24 CFR 92.252 - Qualification as affordable housing: Rental housing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... rents and in median income over time should be sufficient to maintain the financial viability of a..., only if HUD finds that an adjustment is necessary to support the continued financial viability of the project and only by an amount that HUD determines is necessary to maintain continued financial viability...

The Place of Trust in Continuing Professional Learning Programmes: Supporting Authentic Reflection in Portfolio Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stocks, Claire; Trevitt, Chris

2016-01-01

In this paper we consider why academics on Continuing Professional Learning (CPL) programmes often struggle with practice-based learning, and why they can find the reflective portfolio particularly challenging. We first argue that convenors should articulate the differences between "academic learning" and "learning in academia"…

Systematic review building a preceptor support system.

PubMed

Goss, Carol R

2015-01-01

This systematic review identifies the significance of the preceptor role in affecting new graduate nurse retention. Findings from 20 research studies provide support that nurse preceptors receiving continuing education and perceiving reward and recognition from the preceptor position positively affect new graduate nurse retention. Hospital administration, nurse managers, nurse educators, preceptors, and new graduate nurses each play a role in the successful implementation of a preceptor support system.

The logic of relations and the logic of management.

PubMed

Buntinx, W

2008-07-01

Increasing emphasis on financial and administrative control processes is affecting service culture in support organisations for persons with intellectual disability. This phenomenon is currently obvious in Dutch service organisations that find themselves in transition towards more community care and at the same time under pressure from new administrative and funding managerial bureaucracy. As a result, the logic of management is becoming more dominant in direct support settings and risk to overshadow the logic of relationships between staff and clients. The article presents a reflection on this phenomenon, starting from a description of service team characteristics as found in the literature. Next, findings about direct support staff (DSS) continuity are summarised from four Dutch studies. Following up these findings, the concept of 'microsystems' is explored as a possible answer to the organisational challenges demonstrated in the studies. Team characteristics, especially team size and membership continuity for DSS, appear relevant factors for assuring supportive relationships and service quality in direct support teams. The structure of the primary support team shows to be of special interest. The organisational concept of 'microsystems' is explored with respect to transcending the present conflict between bureaucratic managerial pressure and the need for supportive relationships. Service organisations need to create structural conditions for the efficacy of direct support teams in terms of client relationships and relevant client outcomes. At the same time, the need for administrative and control processes can not be denied. The concept of 'microsystems', application of a Quality of Life framework and the use of new instruments, such as the Supports Intensity Scale, can contribute to an organisational solution for the present conflicting logic of relations and management.

Access without Support Is Not Opportunity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engstrom, Cathy; Tinto, Vincent

2008-01-01

Unfortunately, too many low-income students enter college academically under-prepared, and too few find the support they need to succeed in college. As a result, their rates of completing four-year degrees continue to lag behind those of more-affluent students. The gap has not diminished in recent years--indeed it may have increased somewhat over…

Does Employer-Financed General Training Pay? Evidence from the US Navy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garcia, Federico; Arkes, Jeremy; Trost, Robert

2002-01-01

Examines whether the US Navy's Voluntary Education program leads to lower personnel turnover. Finds that program participation is associated with an 11-percentage-point increase in the probability of continuing in the Navy for 6 years. Findings seem to support the theory that general training safeguards employer investments in specific training by…

[The total-quality-management-analysis of the continuation and discontinuation of alcohol family treatment: a grassroots approach].

PubMed

Nishikawa, K; Tatsuki, S

2001-06-01

A family support/treatment program was provided to thirty-three cases where a drinking family member (identified patient) had shown alcohol related problems but not yet admitted the problem. After a period of between thirteen and twenty-one months of family treatment, fourteen (42.4%) identified patients started their own treatment. The only statistically significant factor that was related to the patients' treatment program participation was the continuation of family members' involvement in a family treatment program. Among the thirty-three cases, a little less than one half (48.5%) continued the family program. In order to increase the patients' participation, it is crucial to encourage family members to continue their family support/treatment program. In order to identify factors that contribute treatment continuation as well as dropouts, workshops were held with those who dropped out and those who continued the family treatment program. The Total-Quality-Management (TQM) affinity and arrow diagram techniques were employed to classify the participants' statements and to find cause-effect relationships among the identified factors, respectively. Five family treatment discontinuation factors were identified: 1) a lack of information about family support program, 2) resistance against a "family change" orientation in family treatment program, 3) family member burnout, 4) a misfit between family needs for immediate problem solutions and what family program offers, and 5) a temporal improvement of patients' drinking problems. While widely varied factors were found to contribute discontinuation, only a very few factors were identified to facilitate the treatment continuation. It was concluded that treatment discontinuation, rather than continuation, was the norm among the families of problem drinkers. Based on the above findings, three kaizen plans were proposed. First, in order to make sure that family members obtain necessary information about the family support/treatment program, a pamphlet would be created and handed out to those who come to family treatment. Second, family support efforts would be emphasized more. Treatment staff is expected to become more cautious with regard to the family behavior change facilitation, especially at the early stage. Third, treatment staff is expected to become more aggressive about contacting family group members when they do not show up to a meeting.

Advocating for continuing nursing education in a pediatric hospital: the Prince Scholar and Sabbatical Programs.

PubMed

Sperhac, A M; Goodwin, L D

2000-01-01

As nurses gain more experience, they often question the basis of nursing practice and want to find the most current and accepted methods of providing nursing care. Attending seminars, conferences, and continuing education programs is often difficult because of financial and staffing constraints. The authors describe the design and implementation of two funded programs--the Prince Scholars and Sabbatical Programs--that support continuing nursing education in a pediatric tertiary hospital.

Continuity, Support, Togetherness and Trust: Findings from an Evaluation of a University-Administered Early Professional Development Programme for Teachers in England

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McIntyre, Joanna; Hobson, Andrew J.; Mitchell, Nick

2009-01-01

This article discusses the evaluation of a unique university-based early professional development (EPD) programme in England that enabled newly and recently qualified teachers to have continued contact with their initial teacher preparation provider. The programme was designed to enhance the induction, EPD and retention of beginning teachers of…

Behavior analytic approaches to problem behavior in intellectual disabilities.

PubMed

Hagopian, Louis P; Gregory, Meagan K

2016-03-01

The purpose of the current review is to summarize recent behavior analytic research on problem behavior in individuals with intellectual disabilities. We have focused our review on studies published from 2013 to 2015, but also included earlier studies that were relevant. Behavior analytic research on problem behavior continues to focus on the use and refinement of functional behavioral assessment procedures and function-based interventions. During the review period, a number of studies reported on procedures aimed at making functional analysis procedures more time efficient. Behavioral interventions continue to evolve, and there were several larger scale clinical studies reporting on multiple individuals. There was increased attention on the part of behavioral researchers to develop statistical methods for analysis of within subject data and continued efforts to aggregate findings across studies through evaluative reviews and meta-analyses. Findings support continued utility of functional analysis for guiding individualized interventions and for classifying problem behavior. Modifications designed to make functional analysis more efficient relative to the standard method of functional analysis were reported; however, these require further validation. Larger scale studies on behavioral assessment and treatment procedures provided additional empirical support for effectiveness of these approaches and their sustainability outside controlled clinical settings.

The State of Leadership Education in Emergency Medical Services: A Multi-national Qualitative Study.

PubMed

Leggio, William Joseph

2014-10-01

This study investigated how leadership is learned in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) from a multi-national perspective by interviewing EMS providers from multiple nations working in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A phenomenological, qualitative methodology was developed and 19 EMS providers from multiple nations were interviewed in June 2013. Interview questions focused on how participants learned EMS leadership as an EMS student and throughout their careers as providers. Data were analyzed to identify themes, patterns, and codes to be used for final analysis to describe findings. Emergency Medical Services leadership is primarily learned from informal mentoring and on-the-job training in less than supportive environments. Participants described learning EMS leadership during their EMS education. A triangulation of EMS educational resources yielded limited results beyond being a leader of patient care. The only course that yielded results from triangulation was EMS Management. The need to develop EMS leadership courses was supported by the findings. Findings also supported the need to include leadership education as part of continuing medical education and training. Emergency Medical Services leadership education that prepares students for the complexities of the profession is needed. Likewise, the need for EMS leadership education and training to be part of continuing education is supported. Both are viewed as a way to advance the EMS profession. A need for further research on the topic of EMS leadership is recognized, and supported, with a call for action on suggested topics identified within the study.

Adverse consequences of lysergic acid diethylamide.

PubMed

Abraham, H D; Aldridge, A M

1993-10-01

The continued endemic use of hallucinogenic drugs, and of LSD in particular, raises concern regarding their short and long term adverse consequences. The epidemiology of LSD abuse is reviewed suggesting an increase in LSD use among the young as the prevalence rates for other substances continues to fall. Evidence supports the association of LSD use with panic reactions, prolonged schizoaffective psychoses and post-hallucinogen perceptual disorder, the latter being present continually for as long as 5 years. Evidence does not support claims of genetic disorders arising from hallucinogens. In light of the foregoing, current data confirm earlier findings of long lasting psychopathology arising in vulnerable individuals from the use of LSD. A hypothetical long term molecular mechanism of adverse effects is proposed.

Individual Placement and Support: a community mental health center approach to vocational rehabilitation.

PubMed

Becker, D R; Drake, R E

1994-04-01

Individual Placement and Support (IPS) is a vocational rehabilitation intervention for people with severe mental disabilities. IPS draws from components and philosophies of several other models. Employment specialists, who are part of the community mental health center team, provide services in the community. IPS emphasizes client preferences, rapid job finding, continuous assessment, competitive employment, integrated work settings, and follow-along supports. Initial research on IPS shows favorable results.

Former Auctioneer Finds Voice After Aphasia

MedlinePlus

... And, people in trials also benefit from the social interaction. They become part of our group and we try to create an enjoyable, welcoming, and supportive environment." Now, five years ... social situations and continue normal activities. Limit your conversation ...

Development Genetic Analysis of General Cognitive Ability from 1 to 12 Years in a Sample of Adoptees, Biological Siblings, and Twins.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bishop, E. G.; Cherny, Stacey S.; Corley, Robin; Plomin, Robert; DeFries, John C.; Hewitt, John K.

2003-01-01

Studied continuity and change in general cognitive ability from infancy to adolescence in adoptees (107 children), biological siblings (87 pairs), and twins (224 monozygotic and 189 dyzygotic pairs). Findings generally support previous findings about genetic and environmental factors, with the exception that in the transition to adolescence,…

Continuous Professional Development and ECEC Quality: Findings from a European Systematic Literature Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peleman, Brecht; Lazzari, Arianna; Budginaite, Irma; Siarova, Hanna; Hauari, Hanan; Peeters, Jan; Cameron, Claire

2018-01-01

This article presents the findings of an analysis of the effects of CPD initiatives on the quality of the pedagogical practices of ECEC practitioners. It is part of a larger study commissioned by Eurofound and jointly conducted by VBJK, IOE and PPMI (Eurofound, 2015). In order to draw policy-relevant information that might support decision makers…

Late-onset schizophrenia: do recent studies support categorizing LOS as a subtype of schizophrenia?

PubMed

Maglione, Jeanne E; Thomas, Scot E; Jeste, Dilip V

2014-05-01

To review recent literature about late-onset schizophrenia (LOS): schizophrenia with onset between ages 40 and 60 years. New findings are presented in the context of the previous literature. Newer studies continue to suggest that early-onset schizophrenia (EOS) and LOS share fundamental clinical features (i.e., positive symptoms, negative symptoms, functional deficits). One larger recent study confirmed earlier findings that LOS differs from EOS in several important ways, including predominance of women, lower severity of positive symptoms, and lower average antipsychotic dose requirement. However, this study did not find LOS patients were more likely to have the paranoid subtype or to have less severe negative symptoms compared with EOS patients. New neuroimaging and molecular studies are identifying possible differences in the underlying pathophysiology of EOS and schizophrenia developing in mid-life to late-life; however, more research is needed to confirm these findings and determine their significance. No studies evaluated treatment strategies specifically in LOS. LOS continues to be an understudied area. Recent studies add support to the idea that LOS may be a distinct subtype of schizophrenia. Studies designed to elucidate the pathophysiology of LOS in comparison with EOS and to assess treatment strategies in this population are needed.

A systematic review of the nature of support for breast-feeding adolescent mothers.

PubMed

Hall Moran, Victoria; Edwards, Janet; Dykes, Fiona; Downe, Soo

2007-06-01

to review the evidence on the nature of support for breast-feeding adolescent mothers. a systematic review of relevant English-language papers was conducted using an a-priori search strategy. Agreement on final inclusion was reached by consensus across the team. The findings were tabulated and described narratively and thematically. of 209 studies identified, seven fitted the inclusion criteria. The papers included in this review varied in design, quality and focus. Five types of support were identified: emotional, esteem, instrumental, informational and network. The participants in the included studies seemed to find the emotional, esteem and network components of support most helpful. Support from the participants' mothers seemed to be particularly powerful. The provision of continuity of support from an expert individual who is skilled in both lactation support and working with adolescents was also highly valued by breast-feeding adolescents. There was also evidence to suggest that targeted breast-feeding educational programmes, specifically designed for the adolescent learner, may be successful in improving breast-feeding initiation and continuation rates in this population. However, a question still arises about which elements of the complex package on offer were most effective. the studies included in the review are diverse. Although the support provided by known and trusted individuals emerges as important to the adolescents, further research is required on the specific nature of that support and the person best placed to provide it. The acceptability and feasibility of other aspects of support and modes of provision also requires additional exploration. Further qualitative and feasibility studies are therefore warranted in order to inform future randomised-controlled interventions trials.

Support needs of breast-feeding women: views of Australian midwives and health nurses.

PubMed

McLelland, Gayle; Hall, Helen; Gilmour, Carole; Cant, Robyn

2015-01-01

to explore the views of midwives and maternal-child health nurses regarding factors that influence breast feeding initiation and continuation, focusing on how support for women could be improved to increase breast feeding duration. a focus group study. hospital or domiciliary (home-visiting) midwives and community-based maternal and child health (MCH) nurses in one region of Victoria, Australia. twelve MCH nurses and five midwives who provided supportive services to women in the immediate postnatal period attended one of three audio-recorded focus groups. Thematic findings were identified. four key themes were: 'Guiding women over breast-feeding hurdles', 'Timing, and time to care'; 'Continuity of women's care' and 'Imparting professional knowledge'. Given the a pattern of hospital discharge of mother and infant on day one or day two after birth, participants thought the timing of immediate postnatal breast-feeding support was critical to enable women to initiate and continue breast feeding. Community-based MCH nurses reported time gaps in uptake of new mother referrals and time-pressured face-to-face consultations. Both groups perceived barriers to continuity of women's care. health services subscribe to the Baby Friendly Health Initiative and government policies which support breast feeding, however providers described time pressures and a lack of continuity of women's care, including during transition from hospital to community services. there is a need to examine administration of service delivery and how domiciliary and community nurses can collaborate to establish and maintain supportive relationships with breast feeding women. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) as a Means to Reducing Barriers to Inclusive Education: Research Study of the Education of Refugee Children in the Czech Republic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bacakova, Marketa; Closs, Alison

2013-01-01

The article supports the view that teachers are key to quality inclusive education and that continuing professional development (CPD) plays an essential role in promoting pro-inclusion changes in education systems. It reports and uses the findings from a research study focused on the educational experiences of two groups of Myanmar (Burmese)…

MO-F-CAMPUS-T-03: Continuous Dose Delivery with Gamma Knife Perfexion

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

Ghobadi,; Li, W; Chung, C

2015-06-15

Purpose: We propose continuous dose delivery techniques for stereotactic treatments delivered by Gamma Knife Perfexion using inverse treatment planning system that can be applied to various tumour sites in the brain. We test the accuracy of the plans on Perfexion’s planning system (GammaPlan) to ensure the obtained plans are viable. This approach introduces continuous dose delivery for Perefxion, as opposed to the currently employed step-and-shoot approaches, for different tumour sites. Additionally, this is the first realization of automated inverse planning on GammaPlan. Methods: The inverse planning approach is divided into two steps of identifying a quality path inside the target,more » and finding the best collimator composition for the path. To find a path, we select strategic regions inside the target volume and find a path that visits each region exactly once. This path is then passed to a mathematical model which finds the best combination of collimators and their durations. The mathematical model minimizes the dose spillage to the surrounding tissues while ensuring the prescribed dose is delivered to the target(s). Organs-at-risk and their corresponding allowable doses can also be added to the model to protect adjacent organs. Results: We test this approach on various tumour sizes and sites. The quality of the obtained treatment plans are comparable or better than forward plans and inverse plans that use step- and-shoot technique. The conformity indices in the obtained continuous dose delivery plans are similar to those of forward plans while the beam-on time is improved on average (see Table 1 in supporting document). Conclusion: We employ inverse planning for continuous dose delivery in Perfexion for brain tumours. The quality of the obtained plans is similar to forward and inverse plans that use conventional step-and-shoot technique. We tested the inverse plans on GammaPlan to verify clinical relevance. This research was partially supported by Elekta, Sweden (vendor of Gamma Knife Perfexion)« less

Therapeutic implications of continuing bonds expressions following the death of a pet.

PubMed

Packman, Wendy; Carmack, Betty J; Ronen, Rama

Through the exploration of 12 continuing bonds expressions (CBE), this current study investigated the grief reaction and continuing impact of the death of a pet. Thirty-three individuals were interviewed to determine the degree of connection maintained with the deceased pet and how that affects their coping. Findings emphasize that the majority of respondents frequently maintain ongoing meaningful ties with their deceased pet through the use of CBE such as fond memories, rituals, dreams. The findings suggest that it is not the number of CBE but the degree of adaptability that is significant. The importance of recognizing the unique, total experience of those grieving the death of a pet is addressed. Implications for those working with and supporting those in grief are included. Future directions for research are described.

Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Online: lessons learned, initial findings and future directions.

PubMed

Glueckauf, Robert L; Loomis, Jeffrey S

2003-01-01

Family caregivers of older adults with progressive dementia (e.g., Alzheimer's disease) are faced with a variety of emotional and behavioral difficulties, such as dealing with persistent, repetitive questions, managing agitation and depression, and monitoring hygiene and self-care activities. Although professional and governmental organizations have called for the creation of community-based education and support programs, most dementia caregivers continue to receive little or no formal instruction in responding effectively to these challenges. The current paper describes the development and implementation of Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Online, a Web- and telephone-based education and support network for caregivers of individuals with progressive dementia. Lessons learned from the first two years of this state-supported initiative are discussed, followed by the findings of a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded strategic marketing initiative and an initial program evaluation of AlzOnline's Positive Caregiving classes. Finally, clinical implications and future directions for program development and evaluation research are proposed.

Project FIND: a profile of a community-based senior services agency.

PubMed

Lockwood, Andrée

2007-01-01

Project FIND has been providing innovative supportive housing, nutrition, and social support to homeless and low- and moderate-income seniors on New York City's West Side since 1967. This article profiles this nonprofit, community-based agency, which was established to meet the needs of the frail and isolated elderly, and has continued to grow and evolve in response to changing demographics, neighborhood gentrification, and needs of both the homeless as well as the active "younger old." The article describes creative programming that has distinguished Project FIND's response to seniors' needs beyond basic housing and nutrition. It also explores what it takes to successfully provide senior services using limited resources and examines challenges for the future both nationally and for the agency.

Longitudinal Growth Curves of Brain Function Underlying Inhibitory Control through Adolescence

PubMed Central

Foran, William; Velanova, Katerina; Luna, Beatriz

2013-01-01

Neuroimaging studies suggest that developmental improvements in inhibitory control are primarily supported by changes in prefrontal executive function. However, studies are contradictory with respect to how activation in prefrontal regions changes with age, and they have yet to analyze longitudinal data using growth curve modeling, which allows characterization of dynamic processes of developmental change, individual differences in growth trajectories, and variables that predict any interindividual variability in trajectories. In this study, we present growth curves modeled from longitudinal fMRI data collected over 302 visits (across ages 9 to 26 years) from 123 human participants. Brain regions within circuits known to support motor response control, executive control, and error processing (i.e., aspects of inhibitory control) were investigated. Findings revealed distinct developmental trajectories for regions within each circuit and indicated that a hierarchical pattern of maturation of brain activation supports the gradual emergence of adult-like inhibitory control. Mean growth curves of activation in motor response control regions revealed no changes with age, although interindividual variability decreased with development, indicating equifinality with maturity. Activation in certain executive control regions decreased with age until adolescence, and variability was stable across development. Error-processing activation in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex showed continued increases into adulthood and no significant interindividual variability across development, and was uniquely associated with task performance. These findings provide evidence that continued maturation of error-processing abilities supports the protracted development of inhibitory control over adolescence, while motor response control regions provide early-maturing foundational capacities and suggest that some executive control regions may buttress immature networks as error processing continues to mature. PMID:24227721

EarthScope National Office Education and Outreach Program: 2013 Update on Activities and Outcomes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Semken, S. C.; Robinson, S.; Bohon, W.; Schwab, P.; Arrowsmith, R.; Garnero, E. J.; Fouch, M. J.; Pettis, L.; Baumback, D.; Dick, C.

2013-12-01

The EarthScope Program (www.earthscope.org) funded by the National Science Foundation, fosters interdisciplinary exploration of the geologic structure and evolution of the North American continent by means of seismology, geodesy, magnetotellurics, in-situ fault-zone sampling, geochronology, and high-resolution topographic measurements. Data and findings from EarthScope continue to transform geoscientific studies throughout the Earth, enhance understanding and mitigation of hazards, and inform applications of geoscience toward environmental sustainability. The EarthScope Program also marshals significant resources and opportunities for education and outreach (E&O) in the Earth system sciences. The EarthScope National Office (ESNO) at Arizona State University serves all EarthScope stakeholders, including the EarthScope Steering Committee, researchers, educators, students, and the general public. ESNO supports and promotes E&O through social media and web-hosted resources, newsletters and published articles, E&O workshops for informal educators (interpreters), assistance to grassroots K-12 STEM teacher professional development projects (typically led by EarthScope researchers), continuing education for researchers, collaborations with other Earth-science E&O providers, and biannual national conferences. The EarthScope E&O program at ESNO leads and supports wide dissemination of the data, findings, and legacy of EarthScope. Notable activities in 2013 include expansion of social-media and web-based content, two Interpretive Workshops in the eastern United States, the Great ShakeOut, the EarthScope National Meeting in Raleigh, and continuing partnerships with affiliated E&O providers. The EarthScope National Office is supported by the National Science Foundation under grants EAR-1101100 and EAR-1216301. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Nurse educators' perceived challenges in mandatory continuing nursing education.

PubMed

Xiao, L D

2006-09-01

This paper reports a study that leads to understanding challenges facing nurse educators implementing mandatory continuing nursing education in The People's Republic of China. Mandatory continuing nursing education was instituted to maintain and develop registered nurses' competence in the context of healthcare reform in China in 1996. However, there is an increasing complaint of credit-focused and teacher-centred learning in Chinese literature. Despite an increasing appeal to improve the learning situation, little consensus has been reached. By examining nurse educators' perceived challenges and their coping strategies in implementing mandatory continuing nursing education, this study illuminates the possibilities for reform in mandatory continuing nursing education. Data were collected through in-depth interactive dialogues between the researcher and five nurse educators in five healthcare organizations in China, utilizing Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics. Three themes were found in this study described as finding a way to support nurses' competence within a constrained situation, reconciling credit requirements and representing all stakeholders' interests. A tension between the mandatory continuing nursing education policy and the context of implementing the policy can contribute to credit-focused and teacher-centred learning. Regular policy review and educational support for nurse educators are crucial aspects to improve mandatory continuing nursing education.

The role of nursing team continuity in the treatment of very-low-birth-weight infants: findings from a pilot study.

PubMed

Miedaner, Felix; Allendorf, Antje; Kuntz, Ludwig; Woopen, Christiane; Roth, Bernhard

2016-05-01

To assess the association between nursing team continuity and quality of care. Research on nurse staffing and its effect on quality of care is investigated to different degrees. However, very few studies have observed whether the continuous deployment of nursing staff is associated with quality of care. This study was conducted in two university neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). We matched nurse schedule data for the NICUs with nursing-sensitive patient outcomes and quality of care, as perceived by parents. We used analysis of variance to analyse differences in nursing team continuity between NICUs and regression analyses to identify associations with the outcome measures. There were considerable differences between units in terms of team continuity of nursing staff. Positive associations were found between team continuity and a higher rate of non-invasive respiratory support as well as parents' perceptions of how well they knew their nurse. The findings show remarkable differences in staff assignment in the different NICUs. In addition to appropriate staffing levels, scheduling nursing teams continuously would appear to play a role in influencing treatment quality. This paper emphasises the importance of carefully considered staff scheduling decisions. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Leadership Perspectives on Operationalizing the Learning Health Care System in an Integrated Delivery System

PubMed Central

Psek, Wayne; Davis, F. Daniel; Gerrity, Gloria; Stametz, Rebecca; Bailey-Davis, Lisa; Henninger, Debra; Sellers, Dorothy; Darer, Jonathan

2016-01-01

Introduction: Healthcare leaders need operational strategies that support organizational learning for continued improvement and value generation. The learning health system (LHS) model may provide leaders with such strategies; however, little is known about leaders’ perspectives on the value and application of system-wide operationalization of the LHS model. The objective of this project was to solicit and analyze senior health system leaders’ perspectives on the LHS and learning activities in an integrated delivery system. Methods: A series of interviews were conducted with 41 system leaders from a broad range of clinical and administrative areas across an integrated delivery system. Leaders’ responses were categorized into themes. Findings: Ten major themes emerged from our conversations with leaders. While leaders generally expressed support for the concept of the LHS and enhanced system-wide learning, their concerns and suggestions for operationalization where strongly aligned with their functional area and strategic goals. Discussion: Our findings suggests that leaders tend to adopt a very pragmatic approach to learning. Leaders expressed a dichotomy between the operational imperative to execute operational objectives efficiently and the need for rigorous evaluation. Alignment of learning activities with system-wide strategic and operational priorities is important to gain leadership support and resources. Practical approaches to addressing opportunities and challenges identified in the themes are discussed. Conclusion: Continuous learning is an ongoing, multi-disciplinary function of a health care delivery system. Findings from this and other research may be used to inform and prioritize system-wide learning objectives and strategies which support reliable, high value care delivery. PMID:27683668

Continuities and changes in infant attachment patterns across two generations.

PubMed

Raby, K Lee; Steele, Ryan D; Carlson, Elizabeth A; Sroufe, L Alan

2015-01-01

This study examined the intergenerational continuities and changes in infant attachment patterns within a higher-risk longitudinal sample of 55 female participants born into poverty. Infant attachment was assessed using the Strange Situation when participants were 12 and 18 months as well as several decades later with participants' children. Paralleling earlier findings from this sample on the stability of attachment patterns from infancy to young adulthood, results provided evidence for intergenerational continuities in attachment disorganization but not security. Children of adults with histories of infant attachment disorganization were at an increased risk of forming disorganized attachments. Although changes in infant attachment patterns across the two generations were not correlated with individuals' caregiving experiences or interpersonal stresses and supports during childhood and adolescence, higher quality social support during adulthood was associated with intergenerational changes from insecure to secure infant-caregiver attachment relationships.

Continuities and Changes in Infant Attachment Patterns Across Two Generations

PubMed Central

Raby, K. Lee; Steele, Ryan D.; Carlson, Elizabeth A.; Sroufe, L. Alan

2015-01-01

This study examined the intergenerational continuities and changes in infant attachment patterns within a higher-risk longitudinal sample of 55 female participants born into poverty. Infant attachment was assessed using the Strange Situation when participants were 12 and 18 months as well as several decades later with participants’ children. Paralleling earlier findings from this sample on the stability of attachment patterns from infancy to young adulthood, results provided evidence for intergenerational continuities in attachment disorganization but not security. Children of adults with histories of infant attachment disorganization were at an increased risk of forming disorganized attachments. Although changes in infant attachment patterns across the two generations were not correlated with individuals’ caregiving experiences or interpersonal stresses and supports during childhood and adolescence, higher quality social support during adulthood was associated with intergenerational changes from insecure to secure infant-caregiver attachment relationships. PMID:26213155

The structure of late-life depressive symptoms across a 20-year span: a taxometric investigation.

PubMed

Holland, Jason M; Schutte, Kathleen K; Brennan, Penny L; Moos, Rudolf H

2010-03-01

Past studies of the underlying structure of depressive symptoms have yielded mixed results, with some studies supporting a continuous conceptualization and others supporting a categorical one. However, no study has examined this research question with an exclusively older adult sample, despite the potential uniqueness of late-life depressive symptoms. In the present study, the underlying structure of late-life depressive symptoms was examined among a sample of 1,289 individuals across 3 waves of data collection spanning 20 years. The authors employed a taxometric methodology using indicators of depression derived from the Research Diagnostic Criteria (R. L. Spitzer, J. Endicott, & E. Robins, 1978). Maximum eigenvalue analyses and inchworm consistency tests generally supported a categorical conceptualization and identified a group that was primarily characterized by thoughts about death and suicide. However, compared to a categorical depression variable, depressive symptoms treated continuously were generally better predictors of relevant criterion variables. These findings suggest that thoughts of death and suicide may characterize a specific type of late-life depression, yet a continuous conceptualization still typically maximizes the predictive utility of late-life depressive symptoms.

Recognition Decisions From Visual Working Memory Are Mediated by Continuous Latent Strengths.

PubMed

Ricker, Timothy J; Thiele, Jonathan E; Swagman, April R; Rouder, Jeffrey N

2017-08-01

Making recognition decisions often requires us to reference the contents of working memory, the information available for ongoing cognitive processing. As such, understanding how recognition decisions are made when based on the contents of working memory is of critical importance. In this work we examine whether recognition decisions based on the contents of visual working memory follow a continuous decision process of graded information about the correct choice or a discrete decision process reflecting only knowing and guessing. We find a clear pattern in favor of a continuous latent strength model of visual working memory-based decision making, supporting the notion that visual recognition decision processes are impacted by the degree of matching between the contents of working memory and the choices given. Relation to relevant findings and the implications for human information processing more generally are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Life Sciences Centrifuge Facility review

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Young, Laurence R.

1994-01-01

The Centrifuge Facility Project at ARC was reviewed by a code U team to determine appropriateness adequacy for the ISSA. This report represents the findings of one consultant to this team and concentrates on scientific and technical risks. This report supports continuation of the project to the next phase of development.

Irritability without Elation in a Large Bipolar Youth Sample: Frequency and Clinical Description

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunt, Jeffrey; Birmaher, Boris; Leonard, Henrietta; Strober, Michael; Axelson, David; Ryan, Neal; Yang, Mei; Gill, Marykay; Dyl, Jennifer; Esposito-Smythers, Christianne; Swenson, Lance; Goldstein, Benjamin; Goldstein, Tina; Stout, Robert; Keller, Martin

2009-01-01

The assessment of 361 youths with bipolar disorder reveal that irritable-only subgroups constitute 10 percent of this sample while elated-only subgroups constitute 15 percent of the sample. These findings support continued consideration for episodic irritability in the diagnosis of pediatric bipolar disorder.

Solace and Immortality: Bereaved Parents' Continuing Bond with Their Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klass, Dennis

1993-01-01

Considers death of child and bereaved parents. Examines nature of solace, reviews literature on inner representation of the dead, examines ways parents find solace connected with interaction with inner representation, explores shared inner representation as significant element in social support, discusses solace in terms of psychosocial meaning of…

Building a Successful Adult Life: Findings from Youth-Directed Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powers, Laurie E.; Garner, Tracee; Valnes, Betsy; Squire, Peter; Turner, Alison; Couture, Todd; Dertinger, Rocky

2007-01-01

Although transition outcomes for youth with disabilities have shown some improvement and transition support practices have been identified, many young people continue to face transition barriers that preclude their full participation in key adult life activities. While research efforts have largely been professionally driven, there is emerging…

Distant Interactions and Their Effects on Children's Physical Activity Levels

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patterson, Debra L.; van der Mars, Hans

2008-01-01

Background: It has been observed that physical activity patterns of health-related behavior are established in childhood and may continue into adulthood. Recent findings showing a relationship between the onset of chronic diseases and sedentary lifestyles support the importance of examining Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA). One…

Preparation of Social Studies Teachers at Major Research Universities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dumas, Wayne

1993-01-01

Reports on a study of the preparation of secondary social studies teachers at major state-supported research universities. Finds relatively few institutions have followed the Holmes Group recommendations and many continue to prepare broad field social studies teachers leaving them deficient in some social science fields. (CFR)

Building a Champagne Network on a Beer Budget

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dolan, Jon; Pederson, Curt

2004-01-01

Oregon State University's demand for bandwidth to support scientific collaboration and research continues to grow exponentially, while state funding declines due to hard economic times. The challenge faced by these authors was to find creative yet fiscally responsible ways to meet OSU's bandwidth demands. Looking at their options for high-capacity…

Funding Music: Guidelines for Grant Writing in the Music Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rajan, Rekha S.

2016-01-01

With music education's continued unstable role within the school system, music educators are actively seeking external funding to support and augment their programs. However, there are many challenges involved with grant writing including understanding where to find potential funders, writing the proposal, developing a budget, and including an…

The 1981-82 Student Services Fee Survey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matross, Ron; And Others

1981-01-01

Student perceptions and usage of selected services and organizations that receive student services fee support at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus were surveyed. Respondents were 417 continuing, fee-paying, nonforeign, day students. Key findings include: 60 percent said the fee should be increased enough to keep pace with inflation;…

Instructing English Language Learners: Assessing the State of Our Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldenberg, Claude; Quach, Sara Rutherford

2010-01-01

Although schools and districts are increasingly required to provide various supports and instructional programs for English Language Learners (ELLs), standardized measures of these students' academic achievement continue to be low. This article summarizes key findings of two major reviews of the research on educating ELLs that were completed in…

Assessing School Psychology Supervisor Characteristics: Questionnaire Development and Findings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flanagan, Rosemary; Grehan, Patrick

2011-01-01

The practice of supervision is crucial to the development of novice and future school psychologists. Given the changes in contemporary practice, it is valuable to determine the supports and continuing education opportunities that could benefit supervisors. One hundred forty-two school psychology supervisors completed a 34-item questionnaire that…

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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

2017-01-01

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

CHAMP (Camera, Handlens, and Microscope Probe)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mungas, Greg S.; Boynton, John E.; Balzer, Mark A.; Beegle, Luther; Sobel, Harold R.; Fisher, Ted; Klein, Dan; Deans, Matthew; Lee, Pascal; Sepulveda, Cesar A.

2005-01-01

CHAMP (Camera, Handlens And Microscope Probe)is a novel field microscope capable of color imaging with continuously variable spatial resolution from infinity imaging down to diffraction-limited microscopy (3 micron/pixel). As a robotic arm-mounted imager, CHAMP supports stereo imaging with variable baselines, can continuously image targets at an increasing magnification during an arm approach, can provide precision rangefinding estimates to targets, and can accommodate microscopic imaging of rough surfaces through a image filtering process called z-stacking. CHAMP was originally developed through the Mars Instrument Development Program (MIDP) in support of robotic field investigations, but may also find application in new areas such as robotic in-orbit servicing and maintenance operations associated with spacecraft and human operations. We overview CHAMP'S instrument performance and basic design considerations below.

[The Continued Breastfeeding Experiences of Women Who Suffer From Breast Abscess].

PubMed

Liu, Yu-Yan; Chen, Wei-Chih; Chen, Shu-Ling

2016-04-01

Up to 11% of women with mastitis develop a breast abscess, which obviously affects breastfeeding. Therefore, this is a potentially significant issue for women's health. Women with breast abscesses suffer from severe pain. Pain is the most significant factor causing the termination of breastfeeding. The experience of women with breast abscesses who continued to breastfeed may provide valuable insights/guidance to women who are currently in the same or similar situations. This study explores the continuous breastfeeding experience of women with breast abscesses. We collected qualitative data from 10 qualified female participants using 60-90 minute, in-depth interviews that were conducted between April 2012 and June 2012 in a central medical center. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Content analysis was used to analyze and categorize the major themes. Results were generalized into the following seven themes: (1) experiencing uncomfortable breast pain; (2) feeling helpless to manage the abnormal breast symptoms; (3) relying on the concept of motherhood to support continued breastfeeding; (4) feeling shocked about the process of diagnosis and treatment; (5) facing the doubts and difficulties regarding continuing to breastfeed; (6) experiencing the assistance of the support system for breastfeeding; (7) returning to a normal pattern of life. The findings provide nurses with a deeper understanding of the biological and psychological behaviors and social support system experiences of women with breast abscesses who continue to breastfeed. Study results may serve as a reference for nurses in providing mother-centered breastfeeding care.

Impact of a breastfeeding-friendly workplace on an employed mother's intention to continue breastfeeding after returning to work.

PubMed

Tsai, Su-Ying

2013-04-01

Ever-increasing populations of women in their childbearing years are choosing to become employed. Breastfeeding provides unique health advantages to both the infant and mother. A breastfeeding-friendly workplace might be an important factor for predicting breastfeeding rates among working women. To explore the impact of breastfeeding-friendly support on the intention of working mothers to continue breastfeeding, we conducted a survey at a female labor-intensive electronics manufacturer in Taiwan. A structured questionnaire survey was administered to 715 working mothers employed in an electronics manufacturing plant in Tainan Science Park in Southern Taiwan. Questionnaire content included female employee demographics, employment characteristics, continued breastfeeding behavior after returning to work, access to lactation rooms, and employee perception of the breastfeeding policy and support when raising their most recently born child. A higher education level (odds ratio [OR]=2.66), lower work load (8 work hours/day) (OR=2.66), lactation room with dedicated space (OR=2.38), use of breast pumping breaks (OR=61.6), and encouragement from colleagues (OR=2.78) and supervisors (OR=2.44) to use breast pumping breaks were significant predictors of continued breastfeeding for more than 6 months after returning to work. The findings of the present study suggest that to encourage and increase the rate of continued breastfeeding, workplaces should establish dedicated breastfeeding rooms and maintain a comfortable and clean environment. Furthermore, employers should provide encouragement and support for working mothers to continue breastfeeding after returning to work.

Employees' perception of organizational support: a qualitative investigation in the Indian information technology (IT) industry.

PubMed

Dhar, Rajib Lochan

2012-01-01

Organizational support relates to an organization's readiness to reward increased work effort and to meet socio-emotional needs. This study investigated the various constructs of employees' perceptions of organizational support in the Indian context, with specific reference to the information technology (IT) industry. Thirty six semi-structured interviews were conducted from three different organizations over a period of four months. The participants were employed as Project Managers, Team Leaders and Executives in these organizations operating in Pune and were selected via randomized quota sampling to reflect a mix of age, positions, genders and experience with organization. Qualitative methods were used in order to collect the data, through phenomenological principles. Discussion with the participants led to the emergence of five different themes which influence employees' perception of organizational support. These were: materialistic support, supervisor support, building reciprocal relationships, Organizational justice and intentions to leave. This study provided a tentative starting point towards the greater understanding of the employee's perceived notion of organizational support. Based on the study findings, there is an imperative that the human resource department and organizational forerunners continue to use research findings to support IT professionals in various ways in order to improve their quality of work life.

Robust and Cost-Efficient Communication Based on SNMP in Mobile Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryu, Sang-Hoon; Baik, Doo-Kwon

A main challenge in the design of this mobile network is the development of dynamic routing protocols that can efficiently find routes between two communicating nodes. Multimedia streaming services are receiving considerable interest in the mobile network business. An entire mobile network may change its point of attachment to the Internet. The mobile network is operated by a basic specification to support network mobility called Network Mobility (NEMO) Basic Support. However, NEMO basic Support mechanism has some problem in continuous communication. In this paper, we propose robust and cost-efficient algorithm. And we simulate proposed method and conclude some remarks.

Support needs and experiences of family members of wounded, injured or sick UK service personnel.

PubMed

Verey, Anna; Keeling, M; Thandi, G; Stevelink, S; Fear, N

2017-12-01

When a service person has been wounded, injured or sick (WIS), family members may provide care during their recovery in an unpaid capacity. This may occur in diverse environments including hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation centres, in the community and at home. Thirty-seven family members of WIS personnel were interviewed regarding their support needs, family relationships and use of UK support services. Semistructured, in-depth telephone interviews were used, with data analysis undertaken using a thematic approach. 'Family member involvement' was the main theme under which four subthemes were situated: 'continuity of support', 'proactive signposting and initiating contact', 'psychoeducation and counselling' and 'higher risk groups'. Family members felt they might benefit from direct, consistent and continuous care regardless of the WIS person's injury or engagement type, and whether the WIS person was being treated in a hospital, rehabilitative centre or at home. The findings of this study suggest that family members of WIS personnel value proactive, direct and sustained communication from support service providers. We suggest that families of UK service personnel may benefit from family care coordinators, who could provide continuous and consistent care to family members of WIS personnel. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Indicators and Measurement Tools for Health Systems Integration: A Knowledge Synthesis

PubMed Central

Oelke, Nelly D.; da Silva Lima, Maria Alice Dias; Stiphout, Michelle; Janke, Robert; Witt, Regina Rigatto; Van Vliet-Brown, Cheryl; Schill, Kaela; Rostami, Mahnoush; Hepp, Shelanne; Birney, Arden; Al-Roubaiai, Fatima; Marques, Giselda Quintana

2017-01-01

Background: Despite far reaching support for integrated care, conceptualizing and measuring integrated care remains challenging. This knowledge synthesis aimed to identify indicator domains and tools to measure progress towards integrated care. Methods: We used an established framework and a Delphi survey with integration experts to identify relevant measurement domains. For each domain, we searched and reviewed the literature for relevant tools. Findings: From 7,133 abstracts, we retrieved 114 unique tools. We found many quality tools to measure care coordination, patient engagement and team effectiveness/performance. In contrast, there were few tools in the domains of performance measurement and information systems, alignment of organizational goals and resource allocation. The search yielded 12 tools that measure overall integration or three or more indicator domains. Discussion: Our findings highlight a continued gap in tools to measure foundational components that support integrated care. In the absence of such targeted tools, “overall integration” tools may be useful for a broad assessment of the overall state of a system. Conclusions: Continued progress towards integrated care depends on our ability to evaluate the success of strategies across different levels and context. This study has identified 114 tools that measure integrated care across 16 domains, supporting efforts towards a unified measurement framework. PMID:29588637

Improving the professional support for parents of young infants.

PubMed

Eronen, Ritva; Calabretto, Helen; Pincombe, Jan

2011-01-01

The objective of this study was to discuss ideas for improving child health services on the basis of findings of an observational study that was designed to explore the role of child health nurses in supporting parents during the first 6 months following the birth of an infant. As part of a larger study in a child health service in urban Australia, surveys were used to collect data from two independent samples of both parents and nurses at an 8-month interval. Data were condensed using factor analysis; regression analyses were used to determine which aspects of care were most important for the parents, and importance-performance analysis was used to determine which aspects of care needed improvement. While the majority of parents valued support from child health nurses, a need for improvement was identified in empowering parents to make their own decisions, discussing emotional issues with parents, providing continuity of care and giving consistent advice. Organisations should value and provide support for child health nurses in their invisible, non-quantifiable work of supporting families. The structure of child health services should also provide child health nurses continuity of care with the families they support.

Marketing: Realistic Tips for Planning and Implementation in Special Libraries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kassel, Amelia

2002-01-01

Discusses the need for special libraries to have a marketing plan in order to increase support and plan for the future. Topics include finding the time; budgets and marketing; promoting library services; the use of outside consultants; making market planning a continuous process; and marketing efforts at product shows. (LRW)

Developing Technological Literacy with All Students in Mind

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clausen, Courtney K.; Greenhaigh, Scott D.

2017-01-01

As U.S. public schools continue to diversify, it is necessary for educators to find ways to meet all students' needs in the classroom. By beginning small, with some of the teaching ideas presented within this article such as learning about and supporting your students' cultural competencies and integrating students' backgrounds and interests into…

What Has fMRI Told Us about the Development of Cognitive Control through Adolescence?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luna, Beatriz; Padmanabhan, Aarthi; O'Hearn, Kirsten

2010-01-01

Cognitive control, the ability to voluntarily guide our behavior, continues to improve throughout adolescence. Below we review the literature on age-related changes in brain function related to response inhibition and working memory, which support cognitive control. Findings from studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) indicate…

Capacity reconsidered: Finding consensus and clarifying differences

Treesearch

Doug Whittaker; Bo Shelby; Robert Manning; David Cole; Glenn Haas

2010-01-01

In a world where populations and resource demands continue to grow, there is a long history of concern about the "capacity" of the environment to support human uses, including timber, rangelands, fish and wildlife, and recreation. Work on visitor capacities has evolved considerably since the late 1960s as a result of environmental planning, court proceedings...

49 CFR 821.54 - Petition for review of Administrator's determination of emergency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... determination is not warranted in the interest of aviation safety. The petition must be filed with the Board by..., in that it supports a finding that aviation safety would likely be compromised by a stay of the... (Continued) NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD RULES OF PRACTICE IN AIR SAFETY PROCEEDINGS Special Rules...

43 CFR 2806.15 - Under what circumstances may BLM waive or reduce my rent?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (2000) RIGHTS-OF-WAY UNDER THE FEDERAL LAND POLICY MANAGEMENT ACT Rents General Provisions § 2806.15 Under what... appropriate circumstances. BLM may require you to submit information to support a finding that your grant...

43 CFR 2806.15 - Under what circumstances may BLM waive or reduce my rent?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (2000) RIGHTS-OF-WAY UNDER THE FEDERAL LAND POLICY MANAGEMENT ACT Rents General Provisions § 2806.15 Under what... appropriate circumstances. BLM may require you to submit information to support a finding that your grant...

43 CFR 2806.15 - Under what circumstances may BLM waive or reduce my rent?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (2000) RIGHTS-OF-WAY UNDER THE FEDERAL LAND POLICY MANAGEMENT ACT Rents General Provisions § 2806.15 Under what... appropriate circumstances. BLM may require you to submit information to support a finding that your grant...

Nursing and Nursing Education: Public Policies and Private Actions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Institute of Medicine (NAS), Washington, DC.

Results are presented of a study of nursing and nursing education that focused on the need for continued federal support of nursing education, ways to attract nurses to medically underserved areas, and approaches to encourage nurses to stay in the profession. Findings are presented on whether the aggregate supply of generalist nurses will be…

Teacher Leadership Works: It Builds, Energizes, Sustains. CenterView

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning at WestEd, 2018

2018-01-01

As this series on teacher leadership continues, this "CenterView" issue reports on survey findings about the role of teacher leaders and the impact of teacher-to-teacher professional learning on the professional growth of both teacher leaders and the teachers they support. The report also offers specific strategies for school…

Relationships between Sensory Stimulation and Stereotyped Behaviour in Severely Mentally Retarded and Autistic Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodall, Elizabeth; Corbett, J.

1982-01-01

The reinforcing properties of four sensory stimuli (continuous and flashing light, vibration, and sound), which were under the subject's control, were examined and the effect on stereotyped behavior of 24 severely retarded and autistic children were observed. Findings were interpreted to support the self-stimulation theory of stereotypy despite…

Sciencey Girls: Discourses Supporting Working-Class Girls to Identify with Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Godec, Spela

2018-01-01

Women from working class and some ethnic minority backgrounds continue to be underrepresented in science, particularly in areas such as physical sciences and engineering. Many find it difficult to see science as something that is "for them", which then has implications for their learning and participation in science. In this paper, I…

Optimizing Mothers' Social Networks: Information-Sharing Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lashley, Cynthia O'Nell

2010-01-01

Finding high-quality infant care continues to be challenging for many families. Such challenges are even greater for single mothers with limited resources and English language skills. Several years ago, this challenge formed the basis for an urban, center-based program called the Pregnant-Mothers Support Group (PSG). The PSG served single,…

Adult Education and Palliative Care: The Last Journey of Life and Two Main Kinds of Adult Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elsey, Barry

1996-01-01

As a voluntary learning movement, adult education finds expression through a search for values. Continuing and community education provide support for both hospice and palliative care workers as well as families and friends of terminally ill persons in dealing with death and dying. (SK)

Continuing nursing education policy in China and its impact on health equity.

PubMed

Xiao, Lily Dongxia

2010-09-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the mandatory continuing nursing education (MCNE) policy in China and to examine whether or not the policy addresses health equity. MCNE was instituted in 1996 in China to support healthcare reform was to include producing greater equity in health-care. However, the literature increasingly reports inequity in participation in MCNE, which is likely to have had a detrimental effect on the pre-existing discrepancies of education in the nursing workforce, and thereby failing to really address health equity. Despite a growing appeal for change, there is lack of critical reflection on the issues of MCNE policy. Critical ethnography underpinned by Habermas' Communicative Action Theory and Giddens' Structuration Theory were used to guide this study. Findings are presented in four themes: (i) inaccessibility of learning programs for nurses; (ii) undervaluation of workplace-based learning; (iii) inequality of the allocation of resources; and (iv) demands for additional support in MCNE from non-tertiary hospitals. The findings strongly suggest the need for an MCNE policy review based on rational consensus with stakeholders while reflecting the principles of health equity.

Flogging tired horses: Who wants whipping and who would walk away if whipping horses were withheld?

PubMed

McGreevy, Paul D; Griffiths, Mark D; Ascione, Frank R; Wilson, Bethany

2018-01-01

Recent studies have cast doubt on the effectiveness of whipping horses during races and this has led to questions concerning its continuing justification. Furthermore, it has been argued that whipping tired horses in racing is the most televised form of violence to animals. The present study used de-identified data from a recent independent Australian poll (n = 1,533) to characterise the 26% of respondents (113 females and 271 males) who support the whipping of racehorses and the 10% of racing enthusiasts in the sample (44 females and 63 males) who would stop watching races and betting on them if whipping were banned. Logistic regression models examining associations between age, gender, and income level of respondents demonstrated that those who support racehorse whipping are significantly more likely to be male. Among racing enthusiasts who would stop watching races and betting on them if whipping were banned, those in the lowest income bracket were over-represented. The more frequently respondents attended races or gambled on them, the more likely they were to agree that horses should be hit with a whip during the normal course of a race. These findings align with previous studies of violence among men and women but may also be attributed to male support of traditional gambling practices. Globally, racing organisations may consider the findings of the present study helpful in their deliberations on the merits of continuing the practice of whipping tired horses in the name of sport. The study might also provide important data for stakeholders who demand that it continues.

Flogging tired horses: Who wants whipping and who would walk away if whipping horses were withheld?

PubMed Central

Griffiths, Mark D.; Ascione, Frank R.; Wilson, Bethany

2018-01-01

Recent studies have cast doubt on the effectiveness of whipping horses during races and this has led to questions concerning its continuing justification. Furthermore, it has been argued that whipping tired horses in racing is the most televised form of violence to animals. The present study used de-identified data from a recent independent Australian poll (n = 1,533) to characterise the 26% of respondents (113 females and 271 males) who support the whipping of racehorses and the 10% of racing enthusiasts in the sample (44 females and 63 males) who would stop watching races and betting on them if whipping were banned. Logistic regression models examining associations between age, gender, and income level of respondents demonstrated that those who support racehorse whipping are significantly more likely to be male. Among racing enthusiasts who would stop watching races and betting on them if whipping were banned, those in the lowest income bracket were over-represented. The more frequently respondents attended races or gambled on them, the more likely they were to agree that horses should be hit with a whip during the normal course of a race. These findings align with previous studies of violence among men and women but may also be attributed to male support of traditional gambling practices. Globally, racing organisations may consider the findings of the present study helpful in their deliberations on the merits of continuing the practice of whipping tired horses in the name of sport. The study might also provide important data for stakeholders who demand that it continues. PMID:29466458

"I don't feel shy because I will be among others who are just like me…": The role of support groups for children perinatally infected with HIV in Zimbabwe.

PubMed

Mupambireyi, Zivai; Bernays, Sarah; Bwakura-Dangarembizi, Mutsa; Cowan, Frances M

2014-10-01

As access to paediatric antiretroviral therapy (ART) continues to improve in sub-Saharan Africa, a new historically specific cohort of HIV-perinatally infected children surviving into adolescent has emerged. Although remarkable successes have been made clinically in keeping this cohort alive and in reasonable health, their social support experiences are still unknown. The research being reported here sought to explore peer social support experiences of HIV-perinatally infected children in Harare, Zimbabwe. In this article, we draw on 56 repeat in-depth interviews (IDIs) conducted in three phases and two focus group discussions (FGDs) with HIV-infected children (11-13 years). Additional interviews were held with 10 carers. Study findings suggested that both children and carers perceive support groups as a safe social space for learning and acquiring HIV information as well as gaining confidence. Additionally, findings highlighted the importance of consistency of participation. Structural and personal barriers to access and participation in support group were also identified. We conclude that support groups are a useful resource for HIV-infected children and therefore should be supported by stable funding.

Peer supporter experiences of home visits for people with HIV infection

PubMed Central

Lee, Han Ju; Moneyham, Linda; Kang, Hee Sun; Kim, Kyung Sun

2015-01-01

Purpose This study’s purpose was to explore the experiences of peer supporters regarding their work in a home visit program for people with HIV infection. Patients and methods A qualitative descriptive study was conducted using focus groups. Participants were 12 HIV-positive peer supporters conducting home visits with people living with HIV/AIDS in South Korea. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Results Six major themes emerged: feeling a sense of belonging; concern about financial support; facing HIV-related stigma and fear of disclosure; reaching out and acting as a bridge of hope; feeling burnout; and need for quality education. The study findings indicate that although peer supporters experience several positive aspects in the role, such as feelings of belonging, they also experience issues that make it difficult to be successful in the role, including the position’s instability, work-related stress, and concerns about the quality of their continuing education. Conclusion The findings suggest that to maintain a stable and effective peer supporter program, such positions require financial support, training in how to prevent and manage stress associated with the role, and a well-developed program of education and training. PMID:26445560

Mechanical circulatory support in pediatrics.

PubMed

Steffen, Robert J; Miletic, Kyle G; Schraufnagel, Dean P; Vargo, Patrick R; Fukamachi, Kiyotaka; Stewart, Robert D; Moazami, Nader

2016-05-01

End-stage heart failure affects thousands of children yearly and mechanical circulatory support is used at many points in their care. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation supports both the failing heart and lungs, which has led to its use as an adjunct to cardiopulmonary resuscitation as well as in post-operative cardiogenic shock. Continuous-flow ventricular assist devices (VAD) have replaced pulsatile-flow devices in adults and early studies have shown promising results in children. The Berlin paracorporeal pulsatile VAD recently gained U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval and remains the only VAD approved in pediatrics. Failing univentricular hearts and other congenitally corrected lesions are new areas for mechanical support. Finding novel uses, improving durability, and minimizing complications are areas of growth in pediatric mechanical circulatory support.

Masculinity and Fatherhood

PubMed Central

Oliffe, John L.; Bottorff, Joan L.; Kelly, Mary T.

2015-01-01

Health promotion initiatives to reduce smoking among parents have focused almost exclusively on women to support their cessation during pregnancy and postpartum, while overlooking the importance of fathers’ smoking cessation. This study was a secondary analysis of in-depth interviews with 20 new and expectant fathers to identify how they perceived their female partners’ efforts to assist them to reduce or quit smoking. Social constructionist gender frameworks were used to theorize and develop the findings. Three key themes were identified: support and autonomy in men’s smoking cessation, perception of challenging men’s freedom to smoke, and contempt for men’s continued smoking. The findings suggest that shifts in masculinities as men take up fathering should be considered in designing smoking cessation interventions for fathers. PMID:25106653

Earthscope National Office Education and Outreach Program: 2014 Update on Broader-Impacts Activities and Outcomes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Semken, S. C.; Robinson, S.; Bohon, W.; Schwab, P.; Arrowsmith, R.; Garnero, E.; Pettis, L.; Baumback, D.; Dick, C.

2014-12-01

The EarthScope Program (www.earthscope.org), funded by the National Science Foundation, fosters interdisciplinary exploration of the geologic structure and evolution of the North American continent by means of geodesy, seismology, magnetotellurics, in-situ fault-zone sampling, geochronology, and high-resolution topographic measurements. EarthScope data, and the scientific findings they underpin, continue to revolutionize geoscientific research, enhance understanding and mitigation of geologic hazards, and bolster applications of geoscience in environmental management and sustainability. The EarthScope Program also produces and shares a wide range of resources and opportunities for education and outreach (E&O) in the Earth system sciences. The EarthScope National Office (ESNO) at Arizona State University serves all EarthScope stakeholders, including researchers, educators, students, and the general public. ESNO supports and promotes E&O through social media and the web, inSights newsletters and published articles, E&O workshops for informal educators (interpreters), an annual Speaker Series, assistance to grassroots K-12 STEM teacher professional development projects (typically led by EarthScope researchers), continuing education for researchers, collaborations with other Earth-science E&O providers, and biennial National Conferences. The EarthScope E&O program at ESNO, now in its final year at Arizona State University, leads and supports wide dissemination of the data, findings, and legacy of EarthScope. Significant activities in 2014 include an Interpretive Workshop in Alaska; the US Science and Engineering Festival; the Decade Symposium in Washington, DC; the Great ShakeOut; local and regional outreach; and a continued strong and exemplary E&O presence online. The EarthScope National Office is supported by the National Science Foundation under grants EAR-1101100 and EAR-1216301. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Evaluation of an online continuing education program from the perspective of new graduate nurses.

PubMed

Karaman, Selcuk; Kucuk, Sevda; Aydemir, Melike

2014-05-01

The aim of this study is to evaluate the online continuing education program from the perspectives of new graduate nurses. An evaluation framework includes five factors (program and course structure, course materials, technology, support services and assessment). In this study, descriptive research methods were used. Participants of the study included 2.365 registered nurses enrolled in the first online nursing bachelor completion degree program in the country. Data were collected by survey. The findings indicated that students were mostly satisfied with this program. The results of this study suggest that well designed asynchronous online education methods can be effective and appropriate for registered nurses. However, the provision of effective support and technological infrastructure is as vital as the quality of teaching for online learners. © 2013.

Funding resources for rare disease research.

PubMed

Stehr, F; Forkel, M

2013-11-01

Research is an expensive venture requiring multiple sources of funding for small projects that test new theories, large projects to make major advancements, training the next generation of researchers and facilitating meetings to share findings and support collaboration. For rare conditions, such as Batten disease, research funds can be difficult to find. To see how investigators supported their work in the past, we did a key word search of the Acknowledgement Section of peer-reviewed literature published in Batten disease in the last 6.5 years. Interestingly, we discovered 193 separate funding sources. The authors hope that, by showing where funds are available, we will enable Batten disease researchers to continue their pursuits and expand their studies; moving key findings from discovery to application phases. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: The Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses or Batten Disease. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Impact of a Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplace on an Employed Mother's Intention to Continue Breastfeeding After Returning to Work

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Abstract Background Ever-increasing populations of women in their childbearing years are choosing to become employed. Breastfeeding provides unique health advantages to both the infant and mother. A breastfeeding-friendly workplace might be an important factor for predicting breastfeeding rates among working women. To explore the impact of breastfeeding-friendly support on the intention of working mothers to continue breastfeeding, we conducted a survey at a female labor-intensive electronics manufacturer in Taiwan. Subjects and Methods A structured questionnaire survey was administered to 715 working mothers employed in an electronics manufacturing plant in Tainan Science Park in Southern Taiwan. Questionnaire content included female employee demographics, employment characteristics, continued breastfeeding behavior after returning to work, access to lactation rooms, and employee perception of the breastfeeding policy and support when raising their most recently born child. Results A higher education level (odds ratio [OR]=2.66), lower work load (8 work hours/day) (OR=2.66), lactation room with dedicated space (OR=2.38), use of breast pumping breaks (OR=61.6), and encouragement from colleagues (OR=2.78) and supervisors (OR=2.44) to use breast pumping breaks were significant predictors of continued breastfeeding for more than 6 months after returning to work. Conclusions The findings of the present study suggest that to encourage and increase the rate of continued breastfeeding, workplaces should establish dedicated breastfeeding rooms and maintain a comfortable and clean environment. Furthermore, employers should provide encouragement and support for working mothers to continue breastfeeding after returning to work. PMID:23390987

Leadership Perspectives on Operationalizing the Learning Health Care System in an Integrated Delivery System.

PubMed

Psek, Wayne; Davis, F Daniel; Gerrity, Gloria; Stametz, Rebecca; Bailey-Davis, Lisa; Henninger, Debra; Sellers, Dorothy; Darer, Jonathan

2016-01-01

Healthcare leaders need operational strategies that support organizational learning for continued improvement and value generation. The learning health system (LHS) model may provide leaders with such strategies; however, little is known about leaders' perspectives on the value and application of system-wide operationalization of the LHS model. The objective of this project was to solicit and analyze senior health system leaders' perspectives on the LHS and learning activities in an integrated delivery system. A series of interviews were conducted with 41 system leaders from a broad range of clinical and administrative areas across an integrated delivery system. Leaders' responses were categorized into themes. Ten major themes emerged from our conversations with leaders. While leaders generally expressed support for the concept of the LHS and enhanced system-wide learning, their concerns and suggestions for operationalization where strongly aligned with their functional area and strategic goals. Our findings suggests that leaders tend to adopt a very pragmatic approach to learning. Leaders expressed a dichotomy between the operational imperative to execute operational objectives efficiently and the need for rigorous evaluation. Alignment of learning activities with system-wide strategic and operational priorities is important to gain leadership support and resources. Practical approaches to addressing opportunities and challenges identified in the themes are discussed. Continuous learning is an ongoing, multi-disciplinary function of a health care delivery system. Findings from this and other research may be used to inform and prioritize system-wide learning objectives and strategies which support reliable, high value care delivery.

Assessing the professional development needs of public health educators in light of changing competencies.

PubMed

Demers, Anne Roesler; Mamary, Edward

2008-10-01

Because of the need for a well-trained public health workforce, professional competencies have been recently revised by the Institute of Medicine and the National Health Educator Competencies Update Project. This study compared the self-identified training needs of public health educators with the updated competencies and assessed employer support for continuing education. A convenience sample of public health educators was recruited from an e-mail list of San Jose State University master of public health alumni. Respondents completed a Web-based survey that elicited information on emerging trends in public health education, training needs, and employer support for continuing education. Concerns about funding cuts and privatization of resources emerged as a theme. Key trends reported were an increase in information technology, the need for policy advocacy skills, and the importance of a lifespan approach to health issues. Primary areas for training were organization development, evaluation, and management. Although most employers were reported to support continuing education, less than two-thirds of respondents were reimbursed for expenses. These findings have implications for both research and practice. Innovative technologies should be developed to address health education professionals' training needs, and emerging themes should be incorporated into curricula for students.

