Many Patients with Cancer Need Better Treatments for Pain

Cancer.gov

Inadequate pain treatment in patients with cancer remains a significant problem and appears to be more frequent among minorities, according to a new study published online April 16, 2012, in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Problem-solving ability and comorbid personality disorders in depressed outpatients.

PubMed

Harley, Rebecca; Petersen, Timothy; Scalia, Margaret; Papakostas, George I; Farabaugh, Amy; Fava, Maurizio

2006-01-01

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with poor problem-solving abilities. In addition, certain personality disorders (PDs) that are common among patients with MDD are also associated with limited problem-solving skills. Attempts to understand the relationship between PDs and problem solving can be complicated by the presence of acute MDD. Our objective in this study was to investigate the relationships between PDs, problem-solving skills, and response to treatment among outpatients with MDD. We enrolled 312 outpatients with MDD in an open, fixed-dose, 8-week fluoxetine trial. PD diagnoses were ascertained via structured clinical interview before and after fluoxetine treatment. Subjects completed the Problem-Solving Inventory (PSI) at both time points. We used analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) to assess relationships between PD diagnoses and PSI scores prior to treatment. Subjects were divided into three groups: those with PD diagnoses that remained stable after fluoxetine treatment (N=91), those who no longer met PD criteria after fluoxetine treatment (N=119), and those who did not meet criteria for a PD at any time point in the study (N=95). We used multiple chi(2) analyses to compare rates of MDD response and remission between the three PD groups. ANCOVA was also used to compare posttreatment PSI scores between PD groups. Prior to fluoxetine treatment, patients with avoidant, dependent, narcissistic, and borderline PDs reported significantly worse problem-solving ability than did patients without any PDs. Only subjects with dependent PD remained associated with poorer baseline problem-solving reports after the effects of baseline depression severity were controlled. Patients with stable PD diagnoses had significantly lower rates of MDD remission. Across PD groups, problem solving improved as MDD improved. No significant differences in posttreatment problem-solving were found between PD groups after controlling for baseline depression severity, baseline PSI score, and response to treatment. Treatment with fluoxetine is less likely to lead to remission of MDD in patients with stable PDs. More study is needed to investigate causal links between PDs, problem solving, and MDD treatment response. Published 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Postoperative paralytic ileus remains a problem following surgery for advanced pelvic cancers.

PubMed

Funder, Jonas Amstrup; Tolstrup, Rikke; Jepsen, Betina Norman; Iversen, Lene Hjerrild

2017-10-01

Paralytic postoperative ileus (POI) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality after abdominal surgery. Despite increased awareness and implementation of various measures, POI remains a problem, perhaps moreso for those patients undergoing extensive oncological surgical treatment. The aim of this study was to describe the extent of POI after advanced cancer surgery in the era of contemporary treatment modalities of POI. A retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent either abdominoperineal excision with transpelvic vertical rectus abdominal musculocutaneous (VRAM)-flap after anal cancer or pelvic exenteration at single institution from January 2012 to November 2013 was carried out. Patients were identified from operative codes, and data were retrieved from patient records. Eighty-nine patients were included in the study, 21 abdominoperineal excision and 68 pelvic exenteration procedures. Median nasogastric tube duration was 4 days (range: 0-44). Median time to first flatus was 1 day (range 0-15). Median time to defecation was 3 days (range 0-16 days). Twenty-three patients (28%) experienced prolonged ileus. There was a significant longer time to first defecation for patients who received a VRAM flap (P = 0.046). There was also a significant association between longer operative times and first flatus (P = 0.007). This retrospective study reveals that POI remains as a significant clinical problem in patients undergoing advanced pelvic cancer surgery, despite the increased awareness and implementation of enhanced recovery protocols. New regimens for better prophylaxis are needed, and further research on POI treatment is important. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Status and Prospects of Small Farmers in the South.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall, Ray; Thompson, Allen

The large scale displacement of small farmers in the South is an important concern to all persons interested in the problems of low-income people. Despite a decline in the numerical significance of farming, a large part of the South remains rural, and agriculture continues to significantly influence the rural economy and rural labor markets. The…

Gambling frequency, gambling problems and concerned significant others of problem gamblers in Finland: cross-sectional population studies in 2007 and 2011.

PubMed

Salonen, Anne H; Alho, Hannu; Castrén, Sari

2015-05-01

This study compares past-year gambling frequency, gambling problems and concerned significant others (CSOs) of problem gamblers in Finland by age, from 2007 and 2011. We used random sample data collected in 2007 (n = 4722) and 2011 (n = 4484). The data were weighted, based on gender, age and region of residence. We measured the past-year gambling frequency using a categorical variable, while gambling severity was measured with the South Oaks Gambling Screen. We identified CSOs by a single question including seven response options. Chi-Squared and Fisher's exact tests were used. Overall, the past-year gambling frequency change was statistically significant between 2007 and 2011. Among 18-64-year-old Finnish people, the proportion of non-gamblers decreased. Yet, among 15-17-year-old respondents, non-gambling increased and gambling problems decreased. Among 18-24 year olds, the proportion of close ones with gambling problems also decreased. On the other hand, the proportion of family members with gambling problems increased among the 50-64 year olds. The increase in adult gambling participation was mainly explained by infrequent gambling. The proportion of gambling problems from the gamblers' and CSOs' perspective remained unchanged, yet significant changes were observed within age groups. The short-term changes in under-age gambling problems were desirable. Future studies should explore the adaptation and access hypotheses alongside gambling problems. © 2015 the Nordic Societies of Public Health.

Mental Health Problems and Educational Attainment in Adolescence: 9-Year Follow-Up of the TRAILS Study

PubMed Central

Veldman, Karin; Bültmann, Ute; Stewart, Roy E.; Ormel, Johan; Verhulst, Frank C.; Reijneveld, Sijmen A.

2014-01-01

Background This study examines if mental health problems at age 11 and changes in mental health problems between age 11 and 16 predict educational attainment of adolescents at age 19, overall and stratified by gender. Methods Data from 1711 adolescents (76.8% from initial cohort) of the Tracking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS), a Dutch prospective cohort study with 9year follow-up, were used. Mental health problems (externalizing, internalizing and attention problems) were measured by the Youth Self Report and the Child Behavior Checklist at ages 11 and 16. Difference scores for mental health problems between age 11 and 16 were calculated. Educational attainment was assessed at age 19. Results Externalizing, internalizing and attention problems at age 11 were significantly associated with low educational attainment at age 19 (crude model). When adjusted for demographic variables and the other mental health problems, only the association for attention problems remained significant (odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval: 3.19, 2.11–4.83). Increasing externalizing problems between age 11 and 16 also predicted low educational attainment at age 19 (OR 3.12, 1.83–5.32). Among girls, increasing internalizing problems between age 11 and 16 predicted low educational attainment (OR 2.21, 1.25–3.94). For boys, no significant association was found for increasing internalizing problems and low educational attainment. For increasing attention problems between age 11 and 16 no significant association with low educational attainment was found. Conclusions Externalizing, internalizing and attention problems at age 11 and an increase of these problems during adolescence predicted low educational attainment at age 19. Early treatment of these mental health problems may improve educational attainment, and reduce socioeconomic health differences in adulthood. PMID:25047692

Sleep problems as a mediator of the association between parental education levels, perceived family economy and poor mental health in children.

PubMed

Bøe, Tormod; Hysing, Mari; Stormark, Kjell Morten; Lundervold, Astri J; Sivertsen, Børge

2012-12-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between familial socioeconomic status (SES) and children's sleep problems, and the role of sleep problems as a mediator between familial SES and childhood mental health problems. Participants were 5781 11-13 year old children from the Bergen Child Study. Data were collected on family economy, parental education, and children's difficulties initiating and/or maintaining sleep (DIMS), time in bed (TIB) and self-reported mental health problems using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Sleep problems were significantly more common in children from lower SES families. Children from families with poor and average perceived family economy had significantly higher odds of reporting DIMS compared to children from families with very good economy (ORs=3.5 and 1.7, respectively). The odds were reduced by 12-36% adjusting for poor parental health and single parenting, but remained significant. Children from families with a poor economy had increased odds of a short TIB, both in the crude model (OR=1.9) and adjusted for parental characteristics (OR=2.2). Maternal education level was significantly associated with short TIB. Path analysis was conducted to investigate the potential mediating role of DIMS in the relationship between SES and mental health. The significant direct association between perceived family economy and SDQ total problems score was partially mediated by a significant indirect effect of sleep problems. Sleep problems are common among children from families with a lower SES and may be a potential mechanism through which low SES is translated into mental health problems. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Aggressive Behavior between Siblings and the Development of Externalizing Problems: Evidence from a Genetically Sensitive Study

PubMed Central

Natsuaki, Misaki N.; Ge, Xiaojia; Reiss, David; Neiderhiser, Jenae M.

2011-01-01

This study investigated the prospective links between sibling aggression and the development of externalizing problems using a multilevel modeling approach with a genetically sensitive design. The sample consisted of 780 adolescents (390 sibling pairs) who participated in two waves of the Nonshared Environment for Adolescent Development (NEAD) project. Sibling pairs with varying degree of genetic relatedness, including monozygotic twins, dizygotic twins, full siblings, half siblings, and genetically unrelated siblings, were included. The results showed that sibling aggression at Time 1 was significantly associated with the focal child’s externalizing problems at Time 2 after accounting for the intra-class correlations between siblings. Sibling aggression remained significant in predicting subsequent externalizing problems even after controlling for the levels of pre-existing externalizing problems and mothers’ punitive parenting. This pattern of results was fairly robust across models using different informants. The findings provide converging evidence for the unique contribution of sibling aggression in understanding changes in externalizing problems during adolescence. PMID:19586176

Betel Nut Chewing in Hawai‘i: Is it Becoming a Public Health Problem? Historical and Socio-Cultural Considerations

PubMed Central

Neri, Enrico I

2012-01-01

This article examines the socio-cultural significance of betel nut use among Micronesians, in light of the recent migration of Micronesians to Hawai‘i. The different ways of chewing betel nut are the result of historical changes within Micronesia over time due to Spanish and US colonialism as well as the introduction of tobacco. These divergent ways of chewing may have different risks or impacts on health and it remains to be seen whether or not betel nut will become a significant public health problem in Hawai‘i. PMID:22413101

The effect of prenatal drug exposure and caregiving context on children's performance on a task of sustained visual attention.

PubMed

Ackerman, John P; Llorente, Antolin M; Black, Maureen M; Ackerman, Claire S; Mayes, Lacy A; Nair, Prasanna

2008-12-01

Three groups of children from low-income, urban environments were examined to determine the effects of prenatal drug exposure (PDE) and caregiving environment on sustained visual attention (SVA) at 7 years of age. Drug-exposed children remaining in maternal care (n = 43), drug-exposed children placed in nonmaternal care (n = 45), and community comparison (CC) children (n = 56) were administered a battery of neurocognitive tests, including the Conners' Continuous Performance Test (CPT). PDE children remaining in maternal care displayed more omission errors than CC children. PDE children in nonmaternal care had intermediate scores that did not differ significantly from PDE children in maternal care or CC children. There were no group differences with respect to commission errors or reaction time. CPT errors of omission and commission were significantly correlated with parent-reported attention problems and academic achievement scores. PDE in the context of care provided by a maternal caregiver with persistent drug use patterns may contribute to problems in children's SVA at school-age. As parental drug abuse can interfere with the provision of early care, children raised in a drug-using context may be highly vulnerable to problems with self-regulation, including sustained attention. SVA problems may contribute to subsequent academic and behavioral problems as demands for concentration and sustained effort increase throughout childhood. Children who have been prenatally exposed to drugs or raised in a drug-using household may benefit from early intervention services to avoid problems in SVA that may interfere with subsequent neurocognitive functioning and academic performance.

A Science Classroom That's More than a Game

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barlow, Tim; Fleming, Barry

2016-01-01

"Blended" and "flipped" pedagogies are becoming more common features of classrooms as the technological revolution continues. While the appropriate use of technology in the learning environment can serve to motivate some students, significant problems surrounding student motivation and engagement remain. As such, the…

The intergenerational transmission of problem gambling: The mediating role of parental psychopathology.

PubMed

Dowling, N A; Shandley, K; Oldenhof, E; Youssef, G J; Thomas, S A; Frydenberg, E; Jackson, A C

2016-08-01

The present study investigated the intergenerational transmission of problem gambling and the potential mediating role of parental psychopathology (problem drinking, drug use problems, and mental health issues). The study comprised 3953 participants (1938 males, 2015 females) recruited from a large-scale Australian community telephone survey of adults retrospectively reporting on parental problem gambling and psychopathology during their childhood. Overall, 4.0% [95%CI 3.0, 5.0] (n=157) of participants reported paternal problem gambling and 1.7% [95%CI 1.0, 2.0] (n=68) reported maternal problem gambling. Compared to their peers, participants reporting paternal problem gambling were 5.1 times more likely to be moderate risk gamblers and 10.7 times more likely to be problem gamblers. Participants reporting maternal problem gambling were 1.7 times more likely to be moderate risk gamblers and 10.6 times more likely to be problem gamblers. The results revealed that the relationships between paternal-and-participant and maternal-and-participant problem gambling were significant, but that only the relationship between paternal-and-participant problem gambling remained statistically significant after controlling for maternal problem gambling and sociodemographic factors. Paternal problem drinking and maternal drug use problems partially mediated the relationship between paternal-and-participant problem gambling, and fully mediated the relationship between maternal-and-participant problem gambling. In contrast, parental mental health issues failed to significantly mediate the transmission of gambling problems by either parent. When parental problem gambling was the mediator, there was full mediation of the effect between parental psychopathology and offspring problem gambling for fathers but not mothers. Overall, the study highlights the vulnerability of children from problem gambling households and suggests that it would be of value to target prevention and intervention efforts towards this cohort. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reciprocal influences between girls’ conduct problems and depression, and parental punishment and warmth: A six year prospective analysis

PubMed Central

Hipwell, Alison; Keenan, Kate; Kasza, Kristen; Loeber, Rolf; Magda-Stouthamer-Loeber; Bean, Tammy

2008-01-01

Although the reciprocal effects of parenting and child behavior have long been recognized, the emphasis of empirical study in the field of developmental psychopathology has been on parenting effects on children. For girls in particular, little is known about unique parenting effects on conduct problems in comparison to depression, or vice versa. In the current study, data from the large-scale (n=2,451) Pittsburgh Girls Study were used to examine the reciprocal relations between parenting and child behavior over a six year period (child ages 7–12 years). Girls and their caregivers (85% of whom were biological mothers) were interviewed annually in their homes. Girls reported on symptoms of conduct disorder and depression, and caregivers reported on level of parent-child warmth and use of harsh punishment. The results of generalized estimating equation regression models demonstrated that both parenting behaviors were uniquely predictive of changes in girls’ conduct problems and depressed mood. When the effects of race and poverty on these associations were controlled for, both parenting effects on girls’ conduct problems remained significant, but only low parental warmth remained as a significant predictor of depressed mood. Girls’ conduct problems, but not depressed mood, predicted changes in harsh punishment over time. The small effect of girls’ depressed mood, on changes in parental warmth, was further weakened when socio-demographic factors were also included in the model. PMID:18172753

Enhanced patient reported outcome measurement suitable for head and neck cancer follow-up clinics

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The ‘Worse-Stable-Better’ (W-S-B) question was introduced to capture patient-perceived change in University of Washington Quality of Life (UW-QOL) domains. Methods 202 head and neck cancer patients in remission prospectively completed UW-QOL and Patients Concerns Inventory (PCI). For each UW-QOL domain, patients indicated whether over the last month things had worsened (W), remained stable (S) or were better (B). Results 202 patients at 448 attendances selected 1752 PCI items they wanted to discuss in consultation, and 58% (1024/1752) of these were not covered by the UW-QOL. UW-QOL algorithms highlighted another 440 significant problems that the patient did not want to discuss (i.e. the corresponding items on the PCI were not selected). After making allowance for UW-QOL algorithms to identify 'significant problems' and PCI selection of corresponding issues for discussion there remained clear residual and notable variation in W-S-B responses, in particular to identify patients with significant problems that were getting worse, and patients without significant problems that wanted to discuss issues that were getting worse. Changes in mean UW-QOL scores were notably lower for those getting worse on the W-S-B question, typically by 10 or more units a magnitude that suggests clinically important changes in score. Conclusions The W-S-B question adds little questionnaire burden and could help to better identify patients who might benefit from intervention. The results of this study suggest that the UW-QOL with the W-S-B modification should be used together with the PCI to allow optimal identification of issues for patient-clinician discussion during routine outpatient clinics. PMID:22695251

The Moderating Effect of Marijuana Use on the Relationship between Delinquent Behavior and HIV Risk among Adolescents in Foster Care

PubMed Central

Auslander, Wendy F.; Thompson, Ronald G.; Gerke, Donald R.

2014-01-01

Adolescents in foster care experience mental health and substance use problems that place them at risk for HIV, yet the exact nature of the relationship remains unclear. This study examined the co-occurring influences of mental health problems and substance use on HIV risk and determined whether substance use moderated the effect of mental health problems on HIV risk behaviors among adolescents in foster care. Regression analyses of cross-sectional data collected through structured interviews with 334 adolescents, aged 15–18 years, determined which mental health problems and substances increased HIV risk behaviors. Adolescents with delinquency and anxiety/depression engaged in significantly more HIV risk behaviors than their counterparts, controlling for race, gender, and type of childhood abuse. Further, any marijuana use significantly moderated the effects of delinquent behaviors on HIV risk, differentially increasing HIV risk among those who engaged in delinquent behaviors. PMID:25214818

ARSENIC SPECIES CAUSE RELEASE OF IRON FROM FERRITIN GENERATING REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES

EPA Science Inventory

ARSENIC SPECIES CAUSE RELEASE OF IRON FROM FERRITIN GENERATING REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES

Arsenic-associated cancer (lung, bladder, skin, liver, kidney) remains a significant world- wide public health problem (e.g., Taiwan, Chile, Bangladesh, India, China and Thailand). Rece...

ARSENIC SPECIES CAUSE RELEASE OF IRON FROM FERRITIN GENERATING REACTIVIE OXYGEN SPECIES

EPA Science Inventory

ARSENIC SPECIES. CAUSE RELEASE OF IRON , FROM FERRITIN GENERATING REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES

Arsenic-associated cancer (lung, bladder, skin, liver, kidney) remains a significant world- wide public health problem (e.g., Taiwan, Chile, Bangladesh, India, China and Thailand). R...

Venous thromboembolism: a UK perspective.

PubMed

Kakkar, Ajay

2009-07-01

Venous thromboembolism remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the UK, and its dangers, particularly in hospitalized patients, have long been recognized. Recent measures to tackle this problem and new treatments should alleviate the burden of venous thromboembolism for patients, their families and hospital services.

Family psychosocial characteristics influencing criminal behaviour and mortality--possible mediating factors: a longitudinal study of male and female subjects in the Stockholm Birth Cohort.

PubMed

af Klinteberg, Britt; Almquist, Ylva; Beijer, Ulla; Rydelius, Per-Anders

2011-10-02

Family psychosocial characteristics in childhood have been associated with children's development into criminal behaviour and mortality. This study explored these possible relationships and examined alcohol and/or drug use and mental problems as possible mediating factors, highlighting gender-specific patterns. Data from Swedish subjects born in 1953 (n = 14,294) from the Stockholm Birth Cohort study were examined. Several indicators of adverse family factors and individual problems were included in the present study. The information was derived from various data sources, covering different periods. Gender-specific associations with incidence of criminality (1966-1980) and mortality (1981-2009) were analysed using logistic regression. Furthermore, the population attributable fraction (PAF) was calculated for all variables in the fully adjusted models which were positively related to the outcome. Overall incidence of criminality and mortality was (m/f 32.3/6.6) and (m/f 6.1/3.5), respectively. The results showed that all aspects of family psychosocial and individual problems studied were associated with criminality for both genders. Among males, individual problems seemed to partly mediate these relations, but the associations remained statistically significant. Interestingly, the PAF analysis revealed a reduction in criminality of 17.5% when individual problems with alcohol and/or drug use were considered. Among females, a significant impact of alcohol and/or drug use on the association between family psychosocial characteristics and subsequent criminality was obtained. Inclusion of father's occupational class only somewhat reduced the estimates for the genders. Concerning male mortality, father's alcohol abuse was significantly related to an increased risk. When individual criminality was accounted for, the association was substantially reduced but remained statistically significant. Among females, when adjusting for family psychosocial factors, only the association between parents' mental problems and females' mortality was significant. None of the individual problem variables managed to explain this association. Family psychosocial characteristics were associated with both subsequent criminal behaviour and mortality. These connections were partly explained by individual risk factors, especially by alcohol and/or drug use. The practical implications of the findings point to the importance of addressing the individual's alcohol and/or drug use in reducing criminal behaviour, which would also lower the mortality rates.

Family psychosocial characteristics influencing criminal behaviour and mortality - possible mediating factors: a longitudinal study of male and female subjects in the Stockholm Birth Cohort

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Family psychosocial characteristics in childhood have been associated with children's development into criminal behaviour and mortality. This study explored these possible relationships and examined alcohol and/or drug use and mental problems as possible mediating factors, highlighting gender-specific patterns. Methods Data from Swedish subjects born in 1953 (n = 14,294) from the Stockholm Birth Cohort study were examined. Several indicators of adverse family factors and individual problems were included in the present study. The information was derived from various data sources, covering different periods. Gender-specific associations with incidence of criminality (1966-1980) and mortality (1981-2009) were analysed using logistic regression. Furthermore, the population attributable fraction (PAF) was calculated for all variables in the fully adjusted models which were positively related to the outcome. Results Overall incidence of criminality and mortality was (m/f 32.3/6.6) and (m/f 6.1/3.5), respectively. The results showed that all aspects of family psychosocial and individual problems studied were associated with criminality for both genders. Among males, individual problems seemed to partly mediate these relations, but the associations remained statistically significant. Interestingly, the PAF analysis revealed a reduction in criminality of 17.5% when individual problems with alcohol and/or drug use were considered. Among females, a significant impact of alcohol and/or drug use on the association between family psychosocial characteristics and subsequent criminality was obtained. Inclusion of father's occupational class only somewhat reduced the estimates for the genders. Concerning male mortality, father's alcohol abuse was significantly related to an increased risk. When individual criminality was accounted for, the association was substantially reduced but remained statistically significant. Among females, when adjusting for family psychosocial factors, only the association between parents' mental problems and females' mortality was significant. None of the individual problem variables managed to explain this association. Conclusions Family psychosocial characteristics were associated with both subsequent criminal behaviour and mortality. These connections were partly explained by individual risk factors, especially by alcohol and/or drug use. The practical implications of the findings point to the importance of addressing the individual's alcohol and/or drug use in reducing criminal behaviour, which would also lower the mortality rates. PMID:21962152

An exploratory study of clinical measures associated with subsyndromal pathological gambling in patients with binge eating disorder.

PubMed

Yip, Sarah W; White, Marney A; Grilo, Carlos M; Potenza, Marc N

2011-06-01

Both binge eating disorder (BED) and pathological gambling (PG) are characterized by impairments in impulse control. Subsyndromal levels of PG have been associated with measures of adverse health. The nature and significance of PG features in individuals with BED is unknown. Ninety-four patients with BED (28 men and 66 women) were classified by gambling group based on inclusionary criteria for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV (DSM-IV) PG and compared on a range of behavioral, psychological and eating disorder (ED) psychopathology variables. One individual (1.1% of the sample) met criteria for PG, although 18.7% of patients with BED displayed one or more DSM-IV criteria for PG, hereafter referred to as problem gambling features. Men were more likely than women to have problem gambling features. BED patients with problem gambling features were distinguished by lower self-esteem and greater substance problem use. After controlling for gender, findings of reduced self-esteem and increased substance problem use among patients with problem gambling features remained significant. In patients with BED, problem gambling features are associated with a number of heightened clinical problems.

Medical School Education in Hypertension Management: A National Survey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moser, Marvin; And Others

1983-01-01

The management of patients with primary hypertension remains a significant problem for the medical profession. In spite of this, specific programs for education in hypertensive vascular disease have been poorly organized. A survey to determine the level of training in this discipline is discussed. (MLW)

Attracting Preservice Teachers to Remote Locations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Kenneth D.; Grainger, Peter; James, Dennis

2018-01-01

Teaching in rural/remote regions poses many challenges to teachers and is identified as a priority research area by the state government. Despite initiatives by the Queensland state government and university providers to solve the issue through various incentives designed to attract teachers, the problem remains significant. This research…

Number of Psychosocial Strengths Predicts Reduced HIV Sexual Risk Behaviors Above and Beyond Syndemic Problems Among Gay and Bisexual Men.

PubMed

Hart, Trevor A; Noor, Syed W; Adam, Barry D; Vernon, Julia R G; Brennan, David J; Gardner, Sandra; Husbands, Winston; Myers, Ted

2017-10-01

Syndemics research shows the additive effect of psychosocial problems on high-risk sexual behavior among gay and bisexual men (GBM). Psychosocial strengths may predict less engagement in high-risk sexual behavior. In a study of 470 ethnically diverse HIV-negative GBM, regression models were computed using number of syndemic psychosocial problems, number of psychosocial strengths, and serodiscordant condomless anal sex (CAS). The number of syndemic psychosocial problems correlated with serodiscordant CAS (RR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.18-1.92; p = 0.001). When adding the number of psychosocial strengths to the model, the effect of syndemic psychosocial problems became non-significant, but the number of strengths-based factors remained significant (RR = 0.67, 95% CI 0.53-0.86; p = 0.002). Psychosocial strengths may operate additively in the same way as syndemic psychosocial problems, but in the opposite direction. Consistent with theories of resilience, psychosocial strengths may be an important set of variables predicting sexual risk behavior that is largely missing from the current HIV behavioral literature.

Anxiety and posttraumatic stress symptom pathways to substance use problems among community women experiencing intimate partner violence.

PubMed

Jaquier, Véronique; Flanagan, Julianne C; Sullivan, Tami P

2015-01-01

Although intimate partner violence (IPV) has demonstrated strong associations with anxiety and posttraumatic stress, these constructs have rarely been examined simultaneously in IPV research. Gaps in knowledge remain as to their differential associations to substance use problems among IPV-victimized women. A sample of 143 community women self-reported on their current IPV victimization, mental health and substance use problems. Hierarchical entry multiple regressions were used to test for the direct and indirect effects of psychological, physical, and sexual IPV to alcohol and drug problems through anxiety and posttraumatic stress. Higher anxiety symptom severity and higher physical IPV severity were associated with greater alcohol and drug problems. Higher posttraumatic stress symptom severity was associated with greater alcohol and drug problems. Mediation analyses indicated (i) significant indirect pathways of IPV types to alcohol problems through posttraumatic stress symptom severity controlling for anxiety symptom severity and (ii) significant indirect pathways of IPV types to drug problems through anxiety symptom severity controlling for posttraumatic stress symptom severity. In examining the indirect pathways of psychological, physical, and sexual IPV to substance use problems this study highlights that anxiety and posttraumatic stress symptom severity have unique effects on alcohol and drug problems among IPV-victimized women.

Longitudinal experiences of children remaining at home after a first-time investigation for suspected maltreatment

PubMed Central

Campbell, Kristine A.; Thomas, Andrea M.; Cook, Lawrence J.; Keenan, Heather T.

2012-01-01

Objective To describe longitudinal change in risk for children remaining at home following a first-time investigation for suspected maltreatment. Study design A retrospective cohort study of children remaining at home following first-time investigation for maltreatment using a nationally representative sample of households involved with Child Protective Services (CPS). Outcomes include poverty, social support, caregiver depression, intimate partner violence (IPV), drug/alcohol dependence, corporal punishment, and child behavior problems at baseline, 18, and 36 months following first-time CPS investigation. We present longitudinal models to 1) estimate prevalence of risk factors at each timepoint and 2) examine associations between risk-specific service referrals and longitudinal change in risk factor prevalence. Results Our sample represented 1,057,056 U.S. children remaining at home following first-time investigation for maltreatment. Almost 100,000 (9.2%) children experienced out-of-home placement within 36 months. The prevalence of poverty (44.3%), poor social support (36.3%), caregiver depression (24.4%), IPV (22.1%), and internalizing (30.0%) and externalizing (35.8%) child behavior problems was above general population prevalence at baseline and remained high over the next 36 months. Referral to risk-specific services occurred in a minority of cases, but was associated with significant longitudinal reductions in IPV, drug/alcohol dependence, and externalizing child behavior problems. Conclusions Children remaining at home following a first-time investigation for maltreatment live with persistent risk factors for repeat maltreatment. Appropriate service referrals are uncommon, but may be associated with meaningful reduction in risk over time. Pediatricians and policy makers may be able to improve outcomes in these families with appropriate service provision and referrals. PMID:22480699

On Computing Breakpoint Distances for Genomes with Duplicate Genes.

PubMed

Shao, Mingfu; Moret, Bernard M E

2017-06-01

A fundamental problem in comparative genomics is to compute the distance between two genomes in terms of its higher level organization (given by genes or syntenic blocks). For two genomes without duplicate genes, we can easily define (and almost always efficiently compute) a variety of distance measures, but the problem is NP-hard under most models when genomes contain duplicate genes. To tackle duplicate genes, three formulations (exemplar, maximum matching, and any matching) have been proposed, all of which aim to build a matching between homologous genes so as to minimize some distance measure. Of the many distance measures, the breakpoint distance (the number of nonconserved adjacencies) was the first one to be studied and remains of significant interest because of its simplicity and model-free property. The three breakpoint distance problems corresponding to the three formulations have been widely studied. Although we provided last year a solution for the exemplar problem that runs very fast on full genomes, computing optimal solutions for the other two problems has remained challenging. In this article, we describe very fast, exact algorithms for these two problems. Our algorithms rely on a compact integer-linear program that we further simplify by developing an algorithm to remove variables, based on new results on the structure of adjacencies and matchings. Through extensive experiments using both simulations and biological data sets, we show that our algorithms run very fast (in seconds) on mammalian genomes and scale well beyond. We also apply these algorithms (as well as the classic orthology tool MSOAR) to create orthology assignment, then compare their quality in terms of both accuracy and coverage. We find that our algorithm for the "any matching" formulation significantly outperforms other methods in terms of accuracy while achieving nearly maximum coverage.

Medicaid: State and Federal Actions Have Been Taken to Improve Children's Access to Dental Services, but More Can Be Done. Testimony before the Subcommittee on Domestic Policy, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House of Representatives. GAO-10-112T

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iritani, Katherine M.

2009-01-01

In this statement, Katherine M. Iritani, Acting Director, Health Care reports that dental disease remains a significant problem for children in Medicaid. Although dental services are a mandatory benefit for the 30 million children served by Medicaid, these children often experience elevated levels of dental problems and have difficulty finding…

Studies in interactive communication. II - The effects of four communication modes on the linguistic performance of teams during cooperative problem solving

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chapanis, A.; Parrish, R. N.; Ochsman, R. B.; Weeks, G. D.

1977-01-01

Two-man teams solved credible, 'real world' problems for which computer assistance has been or could be useful. Conversations were carried on in one of four modes of communication: typewriting, handwriting, voice, and natural unrestricted communication. Performance was assessed on three classes of dependent measures: time to solution, behavioral measures of activity, and linguistic measures. Significant differences among the communication modes were found in each of the three classes. This paper is concerned mainly with the results of the linguistic analyses. Linguistic performance was assessed with 182 measures, most of which turned out to be redundant and some of which were useless or meaningless. Those that remain show that although problems can be solved faster in the oral modes than in the hard-copy modes, the oral modes are characterized by many more messages, sentences, words, and unique words; much higher communication rates; but lower type-token ratios. Although a number of significant problem and job-role effects were found, there were relatively few significant interactions of modes with thsse variables. It appears, therefore, that the mode effects hold for both problems and for both job roles assigned to the subjects.

Long-term risk of mental health problems in women experiencing preterm birth: a longitudinal study of 29 mothers.

PubMed

Misund, Aud R; Nerdrum, Per; Bråten, Stein; Pripp, Are Hugo; Diseth, Trond H

2013-10-31

Several studies have reported significantly higher stress levels, both short and long terms, among mothers giving preterm birth compared with mothers giving birth at term. Stress, however, is a psychological phenomenon that may present as anxiety, depression and/or trauma reactions. In this study, the long-term mental health outcomes and the prevalence of anxiety, depression and trauma reactions in women experiencing preterm birth were explored. Interactional, main effect variables and predictors were identified. Twenty-nine mothers of 35 premature children born before the 33rd week of pregnancy were assessed within 2 weeks postpartum (T0), 2 weeks after hospitalization (T1), 6 months post-term (T2), and 18 months post-term (T3). The standardized psychometric methods Impact of Event Scale (IES), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and State Anxiety Inventory (STAI-X1) assessed the maternal mental health outcomes. The maternal mental health problems except state anxiety decreased from T0 to T1, but remained high and stable at T3. The prevalence of posttraumatic stress reactions (PTSR) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at T0 and T3 was 52% and 23%, respectively. We identified the time period between T0 and T1 to have a significant main effect on mental health outcomes. The predictors of higher levels of mental health problems were preeclampsia, previous psychological treatment, age, trait anxiety and infant's postnatal intraventricular haemorrhage. Bleeding in pregnancy predicted lower levels of mental health problems. The prevalence of maternal mental health problems remained high, emphasizing the importance of effective interventions.

Public perceptions of land management in the Great Basin

Treesearch

Susan Wilmot; Mark Brunson

2008-01-01

The Great Basin is undergoing significant landscape change due to an array of natural and anthropogenic factors. Land management strategies intended to address these problems will require landscape-scale solutions that can reduce, reverse, or mitigate ecosystem degradation while remaining economically feasible and socially acceptable. The latter criterion may be...

Assessing Success in Honors: Getting beyond Graduation Rates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Sean K.

2013-01-01

An honors curriculum with realistic graduation requirements should have a respectable graduation rate. This number, when low, can indicate significant problems in the program. But a high graduation rate does not necessarily indicate success. A quality honors program, especially one that remains attentive to students' ability to thrive, might have…

What Do Women Students Want? (And Need!). Strategies and Solutions for Gender Equity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Funk, Carole

This paper argues that sexism and gender discrimination remain a significant problem in elementary, secondary, and higher education, and offers specific educational strategies and solutions to help overcome such inequalities. The paper explores female socialization and stereotyping, along with the real physiological and psychological differences…

The origin of weediness in U.S. red rice

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Weedy or red rice, a congeneric weed of cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.), is a significant problem throughout the world. Despite belonging to the same species complex as domesticated rice and its wild relatives, the evolutionary origins of weedy rice remain unclear. We have used genome-wide and can...

Snuffing Out Smokeless Tobacco Use.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wichmann, Susan; Martin, D. R.

1994-01-01

Major League Baseball's ban on players using tobacco during minor league games may provide physicians with a timely excuse to discuss smokeless tobacco with young patients. Chewing and dipping remain a significant health problem, especially among young men, many of whom view it as a secret ingredient in sports success. (SM)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in Older Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belanger, Lynda; LeBlanc, Melanie; Morin, Charles M.

2012-01-01

Insomnia is associated with significant morbidity and is often a persistent problem, particularly in older adults. It is important to attend to this complaint and not assume that it will remit spontaneously. In many cases, unfortunately, insomnia remains unrecognized and untreated, often because it is presumed that insomnia is an inevitable…

Women with breast cancer: self-reported distress in early survivorship.

PubMed

Lester, Joanne; Crosthwaite, Kara; Stout, Robin; Jones, Rachel N; Holloman, Christopher; Shapiro, Charles; Andersen, Barbara L

2015-01-01

To identify and compare levels of distress and sources of problems among patients with breast cancer in early survivorship. Descriptive, cross-sectional. A National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. 100 breast cancer survivors were selected to represent four time points in the cancer trajectory. Distress was self-reported using the Distress Thermometer and its 38-item problem list. Analysis of variance and chi-square analyses were performed as appropriate. Distress scores, problem reports, and time groups. Participants scored in range of the cutoff of more than 4 (range = 4.1-5.1) from treatment through three months post-treatment. At six months post-treatment, distress levels were significantly lower. Significant differences were found between groups on the total problem list score (p = 0.007) and emotional (p = 0.01) and physical subscale scores (p = 0.003). Comparison of groups at different points in the cancer trajectory found similar elevated levels from diagnosis through three months. Distress remained elevated in early survivorship but significantly decreased at six months post-treatment. Interventions to reduce or prevent distress may improve outcomes in early survivorship.

Pathways maintaining physical health problems from childhood to young adulthood: The role of stress and mood

PubMed Central

Hammen, Constance L.; Brennan, Patricia A; Najman, Jake M.

2016-01-01

Objective Poor physical health in childhood is associated with a variety of negative health-related outcomes in adulthood. Psychosocial pathways contributing to the maintenance of physical health problems from childhood to young adulthood remain largely unexamined, despite evidence that factors such as negative mood and stress impact physical health. Design The current study tested the direct and indirect effects of ongoing health, chronic stress, health-related chronic stress, and depressive symptoms at age 20 on the link between health problems in childhood and young adulthood (age 21) in a longitudinal sample (n = 384). Main Outcome Measures The hypotheses were tested using a multiple mediation path analysis framework; the primary outcome measure was a composite index of health status markers in young adulthood. Results The proposed model provided an adequate fit for the data, with significant total indirect effects of the four mediators and significant specific indirect effects of health-related chronic stress and depressive symptoms in maintaining health problems from childhood into young adulthood. Conclusions Health problems are maintained from early childhood into young adulthood in part through psychosocial mechanisms. Depressive symptoms and health-related chronic stress have significant, unique effects on the relationship between health problems in early childhood and young adulthood. PMID:27329508

Childhood or adolescent parental divorce/separation, parental history of alcohol problems, and offspring lifetime alcohol dependence.

PubMed

Thompson, Ronald G; Lizardi, Dana; Keyes, Katherine M; Hasin, Deborah S

2008-12-01

This study examined whether the experiences of childhood or adolescent parental divorce/separation and parental alcohol problems affected the likelihood of offspring DSM-IV lifetime alcohol dependence, controlling for parental history of drug, depression, and antisocial behavior problems. Data were drawn from the 2001-2002 National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), a nationally representative United States survey of 43,093 civilian non-institutionalized participants aged 18 and older, interviewed in person. Logistic regression models were used to calculate the main and interaction effects of childhood or adolescent parental divorce/separation and parental history of alcohol problems on offspring lifetime alcohol dependence, after adjusting for parental history of drug, depression, and antisocial behavior problems. Childhood or adolescent parental divorce/separation and parental history of alcohol problems were significantly related to offspring lifetime alcohol dependence, after adjusting for parental history of drug, depression, and antisocial behavior problems. Experiencing parental divorce/separation during childhood, even in the absence of parental history of alcohol problems, remained a significant predictor of lifetime alcohol dependence. Experiencing both childhood or adolescent parental divorce/separation and parental alcohol problems had a significantly stronger impact on the risk for DSM-IV alcohol dependence than the risk incurred by either parental risk factor alone. Further research is needed to better identify the factors that increase the risk for lifetime alcohol dependence among those who experience childhood or adolescent parental divorce/separation.

Childhood or Adolescent Parental Divorce/Separation, Parental History of Alcohol Problems, and Offspring Lifetime Alcohol Dependence

PubMed Central

Thompson, Ronald G.; Lizardi, Dana; Keyes, Katherine M.; Hasin, Deborah S.

2013-01-01

Background This study examined whether the experiences of childhood or adolescent parental divorce/separation and parental alcohol problems affected the likelihood of offspring DSM-IV lifetime alcohol dependence, controlling for parental history of drug, depression, and antisocial behavior problems. Method Data were drawn from the 2001–2002 National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), a nationally representative United States survey of 43,093 civilian non-institutionalized participants aged 18 and older, interviewed in person. Logistic regression models were used to calculate the main and interaction effects of childhood or adolescent parental divorce/separation and parental history of alcohol problems on offspring lifetime alcohol dependence, after adjusting for parental history of drug, depression, and antisocial behavior problems. Results Childhood or adolescent parental divorce/separation and parental history of alcohol problems were significantly related to offspring lifetime alcohol dependence, after adjusting for parental history of drug, depression, and antisocial behavior problems. Experiencing parental divorce/separation during childhood, even in the absence of parental history of alcohol problems, remained a significant predictor of lifetime alcohol dependence. Experiencing both childhood or adolescent parental divorce/separation and parental alcohol problems had a significantly stronger impact on the risk for DSM-IV alcohol dependence than the risk incurred by either parental risk factor alone. Conclusions Further research is needed to better identify the factors that increase the risk for lifetime alcohol dependence among those who experience childhood or adolescent parental divorce/separation. PMID:18757141

Behavioral and emotional problems in a Kuala Lumpur children's home.

PubMed

Abd Rahman, Fairuz Nazri; Mohd Daud, Tuti Iryani; Nik Jaafar, Nik Ruzyanei; Shah, Shamsul Azhar; Tan, Susan Mooi Koon; Wan Ismail, Wan Salwina

2013-08-01

There is a dearth of studies on behavioral and emotional problems in residential care children in Malaysia. This study describes the behavioral and emotional problems in a sample of children in a government residential care home and compares them with their classmates living with their birth parents. A comparative cross-sectional study was carried out where carers from both groups were asked to fill in the translated Bahasa Melayu version of the Child Behavior Check List. Forms for 53 residential care children and 61 classmates were completed. The residential care children had significantly higher scores on the rule-breaking (P < 0.001) and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) conduct problem subscales (P < 0.001). Residential care children's age significantly correlated with DSM somatic problems (P = 0.03) and post-traumatic stress (P = 0.023). Duration of care was significantly positively correlated with rule-breaking (P = 0.008), DSM conduct problems (P = 0.018) and externalizing scores (P = 0.017). Abuse and neglect cases had higher anxiety and depression scores (P = 0.024). Number of reasons in care positively correlated with several subscales, including total behavioral problem score (P = 0.005). Logistic regression revealed the greater number of reasons for placement a child had was significantly associated with having externalizing scores in the clinical range (P = 0.016). However, after Bonferroni correction, only the initial findings regarding rule-breaking and DSM conduct problem scores remained significant. Challenges exist in managing residential care children in Malaysia, especially regarding externalizing behavior. More studies are required to describe the Malaysian scene. © 2013 The Authors. Pediatrics International © 2013 Japan Pediatric Society.

A general optimality criteria algorithm for a class of engineering optimization problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belegundu, Ashok D.

2015-05-01

An optimality criteria (OC)-based algorithm for optimization of a general class of nonlinear programming (NLP) problems is presented. The algorithm is only applicable to problems where the objective and constraint functions satisfy certain monotonicity properties. For multiply constrained problems which satisfy these assumptions, the algorithm is attractive compared with existing NLP methods as well as prevalent OC methods, as the latter involve computationally expensive active set and step-size control strategies. The fixed point algorithm presented here is applicable not only to structural optimization problems but also to certain problems as occur in resource allocation and inventory models. Convergence aspects are discussed. The fixed point update or resizing formula is given physical significance, which brings out a strength and trim feature. The number of function evaluations remains independent of the number of variables, allowing the efficient solution of problems with large number of variables.

A randomized controlled trial of brief interventions for problem gambling in substance abuse treatment patients

PubMed Central

Petry, Nancy M.; Rash, Carla J.; Alessi, Sheila M.

2016-01-01

Objective This study evaluated the efficacy of brief gambling treatments in patients attending substance abuse treatment clinics. Methods Substance abuse treatment patients with gambling problems (N = 217) were randomly assigned to: a 10–15 minute Brief Psychoeducation intervention about gambling; a 10–15 minute Brief Advice intervention addressing gambling norms, risk factors, and methods to prevent additional problems; or four 50-min sessions consisting of motivational enhancement therapy plus cognitive-behavioral therapy for reducing gambling (MET+CBT). Gambling and related problems were assessed at baseline and throughout 24 months. Results In the sample as a whole, days and dollars wagered as well as gambling problems decreased markedly from baseline through month 5; thereafter, reductions in dollars wagered and gambling problems continued to decrease modestly but significantly, while days gambled remained constant. Brief Advice significantly reduced days gambled between baseline and month 5 relative to Brief Psychoeducation. The MET+CBT condition engendered no benefit beyond Brief Advice in terms of days gambled, but it did lead to more precipitous reductions in dollars gambled and problems experienced in the initial five months, and it engendered greater clinically significant improvements in gambling in both the short and long term. MET+CBT also resulted in initial decreases in self-reported alcohol use and problems, but it did not differentially impact self-reported illicit drug use problems or submission of positive samples. Conclusions Gambling problems tend to dissipate over time regardless of the intervention applied, but offering MET+CBT was more efficacious in decreasing gambling than providing a brief single session intervention. PMID:27398781

Negative urgency partially accounts for the relationship between major depressive disorder and marijuana problems.

PubMed

Gunn, Rachel L; Jackson, Kristina M; Borsari, Brian; Metrik, Jane

2018-01-01

To goal of this study was to better understand mechanisms underlying associations between Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and marijuana use and problems. Specifically, it was hypothesized that negative urgency (NU), the tendency to act rashly while experiencing negative mood states, would uniquely (compared to other impulsivity traits: positive urgency, sensation seeking, premeditation, and perseverance) account for the relationship between MDD and marijuana use and problems. Data were collected from a sample ( N  = 357) of veterans ( M age = 33.63) recruited from a Veterans Affairs hospital who used marijuana at least once in their lifetime. Participants completed the SCID-NP to assess MDD, a marijuana problems scale, a Time-Line Follow-back to assess six-month marijuana use, and the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale for impulsivity. Path analysis was conducted using bootstrapped ( k  = 20,000) and bias-corrected 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to estimate mediation (indirect) effects, controlling for age, sex, and race. Analyses revealed a significant direct effect of MDD on NU and NU on marijuana problems. Regarding mediational analyses, there was a significant indirect effect of MDD on marijuana problems via NU. The direct effect of MDD on marijuana problems was reduced, but remained significant, suggesting partial mediation. No other impulsivity scales accounted for the relationship between MDD and marijuana problems. In predicting marijuana use, there were no significant indirect effects for any impulsivity traits, including NU, despite significant bivariate associations between use and NU and MDD. Results suggest that high levels of NU may partially explain associations between MDD and marijuana problems, but not marijuana use. No other facets of impulsivity accounted for the relationship between MDD and marijuana use or problems, underscoring the specificity of NU as a putative mechanism and the importance of assessing NU in treatment settings.

Early Experiences and Integration in the Persistence of First-Generation College Students in STEM and Non-STEM Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dika, Sandra L.; D'Amico, Mark M.

2016-01-01

Representation of diverse groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields is a persistent concern in the United States. Although there have been some strides toward more diverse representation, significant problems of underrepresentation remain in particular STEM fields: physical sciences, engineering, math, and computer…

Grapevine phenolics in xylem sap and tissues are significantly altered during infection by Xylella fastidiosa

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Pierce’s disease of grapevine (PD), caused by the bacterial pathogen Xylella fastidiosa (X.f.), remains a serious problem for grape production in California and elsewhere. This research examined induction of phenolic compounds in grapevines (cv. Thompson Seedless) infected with X.f. over a six month...

Rapid detection of serum antibody by dual-path platform VetTB assay in white-tailed deer infected with Mycobacterium bovis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bovine tuberculosis (TB) in various cervid species remains a significant problem affecting both farmed herds and free-ranging populations. Traditional skin testing was demonstrated to have serious limitations in certain deer species, whereas emerging serological assays showed promising diagnostic pe...

Child Labour Remains "Massive Problem."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

World of Work, 2002

2002-01-01

Despite significant progress in efforts to abolish child labor, an alarming number of children are engaged in its worst forms. Although 106 million are engaged in acceptable labor (light work for those above the minimum age for employment), 246 million are involved in child labor that should be abolished (under minimum age, hazardous work). (JOW)

Measuring the Youth Bullying Experience: A Systematic Review of the Psychometric Properties of Available Instruments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vessey, Judith; Strout, Tania D.; DiFazio, Rachel L.; Walker, Allison

2014-01-01

Background: Bullying is a significant problem in schools and measuring this concept remains problematic. The purposes of this study were to (1) identify the published self-report measures developed to assess youth bullying; (2) evaluate their psychometric properties and instrument characteristics; and (3) evaluate the quality of identified…

Youth Tobacco Sales-to-Minors and Possession-Use-Purchase Laws: A Public Health Controversy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jason, Leonard A.; Pokorny, Steven B.; Muldowney, Kathleen; Velez, Melissa

2005-01-01

Tobacco use among youth remains one of our nation's most significant public health problems, and yet available evidence from prevention and cessation person-centered approaches has been mixed. Given these disappointing outcomes, some have recommended more public health approaches, and these include tobacco sales-to-minors and…

A Behavior Genetic Investigation of Adolescent Motherhood and Offspring Mental Health Problems

PubMed Central

Harden, K. Paige; Lynch, Stacy K.; Turkheimer, Eric; Emery, Robert E.; D’Onofrio, Brian M.; Slutske, Wendy S.; Waldron, Mary D.; Heath, Andrew C.; Statham, Dixie J.; Martin, Nicholas G.

2010-01-01

The present study examines the relations between adolescent motherhood and children’s behavior, substance use, and internalizing problems in a sample of 1,368 children of 712 female twins from Australia. Adolescent motherhood remained significantly associated with all mental health problems, even when using a quasiexperimental design capable of controlling for genetic and environmental confounds. However, the relation between adolescent motherhood and offspring behavior problems and substance use was partially confounded by family background variables that influence both generations. The results are consistent with a causal relation between adolescent motherhood and offspring mental health problems, and they highlight the usefulness of behavior genetic designs when examining putative environmental risks for the development of psychopathology. The generalizability of these results to the United States, which has a higher adolescent birth rate, is discussed. PMID:18020715

Pacific Northwest Storms Situation Report # 3

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

None

2006-12-17

Significant progress has been made in restoring power to customers in the Pacific Northwest region. Currently, 468,200 customers, including Canada, remain without power. This is down from 1.8 million customers who lost power following severe wind and snow storms on December 14-15, 2006. The customers without power represent about 16 percent of customers in the affected utility service areas of Oregon and Washington. See table below. The Olympic pipeline reports that the pipeline is operational; however, pipeline throughput remains reduced since one substation along the line remains without power. Complete power restoration is expected later today. There are no reportsmore » of problems regarding fuel distribution and production.« less

Substance Abuse Screening and Treatment.

PubMed

Tenegra, Johnny C; Leebold, Bobby

2016-06-01

One of the more prevalent and often undiagnosed problems seen by primary care clinicians is substance misuse. Resulting in increased morbidity and mortality, loss of productivity, and increased health care costs, substance misuse in our society remains a significant public health issue. Primary care physicians are on the front lines of medical care, and as such, are in a distinctive position to recognize potential problems in this area and assist. This article outlines office-based screening approaches and strategies for managing and treating this complex issue confronting primary care. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Implications of Middle School Behavior Problems for High School Graduation and Employment Outcomes of Young Adults: Estimation of a Recursive Model.

PubMed

Karakus, Mustafa C; Salkever, David S; Slade, Eric P; Ialongo, Nicholas; Stuart, Elizabeth

2012-01-01

The potentially serious adverse impacts of behavior problems during adolescence on employment outcomes in adulthood provide a key economic rationale for early intervention programs. However, the extent to which lower educational attainment accounts for the total impact of adolescent behavior problems on later employment remains unclear As an initial step in exploring this issue, we specify and estimate a recursive bivariate probit model that 1) relates middle school behavior problems to high school graduation and 2) models later employment in young adulthood as a function of these behavior problems and of high school graduation. Our model thus allows for both a direct effect of behavior problems on later employment as well as an indirect effect that operates via graduation from high school. Our empirical results, based on analysis of data from the NELS, suggest that the direct effects of externalizing behavior problems on later employment are not significant but that these problems have important indirect effects operating through high school graduation.

Changes in problem-solving appraisal after cognitive therapy for the prevention of suicide.

PubMed

Ghahramanlou-Holloway, M; Bhar, S S; Brown, G K; Olsen, C; Beck, A T

2012-06-01

Cognitive therapy has been found to be effective in decreasing the recurrence of suicide attempts. A theoretical aim of cognitive therapy is to improve problem-solving skills so that suicide no longer remains the only available option. This study examined the differential rate of change in problem-solving appraisal following suicide attempts among individuals who participated in a randomized controlled trial for the prevention of suicide. Changes in problem-solving appraisal from pre- to 6-months post-treatment in individuals with a recent suicide attempt, randomized to either cognitive therapy (n = 60) or a control condition (n = 60), were assessed by using the Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised, Short Form. Improvements in problem-solving appraisal were similarly observed for both groups within the 6-month follow-up. However, during this period, individuals assigned to the cognitive therapy condition demonstrated a significantly faster rate of improvement in negative problem orientation and impulsivity/carelessness. More specifically, individuals receiving cognitive therapy were significantly less likely to report a negative view toward life problems and impulsive/carelessness problem-solving style. Cognitive therapy for the prevention of suicide provides rapid changes within 6 months on negative problem orientation and impulsivity/carelessness problem-solving style. Given that individuals are at the greatest risk for suicide within 6 months of their last suicide attempt, the current study demonstrates that a brief cognitive intervention produces a rapid rate of improvement in two important domains of problem-solving appraisal during this sensitive period.

Emerging therapeutic options in GERD.

PubMed

Woodland, Philip; Amarasinghe, Gehanjali; Sifrim, Daniel

2013-06-01

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a prevalent problem resulting in a high level of healthcare consultation and expenditure in the Western World. Although standard medical therapy (in the form of proton pump inhibitor drugs) is effective in the majority of cases, there remains a significant proportion who are refractory to treatment. In addition, surgical therapy (in the form of laparoscopic fundoplication) is not always effective, and in some can be associated with significant side-effects, particularly gas-bloat, flatulence and dysphagia. As such there remains an unmet need in GERD to develop new therapies for refractory cases, and to develop alternatives to fundoplication with fewer side-effects. This article discusses the current state of pharmacological and non-pharmacological emerging therapies for GERD. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Women With Breast Cancer: Self-Reported Distress in Early Survivorship

PubMed Central

Lester, Joanne; Crosthwaite, Kara; Stout, Robin; Jones, Rachel N.; Holloman, Christopher; Shapiro, Charles; Andersen, Barbara L.

2015-01-01

Purpose/Objectives To identify and compare levels of distress and sources of problems among patients with breast cancer in early survivorship. Design Descriptive, cross-sectional. Setting A National Cancer Institute–designated comprehensive cancer center. Sample 100 breast cancer survivors were selected to represent four time points in the cancer trajectory. Methods Distress was self-reported using the Distress Thermometer and its 38-item problem list. Analysis of variance and chi-square analyses were performed as appropriate. Main Research Variables Distress scores, problem reports, and time groups. Findings Participants scored in range of the cutoff of more than 4 (range = 4.1–5.1) from treatment through three months post-treatment. At six months post-treatment, distress levels were significantly lower. Significant differences were found between groups on the total problem list score (p = 0.007) and emotional (p = 0.01) and physical subscale scores (p = 0.003). Conclusions Comparison of groups at different points in the cancer trajectory found similar elevated levels from diagnosis through three months. Distress remained elevated in early survivorship but significantly decreased at six months post-treatment. Implications for Nursing Interventions to reduce or prevent distress may improve outcomes in early survivorship. PMID:25542330

Atomistic mechanisms of rapid energy transport in light-harvesting molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohmura, Satoshi; Koga, Shiro; Akai, Ichiro; Shimojo, Fuyuki; Kalia, Rajiv K.; Nakano, Aiichiro; Vashishta, Priya

2011-03-01

Synthetic supermolecules such as π-conjugated light-harvesting dendrimers efficiently harvest energy from sunlight, which is of significant importance for the global energy problem. Key to their success is rapid transport of electronic excitation energy from peripheral antennas to photochemical reaction cores, the atomistic mechanisms of which remains elusive. Here, quantum-mechanical molecular dynamics simulation incorporating nonadiabatic electronic transitions reveals the key molecular motion that significantly accelerates the energy transport based on the Dexter mechanism.

BASC-2 PRS profiles for students with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders.

PubMed

Volker, Martin A; Lopata, Christopher; Smerbeck, Audrey M; Knoll, Valerie A; Thomeer, Marcus L; Toomey, Jennifer A; Rodgers, Jonathan D

2010-02-01

BASC-2 PRS profiles of 62 children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (HFASDs) were compared with those of 62 typically-developing children matched by age, gender, and ethnicity. Results indicated that, except for the Somatization, Conduct Problems, and Aggression scales, significant differences were found between the HFASD and typically-developing groups on all PRS scores. Mean HFASD scores were in the clinically significant range on the Behavioral Symptoms Index, Atypicality, Withdrawal, and Developmental Social Disorders scales. At-risk range HFASD means were obtained on the Adaptive Skills composite, all adaptive scales, remaining content scales (except Bullying), and Hyperactivity, Attention Problems, and Depression clinical scales. Screening indices suggested that the Developmental Social Disorders scale was highly effective in differentiating between the two groups.

Bidirectional Associations Between Newlyweds' Marital Satisfaction and Marital Problems over Time.

PubMed

Lavner, Justin A; Karney, Benjamin R; Williamson, Hannah C; Bradbury, Thomas N

2017-12-01

Prevailing views of marital functioning generally adopt the view that marital problems predict decreases in marital satisfaction, but alternative theoretical perspectives raise the possibility that lowered satisfaction can also predict increases in problems. The current study sought to integrate and compare these perspectives by examining the bidirectional cross-lagged associations between newlyweds' reports of their marital satisfaction and marital problems over the first 4 years of marriage. Using annual assessments from 483 heterosexual newlywed couples, we find evidence for problem-to-satisfaction linkages as well as satisfaction-to-problem linkages. Satisfaction was a stronger predictor of marital problems early in marriage but not as time passed; by Year 4 only problem-to-satisfaction linkages remained significant. These findings are consistent with the idea that couples with more problems go on to report lower levels of satisfaction and couples with lower levels of satisfaction go on to report more marital problems. This dynamic interplay between global judgments about relationship satisfaction and ongoing specific relationship difficulties highlights the value of examining bidirectional effects to better understand marital functioning over time. © 2016 Family Process Institute.

What Can Tobit-Piecewise Regression Tell Us about the Determinants of Household Educational Debt?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thipbharos, Titirut

2014-01-01

Educational debt as part of household debt remains a problem for Thailand. The significant factors of household characteristics with regard to educational debt are shown by constructing a Tobit-piecewise regression for three different clusters, namely poor, middle and affluent households in Thailand. It was found that household debt is likely to…

From genes to landscapes: conserving biodiversity at multiple scales.

Treesearch

Sally Duncan

2000-01-01

Biodiversity has at last become a familiar term outside of scientific circles. Ways of measuring it and mapping it are advancing and becoming more complex, but ways of deciding how to conserve it remain mixed at best, and the resources available to manage dimishing biodiversity are themselves scarce. One significant problem is that policy decisions are frequently at...

Key issues in diagnosing and treating hepatitis C infection.

PubMed

Hainsworth, Terry

A strategy and action plan is in place for the management of hepatitis C. However, recent evidence suggests that this is not being implemented and hepatitis C remains a significant public health concern. This article summarises the condition and potential problems, highlights data from the recent audit of practice and outlines the latest recommendations for managing hepatitis C.

Correlations among body temperature, plasma progesterone, cortisol and prostaglandin F2alpha of the periparturient bitch.

PubMed

Veronesi, M C; Battocchio, M; Marinelli, L; Faustini, M; Kindahl, H; Cairoli, F

2002-06-01

The results of this study suggest that, besides the irrelevant role of body temperature measurement to predict the impending parturition in the bitch, progesterone and 15-ketodihydroprostaglandin F2alpha plasma level records could be more suitable to detect the approaching whelping in this species. More interesting was the statistically significant substantial increase in body temperature beginning 12 h after the onset of parturition. Therefore, if any significant increase in body temperature is recorded at the end of pregnancy without the beginning of the expulsion of fetuses, it could indicate problems at parturition. In this study, cortisol levels increased significantly at the time of delivery and remained high 12 h after the beginning of parturition, decreasing within 36 h after the onset of whelping. 15-ketodihydro-prostaglandin F2alpha levels increased significantly 24 h before parturition and again at the onset of whelping. Progesterone levels decreased significantly, starting 24 h before the onset of whelping and remained low after delivery.

A comparison of representations for discrete multi-criteria decision problems☆

PubMed Central

Gettinger, Johannes; Kiesling, Elmar; Stummer, Christian; Vetschera, Rudolf

2013-01-01

Discrete multi-criteria decision problems with numerous Pareto-efficient solution candidates place a significant cognitive burden on the decision maker. An interactive, aspiration-based search process that iteratively progresses toward the most preferred solution can alleviate this task. In this paper, we study three ways of representing such problems in a DSS, and compare them in a laboratory experiment using subjective and objective measures of the decision process as well as solution quality and problem understanding. In addition to an immediate user evaluation, we performed a re-evaluation several weeks later. Furthermore, we consider several levels of problem complexity and user characteristics. Results indicate that different problem representations have a considerable influence on search behavior, although long-term consistency appears to remain unaffected. We also found interesting discrepancies between subjective evaluations and objective measures. Conclusions from our experiments can help designers of DSS for large multi-criteria decision problems to fit problem representations to the goals of their system and the specific task at hand. PMID:24882912

Associations between work-related stress in late midlife, educational attainment, and serious health problems in old age: a longitudinal study with over 20 years of follow-up.

PubMed

Nilsen, Charlotta; Andel, Ross; Fors, Stefan; Meinow, Bettina; Darin Mattsson, Alexander; Kåreholt, Ingemar

2014-08-27

People spend a considerable amount of time at work over the course of their lives, which makes the workplace important to health and aging. However, little is known about the potential long-term effects of work-related stress on late-life health. This study aims to examine work-related stress in late midlife and educational attainment in relation to serious health problems in old age. Data from nationally representative Swedish surveys were used in the analyses (n = 1,502). Follow-up time was 20-24 years. Logistic regressions were used to examine work-related stress (self-reported job demands, job control, and job strain) in relation to serious health problems measured as none, serious problems in one health domain, and serious problems in two or three health domains (complex health problems). While not all results were statistically significant, high job demands were associated with higher odds of serious health problems among women but lower odds of serious health problems among men. Job control was negatively associated with serious health problems. The strongest association in this study was between high job strain and complex health problems. After adjustment for educational attainment some of the associations became statistically nonsignificant. However, high job demands, remained related to lower odds of serious problems in one health domain among men, and low job control remained associated with higher odds of complex health problems among men. High job demands were associated with lower odds of complex health problems among men with low education, but not among men with high education, or among women regardless of level of education. The results underscore the importance of work-related stress for long-term health. Modification to work environment to reduce work stress (e.g., providing opportunities for self-direction/monitoring levels of psychological job demands) may serve as a springboard for the development of preventive strategies to improve public health both before and after retirement.

Early Breastfeeding Problems Mediate the Negative Association between Maternal Obesity and Exclusive Breastfeeding at 1 and 2 Months Postpartum1–3

PubMed Central

O’Sullivan, Elizabeth J; Perrine, Cria G; Rasmussen, Kathleen M

2015-01-01

Background Compared with normal-weight women, women with obesity experience poorer breastfeeding outcomes. Successful breastfeeding among women with obesity is important for achieving national breastfeeding goals. Objectives The objectives were to determine whether the negative association between obesity and any or exclusive breastfeeding at 1 and 2 mo postpartum is mediated through breastfeeding problems that occur in the first 2 wk postpartum and if this association differs by parity. Methods Mothers (1151 normal-weight and 580 obese) in the Infant Feeding Practices Study II provided information on sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics, body mass index, and breastfeeding outcomes. At 1 mo postpartum, participants reported the breastfeeding problems they experienced in the first 2 wk postpartum from a predefined list of 17 options. We used factor analysis to condense these problems into 4 explanatory variables; continuous factor scores were computed for use in further analyses. We used maximum likelihood logistic regression to assess mediation of the association between obesity and breastfeeding outcomes through early breastfeeding problems. Results No significant effect of obesity was found on any breastfeeding at 1 or 2 mo. At 1 mo postpartum, for both primiparous and multiparous women, there was a significant direct effect of obesity on exclusive breastfeeding and a significant indirect effect of obesity through early breastfeeding problems related to the explanatory mediating variable “Insufficient Milk” (throughout the remainder of the Abstract, this factor will be denoted by upper case notation). At 2 mo postpartum both the direct effect of obesity and the indirect effect through Insufficient Milk were significant in primiparous women but only the indirect effect remained significant in multiparous women. Conclusions Early problems related to Insufficient Milk may partially explain the association between obesity and poor exclusive breastfeeding outcomes. Women who are obese, particularly those reporting breastfeeding problems that grouped in the Insufficient Milk factor in the early postpartum period, may benefit from additional breastfeeding support. PMID:26290005

Measuring Gambling Reinforcers, Over Consumption and Fallacies: The Psychometric Properties and Predictive Validity of the Jonsson-Abbott Scale.

