A solar disinfection water treatment system for remote communities

Abstract not availablePeter Kalt, Cristian Birzer, Harrison Evans, Anthony Liew, Mark Padovan, Michael Watchma

Dying well with an intellectual disability and dementia?

As more people with intellectual disabilities live into old age, the prevalence of dementia in this group is increasing. Kathryn Service and colleagues examine the challenges to dementia practice presented by intellectual disabilit

International Summit Consensus Statement: Intellectual Disability Inclusion in National Dementia Plans

The WHO has called for the development and adoption of national plans or strategies to guide public policy and set goals for services, supports, and research related to dementia. It called for distinct populations to be included within national plans, including adults with intellectual disability (ID). Inclusion of this group is important as having Down syndrome is a significant risk factor for early-onset dementia. Adults with other ID may have specific needs for dementia-related care that, if unmet, can lead to diminished quality of old age. An International Summit on Intellectual Disability and Dementia in Scotland reviewed the inclusion of ID in national plans recommending that inclusion goes beyond just description and relevance of ID. Reviews of national plans and reports on dementia show minimal consideration of ID and the challenges that their carers face. The Summit recommended that persons with ID, as well as family carers, should be included in consultation processes and greater advocacy is required from national organisations on behalf of families, with need for an infrastructure in health and social care that supports quality care for dementia

Principales conclusiones acordadas durante la cumbre sobre discapacidad intelectual y demencia

First paragraph: Este breve informe resume las recomendaciones de la Cumbre Internacional sobre Discapacidad Intelectual y Demencia, celebrada en Glasgow, Escocia, del 13 al 14 de octubre de 2016, organizada por la Universidad de Stirling y la Universidad del Oeste de Escocia, financiada por el RS MacDonald Trust, el Gobierno escocés y Alzheimer Scotland. Los patrocinadores colaboradores incluyeron el Grupo de Trabajo Nacional sobre Discapacidades Intelectuales y Prácticas de Demencia (NTG) en los Estados Unidos y la Universidad de Illinois en Chicago. La cumbre fue copresidida por Karen Watchman, Ph.D. y Matthew P. Janicki, Ph.D., y tuvo representantes multidisciplinares de distintas organizaciones nacionales e internacionales con intereses en cuestiones relacionadas con los adultos con discapacidad intelectual afectados por demencia. El contenido de esta declaración fue parcialmente desarrollado gracias a una subvención del Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de los Estados Unidos, Administración para la Vida Comunitaria (ACL), Beca del Instituto Nacional de Discapacidad, Vida Independiente e Investigación en Rehabilitación (NIDILRR) # 90RT5020-03-00. Sin embargo, esos contenidos no representan necesariamente la política del Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de EE. UU., ni el respaldo del Gobierno Federal de EE. UU. Las opiniones expresadas representan las de los participantes de la Cumbre y del NTG

Understanding the training and education needs of homecare workers supporting people with dementia and cancer: a systematic review of reviews

Many people with dementia, supported by family carers, prefer to live at home and may rely on homecare support services. People with dementia are also often living with multimorbidities, including cancer. The main risk factor for both cancer and dementia is age and the number of people living with dementia and cancer likely to rise. Upskilling the social care workforce to facilitate more complex care is central to national workforce strategies and challenges. Training and education development must also respond to the key requirements of a homecare workforce experiencing financial, recruitment and retention difficulties. This systematic review of reviews provides an overview of dementia and cancer training and education accessible to the homecare workforce. Findings reveal there is a diverse range of training and education available, with mixed evidence of effectiveness. Key barriers and facilitators to effective training and education are identified in order to inform future training, education and learning development for the homecare workforce supporting people with dementia and cancer

Quality Care for People with Intellectual Disability and Advanced Dementia: Guidance on Service Provision

Purpose of Report: The International Summit on Intellectual Disability and Dementia (Glasgow, Scotland; October 2016) noted that advanced dementia can be categorized as that stage of dementia progression characterized by significant losses in cognitive and physical function, including a high probability of further deterioration and leading to death. The questions before the summit were whether there were similarities and differences in expressions of advanced dementia between adults with intellectual disability (ID) and adults in the general population. Findings: The summit noted challenges in the staging of advanced dementia in people with ID with the criteria in measures designed to stage dementia in the general population heavily weighted on notable impairment in activities of daily living. For many people with an ID, there is already dependence in these domains generally related to the individuals pre-existing level of intellectual impairment, that is, totally unrelated to dementia. Hence, the summit agreed that it is imperative that change is measured from the person’s prior functioning in combination with clinical impressions of decline and of increasing comorbidity including particular attention to late onset epilepsy in people with Down syndrome. It was further noted that quality care planning must recognize the greater likelihood of physical symptoms, comorbidities, immobility, and neuropathological deterioration. Summary: The summit recommended an investment in research to more clearly identify measures for ascertaining advanced dementia, inform practice guidelines to aid clinicians and service providers, and identify additional markers that may help signal decline and progression into advanced dementia among people with various levels of pre-existing intellectual impairment.Additional listed co-author: Advanced Dementia Working of the International Summit on Intellectual Disability and Dementi

Theoretical study of the insulating oxides and nitrides: SiO2, GeO2, Al2O3, Si3N4, and Ge3N4

An extensive theoretical study is performed for wide bandgap crystalline oxides and nitrides, namely, SiO_{2}, GeO_{2}, Al_{2}O_{3}, Si_{3}N_{4}, and Ge_{3}N_{4}. Their important polymorphs are considered which are for SiO_{2}: $\alpha$-quartz, $\alpha$- and $\beta$-cristobalite and stishovite, for GeO_{2}: $\alpha$-quartz, and rutile, for Al_{2}O_{3}: $\alpha$-phase, for Si_{3}N_{4} and Ge_{3}N_{4}: $\alpha$- and $\beta$-phases. This work constitutes a comprehensive account of both electronic structure and the elastic properties of these important insulating oxides and nitrides obtained with high accuracy based on density functional theory within the local density approximation. Two different norm-conserving \textit{ab initio} pseudopotentials have been tested which agree in all respects with the only exception arising for the elastic properties of rutile GeO_{2}. The agreement with experimental values, when available, are seen to be highly satisfactory. The uniformity and the well convergence of this approach enables an unbiased assessment of important physical parameters within each material and among different insulating oxide and nitrides. The computed static electric susceptibilities are observed to display a strong correlation with their mass densities. There is a marked discrepancy between the considered oxides and nitrides with the latter having sudden increase of density of states away from the respective band edges. This is expected to give rise to excessive carrier scattering which can practically preclude bulk impact ionization process in Si_{3}N_{4} and Ge_{3}N_{4}.Comment: Published version, 10 pages, 8 figure