Living with an acquired brain injury. Barriers and facilitators to developing community supports as a basis for independent living: the experiences and perceptions of people with acquired brain injury

This study found that natural community supports were comprised of two distinct groupings; firstly immediate families, friends and peer support groups; secondly neighbours and local community groups such as sporting and activity- based organisations and groups. The findings of this study indicate that living with acquired brain injury involves a process where the person moves from acute high intensity health services onto rehabilitative services and then onto re-establishing independent lives. It is evident that smooth transitions and interconnectivity of services are essential in facilitating this recovery process. Instrumental to the recovery is the support of immediate family and close friends, who form people’s immediate natural support network and go a long way towards facilitating individuals in rebuilding their lives. A key finding of this study is that broader natural community supports do not appear to play as central a role in supporting individuals to live independent lives when compared to the role of family and friends. The lack of involvement of broader community groups, in many ways, prompted individuals to contact formal support services. For the majority of participants, independence is facilitated through the combination of immediate natural community supports and formal services. The role of formal support services is key to developing broader community support networks. This study found a blurred division between formal services and broader community support networks. The authors recommended that the role of formal supports services in acting as a bridge between the needs of the individual and the development of meaningful community networks, be formally recognised and further developed. Additionally, they argued that the importance of the role of broader natural community, supports such as those provided by community and sporting groups must be enhanced. Greater awareness of the issues faced by people living with acquired brain injury and its often invisible nature is necessary in this endeavour. The authors stated it is important to recognise that there are multiple issues impacting on independent living and these issues intersect, for instance with age, gender, employment, qualifications and so on. A lack of public awareness of acquired brain injury was found to be a key barrier to independent living, along with issues relating to socialising, access to employment and finances. The findings of this study reflect the complexities of living with acquired brain injury and the need for holistic support that is cognisant of the factors which impact on integration. It is vital that flexible, personalised services are developed which are fit for purpose and meet the needs of not only people with acquired brain injury but also their immediate natural community support network. Recognition of the intersection between immediate/ broader natural community supports and formal services is also key to developing the comprehensive and practical supports required to achieve an independent life. This was a qualitative study and all participants were sourced through Headway, a community based service provider for people with ABI. Data collection was divided into two stages: firstly focus groups, followed by individual interviews. Four focus groups were convened in Cork (2), Dublin (1) and Limerick (1). Each focus group was facilitated by at least two members of the research team and a total of twenty-six individuals participated in the focus groups. Thematic analysis of the data was undertaken to guide and inform the second stage of the study; the individual interviews. Ten interviews were undertaken with individuals who presented with ABI in the Cork and Limerick regions

TOWARDS A MODEL OF NEW SERVICE DEVELOPMENT FOR DIFFERENTIATED TOURISM SERVICES

As tourism services become increasingly competitive and the life expectancy of many services becomes shorter, there is a need to both develop new services and enhance existing services. The process for new service development remains a difficulty for most tourism firms and in particular for SME’s who may be deficient in the skills necessary for service development Pikkemaat & Peters (2005). The perceived difficulty in the creation of new services is due in no small part to the fragmented and limited nature of research on the subject (Stevens & Dimitriadis, 2005) and the contention that empirical studies have not yet reached consensus on a well formalised New Service Development (NSD) process (Menor et al., 2002).The purpose of this paper is to address this knowledge gap by identifying the activities and resources necessary to develop new services in a tourism context. It is the author’s assertion that the development of tourism services requires a model tailored to the specific characteristics of the sector. This paper proposes to develop a conceptual model of NSD which will include applicable components of existing NSD and New Product Development (NPD) models, but will also add new components to reflect the specific characteristics and challenges of NSD in the tourism industry. It is anticipated that the study will make a significant contribution to both academic knowledge and tourism practice by addressing deficiencies in both tourism and service development literature and will assist practitioners in appreciating the stages and factors that should be considered in developing differentiated new services. This mini case study’s primary aim was to build an understanding of the components of the experience concept at the Guinness Storehouse and to understand the process by which it was achieved. The following are a summary of the elements of the Storehouse experience concept: a scripted theme, authentic physical elements, a range of emotions including excitement, surprise, pleasure and personal control, tiered levels of knowledge transfer, sensory stimulation, brand connection & emotional engagement. The experience is supported by activities including the use of mobile elements, knowledgeable and engaging staff, the interactive use of mixed media, and the active solicitation of customer feedback

TOWARDS AN UNDERSTANDING OF EXPERIENCE CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT IN TOURISM SERVICE DESIGN (RIKON Group)