PubMed

Jonsson, Jakob; Abbott, Max W; Sjöberg, Anders; Carlbring, Per

2017-01-01

Traditionally, gambling and problem gambling research relies on cross-sectional and retrospective designs. This has compromised identification of temporal relationships and causal inference. To overcome these problems a new questionnaire, the Jonsson-Abbott Scale (JAS), was developed and used in a large, prospective, general population study, The Swedish Longitudinal Gambling Study (Swelogs). The JAS has 11 items and seeks to identify early indicators, examine relationships between indicators and assess their capacity to predict future problem progression. The aims of the study were to examine psychometric properties of the JAS (internal consistency and dimensionality) and predictive validity with respect to increased gambling risk and problem gambling onset. The results are based on repeated interviews with 3818 participants. The response rate from the initial baseline wave was 74%. The original sample consisted of a random, stratified selection from the Swedish population register aged between 16 and 84. The results indicate an acceptable fit of a three-factor solution in a confirmatory factor analysis with 'Over consumption,' 'Gambling fallacies,' and 'Reinforcers' as factors. Reinforcers, Over consumption and Gambling fallacies were significant predictors of gambling risk potential and Gambling fallacies and Over consumption were significant predictors of problem gambling onset (incident cases) at 12 month follow up. When controlled for risk potential measured at baseline, the predictor Over consumption was not significant for gambling risk potential at follow up. For incident cases, Gambling fallacies and Over consumption remained significant when controlled for risk potential. Implications of the results for the development of problem gambling, early detection, prevention, and future research are discussed.

Drug use, mental health and problems related to crime and violence: cross-sectional study1

PubMed Central

Claro, Heloísa Garcia; de Oliveira, Márcia Aparecida Ferreira; Bourdreaux, Janet Titus; Fernandes, Ivan Filipe de Almeida Lopes; Pinho, Paula Hayasi; Tarifa, Rosana Ribeiro

2015-01-01

Objective: to investigate the correlation between disorders related to the use of alcohol and other drugs and symptoms of mental disorders, problems related to crime and violence and to age and gender. Methods: cross-sectional descriptive study carried out with 128 users of a Psychosocial Care Center for Alcohol and other Drugs, in the city of São Paulo, interviewed by means of the instrument entitled Global Appraisal of Individual Needs - Short Screener. Univariate and multiple linear regression models were used to verify the correlation between the variables. Results: using univariate regression models, internalizing and externalizing symptoms and problems related to crime/violence proved significant and were included in the multiple model, in which only the internalizing symptoms and problems related to crime and violence remained significant. Conclusions: there is a correlation between the severity of problems related to alcohol use and severity of mental health symptoms and crime and violence in the study sample. The results emphasize the need for an interdisciplinary and intersectional character of attention to users of alcohol and other drugs, since they live in a socially vulnerable environment. PMID:26626010

The role of personality traits and barriers to mental health treatment seeking among college students.

PubMed

Jennings, Kristen S; Goguen, Kandice N; Britt, Thomas W; Jeffirs, Stephanie M; Wilkes, Jack R; Brady, Ashley R; Pittman, Rebecca A; DiMuzio, Danielle J

2017-11-01

Many college students experience a mental health problem yet do not seek treatment from a mental health professional. In the present study, we examined how perceived barriers (stigma perceptions, negative attitudes about treatment, and perceptions of practical barriers), as well as the Big Five personality traits, relate to treatment seeking among college students reporting a current mental health problem. The sample consisted of 261 college students, 115 of which reported experiencing a current problem. Results of a series of logistic regressions revealed that perceived stigma from others (OR = .32), self-stigma (OR = .29), negative attitudes about treatment (OR = .27), and practical barriers (OR = .34) were all associated with a lower likelihood of having sought treatment among students experiencing a problem. Of the five-factor model personality traits, only Neuroticism was associated with a higher likelihood of having sought treatment when experiencing a mental health problem (OR = 2.71). When we considered all significant predictors in a final stepwise conditional model, only self-stigma, practical barriers, and Neuroticism remained significant unique predictors. Implications for addressing barriers to treatment and encouraging treatment seeking among college students are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Maternal cell phone and cordless phone use during pregnancy and behaviour problems in 5-year-old children.

PubMed

Guxens, Mònica; van Eijsden, Manon; Vermeulen, Roel; Loomans, Eva; Vrijkotte, Tanja G M; Komhout, Hans; van Strien, Rob T; Huss, Anke

2013-05-01

A previous study found an association between maternal cell phone use during pregnancy and maternal-reported child behaviour problems at age 7. Together with cell phones, cordless phones represent the main exposure source of radiofrequency-electromagnetic fields to the head. Therefore, we assessed the association between maternal cell phone and cordless phone use during pregnancy and teacher-reported and maternal-reported child behaviour problems at age 5. The study was embedded in the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development study, a population-based birth cohort study in Amsterdam, the Netherlands (2003-2004). Teachers and mothers reported child behaviour problems using the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire at age 5. Maternal cell phone and cordless phone use during pregnancy was asked when children were 7 years old. A total of 2618 children were included. As compared to non-users, those exposed to prenatal cell phone use showed an increased but non-significant association of having teacher-reported overall behaviour problems, although without dose-response relationship with the number of calls (OR=2.12 (95% CI 0.95 to 4.74) for <1 call/day, OR=1.58 (95% CI 0.69 to 3.60) for 1-4 calls/day and OR=2.04 (95% CI 0.86 to 4.80) for ≥5 calls/day). ORs for having teacher-reported overall behaviour problems across categories of cordless phone use were below 1 or close to unity. Associations of maternal cell phone and cordless phone use with maternal-reported overall behaviour problems remained non-significant. Non-significant associations were found for the specific behaviour problem subscales. Our results do not suggest that maternal cell phone or cordless phone use during pregnancy increases the odds of behaviour problems in their children.

The association between parent worry and young children's social-emotional functioning.

PubMed

Weitzman, Carol Cohen; Edmonds, Diana; Davagnino, Judith; Briggs-Gowan, Margaret

2011-11-01

: Behavioral health problems are reported to affect as many as 24% of children younger than 4 years. Screening within primary care settings remains low. Brief, inexpensive methods to identify children are needed. The objective of this study was to determine the extent to which parent worry about their children's behavior and development is associated with social-emotional problems. : In this cross-sectional study, 378 Spanish and English speaking mothers of 12- to 48-month-old, underserved children were surveyed before a well-child visit with the Brief Infant-Toddler Social-Emotional Assessment. This is a parent-report measure that was scored to identify clinically significant (CS) social-emotional problems (≥85th percentile) and at-risk (AR) problems (75th-84th percentile). Parents rated their worry about their children's behavior and social-emotional development on 3 questions. : A total of 42.1% of children had AR or CS problems or low social competence, with 19.8% of these children having CS problems. Overall, 30.4% of parents expressed worry about social-emotional/behavioral issues. A total of 19.9% of parents expressed worry despite having rated their child's behavior in the normal range on the Brief Infant-Toddler Social-Emotional Assessment. Worry was significantly associated with having either AR or CS problems. However, worry significantly distinguished the CS group, but not the AR group, from the normal group. Parent worry regarding behavior and social-emotional development approached adequate sensitivity (66.7%) to identify children CS problems with specificity being 78.6%. Parent worry, however, was not adequately sensitive in detecting AR problems. Ethnic differences indicated that the sensitivity and specificity of worry to detect CS behavior and social-emotional problems were excellent in Hispanic families, but sensitivity was poor in African-American ones. Among parents with low educational attainment, sensitivity to detect CS behavior and social-emotional problems was excellent. : Parent worry regarding social-emotional/behavioral issues may be a useful adjunct to developmental surveillance, as it identifies children with the most significant behavioral and social-emotional problems. However, as a screening method to identify all young children with social-emotional problems, parent worry does not currently achieve acceptable classification.

The Jewish child, adolescent, and family.

PubMed

Rube, David M; Kibel, Rabbi Nechemiah

2004-01-01

This brief review addresses the history, beliefs, and practices of Jewish families that have implications for clinical management of the problems and disorders of children and adolescents. It focuses primarily on the problems of the Orthodox family due, in part, to the limitations of space. There remains, however, little doubt that the clinician must be aware of the impact that Jewish heritage may have on the clinical issues at hand. This impact is significant whether the worldview of the family is characterized by strict Orthodoxy or is primarily that of an ethnic identification with less concern for belief and practice.

Sexual Misconduct and Enactment

PubMed Central

Plakun, Eric M.

1999-01-01

Sexual misconduct remains a significant problem in the behavioral health professions. Although it is tempting to view sexual misconduct as perpetrated by “bad” clinicians against patients who are “victims,” this is an oversimplification of a complex problem. In this article, the author explores the psychoanalytic concept of enactment as a mechanism that can lead well-meaning clinicians to engage in sexual misconduct; defines enactment and differentiates it from near neighbor phenomena; uses case examples to illustrate how enactments may lead to sexual misconduct or may offer opportunities to deepen and enhance psychotherapeutic work; and offers recommendations for prevention of sexual misconduct. PMID:10523431

Etiological Distinction of Working Memory Components in Relation to Mathematics

PubMed Central

Lukowski, Sarah L.; Soden, Brooke; Hart, Sara A.; Thompson, Lee A.; Kovas, Yulia; Petrill, Stephen A.

2014-01-01

Working memory has been consistently associated with mathematics achievement, although the etiology of these relations remains poorly understood. The present study examined the genetic and environmental underpinnings of math story problem solving, timed calculation, and untimed calculation alongside working memory components in 12-year-old monozygotic (n = 105) and same-sex dizygotic (n = 143) twin pairs. Results indicated significant phenotypic correlation between each working memory component and all mathematics outcomes (r = 0.18 – 0.33). Additive genetic influences shared between the visuo-spatial sketchpad and mathematics achievement was significant, accounting for roughly 89% of the observed correlation. In addition, genetic covariance was found between the phonological loop and math story problem solving. In contrast, despite there being a significant observed relationship between phonological loop and timed and untimed calculation, there was no significant genetic or environmental covariance between the phonological loop and timed or untimed calculation skills. Further analyses indicated that genetic overlap between the visuo-spatial sketchpad and math story problem solving and math fluency was distinct from general genetic factors, whereas g, phonological loop, and mathematics shared generalist genes. Thus, although each working memory component was related to mathematics, the etiology of their relationships may be distinct. PMID:25477699

An exploratory study of the relationship between changes in emotion and cognitive processes and treatment outcome in borderline personality disorder.

PubMed

McMain, Shelley; Links, Paul S; Guimond, Tim; Wnuk, Susan; Eynan, Rahel; Bergmans, Yvonne; Warwar, Serine

2013-01-01

This exploratory study examined specific emotion processes and cognitive problem-solving processes in individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD), and assessed the relationship of these changes to treatment outcome. Emotion and cognitive problem-solving processes were assessed using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the Linguistic Inquiry Word Count, the Derogatis Affect Balance Scale, and the Problem Solving Inventory. Participants who showed greater improvements in affect balance, problem solving, and the ability to identify and describe emotions showed greater improvements on treatment outcome, with affect balance remaining statistically significant under the most conservative conditions. The results provide preliminary evidence to support the theory that specific improvements in emotion and cognitive processes are associated with positive treatment outcomes (symptom distress, interpersonal functioning) in BPD. The implications for treatment are discussed.

Nitsche’s Method For Helmholtz Problems with Embedded Interfaces

PubMed Central

Zou, Zilong; Aquino, Wilkins; Harari, Isaac

2016-01-01

SUMMARY In this work, we use Nitsche’s formulation to weakly enforce kinematic constraints at an embedded interface in Helmholtz problems. Allowing embedded interfaces in a mesh provides significant ease for discretization, especially when material interfaces have complex geometries. We provide analytical results that establish the well-posedness of Helmholtz variational problems and convergence of the corresponding finite element discretizations when Nitsche’s method is used to enforce kinematic constraints. As in the analysis of conventional Helmholtz problems, we show that the inf-sup constant remains positive provided that the Nitsche’s stabilization parameter is judiciously chosen. We then apply our formulation to several 2D plane-wave examples that confirm our analytical findings. Doing so, we demonstrate the asymptotic convergence of the proposed method and show that numerical results are in accordance with the theoretical analysis. PMID:28713177

Impaired metacognitive capacities in individuals with problem gambling.

PubMed

Brevers, Damien; Cleeremans, Axel; Bechara, Antoine; Greisen, Max; Kornreich, Charles; Verbanck, Paul; Noël, Xavier

2014-03-01

Impaired insight into behavior may be one of the clinical characteristics of pathological gambling. In the present study, we tested whether the capacity to evaluate accurately the quality of one's own decisions during a non-gambling task was impaired in problem gamblers. Twenty-five problem gamblers and 25 matched healthy participants performed an artificial grammar-learning paradigm, in which the quality of choice remains uncertain throughout the task. After each trial of this task, participants had to indicate how confident they were in the grammaticality judgements using a scale ranging from 1 (low confidence) to 7 (high confidence). Results showed that (i), problem gamblers' performance on the grammaticality test was lower than controls'; (ii) there was a significant correlation between grammaticality judgments and confidence for control participants, which indicates metacognitive insight and the presence of conscious knowledge; (iii) this correlation was not significant in problem gamblers, which suggests a disconnection between performance and confidence in this group. These findings suggest that problem gamblers are impaired in their metacognitive abilities on a non-gambling task, which suggests that compulsive gambling is associated with poor insight as a general factor. Clinical interventions tailored to improve metacognition in gambling could be a fruitful avenue of research in order to prevent pathological gambling.

Identifying the Prevalence and Correlates of Ecstasy Use among High School Seniors Surveyed through 2002 Monitoring the Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yacoubian, George S., Jr.; Peters, Ronald J.

2005-01-01

Media reports have suggested that the use of 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or "ecstasy") is a significant problem across the United States. To date, however, available evidence has shown that the use of ecstasy has been concentrated among "rave" attendees, with mainstream youth remaining relative-immune from its proliferation. In the…

Impact of Exposure to Violence in School on Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flannery, Daniel J.; Wester, Kelly L.; Singer, Mark I.

2004-01-01

Exposure to violence at school remains a significant problem for children and adolescents. This study examined the relationship between exposure to violence at school and child reports of psychological trauma symptoms and violent behavior. The sample consisted of children in grades 3 through 12 in 17 public schools from two different states. Rates…

The influence of fuelbed properties on moisture drying rates and timelags of longleaf pine litter

Treesearch

Ralph M. Nelson; J. Kevin Hiers

2008-01-01

Fire managers often model pine needles as 1 h timelag fuels, but fuelbed properties may significantly change the rate at which needles exchange moisture with the atmosphere. The problem of determining whether moisture loss from fine fuels is being controlled by individual particles or by the fuelbed remains unresolved. Results from this laboratory experiment indicate...

African American Males in Foster Care and the Risk of Delinquency: The Value of Social Bonds and Permanence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryan, Joseph P.; Testa, Mark F.; Zhai, Fuhua

2008-01-01

Juvenile delinquency remains a significant problem for child welfare systems throughout the United States. Victims of child abuse and neglect are more likely relative to children in the general population to engage in delinquency (Ryan & Testa, 2005; Widom, 1989). Although the magnitude of this relationship is not fully understood (Zingraff,…

A General Causal Model to Guide Alcohol, Tobacco, and Illicit Drug Prevention: Assessing the Research Evidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Birckmayer, Johanna D.; Holder, Harold D.; Yacoubian, George S., Jr.; Friend, Karen B.

2004-01-01

The problems associated with the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD) extract a significant health, social, and economic toll on American society. While the field of substance abuse prevention has made great strides during the past decade, two major challenges remain. First, the field has been disorganized and fragmented with respect to…

Interest and limitations of projective techniques in the assessment of personality disorders.

PubMed

Petot, J M

2000-06-01

Assessing personality disorders (PD) remains a difficult task because of persistent problems linked to concurrent validity of existing instruments, which are all structured interviews or self-report inventories. It has been advocated that indirect methods, projective techniques in particular, can strengthen PD assessment methods. The thematic apperception test (TAT) may be a significant adjuvant method of PD assessment.

Breast Cancer Diagnosis Using Ultrasound and Diffusive Light

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-08-01

been widely used in clinical studies. The fundamental problem remains the intense light scattering in tissue, which makes the lesion localization...Our 3 unique approach may have significant clinical applications on 1) breast cancer diagnosis; and 2) assessing treatment response and estimating...the response of cancers to presurgical chemotherapy are not completely understood [20]. Although recent trials reported clinical response rates >70

[Mediating effects on depression regarding the relationship between negative life events and suicide ideation among college students].

PubMed

Wu, Jiao; Wu, Yun-tao; Feng, Shu-xiu; Meng, Heng; Chen, Hui

2012-11-01

To understand the relationship between negative life events and suicide ideation, and how it was influenced by the mediating effect of depression. 1145 college students from one university were selected using cluster sampling. Both Symptom Check List (SCL-90) and Questionnaire were administered to measure depression and suicide ideation in the past week and on the prevalence of negative life events and related information. Recent negative life events would include physical illness, academic problem, financial problem and interpersonal conflict etc. Multiple logistic regressions were used to identify the mediating effect of depression. Physical illness (OR = 2.5, P = 0.028), interpersonal conflict (OR = 7.2, P = 0.002) and financial problem (OR = 1.6, P = 0.026) were significantly associated with suicide ideation, but academically-related problems did not seem to be significantly associated with suicide ideation (OR = 1.8, P = 0.090). After adjusted for depression, both physical illness and interpersonal conflicts were not but financial problem remained significantly associated with suicide ideation (OR = 1.7, P = 0.014). Our data showed that depression fully mediated the relationship between physical illness, interpersonal conflict and suicide ideation, but did not mediate the relationship between financial problem and suicide ideation. Depression played different mediating roles between different negative life events and suicide ideation. The findings from this study might be able to provide some clues for the prevention interventions on college students.

Behavioural disorders in children with epilepsy: early improvement after surgery

PubMed Central

Lendt, M; Helmstaedter, C; Kuczaty, S; Schramm, J; Elger, C

2000-01-01

OBJECTIVES—Epilepsy surgery has proved to be a successful intervention method to achieve freedom from seizures or seizure relief in children with pharmacoresistant epilepsy. Long term studies on operated children suggest that behavioural disorders, which are often seen before surgery, improve after surgery. However, the early postoperative development of behavioural problems has not been systematically evaluated.
METHODS—Parents of 28 children with pharmacoresistant focal epilepsies completed the child behaviour checklist (CBCL) preoperatively and 3 months after surgery. Surgeries comprised 24 focal resections (13 temporal, 11 extratemporal), two hemispherectomies, and two callosotomies. Twenty eight conservatively treated children with comparable CBCL scores served as a control group. A repeated measurement multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and a regression analysis were computed to compare the development of behaviour between both groups and to identify predictors of postoperative changes in behaviour.
RESULTS—Preoperatively 39% of the children exhibited significant behavioural problems, a further 11% were within the borderline range. The MANOVA disclosed a significant interaction between time of examination and group (F=2.23, p<0.05). The surgery group showed significant improvements on the scales "internalising problems", "externalising problems", "attention problems", and "thought problems". Behavioural problems in the control group, however, remained unchanged. No changes were seen in social problems in both groups. The significant predictor of total behavioural improvement was a good seizure outcome (R2=0.11, p<0.05). Age, sex, onset, and duration of epilepsy, the site of the focus, and changes in antiepileptic drug regimen did not influence changes in behaviour.
CONCLUSIONS—The data demonstrate an early improvement of behavioural problems after epilepsy surgery in children. The behavioural improvements can be assumed to result directly from the removal of the epileptic focus. They are not predictable on the basis of information available preoperatively, but depend on the seizure outcome.

 PMID:11080225

Influence of Classroom and School Climate on Teacher Perceptions of Student Problem Behavior

PubMed Central

O’Brennan, Lindsey M.; Bradshaw, Catherine P.; Furlong, Michael J.

2014-01-01

Reducing student problem behavior remains a leading concern for school staff, as disruptive and aggressive behavior interferes with student achievement and the school climate. However, the multi-systemic nature of schools makes it difficult for researchers and practitioners to identify factors influencing to students’ behavior. The current study examined student problem behavior through an ecological lens by taking into account individual (e.g., gender, ethnicity, prosocial behavior), classroom (e.g., class size, average classroom behavior), and school-level factors (e.g., location, school climate). Using data from 37 elementary schools, 467 classrooms, and 8,750 students, a series of hierarchical linear models was tested. Multilevel analyses revealed that while individual student characteristics had the largest influence on problem behavior, average prosocial behavior and concentration problems of students within the classroom, as well as teacher perceptions of the school climate significantly related to how students behaved. These findings support the use of classroom-based intervention programs to reduce student problem behavior. PMID:25346779

Implications of Middle School Behavior Problems for High School Graduation and Employment Outcomes of Young Adults: Estimation of a Recursive Model

PubMed Central

Karakus, Mustafa C.; Salkever, David S.; Slade, Eric P.; Ialongo, Nicholas; Stuart, Elizabeth

2013-01-01

The potentially serious adverse impacts of behavior problems during adolescence on employment outcomes in adulthood provide a key economic rationale for early intervention programs. However, the extent to which lower educational attainment accounts for the total impact of adolescent behavior problems on later employment remains unclear As an initial step in exploring this issue, we specify and estimate a recursive bivariate probit model that 1) relates middle school behavior problems to high school graduation and 2) models later employment in young adulthood as a function of these behavior problems and of high school graduation. Our model thus allows for both a direct effect of behavior problems on later employment as well as an indirect effect that operates via graduation from high school. Our empirical results, based on analysis of data from the NELS, suggest that the direct effects of externalizing behavior problems on later employment are not significant but that these problems have important indirect effects operating through high school graduation. PMID:23576834

Mentalizing and interpersonal problems in borderline personality disorder: The mediating role of identity diffusion.

PubMed

De Meulemeester, Celine; Lowyck, Benedicte; Vermote, Rudi; Verhaest, Yannic; Luyten, Patrick

2017-12-01

Individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) are characterized by problems in interpersonal functioning and their long-term social integration often remains problematic. Extant theories have linked identity diffusion to many of the interpersonal problems characteristic of BPD patients. Recent theoretical accounts have suggested that identity diffusion results from problems with mentalizing or reflective functioning, that is, the capacity to understand oneself and others in terms of intentional mental states. In this study we tested these assumptions, i.e., whether identity diffusion plays a mediating role in the relationship between mentalizing difficulties and interpersonal problems, in a sample of 167 BPD patients. Highly significant correlations were found between mentalizing impairments, identity diffusion and interpersonal problems. Mediation analyses showed that identity diffusion fully mediated the relationship between mentalizing difficulties and interpersonal problems. This study provides preliminary evidence that impairments in mentalizing are related to identity diffusion, which in turn is related to interpersonal problems in BPD. Further longitudinal research is needed to further substantiate these conclusions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Aspects of posttraumatic stress disorder in long-term testicular cancer survivors: cross-sectional and longitudinal findings.

PubMed

Dahl, Alv A; Østby-Deglum, Marie; Oldenburg, Jan; Bremnes, Roy; Dahl, Olav; Klepp, Olbjørn; Wist, Erik; Fosså, Sophie D

2016-10-01

The purpose of this research is to study the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and variables associated with PTSD in Norwegian long-term testicular cancer survivors (TCSs) both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. At a mean of 11 years after diagnosis, 1418 TCSs responded to a mailed questionnaire, and at a mean of 19 years after diagnosis, 1046 of them responded again to a modified questionnaire. Posttraumatic symptoms related to testicular cancer were self-rated with the Impact of Event Scale (IES) at the 11-year study only. An IES total score ≥35 defined Full PTSD, and a score 26-34 identified Partial PTSD, and the combination of Full and Partial PTSD defined Probable PTSD. At the 11-year study, 4.5 % had Full PTSD, 6.4 % had Partial PTSD, and 10.9 % Probable had PTSD. At both studies, socio-demographic variables, somatic health, anxiety/depression, chronic fatigue, and neurotoxic adverse effects were significantly associated with Probable PTSD in bivariate analyses. Probable anxiety disorder, poor self-rated health, and neurotoxicity remained significant with Probable PTSD in multivariate analyses at the 11-year study. In bivariate analyses, probable PTSD at that time significantly predicted socio-demographic variables, somatic health, anxiety/depression, chronic fatigue, and neurotoxicity among participants of the 19-year study, but only probable anxiety disorder remained significant in multivariable analysis. In spite of excellent prognosis, 10.9 % of long-term testicular cancer survivors had Probable PTSD at a mean of 11 years after diagnosis. Probable PTSD was significantly associated with a broad range of problems both at that time and was predictive of considerable problems at a mean of 19 year postdiagnosis. Among long-term testicular cancer survivors, 10.9 % have Probable PTSD with many associated problems, and therefore health personnel should explore stress symptoms at follow-up since efficient treatments are available.

Maternal perinatal and concurrent depressive symptoms and child behavior problems: a sibling comparison study.

PubMed

Gjerde, Line C; Eilertsen, Espen Moen; Reichborn-Kjennerud, Ted; McAdams, Tom A; Zachrisson, Henrik Daae; Zambrana, Imac Maria; Røysamb, Espen; Kendler, Kenneth S; Ystrom, Eivind

2017-07-01

Previous studies have found significant associations between maternal prenatal and postpartum depression and child behavior problems (CBP). The present study investigates whether associations remain in a prospective, longitudinal design adjusted for familial confounding. The sample comprised 11,599 families including 17,830 siblings from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort study. Mothers reported depressive symptoms at gestational weeks 17 and 30, as well as 6 months, 1.5, 3, and 5 years postpartum. Fathers' depression was measured at gestational week 17. At the last three time-points, child internalizing and externalizing problems were concurrently assessed. We performed multilevel analyses for internalizing and externalizing problems separately, using parental depression as predictors. Analyses were repeated using a sibling comparison design to adjust for familial confounding. All parental depressive time-points were significantly and positively associated with child internalizing and externalizing problems. After sibling comparison, however, only concurrent maternal depression was significantly associated with internalizing [estimate = 2.82 (1.91-3.73, 95% CI)] and externalizing problems [estimate = 2.40 (1.56-3.23, 95% CI)]. The effect of concurrent maternal depression on internalizing problems increased with child age. Our findings do not support the notion that perinatal maternal depression is particularly detrimental to children's psychological development, as the most robust effects were found for maternal depression occurring during preschool years. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

School-Aged Outcomes following Prenatal Methamphetamine Exposure: 7.5 Year Follow-Up From The Infant Development, Environment, and Lifestyle (IDEAL) Study

PubMed Central

Eze, Nwando; Smith, Lynne M; LaGasse, Linda L; Derauf, Chris; Newman, Elana; Arria, Amelia; Huestis, Marilyn A.; Della Grotta, Sheri A; Dansereau, Lynne M; Neal, Charles; Lester, Barry M

2016-01-01

Objective To assess the relationship between prenatal methamphetamine exposure (PME) and behavior problems at age 7.5 years, and the extent to which early adversity mediated this relationship. Study design The multicenter, longitudinal IDEAL study enrolled 412 mother-infant pairs at 4 sites. Methamphetamine-exposed participants (n= 204) were identified by self-report and/or gas chromatography/mass spectrometry confirmation of amphetamine and metabolites in infant meconium. Matched participants (n = 208) denied methamphetamine use and had a negative meconium screen. At the 7.5 year follow-up, 290 children with complete Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) data and an early adversity index score were available for analysis (n=146 exposed). Results PME was significantly associated with an increased early adversity index score (P<0.001) and with increased externalizing, rule-breaking behavior, and aggressive behavior (P<0.05). Early adversity was also associated with higher externalizing behavior scores. Early adversity significantly mediated the relationship between PME and behavioral problems. After adjusting the mediation model for sex, prenatal tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana exposures, and study site, the association of PME with early adversity remained significant. Conclusion Though PME is associated with behavioral problems, early adversity may be a strong determinant of behavioral outcome for children exposed to methamphetamine in utero. Early adversity significantly mediated the relationship between PME and behavioral problems. PMID:26781836

School-Aged Outcomes following Prenatal Methamphetamine Exposure: 7.5-Year Follow-Up from the Infant Development, Environment, and Lifestyle Study.

PubMed

Eze, Nwando; Smith, Lynne M; LaGasse, Linda L; Derauf, Chris; Newman, Elana; Arria, Amelia; Huestis, Marilyn A; Della Grotta, Sheri A; Dansereau, Lynne M; Neal, Charles; Lester, Barry M

2016-03-01

To assess the relationship between prenatal methamphetamine exposure (PME) and behavior problems at age 7.5 years and the extent to which early adversity mediated this relationship. The multicenter, longitudinal Infant Development, Environment, and Lifestyle study enrolled 412 mother-infant pairs at 4 sites. Methamphetamine-exposed participants (n = 204) were identified by self-report and/or gas chromatography/mass spectrometry confirmation of amphetamine and metabolites in infant meconium. Matched participants (n = 208) denied methamphetamine use and had a negative meconium screen. At the 7.5-year follow-up, 290 children with complete Child Behavior Checklist data and an early adversity index score were available for analysis (n = 146 exposed). PME was significantly associated with an increased early adversity index score (P < .001) and with increased externalizing, rule-breaking behavior, and aggressive behavior (P < .05). Early adversity was also associated with higher externalizing behavior scores. Early adversity significantly mediated the relationship between PME and behavioral problems. After adjusting the mediation model for sex, prenatal tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana exposures, and study site, the association of PME with early adversity remained significant. Though PME is associated with behavioral problems, early adversity may be a strong determinant of behavioral outcome for children exposed to methamphetamine in utero. Early adversity significantly mediated the relationship between PME and behavioral problems. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Nuclear power: renaissance or relapse? Global climate change and long-term Three Mile Island activists' narratives.

PubMed

Culley, Marci R; Angelique, Holly

2010-06-01

Community narratives are increasingly important as people move towards an ecologically sustainable society. Global climate change is a multi-faceted problem with multiple stakeholders. The voices of affected communities must be heard as we make decisions of global significance. We document the narratives of long-term anti-nuclear activists near the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear power plant who speak out in the dawn of a nuclear renaissance/relapse. While nuclear power is marketed as a "green" solution to global warming, their narratives reveal three areas for consideration; (1) significant problems with nuclear technology, (2) lessons "not" learned from the TMI disaster, and (3) hopes for a sustainable future. Nuclear waste, untrustworthy officials and economic issues were among the problems cited. Deceptive shaping of public opinion, nuclear illiteracy, and an aging anti-nuclear movement were reasons cited for the lessons not learned. However, many remain optimistic and envision increased participation to create an ecologically-balanced world.

Evaluation of Healthcare Interventions and Big Data: Review of Associated Data Issues.

PubMed

Asche, Carl V; Seal, Brian; Kahler, Kristijan H; Oehrlein, Elisabeth M; Baumgartner, Meredith Greer

2017-08-01

Although the analysis of 'big data' holds tremendous potential to improve patient care, there remain significant challenges before it can be realized. Accuracy and completeness of data, linkage of disparate data sources, and access to data are areas that require particular focus. This article discusses these areas and shares strategies to promote progress. Improvement in clinical coding, innovative matching methodologies, and investment in data standardization are potential solutions to data validation and linkage problems. Challenges to data access still require significant attention with data ownership, security needs, and costs representing significant barriers to access.

Alcohol-related problems and intimate partner violence among white, black, and Hispanic couples in the U.S.

PubMed

Cunradi, C B; Caetano, R; Clark, C L; Schafer, J

1999-09-01

This study analyzes gender and ethnic/racial differences in the prevalence of alcohol-related problems among white, black and Hispanic couples in the United States, and assesses their contribution to the risk of intimate partner violence (IPV). Our study population consisted of 1440 white, black, and Hispanic couples obtained through a multistage area household probability sample from the 1995 National Alcohol Survey. Alcohol-related problems (i.e., drinking consequences and alcohol dependence symptoms in the last 12 months) were assessed among respondents and their partners. Male-to-female and female-to-male partner violence (MFPV, FMPV) were measured separately using the Conflict Tactics Scale. Alcohol-related problems were more prevalent among men than women. Our bivariate analysis demonstrated a significant positive association between male alcohol-related problems and IPV across racial/ethnic groups, and a similar association between female alcohol-related problems and IPV for white and black couples. In the multivariate logistic regression analyses, however, many of these associations were attenuated. After controlling for sociodemographic and psychosocial covariates, male alcohol-related problems were no longer significantly associated with an increased risk of MFPV among white or Hispanic couples. Female alcohol-related problems predicted FMPV, but not MFPV, among white couples. Among black couples, however, male and female alcohol-related problems remained strong predictors of intimate partner violence. Alcohol-related problems are important predictors of intimate partner violence, and the exact association between problems and violence seems to be ethnic-specific. Alcohol-related problems, rather than level of alcohol consumption, may be the more relevant factor to consider in the alcohol-partner violence association. Future research is needed to explore the temporal relationships between the development of alcohol-related problems and the occurrence of partner violence.

Problem Gambling Among Ontario Students: Associations with Substance Abuse, Mental Health Problems, Suicide Attempts, and Delinquent Behaviours.

PubMed

Cook, Steven; Turner, Nigel E; Ballon, Bruce; Paglia-Boak, Angela; Murray, Robert; Adlaf, Edward M; Ilie, Gabriela; den Dunnen, Wendy; Mann, Robert E

2015-12-01

This paper describes gambling problems among Ontario students in 2009 and examines the relationship between gambling problems and substance use problems, mental health problem indicators, and delinquent behaviors. Data were derived from the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey of Ontario students in grades 7-12. Gambling problems were measured as 2 or more of 6 indicators of problem gambling. In total 2.8% of the students surveyed endorsed two or more of the problem gambling items. The odds of problem gamblers reporting mental distress was 4.2 times higher than the rest of the sample and the odds of problem gamblers reporting a suicide attempt were 17.8 times greater than the rest of the sample. In addition compared to the rest of the students, delinquent behaviors were also more common among problem gamblers, including theft (OR = 14.5), selling marijuana (OR = 19.6), gang fights (OR = 11.3) and carrying a handgun (OR = 11.2). In a multivariate analysis, substance-use problems, mental health problems, and the participation in a variety of delinquent behaviors remained significantly associated with youth problem gambling behavior. Students who report problem gambling behaviors show increased substance abuse, mental health, and delinquency/criminal problems that are similar to those seen among adult problem gamblers. The association between these problems suggests that these problems could be addressed in a unified manner.

Behavioral dimensions of food security

PubMed Central

Timmer, C. Peter

2012-01-01

The empirical regularities of behavioral economics, especially loss aversion, time inconsistency, other-regarding preferences, herd behavior, and framing of decisions, present significant challenges to traditional approaches to food security. The formation of price expectations, hoarding behavior, and welfare losses from highly unstable food prices all depends on these behavioral regularities. At least when they are driven by speculative bubbles, market prices for food staples (and especially for rice, the staple food of over 2 billion people) often lose their efficiency properties and the normative implications assigned by trade theory. Theoretical objections to government efforts to stabilize food prices, thus, have reduced saliency, although operational, financing, and implementation problems remain important, even critical. The experience of many Asian governments in stabilizing their rice prices over the past half century is drawn on in this paper to illuminate both the political mandates stemming from behavioral responses of citizens and operational problems facing efforts to stabilize food prices. Despite the theoretical problems with free markets, the institutional role of markets in economic development remains. All policy instruments must operate compatibly with prices in markets. During policy design, especially for policies designed to alter market prices, incentive structures need to be compatible with respect to both government capacity (bureaucratic and budgetary) and empirical behavior on the part of market participants who will respond to planned policy changes. A new theoretical underpinning to political economy analysis is needed that incorporates this behavioral perspective, with psychology, sociology, and anthropology all likely to make significant contributions. PMID:20855628

Behavioral dimensions of food security.

PubMed

Timmer, C Peter

2012-07-31

The empirical regularities of behavioral economics, especially loss aversion, time inconsistency, other-regarding preferences, herd behavior, and framing of decisions, present significant challenges to traditional approaches to food security. The formation of price expectations, hoarding behavior, and welfare losses from highly unstable food prices all depends on these behavioral regularities. At least when they are driven by speculative bubbles, market prices for food staples (and especially for rice, the staple food of over 2 billion people) often lose their efficiency properties and the normative implications assigned by trade theory. Theoretical objections to government efforts to stabilize food prices, thus, have reduced saliency, although operational, financing, and implementation problems remain important, even critical. The experience of many Asian governments in stabilizing their rice prices over the past half century is drawn on in this paper to illuminate both the political mandates stemming from behavioral responses of citizens and operational problems facing efforts to stabilize food prices. Despite the theoretical problems with free markets, the institutional role of markets in economic development remains. All policy instruments must operate compatibly with prices in markets. During policy design, especially for policies designed to alter market prices, incentive structures need to be compatible with respect to both government capacity (bureaucratic and budgetary) and empirical behavior on the part of market participants who will respond to planned policy changes. A new theoretical underpinning to political economy analysis is needed that incorporates this behavioral perspective, with psychology, sociology, and anthropology all likely to make significant contributions.

ISO Key Project: Exploring the full range of QUASAR/AGN properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilkes, B.

1998-01-01

The PIA (PHOT Interactive Analysis) software was upgraded as new releases were made available by VILSPA. We have continued to analyze our data but, given the large number of still outstanding problems with the calibration and analysis (listed below), we remain unable to move forward on our scientific program. We have concentrated on observations with long (256 sec) exposure times to avoid the most extreme detector responsivity drift problems which occur with a change in observed flux level, ie. as one begins to observe a new target. There remain a significant number of problems with analyzing these data including: (1) the default calibration source (FCS) observations early in the mission were too short and affected by strong detector responsivity drifts; (2) the calibration of the FCS sources is not yet well-understood, particularly for chopped observations (which includes most of ours); (3) the detector responsivity drift is not well-understood and models are only now becoming available for fitting chopped data; (4) charged particle hits on the detector cause transient responsivity drifts which need to be corrected; (5) the "flat-field" calibration of the long-wavelength (array) detectors: C1OO, C200 leaves significant residual structure and so needs to be improved;(6) the vignetting correction, which affects detected flux levels in the array detectors, is not yet available; (7) the intra-filter calibrations are not yet available; and (8) the background above 60 microns has a significant gradient which results in spurious positive and negative "detections" in chopped observations. ISO Observation planning, conferences and talks, ground based observing and other grant related activities are also briefly discussed.

Modeling the effects of indoor passive smoking at home, work, or other households on adult cardiovascular and mental health: the Scottish Health Survey, 2008-2011.

PubMed

Shiue, Ivy

2014-03-13

Passive smoking has contributed increased risks of cardiovascular disease, mental health, and mortality, but the cumulative effects from work or other households were less studied. Therefore, it was aimed to model the effects of indoor passive smoking from own home, work, and other households in a country-wide, population-based setting. Data in the Scottish Health Survey between 2008 and 2011 after the law banning smoking in public places were analyzed. Information including demographics, lifestyle factors, and self-reported cardiovascular disease and mental health was obtained by household interview. Analyses included chi-square test and survey-weighted logistic regression modeling. After full adjustment, it was observed that being exposed to indoor passive smoking, in particular in more than two places of exposure, was significantly associated with risks of stroke, angina, heart attack, abnormal heart rhythms, and GHQ ≥ 12. The significance remained for angina, GHQ ≥ 12 and probably heart attack in never smokers. The cumulative risks also impacted on sleep problems, self-recognition, making decisions, self-confidence, under strain constantly, depressed, happiness and self-worth. The significance remained for sleep problems, self-confidence, under strain constantly, depressed, and happiness in never smokers. Elimination of indoor passive smoking from different sources should still be a focus in future public health programs.

Measuring Gambling Reinforcers, Over Consumption and Fallacies: The Psychometric Properties and Predictive Validity of the Jonsson-Abbott Scale

PubMed Central

Jonsson, Jakob; Abbott, Max W.; Sjöberg, Anders; Carlbring, Per

2017-01-01

Traditionally, gambling and problem gambling research relies on cross-sectional and retrospective designs. This has compromised identification of temporal relationships and causal inference. To overcome these problems a new questionnaire, the Jonsson-Abbott Scale (JAS), was developed and used in a large, prospective, general population study, The Swedish Longitudinal Gambling Study (Swelogs). The JAS has 11 items and seeks to identify early indicators, examine relationships between indicators and assess their capacity to predict future problem progression. The aims of the study were to examine psychometric properties of the JAS (internal consistency and dimensionality) and predictive validity with respect to increased gambling risk and problem gambling onset. The results are based on repeated interviews with 3818 participants. The response rate from the initial baseline wave was 74%. The original sample consisted of a random, stratified selection from the Swedish population register aged between 16 and 84. The results indicate an acceptable fit of a three-factor solution in a confirmatory factor analysis with ‘Over consumption,’ ‘Gambling fallacies,’ and ‘Reinforcers’ as factors. Reinforcers, Over consumption and Gambling fallacies were significant predictors of gambling risk potential and Gambling fallacies and Over consumption were significant predictors of problem gambling onset (incident cases) at 12 month follow up. When controlled for risk potential measured at baseline, the predictor Over consumption was not significant for gambling risk potential at follow up. For incident cases, Gambling fallacies and Over consumption remained significant when controlled for risk potential. Implications of the results for the development of problem gambling, early detection, prevention, and future research are discussed. PMID:29085320

The impact of two multiple-choice question formats on the problem-solving strategies used by novices and experts.

PubMed

Coderre, Sylvain P; Harasym, Peter; Mandin, Henry; Fick, Gordon

2004-11-05

Pencil-and-paper examination formats, and specifically the standard, five-option multiple-choice question, have often been questioned as a means for assessing higher-order clinical reasoning or problem solving. This study firstly investigated whether two paper formats with differing number of alternatives (standard five-option and extended-matching questions) can test problem-solving abilities. Secondly, the impact of the alternatives number on psychometrics and problem-solving strategies was examined. Think-aloud protocols were collected to determine the problem-solving strategy used by experts and non-experts in answering Gastroenterology questions, across the two pencil-and-paper formats. The two formats demonstrated equal ability in testing problem-solving abilities, while the number of alternatives did not significantly impact psychometrics or problem-solving strategies utilized. These results support the notion that well-constructed multiple-choice questions can in fact test higher order clinical reasoning. Furthermore, it can be concluded that in testing clinical reasoning, the question stem, or content, remains more important than the number of alternatives.

Perspectives on biological growth and remodeling

PubMed Central

Ambrosi, D.; Ateshian, G. A.; Arruda, E. M.; Cowin, S. C.; Dumais, J.; Goriely, A.; Holzapfel, G. A.; Humphrey, J. D.; Kemkemer, R.; Kuhl, E.; Olberding, J. E.; Taber, L. A.; Garikipati, K.

2011-01-01

The continuum mechanical treatment of biological growth and remodeling has attracted considerable attention over the past fifteen years. Many aspects of these problems are now well-understood, yet there remain areas in need of significant development from the standpoint of experiments, theory, and computation. In this perspective paper we review the state of the field and highlight open questions, challenges, and avenues for further development. PMID:21532929

Management Information Systems Research.

DTIC Science & Technology

Research on management information systems is illusive in many respects. Part of the basic research problem in MIS stems from the absence of standard...decision making. But the transition from these results to the realization of ’satisfactory’ management information systems remains difficult indeed. The...paper discusses several aspects of research on management information systems and reviews a selection of efforts that appear significant for future progress. (Author)

Pertussis in the Era of New Strains of Bordetella pertussis.

PubMed

Souder, Emily; Long, Sarah S

2015-12-01

Despite implementation of a successful vaccination program, pertussis remains a significant health problem. Although the incidence of pertussis in the United States is reduced by approximately 80% compared with incidence before the introduction of vaccination in the 1940s, deaths still occur and the unrecognized disease burden remains high, with 1 million Bordetella pertussis infections annually in the United States estimated by serologic surveys. Reasons for the resurgence and current prevalence of pertussis may be multifactorial and include waning vaccine-induced protection as well as lower vaccine effectiveness, failure to vaccinate, and changes in the organism itself. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pharmacology of colloids and crystalloids.

PubMed

Griffel, M I; Kaufman, B S

1992-04-01

We have attempted to review body fluid distribution by compartments so that the reader understands the physiology of ICF and ECF, and the relationship between interstitial and intravascular fluids. Crystalloids such as NS and RL are distributed to the ECF, whereas colloids primarily remain intravascular for longer periods. Although effective, crystalloids tend to require larger volumes for infusion, and edema remains a problem. Colloids as a group are extremely effective volume expanders, but none is ideal. Albumin, hetastarch, dextran, and the less commonly used colloids each have significant toxicities that must be considered when using them. Intelligent choices can be made to optimize use of these fluids.

Survival analysis to explore the characteristics of employee assistance program (EAP) referrals that remain employed.

PubMed

Macdonald, S; Albert, W; Maynard, M; French, P

1989-02-01

This study examined characteristics of referrals to employee assistance programs (EAP) associated with subsequent termination of employment. As well, relationships between characteristics of the referrals and program characteristics were explored. Longitudinal data were collected at several time periods for 163 referrals to EAPs from five organizations. Survival analysis was conducted to determine which variables were associated with termination of employment. Females, cohabitating couples, and employees who worked for the organization for 5 or more years were most likely to remain employed. One interesting finding was that people with alcohol problems were significantly more likely to be formal referrals.

Evolving neural networks for strategic decision-making problems.

PubMed

Kohl, Nate; Miikkulainen, Risto

2009-04-01

Evolution of neural networks, or neuroevolution, has been a successful approach to many low-level control problems such as pole balancing, vehicle control, and collision warning. However, certain types of problems-such as those involving strategic decision-making-have remained difficult for neuroevolution to solve. This paper evaluates the hypothesis that such problems are difficult because they are fractured: The correct action varies discontinuously as the agent moves from state to state. A method for measuring fracture using the concept of function variation is proposed and, based on this concept, two methods for dealing with fracture are examined: neurons with local receptive fields, and refinement based on a cascaded network architecture. Experiments in several benchmark domains are performed to evaluate how different levels of fracture affect the performance of neuroevolution methods, demonstrating that these two modifications improve performance significantly. These results form a promising starting point for expanding neuroevolution to strategic tasks.

Lower Sensitivity to Happy and Angry Facial Emotions in Young Adults with Psychiatric Problems

PubMed Central

Vrijen, Charlotte; Hartman, Catharina A.; Lodder, Gerine M. A.; Verhagen, Maaike; de Jonge, Peter; Oldehinkel, Albertine J.

2016-01-01

Many psychiatric problem domains have been associated with emotion-specific biases or general deficiencies in facial emotion identification. However, both within and between psychiatric problem domains, large variability exists in the types of emotion identification problems that were reported. Moreover, since the domain-specificity of the findings was often not addressed, it remains unclear whether patterns found for specific problem domains can be better explained by co-occurrence of other psychiatric problems or by more generic characteristics of psychopathology, for example, problem severity. In this study, we aimed to investigate associations between emotion identification biases and five psychiatric problem domains, and to determine the domain-specificity of these biases. Data were collected as part of the ‘No Fun No Glory’ study and involved 2,577 young adults. The study participants completed a dynamic facial emotion identification task involving happy, sad, angry, and fearful faces, and filled in the Adult Self-Report Questionnaire, of which we used the scales depressive problems, anxiety problems, avoidance problems, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) problems and antisocial problems. Our results suggest that participants with antisocial problems were significantly less sensitive to happy facial emotions, participants with ADHD problems were less sensitive to angry emotions, and participants with avoidance problems were less sensitive to both angry and happy emotions. These effects could not be fully explained by co-occurring psychiatric problems. Whereas this seems to indicate domain-specificity, inspection of the overall pattern of effect sizes regardless of statistical significance reveals generic patterns as well, in that for all psychiatric problem domains the effect sizes for happy and angry emotions were larger than the effect sizes for sad and fearful emotions. As happy and angry emotions are strongly associated with approach and avoidance mechanisms in social interaction, these mechanisms may hold the key to understanding the associations between facial emotion identification and a wide range of psychiatric problems. PMID:27920735

Physical Health Problems and Barriers to Optimal Health Care Among Children in Foster Care.

PubMed

Deutsch, Stephanie Anne; Fortin, Kristine

2015-10-01

Children and adolescents in foster care placement represent a unique population with special health care needs, often resulting from pre-placement early adversity and neglected, unaddressed health care needs. High rates of all health problems, including acute and/or chronic physical, mental, and developmental issues prevail. Disparities in health status and access to health care are observed. This article summarizes the physical health problems of children in foster care, who are predisposed to poor health outcomes when complex care needs are unaddressed. Despite recognition of the significant burden of health care need among this unique population, barriers to effective and optimal health care delivery remain. Legislative solutions to overcome obstacles to health care delivery for children in foster care are discussed. Copyright © 2015 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Frequency of postlicensure registered nurse boundary violations with patients in the state of Ohio: a comparison based on type of prelicensure registered nurse education.

PubMed

Jones, Jeffrey S; Fitzpatrick, Joyce J; Drake, Virginia K

2008-12-01

Nurse-Patient boundary violations remain a problem. Efforts to address the problem through postlicensure education and stronger disciplinary measures are well documented. However, efforts to understand this problem based on prelicensure components are less studied. Using data from The Ohio Board of Nursing from 2002 to 2006, the difference in frequency of incidents of violations between associate degree-prepared registered nurses and baccalaureate degree-prepared registered nurses was studied. A statistically significant difference was found through chi-square analysis: Associate degree-prepared nurses had higher frequency of boundary violations. Further studies on prelicensure curricular influences on registered nurses' postlicensure behavior, particularly in relation to curricular content focused on interpersonal skill development, are recommended.

Validity of scale-modeling for gamma-ray attenuation. Final report

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

Verser, F.A.; Donnert, H.J.

1973-09-01

An adjoint Monte Carlo code (GADJET) was used to calculate the exposure rate in full-scale and model structures located in the center of plane fallout fields (1 Ci/square ft of cobalt-60). Problems were run for a standard detector, an open basement, a basement with two thicknesses of covers, and a blockhouse with two thicknesses of walls. For all configurations investigated, the effects of nonscaling of the ground does not cause any problem and a procedure was developed to minimize the error introduced by non-scaling of the air. If the solid angle subtended by the roof remains unchanged, scaling of roofmore » contamination offers no problems. The lip effect can be significant in structures with the detector below grade. (GRA)« less

Echinococcosis: Control and Prevention.

PubMed

Craig, P S; Hegglin, D; Lightowlers, M W; Torgerson, P R; Wang, Q

2017-01-01

Human cystic echinococcosis (CE) has been eliminated or significantly reduced as a public health problem in several previously highly endemic regions. This has been achieved by the long-term application of prevention and control measures primarily targeted to deworming dogs, health education, meat inspection, and effective surveillance in livestock and human populations. Human CE, however, remains a serious neglected zoonotic disease in many resource-poor pastoral regions. The incidence of human alveolar echinococcosis (AE) has increased in continental Europe and is a major public health problem in parts of Eurasia. Better understanding of wildlife ecology for fox and small mammal hosts has enabled targeted anthelmintic baiting of fox populations and development of spatially explicit models to predict population dynamics for key intermediate host species and human AE risk in endemic landscapes. Challenges that remain for echinococcosis control include effective intervention in resource-poor communities, better availability of surveillance tools, optimal application of livestock vaccination, and management and ecology of dog and wildlife host populations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

2010 drug packaging review: identifying problems to prevent errors.

PubMed

2011-06-01

Prescrire's analyses showed that the quality of drug packaging in 2010 still left much to be desired. Potentially dangerous packaging remains a significant problem: unclear labelling is source of medication errors; dosing devices for some psychotropic drugs create a risk of overdose; child-proof caps are often lacking; and too many patient information leaflets are misleading or difficult to understand. Everything that is needed for safe drug packaging is available; it is now up to regulatory agencies and drug companies to act responsibly. In the meantime, health professionals can help their patients by learning to identify the pitfalls of drug packaging and providing safe information to help prevent medication errors.

Six-Degree-of-Freedom Trajectory Optimization Utilizing a Two-Timescale Collocation Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Desai, Prasun N.; Conway, Bruce A.

2005-01-01

Six-degree-of-freedom (6DOF) trajectory optimization of a reentry vehicle is solved using a two-timescale collocation methodology. This class of 6DOF trajectory problems are characterized by two distinct timescales in their governing equations, where a subset of the states have high-frequency dynamics (the rotational equations of motion) while the remaining states (the translational equations of motion) vary comparatively slowly. With conventional collocation methods, the 6DOF problem size becomes extraordinarily large and difficult to solve. Utilizing the two-timescale collocation architecture, the problem size is reduced significantly. The converged solution shows a realistic landing profile and captures the appropriate high-frequency rotational dynamics. A large reduction in the overall problem size (by 55%) is attained with the two-timescale architecture as compared to the conventional single-timescale collocation method. Consequently, optimum 6DOF trajectory problems can now be solved efficiently using collocation, which was not previously possible for a system with two distinct timescales in the governing states.

Predicting internalizing problems in Chinese children: the unique and interactive effects of parenting and child temperament.

PubMed

Muhtadie, Luma; Zhou, Qing; Eisenberg, Nancy; Wang, Yun

2013-08-01

The additive and interactive relations of parenting styles (authoritative and authoritarian parenting) and child temperament (anger/frustration, sadness, and effortful control) to children's internalizing problems were examined in a 3.8-year longitudinal study of 425 Chinese children (aged 6-9 years) from Beijing. At Wave 1, parents self-reported on their parenting styles, and parents and teachers rated child temperament. At Wave 2, parents, teachers, and children rated children's internalizing problems. Structural equation modeling indicated that the main effect of authoritative parenting and the interactions of Authoritarian Parenting × Effortful Control and Authoritative Parenting × Anger/Frustration (parents' reports only) prospectively and uniquely predicted internalizing problems. The above results did not vary by child sex and remained significant after controlling for co-occurring externalizing problems. These findings suggest that (a) children with low effortful control may be particularly susceptible to the adverse effect of authoritarian parenting and (b) the benefit of authoritative parenting may be especially important for children with high anger/frustration.

The effect of fathers or father figures on child behavioral problems in families referred to child protective services.

PubMed

Marshall, D B; English, D J; Stewart, A J

2001-11-01

This study examines some possible effects of the presence and quality of parent-child interaction of fathers and father figures on the behavior of young children in a sample of families reported to child protective services. Whereas the presence or absence of a father or father figure seemed to make little difference in child behavioral problems at age 4, lower levels of aggression and depression were observed for children by age 6 if an adult male in some form of father-like relationship was present in the child's life. When controlling for mother's ethnicity, child's gender, the number of referrals to child protective services, and the presence of domestic violence, the direct effect of a father/father figure was no longer significant but remained in the multivariate models as a significant interaction term.

Own and parental war experience as a risk factor for mental health problems among adolescents with an immigrant background: results from a cross sectional study in Oslo, Norway

PubMed Central

2006-01-01

Background An increasing proportion of immigrants to Western countries in the past decade are from war affected countries. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of war experience among adolescents and their parents and to investigate possible differences in internalizing and externalizing mental health problems between adolescents exposed and unexposed to own and parental war experience. Method The study is based on a cross-sectional population-based survey of all 10th grade pupils in Oslo for two consecutive years. A total of 1,758 aadolescents were included, all with both parents born outside of Norway. Internalizing and externalizing mental health problems were measured by Hopkins Symptom Checklist-10 and subscales of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, respectively. Own and parental war experience is based on adolescent self-report. Results The proportion of adolescents with own war experience was 14% with the highest prevalence in immigrants from Eastern Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa. The proportion of parental war experience was 33% with Sub-Saharan Africa being highest. Adolescents reporting own war experience had higher scores for both internalizing and externalizing mental health problems compared to immigrants without war experience, but only externalizing problems reached statistically significant differences. For parental war experience there was a statistically significant relationship between parental war experience and internalizing mental health problems. The association remained significant after adjustment for parental educational level and adolescents' own war experience. Conclusion War exposure is highly prevalent among immigrants living in Oslo, Norway, both among adolescents themselves and their parents. Among immigrants to Norway, parental war experience appears to be stronger associated with mental health problems than adolescents own exposure to war experience. PMID:17081315

Does drinking refusal self-efficacy mediate the impulsivity-problematic alcohol use relation?

PubMed

Stevens, Angela K; Littlefield, Andrew K; Blanchard, Brittany E; Talley, Amelia E; Brown, Jennifer L

2016-02-01

There is consistent evidence that impulsivity-like traits relate to problematic alcohol involvement; however, identifying mechanisms that account for this relation remains an important area of research. Drinking refusal self-efficacy (or a person's ability to resist alcohol; DRSE) has been shown to predict alcohol use among college students and may be a relevant mediator of the impulsivity-alcohol relation. The current study examined the indirect effect of various constructs related to impulsivity (i.e., urgency, sensation seeking, and deficits in conscientiousness) via several facets of DRSE (i.e., social pressure, opportunistic, and emotional relief) on alcohol-related problems among a large sample of college students (N=891). Overall, results indicated that certain DRSE facets were significant mediators of the relation between impulsivity-related constructs and alcohol problems. More specifically, emotional-relief DRSE was a mediator for the respective relations between urgency and deficits in conscientiousness and alcohol problems, whereas social-DRSE was a significant mediator of the respective relations between urgency and sensation seeking with alcohol problems. Results from this study suggest particular types of DRSE are important mediators of the relations between specific impulsivity constructs and alcohol-related problems. These findings support prevention and intervention efforts that seek to enhance drinking refusal self-efficacy skills of college students, particularly those high in certain personality features, in order to reduce alcohol-related problems among this population. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preadoption adversity and long-term clinical-range behavior problems in adopted Chinese girls.

PubMed

Tan, Tony Xing; Camras, Linda A; Kim, Eun Sook

2016-04-01

In this study, we report findings on the role of preadoption adversity on long-term clinical-range problems in adopted Chinese girls. Four waves (2005, 2007, 2009 and 2011) of problem behavior data on 1,223 adopted Chinese girls (M = 4.86 years, SD = 2.82 in 2005) were collected from the adoptive mothers with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). At Wave 1 (2005), data on the following indicators of preadoption adversity was collected: age at adoption, physical signs/symptoms (e.g., sores) of preadoption adversity, developmental delays at arrival, refusal/avoidance behaviors and crying/clinging behaviors toward adoptive parents during the first 3 weeks of adoption. We found that the percentage of clinical-range internalizing problems was 11.1%, 16.5%, 11.3%, and 16.1% at Wave 1, Wave 2, Wave 3, and Wave 4, respectively; the corresponding percentage of clinical-range externalizing problems was 8.4%, 10.5%, 8.4% and 9.9% respectively; and the corresponding percentage of clinical-range total CBCL problems was 9.3%, 13.0%, 9.8% and 12.6% respectively. Analyses with Mplus showed that controlling for demographic variables, indicators of preadoption adversity, except age at adoption, increased the odds for clinical-range behavior problems. Longitudinal path models revealed that controlling for demographic variables and the children's adjustment status in the previous wave, refusal/avoidance remained significant in predicting clinical-range internalizing, externalizing and total CBCL problems at Wave 2, delays at arrival and signs/symptoms were significant in predicting clinical-range internalizing problems at Wave 3. Overall, adoptees with clinical-range CBCL problems in earlier waves were 9-28 times as likely to show clinical-range CBCL problems in subsequent waves. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Changes in Problem-Solving Capacity and Association With Spontaneous Brain Activity After a Single Electroconvulsive Treatment in Major Depressive Disorder.

PubMed

Du, Lian; Qiu, Haitang; Liu, Haixia; Zhao, Wenjing; Tang, Yong; Fu, Yixiao; Li, Xirong; Qiu, Tian; Hu, Hua; Meng, Huaqing; Luo, Qinghua

2016-03-01

Modified electroconvulsive therapy (MECT) has been regarded as the most effective antidepressant therapy, despite its cognitive side effects. However, how MECT influences problem-solving capacity in major depressive disorder (MDD), as well as its underlying neurobiological mechanisms, remains unclear. The present study aimed to assess alterations in problem-solving capacity after MECT and to explore spontaneous brain activity using amplitudes of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF)/fractional ALFF. Thirteen first-episode, treatment-naive MDD patients treated by MECT were recruited. We collected resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, and we evaluated their Modified Card Sorting Test performance before and after single-session MECT. Another 11 MDD patients without MECT were also recruited and interviewed with Modified Card Sorting Test twice as a control group. After a single MECT, MDD patients showed significantly decreased ALFF in the right cerebellar posterior lobe. Compared to the control group, perseverative errors significantly decreased after MECT, controlling for practice effects. Some cognitive functional changes significantly correlated to changed ALFF in several brain regions, including Brodmann areas BA9, BA19, BA 21, and BA48, right thalamus, left cerebellum, and right postcentral gyrus. The MECT could improve problem-solving capacity, even after controlling for practice effects, and it could induce changes in spontaneous brain activity. These changes in cognitive functioning might result from changes in the cerebral functions of some regions, including frontal cortex, a key region for problem-solving capacity.

Family history of suicide and interpersonal functioning in suicide attempters.

PubMed

Rajalin, Mia; Hirvikoski, Tatja; Salander Renberg, Ellinor; Åsberg, Marie; Jokinen, Jussi

2017-01-01

Difficulties in interpersonal relationships are associated with a wide range of psychiatric diagnoses and have been reported as a trigger for suicidal behavior, too. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between interpersonal problems and family history of suicide in suicide attempters and to describe relevant patterns of interpersonal problems in this patient group. The study involves 181 patients having their clinical follow-up after a suicide attempt. Family history of suicide was assessed by using the Karolinska Self Harm History Interview or retrieved in patient records. The Inventory of Interpersonal Problems was used to assess personal style in an interpersonal context. Suicide attempters with a family history of suicide had significantly more often an intrusive personal style. The results remained significant after adjustment for personality disorder. The specific interpersonal patterns associated with family history of suicide may interfere with the ability to create stable, long-lasting relationships. In regards to treatment, these personal qualities could cause difficulties in the alliance with health care personnel and make it harder for suicide attempters to accept or benefit from treatment. Attention to suicide attempters' interpersonal problems is of importance to lower their distress. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Child and Parent Perceptions of Interparental Relationship Conflict Predict Preschool Children’s Adjustment

PubMed Central

Clements, Mari L.; Martin, Sarah E.; Randall, David W.; Kane, Karen L.

2014-01-01

Interparental relationship conflict has consistently been linked to child adjustment problems, with children’s perceptions of such conflict particularly predictive of their outcomes. Despite mounting evidence that preschool children can provide reliable and valid accounts of family functioning, little research has examined preschool children’s perceptions of interparental conflict. The present study employed a multi-informant design for both reports of interparental conflict (preschool children and their mothers and fathers) and reports of child adjustment (preschool children, their mothers and fathers, and their preschool teachers). Children completed pictorial measures of interparental conflict and of self-esteem that paralleled questionnaires completed by adult respondents. For both child behavior problems and child self-esteem, preschool children’s perceptions of interparental conflict predicted their adjustment. Preschool children’s reports of interparental conflict were significantly associated with their self-esteem and with both parents’ and teachers’ reports of child behavior problems, and this association remained significant when controlling for parents’ reports of interparental conflict. Further, the interaction between parents’ reports and children’s reports of interparental conflict added unique variance to the prediction of preschool teachers’ reports of children’s behavior problems. PMID:25574451

Assessing Homework Problems in Children with ADHD: Validation of a Parent-Report Measure and Evaluation of Homework Performance Patterns.

PubMed

Langberg, Joshua M; Arnold, L Eugene; Flowers, Amanda M; Altaye, Mekibib; Epstein, Jeff N; Molina, Brooke S G

2010-03-01

The factor structure of a parent-report measure of child homework problems, the Homework Problems Checklist, was examined in a geographically and ethnically diverse sample of children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This measure was completed by the parents of 579 children ages 7.0-9.9 diagnosed with ADHD Combined Type as part of the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (MTA). Results replicated previous work showing two salient factors that measure homework completion behaviors (Factor I) and homework management behaviors (Factor II). This two-factor solution remained consistent when examined across child sex and ethnicity subgroups. Analysis of patterns revealed that homework problems are greater for children in higher grades and that children with ADHD and comorbid Learning Disabilities experience significantly more homework problems than children with ADHD alone. This study also replicated previous work showing that homework problems and ADHD inattentive symptoms are highly correlated whereas correlations between homework problems and hyperactivity and impulsivity are low to moderate. Implications of the findings for the assessment of homework problems in children with ADHD and for intervention are discussed.

