The psychometric properties of the lifetime experience questionnaire (LEQ) in older American adults

The older adult (65 years or older) population is growing. The probability of developing cognitive impairment increases as adults pass the age of 65 years old. Cognitive reserve theory proposed factors that influence the expression of cognitive impairment. The lifestyle factors, namely: (a) education, (b) occupation, (c) social, (d) physical, and (e) leisure activities, influence cognitive reserve, which may affect how older adults express existence of cognitive impairment. Studies on cognitive reserve however, lack a standardized instrument to measure its constructs. In assessing the construct of lifestyle factors in a lifetime perspective, the Lifetime Experience Questionnaire (LEQ) is the only known instrument available. Therefore, to advance the cognitive reserve theory, an evaluation of the LEQ using different populations is essential. The study used a descriptive, test-retest, correlational design to examine the reliability and validity of the LEQ among older American adults (N=90) in North Carolina. Self-administered questionnaires including demographic data, the Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form, the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), and the LEQ were collected. A test and retest of the LEQ were conducted for 30 randomly selected participants. Test-retest reliabilities of the three subscales (r = .79 - .91), and the total LEQ score (r = .93) were acceptable. The Cronbach's alpha of the LEQ was .65. The association of the MMSE and LEQ that evaluated the concurrent validity of LEQ demonstrated minimal positive correlation (r = .19) that is not statistically significant with low effect size (.10). Although not statistically significant, the group that had low LEQ scores showed lower scores on the MMSE. The exploratory factor analysis supported the multidimensionality of LEQ. The LEQ had satisfactory temporal stability and interpretable construct validity; however, revisions of three items may be needed to increase its internal consistency. Quantifying lifestyle factors in a lifespan perspective is an immense beginning to operationally define the broad construct of cognitive reserve that may guide healthcare providers in individually planning interventions for maintenance or enhancement of older American adults' mental activities

Our sad ecstatic mouths

Loss is a tricky thing, but grief can be even trickier. The same can be said for finding love, whether it be familial, fraternal, or romantic, and keeping it. The poems that make up this thesis, Our Sad Ecstatic Mouths, deal primarily with these ever present topics: loss and the grief that arises in the aftermath, and love and how to maintain it. Principally autobiographical, much of the work revolves around my own interpersonal relationships and the death of my brother, Gordon Parody, as well as others I have loved and lost and the impact these loses have had on my life since. Denise Levertov wrote, "Grief is a hole you walk around in the daytime and at night you fall into it," and I believe the same can be said for love. These poems are my attempt at actualizing, through poetic translation, this walking, this falling, and the choices (both good and bad) one makes when struggling to find footing in the process of being alive, the process of loving and losing. While sadness, sex and drug abuse find their place in much of this work, I believe that, overall, the ecstatic nature of a life being lived, shared, and reflected upon shines through. At the heart of every poem in this collection you will find love - a compassionate fervor for the world that oftentimes, when allowed to roam un-reigned, borders on frenzy, but always, somehow, finds its way back home in the end

James Francis Burke’s Zorita (c. 1968): a transcribed edition for solo cornet and brass quintet

James Francis Burke (1923-1981) was one of the most renowned cornet soloists of the Twentieth Century. Despite having no use of his right arm, the result of suffering an injury at birth, Burke learned to play the cornet at an early age and began to perform solos for movies and radio shows by the age of 11. He is remembered primarily as the Cornet Soloist of the Goldman Band, a position he held for 32 years (1943-1975). Burke also performed extensively with the Baltimore Symphony, Radio City Music Hall, and Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestras and held teaching positions at the Peabody Conservatory (Baltimore, MD), Ithaca College (NY), Hofstra University (NY), and the University of Bridgeport (CT). During his lifetime Burke performed a number of cornet solos with band accompaniment and composed solos that he performed with the Goldman Band and others including Danza Alegre, The Magic Trumpet, Amourette, Hocus Polka, Jimala Beguine, Joneta, Jolene, and Zorita. Of these compositions, only Zorita is unpublished. The purpose of this study was to transcribe the accompaniment for Burke's cornet solo, Zorita (c. 1968) for brass quintet. A secondary purpose of this study was to present a brief biographical sketch about Burke to provide historical context and background for the solo. A brief discussion of the work is included in this document, although complete analysis was beyond the scope of this study as was a complete biography of Burke. The transcribed edition of the solo was created by consulting unpublished scores of Zorita and a recording of the solo performed by Burke. The original cornet solo remained intact and is presented with the transcribed brass quintet accompaniment. The accompaniment was scored for the traditional brass quintet instrumentation: two trumpets, horn, trombone, and tuba. This transcription, therefore, requires an additional cornet performer to be the soloist. Appropriate for concert performance by advanced students, Zorita balances bel canto melodies with highly technical scalar passages and extended sections of multiple articulation

