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The evacuation of British children during World War II: A preliminary investigation into the long-term psychological effects

This study used attachment theory to hypothesise about the possible long-term psychological effects of the evacuation of British children during World War II, focusing on the experiences of children who were evacuated without their parents. Its primary aim was to determine whether any long-term psychological effects of this experience appear to exist. It also aimed to explore factors that could mediate or moderate the possible long-term impact of childhood evacuation on present psychological wellbeing. The study utilised a retrospective non-randomised design, comparing a group of 169 former evacuees with a group of 43 people who were children during the war but were not evacuated. No systematic differences between the two groups were found in terms of age, gender, marital status or social class. All participants completed a range of standardised self-report questionnaires relating to their present psychological wellbeing, present attachment style, present levels of social support, relationship with their parents during childhood, and a questionnaire regarding their experiences during the war. The experiences of evacuation reported by respondents varied widely. The findings indicated that attachment style mediated a relationship between childhood evacuation and present psychological wellbeing, such that former evacuees were more likely to have insecure attachment styles and therefore lower levels of psychological wellbeing. The experience of evacuation was found to moderate the relationship between quality of parenting and attachment style such that the association between quality of parenting and attachment style was stronger for people who had not been evacuated. Satisfaction with, but not quantity of, present social support was found to mediate a relationship between attachment style and present psychological wellbeing. The findings suggested that the age at which people were evacuated may be implicated in the effect of the evacuation on current levels of psychological wellbeing. The findings of the study are limited mainly by the method of measurement of attachment style and the possible biases inherent in the non-randomised design and method of recruitment. Nevertheless, they offer a tentative indication that the experience of evacuation is associated with long-term psychological vulnerability through its relationship with insecure attachment. This is discussed in terms of the possible impact of these issues on former evacuees as they age, and suggestions made for future research in light of these preliminary findings

A Systematic Review of Aquatic Exercise Programs on Balance Measures in Older Adults

There are a variety of studies performed using aquatic exercise programs to evaluate balance measures using a case-control or pretest-posttest method on healthy young populations (Geytenbeek, 2002). Balance can be defined as either static; maintenance of an upright posture and stance or dynamic; posture adaption and maintenance control of movements and stability (Rose & Clark, 2000). An aquatic exercise program will henceforth be defined as any acute or chronic exercises performed in water with the head vertically and out of the water with the main goal to increase physical activity in a low risk environment. There is minimal data that includes observations on how these aquatic exercise programs affect the measurement of balance in an older population (40 years and older). Balance is an important part of movement during activities of daily living (ADL) for any individual, but especially with an older population who have an increased risk of falling (Arnold & Faulkner, 2010)

EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG AUTHORITATIVE PARENTING, RELIGIOSITY, AND ADOLSCENT INTERNALIZING BEHAVIORS

The public health issue of adolescent depression and anxiety in association with religiosity and family dynamics has not been established. This research explored the associations among authoritative parenting, religiosity (i.e. organizational, personal, and family), parent-child connectedness, and internalizing behaviors among adolescents. Data are from 325 adolescents ages 13 to 18 and caregiver dyads participating in the Flourishing Families Project, Wave V. A path model demonstrated that authoritative parenting encouraged connectedness between caregivers and adolescents. Parent-adolescent connectedness was associated with personal and organizational religious incongruencies. Implications for research and practice are discussed

Patch size effects on plant species decline in an experimentally fragmented landscape

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://www.esa.org/esa.Understanding local and global extinction is a fundamental objective of both basic and applied ecology. Island biogeography theory (IBT) and succession theory provide frameworks for understanding extinction in changing landscapes. We explore the relative contribution of fragment size vs. succession on species' declines by examining distributions of abundances for 18 plant species declining over time in an experimentally fragmented landscape in northeast Kansas, USA. If patch size effects dominate, early-successional species should persist longer on large patches, but if successional processes dominate, the reverse should hold, because in our system woody plant colonization is accelerated on large patches. To compare the patterns in abundance among patch sizes, we characterize joint shifts in local abundance and occupancy with a new metric: rank occupancy–abundance profiles (ROAPs). As succession progressed, statistically significant patch size effects emerged for 11 of 18 species. More early-successional species persisted longer on large patches, despite the fact that woody encroachment (succession) progressed faster in these patches. Clonal perennial species persisted longer on large patches compared to small patches. All species that persisted longer on small patches were annuals that recruit from the seed bank each year. The degree to which species declined in occupancy vs. abundance varied dramatically among species: some species declined first in occupancy, others remained widespread or even expanded their distribution, even as they declined in local abundance. Consequently, species exhibited various types of rarity as succession progressed. Understanding the effect of fragmentation on extinction trajectories requires a species-by-species approach encompassing both occupancy and local abundance. We propose that ROAPs provide a useful tool for comparing the distribution of local abundances among landscape types, years, and species

Nursing informatics competencies for entry to practice: the perspective of six countries

Internationally, countries are challenged to prepare nurses for a future that has ever increasing use of technology and where information management is a central part of professional nursing practice. There has been a growing trend to move nursing to competency-based education, especially for those students undertaking their first nursing qualification. This first nursing qualification may be linked to pre-registration, pre-licensure or undergraduate education; the term used depending on the country. The authors are drawn from the International Medical Informatics Association special interest group, Nursing Informatics (IMIA-NI) Education Working Group and represent New Zealand, the United States of America, England, Australia, Finland and Canada

