Primer on adult patient satisfaction in perioperative settings.

The topic of patient satisfaction has gained increasing importance over the past decade. Due to the impact of patient satisfaction on health care quality, understanding factors that predict satisfaction is vital. The purpose of this review is to examine the literature and identify factors related to patient perioperative satisfaction as well as predictive variables that, if modified, can enhance satisfaction scores of patients undergoing surgery. Our review reports that patient satisfaction scores are affected by modifiable factors such as clinician-patient communication, information provision to patients, and operational function of a hospital. Non-modifiable factors affecting patient satisfaction scores include patient demographics such as gender, age, and education. In order to enhance patient perioperative satisfaction, we suggest that anesthesiologists and surgeons focus their efforts on enhancing their communication skills and providing information that is appropriately tailored to the understanding of their patients

Vela & Niyah

In this thesis paper, I will document and analyze the process of making my graduate thesis film, Vela & Niyah. I will start by stating my overall goal of the film, then move into each specific area of the filmmaking process and what was done to accomplish this goal. I will detail my successes and struggles throughout the process. I will analyze my own work, and reflect on the important lessons learned while making my thesis film. In the end, I will determine if my thesis proves true, and if I was successful in the individual aspects of filmmaking, as well as the thesis film as a whole

Vela & Niyah

In this thesis paper, I will document and analyze the process of making my graduate thesis film, Vela & Niyah. I will start by stating my overall goal of the film, then move into each specific area of the filmmaking process and what was done to accomplish this goal. I will detail my successes and struggles throughout the process. I will analyze my own work, and reflect on the important lessons learned while making my thesis film. In the end, I will determine if my thesis proves true, and if I was successful in the individual aspects of filmmaking, as well as the thesis film as a whole

On the electromagnetic form factors of the proton from generalized Skyrme models

We compare the prediction of Skyrme-like effective Lagrangians with data for electromagnetic form factors of proton and consider the possibility of fixing the parameters of these higher-order Lagrangians. Our results indicate that one or two-parameter models can lead to better agreement with the data but more accurate determination of the effective Lagragian faces theoretical uncertainties.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, revte

Developmental and Cultural Perspectives on Children’s Postoperative Pain Management at Home

Outpatient surgery is extremely common in children, and approximately 4 million children experience significant pain after surgery in the USA each year. Management of children\u27s postoperative pain in the home setting is suboptimal and is impacted by characteristics of children and parents, as well as the larger family and cultural context. In particular, developmental status of the child, parental beliefs regarding pain expression and analgesic use in children, cultural values and language barriers can affect management of children\u27s postoperative pain. Targeting the myriad barriers to children\u27s pain management by capitalizing upon the use of tailored interventions may help bridge the gap between the translation of pain management guidelines to the home setting

Proton decay of high-lying states in odd nuclei

In the framework of the quasiparticle-phonon model, we study the non-statistical proton decay of excited states in odd nuclei towards low-lying collective states. Partial cross sections and branching ratios for the proton decay of the high angular momentum states in $^{41}$Sc, $^{59}$Cu and $^{91}$Nb %{\it excited by means of the ($^{7}$Li,$^{6}$He) reaction} are evaluated. The calculated branching ratios predict strong direct proton decays to the low-lying vibrational states in $^{41}$Sc and $^{91}$Nb. A general agreement with existing experimental data is found.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, Latex, accepted for publication in Nucl. Phys.

An experience sampling study of physical activity and positive affect: investigating the role of situational motivation and perceived intensity across time

The nature of the association between physical activity and positive affect is complex, prompting experts to recommend continued examination of moderating variables. The main purpose of this 2-week field study was to examine the influence of situational motivational regulations from self-determination theory (SDT) on changes in positive affect from pre- to post- to 3-hours post-physical activity. Another purpose was to clarify the relationship between physical activity intensity [i.e., Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE)] and positive affect at the stated time points. This study employed an experience sampling design using electronic questionnaires. Sixty-six healthy and active, multiple-role women provided recurrent assessments of their physical activity, situational motivation, and positive affect in their everyday lives over a 14-day period. Specifically, measures were obtained at the three time points of interest (i.e., pre-, post-, 3-hours post-physical activity). The data were analyzed using multilevel modeling. Results showed that intrinsic motivation was related to post-physical activity positive affect while the influence of identified regulation appeared 3-hours post-physical activity. In addition, RPE, which was significantly predicted by levels of introjection, was more strongly associated with an increase in positive affect post-physical activity than three hours later. The theoretical implications of these findings vis-à vis SDT, namely in regards to a viable motivational sequence predicting the influence of physical activity on affective states, are discussed. The findings regarding the differential influences of RPE and motivational regulations carries applications for facilitating women’s well-being

