176 research outputs found
Māori aspirations following stroke: A pathway forward for the speech-language therapy field
Background: Attempts to improve Indigenous health outcomes
are evident in the speech-language therapy (SLT) field, although
they are restricted by a limited evidence base. Prior research has
shown that SLT services do not always meet Indigenous stroke
survivors’ needs, however, few studies have investigated this phe-
nomenon and fewer have explored solutions. Consequently, the
SLT field lacks knowledge of appropriate and optimal supports.
Aims: To identify and compare experiences and aspirations of
Māori stroke survivors, whānau (family), and speech-language
therapists (SLTs) in Aotearoa New Zealand regarding SLT service
provision.
Methods & Procedures: Kaupapa Māori research and interpretive
description methodologies underpinned this study. Four Māori
stroke survivors, two whānau members, and five SLTs participated
in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using constant
comparative analysis and collaboratively interpreted during a hui
(meeting) between researchers and participants.
Outcomes & Results: Analysis highlighted six themes spanning
experiences and aspirations: (1) tautoko (support), (2) kaupapa
Māori (Māori approach), (3) whanaungatanga (relationships), (4)
tino rangatiratanga (autonomy), (5) taiao (environment), and (6)
kōnekeneke (change). Positive aspects of SLT were described, how-
ever, Māori often did not receive optimal supports. Aspirations
centred on changes to SLT services and the wider healthcare
system.
Conclusions: Adaptations to SLT services are indicated to improve
the quality of SLT received by Māori following stroke. To meet
aspirations described in this study, the SLT profession may incorpo-
rate Māori approaches; prioritise strong, collaborative relationships;
offer more autonomy to Māori stroke survivors; support the devel-
opment of SLTs and SLT students; increase public awareness; and
encourage change in the wider healthcare system. Many aspirations
identified in the current study are consistent with those identified
by Indigenous people in Australia, suggesting that some common
solutions may exist to improving Indigenous SLT services
Evidence for Anthropogenic Surface Loading as Trigger Mechanism of the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake
Two and a half years prior to China's M7.9 Wenchuan earthquake of May 2008,
at least 300 million metric tons of water accumulated with additional seasonal
water level changes in the Minjiang River Valley at the eastern margin of the
Longmen Shan. This article shows that static surface loading in the Zipingpu
water reservoir induced Coulomb failure stresses on the nearby Beichuan thrust
fault system at <17km depth. Triggering stresses exceeded levels of daily lunar
and solar tides and perturbed a fault area measuring 416+/-96km^2. These stress
perturbations, in turn, likely advanced the clock of the mainshock and directed
the initial rupture propagation upward towards the reservoir on the
"Coulomb-like" Beichuan fault with rate-and-state dependent frictional
behavior. Static triggering perturbations produced up to 60 years (0.6%) of
equivalent tectonic loading, and show strong correlations to the coseismic
slip. Moreover, correlations between clock advancement and coseismic slip,
observed during the mainshock beneath the reservoir, are strongest for a longer
seismic cycle (10kyr) of M>7 earthquakes. Finally, the daily event rate of the
micro-seismicity (M>0.5) correlates well with the static stress perturbations,
indicating destabilization.Comment: 22 pages, 4 figures, 3 table
Subject specific demands of teaching: Implications for out-of-field teachers
This chapter provides a framework for thinking about the subject-specific nature of teaching in terms of the
knowledge, modes of inquiry and discursive practices that delineate one subject from another in the
traditional school curriculum. The chapter will explore how these disciplinary traits are translated into
teaching as curriculum, knowledge and pedagogy, and how this subject-specificity of teaching is
juxtaposed against the more generic aspects of teaching. The chapter explores the idea that if a teacher’s
expertise can be situated within a field, then they can also be positioned out-of-field. Implications for
teaching out-of-field are discussed in terms of the subject-specific knowledge, processes and skills, and the
difficulties associated with teacher practice. English and Australian illustrations of teacher practices from
in-field and out-of-field situations are provided, in particular highlighting the demands of moving across
subject boundaries. Cross-fertilisation is especially evident when subjects are integrated, therefore, the
issues associated with integrated curriculum are discussed where the traditional subject boundaries are
being challenged as schools are reorganised to integrate subjects through, for example, STEM teaching, or
holistic curriculum designs
The Human Intestinal Microbiome: A New Frontier of Human Biology
To analyze the vast number and variety of microorganisms inhabiting the human intestine, emerging metagenomic technologies are extremely powerful. The intestinal microbes are taxonomically complex and constitute an ecologically dynamic community (microbiota) that has long been believed to possess a strong impact on human physiology. Furthermore, they are heavily involved in the maturation and proliferation of human intestinal cells, helping to maintain their homeostasis and can be causative of various diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease and obesity. A simplified animal model system has provided the mechanistic basis for the molecular interactions that occur at the interface between such microbes and host intestinal epithelia. Through metagenomic analysis, it is now possible to comprehensively explore the genetic nature of the intestinal microbiome, the mutually interacting system comprising the host cells and the residing microbial community. The human microbiome project was recently launched as an international collaborative research effort to further promote this newly developing field and to pave the way to a new frontier of human biology, which will provide new strategies for the maintenance of human health
Physics-Based Earthquake Ground Shaking Scenarios in Large Urban Areas
With the ongoing progress of computing power made available not only by large supercomputer facilities but also by relatively common workstations and desktops, physics-based source-to-site 3D numerical simulations of seismic ground motion will likely become the leading and most reliable tool to construct ground shaking scenarios from future earthquakes. This paper aims at providing an overview of recent progress on this subject, by taking advantage of the experience gained during a recent research contract between Politecnico di Milano, Italy, and Munich RE, Germany, with the objective to construct ground shaking scenarios from hypothetical earthquakes in large urban areas worldwide. Within this contract, the SPEED computer code was developed, based on a spectral element formulation enhanced by the Discontinuous Galerkin approach to treat non-conforming meshes. After illustrating the SPEED code, different case studies are overviewed, while the construction of shaking scenarios in the Po river Plain, Italy, is considered in more detail. Referring, in fact, to this case study, the comparison with strong motion records allows one to derive some interesting considerations on the pros and on the present limitations of such approach
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