a similar process for adult burn survivors returning to work. The educational material must be versatile enough so that it can be customized to individual burn survivor's needs and the environments in which they work. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

"During early implementation you just muddle through": factors that impacted a statewide arthritis program's implementation.

PubMed

Conte, Kathleen P; Marie Harvey, S; Turner Goins, R

2017-12-01

The need to scale-up effective arthritis self-management programs is pressing as the prevalence of arthritis increases. The CDC Arthritis Program funds state health departments to work with local delivery systems to embed arthritis programs into their day-to-day work. To encourage organizational ownership and sustainability of programs, funding is restricted to offset program start-up costs. The purpose of this study was to identify factors that impacted the success of implementing an evidence-based arthritis self-management program, funded by the CDC Arthritis Program, into the Oregon Extension Service. We interviewed staff and partners involved in implementation who had and had not successfully delivered Walk With Ease (N = 12) to identify barriers and facilitators to scaling-up. Document analysis of administrative records was used to triangulate and expand on findings. Delivery goals defined by the funder were not met in Year 1: only 3 of the expected 28 programs were delivered. Barriers to implementation included insufficient planning for implementation driven by pressure to deliver programs and insufficient resources to support staff time. Facilitators included centralized administration of key implementation activities and staffs' previous experience implementing new programs. The importance of planning and preparing for implementation cannot be overlooked. Funders, however, eager to see deliverables, continue to define implementation goals in terms of program reach, exclusive of capacity-building. Lack of capacity-building can jeopardize staff buy-in, implementation quality, and sustainability. Based on our findings coupled with support from implementation literature, we offer recommendations for future large-scale implementation efforts operating under such funding restrictions.

Effects of voice timbre and accompaniment on working memory as measured by sequential monosyllabic digit recall performance.

PubMed

Silverman, Michael J; Schwartzberg, Edward T

2014-01-01

Information is often paired with music in an attempt to facilitate recall and enhance learning. However, there is a lack of basic research investigating how music carrying information might facilitate recall and subsequent learning. The purpose of the current study was to determine the effects of voice timbre and accompaniment on working memory as measured by recall performance on a sequential digit recall task. Specific research questions were as follows: (a) How might female and male voice timbres affect serial recall? (b) How might piano, guitar, and no accompaniment affect serial recall? (c) Do music majors have enhanced recall accuracy when compared to nonmusic majors? The recall of information paired with six different melodies was tested on 60 university students. Melodies were composed and recorded using female and male voices with three levels of accompaniment: guitar, piano, and no accompaniment. Participants had more accurate recall during the male voice and piano and no accompaniment conditions and least accurate recall during the female voice and guitar accompaniment conditions. As participants had most accurate recall during the male voice and with piano or no accompaniment, clinicians are encouraged to consider using no accompaniment or piano accompaniment when initially teaching social and academic information paired with music for later recall. When possible, vocal timbre (i.e., the potential benefit of male voicing) should also be considered. Implications for clinical practice, limitations of the study, and suggestions for future research are provided. © the American Music Therapy Association 2014. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Teacher Professionalism in Technical and Vocational Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tampang, B. L. L.; Wonggo, D.

2018-02-01

The advancement of a nation is largely determined by the advancement of education, and the field of education is on the teachers’ shoulders. Therefore, professionalism of teachers should be improved in performing their duties as facilitators, initiators, and motivators in achieving the competence of graduates. Teachers should be able to facilitate the learning process and pay attention to the development of learners in its various dimensions, leading to the ownership and development of intelligence, learning skills, attitudes, work skills, and social independence. Vocational education carried by Vocational High School, should not only provide theory, but also be coupled with the application or application of theory. It is time for us to rise up to give birth to professional experts in their fields, in accordance with the needs of the workforce. A professional teacher is required to have a work ethic and a high commitment to his profession, and always through continuous development through professional organizations, the internet, books, seminars, and the like. With the professionalism of teachers, then the future teacher does not appear again only as a teacher (teacher), such a prominent function during this, but switch as coach, counselor, and learning manager. Each Educational Institution of Education Personnel graduate and other college graduates who wish to become teachers are required to have at least the competence of the standard. Thus, teacher professionalism is a life-long and never-ending process. Developing and developing vocational education is an important and absolute thing to do, considering that approximately 80% of the workforce in the field is lower middle-level workforce.

Instrumental support to facilitate hepatitis C treatment adherence: working around shortfalls in shared-care.

