Library and information science publishing : global open access

Brief article describing E-LIS, an open access repository for library and information science material in a range of formats and languages. E-LIS was set up in 2003 with initial funding from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, in line with the Free Online Scholarship (FOS) and Eprints movements, and based on Open Archive Initiative (OAI) standards

Managing Conflict: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Exploring Collaborating Under Conditions of Mandate In English Health and Wellbeing Boards

The focus of this thesis is related to the interactions that occur between people collaborating under conditions of mandate and how these interactions are managed, in a health, social care and public health context in England. In adopting a constructivist approach to Grounded Theory (Charmaz, 2006) the basic social process of managing conflict was constructed which is a substantive theory grounded in the data. The substantive grounded theory was developed from the interviews and observations of thirty mandated collaborating members of a North East Health and Wellbeing Board, as they collaborated under conditions of mandate for the organising and provision of local care. The constant comparison analysis of the data revealed that when collaboratives in a health, social care and public health context are mandated, essential elements of the process are omitted and this allows conflict as a multifaceted issue to manifest within the interactions between individuals. Conflict in relation to this study was conceptualised as being located in, interacting identities, democratising the decision-making practices and coping with the traditions of others. Conflict for these participants developed as a result of health and social care professionals and democratically elected members, being mandated to collaborate for the integration of local care. Decision-making practises that had traditionally been left to the professional members of this group. The participants in this study were analysed as managing conflict through the three conceptual domains of: interacting orientations, interacting positions and interacting strategies.These findings represent the first study of mandated collaboration at the micro-sociological level which explores the interactions between people who collaborate under conditions of mandate

The Surface of 2003 EL_(61) in the Near-Infrared

We report the detection of crystalline water ice on the surface of 2003 EL_(61). Reflectance spectra were collected from the Gemini North telescope in the 1.0 to 2.4 μm wavelength range and from the Keck telescope across the 1.4-2.4 μm wavelength range. The signature of crystalline water ice is obvious in all data collected. Like the surfaces of many outer solar system bodies, the surface of 2003 EL_(61) is rich in crystalline water ice, which is energetically less favored than amorphous water ice at low temperatures, suggesting that resurfacing processes may be taking place. The near-infrared color of the object is much bluer than a pure water ice model. Adding a near-infrared blue component such as hydrogen cyanide or phyllosilicate clays improves the fit considerably, with hydrogen cyanide providing the greatest improvement. The addition of hydrated tholins and bitumens also improves the fit, but is inconsistent with the neutral V - J reflectance of 2003 EL_(61). A small decrease in reflectance beyond 2.3 μm may be attributable to cyanide salts. Overall, the reflected light from 2003 EL_(61) is best fit by a model of 2/3-4/5 pure crystalline water ice and 1/3-1/5 near-infrared blue component such as hydrogen cyanide or kaolinite. The surface of 2003 EL_(61) is unlikely to be covered by significant amounts of dark material such as carbon black, as our pure ice models reproduce published albedo estimates derived from the spin state of 2003 EL_(61)

Targeting parents for childhood weight management: development of a theory-driven and user-centered healthy eating app

Background: The proliferation of health promotion apps along with mobile phones' array of features supporting health behavior change offers a new and innovative approach to childhood weight management. However, despite the critical role parents play in children's weight related behaviors, few industry-led apps aimed at childhood weight management target parents. Furthermore, industry-led apps have been shown to lack a basis in behavior change theory and evidence. Equally important remains the issue of how to maximize users' engagement with mobile health (mHealth) interventions where there is growing consensus that inputs from the commercial app industry and the target population should be an integral part of the development process. Objective: The aim of this study is to systematically design and develop a theory and evidence-driven, user-centered healthy eating app targeting parents for childhood weight management, and clearly document this for the research and app development community. Methods: The Behavior Change Wheel (BCW) framework, a theoretically-based approach for intervention development, along with a user-centered design (UCD) philosophy and collaboration with the commercial app industry, guided the development process. Current evidence, along with a series of 9 focus groups (total of 46 participants) comprised of family weight management case workers, parents with overweight and healthy weight children aged 5-11 years, and consultation with experts, provided data to inform the app development. Thematic analysis of focus groups helped to extract information related to relevant theoretical, user-centered, and technological components to underpin the design and development of the app. Results: Inputs from parents and experts working in the area of childhood weight management helped to identify the main target behavior: to help parents provide appropriate food portion sizes for their children. To achieve this target behavior, the behavioral diagnosis revealed the need for eliciting change in parents' capability, motivation, and opportunity in 10-associated Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) domains. Of the 9 possible intervention functions, 6 were selected to bring about this change which guided the selection of 21 behavior change techniques. Parents' preferences for healthy eating app features revolved around four main themes (app features, time saving and convenience, aesthetics, and gamification) whereupon a criterion was applied to guide the selection on which preferences should be integrated into the design of the app. Collaboration with the app company helped to build on users' preferences for elements of gamification such as points, quizzes, and levels to optimize user engagement. Feedback from parents on interactive mock-ups helped to inform the final development of the prototype app. Conclusions: Here, we fully explicate a systematic approach applied in the development of a family-oriented, healthy eating health promotion app grounded in theory and evidence, and balanced with users' preferences to help maximize its engagement with the target population

