Women who stutter : experiences of developing self-management and quality of life

Background and Purpose: Research suggests that stuttering can impact an individual’s quality of life and how they perceive themselves in interactions with others. As a larger proportion of adults who stutter are men, limited research is available regarding the specific experiences of women who stutter (WWS). Existent literature regarding WWS was mainly published in the 1970s -1980s and may no longer represent current issues. This study aimed to explore the current influences on quality of life, perception of stuttering, self-management strategies, and gender issues experienced by WWS. Methods and Procedures: This grounded theory study used a convenience sample of eight WWS recruited through the Speak Easy Association in WA, a support network for people who stutter. Participants came from diverse cultural backgrounds and their ages ranged for 35-80. In-depth, semi-structured interviews (35-40 mins long) were conducted in participant’s homes, the first of these acting as a pilot. Interviews were audio/video recorded and transcribed verbatim to form raw data. Thematic analysis was performed using the NVivo 10 qualitative analysis software program to manage and code data. Intermediate coding and mapping the relationships between categories, themes and subthemes established emerging patterns. The Overall Assessment of the Speakers Experience of Stuttering (OASES) was also utilised to complement interpretation of qualitative data. Outcomes and Results: Through thematic analysis of interview transcripts, a central category of Sense of Self (SOS) was identified, surrounded by the emerging key themes of Relationships, Responses of Others, and Self-Management. Various interrelated subthemes were also observed. These categories, themes, and subthemes were fluid throughout co-occurring data collection and analysis phases and did not exist independently of one another, sharing complex relationships. OASES scores generally reflected interview content, affirming the use of this tool in quantifying the impact of stuttering on the lives of people who stutter. Conclusions: This study found that quality of life, perception of stuttering, SOS and identity were impacted by stuttering in these eight WWS. The key points of influence for the eight participants were relationships with family, friends, romantic partners, and the responses from those from their workplace or cultural background towards their stutter. The way the WWS viewed their stutter and SOS also impacted how they managed their speech. The women’s strategies for self-management were changeable depending on external life circumstances, SOS and identity. The women highlighted issues related to having children and perception of gender roles in the workplace, indicating potential gender differences in the experience of WWS confirming a need for more extensive research in this area

Análisis y desarrollo de transformadores de distribución con núcleo amorfo

El avance tecnológico ha llevado a la industria de transformadores a reinventarse, a buscar nuevas soluciones, no sólo en la optimización de los recursos, sino en el uso de nuevos materiales, con mejores eficiencias, que no solo harán del transformador un producto que cumpla con los mejores estándares de calidad, sino que también contribuya con la sostenibilidad del medio ambiente. Es por esto que el mejoramiento continuo de los materiales que se emplean en el proceso de fabricación del transformador, ha permitido alcanzar mejores características en dichos equipos, que no solo contribuyen al desarrollo energético de la sociedad, sino que también pueden reducir sus emisiones de dióxido de carbono, gracias a la reducción de sus pérdidas. Respecto al material que se emplea en la construcción del núcleo del transformador, desde la década de los 80’s surge una aleación de hierro, boro y silicio, denominada material amorfo, que comparativamente con las láminas convencionales, como la de acero al silicio de grano orientado, logra reducir las pérdidas en vacío casi un 70%. En este trabajo de grado, se analiza el impacto económico que se obtiene al emplear transformadores con núcleos de material amorfo, especialmente en la evaluación de pérdidas, además de definir la viabilidad técnica durante el ensamble de este material, demostrado a través de resultados que se obtienen a partir de prototipos monofásicos convencionales

Critical Importance of Using FibroScan to Identify Patients with Cirrhosis in a Predominantly African American Patient Population

Introduction: Identifying patients with cirrhosis is complicated, but the availability of Transient Elastography by FibroScan for non-invasive assessment of fibrosis appears to have resolved this issue. The objective of our study was to use a Fibroscan database to identify patients with cirrhosis in our primarily African American Hepatitis C patients and to track outcome especially of patients with Hepatitis C (HCV). Methods: The electronic medical records of 79 out of the 332 individuals (24%) with a Fibroscan between 2014 and 2016 and a score of \u3e12.5 kPa laboratory values recorded, and etiology and outcomes evaluated. AST to Platelet Ratio Index (APRI) and Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) scores were calculated. An APRI score \u3e0.7 and FIB-4 score \u3e3.25 was used for predicting advanced fibrosis. Results: Cirrhotic patients were 92% AA, 52% male, and the majority had Hepatitis C (92%). In patients who had FibroScan-defined cirrhosis, neither their APRI nor FIB-4 scores were as reliable as FibroScan for identifying cirrhosis. The lack of accuracy for APRI and FIB-4 was due to low serum-based scores in patients with early onset cirrhosis. Outcomes for patients with HCV who were treated or not treated were tracked using improvement in FibroScan scores, and development of decompensated cirrhosis. For patients who had a subsequent FibroScan performed after HCV eradication (SVR), there was a statistically significant improvement in fibrosis, as compared to the non-treated patients (p Conclusions: FibroScan is useful for evaluating for cirrhosis in a predominantly African American population, including regression of fibrosis after HCV eradication

Aplicación de la ley 306 en los establecimientos turísticos de la zona costera de Pochomil, Municipio de San Rafael del Sur, Agosto 2017-Febrero 2018

