Ethical issues with colorectal cancer screening-a systematic review.

PubMed

Hofmann, Bjørn

2017-06-01

Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is widely recommended and implemented. However, sometimes CRC screening is not implemented despite good evidence, and some types of CRC screening are implemented despite lack of evidence. The objective of this article is to expose and elucidate relevant ethical issues in the literature on CRC screening that are important for open and transparent deliberation on CRC screening. An axiological question-based method is used for exposing and elucidating ethical issues relevant in HTA. A literature search in MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, PubMed Bioethics subset, ISI Web of Knowledge, Bioethics Literature Database (BELIT), Ethics in Medicine (ETHMED), SIBIL Base dati di bioetica, LEWI Bibliographic Database on Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities, and EUROETHICS identified 870 references of which 114 were found relevant according to title and abstract. The content of the included papers were subject to ethical analysis to highlight the ethical issues, concerns, and arguments. A wide range of important ethical issues were identified. The main benefits are reduced relative CRC mortality rate, and potentially incidence rate, but there is no evidence of reduced absolute mortality rate. Potential harms are bleeding, perforation, false test results, overdetection, overdiagnosis, overtreatment (including unnecessary removal of polyps), and (rarely) death. Other important issues are related to autonomy and informed choice equity, justice, medicalization, and expanding disease. A series of important ethical issues have been identified and need to be addressed in open and transparent deliberation on CRC screening. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The relative importance of relational and scientific characteristics of psychotherapy: Perceptions of community members vs. therapists.

PubMed

Farrell, Nicholas R; Deacon, Brett J

2016-03-01

Although client preferences are an integral component of evidence-based practice in psychology (American Psychological Association, 2006), relatively little research has examined what potential mental health consumers value in the psychotherapy they may receive. The present study was conducted to examine community members' preferences for the scientific and relational aspects of psychotherapy for different types of presenting problems, and how accurately therapists perceive these preferences. Community members (n = 200) were surveyed about the importance of scientific (e.g., demonstrated efficacy in clinical trials) and relational (e.g., therapist empathy) characteristics of psychotherapy both for anxiety disorders (e.g., obsessive-compulsive disorder) and disorder-nonspecific issues (e.g., relationship difficulties). Therapists (n = 199) completed the same survey and responded how they expected the average mental health consumer would. Results showed that although community members valued relational characteristics significantly more than scientific characteristics, the gap between these two was large for disorder-nonspecific issues (d = 1.24) but small for anxiety disorders (d = .27). Community members rated scientific credibility as important across problem types. Therapists significantly underestimated the importance of scientific characteristics to community members, particularly in the treatment of disorder-nonspecific issues (d = .74). Therapists who valued research less in their own practice were more likely to underestimate the importance of scientific credibility to community members. The implications of the present findings for understanding the nature of client preferences in evidence-based psychological practice are discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Factors that influence disclosure of hearing loss in the workplace.

PubMed

Southall, Kenneth; Jennings, Mary Beth; Gagné, Jean-Pierre

2011-10-01

The objective of the study was to identify factors that lead individuals to conceal or disclose their hearing loss in the workplace. A qualitative research paradigm called qualitative description was selected to address this issue. Twelve people who had an adult onset hearing loss, and were gainfully employed, participated in audio-recorded semi-structured interviews designed to probe issues related to disclosure of hearing loss. A photo elicitation interview technique was employed during the interviews. Content analyses were used to extract pertinent information from verbatim transcripts. Five recurring themes emerged as important considerations in relation to this topic: (1) perceived importance of the situation; (2) perceived sense of control; (3) community affiliation; (4) burden of communication; and (5) coexisting issues related to hearing loss. The findings are discussed in relation to other concealable stigmatizing traits, stigma-theory, and social-cognitive theory. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed, with particular emphasis placed on worker self-efficacy.

Research Trends on Socioscientific Issues: A Content Analysis of Publications in Selected Science Education Journals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tekin, Nurcan; Aslan, Oktay; Yilmaz, Suleyman

2016-01-01

Socioscientific issues (SSIs) have gained recently more importance in science education. SSIs are an important component of scientific literacy. SSIs are social dilemmas including conceptual or technological links to science. The present study aims to determine SSIs related research trends via content analyses of the articles published from 2004…

Everyday ethics in internal medicine resident clinic: an opportunity to teach.

PubMed

Carrese, Joseph A; McDonald, Erin L; Moon, Margaret; Taylor, Holly A; Khaira, Kiran; Catherine Beach, Mary; Hughes, Mark T

2011-07-01

Being a good doctor requires competency in ethics. Accordingly, ethics education during residency training is important. We studied the everyday ethics-related issues (i.e. ordinary ethics issues commonly faced) that internal medical residents encounter in their out-patient clinic and determined whether teaching about these issues occurred during faculty preceptor-resident interactions. This study involved a multi-method qualitative research design combining observation of preceptor-resident discussions with preceptor interviews. The study was conducted in two different internal medicine training programme clinics over a 2-week period in June 2007. Fifty-three residents and 19 preceptors were observed, and 10 preceptors were interviewed. Transcripts of observer field notes and faculty interviews were carefully analysed. The analysis identified several themes of everyday ethics issues and determined whether preceptors identified and taught about these issues. Everyday ethics content was considered present in 109 (81%) of the 135 observed case presentations. Three major thematic domains and associated sub-themes related to everyday ethics issues were identified, concerning: (i) the Doctor-Patient Interaction (relationships; communication; shared decision making); (ii) the Resident as Learner (developmental issues; challenges and conflicts associated with training; relationships with colleagues and mentors; interactions with the preceptor), and; (iii) the Doctor-System Interaction (financial issues; doctor-system issues; external influences; doctor frustration related to system issues). Everyday ethics issues were explicitly identified by preceptors (without teaching) in 18 of 109 cases (17%); explicit identification and teaching occurred in only 13 cases (12%). In this study a variety of everyday ethics issues were frequently encountered as residents cared for patients. Yet, faculty preceptors infrequently explicitly identified or taught these issues during their interactions with residents. Ethics education is important and residents may regard teaching about the ethics-related issues they actually encounter to be highly relevant. A better understanding of the barriers to teaching is needed in order to promote education about everyday ethics in the out-patient setting. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2011.

Everyday ethics in internal medicine resident clinic: an opportunity to teach

PubMed Central

Carrese, Joseph A; McDonald, Erin L; Moon, Margaret; Taylor, Holly A; Khaira, Kiran; Beach, Mary Catherine; Hughes, Mark T

2011-01-01

OBJECTIVES Being a good doctor requires competency in ethics. Accordingly, ethics education during residency training is important. We studied the everyday ethics-related issues (i.e. ordinary ethics issues commonly faced) that internal medical residents encounter in their out-patient clinic and determined whether teaching about these issues occurred during faculty preceptor–resident interactions. METHODS This study involved a multi-method qualitative research design combining observation of preceptor-resident discussions with preceptor interviews. The study was conducted in two different internal medicine training programme clinics over a 2-week period in June 2007. Fifty-three residents and 19 preceptors were observed, and 10 preceptors were interviewed. Transcripts of observer field notes and faculty interviews were carefully analysed. The analysis identified several themes of everyday ethics issues and determined whether preceptors identified and taught about these issues. RESULTS Everyday ethics content was considered present in 109 (81%) of the 135 observed case presentations. Three major thematic domains and associated sub-themes related to everyday ethics issues were identified, concerning: (i) the Doctor–Patient Interaction (relationships; communication; shared decision making); (ii) the Resident as Learner (developmental issues; challenges and conflicts associated with training; relationships with colleagues and mentors; interactions with the preceptor), and; (iii) the Doctor–System Interaction (financial issues; doctor–system issues; external influences; doctor frustration related to system issues). Everyday ethics issues were explicitly identified by preceptors (without teaching) in 18 of 109 cases (17%); explicit identification and teaching occurred in only 13 cases (12%). CONCLUSIONS In this study a variety of everyday ethics issues were frequently encountered as residents cared for patients. Yet, faculty preceptors infrequently explicitly identified or taught these issues during their interactions with residents. Ethics education is important and residents may regard teaching about the ethics-related issues they actually encounter to be highly relevant. A better understanding of the barriers to teaching is needed in order to promote education about everyday ethics in the out-patient setting. PMID:21649704

On Learning to Teach Fat Feminism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boling, Patricia

2011-01-01

As a feminist theorist who frequently teaches theorizing that starts from embodied experience, the author has begun to incorporate fat feminism into her teaching. As a neophyte and a relatively thin woman, she has been self-conscious about broaching issues related to fat bodies in her teaching, even though they clearly raise important issues about…

Policy Issues for Australia's Education Systems: Evidence from International and Australian Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marks, Gary; McMillan, Julie; Ainley, John

2004-01-01

Our purpose here is to discuss education policy issues in the context of empirical evidence. We note that many commonly held beliefs about Australian education such as, the relative performance and participation levels of Australian students; the importance of socioeconomic background on educational outcomes both relative to other countries and…

The Success of Advanced Learning Technologies for Instruction: Research and Evaluation of Human Factors Issues.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coldeway, Dan O.

2002-01-01

Data from three graduate programs using advanced learning technologies (ALTs) identified important human factors issues in technology use in three categories: learners (needs, skills, support, and motivation related to ALTs); faculty (attitudes, skills, support, and motivation related to ALTs); and technical staff (methods of providing assistance,…

78 FR 29392 - Embedded Digital Devices in Safety-Related Systems, Systems Important to Safety, and Items Relied...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-20

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2013-0098] Embedded Digital Devices in Safety-Related Systems... (NRC) is issuing for public comment Draft Regulatory Issue Summary (RIS) 2013-XX, ``Embedded Digital... requirements for the quality and reliability of basic components with embedded digital devices. DATES: Submit...

Online shopping interface components: relative importance as peripheral and central cues.

PubMed

Warden, Clyde A; Wu, Wann-Yih; Tsai, Dungchun

2006-06-01

The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) uses central (more thoughtful) and peripheral (less thoughtful) routes of persuasion to maximize communication effectiveness. This research implements ELM to investigate the relative importance of different aspects of the user experience in online shopping. Of all the issues surrounding online shopping, convenience, access to information, and trust were found to be the most important. These were implemented in an online conjoint shopping task. Respondents were found to use the central route of the ELM on marketing messages that involved issues of minimizing travel, information access, and assurances of system security. Users employed the peripheral ELM route when considering usability, price comparison, and personal information protection. A descriptive model of Web-based marketing components, their roles in the central and peripheral routes, and their relative importance to online consumer segments was developed.

Introduction: Special issue on Global Lesbian Cinema.

PubMed

Farr, Daniel

2012-01-01

This article offers a brief introduction to this special issue on Global Lesbian Cinema. This issue particularly highlights the importance of recognizing lesbian discourse as a separate, related piece of the discourse of queer transnational and global cinema. Subsequently, brief summaries of the eight articles of this collection are provided.

Untangling Legal Issues that Affect Teachers and Student Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bain, Christina

2009-01-01

The number of lawsuits pertaining to educationally related issues is on the rise in the US (Mounts, 1999). Garner (2000) reports that teachers consider legal issues the third most important area of teacher preparation. However, few universities offer undergraduate courses in educational law and few programs offer comprehensive training concerning…

75 FR 22783 - FIFRA Scientific Advisory Panel; Notice of Public Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-30

... Panel (FIFRA SAP) to consider and review a set of scientific issues related to the Comparative Adult and... some key scientific issues which are important in considering comparative age sensitivity for this...

A Math-Related Decrement Stereotype Threat Reaction among Older Nontraditional College Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hollis-Sawyer, Lisa

2011-01-01

It is important to address quality of life issues, such as education participation, with a growing aging population. The focus for the present research was on possible reactions among a broad age range of nontraditional learners. The present study found significant aging-related issues in perceived willingness to be involved in math-related…

Narratives for Obesity: Effects of Weight Loss and Attribution on Empathy and Policy Support

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thibodeau, Paul H.; Uri, Rachel; Thompson, Briana; Flusberg, Stephen J.

2017-01-01

Despite an urgent need to address the issue of obesity, little research has examined the psychological factors that influence support for obesity-related policy initiatives, which represent an important tool for addressing this complex health issue. In the present study, we measured the degree to which people supported obesity-related policy…

How Staff of Youth Programs Respond to Culture-Related Incidents: Nonengagement Versus Going "Full-Right-In"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gutiérrez, Vanessa; Larson, Reed W.; Raffaelli, Marcela; Fernandez, Mariela; Guzman, Sandy

2017-01-01

Incidents in which program leaders confront issues of culture and race occur regularly in many youth programs. These incidents are important because they reflect powerful dimensions of youth's lived experience and bring issues of injustice and program inclusiveness to the fore. This study examined these culture-related incidents and how leaders…

Twelve Commandments of Human Relations for the Diverse Academic Environment of Colleges and Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, William Young; Swartz, Caroline

2008-01-01

This paper focuses on applying proven industrial relations approaches and sound management practice to address a range of diversity issues in higher education. Issues addressed include the need to set a clear and consistent direction, the importance of effective policy setting and enforcement, the value of positive reinforcement, and the…

Spouse Employment in the Army: Research Findings

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-03-01

Teplitzky, Thomas, & Nogami, 1988). In addition to being affected by the broader work-family issues which influence most employed wives, married women...resolve this important family issue . Procedure: A major effort of the Army Family Research Program (AFRP) has been the primary and secondary analyses...19 Spouse Earnings .......... ........................... .... 20 RELATED SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT ISSUES

Family Life Education Grade 9. Optional Health Unit. Interim Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manitoba Dept. of Education, Winnipeg.

This family life instructional unit is organized around four themes: (1) the importance of families; (2) human growth and development; (3) dilemmas and issues; and (4) promoting positive lifestyle practices. Lessons in the dilemmas and issues section include more in-depth information on subjects such as marriage and issues related to sexuality and…

Main information requests of family members of patients in Intensive Care Units.

PubMed

Velasco Bueno, J M; Alonso-Ovies, A; Heras La Calle, G; Zaforteza Lallemand, C

2017-11-03

To compile an inventory of information requests prioritized by the family members, to find out which professionals them consider able to respond these requests, and to explore the differences in perception between family members and professionals. Qualitative analysis of content validation and descriptive cross-sectional study. 41 Spanish ICU. Relatives, physicians and nurses of critical patients. From an initial list of questions extracted from literature review, physicians, nurses, and relatives of critical patients incorporated issues that they considered not included. After analyzing content validity, a new list was obtained, which was again submitted to the participants' assessment to evaluate the level of importance that they assigned to each question and which professional they considered appropriate to answer it. most important questions for the relatives: concern about the clinical situation, measures to be taken, prognosis and information. There was a coincidence between relatives and professionals in the priority issues for families. There were significant differences in the importance given to each question: between doctors and relatives (72/82 questions), and between nurses and relatives (66/82 questions) (P<.05). For the relatives, 63% of the questions could be answered by doctors or nurses, 27% preferably by doctors and 10% by nurses. The most relevant issues for families were prognosis and severity, but also the need for information. Healthcare professionals tend to underestimate the importance of many of the questions that concern families. Relatives feel that most of their concerns can be resolved either by doctors or nurses. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

Psychosocial Issues in Geriatric Rehabilitation.

PubMed

Rodriguez, Ricardo M

2017-11-01

Geriatric patients present multiple age-related challenges and needs that must be taken into account during the rehabilitation process to achieve expected goals. This article examines the importance of identifying and managing psychosocial issues commonly observed in older adults and presents strategies to optimize their rehabilitation process. Depression, anxiety, fear of falling, adjustment issues, neurocognitive disorders, and caregiver support are discussed as a selection of factors that are relevant for geriatric patients undergoing rehabilitation. An argument is made for the importance of comprehensive geriatric assessment in older adults to identify salient issues that may impact rehabilitation and quality of life. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

GammaKnife surgery: safety and the identity of users.

PubMed

Dinka, David; Nyce, James M; Timpka, Toomas

2005-01-01

In this study we investigated safety-related usability issues of an advanced medical technology, a radiosurgery system. We were interested in which criteria are important for users when a system's usability and safety is to be improved. The data collection was based on interviews and observations at three different sites where the Leksell GammaKnife is used. The analysis was qualitative. The main finding was that the user's identity or professional background has a significant impact both on how he or she views his or her role in the clinical setting, and on how he or she defines what improvements are necessary and general safety issues. In fact, the opinion even of users experienced in safety-related problems was highly influenced by how they related to the technology and its development. None of the users actually considered Leksell GammaKnife as lacking in safety, instead, their assessment was directed towards potential future system improvements. Our findings suggest that the importance of user identity or professional background cannot be neglected during the development of advanced technology. They also suggest that the user feedback should always be related to user background and identity in order to understand how important different issues are for particular users.

Formulation of US international energy policies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1980-09-01

To find out how the United States develops international energy policy, GAO reviewed five major energy issues covering the period from early 1977 through 1979. The issues are: vulnerabilities to petroleum supply interruptions; long term national security strategy on imported oil prices; export of U.S. oil and gas production equipment and technology to the Soviety Union; World Bank initiatives to assist in financing oil and gas exploration and development in oil-importing developing countries; and the role of gas imports relative to the nation's future sources of gas.

District Decision-Makers' Considerations of Equity and Equality Related to Students' Opportunities to Learn Algebra

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herbel-Eisenmann, Beth A.; Keazer, Lindsay; Traynor, Anne

2018-01-01

Background/Context: In this article we explore equity issues related to school district decision-making about students' opportunities to learn algebra. We chose algebra because of the important role it plays in the U.S. as a gatekeeper to future academic success. Current research has not yet explored issues of equity in district-level…

A Comparison of Intra-Personal and Inter-Personal Agendas of Public Issues.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCombs, Maxwell; Snow, John Ben

The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in agenda setting of public issues in terms of their relative importance when two separate frames of reference were present in question formation. Specifically, 302 sophomore males from Syracuse University were asked to order issues in an intrapersonal context ("Which of these…

Toward Citizenship Science Education: What Students Do to Make the World a Better Place?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vesterinen, Veli-Matti; Tolppanen, Sakari; Aksela, Maija

2016-01-01

With increased focus on sustainability and socioscientific issues, dealing with issues related to citizenship is now seen as an important element of science education. However, in order to make the world a better place, mere understanding about socioscientific issues is not enough. Action must also be taken. In this study, 35 international gifted…

77 FR 13115 - Florida Gas Transmission Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-05

... Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory... analysis in the EA on the important environmental issues. By this notice, the Commission requests public... environmental issues related to this project to formally cooperate with us in the preparation of the EA.\\3...

77 FR 28870 - Floridian Natural Gas Storage Company, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-16

... Floridian Natural Gas Amendment Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues The staff of the... scoping process is to focus the analysis in the EA on the important environmental issues. By this notice.../or special expertise with respect to the environmental issues related to this project to formally...

The Future of Big-City Schools; Desegregation Policies and Magnet Alternatives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levine, Daniel U., Ed.; Havighurst, Robert J., Ed.

This book provides an in-depth analysis of urban education and related issues. The issues examined are not only fundamentally important for urban education, but in addition, several issues that have recently become prominent in considering the future of big cities are discussed. For instance, the effects of desegregation on middle class enrollment…

Digital telephony analysis model and issues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keuthan, Lynn M.

1995-09-01

Experts in the fields of digital telephony and communications security have stated the need for an analytical tool for evaluating complex issues. Some important policy issues discussed by experts recently include implementing digital wire-taps, implementation of the 'Clipper Chip', required registration of encryption/decryption keys, and export control of cryptographic equipment. Associated with the implementation of these policies are direct costs resulting from implementation, indirect cost benefits from implementation, and indirect costs resulting from the risks of implementation or factors reducing cost benefits. Presented herein is a model for analyzing digital telephony policies and systems and their associated direct costs and indirect benefit and risk factors. In order to present the structure of the model, issues of national importance and business-related issues are discussed. The various factors impacting the implementation of the associated communications systems and communications security are summarized, and various implementation tradeoffs are compared based on economic benefits/impact. The importance of the issues addressed herein, as well as other digital telephony issues, has greatly increased with the enormous increases in communication system connectivity due to the advance of the National Information Infrastructure.

Labor and the Supreme Court: Significant Issues of 1989-90.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hukill, Craig

1990-01-01

In contrast to its 1988 term, the Supreme Court's new term presents less controversial, though still important, labor issues in such areas as public-sector labor relations, pensions, occupational safety and health, employment discrimination, and workers' compensation. (Author)

Improving mature driver safety : task 6, final report with recommendations.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-08-02

There are a number of important issues when examining the issue of mature drivers and mobility particularly age-related physical and behavioral changes that affect ones ability to drive. Recent research from a variety of sources (e.g., Nationa...

The Federal Role in Bringing Education into the National Information Infrastructure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cradler, John

1995-01-01

One of the most important issues facing Congress is to work with business, education, and the states to enable the nation's shools to better prepare students for a technological work force and to ensure that education has a place on the National Information Infrastructure (NII). This document provides background and important information for national leaders concerned about education, the information infrastructure, and related issues for the Federal government.

Kansas legislators prioritize obesity but overlook nutrition and physical activity issues.

PubMed

Heinrich, Katie M; Stephen, Mellina O; Vaughan, Katherine B; Kellogg, Melinda

2013-01-01

State-level policymakers play an important role in the fight against obesity because of their ability to create policies that influence opportunities for physical activity and nutrition. In 2011, we investigated how Kansas policymakers regarded obesity, nutrition, and physical activity in comparison to other issues. This study used a cross-sectional design. This study was conducted in Kansas, a predominately rural and Republican Midwestern state. All 181 state-level policymakers in Kansas were mailed a cover letter and survey. Policymakers were asked to identify and rate the importance of issues or problems in need of attention for Kansas. The 2011 state legislative report was content analyzed and coded to match the survey. Comparisons were made by political party. Of the 49 policymakers who completed a survey, 37 were Republicans and 43 were elected to their position. Although obesity-related issues were rated second highest after jobs, physical activity- and nutrition-related issues were not seen as important problems; moreover, little corresponding legislation was introduced. Other key issues identified by policymakers included budget/spending/taxes, education, jobs/economy, and drug abuse, with more legislation reflecting these problems. The Democrats ranked 11 issues as more significant problems than did the Republicans: quality of public education, poverty, access to health care, lack of affordable housing, ethics in government, lack of public health training, access to healthy groceries, lack of pedestrian walkways/crosswalks/sidewalks, pedestrian safety, air pollution, and global warming (P < .05). There is a need to provide more public health education on the relationship between nutrition and physical activity issues and obesity for Kansas policymakers. Issues identified may be similar for other predominately rural and Republican states.

Information systems - Issues in global habitability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norman, S. D.; Brass, J. A.; Jones, H.; Morse, D. R.

1984-01-01

The present investigation is concerned with fundamental issues, related to information considerations, which arise in an interdisciplinary approach to questions of global habitability. Information system problems and issues are illustrated with the aid of an example involving biochemical cycling and biochemical productivity. The estimation of net primary production (NPP) as an important consideration in the overall global habitability issue is discussed. The NPP model requires three types of data, related to meteorological information, a land surface inventory, and the vegetation structure. Approaches for obtaining and processing these data are discussed. Attention is given to user requirements, information system requirements, workstations, network communications, hardware/software access, and data management.

On the Brink: Instability and the Prospect of State Failure in Pakistan

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-12

unpredictable posture. Most importantly, these historical events, coupled with current political , economic, and security related issues, have created a...current political , economic, and security related issues, have created a fragile state with the propensity to fail. Therefore, this monograph highlights...hardships that have affected the state’s political stability, economic performance, and security. These unrelenting problems lie at the foundation

Nurse managers' experience with ethical issues in six government hospitals in Malaysia: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Musa, Maizura binti; Harun-Or-Rashid, M D; Sakamoto, Junichi

2011-11-16

Nurse managers have the burden of experiencing frequent ethical issues related to both their managerial and nursing care duties, according to previous international studies. However, no such study was published in Malaysia. The purpose of this study was to explore nurse managers' experience with ethical issues in six government hospitals in Malaysia including learning about the way they dealt with the issues. A cross-sectional study was conducted in August-September, 2010 involving 417 (69.2%) of total 603 nurse managers in the six Malaysian government hospitals. Data were collected using three-part self-administered questionnaire. Part I was regarding participants' demographics. Part II was about the frequency and areas of management where ethical issues were experienced, and scoring of the importance of 11 pre-identified ethical issues. Part III asked how they dealt with ethical issues in general; ways to deal with the 11 pre-identified ethical issues, and perceived stress level. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations and Pearson's Chi-square. A total of 397 (95.2%) participants experienced ethical issues and 47.2% experienced them on weekly to daily basis. Experiencing ethical issues were not associated with areas of practice. Top area of management where ethical issues were encountered was "staff management", but "patient care" related ethical issues were rated as most important. Majority would "discuss with other nurses" in dealing generally with the issues. For pre-identified ethical issues regarding "patient care", "discuss with doctors" was preferred. Only 18.1% referred issues to "ethics committees" and 53.0% to the code of ethics. Nurse managers, regardless of their areas of practice, frequently experienced ethical issues. For dealing with these, team-approach needs to be emphasized. Proper understanding of the code of ethics is needed to provide basis for reasoning.

Secondary Education Systemic Issues: Addressing Possible Contributors to a Leak in the Science Education Pipeline and Potential Solutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Hollie

2005-01-01

To maintain the legacy of cutting edge scientific innovation in the United States our country must address the many pressing issues facing science education today. One of the most important issues relating to science education is the under-representation of African Americans and Hispanics in the science, technology, and engineering workforce.…

PM101: intravenous amiodarone formulation changes can improve medication safety.

PubMed

Souney, Paul F; Cooper, Warren D; Cushing, Daniel J

2010-03-01

Intravenous amiodarone (A-IV) is used to manage ventricular and atrial arrhythmias. The current formulation uses polysorbate 80 and benzyl alcohol to maintain amiodarone in solution, and these co-solvents are linked with clinically-important adverse events and pharmaceutical incompatibilities. PM101 is a recently FDA-approved intravenous formulation of amiodarone that uses a cyclodextrin to solubilize amiodarone. This review describes the clinical and pharmaceutical development of formulations of amiodarone for intravenous administration. The medical and pharmaceutical literature was searched for papers discussing A-IV, PM101 and their formulation components. Relevant literature was identified starting from 1948 to the present. The reader will learn about the important medical and pharmaceutical issues complicating A-IV administration, including an understanding of related hypotension and compatibility with commonly used infusion materials and how these issues may impact drug safety. PM101 has been developed to address several of these important issues. PM101 is a new formulation of A-IV that is stable in commonly used infusion materials and avoids co-solvent related toxicities.

Ethics and the psychiatry journal editor: responsibilities and dilemmas.

PubMed

Greenberg, David; D Strous, Rael

2014-01-01

An array of potential ethical stumbling blocks awaits the editors of scientific journals. There are issues of particular relevance to mental health journals, and others unique to local journals with a relatively small circulation and low impact factor. The blind review system, conflict of interests, redundant publication, fraud and plagiarism, guest and ghost authorship and ghost writing, advertising, language and stigma, patient consent, and "rigging" the Impact Factor are all issues of importance. It is critical that editors are aware and informed of these important issues, and have an accessible forum for evaluating problems as they arise.

Health education in primary school textbooks in iran in school year 2010-2011.

PubMed

Kazemian, Reza; Ghasemi, Hadi; Movahhed, Taraneh; Kazemian, Ali

2014-09-01

Health education in schools is one of the most effective ways of promoting health in a society. Studies have shown the effectiveness of health interventions aimed at improving students' knowledge, attitude, and behaviors about health issues. The aim of this study was to evaluate health issues in primary school textbooks in Iran. In school year 2010-2011, the contents of all primary school textbooks in Iran were assessed in accordance to their health-related teachings. Health lessons of these 27 textbooks in the form of picture and text were retrieved and analyzed using content analysis method. In total, 502 health-related lessons were found. The textbooks of the third grade contained the highest (144) and those of the fourth grade had the lowest (26) number of health lessons. Among health-related issues, the largest number (87) of lessons were about personal hygiene, while prevention of high risk behaviors comprised the least number (8). Some important health issues such as nutrition, oral health, and prevention of high-risk behaviors were not adequately discussed in the textbooks. The potential of primary school textbooks in delivering health messages has been neglected in Iran. Taking the critical importance of school ages into account, incorporating health issues in textbooks should be more strongly emphasized.

Managing Human Resources--Implications for Training Policies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tenne, Ruth

1979-01-01

The author discusses some important MHR (management of human resources) issues and stresses the importance of considering human resources problems in relation to the present socioeconomic system and the changing needs of society. (CT)

MO-A-BRB-03: Integration Issues in Electronic Charting for External Beam Therapy

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

Sutlief, S.

2015-06-15

The process of converting to an electronic chart for radiation therapy can be daunting. It requires a dedicated committee to first research and choose appropriate software, to review the entire documentation policy and flow of the clinic, to convert this system to electronic form or if necessary, redesign the system to more easily conform to the electronic process. Those making the conversion and those who already use electronic charting would benefit from the shared experience of those who have been through the process in the past. Therefore TG262 was convened to provide guidance on electronic charting for external beam radiationmore » therapy and brachytherapy. This course will present the results of an internal survey of task group members on EMR practices in External Beam Radiation Therapy as well as discuss important issues in EMR development and structure for both EBRT and brachytherapy. Learning Objectives: Be familiarized with common practices and pitfalls in development and maintenance of an electronic chart in Radiation Oncology Be familiarized with important issues related to electronic charting in External Beam Radiation Therapy Be familiarized with important issues related to electronic charting in Brachytherapy.« less

MO-A-BRB-02: Considerations and Issues in Electronic Charting for Brachytherapy

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

Richardson, S.

2015-06-15

The process of converting to an electronic chart for radiation therapy can be daunting. It requires a dedicated committee to first research and choose appropriate software, to review the entire documentation policy and flow of the clinic, to convert this system to electronic form or if necessary, redesign the system to more easily conform to the electronic process. Those making the conversion and those who already use electronic charting would benefit from the shared experience of those who have been through the process in the past. Therefore TG262 was convened to provide guidance on electronic charting for external beam radiationmore » therapy and brachytherapy. This course will present the results of an internal survey of task group members on EMR practices in External Beam Radiation Therapy as well as discuss important issues in EMR development and structure for both EBRT and brachytherapy. Learning Objectives: Be familiarized with common practices and pitfalls in development and maintenance of an electronic chart in Radiation Oncology Be familiarized with important issues related to electronic charting in External Beam Radiation Therapy Be familiarized with important issues related to electronic charting in Brachytherapy.« less

Public Engagement. IDRA Focus.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

IDRA Newsletter, 1996

1996-01-01

This newsletter includes six articles that examine key issues facing public schools and communities related to accountability, bilingual education, immigrant education, school finance, and school choice. In addressing these issues, articles focus on the importance of community involvement and input in local school reform efforts aimed at achieving…

75 FR 6656 - SFIREG Pesticide Operations and Management Working Committee Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-10

... regarding important issues related to human health, environmental exposure to pesticides, and insight into... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [EPA-HQ-OPP-2010-0001; FRL-8811-3] SFIREG Pesticide Operations and...: The Association of American Pesticide Control Officials (AAPCO)/State FIFRA Issues Research and...

Towards Providing Culturally Aware Nutritional Care for Transgender People: Key Issues and Considerations.

PubMed

Fergusson, Pamela; Greenspan, Nicole; Maitland, Lukas; Huberdeau, Rémy

2018-06-01

Transgender people are an important group for whom access to healthcare is often problematic. Dietitians need to be aware of key issues in transgender health to provide culturally competent clinical nutritional care. This article serves as a primer, clarifying key terms and concepts, exploring the impact of stigma and discrimination on health and nutrition for people from transgender communities, and offering practical advice for nutritional and other related issues. Education for dietitians both pre- and postqualification is an important part of improving care and building skills and awareness of cultural humility. Transgender people may be at increased nutritional risk due to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, HIV, body image issues, and food insecurity. This risk profile, along with the history of trauma both outside and related to the medical community means that there is an urgent need for dietitians to develop practice tools for assessment, care, and referral to improve the nutritional status and well-being of this client group.

Pediatric sepsis in the developing world: challenges in defining sepsis and issues in post-discharge mortality.

PubMed

Wiens, Matthew O; Kumbakumba, Elias; Kissoon, Niranjan; Ansermino, J Mark; Ndamira, Andrew; Larson, Charles P

2012-01-01

Sepsis represents the progressive underlying inflammatory pathway secondary to any infectious illness, and ultimately is responsible for most infectious disease-related deaths. Addressing issues related to sepsis has been recognized as an important step towards reducing morbidity and mortality in developing countries, where the majority of the 7.5 million annual deaths in children under 5 years of age are considered to be secondary to sepsis. However, despite its prevalence, sepsis is largely neglected. Application of sepsis definitions created for use in resource-rich countries are neither practical nor feasible in most developing country settings, and alternative definitions designed for use in these settings need to be established. It has also been recognized that the inflammatory state created by sepsis increases the risk of post-discharge morbidity and mortality in developed countries, but exploration of this issue in developing countries is lacking. Research is urgently required to characterize better this potentially important issue.

Nurses' perceptions of ethical issues related to patients' rights law.

PubMed

Yakov, Gila; Shilo, Yehudit; Shor, Tzippy

2010-07-01

August 2006 marked the 10th anniversary of landmark legislation when Israel's parliament passed the unique Patient's Rights Law. This law underscores the importance of medical ethics in Israeli society. During a seminar at the Shaare Zedek School of Nursing, third-year students performed a qualitative research study investigating ethical issues arising in the field of nursing, and how nursing staff dealt with these issues in relation to the law. The research was conducted using semistructured questionnaires. The results showed that the staff participants knew the law, but did not differentiate between legal and ethical problems. The establishment of a framework for dealing with these issues would help to promote professional ethics, encourage broad-based agreements related to ethical decisions, reduce ethical conflict, and increase implementation of the law on patients' rights.

Health-related quality of life of cranial WHO grade I meningioma patients: are current questionnaires relevant?

PubMed

Zamanipoor Najafabadi, Amir H; Peeters, Marthe C M; Lobatto, Daniel J; Broekman, Marieke L D; Smith, Timothy R; Biermasz, Nienke R; Peerdeman, Saskia M; Peul, Wilco C; Taphoorn, Martin J B; van Furth, Wouter R; Dirven, Linda

2017-11-01

The clinical relevance of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in meningioma patients has been increasingly acknowledged in recent years. Various questionnaires have been used. However, almost none of these questionnaires has been particularly developed for and/or validated in this patient group. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the relevance and comprehensiveness of existing HRQoL questionnaires used in meningioma research and to assess the agreement between patients and health care professionals (HCPs) on the most relevant and important HRQoL issues. A systematic literature search, following the PRISMA statement, was conducted to identify all HRQoL questionnaires used in meningioma research. Semi-structured interviews were organized with patients and HCPs to (1) assess the relevance of all issues covered by the questionnaires (score 0-3: not relevant-highly relevant), (2) assess the ten most important issues, and (3) identify new relevant HRQoL issues. Fourteen different questionnaires were found in the literature, comprising 140 unique issues. Interviews were conducted with 20 patients (median age 57, 71% female) and 10 HCPs (4 neurosurgeons, 2 neurologists, 2 radiotherapists, 1 rehabilitation specialist, 1 neuropsychologist; median experience 13 years). Meningioma patients rated 17-80% of the issues in each of the questionnaires as relevant, HCPs 90-100%. Patients and HCPs agreed on the relevance of only 49 issues (35%, Cohen's kappa: 0.027). Both patients and HCPs considered lack of energy the most important issue. Patients and HCPs suggested five additional relevant issues not covered by current HRQoL questionnaires. Existing HRQoL questionnaires currently used in meningioma patients do not fully cover all relevant issues to these patients. Agreement between patients and HCPs on the relevance of issues was poor. Both findings support the need to develop and validate a meningioma-specific HRQoL questionnaire.

Toward a procedure for integrating moral issues in health technology assessment.

PubMed

Hofmann, Bjørn

2005-01-01

Although ethics has been on the agenda in health technology assessment (HTA) since its inception, the integration of moral issues is still not standard and is performed in a vast variety of ways. Therefore, there is a need for a procedure for integrating moral issues in HTA. Literature review of existing approaches together with application of various theories in moral philosophy and axiology. The article develops a set of questions that addresses a wide range of moral issues related to the assessment and implementation of health technology. The issues include general moral issues and moral issues related to stakeholders, methodology, characteristics of technology, and to the HTA process itself. The questions form a kind of checklist for use in HTAs. The presented approach for integrating moral issues in HTA has a broad theoretical foundation and has shown to be useful in practice. Integrating ethical issues in HTAs can be of great importance with respect to the dissemination of HTA results and in efficient health policy making.

Daddies Have Wallets and Mummies Have Purses: Raising Gender Issues with Four- to Five-Year-Olds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shanker, Heidi L.

2004-01-01

In this article, the author explores gender issues which arose out of a literacy discussion with children in a reception class in a primary school. First an account is given of the discussion. This is followed by an examination of gender-related issues amongst fellow practitioners and parents. Here, the author intends to show the importance of…

Ethical issues confronted by medical students during clinical rotations.

PubMed

Fard, Nazila Nikravan; Asghari, Fariba; Mirzazadeh, Azim

2010-07-01

This study aimed to examine the most common and important ethical issues confronting medical students during clinical rotations so that ethics-related topics can be prioritised according to students' needs and this information used to develop a curriculum for the ethics course. In a cross-sectional approach, we reviewed the medical ethics-related cases recorded in the logbooks of all medical students (n=241) at Tehran University of Medical Sciences who attended the medical ethics course during October 2006 to July 2007. As part of a graded assignment, each student was required to record three encounters with ethics-related issues in his or her logbook. A total of 713 cases were assessed. Information related to the ethical issues and the conditions in which ethical issues arose was extracted and recorded by two experts, whose analysis showed agreement of kappa 0.77. In cases of discrepancy, both experts reviewed and discussed the record until they achieved agreement. A total of 713 cases were analysed. The most common issues reported by students related to ethics in medical education (20.1%, n=143), professionalism (18.8%, n=134), confidentiality (7.6%, n=54), the doctor-patient relationship (7.3%, n=52), informed consent (7.0%, n=50) and the doctor-peer relationship (7.0%, n=50). After adjusting for length of rotation, the highest numbers of ethics-related incidents were reported from urology, general surgery, orthopaedics, internal medicine, neurology, and obstetrics and gynaecology wards. The results of this study indicate that professionalism and related elements represent one of the most important areas of concern that need to be addressed when planning courses for medical students. The other significant area of concern is that of ethics in medical education, which, although the subject is not considered essential for medical practitioners, should be taught and respected so that student sensitivity to medical ethics is maintained and even increased.

Workshop Participants' Perception Rankings of Second Generation School Desegregation Issues.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Michael, Charlene Belton; Riley, Marcia G.

This study sought to determine the perceived, relative importance of fifteen second generation desegregation issues as viewed by randomly selected school staff participants in Mid Atlantic Appalachian Race Desegregation Assistance Center workshops. It also attempted to assess whether there were significant differing perceptions among the…

Current Issues in Flexibility Fitness.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knudson, Duane V.; Magnusson, Peter; McHugh, Malachy

2000-01-01

Physical activity is extremely important in maintaining good health. Activity is not possible without a certain amount of flexibility. This report discusses issues related to flexibility fitness. Flexibility is a property of the musculoskeletal system that determines the range of motion achievable without injury to the joints. Static flexibility…

Sustainability issues and opportunities in the sugar and sugar-bioproduct industries

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Like many other industries, the sugar and sugar-bioproduct industries are facing important sustainability issues. The relatively low and fluctuating profit for sugar, surpluses of sugar, world-wide trend to produce alternative, renewable bio-based fuels and chemicals to those derived from petroleum...

Measuring value sensitivity in medicine.

PubMed

Ineichen, Christian; Christen, Markus; Tanner, Carmen

2017-01-28

Value sensitivity - the ability to recognize value-related issues when they arise in practice - is an indispensable competence for medical practitioners to enter decision-making processes related to ethical questions. However, the psychological competence of value sensitivity is seldom an explicit subject in the training of medical professionals. In this contribution, we outline the traditional concept of moral sensitivity in medicine and its revised form conceptualized as value sensitivity and we propose an instrument that measures value sensitivity. We developed an instrument for assessing the sensitivity for three value groups (moral-related values, values related to the principles of biomedical ethics, strategy-related values) in a four step procedure: 1) value identification (n = 317); 2) value representation (n = 317); 3) vignette construction and quality evaluation (n = 37); and 4) instrument validation by comparing nursing professionals with hospital managers (n = 48). We find that nursing professionals recognize and ascribe importance to principle-related issues more than professionals from hospital management. The latter are more likely to recognize and ascribe importance to strategy-related issues. These hypothesis-driven results demonstrate the discriminatory power of our newly developed instrument, which makes it useful not only for health care professionals in practice but for students and people working in the clinical context as well.

Historical trends in human resource issues of hospital nursing in the past generation.

PubMed

Tzeng, Huey-Ming; Yin, Chang-Yi

2009-01-01

Strategic management of human resource in health care is indeed important to delivering high-quality care. Despite the fact that the nursing profession is growing and becoming more and more sophisticated, human resource issues have not changed in a dramatically significant way in the past generation. The aim of this study was to identify the historical trends in human resource issues related to hospital nursing in the past generation from 1977 to 2006. A total of 10,691 records were reviewed, resulting in 1,799 valid records that addressed human resource issues related to hospital nursing. Content analyses were conducted and a typology of human resource issues was developed. Productivity, work content and flow, and occupational hazards were the three most often reported themes.

U.S.-Mexico Economic Relations: Trends, Issues, and Implications

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-07-11

to sugar and high fructose corn syrup . This issue has been at the top of U.S.-Mexico trade disputes since the late 1990s, when Mexico argued that...soft drinks sweetened with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). The United States claims the tax is inconsistent with Mexico’s international trade...Policy Overview and Recent History , April 25, 2005. 6 See CRS Issue Brief IB91121, China-U.S. Trade Issues, April 25, 2005. U.S. imports from Mexico

Photovoltaic system criteria documents. Volume 3: Environmental issues and evaluation criteria for photovoltaic applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koenig, John C.; Billitti, Joseph W.; Tallon, John M.

1979-01-01

The environmental issues and evaluation criteria relating to the suitability of sites proposed for photovoltaic (PV) system deployment are identified. The important issues are defined, briefly discussed and then developed into evaluation criteria. System designers are provided with information on the environmental sensitivity of PV systems in realistic applications, background material which indicates the applicability of the siting issues identified, and evaluation criteria are defined to facilitate the selection of sites that maximize PV system operation.

Community Colleges in the Highway: Major Issues for Technology Planning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moquin, Bert; Travis, Jon E.

1999-01-01

Rates the importance of planning topics, as identified by technology personnel at Texas community colleges, related to the information superhighway (ISH). Finds, through a Delphi study, that significant issues that should be considered in strategic technology planning include training, cost, planning, security/legal, uses and innovations,…

Law in U.S. History: A Teacher Resource Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Melinda R., Ed.; And Others

By completing these self-contained, supplementary activities, secondary students will learn about important law-related issues and themes in American history. When students recognize the vital constitutional issues of different periods in history they are helped in understanding the social, political, and economic forces which shaped those…

Attachment-related mental representations: introduction to the special issue.

PubMed

Thompson, Ross A

2008-12-01

Bowlby's concept of mental working models of self, attachment figures, and the social world has been theoretically generative as a bridge between early relational experience and the beliefs and expectations that color later relationships. Contemporary attachment researchers, following his example, are applying new knowledge of children's conceptual development to their study of attachment-related mental representations in children and adults. The contributors to this special issue highlight recent advances in how the mental representations arising from attachment security should be conceptualized and studied, and identify a number of important directions for future work. This paper introduces the special issue by summarizing the major ideas of Bowlby and his followers concerning the nature and development of mental working models, points of theoretical clarity and uncertainty, and challenges in assessing these representations, as well as profiling each of the contributions to this issue.