Evaluating hormonal mechanisms of vitamin D receptor agonist therapy in diabetic kidney disease: the VALIDATE-D study

Background: Insufficient vitamin D status and increased renin-angiotensin system (RAS) activity have been associated with renal-vascular disease and nephropathy in diabetes. Accumulating evidence indicates that vitamin D receptor (VDR) activation lowers unfavorable RAS activity; however, more human intervention studies evaluating whether this mechanism could influence diabetic kidney disease are needed. We previously reported that both vitamin D levels and genetic variation at the VDR predict human RAS activity, and that vitamin D therapy can lower RAS activity in non-diabetics. The VALIDATE-D study is a randomized, placebo-controlled, intervention study designed to extend these findings by evaluating whether direct VDR activation in diabetes lowers circulating and local renal-vascular tissue RAS activity (Aims 1 and 2) in a manner similar to the action of ACE inhibitors (Aim 3). Methods/Design Forty subjects with type 2 diabetes, microalbuminuria, and without chronic kidney disease will be recruited to undergo detailed assessment of the RAS before and after randomization to calcitriol 0.75 mcg/day or placebo. Primary analyses will evaluate whether calcitriol therapy reduces circulating and renal-vascular tissue-RAS activity in comparison to placebo. All subjects will thereafter be treated with lisinopril and followed for 3.5 months to evaluate whether combination therapy (calcitriol + lisinopril vs. placebo + lisinopril) additively or synergistically improves renal-vascular function, and lowers proteinuria. Discussion The VALIDATE-D study is the first human intervention study to evaluate whether direct VDR activation can lower the human RAS in diabetes, compared to the effect of an ACE inhibitor, and whether this mechanism can translate to clinically relevant endpoints for diabetic kidney disease. The outcomes of VALIDATE-D will have major implications for the recommendation of vitamin D supplementation for the primary prevention of kidney complications in diabetes. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT0163506

Do automated digital health behaviour change interventions have a positive effect on self-efficacy? A systematic review and meta-analysis

© 2019 Taylor & Francis. This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Health Psychology Review on 20/01/2020, available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2019.1705873.Self-efficacy is an important determinant of health behaviour. Digital interventions are a potentially acceptable and cost-effective way of delivering programmes of health behaviour change at scale. Whether behaviour change interventions work to increase self-efficacy in this context is unknown. This systematic review and meta-analysis sought to identify whether automated digital interventions are associated with positive changes in self-efficacy amongst non-clinical populations for five major health behaviours, and which BCTs are associated with that change. A systematic literature search identified 20 studies (n=5624) that assessed changes in self-efficacy and were included in a random effects meta-analysis. Interventions targeted: healthy eating (k=4), physical activity (k=9), sexual behaviour (k=3), and smoking (k=4). No interventions targeting alcohol use were identified. Overall, interventions had a small, positive effect on self-efficacy (푔 = 0.190, CI [0.078; 0.303]). The effect of interventions on self-efficacy did not differ as a function of health behaviour type (Qbetween = 7.3704 p = 0.061, df = 3). Inclusion of the BCT ‘information about social and environmental consequences’ had a small, negative effect on self-efficacy (Δ푔= - 0.297, Q=7.072, p=0.008). Whilst this review indicates that digital interventions can be used to change self-efficacy, which techniques work best in this context is not clear.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Do’s and Don’ts in Arctic Research? An interactive Workshop on Community-based Research with Early Career Scientists

