Understanding the mental well-being of older adults in care homes

Older adults’ mental well-being is often overlooked, even though many stressors and triggers of mental health issues are experienced in later life. These may include the loss of family and friends through bereavement and the loss of ability and independence (Forbes-Thompson & Gessert, 2006). One of the main findings from the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales’ report ‘A Place to Call Home?’ (2014) was that there was a risk that older adults in care homes become institutionalised. Being in this kind of environment would have a significant impact on an individual’s mental well-being. To date there has been limited research into the experiences of older adults in care homes and what contributes to their mental well-being (Denning & Milne, 2011). The purpose of this PhD research was to better understand the mental well-being of older adults in care homes and look at ways to maintain and promote it. A mixed methods research design was developed to address these questions. The first quantitative stage used the Mental Health Continuum Short Form (MHC) to measure the mental well-being of 141 older adults from 23 care homes in South Wales. One of the findings from the first stage were that younger residents were more likely to have lower levels of mental well-being. The findings were then used to inform and develop the interview questions for the second qualitative stage of the research. The second stage comprised of twenty interviews with residents from six care homes. The interviews aimed to explore what was important to residents’ mental well-being. Reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) was used to analyse the interviews and generate themes important to residents’ mental well-being. Analysis indicated that residents experienced many losses in later life and since moving to a care home which impacted their mental well-being. The themes generated from the Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA) of residents’ experiences of what contributed to their mental well-being were ‘challenges to liberty’, ‘changes in identity’, and ‘importance of relatedness’. By considering these three themes, it is possible to better understand and offer recommendation on how to help maintain and promote the mental well-being of older adults in care homes

Book Review: Genetics for Everyone

Review of The Gene: An Intimate History, by Siddhartha Mukherjee (New York: Scribner, 2016)

Social Cognitive Functioning and Social Competence in Children and Adolescents with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus: Social Cognitive Neuroscience As a Model

The purpose of the current study was to examine social cognition in children with spina bifida and congenital hydrocephalus (SBH) and to determine whether deficits in these domains are associated with poor social competence, utilizing concepts from social cognitive neuroscience. To build upon extant literature, multi-method assessments, multi-informant data, and a developmental, biopsychosocial perspective were utilized. Distinct aspects of social competence, as defined by social performance, social skills, and social adjustment, were considered. The current study was designed to investigate: (1) differences in social cognition between children and adolescents with SBH and the general population, (2) potential neuroanatomical predictors of social cognition for children and adolescents with SBH, (3) whether measures of social cognition are useful in predicting social competence in children and adolescents with SBH, and (4) whether developmental factors (i.e., age) need to be considered when addressing the association between social cognition and social competence in these children. Findings suggest that children and adolescent with SBH perform at a lower level of social cognitive functioning than typically developing youngsters. In addition, there is evidence that these impairments in social cognition are associated with poor social functioning. The findings vary based on the individual social cognitive and social competence variables of interest. Implications for future research efforts and clinical intervention are discussed

Informing adoption of a social model of health and wellbeing:A systematic review of literature

