Use of Distance Delivery Interventions (web-based, mHealth, telehealth) for Hard-to-reach, Vulnerable Midlife and Older Individuals

As older adults may lack access to professional services and/or have limited transportation to seek care, the increasing availability of technologies for self-monitoring, safety, and/or preventive or therapeutic management may show promise for reaching vulnerable older adults. This presentation will describe several types of distance delivery platforms, such as web-based, mHealth, and/or telehealth, which may have applications to older adults in arenas of education, clinical practice or research. This session will highlight the benefits and limitations of these technologies, and will summarize current research about the effectiveness of using these technologies with midlife and older individuals. Objectives: Identify benefits and limitations of various technologies for use with hard-to-reach, vulnerable midlife and older adults. Discuss literature findings about the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of various forms of distance delivery interventions for self-monitoring, safety and behavior change among midlife and older adults. Identify regulatory and other concerns when using telehealth and other distance delivery technologies for managing patient/client care

An Empirical Analysis of the Impacts of Adopting Lean Purchasing and Supplier Management Principles on the Participation of Small Businesses within the Department of Defense Aerospace Industry

The Small Business Act requires that small business concerns be afforded the maximum practicable opportunity to participate in Federal contracts and subcontracts. The contract dollars awarded to small businesses by the Air Force have been on the decline for several years and the Air Force is not meeting its small business award goals. This thesis is a follow-on research effort to that conducted by Mr. Bruce Miller (GAQ-2M) who proposed a connection between the Lean Aerospace Initiative\u27s (LAI) Purchasing and Supplier Management (PSM) principles and declining small business participation. The purpose of this research is to determine if the LAI\u27s PSM Principles are acting as entry barriers to small manufacturing/parts supplier businesses attempting to enter the DoD aerospace market. Market entry barriers discourage new entrants into a market, thus providing an advantage to firms already within a market. This advantage or lack of competition can result in higher prices which are paid with taxpayer funds out of dwindling Air Force budgets. If market entry barriers do exist, efforts can be taken to level the playing field , increase competition, expand the industrial base, and ultimately make more efficient use of dwindling funds

Magnetic Response of Magnetospirillum Gryphiswaldense

In this study we modelled and measured the U-turn trajectories of individual magnetotactic bacteria under the application of rotating magnetic fields, ranging in ampitude from 1 to 12 mT. The model is based on the balance between rotational drag and magnetic torque. For accurate verification of this model, bacteria were observed inside 5 m tall microfluidic channels, so that they remained in focus during the entire trajectory. From the analysis of hundreds of trajectories and accurate measurements of bacteria and magnetosome chain dimensions, we confirmed that the model is correct within measurement error. The resulting average rate of rotation of Magnetospirillum Gryphiswaldense is 0.74 +- 0.03 rad/mTs.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figure

Financial Capability, Financial Threat, and Health: Implications for Social Work Practice

Interest in financial capability and financial threat has gained momentum in social work. However, little is known about the relationship between an individual’s financial capability and perception of financial threat with self-reported health scores. This study examines connections between financial capability, financial threat, and self-reported health scores. Primary data was collected via a paper and pencil survey yielding responses from 153 adults ages 18 and older. Respondents primarily came from the east coast of the United States. Results indicate lower Financial Threat Scores (FTS) are significantly correlated with better self-reported health scores. Regression results reveal FTS is a significant predictor of self-reported health, b = -0.59, t(126) = -7.46, p \u3c 0.001. Financial capability score is not significantly associated with self-reported health. Results may inform social work practice

A Study of Factors Contributing to Achieving and Sustaining School Effectiveness in Elementary Schools

An effective school is one in which there are overall high levels of achievement sustained over time and in which students from the lower socioeconomic (SES) subgroups are performing at levels comparable to higher SES groups. Through a case study methodology, the author analyzed the degree of effectiveness in eight elementary schools and factors that contributed to attaining this level of effectiveness. Over a five year period, data were collected at each school through interviews, effective schools surveys, CAP test results, and other school records. The effectiveness of each school was determined by applying three criteria that evaluated the overall level of achievement as well as gains for the lowest SES group. The qualitative data were analyzed using an interactive model of school improvement that encompassed four essential components: (a) school culture and climate, (b) curriculum and instructional practices, (c) organizational structures and procedures, (d) leadership by district, principal, and staff. From the cross case analyses as well as four in depth case studies the following conclusions were drawn. First, the schools that achieved the highest degree of effectiveness implemented changes in all components; no single element accounted for high levels of achievement. Second, schools that continued to improve had early gains, which raised staff expectations for students success and served to encourage the staff to engage in further improvement efforts. The staff in the schools that made no gains in the five year period tended to blame parents for the lack of achievement gams. Third, organizational structures such as grade level teams, curriculum committees and ad hoc task forces that enabled the staff to work together were essential to increased achievement. Fourth, in the more effective schools the organizational structures provided more opportunities for shared leadership and resulted in a clearer articulation of a shared mission by staff members. Fifth, the schools that achieved increased effectiveness did so within existing budgets. Sixth, external events such as growth in student population, changing demographics, or changes of principal slowed improvement efforts. Seventh, district leadership in terms of goal focus, curriculum alignment, well-planned staff development, and test data analysis and achievement targets helped to support site-based efforts