Effects of Percutaneous LVAD Support on Right Ventricular Load and Adaptation.

PubMed

Yourshaw, Jeffrey P; Mishra, Prabodh; Armstrong, M Christopher; Ramu, Bhavadharini; Craig, Michael L; Van Bakel, Adrian B; Steinberg, Daniel H; DiSalvo, Thomas G; Tedford, Ryan J; Houston, Brian A

2018-04-30

Both operative and hemodynamic mechanisms have been implicated in right heart failure (RHF) following surgical left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. We investigated the effects of percutaneous LVAD (pLVAD; Impella®, Abiomed) support on right ventricular (RV) load and adaptation. We reviewed all patients receiving a pLVAD for cardiogenic shock at our institution between July 2014 and April 2017, including only those with pre- and post-pLVAD invasive hemodynamic measurements. Hemodynamic data was recorded immediately prior to pLVAD implantation and up to 96 h post-implantation. Twenty-five patients were included. Cardiac output increased progressively during pLVAD support. PAWP improved early post-pLVAD but did not further improve during continued support. Markers of RV adaptation (right ventricular stroke work index, right atrial pressure (RAP), and RAP to pulmonary artery wedge pressure ratio (RAP:PAWP)) were unchanged acutely implant but progressively improved during continued pLVAD support. Total RV load (pulmonary effective arterial elastance; E A ) and resistive RV load (pulmonary vascular resistance; PVR) both declined progressively. The relationship between RV load and RV adaptation (E A /RAP and E A /RAP:PAWP) was constant throughout. Median vasoactive-inotrope score declined after pLVAD placement and continued to decline throughout support. Percutaneous LVAD support in patients with cardiogenic shock did not acutely worsen RV adaptation, in contrast to previously described hemodynamic effects of surgically implanted durable LVADs. Further, RV load progressively declined during support, and the noted RV adaptation improvement was load-dependent as depicted by constant E A /RA and E A /RAP:PAWP relationships. These findings further implicate the operative changes associated with surgical LVAD implantation in early RHF following durable LVAD.

National Models for Continuing Professional Development: The Challenges of Twenty-First-Century Knowledge Management

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leask, Marilyn; Younie, Sarah

2013-01-01

If teacher quality is the most critical factor in improving educational outcomes, then why is so little attention drawn to the knowledge and evidence base available to support teachers in improving the quality of their professional knowledge? This paper draws together findings from a range of sources to propose national models for continuing…

Multiple Ways of Knowing: Fostering Resiliency through Providing Opportunities for Participating in Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shepard, Jerri Simms

2004-01-01

The model of multiple intelligences developed by Howard Gardner is proposed as a framework for developing strengths, which will provide protective factors against risk and contribute to resilient outcomes. Educators are continually challenged to find successful ways to meet the needs of their students. One means is to support students by…

Capacity reconsidered: Finding consensus and clarifying differences

Treesearch

Doug Whittaker; Bo Shelby; Robert Manning; David Cole; Glenn Haas

2011-01-01

In a world where populations and resource demands continue to grow, there is a long history of concern about the "capacity" of the environment to support human uses, including timber, rangelands, fish and wildlife, and recreation. In the context of recreation, work on visitor capacities has evolved considerably since the late 1960s as a result of...

At the Forefront of the New Accountability Era: Early Implementation Findings from the CORE Waiver Districts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marsh, Julie A.; Bush-Mecenas, Susan; Hough, Heather J.; Park, Vicki; Allbright, Taylor; Hall, Michelle; Glover, Holly

2016-01-01

California and the nation are at the crossroads of a major shift in school accountability policy. At the state level, California's Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) encourages the use of multiple measures of school performance used locally to support continuous improvement and strategic resource allocation. Similarly, the federal Every…

Educational Attainment and Egalitarian Attitudes toward Women in the MENA Region: Insights from the Arab Barometer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Auletto, Amy; Kim, Taeyeon; Marias, Rachel

2017-01-01

Despite increasingly egalitarian attitudes toward women in the Middle East and North Africa, nations in this region continue to rank among the lowest in measures of gender equality. Using survey data, we examine the relationship between educational attainment and support for women. We find that increased educational attainment is predictive of…

Optimal design of compact spur gear reductions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Savage, M.; Lattime, S. B.; Kimmel, J. A.; Coe, H. H.

1992-01-01

The optimal design of compact spur gear reductions includes the selection of bearing and shaft proportions in addition to gear mesh parameters. Designs for single mesh spur gear reductions are based on optimization of system life, system volume, and system weight including gears, support shafts, and the four bearings. The overall optimization allows component properties to interact, yielding the best composite design. A modified feasible directions search algorithm directs the optimization through a continuous design space. Interpolated polynomials expand the discrete bearing properties and proportions into continuous variables for optimization. After finding the continuous optimum, the designer can analyze near optimal designs for comparison and selection. Design examples show the influence of the bearings on the optimal configurations.

Peer support: helping to influence cultural change.

PubMed

Whitmore, Mary

2015-02-01

Breastfeeding peer support schemes in Blackpool and Lancashire work closely with midwifery and other partners to offer additional support and encouragement to breastfeeding mothers. Employed and volunteer peer supporters deliver a systematic service in target areas delivering workshops to pregnant mothers, supporting new mothers in hospital, including in the neonatal units, in mothers' homes and in groups at children's centres. Working with health, children's centres, public health and councils, the peer supporters were instrumental in Fleetwood town agreeing to always welcome breastfeeding. They worked with teachers, public health and infant feeding coordinators to deliver a month-long breastfeeding campaign at a local college and, working with health visitors, have engaged with grandmothers to find out how they feel they can help support new mothers. Skilled supervision is essential to ensuring peer supporters work safely and continue to develop their skills and knowledge. Volunteer coordinators play a key role in valuing and organising volunteers.

Psychosocial determinants of young athletes' continued participation over time.

PubMed

Jõesaar, Helen; Hein, Vello

2011-08-01

The aim of this study was to examine the differences in psychosocial and motivational variables between persistent and dropout youth athletes and between groups with different years in training. Team and individual youth athletes completed questionnaires measuring autonomy support from parents and coaches, peer motivational climate, basic psychological needs satisfaction, and sport motivation. The results showed that athletes who dropped out perceived significantly less competence, relatedness, and autonomy need satisfaction, and they perceived less autonomy support from parents and were less intrinsically motivated than persistent athletes. Youth athletes with up to one year in training reported significantly lower effort and intra-team conflict with peers, relatedness need satisfaction, and external motivation than athletes with 1 to 3 years and >3 years in training. Findings extend knowledge of the psychosocial determinants of sport continuation behaviour among young athletes.

Immediate effects of form-class constraints on spoken word recognition

PubMed Central

Magnuson, James S.; Tanenhaus, Michael K.; Aslin, Richard N.

2008-01-01

In many domains of cognitive processing there is strong support for bottom-up priority and delayed top-down (contextual) integration. We ask whether this applies to supra-lexical context that could potentially constrain lexical access. Previous findings of early context integration in word recognition have typically used constraints that can be linked to pair-wise conceptual relations between words. Using an artificial lexicon, we found immediate integration of syntactic expectations based on pragmatic constraints linked to syntactic categories rather than words: phonologically similar “nouns” and “adjectives” did not compete when a combination of syntactic and visual information strongly predicted form class. These results suggest that predictive context is integrated continuously, and that previous findings supporting delayed context integration stem from weak contexts rather than delayed integration. PMID:18675408

Beginning science teachers' strategies for communicating with families

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bloom, Nena E.

Science learning occurs in both formal and informal spaces. Families are critical for developing student learning and interest in science because they provide important sources of knowledge, support and motivation. Bidirectional communication between teachers and families can be used to build relationships between homes and schools, leverage family knowledge of and support for learners, and create successful environments for science learning that will support both teaching and student learning. To identify the communication strategies of beginning science teachers, who are still developing their teaching practices, a multiple case study was conducted with seven first year secondary science teachers. The methods these teachers used to communicate with families, the information that was communicated and shared, and factors that shaped these teachers' continued development of communication strategies were examined. Demographic data, interview data, observations and documentation of communication through logs and artifacts were collected for this study. Results indicated that the methods teachers had access to and used for communication impacted the frequency and efficacy of their communication. Teachers and families communicated about a number of important topics, but some topics that could improve learning experiences and science futures for their students were rarely discussed, such as advancement in science, student learning in science and family knowledge. Findings showed that these early career teachers were continuing to learn about their communities and to develop their communication strategies with families. Teachers' familiarity with their school community, opportunities to practice strategies during preservice preparation and student teaching, their teaching environment, school policies, and learning from families and students in their school culture continued to shape and influence their views and communication strategies. Findings and implications for teacher preparation programs, teachers, schools and organizations are discussed.

Laboratory Studies of Cometary Materials - Continuity Between Asteroid and Comet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Messenger, Scott; Walker, Robert M.

2015-01-01

Laboratory analysis of cometary samples have been enabled by collection of cometary dust in the stratosphere by high altitude aircraft and by the direct sampling of the comet Wild-2 coma by the NASA Stardust spacecraft. Cometary materials are composed of a complex assemblage of highly primitive, unprocessed interstellar and primordial solar system materials as well as a variety of high temperature phases that must have condensed in the inner regions of the protoplanetary disk. These findings support and contradict conclusions of comet properties based solely on astronomical observations. These sample return missions have instead shown that there is a continuity of properties between comets and asteroids, where both types of materials show evidence for primitive and processed materials. Furthermore, these findings underscore the importance and value of direct sample return. There will be great value in comparing the findings of the Stardust cometary coma sample return mission with those of future asteroid surface sample returns OSIRIS-REx and Hayabusa II as well as future comet nucleus sample returns.

Scaling in Theropod Dinosaurs: Femoral Bone Strength and Locomotion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Scott

2015-02-01

In our first article1 on scaling in theropod dinosaurs, the longitudinal stress in the leg bones due to supporting the weight of the animal was studied and found not to control the dimensions of the femur. As a continuation of our study of elasticity in dinosaur bones, we now examine the transverse stress in the femur due to locomotion and find that this effect is important for the geometry of the bone. We find that larger theropods (including Tyrannosaurus rex) were less athletic than smaller theropods.

Continuously controlled optical band gap in oxide semiconductor thin films

DOE PAGES

Herklotz, Andreas; Rus, Stefania Florina; Ward, Thomas Zac

2016-02-02

The optical band gap of the prototypical semiconducting oxide SnO 2 is shown to be continuously controlled through single axis lattice expansion of nanometric films induced by low-energy helium implantation. While traditional epitaxy-induced strain results in Poisson driven multidirectional lattice changes shown to only allow discrete increases in bandgap, we find that a downward shift in the band gap can be linearly dictated as a function of out-of-plane lattice expansion. Our experimental observations closely match density functional theory that demonstrates that uniaxial strain provides a fundamentally different effect on the band structure than traditional epitaxy-induced multiaxes strain effects. In conclusion,more » charge density calculations further support these findings and provide evidence that uniaxial strain can be used to drive orbital hybridization inaccessible with traditional strain engineering techniques.« less

Childbirth Supporters' Experiences in a Built Hospital Birth Environment: Exploring Inhibiting and Facilitating Factors in Negotiating the Supporter Role.

PubMed

Harte, J Davis; Sheehan, Athena; Stewart, Susan C; Foureur, Maralyn

2016-04-01

To explore inhibiting and facilitating design factors influencing childbirth supporters' experiences. Birthing women benefit from the continuous, cooperative presence of supporters. However, little research has investigated how birth room design facilitates or inhibits supporters' role navigation. We conducted an exploratory video ethnographic single case study of childbirth supporters' experiences, within an Australian hospital birth environment. Video, field notes, and video-cued reflexive interviews with the woman, her midwives, and supporters were thematically analyzed using ethnographic/symbolic interactionist perspectives to frame supporters' understandings. Findings suggest supporters' experiences are complex, made more complicated by sparse understanding or accommodation of their needs in the built environment. Supporters' presence and roles are not facilitated by the physical space; they experience "an unbelonging paradox" of being needed, yet uncertain and "in the way" during "tenuous nest-building" activities. Suggested design guidelines to facilitate supporters' well-being and their roles in designed hospital birth spaces are provided. © The Author(s) 2016.

Continuation of Support for the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research (ILAR)

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-07-01

of Sciences Washington, DC 20001 REPORT DATE: July 2006 TYPE OF REPORT ...views, opinions and/or findings contained in this report are those of the author(s) and should not be construed as an official Department of the Army...position, policy or decision unless so designated by other documentation. REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public

Reflecting on Advice for New Teachers and Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vogel, Linda J.

2007-01-01

Finding mentors who will both support and challenge a teacher to grow is key to that teacher's ability to claim his or her calling as one who teaches and empowers others to join in their faith journeys as life-long learners. The author believes that religious educators must continually hone their skills to read the contexts where they teach as…

Pre-Service Teacher Training in Malawi: Findings of a Pilot Study on the Viability of Media Players for Teacher Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carrier, Carol; Finholt-Daniel, Matt; Sales, Gregory C.

2012-01-01

As part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded Malawi Teacher Professional Development Support project, a sub-task was the piloting of an alternative technology that could be used for improving the quality and consistency of teacher continued professional development (CPD). The pilot, which included 26 open and…

Clinician Beliefs and Practices in Dementia Care: Implications for Health Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meuser, Thomas M.; Boise, Linda; Morris, John C.

2004-01-01

Research on assessment and treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is moving at a rapid pace. Continuing education (CE) providers must translate new findings for clinicians so as to enhance patient care. A two-page survey was distributed by mail to a sample of 5,000 licensed Missouri clinicians to gather data in support of this translation process.…

Addressing Early Warning Indicators: Interim Impact Findings from the Investing in Innovation (i3) Evaluation of Diplomas Now

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corrin, William; Sepanik, Susan; Rosen, Rachel; Shane, Andrea

2016-01-01

Diplomas Now is a partnership of three national organizations--Talent Development Secondary, City Year, and Communities In Schools--collaborating in an effort to transform urban secondary schools so that fewer students drop out and more graduate ready for postsecondary education and work. With the goal of a continuous system of support through…

Finding common ground: environmental ethics, social justice, and a sustainable path for nature-based health promotion

Treesearch

Viniece Jennings; Jessica Yun; Lincoln  Larson

2016-01-01

Decades of research have documented continuous tension between anthropocentric needs and the environment’s capacity to accommodate those needs and support basic human welfare. The way in which society perceives, manages, and ultimately utilizes natural resources can be influenced by underlying environmental ethics, or the moral relationship that humans share with the...

A Summary of Six Major Evaluation Reports on Follow Through in Philadelphia, 1973-l1974.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodwin, Judith

This report is a non-technical summary of six major evaluation reports on the Follow Through Program in Philadelphia, 1973-74. Positive findings are presented in the areas of pupil achievement, teacher and pupil continuance and pupil absence, and supportive services and parent involvement. The Follow Through Program in Philadelphia is comprised of…

Improving Genetics Education in Graduate and Continuing Health Professional Education: Workshop Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berger, Adam C.; Johnson, Samuel G.; Beachy, Sarah H.; Olson, Steve

2015-01-01

Many health care providers do not have either the knowledge or the tools they need in order to apply genetic information in their day-to-day practices. This lack of support is contributing to a substantial delay in the translation of genetic research findings, when appropriate, into improvement in patient outcomes within the health care system.…

Tracking an Elusive Population: Family Carers of Older Adults with Intellectual Disabilities in Romandy (Switzerland)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jecker-Parvex, Maurice; Breitenbach, Nancy

2012-01-01

Despite a long-standing tradition of institutional placement in Switzerland, many older adults with intellectual disabilities continue to be supported by aging parents and siblings. For various reasons, these carers and the adults concerned have been overlooked up to now. To find out how many such families are providing housing and care of this…

An Investigation of a Virtual School Program in One Public School District in Texas: A Descriptive Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quadri, Rizvan

2012-01-01

This qualitative, descriptive case study employed the use of narrative to investigate a virtual school program in a public school district in Texas. A focus group interviewing process was used to interview the participants. Findings from this study conclude that with continued support from district leaders, along with having the appropriate…

Examining statewide capacity for school health and mental health promotion: a post hoc application of a district capacity-building framework.

PubMed

Maras, Melissa A; Weston, Karen J; Blacksmith, Jennifer; Brophy, Chelsey

2015-03-01

Schools must possess a variety of capacities to effectively support comprehensive and coordinated school health promotion activities, and researchers have developed a district-level capacity-building framework specific to school health promotion. State-level school health coalitions often support such capacity-building efforts and should embed this work within a data-based, decision-making model. However, there is a lack of guidance for state school health coalitions on how they should collect and use data. This article uses a district-level capacity-building framework to interpret findings from a statewide coordinated school health needs/resource assessment in order to examine statewide capacity for school health promotion. Participants included school personnel (N = 643) from one state. Descriptive statistics were calculated for survey items, with further examination of subgroup differences among school administrators and nurses. Results were then interpreted via a post hoc application of a district-level capacity-building framework. Findings across districts revealed statewide strengths and gaps with regard to leadership and management capacities, internal and external supports, and an indicator of global capacity. Findings support the utility of using a common framework across local and state levels to align efforts and embed capacity-building activities within a data-driven, continuous improvement model. © 2014 Society for Public Health Education.

UK women's experiences of breastfeeding and additional breastfeeding support: a qualitative study of Baby Café services.

PubMed

Fox, Rebekah; McMullen, Sarah; Newburn, Mary

2015-07-07

Whilst 81 % of UK women initiate breastfeeding, there is a steep decline in breastfeeding rates during the early postnatal period, with just 55 % of women breastfeeding at six weeks. 80 % of these women stopped breastfeeding sooner than they intended, with women citing feeding difficulties and lack of adequate support. As part of efforts to increase breastfeeding continuation rates, many public and voluntary organisations offer additional breastfeeding support services, which provide practical support in the early postnatal period and beyond. This paper focuses on the qualitative experiences of UK users of Baby Café services to examine their experiences of breastfeeding and breastfeeding support. The study was based upon in-depth interviews and focus groups with users of eight Baby Café breastfeeding support groups across the UK. Thirty-six interviews and five focus groups were conducted with a total of fifty-one mothers using the service. Interviews and group discussions were analysed using N Vivo software to draw out key themes and discussions. Whilst each mother's infant feeding journey is unique, reflecting her own personal circumstances and experiences, several themes emerged strongly from the data. Many women felt that they had been given unrealistic expectations of breastfeeding by professionals keen to promote the benefits. This left them feeling unprepared when they encountered pain, problems and relentlessness of early infant feeding, leading to feelings of guilt and inadequacy over their feeding decisions. Mothers valued the combination of expert professional and peer support provided by Baby Café services and emphasised the importance of social support from other mothers in enabling them to continue feeding for as long as they wished. The research emphasises the need for realistic rather than idealistic antenatal preparation and the importance of timely and parent-centred breastfeeding support, particularly in the immediate postnatal weeks. The findings suggest that effective social support, combined with reassurance and guidance from skilled practitioners, can help women to overcome difficulties and find confidence in their own abilities to achieve their feeding goals. However, further work is needed to make sure such services are readily accessible to women from all sectors of the community.

Female employees' perceptions of organisational support for breastfeeding at work: findings from an Australian health service workplace.

PubMed

Weber, Danielle; Janson, Anneka; Nolan, Michelle; Wen, Li Ming; Rissel, Chris

2011-11-30

Women's return to work can be a significant barrier to continued breastfeeding. Workplace policies and practices to promote and support continued, and longer duration of, breastfeeding are important. In the context of the introduction of a new breastfeeding policy for Area Health Services in New South Wales, Australia, a baseline survey was conducted to describe current practices and examine women's reports of perceived organisational support on breastfeeding intention and practice. A cross sectional survey of female employees of the Sydney South West Area Health Service was conducted in late 2009. A mailed questionnaire was sent to 998 eligible participants who had taken maternity leave over the 20-month period from January 2008 to August 2009. The questionnaire collected items assessing breastfeeding intentions, awareness of workplace policies, and the level of organisational and social support available. For those women who had returned to work, further questions were asked to assess the perceptions and practices of breastfeeding in the work environment, as well as barriers and enabling factors to combining breastfeeding and work. Returning to work was one of the main reasons women ceased breastfeeding, with 60 percent of women intending to breastfeed when they returned to work, but only 40 percent doing so. Support to combine breastfeeding and work came mainly from family and partners (74% and 83% respectively), with little perceived support from the organisation (13%) and human resources (6%). Most women (92%) had received no information from their managers about their breastfeeding options upon their return to work, and few had access to a room specially designated for breastfeeding (19%). Flexible work options and lactation breaks, as well as access to a private room, were identified as the main factors that facilitate breastfeeding at work. Enabling women to continue breastfeeding at work has benefits for the infant, employee and organisation. However, this baseline study of health employees revealed that women felt largely unsupported by managers and their organisation to continue breastfeeding at work.

What adaptation to research is needed following crises: a comparative, qualitative study of the health workforce in Sierra Leone and Nepal.

PubMed

Raven, Joanna; Baral, Sushil; Wurie, Haja; Witter, Sophie; Samai, Mohamed; Paudel, Pravin; Subedi, Hom Nath; Martineau, Tim; Elsey, Helen; Theobald, Sally

2018-02-07

Health workers are critical to the performance of health systems; yet, evidence about their coping strategies and support needs during and post crisis is lacking. There is very limited discussion about how research teams should respond when unexpected crises occur during on-going research. This paper critically presents the approaches and findings of two health systems research projects that explored and evaluated health worker performance and were adapted during crises, and provides lessons learnt on re-orientating research when the unexpected occurs. Health systems research was adapted post crisis to assess health workers' experiences and coping strategies. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 health workers in a heavily affected earthquake district in Nepal and 25 frontline health workers in four districts in Ebola-affected Sierra Leone. All data were transcribed and analysed using the framework approach, which included developing coding frameworks for each study, applying the frameworks, developing charts and describing the themes. A second layer of analysis included analysis across the two contexts, whereas a third layer involved the research teams reflecting on the approaches used to adapt the research during these crises and what was learned as individuals and research teams. In Sierra Leone, health workers were heavily stigmatised by the epidemic, leading to a breakdown of trust. Coping strategies included finding renewed purpose in continuing to serve their community, peer and family support (in some cases), and religion. In Nepal, individual determination, a sense of responsibility to the community and professional duty compelled staff to stay or return to their workplace. The research teams had trusting relationships with policy-makers and practitioners, which brought credibility and legitimacy to the change of research direction as well as the relationships to maximise the opportunity for findings to inform practice. In both contexts, health workers demonstrated considerable resilience in continuing to provide services despite limited support. Embedded researchers and institutions are arguably best placed to navigate emerging ethical and social justice challenges and are strategically positioned to support the co-production of knowledge and ensure research findings have impact.

African Americans in bereavement: grief as a function of ethnicity.

PubMed

Laurie, Anna; Neimeyer, Robert A

2008-01-01

Few empirical studies have explored the grieving process among different ethnic groups within the United States, and very little is known about how African Americans and Caucasians may differ in their experience of loss. The purpose of this study was to examine the African-American experience of grief, with particular emphasis on issues of identity change, interpersonal dimensions of the loss, and continuing attachments with the deceased. Participants were 1,581 bereaved college students (940 Caucasians and 641 African Americans) attending classes at a large southern university. Each participant completed the Inventory of Complicated Grief-Revised, the Continuing Bonds Scale, and questions regarding the circumstances surrounding his or her loss. Results revealed that African Americans experienced more frequent bereavement by homicide, maintenance of a stronger continuing bond with the deceased, greater grief for the loss of extended kin beyond the immediate family, and a sense of support in their grief, despite their tendency to talk less with others about the loss or seek professional support for it. Overall, African Americans reported higher levels of complicated grief symptoms than Caucasians, especially when they spent less time speaking to others about their loss experience. Implications of these findings for bereavement support services for African Americans were briefly noted.

Enjoyment and Behavioral Intention Predict Organized Youth Sport Participation and Dropout.

PubMed

Gardner, Lauren A; Magee, Christopher A; Vella, Stewart A

2017-11-01

Dropout from organized youth sport has significant adverse health implications. Enjoyment and behavioral intentions have consistently been linked with participation and dropout; however, few studies have investigated these links using a prospective design. This study explored whether enjoyment and intentions to continue predicted dropout behavior at 1-year follow-up. Questionnaires were completed by 327 regular sport participants (mean age = 13.01 y at baseline). After 1 year, 247 individuals (75.5%) continued participating in their main sport and 26 individuals (8%) dropped out. A hierarchical logistic regression model estimated the probability of dropout. In step 1, the following covariates were included: age, sex, competition level, perceived competence, parental support, coach-athlete relationship, friendship quality, and peer acceptance. In step 2, enjoyment and intentions to continue were included. Step 1 indicated that age, parental support, coach-athlete relationship quality, and peer acceptance were significantly associated with dropout. Step 2 explained further variance in dropout, with both enjoyment and intentions inversely associated with dropout. Peer acceptance was the only covariate to remain significantly associated with dropout in step 2. Findings support the use of enjoyment and behavioral intentions as indicators of sport participation/dropout behavior and may aid the development of interventions aimed at preventing future dropout.

Continuing Care and Trauma in Women Offenders’ Substance Use, Psychiatric Status, and Self-Efficacy Outcomes

PubMed Central

Saxena, Preeta; Grella, Christine E.; Messina, Nena P.

2015-01-01

Using secondary data analysis of 3 separate trauma-informed treatment programs for women offenders, we examine outcomes between those who received both prison and community-based substance abuse treatment (i.e., continuing care; n = 85) and those who received either prison or community aftercare treatment (n = 108). We further account for differences in trauma exposure to examine whether continuing care moderates this effect on substance use, psychiatric severity, and self-efficacy outcomes at follow-up. The main effect models of continuing care showed a significant association with high psychiatric status and did not yield significant associations with substance use or self-efficacy. However, the interaction between trauma history and continuing care showed significant effects on all 3 outcomes. Findings support the importance of a continuing care treatment model for women offenders exposed to multiple forms of traumatic events, and provide evidence of the effectiveness of integrating trauma-informed treatment into women’s substance abuse treatment. PMID:26924891

The mechanisms underpinning peer support: a literature review.

PubMed

Watson, Emma

2017-12-20

The employment of Peer Support Workers, who themselves have experience of significant emotional distress, can promote recovery at an individual and organisational level. While research examining the benefits of peer support within mental health services continues to grow, an understanding of how, and through what processes, these benefits are reached remains under-developed. To review the published research literature relating to the process of peer support and its underpinning mechanisms to better understand how and why it works. A scoping review of published literature identified studies relating to peer support mechanisms, processes and relationships. Studies were summarised and findings analysed. Five mechanisms were found to underpin peer support relationships (lived experience, love labour, the liminal position of the peer worker, strengths-focussed social and practical support, and the helper role). The identified mechanisms can underpin both the success and difficulties associated with peer support relationships. Further research should review a broader range of literature and clarify how these mechanisms contribute to peer support in different contexts.

Purposeful Agency in Support Seeking During Cancer Treatment From a Person-Centered Perspective

PubMed Central

Ventura, Filipa; Koinberg, Ingalill; Karlsson, Per; Sawatzky, Richard; Öhlén, Joakim

2016-01-01

People diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer (ESBC) manifest high supportive needs. eHealth supportive programs successfully satisfy those needs, but the process of generating supportive outcomes is less understood. We conducted this study to explore patients’ efforts to satisfy their supportive needs throughout the treatment course, not limited to but particularly considering their use of the Internet. Guided by interpretive description, 19 women undergoing treatment for ESBC participated in two phases of focus group meetings. Our results disclose women as self-driven resourceful agents, a perspective that underlay the process of reaching out as women appraised their need for support and intentionally engaged their supportive resources. Our findings convey a need to shift the paradigm of professionals’ provision of support in scheduled appointments toward achieving a continuous reciprocal care partnership. This is especially significant for the development of eHealth supportive programs, which assist in the enhancement of the health care accessibility. PMID:28462327

The lived experience of self-transcendence in women with AIDS.

PubMed

Coward, D D

1995-05-01

To describe the lived experience of self-transcendence in women with AIDS, associated with increased sense of meaning and purpose, well-being, self-esteem, and connectedness with self and/or others. Exploratory-descriptive, using phenomenological research methods for the study approach, data collection, and data analysis. One written description and nine audiotaped interviews of self-transcendence experiences were provided by women with class IV HIV infection (AIDS). Ten women recruited by nurses at an AIDS family clinic and through a flyer at the AIDS Support Group House in Seattle. Participant descriptions indicated that women with AIDS continue to find meaning and purpose in their lives through experiences of receiving from others, giving to others, and maintaining hope. The findings support the theory that self-transcendence views and behaviors are a source of mental health at the end of life. The findings suggest several ways nurses may help women with AIDS discover or make meaning and purpose in their lives.

A longitudinal study of the grief of mothers and fathers of children with intellectual disability.

PubMed

Bruce, E J; Schultz, C L; Smyrnios, K X

1996-03-01

As a follow-up to a single-point-in-time study which suggested support for the proposition that grieving is an ongoing feature of parenting children with intellectual disability, the present investigation reports findings based on annual interviews conducted over a three-year period. Longitudinal outcomes on measures used to define grief largely confirmed the original findings. Of particular interest were (a) indications of the presence of grief over time (b) the finding that the 49 mothers and 49 fathers report similar intensity of continued wishing for what might have been, and (c) the conclusion that the responses of the mothers on the Impact of Event Scale and to current levels of distress when thinking about time of diagnoses are significantly more intense than those of the fathers. Attention is drawn to patterns emerging from gender-related differences. Resulted are discussed within the framework of four mandates for research and practice, with particular reference to psycho-educational support through groupwork.

Using ergonomics checkpoints to support a participatory ergonomics intervention in an industrially developing country (IDC)--a case study.

PubMed

Helali, Faramarz

2009-01-01

To achieve ergonomics awareness in 3 subsidiary companies, an intervention team was formed. The aims of this study were to implement basic ergonomics through a participatory ergonomics intervention process that can support a continuous learning process and lead to an improvement in health and safety as well as in the work systems in the organization. The findings of this study (i.e., method, continuous learning and integration) were key to making the participatory ergonomics intervention successful. Furthermore, 4 issues of the ergonomics checkpoints (i.e., work schedules, work tasks, healthy work organization and learning) for assessing the work system were found suitable for both changing work schedules and for improving the work system. This paper describes the result of this project and also the experiences gained and the conclusions reached from using the International Labour Office's ergonomics checkpoints in the industries of industrially developing country.

Patient, resident, or person: Recognition and the continuity of self in long-term care for older people.

PubMed

Pirhonen, Jari; Pietilä, Ilkka

2015-12-01

Becoming a resident in a long-term care facility challenges older people's continuity of self in two major ways. Firstly, as they leave behind their previous home, neighborhood, and often their social surroundings, older people have to change their life-long lifestyles, causing fears of the loss of one's self. Secondly, modern-day care facilities have some features of 'total' institutions that produce patient-like role expectations and thus challenge older people's selves. Our ethnographic study in a geriatric hospital and a sheltered home in Finland aims to find out what features of daily life either support or challenge older people's continuity of self. A philosophical reading of the concept of recognition is used to explore how various daily practices and interactions support recognizing people as persons in long-term care. Categories of institution-centered and person-centered features are described to illustrate multiple ways in which people are recognized and misrecognized. The discussion highlights some ways in which long-term care providers could use the results of the study. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

New developments in psychosocial interventions for adults with unipolar depression.

PubMed

Lau, Mark A

2008-01-01

Depression treatment guidelines typically recommend cognitive behavioral therapy and/or interpersonal therapy for the acute treatment of mild-moderate depression. However, several new developments support an expanded role for psychotherapy in depression treatment. This article summarizes recent psychotherapy efficacy studies across the depression treatment continuum and the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions in community settings. New psychotherapies in the acute treatment of mild-moderate depression include emotion-focused therapy, self-system therapy, cognitive control training and positive psychotherapy. Furthermore, emerging evidence supports the use of psychotherapy for moderate-severe and treatment-resistant depression and for recurrent depression with a seasonal pattern. An important area of growth is the development and evaluation of continuation/maintenance treatments based on cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy to reduce depressive relapse risk in recurrent and chronic depression. Finally, there is evidence supporting the effectiveness of stepped care, chronic disease management and collaborative care models in community settings. Emerging evidence supports an expanded role for the use of psychosocial interventions as acute and continuation/maintenance treatments for unipolar depression. Although further research is required to replicate these findings, a remaining challenge is to increase the availability of these treatments to the mental health consumer.

Impact of Postoperative Antibiotic Prophylaxis Duration on Surgical Site Infections in Autologous Breast Reconstruction.

PubMed

Drury, Kerry E; Lanier, Steven T; Khavanin, Nima; Hume, Keith M; Gutowski, Karol A; Thornton, Brian P; Hansen, Nora M; Murphy, Robert X; Fine, Neil A; Kim, John Y S

2016-02-01

Although some surgeons prescribe prolonged postoperative antibiotics after autologous breast reconstruction, evidence is lacking to support this practice. We used the Tracking Operations and Outcomes for Plastic Surgeons database to evaluate the association between postoperative antibiotic duration and the rate of surgical site infection (SSI) in autologous breast reconstruction. The intervention of interest for this study was postoperative duration of antibiotic prophylaxis: either discontinued 24 hours after surgery or continued beyond 24 hours. The primary outcome variable of interest for this study was the presence of SSI within 30 days of autologous breast reconstruction. Cohort characteristics and 30-day outcomes were compared using χ² and Fischer exact tests for categorical variables and Student t tests for continuous variables. Multivariate logistic regression was used to control for confounders. A total of 1036 patients met inclusion criteria for our study. Six hundred fifty-nine patients (63.6%) received antibiotics for 24 hours postoperatively, and 377 patients (36.4%) received antibiotics for greater than 24 hours. The rate of SSI did not differ significantly between patients given antibiotics for only 24 hours and those continued on antibiotics beyond the 24-hour postoperative time period (5.01% vs 2.92%, P = 0.109). Furthermore, antibiotic duration was not predictive of SSI in multivariate regression modeling. We did not find a statistically significant difference in the rate of SSI in patients who received 24 hours of postoperative antibiotics compared to those that received antibiotics for greater than 24 hours. These findings held for both purely autologous reconstruction as well as latissimus dorsi reconstruction in conjunction with an implant. Thus, our study does not support continuation of postoperative antibiotics beyond 24 hours after autologous breast reconstruction.

A cross-syndrome evaluation of a new attention rating scale: The Scale of Attention in Intellectual Disability.

PubMed

Freeman, Nerelie C; Gray, Kylie M; Taffe, John R; Cornish, Kim M

2016-10-01

Whilst neuropsychological research has enhanced our understanding of inattentive and hyperactive behaviours among children with intellectual disability (ID), the absence of rating scales developed for this group continues to be a gap in knowledge. This study examined these behaviours in 176 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Down Syndrome (DS), or idiopathic ID using a newly developed teacher rating scale, the Scale of Attention in Intellectual Disability. Findings suggested that children with ASD had a significantly greater breadth of hyperactive/impulsive behaviours than those with DS or idiopathic ID. These findings support existing research suggesting differing profiles of attention and activity across groups. Understanding disorder-specific profiles has implications for developing strategies to support students with ID in the classroom. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Masculinity and Fatherhood: New Fathers' Perceptions of Their Female Partners' Efforts to Assist Them to Reduce or Quit Smoking.

PubMed

Kwon, Jae-Yung; Oliffe, John L; Bottorff, Joan L; Kelly, Mary T

2015-07-01

Health promotion initiatives to reduce smoking among parents have focused almost exclusively on women to support their cessation during pregnancy and postpartum, while overlooking the importance of fathers' smoking cessation. This study was a secondary analysis of in-depth interviews with 20 new and expectant fathers to identify how they perceived their female partners' efforts to assist them to reduce or quit smoking. Social constructionist gender frameworks were used to theorize and develop the findings. Three key themes were identified: support and autonomy in men's smoking cessation, perception of challenging men's freedom to smoke, and contempt for men's continued smoking. The findings suggest that shifts in masculinities as men take up fathering should be considered in designing smoking cessation interventions for fathers. © The Author(s) 2014.

Comparative effect of interval and continuous training programs on serum uric acid in management of hypertension: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Lamina, Sikiru

2011-03-01

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of interval and continuous training program on blood pressure and serum uric acid (SUA) levels in subjects with hypertension. Three hundred and fifty-seven male patients with mild to moderate systolic blood pressure (SBP) between 140 and 179 and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) between 90 and 109 mm Hg essential hypertension were age-matched and grouped into interval, continuous, and control groups. The interval (work:rest ratio of 1:1) and continuous groups were involved in an 8-week interval and continuous training program of 45-60 minutes, at intensities of 60-79% of heart rate maximum, whereas the control group remained sedentary during this period. SBP, DBP, maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) and SUA concentration were assessed. One-way analysis of variance and Scheffe and Pearson correlation tests were used in data analysis. Findings of the study revealed significant effect of exercise training program on VO2max, SBP, DBP, and SUA. However, there was no significant difference between the interval and continuous groups. Changes in VO2max negatively correlated with changes in SUA (r = -0.220) at p < 0.05. It was concluded that both moderate-intensity interval and continuous training programs are effective and neither seems superior to the other in the nonpharmacological management of hypertension and may prevent cardiovascular events through the downregulation of SUA in hypertension. Findings of the study support the recommendations of moderate-intensity interval and continuous training programs as adjuncts for nonpharmacological management of essential hypertension.

Nurses' intentions to provide continuous labor support to women.

PubMed

Payant, Laura; Davies, Barbara; Graham, Ian D; Peterson, Wendy E; Clinch, Jennifer

2008-01-01

To examine the determinants of nurses' intentions to practice continuous labor support. A descriptive survey based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. A large, urban Canadian hospital with 2 sites and 7,000 births per year. Ninety-seven registered nurses from 2 birthing units. Scores measuring nurses' attitudes, subjective norms, and intentions regarding continuous labor support for women with epidural analgesia were significantly lower than those for women without epidural analgesia (p<.0001). Multiple regression analyses revealed that previous labor support courses, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control explained 55% of the variance in nurses' intentions to provide continuous labor support to women without epidural analgesia while 88% of the variance in intentions to provide continuous labor support to women with epidural analgesia was explained by subjective norms and attitudes. Subjective norms made the most significant contribution to the variance in nurses' intentions to provide continuous labor support. Top perceived organizational barriers to continuous labor support included unit acuity and method of patient assignment. Nurses' intentions to provide continuous labor support are lower for women receiving epidural analgesia and are influenced by the perceived social pressures on their unit. Nurses view organizational barriers as important factors influencing their ability to provide continuous labor support.

Psychological Distress in Afghan Refugees: A Mixed-Method Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Alemi, Qais; James, Sigrid; Cruz, Romalene; Zepeda, Veronica; Racadio, Michael

2013-01-01

Mental health problems disproportionately affect Afghan refugees and asylum seekers who continue to seek international protection with prolonged exposure to war. We performed a systematic review aimed at synthesizing peer-reviewed literature pertaining to mental health problems among Afghans resettled in industrialized nations. We used five databases to identify studies published between 1979 and 2013 that provided data on distress levels, and subjective experiences with distress. Seventeen studies met our inclusion criteria consisting of 1 mixed-method, 7 qualitative, and 9 quantitative studies. Themes from our qualitative synthesis described antecedents for distress being rooted in cultural conflicts and loss, and also described unique coping mechanisms. Quantitative findings indicated moderate to high prevalence of depressive and posttraumatic symptomatology. These findings support the need for continued mental health research with Afghans that accounts for: distress among newly resettled groups, professional help-seeking utilization patterns, and also culturally relevant strategies for mitigating distress and engaging Afghans in research. PMID:23784146

Iranian Women's Breast Health-Seeking Behaviors: Husband's Role.

PubMed

Mazloomy-Mahmoodabad, Seyed Saeed; Khodayarian, Mahsa; Morowatisharifabad, Mohammad Ali; Lamyian, Minoor; Tavangar, Hossein

2017-12-14

Breast cancer has become the most common cancer among Yazdi women in Iran. Thus, it is necessary to encourage these women to participate in breast health-seeking behaviors. In this regard, husbands can play an effective role. The aim of this study was to explore women's perceptions about the effect of their husband's role on breast health-seeking protection motivation. This study used a directed qualitative content analysis approach based on the Protection Motivation Theory. Participants were selected using purposive sampling; in-depth semistructured interviews with 14 Yazdi women were completed. One major category named "motivator role of husband" emerged from the analysis. The following subcategories underlying this category were "indifference and a lack of support as long as the women can continue with expected duties," "what women want for support," "facilitating and restrictive factors of husband's supportive role," "public health education needed," and "husband's agreement with preventive actions." Voluntary participation in breast health-seeking behaviors is a culturally sensitive topic. The qualitative methodology allowed this sensitive topic and its different aspects to be explored. The findings indicated that the major source of support for women was their husband's behavior toward breast health-seeking actions. Family cohesion and love among couples were identified as strong determinant factors pertaining to husband's supportive behaviors. The study findings provided deeper understanding about the effective factors related to a husband's role in motivating a wife to practice breast cancer prevention. These new findings are relevant for health educators and practitioners to develop culturally based interventions.

Decline of Supportive Attitudes among Husbands toward Female Genital Mutilation and Its Association to Those Practices in Yemen

PubMed Central

Al-Khulaidi, Ghadah Abdulmajid; Nakamura, Keiko; Seino, Kaoruko; Kizuki, Masashi

2013-01-01

Objectives To elucidate the attitudes of women and their husband’s towards female genital mutilation (FGM) and their associations with the continuation of FGM upon their daughters. Methods Subjects were 10,345 (in 1997) and 11,252 (in 2003) ever married women aged 15 to 49 years from the Yemen Demographic Health Surveys. Performances of FGM on the most-recently-born daughters were investigated. Attitudes of women and their husbands were assessed by their opinions on the continuation of FGM. The association between the attitudes of women and their husbands and performance of FGM on the most-recently-born daughters were investigated after adjusting for age and education of the women. Findings The percentage among the most-recently-born daughters who received FGM of women who had undergone FGM declined from 61.9% in 1997 to 56.5% in 2003 (p<0.001). The percentages of women who had undergone FGM and who supported the continuation of FGM and of husbands who also supported its continuation decreased from 78.2% and 60.1% in 1997 to 70.9% and 49.5% in 2003, respectively (both p<0.001). When the women or the husbands did not agree with FGM, it was less likely to be performed on their daughter than when the women or the husbands agreed in 1997 (odds ratio=0.11, 95% confidence interval 0.07-0.16 and odds ratio=0.07, 95% confidence interval 0.04-0.12, respectively) and in 2003 (odds ratio=0.12, 95% confidence interval 0.09-0.16 and odds ratio=0.11, 95% confidence interval 0.07-0.16, respectively). Conclusion Non-supportive attitudes of women and their husbands towards the continuation of FGM have become common and were associated with their decision not to perform FGM upon their daughters. PMID:24367582

Women's experiences of coping with pain during childbirth: a critical review of qualitative research.

PubMed

Van der Gucht, Natalie; Lewis, Kiara

2015-03-01

to identify and analyse qualitative literature exploring women's experiences of coping with pain during childbirth. critical review of qualitative research. ten studies were included, conducted in Australia, England, Finland, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran and Sweden. Eight of the studies employed a phenomenological perspective with the remaining two without a specific qualitative methodological perspective. Thematic analysis was used as the approach for synthesising the data in this review. Two main themes emerged as the most significant influences upon a woman's ability to cope with pain: (i) the importance of individualised, continuous support and (ii) an acceptance of pain during childbirth. This review found that women felt vulnerable during childbirth and valued the relationships they had with health professionals. Many of the women perceived childbirth pain as challenging, however, they described the inherent paradox for the need for pain to birth their child. This allowed them to embrace the pain subsequently enhancing their coping ability. women's experience of coping with pain during childbirth is complex and multifaceted. Many women felt the need for effective support throughout childbirth and described the potential implications where this support failed to be provided. Feeling safe through the concept of continuous support was a key element of care to enhance the coping ability and avoid feelings of loneliness and fear. A positive outlook and acceptance of pain was acknowledged by many of the women, demonstrating the beneficial implications for coping ability. These findings were consistent despite the socio-economic, cultural and contextual differences observed within the studies suggesting that experiences of coping with pain during childbirth are universal. the findings suggest there is a dissonance between what women want in order to enhance their ability to cope with pain and the reality of clinical practice. This review found women would like health professionals to maintain a continuous presence throughout childbirth and support a social model of care that promotes continuity of care and an increasing acceptance of pain as part of normal childbirth. It is suggested future research regarding the role of antenatal provision for instilling such a viewpoint in preparation of birth be undertaken to inform policy makers. The need for a shift in societal norms is also suggested to disseminate expectations and positive or negative views of what the role of pain during childbirth should be to empower women to cope with childbirth and embrace this transition to motherhood as part of a normal process. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of Continued Support of Midwifery Students in Labour on the Childbirth and Labour Consequences: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

PubMed Central

Bolbol-Haghighi, Nahid; Masoumi, Seyedeh Zahra

2016-01-01

Introduction Childbirth experience is a process throughout women’s life and the most important consequence of labour. Support is the key factor to have a positive experience of childbirth. In order to improve and reduce the stress and anxiety levels in women during labour and cope with the childbirth pain, the emotional, physical and educational support of doulas can be used. Aim This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of continued support of midwifery students in labour on the childbirth and labour consequences. Materials and Methods The present study was conducted using a randomized controlled clinical trial design on 100 pregnant women referred to the maternity ward at Fatemieh Hospital, Shahroud, Iran. The participants were assigned to the supportive or non-supportive group based on allocation sequence using a randomized block design and table of computer-generated random numbers prior to beginning the study. Supportive care was provided by the trained midwifery students. Childbirth and labour consequences were analysed by chi-square test, Fisher-exact test, independent t-test, Mann-Whitney U-test using SPSS-21 software. Results The results showed a significantly lower duration of the first stage of labour in the supportive group, as compared to that in the non-supportive group (p <0.001). Moreover, Apgar scores in the supportive group, compared to those in the non-supportive group, significantly increased at minutes 1 and 5 (p <0.001 and p = 0.04, respectively). Conclusion The findings of this study showed that the supportive care provided by the midwifery students shortens duration of the first stage of labour and improves the Apgar scores in the first and fifth minutes. PMID:27790526

Implementing OpenMRS for patient monitoring in an HIV/AIDS care and treatment program in rural Mozambique.

PubMed

Manders, Eric-Jan; José, Eurico; Solis, Manuel; Burlison, Janeen; Nhampossa, José Leopoldo; Moon, Troy

2010-01-01

We have adopted the Open Medical Record System (OpenMRS) framework to implement an electronic patient monitoring system for an HIV care and treatment program in Mozambique. The program provides technical assistance to the Ministry of Health supporting the scale up of integrated HIV care and support services in health facilities in rural resource limited settings. The implementation is in use for adult and pediatric programs, with ongoing roll-out to cover all supported sites. We describe early experiences in adapting the system to the program needs, addressing infrastructure challenges, creating a regional support team, training data entry staff, migrating a legacy database, deployment, and current use. We find that OpenMRS offers excellent prospects for in-country development of health information systems, even in severely resource limited settings. However, it also requires considerable organizational infrastructure investment and technical capacity building to ensure continued local support.

Continued family smoking after lung cancer diagnosis: the patient's perspective.

PubMed

Bottorff, Joan L; Robinson, Carole A; Sullivan, Kelli M; Smith, Michelle L

2009-05-01

To explore the influence of lung cancer diagnosis on interpersonal dynamics in families in which one or more members continue to smoke following diagnosis. Descriptive, qualitative. Three cancer care sites in western Canada. 16 participants from 8 family dyads. Patients with lung cancer receiving treatment and immediate family members were recruited to participate in individual or conjoint semistructured interviews. Thematic analysis was conducted on transcribed interviews. Intrafamily interaction patterns, smoking and smoking cessation, lung cancer diagnosis. Following diagnosis, patients with lung cancer experienced considerable distress as they struggled to understand family members' continued smoking. Patient orientations to family members who smoked included preserving relationships (maintaining harmony and connection with family members took priority over directly intervening with smokers) and risking relationships (patients repeatedly confronted family members about continued smoking to influence their cessation despite the impact on relationships). Neither pattern was successful in engaging relatives in smoking reduction or cessation, and the risking relationships approach resulted in conflict and strained family relationships. The findings provide additional support for examining family dynamics related to tobacco reduction and cessation as well as directions for future research. Nurses should encourage tobacco reduction as a supportive intervention for patients with lung cancer and their families to eliminate smoking-related distress.

Understanding evaluation of learning support in mathematics and statistics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacGillivray, Helen; Croft, Tony

2011-03-01

With rapid and continuing growth of learning support initiatives in mathematics and statistics found in many parts of the world, and with the likelihood that this trend will continue, there is a need to ensure that robust and coherent measures are in place to evaluate the effectiveness of these initiatives. The nature of learning support brings challenges for measurement and analysis of its effects. After briefly reviewing the purpose, rationale for, and extent of current provision, this article provides a framework for those working in learning support to think about how their efforts can be evaluated. It provides references and specific examples of how workers in this field are collecting, analysing and reporting their findings. The framework is used to structure evaluation in terms of usage of facilities, resources and services provided, and also in terms of improvements in performance of the students and staff who engage with them. Very recent developments have started to address the effects of learning support on the development of deeper approaches to learning, the affective domain and the development of communities of practice of both learners and teachers. This article intends to be a stimulus to those who work in mathematics and statistics support to gather even richer, more valuable, forms of data. It provides a 'toolkit' for those interested in evaluation of learning support and closes by referring to an on-line resource being developed to archive the growing body of evidence.

Translating an Evidence-Based Behavioral Intervention for Women Living with HIV into Clinical Practice: The SMART/EST Women's Program.

PubMed

Weiss, Stephen M; Tobin, Jonathan N; Lopez, Maria; Simons, Hannah; Cook, Ryan; Jones, Deborah L

2015-06-01

The process of translating scientific findings into clinical and public health settings has only recently received priority attention within the scientific community. Fueled by "Funding Opportunity Announcements" from the National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, scientists have begun to explore the pathways to effectively "transfer" promising research accomplishments into effective and sustainable service programs within the health care delivery system. Using Glasgow's RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance) model as a guide, this research team enrolled 428 socially disadvantaged, culturally diverse women living with HIV/AIDS to test the dissemination and implementation of an evidence-based behavioral intervention designed to improve and sustain the physical and emotional health of participants into the Community Health Center (CHC) setting when conducted by trained CHC staff. Findings demonstrate the ability of trained CHC staff group leaders to attain results equivalent or superior to those achieved when conducted by research staff on the three principal study outcomes: depression, medication adherence and HIV viral load. Four of five CHCs involved in the study also identified and successfully obtained funding to continue to run intervention groups, supporting the adoption and sustainability components of the translation model. This study confirmed (a) the "translatability" of the Stress Management And Relaxation Training/Emotional Supportive Therapy (SMART/EST) Women's Program, from academic to CHC settings in two geographic regions with high HIV prevalence among women, (b) the ability of local staff (using the "train the trainer" model) to successfully achieve program fidelity and clinical outcomes, and (c) the sustainability the program beyond the auspices of research support, through supportive CHC leadership securing continued program funding.

Starting over from scratch: social support and youth coping with internal displacement.

PubMed

Makhoul, Jihad; Ghanem, Mary; Barbir, Farah

2011-01-01

This article presents findings from a qualitative research study with daughters of internally displaced families, more than a decade and half after the end of the Lebanese civil war. In-depth interviews with these adolescent girls indicate that in the absence of universal coverage of social security nets for the Lebanese, the effects of impoverishment and continuous mobility in the suburbs have adverse effects on their sense of stability, schooling, and coping. The article argues that although the effects of impoverishment are not new to similar urban youth populations, the quality of social support networks (ties to rural areas and support from welfare agency services) is a determining factor in the way they cope with adversity. Implications for policy are also presented.

Incidence and Duration of Breastfeedings in Active Duty Military Women

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-05-21

continued research expanding its benefits . The research findings support that breastfeeding decreases the incidence of insulin-dependent diabetes...the types of women in the armed forces. Further research needs to be conducted to evaluate the duration of breastfeeding in active duty women to more...College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 1992; Haaga, 1986; Freed, 1993,). Due to significant health benefits of breastfeeding , the U.S. Department of

Independent Assessment of Technology Characterizations to Support the Biomass Program Annual State-of-Technology Assessments

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

Yeh, B.

2011-03-01

This report discusses an investigation that addressed two thermochemical conversion pathways for the production of liquid fuels and addressed the steps to the process, the technology providers, a method for determining the state of technology and a tool to continuously assess the state of technology. This report summarizes the findings of the investigation as well as recommendations for improvements for future studies.

The sugar-sweetened beverage wars: public health and the role of the beverage industry

PubMed Central

Welsh, Jean A.; Lundeen, Elizabeth A.; Stein, Aryeh D.

2015-01-01

Purpose of review To discuss the current data on sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption trends, evidence of the health impact, and the role of industry in efforts to reduce the consumption. Recent findings Previously rising SSB consumption rates have declined recently, but continue to contribute added sugars beyond the limit advised by the American Heart Association. A recent meta-analysis concluded that SSBs likely increase body weight and recent long-term studies support the previous findings of increased risk of diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. Beverage companies have played an active role in some SSB reduction efforts by reducing the sale of SSBs in schools, limiting television advertising to children, and increasing the availability of smaller portion-size options. Industry has opposed efforts to restrict the availability of large portion sizes and implement an excise tax. Current industry efforts include the promotion of alternative beverages perceived to be healthier as well as SSBs through Internet and social media. Summary Continuing high SSB consumption and associated health risks highlight the need for further public health action. The beverage industry has supported some efforts to reduce the consumption of full sugar beverages, but has actively opposed others. The impact of industry efforts to promote beverage alternatives perceived as healthier is unknown. PMID:23974767

A smartphone application to support recovery from alcoholism: A randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

Gustafson, David H.; McTavish, Fiona M.; Chih, Ming-Yuan; Atwood, Amy K.; A. Johnson, Roberta; G. Boyle, Michael; S. Levy, Michael; Driscoll, Hilary; M. Chisholm, Steven; Dillenburg, Lisa; Isham, Andrew; Shah, Dhavan

2014-01-01

Importance: Patients leaving treatment for alcohol-use disorders (AUDs) are not typically offered evidence-based continuing care, although research suggests that continuing care is associated with better outcomes. A smartphone-based application could provide effective continuing care. Objective: To determine whether patients leaving residential treatment for AUDs with a smartphone application to support recovery have fewer risky drinking days than control-group patients. Design: An un-blinded randomized controlled trial. Patients were randomized to treatment as usual or treatment as usual plus a smartphone with A-CHESS, an application designed to improve continuing care for AUDs. “A-CHESS” stands for Addiction – Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System. Setting: Three residential programs operated by one treatment organization in the Midwestern US and 2 residential programs operated by one organization in the Northeastern US. Participants: 349 patients who met the criteria for DSM-IV alcohol dependence when they entered residential treatment. 179 were randomized to the control group and 170 to the treatment group. Intervention: Treatment as usual varied across programs; none offered patients coordinated continuing care after discharge. A-CHESS provides monitoring, information, communication, and support services to patients, including ways for patients and counselors to stay in contact. The intervention lasted 8 months and the follow-up period lasted 4 months. Main Outcome Measure: Risky drinking days—the number of days during which a patient’s drinking in a 2-hour period exceeded, for men, 4 standard drinks and for women, 3 standard drinks. Patients were asked to report their risky drinking days in the previous 30 days on surveys taken 4, 8, and 12 months after discharge from residential treatment. Results: For the 8 months of the intervention and 4 months of follow-up, patients in the A-CHESS group reported significantly fewer risky drinking days than patients in the control group (M = 1.39 vs. 2.75, respectively; P = .003; 95% CI [.46, 2.27]). Conclusions and Relevance: The findings suggest that a multi-featured smartphone application may have significant benefit to patients in continuing care for AUDs. Trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01003119 PMID:24671165

Healthy Aging in Community for Older Lesbians.

PubMed

Bradford, Judith B; Putney, Jennifer M; Shepard, Bonnie L; Sass, Samantha E; Rudicel, Sally; Ladd, Holly; Cahill, Sean

2016-04-01

In Boston and Outer Cape, Massachusetts, we explored the expectations of lesbians 60 years and older regarding healthy aging and community importance. Focus groups were conducted with participants after completing an anonymous demographic questionnaire. Thematic analysis was used to generate themes and identify how they varied by urban versus rural settings. Group discussions focused on community, finances, housing, and healthcare. Primary concerns included continued access to supportive and lesbian communities as a source of resilience during aging. Concerns about discrimination and isolation mirror themes found in national research. The study findings suggest a need for more research into the housing and transportation needs of lesbians approaching later life, with a focus on how those needs relate to affordability, accessibility, and proximity to social support and healthcare. These findings also suggest the need for substantial investments in strengthening the LGBT-related cultural competence of providers of services for the elderly.

The Political Consequences of Latino Prejudice against Blacks

PubMed Central

Krupnikov, Yanna; Piston, Spencer

2016-01-01

A good deal of scholarship examines the effects of prejudice against blacks on public opinion and vote choice in the United States. Despite producing valuable insights, this research largely ignores the attitudes of Latinos—a critical omission, since Latinos constitute a rapidly growing share of the population. Using two nationally representative survey data sets, we find that the level of racial prejudice is comparable for Latinos and non-Hispanic whites. Equally comparable are associations between prejudice and political preferences: policy opinion and support for Obama in the 2008 presidential election. Our findings suggest that despite demographic changes, efforts to enact policies intended to assist blacks and elect black candidates will continue to be undermined by prejudice. That said, Latinos are more likely than non-Hispanic whites to support policies intended to assist blacks, because Latinos are more Democratic than non-Hispanic whites, more egalitarian, and less committed to the value of limited government. PMID:27274574

From nutrition scientist to nutrition communicator: why you should take the leap.

PubMed

Miller, Gregory D; Cohen, Nancy L; Fulgoni, Victor L; Heymsfield, Steven B; Wellman, Nancy S

2006-06-01

Media reports about new nutrition research are abundant, but they may confuse the public when unqualified sources are quoted, findings are reported out of context, or results appear to contradict previous studies. The nutrition scientist who conducts the research is best qualified to communicate the findings accurately and within context. Yet, some nutrition scientists hesitate to speak out in the media because of barriers such as a lack of time, media skills, and support from administrators or fear that their results will be miscommunicated or sensationalized. Scientists who do grant media interviews enjoy benefits such as positively affecting the public's eating habits, influencing health and nutrition policy, and receiving heightened attention to their work, which can lead to future research funding. Scientists who want to improve their media skills can seek support from their institution's public relations professionals and can learn from continuing education opportunities at conferences and self-study through articles and other resources.

Birth order, self-concept, and participation in dangerous sports.

PubMed

Seff, M A; Gecas, V; Frey, J H

1993-03-01

We examined the effect of birth order on participation in dangerous sports, using data from a mail survey of 841 members of the United States Parachute Association drawn from the membership list of over 18,000; 52% (N = 436) responded. The questionnaires included detailed information on participation in leisure activities, background characteristics, reasons for parachuting, and self-concept; answers were obtained from an overwhelmingly middle-class, White, male, young, and college educated sample. The findings (based on descriptive statistics, correlations, and regression analysis) did not support our expectations regarding birth order and participation in dangerous sports. Several were even in opposite direction to our expectations. We did find some support for our expectation that self-efficacy would be positively related to participation in dangerous sports, but not for our expectation that self-efficacy would be related to birth order. We concluded that birth order continues to be a frustrating variable in studies of socialization.

Is mental heal care in women's prisons adequate?

PubMed

Sims, Joyce

Some individuals and groups, find it difficult to seek healthcare, including prisoners. This group is recognised as needing input but are often difficult to engage, yet failure to meet their needs can be devastating for the health of individuals and have wider implications on society. This qualitative study explored the perceptions of female prisoners who had not yet consulted the mental health team. I aimed to find out what support these women seek out while in prison, what difficulties they encountered in getting psychological help and whether they avoided statutory mental health services. Participants revealed during semistructured interviews that continuing to have a caring role for their families encouraged them to feel more positive and supported. Support from family members, specialist prison officers and the multi-faith centre staff team was also highly regarded. Some of the participants reported experiencing problems self-referring to prison mental health services, for example when transferred to a new prison. They identified the prison application system and inreach administrative failings as weaknesses, alongside other variables. I found that prisoners did not avoid mental health services and often once settled in the prison, they reconsidered their need for statutory support.

The value of participatory development to support antimicrobial stewardship with a clinical decision support system.

PubMed

Beerlage-de Jong, Nienke; Wentzel, Jobke; Hendrix, Ron; van Gemert-Pijnen, Lisette

2017-04-01

Current clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) for antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) are guideline- or expert-driven. They are focused on (clinical) content, not on supporting real-time workflow. Thus, CDSSs fail to optimally support prudent antimicrobial prescribing in daily practice. Our aim was to demonstrate why and how participatory development (involving end-users and other stakeholders) can contribute to the success of CDSSs in ASPs. A mixed-methods approach was applied, combining scenario-based prototype evaluations (to support verbalization of work processes and out-of-the-box thinking) among 6 medical resident physicians with an online questionnaire (to cross-reference findings of the prototype evaluations) among 54 Dutch physicians. The prototype evaluations resulted in insight into the end-users and their way of working, as well as their needs and expectations. The online questionnaire that was distributed among a larger group of medical specialists, including lung and infection experts, complemented the findings of the prototype evaluations. It revealed a say/do problem concerning the unrecognized need of support for selecting diagnostic tests. Low-fidelity prototypes of a technology allow researchers to get to know the end-users, their way of working, and their work context. Involving experts allows technology developers to continuously check the fit between technology and clinical practice. The combination enables the participatory development of technology to successfully support ASPs. Copyright © 2017 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The impact of befriending and peer support on family carers of people living with dementia: A mixed methods study.

