4,663 research outputs found
Editorial: The Social-Ecological Context of Health Literacy
Most recent empirical findings from the WHO European Region indicate a limited ability to find, understand, critically assess and apply health-related information for between 25% (Slovenia) and 72% (Germany) of the adult population (1). Moreover, it has been widely shown that limited health literacy is associated with poor health behavior, lower use of health screenings, more hospitalization and lower general health (2, 3). With regard to economic effects, limited health literacy causes additional costs that range from 3 to 5% of the annual total health care costs (4). Given these findings, it is not surprising that health literacy is high on the public health agenda with 19 Member States of the WHO European Region having a health literacy policy on a national or local leve
Energy Balance of Laying Hens under Different Climates
A series of short term (3-4 weeks) energy balance experiments on laying hens were carried out under temperate and tropical climates. The results indicated that hens on ME restriction could produce egg while at the same time maintained positive energy balance. This was possible because nutrient requirements to maintain higher body weight which resulted from energy restriction, could have been reduced. Total heat production data obtained for temperate and tropical climates were 172 and 187 kcal(kgo.75 respectively
Broken scaling in the Forest Fire Model
We investigate the scaling behavior of the cluster size distribution in the
Drossel-Schwabl Forest Fire model (DS-FFM) by means of large scale numerical
simulations, partly on (massively) parallel machines. It turns out that simple
scaling is clearly violated, as already pointed out by Grassberger [P.
Grassberger, J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 26, 2081 (1993)], but largely ignored in
the literature. Most surprisingly the statistics not seems to be described by a
universal scaling function, and the scale of the physically relevant region
seems to be a constant. Our results strongly suggest that the DS-FFM is not
critical in the sense of being free of characteristic scales.Comment: 9 pages in RevTEX4 format (9 figures), submitted to PR
Fair game: exploring the dynamics, perception and environmental impact of ‘surplus’ wild foods in England 10kya-present
This paper brings together zooarchaeological data from Neolithic to Post-medieval sites in England to explore the plasticity of cultural attitudes to the consumption of wild animals. It shows how, through time, game has been considered variously as ‘tabooed’ and ‘edible’, each having implications for patterns of biodiversity and wildlife management. The essential points being made are that deeper-time studies can reveal how human perceptions of ‘surplus foods’ have the potential to both create and remedy problems of environmental sustainability and food security. Perhaps more significantly, this paper argues that understanding the bio-cultural past of edible wild animal species has the potential to transform human attitudes to game in the present. This is important at a time when food security and the production of surplus are pressing national and global concerns
Spatial nonlocal pair correlations in a repulsive 1D Bose gas
We analytically calculate the spatial nonlocal pair correlation function for
an interacting uniform 1D Bose gas at finite temperature and propose an
experimental method to measure nonlocal correlations. Our results span six
different physical realms, including the weakly and strongly interacting
regimes. We show explicitly that the characteristic correlation lengths are
given by one of four length scales: the thermal de Broglie wavelength, the mean
interparticle separation, the healing length, or the phase coherence length. In
all regimes, we identify the profound role of interactions and find that under
certain conditions the pair correlation may develop a global maximum at a
finite interparticle separation due to the competition between repulsive
interactions and thermal effects.Comment: Final published version, modified titl
Square lattice site percolation at increasing ranges of neighbor interactions
We report site percolation thresholds for square lattice with neighbor
interactions at various increasing ranges. Using Monte Carlo techniques we
found that nearest neighbors (N), next nearest neighbors (N), next next
nearest neighbors (N) and fifth nearest neighbors (N) yield the same
. At odds, fourth nearest neighbors (N) give .
