Buffer or amplifier? Longitudinal effects of social support for functional autonomy/dependence on older adults’ chronic-pain experiences

Objective: This longitudinal study aimed to investigate (a) the moderating role of formal social support for functional autonomy versus dependence on the relationship between pain intensity and pain-related disability among older adults with chronic pain and (b) the mediating role of pain-related self-efficacy and pain-related fear in this moderation. Method: One hundred and seventy older adults (Mage = 78.0; SD = 8.7) with chronic musculoskeletal pain participated in a 3-month prospective study, with 3 measurement moments. Participants filled out the Formal Social Support for Autonomy and Dependence in Pain Inventory, the Portuguese versions of the Brief Pain Inventory, the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, and the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia. Results: Using structural equation modeling, it was found that perceived promotion of autonomy, at Time 1, moderated the relationship between pain intensity (T1) and pain-related disability (T2); this moderation was fully mediated by pain-related self-efficacy (T2). Perceived promotion of dependence was not a significant moderator. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of social support for functional autonomy in buffering the impact of pain intensity on older adults’ pain-related disability. Also, they clarify the role of pain-related self-efficacy in this effect. Implications for the development of intervention programs, with formal caregivers, to reduce the impact of chronic pain on older adults’ healthy ageing process, are discussed.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

First season maize performance in a long-term farming systems comparison trial at KARI-Thika, Kenya

Kenya’s smallholder farmers contribute 65% to total agricultural output in a predominantly mixed farming system where application of inorganic fertilizers and pesticides is minimal. By contrast, agriculture in developed temperate countries is dominated by large-scale farming and heavy reliance on fertilizers and pesticides to sustain high yields. Research conducted in temperate developed countries has shown that organic farming is superior to conventional farming in resource use efficiency, ecosystem functioning, soil fertility conservation and economic performance but results cannot be transferred directly to the tropics because of disparities in climate, soils and socio-economic environments. A long-term farming systems comparisons experiment was initiated at KARI-Thika in 2006 to assess the contribution of organic agriculture to food security, poverty alleviation and environmental conservation. Four treatments (Conventional High, Conventional Low, Organic High and Organic Low) were imposed in 8m x 8m plots using a randomized complete block design and replicated five times. The ‘High’ treatments received 118 kgN/ha and 66+5kgP/ha while the ‘Low’ treatments received 65 kgN/ha and 27 kgP/ha. Conventional treatments received the nutrients from farmyard manure, diammonium phosphate and calcium ammonium phosphate while compost, Tithonia diversifolia, and phosphate rock were applied in the organic treatments. Maize variety Pannar was planted at the onset of rains in April 2007 and harvested in August from a net plot area of 6m x 6m. The plots were hand weeded while stock borer was controlled using a Neem extract and ash/soil mixture in organic treatments and Bulldock® in conventional treatments. Stover dry weights were significantly higher in Conventional High than Organic Low (P=0.034) and indistinguishable from those observed in Conventional Low and Organic High. It was reasoned that availability of applied nutrients and the low poorly distributed rainfall received during the flowering and grain filling stages impacted negatively on grain yield

Accommodating repair actions into gas turbine prognostics

Elements of gas turbine degradation, such as compressor fouling, are recoverable through maintenance actions like compressor washing. These actions increase the usable engine life and optimise the performance of the gas turbine. However, these maintenance actions are performed by a separate organization to those undertaking fleet management operations, leading to significant uncertainty in the maintenance state of the asset. The uncertainty surrounding maintenance actions impacts prognostic efficacy. In this paper, we adopt Bayesian on-line change point detection to detect the compressor washing events. Then, the event detection information is used as an input to a prognostic algorithm, advising an update to the estimation of remaining useful life. To illustrate the capability of the approach, we demonstrated our on-line Bayesian change detection algorithms on synthetic and real aircraft engine service data, in order to identify the compressor washing events for a gas turbine and thus provide demonstrably improved prognosis

PREFERENTIAL TRADING ARRANGEMENTS IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE

The first half of this decade has witnessed an explosion in the creation and rejuvenation of preferential trading arrangements. Indeed, since 1990, 33 regional agreements have been notified to the GATT. An understanding of the basic structure of these agreements within the Western Hemisphere is critical to the ex ante assessment of the potential impacts of a Western Hemisphere Free Trade Agreement (WHFTA) on individual countries and groups, as well as specific sectors such as agriculture and food processing.International Relations/Trade,

(G)local Intersectionality

Intersectionality theory has been slow to take root as a legal norm at the national level, even as scholars embrace it as a potent analytical tool. Yet, in recent years, intersectionality has entered law and policy practices through an unexpected portal: namely, local governments’ adoption of international norms. A growing number of local governments around the world explicitly incorporate intersectionality into their law and practice as part of implementing international antidiscrimination norms from human rights instruments like the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. This “relocalization” phenomenon—which brings intersectionality back to its roots in domestic law—is visible in many parts of the world. In Europe, cities in Spain proactively integrate intersectional approaches into their local human rights regimes. Outside of Europe, Montréal applies an intersectional analysis under its Charter of Rights and Responsibilities, a local governance document grounded in the values of fundamental human rights and dignity. Human rights cities like Gwangju, Korea, embrace intersectionality as a programmatic imperative. In the United States, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, and Cincinnati, among others, incorporated intersectional approaches to nondiscrimination in the wake of adopting local CEDAWs. The relocalization process is not always straightforward. Challenges include the difficulties of reconciling local intersectional approaches with national laws that may not recognize intersectionality, and developing indicators tailored to local experiences. On the other hand, local adoption of intersectionality opens up robust possibilities for participation in communities’ legal and political processes, which many local governments emphasize