Adult mental health and addiction nursing roles: 2014 survey of Vote Health funded services

Introduction: Nurses are the largest registered health professional workforce group in New Zealand. As at 1 March 2014 more than 51,000 nurses had a current practising certificate. Planning for the future of New Zealand’s nursing workforce is challenging, particularly because there is a lack of quality workforce data. Access to reliable information for planning purposes is vital given that half of the present nursing workforce is expected to retire by 2035. This report aims to support future health workforce planning with robust information about the dedicated nurse positions in New Zealand’s adult mental health and addiction services. It describes the size and distribution of this nursing workforce by provider, roles, and services delivered. It also provides information about the number of vacancies and perceived recruitment issues. The information was collected in the 2014 More than numbers organisational workforce survey

Development and validation of a mindful food parenting instrument to assess the relationship between parent food practices and children’s dietary outcomes

American children’s diets are commonly recorded as deficient in nutrient rich foods such as vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Such diets often exceed amounts of unhealthy items such as added sugars and sweetened beverages. In addition, 23% of children are considered overweight or obese. Mindfulness techniques in parents have been correlated with improved dietary outcomes in children and a healthier family eating environment. The primary aim of this study was to develop and validate an instrument that reflects the theoretical framework drawn from current models of mindful eating, mindful parenting and mindful food parenting. The instrument is a practical tool that seeks to measure mindful food parenting. The tool is closely related to parental actions that can create an internal and external environment conducive to mindful eating in children ages 4 to 8 years old. The final version of the mindful food parenting instrument (MFPI) includes three components: bringing mindful awareness to eating experience; creating awareness of the hunger and fullness experience; and cultivating awareness of parent and child emotions and reactivity to emotions. Validation of the instrument consisted of a series of steps and included experts and parents review of questions for clarity and understanding. Content validity and reliability tests involved two sets of parents. Additionally, the current study explored the relationship between the components of the mindful food parenting model and young children’s dietary outcomes. Results showed a good content validity and reliability for the instrument. Furthermore, results showed a correlation between mindful food parenting and children’s dietary outcomes. In conclusion, results from this study suggest that the MFPI is an adequate tool to measure mindful food parenting. Additionally this tool has the potential to measure mindful food parenting interventions

Perceived energy expenditure for physical activity in male and female adults

The purpose of this study was to gain further insight into the relationship between perceived energy expenditure (EE) for physical activity (PA) and age, gender, Body Mass Index (BMI), education, and leisure time PA (LTPA) levels. A 19-item interviewer administered questionnaire was completed by 798 individuals to assess accuracy of perception of EE (in calories) for various types of PA (sedentary, moderate and vigorous). Participants, age 21 to 64 years, were recruited from ten sites of the Department of Motor Vehicles in Miami, Florida. Only 30% were able to accurately assess EE for PA. Higher education and age were associated with greater accuracy. The range for estimated EE for PA was from 0-60,000 calories. These results are of interest as they suggest efforts should be made to educate the public regarding EE for PA in reference to energy balance and weight management

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THINK, TALK, WRITE (TTW) STRATEGY IN TEACHING WRITING (A Classroom Action Research for the Eighth Grade Students of SMPN 2 Kalinyamatan Jepara in Academic Year 2013/2014)

