Computer Interactive Reminiscence and Conversation Aid groups – delivering cognitive stimulation with technology

INTRODUCTION: Group-based cognitive stimulation is the only nonpharmacological intervention recommended by the UK National Institute for Clinical and Health Excellence (NICE) for people with dementia. The potential of technology to extend the availability of group-based cognitive stimulation has not been tested. METHOD: One hundred and sixty-one people with dementia participated in an 8-session group activity using Computer Interactive Reminiscence and Conversation Aid (CIRCA). Cognition, quality of life and general health were assessed pre-, post- and three-months later. RESULTS: There was a significant improvement in cognition and quality of life at the end of the CIRCA group intervention, which was further improved at three-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: CIRCA group sessions improved cognition and quality of life similar to group-base cognitive stimulation approved by NICE. These benefits were maintained at three-month follow-up. The data confirm the potential of CIRCA, which can be populated with different cultural and language contents for different user groups

The Effect Of Regular Exercise On The Incidence Of Depression In College Students

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between urinary tract infections and acute mental status changes among elderly patients with a urinary tract infection in a geriatric-psychiatric unit

'You just deal with it. You have to when you’ve got a child’: A narrative analysis of mothers’ accounts of how they coped, both during an abusive relationship and after leaving

A narrative analysis explored the accounts of eight mothers, each of whom had left an abusive relationship at least 12months previously. Existing research investigating the strategies used by women to cope with domestic violence rarely considers women in their capacity as mothers. Furthermore, women’s lives after leaving an abusive relationship have received limited research attention. Thus, this study aimed to understand how women described coping with domestic violence and mothering their children, both during an abusive relationship and after leaving. The analysis focused on how the eight participants described their experiences (narrative form) as well as what they talked about (narrative content). Three types of narrative form were identified: (1) ‘The story told to help others’, (2) ‘The story too difficult to tell’ and (3) ‘Where’s my story going?’ Each woman spoke about the contextual factors that influenced whether she coped with domestic violence by seeking support from others, changing her thinking or changing her behaviour. Caring for their children was a major source of support for all the women both during their relationship and after leaving. The findings indicate that mothers who have been abused by their intimate partner may come into contact with a wide range of social and emergency support services. Implications for clinical practice, service delivery and service development relate to the different ways of supporting women in talking about abuse and also the need to recognise trauma in parents

A Dynamic Duo: Emotion and Development (Commentary on M.D. Lewis, A Dynamic Systems Approach to Emotion)

A dynamic systems (DS) approach uncovers important connections between emotion and neurophysiology. It is critical, however, to include a developmental perspective. Strides in the understanding of emotional development, as well as the present use of DS in developmental science, add significantly to the study of emotion. Examples include stranger fear during infancy, intermodal perception of emotion, and development of individual emotional systems

Modifying the marsh:Evaluating Early Epipaleolithic hunter-gatherer impacts in the Azraq wetland, Jordan

The ecological impacts of human activities have infiltrated the whole of the ‘natural world’ and precipitated calls for a newly defined geological epoch – the Anthropocene. While scholars discuss tipping-points and scale, viewed over the longue durée, it is becoming clear that we have inherited the compounding consequences of a constructed environment with a long history of human landscape modification. By linking phytolith and micro-charcoal evidence from sediments in the Azraq Basin, Jordan, we discuss potential Early Epipaleolithic (23,000–17,400 cal. BP) human–environment interactions in this wetland. Our analyses reveal that during the Last Glacial Maximum, Levantine hunter-gatherers could have had a noticeable and increasing impact on their environment. However, further work needs to be undertaken to assess the range, frequency, intensity, and intentionality of marsh disturbance events. We suggest that the origin of ‘persistent places’ and larger aggregation settlements in the Azraq Basin may have been, in part, facilitated by human–environment interactions in the Early Epipaleolithic that consequently enhanced the economic and, subsequently, social meaning of that landscape. Through their exploitation of the sensitive wetland environment, hunter-gatherers were modifying the marshes and initiating long-term changes to the already dynamic and changing landscape at the close of the Pleistocene. These findings challenge us to further reconsider the way we see early hunter-gatherers in the prehistory of the Levant and in the development of the ‘Anthropocene’. </jats:p

Appendix 3. The haematite and related iron-rich materials

No abstract available

A Work Readiness Scale for Allied Health Graduates

Purpose: The transition for allied health graduates from university to the workforce has been perceived to be difficult and overwhelming, leading to early attrition within healthcare professions. Work readiness is a crucial aspect of successful transition to the workforce, however, the elements of work readiness are not clearly defined. The purpose of this project was to refine the measurement of work-readiness in allied health graduates. Method: A 62-item Work Readiness Scale for Allied Health Professionals (WRS-AH), based on a work readiness scale for a generic population of graduates, was validated and refined using an exploratory factor analysis. Results: Participants were 245 Australian allied health professional graduates who completed the WRS-AH. An exploratory factor analysis supported a four-factor solution with domains (interpersonal capabilities, practical wisdom, personal attributes, and organisational acumen) similar to the original WRS. The final WRS-AH32 had 32 items, demonstrated good reliability, and explained 38% of the total variance. Using the WRS-AH32, on average, the Australian allied health graduates reported an overall work readiness score of 80% (SD 8) with scores highest for practical wisdom (Mean 90%, SD 8) and lowest for personal attributes (Mean 65%, SD 14). Conclusions: The WRS-AH32 confirms that work readiness is a multi-dimensional construct, reflecting that work within a dynamic, 21st century healthcare system requires more than just profession specific work competence. The WRS-AH may provide a more targeted approach to interventions to improve work readiness in future allied health professional graduates. Recommendations: The WRS-AH32 is a reliable scale to measure the perceived work readiness of allied health graduates as they transition from university to the workforce however ongoing validation is needed to establish construct validity

The state of the Martian climate

60°N was +2.0°C, relative to the 1981–2010 average value (Fig. 5.1). This marks a new high for the record. The average annual surface air temperature (SAT) anomaly for 2016 for land stations north of starting in 1900, and is a significant increase over the previous highest value of +1.2°C, which was observed in 2007, 2011, and 2015. Average global annual temperatures also showed record values in 2015 and 2016. Currently, the Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of lower latitudes