Factors Affect the Employment Longevity of Staff Working with Clients Possessing Intellectual Disabilities

We report the results of an empirical, qualitative research study conducted with 28 direct care staff (DCS) of persons with intellectual disabilities (ID) from two Midwestern facilities. The research question involved exploring the dynamics of employment conservation with staff who work with a relatively challenging population. In-depth interviews were conducted and three primary extrinsic concerns were noted by DCS. These included level of pay and insurance benefits, staff relationships, and legal restrictions imposed on DCS job descriptions. The latter included both care plans and technical requirements. We discuss the results in light of the relatively high turnover rates among DCS working with persons possessing intellectual disabilities. While job turnover is important in all work settings, because of the psychological needs and limited development of individuals with intellectual disabilities, job turnover is a particular concern in this milieu. Giving voice to the perspectives of DCS is viewed as the first step toward potentially improving job tenure rates among this work population

Draws and Drawbacks of an Oxford Study Abroad Experience

Using qualitative research methodology, we interviewed 23 American students participating in a study abroad program at Oxford University in the U.K. Results showed four primary draws to participating in the study abroad program and two perceived drawbacks. Positively, Oxford’s first appealing dynamic related to the tutorial system and students’ expanded range of options for specialized topics as well as in-depth study. Next, participants highly valued Oxford’s academic rigor, which accompanied the university’s unique approach to education. Third, Oxford’s location in England appealed to our participants. Finally, students reported hopes that future benefits would result from their decisions to attend Oxford and perceived associations with Oxford’s prestige. As participants weighed these benefits of studying at OU, they contrasted the positive dynamics with two major drawbacks: finances and missed U.S. experiences. Nevertheless, our participants unanimously affirmed their respective decisions to study at Oxford and highly recommended the experience to future potential applicants

External Dynamics Influencing Tattooing Among College Students: A Qualitative Analysis

The study utilized qualitative research methodology to assess external dynamics and their influences on tattooing practices among college students. Twenty-four undergraduates supplied in-depth interviews regarding the external variables related to college students\u27 decisions to tattoo. The present research follows (Tse, Firmin, Angelini, & Foster, 2006), which reported findings regarding college students\u27 internal dynamics for tattoo choices. Present findings suggest that health concerns, parental and peer influences, and social stigmas are particularly cogent external influencers in college students\u27 decisions to tattoo

A Qualitative Study of the Motivations and Affiliation Dynamics Involved with a Firefighting Career

We explored the experiences of full-time firefighters in the present phenomenological qualitative study, having conducted semi-structured interviews with 26 male full-time firefighters. Their personal constructs of motivation and affiliation were explored and, within the constructs of motivation, three themes emerged. First, firefighters were motivated by a love of the excitement firefighting provides. Second, firefighters reported that the work schedule, which allows them more time at home, was a motivation. Third (and most emphasized by the firefighters) was an altruistic motivation to help others. Under the construct of affiliation, the firefighters reported a strong sense of brotherhood with their shift-partners, and they extended this brotherhood to all firefighters and even other emergency workers. We relate these findings to the existing body of research regarding the relationship between motivation, affiliation and satisfaction of firefighters

Mental Health Service Providers: College Student Perceptions of Helper Effectiveness

Undergraduate perceptions of the overall effectiveness of six types of mental health service providers (MHSPs) were obtained with a survey. Although many mental health services are available to consumers in the United States, research has indicated that these services are underutilized. Perceptions have been linked to therapeutic outcomes and may potentially serve as barriers to treatment. The results of the present study illustrate a range of perceptions and highlight the value of educating future consumers and practitioners about the roles of various MHSPs in providing mental health services. Future research is proposed

Temporal and spatial trends in marine carbon isotopes in the Arctic Ocean and implications for food web studies

The Arctic is undergoing unprecedented environmental change. Rapid warming, decline in sea ice extent, increase in riverine input, ocean acidification and changes in primary productivity are creating a crucible for multiple concurrent environmental stressors, with unknown consequences for the entire arctic ecosystem. Here, we synthesised 30 years of data on the stable carbon isotope (δ13 C) signatures in dissolved inorganic carbon (δ13 C-DIC; 1977 to 2014), marine and riverine particulate organic carbon (δ13 C-POC; 1986 to 2013) and tissues of marine mammals in the Arctic. δ13 C values in consumers can change as a result of environmentally driven variation in the δ13 C values at the base of the food web or alteration in the trophic structure, thus providing a method to assess the sensitivity of food webs to environmental change. Our synthesis reveals a spatially heterogeneous and temporally evolving δ13 C baseline, with spatial gradients in the δ13 C-POC values between arctic shelves and arctic basins likely driven by differences in productivity and riverine and coastal influence. We report a decline in δ13 C-DIC values (-0.011 ‰ y-1 ) in the Arctic, reflecting increasing anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2 ) in the Arctic Ocean (i.e. Suess effect), which is larger than predicted. The larger decline in δ13 C-POC values and δ13 C in arctic marine mammals reflects the anthropogenic CO2 signal as well as the influence of a changing arctic environment. Combining the influence of changing sea ice conditions and isotopic fractionation by phytoplankton, we explain the decadal decline in δ13 C-POC values in the Arctic Ocean and partially explain the δ13 C values in marine mammals with consideration of time-varying integration of δ13 C values. The response of the arctic ecosystem to ongoing environmental change is stronger than we would predict theoretically, which has tremendous implications for the study of food webs in the rapidly changing Arctic Ocean

