Low Income, Ethnicity, and Voluntary Association Involvement

Data on voluntary association participation among low-income members of major ethnic groups in the U.S. are reviewed. Low-income blacks are most likely to participate, followed by (2) whites and Mexican Americans and (3) Italian Americans and Puerto Ricans. Reasons for these ethnic differences are considered. More general factors affecting voluntary association patterns of low-income persons are also considered, and a means for increasing their voluntary association involvement is suggested

Women and Chronic Renal Failure: Some Neglected Issues

It has been assumed until recently that chronic renal failure is more prevalent among men than among women, but data now indicate that at least half of all renal patients are women. The literature continues to focus on adjustment problems of male patients, especially sexual adjustment and job-loss problems, and to assume that women can adjust more easily because of their ability to maintain the homemaker role. However, women patients whose work status is that of homemaker are found to have the highest depression scores, and job loss results in low satisfaction for those who have held meaningful outside jobs. Women patients are not necessarily more satisfied with their sexual life than are men patients. Questions can also be raised about women patients\u27 access to treatment alternatives associated with optimal patient outcomes

Frailty as a dynamic process in a diverse cohort of older persons with dialysis-dependent CKD

This study examines frailty status evolution observed in a two-year follow-up of a cohort of older persons (age ≥65) with chronic kidney disease (CKD) undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (HD) treatment. Frailty, a geriatric syndrome that connotes a state of low physiologic reserve and vulnerability to stressors, is associated with increased risk for multiple adverse health outcomes in studies of persons with CKD as well as older persons in the general population. The Fried frailty index defines frailty as the presence of 3 or more of 5 indicators—recent unintentional weight loss, slowed gait speed, decreased muscle strength, self-reported exhaustion, and low physical activity. In the seminal work by Fried and colleagues, persons who were characterized by 1-2 of the Fried index criteria were termed “pre-frail” and considered at risk for subsequently becoming frail, potentially providing insight regarding intervention targets that might slow or prevent individuals’ transition from pre-frail to frail status. Other less frequently studied types of transitions may also be informative, including “recovery or reversion” (improvement) by people whose longitudinal assessments indicate movement from frailty to prefrailty or robust, or from prefrailty to robust. These status changes are also a potential source of insights relevant for prevention or remediation of frailty, but research focusing on the various ways that individuals may transition between frailty states over time remains limited, and no previous research has examined varying patterns of frailty status evolution in an older cohort of persons with dialysis-dependent CKD. In a study cohort of dialysis-dependent older persons, we characterized patterns of frailty status evolution by age, sex, race/ethnicity, and treatment vintage; by longitudinal profiles of non-sedentary behavior; and by self-report indicators relevant for dimensions emphasized in the Age-Friendly 4Ms Health System (What Matters, Mobility, Mentation). Our study suggests that strategies to promote resiliency among older persons with dialysis-dependent CKD can be informed not only by frailty status transition that indicates improvement over time but also by older adults’ maintenance of (stable) robust status over time, and we concur that inclusion of both frailty and resilience measures is needed in future longitudinal studies and clinical trials

Results of the ESO-SEST Key Programme on CO in the Magellanic Clouds. IX. The giant LMC HII region complex N11

We present maps and a catalogue containing the J=1-0 12CO parameters of 29 individual molecular clouds in the second-brightest LMC star formation complex, N11. In the southwestern part of N11, molecular clouds occur in a ring or shell surrounding the major OB star association LH9. In the northeastern part, a chain of molecular clouds delineates the rim of one of the so-called supergiant shells in the LMC. The well-defined clouds have dimensions close to those of the survey beam (diameters of 25 pc or less). Some of the clouds were also observed in J=2-1 12CO, and in the lower two transitions of 13CO. Clouds mapped with a twice higher angular resolution in J=2-1 12CO show substructure with dimensions once again comparable to those of the mapping beam. The few clouds for which we could model physical parameters have fairly warm (T(kin) = 60 - 150 K) and moderately dense (n(H2) = 3000 cm-3) gas. The northeastern chain of CO clouds, although lacking in diffuse intercloud emission, is characteristic of the more quiescent regions of the LMC and appears to have been subject to relatively little photo-processing. The clouds forming part of the southwestern shell or ring, however, are almost devoid of diffuse intercloud emission and also exhibit other characteristics of an extreme photon-dominated region (PDR).Comment: 14 pages; accepted for publication in A&

Self-similar motion for modeling anomalous diffusion and nonextensive statistical distributions

We introduce a new universality class of one-dimensional iteration model giving rise to self-similar motion, in which the Feigenbaum constants are generalized as self-similar rates and can be predetermined. The curves of the mean-square displacement versus time generated here show that the motion is a kind of anomalous diffusion with the diffusion coefficient depending on the self-similar rates. In addition, it is found that the distribution of displacement agrees to a reliable precision with the q-Gaussian type distribution in some cases and bimodal distribution in some other cases. The results obtained show that the self-similar motion may be used to describe the anomalous diffusion and nonextensive statistical distributions.Comment: 15pages, 5figure

