Women’s Experiences with Prenatal Care: A Mixed-Methods Study Exploring the Influence of the Social Determinants of Health

Background & Purpose: Racial and ethnic disparities pervade birth outcomes in the United States and the state of Connecticut. While Connecticut’s infant mortality rate is less than the national average, rates for the state’s Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino communities exceed it. This study explored how prenatal care in Connecticut may be enhanced to address these disparities. Methods: In spring 2013, seven focus groups and two semi-structured interviews were conducted (n=47). Participants also self-administered brief surveys. Recruited by local service providers, participants were 18 or older, pregnant and/or in the first year post-partum at the time. Most self-identified as non-white. Results: Even when care was perceived as strong quality, participants perceived a lack of patient-centeredness. Participants knew the importance of prenatal care and actively prioritized it even when experiencing challenges accessing healthcare services or barriers to broader conditions needed to be healthy. Participants also reported experiencing discrimination in healthcare. Conclusions & Implications: The women esteemed providers’ clinical advice, but felt unheard in their prenatal care experiences and faced structural challenges which may be addressed by changing institutional policies and procedures

Palliative cancer patients in the acute hospital setting – physiotherapists attitudes and beliefs towards this patient group

Background; With advances in medical technology, increasing numbers of patients are ‘living with’ a terminal cancer diagnosis for longer periods; this coupled with changes in government policy, is resulting in patients being treated closer to home rather than in specialist centres, bringing acute hospital physiotherapists into increasing contact with this patient group. Aim; To describe the experience of acute hospital physiotherapists with palliative cancer patients. Design; Semi-structured interviews analysed utilizing Colaizzi’s method of analysis, reported using the COREQ guidelines. Setting; Acute Hospital in the UK. Participants; The first twelve physiotherapists who volunteered for the study who met the inclusion criteria. Results; Two main themes were identified, Attitudes and Issues, with four sub-themes in attitudes (terminology, physiotherapists perceptions, other professionals perceived attitudes towards physiotherapists, and patients and families perceived attitudes towards physiotherapists’): There were six sub-themes in issues (communication, education, emotions, boundaries, referring onward from the acute setting and time). Conclusions and Implications for Practice; Some physiotherapists understand and apply their skills to improve the quality of life of palliative cancer patients. However, it is suggested that the majority of physiotherapists regard these patients as ‘dying from’ rather than ‘living with’ a terminal cancer diagnosis. Referral protocols and service pathways are lacking. There is an opportunity to improve how the profession promotes itself to other professionals, the public and physiotherapists of the future, to facilitate palliative cancer patients’ access to rehabilitation when and where they need it, and to deliver services in line with government policy.</p

Corrosion-protective coatings from electrically conducting polymers

In a joint effort between NASA Kennedy and LANL, electrically conductive polymer coatings were developed as corrosion protective coatings for metal surfaces. At NASA Kennedy, the launch environment consist of marine, severe solar, and intermittent high acid and/or elevated temperature conditions. Electrically conductive polymer coatings were developed which impart corrosion resistance to mild steel when exposed to saline and acidic environments. Such coatings also seem to promote corrosion resistance in areas of mild steel where scratches exist in the protective coating. Such coatings appear promising for many commercial applications

Development of an auditory rehabilitation training programme for hearing impaired adults in Saudi Arabia

Hearing impairment is one of the most common sensory disabilities, affecting millions of people worldwide. The current management of acquired hearing impairment in adults is usually in the form of hearing aids. An auditory rehabilitation programme may or may not be provided although literature suggests that such programmes may enhance hearing aid benefits. This study was conducted in an Arabic-speaking country, specifically Saudi Arabia, and is the first to develop an auditory rehabilitation intervention programme in the Arabic language that focuses on working age adults who are new hearing aid users. Method: Randomised intervention study design. Thirty-five participants with mild to severe acquired hearing loss (intervention group n=18, control group n=17). Results: Significant changes were found in the performance of the intervention group in the Minimal Audible Capabilities (MAC) test, a lip reading test and the Glasgow Hearing Aid Benefit Profile (GHABP) questionnaire when compared with the control group. No significant difference was found in speech test scores between the two groups. Conclusions: A short individualised auditory rehabilitation intervention programme can yield a significant improvement in the performance of hearing impaired adults by enhancing the benefits of hearing aid use

Between a rock and a hard place:leading university teacher education in England

Processes of market-making and regulation are recalibrating the work of teacher education. While an established body of research has examined changes to the content and control of teacher education in the UK and internationally, the impact of audit-based accountability on the work of academic leaders is neglected. This study explores the career transitions, experiences and commitments of leaders in professional education at a time of jurisdictional challenge. Drawing on interviews with Heads of Department of 10 large-scale university providers of pre-service teacher education in England, the analysis addresses the impact of multiple accountabilities on professional agency, identity and efficacy. The study finds participants’ need to demonstrate compliance with policy directives in a highly volatile operating context diminishes possibilities for critically reflexive leadership practice and policy activism

Generation and Screening of a BAC Library from a Diploid Potato Clone to Unravel Durable Late Blight Resistance on Linkage Group IV