Factors influencing hypothetical care decisions concerning dependent elderly parents

The purpose of this exploratory research was to identify the most significant factors influencing adult children in making a hypothetical choice between institutional versus noninstitutional care arrangements for their dependent elderly parents. A stratified random sample of Baptist churches in North Carolina was utilized, from which a final sample of 115 middle-aged adults was derived. Data were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire in order to test the effects on type of hypothetical care decision of 11 independent variables: the adult child's age, sex, number of dependent offspring, present helping behavior, attachment feelings, employment levels of both the child and his/her spouse, family income, health status, number of living siblings, and number of proximate siblings. Descriptive results of the study indicated that 77% of the sample chose noninstitutional over institutional care arrangements when faced with a hypothetical dependency situation. Stepwise discriminant function analysis found three of the independent variables to be significant discriminators between subjects' choice of the two types of care. Respondents with a larger number of dependent offspring and with better health status were less likely to decide to institutionalize, while respondents with higher income were more likely to decide to institutionalize. Both discriminant analysis and multiple regression analysis were performed on a second dependent variable, likelihood of institutionalization, but neither showed significant results

The influence of leadership practices on faculty job satisfaction in baccalaureate degree nursing program

Using a correlational, cross-sectional study design with self-administered questionnaires, this study explored the extent to which leadership practices of deans and department heads influence faculty job satisfaction in baccalaureate degree nursing programs. Using a simple random sampling technique, the study survey was sent to 400 faculty members. 300 faculty members were chosen out of 400 and106 faculty members who returned the questionnaires and employed full time in baccalaureate degree nursing programs in the southeastern part of the United States were selected for the study. The study participants completed the Weiss, Dawis, England, and Lofquist's (1977) Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire and Kouzes and Posner's (2003) Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) survey. The study illuminated the relationship between leadership practices of university deans and department heads and faculty job satisfaction using a descriptive, correlational cross-sectional study design with self administered questionnaires. The findings indicated that nursing deans and department heads who implemented the leadership practices whereby their faculty felt encouraged and enabled to act more autonomously produced higher levels of job satisfaction

An examination of Gateways : a citizen participation organization emphasizing citizen involvement in the setting of goals in Greensboro, North Carolina

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine Gateways, a citizen participation organization in Greensboro, North Carolina, as it was developed and implemented by the citizens of the community. The primary emphasis in this citizen participation effort was that of community goal setting. The review of literature documented the emergence of citizen participation from the 1840's to the goal-setting organizations of the 1970's. Other studies of citizen participation groups were reviewed: the study of five citizen participation groups by the Grassroots Research Program of the Environmental Clearing House, Incorporated of Washington, D. C.; and the "Goals for Dallas" program established in 1966 and continuing today. In addition, a summary of fourteen local citizen participation organizations throughout America was included

Gender-based differences in high school employment : is there differential socialization for work?

This study explored the gender-based differences in high school employment experiences and possible contributors to those differences, such as parental support for employment, reasons for working or not working, aspirations, and six work-related attitudes. It was expected that there would be differences by gender in employment status, time of beginning employment, weekly hours worked, average pay, parental support for employment, current job, reasons for working or not working, occupational aspirations, and work-related attitudes. Differences in the work-related attitudes were also anticipated between those who had worked and those who had not, as well as between those who worked under 20 hours weekly and those who worked 20 or more hours a week

Voice, Activism, Democracy: A Website Uniting Greensboro Residents

The lack of effective communication and accessibility between social justice community groups and the residents of Greensboro, North Carolina, initiated a burgeoning need for a website to act as a directory for grassroots organizations and nonprofits in the city. This paper delineates a year-long project creating a website, entitled “Voice, Activism, Democracy,” that features such organizations who have agreed to take part in the directory. This is only the inception of the project before it is sustained and expanded by the Communication Studies department at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The project highlights online activism as a pertinent, yet a nuanced form of social justice activism that is justified in today’s technological age. The paper will specifically detail the importance of mediated activism for Greensboro residents, a description of the website, deeming the website social justice activism, the importance of Communication Activism Pedagogy (CAP), a reflection on critical aspects of the project, and recommendations for the future expansion of “Voice, Activism, Democracy.

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase 1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age  6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score  652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc = 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N = 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in Asia and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701