Employees' perspectives on ethically important aspects of genetic research participation: a pilot study.

PubMed

Roberts, Laura Weiss; Warner, Teddy D; Geppert, Cynthia M A; Rogers, Melinda; Green Hammond, Katherine A

2005-01-01

Insights from genetic research may greatly improve our understanding of physical and mental illnesses and assist in the prevention of disease. Early experience with genetic information suggests that it may lead to stigma, discrimination, and other psychosocial harms, however, and this may be particularly salient in some settings, such as the workplace. Despite the importance of these issues, little is known about how healthy adults, including workers, perceive and understand ethically important issues in genetic research pertaining to physical and mental illness. We developed, pilot tested, and administered a written survey and structured interview to 63 healthy working adults in 2 settings. For this paper, we analyzed a subset of items that assessed attitudes toward ethically relevant issues related to participation in genetic research on physical and mental illness, such as its perceived importance, its acceptability for various populations, and appropriate motivations for participation. Our respondents strongly endorsed the importance of physical and mental illness genetic research. They viewed participation as somewhat to very acceptable for all 12 special population groups we asked about, including persons with mental illness. They perceived more positives than negatives in genetic research participation, giving neutral responses regarding potential risks. They affirmed many motivations for participation to varying degrees. Men tended to affirm genetic research participation importance, acceptability, and motivations more strongly than women. Healthy working persons may be willing partners in genetic research related to physical and mental illnesses in coming years. This project suggests the feasibility and value of evidence-based ethics inquiry, although further study is necessary. Evidence regarding stakeholders' perspectives on ethically important issues in science may help in the development of research practices and policy.

China-U.S. Relations: Current Issues and Implications for U.S. Policy

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-07-10

Trade Representative (USTR) filed a case against China in the WTO in December 2008 charging that the PRC’s “Famous Chinese” brand program amounted to...Association of America, Inc. has charged that China may be blocking the import of American films , creating more opportunities for pirated versions...Relations: Current Issues and Implications for U.S. Policy Congressional Research Service 10 consumers. In 2007, the USTR filed several cases in

Staying silent about safety issues: Conceptualizing and measuring safety silence motives.

PubMed

Manapragada, Archana; Bruk-Lee, Valentina

2016-06-01

Communication between employees and supervisors about safety-related issues is an important component of a safe workplace. When supervisors receive information from employees about safety issues, they may gain otherwise-missed opportunities to correct these issues and/or prevent negative safety outcomes. A series of three studies were conducted to identify various safety silence motives, which describe the reasons that employees do not speak up to supervisors about safety-related issues witnessed in the workplace, and to develop a tool to assess these motives. Results suggest that employees stay silent about safety issues based on perceptions of altering relationships with others (relationship-based), perceptions of the organizational climate (climate-based), the assessment of the safety issue (issue-based), or characteristics of the job (job-based). We developed a 17-item measure to assess these four motives, and initial evidence was found for the construct and incremental validity of the safety silence motives measure in a sample of nurses. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploring issues of participation among adolescents with cerebral palsy: what's important to them?

PubMed

Livingston, Michael H; Stewart, Debra; Rosenbaum, Peter L; Russell, Dianne J

2011-08-01

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine what participation issues are important to adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP). Two hundred and three adolescents with CP (mean age 16.0 ± 1.8 years) were assessed using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM). This was done through semistructured interviews by trained physical and occupational therapists. Adolescents responded either directly (n = 144) or through a parent or a caregiver (n = 59) if they were unable to communicate. Issues were extracted from completed questionnaires and coded under three COPM categories (self-care, productivity, and leisure) and 16 subcategories. There was no association between the total number of issues identified and gender (p = .99), age (p = .88), type of respondent (adolescents versus parent) (p = .27), Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level (p = .93), or 66-item Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-66) score (p = .45). The issues identified most frequently were related to active leisure (identified by 57% of participants), mobility (55%), school (48%), and socialization (44%). Interventions aimed at improving participation among adolescents with physical disabilities, such as CP, should be directed towards these four key areas. Health care professionals should also recognize and consider the interaction of person and environment when addressing issues related to participation.

Ethical issues in paleopathological and anthropological research experiences.

PubMed

Licata, Marta; Monza, Francesca

2017-10-23

In recent years, archaeologists and anthropologists involved in the study of human remains have had to take into consideration ethical issues, which have come to the fore. The aim of this study is to illustrate the ethical and religious issues involved in relation to the positions of researchers. Ethical issues involve the different study phases of human remains: archaeological excavation, anthropological analysis and, finally, museum display. Osteoarchaeological remains may find a place in museums. However, in recent years, even the display of human remains museum has had to face new important ethical issue involving previously ignored or neglected aspect. The adoption of Native American Grave Protection Act in 1990 in the United States and the Human Tissue Act in 2004 in England, has created new scenarios relating to the storage of human remains in museum. All this caused a series of changes in the study of human remains, but many issues remain open to debate.

48 CFR 232.070 - Responsibilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... DoD contract financing, including DoD contract financing policies and important related procedures... operations. Refer specific cases involving financing policy or important procedural issues to OUSD(AT&L)DPAP... OF DEFENSE GENERAL CONTRACTING REQUIREMENTS CONTRACT FINANCING 232.070 Responsibilities. (a) The...

Staff Training on the Use of Health Information Systems: What Do We Know?

PubMed

Bygholm, Ann

2018-01-01

Staff training is acknowledged as an important activity when implementing health information systems (HISs). This paper reviews the literature on staff training in connection with HIS implementation. The aim is to identify critical issues to reflect on when planning or evaluating this type of training. Searches were conducted in three research databases, resulting in 423 hits. Sixty-four papers were retrieved for more detailed examination, and 12 papers were selected for analysis. The analysis focused on the content, organization and pedagogical approach. In general, the review revealed minor primarily descriptive studies focused on aspects of staff training rather than strategies for staff training. The review revealed specific agreed-upon issues that are considered important for the success of the training. The issues identified are transfer of knowledge and skills is not enough, ongoing training is important, training should be related to practice and address individual learning needs, and super-users are important facilitators.

Automating Relational Database Design for Microcomputer Users.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pu, Hao-Che

1991-01-01

Discusses issues involved in automating the relational database design process for microcomputer users and presents a prototype of a microcomputer-based system (RA, Relation Assistant) that is based on expert systems technology and helps avoid database maintenance problems. Relational database design is explained and the importance of easy input…

Emotion-related regulation: sharpening the definition.

PubMed

Eisenberg, Nancy; Spinrad, Tracy L

2004-01-01

Cole, Martin, and Dennis (this issue) considered many important conceptual and methodological issues in their discussion of emotion regulation. Although it may be necessary to develop an integrated definition of the construct of emotion regulation, the definition provided in the Cole et al. article is too encompassing. It is important to differentiate emotion regulation from the effects of emotions on others and to differentiate among (a) regulation that stems from individuals external to the child versus behavior that is accomplished by the child, (b) behavior that is goal oriented versus unintentional, and (c) regulation that is voluntary versus behavior that is less voluntarily controlled. An alternate definition of emotion-related self-regulation is provided.

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

Mechalakos, J.

The process of converting to an electronic chart for radiation therapy can be daunting. It requires a dedicated committee to first research and choose appropriate software, to review the entire documentation policy and flow of the clinic, to convert this system to electronic form or if necessary, redesign the system to more easily conform to the electronic process. Those making the conversion and those who already use electronic charting would benefit from the shared experience of those who have been through the process in the past. Therefore TG262 was convened to provide guidance on electronic charting for external beam radiationmore » therapy and brachytherapy. This course will present the results of an internal survey of task group members on EMR practices in External Beam Radiation Therapy as well as discuss important issues in EMR development and structure for both EBRT and brachytherapy. Learning Objectives: Be familiarized with common practices and pitfalls in development and maintenance of an electronic chart in Radiation Oncology Be familiarized with important issues related to electronic charting in External Beam Radiation Therapy Be familiarized with important issues related to electronic charting in Brachytherapy.« less

Transplant Ethics: Let's Begin the Conversation Anew : A Critical Look at One Institute's Experience with Transplant Related Ethical Issues.

PubMed

Shafran, David; Smith, Martin L; Daly, Barbara J; Goldfarb, David

2016-06-01

Standardizing consultation processes is increasingly important as clinical ethics consultation (CEC) becomes more utilized in and vital to medical practice. Solid organ transplant represents a relatively nascent field replete with complex ethical issues that, while explored, have not been systematically classified. In this paper, we offer a proposed taxonomy that divides issues of resource allocation from viable solutions to the issue of organ shortage in transplant and then further distinguishes between policy and bedside level issues. We then identify all transplant related ethics consults performed at the Cleveland Clinic (CC) between 2008 and 2013 in order to identify how consultants conceptually framed their consultations by the domains they ascribe to the case. We code the CC domains to those in the Core Competencies for Healthcare Consultation Ethics in order to initiate a broader conversation regarding best practices in these highly complex cases. A discussion of the ethical issues underlying living donor and recipient related consults ensues. Finally, we suggest that the ethical domains prescribed in the Core Competencies provide a strong starting ground for a common intra-disciplinary language in the realm of formal CEC.

Nurse managers' experience with ethical issues in six government hospitals in Malaysia: A cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Nurse managers have the burden of experiencing frequent ethical issues related to both their managerial and nursing care duties, according to previous international studies. However, no such study was published in Malaysia. The purpose of this study was to explore nurse managers' experience with ethical issues in six government hospitals in Malaysia including learning about the way they dealt with the issues. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in August-September, 2010 involving 417 (69.2%) of total 603 nurse managers in the six Malaysian government hospitals. Data were collected using three-part self-administered questionnaire. Part I was regarding participants' demographics. Part II was about the frequency and areas of management where ethical issues were experienced, and scoring of the importance of 11 pre-identified ethical issues. Part III asked how they dealt with ethical issues in general; ways to deal with the 11 pre-identified ethical issues, and perceived stress level. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations and Pearson's Chi-square. Results A total of 397 (95.2%) participants experienced ethical issues and 47.2% experienced them on weekly to daily basis. Experiencing ethical issues were not associated with areas of practice. Top area of management where ethical issues were encountered was "staff management", but "patient care" related ethical issues were rated as most important. Majority would "discuss with other nurses" in dealing generally with the issues. For pre-identified ethical issues regarding "patient care", "discuss with doctors" was preferred. Only 18.1% referred issues to "ethics committees" and 53.0% to the code of ethics. Conclusions Nurse managers, regardless of their areas of practice, frequently experienced ethical issues. For dealing with these, team-approach needs to be emphasized. Proper understanding of the code of ethics is needed to provide basis for reasoning. PMID:22085735

Handball Coaches’ Perceptions About the Value of Working Competences According to Their Coaching Background

PubMed Central

Mesquita, Isabel; Borges, Mario; Rosado, Antonio; Souza, Adriano De

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze the value attributed to given working competences, by Portuguese handball coaches according to their coaching background, certification level, coaching experience, and level of education. A sample of 207 handball coaches responded to a questionnaire which included demographic characteristics and a scale focused on perceptions of the level of importance attributed to working competences. Data analysis included an exploratory factorial analysis applying Maximum Likelihood Factoring (MLF) and Oblimin rotation. These factors were submitted to a One-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc multiple comparisons to analyse coaches’ perceptions according to their coaching background. A six factor solution was found where three major domains of competences were highlighted; the first one related to training and competition (e.g. planning and conducting the training, team administration in competition, annual and multi-annual planning, and coaching methodology); the second one related to social and cultural issues and management (e.g. implementation of youth sport development projects, team leadership and coach education) and the third one related to the cognitive background (meta-cognitive competences). The importance ascribed to some working competences was influenced by their coaching experience and certification level. Highly experienced and qualified coaches perceived competences of everyday practice, social, cultural and management issues related to training and competition as more important than the other coaches. This study suggests the need to consider some working competences, until now not explicitly present in the Portuguese coaching education curriculum which could enable coaches to choose the best way to practice/work in a manner that will foster and support their professional development. Key points Three major domains of competences were highlighted by Portuguese handball coaches. The first one related to training and competition, the second one related to social and cultural issues and management and the third one related to the cognitive background. The importance ascribed by Portuguese handball coaches to some working competences was influenced by their coaching experience and certification level, as high experienced coaches and coaches with higher certification levels perceived competences related to training and competition of the everyday practice and social, cultural issues and management as more important. The value attributed by Portuguese handball coaches to working competences did not vary according to the coaches’ academic education level. Portuguese handball coaches valued the meta-cognitive competences, the competences to implement sport development project and related to annual and multi-annual planning independently of their coaching background. PMID:24149314

Handball coaches' perceptions about the value of working competences according to their coaching background.

PubMed

Mesquita, Isabel; Borges, Mario; Rosado, Antonio; Souza, Adriano De

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze the value attributed to given working competences, by Portuguese handball coaches according to their coaching background, certification level, coaching experience, and level of education. A sample of 207 handball coaches responded to a questionnaire which included demographic characteristics and a scale focused on perceptions of the level of importance attributed to working competences. Data analysis included an exploratory factorial analysis applying Maximum Likelihood Factoring (MLF) and Oblimin rotation. These factors were submitted to a One-way ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc multiple comparisons to analyse coaches' perceptions according to their coaching background. A six factor solution was found where three major domains of competences were highlighted; the first one related to training and competition (e.g. planning and conducting the training, team administration in competition, annual and multi-annual planning, and coaching methodology); the second one related to social and cultural issues and management (e.g. implementation of youth sport development projects, team leadership and coach education) and the third one related to the cognitive background (meta-cognitive competences). The importance ascribed to some working competences was influenced by their coaching experience and certification level. Highly experienced and qualified coaches perceived competences of everyday practice, social, cultural and management issues related to training and competition as more important than the other coaches. This study suggests the need to consider some working competences, until now not explicitly present in the Portuguese coaching education curriculum which could enable coaches to choose the best way to practice/work in a manner that will foster and support their professional development. Key pointsThree major domains of competences were highlighted by Portuguese handball coaches. The first one related to training and competition, the second one related to social and cultural issues and management and the third one related to the cognitive background.The importance ascribed by Portuguese handball coaches to some working competences was influenced by their coaching experience and certification level, as high experienced coaches and coaches with higher certification levels perceived competences related to training and competition of the everyday practice and social, cultural issues and management as more important.The value attributed by Portuguese handball coaches to working competences did not vary according to the coaches' academic education level.Portuguese handball coaches valued the meta-cognitive competences, the competences to implement sport development project and related to annual and multi-annual planning independently of their coaching background.

Big Data in the Industry - Overview of Selected Issues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gierej, Sylwia

2017-12-01

This article reviews selected issues related to the use of Big Data in the industry. The aim is to define the potential scope and forms of using large data sets in manufacturing companies. By systematically reviewing scientific and professional literature, selected issues related to the use of mass data analytics in production were analyzed. A definition of Big Data was presented, detailing its main attributes. The importance of mass data processing technology in the development of Industry 4.0 concept has been highlighted. Subsequently, attention was paid to issues such as production process optimization, decision making and mass production individualisation, and indicated the potential for large volumes of data. As a result, conclusions were drawn regarding the potential of using Big Data in the industry.

Evolution of newspaper coverage of water issues in Australia during 1843-2011.

PubMed

Wei, Jing; Wei, Yongping; Western, Andrew; Skinner, Dominic; Lyle, Clive

2015-05-01

News accounts both reflect and influence public opinion through their noted 'agenda-setting' capability. We examined newspaper articles in Australia's The Sydney Morning Herald from 1843 to 2011 to observe the evolution of media coverage on water issues related to water resources management. The results showed that water supply-related articles have dominated the reporting of water issues since 1843. This emphasis is reflected in the institutions involved and their related policy/management initiatives, as well as the themes of the articles. Extreme events such as flooding and drought have punctuated the historical record of reports on water issues. An economic development-driven tone was overwhelmingly predominant in newspaper articles (85 % of the total); however, there has been a marked decline in the importance of development-driven tone relative to environmental-sustainability oriented tone of articles since 1994. People from academia and NGOs were rarely quoted. Inclusion of wider range stakeholders should be considered as a strategic break-through and natural events should be considered as an "opportunity" to change public opinion on water issues for environmental sustainability.

How Parents View the Importance of 17 Food Activities Performed by Children: Multidimensional Scaling Analyses of Paired Comparison Judgments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maretzki, A.; Shimabukuro, S.

Nutrition curriculum design research was undertaken to address the issue of linkage between school food experiences and home food experiences of elementary school children in Hawaii. One hundred and forty-four parents judged the relative importance of seventeen food-related activites. The sample consisted of Asian, Caucasian, and Polynesian…

Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade: Key Issues for the 110th Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-20

granting Mexican trucks access to U.S. highways. Another long running dispute related to sugar and high - fructose corn syrup imports was recently resolved...and Mexico has agreed to repeal its 20% tax on soft drinks made with high - fructose corn syrup (HFCS). CRS Report RL32724, Mexico-U.S. Relations: Issues...reconstruction in those countries. After Iraq, other high priorities will be the continuing fight against terrorism and efforts to dissuade or restrain

Family Violence: A Curriculum Sample. Women's Issues Series, Vol. II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Refugee Women's Alliance, Seattle, WA.

The materials in this curriculum sample are written as an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) lesson for immigrants and refugees, designed to begin discussion of family violence. An introductory section outlines issues related to discussion of family violence in the classroom setting, including the importance of opening lines of communication and…

Developing Decision-Making Skills for Socio-Scientific Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Yeung Chung

2007-01-01

The ability to make informed decisions on science-related social issues is considered an important attribute of scientific literacy. Literature to inform science educators how to bridge the gap between rhetoric and practice--and to assist them in developing this attribute in their students--burgeons. In view of the great diversity of…

Emergent Issues in Enterprise Education: The Educator's Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carey, Charlotte; Matlay, Harry

2011-01-01

Recent research suggests that important issues are emerging among enterprise educators in higher education institutions (HEIs). This paper examines four key areas of debate. The first of these is the assessment of entrepreneurship ideas and related activities (Pittaway and Cope, 2007). Penaluna and Penaluna (2008, 2009a, b), for example, focus on…

Parental Choices and Ethical Dilemmas Involving Disabilities: Special Education and the Problem of Deliberately Chosen Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kauffman, James M.; Hallahan, Daniel P.

2009-01-01

Ethical issues regarding children with disabilities have long involved their treatment after they are born. These issues remain important, but children may be deliberately created with or without characteristics that are usually thought of as disabilities. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and related technologies that involve human…

Eighth Annual Faculty Convocation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Babbidge, Homer D., Jr.

In this address, President Homer D. Babbidge of the University of Connecticut reviews a number of important issues on his campus. One of his urgent concerns is the issue of race relations in the community. He suggests devoting 1 full day each month to a community-wide consideration of whatever problem most concerns the community at that time. He…

Global Issues in the Intermediate Classroom: Grades 5-8. Revised Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Jacquelyn; And Others

Presenting concepts and information related to global issues at an early age is important in developing an understanding of and tolerance for other cultures. Seeing other peoples' commonalities can help break down the myths and stereotypes that form around groups who are perceived as "strange" and encourage open attitudes toward new…

Accelerated Learning Options: A Promising Strategy for States. Policy Insights

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Michelau, Demaree

2006-01-01

This issue of Policy Insights draws on findings from WICHE's report Accelerated Learning Options: Moving the Needle on Access and Success, to lay out some of the important policy issues that decision makers might consider when adopting new state policy related to accelerated learning or modifying policies already in existence. The publication…

Using Goal-Setting Strategies To Enrich the Practicum and Internship Experiences of Beginning Counselors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curtis, Russell C.

2000-01-01

Goal setting can be an effective way to help beginning counselors focus on important developmental issues. This article argues that counselors and supervisors must consider issues related to goal-setting theory and understand the process by which goals are set so that optimal learning experiences are created. (Author/MKA)

Social Issues in Business Education: A Study of Students' Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

López-Navarro, Miguel Ángel; Segarra Ciprés, Mercedes

2015-01-01

Although issues such as opportunistic behavior or economic profit maximization have dominated business school curricula, in recent years interest has grown in all matters relating to the corporate social dimension. The training of business students in this area is an important part of their preparation to assume responsible roles in society. The…

Reproduction, women, and the workplace: legal issues.

PubMed

Bertin, J E

1986-01-01

Legal conflict has marked the effort to protect workers against reproductive injury, and legal activity in the management of occupational risks reflects a much broader range of important social issues, such as sexual discrimination in the workplace. This article describes the evolving law related to reproductive hazards that concern men, women and children.

Science, Volume 184 Number 4134. Energy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abelson, Philip H., Ed.

1974-01-01

This entire issue of the "Science" journal is devoted to the topic of energy and issues relating to the energy crisis. Its content was chosen to present material relevant to important public decisions of the next few years. Twenty-six articles cover a wide range of topics, including the impact of the energy crisis on people and…

Facility Issues in Community School Centers. #4 in a Series of 6 Booklets.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Educational Facilities Labs., Inc., New York, NY.

This booklet is the fourth in a series that examines community school centers. The development and substance of the building program, issues related to site selection and development, and overall building design strategies are examined. Also discussed are particularly important design details about which the programming committee and the architect…

Communicative Competence and Commercial Speakers: Applying Habermas in a First Amendment Issue.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griswold, Bill

Noting that the work of Jurgen Habermas has had an important influence on philosophy and the social sciences recently, this paper examines the implications of using Habermas's "ideal speech situation" as a criterion for deciding issues relating to the First Amendment. The paper first briefly reviews the distinctive features of critical…

Current Issues in the Diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Conduct Disorder

PubMed Central

Frick, Paul J.; Nigg, Joel T.

2015-01-01

This review evaluates the diagnostic criteria for three of the most common disorders for which children and adolescents are referred for mental health treatment: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and conduct disorder (CD). Although research supports the validity and clinical utility of these disorders, several issues are highlighted that could enhance the current diagnostic criteria. For ADHD, defining the core features of the disorder and its fit with other disorders, enhancing the validity of the criteria through the lifespan, considering alternative ways to form subtypes of the disorder, and modifying the age-of-onset criterion are discussed relative to the current diagnostic criteria. For ODD, eliminating the exclusionary criteria of CD, recognizing important symptom domains within the disorder, and using the cross-situational pervasiveness of the disorder as an index of severity are highlighted as important issues for improving classification. Finally, for CD, enhancing the current subtypes related to age of onset and integrating callous-unemotional traits into the diagnostic criteria are identified as key issues for improving classification. PMID:22035245

Some design issues in trials of microbicides for the prevention of HIV infection.

PubMed

Fleming, Thomas R; Richardson, Barbra A

2004-08-15

Trials for the prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection that evaluate microbicides provide significant design challenges. Three of these design issues deserve more careful consideration. The first issue relates to the benefits of using both blinded and unblinded control groups when the placebo regimen may not be inert and when the effectiveness of an intervention heavily depends on behavioral, as well as biological, factors. The second issue relates to the strength of evidence required for regulatory approval for the marketing of drugs and biologics when only a single pivotal phase 3 clinical trial has provided such evidence. The third issue relates to the appropriate next step after the completion of phase 1 trials, as well as the specific merits of conducting phase 2b screening trials that assess the effects on the same clinical efficacy end point that will be the primary end point in a phase 3 trial. The issues considered in microbicide trials for the prevention of HIV infection are also of importance in many other clinical scenarios.

The Importance of Peer Review: Thoughts on Knudson, Morrow, and Thomas (2014)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fischman, Mark G.

2014-01-01

Knudson, Morrow, and Thomas (2014) recently summarized a number of important issues related to the quality of peer review and current peer-review practice in kinesiology. This writer endorses their six recommendations for improving peer review in kinesiology journals. The purpose of this commentary is to further highlight the importance of…

Predictors of the Perceived Importance of Food Skills of Home Economics Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fordyce-Voorham, Sandra P.

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to test an hypothesis that teachers' personal orientations toward food preparation, nutrition and environmental issues would be related to their perceived importance of food skills. Design/methodology/approach: Little research has been conducted on home economics teachers' views on the importance of the food…

Identifying geoscience knowledge likely to affect foreign policy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelmelis, J. A.

2006-12-01

The earth sciences play an important role in foreign policy and have done so throughout history. Whether it is access to resources, knowledge of weather or other earth system conditions, planning for or responding to disasters, protecting the environment, facilitating transportation and communication, or any of a number of other important topics, the geosciences continue to inform our decision making. The importance of science, technology, and health (STH) is being increasingly recognized in the foreign policy community. The National Research Council (NRC) recommended that the Department of State (State) expand its scientific base to address the importance of STH issues. In part, this consists of increasing the number of scientists within State. Another important aspect is not only identifying the STH issues that are of current concern, but also the issues that will be of importance in the future. A number of studies funded by the U.S. Government have identified some important STH areas of concern at a high level. These provide a basis for more in-depth investigations. However, there are additional phenomena, beyond those identified in the studies, which have foreign policy implications. The scientific findings may be well known to scientists but their foreign policy importance is not always obvious. The scientific and foreign policy communities could improve their dialog to better develop strategies for foreign policy and future scientific research. One way to help facilitate that is to ease identification of scientific issues with potential significance to foreign policy and to clarify uncertainties around those issues. A qualitative method relating the likelihood that the scientific finding has foreign policy importance to the potential level of foreign policy importance has been used to clarify the significance of a variety of scientific findings including Arctic warming, methane hydrates, atmospheric dust, disease, and natural hazards. From a foreign policy perspective, the significance of some scientific findings can cascade through emerging international issues and manifest themselves in ways that have both strategic and tactical concern.

Approaches to the Assessment of Children in the Context of Disasters.

PubMed

Lai, Betty S; Alisic, Eva; Lewis, Rayleen; Ronan, Kevin R

2016-05-01

Children exposed to disasters are a vulnerable population, making the assessment of children post-disaster an important issue. Utilizing a Multiple Gating Stepped Care framework, we highlight recent literature related to post-disaster assessment and intervention for children. In particular, we focus on screening, clinical evaluation, and feedback-informed service delivery. Screening allows large populations of children to be assessed at a relatively low cost. Children identified by screening as being at risk may then be assessed through more in-depth clinical evaluations, in order to assess clinical symptoms, strengths, and stressors, and to make determinations about appropriate interventions. Continued assessment during therapy provides important feedback for the delivery of appropriate care. New formats for assessment, as well as issues related to identifying sources for assessment, are discussed. Recommendations for future directions are provided.

Monitoring injury reporting in selected Australian media: a potential advocacy strategy?

PubMed

Stoneham, Melissa; Boss, Andrea; Daube, Mike

2013-04-01

This review of injury articles describes how selected primary print media sources in Australia report injury events and explores how this may impact on public perception of the injury risk and the opportunities it may present to health professionals. Media articles specific to injury, compiled by the Public Health Advocacy Institute of Western Australia (PHAIWA) through their MediaWatch service during 2011, were collated and analysed. Articles were gathered from The West Australian, The Australian and The Sunday Times newspapers and ABC Online. Each article was categorised into injury topics and target groups, and preventive strategies were identified. Of the 546 articles that contained injury as a key word, 424 articles were used for the present study. The majority of articles related to community-based injuries (65%) and the most frequent reported injury was violence and assault. The results also indicate that although there is regular media reporting on injury issues, only one-fifth of reports discuss possible preventive measures. Selected Australian newspapers and the ABC Online are important and low-cost sources of injury-related information for the general public and can impact how the public perceives injury. It is important for public health professionals to embrace media advocacy strategies to assist in influencing and setting local public policy. So what? Public attitudes and understanding of issues are influenced by media coverage. Media monitoring is one tool to track what media sources are reporting about public health issues, the industry and stakeholders. Influencing the quantity and quality of media coverage is critical to advancing healthy public policy, particularly when advocating for prevention strategies to be reported and acted upon. Advocacy is an important health promotion strategy; it is therefore important for health professionals to understand media advocacy and position public health issues as societal issues with policy solutions.

Sleep and Mental Health in Undergraduate Students with Generally Healthy Sleep Habits

PubMed Central

Milojevich, Helen M.; Lukowski, Angela F.

2016-01-01

Whereas previous research has indicated that sleep problems tend to co-occur with increased mental health issues in university students, relatively little is known about relations between sleep quality and mental health in university students with generally healthy sleep habits. Understanding relations between sleep and mental health in individuals with generally healthy sleep habits is important because (a) student sleep habits tend to worsen over time and (b) even time-limited experience of sleep problems may have significant implications for the onset of mental health problems. In the present research, 69 university students with generally healthy sleep habits completed questionnaires about sleep quality and mental health. Although participants did not report clinically concerning mental health issues as a group, global sleep quality was associated with mental health. Regression analyses revealed that nighttime sleep duration and the frequency of nighttime sleep disruptions were differentially related to total problems and clinically-relevant symptoms of psychological distress. These results indicate that understanding relations between sleep and mental health in university students with generally healthy sleep habits is important not only due to the large number of undergraduates who experience sleep problems and mental health issues over time but also due to the potential to intervene and improve mental health outcomes before they become clinically concerning. PMID:27280714

Sleep and Mental Health in Undergraduate Students with Generally Healthy Sleep Habits.

PubMed

Milojevich, Helen M; Lukowski, Angela F

2016-01-01

Whereas previous research has indicated that sleep problems tend to co-occur with increased mental health issues in university students, relatively little is known about relations between sleep quality and mental health in university students with generally healthy sleep habits. Understanding relations between sleep and mental health in individuals with generally healthy sleep habits is important because (a) student sleep habits tend to worsen over time and (b) even time-limited experience of sleep problems may have significant implications for the onset of mental health problems. In the present research, 69 university students with generally healthy sleep habits completed questionnaires about sleep quality and mental health. Although participants did not report clinically concerning mental health issues as a group, global sleep quality was associated with mental health. Regression analyses revealed that nighttime sleep duration and the frequency of nighttime sleep disruptions were differentially related to total problems and clinically-relevant symptoms of psychological distress. These results indicate that understanding relations between sleep and mental health in university students with generally healthy sleep habits is important not only due to the large number of undergraduates who experience sleep problems and mental health issues over time but also due to the potential to intervene and improve mental health outcomes before they become clinically concerning.

Stakeholder Perceptions of Welfare Issues and Indicators for Extensively Managed Sheep in Australia

PubMed Central

Doughty, Amanda K.; Coleman, Grahame J.; Hinch, Geoff N.; Doyle, Rebecca E.

2017-01-01

Simple Summary This survey was designed as the first step in the development of a welfare assessment framework with the aim of identifying potential causes of welfare compromise and useful indicators for sheep in extensive Australian production systems. We asked the general public, sheep producers, service providers and sheep industry related scientists to provide their thoughts on the importance of a range of sheep welfare issues and possible key indicators. All respondents thought sheep welfare was adequate but that improvement was desired. Issues perceived to cause the most risk to sheep related to factors influenced by the environment (i.e., nutrition and food supply), heat stress and lameness while key indicators useful to assess welfare were nutrition and food availability, mortality/management issues, pain and fear related indicators, and numbers of illness/injuries. Women and the general public perceived all issues and indicators to be more important than other groups of respondents. These results highlight the need to consult a wide range of stakeholders in order to develop a broadly acceptable assessment system. Abstract An online survey was designed to form the basis of a framework for the welfare assessment of extensively managed sheep in Australia. The survey focused on welfare compromise and useful welfare indicators. A total of 952 people completed the survey in its entirety, representing four stakeholder groups: Public (53.6%), Producer (27.4%), Scientist (9.9%), and Service provider (9.1%). Animal welfare was considered to be important by all participating groups in this survey (average score of 3.78/4). Respondents felt the welfare of grazing sheep was generally adequate but improvement was desired (2.98/5), with female members of the public rating sheep welfare significantly worse than other respondents (p < 0.05). Environmental issues were considered to pose the greatest risk to welfare (3.87/5), followed by heat stress (3.79), lameness (3.57) and husbandry practices (3.37). Key indicators recognised by all respondents were those associated with pain and fear (3.98/5), nutrition (4.23), mortality/management (4.27), food on offer (4.41) and number of illness/injures in a flock (4.33). There were gender and stakeholder differences in the perceived importance of both welfare issues and indicators with women and the public consistently rating issues (all p < 0.01) and indicators (all p < 0.05) to be of greater significance than other respondents. These results highlight the importance of including all stakeholders and an even balance of genders when developing a welfare framework that can address both practical and societal concerns. PMID:28333110

An Analysis: U.S. Participation in the OECD Committee on Scientific and Technological Policy (CSTP),

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-11-01

differences between business and labor on many issues relating to transfer of technology, both parties recognize the importance of continuing...Small Business Administration, which maintains an Office of Advocacy, headed by a chief counsel for advocacy. That office issued a report on Small...factors may have colored the U.S. relationship to the study. One is somewhat idiosyncratic and concerns the way in which small business issues are framed

Reproductive Justice and Media Framing: A Case-Study Analysis of Problematic Frames in the Popular Media

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jaworski, Beth K.

2009-01-01

Reproductive justice is an important and comprehensive conceptualization for understanding the complexity of reproductive issues faced by women. When considering attitudes and beliefs that give rise to policies related to reproduction, it is critical to examine the ways in which the issues are framed. In this case-study-style analysis, the…

Critical Care Coding for Neurologists.

PubMed

Nuwer, Marc R; Vespa, Paul M

2015-10-01

Accurate coding is an important function of neurologic practice. This contribution to Continuum is part of an ongoing series that presents helpful coding information along with examples related to the issue topic. Tips for diagnosis coding, Evaluation and Management coding, procedure coding, or a combination are presented, depending on which is most applicable to the subject area of the issue.

Coding of Neuroinfectious Diseases.

PubMed

Barkley, Gregory L

2015-12-01

Accurate coding is an important function of neurologic practice. This contribution to Continuum is part of an ongoing series that presents helpful coding information along with examples related to the issue topic. Tips for diagnosis coding, Evaluation and Management coding, procedure coding, or a combination are presented, depending on which is most applicable to the subject area of the issue.

Diagnostic Coding for Epilepsy.

PubMed

Williams, Korwyn; Nuwer, Marc R; Buchhalter, Jeffrey R

2016-02-01

Accurate coding is an important function of neurologic practice. This contribution to Continuum is part of an ongoing series that presents helpful coding information along with examples related to the issue topic. Tips for diagnosis coding, Evaluation and Management coding, procedure coding, or a combination are presented, depending on which is most applicable to the subject area of the issue.

The Issue of (Software) Plagiarism: A Student View

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chuda, D.; Navrat, P.; Kovacova, B.; Humay, P.

2012-01-01

The issue of plagiarism is discussed in the context of university education in disciplines related to computing. The focus is therefore mainly on software plagiarism. First, however, a case is made for the claim that the most important reason that plagiarism cannot be tolerated lies in the essence of the concept of a university as it is rooted in…

The Federalist Era. SSEC American History Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ladenburg, Thomas

This unit on the Federalist era of U.S. history examines some of the issues that have endured from the earliest days of the nation to the present: free speech, the right to rebel, foreign policy, the balance of federal and state authority, and the relative importance of various constituencies. Student understanding of such issues develops through…

Creating "Invited" Spaces for Counter-Radicalization and Counter-Extremism Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arshad-Ayaz, Adeela; Naseem, M. Ayaz

2017-01-01

In this article we present an articulation of how "invited spaces" can foster inclusive and authentic participation and public discourse on issues related to extremism and radicalization. Conversations on these issues that are of crucial importance to the general public are usually held in closed spaces or in spaces that are set up by…

Equity and Access in the Workplace: A Feminist HRD Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valenziano, Laura

2008-01-01

The issues of equity and access are becoming increasingly important as the workforce becomes diversified. As the number of minority groups in the ranks of organizations grows, there is a need to examine the issues related to equity and access from a perspective that strives for equality, e.g. feminist theory. This paper examines feminism's…

Climate change and the possible health effects on older Australians.

PubMed

Saniotis, Arthur; Irvine, Rod

2010-01-01

Climate change is an important issue for Australia. Climate change research forecasts that Australia will experience accelerated warming due to anthrogenic activities. Australia's aging society will face special challenges that demand current attention. This paper discusses two issues in relation to climate change and older Australians: first, pharmacology and autoregulation; and second, mental health among older Australians.

Making the Invisible Visible: How Students Make Use of Carbon Footprint Calculator in Environmental Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edstrand, Emma

2016-01-01

Problems concerning carbon dioxide emissions and other climate change-related issues are on the global political agenda and constantly debated in media. Such issues are important for individuals to enable active participation in society. This study has a particular interest in the use of carbon footprint calculators (tools for calculating carbon…

NASA flight cell and battery issues

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schulze, N. R.

1989-01-01

The author presents the important battery and cell problems, encompassing both test failures and accidents, which were encountered during the past year. Practical issues facing programs, which have to be considered in the development of a battery program strategy, are addressed. The problems of one program, the GRO (Gamma Ray Observatory), during the past year are focused on to illustrate the fundamental types of battery problems that occur. Problems encountered by other programs are briefly mentioned to complete the accounting. Two major categories of issues are defined, namely, whose which are quality and design related, i.e., problems having inherent manufacturing-process-related aspects with an impact on cell reliability, and these which are accident triggered or man induced, i.e., those operational issues having an impact on battery and cell reliability.

Engineering students' sustainability approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haase, S.

2014-05-01

Sustainability issues are increasingly important in engineering work all over the world. This article explores systematic differences in self-assessed competencies, interests, importance, engagement and practices of newly enrolled engineering students in Denmark in relation to environmental and non-environmental sustainability issues. The empirical base of the article is a nation-wide, web-based survey sent to all newly enrolled engineering students in Denmark commencing their education in the fall term 2010. The response rate was 46%. The survey focused on a variety of different aspects of what can be conceived as sustainability. By means of cluster analysis, three engineering student approaches to sustainability are identified and described. The article provides knowledge on the different prerequisites of engineering students in relation to the role of sustainability in engineering. This information is important input to educators trying to target new engineering students and contribute to the provision of engineers equipped to meet sustainability challenges.

Barriers to vocational effectiveness in ACT: staff perspectives.

PubMed

Waynor, William R; Pratt, Carlos W

2011-01-01

Assertive community treatment (ACT), for persons with serious mental illness, includes a vocational focus as an important aspect of community integration. Nevertheless, research suggests that ACT does not assist significant numbers of consumers in achieving employment goals. A two-step survey of New Jersey ACT team members was designed to identify the key issues that hinder ACT staff members in assisting consumers with obtaining employment. Survey items were categorized into three sections: (a) staff attitudes, (b) consumer barriers, and (c) staff barriers to working on employment. The initial survey asked staff members to rate items in each of these categories. Highly rated items were used in a subsequent paired comparison survey to determine the relative importance of each. This method highlighted the following issues: four staff attitude items-(a) returning to work is positive, (b) employment is key to recovery, (c) abstinence from substance abuse is needed to work, and (d) consumers are too ill to work; four consumer barrier items-(a) fear of loss of Social Security Administration benefits, (b) symptoms related to the illness, (c) lack of motivation, and (d) poor social skills; and three barriers to working on employment issues items-(a) clinical issues take priority, (b) other case management issues takes priority, and (c) too many emergencies. The implications for staff training are discussed.

What quality-of-life issues do women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) consider important when making treatment decisions?

PubMed

Mercieca-Bebber, Rebecca; King, Madeleine T; Boxer, Miriam M; Spillane, Andrew; Winters, Zoë E; Butow, Phyllis N; McPherson, Joan; Rutherford, Claudia

2017-09-01

To explore quality-of-life (QOL) issues considered important when deciding on treatment for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Breast Cancer Network of Australia members diagnosed with DCIS in the past 5 years (self-identified) participated in an online survey (Sep-Nov 2015). From a list of 74 QOL issues, participants selected all issues they experienced during DCIS diagnosis, treatment or recovery, then the issues they felt important to making a DCIS treatment decision, and completed the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ). Associations between QOL issues and self-reported treatment received were assessed with χ 2 tests. The primary analysis included 38 participants treated with breast-conserving surgery (n = 15), mastectomy (n = 23), and/or radiotherapy (n = 14). Fatigue-related symptoms (82%) and "fear of progression" (50%) were the most frequently-experienced issues. When deciding on DCIS treatment, the most important consideration was "fear of progression" (50%). A higher proportion of mastectomy (compared to non-mastectomy) patients considered "difficultly looking at yourself naked" (p = 0.03). Radiotherapy (compared to non-radiotherapy) patients were more likely to consider "feeling unwell" important (p = 0.006). Results were similar in a sensitivity analysis involving all 101 respondents (i.e., including 63 respondents who reported receiving chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, and/or Herceptin, suggesting that they may have been treated for invasive breast cancer). Health literacy was high across all nine HLQ scales. Fear of progression is a key consideration in DCIS treatment decision making for women with high health literacy. QOL treatment considerations differed by treatments received. Women diagnosed with DCIS may benefit from evidence about QOL to inform treatment decision making.

The sources of political orientations in post-industrial society: social class and education revisited.

PubMed

Van de Werfhorst, Herman G; de Graaf, Nan Dirk

2004-06-01

This paper studies the impact of social class and education on political orientation. We distinguish the 'old' middle class from a new class of social/cultural specialists. However, the difference in their political orientation may especially be related to the level and field of education; the new middle class is more highly educated and often in fields of study that extensively address social competencies, characteristics independently affecting political outcomes. Analyses on Dutch data showed that education is more important in the prediction of 'cultural' liberal issues than social class. Economically-oriented issues are more strongly affected by social class. This means that interests of the new middle class are served by liberal standpoints relating to a strong government and income redistribution policies, but not relating to cultural issues.

An introduction to intellectual property licensing for technology companies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meier, Lawrence H.

2001-05-01

Intellectual property licensing is an important issue facing all technology companies. Before entering into license agreements a number of issues need to be addressed, including invention ownership, obtaining and identifying licensable subject matter, and developing a licensing strategy. There are a number of important provisions that are included in most intellectual property license agreements. These provisions include definitions, the license grant, consideration, audit rights confidentiality, warranties, indemnification, and limitation of liability. Special licensing considerations exist relative to each type of intellectual property, and when the other party is a foreign company or a university.

Fluorescence techniques in agricultural applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McMurtrey, James E.; Corp, Lawrence A.; Kim, Moon S.; Chappelle, Emmett W.; Daughtry, Craig S. T.; DiBenedetto, J. D.

2001-03-01

Intellectual property licensing is an important issue facing all technology companies. Before entering into license agreements a number of issues need to be addressed, including invention ownership, obtaining and identifying licensable subject matter, and developing a licensing strategy. There are a number of important provisions that are included in most intellectual property license agreements. These provisions include definitions, the license grant, consideration, audit rights, confidentiality, warranties, indemnification, and limitation of liability. Special licensing considerations exist relative to each type of intellectual property, and when the other party is a foreign company or a university.

37 CFR 11.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., arrest, charge, accusation, contract, negotiation, estate or family relations practice issue, request for... clear and weighty importance. Suspend or suspension means a temporary debarring from practice before the...

What You Don't Know May Kill You: The Importance of Including Sexual Health in Premarital Counseling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slater, LaTrina M.; Cummings Aholou, Tiffiany M.

2009-01-01

Sexual health is a widespread concern for intimate partners. As couples transition to marriage, it is vitally important to explore issues related to sexual health. Moreover, premarital counselors are encouraged to facilitate a sexual health discussion with premarital couples. This article presents the importance of raising the topic of sexual…

Emotion and Language Politics: The Brazilian Case

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rajagopalan, Kanavillil

2004-01-01

The objective of this paper is to make a case for the claim that exclusive focus on the rational has only helped isolate linguists and prevented them from having a say on important political issues relating to language. One important feature of the ordinary person's view of and involvement with language is that emotions play an important role in…

Post-approval safety issues with innovative drugs: a European cohort study.