PubMed

Smith, Raymond; Drennan, Vari; Mackenzie, Ann; Greenwood, Nan

Volunteer led befriending and peer support is provided to a wide range of people with varying needs. Despite large numbers of such schemes for carers of people with dementia, there is little evidence for any benefits they may offer. The aim of this research was to investigate the impact of befriending and peer support on carers of people with dementia and to explore their experiences of receiving the interventions using a mixed methods approach. Nineteen carers of people with dementia were recruited from befriending and peer support services. Carers completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) and UCLA Loneliness Scale at baseline, three months and six months. Of the 16 carers who completed the quantitative phase, eight took part in depth semi-structured interviews. A statistically significant increase in perceived social support from a significant other between baseline and three months was found (Z = 2.487, p = 0.013). Qualitative findings showed befriending and peer support to be important sources of emotional and social support for carers, which was facilitated by the volunteers' experiential similarity. Volunteer led befriending and peer support offers carers of people with dementia emotional and social support which enables them to cope better with challenges and continue caring. This has important implications for potentially reducing breakdowns in carer mental and physical health. Future research should explore whether these finding are replicable in other locations and in more diverse populations. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

National space test centers - Lewis Research Center Facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roskilly, Ronald R.

1990-01-01

The Lewis Research Center, NASA, presently has a number of test facilities that constitute a significant national space test resource. It is expected this capability will continue to find wide application in work involving this country's future in space. Testing from basic research to applied technology, to systems development, to ground support will be performed, supporting such activities as Space Station Freedom, the Space Exploration Initiative, Mission to Planet Earth, and many others. The major space test facilities at both Cleveland and Lewis' Plum Brook Station are described. Primary emphasis is on space propulsion facilities; other facilities of importance in space power and microgravity are also included.

Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative Solid-State Lighting

ScienceCinema

Thomas, Sunil; Edmond, John; Krames, Michael; Rama

2018-05-30

The importance of U.S. manufacturing for clean energy technologies, such as solid-state lighting (SSL), is paramount to increasing competitiveness in a global marketplace. SSLs are poised to drive the lighting market, worldwide. In order to continue that competitiveness and support further innovation, the time to invest in U.S. manufacturing of clean energy technologies is now. Across the country, companies developing innovative clean energy technologies find competitive advantages to manufacturing in the U.S. The Department of Energy's Building Technology Office SSL Manufacturing Roadmap is just one example of how we support manufacturing through convening industry perspectives on opportunities to significantly reduce risk, improve quality, increase yields, and lower costs.

The space shuttle payload planning working groups. Volume 4: Life sciences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

The findings of the Life Sciences working group of the space shuttle payload planning activity are presented. The objectives of the Life Sciences investigations are: (1) to continue the research directed at understanding the origin of life and the search for extraterrestrial evidence of life, (2) biomedical research to understand mechanisms and provide criteria for support of manned flight, (3) technology development for life support, protective systems, and work aids for providing environmental control, and (4) to study basic biological functions at all levels or organization influenced by gravity, radiation, and circadian rhythms. Examples of candidate experimental schedules and the experimental package functional requirements are included.

The legacy of gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS in the postgenocide era: Stories from women in Rwanda.

PubMed

Russell, Susan Garnett; Lim, Sanaya; Kim, Paul; Morse, Sophie

2016-07-01

Drawing on qualitative interviews with 22 Rwandan women, we describe the lived experiences of women survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) more than a decade and a half after the 1994 Genocide. We argue that the intersection between GBV and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) has long-term implications: the majority of women interviewed continue to endure trauma, stigma, social isolation, and economic hardship in the postgenocide era and are in need of expanded economic and mental health support. Our findings have implications for the importance of providing integrated psychosocial support to survivors of GBV postconflict contexts.

Female employees' perceptions of organisational support for breastfeeding at work: findings from an Australian health service workplace

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Women's return to work can be a significant barrier to continued breastfeeding. Workplace policies and practices to promote and support continued, and longer duration of, breastfeeding are important. In the context of the introduction of a new breastfeeding policy for Area Health Services in New South Wales, Australia, a baseline survey was conducted to describe current practices and examine women's reports of perceived organisational support on breastfeeding intention and practice. Methods A cross sectional survey of female employees of the Sydney South West Area Health Service was conducted in late 2009. A mailed questionnaire was sent to 998 eligible participants who had taken maternity leave over the 20-month period from January 2008 to August 2009. The questionnaire collected items assessing breastfeeding intentions, awareness of workplace policies, and the level of organisational and social support available. For those women who had returned to work, further questions were asked to assess the perceptions and practices of breastfeeding in the work environment, as well as barriers and enabling factors to combining breastfeeding and work. Results Returning to work was one of the main reasons women ceased breastfeeding, with 60 percent of women intending to breastfeed when they returned to work, but only 40 percent doing so. Support to combine breastfeeding and work came mainly from family and partners (74% and 83% respectively), with little perceived support from the organisation (13%) and human resources (6%). Most women (92%) had received no information from their managers about their breastfeeding options upon their return to work, and few had access to a room specially designated for breastfeeding (19%). Flexible work options and lactation breaks, as well as access to a private room, were identified as the main factors that facilitate breastfeeding at work. Conclusions Enabling women to continue breastfeeding at work has benefits for the infant, employee and organisation. However, this baseline study of health employees revealed that women felt largely unsupported by managers and their organisation to continue breastfeeding at work. PMID:22129232

Selecting services for a service robot: evaluating the problematic activities threatening the independence of elderly persons.

PubMed

Bedaf, Sandra; Gelderblom, Gert Jan; de Witte, Luc; Syrdal, Dag; Lehmann, Hagen; Amirabdollahian, Farshid; Dautenhahn, Kerstin; Hewson, David

2013-06-01

Sustaining independent living for the elderly is desirable both for the individual as well as for societies as a whole. Substantial care interventions are provided to citizens supporting their independent living. Currently, such interventions are primarily based on human care provision, but due to demographic changes the demand for such support is continuously increasing. Assistive Robotics has the potential to answer this growing demand. The notions research towards service robots that support the independence of elderly people has been given increased attention. The challenge is to develop robots that are able to adequately support with those activities that pose the greatest problems for elderly people seeking to remain independent. In order to develop the capabilities of the Care-O-bot 3 in the ACCOMPANY project, problematic activities that may threaten continued independent living of elderly people were studied. Focus groups were conducted in the Netherlands, UK, and France and included three separate user groups: (1) elderly (N=41), (2) formal caregivers (N=40), and (3) informal caregivers (N=32). This resulted in a top 3 of problematic activity domains that received the highest priority: (1) Mobility, (2) Self-care, and (3) Social isolation. The findings inform the further development of the Care-O-bot. In the ACCOMPANY project the Care-O-bot 3 will be developed further to enable it to support independently living older persons in one of these domains.

Sugar addiction: the state of the science.

PubMed

Westwater, Margaret L; Fletcher, Paul C; Ziauddeen, Hisham

2016-11-01

As obesity rates continue to climb, the notion that overconsumption reflects an underlying 'food addiction' (FA) has become increasingly influential. An increasingly popular theory is that sugar acts as an addictive agent, eliciting neurobiological changes similar to those seen in drug addiction. In this paper, we review the evidence in support of sugar addiction. We reviewed the literature on food and sugar addiction and considered the evidence suggesting the addictiveness of highly processed foods, particularly those with high sugar content. We then examined the addictive potential of sugar by contrasting evidence from the animal and human neuroscience literature on drug and sugar addiction. We find little evidence to support sugar addiction in humans, and findings from the animal literature suggest that addiction-like behaviours, such as bingeing, occur only in the context of intermittent access to sugar. These behaviours likely arise from intermittent access to sweet tasting or highly palatable foods, not the neurochemical effects of sugar. Given the lack of evidence supporting it, we argue against a premature incorporation of sugar addiction into the scientific literature and public policy recommendations.

Findings from a mixed-methods study of an interprofessional faculty development program.

PubMed

Abu-Rish Blakeney, Erin; Pfeifle, Andrea; Jones, Mandy; Hall, Leslie Walter; Zierler, Brenda K

2016-01-01

Forty faculty members from eight schools participated in a year-long National Faculty Development Program (NFDP) conducted in 2012-2013, aimed at developing faculty knowledge and skills for interprofessional education (IPE). The NFDP included two live conferences. Between conferences, faculty teams implemented self-selected IPE projects at their home institutions and participated in coaching and peer-support conference calls. This paper describes program outcomes. A mixed methods approach was adopted. Data were gathered through online surveys and semi-structured interviews. The study explored whether faculty were satisfied with the program, believed the program was effective in developing knowledge and skills in designing, implementing, and evaluating IPE, and planned to continue newly-implemented IPE and faculty development (FD). Peer support and networking were two of the greatest perceived benefits. Further, this multi-institutional program appears to have facilitated early organizational change by bringing greater contextual understanding to assumptions made at the local level that in turn could influence hidden curricula and networking. These findings may guide program planning for future FD to support IPE.

The Social Interaction Phobia Scale: Continued support for the psychometric validity of the SIPS using clinical and non-clinical samples.

PubMed

Menatti, Alison R; Weeks, Justin W; Carleton, R Nicholas; Morrison, Amanda S; Heimberg, Richard G; Hope, Debra A; Blanco, Carlos; Schneier, Franklin R; Liebowitz, Michael R

2015-05-01

The present study sought to extend findings supporting the psychometric validity of a promising measure of social anxiety (SA) symptoms, the Social Interaction Phobia Scale (SIPS; Carleton et al., 2009). Analyses were conducted using three samples: social anxiety disorder (SAD) patients, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) patients, and healthy controls. SIPS scores of SAD patients demonstrated internal consistency and construct validity, and the previously demonstrated three-factor structure of the SIPS was replicated. Further, the SIPS total score uniquely predicted SA symptoms, and SIPS scores were significantly higher for SAD patients than GAD patients or controls. Two cut-off scores that discriminated SAD patients from GAD patients and from healthy controls were identified. The current study is the first to replicate the SIPS three-factor model in a large, treatment-seeking sample of SAD patients and establish a cut-off score discriminating SAD from GAD patients. Findings support the SIPS as a valid, SAD-specific assessment instrument. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Validating the Hamilton Anatomy of Risk Management-Forensic Version and the Aggressive Incidents Scale.

PubMed

Cook, Alana N; Moulden, Heather M; Mamak, Mini; Lalani, Shams; Messina, Katrina; Chaimowitz, Gary

2018-06-01

The Hamilton Anatomy of Risk Management-Forensic Version (HARM-FV) is a structured professional judgement tool of violence risk developed for use in forensic inpatient psychiatric settings. The HARM-FV is used with the Aggressive Incidents Scale (AIS), which provides a standardized method of recording aggressive incidents. We report the findings of the concurrent validity of the HARM-FV and the AIS with widely used measures of violence risk and aggressive acts, the Historical, Clinical, Risk Management-20, Version 3 (HCR-20 V3 ) and a modified version of the Overt Aggression Scale. We also present findings on the predictive validity of the HARM-FV in the short term (1-month follow-up periods) for varying severities of aggressive acts. The results indicated strong support for the concurrent validity of the HARM-FV and AIS and promising support for the predictive accuracy of the tool for inpatient aggression. This article provides support for the continued clinical use of the HARM-FV within an inpatient forensic setting and highlights areas for further research.

The role of the family in supporting the self-management of chronic conditions: A qualitative systematic review.

PubMed

Whitehead, Lisa; Jacob, Elisabeth; Towell, Amanda; Abu-Qamar, Ma'en; Cole-Heath, Amanda

2018-01-01

To explore the contribution of family members in promoting and supporting the self-management of chronic conditions amongst adult family members. The prevalence of chronic disease continues to grow globally. The role of the family in chronic condition management and support for self-management has received little attention. A systematic review of qualitative literature using the Joanna Briggs Institute approach for qualitative systematic reviews. Ovid (MEDLINE, CINAHL and PsycINFO) were searched for the period of database inception-2016. The QARI (Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument) critical appraisal instrument was used to assess the quality of each study. Using the Joanna Briggs Institute-QARI data extraction tool, findings related to the family role in the self-management of chronic conditions were extracted and each finding rated according to Joanna Briggs Institute-QARI levels of credibility. Findings were categorised and synthesised to produce a final set of aggregated findings. Families were key in constructing an environment that was conducive to family engagement and support. Adaptation within the family included maintaining cohesion between family members, normalisation and contextualisation of the chronic condition. Whilst evidence on the value of the family in promoting positive health outcomes is clear, research on how families can specifically support the self-management of chronic conditions is emerging. Family adaptability has been found to be the most powerful predictor of carer depression. Families may need support to change their home and family organisation to adapt to the challenges they face overtime. Change in roles and subsequent adaptation can be stressful, even for those family members at a distance. Nurses working in hospital and community settings can play an important role in assessing how families are adapting to living with chronic illness and to explore strategies to cope with challenges in the home setting. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Who supports delayed retirement? A study of older workers in Israel

PubMed Central

Litwin, Howard; Achdut, Leah; Youssim, Iaroslav

2014-01-01

Delayed retirement is a policy measure aimed at ensuring financial stability in many countries, but this particular pension reform mechanism still lacks public support. Using data from the Israeli sample of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement (SHARE) in Europe, this article examines factors which predict support for delayed retirement among older Israeli workers (n=556). Hierarchical regression analysis of agreement with recently instituted delayed retirement measures showed that the perceived societal consequences of the reform were the strongest predictors. Older and more educated respondents and those more confident in their present workplace were also more likely to support delayed retirement. Those who favour state responsibility for care of older people tended to support delayed retirement less. The findings suggest that information campaigns on the contribution of continued employment to health and family solidarity might diminish current fears regarding the delayed retirement-based pension reforms. They also imply that non-partisan leadership is needed in order to recruit broader public support for such reform. PMID:25075153

AgRISTARS. Supporting research: Algorithms for scene modelling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rassbach, M. E. (Principal Investigator)

1982-01-01

The requirements for a comprehensive analysis of LANDSAT or other visual data scenes are defined. The development of a general model of a scene and a computer algorithm for finding the particular model for a given scene is discussed. The modelling system includes a boundary analysis subsystem, which detects all the boundaries and lines in the image and builds a boundary graph; a continuous variation analysis subsystem, which finds gradual variations not well approximated by a boundary structure; and a miscellaneous features analysis, which includes texture, line parallelism, etc. The noise reduction capabilities of this method and its use in image rectification and registration are discussed.

Treatment fidelity and research on Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).

PubMed

Rosen, G M

1999-01-01

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing was introduced by Frances Shapiro (1989) as a treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. When controlled studies failed to support the extraordinarily positive findings and claims made by Shapiro, proponents of EMDR raised the issue of treatment fidelity and criticized researchers for being inadequately trained. This paper considers the issues raised by EMDR proponents. It is concluded that treatment fidelity has been used as a specious, distracting issue that permits the continued promotion of EMDR in the face of negative empirical findings. Clinical psychologists are urged to remember the basic tenets of science when evaluating extraordinary claims made for novel techniques.

Occupational Therapists With Oncology Exposure: Perceived Needs on Adults and Older Adults With Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairments.

PubMed

Ulfers, Sara S; Berg, Christine

2017-07-01

Cancer-related cognitive impairments (CRCI) can limit participation in meaningful activities before, during, and after cancer treatment. This study explored occupational therapists' perceived knowledge gaps and needs regarding CRCI in adults and older adults. An online survey was sent to a convenience sample of 60 practitioners at facilities throughout the continuum of care and 176 directors and faculty in accredited occupational therapy programs. Using a snowball sampling approach, recipients were asked to forward the survey to other occupational therapists. One hundred seven occupational therapists participated. The majority (92%) responded that it would be beneficial to attend a face-to-face continuing education program; preferences for the content and design of a continuing competency seminar are described. These findings support the development and delivery of continuing competence programs tailored toward occupational therapists' CRCI knowledge needs.

Telling Stories and Making Books: Evidence for an Intervention to Help Parents in Migrant Head Start Families Support Their Children's Language and Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyce, Lisa K.; Innocenti, Mark S.; Roggman, Lori A.; Norman, Vonda K. Jump; Ortiz, Eduardo

2010-01-01

Research Findings: In this study, 75 Spanish-speaking preschoolers (M age = 41.43 months, SD = 10.78 months; 30 girls) attending a Migrant Head Start program were randomly assigned to receive the Storytelling for the Home Enrichment of Language and Literacy Skills (SHELLS) in addition to their Head Start services (n = 32) or to continue to receive…

Family demands, social support and caregiver burden in Taiwanese family caregivers living with mental illness: the role of family caregiver gender.

PubMed

Hsiao, Chiu-Yueh

2010-12-01

The purpose of this study was to assess gender effects on family demands, social support and caregiver burden as well as to examine contributing factors of caregiver burden in caring for family members with mental illness. Providing continued care and support for people with mental illness is demanding and challenging. Findings of earlier caregiving studies on the role of caregiver gender in response to caregiver burden and caregiving-related factors have been inconsistent. Little research has been undertaken to examine gender effect on family demands, social support and caregiver burden in Taiwanese family caregivers of individuals with mental illness. Cross-sectional, descriptive correlation design. Data from 43 families, including at least one male and female family caregiver in each family, were analysed using descriptive statistics, principal component analysis and mixed linear modelling. Demographic data, Perceived Stress Scale, Perceived Social Support and Caregiver Burden Scale-Brief were used to collect data. Female family caregivers perceived less social support and experienced higher degrees of caregiver burden compared with male family caregivers. In contrast, no significant gender effect was associated with family demands. Family caregivers with greater family demands and less social support experienced higher degrees of caregiver burden. The results reinforced those of previously published studies that caregiver burden is highly prevalent among female family caregivers. Caregiver gender appears to be highly valuable for explaining family demands, social support and caregiver burden. Health care professionals should continue to collaborate with family caregivers to assess potential gender effects on available support and design gender-specific interventions to alleviate caregiver burden. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Coordination as a function of skill level in the gymnastics longswing.

PubMed

Williams, Genevieve K R; Irwin, Gareth; Kerwin, David G; Hamill, Joseph; Van Emmerik, Richard E A; Newell, Karl M

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of inter-joint coordination at different levels of skilled performance to: (1) distinguish learners who were successful versus unsuccessful in terms of their task performance; (2) investigate the pathways of change during the learning of a new coordination pattern and (3) examine how the learner's coordination patterns relate to those of experts in the longswing gymnastics skill. Continuous relative phase of hip and shoulder joint motions was examined for longswings performed by two groups of novices, successful (n = 4) and unsuccessful (n = 4) over five practice sessions, and two expert gymnasts. Principal component analysis showed that during longswing positions where least continuous relative phase variability occurred for expert gymnasts, high variability distinguished the successful from the unsuccessful novice group. Continuous relative phase profiles of successful novices became more out-of-phase over practice and less similar to the closely in-phase coupling of the expert gymnasts. Collectively, the findings support the proposition that at the level in inter-joint coordination a technique emerges that facilitates successful performance but is not more like an expert's movement coordination. This finding questions the appropriateness of inferring development towards a "gold champion" movement coordination.

Weighted integration of short-term memory and sensory signals in the oculomotor system.

PubMed

Deravet, Nicolas; Blohm, Gunnar; de Xivry, Jean-Jacques Orban; Lefèvre, Philippe

2018-05-01

Oculomotor behaviors integrate sensory and prior information to overcome sensory-motor delays and noise. After much debate about this process, reliability-based integration has recently been proposed and several models of smooth pursuit now include recurrent Bayesian integration or Kalman filtering. However, there is a lack of behavioral evidence in humans supporting these theoretical predictions. Here, we independently manipulated the reliability of visual and prior information in a smooth pursuit task. Our results show that both smooth pursuit eye velocity and catch-up saccade amplitude were modulated by visual and prior information reliability. We interpret these findings as the continuous reliability-based integration of a short-term memory of target motion with visual information, which support modeling work. Furthermore, we suggest that saccadic and pursuit systems share this short-term memory. We propose that this short-term memory of target motion is quickly built and continuously updated, and constitutes a general building block present in all sensorimotor systems.

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.

Indicators and Measurement Tools for Health Systems Integration: A Knowledge Synthesis.

PubMed

Suter, Esther; Oelke, Nelly D; da Silva Lima, Maria Alice Dias; Stiphout, Michelle; Janke, Robert; Witt, Regina Rigatto; Van Vliet-Brown, Cheryl; Schill, Kaela; Rostami, Mahnoush; Hepp, Shelanne; Birney, Arden; Al-Roubaiai, Fatima; Marques, Giselda Quintana

2017-11-13

Despite far reaching support for integrated care, conceptualizing and measuring integrated care remains challenging. This knowledge synthesis aimed to identify indicator domains and tools to measure progress towards integrated care. We used an established framework and a Delphi survey with integration experts to identify relevant measurement domains. For each domain, we searched and reviewed the literature for relevant tools. From 7,133 abstracts, we retrieved 114 unique tools. We found many quality tools to measure care coordination, patient engagement and team effectiveness/performance. In contrast, there were few tools in the domains of performance measurement and information systems, alignment of organizational goals and resource allocation. The search yielded 12 tools that measure overall integration or three or more indicator domains. Our findings highlight a continued gap in tools to measure foundational components that support integrated care. In the absence of such targeted tools, "overall integration" tools may be useful for a broad assessment of the overall state of a system. Continued progress towards integrated care depends on our ability to evaluate the success of strategies across different levels and context. This study has identified 114 tools that measure integrated care across 16 domains, supporting efforts towards a unified measurement framework.

Physiotherapy for ankylosing spondylitis: evidence and application.

PubMed

Passalent, Laura A

2011-03-01

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a disease that tends to affect younger individuals, many of whom are in the prime of their lives; therefore, incorporating the most up-to-date evidence into physiotherapy practice is critical. The purpose of this review is to update the most recent evidence related to physiotherapy intervention for AS and highlight the application of the findings to current physiotherapy research and clinical practice. The results of this review add to the evidence supporting physiotherapy as an intervention for AS. The emphasis continues to be on exercise as the most studied physiotherapy modality, with very few studies examining other physiotherapy modalities. Results of the studies reviewed support the use of exercise, spa therapy, manual therapy and electrotherapeutic modalities. In addition, the results of this review help to understand who might benefit from certain interventions, as well as barriers to management. A review of recently published articles has resulted in a number of studies that support the body of literature describing physiotherapy as an effective form of intervention for AS. In order to continue to build on the existing research, further examination into physiotherapy modalities, beyond exercise-based intervention, needs to be explored.

Education and Outreach at the Earthscope National Office: 2012 Update on Activities and Broader Impacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Semken, S. C.; Arrowsmith, R.; Fouch, M. J.; Garnero, E. J.; Taylor, W. L.; Bohon, W.; Pacheco, H. A.; Schwab, P.; Baumback, D.; Pettis, L.; Colunga, J.; Robinson, S.; Dick, C.

2012-12-01

The EarthScope Program (www.earthscope.org) funded by the National Science Foundation fosters interdisciplinary exploration of the geologic structure and evolution of the North American continent by means of seismology, geodesy, magnetotellurics, in-situ fault-zone sampling, geochronology, and high-resolution topographic measurements. EarthScope scientific data and findings are transforming the study of Earth structure and processes throughout the planet. These data enhance the understanding and mitigation of hazards and inform environmental and economic applications of geoscience. The EarthScope Program also offers significant resources and opportunities for education and outreach (E&O) in the Earth system sciences. The EarthScope National Office (ESNO) at Arizona State University serves all EarthScope stakeholders, including researchers, educators, students, and the general public. ESNO continues to actively support and promote E&O with programmatic activities such as a regularly updated presence on the web and social media, newsletters, biannual national conferences, workshops for E&O providers and informal educators (interpreters), collaborative interaction with other Earth science organizations, continuing education for researchers, promotion of place-based education, and support for regional K-12 teacher professional-development programs led by EarthScope stakeholders. EarthScope E&O, coordinated by ESNO, leads the compilation and dissemination of the data, findings, and legacy of the epic EarthScope Program. In this presentation we offer updated reports and outcomes from ESNO E&O activities, including web and social-media upgrades, the Earth Science E&O Provider Summit for partnering organizations, the Central Appalachian Interpretive Workshop for informal Earth science educators, the U.S. Science and Engineering Fair, and collaborative efforts with partner organizations. The EarthScope National Office is supported by the National Science Foundation under grants EAR-1101100 and EAR-1216301. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Influences of personality traits and continuation intentions on physical activity participation within the theory of planned behaviour.

PubMed

Chatzisarantis, Nikos L D; Hagger, Martin S

2008-01-01

Previous research has suggested that the theory of planned behaviour is insufficient in capturing all the antecedents of physical activity participation and that continuation intentions or personality traits may improve the predictive validity of the model. The present study examined the combined effects of continuation intentions and personality traits on health behaviour within the theory of planned behaviour. To examine these effects, 180 university students (N = 180, Male = 87, Female = 93, Age = 19.14 years, SD = 0.94) completed self-report measures of the theory of planned behaviour, personality traits and continuation intentions. After 5 weeks, perceived achievement of behavioural outcomes and actual participation in physical activities were assessed. Results supported discriminant validity between continuation intentions, conscientiousness and extroversion and indicated that perceived achievement of behavioural outcomes and continuation intentions of failure predicted physical activity participation after controlling for personality effects, past behaviour and other variables in the theory of planned behaviour. In addition, results indicated that conscientiousness moderated the effects of continuation intentions of failure on physical activity such that continuation intentions of failure predicted physical activity participation among conscientious and not among less conscientious individuals. These findings suggest that the effects of continuation intentions on health behaviour are contingent on personality characteristics.

The persistence of white flight in middle-class suburbia.

PubMed

Kye, Samuel H

2018-05-01

Scholars have continued to debate the extent to which white flight remains racially motivated or, in contrast, the result of socioeconomic concerns that proxy locations of minority residence. Using 1990-2010 census data, this study contributes to this debate by re-examining white flight in a sample of both poor and middle-class suburban neighborhoods. Findings fail to provide evidence in support of the racial proxy hypothesis. To the contrary, for neighborhoods with a larger non-white presence, white flight is instead more likely in middle-class as opposed to poorer neighborhoods. These results not only confirm the continued salience of race for white flight, but also suggest that racial white flight may be motivated to an even greater extent in middle-class, suburban neighborhoods. Theoretically, these findings point to the decoupling of economic and racial residential integration, as white flight may persist for groups even despite higher levels of socioeconomic attainment. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Survey of continuing professional education within nursing homes.

PubMed

Aoki, Yumie; Davies, Sue

This article reports a survey of qualified nurses employed in nursing homes in a large city in the north of England. The aim of the study was to describe nurses' experiences and perceptions of continuing professional education (CPE), and their views on the development of their knowledge and skills through formal and informal education. Findings revealed that nurses in nursing homes perceived the value of educational programmes but had limited opportunities to attend formal education programmes. They faced a number of barriers and challenges in accessing formal education. Various informal ways of learning were used, including reading professional journals, watching videotapes and television programmes and accessing the Internet. However, respondents appeared not to use fully opportunities for sharing knowledge with colleagues. Although this study is based on a small sample, the findings support those of other studies in this field. Collectively, these studies suggest an urgent need to develop a range of approaches to CPE within care homes, both formal and informal, if the standards outlined within recent policy initiatives are to be achieved.

Multisite Assessment of Nursing Continuing Education Learning Needs Using an Electronic Tool.

PubMed

Winslow, Susan; Jackson, Stephanie; Cook, Lesley; Reed, Joanne Williams; Blakeney, Keshia; Zimbro, Kathie; Parker, Cindy

2016-02-01

A continued education needs assessment and associated education plan are required for organizations on the journey for American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet® designation. Leveraging technology to support the assessment and analysis of continuing education needs was a new venture for a 12-hospital regional health system. The purpose of this performance improvement project was to design and conduct an enhanced process to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of gathering data on nurses' preferences and increase nurse satisfaction with the learner assessment portion of the process. Educators trialed the use of a standardized approach via an electronic survey tool to replace the highly variable processes previously used. Educators were able to view graphical summary of responses by category and setting, which substantially decreased analysis and action planning time for education implementation plans at the system, site, or setting level. Based on these findings, specific continuing education action plans were drafted for each category and classification of nurses. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

Can Hypocaloric, High-Protein Nutrition Support Be Used in Complicated Bariatric Patients to Promote Weight Loss?

PubMed

Beebe, Mara Lee; Crowley, Nina

2015-08-01

Bariatric surgery, an effective treatment for morbid obesity, may result in complications that require nutrition support. Common goals for nutrition support in post-bariatric surgery patients include nutrition repletion, avoiding overfeeding, preserving lean body mass, and promoting wound healing. It is often questioned if continued weight loss can be part of the nutrition goals and if weight loss is safe for patients who become critically ill following bariatric surgery. Recent clinical practice guidelines from both the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.) and Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) have recommended the use of hypocaloric, high-protein nutrition support in both critically and non-critically ill obese patients. Hypocaloric feedings of 50%-70% of estimated energy requirements based on predictive equations or <14 kcal/kg actual body weight, as well as high-protein feedings of 1.2 g/kg actual weight or 2-2.5 g/kg ideal body weight, are suggested by A.S.P.E.N. in the 2013 clinical guidelines for nutrition support of hospitalized adult patients with obesity. Two small studies in complicated post-bariatric surgery patients requiring nutrition support have shown that the strategy of hypocaloric, high-protein feedings can result in positive outcomes, including positive nitrogen balance, wound healing, weight loss, and successful transition to oral diets. Additional research, including large, randomized studies, is still needed to validate these findings. However, based on a review of available clinical practice guidelines, predictive equations, indirect calorimetry, case studies, and systematic reviews, hypocaloric, high-protein nutrition support appears to at least be equal to eucaloric feedings and may be a useful tool for clinicians to achieve continued weight loss in complicated bariatric surgery patients requiring nutrition support. © 2015 American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.

Computational Methods for Control in Partial Differential Equations

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-07-13

supported in part under this grant are C. Musante (Ph.D. thesis completed in May, 1998), M. Buksas (Ph.D. thesis to be completed in August, 1998) and M...continuing initial promising simulation findings. A summary of theoretical and numerical results to date is given in the Ph.D. thesis of Musante [4]. II... Musante and Buksas in visits to Brooks Air Force Base. The collaborations intensified during 1997 with the following visits: 1. June 15-August 30

Reduction of Tunnel Dynamics at the National Transonic Facility (Invited)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kilgore, W. A.; Balakrishna, S.; Butler, D. H.

2001-01-01

This paper describes the results of recent efforts to reduce the tunnel dynamics at the National Transonic Facility. The results presented describe the findings of an extensive data analysis, the proposed solutions to reduce dynamics and the results of implementing these solutions. These results show a 90% reduction in the dynamics around the model support structure and a small impact on reducing model dynamics. Also presented are several continuing efforts to further reduce dynamics.

Experiencing work as a daily challenge: the case of scleroderma.

PubMed

Mendelson, Cindy; Poole, Janet L; Allaire, Saralynn

2013-01-01

Little is known about the physical and discretionary aspects of work that people with scleroderma (SSc) find difficult. This article describes the findings from a study that explored the challenges and adaptations made by individuals with SSc to continue to work. Thirty-two employed individuals with SSc participated. Participants were predominantly women (82%), white (79%), and well educated (M = 16.9 years). The average age was 47.3 years, and 60.6% were married. Mean disease duration was 9.7 years, and 56.2% had diffuse SSc. Mean years on the job was 10.2 (SD ± 8.8), and 71.9% worked at least 35 hours per week. Participants engaged in a single structured interview about work-related challenges and adaptations. Content and thematic analysis was used to identify key themes across the interviews. Employees with SSc experienced Work as a daily challenge. This central theme described the general work experience for most participants. Three subthemes described their specific experiences: The work environment: Opportunities, challenges, and accommodations; Career planning; and Supportive others. The participants were anxious to find scenarios that allowed them to continue to work. Worksite accommodations and flexibility in scheduling can make the difference between working and disability.

Women who receive continuous support during labour have reduced risk of caesarean, instrumental delivery or need for analgesia compared to usual care.

PubMed

McDonald, Susan

2013-04-01

Models of care supporting continuous support during labour were shown to be more likely to result in a spontaneous vaginal birth. Women receiving continuous support required less analgesia and were less likely to report negative feelings about the birth experience. Women receiving continuous support experienced shorter labours and their babies were less likely to have low 5-min Agpar scores. Therefore, such models of care should be considered for more extensive implementation in clinical practice settings.

Buddy programs for people infected with HIV.

PubMed

Burrage, Joe; Demi, Alice

2003-01-01

The purposes of this correlational study were to describe and compare clients' and volunteers' perceptions of a buddy program for people infected with HIV and to identify relationships between social support and clients' quality of life. Clients' social support was assessed with the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List(ISEL), and their quality of life was assessed with the Medical Outcomes Study-HIV (MOS-HIV) Scale. Clients' and volunteers' perceptions of satisfaction and assistance with activities were assessed with researcher-developed instruments. A convenience sample of 46 client-volunteer dyads was recruited from five AIDS service organizations. Clients perceived adequate levels of social support, moderate amounts of assistance, high levels of satisfaction with client-volunteer relationships, and moderate to low quality of life. A positive relationship was found between clients' and volunteers' perceptions of satisfaction. Relationships were found between ISEL subscales and the Health Transition and Mental Health subscales of the MOS-HIV and the MOS-HIV total scale scores. The findings of the study provide support for the continuation of buddy programs.

The Recovery Process When Participating in Cancer Support and Rehabilitation Programs in Sweden

PubMed Central

Melin-Johansson, Christina; Öhlén, Joakim; Koinberg, Ingalill; Berg, Linda; Nolbris, Margaretha Jenholt

2015-01-01

The aim was to illuminate the meaning of participating in support and rehabilitation programs described by people diagnosed with cancer. Nineteen persons were interviewed in focus groups and face-to-face. Data were analyzed with a qualitative phenomenological hermeneutical method for researching lived experiences. Interpretation proceeded through three phases: naïve reading, structural analysis, and comprehensive understanding. Three themes were disclosed: receiving support for recovery when being most vulnerable, recapturing capabilities through supportive activities, and searching to find stability and well-being in a changed life situation. Participating in the programs was an existential transition from living in an unpredictable situation that was turned into something meaningful. Recovery did not mean the return to a state of normality; rather, it meant a continuing recovery from cancer treatments and symptoms involving recapturing capabilities and searching for a balance in a forever changed life. This study provides new insights about the experiences of participating in cancer support and rehabilitation programs. PMID:28462312

Wired to the Workplace: The Relationship Between Electronic Connectedness to Work and Nurse Manager Satisfaction.

PubMed

Gardner, Candace; Hailey, Amy; Nguyen, Christi; Prichard, Charlsea; Newcomb, Patricia

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to describe the beliefs and behaviors of nurse leaders regarding electronic connectedness with their workplace and workplace support. Electronic communication enables leaders' continuous availability to the workplace. This may blur home-work boundaries and contribute to burnout. This mixed-methods study surveyed nurses in 6 acute care hospitals in north Texas. A qualitative phase employed focus groups composed of nurses from participating hospitals to validate and enrich data collected in the quantitative phase. Data showed that leader support directly influenced work-related electronic communication by influencing expectations regarding connectedness. Furthermore, leaders who frequently thought of leaving employment reported significantly lower levels of supervisor support and stronger beliefs that work interfered with home life than other respondents did. Focus group data supported survey findings. Electronic availability of nurse leaders did not directly affect satisfaction, but supervisor support and perception that work interferes with home life strongly and directly affected satisfaction.

Visuomotor mental rotation of a saccade: The contingent negative variation scales to the angle of rotation.

PubMed

Heath, Matthew; Colino, Francisco L; Chan, Jillian; Krigolson, Olave E

2018-02-01

The visuomotor mental rotation (VMR) of a saccade requires a response to a region of space that is dissociated from a stimulus by a pre-specified angle, and work has shown a monotonic increase in reaction times as a function of increasing oblique angles of rotation. These results have been taken as evidence of a continuous process of rotation and have generated competing hypotheses. One hypothesis asserts that rotation is mediated via frontoparietal structures, whereas a second states that a continuous shift in the activity of direction-specific neurons in the superior colliculus (SC) supports rotation. Research to date, however, has not examined the neural mechanisms underlying VMR saccades and both hypotheses therefore remain untested. The present study measured the behavioural data and event-related brain potentials (ERP) of standard (i.e., 0° of rotation) and VMR saccades involving 35°, 70° and 105° of rotation. Behavioural results showed that participants adhered to task-based rotation demands and ERP findings showed that the amplitude of the contingent negative variation (CNV) linearly decreased with increasing angle of rotation. The cortical generators of the CNV are linked to frontoparietal structures supporting movement preparation. Although our ERP design does not allow us to exclude a possible role of the SC in the rotation of a VMR saccade, they do demonstrate that such actions are supported by a continuous and cortically based rotation process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of childhood cancer on maternal employment in Japan.

PubMed

Okada, Hiromi; Maru, Mitsue; Maeda, Rumi; Iwasaki, Fuminori; Nagasawa, Masayuki; Takahashi, Miyako

2015-01-01

Family members of children with cancer experience various long-term effects as a result of cancer diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, comprehensive and long-term support is needed. As the employment rate of women has increased in recent years, support for working mothers with children diagnosed with cancer is also required. We investigated the following issues and relevant changes that working mothers of children diagnosed with cancer must deal with: (1) work change, (2) stress, (3) social support, (4) work motivation, and (5) employment status after diagnosis. A cross-sectional exploratory study design was used. Data were collected from 62 mothers of children who were diagnosed with cancer using self-report questionnaires. Of the 32 mothers who worked at the time of diagnosis, 10 continued to work, 12 took an extended leave, and 10 quit working, and 70% lost motivation for work following diagnosis. Half of mothers who continued to work during treatment reported financial reasons. These findings indicate that mothers who quit work following diagnosis did not initially consider a long leave of absence. Even mothers who continued to work during treatment desired a long leave of absence to care for their children. Nurses should provide mothers with explanations of the prospects after the completion of cancer treatment and determine their expectations for their lifestyle and work during treatment. We recommend that nurses confirm mothers' willingness to take a long leave of absence from work and give relevant advice about seeking financial assistance.

Who Leaves Suicide Notes? An Exploration of Victim Characteristics and Suicide Method of Completed Suicides in Queensland.

PubMed

Carpenter, Belinda; Bond, Christine; Tait, Gordon; Wilson, Moira; White, Kris

2016-01-01

The objective of this study is to address the question: are those who leave suicide notes representative of the larger population of those who commit suicide? The method involves an analysis of a full population of suicides by residents of Queensland, Australia for the full year of 2004, with the information drawn from Coronial files. Our overall results suggest that, and in support of previous research, the population who leaves suicide notes are remarkably similar to those who do not. Differences are identified in four areas: first, and in contrast to prior research, females are less likely to leave a suicide note; second, and in support of previous research, Aboriginal Australians are less likely to leave suicide notes; third, and in support of some previous research, those who use gas as a method of suicide are more likely to leave notes, while those who use a vehicle or a train are less likely to leave notes; finally, our findings lend support to research which finds that those with a diagnosed mental illness are less likely to leave notes. The discussion addresses some of the reasons these disparities may have occurred, and continues the debate over the degree to which suicide notes give insight into the larger suicide population.

Family group interventions in an early psychosis program: A re-evaluation of practice after 10 years of service delivery.

PubMed

Day, Kate; Starbuck, Rachael; Petrakis, Melissa

2017-08-01

The role of family in supporting service users in coping with illness and engaging in relapse prevention in early psychosis is important. Taking on this caring though is stressful and challenging, and it has been found that support and information for carers assists in their coping and reduces isolation. To evaluate the current utility of a psychoeducation group program in a public adult mental health service, for the families of people experiencing early psychosis. A purpose-designed pre- and post-intervention questionnaire was administered to quantitatively measure group participants' changes in perceptions of their understanding of mental illness and its treatment through attending the group. Additional qualitative items were used to determine other knowledge, benefits and any critical feedback. The group program continues to result in highly significant improvements in family members' understanding of psychosis, recovery, medications, relapse prevention and substance co-morbidities. Additional feedback reaffirmed previous findings that family members find group peer support valuable and that this reduces isolation and the experience of stigma. The current evaluation, conducted following 10 years of early psychosis group work, found there to be efficacy in family peer support groups and that it is important to provide family interventions in public early psychosis mental health services.

Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative Solid-State Lighting

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

Thomas, Sunil; Edmond, John; Krames, Michael

2014-09-23

The importance of U.S. manufacturing for clean energy technologies, such as solid-state lighting (SSL), is paramount to increasing competitiveness in a global marketplace. SSLs are poised to drive the lighting market, worldwide. In order to continue that competitiveness and support further innovation, the time to invest in U.S. manufacturing of clean energy technologies is now. Across the country, companies developing innovative clean energy technologies find competitive advantages to manufacturing in the U.S. The Department of Energy's Building Technology Office SSL Manufacturing Roadmap is just one example of how we support manufacturing through convening industry perspectives on opportunities to significantly reducemore » risk, improve quality, increase yields, and lower costs.« less

Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative Solid-State Lighting Video

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

Thomas, Sunil; Edmond, John; Krames, Michael

2014-09-23

The importance of U.S. manufacturing for clean energy technologies, such as solid-state lighting (SSL), is paramount to increasing competitiveness in a global marketplace. SSLs are poised to drive the lighting market, worldwide. In order to continue that competitiveness and support further innovation, the time to invest in U.S. manufacturing of clean energy technologies is now. Across the country, companies developing innovative clean energy technologies find competitive advantages to manufacturing in the U.S. The Department of Energy's Building Technology Office SSL Manufacturing Roadmap is just one example of how we support manufacturing through convening industry perspectives on opportunities to significantly reducemore » risk, improve quality, increase yields, and lower costs.« less

Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative Solid-State Lighting Video

ScienceCinema

Thomas, Sunil; Edmond, John; Krames, Michael; Raman, Sudhakar

2018-01-16

The importance of U.S. manufacturing for clean energy technologies, such as solid-state lighting (SSL), is paramount to increasing competitiveness in a global marketplace. SSLs are poised to drive the lighting market, worldwide. In order to continue that competitiveness and support further innovation, the time to invest in U.S. manufacturing of clean energy technologies is now. Across the country, companies developing innovative clean energy technologies find competitive advantages to manufacturing in the U.S. The Department of Energy's Building Technology Office SSL Manufacturing Roadmap is just one example of how we support manufacturing through convening industry perspectives on opportunities to significantly reduce risk, improve quality, increase yields, and lower costs.

Functional anatomy of the nasal bones and adjacent structures. Consequences for nasal surgery.

PubMed

Popko, M; Verlinde-Schellekens, S A M W; Huizing, E H; Bleys, R L A W

2018-03-01

The periosteum of the nasal bones, the periosteal-perichondrial nasal envelope, and the cartilaginous support of the bony vault were studied in serial coronal sections of four human cadaver noses. To differentiate between the various tissue components, the sections were stained according to Mallory-Cason and Verhoeff-Van Gieson stain. The results demonstrated: 1. the presence of clearly distinguishable layers of the periosteum covering the nasal bones; 2. the presence of a continuous periosteal-perichondrial covering of the bony and cartilaginous nasal vaults; 3. the way the cartilaginous support of the bony vault is constructed. The findings described in the present study may have clinical relevance in nasal surgery.

Attitudes toward abortion in Zambia.

PubMed

Geary, Cynthia Waszak; Gebreselassie, Hailemichael; Awah, Paschal; Pearson, Erin

2012-09-01

Despite Zambia's relatively progressive abortion law, women continue to seek unsafe, illegal abortions. Four domains of abortion attitudes - support for legalization, immorality, rights, and access to services - were measured in 4 communities. A total of 668 people were interviewed. Associations among the 4 domains were inconsistent with expectations. The belief that abortion is immoral was widespread, but was not associated with lack of support for legalization. Instead, it was associated with belief that women need access to safe services. These findings suggest that increasing awareness about abortion law in Zambia may be important for encouraging more favorable attitudes. Copyright © 2012 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

EXTRACORPOREAL MEMBRANE OXYGENATION vs. COUNTERPULSATILE, PULSATILE, AND CONTINUOUS LEFT VENTRICULAR UNLOADING FOR PEDIATRIC MECHANICAL CIRCULATORY SUPPORT

PubMed Central

Bartoli, Carlo R.; Koenig, Steven C.; Ionan, Constantine; Gillars, Kevin J.; Mitchell, Mike E.; Austin, Erle H.; Gray, Laman A.; Pantalos, George M.

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE Despite progress with adult ventricular assist devices (VADs), limited options exist to support pediatric patients with life-threatening heart disease. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) remains the clinical standard. To characterize (patho)physiologic responses to different modes of mechanical unloading of the failing pediatric heart, ECMO was compared to either intraaortic balloon pump (IABP), pulsatile-flow (PF)VAD, or continuous-flow (CF)VAD support in a pediatric heart failure model. DESIGN Experimental. SETTING Large animal laboratory operating room. SUBJECTS Yorkshire piglets (n=47, 11.7±2.6 kg). INTERVENTIONS In piglets with coronary ligation-induced cardiac dysfunction, mechanical circulatory support devices were implanted and studied during maximum support. MEASUREMENTS and MAIN RESULTS Left ventricular, right ventricular, coronary, carotid, systemic arterial, and pulmonary arterial hemodynamics were measured with pressure and flow transducers. Myocardial oxygen consumption and total-body oxygen consumption (VO2) were calculated from arterial, venous, and coronary sinus blood sampling. Blood flow was measured in 17 organs with microspheres. Paired student t-tests compared baseline and heart failure conditions. One-way repeated-measures ANOVA compared heart failure, device support mode(s), and ECMO. Statistically significant (p<0.05) findings included: 1) improved left ventricular blood supply/demand ratio during PFVAD, CFVAD, and ECMO but not IABP support, 2) improved global myocardial blood supply/demand ratio during PFVAD, and CFVAD but not IABP or ECMO support, and 3) diminished pulsatility during ECMO and CFVAD but not IABP and PFVAD support. A profile of systems-based responses was established for each type of support. CONCLUSIONS Each type of pediatric VAD provided hemodynamic support by unloading the heart with a different mechanism that created a unique profile of physiological changes. These data contribute novel, clinically relevant insight into pediatric mechanical circulatory support and establish an important resource for pediatric device development and patient selection. PMID:24108116

A qualitative study investigating the barriers to returning to work for breastfeeding mothers in Ireland.

PubMed

Desmond, Deirdre; Meaney, Sarah

2016-01-01

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that mothers exclusively breastfeed for the first 6 months of an infant's life. In Ireland, currently paid maternity leave is 26 weeks and the expectant mother is required by law to finish work 2 weeks before her expected delivery date. Mothers wishing to exclusively breastfeed for 6 months or longer find themselves having to take holiday leave or unpaid leave from work in order to meet the WHO's guidelines. The aim of this study is to explore women's experiences of breastfeeding after their return to work in Ireland. This study was carried out utilizing a qualitative design. Initially 25 women who returned to the workforce while continuing to breastfeed were contacted, 16 women returned consent forms and were subsequently contacted to take part in an interview. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis was employed to establish recurring patterns and themes throughout the interviews. Women noted that cultural attitudes in Ireland coupled with inadequate or inconsistent advice from health professionals posed the biggest challenge they had to overcome in order to achieve to 6 months exclusive breastfeeding. The findings of this study illustrate that mothers with the desire to continue to breastfeed after their return to work did so with some difficulty. Many did not disclose to their employers that they were breastfeeding and did not make enquiries about being facilitated to continue to breastfeed after their return to the workplace. The perceived lack of support from their employers as well as embarrassment about their breastfeeding status meant many women concealed that they were breastfeeding after their return to the workplace. While it has been suggested that WHO guidelines for exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months may be unattainable for many women due to work commitments, a different problem exists in Ireland. Mothers struggle to overcome cultural and societal obstacles coupled with inadequate support from health professionals. Encouraging and facilitating women to continue to breastfeed after they return to work will help to normalise breastfeeding within Irish culture and promote continued breastfeeding as a viable option for working mothers.

Factors Influencing Retention Among Part-Time Clinical Nursing Faculty.

PubMed

Carlson, Joanne S

This study sought to determine job characteristics influencing retention of part-time clinical nurse faculty teaching in pre-licensure nursing education. Large numbers of part-time faculty are needed to educate students in the clinical setting. Faculty retention helps maintain consistency and may positively influence student learning. A national sample of part-time clinical nurse faculty teaching in baccalaureate programs responded to a web-based survey. Respondents were asked to identify the primary reason for wanting or not wanting to continue working for a school of nursing (SON). Affinity for students, pay and benefits, support, and feeling valued were the top three reasons given for continuing to work at an SON. Conflicts with life and other job responsibilities, low pay, and workload were the top three reasons given for not continuing. Results from this study can assist nursing programs in finding strategies to help reduce attrition among part-time clinical faculty.

Concussion Knowledge and Communication Behaviors of Collegiate Wrestling Coaches.

PubMed

Kroshus, Emily; Kerr, Zachary Y; DeFreese, J D; Parsons, John T

2017-08-01

Sport coaches can play an important role in shaping a team's approach to concussion safety through their communication with team members. However, across all sports, there is limited knowledge about factors that make coaches more or less likely to engage in safety-supportive communication. The objectives of this study were to assess the concussion-related knowledge and attitudes of wrestling coaches, as well as the extent to which they engage in autonomy-supportive coaching practices, and to determine how these factors are related to communication with athletes in support of concussion safety. Data were collected through an online survey of head coaches of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) wrestling teams (n = 89, 40.5% response rate). On average, coaches answered five out of a possible nine knowledge questions correctly and were significantly more likely to think it was acceptable for an athlete to continue playing after sustaining a concussion during a national qualifying competition as compared to during an early-season competition. Engaging in autonomy-supportive coaching behaviors was the coach factor explaining the largest percentage of variability in communication. Findings suggest that while knowledge deficits and attitudes about the acceptability of continued play while symptomatic during more consequential competitive matches should be addressed in educational programming for collegiate wrestling coaches, these changes alone may not be a sufficient for adequately increasing concussion safety communication. Targeting more distal factors such as autonomy-supportive approaches to coaching may hold promise for intervention design and should be explored in future prospective research.

A smartphone application to support recovery from alcoholism: a randomized clinical trial.

PubMed

Gustafson, David H; McTavish, Fiona M; Chih, Ming-Yuan; Atwood, Amy K; Johnson, Roberta A; Boyle, Michael G; Levy, Michael S; Driscoll, Hilary; Chisholm, Steven M; Dillenburg, Lisa; Isham, Andrew; Shah, Dhavan

2014-05-01

Patients leaving residential treatment for alcohol use disorders are not typically offered evidence-based continuing care, although research suggests that continuing care is associated with better outcomes. A smartphone-based application could provide effective continuing care. To determine whether patients leaving residential treatment for alcohol use disorders with a smartphone application to support recovery have fewer risky drinking days than control patients. An unmasked randomized clinical trial involving 3 residential programs operated by 1 nonprofit treatment organization in the Midwestern United States and 2 residential programs operated by 1 nonprofit organization in the Northeastern United States. In total, 349 patients who met the criteria for DSM-IV alcohol dependence when they entered residential treatment were randomized to treatment as usual (n = 179) or treatment as usual plus a smartphone (n = 170) with the Addiction-Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (A-CHESS), an application designed to improve continuing care for alcohol use disorders. Treatment as usual varied across programs; none offered patients coordinated continuing care after discharge. A-CHESS provides monitoring, information, communication, and support services to patients, including ways for patients and counselors to stay in contact. The intervention and follow-up period lasted 8 and 4 months, respectively. Risky drinking days--the number of days during which a patient's drinking in a 2-hour period exceeded 4 standard drinks for men and 3 standard drinks for women, with standard drink defined as one that contains roughly 14 g of pure alcohol (12 oz of regular beer, 5 oz of wine, or 1.5 oz of distilled spirits). Patients were asked to report their risky drinking days in the previous 30 days on surveys taken 4, 8, and 12 months after discharge from residential treatment. For the 8 months of the intervention and 4 months of follow-up, patients in the A-CHESS group reported significantly fewer risky drinking days than did patients in the control group, with a mean of 1.39 vs 2.75 days (mean difference, 1.37; 95% CI, 0.46-2.27; P = .003). The findings suggest that a multifeatured smartphone application may have significant benefit to patients in continuing care for alcohol use disorders. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01003119.

Docking into Mycobacterium tuberculosis Thioredoxin Reductase Protein Yields Pyrazolone Lead Molecules for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

PubMed Central

Sweeney, Noreena L.; Lipker, Lauren; Hanson, Alicia M.; Bohl, Chris J.; Engel, Katie E.; Kalous, Kelsey S.; Stemper, Mary E.; Sem, Daniel S.; Schwan, William R.

2017-01-01

The thioredoxin/thioredoxin reductase system (Trx/TrxR) is an attractive drug target because of its involvement in a number of important physiological processes, from DNA synthesis to regulating signal transduction. This study describes the finding of pyrazolone compounds that are active against Staphylococcus aureus. Initially, the project was focused on discovering small molecules that may have antibacterial properties targeting the Mycobacterium tuberculosis thioredoxin reductase. This led to the discovery of a pyrazolone scaffold-containing compound series that showed bactericidal capability against S. aureus strains, including drug-resistant clinical isolates. The findings support continued development of the pyrazolone compounds as potential anti-S. aureus antibiotics. PMID:28134858

How Does Student Educational Background Affect Transition into the First Year of Veterinary School? Academic Performance and Support Needs in University Education.

PubMed

Rutland, Catrin S; Dobbs, Heidi; Tötemeyer, Sabine

The first year of university is critical in shaping persistence decisions (whether students continue with and complete their degrees) and plays a formative role in influencing student attitudes and approaches to learning. Previous educational experiences, especially previous university education, shape the students' ability to adapt to the university environment and the study approaches they require to perform well in highly demanding professional programs such as medicine and veterinary medicine. The aim of this research was to explore the support mechanisms, academic achievements, and perception of students with different educational backgrounds in their first year of veterinary school. Using questionnaire data and examination grades, the effects upon perceptions, needs, and educational attainment in first-year students with and without prior university experience were analyzed to enable an in-depth understanding of their needs. Our findings show that school leavers (successfully completed secondary education, but no prior university experience) were outperformed in early exams by those who had previously graduated from university (even from unrelated degrees). Large variations in student perceptions and support needs were discovered between the two groups: graduate students perceived the difficulty and workload as less challenging and valued financial and IT support. Each student is an individual, but ensuring that universities understand their students and provide both academic and non-academic support is essential. This research explores the needs of veterinary students and offers insights into continued provision of support and improvements that can be made to help students achieve their potential and allow informed "Best Practice."

Health-care encounters create both discontinuity and continuity in daily life when living with chronic heart failure-A grounded theory study.

PubMed

Östman, Malin; Ung, Eva Jakobsson; Falk, Kristin

2015-01-01

Living with chronic heart failure (CHF) often involves lifelong contact with health care, more or less frequently, depending on fluctuating health-generating disruptions in everyday life. To reduce the influence on continuity in life, health-care professionals should preferably focus on supporting patients in managing their daily lives, based on their perspective. The aim of this study was to describe how the interaction in health-care encounters contributes to either continuity or discontinuity in the daily life for persons with CHF. Interviews with 18 participants were carried out, using the grounded theory method, through data collection and analysis. Two core concepts were constructed from data which reveal a model that illuminates the characteristics of the encounters, the actions of health-care professionals and the normative discourse. Patient-centred agenda consists of the categories: "Experiencing a subordinate approach," "Objectifying during the encounter" and "Expected to be compliant." This describes how health-care professionals enhance discontinuity in daily life by using a paternalistic approach in the encounter. Person-centred agenda consists of the categories: "Experiencing an empowering approach," "Person-centredness during the encounter" and "Expected to be capable." It describes how participants perceive that health-care professionals enable them to deal with everyday life which enhances continuity. The findings highlight the importance of health-care professionals' attitudes and communication in encounters with patients. Health care must be designed to support and promote patients' own strategic thinking by strengthening their self-image to enhance continuity in everyday life. The experience of discontinuity is based on the prevailing health-care culture which focuses on disease and medical treatment and regards it as superior to the illness experience in an everyday life context. We therefore strongly suggest a paradigm shift in the health-care organisation and culture in order to support the patients in their efforts to live a meaningful, rich life, in spite of the chronic illness CHF.

PREDICTION OF SOLAR FLARE SIZE AND TIME-TO-FLARE USING SUPPORT VECTOR MACHINE REGRESSION

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

Boucheron, Laura E.; Al-Ghraibah, Amani; McAteer, R. T. James

We study the prediction of solar flare size and time-to-flare using 38 features describing magnetic complexity of the photospheric magnetic field. This work uses support vector regression to formulate a mapping from the 38-dimensional feature space to a continuous-valued label vector representing flare size or time-to-flare. When we consider flaring regions only, we find an average error in estimating flare size of approximately half a geostationary operational environmental satellite (GOES) class. When we additionally consider non-flaring regions, we find an increased average error of approximately three-fourths a GOES class. We also consider thresholding the regressed flare size for the experimentmore » containing both flaring and non-flaring regions and find a true positive rate of 0.69 and a true negative rate of 0.86 for flare prediction. The results for both of these size regression experiments are consistent across a wide range of predictive time windows, indicating that the magnetic complexity features may be persistent in appearance long before flare activity. This is supported by our larger error rates of some 40 hr in the time-to-flare regression problem. The 38 magnetic complexity features considered here appear to have discriminative potential for flare size, but their persistence in time makes them less discriminative for the time-to-flare problem.« less

Constructivist Simultaneous Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder, Trauma, and Addiction Comorbidity: A Qualitative Case Study.

PubMed

Johansen, Ayna B; Tavakoli, Shedeh; Bjelland, Ingerid; Lumley, Mark

2017-01-01

This qualitative case study explored one client's recovery from borderline personality disorder, trauma, and problem gambling. The client attended 18 months of integrative treatment and was followed for 5 years. The study included 106 data points of both client and therapist data. We identified three phases to treatment. First, alliance formation and normalization appeared as mechanisms, and the client experienced dependence. Second, working alliance and countertransference appeared as mechanisms, and the client experienced reduced gambling and suicidal ideation. Third, external controls and increased opportunity appeared as mechanisms, and "moving into the world" was the client experience. The findings give preliminary support to a phase-based constructivist treatment including trauma assessment to normalize self-feelings, countertransference work to support motivation for restraint, and case management principles to support continuity of change efforts. © The Author(s) 2015.

Indicators of a balanced long-term service and support system: examining the impact on individuals aging with a lifelong disability.

PubMed

Ruiz, Sarah; Urdapilleta, Oswaldo; Clark-Shirley, Leanne J; Howard, Jennifer; Poey, Judith

2012-01-01

This article explores how rebalancing efforts can support the needs of individuals aging with a lifelong disability. The National Balancing Indicator project examined the overall long-term supports and services system (LTSS) progress in five indicators within the Sustainability, Coordination and Transparency, and Prevention principles toward a balanced LTSS system for those aging with a lifelong disability. In assessing state efforts to create a balanced participant-directed LTSS system with the National Balancing Indicators, the findings suggest states are better equipping the system to handle a burgeoning population of individuals aging with a lifelong disability, but more progress is still needed. Overall, states need to continue to create a seamless system that allows individuals with lifelong disabilities to transition smoothly through the life course.

The effect of a multi-component smoking cessation intervention in African American women residing in public housing.

PubMed

Andrews, Jeannette O; Felton, Gwen; Ellen Wewers, Mary; Waller, Jennifer; Tingen, Martha

2007-02-01

The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a multi-component smoking cessation intervention in African American women residing in public housing. The intervention consisted of: (a) nurse led behavioral/empowerment counseling; (b) nicotine replacement therapy; and, (c) community health workers to enhance smoking self-efficacy, social support, and spiritual well-being. The results showed a 6-month continuous smoking abstinence of 27.5% and 5.7% in the intervention and comparison groups. Changes in social support and smoking self-efficacy over time predicted smoking abstinence, and self-efficacy mediated 6-month smoking abstinence outcomes. Spiritual well-being did not predict or mediate smoking abstinence outcomes. These findings support the use of a nurse/community health worker model to deliver culturally tailored behavioral interventions with marginalized communities.

Perspectives of self-direction: a systematic review of key areas contributing to service users' engagement and choice-making in self-directed disability services and supports.

PubMed

Lakhani, Ali; McDonald, Donna; Zeeman, Heidi

2018-05-01

Self-directed disability support policies aim to encourage greater choice and control for service users in terms of the health and social care they receive. The proliferation of self-directed disability support policies throughout the developed world has resulted in a growing amount of research exploring the outcomes for service users, and their families and carers. Our understanding of the issues faced by people with disabilities, particularly how they make health and social care decisions and the key areas that determine their engagement with service providers within a self-directed environment is limited. A synthesis of research is timely and can provide knowledge for service users and health and social care support providers to ensure their successful participation. A systematic review guided by the PRISMA approach explored (i) the key areas determining service users' engagement with self-directed disability services and supports, and (ii) how service users make informed decisions about providers. In October 2014 and April 2016, three databases - MEDLINE, CINAHL and Web of Science - were searched for research and review articles. Eighteen sources met the search criteria. Findings were mapped into either: key areas determining service user engagement, or service users' informed decision-making. Findings concerning key areas determining engagement fell into three themes - personal responsibility for budgeting, personalised approaches, and a cultural shift in practice and delivery among service providers. Findings about decision-making yielded two themes - supporting informed decision-making and inhibiting informed decision-making. Literature suggests that self-directed models of care may provide service users with increased control over the services that they receive. Increased control for some service users and their families requires independent external decision-making support, particularly around the domains of budgeting, planning and hiring. Future research must continue to investigate the perspectives of service users pertaining to their engagement, as their participation is central to the effectiveness of the approach. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Long-term conditions, self-management and systems of support: an exploration of health beliefs and practices within the Sikh community, Birmingham, UK.