We describe the construction and screening of a large insert genomic library from the diploid potato clone HB171(13) that has been shown to express durable quantitative field resistance to Phytophthora infestans, the causal agent of potato late blight disease. Integrated genetic mapping of the field resistance quantitative trait locus with markers developed from populations segregating for Rpi-blb3, Rpi-abpt, R2, and R2-like resistance, all located on linkage group IV, has positioned the field resistance QTL within the proximity of this R gene cluster. The library has been successfully screened with resistance gene analogues (RGA) potentially linked to the R gene cluster. Over 30 positive BAC clones were identified and confirmed by PCR and Southern hybridisations to harbour RGA-like sequences. In addition, BAC end sequencing of positive clones has corroborated two BAC clones with a very high level of nucleotide similarity to the RGA probes utilised

TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS OF FILIPINO COMMUNTIY OFFICIALS: EVIDENCE FROM UNIVERSITY EXTENSION PROJECT

As the basic political unit in the Philippines, barangays are expected to exercise their power and authority in managing the interactions of the community members. This includes their knowledge, skills, and competencies to exercise their oath of office, without compromising the needs of the constituents as a public trust. This research aims to measure the knowledge of the barangay officials in their duties, not limited to the mandated roles, the research also tackled the extent of their orientation to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and lifelong learning as these emphasize the prevalent concerns present in countries, identified by intergovernmental organizations. Governance, including procedures, technicalities, and duties, plays a vital role in the harnessing the assets present in the localities towards participatory and societal development. Capacity-building, through offering a certificate program was seen as an aid to empower the barangay leaders to realize their role as catalysts of change in their barangays

Coastal Habitat Use by Wood Storks during the Non-Breeding Season

We documented roosting and foraging habitat use by Wood Storks during the post-breeding season in the coastal zone of Georgia from 1994-1998. Larger, more persistent aggregations of roosting storks typically oc- curred in enclosed wetlands on large estuarine islands. Smaller, more ephemeral aggregations tended to occur on salt marsh/upland ecotones, where storks appeared to be waiting for local conditions (tide levels) to become suit- able for foraging. Examination of habitat types within a 2-km radius of the larger (mean \u3e 10 storks/survey) vs. smaller (mean \u3c10 storks/survey) roosts showed that surrounding habitat structure, including those used for for- aging, were similar. Foraging storks typically fed in close proximity (median = 0.5 km) to large roosts, much closer than storks using coastal wetlands during the breeding season. Tidal creeks were used almost exclusively as foraging habitat (92%). Storks and other wading birds were almost always present when the study bird arrived. The foraging patterns of study birds and four storks carrying radios suggested that storks often used the same foraging sites and/ or marsh systems in the non-breeding season. Coastal Wood Storks apparently selected roosting sites based on the presence of conspecifics, abundant local prey, or possibly as shelter from adverse weather condition

Coastal Habitat Use by Wood Storks during the Non-Breeding Season

We documented roosting and foraging habitat use by Wood Storks during the post-breeding season in the coastal zone of Georgia from 1994-1998. Larger, more persistent aggregations of roosting storks typically oc- curred in enclosed wetlands on large estuarine islands. Smaller, more ephemeral aggregations tended to occur on salt marsh/upland ecotones, where storks appeared to be waiting for local conditions (tide levels) to become suit- able for foraging. Examination of habitat types within a 2-km radius of the larger (mean \u3e 10 storks/survey) vs. smaller (mean \u3c10 storks/survey) roosts showed that surrounding habitat structure, including those used for for- aging, were similar. Foraging storks typically fed in close proximity (median = 0.5 km) to large roosts, much closer than storks using coastal wetlands during the breeding season. Tidal creeks were used almost exclusively as foraging habitat (92%). Storks and other wading birds were almost always present when the study bird arrived. The foraging patterns of study birds and four storks carrying radios suggested that storks often used the same foraging sites and/ or marsh systems in the non-breeding season. Coastal Wood Storks apparently selected roosting sites based on the presence of conspecifics, abundant local prey, or possibly as shelter from adverse weather condition

The Effects of Drought on Foraging Habitat Selection of Breeding Wood Storks in Coastal Georgia

Foraging habitat use by Wood Storks (Mycteria americana) during the breeding season was studied for three coastal colonies during a drought year and compared to habitat use during normal rainfall years. Information on the distribution of wetland habitat types was derived using U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetland In- ventory (NWI) data within a Geographic Information System (GIS). Foraging locations were obtained by following storks from their colonies in a fixed-winged aircraft. Differences in hydrologic condition and, the resulting prey availability in coastal zone freshwater wetlands greatly affected foraging habitat use and breeding success of the three stork colonies. In 1997 (dry), although the foraging range of each colony did not differ from wetter years, storks used estuarine foraging habitats much more extensively. Breeding success (fledged young/nest) in 1997 was less than half the success of the wetter years. Palustrine (freshwater) wetlands seem very important to storks breed- ing along the Georgia coast. During dry years, estuarine wetlands, by themselves, do not appear to be able to support the breeding population of storks in this region. Reasons why these productive wetlands do not provide sufficient resources for successful breeding are unclear, but could include limitations to only two foraging periods (low tides) in a 24-hr period