Assessing Homework Problems in Children with ADHD: Validation of a Parent-Report Measure and Evaluation of Homework Performance Patterns

PubMed Central

Langberg, Joshua M.; Arnold, L. Eugene; Flowers, Amanda M.; Altaye, Mekibib; Epstein, Jeff N.; Molina, Brooke S.G.

2011-01-01

The factor structure of a parent-report measure of child homework problems, the Homework Problems Checklist, was examined in a geographically and ethnically diverse sample of children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This measure was completed by the parents of 579 children ages 7.0-9.9 diagnosed with ADHD Combined Type as part of the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (MTA). Results replicated previous work showing two salient factors that measure homework completion behaviors (Factor I) and homework management behaviors (Factor II). This two-factor solution remained consistent when examined across child sex and ethnicity subgroups. Analysis of patterns revealed that homework problems are greater for children in higher grades and that children with ADHD and comorbid Learning Disabilities experience significantly more homework problems than children with ADHD alone. This study also replicated previous work showing that homework problems and ADHD inattentive symptoms are highly correlated whereas correlations between homework problems and hyperactivity and impulsivity are low to moderate. Implications of the findings for the assessment of homework problems in children with ADHD and for intervention are discussed. PMID:21544228

Drinking and Desired Self-Images: Path Models of Self-Image Goals, Coping Motives, Heavy-Episodic Drinking, and Alcohol Problems

PubMed Central

Moeller, Scott J.; Crocker, Jennifer

2009-01-01

Coping motives for drinking initiate alcohol-related problems. Interpersonal goals, which powerfully influence affect, could provide a starting point for this relation. Here we tested effects of self-image goals (which aim to construct and defend desired self-views) and compassionate goals (which aim to support others) on heavy-episodic drinking and alcohol-related problems. Undergraduate drinkers (N=258) completed measures of self-image and compassionate goals in academics and friendships, coping and enhancement drinking motives, heavy-episodic drinking, and alcohol-related problems in a cross-sectional design. As predicted, self-image goals, but not compassionate goals, positively related to alcohol-related problems. Path models showed that self-image goals relate to coping motives, but not enhancement motives; coping motives then relate to heavy-episodic drinking, which in turn relate to alcohol-related problems. Self-image goals remained a significant predictor in the final model, which accounted for 34% of the variance in alcohol-related problems. These findings indicate that self-image goals contribute to alcohol-related problems in college students both independently and through coping motives. Interventions can center on reducing self-image goals and their attendant negative affect. PMID:19586150

Does neighborhood social capital buffer the effects of maternal depression on adolescent behavior problems?

PubMed

Delany-Brumsey, Ayesha; Mays, Vickie M; Cochran, Susan D

2014-06-01

Neighborhood characteristics have been shown to impact child well-being. However, it remains unclear how these factors combine with family characteristics to influence child development. The current study helps develop that understanding by investigating how neighborhoods directly impact child and adolescent behavior problems as well as moderate the influence of family characteristics on behavior. Using multilevel linear models, we examined the relationship among neighborhood conditions (poverty and social capital) and maternal depression on child and adolescent behavior problems. The sample included 741 children, age 5–11, and 564 adolescents, age 12–17. Outcomes were internalizing (e.g. anxious/depressed) and externalizing (e.g. aggressive/hyperactive) behavior problems. Neighborhood poverty and maternal depression were both positively associated with behavior problems for children and adolescents. However, while neighborhood social capital was not directly associated with behavior problems, the interaction of social capital and maternal depression was significantly related to behavior problems for adolescents. This interaction showed that living in neighborhoods with higher levels of social capital attenuated the relationship between maternal depression and adolescent behavior problems and confirmed the expectation that raising healthy well-adjusted children depends not only on the family, but also the context in which the family lives.

Sleep problems in children and adolescents with epilepsy: Associations with psychiatric comorbidity.

PubMed

Hansen, Berit Hjelde; Alfstad, Kristin Å; van Roy, Betty; Henning, Oliver; Lossius, Morten I

2016-09-01

Sleep problems are common in pediatric epilepsy and may influence seizure control, daytime functioning, and overall quality of life. Knowledge of factors contributing to sleep problems is likely to improve treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between psychiatric comorbidity and parent-reported and self-reported sleep problems in a sample of children and adolescents with epilepsy. Participants were children and adolescents (N=94), aged 10-19years, with generalized or focal epilepsy who had been referred to a tertiary epilepsy treatment center in Norway. Participants underwent a thorough clinical assessment and 24h of EEG registration. Information on sleep problems was obtained from parents using the Children's Sleep Habit Questionnaire (CSHQ) and from self-reporting using the Sleep Self-Report (SSR) questionnaire. Psychiatric diagnoses were established using the semistructured psychiatric interview Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia - Present and Lifetime Version (Kiddie-SADS-PL). Both the total and subdomain CSHQ and SSR scores were high in comparison with scores from population-based samples. Having one or more psychiatric disorder(s) was significantly associated with elevated scores on both the CSHQ and the SSR. With the exception of parent-reported parasomnias, associations between sleep problems and psychiatric disorders remained significant after adjusting for relevant epilepsy variables. Psychiatric comorbidity explained about one-third of the variance of the reported sleep problems in children and adolescents with epilepsy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dual pathology causing severe pulmonary hypertension following surgical repair of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection: Successful outcome following serial transcatheter interventions.

PubMed

Jain, Shreepal; Bachani, Neeta S; Pinto, Robin J; Dalvi, Bharat V

2018-01-01

Surgical repair of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) can be complicated by the development of pulmonary venous stenosis later on. In addition, the vertical vein, if left unligated, can remain patent and lead to hemodynamically significant left to right shunting. We report an infant who required transcatheter correction of both these problems after surgical repair of TAPVC.

Confronting the catalytic dark matter encoded by sequenced genomes

PubMed Central

Ellens, Kenneth W.; Christian, Nils; Singh, Charandeep; Satagopam, Venkata P.

2017-01-01

Abstract The post-genomic era has provided researchers with a deluge of protein sequences. However, a significant fraction of the proteins encoded by sequenced genomes remains without an identified function. Here, we aim at determining how many enzymes of uncertain or unknown function are still present in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae and human proteomes. Using information available in the Swiss-Prot, BRENDA and KEGG databases in combination with a Hidden Markov Model-based method, we estimate that >600 yeast and 2000 human proteins (>30% of their proteins of unknown function) are enzymes whose precise function(s) remain(s) to be determined. This illustrates the impressive scale of the ‘unknown enzyme problem’. We extensively review classical biochemical as well as more recent systematic experimental and computational approaches that can be used to support enzyme function discovery research. Finally, we discuss the possible roles of the elusive catalysts in light of recent developments in the fields of enzymology and metabolism as well as the significance of the unknown enzyme problem in the context of metabolic modeling, metabolic engineering and rare disease research. PMID:29059321

A Mixed Integer Linear Programming Approach to Electrical Stimulation Optimization Problems.

PubMed

Abouelseoud, Gehan; Abouelseoud, Yasmine; Shoukry, Amin; Ismail, Nour; Mekky, Jaidaa

2018-02-01

Electrical stimulation optimization is a challenging problem. Even when a single region is targeted for excitation, the problem remains a constrained multi-objective optimization problem. The constrained nature of the problem results from safety concerns while its multi-objectives originate from the requirement that non-targeted regions should remain unaffected. In this paper, we propose a mixed integer linear programming formulation that can successfully address the challenges facing this problem. Moreover, the proposed framework can conclusively check the feasibility of the stimulation goals. This helps researchers to avoid wasting time trying to achieve goals that are impossible under a chosen stimulation setup. The superiority of the proposed framework over alternative methods is demonstrated through simulation examples.

Household Food Insecurity and Mental Health Problems Among Adolescents: What Do Parents Report?

PubMed

Poole-Di Salvo, Elizabeth; Silver, Ellen J; Stein, Ruth E K

2016-01-01

To investigate whether adolescents living in households with food insecurity have poorer parent-reported mental health (MH) than peers. We analyzed cross-sectional data from ∼8600 adolescents who participated in the 2007 (8th grade) wave of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten. Household food insecurity (HFI) was assessed by parental report on the 18-item US Household Food Security Scale. Total Difficulties score >13 on the parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) indicated problems with adolescent MH. SDQ subscale scores (Emotional, Conduct, Hyperactivity, Peer Problems) were also calculated. Associations between HFI and MH were explored in bivariate and multivariable analyses. Interactions of HFI and gender and HFI and receipt of free/reduced-price school lunch were analyzed with regard to problems with MH. A total of 10.2% of adolescents lived with HFI; 11.2% had SDQ >13. Adolescents with HFI had higher rates of overall MH problems (28.7% vs 9.2%), emotional problems (21.6% vs 6.6%), conduct problems (26.5% vs 11.6%), hyperactivity (22.4% vs 11.3%), and peer problems (19.8% vs 8.6%) (all P < .01). After adjustment for confounders, the association between HFI and overall MH problems (odds ratio 2.3; 95% confidence interval 1.6-3.3) remained. Interactions of HFI and gender and HFI and free/reduced-price school lunch were not significant. HFI was associated with increased risk of parent-reported MH problems among both male and female adolescents. Free/reduced-price school lunch did not significantly alter this relationship. Effective interventions to promote MH and reduce HFI among adolescents are necessary. Copyright © 2016 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Exploring the effect of foot massage on agitated behaviours in older people with dementia: a pilot study.

PubMed

Moyle, Wendy; Johnston, Amy Nicole Burne; O'Dwyer, Siobhan Therese

2011-09-01

To explore the effects of foot massage on agitated behaviours in older people with dementia living in long-term care. Seventeen men and 5 women (mean age 84.7 years), with a diagnosis of dementia and a history of clinically significant agitation, received a 10-minute foot massage each day for 14 days. The short form of the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI-SF) and the Revised Memory and Behavior Problems Checklist (RMBPC) were completed at baseline, post-test and 2-weeks follow up. CMAI-SF and RMBPC scores were significantly reduced at post-test and remained significantly lower than baseline at follow up. This study provides preliminary evidence suggesting that limited short-duration foot massage reduces agitation and related behavioural problems in people with dementia, and that these behaviour changes are maintained after the massage ceases. A randomised controlled trial is required to confirm these findings. © 2011 The Authors. Australasian Journal on Ageing © 2011 ACOTA.

Early retirement and the financial assets of individuals with back problems.

PubMed

Schofield, Deborah J; Shrestha, Rupendra N; Percival, Richard; Callander, Emily J; Kelly, Simon J; Passey, Megan E

2011-05-01

This paper quantifies the relationship between early retirement due to back problems and wealth, and contributes to a more complete picture of the full costs associated with back problems. The output data set of the microsimulation model Health&WealthMOD was analysed. Health&WealthMOD was specifically designed to measure the economic impacts of ill health on Australian workers aged 45-64 years. People aged 45-64 years who are out of the labour force due to back problems have significantly less chance of having any accumulated wealth. While almost all individuals who are in full-time employment with no chronic health condition have some wealth accumulated, a significantly smaller proportion (89%) of those who have retired early due to back problems do. Of those who have retired early due to back problems who do have some wealth, on average the total value of this wealth is 87% less (95% CI: -90 to -84%) than the total value of wealth accumulated by those who have remained in full-time employment with no health condition controlling for age, sex and education. The financial burden placed on those retiring early due to back problems is likely to cause financial stress in the future, as not only have retired individuals lost an income stream from paid employment, but they also have little or no wealth to draw upon. Preventing early retirement due to back problems will increase the time individuals will have to amass savings to finance their retirement and to protect against financial shocks.

Relationships Between Smoking and Sleep Problems in Black and White Adolescents.

PubMed

Bellatorre, Anna; Choi, Kelvin; Lewin, Daniel; Haynie, Denise; Simons-Morton, Bruce

2017-01-01

The relationship between sleeping and smoking during adolescence remains unclear and is likely complex. We aim to evaluate the longitudinal reciprocal associations between sleep problems, sleep duration, and smoking among non-Hispanic white (NHW) and non-Hispanic black (NHB) youth. Prospective cohort study. NEXT Generation Health Study. A national sample (N = 1394) of NHB and NHW 10th graders were surveyed annually between 2009 (Wave 1) and 2012 (Wave 3). N/A. Past 30-day smoking, chronic difficulty falling asleep, recent difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, and weekday and weekend sleep duration were measured at each wave. Using structural equation models, we observed significant autocorrelations over time for sleep problems and sleep duration. We found significant reciprocal, prospective relationships between smoking and sleep problems. The strengths of the relationships differed by race, with a stronger association between sleep problems and subsequent smoking for NHB than NHW youth. Conversely, a stronger association between smoking and subsequent sleep problems for NHW than NHB youth was observed. These association were independent of demographics, snoring or sleep apnea, body mass index, depressive symptoms, alcohol use, and soda consumption. Reciprocal and prospective relationships exist for youth smoking and sleep problems and duration in both NHW and NHB youth. Further research is needed to unravel the complex relationship between the direct effects of nicotine, lifestyle choices that may link smoking and sleep problems, and racial differences. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Sleep Research Society (SRS) 2016. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

Management of ganciclovir-resistant cytomegalovirus retinitis in HIV infection in the era of antiretroviral therapy.

PubMed

Adler, Hugh; De Gascun, Cillian F; McSweeney, Fionnuala; Acheson, Robert W; Brannigan, Eimear T; Duffy, Margaret; Keegan, David J; Lambert, John S

2014-10-01

The incidence of cytomegalovirus retinitis has decreased significantly since the advent of antiretroviral therapy. However, it remains an important problem in both the developed and developing worlds. Furthermore, long-term antiviral suppression is associated with a significant increase in viral resistance. We present the case of a 46-year-old man who developed cytomegalovirus retinitis one year after being diagnosed with HIV. While he initially demonstrated an excellent clinical response to ganciclovir, his cytomegalovirus viral load remained persistently elevated. Over the subsequent years, his virus developed ganciclovir resistance with a concomitant deterioration in his visual acuity. He responded poorly to salvage therapy with foscarnet and cidofovir. This case highlights the ongoing difficulty of managing cytomegalovirus disease nearly two decades into the era of antiretroviral therapy and underlines the need to develop new treatment strategies. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Sex of the GP--20 years on.

PubMed

Harrison, Christopher M; Britt, Helena C; Charles, Janice

2011-08-15

Previous research with the Australian Morbidity and Treatment Survey (1990-1991) showed significant differences in general practitioner characteristics and patient mix of male and female GPs. Even after adjusting for these, it was seen that male and female GPs managed different types of medical conditions. The proportion of female GPs increased from 19.6% in 1990-1991 to 37.1% in 2009-2010. This study investigates whether differences remain two decades later. Analysis of 2009-2010 Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH) data examining GP characteristics, patient encounter characteristics, patient reasons for encounter (RFE), problem types managed and management methods used, by GP sex. Whether GP sex was an independent predictor of problem types being managed, or management methods used, was tested using multiple logistic regressions and Poisson regression. 988 GPs recorded 98 800 GP-patient encounters. Adjusted differences in clinical activity of male and female GPs. After adjustment, compared with male GPs, females recorded more RFEs about general and unspecified issues and endocrine, female genital, pregnancy and family planning problems; and fewer concerning the musculoskeletal, respiratory, skin and male genital systems. Female GPs managed more general and unspecified, digestive, circulatory, psychological, endocrine, female genital and social problems; recorded nearly 20% more clinical treatments and referrals; recorded nearly 10% more imaging and pathology tests; and 4.3% fewer medications. After two decades, even with increased numbers of female GPs, the differences in problems managed by male and female GPs remain, and will probably continue. Female GPs use more resources per encounter, but may not use more resources in terms of annual patient care.

Brief historical perspectives of malaria in Iran.

PubMed

Azizi, Mohammad Hossein; Bahadori, Moslem

2013-02-01

The history of malaria as a serious human disease dates back to ancient times. For centuries, malaria has been a deadly disease with high morbidity and mortality that profoundly impacted the socioeconomic status of endemic countries. However, its causative agent remained unidentified until the last decades of the nineteenth century. There were no effective synthetic anti-malarial agents until the mid-twentieth century. Currently malaria has been eliminated or pre-eliminated in numerous countries; however, this preventable and curable disease remains a significant global health problem. A major concern is drug resistance. Presented here, is a brief look at the history of malaria in Iran and the rest of the world, particularly during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Trajectories of internalizing problems in war-affected Sierra Leonean youth: Examining conflict and post-conflict factors

PubMed Central

Betancourt, Theresa S.; McBain, Ryan; Newnham, Elizabeth A.; Brennan, Robert T.

2012-01-01

Three waves of data from a prospective longitudinal study in Sierra Leone were used to examine internalizing trajectories in 529 war-affected youth (ages 10-17 at baseline; 25% female). Latent class growth analyses identified four trajectories: a large majority of youth maintained lower levels of internalizing problems (41.4%) or significantly improved over time (47.6%) despite very limited access to care; but smaller proportions continued to report severe difficulties six years post-war (4.5%) or their symptoms worsened (6.4%). Continued internalizing problems were associated with loss of a caregiver, family abuse and neglect, and community stigma. Despite the comparative resilience of most war-affected youth in the face of extreme adversity, there remains a compelling need for interventions that address family- and community-level stressors. PMID:23002719

Association between illness perceptions and return-to-work expectations in workers with common mental health symptoms.

PubMed

Løvvik, Camilla; Øverland, Simon; Hysing, Mari; Broadbent, Elizabeth; Reme, Silje E

2014-03-01

Mental health symptoms (MHSs) may affect people's work capacity and lead to sickness absence and disability. Expectations and perceptions of illness have been shown to influence return to work (RTW) across health conditions, but we know little about illness perceptions and RTW-expectations in MHSs. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between illness perceptions and RTW-expectations in a group struggling with work participation due to MHSs. Cross-sectional associations between illness perceptions and return to work expectations at baseline were analyzed for 1,193 participants who reported that MHSs affected their work participation. The study was part of a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effect of job focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) combined with supported employment (IPS). Participants were from a working age population with diverse job status. There was a strong and salient relationship between illness perceptions and RTW-expectations. When adjusting for demographic and clinical variables, the components consequences, personal control, identity and illness concern remained significantly associated with uncertain and negative RTW-expectations. Less illness understanding remained significantly associated with uncertain RTW-expectations, while timeline and emotional representations remained significantly associated with negative RTW-expectations. In the fully adjusted model only the consequences component (believing that illness has more severe consequences) remained significantly associated with RTW-expectations. Openly asked, participants reported work, personal relationships and stress as main causes of their illness. In people with MHSs who struggle with work participation, perceptions and beliefs about their problems are strongly associated with their expectations to return to work.

An investigation of the transdiagnostic model of eating disorders in the context of muscle dysmorphia.

PubMed

Murray, Stuart B; Rieger, Elizabeth; Karlov, Lisa; Touyz, Stephen W

2013-03-01

Muscle dysmorphia is a psychiatric disorder that has been conceptually linked to eating disorders, although its precise nosology remains unclear. To further investigate this notion, the present study examined the applicability of the transdiagnostic model of eating disorders to muscle dysmorphia. One hundred and nineteen male undergraduate students completed self-report measures of multidimensional perfectionism, mood intolerance, self-esteem, interpersonal problems, and muscle dysmorphia symptomatology. Self-oriented perfectionism, socially prescribed perfectionism, mood intolerance, and low self-esteem significantly predicted muscle dysmorphia symptomatology, whereas other-oriented perfectionism and interpersonal problems did not demonstrate significant predictive value when accounting for the other transdiagnostic constructs. The transdiagnostic model of eating disorders may potentially be applied to enhance our understanding of the maintenance of muscle dysmorphic features in addition to eating disorder symptomatology. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Risky dieting amongst adolescent girls: Associations with family relationship problems and depressed mood.

PubMed

Hinchliff, Gemma L M; Kelly, Adrian B; Chan, Gary C K; Patton, George C; Williams, Joanne

2016-08-01

This study examined the association of risky dieting amongst adolescent girls with depressed mood, family conflict, and parent-child emotional closeness. Grade 6 and 8 females (aged 11-14years, N=4031) were recruited from 231 schools in 30 communities, across three Australian States (Queensland, Victoria, and Western Australia). Key measures were based on the Adolescent Dieting Scale, Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire, and widely used short measures of family relationship quality. Controls included age, early pubertal onset, and socioeconomic status. Risky dieting was significantly related to family conflict and depressed mood, depressed mood mediated the association of family conflict and risky dieting, and these associations remained significant with controls in the model. Family conflict and adolescent depressed mood are associated with risky dieting. Prevention programs may benefit from a broadening of behavioural targets to include depressed mood and family problems. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Commons ignorance: the failure of environmental law to produce needed information on health and the environment.

PubMed

Wagner, Wendy E

2004-04-01

One of the most significant problems facing environmental law is the dearth of scientific information available to assess the impact of industrial activities on public health and the environment. After documenting the significant gaps in existing information, this Article argues that existing laws both exacerbate and perpetuate this problem. By failing to require actors to assess the potential harm from their activities, and by penalizing them with additional regulation when they do, existing laws fail to counteract actors' natural inclination to remain silent about the harms that they might be causing. Both theory and practice confirm that when the stakes are high, actors not only will resist producing potentially incriminating information but will invest in discrediting public research that suggests their activities are harmful. The Article concludes with specific recommendations about how these perverse incentives for ignorance can be reversed.

Voice Disorders in Teacher Students-A Prospective Study and a Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Ohlsson, Ann-Christine; Andersson, Eva M; Södersten, Maria; Simberg, Susanna; Claesson, Silwa; Barregård, Lars

2016-11-01

Teachers are at risk of developing voice disorders, but longitudinal studies on voice problems among teachers are lacking. The aim of this randomized trial was to investigate long-term effects of voice education for teacher students with mild voice problems. In addition, vocal health was examined prospectively in a group of students without voice problems. First-semester students answered three questionnaires: one about background factors, one about voice symptoms (Screen6), and the Voice Handicap Index. Students with voice problems according to the questionnaire results were randomized to a voice training group or a control group. At follow-up in the sixth semester, all students answered Screen6 again together with four questions about factors that could have affected vocal health during their teacher education. The training group and the control group also answered the Voice Handicap Index a second time. At follow-up, 400 students remained in the study: 27 in the training group, 54 in the control group, and 319 without voice problems at baseline. Voice problems had decreased somewhat more in the training group than in the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.1). However, subgroup analyses showed significantly larger improvement among the students in the group with complete participation in the training program compared with the group with incomplete participation. Of the 319 students without voice problems at baseline, 14% had developed voice problems. Voice problems often develop in teacher students. Despite extensive dropout, our results support the hypothesis that voice education for teacher students has a preventive effect. Copyright © 2016 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prenatal exposure to very severe maternal obesity is associated with adverse neuropsychiatric outcomes in children.

PubMed

Mina, T H; Lahti, M; Drake, A J; Räikkönen, K; Minnis, H; Denison, F C; Norman, J E; Reynolds, R M

2017-01-01

Prenatal maternal obesity has been linked to adverse childhood neuropsychiatric outcomes, including increased symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), internalizing and externalizing problems, affective disorders and neurodevelopmental problems but few studies have studied neuropsychiatric outcomes among offspring born to very severely obese women or assessed potential familial confounding by maternal psychological distress. We evaluated neuropsychiatric symptoms in 112 children aged 3-5 years whose mothers had participated in a longitudinal study of obesity in pregnancy (50 very severe obesity, BMI ⩾40 kg/m2, obese class III and 62 lean, BMI 18.5-25 kg/m2). The mothers completed the Conners' Hyperactivity Scale, Early Symptomatic Syndrome Eliciting Neurodevelopmental Clinical Examination Questionnaire (ESSENCE-Q), Child's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) to assess child neuropsychiatric symptoms. Covariates included child's sex, age, birthweight, gestational age, socioeconomic deprivation levels, maternal age, parity, smoking status during pregnancy, gestational diabetes and maternal concurrent symptoms of anxiety and depression assessed using State Anxiety of Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Index (STAI) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), respectively. Children exposed to prenatal maternal very severe obesity had significantly higher scores in the Conners' Hyperactivity Scale; ESSENCE-Q; total sleep problems in CSHQ; hyperactivity, conduct problems and total difficulties scales of the SDQ; higher externalizing and total problems, anxious/depressed, aggressive behaviour and other problem syndrome scores and higher DSM-oriented affective, anxiety and ADHD problems in CBCL. Prenatal maternal very severe obesity remained a significant predictor of child neuropsychiatric problems across multiple scales independent of demographic factors, prenatal factors and maternal concurrent symptoms of anxiety and depression. Prenatal maternal very severe obesity is a strong predictor of increased neuropsychiatric problems in early childhood.

Do Peer Relations in Adolescence Influence Health in Adulthood? Peer Problems in the School Setting and the Metabolic Syndrome in Middle-Age

PubMed Central

Gustafsson, Per E.; Janlert, Urban; Theorell, Töres; Westerlund, Hugo; Hammarström, Anne

2012-01-01

While the importance of social relations for health has been demonstrated in childhood, adolescence and adulthood, few studies have examined the prospective importance of peer relations for adult health. The aim of this study was to examine whether peer problems in the school setting in adolescence relates to the metabolic syndrome in middle-age. Participants came from the Northern Swedish Cohort, a 27-year cohort study of school leavers (effective n = 881, 82% of the original cohort). A score of peer problems was operationalized through form teachers’ assessment of each student’s isolation and popularity among school peers at age 16 years, and the metabolic syndrome was measured by clinical measures at age 43 according to established criteria. Additional information on health, health behaviors, achievement and social circumstances were collected from teacher interviews, school records, clinical measurements and self-administered questionnaires. Logistic regression was used as the main statistical method. Results showed a dose-response relationship between peer problems in adolescence and metabolic syndrome in middle-age, corresponding to 36% higher odds for the metabolic syndrome at age 43 for each SD higher peer problems score at age 16. The association remained significant after adjustment for health, health behaviors, school adjustment or family circumstances in adolescence, and for psychological distress, health behaviors or social circumstances in adulthood. In analyses stratified by sex, the results were significant only in women after adjustment for covariates. Peer problems were significantly related to all individual components of the metabolic syndrome. These results suggest that unsuccessful adaption to the school peer group can have enduring consequences for metabolic health. PMID:22761778

Mind over matter? I: philosophical aspects of the mind-brain problem.

PubMed

Schimmel, P

2001-08-01

To conceptualize the essence of the mind-body or mind-brain problem as one of metaphysics rather than science, and to propose a formulation of the problem in the context of current scientific knowledge and its limitations. The background and conceptual parameters of the mind-body problem are delineated, and the limitations of brain research in formulating a solution identified. The problem is reformulated and stated in terms of two propositions. These constitute a 'double aspect theory'. The problem appears to arise as a consequence of the conceptual limitations of the human mind, and hence remains essentially a metaphysical one. A 'double aspect theory' recognizes the essential unity of mind and brain, while remaining consistent with the dualism inherent in human experience.

Risk, Politics, and Money: The Need for a Value-Based Model for Financing Public Health Preparedness and Response

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-01

determine the proper investment in public health preparedness to assure value for money spent? A. PROBLEM STATEMENT Our federal, state, and local...in the survey. It assured the respondent that their identity would be protected and their responses remain anonymous and confidential. Questions two...preparedness level. D. DATA ANALYSIS The Pearson Chi-square test was used to examine the significance of the association (contingency) between

Local Inhibition of HSP90 to Prevent Intimal Hyperplasia after Balloon Injury

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-10-01

Unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) remains a major threat to life and limb and represents a disabling and...Organizations…………… 5 1 1. INTRODUCTION: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a significant health problem that affects the aging military and veteran...population, ranging from lifestyle limiting claudication to major amputation and death. Further, there is growing rate of disorders in Cardiovascular Health

The effects of doubling annual N and S deposition on foliage and soil chemistry and growth of Japanese larch (Larix leptolepis Sieb. and Zucc.) in north central West Virginia

Treesearch

Callie J. Pickens; William E. Sharpe; Pamela J. Edwards

1995-01-01

Atmospheric deposition has been recognized as a significant environmental problem for several decades, but its impact on forest ecosystems in North America remains controversial. In an effort to further elucidate the impacts of atmospheric deposition to forested watersheds in the Mid-Appalachian region, several related watershed studies have been initiated by the U.S....

Problems with health information technology and their effects on care delivery and patient outcomes: a systematic review.

PubMed

Kim, Mi Ok; Coiera, Enrico; Magrabi, Farah

2017-03-01

To systematically review studies reporting problems with information technology (IT) in health care and their effects on care delivery and patient outcomes. We searched bibliographic databases including Scopus, PubMed, and Science Citation Index Expanded from January 2004 to December 2015 for studies reporting problems with IT and their effects. A framework called the information value chain, which connects technology use to final outcome, was used to assess how IT problems affect user interaction, information receipt, decision-making, care processes, and patient outcomes. The review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Of the 34 studies identified, the majority ( n  = 14, 41%) were analyses of incidents reported from 6 countries. There were 7 descriptive studies, 9 ethnographic studies, and 4 case reports. The types of IT problems were similar to those described in earlier classifications of safety problems associated with health IT. The frequency, scale, and severity of IT problems were not adequately captured within these studies. Use errors and poor user interfaces interfered with the receipt of information and led to errors of commission when making decisions. Clinical errors involving medications were well characterized. Issues with system functionality, including poor user interfaces and fragmented displays, delayed care delivery. Issues with system access, system configuration, and software updates also delayed care. In 18 studies (53%), IT problems were linked to patient harm and death. Near-miss events were reported in 10 studies (29%). The research evidence describing problems with health IT remains largely qualitative, and many opportunities remain to systematically study and quantify risks and benefits with regard to patient safety. The information value chain, when used in conjunction with existing classifications for health IT safety problems, can enhance measurement and should facilitate identification of the most significant risks to patient safety. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

The effectiveness of the Stop Now and Plan (SNAP) program for boys at risk for violence and delinquency.

PubMed

Burke, Jeffrey D; Loeber, Rolf

2015-02-01

Among the available treatments for disruptive behavior problems, a need remains for additional service options to reduce antisocial behavior and prevent further development along delinquent and violent pathways. The Stop Now and Plan (SNAP) Program is an intervention for antisocial behavior among boys between 6 and 11. This paper describes a randomized controlled treatment effectiveness study of SNAP versus standard behavioral health services. The treatment program was delivered to youth with aggressive, rule-breaking, or antisocial behavior in excess of clinical criterion levels. Outcomes were measured at 3, 9, and 15 months from baseline. Youth in the SNAP condition showed significantly greater reduction in aggression, conduct problems, and overall externalizing behavior, as well as counts of oppositional defiant disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms. Additional benefits for SNAP were observed on measures of depression and anxiety. Further analyses indicated that the SNAP program was more effective among those with a higher severity of initial behavioral problems. At 1 year follow-up, treatment benefits for SNAP were maintained on some outcome measures (aggression, ADHD and ODD, depression and anxiety) but not others. Although overall juvenile justice system contact was not significantly different, youth in SNAP had significantly fewer charges against them relative to those standard services. The SNAP Program, when contrasted with standard services alone, was associated with greater, clinically meaningful, reductions in targeted behaviors. It may be particularly effective for youth with more severe behavioral problems and may result in improvements in internalizing problems as well.

Effective grouping for energy and performance: Construction of adaptive, sustainable, and maintainable data storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Essary, David S.

The performance gap between processors and storage systems has been increasingly critical over the years. Yet the performance disparity remains, and further, storage energy consumption is rapidly becoming a new critical problem. While smarter caching and predictive techniques do much to alleviate this disparity, the problem persists, and data storage remains a growing contributor to latency and energy consumption. Attempts have been made at data layout maintenance, or intelligent physical placement of data, yet in practice, basic heuristics remain predominant. Problems that early studies sought to solve via layout strategies were proven to be NP-Hard, and data layout maintenance today remains more art than science. With unknown potential and a domain inherently full of uncertainty, layout maintenance persists as an area largely untapped by modern systems. But uncertainty in workloads does not imply randomness; access patterns have exhibited repeatable, stable behavior. Predictive information can be gathered, analyzed, and exploited to improve data layouts. Our goal is a dynamic, robust, sustainable predictive engine, aimed at improving existing layouts by replicating data at the storage device level. We present a comprehensive discussion of the design and construction of such a predictive engine, including workload evaluation, where we present and evaluate classical workloads as well as our own highly detailed traces collected over an extended period. We demonstrate significant gains through an initial static grouping mechanism, and compare against an optimal grouping method of our own construction, and further show significant improvement over competing techniques. We also explore and illustrate the challenges faced when moving from static to dynamic (i.e. online) grouping, and provide motivation and solutions for addressing these challenges. These challenges include metadata storage, appropriate predictive collocation, online performance, and physical placement. We reduced the metadata needed by several orders of magnitude, reducing the required volume from more than 14% of total storage down to less than 1/2%. We also demonstrate how our collocation strategies outperform competing techniques. Finally, we present our complete model and evaluate a prototype implementation against real hardware. This model was demonstrated to be capable of reducing device-level accesses by up to 65%. Keywords: computer systems, collocation, data management, file systems, grouping, metadata, modeling and prediction, operating systems, performance, power, secondary storage.

Diagrams Benefit Symbolic Problem-Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chu, Junyi; Rittle-Johnson, Bethany; Fyfe, Emily R.

2017-01-01

Background: The format of a mathematics problem often influences students' problem-solving performance. For example, providing diagrams in conjunction with story problems can benefit students' understanding, choice of strategy, and accuracy on story problems. However, it remains unclear whether providing diagrams in conjunction with symbolic…

Respiratory tract infections in the immunocompromised.

PubMed

Godbole, Gauri; Gant, Vanya

2013-05-01

Pulmonary infections are particularly common in the immunosuppressed host. This review discusses emerging threats, newer modalities of diagnostic tests and emerging treatment options, and also highlights the increasing problem of antimicrobial resistance. Nosocomial pneumonia is increasingly due to multidrug-resistant Gram-negative organisms in immunosuppressed patients. Viral pneumonias remain a very significant threat, present atypically and carry a high mortality. Aspergillosis remains the most common fungal infection, and infections due to Mucorales are increasing. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is on the increase throughout the world. Mixed infections are common and early bronchoscopy with appropriate microbiological tests, including molecular diagnostics, optimise management and reduce mortality. Pulmonary infection remains the most frequent infectious complication in the immunocompromised host. These complex infections are often mixed, have atypical presentations and can be due to multidrug-resistant organisms. Multidisciplinary involvement in specialist centres with appropriate diagnostics, treatment and infection control improves outcome. There is a desperate need for new antimicrobial agents active against Gram-negative pathogens.

Parenchymal and airway diseases caused by asbestos.

PubMed

Antonescu-Turcu, Andreea L; Schapira, Ralph M

2010-03-01

The extensive industrial use of asbestos for many decades has been linked to development of benign and malignant pleuropulmonary disease. This review summarizes newer evidence and ongoing controversies that exist in the literature regarding asbestos-related parenchymal and airway diseases. Asbestosis represents a significant respiratory problem despite the improvement in the workplace hygiene and a decrease in use of asbestos. The management of asbestosis remains challenging as currently there is no specific treatment. The role of asbestos exposure alone as a cause of chronic airway obstruction remains uncertain. The relationship between lung cancer and asbestos exposure alone and in combination with smoking has also been investigated. The benefit of screening for asbestos-related pleuropulmonary disease remains uncertain as does the use of computed tomography scanning for the purpose of screening. Future studies will help clarify the clinical issues and shape screening strategies for asbestos-exposed individuals.

The health professional's role in preventing nosocomial infections

PubMed Central

Saloojee, H; Steenhoff, A

2001-01-01

Despite their best intentions, health professionals sometimes act as vectors of disease, disseminating new infections among their unsuspecting clients. Attention to simple preventive strategies may significantly reduce disease transmission rates. Frequent hand washing remains the single most important intervention in infection control. However, identifying mechanisms to ensure compliance by health professionals remains a perplexing problem. Gloves, gowns, and masks have a role in preventing infections, but are often used inappropriately, increasing service costs unnecessarily. While virulent microorganisms can be cultured from stethoscopes and white coats, their role in disease transmission remains undefined. There is greater consensus about sterile insertion techniques for intravascular catheters—a common source of infections—and their care. By following a few simple rules identified in this review, health professionals may prevent much unnecessary medical and financial distress to their patients.


Keywords: infection control; cross infection; hand washing; catheterisation PMID:11123387

Effects of Smart-Tablet-Based Neurofeedback Training on Cognitive Function in Children with Attention Problems.

PubMed

Shin, Min-Sup; Jeon, Hyejin; Kim, Miyoung; Hwang, Taeho; Oh, Seo Jin; Hwangbo, Minsu; Kim, Ki Joong

2016-05-01

We sought to determine whether smart-tablet-based neurofeedback could improve executive function-including attention, working memory, and self-regulation-in children with attention problems. Forty children (10-12 years old) with attention problems, as determined by ratings on the Conners Parent Rating Scale, were assigned to either a neurofeedback group that received 16 sessions or a control group. A comprehensive test battery that assessed general intelligence, visual and auditory attention, attentional shifting, response inhibition and behavior rating scales were administered to both groups before neurofeedback training. Several neuropsychological tests were conducted at posttraining and follow-up assessment. Scores on several neuropsychological tests and parent behavior rating scales showed significant improvement in the training group but not in the controls. The improvements remained through the follow-up assessment. This study suggests that the smart-tablet-based neurofeedback training program might improve cognitive function in children with attention problems. © The Author(s) 2015.

Randomized controlled trial of web-based alcohol screening and brief intervention in primary care.

PubMed

Kypri, Kypros; Langley, John D; Saunders, John B; Cashell-Smith, Martine L; Herbison, Peter

2008-03-10

There is compelling evidence supporting screening and brief intervention (SBI) for hazardous drinking, yet it remains underused in primary health care. Electronic (computer or Web-based) SBI (e-SBI) offers the prospects of ease and economy of access. We sought to determine whether e-SBI reduces hazardous drinking. We conducted a randomized controlled trial in a university primary health care service. Participants were 975 students (age range, 17-29 years) screened using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Of 599 students who scored in the hazardous or harmful range, 576 (300 of whom were women) consented to the trial and were randomized to receive an information pamphlet (control group), a Web-based motivational intervention (single-dose e-SBI group), or a Web-based motivational intervention with further interventions 1 and 6 months later (multidose e-SBI group). Relative to the control group, the single-dose e-SBI group at 6 months reported a lower frequency of drinking (rate ratio [RR], 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.68-0.94), less total consumption (RR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.63-0.95), and fewer academic problems (RR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.64-0.91). At 12 months, statistically significant differences in total consumption (RR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.63-0.95 [equivalent to 3.5 standard drinks per week]) and in academic problems (RR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.66-0.97) remained, and the AUDIT scores were 2.17 (95% CI, -1.10 to -3.24) points lower. Relative to the control group, the multidose e-SBI group at 6 months reported a lower frequency of drinking (RR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.73-0.98), less total consumption (RR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.64-0.97 [equivalent to 3.0 standard drinks per week]), reduced episodic heavy drinking (RR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.45-0.93), and fewer academic problems (RR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.65-0.93). At 12 months, statistically significant differences in academic problems remained (RR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.62-0.90), while the AUDIT scores were 2.02 (95% CI, -0.97 to -3.10) points lower. Single-dose e-SBI reduces hazardous drinking, and the effect lasts 12 months. Additional sessions seem not to enhance the effect. Trial Registration www.anzctr.org.au Identifier:ACTRN012607000103460.

Parental internalizing problems in a community sample: association with child psychosocial problems.

PubMed

Spijkers, Willem; Jansen, Daniëlle E M C; Reijneveld, Sijmen A

2014-02-01

Offspring of depressed, anxious and stressed parents are at increased risk of developing mental disorders. However, most studies investigating this association concentrate on clinical symptoms. The objective of this study is to examine the association between parental internalizing problems (symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress) and child psychosocial problems in a community sample, crude and adjusted for potential confounders (such as child gender, parental educational level, ethnicity) and whether parental concerns affect this association. Preceding a routine health examination, cross-sectional data were obtained from a representative sample of 9453 parents of children aged 9-11 years (response 65%). Measures of parental internalizing problems (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale), child psychosocial problems (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire-Total Difficulties Score), background characteristics and parental concerns were completed by the parents. Parental internalizing problems were associated with child psychosocial problems in crude analysis and after adjustment for child, parent and family characteristics [β = 0.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.10-0.14]. Parental concerns about their child's emotional and behavioural problems were also strongly associated with child psychosocial problems. After adjustment for these parental concerns, the association of parental stress with child psychosocial problems remained, while the association of parental depression and anxiety symptoms with child psychosocial problems lost statistical significance. As in clinical samples, parental internalizing problems in a community sample are associated with child psychosocial problems. Parental concerns on the child seem to affect this association. Further research is needed on the mechanisms affecting this association.

Pediculosis capitis among Primary School Children and Related Risk Factors in Urmia, the Main City of West Azarbaijan, Iran.

PubMed

Tappeh, K Hazrati; Chavshin, Ar; Hajipirloo, H Mohammadzadeh; Khashaveh, S; Hanifian, H; Bozorgomid, A; Mohammadi, M; Gharabag, D Jabbari; Azizi, H

2012-01-01

Pediculosis capitis is cosmopolitan health problem. In addition to its physical problems, its psychological effects especially on pupils are more important. This study was conducted to determine the Pediculosis capitis among primary school pupils and also find out the role of probable related risk factors in Urmia city, Iran 2010. 35 primary schools of Urmia City according to the defined clusters randomly have been selected during 2010. 2040 pupils (866 boys and 1174 girls) were included and examined individually and privately by experts. Presence of adult or immature lice or having nits less than 1 cm from the hair basis were defined as positive. Data about demographic features and factors which their effect should be determined were recorded in standard questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS software with proper statistical test. Infestation was determined around 4%. Girls show significantly greater infestation. The availability of suitable warm water for bathing and hair length (separately in girls and boys) are significantly related to infestation load as well as infestation among different age groups. There was no significant relation between parent's education and job and infestation as well as bathing repetition per week and the kind of energy source which they have. Also there is no significant correlation between educational grades and head lice infestation. The head louse pediculosis is a health problem and remains a health threatening for school children.Effective risk factors should be determined carefully and regionally. Proper training plays a great role in order to prevent and control the problem.

The protective effect of character maturity in child aggressive antisocial behavior.

PubMed

Kerekes, Nóra; Falk, Örjan; Brändström, Sven; Anckarsäter, Henrik; Råstam, Maria; Hofvander, Björn

2017-07-01

Childhood aggressive antisocial behavior (CD) is one of the strongest predictors of mental health problems and criminal behavior in adulthood. The aims of this study were to describe personality profiles in children with CD, and to determine the strength of association between defined neurodevelopmental symptoms, dimensions of character maturity and CD. A sample of 1886 children with a close to equal distribution of age (9 or 12) and gender, enriched for neurodevelopmental and psychiatric problems were selected from the nationwide Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden. Their parents rated them according to the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory following a telephone interview during which information about the children's development and mental health was assessed with the Autism-Tics, AD/HD and other Comorbidities inventory. Scores on the CD module significantly and positively correlated with scores on the Novelty Seeking temperament dimension and negatively with scores on character maturity (Self-Directedness and Cooperativeness). In the group of children with either neurodevelopmental or behavioral problems, the prevalence of low or very low character maturity was 50%, while when these two problems coexisted the prevalence of low or very low character maturity increased to 70%. Neurodevelopmental problems (such as: oppositional defiant disorder, symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder) and low scores on character maturity emerged as independently significant predictors of CD; in a multivariable model, only oppositional defiant symptoms and impulsivity significantly increased the risk for coexisting CD while a mature self-agency in a child (Self-Directedness) remained a significant protective factor. These results suggest that children's willpower, the capacity to achieve personally chosen goals may be an important protective factor - even in the presence of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric problems - against progressing into persistent negative outcomes, such as aggressive antisocial behaviors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

REDUCING AMBIGUITY IN THE FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF PROBLEM BEHAVIOR

PubMed Central

Rooker, Griffin W.; DeLeon, Iser G.; Borrero, Carrie S. W.; Frank-Crawford, Michelle A.; Roscoe, Eileen M.

2015-01-01

Severe problem behavior (e.g., self-injury and aggression) remains among the most serious challenges for the habilitation of persons with intellectual disabilities and is a significant obstacle to community integration. The current standard of behavior analytic treatment for problem behavior in this population consists of a functional assessment and treatment model. Within that model, the first step is to assess the behavior–environment relations that give rise to and maintain problem behavior, a functional behavioral assessment. Conventional methods of assessing behavioral function include indirect, descriptive, and experimental assessments of problem behavior. Clinical investigators have produced a rich literature demonstrating the relative effectiveness for each method, but in clinical practice, each can produce ambiguous or difficult-to-interpret outcomes that may impede treatment development. This paper outlines potential sources of variability in assessment outcomes and then reviews the evidence on strategies for avoiding ambiguous outcomes and/or clarifying initially ambiguous results. The end result for each assessment method is a set of best practice guidelines, given the available evidence, for conducting the initial assessment. PMID:26236145

Predicting Internalizing Problems in Chinese Children: the Unique and Interactive Effects of Parenting and Child Temperament

PubMed Central

Muhtadie, Luma; Zhou, Qing; Eisenberg, Nancy; Wang, Yun

2012-01-01

The additive and interactive relations of parenting styles (authoritative and authoritarian parenting) and child temperament (anger/frustration, sadness, and effortful control) to children’s internalizing problems were examined in a 3.8-year longitudinal study of 425 Chinese children (6 – 9 years) from Beijing. At Wave 1, parents self-reported on their parenting styles, and parents and teachers rated child temperament. At Wave 2, parents, teachers, and children rated children’s internalizing problems. Structural equation modeling indicated that the main effect of authoritative parenting, and the interactions of authoritarian parenting × effortful control and authoritative parenting × anger/frustration (parents’ reports only) prospectively and uniquely predicted internalizing problems. The above results did not vary by child sex and remained significant after controlling for co-occurring externalizing problems. These findings suggest that: a) children with low effortful control may be particularly susceptible to the adverse effect of authoritarian parenting, and b) the benefit of authoritative parenting may be especially important for children with high anger/frustration. PMID:23880383

Prevalence of Tanning Addiction and Behavioral Health Conditions among Ethnically and Racially Diverse Adolescents.

PubMed

Miller, Kimberly A; Piombo, Sarah E; Cho, Junhan; Higgins, Shauna; Wysong, Ashley; Sussman, Steve; Cockburn, Myles G; Leventhal, Adam M

2018-02-23

Evidence indicates that tanning may be addictive and is associated with other behavioral health conditions. Few studies have examined tanning addiction among adolescents. We performed a cross-sectional study to explore the relationship between tanning addiction, substance use, and psychological conditions among a racially and ethnically diverse adolescent population. Tanning addiction was assessed using the modified CAGE measure among 11th grade students in Los Angeles (N = 2,637; response rate 78%). Overall, 7.02% of the sample met tanning addiction criteria. Tanning addiction was significantly associated with past 30-day smoking and marijuana use, problem substance use, depression, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and bipolar disorder in regression models. After controlling for all significant substance use and psychological variables, we found that problem marijuana use and obsessive-compulsive disorder remained significantly associated with tanning addiction (odds ratio = 2.06 [95% confidence interval = 1.03-4.09] and odds ratio = 2.54 [95% confidence interval = 1.73-3.72], respectively.) Tanning addiction was also significantly associated with multiple problem substance use and behavioral health conditions. Our findings indicate an appreciable prevalence of tanning addiction among ethnically and racially diverse adolescents and suggest the importance of addressing tanning addiction in the context of comorbid behavioral conditions to reduce this high-risk behavior among diverse youth. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Smoking during teenage pregnancies

PubMed Central

Cornelius, Marie D.; Goldschmidt, Lidush; DeGenna, Natacha; Day, Nancy L.

2008-01-01

We prospectively examined the relationship between prenatal tobacco exposure (PTE) and child behavior in a birth cohort of 357 offspring of teenage mothers. PTE was defined as any exposure across pregnancy and, in separate analyses, exposure within each trimester. Outcomes included measures of behavior problems, activity, and attention. On average, the children were 6.4 years of age, 48% were females, and 69% were Black. Data on maternal tobacco and other substance use were collected prenatally and postnatally: 46% of the mothers smoked in the first trimester and 58% smoked 6 years later. Child urinary cotinine measured exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Stepwise multiple regressions were run. PTE predicted significantly increased offspring activity; impulsivity; and aggression, externalizing, and total behavior problems in step 1. PTE remained a significant predictor of increased activity when maternal psychological characteristics, home environment, and ETS were added. The results were similar when PTE was examined by trimesters, although later pregnancy tobacco exposure predicted the most behavioral outcomes. In the final model, PTE (all three trimesters) and PTE (second trimester) were significant predictors of increased activity and attention problems, respectively. Other predictors of child behavior included maternal anxiety, depression, hostility, and home environment. ETS was not a significant predictor of child behavior when PTE was considered. Smoking during pregnancy among adolescents is a significant predictor of increased activity and attention problems in their offspring after controlling for covariates in the prenatal and current environments. Smoking cessation interventions are recommended for this population to avoid the effects of PTE on the offspring of pregnant adolescents. This is particularly important because these mothers will likely become pregnant again and many will increase their level of tobacco use as they mature. PMID:17577803

Does Neighborhood Social Capital Buffer the Effects of Maternal Depression on Adolescent Behavior Problems?

PubMed Central

Mays, Vickie M.; Cochran, Susan D.

2014-01-01

Neighborhood characteristics have been shown to impact child well-being. However, it remains unclear how these factors combine with family characteristics to influence child development. The current study helps develop that understanding by investigating how neighborhoods directly impact child and adolescent behavior problems as well as moderate the influence of family characteristics on behavior. Using multilevel linear models, we examined the relationship among neighborhood conditions (poverty and social capital) and maternal depression on child and adolescent behavior problems. The sample included 741 children, age 5–11, and 564 adolescents, age 12–17. Outcomes were internalizing (e.g. anxious/depressed) and externalizing (e.g. aggressive/hyperactive) behavior problems. Neighborhood poverty and maternal depression were both positively associated with behavior problems for children and adolescents. However, while neighborhood social capital was not directly associated with behavior problems, the interaction of social capital and maternal depression was significantly related to behavior problems for adolescents. This interaction showed that living in neighborhoods with higher levels of social capital attenuated the relationship between maternal depression and adolescent behavior problems and confirmed the expectation that raising healthy well-adjusted children depends not only on the family, but also the context in which the family lives. PMID:24659390

Drinking and desired self-images: path models of self-image goals, coping motives, heavy-episodic drinking, and alcohol problems.

PubMed

Moeller, Scott J; Crocker, Jennifer

2009-06-01

Coping motives for drinking initiate alcohol-related problems. Interpersonal goals, which powerfully influence affect, could provide a starting point for this relation. Here we tested effects of self-image goals (which aim to construct and defend desired self-views) and compassionate goals (which aim to support others) on heavy-episodic drinking and alcohol-related problems. Undergraduate drinkers (N=258) completed measures of self-image and compassionate goals in academics and friendships, coping and enhancement drinking motives, heavy-episodic drinking, and alcohol-related problems in a cross-sectional design. As predicted, self-image goals, but not compassionate goals, positively related to alcohol-related problems. Path models showed that self-image goals relate to coping motives, but not enhancement motives; coping motives then relate to heavy-episodic drinking, which in turn relate to alcohol-related problems. Self-image goals remained a significant predictor in the final model, which accounted for 34% of the variance in alcohol-related problems. These findings indicate that self-image goals contribute to alcohol-related problems in college students both independently and through coping motives. Interventions can center on reducing self-image goals and their attendant negative affect. Copyright (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

Unconscious processing modulates creative problem solving: evidence from an electrophysiological study.

PubMed

Gao, Ying; Zhang, Hao

2014-05-01

Previous behavioral studies have identified the significant role of subliminal cues in creative problem solving. However, neural mechanisms of such unconscious processing remain poorly understood. Here we utilized an event-related potential (ERP) approach and sandwich mask technique to investigate cerebral activities underlying the unconscious processing of cues in creative problem solving. College students were instructed to solve divergent problems under three different conditions (conscious cue, unconscious cue and no-cue conditions). Our data showed that creative problem solving can benefit from unconscious cues, although not as much as from conscious cues. More importantly, we found that there are crucial ERP components associated with unconscious processing of cues in solving divergent problems. Similar to the processing of conscious cues, processing unconscious cues in problem solving involves the semantic activation of unconscious cues (N280-340) in the right inferior parietal lobule (BA 40), new association formation (P350-450) in the right parahippocampal gyrus (BA 36), and mental representation transformation (P500-760) in the right superior temporal gyrus (BA 22). The present results suggest that creative problem solving can be modulated by unconscious processing of enlightening information that is weakly diffused in the semantic network beyond our conscious awareness. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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

Willard, Victoria W.; Conklin, Heather M.; Boop, Frederick A.

Purpose: The standard of care for pediatric patients with ependymoma involves postoperative radiation therapy. Prior research suggests that conformal radiation therapy (CRT) is associated with relative sparing of cognitive and academic functioning, but little is known about the effect of CRT on emotional and behavioral functioning. Methods and Materials: A total of 113 patients with pediatric ependymoma underwent CRT using photons as part of their enrollment on an institutional trial. Patients completed annual evaluations of neurocognitive functioning during the first 5 years after CRT. Emotional and behavioral functioning was assessed via the Child Behavior Checklist. Results: Before CRT, emotional and behavioralmore » functioning were commensurate with those of the normative population and within normal limits. After 5 years, means remained within normal limits but were significantly below the normative mean. Linear mixed models revealed a significant increase in attention problems over time. These problems were associated with age at diagnosis/CRT, tumor location, and extent of resection. A higher-than-expected incidence of school problems was present at all assessment points after baseline. Conclusions: The use of photon CRT for ependymoma is associated with relatively stable emotional and behavioral functioning during the first 5 years after treatment. The exception is an increase in attention problems. Results suggest that intervening earlier in the survivorship period—during the first year posttreatment—may be beneficial.« less

Social Media Use and Conduct Problems in Emerging Adults.

PubMed

Galica, Victoria L; Vannucci, Anna; Flannery, Kaitlin M; Ohannessian, Christine McCauley

2017-07-01

Social media use has become pervasive in the lives of emerging adults. Although social media may provide individuals with positive opportunities for communication and learning, social media sites also may provide an outlet for youth conduct problems, such as bullying, harassment, and intentional hostility and aggression toward others. Yet, the relationship between social media use and conduct problems remains unclear. This study investigated the association between conduct disorder (CD) symptoms before age 15 and social media use during emerging adulthood in a large, nationally representative sample. Concurrent associations between antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) symptoms and social media use in emerging adults also were examined. Data for this study were based on 567 emerging adults (50.2 percent female; M age  = 20.0 years). Self-report questionnaires were completed online. Results suggested that more childhood CD symptoms were significantly associated with greater daily social media use during emerging adulthood, and that more daily social media use was significantly associated with current ASPD symptoms. Possible directional and cyclical explanations for these findings are explored. Given the pervasiveness of social media in the lives of emerging adults, these results underscore the importance of considering nuanced methods for using social media sites to encourage positive social interactions and to displace the promotion of conduct problems.

Developmental timing of housing mobility: longitudinal effects on externalizing behaviors among at-risk youth.

PubMed

Fowler, Patrick J; Henry, David B; Schoeny, Michael; Taylor, Jeremy; Chavira, Dina

2014-02-01

This longitudinal study tested whether developmental timing of exposure to housing mobility exacerbates behavior problems in an at-risk sample of youth. Participants were 2,442 youth 4 to 16 years old at risk for child maltreatment followed at 3 time points over a 36-month follow-up. Caregivers reported on youth externalizing behaviors at each assessment. Latent growth models examined the effect of housing mobility on behavior problems after accounting for change in cognitive development, family instability, child gender, ethnicity, family income, and caregiver mental health at baseline. Findings suggested increased housing mobility predicted greater behavior problems when children were exposed at key developmental periods. Preschoolers exhibited significantly higher rates of behavior problems that remained stable across the 3-year follow-up. Likewise, adolescents exposed to more mobility became relatively more disruptive over time. No effects were found for school-age children. Children who moved frequently during infancy and more recently demonstrated significantly worse behavior over time. The developmental timing of housing mobility affects child behavioral outcomes. Youth in developmental transition at the time of mobility are at greatest risk for disturbances to residential contexts. Assessing housing history represents an important component of interventions with at-risk families. Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

What have we learned? A review of the literature on children's health and the environment in the Aral Sea area.

PubMed

Crighton, Eric James; Barwin, Lynn; Small, Ian; Upshur, Ross

2011-04-01

To review the published literature examining the impacts of the Aral Sea disaster on children's health. A systematic review of the English language literature. The literature search uncovered 26 peer-reviewed articles and four major reports published between 1994 and 2008. Anemia, diarrheal diseases, and high body burdens of toxic contaminants were identified as being among the significant health problems for children. These problems are associated either directly with the environmental disaster or indirectly via the deterioration of the region's economy and social and health care services. While links between persistent organic pollutant exposures and body burdens are clear, health impacts remain poorly understood. No clear evidence for the link between dust exposure and respiratory function was identified. While important questions about the nature of the child health and environment relationships remain to be answered, the literature unequivocally illustrates the seriousness of the public health tragedy and provides sufficient evidence to justify immediate action. Regrettably, international awareness of the crisis continues to be poor, and the level of action addressing the situation is wholly inadequate.

The efficacy of problem solving therapy to reduce post stroke emotional distress in younger (18-65) stroke survivors.

PubMed

Chalmers, Charlotte; Leathem, Janet; Bennett, Simon; McNaughton, Harry; Mahawish, Karim

2017-11-26

To investigate the efficacy of problem solving therapy for reducing the emotional distress experienced by younger stroke survivors. A non-randomized waitlist controlled design was used to compare outcome measures for the treatment group and a waitlist control group at baseline and post-waitlist/post-therapy. After the waitlist group received problem solving therapy an analysis was completed on the pooled outcome measures at baseline, post-treatment, and three-month follow-up. Changes on outcome measures between baseline and post-treatment (n = 13) were not significantly different between the two groups, treatment (n = 13), and the waitlist control group (n = 16) (between-subject design). The pooled data (n = 28) indicated that receiving problem solving therapy significantly reduced participants levels of depression and anxiety and increased quality of life levels from baseline to follow up (within-subject design), however, methodological limitations, such as the lack of a control group reduce the validity of this finding. The between-subject results suggest that there was no significant difference between those that received problem solving therapy and a waitlist control group between baseline and post-waitlist/post-therapy. The within-subject design suggests that problem solving therapy may be beneficial for younger stroke survivors when they are given some time to learn and implement the skills into their day to day life. However, additional research with a control group is required to investigate this further. This study provides limited evidence for the provision of support groups for younger stroke survivors post stroke, however, it remains unclear about what type of support this should be. Implications for Rehabilitation Problem solving therapy is no more effective for reducing post stroke distress than a wait-list control group. Problem solving therapy may be perceived as helpful and enjoyable by younger stroke survivors. Younger stroke survivors may use the skills learnt from problem solving therapy to solve problems in their day to day lives. Younger stroke survivors may benefit from age appropriate psychological support; however, future research is needed to determine what type of support this should be.

Bladder Control Problems: Medications for Treating Urinary Incontinence

MedlinePlus

Bladder control: Medications for urinary problems Learn about medications used to treat bladder control problems, including how they work to treat urinary ... your doctor's suggestions for bladder retraining. But bladder control remains a problem. What else can you do? ...

Are Angelman and Prader-Willi syndromes more similar than we thought? Food-related behavior problems in Angelman, Cornelia de Lange, fragile X, Prader-Willi and 1p36 deletion syndromes.

PubMed

Welham, Alice; Lau, Johnny; Moss, Joanna; Cullen, Jenny; Higgs, Suzanne; Warren, Gemma; Wilde, Lucy; Marr, Abby; Cook, Faye; Oliver, Chris

2015-03-01

Food-related behavior problems are well documented in Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), with impaired satiety, preoccupation with food and negative food-related behaviors (such as taking and storing food) frequently reported as part of the behavioral phenotype of older children and adults. Food-related behavior problems in other genetic neurodevelopmental syndromes remain less well studied, including those seen in Angelman Syndrome (AS), the 'sister imprinted disorder' of PWS. Food-related behavior problems were assessed in 152 participants each with one of five genetic neurodevelopmental syndromes – PWS, AS, 1p36 deletion, Cornelia de Lange, and fragile X. Predictably, levels of food-related behavior problems reported in participants with PWS significantly exceeded those of at least one other groups in most areas (impaired satiety; preoccupation with food; taking and storing food; composite negative behavior). However, in some areas people with AS were reported to display food-related problems at least as severe as those with PWS, with the AS group reported to display significantly more food-related behavior problems than at least one comparison group on measures of taking and storing food, composite negative behaviors, impaired satiety and preoccupation with food. Over 50% of participants in the AS group scored above the median point of the distribution of PWS scores on a measure of taking and storing food. These findings indicate further investigation of eating problems in AS are warranted and have implications for current theoretical interpretations of the behavioral differences between AS and PWS. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Internal Consistency and Associated Characteristics of Informant Discrepancies in Clinic Referred Youths Age 11 to 17 Years

PubMed Central

De Los Reyes, Andres; Youngstrom, Eric A.; Pabón, Shairy C.; Youngstrom, Jennifer K.; Feeny, Norah C.; Findling, Robert L.

2011-01-01

In this study, we examined the internal consistency of informant discrepancies in reports of youth behavior and emotional problems and their unique relations with youth, caregiver, and family characteristics. In a heterogeneous multisite clinic sample of 420 youths (ages 11 to 17 years), high internal consistency estimates were observed across measures of informant discrepancies. Further, latent profile analyses identified systematic patterns of discrepancies, characterized by their magnitude and direction (i.e., which informant reported greater youth problems). Additionally, informant discrepancies systematically and uniquely related to informants' own perspectives of youth mood problems, and these relations remained significant after taking into account multiple informants' reports of informant characteristics widely known to relate to informant discrepancies. These findings call into the question the prevailing view of informant discrepancies as indicative of unreliability and/or bias on the part of informants' reports of youths' behavior. PMID:21229442

Ubiquitous information for ubiquitous computing: expressing clinical data sets with openEHR archetypes.

PubMed

Garde, Sebastian; Hovenga, Evelyn; Buck, Jasmin; Knaup, Petra

2006-01-01

Ubiquitous computing requires ubiquitous access to information and knowledge. With the release of openEHR Version 1.0 there is a common model available to solve some of the problems related to accessing information and knowledge by improving semantic interoperability between clinical systems. Considerable work has been undertaken by various bodies to standardise Clinical Data Sets. Notwithstanding their value, several problems remain unsolved with Clinical Data Sets without the use of a common model underpinning them. This paper outlines these problems like incompatible basic data types and overlapping and incompatible definitions of clinical content. A solution to this based on openEHR archetypes is motivated and an approach to transform existing Clinical Data Sets into archetypes is presented. To avoid significant overlaps and unnecessary effort during archetype development, archetype development needs to be coordinated nationwide and beyond and also across the various health professions in a formalized process.

Problem severity and motivation for treatment in incarcerated substance abusers.

PubMed

Hiller, Matthew L; Narevic, Egle; Webster, J Matthew; Rosen, Paul; Staton, Michele; Leukefeld, Carl; Garrity, Thomas F; Kayo, Rebecca

2009-01-01

Studies of community-based treatment programs for substance users document that motivation for treatment is a consistent predictor of clients remaining under treatment for a longer period of time. Recent research has replicated this in prison-based treatment programs, implying that motivation is clinically important regardless of setting. The current study examines predictors of treatment motivation using data collected from 661 male drug-involved inmates during in-depth interviews that include components of the Addiction Severity Index, TCU Motivation Scale, and the Heath Services Research Instrument. Findings showed treatment motivation can be measured effectively in prison-based settings. Motivation scores were not significantly different between individuals in a prison-based treatment program and those in the general prison population. Furthermore, higher motivation for treatment scores were associated with greater levels of problem severity, suggesting that individuals with more drug-use related life problems may recognize this need and desire help for beginning long-term recovery.

A methodology to enhance electromagnetic compatibility in joint military operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buckellew, William R.