These results are given an explanation in terms of symmetry arguments. We then
consider combinations of various ranges of interactions with (N+N),
(N+N), (N+N+N) and (N+N). The calculated associated
thresholds are respectively . The
existing Galam--Mauger universal formula for percolation thresholds does not
reproduce the data showing dimension and coordination number are not sufficient
to build a universal law which extends to complex lattices.Comment: 4 pages, revtex
A Prospective Longitudinal Assessment of Medical Records for Diagnostic Substitution among Subjects Diagnosed with a Pervasive Developmental Disorder in the United States
Background: Previously, investigators suggested that diagnostic substitution from other diagnoses, e.g., mental retardation (MR) and/or cerebral palsy (CP) to pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) is a driving factor behind increases in PDD. This study evaluated potential diagnostic substitution among subjects diagnosed with PDD vs MR or CP by examining birth characteristic overlap.Methods: SAS® and StatsDirect software examined medical records for subjects within the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) database who were Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)-enrolled from birth until diagnosed with an International Classification of Disease, 9th revision (ICD-9) outcome of PDD (299.xx, n=84), CP (343.xx, n=300), or MR (317.xx, 318.xx, or 319.xx, n=51).Results: Subjects with PDD had significantly (p<0.01) increased: male/female ratio (PDD=5.5 vs CP=1.5 or MR=1.3), mean age of initial diagnosis in years (PDD=3.13 vs CP=1.09 or MR=1.62), mean gestational age in weeks at birth (PDD=38.73 vs CP=36.20 or MR=34.84), mean birth weight in grams (PDD=3,368 vs CP=2,767 or MR=2,406), and mean Appearance-Pulse-Grimace-Activity-Respiration (APGAR) scores at 1 minute (PDD=7.82 vs CP=6.37 or MR=6.76) and 5 minutes (PDD=8.77 vs CP=7.92 or MR=8.04), as compared to subjects diagnosed with CP or MR.Conclusion: This study suggests diagnostic substitution cannot fully explain increased PDD prevalence during the 1990s within the United States
Complex-Temperature Singularities in the Ising Model. III. Honeycomb Lattice
We study complex-temperature properties of the uniform and staggered
susceptibilities and of the Ising model on the honeycomb
lattice. From an analysis of low-temperature series expansions, we find
evidence that and both have divergent singularities at the
point (where ), with exponents
. The critical amplitudes at this
singularity are calculated. Using exact results, we extract the behaviour of
the magnetisation and specific heat at complex-temperature
singularities. We find that, in addition to its zero at the physical critical
point, diverges at with exponent , vanishes
continuously at with exponent , and vanishes
discontinuously elsewhere along the boundary of the complex-temperature
ferromagnetic phase. diverges at with exponent
and at (where ) with exponent , and
diverges logarithmically at . We find that the exponent relation
is violated at ; the right-hand side is 4
rather than 2. The connections of these results with complex-temperature
properties of the Ising model on the triangular lattice are discussed.Comment: 22 pages, latex, figures appended after the end of the text as a
compressed, uuencoded postscript fil
Differences in digital health literacy and future anxiety between health care and other university students in England during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Background: This study investigates university students' digital health literacy and web-based information-seeking behaviours during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in England. It compares undergraduate and postgraduate students in non-health related subjects with health care students, many of whom were preparing for, or working in, frontline roles. The survey was conducted as part of a wider study by the COVID-HL research consortium. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among n=691 university students aged ≥18 years from 25 universities across England using an adapted digital survey developed by COVID-HL. Data were collected regarding sociodemographic characteristics and specific measures drawn from the Future Anxiety Scale and the Digital Health Literacy Instrument (DHLI). These had been adapted for use in an English setting and to the specific context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Other data collected included students’ anxiety or worries about the future using the Dark Future Scale as well as behaviours in online information-seeking. Data were analysed using correlations to test for relationships between constructs and also between group comparisons to test for differences between students studying health and non-health related subjects. Results: Across digital health literacy dimensions, there was no significant difference between students studying health-related subjects and other students. Health care students did report greater difficulties in relation to how to behave online. They also relied less on public body sources for information about the pandemic. A significant difference was found between the two student populations in relation to their anxiety about the future with health care students reporting fewer fears about the future. Conclusions: Although digital health literacy is well developed in university students, a significant proportion of students still face difficulties with evaluating online information which may frustrate public health efforts. This could be addressed by ensuring health students’ curriculum in particular encompasses digital health literac
Barriers to positive mental health in a young offenders institution: A qualitative study
Objective: To explore the barriers to positive mental health in a group of young offenders.
Design A qualitative approach was used to provide insight into the ways in which mental health for young offenders is experienced and managed. Setting A Young Offenders Institute (YOI) accommodating males aged between 18 and 21 years.
Method: Participants were recruited voluntarily using posters. Twelve offenders participated in focus groups and an additional three interviews were carried out with individuals who felt uncomfortable in the focus group situation.
Results: Participants stressed that feelings in a YOI could not be shared due to the masculine ethos that had been created on the wings. Listener services were reported to be ineffective for support because using them would show weakness and vulnerability to other prisoners. Visiting time was the main highlight in the routine for most young offenders; however, leaving family and friends was difficult. In dealing with these emotions young offenders would use coping mechanisms, including acts of aggression to vent built-up frustrations. The issue of prison staff and their effect on mental health was raised by all offenders involved in the research. Unanimously, it was suggested that there are both excellent prison officers who engage with the prisoners, and staff who abuse their power and treat prisoners disrespectfully.
Conclusion: Promoting mental health is not the principle business of a YOI. However, this research has generated some issues for consideration for governors and those working within this setting
- …