El presente estudio se realizó, con el propósito de analizar la aplicación de la ley 306(ley de incentivos para la industria turística de Nicaragua) en el centro turístico de Pochomil. Para lograr lo anteriormente descrito, se recopiló información y datos relevantes que ayudaron al cumplimiento de dicho objetivo. Es importante señalar que los datos fueron obtenidos directamente, de los prestadores de servicio de la zona costera de Pochomil y de las entidades correspondientes como, el INTUR central, cede del INTUR en Pochomil y la Alcaldía del municipio de San Rafael del Sur, atreves del levantamiento de información realizado por los encargados de la investigación, Para lo cual se llevó a cabo una serie de entrevistas a los propietarios de los establecimientos turísticos, a sí mismo se realizó guías de revisión documental en puntos esenciales como la Alcaldía y cede del INTUR en este municipio y INTUR central. En la investigación se tomaron en cuenta tres elementos debidamente con su orden lógico, primeramente es la identificación de la oferta turística por la cual está conformada la zona costera de Pochomil, por lo tanto en esta parte del estudio se presentan datos con los registros de los establecimientos turísticos que se encuentran actualmente operando, permitiendo así conocer detalladamente los tipos de servicios turísticos del sitio. En segundo elemento que se tomó en cuenta una vez conociendo la oferta turística de este lugar, fue la identificación de cuales de estos diferentes establecimientos, están cumpliendo o no están cumpliendo con los requerimientos establecidos para poder acogerse bajo los efectos de la ley 306. En el último elemento se conoció los efectos que está generando la ley sobre esta zona turística, que es parte de la oferta del turismo Nacional de la República de Nicaragua

Difference in Structure and Electronic Properties of Oxygen Vacancies in α-Quartz and α-Cristobalite Phases of SiO2

α-cristobalite (α-C) is a polymorph of silica, mainly found in space exploration and geochemistry research. Due to similar densities, α-C is often used as a proxy for amorphous SiO2, particularly in computer simulations of SiO2 surfaces and interfaces. However, little is known about the properties of α-C and its basic oxygen defects. Using density functional theory (DFT) simulations we provide a comprehensive report on the properties of perfect structure and oxygen vacancies in α-C. The calculated properties of α-C are compared with those of the better-characterized α-quartz (α-Q). Our results demonstrated that the positively charged O vacancy in α-C is most stable in the dimer configuration, in contrast to α-Q, which favors the puckered configuration. A back-projected configuration was also predicted in both polymorphs. We calculated the optical transition energies and isotropic hyperfine constants for O vacancies in both α-Q and α-C, and compared our findings with the results of previous studies and experiments. This work, thus, offers one of the first in-depth investigations of the properties of oxygen vacancies in α-C

Assessing Forest Cover Loss Using Landsat Images and GIS: A Case Study in Colombian Protected Area

The Corchal “El Mono Hernández” Fauna and Flora Sanctuary is a protected area located in northern Colombia and is home to the Pterocarpus officinalis forest. In this area, however, this forest cover is declining due to natural causes associated with a change in the hydrosedimentological dynamics. Multitemporal assessment was performed to quantify the forest loss. Landsat images from the years 1986, 1998, 2003, 2013, and 2018 were downloaded and a supervised classification was performed using four cover classes: “Pterocarpus officinalis,” “other vegetation,” “waterbody,” and “bare land.” The results showed that the vegetation cover of Pterocarpus officinalis forest had an initial extent of 865.26 ha in 1986; for the 1986–1998 period, the reduction was 60.30 ha; for the 1998–2003 period, it was 399.15 ha; and for the 2003–2013 period, it was 78.30 ha. Contrary to previous periods, in the 2013–2018 period, 79.65 ha of forest was recovered. In conclusion, Pterocarpus officinalis forest lost approximately 50% of its cover during the 1986–2018 period. This information is of great importance for government and management entities for decision-making in the conservation and restoration of this forest. © 2022 Taylor & Francis.APCs y acuerdos transformativos 2022, Taylor & Franci

The Effect of Income on Educational Attainment: Evidence from State Earned Income Tax Credit Expansions

As of the early 2000s, the gap in college enrollment between children growing up in the highest income quartile and the lowest income quartile was over 50 percentage points (Bailey and Dynarski 2011). While previous work has analyzed the impact of various federal and state financial aid programs on college enrollment rates among low and moderate-income households, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) has largely been overlooked as a potential source of financial aid. As of the 2011 tax year, the maximum federal EITC benefit was nearly $6,000, worth up to 45$1,000, 18-23 year old children growing up in likely EITC-eligible households are 1 percentage point more likely to have ever enrolled in college and 0.3 percentage points more likely to complete a bachelor’s degree

Plan lector y booktubers como didácticas para fortalecer los niveles de lectura de los estudiantes de quinto grado del centro educativo ayúdame a vivir.

Esta investigación es el resultado del trabajo realizado en el Centro Educativo Ayúdame a Vivir de Barranquilla con los estudiantes de quinto grado, el cual tuvo como propósito fortalecer los niveles de lectura mediante la implementación de las estrategias didácticas Plan Lector y Booktubers. En la propuesta se utiliza la metodología cualitativa, el paradigma sociocrítico y la investigación acción como método de estudio. En los resultados más destacados se encontró que los estudiantes en un 80% alcanzaron el dominio de los tres niveles de lectura, el literal, el inferencial y crítico - intertextual, y el uso de Booktube como estrategia para la promoción de su lectura crítica, no solo a partir de textos literarios sino desde la diversidad textual y la mediación de las TIC.This research is the result of the work carried out at the Centro Educativo Ayúdame a Vivir in Barranquilla with fifth grade students, whose purpose was to strengthen reading levels through the implementation of the Reading Plan and Booktubers didactic strategies. The proposal uses qualitative methodology, the socio-critical paradigm and action research as a study method. In the most outstanding results, it is found that 80% of the students reach mastery of the three reading levels, the literal, the inferential and critical – intertextual, and the use of Booktube as a strategy for the promotion of their critical reading, not only from literary texts but from textual diversity and the mediation of ICT.Magíster en EducaciónMaestrí