The development and validation of an improved methodology to identify, characterize, and prioritize potential joint EMI (electromagnetic interference) interactions and identify and develop solutions to reduce the effects of the interference are discussed. The methodology identifies potential EMI problems using results from field operations, historical data bases, and analytical modeling. Operational expertise, engineering analysis, and testing are used to characterize and prioritize the potential EMI problems. Results can be used to resolve potential EMI during the development and acquisition of new systems and to develop engineering fixes and operational workarounds for systems already employed. The analytic modeling portion of the methodology is a predictive process that uses progressive refinement of the analysis and the operational electronic environment to eliminate noninterfering equipment pairs, defer further analysis on pairs lacking operational significance, and resolve the remaining EMI problems. Tests are conducted on equipment pairs to ensure that the analytical models provide a realistic description of the predicted interference.

Being bullied as an environmentally mediated contributing factor to children's internalizing problems: a study of twins discordant for victimization.

PubMed

Arseneault, Louise; Milne, Barry J; Taylor, Alan; Adams, Felicity; Delgado, Kira; Caspi, Avshalom; Moffitt, Terrie E

2008-02-01

To test whether the experience of being bullied has an environmentally mediated effect on internalizing symptoms in young children. A genetically informative, longitudinal 1994-1995 birth cohort. A nationally representative sample from the United Kingdom. We examined 1116 twin pairs who are participants in the Environmental Risk Longitudinal Twin Study. Main Exposure The experience of being bullied between the ages of 7 and 9 years. Mothers' and teachers' reports of children's internalizing problems at 7 and 10 years of age. Monozygotic twins who had been bullied had more internalizing symptoms (mean, 0.23; SD, 1.00) compared with their co-twin who had not been bullied (mean, -0.13; SD, 0.86), indicating that being bullied has an environmentally mediated effect on children's internalizing problems (beta, 0.36 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.18-0.54]). This effect remained significant after controlling for preexisting internalizing problems (beta, 0.26 [95% CI, 0.09-0.44]). Being bullied at a young age is an environmentally mediated contributing factor to children's internalizing problems. Intervention programs aimed at reducing bullying behavior in schools and in the community have the potential to influence children's early symptoms of mental health problems.

Intelligence and psychosocial functioning during long-term growth hormone therapy in children born small for gestational age.

PubMed

van Pareren, Yvonne K; Duivenvoorden, Hugo J; Slijper, Froukje S M; Koot, Hans M; Hokken-Koelega, Anita C S

2004-11-01

Short stature is not the only problem faced by small for gestational age (SGA) children. Being born SGA has also been associated with lowered intelligence, poor academic performance, low social competence, and behavioral problems. Although GH treatment in short children born SGA can result in a normalization of height during childhood, the effect of GH treatment on intelligence and psychosocial functioning remains to be investigated. We show the longitudinal results of a randomized, double-blind, GH-dose response study initiated in 1991 to follow growth, intelligence quotient (IQ), and psychosocial functioning in SGA children during long-term GH treatment. Patients were assigned to one of two treatment groups (1 or 2 mg GH/m(2) body surface.d, or approximately 0.035 or 0.07 mg/kg.d). Intelligence and psychosocial functioning were evaluated at start of GH treatment (n = 74), after 2 yr of GH treatment (n = 76), and in 2001 (n = 53). IQ was assessed by a short-form Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised or Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (Block-design and Vocabulary subtests). Behavioral problems were measured by the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist or Young Adult Behavior Checklist, and self-perception was measured by the Harter Self-Perception Profile. Mean (sem) birth length sd score was -3.6 (0.2), mean age and height at start was 7.4 (0.2) yr and -3.0 (0.1) sd score, respectively, mean duration of GH treatment was 8.0 (0.2) yr, and mean age in 2001 was 16.5 (0.3) yr. After 2 yr of GH treatment, 96% of both GH groups showed a height gain sd score of 1 sd from the start of treatment or more, resulting in a normal height (i.e. height >/= -2.0 sd for age and sex) in 70% of the children. In 2001, 48 (91%) of the 53 children participating in this study had reached a normal height. Block-design s-score and the estimated total IQ significantly increased (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively) from scores significantly lower than Dutch peers at start (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively) to comparable scores in 2001. The increase over time for the Vocabulary s-score was not significant. Internalizing Behavior sd scores remained comparable to Dutch peers, whereas Externalizing Behavior sd scores and Total Problem Behavior sd scores improved significantly during GH therapy (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively) to scores comparable to Dutch peers. Self-perception sd scores improved from start of GH treatment until 2001 (P < 0.001) to scores significantly higher than Dutch peers (P < 0.05). No significant differences between the two GH dosage groups were found. Improvement in Externalizing and Total Problem Behavior sd scores over time was significantly related to change in height sd score (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively), whereas scores over time for Vocabulary, Block-design, Internalizing, or total Harter Self-Perception score were not related to change in height sd scores. In conclusion, parallel to a GH-induced catch-up growth in adolescents born SGA, IQ, behavior, and self-perception showed a significant improvement over time from scores below average to scores comparable to Dutch peers. In addition, children whose height over time became closer to that of their peers showed less problem behavior.

Social strain, couple dynamics and gender differences in gambling problems: evidence from Chinese married couples.

PubMed

Cheung, Nicole W T

2015-02-01

Knowledge of the influence of couple dynamics on gender differences in gambling behavior remains meager. Building on general strain theory from the sociology of deviance and stress crossover theory from social psychology, we argue that the strain encountered by one partner in a social setting may affect his or her spouse. For instance, the wife of a man under more social strain may experience more strain in turn and thus be at a higher risk of developing disordered gambling than the wife of a man under less social strain. Using community survey data of 1620 Chinese married couples, we performed multilevel dyad analyses to address social strain and couple dynamics, in addition to their roles as predictors of gambling behavior in both spouses. This was a community survey of Hong Kong and therefore was not representative of China. Based on the DSM-IV screen, the rates of probable problem gambling and pathological gambling among male partners (12.8% vs. 2.5%) were twice those among female partners (5.2% vs. 0.3%). We also found that the social strain experienced by a male partner significantly predicted both his and his wife's likelihood of developing gambling problems. Although a female partner's exposure to social strain was a significant correlate of her gambling problem, it had no significant association with her husband's gambling behavior. These results suggest that the cross-spouse transference of social strain may be a gendered process. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Genomic Epigenomic, and Quality-of-Life Charteristics of Long-Term Survivors of Ovarian Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-10-01

Ovarian cancer (OC) remains a major health problem in the United Sates (US). In 2012, there will be an estimated 22,280 cases of epithelial OC (EOC...characterization of LT survivors of advanced stage OC will potentially identify molecular and clinical pathways that can be targeted to help women who have...response to treatments, and their tumors will provide significant measures of prognostic factors. Accurate identification of women with high-grade

Suicide attempt in young people: a signal for long-term health care and social needs.

PubMed

Goldman-Mellor, Sidra J; Caspi, Avshalom; Harrington, Honalee; Hogan, Sean; Nada-Raja, Shyamala; Poulton, Richie; Moffitt, Terrie E

2014-02-01

Suicidal behavior has increased since the onset of the global recession, a trend that may have long-term health and social implications. To test whether suicide attempts among young people signal increased risk for later poor health and social functioning above and beyond a preexisting psychiatric disorder. We followed up a cohort of young people and assessed multiple aspects of their health and social functioning as they approached midlife. Outcomes among individuals who had self-reported a suicide attempt up through age 24 years (young suicide attempters) were compared with those who reported no attempt through age 24 years (nonattempters). Psychiatric history and social class were controlled for. The population-representative Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, which involved 1037 birth cohort members comprising 91 young suicide attempters and 946 nonattempters, 95% of whom were followed up to age 38 years. Outcomes were selected to represent significant individual and societal costs: mental health, physical health, harm toward others, and need for support. As adults approaching midlife, young suicide attempters were significantly more likely to have persistent mental health problems (eg, depression, substance dependence, and additional suicide attempts) compared with nonattempters. They were also more likely to have physical health problems (eg, metabolic syndrome and elevated inflammation). They engaged in more violence (eg, violent crime and intimate partner abuse) and needed more social support (eg, long-term welfare receipt and unemployment). Furthermore, they reported being lonelier and less satisfied with their lives. These associations remained after adjustment for youth psychiatric diagnoses and social class. Many young suicide attempters remain vulnerable to costly health and social problems into midlife. As rates of suicidal behavior rise with the continuing global recession, additional suicide prevention efforts and long-term monitoring and after-care services are needed.

Challenges and Emerging Technologies within the Field of Pediatric Actigraphy

PubMed Central

Galland, Barbara; Meredith-Jones, Kim; Terrill, Philip; Taylor, Rachael

2014-01-01

Actigraphy as an objective measure of sleep and wakefulness in infants and children has gained popularity over the last 20 years. However, the field lacks published guidelines for sleep–wake identification within pediatric age groups. The scoring rules vary greatly and although sensitivity (sleep agreement with polysomnography) is usually high, a significant limitation remains in relation to specificity (wake agreement). Furthermore, accurate algorithm output and sleep–wake summaries usually require prior entry from daily logs of sleep–wake periods and artifact-related information (e.g., non-wear time), involving significant parent co-operation. Scoring criteria for daytime naps remains an unexplored area. Many of the problems facing accuracy of measurement are inherent within the field of actigraphy itself, particularly where sleep periods containing significant movements are erroneously classified as wake, and within quiet wakefulness when no movements are detected, erroneously classified as sleep. We discuss the challenges of actigraphy for pediatric sleep, briefly describe the technical basis and consider a number of technological approaches that may facilitate improved classification of errors in sleep–wake discrimination. PMID:25191278

Malaria remains a military medical problem.

PubMed

World, M J

2001-10-01

To bring military medical problems concerning malaria to the attention of the Defence Medical Services. Seven military medical problems related to malaria are illustrated by cases referred for secondary assessment over the past five years. Each is discussed in relation to published data. The cases of failure of various kinds of chemoprophylaxis, diagnosis and treatment of malaria may represent just a fraction of the magnitude of the overall problem but in the absence of reliable published military medical statistics concerning malaria cases, the situation is unclear. Present experience suggests there are a number of persisting problems affecting the military population in relation to malaria. Only publication of reliable statistics will define their magnitude. Interim remedies are proposed whose cost-effectiveness remains to be established.

The factors predicting stress, anxiety and depression in the parents of children with autism.

PubMed

Falk, Nicholas Henry; Norris, Kimberley; Quinn, Michael G

2014-12-01

The factors predicting stress, anxiety and depression in the parents of children with autism remain poorly understood. In this study, a cohort of 250 mothers and 229 fathers of one or more children with autism completed a questionnaire assessing reported parental mental health problems, locus of control, social support, perceived parent-child attachment, as well as autism symptom severity and perceived externalizing behaviours in the child with autism. Variables assessing parental cognitions and socioeconomic support were found to be more significant predictors of parental mental health problems than child-centric variables. A path model, describing the relationship between the dependent and independent variables, was found to be a good fit with the observed data for both mothers and fathers.

Management of enterocutaneous fistulas and problem stomas with silicone casting of the abdominal wall defect.

PubMed

Streza, G A; Laing, B J; Gilsdorf, R B

1977-12-01

Silicone casting of abdominal wall defects around enteric fistulas in six patients and problem stomas in three patients proved to be an effective means of controlling the output of the fistulas, reducing wound care time, and reducing or eliminating parenteral nutrition needs. Outpatient management was possible in seven of the nine patients. It is observed that the wounds healed rapidly with this method of fistula control. Epithelialization occurred more rapidly than expected. This method of management may tend to make the fistulas remain open longer than by other means of care, but the significant increase in patient comfort, the financial savings, and the relative safety warrant continued utilization and observation of this method of management.

Gaussian Boson Sampling.

PubMed

Hamilton, Craig S; Kruse, Regina; Sansoni, Linda; Barkhofen, Sonja; Silberhorn, Christine; Jex, Igor

2017-10-27

Boson sampling has emerged as a tool to explore the advantages of quantum over classical computers as it does not require universal control over the quantum system, which favors current photonic experimental platforms. Here, we introduce Gaussian Boson sampling, a classically hard-to-solve problem that uses squeezed states as a nonclassical resource. We relate the probability to measure specific photon patterns from a general Gaussian state in the Fock basis to a matrix function called the Hafnian, which answers the last remaining question of sampling from Gaussian states. Based on this result, we design Gaussian Boson sampling, a #P hard problem, using squeezed states. This demonstrates that Boson sampling from Gaussian states is possible, with significant advantages in the photon generation probability, compared to existing protocols.

Mothers of children with developmental disabilities: stress in early and middle childhood.

PubMed

Azad, Gazi; Blacher, Jan; Marcoulides, George A

2013-10-01

Using a sample of 219 families of children with (n=94) and without (n=125) developmental disabilities, this study examined the longitudinal perspectives of maternal stress in early (ages 3-5) and middle childhood (ages 6-13) and its relationship to mothers' and children's characteristics. Multivariate latent curve models indicated that maternal stress remained high and stable with minimal individual variation in early childhood, but declined with significant individual variation in middle childhood. Maternal stress at the beginning of middle childhood was associated with earlier maternal stress, as well as children's behavioral problems and social skills. The trajectory of maternal stress across middle childhood was related to children's behavioral problems. Implications for interventions are discussed. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The relationship between heavy metal and rap music and adolescent turmoil: real or artifact?

PubMed

Took, K J; Weiss, D S

1994-01-01

Adolescents and their parents were surveyed to investigate the association between heavy metal and rap music and adolescent psychosocial turmoil. Subjects were asked about current and past psychosocial functioning, as well as their music preferences. Adolescents who preferred heavy metal and rap music were compared with those who preferred other types of music. Results indicated that adolescents who preferred heavy metal and rap had a higher incidence of below-average school grades, school behavior problems, sexual activity, drug and alcohol use, and arrests. However, when gender was controlled, only below-average current and elementary school grades and a history of counseling in elementary school for school problems remained significant. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Performance dependence of hybrid x-ray computed tomography/fluorescence molecular tomography on the optical forward problem.

PubMed

Hyde, Damon; Schulz, Ralf; Brooks, Dana; Miller, Eric; Ntziachristos, Vasilis

2009-04-01

Hybrid imaging systems combining x-ray computed tomography (CT) and fluorescence tomography can improve fluorescence imaging performance by incorporating anatomical x-ray CT information into the optical inversion problem. While the use of image priors has been investigated in the past, little is known about the optimal use of forward photon propagation models in hybrid optical systems. In this paper, we explore the impact on reconstruction accuracy of the use of propagation models of varying complexity, specifically in the context of these hybrid imaging systems where significant structural information is known a priori. Our results demonstrate that the use of generically known parameters provides near optimal performance, even when parameter mismatch remains.

Anxiety disorders moderate the association between externalizing problems and substance use disorders: data from the National Comorbidity Survey-Revised.

PubMed

Hofmann, Stefan G; Richey, J Anthony; Kashdan, Todd B; McKnight, Patrick E

2009-05-01

Anxiety disorders and externalizing problems are both associated with substance use disorders. However, the nature of this relationship remains unclear. To examine whether presence of an anxiety disorder changes the association between externalizing problems (conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and substance use disorders, we analyzed data from the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication, which is based on a nationally representative sample of 9282 English-speaking adults. Presence of externalizing problems was associated with an increased odds for alcohol abuse (OR: 6.7, CI: 5.6-8.1), alcohol dependence (OR: 7.6, CI: 5.9-9.6), substance abuse (OR: 9.9, CI: 8.1-12.2), and substance dependence (OR: 13.1, CI: 9.6-17.8). Similarly, anxiety disorders were associated with increased odds for substance use disorders. The highest association was found between post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder (OR: 9.2, CI: 5.4-15.5). Individuals who met diagnostic criteria for an anxiety disorder and externalizing problems showed consistently and significantly lower odds for substance use problems than subjects with externalizing problems without a comorbid anxiety disorder. The results suggest that presence of any anxiety disorder reduces the association between externalizing problems and substance use disorders, possibly because the fear of bodily symptoms prevents individuals with externalizing problems from engaging in drug-seeking behaviors.

Gender Discrimination in Employment: Wage Inequity for Professional and Doctoral Degree Holders in the United States and Possible Remedies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolford, Karen M.

2005-01-01

Gender discrimination and wage inequity remain problems worldwide. In the United States and Canada, where equal rights and protective legislation have been in place for nearly 40 years, glaring disparities in salaries and job opportunities remain. Similar problems have been studied in the United Kingdom, leading to enactment of the 1975 Sex…

The Changing Landscape of Education in Africa: Quality, Equality and Democracy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, David, Ed.

2008-01-01

It is 40 years since Coombs (1967) first drew attention to the World Education Crisis, and specifically problems in the educational systems of countries in the developing world. Today, many of these problems remain, and are most visible in the educational systems of countries in sub-Saharan Africa. A large number of children remain out of school…

Propagation in and scattering from a matched metamaterial having a zero index of refraction.

PubMed

Ziolkowski, Richard W

2004-10-01

Planar metamaterials that exhibit a zero index of refraction have been realized experimentally by several research groups. Their existence stimulated the present investigation, which details the properties of a passive, dispersive metamaterial that is matched to free space and has an index of refraction equal to zero. Thus, unlike previous zero-index investigations, both the permittivity and permeability are zero here at a specified frequency. One-, two-, and three-dimensional source problems are treated analytically. The one- and two-dimensional source problem results are confirmed numerically with finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations. The FDTD simulator is also used to treat the corresponding one- and two-dimensional scattering problems. It is shown that in both the source and scattering configurations the electromagnetic fields in a matched zero-index medium take on a static character in space, yet remain dynamic in time, in such a manner that the underlying physics remains associated with propagating fields. Zero phase variation at various points in the zero-index medium is demonstrated once steady-state conditions are obtained. These behaviors are used to illustrate why a zero-index metamaterial, such as a zero-index electromagnetic band-gap structured medium, significantly narrows the far-field pattern associated with an antenna located within it. They are also used to show how a matched zero-index slab could be used to transform curved wave fronts into planar ones.

Behavioral Problems and Childhood Epilepsy: Parent vs Child Perspectives.

PubMed

Eom, Soyong; Caplan, Rochelle; Berg, Anne T

2016-12-01

To test whether the reported association between pediatric epilepsy and behavioral problems may be distorted by the use of parental proxy report instruments. Children in the Connecticut Study of Epilepsy were assessed 8-9 years after their epilepsy diagnosis (time-1) with the parent-proxy Child Behavior Check List (CBCL) (ages 6-18 years) or the Young Adult Self-Report (≥18 years of age). For children <18 years of age, parents also completed the Child Health Questionnaire, which contains scales for impact of child's illness on the parents. The same study subjects completed the Adult Self-Report 6-8 years later (time-2). Sibling controls were also tested. Case-control differences were examined for evidence suggesting more behavioral problems in cases with epilepsy than in controls based on proxy- vs self-report measures. At time-1, parent-proxy CBCL scores were significantly higher (worse) for cases than controls (n = 140 matched pairs). After adjustment for Child Health Questionnaire scales reflecting parent emotional and time impact, only 1 case-control difference on the CBCL remained significant. Self-reported Young Adult Self-Report scores did not differ between cases and controls (n = 42 pairs). At time-2, there were no significant self-reported case-control differences on the Adult Self-Report (n = 105 pairs). Parent-proxy behavior measures appear to be influenced by the emotional impact of epilepsy on parents. This may contribute to apparent associations between behavioral problems and childhood epilepsy. Self-report measures in older adolescents (>18 years of age) and young adults do not confirm parental perceptions. Evidence suggesting more behavioral problems in children with epilepsy should be interpreted in light of the source of information. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effect of housing on the mental health of older people: the impact of lifetime housing history in Whitehall II

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background This study describes differences in trajectories of self-reported mental health in an ageing cohort, according to their housing, while controlling for confounders. Methods The General Health Questionnaire was measured on six occasions as part of Whitehall II cohort study of office-based British civil servants (1985-2009); 10,308 men and women aged 35-55 at baseline. Results Home-ownership was the predominant tenure at baseline and increased over the life-course, but the social gradient remained. In the bivariate analysis, by phase nine, renters had higher (poorer mental health) GHQ scores (55.48) than owner occupiers (51.98). Those who reported difficulty paying bills or problems with housing had higher GHQ scores at baseline (financial difficulties 57.70 vs 54.34; house problems 58.06 vs 53.99) and this relative difference increased by phase nine (financial difficulties 59.64 vs 51.67; house problems 56.68 vs 51.22). In multivariate models, the relative differences in GHQ scores by tenure increased with age, but were no longer significant after adjusting for confounders. Whereas GHQ scores for those with housing problems and financial difficulties were still significantly higher as participants grew older. Conclusion The social gradient in the effect of home ownership on mental health, which is evident at baseline, diminishes as people get older, whereas housing quality and financial problems become relatively more important in explaining older people's health. Inequalities in housing quality and ability to deal with household financial problems will become increasingly important mental health issues as the population ages. PMID:21884619

Postwar environment and long-term mental health problems in former child soldiers in Northern Uganda: the WAYS study.

PubMed

Amone-P'Olak, Kennedy; Stochl, Jan; Ovuga, Emilio; Abbott, Rosemary; Meiser-Stedman, Richard; Croudace, Tim J; Jones, Peter B

2014-05-01

War experiences (WE) and postwar environments (PWE) are associated with mental ill-health. The present study aims to investigate the pathways from WE and PWE to mental ill-health and to define opportunities for intervention through analysis of the war-affected youths study (WAYS) cohort study. WAYS is an ongoing study of a large cohort of former child soldiers being conducted in Uganda. Mental health problems, subjective WE and PWE contexts were assessed by local adaptations of internationally developed measures for use with former child soldiers at least 6 years after the end of the war. Structural equation modeling was used to test two mediation hypotheses: (1) the 'trauma model' in which WE directly influence long-term mental health and (2) the 'psychosocial path' in which WE influence long-term mental health through PWE stressors. WE were linked to depression/anxiety (β=0.15 (95% CI 0.01 to 0.30)) through PWE (accounting for 44% of the variance in the relationship between these variables) and to conduct problems (β=0.23 (95% CI 0.03 to 0.43); (accounting for 89% of the variance, ie, near complete mediation)). The direct relation between WE and depression/anxiety attenuated but remained statistically significant. For conduct problems, the direct relationship was no longer significant after accounting for PWE. PWE are a key determinant of continued mental health problems in former child soldiers. Interventions to reduce long-term mental problems should address both PWE stressors (psychosocial model) and specialised mental healthcare (trauma model) and consider both models of intervention as complementary.

Importance of Video-EEG Monitoring in the Diagnosis of Epilepsy in a Psychiatric Patient

PubMed Central

Kirmani, Batool F.

2013-01-01

Epilepsy is a chronic medical condition which is disabling to both patients and caregivers. The differential diagnosis of epilepsy includes psychogenic nonepileptic spells or “pseudoseizures.” Epilepsy is due to abnormal electrical activity in the brain, and pseudoseizure is a form of conversion disorder. The brain waves remain normal in pseudoseizures. The problem arises when a patient with significant psychiatric history presents with seizures. Pseudoseizures become high on the differential diagnosis without extensive work up. This is a case of woman with significant psychiatric issues which resulted in a delay in the diagnosis of epilepsy. PMID:23585974

New drug candidates and therapeutic targets for tuberculosis therapy.

PubMed

Zhang, Ying; Post-Martens, Katrin; Denkin, Steven

2006-01-01

Despite advances in chemotherapy and the BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) vaccine, tuberculosis remains a significant infectious disease. Although it can be cured, the therapy takes at least 6-9 months, and the laborious and lengthy treatment brings with it dangers of noncompliance, significant toxicity and drug resistance. The increasing emergence of drug resistance and the problem of mycobacterial persistence highlight the need to develop novel TB drugs that are active against drug resistant bacteria but, more importantly, kill persistent bacteria and shorten the length of treatment. Recent new and exciting developments in tuberculosis drug discovery show good promise of a possible revolution in the chemotherapy of tuberculosis.

A generative, probabilistic model of local protein structure.

PubMed

Boomsma, Wouter; Mardia, Kanti V; Taylor, Charles C; Ferkinghoff-Borg, Jesper; Krogh, Anders; Hamelryck, Thomas

2008-07-01

Despite significant progress in recent years, protein structure prediction maintains its status as one of the prime unsolved problems in computational biology. One of the key remaining challenges is an efficient probabilistic exploration of the structural space that correctly reflects the relative conformational stabilities. Here, we present a fully probabilistic, continuous model of local protein structure in atomic detail. The generative model makes efficient conformational sampling possible and provides a framework for the rigorous analysis of local sequence-structure correlations in the native state. Our method represents a significant theoretical and practical improvement over the widely used fragment assembly technique by avoiding the drawbacks associated with a discrete and nonprobabilistic approach.

User Interface Problems of a Nationwide Inpatient Information System: A Heuristic Evaluation.

PubMed

Atashi, Alireza; Khajouei, Reza; Azizi, Amirabbas; Dadashi, Ali

2016-01-01

While studies have shown that usability evaluation could uncover many design problems of health information systems, the usability of health information systems in developing countries using their native language is poorly studied. The objective of this study was to evaluate the usability of a nationwide inpatient information system used in many academic hospitals in Iran. Three trained usability evaluators independently evaluated the system using Nielsen's 10 usability heuristics. The evaluators combined identified problems in a single list and independently rated the severity of the problems. We statistically compared the number and severity of problems identified by HIS experienced and non-experienced evaluators. A total of 158 usability problems were identified. After removing duplications 99 unique problems were left. The highest mismatch with usability principles was related to "Consistency and standards" heuristic (25%) and the lowest related to "Flexibility and efficiency of use" (4%). The average severity of problems ranged from 2.4 (Major problem) to 3.3 (Catastrophe problem). The experienced evaluator with HIS identified significantly more problems and gave higher severities to problems (p<0.02). Heuristic Evaluation identified a high number of usability problems in a widely used inpatient information system in many academic hospitals. These problems, if remain unsolved, may waste users' and patients' time, increase errors and finally threaten patient's safety. Many of them can be fixed with simple redesign solutions such as using clear labels and better layouts. This study suggests conducting further studies to confirm the findings concerning effect of evaluator experience on the results of Heuristic Evaluation.

User Interface Problems of a Nationwide Inpatient Information System: A Heuristic Evaluation

PubMed Central

Atashi, Alireza; Azizi, Amirabbas; Dadashi, Ali

2016-01-01

Summary Introduction While studies have shown that usability evaluation could uncover many design problems of health information systems, the usability of health information systems in developing countries using their native language is poorly studied. The objective of this study was to evaluate the usability of a nationwide inpatient information system used in many academic hospitals in Iran. Material and Methods Three trained usability evaluators independently evaluated the system using Nielsen’s 10 usability heuristics. The evaluators combined identified problems in a single list and independently rated the severity of the problems. We statistically compared the number and severity of problems identified by HIS experienced and non-experienced evaluators. Results A total of 158 usability problems were identified. After removing duplications 99 unique problems were left. The highest mismatch with usability principles was related to “Consistency and standards” heuristic (25%) and the lowest related to “Flexibility and efficiency of use” (4%). The average severity of problems ranged from 2.4 (Major problem) to 3.3 (Catastrophe problem). The experienced evaluator with HIS identified significantly more problems and gave higher severities to problems (p<0.02). Discussion Heuristic Evaluation identified a high number of usability problems in a widely used inpatient information system in many academic hospitals. These problems, if remain unsolved, may waste users’ and patients’ time, increase errors and finally threaten patient’s safety. Many of them can be fixed with simple redesign solutions such as using clear labels and better layouts. This study suggests conducting further studies to confirm the findings concerning effect of evaluator experience on the results of Heuristic Evaluation. PMID:27081409

Isolation of Extracellular Vesicles: General Methodologies and Latest Trends

PubMed Central

Konoshenko, Maria Yu.; Laktionov, Pavel P.

2018-01-01

Background Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play an essential role in the communication between cells and transport of diagnostically significant molecules. A wide diversity of approaches utilizing different biochemical properties of EVs and a lack of accepted protocols make data interpretation very challenging. Scope of Review This review consolidates the data on the classical and state-of-the-art methods for isolation of EVs, including exosomes, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of each method. Various characteristics of individual methods, including isolation efficiency, EV yield, properties of isolated EVs, and labor consumption are compared. Major Conclusions A mixed population of vesicles is obtained in most studies of EVs for all used isolation methods. The properties of an analyzed sample should be taken into account when planning an experiment aimed at studying and using these vesicles. The problem of adequate EVs isolation methods still remains; it might not be possible to develop a universal EV isolation method but the available protocols can be used towards solving particular types of problems. General Significance With the wide use of EVs for diagnosis and therapy of various diseases the evaluation of existing methods for EV isolation is one of the key problems in modern biology and medicine. PMID:29662902

Massively multiplayer online role-playing game-induced seizures: a neglected health problem in Internet addiction.

PubMed

Chuang, Yao-Chung

2006-08-01

As the Internet has become rapidly and widely integrated into society, Internet addiction has become a growing psychosocial problem. However, epileptic seizure, another out-of-the-ordinary health problem, is often neglected in this regard. Ten patients who experienced epileptic seizures while playing the newest genre of electronic games -- Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) -- were investigated. Patients were predominantly male young adults, and most of the events were generalized tonic-clonic seizures, myoclonic seizures, and absences. These patients should be categorized into idiopathic generalized epilepsies. Even though photosensitivity was an important factor, behavioral and higher mental activities also seemed to be significant seizure precipitants. Results demonstrated that MMORPG-induced seizures were not analogous to the ordinary video game-induced seizures. Significantly, an epileptic seizure warning did not always appear on the websites of MMORPGs and instructions for the software. While the prevalence of MMORPG-induced seizures remains unknown, it may exceed our expectations and impact our society. Not only for clinical neurologists but also for the primary physicians, educators, sociologists, and global online game publishers, there should be an awareness of this special form of reflex seizures in order to provide an appropriate health warning to MMORPG players.

The Quality Assurance Project assists the vitamin A capsule program in Antique Province, Philippines.

PubMed

Blumenfeld, S

1994-01-01

Vitamin A deficiency remains an important problem in some parts of the Philippines. The Department of Health, with assistance from the Helen Keller Institute (HKI), established a vitamin A supplementation program in Antique Province providing for the administration of vitamin A capsules to malnourished children. Although the HKI cut off its assistance in 1992, continuation of the capsule supplementation program was an element of the National Nutrition Plan for 1992-96, and remains an element of the Antique Provincial health services program under the Philippines' devolved health services scheme. The Quality Assurance Program (QAP) in May 1993 began helping the Provincial Health Office improve the quality of the vitamin A program. A systems analysis was first undertaken to identify significant deviations from provider performance standards which had been adapted by the province from Nutrition Service guidelines. Many problems were observed, including lack of knowledge of the high-priority categories of children, incomplete counseling, and frequent mistakes in determining children's nutritional status. The provincial health office staff recommended that six of the province's seventeen municipalities participate in the quality improvement effort. The intent of the QAP staff was not only to help the provincial staff improve the quality of its vitamin A program by resolving some immediate operational problems, but to provide the health care workers with a quality improvement experience that they would intuitively transfer to other programs for which they were responsible. The coaching/facilitating approach of modern quality management allowed health workers to explore their own approaches to solving the problems chosen.

Drug use disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder over 25 adult years: role of psychopathology in relational networks.

PubMed

Balan, Sundari; Widner, Greg; Shroff, Manan; van den Berk-Clark, Carissa; Scherrer, Jeffrey; Price, Rumi Kato

2013-11-01

In traumatized populations, drug use disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) persist for many years. Relational factors that mediate this persistence have rarely been systematically examined. Our aim is to examine the relative effects of psychopathology in familial and non-familial networks on the persistence of both disorders over adulthood. We utilized longitudinal data from an epidemiologically ascertained sample of male Vietnam veterans (n=642). Measures included DSM-IV drug use disorders, other psychiatric disorders, network problem history and time-varying marital and employment characteristics. Longitudinal measures of veterans' psychopathology and social functioning were retrospectively obtained for each year over a 25 year period. We used generalized estimating equations (GEE) to estimate the relative effects of network problems on veteran's drug use disorders and PTSD after adjusting for covariates. Veterans' mean age was 47 years in 1996. Prevalence of illicit drug disorders declined from 29.8% in 1972 to 8.3% in 1996, but PTSD remained at 11.7% from 13.2% in 1972. While 17.0% of veterans reported a familial drug use problem, 24.9% reported a non-familial drug use problem. In full GEE models, a non-familial drug problem was a significant predictor of illicit drug use disorders over 25 years (OR=2.21, CI=1.59-3.09), while both familial depression (OR=1.69, CI=1.07-2.68) and non-familial drinking problem (OR=1.66, CI=1.08-2.54) were significant predictors of PTSD over 25 years. Familial and non-familial problems in networks differentially affect the persistence of drug use disorders and PTSD in traumatized male adults. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Blood lead in the 21st Century: The sub-microgram challenge

PubMed Central

Amaya, Maria A; Jolly, Kevin W; Pingitore, Nicholas E

2010-01-01

In the US the dominant sources of lead through much of the 20th Century (eg, vehicular emissions, plumbing, household paint) have been significantly diminished. The reductions in adult and pediatric average blood lead levels in the US have been extraordinary. Progress continues: the US Environmental Protection Agency recently developed a new air standard for lead. In the 21st Century, the average blood lead level in a society may be seen as a marker of the status of their public’s health. However, the threat of lead exposure remains a significant public health problem among subpopulation groups in the US and in many less developed countries. This paper examines some of the specific issues involved in the reduction of blood lead in a post-industrial era. These involve the control of the remaining exogenous primary sources, both general (eg, industrial emissions) and specific (eg, at-risk occupations), exogenous secondary sources (eg, contaminated urban soils, legacy lead-based paints), an endogenous source (ie, cumulative body lead burden) and emergent sources. PMID:22282686

International Armaments Cooperation: A Case Study of the Modular Standoff Weapons

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-09-01

members of the Alliance will be in a better position to deal with the problems of removing trade barriers within NATO as a whole in order to create a...costs and responsibll - itles for any or all of the following by two or more nations or organizations: research, development, production, and follow-on...significant barriers remain. As a result of the lack of a coordinated defense posture and the numerical and qualitative gains made by the Warsaw Pact

Erectile Dysfunction in the Older Adult Male.

PubMed

Mola, Joanna R

2015-01-01

Erectile dysfunction (ED) in the older adult male is a significant problem affecting more than 75% of men over 70 years of age in the United States. Older men have an increased likelihood of developing ED due to chronic disease, comorbid conditions, and age-related changes. Research has demonstrated that while the prevalence and severity of ED increases with age, sexual desire often remains unchanged. This article discusses the clinical picture of ED, including relevant pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and evaluation and treatment options.

It's Time for an Ambitious National Investment in America's Children: Investments in Early Childhood Care and Education Would Have Enormous Benefits for Children, Families, Society, and the Economy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bivens, Josh; García, Emma; Gould, Elise; Weiss, Elaine; Wilson, Valerie

2016-01-01

Nearly 7 years into the recovery from the Great Recession, two glaring problems remain in the U.S. economy. One is a significant slowdown in the growth of productivity (the amount of output and income generated in an average hour of work). The other is the destructive rise in income inequality in recent decades due largely to big corporations and…

Endemic zoonoses in the tropics: a public health problem hiding in plain sight.

PubMed

Halliday, Jo E B; Allan, Kathryn J; Ekwem, Divine; Cleaveland, Sarah; Kazwala, Rudovick R; Crump, John A

2015-02-28

Zoonotic diseases are a significant burden on animal and human health, particularly in developing countries. Despite recognition of this fact, endemic zoonoses often remain undiagnosed in people, instead being mistaken for febrile diseases such as malaria. Here, as part of Veterinary Record's ongoing series of articles on One Health, a multidisciplinary team of researchers from Scotland, Tanzania and New Zealand argues that a One Health approach is needed to effectively combat these diseases. British Veterinary Association.

Promising Long-Term Health-Related Quality of Life After High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy Boost for Localized Prostate Cancer

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

Wahlgren, Thomas; Nilsson, Sten; Lennernaes, Bo

2007-11-01

Purpose: To explore the long-term general and disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL) >5 years after combined radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer, including a high-dose-rate brachytherapy boost and hormonal deprivation therapy. Methods and Materials: Of 196 eligible patients with localized prostate cancer (Stage T1-T3a) consecutively treated with curative radiotherapy at our institution between June 1998 and August 2000, 182 (93%) completed the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life questionnaires QLQ-C30 and QLQ-PR25, including specific questions on fecal incontinence >5 years after treatment in September 2005. A comparison with age-matched normative data was done, as wellmore » as a longitudinal analysis using HRQOL data from a previous study. Results: The analysis included 158 nonrecurrent patients. Comparisons made with normative data showed that physical and role functioning were significantly better statistically and social functioning was significantly worse. Diarrhea and sleep disturbances were more pronounced and pain less pronounced than in a normal male population. The longitudinal analysis of disease-specific HRQOL showed that urinary urgency and erectile problems persisted 5 years after treatment, and nocturia and hormonally dependent symptoms had declined significantly, with a statistically significant difference. Fecal incontinence was recognized by 25% of patients, of whom 80% considered it a minor problem. Conclusion: More than 5 years after combined radiotherapy, irritative urinary problems and erectile dysfunction remain concerns, although severe bowel disturbance and fecal incontinence seem to be minor problems. Longitudinally, a decline mainly in hormonally dependent symptoms was seen. Minor differences in general HRQOL compared with normative data were observed, possibly including 'response shift' effects.« less

Optimism and hope as predictors of subjective health in post-myocardial infarction patients: A comparison of the role of coping strategies.

PubMed

Wlodarczyk, Dorota

2017-03-01

This study explored the effects intervening in the linkages of optimism and hope with subjective health in the short term after myocardial infarction. A two-wave study design was used. The sample consisted of 222 myocardial infarction survivors. When adopting a cross-sectional design, optimism and hope predicted subjective health at Time 1 and Time 2. After controlling for baseline subjective health, they were no longer significant predictors of subjective health at Time 2. Parallel indirect effects of seeking social support and problem solving were significant for both optimism and hope. After controlling for the shared variance between optimism and hope, these effects remained significant only for optimism.

A randomized controlled trial of a Dutch version of systems training for emotional predictability and problem solving for borderline personality disorder.

PubMed

Bos, Elisabeth H; van Wel, E Bas; Appelo, Martin T; Verbraak, Marc J P M

2010-04-01

Systems Training for Emotional Predictability and Problem Solving (STEPPS) is a group treatment for persons with borderline personality disorder (BPD) that is relatively easy to implement. We investigated the efficacy of a Dutch version of this treatment (VERS). Seventy-nine DSM-IV BPD patients were randomly assigned to STEPPS plus an adjunctive individual therapy, or to treatment as usual. Assessments took place before and after the intervention, and at a 6-month follow-up. STEPPS recipients showed a significantly greater reduction in general psychiatric and BPD-specific symptomatology than subjects assigned to treatment as usual; these differences remained significant at follow-up. STEPPS also led to greater improvement in quality of life, especially at follow-up. No differences in impulsive or parasuicidal behavior were observed. Effect sizes for the differences between the treatments were moderate to large. The results suggest that the brief STEPPS program combined with limited individual therapy can improve BPD-treatment in a number of ways.

Illness perceptions in adolescents with a psychiatric diagnosis in Pakistan

PubMed Central

Imran, Nazish; Azeem, Muhammad Waqar; Chaudhry, Mansoor R.; Butt, Zeeshan

2015-01-01

Aims and method To assess adolescents' perceptions of their psychiatric illness and the role of various demographic factors in a Pakistani setting. Adolescents with various psychiatric diagnoses were interviewed using a structured questionnaire including the Illness Perceptions Questionnaire–Revised (IPQ-R). Results Fifty-two adolescents with various psychiatric illnesses were interviewed; their mean age was 12.7 years and the majority (67%) were female. Males had significantly higher scores on timeline and emotional representation (P<0.05), suggesting strongly held beliefs about chronicity of their illness and anger and worry about their condition. Adolescents' own emotional state, stress, family problems and bad luck were endorsed by participants as some of the causal factors in their mental illness. Clinical implications Despite the importance of early intervention in psychiatric problems, engaging youth in the treatment process in Pakistan remains difficult. Better understanding of how adolescents perceive their psychiatric difficulties may play a significant role in developing culturally sensitive interventions and better utilisation of services. PMID:26755949

Illness perceptions in adolescents with a psychiatric diagnosis in Pakistan.

PubMed

Imran, Nazish; Azeem, Muhammad Waqar; Chaudhry, Mansoor R; Butt, Zeeshan

2015-08-01

Aims and method To assess adolescents' perceptions of their psychiatric illness and the role of various demographic factors in a Pakistani setting. Adolescents with various psychiatric diagnoses were interviewed using a structured questionnaire including the Illness Perceptions Questionnaire-Revised (IPQ-R). Results Fifty-two adolescents with various psychiatric illnesses were interviewed; their mean age was 12.7 years and the majority (67%) were female. Males had significantly higher scores on timeline and emotional representation (P<0.05), suggesting strongly held beliefs about chronicity of their illness and anger and worry about their condition. Adolescents' own emotional state, stress, family problems and bad luck were endorsed by participants as some of the causal factors in their mental illness. Clinical implications Despite the importance of early intervention in psychiatric problems, engaging youth in the treatment process in Pakistan remains difficult. Better understanding of how adolescents perceive their psychiatric difficulties may play a significant role in developing culturally sensitive interventions and better utilisation of services.

A genetically informed test of cholesterol levels and self-control, depressive symptoms, antisocial behavior, and neuroticism.

PubMed

Schwartz, Joseph A; Rowland, Meghan W; Beaver, Kevin M

2014-08-01

Low cholesterol levels have been found to be associated with a wide range of behavioral problems, including violent and criminal behavior, and a wide range of psychological problems including impulsivity, depression, and other internalizing problems. The casual mechanisms underlying these associations remain largely unknown, but genetic factors may play a role in the etiology of such associations as previous research has found significant genetic influence on cholesterol levels and various deleterious behavioral and psychological outcomes. The current study addressed this existing gap in the literature by performing a genetically sensitive test of the association between cholesterol levels and various outcomes including levels of self-control, depressive symptoms, anger expression, and neuroticism. DeFries-Fulker (DF) analysis was used to analyze data from 388 twin pairs nested within the Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS). The results of the genetically informed models revealed that high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels were negatively and significantly associated with depressive symptoms, had a marginally significant effect on neuroticism, and a nonsignificant effect on both anger expression and self-control. The findings may not extrapolate to the larger population of American adults since the subsample of twins with cholesterol information may not be nationally representative. Genetic influences play a significant role in the association between cholesterol levels and various deleterious outcomes and failing to control for these influences may result in model misspecification and may increase the probability of detecting a significant association when one does not actually exist. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Risk groups for tuberculosis in Chile].

PubMed

Herrera, Tania

2015-02-01

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global and national problem. In Chile the incidence rate has remained at 13 per 100,000 inhabitants for several years without tendency to the expected decline that would allow their elimination by 2020. As a low prevalence country, TB cases have been concentrated in risk groups, reaching 33% in 2013, and this proportion increases as younger people are analyzed. The main risk groups in Chile are HIV co-infection, foreigners and population of prisons. By 2013, the proportion of cases for these three groups was 8.7%, 8.4% and 3.9% respectively, and these percentages vary significantly when regional situation is analyzed. In addition, many of these patients have more than one risk factor, demons-rating the existence of clusters more vulnerable to TB.

Sexual orientation, treatment utilization, and barriers for alcohol related problems: Findings from a nationally representative sample.

PubMed

Allen, Junior Lloyd; Mowbray, Orion

2016-04-01

Gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) individuals appear to have an increased likelihood of alcohol use disorders and treatment utilization for alcohol related problems compared to heterosexual individuals. Despite this increase, treatment utilization rates among GLB individuals remain low. In an effort to address this, our paper examined whether or not GLB individuals encounter unique barriers when pursuing treatment for alcohol related problems. Using data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol Related Conditions (NESARC), we examined service sector specific factors, some of which included (a) utilization rates, (b) self-reported treatment barriers, and (c) whether or not there were emergent differences among GLB individuals, after controlling for socio-demographic and clinical characteristics. Findings indicated that GLB individuals reported higher severity rates for alcohol use disorders when compared to heterosexual individuals, and were significantly more likely to utilize treatment services for alcohol related problems, however, not across all treatment sectors. While similar patterns were observed when examining barriers to treatment, bisexual individuals reported significantly more barriers than heterosexual and gay/lesbian individuals. These findings underscored the importance of identifying and developing interventions that addresses treatment barriers associated with alcohol use service utilization among GLB populations, and creating improved outreach and education programs to better address stigmas associated with substance use and sexuality. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Remember Tuskegee: public health student knowledge of the ethical significance of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study.

PubMed

Coughlin, S S; Etheredge, G D; Metayer, C; Martin, S A

1996-01-01

The ethical problems that surrounded the Tuskegee Syphilis Study prompted widespread public criticism when they first surfaced in 1972; the Tuskegee Study remains an important case in bioethics. We recently examined public health student knowledge of the ethical significance of the Tuskegee Study as part of an ethics curriculum needs assessment at Tulane University. A brief questionnaire was administered to 236 graduate students currently enrolled in seven epidemiology courses. Basic demographic information was obtained along with information about degree program. A series of questions was then asked to assess student knowledge of bioethics including the ethical significance of the Tuskegee Study. Only 19% (46 of 236) of the students demonstrated knowledge of the ethical significance of the Tuskegee Study. Knowledge of the Tuskegee Study's ethical significance was higher among students who were from the United States and those who were enrolled in the epidemiology program (P < .05). The ethical problems that surrounded the Tuskegee Study have rarely been encountered in public health. However, this important case stands as an exemplar of the potential for ethical abuses in human subjects research. Such cases ought to be highlighted in public health curricula. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH): blacks, African Americans, educational curriculum, epidemiology, ethics, public health, racism.

Maternal DHA Status during Pregnancy Has a Positive Impact on Infant Problem Solving: A Norwegian Prospective Observation Study

PubMed Central

Braarud, Hanne Cecilie; Markhus, Maria Wik; Skotheim, Siv; Stormark, Kjell Morten; Frøyland, Livar; Graff, Ingvild Eide; Kjellevold, Marian

2018-01-01

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6, n-3) is a long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid necessary for normal brain growth and cognitive development. Seafood and dietary supplements are the primary dietary sources of DHA. This study addresses the associations between DHA status in pregnant women and healthy, term-born infant problem-solving skills assessed using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire. The fatty acid status of maternal red blood cells (RBCs) was assessed in the 28th week of gestation and at three months postpartum. The infants’ fatty acid status (RBC) was assessed at three, six, and twelve months, and problem-solving skills were assessed at six and twelve months. Maternal DHA status in pregnancy was found to be positively associated with infants’ problem-solving skills at 12 months. This association remained significant even after controlling for the level of maternal education, a surrogate for socio-economic status. The infants’ DHA status at three months was associated with the infants’ problem solving at 12 months. The results accentuate the importance for pregnant and lactating women to have a satisfactory DHA status from dietary intake of seafood or other sources rich in DHA. PMID:29695097

Maternal DHA Status during Pregnancy Has a Positive Impact on Infant Problem Solving: A Norwegian Prospective Observation Study.

PubMed

Braarud, Hanne Cecilie; Markhus, Maria Wik; Skotheim, Siv; Stormark, Kjell Morten; Frøyland, Livar; Graff, Ingvild Eide; Kjellevold, Marian

2018-04-24

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6, n -3) is a long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid necessary for normal brain growth and cognitive development. Seafood and dietary supplements are the primary dietary sources of DHA. This study addresses the associations between DHA status in pregnant women and healthy, term-born infant problem-solving skills assessed using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire. The fatty acid status of maternal red blood cells (RBCs) was assessed in the 28th week of gestation and at three months postpartum. The infants’ fatty acid status (RBC) was assessed at three, six, and twelve months, and problem-solving skills were assessed at six and twelve months. Maternal DHA status in pregnancy was found to be positively associated with infants’ problem-solving skills at 12 months. This association remained significant even after controlling for the level of maternal education, a surrogate for socio-economic status. The infants’ DHA status at three months was associated with the infants’ problem solving at 12 months. The results accentuate the importance for pregnant and lactating women to have a satisfactory DHA status from dietary intake of seafood or other sources rich in DHA.

Significant Scales in Community Structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Traag, V. A.; Krings, G.; van Dooren, P.

2013-10-01

Many complex networks show signs of modular structure, uncovered by community detection. Although many methods succeed in revealing various partitions, it remains difficult to detect at what scale some partition is significant. This problem shows foremost in multi-resolution methods. We here introduce an efficient method for scanning for resolutions in one such method. Additionally, we introduce the notion of ``significance'' of a partition, based on subgraph probabilities. Significance is independent of the exact method used, so could also be applied in other methods, and can be interpreted as the gain in encoding a graph by making use of a partition. Using significance, we can determine ``good'' resolution parameters, which we demonstrate on benchmark networks. Moreover, optimizing significance itself also shows excellent performance. We demonstrate our method on voting data from the European Parliament. Our analysis suggests the European Parliament has become increasingly ideologically divided and that nationality plays no role.

The Co-Development of Parenting Stress and Childhood Internalizing and Externalizing Problems.

PubMed

Stone, Lisanne L; Mares, Suzanne H W; Otten, Roy; Engels, Rutger C M E; Janssens, Jan M A M

Although the detrimental influence of parenting stress on child problem behavior is well established, it remains unknown how these constructs affect each other over time. In accordance with a transactional model, this study investigates how the development of internalizing and externalizing problems is related to the development of parenting stress in children aged 4-9. Mothers of 1582 children participated in three one-year interval data waves. Internalizing and externalizing problems as well as parenting stress were assessed by maternal self-report. Interrelated development of parenting with internalizing and externalizing problems was examined using Latent Growth Modeling. Directionality of effects was further investigated by using cross-lagged models. Parenting stress and externalizing problems showed a decrease over time, whereas internalizing problems remained stable. Initial levels of parenting stress were related to initial levels of both internalizing and externalizing problems. Decreases in parenting stress were related to larger decreases in externalizing problems and to the (stable) course of internalizing problems. Some evidence for reciprocity was found such that externalizing problems were associated with parenting stress and vice versa over time, specifically for boys. Our findings support the transactional model in explaining psychopathology.

The effects of multiple interpersonal traumas on psychological maladjustment of sexually abused children in Korea.

PubMed

Choi, Ji Young; Oh, Kyung Ja

2013-02-01

The purpose of the present study was to explore the effects of multiple interpersonal traumas on psychiatric diagnosis and behavior problems of sexually abused children in Korea. With 495 children (ages 4-13 years) referred to a public counseling center for sexual abuse in Korea, we found significant differences in the rate of psychiatric diagnoses (r = .23) and severity of behavioral problems (internalizing d = 0.49, externalizing d = 0.40, total d = 0.52) between children who were victims of sexual abuse only (n = 362) and youth who were victims of interpersonal trauma experiences in addition to sexual abuse (n = 133). The effects of multiple interpersonal trauma experiences on single versus multiple diagnoses remained significant in the logistic regression analysis where demographic variables, family environmental factors, sexual abuse characteristics, and postincident factors were considered together, odds ratio (OR) = 0.44, 95% confidence interval (CI) = [0.25, 0.77], p < .01. Similarly, multiple regression analyses revealed a significant effect of multiple interpersonal trauma experiences on severity of behavioral problems above and beyond all aforementioned variables (internalizing β =.12, p = .019, externalizing β = .11, p = .036, total β = .14, p =.008). The results suggested that children with multiple interpersonal traumas are clearly at a greater risk for negative consequences following sexual abuse. Copyright © 2013 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

Non-suicidal self-injury in patients with eating disorder: associations with identity formation above and beyond anxiety and depression.

PubMed

Claes, Laurence; Luyckx, Koen; Bijttebier, Patricia; Turner, Brianna; Ghandi, Amarendra; Smets, Jos; Norre, Jan; Van Assche, Leen; Verheyen, Els; Goris, Yvienne; Hoksbergen, Ingrid; Schoevaerts, Katrien

2015-03-01

In the present study, we investigated the association between non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and problems in identity formation among patients with eating disorder (ED). NSSI is highly prevalent in ED, and problems with identity formation are characteristic of both NSSI and ED. Few studies, however, have investigated identity formation in patients with ED with and without NSSI while taking into account comorbid psychopathology (e.g. anxiety and depression). Therefore, we investigated the relationships between NSSI characteristics, identity confusion/synthesis, and anxiety/depression in 99 female patients with ED by means of self-report questionnaires. The results showed that 58.6% of the patients with ED engaged in at least one type of NSSI (most frequently cutting), with no significant differences in rates of NSSI or identity problems among ED subtypes. Presence, versatility and automatic negative reinforcement functions of NSSI were each significantly and positively related to identity confusion and negatively related to identity synthesis. Even after controlling for age, anxiety, and depression, lack of identity synthesis remained a significant predictor of NSSI in patients with ED. Given that NSSI may constitute an effort to deal with identity confusion/synthesis in patients with ED, therapists should take this developmental task into account while treating patients with ED with NSSI. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

What changes when? The course of improvement during a stage-based treatment for suicidal and self-injuring women with borderline personality disorder and PTSD.

PubMed

Harned, Melanie S; Gallop, Robert J; Valenstein-Mah, Helen R

2016-11-03

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) with the DBT Prolonged Exposure (DBT PE) protocol is an integrated treatment for suicidal and self-injuring individuals with PTSD and borderline personality disorder (BPD) that occurs in three stages: Stage 1 targets behavioral dyscontrol, Stage 2 targets posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) via the DBT PE protocol, and Stage 3 addresses remaining problems. We evaluated the course of change in multiple outcomes across these three stages and compared them to changes found in DBT alone. Participants were 38 women with BPD, PTSD and recent suicidal and/or non-suicidal self-injury. Data were collected weekly or bi-weekly to assess PTSD, BPD, global well-being, state dissociation, and urges to engage in problem behaviors. In DBT + DBT PE, there was a significant improvement in PTSD in Stage 2 and in PTSD, BPD, and state dissociation in Stage 3. Compared to DBT, DBT + DBT PE led to significantly higher global well-being and moderately, but non-significantly, lower PTSD and BPD in Stages 2 and/or 3. PTSD does not improve until it is directly targeted and changes in other comorbid problems occur after PTSD is treated. Adding the DBT PE protocol to DBT was associated with improvement rather than worsening of outcomes.

Analytic versus systemic group therapy for women with a history of child sexual abuse: 1-year follow-up of a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Elkjaer, Henriette; Kristensen, Ellids; Mortensen, Erik L; Poulsen, Stig; Lau, Marianne

2014-06-01

This randomized prospective study examines durability of improvement in general symptomatology, psychosocial functioning and interpersonal problems, and compares the long-term efficacy of analytic and systemic group psychotherapy in women 1 year after completion of treatment for childhood sexual abuse. Women (n = 106) randomly assigned to analytic or systemic psychotherapy completed the Symptom Checklist-90-R, Global Assessment of Functioning, Global Life Quality, Registration Chart Questionnaire, and Flashback Registration at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and at a 1-year follow-up. Post-treatment gains were significant for both treatment modalities on all measures, but significantly larger after systemic therapy. Significant treatment response was maintained 1-year post-treatment, but different trajectories were observed: 1 year after treatment completion, improvements for analytic therapy were maintained, whereas they decreased after systemic therapy, resulting in no statistically significant difference in gains between the groups at the 1-year follow-up. Despite maintaining significant gains, more than half of the patients remained above cut-off for caseness concerning general symptomatology at post-treatment and at 1-year follow-up. The findings stress the importance of long-term follow-up data in effect studies. Different trajectories were associated with the two treatments, but improvement in the two treatment groups did not differ significantly at the 1-year follow-up. Implications of the difference in trajectories for treatment planning are discussed. Both analytic and systemic group therapy proved efficient in improving general symptomatology, psychosocial functioning, and interpersonal problems in women with a history of CSA and gains were maintained at a 1-year follow-up. Despite maintaining statistically significant gains at the 1-year follow-up, 54% of the patients remained above the cut-off for caseness with respect to general symptomatology, which may indicate a need for further treatment. Different pre-post follow-up treatment trajectories were observed between the two treatment modalities. Thus, while systemic group therapy showed a significantly better outcome immediately after termination, gains in the systemic treatment group decreased during follow-up, while gains were maintained during follow-up in analytic group therapy. © 2013 The British Psychological Society.

Risk and protective factors associated with being bullied on school property compared with cyberbullied.

PubMed

Merrill, Ray M; Hanson, Carl L

2016-02-12

We identified bullying victimization (bullied on school property versus cyberbullied) by selected demographic, personal characteristic, and behavior variables. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on adolescents (n = 13,583) completing the 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) in grades 9 through 12. Being bullied on school property in the past 12 months was significantly more common in females than males, in earlier school grades, and in Whites and other racial groups compared with Blacks and Hispanics. Being bullied on school property generally decreased with later school grades, but cyberbullying in the past 12 months remained constant. Being bullied on school property or cyberbullied was significantly positively associated with mental health problems, substance use, being overweight, playing video games for 3 or more hours per day, and having asthma. The association was greatest with having mental health problems. Cyberbullying was generally more strongly associated with these conditions and behaviors. Protective behaviors against bullying victimization included eating breakfast every day, being physically active, and playing on sports teams. Those experiencing victimization on school property and cyberbullying were significantly more likely to experience mental health problems compared with just one of these types of bullying or neither. Cyberbullying victimization is generally more strongly associated with mental health problems, substance use, being overweight, playing video games for 3 or more hours per day, and having asthma than bullying victimization on school property. However, because bullying on school property is more common in grades 9-11, this form of bullying has a greater burden on these conditions and behaviors in these school grades.

Methylphenidate Has Superior Efficacy Over Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Preschool Children with Disruptive Behaviors.

PubMed

van der Veen-Mulders, Lianne; van den Hoofdakker, Barbara J; Nauta, Maaike H; Emmelkamp, Paul; Hoekstra, Pieter J

2018-02-01

To compare the effectiveness between parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) and methylphenidate in preschool children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and disruptive behaviors who had remaining significant behavior problems after previous behavioral parent training. We included 35 preschool children, ranging in age between 3.4 and 6.0 years. Participants were randomized to PCIT (n = 18) or methylphenidate (n = 17). Outcome measures were maternal ratings of the intensity and number of behavior problems and severity of ADHD symptoms. Changes from pretreatment to directly posttreatment were compared between groups using two-way mixed analysis of variance. We also made comparisons of both treatments to a nonrandomized care as usual (CAU) group (n = 17) regarding intensity and number of behavior problems. All children who started one of the treatments were included in the analyses. Mothers reported a significantly more decreased intensity of behavior problems after methylphenidate (pre-post effect size d = 1.50) compared with PCIT (d = 0.64). ADHD symptoms reduced significantly over time only after methylphenidate treatment (d = 0.48) and not after PCIT. Changes over time of children in the CAU treatment were nonsignificant. Although methylphenidate was more effective than PCIT, both interventions may be effective in the treatment of preschool children with disruptive behaviors. Our findings are preliminary as our sample size was small and the use of methylphenidate in preschool children lacks profound safety data as reflected by its off-label status. More empirical support is needed from studies with larger sample sizes.

Consumption of Soft Drinks and Hyperactivity, Mental Distress, and Conduct Problems Among Adolescents in Oslo, Norway

PubMed Central

Lien, Lars; Lien, Nanna; Heyerdahl, Sonja; Thoresen, Magne; Bjertness, Espen

2006-01-01

Objectives. We examined whether high levels of consumption of sugar-containing soft drinks were associated with mental distress, hyperactivity, and conduct problems among adolescents. Methods. A cross-sectional population-based survey was conducted with 10th-grade students in Oslo, Norway (n = 5498). We used the Hopkins Symptom Checklist and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire to assess mental health outcomes. Results. There was a J-shaped dose–response relationship between soft drink consumption and mental distress, conduct problems, and total mental health difficulties score; that is, adolescents who did not consume soft drinks had higher scores (indicating worse symptoms) than those who consumed soft drinks at moderate levels but lower scores than those with high consumption levels. The relationship was linear for hyperactivity. In a logistic regression model, the association between soft drink consumption and mental health problems remained significant after adjustment for behavioral, social, and food-related variables. The highest adjusted odds ratios were observed for conduct problems among boys and girls who consumed 4 or more glasses of sugar-containing soft drinks per day. Conclusions. High consumption levels of sugar-containing soft drinks were associated with mental health problems among adolescents even after adjustment for possible confounders. PMID:17008578

Does caregiver well-being predict stroke survivor depressive symptoms? A mediation analysis.

PubMed

Grant, Joan S; Clay, Olivio J; Keltner, Norman L; Haley, William E; Wadley, Virginia G; Perkins, Martinique M; Roth, David L

2013-01-01

Studies suggest that family caregiver well-being (ie, depressive symptoms and life satisfaction) may affect stroke survivor depressive symptoms. We used mediation analysis to assess whether caregiver well-being might be a factor explaining stroke survivor depressive symptoms, after controlling for demographic factors and stroke survivor impairments and problems. Caregiver/stroke participant dyads (N = 146) completed measures of stroke survivor impairments and problems and depressive symptoms and caregiver depressive symptoms and life satisfaction. Mediation analysis was used to examine whether caregiver well-being mediated the relationship between stroke survivor impairments and problems and stroke survivor depressive symptoms. As expected, more stroke survivor problems and impairments were associated with higher levels of stroke survivor depressive symptoms (P < .0001). After controlling for demographic factors, we found that this relationship was partially mediated by caregiver life satisfaction (29.29%) and caregiver depressive symptoms (32.95%). Although these measures combined to account for 40.50% of the relationship between survivor problems and impairments and depressive symptoms, the direct effect remained significant. Findings indicate that stroke survivor impairments and problems may affect family caregivers and stroke survivors and a high level of caregiver distress may result in poorer outcomes for stroke survivors. Results highlight the likely importance of intervening with both stroke survivors and family caregivers to optimize recovery after stroke.

Epidemiology of criniviruses: an emerging problem in world agriculture

PubMed Central

Tzanetakis, Ioannis E.; Martin, Robert R.; Wintermantel, William M.

2013-01-01

The genus Crinivirus includes the whitefly-transmitted members of the family Closteroviridae. Whitefly-transmitted viruses have emerged as a major problem for world agriculture and are responsible for diseases that lead to losses measured in the billions of dollars annually. Criniviruses emerged as a major agricultural threat at the end of the twentieth century with the establishment and naturalization of their whitefly vectors, members of the genera Trialeurodes and Bemisia, in temperate climates around the globe. Several criniviruses cause significant diseases in single infections whereas others remain asymptomatic and only cause disease when found in mixed infections with other viruses. Characterization of the majority of criniviruses has been done in the last 20 years and this article provides a detailed review on the epidemiology of this important group of viruses. PMID:23730300

Forecasting Flare Activity Using Deep Convolutional Neural Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernandez, T.

2017-12-01

Current operational flare forecasting relies on human morphological analysis of active regions and the persistence of solar flare activity through time (i.e. that the Sun will continue to do what it is doing right now: flaring or remaining calm). In this talk we present the results of applying deep Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to the problem of solar flare forecasting. CNNs operate by training a set of tunable spatial filters that, in combination with neural layer interconnectivity, allow CNNs to automatically identify significant spatial structures predictive for classification and regression problems. We will start by discussing the applicability and success rate of the approach, the advantages it has over non-automated forecasts, and how mining our trained neural network provides a fresh look into the mechanisms behind magnetic energy storage and release.

Effect of different light-dark schedules on estrous cycle in mice, and implications for mitigating the adverse impact of night work.

PubMed

Yoshinaka, Kiichi; Yamaguchi, Ai; Matsumura, Ritsuko; Node, Koichi; Tokuda, Isao; Akashi, Makoto

2017-10-01

Approximately 20% of workers in developed countries are involved in night work. Nevertheless, many studies have strongly suggested that night-work-induced chronic circadian misalignment increases the risk of a diverse range of health problems. Although a relation between night work and irregular menstrual cycles has been indicated epidemiologically, a direct causal link remains elusive. Here, we report that repetitive reversal of light-dark (LD) cycles triggers irregular estrous cycles in mice. The findings showed that the estrous cycle remained irregular for more than four weeks after the mice were returned to regular LD cycles. Importantly, the magnitude of the negative impact of reversed LD cycles on the estrous cycle, or more specifically the decreased number of normal estrous cycles during the observation period, was dependent on the difference in the frequency of LD reversal. Presently, no clear solution to prevent night-work-mediated menstrual abnormalities is available, and reducing night work in modern society is difficult. Our findings indicate that optimizing work schedules could significantly prevent menstrual problems without reducing total night-work time. © 2017 Molecular Biology Society of Japan and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Priorities in Dealing with Nutrition Problems in Indonesia. Cornell International Nutrition Monograph Series, Number 1 (1974).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soekirman

A study of the literature dealing with past and present food and nutrition problems in Indonesia reveals that the problems remain serious. The major nutrition problems are: (1) Protein-Calorie Malnutrition; (2) Vitamin A Deficiency; (3) Nutritional Anemia; and (4) Goitre. These nutrition problems afflict people of all ages, males and females.…

Intergenerational Transmission of Multiple Problem Behaviors: Prospective Relationships between Mothers and Daughters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loeber, Rolf; Hipwell, Alison; Battista, Deena; Sembower, Mark; Stouthamer-Loeber, Magda

2009-01-01

Much of the research examining intergenerational continuity of problems from mother to offspring has focused on homotypic continuity (e.g., depression), despite the fact that different types of mental health problems tend to cluster in both adults and children. It remains unclear whether mothers with multiple mental health problems compared to…

Healthcare service problems reported in a national survey of South Africans.

