From Grammatical to Global: The WAC/Writing Center Connection

In a 1999 essay reporting a synoptic history of writing center theory and practice, Elizabeth Boquet honestly laments her feelings of boredom with writing center scholarship up to that time. Since, it seems, everything has been said and done, she asks the pointed question: “What is being left out of our discussions on teaching writing by our failure to account for the work of the writing center in a critically intellectual manner?” (479). She goes on to suggest that newer, fresher stories wait to be told: “Other stories can be brought to light, stories which write the developments of the contemporary writing center in theoretically sophisticated ways, stories that consider the critical capacities of networking, of linking writing centers with WAC programs, of placing peer tutors in classrooms” (479). If we look to scholarship (stories) on the WAC/writing center connection we will find that strong interdisciplinary connections between writing centers, writing classrooms, and the university at large already exist. In order for these more theoretically sophisticated stories to be told to their fullest dramatic potential, however, WAC/writing center connections need to continue to be investigated, researched, and reported on.University Writing Cente

Will You Still Want Me Tomorrow? The Dynamics of Families' Long-Term Care Arrangements

We estimate dynamic models of elder-care arrangements using data from the Assets and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old Survey. We model the use of institutional care, formal home health care, care provided by a child, and care provided by a spouse in the selection of each care arrangement, the primary arrangement, and hours in each arrangement. Our results indicate that both observed heterogeneity and true state dependence play roles in the persistence of care arrangements. We find that positive state dependence (i.e., inertia) dominates caregiver burnout, and that formal care decisions depend on the cost and quality of care.Dynamic Models, Long-Term Care, Home Health Care, Informal Care

Who Pays What for Primary Health Care? Patterns and Determinants of the Fees Paid by Patients in a Mixed Public-Private Financing Model

The New Zealand government introduced a Primary Health Care Strategy (PHCS) in 2001 aimed at improving access to primary health care, improving health, and reducing inequalities in health. The Strategy represented a substantive increase in health funding by government and a move from a targeted to a universal funding model. This paper uses representative national survey data to examine the distribution of fees paid for primary health care by different individuals under the mixed public-private financing model in place prior to the introduction of PHCS. Using multivariate regression analysis, we find that fees do vary, with people who might be expected to have greater needs paying less. However, apart from people with diabetes, there is no direct link between self-reported health status and fees paid. The findings indicate that a mixed public-private financing model can result in a fee structure which recognises differences across different population groups. The findings also provide a baseline against which changes in funding brought about by the PHCS can be evaluated.General Practitioner, Primary Health Care, Doctor Fees, Health User-Charge, New Zealand

A Combined Compton and Coded-aperture Telescope for Medium-energy Gamma-ray Astrophysics

A future mission in medium-energy gamma-ray astrophysics would allow for many scientific advancements, e.g. a possible explanation for the excess positron emission from the Galactic Center, a better understanding of nucleosynthesis and explosion mechanisms in Type Ia supernovae, and a look at the physical forces at play in compact objects such as black holes and neutron stars. Additionally, further observation in this energy regime would significantly extend the search parameter space for low-mass dark matter. In order to achieve these objectives, an instrument with good energy resolution, good angular resolution, and high sensitivity is required. In this paper we present the design and simulation of a Compton telescope consisting of cubic-centimeter Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CdZnTe) detectors as absorbers behind a silicon tracker with the addition of a passive coded mask. The goal of the design was to create a very sensitive instrument that is capable of high angular resolution. The simulated telescope showed achievable energy resolutions of 1.68$\%$ FWHM at 511 keV and 1.11$\%$ at 1809 keV, on-axis angular resolutions in Compton mode of 2.63$^{\circ}$ FWHM at 511 keV and 1.30$^{\circ}$ FWHM at 1809 keV, and is capable of resolving sources to at least 0.2$^{\circ}$ at lower energies with the use of the coded mask. An initial assessment of the instrument in Compton imaging mode yields an effective area of 183 cm$^{2}$ at 511 keV and an anticipated all-sky sensitivity of 3.6 x 10$^{-6}$ photons cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ for a broadened 511 keV source over a 2-year observation time. Additionally, combining a coded mask with a Compton imager to improve point source localization for positron detection has been demonstrated

A Seat at the Table: A Profile of the Leadership Preferences Among Generation Y Latina College Students

There continues to be mixed evidence regarding interest in, knowledge about, and preferences for leaders among Generation Y Latinas, despite their ability to vote. While a few studies have begun to profile leadership preferences among Generation Y samples, no previous studies have focused exclusively on Generation Y Latina college students. The purpose of this descriptive, quantitative research was to reveal a profile of the leadership preferences consistently endorsed by Generation Y Latina college students at a small, urban liberal arts college in the northeastern United States. Across five themes: (a) competence, (b) interpersonal relations, (c) management of others, (d) self-management, and (e) communication, using the online administration of the Leadership Preference Inventory, 50 female participants answered 44 items addressing their degree of agreement. The results show that participants most frequently agreed that leaders should: (a) provide opportunities for growth, take risks, exude authority, inspire others, and provide constructive feedback; (b) treat everyone with respect, provide encouragement, praise employees when they earn it, and be approachable; (c) be intelligent, provide mentoring, respect work-life balance, be a problem solver, and have a sense of humor; (d) set a positive example, consider the future when making decisions, control their emotions, and set realistic expectations for employees; and (e) communicate with confidence, create a fun work environment, be a good listener, and be trustworthy. These findings were consistent with previous research. Recommendations for stakeholders and research include: focus groups, mentoring, and larger survey population