PubMed

Mol, Peter G M; Arnardottir, Arna H; Motola, Domenico; Vrijlandt, Patrick J; Duijnhoven, Ruben G; Haaijer-Ruskamp, Flora M; de Graeff, Pieter A; Denig, Petra; Straus, Sabine M J M

2013-11-01

At time of approval, knowledge of the full benefit risk of any drug is limited, in particular with regards to safety. Post-approval surveillance of potential drug safety concerns is recognized as an important task of regulatory agencies. For innovative, often first-in-class drugs, safety knowledge at time of approval is often even less extensive and these may require tighter scrutiny post approval. We evaluated whether more post-approval serious safety issues were identified for drugs with a higher level of innovation. A cohort study was performed that included all new active substances approved under the European Centralized Procedure and for which serious safety issues were identified post-approval from 1 January 1999 to 1 January 2012. Serious safety issues were defined as issues requiring a Direct Healthcare Professional Communication to alert individual healthcare professionals of a new serious safety issue, or a safety-related drug withdrawal. Data were retrieved from publicly available websites of the Dutch Medicines Evaluation Board and the European Medicines Agency. The level of innovation was scored using a validated algorithm, grading drugs as important (A), moderate (B) or modest (C) innovations or as pharmacological or technological (pharm/tech) innovations. The data were analyzed using appropriate descriptive statistics and Kaplan-Meier analysis, with a Mantel-Cox log-rank test, and Cox-regression models correcting for follow-up duration, to identify a possible trend in serious safety issues with an increasing level of innovation. In Europe, 279 new drugs were approved between 1999 and 2011. Fifty-nine (21 %) were graded as important, 63 (23 %) moderate, or 34 (12 %) modest innovations and 123 (44 %) as non-innovative (pharm/tech), while 15 (25 %), 13 (21 %), 8 (24 %) and 17 (14 %) had post-approval safety issues, respectively (p = 0.06, linear-by-linear test). Five drugs were withdrawn from the market. The Kaplan-Meier-derived probability for having a first serious safety issue was statistically significant, log-rank (Mantel-Cox) p = 0.036. In the final adjusted Cox proportional hazard model there was no statistically significant difference in occurrence of a first serious safety issue for important, moderate and modest innovations versus non-innovative drugs; hazard ratios 1.76 (95 % CI 0.82-3.77), 1.61 (95 % CI 0.76-3.41)], and 1.25 (95 % CI 0.51-3.06), respectively. A higher level of innovation was not clearly related to an increased risk of serious safety issues identified after approval.

Composition and Toxicity of Biodiesel versus Conventional Diesel

EPA Science Inventory

Increasing production of biodiesel (BD) fuel at the local, national, and global levels raise important issues related to the impact and potential adverse health outcome related to BD exposures. Studies on the toxicity of BD combustion emissions are very limited. Emission co...

Missing Citations, Bulking Biographies, and Unethical Collaboration: Types of Cheating among Public Relations Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Auger, Giselle A.

2013-01-01

Students cheat. For the field of public relations, which continually struggles for credibility, the issue of student cheating should be paramount, as the unethical students of today become tomorrow's practitioners. Through a survey of 170 public relations majors, this study examined the importance students place on the Public Relations Society of…

The top eight issues Queensland Australia's aged-care nurses and assistants-in-nursing worried about outside their workplace: a qualitative snapshot.

PubMed

Tuckett, Anthony; Hegney, Desley; Parker, Deborah; Eley, Robert M; Dickie, Robyn

2011-10-01

The attainment of a work-life balance is an important issue for recruitment, retention and workforce planning. This paper aims to report on the free text data provided by the aged-care sector nurses around perceptions of important work-life issues. Data were written responses of aged-care nurses to the open-ended request at the end of a survey, which asked them to list up to five political/social/environmental issues concerning them outside of their work. For aged-care nurses, when asked to list political/social/environmental issues they were concerned about outside of work in late 2007, there emerged considered issues around work and life. Among the top eight themes there is an intriguing balance between the themes work, industrial relations, aged care/elder care and health-care services compared with the themes environment, water, societal values and housing. Qualitative insights into the political/social/environmental issues aged-care nurses are concerned about outside of your work suggest their desire for a labour/life or work/life harmony. Aged-care nurses place an equal importance on the nature of labour and the basics of life. The findings provide information for aged-care sector managers and workforce planners on areas in need of consideration to recruit and retain a workforce within aged care. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Non-technical Issues in Design and Development of Personal Portable Devices.

PubMed

Lhotska, Lenka; Cheshire, Paul; Pharow, Peter; Macku, David

2016-01-01

Mobile technologies are constantly evolving and with the development of Internet of Things we can expect continuous increase of various applications. Mobile technologies have undeniable opportunities to play an important role in health services. Concerning purely technical aspects, almost every problem can be solved. However, there are still many unsolved and unclear issues related with ethics and governance mechanisms for mobile phone applications. These issues are even more critical in medical and health care applications of mobile technologies. This paper tries to analyse ethical, and privacy-related challenges that may occur when introducing Personal Portable Devices (PPD) to collect and record personal health data in health care and welfare environment.

Malaysian Instructors' Assessment Beliefs in Tertiary ESL Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elshawa, Niveen R. M.; Abdullah, Ain Nadzimah; Rashid, Sabariah Md

2017-01-01

Language assessment can be a valuable tool for providing information regarding language teaching. Given the importance of assessment that has undergone much change, there are important issues that warrant investigation, particularly those related to language instructors. Understanding the assessment beliefs of ESL instructors, especially at the…

Katrina: macro-ethical issues for engineers.

PubMed

Newberry, Byron

2010-09-01

Hurricane Katrina was one of the worst disasters in United States history. Failures within New Orleans' engineered hurricane protection system (levees and floodwalls) contributed to the severity of the event and have drawn considerable public attention. In the time since Katrina, forensic investigations have uncovered a range of issues and problems related to the engineering work. In this article, my goal is to distill from these investigations, and the related literature that has accumulated, some overarching macro-ethical issues that are relevant for all engineers. I attempt to frame these issues, using illustrative examples taken from Katrina, in a way that might be of pedagogical use and benefit for engineering educators interested in engaging their students in discussions of engineering ethics, societal impact of engineered systems, engineering design, or related topics. Some of the issues discussed are problems of unanticipated failure modes, faulty assumptions, lack or misuse of information, the importance of resiliency, the effects of time, balancing competing interests, attending to the details of interfaces, the fickleness of risk perception, and how the past constrains the present.

Curriculum changes and moral issues in nursing education.

PubMed

Karseth, Berit

2004-11-01

Through history nursing education has strongly advocated the importance of educating students towards moral and ethical responsibility. In today's society however, it has become increasingly difficult to honour this concern. One peephole to capture the ongoing struggle is to look into the curriculum where different stakeholders voice different opinions. Following a social constructive perspective the curriculum texts represent specific interest among stakeholders related to nursing education in a certain historical periods. By analysing the two last versions of the curriculum we get an insight into moral and ethical issues at stake and different ways of addressing these questions. While moral and ethical issues in the curriculum of 1987 follow a disciplinary discourse emphasising the importance of learning ethical concepts and modes of arguments, the curriculum of 2000 places ethical and moral issues within an employability discourse. In this curriculum moral issues are seen as an obligation linked to students practical and technical skills. The 2000 curriculum represents a shift from emphasising the independent and reflective professional to underline the skillful and morally obliged practitioner.

Quality-of-Life Priorities in Patients with Thyroid Cancer: A Multinational European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Phase I Study.

PubMed

Singer, Susanne; Husson, Olga; Tomaszewska, Iwona M; Locati, Laura D; Kiyota, Naomi; Scheidemann-Wesp, Ulrike; Hofmeister, Dirk; Winterbotham, Melanie; Brannan, Christine; Araújo, Cláudia; Gamper, Eva M; Kulis, Dagmara; Rimmele, Harald; Andry, Guy; Licitra, Lisa

2016-11-01

The objectives of this study were to determine quality of life (QoL) issues that are relevant to thyroid cancer patients cross-culturally, and to identify those with highest relevance to them in addition to the more general issues covered by the core European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QoL questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30). A systematic literature search provided a list of potentially relevant QoL issues to supplement the core questionnaire EORTC QLQ-C30, which is widely used in research and in care and addresses QoL issues relevant to all groups of cancer patients. A panel of experts revised this list, and thyroid cancer patients rated the issues regarding their relevance for QoL by selecting the 25 issues that they would include in a thyroid cancer-specific QoL module. The literature search and expert discussion provided a list of 71 QoL issues that was rated by thyroid cancer patients (n = 110) from seven countries. All issues were of high priority to at least some of the patients. The most frequently selected issues were sudden attacks of tiredness, exhaustion, quality of sleep, employment, social support, fear of cancer progression, fear of second operation, difficulties swallowing, and globus sensation. Thyroid cancer patients cross-culturally rate fatigue-related issues as highly important for their QoL, calling for increased efforts to find successful treatments for this problem. Vocational rehabilitation is also highly relevant for them and should therefore be an important aim of multidisciplinary care. The third important area of concern is psychological issues, especially fear of progression and of additional treatments.

Could Masked Conceptual Primes Increase Recollection? The Subtleties of Measuring Recollection and Familiarity in Recognition Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Jason R.; Henson, Richard N.

2012-01-01

We begin with a theoretical overview of the concepts of recollection and familiarity, focusing, in the spirit of this special issue, on the important contributions made by Andrew Mayes. In particular, we discuss the issue of when the generation of semantically-related information in response to a retrieval cue might be experienced as recollection…

The Financial Assessment of Colleges and Universities and Its Implication for State Policy. [Working] Papers in Education Finance, No. 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minter, W. John

Important issues and technical problems related to assessing the financial health of colleges and universities are described, along with implications of financial health assessment for state policy-making. It is proposed that a distinction be made between the assessments of financial health and program success. Other issues that should be…

Update on the First Cloned Dog and Outlook for Canine Cloning.

PubMed

Jang, Goo; Lee, ByeongChun

2015-10-01

As man's best friend, dogs have an important position in human society. Ten years ago, we reported the first cloned dog, and his birth has raised various scientific issues, such as those related to health, reproduction, and life span. He has developed without any unique health issues. In this article, we summarize and present perspectives on canine cloning.

An Integrated Contextual and Web-Based Issue Quest Approach to Improving Students' Learning Achievements, Attitudes and Critical Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sung, Han-Yu; Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Chang, Hong-Sheng

2015-01-01

In the era of computer and communication technologies, fostering students' high-level thinking abilities has become an important educational objective. Engaging students in web information searching to answer a series of questions related to a target issue has been recognized as a helpful approach for promoting students' thinking processes. In…

Teaching and Learning with ICT Tools: Issues and Challenges from Teachers' Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ghavifekr, Simin; Kunjappan, Thanusha; Ramasamy, Logeswary; Anthony, Annreetha

2016-01-01

In this digital era, ICT use in the classroom is important for giving students opportunities to learn and apply the required 21st century skills. Hence studying the issues and challenges related to ICT use in teaching and learning can assist teachers in overcoming the obstacles and become successful technology users. Therefore, the main purpose of…

Divorce Motives in a Period of Rising Divorce: Evidence from a Dutch Life-History Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Graaf, Paul M.; Kalmijn, Matthijs

2006-01-01

Using survey data on 1,718 ever-divorced men and women in the Netherlands, the authors describe the motives people give for their divorce. The authors distinguish motives regarding three types of issues: relational issues, behavioral problems, and problems about work and the division of labor. They observe three important trends: the normalization…

Teaching Scientific Method: The Logic of Confirmation and Falsification.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garrison, James W.; Bentley, Michael L.

1990-01-01

Presents important principles and issues related to postpositivism including logic of confirmation and logic of falsification. Discusses possible applications in science education. Lists 23 references. (YP)

Toward a clinical practice guide in pharmacogenomics testing for functional polymorphisms of drug-metabolizing enzymes. Gene/drug pairs and barriers perceived in Spain

PubMed Central

Agúndez, José A. G.; Abad-Santos, Francisco; Aldea, Ana; Alonso-Navarro, Hortensia; Bernal, María L.; Borobia, Alberto M.; Borrás, Emma; Carballo, Miguel; Carvajal, Alfonso; García-Muñiz, José D.; Gervasini, Guillermo; Jiménez-Jiménez, Félix J.; Lucena, María I.; Martínez, Carmen; Sacristán, José A.; Salado, Inés; Sinués, Blanca; Vicente, Jorge; García-Martín, Elena

2012-01-01

The development of clinical practice recommendations or guidelines for the clinical use of biomarkers is an issue of great importance with regard to adverse drug reactions. The potential of pharmacogenomic biomarkers has been extensively investigated in recent years. However, several barriers to implementing the use of pharmacogenomics testing exist. We conducted a survey among members of the Spanish Societies of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology to obtain information about the perception of such barriers and to compare the perceptions of participants about the relative importance of major gene/drug pairs. Of 11 potential barriers, the highest importance was attributed to lack of institutional support for pharmacogenomics testing, and to the issues related to the lack of guidelines. Of the proposed gene/drug pairs the highest importance was assigned to HLA-B/abacavir, UGT1A1/irinotecan, and CYP2D6/tamoxifen. In this perspective article, we compare the relative importance of 29 gene/drug pairs in the Spanish study with that of the same pairs in the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics study, and we provide suggestions and areas of focus to develop a guide for clinical practice in pharmacogenomics testing. PMID:23233861

Analysis of US Food and Drug Administration Warning Letters: False Promotional Claims Relating to Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medications.

PubMed

Salas, Maribel; Martin, Michelle; Pisu, Maria; McCall, Erin; Zuluaga, Alvaro; Glasser, Stephen P

2008-03-01

Recent studies have suggested that there has been an increase in the number of 'warning letters' issued by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) despite the publication of the FDA advertising guidelines. However, limited information is available on the description of warning letters. The objective of this study was to analyse the frequency and content of FDA warning letters in relation to promotional claims and discuss the influence of regulatory and industry constraints on promotion. All warning letters published by the FDA between 5 May 1995 and 11 June 2007 were reviewed. Warning letters related to promotional issues were included and analysed. Information related to the identification number, date of the warning letter, FDA division that issued the letter, drug name, manufacturer, specific warning problem, type of promotional material and requested action was extracted. Two independent investigators reviewed and classified each PDF file, any differences were discussed until a consensus was reached. Between May 1995 and June 2007 a total of 8692 warning letters were issued, of which 25% were related to drugs. Of these, 206 warning letters focused on drug promotion and were included in this study: 23% were issued in 2005, 15% in 2004 and 14% in 1998. In total, 47% of the warning letters were issued because of false or misleading unapproved doses and uses, 27% failed to disclose risks, 15% cited misleading promotion, 8% related to misleading labelling and 3% promoted false effectiveness claims. There is an important variation in the number of warning letters issued in the last decade, probably because of the increasing number of drugs approved by the FDA, drug withdrawal scandals, and the publication of the FDA and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) guidelines. We found that benefit-related claims, such as unapproved uses or doses of drugs, and failure to disclose risks, are the main causes of FDA issued warning letters for promotional claims related to medications.

Internet Gambling in the Workplace

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffiths, Mark

2009-01-01

Purpose: This paper seeks to overview the issues, concerns and challenges relating to gambling--and more specifically internet gambling--in the workplace. Design/methodology/approach: Using psychological literature, this paper outlines a number of important and inter-related areas including brief overviews of gambling and problem gambling,…

Sharing health-related data: a privacy test?

PubMed Central

Dyke, Stephanie OM; Dove, Edward S; Knoppers, Bartha M

2016-01-01

Greater sharing of potentially sensitive data raises important ethical, legal and social issues (ELSI), which risk hindering and even preventing useful data sharing if not properly addressed. One such important issue is respecting the privacy-related interests of individuals whose data are used in genomic research and clinical care. As part of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH), we examined the ELSI status of health-related data that are typically considered ‘sensitive’ in international policy and data protection laws. We propose that ‘tiered protection’ of such data could be implemented in contexts such as that of the GA4GH Beacon Project to facilitate responsible data sharing. To this end, we discuss a Data Sharing Privacy Test developed to distinguish degrees of sensitivity within categories of data recognised as ‘sensitive’. Based on this, we propose guidance for determining the level of protection when sharing genomic and health-related data for the Beacon Project and in other international data sharing initiatives. PMID:27990299

A Collaborative Perspective on Learning Transfer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nielsen, Klaus

2009-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to argue that it is important to focus on the apprentices' collaborative learning processes when addressing issues of learning transfer. Design/methodology/approach: The claims about the importance of addressing processes of collaborative activities and learning in relation to learning transfer are based on…

Childbearing and Schooling: New Evidence from South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madhavan, Sangeetha; Thomas, Kevin J. A.

2005-01-01

The importance of the authors' research can be summarized in several ways. First, it contributes to an ongoing discussion about the relative importance of childbearing in determining a girl's life chances, particularly in societies undergoing major transitions. Second, the twin issues of adolescent fertility and educational attainment feature…

War, terrorism, and children.

PubMed

DeRanieri, Joseph T; Clements, Paul T; Clark, Kathleen; Kuhn, Douglas Wolcik; Manno, Martin S

2004-04-01

Many caregivers are encountering the issue of communicating with children and adolescents about current world events, specifically war and terrorism. As health care providers, it is important to raise awareness of how children may understand, interpret, and respond to related fears and concerns. Although honesty and reassurance are clearly the best approach, it is important to provide information that is developmentally appropriate. Providing education and guidance can reduce stress and enhance understanding of the chaotic events confronting our nation. It also provides a platform for communication and exploration should additional terrorist attacks or acts of war occur. It is important to examine how to approach children and adolescents to communicate with them about these sensitive issues.

Perceptions about the relative importance of patient care-related topics: a single institutional survey of its anesthesiologists, nurse anesthetists, and surgeons.

PubMed

Vetter, Thomas R; Barman, Joydip; Boudreaux, Arthur M; Jones, Keith A

2016-03-22

Persistently variable success has been experienced in locally translating even well-grounded national clinical practice guidelines, including in the perioperative setting. We have sought greater applicability and acceptance of clinical practice guidelines and protocols with our novel Perioperative Risk Optimization and Management Planning Tool (PROMPT™). This study was undertaken to survey our institutional perioperative clinicians regarding (a) their qualitative recommendations for (b) their quantitative perceptions of the relative importance of a series of clinical issues and patient medical conditions as potential topics for creating a PROMPT™. We applied a mixed methods research design that involved collecting, analyzing, and "mixing" both qualitative and quantitative methods and data in a single study to answer a research question. Survey One was qualitative in nature and asked the study participants to list as free text up to 12 patient medical conditions or clinical issues that they perceived to be high priority topics for development of a PROMPT™. Survey Two was quantitative in nature and asked the study participants to rate each of these 57 specific, pre-selected clinical issues and patient medical conditions on an 11-point Likert scale of perceived importance as a potential topic for a PROMPT™. The two electronic, online surveys were completed by participants who were recruited from the faculty in our Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine and Department of Surgery, and the cohort of hospital-employed certified registered nurse anesthetists. A total of 57 possible topics for a PROMPT™ was created and prioritized by our stakeholders. A strong correlation (r = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.71, 0.89, P < 0.001) was observed between the quantitative clinician survey rating scores reported by the anesthesiologists/certified registered nurse anesthetists versus the surgeons. The quantitative survey displayed strong inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.92, P < 0.001). Our qualitative clinician stakeholder survey generated a comprehensive roster of clinical issues and patient medical conditions. Our subsequent quantitative clinician stakeholder survey indicated that there is generally strong agreement among anesthesiologists/certified registered nurse anesthetists and surgeons about the relative importance of these clinical issues and patient medical conditions as potential topics for perioperative optimization and risk management.

The Asilomar Survey: Stakeholders' Opinions on Ethical Issues Related to Brain-Computer Interfacing.

PubMed

Nijboer, Femke; Clausen, Jens; Allison, Brendan Z; Haselager, Pim

2013-01-01

Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) research and (future) applications raise important ethical issues that need to be addressed to promote societal acceptance and adequate policies. Here we report on a survey we conducted among 145 BCI researchers at the 4 th International BCI conference, which took place in May-June 2010 in Asilomar, California. We assessed respondents' opinions about a number of topics. First, we investigated preferences for terminology and definitions relating to BCIs. Second, we assessed respondents' expectations on the marketability of different BCI applications (BCIs for healthy people, BCIs for assistive technology, BCIs-controlled neuroprostheses and BCIs as therapy tools). Third, we investigated opinions about ethical issues related to BCI research for the development of assistive technology: informed consent process with locked-in patients, risk-benefit analyses, team responsibility, consequences of BCI on patients' and families' lives, liability and personal identity and interaction with the media. Finally, we asked respondents which issues are urgent in BCI research.

Seizures and pain uncertainty associated with parenting stress and Rett syndrome.

PubMed

Byiers, Breanne J; Tervo, Raymond C; Feyma, Timothy J; Symons, Frank J

2014-04-01

Data were collected parenting stress, adaptive behavior, pain, and health issues from the caregivers of 35 girls and women with Rett syndrome (mean age = 20.3). A majority (60%) of parents reported stress in the clinical range on at least 1 subscale of the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form. Seizures and uncertainty about their daughter's gastrointestinal pain experience were significantly associated with higher levels of parenting stress. No other child factors (adaptive behavior, age, residential status) were significantly related to parenting stress. Factors related to chronic health concerns (seizures, ambiguous pain presentation) may be important when considering family stress issues in relation to general outcomes for girls with Rett syndrome and related developmental disorders.

Ethical and social issues in presymptomatic testing for Huntington's disease: a European Community collaborative study. European Community Huntington's Disease Collaborative Study Group.

PubMed Central

1993-01-01

An analysis of social and ethical aspects of presymptomatic testing for Huntington's disease has been carried out, based on data on linked DNA markers, from four major testing centres in different European Community countries (Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, and United Kingdom). Information was available on 603 applicants, with 213 final results given, of which 32% gave an increased risk. A series of specific issues and problems were documented systematically for all applicants, results being given on frequency of occurrence and illustrated by individual case histories. The principal issues could be grouped as problems of inappropriate referral, problems involving relatives, and problems relating to disclosure of results. At least one important problem was encountered in 46% of applicants, emphasising the importance of expert counselling, preparation, and support of applicants, and of close liaison between clinical, counselling, and laboratory staff. The extensive and detailed information available for Huntington's disease from this and other studies will be of considerable value in relation to genetic testing for other late onset genetic disorders and will be even more relevant to Huntington's disease now that specific mutation analysis is possible for this disorder. PMID:8133502

Evidence or eminence in abdominal surgery: Recent improvements in perioperative care

PubMed Central

Segelman, Josefin; Nygren, Jonas

2014-01-01

Repeated surveys from Europe, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand have shown that adherence to an evidence-based perioperative care protocol, such as Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS), has been generally low. It is of great importance to support the implementation of the ERAS protocol as it has been shown to improve outcomes after a number of surgical procedures, including major abdominal surgery. However, despite an increasing awareness of the importance of structured perioperative management, the implementation of this complex protocol has been slow. Barriers to implementation involve both patient- and staff-related factors as well as practice-related issues and resources. To support efficient and successful implementation, further educational and structural measures have to be made on a national or regional level to improve the standard of general health care. Besides postoperative morbidity, biological and physiological variables have been quite commonly reported in previous ERAS studies. Little information, however, has been obtained on cost-effectiveness, long-term outcomes, quality of life and patient-related outcomes, and these issues remain important areas of research for future studies. PMID:25469030

General purpose optimization software for engineering design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vanderplaats, G. N.

1990-01-01

The author has developed several general purpose optimization programs over the past twenty years. The earlier programs were developed as research codes and served that purpose reasonably well. However, in taking the formal step from research to industrial application programs, several important lessons have been learned. Among these are the importance of clear documentation, immediate user support, and consistent maintenance. Most important has been the issue of providing software that gives a good, or at least acceptable, design at minimum computational cost. Here, the basic issues developing optimization software for industrial applications are outlined and issues of convergence rate, reliability, and relative minima are discussed. Considerable feedback has been received from users, and new software is being developed to respond to identified needs. The basic capabilities of this software are outlined. A major motivation for the development of commercial grade software is ease of use and flexibility, and these issues are discussed with reference to general multidisciplinary applications. It is concluded that design productivity can be significantly enhanced by the more widespread use of optimization as an everyday design tool.

Ethical, environmental and social issues for machine vision in manufacturing industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Batchelor, Bruce G.; Whelan, Paul F.

1995-10-01

Some of the ethical, environmental and social issues relating to the design and use of machine vision systems in manufacturing industry are highlighted. The authors' aim is to emphasize some of the more important issues, and raise general awareness of the need to consider the potential advantages and hazards of machine vision technology. However, in a short article like this, it is impossible to cover the subject comprehensively. This paper should therefore be seen as a discussion document, which it is hoped will provoke more detailed consideration of these very important issues. It follows from an article presented at last year's workshop. Five major topics are discussed: (1) The impact of machine vision systems on the environment; (2) The implications of machine vision for product and factory safety, the health and well-being of employees; (3) The importance of intellectual integrity in a field requiring a careful balance of advanced ideas and technologies; (4) Commercial and managerial integrity; and (5) The impact of machine visions technology on employment prospects, particularly for people with low skill levels.

An issue hiding in plain sight: when are speech-language pathologists special educators rather than related services providers?

PubMed

Giangreco, Michael F; Prelock, Patricia A; Turnbull, H Rutherford

2010-10-01

Under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA; as amended, 2004), speech-language pathology services may be either special education or a related service. Given the absence of guidance documents or research on this issue, the purposes of this clinical exchange are to (a) present and analyze the IDEA definitions related to speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and their roles, (b) offer a rationale for the importance of and distinction between their roles, (c) propose an initial conceptualization (i.e., flow chart) to distinguish between when an SLP should function as a related services provider versus a special educator, and (d) suggest actions to develop and disseminate a clearer shared understanding of this issue. Federal definitions of special education and related services as related to SLPs are discussed in terms of determining special education eligibility, meeting student needs, ensuring SLPs are following their code of ethics and scope of practice, and facilitating appropriate personnel utilization and service delivery planning. Clarifying the distinction between special education and related services should lead to increased likelihood of appropriate services for students with disabilities, improved working conditions for SLPs, and enhanced collaboration among team members. This clinical exchange is meant to promote dialogue and research about this underexamined issue.

Finding online health-related information: usability issues of health portals.

PubMed

Gurel Koybasi, Nergis A; Cagiltay, Kursat

2012-01-01

As Internet and computers become widespread, health portals offering online health-related information become more popular. The most important point for health portals is presenting reliable and valid information. Besides, portal needs to be usable to be able to serve information to users effectively. This study aims to determine usability issues emerging when health-related information is searched on a health portal. User-based usability tests are conducted and eye movement analyses are used in addition to traditional performance measures. Results revealed that users prefer systematic, simple and consistent designs offering interactive tools. Moreover, content and partitions needs to be shaped according to the medical knowledge of target users.

How Older Adults and Their Families Perceive Family Talk about Aging-Related EOL Issues: A Dialectical Analysis.

PubMed

Egbert, Nichole; Child, Jeffrey T; Lin, Mei-Chen; Savery, Carol; Bosley, Tammy

2017-04-17

For older adults, approaching end-of-life (EOL) brings unique transitions related to family relationships. Unfortunately, most families greatly underestimate the need to discuss these difficult issues. For example, parents approaching EOL issues often struggle with receiving assistance from others, avoiding family conflict, and maintaining their sense of personhood. In addition, discussions of EOL issues force family members to face their parents' mortality, which can be particularly difficult for adult children to process emotionally. This study explored aging issues identified by aging parents and their families as they traverse these impending EOL changes. Ten focus groups of seniors ( n = 65) were conducted. Focus groups were organized according to race (African-American/European-American), gender, and whether the older adult was living independently or in an assisted care facility. When asked open-ended questions about discussing aging and EOL issues with family members, participants revealed tensions that led us to consider Relational Dialectics Theory as a framework for analysis. The predominant tension highlighted in this report was certainty versus uncertainty, with the two sub-themes of sustained life versus sustained personhood and confronting versus avoiding EOL issues. For these data, there were more similarities than differences as a result of gender, race, or living situation than one might expect, although culture and financial status were found to be influential in the avoidance of EOL discussions. The results of this study help to provide additional insight into relational dialectics related to aging, EOL, and the importance of communication in facilitating family coping.

Fundamental issues in the geology and geophysics of venus.

PubMed

Solomon, S C; Head, J W

1991-04-12

A number of important and currently unresolved issues in the global geology and geophysics of Venus will be addressable with the radar imaging, altimetry, and gravity measurements now forthcoming from the Magellan mission. Among these are the global volcanic flux and the rate of formation of new crust; the global heat flux and its regional variations; the relative importance of localized hot spots and linear centers of crustal spreading to crustal formation and tectonics; and the planform of mantle convection on Venus and the nature of the interactions among interior convective flow, near-surface deformation and magmatism.

Costing the Morbidity and Mortality Consequences of Zoonoses Using Health-Adjusted Life Years.

PubMed

Jordan, H; Dunt, D; Hollingsworth, B; Firestone, S M; Burgman, M

2016-10-01

Governments are routinely involved in the biosecurity of agricultural and food imports and exports. This involves controlling the complex ongoing threat of the broad range of zoonoses: endemic, exotic and newly emerging. Policy-related decision-making in these areas requires accurate information and predictions concerning the effects and potential impacts of zoonotic diseases. The aim of this article was to provide information concerning the development and use of utility-based tools, specifically disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), for measuring the burden on human disease (morbidity and mortality) as a consequence of zoonotic infections. Issues and challenges to their use are also considered. Non-monetary utility approaches that are reviewed in this paper form one of a number of tools that can be used to estimate the monetary and non-monetary 'cost' of morbidity- and mortality-related consequences. Other tools derive from cost-of-illness, willingness-to-pay and multicriteria approaches. Utility-based approaches are specifically designed to capture the pain, suffering and loss of functioning associated with diseases, zoonotic and otherwise. These effects are typically complicated to define, measure and subsequently 'cost'. Utility-based measures will not be able to capture all of the effects, especially those that extend beyond the health sector. These will more normally be captured in financial terms. Along with other uncommon diseases, the quality of the relevant epidemiological data may not be adequate to support the estimation of losses in utility as a result of zoonoses. Other issues in their use have been identified. New empirical studies have shown some success in addressing these issues. Other issues await further study. It is concluded that, bearing in mind all caveats, utility-based methods are important tools in assessing the magnitude of the impacts of zoonoses in human disease. They make an important contribution to decision-making and priority setting across all sectors. In doing so, they highlight the relative importance of the burden of zoonotic disease globally. © 2014 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Native Language and Culture. INAR/NACIE Joint Issues Sessions. National Indian Education Association (NIEA) Annual Conference (22nd, San Diego, California, October 15, 1990).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Advisory Council on Indian Education, Washington, DC.

This report summarizes two joint sessions held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education to hear testimony on educational issues related to Native American language and culture. Educators, students, parents, and tribal officials made presentations concerning: the importance for academic success…

Artificial Intelligence for Command and Control

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-05-15

complexity of information and are a very active current research area. Some of the important unresolved frame -related issues are control issues , such as...indepth analysis of the combat engineer’s decisio -mnaking activities. -Specificaly 3 combat engineers-stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina (307th...experience. The CETOOLS concept is potentially applicable in any decision- making environment, commercial or government, where plans for actions are

Using "To Kill a Mockingbird" as a Conduit for Teaching about the School-to-Prison Pipeline

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maher, Steffany Comfort

2013-01-01

The author primarily teaches traditional high school English texts in a largely white, middle-class school, but the method she uses allows her to address important issues relevant to students. One unit she teaches is an investigation of the criminal justice system and a variety of issues related to the school-to-prison pipeline. A crucial text…

What Do We Know and What Do We Want to Know about Related Services Personnel?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rapport, Mary Jane K.; Williamson, Pamela

2004-01-01

District and building-level administrators are often responsible for the hiring and supervising of related services personnel. Thus, a deeper understanding of the personnel issues that exist in the related services disciplines becomes important. What we know about the supply and demand, professional preparation, and certification and licensure of…

Infertility – prevention and management

PubMed Central

Somers, Emily C; Marder, Wendy

2017-01-01

Summary Women with autoimmune diseases are more at risk for infertility and subfertility, menstrual irregularities and decreased parity due to multiple possible etiologies, including underlying inflammatory disease, gonadotoxic medications, and psychosocial issues related to living with chronic disease. An awareness of these issues, and the validation and support of patients going through fertility related issues, is important for providing comprehensive care to this patient population. In particular, an understanding of the expanding options for fertility preservation strategies during gonadotoxic medications is essential, including gonadotropin releasing hormone analogues (GnRH-a) co-therapy and oocyte cryopreservation. Referral to a reproductive endocrinology clinic is indicated in this patient population, in part to help manage symptoms of hypoestrogenism that may result from GnRH-a therapy. PMID:28390569

Barriers to midwives and nurses addressing mental health issues with women during the perinatal period: The Mind Mothers study.

PubMed

Higgins, Agnes; Downes, Carmel; Monahan, Mark; Gill, Ailish; Lamb, Stephen A; Carroll, Margaret

2018-01-03

To explore barriers to midwives and nurses addressing mental health issues with women during the perinatal period. Perinatal mental health is considered an important public health issue with health policy internationally identifying the importance of psychological support for women in the perinatal period. Midwives and primary care nurses are ideally positioned to detect mental distress early, but evidence suggests that they are reluctant to discuss mental health issues with women during pregnancy or in the postnatal period. The research used a descriptive design. A total of 809 midwives and nurses completed an anonymous, online or hard copy survey. Designed by the research team, the survey listed 26 potential barriers to the provision of perinatal mental health care. Participants identified organisational factors as presenting the greatest barriers. Organisational barriers included lack of perinatal mental health services, absence of care pathways, heavy workload, lack of time, lack of privacy and not seeing women regularly enough to build a relationship. Over 50% of participants identified practitioner-related barriers, such as lack of knowledge on perinatal mental health and cultural issues; lack of skill, in particular, skills to respond to a disclosure of a mental health issue; and fears of causing women offence and distress. Findings also indicated that the context of care and education influenced the degree to which participants perceived certain items as barriers. Midwives and primary care nurses encounter many organisational- and practitioner-related barriers that negatively impact on their ability to incorporate mental health care into their practice. Midwifery and nursing services need to develop strategies to address system- and practitioner-related barriers, including the development of services and care pathways, and the provision of culturally sensitive education on perinatal mental health in order to support practitioners to address issues with confidence and competence. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Creating a foundation for implementing an electronic health records (EHR)-integrated Social Knowledge Networking (SKN) system on medication reconciliation.

PubMed

Rangachari, P; Dellsperger, K C; Fallaw, D; Davis, I; Sumner, M; Ray, W; Fiedler, S; Nguyen, T; Rethemeyer, R

2018-04-01

In fall 2016, Augusta University received a two-year grant from AHRQ, to implement a Social Knowledge Networking (SKN) system for enabling its health system, AU-Health, to progress from "limited use" of EHR Medication Reconciliation (MedRec) Technology, to "meaningful use." Phase 1 sought to identify a comprehensive set of issues related to EHR MedRec encountered by practitioners at AU-Health. These efforts helped develop a Reporting Tool , which, along with a Discussion Tool , was incorporated into the AU-Health EHR, at the end of Phase 1. Phase 2 (currently underway), comprises a 52-week pilot of the EHR-integrated SKN system in outpatient and inpatient medicine units. The purpose of this paper is to describe the methods and results of Phase 1. Phase 1 utilized an exploratory mixed-method approach, involving two rounds of data collection. This included 15 individual interviews followed by a survey of 200 practitioners, i.e., physicians, nurses, and pharmacists, based in the outpatient and inpatient medicine service at AU Health. Thematic analysis of interviews identified 55 issue-items related to EHR MedRec under 9 issue-categories. The survey sought practitioners' importance-rating of all issue-items identified from interviews. A total of 127 (63%) survey responses were received. Factor analysis served to validate the following 6 of the 9 issue-categories, all of which, were rated "Important" or higher (on average), by over 70% of all respondents: 1) Care-Coordination (CCI); 2) Patient-Education (PEI); 3) Ownership-and-Accountability (OAI); 4) Processes-of-Care (PCI); 5) IT-Related (ITRI); and 6) Workforce-Training (WTI). Significance-testing of importance-rating by professional affiliation revealed no statistically significant differences for CCI and PEI; and some statistically significant differences for OAI, PCI, ITRI, and WTI. There were two key gleanings from the issues related to EHR MedRec unearthed by this study: 1) there was an absence of shared understanding among practitioners, of the value of EHR MedRec in promoting patient safety, which contributed to workarounds, and suboptimal use of the EHR MedRec system; and 2) there was a socio-technical dimension to many of the issues, creating an added layer of complexity. These gleanings in turn, provide insights into best practices for managing both clinical transitions-of-care in the EHR MedRec process; and socio-technical challenges encountered in EHR MedRec implementation.

Gender-Bending Anthropological Studies of Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stambach, Amy

1999-01-01

Outlines some future research directions in anthropology and education as they relate to gender issues. Studying how gender and education can be linked to more general values embedded in social organization seems an important area to explore. An example would be exploring how the teacher-student relationship reflects gendered relations of…

Internet Abuse and Internet Addiction in the Workplace

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffiths, Mark

2010-01-01

Purpose: This paper seeks to overview the issues, concerns and challenges relating to internet abuse and internet addiction in the workplace. Design/methodology/approach: Using psychological literature, the paper outlines a number of important and inter-related areas including brief overviews of internet abuse, and the most extreme form of…

Complexity, Cues and Relationships: Student Perceptions of Feedback

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pokorny, Helen; Pickford, Pamela

2010-01-01

This article discusses issues relating to the effectiveness of feedback and the student perspective. The study described provides rich data relating to student perceptions of useful feedback, their perceptions of feedback cues and their feelings about the importance of feedback relationships in the process. The outcomes suggest that written…

Emotion-Related Regulation: An Emerging Construct

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eisenberg, Nancy; Champion, Claire; Ma, Yue

2004-01-01

Emotion-related regulation is a topic of considerable current interest; however, this was not always true. We briefly discuss the history of interest in the topic and then the current state of the field, including definitions of the construct. In addition, we summarize some of the important issues for future attention, including definitional…

An Important Adjunct for Counselors: Video Taped Role Playing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soltys, Michael P.

1971-01-01

Through effective use of video tape students can become better prepared for the interview, more confident and poised, and better able to relate more effectively with people. The work described in this article is related to the content of a recent CPS workshop reported in this issue. (Author)

Comparison of nanosilver and ionic silver toxicity in Daphnia magna and Pimephales promelas

EPA Science Inventory

This work evaluates the relative contribution of soluble (Ag+) silver and and nano-scale silver particles (n-Ag) and thus addresses an important issue relative to potential ecological risk of n-Ag and of other partially-soluble metal nanoparticles. We used acute to chronic (based...

How Important Is Where You Start? Early Mathematics Knowledge and Later School Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Claessens, Amy; Engel, Mimi

2013-01-01

Background: Children's early skills are essential for their later success in school. Recent evidence highlights the importance of early mathematics, relative to reading and socioemotional skills, for elementary school achievement. Key advocacy groups for both early childhood and mathematics education have issued position statements on the…

Reasoning by Argumentation. Social Studies Learning Milestone 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Voss, James F.

This paper is concerned with the importance of argumentation in the classroom, especially in relation to the social sciences. Issues of argument and argument evaluation are considered. The paper analyzes the nature of such reasoning and indicates its importance in subject matter learning. Three situations are described in the paper in which…

Smart use of data, information and communication: the INFORM-ed Best Local Practice Project--Grafton Base Hospital.

PubMed

Lloyd, Sheree; Collie, Jean; McInnes, Alastair; King, Kevin; Lollback, Alison; Garland, Angie

This paper describes current progress for an information management project in a medium-sized rural hospital after the first four months of the one-year project. In particular, the article examines some of the project outcomes to date as these relate to the National Hospitals and Health Reform recommendations for the smart use of data, information and communication. The paper identifies a number of important challenges and issues that have been addressed by the project and proposes that the project findings may be used to inform similar projects in other settings. These findings relate to clinician requirements for reports, investment in human resources, development, and time for information management activities. An understanding of data collected, information systems, and presentation of clinician data are also important. The benefits of information sharing in assisting quality improvement activities are particularly relevant but, more importantly, they can engage and involve clinicians in the use of information. The importance of local data, information, and knowledge is described. Finally, issues for the health information management profession, such as working collegially and sharing knowledge and expertise, are outlined.

Reproductive issues in anorexia nervosa

PubMed Central

Hoffman, Elizabeth R; Zerwas, Stephanie C; Bulik, Cynthia M

2011-01-01

Despite a high prevalence of menstrual irregularities, women with anorexia nervosa are becoming pregnant. The physical and psychological demands of pregnancy and motherhood can represent an immense challenge for women already struggling with the medical and psychological stress of an eating disorder. This article summarizes key issues related to reproduction in women with anorexia nervosa, highlighting the importance of preconception counseling, adequate gestational weight gain, and sufficient pre- and post-natal nutrition. Postpartum issues including eating disorder symptom relapse, weight loss, breastfeeding, and risk of perinatal depression and anxiety are also discussed. PMID:22003362

Ethical issues in the development and implementation of nutrition-related public health policies and interventions: A scoping review.

PubMed

Hurlimann, Thierry; Peña-Rosas, Juan Pablo; Saxena, Abha; Zamora, Gerardo; Godard, Béatrice

2017-01-01

The limited integration of ethics in nutrition-related public health policies and interventions is one major concern for those who have the task of implementing them. Ethical challenges that are overlooked during the development of such interventions could raise serious ethical issues during their implementation and even after. As a result, these decision makers need technical support and ethical guidance for adaptation of interventions to local (cultural, social, economic, etc.) contexts. The goal of this scoping review is to delineate and "map" the range of ethical issues in nutrition-related public health interventions, as well as the range of the various fields in which they may arise. A scoping review of empirical research and conceptual literature was conducted following the framework of Arksey and O'Malley. Searches using PubMed with Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) categories and Advanced Search Builder as well as in the Global Health Library were performed. The final sample consists of 169 publications. The ethics of public health prevention or treatment of obesity and non-communicable diseases is the most explicitly and frequently discussed subject. In comparison, ethical issues raised by public health interventions in the fields of undernutrition, breastfeeding, vitamin/mineral supplementation and food fortification, food security, food sustainability and food safety are addressed in a lower proportion of the sample. The results illustrate the various natures, types, and scopes of existing public health nutrition-related interventions, and the various ethical issues that may be raised by these interventions, in addition to the numerous and different contexts in which they may be implemented. The ethical issues faced in the development and implementation of nutrition-related public health interventions are varied and cannot be equated with, nor generalized about, when dealing with specific activities in this field. More importantly, these ethical issues cannot be managed without a careful consideration for the complexity of contexts in which nutrition-related interventions are expected to be implemented. These interventions engage a variety of actors with diverse perspectives and interests. We discuss these challenges and also comment on the importance of considering ethical impacts in the monitoring and evaluation of such interventions. General ethical frameworks or recommendations-although useful-cannot be expected to provide policy makers, implementators and other public health personnel with sufficient practical ethical guidance as they cannot consider and anticipate the particularities of all specific nutrition-related public health interventions and the complexity of the contexts in which they are implemented. Further research is needed in order to develop more targeted ethical frameworks.

Attitudes to lifestyle risk factors for coronary heart disease amongst South Asians in Leicester: a focus group study.