PubMed

Sidhu, Manbinder S; Griffith, Laura; Jolly, Kate; Gill, Paramjit; Marshall, Tom; Gale, Nicola K

2016-10-01

The global prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as diabetes mellitus and coronary heart disease, continues to rise. Internationally, people of South Asian origin (i.e. by birth or heritage) are much more likely to develop and live with NCDs compared to the general population. The South Asian diaspora population is highly heterogeneous, varying by socioeconomic status, migration history, religion and ethnicity. This article reports the findings of a study to explore the types of support accessed by Punjabi Sikhs living in Birmingham and the Black Country, UK, who were living with NCDs. The study sought to develop a greater understanding of past experiences of accessing support and the importance of relationships in the mobilisation of resources for self-management. It was nested within a larger programme of research which explored attitudes to prevention of chronic diseases in local communities in the region. Seventeen Punjabi Sikh men and women were recruited through purposive sampling. Narrative interviews were conducted and analysed by the research team. Sociological theories on systems of support and social relations were consulted to inform the interpretation of data. The study findings suggest that participants interpreted chronic disease self-management in relation to four primary systems of support: health services for disease management; multiple sources of care, including traditional Indian medicines and the Internet, for symptom management; community groups for lifestyle management; and the family for emotional and physical care. Within these systems of support, participants identified barriers and facilitators to the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle. We focus on intra-group diversity; exploring the intersection of views and experiences by age, gender, generation and caste. The findings have implications for the design and delivery of primary care and community services which support the prevention and management of NCDs in an increasingly diverse population.

Performance of a Regional Aeronautical Telecommunications Network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bretmersky, Steven C.; Ripamonti, Claudio; Konangi, Vijay K.; Kerczewski, Robert J.

2001-01-01

This paper reports the findings of the simulation of the ATN (Aeronautical Telecommunications Network) for three typical average-sized U.S. airports and their associated air traffic patterns. The models of the protocols were designed to achieve the same functionality and meet the ATN specifications. The focus of this project is on the subnetwork and routing aspects of the simulation. To maintain continuous communication between the aircrafts and the ground facilities, a model based on mobile IP is used. The results indicate that continuous communication is indeed possible. The network can support two applications of significance in the immediate future FTP and HTTP traffic. Results from this simulation prove the feasibility of development of the ATN concept for AC/ATM (Advanced Communications for Air Traffic Management).

Detecting letters in continuous text: effects of display size.

PubMed

Healy, A F; Oliver, W L; McNamara, T P

1987-05-01

In three letter detection experiments, subjects responded to each instance of the letter t in continuous text typed in a standard paragraph, typed with one to four words per line, or shown for a fixed duration on a computer screen either one or four words at a time. In the multiword and the standard paragraph conditions, errors were greatest and latencies longest on the word the when it was correctly spelled. This effect was diminished or reversed in the one-word conditions. These findings support a set of unitization hypotheses about the reading process, according to which subjects do not process the constituent letters of a word once that word has been identified unless no other word is in view.

Reliance on auditory feedback in children with childhood apraxia of speech.

PubMed

Iuzzini-Seigel, Jenya; Hogan, Tiffany P; Guarino, Anthony J; Green, Jordan R

2015-01-01

Children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) have been hypothesized to continuously monitor their speech through auditory feedback to minimize speech errors. We used an auditory masking paradigm to determine the effect of attenuating auditory feedback on speech in 30 children: 9 with CAS, 10 with speech delay, and 11 with typical development. The masking only affected the speech of children with CAS as measured by voice onset time and vowel space area. These findings provide preliminary support for greater reliance on auditory feedback among children with CAS. Readers of this article should be able to (i) describe the motivation for investigating the role of auditory feedback in children with CAS; (ii) report the effects of feedback attenuation on speech production in children with CAS, speech delay, and typical development, and (iii) understand how the current findings may support a feedforward program deficit in children with CAS. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pathways to Colonization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smitherman, David V., Jr.

2003-01-01

The steps required for space colonization are many to grow from our current 3-person International Space Station, now under construction, to an infrastructure that can support hundreds and eventually thousands of people in space. This paper will summarize the author's findings from numerous studies and workshops on related subjects and identify some of the critical next steps toward space colonization. Findings will be drawn from the author s previous work on space colony design, space infrastructure workshops, and various studies that addressed space policy. In conclusion, this paper will note that significant progress has been made on space facility construction through the International Space Station program, and that significant efforts are needed in the development of new reusable Earth to Orbit transportation systems. The next key steps will include reusable in space transportation systems supported by in space propellant depots, the continued development of inflatable habitat and space elevator technologies, and the resolution of policy issues that will establish a future vision for space development.

Incorporating Religiosity into a Developmental Model of Positive Family Functioning across Generations

PubMed Central

Spilman, Sarah K.; Neppl, Tricia K.; Donnellan, M. Brent; Schofield, Thomas J.; Conger, Rand D.

2012-01-01

This study evaluated a developmental model of intergenerational continuity in religiosity and its association with observed competency in romantic and parent-child relationships across two generations. Using multi-informant data from the Family Transitions Project, a 20-year longitudinal study of families that began during early adolescence (N = 451), we found that parental religiosity assessed during the youth’s adolescence was positively related to the youth’s own religiosity during adolescence which, in turn, predicted their religiosity after the transition to adulthood. The findings also supported the theoretical model guiding the study, which proposes that religiosity acts as a personal resource that will be uniquely and positively associated with the quality of family relationships. Especially important, the findings demonstrate support for the role of religiosity in a developmental process that promotes positive family functioning after addressing earlier methodological limitations in this area of study, such as cross-sectional research designs, single informant measurement, retrospective reports, and the failure to control for other individual differences. PMID:22545832

Perceived reasons for loss of housing and continued homelessness among homeless persons with mental illness.

PubMed

Mojtabai, Ramin

2005-02-01

The objective of this study was to examine the reasons for the most recent loss of housing and for continued homelessness as perceived by homeless persons with mental illness. A total of 2,974 currently homeless participants in the 1996 National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients (NSHAPC) were asked about the reasons for their most recent loss of housing and continued homelessness. The responses of participants who had mental illness, defined both broadly and narrowly, were compared with responses of those who were not mentally ill. The broad definition of mental illness was based on a set of criteria proposed by NSHAPC investigators. The narrow definition included past psychiatric hospitalization in addition to the NSHAPC criteria. A total of 1,620 participants (56 percent) met the broad definition of mental illness, and 639 (22 percent) met the narrow definition; 1,345 participants (44 percent) did not meet any of these criteria and were categorized as not having a mental illness. Few differences in reasons for the most recent loss of housing were noted between the participants with and without mental illness. Both groups attributed their continued homelessness mostly to insufficient income, unemployment, and lack of suitable housing. Homeless persons with mental illness mostly report the same reasons for loss of housing and continued homelessness as those who do not have a mental illness. This finding supports the view that structural solutions, such as wider availability of low-cost housing and income support, would reduce the risk of homelessness among persons with mental illness, as among other vulnerable social groups.

Developing cessation interventions for the social and community service setting: a qualitative study of barriers to quitting among disadvantaged Australian smokers.

PubMed

Bryant, Jamie; Bonevski, Billie; Paul, Christine; O'Brien, Jon; Oakes, Wendy

2011-06-24

Smoking rates remain unacceptably high among individuals who are socially disadvantaged. Social and community service organisations (SCSO) are increasingly interested in providing smoking cessation support to clients, however little is known about the best way to assist disadvantaged smokers to quit in this setting. This study aimed to explore barriers and facilitators to quitting within the conceptual framework of the PRECEDE model to identify possible interventions appropriate to the social and community service setting. Semi-structured focus groups were conducted with clients attending five community welfare organisations located in New South Wales, Australia. Thirty-two clients participated in six focus groups. A discussion guide was used to explore the barriers and facilitators to smoking and smoking cessation including: current smoking behaviour, motivation to quit, past quit attempts, barriers to quitting and preferences for cessation support. Focus groups were audio-taped, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis techniques. Participants were current smokers and most expressed a desire to quit. Factors predisposing continued smoking included perceived benefits of smoking for stress relief, doubting of ability to quit, fear of gaining weight, and poor knowledge and scepticism about available quit support. The high cost of nicotine replacement therapy was a barrier to its use. Continual exposure to smoking in personal relationships and in the community reinforced smoking. Participants expressed a strong preference for personalised quit support. Disadvantaged smokers in Australia express a desire to quit smoking, but find quitting difficult for a number of reasons. SCSOs may have a role in providing information about the availability of quit support, engaging disadvantaged smokers with available quit support, and providing personalised, ongoing support.

Sources of influence on infant feeding practices in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Hung, B K; Ling, L; Ong, S G

1985-01-01

The breastfeeding rate in Hong Kong is low compared to the rates in Western countries. To understand the relative importance of different sources of influence on infant feeding practices, 714 Chinese mothers with infants aged 4 weeks to 6 months were studied. It was found that the bottlefeeding mothers were influenced more by the medical professionals who did not support breastfeeding. This influence was further reinforced by the mass media and particularly television advertisements on infant formulae. The successful breastfeeding mothers, on the other hand, were influenced more by their social networks through which they were told of the dangers of bottlefeeding. The failed breastfeeding mothers differed from the other groups in the lack of support they experienced from friends and relatives. Although they received professional encouragement to breastfeed, they were more sheltered from the influence of mass media and social networks. From these findings, it is suggested that different sources of influence are related to different feeding practices. However, to be able to continue with the practice that one has chosen, the availability of social support is essential. Implications of these findings are discussed and several recommendations to promote breastfeeding are made.

The link between sensation seeking and aggression: a meta-analytic review.

PubMed

Wilson, Laura C; Scarpa, Angela

2011-01-01

Substantial empirical evidence supports low resting heart rate (HR) as the best replicated psychophysiological correlate of aggression [Ortiz and Raine, 2004]; however, researchers continue to debate the explanatory mechanisms of the phenomenon. Sensation seeking has been proposed as a possible outcome of low resting HR that may lead to aggressive tendencies but findings have been inconsistent in terms of showing a relationship between sensation seeking and aggression. A meta-analysis was conducted on 43 independent effect sizes, from studies with a total of 32,217 participants, to test the hypothesis that sensation seeking would be positively related to aggression across studies. A significant overall effect size was found (d = .1935, P<.001), supporting the hypothesis. Moderator analyses revealed that the relationship differed based on participant and methodological characteristics, such as participant age and the nature of the aggression measurement; however, these conclusions are limited by the uneven number of studies in many of the moderator classes. Overall, the findings provide support for higher levels of aggression in high sensation seekers and have theoretical implications for arousal theory. Further research on the links between arousal, sensation seeking and aggression can inform clinicians about potential interventions. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

New voters, new outlook? Predispositions, social networks, and the changing politics of gay civil rights.

PubMed

Becker, Amy B; Scheufele, Dietram A

2011-01-01

Objectives. This study examines the factors that shape public acceptance of homosexuality and support for same-sex marriage across age cohorts.Methods. We analyzed data from two national surveys. We constructed hierarchical logistic and hierarchical ordinary least squares regressions for relevant age cohorts in order to test our hypotheses and explore our research questions.Results. Our models suggest that personal contact has a greater impact on the attitudes of younger respondents, positively influencing public acceptance of homosexuality. Alternatively, religious and ideological predispositions have a greater impact on the attitudes of older individuals. When examining public support for gay marriage, we find that younger individuals have higher levels of deliberative engagement with the issue debate, while older individuals rely more heavily on their predispositions when determining issue stance. Interestingly, measures of media exposure are not significantly related to either public acceptance of homosexuality or support for same-sex marriage, suggesting that other factors may have a greater impact on public attitudes at this point in time.Conclusion. The implications of these findings are discussed in light of the emergence of a new political generation and the continuing struggle for gay civil rights.

Pressure ulcer prevention: the role of the multidisciplinary team.

PubMed

Samuriwo, Ray

Pressure ulcer prevention has long been a priority for health professionals; however, poor pressure-ulcer-related practices like poor documentation continue to be identified. Research has shown that the attitude and behaviour of some nurses towards pressure ulcer prevention are not conducive to the best possible patient outcomes.This article reviews the findings of a Straussian grounded theory study, which sought to ascertain the value that is placed on pressure ulcer prevention by nurses, but also revealed the role that other health professionals in the multidisciplinary team play in the maintenance of skin integrity. The findings of this study which are presented in this paper highlight a number of important issues. Firstly, nurses are expected to know how to prevent and manage pressure ulcers, but in reality they are very reliant on the advice and support of other health professionals to maintain their patients' skin integrity. In addition,the level of support that nurses get from other health professionals in the multidisciplinary varies tremendously. Therefore, nurses in clinical practice need to be proactive in seeking input from other health professionals, as there are many members of the multidisciplinary team who are able to give them the advice and support that they need in prevention and management.

[Evaluation of the relapse prevention program for substance abusers called "TAMARPP" at mental health and welfare center].

PubMed

Kondo, Ayumi; Ide, Mihoko; Takahashi, Ikue; Taniai, Tomoko; Miura, Kasumi; Yamaguchi, Akiko; Yotsuji, Naomi; Matsumoto, Toshihiko

2014-04-01

We developed the TAMA mental health and welfare center Relapse Prevention Program (TAMARPP) and evaluated the efficacy of the program. We provided the program for 59 substance abusers at Tokyo Tama Comprehensive Mental Health and Welfare Center, and conducted brief interviews and questionnaire surveys to them four times during eight months follow-up period. The main results were as follows. 1) Most of the subjects were before "hitting bottom". 2) More than half of the subjects continued participating in the program for more than 2 months and their attendance rate was fairly high. 3) Some of the subjects began joining a self-help group as N.A. and A.A. during the follow up period. 4) The mood states of the subjects were gradually improved during the period. 5) About one-third of the subjects abused substance again after two-month' program, but all of them continued to attend the program or a private counseling. Most of their families also continued having support from the center. These findings suggested it was meaningful to have such a friendly and less confrontational program as TAMARPP at our center to provide support for many substance abusers before "hitting bottom" and their families.

[No exchange of information without technology : modern infrastructure in radiology].

PubMed

Hupperts, H; Hermann, K-G A

2014-01-01

Modern radiology cannot accomplish the daily numbers of examinations without supportive technology. Even though technology seems to be becoming increasingly more indispensable, business continuity should be ensured at any time and if necessary even with a limited technical infrastructure by business continuity management. An efficient information security management system forms the basis. The early radiology information systems were islands of information processing. A modern radiology department must be able to be modularly integrated into an informational network of a bigger organization. The secondary use of stored data for clinical decision-making support poses new challenges for the integrity of the data or systems because medical knowledge is displayed and provided in a context of treatment. In terms of imaging the creation and distribution radiology services work in a fully digital manner which is often different for radiology reports. Legally secure electronic diagnostic reports require a complex technical infrastructure; therefore, diagnostic findings still need to be filed as a paper document. The internal exchange and an improved dose management can be simplified by systems which continuously and automatically record the doses and thus provide the possibility of permanent analysis and reporting. Communication between patient and radiologist will gain ongoing importance. Intelligent use of technology will convey this to the radiologist and it will facilitate the understanding of the information by the patient.

Alternative stable states and phase shifts in coral reefs under anthropogenic stress.

PubMed

Fung, Tak; Seymour, Robert M; Johnson, Craig R

2011-04-01

Ecosystems with alternative stable states (ASS) may shift discontinuously from one stable state to another as environmental parameters cross a threshold. Reversal can then be difficult due to hysteresis effects. This contrasts with continuous state changes in response to changing environmental parameters, which are less difficult to reverse. Worldwide degradation of coral reefs, involving "phase shifts" from coral to algal dominance, highlights the pressing need to determine the likelihood of discontinuous phase shifts in coral reefs, in contrast to continuous shifts with no ASS. However, there is little evidence either for or against the existence of ASS for coral reefs. We use dynamic models to investigate the likelihood of continuous and discontinuous phase shifts in coral reefs subject to sustained environmental perturbation by fishing, nutrification, and sedimentation. Our modeling results suggest that coral reefs with or without anthropogenic stress can exhibit ASS, such that discontinuous phase shifts can occur. We also find evidence to support the view that high macroalgal growth rates and low grazing rates on macroalgae favor ASS in coral reefs. Further, our results suggest that the three stressors studied, either alone or in combination, can increase the likelihood of both continuous and discontinuous phase shifts by altering the competitive balance between corals and algae. However, in contrast to continuous phase shifts, we find that discontinuous shifts occur only in model coral reefs with parameter values near the extremes of their empirically determined ranges. This suggests that continuous shifts are more likely than discontinuous shifts in coral reefs. Our results also suggest that, for ecosystems in general, tackling multiple human stressors simultaneously maximizes resilience to phase shifts, ASS, and hysteresis, leading to improvements in ecosystem health and functioning.

Combined visual illusion effects on the perceived index of difficulty and movement outcomes in discrete and continuous fitts' tapping.

PubMed

Alphonsa, Sushma; Dai, Boyi; Benham-Deal, Tami; Zhu, Qin

2016-01-01

The speed-accuracy trade-off is a fundamental movement problem that has been extensively investigated. It has been established that the speed at which one can move to tap targets depends on how large the targets are and how far they are apart. These spatial properties of the targets can be quantified by the index of difficulty (ID). Two visual illusions are known to affect the perception of target size and movement amplitude: the Ebbinghaus illusion and Muller-Lyer illusion. We created visual images that combined these two visual illusions to manipulate the perceived ID, and then examined people's visual perception of the targets in illusory context as well as their performance in tapping those targets in both discrete and continuous manners. The findings revealed that the combined visual illusions affected the perceived ID similarly in both discrete and continuous judgment conditions. However, the movement outcomes were affected by the combined visual illusions according to the tapping mode. In discrete tapping, the combined visual illusions affected both movement accuracy and movement amplitude such that the effective ID resembled the perceived ID. In continuous tapping, none of the movement outcomes were affected by the combined visual illusions. Participants tapped the targets with higher speed and accuracy in all visual conditions. Based on these findings, we concluded that distinct visual-motor control mechanisms were responsible for execution of discrete and continuous Fitts' tapping. Although discrete tapping relies on allocentric information (object-centered) to plan for action, continuous tapping relies on egocentric information (self-centered) to control for action. The planning-control model for rapid aiming movements is supported.

The rite of passage of becoming a humanitarian health worker: experiences of retention in Sweden

PubMed Central

Albuquerque, Sara; Eriksson, Anneli; Alvesson, Helle M.

2018-01-01

ABSTRACT Background: Low retention of humanitarian workers poses constraints on humanitarian organisations’ capacity to respond effectively to disasters. Research has focused on reasons for humanitarian workers leaving the sector, but little is known about the factors that can elucidate long-term commitment. Objective: To understand what motivates and supports experienced humanitarian health workers to remain in the sector. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 experienced nurses who had been on at least three field missions with Médecins Sans Frontières Sweden. Interviews explored factors influencing the decision to go on missions, how nurses were supported and how they looked back on those experiences. Transcripts were analysed through content analysis informed by van Gennep’s concept of ‘Rite of Passage’, combined with elements of the self-determination theory. Results: The findings indicate that their motivations and how nurses thought of themselves, as individuals and professionals, changed over time. For initiation and continued engagement in humanitarian work, participants were motivated by several personal and professional ambitions, as well as altruistic principles of helping others. When starting their first humanitarian missions, nurses felt vulnerable and had low self-esteem. However, through experiencing feelings of autonomy, competence and relatedness during missions, they underwent a process of change and gradually adjusted to new roles as humanitarian health workers. Reintegration in their home community, while maintaining the new roles and skills from the missions, proved very challenging. They individually found their own ways of overcoming the lack of social support they experienced after missions in order to sustain their continuation in the sector. Conclusions: The findings highlight the importance of social environments that facilitate and support the adjustment of individuals during and after field missions. Learning from positive examples, such as nurses with several years of experience, can strengthen strategies of retention, which can ultimately improve the delivery of humanitarian assistance. PMID:29334324

The rite of passage of becoming a humanitarian health worker: experiences of retention in Sweden.

PubMed

Albuquerque, Sara; Eriksson, Anneli; Alvesson, Helle M

2018-01-01

Low retention of humanitarian workers poses constraints on humanitarian organisations' capacity to respond effectively to disasters. Research has focused on reasons for humanitarian workers leaving the sector, but little is known about the factors that can elucidate long-term commitment. To understand what motivates and supports experienced humanitarian health workers to remain in the sector. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 experienced nurses who had been on at least three field missions with Médecins Sans Frontières Sweden. Interviews explored factors influencing the decision to go on missions, how nurses were supported and how they looked back on those experiences. Transcripts were analysed through content analysis informed by van Gennep's concept of 'Rite of Passage', combined with elements of the self-determination theory. The findings indicate that their motivations and how nurses thought of themselves, as individuals and professionals, changed over time. For initiation and continued engagement in humanitarian work, participants were motivated by several personal and professional ambitions, as well as altruistic principles of helping others. When starting their first humanitarian missions, nurses felt vulnerable and had low self-esteem. However, through experiencing feelings of autonomy, competence and relatedness during missions, they underwent a process of change and gradually adjusted to new roles as humanitarian health workers. Reintegration in their home community, while maintaining the new roles and skills from the missions, proved very challenging. They individually found their own ways of overcoming the lack of social support they experienced after missions in order to sustain their continuation in the sector. The findings highlight the importance of social environments that facilitate and support the adjustment of individuals during and after field missions. Learning from positive examples, such as nurses with several years of experience, can strengthen strategies of retention, which can ultimately improve the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

Commercial Support and the Quandary of Continuing Medical Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaffer, Mark H.

2000-01-01

Although commercial funding supports much continuing medical education, there is a public perception that funders may influence physician behavior. Solutions include having multiple grantors for continuing education activities, establishing clear standards for grantor behavior, and prohibiting commercial support for related social activities. (SK)

Haystack Observatory VLBI Correlator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Titus, Mike; Cappallo, Roger; Corey, Brian; Dudevoir, Kevin; Niell, Arthur; Whitney, Alan

2013-01-01

This report summarizes the activities of the Haystack Correlator during 2012. Highlights include finding a solution to the DiFX InfiniBand timeout problem and other DiFX software development, conducting a DBE comparison test following the First International VLBI Technology Workshop, conducting a Mark IV and DiFX correlator comparison, more broadband delay experiments, more u- VLBI Galactic Center observations, and conversion of RDV session processing to the Mark IV/HOPS path. Non-real-time e-VLBI transfers and engineering support of other correlators continued.

Continuity and Change in the Home Literacy Environment as Predictors of Growth in Vocabulary and Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sénéchal, Monique; LeFevre, Jo-Anne

2014-01-01

One hundred and ten English-speaking children schooled in French were followed from kindergarten to Grade 2 (M[subscript age]: T1 = 5;6, T2 = 6;4, T3 = 6;11, T4 = 7;11). The findings provided strong support for the Home Literacy Model (Sénéchal, M., 2002) because in this sample the home language was independent of the language of instruction. The…

Pharmacological treatments for alleviating agitation in dementia: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

PubMed

Kongpakwattana, Khachen; Sawangjit, Ratree; Tawankanjanachot, Itthipol; Bell, J Simon; Hilmer, Sarah N; Chaiyakunapruk, Nathorn

2018-04-10

To determine the most efficacious and acceptable treatments of agitation in dementia. MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CENTRAL and clinicaltrials.gov were searched up to 7 February 2017. Two independent reviewers selected randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of treatments to alleviate agitation in people with all-types dementia. Data were extracted using standardized forms and study quality was assessed using the revised Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool for RCTs. Data were pooled using meta-analysis. The primary outcome, efficacy, was 8-week response rates defined as a 50% reduction in baseline agitation score. The secondary outcome was treatment acceptability defined as treatment continuation for 8 weeks. Thirty-six RCTs comprising 5585 participants (30.9% male; mean ± standard deviation age, 81.8 ± 4.9 years) were included. Dextromethorphan/quinidine [odds ratio (OR) 3.04; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.63-5.66], risperidone (OR 1.96; 95% CI, 1.49-2.59) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors as a class (OR 1.61; 95% CI, 1.02-2.53) were found to be significantly more efficacious than placebo. Haloperidol appeared less efficacious than nearly all comparators. Most treatments had noninferior treatment continuation compared to placebo, except oxcarbazepine, which was inferior. Findings were supported by subgroup and sensitivity analyses. Risperidone, serotonin reuptake inhibitors as a class and dextromethorphan/quinidine demonstrated evidence of efficacy for agitation in dementia, although findings for dextromethorphan/quinidine were based on a single RCT. Our findings do not support prescribing haloperidol due to lack of efficacy, or oxcarbazepine due to lack of acceptability. The decision to prescribe should be based on comprehensive consideration of the benefits and risks, including those not evaluated in this meta-analysis. © 2018 The British Pharmacological Society.

Political violence and mental health: a multi-disciplinary review of the literature on Nepal.

PubMed

Tol, Wietse A; Kohrt, Brandon A; Jordans, Mark J D; Thapa, Suraj B; Pettigrew, Judith; Upadhaya, Nawaraj; de Jong, Joop T V M

2010-01-01

Implementation of current international consensus guidelines regarding mental health and psychosocial support in emergencies requires the consideration of findings from both the medical and social sciences. This paper presents a multi-disciplinary review of reported findings regarding the relations between political violence, mental health and psychosocial wellbeing in Nepal. A systematic search of six databases resulted in the identification of 572 studies, of which 44 were included in the review. These studies investigated the influence of political violence on contextual variables that shape mental health and psychosocial wellbeing, and examined psychological distress and mental disorders in the context of political violence. The majority of studies addressed the mental health of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal and the impact of the Maoist People's War. Based upon these results from Nepal, we discuss a number of issues of concern to international researchers and practitioners and present policy and research recommendations. Specifically, we consider (a) the need for longitudinal multi-disciplinary research into protective and risk factors, including agency, of psychological distress and mental disorders in situations of political violence, (b) the continuing controversy regarding the PTSD construct, and (c) the lack of robust findings regarding the effectiveness of mental health and psychosocial support.

Quality clinical placements for undergraduate nursing students: a cross-sectional survey of undergraduates and supervising nurses.

PubMed

Courtney-Pratt, Helen; FitzGerald, Mary; Ford, Karen; Marsden, Kathryn; Marlow, Annette

2012-06-01

  This article is a report of a mixed method study of the quality of clinical placements for second year undergraduate nursing students in an acute care hospital.   In response to the current and predicted workforce shortages, greater numbers of nursing undergraduate places are being offered at tertiary institutions. This means that requests for clinical places in hospitals to support undergraduate students has risen. Little is known about the impact of increased numbers on the quality of clinical placement as a learning experience and this is of concern as demand grows and the means of assessing capacity is still unknown.   A 5-point Likert Scale questionnaire, including free text fields, was administered to undergraduates (n = 178), clinical facilitators (n = 22) and supervising ward nurses (n = 163) at two time points in 2009. The survey targeted the quality of the clinical placement in four domains: welcoming and belongingness; teaching and learning; feedback; confidence and competence. Findings.  The findings demonstrated consistently high scoring of the clinical placement experience by both undergraduates and registered nurses. There were higher ratings of levels of support from clinical facilitators compared to supervising ward nurses evident in data associated with the items on the questionnaire relating to teaching and learning.   The results are indicative of the professional commitment of nursing staff to support the next generation of nurses. The findings also give a mechanism to communicate outcomes of undergraduate support to nurses in practice, and highlight steps which can be taken to ensure high quality clinical placement continues. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Improving the Quality of Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision through Use of the Continuous Quality Improvement Approach: A Pilot in 30 PEPFAR-Supported Sites in Uganda

PubMed Central

Opio, Alex; Calnan, Jacqueline; Njeuhmeli, Emmanuel

2015-01-01

Background Uganda adopted voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) (also called Safe Male Circumcision in Uganda), as part of its HIV prevention strategy in 2010. Since then, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has implemented VMMC mostly with support from the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through its partners. In 2012, two PEPFAR-led external quality assessments evaluated compliance of service delivery sites with minimum quality standards. Quality gaps were identified, including lack of standardized forms or registers, lack of documentation of client consent, poor preparedness for emergencies and use of untrained service providers. In response, PEPFAR, through a USAID-supported technical assistance project, provided support in quality improvement to the MOH and implementing partners to improve quality and safety in VMMC services and build capacity of MOH staff to continuously improve VMMC service quality. Methods and Findings Sites were supported to identify barriers in achieving national standards, identify possible solutions to overcome the barriers and carry out improvement plans to test these changes, while collecting performance data to objectively measure whether they had bridged gaps. A 53-indicator quality assessment tool was used by teams as a management tool to measure progress; teams also measured client-level indicators through self-assessment of client records. At baseline (February-March 2013), less than 20 percent of sites scored in the “good” range (>80%) for supplies and equipment, patient counseling and surgical procedure; by November 2013, the proportion of sites scoring “good” rose to 67 percent, 93 percent and 90 percent, respectively. Significant improvement was noted in post-operative follow-up at 48 hours, sexually transmitted infection assessment, informed consent and use of local anesthesia but not rate of adverse events. Conclusion Public sector providers can be engaged to address the quality of VMMC using a continuous quality improvement approach. PMID:26207986

Challenges and opportunities for ELSI early career researchers.

PubMed

Bell, Jessica; Ancillotti, Mirko; Coathup, Victoria; Coy, Sarah; Rigter, Tessel; Tatum, Travis; Grewal, Jasjote; Akcesme, Faruk Berat; Brkić, Jovana; Causevic-Ramosevac, Anida; Milovanovic, Goran; Nobile, Marianna; Pavlidis, Cristiana; Finlay, Teresa; Kaye, Jane

2016-07-08

Over the past 25 years, there has been growing recognition of the importance of studying the Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) of genetic and genomic research. A large investment into ELSI research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Human Genomic Project budget in 1990 stimulated the growth of this emerging field; ELSI research has continued to develop and is starting to emerge as a field in its own right. The evolving subject matter of ELSI research continues to raise new research questions as well as prompt re-evaluation of earlier work and a growing number of scholars working in this area now identify themselves as ELSI scholars rather than with a particular discipline. Due to the international and interdisciplinary nature of ELSI research, scholars can often find themselves isolated from disciplinary or regionally situated support structures. We conducted a workshop with Early Career Researchers (ECRs) in Oxford, UK, and this paper discusses some of the particular challenges that were highlighted. While ELSI ECRs may face many of the universal challenges faced by ECRs, we argue that a number of challenges are either unique or exacerbated in the case of ELSI ECRs and discuss some of the reasons as to why this may be the case. We identify some of the most pressing issues for ELSI ECRs as: interdisciplinary angst and expertise, isolation from traditional support structures, limited resources and funding opportunities, and uncertainty regarding how research contributions will be measured. We discuss the potential opportunity to use web 2.0 technologies to transform academic support structures and address some of the challenges faced by ELSI ECRs, by helping to facilitate mentoring and support, access to resources and new accreditation metrics. As our field develops it is crucial for the ELSI community to continue looking forward to identify how emerging digital solutions can be used to facilitate the international and interdisciplinary research we perform, and to offer support for those embarking on, progressing through, and transitioning into an ELSI research career.

Qualitative Assessment of the Impact of Implementing Reiki Training in a Supported Residence for People Older Than 50 Years with HIV/AIDS

PubMed Central

Mehl-Madrona, Lewis; Renfrew, Nita M; Mainguy, Barbara

2011-01-01

Introduction: Reiki is a Japanese form of energy healing that has become popular in the US. Reiki training involves three stages—levels I, II, and III—to a master practitioner level and requires both giving and receiving Reiki. We set out to implement a program to train clients of a supported residence in Brooklyn, NY. They were all older than age 50 years and had HIV/AIDS and substance-abuse and/or mental-health disorders. Methods: A qualitative, narrative-inquiry study was conducted. The Reiki master kept a journal of her 3 years of providing 90 minutes of Reiki treatment and/or training once weekly at the residence. Forty-five of 50 potential participants attended these sessions with various frequencies. Stories were collected from 35 participants regarding their experience of Reiki training. We posited success as continued involvement in the program. Results: All 35 participants reported receiving benefit from participation in Reiki. Participants first took part in training because of the offered subway tokens; however, 40 continued their involvement despite a lack of compensation. When asked why they continued, participants reported life-changing experiences, including a greater ability to cope with addictions, a greater ability to manage counseling, healing of wounds, improvement of T-cell counts, and improved skills of daily living. Conclusion: Reiki training can be successfully implemented in a supported housing facility with people with HIV/AIDS and comorbid disorders. Some people in our study population reported areas of improvement and life-changing experiences. Our study did not establish the efficacy of Reiki, but our findings support the effect of the entire gestalt of implementing a program related to spirituality and healing and supports the goal of implementing a larger randomized, controlled trial in this setting to establish the efficacy of Reiki. PMID:22058669

Initiating and continuing behaviour change within a weight gain prevention trial: a qualitative investigation.

PubMed

Kozica, Samantha; Lombard, Catherine; Teede, Helena; Ilic, Dragan; Murphy, Kerry; Harrison, Cheryce

2015-01-01

Preventing obesity is an international health priority. In Australia, young women who live in rural communities are at high risk of unhealthy weight gain. Interventions which engage young women and support sustainable behaviour change are needed and comprehensive evaluation of such interventions generates knowledge for population scale-up. This qualitative sub-study aims to identify enablers and barriers to behaviour change initiation and continuation within a community weight gain prevention program. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with program participants 6 months after baseline. All interviews were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analysed independently by two investigators via thematic analysis. A total of 28 women with a mean age of 39.9±6.2years and a BMI of 28.6±5.2kg/m2 were purposively recruited from the larger cohort (n = 649) that participated in the prevention trial. Four behaviour change groups emerged were identified from participant interviews: (i) no change, (ii) relapse, (iii) intermittent and (iv) continued change. Factors influencing behaviour change initiation and continuation included realistic program expectations and the participant's ability to apply the core program elements including: setting small, achievable behaviour change goals, problem solving and using self-management techniques. Personal knowledge, skills, motivation, self-efficacy, accountability and perceived social and environmental barriers also affected behaviour change. Satisfaction with personal program progress and the perceived amount of program supports required to achieve ongoing behaviour change varied amongst participants. Women who relapsed expressed a desire for more intensive and regular support from health professionals, identified more barriers unrelated to the program, anticipated significant weight loss and had lower satisfaction with their progress. Initiating and continuing behaviour change is a complex process. Our findings elucidate that initiation and continuation of behaviour change in women undertaking a weight gain prevention program may be facilitated by accurate and realistic understanding of program expectation, the ability to apply the core program messages, higher internal motivation, self-efficacy and minimal social and environmental barriers. Australia & New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry ACTRN12612000115831 www.anzctr.org.au.

Consideration of the influence of place on access to employment for persons with serious mental illness in northeastern Ontario.

PubMed

Rebeiro Gruhl, K L; Kauppi, C; Montgomery, P; James, S

2012-01-01

Despite increasing attention to employment within the mental health sector, reports indicate that people with serious mental illness (SMI) continue to experience limited employment success in the province of Ontario, Canada. Research specifies that people with SMI who live in rural places are less likely than those living in urban centers to have access to satisfactory employment services or to become gainfully employed. The objective of this study was to examine access to employment from the perspectives of people with SMI, mental health and vocational service providers, and decision-makers, and to explore whether place influenced their access to work in northeastern Ontario. A qualitative case study using community-based participatory research methods was chosen to examine the experience of access to competitive employment in two northeastern Ontario communities. The cases selected for study were two geographic areas in northeastern Ontario which provided best-practice, mental health services to persons with SMI. Community-based site partners advertised and recruited participants, and a consumer advisory provided input on key stakeholders, questions, findings and the study action plan. The study findings were informed by individual and group interviews conducted with 46 individuals who resided in both rural and urban settings in the case communities, and feedback from 49 participants who attended town hall forums for presentation of study findings and development of an action plan. The qualitative data was supported by a secondary data source reporting on the employment outcomes of 4112 people with SMI who received disability income support and who resided in the case communities. Qualitative data were analyzed inductively, and categories and themes were developed. Findings were member checked with all informants and town hall participants in each case community. This article draws on the findings of a larger study and reports on the influence of place to the low employment success experienced by people with SMI who reside in the case communities; 91.3% of those receiving disability income support are unemployed, and rural residents experience higher levels of unemployment than those in urban places. Place was found to influence access to employment in five ways: by limited access to employment support services in rural places, and to recommended ratios in urban places; by the use of different models and practices that were inconsistent with best practices for people with SMI; by the lack of a plan for the implementation of employment services in the case communities; by limited use of the available, dedicated vocational resources for employment purposes; and by inadequate supports provided to persons with SMI who wish to enter the workforce. The results also underscore how people with SMI continue to be perceived negatively regarding their capacity for employment. Such stereotypical attitudes additionally contributed to employment marginalization of people with SMI from the workforce, especially in rural communities. The study highlights the influence of geography and human resources to the implementation of best practice employment services and supports for persons with SMI. Important policy implications include the need to consider place when implementing evidence-based practices in places where geography, distance and human health resources limit the communities' capacity to successfully do so. The study also underscores the need to build community capacity for supported employment, especially in rural places, in order to improve the participation of people with SMI in employment, and subsequently, to help shift the communities' thinking about their capacity for work.

From interaction to interaction: Exploring shared resources constructed through and mediating classroom science learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Xiaowei

Recent reform documents and science education literature emphasize the importance of scientific argumentation as a discourse and practice of science that should be supported in school science learning. Much of this literature focuses on the structure of argument, whether for assessing the quality of argument or designing instructional scaffolds. This study challenges the narrowness of this research paradigm and argues for the necessity of examining students' argumentative practices as rooted in the complex, evolving system of the classroom. Employing a sociocultural-historical lens of activity theory (Engestrom, 1987, 1999), discourse analysis is employed to explore how a high school biology class continuously builds affordances and constraints for argumentation practices through interactions. The ways in which argumentation occurs, including the nature of teacher and student participation, are influenced by learning goals, classroom norms, teacher-student relationships and epistemological stances constructed through a class' interactive history. Based on such findings, science education should consider promoting classroom scientific argumentation as a long-term process, requiring supportive resources that develop through continuous classroom interactions. Moreover, in order to understand affordances that support disciplinary learning in classroom, we need to look beyond just disciplinary interactions. This work has implications for classroom research on argumentation and teacher education, specifically, the preparation of teachers for secondary science teaching.

Correlates and Predictors of Psychological Distress among Afghan Refugees in San Diego County

PubMed Central

James, Sigrid; Siddiq, Hafifa; Montgomery, Susanne

2015-01-01

The psychological effects of war and resulting displacement continue to negatively impact Afghan refugees. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that are associated with and predict psychological distress symptoms among Afghan refugees. We analyzed data from a diverse sample of 130 Afghan refugees recruited through non-random sampling in the San Diego area. Participants completed self-report questionnaires consisting of a culturally validated measure of psychological distress, the Afghan Symptom Checklist [ASCL] alongside standardized measures of acculturation, social support, and perceived stress. In bivariate analyses, older age, older age at migration, female gender, being widowed, having lower education, being unemployed, unable to comfortably pay monthly bills, lower acculturation and social support, and higher levels of perceived stress were associated with psychological distress. However, only few variables – female gender, being widowed, unable to comfortably pay monthly bills, and perceived stress – remained significant in multivariate analysis. The findings from this study contribute to understanding the social determinants of distress that affect Afghans in exile even after long-term resettlement in the US. These reported outcomes support the need for continued research with Afghans, alongside the implementation of culturally relevant psychosocial interventions that emphasize prevention of post-resettlement stressors immediately upon resettlement. PMID:26543500

Leadership and Funding: Changes Ahead for Agricultural Safety and Health.

PubMed

Murphy, Dennis J; Lee, Barbara C

2018-01-01

For the last several decades, financial support for agricultural safety and health programs and professionals has primarily been covered by public dollars through federal and state government grant programs and appropriations. This federal and state funding provided a tremendous boost to farm safety and health professionals and program efforts for 30+ years and has provided the foundation and structure for current agricultural safety and health efforts and activities. However, there is reason to question long-term sustainability of a sufficient level of federal and state dollars for agricultural safety and health. Public funding for agricultural safety and health has never quite kept up to inflation, but even more ominous is that the entire agricultural safety and health program has been proposed for elimination each year by the White House budget beginning with the fiscal year 2012. It seems prudent, perhaps even imperative, for the agricultural safety and health community to find alternative support mechanisms. We suggest that now is a great time for agricultural businesses, services, and organizations to step up their financial support. Fortunately, several positive examples have recently surfaced within the agricultural community. As the agricultural industry continues to be a dominant enterprise in the United States, the integration of significant funding and the role of leadership from within the industry must continue to expand.

Impact of VANA academic-practice partnership participation on educational mobility decisions and teaching aspirations of nurses.

PubMed

Wyte-Lake, Tamar; Bowman, Candice; Needleman, Jack; Dougherty, Mary; Scarrott, Diana N; Dobalian, Aram

2014-01-01

This study reports findings assessing the influence of the Department of Veterans Affairs Nursing Academy (VANA) academic-practice partnership program on nurse decision making regarding educational mobility and teaching aspirations. We conducted national surveys with nursing faculty from VANA partnership sites in 2011 (N = 133) and 2012 (N = 74). Faculty who spent more hours per week in the VANA role and who reported an increase in satisfaction with their participation in VANA were more likely to have been influenced by their VANA experience in choosing to pursue a higher degree (p < .05). Sixty-nine percent of VANA faculty reported that they would be very interested in staying on as a VANA faculty member if the program should continue. Six measures were positively associated with VANA's influence on the desire to continue as faculty beyond the VANA pilot; support from VANA colleagues, quality of VANA students, amount of guidance with curriculum development, availability of administrative support, support for improving teaching methods, and overall satisfaction with VANA experience (p < .05). As the popularity of academic-practice partnerships grows and their list of benefits is further enumerated, motivating nurses to pursue both higher degrees and faculty roles should be listed among them based on results reported here. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Using computers to enable self-management of aphasia therapy exercises for word finding: the patient and carer perspective.

PubMed

Palmer, Rebecca; Enderby, Pam; Paterson, Gail

2013-01-01

Speech and language therapy (SLT) for aphasia can be difficult to access in the later stages of stroke recovery, despite evidence of continued improvement with sufficient therapeutic intensity. Computerized aphasia therapy has been reported to be useful for independent language practice, providing new opportunities for continued rehabilitation. The success of this option depends on its acceptability to patients and carers. To investigate factors that affect the acceptability of independent home computerized aphasia therapy practice. An acceptability study of computerized therapy was carried out alongside a pilot randomized controlled trial of computer aphasia therapy versus usual care for people more than 6 months post-stroke. Following language assessment and computer exercise prescription by a speech and language therapist, participants practised three times a week for 5 months at home with monthly volunteer support. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 participants who received the intervention and ten carers (n = 24). Questions from a topic guide were presented and answered using picture, gesture and written support. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Three research SLTs identified and cross-checked themes and subthemes emerging from the data. The key themes that emerged were benefits and disadvantages of computerized aphasia therapy, need for help and support, and comparisons with face-to-face therapy. The independence, flexibility and repetition afforded by the computer was viewed as beneficial and the personalized exercises motivated participants to practise. Participants and carers perceived improvements in word-finding and confidence-talking. Computer practice could cause fatigue and interference with other commitments. Support from carers or volunteers for motivation and technical assistance was seen as important. Although some participants preferred face-to-face therapy, using a computer for independent language practice was perceived to be an acceptable alternative. Independent computerized aphasia therapy is acceptable to stroke survivors. Acceptability can be maximized by tailoring exercises to personal interests of the individual, ensuring access to support and giving consideration to fatigue and life style when recommending practice schedules. © 2013 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

The role of the support worker in nursing homes: a consideration of key issues.

PubMed

Baldwin, Julie; Roberts, Julia D; Fitzpatrick, Joanne I; While, Alison; Cowan, David T

2003-11-01

The aim of this paper is to critically consider the role of the support worker in the nursing home sector and with particular reference to the United Kingdom situation. With the expansion of the nursing home sector, there is an increasing population of support workers in this field. Literature in this paper covers the period between 1989 and 2002, beginning with the build up to the introduction of the National Health Service and Community Care Act (available at: http://www.hmso.gov.uk), which necessitated a major shift between public and private sector employment. The findings of this paper indicate limited research, investigating the role of support workers in general and specifically those working in the nursing home sector. The literature suggests that the majority of the role focuses on direct patient care, however, a lack of role clarification was evident and differences emerged between the views of support workers and Registered Nurses regarding the place of support workers in the care process. In particular, support workers saw their role as similar to that of the Registered Nurse, although Registered Nurse regarded 'basic nursing care' as the key remit of the support worker role. The paper also indicated inadequate preparation and subsequent supervision of support workers. These key findings indicate that role clarification, appropriate preparation and a process of continuing development require careful consideration by managers if the positive contribution of this group of care workers is to be fully realized. Furthermore, while there exists no central source of funding to finance the role preparation and mentorship of support workers, training provision will remain ad hoc. Obtaining core funding would allow for the training and education of support workers to become standard practice, which, in turn, is more likely to lead to improvements in the planning and resourcing of care provision. Equally, further research is needed if the support worker role is to be used effectively and efficiently within the expanding nursing home sector.

47 CFR 54.611 - Distributing support.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) UNIVERSAL SERVICE Universal Service Support for Health Care Providers § 54.611 Distributing support. (a) A telecommunications carrier providing services eligible for support under this subpart to eligible health care...

A Pilot Test of a Mobile App for Drug Court Participants

PubMed Central

Johnson, Kimberly; Richards, Stephanie; Chih, Ming-Yuan; Moon, Tae Joon; Curtis, Hilary; Gustafson, David H.

2016-01-01

The U.S. criminal justice system refers more people to substance abuse treatment than any other system. Low treatment completion rates and high relapse rates among addicted offenders highlight the need for better substance use disorder treatment and recovery tools. Mobile health applications (apps) may fill that need by providing continuous support. In this pilot test, 30 participants in a Massachusetts drug court program used A-CHESS, a mobile app for recovery support and relapse prevention, over a four-month period. Over the course of the study period, participants opened A-CHESS on average of 62% of the days that they had the app. Social networking tools were the most utilized services. The study results suggest that drug court participants will make regular use of a recovery support app. This pilot study sought to find out if addicted offenders in a drug court program would use a mobile application to support and manage their recovery. PMID:26917964

A community support program for children with autism and their typically developing siblings: Initial investigation.

PubMed

Kryzak, Lauren A; Cengher, Mirela; Feeley, Kathleen M; Fienup, Daniel M; Jones, Emily A

2015-06-01

Siblings are a critical part of lifelong support for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). But siblings face their own social-emotional adjustment needs. These needs may be addressed through programs that include support groups specifically for the siblings. This study examined the effects of a community program on typical siblings' depression, anxiety, ASD knowledge, and peer network as well as reciprocal interactions between the typical sibling and sibling with ASD. The program provided a sibling support group, a skills intervention for children with ASD, and an inclusive recreation time. Siblings reported significant decreases in depression and physiological anxiety and improvements in their peer network. Autism knowledge increased but only approached significance. Direct observations revealed improvement in reciprocal interactions by most children that did not reach statistical significance. Parents, typical siblings, and interventionists indicated positive reactions to the program and its goals and outcomes. Findings are discussed in terms of the need to continue to explore interventions for siblings of children with ASD. © The Author(s) 2014.

An evaluation of CPD learning and impact upon positive practice change.

PubMed

Lee, Nancy-Jane

2011-05-01

This paper explores positive practice change in nursing and health care practice following continuing professional development (CPD). It is derived from a commissioned evaluation study within the United Kingdom (UK). Evaluation data was gathered using semi structured discussions with CPD participants, a convenience sample of line managers and University module leaders. Findings suggest that professional peer attitudes and support, when harnessed effectively in the practice setting, strongly enhance positive change. Conversely a lack of engagement with practice peers, a lack of strategic support and not knowing how to access support hinder change. The study found that learning need was often explored through personal development planning and appraisal, however there was little systematic follow up, review and support following learning. Interestingly the individual personal drive and enthusiasm of practitioners was perceived as the strongest factor helping practice change, while policy drivers and national health targets were secondary. Possible strategies to enhance positive practice change are explored. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Online support and education for dementia caregivers: overview, utilization, and initial program evaluation.

PubMed

Glueckauf, Robert L; Ketterson, Timothy U; Loomis, Jeffrey S; Dages, Pat

2004-01-01

Family caregivers of older adults with progressive dementia (e.g., Alzheimer's disease) are confronted with a variety of challenges in providing assistance to their loved ones, such as dealing with persistent, repetitive questions, managing episodes of agitation and aggressive responding, as well as monitoring hygiene and self-care activities. Although professional and governmental organizations have called for the creation of community-based education and support programs, a significant proportion of dementia caregivers in the United States continue to receive little or no formal instruction in responding effectively to these anxiety-provoking situations. This paper describes the development and implementation of Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Online (also known as AlzOnline), an Internet- and telephone-based education and support network for caregivers of individuals with progressive dementia. An outcome analysis of a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded strategic marketing initiative to promote the use of AlzOnline is reviewed, followed by a presentation of the findings of an initial program evaluation. Finally, future directions for online caregiver evaluation research are proposed.

47 CFR 54.625 - Support for telecommunications services beyond the maximum supported distance for rural health...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 3 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Support for telecommunications services beyond... Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) UNIVERSAL SERVICE Universal Service Support for Health Care Providers Telecommunications Program § 54.625 Support...

47 CFR 54.625 - Support for telecommunications services beyond the maximum supported distance for rural health...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 3 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Support for telecommunications services beyond... Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) UNIVERSAL SERVICE Universal Service Support for Health Care Providers Telecommunications Program § 54.625 Support...

News on tobacco and public attitudes toward smokefree air policies in the United States.

PubMed

Smith, Katherine Clegg; Siebel, Catherine; Pham, Luu; Cho, Juhee; Singer, Rachel Friedman; Chaloupka, Frank Joseph; Griswold, Michael; Wakefield, Melanie

2008-04-01

Smoking bans are a central component of comprehensive tobacco control programs, and an increasing number of states and localities have adopted them. Public support is critical as efforts continue to extend protection from secondhand smoke to all. We examine the relationship between state print news coverage of tobacco and public sentiment towards smoking bans. We utilize two data sources: the February 2002 Current Population Survey Tobacco Use Supplement, and articles from 2 months in a database comprised of content-analyzed newspaper articles on tobacco from all daily U.S. newspapers. We control for demographic and state-level tobacco covariates, and use logistic regression to identify associations between news coverage and attitudes towards policy initiatives by smoking status. We find no association between tone of news coverage and any outcome measure and little evidence of a relationship between the volume of overall tobacco news and attitudes towards smoking bans. Our data suggest that people exposed to more news on secondhand smoke issues are less likely to support restaurant smoking bans. Higher volume of secondhand smoke news is also predictive of lower support for bar bans among recent quitters. Support for hospital bans is, however, largely independent of news coverage. We suggest two alternate explanations for our findings. First, for certain people, greater news volume on secondhand smoke may lead to lower support for bans. Alternatively, secondhand smoke may be more newsworthy in states where bans are more controversial.

The role of support antecedents in nurses' intentions to quit: the case of Australia.

PubMed

Shacklock, Kate; Brunetto, Yvonne; Teo, Stephen; Farr-Wharton, Rod

2014-04-01

The study used Social Exchange Theory as a lens to examine associations between nurses' support antecedents (supervisor-nurse relationships and perceived organizational support) and their job attitudes (job satisfaction, organizational commitment and engagement). Similar to many other westernized countries, there is a shortage of nurses working as nurses in Australia. The attrition of nurses from the workplace continues to be a challenge for many countries, with resultant calls for improved retention rates. The design employed in this study was a Survey. A self-report survey of 1600 nurses employed in five private sector hospitals throughout Australia was completed during 2010-2011, resulting in 510 completed surveys. A mediation path model was developed to test the hypotheses and results of Partial Least Squares analysis showed that both support antecedents (supervisor-nurse relationships and perceived organizational support) positively led to engagement and job satisfaction. Subsequently, nurses more satisfied with their jobs were also more committed to their organizations, ultimately leading to lower intentions to quit. In addition, job satisfaction was found to mediate the relationships between organizational commitment and turnover intentions, plus between supervisor-subordinate relationships and turnover intentions. In the context of a shortage of nurses and higher than average turnover rates, the findings suggest that it is important to improve nurses' job satisfaction and organizational commitment to improve retention. However, the findings also suggest that workplace relationships and organizational management are currently far from ideal. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Conceptual structure and the procedural affordances of rational numbers: relational reasoning with fractions and decimals.

PubMed

DeWolf, Melissa; Bassok, Miriam; Holyoak, Keith J

2015-02-01

The standard number system includes several distinct types of notations, which differ conceptually and afford different procedures. Among notations for rational numbers, the bipartite format of fractions (a/b) enables them to represent 2-dimensional relations between sets of discrete (i.e., countable) elements (e.g., red marbles/all marbles). In contrast, the format of decimals is inherently 1-dimensional, expressing a continuous-valued magnitude (i.e., proportion) but not a 2-dimensional relation between sets of countable elements. Experiment 1 showed that college students indeed view these 2-number notations as conceptually distinct. In a task that did not involve mathematical calculations, participants showed a strong preference to represent partitioned displays of discrete objects with fractions and partitioned displays of continuous masses with decimals. Experiment 2 provided evidence that people are better able to identify and evaluate ratio relationships using fractions than decimals, especially for discrete (or discretized) quantities. Experiments 3 and 4 found a similar pattern of performance for a more complex analogical reasoning task. When solving relational reasoning problems based on discrete or discretized quantities, fractions yielded greater accuracy than decimals; in contrast, when quantities were continuous, accuracy was lower for both symbolic notations. Whereas previous research has established that decimals are more effective than fractions in supporting magnitude comparisons, the present study reveals that fractions are relatively advantageous in supporting relational reasoning with discrete (or discretized) concepts. These findings provide an explanation for the effectiveness of natural frequency formats in supporting some types of reasoning, and have implications for teaching of rational numbers.

In Cyprus, 'midwifery is dying...'. A qualitative exploration of midwives' perceptions of their role as advocates for normal childbirth.

PubMed

Hadjigeorgiou, Eleni; Coxon, Kirstie

2014-09-01

advocacy has been identified as vital for improving maternal and newborn health. In many countries, midwives struggle to advocate for women; in Cyprus, there has been no research into perceptions of advocacy amongst midwives. this study provides an exploration of the perceptions of midwives as client advocates for normal childbirth in Cyprus. a qualitative approach was adopted, using participant observation and semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of twenty experienced midwives. A thematic approach was taken for the analysis. five main interconnected themes emerged, two of which, 'Lack of professional recognition' and 'Deficiencies in basic or continuing education' presented barriers to midwives' adoption of an advocacy role. Three themes reflected structural factors that also discouraged midwives from acting as advocates: these were 'physician dominance', 'medicalisation of childbirth' and 'lack of institutional support'. advocacy is a demanding and challenging role and midwives should be empowered to feel confident in undertaking this role through continuing professional education programmes and professional recognition. In order to be effective advocates, midwives needed to be recognised and valued by the public and by other health professionals as equal partners within the multidisciplinary team. However, midwives in Cyprus find themselves in difficult situations when advocating normal childbirth due to medical domination of the health services, medicalisation of childbirth and inadequate institutional support. in this setting, midwives need to gain professional recognition, to have more effective basic and continuing education programmes and receive better support from managers and policy makers in order to become advocates for normal childbirth. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Public opinion on media presence in the courthouse.

PubMed

Fusco, Nina Marie; Sabourin, Michel

2012-01-01

Very little attention has been devoted to the public's opinion of media coverage of court cases despite extensive research on pretrial publicity (PTP). Following a provincial judgment to restrict media access in Quebec courthouses, a preliminary unpublished study found that the public was largely in support of these restrictions. The present study sought to expand on this finding in a more widely generalizable sample. Subjects were recruited from continuing education classes and completed a questionnaire that assessed their support for restricting journalists in courthouses. Nearly 80% of the 243 participants supported media restrictions. Although participants in the four experimental conditions and one of the control groups were largely in favor of the restrictions, one control group was opposed to the restrictions. The results suggest that the public prefers that journalists have restricted access to courtroom participants, resonating research on PTP and the Supreme Court's decision on the case. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An examination of the role of perceived support and employee commitment in employee-customer encounters.

PubMed

Vandenberghe, Christian; Bentein, Kathleen; Michon, Richard; Chebat, Jean-Charles; Tremblay, Michel; Fils, Jean-François

2007-07-01

The authors examined the relationships between perceived organizational support, organizational commitment, commitment to customers, and service quality in a fast-food firm. The research design matched customer responses with individual employees' attitudes, making this study a true test of the service provider-customer encounter. On the basis of a sample of matched employee-customer data (N = 133), hierarchical linear modeling analyses revealed that perceived organizational support had both a unit-level and an employee-level effect on 1 dimension of service quality: helping behavior. Contrary to affective organizational commitment, affective commitment to customers enhanced service quality. The 2 sub-dimensions of continuance commitment to the organization--perceived high sacrifice and perceived lack of alternatives--exerted effects opposite in sign: The former fostered service quality, whereas the latter reduced it. The implications of these findings are discussed within the context of research on employee-customer encounters.

47 CFR 54.502 - Supported telecommunications services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Supported telecommunications services. 54.502 Section 54.502 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) UNIVERSAL SERVICE Universal Service Support for Schools and Libraries § 54.502 Supported...

Smoking Status, Changes in Smoking Status and Health-Related Quality of Life: Findings from the SUN (“Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra”) Cohort

PubMed Central

Guitérrez-Bedmar, Mario; Seguí-Gómez, María; Gómez-Gracia, Enrique; Bes-Rastrollo, Maira; Martínez-González, Miguel A

2009-01-01

We aimed to evaluate the association between smoking, changes in smoking, and quality of life in a cohort of Spanish university graduates. Smoking habits were self-reported at baseline and four years later. Quality of life was assessed using the Short Form-36 (SF-36) at year 4. Statistical differences in SF-36 scores between groups were determined using ANCOVA with age and sex as covariates. Out of 5,234 eligible participants over 2000–2006, there were 2,639 non-smoker participants, 1,419 ex-smokers, and 1,048 smokers. Within the previous four years, 435 participants became recent quitters and 205 starters. Comparing smoking and health status in year 4, non-smokers showed better scores than the other categories of ever smoking in all dimensions except in the vitality scale value, which was similar in non-smokers and in those smoking less than 15 cigarettes/day. Comparing changes in smoking and health in year 4, continuing smokers had statistically significant worse scores than non-smokers in general health, social functioning, role-emotional and mental health, whereas recent quitters showed statistically significant improvements in role-emotional and mental health over those who had continued smoking or those who became smokers. Our findings support a dose-response relationship between cigarette consumption and a worse quality of life in general and mental health in particular. They also support that changes in smoking have an impact on health. PMID:19440285

Return to work following disabling occupational injury--facilitators of employment continuation.

PubMed

Young, Amanda E

2010-11-01

Return to work following occupational injury is an important rehabilitation milestone; however, it does not mark the end of the return-to-work process. Following a return to the workplace, workers can experience difficulties that compromise their rehabilitation gains. Although there has been investigation of factors related to a return to the workplace, little attention has been paid to understanding what facilitates continued return-to-work success as this paper aims to do. This study used data gathered during one-on-one telephone interviews with 146 people who experienced a work-related injury that resulted in their being unable to return to their pre-injury job, but who returned to work following an extended period of absence and the receipt of vocational services. Numerous return-to-work facilitators were reported, including features of the workers' environmental and personal contexts, as well as body function, activities, and participation. Influences that stood out included a perception that the work was appropriate, supportive workplace relationships, and a sense of satisfaction/achievement associated with being at work. The findings support the contention that initiatives aimed at improving return-to-work outcomes can go beyond the removal of barriers to include interventions to circumvent difficulties before they are encountered. Together with providing ideas for interventions, the study's findings offer an insight into research and theoretical development that might be undertaken to further the understanding of the return-to-work process and the factors that impact upon it.

Learning and using technology in intertwined processes: a study of people with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Rosenberg, Lena; Nygård, Louise

2014-09-01

People with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease are likely to be challenged by the multitude of everyday technology in today's society. The aim of this study was to explore how they try to prohibit, avoid or solve problems in everyday technology use, maintain skills, and learn to use new technology. To explore how the participants applied and reasoned about using everyday technology in real-life situations interviews were conducted while the participants used their own technology in their homes. Interviews were conducted with 20 participants with mild cognitive impairment (n = 10) or Alzheimer's disease (n = 10). The analyses were inspired from grounded theory and resulted in one core category and three sub-categories that represent sub-processes in the core. The core finding presents a continuous, intertwined process of learning and using everyday technology, highlighting how the context was interwoven in the processes. The participants used a rich variety of management strategies when approaching technology, including communication with the everyday technologies on different levels. The findings underscore that it is important to support continued use of everyday technology as long as it is valued and relevant to the person with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease. The intertwined process of learning and using everyday technology suggests how support could target different sub-processes. © The Author(s) 2013 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Retrenched Welfare Regimes Still Lessen Social Class Inequalities in Health: A Longitudinal Analysis of the 2003-2010 EU-SILC in 23 European Countries.

PubMed

Muntaner, C; Davis, O; McIsaack, K; Kokkinen, L; Shankardass, K; O'Campo, P

2017-07-01

This article builds on recent work that has explored how welfare regimes moderate social class inequalities in health. It extends research to date by using longitudinal data from the EU-SILC (2003-2010) and examines how the relationship between social class and self-reported health and chronic conditions varies across 23 countries, which are split into five welfare regimes (Nordic, Anglo-Saxon, Eastern, Southern, and Continental). Our analysis finds that health across all classes was only worse in Eastern Europe (compared with the Nordic countries). In contrast, we find evidence that the social class gradient in both measures of health was significantly wider in the Anglo-Saxon and Southern regimes. We suggest that this evidence supports the notion that welfare regimes continue to explain differences in health according to social class location. We therefore argue that although downward pressures from globalization and neoliberalism have blurred welfare regime typologies, the Nordic model may continue to have an important mediating effect on class-based inequalities in health.

Continuing harmonization of terminology and innovations for methodologies in developmental toxicology: Report of the 8th Berlin Workshop on Developmental Toxicity, 14-16 May 2014.