Numerical simulations of the flow and sediment transport regimes surrounding a short cylinder

Author Posting. © IEEE, 2007. This article is posted here by permission of IEEE for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering 32 (2007): 249-259, doi:10.1109/JOE.2007.890986.The 3-D flow field and bed stress surrounding a short cylinder in response to combined wave and mean-flow forcing events is examined. Model simulations are performed with a 3-D nonhydrostatic computational fluid dynamics model, FLOW-3D. The model is forced with a range of characteristic tidal and wave velocities as observed in 12–15 m of water at the Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory (MVCO, Edgartown, MA). The 2.4-m-long and 0.5-m diameter cylinder is buried 10% of the diameter on a flat, fixed bed. Regions of incipient motion are identified through local estimates of the Shields parameter exceeding the critical value. Potential areas of sediment deposition are identified with local estimates of the Rouse parameter exceeding ten. The model predictions of sediment response are in general in agreement with field observations of seabed morphology obtained over a one-week period during the 2003–2004 MVCO mine burial experiment. Both observations and simulations show potential transport occurring at the ends of the mine in wave-dominated events. Mean flows greater than 10 cm/s lead to the formation of larger scour pits upstream of the cylinder. Deposition in both cases tends to occur along the sides, near the center of mass of the mine. However, the fixed-bed assumption prohibits the prediction of full perimeter scour as is observed in nature. Predicted scour and burial regimes for a range of wave and mean-flow combinations are established.This work was supported in part by the U.S. Office of Naval Research under the mine burial project N00014-00-1-0570. The work of K. A. Hatton was supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship

A randomized controlled trial of isotonic versus hypotonic maintenance intravenous fluids in hospitalized children

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Isotonic saline has been proposed as a safer alternative to traditional hypotonic solutions for intravenous (IV) maintenance fluids to prevent hyponatremia. However, the optimal tonicity of maintenance intravenous fluids in hospitalized children has not been determined. The objective of this study was to estimate and compare the rates of change in serum sodium ([Na]) for patients administered either hypotonic or isotonic IV fluids for maintenance needs.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This was a masked controlled trial. Randomization was stratified by admission type: medical patients and post-operative surgical patients, aged 3 months to 18 years, who required IV fluids for at least 8 hours. Patients were randomized to receive either 0.45% or 0.9% saline in 5.0% dextrose. Treating physicians used the study fluid for maintenance; infusion rate and the use of additional fluids were left to their discretion.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Sixteen children were randomized to 0.9% saline and 21 to 0.45% saline. Baseline characteristics, duration (average of 12 hours) and rate of study fluid infusion, and the volume of additional isotonic fluids given were similar for the two groups. [Na] increased significantly in the 0.9% group (+0.20 mmol/L/h [IQR +0.03, +0.4]; P = 0.02) and increased, but not significantly, in the 0.45% group (+0.08 mmol/L/h [IQR -0.15, +0.16]; P = 0.07). The rate of change and absolute change in serum [Na] did not differ significantly between groups.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>When administered at the appropriate maintenance rate and accompanied by adequate volume expansion with isotonic fluids, 0.45% saline did not result in a drop in serum sodium during the first 12 hours of fluid therapy in children without severe baseline hyponatremia. Confirmation in a larger study is strongly recommended.</p> <p>Clinical Trial Registration Number</p> <p><a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00457873">NCT00457873</a> (<url>http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/</url>)</p

The Medical Library Association Data Services Competency: A Framework for Data Science and Open Science Skills Development

Increasingly, users of health and biomedical libraries need assistance with challenges they face in working with their own and others' data. Librarians have a unique opportunity to provide valuable support and assistance in data science and open science but may need to add to their expertise and skill set to have the most impact. This article describes the rationale for and development of the Medical Library Association Data Services Competency, which outlines a set of five key skills for data services and provides a course of study for gaining these skills

Factors associated with physical activity referral uptake and participation

The aim of this study was to examine participant and scheme characteristics in relation to access, uptake, and participation in a physical activity referral scheme (PARS) using a prospective population-based longitudinal design. Participants (n = 3762) were recruited over a 3-year period. Logistic regression analyses identified the factors associated with the outcomes of referral uptake, participation, and completion (>= 80% attendance). Participant's age, sex, referral reason, referring health professional, and type of leisure provider were the independent variables. Based on binary logistic regression analysis (n=2631), only primary referral reason was associated with the PARS coordinator making contact with the participants. In addition to the influence of referral reason, females were also more likely (odds ratio 1.250, 95% confidence interval 1.003-1.559, P = 0.047) to agree to be assigned to a leisure provider. Referral reason and referring health professional were associated with taking up a referral opportunity. Older participants (1.016, 1.010-1.023, P = 0.001) and males were more likely to complete the referral. In conclusion, the PARS format may be less appropriate for those more constrained by time (women, young adults) and those with certain referral reasons (overweight/obesity, mental health conditions). More appropriate targeting at the point of referral could improve participation rates by revealing or addressing barriers that might later result in dropout