Nocturnal sleep, daytime sleepiness, and quality of life in stable patients on hemodialysis

BACKGROUND: Although considerable progress has been made in the treatment of chronic kidney disease, compromised quality of life continues to be a significant problem for patients receiving hemodialysis (HD). However, in spite of the high prevalence of sleep complaints and disorders in this population, the relationship between these problems and quality of life remains to be well characterized. Thus, we studied a sample of stable HD patients to explore relationships between quality of life and both subjective and objective measures of nocturnal sleep and daytime sleepiness METHODS: The sample included forty-six HD patients, 24 men and 22 women, with a mean age of 51.6 (10.8) years. Subjects underwent one night of polysomnography followed the next morning by a Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT), an objective measure of daytime sleepiness. Subjects also completed: 1) a brief nocturnal sleep questionnaire; 2) the Epworth Sleepiness Scale; and, 3) the Quality of Life Index (QLI, Dialysis Version) which provides an overall QLI score and four subscale scores for Health & Functioning (H&F), Social & Economic (S&E), Psychological & Spiritual (P&S), and Family (F). (The range of scores is 0 to 30 with higher scores indicating better quality of life.) RESULTS: The mean (standard deviation; SD) of the overall QLI was 22.8 (4.0). The mean (SD) of the four subscales were as follows: H&F – 21.1 (4.7); S&E – 22.0 (4.8); P&S – 24.5 (4.4); and, F – 26.8 (3.5). H&F (r(s )= -0.326, p = 0.013) and F (r(s )= -0.248, p = 0.048) subscale scores were negatively correlated with periodic limb movement index but not other polysomnographic measures. The H&F subscale score were positively correlated with nocturnal sleep latency (r(s )= 0.248, p = 0.048) while the H&F (r(s )= 0.278, p = 0.030) and total QLI (r(s )= 0.263, p = 0.038) scores were positively associated with MSLT scores. Both of these latter findings indicate that higher life quality is associated with lower sleepiness levels. ESS scores were unrelated to overall QLI scores or the subscale scores. Subjective reports of difficulty falling asleep and waking up too early were significantly correlated with all four subscale scores and overall QLI. Feeling rested in the morning was positively associated with S&E, P&S, and Total QLI scores. CONCLUSION: Selected measures of both poor nocturnal sleep and increased daytime sleepiness are associated with decreased quality of life in HD patients, underscoring the importance of recognizing and treating these patients' sleep problems

Hopping motion of lattice gases through nonsymmetric potentials under strong bias conditions

The hopping motion of lattice gases through potentials without mirror-reflection symmetry is investigated under various bias conditions. The model of 2 particles on a ring with 4 sites is solved explicitly; the resulting current in a sawtooth potential is discussed. The current of lattice gases in extended systems consisting of periodic repetitions of segments with sawtooth potentials is studied for different concentrations and values of the bias. Rectification effects are observed, similar to the single-particle case. A mean-field approximation for the current in the case of strong bias acting against the highest barriers in the system is made and compared with numerical simulations. The particle-vacancy symmetry of the model is discussed.Comment: 8 pages (incl. 6 eps figures); RevTeX 3.

Solitonic-exchange mechanism of surface~diffusion

We study surface diffusion in the framework of a generalized Frenkel-Kontorova model with a nonconvex transverse degree of freedom. The model describes a lattice of atoms with a given concentration interacting by Morse-type forces, the lattice being subjected to a two-dimensional substrate potential which is periodic in one direction and nonconvex (Morse) in the transverse direction. The results are used to describe the complicated exchange-mediated diffusion mechanism recently observed in MD simulations [J.E. Black and Zeng-Ju Tian, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 71}, 2445-2448(1993)].Comment: 22 Revtex pages, 9 figures to appear in Phys. Rev.

Study of Digital Competence of the Students and Teachers in Ukraine

Professional fulfillment of the personality at the conditions of the digital economy requires the high level of digital competency. One of the ways to develop these competencies is education. However, to provide the implementation of digital education at a high level, the digital competency of the teachers and students is a must. This paper presents explanations on the level determination of the digital competencies for teachers and students in Ukraine according to the DigComp recommendations. We tried to identify the main factors that reflect the degree of readiness teachers and students for digital education based on their self-evaluation. We also attempted to estimate the level of digital competencies based on the analysis of Case-Studies execution results. The complex analysis let us assess the connection between respondents’ self-evaluation and their real competencies. Here we provide a methodology and a model of level competencies determination by means of a survey, expert case rating and the results of the statistical analysis. On the basis of the obtained results, this paper suggests further research prospects and recommendations on the digital competency development in educational institutions in Ukraine