PubMed

Solecki, Roland; Rauch, Martina; Gall, Andrea; Buschmann, Jochen; Clark, Ruth; Fuchs, Antje; Kan, Haidong; Heinrich, Verena; Kellner, Rupert; Knudsen, Thomas B; Li, Weihua; Makris, Susan L; Ooshima, Yojiro; Paumgartten, Francisco; Piersma, Aldert H; Schönfelder, Gilbert; Oelgeschläger, Michael; Schaefer, Christof; Shiota, Kohei; Ulbrich, Beate; Ding, Xuncheng; Chahoud, Ibrahim

2015-11-01

This article is a report of the 8th Berlin Workshop on Developmental Toxicity held in May 2014. The main aim of the workshop was the continuing harmonization of terminology and innovations for methodologies used in the assessment of embryo- and fetotoxic findings. The following main topics were discussed: harmonized categorization of external, skeletal, visceral and materno-fetal findings into malformations, variations and grey zone anomalies, aspects of developmental anomalies in humans and laboratory animals, and innovations for new methodologies in developmental toxicology. The application of Version 2 terminology in the DevTox database was considered as a useful improvement in the categorization of developmental anomalies. Participants concluded that initiation of a project for comparative assessments of developmental anomalies in humans and laboratory animals could support regulatory risk assessment and university-based training. Improvement of new methodological approaches for alternatives to animal testing should be triggered for a better understanding of developmental outcomes. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Laboratory test of a novel structural model of anxiety sensitivity and panic vulnerability.

PubMed

Bernstein, Amit; Zvolensky, Michael J; Zvolensky, Michael J; Schmidt, Norman B

2009-06-01

The current study evaluated a novel latent structural model of anxiety sensitivity (AS) in relation to panic vulnerability among a sample of young adults (N=216). AS was measured using the 16-item Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI; Reiss, Peterson, Gursky, & McNally, 1986), and panic vulnerability was indexed by panic attack responding to a single administration of a 4-minute, 10% CO(2) challenge. As predicted, vulnerability for panic attack responding to biological challenge was associated with dichotomous individual differences between taxonic AS classes and continuous within-taxon class individual differences in AS physical concerns. Findings supported the AS taxonic-dimensional hypothesis of AS latent structure and panic vulnerability. These findings are discussed in terms of their theoretical and clinical implications.

Space Science Enterprise Strategy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

The 2003 Space Science Enterprise Strategy represents the efforts of hundreds of scientists, staff, and educators, as well as collaboration with the other NASA Enterprises. It reveals the progress we have made, our plans for the near future, and our opportunity to support the Agency's Mission to "explore the universe and search for life." Space science has made spectacular advances in the recent past, from the first baby pictures of the universe to the discovery of water ice on Mars. Each new discovery impels us to ask new questions or regard old ones in new ways. How did the universe begin? How did life arise? Are we alone? These questions continue to inspire all of us to keep exploring and searching. And, as we get closer to answers, we will continue to share our findings with the science community, educators, and the public as broadly and as rapidly as possible. In this Strategy, you will find science objectives that define NASA's quest for discovery. You will also find the framework of programs, such as flight missions and ground-based research, that will enable us to achieve these objectives. This Strategy is founded on recommendations from the community, as well as lessons learned from past programs, and maps the stepping-stones to the future of space science.

Sources of information used to support quality use of medicines: findings from a national survey of nurse practitioners in Australia.

PubMed

Buckley, Thomas; Stasa, Helen; Cashin, Andrew; Stuart, Meg; Dunn, Sandra V

2015-02-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the sources, both print and electronic formats, which Australian nurse practitioners (NPs) currently use to obtain information regarding quality use of medicines (QUM). An additional aim was to document NPs' preferences for continuing education in relation to QUM. A national electronic survey of Australian NPs was conducted in 2007 and again in 2010. Eighty percent of respondents accessed information on QUM from professional literature, which may include scholarly journal articles, reports, and independent publications. There was a decrease in the percentage of respondents who obtained information from drug industry representatives. NPs prefer to receive medicines information in an electronic form, rather than a paper-based version, and over the time period more NPs are utilizing electronic sources rather than paper. These findings provide important insights into medical information products for the developers who may be able to use these results to ensure that their products meet the needs of NP clinicians. Additionally, the finding that NPs prefer to receive their continuing information related to medicines in electronic format, but also highly value conference proceedings, may help to inform future planning of NP education needs in relation to QUM. ©2014 American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

Comparison of singer's formant, speaker's ring, and LTA spectrum among classical singers and untrained normal speakers.

PubMed

Oliveira Barrichelo, V M; Heuer, R J; Dean, C M; Sataloff, R T

2001-09-01

Many studies have described and analyzed the singer's formant. A similar phenomenon produced by trained speakers led some authors to examine the speaker's ring. If we consider these phenomena as resonance effects associated with vocal tract adjustments and training, can we hypothesize that trained singers can carry over their singing formant ability into speech, also obtaining a speaker's ring? Can we find similar differences for energy distribution in continuous speech? Forty classically trained singers and forty untrained normal speakers performed an all-voiced reading task and produced a sample of a sustained spoken vowel /a/. The singers were also requested to perform a sustained sung vowel /a/ at a comfortable pitch. The reading was analyzed by the long-term average spectrum (LTAS) method. The sustained vowels were analyzed through power spectrum analysis. The data suggest that singers show more energy concentration in the singer's formant/speaker's ring region in both sung and spoken vowels. The singers' spoken vowel energy in the speaker's ring area was found to be significantly larger than that of the untrained speakers. The LTAS showed similar findings suggesting that those differences also occur in continuous speech. This finding supports the value of further research on the effect of singing training on the resonance of the speaking voice.

Enabling new graduate midwives to work in midwifery continuity of care models: A conceptual model for implementation.

PubMed

Cummins, Allison M; Catling, Christine; Homer, Caroline S E

2017-12-04

High-level evidence demonstrates midwifery continuity of care is beneficial for women and babies. Women have limited access to midwifery continuity of care models in Australia. One of the factors limiting women's access is recruiting enough midwives to work in continuity. Our research found that newly graduated midwives felt well prepared to work in midwifery led continuity of care models, were well supported to work in the models and the main driver to employing them was a need to staff the models. However limited opportunities exist for new graduate midwives to work in midwifery continuity of care. The aim of this paper therefore is to describe a conceptual model developed to enable new graduate midwives to work in midwifery continuity of care models. The findings from a qualitative study were synthesised with the existing literature to develop a conceptual model that enables new graduate midwives to work in midwifery continuity of care. The model contains the essential elements to enable new graduate midwives to work in midwifery continuity of care models. Each of the essential elements discussed are to assist midwifery managers, educators and new graduates to facilitate the organisational changes required to accommodate new graduates. The conceptual model is useful to show maternity services how to enable new graduate midwives to work in midwifery continuity of care models. Copyright © 2017 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lessons Learned (3 Years of H2O2 Propulsion System Testing Efforts at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, Gary O.

2001-01-01

John C. Stennis Space Center continues to support the Propulsion community in an effort to validate High-Test Peroxide as an alternative to existing/future oxidizers. This continued volume of peroxide test/handling activity at Stennis Space Center (SSC) provides numerous opportunities for the SSC team to build upon previously documented 'lessons learned'. SSC shall continue to strive to document their experience and findings as H2O2 issues surface. This paper is intended to capture all significant peroxide issues that we have learned over the last three years. This data (lessons learned) has been formulated from practical handling, usage, storage, operations, and initial development/design of our systems/facility viewpoint. The paper is intended to be an information type tool and limited in technical rational; therefore, presenting the peroxide community with some issues to think about as the continued interest in peroxide evolves and more facilities/hardware are built. These lessons learned are intended to assist industry in mitigating problems and identifying potential pitfalls when dealing with the requirements for handling high-test peroxide.

Intergenerational transmission of corporal punishment in China: the moderating role of marital satisfaction and gender.

PubMed

Wang, Meifang; Xing, Xiaopei; Zhao, Jinxia

2014-11-01

The goal of this study was to examine the intergenerational patterns in the transmission of parental corporal punishment in China and the moderating effects of marital satisfaction (of the second generation: G2) and gender (of three generations: G1, G2 and G3) on these patterns. Six hundred thirty-five father-mother dyads with preschool-aged children were recruited to participate in this survey. The results provided evidence of cross-generational continuity in parental corporal punishment in Chinese society and also supported the hypothesis that same-gender continuity in parental corporal punishment is stronger than cross-gender continuity. Moreover, it was found that marital satisfaction moderated the transmission of parental corporal punishment, and there were some interesting gender differences in the moderator effect. Specifically, marital satisfaction buffered the transmission of corporal punishment from grandmothers to mothers of daughters and to fathers of sons but strengthened the transmission from grandfathers to fathers of sons. The findings broaden our understanding of the factors and processes that account for both discontinuity and continuity in parental corporal punishment, particularly within the Chinese cultural context.

The mentoring experiences of new graduate midwives working in midwifery continuity of care models in Australia.

PubMed

Cummins, Allison M; Denney-Wilson, E; Homer, C S E

2017-05-01

The aim of this paper was to explore the mentoring experiences of new graduate midwives working in midwifery continuity of care models in Australia. Most new graduates find employment in hospitals and undertake a new graduate program rotating through different wards. A limited number of new graduate midwives were found to be working in midwifery continuity of care. The new graduate midwives in this study were mentored by more experienced midwives. Mentoring in midwifery has been described as being concerned with confidence building based through a personal relationship. A qualitative descriptive study was undertaken and the data were analysed using continuity of care as a framework. We found having a mentor was important, knowing the mentor made it easier for the new graduate to call their mentor at any time. The new graduate midwives had respect for their mentors and the support helped build their confidence in transitioning from student to midwife. With the expansion of midwifery continuity of care models in Australia mentoring should be provided for transition midwives working in this way. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

ADHD and the externalizing spectrum: direct comparison of categorical, continuous, and hybrid models of liability in a nationally representative sample.

PubMed

Carragher, Natacha; Krueger, Robert F; Eaton, Nicholas R; Markon, Kristian E; Keyes, Katherine M; Blanco, Carlos; Saha, Tulshi D; Hasin, Deborah S

2014-08-01

Alcohol use disorders, substance use disorders, and antisocial personality disorder share a common externalizing liability, which may also include attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, few studies have compared formal quantitative models of externalizing liability, with the aim of delineating the categorical and/or continuous nature of this liability in the community. This study compares categorical, continuous, and hybrid models of externalizing liability. Data were derived from the 2004-2005 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (N = 34,653). Seven disorders were modeled: childhood ADHD and lifetime diagnoses of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), nicotine dependence, alcohol dependence, marijuana dependence, cocaine dependence, and other substance dependence. The continuous latent trait model provided the best fit to the data. Measurement invariance analyses supported the fit of the model across genders, with females displaying a significantly lower probability of experiencing externalizing disorders. Cocaine dependence, marijuana dependence, other substance dependence, alcohol dependence, ASPD, nicotine dependence, and ADHD provided the greatest information, respectively, about the underlying externalizing continuum. Liability to externalizing disorders is continuous and dimensional in severity. The findings have important implications for the organizational structure of externalizing psychopathology in psychiatric nomenclatures.

Mechanical properties of materials with nanometer scale dimensions and microstructures

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

Nix, William D.

2015-08-05

The three-year grant for which this final report is required extends from 2011 to 2015, including a one-year, no-cost extension. But this is just the latest in a long series of grants from the Division of Materials Sciences of DOE and its predecessor offices and agencies. These include contracts or grants from: the Metallurgy Branch of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s), the Materials Science Program of the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration (from the mid- to late- 1970s), and the Division of Materials Science of the Office of Basic Energy Sciences ofmore » the U.S. Department of Energy (from the early 1980s to the present time). Taken all together, these offices have provided nearly continuous support for our research for nearly 50 years. As we have said on many occasions, this research support has been the best we have ever had, by far. As we look back on the nearly five decades of support from the Division of Materials Sciences and the predecessor offices, we find that the continuity of support that we have enjoyed has allowed us to be most productive and terms of papers published, doctoral students graduated and influence on the field of materials science. This report will, of course, cover the three-year period of the present grant, in summary form, but will also make reference to the output that resulted from support of previous grants from the Division of Materials Sciences and its predecessor offices.« less

Evaluation of a specialized oncology nursing supportive care intervention in newly diagnosed breast and colorectal cancer patients following surgery: a cluster randomized trial.

PubMed

Sussman, Jonathan; Bainbridge, Daryl; Whelan, Timothy J; Brazil, Kevin; Parpia, Sameer; Wiernikowski, Jennifer; Schiff, Susan; Rodin, Gary; Sergeant, Myles; Howell, Doris

2018-05-01

Better coordination of supportive services during the early phases of cancer care has been proposed to improve the care experience of patients. We conducted a randomized trial to test a community-based nurse-led coordination of care intervention in cancer patients. Surgical practices were cluster randomized to a control group involving usual care practices or a standardized nursing intervention consisting of an in-person supportive care assessment with ongoing support to meet identified needs, including linkage to community services. Newly diagnosed breast and colorectal cancer patients within 7 days of cancer surgery were eligible. The primary outcome was the patient-reported outcome (PRO) of continuity of care (CCCQ) measured at 3 weeks. Secondary outcomes included unmet supportive care needs (SCNS), quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30), health resource utilization, and level of uncertainty with care trajectory (MUIS) at 3 and/or 8 weeks. A total of 121 breast and 72 colorectal patients were randomized through 28 surgical practices. There was a small improvement in the informational domain of continuity of care (difference 0.29 p = 0.05) and a trend to less emergency room use (15.8 vs 7.1%) (p = 0.07). There were no significant differences between groups on unmet need, quality of life, or uncertainty. We did not find substantial gaps in the PROs measured immediately following surgery for breast and colorectal cancer patients. The results of this study support a more targeted approach based on need and inform future research focused on improving navigation during the initial phases of cancer treatment. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00182234. SONICS-Effectiveness of Specialist Oncology Nursing.

INFLUENCES OF GENDER IDEOLOGY AND HOUSEWORK ALLOCATION ON WOMEN’S EMPLOYMENT OVER THE LIFE COURSE

PubMed Central

Cunningham, Mick

2008-01-01

The study investigates the influences of women’s attitudes about gender and couples’ housework allocation patterns on women’s employment status and work hours across the life course. The influence of these factors on the employment characteristics of continuously married women is investigated at four time points: 1977, 1980, 1985, and 1993. Data come from the Intergenerational Panel Study of Parents and Children and the analysis sample includes 556 continuously married women. Findings from structural equation, fixed effects, and tobit models offer consistent evidence of long-term positive influences of women’s egalitarian gender ideology and men’s participation in routine housework on women’s labor force participation. The results provide support for hypotheses based on the notion of lagged adaptation. PMID:19255608

Stimulated Brillouin scattering continuous wave phase conjugation in step-index fiber optics.

PubMed

Massey, Steven M; Spring, Justin B; Russell, Timothy H

2008-07-21

Continuous wave (CW) stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) phase conjugation in step-index optical fibers was studied experimentally and modeled as a function of fiber length. A phase conjugate fidelity over 80% was measured from SBS in a 40 m fiber using a pinhole technique. Fidelity decreases with fiber length, and a fiber with a numerical aperture (NA) of 0.06 was found to generate good phase conjugation fidelity over longer lengths than a fiber with 0.13 NA. Modeling and experiment support previous work showing the maximum interaction length which yields a high fidelity phase conjugate beam is inversely proportional to the fiber NA(2), but find that fidelity remains high over much longer fiber lengths than previous models calculated. Conditions for SBS beam cleanup in step-index fibers are discussed.

Is there a myofascial, temporomandibular disorder personality?

PubMed

Marbach, J J

1995-01-01

It is widely accepted that abnormal personality factors play an important role in the etiology and maintenance of myofascial-type temporomandibular disorder, or M/TMD. However, the foundation on which this belief rests is based largely on clinical lore, rather than on any evidence. The continued belief in the stress theory has important implications. Clinicians continue to be trained in unproven but traditionally sanctioned treatments. Such approaches not only may lead to problems of patient care, they may forge an unstable foundation for future research. Two theories are examined in this article: the psychosomatic and psychophysiological models. The findings show that both theories lack evidence, and further research is warranted because definitive studies are unavailable. The data from this study do not support the contention that M/TMD cases are characterized by a specific premorbid personality.

Distinct pattern of cerebral blood flow alterations specific to schizophrenics experiencing auditory verbal hallucinations with and without insight: a pilot study.

PubMed

Jing, Rixing; Huang, Jiangjie; Jiang, Deguo; Lin, Xiaodong; Ma, Xiaolei; Tian, Hongjun; Li, Jie; Zhuo, Chuanjun

2018-01-23

Schizophrenia is associated with widespread and complex cerebral blood flow (CBF) disturbance. Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) and insight are the core symptoms of schizophrenia. However, to the best of our knowledge, very few studies have assessed the CBF characteristics of the AVH suffered by schizophrenic patients with and without insight. Based on our previous findings, Using a 3D pseudo-continuous ASL (pcASL) technique, we investigated the differences in AVH-related CBF alterations in schizophrenia patients with and without insight. We used statistical parametric mapping (SPM8) and statistical non-parametric mapping (SnPM13) to perform the fMRI analysis. We found that AVH-schizophrenia patients without insight showed an increased CBF in the left temporal pole and a decreased CBF in the right middle frontal gyrus when compared to AVH-schizophrenia patients with insight. Our novel findings suggest that AVH-schizophrenia patients without insight possess a more complex CBF disturbance. Simultaneously, our findings also incline to support the idea that the CBF aberrant in some specific brain regions may be the common neural basis of insight and AVH. Our findings support the mostly current hypotheses regarding AVH to some extent. Although our findings come from a small sample, it provide the evidence that indicate us to conduct a larger study to thoroughly explore the mechanisms of schizophrenia, especially the core symptoms of AVHs and insight.

Working mothers of the World Health Organization Western Pacific offices: lessons and experiences to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding.

PubMed

Iellamo, Alessandro; Sobel, Howard; Engelhardt, Katrin

2015-02-01

Optimal breastfeeding saves lives. However, suboptimal breastfeeding is prevalent, primarily resulting from inappropriate promotion of infant formula and challenges of working mothers to continue breastfeeding. The article aims to determine the extent to which World Health Organization (WHO) policies protect, promote, and support breastfeeding women working at the WHO, Western Pacific Region. An online survey targeted all female WHO and contractual staff in all country and regional offices, who delivered a baby between July 24, 2008 and July 24, 2013. Respondents advised on how the worksite could better support breastfeeding. Thirty-two female staff from 11 of the 12 WHO offices within the Western Pacific Region responded. "Returning to work" (44%) and "not having enough milk" (17%) were the most commonly reported reasons for not breastfeeding. Eighteen (56%) reported using infant formula and 8 (44%) reported that the product was prescribed. Among the suggestions given to better support breastfeeding, 10 (32%) recommended having a private room with a chair, table, electric outlet, and refrigerator. The findings show that women working at the WHO face similar challenges to mothers outside the WHO. Based on the findings, we recommend the following: (1) provide prenatal/postpartum breastfeeding counseling services for employees; (2) establish breastfeeding rooms in country offices and regularly orient staff on agency policies to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding; (3) annually celebrate World Breastfeeding Week with employees; (4) encourage other public and private institutions to conduct online surveys and elicit recommendations from mothers on how their workplace can support breastfeeding; and (5) conduct a larger survey among UN agencies on how to better protect, promote, and support breastfeeding. © The Author(s) 2014.

26 CFR 1.509(a)-3 - Broadly, publicly supported organizations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 7 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Broadly, publicly supported organizations. 1.509(a)-3 Section 1.509(a)-3 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Private Foundations § 1.509(a)-3 Broadly, publicly supported organizations. (a) In general—(1)...

26 CFR 1.509(a)-3T - Broadly, publicly supported organizations (temporary).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Private Foundations § 1.509(a)-3T...) distinguishes gross receipts from gross investment income. (3) Not-more-than-one-third support test—(i) In...-third of its support in each taxable year from the sum of its gross investment income (as defined in...

The Effects of Coaching Using a Reflective Framework on Early Childhood Science Teachers' Depth of Reflection and Change in Practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bloomquist, Debra L.

This embedded-mixed methods study examined if the use of a reflective framework with guiding prompts could support early childhood science teachers in improving their reflective practice and subsequently changing their pedagogy. It further investigated whether type of cognitive coaching group, individual or collaborative, impacted teacher depth of reflection and change in practice. Data included teacher reflections that were rated using the Level of Reflection-On-Action Assessment, reflective codes and inductive themes, as well as videos of participants lessons coded using the SCIIENCE instrument. Findings demonstrated that through guided reflection, teachers developed reflective thinking skills, and through this reflection became more critical and began to improve their pedagogical practice. Further findings supported that collaborative cognitive coaching may not be the most effective professional development for all teachers; as some teachers in the study were found to have difficulty improving their reflectivity and thus their teaching practice. Based on these findings it is recommended that coaches and designers of professional development continue to use reflective frameworks with guiding prompts to support teachers in the reflective process, but take into consideration that coaching may need to be differentiated for the various reflective levels demonstrated by teachers. Future studies will be needed to establish why some teachers have difficulty with the reflective process and how coaches or designers of professional development can further assist these teachers in becoming more critical reflectors.

Tricyclic antidepressant overdose: emergency department findings as predictors of clinical course.

PubMed

Foulke, G E; Albertson, T E; Walby, W F

1986-11-01

There is controversy regarding the appropriate utilization of health care resources in the management of tricyclic antidepressant overdosage. Antidepressant overdose patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) are routinely admitted to intensive care units, but only a small proportion develop cardiac arrhythmias or other complications requiring such an environment. The authors reviewed the findings in 165 patients presenting to an ED with antidepressant overdose. They found that major manifestations of toxicity on ED evaluation (altered mental status, seizures, arrhythmias, and conduction defects) were commonly associated with a complicated hospital course. Patients with the isolated findings of sinus tachycardia or QTc prolongation had no complications. No patient experienced a serious toxic event without major evidence of toxicity on ED evaluation and continued evidence of toxicity during the hospital course. These data support the concept that proper ED evaluation can identify a large body of patients with trivial ingestions who may not require hospital observation.

An exploration of pregnant teenagers' views of the future and their decisions to continue or terminate their pregnancy: implications for nursing care.

PubMed

Bell, Emily R; Glover, Lesley; Alexander, Tim

2014-09-01

To explore teenagers' views of the future in relation to their choices to continue or terminate pregnancy. Despite recent decreases in the numbers of teenage pregnancies, across the world, the teenage pregnancy rate remains high. Consideration of views of the future (future orientation) appears to play an important part in teenage girls' decisions to continue with pregnancy. To date, no study has explored this in teenage pregnant girls at the time they make their decision to continue with or terminate their pregnancy. Cross-sectional mixed methods design. Three groups were included: termination of pregnancy (n = 19), antenatal (n = 9) and never pregnant (n = 23). Participants were 13-18 years old. The termination of pregnancy and antenatal groups were interviewed, and the never pregnant group completed postal questionnaires. Groups differed in individual aspects of future orientation, that is, education, career and family, and reasons for pregnancy resolution choice. The termination group had more clearly developed and longer-term plans for the future with a focus on career. The never pregnant group shared aspects of their future orientation with both the antenatal and termination of pregnancy groups. The impact of negative discourses about teenage pregnancy from others was identified as a significant issue. How pregnant teenage girls view the future has a relationship with their decision to terminate or continue with their pregnancy. The findings suggest that working with teenage girls to clarify their views of the future may be useful both in preventing future unwanted pregnancy and in supporting teenagers in making pregnancy decisions. Supporting pregnant teenagers in distancing themselves from negative stereotypes of teenage mothers may also be beneficial. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Evaluating nurse prescribers' education and continuing professional development for independent prescribing practice: findings from a national survey in England.

PubMed

Latter, Sue; Maben, Jill; Myall, Michelle; Young, Amanda

2007-10-01

The number of nurses able to independently prescribe medicines in England has risen steadily in recent years. To evaluate the adequacy of nurses' educational preparation for independent prescribing and to describe nurses' experiences of their continuing professional development as prescribers in practice. Postal questionnaire survey. Random sample of 246 nurses registered as nurse independent prescribers with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. The majority of nurses considered that the initial taught course element of their education programme met their needs, either to some extent (61% 151/246), or completely (22% 54/246). Most nurses (77% 190/246) received the specified 12 days support from their supervising medical practitioner and most were satisfied and positive about this experience. Nearly all of the nurses (>95%) reported that they were able to maintain a range of specified prescribing competencies in practice. Two thirds (62% 152/246) of the sample reported that they were receiving support/supervision for prescribing. Ninety five per cent (233/246) of the sample also reported that they engaged in self-directed informal continuing professional development, but only half of the sample had experience of formally provided professional development opportunities. Approximately half (52% 127/246) of the sample identified needs for continuing professional development. This first national survey of the education and professional development experiences of nurse independent prescribers in England provides evidence which highlights areas in which national policy is working well, and also points up issues which may need addressing as the roll out of nurse prescribing continues. The study also highlights characteristics and issues that health care policy makers and nurse educationalists internationally may wish to consider in developing and refining their own nurse prescriber education programmes.

Misunderstood as mothers: women's stories of being hospitalized for illness in the postpartum period.

PubMed

Power, Tamara; Jackson, Debra; Carter, Bernie; Weaver, Roslyn

2015-02-01

This paper aims to explore women's experiences with healthcare providers to ascertain ways health care may be improved for women disrupted in their mothering. Women can find it difficult to relinquish care even when they are acutely unwell requiring hospitalization. Despite mothering being a priority for women, many healthcare professionals do not understand the importance of continuing to mother during maternal illness. This research used a qualitative methodology drawing on principles of feminism and storytelling. Women's stories were collected through face-to-face interviews, email and via the telephone. The twenty-seven women who participated were from either Australia or the USA, had between one and six children and identified themselves as having been disrupted in their mothering by illness. Data were collected in 2011 and were analysed thematically. The majority of participants had been hospitalized at some point in time for acute illness. A subset of participants reported feeling judged by nurses and that their efforts to continue to mother their newborn children despite their illness were misunderstood and not facilitated. Findings from this study suggest that women are more likely to remember times that health professionals failed to understand the primacy that mothering held for them or facilitate their efforts to continue to mother despite illness. Nurses and midwives should regularly reflect on their personal values in regard to mothering, validate women's attempts to mother to the best of their ability during illness and find ways to support and empower women in their mothering. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A meta-synthesis of women's perceptions and experiences of breastfeeding support.

PubMed

Schmied, Virginia; Beake, Sarah; Sheehan, Athena; McCourt, Christine; Dykes, Fiona

Breastfeeding conveys significant health benefits to infants and mothers yet in many affluent nations breastfeeding rates continue to decline across the early months following birth. Both peer and professional support have been identified as important to the success of breastfeeding. What is not known are the key components or elements of support that are effective in increasing the duration of breastfeeding? The aim of this meta-synthesis was to examine women's perceptions and experiences of breastfeeding support, either professional or peer, in order to illuminate the components of support that they deem 'supportive'. A secondary aim was to describe any differences between components of Peer and Professional support. Both primiparous and multiparous women who initiated breastfeeding were included in the study. Studies that included a specific demographic sub-group, such as adolescents, were included. Studies focused on a specific clinical sub-group, such as women post-caesarean, were not included. This meta-synthesis focused on maternal experiences of breastfeeding support. The meta-synthesis included both formal or 'created' peer and professional support for breastfeeding women but excluded studies of family or informal support for breastfeeding. Primarily qualitative studies were included in the review. Studies such as large scale surveys were also included if they reported in sufficient detail the analysis of qualitative data gathered through open ended responses or included in depth interviews. Only studies published or available in English, in peer reviewed journals and undertaken between 1990 and December 2007 were included. Key data bases were searched. The following search terms were individually added to the main keyword - breastfeeding: qualitative research, breast feeding support, peer support, professional support, postnatal support, post-natal support, volunteer support, lay support, breastfeeding counsellors, lactation consultants, social support, health education, breastfeeding education and lactation. Delimiters applied were humans, English language and years 1990-2007. JBI-QARI (Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument) was used to assess the quality of 38 articles selected for full review. Seven were excluded primarily because they included little qualitative data relevant to the review focus. The studies reviewed were generally of reasonable quality in terms of clarity, appropriate methodology, credibility and evidence cited to support the conclusions drawn. However, most included relatively limited discussion of theoretical or conceptual perspectives, discussion of relevant literature and reflection on the roles of the researchers. JBI-QARI was used to manage and appraise textual data, Meta-ethnographic methods were used to develop 'interpretive explanations and understanding of breastfeeding support. Each study was systematically reviewed, reading and re-reading papers to create a list of themes through 'reciprocal translation'. Both first order and second order constructs were used to create the themes and these were then synthesised into four interpretive categories. The meta-synthesis resulted in four categories comprising a total of 20 themes. The synthesis indicates that support for breastfeeding occurs along a continuum from authentic presence at one end, perceived as effective support, to disconnected encounters at the other, perceived as ineffective or even discouraging and counter productive. Second, the synthesis identified a facilitative approach, versus a reductionist approach as contrasting styles of support women experienced as helpful or unhelpful. The findings of this meta-synthesis emphasise the importance of person-centred communication skills and of relationships in supporting a woman to breastfeed. Authentic presence is best supported by building a trusting relationship, demonstrating empathy, listening and being responsive to a woman's needs. Organisational systems and services that facilitate continuity of care/r and time spent with the woman, for example continuity of midwifery care or peer support models, are more likely to facilitate an authentic presence. The findings suggest the need to increase opportunities to offer women across all social groups access to peer support. The review indicates several changes in direction for practice to foster provision of support that women consider helpful and enabling, rather than disabling. These include service design that facilitates effective relationships to be established between supporters and the woman, including greater continuity of carer, Midwives need to work in service models that enable them to provide more individualised, rather than standard care and advice, to spend time and provide practical help to those women who need it. Antenatal education needs to be more learner-centred, using pedagogic models based on adult-learning principles, and should provide women with information that is realistic, detailed and positively encouraging. Midwifery education needs to integrate sufficient focus on developing midwives' communication and information giving skills. Schemes to offer peer support should be developed further, using a pro-active approach, including home visits and support groups. Further research is warranted on schemes to develop peer models of support. Research is also needed to investigate in more depth the service models and conditions that are conducive to midwives' ability to offer effective support for breastfeeding.

Topical Polymyxin-Trimethoprim Prophylaxis May Decrease the Incidence of Driveline Infections in Patients With Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Devices.

PubMed

Durand, Marlene L; Ennis, Stephanie C; Baker, Joshua N; Camuso, Janice M; McEachern, Kathleen M; Kotton, Camille N; Lewis, Gregory D; Garcia, Jose P; MacGillivray, Thomas E

2017-02-01

This retrospective cohort study evaluated the effect of topical polymyxin-trimethoprim (poly) prophylaxis on the incidence of driveline infections (DLIs) in patients with continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices. All 84 cases implanted 2005-2014 with device support ≥30 days were reviewed; support ranged 1 m-5.2 yrs. Beginning 2008, poly was applied to the exit site with dressing changes. Sixty-five patients received poly (poly group) for duration of follow-up, 19 did not (no-poly); group baseline characteristics were similar. No patient developed side effects from poly. Nineteen DLIs (10 in no-poly) occurred; not using poly was a risk factor. 89% of poly group DLIs were superficial, 4 were culture-negative. DLI-related bacteremia occurred in 11% of no-poly group and 0% of poly group. Compared with no-poly, poly group demonstrated improved freedom from DLI by Kaplan-Meier analysis (P < 0.0001) and a 75% lower overall and 95% lower deep DLI incidence (P ≤ 0.001). Deep DLIs occurred in 31.6% of no-poly vs. 1.5% of poly patients (P = 0.0004), although mean support duration (1 yr) and % support >1 yr (38%) were similar. These findings, which should be confirmed with larger comparative studies, suggest that topical polymyxin-trimethoprim prophylaxis may be effective in preventing DLIs. © 2016 International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

An integrative review of e-learning in the delivery of self-management support training for health professionals.

PubMed

Lawn, Sharon; Zhi, Xiaojuan; Morello, Andrea

2017-10-10

E-learning involves delivery of education through Information and Communication Technology (ITC) using a wide variety of instructional designs, including synchronous and asynchronous formats. It can be as effective as face-to-face training for many aspects of health professional training. There are, however, particular practices and skills needed in providing patient self-management support, such as partnering with patients in goal-setting, which may challenge conventional practice norms. E-learning for the delivery of self-management support (SMS) continuing education to existing health professionals is a relatively new and growing area with limited studies identifying features associated with best acquisition of skills in self-management support. An integrative literature review examined what is known about e-learning for self-management support. This review included both qualitative and quantitative studies that focused on e-learning provided to existing health professionals for their continuing professional development. Papers were limited to those published in English between 2006 and 2016. Content analysis was used to organize and focus and describe the findings. The search returned 1505 articles, with most subsequently excluded based on their title or abstract. Fifty-two full text articles were obtained and checked, with 42 excluded because they did not meet the full criteria. Ten peer-reviewed articles were included in this review. Seven main themes emerged from the content analysis: participants and professions; time; package content; guiding theoretical framework; outcome measures; learning features or formats; and learning barriers. These themes revealed substantial heterogeneity in instructional design and other elements of e-learning applied to SMS, indicating that there is still much to understand about how best to deliver e-learning for SMS skills development. Few e-learning approaches meet the need for high levels of interactivity, reflection, practice and application to practice for health professionals learning to deliver effective SMS. Findings suggest that the context of SMS for patients with chronic condition matters to how health professional training is delivered, to ensure partnership and person-centred care. Further creative approaches and their rigorous evaluation are needed to deliver completely online learning in this space. Blended learning that combines e-learning and face-to-face methods is suggested to support SMS skills development for health professionals.

American Nurses Association Position Statement on guidelines for commercial support of continuing nursing education.

PubMed

1999-01-01

The attached guidelines on "Commercial Support of Continuing Nursing Education" have been developed by the American Nurses Association (ANA) to assist/guide nursing continuing educators who wish to utilize the resources of corporations to provide continuing education programs. These guidelines enable the provider to maintain a balance between the need for industry-supported dissemination of scientific information and promotional activities which meet the requirements of law, as well as professional standards of the American Nurses Association.

Corporate funding and conflicts of interest: a primer for psychologists.

PubMed

Pachter, Wendy S; Fox, Ronald E; Zimbardo, Philip; Antonuccio, David O

2007-12-01

A presidential task force on external funding was established by the American Psychological Association (APA) in 2003 to review APA policies, procedures, and practices regarding the acceptance of funding and support from private corporations for educational and training programs; continuing education offerings; research projects; publications; advertising; scientific and professional meetings and conferences; and consulting, practice, and advocacy relationships. This article, based on the Executive Summary of the APA Task Force on External Funding Final Report, presents the findings and unanimous recommendations of the task force in the areas of association income, annual convention, research and journals, continuing education, education, practice, and conflicts of interest and ethics. The task force concluded that it is important for both APA and individual psychologists to become familiar with the challenges that corporate funding can pose to their integrity. The nature and extent of those challenges led the task force to recommend that APA develop explicit policies, educational materials, and continuing education programs to preserve the independence of psychological science, practice, and education. (Copyright) 2007 APA.

Institutional Computing Executive Group Review of Multi-programmatic & Institutional Computing, Fiscal Year 2005 and 2006

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

Langer, S; Rotman, D; Schwegler, E

The Institutional Computing Executive Group (ICEG) review of FY05-06 Multiprogrammatic and Institutional Computing (M and IC) activities is presented in the attached report. In summary, we find that the M and IC staff does an outstanding job of acquiring and supporting a wide range of institutional computing resources to meet the programmatic and scientific goals of LLNL. The responsiveness and high quality of support given to users and the programs investing in M and IC reflects the dedication and skill of the M and IC staff. M and IC has successfully managed serial capacity, parallel capacity, and capability computing resources.more » Serial capacity computing supports a wide range of scientific projects which require access to a few high performance processors within a shared memory computer. Parallel capacity computing supports scientific projects that require a moderate number of processors (up to roughly 1000) on a parallel computer. Capability computing supports parallel jobs that push the limits of simulation science. M and IC has worked closely with Stockpile Stewardship, and together they have made LLNL a premier institution for computational and simulation science. Such a standing is vital to the continued success of laboratory science programs and to the recruitment and retention of top scientists. This report provides recommendations to build on M and IC's accomplishments and improve simulation capabilities at LLNL. We recommend that institution fully fund (1) operation of the atlas cluster purchased in FY06 to support a few large projects; (2) operation of the thunder and zeus clusters to enable 'mid-range' parallel capacity simulations during normal operation and a limited number of large simulations during dedicated application time; (3) operation of the new yana cluster to support a wide range of serial capacity simulations; (4) improvements to the reliability and performance of the Lustre parallel file system; (5) support for the new GDO petabyte-class storage facility on the green network for use in data intensive external collaborations; and (6) continued support for visualization and other methods for analyzing large simulations. We also recommend that M and IC begin planning in FY07 for the next upgrade of its parallel clusters. LLNL investments in M and IC have resulted in a world-class simulation capability leading to innovative science. We thank the LLNL management for its continued support and thank the M and IC staff for its vision and dedicated efforts to make it all happen.« less

International Space Station Environmental Control and Life Support System Status: 2008 - 2009

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, David E.; Gentry, Gregory J.; Gentry, Gregory J.

2009-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) system includes regenerative and non-regenerative technologies that provide the basic life support functions to support the crew, while maintaining a safe and habitable shirtsleeve environment. This paper provides a summary of the U.S. ECLS system activities over the past year, covering the period of time between March 2008 and February 2009. The ISS continued permanent crew operations, with the continuation of Phase 3 of the ISS Assembly Sequence. Work continues on the last of the Phase 3 pressurized elements and the continued manufacturing and testing of the regenerative ECLS equipment.

Effects of continuous midwifery labour support for women with severe fear of childbirth.

PubMed

Sydsjö, Gunilla; Blomberg, Marie; Palmquist, Sofie; Angerbjörn, Louise; Bladh, Marie; Josefsson, Ann

2015-05-15

Continuous support by a midwife during childbirth has shown positive effects on the duration of active labour, use of pain relief and frequency of caesarean section (CS) in women without fear of childbirth (FOC). We have evaluated how continuous support by a specially assigned midwife during childbirth affects birth outcome and the subjective experience of women with severe FOC. A case-control pilot study with an index group of 14 women with severe FOC and a reference group of 28 women without FOC giving birth. In this study the index group received continuous support during childbirth. The women with severe FOC more often had an induction of labour. The parous women with severe FOC had a shorter duration of active labour compared to the parous reference women (p = 0.047). There was no difference in caesarean section frequency between the two groups. Women with severe FOC experienced a very high anxiety level during childbirth (OR = 20.000, 95% CI: 3.036-131.731). Women with severe FOC might benefit from continuous support by a midwife during childbirth. Midwives should acknowledge the importance of continuous support in order to enhance the experience of childbirth in women with severe FOC.

Evidence from facility level inputs to improve quality of care for maternal and newborn health: interventions and findings

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Most of the maternal and newborn deaths occur at birth or within 24 hours of birth. Therefore, essential lifesaving interventions need to be delivered at basic or comprehensive emergency obstetric care facilities. Facilities provide complex interventions including advice on referrals, post discharge care, long-term management of chronic conditions along with staff training, managerial and administrative support to other facilities. This paper reviews the effectiveness of facility level inputs for improving maternal and newborn health outcomes. We considered all available systematic reviews published before May 2013 on the pre-defined facility level interventions and included 32 systematic reviews. Findings suggest that additional social support during pregnancy and labour significantly decreased the risk of antenatal hospital admission, intrapartum analgesia, dissatisfaction, labour duration, cesarean delivery and instrumental vaginal birth. However, it did not have any impact on pregnancy outcomes. Continued midwifery care from early pregnancy to postpartum period was associated with reduced medical procedures during labour and shorter length of stay. Facility based stress training and management interventions to maintain well performing and motivated workforce, significantly reduced job stress and improved job satisfaction while the interventions tailored to address identified barriers to change improved the desired practice. We found limited and inconclusive evidence for the impacts of physical environment, exit interviews and organizational culture modifications. At the facility level, specialized midwifery teams and social support during pregnancy and labour have demonstrated conclusive benefits in improving maternal newborn health outcomes. However, the generalizability of these findings is limited to high income countries. Future programs in resource limited settings should utilize these findings to implement relevant interventions tailored to their needs. PMID:25208539

LIF potentiates the NT-3-mediated survival of spiral ganglia neurones in vitro.

PubMed

Marzella, P L; Clark, G M; Shepherd, R K; Bartlett, P F; Kilpatrick, T J

1997-05-06

The survival of auditory neurones depends on the continued supply of trophic factors. Early postnatal spiral ganglion cells (SGC) in a dissociated cell culture were used as a model of auditory innervation to test the trophic factors leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) for their ability, individually or in combination, to promote neuronal survival. The findings suggest that LIF supports neuronal survival in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover LIF potentiated NT-3-mediated spiral ganglion neuronal survival in a synergistic fashion.

Psychiatric symptoms in methamphetamine users.

PubMed

Zweben, Joan E; Cohen, Judith B; Christian, Darrell; Galloway, Gantt P; Salinardi, Michelle; Parent, David; Iguchi, Martin

2004-01-01

The Methamphetamine Treatment Project (MTP) offers the opportunity to examine co-occurring psychiatric conditions in a sample of 1016 methamphetamine users participating in a multisite outpatient treatment study between 1999-2001. Participants reported high levels of psychiatric symptoms, particularly depression and attempted suicide, but also anxiety and psychotic symptoms. They also reported high levels of problems controlling anger and violent behavior, with a correspondingly high frequency of assault and weapons charges. Findings continue to support the value of integrated treatment for co-occurring conditions, especially the importance of training counseling staff to handle psychotic symptoms when needed.

Indonesian men's perceptions of violence against women.

PubMed

Nilan, Pam; Demartoto, Argyo; Broom, Alex; Germov, John

2014-07-01

This article explores male perceptions and attitudes toward violence against women in Indonesia. It analyzes interview data from Indonesian men collected as part of a large multimethod Australian government-funded project on masculinities and violence in two Asian countries. Reluctance to talk about violence against women was evident, and the accounts of those men who did respond referred to three justificatory discourses: denial, blaming the victim, and exonerating the male perpetrator. The findings support continuation of government and nongovernmental organization (NGO) projects aimed at both empowering women and reeducating men. © The Author(s) 2014.

A preliminary report on the effect of a psychosocial and educative rehabilitation programme on quality of life and symptomatology in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Browne, S; Roe, M; Lane, A; Gervin, M; Morris, M; Kinsella, A; Larkin, C; O'Callaghan, E

1996-01-01

Individuals with schizophrenia who participated in a psychosocial and educative rehabilitation programme showed a 46% improvement in quality of life in the absence of any significant change in symptom severity. In contrast, there was no significant change in quality of life for individuals who continued with supportive rehabilitation. Our preliminary findings highlight the 'quality of life' benefits of psychosocial and educative rehabilitation for individuals with schizophrenia who are clinically stable and living in the community.

The best of both worlds: a consideration of gender in team building.

PubMed

Rudan, Vincent T

2003-03-01

As teams continue to supplant individuals as the fundamental work unit, healthcare organizations increasingly are turning to high-performance care and service groups as keys to success. In this article, the author presents research and findings of an ethnographic case study of a mixed-gender work team of healthcare administrators. Focusing on gender issues and their impact on outcomes, the study offers insights for promoting cultural change and improving nursing practice systems that will influence health policy and support a new architecture for the healthcare industry.

Development of internalizing problems from adolescence to emerging adulthood: Accounting for heterotypic continuity with vertical scaling.

PubMed

Petersen, Isaac T; Lindhiem, Oliver; LeBeau, Brandon; Bates, John E; Pettit, Gregory S; Lansford, Jennifer E; Dodge, Kenneth A

2018-03-01

Manifestations of internalizing problems, such as specific symptoms of anxiety and depression, can change across development, even if individuals show strong continuity in rank-order levels of internalizing problems. This illustrates the concept of heterotypic continuity, and raises the question of whether common measures might be construct-valid for one age but not another. This study examines mean-level changes in internalizing problems across a long span of development at the same time as accounting for heterotypic continuity by using age-appropriate, changing measures. Internalizing problems from age 14-24 were studied longitudinally in a community sample (N = 585), using Achenbach's Youth Self-Report (YSR) and Young Adult Self-Report (YASR). Heterotypic continuity was evaluated with an item response theory (IRT) approach to vertical scaling, linking different measures over time to be on the same scale, as well as with a Thurstone scaling approach. With vertical scaling, internalizing problems peaked in mid-to-late adolescence and showed a group-level decrease from adolescence to early adulthood, a change that would not have been seen with the approach of using only age-common items. Individuals' trajectories were sometimes different than would have been seen with the common-items approach. Findings support the importance of considering heterotypic continuity when examining development and vertical scaling to account for heterotypic continuity with changing measures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Dimensional psychotic experiences in adolescence: Evidence from a taxometric study of a community-based sample.

PubMed

Taylor, Mark J; Freeman, Daniel; Ronald, Angelica

2016-07-30

Psychotic experiences of varying severity levels are common in adolescence. It is not known whether beyond a certain severity in the general population, psychotic experiences represent a categorically distinct phenomena to milder psychotic experiences. We employed taxometric analytic procedures to determine whether psychotic experiences in adolescence are taxonic (i.e. categorical) or dimensional. Six different psychotic experiences were assessed in a community sample of approximately 5000 adolescents. Three taxometric procedures were conducted. Across all procedures, there was no evidence of a taxon (i.e. a separate latent population) underlying psychotic experiences in adolescence. Rather, a dimensional structure was supported. The results support the notion that psychotic experiences are continuously distributed throughout the general population, and there is no clear discontinuity between milder and more severe psychotic experiences. Thus, these findings support the use of dimensional approaches to understanding psychotic experiences in etiological studies. In clinical practice, categorical cut-offs are needed: the present findings show that a 'natural' break point is not present for identifying severe psychotic experiences, and it is likely therefore that other criteria (such as general functioning) might better aid decision-making with regards to identifying individuals with severe psychotic experiences in need of care during adolescence. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Putting program evaluation to work: a framework for creating actionable knowledge for suicide prevention practice.

PubMed

Wilkins, Natalie; Thigpen, Sally; Lockman, Jennifer; Mackin, Juliette; Madden, Mary; Perkins, Tamara; Schut, James; Van Regenmorter, Christina; Williams, Lygia; Donovan, John

2013-06-01

The economic and human cost of suicidal behavior to individuals, families, communities, and society makes suicide a serious public health concern, both in the US and around the world. As research and evaluation continue to identify strategies that have the potential to reduce or ultimately prevent suicidal behavior, the need for translating these findings into practice grows. The development of actionable knowledge is an emerging process for translating important research and evaluation findings into action to benefit practice settings. In an effort to apply evaluation findings to strengthen suicide prevention practice, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) supported the development of three actionable knowledge products that make key findings and lessons learned from youth suicide prevention program evaluations accessible and useable for action. This paper describes the actionable knowledge framework (adapted from the knowledge transfer literature), the three products that resulted, and recommendations for further research into this emerging method for translating research and evaluation findings and bridging the knowledge-action gap.

A medical informatics perspective on clinical decision support systems. Findings from the yearbook 2013 section on decision support.

PubMed

Bouaud, J; Lamy, J-B

2013-01-01

To summarize excellent research and to select best papers published in 2012 in the field of computer-based decision support in healthcare. A bibliographic search focused on clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) and computer provider order entry was performed, followed by a double-blind literature review. The review process yielded six papers, illustrating various aspects of clinical decision support. The first paper is a systematic review of CDSS intervention trials in real settings, and considers different types of possible outcomes. It emphasizes the heterogeneity of studies and confirms that CDSSs can improve process measures but that evidence lacks for other types of outcomes, especially clinical or economic. Four other papers tackle the safety of drug prescribing and show that CDSSs can be efficient in reducing prescription errors. The sixth paper exemplifies the growing role of ontological resources which can be used for several applications including decision support. CDSS research has to be continuously developed and assessed. The wide variety of systems and of interventions limits the understanding of factors of success of CDSS implementations. A standardization in the characterization of CDSSs and of intervention trial reporting will help to overcome this obstacle.

"It's like our own little world": resilience as a factor in participating in the Ballroom community subculture.

PubMed

Kubicek, Katrina; McNeeley, Miles; Holloway, Ian W; Weiss, George; Kipke, Michele D

2013-05-01

We are well into the third decade of the HIV epidemic. While strides have been made in HIV prevention, rates for African American men who have sex with men (AAMSM) and young AAMSM continue to increase-perhaps indicating that traditional deficit-approaches of HIV prevention are not effective for all populations. Following a recent call to investigate the resiliency of young gay men, this study identifies sources of resilience and strength within the House and Ball communities, a subculture comprised primarily of AAMSM. The mixed-methods design included survey data (N = 263) collected at community events, interviews with Ball attendees and focus group data with House members. Survey data indicate a relationship between participating in the House and Ball communities and seeking support, acceptance and entertainment. Qualitative data validate these findings and provide detail on motivations for AAMSM to participate and the perceived benefits of participation. Findings are discussed in relation to building strengths-based interventions, using concepts of resiliency including shamelessness, social creativity, social support and volunteerism.

“It‘s Like Our Own Little World”: Resilience as a Factor of Participation in the Ballroom Community Subculture

PubMed Central

Kubicek, Katrina; McNeeley, Miles; Holloway, Ian W.; Weiss, George; Kipke, Michele D.

2012-01-01

We are well into the third decade of the HIV epidemic. While strides have been made in HIV prevention, rates for African American men who have sex with men (AAMSM) and young AAMSM continue to increase – perhaps indicating that traditional deficit-approaches of HIV prevention are not effective for all populations. Following a recent call to investigate the resiliency of young gay men, this study identifies sources of resilience and strength within the House and Ball communities, a subculture comprised primarily of AAMSM. The mixed-methods design included survey data (N=263) collected at community events, interviews with Ball attendees and focus group data with House members. Survey data indicate a relationship between participating in the House and Ball communities and seeking support, acceptance and entertainment. Qualitative data validate these findings and provide detail on motivations for AAMSM to participate and the perceived benefits of participation. Findings are discussed in relation to building strengths-based interventions, using concepts of resiliency including shamelessness, social creativity, social support and volunteerism. PMID:22618891

Extracting phylogenetic signal and accounting for bias in whole-genome data sets supports the Ctenophora as sister to remaining Metazoa.

PubMed

Borowiec, Marek L; Lee, Ernest K; Chiu, Joanna C; Plachetzki, David C

2015-11-23

Understanding the phylogenetic relationships among major lineages of multicellular animals (the Metazoa) is a prerequisite for studying the evolution of complex traits such as nervous systems, muscle tissue, or sensory organs. Transcriptome-based phylogenies have dramatically improved our understanding of metazoan relationships in recent years, although several important questions remain. The branching order near the base of the tree, in particular the placement of the poriferan (sponges, phylum Porifera) and ctenophore (comb jellies, phylum Ctenophora) lineages is one outstanding issue. Recent analyses have suggested that the comb jellies are sister to all remaining metazoan phyla including sponges. This finding is surprising because it suggests that neurons and other complex traits, present in ctenophores and eumetazoans but absent in sponges or placozoans, either evolved twice in Metazoa or were independently, secondarily lost in the lineages leading to sponges and placozoans. To address the question of basal metazoan relationships we assembled a novel dataset comprised of 1080 orthologous loci derived from 36 publicly available genomes representing major lineages of animals. From this large dataset we procured an optimized set of partitions with high phylogenetic signal for resolving metazoan relationships. This optimized data set is amenable to the most appropriate and computationally intensive analyses using site-heterogeneous models of sequence evolution. We also employed several strategies to examine the potential for long-branch attraction to bias our inferences. Our analyses strongly support the Ctenophora as the sister lineage to other Metazoa. We find no support for the traditional view uniting the ctenophores and Cnidaria. Our findings are supported by Bayesian comparisons of topological hypotheses and we find no evidence that they are biased by long-branch attraction. Our study further clarifies relationships among early branching metazoan lineages. Our phylogeny supports the still-controversial position of ctenophores as sister group to all other metazoans. This study also provides a workflow and computational tools for minimizing systematic bias in genome-based phylogenetic analyses. Future studies of metazoan phylogeny will benefit from ongoing efforts to sequence the genomes of additional invertebrate taxa that will continue to inform our view of the relationships among the major lineages of animals.

Smoking during pregnancy and associated risk factors in a sample of Romanian women.

PubMed

Meghea, Cristian I; Rus, Diana; Rus, Ioana A; Summers Holtrop, Jodi; Roman, Leeanne

2012-04-01

Smoking during pregnancy is one of the most modifiable risk factor for poor birth outcomes. This study assesses the prevalence and correlates of smoking during pregnancy. A questionnaire was applied to pregnant women in two urban clinics in Romania to assess smoking prevalence, attitudes and knowledge about smoking, and other risks poorly documented in Romania, such as depressive symptoms, stress and social support. The response rate was >80% and the valid sample comprised of 916 women. Descriptive statistics and logistic regressions were used to estimate the prevalence of smoking and other risk factors and to identify correlates of smoking during pregnancy. Approximately 15% of the women continued smoking during pregnancy, and 26% of all women said they smoked prior to pregnancy, but quit upon finding out they were pregnant. Depressive symptoms and stress were not associated with smoking during pregnancy. Women with no social support had higher odds of continued smoking vs. non-smoking (OR = 2.3, P < 0.01), and vs. quitting (OR = 2.3, P < 0.05). Roma women had 5.2 times the odds (P < 0.01) of continued smoking vs. non-smoking. Lack of awareness about the benefits of quitting smoking and about the risks of smoking light cigarettes were associated with continued smoking during pregnancy. Smoking was common in a sample of Romanian pregnant women. Smoking cessation programs in Romania should include components to raise the awareness about the risks of smoking during pregnancy and the benefits of quitting at any time during pregnancy. More targeted interventions are needed in Roma communities.

Role stressors and coping strategies among nurse managers.

PubMed

Udod, Sonia; Cummings, Greta G; Care, W Dean; Jenkins, Megan

2017-02-06

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to share preliminary evidence about nurse managers' (NMs) role stressors and coping strategies in acute health-care facilities in Western Canada. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative exploratory inquiry provides deeper insight into NMs' perceptions of their role stressors, coping strategies and factors and practices in the organizational context that facilitate and hinder their work. A purposeful sample of 17 NMs participated in this study. Data were collected through individual interviews and a focus group interview. Braun and Clarke's (2006) six phase approach to thematic analysis guided data analysis. Findings Evidence demonstrates that individual factors, organizational practices and structures affect NMs stress creating an evolving role with unrealistic expectations, responding to continuous organizational change, a fragmented ability to effectively process decisions because of work overload, shifting organizational priorities and being at risk for stress-related ill health. Practical implications These findings have implications for organizational support, intervention programs that enhance leadership approaches, address individual factors and work processes and redesigning the role in consideration of the role stress and work complexity affecting NMs health. Originality/value It is anticipated that health-care leaders would find these results concerning and inspire them to take action to support NMs to do meaningful work as a way to retain existing managers and attract front line nurses to positions of leadership.

Supporting graduate nurse transition to practice through a quality assurance feedback loop.

PubMed

Phillips, Craig; Kenny, Amanda; Esterman, Adrian

2017-11-01

This mixed-method study focused on new graduate nurses and their transition to practice. Transition to practice can be a time of heightened stress and anxiety, leaving many new graduates disillusioned and dissatisfied with their work. The study explored how satisfaction levels with transition may improve during their first year, using a unique approach of a continuous quality assurance feedback loop. This assurance framework is utilised in hospitality, automotive and supply chain logistics and in health, primarily to monitor patient outcomes. However, an association with graduate nurse satisfaction has not been previously reported. Graduate nurses from two health services completed a short survey questionnaire every four weeks for 12 months. De-identified aggregated data was sent to health service management, giving them an opportunity to integrate the findings with the objective of potentially increasing graduate satisfaction ratings. Quantitative findings showed no statistical significance of graduate nurse satisfaction scores between health services, however, one health service consistently outperformed the other. Qualitative findings drawn from a seminar and interviews confirmed that one health service took a more proactive stance with the monthly reports, communicating the results to ward managers. Outcomes reflected a greater commitment of support and an overall increase of satisfaction scores. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Behavior Education Support and Treatment (BEST) school intervention program: pilot project data examining schoolwide, targeted-school, and targeted-home approaches.

PubMed

Waschbusch, Daniel A; Pelham, William E; Massetti, Greta

2005-08-01

As part of a pilot project, four elementary schools were randomly assigned to receive one of four interventions: (a) a schoolwide intervention that incorporated universal and targeted treatment, (b) a targeted-school intervention delivered to individual students in regular and special education classrooms, (c) a targeted-home intervention delivered in home and regular classroom settings, and (d) a control condition that did not receive a designated intervention. Results showed that the behavior of disruptive children in all schools improved during the course of the year, with some evidence that interventions provided complementary effects. These findings support the continued use of behavioral interventions in elementary schools and argue for interventions that combine different methods of delivering interventions.

Pregnancy and Birth Survey of the Fukushima Health Management Survey.

PubMed

Ishii, Kayoko; Goto, Aya; Ota, Misao; Yasumura, Seiji; Fujimori, Keiya

2017-03-01

The Pregnancy and Birth Survey was started by Fukushima Medical University as part of the Fukushima Health Management Survey in 2011 in order to assess the physical and mental health of mothers and provide parenting support (telephone counseling) for those in need. The present study reviewed the major findings from 4 annual surveys conducted from 2011 to 2014. Overall proportions of preterm deliveries, low birth weight infants, and congenital anomalies in the first year were almost the same as those in national surveillance data. The prevalence of depressive symptoms among the mothers held steady at about 25% over the 4 years. Regarding the content of parenting counseling, the proportion of mothers who voiced concerns about radiation decreased each year. This survey should be continued to provide support to mothers in Fukushima.

Turning brownfields into greenspaces: examining incentives and barriers to revitalization.

PubMed

Siikamäki, Juha; Wernstedt, Kris

2008-06-01

This study employs interviews, document review, and a national survey of local government officials to investigate the factors that influence the success of efforts to convert underutilized contaminated properties into greenspace. We find that the presence of contamination continues to be a concern despite federal and state efforts to ease liability fears but also that site and project features can overcome this hurdle. In particular, jurisdictions appear more likely to convert distressed properties into greenspace if recreational parks, rather than open space, are planned, sites are already owned rather than available only through tax foreclosure, and the state is perceived as being supportive of the conversion. In addition, mixed public-private funding and site locations in residential areas are more likely to attract community support for conversion projects.

Subcategories of restricted and repetitive behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorders

PubMed Central

Bishop, Somer L.; Hus, Vanessa; Duncan, Amie; Huerta, Marisela; Gotham, Katherine; Pickles, Andrew; Kreiger, Abba; Buja, Andreas; Lund, Sabata; Lord, Catherine

2012-01-01

Research suggests that restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) can be subdivided into repetitive sensory motor (RSM) and insistence on Sameness (IS) behaviors. However, because the majority of previous studies have used the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R), it is not clear whether these subcategories reflect the actual organization of RRBs in ASD. Using data from the Simons Simplex Collection (n=1825), we examined the association between scores on the ADI-R and the Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised (RBS-R). Analyses supported the construct validity of RSM and IS subcategories. As in previous studies, IS behaviors showed no relationship with IQ. These findings support the continued use of RRB subcategories, particularly IS behaviors, as a means of creating more behaviorally homogeneous subgroups of children with ASD. PMID:23065116

Essentials of total quality management: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Mosadeghrad, Ali Mohammad

2014-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to identify critical successful factors for Total Quality Management (TQM) implementation. A literature review was conducted to explore the critical successful factors for TQM implementation between 1980 and 2010. A successful TQM implementation need sufficient education and training, supportive leadership, consistent support of top management, customer focus, employee involvement, process management and continuous improvement of processes. The review was limited to articles written in English language during the past 30 years. From a practical point of view, the findings of this paper provide managers with a practical understanding of the factors that are likely to facilitate TQM implementation in organisations. Understanding the factors that are likely to promote TQM implementation would enable managers to develop more effective strategies that will enhance the chances of achieving business excellence.

Developing the mental health workforce: review and application of training approaches from multiple disciplines.

PubMed

Lyon, Aaron R; Stirman, Shannon Wiltsey; Kerns, Suzanne E U; Bruns, Eric J

2011-07-01

Strategies specifically designed to facilitate the training of mental health practitioners in evidence-based practices (EBPs) have lagged behind the development of the interventions themselves. The current paper draws from an interdisciplinary literature (including medical training, adult education, and teacher training) to identify useful training and support approaches as well as important conceptual frameworks that may be applied to training in mental health. Theory and research findings are reviewed, which highlight the importance of continued consultation/support following training workshops, congruence between the training content and practitioner experience, and focus on motivational issues. In addition, six individual approaches are presented with careful attention to their empirical foundations and potential applications. Common techniques are highlighted and applications and future directions for mental health workforce training and research are discussed.