PubMed

Hasumi, Takahiro; Jacobsen, Kathryn H

2014-08-01

To identify common types of health service problems reported by South African adults during their most recent visit to a healthcare provider. Secondary analysis of South Africa's cross-sectional General Household Survey (GHS). Nationally representative weighted sample of households in South Africa. 23,562 household representatives interviewed during the 2010 GHS. Problems experienced during the most recent visit to the usual healthcare provider. In total, 43.8% of participants reported experiencing at least one problem during their last visit; 19.1% reported multiple problems. The most common problems experienced were a long waiting time (34.8% of household representatives), needed drugs not being available (14.1%) and staff who were rude or uncaring or turned patients away (10.1%). Of the 73.6% of participants using public providers, 54.9% reported at least one problem; of the 26.4% of participants using private providers, only 18.0% reported a problem, usually cost. Similar differences in reported problems at public and private providers were reported for all racial/ethnic groups and income groups. Black Africans reported more problems than other population groups due in large part to being significantly more likely to use public providers. Addressing commonly reported problem areas-in particular, long waiting times, unavailable medications and staff who are perceived as being unfriendly-might help prevent delayed care seeking, increase the acceptability of healthcare services and reduce remaining health disparities in South Africa. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care; all rights reserved.

Psychosis in adulthood is associated with high rates of ADHD and CD problems during childhood.

PubMed

Dalteg, Arne; Zandelin, Anders; Tuninger, Eva; Levander, Sten

2014-11-01

Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia display poor premorbid adjustment (PPA) in half of the cases. Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and conduct disorder (CD) are common child psychiatric disorders. These two facts have not previously been linked in the literature. To determine the prevalence of ADHD/CD problems retrospectively among patients with psychoses, and whether and to what extent the high frequency of substance abuse problems among such patients may be linked to ADHD/CD problems. ADHD and CD problems/diagnoses were retrospectively recorded in one forensic (n = 149) and two non-forensic samples (n = 98 and n = 231) of patients with a psychotic illness: schizophrenia, bipolar or other, excluding drug-induced psychoses. ADHD and CD were much more common among the patients than in the general population-the odds ratio was estimated to be greater than 5. There was no significant difference in this respect between forensic and non-forensic patients. Substance abuse was common, but substantially more common among patients with premorbid ADHD/CD problems. Previous views regarding PPA among patients with a psychotic illness may reflect an association between childhood ADHD/CD and later psychosis. The nature of this association remains uncertain: two disorders sharing some generative mechanisms or one disorder with two main clinical manifestations. Childhood ADHD and particularly CD problems contribute to the high frequency of substance abuse in such groups.

Neural conduction abnormality in the brain stem and prevalence of the abnormality in late preterm infants with perinatal problems.

PubMed

Jiang, Ze Dong

2013-08-01

Neurodevelopment in late preterm infants has recently attracted considerable interest. The prevalence of brain stem conduction abnormality remains unknown. We examined maximum length sequence brain stem auditory evoked response in 163 infants, born at 33-36 weeks gestation, who had various perinatal problems. Compared with 49 normal term infants without problems, the late preterm infants showed a significant increase in III-V and I-V interpeak intervals at all 91-910/s clicks, particularly at 455 and 910/s (p < 0.01-0.001). The I-III interval was slightly increased, without statistically significant difference from the controls at any click rates. These results suggest that neural conduction along the, mainly more central or rostral part of, auditory brain stem is abnormal in late preterm infants with perinatal problems. Of the 163 late preterm infant, the number (and percentage rate) of infants with abnormal I-V interval at 91, 227, 455, and 910/s clicks was, respectively, 11 (6.5%), 17 (10.2%), 37 (22.3%), and 31 (18.7%). The number (and percentage rate) of infants with abnormal III-V interval at these rates was, respectively, 10 (6.0%), 17 (10.2%), 28 (16.9), and 36 (21.2%). Apparently, the abnormal rates were much higher at 455 and 910/s clicks than at lower rates 91 and 227/s. In total, 42 (25.8%) infants showed abnormal I-V and/or III-V intervals. Conduction in, mainly in the more central part, the brain stem is abnormal in late preterm infants with perinatal problems. The abnormality is more detectable at high- than at low-rate sensory stimulation. A quarter of late preterm infants with perinatal problems have brain stem conduction abnormality.

Prisoners' assessments of mental health problems among their children.

PubMed

Tasca, Melinda; Turanovic, Jillian J; White, Clair; Rodriguez, Nancy

2014-02-01

High rates of imprisonment among American men and women have motivated recent research on the well-being of children of incarcerated parents. Despite advances in the literature, little is known regarding the mental health status of children who experience maternal relative to paternal incarceration. Accordingly, we examine whether there are differences in mental health needs among children of incarcerated parents. Specifically, we assess whether incarcerated mothers are more likely than incarcerated fathers to report that their children suffer from mental health problems. Using cross-sectional data on children (N = 1,221) compiled from a sample of parents confined in the Arizona Department of Corrections, we find that children of incarcerated mothers are significantly more likely to be identified as suffering from mental health problems. This effect remained even after controlling for additional parent stressors and child risk factors such as exposure to violence, in utero exposure to drugs/alcohol, and parental mental illness. Policy implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Belief bias during reasoning among religious believers and skeptics.

PubMed

Pennycook, Gordon; Cheyne, James Allan; Koehler, Derek J; Fugelsang, Jonathan A

2013-08-01

We provide evidence that religious skeptics, as compared to believers, are both more reflective and effective in logical reasoning tasks. While recent studies have reported a negative association between an analytic cognitive style and religiosity, they focused exclusively on accuracy, making it difficult to specify potential underlying cognitive mechanisms. The present study extends the previous research by assessing both performance and response times on quintessential logical reasoning problems (syllogisms). Those reporting more religious skepticism made fewer reasoning errors than did believers. This finding remained significant after controlling for general cognitive ability, time spent on the problems, and various demographic variables. Crucial for the purpose of exploring underlying mechanisms, response times indicated that skeptics also spent more time reasoning than did believers. This novel finding suggests a possible role of response slowing during analytic problem solving as a component of cognitive style that promotes overriding intuitive first impressions. Implications for using additional processing measures, such as response time, to investigate individual differences in cognitive style are discussed.

The Impact of Problem-Based Learning on Non-Science Undergraduate Students' Attitudes towards Mathematics in an Egyptian Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rizkallah, Mohammed W.

While Problem-based Learning (PBL) has been established in the literature in different contexts, there remains few studies on how PBL has an impact on students' attitude towards mathematics and their conceptual understanding of it in Egyptian classrooms. This study was conducted in an international university in Egypt, and the participants were non-science undergraduate students who took a course called "Fun with Problem-Solving" as a requirement core class. The study shows that students' attitude towards mathematics developed throughout the course, and this was tested using the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitude Scale, where students had a pretest and posttest. While the sample size was small, there was statistical significance in the change of the means of how students perceived mathematics as a male domain, and how teachers perceived students' achievements. This notion was coupled with students' development of conceptual understanding, which was tracked throughout the semester by mapping students' work with the Lesh Translation Model.

A review of devices used for photocuring resin-based composites.

PubMed

Small, B W

2001-01-01

Composite resin shrinks up to 5% by volume upon curing. This shrinkage and the associated contraction stress remain the two most significant clinical problems with curing resin composite restorations. Many patients continue to experience sensitivity following placement of direct composites and seating of indirect restorations utilizing resin cements. Unfortunately, some claims made by manufacturers or certain clinicians that promise to alleviate these problems are made from a marketing standpoint, with no refereed literature to support those claims. Even within the literature, contradictory results have been reported, perpetuating the confusion. It is of utmost importance that all practicing dentists be aware of the various types of curing systems available and the advantages and disadvantages of each system. It is the opinion of the author that no existing system will alleviate every problem. Until new composite systems are perfected, such as the cyclopolymerizable resins and expanding polymers, we will continue to have shrinkage and stress. Be aware of false claims, read and interpret the literature, and, most importantly, do what is best for your patients.

Predicting Depression and Anxiety from Oppositional Defiant Disorder Symptoms in Elementary School-Age Girls and Boys with Conduct Problems.

PubMed

Déry, Michèle; Lapalme, Mélanie; Jagiellowicz, Jadzia; Poirier, Martine; Temcheff, Caroline; Toupin, Jean

2017-02-01

This study investigated the relationship between the three DSM-5 categories of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms (irritable mood, defiant behavior, vindictive behavior) and anxiety/depression in girls and boys with conduct problems (CP) while controlling for comorbid child psychopathology at baseline. Data were drawn from an ongoing longitudinal study of 6- to 9-year-old French-Canadian children (N = 276; 40.8 % girls) receiving special educational services for CP at school and followed for 2 years. Using linear regression analysis, the results showed that irritable mood symptoms predicted a higher level of depression and anxiety in girls and boys 2 years later, whereas the behavioral symptoms of ODD (e.g., defiant, vindictive symptoms) were linked to lower depression scores. The contribution of ODD symptoms to these predictions, while statistically significant, remained modest. The usefulness of ODD irritable symptoms as a marker for identifying girls and boys with CP who are more vulnerable to developing internalizing problems is discussed.

The Problem of Late ART initiation in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Transient Aspect of Scale-up or a Long-term Phenomenon?

PubMed Central

Lahuerta, Maria; Ue, Frances; Hoffman, Susie; Elul, Batya; Kulkarni, Sarah Gorrell; Wu, Yingfeng; Nuwagaba-Biribonwoha, Harriet; Remien, Robert H.; Sadr, Wafaa El; Nash, Denis

2013-01-01

Efforts to scale-up HIV care and treatment have been successful at initiating large numbers of patients onto antiretroviral therapy (ART), although persistent challenges remain to optimizing scale-up effectiveness in both resource-rich and resource-limited settings. Among the most important are very high rates of ART initiation in the advanced stages of HIV disease, which in turn drive morbidity, mortality, and onward transmission of HIV. With a focus on sub-Saharan Africa, this review article presents a conceptual framework for a broader discussion of the persistent problem of late ART initiation, including a need for more focus on the upstream precursors (late HIV diagnosis and late enrollment into HIV care) and their determinants. Without additional research and identification of multilevel interventions that successfully promote earlier initiation of ART, the problem of late ART initiation will persist, significantly undermining the long-term impact of HIV care scale-up on reducing mortality and controlling the HIV epidemic. PMID:23377739

Difficulty understanding speech in noise by the hearing impaired: underlying causes and technological solutions.

PubMed

Healy, Eric W; Yoho, Sarah E

2016-08-01

A primary complaint of hearing-impaired individuals involves poor speech understanding when background noise is present. Hearing aids and cochlear implants often allow good speech understanding in quiet backgrounds. But hearing-impaired individuals are highly noise intolerant, and existing devices are not very effective at combating background noise. As a result, speech understanding in noise is often quite poor. In accord with the significance of the problem, considerable effort has been expended toward understanding and remedying this issue. Fortunately, our understanding of the underlying issues is reasonably good. In sharp contrast, effective solutions have remained elusive. One solution that seems promising involves a single-microphone machine-learning algorithm to extract speech from background noise. Data from our group indicate that the algorithm is capable of producing vast increases in speech understanding by hearing-impaired individuals. This paper will first provide an overview of the speech-in-noise problem and outline why hearing-impaired individuals are so noise intolerant. An overview of our approach to solving this problem will follow.

Functional Impairments in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: The Mediating Role of Neuropsychological Functioning

PubMed Central

Sjöwall, Douglas; Thorell, Lisa B.

2014-01-01

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with multiple neuropsychological deficits and the present study aimed to investigate to what extent these deficits are related to the functional impairments associated with the disorder. The results showed that all executive functioning deficits and reaction time variability acted as mediators in the relation between ADHD and academic achievement. However, only the effect of working memory for language skills, and the effects of reaction time variability and working memory for mathematics, remained significant when studying independent effects. Regulation of anger was a significant mediator for peer problems. Gender or symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) or conduct disorder (CD) did not moderate these findings. PMID:24742310

Gambling and violence in a nationally representative sample of UK men.

PubMed

Roberts, Amanda; Coid, Jeremy; King, Robert; Murphy, Raegan; Turner, John; Bowden-Jones, Henrietta; Du Preez, Katie Palmer; Landon, Jason

2016-12-01

The relationship between violence and problem gambling in general population samples is under-researched and requires further attention to inform treatment and prevention efforts. We investigated the relationship between gambling problems and violence among men and sought to determine if the link can be accounted for by mental disorders, alcohol and drug dependence and impulsivity. A cross-sectional survey. A UK representative general population survey conducted in 2009. A total of 3025 UK men aged 18-64 years. Binary logistic regression was used to examine relationships. Outcome measures included gambling behaviour and self-reports of violence. Covariates included alcohol and drug dependence, mental illness, impulsivity and socio-demography. Problem gambling and probable pathological gambling were associated with increased odds of the perpetration of violence [adjusted odd ratios (AOR) = 3.09, confidence interval (CI) = 1.90-5.00 and 4.09, CI = 2.76-6.30, respectively] and a range of other behaviours, such as using a weapon (AORs = 4.93, CI = 2.52-9.63 and 6.33, CI = 3.52-11.38) and the perpetration of intimate partner violence (AOR = 9.80, CI =2.45-39.04). The results were attenuated when adjusted for comorbid mental illness and impulsivity, but remained statistically significant. Alcohol and drug dependence had the most impact; relationships were most attenuated when they added into the models, with the latter having the largest effect. Among men in the United Kingdom, self-reports of problem/pathological gambling remain predictive of a range of measures of violent behaviour after adjusting for alcohol and drug dependence, comorbid mental disorder and impulsivity; of the covariates, alcohol and drug dependence have the greatest effect in attenuating the gambling-violence association. © 2016 Society for the Study of Addiction.

A 10-year retrospective study of teaching nursing diagnosis to baccalaureate students in Italy.

PubMed

Palese, Alvisa; De Silvestre, Daniele; Valoppi, Graziella; Tomietto, Marco

2009-01-01

The aim of this 10-year retrospective study was to evaluate the impact of teaching nursing process to students at different levels of baccalaureate education, using the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association International (NANDA-I) Taxonomy. Nursing care plans written between 1996 and 2006 by 3,784 students who had completed a baccalaureate course in nursing process at a university in northern Italy were evaluated. At least three of the four steps of the nursing process were included in the evaluation: assessing, planning, intervening, and evaluating. An average of 6.3 (range 0-31; +/-3.9; median 6) problems were identified in each care plan. Of these, 5.1 (range 0-29; +/-3.06; median 5) were related to nursing diagnoses concerning either an actual problem or the risk of developing a problem; the remaining 1.2 (range 0-20; +/-1.9; median 0) diagnoses were concerned either with collaborative problems or with potential complications. The students demonstrated significant improvement in accurately identifying 75 diagnostic titles from the NANDA-I Taxonomy as they progressed through their first, second, and third years of baccalaureate study. These findings suggest that the ability to use the NANDA-I Taxonomy accurately is acquired over time. Thus, the theory and practice of using nursing process should be introduced in a formal course during the first year of baccalaureate nursing education and should be reinforced throughout the remaining courses. Students can then progressively improve their knowledge, critical thinking abilities, and use of the NANDA-I Taxonomy during their second and third years of study. Teaching strategies to reinforce students' learning are recommended.

Using mHealth technologies to improve the identification of behavioral health problems in urban primary care settings.

PubMed

Staeheli, Martha; Aseltine, Robert H; Schilling, Elizabeth; Anderson, Daren; Gould, Bruce

2017-01-01

Behavioral health disorders remain under recognized and under diagnosed among urban primary care patients. Screening patients for such problems is widely recommended, yet is challenging to do in a brief primary care encounter, particularly for this socially and medically complex patient population. In 2013, intervention patients at an urban Connecticut primary clinic were screened for post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and risky drinking (n = 146) using an electronic tablet-based screening tool. Screening data were compared to electronic health record data from control patients (n = 129) to assess differences in the prevalence of behavioral health problems, rates of follow-up care, and the rate of newly identified cases in the intervention group. Results from logistic regressions indicated that both groups had similar rates of disorder at baseline. Patients in the intervention group were five times more likely to be identified with depression (p < 0.05). Post-traumatic stress disorder was virtually unrecognized among controls but was observed in 23% of the intervention group (p < 0.001). The vast majority of behavioral health problems identified in the intervention group were new cases. Follow-up rates were significantly higher in the intervention group relative to controls, but were low overall. This tablet-based electronic screening tool identified significantly higher rates of behavioral health disorders than have been previously reported for this patient population. Electronic risk screening using patient-reported outcome measures offers an efficient approach to improving the identification of behavioral health problems and improving rates of follow-up care.

Food insecurity and child behavior problems in fragile families.

PubMed

King, Christian

2018-02-01

Food insecurity remains a persistent problem in the United States. Several studies have shown that food insecurity is associated with child externalizing and internalizing behavior problems. However, some potential methodological limitations remain. For example, most studies use a household measure of food insecurity while there is evidence that children, especially younger ones, tend to be shielded by their parents from experiencing food insecurity. In addition, the mechanisms through which food insecurity affects children are not well understood. This study uses longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to address these limitations. Fixed-effects models show that the association is even larger using a measure of child food insecurity instead of a household one. Correlated-random effects models show a large difference in child behavior problems between food secure and food insecure children due to unobserved heterogeneity. In addition, the association between child food insecurity and child externalizing behaviors remains largely unexplained while food insecurity among adults explains almost all the variation in the association with child internalizing behaviors. Food insecure children and parents are at risk of micronutrient deficiencies, which may lead to behavior problems in young children. These findings underscore the need for greater focus on reducing the risk of food insecurity, especially for children in fragile families, in order to reduce behavior problems and improve their educational attainment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mental Illness Stigma Intervention in African Americans: Examining Two Delivery Methods.

PubMed

Vinson, Ebony S; Abdullah, Tahirah; Brown, Tamara L

2016-05-01

Stigma surrounding mental illness and mental health treatment remains a significant problem, particularly among African Americans. This study sought to examine the effects of 2 intervention delivery methods in reducing reported stigma. African Americans (n = 158) were nonrandomly assigned to an in-person contact or video condition and administered a survey immediately before, after, and 2 weeks following the stigma intervention. The in vivo contact condition consisted of an African American man discussing his experiences with mental illness and psychotherapy. The session was recorded, and the recording was used for the video condition. There were no significant effects based on delivery method; however, there was a significant effect for time on stigma and help-seeking attitude measures. Further research is needed to determine the overall effectiveness of the intervention.

Tracking student progress in a game-like physics learning environment with a Monte Carlo Bayesian knowledge tracing model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gweon, Gey-Hong; Lee, Hee-Sun; Dorsey, Chad; Tinker, Robert; Finzer, William; Damelin, Daniel

2015-03-01

In tracking student learning in on-line learning systems, the Bayesian knowledge tracing (BKT) model is a popular model. However, the model has well-known problems such as the identifiability problem or the empirical degeneracy problem. Understanding of these problems remain unclear and solutions to them remain subjective. Here, we analyze the log data from an online physics learning program with our new model, a Monte Carlo BKT model. With our new approach, we are able to perform a completely unbiased analysis, which can then be used for classifying student learning patterns and performances. Furthermore, a theoretical analysis of the BKT model and our computational work shed new light on the nature of the aforementioned problems. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant REC-1147621 and REC-1435470.

Why Is the Overheating Problem Difficult: the Role of Entropy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liou, Meng-Sing

2013-01-01

The development of computational fluid dynamics over the last few decades has yielded enormous successes and capabilities being routinely employed today; however there remain some open problems to be properly resolved-some are fundamental in nature and some resolvable by operational changes. These two categories are distinguished and broadly explored previously. One, that belongs to the former, is the so-called overheating problem, especially in rarefying flow. This problem up to date still dogs every method known to the author; a solution to it remains elusive. The study in this paper concludes that: (1) the entropy increase is quantitatively linked to the increase in the temperature increase, (2) it is argued that the overheating is inevitable in the current shock capturing or traditional finite difference framework, and (3) a simple hybrid method is proposed that removes the overheating problem in the rarefying problems, but also retains the property of accurate shock capturing. This remedy (enhancement of current numerical methods) can be included easily in the present Eulerian codes.

Use of birth control pills, condoms, and withdrawal among U.S. high school students.

PubMed

Everett, S A; Warren, C W; Santelli, J S; Kann, L; Collins, J L; Kolbe, L J

2000-08-01

To examine the use of contraception at last sexual intercourse among currently sexually active adolescents. We analyzed data from national school-based Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBS) conducted in 1991, 1993, 1995, and 1997. The YRBS is a self-administered, anonymous survey which uses a national probability sample of U.S. students in public and private schools from grades 9 through 12. From 1991 to 1997, condom use significantly increased (from 46% to 57%), birth control pill use decreased (from 21% to 17%), and use of withdrawal significantly decreased (from 18% to 13%). In 1997, although more students were using condoms, 13% reported using withdrawal and 15% reported using no method to prevent pregnancy at last sexual intercourse. In 1997, condom use among females was significantly lower in the 9th grade than in the 12th grade (p <.001), whereas birth control pill use was higher (p <.001) and use of withdrawal remained stable. Among males, condom use and withdrawal use remained stable from 9th to 12th grade, whereas birth control pill use by their partner increased (p <.001). Inadequate contraceptive use among sexually active adolescents continues to be a major public health problem in the United States. For young people who will not remain sexually abstinent, families, health care providers, schools, and other influential societal institutions should promote the correct and continued use of condoms as essential protection against sexually transmitted diseases and human immunodeficiency virus infection.

A longitudinal examination of the bidirectional association between sleep problems and social ties at university: the mediating role of emotion regulation.

PubMed

Tavernier, Royette; Willoughby, Teena

2015-02-01

Despite the growing body of research linking sleep problems and social ties, research investigating the direction of effects between these two constructs is lacking. Furthermore, there remains a dearth of research examining the mechanisms that may explain the association between sleep problems and social ties within a longitudinal design. The present 3-year longitudinal study addressed two research questions: (1) Is there a bidirectional association between sleep problems and social ties at university? and (2) Does emotion regulation mediate the association between sleep problems and social ties at university? Participants (N = 942, 71.5% female; M = 19.01 years at Time 1, SD = 0.90) were university students who completed annual assessments of sleep problems, social ties, and emotion regulation, for three consecutive years. Results of path analysis indicated that the bidirectional association between sleep problems and social ties was statistically significant (controlling for demographics, sleep-wake inconsistency, sleep duration, and alcohol). Analyses of indirect effects indicated that emotion regulation mediated this link, such that better sleep quality (i.e., less sleep problems) led to more effective emotion regulation, which, subsequently, led to more positive social ties. In addition, more positive social ties led to more effective emotion regulation, which, in turn, led to less sleep problems. The findings highlight the critical role that emotional regulation plays in the link between sleep problems and social ties, and emphasize the need for students as well as university administration to pay close attention to both the sleep and social environment of university students.

Longitudinal Associations between Depressive Problems, Academic Performance, and Social Functioning in Adolescent Boys and Girls

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verboom, Charlotte E.; Sijtsema, Jelle J.; Verhulst, Frank C.; Penninx, Brenda W. J. H.; Ormel, Johan

2014-01-01

Depressive problems and academic performance, social well-being, and social problems in adolescents are strongly associated. However, longitudinal and bidirectional relations between the two remain unclear, as well as the role of gender. Consequently, this study focuses on the relation between depressive problems and three types of functioning in…

Do Imitation Problems Reflect a Core Characteristic in Autism? Evidence from a Literature Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vanvuchelen, Marleen; Roeyers, Herbert; De Weerdt, Willy

2011-01-01

Although imitation problems have been associated with autism for many years, the issue if these problems are a core deficit in autism remains subject of debate. In this review article, the question if autism imitation problems fulfil the criteria of uniqueness, specificity, universality, persistency, precedence and broadness is explored and…

Family Background, Parental Involvement, and Parent Child Interactions as Predictors of Fifth-Graders Behavior Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Tamala P.

2012-01-01

Many studies have been conducted to address childhood behavior problems, but much remains unknown regarding the causes and factors that affect internalizing and externalizing problems in children. The purpose of the current research study was to examine the relationships between children's internalizing and externalizing behavior problems and (a)…

Traumatic event exposure and gambling: associations with clinical, neurocognitive, and personality variables.

PubMed

Leppink, Eric W; Grant, Jon E

2015-02-01

Epidemiological research has shown high comorbidity rates between at-risk/problem (ARP) gambling and trauma. However, few studies have assessed the neurocognitive implications of this comorbidity, and even fewer have been conducted with young adults. The present study sought to determine the neurocognitive, clinical, personality types associated with trauma in ARP gamblers. The present study analyzed young adult gamblers age 18 to 29 drawn from a study investigating impulsivity. Of the 230 gamblers, 52 (22.6%) reported experiencing a traumatic event during their life to which they responded with intense fear, helplessness, or horror. The remaining participants indicated no experience with trauma. ARP gamblers who had experienced trauma showed significant neurocognitive deficits on tasks related to decision-making, risk adjustment, sustained attention, and spatial working memory. We did not detect significant differences in gambling severity. Trauma was associated with lower perceived quality of life and self-esteem, and higher rates of current comorbid diagnoses, suicidality, substance use disorders, and nicotine use. This study suggests that trauma may not exacerbate the severity of gambling in ARP gamblers. However, significant differences in supplemental clinical and neurocognitive measures may indicate that trauma is an important consideration when assessing problems beyond those related directly to gambling severity.

Educational Level, Underachievement, and General Mental Health Problems in 10,866 Adolescents.

PubMed

Tempelaar, Wanda M; de Vos, Nelleke; Plevier, Carolien M; van Gastel, Willemijn A; Termorshuizen, Fabian; MacCabe, James H; Boks, Marco P M

2017-08-01

Previous research suggests that cognitive functioning is associated with the risk of several adult psychiatric disorders. In this study we investigated whether adolescents who perform worse than expected at secondary school are at a higher risk for general mental health problems. In a cross-sectional survey comprising 10,866 Dutch adolescents aged 13 to 16 years, underachievement at secondary school was defined as the discrepancy between predicted school grade and actual grade 1 or 3 years later. Mental health problems were assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. We investigated the association of underachievement with mental health problems using logistic regression, adjusting for potential confounders. Underachievement was associated with general psychopathology in pupils aged 13 to 14 years (odds ratio [OR], 1.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.47-2.37) and in pupils aged 15 to 16 years (OR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.67-2.52) in a multivariate analysis including sociodemographic factors. The association between underachievement and mental health problems was attenuated when school factors such as teacher advice and interaction between underachievement and teacher advice were added, but underachievement remained significantly associated with mental health problems in adolescents in the higher educational tracks (pupils aged 13-14 years: OR, 2.22; 95% CI, 1.07-4.60 and OR, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.10-5.30, age 15-16 years: OR, 2.63; 95% CI, 1.38-5.03). In the multivariate analysis including the interaction between underachievement and teacher advice, a significant interaction effect occurs between underachievement and teacher advice in the higher tracks. Values of OR and CI are given for each significant interaction term. In the younger age group (pupils aged 13-14 years) this results in 2 sets of OR and CI. This association was most pronounced for the hyperactivity subscale of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Underachievement at secondary school is associated with general mental health problems, especially with hyperactivity symptoms, in pupils who started at high educational tracks. Copyright © 2017 Academic Pediatric Association. All rights reserved.

Problem-based learning versus lecture-based learning in postgraduate medical education.

PubMed

Smits, Paul B; de Buisonjé, Cathelijn D; Verbeek, Jos H; van Dijk, Frank J; Metz, Jaap C; ten Cate, Olle J

2003-08-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of problem-based learning in comparison with lecture-based learning in a postgraduate medical training program concerning the management of mental health problems for occupational health physicians. A randomized controlled trial in 1999, with a mean follow-up of 14 months after the educational intervention, was used involving postgraduate medical education and training for occupational health physicians in The Netherlands, with 118 physicians in training as occupational health physicians. The experimental program was based on the principles of problem-based learning; the control program used the traditional lecture-based approach. Both programs were aimed at improving knowledge of and performance in the occupational management of work-related mental health problems. As the main outcome measures, knowledge tests consisting of true-or-false and open-answer questions and performance in practice based on self-reports and performance indicators were used. Satisfaction with the course was rated by the participants. In both groups, knowledge had increased equally directly after the programs and decreased equally after the follow-up. The gain in knowledge remained positive. The performance indicator scores also increased in both groups, but significantly more so in the problem-based group. The problem-based group was less satisfied with the course. Both forms of postgraduate medical training are effective. In spite of less favorable evaluations, the problem-based program appeared to be more effective than the lecture-based program in improving performance. Both programs, however, were equally effective in improving knowledge levels.

[Freud's abstract of "A contribution to the option of neurosis" (1913). Publication and commentary].

PubMed

May, Ulrike

2011-01-01

The text, which is published here for the first time, summarizes the paper Freud presented to the IPA congress in Munich. A short commentary highlights the circumstances under which the paper was written and the reasons why the abstract remained unpublished. It also sketches the historical significance of the paper in terms of the problem of the option of neurosis, in particular obsessional neurosis, of the development of Freud's sexual theory and of the relation of his views to those of Ernest Jones.

International family planning fellowship program: advanced training in family planning to reduce unsafe abortion.

PubMed

Dalton, Vanessa K; Xu, Xiao; Mullan, Patricia; Danso, Kwabena A; Kwawukume, Yao; Gyan, Kofi; Johnson, Timothy R B

2013-03-01

Maternal mortality remains a huge problem in the developing world, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.1 According to the World Health Organization, efforts intended to decrease maternal deaths need to recognize and address unsafe abortions as a significant contributor to the high rates of maternal mortality found in developing countries.2,3 In Africa, where abortions are highly restricted, 680 women die per 100,000 abortions, compared with 0.2-1.2 women per 100,000 in developed countries, where most abortions are legal.4.

Endovascular Neurosurgery: Personal Experience and Future Perspectives.

PubMed

Raymond, Jean

2016-09-01

From Luessenhop's early clinical experience until the present day, experimental methods have been introduced to make progress in endovascular neurosurgery. A personal historical narrative, spanning the 1980s to 2010s, with a review of past opportunities, current problems, and future perspectives. Although the technology has significantly improved, our clinical culture remains a barrier to methodologically sound and safe innovative care and progress. We must learn how to safely practice endovascular neurosurgery in the presence of uncertainty and verify patient outcomes in real time. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Aminopeptidase Inhibitor CHR-2863 Is an Orally Bioavailable Inhibitor of Murine Malaria

PubMed Central

Skinner-Adams, Tina S.; Peatey, Christopher L.; Anderson, Karen; Trenholme, Katharine R.; Krige, David; Brown, Christopher L.; Stack, Colin; Nsangou, Desire M. M.; Mathews, Rency T.; Thivierge, Karine; Dalton, John P.

2012-01-01

Malaria remains a significant risk in many areas of the world, with resistance to the current antimalarial pharmacopeia an ever-increasing problem. The M1 alanine aminopeptidase (PfM1AAP) and M17 leucine aminopeptidase (PfM17LAP) are believed to play a role in the terminal stages of digestion of host hemoglobin and thereby generate a pool of free amino acids that are essential for parasite growth and development. Here, we show that an orally bioavailable aminopeptidase inhibitor, CHR-2863, is efficacious against murine malaria. PMID:22450967

Transapical aortic valve implantation – a rescue procedure for patients with aortic stenosis and “porcelain aorta”

PubMed Central

Czerwinska, Katarzyna; Orłowska-Baranowska, Ewa; Witkowski, Adam; Demkow, Marcin; Abramczuk, Elżbieta; Michałek, Piotr; Greszata, Lidia; Stoklosa, Patrycjusz; Kuśmierski, Krzysztof; Kowal, Jaroslaw; Stepinska, Janina

2011-01-01

Surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) still remains the treatment of choice in symptomatic significant aortic stenosis (AS). Due to technical problems, extensive calcification of the ascending aorta (“porcelain aorta”) is an additional risk factor for surgery and transapical aortic valve implantation (TAAVI) is likely to be the only rescue procedure for this group of patients. We describe the case of an 81-year-old woman with severe AS and “porcelain aorta”, in whom the only available life-saving intervention was TAAVI. PMID:22295040

A vertebrate case study of the quality of assemblies derived from next-generation sequences

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

The unparalleled efficiency of next-generation sequencing (NGS) has prompted widespread adoption, but significant problems remain in the use of NGS data for whole genome assembly. We explore the advantages and disadvantages of chicken genome assemblies generated using a variety of sequencing and assembly methodologies. NGS assemblies are equivalent in some ways to a Sanger-based assembly yet deficient in others. Nonetheless, these assemblies are sufficient for the identification of the majority of genes and can reveal novel sequences when compared to existing assembly references. PMID:21453517

Three-dimensional x-ray inspection of food products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graves, Mark; Batchelor, Bruce G.; Palmer, Stephen C.

1994-09-01

Modern food production techniques operate at high speed and sometimes fill several containers simultaneously; individual containers never become available for inspection by conventional x- ray systems. There is a constant demand for improved methods for detecting foreign bodies, such as glass, plastic, wood, stone, animal remains, etc. These requirements lead to significant problems with existing inspection techniques, which are susceptible to noise and are unable to detect long thin contaminants reliably. Experimental results demonstrate these points. The paper proposes the use of two x-ray inspection systems, with orthogonal beams to overcome these difficulties.

An evaluation of the impact of social interaction skills training for facially disfigured people.

PubMed

Robinson, E; Rumsey, N; Partridge, J

1996-07-01

Facially disfigured people can experience significant psychological problems, commonly relating to difficulties in social interaction. The effect of social interaction skills workshops on the psychological well-being of 64 facially disfigured participants is described. Participants completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD), the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (SAD) and an open-ended questionnaire, before a workshop and at 6 weeks and 6 months follow-up. The high levels of anxiety evident prior to the workshop fell significantly 6 weeks post-workshop (HSD = 1.297, P < 0.01) and remained significantly lower at 6 month follow-up (HSD = 1.563, P < 0.01). Similarly, SAD scores fell significantly at 6 weeks (HSD = 1.89, P < 0.05) and again at 6 month follow-up (HSD = 2.26, P < 0.01). 6 weeks post-workshop, participants reported feeling more confident in the company of strangers (HSD = -1.266, P < 0.01) and about meeting new people (HSD = -1.159, P < 0.01). This increase in confidence was maintained at 6 months (HSD = -1.068 and -1.042 respectively, P < 0.01 for both). 61% of those who experienced problems before the workshop reported a positive change in these situations. The potential of these workshops as an addition to surgical intervention is discussed.

Neuropsychological Comparison of Children with Heavy Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and an IQ-Matched Comparison Group

PubMed Central

Vaurio, Linnea; Riley, Edward P.; Mattson, Sarah N.

2012-01-01

An objective in current research on children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) is to determine neurobehavioral profiles to identify affected individuals. Deficits observed when children with FASD are compared to typically developing controls may be confounded by lower IQ scores in the subjects with FASD. To determine if prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with neurobehavioral deficits after controlling for IQ differences, multivariate analyses were conducted to compare alcohol-exposed (ALC) subjects to a comparison group closely matched on IQ (IQC). The initial analysis included a broad neuropsychological battery with measures of language, executive function, visual–motor integration, motor ability, and academic achievement. Additional, in depth comparisons focused on visual sustained attention, verbal learning and memory and parent/guardian-reported behavior problems. Group differences (ALC < IQC) were found on verbal learning and parent-rated behavior problems. Group differences were marginally significant (measures within the broad neuropsychological comparison) or not significant (visual attention, retention of verbal material) on the remaining comparisons. Therefore, some deficits (e.g., verbal learning and behavior problems) in children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure cannot be explained by the lower FSIQ observed in the population. These areas of relative weakness could be useful in distinguishing children with FASD from other children with lowered IQ. PMID:21349236

Advances in anesthesia technology are improving patient care, but many challenges remain.

PubMed

John Doyle, D; Dahaba, Ashraf; LeManach, Yannick

2018-04-13

Although significant advances in clinical monitoring technology and clinical practice development have taken place in the last several decades, in this editorial we argue that much more still needs to be done. We begin by identifying many of the improvements in perioperative technology that have become available in recent years; these include electroencephalographic depth of anesthesia monitoring, bedside ultrasonography, advanced neuromuscular transmission monitoring systems, and other developments. We then discuss some of the perioperative technical challenges that remain to be satisfactorily addressed, such as products that incorporate poor software design or offer a confusing user interface. Finally we suggest that the journal support initiatives to help remedy this problem by publishing reports on the evaluation of medical equipment as a means to restore the link between clinical research and clinical end-users.

The impact of human immunodeficiency virus-related diseases on pigmented skin types.

PubMed

Ameen, M

2013-10-01

Infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a significant problem globally. Early diagnosis and treatment with antiretroviral drugs has considerably improved health outcomes and decreased disease-related morbidity. HIV infection is associated with a wide range of skin disorders enabling dermatologists to diagnose HIV as well as associated opportunistic infections early in the course of disease. Despite concerted efforts by international health organizations to limit disease incidence, the prevalence of HIV infection remains high and is highest in sub-Saharan Africa. The diagnosis of HIV-related skin diseases is challenging as immunosuppression often results in atypical disease presentation. In addition, the clinical presentation will vary in pigmented skin types. The aim of this article is to describe disease variation in pigmented skin types. © 2013 The Author BJD © 2013 British Association of Dermatologists.

Parental monitoring trajectories and gambling among a longitudinal cohort of urban youth

PubMed Central

Lee, Grace P.; Stuart, Elizabeth A.; Ialongo, Nicholas S.; Martins, Silvia S.

2013-01-01

Aim To test the strength of the association between parental monitoring trajectories throughout early adolescence (ages 11–14) and gambling behaviors by young adulthood (age 22). Design Longitudinal cohort design. Setting Baltimore, Maryland. Participants The sample of 514 participants with gambling data between ages 16–22 and parental monitoring data between ages 11–14, were predominantly African American and received subsidized lunches at age 6. Measurements The South Oaks Gambling Screen and South Oaks Gambling Screen-Revised for Adolescents collected self-reports on annual gambling and gambling problems between ages 16–22. The Parental Monitoring Subscale of the Structured Interview of Parent Management Skills and Practices-Youth Version collected self-reports on annual parental monitoring between ages 11–14. Findings General growth mixture modeling identified two parental monitoring trajectories: 1) “Stable” class (84.9%) began with a high level of parental monitoring at age 11 that remained steady through age 14; 2) “Declining” class (15.1%) began with a significantly lower level of parental monitoring at age 11 and experienced a significant decline through age 14. The Declining class had significantly increased unadjusted (OR=1.91; 95% CI=1.59,2.23; p=<.001) and adjusted (aOR=1.57; 95% CI=1.24,1.99; p=.01) odds of problem gambling as compared with nongambling. Conclusion Low and/or declining parental monitoring of children between the ages of 11 and 14 is significantly associated with problem gambling when those children reach young adulthood. PMID:24321006

Face recognition via edge-based Gabor feature representation for plastic surgery-altered images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chude-Olisah, Chollette C.; Sulong, Ghazali; Chude-Okonkwo, Uche A. K.; Hashim, Siti Z. M.

2014-12-01

Plastic surgery procedures on the face introduce skin texture variations between images of the same person (intra-subject), thereby making the task of face recognition more difficult than in normal scenario. Usually, in contemporary face recognition systems, the original gray-level face image is used as input to the Gabor descriptor, which translates to encoding some texture properties of the face image. The texture-encoding process significantly degrades the performance of such systems in the case of plastic surgery due to the presence of surgically induced intra-subject variations. Based on the proposition that the shape of significant facial components such as eyes, nose, eyebrow, and mouth remains unchanged after plastic surgery, this paper employs an edge-based Gabor feature representation approach for the recognition of surgically altered face images. We use the edge information, which is dependent on the shapes of the significant facial components, to address the plastic surgery-induced texture variation problems. To ensure that the significant facial components represent useful edge information with little or no false edges, a simple illumination normalization technique is proposed for preprocessing. Gabor wavelet is applied to the edge image to accentuate on the uniqueness of the significant facial components for discriminating among different subjects. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated on the Georgia Tech (GT) and the Labeled Faces in the Wild (LFW) databases with illumination and expression problems, and the plastic surgery database with texture changes. Results show that the proposed edge-based Gabor feature representation approach is robust against plastic surgery-induced face variations amidst expression and illumination problems and outperforms the existing plastic surgery face recognition methods reported in the literature.

Greece's high dentist to population ratio: comparisons, causes, and effects.

PubMed

Koletsi-Kounari, Haroula; Papaioannou, William; Stefaniotis, Theodoros

2011-11-01

Reaching the optimal dentist to population ratio is a common health policy challenge around the world, but while many countries have too few dentists for their populations, Greece is facing the opposite problem. This study was designed to describe and analyze trends in the number and distribution of dentists in Greece over the last thirty years and compare the Greek dentist to population ratio with that of the other twenty-six European Union (EU) countries. Demographic data for Greece were obtained from the Hellenic Dental Association and the National Statistical Service of Greece and were analyzed using nonparametric statistical tests. Data for the other EU countries were derived from various authoritative sources. In Greece, the number of dentists per 10,000 inhabitants increased significantly (p<0.05) from 1982 (7.7) to 2007 (13.0), ranking Greece first (in 2008) among the EU countries. The proportional increase in the number of dentists during the decade 1979-88 (30.4 percent) was significant (p<0.05), compared to the decade 1989-98 (22.3 percent) and the nine-year period 1999-2007 (23.6 percent). In 1982 and 1992, the majority of dentists practiced in the Attica Prefecture (Athens) (55.2 percent and 52.6 percent, respectively), but this situation changed significantly in 2007 (p<0.05) (40.1 percent for Attica). The percentage of female dentists remained almost the same from 1982 until 2007, but female dentists' location of practice changed significantly (p<0.05) between 1992 and 2007. After reporting the data, we examine some of the reasons for and effects of the situation and consider the problem that, even with a high dentist to population ratio, Greece has significant oral health access problems.

SOME CURRENT PROBLEMS IN SECOND-LANGUAGE TEACHING.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

WARDHAUGH, RONALD

ALTHOUGH THE LINGUISTS, PSYCHOLOGISTS, AND TEACHERS WHO HAVE STRESSED THE HABITUAL ASPECTS OF LANGUAGE HAVE MADE MANY USEFUL CONTRIBUTIONS TO LINGUISTIC RESEARCH AND LANGUAGE TEACHING, THERE STILL REMAIN SOME BASIC PROBLEMS. WITH THE PSYCHOLOGIST, PEDAGOGUE, SOCIOLOGIST, AND ANTHROPOLOGIST, THE LINGUIST MUST ATTACK THE GROUP OF PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED…

Longitudinal Assessment of Neurocognitive Outcomes in Survivors of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Treated on a Contemporary Chemotherapy Protocol.

PubMed

Jacola, Lisa M; Krull, Kevin R; Pui, Ching-Hon; Pei, Deqing; Cheng, Cheng; Reddick, Wilburn E; Conklin, Heather M

2016-04-10

Survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treated with CNS-directed chemotherapy are at risk for neurocognitive deficits. Prospective longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the neurodevelopmental trajectory in this vulnerable population. Patients enrolled in the St. Jude Total Therapy Study XV, which omitted prophylactic cranial radiation therapy in all patients, completed comprehensive neuropsychological assessments at induction (n = 142), end of maintenance (n = 243), and 2 years after completion of therapy (n = 211). We report on longitudinal change in neurocognitive function and predictors of neurocognitive outcomes 2 years after completing therapy. Neurocognitive function was largely age appropriate 2 years after completing therapy; however, the overall group demonstrated significant attention deficits and a significantly greater frequency of learning problems as compared with national normative data (all P ≤ .005). Higher-intensity CNS-directed chemotherapy conferred elevated risk for difficulties in attention, processing speed, and academics (all P ≤ .01). The rate and direction of change in performance and caregiver-reported attention difficulties differed significantly by age at diagnosis and sex. End-of-therapy attention problems predicted lower academic scores 2 years later, with small to moderate effect sizes (│r│= 0.17 to 0.25, all P ≤ .05). Two years after chemotherapy-only treatment, neurocognitive function is largely age appropriate. Nonetheless, survivors remain at elevated risk for attention problems that impact real-world functioning. Attention problems at the end of therapy predicted decreased academics 2 years later, suggesting an amplified functional impact of discrete neurocognitive difficulties. Age at diagnosis and patient sex may alter neurocognitive development in survivors of childhood ALL treated with chemotherapy-only protocols. © 2016 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The concerned significant others of people with gambling problems in a national representative sample in Sweden - a 1 year follow-up study.

PubMed

Svensson, Jessika; Romild, Ulla; Shepherdson, Emma

2013-11-21

Research into the impact of problem gambling on close social networks is scarce with the majority of studies only including help-seeking populations. To date only one study has examined concerned significant others (CSOs) from an epidemiological perspective and it did not consider gender. The aim of this study is to examine the health, social support, and financial situations of CSOs in a Swedish representative sample and to examine gender differences. A population study was conducted in Sweden in 2008/09 (n = 15,000, response rate 63%). Respondents were defined as CSOs if they reported that someone close to them currently or previously had problems with gambling. The group of CSOs was further examined in a 1-year follow up (weighted response rate 74% from the 8,165 respondents in the original sample). Comparisons were also made between those defined as CSOs only at baseline (47.7%, n = 554) and those defined as CSOs at both time points. In total, 18.2% of the population were considered CSOs, with no difference between women and men. Male and female CSOs experienced, to a large extent, similar problems including poor mental health, risky alcohol consumption, economic hardship, and arguments with those closest to them. Female CSOs reported less social support than other women and male CSOs had more legal problems and were more afraid of losing their jobs than other men. One year on, several problems remained even if some improvements were found. Both male and female CSOs reported more negative life events in the 1 year follow-up. Although some relationships are unknown, including between the CSOs and the individuals with gambling problems and the causal relationships between being a CSO and the range of associated problems, the results of this study indicate that gambling problems not only affect the gambling individual and their immediate close family but also the wider social network. A large proportion of the population can be defined as a CSO, half of whom are men. While male and female CSOs share many common problems, there are gender differences which need to be considered in prevention and treatment.

Towards Greater Specificity in Identifying Associations Among Interparental Aggression, Child Emotional Reactivity to Conflict, and Child Problems

PubMed Central

Davies, Patrick T.; Cicchetti, Dante; Martin, Meredith J.

2012-01-01

This study examined specific forms of emotional reactivity to conflict and temperamental emotionality as explanatory mechanisms in pathways among interparental aggression and child psychological problems. Participants of the multi-method, longitudinal study included 201 two-year-old children and their mothers who had experienced elevated violence in the home. Consistent with emotional security theory, autoregressive structural equation model analyses indicated that children’s fearful reactivity to conflict was the only consistent mediator in the associations among interparental aggression and their internalizing and externalizing symptoms one year later. Pathways remained significant across maternal and observer ratings of children’s symptoms and with the inclusion of other predictors and mediators, including children’s sad and angry forms of reactivity to conflict, temperamental emotionality, gender, and socioeconomic status. PMID:22716918

Mathematics and its value for engineering students: what are the implications for teaching?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harris, Diane; Black, Laura; Hernandez-Martinez, Paul; Pepin, Birgit; Williams, Julian; with the TransMaths Team

2015-04-01

Mathematics has long been known to be problematic for university engineering students and their teachers, for example, Scanlan.[1] This paper presents recent data gathered from interviews with engineering students who experienced problems with mathematics and their lecturers during their transition through the first year in different programme contexts. Our interviews with the students reveal how they understand the relation between engineering and mathematics and we draw on the concept of 'use- and exchange-value' to explore this relationship more fully. This paper challenges both the pedagogical practice of teaching non-contextualized mathematics and the lack of transparency regarding the significance of mathematics to engineering. We conclude that the value of mathematics in engineering remains a central problem, and argue that mathematics should be a fundamental concern in the design and practice of first-year engineering.

Twelve month use of mental health services in a nationally representative, active military sample.

PubMed

Fikretoglu, Deniz; Guay, Stéphane; Pedlar, David; Brunet, Alain

2008-02-01

Mental disorders constitute a significant public health problem in active military populations. However, very little is known about patterns of mental health service use in these populations. The primary objective of this study was to examine the patterns and predictors of mental health service use in active Canadian Force members. Additional objectives included identification of barriers to service use. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the Canadian Community Health Survey-Canadian Forces Supplement. Participants were assessed for mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders using the World Health Organization's Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Those who met criteria for at least 1 disorder in the past year (n = 1220) were included in the analyses. Of military members with a 12-month diagnosis, 42.6% used services in the past year. Predictors of service use included mental health indicators, gender, marital status, and military rank. Of military members who failed to use services, only a small percentage (3.5-16.0%) acknowledged a need for services. These members perceived a number of barriers to services, foremost among which was lack of trust in military health, administrative, and social services. Despite recent efforts to de-stigmatize mental health problems and treatments, unmet need for mental health services remains a significant problem in active militaries. Our findings indicate that military institutions should continue public education campaigns to de-stigmatize mental health problems and should make necessary changes in health delivery systems to gain the trust of military members.

Suicide attempt in young people: A signal for long-term healthcare and social needs

PubMed Central

Goldman-Mellor, Sidra J.; Caspi, Avshalom; Harrington, HonaLee; Hogan, Sean; Nada-Raja, Shyamala; Poulton, Richie; Moffitt, Terrie E.

2013-01-01

Importance Suicidal behavior has increased since the onset of the global recession, a trend that may have long-term health and social implications. Objective To test whether suicide attempts among young people signal increased risk for later poor health and social functioning, above and beyond pre-existing psychiatric disorder. Design We followed a cohort of young people and assessed multiple aspects of their health and social functioning as they approached midlife. Outcomes among individuals who had self-reported a suicide attempt up through age 24 (young suicide attempters) were compared to those who reported no attempt through age 24 (non-attempters). Psychiatric history and social class were controlled. Setting The population-representative Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study. Participants A total of 1,037 birth cohort members, comprising 91 young suicide attempters and 946 non-attempters, 95% of whom were followed to age 38. Main Outcome Measures Outcomes were selected to represent significant individual and societal costs: mental health, physical health, harm towards others, and need for support. Results As adults approaching midlife, young suicide attempters were significantly more likely to have persistent mental health problems (e.g., depression, substance dependence, additional suicide attempts) when compared to non-attempters. They were also more likely to have physical health problems (e.g., metabolic syndrome, elevated inflammation). They engaged in more violence (e.g., violent crime, intimate partner abuse) and needed more social support (e.g., long-term welfare receipt, unemployment). Furthermore, they reported being lonelier and less satisfied with their lives. These associations remained after adjustment for youth psychiatric diagnoses and social class. Conclusions Many young suicide attempters remain vulnerable to costly health and social problems into midlife. As rates of suicidal behavior rise with the continuing global recession, additional suicide prevention efforts and long-term monitoring and after-care services are needed. PMID:24306041

Fighting Against Disuse of the Masticatory System in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: A Pilot Study Using Chewing Gum.

PubMed

van Bruggen, H Willemijn; van den Engel-Hoek, Lenie; Steenks, Michel H; van der Bilt, Andries; Bronkhorst, Ewald M; Creugers, Nico H J; de Groot, Imelda J M; Kalaykova, Stanimira I

2015-10-01

Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients report masticatory problems. The aim was to determine the efficacy of mastication training in Duchenne muscular dystrophy using chewing gum for 4 weeks. In all, 17 patients and 17 healthy age-matched males participated. The masticatory performance was assessed using a mixing ability test and measuring anterior bite force before, shortly after and 1 month after the training. In the patient group the masticatory performance improved and remained after 1-month follow-up, no significant changes in anterior maximum bite force was observed after mastication training. In the healthy subject the bite force increased and remained at the 1-month follow-up; no significant differences in masticatory performance were observed. Mastication training by using sugar-free chewing gum in Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients improved their masticatory performance. Since bite force did not improve, the working mechanism of the improvement in chewing may relate to changes of the neuromuscular function and coordination, resulting in improvement of skills in performing mastication. © The Author(s) 2015.

Truncated G protein-coupled mu opioid receptor MOR-1 splice variants are targets for highly potent opioid analgesics lacking side effects

PubMed Central

Majumdar, Susruta; Grinnell, Steven; Le Rouzic, Valerie; Burgman, Maxim; Polikar, Lisa; Ansonoff, Michael; Pintar, John; Pan, Ying-Xian; Pasternak, Gavril W.

2011-01-01

Pain remains a pervasive problem throughout medicine, transcending all specialty boundaries. Despite the extraordinary insights into pain and its mechanisms over the past few decades, few advances have been made with analgesics. Most pain remains treated by opiates, which have significant side effects that limit their utility. We now describe a potent opiate analgesic lacking the traditional side effects associated with classical opiates, including respiratory depression, significant constipation, physical dependence, and, perhaps most important, reinforcing behavior, demonstrating that it is possible to dissociate side effects from analgesia. Evidence indicates that this agent acts through a truncated, six-transmembrane variant of the G protein-coupled mu opioid receptor MOR-1. Although truncated splice variants have been reported for a number of G protein-coupled receptors, their functional relevance has been unclear. Our evidence now suggests that truncated variants can be physiologically important through heterodimerization, even when inactive alone, and can comprise new therapeutic targets, as illustrated by our unique opioid analgesics with a vastly improved pharmacological profile. PMID:22106286

Truncated G protein-coupled mu opioid receptor MOR-1 splice variants are targets for highly potent opioid analgesics lacking side effects.

PubMed

Majumdar, Susruta; Grinnell, Steven; Le Rouzic, Valerie; Burgman, Maxim; Polikar, Lisa; Ansonoff, Michael; Pintar, John; Pan, Ying-Xian; Pasternak, Gavril W

2011-12-06

Pain remains a pervasive problem throughout medicine, transcending all specialty boundaries. Despite the extraordinary insights into pain and its mechanisms over the past few decades, few advances have been made with analgesics. Most pain remains treated by opiates, which have significant side effects that limit their utility. We now describe a potent opiate analgesic lacking the traditional side effects associated with classical opiates, including respiratory depression, significant constipation, physical dependence, and, perhaps most important, reinforcing behavior, demonstrating that it is possible to dissociate side effects from analgesia. Evidence indicates that this agent acts through a truncated, six-transmembrane variant of the G protein-coupled mu opioid receptor MOR-1. Although truncated splice variants have been reported for a number of G protein-coupled receptors, their functional relevance has been unclear. Our evidence now suggests that truncated variants can be physiologically important through heterodimerization, even when inactive alone, and can comprise new therapeutic targets, as illustrated by our unique opioid analgesics with a vastly improved pharmacological profile.

Anxiety-depressive disorders among irritable bowel syndrome patients in Guilan, Iran

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Psychiatric disorders are common in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in IBS patients varies in different cultures. We conducted this study to determine the prevalence of psychiatric disorders Methods In a cross-sectional study, 256 IBS patients were selected (using the criteria of Rome III) and evaluated for psychiatric disorders. In the first phase, subjects were screened using the General Health Questionnaire 28 (GHQ28). In the second phase, those who had scores ≥ 23 were assessed through semi-structured psychiatric interviews. Results Thirty out of 256 subjects had no significant psychiatric symptoms after performing GHQ28. In further psychiatric evaluation of the remaining subjects (226) who suffered from some degree of a psychiatric problem, 36 were diagnosed without Anxiety/Depressive disorder. Thus 66 subjects (25.8%) were known as a group without any significant psychiatric problem. A total of 190 subjects (74.2%) with anxiety-depressive problems were diagnosed; 89 were suffering from pure anxiety disorders, 41 were suffering from depressive disorders and 60 had co-morbid anxiety-depressive disorders. When comparing anxiety-depressive patients (n = 190) with normal subjects (n = 66), gender (P = 0.016), occupation (P = 0.002) and intensity of IBS (P < 0.001) showed statistically significant differences. Conclusion The high prevalence of anxiety-depressive disorders in this study indicates the necessity of psychiatric assessment, early diagnosis and treatment of the patients with IBS. It may improve management of the patients suffering from IBS. PMID:22353390

Anxiety-depressive disorders among irritable bowel syndrome patients in Guilan, Iran.

PubMed

Modabbernia, Mohamad-Jafar; Mansour-Ghanaei, Fariborz; Imani, Ali; Mirsafa-Moghaddam, Seyed-Alireza; Sedigh-Rahimabadi, Massih; Yousefi-Mashhour, Mahmoud; Joukar, Farahnaz; Atrkar-Roushan, Zahra; Bidel, Siamak

2012-02-21

Psychiatric disorders are common in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in IBS patients varies in different cultures. We conducted this study to determine the prevalence of psychiatric disorders In a cross-sectional study, 256 IBS patients were selected (using the criteria of Rome III) and evaluated for psychiatric disorders. In the first phase, subjects were screened using the General Health Questionnaire 28 (GHQ28). In the second phase, those who had scores ≥ 23 were assessed through semi-structured psychiatric interviews. Thirty out of 256 subjects had no significant psychiatric symptoms after performing GHQ28. In further psychiatric evaluation of the remaining subjects (226) who suffered from some degree of a psychiatric problem, 36 were diagnosed without Anxiety/Depressive disorder. Thus 66 subjects (25.8%) were known as a group without any significant psychiatric problem. A total of 190 subjects (74.2%) with anxiety-depressive problems were diagnosed; 89 were suffering from pure anxiety disorders, 41 were suffering from depressive disorders and 60 had co-morbid anxiety-depressive disorders. When comparing anxiety-depressive patients (n = 190) with normal subjects (n = 66), gender (P = 0.016), occupation (P = 0.002) and intensity of IBS (P < 0.001) showed statistically significant differences. The high prevalence of anxiety-depressive disorders in this study indicates the necessity of psychiatric assessment, early diagnosis and treatment of the patients with IBS. It may improve management of the patients suffering from IBS.

Does Worrying Mean Caring Too Much? Interpersonal Prototypicality of Dimensional Worry Controlling for Social Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms.

PubMed

Erickson, Thane M; Newman, Michelle G; Siebert, Erin C; Carlile, Jessica A; Scarsella, Gina M; Abelson, James L

2016-01-01

Worry, social anxiety, and depressive symptoms are dimensions that have each been linked to heterogeneous problems in interpersonal functioning. However, the relationships between these symptoms and interpersonal difficulties remain unclear given that most studies have examined diagnostic categories, not accounted for symptoms' shared variability due to general distress, and investigated only interpersonal problems (neglecting interpersonal traits, interpersonal goals, social behavior in daily life, and reports of significant others). To address these issues, students (Study 1; N=282) endorsed symptoms and interpersonal circumplex measures of traits and problems, as well as event-contingent social behaviors during one week of naturalistic daily interactions (N=184; 7,036 records). Additionally, depressed and anxious patients (N=47) reported symptoms and interpersonal goals in a dyadic relationship, and significant others rated patients' interpersonal goals and impact (Study 2). We derived hypotheses about prototypical interpersonal features from theories about the functions of particular symptoms and social behaviors. As expected, worry was uniquely associated with prototypically affiliative tendencies across all self-report measures in both samples, but predicted impacting significant others in unaffiliative ways. As also hypothesized, social anxiety was uniquely and prototypically associated with low dominance across measures, and general distress was associated with cold-submissive tendencies. Findings for depressive symptoms provided less consistent evidence for unique prototypical interpersonal features. Overall, results suggest the importance of multimethod assessment and accounting for general distress in interpersonal models of worry, social anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The Universal Traveler, A Soft-Systems Guide to: Creativity, Problem Solving, and the Process of Reaching Goals. [Revised Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koberg, Don; Bagnall, Jim

This publication provides an organizational scheme for a creative problem solving process. The authors indicate that all problems can benefit from the same logical and orderly process now employed to solve many complex problems. The principles remain constant; only specific methods change. Chapter 1 analyzes the development of creativity and fear…

Brief Report: Parental Descriptions of Sleep Problems in Children with Autism, Down Syndrome, and Prader-Willi Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cotton, Sue; Richdale, Amanda

2006-01-01

Children with an intellectual disability (ID) are at high risk of developing sleep problems. The extent to which the prevalence and nature of sleep problems in these children is dependent on the disorder underlying their intellectual impairments remains unclear. This study examined and compared parental descriptions of sleep problems in children…

Visual Attention Modulates Insight versus Analytic Solving of Verbal Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wegbreit, Ezra; Suzuki, Satoru; Grabowecky, Marcia; Kounios, John; Beeman, Mark

2012-01-01

Behavioral and neuroimaging findings indicate that distinct cognitive and neural processes underlie solving problems with sudden insight. Moreover, people with less focused attention sometimes perform better on tests of insight and creative problem solving. However, it remains unclear whether different states of attention, within individuals,…

Enabling Metacognitive Skills for Mathematics Problem Solving: A Collective Case Study of Metacognitive Reflection and Awareness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jagals, Divan; van der Walt, Marthie

2016-01-01

Metacognition encompasses knowledge and regulation that, through reflection, sustain problem solving behaviour. How metacognitive awareness is constructed from reflection on metacognitive knowledge and regulation and how these reflections enable metacognitive skills for Mathematics problem solving remain unclear. Three secondary schools…

Laplace Boundary-Value Problem in Paraboloidal Coordinates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duggen, L.; Willatzen, M.; Voon, L. C. Lew Yan

2012-01-01

This paper illustrates both a problem in mathematical physics, whereby the method of separation of variables, while applicable, leads to three ordinary differential equations that remain fully coupled via two separation constants and a five-term recurrence relation for series solutions, and an exactly solvable problem in electrostatics, as a…

Common quandaries and their practical solutions in Bayesian network modeling

Treesearch

Bruce G. Marcot

2017-01-01

Use and popularity of Bayesian network (BN) modeling has greatly expanded in recent years, but many common problems remain. Here, I summarize key problems in BN model construction and interpretation,along with suggested practical solutions. Problems in BN model construction include parameterizing probability values, variable definition, complex network structures,...

Reviving Pay Equity: New Strategies for Attacking the Wage Gap.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kahn, Peggy; Figart, Deborah M.

1998-01-01

Pay equity remains a problem linked to the problem of low pay. Pay equity must be understood as one solution to the problem of securing a living wage for women and men in the restructuring economy as well as a means for challenging gender equity. (JOW)

Attention problems in very preterm children from childhood to adulthood: the Bavarian Longitudinal Study.

PubMed

Breeman, Linda D; Jaekel, Julia; Baumann, Nicole; Bartmann, Peter; Wolke, Dieter

2016-02-01

Very preterm (VP; gestational age <32 weeks) and very low birth weight (VLBW; <1500 grams) is related to attention problems in childhood and adulthood. The stability of these problems into adulthood is not known. The Bavarian Longitudinal Study is a prospective cohort study that followed 260 VP/VLBW and 229 term-born individuals from birth to adulthood. Data on attention were collected at 6, 8, and 26 years of age, using parent reports, expert behavior observations, and clinical ADHD diagnoses. At each assessment, VP/VLBW individuals had significantly more attention problems, shorter attention span, and were more frequently diagnosed with ADHD than term-born comparisons. In both VP/VLBW and term-born individuals, overall, attention span increased and attention problems decreased from childhood to adulthood. Attention problems and attention span were more stable over time for VP/VLBW than term-born individuals. Similarly, ADHD diagnoses showed moderate stability from childhood to adulthood in VP/VLBW, but not in term-born individuals. However, when those with severe disabilities were excluded, differences between VP/VLBW and term-born individuals reduced. Despite improvement in attention regulation from childhood to adulthood, children born very preterm remained at increased risk for attention problems in adulthood. In contrast, term-born children with clinical attention problems outgrew these by adulthood. As inattentive behavior of VP/VLBW children may be overlooked by teachers, it may be necessary to raise awareness for school intervention programs that reduce attention problems in VP/VLBW children. © 2015 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Working memory and organizational skills problems in ADHD.

