Observations of the Earth's magnetic field from the Space Station: Measurement at high and extremely low altitude using Space Station-controlled free-flyers

Simulation studies established that the main (core), crustal and electrojet components of the Earth's magnetic field can be observed with greater resolution or over a longer time-base than is presently possible by using the capabilities provided by the space station. Two systems are studied. The first, a large lifetime, magnetic monitor would observe the main field and its time variation. The second, a remotely-piloted, magnetic probe would observe the crustal field at low altitude and the electrojet field in situ. The system design and the scientific performance of these systems is assessed. The advantages of the space station are reviewed

EVALUATION OF INTERVENTIONS USED IN THE TREATMENT OF VETERANS WITH CO-OCCURRING DISORDERS

This study was a qualitative assessment of the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions used in the treatment of co-occurring disorders, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse. The qualitative assessment was an interview with a number of open ended questions and scales for the respondents to report preference. Interviews were conducted through the Wounded Warriors Project. Participants were males between the ages of 18 and 40, and were of multiple ethnicities. The interview questions primarily addressed whether or not the respondents received services and which services they felt were most beneficial. The interviews were anonymous and confidential, in the interest of preserving the privacy of the respondents. The results yielded by the data revealed that a small minority received services through the Veterans’ Association (VA), and were happy with the services they received. The majority of participants did not receive services through the VA for a variety of reasons which included long wait times, complicated administrative procedures, lack of transportation and lack of knowledge about which services were available. Veterans who did not receive services through the VA, received services through other venues, such as the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). These services included medication, individual therapy, peer support groups and twelve step meetings. Data collected revealed that a combination of these services, used simultaneously, was more effective than one service or no services at all

Improved definition of crustal magnetic anomalies for MAGSAT data

The routine correction of MAGSAT vector magnetometer data for external field effects such as the ring current and the daily variation by filtering long wavelength harmonics from the data is described. Separation of fields due to low altitude sources from those caused by high altitude sources is affected by means of dual harmonic expansions in the solution of Dirichlet's problem. This regression/harmonic filter procedure is applied on an orbit by orbit basis, and initial tests on MAGSAT data from orbit 1176 show reduction in external field residuals by 24.33 nT RMS in the horizontal component, and 10.95 nT RMS in the radial component

A qualitative study of mental health experiences and college student identity

This study uses a qualitative approach to capture the voices of nine students who self identified as having mental health experiences and who were also taking actions to cope with their mental health experiences from a small private arts college on the west coast. Students participated in one hour-long interviews that focused on students’ conceptions of mental health in relation to their identity, students’ actions related to mental health and students beliefs about the role of mental health in their sense of mattering. The findings suggest that mental health is constructed within student experience and identity differently depending on the individual, their context, and history in line with a constructivist and intersectional lens. The data also shows that distress and isolation are consistently related to mental health experiences. Findings suggest that participants generally use a multi-modal approach to manage their mental health with the most valued forms being therapy and art practice, and regardless of their placement of mental health in their sense of identity, participants feel that mental health is fundamental part of daily living. Finally, findings show that all participants are selective in their decisions about when and how much to disclose about their mental health experiences and that concealing their mental health leads to added psychological pain

The health care utilization and out-of-pocket expenditure associated with asthma amongst a sample of Australian women aged over 45 years: analysis from the '45 and up' study.

Objective: This study aims to describe the prevalence of health care utilization (including conventional medicine, self-care and complementary medicine treatments) for the management of asthma by women aged 45 years and over and their associated out-of-pocket expenditure.Methods: A self-reported mail survey of 375 Australian women, a cohort of the national 45 and Up Study, reporting a clinical diagnosis of asthma. The women were asked about their use of health care resources including conventional medicine, complementary medicine, and self-prescribed treatments for asthma and their associated out-of-pocket spending. Spearman's correlation coefficient, student's t-test and chi-square test were used as appropriate. Population level costs were created by extrapolating the costs reported by participants by available national prevalence data.Results: Survey respondents (N = 375; response rate, 46.9%) were, on average, 67.0 years old (min 53, max 91). The majority (69.1%; n = 259) consulted at least one health care practitioner in the previous 12 months for their asthma. Most of the participants (n = 247; 65.9%) reported using at least one prescription medication for asthma in the previous 12 months. The total out-of-pocket expenditure on asthma treatment for Australian women aged 50 years and over is estimated to be AU$159 million per annum.Conclusions: The breadth of conventional and complementary medicine health care services reported in this study, as well as the range of treatments that patients self-prescribe, highlights the challenges of coordinating care for individuals living with asthma

PHENIX Highlights

Recent highlights of measurements by the PHENIX experiment at RHIC are presented.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures. Talk at Quark Matter 200

Prevalence, patterns, and predictors of meditation use among US adults: A nationally representative survey

Emerging evidence suggests substantial health benefits from using meditation. While there are some indications that the popularity of meditation is increasing, little is known about the prevalence, patterns, and predictors of meditation use in the general population. In this secondary analysis of data from the 2012 US National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) (n = 34,525), lifetime and 12-month prevalence of meditation use were 5.2% and 4.1%, respectively. Compared to non-users, those who had used meditation in the past 12 months were more likely to be 40-64 years, female, non-Hispanic White, living in the West, at least college-educated, not in a relationship, diagnosed with one or more chronic conditions, smoking, consuming alcohol and physically active. Meditation was mainly used for general wellness (76.2%), improving energy (60.0%), and aiding memory or concentration (50.0%). Anxiety (29.2%), stress (21.6%), and depression (17.8%) were the top health problems for which people used meditation; 63.6% reported that meditation had helped a great deal with these conditions. Only 34.8% disclosed their use of meditation with a health provider. These findings indicate that about 9.3 million US adults have used meditation in the past 12 months; and that mental health problems were the most important reason for meditation use

Women and Leadership Development in Australian Sport Organizations

There has been growing interest in gender diversity and the leadership development of women in recent years within the broader field of management studies. Understanding leadership development processes is important for the sport industry, in which organizations are becoming increasingly professional and commercially focused. Despite the increased attention on gender diversity and leadership development within the sport industry to date, the scope and application of organizational gender and leadership development theory within an Australian sport context has been limited. As such, the purpose of this study was to explore the leadership development practices adopted by key stakeholders of the Australian sports industry, with the intention to uncover how they impact the role of women in different organizations. Specifically, the research investigated the practices of three organizations that have a major stake in Australian professional sport.</jats:p