The influence of dogs’ presence on children’s performance on cognitive tests: Implications for clinical practice.

Evidence suggests that cognitive assessments can evoke feelings of stress for some children, potentially inhibiting cognitive performance and undermining the validity of results. Dogs have been found to be an unobtrusive form of social support for children in other settings, potentially offering a solution to this problem. The aim of this paper was to critically review the literature to explore what effect, if any, dogs may have on children’s performance on cognitive tests, and consider implications for clinical practice. To do so, five databases were systematically searched and returns were screened for eligibility. Studies were collectively described and then appraised using a common appraisal framework. Nine studies exploring the relationship between dogs and cognitive functioning in children (≤18 years) were identified in the literature search. All used an experimental methodology and were of good to fair quality. Together, results indicated that the presence of a dog could reduce stress and enhance cognitive performance across various domains, lending experimental evidence to support the idea that dogs may support children undergoing cognitive assessments. Further trials are now required to explore the generalizability of these associations to clinical settings and implications for test validity. Further implications for policy and practice are discussed

Poetry therapy in practice: identifying the mechanisms of poetry therapy and other percieved effects on participants

Background - Poetry therapy is a promising but heterogeneous and under-evidenced form of creative art therapy. Theories of change have been proffered but are modelspecific and poorly evidenced in the empirical literature. Aims – To systematically retrieve, review, and synthesise empirical literature exploring mechanisms of pan-theoretical poetry therapy, providing a united understanding of how poetry therapy operates to guide future research and practice. Methods – A systematic search of six databases yielded 161 papers. Fourteen met the inclusion criteria, spanning individual and group approaches. Mechanisms and effects were extracted and synthesised into a governing framework and logic model. Stakeholder consultation was used to validate results. Results – 25 primary mechanisms and 54 associated effects were identified. These were synthesised into logic model characterised by five core processes: Engaging, Feeling, Exploring, Connecting, and Transferring (“EFECT”). These processes were associated with multifarious benefits, impacting cognitive, emotional and behavioural domains. Conclusions – The mechanisms and effects of poetry therapy can be understood via the EFECT model. This should now be tested empirically. The model can then be used to guide a united, rigorous research programme, helping to bring poetry therapy into evidence-based policy and practice

Health Insurance Policy and the Social Security Disability Insurance Population

Individuals receiving benefits from the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program have both increased health needs but potentially more limited health insurance options. Although SSDI beneficiaries qualify for Medicare after receiving 24 months worth of benefit payments, their ability to procure health insurance during the waiting period is questionable, and before the Medicare Part D expansion, their ability to acquire prescription drug insurance coverage after the waiting period was also questionable. I investigate the effects of health insurance policy on the health insurance access and outcomes for this understudied group. In the first chapter, I investigate the effect of the Affordable Care Act on SSDI beneficiaries in the Medicare waiting period. An open question is whether SSDI beneficiaries have adequate health insurance options during the waiting period. In this study, I use difference-in-difference-in-differences estimation and data from the American Community Survey to estimate the effects of the ACA on this group. For SSDI beneficiaries in the waiting period, I estimate that the policy increased health insurance coverage by 8.3 percentage points. In Medicaid expansion states, coverage increased 12.0 percentage points, and in non-expansion states, coverage increased 3.5 percentage points. The large health insurance gains suggest that the ACA improved health insurance access during the Medicare waiting period. In the second chapter, I investigate the effect of the Medicare Part D expansion on the prescription drug coverage, utilization, and expenditures of Medicare-eligible SSDI beneficiaries. I use difference-in-differences estimation and data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). I estimate large gains in prescription drug coverage and large decreases in annual out-of-pocket prescription drug expenditure. Additionally, the estimates suggest modest substitution away from private prescription drug coverage and little decrease in annual private insurance prescription drug expenditure. The estimates suggest large welfare gains from the policy. In the third chapter, I investigate additional effects of the Medicare Part D expansion on Medicare-eligible SSDI beneficiaries. I look at the heterogeneous effects of the policy across this group based on demographic characteristics in the MEPS data. Additionally, I investigate how the policy affected self-reported health status. I use the same data set and a similar empirical strategy as Chapter 2. I estimate that the policy increased drug coverage more for: older individuals relative to younger individuals; individuals with some college education relative to individuals without college education; men relative to women; and married individuals relative to unmarried individuals. This led to larger decreases in out-of-pocket drug expenditure for the same subgroups. The estimates also suggest improvements in both perceived health status and perceived mental health status. I also evaluate the effects on non-prescription drug outcomes as well as prescription drugs prices, but the results are difficult to draw inference from