Despite the increasing importance placed on the delivery of memorable experiences in the tourism sector, there have been only limited attempts to comprehensively detail how experiences can be successfully conceptualised in practice. Based on a critical literature review of both experience and service concept development theory in conjunction with and the findings from case research, this paper will make a unique contribution to a very significant gap in experience design literature by presenting a conceptual model of the activities necessary for experience conceptualisation in a tourism context. Key Words: Tourism, experience, concept developmen

Exploring the optimal allostatic load scoring method in women of reproductive age

AimsThe aim of this study was to determine the optimal allostatic load scoring method.DesignThis is a secondary analysis of data on women of reproductive age from the 2001-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.MethodsWe created allostatic load summary scores using five scoring methods including the count-based, Z-Score, logistic regression, factor analysis and grade of membership methods. Then, we examined the predictive performance of each allostatic load summary measure in relation to three outcomes: general health status, diabetes and hypertension.ResultsWe found that the allostatic load summary measure by the logistic regression method had the highest predictive validity with respect to the three outcomes. The logistic regression method performed significantly better than the count-based and grade of membership methods for predicting diabetes as well as performed significantly better for predicting hypertension than all of the other methods. But the five scoring methods performed similarly for predicting poor health status.ConclusionWe recommended the logistic regression method when the outcome information is available, otherwise the frequently used simpler count-based method may be a good alternative.ImpactThe study compared different scoring methods and made recommendations for the optimal scoring approach. We found that allostatic load summary measure by the logistic regression method had the strongest predictive validity with respect to general health status, diabetes and hypertension. The study may provide empirical evidence for future research to use the recommended scoring approach to score allostatic load. The allostatic load index may serve as an -early warning- indicator for health risk.ç ®ç è¿ é¡¹ç  ç©¶ç ç ®ç å ¨äº ,ç¡®å® æ ä½³é åº è´ è ·è¯ å æ ¹æ³ ã è®¾è®¡è¿ æ ¯å¯¹2001å¹´è ³2006æ é ´å ¨å ½å ¥åº·å è ¥å »æ£ æ ¥è° æ ¥ä¸­è ²é¾ å¦ å¥³æ °æ ®ç äº æ¬¡å æ ã æ ¹æ³ æ ä»¬ä½¿ç ¨äº äº ç§ è¯ å æ ¹æ³ (å æ ¬å ºäº è®¡æ °æ³ ã Z计å æ³ ã é »è¾ å å½ æ³ ã å  å­ å æ æ³ å é ¶å± åº¦æ ¹æ³ )æ ¥å å»ºäº é åº è´ è ·æ± æ »å æ °ã ç ¶å ,æ ä»¬æ£ æ ¥äº ä¸ ä¸ ä¸ªç» æ ç ¸å ³ç å ç§ é åº è´ è ·æ± æ »æ °å ¼ç é¢ æµ æ §è ½:æ ´ä½ å ¥åº·ç ¶æ ã ç³ å°¿ç å é« è¡ å ã ç» æ æ 们å ç °,é »è¾ å å½ æ³ ç é åº è´ è ·æ± æ »å æ °å¯¹è¿ ä¸ ä¸ªç» æ å ·æ æ é« ç é¢ æµ æ 度ã é »è¾ å å½ æ³ å ¨é¢ æµ ç³ å°¿ç æ ¹é ¢ç è¡¨ç °æ æ ¾ä¼ äº å ºäº è®¡æ °æ³ å é ¶å± åº¦æ ¹æ³ ,å ¨é¢ æµ é« è¡ å æ ¹é ¢ç è¡¨ç °ä¹ æ æ ¾ä¼ äº æ æ å ¶ä» æ ¹æ³ ã ä½ è¿ äº ç§ è¯ å æ ¹æ³ å ¨é¢ æµ ä¸ è ¯å ¥åº·ç ¶æ æ ¹é ¢ç è¡¨ç °ç ¸ä¼¼ã ç» è®ºå½ ç» æ èµ æ å ¯ç ¨æ ¶,æ ä»¬æ ¨è é »è¾ å å½ æ³ ,å ¨å ¶ä» æ ¹é ¢,å¸¸ç ¨ä¸ æ ´ç® å ç å ºäº è®¡æ °æ³ å ¯è ½ä¹ æ ¯ä¸ ä¸ªä¸ é ç é æ ©ã å½±å è¯¥ç  ç©¶æ¯ è¾ äº ä¸ å ç è¯ å æ ¹æ³ ,并æ å ºäº æ ä½³è¯ å æ ¹æ³ ç 建议ã æ 们å ç °ç ¨é »è¾ å å½ æ³ è¿ è¡ ç é åº è´ è ·æ± æ »å æ °å¯¹æ ´ä½ å ¥åº·ç ¶æ ã ç³ å°¿ç å é« è¡ å å ·æ æ 强ç é¢ æµ æ æ æ §ã è¯¥ç  ç©¶å ¯ä»¥ä¸ºä» å ä½¿ç ¨æ ¨è ç è¯ å æ ¹æ³ å¯¹æ æ é åº è´ è ·è¯ å æ ä¾ å® éª æ §è¯ æ ®ã é åº è´ è ·æ æ °å ¯ä»¥ä½ ä¸ºå ¥åº·é£ é ©ç -é¢ è­¦-æ æ  ãPeer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151983/1/jan14014_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151983/2/jan14014.pd