PubMed

Farooqi, A; Nagra, D; Edgar, T; Khunti, K

2000-08-01

South Asians have a significantly higher risk of mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD) compared with the general population in the UK. There is a lack of evidence on attitudes to and knowledge of risk factors for CHD amongst South Asians. Such information is important for the provision of effective health promotion services. The aim of the study was to identify key issues relating to knowledge of and attitudes to lifestyle risk factors for CHD amongst South Asians aged over 40 years in Leicester, UK. A qualitative focus group analysis was carried out using randomly selected South Asians from GP lists and South Asians attending community centres. Group discussions were taped, translated and transcribed. The transcripts were analysed using qualitative methodology to identify key issues and themes. Participants expressed a range of attitudes to and different levels of knowledge of lifestyle risk factors for CHD. Barriers to improving lifestyle with respect to diet and exercise were identified; these included lack of information (e.g. of how to cook traditional Indian food more healthily) and cultural barriers, such as lack of women-only exercise facilities. Participants perceived stress as an important cause of CHD, and stress directly related to ethnic minority status was described frequently. Language was identified as a key barrier to accessing health services. Health professionals need to provide individually tailored health promotion for South Asians which avoids stereotyping, but recognizes potential cultural obstacles to change. The issue of stress amongst South Asians requires more research and needs to be recognized as an important issue by health professionals. South Asians still face problems accessing health and leisure services due to language and cultural issues.

Managing the work-life roller-coaster: private stress or public health issue?

PubMed

Bryson, Lois; Warner-Smith, Penny; Brown, Peter; Fray, Leanne

2007-09-01

Although research has established the importance for health of a sense of personal control at work, the implications of this for women have not been adequately studied. Using quantitative data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health and qualitative data from an associated study, here we examine women's health and sense of control in relation to family and employment commitments. In line with other research, 'demand over-load' is found to be important for sense of control, but both 'over-load' and 'control' prove complex, as illustrated by the finding that good mental health is associated with satisfaction with, rather than actual, hours of employment. In the contemporary western context of longer working hours, increasing time strain, and gender relations shaped within a neo-liberal, individualised social environment, the findings suggest that as life speeds up, 'control' and the health effects of 'busyness', need to be understood not merely as personal matters, but rather as potentially important public health issues.

Body image issues in women with breast cancer.

PubMed

Helms, Rebecca L; O'Hea, Erin L; Corso, Marlaena

2008-05-01

Diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer affects women physically as well as psychologically. There are many obvious and real factors that are related to psychological distress in women coping with breast cancer, such as facing a life-threatening illness, painful and impairing treatments, and significant role changes. Although these factors are clearly important, issues related to body image in women faced with breast cancer can also add to psychological distress. Women, in general, are concerned with their appearance, their weight, and their body, with recent studies suggesting 89% of women reported concerns with weight. Such premorbid concerns are often deeply ingrained and can contribute to psychological distress in women treated for breast cancer. The present article is a summary of the literature that has examined body image issues and related psychological adjustment in women with breast cancer. Implications for clinical practice and recommendations for future investigations are discussed.

Assessment and accountability: part 3 - sign-off mentors.

PubMed

Houghton, Trish

2016-08-03

Assessment in clinical practice is a complex role undertaken by mentors and practice teachers. This article is the third of three articles about assessment in practice. Part one focused on the importance of assessment and identified assessment methods used in clinical practice, while part two discussed the importance of feedback and managing failing students. This article examines the concepts of responsibility and accountability as well as ethical issues for mentors and practice teachers in relation to the assessment process. The role of the sign-off mentor, the issue of due regard, and ethical principles are discussed. The meaning of competence and partnership working when making assessment decisions are explored. This article relates to the third domain and outcomes of the Nursing and Midwifery Council's Standards to Support Learning and Assessment in Practice on assessment and accountability.

Issues in management of artificial intelligence based projects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kiss, P. A.; Freeman, Michael S.

1988-01-01

Now that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is gaining acceptance, it is important to examine some of the obstacles that still stand in the way of its progress. Ironically, many of these obstacles are related to management and are aggravated by the very characteristcs that make AI useful. The purpose of this paper is to heighten awareness of management issues in AI development and to focus attention on their resolution.

Issues Relating to Selective Reporting When Including Non-Randomized Studies in Systematic Reviews on the Effects of Healthcare Interventions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norris, Susan L.; Moher, David; Reeves, Barnaby C.; Shea, Beverley; Loke, Yoon; Garner, Sarah; Anderson, Laurie; Tugwell, Peter; Wells, George

2013-01-01

Background: Selective outcome and analysis reporting (SOR and SAR) occur when only a subset of outcomes measured and analyzed in a study is fully reported, and are an important source of potential bias. Key methodological issues: We describe what is known about the prevalence and effects of SOR and SAR in both randomized controlled trials (RCTs)…

China-U.S. Relations: Current Issues and Implications for U.S. Policy

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-11-20

would ease restrictions on foreign investments in the culture industry, to include film , publishing, entertainment, online games, and multi-media...President Obama did raise human rights issues in his discussions, in particular the case of American geologist Xue Feng who had been detained several...decision represents a departure from the previous administration of President George W. Bush, which denied import relief in six previous cases of petitions

Aphasia rehabilitation during adolescence: a case report.

PubMed

Laures-Gore, Jacqueline; McCusker, Tiffany; Hartley, Leila L

2017-06-01

Descriptions of speech-language interventions addressing the unique aspects of aphasia in adolescence appear to be nonexistent. The current paper presents the case of a male adolescent who experienced a stroke with resultant aphasia and the speech and language therapy he received. Furthermore, we discuss the issues that are unique to an adolescent with aphasia and how they were addressed with this particular patient. Traditional language and apraxia therapy was provided to this patient with inclusion of technology and academic topics. The patient demonstrated improvements in his speech and language abilities, most notably his reading comprehension and speech production. Age-related issues, including academic needs, group treatment, socialization, adherence/compliance, independence and family involvement, emerged during intervention. Although aphasia therapy for adolescents may be similar in many aspects to selected interventions for adults, it is necessary for the clinician to be mindful of age-related issues throughout the course of therapy. Goals and interventions should be selected based on factors salient to an adolescent as well as the potential long-term impact of therapy. Implications for Research Aphasia and its treatment in adolescence need to be further explored. Academics and technology are important aspects of aphasia treatment in adolescence. Issues specific to adolescence such as socialization, adherence/compliance, and independence are important to address in speech-language therapy.

Significant issues in proof testing: A critical appraisal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chell, G. G.; Mcclung, R. C.; Russell, D. A.; Chang, K. J.; Donnelly, B.

1994-01-01

Issues which impact on the interpretation and quantification of proof test benefits are reviewed. The importance of each issue in contributing to the extra quality assurance conferred by proof testing components is discussed, particularly with respect to the application of advanced fracture mechanics concepts to enhance the flaw screening capability of a proof test analysis. Items covered include the role in proof testing of elastic-plastic fracture mechanics, ductile instability analysis, deterministic versus probabilistic analysis, single versus multiple cycle proof testing, and non-destructive examination (NDE). The effects of proof testing on subsequent service life are reviewed, particularly with regard to stress redistribution and changes in fracture behavior resulting from the overload. The importance of proof test conditions are also addressed, covering aspects related to test temperature, simulation of service environments, test media and the application of real-time NDE. The role of each issue in a proof test methodology is assessed with respect to its ability to: promote proof test practice to a state-of-the-art; aid optimization of proof test design; and increase awareness and understanding of outstanding issues.

Performance testing of supercapacitors: Important issues and uncertainties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Jingyuan; Gao, Yinghan; Burke, Andrew F.

2017-09-01

Supercapacitors are a promising technology for high power energy storage, which have been used in some industrial and vehicles applications. Hence, it is important that information concerning the performance of supercapacitors be detailed and reliable so system designers can make rational decisions regarding the selection of the energy storage components. This paper is concerned with important issues and uncertainties regarding the performance testing of supercapacitors. The effect of different test procedures on the measured characteristics of both commercial and prototype supercapacitors including hybrid supercapacitors have been studied. It was found that the test procedure has a relatively minor effect on the capacitance of carbon/carbon devices and a more significant effect on the capacitance of hybrid supercapacitors. The device characteristic with the greatest uncertainty is the resistance and subsequently the claimed power capability of the device. The energy density should be measured by performing constant power discharges between appropriate voltage limits. This is particularly important in the case of hybrid supercapacitors for which the energy density is rate dependent and the simple relationship E = ½CV2 does not yield accurate estimates of the energy stored. In general, most of the important issues for testing carbon/carbon devices become more serious for hybrid supercapacitors.

Assessing pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic risks in candidates for kidney transplantation.

PubMed

Maldonado, Angela Q; Tichy, Eric M; Rogers, Christin C; Campara, Maya; Ensor, Christopher; Doligalski, Christina T; Gabardi, Steven; Descourouez, Jillian L; Doyle, Ian C; Trofe-Clark, Jennifer

2015-05-15

Pharmacotherapy concerns and other factors with a bearing on patient selection for kidney transplantation are discussed. The process of selecting appropriate candidates for kidney transplantation involves multidisciplinary assessment to evaluate a patient's mental, social, physical, financial, and medical readiness for successful surgery and good posttransplantation outcomes. Transplantation pharmacists can play important roles in the recognition and stratification of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic risks in prospective kidney transplant recipients and the identification of issues that require a mitigation strategy. Key pharmacotherapy-related issues and considerations during the risk assessment process include (1) anticoagulation concerns, (2) cytochrome P-450 isoenzyme-mediated drug interactions, (3) mental health-related medication use, (4) chronic pain-related medication use, (5) medication allergies, (6) use of hormonal contraception and replacement therapy, (7) prior or current use of immunosuppressants, (8) issues with drug absorption, (9) alcohol use, (10) tobacco use, (11) active use of illicit substances, and (12) use of herbal supplements. Important areas of nonpharmacologic risk include vaccine delivery, infection prophylaxis and treatment, and socially related factors such as nonadherent behavior, communication barriers, and financial, insurance, or transportation challenges that can compromise posttransplantation outcomes. Consensus opinions of practitioners in transplantation pharmacy regarding the pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic factors that should be considered in assessing candidates for kidney transplantation are presented. Copyright © 2015 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

Warm climates of the past—a lesson for the future?

PubMed Central

Lunt, D. J.; Elderfield, H.; Pancost, R.; Ridgwell, A.; Foster, G. L.; Haywood, A.; Kiehl, J.; Sagoo, N.; Shields, C.; Stone, E. J.; Valdes, P.

2013-01-01

This Discussion Meeting Issue of the Philosophical Transactions A had its genesis in a Discussion Meeting of the Royal Society which took place on 10–11 October 2011. The Discussion Meeting, entitled ‘Warm climates of the past: a lesson for the future?’, brought together 16 eminent international speakers from the field of palaeoclimate, and was attended by over 280 scientists and members of the public. Many of the speakers have contributed to the papers compiled in this Discussion Meeting Issue. The papers summarize the talks at the meeting, and present further or related work. This Discussion Meeting Issue asks to what extent information gleaned from the study of past climates can aid our understanding of future climate change. Climate change is currently an issue at the forefront of environmental science, and also has important sociological and political implications. Most future predictions are carried out by complex numerical models; however, these models cannot be rigorously tested for scenarios outside of the modern, without making use of past climate data. Furthermore, past climate data can inform our understanding of how the Earth system operates, and can provide important contextual information related to environmental change. All past time periods can be useful in this context; here, we focus on past climates that were warmer than the modern climate, as these are likely to be the most similar to the future. This introductory paper is not meant as a comprehensive overview of all work in this field. Instead, it gives an introduction to the important issues therein, using the papers in this Discussion Meeting Issue, and other works from all the Discussion Meeting speakers, as exemplars of the various ways in which past climates can inform projections of future climate. Furthermore, we present new work that uses a palaeo constraint to quantitatively inform projections of future equilibrium ice sheet change. PMID:24043873

Warm climates of the past--a lesson for the future?

PubMed

Lunt, D J; Elderfield, H; Pancost, R; Ridgwell, A; Foster, G L; Haywood, A; Kiehl, J; Sagoo, N; Shields, C; Stone, E J; Valdes, P

2013-10-28

This Discussion Meeting Issue of the Philosophical Transactions A had its genesis in a Discussion Meeting of the Royal Society which took place on 10-11 October 2011. The Discussion Meeting, entitled 'Warm climates of the past: a lesson for the future?', brought together 16 eminent international speakers from the field of palaeoclimate, and was attended by over 280 scientists and members of the public. Many of the speakers have contributed to the papers compiled in this Discussion Meeting Issue. The papers summarize the talks at the meeting, and present further or related work. This Discussion Meeting Issue asks to what extent information gleaned from the study of past climates can aid our understanding of future climate change. Climate change is currently an issue at the forefront of environmental science, and also has important sociological and political implications. Most future predictions are carried out by complex numerical models; however, these models cannot be rigorously tested for scenarios outside of the modern, without making use of past climate data. Furthermore, past climate data can inform our understanding of how the Earth system operates, and can provide important contextual information related to environmental change. All past time periods can be useful in this context; here, we focus on past climates that were warmer than the modern climate, as these are likely to be the most similar to the future. This introductory paper is not meant as a comprehensive overview of all work in this field. Instead, it gives an introduction to the important issues therein, using the papers in this Discussion Meeting Issue, and other works from all the Discussion Meeting speakers, as exemplars of the various ways in which past climates can inform projections of future climate. Furthermore, we present new work that uses a palaeo constraint to quantitatively inform projections of future equilibrium ice sheet change.

Intra- and interpattern relations in letter recognition.

PubMed

Sanocki, T

1991-11-01

Strings of 4 unrelated letters were backward masked at varying durations to examine 3 major issues. (a) One issue concerned relational features. Letters with abnormal relations but normal elements were created by interchanging elements between large and small normal letters. Overall accuracy was higher for letters with normal relations, consistent with the idea that relational features are important in recognition. (b) Interpattern relations were examined by mixing large and small letters within strings. Relative to pure strings, accuracy was reduced, but only for small letters and only when in mixed strings. This effect can be attributed to attentional priority for larger forms over smaller forms, which also explains global precedence with hierarchical forms. (c) Forced-choice alternatives were manipulated in Experiments 2 and 3 to test feature integration theory. Relational information was found to be processed at least as early as feature presence or absence.

Faculty perspectives on the inclusion of work-related learning in engineering curricula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magnell, Marie; Geschwind, Lars; Kolmos, Anette

2017-11-01

The purpose of this paper is to identify faculty perspectives on the integration of work-related issues in engineering education. A mixed methods approach was used to explore faculty attitudes towards work-related learning, to describe activities related to working life that have been introduced into the curriculum and to identify factors that faculty see as important if the amount of work-related learning is to increase. The results show that faculty members are positive about integrating work-related issues into the curriculum. Programmes with more extensive connections to industry offer more integrated activities, such as projects with external actors, and use professional contacts established through research in their teaching. In order to increase work-related learning in engineering curricula, faculty request clear goals and pedagogical tools. Other options to increase work-related learning include offering faculty the opportunity to work outside academia.

Management of menopause in women with breast cancer.

PubMed

Vincent, A J

2015-10-01

Increasing breast cancer incidence and decreasing mortality have highlighted the importance of survivorship issues related to breast cancer. A consideration of the issues related to menopause is therefore of great importance to both women and clinicians. Menopause/menopausal symptoms, with significant negative effects on quality of life and potential long-term health impacts, may in women with breast cancer be associated with: (1) natural menopause occurring concurrently with a breast cancer diagnosis; (2) recurrence of menopausal symptoms following cessation of hormone replacement therapy; (3) treatment-induced menopause (chemotherapy, ovarian ablation/suppression) and adjuvant endocrine therapy. A variety of non-hormonal pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies have been investigated as therapeutic options for menopausal symptoms with mixed results, and ongoing research is required. This review presents a summary of the causes, common problematic symptoms of menopause (vasomotor, genitourinary and sexual dysfunction), and longer-term consequences (cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis) related to menopause. It proposes an evidenced-based multidisciplinary approach to the management of menopause/menopausal symptoms in women with breast cancer.

The development of PROQOL-HIV: an international instrument to assess the health-related quality of life of persons living with HIV/AIDS.

PubMed

Duracinsky, Martin; Herrmann, Susan; Berzins, Baiba; Armstrong, Andrew R; Kohli, Rewa; Le Coeur, Sophie; Diouf, Assane; Fournier, Isabelle; Schechter, Mauro; Chassany, Olivier

2012-04-15

Health-related quality of life (HRQL) is an important outcome in HIV/AIDS infection and treatment. However, most existing HIV-HRQL instruments miss important issues (eg, sleeping problems, lipodystrophy). They were developed before highly active antiretroviral therapy (pre-HAART), and in a single language. We sought to develop a contemporary HIV-HRQL instrument (PROQOL-HIV) in multiple languages that accounts for HAART treatment and side effects. This article details the 3-stage content validation phase of PROQOL-HIV. In stage 1, we developed a conceptual model of HIV-HRQL and questionnaire item bank from thematic analysis of 152 patient interviews conducted simultaneously across 9 countries. In stage 2, pilot items were selected by an expert panel to form the pilot instrument. Stage 3 involved linguistic validation and harmonization of selected items to form an equivalent instrument in 9 target languages. Analysis of 3375 pages of interview text revealed 11 underlying themes: general health perception, social relationships, emotions, energy/fatigue, sleep, cognitive functioning, physical and daily activity, coping, future, symptoms, and treatment. Seven issues new to HIV-HRQL measurement were subsumed by these themes: infection fears, future concerns, satisfaction with care, self-esteem problems, sleep problems, work disruption, and treatment issues. Of the 442 theme-related items banked, 70 items met the retention criteria and formed the pilot PROQOL-HIV instrument. HIV patients across 11 countries attributed a wide range of physical, mental, and social issues to their condition, many of which were not measured by existing HIV-HRQL instruments. The pilot PROQOL-HIV instrument captures these issues, is sensitive to sociocultural context, disease stage, and HAART.

Privacy, anonymity and subjectivity in genomic research.

PubMed

McGonigle, Ian; Shomron, Noam

2016-01-14

The use of non-anonymized human genome data is becoming increasingly popular in research. Here we review the proceedings of a special meeting on this topic that took place at European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) in December 2014. The main points discussed centered on how to achieve 'anonymity,' 'trust,' and 'protection of data' in relation to new genomic technologies and research. Following our report of this meeting, we also raise three further issues for future consideration: the harmonization of international law in relation to genetic data protection; the complex issues around the 'dividual' nature of genetic data; and the growing commercial value of personal data. In conclusion, we stress the importance of scientists working in the area of genomic research engaging in interdisciplinary collaborations with humanities and social science scholars and addressing these complicated issues.

The nutritional requirements of infants. Towards EU alignment of reference values: the EURRECA network.

PubMed

Hermoso, Maria; Tabacchi, Garden; Iglesia-Altaba, Iris; Bel-Serrat, Silvia; Moreno-Aznar, Luis A; García-Santos, Yurena; García-Luzardo, Ma del Rosario; Santana-Salguero, Beatriz; Peña-Quintana, Luis; Serra-Majem, Lluis; Moran, Victoria Hall; Dykes, Fiona; Decsi, Tamás; Benetou, Vassiliki; Plada, Maria; Trichopoulou, Antonia; Raats, Monique M; Doets, Esmée L; Berti, Cristiana; Cetin, Irene; Koletzko, Berthold

2010-10-01

This paper presents a review of the current knowledge regarding the macro- and micronutrient requirements of infants and discusses issues related to these requirements during the first year of life. The paper also reviews the current reference values used in European countries and the methodological approaches used to derive them by a sample of seven European and international authoritative committees from which background scientific reports are available. Throughout the paper, the main issues contributing to disparities in micronutrient reference values for infants are highlighted. The identification of these issues in relation to the specific physiological aspects of infants is important for informing future initiatives aimed at providing standardized approaches to overcome variability of micronutrient reference values across Europe for this age group. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Linear Cracking in Bridge Decks

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2018-03-01

Concrete cracking in bridge decks remains an important issue relative to deck durability. Cracks can allow increased penetration of chlorides, which can result in premature corrosion of the reinforcing steel and subsequent spalling of the concrete de...

Perturbation Selection and Local Influence Analysis for Nonlinear Structural Equation Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Fei; Zhu, Hong-Tu; Lee, Sik-Yum

2009-01-01

Local influence analysis is an important statistical method for studying the sensitivity of a proposed model to model inputs. One of its important issues is related to the appropriate choice of a perturbation vector. In this paper, we develop a general method to select an appropriate perturbation vector and a second-order local influence measure…

State-of-the-Art Article: The Role and Importance of Lower-Level Processes in Second Language Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nassaji, Hossein

2014-01-01

This article examines current research on the role and importance of lower-level processes in second language (L2) reading. The focus is on word recognition and its subcomponent processes, including various phonological and orthographic processes. Issues related to syntactic and semantic processes and their relationship with word recognition are…

Relation between Aspects of Mother's Personality and Children's Behavior Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Babaee, Ensiyeh; Jain, Sachin

2009-01-01

Mothers' health is one of the most important and fundamental issues which the officials of health and care and supreme education should address as an important and effective part in society's individuals lives. The necessity of having a healthy society is having healthy mothers and this health would not be verified unless mother enjoys mental…

What Parameters Do Students Value in Business School Rankings?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mårtensson, Pär; Richtnér, Anders

2015-01-01

The starting point of this paper is the question: Which issues do students think are important when choosing a higher education institution, and how are they related to the factors taken into consideration in ranking institutions? The aim is to identify and rank the parameters students perceive as important when choosing their place of education.…

Surgical ethics and the challenge of surgical innovation.

PubMed

Angelos, Peter

2014-12-01

Surgical ethics as a specific discipline is relatively new to many. Surgical ethics focuses on the ethical issues that are particularly important to the care of surgical patients. Informed consent for surgical procedures, the level of responsibility that surgeons feel for their patients' outcomes, and the management of surgical innovation are specific issues that are important in surgical ethics and are different from other areas of medicine. The future of surgical progress is dependent on surgical innovation, yet the nature of surgical innovation raises specific concerns that challenge the professionalism of surgeons. These concerns will be considered in the following pages. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Issues Related to Defining and Measuring Violence Against Women: Response to Kilpatrick

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saltzman, Linda E.

2004-01-01

This paper asserts that although there is considerable agreement in the U.S. and internationally about the importance of uniform terminology and measurement related to violence against women, we need a strategy for choosing standardized definitions and measures. Responding to Kilpatrick's comments at the October 2003 national research conference…

The Importance of Technology in the Education and Training of Persons with Mental Retardation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parette, Howard P., Jr.

1991-01-01

This paper examines issues related to implementation of Public Law 100-407, the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988, including the meaning of technology, the need for information systems, funding mechanisms, transportation needs, technology evaluation, hands-on experiences before purchasing, and training…

The Comity of Modest Manipulation, the Importance of Distinguishing among Bad Behaviors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Underwood, Marion K.

2003-01-01

Considers four issues pertaining to aggression and adaptation: (1) conceptual and operational definitions of aggression; (2) how aggression relates to adjustment difficulties for boys and girls and for children from different ethnic and socioeconomic groups; (3) whether specific forms of aggression relate to truly positive correlates and whether…

Adult Learners' Satisfaction and Its Relation to Characteristics of the Individual and the Educational Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boeren, Ellen; Nicaise, Ides; Baert, Herman

2012-01-01

This article explores satisfactory learning experiences of adult learners in Flemish formal adult education. Satisfaction is an important issue in motivational psychology. We used the Comprehensive Lifelong Learning Participation Model of Boeren, Nicaise and Baert and explored whether satisfactory experiences relate to characteristics of the…

The Environmental Scanning Function of Public Relations Practitioners and Participation in Management Decision Making.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dozier, David M.

Focusing on the concepts of scanning (gathering information about segments of the public, their reactions to the organization, and their opinions about issues important to the organization), decision making, and roles, a study examined the relationship between environmental scanning and the participation of public relations practitioners in…

Elementary School Students' Attitude toward Science and Related Variables

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hacieminoglu, Esme

2016-01-01

Worldwide studies have revealed an important issue in that an increasing percentage of students within the X-Y age group are not interested in science. Many students, especially females, have negative feelings and attitudes toward science, which discourages them from continuing with scientific inquiries. There are limited studies related to the…

Stability of Delinquent Peer Associations: A Biosocial Test of Warr's Sticky-Friends Hypothesis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beaver, Kevin M.; Gibson, Chris L.; Turner, Michael G.; DeLisi, Matt; Vaughn, Michael G.; Holand, Ashleigh

2011-01-01

The study of delinquent peers has remained at the forefront of much criminological research and theorizing. One issue of particular importance involves the factors related to why people associate with and maintain a sustained involvement with delinquent peers. Although efforts have been made to address these questions, relatively little attempt…

The Importance of Construct Breadth when Examining Interrole Conflict

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huffman, Ann H.; Youngcourt, Satoris S.; Payne, Stephanie C.; Castro, Carl A.

2008-01-01

Research examining the influence of nonwork issues on work-related outcomes has flourished. Often, however, the breadth of the interrole conflict construct varies widely between studies. To determine if the breadth of the interrole conflict measure makes a difference, the current study compares the criterion-related validity of scores yielded by a…

Recess before Lunch Programs in Elementary Schools: Perceptions and Practices of School Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bounds, Wendy; Nettles, Mary Frances; Johnson, James T.

2009-01-01

Purpose/Objectives: The objectives of this study were to examine the perceptions of school nutrition directors, principals/assistant principals, and teachers regarding issues important to consider when scheduling recess in relation to lunch, and to describe practices related to successfully implementing a recess before lunch program. Methods: A…

The Deductibility of Work-Related Higher Education Costs: The Saga Continues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Segal, Mark A.; Bird, Bruce M.

2011-01-01

Whether a taxpayer's work-related higher education costs are deductible under IRC (Internal Revenue Code) Section 162 is an issue highly dependent upon facts and circumstances. The regulations pursuant to IRC Section 162 and the emergence of case law on this topic constitute important elements to consider in making this determination.

Teachers and Labor Relations, 1977-78. Special Report. Government Employee Relations Report Covering Municipal, County, State, and Federal Developments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bureau of National Affairs, Inc., Washington, DC.

Several important issues relating to teachers and labor relations stood out in 1977-78. By the end of the year, a proposed merger between the two major teacher unions appeared remote. The National Education Association (NEA) added 100,000 members in 1977. The NEA lobbied in favor of legislation creating a separate Department of Education but the…

Ethical, legal, and social issues in the translation of genomics into health care.

PubMed

Badzek, Laurie; Henaghan, Mark; Turner, Martha; Monsen, Rita

2013-03-01

The rapid continuous feed of new information from scientific discoveries related to the human genome makes translation and incorporation of information into the clinical setting difficult and creates ethical, legal, and social challenges for providers. This article overviews some of the legal and ethical foundations that guide our response to current complex issues in health care associated with the impact of scientific discoveries related to the human genome. Overlapping ethical, legal, and social implications impact nurses and other healthcare professionals as they seek to identify and translate into practice important information related to new genomic scientific knowledge. Ethical and legal foundations such as professional codes, human dignity, and human rights provide the framework for understanding highly complex genomic issues. Ethical, legal, and social concerns of the health provider in the translation of genomic knowledge into practice including minimizing harms, maximizing benefits, transparency, confidentiality, and informed consent are described. Additionally, nursing professional competencies related to ethical, legal, and social issues in the translation of genomics into health care are discussed. Ethical, legal, and social considerations in new genomic discovery necessitate that healthcare professionals have knowledge and competence to respond to complex genomic issues and provide appropriate information and care to patients, families, and communities. Understanding the ethical, legal, and social issues in the translation of genomic information into practice is essential to provide patients, families, and communities with competent, safe, effective health care. © 2013 Sigma Theta Tau International.

A rainfall risk analysis thanks to an GIS based estimation of urban vulnerability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Renard, Florent; Pierre-Marie, Chapon

2010-05-01

The urban community of Lyon, situated in France in the north of the Rhône valley, comprises 1.2 million inhabitants within 515 km ². With such a concentration of issues, policy makers and local elected officials therefore attach great importance to the management of hydrological risks, particularly due to the inherent characteristics of the territory. If the hazards associated with these risks in the territory of Lyon have been the subject of numerous analyses, studies on the vulnerability of greater Lyon are rare and have common shortcomings that impair their validity. We recall that the risk is seen as the classic relationship between the probability of occurrence of hazards and vulnerability. In this article, this vulnerability will be composed of two parts. The first one is the sensitivity of the stakes facing hydrological hazards as urban runoff, that is to say, their propensity to suffer damage during a flood (Gleize and Reghezza, 2007). The second factor is their relative importance in the functioning of the community. Indeed, not all the stakes could provide the same role and contribution to the Greater Lyon. For example, damage to the urban furniture such as bus shelter seems less harmful to the activities of the urban area than that of transport infrastructure (Renard and Chapon, 2010). This communication proposes to assess the vulnerability of Lyon urban area facing to hydrological hazards. This territory is composed of human, environmental and material stakes. The first part of this work is to identify all these issues so as to completeness. Then, is it required to build a "vulnerability index" (Tixier et al, 2006). Thus, it is necessary to use methods of multicriteria decision aid to evaluate the two components of vulnerability: the sensitivity and the contribution to the functioning of the community. Finally, the results of the overall vulnerability are presented, and then coupled to various hazards related to water such as runoff associated with heavy rains, to locate areas of risk in the urban area. The targets that share the same rank of this vulnerability index do not possess the same importance, or the same sensitivity to the flood hazard. Therefore, the second part of this work is to define the priorities and sensitivities of different targets based on the judgments of experts. Multicriteria decision methods are used to prioritize elements and are therefore adapted to the modelling of the sensitivity of the issues of greater Lyon (Griot, 2008). The purpose of these methods is the assessment of priorities between the different components of the situation. Thomas Saaty's analytic hierarchy process (1980) is the most frequently used because of its many advantages. On this basis, the formal calculations of priorities and sensitivities of the elements have been conducted. These calculations are based on the judgments of experts. Indeed, during semi-structured interview, the 38 experts in our sample delivered a verdict on issues that seem relatively more important than others by binary comparison. They carry the same manner to determine sensitivity's stakes to hazard flooding. Finally, the consistency of answers given by experts is validated by calculating a ratio of coherence, and their results are aggregated to provide functions of priority (based on the relative importance of each stakes), and functions of sensitivity (based on the relative sensitivity of each stakes). From these functions of priority and sensitivity is obtained the general function of vulnerability. The vulnerability functions allow defining the importance of the stakes of Greater Lyon and their sensitivity to hydrological hazards. The global vulnerability function is obtained from sensitivity and priority functions and shows the great importance of human issues (75 %). The vulnerability factor of environmental targets represents 12 % of the global vulnerability function, as much as the materials issues. However, it can be seen that the environmental and material stakes do not represent the same weight into the priority and sensitivity functions. Indeed, the environmental issues seem more important than the material ones (17 % for the environmental stakes whereas only 5 % for the material stakes in the priority function), but less sensitive to an hydrological hazard (6 % for the environmental issues while 20 % for the material issues in the sensitivity function). Similarly, priority functions and sensitivity are established for all stakes at all levels. The stakes are then converted into a mesh form (100 meters wide). This will standardize the collection framework and the heterogeneous nature of data to allow their comparison. Finally, it is obtained a detailed, consistent and objective vulnerability of the territory of Greater Lyon. At the end, to get a direct reading of risk, combination of hazard and vulnerability, it is overlaid the two maps.

Attitude importance and the accumulation of attitude-relevant knowledge in memory.

PubMed

Holbrook, Allyson L; Berent, Matthew K; Krosnick, Jon A; Visser, Penny S; Boninger, David S

2005-05-01

People who attach personal importance to an attitude are especially knowledgeable about the attitude object. This article tests an explanation for this relation: that importance causes the accumulation of knowledge by inspiring selective exposure to and selective elaboration of relevant information. Nine studies showed that (a) after watching televised debates between presidential candidates, viewers were better able to remember the statements made on policy issues on which they had more personally important attitudes; (b) importance motivated selective exposure and selective elaboration: Greater personal importance was associated with better memory for relevant information encountered under controlled laboratory conditions, and manipulations eliminating opportunities for selective exposure and selective elaboration eliminated the importance-memory accuracy relation; and (c) people do not use perceptions of their knowledge volume to infer how important an attitude is to them, but importance does cause knowledge accumulation.

Recent advances in stable isotope labeling based techniques for proteome relative quantification.

PubMed

Zhou, Yuan; Shan, Yichu; Zhang, Lihua; Zhang, Yukui

2014-10-24

The large scale relative quantification of all proteins expressed in biological samples under different states is of great importance for discovering proteins with important biological functions, as well as screening disease related biomarkers and drug targets. Therefore, the accurate quantification of proteins at proteome level has become one of the key issues in protein science. Herein, the recent advances in stable isotope labeling based techniques for proteome relative quantification were reviewed, from the aspects of metabolic labeling, chemical labeling and enzyme-catalyzed labeling. Furthermore, the future research direction in this field was prospected. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Science, Science Education and Their Discontents: A Response to Commentaries on the Paper, "Portrait of a Science Teacher as a Bricoleur--A Case Study from India"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharma, Ajay

2008-01-01

In this response to commentaries by Ali Sammel, Jhumki Basu and Alberto Rodriguez, I present my perspective on three important issues raised by the commentators. These issues relate to the role of a researcher in her field settings and society, the critique of science and science education as oppressive dominant discourses, and co-opting…

Planning for PACS: a comprehensive guide to nontechnical considerations.

PubMed

Cohen, Mervyn D; Rumreich, Lori L; Garriot, Kimberley M; Jennings, S Gregory

2005-04-01

A complete picture archiving and communication system (PACS) installation is one of the largest projects a radiology department will undertake. Although technology issues are important, they often draw focus away from many other significant issues This paper describes in detail all of these other necessary components that need to be addressed if a PACS installation is to be relatively trouble free, provides guidelines for successful PACS implementation, and details pitfalls to be avoided.

Dying with Dignity: Difficult Times, Difficult Choices. A Report Presented by the Chairman of the Select Committee on Aging. House of Representatives, Ninety-Ninth Congress, First Session.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. House Select Committee on Aging.

This report from the Select Committee on Aging examines financial, medical, and social issues surrounding terminally ill patients with special emphasis on the elderly terminally ill. The first section discusses topics related to the medical treatment of the terminally ill. Two basic issues are important: the right to have medical treatment and the…

Global issues related to enteric viral infections.

PubMed

Desselberger, Ulrich

2014-01-01

Acute viral gastroenteritis is a major health issue worldwide and is associated with high annual mortality, particularly in children of developing countries. Rotaviruses, caliciviruses and astroviruses are the main causes. Accurate diagnoses are possible by recently developed molecular techniques. In many setups, zoonotic transmission is an important epidemiological factor. Treatment consists of rehydration and is otherwise symptomatic. The worldwide introduction of universal rotavirus vaccination of infants has significantly reduced rotavirus disease and mortality.

Good physician relations key to success of women's centers.

PubMed

Anderson, H J

1991-03-05

Women's health centers are opening across the country, fueled by clinical, cultural, consumer and marketing factors. But before opening a women's center, it's important to consider all the elements that can make such a venture a success--or not. Experts say it's important to carry out a philosophy of women's health, including a strong patient education component, to complete physician recruiting before the center is to open, to hire a director, and to consider the gender issues related to staffing. In a related phenomenon, breast health centers are gaining attention as a new marketing focus in ambulatory care.

Qualitative research on the attitudes toward teenage sexual behavior of Chinese British families: methodological issues.

PubMed

Yu, Juping

2009-04-01

Qualitative approaches have been increasingly used to explore ethnic differences in teenage sexual behavior, and methodological issues of conducting such research often remain unaddressed. This article discusses issues related to sampling, rapport, language, and ethnical considerations arising while undertaking research on attitudes toward teenage sexual behavior held by Chinese British families. It highlights the value of using snowball sampling, the importance of establishing rapport, and some advantages of matching the ethnic background between researcher and participants. The researcher's gender and social and cultural backgrounds affect research processes and findings, and this itself merits further reflection.

Worksite health promotion: some important questions.

PubMed

Matteson, M T; Ivancevich, J M

1988-01-01

Recent years have seen a rapid growth in the number of worksite health promotion programs being offered. While the potential benefits to employers of such programs are many, a variety of issues influence to what extent these benefits are obtained. This article identifies several such issues in the form of questions which need to be addressed by organizations engaged in health promotion activities. Questions relating to program needs and objectives identification, program introduction strategies, costs, legal issues, and ethical considerations are discussed. It is suggested that continued growth and success in worksite health promotion activities is in part dependent upon thoughtful consideration of such questions.

Issues and Experiences in Logistics Collaboration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehoux, Nadia; Audy, Jean-François; D‘Amours, Sophie; Rönnqvist, Mikael

Collaborative logistics is becoming more important in today’s industry. This is driven by increased environmental concerns, improved efficiency through collaborative planning supporting resources sharing and new business models implementation. This paper explores collaborative logistics and reports on business applications within the forest products industry in Sweden and Canada. It first describes current opportunities in collaborative planning. It then discusses issues related to building the coalition as well as sharing resources and benefits. Three business cases are described and used to support the discussion around these main issues. Finally, different challenges are detailed, opening new paths for researchers in the field.

Exact reconstruction analysis/synthesis filter banks with time-varying filters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arrowood, J. L., Jr.; Smith, M. J. T.

1993-01-01

This paper examines some of the analysis/synthesis issues associated with FIR time-varying filter banks where the filter bank coefficients are allowed to change in response to the input signal. Several issues are identified as being important in order to realize performance gains from time-varying filter banks in image coding applications. These issues relate to the behavior of the filters as transition from one set of filter banks to another occurs. Lattice structure formulations for the time varying filter bank problem are introduced and discussed in terms of their properties and transition characteristics.

GEOSPATIAL DATA ACCURACY ASSESSMENT

EPA Science Inventory

The development of robust accuracy assessment methods for the validation of spatial data represent's a difficult scientific challenge for the geospatial science community. The importance and timeliness of this issue is related directly to the dramatic escalation in the developmen...

78 FR 13868 - New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-01

.... It is an important early step in what will be a multi-step process to develop the policy. The agenda... opportunity for communications between participants about management and science issues that relate to the ABC...

Competition in health insurance markets: limitations of current measures for policy analysis.

PubMed

Scanlon, Dennis P; Chernew, Michael; Swaminathan, Shailender; Lee, Woolton

2006-12-01

Health care reform proposals often rely on increased competition in health insurance markets to drive improved performance in health care costs, access, and quality. We examine a range of data issues related to the measures of health insurance competition used in empirical studies published from 1994-2004. The literature relies exclusively on market structure and penetration variables to measure competition. While these measures are correlated, the degree of correlation is modest, suggesting that choice of measure could influence empirical results. Moreover, certain measurement issues such as the lack of data on PPO enrollment, the treatment of small firms, and omitted market characteristics also could affect the conclusions in empirical studies. Importantly, other types of measures related to competition (e.g., the availability of information on price and outcomes, degree of entry barriers, etc.) are important from both a theoretical and policy perspective, but their impact on market outcomes has not been widely studied.

Evaluation and recognition of skin images with aging by support vector machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Liangjun; Wu, Shulian; Li, Hui

2016-10-01

Aging is a very important issue not only in dermatology, but also cosmetic science. Cutaneous aging involves both chronological and photoaging aging process. The evaluation and classification of aging is an important issue with the medical cosmetology workers nowadays. The purpose of this study is to assess chronological-age-related and photo-age-related of human skin. The texture features of skin surface skin, such as coarseness, contrast were analyzed by Fourier transform and Tamura. And the aim of it is to detect the object hidden in the skin texture in difference aging skin. Then, Support vector machine was applied to train the texture feature. The different age's states were distinguished by the support vector machine (SVM) classifier. The results help us to further understand the mechanism of different aging skin from texture feature and help us to distinguish the different aging states.

Camera sensor arrangement for crop/weed detection accuracy in agronomic images.

PubMed

Romeo, Juan; Guerrero, José Miguel; Montalvo, Martín; Emmi, Luis; Guijarro, María; Gonzalez-de-Santos, Pablo; Pajares, Gonzalo

2013-04-02

In Precision Agriculture, images coming from camera-based sensors are commonly used for weed identification and crop line detection, either to apply specific treatments or for vehicle guidance purposes. Accuracy of identification and detection is an important issue to be addressed in image processing. There are two main types of parameters affecting the accuracy of the images, namely: (a) extrinsic, related to the sensor's positioning in the tractor; (b) intrinsic, related to the sensor specifications, such as CCD resolution, focal length or iris aperture, among others. Moreover, in agricultural applications, the uncontrolled illumination, existing in outdoor environments, is also an important factor affecting the image accuracy. This paper is exclusively focused on two main issues, always with the goal to achieve the highest image accuracy in Precision Agriculture applications, making the following two main contributions: (a) camera sensor arrangement, to adjust extrinsic parameters and (b) design of strategies for controlling the adverse illumination effects.

'Hot particles' in the cold light of day: principles for a stakeholder and public engagement architecture relating to historic liabilities in the marine environment.

PubMed

Wylie, Rick

2007-09-01

This paper discusses issues in stakeholder relations, focusing on the challenges of liabilities management associated with small fragments of irradiated nuclear fuel hereafter termed particles (and sometimes termed 'hot particles' in the public domain, from which this paper gets its title), produced over a number of decades from now ceased operations at Dounreay. It describes key problems confronting the nuclear industry in developing a stakeholder-relations strategy. Drawing upon examples of the stakeholder activity at Dounreay, and using an ecological metaphor, an innovative architecture for stakeholder engagement relating to nuclear issues is outlined. This is based upon the view that the solution of the stakeholder issue must reflect the complexity and connectivity of influences and interests within the stakeholder environment. It is argued that the lay public should be visualised as the stakeholder if an effective stakeholder-relations strategy is to be achieved. The importance of creating trust in a context of scientific uncertainty is highlighted. This will, it is argued, become an increasingly salient issue in the thrust for openness and transparency, two key drivers of nuclear industry public and stakeholder relations, which could make the limits of scientific knowledge and control more widely appreciated, and bring to the fore the role of lay conceptions of perceived risk.

Perceived importance of sustainability and ethics related to fish: a consumer behavior perspective.

PubMed

Verbeke, Wim; Vanhonacker, Filiep; Sioen, Isabelle; Van Camp, John; De Henauw, Stefaan

2007-11-01

Although sustainability and ethics are of increasing public importance, little research has been conducted to reveal its association with fish consumer behavior. Cross-sectional data were collected through a postal self-administered survey (June 2005) from a sample of 381 Flemish women aged 20-50 years. Consumers attach high perceived importance to sustainability and ethics related to fish. However, this perceived importance is neither correlated with fish consumption frequency nor with general attitude toward eating fish. Refusing to eat wild fish is grounded in sustainability and ethical concerns, whereas the decision not to eat farmed fish is associated with a lower expected intrinsic quality rather than shaped by importance attached to sustainability and ethical issues.

'Important… but of low status': male education leaders' views on gender in medicine.

PubMed

Risberg, Gunilla; Johansson, Eva E; Hamberg, Katarina

2011-06-01

The implementation of and communication about matters associated with gender in medical education have been predominantly perceived as women's issues. This study aimed to explore attitudes towards and experiences of gender-related issues among key male members of faculties of medicine. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 male education leaders from the six medical schools in Sweden. The interviews were analysed qualitatively using a modified grounded theory approach. The core category--'important… but of low status'--reflects ambivalent attitudes towards gender-related issues in medicine among male education leaders. All informants were able to articulate why gender matters. As doctors, they saw gender as a determinant of health and, as bystanders, they had witnessed inequalities and the wasting of women's competence. However, they had doubts about gender-related issues and found them to be overemphasised. Gender education was seen as a threat to medical school curricula as a consequence of the time and space it requires. Gender-related issues were considered to be unscientifically presented, to mostly concern women's issues and to tend to involve 'male bashing' (i.e. gender issues were often labelled as ideological and political). Interviewees asked for facts and knowledge, but questioned specific lessons and gender theory. Experiences of structural constraints, such as prejudice, hierarchies and homosociality, were presented, making gender education difficult and downgrading it. The results indicate that male faculty leaders embrace the importance of gender-related issues, but do not necessarily recognise or defend their impact on an area of significant knowledge and competence in medicine. To change this and to engage more men in gender education, faculty measures are needed to counteract prejudice and to upgrade the time allocation, merits and status of gender implementation work. Based on our findings, we present and discuss possible ways to interest more men and to improve gender education in medicine. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2011.