The Right Reflection: Improving Women\u27s Self-Acceptance

This capstone is about women and self-acceptance. The title, The Right Reflection, alludes to the fact that none of us see ourselves directly, only through the reflections of others. Sometimes women’s reflections are distorted due to destructive cultural messages that women receive and internalize and maladaptive thinking they then develop. Books as recent as The Confidence Code (Katy & Shipman, 2014) and concepts a bit older such as the Imposter Phenomenon (Clance & Imes, 1978) point to the reality that women view themselves as less-qualified, intelligent and deserving than men or other women. This capstone explores the role of low self-acceptance in this phenomenon. Topics covered include the concept of self-acceptance, how self-acceptance differs from self-compassion and self-esteem, what contributes to low self-acceptance in women (sex-role stereotyping, patriarchy, sexism), thinking styles that contribute to low self-acceptance in women (rumination, perfectionism, explanatory style), how low self-acceptance manifests in women (imposter phenomenon, lack of confidence), and actions that women can take to improve self-acceptance. This capstone will conclude with strategies to help women improve their self-acceptance and alleviate the suffering associated with low self-acceptance

Regulation of Blood Volume During Spaceflight

The effects of spaceflight on erythropoiesis and blood volume in the rat were studied during the 14-day NASA Spacelab Life Sciences 2 (SLS-2) Shuttle mission. Measurements included red blood cell mass (RBCM), plasma volume (PV), iron utilization and iron utilization in response to an injection of erythropoietin. Red blood cell (RBC) survival, splenic sequestration and erythrocyte morphology were also evaluated. At landing, the RBCM adjusted for body weight was significantly lower in the flight animals than in the ground controls. While the PV was also decreased, the change was not statistically significant. Incorporation of iron into circulating RBCs was normal when measured after five days of spaceflight and the rat responded normally to the single in-flight injection of erythropoietin. No change in RBC morphology could be attributed to spaceflight. A normal survival was found for the RBC population that was represented by Cr-51 labeled RBCS. These results demonstrate that rats, like humans, return from spaceflight with a decreased RBCM and total blood volume

The influence of space flight on erythrokinetics in man. Space Life Sciences Missions 1 and 2. Experiment E261

The purpose of this contract was to design and conduct experiments that would increase our understanding of the influence of space flight on erythrokinetics and the rapid change that occurs in the red blood cell mass during spaceflight. The experiment designated E261, was flown on Space Life Science missions SLS-1 and SLS-2 (STS 40 and STS 58). Unique features of this experiment included radionuclide tracer studies during flight and frequent in-flight blood samples specifically for the first three or four days of the mission. Plasma volume measurements were made early and late in the missions. Radioactive iron kinetics studies were initiated after one or three days in microgravity since the magnitude of the red blood cell mass decrease dictated that bone marrow production must be decreased very early in the flight. The schedule was designed to study the time course of the changes that occur during spaceflight and to possibly define a mechanism for the rapid reduction in red blood cell mass

Virgil and Clela Belle Alfrey - Photograph

A photograph of Virgil and Clele Alfrey of Worthington, Kentucky in May of 1985

Making irrigation investments pay

Cover title.Includes bibliographical references