Factors associated with behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia

Most people with dementia suffer behavioral and psychological symptoms (BPSD). These symptoms add to caregiver stress and accelerate cognitive decline. The etiology of BPSD is complex, with multiple factors influencing symptom manifestation. The ability to accommodate and communicate needs decreases with cognitive deterioration. Unmet needs may explain why some individuals, despite having the same diagnosis and degree of cognitive impairment, have more severe BPSD. BPSD is treated with both atypical and typical antipsychotics (APD). Numerous studies demonstrated that APD treatment in individuals with dementia might cause major side effects, including death. The purpose of this Thesis is to examine factors associated with BPSD in a large group of individuals with dementia. The Thesis covers four cross-sectional investigations using data from five Swedish registries: The Swedish registry for cognitive/dementia disorders (SveDem), the Swedish Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia Registry (BPSD registry), the Swedish Prescribed Drug Registry (SPDR), the Swedish Cause of Death Registry (CODR), and the Swedish National Patient Registry (NPR). Six types of diagnoses were included in the studies: Alzheimer’s disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), mixed (Mixed) dementia, Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and unspecified dementia (UNS). In Study 1, we discovered that 75% of individuals with dementia exhibited at least one clinically significant BPSD, the most prevalent being aberrant motor behavior, agitation/aggression and irritability. In comparison to AD, we found a lower risk of delusions (in FTD, UNS), hallucinations (FTD), agitation (VaD, PDD, UNS), elation/euphoria (DLB), anxiety (Mixed, VaD, unspecified dementia), disinhibition (in PDD); irritability (in DLB, FTD, UNS), aberrant motor behavior (Mixed, VaD, UNS), sleep and night-time behavior changes (UNS). Higher risk of delusions (DLB), hallucinations (DLB, PDD), apathy (VaD, FTD), disinhibition (FTD) and appetite and eating abnormalities (FTD) were also found in comparison to AD. In Study 2, pain was the most prevalent unmet need, followed by sleeping disturbances, impaired hearing and impaired vision. Additionally, we found that the risk of BPSD increases with unmet physical or psychological needs in dementia. In Study 3, APD use at the time of dementia diagnosis was associated with increased mortality risk across the cohort and by dementia subtype. In Study 4, we found that out of 53,384 individuals with dementia, 1,823 owned a firearm and 419 were unfit owners. Owners of firearms were mostly male, younger, living alone and without homecare support. Living with another person, frontotemporal dementia, APD and hypnotics prescription, being diagnosed in a memory/cognitive clinic, female gender, and mild and moderate dementia were the most important predictors of being reported to the police. In conclusion, individuals with dementia who live in long-term care facilities frequently develop BPSD. Additionally, unmet needs are significantly associated with BPSD in each dementia type. Individuals with dementia receive both typical and atypical APDs, however, their use is associated with an increased risk of death. Finally, we found that the decision to withdraw the firearm is based on a variety of clinical factors associated with dementia

Women‑dedicated Leadership Programs as One of More Effective Methods of Developing Women Leaders– Current Status and Future Vision in Companies in Poland

This paper considers the important role of developmental programs designed and run specifically for women, not as the only training offer recommended for them but as an addition to other leadership courses. The author examines first companies engagement in the idea of promoting women leadership and their strategies of achieving tangible effects in this matter. Based on a survey, the author checks whether female employees in Poland are provided with women‑dedicated leadership programs and whether the newest scien‑ tific findings on the benefits of women‑dedicated programs are considered by companies when they plan development paths for women‑employees. At the end the author inves‑ tigates on attractiveness of the idea of women‑dedicated leadership programs for female employees in Poland and what kind of benefits they would expect from participating in such programs

Trends in Undergraduate General Education in the U.S., the Texas Core Curriculum, and Communication Course Requirements

In October 2011, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board revised Texas Core Curriculum (TCC) rules impacting all public higher education institutions in Texas. The new rules were implemented in the fall semester of 2014. In this study, we review the history of undergraduate general education requirements in the United States and recent changes to the TCC. Then to determine how recent changes reflect historical trends in general education and affect the course offerings of departments of English and communication, we use descriptive statistics to examine courses included under the TCC Communication Foundational Component Area of 37 state universities and 53 community colleges. Findings indicate the number of re-quired English and speech communication courses decreased both at community colleges (-11.5%) and universities (-15.9%), signaling a shift toward providing students greater choice in course selection which could impact academic programs in the years to come.Educatio

Storytelling: o poder da narrativa estratégica dentro do branding e marketing

O Storytelling é uma técnica de comunicação que vem sendo utilizada como ferramentas estratégicas para a construção e promoção de marcas e produtos. Apesar de ser uma tendência moderna, podemos definir a expressão Storytelling como o ato de “contar histórias”, um recurso que historicamente já se provou efetivo em trazer à tona as memórias, experiências vividas e até mesmo inspirar, através de narrativas, sentimentos como desejo, admiração e identificação. Atualmente cada vez mais as empresas passam a ver a importância e o potencial estratégico da utilização deste recurso narrativo dentro de suas estratégias de branding. Através da metodologia de análise qualitativa, é possível definir e justificar, através do estudo e análise de casos de sucesso, como uma boa história pode ser uma importante ferramenta na valorização de produtos, marcas e na criação de novas propriedades intelectuais de grande valor. A versatilidade de aplicação do storytelling permite que o mesmo seja explorado em vários meios de forma integrada, fortalecendo o apelo e a abrangência da mensagem que visa transmitir. Entender como construir e estruturar uma boa narrativa e definir em quais meios implementá-la é a chave para o sucesso de uma boa estratégia de storytelling, seja dentro do campo do marketing ou do branding