Women’s Knowledge, Views, and Experiences Regarding Alcohol Use and Pregnancy: Opportunities to Improve Health Messages

PubMed Central

Elek, Elvira; Harris, Shelly L.; Squire, Claudia M.; Margolis, Marjorie; Weber, Mary Kate; Dang, Elizabeth Parra; Mitchell, Betsy

2017-01-01

Background Women continue to drink alcohol during pregnancy despite Surgeon Generals’ Advisory statements and educational efforts about the dangers. Purpose This focus group research study examined women’s knowledge and beliefs about alcohol consumption and its risks during pregnancy along with related perceptions of social influences and information sources in order to inform future messaging. Methods The study included 20 focus groups of 149 reproductive-age women segmented by age, pregnancy status, and race/ethnicity. Results and Discussion Women acknowledged the risks and consequences of drinking alcohol during pregnancy, but many held common misconceptions. Some women continued to drink during pregnancy or expressed intent to continue drinking until pregnancy confirmation. Findings indicated that women’s partners, families, and friends influence women’s decisions to drink or abstain from alcohol. In addition, health care providers and the Internet act as important sources of health information for women but sometimes do not adequately educate them about the risks of alcohol use and pregnancy. Translation to Health Education Practice Considerations for messaging and educational materials related to alcohol use and pregnancy include providing clear and consistent messaging (especially from health professionals), focusing on social support strategies, and utilizing electronic media. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. PMID:28261370

Health-care encounters create both discontinuity and continuity in daily life when living with chronic heart failure—A grounded theory study

PubMed Central

Östman, Malin; Ung, Eva Jakobsson; Falk, Kristin

2015-01-01

Living with chronic heart failure (CHF) often involves lifelong contact with health care, more or less frequently, depending on fluctuating health-generating disruptions in everyday life. To reduce the influence on continuity in life, health-care professionals should preferably focus on supporting patients in managing their daily lives, based on their perspective. The aim of this study was to describe how the interaction in health-care encounters contributes to either continuity or discontinuity in the daily life for persons with CHF. Interviews with 18 participants were carried out, using the grounded theory method, through data collection and analysis. Two core concepts were constructed from data which reveal a model that illuminates the characteristics of the encounters, the actions of health-care professionals and the normative discourse. Patient-centred agenda consists of the categories: “Experiencing a subordinate approach,” “Objectifying during the encounter” and “Expected to be compliant.” This describes how health-care professionals enhance discontinuity in daily life by using a paternalistic approach in the encounter. Person-centred agenda consists of the categories: “Experiencing an empowering approach,” “Person-centredness during the encounter” and “Expected to be capable.” It describes how participants perceive that health-care professionals enable them to deal with everyday life which enhances continuity. The findings highlight the importance of health-care professionals’ attitudes and communication in encounters with patients. Health care must be designed to support and promote patients’ own strategic thinking by strengthening their self-image to enhance continuity in everyday life. The experience of discontinuity is based on the prevailing health-care culture which focuses on disease and medical treatment and regards it as superior to the illness experience in an everyday life context. We therefore strongly suggest a paradigm shift in the health-care organisation and culture in order to support the patients in their efforts to live a meaningful, rich life, in spite of the chronic illness CHF. PMID:28229746

Impact of education and training on type of care provided by community-based breastfeeding counselors: a cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Studies using community-based breastfeeding counselors (CBBCs) have repeatedly shown positive impact on breastfeeding initiation, exclusivity and duration, particularly among low-income mothers. To date, there has not been a comprehensive study to determine the impact of CBBC attributes such as educational background and training, on the type of care that CBBCs provide. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of a convenience sample of CBBCs to ascertain the influence of counselor education and type of training on type of support and proficiency of CBBCs in communities across the United States. Invitations to participate in this online survey of CBBCs were e-mailed to program coordinators of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), La Leche League, and other community-based health organizations, who in turn invited and encouraged their CBBCs to participate. Descriptive analysis was used to describe participants (N = 847), while bivariate analysis using χ2 test was used to examine the differences between CBBC education, training received and breastfeeding support skills used. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the independent determinants of specific breastfeeding support skills. Results The major findings from the research indicate that overall, educational attainment of CBBCs is not a significant predictor for the curriculum used in their training and type of support skills used during counseling sessions, but initial training duration was positively associated with the use of many breastfeeding support skills. Another major influence of counselor support to clients is the type of continuing education they receive after their initial training, with higher likelihood of use of desirable support skills associated with counselors continuing their breastfeeding education at conferences or trainings away from their job sites. Conclusions Our results show that different programs use different training curricula to train their CBBCs varying in duration and content. Counselor education is not a significant predictor of the type of training they receive. Continuing breastfeeding education is a significant determinant of type of counseling techniques used with clients. Further research is therefore needed to critically examine the content of the various training curricula of CBBC programs. This may show a need for a standardized training curriculum for all CBBC programs worldwide to make CBBCs more proficient and efficient, ensuring successful and optimum breastfeeding experiences for mothers and their newborns. PMID:21871062

Practitioner perspectives on extended clinical placement programs in optometry.

PubMed

Bentley, Sharon A; Cartledge, Amy; Guest, Daryl J; Cappuccio, Skye; Woods, Craig A

2016-05-01

Some universities are looking to provide a more diverse range of clinical learning experiences through extended clinical placement programs. This approach will potentially have a significant impact on practitioners. The aim of this study was to conduct a national survey of optometrists to ascertain their perspectives on participating in extended clinical placement programs. Members of Optometry Australia were invited to participate in a survey conducted during June and July 2014. A total of 268 practitioners participated (six per cent of registered Australian optometrists): 159 were predominantly employees or locums and 109 were owners or managers who identified as the key representative of a practice or organisation for the purpose of this survey. Almost two-thirds (65 per cent) of participants, who were employees or locums were supportive of extended clinical placement programs. Among this group, females were more likely to be supportive than males (p = 0.033). In comparison, just over one-third (34 per cent) of participants who were key decision-makers were supportive, with 30 per cent possibly supportive and 36 per cent not supportive. Among key decision-makers, males were more likely to be supportive (p = 0.009). The top three perceived advantages of supervising a student were: opportunity to mentor early career development, opportunity to give back to the profession and future recruitment. The top three perceived disadvantages were: burden on time, decrease in number of patients examined and burden on support staff. Suggested incentives for supervising students were credit for continuing professional development and financial remuneration. There appears to be moderate support for extended clinical placement programs; however, there are incentives that might engage a larger proportion of the profession in the future. These findings can inform the development of effective and sustainable clinical training programs for optometry students. Additionally, the findings might be used as evidence to seek Government support for clinical placement training in optometry. © 2016 Optometry Australia.

Building a Bright Future. The Hydro Research Foundation's Fellowship Program

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

Vaughn, Brenna; Linke, Deborah M.

The Hydro Fellowship Program (program) began as an experiment to discover whether the hydropower industry could find mechanisms to attract new entrants through conducting relevant research to benefit the industry. This nationwide, new-to-the-world program was started through funding from the Wind and Water Power Technologies Office of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Office of the Department of Energy (DOE). Between 2010-2015, the Hydro Research Foundation (HRF) designed and implemented a program to conduct valuable research and attract new entrants to the hydro workforce. This historic grant has empowered and engaged industry members from 25 organizations by working withmore » 91 students and advisors at 24 universities in 19 states. The work funded answered pressing research needs in the fields of civil, mechanical, environmental, and electrical engineering, as well as law, energy engineering and materials innovation. In terms of number of individuals touched through funding, 148 individuals were supported by this work through direct research, mentorship, oversight of the work, partnerships and the day-to-day program administration. Based on the program results, it is clear that the funding achieved the hoped-for outcomes and has the capacity to draw universities into the orbit of hydropower and continue the conversation about industry research and development needs. The Foundation has fostered unique partnerships at the host universities and has continued to thrive with the support of the universities, advisors, industry and the DOE. The Foundation has demonstrated industry support through mentorships, partnerships, underwriting the costs and articulating the universities’ support through in-kind cost sharing. The Foundation recommends that future work be continued to nurture these graduate level programs using the initial work and improvements in the successor program, the Research Awards Program, while stimulating engagement of academia at the community college level for operations and maintenance workforce development.« less

Criminalisation of clients: reproducing vulnerabilities for violence and poor health among street-based sex workers in Canada—a qualitative study

PubMed Central

Krüsi, A; Pacey, K; Bird, L; Taylor, C; Chettiar, J; Allan, S; Bennett, D; Montaner, J S; Kerr, T; Shannon, K

2014-01-01

Objectives To explore how criminalisation and policing of sex buyers (clients) rather than sex workers shapes sex workers’ working conditions and sexual transactions including risk of violence and HIV/sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Design Qualitative and ethnographic study triangulated with sex work-related violence prevalence data and publicly available police statistics. Setting Vancouver, Canada, provides a unique opportunity to evaluate the impact of policies that criminalise clients as the local police department adopted a sex work enforcement policy in January 2013 that prioritises sex workers’ safety over arrest, while continuing to target clients. Participants 26 cisgender and 5 transgender women who were street-based sex workers (n=31) participated in semistructured interviews about their working conditions. All had exchanged sex for money in the previous 30 days in Vancouver. Outcome measures Thematic analysis of interview transcripts and ethnographic field notes focused on how police enforcement of clients shaped sex workers’ working conditions and sexual transactions, including risk of violence and HIV/STIs, over an 11-month period postpolicy implementation (January–November 2013). Results Sex workers’ narratives and ethnographic observations indicated that while police sustained a high level of visibility, they eased charging or arresting sex workers and showed increased concern for their safety. However, participants’ accounts and police statistics indicated continued police enforcement of clients. This profoundly impacted the safety strategies sex workers employed. Sex workers continued to mistrust police, had to rush screening clients and were displaced to outlying areas with increased risks of violence, including being forced to engage in unprotected sex. Conclusions These findings suggest that criminalisation and policing strategies that target clients reproduce the harms created by the criminalisation of sex work, in particular, vulnerability to violence and HIV/STIs. The current findings support decriminalisation of sex work to ensure work conditions that support the health and safety of sex workers in Canada and globally. PMID:24889853

Predicting re-victimization of battered women 3 years after exiting a shelter program.

PubMed

Bybee, Deborah; Sullivan, Cris M

2005-09-01

This study examined interpersonal and ecological predictors of re-victimization of a sample of women with abusive partners. All women (N = 124) had sought refuge from a battered women's shelter 3 years earlier, and half the sample had been randomly assigned to receive free, short-term advocacy services immediately upon exit from the shelter. Results 2 years post-intervention revealed positive change in the lives of participants (C. M. Sullivan & D. Bybee, 1999), including a decrease in abuse for women who had worked with advocates. The current study examined intervention effects 3 years after the program ended, as well as other predictors of re-abuse. Nineteen percent of the original sample had experienced domestic violence between 2 and 3 years after shelter exit (65% by current partners, 35% by ex-partners). The advocacy program's effect on risk of re-victimization did not continue 3 years post-intervention. However, having worked with an advocate 3 years prior continued to have a positive impact on women's quality of life and level of social support. The risk of being abused 3 years post-shelter stay was exacerbated by a number of factors present 1 year prior, including women's (1) having experienced abuse in the 6 months before that point; (2) having difficulties accessing resources; (3) having problems with the state welfare system; and (4) having people in their social networks who made their lives difficult. Women were at less risk of abuse if, 1 year earlier, they (1) were employed; (2) reported higher quality of life; and (3) had people in their networks who provided practical help and/or were available to talk about personal matters. These findings support the hypothesis that access to resources and social support serve as protective factors against continued abuse.

Bilateral coordination and gait symmetry after body-weight supported treadmill training for persons with chronic stroke.

PubMed

Combs, Stephanie A; Dugan, Eric L; Ozimek, Elicia N; Curtis, Amy B

2013-04-01

Locomotor interventions are commonly assessed using functional outcomes, but these outcomes provide limited information about changes toward recovery or compensatory mechanisms. The study purposes were to examine changes in gait symmetry and bilateral coordination following body-weight supported treadmill training in individuals with chronic hemiparesis due to stroke and to compare findings to participants without disability. Nineteen participants with stroke (>6 months) who ambulated between 0.4 and 0.8 m/s and 22 participants without disability were enrolled in this repeated-measures study. The stroke group completed 24 intervention sessions over 8 weeks with 20 minutes of walking/session. The non-disabled group served as a comparison for describing changes in symmetry and coordination. Bilateral 3-dimensional motion analysis and gait speed were assessed across 3 time points (pre-test, immediate post-test, and 6-month retention). Continuous relative phase was used to evaluate bilateral coordination (thigh-thigh, shank-shank, foot-foot) and gait symmetry was assessed with spatiotemporal ratios (step length, swing time, stance time). Significant improvements in continuous relative phase (shank-shank and foot-foot couplings) were found at post-test and retention for the stroke group. Significant differences in spatiotemporal symmetry ratios were not found over time. Compared to the non-disabled group, changes in bilateral coordination moved in the direction of normal recovery. Most measures of continuous relative phase were more responsive to change after training than the spatiotemporal ratios. After body-weight supported treadmill training, the stroke group made improvements toward recovery of normal bilateral coordination. Bilateral coordination and gait symmetry measures may assess different aspects of gait. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evidence of structurally continuous collagen fibrils in tendons.

PubMed

Svensson, Rene B; Herchenhan, Andreas; Starborg, Tobias; Larsen, Michael; Kadler, Karl E; Qvortrup, Klaus; Magnusson, S Peter

2017-03-01

Tendons transmit muscle-generated force through an extracellular matrix of aligned collagen fibrils. The force applied by the muscle at one end of a microscopic fibril has to be transmitted through the macroscopic length of the tendon by mechanisms that are poorly understood. A key element in this structure-function relationship is the collagen fibril length. During embryogenesis short fibrils are produced but they grow rapidly with maturation. There is some controversy regarding fibril length in adult tendon, with mechanical data generally supporting discontinuity while structural investigations favor continuity. This study initially set out to trace the full length of individual fibrils in adult human tendons, using serial block face-scanning electron microscopy. But even with this advanced technique the required length could not be covered. Instead a statistical approach was used on a large volume of fibrils in shorter image stacks. Only a single end was observed after tracking 67.5mm of combined fibril lengths, in support of fibril continuity. To shed more light on this observation, the full length of a short tendon (mouse stapedius, 125μm) was investigated and continuity of individual fibrils was confirmed. In light of these results, possible mechanisms that could reconcile the opposing findings on fibril continuity are discussed. Connective tissues hold all parts of the body together and are mostly constructed from thin threads of the protein collagen (called fibrils). Connective tissues provide mechanical strength and one of the most demanding tissues in this regard are tendons, which transmit the forces generated by muscles. The length of the collagen fibrils is essential to the mechanical strength and to the type of damage the tissue may experience (slippage of short fibrils or breakage of longer ones). This in turn is important for understanding the repair processes after such damage occurs. Currently the issue of fibril length is contentious, but this study provides evidence that the fibrils are extremely long and likely continuous. Copyright © 2017 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Temporal reflection as a spectral-broadening mechanism in dual-pumped dispersion-decreasing fibers and its connection to dispersive waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antikainen, Aku; Arteaga-Sierra, Francisco R.; Agrawal, Govind P.

2017-03-01

We show that temporal reflections off a moving refractive index barrier play a major role in the spectral broadening of a dual-wavelength input inside a highly nonlinear, dispersion-decreasing fiber. We also find that a recently developed linear theory of temporal reflections works well in predicting the reflected frequencies. Successive temporal reflections from multiple closely spaced solitons create a blueshifted spectral band, while continuous narrowing of solitons inside the dispersion-decreasing fiber enhances Raman-induced redshifts, leading to supercontinuum generation at relatively low pump powers. We also show how dispersive wave emission can be considered a special case of the more general process of temporal reflections. Hence our findings have implications on all systems able to support solitons.

Healthcare Benefits for Veterans: What Home Care Clinicians Need to Know.

PubMed

Erickson-Hurt, Carma; McGuirk, Dianne; Long, Carol O

2017-05-01

As the world prepares for an increasingly aging population with chronic debilitating diseases, the demand for home healthcare services is increasing. As such, home healthcare clinicians face increased pressure to find resources and continuing support for patients. One area that may be underutilized is accessing Veteran benefits. Home healthcare clinicians care for Veterans every day, and knowing what benefits are available and how to access those benefits can help some Veterans who may be struggling with healthcare needs. Home healthcare clinicians may find understanding Veteran's health benefits intimidating and may falsely assume that a Veteran is aware of his or her benefits. Staying current on home healthcare benefits can be challenging and this article is intended to provide an overview of current and relevant information regarding Veteran health benefits.

Gender, socioeconomic status, age, and jealousy: emotional responses to infidelity in a national sample.

PubMed

Green, Melanie C; Sabini, John

2006-05-01

The authors used a representative national sample (N = 777) to test the evolutionary hypothesis that men would be more bothered by sexual infidelity and women by emotional infidelity, the Jealousy as a Specific Innate Module (JSIM) effect. Our alternative conceptualization of jealousy suggests that there are distinct emotional components of jealousy that did not evolve differently by gender. The authors looked for effects of age, socioeconomic status (SES), and type of measure (continuous or dichotomous) on jealousy. The authors did not find age or SES effects. Forced-choice items provided support for our alternative view; both genders showed more anger and blame over sexual infidelity but more hurt feelings over emotional infidelity. Continuous measures indicated more emotional response to sexual than emotional infidelity among both genders. 2006 APA, all rights reserved

A psychiatrist's role in “coming out” process: Context and controversies post-377

PubMed Central

Kalra, Gurvinder

2012-01-01

After the Delhi High Court judgment on reading down Section 377 Indian penal code, many individuals of alternate sexuality are wanting to come out to themselves and significant others in their lives. In this process, they often turn to psychiatrists seeking help. However the past of this specialty wherein homosexuality and other sexualities were considered a disease still haunts it with anecdotal reports of reorienting treatments continuing in certain parts of the country. While it is important to not continue with this unethical practice, at the same time, it is also important to be supportive to the issues that this and various other marginalized sexualities in our country face. This viewpoint is an attempt to reiterate certain steps that are to be followed by psychiatrists who find themselves in such clinical consultations. PMID:22556443

Reconstructing meaning through occupation after the death of a family member: accommodation, assimilation, and continuing bonds.

PubMed

Hoppes, Steve; Segal, Ruth

2010-01-01

Reactions to death have been studied extensively from psychological, behavioral, and physiological perspectives. Occupational adaptation to loss has received scant attention. Qualitative research was undertaken to identify and describe occupational responses in bereavement. The constant comparative approach was used to analyze and interpret the occupational responses. Adaptive strategies of occupational accommodation and assimilation were used after the death of a family member. Desire to sustain bonds with the deceased motivated specific occupational engagements. These occupational responses served to reconstruct meaning after the death of a family member. These findings contribute to understanding adaptation after death by adding an occupational perspective to previous theories. Occupational therapists' abilities to support clients after loss can be enhanced through appreciation of occupational accommodation and assimilation and the role of continuing occupational bonds after the death of a loved one.

Sameness and the self: philosophical and psychological considerations

PubMed Central

Klein, Stanley B.

2014-01-01

In this paper I examine the concept of cross-temporal personal identity (diachronicity). This particular form of identity has vexed theorists for centuries—e.g., how can a person maintain a belief in the sameness of self over time in the face of continual psychological and physical change? I first discuss various forms of the sameness relation and the criteria that justify their application. I then examine philosophical and psychological treatments of personal diachronicity (for example, Locke's psychological connectedness theory; the role of episodic memory) and find each lacking on logical grounds, empirical grounds or both. I conclude that to achieve a successful resolution of the issue of the self as a temporal continuant we need to draw a sharp distinction between the feeling of the sameness of one's self and the evidence marshaled in support of that feeling. PMID:24523707

Interfacial adsorption in two-dimensional pure and random-bond Potts models.

PubMed

Fytas, Nikolaos G; Theodorakis, Panagiotis E; Malakis, Anastasios

2017-03-01

We use Monte Carlo simulations to study the finite-size scaling behavior of the interfacial adsorption of the two-dimensional square-lattice q-states Potts model. We consider the pure and random-bond versions of the Potts model for q=3,4,5,8, and 10, thus probing the interfacial properties at the originally continuous, weak, and strong first-order phase transitions. For the pure systems our results support the early scaling predictions for the size dependence of the interfacial adsorption at both first- and second-order phase transitions. For the disordered systems, the interfacial adsorption at the (disordered induced) continuous transitions is discussed, applying standard scaling arguments and invoking findings for bulk critical properties. The self-averaging properties of the interfacial adsorption are also analyzed by studying the infinite limit-size extrapolation of properly defined signal-to-noise ratios.

Portage in the UK: recent developments.

PubMed

Russell, F

2007-11-01

Portage provides home-based, early intervention and support to families who have a young child with additional needs. Working in the context of the Every Child Matters agenda, the National Portage Association (NPA) aims to develop inclusive, high-quality provision. This paper reviews their recent work, presents a summary of the findings of a national survey of Portage and discusses their implications. All Portage services known to the NPA and local authorities in England were asked to complete a questionnaire and forward another to families using early years' services to evaluate the support they receive. The survey identified the extent and gaps in Portage provision and the level of unmet need. Families who contributed said they valued Portage because it helped their child and provided support for the whole family. DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS: The survey identified 31 local authorities in England, where Portage is not available. Geographical gaps were most notable in the North East and West Midlands regions. Despite a small increase in the extent of Portage provision, it is estimated that services only meet the needs of a small proportion of families that are eligible. Current work may help overcome geographical gaps through supporting the development of high-quality Portage services but, in endeavouring to meet the needs of families waiting for Portage, it is important not to diminish the quality of support already provided. Portage aims to provide flexible support for families to respond to their individual needs. Evaluating its effectiveness is problematic because of its complex nature but this survey provided an opportunity for families to share their views at a national level. Continued development work can help Portage provision become more accessible and one of the options routinely available to families who have a young child with additional needs.

Vocational rehabilitation for people with severe mental illness

PubMed Central

Crowther, Ruth; Marshall, Max; Bond, Gary R; Huxley, Peter

2014-01-01

Background Unemployment rates are high amongst people with severe mental illness, yet surveys show that most want to work. Vocational rehabilitation services exist to help mentally ill people find work. Traditionally, these services have offered a period of preparation (Pre-vocational Training), before trying to place clients in competitive (i.e. open) employment. More recently, some services have begun placing clients in competitive employment immediately whilst providing on-the-job support (Supported Employment). It is unclear which approach is most effective. Objectives To assess the effects of Pre-vocational Training and Supported Employment (for people with severe mental illness) against each other and against standard care (in hospital or community). In addition, to assess the effects of: (a) special varieties of Pre-vocational Training (Clubhouse model) and Supported Employment (Individual Placement and Support model); and (b) techniques for enhancing either approach, for example payment or psychological intervention. Search methods Searches were undertaken of CINAHL (1982-1998), The Cochrane Library (Issue 2, 1999), EMBASE (1980-1998), MEDLINE (1966-1998) and PsycLIT (1887-1998). Reference lists of eligible studies and reviews were inspected and researchers in the field were approached to identify unpublished studies. Selection criteria Randomised controlled trials of approaches to vocational rehabilitation for people with severe mental illness. Data collection and analysis Included trials were reliably selected by a team of two raters. Data were extracted separately by two reviewers and cross-checked. Authors of trials were contacted for additional information. Relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of homogeneous dichotomous data were calculated. A random effects model was used for heterogeneous dichotomous data. Continuous data were presented in tables (there were insufficient continuous data for formal meta-analysis). A sensitivity analysis was performed, excluding poorer quality trials. Main results Eighteen randomised controlled trials of reasonable quality were identified. The main finding was that on the primary outcome (number in competitive employment) Supported Employment was significantly more effective than Pre-vocational Training; for example, at 18 months 34% of people in Supported Employment were employed versus 12% in Pre-vocational Training (RR random effects (unemployment) 0.76 95% CI 0.64 to 0.89, NNT 4.5). Clients in Supported Employment also earned more and worked more hours per month than those in Pre-vocational Training. There was no evidence that Pre-vocational Training was more effective in helping clients to obtain competitive employment than standard community care. Authors’ conclusions Supported employment is more effective than Pre-vocational Training in helping severely mentally ill people to obtain competitive employment. There is no clear evidence that Pre-vocational Training is effective. PMID:11406069

An Overview of Current Guidelines for Commercial Support of Continuing Medical Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrison, R. Van

1993-01-01

A number of bodies have produced guidelines concerning financial support from commercial companies for continuing medical education. Basic principles include independence of the continuing education provider, balanced content, no unusual benefits, and disclosure of potential for bias. (SK)

Continuous production of polymethylpentene membranes

DOEpatents

Epperson, B.J.; Burnett, L.J.; Helm, V.D.

1983-11-15

Gas separation membranes may be prepared in a continuous manner by passing a porous support which may, if so desired, be backed by a fabric through a solution of polymethylpentene dissolved in an organic solvent such as hexane. The support member is passed through the solution while one side thereof is in contact with a roller, thereby permitting only one side of the support member to be coated with the polymer. After continuously withdrawing the support member from the bath, the solvent is allowed to evaporate and the resulting membrane is recovered.

Associations of social support and stress with postpartum maternal mental health symptoms: Main effects, moderation, and mediation.

PubMed

Schwab-Reese, Laura M; Schafer, Ellen J; Ashida, Sato

2017-07-01

Poor maternal mental health during the postpartum period can have significant effects on the health of mothers, infants, and families. The findings from cross-sectional studies suggest that stress and social support are related to maternal mental health. This study contributes to the literature through the use of longitudinal data, and examines moderation and mediation among these factors. In 2012-2013, mothers completed surveys assessing stress, social support, and depressive and anxiety symptoms following birth (n = 125), and 3 months (n = 110) and 6 months (n = 99) after birth. The authors examined temporal associations, moderation, and mediation of social support on the relationship between stress and postpartum depressive and anxiety symptoms using modified Poisson regression models and the counterfactual approach to mediation. Current levels of stress and social support were associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms, both independently and when considered together at multiple time points. Social support did not strongly moderate or mediate the relationships between stress and maternal mental health. Interventions to reduce current perceptions of stress and increase social support for mothers during the postpartum period may help improve maternal mental health symptoms. Efforts are needed to assess the current needs of mothers continuously.

Bosnian and American students' attitudes toward electronic monitoring: is it about what we know or where we come from?

PubMed

Muftić, Lisa R; Payne, Brian K; Maljević, Almir

2015-06-01

The use of community corrections continues to grow across the globe as alternatives to incarceration are sought. Little research attention, however, has been directed at correctional alternatives from a global orientation. The purpose of this research study is to compare the way that a sample of criminal justice students from the United States (n = 118) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (n = 133) perceive electronic monitoring. Because electronic monitoring is a newer sentencing alternative and it is used differently in Bosnia and Herzegovina than it is in the United States, it is predicted that Bosnian students will view electronic monitoring differently than will students from the United States. This study finds that while students are largely supportive of electronic monitoring sentences, support is affected by offender type and student nationality. For example, Bosnian students are more supportive of electronic monitoring sentences for drug offenders while American students are more supportive of electronic monitoring sentences for juvenile offenders. Differences were also found across student groups when attitudes toward electronic monitoring and the costs and pains associated with electronic monitoring were assessed. Specifically, American students were less likely to view electronic monitoring as meeting the goals of rehabilitation and more likely to view the conditions and restrictions associated with electronic monitoring as being punitive than Bosnian students were. Implications from these findings, as well as limitations and suggestions for further research are discussed. © The Author(s) 2013.

A needs assessment on addressing environmental health issues within reproductive health service provision: Considerations for continuing education and support.

PubMed

Williamson, Linzi; Sangster, Sarah; Bayly, Melanie; Gibson, Kirstian; Lawson, Karen; Clark, Megan

2017-12-01

This needs assessment was initially undertaken to explore the beliefs and knowledge of nurses and physicians about the impact of environmental toxicants on maternal and infant health, as well as to describe current practice and needs related to addressing environmental health issues (EHI). One hundred and thirty-five nurses (n = 99) and physicians (n = 36) working in Saskatchewan completed an online survey. Survey questions were designed to determine how physicians and nurses think about and incorporate environmental health issues into their practice and means of increasing their capacity to do so. Although participants considered it important to address EHIs with patients, in actual practice they do so with only moderate frequency. Participants reported low levels of knowledge about EHIs' impact on health, and low levels of confidence discussing them with patients. Participants requested additional information on EHIs, especially in the form of online resources. The results suggests that while nurses and physicians consider EHIs important to address with patients, more education, support, and resources would increase their capacity to do so effectively. Based on the findings, considerations and recommendations for continuing education in this area have been provided.

NASA industry education initiative. Education programs report, 1991

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

Findings from the initial inventory of education programs show that support for the NASA-Industry Education Initiative (NIEI) appears to be strong among the organizations surveyed. In addition, the range, depth and historical baselines of NIEI education programs are encouraging. It is also apparent that there is a significant level of cooperation between NIEI members and other organizations. Heavily focused towards science, engineering, mathematics and technology achievement, NIEI activities appear to be aligned with national education goals. Three criticisms are revealed: (1) the majority of programs are targeted fairly late in the education cycle; (2) the number of initiatives geared towards adult literacy and adult skills-enhancement appears to be relatively low; (3) the majority of NIEI activities involve traditional education-assistance programs, but the number of critical assessment and systematic reform initiatives is low. Four Working Group recommendations resulted from this activity: (1) NIEI Working Group operations should continue for an indefinite period, with participation open to other like-minded private-sector organization; (2) the report should be periodically updated; (3) an analysis of ongoing education programs should be conducted; (4) American corporations should continue to support education and evaluate in-house programs periodically.

Management Systems, Patient Quality Improvement, Resource Availability, and Substance Abuse Treatment Quality

PubMed Central

Fields, Dail; Roman, Paul M; Blum, Terry C

2012-01-01

Objective To examine the relationships among general management systems, patient-focused quality management/continuous process improvement (TQM/CPI) processes, resource availability, and multiple dimensions of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. Data Sources/Study Setting Data are from a nationally representative sample of 221 SUD treatment centers through the National Treatment Center Study (NTCS). Study Design The design was a cross-sectional field study using latent variable structural equation models. The key variables are management practices, TQM/continuous quality improvement (CQI) practices, resource availability, and treatment center performance. Data Collection Interviews and questionnaires provided data from treatment center administrative directors and clinical directors in 2007–2008. Principal Findings Patient-focused TQM/CQI practices fully mediated the relationship between internal management practices and performance. The effects of TQM/CQI on performance are significantly larger for treatment centers with higher levels of staff per patient. Conclusions Internal management practices may create a setting that supports implementation of specific patient-focused practices and protocols inherent to TQM/CQI processes. However, the positive effects of internal management practices on treatment center performance occur through use of specific patient-focused TQM/CPI practices and have more impact when greater amounts of supporting resources are present. PMID:22098342

The Hawke's Bay Condom Card Scheme: a qualitative study of the views of service providers on increased, discreet access for youth to free condoms.

PubMed

Ryder, Hollie; Aspden, Trudi; Sheridan, Janie

2015-12-01

The incidence of sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancies in adolescence is of concern. The Hawke's Bay District Health Board, New Zealand, set up a pilot condom card scheme ('the Scheme') to allow 13- to 24-year-olds, deemed suitable for the Scheme, to access free condoms from pharmacies on presentation of a Condom Card. Our study explored the views of service providers of a pilot Condom Card Scheme. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 17 service providers (nurses, pharmacists, pharmacy staff) between February and April 2013. Our findings showed that the Scheme was viewed positively by service providers, who indicated almost universal support for the Scheme to continue. However, participants noted a perceived lack of advertising, low number of sites for collection of condoms, lack of flexibility of the Scheme's criteria relating to who could access the scheme and issues with some pharmacy service providers, all of which led to a number of recommendations for improving the Scheme. The views of service providers indicate broad support for the continuation of the Scheme. Canvassing young people's suggestions for improving the Scheme is also essential. © 2015 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

A longitudinal examination of stress generation in depressive and anxiety disorders.

PubMed

Uliaszek, Amanda A; Zinbarg, Richard E; Mineka, Susan; Craske, Michelle G; Griffith, James W; Sutton, Jonathan M; Epstein, Alyssa; Hammen, Constance

2012-02-01

The current study compared two competing theories of the stress generation model of depression (stress causation vs. stress continuation) using interview-based measures of episodic life stress, as well as interpersonal and noninterpersonal chronic life stress. We also expanded on past research by examining anxiety disorders as well as depressive disorders. In addition, we examined the role of neuroticism and extraversion in these relationships. Participants were 627 adolescents enrolled in a two-site, longitudinal study of risk factors for depressive and anxiety disorders. Baseline and follow-up assessments were approximately one year apart. Results supported the stress causation theory for episodic stress generation for anxiety disorders, with neuroticism partially accounting for this relationship. The stress causation theory was also supported for depression, but only for more moderate to severe stressors; neuroticism partially accounted for this relationship as well. Finally, we found evidence for interpersonal and noninterpersonal chronic life stress continuation in both depressive and anxiety disorders. The present findings have implications regarding the specificity of the stress generation model to depressive disorders, as well as variables involved in the stress generation process. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

The Persistence of the Self over Time in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease

PubMed Central

Tippett, Lynette J.; Prebble, Sally C.; Addis, Donna Rose

2018-01-01

Diachronic unity is the belief that, despite changes, we are the same person across the lifespan. We propose that diachronic unity is supported by the experience of remembering the self over time during episodic recall (i.e., phenomenological continuity). However, we also predict that diachronic unity is also possible when episodic memory is impaired, as long as the ability to construct life narratives from semantic memory (i.e., semantic continuity) is intact. To examine this prediction, we investigated diachronic unity in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), two conditions characterised by disrupted phenomenological continuity. If semantic continuity is also altered in these conditions, there should be an associated deterioration in diachronic unity. Participants with AD, aMCI, and healthy controls (HC) completed a self-persistence interview measuring diachronic unity (beliefs about self-persistence, explanations for stability/change). Semantic continuity was assessed with a life-story interview measuring autobiographical reasoning (self-event connections), and coherence (temporal/thematic/causal) of narratives. Our results highlight a complex relationship between semantic continuity and diachronic unity and revealed a divergence between two aspects of diachronic unity: AD/aMCI groups did not differ from HC in continuity beliefs, but AD explanations for self-persistence were less sophisticated. Semantic continuity was most impaired in AD: their narratives had fewer self-event connections (vs. HCs) and lower temporal/thematic coherence (vs. HC/aMCI), while both AD/aMCI groups had lower causal coherence. Paradoxically AD participants who scored higher on measures of beliefs in the persistence of the core self, provided less sophisticated explanations for their self-persistence and were less able to explore persistence in their life narratives. These findings support the importance of semantic continuity to diachronic unity, but suggest a more nuanced and multifaceted relationship than originally proposed in our model. In AD, diminished life narratives that retain features of cultural life scripts are sufficient for strong subjective beliefs of self-persistence, but not for sophisticated explanations about persistence. Better semantic continuity, with the ability to weave high-quality life narratives, may scaffold the capacity to understand and explain one's diachronic unity, but this produces less surety about self-persistence. PMID:29515473

Characterisation of potato crisp effective porosity using micro-CT.

PubMed

Renshaw, Ryan C; Robinson, John P; Dimitrakis, Georgios A; Bows, John R; Kingman, Samuel W

2016-10-01

The effective porosity is an important quantitative parameter for food products that has a significant effect on taste and quality. It is challenging to quantify the apparent porosity of fried potato crisps as they have a thin irregularly shaped cross section containing oil and water. This study uses a novel micro-CT technique to determine the solid volume fraction and hence the effective porosity of three types of potato crisps: standard continuously fried crisps, microwaved crisps, and continuously fried 'kettle' crisps. It was found that continuously fried kettle crisps had the lowest effective porosity at 0.54, providing the desired crunchy taste and lower oil contents. Crisps produced using a microwave process designed to mimic the dehydration process of standard continuous fried crisps had an effective porosity of 0.65, which was very similar to the effective porosity of 0.63 for standard continuously fried crisps. The results were supported by the findings of a forced preference consumer test. The effective porosity affects the product taste and is therefore a critical parameter. This study shows that micro-CT analysis can be used to characterise the change in effective porosity of a thin irregularly shaped food product, caused by a change of cooking procedure. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

47 CFR 54.609 - Calculating support.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) UNIVERSAL SERVICE Universal Service Support for Health Care Providers § 54.609 Calculating support. (a) Except with... health care provider shall be the difference, if any, between the urban rate and the rural rate charged...

Resource or Hindrance? The benefits and costs of social support for functional difficulties and its implications for depressive symptoms.

PubMed

Sharifian, Neika; O'Brien, Erica L

2018-02-09

The impact of social support on the relationship between stress and well-being remains somewhat inconclusive, with work suggesting either null, buffering, or amplification effects. The current study investigated the conditions in which perceived social support is likely to act as a buffer or amplifier by considering individual differences in self-perceptions of aging. Using data from two subsamples of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (graduates: 70-74 years, siblings: 40-92 years), we examined how perceived social support (emotional versus instrumental) and self-perceptions of aging (SPA) moderated the effect of functional limitations on depressive symptoms (DS). Although emotional support positively predicted DS, its effects did not depend on SPA. Instrumental support was associated with both increases and decreases in well-being that were dependent upon SPA. Functional limitations predicted more DS at both low and high levels of instrumental support when SPA were negative. However, when SPA were positive, low levels of social support were found to decrease depressive symptoms, and high levels were found to increase depressive symptoms. The impact of social social may enhance or deteriorate well-being, depending on how it interacts with self-evaluative beliefs. Findings offer insights as to the boundary conditions associated with the (positive) effects of social support and SPA, and highlight the need for continued research on the mechanisms associated these effects.

Contemporary programs in support of traditional ways: Inuit perspectives on community freezers as a mechanism to alleviate pressures of wild food access in Nain, Nunatsiavut.

PubMed

Organ, Jennifer; Castleden, Heather; Furgal, Chris; Sheldon, Tom; Hart, Catherine

2014-11-01

Rapid socio-cultural, economic, and environmental changes are challenging wild food access and thus food security for Inuit in the Canadian Arctic. In response to the continued value and practice of harvesting wild foods, communities are establishing "wild food support" initiatives. This study evaluated how one such initiative, a community freezer, in Nain, Nunatsiavut supported wild food access for community members. Data were collected through: interviews and focus groups with users, freezer managers, and active harvesters; participant observation; and document analysis. Results indicated that the community freezer supported socio-cultural, economic and local access to wild foods. However, there were issues associated with supply, dependency, social exclusion, and tension between feasibility and traditional values and practices. Communities, governments, and policymakers are urged to consider social and physical location as factors when investing in and monitoring such initiatives. The Nunatsiavut Government and the Nain Inuit Community Government have since worked together to modify this early freezer initiative due, in part, to this study's findings. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

How getting noticed helps getting on: successful attention capture doubles children's cooperative play

PubMed Central

Yuill, Nicola; Hinske, Steve; Williams, Sophie E.; Leith, Georgia

2014-01-01

Cooperative social interaction is a complex skill that involves maintaining shared attention and continually negotiating a common frame of reference. Privileged in human evolution, cooperation provides support for the development of social-cognitive skills. We hypothesize that providing audio support for capturing playmates' attention will increase cooperative play in groups of young children. Attention capture was manipulated via an audio-augmented toy to boost children's attention bids. Study 1 (48 6- to 11-year-olds) showed that the augmented toy yielded significantly more cooperative play in triads compared to the same toy without augmentation. In Study 2 (33 7- to 9-year-olds) the augmented toy supported greater success of attention bids, which were associated with longer cooperative play, associated in turn with better group narratives. The results show how cooperation requires moment-by-moment coordination of attention and how we can manipulate environments to reveal and support mechanisms of social interaction. Our findings have implications for understanding the role of joint attention in the development of cooperative action and shared understanding. PMID:24904453

Rural Australian women's legal help seeking for intimate partner violence: women intimate partner violence victim survivors' perceptions of criminal justice support services.

PubMed

Ragusa, Angela T

2013-03-01

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a widespread, ongoing, and complex global social problem, whose victims continue to be largely women. Women often prefer to rely on friends and family for IPV help, yet when informal support is unavailable they remain hesitant to contact formal services, particularly legal support for many reasons. This study applies a sociological lens by framing the IPV and legal help-seeking experiences of rural Australian women gained from 36 in-depth face-to-face interviews as socially contextualized interactions. Findings reveal police and court responses reflect broader social inequalities and rurality exacerbates concerns such as anonymity and lack of service. Cultural differences and power imbalances between survivors and formal support providers are manifested to inform future research seeking to improve survivors' willingness to engage and satisfaction with formal services. Finally, the important role police and the criminal justice system play in de-stigmatizing IPV and legitimating its unacceptability is argued a crucial, yet unrecognized, key to social change.

Global health policies that support the use of banked donor human milk: a human rights issue

PubMed Central

Arnold, Lois DW

2006-01-01

This review examines the role of donor human milk banking in international human rights documents and global health policies. For countries looking to improve child health, promotion, protection and support of donor human milk banks has an important role to play for the most vulnerable of infants and children. This review is based on qualitative triangulation research conducted for a doctoral dissertation. The three methods used in triangulation were 1) writing as a method of inquiry, 2) an integrative research review, and 3) personal experience and knowledge of the topic. Discussion of the international human rights documents and global health policies shows that there is a wealth of documentation to support promotion, protection and support of donor milk banking as an integral part of child health and survival. By utilizing these policy documents, health ministries, professional associations, and donor milk banking associations can find rationales for establishing, increasing or continuing to provide milk banking services in any country, and thereby improve the health of children and future generations of adults. PMID:17164001

The Influence of Social Support on Dyadic Functioning and Mental Health Among Military Personnel During Postdeployment Reintegration.

PubMed

Cederbaum, Julie A; Wilcox, Sherrie L; Sullivan, Kathrine; Lucas, Carrie; Schuyler, Ashley

Although many service members successfully cope with exposure to stress and traumatic experiences, others have symptoms of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety; contextual factors may account for the variability in outcomes from these experiences. This work sought to understand mechanisms through which social support influences the mental health of service members and whether dyadic functioning mediates this relationship. We collected cross-sectional data as part of a larger study conducted in 2013; 321 military personnel who had at least 1 deployment were included in these analyses. Surveys were completed online; we collected data on demographic characteristics, social support, mental health measures (depression, PTSD, and anxiety), and dyadic functioning. We performed process modeling through mediation analysis. The direct effects of social support on the mental health of military personnel were limited; however, across all types of support networks, greater social support was significantly associated with better dyadic functioning. Dyadic functioning mediated the relationships between social support and depression/PTSD only when social support came from nonmilitary friends or family; dyadic functioning mediated social support and anxiety only when support came from family. We found no indirect effects of support from military peers or military leaders. Findings here highlight the need to continue to explore ways in which social support, particularly from family and nonmilitary-connected peers, can bolster healthy intimate partner relationships and, in turn, improve the well-being of military service members who are deployed.

The Influence of Social Support on Dyadic Functioning and Mental Health Among Military Personnel During Postdeployment Reintegration

PubMed Central

Wilcox, Sherrie L.; Sullivan, Kathrine; Lucas, Carrie; Schuyler, Ashley

2016-01-01

Objectives: Although many service members successfully cope with exposure to stress and traumatic experiences, others have symptoms of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety; contextual factors may account for the variability in outcomes from these experiences. This work sought to understand mechanisms through which social support influences the mental health of service members and whether dyadic functioning mediates this relationship. Methods: We collected cross-sectional data as part of a larger study conducted in 2013; 321 military personnel who had at least 1 deployment were included in these analyses. Surveys were completed online; we collected data on demographic characteristics, social support, mental health measures (depression, PTSD, and anxiety), and dyadic functioning. We performed process modeling through mediation analysis. Results: The direct effects of social support on the mental health of military personnel were limited; however, across all types of support networks, greater social support was significantly associated with better dyadic functioning. Dyadic functioning mediated the relationships between social support and depression/PTSD only when social support came from nonmilitary friends or family; dyadic functioning mediated social support and anxiety only when support came from family. We found no indirect effects of support from military peers or military leaders. Conclusion: Findings here highlight the need to continue to explore ways in which social support, particularly from family and nonmilitary-connected peers, can bolster healthy intimate partner relationships and, in turn, improve the well-being of military service members who are deployed. PMID:28005474

Midwives' perceptions and experiences of caring for women who experience perinatal mental health problems: An integrative review.

PubMed

Noonan, Maria; Doody, Owen; Jomeen, Julie; Galvin, Rose

2017-02-01

perinatal mental health is an important public health issue and consideration must be given to care provision for effective support and care of women in the perinatal period. to synthesise primary research on midwives' perceived role in Perinatal Mental Health (PMH). integrative review. Whittemore and Knafl's (2005) framework was employed. A systematic search of the literature was completed. Studies were included if they met the following criteria: primary qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods research studies published in peer reviewed journals between January 2006 to February 2016, where the population of interest were midwives and the outcomes of interest were their perceived role in the management of women with PMH problems. The methodological quality of studies was assessed using the relevant CASP (Critical Appraisal Skills Programmes, 2014) criteria for quantitative and qualitative research studies. Data extraction, quality assessment and thematic analysis were conducted. a total of 3323 articles were retrieved and 22 papers were included in the review (15 quantitative, 6 qualitative and one mixed method study). The quality of the studies included was good overall. Two overarching themes emerged relating to personal and professional engagement. Within personal engagement four sub themes are presented: knowledge, skills, decision making and attitude. Within professional engagement four themes are presented: continuous professional development, organisation of care, referral, and support. the findings indicate midwives require continuous professional development opportunities that address knowledge, attitudes to PMH, communication and assessment skills. However educational and training support in the absence of appropriate referral pathways and support systems will have little benefit. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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

McCoy, Michel; Archer, Bill; Hendrickson, Bruce

The Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP) is an integrated technical program for maintaining the safety, surety, and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile. The SSP uses nuclear test data, computational modeling and simulation, and experimental facilities to advance understanding of nuclear weapons. It includes stockpile surveillance, experimental research, development and engineering programs, and an appropriately scaled production capability to support stockpile requirements. This integrated national program requires the continued use of experimental facilities and programs, and the computational capabilities to support these programs. The Advanced Simulation and Computing Program (ASC) is a cornerstone of the SSP, providing simulation capabilities and computationalmore » resources that support annual stockpile assessment and certification, study advanced nuclear weapons design and manufacturing processes, analyze accident scenarios and weapons aging, and provide the tools to enable stockpile Life Extension Programs (LEPs) and the resolution of Significant Finding Investigations (SFIs). This requires a balance of resource, including technical staff, hardware, simulation software, and computer science solutions. ASC is now focused on increasing predictive capabilities in a three-dimensional (3D) simulation environment while maintaining support to the SSP. The program continues to improve its unique tools for solving progressively more difficult stockpile problems (sufficient resolution, dimensionality, and scientific details), and quantifying critical margins and uncertainties. Resolving each issue requires increasingly difficult analyses because the aging process has progressively moved the stockpile further away from the original test base. Where possible, the program also enables the use of high performance computing (HPC) and simulation tools to address broader national security needs, such as foreign nuclear weapon assessments and counter nuclear terrorism.« less

Advanced Simulation & Computing FY15 Implementation Plan Volume 2, Rev. 0.5

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

McCoy, Michel; Archer, Bill; Matzen, M. Keith

2014-09-16

The Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP) is a single, highly integrated technical program for maintaining the surety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile. The SSP uses nuclear test data, computational modeling and simulation, and experimental facilities to advance understanding of nuclear weapons. It includes stockpile surveillance, experimental research, development and engineering programs, and an appropriately scaled production capability to support stockpile requirements. This integrated national program requires the continued use of experimental facilities and programs, and the computational enhancements to support these programs. The Advanced Simulation and Computing Program (ASC) is a cornerstone of the SSP, providing simulation capabilities andmore » computational resources that support annual stockpile assessment and certification, study advanced nuclear weapons design and manufacturing processes, analyze accident scenarios and weapons aging, and provide the tools to enable stockpile Life Extension Programs (LEPs) and the resolution of Significant Finding Investigations (SFIs). This requires a balance of resource, including technical staff, hardware, simulation software, and computer science solutions. As the program approaches the end of its second decade, ASC is intently focused on increasing predictive capabilities in a three-dimensional (3D) simulation environment while maintaining support to the SSP. The program continues to improve its unique tools for solving progressively more difficult stockpile problems (sufficient resolution, dimensionality, and scientific details), quantify critical margins and uncertainties, and resolve increasingly difficult analyses needed for the SSP. Where possible, the program also enables the use of high-performance simulation and computing tools to address broader national security needs, such as foreign nuclear weapon assessments and counternuclear terrorism.« less

Internet Based Remote Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chamberlain, James

1999-01-01

This is the Final Report for the Internet Based Remote Operations Contract, has performed payload operations research support tasks March 1999 through September 1999. These tasks support the GSD goal of developing a secure, inexpensive data, voice, and video mission communications capability between remote payload investigators and the NASA payload operations team in the International Space Station (ISS) era. AZTek has provided feedback from the NASA payload community by utilizing its extensive payload development and operations experience to test and evaluate remote payload operations systems. AZTek has focused on use of the "public Internet" and inexpensive, Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) Internet-based tools that would most benefit "small" (e.g., $2 Million or less) payloads and small developers without permanent remote operations facilities. Such projects have limited budgets to support installation and development of high-speed dedicated communications links and high-end, custom ground support equipment and software. The primary conclusions of the study are as follows: (1) The trend of using Internet technology for "live" collaborative applications such as telescience will continue. The GSD-developed data and voice capabilities continued to work well over the "public" Internet during this period. 2. Transmitting multiple voice streams from a voice-conferencing server to a client PC to be mixed and played on the PC is feasible. 3. There are two classes of voice vendors in the market: - Large traditional phone equipment vendors pursuing integration of PSTN with Internet, and Small Internet startups.The key to selecting a vendor will be to find a company sufficiently large and established to provide a base voice-conferencing software product line for the next several years.

Continuing professional development (CPD) in radiography: A collaborative European meta-ethnography literature review.

PubMed

Wareing, A; Buissink, C; Harper, D; Gellert Olesen, M; Soto, M; Braico, S; Van Laer, P; Gremion, I; Rainford, L

2017-09-01

The aim of the study was to complete a collaborative review of Radiography continuing professional development (CPD) research material to support the production of European Federation of Radiographer Societies (EFRS) CPD recommendations. A meta-ethnography approach to literature review was applied focussing upon commonalities rather than discrepancies between research outcomes. This facilitated exploration of context across the geographical region of Europe with national variations in CPD governance. The seven phases of the meta-ethnographic approach were followed by two independent experienced researchers. A third researcher mediated the findings which were then explored collaboratively with the EFRS CPD working group for concordance. Phase seven of the meta-ethnography involved interpreting an expression of the synthesis from the previous stages. Six main corroborating themes emerged in this process and following mediation were expressed as themes; knowledge, skills & competency, needs/gap analysis, multi-layered/multi-modal, barriers and drivers; regulation vs autonomy; fostering collaboration - harnessing technology. The primary feature of CPD activity should be the resulting impact - to patients, the service, the profession and the individual; with all stakeholders working in partnership. CPD activity must be flexible/multi-modal to support the changing growth/dynamic workforce. All stakeholders should utilise communication and technology resources and make efforts to improve collaboration between the management, regulators and educators to support Radiographers to develop meaningful CPD. Health services across Europe are under increasing stress and a principal factor going forwards will be managing increasing demands on healthcare staff whilst supporting enhancement of the knowledge, skills and competency base. Copyright © 2017 The College of Radiographers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Developmental timing and continuity of exposure to interparental violence and externalizing behavior as prospective predictors of dating violence.

PubMed

Narayan, Angela J; Englund, Michelle M; Egeland, Byron

2013-11-01

This study investigated the prospective pathways of children's exposure to interparental violence (EIPV) in early and middle childhood and externalizing behavior in middle childhood and adolescence as developmental predictors of dating violence perpetration and victimization at ages 23 and 26 years. Participants (N = 168) were drawn from a longitudinal study of low-income families. Path analyses examined whether timing or continuity of EIPV predicted dating violence and whether timing or continuity of externalizing behavior mediated these pathways. Results indicated that EIPV in early childhood directly predicted perpetration and victimization at age 23. There were significant indirect effects from EIPV to dating violence through externalizing behavior in adolescence and life stress at age 23. Independent of EIPV, externalizing behavior in middle childhood also predicted dating violence through externalizing behavior in adolescence and life stress at age 23, but this pathway stemmed from maltreatment. These results highlight that the timing of EIPV and both the timing and the continuity of externalizing behavior are critical risks for the intergenerational transmission of dating violence. The findings support a developmental perspective that negative early experiences and children's externalizing behavior are powerful influences for dating violence in early adulthood.

Developmental Timing and Continuity of Exposure to Interparental Violence and Externalizing Behavior as Prospective Predictors of Dating Violence

PubMed Central

Narayan, Angela J.; Englund, Michelle M.; Egeland, Byron

2014-01-01

This study investigated the prospective pathways of children's exposure to interparental violence (EIPV) in early and middle childhood and externalizing behavior in middle childhood and adolescence as developmental predictors of dating violence perpetration and victimization at ages 23 and 26 years. Participants (N = 168) were drawn from a longitudinal study of low-income families. Path analyses examined whether timing or continuity of EIPV predicted dating violence and whether timing or continuity of externalizing behavior mediated these pathways. Results indicated that EIPV in early childhood directly predicted perpetration and victimization at age 23. There were significant indirect effects from EIPV to dating violence through externalizing behavior in adolescence and life stress at age 23. Independent of EIPV, externalizing behavior in middle childhood also predicted dating violence through externalizing behavior in adolescence and life stress at age 23, but this pathway stemmed from maltreatment. These results highlight that the timing of EIPV and both the timing and continuity of externalizing behavior are critical risks for the intergenerational transmission of dating violence. Findings support a developmental perspective that negative early experiences and children's externalizing behavior are powerful influences for dating violence in early adulthood. PMID:24229543

Information Processing from Infancy to 11 Years: Continuities and Prediction of IQ

PubMed Central

Rose, Susan A.; Feldman, Judith F.; Jankowski, Jeffery J.; Van Rossem, Ronan

2012-01-01

This study provides the first direct evidence of cognitive continuity for multiple specific information processing abilities from infancy and toddlerhood to pre-adolescence, and provides support for the view that infant abilities and form the basis of later childhood abilities. Data from a large sample of children (N = 131) were obtained at five different time points (7, 12, 24, 36 months, and 11 years) for a large battery of tasks representing four cognitive domains (attention, processing speed, memory, and representational competence). Structural equation models of continuity were assessed for each domain, in which it was assumed that infant abilities → toddler abilities → 11-year abilities. Abilities at each age were represented by latent variables, which minimize task-specific variance and measurement error. The model for each domain fit the data. Moreover, abilities from the three age periods predicted global outcome, with infant, toddler, and contemporaneous 11-year measures, respectively, accounting for 12.3%, 18.5%, and 45.2% of the variance in 11-year IQ. These findings strengthen contentions that specific cognitive abilities that can be identified in infancy show long-term continuity and contribute importantly to later cognitive competence. PMID:23162179

Comparison of a continuous temperature-controlled cryotherapy device to a simple icing regimen following outpatient knee arthroscopy.

PubMed

Woolf, Shane K; Barfield, William R; Merrill, Keith D; McBryde, Angus M

2008-01-01

This prospective, randomized study compared postoperative pain control with use of a continuous temperature-controlled cryotherapy system versus a traditional ice therapy regimen following outpatient knee arthroscopy. Patients with unilateral knee pathology scheduled for outpatient arthroscopic surgery were included. Patients with major ligament reconstructions were excluded. A specific cold therapy regimen was begun postoperatively and continued for 2 weeks as adjunctive management of postoperative pain. Preoperative and postoperative pain intensity, pain type, functionality, and sleep quality were assessed. Patients were randomly assigned to either an ice or a continuous cryotherapy group. Follow-up questionnaires were completed on 5 postoperative days. Data were analyzed using a chi-square test with a level of significance at P < 0.05. Fifty-three patients completed the study. Pain intensity was similar between groups throughout the course of the study. Among patients who reported experiencing night pain, 36% of those in the continuous cryotherapy group were able to sleep soundly with minimal awakening through postoperative day 2 versus 5.9% among the ice therapy group (P = 0.04). No significant differences existed between groups regarding functional ability, and no differences were noted on other follow-up days. These findings support use of continuous temperature-controlled cold therapy devices for nighttime pain control and improved quality of life in the early period following routine knee arthroscopy.

Employing socially driven techniques for framing, contextualization, and collaboration in complex analytical threads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wollocko, Arthur; Danczyk, Jennifer; Farry, Michael; Jenkins, Michael; Voshell, Martin

2015-05-01

The proliferation of sensor technologies continues to impact Intelligence Analysis (IA) work domains. Historical procurement focus on sensor platform development and acquisition has resulted in increasingly advanced collection systems; however, such systems often demonstrate classic data overload conditions by placing increased burdens on already overtaxed human operators and analysts. Support technologies and improved interfaces have begun to emerge to ease that burden, but these often focus on single modalities or sensor platforms rather than underlying operator and analyst support needs, resulting in systems that do not adequately leverage their natural human attentional competencies, unique skills, and training. One particular reason why emerging support tools often fail is due to the gap between military applications and their functions, and the functions and capabilities afforded by cutting edge technology employed daily by modern knowledge workers who are increasingly "digitally native." With the entry of Generation Y into these workplaces, "net generation" analysts, who are familiar with socially driven platforms that excel at giving users insight into large data sets while keeping cognitive burdens at a minimum, are creating opportunities for enhanced workflows. By using these ubiquitous platforms, net generation analysts have trained skills in discovering new information socially, tracking trends among affinity groups, and disseminating information. However, these functions are currently under-supported by existing tools. In this paper, we describe how socially driven techniques can be contextualized to frame complex analytical threads throughout the IA process. This paper focuses specifically on collaborative support technology development efforts for a team of operators and analysts. Our work focuses on under-supported functions in current working environments, and identifies opportunities to improve a team's ability to discover new information and disseminate insightful analytic findings. We describe our Cognitive Systems Engineering approach to developing a novel collaborative enterprise IA system that combines modern collaboration tools with familiar contemporary social technologies. Our current findings detail specific cognitive and collaborative work support functions that defined the design requirements for a prototype analyst collaborative support environment.

Continuous support for women during childbirth

PubMed Central

Hodnett, Ellen D; Gates, Simon; Hofmeyr, G Justus; Sakala, Carol

2014-01-01

Background Historically, women have been attended and supported by other women during labour. However, in hospitals worldwide, continuous support during labour has become the exception rather than the routine. Objectives Primary: to assess the effects of continuous, one-to-one intrapartum support compared with usual care. Secondary: to determine whether the effects of continuous support are influenced by: (1) routine practices and policies; (2) the provider’s relationship to the hospital and to the woman; and (3) timing of onset. Search methods We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group’s Trials Register (30 June 2012). Selection criteria All published and unpublished randomised controlled trials comparing continuous support during labour with usual care. Data collection and analysis We used standard methods of The Cochrane Collaboration Pregnancy and Childbirth Group. Two review authors independently evaluated methodological quality and extracted the data. We sought additional information from the trial authors. We used random-effects analyses for comparisons in which high heterogeneity was present, and we reported results using the average risk ratio (RR) for categorical data and mean difference (MD) for continuous data. Main results Twenty-two trials involving 15,288 women met inclusion criteria and provided usable outcome data. Results are of random-effects analyses, unless otherwise noted. Women allocated to continuous support were more likely to have a spontaneous vaginal birth (RR 1.08, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04 to 1.12) and less likely to have intrapartum analgesia (RR 0.90, 95% CI 0.84 to 0.96) or to report dissatisfaction (RR 0.69, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.79). In addition, their labours were shorter (MD −0.58 hours, 95% CI −0.85 to −0.31), they were less likely to have a caesarean (RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.67 to 0.91) or instrumental vaginal birth (fixed-effect, RR 0.90, 95% CI 0.85 to 0.96), regional analgesia (RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.88 to 0.99), or a baby with a low five-minute Apgar score (fixed-effect, RR 0.69, 95% CI 0.50 to 0.95). There was no apparent impact on other intrapartum interventions, maternal or neonatal complications, or breastfeeding. Subgroup analyses suggested that continuous support was most effective when the provider was neither part of the hospital staff nor the woman’s social network, and in settings in which epidural analgesia was not routinely available. No conclusions could be drawn about the timing of onset of continuous support. Authors’ conclusions Continuous support during labour has clinically meaningful benefits for women and infants and no known harm. All women should have support throughout labour and birth. PMID:23076901

From early dating violence to adult intimate partner violence: Continuity and sources of resilience in adulthood.

PubMed

Greenman, Sarah J; Matsuda, Mauri

2016-10-01

Previous literature has found continuity for intimate partner violence, but little research has explored continuity between dating violence and adult intimate partner violence (IPV) or whether protective factors may attenuate this relationship. This research hypothesised a positive relationship between dating violence in early adulthood and later adulthood IPV and that support and attachment would provide buffering and direct protection for this relationship. Data from the Rochester Youth Development Study were used to explore these questions through negative binomial regression. Dating violence was statistically significantly related to an increase of adult IPV. Family support, parental reports of attachment to the subject, peer support and parenting-related social support all were protective factors that provided a direct effect for those respondents perpetrating dating violence. None of the protective factors provided buffering protection between dating violence and adult IPV. Results confirm significant continuity between dating violence and IPV and that support from peers and family, parenting-related support and parental reports of attachment protect an individual from continuing to engage in intimate partner violence throughout adulthood. Bolstering these supportive relationships may help provide points of intervention to interrupt the link between early dating violence and later adulthood IPV. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

What drives continuous improvement project success in healthcare?

PubMed

Stelson, Paul; Hille, Joshua; Eseonu, Chinweike; Doolen, Toni

2017-02-13

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present findings from a study of factors that affect continuous improvement (CI) project success in hospitals. Design/methodology/approach Quantitative regression analysis was performed on Likert scale survey responses. Qualitative thematic analysis was performed on open-ended survey responses and written reports on CI projects. Findings The paper identifies managerial and employee factors that affect project success. These factors include managerial support, communication, and affective commitment. Affective commitment is the extent to which employees perceive the change as being needed or necessary. Practical implications The results highlight how managerial decisions, approaches to communication - including communication before, during and after CI projects affect project success. The results also show that success depends on the way employees perceive proposed changes. This suggests the need for a more individualized approach to CI, lean, and broader change initiatives. Originality/value This research is the first to fuse project success and sustainability theory to CI projects, beyond Kaizen events, in healthcare environments. The research is particularly important at a time when healthcare organizations are required to make rapid changes with limited resources as they work toward outcome-based assessment and reimbursement rules.

Key findings from HSC's 2010 site visits: health care markets weather economic downturn, brace for health reform.

PubMed

Felland, Laurie E; Grossman, Joy M; Tu, Ha T

2011-05-01

Lingering fallout--loss of jobs and employer coverage--from the great recession slowed demand for health care services but did little to slow aggressive competition by dominant hospital systems for well-insured patients, according to key findings from the Center for Studying Health System Change's (HSC) 2010 site visits to 12 nationally representative metropolitan communities. Hospitals with significant market clout continued to command high payment rate increases from private insurers, and tighter hospital-physician alignment heightened concerns about growing provider market power. High and rising premiums led to increasing employer adoption of consumer-driven health plans and continued increases in patient cost sharing, but the broader movement to educate and engage consumers in care decisions did not keep pace. State and local budget deficits led to some funding cuts for safety net providers, but an influx of federal stimulus funds increased support to community health centers and shored up Medicaid programs, allowing many people who lost private insurance because of job losses to remain covered. Hospitals, physicians and insurers generally viewed health reform coverage expansions favorably, but all worried about protecting revenues as reform requirements phase in.