Body Mass Index

PubMed Central

Nuttall, Frank Q.

2015-01-01

The body mass index (BMI) is the metric currently in use for defining anthropometric height/weight characteristics in adults and for classifying (categorizing) them into groups. The common interpretation is that it represents an index of an individual’s fatness. It also is widely used as a risk factor for the development of or the prevalence of several health issues. In addition, it is widely used in determining public health policies.The BMI has been useful in population-based studies by virtue of its wide acceptance in defining specific categories of body mass as a health issue. However, it is increasingly clear that BMI is a rather poor indicator of percent of body fat. Importantly, the BMI also does not capture information on the mass of fat in different body sites. The latter is related not only to untoward health issues but to social issues as well. Lastly, current evidence indicates there is a wide range of BMIs over which mortality risk is modest, and this is age related. All of these issues are discussed in this brief review. PMID:27340299

Stakeholders' views on ethical issues in the practice of in-vitro fertilisation and embryo transfer in Nigeria.

PubMed

Ajayi, R A; Dibosa-Osadolor, O J

2011-09-01

The provision of IVF for the specialized treatment of infertility has grown very rapidly in Nigeria in recent times, especially within the private sector. The objective of this study was to document the views of key stakeholders regarding salient ethical issues relating to the practice of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) in Nigeria. A think-tank session was convened with participants drawn from different backgrounds and disciplines to deliberate on ethical issues in IVF. Ten key issues were discussed at this inaugural session. It was unanimously agreed that there are no right or wrong answers when considering the ethics and morality of IVF as these are principally dependent on choice and circumstances. However within the legal and socio-cultural dictates of the Nigerian society, right and wrong may be clearly determined on some issues. With the expansion of the IVF industry and technology in Nigeria, the need to address related ethical issues have become paramount. The forum recommended that it is important that regulatory guidelines are put in place to regulate the practice of IVF in Nigeria and to protect patients' rights and safety.

U.S. Policy and Strategy Toward Afghanistan After 2014

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-01

Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) is part of the U.S. Army War College and is the strategic-level study agent for issues related to national security and...attainment accomplish the effect desired ( relates to objective)? • Feasibility—can the action be accomplished by the means available ( relates to concept...Acceptability—are the consequences of cost justified by the importance of the effect desired ( relates to resources/concept)?4 The challenge posed

Discharge planning in mental health care: an integrative review of the literature.

PubMed

Nurjannah, Intansari; Mills, Jane; Usher, Kim; Park, Tanya

2014-05-01

To identify the evidence base related to discharge planning in the context of acute and community mental healthcare service provision to ascertain the need for future research. Discharge planning is an important activity when preparing consumers to transition from hospital to home. The efficiency of discharge planning for consumers living with a mental health issue can influence both the number of future readmissions to acute-care facilities and their quality of life at home. An integrative review of the peer-reviewed literature. This review uses specific search terms and a 21-year time frame to search two key nursing databases CINAHL (Cinahl Information Systems, Glendale, CA, USA) and PSYCHINFO (American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, USA) for research reports investigating the substantive area of enquiry. Hand searches of reference lists and author searches were also conducted. Nineteen peer-reviewed journal articles met the inclusion criteria for this review. Research findings about discharge planning for people living with a mental health issue identify the importance of communication between health professionals, consumers and their families to maximise the effectiveness of this process. The complexity of consumer's healthcare needs influences the discharge planning process and impacts on aftercare compliance and readmission rates. There is a limited amount of research findings relating to differences between health professionals and families' perceptions of the level of information required for effective discharge planning, and the appropriate level of involvement of individuals living with a mental health issue in their own discharge planning. Results from this integrative review will inform future research related to this topic. Discharge planning for consumers living with a mental health issue involves many stakeholders who have different expectations regarding the type of information required and the necessary level of involvement of people living with a mental health issue in this process. Comprehensive discharge planning can result in reduced readmissions to both acute and community mental health services. Understanding the impact of effective communication on the outcomes of discharge planning is an important step in promoting success. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Towards Reducing the Burden of Global Environmental Related Health Problems in the 21st Century

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olanipekun, Johnson Adetunji; Babatunde, Joseph Ojo

2016-01-01

Environmental health issues are major risk factors in the global burden of disease. This paper therefore focuses on the most important link between health and environment. It discusses the most important environmental threats to health in the 21st Century especially in the low and middle income countries. It reviews the burden of disease from…

Ethical issues in the development and implementation of nutrition-related public health policies and interventions: A scoping review

PubMed Central

Peña-Rosas, Juan Pablo; Saxena, Abha; Zamora, Gerardo

2017-01-01

Background The limited integration of ethics in nutrition-related public health policies and interventions is one major concern for those who have the task of implementing them. Ethical challenges that are overlooked during the development of such interventions could raise serious ethical issues during their implementation and even after. As a result, these decision makers need technical support and ethical guidance for adaptation of interventions to local (cultural, social, economic, etc.) contexts. Aim The goal of this scoping review is to delineate and “map” the range of ethical issues in nutrition-related public health interventions, as well as the range of the various fields in which they may arise. Methods A scoping review of empirical research and conceptual literature was conducted following the framework of Arksey and O’Malley. Searches using PubMed with Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) categories and Advanced Search Builder as well as in the Global Health Library were performed. The final sample consists of 169 publications. Results The ethics of public health prevention or treatment of obesity and non-communicable diseases is the most explicitly and frequently discussed subject. In comparison, ethical issues raised by public health interventions in the fields of undernutrition, breastfeeding, vitamin/mineral supplementation and food fortification, food security, food sustainability and food safety are addressed in a lower proportion of the sample. The results illustrate the various natures, types, and scopes of existing public health nutrition-related interventions, and the various ethical issues that may be raised by these interventions, in addition to the numerous and different contexts in which they may be implemented. Discussion The ethical issues faced in the development and implementation of nutrition-related public health interventions are varied and cannot be equated with, nor generalized about, when dealing with specific activities in this field. More importantly, these ethical issues cannot be managed without a careful consideration for the complexity of contexts in which nutrition-related interventions are expected to be implemented. These interventions engage a variety of actors with diverse perspectives and interests. We discuss these challenges and also comment on the importance of considering ethical impacts in the monitoring and evaluation of such interventions. Conclusion General ethical frameworks or recommendations–although useful–cannot be expected to provide policy makers, implementators and other public health personnel with sufficient practical ethical guidance as they cannot consider and anticipate the particularities of all specific nutrition-related public health interventions and the complexity of the contexts in which they are implemented. Further research is needed in order to develop more targeted ethical frameworks. PMID:29073186

Reviews and new metallogenic models of mineral deposits in South China: An introduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Rui-Zhong; Chen, Wei Terry; Xu, De-Ru; Zhou, Mei-Fu

2017-04-01

In South China, the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks were welded together along the Jiangnan Fold Belt during Neoproterozoic time (∼830 Ma). Large-scale mineralization in these two blocks occurred from Proterozoic to Cenozoic, making the region one of the most important polymetallic metallogenic provinces in the world. Of particular importance are world-class deposits of iron-oxide copper gold (IOCG), sediment-hosted Mn-P-Al-(Ni, Mo, PGE), syenite-carbonatite-related REE, felsic intrusion-related Sn-W-Mo-Cu-Fe-Pb-Zn, mafic intrusion-related V-Ti-Fe and Cu-Ni-PGE and low-temperature hydrothermal Pb, Zn, Au, and Sb (Fig. 1). In addition, the Ta-Nb, Hg, As, Tl and U deposits in South China are among the world largest of these kinds. Because of these deposits, South China has been a focus of researches for many years. Publications before 2005 were mostly restricted in Chinese. In the past decade, some case studies on some world-class deposits in South China are available in international journals. These recent studies have advanced our understanding of their mode of formation. However, some important issues regarding the timing, tectonic setting and mechanisms of metal concentration still remain poorly understood. This special issue brings together some of the latest information on these topics, including major review papers on specific types of mineralization and several papers dealing with some specific deposits in the region. We anticipate that this issue will generate more interests in the studies of mineral deposits in South China. In this introduction, we outline the tectonic framework and associated deposits.

Life after transplantation: new transitions in quality of life and psychological distress.

PubMed

Muehrer, Rebecca J; Becker, Bryan N

2005-01-01

Individuals with kidney failure often elect to undergo kidney transplantation because they believe that they will be more active and return a sense of normality to their lives with a functioning transplant. Therefore it is important to assess whether these objectives are being met. To do so, we can examine health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in transplant recipients. A number of tools have been used for this purpose, including general HRQOL instruments such as the 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36) and transplant-specific surveys such as the Kidney Transplant Questionnaire. In general, HRQOL assessments improve with transplantation in functional and physical domains. However, many factors actually influence HRQOL in a negative way, including comorbid conditions, kidney function per se, rejection episodes and hospitalizations, employment status, and adverse effects of medications. Perceived physical appearance, issues related to sexuality, stress, anxiety, and even guilt complicate the emotional and psychological landscape after transplantation. This constellation of factors may be predictive of posttransplant life events, such as resumption of employment. Posttransplant HRQOL may be exceedingly important in understanding the issues related to adherence with treatment regimens, especially in the pediatric and adolescent transplant populations. HRQOL is now established as an important issue after transplantation. Nonetheless, shortcomings still exist in our ability to address HRQOL after transplantation. In particular, more study of patient-centered interventions is needed. The use of standardized methodologies for patient assessment could improve our ability to identify if such patient-centered interventions actually succeed across populations, and help us further address the panoply of factors encompassed within posttransplant HRQOL.

Emerging Perspectives on Values in Organizations. Research in Social Issues in Management Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilliland, Stephen W., Ed.; Steiner, Dirk D., Ed.; Skarlicki, Daniel P., Ed.

This volume considers the central role of values inherent in fairness perceptions and offers new ways to view values related to fairness, as well as work-related values, their antecedents, and consequences. Values are important because they have been shown to predict preferences, attitudes, perceptions, and behavior in organizations. The first…

Science and Policy Issues: A Report of Citizen Concerns and Recommendations for American Agricultural Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Agricultural Research and Extension Users Advisory Board (USDA), Washington, DC.

Two areas which will have far reaching consequences for the future of United States agriculture are discussed: (1) biotechnology; and (2) critical economic research in world trade and commodity supply management. Topics in the first area include: controversies related to biotechnology; the relative importance of health, safety, and environmental…

Transition from High School to Associate Degree Nursing Education: A Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, Kathy Jessee

2012-01-01

Nursing is facing a critical shortage and retention of nursing students is of paramount importance. Much research has been completed related to retention in nursing education and student success, but there is very little in current literature related to issues associated with the transition from high school to associate degree nursing (ADN)…

Urbanisation, poverty and employment: the large metropolis in the third world.

PubMed

Singh, A

1992-01-01

"The main purpose of this paper is to provide an overall review of the chief analytical as well as economic policy issues in relation to Third World cities in the light of the available theoretical and empirical studies on urbanisation, poverty and employment in the developing countries.... Part I...provides basic information on urbanisation in the Third World...[and] outlines the nature and extent of urban poverty in these large cities and considers the impact of the world economic crisis on the urban poor. Part II of the paper discusses the most important structural features of urbanisation in relation to economic development....Finally, Part III briefly examines policy issues in relation to urbanisation and poverty in the Third World's large cities." excerpt

A critical review of gender issues in understanding prolonged disability related to musculoskeletal pain: how are they relevant to rehabilitation?

PubMed

Côté, Daniel; Coutu, Marie-France

2010-01-01

The purpose of this critical review is to describe the available theoretical models for understanding the gender issues in prolonged work disability related to persistent musculoskeletal (MSK) pain. A critical literature review was conducted in medicine, health sciences, and social sciences databases (MEDLINE, CINHAL, PsychINFO and SOCINDEX) using specific keywords. After screening titles and abstracts, followed by methodological quality assessment, a total of 55 references were retained for content analysis. Gender issues in disability related to persistent MSK pain show that men and women may experience pain and rehabilitation process in different ways. Three main themes were exftracted and further described: (1) the experience of distrust; (2) the self-identity process; and (3) the domestic strain. Each of these themes has a specific and potentially different impact on men and women, and we report that experiential differences may strongly impact the rehabilitation process and outcomes such as return to work. This critical review provides insight into gender issues in the process of rehabilitation and outcomes such as return to work. We suggest that work and family considerations are the two most important issues in the rehabilitation process and that differences between men and women are likely to occur.

Treatment options for nonalcoholic Fatty liver disease.

PubMed

Chitturi, Shivakumar

2008-11-01

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease comprises a range of disorders from steatosis and steatohepatitis through to cirrhosis. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis can progress to cirrhosis and liver-related death. Therefore, managing this common disorder is becoming an important public health issue. Lifestyle measures are commonly suggested but robust data are lacking. Trials with antioxidants (vitamin E, betaine) as well as cytoprotectants (ursodeoxycholic acid) have been disappointing. While data for insulin sensitizers such as metformin are less conclusive, thiazolidinediones appear promising. However, not all patients respond to thiazolidinediones. Moreover, issues related to weight gain, cardiovascular risk need to be addressed. The use of endocannabinoid antagonists and insulin secretagogues are novel strategies to combat this disorder.

Older Driver Safety: A Survey of Psychologists' Attitudes, Knowledge, and Practices.

PubMed

Love, Janet; Tuokko, Holly

2016-09-01

Using an online survey, we examined the knowledge, attitudes, and practices with respect to older driver safety concerns of clinical psychologists from across Canada who self-identified as working with at least some drivers over 60 years of age. Eighty-four psychologists completed the survey, and many were aware of the issues relevant to older driver safety, although only about half reported that assessing fitness to drive was an important issue in their practice. The majority (75%) reported that they would benefit from education concerning evaluation of fitness to drive. The primary recommendation emerging from this investigation is to increase efforts to inform and educate psychologists about driving-related assessment and regulatory issues in general, and specifically with respect to older adults. As the population ages, it is of growing importance for all health care providers to understand the influence of mental health conditions-including cognitive impairment and dementia-on driving skills.

Reproductive health and empowerment -- a Rajasthan perspective.

PubMed

Pal, P; Joshi, V

1996-01-01

Reproductive health is one of the major issues of current feminist debates. The issue was brought to light because of population control policies which are being enforced through women's bodies and the spread of HIV/AIDS. In this context, women's organizations and activists are trying to focus upon the issue of reproductive health as part of the larger issue of the position of women in families, societies, and states. Policy makers and donor agencies are trying to address the problem as lack of awareness and knowledge of how to use contraceptives. The authors argue in this situation that it is important to study reproductive health relative to the status of women in society. This paper looks at the existing social construct of patriarchy and population control policies in relation to reproductive health. Women and self, the reproductive role of women, preference for male children, family planning decision making, family planning programs and reproductive health, and the Vikalp program in two districts of Rajasthan are discussed.

Improved mechanisms for stakeholder environmental education

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-10-01

This report discusses the development of a video tape and companion brochure design for use in public meetings. Both the tape and brochure are intended to explain the ADOT noise policy and related issues important to highway projects in Arizona. The ...

Confronting Discrimination and the Integrative Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manning-Miller, Carmen

1993-01-01

Argues for the importance of weaving disability issues into all the courses in a journalism curriculum. Discusses ways to do so in classes on the news editorial, on public relations and advertising, and on mass media history, policy, and ethics. (SR)

Concrete debris assessment for road construction activities : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-08-01

Two distinct but related issues of importance to FDOT were investigated: (1) the possible impact of : recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) used as road base on the subsurface environment and (2) the : management of concrete grinding residuals (CGR) resu...

Ethics and gender issues in palliative care in nursing homes: an Austrian participatory research project.

PubMed

Reitinger, Elisabeth; Heimerl, Katharina

2014-06-01

The development of palliative care in nursing homes in German-speaking countries has gained in importance within the past 15-20 years. Ethical and gender issues are core aspects of a palliative care culture and should therefore be better understood. The aim of this study was to highlight insights regarding ethical and gender issues, based on the experiences of professionals in nursing homes. A 2-year participatory action research study was performed in collaboration with three nursing homes in Austria. The article focusses on 10 group discussions with interdisciplinary professional teams that were conducted to generate ethical narratives. Thematic and narrative analysis was undertaken both individually and within the interdisciplinary research team. Findings and interpretations were validated with practitioners and researchers. A total of 36 narratives were collected and summarised within eight themes concerning the theoretical journey of a nursing home resident with relatives from entry into the house until death. The most burdensome ethical dilemmas are not the ones around death and dying but rather those relating to small-scale everyday work/life issues. Sharing experiences and feelings in ethical discussions provides relief. Emotions are important facilitators of insight into ethical dilemmas. Gender issues can be observed in care situations as well as in the organisational structure of nursing homes. Opportunities to share experiences and perspectives around ethical questions in interdisciplinary group discussions help professionals to better understand difficult issues and find appropriate ways of managing them. There is a need for communication structures such as facilitated ethical discussions that enable nursing home staff to reflect their everyday decisions. Expression of emotions should be encouraged in ethical decision-making processes in nursing homes. Gender-sensitive reflection supports the development of palliative care as organisational culture. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cross-cultural comparison of need importance and need satisfaction during adolescence: Turkey and the United States.

PubMed

Hortaçsu, N

1997-09-01

Turkish and U.S. adolescents' views concerning the importance of different needs and instrumentality of relationships with mothers, fathers, siblings, and same-sex friends for need satisfaction were examined and compared. Questionnaires covered needs related to crucial issues of adolescence, namely, relatedness and autonomy/individuation. Participants were 12- to 17-year-old boys and girls from intact families. Cross-cultural differences in ascribed importance of needs related to some aspects of relatedness and autonomy/individuation emerged. Cross-cultural similarities in ascribed importance of needs related to feelings of basic acceptance and need for self-understanding/development also emerged. Turkish adolescents perceived mothers as more instrumental for need satisfaction than did U.S. adolescents. Gender differences in importance ascribed to different needs also emerged. Cross-cultural differences were consistent with differences in predominant values and model family dynamics of the respective countries.

Internet research in an international context.

PubMed

Baernholdt, Marianne; Clarke, Sean P

2006-02-01

Computers and the Internet provide researchers with new options in surveying. When using electronic surveys, several practical and methodological issues need to be considered such as whether the majority of the surveyed population has Internet access and whether an e-mail or a Web-based survey is most appropriate. Other important considerations relate to Internet security issues and, in international research, the possibility of language barriers. Despite these challenges, electronic surveys offer a promising alternative to conventional mail surveys.

Assessment of acculturation in minority health research

PubMed Central

Fox, Molly; Thayer, Zaneta; Wadhwa, Pathik D.

2017-01-01

Acculturation represents an important construct in the context of health disparities. Although several studies have reported relationships between various aspects of acculturation and health in minority populations, crucial inconsistencies remain. One likely reason for these inconsistencies may relate to limitations in the conceptualization and operationalization of acculturation, particularly in the context of health research. The acculturation construct underwent major conceptual and operational change when it was adapted from anthropology to psychology, and we argue another major shift is now required for use of this construct in health research. Issues include determining whether acculturation measures should focus on an individual’s internal attitudes or overt behaviors; whether they should characterize cultural orientation status at a given point in time or change over time; whether measures should be culture-specific or more global in nature; how the issue of multiculturalism should be addressed; how measures can optimally incorporate multiple dimensions of acculturation; and whether proxy measures should be used. These issues are important in the context of health research because of their implications for determining the direct and indirect effects of cultural change on health-related biological and behavioral processes. We elaborate on and address each of these issues from a perspective that spans multiple disciplines across the biological and social sciences, and offer concrete recommendations with the ultimate goal of achieving a better understanding of the role of acculturation in minority health and health disparities. PMID:28135691

A review of population data utilization in beef cattle research.

PubMed

Jones, R; Langemeier, M

2010-04-01

Controlled experimentation has been the most common source of research data in most biological sciences. However, many research questions lend themselves to the use of population data, or combinations of population data and data resulting from controlled experimentation. Studies of important economic outcomes, such as efficiency, profits, and costs, lend themselves particularly well to this type of analysis. Analytical methods that have been most commonly applied to population data in studies related to livestock production and management include statistical regression and mathematical programming. In social sciences, such as applied economics, it has become common to utilize more than one method in the same study to provide answers to the various questions at hand. Of course, care must be taken to ensure that the methods of analysis are appropriately applied; however, a wide variety of beef industry research questions are being addressed using population data. Issues related to data sources, aggregation levels, and consistency of collection often surface when using population data. These issues are addressed by careful consideration of the questions being addressed and the costs of data collection. Previous research across a variety of cattle production and marketing issues provides a broad foundation upon which to build future research. There is tremendous opportunity for increased use of population data and increased collaboration across disciplines to address issues of importance to the cattle industry.

Adherence issues related to sublingual immunotherapy as perceived by allergists

PubMed Central

Scurati, Silvia; Frati, Franco; Passalacqua, Gianni; Puccinelli, Paola; Hilaire, Cecile; Incorvaia, Cristoforo

2010-01-01

Objectives: Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is a viable alternative to subcutaneous immunotherapy to treat allergic rhinitis and asthma, and is widely used in clinical practice in many European countries. The clinical efficacy of SLIT has been established in a number of clinical trials and meta-analyses. However, because SLIT is self-administered by patients without medical supervision, the degree of patient adherence with treatment is still a concern. The objective of this study was to evaluate the perception by allergists of issues related to SLIT adherence. Methods: We performed a questionnaire-based survey of 296 Italian allergists, based on the adherence issues known from previous studies. The perception of importance of each item was assessed by a VAS scale ranging from 0 to 10. Results: Patient perception of clinical efficacy was considered the most important factor (ranked 1 by 54% of allergists), followed by the possibility of reimbursement (ranked 1 by 34%), and by the absence of side effects (ranked 1 by 21%). Patient education, regular follow-up, and ease of use of SLIT were ranked first by less than 20% of allergists. Conclusion: These findings indicate that clinical efficacy, cost, and side effects are perceived as the major issues influencing patient adherence to SLIT, and that further improvement of adherence is likely to be achieved by improving the patient information provided by prescribers. PMID:20622914

Effects of health and safety problem recognition on small business facility investment.

PubMed

Park, Jisu; Jeong, Harin; Hong, Sujin; Park, Jong-Tae; Kim, Dae-Sung; Kim, Jongseo; Kim, Hae-Joon

2013-10-23

This study involved a survey of the facility investment experiences, which was designed to recognize the importance of health and safety problems, and industrial accident prevention. Ultimately, we hope that small scale industries will create effective industrial accident prevention programs and facility investments. An individual survey of businesses' present physical conditions, recognition of the importance of the health and safety problems, and facility investment experiences for preventing industrial accidents was conducted. The survey involved 1,145 business operators or management workers in small business places with fewer than 50 workers in six industrial complexes. Regarding the importance of occupational health and safety problems (OHS), 54.1% said it was "very important". Received technical and financial support, and industrial accidents that occurred during the past three years were recognized as highly important for OHS. In an investigation regarding facility investment experiences for industrial accident prevention, the largest factors were business size, greater numbers of industrial accidents, greater technical and financial support received, and greater recognition of the importance of the OHS. The related variables that decided facility investment for industry accident prevention in a logistic regression analysis were the experiences of business facilities where industrial accidents occurred during the past three years, received technical and financial support, and recognition of the OHS. Those considered very important were shown to be highly significant. Recognition of health and safety issues was higher when small businesses had experienced industrial accidents or received financial support. The investment in industrial accidents was greater when health and safety issues were recognized as important. Therefore, the goal of small business health and safety projects is to prioritize health and safety issues in terms of business management and recognition of importance. Therefore, currently various support projects are being conducted. However, there are issues regarding the limitations of the target businesses and inadequacies in maintenance and follow-up. Overall, it is necessary to provide various incentives for onsite participation that can lead to increased recognition of health and safety issues and practical investments, while perfecting maintenance and follow up measures by thoroughly revising existing operating systems.

Noise and autism spectrum disorder in children: An exploratory survey.

PubMed

Kanakri, Shireen M; Shepley, Mardelle; Varni, James W; Tassinary, Louis G

2017-04-01

With more students being educated in schools for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) than ever before, architects and interior designers need to consider the environmental features that may be modified to enhance the academic and social success of autistic students in school. This study explored existing empirical research on the impact of noise on children with ASD and provides recommendations regarding design features that can contribute to noise reduction. A survey, which addressed the impact of architectural design elements on autism-related behavior, was developed for teachers of children with ASD and distributed to three schools. Most teachers found noise control to be an important issue for students with autism and many observed children using ear defenders. In terms of managing issues related to noise, most teachers agreed that thick or soundproof walls and carpet in the classroom were the most important issues for children with ASD. Suggested future research should address architectural considerations for building an acoustically friendly environment for children with autism, identifying patterns of problematic behaviors in response to acoustical features of the built environment of the classroom setting, and ways to manage maladaptive behaviors in acoustically unfriendly environments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Accounts from the field: a public relations perspective on global AIDS/HIV.

PubMed

Bardhan, Nilanjana R

2002-01-01

This study is a theoretical as well as empirical exploration of the power and cultural differentials that mark and construct various intersecting discourses, specifically media discourse, on global AIDS/HIV. It applies the language and concepts of public relations to understand how the press coverage of the pandemic is associated with the variables that impact the newsmaking process as well as the public and policy implications of macro news frames generated over time. Theoretical work in the areas of agenda setting and news framing also instruct the conceptual framework of this analysis. Narrative analysis is used as a methodology to qualitatively analyze three pools of accounts-from people either living with AIDS/HIV, involved in AIDS/HIV work, or discursively engaged in the media construction of the pandemic; from transnational wire service journalists who cover the issue at global and regional levels; and policy shapers and communicators who are active at the global level. These three communities of respondents represent important stakeholders in the AIDS/HIV issue. The findings are analyzed from a public relations standpoint. Perhaps the most important finding of this study is that the public relations approaches used to address AIDS/HIV related issues need to be grounded in context-specific research and communicative practices that bring out the lived realities of AIDS/HIV at grassroots levels. The findings also posit that those situated at critical junctions between various stakeholders need to cultivate a finely balanced understanding of the etic and emic intersections and subjectivities of global/local AIDS/HIV.

Pneumococcal disease in Australia: current status and future challenges. A report of the workshop held at the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, 8-9 November, 2002.

PubMed

Roche, Paul; McIntyre, Peter; Spencer, Jenean

2003-01-01

In relation to surveillance, the predominant issue discussed was universal versus sentinel enhanced surveillance of IPD. In northern Australia, it will be important for enhanced surveillance to continue and to be as complete as possible. There are a number of reasons for this. First, the high incidence and high serotype diversity of IPD in Indigenous children in these areas has prompted the recommendation for boosters with 23vPPV to increase serotype coverage. This makes high quality, comprehensive surveillance essential for national policy. It is also important internationally as such as vaccine program has not been implemented anywhere else but is potentially applicable to other comparable populations. Secondly, the small absolute numbers of cases require data to be accumulated as comprehensively as possible. In relation to vaccine issues, both 23vPPV and 7vPCV policy are important. There was strong support from the meeting for the recent recommendation from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation that both 23vPPV (for those over 65 years) and 7vPCV (for those less than 2 years) be publicly funded as universal programs. With respect to the current programs, there were important issues for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for both 23vPPV and 7vPCV. For 23vPPV, research is required into both the utility and frequency of boosters in adults as well as any potential role for 7vPCV in adults. Improving the identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children is important, especially in urban areas.

Students' opinions on welfare and ethics issues for companion animals in Australian and New Zealand veterinary schools.

PubMed

Degeling, C; Fawcett, A; Collins, T; Hazel, S; Johnson, J; Lloyd, J; Phillips, Cjc; Stafford, K; Tzioumis, V; McGreevy, P

2017-06-01

To determine what veterinary students in Australia and New Zealand consider important competences in companion animal welfare and ethics (AWE) required on their first day of practice, and to explore how their priorities relate to gender and stage of study. Undergraduate students at all veterinary schools in Australia and New Zealand were sent an online survey. A subset of questions required participants to rank the importance of preselected AWE topics pertaining to companion animals. Data were analysed to determine differences in the way students of different gender or academic stage prioritised each of these AWE topics. Of 3220 currently enrolled students, 851 participated in the survey: 79% were female, 17% male, 4% unspecified. Ranking of the AWE topics, from highest to lowest importance, was: neutering, companion animal husbandry, euthanasia, behaviour and training, animal breeding, over-servicing in relation to animal needs and cosmetic surgery. Female students consistently ranked competency in AWE issues surrounding neutering more highly than male students (P = 0.006). Students in senior years of study ranked the importance of competency in animal abuse/hoarding (P = 0.048), shelter medicine (P = 0.012) and animal breeding (P = 0.002) less highly than those in junior years. Australasian veterinary students placed more importance on competency in AWE issues associated with clinical practice (such as neutering and euthanasia) than on professional behaviours (such as over-servicing and animal breeding). However, we consider that emphasis should still be placed on developing graduate competency in the latter categories to reflect growing societal concerns about companion animal over-supply and inappropriate professional conduct. © 2017 Australian Veterinary Association.

1979 New Mexico legislative session: energy issues and legislation. [WIPP

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

Barsumian, L.; Vandevender, S.G.

1979-10-01

This report is an account of the energy legislation and associated issues considered during the 1979 session of the 34th New Mexico Legislature. The session's major issue was the federal study of a proposed nuclear Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico. A large proportion of time and effort was spent on resolving the state's formal position toward the federal project. However, other energy concerns were also significant even though they were neither as controversial nor as visible as the primary issue. The two most important laws enacted were the Radioactive Waste Consultation Act and the Radioactive Waste Transportationmore » Act. The Legislature considered 47 other energy-related bills, of which 17 were enacted.« less

Regional Seminars to Address Current Nuclear Export Control Issues

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

Killinger, Mark H.

2002-07-01

The control of nuclear-related exports, a critical component of the nonproliferation regime, is facing several opportunities and challenges. As countries sign and ratify the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) safeguards Additional Protocol (AP), they will begin to report far more export information, including exports of a list of items similar to the Nuclear Supplier Group's Trigger List that existed when the AP was developed in the mid-1990s. This positive development contrasts with challenges such as globalization, transshipments, and tracking of end-uses. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is proposing that the US Department of Energy (DOE) develop regional seminars that address thesemore » types of issues related to export/import controls. The DOE seminars would be designed to supplement regional seminars sponsored by the IAEA and member states on topics related to the Additional Protocol (referred to as "IAEA seminars"). The topic of nuclear export/import controls is not thoroughly addressed in the IAEA seminars. The proposed DOE seminars would therefore have two objectives: familiarizing countries with the export/import provisions of the Additional Protocol, and addressing challenges such as those noted above. The seminars would be directed particularly at countries that have not ratified the AP, and at regions where export-related problems are particularly prevalent. The intent is to encourage governments to implement more effective nuclear export control systems that meet the challenges of the 21st century.« less

Political ideologies and health-oriented beliefs and behaviors: an empirical examination of strategic issues.

PubMed

Murrow, J J; Coulter, R L; Coulter, M K

2000-01-01

The area of health care has been called the most important political issue of the 1990s. Attitudes toward health care reform, increasing health costs, and defensive medical practices have been examined in the public press and by academicians. In addition, a substantial amount of research has been directed toward the improvement of individual personal health due to changes in personal health-related habits and behaviors. To date, there are relatively few studies which have attempted to examine the political tendencies of a nationwide sample of respondents as they relate to personal health-related beliefs and behaviors. This article explores the consumer's views on critical questions relating to health orientations and political tendencies. The results indicate a divergence between the political orientations of respondents and their beliefs and behaviors associated with health and wellness. Implications for policy-makers are discussed.

Furniture and Equipment: How Can We Keep Our Children from Being at Risk?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Enderle, Jerry

2002-01-01

Presents an interview with Dr. Lorraine Maxwell, an expert in human-environment relations, about important comfort and health issues to consider when looking at the furniture used as computer workstations in U.S. schools. (EV)

Virtual Libraries: Meeting the Corporate Challenge.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DiMattia, Susan S.; Blumenstein, Lynn C.

1999-01-01

Discusses virtual libraries in corporate settings from the viewpoint of five special librarians. Highlights include competitive advantage, space and related collection issues, the use of technology, corporate culture, information overload, library vulnerability and downsizing, and the importance of service over format. (LRW)

Process Versus Task in Social Planning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilbert, Neil; Specht, Harry

1977-01-01

For several decades, the relative importance of process as opposed to task has been an issue in the literature. This study of the Model Cities program examines the relationship between program outcomes and the process and task orientations of program planners. (Author)

COPPER CORROSION RESEARCH UPDATE

EPA Science Inventory

Copper release and corrosion related issues continue to be important to many water systems. The objective of this presentation is to discuss the current state of copper research at the USEPA. Specifically, the role of aging on copper release, use of phosphates for copper corrosio...

The Importance of Family History in Breast Cancer Patients in Primary Care Setting: a Cross-sectional Study.

PubMed

Kartal, Mehtap; Ozcakar, Nilgun; Hatipoglu, Sehnaz; Tan, Makbule Neslisah; Guldal, Azize Dilek

2018-06-01

Screening recommendations of physicians are important for women to raise awareness about their risk factors and to promote appropriate screening behaviors. However, it seems challenging for primary care physicians (PCPs) to balance disease prevention and diagnosis, treatment. The objective of this study was to describe physicians' breast cancer consultancy practice including family history, cancer prevention issues for the women they care. This cross-sectional study included 577 women aged above 45 years, free of breast cancer, during their visits to their PCPs. Nearly half of the women reported their visit to PCPs for an annual examination during the year. Among them, 36.1% had first-degree relatives with cancer and 7.3% with breast cancer. But they reported to be asked about family history of cancer and informed about cancer prevention issues 35.1 and 26.4%, respectively. Cancer still seems to be a hard issue to be discussed, even with women visiting PCPs for annual examination. Asking first-degree relative with breast cancer can give PCPs the chance of determining women with increased risk and support women's appropriate understanding of their own risk in relation to their family history. This routine can make shared-decision making for developing person-centered approach for breast cancer screening possible. Further studies are needed for better understanding of loss of consultancy leadership of physicians for breast cancer.

The role of union democracy in the struggle for workers' health in Mexico.

PubMed

Laurell, A C

1989-01-01

In this article, the author analyzes the struggle for workers' health in Mexico, emphasizing the importance of the general and specific political context. In an overview of the legislation on industrial health and safety, the state institutions involved in the issue, and the characteristics of union organization in Mexico, the author shows that the limited activities related to workers' health have more to do with the relative political weakness of the Mexican working class than with the formal structures of legislation, state institutions, and unions. The second part of the article deals with the four most important struggles for health and safety in Mexico during the last ten years, which show some similarities. These struggles are consistently linked to processes of union democratization and tend to decline when union democracy is lost. The strategies of the companies show a common pattern: removing health issues from collective bargaining and putting them in the hands of state institutions. When workers have opposed this solution, management has used selective repression to solve the conflict. The state institutions subordinate their position to the companies' by postponing action or by doing a technically poor job. Changing the existing situation involves the social legitimation of the workers' health issue, since this would have an impact on the political processes involved, i.e., corporate control over workers, authoritarian labor relations and professionalism, and resources of the state institutions.

Sleep: important considerations for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

PubMed

Grandner, Michael A; Alfonso-Miller, Pamela; Fernandez-Mendoza, Julio; Shetty, Safal; Shenoy, Sundeep; Combs, Daniel

2016-09-01

Sleep plays many roles in maintenance of cardiovascular health. This review summarizes the literature across several areas of sleep and sleep disorders in relation to cardiometabolic disease risk factors. Insufficient sleep duration is prevalent in the population and is associated with weight gain and obesity, inflammation, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and mortality. Insomnia is also highly present and represents an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease, especially when accompanied by short sleep duration. Sleep apnea is a well-characterized risk factor for cardiometabolic disease and cardiovascular mortality. Other issues are relevant as well. For example, sleep disorders in pediatric populations may convey cardiovascular risks. Also, sleep may play an important role in cardiovascular health disparities. Sleep and sleep disorders are implicated in cardiometabolic disease risk. This review addresses these and other issues, concluding with recommendations for research and clinical practice.

Why Research Design and Methods Is So Crucial to Understanding Drug Use/Abuse: Introduction to the Special Issue.

PubMed

Scheier, Lawrence M

2018-06-01

The collection of articles in this special issue both raise the bar and inspire new thinking with regard to both design and methodology concerns that influence drug use/abuse research. Thematically speaking, the articles focus on issues related to missing data, response formats, strategies for data harmonization, propensity scoring methods as an alternative to randomized control trials, integrative data analysis, statistical corrections to reduce bias from attrition, challenges faced from conducting large-scale evaluations, and employing abductive theory of method as an alternative to the more traditional hypothetico-deductive reasoning. Collectively, these issues are of paramount importance as they provide specific means to improve our investigative tools and refine the logical framework we employ to examine the problem of drug use/abuse. Each of the authors addresses a specific challenge outlining how it affects our current research efforts and then outlines remedies that can advance the field. To their credit, they have included issues that affect both etiology and prevention, thus broadening our horizons as we learn more about developmental processes causally related to drug use/abuse and intervention strategies that can mitigate developmental vulnerability. This is the essential dialogue required to advance our intellectual tool kit and improve the research skills we bring to bear on the important questions facing the field of drug use/abuse. Ultimately, the goal is to increase our ability to identify the causes and consequences of drug use/abuse and find ways to ameliorate these problems as we engage the public health agenda.

Security Vulnerability Profiles of NASA Mission Software: Empirical Analysis of Security Related Bug Reports

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goseva-Popstojanova, Katerina; Tyo, Jacob P.; Sizemore, Brian

2017-01-01

NASA develops, runs, and maintains software systems for which security is of vital importance. Therefore, it is becoming an imperative to develop secure systems and extend the current software assurance capabilities to cover information assurance and cybersecurity concerns of NASA missions. The results presented in this report are based on the information provided in the issue tracking systems of one ground mission and one flight mission. The extracted data were used to create three datasets: Ground mission IVV issues, Flight mission IVV issues, and Flight mission Developers issues. In each dataset, we identified the software bugs that are security related and classified them in specific security classes. This information was then used to create the security vulnerability profiles (i.e., to determine how, why, where, and when the security vulnerabilities were introduced) and explore the existence of common trends. The main findings of our work include:- Code related security issues dominated both the Ground and Flight mission IVV security issues, with 95 and 92, respectively. Therefore, enforcing secure coding practices and verification and validation focused on coding errors would be cost effective ways to improve mission's security. (Flight mission Developers issues dataset did not contain data in the Issue Category.)- In both the Ground and Flight mission IVV issues datasets, the majority of security issues (i.e., 91 and 85, respectively) were introduced in the Implementation phase. In most cases, the phase in which the issues were found was the same as the phase in which they were introduced. The most security related issues of the Flight mission Developers issues dataset were found during Code Implementation, Build Integration, and Build Verification; the data on the phase in which these issues were introduced were not available for this dataset.- The location of security related issues, as the location of software issues in general, followed the Pareto principle. Specifically, for all three datasets, from 86 to 88 the security related issues were located in two to four subsystems.- The severity levels of most security issues were moderate, in all three datasets.- Out of 21 primary security classes, five dominated: Exception Management, Memory Access, Other, Risky Values, and Unused Entities. Together, these classes contributed from around 80 to 90 of all security issues in each dataset. This again proves the Pareto principle of uneven distribution of security issues, in this case across CWE classes, and supports the fact that addressing these dominant security classes provides the most cost efficient way to improve missions' security. The findings presented in this report uncovered the security vulnerability profiles and identified the common trends and dominant classes of security issues, which in turn can be used to select the most efficient secure design and coding best practices compiled by the part of the SARP project team associated with the NASA's Johnson Space Center. In addition, these findings provide valuable input to the NASA IVV initiative aimed at identification of the two 25 CWEs of ground and flight missions.

An issue of blood: the healing of the woman with the haemorrhage (Mark 5.24B-34; Luke 8.42B-48; Matthew 9.19-22) in early medieval visual culture.

PubMed

Baert, Barbara; Kusters, Liesbet; Sidgwick, Emma

2012-09-01

The textual and visual tradition of the story of the woman with the haemorrhage (Mark 5.24b-34parr), the so-called Haemorrhoissa, is related in a specific way to Christ's healing miracles but also to conceptions of female menstrual blood. We notice that with regard to the specific 'issue of blood' of the Haemorrhoissa, there is a visual lacuna in the specific iconography that developed around the story from early Christian times: in the transposition from text to image, there is no immediate depiction of her bleeding. However, the early medieval reception of the story also became an important catalyst for uterine taboos, menstruation and tits relation to magical healing, understood as a system of health practices. In this context, the dissemination of the motif in everyday material culture clearly points to a deep-rooted connection to uterine and menstrual issues. The paper considers both expressions and their-anthropologically framed-relation to this female 'issue of blood', which the Haemorrhoissa came to embody and epitomise literally, as well as figuratively.

Auditory interfaces: The human perceiver

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Colburn, H. Steven

1991-01-01

A brief introduction to the basic auditory abilities of the human perceiver with particular attention toward issues that may be important for the design of auditory interfaces is presented. The importance of appropriate auditory inputs to observers with normal hearing is probably related to the role of hearing as an omnidirectional, early warning system and to its role as the primary vehicle for communication of strong personal feelings.

Hope and Climate Change: The Importance of Hope for Environmental Engagement among Young People

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ojala, Maria

2012-01-01

Although many young people think climate change is an important societal issue, studies indicate that pessimism is quite common. Finding ways to instill hope could therefore be seen as vital. However, is hope positively related to engagement or is it only a sign of illusory optimism? The aim of the study was to explore if hope concerning climate…

Preface: Ecosystem services, ecosystem health and human communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plag, Hans-Peter

2018-04-01

This special issue contains a collection of manuscripts that were originally intended to be included in the special issue on "Physics and Economics of Ecosystem Services Flows" (Volume 101, guest editors H. Su, J. Dong and S. Nagarajan) and "Biogeochemical Processes in the Changing Wetland Environment" (Volume 103, guest editors J. Bai, L. Huang and H. Gao). All of them are addressing issues related to ecosystem services in different settings. Ecosystem services are of high value for both the ecosystems and human communities, and understanding the impacts of environmental processes and human activities on ecosystems is of fundamental importance for the preservation of these services.

Bioethics, biotechnology and culture: a voice from the margins.

PubMed

Tangwa, Godfrey B

2004-12-01

In this paper I argue for the universality of morality as against and in spite of the plurality and inevitable relativity of human cultures. Universalisability is the litmus test of moral authenticity whereas culture tends to impose an egocentric predicament. I argue equally for the equality of cultures qua cultures and of the importance of different cultural perspectives, given the limitations of each and every particular culture, in a balanced and wholesome appreciation of moral issues, particularly issues of cross-cultural relevance. I then try to anchor my reflections on a few topical ethical issues of cross-cultural relevance which have been the subject of controversy in recent times.