PubMed

Kofler, Michael J; Sarver, Dustin E; Harmon, Sherelle L; Moltisanti, Allison; Aduen, Paula A; Soto, Elia F; Ferretti, Nicole

2018-01-01

This study tested model-driven predictions regarding working memory's role in the organizational problems associated with ADHD. Children aged 8-13 (M = 10.33, SD = 1.42) with and without ADHD (N = 103; 39 girls; 73% Caucasian/Non-Hispanic) were assessed on multiple, counterbalanced working memory tasks. Parents and teachers completed norm-referenced measures of organizational problems (Children's Organizational Skills Scale; COSS). Results confirmed large magnitude working memory deficits (d = 1.24) and organizational problems in ADHD (d = 0.85). Bias-corrected, bootstrapped conditional effects models linked impaired working memory with greater parent- and teacher-reported inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and organizational problems. Working memory predicted organization problems across all parent and teacher COSS subscales (R 2  = .19-.23). Approximately 38%-57% of working memory's effect on organization problems was conveyed by working memory's association with inattentive behavior. Unique effects of working memory remained significant for both parent- and teacher-reported task planning, as well as for teacher-reported memory/materials management and overall organization problems. Attention problems uniquely predicted worse organizational skills. Hyperactivity was unrelated to parent-reported organizational skills, but predicted better teacher-reported task planning. Children with ADHD exhibit multisetting, broad-based organizational impairment. These impaired organizational skills are attributable in part to performance deficits secondary to working memory dysfunction, both directly and indirectly via working memory's role in regulating attention. Impaired working memory in ADHD renders it extraordinarily difficult for these children to consistently anticipate, plan, enact, and maintain goal-directed actions. © 2017 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Factors Influencing the Prevalence of Mental Health Problems among Malay Elderly Residing in a Rural Community: A Cross-Sectional Study

PubMed Central

Mustafa, Madihah; Abdul Rahman, Mohd Rizam; Yusof, Khairul Hazdi; Abd Aziz, Noor Azah

2016-01-01

Background and Purpose Mental health problems are common in old age, but frequently remain undetected and untreated. Mental health problems in the elderly are the result of a complex interaction of social, psychological and biological factors. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of mental health problems (depression, anxiety, and emotional stress) and their associated factors among the Malay elderly in a rural community of Perak, Malaysia. Methods It was a cross-sectional study. The Malay elderly aged 60 years and above were selected through convenient sampling to give a total of 230 respondents. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) was used to assess the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Bivariate analyses were performed using chi-square tests and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the association between the factors and each of the mental health statuses assessed. Results The results showed that the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among the elderly respondents was 27.8%, 22.6%, and 8.7%, respectively. The significant factors for depression were single elderly (Adjusted OR = 3.27, 95%CI 1.66, 6.44), living with family (Adjusted OR = 4.98, 95%CI 2.05, 12.10), and poor general health status (Adjusted OR = 2.28, 95%CI 1.20, 4.36). Living with family was the only significant factor for anxiety (Adjusted OR = 2.68, 95%CI 1.09, 6.57). There was no significant factor for stress. Conclusions Depression and anxiety among the Malay elderly in the rural community were very worrying. More equity in health should be created or strengthened in order to intensify the opportunity to identify, diagnose, and treat those with mental health problems. Living arrangement in the rural community was an important factor that had influenced depression and anxiety. Therefore, further research is recommended for more comprehensive information, as a result of which appropriate intervention can be made. PMID:27280529

Effects of problem-solving interventions on aggressive behaviours among primary school pupils in Ibadan, Nigeria.

PubMed

Abdulmalik, Jibril; Ani, Cornelius; Ajuwon, Ademola J; Omigbodun, Olayinka

2016-01-01

Aggressive patterns of behavior often start early in childhood, and tend to remain stable into adulthood. The negative consequences include poor academic performance, disciplinary problems and encounters with the juvenile justice system. Early school intervention programs can alter this trajectory for aggressive children. However, there are no studies evaluating the feasibility of such interventions in Africa. This study therefore, assessed the effect of group-based problem-solving interventions on aggressive behaviors among primary school pupils in Ibadan, Nigeria. This was an intervention study with treatment and wait-list control groups. Two public primary schools in Ibadan Nigeria were randomly allocated to an intervention group and a waiting list control group. Teachers rated male Primary five pupils in the two schools on aggressive behaviors and the top 20 highest scorers in each school were selected. Pupils in the intervention school received 6 twice-weekly sessions of group-based intervention, which included problem-solving skills, calming techniques and attribution retraining. Outcome measures were; teacher rated aggressive behaviour (TRAB), self-rated aggression scale (SRAS), strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ), attitude towards aggression questionnaire (ATAQ), and social cognition and attribution scale (SCAS). The participants were aged 12 years (SD = 1.2, range 9-14 years). Both groups had similar socio-demographic backgrounds and baseline measures of aggressive behaviors. Controlling for baseline scores, the intervention group had significantly lower scores on TRAB and SRAS 1-week post intervention with large Cohen's effect sizes of 1.2 and 0.9 respectively. The other outcome measures were not significantly different between the groups post-intervention. Group-based problem solving intervention for aggressive behaviors among primary school students showed significant reductions in both teachers' and students' rated aggressive behaviours with large effect sizes. However, this was a small exploratory trial whose findings may not be generalizable, but it demonstrates that psychological interventions for children with high levels of aggressive behaviour are feasible and potentially effective in Nigeria.

Factors Influencing the Prevalence of Mental Health Problems among Malay Elderly Residing in a Rural Community: A Cross-Sectional Study.

PubMed

Abdul Manaf, M Rizal; Mustafa, Madihah; Abdul Rahman, Mohd Rizam; Yusof, Khairul Hazdi; Abd Aziz, Noor Azah

2016-01-01

Mental health problems are common in old age, but frequently remain undetected and untreated. Mental health problems in the elderly are the result of a complex interaction of social, psychological and biological factors. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of mental health problems (depression, anxiety, and emotional stress) and their associated factors among the Malay elderly in a rural community of Perak, Malaysia. It was a cross-sectional study. The Malay elderly aged 60 years and above were selected through convenient sampling to give a total of 230 respondents. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) was used to assess the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Bivariate analyses were performed using chi-square tests and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the association between the factors and each of the mental health statuses assessed. The results showed that the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among the elderly respondents was 27.8%, 22.6%, and 8.7%, respectively. The significant factors for depression were single elderly (Adjusted OR = 3.27, 95%CI 1.66, 6.44), living with family (Adjusted OR = 4.98, 95%CI 2.05, 12.10), and poor general health status (Adjusted OR = 2.28, 95%CI 1.20, 4.36). Living with family was the only significant factor for anxiety (Adjusted OR = 2.68, 95%CI 1.09, 6.57). There was no significant factor for stress. Depression and anxiety among the Malay elderly in the rural community were very worrying. More equity in health should be created or strengthened in order to intensify the opportunity to identify, diagnose, and treat those with mental health problems. Living arrangement in the rural community was an important factor that had influenced depression and anxiety. Therefore, further research is recommended for more comprehensive information, as a result of which appropriate intervention can be made.

NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE PROBLEM OF THE SURFACE GRAVITY DISTRIBUTION OF COOL DA WHITE DWARFS

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

Tremblay, P.-E.; Bergeron, P.; Gianninas, A.

2010-04-01

We review at length the longstanding problem in the spectroscopic analysis of cool hydrogen-line (DA) white dwarfs (T{sub eff}< 13,000 K) where gravities are significantly higher than those found in hotter DA stars. The first solution that has been proposed for this problem is a mild and systematic helium contamination from convective mixing that would mimic the high gravities. We constrain this scenario by determining the helium abundances in six cool DA white dwarfs using high-resolution spectra from the Keck I 10 m telescope. We obtain no detections, with upper limits as low as He/H = 0.04 in some cases.more » This allows us to put this scenario to rest for good. We also extend our model grid to lower temperatures using improved Stark profiles with non-ideal gas effects from Tremblay and Bergeron and find that the gravity distribution of cool objects remains suspiciously high. Finally, we find that photometric masses are, on average, in agreement with expected values, and that the high-log g problem is so far unique to the spectroscopic approach.« less

Modeling the Severity of Drinking Consequences in First-Year College Women: An Item Response Theory Analysis of the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index*

PubMed Central

Cohn, Amy M.; Hagman, Brett T.; Graff, Fiona S.; Noel, Nora E.

2011-01-01

Objective: The present study examined the latent continuum of alcohol-related negative consequences among first-year college women using methods from item response theory and classical test theory. Method: Participants (N = 315) were college women in their freshman year who reported consuming any alcohol in the past 90 days and who completed assessments of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related negative consequences using the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index. Results: Item response theory analyses showed poor model fit for five items identified in the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index. Two-parameter item response theory logistic models were applied to the remaining 18 items to examine estimates of item difficulty (i.e., severity) and discrimination parameters. The item difficulty parameters ranged from 0.591 to 2.031, and the discrimination parameters ranged from 0.321 to 2.371. Classical test theory analyses indicated that the omission of the five misfit items did not significantly alter the psychometric properties of the construct. Conclusions: Findings suggest that those consequences that had greater severity and discrimination parameters may be used as screening items to identify female problem drinkers at risk for an alcohol use disorder. PMID:22051212

The Role of Chemokines in Fibrotic Wound Healing

PubMed Central

Ding, Jie; Tredget, Edward E.

2015-01-01

Significance: Main dermal forms of fibroproliferative disorders are hypertrophic scars (HTS) and keloids. They often occur after cutaneous wound healing after skin injury, or keloids even form spontaneously in the absence of any known injury. HTS and keloids are different in clinical performance, morphology, and histology, but they all lead to physical and psychological problems for survivors. Recent Advances: Although the mechanism of wound healing at cellular and tissue levels has been well described, the molecular pathways involved in wound healing, especially fibrotic healing, is incompletely understood. Critical Issues: Abnormal scars not only lead to increased health-care costs but also cause significant psychological problems for survivors. A plethora of therapeutic strategies have been used to prevent or attenuate excessive scar formation; however, most therapeutic approaches remain clinically unsatisfactory. Future Directions: Effective care depends on an improved understanding of the mechanisms that cause abnormal scars in patients. A thorough understanding of the roles of chemokines in cutaneous wound healing and abnormal scar formation will help provide more effective preventive and therapeutic strategies for dermal fibrosis as well as for other proliferative disorders. PMID:26543681

Caretaker mental health and family environment factors are associated with adolescent psychiatric problems in a Vietnamese sample.

PubMed

Stratton, Kelcey Jane; Edwards, Alexis Christine; Overstreet, Cassie; Richardson, Lisa; Tran, Trinh Luong; Trung, Lam Tu; Tam, Nguyen Thanh; Tuan, Tran; Buoi, La Thi; Ha, Tran Thu; Thach, Tran Duc; Amstadter, Ananda Beth

2014-12-15

Little is known about risk factors for adolescent mental health in Vietnam. The present study investigated the relationship between caretaker mental health and adolescent mental health in a cross-sectional Vietnamese sample. Primary caretakers completed measures of their own mental distress and general health status using the Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20) as well as reports of adolescent mental health using the parent version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Multivariate regression models were used to examine the relationships between the caretaker and adolescent health variables. The demographic factors of age, sex, ethnicity, religious affiliation, and household wealth status demonstrated significant relationships with SDQ subscale scores. Caretaker mental health was positively associated with adolescent mental health, and this association remained significant even after accounting for other relevant demographic variables and caretaker general health status. Understanding correlates of adolescent mental health difficulties may help identify youth and families at risk for developing psychiatric problems and inform mental health interventions in Vietnam. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Constraints on moduli cosmology from the production of dark matter and baryon isocurvature fluctuations

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

Lemoine, Martin; Martin, Jerome; Yokoyama, Jun'ichi

2009-12-15

We set constraints on moduli cosmology from the production of dark matter - radiation and baryon -radiation isocurvature fluctuations through modulus decay, assuming the modulus remains light during inflation. We find that the moduli problem becomes worse at the perturbative level as a significant part of the parameter space m{sub {sigma}} (modulus mass) - {sigma}{sub inf} (modulus vacuum expectation value at the end of inflation) is constrained by the nonobservation of significant isocurvature fluctuations. We discuss in detail the evolution of the modulus vacuum expectation value and perturbations, in particular, the consequences of Hubble scale corrections to the modulus potential,more » and the stochastic motion of the modulus during inflation. We show, in particular, that a high modulus mass scale m{sub {sigma}} > or approx. 100 TeV, which allows the modulus to evade big bang nucleosynthesis constraints is strongly constrained at the perturbative level. We find that generically, solving the moduli problem requires the inflationary scale to be much smaller than 10{sup 13} GeV.« less

Clinical, Genetic and Environmental Factors Associated with Congenital Vertebral Malformations

PubMed Central

Giampietro, P.F.; Raggio, C.L.; Blank, R.D.; McCarty, C.; Broeckel, U.; Pickart, M.A.

2013-01-01

Congenital vertebral malformations (CVM) pose a significant health problem because they can be associated with spinal deformities, such as congenital scoliosis and kyphosis, in addition to various syndromes and other congenital malformations. Additional information remains to be learned regarding the natural history of congenital scoliosis and related health problems. Although significant progress has been made in understanding the process of somite formation, which gives rise to vertebral bodies, there is a wide gap in our understanding of how genetic factors contribute to CVM development. Maternal diabetes during pregnancy most commonly contributes to the occurrence of CVM, followed by other factors such as hypoxia and anticonvulsant medications. This review highlights several emerging clinical issues related to CVM, including pulmonary and orthopedic outcome in congenital scoliosis. Recent breakthroughs in genetics related to gene and environment interactions associated with CVM development are discussed. The Klippel-Feil syndrome which is associated with cervical segmentation abnormalities is illustrated as an example in which animal models, such as the zebrafish, can be utilized to provide functional evidence of pathogenicity of identified mutations. PMID:23653580

Prevention of redox shuttle using electropolymerized polypyrrole film in a lithium-oxygen battery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Togasaki, Norihiro; Shibamura, Ryuji; Naruse, Takuya; Momma, Toshiyuki; Osaka, Tetsuya

2018-04-01

Among the recent advancements in lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) chemistries, redox mediators (RMs) have been revealed to play a significant role in decreasing overpotential on charging and in improving cycling performance. However, an intrinsic problem is redox shuttle of RMs, which leads to degraded RM utilization and induces the accumulation of discharge products on the cathode surface; this remains a significant issue in the current battery cell configuration (Li anode/separator/cathode). To address this detrimental problem, herein we propose a novel Li-O2 cell incorporating a freestanding electropolymerized polypyrrole (PPy) film for the restriction of the redox-shuttle phenomenon of lithium iodide (Li anode/separator/PPy film/cathode). In this study, a PPy film, which is prepared through oxidative electropolymerization using an ionic liquid of 1-methyl-1-butylpyrrolidinium mixed with pyrrole and lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, is introduced between the cathode and the separator. From the charge-discharge voltage profile, it is confirmed that the PPy film suppresses the diffusion of the oxidized I3- to the Li anode, while allowing Li ion transport. Secondary scanning electron microscope measurements confirm that the chemical reactions between I3- and Li2O2 are facilitated by the presence of the PPy film because I3- remains near the cathode surface during the charging process. As a result, the cycling performance in the Li-O2 cells with PPy film exhibits a cycling life four times as long as that of the Li-O2 cells without PPy film.

Cardiovascular side effects of cancer therapies: a position statement from the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology.

PubMed

Eschenhagen, Thomas; Force, Thomas; Ewer, Michael S; de Keulenaer, Gilles W; Suter, Thomas M; Anker, Stefan D; Avkiran, Metin; de Azambuja, Evandro; Balligand, Jean-Luc; Brutsaert, Dirk L; Condorelli, Gianluigi; Hansen, Arne; Heymans, Stephane; Hill, Joseph A; Hirsch, Emilio; Hilfiker-Kleiner, Denise; Janssens, Stefan; de Jong, Steven; Neubauer, Gitte; Pieske, Burkert; Ponikowski, Piotr; Pirmohamed, Munir; Rauchhaus, Mathias; Sawyer, Douglas; Sugden, Peter H; Wojta, Johann; Zannad, Faiez; Shah, Ajay M

2011-01-01

The reductions in mortality and morbidity being achieved among cancer patients with current therapies represent a major achievement. However, given their mechanisms of action, many anti-cancer agents may have significant potential for cardiovascular side effects, including the induction of heart failure. The magnitude of this problem remains unclear and is not readily apparent from current clinical trials of emerging targeted agents, which generally under-represent older patients and those with significant co-morbidities. The risk of adverse events may also increase when novel agents, which frequently modulate survival pathways, are used in combination with each other or with other conventional cytotoxic chemotherapeutics. The extent to which survival and growth pathways in the tumour cell (which we seek to inhibit) coincide with those in cardiovascular cells (which we seek to preserve) is an open question but one that will become ever more important with the development of new cancer therapies that target intracellular signalling pathways. It remains unclear whether potential cardiovascular problems can be predicted from analyses of such basic signalling mechanisms and what pre-clinical evaluation should be undertaken. The screening of patients, optimization of therapeutic schemes, monitoring of cardiovascular function during treatment, and the management of cardiovascular side effects are likely to become increasingly important in cancer patients. This paper summarizes the deliberations of a cross-disciplinary workshop organized by the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology (held in Brussels in May 2009), which brought together clinicians working in cardiology and oncology and those involved in basic, translational, and pharmaceutical science.

A Twelve-Year Consecutive Case Experience in Thoracic Reconstruction

PubMed Central

Chen, Jenny T.; Bonneau, Laura A.; Weigel, Tracey L.; Maloney, James D.; Castro, Francisco; Shulzhenko, Nikita

2016-01-01

Background: We describe the second largest contemporary series of flaps used in thoracic reconstruction. Methods: A retrospective review of patients undergoing thoracomyoplasty from 2001 to 2013 was conducted. Ninety-one consecutive patients were identified. Results: Thoracomyoplasty was performed for 67 patients with intrathoracic indications and 24 patients with chest wall defects. Malignancy and infection were the most common indications for reconstruction (P < 0.01). The latissimus dorsi (LD), pectoralis major, and serratus anterior muscle flaps remained the workhorses of reconstruction (LD and pectoralis major: 64% flaps in chest wall reconstruction; LD and serratus anterior: 85% of flaps in intrathoracic indication). Only 12% of patients required mesh. Only 6% of patients with <2 ribs resected required mesh when compared with 24% with 3–4 ribs, and 100% with 5 or more ribs resected (P < 0.01). Increased rib resections required in chest wall reconstruction resulted in a longer hospital stay (P < 0.01). Total comorbidities and complications were related to length of stay only in intrathoracic indication (P < 0.01). Average intubation time was significantly higher in patients undergoing intrathoracic indication (5.51 days) than chest wall reconstruction (0.04 days), P < 0.05. Average hospital stay was significantly higher in patients undergoing intrathoracic indication (23 days) than chest wall reconstruction (12 days), P < 0.05. One-year survival was most poor for intrathoracic indication (59%) versus chest wall reconstruction (83%), P = 0.0048. Conclusion: Thoracic reconstruction remains a safe and successful intervention that reliably treats complex and challenging problems, allowing more complex thoracic surgery problems to be salvaged. PMID:27257568

After Being Challenged by a Video Game Problem, Sleep Increases the Chance to Solve It

PubMed Central

Beijamini, Felipe; Pereira, Sofia Isabel Ribeiro; Cini, Felipe Augusto; Louzada, Fernando Mazzilli

2014-01-01

In the past years many studies have demonstrated the role of sleep on memory consolidation. It is known that sleeping after learning a declarative or non-declarative task, is better than remaining awake. Furthermore, there are reports of a possible role for dreams in consolidation of declarative memories. Other studies have reported the effect of naps on memory consolidation. With similar protocols, another set of studies indicated that sleep has a role in creativity and problem-solving. Here we hypothesised that sleep can increase the likelihood of solving problems. After struggling to solve a video game problem, subjects who took a nap (n = 14) were almost twice as likely to solve it when compared to the wake control group (n = 15). It is interesting to note that, in the nap group 9 out 14 subjects engaged in slow-wave sleep (SWS) and all solved the problem. Surprisingly, we did not find a significant involvement of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep in this task. Slow-wave sleep is believed to be crucial for the transfer of memory-related information to the neocortex and implement intentions. Sleep can benefit problem-solving through the generalisation of newly encoded information and abstraction of the gist. In conclusion, our results indicate that sleep, even a nap, can potentiate the solution of problems that involve logical reasoning. Thus, sleep's function seems to go beyond memory consolidation to include managing of everyday-life events. PMID:24416219

After being challenged by a video game problem, sleep increases the chance to solve it.

PubMed

Beijamini, Felipe; Pereira, Sofia Isabel Ribeiro; Cini, Felipe Augusto; Louzada, Fernando Mazzilli

2014-01-01

In the past years many studies have demonstrated the role of sleep on memory consolidation. It is known that sleeping after learning a declarative or non-declarative task, is better than remaining awake. Furthermore, there are reports of a possible role for dreams in consolidation of declarative memories. Other studies have reported the effect of naps on memory consolidation. With similar protocols, another set of studies indicated that sleep has a role in creativity and problem-solving. Here we hypothesised that sleep can increase the likelihood of solving problems. After struggling to solve a video game problem, subjects who took a nap (n = 14) were almost twice as likely to solve it when compared to the wake control group (n = 15). It is interesting to note that, in the nap group 9 out 14 subjects engaged in slow-wave sleep (SWS) and all solved the problem. Surprisingly, we did not find a significant involvement of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep in this task. Slow-wave sleep is believed to be crucial for the transfer of memory-related information to the neocortex and implement intentions. Sleep can benefit problem-solving through the generalisation of newly encoded information and abstraction of the gist. In conclusion, our results indicate that sleep, even a nap, can potentiate the solution of problems that involve logical reasoning. Thus, sleep's function seems to go beyond memory consolidation to include managing of everyday-life events.

Towards optical fibre based Raman spectroscopy for the detection of surgical site infection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, Alex J.; Koziej, Lukasz; Williams, Huw D.; Elson, Daniel S.; Yang, Guang-Zhong

2016-03-01

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are common post-surgical complications that remain significant clinical problems, as they are associated with substantial mortality and morbidity. As such, there is significant interest in the development of minimally invasive techniques that permit early detection of SSIs. To this end, we are applying a compact, clinically deployable Raman spectrometer coupled to an optical fibre probe to the study of bacteria, with the long term goal of using Raman spectroscopy to detect infection in vivo. Our system comprises a 785 nm laser diode for excitation and a commercial (Ocean Optics, Inc.) Raman spectrometer for detection. Here we discuss the design, optimisation and validation of this system, and describe our first experiences interrogating bacterial cells (Escherichia coli) in vitro.

Collaboration between primary care and psychiatric services: does it help family physicians?

PubMed

Kisely, Stephen; Duerden, Debbie; Shaddick, Susan; Jayabarathan, Ajantha

2006-07-01

To compare family physicians' reports of their experiences managing patients with psychiatric disorders in settings with and without access to collaborative mental health services. Survey using a questionnaire adapted from a similar study in Australia. Family physicians were asked about their knowledge, skills, and degree of comfort in managing the following psychiatric disorders derived from the primary care version of the 10th edition of the International Classification of Diseases: psychosis, depression, anxiety, childhood disorders, and stress-related disorders. We also compared the 2 groups of physicians regarding their satisfaction with mental health services in general. The Capital District Health Authority (CDHA) in Nova Scotia. All family physicians practising in the CDHA. Self-reported knowledge, skills, and degree of comfort in managing psychiatric problems; satisfaction with mental health services, adjusted for family physicians' demographics; and stated interest in mental health. We received 101 responses (37 from physicians with access to collaborative care and 64 from physicians without access) from 7 communities in the CDHA. Family physicians who had access to collaborative care reported significantly greater knowledge in the areas of psychosis, alcohol or substance use, and childhood behavioural problems; and better skills in managing psychosis, alcohol or substance use, childhood depression or anxiety, childhood behavioural disorders, and relationship problems. Their comfort levels in managing relationship problems and childhood behavioural disorders were also significantly higher. Family physicians with access to collaborative care were significantly more satisfied with mental health services, over and above shared care. All these differences remained significant after controlling for sex, level of interest in mental health, and years in practice. Family physicians with access to collaborative care reported greater knowledge, better skills, and more comfort in managing psychiatric disorders and greater satisfaction with mental health services. Further work is needed to establish why this is so and to determine any effect on patient outcomes, such as symptoms, quality of life, and psychosocial functioning.

Repetitive shock wave therapy improves muscular microcirculation.

PubMed

Kisch, Tobias; Wuerfel, Waldemar; Forstmeier, Vinzent; Liodaki, Eirini; Stang, Felix H; Knobloch, Karsten; Mailaender, Peter; Kraemer, Robert

2016-04-01

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is mainly applied in tendon as well as bone problems based on stem-cell activation and healing acceleration. The effect of ESWT on muscle tissue is much less understood to date. However, from a clinical perspective, muscle injuries are of distinct interest especially in elite athletes such as soccer players. A total of 26 rats were randomized into two groups. Group A received a single application of high-energetic focused ESWT (0.3 mJ/mm(2), 4 Hz, 1000 impulses, 10 J), whereas group B underwent the same procedure every 10 min for three sessions (3 × 0.3 mJ/mm(2), 4 Hz, 3 × 1000 impulses, totaling 30 J). Blood flow at a depth of 8 mm was measured continuously and noninvasively by a combined Laser-Doppler-Imaging and photospectrometric technique (Oxygen-to-see, O2C, LEA Medizintechnik, Germany). One minute after the application of high-energy ESWT blood flow in group A increased by 16.5% (P = 0.007). Thereafter, it decreased from minute 2 after application and remained significantly unchanged to baseline value until the end of the measuring period at 50 min (P = 0.550). Group B showed a similar significant increase in blood flow of 16.4% (P = 0.049) and a decrease afterward, too. After the second focused ESWT blood flow was boosted to 26.6% (P = 0.004), remaining significantly elevated until the third application was initiated. Muscular blood flow was increased to 29.8% after the third focused ESWT (P < 0.001), remaining significantly increased for another 10 min. Focused ESWT enhances blood flow in the muscle of rats. Moreover, repetitive ESWT extended this beneficial effect. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Epidemiology of infertility: a population-based study in Babol, Iran.

PubMed

Esmaeilzadeh, Seddigheh; Delavar, Mouloud Agajani; Zeinalzadeh, Mahtab; Mir, Mohammad-Reza Aghajani

2012-01-01

The aim of researchers in the present study was to determine the prevalence of infertility and self-reported cause of infertility in Babol, Iran and then identify the factors associated with infertility. A retrospective epidemiologic study was conducted of characteristics of urban and rural women related to infertility. A total of 1,140 women aged 20-45 years were selected using cluster sampling. Of these 1,140 women, 59 (5.2%) (CI 4.2, 6.2) were voluntarily childless. Of the remaining 1,081 women, 913 (84.5%) (CI 82.5, 86.5) reported no difficulties in having children, and the remaining 168 (15.5%) (CI 13.5, 17.5) experienced difficulty conceiving at some stage in their lives. The prevalence of ever having primary infertility was 4.3% (CI 2.3, 6.3). The most frequently self-reported causes of infertility in this study were ovulation problems (39.2%). Infertile women were significantly more likely to have a higher age at marriage (p = 0.001), lower education (p = 0.006), higher body mass index (p = 0.0001), long-term health problems (p = 0.0001), a partner who smoked (p = 0.029), and past history of tubal or ectopic pregnancy (p = 0.002). These risk factors may help inform reproductive health clinics and primary healthcare centers about factors associated with infertility.

Understanding the Mechanisms behind Deficits in Imitation: Do Individuals with Autism Know "What" to Imitate and Do They Know "How" to Imitate?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vanvuchelen, Marleen; Van Schuerbeeck, Lise; Roeyers, Herbert; De Weerdt, Willy

2013-01-01

Although imitation problems have been associated with autism for many years, the underlying mechanisms of these problems remain subject to debate. In this article, the question whether imitation problems are caused by selection or correspondence problems is explored and discussed. This review revealed that hypotheses on the nature of imitation…

Academic Risk Among Inner-City Adolescents: The Role of Personal Attributes

PubMed Central

Ripple, Carol H.; Luthar, Suniya S.

2012-01-01

In this 3-year prospective study, we explored antecedents of school-based adjustment among 134 inner-city high-school students. We examined the role of freshman-year risk and protective factors in relation to dropout status and senior-year adjustment indices among those who remained in school, including academic performance, psychological symptoms, and drug use. Although each single attribute included in this study has been linked to poor academic performance in previous investigations, the primary goal in this study was to determine which attributes were strongly related to academic problems when considered together. In addition, we sought to establish whether risk factors associated with dropout were the same as those that predicted academic problems among students who remained in school. Findings indicated that freshman-year attendance and demographic indices were most strongly predictive of dropout. Among adolescents who remained in school, freshman academic success was robustly linked to senior-year competence. Implications for identifying inner-city high-school students at high risk for academic problems are discussed. PMID:24839305

Importance of stability of early living arrangements on behavior outcomes of children with and without prenatal drug exposure.

PubMed

Bada, Henrietta S; Langer, John; Twomey, Jean; Bursi, Charlotte; Lagasse, Linda; Bauer, Charles R; Shankaran, Seetha; Lester, Barry M; Higgins, Rosemary; Maza, Penelope L

2008-06-01

We evaluated whether living arrangements of children with or without prenatal drug exposure would be associated with their behavior outcomes and adaptive functioning. A total of 1388 children with or without prenatal cocaine or opiate exposure were enrolled in a longitudinal cohort study at 1 month of age, were seen at intervals, tracked over time for their living situation, and evaluated for behavior problems and adaptive functioning at 3 years of age. The Child Behavior Checklist and Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales were administered. Using multiple regression models, we determined the factors that would predict behavior problems and adaptive functioning. Of the children enrolled, 1092 children were evaluated. Total and externalizing behavior problems T scores of children in relative care were lower (better) than those in parental care; externalizing behavior scores were lower than those in nonrelative care (p < .05). Total behavior problem scores increased 2.3 and 1.3 points, respectively, with each move per year and each year of Child Protective Services involvement. Compared to children in nonrelative care, those in parental or relative care had higher (better) scores in the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales total composite (p < .023), communication (p < .045), and daily living (p < .001). Each caretaker change was associated with a decrease of 2.65 and 2.19 points, respectively, in communication and daily living scores. Children's living arrangements were significantly associated with childhood behavior problems and adaptive functioning. The instability of living situation was also a significant predictor of these outcomes. While family preservation continues to be the goal of the child welfare system, expediting decision toward permanency remains paramount once children are placed in foster care.

75 FR 45209 - Federal Implementation Plans To Reduce Interstate Transport of Fine Particulate Matter and Ozone

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-02

... 1. What is the source of EPA's authority for this action? 2. What air quality problems does this... non-attainment or maintenance problems, the remaining exceedances occur almost entirely in the winter... to which this wintertime problem is caused by emissions transported from upwind states. Further study...

Fidelity of Problem Solving in Everyday Practice: Typical Training May Miss the Mark

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruby, Susan F.; Crosby-Cooper, Tricia; Vanderwood, Michael L.

2011-01-01

With national attention on scaling up the implementation of Response to Intervention, problem solving teams remain one of the central components for development, implementation, and monitoring of school-based interventions. Studies have shown that problem solving teams evidence a sound theoretical base and demonstrated efficacy; however, limited…

Patient safety and the problem of many hands

PubMed Central

Dixon-Woods, Mary; Pronovost, Peter

2016-01-01

Summary Healthcare worldwide is faced with a crisis of patient safety: every day, everywhere, patients are injured during the course of their care. Notwithstanding occasional successes in relation to specific harms, safety as a system characteristic has remained elusive. We propose that one neglected reason why the safety problem has proved so stubborn is that healthcare suffers from a pathology known in the public administration literature as the problem of many hands. It is a problem that arises in contexts where multiple actors – organizations, individuals, groups – each contribute to effects seen at system level, but it remains difficult to hold any single actor responsible for these effects. Efforts by individual actors, including local quality improvement projects, may have the paradoxical effect of undermining system safety. Many challenges cannot be resolved by individual organisations, since they require whole-sector coordination and action. We call for recognition of the problem of many hands and for attention to be given to how it might most optimally be addressed in a healthcare context. PMID:26912578

Jocks, gender, race, and adolescent problem drinking.

PubMed

Miller, Kathleen E; Hoffman, Joseph H; Barnes, Grace M; Farrell, Michael P; Sabo, Don; Melnick, Merrill J

2003-01-01

Alcohol remains the drug of choice for many adolescents; however, the nature of the relationship between athletic involvement and alcohol misuse remains ambiguous. In this article, we used a longitudinal sample of over 600 Western New York adolescents and their families to explore the gender-specific and race-specific relationships between identification with the "jock" label and adolescent alcohol consumption, specifically problem drinking. Operationalization of problem drinking included frequency measures of heavy drinking, binge drinking, and social problems related to alcohol (e.g., trouble with family, friends, school officials over drinking). Self-identified adolescent "jocks" were more likely to engage in problem drinking than their non-jock counterparts, even after controlling for gender, age, race, socioeconomic status, physical maturity, social maturity, and frequency of athletic activity. Jock identity was strongly associated with higher binge drinking frequency in Black adolescent girls. This study underscores the need to distinguish between objective and subjective meanings of athletic involvement when assessing the relationship between sport and adolescent health-risk behavior.

Venous ligation: a novel strategy for glans enhancement in penile prosthesis implantation.

PubMed

Hsu, Geng-Long; Hill, James W; Hsieh, Cheng-Hsing; Liu, Shih-Ping; Hsu, Chih-Yuan

2014-01-01

Although penile implantation remains a final solution for patients with refractory impotence, undesirable postoperative effects, including penile size reduction and cold sensation of the glans penis, remain problematic. We report results of a surgical method designed to avoid these problems. From 2003 to 2013, 35 consecutive patients received a malleable penile implant. Of these, 15 men (the enhancing group) were also treated with venous ligation of the retrocoronal venous plexus, deep dorsal vein, and cavernosal veins. The remaining 20 men formed the control group, treated with only a penile implant. Follow-up ranged from 1.1 to 10.0 years, with an average of 6.7 ± 1.5 years. Although preoperative glanular dimension did not differ significantly between the two groups, significant respective difference at one day and one year postoperatively was found in the glanular circumference (128.8 ± 6.8 mm versus 115.3 ± 7.2 mm and 130.6 ± 7.2 mm versus 100.5 ± 7.3 mm; both P<0.05), radius (38.8 ± 2.7 mm versus 37.1 ± 2.8 mm and 41.5 ± 2.6 mm versus 33.8 ± 2.9 mm; latter P<0.01), and satisfaction rate (91.7% versus 53.3%, P<0.01) as well. Based on our results, selective venous ligation appears to enhance the glans penis dimension in implant patients.

History and update on host defense against vaginal candidiasis.

PubMed

Fidel, Paul L

2007-01-01

Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), caused by Candida albicans, remains a significant problem in women of childbearing age. While cell-mediated immunity is considered the predominant host defense mechanism against mucosal candidal infections, two decades of research from animal models and clinical studies have revealed a lack of a protective role for adaptive immunity against VVC caused by putative immunoregulatory mechanisms. Moreover, natural protective mechanisms and factors associated with susceptibility to infection have remained elusive. That is until recently, when through a live challenge model in humans, it was revealed that protection against vaginitis coincides with a non-inflammatory innate presence, whereas symptomatic infection correlates with a neutrophil infiltrate in the vaginal lumen and elevated fungal burden. Thus, instead of VVC being caused by a putative deficient adaptive immune response, it is now being considered that symptomatic vaginitis is caused by an aggressive innate response.

Neonatal hypoglycemia.

PubMed

Adamkin, David H

2016-04-01

The screening and management for neonatal hypoglycemia remains a confusing and contentious problem in neonatology. The purpose of this article is to contrast recent recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Pediatric Endocrine Society. Using different methodologies, the organizations have significant differences on whom to screen and what levels of glucose should be used for management. The identification of the first 48 h as a transitional hyperinsulinemic state is a new important concept. The neuroendocrine approach is contrasted with a neurodevelopmental strategy to find levels that exceed those associated with neuroglycopenia. The questions remain the same when it comes to screening and management of neonatal low-glucose levels. Recent outcome studies with differing results continue to add to the controversy as to what to do at the bedside. It is uncertain if universal screening of glucose levels in the first hours should be applied to all newborn infants. Persistent hypoglycemic syndromes must be identified prior to discharge.

Can Knowledge Deficit Explain Societal Perception of Climate Change Risk?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitra, R.; McNeal, K.; Bondell, H.

2014-12-01

Climate change literacy efforts have had a rough journey in the past decade. Although scientists have become increasingly convinced about anthropological climate change, change in public opinion has been underwhelming. The unexplained gap between scientific consensus and public opinion has made this topic an important research area in the realm of public understanding of science. Recent research on climate change risk perception (CCRP) has advanced an intriguing hypothesis, namely, cultural cognition thesis (CCT), which posits that the public has adequate knowledge to understand climate change science but people tend to use this knowledge solely to promote their culturally motivated view-point of climate change. This talk provides evidence to demonstrate that despite culture playing a significant role in influencing CCRP, knowledge deficiency remains a persistent problem in our society and contributes to the aforementioned gap. However, such deficits can remain undiagnosed due to limitations of survey design.

Disseminated Kaposi's sarcoma-a missed diagnosis.

PubMed

Armstrong, Marc B; Thurber, Jalil

2014-11-01

Kaposi's sarcoma is significantly prevalent among men infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, accounting for >90% of all cases. The early presentation of KS typically involves mucocutaneous lesions and lymphadenopathy, and more advanced disease can affect the lungs and other organs. Our aim was to remind emergency physicians to remain suspicious of clinical presentations despite previous diagnoses or patient statements, particularly in patients with risk factors. We present a case of a young man having skin lesions and respiratory problems remaining undiagnosed, despite, and possibly due to, multiple recent physician contacts. Respiratory illnesses are common presentations in the emergency department and are typically benign and attributed to viral causes. However, the emergency physician must always be on the look out for more dangerous causes of respiratory complaints, especially in patients with risk factors and in those found to be refractory to recent treatment for more common illnesses. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Differences in Problems Paying Medical Bills between African Americans and Whites from 2007 and 2009: the Underlying Role of Health Status.

PubMed

Wiltshire, Jacqueline C; Elder, Keith; Allison, Jeroan J

2016-06-01

Although the proportion of people reporting problems paying medical bills has declined in the aftermath of the Great Recession, it is unclear if this decline has been caused by self-rationing of care, particularly among disadvantaged groups. We examined African American-White differences in problems paying medical bills prevalence along with factors which may account for observed differences. We used cross-sectional data from 2007 (N = 13,064) and 2010 (N = 11,873) waves of the nationally representative, Health Tracking Household Survey. Logistic regression analyses, accounting for complex survey design and weights, were performed to compute population-based estimates. Overall, the prevalence of problems paying medical bills was 18.3 % in 2007 and 19.8 % in 2010. African Americans more frequently reported having problems paying medical bills than Whites. Among African Americans, problems paying medical bills decreased from 30 % in 2007 to 25 % in 2010, which was largely explained by fewer problems reported by those in poor/fair health. Problems paying medical bills significantly declined from 44 % in 2007 to 33 % in 2010 for African Americans in poor/fair health, but remained almost constant for those in good health and very good/excellent health. Our findings suggest that African Americans in poor health may be rationing or forgoing necessary care as a result of the recession, which could increase existing health disparities and future health spending. Efforts to reduce racial/ethnic disparities may depend on the extent to which the lingering effects of the Great Recession are mitigated.

IL-17A and Serum Amyloid A Are Elevated in a Cigarette Smoke Cessation Model Associated with the Persistence of Pigmented Macrophages, Neutrophils and Activated NK Cells

PubMed Central

Hansen, Michelle J.; Chan, Sheau Pyng J.; Langenbach, Shenna Y.; Dousha, Lovisa F.; Jones, Jessica E.; Yatmaz, Selcuk; Seow, Huei Jiunn; Vlahos, Ross; Anderson, Gary P.; Bozinovski, Steven

2014-01-01

While global success in cessation advocacy has seen smoking rates fall in many developed countries, persistent lung inflammation in ex-smokers is an increasingly important clinical problem whose mechanistic basis remains poorly understood. In this study, candidate effector mechanisms were assessed in mice exposed to cigarette smoke (CS) for 4 months following cessation from long term CS exposure. BALF neutrophils, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and lung innate NK cells remained significantly elevated following smoking cessation. Analysis of neutrophil mobilization markers showed a transition from acute mediators (MIP-2α, KC and G-CSF) to sustained drivers of neutrophil and macrophage recruitment and activation (IL-17A and Serum Amyoid A (SAA)). Follicle-like lymphoid aggregates formed with CS exposure and persisted with cessation, where they were in close anatomical proximity to pigmented macrophages, whose number actually increased 3-fold following CS cessation. This was associated with the elastolytic protease, MMP-12 (macrophage metallo-elastase) which remained significantly elevated post-cessation. Both GM-CSF and CSF-1 were significantly increased in the CS cessation group relative to the control group. In conclusion, we show that smoking cessation mediates a transition to accumulation of pigmented macrophages, which may contribute to the expanded macrophage population observed in COPD. These macrophages together with IL-17A, SAA and innate NK cells are identified here as candidate persistence determinants and, we suggest, may represent specific targets for therapies directed towards the amelioration of chronic airway inflammation. PMID:25405776

Clinical differences in children with autism spectrum disorder with and without food selectivity.

PubMed

Postorino, Valentina; Sanges, Veronica; Giovagnoli, Giulia; Fatta, Laura Maria; De Peppo, Lavinia; Armando, Marco; Vicari, Stefano; Mazzone, Luigi

2015-09-01

Several studies have described the atypical eating behaviors frequently occurring in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and food selectivity is the most frequent of these problems. The everyday management of mealtime behaviors among children with ASD can have a negative impact on family routines and become a significant stressor for families. However, much remains unknown about why food selectivity is so prevalent among individuals with ASD. The objective of this study was to investigate clinical and behavioral features in individuals with ASD with the aim of identifying distinctive clinical profiles in children with and without food selectivity. A total of 158 children with ASD were enrolled in this study: 79 participants with food selectivity (FS) were age and sex matched with 79 participants without food selectivity (No FS). All participants and their parents completed a battery of psychological tests for a comprehensive evaluation of ASD symptoms, cognitive abilities, adaptive skills, behavioral problems and parental stress level. No statistically significant difference on gastrointestinal symptoms and growth adequacy was found between the FS group and the No FS group. Overall, the FS group showed significantly higher rates of ASD symptoms as compared to the No FS group in the questionnaires completed by parents. Furthermore, parents of the FS group reported significantly higher levels of parental stress and a larger degree of their children's behavioral problems as compared to the No FS group. Finally, there were no differences between the FS and the No FS group on any adaptive skill domain. Our findings suggest that the identification of distinctive clinical and behavioral patterns in children with ASD and food selectivity is a crucial issue for parents and therapists in the daily management. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Evaluation of Pixel-Based Methods for the Detection of Floating Objects on the Sea Surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borghgraef, Alexander; Barnich, Olivier; Lapierre, Fabian; Van Droogenbroeck, Marc; Philips, Wilfried; Acheroy, Marc

2010-12-01

Ship-based automatic detection of small floating objects on an agitated sea surface remains a hard problem. Our main concern is the detection of floating mines, which proved a real threat to shipping in confined waterways during the first Gulf War, but applications include salvaging, search-and-rescue operation, perimeter, or harbour defense. Detection in infrared (IR) is challenging because a rough sea is seen as a dynamic background of moving objects with size order, shape, and temperature similar to those of the floating mine. In this paper we have applied a selection of background subtraction algorithms to the problem, and we show that the recent algorithms such as ViBe and behaviour subtraction, which take into account spatial and temporal correlations within the dynamic scene, significantly outperform the more conventional parametric techniques, with only little prior assumptions about the physical properties of the scene.

Developmental Pathways from Child Maltreatment to Adolescent Substance Use: The Roles of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Mother-Child Relationships

PubMed Central

Yoon, Susan; Kobulsky, Julia M.; Yoon, Dalhee; Kim, Wonhee

2018-01-01

While many studies have identified a significant relation between child maltreatment and adolescent substance use, the developmental pathways linking this relation remain sparsely explored. The current study examines posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms, mother-child relationships, and internalizing and externalizing problems as potential longitudinal pathways through which child maltreatment influences adolescent substance use. Structural equation modeling was conducted on 883 adolescents drawn from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN). The pathways of PTS symptoms linked physical and sexual abuse to substance use, and the pathways of mother-child relationships linked emotional abuse and neglect to substance use. None of the four types of maltreatment affected substance use via internalizing or externalizing problems. The findings suggest that intervention efforts aimed at addressing posttraumatic stress symptoms and improving mother-child relationship quality may be beneficial in reducing substance use among adolescents with child maltreatment histories. PMID:29503490

Child sexual abuse: report of 311 cases with review of literature.

PubMed

Essabar, Laila; Khalqallah, Abdenbi; Dakhama, Badr Sououd Benjelloun

2015-01-01

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a global problem that has significant consequences for public health; it has been a prominent topic of public concern for more than a decade, but many basic facts about the problem remain unclear or in dispute. We conducted a study of 311 cases of CSA in order to highlight the epidemiological features and negative impact on victims' well-being and to emphasize the need for a multidisciplinary approach to the primary prevention and management of CSA. We noted an increase in cases number with male predominance. Most of our patients came from lower socioeconomic classes. The perpetrators were male in 100% of cases; acquaintances in 70% of cases and family members in 22 cases. Physical examination were normal in 61% of cases, however, a range of psychological and physical effects were identified with dramatic health consequences: three cases of attempted suicide, five pregnancies and one case of HIV virus infection.

Effects of maternal negativity and of early and recent recurrent depressive disorder on children's false belief understanding.

PubMed

Rohrer, Lisa M; Cicchetti, Dante; Rogosch, Fred A; Toth, Sheree L; Maughan, Angeline

2011-01-01

Research has shown that children of depressed mothers are at risk for problems in a variety of developmental domains; however, little is known about the effects of maternal depression on children's emerging understanding of false beliefs. In this study, 3 false belief tasks were administered to 5-year-old children whose mothers had either met criteria for major depressive disorder within the first 20 months of the child's life (n = 91) or had never been depressed (n = 50). Significant difficulties in performance were found among the children of depressed mothers, especially those whose mothers had experienced early and recent recurrent depressive disorder. Regardless of diagnostic status, children whose mothers exhibited negativity during problem-solving tasks administered at an earlier developmental period also were less likely to demonstrate false belief understanding. These effects remained even after child verbal ability was controlled.

Peer Models in Mental Health for Caregivers and Families.

PubMed

Acri, Mary; Hooley, Cole D; Richardson, Nicole; Moaba, Lily B

2017-02-01

Peer-delivered mental health models may hold important benefits for family members, yet their prevalence, components, and outcomes are unknown. We conducted a review of peer-delivered services for families of children and adults with mental health problems. Randomized studies of interventions published between 1990 and 2014 were included if the intervention contained a component for family members and examined familial outcomes. Of 77 studies that were assessed for their eligibility, six met criteria. Familial components included coping and parenting skills, knowledge about mental health, and emotional support. Outcomes were uneven, although significant improvements in family functioning, knowledge about mental illness, parental concerns about their child, and parenting skills were associated with the intervention. Peer-delivered services for family members may have important benefits to family members and individuals with mental health problems; however, the research base remains thin. A research agenda to develop and examine these models is discussed.

Effects of Maternal Negativity and of Early and Recent Recurrent Depressive Disorder on Children’s False Belief Understanding

PubMed Central

Rohrer, Lisa M.; Cicchetti, Dante; Rogosch, Fred A.; Toth, Sheree L.; Maughan, Angeline

2015-01-01

Research has shown that children of depressed mothers are at risk for problems in a variety of developmental domains; however, little is known about the effects of maternal depression on children’s emerging understanding of false beliefs. In this study, three false belief tasks were administered to five-year-old children whose mothers had either met criteria for major depressive disorder within the first 20 months of the child’s life (n = 91) or had never been depressed (n = 50). Significant difficulties in performance were found among the children of depressed mothers, especially those whose mothers had experienced early and recent recurrent depressive disorder. Regardless of diagnostic status, children whose mothers exhibited negativity during problem-solving tasks administered at an earlier developmental period also were less likely to demonstrate false belief understanding. These effects remained even after child verbal ability was controlled. PMID:21244156

Mindful learning can promote connectedness to nature: Implicit and explicit evidence.

PubMed

Wang, Xue; Geng, Liuna; Zhou, Kexin; Ye, Lijuan; Ma, Yinglin; Zhang, Shuhao

2016-08-01

Environmental problems have attracted increasing attention, yet individuals' connectedness to nature remains a significant concern for potential solutions to these problems. In this article, we propose a novel method to promote connectedness to nature: mindful learning. One hundred and thirty-four students participated in the experiment. First, baseline measurements using the Connectedness to Nature Scale were obtained. Participants were then assigned to either a mindful or mindless learning condition. Finally, as a posttest, participants completed the Implicit Association Test and the Inclusion of Nature in the Self Scale. The performance of the mindful-learning group was better for both measures. Participants in the mindful-learning condition performed better on the Implicit Association Test and scored higher on the Inclusion of Nature in the Self Scale. These results provide empirical evidence that mindful learning may promote connectedness to nature, both implicitly and explicitly. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Experimental loss-tolerant quantum coin flipping

PubMed Central

Berlín, Guido; Brassard, Gilles; Bussières, Félix; Godbout, Nicolas; Slater, Joshua A.; Tittel, Wolfgang

2011-01-01

Coin flipping is a cryptographic primitive in which two distrustful parties wish to generate a random bit to choose between two alternatives. This task is impossible to realize when it relies solely on the asynchronous exchange of classical bits: one dishonest player has complete control over the final outcome. It is only when coin flipping is supplemented with quantum communication that this problem can be alleviated, although partial bias remains. Unfortunately, practical systems are subject to loss of quantum data, which allows a cheater to force a bias that is complete or arbitrarily close to complete in all previous protocols and implementations. Here we report on the first experimental demonstration of a quantum coin-flipping protocol for which loss cannot be exploited to cheat better. By eliminating the problem of loss, which is unavoidable in any realistic setting, quantum coin flipping takes a significant step towards real-world applications of quantum communication. PMID:22127057

Problem solving ability of Octopus vulgaris Lamarck (Mollusca, Cephalopoda).

PubMed

Fiorito, G; von Planta, C; Scotto, P

1990-03-01

Experiments presented in this study show that Octopus vulgaris Lamarck is able to open transparent glass jars closed with a plastic plug and containing a live crab (Carcinus mediterraneus). The animals remove the plus (Operandum: O) and seize the crab (Predation :P) in one single attack. The number of unsuccessful attacks appears to decrease over a series of trials (p less than .01); during the same period exploration time remains unchanged. There is a statistically significant increase in performance over trials for O (p less than .01) and P (p less than .05) mean times analyzed by single factor ANOVA, suggesting that the learning process is accomplished either by stimulus-response association or by trial and error. We propose that Octopus vulgaris is capable of learning the solutions of both problems, Operandum and Predation, thus showing a highly developed ability of "integration" of the behavioral program.

The collision singularity in a perturbed n-body problem.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sperling, H. J.

1972-01-01

Collision of all bodies in a perturbed n-body problem is analyzed by an extension of the author's results for a perturbed two-body problem (1969). A procedure is set forth to prove that the absolute value of energy in a perturbed n-body system remains bounded until the moment of collision. It is shown that the characteristics of motion in both perturbed problems are basically the same.

Adaptive density trajectory cluster based on time and space distance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Fagui; Zhang, Zhijie

2017-10-01

There are some hotspot problems remaining in trajectory cluster for discovering mobile behavior regularity, such as the computation of distance between sub trajectories, the setting of parameter values in cluster algorithm and the uncertainty/boundary problem of data set. As a result, based on the time and space, this paper tries to define the calculation method of distance between sub trajectories. The significance of distance calculation for sub trajectories is to clearly reveal the differences in moving trajectories and to promote the accuracy of cluster algorithm. Besides, a novel adaptive density trajectory cluster algorithm is proposed, in which cluster radius is computed through using the density of data distribution. In addition, cluster centers and number are selected by a certain strategy automatically, and uncertainty/boundary problem of data set is solved by designed weighted rough c-means. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can perform the fuzzy trajectory cluster effectively on the basis of the time and space distance, and obtain the optimal cluster centers and rich cluster results information adaptably for excavating the features of mobile behavior in mobile and sociology network.

[Depressed mothers: the impact of depression on early interactions. An analysis of Anglo-Saxon studies].

PubMed

Guedeney, N

1993-10-01

Maternal depression remains a public health problem as indicated by many studies focusing on depression in mothers of young children. Although the high prevalence of depression in mothers of infants and young children is now a recognized fact, the detection and management of maternal depression in everyday practice still raises significant problems. This initial review centers on studies providing diagnostic guidelines. The problem of maternal depression and of its impact on the offspring is relevant to the issue of how qualities, abilities, and vulnerabilities are transmitted from one generation to the next. Psychoanalysts, infant psychiatrists, and developmental psychologists show great interest in this field. The current review was restricted to recent Anglo-Saxon studies on depression-related changes in early maternal behavior. The most striking findings are as follows: although depression affects maternal behavior overall, there is considerable variation across mothers; timing alterations (in terms of micro and macro sequences) in mother-child interactions occur in every case and are among the obstacles to harmony and synchronization; subtle alterations in the mother's response to her baby's signals preclude flexibility and anticipation.

Poverty and Internalizing Symptoms: The Indirect Effect of Middle Childhood Poverty on Internalizing Symptoms via an Emotional Response Inhibition Pathway.

PubMed

Capistrano, Christian G; Bianco, Hannah; Kim, Pilyoung

2016-01-01

Childhood poverty is a pervasive problem that can alter mental health outcomes. Children from impoverished circumstances are more likely than their middle-income counterparts to develop internalizing problems such as depression and anxiety. To date, however, the emotional-cognitive control processes that link childhood poverty and internalizing symptoms remain largely unexplored. Using the Emotion Go/NoGo paradigm, we examined the association between poverty and emotional response inhibition in middle childhood. We further examined the role of emotional response inhibition in the link between middle childhood poverty and internalizing symptoms. Lower income was associated with emotional response inhibition difficulties (indexed by greater false alarm rates in the context of task irrelevant angry and sad faces). Furthermore, emotional response inhibition deficits in the context of angry and sad distracters were further associated with child-report internalizing problems. The results of the current study demonstrate the significance of understanding the emotional-cognitive control vulnerabilities of children raised in poverty and their association with mental health outcomes.

[Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma: The problems of diagnosis and treatment].

PubMed

Chernova, N G; Julhakyan, H L; Vinogradova, Yu E; Sidorova, Yu V; Ryzhikova, N V; Korzhova, S M; Sinitsyna, M N; Tikhomirov, D S; Naumova, E V; Obukhova, T N; Dvirnyk, V N; Sudarikov, A B; Kovrigina, A M; Kravchenko, S K; Melikyan, A L; Kuzmina, L A; Galtseva, I V; Smirnova, S Yu; Gemdzhian, E G; Zvonkov, E E; Parovichnikova, E N; Savchenko, V G

2016-01-01

In the past decade, a notable advance has been made in the understanding of the pathogenesis of NK/T-cell lymphomas; however, their diagnosis remains difficult because of their rarity and clinical and morphological variabilities. The paper generalizes the ten-year experience of the Hematology Research Center, Ministry of Health of Russia, in diagnosing and treating hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma (HSTL), considers the problems of differential diagnosis with other hematological diseases occurring with similar clinical and laboratory symptoms, and lays down current approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of this condition. A clinician's view of the problem of diagnosis and treatment of this disease is given. HSTL is shown to be a heterogeneous group of diseases differing in a T-cell receptor chain gene rearrangement, the clinical course of the disease, and overall survival (OS). According to our data, 3-year OS was 12%; the median survival was 26 months. Two-year OS for γδ and αβ HSTL was equal to 25 and 70%, respectively. The difference in OS for the variants of HSTL failed to reach statistical significance (because the sample might be insufficient).

Adaptation of a Motivational Interviewing Intervention to Improve Antidepressant Adherence among Latinos

PubMed Central

Interian, Alejandro; Martinez, Igda; Rios, Lisbeth Iglesias; Krejci, Jonathan; Guarnaccia, Peter J.

2009-01-01

Poor antidepressant adherence is a significant issue in depression treatment that adversely affects treatment outcomes. While being a common problem, it tends to be more common among Latinos. To address this problem, the current study adapted a Motivational Interviewing (MI) intervention to improve adherence among Latinos with depression. The adaptation process included six focus groups that elicited participants’ perspectives (N = 30), applying the intervention with test cases (N = 7) to fine tune the intervention, and eliciting feedback on the intervention (N = 5). The findings generated from these adaptation phases are described, along with a case example. Examples of adaptations to the MI included reframing antidepressant adherence as a way to luchar (struggle) against problems, focusing on motivation for improving depression and not just medication, refining methods for imparting antidepressant information, and inclusion of personalized visual feedback on dose-taking. The findings provide a description of the antidepressant issues experienced by a group of Latinos, as well as considerations for applying MI with this population. The intervention remained grounded in MI principles, but was contextualized for this Latino group. PMID:20438160

Linearized-moment analysis of the temperature jump and temperature defect in the Knudsen layer of a rarefied gas.

PubMed

Gu, Xiao-Jun; Emerson, David R

2014-06-01

Understanding the thermal behavior of a rarefied gas remains a fundamental problem. In the present study, we investigate the predictive capabilities of the regularized 13 and 26 moment equations. In this paper, we consider low-speed problems with small gradients, and to simplify the analysis, a linearized set of moment equations is derived to explore a classic temperature problem. Analytical solutions obtained for the linearized 26 moment equations are compared with available kinetic models and can reliably capture all qualitative trends for the temperature-jump coefficient and the associated temperature defect in the thermal Knudsen layer. In contrast, the linearized 13 moment equations lack the necessary physics to capture these effects and consistently underpredict kinetic theory. The deviation from kinetic theory for the 13 moment equations increases significantly for specular reflection of gas molecules, whereas the 26 moment equations compare well with results from kinetic theory. To improve engineering analyses, expressions for the effective thermal conductivity and Prandtl number in the Knudsen layer are derived with the linearized 26 moment equations.

EDUCATIONAL SERIES IN CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE: Congenital left-sided heart obstruction

PubMed Central

Carr, Michelle; Curtis, Stephanie; Marek, Jan

2018-01-01

Congenital obstruction of the left ventricular outflow tract remains a significant problem and multilevel obstruction can often coexist. Obstruction can take several morphological forms and may involve the subvalvar, valvar or supravalvar portion of the aortic valve complex. Congenital valvar stenosis presenting in the neonatal period represents a spectrum of disorders ranging from the hypoplastic left heart syndrome to almost normal hearts. Treatment options vary dependent on the severity of the left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO) and the variable degree of left ventricular hypoplasia as well as the associated lesions such as arch hypoplasia and coarctation. PMID:29681546

Major trends in human parasitic diseases in China.

PubMed

Li, Ting; He, Shenyi; Zhao, Hong; Zhao, Guanghui; Zhu, Xing-Quan

2010-05-01

Tremendous progress has been made in the control and prevention of human parasitic diseases in mainland China in the past 30 years because of China's Reform and Opening to the Outside Policies initiated in 1978. However, parasitic diseases remain a major human health problem, with significant morbidity and mortality as well as adverse socioeconomic consequences. Although soil-transmitted parasitic diseases are in the process of being gradually controlled, food-borne parasitic diseases and emerging parasitic diseases are becoming the focus of new campaigns for control and prevention. This article reviews major trends in human parasitic diseases in mainland China, with perspectives for control.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for traumatic brain injury: bench-to-bedside

PubMed Central

Hu, Qin; Manaenko, Anatol; Xu, Ting; Guo, Zhenni; Tang, Jiping; Zhang, John H.

2016-01-01

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious public health problem in the United States. Survivors of TBI are often left with significant cognitive, behavioral, and communicative disabilities. So far there is no effective treatment/intervention in the daily clinical practice for TBI patients. The protective effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) have been proved in stroke; however, its efficiency in TBI remains controversial. In this review, we will summarize the results of HBOT in experimental and clinical TBI, elaborate the mechanisms, and bring out our current understanding and opinions for future studies. PMID:27867476

How universal is the entanglement spectrum?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandran, Anushya; Khemani, Vedika; Sondhi, Shivaji

2014-03-01

It is now commonly believed that the ground state entanglement spectrum (ES) exhibits universal features characteristic of a given phase. In this letter, we show that this belief is false in general. Most significantly, we show that the entanglement Hamiltonian can undergo quantum phase transitions in which its ground state and low energy spectrum exhibit singular changes, even when the physical system remains in the same phase. For broken symmetry problems, this implies that the ES and the Renyi entropies can mislead entirely, while for quantum Hall systems the ES has much less universal content than assumed to date.

How Universal Is the Entanglement Spectrum?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandran, Anushya; Khemani, Vedika; Sondhi, S. L.

2014-08-01

It is now commonly believed that the ground state entanglement spectrum (ES) exhibits universal features characteristic of a given phase. In this Letter, we show that this belief is false in general. Most significantly, we show that the entanglement Hamiltonian can undergo quantum phase transitions in which its ground state and low-energy spectrum exhibit singular changes, even when the physical system remains in the same phase. For broken symmetry problems, this implies that the low-energy ES and the Rényi entropies can mislead entirely, while for quantum Hall systems, the ES has much less universal content than assumed to date.

A distributed programming environment for Ada

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brennan, Peter; Mcdonnell, Tom; Mcfarland, Gregory; Timmins, Lawrence J.; Litke, John D.

1986-01-01

Despite considerable commercial exploitation of fault tolerance systems, significant and difficult research problems remain in such areas as fault detection and correction. A research project is described which constructs a distributed computing test bed for loosely coupled computers. The project is constructing a tool kit to support research into distributed control algorithms, including a distributed Ada compiler, distributed debugger, test harnesses, and environment monitors. The Ada compiler is being written in Ada and will implement distributed computing at the subsystem level. The design goal is to provide a variety of control mechanics for distributed programming while retaining total transparency at the code level.

Current Status of Dengue Therapeutics Research and Development

PubMed Central

Ooi, Eng Eong; Vasudevan, Subhash G.

2017-01-01

Abstract Dengue is a significant global health problem. Even though a vaccine against dengue is now available, which is a notable achievement, its long-term protective efficacy against each of the 4 dengue virus serotypes remains to be definitively determined. Consequently, drugs directed at the viral targets or critical host mechanisms that can be used safely as prophylaxis or treatment to effectively ameliorate disease or reduce disease severity and fatalities are still needed to reduce the burden of dengue. This review will provide a brief account of the status of therapeutics research and development for dengue. PMID:28403438

Classical subharmonic resonances in microwave ionization of lithium Rydberg atoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noel, Michael W.; Griffith, W. M.; Gallagher, T. F.

2000-12-01

We have studied the ionization of lithium Rydberg atoms by pulsed microwave fields in the regime in which the microwave frequency is equal to or a subharmonic of the classical Kepler frequency of the two-body Coulomb problem. We have observed a series of resonances where the atom is relatively stable against ionization. The resonances are similar to those seen previously in hydrogen, but with significant quantitative differences. We also present measurements of the distribution of states that remain bound after the microwave interaction for initial states near one of the classical subharmonic resonances.

Relation between response to illness and compliance in haemodialysis patients.

PubMed

Saounatsou, M

1999-01-01

The treatment schedule of the haemodialysis patient has many restrictions and the long-term haemodialysis patient's response to illness is characterised by various emotional reactions. Compliance with their medical regimens remains a significant problem which influences the progress of health and by extension quality of life. The preconceived idea that a patient's response to illness may influence his adherence to medical regimen led to this study. The main variables examined were the relationship between the patient's response to illness and compliance and the relationship between compliance and age, education and the length of time on haemodialysis.

Living with mentally ill parents during adolescence: a risk factor for future welfare dependence? A longitudinal, population-based study.