Self-stigma, Stress, and Smoking among African American and American Indian Female Smokers: An Exploratory Qualitative Study

Research suggests that negative emotions and difficulty coping with stressful events might impede women’s ability to quit smoking. This study uses qualitative methods to explore interrelationships between smoking behavior and negative emotions among a sample of racial/ethnic minority female smokers with the aims of theory-building and hypothesis generation. Data were derived from a larger study involving sixteen focus groups with current and former smokers from ethnic minority communities. The present study consisted of three focus groups of female African American and American Indian smokers (N = 16). Data was analyzed following standard methods for in vivo coding of qualitative data. Consistent with prior research, participants reported using smoking as a tool to cope with stress and negative emotions. Deprivation from smoking was associated with negative states such as anger, irritability, and distress. However, continued smoking was also a source of negative emotion, as women felt shame, guilt and low self-esteem over their inability to quit, which was perceived by some as indicative of weakness. These negative self-perceptions are consistent with stigmatized views of smokers held by the public. Women also expressed feelings of defiance about their smoking despite pressure to quit and identified external factors which contributed to their inability to quit. The negative emotions, self-stigma and shame experienced by low income American Indian and African American women smokers may contribute to continued smoking and disrupt quit attempts. Additional research is needed in order to develop effective tobacco cessation interventions for this group

Hubungan status kesehatan berdasarkan WOMAC dengan tingkat kecemasan berdasarkan HAM-A pada pasien osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) adalah penyakit reumatik degeneratif yang bersifat kronik. Faktor resiko Osteoarthritis terdiri atas jenis kelamin, usia lansia, berat badan. Dampak penyakit OA dapat menyebabkan nyeri dan disabilitas. Kecemasan sangat berkaitan dengan OA yang dapat memperburuk kondisi kesehatan mental, OA menyebabkan kerusakan sendi yang mengakibatkan keterbatasan dalam aktivitas sehari-hari dan keterbatasan interaksi sosial sehingga menimbulkan beban ekonomi. Terapi pengobatan OA bertujuan untuk mengurangi nyeri, saat ini belum memiliki terapi definitif yang menyembuhkan. Dampak dari kecemasan dan depresi ini, mengakibatkan peningkatan dalam kunjungan dokter, perawatan kesehatan, obat-obatan, dan peningkatan postsurgical pain. Tujuan dari penelitian ini untuk mengetahui hubungan status kesehatan dengan tingkat kecemasan yang dialami pasien Osteoarthritis di RS Royal Prima. Metode: menggunakan penelitian kuantitatif dengan design cross sectional dan total sampel sebanyak 80 pasien Osteoarthritis. Pengambilan sampel dengan consecutive sampling. Pengambilan data menggunakan kuesioner Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) dan kuesioner Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A). Hasil: Analisis data menggunakan Uji chi-square dan memiliki hubungan signifikan antara status Kesehatan berdasarkan WOMAC dengan Tingkat Kecemasan berdasarkan HAM-A pada pasien Osteoarthritis (p value 0,001<0,05). Kesimpulan: terdapat hubungan status kesehatan dengan tingkat kecemasan pada pasien Osteoarthritis di RS Royal Prima. Mayoritas responden (60%) mengalami skor WOMAC sedang dan (63,8%) mengalami tingkat kecemasan ringan

The path to fracture in granular flows: dynamics of contact networks

Capturing the dynamics of granular flows at intermediate length scales can often be difficult. We propose studying the dynamics of contact networks as a new tool to study fracture at intermediate scales. Using experimental three-dimensional flow fields with particle-scale resolution, we calculate the time evolving broken-links network and find that a giant component of this network is formed as shear is applied to this system. We implement a model of link breakages where the probability of a link breaking is proportional to the average rate of longitudinal strain (elongation) in the direction of the edge and find that the model demonstrates qualitative agreement with the data when studying the onset of the giant component. We note, however, that the broken-links network formed in the model is less clustered than our experimental observations, indicating that the model reflects less localized breakage events and does not fully capture the dynamics of the granular flow.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Monovision LASIK in emmetropic presbyopic patients.

BackgroundTo evaluate the efficacy and patient satisfaction of laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) monovision correction in presbyopic emmetropic patients.MethodsA retrospective review of 294 patients who underwent LASIK for monovision was conducted. All patients had preoperative uncorrected distance visual acuity in each eye of 20/25 or better in both eyes and underwent primary LASIK treatment in one eye with a near target; 82 patients underwent surgery in the distant eye for hypermetropia. Patients completed a patient-reported-outcome questionnaire at their one-month postoperative visit. Analysis was performed on a per patient basis with a logistic regression model.ResultsPatients achieved a postoperative mean spherical equivalent of -0.05 diopters (D) in the distant eye and -1.92 D in the near eye. Prior to surgery, 64.7% (n=178) of patients reported they were satisfied or very satisfied with their vision; postoperatively, this increased to 85.4% (n=251). The greatest predictor of dissatisfaction after surgery was severe patient-reported visual phenomena (glare, halos, starbursts, ghosting) (odds ratio 1.18, P=0.001).ConclusionsLASIK monovision for presbyopic patients with low refractive error and good preoperative uncorrected distance visual acuity is both safe and effective with high patient satisfaction. Patients who were dissatisfied in the postoperative period tended to be those with postoperative visual symptoms