How important are parents during the college years? A longitudinal perspective of indirect influences parents yield on their college teens’ alcohol use

PubMed Central

Abar, Caitlin; Turrisi, Robert

2008-01-01

Building on previous findings supporting the continuing influence of parents on their teens after they have gone to college (Turrisi et al., 2001; 2000), this study examined the possible indirect influence that parents may have on their teen’s alcohol use through the selection of alcohol using peers in college. Friend use served as a mediator of the relationship between parenting characteristics and alcohol use in a longitudinal college sample. As part of a larger study, 392 incoming college freshmen were assessed for their perceptions of their parent’s parenting practices, and peer alcohol use. Results from SEM indicated that friend alcohol use (first semester freshman year) mediated the relationship between parental knowledge about what their teen was doing in his/her free time (baseline pre-matriculation to college) and individual use in college (second semester freshman year). Findings suggest that even at this late stage of early adulthood parents continue to exhibit influence on the choices their teens make as far as friends, which in turn influences their teens’ drinking in college. Implications for prevention are discussed. PMID:18635318

Improving preventive health care in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary care settings.

PubMed

Bailie, Jodie; Matthews, Veronica; Laycock, Alison; Schultz, Rosalie; Burgess, Christopher P; Peiris, David; Larkins, Sarah; Bailie, Ross

2017-07-14

Like other colonised populations, Indigenous Australians experience poorer health outcomes than non-Indigenous Australians. Preventable chronic disease is the largest contributor to the health differential between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, but recommended best-practice preventive care is not consistently provided to Indigenous Australians. Significant improvement in health care delivery could be achieved through identifying and minimising evidence-practice gaps. Our objective was to use clinical audit data to create a framework of the priority evidence-practice gaps, strategies to address them, and drivers to support these strategies in the delivery of recommended preventive care. De-identified preventive health clinical audit data from 137 primary health care (PHC) centres in five jurisdictions were analysed (n = 17,108 audited records of well adults with no documented major chronic disease; 367 system assessments; 2005-2014), together with stakeholder survey data relating to interpretation of these data, using a mixed-methods approach (n = 152 responses collated in 2015-16). Stakeholders surveyed included clinicians, managers, policy officers, continuous quality improvement (CQI) facilitators and academics. Priority evidence-practice gaps and associated barriers, enablers and strategies to address the gaps were identified and reported back through two-stages of consultation. Further analysis and interpretation of these data were used to develop a framework of strategies and drivers for health service improvement. Stakeholder identified priorities were: following-up abnormal test results; completing cardiovascular risk assessments; timely recording of results; recording enquiries about living conditions, family relationships and substance use; providing support for clients identified with emotional wellbeing risk; enhancing systems to enable team function and continuity of care. Drivers identified for improving care in these areas included: strong Indigenous participation in the PHC service; appropriate team structure and function to support preventive care; meaningful use of data to support quality of care and CQI; and corporate support functions and structures. The framework should be useful for guiding development and implementation of barrier-driven, tailored interventions for primary health care service delivery and policy contexts, and for guiding further research. While specific strategies to improve the quality of preventive care need to be tailored to local context, these findings reinforce the requirement for multi-level action across the system. The framework and findings may be useful for similar purposes in other parts of the world, with appropriate attention to context in different locations.

Effectiveness evaluation of the Positive Family Support intervention: A three-tiered public health delivery model for middle schools.

PubMed

Smolkowski, Keith; Seeley, John R; Gau, Jeffery M; Dishion, Tom J; Stormshak, Elizabeth A; Moore, Kevin J; Falkenstein, Corrina A; Fosco, Gregory M; Garbacz, S Andrew

2017-06-01

This article presents the results of an evaluation of Positive Family Support, an ecological family intervention and treatment approach to parent supports and family management training developed from a history of basic and translational research. This effectiveness trial, with 41 public middle schools randomly assigned to intervention or control, examined student-, teacher-, and parent-reported outcomes, as well as math and reading scores and school attendance. Multilevel analyses suggested that for students at risk for behavior problems, immediate-intervention schools outperformed control schools on parent-reported negative school contacts for students at risk for behavior problems. Implementation, however, was hampered by several challenges, including school funding cuts, lack of staff time to provide parenting supports, and staff turnover. Given that preventive interventions are generally cost effective, it is critical that researchers continue their efforts to refine these interventions and find ways to support schools' implementation of evidence-based programs that can reduce problem behavior. This article is part of a special issue "Parental Engagement in School-Based Interventions". Copyright © 2017 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using concept maps and goal-setting to support the development of self-regulated learning in a problem-based learning curriculum.

PubMed

Thomas, Lisa; Bennett, Sue; Lockyer, Lori

2016-09-01

Problem-based learning (PBL) in medical education focuses on preparing independent learners for continuing, self-directed, professional development beyond the classroom. Skills in self-regulated learning (SRL) are important for success in PBL and ongoing professional practice. However, the development of SRL skills is often left to chance. This study presents the investigated outcomes for students when support for the development of SRL was embedded in a PBL medical curriculum. This investigation involved design, delivery and testing of SRL support, embedded into the first phase of a four-year, graduate-entry MBBS degree. The intervention included concept mapping and goal-setting activities through iterative processes of planning, monitoring and reflecting on learning. A mixed-methods approach was used to collect data from seven students to develop case studies of engagement with, and outcomes from, the SRL support. The findings indicate that students who actively engaged with support for SRL demonstrated increases in cognitive and metacognitive functioning. Students also reported a greater sense of confidence in and control over their approaches to learning in PBL. This study advances understanding about how the development of SRL can be integrated into PBL.

Romantic relationship development: The interplay between age and relationship length.

PubMed

Lantagne, Ann; Furman, Wyndol

2017-09-01

The present study explored how romantic relationship qualities develop with age and relationship length. Eight waves of data on romantic relationships were collected over 10.5 years during adolescence and early adulthood from a community-based sample in a Western U.S. city (100 males, 100 females; M age Wave 1 = 15.83). Measures of support, negative interactions, control, and jealousy were derived from interviews and questionnaire measures. Using multilevel modeling, main effects of age were found for jealousy, and main effects of relationship length were found for each quality. However, main effects were qualified by significant age by length interactions for each and every relationship quality. Short relationships increased in support with age. In comparison, long-term adolescent relationships were notable in that they were both supportive and turbulent, with elevated levels of support, negative interactions, control, and jealousy. With age, long-term relationships continued to have high levels of support, but decreased in negative interactions, control, and jealousy. Present findings highlight how the interplay between age and relationship length is key for understanding the development of romantic relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Social networks, time homeless, and social support: A study of men on Skid Row.

PubMed

Green, Harold D; Tucker, Joan S; Golinelli, Daniela; Wenzel, Suzanne L

2013-12-18

Homeless men are frequently unsheltered and isolated, disconnected from supportive organizations and individuals. However, little research has investigated these men's social networks. We investigate the structure and composition of homeless men's social networks, vis-a-vis short- and long-term homelessness with a sample of men drawn randomly from meal lines on Skid Row in Los Angeles. Men continuously homeless for the past six months display networks composed of riskier members when compared to men intermittently homeless during that time. Men who report chronic, long-term homelessness display greater social network fragmentation when compared to non-chronically homeless men. While intermittent homelessness affects network composition in ways that may be addressable with existing interventions, chronic homelessness fragments networks, which may be more difficult to address with those interventions. These findings have implications for access to social support from network members which, in turn, impacts the resources homeless men require from other sources such as the government or NGOs.

What has fMRI told us about the Development of Cognitive Control through Adolescence?

PubMed Central

Luna, Beatriz; Padmanabhan, Aarthi; O’Hearn, Kirsten

2009-01-01

Cognitive control, the ability to voluntarily guide our behavior, continues to improve throughout adolescence. Below we review the literature on age-related changes in brain function related to response inhibition and working memory, which support cognitive control. Findings from studies using functional magnetic imaging (fMRI) indicate that processing errors, sustaining a cognitive control state, and reaching adult levels of precision, persist through adolescence. Developmental changes in patterns of brain function suggest that core regions of the circuitry underlying cognitive control are on-line early in development. However, age-related changes in localized processes across the brain and in establishing long range connections that support top-down modulation of behavior may support more effective neural processing for optimal mature executive function. While great progress has been made in understanding the age-related changes in brain processes underlying cognitive development, there are still important challenges in developmental neuroimaging methods and the interpretation of data that need to be addressed. PMID:19765880

Social networks, time homeless, and social support: A study of men on Skid Row

PubMed Central

Green, Harold D.; Tucker, Joan S.; Golinelli, Daniela; Wenzel, Suzanne L.

2014-01-01

Homeless men are frequently unsheltered and isolated, disconnected from supportive organizations and individuals. However, little research has investigated these men’s social networks. We investigate the structure and composition of homeless men’s social networks, vis-a-vis short- and long-term homelessness with a sample of men drawn randomly from meal lines on Skid Row in Los Angeles. Men continuously homeless for the past six months display networks composed of riskier members when compared to men intermittently homeless during that time. Men who report chronic, long-term homelessness display greater social network fragmentation when compared to non-chronically homeless men. While intermittent homelessness affects network composition in ways that may be addressable with existing interventions, chronic homelessness fragments networks, which may be more difficult to address with those interventions. These findings have implications for access to social support from network members which, in turn, impacts the resources homeless men require from other sources such as the government or NGOs. PMID:24466427

The Role of HIV Stigma in ART Adherence and Quality of Life Among Rural Women Living with HIV in India.

PubMed

Ekstrand, Maria L; Heylen, Elsa; Mazur, Amanda; Steward, Wayne T; Carpenter, Catherine; Yadav, Kartik; Sinha, Sanjeev; Nyamathi, Adey

2018-05-22

HIV stigma continues to be a barrier to physical and mental health among people living with HIV globally, especially in vulnerable populations. We examined how stigma is associated with health outcomes and quality of life among rural women living with HIV in South India (N = 600). Interviewer-administered measures assessed multiple dimensions of stigma, as well as loneliness, social support, ART adherence, time since diagnosis, and quality of life. Internalized stigma and a lack of social support were associated with a lower quality of life, while the association between internalized stigma and adherence was mediated by the use of stigma-avoidant coping strategies, suggesting that keeping one's diagnosis a secret may make it more difficult to take one's medications. These findings suggest that these women constitute a vulnerable population who need additional services to optimize their health and who might benefit from peer support interventions and stigma-reduction programs for family and community members.

"I'm still here": Exploring what matters to people with intellectual disability during advance care planning.

PubMed

McKenzie, Nicola; Mirfin-Veitch, Brigit; Conder, Jennifer; Brandford, Sharon

2017-11-01

This study sought to identify, from the perspective of people with intellectual disabilities and life limiting conditions, the factors that strengthened and inhibited their Advance Care Planning. This in depth qualitative study explored the experiences of four people with intellectual disability and life limiting conditions, through interviews and documentation reviews. There was strong agreement across all participants about what positively influenced Advance Care Planning, namely; going at my pace; supporting me to make my own choices; adapting the process to suit me, and, most importantly; continuing to support and plan the life I'm still living. With the exception of being comfortable/skilled in end-of-life support, the skills required of facilitators were similar to those required for all forms of person-centred planning. The findings are encouraging and demonstrate that Advance Care Planning is a useful tool in ensuring that people with intellectual disability have control and choice over their lives, right to the end. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cumulative Disadvantage and Youth Well-Being: A Multi-Domain Examination with Life Course Implications

PubMed Central

Nurius, Paula S.; Prince, Dana M.; Rocha, Anita

2015-01-01

Purpose The accumulation of disadvantage has been shown to increase psychosocial stressors that impact life course well-being. This study tests for significant differences, based on disadvantage exposure, on youths’ emotional and physical health, as well as family supports, peer assets, and academic success, which hold potential for resilience and amelioration of negative health outcomes. Methods A 12 item cumulative disadvantage summed index derived from surveys of a racially and socioeconomically diverse sample of urban high school seniors (n=9,658) was used to distinguish youth at low, moderate, and high levels. Results Findings supported hypothesized stepped patterns such that as multiple disadvantages accumulate, a concomitant decline is evident across the assessed outcome variables (except positive academic identity). Post-hoc tests indicated a pattern of groups being significantly different from one another. Discussion Overall, results lend support for an additive stress load associated with stacked disadvantage, with implications for continuing trends into adulthood as well as preventive interventions PMID:26617431

ASC FY17 Implementation Plan, Rev. 1

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

Hamilton, P. G.

The Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP) is an integrated technical program for maintaining the safety, surety, and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile. The SSP uses nuclear test data, computational modeling and simulation, and experimental facilities to advance understanding of nuclear weapons. It includes stockpile surveillance, experimental research, development and engineering programs, and an appropriately scaled production capability to support stockpile requirements. This integrated national program requires the continued use of experimental facilities and programs, and the computational capabilities to support these programs. The Advanced Simulation and Computing Program (ASC) is a cornerstone of the SSP, providing simulation capabilities and computationalmore » resources that support annual stockpile assessment and certification, study advanced nuclear weapons design and manufacturing processes, analyze accident scenarios and weapons aging, and provide the tools to enable stockpile Life Extension Programs (LEPs) and the resolution of Significant Finding Investigations (SFIs). This requires a balance of resources, including technical staff, hardware, simulation software, and computer science solutions.« less

Use of Electronic Health Records in Disaster Response: The Experience of Department of Veterans Affairs After Hurricane Katrina

PubMed Central

Brown, Steven H.; Fischetti, Linda F.; Graham, Gail; Bates, Jack; Lancaster, Anne E.; McDaniel, David; Gillon, Joseph; Darbe, Melody; Kolodner, Robert M.

2007-01-01

Objectives. We describe electronic health data use by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in the month after Katrina, including supporting technologies, the extent and nature of information accessed, and lessons learned. Methods. We conducted a retrospective study using cross-sectional panels of data collected sequentially over time. Results. By September 30, 2005, clinical data were accessed electronically for at least 38% (14941 of 39910) of patients cared for prior to Hurricane Katrina by New Orleans–area VA medical facilities. Approximately 1000 patients per day had data accessed during the month following Hurricane Katrina, a rate approximately two thirds of pre-Katrina values. Health care data were transmitted to more than 200 sites in 48 states and to at least 2300 users. Conclusions. The VA electronic health records supported continuity of care for evacuated veterans after Katrina. Our findings suggest that pharmacy and laboratory computerization alone will not be sufficient for future disaster support systems. PMID:17413082

Impact of Commercial Support on Continuing Pharmacy Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Jayne L.; Cervero, Ronald M.; Valentine, Thomas

2006-01-01

Introduction: There is a serious debate over the involvement of the pharmaceutical industry in continuing education. Policies that govern the planning of continuing education for pharmacists center on the potential conflict of interest when there is commercial support for programs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of…

Leading Learning: The Role of School Leaders in Supporting Continuous Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevenson, Michael; Hedberg, John G.; O'Sullivan, Kerry-Ann; Howe, Cathie

2016-01-01

In contemporary school settings, leaders seeking to support professional development are faced with many challenges. These challenges call for educators who can undertake professional learning that is continuous and adaptive to change. As a term, continuous professional development (CPD) reflects many different forms of professional development in…

20 CFR 220.185 - The Board may conduct a review to find out whether the annuitant continues to be disabled.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... whether the annuitant continues to be disabled. 220.185 Section 220.185 Employees' Benefits RAILROAD... review to find out whether the annuitant continues to be disabled. After the Board finds that the annuitant is disabled, the Board must evaluate the annuitant's impairment(s) from time to time to determine...

20 CFR 220.185 - The Board may conduct a review to find out whether the annuitant continues to be disabled.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... whether the annuitant continues to be disabled. 220.185 Section 220.185 Employees' Benefits RAILROAD... review to find out whether the annuitant continues to be disabled. After the Board finds that the annuitant is disabled, the Board must evaluate the annuitant's impairment(s) from time to time to determine...

20 CFR 220.185 - The Board may conduct a review to find out whether the annuitant continues to be disabled.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... whether the annuitant continues to be disabled. 220.185 Section 220.185 Employees' Benefits RAILROAD... review to find out whether the annuitant continues to be disabled. After the Board finds that the annuitant is disabled, the Board must evaluate the annuitant's impairment(s) from time to time to determine...

20 CFR 220.185 - The Board may conduct a review to find out whether the annuitant continues to be disabled.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... whether the annuitant continues to be disabled. 220.185 Section 220.185 Employees' Benefits RAILROAD... review to find out whether the annuitant continues to be disabled. After the Board finds that the annuitant is disabled, the Board must evaluate the annuitant's impairment(s) from time to time to determine...

20 CFR 220.185 - The Board may conduct a review to find out whether the annuitant continues to be disabled.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... whether the annuitant continues to be disabled. 220.185 Section 220.185 Employees' Benefits RAILROAD... review to find out whether the annuitant continues to be disabled. After the Board finds that the annuitant is disabled, the Board must evaluate the annuitant's impairment(s) from time to time to determine...

Effectiveness and experiences of families and support workers participating in peer-led parenting support programs delivered as home visiting programs: a comprehensive systematic review.

PubMed

Munns, Ailsa; Watts, Robin; Hegney, Desley; Walker, Roz

2016-10-01

Designing child and family health services to meet the diverse needs of contemporary families is intended to minimize impacts of early disadvantage and subsequent lifelong health and social issues. Innovative programs to engage families with child and family support services have led to interest in the potential value of peer-led home visiting from parents in local communities. There is a range of benefits and challenges identified in a limited number of studies associated with home visiting peer support. The objective of the review is to identify: INCLUSION CRITERIA PARTICIPANTS: Families/parents with one or more children aged zero to four years, peer support workers and their supervisors. Peer-led home visiting parenting support programs that use volunteer or paraprofessional home visitors from the local community compared to standard community maternal-child care. The phenomenon of interest will be the relationships between participants in the program. Quantitative studies: randomized control trials (RCTs). Qualitative studies: grounded theory and qualitative descriptive studies. Parental attitudes and beliefs, coping skills and confidence in parenting, parental stress, compliance with child health checks/links with primary healthcare services, satisfaction with peer support and services and the nature of the relationship between parents and home visitors. The search strategy will include both published and unpublished studies. Seven journal databases and five other sources will be searched. Only studies published in the English language from 2000 to 2015 will be considered. Studies were assessed by two independent reviewers using standardized critical appraisal tools from the Joanna Briggs Institute Meta-Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-MAStARI) and the Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-QARI) as appropriate. Both quantitative and qualitative data were independently extracted by two reviewers using standardized data extraction tools from the JBI-MAStARI and the JBI-QARI, respectively, including qualitative and quantitative details about setting of interventions, phenomena of interest, participants, study methods and outcomes or findings. For quantitative findings, statistical pooling was not possible due to differences in interventions and outcome measures. Findings were presented in narrative form. Qualitative findings were aggregated into categories based on similarity of meaning from which synthesized findings were generated. Quantitative results from two RCTs demonstrated positive impacts of peer-led home visiting parent support programs including more positive parenting attitudes and beliefs, and more child preventative health care visits.Fifteen qualitative findings from two studies were aggregated into five categories from which two synthesized findings emerged. Parents and home visitors identified similar components as contributing to their program's success, these being quality of relationships between parents and home visitors with elements being mutual respect, trust and being valued within the partnership. In addition, home visitors identified importance of enabling strategies to develop relationships. They also needed supportive working environments with clinical staff and management. The current review indicates a positive impact of peer-led home visiting parent support programs, incorporating a framework of partnership between parents and home visitors, on mother-infant dyads. Positive changes in parenting attitudes and beliefs, and increased number of child preventative healthcare visits are supported by the quality of the relationship between parent and home visitor, and home visitors' working environments. The essential characteristics of an effective parent support program are strategies for relationship building between parents and home visitors; ongoing staff and home visitor education to enhance communication, collaboration and working in partnership; supervision by team leaders; and continuous quality improvement. The focus of further research should be on confirmatory studies using an action research methodology and the cost-effectiveness of these models.

Have we made progress in Somalia after 30 years of interventions? Attitudes toward female circumcision among people in the Hargeisa district.

PubMed

Gele, Abdi A; Bø, Bente P; Sundby, Johanne

2013-03-27

Female circumcision is a major public health problem that largely contributes to the ill-health of women and their children globally. Accordingly, the international community is committed to take all possible measures to abolish the practice that is internationally considered to be absolutely intolerable. While the practice is a social tradition shared by people in 28 African countries, there is no country on earth where FC is more prevalent than in Somalia. Yet, since the early 1990s, there is no quantitative study that has investigated whether the perception towards the practice among Somali men and women in Somalia has improved or not. Thus, this cross-sectional quantitative study examines the attitudes toward the practice among people in Hargeisa, Somalia. A cross-sectional study of 215 randomly selected persons, including both men and women, was conducted in Hargeisa, Somalia from July to September of 2011. Participants were interviewed using structured questionnaires, with questions including the circumcision status of the female participants, the type of circumcision, if one has the intention to circumcise his/her daughter, whether one supports the continuation or discontinuation of the practice and men's perceptions toward having an uncircumcised woman as a wife. The findings show that 97% of the study's participants were circumcised with no age differences. Of this, 81% were subjected to Type 3, while 16% were subjected to either Type 1 or 2 and only 3% were left uncircumcised. Approximately 85% of the respondents had intention to circumcise their daughters, with 13% were planning the most radical form. Among men, 96% preferred to marry circumcised women, whereas overall, 90% of respondents supported the continuation of the practice. The vast majority of the study's respondents had a good knowledge of the negative health effects of female circumcision. In multivariate logistic regressions, with an adjustment for all other important variables, female circumcision (the Sunna form) is a religious requirement 16.5 (2.43-112.6) and the Sunna form is not harmful 25.1(2.35-281.1), are the two factors significantly associated with the continuation of female circumcision. Moreover, females were less likely to support the continuation of FC compared to their male counterparts (aOR 0.07; CI: 0.05-0.88). The study shows that the support towards the persistence of the practice is profoundly high in Somalia. People are aware of the health and human rights effect of female circumcision, and yet they support the continuation of the practice. Therefore, over 30 years of campaigns with limited progress demand an alternative approach towards the eradication of female circumcision in Somalia.

Have we made progress in Somalia after 30 years of interventions? Attitudes toward female circumcision among people in the Hargeisa district

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Female circumcision is a major public health problem that largely contributes to the ill-health of women and their children globally. Accordingly, the international community is committed to take all possible measures to abolish the practice that is internationally considered to be absolutely intolerable. While the practice is a social tradition shared by people in 28 African countries, there is no country on earth where FC is more prevalent than in Somalia. Yet, since the early 1990s, there is no quantitative study that has investigated whether the perception towards the practice among Somali men and women in Somalia has improved or not. Thus, this cross-sectional quantitative study examines the attitudes toward the practice among people in Hargeisa, Somalia. Methods A cross-sectional study of 215 randomly selected persons, including both men and women, was conducted in Hargeisa, Somalia from July to September of 2011. Participants were interviewed using structured questionnaires, with questions including the circumcision status of the female participants, the type of circumcision, if one has the intention to circumcise his/her daughter, whether one supports the continuation or discontinuation of the practice and men’s perceptions toward having an uncircumcised woman as a wife. Result The findings show that 97% of the study’s participants were circumcised with no age differences. Of this, 81% were subjected to Type 3, while 16% were subjected to either Type 1 or 2 and only 3% were left uncircumcised. Approximately 85% of the respondents had intention to circumcise their daughters, with 13% were planning the most radical form. Among men, 96% preferred to marry circumcised women, whereas overall, 90% of respondents supported the continuation of the practice. The vast majority of the study’s respondents had a good knowledge of the negative health effects of female circumcision. In multivariate logistic regressions, with an adjustment for all other important variables, female circumcision (the Sunna form) is a religious requirement 16.5 (2.43-112.6) and the Sunna form is not harmful 25.1(2.35-281.1), are the two factors significantly associated with the continuation of female circumcision. Moreover, females were less likely to support the continuation of FC compared to their male counterparts (aOR 0.07; CI: 0.05-0.88). Conclusion The study shows that the support towards the persistence of the practice is profoundly high in Somalia. People are aware of the health and human rights effect of female circumcision, and yet they support the continuation of the practice. Therefore, over 30 years of campaigns with limited progress demand an alternative approach towards the eradication of female circumcision in Somalia. PMID:23537232

47 CFR 54.613 - Limitations on supported services for rural health care providers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... health care providers. 54.613 Section 54.613 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) UNIVERSAL SERVICE Universal Service Support for Health Care Providers § 54.613 Limitations on supported services for rural health care providers. (a) Upon submitting a...

Adolescent mothers' self-esteem and role identity and their relationship to parenting skills knowledge.

PubMed

Hurlbut, N L; Culp, A M; Jambunathan, S; Butler, P

1997-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the adolescent mother's self-esteem and her knowledge of parenting skills. Erikson's psychosocial theory provided the basis for the general hypothesis that the adolescent mother's global self-esteem will correlate with her parenting skills knowledge. The findings reported here support the conclusion that self-esteem is a good indicator of the adolescent mother's parenting. There were significant correlations between the mother's baseline self-esteem and her knowledge about role reversal, empathy, developmental expectations, and corporal punishment. The data also supported the hypothesis that adolescent self-esteem is developmentally continuous. Using Erikson's theory, it was argued that the adolescent mother's parenting is at risk if she has not had the opportunity to achieve her role identity, which is a prerequisite for the parenting stage of generativity.

Enduring love? Attitudes to family and inheritance law in England and Wales.

PubMed

Douglas, Gillian; Woodward, Hilary; Humphrey, Alun; Mills, Lisa; Morrell, Gareth

2011-01-01

This paper reports on the findings from a large-scale study of public attitudes to inheritance law, particularly the rules on intestacy. It argues that far from the assumption that the family' is in terminal decline, people in England and Wales still view their most important relationships, at least for the purposes of inheritance law, as centred on a narrow, nuclear family model. However, there is also widespread acceptance of re-partnering and cohabitation, producing generally high levels of support for including cohabitants in the intestacy rules and for ensuring that children from former relationships are protected. We argue that these views are underpinned by a continuing sense of responsibility to the members of one's nuclear family, arising from notions of sharing and commitment, dependency and support, and a sense of lineage.

Domestic violence in women with serious mental illness involved with child protective services.

PubMed

Lewin, Linda C; Abdrbo, Amany; Burant, Christopher J

2010-02-01

The purpose of this study is to describe mothers with serious mental illness who have experienced domestic violence and are involved with child protective services. One hundred twenty-two files from the Department of Child and Family Services were reviewed. According to this retrospective review, the majority of the mothers and children had been exposed to domestic violence (62.6%). Mothers with the diagnoses of major depression-single episode and major depression-recurrent were most likely to have disclosed domestic violence exposure, compared to mothers with other serious mental illnesses. Our findings, and that of other cited studies, support the practice of routine assessment of domestic violence in women with serious mental illnesses, identification of safe havens for mothers and children, and access to continuing parenting support for these vulnerable family groups.

Developing the Mental Health Workforce: Review and Application of Training Approaches from Multiple Disciplines

PubMed Central

Lyon, Aaron R.; Stirman, Shannon Wiltsey; Kerns, Suzanne E. U.; Bruns, Eric J.

2011-01-01

Strategies specifically designed to facilitate the training of mental health practitioners in evidence-based practices (EBPs) have lagged behind the development of the interventions themselves. The current paper draws from an interdisciplinary literature (including medical training, adult education, and teacher training) to identify useful training and support approaches as well as important conceptual frameworks that may be applied to training in mental health. Theory and research findings are reviewed, which highlight the importance of continued consultation/ support following training workshops, congruence between the training content and practitioner experience, and focus on motivational issues. In addition, six individual approaches are presented with careful attention to their empirical foundations and potential applications. Common techniques are highlighted and applications and future directions for mental health workforce training and research are discussed. PMID:21190075

Anatomic pathology laboratory information systems: a review.

PubMed

Park, Seung Lyung; Pantanowitz, Liron; Sharma, Gaurav; Parwani, Anil Vasdev

2012-03-01

The modern anatomic pathology laboratory depends on a reliable information infrastructure to register specimens, record gross and microscopic findings, regulate laboratory workflow, formulate and sign out report(s), disseminate them to the intended recipients across the whole health system, and support quality assurance measures. This infrastructure is provided by the Anatomical Pathology Laboratory Information Systems (APLIS), which have evolved over decades and now are beginning to support evolving technologies like asset tracking and digital imaging. As digital pathology transitions from "the way of the future" to "the way of the present," the APLIS continues to be one of the key effective enablers of the scope and practice of pathology. In this review, we discuss the evolution, necessary components, architecture and functionality of the APLIS that are crucial to today's practicing pathologist and address the demands of emerging trends on the future APLIS.

Unacknowledged Rape: The Influences of Child Sexual Abuse and Personality Traits.

PubMed

Wilson, Laura C; Scarpa, Angela

2015-01-01

Evidence supports that the majority of young women who experience sexual victimization that meets the legal definition of rape do not label their experiences as rape--this has been termed unacknowledged rape. In a sample of 77 young adult women, the odds of unacknowledged rape significantly increased as a function of less severe child sexual abuse histories and greater levels of dysfunctional personality traits. Potential explanations for these findings as well as clinical implications are discussed. Because of the potential psychological and societal consequences of unacknowledged rape, it is vital that researchers continue to examine this phenomenon.

Initial Results of Interdisciplinary Science Enabled by Eclipse 2017: NASA Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guhathakurta, M.

2017-12-01

The exceptionally long path over land of the August 21st total and partial solar eclipse provided an unprecedented opportunity for cross disciplinary studies of the sun, moon, Earth, and their interactions. NASA supported research using ground-based measurements, balloons and planes that "chased" the eclipse as well as data taken from a vast array of orbiting spacecraft, all of which helped scientists take continuous measurements of the sun and the effects of the eclipse on the ionosphere and Earth for relatively long periods of time. This talk will summarize some of the initial findings from these research.

Business, Households, and Governments: Health Spending, 1991

PubMed Central

Cowan, Cathy A.; McDonnell, Patricia A.

1993-01-01

Governments have been thrust to the forefront of health care reform efforts as growth in government health care costs was faster than growth in all other sponsor sectors in 1991. In the business sector, real health care costs per worker have risen 65 times faster than real wages and salaries per worker during the past 26 years. Households continue to devote 5 percent of income after taxes to health care, the same percentage for the last 8 years. This article presents data supporting these findings, and an analysis of health care spending by each sponsor sector. PMID:10130577

The Self-Organizing Psyche: Nonlinear and Neurobiological Contributions to Psychoanalysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stein, A. H.

Sigmund Freud attempted to align nineteenth century biology (and the dynamically conservative, continuous, Newtonian mechanics that underlie it) with discontinuous conscious experience. His tactics both set the future course for psychoanalytic development and introduced seemingly intractable complications into its metapsychology. In large part, these arose from what we now recognize were biological errors and dynamical oversimplifications amid his physical assumptions. Their correction, brought about by integrating nonlinear dynamics and neuro-biological research findings with W. Bion's reading of metapsychology, fundamentally supports a psychoanalysis based upon D. W. Winnicott's ideas surrounding play within transitional space.

The value of continuing professional development: A realistic evaluation of a multi-disciplinary workshop for health visitors dealing with children with complex needs.

PubMed

Steven, Alison; Larkin, Valerie; Stewart, Jane; Bateman, Belinda

2018-08-01

Continuing Professional Development is important for maintaining and developing knowledge and skills. Evidence regarding direct impact on practice is limited. Existing literature often lacks sufficient detail regarding the initiative or its evaluation, making transferability problematic. To explore the impact and perceived value of multi-disciplinary Continuing Professional Development workshops for Health Visitors who support families with children with complex health needs. Realistic Evaluation principles guided the research. Workshop attendees were invited to participate (n.21), 81% (n.17) agreed. Data collection included a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and qualitative thematic analysis. One North of England Health Service Trust. Interrelated temporal themes emerged. Before the workshop expectations included, uncertainty regarding content and ambiguity regarding attendance. During workshops comments focused on networking opportunities, the detail, content and facilitation of the learning experience. 'Emotional safety' enabled interaction, sharing and absorption of information, and potentially increased trust, confidence and social capital. Participants viewed the workshop as informative, enhancing insight regarding roles, services and processes. Post-workshop participants reported examples of practice enhancements attributed to workshop attendance including: confidence building; improved team working; facilitation of early referral and accessing additional support for families. Findings suggest initiative developers aiming CPD at new or existing teams need to consider nurturing social capital and to pay attention to the context and mechanisms, which can prompt attendance, engagement and subsequent practice application. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cerebral hemodynamics with intra-aortic balloon pump: business as usual?

PubMed

Caldas, J R; Panerai, R B; Bor-Seng-Shu, E; Almeida, J P; Ferreira, G S R; Camara, L; Nogueira, R C; Oliveira, M L; Jatene, F B; Robinson, T G; Hajjar, L A

2017-06-22

Intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) is commonly used as mechanical support after cardiac surgery or cardiac shock. Although its benefits for cardiac function have been well documented, its effects on cerebral circulation are still controversial. We hypothesized that transfer function analysis (TFA) and continuous estimates of dynamic cerebral autoregulation (CA) provide consistent results in the assessment of cerebral autoregulation in patients with IABP. Continuous recordings of blood pressure (BP, intra-arterial line), end-tidal CO 2 , heart rate and cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV, transcranial Doppler) were obtained (i) 5 min with IABP ratio 1:3, (ii) 5 min, starting 1 min with the IABP-ON, and continuing for another 4 min without pump assistance (IABP-OFF). Autoregulation index (ARI) was estimated from the CBFV response to a step change in BP derived by TFA and as a function of time using an autoregressive moving-average model during removal of the device (ARI t ). Critical closing pressure and resistance area-product were also obtained. ARI with IABP-ON (4.3  ±  1.2) were not different from corresponding values at IABP-OFF (4.7  ±  1.4, p  =  0.42). Removal of the balloon had no effect on ARI t , CBFV, BP, cerebral critical closing pressure or resistance area-product. IABP does not disturb cerebral hemodynamics. TFA and continuous estimates of dynamic CA can be used to assess cerebral hemodynamics in patients with IABP. These findings have important implications for the design of studies of critically ill patients requiring the use of different invasive support devices.

A cost-reducing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) program model: a single institution experience.

PubMed

Cavarocchi, N C; Wallace, S; Hong, E Y; Tropea, A; Byrne, J; Pitcher, H T; Hirose, H

2015-03-01

The worldwide demand for ECMO support has grown. Its provision remains limited due to several factors (high cost, complicated technology, lack of expertise) that increase healthcare cost. Our goal was to assess if an intensive care unit (ICU)-run ECMO model without continuous bedside perfusionists would decrease costs while maintaining patient safety and outcomes. A new ECMO program was implemented in 2010, consisting of dedicated ICU multidisciplinary providers (ICU-registered nurses, mid-level providers and intensivists). In year one, we introduced an education platform, new technology and dedicated space. In year two, continuous bedside monitoring by perfusionists was removed and new management algorithms designating multidisciplinary providers as first responders were established. The patient safety and cost benefit from the removal of the continuous bedside monitoring of the perfusionists of this new ECMO program was retrospectively reviewed and compared. During the study period, 74 patients (28 patients in year 1 and 46 patients in year 2) were placed on ECMO (mean days: 8 ± 5.7). The total annual hospital expenditure for the ECMO program was significantly reduced in the new model ($234,000 in year 2 vs. $600,264 in year 1), showing a 61% decrease in cost. This cost decrease was attributed to a decreased utilization of perfusion services and the introduction of longer lasting and more efficient ECMO technology. We did not find any significant changes in registered nurse ratios or any differences in outcomes related to ICU safety events. We demonstrated that the ICU-run ECMO model managed to lower hospital cost by reducing the cost of continuous bedside perfusion support without a change in outcomes. © The Author(s) 2014.

Effectiveness of Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy for Treatment of Concussed Adolescents With Persistent Symptoms of Dizziness and Imbalance.

PubMed

Park, Kyoungyoun; Ksiazek, Thomas; Olson, Bernadette

2018-05-04

Adolescents who suffer sport concussion typically respond to a prescription of cognitive and physical rest in the acute phases of healing; however, some adolescents do not respond to rest alone. Dizziness, unsteadiness, and imbalance are impairments, which may linger longer than 30 days, leading to a diagnosis of postconcussion syndrome (PCS). Vestibular assessment and therapy may benefit adolescents suffering from these persistent symptoms. Does vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT) rather than continued prescription of rest (cognitive and physical) reduce recovery time and persistent symptoms of dizziness, unsteadiness, and imbalance in adolescents (12-18 y) who suffer PCS following a sports-related concussion? Summary of Key Findings: All 4 studies selected included adolescents suffering from PCS, specifically continued dizziness, unsteadiness, and imbalance. VRT was an effective intervention for this population. Adolescents presenting with this cluster of symptoms may also demonstrate verbal and visual memory loss linked to changes in the vestibular system postconcussion. Improved screening tools can help better understand vestibular system changes, identify adolescents who may benefit from VRT sooner, and decrease long-term impairments. Clinical Bottom Line: Moderate evidence supports that adolescents who suffer from persistent symptoms of dizziness, unsteadiness, and imbalance following sport concussion should be evaluated more specifically and earlier for vestibular dysfunction and can benefit from participation in individualized VRT. Early evaluation and treatment may result in a reduction of time lost from sport as well as a return to their premorbid condition. For these adolescents, VRT may be more beneficial than continued physical and cognitive rest when an adolescent's symptoms last longer than 30 days. Strength of Recommendation: Grade B evidence exists to support that VRT is more effective than continued cognitive and physical rest in reducing persistent symptoms of dizziness, unsteadiness, and imbalance in adolescents who suffer PCS.

The National Treatment Outcomes Research Study (NTORS) and its influence on addiction treatment policy in the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Gossop, Michael

2015-07-01

This paper describes the political origins of the National Treatment Outcomes Research Study (NTORS) and the outputs and impacts of the study. NTORS was designed to meet the request of the Health Secretary and of a Government Task Force for evidence about the effectiveness of the national addiction treatment services. NTORS was a prospective cohort study which investigated outcomes over a 5-year period of drug users admitted to four major treatment modalities: in-patient treatment, residential rehabilitation, methadone reduction and methadone maintenance programmes. The study investigated treatments delivered under day-to-day operating conditions. Outcomes showed substantial reductions in illicit drug use and reduced injecting risk behaviours. These changes were accompanied by improved psychological and physical health and by reductions in criminal behaviour. However, not all outcomes were so positive. There was a continuing mortality rate in the cohort of about 1% per year, and many clients continued to drink heavily throughout the 5-year follow-up. NTORS findings informed and influenced UK addiction treatment policy both at the time and subsequently. The findings were influential in supporting an immediate increase in funding for treatment, and Government Ministers have repeatedly cited NTORS as evidence of the effectiveness of addiction treatment. One finding that received political attention was that of the cost savings provided by treatment through reductions in crime. This important finding led to an unanticipated consequence of NTORS; namely, the greater focus on crime reduction that has increasingly been promoted as a political and social priority for drug misuse treatment. © 2015 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Positive Behavior Support: Sustainability and Continuous Regeneration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McIntosh, Kent; Turri, Mary G.

2014-01-01

Because of its widespread adoption and implementation (in over 13,000 schools in the US; Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, 2010), there has been increasing attention to how School-wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) systems can be sustained. Sustained implementation can be defined as "continued use of an…

Duty to disclose in medical genetics: a legal perspective.

PubMed

Pelias, M Z

1991-06-01

As technical knowledge and public information in medical genetics continue to expand, the geneticist may expect to be held responsible for informing patients and clients about new developments in research and diagnosis. The long legal evolution of the physician's duty to disclose, and more recent findings of a physician's duty to recall former patients to inform them about newly discovered risks of treatment, indicate that medical geneticists may have a duty to disclose both current and future information about conditions that are or could be inherited. Recent case law supports findings of professional liability for both present and future disclosure, even in the absence of an active physician-patient relationship. The requirement of candid and complete disclosure will affect the counseling approach in testing for deleterious genes and in providing medical treatment for minors with hereditary diseases. Finding a duty to recall may impose further professional burdens on the geneticist to reach beyond the immediate counseling arena and to recontact patients, perhaps years after their initial visit to genetics clinic.

Exploring the influence of workplace supports and relationships on safe medication practice: A pilot study of Australian graduate nurses.

PubMed

Sahay, Ashlyn; Hutchinson, Marie; East, Leah

2015-05-01

Despite the growing awareness of the benefits of positive workplace climates, unsupportive and disruptive workplace behaviours are widespread in health care organisations. Recent graduate nurses, who are often new to a workplace, are particularly vulnerable in unsupportive climates, and are also recognised to be at higher risk for medication errors. Investigate the association between workplace supports and relationships and safe medication practice among graduate nurses. Exploratory study using quantitative survey with a convenience sample of 58 nursing graduates in two Australian States. Online survey focused on graduates' self-reported medication errors, safe medication practice and the nature of workplace supports and relationships. Spearman's correlations identified that unsupportive workplace relationships were inversely related to graduate nurse medication errors and erosion of safe medication practices, while supportive Nurse Unit Manager and supportive work team relationships positively influenced safe medication practice among graduates. Workplace supports and relationships are potentially both the cause and solution to graduate nurse medication errors and safe medication practices. The findings develop further understanding about the impact of unsupportive and disruptive behaviours on patient safety and draw attention to the importance of undergraduate and continuing education strategies that promote positive workplace behaviours and graduate resilience. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Job loss, human capital job feature, and work condition job feature as distinct job insecurity constructs.

PubMed

Blau, Gary; Tatum, Donna Surges; McCoy, Keith; Dobria, Lidia; Ward-Cook, Kory

2004-01-01

The projected growth of new technologies, increasing use of automation, and continued consolidation of health-related services suggest that continued study of job insecurity is needed for health care professionals. Using a sample of 178 medical technologists over a 5-year period, this study's findings extend earlier work by Blau and Sharp (2000) and suggest that job loss insecurity, human capital job feature insecurity, and work condition job feature insecurity are related but distinct types of job insecurity. A seven-item measure of job loss insecurity, a four-item measure of human capital job feature insecurity, and a four-item measure of work condition job feature insecurity were analyzed. Confirmatory factor analysis using a more heterogeneous sample of 447 working adults supported this three-factor structure. Using correlation and path analysis, different significant relationships of antecedent variables and subsequent organizational withdrawal cognitions to these three types of job insecurity were found.

Ancient European dog genomes reveal continuity since the Early Neolithic

PubMed Central

Botigué, Laura R.; Song, Shiya; Scheu, Amelie; Gopalan, Shyamalika; Pendleton, Amanda L.; Oetjens, Matthew; Taravella, Angela M.; Seregély, Timo; Zeeb-Lanz, Andrea; Arbogast, Rose-Marie; Bobo, Dean; Daly, Kevin; Unterländer, Martina; Burger, Joachim; Kidd, Jeffrey M.; Veeramah, Krishna R.

2017-01-01

Europe has played a major role in dog evolution, harbouring the oldest uncontested Palaeolithic remains and having been the centre of modern dog breed creation. Here we sequence the genomes of an Early and End Neolithic dog from Germany, including a sample associated with an early European farming community. Both dogs demonstrate continuity with each other and predominantly share ancestry with modern European dogs, contradicting a previously suggested Late Neolithic population replacement. We find no genetic evidence to support the recent hypothesis proposing dual origins of dog domestication. By calibrating the mutation rate using our oldest dog, we narrow the timing of dog domestication to 20,000–40,000 years ago. Interestingly, we do not observe the extreme copy number expansion of the AMY2B gene characteristic of modern dogs that has previously been proposed as an adaptation to a starch-rich diet driven by the widespread adoption of agriculture in the Neolithic. PMID:28719574

Advancement of Women in the Biomedical Workforce: Insights for Success

PubMed Central

Barfield, Whitney L.; Plank-Bazinet, Jennifer L.; Clayton, Janine Austin

2016-01-01

Women continue to face unique barriers in the biomedical workforce that affect their advancement and retention in this field. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) formed the Working Group on Women in Biomedical Careers to address these issues. Through the efforts of the Working Group, the NIH funded 14 research grants to identify barriers or to develop and/or test interventions to support women in the biomedical workforce. The grantees that were funded through this endeavor later established the grassroots Research Partnership on Women in Biomedical Careers, and they continue to conduct research and disseminate information on the state of women in academic medicine. This Commentary explores the themes introduced in a collection of articles organized by the Research Partnership and published in this issue of Academic Medicine. The authors highlight the role government plays in the advancement of women in academic medicine and highlight the findings put forward in this collection. PMID:27306970

Relationships between women and their parents: implications for midlife well-being.

PubMed

Welsh, W M; Stewart, A J

1995-06-01

The rapid changes in women's roles during the 1970s gave the graduates of the Radcliffe College class of 1964 opportunities for life experiences markedly different from those of either their mothers or their fathers. This longitudinal study of 89 Radcliffe graduates examined the ways in which women in midlife find continuity with their parents and the implications of experiences of continuity for women's relationships with parents and for women's self-esteem and well-being. Support was found for a model linking women's educational and occupational similarity to their parents to later perceptions of parental influence, perceived parental influence to parent-daughter relationship quality, and parent-daughter relationship quality to self-esteem and subsequent well-being. The quality of women's relationships with their fathers did not predict subsequent well-being, perhaps because of fathers' decreased involvement in their adult daughters' lives.

Understanding the impact of prior depression on stress generation: examining the roles of current depressive symptoms and interpersonal behaviours.

PubMed

Shih, Josephine H; Eberhart, Nicole K

2008-08-01

Stress generation is a process in which individuals contribute to stressful life events. While research has supported an association between current depression and stress generation, it has been noted that individuals with prior depression tend to contribute to stressors even when they are no longer experiencing a depressive episode. The aim of the study is to elucidate the pathways through which prior major depression predicts interpersonal stress generation in women. Specifically, we examined current subsyndromal depressive symptoms and problematic interpersonal behaviours as potential mediators. Fifty-one college women were followed prospectively for 6 weeks. Participants were interviewed to assess current and past depression as well as stressful life events they experienced over the 6-week period. The findings suggest that prior major depression continues to have an impact even after the episode has ended, as the disorder continues to contribute to stress generation through residual depressive symptoms.

CHAMP - Camera, Handlens, and Microscope Probe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mungas, G. S.; Beegle, L. W.; Boynton, J.; Sepulveda, C. A.; Balzer, M. A.; Sobel, H. R.; Fisher, T. A.; Deans, M.; Lee, P.

2005-01-01

CHAMP (Camera, Handlens And Microscope Probe) is a novel field microscope capable of color imaging with continuously variable spatial resolution from infinity imaging down to diffraction-limited microscopy (3 micron/pixel). As an arm-mounted imager, CHAMP supports stereo-imaging with variable baselines, can continuously image targets at an increasing magnification during an arm approach, can provide precision range-finding estimates to targets, and can accommodate microscopic imaging of rough surfaces through a image filtering process called z-stacking. Currently designed with a filter wheel with 4 different filters, so that color and black and white images can be obtained over the entire Field-of-View, future designs will increase the number of filter positions to include 8 different filters. Finally, CHAMP incorporates controlled white and UV illumination so that images can be obtained regardless of sun position, and any potential fluorescent species can be identified so the most astrobiologically interesting samples can be identified.

Beta oscillations define discrete perceptual cycles in the somatosensory domain.

PubMed

Baumgarten, Thomas J; Schnitzler, Alfons; Lange, Joachim

2015-09-29

Whether seeing a movie, listening to a song, or feeling a breeze on the skin, we coherently experience these stimuli as continuous, seamless percepts. However, there are rare perceptual phenomena that argue against continuous perception but, instead, suggest discrete processing of sensory input. Empirical evidence supporting such a discrete mechanism, however, remains scarce and comes entirely from the visual domain. Here, we demonstrate compelling evidence for discrete perceptual sampling in the somatosensory domain. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG) and a tactile temporal discrimination task in humans, we find that oscillatory alpha- and low beta-band (8-20 Hz) cycles in primary somatosensory cortex represent neurophysiological correlates of discrete perceptual cycles. Our results agree with several theoretical concepts of discrete perceptual sampling and empirical evidence of perceptual cycles in the visual domain. Critically, these results show that discrete perceptual cycles are not domain-specific, and thus restricted to the visual domain, but extend to the somatosensory domain.

Advancement of Women in the Biomedical Workforce: Insights for Success.

PubMed

Barfield, Whitney L; Plank-Bazinet, Jennifer L; Austin Clayton, Janine

2016-08-01

Women continue to face unique barriers in the biomedical workforce that affect their advancement and retention in this field. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) formed the Working Group on Women in Biomedical Careers to address these issues. Through the efforts of the working group, the NIH funded 14 research grants to identify barriers or to develop and/or test interventions to support women in the biomedical workforce. The grantees that were funded through this endeavor later established the grassroots Research Partnership on Women in Biomedical Careers, and they continue to conduct research and disseminate information on the state of women in academic medicine. This Commentary explores the themes introduced in a collection of articles organized by the research partnership and published in this issue of Academic Medicine. The authors highlight the role that government plays in the advancement of women in academic medicine and highlight the findings put forward in this collection.

Using the mass media to inform and educate the public about planetary protection and exploration risks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Race, M.

For the foreseeable future, the public will continue to learn piecemeal about the latest advances in Astrobiology through headlines and mass media coverage of missions, discoveries or controversies. Journalists and reporters are themselves unschooled in this emerging interdisciplinary field, yet play a critical role in explaining details to the public. While it is important to develop curricular materials for future use in formal educational settings, it is equally important to find novel ways for educating and updating journalists in this fast paced field. Risk communication plans for Mars exploration and other solar system missions should include special efforts aimed at assisting mass media professionals in both their informational and educational roles. If journalists and reporters have a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the science and societal issues associated with missions, the result may well be more accurate explanations, improved public understanding, and continued support for exploration.

Continuity of change: the dynamic of beliefs, values, and the aging experience.

PubMed

Hoogland, Aasha I

2015-01-01

To assess the nature of beliefs and values among older adults with a focus on changes in worldview over time. Eighteen participants (aged 62 to 85) were assigned to three age-stratified 90-minute focus groups. Each group of six addressed questions on the nature of their beliefs and values, and factors influencing these beliefs and values over time. Transcripts were coded using open, axial, and selective coding. Emergent themes included continuity of beliefs over time, a paradoxical change in beliefs demonstrated by an increased appreciation of life, focus on others, and general equanimity and acceptance evidenced by an emphasis on being nonjudgmental and expressing a reduced fear of death. Findings support a paradigmatic shift in worldview in old age heavily influenced by personal experiences. Though fundamental components of worldview remain remarkably stable, the expression of these elements is modified as individuals grow older. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Role of Educational Aspirations and Expectations in the Discontinuity of Intergenerational Low-Income Status

PubMed Central

Lee, Jungeun Olivia; Hill,, Karl G.; Hawkins, J. David

2012-01-01

This study investigated one potential mechanism mediating continuity and discontinuity in low-income status across generations: children's educational aspirations and expectations. Data were drawn from a community sample of 808 participants who were followed from age 10 to 30. Four trajectory groups of children's educational aspirations and expectations were identified from ages 10 to 18 (grades five through 12): “stable-high” group, “stable-low” group, “increaser” group, and “decreaser” group. Among participants from low-income families, those in the stable-high group and the increaser group were equally likely to graduate from high school. High school graduation was positively associated with level of total household income at age 30. Findings suggest that social work efforts that support the development of high educational aspirations and expectations in children might serve to reduce the intergenerational continuity of low-income status. PMID:24385713

With or without rafts? Alternative views on cell membranes.

PubMed

Sevcsik, Eva; Schütz, Gerhard J

2016-02-01

The fundamental mechanisms of protein and lipid organization at the plasma membrane have continued to engage researchers for decades. Among proposed models, one idea has been particularly successful which assumes that sterol-dependent nanoscopic phases of different lipid chain order compartmentalize proteins, thereby modulating protein functionality. This model of membrane rafts has sustainably sparked the fields of membrane biophysics and biology, and shifted membrane lipids into the spotlight of research; by now, rafts have become an integral part of our terminology to describe a variety of cell biological processes. But is the evidence clear enough to continue supporting a theoretical concept which has resisted direct proof by observation for nearly twenty years? In this essay, we revisit findings that gave rise to and substantiated the raft hypothesis, discuss its impact on recent studies, and present alternative mechanisms to account for plasma membrane heterogeneity. © 2015 WILEY Periodicals, Inc.

Happenstance and compromise: a gendered analysis of students' computing degree course selection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lang, Catherine

2010-12-01

The number of students choosing to study computing at university continues to decline this century, with an even sharper decline in female students. This article presents the results of a series of interviews with university students studying computing courses in Australia that uncovered the influence of happenstance and compromise on course choice. This investigation provides an insight into the contributing factors into the continued downturn of student diversity in computing bachelor degree courses. Many females interviewed made decisions based on happenstance, many males interviewed had chosen computing as a compromise course, and family helped in the decision-making to a large degree in both genders. The major implication from this investigation is the finding that students of both genders appear to be socialised away from this discipline, which is perceived as a support or insurance skill, not a career in itself, in all but the most technical-oriented (usually male) student.

An exploration of the midwifery continuity of care program at one Australian University as a symbiotic clinical education model.

PubMed

Sweet, Linda P; Glover, Pauline

2013-03-01

This discussion paper analyses a midwifery Continuity of Care program at an Australian University with the symbiotic clinical education model, to identify strengths and weakness, and identify ways in which this new pedagogical approach can be improved. In 2002 a major change in Australian midwifery curricula was the introduction of a pedagogical innovation known as the Continuity of Care experience. This innovation contributes a significant portion of clinical experience for midwifery students. It is intended as a way to give midwifery students the opportunity to provide continuity of care in partnership with women, through their pregnancy and childbirth, thus imitating a model of continuity of care and continuity of carer. A qualitative study was conducted in 2008/9 as part of an Australian Learning and Teaching Council Associate Fellowship. Evidence and findings from this project (reported elsewhere) are used in this paper to illustrate the evaluation of midwifery Continuity of Care experience program at an Australian university with the symbiotic clinical education model. Strengths of the current Continuity of Care experience are the strong focus on relationships between midwifery students and women, and early clinical exposure to professional practice. Improved facilitation through the development of stronger relationships with clinicians will improve learning, and result in improved access to authentic supported learning and increased provision of formative feedback. This paper presents a timely review of the Continuity of Care experience for midwifery student learning and highlights the potential of applying the symbiotic clinical education model to enhance learning. Applying the symbiotic clinical education framework to evidence gathered about the Continuity of Care experience in Australian midwifery education highlights strengths and weaknesses which may be used to guide curricula and pedagogical improvements. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Factors that influence career decisions in Canada's nurses.

PubMed

Price, Sheri; Hall, Linda McGillis; Lalonde, Michelle; Andrews, Gavin; Harris, Alexandra; MacDonald-Rencz, Sandra

2013-01-01

Understanding the experiences of nurses who have moved between the provinces and territories (P/T) in Canada for work provides insight into the role of professional socialization in career decision-making. This paper analyzes some of the qualitative data arising from a survey of nurses from across Canada. The findings provide insight into nurses' professional socialization and demonstrate that early perceptions and expectations of nursing practice can influence future career decisions such as mobility and intent to remain. Participants described how "caring" and direct patient contact were central to their choice of nursing and career satisfaction. As the data reveal, nursing is also regarded as a career that enables mobility to accommodate both family considerations and professional development opportunities. The findings highlight the need for professional socialization strategies and supports that motivate Canadian nurses to continue practising within the profession and the country.

West Central Texas. Homework pays off for Originala in Haskell County

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

Mickey, V.

1983-03-01

Originala Petroleum Corp., Fort Worth, is finding Bend Conglomerate and Caddo oil in NW Haskell County, Texas. The most encouraging find to date is the company's No. 1 June L. White, which potentialed in Sept. 1981 for 493 bopd from perforations in the Caddo at 5638-60 ft. This discovery, along with promising Bend Conglomerate drill stem test and log shows in other wells in the region, support continued exploration efforts in this geologically complex province. The key to overcoming the exploration challenges in NW. Haskell County is to depend primarily upon seismic data to give structural control. Accurate seismic interpretationmore » is only a part of the preparation, and is integrated with other geologic data-collecting methods such as gravity and structural mapping based solely on subsurface control.« less

From Scribbles to Scrabble: Preschool Children’s Developing Knowledge of Written Language

PubMed Central

Puranik, Cynthia S.; Lonigan, Christopher J.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to concurrently examine the development of written language across several writing tasks and to investigate how writing features develop in preschool children. Emergent written language knowledge of 372 preschoolers was assessed using numerous writing tasks. The findings from this study indicate that children possess a great deal of writing knowledge before beginning school. Children appear to progress along a continuum from scribbling to conventional spelling, and this progression is linear and task dependent. There was clear evidence to support the claim that universal writing features develop before language-specific features. Children as young as 3 years possess knowledge regarding universal and language-specific writing features. There is substantial developmental continuity in literacy skills from the preschool period into early elementary grades. Implications of these findings on writing development are discussed. PMID:22448101

The Role of Sleep in Emotional Brain Function

PubMed Central

Goldstein, Andrea N.; Walker, Matthew P.

2014-01-01

Rapidly emerging evidence continues to describe an intimate and causal relationship between sleep and emotional brain function. These findings are mirrored by longstanding clinical observations demonstrating that nearly all mood and anxiety disorders co-occur with one or more sleep abnormalities. This review aims to (1) provide a synthesis of recent findings describing the emotional brain and behavioral benefits triggered by sleep, and conversely, the detrimental impairments following a lack of sleep, (2) outline a proposed framework in which sleep, and specifically rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep, supports a process of affective brain homeostasis, optimally preparing the organism for next-day social and emotional functioning, and (3) describe how this hypothesized framework can explain the prevalent relationships between sleep and psychiatric disorders, with a particular focus on post-traumatic stress disorder and major depression. PMID:24499013

Evaluating the Impact of Integrated Care on Service Utilization in Serious Mental Illness.

PubMed

Waters, Heidi C; Furukawa, Michael F; Jorissen, Shari L

2018-06-14

Serious mental illness (SMI) affects 5% of the United States population and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, and use of high-cost healthcare services including hospitalizations and emergency department visits. Integrating behavioral and physical healthcare may improve care for consumers with SMI, but prior research findings have been mixed. This quantitative retrospective cohort study assessed whether there was a predictive relationship between integrated healthcare clinic enrollment and inpatient and emergency department utilization for consumers with SMI when controlling for demographic characteristics and disease severity. While findings indicated no statistically significant impact of integrated care clinic enrollment on utilization, the sample had lower levels of utilization than would have been expected. Since policy and payment structures continue to support integrated care models, further research on different programs are encouraged, as each setting and practice pattern is unique.

A Systematic Review on the Impact of Point-of-Sale Tobacco Promotion on Smoking

PubMed Central

McGee, Rob; Marsh, Louise; Hoek, Janet

2015-01-01

Introduction: The tobacco retail environment is a crucial marketing medium for the industry. A 2009 review found evidence of a positive association between exposure to point-of-sale (POS) tobacco promotion and increased smoking and smoking susceptibility, though limitations in the evidence base were identified. Aim and Methods: We reviewed and critically appraised recent evidence documenting the influence of POS tobacco promotion, and POS tobacco display bans, on smoking-related behavior and cognitions. We reviewed original quantitative and qualitative research that examined the relationship between POS tobacco promotion and smoking prevalence, individual-level smoking and quitting and tobacco purchasing behavior, smoking susceptibility, and smoking-related cognitions. Results: Twenty peer-reviewed studies (18 quantitative and 2 qualitative) met the inclusion criteria; each study reported findings consistent with a positive association between exposure to POS tobacco promotion and smoking or smoking susceptibility. Several studies met key criteria for causality: 4 indicated a dose–response association, 2 prospective studies were identified, and evidence from intervention studies supported the reversibility of the association. Findings were consistent across different study designs, settings, and measures. Conclusions: The existing evidence supports a positive association between exposure to POS tobacco promotion and smoking. This review provides evidence to support the continuation of POS tobacco display bans in those jurisdictions where such legislation has been introduced and strengthens the evidence encouraging similar policies in jurisdictions without a POS display ban. PMID:25173775

Fathers' experiences of supporting breastfeeding: challenges for breastfeeding promotion and education

PubMed Central

Brown, Amy; Davies, Ruth

2014-01-01

Increasing breastfeeding rates is a strategic priority in the UK and understanding the factors that promote and encourage breastfeeding is critical to achieving this. It is established that women who have strong social support from their partner are more likely to initiate and continue breastfeeding. However, little research has explored the fathers' role in breastfeeding support and more importantly, the information and guidance he may need. In the current study, 117 men whose partner had given birth in the previous 2 years and initiated breastfeeding at birth completed an open-ended questionnaire exploring their experiences of breastfeeding, the information and support they received and their ideas for future breastfeeding education and promotion aimed at fathers and families. Overall, the findings showed that fathers were encouraging of breastfeeding and wanted to be able to support their partner. However, they often felt left out of the breastfeeding relationships and helpless to support their partner at this time. Many reported being excluded from antenatal breastfeeding education or being considered unimportant in post-natal support. Men wanted more information about breastfeeding to be directed towards them alongside ideas about how they could practically support their partner. The importance of support mechanisms for themselves during this time was also raised. The results highlight the need for health professionals to direct support and information towards fathers as well as the mother–infant dyad and to recognise their importance in promoting and enabling breastfeeding. PMID:24720518

Representations as mediation between purposes as junior secondary science students learn about the human body

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olander, Clas; Wickman, Per-Olof; Tytler, Russell; Ingerman, Åke

2018-01-01

The aim of this article is to investigate students' meaning-making processes of multiple representations during a teaching sequence about the human body in lower secondary school. Two main influences are brought together to accomplish the analysis: on the one hand, theories on signs and representations as scaffoldings for learning and, on the other hand, pragmatist theories on how continuity between the purposes of different inquiry activities can be sustained. Data consist of 10 videotaped and transcribed lessons with 14-year-old students (N = 26) in Sweden. The analysis focused instances where meaning of representations was negotiated. Findings indicate that continuity is established in multiple ways, for example, as the use of metaphors articulated as an interlanguage expression that enables the students (and the teacher) to maintain the conversation and explain pressing issues in ways that support of the end-in-view of the immediate action. Continuity is also established between every day and scientific registers and between organisation levels as well as between the smaller parts and the whole system.