Research in Arctic and Sub-Arctic environments presents unique challenges and obstacles, in particular, establishing a necessary baseline understanding of environmental systems in the face of ongoing climate change. Pairing scientific and traditional knowledge approaches can help to close this gap, however creating a bridge between non-local, non-indigenous research scientists and traditional knowledge holders in northern communities can be challenging. For example, most researchers are likely less familiar with local norms, customs, as well as with social systems and protocols, leading to inevitable challenges for the scientists and communities. In a cross-cutting initiative for the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), Fellows of different the Terrestrial, Cryosphere and Marine Working Groups organized a workshop session on “Community-based Research: Do`s and Don`ts of Arctic Research” during the Young Researchers Workshop at the 11th International Conference on Permafrost in Potsdam, Germany, June 2016. This workshop brought together Early Career Scientists (ECS, including engineers) with resident Arctic representatives and experts to discuss best practices in the exchange of traditional and modern knowledge when conducting research in northern communities. After a short presentation by the panelists, ECSs with invited experts split into small groups with an IASC Fellow as moderator. The break-out groups discussed their experiences and raised questions for the invited experts. These discussions generated a list of “do’s and don’ts” from each group, which were presented and discussed with the larger audiences. The format and organization of the workshop allowed an interactive and fruitful discussion, generating a diverse list of Arctic Research considerations and best practices. Key ideas from the workshop discussions are visualized in the word cloud figure. Recommendations from this workshop included enhancing future support opportunities, like the IASC cross-cutting initiative, to facilitate continued discussions between scientists and northern representatives to maximize the benefits of pairing traditional and modern knowledge to face future challenges

Domestic Workload and Multiple Roles. Epidemiological findings on health and sickness absence in women

Aim: The objective of this thesis was to analyse the importance of specific exposures in women’s lives to health and sickness absence; more precisely to study the association between domestic work, multiple roles and the experience of being sick-listed, and self-rated health, psychiatric disorders and sickness absence. Method: The thesis was based on two datasets. ‘Women’s health and living conditions’ (WHL) is a cross-sectional study on 1 417 employed women aged 17 to 64 years old. Data was collected with a questionnaire, and register and employee data on sickness absence. ‘Women and alcohol in Göteborg’ (WAG) is a prospective cohort study on 1 799 women in eight age cohorts born from 1925 to 1980. Data was collected with a screening questionnaire, interviews and register-based sickness absence. Several aspects of domestic work, multiple roles and experience of sickness absence were analysed in relation to self-rated health (SF-36), psychiatric disorders (DSM-III and IV) and sickness absence. The study on multiple roles emanated from the role strain and role enhancement hypotheses and roles were analysed as single roles and as combinations of roles. Changes in self-rated physical health were assessed in relation to experience of sickness absence over five year. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were conducted using multivariate regressions analyses. Results: Domestic job strain and a lack of domestic work equity and marital satisfaction were associated with lower self-rated health particularly vitality and mental health. The former was not associated to sickness absence, but the latter was. Women with domestic workload due to children and adults with special needs had higher odds for medium-long sick-leave spells, while parental responsibility gave lower odds for any sick-leave spell. Occupation was related to lower odds for poor self-rated physical health and sickness absence, while the parental role was associated with higher odds for sickness absence. Compared with women who had all three roles women with occupation and partner role had lower odds for negative health outcomes. Support was found for the role strain hypothesis in the cross-sectional analyses of role combinations while neither of the hypotheses was supported in the five year follow up. A lower proportion of those who had experience of being sick-listed reported good health at both baseline and follow up. Women with psychiatric disorders had higher odds for a change from poor to good self-rated physical health over the five years if they had been sick-listed. Conclusion: Domestic workload was associated to health and sickness absence in women, but there were inconsistencies in the findings on children and being a parent and on multiple roles. From a public health perspective, deeper knowledge on the importance of women’s engagement domestic work and its different dimensions is important for promoting women’s health. A multidimensional assessment of domestic work is important and the content and complexity of domestic work and of different roles needs to be further explored in relation to health and sickness absence in women

The Development of Statewide Policies and Procedures to Implement Telehealth for Part C Service Delivery

The use of telehealth has been discussed nationally as an option to address provider shortages for children, birth through two, enrolled in Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Early Intervention (EI) programs. Telehealth is an evidence-based service delivery model which can be used to remove barriers in providing EI services to children and their families. In 2016, Colorado’s Part C Early Intervention (EI) program began allowing the use of telehealth as an option for providers to conduct sessions with children and their caregivers. This article outlines the process taken to develop the necessary requirements and supports for telehealth to be incorporated into EI current practice