Stressed and Strapped: Caregivers in California

Profiles the demographics and self-reported physical and mental health status of informal caregivers caring for a family member or friend, including high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease; psychological distress; and unhealthy behaviors

Introduction: The Many Cultures of Walt Whitman, Part Two

Special double issue of WWQR, with selected essays from the 1998 Rutgers-Camden "Many Cultures of Walt Whitman" conference; with an "Introduction" (1-3) by the editors, and seven essays, each listed separately in this bibliography

Segmentation of Pulmonary Vascular Trees from Thoracic 3D CT Images

This paper describes an algorithm for extracting pulmonary vascular trees (arteries plus veins) from three-dimensional (3D) thoracic computed tomographic (CT) images. The algorithm integrates tube enhancement filter and traversal approaches which are based on eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a Hessian matrix to extract thin peripheral segments as well as thick vessels close to the lung hilum. The resultant algorithm was applied to a simulation data set and 44 scans from 22 human subjects imaged via multidetector-row CT (MDCT) during breath holds at 85% and 20% of their vital capacity. A quantitative validation was performed with more than 1000 manually identified points selected from inside the vessel segments to assess true positives (TPs) and 1000 points randomly placed outside of the vessels to evaluate false positives (FPs) in each case. On average, for both the high and low volume lung images, 99% of the points was properly marked as vessel and 1% of the points were assessed as FPs. Our hybrid segmentation algorithm provides a highly reliable method of segmenting the combined pulmonary venous and arterial trees which in turn will serve as a critical starting point for further quantitative analysis tasks and aid in our overall goal of establishing a normative atlas of the human lung

Boundaries: A Boundary Setting and Social Competence Program for Parents and Youth

Learning to set age-appropriate boundaries is an integral element of positive youth development. Both parents and youth need guidance in rule-rsetting and negotiating boundaries. North Dakota State University Extension created Boundaries, a program using parent-youth relationships to teach the importance of setting and following rules or boundaries in various environments. Boundaries was written for 7th- through 12th-grade youth and their parents. This study provides an overview of the program’s objectives and curriculum and shares findings from evaluation efforts conducted with over 60 youth and adults during the program’s pilot phase. In six pilot sessions, respondents completed single-session retrospective questionnaires and answered open-ended questions, which were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, and thematic review. Adults reported higher satisfaction than youth with program content and instruction. Both youth and adults increased their knowledge of program-specific content related to boundaries and relationships. Open-ended responses offered positive feedback and suggestions for program improvement. Results suggested the program was perceived positively and increased youth and adult knowledge of boundary setting and social competence in family life and other settings. Key recommendations include increased rigorous evaluation to measure program impacts and focus on effective implementation strategies for the program

Role of Post‐Acute Care in Readmissions for Preexisting Healthcare‐Associated Infections

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153607/1/jgs16208.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153607/2/jgs16208_am.pd