Exploring the validity of allostatic load in pregnant women

Background: The theory of allostatic load has gained momentum in perinatal research to understand the biological pathways of the impact of maternal chronic stress on adverse perinatal outcomes. However, due to physiological changes of pregnancy, including large variations across gestation, the extent to which allostatic load measured in pregnancy is valid has not been queried in depth. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the gestational patterns of selected individual allostatic load in- dicators and to explore whether a pregnancy allostatic load index score had face validity in relation to chronic sociodemographic stress. Design: This is a secondary analysis using data from the 1999–2006 National Health and Nutrition Ex- amination Survey. Methods: A total of 1056 pregnant women were included for analyses. Using ten physiological indicators commonly included in an index of allostatic load, we described individual indicator and index score pat- terns across gestation and assessed differences in allostatic load index scores between women with and without sociodemographic stress. Findings: The average allostatic load index score at any gestational month was not statistically signifi- cantly different from the average allostatic load index score in the non-pregnant sample. We also found the allostatic load index score remained steady across gestational month, despite very different gesta- tional patterns of individual allostatic load indicators, as long as gestation-specific risk quartiles were used to calculate the allostatic load index score. Face validity was affirmed via higher allostatic load in- dex scores in women with sociodemographic stress compared to those without such stress. Conclusion: Our study suggests that measuring allostatic load in pregnancy is valid for reflecting women’s true physiological functions and chronic stress, but gestational age should be considered when scoring the allostatic load index for women at different gestational age. Implications for practice: As a valid measure of chronic stress, a pregnancy allostatic load index may contribute to research on health inequities and perinatal outcomes.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163750/1/2020-Li-Exploringthevalidityofallostatic.pdfDescription of 2020-Li-Exploringthevalidityofallostatic.pdf : Main articl

Integrated methodologies of economics and socio-economics assessments in ocean renewable energy : private and public perspectives

This paper offers a holistic approach to the evaluation of an ocean renewable energy (ORE) technology type or specific project in order to provide a comprehensive assessment of both narrow economic and broader socio-economic performance. This assessment incorporates methods from three pillars areas: Economic - financial returns and efficient use of resources, Social - employment, social and community cohesion and identity, and Environmental - including the physical environment and pollution. These three pillars are then considered in the broader context of governance. In order to structure this evaluation, a novel parameter space model was created, defined by the three pillars and by the scale of the system under assessment. The scale of the system ranged from individual components of an ORE project; to projects comprising of a number of devices; through to a geographic regions in which multiple farms may be deployed. The parameter space consists of an inner circle representing the boundary of interest for a private investor, or a firm, developing an ORE project. The outer circle is characterised by assessment tools typically employed at the broader stakeholder level including economic, social, and environmental methods that can be employed at local, regional or national scale and which are typically employed to inform policy and decision making regarding ORE. Governance sets the stage within which management occurs. Wider impacts to the firm undertaking the project will take into account “externalities” of the project across the three fields. In this model, key methods identified are mapped onto this parameter space and the connectivity explored. The paper demonstrates that the three pillars are inter-connected and each must be considered in any meaningful assessment of ORE sustainability. An integrated assessment approach has the ability to address both the private and the public aspects of an ORE development,. This analysis provides insights on existing best practice, but also reveals the potential for disconnect between an ORE project’s commercial viability and its contribution to environmental and social goals

Making Mas: TruDynasty Carnival Takes Josephine Baker to the Caribbean Carnival

Jacqueline Taucar, in conversation with Thea and Dario Jackson, investigates the sculptural qualities of the Josephine Baker Mas for the Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival Festival in 2011. This article traces the conception, construction, and complexities of choreography for this carnivalesque reimagining of Baker in Paris of the twenties for a contemporary Canadian ambulant expression. This Queen Mas talks back to the objectification by Parisians and embodying Queen Mas as an instance of female empowerment

Interlaboratory comparison of four in vitro assays for assessing androgenic and antiandrogenic activity of environmental chemicals.