PubMed

Sublette, Victoria A; Hopwood, Max; George, Jacob; Smith, Sian K; Perry, Kathryn Nicholson; McCaffery, Kirsten; Douglas, Mark W

2015-01-01

Adherence to treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with the successful eradication of infection. However, patients often have difficulty adhering to HCV treatment because of factors such as the psychiatric side effects of regimens and social disadvantage. Commonly, health professionals including specialist physicians, nurses, social workers and psychologists work together under a multidisciplinary model of shared-care to support patients' adherence to HCV treatment. In some HCV treatment clinics, shared-care is not always available, or only partially implemented and this has implications for patient adherence. To explore the facilitators of adherence, an interview-based study was conducted in 2012 with a purposive sample of Australian physicians and nurses (N = 20). The findings reveal that when comprehensive shared-care was limited or unavailable, physicians and nurses filled in the gaps by assuming roles outside of their expertise to help patients adhere to HCV treatment. Physicians and nurses applied instrumental support strategies based on psychosocial interventions, namely patient advocacy, pragmatic problem-solving, treatment engagement and emotional support. These strategies were provided by dedicated physicians and nurses to address shortfalls in multidisciplinary shared-care. Although these interventions were reported to assist adherence, there is an increased risk of complications when physicians and nurses move beyond the bounds of their disciplinary training, for example, to assess and manage patients' psychiatric side effects or advocate on their behalf for social services. Future research should measure the effectiveness of instrumental support strategies on HCV treatment adherence, and explore the costs associated with physicians and nurses providing instrumental support in the absence of comprehensive multidisciplinary shared-care.

Physicians' professional performance: an occupational health psychology perspective.

PubMed

Scheepers, Renée A

2017-12-01

Physician work engagement is considered to benefit physicians' professional performance in clinical teaching practice. Following an occupational health psychology perspective, this PhD report presents research on how physicians' professional performance in both doctor and teacher roles can be facilitated by work engagement and how work engagement is facilitated by job resources and personality traits. First, we conducted a systematic review on the impact of physician work engagement and related constructs (e. g. job satisfaction) on physicians' performance in patient care. We additionally investigated physician work engagement and job resources in relation to patient care experience with physicians' performance at ten outpatient clinics covering two hospitals. In a following multicentre survey involving 61 residency training programs of 18 hospitals, we studied associations between physician work engagement and personality traits with resident evaluations of physicians' teaching performance. The findings showed that physician work engagement was associated with fewer reported medical errors and that job satisfaction was associated with better communication and patient satisfaction. Autonomy and learning opportunities were positively associated with physician work engagement. Work engagement was positively associated with teaching performance. In addition, physician work engagement was most likely supported by personality trait conscientiousness (e. g. responsibility). Given the reported associations of physician work engagement with aspects of their professional performance, hospitals could support physician work engagement in service of optimal performance in residency training and patient care. This could be facilitated by worker health surveillance, peer support or promoting job crafting at the individual or team level.

Regenerative Medicine: Creating the Future for Military Medicine

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-08-01

research institutes, and/or small/large businesses by identifying and facilitating appropriate partnerships as well as recommending more targeted...cells without the need for prolonged culture periods to expand the cell populations. In addition, the researchers have found a method that will induce...Regenerative Medicine CREATING THE FUTURE FOR MILITARY MEDICINE U.S. ARMY MEDICAL RESEARCH & MATERIEL COMMAND (USAMRMC) TELEMEDICINE & ADVANCED

What Master Teachers Do: A Case Study of Planning, Facilitating, Role Modelling and Developing Materials

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ibrahim, Noraini; Aziz, Azliza Haniem Abdul; Nambiar, Radha M. K.

2013-01-01

Teaching is the foundation of our educational system. As such teachers are privileged with the responsibility of nurturing the young and inadvertently, shaping the future. To this end, the Malaysian government is fully cognizant that our future is dependent on the development of a highly skilled and innovative workforce serving as the critical…

Simulated Sustainable Societies: Students' Reflections on Creating Future Cities in Computer Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nilsson, Elisabet M.; Jakobsson, Anders

2011-01-01

The empirical study, in this article, involved 42 students (ages 14-15), who used the urban simulation computer game SimCity 4 to create models of sustainable future cities. The aim was to explore in what ways the simulated "real" worlds provided by this game could be a potential facilitator for science learning contexts. The topic investigated is…

Addressing Unmet Need for HIV Testing in Emergency Care Settings: A Role for Computer-facilitated Rapid HIV Testing?

PubMed Central

Kurth, Ann E.; Severynen, Anneleen; Spielberg, Freya

2014-01-01

HIV testing in emergency departments (EDs) remains underutilized. We evaluated a computer tool to facilitate rapid HIV testing in an urban ED. Randomly assigned non-acute adult ED patients to computer tool (‘CARE’) and rapid HIV testing before standard visit (n=258) or to standard visit (n=259) with chart access. Assessed intervention acceptability and compared noted HIV risks. Participants were 56% non-white, 58% male; median age 37 years. In the CARE arm nearly all (251/258) completed the session and received HIV results; 4 declined test consent. HIV risks were reported by 54% of users and there was one confirmed HIV-positive and 2 false-positives (seroprevalence 0.4%, 95% CI 0.01–2.2%). Half (55%) preferred computerized, over face-to-face, counseling for future HIV testing. In standard arm, one HIV test and 2 referrals for testing occurred. Computer-facilitated HIV testing appears acceptable to ED patients. Future research should assess cost-effectiveness compared with staff-delivered approaches. PMID:23837807

Managers' social support: Facilitators and hindrances for seeking support at work.

