It’s all a Matter of “Choice”. Understanding society’s expectations of older adult ICT use from a birth cohort\ud perspective

Little research exists that examines older adults and their Information and Communication Technology (ICT) use or society’s expectations of their use. Using an intensive interpretive interactionism case study methodology, this paper examines how older adults ages 65-75 (from the Lucky Few birth cohort) view their own use and how other birth cohorts view the Lucky Few's ICT use

Chata Sia “I am Choctaw”. Using Images as a Methodology for Cultural and Technological Discourse

Unlike positivist quantitative designs, many qualitative researchers tend to dive right into data collection without benefit of an exploratory study or other pilot study. The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to share an image-based methodology adapted from a community strategic planning process and applied to an exploratory study of one native American tribes reaction to cultural images and\ud ICT’s, and (2) to share the many benefits of a pilot study in advance of a larger qualitative research study, including opportunities for discourse around ICT’s in relation to local culture

Role of the heat shock transcription factor, Hsf1, in a major fungal pathogen that is obligately associated with warm-blooded animals

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Utility of accelerometers to measure physical activity in children attending an obesity treatment intervention

Objectives. To investigate the use of accelerometers to monitor change in physical activity in a childhood obesity treatment intervention. Methods. 28 children aged 7–13 taking part in “Families for Health” were asked to wear an accelerometer (Actigraph) for 7-days, and complete an accompanying activity diary, at baseline, 3-months and 9-months. Interviews with 12 parents asked about research measurements. Results. Over 90% of children provided 4 days of accelerometer data, and around half of children provided 7 days. Adequately completed diaries were collected from 60% of children. Children partake in a wide range of physical activity which uniaxial monitors may undermonitor (cycling, nonmotorised scootering) or overmonitor (trampolining). Two different cutoffs (4 METS or 3200 counts⋅min-1) for minutes spent in moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) yielded very different results, although reached the same conclusion regarding a lack of change in MVPA after the intervention. Some children were unwilling to wear accelerometers at school and during sport because they felt they put them at risk of stigma and bullying. Conclusion. Accelerometers are acceptable to a majority of children, although their use at school is problematic for some, but they may underestimate children's physical activity

Treatment for Anogenital Molluscum Contagiosum

There is no evidence from comparative trials to suggest a single best treatment method for anogenital molluscum contagiosum. Randomized controlled trials suggest self-administered topical imiquimod or podophyllotoxin cream is effective for resolving lesions. (Strength of Recommendation: B, based on inconsistent or limited quality patient-oriented evidence). There are no comparative trials of other commonly used treatments, such as carbon dioxide laser, cryotherapy, or curettage

Forest Management Tradeoffs: Examining Relationships Between Timber Harvest, Carbon Sequestration and Storage, Bioenergy, and Wildlife

Timber harvesting is the leading cause of adult tree mortality in forests of the northeastern United States. While current rates of harvest are generally sustainable, there is considerable pressure to increase harvest to meet timber production, climate, and energy goals. Maximizing one of these values may compromise other forest resources, including a wide range of ecosystem services and the conservation of native species. This dissertation investigates the effects of timber harvest on carbon sequestration and storage, bioenergy, and wildlife. First, I estimated current harvest regimes for different forest types and regions across the U.S. states of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine using data from the U.S. Forest Inventory and Analysis Program. I implemented the harvest regimes in SORTIE-ND, an individual-based model of forest dynamics, and simulated the effects of current harvest regimes and five additional harvest scenarios that varied by harvest frequency and intensity over 150 years. Second, I used the output from the forest dynamics model in combination with a greenhouse gas accounting tool, ForGATE, to estimate the carbon consequences of current and intensified timber harvest regimes in the northeastern U.S. I considered a range of carbon pools including forest ecosystem pools, forest product pools, and waste pools, along with different scenarios of feedstock production for biomass energy. Third, I examined the effect of the harvest regimes on the probability of occurrence of 12 forest-dwelling songbirds. I used expert elicitation to build occupancy models using a combination of field-based forest structure data and landscape-scale variables. Finally, in Chapter 4, I combined the results of the previous papers and assessed the tradeoffs between management alternatives using a multi-criteria decision analysis approach. I explored the possibilities of simultaneously meeting multiple objectives including wildlife occupancy, net carbon impact, harvested wood products, and biomass energy feedstock production. The results of this dissertation provide stakeholders with state and regional estimates of the benefits and impacts of timber harvest to sustainably manage for multiple forest values

