2,405 research outputs found
Improving the Single Scalar Consistency Relation
We propose a test of single-scalar inflation based on using the well-measured
scalar power spectrum to reconstruct the tensor power spectrum, up to a single
integration constant. Our test is a sort of integrated version of the
single-scalar consistency relation. This sort of test can be used effectively,
even when the tensor power spectrum is measured too poorly to resolve the
tensor spectral index. We give an example using simulated data based on a
hypothetical detection with tensor-to-scalar ratio . Our test can
also be employed for correlating scalar and tensor features in the far future
when the data is good.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figure, uses LaTeX2e version 2 extensively revised for
publicatio
Healthcare Staffs’ Experiences and Perceptions of Caring for People with Dementia in the Acute Setting: Qualitative Evidence Synthesis
Background
Dementia is a global issue, with increasing prevalence rates impacting on health services internationally. People with dementia are frequently admitted to hospital, an environment that may not be suited to their needs. While many initiatives have been developed to improve their care in the acute setting, there is a lack of cohesive understanding of how staff experience and perceive the care they give to people with dementia in the acute setting.
Objectives
The aim of this qualitative synthesis was to explore health care staffs’ experiences and perceptions of caring for people with dementia in the acute setting. Qualitative synthesis can bring together isolated findings in a meaningful way that can inform policy development.
Settings
A screening process, using inclusion/exclusion criteria, identified qualitative studies that focused on health care staff caring for people with dementia in acute settings.
Participants
Twelve reports of nine studies were included for synthesis. Data extraction was conducted on each report by two researchers.
Methods
Framework synthesis was employed using VIPS framework, using Values, Individualised, Perspective and Social and psychological as concepts to guide synthesis. The VIPS framework has previously been used for exploring approaches to caring for people with dementia. Quality appraisal was conducted using Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) and NVivo facilitated sensitivity analysis to ensure confidence in the findings.
Results
Key themes, derived from VIPS, included a number of specific subthemes that examined: infrastructure and care pathways, person-centred approaches to care, how the person interacts with their environment and other patients, and family involvement in care decisions. The synthesis identified barriers to appropriate care for the person with dementia. These include ineffective pathways of care, unsuitable environments, inadequate resources and staffing levels and lack of emphasis on education and training for staff caring for people with dementia.
Conclusions
This review has identified key issues in the care of people with dementia in the acute setting: improving pathways of care, creating suitable environments, addressing resources and staffing levels and placing emphasis on the education for staff caring for people with dementia. Recommendations are made for practice consideration, policy development and future research. Leadership is required to instil the values needed to care for this client group in an effective and personcentred way. Qualitative evidence synthesis can inform policy and in this case, recommends VIPS as a suitable framework for guiding decisions around care for people with dementia in acute settings
Relativistic theory of tidal Love numbers
In Newtonian gravitational theory, a tidal Love number relates the mass
multipole moment created by tidal forces on a spherical body to the applied
tidal field. The Love number is dimensionless, and it encodes information about
the body's internal structure. We present a relativistic theory of Love
numbers, which applies to compact bodies with strong internal gravities; the
theory extends and completes a recent work by Flanagan and Hinderer, which
revealed that the tidal Love number of a neutron star can be measured by
Earth-based gravitational-wave detectors. We consider a spherical body deformed
by an external tidal field, and provide precise and meaningful definitions for
electric-type and magnetic-type Love numbers; and these are computed for
polytropic equations of state. The theory applies to black holes as well, and
we find that the relativistic Love numbers of a nonrotating black hole are all
zero.Comment: 25 pages, 8 figures, many tables; final version to be published in
Physical Review
People with Dementia, Contributing to Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: Innovative Practice
Patients and service users have a well-established role in teaching and learning on professional qualifying programmes such as such as social work and nursing. However, the role of people with dementia in contributing to educational initiatives at higher educational level remains under explored. Four people with dementia were recruited as Expert by Lived Experience Tutors for the Foundation Degree in Dementia Studies at a University in the United Kingdom. They met students regularly to support their learning. We were interested in researching whether and how this enhanced the ability of students to enable people to live well with dementia. However, we also discovered that the initiative gave insight into psychosocial aspects of dementia, and a new opportunity to explore personhood, co-production and social citizenship. That is the focus of this article
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