Testing Cosmological General Relativity against high redshift observations

Several key relations are derived for Cosmological General Relativity which are used in standard observational cosmology. These include the luminosity distance, angular size, surface brightness and matter density. These relations are used to fit type Ia supernova (SNe Ia) data, giving consistent, well behaved fits over a broad range of redshift $0.1 < z < 2$. The best fit to the data for the local density parameter is $\Omega_{m} = 0.0401 \pm 0.0199$. Because $\Omega_{m}$ is within the baryonic budget there is no need for any dark matter to account for the SNe Ia redshift luminosity data. From this local density it is determined that the redshift where the universe expansion transitions from deceleration to acceleration is $z_{t}= 1.095 {}^{+0.264}_{-0.155}$. Because the fitted data covers the range of the predicted transition redshift $z_{t}$, there is no need for any dark energy to account for the expansion rate transition. We conclude that the expansion is now accelerating and that the transition from a closed to an open universe occurred about $8.54 {\rm Gyr}$ ago.Comment: Rewritten, improved and revised the discussion. This is now a combined paper of the former version and the Addendu

Calibration of myocardial T2 and T1 against iron concentration.

BACKGROUND: The assessment of myocardial iron using T2* cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) has been validated and calibrated, and is in clinical use. However, there is very limited data assessing the relaxation parameters T1 and T2 for measurement of human myocardial iron. METHODS: Twelve hearts were examined from transfusion-dependent patients: 11 with end-stage heart failure, either following death (n=7) or cardiac transplantation (n=4), and 1 heart from a patient who died from a stroke with no cardiac iron loading. Ex-vivo R1 and R2 measurements (R1=1/T1 and R2=1/T2) at 1.5 Tesla were compared with myocardial iron concentration measured using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. RESULTS: From a single myocardial slice in formalin which was repeatedly examined, a modest decrease in T2 was observed with time, from mean (± SD) 23.7 ± 0.93 ms at baseline (13 days after death and formalin fixation) to 18.5 ± 1.41 ms at day 566 (p<0.001). Raw T2 values were therefore adjusted to correct for this fall over time. Myocardial R2 was correlated with iron concentration [Fe] (R2 0.566, p<0.001), but the correlation was stronger between LnR2 and Ln[Fe] (R2 0.790, p<0.001). The relation was [Fe] = 5081•(T2)-2.22 between T2 (ms) and myocardial iron (mg/g dry weight). Analysis of T1 proved challenging with a dichotomous distribution of T1, with very short T1 (mean 72.3 ± 25.8 ms) that was independent of iron concentration in all hearts stored in formalin for greater than 12 months. In the remaining hearts stored for <10 weeks prior to scanning, LnR1 and iron concentration were correlated but with marked scatter (R2 0.517, p<0.001). A linear relationship was present between T1 and T2 in the hearts stored for a short period (R2 0.657, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Myocardial T2 correlates well with myocardial iron concentration, which raises the possibility that T2 may provide additive information to T2* for patients with myocardial siderosis. However, ex-vivo T1 measurements are less reliable due to the severe chemical effects of formalin on T1 shortening, and therefore T1 calibration may only be practical from in-vivo human studies

Simultaneous quantification of acetaminophen and tryptophan using a composite graphene foam/Zr-MOF film modified electrode

© The Royal Society of Chemistry and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. A graphene foam/zirconium-based metal-organic framework composite (GF/UiO-66) was synthesised and then employed to modify glassy carbon electrodes (GCE). These modified electrodes were successfully used for the simultaneous detection and determination of acetaminophen (AC) and tryptophan (TRYP). The combination of GF and UiO-66 endowed the electrodes with a large surface area, good biological compatibility and stability as well as high selectivity and sensitivity. The linear calibration plots for AC and TRYP were obtained over the range of 0.5-200 μM (R2 = 0.999) and 0.5-113 μM (R2 = 0.999) with detection limits of 0.07 μM and 0.06 μM, respectively. The modified electrodes were successfully applied for the determination of AC and TRYP in a pharmaceutical preparation and urine, respectively