PubMed

Homlong, Lisbeth; Rosvold, Elin Olaug; Sagatun, Åse; Wentzel-Larsen, Tore; Haavet, Ole Rikard

2015-04-22

Living with parents suffering from mental illness can influence adolescents' health and well-being, and adverse effects may persist into adulthood. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between parents' mental health problems reported by their 15-16-year-old adolescents, the potential protective effect of social support and long-term dependence on public welfare assistance in young adulthood. The study linked data from a youth health survey conducted during 1999-2004 among approximately 14 000 15-16-year-olds to data from high-quality, compulsory Norwegian registries that followed each participant through February 2010. Cox regression was used to compute hazard ratios for long-term welfare dependence in young adulthood based on several risk factors in 15-16-year-olds, including their parents' mental health problems. Of the total study population, 10% (1397) reported having parents who suffered from some level of mental health problems during the 12 months prior to the baseline survey; 3% (420) reported that their parents had frequent mental health problems. Adolescent report of their parents' mental health problems was associated with the adolescents' long-term welfare dependence during follow-up, with hazard ratios (HRs) of 1.49 (CI 1.29-1.71), 1.82 (1.44-2.31) and 2.13 (CI 1.59-2.85) for some trouble, moderate trouble and frequent trouble, respectively, compared with report of no trouble with mental health problems. The associations remained significant after adjusting for socio-demographic factors, although additionally correcting for the adolescents' own health status accounted for most of the effect. Perceived support from family, friends, classmates and teachers was analysed separately and each was associated with a lower risk of later welfare dependence. Family and classmate support remained a protective factor for welfare dependence after correcting for all study covariates (HR 0.84, CI 0.78-0.90 and 0.80, 0.75-0.85). We did not find evidence supporting a hypothesized buffering effect of social support. Exposure to a parent's mental health problem during adolescence may represent a risk for future welfare dependence in young adulthood. Perceived social support, from family and classmates in particular, may be a protective factor against future long-term welfare dependence.

Physical Pain and History of Suicidal Behaviors in Alcohol-Dependent Patients Entering Treatment in Poland.

PubMed

Jakubczyk, Andrzej; Ashrafioun, Lisham; Ilgen, Mark; Kopera, Maciej; Klimkiewicz, Anna; Krasowska, Aleksandra; Solowiej, Malgorzata; Brower, Kirk J; Wojnar, Marcin

2016-08-23

Individuals with alcohol use disorders have been shown to be at increased risk for suicidal behaviors and chronic pain. The aim of this study was to conduct initial analyses of the association between current physical pain and the likelihood of suicidal behavior history in alcohol-dependent patients entering treatment in Poland. A sample of 366 (73.5% men and 26.5% women) participants were recruited from alcohol treatment centers in Warsaw, Poland. Information was obtained about a history of lifetime suicidal behavior, past 4-week pain level, demographics, social functioning, childhood abuse, depressive symptoms, severity of alcohol and sleep problems. A total of 118 individuals (32.2%) reported at least one suicidal behavior during their lifetime. In unadjusted analyses, there was a significant association between a history of lifetime suicidal behavior and a moderate or greater experience of physical pain during the last four weeks. Other variables that were significantly associated with suicidal behaviors were: younger age, history of childhood abuse, depressive symptoms, sleep problems, consequences of drinking, and lower social support. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, only experience of moderate or greater pain, age, and depressive symptoms remained significantly associated with a history of suicidal behavior. The experience of physical pain is significantly associated with a lifetime history of suicidal behavior in alcohol-dependent patients. Clinicians should be aware of these associations when conducting assessments and treating alcohol use disorders.

Low self-control and co-occurrence of gambling with substance use and delinquency among Chinese adolescents.

PubMed

Cheung, Nicole W T

2014-03-01

Relatively little is known about gambling co-morbidity in Asian youth populations. The role of trait self-control in co-morbidity also remains under-explored in the gambling literature. This study examined the association between gambling, substance use and delinquency among Chinese adolescents, and the extent to which these forms of risk behavior are commonly predicted by low self-control. Data from a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of a stratified, random sample of 4,734 high school students aged 12-23 years in Hong Kong were analyzed. The prevalence of gambling pathology, frequency and attitudes showed statistically significant, positive and consistent relationships with tobacco use, alcohol use, and delinquent acts at the p < .001 level. Further analyses revealed that low self-control significantly (p < .001) predicts at-risk/probable pathological gambling, frequent gambling, strong permissiveness toward gambling, heavy use of tobacco and alcohol, and delinquent involvement, even after controlling for the potential shared correlates of socioeconomic characteristics, parental monitoring and peer delinquency. Hence, the concept that gambling problems and strong receptivity to gambling are likely to be part of a general problem behavior syndrome is evinced cross-culturally among young people in a Chinese context. It may also be cost-effective to increase intervention efforts to improve the self-control deficit in adolescents, as this should reduce their gambling and concurrent problem behavior.

An International Menopause Society study of vasomotor symptoms in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Thailand.

PubMed

Sriprasert, I; Pantasri, T; Piyamongkol, W; Suwan, A; Chaikittisilpa, S; Sturdee, D; Gupta, P; Hunter, M S

2017-04-01

To examine relationships between location, demographics, lifestyle, beliefs, and experience of hot flushes and night sweats (HFNS) amongst women living in two cities in Thailand. Cross-sectional study of peri- and postmenopausal women, aged 45-55 years, from Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Participants completed questionnaires (demographics, health, HFNS (prevalence, frequency and problem-rating) and beliefs about menopause). A sub-sample of women from each location was interviewed. A total of 632 women (320 Bangkok and 312 Chiang Mai) aged 50.88 (standard deviation 3.06) years, took part. The prevalence of HFNS was 65%, average HFNS frequency 8.7 (10.8) per week and problem rating 4.3/10. Women from Chiang Mai had significantly more problematic HFNS, but prevalence and frequency were similar in both sites. Poor general health predicted HFNS prevalence and frequency, while Chiang Mai location, HFNS frequency, age, diet and beliefs about menopause were associated with problematic HFNS. Location remained significant after controlling for education, occupation and age; location was partially explained by beliefs. Qualitative interview responses illustrated the differences in beliefs about menopause between locations. HFNS reports are prevalent with moderate frequency and problem-ratings in these urban centers in Thailand. The results will be included in the broader International Menopause Society study of Climate, Altitude and Temperature (IMS-CAT) of the impact of climate on HFNS.

Association between workaholism and sleep problems among hospital nurses.

PubMed

Kubota, Kazumi; Shimazu, Akihito; Kawakami, Norito; Takahashi, Masaya; Nakata, Akinori; Schaufeli, Wilmar B

2010-01-01

The present study examined the association between workaholism, the tendency to work excessively hard in a compulsive fashion, and sleep problems among Japanese nurses. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 600 nurses from 2 university hospitals in Japan using a self-reported questionnaire on workaholism, sleep, job-related variables (i.e., job demands, job control, and worksite support), and demographic variables. A total of 394 nurses returned the questionnaire (response rate=65.7%) and complete data from 312 female nurses were used for analyses (final coverage rate=52.0%). Workaholics, as measured using the Japanese version of the Dutch Workaholism Scale, were defined as those having high scores on both the "work excessively" and "work compulsively" subscales. Logistic regression analyses revealed that workaholics had higher risks for sleep problems in terms of subjective sleep insufficiency, excessive daytime sleepiness at work, difficulty awakening in the morning, and feeling tired when waking up in the morning (odds ratios [OR] of 4.40, 3.18, 3.48, and 4.61, respectively, p<0.05). These remained significant even after adjusting for demographic and job-related variables (OR 3.41, 5.36, 2.56, and 2.77, respectively). However, no significant associations were found between workaholism and insomnia symptoms. These results suggest that workaholic nurses had higher risks for impaired awakening, insufficient sleep, and workplace sleepiness.

Non-opioid anesthetic drug abuse among anesthesia care providers: a narrative review.

PubMed

Zuleta-Alarcón, Alix; Coffman, John C; Soghomonyan, Suren; Papadimos, Thomas J; Bergese, Sergio D; Moran, Kenneth R

2017-02-01

The objective of this narrative review is to provide an overview of the problem of non-opioid anesthetic drug abuse among anesthesia care providers (ACPs) and to describe current approaches to screening, therapy, and rehabilitation of ACPs suffering from non-opioid anesthetic drug abuse. We first performed a search of all literature available on PubMed prior to April 11, 2016. The search was limited to articles published in Spanish and English, and the following key words were used: anesthesiology, anesthesia personnel, AND substance-related disorders. We also searched Ovid MEDLINE ® databases from 1946-April 11, 2016 using the following search terms: anesthesiology OR anesthesia, OR nurse anesthetist OR anesthesia care provider OR perioperative nursing AND substance-related disorders. Despite an increased awareness of drug abuse among ACPs and improvements in preventive measures, the problem of non-opioid anesthetic drug abuse remains significant. While opioids are the most commonly abused anesthesia medications among ACPs, the abuse of non-opioid anesthetics is a significant cause of morbidity, mortality, and professional demise. Early detection, effective therapy, and long-term follow-up help ACPs cope more effectively with the problem and, when possible, resume their professional activities. There is insufficient evidence to determine the ability of ACPs to return safely to anesthesia practice after rehabilitation, though awareness of the issue and ongoing treatment are necessary to minimize patient risk from potentially related clinical errors.

Application of an artificial neural network to pump card diagnosis

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

Ashenayi, K.; Lea, J.F.; Kemp, F.

1994-12-01

Beam pumping is the most frequently used artificial-lift technique for oil production. Downhole pump cards are used to evaluate performance of the pumping unit. Pump cards can be generated from surface dynamometer cards using a 1D wave equation with viscous damping, as suggested by Gibbs and Neely. Pump cards contain significant information describing the behavior of the pump. However, interpretation of these cards is tedious and time-consuming; hence, an automated system capable of interpreting these cards could speed interpretation and warn of pump failures. This work presents the results of a DOS-based computer program capable of correctly classifying pump cards.more » The program uses a hybrid artificial neural network (ANN) to identify significant features of the pump card. The hybrid ANN uses classical and sinusoidal perceptrons. The network is trained using an error-back-propagation technique. The program correctly identified pump problems for more than 180 different training and test pump cards. The ANN takes a total of 80 data points as input. Sixty data points are collected from the pump card perimeter, and the remaining 20 data points represent the slope at selected points on the pump card perimeter. Pump problem conditions are grouped into 11 distinct classes. The network is capable of identifying one or more of these problem conditions for each pump card. Eight examples are presented and discussed.« less

Impaired performance on advanced Theory of Mind tasks in children with epilepsy is related to poor communication and increased attention problems.

PubMed

Lunn, Judith; Lewis, Charlie; Sherlock, Christopher

2015-02-01

Children with epilepsy (CWE) have social difficulties that can persist into adulthood, and this could be related to problems with understanding others' thoughts, feelings, and intentions. This study assessed children's ability to interpret and reason on mental and emotional states (Theory of Mind) and examined the relationships between task scores and reports of communication and behavior. Performance of 56 CWE (8-16years of age) with below average IQ (n=17) or an average IQ (n=39) was compared with that of 62 healthy controls with an average IQ (6-16years of age) on cognition, language, and two advanced Theory of Mind (ToM) tasks that required children to attribute mental or emotional states to eye regions and to reason on internal mental states in order to explain behavior. The CWE-below average group were significantly poorer in both ToM tasks compared with controls. The CWE - average group showed a significantly poorer ability to reason on mental states in order to explain behavior, a difference that remained after accounting for lower IQ and language deficits. Poor ToM skills were related to increased communication and attention problems in both CWE groups. There is a risk for atypical social understanding in CWE, even for children with average cognitive function. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Leprosy: ancient disease remains a public health problem nowadays.

PubMed

Noriega, Leandro Fonseca; Chiacchio, Nilton Di; Noriega, Angélica Fonseca; Pereira, Gilmayara Alves Abreu Maciel; Vieira, Marina Lino

2016-01-01

Despite being an ancient disease, leprosy remains a public health problem in several countries -particularly in India, Brazil and Indonesia. The current operational guidelines emphasize the evaluation of disability from the time of diagnosis and stipulate as fundamental principles for disease control: early detection and proper treatment. Continued efforts are needed to establish and improve quality leprosy services. A qualified primary care network that is integrated into specialized service and the development of educational activities are part of the arsenal in the fight against the disease, considered neglected and stigmatizing.

Three-phase flow measurement in the petroleum industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thorn, R.; Johansen, G. A.; Hjertaker, B. T.

2013-01-01

The problem of how to accurately measure the flowrate of oil-gas-water mixtures in a pipeline remains one of the key challenges in the petroleum industry. This paper discusses why three-phase flow measurement is still important and why it remains a difficult problem to solve. The measurement strategies and principal base technologies currently used by commercial manufacturers are described, and research developments that could influence future flowmeter design are considered. Finally, future issues, which will need to be addressed by manufacturers and users of three-phase flowmeters, are discussed.

The Experience of Insight Follows Incubation in the Compound Remote Associates Task

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrison, Robert G.; McCarthy, Sean W.; Molony, John M.

2017-01-01

The phenomenon of insight is frequently characterized by the experience of a sudden and certain solution. Anecdotal accounts suggest that insight frequently occurs after the problem solver has taken some time away from the problem (i.e., incubation). However, the mechanism by which incubation may facilitate insight problem-solving remains unclear.…

Functioning and Participation Problems of Students with ASD in Higher Education: Which Reasonable Accommodations Are Effective?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jansen, Dorien; Petry, Katja; Ceulemans, Eva; Noens, Ilse; Baeyens, Dieter

2017-01-01

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience various functioning and participation problems in higher education, which may cause difficulties such as drop out or low grade point averages. However, it remains unclear how often and during which teaching and evaluation methods the functioning and participation problems occur and which…

Long Live Traditional Textbook Problems!?--Constraints on Faculty Use of Research-Based Problems in Introductory Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ding, Lin

2014-01-01

Though many research-based problem types have been shown effective in promoting students' conceptual understanding and scientific abilities, the extent of their use in actual classrooms remains unclear. We interviewed and surveyed 16 physics and engineering faculty members at a large US Midwest research university to investigate how university…

Problem Solving in Everyday Office Work--A Diary Study on Differences between Experts and Novices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rausch, Andreas; Schley, Thomas; Warwas, Julia

2015-01-01

Contemporary office work is becoming increasingly challenging as many routine tasks are automated or outsourced. The remaining problem solving activities may also offer potential for lifelong learning in the workplace. In this study, we analyzed problem solving in an office work setting using an Internet-based, semi-standardized diary to collect…

Quantum issues in optical communication. [noise reduction in signal reception

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennedy, R. S.

1973-01-01

Various approaches to the problem of controlling quantum noise, the dominant noise in an optical communications system, are discussed. It is shown that, no matter which way the problem is approached, there always remain uncertainties. These uncertainties exist because, to date, only very few communication problems have been solved in their full quantum form.

The Effects of Stretching Exercises during Rehearsals on String Students' Self-Reported Perceptions of Discomfort

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Shelly C.; Hamann, Donald L.; Frost, Robert

2012-01-01

Musicians have recognized that physical problems often accompany playing, yet examinations of performance-related injuries and medical problems remain relatively new. The type of instrument played can affect musicians' pain-related problems as well as physical stature. The focus of this study was to determine whether physical intervention--easily…

The Self-Organization of Insight: Entropy and Power Laws in Problem Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stephen, Damian G.; Dixon, James A.

2008-01-01

Explaining emergent structure remains a challenge for all areas of cognitive science, and problem solving is no exception. The modern study of insight has drawn attention to the issue of emergent cognitive structure in problem solving research. We propose that the explanation of insight is beyond the scope of conventional approaches to cognitive…

Executive Function as a Mediator in the Link between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Social Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tseng, Wan-Ling; Gau, Susan Shur-Fen

2013-01-01

Background: Cognitive processes and mechanisms underlying the strong link between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and social problems remain unclear. Limited knowledge also exists regarding a subgroup of youth with ADHD who do not have social problems. This study investigated the extent to which executive function (EF) mediated the…

THE APPLICATION OF ENGLISH-WORD MORPHOLOGY TO AUTOMATIC INDEXING AND EXTRACTING. ANNUAL SUMMARY REPORT.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DOLBY, J.L.; AND OTHERS

THE STUDY IS CONCERNED WITH THE LINGUISTIC PROBLEM INVOLVED IN TEXT COMPRESSION--EXTRACTING, INDEXING, AND THE AUTOMATIC CREATION OF SPECIAL-PURPOSE CITATION DICTIONARIES. IN SPITE OF EARLY SUCCESS IN USING LARGE-SCALE COMPUTERS TO AUTOMATE CERTAIN HUMAN TASKS, THESE PROBLEMS REMAIN AMONG THE MOST DIFFICULT TO SOLVE. ESSENTIALLY, THE PROBLEM IS TO…

The Effects of High-Preference Problems on the Completion of Nonpreferred Mathematics Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, David L.; Lylo, Brooke; Vostal, Brooks; Hua, Youjia

2012-01-01

Failure to initiate and remain engaged in academic tasks can have long-lasting effects for students. In this study, we investigated the effects of high-preference sequences on both digits correct per minute and latency to initiate nonpreferred mathematics problems for 3 students with emotional and behavioral disorders. We found that…

Learning Analysis of K-12 Students' Online Problem Solving: A Three-Stage Assessment Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hu, Yiling; Wu, Bian; Gu, Xiaoqing

2017-01-01

Problem solving is considered a fundamental human skill. However, large-scale assessment of problem solving in K-12 education remains a challenging task. Researchers have argued for the development of an enhanced assessment approach through joint effort from multiple disciplines. In this study, a three-stage approach based on an evidence-centered…

Bullying of preterm children and emotional problems at school age: cross-culturally invariant effects.

PubMed

Wolke, Dieter; Baumann, Nicole; Strauss, Victoria; Johnson, Samantha; Marlow, Neil

2015-06-01

To investigate whether adolescents who were born extremely preterm (<26 weeks gestation), very preterm (<32 weeks gestation), or with very low birth weight (<1500 g) are more often bullied, and whether this contributes to higher emotional problem scores. We used 2 whole population samples: the German Bavarian Longitudinal Study (BLS) (287 very preterm/very low birth weight and 293 term comparison children) and the UK EPICure Study (183 extremely preterm and 102 term comparison children). Peer bullying was assessed by parent report in both cohorts at school years 2 and 6/7. The primary outcome was emotional problems in year 6/7. The effects of prematurity and bullying on emotional problems were investigated with regression analysis and controlled for sex, socioeconomic status, disability, and preexisting emotional problems. Preterm-born children were more often bullied in both cohorts than term comparisons (BLS: relative risk, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.07-1.50; EPICure: relative risk, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.19-2.41). Both preterm birth and being bullied predicted emotional problems, but after controlling for confounders, only being bullied at both ages remained a significant predictor of emotional problem scores in both cohorts (BLS: B, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.28-1.27; P < .01; EPICure: B, 1.55; 95% CI, 0.79-2.30; P < .001). In the EPICure sample, being born preterm and being bullied at just a single time point also predicted emotional problems. Preterm-born children are more vulnerable to being bullied by peers. Those children who experience bullying over years are more likely to develop emotional problems. Health professionals should routinely ask about peer relationships. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The 6th Meeting of the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis: A half-time review of lymphatic filariasis elimination and its integration with the control of other neglected tropical diseases

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

The 6th Meeting of the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GAELF6) was held 1-3 June, 2010 in Seoul, Korea, with 150 participants from 38 countries. The year 2010 marks the midpoint between the first GAELF meeting, in 2000, and the World Health Organization (WHO) 2020 goal of global elimination of lymphatic filariasis (LF) as a public health problem. The theme of the meeting, "Half-time in LF Elimination: Teaming Up with Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)," reflected significant integration of LF elimination programmes into a comprehensive initiative to control NTDs. Presentations on LF epidemiology, treatment, research, and programmes highlighted both accomplishments and remaining challenges. The WHO strategy to interrupt LF transmission is based on annual mass drug administration (MDA) using two-drug combinations. After mapping the geographic distribution of LF, MDA is implemented for ≥ 5 years, followed by a period of post-MDA surveillance, and, ultimately, verification of LF elimination. Morbidity management further reduces disease burden. Of 81 countries considered LF-endemic in 2000, 52 (64.2%) have begun MDA; 10 (12.3%) others with low-level transmission are unlikely to require MDA. In 2008, ~695 million people were offered treatment (51.7% of the at-risk population); ~496 million participated. Approximately 22 million people have been protected from LF infection and disease, with savings of ~US $24.2 billion. Morbidity management programmes have been implemented in 27 (33.3%) countries. Significant challenges to LF elimination remain. These include: initiating MDA in the remaining 19 countries that require it; achieving full geographic coverage in countries where MDA has started; finding alternative strategies to address the problem of Loa loa co-endemicity in Central Africa; developing strategies to treat urban populations; initiating and sustaining MDA in settings of armed conflict; developing refined guidelines and procedures for stopping MDA, for post-MDA surveillance, and for verifying the elimination of LF; and integrating morbidity management into all LF elimination programmes. Scientific research and enhanced advocacy for NTDs remain critical for addressing these challenges. GAELF6 was characterized by enthusiasm and recognition that "teaming up with NTDs" offers opportunities for new partnerships, fresh perspectives, enhanced advocacy, and greater programmatic integration in a rapidly changing global health environment. PMID:20961435

Does Length of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics Training Matter?

PubMed

Stein, Ruth E K; Storfer-Isser, Amy; Kerker, Bonnie D; Garner, Andrew; Szilagyi, Moira; Hoagwood, Kimberly E; O'Connor, Karen G; Green, Cori M; Horwitz, Sarah McCue

Since 1997 pediatric residencies have been required to provide a 4-week block rotation in developmental and behavioral pediatrics (DBP), but it is not known whether this has altered the care and management of children by practicing pediatricians. The objective of this study was to compare the self-reported practice patterns of pediatricians who were trained with 4 or more weeks of DBP with the practice patterns of those who were trained for <4 weeks. We used self-reported practices from the American Academy of Pediatrics Periodic Survey 85. Pediatricians were asked whether they never, sometimes, or usually inquired about and screened for, and whether they treated/managed/comanaged attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, anxiety, behavior problems and learning problems. They were also asked about a series of barriers to care. Analyses were weighted to account for low response rates. Those with more DBP training were significantly more likely to treat/manage/co-manage depression, anxiety, behavior problems and learning problems, but were still doing so less than one third of the time. There were no differences in the care of patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or in screening or inquiring about mental health conditions. Those with more training were more likely to perceive somewhat fewer barriers and to report more specific familiarity with some Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria and some treatment modalities. Longer length of training is associated with more treatment, but significant deficits in self-reported practice remain, leaving much room for additional improvement in the training of clinicians in DBP. Copyright © 2016 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of a PBL teaching method on learning about nursing care for patients with depression.

PubMed

Arrue, Marta; Ruiz de Alegría, Begoña; Zarandona, Jagoba; Hoyos Cillero, Itziar

2017-05-01

Depression is a worldwide public health problem that requires the attention of qualified health professionals. The training of skilled nurses is a challenge for nursing instructors due to the complexity of this pathology. The aim was to analyse the declarative and argumentative knowledge acquired about depression by students receiving traditional expository instruction versus students receiving problem-based learning instruction. Quasi-experimental study with pre-test and post-test design in experimental and control group to measure differences in the improvement of declarative and argumentative knowledge. Non parametric tests were used to compare the scores between the experimental group and the control group, and between the pre-test and post-test in each group. 114 students participated in the study. Implementation of the study took place during the 2014-2015 academic year in the third year of the Nursing undergraduate degree courses in the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) as part of the Mental Health Nursing subject. The data indicated that there were no statistically significant differences between the two methodologies in regard to declarative knowledge in the care of patients with depression. Nevertheless, the argumentative capacity of the experimental group improved significantly with the problem-based learning methodology (p=0.000). The results of the implementation indicated that problem-based learning was a satisfactory tool for the acquisition of argumentative capacity in depression nursing care. Still, working examples of teaching sequences that bridge the gap between general clinical practice and classroom practice remain an important goal for continuing research in nursing education. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Youth internalizing symptoms, sleep-related problems, and disordered eating attitudes and behaviors: A moderated mediation analysis.

PubMed

Chardon, Marie L; Janicke, David M; Carmody, Julia K; Dumont-Driscoll, Marilyn C

2016-04-01

Internalizing symptoms increase the risk for disordered eating; however, the mechanism through which this relationship occurs remains unclear. Sleep-related problems may be a potential link as they are associated with both emotional functioning and disordered eating. The present study aims to evaluate the mediating roles of two sleep-related problems (sleep disturbance and daytime sleepiness) in the relationship between youth internalizing symptoms and disordered eating, and to explore if age moderates these relations. Participants were 225 youth (8-17years) attending a primary care appointment. Youth and legal guardians completed questionnaires about youth disordered eating attitudes and behaviors, internalizing symptoms, sleep disturbance, and daytime sleepiness. Mediation and moderated mediation analyses were utilized. The mediation model revealed both youth sleep disturbance and daytime sleepiness independently mediated the association between internalizing symptoms and disordered eating attitudes and behaviors, and explained 18% of the variance in disordered eating. The moderated mediation model including youth age accounted for 21% of the variance in disordered eating; youth age significantly interacted with sleep disturbance, but not with daytime sleepiness, to predict disordered eating. Sleep disturbance only mediated the relationship between internalizing symptoms and disordered eating in youth 12years old and younger, while daytime sleepiness was a significant mediator regardless of age. As sleep-related problems are frequently improved with the adoption of health behaviors conducive to good sleep, these results may suggest a relatively modifiable and cost-effective target to reduce youth risk for disordered eating. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Partner Abuse of Mothers Compromises Children's Behavioral Functioning Through Maternal Mental Health Dysfunction: Analysis of 300 Mother-Child Pairs.

PubMed

Maddoux, John A; Liu, Fuqin; Symes, Lene; McFarlane, Judith; Paulson, Rene; Binder, Brenda K; Fredland, Nina; Nava, Angeles; Gilroy, Heidi

2016-04-01

Partner violence is associated with numerous negative consequences for victims, especially poor mental health. Children who are exposed to partner violence are more likely to have behavior problems. Nevertheless, research on the relationship between severity of abuse, maternal mental health functioning following partner violence, and child behavior problems is limited. We explored the direct and indirect effects on the child's behavioral functioning of severity of maternal abuse and maternal mental health functioning following abuse. A sample of 300 mothers was recruited when they sought assistance for abuse for the first time at shelters for abused women or at the district attorney's office. Severity of abuse, mothers' mental health functioning, and child behavioral functioning were measured by maternal self-report at entry into the study and 4 months later. In SEM analysis, at both entry and 4 months, severity of abuse had a direct effect on maternal mental health functioning, which in turn had a direct effect on child behavioral functioning. The path from severity of abuse to child behavioral functioning also was significant but became non- significant once maternal mental health functioning was added to the equation, indicating that the path from severity of abuse to child behavioral functioning was indirect and occurred as a result of the mother's mental health functioning, which remained directly linked to child behavioral problems. Intergenerational interventions are needed to address both maternal mental health and child behavioral functioning when a mother reports partner violence and is experiencing mental health problems. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Remaining Off Alcohol and Drugs: A Self-Management Skills Program for Abstinence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunphy, Peter Hughes

The Remaining Off Alcohol and Drugs Program (ROAD) was developed to teach newly abstinent chemical misusing clients how to remain alcohol and drug free. It provides its participants with a repertoire of knowledge, skills and behaviors that they can use in dealing with the most common problems caused by discontinuing chemical use and which can be…

Improving Mental Health Outcomes of Burmese Migrant and Displaced Children in Thailand: a Community-Based Randomized Controlled Trial of a Parenting and Family Skills Intervention.

PubMed

Annan, Jeannie; Sim, Amanda; Puffer, Eve S; Salhi, Carmel; Betancourt, Theresa S

2017-10-01

The negative effects of displacement and poverty on child mental health are well-known, yet research on prevention interventions in low- and middle-income countries, especially fragile states, remains limited. We examined the effectiveness of a parenting skills intervention on mental health outcomes among Burmese migrant and displaced children living in 20 communities in Thailand. Participants were primary caregivers and children aged 7 to 15 years (n = 479 families). Families were randomly assigned to receive an adapted version of the Strengthening Families Program (n = 240) or a wait-list control condition (n = 239). Assessments were conducted at baseline and 1-month post-intervention for both conditions and at 6 months for treatment group only. One month after the program, children in the treatment condition showed significant reductions in externalizing problems (caregiver effect size (ES) -0.22, p = 0.02; child report ES -0.11, p = 0.02) and child attention problems compared with controls (caregiver report ES -0.23, p = 0.03). There was no significant treatment effect on children's internalizing problems (ES -0.06; p = 0.31). Children reported a significant increase in prosocial protective factors relative to controls (ES 0.20, p < 0.01). Results suggest that an evidence-based parenting skills intervention adapted for a displaced and migrant Burmese population facing high levels of adversity can have positive effects on children's externalizing symptoms and protective psychosocial factors. Clinicaltrials.gov: https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01829815.

Investigating the role of future thinking in social problem solving.

PubMed

Noreen, Saima; Whyte, Katherine E; Dritschel, Barbara

2015-03-01

There is well-established evidence that both rumination and depressed mood negatively impact the ability to solve social problems. A preliminary stage of the social problem solving process may be the process of catapulting oneself forward in time to think about the consequences of a problem before attempting to solve it. The aim of the present study was to examine how thinking about the consequences of a social problem being resolved or unresolved prior to solving it influences the solution of the problem as a function of levels of rumination and dysphoric mood. Eighty six participants initially completed the Beck Depression Inventory- II (BDI-II) and the Ruminative Response Scale (RRS). They were then presented with six social problems and generated consequences for half of the problems being resolved and half of the problems remaining unresolved. Participants then solved some of the problems, and following a delay, were asked to recall all of the consequences previously generated. Participants reporting higher levels of depressed mood and rumination were less effective at generating problem solutions. Specifically, those reporting higher levels of rumination produced less effective solutions for social problems that they had previously generated unresolved than resolved consequences. We also found that individuals higher in rumination, irrespective of depressed mood recalled more of the unresolved consequences in a subsequent memory test. As participants did not solve problems for scenarios where no consequences were generated, no baseline measure of problem solving was obtained. Our results suggest thinking about the consequences of a problem remaining unresolved may impair the generation of effective solutions in individuals with higher levels of rumination. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Patients' experience of surplus skin after laparoscopic gastric bypass.

PubMed

Biörserud, Christina; Olbers, Torsten; Fagevik Olsén, Monika

2011-03-01

Previous studies have described that many obese patients who undergo bariatric surgery develop surplus skin. However, there is a lack of knowledge about where on the body the problems are located and to what extent surplus skin affects the person. The aim of this study was to examine whether and where patients develop surplus skin after laparoscopic gastric bypass and if there is any relation between surplus skin and the patient's sex, age, weight loss, or activity level. A questionnaire was constructed which included questions about surplus skin. The questionnaire was sent to 148 patients who had been operated with laparoscopic gastric bypass. One hundred and twelve (76%) responded of whom 77 were women and 35 men. At follow-up, 94 persons (84%) reported problems with surplus skin. The surplus skin was situated most commonly on the abdomen, the upper arms, and the inside of the thighs, but also on the back, the cheek and over the knees. Significantly, more women than men reported complications with surplus skin (p = 0.018), distributed over more body parts, specifically on the upper arms, medial thigh, and lateral back (p < 0.05). The surplus skin caused problems with fungal infections and itching, physical unpleasantness and complicated physical activity. There was no correlation between degree of problems with surplus skin and age, weight loss, or activity rate. Weight loss after gastric bypass reduces the medical risks of obesity but the psychosocial problems remain in many patients due to problems with surplus skin.

Social cognition and revictimization risk.

PubMed

DePrince, Anne P

2005-01-01

The ability to accurately detect violations in social contracts likely helps people to avoid or to withdraw from relationships in which they are at risk of being cheated or harmed. Betrayal trauma theory argues that detecting violations of social contracts may be counter-productive to survival under certain conditions, such as when a victim is dependent on a perpetrator. When dependent on a perpetrator (as in the case of child abuse perpetrated by a caregiver), the victim may be better able to preserve the necessary attachment with the caregiver by remaining unaware of the abuse. Thus, the victim may develop a compromised capacity to detect violations of social contracts in the caregiving relationship. Over time, the victim may develop more generalized problems detecting violations in social exchange rules; in turn, generalized problems in detecting violations of social contracts may increase risk for later victimization. Participants in the current study were asked to detect violations in three types of conditional (if-then) rules: abstract, social contract (rules involving a social exchange), and precautionary (rules involving safety). Young adults who reported experiences of revictimization made more errors on social contract and precautionary problems than a no revictimization group; group performance did not differ for abstract problems, suggesting these findings are not explained by general deficits in conditional reasoning. Pathological dissociation significantly predicted errors on social contract and precautionary problems.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Problem-Solving Intervention Addressing Barriers to Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Behaviors in 3 Underserved Populations: Colorado, North Carolina, West Virginia, 2009

PubMed Central

Bryant, Lucinda L.; Leary, Janie M.; Vu, Maihan B.; Hill-Briggs, Felicia; Samuel-Hodge, Carmen D.; McMilin, Colleen R.; Keyserling, Thomas C.

2014-01-01

Introduction In low-income and underserved populations, financial hardship and multiple competing roles and responsibilities lead to difficulties in lifestyle change for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention. To improve CVD prevention behaviors, we adapted, pilot-tested, and evaluated a problem-solving intervention designed to address barriers to lifestyle change. Methods The sample consisted of 81 participants from 3 underserved populations, including 28 Hispanic or non-Hispanic white women in a western community (site 1), 31 African-American women in a semirural southern community (site 2), and 22 adults in an Appalachian community (site 3). Incorporating focus group findings, we assessed a standardized intervention involving 6-to-8 week group sessions devoted to problem-solving in the fall of 2009. Results Most sessions were attended by 76.5% of participants, demonstrating participant adoption and engagement. The intervention resulted in significant improvement in problem-solving skills (P < .001) and perceived stress (P < .05). Diet, physical activity, and weight remained stable, although 72% of individuals reported maintenance or increase in daily fruit and vegetable intake, and 67% reported maintenance or increase in daily physical activity. Conclusion Study results suggest the intervention was acceptable to rural, underserved populations and effective in training them in problem-solving skills and stress management for CVD risk reduction. PMID:24602586

The problem resident behavior guide: strategies for remediation.

PubMed

Williamson, Kelly; Quattromani, Erin; Aldeen, Amer

2016-04-01

In 2012, the ACGME supplemented the core competencies with outcomes-based milestones for resident performance within the six competency domains. These milestones address the knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and experiences that a resident is expected to progress through during the course of training. Even prior to the initiation of the milestones, there was a paucity of EM literature addressing the remediation of problem resident behaviors and there remain few readily accessible tools to aid in the implementation of a remediation plan. The goal of the "Problem Resident Behavior Guide" is to provide specific strategies for resident remediation based on deficiencies identified within the framework of the EM milestones. The "Problem Resident Behavior Guide" is a written instructional manual that provides concrete examples of remediation strategies to address specific milestone deficiencies. The more than 200 strategies stem from the experiences of the authors who have professional experience at three different academic hospitals and emergency medicine residency programs, supplemented by recommendations from educational leaders as well as utilization of valuable education adjuncts, such as focused simulation exercises, lecture preparation, and themed ED shifts. Most recommendations require active participation by the resident with guidance by faculty to achieve the remediation expectations. The ACGME outcomes-based milestones aid in the identification of deficiencies with regards to resident performance without providing recommendations on remediation. The Problem Resident Behavior Guide can therefore have a significant impact by filling in this gap.

A continuum of sociotechnical requirements for patient-centered problem lists.

PubMed

Collins, Sarah; Tsivkin, Kira; Hongsermeier, Tonya; Dubois, David; Nandigam, Hari Krishna; Rocha, Roberto A

2013-01-01

Specific requirements for patient-centered health information technology remain ill-defined. To create operational definitions of patient-centered problem lists, we propose a continuum of sociotechnical requirements with five stages: 1) Intradisciplinary Care Planning: Viewing and searching for problems by discipline; 2) Multi-disciplinary Care Planning: Categorizing problem states to meet discipline-specific needs; 3) Interdisciplinary Care Planning: Sharing and linking problems between disciplines; 4) Integrated and Coordinated Care Planning: Associating problems with assessments, tasks, interventions and outcomes across disciplines for coordination, knowledge development, and reporting; and 5) Patient-Centered Care Planning: Engaging patients in identification of problems and maintenance of their problem list.

Adverse Drug Events in Children: How Big is the Problem?

PubMed

Zed, Peter J

2015-01-01

Adverse drug events in children is an under appreciated but significant cause of health care contact resulting in ED visits and hospital admissions with associated resource utilization. In recent years we have started to better understand the impact of ADEs in children but there remains significant questions that must be addressed to further improve our understanding of the etiology of these ADEs and strategies for prevention and management. This paper will describe what is known regarding the frequency, severity, preventability and classification of ADEs in children. It will also describe some of the challenges and unanswered questions regarding patient, drug and system factors, which contribute to ADEs in children. Finally, areas of future research will be identified to further improve our understanding of ADEs in children to inform prevention strategies as well as early recognition and management approaches to minimize the significant ADEs can have on children, families and our health care system.

Enhancement of high-order harmonic generation by a two-color field: Influence of propagation effects

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

Schiessl, K.; Persson, E.; Burgdoerfer, J.

2006-11-15

Recent calculations of the response of a single atom subjected to a two-color laser pulse with the higher frequency being resonant with an excitation of the target atom revealed a significant enhancement of photoionization as well as high-order harmonic generation [K. Ishikawa, Phy. Rev. Lett. 91, 043002 (2003)]. We investigate the problem in the framework a fully quantum-mechanical pulse propagation algorithm and perform calculations for rare gases in the single-active-electron approximation. The enhancement of harmonic output compared to the corresponding one-color pulse remains intact for short propagation lengths, promising the feasibility of experimental realization. We also study weak second colorsmore » resonant via a two-photon transition where significant enhancements in harmonic yields can be observed as well.« less

Iatrogenic disease management: moderating medication errors and risks in a pharmacy benefit management environment.

PubMed

Nair, Vinit; Salmon, J Warren; Kaul, Alan F

2007-12-01

Disease Management (DM) programs have advanced to address costly chronic disease patterns in populations. This is in part due to the programs' significant clinical and economical value, coupled with interest by pharmaceutical manufacturers, managed care organizations, and pharmacy benefit management firms. While cost containment realizations for many such interventions have been less than anticipated, this article explores potentials in marrying Medication Error Risk Reduction into DM programs within managed care environments. Medication errors are an emergent serious problem now gaining attention in US health policy. They represent a failure within population-based health programs because they remain significant cost drivers. Therefore, medication errors should be addressed in an organized fashion, with DM being a worthy candidate for piggybacking such programs to achieve the best synergistic effects.

Characteristics and problems of 600 adolescent cannabis abusers in outpatient treatment.

PubMed

Tims, Frank M; Dennis, Michael L; Hamilton, Nancy; J Buchan, Betty; Diamond, Guy; Funk, Rod; Brantley, Laura B

2002-12-01

Risk factors among adolescent substance abusers have been shown to correlate with substance use severity. Characteristics related to severity, such as demographic and family factors, peer influences, psychiatric co-morbidity and HIV risk behaviors, are examined for a sample of adolescent cannabis users entering treatment. These data are from a clinical trial study utilizing blocked random assignment of clients to one of five treatment conditions. The study targeted adolescents entering outpatient treatment for primarily cannabis abuse or dependence. Treatment and research facilities in four metropolitan areas of the US were used to recruit study participants. Treatment was delivered in outpatient drug-free settings. Participants were 600 clients, ages 12-18, admitted to outpatient substance abuse treatment programs for cannabis problems, 96% with DSM-IV diagnoses of substance abuse or dependence, with the remaining 4% having at least one symptom of dependence plus significant problems indicating need for treatment. The Global Appraisal of Individual Needs (GAIN) was used to collect the information presented in this paper. The GAIN incorporates DSM-IV criteria for substance use disorders, conduct disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, as well as dimensional (scale) measures for physical and mental health. All participants reported at least one symptom of substance use disorders, and 46% met the DSM-IV criteria for substance dependence, while 50% met criteria for a diagnosis of abuse. Only 20% of the participants perceived any need for help with problems associated with their drug or alcohol use. Clients participating in the study typically presented multiple problems at treatment entry, most often including conduct disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), internal (mental) distress, and physical health distress. The co-occurrence of conduct disorder and ADHD was found in 30% of the sample. Clients meeting criteria for substance dependence tended to have more co-occurring problems and significantly less denial at admission. The characteristics of this sample exemplify the complex nature of adolescent substance use and abuse among adolescents entering outpatient treatment programs. Patterns of co-occurring problems are at rates comparable to those found in other clinical studies. Those with more severe substance use disorders tend to manifest more problems of social functioning, more mental health problems, and physical health problems. Implications of these findings are discussed in terms of treatment needs, challenges, and prognostic implications.

Why Do They Stay: Factors Influencing Teacher Retention in Rural Zimbabwe

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gomba, Clifford

2015-01-01

The attraction and retention of teachers in Zimbabwe is a problem not only unique to Zimbabwean schools, but all over the world. The problem is more pronounced in rural areas where resources are scarce, hence the tendency to repel teachers. Although the problem of teacher turnover is real, there are teachers who have remained in the profession for…

Seizures and Teens: When Seizures Aren't the Only Problem

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kanner, Andres M.; Shafer, Patricia O.

2006-01-01

Some teenagers with epilepsy only have to deal with seizures, which can be tough enough, but for other teens, seizures are not the only problem. Parents and caregivers often report changes in their teens' abilities to think clearly, learn in school, or remain focused in class. Mood and other behavioral problems may also be seen. It is critical…

Investigating Problem-Based Learning Tutorship in Medical and Engineering Programs in Malaysia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Servant, Virginie F. C.; Dewar, Eleanor F. A.

2015-01-01

Although Malaysia was the first country in Asia to adopt problem-based learning (PBL), the impact that this has had on its tutors remains largely unexplored. This paper details a qualitative study of the changing perceptions of teaching roles in two groups of problem-based learning tutors in two institutional contexts--one in medicine located in…

Video Game Access, Parental Rules, and Problem Behavior: A Study of Boys with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engelhardt, Christopher R.; Mazurek, Micah O.

2014-01-01

Environmental correlates of problem behavior among individuals with autism spectrum disorder remain relatively understudied. The current study examined the contribution of in-room (i.e. bedroom) access to a video game console as one potential correlate of problem behavior among a sample of 169 boys with autism spectrum disorder (ranging from 8 to…

Assignment Choice, Effort, and Assignment Completion: Does Work Ethic Predict Those Who Choose Higher-Effort Assignments?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parkhurst, John T.; Fleisher, Matthew S.; Skinner, Christopher H.; Woehr, David J.; Hawthorn-Embree, Meredith L.

2011-01-01

After completing the Multidimensional Work-Ethic Profile (MWEP), 98 college students were given a 20-problem math computation assignment and instructed to stop working on the assignment after completing 10 problems. Next, they were allowed to choose to finish either the partially completed assignment that had 10 problems remaining or a new…

Implications of Middle School Behavior Problems for High School Graduation and Employment Outcomes of Young Adults: Estimation of a Recursive Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karakus, Mustafa C.; Salkever, David S.; Slade, Eric P.; Ialongo, Nicholas; Stuart, Elizabeth

2012-01-01

The potentially serious adverse impacts of behavior problems during adolescence on employment outcomes in adulthood provide a key economic rationale for early intervention programs. However, the extent to which lower educational attainment accounts for the total impact of adolescent behavior problems on later employment remains unclear. As an…

Molecular systematics of the Canidae.

PubMed

Wayne, R K; Geffen, E; Girman, D J; Koepfli, K P; Lau, L M; Marshall, C R

1997-12-01

Despite numerous systematic studies, the relationships among many species within the dog family, Canidae, remain unresolved. Two problems of broad evolutionary significance are the origins of the taxonomically rich canidae fauna of South America and the development in three species of the trenchant heel, a unique meat-cutting blade on the lower first molar. The first problem is of interest because the fossil record provides little evidence for the origins of divergent South American species such as the maned wolf and the bush dog. The second issue is problematic because the trenchant heel, although complex in form, may have evolved independently to assist in the processing of meat. We attempted to resolve these two issues and five other specific taxonomic controversies by phylogenetic analysis of 2,001 base pairs of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence data from 23 canidae species. The mtDNA tree topology, coupled with data from the fossil record, and estimates of rates of DNA sequence divergence suggest at least three and possibly four North American invasions of South America. This result implies that an important chapter in the evolution of modern canids remains to be discovered in the fossil record and that the South American canidae endemism is as much the result of extinction outside of South America as it is due to speciation within South America. The origin of the trenchant heel is not well resolved by our data, although the maximum parsimony tree is weakly consistent with a single origin followed by multiple losses of the character in several extant species. A combined analysis of the mtDNA data and published morphological data provides unexpected support for a monophyletic South American canidae clade. However, the homogeneity partition tests indicate significant heterogeneity between the two data sets.

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

Li Zhiyun; Krasnopolsky, Ruben; Shang Hsien

Dense, star-forming cores of molecular clouds are observed to be significantly magnetized. A realistic magnetic field of moderate strength has been shown to suppress, through catastrophic magnetic braking, the formation of a rotationally supported disk (RSD) during the protostellar accretion phase of low-mass star formation in the ideal MHD limit. We address, through two-dimensional (axisymmetric) simulations, the question of whether realistic levels of non-ideal effects, computed with a simplified chemical network including dust grains, can weaken the magnetic braking enough to enable an RSD to form. We find that ambipolar diffusion (AD), the dominant non-ideal MHD effect over most ofmore » the density range relevant to disk formation, does not enable disk formation, at least in two dimensions. The reason is that AD allows the magnetic flux that would be dragged into the central stellar object in the ideal MHD limit to pile up instead in a small circumstellar region, where the magnetic field strength (and thus the braking efficiency) is greatly enhanced. We also find that, on the scale of tens of AU or more, a realistic level of Ohmic dissipation does not weaken the magnetic braking enough for an RSD to form, either by itself or in combination with AD. The Hall effect, the least explored of these three non-ideal MHD effects, can spin up the material close to the central object to a significant, supersonic rotation speed, even when the core is initially non-rotating, although the spun-up material remains too sub-Keplerian to form an RSD. The problem of catastrophic magnetic braking that prevents disk formation in dense cores magnetized to realistic levels remains unresolved. Possible resolutions of this problem are discussed.« less

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

Tsipis, K.

A method for verifying a cruise-missile agreement that would be acceptable to the military, industrial, and intelligence communities in both nations must be as unintrusive as possible, while remaining immune to cheating of any significance. This is the goal of the technical solutions outlined here. The elements of a verification regime described do not require routine, intrusive, on-site visits to naval vessels, aircraft, air bases, or weapons magazines where missiles may be stored. They do not interfere with the operational readiness of the missiles, and they protect legitimate military secrets of the inspected nation. If supported by competent national technicalmore » means of verification such as those both sides already employ, with a small number of on-site challenge inspections, a combination of technical solutions and procedures such as these could be effective. They would adequately safeguard the national security and sovereignty of the participating nations while providing policymakers with the option of a treaty that limits the number of long-range nuclear cruise missiles or eliminates them completely. As discussed, there are problems that remain to be addressed, but they should not be allowed to block a U.S.-Soviet agreement significantly reducing strategic nuclear arsenals.« less

Bone marrow transplantation: current situation, complications and prevention.

PubMed

Hunter, A E; Haynes, A P; Russell, N H

1995-10-01

The number of patients undergoing BMT is rising steadily. The increase is due to a broadening of the indications for transplantation and an increase in the donor pool. There has been a progressive improvement in outcome particularly due to a fall in transplant-related mortality. Methotrexate and cyclosporin are the mainstay of graft versus host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis, but acute GVHD remains a major problem in the unrelated donor recipient. Infections remain an important cause of death and emphasise the crucial role of antimicrobial prophylaxis; death from Gram-negative sepsis has been significantly reduced by the use of prophylactic antibiotics. Fungal infections carry a high mortality, especially in allogenic transplant recipients. Fluconazole is used to protect patients in the neutropenic period and beyond in higher risk individuals. Viral infections, which may occur late, are emerging as a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the allogeneic, particularly unrelated transplantation setting. A long term susceptibility to encapsulated bacteria suggests delayed immune reconstitution; revaccination policies are standard in most units. The longer term effects of transplantation are increasingly important with improving survival and include chronic GVHD, endocrine, cardiorespiratory and other systemic abnormalities. The increased risk of secondary malignancies is also of concern.

Characteristics of gastric cancer in Asia.

PubMed

Rahman, Rubayat; Asombang, Akwi W; Ibdah, Jamal A

2014-04-28

Gastric cancer (GC) is the fourth most common cancer in the world with more than 70% of cases occur in the developing world. More than 50% of cases occur in Eastern Asia. GC is the second leading cause of cancer death in both sexes worldwide. In Asia, GC is the third most common cancer after breast and lung and is the second most common cause of cancer death after lung cancer. Although the incidence and mortality rates are slowly declining in many countries of Asia, GC still remains a significant public health problem. The incidence and mortality varies according to the geographic area in Asia. These variations are closely related to the prevalence of GC risk factors; especially Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and its molecular virulent characteristics. The gradual and consistent improvements in socioeconomic conditions in Asia have lowered the H. pylori seroprevalence rates leading to a reduction in the GC incidence. However, GC remains a significant public health and an economic burden in Asia. There has been no recent systemic review of GC incidence, mortality, and H. pylori molecular epidemiology in Asia. The aim of this report is to review the GC incidence, mortality, and linkage to H. pylori in Asia.

Characteristics of gastric cancer in Asia

PubMed Central

Rahman, Rubayat; Asombang, Akwi W; Ibdah, Jamal A

2014-01-01

Gastric cancer (GC) is the fourth most common cancer in the world with more than 70% of cases occur in the developing world. More than 50% of cases occur in Eastern Asia. GC is the second leading cause of cancer death in both sexes worldwide. In Asia, GC is the third most common cancer after breast and lung and is the second most common cause of cancer death after lung cancer. Although the incidence and mortality rates are slowly declining in many countries of Asia, GC still remains a significant public health problem. The incidence and mortality varies according to the geographic area in Asia. These variations are closely related to the prevalence of GC risk factors; especially Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and its molecular virulent characteristics. The gradual and consistent improvements in socioeconomic conditions in Asia have lowered the H. pylori seroprevalence rates leading to a reduction in the GC incidence. However, GC remains a significant public health and an economic burden in Asia. There has been no recent systemic review of GC incidence, mortality, and H. pylori molecular epidemiology in Asia. The aim of this report is to review the GC incidence, mortality, and linkage to H. pylori in Asia. PMID:24782601

Deep learning architectures for multi-label classification of intelligent health risk prediction.

PubMed

Maxwell, Andrew; Li, Runzhi; Yang, Bei; Weng, Heng; Ou, Aihua; Hong, Huixiao; Zhou, Zhaoxian; Gong, Ping; Zhang, Chaoyang

2017-12-28

Multi-label classification of data remains to be a challenging problem. Because of the complexity of the data, it is sometimes difficult to infer information about classes that are not mutually exclusive. For medical data, patients could have symptoms of multiple different diseases at the same time and it is important to develop tools that help to identify problems early. Intelligent health risk prediction models built with deep learning architectures offer a powerful tool for physicians to identify patterns in patient data that indicate risks associated with certain types of chronic diseases. Physical examination records of 110,300 anonymous patients were used to predict diabetes, hypertension, fatty liver, a combination of these three chronic diseases, and the absence of disease (8 classes in total). The dataset was split into training (90%) and testing (10%) sub-datasets. Ten-fold cross validation was used to evaluate prediction accuracy with metrics such as precision, recall, and F-score. Deep Learning (DL) architectures were compared with standard and state-of-the-art multi-label classification methods. Preliminary results suggest that Deep Neural Networks (DNN), a DL architecture, when applied to multi-label classification of chronic diseases, produced accuracy that was comparable to that of common methods such as Support Vector Machines. We have implemented DNNs to handle both problem transformation and algorithm adaption type multi-label methods and compare both to see which is preferable. Deep Learning architectures have the potential of inferring more information about the patterns of physical examination data than common classification methods. The advanced techniques of Deep Learning can be used to identify the significance of different features from physical examination data as well as to learn the contributions of each feature that impact a patient's risk for chronic diseases. However, accurate prediction of chronic disease risks remains a challenging problem that warrants further studies.

University students' drinking patterns and problems: examining the effects of raising the purchase age.

PubMed

Engs, R C; Hanson, D J

1988-01-01

An extensive review of the literature on college students' drinking patterns and problems since the mid-1930s revealed no radical changes over the past several decades. However, during the past 10 years, drinking and problems related to drinking and driving have gradually decreased among college students. Results of a study of students at the same 56 colleges and universities throughout the United States (3,145 in 1982-83, 2,797 in 1984-85, and 3,375 in 1987-88) revealed few changes in collegiate drinking patterns and problems attributable to the nationwide increase in the minimum age for alcohol purchase. There was a decline in the proportion of students who drank in the period during which the law changed. However, the proportion of students categorized as heavy drinkers remained constant over time and the proportion of underage students (81 percent) who drank was higher than the proportion of legal age students who drank (75 percent). Of 17 problems related to drinking, all but 5 remained stable over the time periods. Three of the problems represent the continuum of an established trend of fewer students to indicating drinking and driving-related problems. As discussed in this paper, creative alcohol programming can assist in controlling alcohol abuse among college students.

Metal pollutants and bioelements: retrospective of interactions between magnesium and toxic metals.

PubMed

Soldatovic, Danilo; Matovic, Vesna; Vujanovic, Dragana; Guiet-Bara, Andrée; Bara, Michel; Durlach, Jean

2002-03-01

Protection from heavy metals is a problem that has not been solved in a satisfactory manner so far. Usage of complexing agents in therapy of exposed workers results in both favorable outcome and recognized adverse effects. In the field of environmental protection, they cannot be used in practice, meaning that the risk of escape of metal pollutant from factory premises and their attack on the environnement remains present. The age of chemistry ('Chemistry, key to better living') has led to potent development of industry producing, at the same time, major problems induced by diffusion of metal pollutants, the nightmare of our times, like Camus' 'Plague'. According to the available results, it remains to be answered whether magnesium may influence this important problem, i.e. is this approaches the issue justifiable?

In search of the 'Aha!' experience: Elucidating the emotionality of insight problem-solving.

PubMed

Shen, Wangbing; Yuan, Yuan; Liu, Chang; Luo, Jing

2016-05-01

Although the experience of insight has long been noted, the essence of the 'Aha!' experience, reflecting a sudden change in the brain that accompanies an insight solution, remains largely unknown. This work aimed to uncover the mystery of the 'Aha!' experience through three studies. In Study 1, participants were required to solve a set of verbal insight problems and then subjectively report their affective experience when solving the problem. The participants were found to have experienced many types of emotions, with happiness the most frequently reported one. Multidimensional scaling was employed in Study 2 to simplify the dimensions of these reported emotions. The results showed that these different types of emotions could be clearly placed in two-dimensional space and that components constituting the 'Aha!' experience mainly reflected positive emotion and approached cognition. To validate previous findings, in Study 3, participants were asked to select the most appropriate emotional item describing their feelings at the time the problem was solved. The results of this study replicated the multidimensional construct consisting of approached cognition and positive affect. These three studies provide the first direct evidence of the essence of the 'Aha!' The potential significance of the findings was discussed. © 2015 The British Psychological Society.

An evolving problem: methamphetamine production and trafficking in the United States.

PubMed

Shukla, Rashi K; Crump, Jordan L; Chrisco, Emelia S

2012-11-01

Methamphetamine is a serious illicit drug problem in the United States and globally. For decades, methamphetamine has been supplied to the illicit market through local clandestine manufacturing and trafficking. In the early stages, illicit methamphetamine was produced and trafficked by motorcycle gangs and Mexican criminal groups. Over time, local clandestine manufacturing increasingly contributed to the illicit supply and broader methamphetamine problem. This review examines the evolution of the illicit methamphetamine supply in the U.S. A review of the literature on methamphetamine production and trafficking was conducted. Information was obtained from numerous sources including governmental reports, books and academic articles. Attempts to control the supply of methamphetamine have only led to short term disruptions in availability. Clandestine manufacturing and trafficking have undergone significant changes over the past several decades. Shifts in local production have regularly been counterbalanced by changes in production and trafficking from criminal organizations in Mexico. Transnational criminal organizations now control much of the methamphetamine supply in the U.S. and methamphetamine remains widely available. The supply of methamphetamine in the United States is dynamic. Producers and traffickers have adapted to control efforts and the problem continues. Control efforts focused on eliminating supply are limited at best. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Client Engagement Characteristics Associated with Problem Gambling Treatment Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dowling, Nicki A.; Cosic, Sanja

2011-01-01

Previous research examining the factors associated with problem gambling treatment outcomes has examined client factors and to date, treatment characteristics, therapist factors, and client-therapist interactions have essentially remained unexplored. This study aimed to investigate how client engagement variables (client-rated therapeutic…

Epidemiological profile of snake-bite cases from Haryana: A five year (2011-2015) retrospective study.

PubMed

Bhargava, Saurabh; Kaur, Ramanjeet; Singh, Rajvinder

2018-02-01

Varieties of venomous snakes inhabit in the world which accidentally take thousands of human lives every year. This severe medical emergency constantly persuades national and international health agencies to look at efficient epidemiological profiling of snake-bite cases for the proper management of this sympathetic problem. Establishing the accurate database of snake-bite in humans from different localities of India may perhaps lack certainty due to few inevitable reasons such as consideration of this problem as less emergent problem in disparity to pesticide poisoning, difficulty in the accessibility to rural and tribal areas where chances of snake-bite remain ceiling, lack of inspiring models of snake-bite management training, reduced reporting system, and pitiable maintenance of hospital data in India. Therefore, the present modest study was carried out to explore valuable information regarding snake-bite problem in Haryana. Factual data on snake-bite incidences happened from 2011 to 2015 were collected from government hospitals and medical institutes of Haryana. This retrospective study disclosed a few characteristic points related to the frequency of snake-bite cases, gender involved, anti-snake venom (ASV) treatment, and numbers of deaths with snake-bite. Records revealed a total of 6555 cases of snake-bite including 130 deaths reported in Haryana during the study period. A significant variation in the occurrence of snake-bite cases was also recorded in different areas of Haryana. There was a huge database of recorded snake-bite cases from government medical institute but district wise survey disclosed the maximum number of snake-bite incidences, especially amongst males from Panchkula. The present study has provided a more updated and comprehensive record of snake-bite from Haryana during 2011-2015. A huge burden of snake-bite amongst human was found in Haryana; hence, the findings of this study purposely enlighten people about the size of this problem in the selected region. However, this study also remained limited due to lack of information on a few important parameters and availability of homogeneous data. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

[Child-pedestrian injuries inflicted in the road traffic accidents as a forensic medical problem].

PubMed

Savenkova, E N; Efimov, A A

The road traffic accidents are known to make the greatest contribution to the overall structure of pediatric traumatism with the fatal outcome. The problem of pediatric traumatism remains on top of its relevancy despite numerous administrative, legal, technical, and financial measures taken at the government level in an attempt to reduce the mortality rate associated with the child-pedestrian injuries inflicted in the road traffic accidents. The objective of the present study was to summarize and interpret the results published in the scientific literature concerning child-pedestrian injuries inflicted in the road traffic accidents with special reference to the age of the victims and the type of the injury. The analysis of the publications of the domestic and foreign authors has demonstrated that the available data of interest remain to be systematized and that the forensic medical aspects of the problem in question are poorly represented in these materials. It was shown that forensic medical expertises of child-pedestrian injuries inflicted in the road traffic accidents are frequently carried out without taking into consideration the peculiar anatomical and physiological features of the child's organism. The available data concerning the mechanisms and evaluation of severe injuries inflicted to the children in the road traffic accidents are insufficient for the development of the algorithms for the relevant adequate forensic medical expertise. In the light of these findings, the problem of the child-pedestrian injuries inflicted in the road traffic accidents takes on new significance when considered in the context of pediatric traumatism. There is evidently the growing necessity to formulate the universal database containing systematized objective information for the development of new methods of forensic medical expertise for the elucidation of the mechanisms of road traffic injuries inflicted to the children of different age groups depending on the type of the injury and the circumstances of the accident. The embodiment of this idea into an action program would allow to address the problem of child-pedestrian injuries inflicted in the road traffic accidents in the framework of the separate division of forensic medical expertise traumatism.

MDMA in humans: factors which affect the neuropsychobiological profiles of recreational ecstasy users, the integrative role of bioenergetic stress.

PubMed

Parrott, Andy C

2006-03-01

Many recreational ecstasy/MDMA users display neuropsychobiological deficits, whereas others remain problem free. This review will investigate some of the drug and non-drug factors which influence the occurrence of these deficits. Acute and chronic MDMA usage are both important. Intensive use within a session is often associated with more problems. In term of lifetime usage, novice users generally remain unimpaired, whereas most heavy users report memory or other psychobiological problems which they attribute to ecstasy. These complaints are confirmed by objective deficits in working memory, attention, frontal-executive, and episodic memory tasks. Psychobiological deficits include disturbed sleep, sexual dysfunction, reduced immuno-competence, and increased oxidative stress. Further MDMA-related factors which may contribute to these changes, include acute and chronic tolerance, and drug dependence. Around 90ñ95% of ecstasy/MDMA users also take cannabis, and this can independently contribute to the adverse neuropsychobiological pro.les; although in some situations the acute co-use of these two drugs may be interactive rather than additive, since cannabis has relaxant and hypothermic properties. Alcohol, nicotine, amphetamine, and other drugs, can also affect the psychobiological pro.les of ecstasy polydrug users in complex ways. Pure MDMA users are rare but they have been shown to display significant neurocognitive deficits. Psychiatric aspects are debated in the context of the diathesis-stress model. Here the stressor of ecstasy polydrug drug use, interacts with various predisposition factors (genetic, neurochemical, personality), to determine the psychiatric outcome. Recreational MDMA is typically taken in hot and crowded dances/raves. Prolonged dancing, feeling hot, and raised body temperature, can also be associated with more psychobiological problems. This is consistent with the animal literature, where high ambient temperature and other metabolic stimulants boost the acute effects of MDMA, and cause greater serotonergic neurotoxicity. In conclusion, the neuropsychobiological effects of MDMA are modulated by a wide range of drug and non-drug factors. These multiple influences are integrated within a bioenergetic stress model, where factors which heighten acute metabolic distress lead to more neuropsychobiological problems.

Joint Geophysical Inversion With Multi-Objective Global Optimization Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lelievre, P. G.; Bijani, R.; Farquharson, C. G.

2015-12-01

Pareto multi-objective global optimization (PMOGO) methods generate a suite of solutions that minimize multiple objectives (e.g. data misfits and regularization terms) in a Pareto-optimal sense. Providing a suite of models, as opposed to a single model that minimizes a weighted sum of objectives, allows a more complete assessment of the possibilities and avoids the often difficult choice of how to weight each objective. We are applying PMOGO methods to three classes of inverse problems. The first class are standard mesh-based problems where the physical property values in each cell are treated as continuous variables. The second class of problems are also mesh-based but cells can only take discrete physical property values corresponding to known or assumed rock units. In the third class we consider a fundamentally different type of inversion in which a model comprises wireframe surfaces representing contacts between rock units; the physical properties of each rock unit remain fixed while the inversion controls the position of the contact surfaces via control nodes. This third class of problem is essentially a geometry inversion, which can be used to recover the unknown geometry of a target body or to investigate the viability of a proposed Earth model. Joint inversion is greatly simplified for the latter two problem classes because no additional mathematical coupling measure is required in the objective function. PMOGO methods can solve numerically complicated problems that could not be solved with standard descent-based local minimization methods. This includes the latter two classes of problems mentioned above. There are significant increases in the computational requirements when PMOGO methods are used but these can be ameliorated using parallelization and problem dimension reduction strategies.

Eating problems in adolescents with Type 1 diabetes: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

PubMed

Young, V; Eiser, C; Johnson, B; Brierley, S; Epton, T; Elliott, J; Heller, S

2013-02-01

We report a systematic review to determine (1) prevalence of eating problems compared with peers and (2) the association between eating problems and glycaemic control in young adults with Type 1 diabetes.   We conducted a systematic literature search via electronic databases and meta-analysis. Cohen's d (the mean difference score between Type 1 diabetes and comparison groups) was calculated for 13 studies that met inclusion criteria.   Eating problems [both disordered eating behaviour (39.3 and 32.5%; d = 0.52, 95% CI 0.10-0.94) and eating disorders (7.0 and 2.8%; d = 0.46, 95% CI 0.10-0.81)] were more common in adolescents with Type 1 diabetes compared with peers and both were associated with poorer glycaemic control (d = 0.40, 95% CI 0.17-0.64). In restricted analyses involving measures adapted for diabetes, associations between eating problems and poorer glycaemic control remained (d = 0.54, 95% CI 0.32-0.76). Disordered eating behaviour (51.8 and 48.1%; d = 0.06, 95% CI -0.05 to 0.21) and eating disorders (6.4 and 3.0%; d = 0.43, 95% CI -0.06 to 0.91) were more common in adolescents with Type 1 diabetes compared with peers, but differences were non-significant.   Eating problems are common among this age group. Future work in populations with Type 1 diabetes should develop sensitive measures of eating problems and interventions, and establish predictors of eating problems. Screening in clinics is recommended. © 2012 The Authors. Diabetic Medicine © 2012 Diabetes UK.

