Should Dogs and Cats be Given as Gifts?

Policies that state pets should not be adopted as gifts are prevalent at animal welfare organizations, despite the fact that this belief is unfounded. Denying adopters who intend to give the animals as gifts may unnecessarily impede the overarching goal of increasing adoptions of pets from our nations' shelter system. We found that receiving a dog or cat as a gift was not associated with impact on self-perceived love/attachment, or whether the dog or cat was still in the home. These results suggest there is no increased risk of relinquishment for dogs and cats received as a gift

A Case Study of the Development of an eCoach

Internship is a critical feature of teacher preparation programs and can be one of the most influential experiences for teacher candidates. New technologies, such as eCoaching, demonstrate promising results in providing richer experiences to teacher candidates during internship. eCoaching allows university supervisors to provide real-time feedback on instruction and has proven effective at improving teacher change. However, eCoaching is different from traditional university supervision. In this case study, we describe the evolution of a traditional university supervisor using eCoaching for the first time and the support she needs to be effective. Implications are discussed

Gravitation Research

Contains research objectives and summary of research.National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NGR 22-009-526)Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAB07-71-C-0300

The OPERA trial : a protocol for the process evaluation of a randomised trial of an exercise intervention for older people in residential and nursing accommodation

Background: The OPERA trial is large cluster randomised trial testing a physical activity intervention to address depression amongst people living in nursing and residential homes for older people. A process evaluation was commissioned alongside the trial and we report the protocol for this process evaluation. Challenges included the cognitive and physical ability of the participants, the need to respect the privacy of all home residents, including study non-participants, and the physical structure of the homes. Evaluation activity had to be organised around the structured timetable of homes, leaving limited opportunities for data collection. The aims of this process evaluation are to provide findings that will assist in the interpretation of the clinical trial results, and to inform potential implementation of the physical activity intervention on a wider scale. Methods/design: Quantitative data on recruitment of homes and individuals is being collected. For homes in the intervention arm, data on dose and fidelity of the intervention delivered; including individual rates of participation in exercise classes are collected. In the control homes, uptake and delivery of depression awareness training is monitored. These data will be combined with qualitative data from an in-depth study of a purposive sample of eight homes (six intervention and two control). Discussion: Although process evaluations are increasingly funded alongside trials, it is still rare to see the findings published, and even rarer to see the protocol for such an evaluation published. Process evaluations have the potential to assist in interpreting and understanding trial results as well as informing future roll-outs of interventions. If such evaluations are funded they should also be reported and reviewed in a similar way to the trial outcome evaluation

Nutritional Status of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Pilot Study

Objectives. This is a pilot study of the dietary intake and nutrient status of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Method. Nutritional assessment of 43 children aged 6–12 with ADHD was performed using a 3-day food record, 24-hour recall, and serum assessors. Results. Macronutrient intake and consumption of Low-Nutrient Foods were comparable to population norms; however, 66% were found to be deficient in zinc and 23% in copper. Conclusions. This pilot study reports the food intake and nutrient status of children with ADHD and shows a predisposition for low zinc and copper status in ADHD

Infrared Instrumentation and Astronomy

Contains research objectives and summary of research on four research projects.Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAB07-75-C-1346)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NGR 22-009-526)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Contract NAS5-22828

Relationship Between Medication Adherence and Treatment Outcomes: The COMBINE Study

Within the alcoholism field, there is mounting evidence supporting an important relationship between medication adherence and drinking outcomes. Little is known however, about the complex relationships between medication and treatment variables and drinking outcomes. The present paper reports on the differential impact of medication adherence and treatment factors on drinking outcomes. Data derived from the COMBINE Study was used to investigate the interrelationships between medication adherence, combination treatments and drinking outcomes

Identification of 4-amino-thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidines as QcrB inhibitors in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Antibiotic resistance is a global crisis that threatens our ability to treat bacterial infections, such as tuberculosis, caused b

Time courses of improvement and symptom remission in children treated with atomoxetine for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: analysis of Canadian open-label studies

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The relatively short durations of the initial pivotal randomized placebo-controlled trials involving atomoxetine HCl for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) provided limited insight into the time courses of ADHD core symptom responses to this nonstimulant, selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. The aim of this analysis was to evaluate time courses of treatment responses or remission, as assessed by attainment of prespecified scores on the ADHD Rating Scale-IV-Parent Version: Investigator Administered and Scored (ADHDRS-IV-PI) and the Clinical Global Impressions-ADHD-Severity (CGI-ADHD-S) scales, during up to 1 year of atomoxetine treatment in children with ADHD.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using pooled data from three Canadian open-label studies involving 338 children ages 6-11 years with ADHD who were treated with atomoxetine for 3, 6 and 12 months, and survival analysis methods for interval-censored data, we estimated the time to: 1) improvement and robust improvement defined by ≥25% and ≥40% reductions from baseline ADHDRS-IV-PI total scores, respectively; and 2) remission using two definitions: a final score of ADHDRS-IV-PI ≤18 or a final score of CGI-ADHD-S ≤2.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The median time to improvement was 3.7 weeks (~1 month), but remission of symptoms did not occur until a median of 14.3 weeks (~3.5 months) using the most stringent CGI-ADHD-S threshold. Probabilities of robust improvement were 47% at or before 4 weeks of treatment; 76% at 12 weeks; 85% at 26 weeks; and 96% at 52 weeks. Probabilities of remission at these corresponding time points were 30%, 59%, 77%, and 85% (using the ADHDRS-IV scale) and 8%, 47%, 67%, and 75% (using the CGI-ADHD-S scale). The change from atomoxetine treatment month 5 to month 12 of -1.01 (1.03) was not statistically significant (<it>p </it>= .33).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Reductions in core ADHD symptoms during atomoxetine treatment are gradual. Although approximately one-half of study participants showed improvement at 1 month of atomoxetine treatment, remission criteria were not met until about 3 months. Understanding the time course of children's responses to atomoxetine treatment may inform clinical decision making and also influence the durations of trials comparing the effects of this medication with other ADHD treatments.</p> <p>Trial Registrations</p> <p>clinicaltrials.gov: <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00191633">NCT00191633</a>, <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00216918">NCT00216918</a>, <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00191880">NCT00191880</a>.</p

Communications Biophysics

Contains research objectives and reports on six research projects