PubMed

Lundqvist, Daniel; Fogelberg Eriksson, Anna; Ekberg, Kerstin

2018-01-01

Previous research has shown that social support is important for health and performance at work, but there is a lack of research regarding managers' social support at work, and if it needs to be improvedOBJECTIVE:To investigate managers' perception of work-related social support, and facilitators and hindrances that influence their seeking of social support at work. Semi-structured interviews with sixty-two managers in two Swedish organizations. Work-related support, which strengthened their managerial image of being competent, was sought from sources within the workplace. Sensitive and personal support, where there was a risk of jeopardizing their image of being competent, was sought from sources outside the workplace. Access to arenas for support (location of the workplace, meetings, and vocational courses) and the managerial role could facilitate their support-seeking, but could also act as hindrances. Because attending different arenas for support were demanding, they refrained from seeking support if the demands were perceived as too high. Different supportive sources are distinguished based on what supportive function they have and in which arenas they are found, in order to preserve the confidence of the closest organization and to maintain the image of being a competent and performing manager.

Supervisors' Strategies to Facilitate Work Functioning among Employees with Musculoskeletal Complaints: A Focus Group Study.

PubMed

Ask, Tove; Magnussen, Liv Heide

2015-01-01

To explore what strategies the supervisors found beneficial to prevent or reduce sickness absence among employees with musculoskeletal complaints. Five focus groups were conducted and 26 supervisors from health and social sector participated. Commonly used strategies to prevent sickness absence and interdisciplinary cooperation in this work were discussed in the focus groups. Systematic text condensation was used to analyse the data. The supervisors described five strategies for sick leave management: (1) promoting well-being and a healthy working environment, (2) providing early support and adjustments, (3) making employees more responsible, (4) using confrontational strategies in relation to employees on long-term sick leave, and (5) cooperation with general practitioners (GPs). Strategies of promoting a healthy working environment and facilitating early return to work were utilised in the follow-up of employees with musculoskeletal complaints. Supportive strategies were found most useful especially in the early phases, while finding a balance between being supportive, on one side, and confronting the employee, on the other, was endeavoured in cases of recurrent or long-term sick leave. Further, the supervisors requested a closer cooperation with the GPs, which they believed would facilitate return to work.

Supervisors' Strategies to Facilitate Work Functioning among Employees with Musculoskeletal Complaints: A Focus Group Study

PubMed Central

Magnussen, Liv Heide

2015-01-01

Aim. To explore what strategies the supervisors found beneficial to prevent or reduce sickness absence among employees with musculoskeletal complaints. Methods. Five focus groups were conducted and 26 supervisors from health and social sector participated. Commonly used strategies to prevent sickness absence and interdisciplinary cooperation in this work were discussed in the focus groups. Systematic text condensation was used to analyse the data. Results. The supervisors described five strategies for sick leave management: (1) promoting well-being and a healthy working environment, (2) providing early support and adjustments, (3) making employees more responsible, (4) using confrontational strategies in relation to employees on long-term sick leave, and (5) cooperation with general practitioners (GPs). Conclusions. Strategies of promoting a healthy working environment and facilitating early return to work were utilised in the follow-up of employees with musculoskeletal complaints. Supportive strategies were found most useful especially in the early phases, while finding a balance between being supportive, on one side, and confronting the employee, on the other, was endeavoured in cases of recurrent or long-term sick leave. Further, the supervisors requested a closer cooperation with the GPs, which they believed would facilitate return to work. PMID:26380370

Promotores Comunitarios: sus aportes y difficultades (Community Facilitators: Their Contributions and Difficulties.) Occasional Paper No. 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brouwer, Jani; Martinic, Sergio

The Bernard van Leer Foundation sponsors nontraditional, nonschool programs designed to improve the chances that preschoolers will enroll in school. In these programs and other informal education efforts, the community facilitator plays an important role. Typically, the facilitator is a member of the community who works without remuneration as a…

The Facilitator of Community Music-Making with Older Learners: Characteristics, Motivations and Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hallam, Susan; Creech, Andrea; McQueen, Hilary; Varvarigou, Maria; Gaunt, Helena

2016-01-01

Although there is now an accepted need for initiatives that support older people's well-being, little attention has been paid to the role of those facilitating such activities. This research explored the benefits and challenges for those working in facilitating musical activities with older people. The research was undertaken at three UK case…

Making Facilitation Work: The Challenges on an International DBA Action Learning Set

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

OFarrell, Jack

2018-01-01

This account relates my experiences as facilitator of an action learning set on a DBA cohort comprising international students and myself. It outlines the reasons for my selection as facilitator and describes my initial expectations and assumptions of action learning. I chart the difficulty in separating the 'what' of my own research from the…

Toward a Concept of Facilitative Theorizing: An Alternative to Prescriptive and Descriptive Theory in Educational Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yanchar, Stephen C.; Faulconer, James E.

