The Aesthetics of Theory Selection and the Logics of Art

Philosophers of science discuss whether theory selection depends on aesthetic judgments or criteria, and whether these putatively aesthetic features are genuinely extra-epistemic. As examples, judgments involving criteria such as simplicity and symmetry are often cited. However, other theory selection criteria, such as fecundity, coherence, internal consistency, and fertility, more closely match those criteria used in art contexts and by scholars working in aesthetics. Paying closer attention to the way these criteria are used in art contexts allows us to understand some evaluative and developmental practices in scientific theory selection as genuinely aesthetic, enlarging the scope of the goals of science

An Analysis of Factors Associated With Older Workers’ Employment Participation and Preferences in Australia

Australian government and organizational age-management policies continue to target employment participation among older workers in light of an aging population. Typically, efforts to reduce early retirement among older workers have focused on well-established factors, including the promotion of worker health, reducing injury, supporting caregivers, reducing age discrimination and enhancing skill development. This research extends on the former approach by examining established factors along with important emerging factors, namely work-life conflict, work centrality and person-job fit. Additionally, the research analyses the effects of gender and financial pressure on older workers’ employment participation and preferences. Logistic regression analysis of cross-sectional survey data involving 1,504 Australians aged 45–65, revealed that two established factors, physical health and caregiving, and all three emerging factors were associated with employment participation and preferences to be employed. However, important variations on the basis of gender and financial pressure were also identified. Caregiving was more strongly associated with the preference to remain employed for men (OR = 0.2.54, p < 0.01) than women (OR = 1.03, ns) and person-job fit was more strongly associated with the preference to remain employed for women (OR = 1.64, p < 0.001) than men (OR = 0.91, ns). Work-life conflict was more strongly associated with the preference to leave employment for those reporting limited financial pressure (OR = 0.60, p < 0.001) compared to those in poorer financial circumstances (OR = 0.87, ns). These findings suggest that organizational age management policies should focus on both established and emerging factors, particularly the provision of flexible working conditions and improving the psychosocial work environment. However, such efforts should carefully consider the different needs of men and women, and those under varying levels of financial stress. With respect to government policy to promote employment participation, the findings support a stronger focus on improving physical and psychosocial work conditions rather than increasing the pension eligibility age. This may require further collaboration between government and employers

Best care options for older prisoners with dementia – a scoping review

Introduction: The prisoner population is ageing and consideration is needed for how to best support those with age-related health conditions in the system. Existing work practices and organisational structures often fail to meet the needs of prisoners with dementia, and prison staff experience high levels of burden due to these prisoners’ increased needs. Little is known about the best method of responding to the needs of this growing sub-population of prisoners. Method: A scoping review was conducted to answer the question: What are the perceived best care options for prisoners with dementia? To be included, publications had to be publicly available, reported on research findings, or viewed opinions and commentaries on care practices relevant to older prisoners with dementia. Searches were conducted in eleven databases to identify relevant publications. Data from the included publications were extracted and summarised into themes. Results: Eight themes were identified that could support better care practices for prisoners with dementia: (1) early and ongoing screening for older prisoners; (2) specialised services; (3) specialised units; (4) programs/activities; (5) adaptations to current contexts; (6) early release or parole for older prisoners with dementia deemed at low risk of re-offending; and (7) training younger prisoners (8) as well as staff to assist older prisoners with dementia. Besides practical strategies improving care practice, costs, prison-specific resources and staff skills were highlighted as care barriers across all themes. A lack of empirical evidence supported these findings. Conclusion: One of the implications of the international ageing prison population is higher numbers of people incarcerated with dementia. Suggestions for best care approaches for prisoners with dementia now need to move from opinion to empirical approaches to guide practice

Resistance to pirimiphos-methyl in West African Anopheles is spreading via duplication and introgression of the Ace1 locus

Vector population control using insecticides is a key element of current strategies to prevent malaria transmission in Africa. The introduction of effective insecticides, such as the organophosphate pirimiphos-methyl, is essential to overcome the recurrent emergence of resistance driven by the highly diverse Anopheles genomes. Here, we use a population genomic approach to investigate the basis of pirimiphos-methyl resistance in the major malaria vectors Anopheles gambiae and A. coluzzii. A combination of copy number variation and a single non-synonymous substitution in the acetylcholinesterase gene, Ace1, provides the key resistance diagnostic in an A. coluzzii population from Coˆte d’Ivoire that we used for sequence-based association mapping, with replication in other West African populations. The Ace1 substitution and duplications occur on a unique resistance haplotype that evolved in A. gambiae and introgressed into A. coluzzii, and is now common in West Africa primarily due to selection imposed by other organophosphate or carbamate insecticides. Our findings highlight the predictive value of this complex resistance haplotype for phenotypic resistance and clarify its evolutionary history, providing tools to for molecular surveillance of the current and future effectiveness of pirimiphos-methyl based interventions