Lost and Found: (Re)-Placing Say Ka in the La Milpa Suburban Settlement Pattern

The site of Say Ka, less than 4 km from the major center of La Milpa, has generated a large degree of interest among researchers in northwestern Belize in part because of its elusiveness. After being recorded by archaeologists in 1990, Say Ka was lost ; attempts to relocate it failed for nearly a decade (Figure I). It was fortuitously rediscovered in 1999, and three seasons of excavation began in 2004. This paper considers the history of Say Ka, its rediscovery, the results of initial excavations, and the possible implications of this minor center for studying the La Milpa suburban zone

Factor Analysis of the Financial Strain Index from the Welfare, Children and Families: A Three-City Study, Wave 3

This paper uses the Welfare, Children, and Families: A Three-City Study data. The three cities included are Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio. The total sample size was n = 1,773, and almost all respondents were female caregivers (99%). An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) on the financial strain index was conducted because previous research reporting an EFA is limited. The financial strain construct was examined using a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) in two Structural Equation Models (SEMs) and a recursive path analysis estimated by ordinary least squares regression. These previous articles provide the theoretical basis for the EFA reported in this paper. Results of the EFA indicate a one-factor model (RMSEA (.064), CFI (.975), TLI (.958), 2 = 74.995, df = 9, p\u3c .001), and a two-factor model (RMSEA (.035), CFI (.997), TLI (.988), 2 = 12.722, df = 4, p =.0127) are both good fits to the Three-City Study data. However, the one-factor model is more appropriate than the two-factor model based on Eigenvalues and a scree plot. Additional research using the financial strain index from the Three-City Study with samples from different populations is needed to further support retaining a one-factor model. The financial strain index is a valuable composite measure summarizing responses for several rank-ordered items measuring the concept of financial strain. We recommend that financial therapy practitioners use the financial strain index as a one-factor measurement tool to assess client financial strain

A preliminary study on the reliability of physical performance measures in older day-care center clients with dementia.

BACKGROUND: Decline in physical functional ability is an intrinsic component of the dementia syndrome. Reductions in muscle mass and strength represent a major factor in the loss of functional ability Although resistance exercise has been studied as a method for maintaining/recovering function in populations of frail older adults, people with dementia have been systematically excluded because of uncertainty about the reliability of outcome measurements. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the test-retest reliability of a battery of established performance-based measures of strength and function among subjects with dementia. SETTING: A hospital-affiliated adult day-care facility. SUBJECTS: Twelve of 28 older subjects with dementia of various etiologies were available for two assessments prior to implementation of a resistance-exercise intervention. METHODS: Subjects underwent an assessment of lower extremity strength and physical function consisting of two recorded trials of bilateral isometric strength of the knee extensor, hip flexor, and dorsiflexor muscles, as well as hand grip strength; repeated chair stands, evaluation of usual- and maximal safe-gait speed over a 6-m course, and the Timed-Up-and-Go Test. The entire assessment was repeated approximately 1 week later. An average of the trials for each measurement was computed for each of the two assessment periods, and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for these paired measurements were estimated using STATA. RESULTS: ICCs ranged from .56 for left iliopsoas to .77 for left dorsiflexors among the strength measures whereas measures of function ranged from .80 for number of steps in usual gait to .95 for time of fast gait. CONCLUSIONS: Performance-based measures of strength and function can be reliably assessed in older people with dementia, although measures of function appear to be more reliable than measures of strength

Construction of Digital Elevation Models for Archaeological Applications

The use of interpolation in archaeology is becoming common. As archaeologists incorporate geographic information systems (GIS) and computer mapping programs into their research, questions of interpolation become fundamental considerations in the representation and manipulation of topographic data. To date, however, few archaeologists have dealt with these questions. Uncritical use of interpolation algorithms can result in unrealistic representations of the landscape in a mapping program or can result in an inaccurate digital elevation model (DEM) used in a GIS. This, in turn, can lead to an ineffective predictive model of site location. By carefully selecting an interpolation algorithm that is well suited to the data, statistical pitfalls and wasted effort can be avoided