Development and application of a survey quality assessment model

Until recently research has been undertaken to improve the quality and effectiveness of surveys. By reviewing existing works, an improved model has been developed in this paper in order to assess the quality of statistical surveys. The model has been applied to over 103 national and international surveys and it is then used to generate synthetic data based on similar principles such as formulation, design and application quality etc. Various measures of the survey have been undertaken such as average question length, number of questions etc., and input into the database; which are analysed using statistical classification tools. This has allowed the identification of structural features of surveys which is associated with survey quality and this is reported precisely in the paper. Recommendations are made as to how a systematic approach can be taken to improve survey quality and effectiveness

Petrology, tectonic setting, and 40Ar/ 39Ar (hornblende) dating of the Late Ordovician - Early Silurian Belle Côte Road orthogneiss, western Cape Breton Highlands, Nova Scotia

The Belle Côte Road orthogneiss is a major component of the western Cape Breton Highlands, where it forms a belt approximately 60 km in length. Previous U-Pb dating has shown that the granodioritic to tonalitic protolith of the gneiss crystallized at 442 ± 3 Ma, providing a minimum age for the metavolcanic and metasedimentary units of the Aspy terrane intruded by the orthogneiss. The gneissic fabric in the orthogneiss is mainly conformable with the regional fabric, and generally trends north-south, except in the southern part of the unit where it is oriented east-west. Typical orthogneiss contains quartz, plagioclase, and biotite, with variable amounts of K-feldspar and muscovite and rarely epidote or garnet. A tonalitic variant contains amphibole. The orthogneiss is peraluminous, with A/CNK values of 1to 1.2. Petrochemical characteristics are consistent with syntectonic emplacement in the roots of a volcanic arc built on continental crust. 40Ar/39Ar dating was done on hornblende from three samples of orthogneiss and seven samples of amphibolite from xenoliths in the orthogneiss and an adjacent amphibolite unit. Eight of these samples yielded cooling ages ranging between 384 and 370 Ma. Two younger ages (ca. 363 and 353 Ma) may reflect localized effects of younger plutonism and/or shearing. The 40Ar/39Ar data combined with previous U-Pb data from titanite indicate that the orthogneiss and associated units experienced rapid cooling from ca. 600 to 400°C between ca. 386 Ma and 370 Ma, perhaps related to uplift associated with ongoing terrane amalgamation in Cape Breton Island. RÉSUMÉ Les orthogneiss de Route de Belle Côte est un composant important des hautes terres du Cap Breton occidental, où il forme une ceinture approximative de 60 kilomètres de longueur. Des mesures connues d'U-Pb a prouvé que le granodioritique au protolite tonalitique du gneiss a cristallisé au ± 442 3 Ma, fournissant un âge minimum pour les unités métavolcaniques et métasédimentaires du terrane d'Aspy imposé par les orthogneiss. Le tissu gneissique dans les orthogneiss est principalement conforme au tissu régional, et a une tendance généralement nord-sud excepté dans la partie sud de l'unité où la tendance est est-ouest. Les orthogneiss typiques contient le quartz, le plagioclase, et la biotite, avec des quantités variables de K-feldspath et de muscovite et rarement d'épidote ou de grenat. Une variante tonalitique contient l'amphibole. Les orthogneiss sont péralumineux. avec des valeurs A/CNK de 1 à 1.2. Les caractéristiques p&rochimiques sont conformées a là mise en place syntectonique dans les racines d'un arc volcanique construit sur la croute continentale. La datation d' 40Ar/39Ar à été faite sur la hornblende de trois échantillons d'orthogneiss et de sept échantillons d'amphibolite provenant de xénolites dans les orthogneiss et une unité adjacente d'amphibolite. Huit de ces échantillons ont rapporté des âges de refroidissement s'étendant entre 384 et 370 de Ma. Deux àges plus jeunes (ca. 363 et 353 Ma) peuvent refléter des effets localises des plus jeunes plutonismes et/ou cisaillement. Les données 40Ar/39Ar combing avec des données précédentes d'U-Pb de titanite indiquent que les orthogneiss et les unites associées ont éprouve' le refroidissement rapide ca de 600 a 400°C entre ca. 386 Ma et 370 Ma, peut-ètre assocté au soulèvement en plus d'amalgamation continue de terrane sur Tile du Cap Breton. [Traduit par la rédaction

A class of loss functions of catenary form

The catenary form of loss function is considered in the framework of Bayesian decision theory. The mathematical tractability of this form seems to be unrecognized; it contains quadratic loss as a limiting case. For various probability distributions expressions are given for posterior analysis, and limiting properties are investigated.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45167/1/10955_2005_Article_BF01030302.pd

The Potential for mHealth Interventions to Support Women with Breast Cancer after Active Treatment

