The Lived Experience of Losing Employment After Diagnosis with Dementia: A Phenomenological Analysis

The purpose of this study was describing the experiences of people with dementia (PWD) who lose their employment after diagnosis with dementia, but sooner than originally planned. A phenomenological approach based on tenets of Maurice Merleau-Ponty was used. Six telephone interviews were conducted, with participants sharing their experiences. Transcripts were transcribed verbatim, and subsequently analyzed via a hermeneutical analysis approach. Themes were identified within and between transcripts, considering the contextual grounds of Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology: body, others, time, and world, and the contextual ground of participants’ experience: the stigma of dementia. An overarching, central theme of “still working” was identified across interview transcripts, as each participant shared accounts of continuing to “work” after leaving employment, albeit differently and at different activities. Six themes were identified within the central theme: (1) Doing no “harm,” (2) The “struggle,” (3) Strategically compensating, (4) Valuing “connection,” (5) Still actively living, and (6) Still contributing. Findings support previous research that minor changes are usually noticed by the PWD themselves but are also sometimes noticed by others at work. These findings support the literature indicating PWD often choose to leave employment of their own volition to prevent making costly or damaging errors; however, some are given few alternatives and consequently are terminated from employment. Also supported is previous research indicating that meaningful interactions, or connections, and engagement in customary or even newly discovered activities and hobbies are integral for PWD as they transition out of employment. This study also confirms previous research demonstrating that leaving employment may be seen as a relief from stress and worry for PWD. Results from this study shed new light on previous indications that an unexpected transition from work often upends one’s life, frequently triggering feelings of loneliness and isolation. Key findings indicate that with access to solid support and the opportunity to engage in meaningful and enjoyable activities, one can continue to lead an active, socially connected life of value and societal contribution. A novel finding from this study is the hesitancy of PWD to reveal their diagnosis to their employers, largely due to societal stigma

Micaceous mindsets: chemical characterization of Pueblo IV utility wares at multiple sites along the Rio Grande

Micaceous utility wares are commonly found at Ancestral Pueblo villages along the Rio Grande and adjacent areas, yet they have received comparatively little attention relative to the well-studied glaze wares with which they often share contemporaneity. Compositional studies show that glaze wares and their ingredients were often transported around the landscape, driven by a mix of ritualistic and economic factors, but utility wares were also a common component of daily Pueblo activities and are shown to have been involved in complex exchange schemes. Neutron activation analysis is used to chemically characterize micaceous utility sherds from six Pueblo IV (1300 - 1600 CE) sites between Santa Fe and Socorro, New Mexico. Five distribution patterns are recognized based on spatial patterns of compositional groups present within and shared between sites. These indicate procurement and/or manufacturing similarities between the Rio Puerco and the Albuquerque area, and differences to the north near the Jemez Mountains and to the south in the Rio Abajo. These trends are meant to help focus future compositional, geological, and petrographic research.Includes bibliographical references

Airbag system and method for facilitating emergency egress from an aircraft

An airbag system for elevating the fuselage of an aircraft off a landing surface a sufficient degree to allow for emergency egress of passengers and crew through ventral emergency exit doors. An airbag assembly made up of a plurality of independent airbags is disposed within the aircraft. When activated, the airbag system deploys the airbags external of the aircraft that elevate the fuselage of the aircraft a sufficient degree to allow for utilizing the ventral emergency exit doors on the fuselage to enable evacuating the passengers and crew. An activation mechanism is connected to the inflation.devices associated with each of the airbags. The activation mechanism generates an electrical signal which activates the inflation devices, which in turn fill the airbags with a compressed fluid, thus expanding the airbags and lifting the fuselage. A crew member initiates the activation of the airbag system through one or more switches

Historic European Trade Goods from the Willis Place #2 (41BW147) Site in Bowie County, Texas

In this paper we report on possible historic European trade materials found at the Willis Place #2 site (41BW147), an aboriginal site along the Red River a few miles west of Texarkana, Texas. The possible trade materials were recovered in the 1970s by the landowner, Mr. Julian Cranfill, from a \u27\u27fire pit (or hearth?) exposed during plowing of a natural levee a short distance from the current channel of the river

Global Gene Expression Analysis Identifies Age-Related Differences in Knee Joint Transcriptome during the Development of Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis in Mice.

Aging and injury are two major risk factors for osteoarthritis (OA). Yet, very little is known about how aging and injury interact and contribute to OA pathogenesis. In the present study, we examined age- and injury-related molecular changes in mouse knee joints that could contribute to OA. Using RNA-seq, first we profiled the knee joint transcriptome of 10-week-old, 62-week-old, and 95-week-old mice and found that the expression of several inflammatory-response related genes increased as a result of aging, whereas the expression of several genes involved in cartilage metabolism decreased with age. To determine how aging impacts post-traumatic arthritis (PTOA) development, the right knee joints of 10-week-old and 62-week-old mice were injured using a non-invasive tibial compression injury model and injury-induced structural and molecular changes were assessed. At six-week post-injury, 62-week-old mice displayed significantly more cartilage degeneration and osteophyte formation compared with young mice. Although both age groups elicited similar transcriptional responses to injury, 62-week-old mice had higher activation of inflammatory cytokines than 10-week-old mice, whereas cartilage/bone metabolism genes had higher expression in 10-week-old mice, suggesting that the differential expression of these genes might contribute to the differences in PTOA severity observed between these age groups

Evolution of the revolutionary blended-wing-body

The Blended-Wing-Body (BWB) airplane concept represents a potential revolution in subsonic transport efficiency for Very Large Airplanes (VLA's). NASA is sponsoring an advanced concept study to demonstrate feasibility and begin development of this new class of airplane. In this study, 800 passenger BWB and conventional configuration airplanes have been compared for a 7000 nautical mile design range, where both airplanes are based on technology keyed to 2015 entry into service. The BWB has been found to be superior to the conventional configuration in the following areas: Fuel Burn--31% lower, Takeoff Weight -- 1 3% lower, Operating Empty Weight -- 10% lower, Total Thrust -- 16% lower, and Lift/Drag --35% higher. The BWB advantage results from a double deck cabin that extends spanwise providing structural and aerodynamic overlap with the wing. This reduces the total wetted area of the airplane and allows a high aspect ratio to be achieved, since the deep and stiff centerbody provides efficient structural wingspan. Further synergy is realized through buried engines that ingest the wing's boundary layer, and thus reduce effective ram drag. Relaxed static stability allows optimal span loading, and an outboard leading-edge slat is the only high-lift system required