An Evaluation Study of a College Success Course as a Counseling Intervention

Community colleges are attracting many first generation minority students. A question often asked is how can a college, faculty, and staff promote student achievement, particularly to underrepresented groups? One of the courses required at a South Texas community college, serving a predominately Hispanic population, is a College Success Course. Courses such as these are designed to facilitate students in developing the necessary skills/a college. The study explored the perceptions of counselors and students regarding the effectiveness of a College Success Course as a counseling intervention and as it related to improved student skills and achievement. The study included a between interviews were conducted with six counselors who taught the College Success Course. The students that received the College Success Course intervention completed a personal skills survey with open-ended questions. The constant comparative method was utilized to analyze the additional qualitative data (Patton, 2002). The findings of the qualitative portion of the study indicated that the College Success Course was viewed overall by s effective counseling intervention to improve student success skills. Students completed Nelson and Low’s (2004) College Version Emotional Skills Assessment Process (ESAP). Descriptive statistics and a one (ANOVA) were completed to compare the posttest ESAP scores of the intervention groups in comparison with the control groups. The ANOVA was significant in the assertion scores only. Although the quantitative statistical significance was limited, t facilitating them in improving their study skills

Exploring the role of pain as an early predictor of category 2 pressure ulcers: a prospective cohort study

Objective To explore pressure area related pain as a predictor of category ≥2 pressure ulcer (PU) development. Design Multicentre prospective cohort study. Setting UK hospital and community settings. Participants inclusion Consenting acutely ill patients aged ≥18 years, defined as high risk (Braden bedfast/chairfast AND completely immobile/very limited mobility; pressure area related pain or; category 1 PU). Exclusion Patients too unwell, unable to report pain, 2 or more category ≥2 PUs. Follow-up Twice weekly for 30 days. Primary and secondary outcome measures Development and time to development of one or more category ≥2 PUs. Results Of 3819 screened, 1266 were eligible, 634 patients were recruited, 32 lost to follow-up, providing a 602 analysis population. 152 (25.2%) developed one or more category ≥2 PUs. 464 (77.1%) patients reported pressure area related pain on a healthy, altered or category 1 skin site of whom 130 (28.0%) developed a category ≥2 PU compared with 22 (15.9%) of those without pain. Full stepwise variable selection was used throughout the analyses. (1) Multivariable logistic regression model to assess 9 a priori factors: presence of category 1 PU (OR=3.25, 95% CI (2.17 to 4.86), p<0.0001), alterations to intact skin (OR=1.98, 95% CI (1.30 to 3.00), p=0.0014), pressure area related pain (OR=1.56, 95% CI (0.93 to 2.63), p=0.0931). (2) Multivariable logistic regression model to account for overdispersion: presence of category 1 PU (OR=3.20, 95% CI (2.11 to 4.85), p<0.0001), alterations to intact skin (OR=1.90, 95% CI (1.24 to 2.91), p=0.0032), pressure area related pain (OR=1.85, 95% CI (1.07 to 3.20), p=0.0271), pre-existing category 2 PU (OR=2.09, 95% CI (1.35 to 3.23), p=0.0009), presence of chronic wound (OR=1.66, 95% CI (1.06 to 2.62), p=0.0277), Braden activity (p=0.0476). (3) Accelerated failure time model: presence of category 1 PU (AF=2.32, 95% CI (1.73 to 3.12), p<0.0001), pressure area related pain (AF=2.28, 95% CI (1.59 to 3.27), p<0.0001). (4) 2-level random-intercept logistic regression model: skin status which comprised 2 levels (versus healthy skin); alterations to intact skin (OR=4.65, 95% CI (3.01 to 7.18), p<0.0001), presence of category 1 PU (OR=17.30, 95% CI (11.09 to 27.00), p<0.0001) and pressure area related pain (OR=2.25, 95% CI (1.53 to 3.29), p<0.0001). Conclusions This is the first study to assess pain as a predictor of category ≥2 PU development. In all 4 models, pain emerged as a risk factor associated with an increased probability of category ≥2 PU development