Menulis adalah suatu kegiatan mengungkapkan ide, pikiran atau bahkan pengalaman ke dalam bentuk paragraph. Menulis dianggap sebagai skill yang sulit bagi pelajar yang belajar bahasa asing termasuk SMP. Dalam menulis, siswa harus tahu komponen bahasa khususnya kosakata dan tatabahasa. Tanpa mengetahui keduanya, siswa tidak bisa menciptakan tulisan yang bagus. Fakta menunjukkan bahwa siswa menemukan kesulitan dalam menulis. Mereka tidak bisa menyusun kalimat dengan baik karena kurangnya pengetahuan mengenai kosakata. Strategi pengajaran telah digunakan pada penelitian ini untuk meningkatan kemampuan menulis siswa. Strategi Think-Talk-Write adalah sebuah strategi yang dapat membantu siswa meningkatkan kemampuan writing mereka. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menemukan jawaban dari rumusan masalah. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah: (1) untuk membuktikan jika strategi Think-Talk-Write dapat meningkatkan kemampuan menulis siswa kelas delapan SMPN 2 Kalinyamatan Jepara tahun akademik 2013/2014, (2) untuk mengetahui penerapan strategi Think-Talk-Write pada pengajaran menulis pada siswa kelas delapan SMPN 2 Kalinyamatan Jepara tahun akademik 2013/2014, (3) untuk mengetahui kemampuan menulis siswa kelas delapan SMPN 2 Kalinyamatan Jepara diajarkan dengan menggunakan strategi Think-Talk-Write. Penelitian ini adalah sebuah penelitian tindakan kelas. Pada satu siklus penelitian tindakan kelas terdiri dari 4 langkah; perencanaan, tindakan, pengamatan dan refleksi. Subjek penelitian ini adalah kelas delapan B dari SMPN 2 Kalinyamatan Jepara yang terdiri dari 35 siswa. Pada penelitian ini peneliti menggunakan dua instrumen yaitu tes dan lembar observasi. Hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa ada peningkatan pada kemampuan menulis siswa diajarkan menggunakan strategi Think-Talk-Write. Itu dibuktikan dari hasil tes. Itu dibuktikan dari peningkatan nilai yang diperoleh siswa dari siklus 1 ke siklus 2. Di siklus 1, banyak siswa yang mendapatkan nilai di bawah KKM. 20 siswa gagal dan 14 lulus dalam mengerjakan tes yang pertama. Rata-rata nilai siswa di siklus 1 yaitu 64,1. Sedangkan di siklus 2, 24 siswa lulus dan 9 siswa gagal dalam mengerjakan tes. Rata-rata nilai siswa di siklus 2 adalah 72,7. Peningkatan juga terjadi pada kegiatan siswa. Itu bisa terlihat di siklus 2. Banyak siswa yang aktif di dalam kelas. Kebanyakan mereka merespon dan memerhatikan guru selama process pengajaran dan pembelajaran. Kondisi ini berbeda dengan sebelumnya dimana banyak siswa tidak aktif di dalam kelas. Melihat dari proses dan hasil dari penelitian ini, Penulis menyimpulkan bahwa strategi Think-Talk-Write dapat meningkatkan kemampuan menulis siswa kelas delapan SMPN 2 Kalinyamatan Jepara tahun akademik 2013/2014 dan penerapan strategi Think-Talk-Write bisa membantu siswa menjadi aktif di dalam kelas. Penulis menyarankan guru bahasa inggris seharusnya menerapkan sebuah strategi yang bagus dalam proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran. Strategi Think-Talk-Write dapat digunakan sebagai sebuah strategi yang bagus pada pengajaran menulis. Faktanya, strategi ini dapat meningkatkan kemampuan menulis siswa kelas delapan SMPN 2 Kalinyamatan Jepara tahun akademik 2013/2014

An investigation into the way PhD students utilise ICT to support their doctoral research process