2011-01-01

This article presents the concept of facilitative theorizing as an alternative to prescriptive and descriptive theory in educational technology. The authors contend that these traditional forms of theory do not offer sufficient assistance to practitioners as they go about everyday design work. Facilitative theorizing, as an alternative, is…

No functional role of attention-based rehearsal in maintenance of spatial working memory representations.

PubMed

Belopolsky, Artem V; Theeuwes, Jan

2009-10-01

The present study systematically examined the role of attention in maintenance of spatial representations in working memory as proposed by the attention-based rehearsal hypothesis [Awh, E., Jonides, J., & Reuter-Lorenz, P. A. (1998). Rehearsal in spatial working memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology--Human Perception and Performance, 24(3), 780-790]. Three main issues were examined. First, Experiments 1-3 demonstrated that inhibition and not facilitation of visual processing is often observed at the memorized location during the retention interval. This inhibition was caused by keeping a location in memory and not by the exogenous nature of the memory cue. Second, Experiment 4 showed that inhibition of the memorized location does not lead to any significant impairment in memory accuracy. Finally, Experiment 5 connected current results to the previous findings and demonstrated facilitation of processing at the memorized location. Importantly, facilitation of processing did not lead to more accurate memory performance. The present results challenge the functional role of attention in maintenance of spatial working memory representations.

Stimulated Recall Methodology for Assessing Work System Barriers and Facilitators in Family-Centered Rounds in a Pediatric Hospital

PubMed Central

Carayon, Pascale; Li, Yaqiong; Kelly, Michelle M.; DuBenske, Lori L.; Xie, Anping; McCabe, Brenna; Orne, Jason; Cox, Elizabeth D.

2014-01-01

Human factors and ergonomics methods are needed to redesign healthcare processes and support patient-centered care, in particular for vulnerable patients such as hospitalized children. We implemented and evaluated a stimulated recall methodology for collective confrontation in the context of family-centered rounds. Five parents and five healthcare team members reviewed video records of their bedside rounds, and were then interviewed using the stimulated recall methodology to identify work system barriers and facilitators in family-centered rounds. The evaluation of the methodology was based on a survey of the participants, and a qualitative analysis of interview data in light of the work system model of Smith and Carayon (1989; 2000). Positive survey feedback from the participants was received. The stimulated recall methodology identified barriers and facilitators in all work system elements. Participatory ergonomics methods such as the stimulated recall methodology allow a range of participants, including parents and children, to participate in healthcare process improvement. PMID:24894378

Software architecture and engineering for patient records: current and future.

PubMed

Weng, Chunhua; Levine, Betty A; Mun, Seong K

2009-05-01

During the "The National Forum on the Future of the Defense Health Information System," a track focusing on "Systems Architecture and Software Engineering" included eight presenters. These presenters identified three key areas of interest in this field, which include the need for open enterprise architecture and a federated database design, net centrality based on service-oriented architecture, and the need for focus on software usability and reusability. The eight panelists provided recommendations related to the suitability of service-oriented architecture and the enabling technologies of grid computing and Web 2.0 for building health services research centers and federated data warehouses to facilitate large-scale collaborative health care and research. Finally, they discussed the need to leverage industry best practices for software engineering to facilitate rapid software development, testing, and deployment.

Computational Analysis and Simulation of Empathic Behaviors: a Survey of Empathy Modeling with Behavioral Signal Processing Framework.

PubMed

Xiao, Bo; Imel, Zac E; Georgiou, Panayiotis; Atkins, David C; Narayanan, Shrikanth S

2016-05-01

Empathy is an important psychological process that facilitates human communication and interaction. Enhancement of empathy has profound significance in a range of applications. In this paper, we review emerging directions of research on computational analysis of empathy expression and perception as well as empathic interactions, including their simulation. We summarize the work on empathic expression analysis by the targeted signal modalities (e.g., text, audio, and facial expressions). We categorize empathy simulation studies into theory-based emotion space modeling or application-driven user and context modeling. We summarize challenges in computational study of empathy including conceptual framing and understanding of empathy, data availability, appropriate use and validation of machine learning techniques, and behavior signal processing. Finally, we propose a unified view of empathy computation and offer a series of open problems for future research.