Energy Consumption Estimation for Routing EVs based on Driver Behavior

There has been a significant increase in the sales of Electric Vehicles (EVs) in the United States and abroad in the last few years. Nevertheless, the overall adoption of these trends are hindered by range limits of EVs in conjunction with long charging times relative to traditional vehicles. In this context, determination of current and prediction of future energy demands is essential. This paper presents approaches for predicting energy consumption of EVs and discusses their eligibility for this purpose. Four modeling approaches have shown to be mostly used in recent literature. In order to predict an EV’s energy demand, several modeling techniques are combined to give an accurate prediction of the future energy consumption. For the system EVs a combination of physics -based modeling together with statistical modeling has shown to be an efficient choice

Checklist of stink bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomoidea) from São Paulo State, Brazil

Pentatomoidea knowledge in São Paulo state is here updated. Two hundred and two species in 92 genera belonging to Acanthosomatidae, Canopidae, Cydnidae, Pentatomidae, Phloeidae, Scutelleridae, Tessaratomidae and Thyreocoridae are registered. Forty one species were added and 13 taxonomical and nomenclatorial corrections were made comparing with the data presented in the first edition of the Biota SP in 1999. Pentatomoidea species richness of São Paulo state is around 25% of the species known to Brazil and around 3% of the world fauna. The increase of the studies in scarcely known families in Brazil will certainly raise these numbers. Pentatomidae was the most numerous taxon in São Paulo state, with 80% of the registered species.O conhecimento de Pentatomoidea no Estado de São Paulo é aqui atualizado. São registradas 92 espécies em 89 gêneros pertencentes as famílias Acanthosomatidae, Canopidae, Cydnidae, Pentatomidae, Phloeidae, Scutelleridae, Tessaratomidae e Thyreocoridae. Comparando com os dados apresentados na primeira edição do Biota SP em 1999, foram adicionadas 41 espécies além de 13 correções nomenclaturais e taxonômicas efetuadas. O Estado de São Paulo apresenta uma riqueza total ao redor de 25% das espécies conhecidas para o Brasil e ao redor de 3% da fauna mundial de Pentatomoidea. Com o incremento dos estudos em famílias pouco conhecidas no país, estes números certamente serão ampliados. Pentatomidae resultou no táxon mais numeroso no estado, com 80% de espécies registradas.Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Instituto de Biociências Programa de Pós-graduação em Biologia AnimalUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de Ciências BiológicasUNIFESP, Depto. de Ciências BiológicasSciEL

Valorização e motivação de enfermeiros na perspectiva da humanização do trabalho nos hospitais

Este artigo teve como objetivo identificar a percepção dos enfermeiros sobre a valorização do trabalho e a motivação profissional. Trata-se de um estudo qualitativo de caráter descritivo desenvolvido entre março e maio de 2011, com doze enfermeiros de um hospital universitário no Sul do Brasil. A coleta de dados utilizou entrevistas semiestruturadas e para a verificação dos mesmos empregou-se a análise temática. Os temas foram estabelecidos a partir dos parâmetros para a humanização do trabalho contidos na Política Nacional de Humanização da Assistência Hospitalar referentes à valorização do trabalho e motivação profissional: respeito, reconhecimento, satisfação e realização profissional. Os resultados foram analisados na perspectiva de políticas de humanização e dos estudos de Dejours, e indicaram que os enfermeiros vivenciam um conflito com os valores e compromissos do seu trabalho, o que gera a insatisfação profissional. A presença dos parâmetros estudados produz autorrealização e sua ausência é entendida como desumanização no trabalho

"Nothing was further from his intention than to offend": an analysis of visual satire, identity and stereotypes in the Glasgow/Northern Looking Glass caricature periodical, 1825–1826

Created by Glasgow printer John Watson and English artist William Heath, the Glasgow/Northern Looking Glass (1825–1826) is not only one of the pioneering periodicals that paved the route from caricature to comic art (with researchers even going so far as to label it ‘the world’s first modern comic’), but a product that uniquely contributed to larger social conversations found across media formats during the early nineteenth century. Such conversations include those surrounding gender ideologies, racial stereotypes, and class-based struggles — issues that had become especially prominent across Britain during the 1820s. Though it provides reflections of and on both the evolving print world and the ever-changing social milieus of 1820s Britain, the GLG has not been the focus of an in-depth study until now. The goal of this thesis is to explore how in-depth, contextual analyses of depictions of gender and other identities found in the GLG’s satiric images can encourage new and more inclusive analyses of caricature’s place in print history and nineteenth-century European history. In order to understand better how caricature art arrived at the point we see it in 1825, this thesis firstly explores how historical events and social and cultural change impacted the art form in the sixty years leading up to the publication of the first issue of the GLG. With the contextual groundwork in place, several case studies are then employed to explore the overarching identities and stereotypes of women and men as they are depicted in images from the periodical. These case studies include images that best reflect the conversations around gender, class and race that were prominent at this time, and which show how the GLG, and other products like it, can be invaluable for gaining a more nuanced and rounded perspective on caricature art, the nineteenth-century British printing scene and late Georgian culture

Environmental Licensing Challenges of Xingu Rio Transmission System Route Definition

Based on the Brazilian electric sector planning, by 2026 the transmission grid will be increased by 64 thousand km, so that the analysis of how to incorporate the environmental criteria in the discussions of route optimization are important for the decision-making of the various actors (government, environmental agencies and entrepreneurs). Therefore, this article aims to identify the challenges of the incorporation of the socio-environmental criteria for the route optimization as well as the deadlines and costs of the Xingu-Rio Transmission System known to be the largest transmission system in Brazil