Analog

pages 48-4

Not Yours

page 5

Increasing Advance Directive Knowledge among Healthcare Professionals

Advance Directives (ADs) have been shown to be associated with increased patient satisfaction with end-of-life care, decreased in-hospital deaths, and decreased end-of-life costs in high-cost regions. Nationally, prevalence of ADs has increased over the last 20 years, but the majority of patients still have not completed an AD. A significant obstacle to completion is lack of awareness. A presentation to increase knowledge regarding ADs among primary care staff was created to address this.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fmclerk/1277/thumbnail.jp

Programming Idioms for Transactional Events

Transactional events (TE) are an extension of Concurrent ML (CML), a programming model for synchronous message-passing. Prior work has focused on TE's formal semantics and its implementation. This paper considers programming idioms, particularly those that vary unexpectedly from the corresponding CML idioms. First, we solve a subtle problem with client-server protocols in TE. Second, we argue that CML's wrap and guard primitives do not translate well to TE, and we suggest useful workarounds. Finally, we discuss how to rewrite CML protocols that use abort actions

indicators for Ireland (2000-LS-5.2.2-M1) ; final report

The Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change represented a consensus among the world's leading climate scientists that rapid climate changes were occurring on a global scale. In particular, the marked warming that had occurred over the past half century was, they concluded, substantially caused by the build-up of greenhouse gases in the troposphere as a result of anthropogenic activities. Globally, 1998 was the warmest year of the warmest decade of the warmest century of at least the last millennium. Such fluctuations, the IPCC suggested, were already capable of being associated with changes in a diverse set of physical and biological indicators in many parts of the world. Indicators of climate change are primarily used to simplify a complex reality and to communicate, more succinctly, critical information regarding climatic trends. They also provide an essential early warning system by making available information that may point to an environmental problem which is capable of being ameliorated before it becomes critical. In establishing indicators, a distinction can be made between primary indicators, based on analysis of directly observed meteorological data, and secondary indicators, based on the responses of the living world to climate changes which provoke a response in living organisms.researc

Tomographic reconstruction of a three-dimensional magnetization vector field

Using x-ray magnetic nanotomography the internal magnetization structure within extended samples can be determined with high spatial resolution and element specificity, without the need for assumptions or prior knowledge of the magnetic properties of a sample. Here we present the details of a new algorithm for the reconstruction of a three-dimensional magnetization vector field, discussing both the mathematical description of the problem, and details of the gradient-based iterative reconstruction routine. To test the accuracy of the algorithm the method is demonstrated for a complex simulated magnetization configuration obtained from micromagnetic simulations. The reconstruction of the complex three-dimensional magnetic nanostructure, including the surroundings of magnetic singularities (or Bloch points), exhibits an excellent qualitative and quantitative agreement with the simulated magnetic structure. This method provides a robust route for the reconstruction of internal three-dimensional magnetization structures obtained from x-ray magnetic tomographic datasets, which can be acquired with either hard or soft x-rays, and can be applied to a wide variety of three-dimensional magnetic systems

Three-dimensional magnetization structures revealed with X-ray vector nanotomography

In soft ferromagnetic materials, the smoothly varying magnetization leads to the formation of fundamental patterns such as domains, vortices and domain walls<sup>1</sup>. These have been studied extensively in thin films of thicknesses up to around 200 nanometres, in which the magnetization is accessible with current transmission imaging methods that make use of electrons or soft X-rays. In thicker samples, however, in which the magnetization structure varies throughout the thickness and is intrinsically three dimensional, determining the complex magnetic structure directly still represents a challenge<sup>1, 3</sup>. We have developed hard-X-ray vector nanotomography with which to determine the three-dimensional magnetic configuration at the nanoscale within micrometre-sized samples. We imaged the structure of the magnetization within a soft magnetic pillar of diameter 5 micrometres with a spatial resolution of 100 nanometres and, within the bulk, observed a complex magnetic configuration that consists of vortices and antivortices that form cross-tie walls and vortex walls along intersecting planes. At the intersections of these structures, magnetic singularities—Bloch points—occur. These were predicted more than fifty years ago<sup>4</sup> but have so far not been directly observed. Here we image the three-dimensional magnetic structure in the vicinity of the Bloch points, which until now has been accessible only through micromagnetic simulations, and identify two possible magnetization configurations: a circulating magnetization structure<sup>5</sup> and a twisted state that appears to correspond to an ‘anti-Bloch point’. Our imaging method enables the nanoscale study of topological magnetic structures<sup>6</sup> in systems with sizes of the order of tens of micrometres. Knowledge of internal nanomagnetic textures is critical for understanding macroscopic magnetic properties and for designing bulk magnets for technological applications<sup>7</sup>

Role of the Dental Community in HPV Vaccination Promotion

Introduction. With increasing awareness that human papillomavirus (HPV) can cause oropharyngeal cancer (OPC), dental providers may play an important role in promoting HPV vaccination and preventing cancer. Our goal was to assess knowledge and current HPV vaccine counseling practices among Vermont dentists and dental hygienists to identify potential targets for state-level interventions to increase vaccine coverage. Methods. We developed a survey to assess knowledge, beliefs, practices and barriers regarding HPV vaccination, and distributed it via email to practicing Vermont dentists and dental hygienists. Free responses were analyzed using a coding framework generated from three key informant interviews. Results. 90% of providers believe it is important for them to play an “active role” in their patients’ general medical care, yet only 50% believe it is their responsibility to recommend HPV vaccine. Only 50% feel knowledgeable enough to recommend the vaccine. 78.6% of providers rarely discuss HPV vaccination with their age-appropriate patients, and 82% rarely recommend the vaccine. When asked to name the biggest barrier against recommending vaccination, providers named the following factors most frequently: “not responsibility of dental provider” (27%); lack of confidence in knowledge (19%); time constraints (14%); and parent philosophical/religious opposition (11%). Discussion. Because dentists and dental hygienists care for a broad pediatric population across the state, dental communities may be poised to play an expanded role in Vermont’s efforts to improve its HPV vaccination coverage. Our study identifies several potential areas for provider-focused interventions, which include educating providers about the HPV vaccine and reducing significant barriers against recommending.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1266/thumbnail.jp

Parental Perceptions of Oral Health and School-Based Dental Sealant Programs

Introduction: Community Health Needs Assessment (University of Vermont Medical Center, 2013) Identified oral health in pediatric population as a primary concern Barriers to dental care cited: access, affordability, education School-Based Sealant Program (SBSP) Dental sealants are an evidence-based method of cavity prevention CDC strongly recommends delivery via SBSPs Few Vermont schools have such a program Vermont Medicaid State Plan amendment allows dental hygienists to bill without on-site dentist (2015)4 Unique opportunity to pilot an SBSP Pilot program implemented by the University of Vermont Medical Center Community Health Improvement Goal: sustainable model able to be replicated in Vermont schools Pilot School Selection – Milton Elementary-Middle School (MEMS) Demographics representative of Vermont schools (46% free & reduced lunch program); school administration supportive of an SBSP; no existing dental education (“Tooth Tutor”) program per Vermont Office of Oral Healthhttps://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1232/thumbnail.jp