The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has grown enormously in the last decade with computers and smart devices becoming indispensable in tertiary students’ study practices. There is, however, limited documented research about the ways PhD students use ICT in their research practice. Under normal circumstances, it is assumed that PhD students will make use of ICT (e.g., computer technologies) throughout their research journey for a variety of generic and specialised purposes. This study thus examines the degree to which PhD students use ICT to support their doctoral research in their daily academic practices. In order to better understand the role of ICT among PhD students in an uncontrived context, the study adopted the interpretive, naturalist enquiry and analysis approach proposed by Guba and Lincoln (1989), from social constructivist perspectives. This approach underpinned the decision to select a small number of participants from within a particular context to investigate their understandings of their experiences and use of ICT to support their research, in light of the adopted socio-technical framework (Bostrom & Heinen, 1977a). Three data sources were used in this study. Computer activity data was extracted from the computer devices of nine full time PhD students who self-reported as being skilled computer users. The second data source consisted of drawings gathered from the same group of participants about their doctoral research process involving the use of ICT. The third dataset represented photographs of this cohort of participants’ work areas as well as individual and group discussion sessions about the participants’ ICT use in this process. The analysis took into account the emphasis of the socio-technical framework: the relationship and/or the tensions that exist between the PhD student participants (the social aspect) and ICT (the technical aspect). An analysis of the five areas of findings revealed that: 1) The ways PhD students used ICT in the process of undertaking doctoral research were similar, regardless of the phase of their PhD. 2) The ways PhD students used ICT in the doctoral research process were similar, regardless of their discipline backgrounds (the only difference was the frequency of the document types they accessed in their daily research practices). 3) The socio-technical systems in the doctoral research process in regard to the PhD students’ goal-directed behaviours of producing a doctoral thesis in the “best possible ways” are co-adopted and co-adapted to each other at a minimum level. 4) The computer activities of the PhD students in their day-to-day research practices showed a misalignment between their level of computer literacy and their academic achievement. 5) Individual PhD students presented differences in their ways of using ICT during their doctoral research process but their concept of ICT use was not different as a cohort. In addition, the characteristics of “Curation”, “Combat”, “Coping” and “Conforming” situate within the context of PhD students’ ICT use in the process of accomplishing their doctoral research in relation to their notion of the best possible ways to be “efficient” and “effective”. The findings of this study raise questions about the role played by ICT in advancing learning in higher education and highlights an aspect of limitation in these students’ academic or research-orientated use of ICT. This could be due to taken-for-granted and/or overlooked acceptance that all students are proficient ICT users which may result in a lack of intervention, support, and emphasis of ICT support, as well as educational approach for ICT use in the process of undertaking doctoral research. The ways participants use ICT as represented in this study did not lead them to the construct of using ICT in the “best possible ways” within the doctoral research process. The tension that exists between the social (the PhD students in this context) and the technical (ICT) systems within this process could be the main concern as well as the main cause of this phenomenon. Such tension, however, could be resolved if there is a “shared” construct for the ideas of the notions of computer literacy, ICT teaching and learning, the process of carrying out PhD study, and the use of technology in this process. In summary, the findings of this study have relevance for the broader tertiary population to engender awareness of a different way to understand research into student behaviour. In this way, the study will provide an opportunity for academics, especially supervisors of postgraduate research students, to understand to what extent ICT plays a role in PhD students’ research processes and/or to what degree technological support might be required to support PhD students. Further, it is hoped that the findings generated from this study will help promote a deeper conversation about the ways PhD students use ICT in their research. Perhaps research on larger and more diverse groups of students could be considered to obtain more representative data of the student population, as this study is focussed on a small group of students at one university. Additionally, visual and situated behavioural data could be employed in researching ICT use as such data may offer new insights not found in data gathered through questionnaires and surveys

A High-Order Imaging Algorithm for High-Resolution Space-Borne SAR Based on a Modified Equivalent Squint Range Model

Two challenges have been faced in signal processing of ultrahigh-resolution spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR). The first challenge is constructing a precise range model, and the second one is to develop an efficient imaging algorithm since traditional algorithms fail to process ultrahigh-resolution spaceborne SAR data effectively. In this paper, a novel high-order imaging algorithm for high-resolution spaceborne SAR is presented. First, a modified equivalent squint range model (MESRM) is developed by introducing equivalent radar acceleration into the equivalent squint range model, and it is more suitable for high-resolution spaceborne SAR. The signal model based on the MESRM is also presented. Second, a novel high-order imaging algorithm is derived. The insufficient pulse-repetition frequency problem is solved by an improved subaperture method, and accurate focusing is achieved through an extended hybrid correlation algorithm. Simulations are performed to validate the presented algorithm

Shortage in Access to Basic Social Services: A Case Study of Ethnic Minority Groups in Vietnam

The research uses shortages in the multi-dimensional poverty criteria and household living standards survey data collected by the General Statistic Office to evaluate the access to basic social services by ethnic minorities. The result shows significant differences in shortages between the Kinh and ethnic minorities, among ethnic minority groups and among localities. Differences in geographical location, level of development and lacking specific policies are the main causes. A number of policy recommendations has been made to narrow the gap in access to basic social services among ethnic minority groups in Vietnam. Keywords: Ethnic minorities, basic social services, shortage in access to basic social services, Vietnam DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/12-17-15 Publication date:June 30th 202

Advanced SOM & K Mean Method for Load Curve Clustering

From the load curve classification for one customer, the main features such as the seasonal factors, the weekday factors influencing on the electricity consumption may be extracted. By this way some utilities can make decision on the tariff by seasons or by day in week. The popular clustering techniques are the SOM & K-mean or Fuzzy K-mean. SOM &Kmean is a prominent approach for clustering with a two-level approach: first, the data set will be clustered using the SOM and in the second level, the SOM will be clustered by K-mean. In the first level, two training algorithms were examined: sequential and batch training. For the second level, the K-mean has the results that are strongly depended on the initial values of the centers. To overcome this, this paper used the subtractive clustering approach proposed by Chiu in 1994 to determine the centers. Because the effective radius in Chiu’s method has some influence on the number of centers, the paper applied the PSO technique to find the optimum radius. To valid the proposed approach, the test on well-known data samples is carried out. The applications for daily load curves of one Southern utility are presented