"They Did Things Differently Then": Diversity and Challenge from Key Stage 1

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bracey, Paul; Jackson, Darius; Gove-Humphries, Alison

2011-01-01

This paper is based on the premise that controversial issues related to diversity are an important aspect of teaching and learning with all pupils. It was stimulated by a newspaper article which criticised teaching Key Stage 1 (5-7-year-old children) about Grace O'Malley, an Irish Queen. We argue that sixteenth century Anglo-Irish relations can be…

Construction and Validation of a Survey Instrument to Determine the Gender-Related Challenges Faced by Pre-Service Male Primary Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cruickshank, Vaughan; Pedersen, Scott; Hill, Allen; Callingham, Rosemary

2015-01-01

The gender-related challenges facing males entering the primary-school teaching profession have been well documented in the academic literature over recent decades. The majority of these data have come about through qualitative reports. Whilst qualitative methods provide important perspectives into these issues, the use of valid and reliable…

A Viral (Arc)hive for Metazoan Memory.

PubMed

Parrish, Nicholas F; Tomonaga, Keizo

2018-01-11

Arc, a master regulator of synaptic plasticity, contains sequence elements that are evolutionarily related to retrotransposon Gag genes. Two related papers in this issue of Cell show that Arc retains retroviral-like capsid-forming ability and can transmit mRNA between cells in the nervous system, a process that may be important for synaptic function. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Changes in Primary Students' Informal Reasoning during an Environment-Related Curriculum on Socio-Scientific Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karpudewan, Mageswary; Roth, Wolff-Michael

2018-01-01

Recent studies emphasize the importance of learning science while considering multiple perspectives on environment, society, economy, and technology, which allows learners to relate what they do in the classroom to the world beyond. In this study, 68 12-year-old primary students from 1 Malaysian school were followed while they engaged in a science…

Psychometric evaluation of the Environmental Reality Shock-Related Issues and Concerns instrument for newly graduated nurses.

PubMed

Kim, Eun-Young; Yeo, Jung Hee; Park, Hyunjeong; Sin, Kyung Mi; Jones, Cheryl B

2018-02-01

Reality shock is a critical representation of the gap between nursing education and clinical practice and it is important to explore the level of reality shock among nurses. However, there is no relevant instrument to assess the level of reality shock in South Korea. The purpose of this is to determine the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the Environmental Reality Shock-Related Issues and Concerns instrument. A cross-sectional study design was used in this study. The data collection was conducted in selected 15 hospitals in South Korea. A convenience sample of 216 newly graduated nurses participated in the study. The Korean version of the Environmental Reality Shock-Related Issues and Concerns instrument was developed through the forward-backward translation technique, and revision based on feedback from expert groups. The internal consistency reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, and the construct validity was determined via exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The Korean version of the Environmental Reality Shock-Related Issues and Concerns has reliable internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.91). Exploratory factor analysis revealed five factors including job, relationships, expectations, private life, and performance, which explained 61.92% of variance. The factor loadings ranged from 0.451 to 0.832. The five-factor structure was validated by confirmatory factor analysis (RMR<0.05, CFI>0.9). It was concluded that the Korean version of the Environmental Reality Shock-Related Issues and Concerns instrument has satisfactory construct validity and reliability to measure the reality shock of newly graduated nurses in South Korea. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of health and safety problem recognition on small business facility investment

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Objectives This study involved a survey of the facility investment experiences, which was designed to recognize the importance of health and safety problems, and industrial accident prevention. Ultimately, we hope that small scale industries will create effective industrial accident prevention programs and facility investments. Methods An individual survey of businesses’ present physical conditions, recognition of the importance of the health and safety problems, and facility investment experiences for preventing industrial accidents was conducted. The survey involved 1,145 business operators or management workers in small business places with fewer than 50 workers in six industrial complexes. Results Regarding the importance of occupational health and safety problems (OHS), 54.1% said it was “very important”. Received technical and financial support, and industrial accidents that occurred during the past three years were recognized as highly important for OHS. In an investigation regarding facility investment experiences for industrial accident prevention, the largest factors were business size, greater numbers of industrial accidents, greater technical and financial support received, and greater recognition of the importance of the OHS. The related variables that decided facility investment for industry accident prevention in a logistic regression analysis were the experiences of business facilities where industrial accidents occurred during the past three years, received technical and financial support, and recognition of the OHS. Those considered very important were shown to be highly significant. Conclusions Recognition of health and safety issues was higher when small businesses had experienced industrial accidents or received financial support. The investment in industrial accidents was greater when health and safety issues were recognized as important. Therefore, the goal of small business health and safety projects is to prioritize health and safety issues in terms of business management and recognition of importance. Therefore, currently various support projects are being conducted. However, there are issues regarding the limitations of the target businesses and inadequacies in maintenance and follow-up. Overall, it is necessary to provide various incentives for onsite participation that can lead to increased recognition of health and safety issues and practical investments, while perfecting maintenance and follow up measures by thoroughly revising existing operating systems. PMID:24472180

Talking about epilepsy: Challenges parents face when communicating with their child about epilepsy and epilepsy-related issues.

PubMed

O'Toole, Stephanie; Lambert, Veronica; Gallagher, Pamela; Shahwan, Amre; Austin, Joan K

2016-04-01

The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the challenges that parents of children with epilepsy experienced when engaging in dialog with their child about epilepsy and epilepsy-related issues. Using a qualitative exploratory approach, interviews were conducted with 34 parents of children with epilepsy (aged 6-16 years), consisting of 27 mothers and 7 fathers. Data were transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed. Findings revealed five main themes: normalizing epilepsy, the invisibility of epilepsy, information concealment, fear of misinforming the child, and difficulty in discussing particular epilepsy-related issues. Many of the communicative challenges experienced by parents impacted on their ability to engage openly in parent-child dialog about epilepsy in the home. Parents face specific challenges when choosing to communicate with their child about epilepsy, relating to creating a sense of normality, reducing fear of causing their child worry, and having a lack of epilepsy-related knowledge. Healthcare professionals who work closely with families living with epilepsy should remain mindful of the importance of discussing family communication surrounding epilepsy and the challenges parents of children with epilepsy face when talking about epilepsy within the home. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Privacy and security issues in teleradiology.

PubMed

White, Peter

2004-10-01

Teleradiology is now well established within healthcare in the USA, but ethico-legal concepts surrounding this innovation remain unclear. New legislation, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, as well as ethical guidelines and common law demonstrate the importance being placed on security of electronic data and the protection of patients' personal data. Radiologists need to be aware of the security, privacy, and confidentiality issues which relate to teleradiology, so that they can safeguard not only their own interests but also the best interests of their patients.

Awareness of legal and social issues related to reproductive health among adolescent girls in rural Varanasi.

PubMed

Kansal, Sangeeta; Singh, Sweta; Kumar, Alok

2017-01-01

Data on awareness of adolescent's on the legal and social issues/acts related to reproductive health, especially in rural areas, are scarce. The aim of the present cross-sectional study is to assess the awareness level of legal and social issues related to reproductive health and its association with the various individual and family/household level characteristics. 650 adolescent girls in the age group of 15-19 years were interviewed with the help of pretested and semistructured questionnaire and focus group discussions were also conducted for qualitative findings in Chiraigaon block of district Varanasi. It was observed that 42.9% of the respondents were aware of legal age of marriage, 14.9% knew about the right age of childbearing. Dowry prohibition act and domestic violence act were known to 46% and 27% respondents, respectively, and only 2.6% were aware of medical termination of pregnancy act. Logistic regression analysis shows the significant effect of education on awareness of legal age of marriage, right age of childbearing, domestic violence, and dowry prohibition acts, which is also supported by qualitative findings. All the important legal issues/acts should be included in high school curriculum and female teachers should be involved in training program for adolescents. Role of mass media in creating awareness about these issues in their routine programs should be ascertained. Accredited Social Health Activist and Anganwadi workers should be aware of and include these issues/acts in adolescent meetings.

Electron Alfvén waves in collisionless magnetic reconnection with a guide field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, S.; Wang, X.; Xiao, C.; Pu, Z.

2017-12-01

It is well known that many wave modes may be related to some important reconnection issues, such as particle acceleration, the reconnection trigger, reconnection rate, etc. Here a new wave mode, the electron Alfvén wave, is introduced for the first time, with both theoretical derivations and observational data analysis. Firstly, we present a theoretical derivation of the dispersion relations of the electron Alfvén mode in a rescaled `Electron Fluid' model. Secondly, based on in situ measurements of the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS) spacecraft, an electron Alfvén wave is identified in the electron dissipation region of a reconnection event at the magnetopause. In the last part, the excitation of the electron Alfven waves and some related reconnection issues are discussed.

Outcomes of self-labeling sexual harassment.

PubMed

Magley, V J; Hulin, C L; Fitzgerald, L F; DeNardo, M

1999-06-01

Research has consistently documented a discrepancy between experiencing offensive sex-related behaviors and labeling these situations as sexual harassment, leading to several attempts to understand this phenomenon. The authors propose that the issue of why it is that women who report such experiences generally do not indicate that they have been sexually harassed is an important psychological question, and may provide a path through the nested meanings of workplace harassment. The authors argue for the value of moving beyond a descriptive approach to this issue by examining the effects of self-labeling on the psychological, health, and work-related outcomes of unwelcome, sex-related experiences. They present data from female employees working in 3 separate organizations, demonstrating that women exposed to such behaviors report very similar consequences, whether they label their experiences as harassment or not.

Legal and ethical issues in research.

PubMed

Yip, Camille; Han, Nian-Lin Reena; Sng, Ban Leong

2016-09-01

Legal and ethical issues form an important component of modern research, related to the subject and researcher. This article seeks to briefly review the various international guidelines and regulations that exist on issues related to informed consent, confidentiality, providing incentives and various forms of research misconduct. Relevant original publications (The Declaration of Helsinki, Belmont Report, Council for International Organisations of Medical Sciences/World Health Organisation International Guidelines for Biomedical Research Involving Human Subjects, World Association of Medical Editors Recommendations on Publication Ethics Policies, International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, CoSE White Paper, International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use-Good Clinical Practice) form the literature that are relevant to the ethical and legal aspects of conducting research that researchers should abide by when conducting translational and clinical research. Researchers should note the major international guidelines and regional differences in legislation. Hence, specific ethical advice should be sought at local Ethics Review Committees.

Understanding school travel : how residential location choice and the built environment affect trips to school.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-01-01

This project investigates issues related to parents decisions about childrens school transportation. This has become an important area : of research due to the growing concerns that increased reliance on private automobile in school travel has ...

Teaching Safety: Using Mole Calculations To Teach Aspects of Safety in Post-16 Chemistry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borrows, Peter; Vincent, Ray; Cochrane, Allen

1998-01-01

Recommends beginning certain chemistry courses with revision and consolidation of mole calculations. Argues that by choosing examples related to health and safety, mole calculations can be made less academic while raising student awareness of important issues. (DDR)

22 CFR 61.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND EXCHANGES WORLD-WIDE FREE FLOW OF AUDIO-VISUAL MATERIALS... certification of United States produced audio-visual materials under the provisions of the Beirut Agreement... staff with authority to issue Certificates or Importation Documents. Audio-visual materials—means: (1...

22 CFR 61.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND EXCHANGES WORLD-WIDE FREE FLOW OF AUDIO-VISUAL MATERIALS... certification of United States produced audio-visual materials under the provisions of the Beirut Agreement... staff with authority to issue Certificates or Importation Documents. Audio-visual materials—means: (1...

22 CFR 61.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND EXCHANGES WORLD-WIDE FREE FLOW OF AUDIO-VISUAL MATERIALS... certification of United States produced audio-visual materials under the provisions of the Beirut Agreement... staff with authority to issue Certificates or Importation Documents. Audio-visual materials—means: (1...

Online Learning: Research Readings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guthrie, Hugh, Ed.

This book comprises an overview and 11 chapters that address issues related to flexible approaches to delivery and online learning in particular. "Overview" (Guthrie) highlights key points drawn from the chapters. "Does Digital Literacy Mean More Than Clicking Your Fingers?" (Candy) discusses the importance of information and…

The Short- and Long-Run Marginal Cost Curves: An Alternative Explanation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyd, Laura A.; Boyd, David W.

1994-01-01

Discusses issues related to short-run marginal cost and long-run marginal cost in economic theory. Asserts that few economics textbooks deal with important aspects of this concept. Includes four figures illustrating the approach suggested by the authors. (CFR)

Probability Issues in without Replacement Sampling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joarder, A. H.; Al-Sabah, W. S.

2007-01-01

Sampling without replacement is an important aspect in teaching conditional probabilities in elementary statistics courses. Different methods proposed in different texts for calculating probabilities of events in this context are reviewed and their relative merits and limitations in applications are pinpointed. An alternative representation of…

Volunteer Services.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Little (Arthur D.), Inc., Washington, DC.

This report presents important issues involved in the use of volunteers in the juvenile justice system. Chapter I discusses volunteer program designs, organizational structure, potential program applications, and public relations. Chapter II reviews the volunteer: who he is, his motives for volunteering, and suggestions for recruiting, screening,…

San Diego field operational test of smart call boxes : institutional issues

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-01-01

Important institutional lessons learned in the course of the San Diego smart call box field operational test are presented. These lessons relate both to the conduct of the field test itself and to requirements for deployment of intelligent transporta...

Teaching English Phrases through SMS

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cig, Enes Kurtay; Guvercin, Selim; Bayimbetov, Berdak; Dos, Bulent

2015-01-01

Achieving the maximum efficiency in teaching a second language (L2) has always been an important issue for educators. Current globalization processes, development of international business relations, political integrations among the various countries throughout the world, and the abilities of latest information and communications technologies…

Injuries to seat occupants of light airplanes.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1989-02-01

A series of 55 light-airplane accidents was examined in an effort to demonstrate the role of seats in the genesis of injury in seat occupants. Good engineering, design of airplane seats is an important related issue which is not treated in this study...

Image databases: Problems and perspectives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gudivada, V. Naidu

1989-01-01

With the increasing number of computer graphics, image processing, and pattern recognition applications, economical storage, efficient representation and manipulation, and powerful and flexible query languages for retrieval of image data are of paramount importance. These and related issues pertinent to image data bases are examined.

Health Care Financing In Iran; Is Privatization A Good Solution?

PubMed Central

Davari, M; Haycox, A; Walley, T

2012-01-01

Background: This paper considers a range of issues related to the financing of health care system and relevant government policies in Iran. Methods: This study used mixed methods. A systematic literature review was undertaken to identify relevant publications. This was supplemented by hand searching in books and journals, including government publications. The issues and uncertainties identified in the literature were explored in detail through semi-structured interviews with key informants. These were triangulated with empirical evidence in the form of the literature, government statistics and independent expert opinions to validate the views expressed in the interviews. Results: The systematic review of published literature showed that no previous publication has addressed issues relating to the financing of healthcare services in Iran. However, a range of opinion pieces outlined issues to be explored further in the interviews. Such issues summarised into four main categories. Conclusion: The health care market in Iran has faced a period in which financial issues have enhanced managerial complexity. Privatization of health care services would appear to be a step too far in assisting the system to confront its challenges at the current time. The most important step toward solving such challenges is to focus on a feasible, relevant and comprehensive policy, which optimises the use of health care resources in Iran. PMID:23113205

Health care financing in iran; is privatization a good solution?

PubMed

Davari, M; Haycox, A; Walley, T

2012-01-01

This paper considers a range of issues related to the financing of health care system and relevant government policies in Iran. This study used mixed methods. A systematic literature review was undertaken to identify relevant publications. This was supplemented by hand searching in books and journals, including government publications. The issues and uncertainties identified in the literature were explored in detail through semi-structured interviews with key informants. These were triangulated with empirical evidence in the form of the literature, government statistics and independent expert opinions to validate the views expressed in the interviews. The systematic review of published literature showed that no previous publication has addressed issues relating to the financing of healthcare services in Iran. However, a range of opinion pieces outlined issues to be explored further in the interviews. Such issues summarised into four main categories. The health care market in Iran has faced a period in which financial issues have enhanced managerial complexity. Privatization of health care services would appear to be a step too far in assisting the system to confront its challenges at the current time. The most important step toward solving such challenges is to focus on a feasible, relevant and comprehensive policy, which optimises the use of health care resources in Iran.

Time-related degradation, a key issue in nuclear plant safety evaluations

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

Bonzon, L.L.; Bustard, L.D.; Clough, R.L.

1982-01-01

Sandia National Laboratories is conducting a number of programs under NRC sponsorship which deal with safety-related equipment qualification issues, including the important aspect of aging. Among these is the Qualification Testing Evaluation (QTE) program which was probably the first to devote significant effort towards aging research and was one of the primary motivators leading to the Workshop. The thrust of the QTE aging efforts has been on elastomeric materials, typically used in electrical cables, seals, gaskets, and the like; currently, efforts are being pursued on plant ambient environments measurements, aging of electronics, and aging of motors. A brief status reportmore » is presented in this paper.« less

Balancing Ethical Pros and Cons of Stem Cell Derived Gametes.

PubMed

Segers, Seppe; Mertes, Heidi; de Wert, Guido; Dondorp, Wybo; Pennings, Guido

2017-07-01

In this review we aim to provide an overview of the most important ethical pros and cons of stem cell derived gametes (SCD-gametes), as a contribution to the debate about reproductive tissue engineering. Derivation of gametes from stem cells holds promising applications both for research and for clinical use in assisted reproduction. We explore the ethical issues connected to gametes derived from embryonic stem cells (both patient specific and non-patient specific) as well as those related to gametes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells. The technology of SCD-gametes raises moral concerns of how reproductive autonomy relates to issues of embryo destruction, safety, access, and applications beyond clinical infertility.

HIV in Indian MSM: reasons for a concentrated epidemic & strategies for prevention.

PubMed

Thomas, Beena; Mimiaga, Matthew J; Kumar, Senthil; Swaminathan, Soumya; Safren, Steven A; Mayer, Kenneth H

2011-12-01

Men who have sex with men (MSM) in India are disproportionately likely to be HIV-infected, and face distinct psychosocial challenges. Understanding the unique socio-cultural issues of MSM in India and how they relate to HIV risk could maximize the utility of future prevention efforts. This review discusses: (i) the importance of addressing co-occurring mental health issues, such as depression, which may interfere with MSM's ability to benefit from traditional risk reduction counselling, (ii) reducing HIV-related stigma among health providers, policymakers and the lay public, and (iii) the role for non-governmental organizations that work with the community to play in providing culturally relevant HIV prevention programmes for MSM.

Perinatal postmortems: what is important to parents and how do they decide?

PubMed

Breeze, Andrew C G; Statham, Helen; Hackett, Gerald A; Jessop, Flora A; Lees, Christoph C

2012-03-01

Falling consent rates for postmortems, regardless of age of death, have been widely reported in recent years. The aim of this study was to explore parental attitudes to, and decision-making about, a perinatal postmortem after termination for fetal abnormality, late miscarriage, or stillbirth. A prospective self-completion questionnaire was given to 35 women and their partners. The participants had experienced second or third trimester pregnancy loss in a single fetal medicine and delivery unit in the United Kingdom and were making decisions about having a postmortem. They were asked to complete a questionnaire about their attitudes to, and expectations of, a perinatal postmortem. Thirty-one questionnaires were received from parents of 17 babies (49% of those asked; 16 from mothers, 15 from fathers). Parents of nine babies (53%) said they would agree to a full postmortem, of three babies to a limited postmortem, and of four babies to an external examination only; one couple were undecided. The most important issues for the parents in this study that related to their decisions about a postmortem centered on the need for information, both for future planning and about what had happened. Moderately important issues related to altruism, which is, improving medical knowledge and helping other parents experiencing similar bereavement. Among the lowest scoring issues were potential barriers, such as concerns about cultural or religious acceptability of a postmortem, funeral delays, and what would happen to the baby's body. Bereaved parents who participated in this study, where postmortem consent rates were relatively high, thought that their need for knowledge eclipsed assumed barriers when deciding whether or not to have a postmortem for their baby. © 2012, Copyright the Authors. Journal compilation © 2012, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Redundancy relations and robust failure detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chow, E. Y.; Lou, X. C.; Verghese, G. C.; Willsky, A. S.

1984-01-01

All failure detection methods are based on the use of redundancy, that is on (possible dynamic) relations among the measured variables. Consequently the robustness of the failure detection process depends to a great degree on the reliability of the redundancy relations given the inevitable presence of model uncertainties. The problem of determining redundancy relations which are optimally robust in a sense which includes the major issues of importance in practical failure detection is addressed. A significant amount of intuition concerning the geometry of robust failure detection is provided.

Contributing towards the betterment of translational epilepsy research in Africa: needs, challenges, resources, and opportunities.

PubMed

Woldeamanuel, Yohannes W; Girma, Belaineh

2014-08-01

Epilepsy affects approximately 50 million people worldwide. Among them, at least 40 million people are currently living in the developing world, where resources and standards of care are suboptimal. Around 90 % of people with epilepsy in resource-poor countries do not currently receive appropriate treatments, at a time when two thirds of these patients could have achieved good control of their epileptic seizures had they had access to appropriate therapies. Scarcity of epilepsy specialists, poor availability or access to diagnostic facilities and treatments, poor community knowledge about epilepsy-related issues, stigma, and other societal and cultural barriers are only some of the issues contributing to this deficiency. These issues in epilepsy treatment have been well recognized, and ongoing concerted efforts to address them have been undertaken by both local authorities and international organizations. In many cases, patients resort to the use of traditional local and alternative medicines (herbs, religious practices, etc.) that are closer to indigenous cosmovision, are more holistic, and are more culture-friendly, preserving an optimum subtlety of Afrocentric character shading. Compared with imported Western medicines, patients find these approaches to be more relevant to their ways of thinking, their ways of being, and their belief systems, more accessible, and more acceptable methods of dealing with health and disease states. The impressive local wealth in these natural resources has established them as a preferred source of healing in these regions, but has also fueled interest in exploring their therapeutic potential in the very few existing local research centers. In this review, we discuss the known issues related to the epilepsy treatment gap in resource-poor regions, focusing in particular on African countries, introduce the role and issues related to the use and validation of alternative medical therapies in epilepsy, and comment on the importance and repercussions of initiatives to validate such therapies, primarily for local practices, but also for possible wider international applications.

An initial investigation on the challenges of managing construction workforce in Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Emad, N.; Rahman, I. A.

2017-11-01

Most of the construction workers in Saudi Arabia are foreigners from several countries having different knowledge, skills and cultures. These create challenges to administer the workers in ensuring project success. This paper presents an initial investigation to uncover the challenges faced by construction professionals in managing construction workforce in Saudi Arabia. It describes insight processes of handling the workforce during planning stage, recruitment procedures and construction stage based on interview with senior manager who are well experienced in handling mega construction projects in Saudi Arabia. The interview was carried out in semi structured mode where the interviewee was given ample time to express the experiences encountered in dealing the workforce issue. This preliminary work able to identify among important issues related to construction workers are restrictions to non-Muslim skilled workers, limited visa quota, being away from family, delay in salary payment, cheating of workers skill’s status, safety issues, communication barriers and living conditions. Hence, these issues require quality leadership attributes such as continuous empathy with workers, respectful, trustful, sincere, reliable, good communication skills and problem solving skills. These findings are useful to construction practitioners and also research work related to construction leadership in handling worker’s issues.

[Sexy cancer--sexuality for cancer patients].

PubMed

Peleg-Nesher, Sharon; Yachini, Brurya; Inbar, Moshe

2009-09-01

Sexuality is a basic need for every human being as long as he or she is alive, irrespective of age or health status. Approximately 23,500 individuals are diagnosed with cancer each year in Israel and join the 120,000 cancer patients currently living in Israel. The results of cancer treatments are traditionally assessed and based on the outcome regarding mortality versus survival. An equally important aspect to be addressed in this assessment must relate to quality of life. One of the more painful insults to the quality of life of cancer patients relates to the deleterious effects on sexuality. This article aims to present physicians with the spectrum of sexuality-related issues which are encountered by cancer patients and their partners, starting from the moment of diagnosis, throughout the various stages of treatment and to provide basic knowledge. Many individuals contracting cancer have difficulty dealing with the issue of sexuality. They are typically embarrassed and feel uneasy when asking health care providers about such a non-life threatening issue. Partners similarly feel both shame and guilt. In many cases sexuality, intimacy and emotional attachment are important aspects and may be essential for survival. Addressing these issues during treatment can provide patients with a sense of security, avoiding embarrassment and further exacerbation of such problems. Unfortunately, little has been done to develop an optimal interventional program, although standard sexual treatments have often been applied. Prospective clinical research and outcomes are missing. The physician can use the well-known PLISSIT model (1978): to provide sexuality involvement on different levels. The very new BETTER model (2004) can help emphasize that cancer treatment and the disease have an influence on intimacy and sexuality.

The importance of ground water in the Great Lakes Region

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grannemann, N.G.; Hunt, R.J.; Nicholas, J.R.; Reilly, T.E.; Winter, T.C.

2000-01-01

Ground water is a major natural resource in the Great Lakes Region that helps link the Great Lakes and their watershed. This linkage needs to be more fully understood and quantified before society can address some of the important water-resources issues in the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes constitute the largest concentration of unfrozen fresh surface water in the western hemisphere—about 5,440 mi3. Because the quantity of water in the lakes is so large, ground water in the Great Lakes Basin is often overlooked when evaluating the hydrology of the region. Ground water, however, is more important to the hydrology of the Great Lakes and to the health of ecosystems in the watershed than is generally recognized.Although more than 1,000 mi3 of ground water are stored in the basin—a volume of water that is approximately equal to that of Lake Michigan—development of the groundwater resource must be carefully planned. Development of the ground-water resource removes water from storage and alters the paths of ground-water flow. Ground water that normally discharges to streams, lakes, and wetlands can be captured by pumping (the most common form of development), which may deplete or reduce inflows to the Great Lakes.Ground water is important to ecosystems in the Great Lakes Region because it is, in effect, a large, subsurface reservoir from which water is released slowly to provide a reliable minimum level of water flow to streams, lakes, and wetlands. Ground-water discharge to streams generally provides good quality water that, in turn, promotes habitat for aquatic animals and sustains aquatic plants during periods of low precipitation. Because of the slow movement of ground water, the effects of surface activities on ground-water flow and quality can take years to manifest themselves. As a result, issues relative to ground water are often seemingly less dire than issues related to surface water alone.Ground water is a major natural resource in the Great Lakes Region that helps link the Great Lakes and their watershed. This linkage needs to be more fully understood and quantified before society can address some of the important water-resources issues in the region.

Co-existence of Fisheries and Marine Renewable Energy: The Spotlight on Fishers and Fishers' Knowledge (FK)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, M. S.; Ashley, M.; De Groot, J.; Rodwell, L.

2016-02-01

As an emerging industry, Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) is expected to play a major contributory role if the UK is to successfully reach it's desired target of renewable energy production by 2020. However, due to the competing objectives and priorities of MRE and other industries, for example fisheries, and in the delivering of conservation measures, the demand for space within our marine landscape is increasing, and interactions are inevitable. A semi structured interview was conducted with forty fishers across the UK to elicit further information on the challenges, barriers to progress and priority issues these fishers face in relation to MRE development. The questionnaire also included a fisher assessment of the mitigation agenda developed by de Groot et al. (2014) under the Natural Environment Research Council Marine Renewable Energy Knowledge Exchange Programme ( NERC MREKEP). Qualitative data were extracted and analysed using the text analysis software NVivo8. Fishers identified barriers to progress, and in order of the most important themes included; policy, consultation, trust, lack of knowledge, true representation of all fishers, science vs. fisher observation mismatch and timescales. Priority issues identified in order of importance were; displacement or loss of access, cable disturbance, timings of installation/repairs, effects on the seabed and specifically offshore windfarm (OWF) sitting. The consultation process caused discontent among all fishers interviewed. In relation to working towards a collaborative mitigation agenda, fishers highlighted issues of trust in relation to; trans-boundary management, data management and the consultation process. At all stages of the research, the response rate of the importance of gathering fishers' knowledge (FK) was high. Fishers underlined the importance of this data source in assessing the impacts of MRE on the sectors of the UK fleet. Thus, although at an early stage of development, an initial framework for the collection and application of FK is presented and further work on data needs highlighted.

Japan-U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-11

imposed a ban on imported U.S. beef in response to the discovery of the first U.S. case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or “ mad cow disease ...imports.11 9 For more information, see CRS Report RS21709, Mad Cow Disease and U.S. Beef...in Washington state. In the months before the diagnosis in the United States, nearly a dozen Japanese cows infected with BSE had been discovered

Japan-U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-07-30

on beef imports.11 9 For more information, see CRS Report RS21709, Mad Cow Disease and...2003, Japan imposed a ban on imported U.S. beef in response to the discovery of the first U.S. case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or “ mad cow ... disease ”) in Washington state. In the months before the diagnosis in the United States, nearly a dozen Japanese cows infected with BSE had been

Issues and Importance of "Good" Starting Points for Nonlinear Regression for Mathematical Modeling with Maple: Basic Model Fitting to Make Predictions with Oscillating Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox, William

2012-01-01

The purpose of our modeling effort is to predict future outcomes. We assume the data collected are both accurate and relatively precise. For our oscillating data, we examined several mathematical modeling forms for predictions. We also examined both ignoring the oscillations as an important feature and including the oscillations as an important…

Managing the transcription revolution. Industry forces shape future of field.

PubMed

Faulkner, Scott D

2003-01-01

You may be struggling with contract issues with a vendor. Or maybe you're contemplating the pros and cons of working with outsource, at-home, or overseas transcriptionists. It's a fact: if transcription processes aren't working efficiently, the entire HIM department may be adversely affected. Factor in additional concerns such as data capture for electronic health records, compliance, and patient safety, and the importance of ensuring quality and cost-efficient transcription becomes even more apparent. To help you answer some of these questions, the Journal of AHIMA is launching a four-part series dedicated to transcription issues from the HIM professional's point of view. In this issue, we begin with MTIA president Scott Faulkner's overview of the industry and where it's going next. In upcoming issues, other experts will look at controlling cost and monitoring quality, navigating new technologies, and dealing with contract-related issues.

Social and Economic Concern of Supply Chain Sustainability (SCS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faiz Mokhtar, Mohd; Omar, Badrul; Hisyamudin Muhd Nor, Nik; Fazlinda Mohd Pauzi, Nur; Hassan, Sulaiman; Mohamed, W. A. Wan

2016-11-01

Sustainability issues will provide impact on the environment, social and economy. The importance of these three aspects of sustainability must be look at in tandem. Some issues of these three pillars getting more attention by companies since they are more interested to identify issues that may affect performances related to their people or profit. Through CSRs report released by various international companies, this paper identified the value which companies place for social and economic sustainability. Result shows that human right and, occupational and safety have highest concern by companies while Product Utilities is less concern from other social issues. From an economic aspect, sales and net profit are the most influencing factors of sustainability while the raw material cost is shown as of the least concern. Based on the results, companies should consider the issues on social and economic aspects following these priorities.

Modified dough preparation for Alveograph analysis with limited flour sample size

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Dough rheological characteristics, such as resistance-to-extension and extensibility, obtained by alveograph testing are important traits for determination of wheat and flour quality. A challenging issue that faces wheat breeding programs and some wheat-research projects is the relatively large flou...

The School-Housed Public Library.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haycock, Ken

1990-01-01

Identifies issues that need to be addressed when planning combined school and public libraries. The importance of defining the role of the libraries and involving all participants in the planning process is stressed, and considerations relating to personnel selection, collection development, funding, and evaluation are discussed. (CLB)

ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH AT THE MID-CONTINENT ECOLOGY DIVISION, U.S. EPA

EPA Science Inventory

This will be an informal lecture to introduce and describe some recent research efforts and results in the Great Lakes and other regions of interest. Examples will highlight several local, regiional, and nationally important issues relating to stressors of aquatic ecosystems. The...

A summary of unmanned aircraft accident/incident data : human factors implications

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-12-01

A review and analysis of unmanned aircraft (UA) accident data was conducted to identify important human factors issues related to their use. UA accident data were collected from the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force. Classification of the accident data ...

Communicating, Understanding and Coping: For Children and Adults.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Esther Payne

Written to help parents and children recognize the importance of communication, this publication provides guidelines for parenting children from infancy through adolescence. Initially, discussion focuses on issues related to the nature of communication, parenting, good parenting, infancy, toddlers, and school-age children. Subsequent discussion…

32 CFR 651.48 - Scoping process.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... participation immediately following publication of the NOI in the FR. It is important to note that scoping is... significantly affecting the environment will go through scoping unless extenuating circumstances make it... when it is useful. (b) The scoping process identifies relevant issues related to a proposed action...

32 CFR 651.48 - Scoping process.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... participation immediately following publication of the NOI in the FR. It is important to note that scoping is... significantly affecting the environment will go through scoping unless extenuating circumstances make it... when it is useful. (b) The scoping process identifies relevant issues related to a proposed action...

32 CFR 651.48 - Scoping process.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... participation immediately following publication of the NOI in the FR. It is important to note that scoping is... significantly affecting the environment will go through scoping unless extenuating circumstances make it... when it is useful. (b) The scoping process identifies relevant issues related to a proposed action...

32 CFR 651.48 - Scoping process.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... participation immediately following publication of the NOI in the FR. It is important to note that scoping is... significantly affecting the environment will go through scoping unless extenuating circumstances make it... when it is useful. (b) The scoping process identifies relevant issues related to a proposed action...

Key Skills and Competencies. Symposium.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

2002

This document contains three papers on key skills and competencies and human resource development (HRD). "Career Related Competencies" (Marinka A.C.T. Kuijpers) reports findings from surveys completed by Dutch employees who identified these issues: self-reflection is more important than career control; age and gender influence attitude…

BIOMARKERS FOR ASSESSING REPRODUCTIVE DEVELOPMENT AND HEALTH: PART 1 - PUBERTAL DEVELOPMENT

EPA Science Inventory

The proposed National Children?s Study has helped raise awareness of the issues related to children?s health and the importance of monitoring the growth and development of children from preconception through to adulthood. Many genetic predispositions can adversely impact the nor...

Serviceability-related issues for bridge live load deflection and construction closure pours : [research summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-06-01

The Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) method has evolved to become a : more reliable approach to bridge design in the past century. Nevertheless, safety is : always the number one concern in the design of bridge structures. Equally important, ...

Fortifying the Foundation: Tools for Addressing Disability within the Multicultural Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bialka, Christa S.

2017-01-01

In a 2007 issue of "Multicultural Perspectives," Johnson and Nieto highlighted the need for more deliberate, robust, and balanced conversations regarding disability, especially within the context of multicultural education. Although researchers echo the importance of disability-based discussions and related curriculum, disability…

Trauma and Juvenile Delinquency: Theory, Research, and Interventions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenwald, Ricky, Ed.

This book addresses the connection between childhood trauma and juvenile delinquency. It includes theoretical models of this relationship and examinations of its most important aspects, explorations of trauma-related assessment issues, and practical therapeutic interventions for use with juvenile delinquents. Chapters include: (1) "The Role…

The relation between language, culture, and thought.

PubMed

Imai, Mutsumi; Kanero, Junko; Masuda, Takahiko

2016-04-01

The relationship between culture, language, and thought has long been one of the most important topics for those who wish to understand the nature of human cognition. This issue has been investigated for decades across a broad range of research disciplines. However, there has been scant communication across these different disciplines, a situation largely arising through differences in research interests and discrepancies in the definitions of key terms such as 'culture,' 'language,' and 'thought.' This article reviews recent trends in research on the relation between language, culture and thought to capture how cognitive psychology and cultural psychology have defined 'language' and 'culture,' and how this issue was addressed within each research discipline. We then review recent research conducted in interdisciplinary perspectives, which directly compared the roles of culture and language. Finally, we highlight the importance of considering the complex interplay between culture and language to provide a comprehensive picture of how language and culture affect thought. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Priorities of health policy: cost shifting or population health

PubMed Central

Richardson, Jeff RJ

2005-01-01

Background This paper is an edited version of an invited paper submitted to the Australian Health Care Summit on 17–19 August 2003. It comments upon the policies which have dominated recent debate and contrasts their importance with the importance of five issues which have received relatively little attention. Methods Policy is usually a response to identified problems and the paper examines the nature and size of the problems which heave led to recent policy initiatives. These are contrasted with the magnitude and potential cost effectiveness policies to address the problems in five areas of comparative neglect. Results It is argued that recent and proposed changes to the financing and delivery of health services in Australia have focused upon issues of relatively minor significance while failing to address adequately major inequities and system deficiencies. Conclusion There is a need for an independent review of the health system with the terms of reference focusing attention upon large system-wide failures. PMID:15679895

Making Partnerships Work: Career Guidance and Work Related Education and Training. Proceedings of a National Invitational Conference (Arlington, Virginia, November 7-8, 1983).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Association for Counseling and Development, Alexandria, VA.

These proceedings from a national invitational conference on partnerships between career guidance and work-related training contain 18 presentations. Welcoming remarks are followed by the opening address that touches upon broad contextual issues that are important as a rationale for, and as part of, the process of making partnerships work. The…

Assessment of acculturation in minority health research.

PubMed

Fox, Molly; Thayer, Zaneta; Wadhwa, Pathik D

2017-03-01

Acculturation represents an important construct in the context of health disparities. Although several studies have reported relationships between various aspects of acculturation and health in minority populations, crucial inconsistencies remain. One likely reason for these inconsistencies may relate to limitations in the conceptualization and operationalization of acculturation, particularly in the context of health research. The acculturation construct underwent major conceptual and operational change when it was adapted from anthropology to psychology, and we argue another major shift is now required for use of this construct in health research. Issues include determining whether acculturation measures should focus on an individual's internal attitudes or overt behaviors; whether they should characterize cultural orientation status at a given point in time or change over time; whether measures should be culture-specific or more global in nature; how the issue of multiculturalism should be addressed; how measures can optimally incorporate multiple dimensions of acculturation; and whether proxy measures should be used. These issues are important in the context of health research because of their implications for determining the direct and indirect effects of cultural change on health-related biological and behavioral processes. We elaborate on and address each of these issues from a perspective that spans multiple disciplines across the biological and social sciences, and offer concrete recommendations with the ultimate goal of achieving a better understanding of the role of acculturation in minority health and health disparities. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Why do commercial CT scanners still employ traditional, filtered back-projection for image reconstruction?

PubMed Central

Pan, Xiaochuan; Sidky, Emil Y; Vannier, Michael

2010-01-01

Despite major advances in x-ray sources, detector arrays, gantry mechanical design and especially computer performance, one component of computed tomography (CT) scanners has remained virtually constant for the past 25 years—the reconstruction algorithm. Fundamental advances have been made in the solution of inverse problems, especially tomographic reconstruction, but these works have not been translated into clinical and related practice. The reasons are not obvious and seldom discussed. This review seeks to examine the reasons for this discrepancy and provides recommendations on how it can be resolved. We take the example of field of compressive sensing (CS), summarizing this new area of research from the eyes of practical medical physicists and explaining the disconnection between theoretical and application-oriented research. Using a few issues specific to CT, which engineers have addressed in very specific ways, we try to distill the mathematical problem underlying each of these issues with the hope of demonstrating that there are interesting mathematical problems of general importance that can result from in depth analysis of specific issues. We then sketch some unconventional CT-imaging designs that have the potential to impact on CT applications, if the link between applied mathematicians and engineers/physicists were stronger. Finally, we close with some observations on how the link could be strengthened. There is, we believe, an important opportunity to rapidly improve the performance of CT and related tomographic imaging techniques by addressing these issues. PMID:20376330

TOPICAL REVIEW: Why do commercial CT scanners still employ traditional, filtered back-projection for image reconstruction?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Xiaochuan; Sidky, Emil Y.; Vannier, Michael

2009-12-01

Despite major advances in x-ray sources, detector arrays, gantry mechanical design and especially computer performance, one component of computed tomography (CT) scanners has remained virtually constant for the past 25 years—the reconstruction algorithm. Fundamental advances have been made in the solution of inverse problems, especially tomographic reconstruction, but these works have not been translated into clinical and related practice. The reasons are not obvious and seldom discussed. This review seeks to examine the reasons for this discrepancy and provides recommendations on how it can be resolved. We take the example of field of compressive sensing (CS), summarizing this new area of research from the eyes of practical medical physicists and explaining the disconnection between theoretical and application-oriented research. Using a few issues specific to CT, which engineers have addressed in very specific ways, we try to distill the mathematical problem underlying each of these issues with the hope of demonstrating that there are interesting mathematical problems of general importance that can result from in depth analysis of specific issues. We then sketch some unconventional CT-imaging designs that have the potential to impact on CT applications, if the link between applied mathematicians and engineers/physicists were stronger. Finally, we close with some observations on how the link could be strengthened. There is, we believe, an important opportunity to rapidly improve the performance of CT and related tomographic imaging techniques by addressing these issues.

Sleep: Important Considerations for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

PubMed Central

Grandner, Michael A.; Alfonso-Miller, Pamela; Fernandez-Mendoza, Julio; Shetty, Safal; Shenoy, Sundeep; Combs, Daniel

2016-01-01

Purpose of Review Sleep plays many roles in maintenance of cardiovascular health. This review summarizes the literature across several areas of sleep and sleep disorders in relation to cardiometabolic disease risk factors. Current Findings Insufficient sleep duration is prevalent in the population and is associated with weight gain and obesity, inflammation, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and mortality. Insomnia is also highly present and represents an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease, especially when accompanied by short sleep duration. Sleep apnea is a well-characterized risk factor for cardiometabolic disease and cardiovascular mortality. Other issues are relevant as well. For example, sleep disorders in pediatric populations may convey cardiovascular risks. Also, sleep may play an important role in cardiovascular health disparities. Summary Sleep and sleep disorders are implicated in cardiometabolic disease risk. This review addresses these and other issues, concluding with recommendations for research and clinical practice. PMID:27467177

A score-statistic approach for determining threshold values in QTL mapping.

PubMed

Kao, Chen-Hung; Ho, Hsiang-An

2012-06-01

Issues in determining the threshold values of QTL mapping are often investigated for the backcross and F2 populations with relatively simple genome structures so far. The investigations of these issues in the progeny populations after F2 (advanced populations) with relatively more complicated genomes are generally inadequate. As these advanced populations have been well implemented in QTL mapping, it is important to address these issues for them in more details. Due to an increasing number of meiosis cycle, the genomes of the advanced populations can be very different from the backcross and F2 genomes. Therefore, special devices that consider the specific genome structures present in the advanced populations are required to resolve these issues. By considering the differences in genome structure between populations, we formulate more general score test statistics and gaussian processes to evaluate their threshold values. In general, we found that, given a significance level and a genome size, threshold values for QTL detection are higher in the denser marker maps and in the more advanced populations. Simulations were performed to validate our approach.

Experimentation and evaluation of advanced integrated system concepts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ross, M.; Garrigus, K.; Gottschalck, J.; Rinearson, L.; Longee, E.

1980-09-01

This final report examines the implementation of a time-phased test bed for experimentation and evaluation of advanced system concepts relative to the future Defense Switched Network (DSN). After identifying issues pertinent to the DSN, a set of experiments which address these issues are developed. Experiments are ordered based on their immediacy and relative importance to DSN development. The set of experiments thus defined allows requirements for a time phased implementation of a test bed to be identified, and several generic test bed architectures which meet these requirements are examined. Specific architecture implementations are costed and cost/schedule profiles are generated as a function of experimental capability. The final recommended system consists of two separate test beds: a circuit switch test bed, configured around an off-the-shelf commercial switch, and directed toward the examination of nearer term and transitional issues raised by the evolving DSN; and a packet/hybrid test bed, featuring a discrete buildup of new hardware and software modules, and directed toward examination of the more advanced integrated voice and data telecommunications issues and concepts.

Which information on women's issues in epilepsy does a community pharmacist need to know? A Delphi consensus study.

