Emotional robots: principles and practice with PARO in Denmark, Germany and the UK

As societies age there will be a significant increase of those over 80 and a predicted increase in people with dementia. We know that loneliness increases with old age, and those living with dementia are at risk of social isolation. Also opportunities for sensory stimulation and engagement in pleasurable activities are reduced in old age. The question is what technologies can be used to extend the range of available interventions that can enhance well-being. Emotional robots have been developed for activity and therapeutic purposes. This article explores experiences of the emotional robot PARO in Denmark, Germany and UK, and provides principles of this robot as an activity or activity with a therapeutic purpose

New Jersey's Nursing Faculty Shortage

Examines the state of the nursing faculty workforce in New Jersey, factors behind the shortage, issues that affect recruitment and retention, and promising practices. Recommends strategies to fill the gap, including re-examining the nursing curriculum

2T2 Preschool Transition Plan

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the College of Education at Morehead State University by Barbara J. Cook on November 30, 2013

Examining Electronic Medical Records System Adoption and Implications for Emergency Medicine Practice and Providers

This ethnographic research study documented the use and effects of an electronic medical records system (EMR) by healthcare providers working in a community hospital-based emergency room. Using data collected from participant observation, in-depth interviews, questionnaires, and hospital documents, the research findings suggest EMRs impinge providers’ agency, alter emergency room systems, affect communication patterns among providers, and exacerbate structurational divergence (SD) conditions. Findings suggest that providers’ attempts to regain lost agency tips the SD-nexus into an SD-cycle, characterized by negative communication spirals between providers. The discussion chapter examines the impact of EMRs on emergency room structures, system reproduction, providers’ workflow and communication patterns, patients’ experiences, and unintended consequences, and it expounds implications of the study with regard to what lessons learned from this analysis suggests might be best practices for hospitals and emergency rooms adopting EMRs

Environmental education curriculum for the California Conservation Corps

This project was developed to provide curriculum for young adults in the California Conservation Corps to help them connect to their employment with attitude and knowledge acquisition related to the outdoors

Population, Greenspace, and Development:Conversion Patterns in the Great Lakes Region

In this brief, authors Mark Ducey, Kenneth Johnson, Ethan Belair, and Barbara Cook combine demographic, land-cover, and other spatial data to estimate the incidence and extent of conversion from greenspace (forestland, shrublands, and grasslands) to development in the Great Lakes states. They report that greenspace conversions to developed land are most common in areas where greenspace is already limited. Population density strongly influences the conversion of greenspace to development. Conversions are most likely to occur on the urban periphery and in high-amenity rural areas. This research contributes to a better understanding of the linkages between demographic and land-cover change and provides facts that can inform policy aimed at balancing development and greenspace conservation

The Motivation to Write Profile-College: A Tool to Assess the Writing Motivation of Teacher Candidates

Writing is an important aspect of literacy regardless of the grade or discipline. State standards have defined the writing genres, crafts, and skills that are to be taught by teachers in PK-12 classrooms. However, in addition to standards, research indicates that a teacher’s own conception of writing is crucial to establishing classroom conditions necessary for young writers to grow, explore and take risks. If this is the job of PK-12 educators, then it is essential for higher education instructors to understand and explore the writing conceptions of teacher candidates. One of these critical conceptions is the motivation to write. The Motivation to Write Profile-College (MWP-C) was designed and validated to assess the writing motivation of teacher candidates. The profile can inform the important conversations necessary to ensure that teacher candidates are fully prepared to teach writing as motivated writers themselves

Are you man enough to be a nurse? The road less traveled

Although men make up approximately 50% of the general workforce, they continue to be a gendered minority in nursing, representing only 6.6% of the registered nurse workforce in the United States (United States Department of Health Resources and Services Administration, 2010). Why are there not more men in nursing? The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how men came to choose nursing as a career, and to describe their perceived experiences in an associated degree ladder nursing program. Guiding the study was the theoretical framework of John L. Holland\u27s work on career choice (1997). Qualitative methods were used to collect, analyze, and interpret the data. A purposeful sample of men enrolled in an associate\u27s degree nursing program yielded six participants, who agreed to participate in three semi-structure audiotaped interviews. The interviews were transcribed and, through qualitative analysis, there emerged three categories that defined the experience of males in nursing: (1) the process of deciding to be a nurse, (2) the educational experience of being a male nursing student, and (3) the men\u27s career choice satisfaction on having decided to become nurses. The participants disclosed that their primary reason for entering nursing was to care for people, a motivation that was evident in their selfless regard for the welfare and rights of the patients for whom they were responsible. Overall, the men described their educational experience positively; however, they reported being challenged by their OB clinical experience, and expressed feelings of anxiety and uncertainty regarding the practice of touch, an integral component of patient care. Social support from family and other male students impacted the respondents positively, while formal sources of support, such as mentoring from male instructors, could be improved to enhance male nurses\u27 educational and clinical experiences. Recommendations for future research include interviewing females regarding their perspectives of men in nursing, perspectives regarding the questions that were asked, interviewing men from other nursing programs, and studying male graduates to identify the barriers existing in the workplace and motivations to remain in the profession

Globalization, Health Sector Reform, Gender and Reproductive Health

Explores the interrelationships between globalization and health sector reforms, and how changes in macro-economic and social policies affect women's reproductive health and rights

The Façade of Saint-Gilles-du-Gard: The Visual Strategies of a Political Agenda

The sculptural program of the façade of Saint-Gilles-duGard, whose current appearance is nearly identical to its original state, is organized around four iconographic clusters or narrative sequences corresponding to the three portals and the frieze that links them. Exegetical literature imbued the episodes depicted from the life of Christ with an ecclesiological meaning: the church is the Ecclesia, the community of the faithful, governed by spiritual and temporal powers, and whose completion is predicted for the end of time. The interpretation of the sequences is “directed” by the precise and systematic articulation of the motifs of which they are composed, suggesting that symmetries in the design of the façade correspond to semantic relationships between the subjects. The designer of the Saint-Gilles façade made narrative coherence and the demands of the iconographic tradition subservient to the goals of the patron and instigator of the project, Raymond V, count of Toulouse and lord of Saint-Gilles (1148– 94). Developed by the count’s entourage and likely with the support of his wife Constance, the construction of the church aimed to reinforce Raymond V’s authority, which at that time was weakened by serious accusations of heresy. At Saint-Gilles, the designer’s political strategy consisted of recalling the participation of the counts of Toulouse in the crusades and celebrating the merits of a power dedicated to the defense of the Church and its faithful. To this end, the designer selected the Holy Sepulcher as the model for the abbey’s iconography and plan in an attempt to create the illusion of a second Jerusalem at Saint-Gilles