Hywel Dda University Health Board (UHB) have identified a strategic ambition to work towards a social model of health and wellbeing. In doing so, the health board have recognised the need to ensure that the overarching approach and ambition is working towards a defined and recognised model underpinned by academic rigour. To achieve this, a strand of work by Aberystwyth University has been commissioned to conduct a systematic review of the academic literature, designed to identify, and inform future strategic development. Aberystwyth University have a long tradition of research expertise in social and physical sciences, rural policy, and economics. More recently the university have developed an increased health focus through the development of their Centre for Excellence in Rural Health Research and increased taught provision of a variety of allied health and nursing programmes. The academic team for this programme of research comprise expertise from the Departments of Psychology, Computer Science and the School of Business and Management in recognition of the diverse body of research likely to comprise the literature in question. The team therefore contribute knowledge of a variety of methodological approaches and offer insights to organisational change and community development to guide informed recommendations. The review seeks to address the research questions: •How has previous literature conceptualised or defined 'a social model of health and wellbeing’? •How has previous literature implemented, or evaluated the implementation of a social model of health and wellbeing? •What global evidence of best practice exists around the implementation and evaluation of a social model of health and wellbeing?Through a systematic process to search and review the literature, 222 eligible papers were identified for inclusion in the final review and data synthesis. Data was extracted to explore the country of origin of papers, the methodological approach taken, and the health and social care contexts within which they were set. The papers were then coded using NVivo software and later themed into commonly occurring topics in relation to the research questions.In summary, papers were predominantly from America, the UK, Australia, Canada and wider Europe. The majority were narrative reviews with a smaller number of empirical research studies comprising qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods set in a wider range of health and social care settings. Five overarching themes were identified: 1) the lack of a clear definition of a social model of health and wellbeing; 2) the need to understand context; 3) the need for cultural change; 4) integration and collaboration towards a holistic and person centred approach; 5) measuring and evaluating a social model of health.Key conclusions of the review centre on the need for organisations such as Hywel Dda UHB to decide how a social model will be defined within the organisation, how this dovetails with the current biomedical model, and whether the model will act as a descriptive framework or will require further development to become a measurable operational model. The review highlights the importance of engagement and collaboration with end users and multidisciplinary health and social care staff to ensure that transition towards a new model is done with holistic needs of end users and organisational staff as a central value. Finally, the review highlights the challenges associated with the lack of a clear linear pathway to transitioning to a new model of care, emphasising the complex and unstandardised approaches to the implementation and evaluation of a social model that are likely to be necessary and in potential contrast to the current biomedical approach

Statistical Strategies: Meeting the Needs of Struggling Math Students through Self-Guided Interactive Media

The goal of every introductory statistics course is to produce statistically literate students with an ability to make informed decisions and to think critically. This is a challenging task. In fact, the introductory statistics course at Franklin University, Math215, has had disproportionately low success rates for several years. To address these concerns, considerable revisions were made to the curriculum, addressing the challenges of students and faculty. Perhaps the most significant among those changes was the addition of a series of standalone, interactive multimedia pieces to supplement the textbook and other course materials. The development of these 28 multimedia pieces took 7 months with a team of 4, led by Dr. Nimet Alpay, and resulted in over 6 hours of interactive instructional content. A development process was established following a successive approximation model ensuring content accuracy, consistency, and a standardized design to optimize the end-user learning experience. Developed in Articulate Storyline, these pieces offer dynamic, self-paced learning experiences targeted towards audio-visual and kinesthetic learners. The multimedia lectures are organized by topic and broken into manageable subtopics that focus on key statistical concepts. Students can complete each interactive module at their own pace, with the ability to review as often as necessary. Additional features include point-of-use calculator tutorials and dynamic “check your learning” questions. Students receive immediate and extensive feedback after they submit their answers to the questions. The feedback is provided regardless of whether a student’s answer is correct or incorrect. Among the first of its kind implemented at Franklin University, these multimedia pieces demonstrate an innovative approach to instructional technology and design, with the flexibility to be repurposed by any other course that may cover one or more statistics-related topics. These pieces were first used in the MATH215 course for the Fall trimester of 2014. A research project is underway to collect student feedback to assess the effectiveness of the pieces and identify bugs and opportunities for improvement. In the second stage of this research, an assessment of the effect of these multimedia lectures on students’ grade performance will be conducted.https://fuse.franklin.edu/ss2014/1042/thumbnail.jp

Ink and Substrate Compatibility for Electrochemical Sensing in Paper-based Devices