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women worldwide. Chances of living one-year after diagnosis are high (~98%), and health self-management is essential to reduce risks of recurrence. Mobile health (mHealth) has emerged as a wide-reaching and cost-effective way of providing health information and support. Therefore, we conducted a narrative review of the currently available mHealth literature and synthesised the literature according to the impacts of mHealth interventions on patient outcomes, the potential mechanism for behaviour change and innovative approaches to developing future mHealth interventions. Results found a small amount of evidence for the value of mHealth interventions (text message programs, smartphone applications and activity trackers) for supporting women after breast cancer treatment. However, accessibility, cost and gender inequities may pose barriers to implementation. Developing consumer-led mHealth interventions based on lived-experiences will be essential to improving user outcomes. In conclusion, mHealth interventions are widely available and have the potential to support women after breast cancer treatment and further robust research will determine effectiveness in specific subgroups and populations

'Not to Be Harsh but Try Less to Relate to 'the Teens' and You'll Relate to Them More': Co-Designing Obesity Prevention Text Messages with Adolescents.

Text messages remain a preferred way for adolescents to communicate, and recent evidence suggests adolescents would like access to digital healthcare options. However, there is limited evidence for text messages to engage adolescent populations in obesity prevention behaviors. We aimed to co-design a bank of text messages that are evidence-based, acceptable, and engaging for adolescents. An established iterative mixed methods process, consisting of three phases, was used to develop the text message program. The first bank of 145 text messages was drafted based on current evidence, behavior change techniques, and input from researchers and health professionals. A survey was then administered to adolescents and professionals for review of text message content, usefulness, understanding, and age-appropriateness. An adolescent research assistant collaborated with the research team on all three phases. Forty participants (25 adolescents and 15 professionals) reviewed the initial bank of 145 text messages. On average, all reviewers agreed the text messages were easy to understand (13.6/15) and useful (13.1/15). In total, 107 text messages were included in the final text message bank to support behavior change and prevent obesity. This study may guide other researchers or health professionals who are seeking to engage adolescents in the co-design of health promotion or intervention content. Effectiveness of the text message program will be tested in a randomized controlled trial

Observations of reservoir quality alteration in proximity to igneous intrusions for two distinct sandstones units in Scotland

Acknowledgements We thank the reviewers and editor for their helpful comments which greatly improved this manuscript. Thanks to John Still from the University of Aberdeen (ACEMAC ) for guidance with SEM/EDS, Colin Taylor for MICP tests and Walter Ritchie for making thin sections. Lorenza Sardisco and Jonathan Wilkins at X-Ray Minerals for XRD analysis and Prof. M.J. Wilson from the James Hutton Institute for valuable discussion of XRD results. Dave Healy acknowledges the support of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC, UK) through the award NE/N003063/1 ‘Quantifying the Anisotropy of Permeability in Stressed Rock’.Peer reviewedPostprin

Angina Management is Poor After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Self-management of coronary heart disease (CHD) is critical after elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). While elective PCIs should reduce patients’ stable angina symptoms, recurring pain is a common problem post-procedure and effective self-management of this seemed poor. The aims of the study were to identify how patients self-managed their angina symptoms after undergoing PCI and to explore barriers to their effectiveness in this

A healthy lifestyle text message intervention for adolescents: protocol for the Health4Me randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Adolescence presents a window of opportunity to establish good nutrition and physical activity behaviours to carry throughout the life course. Adolescents are at risk of developing cardiovascular and other chronic diseases due to poor the complex interplay of physical and mental health lifestyle risk factors. Text messaging is adolescents main form of everyday communication and text message programs offer a potential solution for support and improvement of lifestyle health behaviours. The primary aim of this study is to determine effectiveness of the Health4Me text message program to improve adolescent's physical activity or nutrition behaviours among adolescents over 6-months, compared to usual care. METHODS: Health4Me is a virtual, two-arm, single-blind randomised controlled trial, delivering a 6-month healthy lifestyle text message program with optional health counselling. Recruitment will be through digital advertising and primary care services. In total, 330 adolescents will be randomised 1:1 to intervention or control (usual care) groups. The intervention group will receive 4-5 text messages per week for 6-months. All text messages have been co-designed with adolescents. Messages promote a healthy lifestyle by providing practical information, health tips, motivation and support for behaviour change for physical activity, nutrition, mental health, body image, popular digital media and climate and planetary health. Virtual assessments will occur at baseline and 6-months assessing physical health (physical activity, nutrition, body mass index, sleep), mental health (quality of life, self-efficacy, psychological distress, anxiety, depression, eating disorder risk) and lifestyle outcomes (food insecurity and eHealth literacy). DISCUSSION: This study will determine the effectiveness of a 6-month healthy lifestyle text message intervention to improve physical activity and nutrition outcomes in adolescents. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) ACTRN12622000949785 , Date registered: 05/07/2022

Mapping the library, archives, records, information and knowledge management and related professions in the United Kingdom: final report

Unpublished research report. (2015