High-Risk Pregnant Patients in the Third Trimester: Comparing Mental and Physical Health

The purpose of the paper is to compare physical and mental health in high-risk pregnant patients in their third trimester who are managed in an inpatient setting compared to an outpatient setting. This paper looks at specific high-risk pregnancy diagnoses

Disability in Advertising

Despite the potency of advertising to influence behavior and cultural memes, it has been unusual until recently to see people with impairments featured in commercials that market mainstream products, ideas, and services. To the contrary, people with obvious impairments typically appear as deficient and only cured or improved by the medical devices, pharmaceuticals and other products that they market. However, over the past decade, efforts to elicit social change, although nascent, are making inroads into marketing and advertising. This presentation analyzes a recent Nike ad in which men with visible impairments are featured as robust athletes. The potential for such efforts to change perceptions of disability from human deficiency to human diversity are discussed.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/ccids_posters/1015/thumbnail.jp

Emerging schooling landscapes in England: how primary system leaders are responding to new school groupings

In England the balance of responsibilities between national and local government for the governance of education is changing. Relationships between schools are shifting and new structures, groups and alliances are being created in response to national policy. The paper is part of a project to understand how the new local education landscapes are emerging. Primary schools are relatively reluctant to embrace key aspects of national policy. We analysed interviews with primary system leaders in three contrasting Local Authorities to find how they were responding, and why, and the nature of the groups they wanted to join, create or cooperate with. We identify concerns, interests and motivations that conflict with key aspects of national policy. In the process we supplement earlier contributions as to how school groupings might usefully be categorised

Catatonia in Older Adult Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities

Catatonia has been described in children with intellectual disabilities (IDs). These are the first three published cases of catatonia in adults older than 50 years of age with IDs. They were followed using the KANNER scale and, in one case, creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) monitoring. Case 1 is a 67-year-old Caucasian who probably had been having intermittent episodes of undiagnosed catatonia withdrawal for many years. His episodes of agitation and withdrawal behavior responded to lorazepam up to 8 mg/day. Case 2 is a 63-year-old Caucasian male who had probably had undiagnosed catatonic episodes since age 25. An agitation episode that rated 88 on Part 2 of the KANNER scale ended within minutes after he received 1 mg of intramuscular lorazepam. He had no symptom relapses for 4 years after getting stable oral lorazepam doses (3-8.5 mg/day). Case 3 is a 55-year-old African-American male with severe ID and bradycardia (with a pacemaker). He had been institutionalized since age 22 and his undiagnosed catatonic episodes appeared to have been intermittently present for at least the last ten years. As he became tolerant and experienced symptom relapse, oral lorazepam was slowly increased (1.5-18 mg/day). Electroconvulsive therapy was ruled out due to his pacemaker

Effects of free versus scheduled feeding on shelter dogs exhibiting food-related aggression

Among shelter dogs, food guarding behavior is the most frequently cited reason for considering a dog unadoptable (Mohan-Gibbons, Weiss & Slater, 2012). However, the specific variables that affect food-related aggression are not well understood. Degree of access to food in the shelter environment may be a relevant variable and one of the easiest for shelter staff to modify. In this study we measured the effect of food access (unlimited access versus scheduled feedings) on the food guarding behavior of dogs. Dogs were assessed using the using the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) SAFER® Aggression Assessment (Weiss, 2012) and those who scored a 3, 4, or 5 on the food bowl component were randomly assigned into one of two groups. Dogs in both groups were exposed to three days of free feeding prior to assessment as well as scheduled feedings in the context of a multiple baseline and reversal design. A third group of dogs that exhibited no food aggression at the initial assessment served as a control group to assess the impact of repeated SAFER assessments on guarding behavior. Change scores across assessments were compared for each group. SAFER scores for dogs in the experimental groups decreased (i.e., improved) in one situation when free-feeding was implemented. Dogs in the control group showed a small increase in SAFER scores from initial assessment to assessment two, which may be an artifact of the scoring system. Discussion will include follow-up studies in progress and the implications of findings for shelter management. Mohan-Gibbons, H., Weiss, E., Slater, M. (2012). Preliminary investigation of food guarding behavior in shelter dogs in the United States. Animals, 2, 331-346. doi:10.3390/ani2030331 Weiss, E. (2012, November). Canine Assessment: ASPCA SAFER Overview. Retrieved from http://aspcapro.org/webinar/2012-11-28-000000/canine-assessment-aspca-safer-overvie

Local authorities as actors in the emerging “school-led” system in England

Most research to date about the English government’s policy to make schools independent of local authorities (LAs) has looked at the ‘macro’ level of national policy and at the ‘micro’ level of the institution. The study of which this article is a part explores changes at the ‘meso’ level of the locality. Over a period of six years 52 semi-structured interviews were carried out with key actors at school, LA and local system levels in three areas. Participants were chosen purposively because of their key positions in the local schooling systems. The article focuses on the role of the LA as an actor in the ‘school led’ system, and explores how LAs are repositioning their role and enacting influence in new ways. The article also discusses how changes in local arenas over time have been affected by the different responses to academisation of primary and secondary schools. The article uses an adaptive theory methodology (Layder, 1998) to bring together theorising set out in earlier articles and theory generated by others with theory generated from this new analysis

Comparison of Untreated Mature Switchgrass and Cornstalks as Roughage in Beef Cattle Feedlot Diets

A feeding trial using 121 crossbred steers was conducted to evaluate the utilization of untreated mature switchgrass as a roughage source in feedlot diets. Steers were fed either cornstalks (STALK) or switchgrass (SWITCH) as roughage at 14.2% of diet DM. Performance and carcass characteristics were evaluated relative to roughage source. Cattle fed SWITCH had lesser marbling scores but backfat, HCW, KPH, ribeye area, and yield grade did not differ between treatments. Cattle fed SWITCH had lesser DMI than did STALK cattle but carcass-adjusted ADG and G:F did not differ between treatments. Untreated switchgrass may replace cornstalks at low inclusions in finishing diets, and digestibility of this low quality roughage may be improved through alkaline treatment

Serious Organised Crime Early Intervention Service Evaluation

The Serious Organised Crime Early Intervention Service (SOCEIS) is an innovative intervention for young people aged 11 to 18 years. It is aimed at identifying young people involved in, or at risk of involvement in serious organised crime, addressing the vulnerabilities that led to their involvement and diverting them towards more positive pathways. Following its success in Glasgow, Action for Children were awarded funding from the National Lottery Community to implement SOCEIS in four new areas: Cardiff, Dundee, Edinburgh and Newcastle. To examine the wider feasibility and applicability of SOCEIS, this process evaluation was commissioned by Action for Children in 2020