Electrochemical sensing provides a quantitative alternative to colorimetric reactions within paper-based devices. The paper-based devices were fabricated by screen printing the conductive and reference inks onto porous substrates that were evaluated using cyclic voltammetry. Devices were evaluated based on the magnitude of the average anodic peak height, which correlates with a higher signal received from the electrode system, and the coefficient of variation, which correlates with the reproducibility of the devices. The first set of studies compared two conductive carbon ink solvents, two silver ink solvents, and two substrates. The Whatman cellulose, the organic-based solvent carbon ink, and the organic-based solvent silver ink was the most optimal combination with the second highest magnitude of the average anodic peak height (5.61µA) with the smallest coefficient of variation (4.47%). A shelf life study was conducted on this ink and material combination to determine the effect that storage time had on the electrode system. Even though there was not a statistically significant change in the signal produced and the time after fabrication, due to the limited number of replications on the later days, a shelf life of seven days was supported

The intrinsically disorderly story of Ki-67

Ki-67 is one of the most famous marker proteins used by histologists to identify proliferating cells. Indeed, over 30 000 articles referring to Ki-67 are listed on PubMed. Here, we review some of the current literature regarding the protein. Despite its clinical importance, our knowledge of the molecular biology and biochemistry of Ki-67 is far from complete, and its exact molecular function(s) remain enigmatic. Furthermore, reports describing Ki-67 function are often contradictory, and it has only recently become clear that this proliferation marker is itself dispensable for cell proliferation. We discuss the unusual organization of the protein and its mRNA and how they relate to various models for its function. In particular, we focus on ways in which the intrinsically disordered structure of Ki-67 might aid in the assembly of the still-mysterious mitotic chromosome periphery compartment by controlling liquid–liquid phase separation of nucleolar proteins and RNAs

Optimal Spacing of Grafted ‘Primo Red’ High Tunnel Tomato

Grafted and ungrafted ‘Primo Red’ tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) transplants were planted at 16-, 20-, and 24-inch spacing in a commercial high tunnel in central New York, USA, to compare yields. ‘Primo Red’ scions were grafted onto ‘Maxifort’ rootstocks and left to heal in a commercial greenhouse facility. Tomatoes were harvested as they ripened, and the weight and number of fruit per plot was recorded and then calculated out to a per-plant basis. Wider plant spacings resulted in higher yields for both grafted and ungrafted plants. However, economic returns remained highest in the highest density (16 inches in-row) spacing with grafted plants. This indicates that growers may not need to adjust density despite additional foliage from grafted plants. Foliar incidence of Botrytis gray mold (Botrytis cinerea) was not significantly different under spacing or grafting treatments. Grafting resulted in higher yields across all plant spacings compared with ungrafted plants. Commercial growers can use this information to make choices on grafting and spacing in high tunnel tomato

Examining phenolic induction in Fraxinus americana in response to herbivory.

General EcologyMany plants contain chemical defenses known as secondary compounds; one of the most prevalent classes is known as phenolics. Certain plants have been known to induce phenolics in response to damage, while others maintain constant levels of phenolics even after damage. In order to determine if phenolic induction occurs in white ash trees (Fraxinus americana) in response to herbivory, leaflets were sampled to test for local induction (at the site of herbivory) and systemic induction (induction throughout the plant). Induction as a response to mechanical damage (e.g. slicing) was measured in order to remove a potential noisy variable from the results. Leaflets for the local/systemic test were eaten by forest tent caterpillars (Malacosoma disstria) and samples of induced leaflets were collected 24 hours after herbivory. The Folin-Denis analysis was used to determine the magnitude of change in phenolics between the constitutive and induced levels. Local induction was not found, but systemic induction was found to occur evenly between leaflets, despite predictions that there would be a spatial differences. One potential explanation for this was volatile gaseous compounds sending airborne cues to the undamaged leaflets, causing induction. Slicing was not found to cause significant levels of induction.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78384/1/Boos_Kerch_Poisson_Reid_2010.pd

B4: Bedrock Geology of Mt. Washington, Presidential Range, NH

Guidebook for field trips in Western Maine and Northern New Hampshire: New England Intercollegiate Geological Conference, p. 177-196