682 research outputs found
Alcoholism and perceptions of family of origin
Theories regarding the etiology of alcoholism abound in the literature. Conceptualization of the disease has ranged from that of individual pathology to a symptom of family dysfunction. In the past, treatment providers have concentrated their efforts on treating the individual alcoholic while virtually ignoring issues regarding the adult alcoholic\u27s family of origin as well as problems found in the alcoholic\u27s nuclear family. More recently, theorists and therapists have begun looking at the impact of the family of origin on the development of alcoholism in certain individuals. Greater understanding of the disease has come to include examining not only the individual\u27s genetic predisposition to alcoholism, but environmental factors such as living with an alcoholic parent or being raised in a highly dysfunctional family. The purpose of this paper was to examine the possible relationship between structural dysfunctions in the family of origin and the development of alcoholism
An assistive technology design framework for ADHD
In this paper, we present a design framework for ADHD assistive technologies that aims to give researchers grounding in the background research on the condition, to provide a lingua franca, and to highlight potential research directions for HCI researchers within assistive technology. The design framework couples ADHD patient challenge areas to technological opportunities and it provides a set of practical design strategies for developing successful assistive technologies for people with ADHD. The framework is based on empirical studies, ADHD research, and related work on assistive technologies. We map existing assistive technologies and potential new research efforts to the framework concepts. This way we show how it is used to support and advance the research and development of novel assistive technologies for the ADHD domain
Changing Family Practices with Assistive Technology: MOBERO Improves Morning and Bedtime Routines for Children with ADHD
Families of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often report morning and bedtime routines to be stressful and frustrating. Through a design process involving domain professionals and families we designed MOBERO, a smartphone-based system that assists families in establishing healthy morning and bedtime routines with the aim to assist the child in becoming independent and lowering the parents’ frustration levels. In a two-week intervention with 13 children with ADHD and their families, MOBERO significantly improved children’s independence and reduced parents’ frustration levels. Additionally, use of MOBERO was associated with a 16.5% reduction in core ADHD symptoms and an 8.3% improvement in the child’s sleep habits, both measured by standardized questionnaires. Our study highlights the potential of assistive technologies to change the everyday practices of families of children with ADHD
An Hybrid Approach for Identification of Breast Cancer using Mammogram Images
Breast Cancer (BC) is the first among the cancer deaths in women all over the world. Mammography is broadly perceived as the best imaging methodology for the early location of BC. Mammography examination reduced the BC death in spite of increasing number of noticed malignancies during the last decade. Although it is the best reliable method for early location, it has several limitations. One essential viewpoint is that the exactness rate tends to diminishing when doctors' examined high volume of mammograms. This work mainly concentrates on identifying regions containing small clusters of micro calcifications to categorize the tissue as being regular or irregular. Potentially cancerous tissue is distinguished from normal tissue by analyzing features of a given region within a mammogram. Therefore, feature extraction and saliency play an important role in cancer detection
Below Canopy Meteorological Measurements at Three Florida Sites with Varying Tree Cover and Development
Residential demand for air conditioning is
strongly impacted by the surrounding ambient air
temperature. Research over several decades has documented
the progressive impact of urban heat islands
on summer temperatures in the built environment.
However, less research has examined how the heat
island is impacted by the more localized meteorological
environment. How does suburban development
and tree canopy cover impact micro-climates in
a suburban environment? This has implications, both
for preserving trees within recently constructed
developments, as well as the potential impact of tree
planting programs.
To address this question, temperature measurements
were made over a one year period at three
Melbourne, Florida sites. The results showed a
forested nature park of 19 hectares to be consistently
cooler during both summer days and nights than a
residential development of 9 hectares and density of
4.6 houses per hectare with an extensive tall tree
canopy, which, in turn, was consistently cooler than a
residential development of 37 hectares and density of
10.1 houses per hectare with very few trees. The
average July air temperatures for the forested
undeveloped site, residential site with trees, and
residential site without bees measured at the project's
main stations were 26.2.26.9 and 27.8" respectively
at a 2.5-meter height and 26.7.27.0 and 27.7OC respectively
at a 9-meter height. The 2.5-meter temperature
differences were greater than 1°C between the
two residential sites 93% of the time when both sites
had wind speeds greater than 0.5 m/s. Secondary.
remote temperature sensors grouped around the main
stations in each of the three sites to account for
spacial variability registered even larger temperature
differences than sensors at the main stations. Mobile
measurements were made on two summer days, with
good agreement with the main stations. The mobile
measurement made on a sunny day indicated significant
localized warming at commercial sites adjacent
to the residential development with trees
On the role of gallbladder emptying and incretin hormones for nutrient-mediated TSH suppression in patients with type 2 diabetes
Bile acids are possible candidate agents in newly identified pathways through which energy expenditure may be regulated. Preclinical studies suggest that bile acids activate the enzyme type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase, which deiodinates thyroxine (T(4)) to the biologically active triiodothyronine (T(3)). We aimed to evaluate the influence of bile acid exposure and incretin hormones on thyroid function parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroid hormones (total T(3) and free T(4)) were measured in plasma from two human studies: i) 75 g-oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and three isocaloric (500 kcal) and isovolaemic (350 ml) liquid meals with increasing fat content with concomitant ultrasonographic evaluation of gallbladder emptying in 15 patients with type 2 diabetes and 15 healthy age, gender and BMI-matched controls (meal-study) and ii) 50 g-OGTT and isoglycaemic intravenous glucose infusions (IIGI) alone or in combination with glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1) and/or GLP2, in ten patients with type 2 diabetes (IIGI-study). In both studies, TSH levels declined (P<0.01) similarly following all meal and infusion stimuli. T(3) and T(4) concentrations did not change in response to any of the applied stimuli. TSH levels declined independently of the degree of gallbladder emptying (meal-study), route of nutrient administration and infusion of gut hormones. In conclusion, intestinal bile flow and i.v. infusions of the gut hormones, GIP, GLP1 and/or GLP2, do not seem to affect thyroid function parameters. Thus, the presence of a ‘gut–thyroid–pituitary’ axis seems questionable
Selfoscillations of Suspended Carbon Nanotubes with a Deflection Sensitive Resistance under Voltage Bias
We theoretically investigate the electro-mechanics of a Suspended Carbon
Nanotube with a Deflection Sensitive Resistance subjected to a homogeneous
Magnetic Field and a constant Voltage Bias. We show that, (with the exception
of a singular case), for a sufficiently high magnetic field the
time-independent state of charge transport through the nanotube becomes
unstable to selfexcitations of the mechanical vibration accompanied by
oscialltions in the voltage drop and current across the nanotube.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur
Measured Impacts of Air Conditioner Condenser Shading
A study has been conducted by the Florida
Solar Energy Center (FSEC) to examine if space
cooling energy savings can be achieved from shading
of residential air conditioning (AC) condenser units.
The investigation consisted of before-and-after
experiments conducted on three homes over a two
year period. A recent EPA study recommends
shading of exterior AC condensers, using landscaping
or other means, as a method to reduce space cooling
energy use (Akbari et al., 1992)
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