Nurses' perceptions of aids and obstacles to the provision of optimal end of life care in ICU

Contains fulltext : 172380.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Challenges and opportunities for an ageing Australia

Population ageing is a global phenomenon whose impact is only now being fully recognised and understood. Increased longevity, aspirations for improved quality of life, advances in health and better welfare provision are generally accepted as parts of a variable success story that will demand ongoing action with the expectation that populations worldwide will live to increasingly older ages (OECD 2015; WHO 2015). Governments around the world are now grappling with the significant social and economic challenges raised by population ageing: some of the notable policy responses in Australia to date include encouraging people to stay in the labour force beyond the traditional retirement age of 65 years, increasing the pension eligibility age, promoting healthy and active ageing, supporting older people to ‘age in place’ and the introduction of consumer-directed care and user-pays into aged care services

Pathways to Well-Being in Later Life: Socioeconomic and Health Determinants Across the Life Course of Australian Baby Boomers

In many countries like Australia and the United States, baby boomers are referred to as the 'lucky cohort', yet there has been little research on the origins and extent of inequalities within this cohort. This study uses path analysis to investigate direct and indirect effects of childhood and adult socioeconomic status and health on two subjective well-being measures: quality of life and life satisfaction. Retrospective life course data were obtained for 1,261 people aged 60 to 64 in the 2011-12 Life Histories and Health survey, a sub-study of the Australian 45 and Up Study. Supporting an accumulation model, the number of negative childhood and adult exposures were inversely related to both types of well-being. Consistent with a critical period model, childhood exposures had small but significant effects on subjective well-being and were relatively more important for quality of life than for life satisfaction. However, these childhood effects were largely indirect and significantly mediated by more proximal adult exposures, providing support for a pathway model. A key implication of this research is that the critical period for later life well-being is significant in adulthood rather than childhood, suggesting that there may be key opportunities for improving individuals' later life well-being far beyond the early, formative years. This research highlights the importance of understanding how earlier life exposures impact experiences in later life, and investing in health and socioeconomic opportunities to reduce inequalities across all stages of life

Developing a fall prevention program for community-dwelling stroke survivors in Singapore: client and caregiver perspectives

10.1080/09638288.2017.1419293Disability and Rehabilitation4191044-105

Therapists’ perspectives on adapting the Stepping On falls prevention programme for community-dwelling stroke survivors in Singapore

<p><b>Purpose:</b> This study investigates the perspectives of rehabilitation therapists on the implementation of fall prevention programmes with community-dwelling stroke survivors in the Singapore context, and elicits recommendations to adapt the Stepping On programme with stroke survivors.</p> <p><b>Method:</b> Qualitative data were elicited during 4 focus groups with 23 rehabilitation therapists (15 occupational therapists [OTs]; 8 physiotherapists [PTs]) who had received training to deliver the original Stepping On programme, and had experienced delivery of fall-prevention intervention programmes locally. Collected data were analysed using thematic analysis method.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> Three themes emerged from the focus groups describing: (a) limitations of existing falls prevention intervention for stroke clients; (b) the need to adapt the Stepping On programme to use with stroke clients; and (c) challenges in implementing fall prevention programmes in the stroke context. A series of new components were suggested to be included as part of the Stepping On after stroke (SOAS) programme, including involvement of family members and caregivers, and tailored community reintegration sessions (such as taking public transport and shopping).</p> <p><b>Conclusions:</b> Rehabilitation therapists describe challenges in addressing fall prevention within a stroke context, and findings highlight the need for a structured, stroke-specific fall prevention programme rather than a more general approach to education and training. Contextual components identified provide valuable inputs towards the development of a culturally relevant fall prevention programme for stroke survivors in Singapore.Implications for Rehabilitation</p><p>Stroke survivors living in the community are at a high risk of falls.</p><p>A structured and culturally relevant fall prevention programme for community-living stroke survivors is needed.</p><p>Falls prevention for community-living stroke survivors should be multi-dimensional and targeting the modifiable risk factors for falls in this group.</p><p>Both stroke survivors and caregivers should be involved in any fall prevention after stroke programmes.</p><p></p> <p>Stroke survivors living in the community are at a high risk of falls.</p> <p>A structured and culturally relevant fall prevention programme for community-living stroke survivors is needed.</p> <p>Falls prevention for community-living stroke survivors should be multi-dimensional and targeting the modifiable risk factors for falls in this group.</p> <p>Both stroke survivors and caregivers should be involved in any fall prevention after stroke programmes.</p