Sex differences in the interacting roles of impulsivity and positive alcohol expectancy in problem drinking: A structural brain imaging study.

PubMed

Ide, Jaime S; Zhornitsky, Simon; Hu, Sien; Zhang, Sheng; Krystal, John H; Li, Chiang-Shan R

2017-01-01

Alcohol expectancy and impulsivity are implicated in alcohol misuse. However, how these two risk factors interact to determine problem drinking and whether men and women differ in these risk processes remain unclear. In 158 social drinkers (86 women) assessed for Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), positive alcohol expectancy, and Barratt impulsivity, we examined sex differences in these risk processes. Further, with structural brain imaging, we examined the neural bases underlying the relationship between these risk factors and problem drinking. The results of general linear modeling showed that alcohol expectancy best predicted problem drinking in women, whereas in men as well as in the combined group alcohol expectancy and impulsivity interacted to best predict problem drinking. Alcohol expectancy was associated with decreased gray matter volume (GMV) of the right posterior insula in women and the interaction of alcohol expectancy and impulsivity was associated with decreased GMV of the left thalamus in women and men combined and in men alone, albeit less significantly. These risk factors mediated the correlation between GMV and problem drinking. Conversely, models where GMV resulted from problem drinking were not supported. These new findings reveal distinct psychological factors that dispose men and women to problem drinking. Although mediation analyses did not determine a causal link, GMV reduction in the insula and thalamus may represent neural phenotype of these risk processes rather than the consequence of alcohol consumption in non-dependent social drinkers. The results add to the alcohol imaging literature which has largely focused on dependent individuals and help elucidate alterations in brain structures that may contribute to the transition from social to habitual drinking.

Disparities in alcohol-related problems among white, black, and Hispanic Americans.

PubMed

Mulia, Nina; Ye, Yu; Greenfield, Thomas K; Zemore, Sarah E

2009-04-01

This study assesses racial/ethnic disparities in negative social consequences of drinking and alcohol dependence symptoms among white, black, and Hispanic Americans. We examine whether and how disparities relate to heavy alcohol consumption and pattern, and the extent to which social disadvantage (poverty, unfair treatment, and racial/ethnic stigma) accounts for observed disparities. We analyzed data from the 2005 U.S. National Alcohol Survey, a nationally representative telephone-based survey of adults ages 18 and older (N = 6,919). Given large racial/ethnic differences in abstinence rates, core analyses were restricted to current drinkers (N = 4,080). Logistic regression was used to assess disparities in alcohol-related problems at 3 levels of heavy drinking, measured using a composite variable incorporating frequency of heavy episodic drinking, frequency of drunkenness, and maximum amount consumed in a single day. A mediational approach was used to assess the role of social disadvantage. African American and Hispanic drinkers were significantly more likely than white drinkers to report social consequences of drinking and alcohol dependence symptoms. Even after adjusting for differences in heavy drinking and demographic characteristics, disparities in problems remained. The racial/ethnic gap in alcohol problems was greatest among those reporting little or no heavy drinking, and gradually diminished to nonsignificance at the highest level of heavy drinking. Social disadvantage, particularly in the form of racial/ethnic stigma, appeared to contribute to racial/ethnic differences in problems. These findings suggest that to eliminate racial/ethnic disparities in alcohol-related problems, public health efforts must do more than reduce heavy drinking. Future research should address the possibility of drink size underestimation, identify the particular types of problems that disproportionately affect racial/ethnic minorities, and investigate social and cultural determinants of such problems.

Changes in Body Mass Index and Stoma Related Problems in the Elderly

PubMed Central

Skeps, Raymond; McMullen, Carmit K.; Wendel, Christopher S.; Bulkley, Joanna; Grant, Marcia; Mohler, Jane; Hornbrook, Mark C.; Krouse, Robert S.; Herrinton, Lisa J.

2012-01-01

Objectives Weight gain can cause retraction of an intestinal stoma, possibly resulting in difficulty with wafer and pouch fit, daily care challenges, and discomfort. This cross-sectional study examined the association between body mass index (BMI) and ostomy-related problems among long-term (>5 years post-diagnosis) colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors. Materials and Methods CRC survivors from three Kaiser Permanente Regions completed a mailed survey. The response rate for those with an ostomy was 53% (283/529). Questions included stoma-related problems and time to conduct daily ostomy care. Poisson regression evaluated associations between report of problems and change in BMI. Our analysis sample included 235 survivors. Results Sample was 76% ≥65 years of age. Since their surgeries, BMI remained stable in 44% (ST), decreased in 20% (DE), and increased in 35% (IN) of survivors. Compared to ST, male IN (RR 2.15 [1.09–4.25]) and female DE (RR 5.06 [1.26–25.0]) were more likely to spend more than 30 minutes per day on stoma care. IN (vs. ST) were more likely to report interference with clothing (RR 1.51 [1.06–2.17]) and other stoma-related problems (RR 2.32 [1.30–4.14]). Survivors who were obese at time of survey were more likely to report interference with clothing (RR 1.88 [1.38–2.56]) and other stoma-related problems (RR 1.68 [1.07–2.65]). Conclusion A change in BMI is associated with ostomy-related problems among long-term CRC survivors. Equipment and care practices may need to be adapted for changes in abdominal shape. Health care providers should caution that a significant increase or decrease in BMI may cause ostomy-related problems. PMID:24071496

A Review of High-Performance Computational Strategies for Modeling and Imaging of Electromagnetic Induction Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newman, Gregory A.

2014-01-01

Many geoscientific applications exploit electrostatic and electromagnetic fields to interrogate and map subsurface electrical resistivity—an important geophysical attribute for characterizing mineral, energy, and water resources. In complex three-dimensional geologies, where many of these resources remain to be found, resistivity mapping requires large-scale modeling and imaging capabilities, as well as the ability to treat significant data volumes, which can easily overwhelm single-core and modest multicore computing hardware. To treat such problems requires large-scale parallel computational resources, necessary for reducing the time to solution to a time frame acceptable to the exploration process. The recognition that significant parallel computing processes must be brought to bear on these problems gives rise to choices that must be made in parallel computing hardware and software. In this review, some of these choices are presented, along with the resulting trade-offs. We also discuss future trends in high-performance computing and the anticipated impact on electromagnetic (EM) geophysics. Topics discussed in this review article include a survey of parallel computing platforms, graphics processing units to multicore CPUs with a fast interconnect, along with effective parallel solvers and associated solver libraries effective for inductive EM modeling and imaging.

Family Functioning and Predictors of Runaway Behavior Among At-Risk Youth.

PubMed

Holliday, Stephanie Brooks; Edelen, Maria Orlando; Tucker, Joan S

2017-06-01

Adolescent runaway behavior is associated with a host of negative outcomes in young adulthood. Therefore, it is important to understand the factors that predict running away in youth. Longitudinal data from 111 at-risk families were used to identify proximal predictors of runaway behavior over a 12-week period. On average, youth were 14.96 years old, and 45% were female. Ten percent of youth ran away during the 12-week follow-up period. In bivariate analyses, running away was predicted by poorer youth- and parent-rated family functioning, past runaway behavior, and other problem behaviors (e.g., substance use, delinquency), but not poorer perceived academic functioning. Results of a hierarchical logistic regression revealed a relationship between youth-rated family functioning and runaway behavior. However, this effect became non-significant after accounting for past runaway behavior and other problem behaviors, both of which remained significant predictors in the multivariable model. These findings suggest that youth who run away may be engaged in a more pervasive pattern of problematic behavior, and that screening and prevention programs need to address the cycle of adolescent defiant behavior associated with running away. Recommendations for clinical practice with this at-risk population are discussed.

Two-stage open reduction and internal fixation versus limited internal fixation combined with external fixation: a meta-analysis of postoperative complications in patients with severe Pilon fractures.

PubMed

Cui, Xueliang; Chen, Hui; Rui, Yunfeng; Niu, Yang; Li, He

2018-01-01

Objectives Two-stage open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) and limited internal fixation combined with external fixation (LIFEF) are two widely used methods to treat Pilon injury. However, which method is superior to the other remains controversial. This meta-analysis was performed to quantitatively compare two-stage ORIF and LIFEF and clarify which method is better with respect to postoperative complications in the treatment of tibial Pilon fractures. Methods We conducted a meta-analysis to quantitatively compare the postoperative complications between two-stage ORIF and LIFEF. Eight studies involving 360 fractures in 359 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Results The two-stage ORIF group had a significantly lower risk of superficial infection, nonunion, and bone healing problems than the LIFEF group. However, no significant differences in deep infection, delayed union, malunion, arthritis symptoms, or chronic osteomyelitis were found between the two groups. Conclusion Two-stage ORIF was associated with a lower risk of postoperative complications with respect to superficial infection, nonunion, and bone healing problems than LIFEF for tibial Pilon fractures. Level of evidence 2.

Transition from Nondestructive Testing (NDT) to Structural Health Monitoring (SHM): potential and challenges (presentation video)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cawley, Peter

2014-03-01

There is a gradual shift in emphasis from periodic inspection with detachable transducers (NDT) to permanently installed monitoring systems giving information about the structural integrity at pre-programmed intervals or on demand (SHM). The drivers of this change are discussed, together with the requirements of successful SHM systems. Particular issues are that NDT often involves scanning and this is not possible with typical SHM configurations; it therefore becomes important to cover a significant area of structure from each transducer position. Guided waves provide a possible solution to this problem and permanently installed guided wave pipe inspection systems are now available. The sensitivity obtained with a permanently installed system is significantly better than that in a one-off test as baseline subtraction can be employed. However, this is far from trivial as it is necessary to compensate for benign changes such as temperature. The guided wave technique does not provide accurate remaining thickness information and is best complemented by point measurements at selected locations. Another issue is that the SHM transducers must survive in operational conditions, which is particularly difficult at high temperatures. Recent work at Imperial College and associated spin-out companies on solutions to these problems is discussed.

Heart Failure Epidemiology: European Perspective

PubMed Central

Guha, K; McDonagh, T

2013-01-01

Heart failure poses an increasing problem for global healthcare systems. The epidemiological data which has been accrued over the last thirty years has predominantly been accumulated from experience within North America and Europe. Initial large cohort, prospective longitudinal studies produced the first publications; however latterly the focus has shifted onto epidemiological data governing hospitalisation and mortality. The emphasis behind this shift has been the resource implications with regards to repetitive, costly and prolonged hospitalisation. The European experience in heart failure, though similar to North America has recently demonstrated differences in hospitalisation which may underlie the differences between healthcare system configuration. Heart failure however remains an increasing global problem and the endpoint of a variety of cardiovascular diseases. Allied with the fact of increasingly elderly populations and prior data demonstrating a steep rise in prevalent cases within more elderly populations, it is likely that the increasing burden of disease will continue to pose challenges for modern healthcare. Despite the predicted increase in the number of patients affected by heart failure, over the last thirty years, a clear management algorithm has evolved for the use of pharmacotherapies (neuro-hormonal antagonists), device based therapies (Implantable Cardioverting Defibrillator (ICD) and Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy (CRT)) and mechanical therapies including left ventricular assist devices and cardiac transplantation. Though the management of such patients has been clearly delineated in national and international guidelines, the underuse of all available and appropriate therapies remains a significant problem. When comparing various epidemiological studies from different settings and timepoints, it should be remembered that rates of prevalence and incidence may vary depending upon the definition used, methods of accumulating information (with the possibility of bias) and the chosen cut point of defining left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD). PMID:23597298

Lifestyle Factors and Premature Ejaculation: Are Physical Exercise, Alcohol Consumption, and Body Mass Index Associated With Premature Ejaculation and Comorbid Erectile Problems?

PubMed

Ventus, Daniel; Jern, Patrick

2016-10-01

Premature ejaculation (PE) is a common sexual problem in men, but its etiology remains uncertain. Lifestyle factors have long been hypothesized to be associated with sexual problems in general and have been proposed as risk factors for PE. To explore associations among physical exercise, alcohol use, body mass index, PE, and erectile dysfunction. A population-based sample of Finnish men and a sample of Finnish men diagnosed with PE were surveyed for statistical comparisons. Participants using selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or other medications known to affect symptoms of PE were excluded from analyses. Self-report questionnaires: Multiple Indicators of Premature Ejaculation, International Index of Erectile Function-5, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, and Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire. The clinical sample reported lower levels of physical exercise (mean = 27.53, SD = 21.01, n = 69) than the population-based sample (mean = 34.68, SD = 22.82, n = 863, t930 = 2.52, P = .012), and the effect size was large (d = 0.85). There was a small negative correlation between levels of physical exercise and symptoms of PE (r = -0.09, P < .01, n = 863) in the population-based sample. The association between physical exercise and PE remained significant after controlling for effects of age, erectile dysfunction, alcohol use, and body mass index. If future studies show that the direction of causality of this association is such that physical activity alleviates PE symptoms, then including physical activity in PE treatment interventions could be a promising addition to treatment regimes. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Sexual Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Venous Ligation: A Novel Strategy for Glans Enhancement in Penile Prosthesis Implantation

PubMed Central

Hill, James W.; Liu, Shih-Ping

2014-01-01

Although penile implantation remains a final solution for patients with refractory impotence, undesirable postoperative effects, including penile size reduction and cold sensation of the glans penis, remain problematic. We report results of a surgical method designed to avoid these problems. From 2003 to 2013, 35 consecutive patients received a malleable penile implant. Of these, 15 men (the enhancing group) were also treated with venous ligation of the retrocoronal venous plexus, deep dorsal vein, and cavernosal veins. The remaining 20 men formed the control group, treated with only a penile implant. Follow-up ranged from 1.1 to 10.0 years, with an average of 6.7 ± 1.5 years. Although preoperative glanular dimension did not differ significantly between the two groups, significant respective difference at one day and one year postoperatively was found in the glanular circumference (128.8 ± 6.8 mm versus 115.3 ± 7.2 mm and 130.6 ± 7.2 mm versus 100.5 ± 7.3 mm; both P<0.05), radius (38.8 ± 2.7 mm versus 37.1 ± 2.8 mm and 41.5 ± 2.6 mm versus 33.8 ± 2.9 mm; latter P<0.01), and satisfaction rate (91.7% versus 53.3%, P<0.01) as well. Based on our results, selective venous ligation appears to enhance the glans penis dimension in implant patients. PMID:25165719

Characteristics of Sudden Arrhythmic Death in a Diverse, Urban Community

PubMed Central

Steinhaus, Daniel A.; Vittinghoff, Eric; Moffatt, Ellen; Hart, Amy P.; Ursell, Philip; Tseng, Zian H.

2011-01-01

Background Sudden cardiac death (SCD) remains a major public health problem; however, its true burden remains unknown with widely variable estimates of its incidence. We aimed to examine the contemporary epidemiology and autopsy characteristics of SCD in an ethnically diverse community. Methods 3 physicians reviewed all deaths age ≥ 20 years reported to the San Francisco Medical Examiner (ME) in 2007 for presentations fitting WHO SCD criteria -- within 1 hour of symptom onset (witnessed) or within 24 hours of being observed alive and symptom-free (unwitnessed). After comprehensive review of ME investigation, WHO SCDs were classified as sudden arrhythmic death (SAD) or non-arrhythmic death. Coronary artery disease (CAD) and cardiac mass were evaluated in all SADs undergoing autopsy and compared to demographically similar accidental trauma control deaths. Results We identified 252 WHO SCDs; 145 were SADs. Men had a 2.2-fold higher SAD rate (p<0.0005). Blacks had a 3.15-fold higher SAD rate compared to Caucasians (p = 0.003). Significant CAD was present in 38.9% of SADs and associated with higher SAD risk compared to control deaths (OR 2.58, 95% CI 1.12–5.97, p=0.026). Mean cardiac mass was linearly associated with risk for SAD in cases without significant CAD (OR 2.06 per 100g, 95% CI 1.43–2.98, p<0.0005). Conclusions In a diverse, urban population, SAD incidence varied substantially by gender and race. Significant CAD accounted for far fewer SADs than previous studies, but remained associated with a 2.6-fold higher risk as compared to control deaths. These findings may reflect the evolving contemporary epidemiology of SCD. PMID:22172446

Characteristics of sudden arrhythmic death in a diverse, urban community.

PubMed

Steinhaus, Daniel A; Vittinghoff, Eric; Moffatt, Ellen; Hart, Amy P; Ursell, Philip; Tseng, Zian H

2012-01-01

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) remains a major public health problem; however, its true burden remains unknown with widely variable estimates of its incidence. We aimed to examine the contemporary epidemiology and autopsy characteristics of SCD in an ethnically diverse community. Three physicians reviewed all deaths of individuals aged ≥20 years reported to the San Francisco medical examiner in 2007 for presentations fitting World Health Organization (WHO) SCD criteria-within 1 hour of symptom onset (witnessed) or within 24 hours of being observed alive and symptom free (unwitnessed). After comprehensive review of medical examiner investigation, WHO SCDs were classified as sudden arrhythmic death (SAD) or nonarrhythmic death. Coronary artery disease (CAD) and cardiac mass were evaluated in all SADs undergoing autopsy and compared with demographically similar accidental trauma control deaths. We identified 252 WHO SCDs; 145 were SADs. Men had a 2.2-fold higher SAD rate (P < .0005). Blacks had a 3.15-fold higher SAD rate compared with whites (P = .003). Significant CAD was present in 38.9% of SADs and associated with higher SAD risk compared with control deaths (OR 2.58, 95% CI 1.12-5.97, P = .026). Mean cardiac mass was linearly associated with risk for SAD in cases without significant CAD (OR 2.06 per 100 g, 95% CI 1.43-2.98, P < .0005). In a diverse, urban population, SAD incidence varied substantially by gender and race. Significant CAD accounted for far fewer SADs than previous studies but remained associated with a 2.6-fold higher risk as compared with control deaths. These findings may reflect the evolving contemporary epidemiology of SCD. Copyright © 2012 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Fluid Mechanics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drazin, Philip

1987-01-01

Outlines the contents of Volume II of "Principia" by Sir Isaac Newton. Reviews the contributions of subsequent scientists to the physics of fluid dynamics. Discusses the treatment of fluid mechanics in physics curricula. Highlights a few of the problems of modern research in fluid dynamics. Shows that problems still remain. (CW)

Preparing for Complexity and Wicked Problems through Transformational Learning Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yukawa, Joyce

2015-01-01

As the information environment becomes increasingly complex and challenging, Library and Information Studies (LIS) education is called upon to nurture innovative leaders capable of managing complex situations and "wicked problems." While disciplinary expertise remains essential, higher levels of mental complexity and adaptive…

What Are the Odds? Modern Relevance and Bayes Factor Solutions for MacAlister's Problem from the 1881 "Educational Times"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jamil, Tahira; Marsman, Maarten; Ly, Alexander; Morey, Richard D.; Wagenmakers, Eric-Jan

2017-01-01

In 1881, Donald MacAlister posed a problem in the "Educational Times" that remains relevant today. The problem centers on the statistical evidence for the effectiveness of a treatment based on a comparison between two proportions. A brief historical sketch is followed by a discussion of two default Bayesian solutions, one based on a…

Pilot-Vehicle Interface

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-03-01

consent response, a " Midas touch " date, subtle/slight eyebrow lifts and jaw clenches problem could occur, with commands activating have been...from the display. For flights where the outside scene is visible, it Problems such as this can result in misjudgments of remains to be determined...without degrading the probability of kill [28]. display. The subjects commented that the key problem was the ambiguity in depth judgement along Any

Implications of Middle School Behavior Problems for High School Graduation and Employment Outcomes of Young Adults: Estimation of a Recursive Model. NBER Working Paper No. 16383

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karakus, Mustafa C.; Salkever, David S.; Slade, Eric P.; Ialongo, Nicholas; Stuart, Elizabeth

2010-01-01

The potentially serious adverse impacts of behavior problems during adolescence on employment outcomes in adulthood provide a key economic rationale for early intervention programs. However, the extent to which lower educational attainment accounts for the total impact of adolescent behavior problems on later employment remains unclear. As an…

Deep Learning for Flow Sculpting: Insights into Efficient Learning using Scientific Simulation Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoecklein, Daniel; Lore, Kin Gwn; Davies, Michael; Sarkar, Soumik; Ganapathysubramanian, Baskar

2017-04-01

A new technique for shaping microfluid flow, known as flow sculpting, offers an unprecedented level of passive fluid flow control, with potential breakthrough applications in advancing manufacturing, biology, and chemistry research at the microscale. However, efficiently solving the inverse problem of designing a flow sculpting device for a desired fluid flow shape remains a challenge. Current approaches struggle with the many-to-one design space, requiring substantial user interaction and the necessity of building intuition, all of which are time and resource intensive. Deep learning has emerged as an efficient function approximation technique for high-dimensional spaces, and presents a fast solution to the inverse problem, yet the science of its implementation in similarly defined problems remains largely unexplored. We propose that deep learning methods can completely outpace current approaches for scientific inverse problems while delivering comparable designs. To this end, we show how intelligent sampling of the design space inputs can make deep learning methods more competitive in accuracy, while illustrating their generalization capability to out-of-sample predictions.

Towards a PTAS for the generalized TSP in grid clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khachay, Michael; Neznakhina, Katherine

2016-10-01

The Generalized Traveling Salesman Problem (GTSP) is a combinatorial optimization problem, which is to find a minimum cost cycle visiting one point (city) from each cluster exactly. We consider a geometric case of this problem, where n nodes are given inside the integer grid (in the Euclidean plane), each grid cell is a unit square. Clusters are induced by cells `populated' by nodes of the given instance. Even in this special setting, the GTSP remains intractable enclosing the classic Euclidean TSP on the plane. Recently, it was shown that the problem has (1.5+8√2+ɛ)-approximation algorithm with complexity bound depending on n and k polynomially, where k is the number of clusters. In this paper, we propose two approximation algorithms for the Euclidean GTSP on grid clusters. For any fixed k, both algorithms are PTAS. Time complexity of the first one remains polynomial for k = O(log n) while the second one is a PTAS, when k = n - O(log n).

Effect of counseling on sexual function and behavior in postmenopausal women and their spouses: a randomized, controlled trial (RCT) study.

PubMed

Tiznobek, Azita; Mirmolaei, Seyedeh Tahereh; Momenimovahed, Zohreh; Kazemnejad, Anooshirvan; Taheri, Safoura

2017-09-01

Sexual dysfunction is present the most important problem among menopausal women and thus counseling may have a major role for improving menopausal sexual state in this population. We aimed to assess effects of counseling on sexual function of menopause women and their spouses. An interventional trial study was performed on 120 consecutive Iranian couples (menopause women and their spouses) who were resident in Hamadan, Iran in 2015. The subjects were randomly assigned to receive counseling service ( n = 60) or did not receive this service ( n = 60). Couples were asked to complete a standardized validated questionnaire assessing sexual function and behaviors. The frequency of sexual intercourse was considerably increased following first and second counseling sessions compared with the time before counseling in former group, while sexually state was remained unchanged in those who not received these counseling. Furthermore, dyspareunia in interventional women with counseling was significantly reduced after the first and second counseling, whereas this complaint was not significantly removed in the control group within the study period. Also, unsuccessful intercourse was significantly decreased in men who received counseling sessions, while this parameter was remained unchanged in other men. In addition, talking with the partner about sexually and Satisfaction degree of wife's love was significantly improved in both men and women in interventional groups compared with the control groups. Active and structured counseling effectively improve sexual functions and behaviors in menopausal women and their spouses.

Why performance-based contracting failed in Uganda--an "open-box" evaluation of a complex health system intervention.

PubMed

Ssengooba, Freddie; McPake, Barbara; Palmer, Natasha

2012-07-01

Performance-based contracting (PBC) is a tool that links rewards to attainment of measurable performance targets. Significant problems remain in the methods used to evaluate this tool. The primary focus of evaluations on the effects of PBC (black-box) and less attention to how these effects arise (open-box) generates suboptimal policy learning. A black-box impact evaluation of PBC pilot by the Development Research Group of the World Bank (DRG) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) concluded that PBC was ineffective. This paper reports a theory-based case study intended to clarify how and why PBC failed to achieve its objectives. To explain the observed PBC implementation and responses of participants, this case study employed two related theories i.e. complex adaptive system and expectancy theory respectively. A prospective study trailed the implementation of PBC (2003-2006) while collecting experiences of participants at district and hospital levels. Significant problems were encountered in the implementation of PBC that reflected its inadequate design. As problems were encountered, hasty adaptations resulted in a de facto intervention distinct from the one implied at the design stage. For example, inadequate time was allowed for the selection of service targets by the health centres yet they got 'locked-in' to these poor choices. The learning curve and workload among performance auditors weakened the validity of audit results. Above all, financial shortfalls led to delays, short-cuts and uncertainty about the size and payment of bonuses. The lesson for those intending to implement similar interventions is that PBC should not be attempted 'on the cheap'. It requires a plan to boost local institutional and technical capacities of implementers. It also requires careful consideration of the responses of multiple actors - both insiders and outsiders to the intended change process. Given the costs and complexity of PBC implementation, strengthening conventional approaches that are better attuned to low income contexts (financing resource inputs and systems management) remains a viable policy option towards improving health service delivery. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Soccer-Ball Problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hossenfelder, Sabine

2014-07-01

The idea that Lorentz-symmetry in momentum space could be modified but still remain observer-independent has received quite some attention in the recent years. This modified Lorentz-symmetry, which has been argued to arise in Loop Quantum Gravity, is being used as a phenomenological model to test possibly observable effects of quantum gravity. The most pressing problem in these models is the treatment of multi-particle states, known as the 'soccer-ball problem'. This article briefly reviews the problem and the status of existing solution attempts.

Is back-electron transfer process in Betaine-30 coherent?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rafiq, Shahnawaz; Scholes, Gregory D.

2017-09-01

The possible role of coherent vibrational motion in ultrafast photo-induced electron transfer remains unclear despite considerable experimental and theoretical advances. We revisited this problem by tracking the back-electron transfer (bET) process in Betaine-30 with broadband pump-probe spectroscopy. Dephasing time constant of certain high-frequency vibrations as a function of solvent shows a trend similar to the ET rates. In the purview of Bixon-Jortner model, high-frequency quantum vibrations bridge the reactant-product energy gap by providing activationless vibronic channels. Such interaction reduces the effective coupling significantly and thereby the coherence effects are eliminated due to energy gap fluctuations, making the back-electron transfer incoherent.

Numerical characterization of a flexible circular coil for magnetic resonance imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bautista, T.; Hernandez, R.; Solis-Najera, S. E.; Rodriguez, A. O.

2012-10-01

Numerical simulations of the magnetic field generated by a flexible surface coil were conducted to study its behavior for applications of animal models at 7 Tesla. This coil design is able to fully cover a volume of interest. The Finite Difference Method in Time Domain (FDTD) was used because of its ability to accurately model complex problems in electromagnetism. This particular coil design is best suited for regions of interests with a spherical shape, since B1 uniformity is not significantly attenuated as in the case of a circular-loop coil. It still remains to investigate the feasibility to actually construct a coil prototype.

A Common Vision for the Common Defense: Toward a More Comprehensive National Security Strategy

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-05-01

it must succeed. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………….……...1 I. America’s Grand Stategy : A Critique of the Current...free markets . And at long last, the US foresaw the unchecked ability to shape the new world in its image; one based upon the liberal ideals of...democracy, open markets , and universal human rights. However, those opportunities brought with them a significant problem -- one that remains with the

Novel Anterior Plating Technique for Patella Fracture Fixation.

PubMed

Siljander, Matthew P; Vara, Alexander D; Koueiter, Denise M; Wiater, Brett P; Wiater, Patrick J

2017-07-01

Patella fracture fixation remains a significant challenge for orthopedic surgeons. Although tension band fixation allows for reliable osseous union, especially in simple fracture patterns, it still presents several problems. Plate fixation of patella fractures is a method that allows for more rigid stabilization and earlier mobilization. At the authors' level 1 trauma center, one fellowship-trained trauma surgeon has transitioned to using a novel anterior, low-profile mesh plate construct for all types of patella fractures. This construct allows for stable fixation, osseous union, and neutralization of the inferior pole for even the most comminuted of patella fractures. [Orthopedics. 2017; 40(4):e739-e743.]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

The Impact of Coverage Restrictions on Antipsychotic Utilization Among Low-Income Medicare Part D Enrollees.

PubMed

Roberto, Pamela N; Brandt, Nicole; Onukwugha, Eberechukwu; Perfetto, Eleanor; Powers, Christopher; Stuart, Bruce

2017-11-01

Prior research demonstrates substantial access problems associated with utilization management and formulary exclusions for antipsychotics in Medicaid, but the use and impact of coverage restrictions for these medications in Medicare Part D remains unknown. We assess the effect of coverage restrictions on antipsychotic utilization in Part D by exploiting a unique natural experiment in which low-income beneficiaries are randomly assigned to prescription drug plans with varying levels of formulary generosity. Despite considerable variation in use of coverage restrictions across Part D plans, we find no evidence that these restrictions significantly deter utilization or reduce access to antipsychotics for low-income beneficiaries.

[Reflection of estimating postmortem interval in forensic entomology and the Daubert standard].

PubMed

Xie, Dan; Peng, Yu-Long; Guo, Ya-Dong; Cai, Ji-Feng

2013-08-01

Estimating postmortem interval (PMI) is always the emphasis and difficulty in forensic practice. Forensic entomology plays a significant indispensable role. Recently, the theories and technologies of forensic entomology are increasingly rich. But many problems remain in the research and practice. With proposing the Daubert standard, the reliability and accuracy of estimation PMI by forensic entomology need more demands. This review summarizes the application of the Daubert standard in several aspects of ecology, quantitative genetics, population genetics, molecular biology, and microbiology in the practice of forensic entomology. It builds a bridge for basic research and forensic practice to provide higher accuracy for estimating postmortem interval by forensic entomology.

Adding control to arbitrary unknown quantum operations

PubMed Central

Zhou, Xiao-Qi; Ralph, Timothy C.; Kalasuwan, Pruet; Zhang, Mian; Peruzzo, Alberto; Lanyon, Benjamin P.; O'Brien, Jeremy L.

2011-01-01

Although quantum computers promise significant advantages, the complexity of quantum algorithms remains a major technological obstacle. We have developed and demonstrated an architecture-independent technique that simplifies adding control qubits to arbitrary quantum operations—a requirement in many quantum algorithms, simulations and metrology. The technique, which is independent of how the operation is done, does not require knowledge of what the operation is, and largely separates the problems of how to implement a quantum operation in the laboratory and how to add a control. Here, we demonstrate an entanglement-based version in a photonic system, realizing a range of different two-qubit gates with high fidelity. PMID:21811242

Current Status of Dengue Therapeutics Research and Development.

PubMed

Low, Jenny G H; Ooi, Eng Eong; Vasudevan, Subhash G

2017-03-01

Dengue is a significant global health problem. Even though a vaccine against dengue is now available, which is a notable achievement, its long-term protective efficacy against each of the 4 dengue virus serotypes remains to be definitively determined. Consequently, drugs directed at the viral targets or critical host mechanisms that can be used safely as prophylaxis or treatment to effectively ameliorate disease or reduce disease severity and fatalities are still needed to reduce the burden of dengue. This review will provide a brief account of the status of therapeutics research and development for dengue. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Pharmacotherapy of Insomnia

PubMed Central

Neubauer, David N; Pandi-Perumal, Seithikurippu R; Spence, David Warren; Buttoo, Kenneth; Monti, Jaime M

2018-01-01

Insomnia remains a common clinical concern that is associated with negative daytime consequences for patients and represents a significant public health problem for our society. Although a variety of therapies may be employed to treat insomnia, the use of medications has been a dominant approach. Regulatory agencies have now classified insomnia medications into 4 distinct pharmacodynamics classes. Medications with indications approved for insomnia treatment include benzodiazepine receptor agonists, a melatonin receptor agonist, a selective histamine receptor antagonist, and a dual orexin/hypocretin receptor antagonist. Both pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic advances with hypnotic medications in recent years have expanded the pharmacopoeia to allow personalized treatment approaches for different patient populations and individual sleep disturbance patterns.

The elimination of scabies: a task for our generation.

PubMed

McLean, Florence E

2013-10-01

Scabies prevalence remains unacceptably high in many regions throughout the world. Infestation with scabies significantly impacts quality of life and is linked to pyoderma and consequently to severe long-term sequelae such as post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis. In the past, control programs using topical treatments have met with poor compliance; however, the highly effective oral agent ivermectin may offer a new paradigm in scabies management. Problems still exist with insensitive diagnostic tests, questions concerning mite reservoirs, and restrictions on who can receive ivermectin. Despite these difficulties, the elimination of scabies in communities worst affected may soon be possible. © 2013 The International Society of Dermatology.

A statistical method (cross-validation) for bone loss region detection after spaceflight

PubMed Central

Zhao, Qian; Li, Wenjun; Li, Caixia; Chu, Philip W.; Kornak, John; Lang, Thomas F.

2010-01-01

Astronauts experience bone loss after the long spaceflight missions. Identifying specific regions that undergo the greatest losses (e.g. the proximal femur) could reveal information about the processes of bone loss in disuse and disease. Methods for detecting such regions, however, remains an open problem. This paper focuses on statistical methods to detect such regions. We perform statistical parametric mapping to get t-maps of changes in images, and propose a new cross-validation method to select an optimum suprathreshold for forming clusters of pixels. Once these candidate clusters are formed, we use permutation testing of longitudinal labels to derive significant changes. PMID:20632144

Valproic Acid in Women and Girls of Childbearing Age.

PubMed

Gotlib, Dorothy; Ramaswamy, Rachel; Kurlander, Jacob E; DeRiggi, Alana; Riba, Michelle

2017-09-01

The aim of this paper is to evaluate recent literature on valproic acid (VPA) in women and girls of childbearing age and to emphasize new findings. Recent research confirms VPAs teratogenicity and risk of hormone disruption. VPA exposure in utero increases the risk for a variety of major congenital malformations (MCMs), reduced IQ and behavioral problems. In girls and women, VPA increases the risk of hormone abnormalities, obesity, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Despite guidelines recommending caution, VPA use continues to be prescribed to reproductive-aged women and girls. Despite significant and well-documented risk, adherence to guidelines in VPA use in reproductive-aged girls and women remains low.

Filling the Gaps: The Synergistic Application of Satellite Data for the Volcanic Ash Threat to Aviation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murray, John; Vernier, Jean-Paul; Fairlie, T. Duncan; Pavolonis, Michael; Krotkov, Nickolay A.; Lindsay, Francis; Haynes, John

2013-01-01

Although significant progress has been made in recent years, estimating volcanic ash concentration for the full extent of the airspace affected by volcanic ash remains a challenge. No single satellite, airborne or ground observing system currently exists which can sufficiently inform dispersion models to provide the degree of accuracy required to use them with a high degree of confidence for routing aircraft in and near volcanic ash. Toward this end, the detection and characterization of volcanic ash in the atmosphere may be substantially improved by integrating a wider array of observing systems and advancements in trajectory and dispersion modeling to help solve this problem. The qualitative aspect of this effort has advanced significantly in the past decade due to the increase of highly complementary observational and model data currently available. Satellite observations, especially when coupled with trajectory and dispersion models can provide a very accurate picture of the 3-dimensional location of ash clouds. The accurate estimate of the mass loading at various locations throughout the entire plume, however improving, remains elusive. This paper examines the capabilities of various satellite observation systems and postulates that model-based volcanic ash concentration maps and forecasts might be significantly improved if the various extant satellite capabilities are used together with independent, accurate mass loading data from other observing systems available to calibrate (tune) ash concentration retrievals from the satellite systems.

Clinical usefulness of free subcutaneous fat pad for reduction of intraoperative air leakage during thoracoscopic pulmonary resection in lung cancer cases.

PubMed

Shintani, Yasushi; Inoue, Masayoshi; Funaki, Soichiro; Kawamura, Tomohiro; Minami, Masato; Okumura, Meinoshin

2015-10-01

Intraoperative alveolar air leaks remain a significant problem in thoracoscopic surgery (TS) cases. We examined the usefulness of covering damaged lung tissue with a subcutaneous fat pad for preventing postoperative air leakage in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients with NSCLC underwent a thoracoscopic lobectomy or segmentectomy. When alveolar air leakage from the superficial pulmonary parenchyma was found, fibrin glue in combination with an absorbable mesh sheet was applied (S group; n = 100). When leakage originated from deep within the pulmonary parenchyma, a subcutaneous fat pad about 2 × 2 cm in size was harvested from the utility incision and placed on the damaged lung tissue with fibrin glue and sutures (F group; n = 66). Patient characteristics, air leak duration, and chest-tube removal time were analyzed. The homogeneity of each group was consistent, with no statistical differences for age, respiratory function, surgical procedures, pathologic stage, and histological type. The air leak duration was significantly shorter (p = 0.015), and the chest tube was removed significantly earlier (p = 0.002) in patients in the F group. Use of a free subcutaneous fat pad during pulmonary resection for TS patients with NSCLC reduced the duration of air leakage and chest tube drainage. The present method is easy, safe, and effective for repairing an air leak from remaining lung tissues in such cases.

The Chasm Remains.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Paul T.; Guin, Kacey; Celio, Mary Beth

2003-01-01

Argues that "A Nation at Risk" failed to address adequately problems of urban education, and thus the achievement gap between minority and white students still exists. Describes several problems that still plague low-performing urban schools, such as bureaucratic aversion to change, high levels of poverty, and low teacher quality and…

The Labor Market and Education in Mexico.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hernandez Medina, Alberto

1979-01-01

Problems in employment and education in Mexico will remain in spite of the rapid economic growth expected from the expanding petroleum industry. The structural problems of the job market and education are analyzed with particular reference to higher education. Commentary by Michael Olivas accompanies this article. (JMF)

Investigating preventive-medicine consultations in first-opinion small-animal practice in the United Kingdom using direct observation.

PubMed

Robinson, N J; Brennan, M L; Cobb, M; Dean, R S

2016-02-01

Preventive-medicine consultations account for a large proportion of the veterinary caseload and previous research has suggested these consultations are fundamentally different from those in which the animal is presented for a specific health problem. There has been recent controversy around some aspects of preventive medicine for cats and dogs, and the full health benefits of the preventive-medicine consultation remain unclear. The aim of this study was to compare characteristics of the consultation and the problems discussed during the consultation between preventive-medicine consultations and other types of consultations. Data were gathered during direct observation of small-animal consultations in seven first-opinion practices in the United Kingdom. Data collected included type of clinical examination performed, patient signalment, and details of all problems discussed (including whether the problem was presenting or non-presenting, new or pre-existing, who had raised the problem, body system affected and whether an action was taken). A two-level multivariable logistic-regression model was developed, with canine and feline patients at Level 1 nested within consulting veterinary surgeons at Level 2, and a binary outcome variable of preventive-medicine consultation versus specific health-problem consultation. A total of 1807 patients were presented, of which 690 (38.2%) presented for a preventive-medicine consultation. Dogs were the most frequently presented species (n=1168; 64.6%) followed by cats (n=510; 28.2%), rabbits (n=86; 4.8%) and patients of other species (n=43; 2.4%). The five variables remaining in the multi-level model were whether multiple patients were presented, patient age, clinical examination type, weighing and number of problems discussed. Species, breed, sex, neutering status and practice did not remain in the final model. Many non-presenting problems, including both preventive-medicine problems and specific-health problems, were discussed and acted upon during all types of consultations. Dental and behavioural non-presenting problems were discussed more frequently during preventive-medicine consultations compared with specific health-problem consultations. Preventive-medicine consultations represent an opportunity for veterinary surgeons to discuss other aspects of preventive medicine, and to detect and manage new and ongoing health problems. A greater evidence base is needed to understand whether detecting and managing underlying disease during the preventive-medicine consultation has a positive impact on lifelong patient health and welfare. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Learning the facts in medical school is not enough: which factors predict successful application of procedural knowledge in a laboratory setting?

PubMed

Schmidmaier, Ralf; Eiber, Stephan; Ebersbach, Rene; Schiller, Miriam; Hege, Inga; Holzer, Matthias; Fischer, Martin R

2013-02-22

Medical knowledge encompasses both conceptual (facts or "what" information) and procedural knowledge ("how" and "why" information). Conceptual knowledge is known to be an essential prerequisite for clinical problem solving. Primarily, medical students learn from textbooks and often struggle with the process of applying their conceptual knowledge to clinical problems. Recent studies address the question of how to foster the acquisition of procedural knowledge and its application in medical education. However, little is known about the factors which predict performance in procedural knowledge tasks. Which additional factors of the learner predict performance in procedural knowledge? Domain specific conceptual knowledge (facts) in clinical nephrology was provided to 80 medical students (3rd to 5th year) using electronic flashcards in a laboratory setting. Learner characteristics were obtained by questionnaires. Procedural knowledge in clinical nephrology was assessed by key feature problems (KFP) and problem solving tasks (PST) reflecting strategic and conditional knowledge, respectively. Results in procedural knowledge tests (KFP and PST) correlated significantly with each other. In univariate analysis, performance in procedural knowledge (sum of KFP+PST) was significantly correlated with the results in (1) the conceptual knowledge test (CKT), (2) the intended future career as hospital based doctor, (3) the duration of clinical clerkships, and (4) the results in the written German National Medical Examination Part I on preclinical subjects (NME-I). After multiple regression analysis only clinical clerkship experience and NME-I performance remained independent influencing factors. Performance in procedural knowledge tests seems independent from the degree of domain specific conceptual knowledge above a certain level. Procedural knowledge may be fostered by clinical experience. More attention should be paid to the interplay of individual clinical clerkship experiences and structured teaching of procedural knowledge and its assessment in medical education curricula.

The History, Status, Gaps, and Future Directions of Neurotoxicology in China.

PubMed

Cai, Tongjian; Luo, Wenjing; Ruan, Diyun; Wu, Yi-Jun; Fox, Donald A; Chen, Jingyuan

2016-06-01

Rapid economic development in China has produced serious ecological, environmental, and health problems. Neurotoxicity has been recognized as a major public health problem. The Chinese government, research institutes, and scientists conducted extensive studies concerning the source, characteristics, and mechanisms of neurotoxicants. This paper presents, for the first time, a comprehensive history and review of major sources of neurotoxicants, national bodies/legislation engaged, and major neurotoxicology research in China. Peer-reviewed research and pollution studies by Chinese scientists from 1991 to 2015 were examined. PubMed, Web of Science and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were the major search tools. The central problem is an increased exposure to neurotoxicants from air and water, food contamination, e-waste recycling, and manufacturing of household products. China formulated an institutional framework and standards system for management of major neurotoxicants. Basic and applied research was initiated, and international cooperation was achieved. The annual number of peer-reviewed neurotoxicology papers from Chinese authors increased almost 30-fold since 2001. Despite extensive efforts, neurotoxicity remains a significant public health problem. This provides great challenges and opportunities. We identified 10 significant areas that require major educational, environmental, governmental, and research efforts, as well as attention to public awareness. For example, there is a need to increase efforts to utilize new in vivo and in vitro models, determine the potential neurotoxicity and mechanisms involved in newly emerging pollutants, and examine the effects and mechanisms of mixtures. In the future, we anticipate working with scientists worldwide to accomplish these goals and eliminate, prevent and treat neurotoxicity. Cai T, Luo W, Ruan D, Wu YJ, Fox DA, Chen J. 2016. The history, status, gaps, and future directions of neurotoxicology in China. Environ Health Perspect 124:722-732; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409566.

Childhood self-control and adult outcomes: results from a 30-year longitudinal study.

PubMed

Fergusson, David M; Boden, Joseph M; Horwood, L John

2013-07-01

A study by Moffitt et al. reported pervasive associations between childhood self-control and adult outcomes. The current study attempts to replicate the findings reported by Moffitt et al., adjusting these results for the confounding influence of childhood conduct problems. Data were gathered from the Christchurch Health and Development Study, a longitudinal birth cohort studied to age 30 years. Self-control during ages 6 to 12 years was measured analogously to that in Moffitt et al., using parent-, teacher-, and self-report methods. Outcome measures to age 30 included criminal offending, substance use, education/employment, sexual behavior, and mental health. Associations between self-control and outcomes were adjusted for possible confounding by gender, socioeconomic status (SES), IQ, and childhood conduct problems (ages 6-10). In confirmation of the findings of Moffitt et al., all outcomes except major depression were significantly (p < .05) associated with childhood self-control. Adjustment for gender, SES, and IQ reduced to some extent the magnitude of the associations. However, adjustment for childhood conduct disorder further reduced the magnitude of many of these associations, with only 4 of the 14 outcomes remaining statistically significantly (p < .05) associated with self-control. After adjustment for gender, SES, IQ, and conduct problems, those individuals who scored higher in self-control had lower odds of violent offending and welfare dependence, were more likely to have obtained a university degree, and had higher income levels. The findings from this study suggest that observed linkages between a measure of childhood self-control and outcomes in adulthood were largely explained by the correlated effects of childhood conduct problems, SES, IQ, and gender. Copyright © 2013 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Self-Regulation and Executive Functioning as Related to Survival in Motor Neuron Disease: Preliminary Findings.

PubMed

Garcia-Willingham, Natasha E; Roach, Abbey R; Kasarskis, Edward J; Segerstrom, Suzanne C

2018-05-16

Disease progression varies widely among patients with motor neuron disease (MND). Patients with MND and coexisting dementia have shorter survival. However, implications of mild cognitive and behavioral difficulties are unclear. The present study examined the relative contribution of executive functioning and self-regulation difficulties on survival over a 6-year period among patients with MND, who scored largely within normal limits on cognitive and behavioral indices. Patients with MND (N=37, age=59.97±11.57, 46% female) completed the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST) as an executive functioning perseveration index. The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functions (BRIEF-A) was used as a behavioral measure of self-regulation in two subdomains self-regulatory behavior (Behavioral Regulation) and self-regulatory problem-solving (Metacognition). Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were used. In total, 23 patients died during follow-up. In Cox proportional hazard regressions adjusted for a priori covariates, each 10-point T-score increment in patient-reported BRIEF-A self-regulatory behavior and problem-solving difficulties increased mortality risk by 94% and103%, respectively (adjusted HR=1.94, 95% CI [1.07, 3.52]; adjusted HR=2.03, 95% CI [1.19, 3.48]). In sensitivity analyses, patient-reported self-regulatory problem-solving remained significant independent of disease severity and a priori covariates (adjusted HR=1.68, 95% CI [1.01, 2.78], though the predictive value of self-regulatory behavior was attenuated in adjusted models (HR=1.67, 95% CI [0.85, 3.27). Caregiver-reported BRIEF-A ratings of patients and WCST perseverative errors did not significantly predict survival. Preliminary evidence suggests patient-reported self-regulatory problem-solving difficulties indicate poorer prognosis in MND. Further research is needed to uncover mechanisms that negatively affect patient survival.

Right to property, inheritance, and contract and persons with mental illness.

PubMed

Bhugra, Dinesh; Pathare, Soumitra; Joshi, Rajlaxmi; Nardodkar, Renuka; Torales, Julio; Tolentino, Edgardo Juan L; Dantas, Rubens; Ventriglio, Antonio

2016-08-01

Discrimination against people with mental illness is rife across the globe. Among different types of discrimination is the policy in many countries where persons with mental illness are forbidden to inherit property, and they are not able to enter into a contract in a large number of countries. Using various databases, legislations dealing with law of contract, law of succession/inheritance, and law relating to testamentary capacity (wills) of all UN Member states (193 countries) were studied. With respect to federal countries, the laws of the most populous state as a representative state in the respective country were studied. Only 40 Member States (21%) recognize/allow persons with mental health problems to enter into contracts. Of these, however, only 16 Member States (9%) recognize the right of persons with mental health problems to enter into a contract without any restrictions. The remaining 24 Member States (12%) allow a contract entered into by a person with mental health problems to be invalidated under certain conditions. These countries also make the validity of the contract subject to the capacity to consent or based on the level of understanding of the person with mental health problems. They may allow persons with mental health problems to enter into contracts only for transactions of an insignificant nature or of personal rights. Only 9% of the countries allow people with mental illness to enter into contracts in an unrestricted way. Furthermore, there remain variations between high income and low income states. In spite of international laws in many countries, laws remain discriminatory.

Fitness for work in health care workers: state of the art and possible operational recommendations for its formulation and management in relationship to alcohol and drug addiction.

PubMed

Riboldi, L; Bordini, L; Ferrario, M M

2012-01-01

Both chronic and acute alcohol or drug consumption have severe health consequences, alter the subject's cognitive functions and work performance and increase the risk of work-related accidents, for the worker and for third parties (e.g., co-workers and other people subject to negative impact of worker's actions). Limited scientific evidence has suggested that some working conditions present in the health care sector (e.g., high levels of responsibility, competitiveness, burnout, shiftwork, work-related stress) may favour alcohol and drug abuse. The aim of the present report is to describe the problem of alcohol and drug consumption among health care professionals and to evaluate the problem of related fitness for work. The magnitude of this problem remains unclear; recent estimates have reported alcohol abuse and addiction problems in 1-14% and psychotropic, illicit and non-illicit, substance abuse in 6-15% of health care workers. The prevalence of tranquilizer and sedative/hypnotic drug use is high, particularly among physicians. However, it remains unclear whether the incidence of workplace accidents and injuries is higher among drug abusers, and whether the statutory introduction of prevention programmes has led to actual control of this problem in the workplace. Italian legislation identifies the occupational physician as a key figure to prevent psychotropic substance abuse in some work activities, but some difficulties in its application remain. Legislators should issue simple norms that clearly define the responsibilities and skills of each actor involved in safeguarding workplace health and safety, as well as clearly outlining workplace monitoring procedures.

Sleep Patterns in Adults with a Diagnosis of High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder

PubMed Central

Baker, Emma K.; Richdale, Amanda L.

2015-01-01

Study Objectives: To examine sleep patterns and sleep problems and their relationship with daytime functioning in adults with a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder and no comorbid intellectual disability (high-functioning autism spectrum disorder [HFASD]) compared to neurotypical (NT) adults. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Home-based study. Participants: 36 adults with HFASD and 36 age-, intelligence quotient- and sex-matched NT adults. Measurements: Participants completed an online questionnaire battery including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), a 14-d sleep wake diary and 14-d actigraphy data collection. Results: Adults with HFASD had significantly more general sleep disturbances and higher scores on the PSQI, longer sleep onset latencies (actigraphy), and poorer sleep efficiency (diary) and these results remained significant after accounting for the False Discovery Rate. Those adults with HFASD who did not have a comorbid diagnosis of anxiety/depression had significantly shorter total sleep time (diary and actigraphy) compared to NT adults. Compared to NT adults, the HFASD group self-reported significantly poorer refreshment scores upon waking in the morning and higher scores on the daytime dysfunction due to sleepiness subscale of the PSQI. Conclusions: These findings support the notion that problems related to sleep, in particular insomnia, continue into adulthood in individuals with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. Citation: Baker EK, Richdale AL. Sleep patterns in adults with a diagnosis of high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. SLEEP 2015;38(11):1765–1774. PMID:26237770

Testing a stepped care model for binge-eating disorder: a two-step randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Tasca, Giorgio A; Koszycki, Diana; Brugnera, Agostino; Chyurlia, Livia; Hammond, Nicole; Francis, Kylie; Ritchie, Kerri; Ivanova, Iryna; Proulx, Genevieve; Wilson, Brian; Beaulac, Julie; Bissada, Hany; Beasley, Erin; Mcquaid, Nancy; Grenon, Renee; Fortin-Langelier, Benjamin; Compare, Angelo; Balfour, Louise

2018-05-24

A stepped care approach involves patients first receiving low-intensity treatment followed by higher intensity treatment. This two-step randomized controlled trial investigated the efficacy of a sequential stepped care approach for the psychological treatment of binge-eating disorder (BED). In the first step, all participants with BED (n = 135) received unguided self-help (USH) based on a cognitive-behavioral therapy model. In the second step, participants who remained in the trial were randomized either to 16 weeks of group psychodynamic-interpersonal psychotherapy (GPIP) (n = 39) or to a no-treatment control condition (n = 46). Outcomes were assessed for USH in step 1, and then for step 2 up to 6-months post-treatment using multilevel regression slope discontinuity models. In the first step, USH resulted in large and statistically significant reductions in the frequency of binge eating. Statistically significant moderate to large reductions in eating disorder cognitions were also noted. In the second step, there was no difference in change in frequency of binge eating between GPIP and the control condition. Compared with controls, GPIP resulted in significant and large improvement in attachment avoidance and interpersonal problems. The findings indicated that a second step of a stepped care approach did not significantly reduce binge-eating symptoms beyond the effects of USH alone. The study provided some evidence for the second step potentially to reduce factors known to maintain binge eating in the long run, such as attachment avoidance and interpersonal problems.

Jocks, Gender, Race, and Adolescent Problem Drinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Kathleen E.; Hoffman, Joseph H.; Barnes, Grace M.; Farrell, Michael P.; Sabo, Don; Melnick, Merrill J.

2003-01-01

Alcohol remains the drug of choice for many adolescents; however, the nature of the relationship between athletic involvement and alcohol misuse remains ambiguous. In this article, we used a longitudinal sample of over 600 Western New York adolescents and their families to explore the gender-specific and race-specific relationships between…

Practical Problem-Based Learning in Computing Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Grady, Michael J.

2012-01-01

Computer Science (CS) is a relatively new disciple and how best to introduce it to new students remains an open question. Likewise, the identification of appropriate instructional strategies for the diverse topics that constitute the average curriculum remains open to debate. One approach considered by a number of practitioners in CS education…

The Labor Market and Strategies in Seeking Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toreev, V. B.

2014-01-01

Unemployment among young people in Russia remains a serious problem, and educational qualifications continue to be a deciding factor in the labor market. Creative strategies for escaping from unemployment are frequently used, but outside of self-employment education remains the path to successful employment. [This article was translated by Kim…

Predicting Problematic Alcohol Use with the DSM-5 Alternative Model of Personality Pathology

PubMed Central

Creswell, Kasey G.; Bachrach, Rachel L.; Wright, Aidan G.C.; Pinto, Anthony; Ansell, Emily

2015-01-01

There is high comorbidity between personality disorders and alcohol use disorders, which appears related to individual differences in underlying personality dimensions of behavioral undercontrol and affective dysregulation. Very little is known about how the DSM-5 Section III trait model of personality pathology relates to alcohol problems, however, or how the strength of the relationship between personality pathology and alcohol problems changes with age and across gender. The current study examined these questions in a sample of 877 participants using the General Assessment of Personality Disorder to assess general personality dysfunction, the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 to measure specific traits, and the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test to assess problematic alcohol use. Results demonstrated that general personality pathology (Criterion A) was significantly related to problematic alcohol use after controlling for age and gender effects. Further, two of the five higher-order personality trait domains (Criterion B), Antagonism and Disinhibition, remained significant predictors of problematic alcohol use after accounting for the influence of general personality pathology; however, general personality pathology no longer predicted hazardous alcohol use once Antagonism and Disinhibition were added into the model. Finally, these two specific traits interacted with age, such that Antagonism was a stronger predictor of AUDIT scores among older individuals and Disinhibition was a stronger predictor of alcohol problems among younger individuals. Findings support the general validity of this new personality disorder diagnostic system and suggest important age effects in the relationship between traits and problematic alcohol use. PMID:26389625

An automated framework for NMR resonance assignment through simultaneous slice picking and spin system forming.

PubMed

Abbas, Ahmed; Guo, Xianrong; Jing, Bing-Yi; Gao, Xin

2014-06-01

Despite significant advances in automated nuclear magnetic resonance-based protein structure determination, the high numbers of false positives and false negatives among the peaks selected by fully automated methods remain a problem. These false positives and negatives impair the performance of resonance assignment methods. One of the main reasons for this problem is that the computational research community often considers peak picking and resonance assignment to be two separate problems, whereas spectroscopists use expert knowledge to pick peaks and assign their resonances at the same time. We propose a novel framework that simultaneously conducts slice picking and spin system forming, an essential step in resonance assignment. Our framework then employs a genetic algorithm, directed by both connectivity information and amino acid typing information from the spin systems, to assign the spin systems to residues. The inputs to our framework can be as few as two commonly used spectra, i.e., CBCA(CO)NH and HNCACB. Different from the existing peak picking and resonance assignment methods that treat peaks as the units, our method is based on 'slices', which are one-dimensional vectors in three-dimensional spectra that correspond to certain ([Formula: see text]) values. Experimental results on both benchmark simulated data sets and four real protein data sets demonstrate that our method significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art methods while using a less number of spectra than those methods. Our method is freely available at http://sfb.kaust.edu.sa/Pages/Software.aspx.

[Knee-related Pain Problems during Pregnancy Correlate with an Increase in Body Weight. Results of a Prospective Study].

PubMed

Spahn, G; Lesser, A; Hofmann, G O; Schiele, R

2015-10-01

This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of knee pain or the intensification of knee-related problems during pregnancy. We hypothesised that the occurrence of knee problems correlates with an increase in body weight during pregnancy. A total of 326 women (30(th)-40(th) week of pregnancy) were involved in this study. At onset of the pregnancy, the patients were 29.4 [95% CI 28.8-29.9] years of age. We asked all patients retrospectively about their anthropometric data at the beginning of pregnancy. All patients provided information about former knee problems, knee problems occurring after onset of pregnancy or any increase in these problems. These knee patients were re-evaluated 6 weeks after childbirth. At follow-up, the patients were asked about their knee problems and about their body weight. At the beginning of pregnancy, the mean body weight was 68.0 kg (95% CI 64.4-69.6; range 41-117). The mean BMI of all patients was 24.5 kg/m² (25% CI 23.9-25.0; range 17.0-26.0). The absolute body weight increased by 13.8 kg (95% CI 13.2-1.5; range 3-38). A total of 24 patients (7.4%) reported new knee problems during pregnancy. 2 patients reported an increase in knee-related problems during pregnancy (0.6%). The incidence of knee-related problems (new cases and increase of problems n=26) was 26/326 or 7.6/100 pregnancies. In patients without knee problems, the pregnancy-related increase in the BMI (ΔBMI) was 4.8 kg/m² (95% CI 4.6-5.1, range 1.1-14.1). In cases with incident knee problems, the ΔBMI was 5.9 kg/m² (95% CI 4.9-6.9, range 2.1-11.8). The increase in body weight (Δbody weight) in patients without knee problems was 13.5 kg (95% CI 12.9-14.2, range 3-38). Patients with incident knee pain experienced a Δbody weight of 16.8 kg (95% CI 13.9-19.4, range 6-35). The differences in ΔBMI and Δbody weight were significant (p=0.009). A Δbody weight >20 kg was a significant risk factor for pregnancy-related knee pain significant risk factor pregnancy related pain. A total of 23 incident cases (92%) underwent a follow-up interview 6 weeks after parturition. At this time, a total of 6 patients (26.1%) had not experienced further knee problems, whereas persistent knee problems were reported in the remaining patients (73.9%). Patients without any knee complaints [body weight 72.5 kg (CI 95% 60.9-83.9)] tended to have a lower body weight at follow-up than patients with persistent knee pain [85.5 kg (CI 95% 71.8-99.1), p=0.162]. There is a body weight-associated increase in the incidence of functional knee pain in pregnant women. In about one-third of the cases, knee problems persist after pregnancy and are associated with a residual increase in body weight. Thus, we conclude that body weight is a potential risk factor for functional knee pain. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Daily Fantasy Sports Players: Gambling, Addiction, and Mental Health Problems.

PubMed

Nower, Lia; Caler, Kyle R; Pickering, Dylan; Blaszczynski, Alex

2018-01-19

Studies point to a relationship between fantasy sports/daily fantasy sports (DFS) play and gambling behavior. However, little is known about the nature of those relationships, particularly regarding the development of gambling problems. This study investigates the nature, frequency, and preferences of gambling behavior as well as problem gambling severity and comorbid conditions among DFS players. Data were collected from an epidemiologic survey of 3634 New Jersey residents on gambling and leisure activities. Participants were contacted by phone (land-line and cell) and online to obtain a representative, cross-sectional sample of non-institutionalized adults, aged 18 years or older. Excluding non-gamblers, the remaining 2146 participants, included in these analyses, indicated they had either played DFS (n = 299) or had gambled but not played DFS (1847) in the past year. Univariate comparisons and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the most significant characteristics and predictors of DFS players. Overall, a higher number of gambling activities, high frequency gambling, male gender, and reports of suicidal thoughts in the past year were most predictive of DFS players. Being Hispanic (vs. Caucasian) and/or single (vs. married or living with a partner) also doubled the odds of DFS play. Findings suggest that DFS players are characterized by high gambling frequency and problem severity and comorbid problems, notably suicidal ideation. Future research should examine the motivations and possible etiological sub-types of DFS players and the nature and course of DFS play, particularly in relation to gambling behavior and the development of gambling and other problems.

Parent-Reported Behavioral and Psychiatric Problems Mediate the Relationship between Sleep-Disordered Breathing and Cognitive Deficits in School-Aged Children.

PubMed

Smith, Dale L; Gozal, David; Hunter, Scott J; Kheirandish-Gozal, Leila

2017-01-01

Numerous studies over the past several decades have illustrated that children who suffer from sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) are at greater risk for cognitive, behavioral, and psychiatric problems. Although behavioral problems have been proposed as a potential mediator between SDB and cognitive functioning, these relationships have not been critically examined. This analysis is based on a community-based cohort of 1,115 children who underwent overnight polysomnography, and cognitive and behavioral phenotyping. Structural model of the relationships between SDB, behavior, and cognition, and two recently developed mediation approaches based on propensity score weighting and resampling were used to assess the mediational role of parent-reported behavior and psychiatric problems in the relationship between SDB and cognitive functioning. Multiple models utilizing two different SDB definitions further explored direct effects of SDB on cognition as well as indirect effects through behavioral pathology. All models were adjusted for age, sex, race, BMI z -score, and asthma status. Indirect effects of SDB through behavior problems were significant in all mediation models, while direct effects of SDB on cognition were not. The findings were consistent across different mediation procedures and remained essentially unaltered when different criteria for SDB, behavior, and cognition were used. Potential effects of SDB on cognitive functioning appear to occur through behavioral problems that are detectable in this pediatric population. Thus, early attentional or behavioral pathology may be implicated in the cognitive functioning deficits associated with SDB, and may present an early morbidity-related susceptibility biomarker.

Social emotion recognition, social functioning, and attempted suicide in late-life depression.

PubMed

Szanto, Katalin; Dombrovski, Alexandre Y; Sahakian, Barbara J; Mulsant, Benoit H; Houck, Patricia R; Reynolds, Charles F; Clark, Luke

2012-03-01

: Lack of feeling connected and poor social problem solving have been described in suicide attempters. However, cognitive substrates of this apparent social impairment in suicide attempters remain unknown. One possible deficit, the inability to recognize others' complex emotional states has been observed not only in disorders characterized by prominent social deficits (autism-spectrum disorders and frontotemporal dementia) but also in depression and normal aging. This study assessed the relationship between social emotion recognition, problem solving, social functioning, and attempted suicide in late-life depression. : There were 90 participants: 24 older depressed suicide attempters, 38 nonsuicidal depressed elders, and 28 comparison subjects with no psychiatric history. We compared performance on the Reading the Mind in the Eyes test and measures of social networks, social support, social problem solving, and chronic interpersonal difficulties in these three groups. : Suicide attempters committed significantly more errors in social emotion recognition and showed poorer global cognitive performance than elders with no psychiatric history. Attempters had restricted social networks: they were less likely to talk to their children, had fewer close friends, and did not engage in volunteer activities, compared to nonsuicidal depressed elders and those with no psychiatric history. They also reported a pattern of struggle against others and hostility in relationships, felt a lack of social support, perceived social problems as impossible to resolve, and displayed a careless/impulsive approach to problems. : Suicide attempts in depressed elders were associated with poor social problem solving, constricted social networks, and disruptive interpersonal relationships. Impaired social emotion recognition in the suicide attempter group was related.