PubMed

Shawahna, Ramzi

2017-12-01

The aim of this study was to develop and achieve consensus on a core list of important knowledge items that community pharmacists should know on women's issues in epilepsy. This was a consensual study using a modified Delphi technique. Knowledge items were collected from the literature and from nine key contacts who were interviewed on their views on what information community pharmacists should have on women's issues in epilepsy. More knowledge items were suggested by five researchers with interest in women's issues who were contacted to rate and comment on the knowledge items collected. Two iterative Delphi rounds were conducted among a panel of pharmacists (n=30) to achieve consensus on the knowledge items to be included in the core list. Ten panelists ranked the knowledge items by their importance using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Consensus was achieved to include 68 knowledge under 13 categories in the final core list. Items ranked by their importance were related to the following: teratogenicity (10.3%), effect of pregnancy on epilepsy (7.4%), preconception counseling (10.3%), bone health (5.9%), catamenial epilepsy (7.4%), menopause and hormonal replacement therapy (2.9%), contraception (14.7%), menstrual disorders and infertility (8.8%), eclampsia (2.9%), breastfeeding (4.4%), folic acid and vitamin K (5.9%), counseling on general issues (14.7%), and sexuality (4.4%). Using consensual knowledge lists might promote congruence in educating and/or training community pharmacists on women's issues in epilepsy. Future studies are needed to investigate if such lists can improve health services provided to women with epilepsy (WWE). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A qualitative exploration of perceived key knowledge and skills in end-of-life care in dementia patients among medical, nursing, and pharmacy students.

PubMed

Nguyen, Christopher M; Jansen, Bannin De Witt; Hughes, Carmel M; Rasmussen, Wendy; Weckmann, Michelle T

2015-01-01

The steady increase in the number of people living and dying with dementia, coupled with the recent focus on quality of care, has highlighted the importance of dementia training for health care professionals. This exploratory study aimed to discover which skills health care students felt were important in providing quality end-of-life care to dementia patients. Ninety-four medicine, nursing, and pharmacy students participated in a larger study using open-ended and closed questions to explore attitudes related to caring for dementia patients at the end of life. This study looks at the student responses to an open-ended question regarding the skills and knowledge they believe are needed to provide end-of-life care to dementia patients. Individual responses were reviewed by the researchers, coded into key issues, and tabulated for frequency of occurrences and group differences. Several common issues emerged: knowledge, patience, empathy, understanding, family involvement, compassion, medication knowledge, respect/patient autonomy, communication, quality of life, and patient education. Significant differences were observed among the participant groups on the following issues: Patience and understanding (pharmacy students mentioned these issues less frequently than medical and nursing students), compassion (medical students mentioned this issue more frequently than pharmacy students), and medication knowledge (pharmacy students mentioned this issue more frequently than medical and nursing students). Different health care disciplines (in-training) value different skill sets for the provision of dementia care at the end-of-life. As health care education for dementia patients at the end of life is expanded, it will be important to understand which skills both patients and health care students value.

Review on Malaysian Rail Transit Operation and Management System: Issues and Solution in Integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masirin, Mohd Idrus Mohd; Salin, Aminah Mohd; Zainorabidin, Adnan; Martin, David; Samsuddin, Norshakina

2017-08-01

In any context, operation and management of transportation systems are key issues which may affect both life quality and economic development. In large urban agglomerations, an efficient public transportation system may help abate the negative externalities of private car use such as congestion, air and noise pollution, accident and fuel consumption, without excessively penalizing user travel times or zone accessibility. Thus, this study is conducted to appraise the Malaysian rural rail transit operation and management system, which are considered important as there are many issues and solution in integration of the services that need to be tackled more conscientiously. The purpose of this paper is to describe some of the most important issues on integration of services and rail transit system in Malaysian and how to solve or reduce these problems and conflicts. In this paper, it consists of the historical development of rail transit construction in Malaysia. This paper also attempts to identify the important issues related to rail transit services and integration in Malaysian rural rail operation and management system. Comparison is also conducted with other countries such as UK, France, and Japan. Finally, a critical analysis is presented in this paper by looking at the possible application for future Malaysian rail transit operation system and management, especially focusing on enhancing the quality of Malaysian rural rail transit. In conclusion, this paper is expected to successfully review and appraise the existing Malaysian rural rail transit operation and management system pertaining to issues & solution in integration. It is also hoped that reformation or transformation of present service delivery quality of the rail transit operation and management will enable Malaysia to succeed in transforming Malaysian transportation system to greater heights.

Creating a foundation for implementing an electronic health records (EHR)-integrated Social Knowledge Networking (SKN) system on medication reconciliation

PubMed Central

Rangachari, P.; Dellsperger, K.C; Fallaw, D.; Davis, I.; Sumner, M.; Ray, W.; Fiedler, S.; Nguyen, T.; Rethemeyer, R.

2018-01-01

Background In fall 2016, Augusta University received a two-year grant from AHRQ, to implement a Social Knowledge Networking (SKN) system for enabling its health system, AU-Health, to progress from “limited use” of EHR Medication Reconciliation (MedRec) Technology, to “meaningful use.” Phase 1 sought to identify a comprehensive set of issues related to EHR MedRec encountered by practitioners at AU-Health. These efforts helped develop a Reporting Tool, which, along with a Discussion Tool, was incorporated into the AU-Health EHR, at the end of Phase 1. Phase 2 (currently underway), comprises a 52-week pilot of the EHR-integrated SKN system in outpatient and inpatient medicine units. The purpose of this paper is to describe the methods and results of Phase 1. Methods Phase 1 utilized an exploratory mixed-method approach, involving two rounds of data collection. This included 15 individual interviews followed by a survey of 200 practitioners, i.e., physicians, nurses, and pharmacists, based in the outpatient and inpatient medicine service at AU Health. Results Thematic analysis of interviews identified 55 issue-items related to EHR MedRec under 9 issue-categories. The survey sought practitioners’ importance-rating of all issue-items identified from interviews. A total of 127 (63%) survey responses were received. Factor analysis served to validate the following 6 of the 9 issue-categories, all of which, were rated “Important” or higher (on average), by over 70% of all respondents: 1) Care-Coordination (CCI); 2) Patient-Education (PEI); 3) Ownership-and-Accountability (OAI); 4) Processes-of-Care (PCI); 5) IT-Related (ITRI); and 6) Workforce-Training (WTI). Significance-testing of importance-rating by professional affiliation revealed no statistically significant differences for CCI and PEI; and some statistically significant differences for OAI, PCI, ITRI, and WTI. Conclusion There were two key gleanings from the issues related to EHR MedRec unearthed by this study: 1) there was an absence of shared understanding among practitioners, of the value of EHR MedRec in promoting patient safety, which contributed to workarounds, and suboptimal use of the EHR MedRec system; and 2) there was a socio-technical dimension to many of the issues, creating an added layer of complexity. These gleanings in turn, provide insights into best practices for managing both clinical transitions-of-care in the EHR MedRec process; and socio-technical challenges encountered in EHR MedRec implementation. PMID:29682132

Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine Sixth Annual Practice-based Research Network theme issue--They just keep getting better and better.

PubMed

Bowman, Marjorie A; Neale, Anne Victoria

2011-01-01

We have quite a rich issue this month related to practice-based research networks (PBRNs)--reflections on where they have been, where they should go, how they should happen; lessons learned about recruiting physicians and patients and new research methods; and several clinical studies from existing PBRNs. We had an amazing number of manuscripts submitted this year for the PBRN issue; as a result, this is a powerful issue. Some are under revision for future issues of the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, just as we have some articles from PBRNs appearing in most issues. PBRNs have deepened the family medicine research tradition. The importance of primary care research to build the evidence base of our clinical practice, plus the useful work building the methods of primary care research, distinguishes the pioneers in PBRNs. PBRNs are Health Improvement Networks and national treasures to be nurtured.

Ethical issues in exercise psychology.

PubMed

Pauline, Jeffrey S; Pauline, Gina A; Johnson, Scott R; Gamble, Kelly M

2006-01-01

Exercise psychology encompasses the disciplines of psychiatry, clinical and counseling psychology, health promotion, and the movement sciences. This emerging field involves diverse mental health issues, theories, and general information related to physical activity and exercise. Numerous research investigations across the past 20 years have shown both physical and psychological benefits from physical activity and exercise. Exercise psychology offers many opportunities for growth while positively influencing the mental and physical health of individuals, communities, and society. However, the exercise psychology literature has not addressed ethical issues or dilemmas faced by mental health professionals providing exercise psychology services. This initial discussion of ethical issues in exercise psychology is an important step in continuing to move the field forward. Specifically, this article will address the emergence of exercise psychology and current health behaviors and offer an overview of ethics and ethical issues, education/training and professional competency, cultural and ethnic diversity, multiple-role relationships and conflicts of interest, dependency issues, confidentiality and recording keeping, and advertisement and self-promotion.

An analysis of the warning letters issued by the FDA to pharmaceutical manufacturers regarding misleading health outcomes claims

PubMed Central

Chatterjee, Satabdi; Patel, Harshali K.; Sansgiry, Sujit S.

Objective To evaluate the number and type of warning letters issued by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to pharmaceutical manufacturers for promotional violations. Methods Two reviewers downloaded, printed and independently evaluated warning letters issued by the FDA to pharmaceutical manufacturers from years 2003-2008. Misleading claims were broadly classified as clinical, Quality-of-Life (QoL), and economic claims. Clinical claims included claims regarding unsubstantiated efficacy, safety and tolerability, superiority, broadening of indication and/or omission of risk information. QoL claims included unsubstantiated quality of life and/or health-related quality of life claims. Economic claims included any form of claim made on behalf of the pharmaceutical companies related to cost superiority of or cost savings from the drug compared to other drugs in the market. Results In the 6-year study period, 65 warning letters were issued by FDA, which contained 144 clinical, three QoL, and one economic claim. On an average, 11 warning letters were issued per year. Omission of risk information was the most frequently violated claim (30.6%) followed by unsubstantiated efficacy claims (18.6%). Warning letters were primarily directed to manufacturers of cardiovascular (14.6%), anti-microbial (14.6%), and CNS (12.5%) drugs. Majority of the claims referenced in warning letters contained promotional materials directed to physicians (57%). Conclusions The study found that misleading clinical outcome claims formed the majority of the promotional violations, and majority of the claims were directed to physicians. Since inadequate promotion of medications may lead to irrational prescribing, the study emphasizes the importance of disseminating reliable, credible, and scientific information to patients, and more importantly, physicians to protect public health. PMID:24155837

Science and ethics of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome controversies in Africa.

PubMed

Brewster, David

2011-09-01

The human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) epidemic in Africa has raised important ethical issues for both researchers and clinicians. The most notorious controversy has been related to the zidovudine (AZT) trials in Africa in the late 1990s, in which the control groups were given a placebo rather than an effective drug to prevent vertical transmission. This raised concerns in the sponsoring country about exploitation of subjects, injustice and an ethical double standard between donor countries and resource-poor settings. However, the real double standard is between clinical practice standards in Western versus African countries, which must be addressed as part of the increasing global inequity of wealth both between countries and also within countries. There are important limitations to ethical declarations, principles and guidelines on their own without contextual ethical reasoning. The focus on research ethics with the HIV epidemic has led to a relative neglect of ethical issues in clinical practice. Although the scientific advances in HIV/AIDS have changed the ethical issues since the 1990s, there has also been progress in the bioethics of HIV/AIDS in terms of ethical review capability by local committees as well as in exposure to ethical issues by clinicians and researchers in Africa. However, serious concerns remain about the overregulation of research by bureaucratic agencies which could discourage African research on specifically African health issues. There is also a need for African academic institutions and researchers to progressively improve their research capacity with the assistance of research funders and donor agencies. © 2011 The Author. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2011 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

The early development phases of a European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) module to assess patient reported outcomes (PROs) in women undergoing breast reconstruction.

PubMed

Thomson, H J; Winters, Z E; Brandberg, Y; Didier, F; Blazeby, J M; Mills, J

2013-03-01

A comprehensive evaluation of breast reconstruction (BRR) surgery includes measurement of patient reported outcomes (PROs). There is, however, a lack of validated BRR-specific PRO measures (PROMs) that adequately assess relevant issues. This study is developing a European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) questionnaire/module specific for PROs in BRR to supplement the cancer-core and breast cancer EORTC questionnaires, respectively: the QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23. Phases I and II of questionnaire development followed EORTC guidelines including a systematic literature review to identify all potential 'issues' (concepts relevant to PROs) and semi-structured interviews with 89 patients and 9 European multi-disciplinary health care professionals (HCPs) (Sweden, Italy and the United Kingdom [UK]). Interviewers asked participants the 'relevance' of outcomes identified in the literature and captured additional 'issues' of importance. The literature search and interviews of patients and HCPs yielded 69 issues relating to BRR operationalised into 31 provisional items (single questions) for the module, which was conceptualised to contain five scales: treatment/surgery related symptoms (affecting the shoulder, arm and reconstructed breast), body image, sexuality, cosmetic outcomes (pertaining to three areas: breast, donor site and nipple) and overall satisfaction. The provisional development of the EORTC BRR module has 31 items addressing issues of importance to patients as well as HCPs. Further international testing is underway as a UK National Cancer Research Network trial to ensure that this PROM will be psychometrically and clinically robust and applicable for use in clinical trials, cohort studies, national audit and clinical practice. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Worker, workplace or families: What influences family focused practices in adult mental health?

PubMed

Maybery, D; Goodyear, M; Reupert, A E; Grant, A

2016-04-01

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Family focused practice leads to positive outcomes for parents and children. There are barriers and enablers for practitioners being family focused. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: Worker skill, knowledge and confidence about family work are the most important factors associated with family focused practices. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Mental health nurses require specific skill training in family focused practices, time to engage with clients on parenting issues and that there are adequate services to refer family members to. Introduction Family focused practice is thought to lead to positive outcomes for all family members. However, there are multiple barriers and enablers in adult mental health services to practitioners undertaking these actions. Aim The aim of this study was to examine the relative importance of worker, workforce and family factors to predict family focused practices (FFPs) in adult mental health services. Method Three hundred and seven adult mental health workers completed a 45 items family focused practice measure of 16 family focused practices. Thesis It was found that worker skill and knowledge about family work and an ability to assess the degree of parental insight into the child's connections to other family members and the community were important predictors of FFP, along with the closely related-worker confidence. While aspects of the worker, workplace and family each contribute to FFPs, this study highlighted the importance of worker skill, knowledge and confidence as central issues for adult mental health workers. Implications for practice Study implications include the need for training in specific FFPs, the provision of time to engage with clients on parenting issues and the need 5 to ensure that there are adequate services for workers to refer family members to. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Comparative systems biology across an evolutionary gradient within the Shewanella genus.

PubMed

Konstantinidis, Konstantinos T; Serres, Margrethe H; Romine, Margaret F; Rodrigues, Jorge L M; Auchtung, Jennifer; McCue, Lee-Ann; Lipton, Mary S; Obraztsova, Anna; Giometti, Carol S; Nealson, Kenneth H; Fredrickson, James K; Tiedje, James M

2009-09-15

To what extent genotypic differences translate to phenotypic variation remains a poorly understood issue of paramount importance for several cornerstone concepts of microbiology including the species definition. Here, we take advantage of the completed genomic sequences, expressed proteomic profiles, and physiological studies of 10 closely related Shewanella strains and species to provide quantitative insights into this issue. Our analyses revealed that, despite extensive horizontal gene transfer within these genomes, the genotypic and phenotypic similarities among the organisms were generally predictable from their evolutionary relatedness. The power of the predictions depended on the degree of ecological specialization of the organisms evaluated. Using the gradient of evolutionary relatedness formed by these genomes, we were able to partly isolate the effect of ecology from that of evolutionary divergence and to rank the different cellular functions in terms of their rates of evolution. Our ranking also revealed that whole-cell protein expression differences among these organisms, when the organisms were grown under identical conditions, were relatively larger than differences at the genome level, suggesting that similarity in gene regulation and expression should constitute another important parameter for (new) species description. Collectively, our results provide important new information toward beginning a systems-level understanding of bacterial species and genera.

A note on attitudes and knowledge concerning environmental issues in Sweden.

PubMed

Boman, Mattias; Mattsson, Leif

2008-02-01

As part of a larger research effort, the empirical basis for this note is responses to four out of many questions in a mailed survey, which primarily focused on national environmental objectives in Sweden. The results show that out of eight broad areas for use of tax money, five-including environment-are rated as important by over 90% of the respondents. Respondents appear to be less willing to discriminate between different issues covered by national environmental objectives, as all of these are rated as important by more than 80% of the respondents. The function of the ozone layer is an example of an environmental issue where the knowledge among people is relatively high, while this is not the case when it comes to the amount of pesticides used in agriculture. The results also show less support for actions at the individual level to improve the environment, as compared to support for actions taken by society at large through, e.g., technological improvement or policy intervention.

The complex legal and ethical issues related to generic medications. Viral hepatitis: a case study.

PubMed

Danta, M; Ghinea, N

2017-04-01

The economic impact of medications is significant, with many countries unable to afford the essential medicines listed by the WHO. Generic medications are one strategy to address this issue. Generic medications are similar to but not the same as originator medications. They have a significant cost advantage because they do not require the background research and development studies to support registration. Consequently, they are gaining increased market share in both the developed and developing world. Many new medications are now licensed to generic manufacturers in the developing world. As a result, it is possible for patients to bypass regulatory and cost barriers by importing medications directly from generic producers. Importation of the novel hepatitis C direct-acting antiviral therapy into Australia before it was registered in the country is an illustrative case study. This review will characterise generic medications and some of the legal and ethical issues around their utilisation, focusing on the relevant players, including pharma, government, patients and doctors.

Relative importance of natural and anthropogenic factors influencing karst rocky desertification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Erqi; Zhang, Hongqi

2017-04-01

As the most severe ecological issue in southwest China, karst rocky desertification (KRD) has both threatened and constrained regional sustainable development. Comprehensively understanding the relationship between the evolution of KRD and relevant driving data would provide more information to combat KRD in such complex karst environments. Past studies have been limited in quantifying the relative importance of driving factors influencing fine-scale KRD evolution, and have also lacked insight into their interactive impacts. To address these issues, we have used geographical information system techniques and a geographical detector model to explore the spatial consistency of driving factors and their interactions in relation to the evolution of KRD. Changshun County in China was selected as a representative area for the study. Nine relevant driving factors, including both natural and anthropogenic factors, were studied in regard to their relationships with KRD transformation between 2000 and 2010. Our results demonstrate the relative importance of driving data in influencing the improvement and deterioration of KRD. Lithology, soil type and road influence are identified as the leading factors. Interestingly, to our study at least, there is no significant difference between the impacts of natural and anthropogenic factors influencing KRD improvement, and even natural factors have a higher impact on KRD deterioration. Factors were found to enhance the influence of each other for KRD transformation. In particular, the results show a non-linearly enhanced effect between driving factors, which significantly aggravates KRD. New information found in our study helps to effectively control and restore areas afflicted by KRD.

Global mental health and neuroscience: potential synergies.

PubMed

Stein, Dan J; He, Yanling; Phillips, Anthony; Sahakian, Barbara J; Williams, John; Patel, Vikram

2015-02-01

Global mental health has emerged as an important specialty. It has drawn attention to the burden of mental illness and to the relative gap in mental health research and services around the world. Global mental health has raised the question of whether this gap is a developmental issue, a health issue, a human rights issue, or a combination of these issues-and it has raised awareness of the need to develop new approaches for building capacity, mobilising resources, and closing the research and treatment gap. Translational neuroscience has also advanced. It comprises an important conceptual approach to understanding the neurocircuitry and molecular basis of mental disorders, to rethinking how best to undertake research on the aetiology, assessment, and treatment of these disorders, with the ultimate aim to develop entirely new approaches to prevention and intervention. Some apparent contrasts exist between these fields; global mental health emphasises knowledge translation, moving away from the bedside to a focus on health systems, whereas translational neuroscience emphasises molecular neuroscience, focusing on transitions between the bench and bedside. Meanwhile, important opportunities exist for synergy between the two paradigms, to ensure that present opportunities in mental health research and services are maximised. Here, we review the approaches of global mental health and clinical neuroscience to diagnosis, pathogenesis, and intervention, and make recommendations for facilitating an integration of these two perspectives. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Cultured Word: Cultural Background, Bilingualism, and the School Library.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agosto, Denise E.

2001-01-01

Presents major research related to cultural background as a framework for textual meaning-making, bilingualism, and literacy development. Discusses bilingualism, literacy, and social context; considers why these issues are important to school librarians; and offers suggestions for making multicultural materials central aspects of school library…

15 CFR 287.3 - Responsibilities of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... publishing policies and guidance on conformity assessment related issues; collects and disseminates... awareness of the importance of conformity assessment and nature and extent of national and international... government agency, work with that state agency to reduce duplication and complexity in state conformity...

15 CFR 287.3 - Responsibilities of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... publishing policies and guidance on conformity assessment related issues; collects and disseminates... awareness of the importance of conformity assessment and nature and extent of national and international... government agency, work with that state agency to reduce duplication and complexity in state conformity...

15 CFR 287.3 - Responsibilities of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... publishing policies and guidance on conformity assessment related issues; collects and disseminates... awareness of the importance of conformity assessment and nature and extent of national and international... government agency, work with that state agency to reduce duplication and complexity in state conformity...

Issues and Challenges in Sedentary Behavior Measurement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kang, Minsoo; Rowe, David A.

2015-01-01

Previous research has shown the negative impact of sedentary behavior on health, including cardiovascular risk factors, chronic disease-related morbidity, and mortality. Accurate measurement of sedentary behavior is thus important to plan effective interventions and to inform public health messages. This article (a) provides an overview of the…

Building Human Resources for Rural Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woods, E. J.; And Others

The institutions and practices of agricultural extension in Australia are changing to meet the changing needs of rural people and communities. Issues and challenges facing rural people include the declining relative economic importance of agriculture; the declining agricultural workforce; and the shift in agriculture from a purely production…

National Plant Diagnostic Network, Taxonomic training videos: Introduction to Aphids - Part 2

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Training is a critical part of aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae) identification. This video provides visual instruction on important subject areas for aphid regulatory issues. Here the subject of aphids as they relate to disease transmission, biology, identification, and pathways is addressed. Aphid topi...

Suspending DNA origami between four gold nanodots

DOE PAGES

Morales, Piero; Wang, Liqian; Krissanaprasit, Abhichart; ...

2015-11-17

Here, connecting DNA nanostructures to metallic nanostructures at specific positions is a relatively rarely addressed issue in nanotechnology. [1-5] It is of high importance for application of the origami structures as breadboards for molecular electronics and nanosensing arrays since the metallic nanostructures may potentially serve as electrodes.

Literacy in Language and Mathematics: More in Common Than You Think

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Denisse R.; Rubenstein, Rheta N.

2014-01-01

This paper shares perspectives on literacy in mathematics, particularly highlighting commonalities with literacy in language arts. We discuss levels of language development appropriate for the mathematics classroom, issues related to mathematical definitions, implied meanings in many mathematics concepts, and the importance of justification. We…

Research Needs for Rural Public Services.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stocker, Frederick D.

The report proposes a conceptual framework for researching key issues relating to rural public facility policy affecting such services as fire protection, water systems, roads, wastewater treatment, hospitals, and others, and identifies important research needs in this area. Major components of the framework are sources of financing (private and…

Reversing the Real Brain Drain: Early Years Study--A Response.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Killoran, Isabel

2001-01-01

Presents concerns over the "Early Years Study" (McCain & Mustard). Focuses on diversity issues related to the readiness measure used, parenting styles, and the importance of first language development. Questions the report's definition of "developmentally-attuned." Concludes by expressing hope that the Early Years Study…

HIV Prevention Readiness in Undergraduates and Inmates.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Antonio, Michael E.; And Others

Prevention of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) transmission is increasingly an international priority. Education of high-risk populations, such as incarcerated individuals, is particularly important in thwarting the spread of HIV. To address this concern, the attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge of inmates concerning HIV and AIDS related issues are…

Professional Practice Schools: Building a Model. Volume II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levine, Marsha, Ed.

This collection of papers addresses three important aspects of professional practice schools: student learning, teacher development, and implementation issues related to collaboration among institutions and state policy environment. The first paper, "The Child as Meaning Maker: The Organizing Theme of Professional Practice Schools" (Ellen M.…

What Current Research Says to the Middle Level Practitioner.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Irvin, Judith L., Ed.

This volume provides recent research findings on important topics related to the still-expanding middle school movement. They are divided into seven parts, addressing teaching/learning, curriculum, teacher education, social context, organization, leaderships, and issues and future directions. Following an introduction to middle level education…

Detecting and Characterizing Engineered Nanomaterials: A Key Tool for Environmentally Responsible Nanotechnology

EPA Science Inventory

The same properties of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) that are the basis for their many novel applications also raise important issues related to their environmental impact. ENMs might not behave similarly in the environment to the dissolved or solid forms of the chemicals from ...

The Psychological Development of Adults: Implications for Public Administration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schott, Richard L.

1986-01-01

This article analyzes the major theories of adult lifespan development, reviews some related research into the influence of various stages of development on job and organizational satisfaction, and identifies some important issues that the adult life cycle raises for public administrators and managers. (Author/CT)

Physician Educational Needs in Osteoporosis: An Approach to Needs Assessment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lockyer, Jocelyn; Hanley, David; Fidler, Herta; Toews, John; Lysholm-Andrews, Elaine

1998-01-01

A literature review, focus groups (n=200), and questionnaire responses from 324 family physicians identified their learning needs related to osteoporosis. The three methods identified different learning issues, suggesting the importance of triangulation to ensure currency and relevance in continuing-education needs-assessment. (SK)

War, Terrorism, and Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeRanieri, Joseph T.; Clements, Paul T.; Clark, Kathleen; Kuhn, Douglas Wolcik; Manno, Martin S.

2004-01-01

Many caregivers are encountering the issue of communicating with children and adolescents about current world events, specifically war and terrorism. As health care providers, it is important to raise awareness of how children may understand, interpret, and respond to related fears and concerns. Although honesty and reassurance are clearly the…

[Methodological and operational notes for the assessment and management of the risk of work-related stress].

PubMed

De Ambrogi, Francesco; Ratti, Elisabetta Ceppi

2011-01-01

Today the Italian national debate over the Work-Related Stress Risk Assessment methodology is rather heated. Several methodological proposals and guidelines have been published in recent months, not least those by the "Commissione Consultiva". But despite this wide range of proposals, it appears that there is still a lack of attention to some of the basic methodological issues that must be taken into account in order to correctly implement the above-mentioned guidelines. The aim of this paper is to outline these methodological issues. In order to achieve this, the most authoritative methodological proposals and guidelines have been reviewed. The study focuses in particular on the methodological issues that could lead to important biases if not considered properly. The study leads to some considerations about the methodological validity of a Work-Related Stress Risk Assessment based exclusively on the literal interpretation of the considered proposals. Furthermore, the study provides some hints and working hypotheses on how to overcome these methodological limits. This study should be considered as a starting point for further investigations and debate on the Work-Related Stress Risk Assessment methodology on a national level.

Key Health Information Technologies and Related Issues for Iran: A Qualitative Study.

PubMed

Hemmat, Morteza; Ayatollahi, Haleh; Maleki, Mohammadreza; Saghafi, Fatemeh

2018-01-01

Planning for the future of Health Information Technology (HIT) requires applying a systematic approach when conducting foresight studies. The aim of this study was to identify key health information technologies and related issues for Iran until 2025. This was a qualitative study and the participants included experts and policy makers in the field of health information technology. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted and data were analyzed by using framework analysis and MAXQDA software. The findings revealed that the development of national health information network, electronic health records, patient health records, a cloud-based service center, interoperability standards, patient monitoring technologies, telehealth, mhealth, clinical decision support systems, health information technology and mhealth infrastructure were found to be the key technologies for the future. These technologies could influence the economic, organizational and individual levels. To achieve them, the economic and organizational obstacles need to be overcome. In this study, a number of key technologies and related issues were identified. This approach can help to focus on the most important technologies in the future and to priorities these technologies for better resource allocation and policy making.

Honoring the Past and Looking to the Future: Updates on Seminal Behavior Therapy Publications on Etiology and Mechanisms of Change.

PubMed

Newman, Michelle G

2016-09-01

This is the introduction to the first of two special issues in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. The goal of this issue is to pay tribute to prior seminal Behavior Therapy publications on etiology and mechanisms of change, to provide an updated review of important topics covered by these papers, and to make recommendations for the future. Each invited paper highlights a particular Behavior Therapy publication's contribution to our understanding and also provides an updated review or meta-analysis on the topic of the original paper. The topics covered here include mechanisms of etiology such as preparedness, reinforcement, and control. In terms of papers on mechanisms of change, we cover mechanisms related to extinction including fear activation, within- and between-session extinction, safety behaviors, and variables related to imagery. In addition, we examine principles related to generalization of learning and optimizing the impact of homework. With the two special issues of Behavior Therapy, we hope to inspire additional research and discussion. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Importance and use of correlational research.

PubMed

Curtis, Elizabeth A; Comiskey, Catherine; Dempsey, Orla

2016-07-01

The importance of correlational research has been reported in the literature yet few research texts discuss design in any detail. To discuss important issues and considerations in correlational research, and suggest ways to avert potential problems during the preparation and application of the design. This article targets the gap identified in the literature regarding correlational research design. Specifically, it discusses the importance and purpose of correlational research, its application, analysis and interpretation with contextualisations to nursing and health research. Findings from correlational research can be used to determine prevalence and relationships among variables, and to forecast events from current data and knowledge. In spite of its many uses, prudence is required when using the methodology and analysing data. To assist researchers in reducing mistakes, important issues are singled out for discussion and several options put forward for analysing data. Correlational research is widely used and this paper should be particularly useful for novice nurse researchers. Furthermore, findings generated from correlational research can be used, for example, to inform decision-making, and to improve or initiate health-related activities or change.

The importance of teaching communication in dental education. A survey amongst dentists, students and patients.

PubMed

Woelber, J P; Deimling, D; Langenbach, D; Ratka-Krüger, P

2012-02-01

The aim of our study was to evaluate the subjective importance of teaching communication in the dental curriculum by conducting a survey amongst dentists, students and patients. Three questionnaires about communication-related issues were developed in which different questions could be rated on a five-point Likert scale. These questions included the subjective importance of the dental team's friendliness, an elaborated consultation, modern office equipment or the dentist's technical skills. Seven hundred and twenty-nine questionnaires were completed [233 by dentists (32%), 310 by students (43%) and 185 by patients (25%)]. Eighty-seven percentage of the dentists, 84% of the students and 84% of the patients supported an integration of communicational issues in dental education; 94.7% of the dentists and 77.2% of the patients attached vital importance to the dentist-patient relationship regarding the therapeutic outcomes. Dentists with prior communicational training experience would spend significantly (P<0.001) more money for further courses. The results show the publicly perceived importance of integrating aspects of communication in dental education. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Sports neurology topics in neurologic practice

PubMed Central

Conidi, Francis X.; Drogan, Oksana; Giza, Christopher C.; Kutcher, Jeffery S.; Alessi, Anthony G.; Crutchfield, Kevin E.

2014-01-01

Summary We sought to assess neurologists' interest in sports neurology and learn about their experience in treating sports-related neurologic conditions. A survey was sent to a random sample of American Academy of Neurology members. A majority of members (77%) see at least some patients with sports-related neurologic issues. Concussion is the most common sports-related condition neurologists treat. More than half of survey participants (63%) did not receive any formal or informal training in sports neurology. At least two-thirds of respondents think it is very important to address the following issues: developing evidence-based return-to-play guidelines, identifying risk factors for long-term cognitive-behavioral sequelae, and developing objective diagnostic criteria for concussion. Our findings provide an up-to-date view of the subspecialty of sports neurology and identify areas for future research. PMID:24790800

The Relationship between Intuitive Action Choices and Moral Reasoning on Animal Ethics Issues in Students of Veterinary Medicine and Other Relevant Professions.

PubMed

Verrinder, Joy M; Phillips, Clive J C

2018-01-01

With growing understanding of animals' capabilities, and public and organizational pressures to improve animal welfare, moral action by veterinarians and other relevant professionals to address animal issues is increasingly important. Little is known about how their action choices relate to their moral reasoning on animal ethics issues. A moral judgment measure, the VetDIT, with three animal and three non-animal scenarios, was used to investigate the action choices of 619 students in five animal- and two non-animal-related professional programs in one Australian university, and how these related to their moral reasoning based on Personal Interest (PI), Maintaining Norms (MN), or Universal Principles (UP) schemas. Action choices showed significant relationships to PI, MN, and UP questions, and these varied across program groups. Having a previous degree or more experience with farm animals had a negative relationship, and experience with horses or companion animals a positive relationship, with intuitive action choices favoring life and bodily integrity of animals. This study helps to explain the complex relationship between intuitive moral action choices and moral reasoning on animal ethics issues. As a useful research and educational tool for understanding this relationship, the VetDIT can enhance ethical decision making.

14 CFR 21.621 - Issue of letters of TSO design approval: Import articles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Issue of letters of TSO design approval: Import articles. 21.621 Section 21.621 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT... Approvals § 21.621 Issue of letters of TSO design approval: Import articles. (a) The FAA may issue a letter...

14 CFR 21.621 - Issue of letters of TSO design approval: Import articles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Issue of letters of TSO design approval: Import articles. 21.621 Section 21.621 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT... Approvals § 21.621 Issue of letters of TSO design approval: Import articles. (a) The FAA may issue a letter...

14 CFR 21.621 - Issue of letters of TSO design approval: Import articles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Issue of letters of TSO design approval: Import articles. 21.621 Section 21.621 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT... Approvals § 21.621 Issue of letters of TSO design approval: Import articles. (a) The FAA may issue a letter...

Applicability of existing C3 (command, control and communications) vulnerability and hardness analyses to sentry system issues. Technical report

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

Lee, R.C.

1983-01-13

This report is a compilation of abstracts resulting from a literature search of reports relevant to Sentry Ballistic missile system C3 vulnerability and hardness. Primary sources consulted were the DOD Nuclear Information Analysis Center (DASIAC) and the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC). Approximately 175 reports were reviewed and abstracted, including several related to computer programs for estimating nuclear effects on electromagnetic propagation. The reports surveyed were ranked in terms of their importance for Sentry C3 VandH issues.

Benefits of Objective Collapse Models for Cosmology and Quantum Gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okon, Elias; Sudarsky, Daniel

2014-02-01

We display a number of advantages of objective collapse theories for the resolution of long-standing problems in cosmology and quantum gravity. In particular, we examine applications of objective reduction models to three important issues: the origin of the seeds of cosmic structure, the problem of time in quantum gravity and the information loss paradox; we show how reduction models contain the necessary tools to provide solutions for these issues. We wrap up with an adventurous proposal, which relates the spontaneous collapse events of objective collapse models to microscopic virtual black holes.

CRISPR, Patents, and the Public Health



PubMed Central

Sherkow, Jacob S.

2017-01-01

Patent issues surrounding CRISPR, the revolutionary genetic editing technology, may have important implications for the public health. Patents maintain high prices for novel therapies, limiting patient access. Relatedly, insurance coverage for expensive therapies is waning. Patents also misallocate research and development resources to profitable disease indications rather than those that necessarily impinge on the public health. And it is unclear how CRISPR therapies will figure into the current regulatory framework for biosimilars. Policy makers and physicians should consider these issues now, before CRISPR therapies become widely adopted—and entrenched—in the marketplace. PMID:29259531

CRISPR, Patents, and the Public Health.

PubMed

Sherkow, Jacob S

2017-12-01

Patent issues surrounding CRISPR, the revolutionary genetic editing technology, may have important implications for the public health. Patents maintain high prices for novel therapies, limiting patient access. Relatedly, insurance coverage for expensive therapies is waning. Patents also misallocate research and development resources to profitable disease indications rather than those that necessarily impinge on the public health. And it is unclear how CRISPR therapies will figure into the current regulatory framework for biosimilars. Policy makers and physicians should consider these issues now, before CRISPR therapies become widely adopted-and entrenched-in the marketplace.

Introduction to special issue on burnout and health.

PubMed

Schaufeli, W B; Greenglass, E R

2001-09-01

Abstract In recent years, the issue of occupational stress and burnout have received increasing research attention. Given the amount of time people spend on work-related activities and the central importance of work to one's sense of identity and self-worth, it is not surprising that occupational stress is regarded as a central area of study. Although burnout is linked to the extensive literature on occupational health, burnout goes beyond occupational health by focusing on specific stressors in the workplace to emphasize total life and environmental pressures affecting health.

What about the dentist-patient relationship in dental tourism?

PubMed

Conti, Adelaide; Delbon, Paola; Laffranchi, Laura; Paganelli, Corrado

2014-03-01

Dental tourism is patients travelling across international borders with the intention of receiving dental care. It is a growing phenomenon that raises many ethical issues, particularly regarding the dentist-patient relationship. We discuss various issues related to this phenomenon, including patient autonomy over practitioner choice, patient safety, continuity of care, informed consent and doctor-patient communication, among other factors. In particular, patients partaking in medical tourism should be informed of its potential problems and the importance of proper planning and post-treatment care to guarantee high-quality treatment outcomes.

Environmental impact assessment in urban transport planning: Exploring process-related barriers in Spanish practice

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

Soria-Lara, Julio A., E-mail: j.a.sorialara@uva.nl; Bertolini, Luca, E-mail: l.bertolini@uva.nl; Brömmelstroet, Marco te, E-mail: M.C.G.teBrommelstroet@uva.nl

The effectiveness of EIA for evaluating transport planning projects is increasingly being questioned by practitioners, institutions and scholars. The academic literature has traditionally focused more on solving content-related problems with EIA (i.e. the measurement of environmental effects) than on process-related issues (i.e. the role of EIA in the planning process and the interaction between key actors). Focusing only on technical improvements is not sufficient for rectifying the effectiveness problems of EIA. In order to address this knowledge gap, the paper explores how EIA is experienced in the Spanish planning context and offers in-depth insight into EIA process-related issues in themore » field of urban transport planning. From the multitude of involved actors, the research focuses on exploring the perceptions of the two main professional groups: EIA developers and transport planners. Through a web-based survey we assess the importance of process-related barriers to the effective use of EIA in urban transport planning. The analyses revealed process issues based fundamentally on unstructured stakeholders involvement and an inefficient public participation - Highlights: • Qualitative research on perceptions of EIA participants on EIA processes. • Web-based survey with different participants (EIA-developers; transport planners). • It was seen an inefficient participation of stakeholders during the EIA processes.« less

Work Group on American Indian Research and Program Evaluation Methodology, Symposium on Research and Evaluation Methodology: Lifespan Issues Related to American Indians/Alaska Natives with Disabilities (Washington, DC, April 26-27, 2002).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Jamie D., Ed.; Erickson, Jill Shepard, Ed.; Johnson, Sharon R., Ed.; Marshall, Catherine A., Ed.; Running Wolf, Paulette, Ed.; Santiago, Rolando L., Ed.

This first symposium of the Work Group on American Indian Research and Program Evaluation Methodology (AIRPEM) explored American Indian and Alaska Native cultural considerations in relation to "best practices" in research and program evaluation. These cultural considerations include the importance of tribal consultation on research…

Managing Senegalese water resources: Definition and relative importance of information needs

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

Engi, D.

1998-09-01

This report provides an overview of the results of the Vital Issues process as implemented for the Senegal Water Resources Management Initiative, a collaborative effort between the Senegalese Ministry of Water Resources and Sandia National Laboratories. This Initiative is being developed to assist in the development of an efficient and sustainable water resources management system for Senegal. The Vital Issues process was used to provide information for the development of a proposal that will recommend actions to address the key management issues and establish a state-of-the-art decision support system (DSS) for managing Senegal`s water resources. Three Vital Issues panel meetingsmore » were convened to (1) develop a goal statement and criteria for identifying and ranking the issues vital to water resources management in Senegal; (2) define and rank the issues, and (3) identify and prioritize a preliminary list of information needed to address the vital issues. The selection of panelists from the four basic institutional perspectives (government, industry, academe, and citizens` interest groups) ensured a high level of stakeholder representation on the panels.« less

THE ETHICS OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY IN TURKEY: RESPONSIBILITY AND CONSENT TO RISK.

PubMed

Artvinli, Fatih

2016-06-01

Work-related diseases, injuries, risks and deaths are the issues that have been recently gaining importance especially in developing countries. The ethical dimensions of occupational health and safety have remained as relatively understudied areas. Concepts such as responsibility, consent, autonomy, paternalism, choice, and certain values or justifications that are used in medical ethics and bioethics are also applicable to occupational health and safety. This article examines the ethical issues of responsibility and consent to occupational risk. It will first define the concepts of consent and risk, and then different views on responsibility and consent to risk will be discussed. The article will also examine the responsibility of the society and government regarding these concepts.

Exercise and Quality of Life: Strengthening the Connections

PubMed Central

Hacker, Eileen

2010-01-01

Exercise improves quality of life (QOL) in people with cancer. Most oncology healthcare providers recognize the statement to be true because the research literature provides strong support for the physical and psychological benefits of exercise. Because the terms exercise, QOL, and people with cancer have different meanings, the contextual connections in which they are used are important to understanding the relationship between exercise and QOL in people with cancer. This article explores the links between exercise and QOL in people with cancer and examines issues that impact the development, implementation, and evaluation of exercise programs for people with cancer. Issues related to exercise goal development, exercise prescription, exercise testing, exercise adherence, and methods to evaluate the efficacy of exercise in relation to QOL are discussed. PMID:19193547

Exercise and quality of life: strengthening the connections.

PubMed

Hacker, Eileen

2009-02-01

Exercise improves quality of life (QOL) in people with cancer. Most oncology healthcare providers recognize the statement to be true because the research literature provides strong support for the physical and psychological benefits of exercise. Because the terms exercise, QOL, and people with cancer have different meanings, the contextual connections in which they are used are important to understanding the relationship between exercise and QOL in people with cancer. This article explores the links between exercise and QOL in people with cancer and examines issues that impact the development, implementation, and evaluation of exercise programs for people with cancer. Issues related to exercise goal development, exercise prescription, exercise testing, exercise adherence, and methods to evaluate the efficacy of exercise in relation to QOL are discussed.

Legal briefing: informed consent in the clinical context.

PubMed

Pope, Thaddeus Mason; Hexum, Melinda

2014-01-01

This issue's "Legal Briefing" column covers recent legal developments involving informed consent.1 We covered this topic in previous articles in The Journal of Clinical Ethics.2 But an updated discussion is warranted. First, informed consent remains a central and critically important issue in clinical ethics. Second, there have been numerous significant legal changes over the past year. We categorize recent legal developments into the following 13 categories: (1) Medical Malpractice Liability, (2) Medical Malpractice Liability in Wisconsin, (3) Medical Malpractice Liability in Novel Situations, (4) Enforcement by Criminal Prosecutors, (5) Enforcement by State Medical Boards, (6) Enforcement through Anti-Discrimination Laws, (7) Statutorily Mandated Disclosures Related to End-of-Life Counseling, (8) Statutorily Mandated Disclosures Related to Aid in Dying, (9) Statutorily Mandated Disclosures Related to Abortion, (10) Statutorily Mandated Disclosures Related to Telemedicine, (11) Statutorily Mandated Disclosures Related to Other Interventions, (12) Statutorily Mandated Gag and Censorship Laws, (13) Informed Consent in the Research Context. Copyright 2014 The Journal of Clinical Ethics. All rights reserved.

