Sharing Our Stories With the Future Healthcare Workforce: Perspectives of Low-Income Poverty Simulation Volunteers

Practitioner attitudes about low-income patients may impact clinical care and outcomes. Poverty simulation, employing low-income community volunteers, is an effective teaching tool in improving attitudes toward poverty among health professions students. This study explores the experiences of these essential simulation volunteers who share their stories with student participants. Focus groups were conducted with low-income community members who staff resource tables during poverty simulations. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a grounded theoretical approach. Participants spoke of the systemic nature of poverty and identified multiple barriers to healthcare access. Perceived lower quality of care, mistrust in health professionals, and a lack of continuity of care were discussed. In regards to the simulation, participants were empowered through sharing their stories with students, and offered suggestions for program improvement. Simulation provides a forum for community members to educate the future healthcare workforce on systemic barriers faced by low-income populations

Collimated, single-pass atom source from a pulsed alkali metal dispenser for laser-cooling experiments

We have developed an improved scheme for loading atoms into a magneto-optical trap (MOT) from a directed alkali metal dispenser in < 10^-10 torr ultra-high vacuum conditions. A current-driven dispenser was surrounded with a cold absorbing "shroud" held at < 0 C, pumping rubidium atoms not directed into the MOT. This nearly eliminates background alkali atoms and reduces the detrimental rise in pressure normally associated with these devices. The system can be well-described as a current-controlled, rapidly-switched, two-temperature thermal beam, and was used to load a MOT with 3 x 10^8 atoms.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Medical Transport of Children with Complex Chronic Conditions

One of the most notable trends in child health has been the increase in the number of children with special health care needs, including those with complex chronic conditions. Care of these children accounts for a growing fraction of health care resources. We examine recent developments in health care, especially with regard to medical transport and prehospital care, that have emerged to adapt to this remarkable demographic trend. One such development is the focus on care coordination, including the dissemination of the patient-centered medical home concept. In the prehospital setting, the need for greater coordination has catalyzed the development of the emergency information form. Training programs for prehospital providers now incorporate specific modules for children with complex conditions. Another notable trend is the shift to a family-centered model of care. We explore efforts toward regionalization of care, including the development of specialized pediatric transport teams, and conclude with recommendations for a research agenda

A SKETCH-BASED INTERFACE FOR THE DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF SIMPLE VIBRATORY MECHANICAL SYSTEMS

ABSTRACT We describe a sketch-based interface designed to provide engineers with a computer environment similar to pen and paper. With our interface, users can construct functional engineering models simply by drawing sketches on a computer screen. Unlike paper sketches, however, our interface allows users to interact with their sketches in real time to modify existing objects and add new ones. To demonstrate the utility of our system, we have developed a sketch-based interface for designing and analyzing simple vibratory mechanical systems. The technical contributions of our work include: (1) a sketch parsing method for automatically locating the distinct graphical symbols in a sketch, (2) a general-purpose, trainable symbol recognizer, and (3) special purpose prerecognizers that consider shape information and make use of drawing conventions. Introduction Our work aims to create natural user interfaces that allow people to operate software using the same sorts of sketches that they would ordinarily use for problem solving and communicating with others. In many disciplines, sketches have great utility as a problem solving tool, as they provide a suitable medium for recording elusive thoughts, visualizing and testing emerging ideas, and for compactly and efficiently representing various types of information such as spatial, temporal and causal relationships. In the realm of engineering and architecture, sketches greatly facilitate conceptual design activities by freeing the designer from worrying about intricate details such as precise size

Molecular and cytologic studies of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type VIII

We present a family with findings of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type VIII and a presenile appearance due to decreased subcutaneous tissue with drawn skin, defective wound healing, contractures, and thin hair. To investigate this syndrome, we studied collagen production and the growth properties of cultured fibroblasts taken from affected relatives. We could not find evidence of a collagen defect or premature senescence of cultured fibroblasts, although the fibroblasts may have a decreased growth rate. We conclude that this family has findings of EDS VIII and premature aging and propose that this overlapping phenotype is due to a single pathogenetic mechanism. Our studies of collagen production and fibroblast replication did not discern this mechanism.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/38257/1/1320410305_ftp.pd