Nutritional intakes of patients at risk of pressure ulcers in the clinical setting

Objective: Malnutrition is a risk factor for pressure ulcers. The aim of this study was to describe the energy and protein intakes of hospitalized patients at risk for pressure ulcers and to identify predictors of eating inadequately

Shaping a functional and sustainable biofuels industry through bridging industrial needs with farmer production capabilities

In order for the biofuels industry to survive and succeed, it will need the cooperation of Iowa farmers to supply biomass. Farmers have concerns about production that need to be addressed in order to create a sustainable industry

Patients' perceptions of a pressure ulcer prevention care bundle in hospital : A qualitative descriptive study to guide evidence-based practice

Background: Pressure ulcers place a significant burden on patients and hospitals. Our team developed and tested a pressure ulcer prevention care bundle (PUPCB) in a cluster randomized trial. As part of the process evaluation conducted alongside the trial, we explored patients’ perceptions of the intervention. Aims: To identify patients’ perceptions and experiences of a PUPCB in hospital. Methods: This qualitative descriptive study explored the perceptions of a subset of patients who participated in a trial testing the PUPCB across four intervention hospitals. A trained interviewer conducted semistructured interviews, which were digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings: Nineteen patients were interviewed across the four hospitals. Three main themes emerged: (a) importance of personal contact in PUPCB delivery; (b) understanding pressure ulcer prevention (PUP) enhances participation; and (c) individual factors impact patients’ engagement in PUP. Discussion: The extent to which patients adopted the intervention appeared to be influenced by the complexity of education materials, compatibility with patients’ existing knowledge and beliefs, and perceived advantage of the intervention; ability for human interaction; and patient-related facilitators and barriers to participating in PUP care. Linking Evidence to Action: This study found patients accepted a PUPCB that encouraged participation in care, particularly as it involved personal and positive interactions with nurses and provision of information that was easy to understand and resonated with patients

Library subject guides: A case study of evidence-informed library development

This paper describes the process whereby a university library investigated the value of its subject guides to its users. A literature review and surveys of library staff, library users and other libraries were carried out. Existing library subject guides and those of other higher education libraries were evaluated. The project team reported regularly to the wider library team throughout the year long investigation and made recommendations. The project served to develop the professional skills of the project team, to expand the knowledge of the wider library team and encouraged new ways of thinking about guide provision to users

Round-up: 2013 GovInfo Day

The 2013 annual gathering of librarians interested in government and legal information focused on this year's unofficial theme of access: continued access to government information and imporved access to legal resources

Sport events and emissions reporting: an analysis of the Council for Responsible Sport standard in running events

The use of fossil fuels has pushed the world towards crucial ecological tipping points and a climate crisis. The rapid decarbonization of all sectors is necessary to limit the worst impacts of this. Within the sports and sport-tourism sectors, event organizers and policymakers are increasingly interested in assessing the environmental impacts of events and identifying the types of strategies needed to reduce their carbon footprint. This paper responds to calls for studies to examine and compare the environmental impacts of multiple sport events and contribute towards providing an enhanced understanding of key factors influencing the scale of those impacts. It focuses on assessing the carbon footprints of 28 mass participation running events in North America. The paper uses a methodology developed by the Council for Responsible Sport as part of its Responsible Sport Standard for Events accreditation process. The results highlight that variations existed between the events in terms of their reporting of GHG emissions. The average event generated 3363 MtCO2e (0.23 MtCO2e per capita), with Scope 3 emissions accounting for 99.9% of the total emissions, and 98.9% being attributable to participant travel. This demonstrates how the Council’s methodology can assist event organizers by providing valuable insights into the carbon footprint of their events and its potential value as an environmental management tool. The paper also discusses some of the challenges faced by event organizers in measuring the carbon footprint of their event, suggests strategies for reducing event emissions, and provides recommendations for strengthening the Council’s methodology and its contribution to global sustainability efforts

Prenatal development is linked to bronchial reactivity: epidemiological and animal model evidence

Chronic cardiorespiratory disease is associated with low birthweight suggesting the importance of the developmental environment. Prenatal factors affecting fetal growth are believed important, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. The influence of developmental programming on bronchial hyperreactivity is investigated in an animal model and evidence for comparable associations is sought in humans. Pregnant Wistar rats were fed either control or protein-restricted diets throughout pregnancy. Bronchoconstrictor responses were recorded from offspring bronchial segments. Morphometric analysis of paraffin-embedded lung sections was conducted. In a human mother-child cohort ultrasound measurements of fetal growth were related to bronchial hyperreactivity, measured at age six years using methacholine. Protein-restricted rats' offspring demonstrated greater bronchoconstriction than controls. Airway structure was not altered. Children with lesser abdominal circumference growth during 11-19 weeks' gestation had greater bronchial hyperreactivity than those with more rapid abdominal growth. Imbalanced maternal nutrition during pregnancy results in offspring bronchial hyperreactivity. Prenatal environmental influences might play a comparable role in humans

Patient-Mediated Interventions in Hospital: A Systematic Review

Aims To describe the characteristics of hospital-based, patient-mediated interventions and their impact on patient, clinician and organization outcomes. Design Systematic review. Data Sources Health literature databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL and EMBASE) were searched in August 2021. Backward and forward citation searching was conducted. Review Methods Studies investigating patient-mediated interventions, targeted at adult hospitalized patients were eligible. Data were extracted related to study and intervention characteristics. Narrative synthesis was used to understand intervention impact on patient, clinician and organization outcomes (as per a framework). Methodological quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Assessment Tool. Results Thirty-three studies, reporting 18 interventions, were included. Twelve interventions prompted patients to report health information about their own health/needs/concerns and six interventions encouraged patients to provide feedback about clinical practice. Across all interventions, there was evidence that patients used patient-mediated interventions and that they may improve patient communication. Healthcare professional outcomes were mixed for actual/intended use, acceptability and usefulness of interventions; yet there was some evidence of healthcare professional behaviour change. Interventions that encouraged patients to report health information about their own health/needs/concerns appeared more successful than other types of interventions. Conclusions There is some evidence that hospital-based patient-mediated interventions may influence patient communication and healthcare professional behaviour. Patient-mediated interventions that encourage patients to report patient data before a clinical encounter may be more impactful than interventions that encourage patient feedback during or post-encounter

Can Blacklisting Reduce Terrorist Attacks?

Within global security governance, a number of governments monitor and label certain organizations as “terrorist groups” with the aim of curtailing their capacity. The most prominent example of this is the U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) list. Under what conditions is FTO listing an effective counterterrorism tool? We develop a theory of blacklisting in the context of FTOs, arguing that the impact of FTO designation depends on the types of support terrorist organizations rely on. We theorize that FTO blacklisting has capacity-curtailing effects on terrorist groups when funding sources are vulnerable to detection, sanctions, and stigmatization. Specifically, we hypothesize that groups with private funding (e.g. charities, diaspora networks) are more likely to reduce attacks after FTO designation, compared to groups with other funding sources such as criminal activities. Analysis of data on terrorist organizations between 1970 and 2014 takes into account the political processes of listing and provides support for the argument. The findings highlight the importance of understanding the nature of the target in evaluating the performance of global indicators