We evaluated and compared four in vitro assays to detect androgen agonists and antagonists in an international interlaboratory study. Laboratory 1 used a cell proliferation assay (assay 1) with human mammary carcinoma cells stably transfected with human androgen receptor. The other laboratories used reporter gene assays, two based on stably transfected human prostate carcinoma cells (assay 2) or human mammary carcinoma cells (assay 4), and the third based on transient transfection of Chinese hamster ovary cells (assay 3). Four laboratories received four coded compounds and two controls: two steroidal androgens, two antiandrogens, an androgenic control, 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and an antiandrogenic control, bicalutamide (ICI 176,334). All laboratories correctly detected the androgenic activity of 4-androsten-3,17-dione and 17alpha-methyltestosterone. For both compounds, the calculated androgenic potencies relative to the positive control (RAPs) remained within one order of magnitude. However, laboratory 3 calculated a 50-fold higher RAP for 4-androsten-3,17-dione. All assays detected and quantified the antiandrogenic effect of vinclozolin [median inhibitory concentration (IC50) values ranging from 1.1 times symbol 10(-7) M to 4.7 times symbol 10(-7) M]. In assays 2 and 3, vinclozolin showed partial androgenic activity at the highest concentrations tested. For vinclozolin, calculated antiandrogenic potencies relative to bicalutamide (RAAPs) differed no more than a factor of 10, and IC50 values matched those of bicalutamide. Similarly, we found antiandrogenic activity for tris-(4-chlorophenyl)methanol. RAAP values were between 0.086 and 0.37. Three assays showed cytotoxicity for this compound at or above 1 times symbol 10(-5) M. In summary, all assays proved sensitive screening tools to detect and quantify androgen receptor-mediated androgenic and antiandrogenic effects of these chemicals accurately, with coefficients of variation between 8 and 90%

Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Europe, 2010-2011

This study (TBNET #30) was supported by the European Commission Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement FP7-223681 and was part of the EU FP7–funded TBPANNET project (http://www.tbpannet.org). C.L. is supported by the German Center for Infection Research

The wide-field, multiplexed, spectroscopic facility WEAVE : survey design, overview, and simulated implementation

Funding for the WEAVE facility has been provided by UKRI STFC, the University of Oxford, NOVA, NWO, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), the Isaac Newton Group partners (STFC, NWO, and Spain, led by the IAC), INAF, CNRS-INSU, the Observatoire de Paris, Région Île-de-France, CONCYT through INAOE, Konkoly Observatory (CSFK), Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie (MPIA Heidelberg), Lund University, the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP), the Swedish Research Council, the European Commission, and the University of Pennsylvania.WEAVE, the new wide-field, massively multiplexed spectroscopic survey facility for the William Herschel Telescope, will see first light in late 2022. WEAVE comprises a new 2-degree field-of-view prime-focus corrector system, a nearly 1000-multiplex fibre positioner, 20 individually deployable 'mini' integral field units (IFUs), and a single large IFU. These fibre systems feed a dual-beam spectrograph covering the wavelength range 366-959 nm at R ∼ 5000, or two shorter ranges at R ∼ 20,000. After summarising the design and implementation of WEAVE and its data systems, we present the organisation, science drivers and design of a five- to seven-year programme of eight individual surveys to: (i) study our Galaxy's origins by completing Gaia's phase-space information, providing metallicities to its limiting magnitude for ∼ 3 million stars and detailed abundances for ∼ 1.5 million brighter field and open-cluster stars; (ii) survey ∼ 0.4 million Galactic-plane OBA stars, young stellar objects and nearby gas to understand the evolution of young stars and their environments; (iii) perform an extensive spectral survey of white dwarfs; (iv) survey  ∼ 400 neutral-hydrogen-selected galaxies with the IFUs; (v) study properties and kinematics of stellar populations and ionised gas in z 1 million spectra of LOFAR-selected radio sources; (viii) trace structures using intergalactic/circumgalactic gas at z > 2. Finally, we describe the WEAVE Operational Rehearsals using the WEAVE Simulator.PostprintPeer reviewe