The initiation of mutual-help groups within residential treatment settings.

PubMed

Salem, D A; Gant, L; Campbell, R

1998-08-01

Mutual- and self-help groups for persons with severe mental illness have typically been most accessible to individuals who live independently. In an effort to make their organization more accessible to those who live in residential treatment facilities, Schizophrenics Anonymous (SA) ran introductory mutual-help meetings in four group homes. The results of a quantitative/qualitative case study of this effort are reported. The SA meetings were characterized as more and less successful based on the criteria of residents' attendance, participation, evaluation of the meetings, and interest in continued participation. The following characteristics distinguished between more and less successful meetings: staff support, referent power (i.e., identification with group leaders), and resident characteristics (e.g., gender, education, marital status, level of symptomatology). In spite of behavioral and self-reported evidence of interest and involvement in the meetings and the potential for continued involvement in the organization, no group home residents continued their participation in SA following the introductory meetings. This finding is interpreted from an institutional theory perspective that focuses on incompatibility between the ideologies underlying mutual help and the residential treatment system.

Flexible and Transparent User Authentication for Mobile Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clarke, Nathan; Karatzouni, Sevasti; Furnell, Steven

The mobile device has become a ubiquitous technology that is capable of supporting an increasingly large array of services, applications and information. Given their increasing importance, it is imperative to ensure that such devices are not misused or abused. Unfortunately, a key enabling control to prevent this, user authentication, has not kept up with the advances in device technology. This paper presents the outcomes of a 2 year study that proposes the use of transparent and continuous biometric authentication of the user: providing more comprehensive identity verification; minimizing user inconvenience; and providing security throughout the period of use. A Non-Intrusive and Continuous Authentication (NICA) system is described that maintains a continuous measure of confidence in the identity of the user, removing access to sensitive services and information with low confidence levels and providing automatic access with higher confidence levels. An evaluation of the framework is undertaken from an end-user perspective via a trial involving 27 participants. Whilst the findings raise concerns over education, privacy and intrusiveness, overall 92% of users felt the system offered a more secure environment when compared to existing forms of authentication.

Developmental Dyscalculia and Automatic Magnitudes Processing: Investigating Interference Effects between Area and Perimeter.

PubMed

Eidlin-Levy, Hili; Rubinsten, Orly

2017-01-01

The relationship between numbers and other magnitudes has been extensively investigated in the scientific literature. Here, the objectives were to examine whether two continuous magnitudes, area and perimeter, are automatically processed and whether adults with developmental dyscalculia (DD) are deficient in their ability to automatically process one or both of these magnitudes. Fifty-seven students (30 with DD and 27 with typical development) performed a novel Stroop-like task requiring estimation of one aspect (area or perimeter) while ignoring the other. In order to track possible changes in automaticity due to practice, we measured performance after initial and continuous exposure to stimuli. Similar to previous findings, current results show a significant group × congruency interaction, evident beyond exposure level or magnitude type. That is, the DD group systematically showed larger Stroop effects. However, analysis of each exposure period showed that during initial exposure to stimuli the DD group showed larger Stroop effects in the perimeter and not in the area task. In contrast, during continuous exposure to stimuli no triple interaction was evident. It is concluded that both magnitudes are automatically processed. Nevertheless, individuals with DD are deficient in inhibiting irrelevant magnitude information in general and, specifically, struggle to inhibit salient area information after initial exposure to a perimeter comparison task. Accordingly, the findings support the assumption that DD involves a deficiency in multiple cognitive components, which include domain-specific and domain-general cognitive functions.

Developmental Dyscalculia and Automatic Magnitudes Processing: Investigating Interference Effects between Area and Perimeter

PubMed Central

Eidlin-Levy, Hili; Rubinsten, Orly

2017-01-01

The relationship between numbers and other magnitudes has been extensively investigated in the scientific literature. Here, the objectives were to examine whether two continuous magnitudes, area and perimeter, are automatically processed and whether adults with developmental dyscalculia (DD) are deficient in their ability to automatically process one or both of these magnitudes. Fifty-seven students (30 with DD and 27 with typical development) performed a novel Stroop-like task requiring estimation of one aspect (area or perimeter) while ignoring the other. In order to track possible changes in automaticity due to practice, we measured performance after initial and continuous exposure to stimuli. Similar to previous findings, current results show a significant group × congruency interaction, evident beyond exposure level or magnitude type. That is, the DD group systematically showed larger Stroop effects. However, analysis of each exposure period showed that during initial exposure to stimuli the DD group showed larger Stroop effects in the perimeter and not in the area task. In contrast, during continuous exposure to stimuli no triple interaction was evident. It is concluded that both magnitudes are automatically processed. Nevertheless, individuals with DD are deficient in inhibiting irrelevant magnitude information in general and, specifically, struggle to inhibit salient area information after initial exposure to a perimeter comparison task. Accordingly, the findings support the assumption that DD involves a deficiency in multiple cognitive components, which include domain-specific and domain-general cognitive functions. PMID:29312066

Factors affecting implementation of accreditation programmes and the impact of the accreditation process on quality improvement in hospitals: a SWOT analysis.

PubMed

Ng, G K B; Leung, G K K; Johnston, J M; Cowling, B J

2013-10-01

The objectives of this review were to identify factors that influence implementation of hospital accreditation programmes and to assess the impact of the accreditation process on quality improvement in public hospitals. Two electronic databases, Medline (OvidSP) and PubMed, were systematically searched. "Public hospital", "hospital accreditation", and "quality improvement" were used as the search terms. A total of 348 citations were initially identified. After critical appraisal and study selection, 26 articles were included in the review. The data were extracted and analysed using a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis. Increased staff engagement and communication, multidisciplinary team building, positive changes in organisational culture, and enhanced leadership and staff awareness of continuous quality improvement were identified as strengths. Weaknesses included organisational resistance to change, increased staff workload, lack of awareness about continuous quality improvement, insufficient staff training and support for continuous quality improvement, lack of applicable accreditation standards for local use, and lack of performance outcome measures. Opportunities included identification of improvement areas, enhanced patient safety, additional funding, public recognition, and market advantage. Threats included opportunistic behaviours, funding cuts, lack of incentives for participation, and a regulatory approach to mandatory participation. By relating the findings to the operational issues of accreditation, this review discussed the implications for successful implementation and how accreditation may drive quality improvement. These findings have implications for various stakeholders (government, the public, patients and health care providers), when it comes to embarking on accreditation exercises.

Teachers' perspectives of why and how they use the resources of informal science education sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Youker, Christian Rene

There has been a growing interest in fostering increased connections between schools and community resources---such as informal science sites. This is due, in part, to the recognition that museum learning has many potential advantages, including improving motivation and attitudes, and nurturing curiosity. Some teachers are using the resources of informal science sites more than others. The purpose of this study was to determine why and how some teachers have continually used the resources of informal science education sites. The study was situated within a constructivist paradigm and employed a naturalistic inquiry strategy. Emergent interviews were conducted with six elementary teachers who regularly used the resources of informal science sites. Observations of informal science use and relevant documents were also used in data analysis. Using a qualitative data analysis program, data were unitized, coded and emergent themes were identified. Findings indicated that the teachers shared many characteristics in terms of why they used informal science, and they situated this within the context of their approaches to science teaching. Yet they valued different aspects of informal science as a resource. Support, especially emotional and social support, for using informal science was also important to these teachers, although where this support came from differed among them. All of the teachers had a strong interest in science, were leaders in science education on many levels and tended to seek out science-related projects and activities. While they shared many characteristics in terms of their approach to science teaching, there was great variation in how these teachers used informal science sites and in the amount and kind of support they received. These findings support the notion that there may be many definitions of the effective use of informal science by elementary teachers.

The contribution of visual and proprioceptive information to the perception of leaning in a dynamic motorcycle simulator.

PubMed

Lobjois, Régis; Dagonneau, Virginie; Isableu, Brice

2016-11-01

Compared with driving or flight simulation, little is known about self-motion perception in riding simulation. The goal of this study was to examine whether or not continuous roll motion supports the sensation of leaning into bends in dynamic motorcycle simulation. To this end, riders were able to freely tune the visual scene and/or motorcycle simulator roll angle to find a pattern that matched their prior knowledge. Our results revealed idiosyncrasy in the combination of visual and proprioceptive information. Some subjects relied more on the visual dimension, but reported increased sickness symptoms with the visual roll angle. Others relied more on proprioceptive information, tuning the direction of the visual scenery to match three possible patterns. Our findings also showed that these two subgroups tuned the motorcycle simulator roll angle in a similar way. This suggests that sustained inertially specified roll motion have contributed to the sensation of leaning in spite of the occurrence of unexpected gravito-inertial stimulation during the tilt. Several hypotheses are discussed. Practitioner Summary: Self-motion perception in motorcycle simulation is a relatively new research area. We examined how participants combined visual and proprioceptive information. Findings revealed individual differences in the visual dimension. However, participants tuned the simulator roll angle similarly, supporting the hypothesis that sustained inertially specified roll motion contributes to a leaning sensation.

International Space Station Environmental Control and Life Support System Status: 2006 - 2007

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, David E.; Gentry, Gregory J.

2007-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) system includes regenerative and non-regenerative technologies that provide the basic life support functions to support the crew, while maintaining a safe and habitable shirtsleeve environment. This paper provides a summary of the U.S. ECLS system activities over the past year, covering the period of time between March 2006 and February 2007. The ISS continued permanent crew operations, with the start of Phase 3 of the ISS Assembly Sequence. Work continued on the Phase 3 pressurized elements and the continued manufacturing and testing of the regenerative ECLS equipment.

International Space Station Environmental Control and Life Support System Status: 2005 - 2006

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, David E.; Gentry, Gregory J.

2006-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) system includes regenerative and non-regenerative technologies that provide the basic life support functions to support the crew, while maintaining a safe and habitable shirtsleeve environment. This paper provides a summary of the U.S. ECLS system activities over the past year, covering the period of time between March 2005 and February 2006. The ISS continued permanent crew operations, with the start of Phase 3 of the ISS Assembly Sequence. Work continued on the Phase 3 pressurized elements and the continued manufacturing and testing of the regenerative ECLS equipment.

International Space Station (ISS) Environmental Control and Life Support System Status: 2003-2004

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, David E.; Gentry, Gregory

2004-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) system includes regenerative and non-regenerative technologies that provide the basic life support functions to support the crew, while maintaining a safe and habitable shirtsleeve environment. This paper provides a summary of the U.S. ECLS system activities over the past year, covering the period of time between April 2003 and March 2004. The ISS continued permanent crew operations, with the start of Phase 3 of the ISS Assembly Sequence. Work continued on the Phase 3 pressurized elements and the continued manufacturing and testing of the regenerative ECLS equipment.

International Space Station Environmental Control and Life Support System Status: 2014-2015

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, David E.; Gentry, Gregory J.

2015-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) system includes regenerative and non-regenerative technologies that provide the basic life support functions to support the crew, while maintaining a safe and habitable shirtsleeve environment. This paper provides a summary of the U.S. ECLS system activities over the past year and the impacts of the international partners' activities on them, covering the period of time between March 2014 and February 2015. The ISS continued permanent crew operations including the continuation of six crew members being on ISS. Work continues on the commercial crew vehicles, and work to try and extend ISS service life.

Involving religious leaders in HIV care and treatment at a university-affiliated hospital in Ethiopia: Application of formative inquiry.

PubMed

Endeshaw, Meheret; Alemu, Shitaye; Andrews, Nancy; Dessie, Abere; Frey, Sarah; Rawlins, Sarah; Walson, Judd L; Rao, Deepa

2017-04-01

In sub-Saharan Africa, religious views strongly influence how people relate to illness, health, and healing. Belief in the curative power of religion, including for HIV, persists in many communities. As such, many funding agencies and organisations working in the field of HIV have incorporated religious institutions into their programmes in various capacities. Yet, debate continues regarding the benefits and drawbacks of including sectarian organisations in the fight against HIV. In the current study, we sought to explore whether patients with HIV would be amenable to receiving HIV-related psychosocial support from religious leaders. We interviewed 48 Ethiopian Orthodox Church followers who presented for routine HIV care at Gondar University Hospital ART (antiretroviral treatment) clinic. Although almost half (46%) of participants self-identified as 'very religious', the majority of them (73%) had not disclosed their HIV status to a religious leader. Study participants highlighted multiple factors that could potentially affect their willingness to involve religious leaders in their HIV care. We discuss these findings in relation to religion and HIV in the African context. Our findings support the use of formative qualitative work prior to developing and implementing programmes that integrate faith and medical communities.

Causal effects of retirement timing on subjective physical and emotional health.

PubMed

Calvo, Esteban; Sarkisian, Natalia; Tamborini, Christopher R

2013-01-01

This article explores the effects of the timing of retirement on subjective physical and emotional health. Using panel data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), we test 4 theory-based hypotheses about these effects-that retirements maximize health when they happen earlier, later, anytime, or on time. We employ fixed and random effects regression models with instrumental variables to estimate the short- and long-term causal effects of retirement timing on self-reported health and depressive symptoms. Early retirements--those occurring prior to traditional and legal retirement age--dampen health. Workers who begin their retirement transition before cultural and institutional timetables experience the worst health outcomes; this finding offers partial support to the psychosocial-materialist approach that emphasizes the benefits of retiring later. Continued employment after traditionally expected retirement age, however, offers no health benefits. In combination, these findings offer some support for the cultural-institutional approach but suggest that we need to modify our understanding of how cultural-institutional forces operate. Retiring too early can be problematic but no disadvantages are associated with late retirements. Raising the retirement age, therefore, could potentially reduce subjective health of retirees by expanding the group of those whose retirements would be considered early.

A BLE-Based Pedestrian Navigation System for Car Searching in Indoor Parking Garages

PubMed Central

Wang, Sheng-Shih

2018-01-01

The continuous global increase in the number of cars has led to an increase in parking issues, particularly with respect to the search for available parking spaces and finding cars. In this paper, we propose a navigation system for car owners to find their cars in indoor parking garages. The proposed system comprises a car-searching mobile app and a positioning-assisting subsystem. The app guides car owners to their cars based on a “turn-by-turn” navigation strategy, and has the ability to correct the user’s heading orientation. The subsystem uses beacon technology for indoor positioning, supporting self-guidance of the car-searching mobile app. This study also designed a local coordinate system to support the identification of the locations of parking spaces and beacon devices. We used Android as the platform to implement the proposed car-searching mobile app, and used Bytereal HiBeacon devices to implement the proposed positioning-assisting subsystem. We also deployed the system in a parking lot in our campus for testing. The experimental results verified that the proposed system not only works well, but also provides the car owner with the correct route guidance information. PMID:29734753

The Hundred-Year Emotion War: Are Emotions Natural Kinds or Psychological Constructions? Comment on Lench, Flores, and Bench (2011)

PubMed Central

Lindquist, Kristen A.; Siegel, Erika H.; Quigley, Karen S.; Barrett, Lisa Feldman

2012-01-01

For the last century, there has been a continuing debate about the nature of emotion. In the most recent offering in this scientific dialogue, Lench, Flores, and Bench (2011) report a meta-analysis of emotion induction research and claim support for the natural kind hypothesis that discrete emotions (e.g., happiness, sadness, anger, and anxiety) elicit specific changes in cognition, judgment, behavior, experience, and physiology. In this paper, we point out that Lench et al. (2011) is not the final word on the emotion debate. First, we point out that Lench et al.’s findings do not support their claim that discrete emotions organize cognition, judgment, experience, and physiology because they did not demonstrate emotion-consistent and -specific directional changes in these measurement domains. Second, we point out that Lench et al.’s findings are in fact consistent with the alternative (a psychological constructionist approach to emotion). We close by appealing for a construct validity approach to emotion research, which we hope will lead to greater consensus on the operationalization of the natural kind and psychological construction approaches, as well as the criteria required to finally resolve the emotion debate. PMID:23294094

SMART operational field test evaluation : public support for bus transit in tri-county area of southeastern Michigan : final report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-09-01

Despite ever-decreasing public transit rider-ship in the U.S., public transit continues to enjoy moderate to high amounts of public support, meaning that the public continues to support public expenditures on transit. Indeed, since the 1970s some tra...

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Meilan

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

20 CFR 416.989a - We may conduct a review to find out whether you continue to be blind.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... you continue to be blind. 416.989a Section 416.989a Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME FOR THE AGED, BLIND, AND DISABLED Determining Disability and Blindness Continuing... continue to be blind. After we find that you are blind, we must evaluate your impairment(s) from time to...

20 CFR 416.989a - We may conduct a review to find out whether you continue to be blind.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... you continue to be blind. 416.989a Section 416.989a Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME FOR THE AGED, BLIND, AND DISABLED Determining Disability and Blindness Continuing... continue to be blind. After we find that you are blind, we must evaluate your impairment(s) from time to...

20 CFR 416.989a - We may conduct a review to find out whether you continue to be blind.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... you continue to be blind. 416.989a Section 416.989a Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME FOR THE AGED, BLIND, AND DISABLED Determining Disability and Blindness Continuing... continue to be blind. After we find that you are blind, we must evaluate your impairment(s) from time to...

20 CFR 416.989a - We may conduct a review to find out whether you continue to be blind.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... you continue to be blind. 416.989a Section 416.989a Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME FOR THE AGED, BLIND, AND DISABLED Determining Disability and Blindness Continuing... continue to be blind. After we find that you are blind, we must evaluate your impairment(s) from time to...

Women's experiences of social support during the first year following primary breast cancer surgery.

PubMed

Drageset, Sigrunn; Lindstrøm, Torill Christine; Giske, Tove; Underlid, Kjell

2016-06-01

The aim of this qualitative follow-up study was to describe women's individual experiences of social support during their first year after primary breast cancer surgery. Individual semi-structured interviews with 10 women 1 year after surgery analysed by Kvales' meaning condensation method. Sharing experiences, being understood as an individual, continuity, and information and explanations were themes identified. Sharing mutual experiences increased the women's knowledge regarding cancer, increased experience of support and minimised rumination. After 1 year, the women felt that the network around them had 'normalised' and was less supportive. Being seen as a person, not as 'a diagnosis being treated', and continuity of professional support were important, giving feelings of security and trust. The women felt uncertainty after loss of professional support post-treatment. Information and explanations regarding treatment and treatment-related problems were essential. Mutual sharing of experiences is an important part of social support. Continuity, availability, information and respect were essential aspects of experienced professional support. © 2015 Nordic College of Caring Science.

Use of a Smartphone Recovery Tool for Latinos with Co-Occurring Alcohol and Other Drug Disorders and Mental Disorders.

PubMed

Muroff, Jordana; Robinson, Winslow; Chassler, Deborah; López, Luz M; Gaitan, Erika; Lundgren, Lena; Guauque, Claudia; Dargon-Hart, Susan; Stewart, Emily; Dejesus, Diliana; Johnson, Kimberly; Pe-Romashko, Klaren; Gustafson, David H

2017-01-01

Addressing alcohol and other drug disorders and other mental disorders among adult Hispanics/Latinos is of critical concern, as they are one of the fastest-growing ethnic groups with a disproportionate rate of disease, mental disorders, and poverty. Although improvement in outcomes is associated with sustained participation in ongoing treatment for co-occurring alcohol and other drug disorders/mental disorders, continuing care is rare for these chronic conditions, especially for Latinos with more limited access to culturally and linguistically competent services. The evidence-based smartphone recovery application Addiction-Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (A-CHESS) was translated and adapted for Spanish-speaking Latinos with alcohol and other drug disorders/mental disorders, thus developing CASA-CHESS to address a high level of need for services, high rates of relapse, and lack of existing culturally competent services for Latinos. Of the 79 Latino clients who completed residential treatment and received a smartphone equipped with CASA-CHESS, 26.6% discontinued using CASA-CHESS and 73.4% remained active for four or more months. CASA-CHESS usage was sustained over the four months across all three tenets of self-determination theory (competence, relatedness, and autonomy), with the most commonly utilized services being relevant to relatedness (e.g., messaging, discussion boards). CASA-CHESS clients demonstrated a similar pattern of usage to A-CHESS clients. Findings illustrate that Spanish-speaking Latinos with alcohol and other drug disorders/mental disorders will use a smartphone application to assist with their recovery, continuing their access to resources, case management, and quality information after leaving residential treatment. Consistent with previous findings, our results also emphasize the importance of social support during the four months post-discharge. Such evidence-based, theory-driven digital interventions may extend access to culturally and linguistically competent services.

Evaluation of the smoking ban in public places in France one year and five years after its implementation: Findings from the ITC France survey

PubMed Central

Fong, Geoffrey T.; Craig, Lorraine V.; Guignard, Romain; Nagelhout, Gera E.; Tait, Megan K.; Driezen, Pete; Kennedy, Ryan David; Boudreau, Christian; Wilquin, Jean-Louis; Deutsch, Antoine; Beck, François

2013-01-01

France implemented a comprehensive smoke-free policy in public places in February 2007 for workplaces, shopping centres, airports, train stations, hospitals and schools. On January 2008, it was extended to meeting places (bars, restaurants, hotels, casinos, nightclubs). This paper evaluates France’s smoke-free law based on the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project in France (the ITC France Project), which conducted a cohort survey of approximately 1,500 smokers and 500 non-smokers before the implementation of the laws (Wave 1, conducted December 2006 to February 2007) and two waves after the implementation (Wave 2, conducted between September-November 2008; and Wave 3, conducted between September-December 2012). Results show that the smoke-free law led to a very significant and near total elimination of indoor smoking in key venues such as bars (from 95.9% to 3.7%) and restaurants (from 64.7% to 2.3%) at Wave 2, which was sustained four years later at Wave 3 (1.4% in restaurants; 6.6% in bars). Smoking in workplaces declined significantly after the law (from 42.6% to 19.3%), which continued to decline at Wave 3 (to 12.8%). Support for the smoke-free law increased significantly after their implementation and continued to increase at Wave 3 (among smokers for bars and restaurants; among smokers and non-smokers for workplaces). The findings demonstrate that smoke-free policies that are implemented in ways consistent with the Guidelines for Article 8 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) lead to substantial and sustained reductions in tobacco smoke in public places while also leading to high levels of support by the public. PMID:24803715

Exploring the post-deployment reintegration experiences of veterans with PTSD and their significant others.

PubMed

Freytes, I Magaly; LeLaurin, Jennifer H; Zickmund, Susan L; Resende, Rosana D; Uphold, Constance R

2017-01-01

Veterans with family support have better functional recovery and reintegration outcomes. However, families' ability to support the veteran with PTSD's rehabilitation and reintegration oftentimes is hindered by interpersonal challenges. We report findings of a qualitative study that examined OEF/OIF veterans with PTSD/TBI and their significant others' (SOs') perceptions of family functioning. We conducted 24 in-depth interviews with 12 veteran/SO dyads using an adapted version of the Family Assessment Device Structured Interview. Descriptive qualitative analytic methods were used to analyze the data. Data show that the impact of deployment and the resulting changes in the individuals and the family dynamics lingered years after the veterans returned home and had a lasting influence on veterans' and SOs' perceptions of family functioning. Most couples acknowledged growth in their relationships several years postdeployment. However, many continued to struggle with disruptions generated by deployment. Four themes emerged from the data: individual changes, coping strategies, relationship changes, and a "new normal." Postdeployment family functioning was influenced by a dynamic interplay of individual and relationship factors and the development of coping strategies and a new normal. This study contributes to the understanding of the prolonged postdeployment family reintegration experiences of veterans and their SOs. Findings underscore the importance of continuing to advance the current knowledge base about the long-term impact of deployment on veterans and their families, especially factors that contribute to positive postdeployment family functioning. Additional empirical studies are needed to provide more in-depth understanding of the long-term postdeployment reintegration experiences of veterans and their families. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

The role of the pharmaceutical animal health industry in post-marketing surveillance of resistance.

PubMed

Lens, S

1993-06-01

The pharmaceutical animal health industry must be committed to the total life cycle of products, i.e. during both the pre- and post-marketing period. Support of antibacterial agents during the postmarketing period is not restricted to maintaining a well-established distribution and promotion system. Care has to be taken continuously to maintain and/or improve the quality, safety (for user, target animal and environment) and clinical efficacy. The pharmaceutical industry contributes to this by: 1. Introducing antibacterials in different animal species for the most effective disease condition only and by ensuring the veterinary profession is informed about relevant findings on: a. the mechanism of action; b. pharmacodynamic properties; c. pharmacokinetic properties (plasma, target tissue); d. clinical efficacy data and in vitro sensitivity data; e. valid species-specific MIC breakpoints; f. precise dose and treatment regime. 2. Updating on a regular basis on: a. new findings on the mechanism of action (in vitro and in vivo); b. the optimal use program in the light of changes in animal husbandry, farm management and epidemiology on national and international level; c. adjustment of species-specific MIC breakpoints when necessary. 3. Providing continuous information in collaboration with animal health laboratories about: a. clinical field surveillance for efficacy (national, international); b. in vitro sensitivity/resistance surveillance (national, international); c. use of in vitro data to support prediction of in vivo efficacy. Surveillance of resistance, in vitro, is therefore part of a package of information needed on a routine basis by the pharmaceutical industry to allow the best possible use of antibacterials and to minimize induction of resistance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Maternal experiences with and sources of information on galactagogues to support lactation: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Bazzano, Alessandra N; Cenac, Lauren; Brandt, Amelia J; Barnett, Josephine; Thibeau, Shelley; Theall, Katherine P

2017-01-01

An increase in the marketing and use of herbal galactagogues among breastfeeding mothers in the US has raised the issue of how best to provide support and information on the use of these products, particularly in light of limited availability of certified lactation counselors and continued suboptimal rates of breastfeeding globally. Currently, no cross-sectional data are available on the experiences and attitudes of mothers regarding the use of herbal and pharmaceutical galactagogues for lactation in the US. The findings of an online survey of 188 breastfeeding mothers on experiences with and sources of information on galactagogues are presented. Most mothers (76%) reported that while breastfeeding, they felt as though they were not making enough milk to meet the needs of their child, and yet 54% also indicated that they had not supplemented with formula. A large proportion of respondents reported utilizing galactagogues to increase lactation and finding them useful. The results indicated that most women learned about galactagogues from the Internet or by word of mouth through friends. Lactation consultants were the third-most reported sources of information on these products. While many respondents reported perceiving galactagogues as innocuous, more evidence on safety and efficacy is needed to support women properly who seek out and use them. Large-scale studies of the prevalence of galactagogue use in the US and rigorous evaluation of use globally are needed to ensure that mothers who choose to breastfeed may safely avail themselves of all options when counseling support is insufficient.

A qualitative study: Barriers and support for participation for children with disabilities.

PubMed

Hansen, Anne Marie Witchger; Siame, Musonde; van der Veen, Judith

2014-01-01

This qualitative-exploratory study examined the barriers to participation amongst children with disabilities in Lusaka, Zambia, from the mothers' perspective. The objectives of this study were to understand how mothers of children with physical and cognitive disabilities who engaged their children in community-based rehabilitation (CBR) services in Lusaka, Zambia, perceived and described (1) the level of support they received and the barriers they encountered in terms of their child's meaningful social participation; (2) the use and awareness of these barriers to identify and pursue advocacy strategies; and (3) hopes for their child's future. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with each mother in her home. Results: Findings revealed both support and barriers to the child's social participation in relationship to their family, friends and community. Support also came from the CBR programme and mothers' personal resourcefulness. Mothers identified their child's school, their immediate environment and financial burdens as barriers to participation as well as their own personal insecurities and fears. Strategies to overcome barriers included internal and external actions. The mothers involved in the study hope their child's abilities will improve with continued CBR services. Some mothers described a bleak future for their child due to a lack of acceptance and access to education. The findings of this study suggest the significant role the mother of a child with a disability plays in her child's social participation. Recommendations include enhancing CBR programming for families, especially for mothers, and advocating on behalf of children with disabilities and their families to attract the attention of policy makers.

Experiences from the frontline: An exploration of personal advisers' practice with claimants who have health-related needs within UK welfare-to-work provision.

PubMed

Ceolta-Smith, Jenny; Salway, Sarah; Tod, Angela Mary

2018-04-17

Recent UK welfare reforms have been less successful than expected by the Government in supporting unemployed people with long-term illness into work. Frontline workers remain a core element of the new welfare-to-work machinery, but operate within a changed organisational and policy landscape. These changes raise important questions regarding whether and how claimants' health-related barriers to work are considered. This paper examines the UK welfare-to-work frontline worker's role with claimants who have long-term illness. Fieldwork observations in three not-for-profit employment support services and semi-structured interviews with 29 participants (claimants, frontline workers, healthcare professionals and managers) were conducted between 2011 and 2012. Participant observation of the wider welfare-to-work arena was initiated in 2009 and continued until 2013. A qualitative methodology drawing on ethnographic principles was adopted. Thematic analysis of the data was carried out. The findings show that the frontline worker plays a key role in assessing and addressing claimants' health-related barriers to work. Two important health-related role dimensions were identified: a health promoter role which involved giving health promotional advice to claimants about their general health; and a health monitor role which involved observing and questioning claimants about their general health. Frontline workers' practice approaches were shaped by organisational and individual factors. Integration between the National Health Service and employment support services was limited, and the findings suggested improvements were required to ensure an adequate response to claimants' health-related needs to support their journey into work. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

'Placement budgets' for supported employment--improving competitive employment for people with mental illness: study protocol of a multicentre randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Nordt, Carlos; Brantschen, Elisabeth; Kawohl, Wolfram; Bärtsch, Bettina; Haker, Helene; Rüsch, Nicolas; Rössler, Wulf

2012-10-04

Vocational integration of people with mental illness is poor despite their willingness to work. The 'Individual Placement and Support' (IPS) model which emphasises rapid and direct job placement and continuing support to patient and employer has proven to be the most effective vocational intervention programme. Various studies have shown that every second patient with severe mental illness was able to find competitive employment within 18 months. However, the goal of taking up employment within two months was rarely achieved. Thus, we aim to test whether the new concept of limited placement budgets increases the effectiveness of IPS. Six job coaches in six out-patients psychiatric clinics in the Canton of Zurich support unemployed patients of their clinic who seek competitive employment. Between June 2010 and May 2011 patients (N=100) are randomly assigned to three different placement budgets of 25h, 40h, or 55h working hours of job coaches. Support lasts two years for those who find a job. The intervention ends for those who fail to find competitive employment when the respective placement budgets run out. The primary outcome measure is the time between study inclusion and first competitive employment that lasted three months or longer. Over a period of three years interviews are carried out every six months to measure changes in motivation, stigmatization, social network and social support, quality of life, job satisfaction, financial situation, and health conditions. Cognitive and social-cognitive tests are conducted at baseline to control for confounding variables. This study will show whether the effectiveness of IPS can be increased by the new concept of limited placement budgets. It will also be examined whether competitive employment leads in the long term to an improvement of mental illness, to a transfer of the psychiatric support system to private and vocational networks, to an increase in financial independence, to a reduction of perceived and internalized stigma, and to an increase in quality of life and job satisfaction of the patient. In addition, factors connected with fast competitive employment and holding that job down in the long term are being examined (motivation, stigmatization, social and financial situation). ISRCTN89670872.

Seeking harmony in the provision of care to the stroke-impaired: views of Chinese family caregivers.

PubMed

Lee, Regina L T; Mok, Esther S B

2011-05-01

To explore the coping strategies of Chinese family caregivers of stroke-impaired older relatives. Many stroke-impaired patients rely heavily on support from their families, and the daily lives of such family caregivers are severely impacted. However, services and support for family caregivers of stroke-impaired relatives in the home setting have received little attention. Appropriate and relevant information and support to family caregivers are important in facilitating the care-giving task. It is, therefore, necessary to understand the nature and demands of care-giving before planning specific educational and support programmes. Grounded theory. Fifteen Chinese family caregivers of stroke-impaired older relatives were recruited and interviewed in 2003 and 2004. Theoretical sampling and constant comparative analysis were used to recruit the sample and perform data analysis. Seeking harmony to provide care for the stroke-impaired was the core category for describing and guiding the family care-giving process, with five main stages: (1) living with ambiguity, (2) monitoring the recovery progress, (3) accepting the downfalls, (4) meeting family obligations and (5) reconciling with harmony. These issues were seldom discussed openly with health professionals. The findings indicated that Chinese family caregivers determine their own needs by seeking harmony to continue to provide care without thinking about getting help from others or their own health problems. These findings help to define some of the complex dynamics that have an impact on the development of partnership care and might challenge nurses practising in the community. Community nurses should assess and understand the coping strategies of family caregivers and assist them to engage in stress-reducing practices. This is an important partnership to be formed in stroke care for family caregivers in the community. The study findings will guide further development of family care-giving aspects in nursing practice. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Child emotional security and interparental conflict.

PubMed

Davies, Patrick T; Harold, Gordon T; Goeke-Morey, Marcie C; Cummings, E Mark; Shelton, Katherine; Rasi, Jennifer A

2002-01-01

Guided by the emotional security hypothesis developed by Davies & Cummings (1994), studies were conducted to test a conceptual refinement of children's adjustment to parental conflict in relation to hypotheses of other prominent theories. Study 1 examined whether the pattern of child responses to simulations of adult conflict tactics and topics was consistent with the emotional security hypothesis and social learning theory in a sample of 327 Welsh children. Supporting the emotional security hypothesis, child reports of fear, avoidance, and involvement were especially prominent responses to destructive conflict. Study 2 examined the relative roles of child emotional insecurity and social-cognitive appraisals in accounting for associations between parental conflict and child psychological symptoms in a sample of 285 Welsh children and parents. Findings indicated that child emotional insecurity was a robust intervening process in the prospective links between parental conflict and child maladjustment even when intervening processes proposed in the social-cognitive models were included in the analyses. Studies 3 and 4 explored pathways among parental conflict, child emotional insecurity, and psychological adjustment in the broader family context with a sample of 174 children and mothers. Supporting the emotional security hypothesis, Study 3 findings indicated that child insecurity continued to mediate the link between parental conflict and child maladjustment even after specifying the effects of other parenting processes. Parenting difficulties accompanying interparental conflict were related to child maladjustment through their association with insecure parent-child attachment. In support of the emotional security hypothesis, Study 4 findings indicated that family instability, parenting difficulties, and parent-child attachment insecurity potentiated mediational pathways among parental conflict, child insecurity, and maladjustment. Family cohesiveness, interparental satisfaction, and interparental expressiveness appeared to be protective factors in these mediational paths. No support was found for the social learning theory prediction that parent-child warmth would amplify associations between parental conflict and child disruptive behaviors.

Peripheral and subversive: Women making connections and challenging the boundaries of the science community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, Kathleen S.

2001-07-01

Researchers continue to report the underrepresentation of females in the science professions (AAUW, 1992; NSF, 1999; Vetter, 1992). Investigators have illuminated many factors that contribute to the insider status in the science community of some groups and the peripheral/outsider status of women and girls (Brickhouse, 1994; Delamont, 1989; Harding, 1991; Schiebinger, 1989). Some research has shown that supportive science networks have had a positive influence on women's participation and retention in science practices (AAUW, 1992; Keith & Keith, 1989; Kreinberg & Lewis, 1996; Varanka-Martin, 1996). In order to provide a better understanding of the role social capital plays in women's legitimate participation in science, I draw upon the findings of a qualitative study that examines the valued capital, ways, and practices of a support group for women working in the sciences at an academic research institution. Findings from this study indicate how women 1) were given little access to powerful networks in science that would provide them with opportunities to acquire the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to be legitimate in the traditional sense, and 2) encountered many obstacles in their attempts to develop networks and make such connections between themselves and other women. Findings also indicate that, despite these impediments, the support group provided a meaningful and resourceful network through which they developed a critical perspective of legitimacy as they sought to make explicit the culture of science. Participants not only employed the traditional methods of scientific inquiry, but also acknowledged and valued the voices and experiences of those from nondominant groups. They constructed a new discourse that was inclusive of diverse voices, created new career pathways, and developed a vision of mentoring that facilitated females' development of a critical view of the science community and their legitimate participation.

Advanced Simulation and Computing Fiscal Year 14 Implementation Plan, Rev. 0.5

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

Meisner, Robert; McCoy, Michel; Archer, Bill

2013-09-11

The Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP) is a single, highly integrated technical program for maintaining the surety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile. The SSP uses nuclear test data, computational modeling and simulation, and experimental facilities to advance understanding of nuclear weapons. It includes stockpile surveillance, experimental research, development and engineering programs, and an appropriately scaled production capability to support stockpile requirements. This integrated national program requires the continued use of experimental facilities and programs, and the computational enhancements to support these programs. The Advanced Simulation and Computing Program (ASC) is a cornerstone of the SSP, providing simulation capabilities andmore » computational resources that support annual stockpile assessment and certification, study advanced nuclear weapons design and manufacturing processes, analyze accident scenarios and weapons aging, and provide the tools to enable stockpile Life Extension Programs (LEPs) and the resolution of Significant Finding Investigations (SFIs). This requires a balanced resource, including technical staff, hardware, simulation software, and computer science solutions. In its first decade, the ASC strategy focused on demonstrating simulation capabilities of unprecedented scale in three spatial dimensions. In its second decade, ASC is now focused on increasing predictive capabilities in a three-dimensional (3D) simulation environment while maintaining support to the SSP. The program continues to improve its unique tools for solving progressively more difficult stockpile problems (sufficient resolution, dimensionality, and scientific details), quantify critical margins and uncertainties, and resolve increasingly difficult analyses needed for the SSP. Moreover, ASC’s business model is integrated and focused on requirements-driven products that address long-standing technical questions related to enhanced predictive capability in the simulation tools.« less

Scalable Options for Extended Skill Building Following Didactic Training in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Anxious Youth: A Pilot Randomized Trial.

PubMed

Chu, Brian C; Carpenter, Aubrey L; Wyszynski, Christopher M; Conklin, Phoebe H; Comer, Jonathan S

2017-01-01

A sizable gap exists between the availability of evidence-based psychological treatments and the number of community therapists capable of delivering such treatments. Limited time, resources, and access to experts prompt the need for easily disseminable, lower cost options for therapist training and continued support beyond initial training. A pilot randomized trial tested scalable extended support models for therapists following initial training. Thirty-five postdegree professionals (43%) or graduate trainees (57%) from diverse disciplines viewed an initial web-based training in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for youth anxiety and then were randomly assigned to 10 weeks of expert streaming (ES; viewing weekly online supervision sessions of an expert providing consultation), peer consultation (PC; non-expert-led group discussions of CBT), or fact sheet self-study (FS; weekly review of instructional fact sheets). In initial expectations, trainees rated PC as more appropriate and useful to meet its goals than either ES or FS. At post, all support programs were rated as equally satisfactory and useful for therapists' work, and comparable in increasing self-reported use of CBT strategies (b = .19, p = .02). In contrast, negative linear trends were found on a knowledge quiz (b = -1.23, p = .01) and self-reported beliefs about knowledge (b = -1.50, p < .001) and skill (b = -1.15, p < .001). Attrition and poor attendance presented a moderate concern for PC, and ES was rated as having the lowest implementation potential. Preliminary findings encourage further development of low-cost, scalable options for continued support of evidence-based training.

Nutritional and metabolic support in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

PubMed

Muscaritoli, Maurizio; Kushta, Irma; Molfino, Alessio; Inghilleri, Maurizio; Sabatelli, Mario; Rossi Fanelli, Filippo

2012-10-01

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common form of progressive motor neuron disease and the most devastating neurodegenerative disorder. ALS is characterized by progressive paralysis and respiratory failure leading to death within 3 to 5 years after its onset. Protein-energy malnutrition is a frequent finding in ALS. The pathogenesis of protein-energy malnutrition in ALS is multifactorial. Muscle atrophy, hypophagia, dysphagia, and hypermetabolism play a role in determining the deterioration of nutritional status. A multidisciplinary approach is crucial to set an appropriate plan for metabolic and nutritional support in ALS. Nutritional management incorporates a continuous assessment and implementation of dietary modifications throughout the duration of the disease. The nutritional and metabolic approaches to ALS should start when the diagnosis of ALS is made and should become an integral part of the continuous care to the patient, including nutritional surveillance, dietary counseling, management of dysphagia, and enteral nutrition when needed. Parenteral nutrition is rarely indicated. Standard polymeric enteral formulas are routinely used, usually providing 25 to 30 kcal/kg and protein 0.8 to 1.2 g /kg per day. The use of fiber-enriched formulas may help prevent constipation. However, considering the complex metabolic abnormalities of ALS, standard and/or fiber-enriched formulas might not be sufficient to achieve optimal metabolic and nutritional support. Based on the most recent clinical and experimental evidence, it is tempting to hypothesize that personalized nutritional support including specific nutritional substrates could act on disease progression and improve the quality of life and the response to the few and yet scarcely effective, currently available pharmacologic therapies. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Preferred strategies for workforce development: feedback from aged care workers.

PubMed

Choy, Sarojni; Henderson, Amanda

2016-11-01

Objective The aim of the present study was to investigate how aged care workers prefer to learn and be supported in continuing education and training activities. Methods Fifty-one workers in aged care facilities from metropolitan and rural settings across two states of Australia participated in a survey and interviews. Survey responses were analysed for frequencies and interview data provided explanations to the survey findings. Results The three most common ways workers were currently learning and prefer to continue to learn are: (1) everyday learning through work individually; (2) everyday learning through work individually assisted by other workers; and (3) everyday learning plus group training courses at work from the employer. The three most common types of provisions that supported workers in their learning were: (1) working and sharing with another person on the job; (2) direct teaching in a group (e.g. a trainer in a classroom at work); and (3) direct teaching by a workplace expert. Conclusions A wholly practice-based continuing education and training model is best suited for aged care workers. Two variations of this model could be considered: (1) a wholly practice-based model for individual learning; and (2) a wholly practice-based model with guidance from coworkers or other experts. Although the model is preferred by workers and convenient for employers, it needs to be well resourced. What is known about the topic? Learning needs for aged care workers are increasing significantly because of an aging population that demands more care workers. Workforce development is largely 'episodic', based on organisational requirements rather than systematic life-long learning. This study is part of a larger 3-year Australian research to investigate models of continuing education training. What does this paper add? Based on an analysis of survey and interview data from 51 workers, the present study suggests effective models of workforce development for aged care workers. What are the implications for practitioners? The effectiveness of the suggested models necessitates a culture where aged care workers' advancement in the workplace is valued and supported. Those responsible for the development of these workers need to be adequately prepared for mentoring and coaching in the workplace.

Evaluation of decision making and negotiation processes under uncertainties regarding the water management of Peiros-Parapeiros Dam, in Achaia Region (Greece).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Podimata, Marianthi V.; Yannopoulos, Panayotis C.

2015-04-01

Water managers, decision-makers, water practitioners and others involved in Integrated Water Resources Management often encounter the problem of finding a joint agreement among stakeholders concerning the management of a common water body. Handling conflict situations/disputes over water issues and finding an acceptable joint solution remain a thorny issue in water negotiation processes, since finding a formula for wise, fair and sustainable management of a water resource is a complex process that includes environmental, economic, technical, socio-political criteria and their uncertainties. Decision Support Systems and Adaptive Management are increasingly used in that direction. To assist decision makers in handling water disputes and execute negotiations, a conceptual tool is required. The Graph Model for Conflict Resolution is a Decision Support flexible tool for negotiation support regarding water conflicts. It includes efficient algorithms for estimating strategic moves of water stakeholders, even though there is a lack of detail concerning their real motives and prospects. It calculates the stability of their states and encourages what-if analyses. This paper presents a case study of water decision makers' evaluations concerning the management of up-coming technical infrastructure Peiros-Parapeiros Dam, in Achaia Region (Greece). The continuous consultations between institutions and representatives revealed that the formation of a joint agreement between stakeholders is not easy, due to arising conflicts and contradictions regarding the jurisdiction and legal status of the dam operator and the cost undertaking of the dam operation. This paper analyzes the positions of the parties involved in the consultation process and examines possible conflict resolution states, using GMCR II. This methodology tries to minimize uncertainty to a certain extent concerning the possible moves/decisions of involved parties regarding the operation and management of the dam by developing and simulating potential strategic interactions and multilateral negotiations and finding confidence-building cooperation schemes (cooperative arrangements) over water use and management.

Expectations of support among White British and Asian-Indian older people in Britain: the interdependence of formal and informal spheres.

PubMed

Sin, Chih Hoong

2006-05-01

Abstract The discourse surrounding community care characterises informal support being superior to and preferred over formal sources of support, with this distinction buttressed by policy changes. There is a lack of understanding of the interdependence of both spheres of support. This article argues that an individual's experience and expectation of one type of support is often made in relation to his or her understanding, expectation and experience of other sources of support. There is also an urgent need to understand how these associations operate in a cross-cultural context as it is naïve to assume that normative expectations will remain constant when the relationship between family, state and other sources of support are unstable. This article reports on findings emerging from part of a Growing Older study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council of Great Britain to explore the relationship between quality of life and the social networks and support of older people from different ethnic groups. Research involved the use of a questionnaire comprising closed- and open-ended questions. In addition, in-depth qualitative interviews covering the existence and nature of social networks and support, as well as perceptions and expectations of these, were also conducted. This article reports on data relating to a sample comprising seven White British men, 10 White British women, 12 Asian-Indian men, and nine Asian-Indian women aged 55 and over derived from the Family Resources Survey. Findings reveal that the high level of expectation for family support amongst Asian-Indian respondents coexists with a high level of expectation for state support and an acknowledgement that the ideal of family support may not always materialise. Amongst White British respondents, the high level of expectation for state support exists regardless of whether the respondent has satisfactory informal social networks. This expectation is commonly expressed in terms of rights and entitlement by White British respondents but not by Asian-Indians. Associated with this, Asian-Indian respondents display a consistently lower level of awareness and usage of a range of health and social care services. Regardless of the extent of current and past usage of services, however, respondents from both groups overwhelmingly indicate an expectation for the continued provision of such services as they would like to be able to use one or more of these at some stage.

Effects of financial support on treatment of adolescents with growth hormone deficiency: a retrospective study in Japan.

PubMed

Maeda, Eri; Higashi, Takahiro; Hasegawa, Tomonobu; Yokoya, Susumu; Mochizuki, Takahiro; Ishii, Tomohiro; Ito, Junko; Kanzaki, Susumu; Shimatsu, Akira; Takano, Koji; Tajima, Toshihiro; Tanaka, Hiroyuki; Tanahashi, Yusuke; Teramoto, Akira; Nagai, Toshiro; Hanew, Kunihiko; Horikawa, Reiko; Yorifuji, Toru; Wada, Naohiro; Tanaka, Toshiaki

2016-10-21

Treatment costs for children with growth hormone (GH) deficiency are subsidized by the government in Japan if the children meet clinical criteria, including height limits (boys: 156.4 cm; girls: 145.4 cm). However, several funding programs, such as a subsidy provided by local governments, can be used by those who exceed the height limits. In this study, we explored the impacts of financial support on GH treatment using this natural allocation. A retrospective analysis of 696 adolescent patients (451 boys and 245 girls) who reached the height limits was conducted. Associations between financial support and continuing treatment were assessed using multiple logistic regression analyses adjusting for age, sex, height, growth velocity, bone age, and adverse effects. Of the 696 children in the analysis, 108 (15.5 %) were still eligible for financial support. The proportion of children who continued GH treatment was higher among those who were eligible for support than among those who were not (75.9 % vs. 52.0 %, P < 0.001). The odds ratios of financial support to continuing treatment were 4.04 (95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.86-8.78) in boys and 1.72 (95 % CI: 0.80-3.70) in girls, after adjusting for demographic characteristics and clinical factors. Financial support affected decisions on treatment continuation for children with GH deficiency. Geographic variations in eligibility for financial support pose an ethical problem that needs policy attention. An appropriate balance between public spending on continuation of therapy and improved quality of life derived from it should be explored.

Understanding Evaluation of Learning Support in Mathematics and Statistics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacGillivray, Helen; Croft, Tony

2011-01-01

With rapid and continuing growth of learning support initiatives in mathematics and statistics found in many parts of the world, and with the likelihood that this trend will continue, there is a need to ensure that robust and coherent measures are in place to evaluate the effectiveness of these initiatives. The nature of learning support brings…

Early Intervention to Support the Academic Recovery of First-Year Students at Risk of Non-Continuation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lizzio, Alf; Wilson, Keithia

2013-01-01

The widening participation agenda and related concerns about student retention require a more systematic focus on supporting student success. This paper describes a process designed with the dual goals of supporting the short-term academic recovery of students at risk of non-continuation due to early difficulties with assessment and developing…

Barriers and facilitators to implementing continuous quality improvement programs in colonoscopy services: a mixed methods systematic review.

PubMed

Candas, Bernard; Jobin, Gilles; Dubé, Catherine; Tousignant, Mario; Abdeljelil, Anis Ben; Grenier, Sonya; Gagnon, Marie-Pierre

2016-02-01

Continuous quality improvement (CQI) programs may result in quality of care and outcome improvement. However, the implementation of such programs has proven to be very challenging. This mixed methods systematic review identifies barriers and facilitators pertaining to the implementation of CQI programs in colonoscopy services and how they relate to endoscopists, nurses, managers, and patients. We developed a search strategy adapted to 15 databases. Studies had to report on the implementation of a CQI intervention and identified barriers or facilitators relating to any of the four groups of actors directly concerned by the provision of colonoscopies. The quality of the selected studies was assessed and findings were extracted, categorized, and synthesized using a generic extraction grid customized through an iterative process. We extracted 99 findings from the 15 selected publications. Although involving all actors is the most cited factor, the literature mainly focuses on the facilitators and barriers associated with the endoscopists' perspective. The most reported facilitators to CQI implementation are perception of feasibility, adoption of a formative approach, training and education, confidentiality, and assessing a limited number of quality indicators. Receptive attitudes, a sense of ownership and perceptions of positive impacts also facilitate the implementation. Finally, an organizational environment conducive to quality improvement has to be inclusive of all user groups, explicitly supportive, and provide appropriate resources. Our findings corroborate the current models of adoption of innovations. However, a significant knowledge gap remains with respect to barriers and facilitators pertaining to nurses, patients, and managers.

Midwives' experiences of transfer in labour from a Western Australian birth centre to a tertiary maternity hospital.

PubMed

Kuliukas, Lesley J; Lewis, Lucy; Hauck, Yvonne L; Duggan, Ravani

2016-02-01

When transfer in labour takes place from a woman-centred, midwifery led centre to a tertiary maternity hospital it is accepted that women are negatively affected, however the midwife's role is unevaluated, there is no published literature exploring their experience. This study aimed to describe these experiences. Giorgi's descriptive phenomenological method of analysis was used to explore the 'lived' experiences of the midwives. Seventeen interviews of transferring midwives took place and data saturation was achieved. The overall findings suggest that midwives find transfer in labour challenging, both emotionally and practically. Five main themes emerged: (1) 'The midwife's internal conversation' with subtheme: 'Feeling under pressure', (2) 'Challenged to find a role in changing circumstances' with subtheme: 'Varying degrees of support', (3) 'Feeling out of place' with subtheme: 'Caught in the middle of different models of care, (4) 'A constant support for the parents across the labour and birth process' with subthemes: 'Acknowledging the parents' loss of their desired birth' and (5) 'The midwives' need for debrief'. Midwives acknowledged the challenge of finding the balance between fulfilling parents' birth plan wishes with hospital protocol and maintaining safety. Transfer for fetal or maternal compromise caused anxiety and concern. The benefits of providing continuity of care were acknowledged by the midwife's knowledge of the woman and her history but these were not always recognised by the receiving team. Discussing the transfer story afterwards helped midwives review their practice. Effective communication between all stakeholders is essential throughout the transfer process. Copyright © 2015 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving quality of life for people with dementia in care homes: making psychosocial interventions work.

PubMed

Lawrence, Vanessa; Fossey, Jane; Ballard, Clive; Moniz-Cook, Esme; Murray, Joanna

2012-11-01

Psychosocial interventions can improve behaviour and mood in people with dementia, but it is unclear how to maximise their effectiveness or acceptability in residential settings. To understand what underlies the successful implementation of psychosocial interventions in care homes. Systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative research. The synthesis of 39 qualitative papers revealed that beneficial psychosocial interventions met the needs of people with dementia to connect with others, make a meaningful contribution and reminisce. Successful implementation rested on the active engagement of staff and family and the continuing provision of tailored interventions and support. This necessitated staff time, and raised issues around priorities and risk, but ultimately helped redefine staff attitudes towards residents and the caregiving role. The findings from the meta-synthesis can help to inform the development and evaluation of psychosocial interventions in care homes and support their widespread implementation in clinical settings.

Changing Attitudes Toward Euthanasia and Suicide for Terminally Ill Persons, 1977 to 2016: An Age-Period-Cohort Analysis.

PubMed

Attell, Brandon K

2017-01-01

Several longitudinal studies show that over time the American public has become more approving of euthanasia and suicide for terminally ill persons. Yet, these previous findings are limited because they derive from biased estimates of disaggregated hierarchical data. Using insights from life course sociological theory and cross-classified logistic regression models, I better account for this liberalization process by disentangling the age, period, and cohort effects that contribute to longitudinal changes in these attitudes. The results of the analysis point toward a continued liberalization of both attitudes over time, although the magnitude of change was greater for suicide compared with euthanasia. More fluctuation in the probability of supporting both measures was exhibited for the age and period effects over the cohort effects. In addition, age-based differences in supporting both measures were found between men and women and various religious affiliations.

Supporting women with advanced breast cancer: the impact of altered functional status on their social roles.

PubMed

Chen, Bai Qi Peggy; Parmar, Monica P; Gartshore, Kimberley

2014-01-01

Despite early detection of breast cancer and the progress of treatment modalities, metastasis-specific symptoms continue to impact women's functional status and daily living. The aim of this study was to explore the experience of altered functional status and social roles of women with advanced breast cancer. Using qualitative descriptive methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 women diagnosed with advanced breast cancer and altered functional status attending a tertiary care cancer centre. Results illustrated the adaptive experience of women living with their illness as they reshaped their social roles to fit with their altered functional status and advanced disease. These findings highlight the opportunity for supportive care nursing interventions to facilitate the behavioural and cognitive transitions that are experienced by women with advanced breast cancer and altered functional status. These results may have implications for women with other advanced chronic diseases, though more research is required.

Telephone calls postdischarge from hospital to home: a literature review.

PubMed

Hand, Kristin E; Cunningham, Regina S

2014-02-01

The oncology population is particularly affected by hospital readmissions because hospitalized patients with cancer often have complex needs. The complexity and diversity of care requirements create substantial challenges in planning for appropriate postdischarge support. Implementing postdischarge telephone calls in the population of patients with cancer could offer a low-cost intervention to address the complex needs of patients during the transition from hospital to home. The goal of the current literature review is to provide an understanding about postdischarge telephone calls in patients with cancer. Findings from this review support the notion that discharge phone calls could improve care continuity for patients transitioning from hospital to home. The literature review outlines information related to telephone call content, timing, and structure for healthcare systems that want to use a postdischarge telephone intervention for patients with cancer. However, additional research is needed to develop and test cancer-specific protocols.

HIV Testing and Counseling Among Female Sex Workers: A Systematic Literature Review.

PubMed

Tokar, Anna; Broerse, Jacqueline E W; Blanchard, James; Roura, Maria

2018-02-20

HIV testing uptake continues to be low among Female Sex Workers (FSWs). We synthesizes evidence on barriers and facilitators to HIV testing among FSW as well as frequencies of testing, willingness to test, and return rates to collect results. We systematically searched the MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS databases for articles published in English between January 2000 and November 2017. Out of 5036 references screened, we retained 36 papers. The two barriers to HIV testing most commonly reported were financial and time costs-including low income, transportation costs, time constraints, and formal/informal payments-as well as the stigma and discrimination ascribed to HIV positive people and sex workers. Social support facilitated testing with consistently higher uptake amongst married FSWs and women who were encouraged to test by peers and managers. The consistent finding that social support facilitated HIV testing calls for its inclusion into current HIV testing strategies addressed at FSW.

Childhood educational experiences of women with cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Freeborn, Donna; Mandleco, Barbara

2010-08-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the childhood experiences of women with cerebral palsy (CP), from the perspectives of these women. Using the feminist biographical method, eight women with CP participated in two in-depth interviews. Participants ranged in age from 22 to 55 years and had moderate to severe athetoid or spastic CP. Four themes emerged: (a) academic experiences, (b) experiences with teachers, (c) experiences with peers, and (d) coping methods, with both positive and negative subthemes for each theme. Participants with positive academic experiences and positive interactions with teachers and peers were able to develop better ways of dealing with the negative experiences they encountered in education and attained higher levels of education. Participants who primarily had poorer educational experiences developed negative coping mechanisms that continued to affect their lives. Findings support ways in which school nurses can support the educational experiences of students with CP.

Disordered nuclear pasta, magnetic field decay, and crust cooling in neutron stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horowitz, C. J.; Berry, D. K.; Briggs, C. M.; Caplan, M. E.; Cumming, A.; Schneider, A. S.

2015-04-01

Nuclear pasta, with non-spherical shapes, is expected near the base of the crust in neutron stars. Large scale molecular dynamics simulations of pasta show long lived topological defects that could increase electron scattering and reduce both the thermal and electrical conductivities. We model a possible low conductivity pasta layer by increasing an impurity parameter Qimp. Predictions of light curves for the low mass X-ray binary MXB 1659-29, assuming a large Qimp, find continued late time cooling that is consistent with Chandra observations. The electrical and thermal conductivities are likely related. Therefore observations of late time crust cooling can provide insight on the electrical conductivity and the possible decay of neutron star magnetic fields (assuming these are supported by currents in the crust). This research was supported in part by DOE Grants DE-FG02-87ER40365 (Indiana University) and DE-SC0008808 (NUCLEI SciDAC Collaboration).

Behavioural prevention of ischemic heart disease.

PubMed Central

Hartman, L. M.

1978-01-01

Heart disease continues to be a major cause of disablement and death in Canada. Elevated serum cholesterol concentrations, hypertension and cigarette smoking are among the standard risk factors associated with ischemic heart disease. Research attention has also been directed at the role of behavioural factors in the development of atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction. Experimental findings support a conceptual approach to the interplay of psychologic stress, the type A "coronary"-prone behaviour pattern and pathophysiologic mechanisms that have been implicated in the development of coronary artery disease. It is concluded that type A behaviour and stress contribute substantially to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. However, assessment of the manner in which these two variables influence the pathophysiology of ischemic heart disease requires further research, with systematic examination of physiologic and biochemical processes. Potential strategies for modifying type A behaviour are reviewed. However, unequivocal support for the preventive efficacy of behavioural approaches must await future research. PMID:361191

Two-Year Institution Part-Time Nurse Faculty Experiences During Role Transition and Identity Development: A Phenomenological Study.

PubMed

Owens, Rhoda A

This study explored two-year institution part-time nurse faculty's perceptions of their experiences during their role transitions from nurses in clinical practice to part-time clinical instructors. Part-time nurse faculty enter academia as expert clinicians, but most have little or no training in the pedagogy of effective student learning. A phenomenological study was used to explore the faculty role transition experiences. Findings support the proposition that six participants transitioned from their expert clinician to instructor identities; however, two continue in the process. Critical to this process are relationships with individuals in their environments, past and present experiences, the incentive to learn to be better instructors, and the importance of support and training. A model emerged, Process of Role Transition and Professional Identity Formation for Part-Time Clinical Instructors at Two-Year Institutions, that is potentially useful for administrators in developing individualized orientation and professional development programs.

Emplotting Hikikomori: Japanese Parents' Narratives of Social Withdrawal.

PubMed

Rubinstein, Ellen

2016-12-01

Hikikomori, often glossed as "social withdrawal," emerged as a sociomedical condition among Japanese youth at the end of the twentieth century, and it continues to fascinate and concern the public. Explanatory frameworks for hikikomori abound, with different stakeholders attributing it to individual psychopathology, poor parenting, and/or a lack of social support structures. This article takes an interpretive approach to hikikomori by exploring parents' narrative constructions of hikikomori children in support group meetings and in-depth interviews. I argue that some parents were able to find hope in hikikomori by 'emplotting' their children's experiences into a larger narrative about onset, withdrawal, and recovery, which helped them remain invested in the present by maintaining a sense of possibility about the future. Contrary to literature that examines hikikomori as an epidemic of isolated individuals, I demonstrate how parents play a key role in hikikomori through meaning-making activities that have the potential to shape their children's experiences of withdrawal.

International Space Station Environmental Control and Life Support System Status: 2011-2012

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, David E.; Dake, Jason R.; Gentry, Gregory J.

2011-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) system includes regenerative and non-regenerative technologies that provide the basic life support functions to support the crew, while maintaining a safe and habitable shirtsleeve environment. This paper provides a summary of the U.S. ECLS system activities over the past year and the impacts of the international partners activities on them, covering the period of time between March 2011 and February 2012. The ISS continued permanent crew operations including the continuation of six crew members being on ISS. Work continues on the commercial cargo resupply vehicles, and work to try and extend ISS service life from 2015 to no later than 2028. 1

International Space Station Environmental Control and Life Support System Status for the Prior Year: 2011 - 2012

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, David E.; Dake, Jason R.; Gentry, Gregory J

2013-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) system includes regenerative and non-regenerative technologies that provide the basic life support functions to support the crew, while maintaining a safe and habitable shirtsleeve environment. This paper provides a summary of the U.S. ECLS system activities over the prior year, covering the period of time between March 2011 and February 2012. The ISS continued permanent crew operations including the continuation of six crew members being on ISS. Work continues on the last of the Phase 3 pressurized elements, the commercial cargo resupply vehicles, and work to try and extend ISS service life from 2015 to at least 2028.

International Space Station Environmental Control and Life Support System Previous Year Status for 2013 - 2014

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, David E.; Gentry, Gregory J.

2015-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) system includes regenerative and non-regenerative technologies that provide the basic life support functions to support the crew, while maintaining a safe and habitable shirtsleeve environment. This paper provides a summary of the U.S. ECLS system activities over the past year and the impacts of the international partners' activities on them, covering the period of time between March 2013 and February 2014. The ISS continued permanent crew operations including the continuation of six crew members being on ISS. Work continues on the commercial crew vehicles, and work to try and extend ISS service life.