The appeal of the Functional Fitness MOT to older adults and health professionals in an outpatient setting: a mixed-method feasibility study

Purpose: To understand the views and perceptions regarding the Functional Fitness MOT (FFMOT), a battery of functional tests followed by a brief motivational interview, of both the older people undergoing it and the health professionals delivering it. Patients and methods: Physically inactive older adults (n=29) underwent the FFMOT and subsequently attended focus groups to share their perceptions of it and to discuss the barriers, motivators, health behavior change, and scope to improve physical activity (PA) levels. PA levels were recorded at baseline and again at 12 weeks together with a post-intervention questionnaire concerning behavior change. Participating physiotherapists and technical instructors were interviewed. Results: Most participants felt they had learned about their abilities and comparisons with their peers, had a change in perception about the importance of good balance and strength, and felt the FFMOT helped raise their awareness of local and self-directed physical activity opportunities. Most felt their awareness of the need for PA had not changed, but 25% of participants started a new organized PA opportunity. The health professionals perceived the FFMOT as being easy to administer, educating, and motivating for participants to increase their PA. Space, time, finances, and insecurity about having the necessary skills to conduct the FFMOTs were seen as barriers in implementing the FFMOT in daily practice. Conclusion: Over half of those offered the FFMOT accepted it, suggesting it is appealing. However, most participants felt they were already active enough and that their awareness of the need for PA had not changed. There were positive perceptions of the FFMOT from both professionals and older people, but both felt the FFMOT could be held in a community venue. The overall findings suggest that the FFMOT is feasible in the clinical setting, but its effectiveness has yet to be determined

General vs. Specific-referent Instruments to Measure Training Transfer in a Transportation Organization in Canada

In this study, we analyzed transfer, as measured by different instruments, and its relation to some of the factors that have been related to transfer in a Canadian transportation organization. Transfer was measured cross-sectionally through the application of three scales to short-distance truck drivers. Transfer was perceived as higher when a general rather than a specific transfer instrument was applied, implying that the choice of instrument could influence the results. This highlights the relevance of instrument selection in the design of studies. Additionally, while correlations between satisfaction with the training, content relevance and motivation to transfer and transfer differed with different instruments, the correlation between accountability and transfer did not. Contrary to the trend of using a single measure of transfer, this study provides empirical evidence of the transfer construct as measured through different instruments. This evidence can be useful in research methods on training transfer to understand better the construct and its operationalization. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.En aquest estudi hem analitzat la transferència de formació, mesurada per diferents instruments, i la seva relació amb alguns dels factors de transferència en una organització de transport canadenca. La transferència es va mesurar transversalment mitjançant l'aplicació de tres escales a conductors de camions de curta distància. La transferència va ser més alta quan es va aplicar un instrument de referència general en lloc d'un instrument de referència específic, fet que implica que l'elecció de l'instrument podria influir en els resultats. Això posa de manifest la rellevància de la selecció d'instruments en el disseny d'estudis. A més, si bé les correlacions entre la satisfacció amb la formació, la rellevància del contingut, la motivació per a la transferència i la transferència diferien amb els diferents instruments, la correlació entre la rendició de comptes i la transferència no. Contràriament a la tendència d'utilitzar una única mesura de transferència, aquest estudi proporciona evidència empírica de la construcció de la transferència mesurada mitjançant diferents instruments. Aquesta evidència pot ser útil en mètodes d'investigació sobre la transferència de formació per entendre millor el constructe i la seva operativització. Es discuteixen implicacions per a la teoria i la pràctica.Se analiza la transferencia de formación y su relación con algunos de los factores de transferencia a través de diferentes instrumentos en una organización de transporte canadiense. A través de un diseño transversal se aplicaron tres escalas a conductores de camión tras una formación en cabina. La transferencia percibida fue mayor cuando se aplicó un instrumento de referencia general en lugar de un instrumento de referencia específica, lo que implica que la elección del instrumento pudo influenciar en los resultados y resalta la relevancia de la elección de la escala en el diseño de los estudios. Mientras que las correlaciones entre la satisfacción con la formación, la relevancia del contenido y la motivación con la transferencia y la transferencia fueron diferentes al utilizar un instrumento general y uno específico, la correlación entre el interés del supervisor y la transferencia no difirió. Este estudio aporta evidencia empírica sobre la medición de la transferencia a través de diferentes instrumentos. Esta evidencia puede ser útil en diseños de investigación de estudios de transferencia para mejorar la operativización del constructo. Se discuten implicaciones para la teoría y la práctica

Economic Sanctions, Transnational Terrorism, and the Incentive to Misrepresent

Can economic sanctions combat transnational terrorism effectively? Policy makers argue that sanctions can deter state sponsorship but are counterproductive against hosts of transnational terrorists. However, recent cases indicate that governments are often uncertain if foreign states are truly sponsors versus hosts and cannot perfectly determine the type of foreign support terrorists are receiving. We argue that this uncertainty, coupled with the proposed strategy of punishing sponsors while cooperating with hosts, creates incentives for sponsors to misrepresent themselves as host states while continuing their support for terrorists. We demonstrate that in this environment of uncertainty, governments rely on information regarding the state capacity of supporting states to deduce their relationship with terrorists. Consequently, governments are more likely to impose sanctions against foreign states with intermediate levels of state capacity but are less likely to impose sanctions against failing or stronger states

Effect of filtration on morphine and particle content of injections prepared from slow-release oral morphine tablets

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Injections of mixtures prepared from crushed tablets contain insoluble particles which can cause embolisms and other complications. Although many particles can be removed by filtration, many injecting drug users do not filter due to availability, cost or performance of filters, and also due to concerns that some of the dose will be lost.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Injection solutions were prepared from slow-release morphine tablets (MS Contin^®) replicating methods used by injecting drug users. Contaminating particles were counted by microscopy and morphine content analysed by liquid chromatography before and after filtration.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Unfiltered tablet extracts contained tens of millions of particles with a range in sizes from < 5 μm to > 400 μm. Cigarette filters removed most of the larger particles (> 50 μm) but the smaller particles remained. Commercial syringe filters (0.45 and 0.22 μm) produced a dramatic reduction in particles but tended to block unless used after a cigarette filter. Morphine was retained by all filters but could be recovered by following the filtration with one or two 1 ml washes. The combined use of a cigarette filter then 0.22 μm filter, with rinses, enabled recovery of 90% of the extracted morphine in a solution which was essentially free of tablet-derived particles.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Apart from overdose and addiction itself, the harmful consequences of injecting morphine tablets come from the insoluble particles from the tablets and microbial contamination. These harmful components can be substantially reduced by passing the injection through a sterilizing (0.22 μm) filter. To prevent the filter from blocking, a preliminary coarse filter (such as a cigarette filter) should be used first. The filters retain some of the dose, but this can be recovered by following filtration with one or two rinses with 1 ml water. Although filtration can reduce the non-pharmacological harmful consequences of injecting tablets, this remains an unsafe practice due to skin and environmental contamination by particles and microorganisms, and the risks of blood-borne infections from sharing injecting equipment.</p