Optical Lattice Induced Light Shifts in an Yb Atomic Clock

We present an experimental study of the lattice induced light shifts on the 1S_0-3P_0 optical clock transition (v_clock~518 THz) in neutral ytterbium. The ``magic'' frequency, v_magic, for the 174Yb isotope was determined to be 394 799 475(35)MHz, which leads to a first order light shift uncertainty of 0.38 Hz on the 518 THz clock transition. Also investigated were the hyperpolarizability shifts due to the nearby 6s6p 3P_0 - 6s8p 3P_0, 6s8p 3P_2, and 6s5f 3F_2 two-photon resonances at 759.708 nm, 754.23 nm, and 764.95 nm respectively. By tuning the lattice frequency over the two-photon resonances and measuring the corresponding clock transition shifts, the hyperpolarizability shift was estimated to be 170(33) mHz for a linear polarized, 50 uK deep, lattice at the magic wavelength. In addition, we have confirmed that a circularly polarized lattice eliminates the J=0 - J=0 two-photon resonance. These results indicate that the differential polarizability and hyperpolarizability frequency shift uncertainties in a Yb lattice clock could be held to well below 10^-17.Comment: Accepted to PR

Child Postoperative Pain: Impact of Child Temperament and Parent Mood on Pain After Surgery

Around 80% of children who undergo surgery experience moderate to severe postoperative pain. Various psychosocial factors contribute to exacerbations of this pain. A child’s inborn personality traits and style of interaction with the environment are known as temperament. Children who are less sociable and more distress-prone (e.g., those who cry, throw tantrums) are more likely to have an anxious temperament. This anxiety before and after surgery may lead to an increase in postoperative pain levels as well. Parent pain ratings do not always reflect true child pain. Overtime, a parent’s emotional state and mood may change how they perceive child pain. Parents who have more negative moods or are more distressed tend to report their child’s pain as worse and have a negative impact on a child’s pain. Therefore, parents play a crucial role in treatment after surgery. Given this, the purpose of this study was to see how child temperament factors are associated with postoperative pain and how parent mood moderates this relationship. These specific factors are analyzed in a sample of children ages 2-13 who underwent elective surgery at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (N = 112). Prior to the surgery, parents completed online surveys assessing child temperament and parent mood. Postoperative pain measures were reported by both children and parents after surgery on days 1, 3, and 7. Child temperament factors did not interact with parent mood to predict postoperative pain. Emotionality and sociability were not significantly associated with parent pain measures or child pain after surgery (ps \u3e 0.05). However, other studies have shown that child temperament does affect pain in a hospital setting more than they do at home. Interestingly, pain in children was low at home after surgery (less than 3 on a scale of 0 to 10). It is possible that the impact of temperament and mood on pain were less potent once the child is at home following the surgery and pain is lower. Further investigation on the influence of temperament and mood on child pain is important to obtain more clarity and discover optimal methods of treating pain in children. Future work may benefit from investigating different surgical procedures that might lead to a greater diversity of pain once children are home

Sex as a Moderator in the Relationship between Post-operative Pain and Analgesics Administered in Children Undergoing Elective Surgery

About 85% of children who undergo elective surgery experience pain post-operatively and many do not receive proper pain management care after discharge. Most parents lack an understanding of proper pain care management using analgesics upon discharge. Research reveals that adults rate girls as more sensitive to pain and that they display a greater amount of pain in a pediatric post-operative environment. In adulthood, women report more sensations of pain and have a higher pain tolerance, which can be attributed to physiological characteristics. Nonetheless, the social differences by which boys and girls experience pain and express their pain cannot be denied. The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between a child’s post-operative pain and the amount of analgesics given to the child, and how sex moderates this association. Parents of children ages 2-13 (59% male, 41% female) (N=112) were asked to evaluate the pain of their child and report the amount and type of analgesic use days 1, 3, and 7 post-operatively. The Parents Perceived Pain Management (PPPM) Scale was used to evaluate the child’s pain and analgesic use was self-reported. Using this scale in regression-based analysis, there was a significant association between pain and the amount of analgesic use given to the children on post-operative days 1 (ibuprofen: b = 0.24, t = 3.55, p \u3c 0.05, acetaminophen: b = 0.22, t = 5.38, p \u3c 0.05) and 3 (ibuprofen: b = 0.72, t = 4.81, p \u3c 0.05, acetaminophen: b = 0.34, t = 4.44, p \u3c 0.05); however; sex did not significantly moderate this association (ps \u3e .05). Evidence in this study does not suggest that boys receive different post-operative analgesic care from girls as a function of pain. Future analysis should analyze factors that interact with this association like the sex of the parent that is administering analgesics and the parent’s education of analgesic usage