Analysis on Inclusion of Social Studies Economy Concepts in Coursebooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seker, Mustafa; Osmanoglu, Ahmet Emin

2015-01-01

Having an efficient and satisfactory economy education may enable an individual to actively participate in decision making process about economy-related issues. This is very important for democratic societies. This research aims to search methods and levels of teaching "economy" concepts prepared for Turkey 2005 Social Studies Program in…

A Summary of the Third Persh Conference: Strategic Issues in Materials for National Defense

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-01

addresses a distinct materials-related topic of strategic importance, ranging from thermal management materials to data mining, and from...such as aerogels, shape-memory alloys, polymers, electronic ink, and zeolites . The second demonstration kit, “Zoom in on Life,” investigates how the

Ontology-Based Concept Map for Planning a Personalised Learning Path

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Chih-Ming

2009-01-01

Developing personalised web-based learning systems has been an important research issue in e-learning because no fixed learning pathway will be appropriate for all learners. However, most current web-based learning platforms with personalised curriculum sequencing tend to emphasise the learner preferences and interests in relation to personalised…

Secondary Climate Change Education in the Pacific Northwest

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, P. Troy; Wolf, Kattlyn J.; Johnson-Maynard, Jodi L.; Velez, Jonathan J.; Eigenbrode, Sanford D.

2014-01-01

Climate change (CC) is an important issue students should understand to be productive members of society. The objectives were to evaluate the instruction and teacher perceptions relating to CC in the Inland Pacific Northwest (IPNW) secondary (7-12) classes across disciplines. The teacher perceptions, instructional frequency, perceived barriers to…

The California School Psychologist, 2001.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jimerson, Shane R., Ed.; Wilson, Marilyn, Ed.

2001-01-01

This volume of the journal for the California Association of School Psychologists provides current information on a broad array of topics related to the work of school psychologists. The articles contribute important information on contemporary issues in the field, such as using a strength-based perspective when assessing students, student support…

Applying CLIL to English Language Teaching in Thailand: Issues and Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suwannoppharat, Khwanchit; Chinokul, Sumalee

2015-01-01

Most countries in the world have been influenced by the trends of globalization and interculturality; accordingly, the English language and related cultures have come to play more important roles in global communication. Educational research, a primary source for language teaching and learning development, has increasingly emphasized the…

University Access for Social Justice: A Capabilities Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson-Strydom, Merridy

2011-01-01

The closely related, but often contradictory, issues of increasing access to university and improving students' chances of success in their university studies have been and continue to be an important research focus within higher education studies and policy in South Africa and beyond. More recently, the challenge of underpreparedness of students…

Collocations: A Neglected Variable in EFL.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farghal, Mohammed; Obiedat, Hussein

1995-01-01

Addresses the issue of collocations as an important and neglected variable in English-as-a-Foreign-Language classes. Two questionnaires, in English and Arabic, involving common collocations relating to food, color, and weather were administered to English majors and English language teachers. Results show both groups deficient in collocations. (36…

Nurturing the Spiritual Well-Being of Children with Special Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Kaili Chen; Wu, Deirdra I-Hwey

2012-01-01

Spirituality is of acknowledged and profound importance to children from mainstream school populations, but has been overlooked in respect of children with special needs. This article explores the issues related to spirituality and disabilities, and the relationship between spirituality and education for students with special needs. The following…

Adolescents Define Sexual Orientation and Suggest Ways to Measure It

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedman, M. S. Mark S.; Silvestre, Anthony J.; Gold, Melanie A.; Markovic, Nina; Savin-Williams, Ritch C.; Huggins, James; Sell, Randal L.

2004-01-01

Researchers disagree on how to assess adolescent sexual orientation. The relative importance of various dimensions (e.g. attraction, relationships, behavior, self-labeling) is unknown, which calls into question the validity of studies assessing adolescent sexual orientation. To address this issue, 50 male and female adolescents of varied sexual…

Index of Economic Freedom: Unrealized Pedagogical Opportunities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maier, Mark; Miller, John A.

2017-01-01

Although the Index of Economic Freedom appears in many economic textbooks, their coverage of the index misses opportunities to teach statistical and policy-related concepts important for the principles course. The standard textbook presentation passes up an opportunity to examine the statistical issues of weighting in composite index numbers and…

Development of a Secure Mobile GPS Tracking and Management System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Anyi

2012-01-01

With increasing demand of mobile devices and cloud computing, it becomes increasingly important to develop efficient mobile application and its secured backend, such as web applications and virtualization environment. This dissertation reports a systematic study of mobile application development and the security issues of its related backend. …

Confronting Our Own Hypocrisy: Being a Model for Our Students and Clients.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kottler, Jeffrey A.

1992-01-01

Notes that counselor educators, supervisors, and practitioners who communicate to students and trainees the importance of being caring, respectful, warm, flexible, honest, and personally competent, sometimes act in ways that contradict these significant beliefs and values. Discusses issues related to counselor educator's, supervisor's, and…

The Utility of Single Subject Design Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennett, Kyle D.

2016-01-01

Single subject design (SSD) research is a quantitative approach used to investigate basic and applied research questions. It has been used for decades to examine issues of social importance such as those related to general and special education strategies, therapeutic approaches in mental health, community health practices, safety, and business…

Suicide and Its Prevention on College Campuses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keyes, Lee

2012-01-01

Suicide is a significant issue facing higher education institutions. Many campuses are involved in a variety of procedures, programs, and initiatives that seek to reduce or prevent suicide and the impact of suicide-related behavior. This article offers examples of campus prevention efforts, important resources on suicide prevention for college…

An analytical framework to assist decision makers in the use of forest ecosystem model predictions

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The predictions of most terrestrial ecosystem models originate from deterministic simulations. Relatively few uncertainty evaluation exercises in model outputs are performed by either model developers or users. This issue has important consequences for decision makers who rely on models to develop n...

Right and Wrong Online. Teaching Your Children Ethics in Cyberspace.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Our Children, 1998

1998-01-01

Parents must describe and reinforce the importance of truthfulness, responsibility, and respect when their children use the Internet. The paper presents potential situations that could arise and discusses issues related to the law online, copyrighted materials, copying or distributing software, privacy, hacking, and obscenity. A sidebar offers…

A Tangled Path: Negotiating Leadership for, in, of, and with Diverse Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goddard, J. Tim

2015-01-01

This article addresses issues of educational leadership in postcolonial and post-conflict environments. The focus relates to large-scale testing protocols, diversity in schools, asset-based community development, and communications technology. The article highlights the importance of context to the tenets of social justice, equitable human…

A mandate for space education

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Von Puttkamer, Jesco

1989-01-01

Issues related to public education in preparation for a manned Mars program are discussed. Consideration is given to the near- and long-term goals of the space program, the benefits of human expansion in space, and long-range planning for fundamental problem areas in space education. Important concerns for space educators are outlined.

Construction Safety Training via e-Learning: Learning Effectiveness and User Satisfaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ho, Chun-Ling; Dzeng, Ren-Jye

2010-01-01

In Taiwan, promoting knowledge of "Labor Safety" which relates to life and work right is very important. Safety training and learning effectiveness become essential issues of adult learning. To reduce the costs of educational training, enterprises have also started to aggressively introduce e-learning education training. Unlike the…

Who Defends Intellectual Freedom for Librarians?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buschman, John

2009-01-01

"Academe"'s readers know the importance of academic freedom and the history of the (American Association of University Professors) AAUP's defense and promotion of academic freedom for faculty. Librarians have an analogous set of interlocking policies concerning their ethics and related issues. The author has always been proud that the American…

Trade is a Two-Way Street.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Welch, Mary A., Ed.

1997-01-01

This issue focuses on how U.S. trade policies must recognize the interdependent nature of trade partnerships. Economic concepts related to world trade are explained. The booklet contends that the United States cannot have a comparative advantage in producing all goods and that by offering consumers low-priced imports from overseas the United…

Fraction Sense: Foundational Understandings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fennell, Francis; Karp, Karen

2017-01-01

The intent of this commentary is to identify elements of fraction sense and note how the research studies provided in this special issue, in related but somewhat different ways, validate the importance of such understandings. Proficiency with fractions serves as a prerequisite for student success in higher level mathematics, as well as serving as…

The California School Psychologist, 2002.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jimerson, Shane R., Ed.

2002-01-01

This volume of the journal for the California Association of School Psychologists provides current information on a broad array of topics related to the work of school psychologists. Articles in this volume provide information addressing an assortment of important issues in the field, including: the translations and validation of an assessment for…

Flexible Learning in Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Further Education Unit, London (England).

Those responsible for coordinating flexible and open learning in colleges should consider whether the time may be right to seek common ground on the issues and principles shared by the many related initiatives in Great Britain during the last two decades. Two principles that are important to flexible learning are that education's effectiveness is…

77 FR 15052 - Dataset Workshop-U.S. Billion Dollar Disasters Dataset (1980-2011): Assessing Dataset Strengths...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-14

... and related methodology. Emphasis will be placed on dataset accuracy and time-dependent biases. Pathways to overcome accuracy and bias issues will be an important focus. Participants will consider...] Guidance for improving these methods. [cir] Recommendations for rectifying any known time-dependent biases...

On the Importance of Coherence in the Study of Character Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Callina, Kristina Schmid; Lerner, Richard M.

2017-01-01

Nucci (this issue) gives a compelling conceptualization of the ideas needed to understand character as a multifaceted developmental system. In this article, we focus on the idea of coherence as it applies to understanding character development, education, and assessment. Using ideas from relational developmental systems (RDS) metatheory, we…

Riparian ecosystems and buffers - multiscale structure, function, and management: introduction

Treesearch

Kathleen A. Dwire; Richard R. Lowrance

2006-01-01

Given the importance of issues related to improved understanding and management of riparian ecosystems and buffers, the American Water Resources Association (AWRA) sponsored a Summer Specialty Conference in June 2004 at Olympic Valley, California, entitled 'Riparian Ecosystems and Buffers: Multiscale Structure, Function, and Management.' The primary objective...

The Netherlands in Fifty Maps: An Annotated Atlas.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tamsma, R.

1988-01-01

Statistical data relating to The Netherlands is presented in 50 maps that were originally published in the "Journal of Economic and Social Geography" between 1977 and 1986. Lengthy annotations accompanying each map provide important background information on the issues depicted. These elucidations were written with the foreign reader in…

Instructional Context and Student Motivation, Learning, and Development: Commentary and Implications for School Psychologists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pendergast, Laura L.; Kaplan, Avi

2015-01-01

From an ecological perspective, learning and development in childhood and throughout the lifespan occur in the context of interactions within complex social networks. Collectively, the articles in this special issue illuminate three important themes related to teacher-student interactions within instructional contexts: relationships, competence,…

Student Learning in Higher Education: A Commentary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson, John T. E.

2017-01-01

This commentary begins by summarizing the five contributions to this special issue and briefly recapping the background to the topic of student learning in higher education. Narrative and systematic reviews are compared, and the relative value of different bibliographic databases in the context of systematic reviews is assessed. The importance of…

Perspectives on Cultural Geography in AP® Human Geography

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Christopher; Johnston-Anumonwo, Ibipo

2016-01-01

This article provides an overview of selected current concerns in cultural geography and the way it is taught. It includes coverage of cultural convergence and divergence, race and gender as culturally defined topics, and best teaching practices, including those related to analyzing controversial issues. Two important geographical models are laid…

Mexico: The Quest for a U.S. Policy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Peter H.

Illustrated with photographs, cartoons and charts, this essay provides background information on the Mexican political system and economy and discusses the main issues confronting the United States in its relations with Mexico. The essay was written to provide interested citizens with background information on important foreign policy questions.…

Navigating the Measurement and Monitoring Maze

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brigham, Frederick J.; Berkeley, Sheri; Walker, Erin

2012-01-01

Assessment of students with disabilities is a critical component of special education. In addition to the complexity of assessment (e.g., high-stakes assessments, progress monitoring, diagnosis), the issue is complicated further by the use of acronyms. This can make both explaining and understanding important information related to students very…

Learning Non-Adjacent Regularities at Age 0 ; 7

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gervain, Judit; Werker, Janet F.

2013-01-01

One important mechanism suggested to underlie the acquisition of grammar is rule learning. Indeed, infants aged 0 ; 7 are able to learn rules based on simple identity relations (adjacent repetitions, ABB: "wo fe fe" and non-adjacent repetitions, ABA: "wo fe wo", respectively; Marcus et al., 1999). One unexplored issue is…

An Advance toward Instructional Management: Prescriptive Knowledge Base of Learner Control.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chung, Jaesam

This paper discusses learner control as one of the main issues in instructional management and the importance of effectiveness and efficiency in the context of instructional/learning systems, and develops instructional prescriptions for learner control in a smorgasbord fashion. Strategies from both empirical and theoretical studies related to…

Death and Dying: Issues for Educational Gerontologists.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wass, Hannelore, Myers, Jane E.

1984-01-01

Reviews research on death orientations, the dying process, and bereavement, with a major focus on the elderly. Suggests that relevant knowledge about death and dying are important for gerontological practitioners and proposes that death-related content be systematically integrated into academic curricula at the preservice and inservice levels.…

Development Aid: A Guide to Facts and Issues.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Silva, Leelananda

This eight-chapter book provides information on Official Development Assistance (ODA), its importance in relation to developed and developing countries, and its prospects and limitations. Major areas discussed include: (1) the institutional evolution of development aid; (2) forms of ODA, including project aid, program aid, bilateral aid,…

77 FR 14414 - Notice of Intent To Revise Resource Management Plans and an Associated Environmental Impact...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-09

... and resource allocations, levels of resource use, production, and related management practices. Issues...? Economics and Community Support--How should BLM- administered-lands be managed to contribute to local... consider withholding lands with important resource values and/or significant levels of investment from...

Choice of threshold line angle for binary phase-only filters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vijaya Kumar, Bhagavatula; Hendrix, Charles D.

1993-10-01

The choice of threshold line angle (TLA) is an important issue in designing Binary Phase-Only Filters (BPOFs). In this paper, we derive expressions that explicitly relate the TLA to correlation peak intensity. We also show some examples that illustrate the effect of choosing the wrong TLA.

Lao Serial Verb Constructions and Their Event Representations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cole, Douglas James

2016-01-01

This dissertation is an investigation of serial verb constructions in Lao (Tai-Kadai, SVO) and the events that they encode. Serial verb constructions (SVCs), structures where multiple verbs appear in a single clause, raise several important questions for syntactic theory. One issue is how the verbs are related; proposals involving coordination…

The Benefits of Neutering Cats and Dogs: A Conversation

EPA Science Inventory

The castration of a dog or cat can be an emotion laden issue. In many cases it is the best solution for resolving behavior related problems as well as an important method for decreasing pet overpopulation. Sometimes the idea is met with resistance, particularly by some male owner...

Childhood in Crisis: Our Future at Risk. Issues in Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haller, Marilyn L.

2003-01-01

Documents the need for and importance of high-quality child care; the influence of caregivers on children's cognitive, social, and emotional development; qualifications of and remuneration for child caregivers; and the relation of quality care to lower juvenile crime. Proposes that child caregivers be given adequate training (including alternate…

What Undergraduates Misunderstand about Stem Cell Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halverson, Kristy Lynn; Freyermuth, Sharyn K.; Siegel, Marcelle A.; Clark, Catharine G.

2010-01-01

As biotechnology-related scientific advances, such as stem cell research (SCR), are increasingly permeating the popular media, it has become ever more important to understand students' ideas about this issue. Very few studies have investigated learners' ideas about biotechnology. Our study was designed to understand the types of alternative…

The Forgotten Core Discipline

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deskins, John A.; Lorenze, Stephanie Morris

2012-01-01

Support for arts education is a favorite issue in the education media. Policymakers of all stripes routinely declare their devotion to the arts and its importance in students' lives. They often cite findings that students who have arts education outperform their peers on most indicators of academic achievement. Many will relate their own…

"Red Eyes": Engaging Emotions in Multicultural Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Hongyu

2008-01-01

Engaging emotions in multicultural education is an important but a relatively neglected issue in teacher education. This essay calls for pedagogical attention to the role of emotions and attempts to analyze how teaching autobiographies and films sheds light on the emotional dynamics of multicultural education. Two films, "The Color of Fear", and…

What Determines Perseverance in Studying Science?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Otrel-Cass, Kathrin; Cowie, Bronwen; Campbell, Alison

2009-01-01

This article explores the issue of university student recruitment and retention beyond the first and second year of studying science. The research investigated the "image" students have of science, the demands they face in studying science and student self-efficacy, and the relative importance of these factors as perceived by 140…

Technology, Privacy, and Electronic Freedom of Speech.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDonald, Frances M.

1986-01-01

Explores five issues related to technology's impact on privacy and access to information--regulation and licensing of the press, electronic surveillance, invasion of privacy, copyright, and policy-making and regulation. The importance of First Amendment rights and civil liberties in forming a coherent national information policy is stressed.…

Classifying Life, Reconstructing History and Teaching Diversity: Philosophical Issues in the Teaching of Biological Systematics and Biodiversity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reydon, Thomas A. C.

2013-02-01

Classification is a central endeavor in every scientific field of work. Classification in biology, however, is distinct from classification in other fields of science in a number of ways. Thus, understanding how biological classification works is an important element in understanding the nature of biological science. In the present paper, I discuss a number of philosophical issues that are characteristic for classification in biological science, paying special attention to questions related to science education. My aims are (1) to provide science educators and others concerned with the teaching of biology with an accessible overview of the philosophy of biological classification and (2) to show how knowledge of the philosophy of classification can play an important role in science teaching.

Parkinson's disease and issues related to driving.

PubMed

Uitti, Ryan J

2009-12-01

Driving a motor vehicle represents an important activity associated with personal independence and freedom. Being told that one can no longer drive is itself associated with loss of independence, depression, low self-esteem and reduced activities [1,2]. Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), therefore, understandably wish to continue to be able to maintain their ability to drive automobiles, motorcycles, airplanes, and boats, etc. The ability to determine if and when a PD patient is no longer fit to drive a motor vehicle is important for maintaining safety for the PD patient and the public. There are numerous requirements for being able to drive a motor vehicle safely. When any of these capacities deteriorate, the ability to drive safely may be lost. This review will concentrate upon common issues that would be peculiar to patients with PD.

Evolution of China's water issues as framed in Chinese mainstream media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Y.; Xiong, Y.; Zhang, Z.

2016-12-01

There is an urgent need globally to trigger fundamental societal changes in water use away from existing unsustainable paradigms. This paper attempts to understand the evolution of newspaper coverage of water issues in China by analyzing water-related articles in a major national newspaper People's Daily during 1946-2012 using a content analysis approach. The major findings include: 1) water issues have been in relatively important positions in the newspaper; 2) water issues reporting in China has experienced three stages: 1946- the middle of 1980s: flood and drought control and water for food; the middle of 1980s to 1997: water for economic development; and 1998 to the present: water for the environmental sustainability and economic development; 3) water issue reporting in the People's Daily clearly reflected China's top-down water resources management system, no "real" public opinions on water were reported during the study period; 4) The People's Daily is just a wind vane of Chinese mainstream values and policies on water. These findings supported the realist assumption that the societal changes on water issues in China were triggered by a multitude of factors including the biophysical pressure (floods and droughts), political campaign (the Cultural Revolution), macro-economic reform (Reform and Opening-up), water institutional arrangement (the Water Law) and water management reform (the No. 1 Central Document on water reform).

Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome: another phenotype of the fragile X gene.

PubMed

Hessl, David; Grigsby, Jim

2016-08-01

Neuropsychologists have an important role in evaluating patients with fragile X-associated disorders, but most practitioners are unaware of the recently identified neurodegenerative movement disorder known as fragile X-associated tremor ataxia syndrome (FXTAS). The objective of this editorial is to orient the reader to FXTAS and highlight the importance of clinical neuropsychology in describing the fragile X premutation phenotype and the role practitioners may have in assessing and monitoring patients with or at risk for neurodegeneration. We issued a call for papers for the special issue, highlighting the primary objective of familiarizing clinical neuropsychologists with FXTAS, and with the neuropsychological phenotype of both male and female asymptomatic carriers. Eight papers are included, including an overview of the fragile X-associated disorders (Grigsby), a review of the neuroradiological and neurological aspects of FXTAS and how the disorder compares to other movement disorders (O'Keefe et al.), a perspective on the prominence of white matter disease and dementia in FXTAS (Filley), and a review of mouse models of FXTAS (Foote). There are four research papers, including one on self-reported memory problems in FXTAS (Birch et al.), and three papers focused on the neuropsychiatric aspects of the fragile X premutation, a review (Bourgeois), an examination of autism-related traits (Schneider), and a research paper on executive functioning and psychopathology (Grigsby). The issue highlights the importance of awareness of fragile X-associated disorders for neuropsychologists, an awareness that must reach beyond neurodevelopmental aspects related to fragile X syndrome into the realm of neurodegenerative disease and aging.

Themes addressed by couples with advanced cancer during a communication skills training intervention.

PubMed

Porter, Laura S; Fish, Laura; Steinhauser, Karen

2018-04-25

Couple-based communication interventions have beneficial effects for patients with cancer and their partners. However, few studies have targeted patients with advanced stages of disease and little is known about how best to assist couples in discussing issues related to life-limiting illness. The purpose of the present study was to identify themes couples addressed during a couple communication skills intervention, and the frequency with which they discussed issues related to end-of-life. Content analyses were conducted on recordings of 72 sessions from 12 couples facing advanced gastrointestinal (GI) cancer. Coding was based six themes identified a priori from the framework for understanding what patients and family value at end of life. The percent of couples addressing each theme was calculated to gauge level of importance and acceptability of these topics. The majority of couples addressed topics previously identified as salient at end-of-life, including clear decision making, affirmation of the whole person, pain and symptom management, contributing to others, and preparation for death. In addition, novel aspects to these themes emerged in the context of couples' conversations, illustrating the importance of the couple relationship in adjusting to life with a life-limiting illness and anticipating the transition to end-of-life. Findings suggest that couples likely would be receptive to an intervention that combines training in communication skills with guidance in focusing on issues related to life completion to assist with transitions at end of life. Such interventions might enhance both individuals' abilities to cope with illness-related symptoms and demands, enjoy the time they have together, and derive meaning from the experience. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Scientific Productivity on Research in Ethical Issues over the Past Half Century: A JoinPoint Regression Analysis.

PubMed

Long, Nguyen Phuoc; Huy, Nguyen Tien; Trang, Nguyen Thi Huyen; Luan, Nguyen Thien; Anh, Nguyen Hoang; Nghi, Tran Diem; Hieu, Mai Van; Hirayama, Kenji; Karbwang, Juntra

2014-09-01

Ethics is one of the main pillars in the development of science. We performed a JoinPoint regression analysis to analyze the trends of ethical issue research over the past half century. The question is whether ethical issues are neglected despite their importance in modern research. PubMed electronic library was used to retrieve publications of all fields and ethical issues. JoinPoint regression analysis was used to identify the significant time trends of publications of all fields and ethical issues, as well as the proportion of publications on ethical issues to all fields over the past half century. Annual percent changes (APC) were computed with their 95% confidence intervals, and a p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. We found that publications of ethical issues increased during the period of 1965-1996 but slightly fell in recent years (from 1996 to 2013). When comparing the absolute number of ethics related articles (APEI) to all publications of all fields (APAF) on PubMed, the results showed that the proportion of APEI to APAF statistically increased during the periods of 1965-1974, 1974-1986, and 1986-1993, with APCs of 11.0, 2.1, and 8.8, respectively. However, the trend has gradually dropped since 1993 and shown a marked decrease from 2002 to 2013 with an annual percent change of -7.4%. Scientific productivity in ethical issues research on over the past half century rapidly increased during the first 30-year period but has recently been in decline. Since ethics is an important aspect of scientific research, we suggest that greater attention is needed in order to emphasize the role of ethics in modern research.

Role of morality in the experience of guilt and shame within the armed forces.

PubMed

Nazarov, A; Jetly, R; McNeely, H; Kiang, M; Lanius, R; McKinnon, M C

2015-07-01

Despite advances in our understanding of mental health issues among military forces, a large proportion of military personnel continue to exhibit deployment-related psychological issues. Recent work has identified symptoms of guilt and shame related to moral injury as contributing significantly to combat-related mental health issues. This systematic scoping review explores the association between morality and symptoms of guilt and shame within military forces. A search of the literature pertaining to guilt, shame and morality within military samples was conducted. Nineteen articles were selected for review. There is strong evidence linking exposure to and the perceived perpetration of moral transgressions with experiences of guilt and shame. Critically, symptoms of guilt and shame were related to adverse mental health outcomes, particularly the onset of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). No studies have explored moral judgment in conjunction with assessments of guilt or moral injury. These findings have important implications for the prevention and treatment of PTSD-related symptoms in military samples. By measuring moral judgment prior to deployment, it may be possible to predict the likelihood of incurring moral injuries and the development of associated symptoms. Early intervention programmes aimed at ameliorating guilt and shame are required to prevent the long-term development of deployment-related psychological distress. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Social media & stem cell science: examining the discourse.

PubMed

Adams, Amy; Lomax, Geoffrey; Santarini, Anthony

2011-11-01

Research suggests that the representation of scientific and medical issues in the traditional media such as newspapers, TV and radio is an important determinant of public opinion and related public policy outcomes, particularly with regard to attitudes toward stem cell research. With the emergence of social media, the discursive space around public policy issues has expanded to include a new demographic of media consumer who is directly involved in political action. However, little is known about the influence of social media on scientific public policy conversations. We analyzed Twitter posts on two topics relating to stem cell science and policy according to the originator and tone of the tweet, and whether the tweet was intended to be neutral or to further a stated policy position. This analysis provides a means for clarifying the role of social media in influencing public opinion of policy issues such as stem cell research and offers organizations a better understanding of how to more effectively apply social media to advancing their stem cell policy positions.

Stigmatization of Overweight and Obese Women During Forensic Examinations.

PubMed

Davis, Karis M; Sekula, L Kathleen

2018-04-24

Stigma and discrimination toward overweight and obese people pose consequences to their psychological and physical health. In the United States, overweight and obesity and affects over 34% of the population. This frequently ignored public health issue often sees overweight and obese individuals blamed for their weight, thereby justifying the bias. During a post-sexual-assault examination, sexual assault nurse examiners and other forensic examiners must be cognizant of the specific issues and challenges related to the care of these victims. Forensic nurses may need to refine their techniques such as positioning overweight and obese patients on an appropriate-sized table, obtaining equipment for better visualization, and requiring assistance during the examination (e.g., lifting the victim's pendulous skin folds for assessment and evidence collection). Moreover, they may need to recognize and reflect on their own weight related biases. Addressing these important issues may lead to decreasing stigmatization during examinations, thereby providing quality care to victims of sexual assault, regardless of their weight.

Health educators in the workplace: helping companies respond to the AIDS crisis.

PubMed

Bauman, L J; Aberth, J

1986-01-01

As the number of cases of AIDS increases, more and more companies will have to decide how to handle employees with AIDS and those at high risk. AIDS creates medical, legal, and ethical issues in the workplace, all of which are emotional and complex; managers need expert assistance to guide their decision-making and policy development. This article identifies various dimensions of the AIDS-related issues emerging in corporations nationwide, including: confidentiality, the right of patients to work, benefits and insurance, HTLV-III screening, fears of contagion among workers, needs of companies to avoid financial and legal exposure, and effects on worker productivity. Health educators are in a unique position to contribute to the satisfactory resolution of AIDS-related problems in the workplace through their training and experience in education, policy development and the relevant legal and ethical issues in the health care field. However, they will have to initiate discussions with corporation executives themselves in order to reach this most important audience.

Structuring policy problems for plastics, the environment and human health: reflections from the UK

PubMed Central

Shaxson, Louise

2009-01-01

How can we strengthen the science–policy interface for plastics, the environment and human health? In a complex policy area with multiple stakeholders, it is important to clarify the nature of the particular plastics-related issue before trying to understand how to reconcile the supply and demand for evidence in policy. This article proposes a simple problem typology to assess the fundamental characteristics of a policy issue and thus identify appropriate processes for science–policy interactions. This is illustrated with two case studies from one UK Government Department, showing how policy and science meet over the environmental problems of plastics waste in the marine environment and on land. A problem-structuring methodology helps us understand why some policy issues can be addressed through relatively linear flows of science from experts to policymakers but why others demand a more reflexive approach to brokering the knowledge between science and policy. Suggestions are given at the end of the article for practical actions that can be taken on both sides. PMID:19528061

Structuring policy problems for plastics, the environment and human health: reflections from the UK.

PubMed

Shaxson, Louise

2009-07-27

How can we strengthen the science-policy interface for plastics, the environment and human health? In a complex policy area with multiple stakeholders, it is important to clarify the nature of the particular plastics-related issue before trying to understand how to reconcile the supply and demand for evidence in policy. This article proposes a simple problem typology to assess the fundamental characteristics of a policy issue and thus identify appropriate processes for science-policy interactions. This is illustrated with two case studies from one UK Government Department, showing how policy and science meet over the environmental problems of plastics waste in the marine environment and on land. A problem-structuring methodology helps us understand why some policy issues can be addressed through relatively linear flows of science from experts to policymakers but why others demand a more reflexive approach to brokering the knowledge between science and policy. Suggestions are given at the end of the article for practical actions that can be taken on both sides.

Legal and ethical issues in research

PubMed Central

Yip, Camille; Han, Nian-Lin Reena; Sng, Ban Leong

2016-01-01

Legal and ethical issues form an important component of modern research, related to the subject and researcher. This article seeks to briefly review the various international guidelines and regulations that exist on issues related to informed consent, confidentiality, providing incentives and various forms of research misconduct. Relevant original publications (The Declaration of Helsinki, Belmont Report, Council for International Organisations of Medical Sciences/World Health Organisation International Guidelines for Biomedical Research Involving Human Subjects, World Association of Medical Editors Recommendations on Publication Ethics Policies, International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, CoSE White Paper, International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use-Good Clinical Practice) form the literature that are relevant to the ethical and legal aspects of conducting research that researchers should abide by when conducting translational and clinical research. Researchers should note the major international guidelines and regional differences in legislation. Hence, specific ethical advice should be sought at local Ethics Review Committees. PMID:27729698

Hispanic Medical Organizations' Support for LGBT Health Issues.

PubMed

Sánchez, John Paul; Sola, Orlando; Ramallo, Jorge; Sánchez, Nelson Felix; Dominguez, Kenneth; Romero-Leggott, Valerie

2014-09-01

Hispanics represent the fastest growing ethnic segment of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community in the United States and are disproportionately burdened by LGBT-related health issues and limited political support from Hispanic medical organizations. Recently, the Latino Medical Student Association, the National Hispanic Medical Association, and the Hispanic Serving Health Professions Schools, representing over 60,000 Hispanic students and providers and 35 institutions, collaborated to support a resolution opposing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity and recognizing the obstacles encountered by LGBTQ Hispanics. The resolution provides an important framework for organizational members and leaders to address LGBT health issues and serve to support a more positive sociopolitical climate for the Hispanic LGBT community nationally and internationally.

What Is the (ethical) Role of Scientists?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oreskes, N.

2014-12-01

Many scientists are reluctant to speak out on issues of broad societal importance for fear that doing so crosses into territory that is not the scientists' domain. Others fear that scientists lose credibility when they address ethical and moral issues. A related concern is that discussing social or ethical questions runs the risk of politicizing science. Yet history shows that in the past, scientists often have spoken out on broad issues of societal concern, often (although not always) effectively. This paper explores the conditions under which scientists may be effective spokesmen and women on ethical and moral choices, and suggests some criteria by which scientists might decide when and whether it is appropriate for them to speak out beyond the circles of other technical experts.

Issues affecting therapist workforce and service delivery in the disability sector in rural and remote New South Wales, Australia: perspectives of policy-makers, managers and senior therapists.

PubMed

Veitch, Craig; Dew, Angela; Bulkeley, Kim; Lincoln, Michelle; Bundy, Anita; Gallego, Gisselle; Griffiths, Scott

2012-01-01

The disability sector encompasses a broad range of conditions and needs, including children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, people with acquired disabilities, and irreversible physical injuries. Allied health professionals (therapists), in the disability sector, work within government and funded or charitable non-government agencies, schools, communities, and private practice. This article reports the findings of a qualitative study of therapist workforce and service delivery in the disability sector in rural and remote New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The aim was to investigate issues of importance to policy-makers, managers and therapists providing services to people with disabilities in rural and remote areas. The project gathered information via semi-structured interviews with individuals and small groups. Head office and regional office policy-makers, along with managers and senior therapists in western NSW were invited to participate. Participants included 12 policy-makers, 28 managers and 10 senior therapists from NSW government agencies and non-government organisations (NGOs) involved in providing services and support to people with disabilities in the region. Information was synthesised prior to using constant comparative analysis within and across data sets to identify issues. Five broad themes resonated across participants' roles, locations and service settings: (1) challenges to implementing policy in rural and remote NSW; (2) the impact of geographic distribution of workforce and clients; (3) workforce issues - recruitment, support, workloads, retention; (4) equity and access issues for rural clients; and (5) the important role of the NGO sector in rural service delivery and support. Although commitment to providing best practice services was universal, policy-related information transfer between organisations and employees was inconsistent. Participants raised some workforce and service delivery issues that are similar to those reported in the rural health literature but rarely in the context of allied health and disability services. Relatively recent innovations such as therapy assistants, information technology, and trans-disciplinary approaches, were raised as important service delivery considerations within the region. These and other innovations were expected to extend the coverage provided by therapists. Non-government organisations played a significant role in service delivery and support in the region. Participants recognised the need for therapists working for different organisations, in rural areas, to collaborate both in terms of peer support and service delivery to clients.

Glucose as the Sole Metabolic Fuel: The Possible Influence of Formal Teaching on the Establishment of a Misconception about Energy-Yielding Metabolism among Students from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luz, Mauricio R. M. P.; de Oliveira, Gabriel Aguiar; de Sousa, Cristiane Ribeiro; Da Poian, Andrea T.

2008-01-01

Energy-yielding metabolism is an important biochemistry subject that is related to many daily experiences and health issues of students. An adequate knowledge of the general features of EYM is therefore important, both from an academic and social point of view. In a previous study, we have shown that high-school students present the misconception…

Mexico-U.S. Relations: Issues for the 109th Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-06-02

argues that a sugar side letter negotiated along with NAFTA limits Mexican shipments of sugar. Mexico also complains that imports of high fructose ... corn syrup (HFCS) sweeteners from the United States constitute dumping, and it imposed anti- dumping duties for some time, even though NAFTA and WTO...imports from the United States. In the last days of 2001, the Mexican Congress imposed a 20% tax on soft drinks made with corn syrup sweeteners to aid the

U.S.-Mexico Economic Relations: Trends, Issues, and Implications

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-04-03

and high fructose corn syrup . Mexico argued that the sugar side letter negotiated under NAFTA entitled it to ship net sugar surplus to the United...that imports of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) sweeteners from the United States constituted dumping, and it imposed anti-dumping duties for some time...industries to restrict HFCS imports from the United States. In late 2001, the Mexican Congress imposed a 20% tax on soft drinks made with corn syrup

Absolute versus relative intensity of physical activity in a dose-response context.

PubMed

Shephard, R J

2001-06-01

To examine the importance of relative versus absolute intensities of physical activity in the context of population health. A standard computer-search of the literature was supplemented by review of extensive personal files. Consensus reports (Category D Evidence) have commonly recommended moderate rather than hard physical activity in the context of population health. Much of the available literature provides Category C Evidence. It has often confounded issues of relative intensity with absolute intensity or total weekly dose of exercise. In terms of cardiovascular health, there is some evidence for a threshold intensity of effort, perhaps as high as 6 METs, in addition to a minimum volume of physical activity. Decreases in blood pressure and prevention of stroke seem best achieved by moderate rather than high relative intensities of physical activity. Many aspects of metabolic health depend on the total volume of activity; moderate relative intensities of effort are more effective in mobilizing body fat, but harder relative intensities may help to increase energy expenditures postexercise. Hard relative intensities seem needed to augment bone density, but this may reflect an associated increase in volume of activity. Hard relative intensities of exercise induce a transient immunosuppression. The optimal intensity of effort, relative or absolute, for protection against various types of cancer remains unresolved. Acute effects of exercise on mood state also require further study; long-term benefits seem associated with a moderate rather than a hard relative intensity of effort. The importance of relative versus absolute intensity of effort depends on the desired health outcome, and many issues remain to be resolved. Progress will depend on more precise epidemiological methods of assessing energy expenditures and studies that equate total energy expenditures between differing relative intensities. There is a need to focus on gains in quality-adjusted life expectancy.

Socio-ethical education in nanotechnology engineering programmes: a case study in Malaysia.

PubMed

Balakrishnan, Balamuralithara; Er, Pek Hoon; Visvanathan, Punita

2013-09-01

The unique properties of nanotechnology have made nanotechnology education and its related subjects increasingly important not only for students but for mankind at large. This particular technology brings educators to work together to prepare and produce competent engineers and scientists for this field. One of the key challenges in nanotechnology engineering is to produce graduate students who are not only competent in technical knowledge but possess the necessary attitude and awareness toward the social and ethical issues related to nanotechnology. In this paper, a research model has been developed to assess Malaysian nanotechnology engineering students' attitudes and whether their perspectives have attained the necessary objectives of ethical education throughout their programme of study. The findings from this investigation show that socio ethical education has a strong influence on the students' knowledge, skills and attitudes pertaining to socio ethical issues related to nanotechnology.

Beyond workers' compensation: men's mental health in and out of work.

PubMed

Oliffe, John L; Han, Christina S E

2014-01-01

The mental health of men is an important issue with significant direct and indirect costs emerging from work-related depression and suicide. Although the merits of men's community-based and workplace mental health promotion initiatives have been endorsed, few programs are mandated or formally evaluated and reported on. Conspicuously absent also are gender analyses detailing connections between masculinities and men's work-related depression and suicide on which to build men-centered mental health promotion programs. This article provides an overview of four interconnected issues, (a) masculinities and men's health, (b) men and work, (c) men's work-related depression and suicide, and (d) men's mental health promotion, in the context of men's diverse relationships to work (including job insecurity and unemployment). Based on the review, recommendations are made for advancing the well-being of men who are in as well as of those out of work.

Re-visiting the electrophysiology of language.

PubMed

Obleser, Jonas

2015-09-01

This editorial accompanies a special issue of Brain and Language re-visiting old themes and new leads in the electrophysiology of language. The event-related potential (ERP) as a series of characteristic deflections ("components") over time and their distribution on the scalp has been exploited by speech and language researchers over decades to find support for diverse psycholinguistic models. Fortunately, methodological and statistical advances have allowed human neuroscience to move beyond some of the limitations imposed when looking at the ERP only. Most importantly, we currently witness a refined and refreshed look at "event-related" (in the literal sense) brain activity that relates itself more closely to the actual neurobiology of speech and language processes. It is this imminent change in handling and interpreting electrophysiological data of speech and language experiments that this special issue intends to capture. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Special Interests and Transnational Relations in Agricultural Trade: Implications for United States-Mexico Relations,

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-01-01

their livelihood. U.S. consumers in- directly beccme members of this alliance because their interest in taste, nutrition and price leads them to...factor arises when U.S. consumer groups become involved in the issue. Three elements trigger consumer defense of Mexican tomato imports: price, nutrition ...addition, some consumers prefer Mexican tomatoes because they are vine-ripened, a process utilizing more labor but producing more nutritional and more

Risk communication and trust in decision-maker action: a case study of the Giant Mine Remediation Plan.

PubMed

Jardine, Cynthia G; Banfield, Laura; Driedger, S Michelle; Furgal, Christopher M

2013-01-01

The development and implementation of a remediation plan for the residual arsenic trioxide stored at the former Giant Mine site in the Canadian Northwest Territories has raised important issues related to trust. Social and individual trust of those responsible for making decisions on risks is critically important in community judgements on risk and the acceptability of risk management decisions. Trust is known to be affected by value similarity and confidence in past performance, which serve as interacting sources of cooperation in acting toward a common goal. To explore the elements of trust associated with the development and implementation of the Giant Mine Remediation Plan. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight purposively selected key informants representing both various interested and affected parties and the two government proponents. Five primary issues related to trust were identified by the participants: (1) a historical legacy of mistrust between the community (particularly Aboriginal peoples) and government; (2) barriers to building trust with the federal government; (3) limited community input and control over the decision-making process; (4) the conflicted and confounded role of the government agencies being both proponent and regulator, and the resulting need for independent oversight; and (5) distrust of the government to commit to the perpetual care required for the remediation option selected. The dual-mode model of trust and confidence was shown to be a useful framework for understanding the pivotal role of trust in the development of the Giant Mine Remediation Plan. Failure to recognize issues of trust based on value dissimilarity and lack of confidence based on past performance have resulted in a lack of cooperation characterized by delayed remediation and a prolonged and expensive consultation process. Government recognition of the importance of trust to these issues will hopefully improve future communication and public engagement endeavours.

Theory and practice in interprofessional ethics: a framework for understanding ethical issues in health care teams.

PubMed

Clark, Phillip G; Cott, Cheryl; Drinka, Theresa J K

2007-12-01

Interprofessional teamwork is an essential and expanding form of health care practice. While moral issues arising in teamwork relative to the patient have been explored, the analysis of ethical issues regarding the function of the team itself is limited. This paper develops a conceptual framework for organizing and analyzing the different types of ethical issues in interprofessional teamwork. This framework is a matrix that maps the elements of principles, structures, and processes against individual, team, and organizational levels. A case study is presented that illustrates different dimensions of these topics, based on the application of this framework. Finally, a set of conclusions and recommendations is presented to summarize the integration of theory and practice in interprofessional ethics, including: (i) importance of a framework, (ii) interprofessional ethics discourse, and (iii) interprofessional ethics as an emerging field. The goal of this paper is to begin a dialogue and discussion on the ethical issues confronting interprofessional teams and to lay the foundation for an expanding discourse on interprofessional ethics.

How Have States Used Executive Orders to Address Public Health?

PubMed

Gakh, Maxim; Callahan, Karen; Goodie, Aaliyah; Rutkow, Lainie

2018-06-07

Gubernatorial executive orders (GEOs) are important, yet poorly understood, public health tools. We analyzed health-related GEOs nationwide using a modified legal mapping approach. We searched Westlaw's Netscan Executive Orders database for orders issued between 2008 and 2014. Search terms were generated from the Healthy People 2020 Leading Health Indicators (LHIs). GEOs were screened with data abstracted and analyzed on the basis of LHIs, states, years, and characteristics identified in previous literature. We found differences in GEOs issued per LHI. Of the 303 unique orders, they ranged from 32 to 53 issued per year and 0 to 45 issued per state. Most GEOs managed governmental public health functions, required collaboration, and mandated studying problems. Fewer directly addressed health equity, chronic disease, and resource deployment. Gubernatorial authority and political and institutional factors appear relevant to GEO issuance. GEOs offer means to institute public health policies and should be considered by public health professionals.

Psychological Counseling of Female Fertility Preservation Patients

PubMed Central

Lawson, Angela K.; Klock, Susan C.; Pavone, Mary Ellen; Hirshfeld-Cytron, Jennifer; Smith, Kristin N.; Kazer, Ralph R.

2015-01-01

Young cancer patients are increasingly interested in preserving their fertility prior to undergoing gonadotoxic therapies. Although the medical safety and treatment protocols for fertility preservation have been well documented, limited research has addressed the emotional issues which arise in fertility preservation patients. We briefly review the literature on the psychosocial issues in adult female fertility preservation treatment and describe our experiences within this patient population patient. Our findings suggest that several important issues to be addressed during the psychological counseling of adult female fertility preservation patients include: 1) pre-existing psychological distress in patients undergoing treatment, 2) choice of fertility preservation strategy in the face of an uncertain relationship future, 3) decision making regarding use of third party reproduction (e.g., sperm/egg donation, gestational surrogacy), 4) treatment expectations regarding pregnancy and miscarriage, 5) ethical issues related to treatment including the creation, cryopreservation, and disposition of embryos/oocytes, and 6) decision regret from patients who declined fertility preservation. PMID:25996581