Comparing Different Methods for Estimating Total Open Heliospheric Magnetic Flux

There are extended periods over the solar cycle where significant discrepancies occur between the observed open magnetic flux (i.e., those based on spacecraft observations) and that determined from coronal models. One explanation for the source of these discrepancies is the magnetic fields in CMEs, which have yet to magnetically disconnect from the Sun. These “closed” flux sources can be included in open flux estimates, because open and closed magnetic field lines are not easily distinguished in spacecraft data. Another possibility is that a portion of the open flux measured by in situ spacecraft originates from the time-dependent evolution of solar magnetic fields that is not captured by static or steady state coronal model solutions. In this research, the total open heliospheric magnetic flux is computed using three different methods and then compared with results obtained using in situ interplanetary magnetic field observations. The first two methods make use of the Potential Field Source Surface (PFSS) model to calculate the total open magnetic flux using as its input: 1) traditional Carrington or diachronic maps and 2) Air Force Data Assimilative Photospheric Flux Transport (ADAPT) model synchronic maps. The diachronic and synchronic photospheric magnetic field maps are derived from magnetograms from the same source, namely the National Solar Observatory (NSO) Kitt Peak Vacuum Telescope (KPVT) and Vector Spectromagnetograph (VSM) magnetographs. The third method involves the use of observationally derived Helium and EUV coronal hole maps overlain on the above mentioned magnetic field maps to compute total open magnetic flux. The results of this work show that alternative approaches using observationally derived coronal holes to compute the open flux match well with what the model derives, especially near solar minimum. Both deviate from the spacecraft data especially near solar maximum. This suggests that the models are determining coronal hole boundaries well, but are unable to capture open flux resulting from the opening and closing of field lines during solar maximum. A primary suspicion also is that spacecraft instruments could be mistaking the field’s tangential component for the radial component due to oscillations in the field lines. Future research will work to filter out the field’s tangential component that could be causing inaccuracies in the observed radial field

Is Music Therapy a Complementary Treatment Option for Perinatal Women Experiencing Stress and Anxiety?

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not music therapy is a complementary treatment option for perinatal women experiencing stress and anxiety. STUDY DESIGN: Literature review of three English language studies, published between 2006 and present. DATA SOURCES: Three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were found using a search of Pubmed, Medline, OVID, and Cochrane databases. These studies analyzed the use of a music therapy intervention among pregnant or postpartum women suffering stress, anxiety and/or depression. OUTCOMES MEASURED: The outcomes of interest include stress, anxiety and severity of depression symptoms. Outcomes were measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (S-STAI), and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). RESULTS: Chang et al found that following a two-week music therapy intervention the experimental group had lower mean scores for PSS, S-STAI and EPDS when compared to baseline (p \u3c 0.001; p = 0.01; p \u3c 0.001, respectively). Moreover, an ANCOVA analysis comparing the effectiveness of the music therapy revealed that women in the experimental group had relatively lower scores than the control group for S-STAI, EPDS, and PSS. Tseng et al determined that there were no significant differences in PSS and S-STAI scores between the control group and experimental group post-intervention (F = 0.61, p = 0.438; F = 1.30, p = 0.258). The authors concluded that postpartum mothers who listened to music for two weeks did not show significantly decreased PSS and S-STAI scores. Yang et al determined that following music therapy, S-STAI scores among the intervention group improved significantly (p \u3c 0.01), supporting the fact that music therapy was effective in reducing anxiety among high-risk pregnant women. CONCLUSIONS: Two of three studies demonstrated that music therapy is an effective treatment for perinatal stress and anxiety. Given its low cost and ease of administration, music therapy can be utilized as a primary treatment option or adjunctively to the current standard of care. Future studies would benefit from focusing on the long-term effects of music therapy on perinatal anxiety and stress

A Dual X-Ray Absorptiometry Validated Geometric Model for the Calculation of Body Segment Inertial Parameters of Young Females

The purpose of this study was to validate a new geometric solids model, developed to address the lack of female specific models for body segment inertial parameter estimation. A second aim was to determine the effect of reducing the number of geometric solids used to model the limb segments on model accuracy. The ‘full’ model comprised 56 geometric solids, the ‘reduced’ 31, and the ‘basic’ 16. Predicted whole-body inertial parameters were compared with direct measurements (reaction board, scales), and predicted segmental parameters with those estimated from whole-body DXA scans for 28 females. The percentage root mean square error (%RMSE) for whole-body volume was <2.5% for all models, and 1.9% for the full model. The %RMSE for whole-body center of mass location was <3.2% for all models. The %RMSE whole-body mass was <3.3% for the full model. The RMSE for segment masses was <0.5 kg (<0.5%) for all segments; Bland-Altman analysis showed the full and reduced models could adequately model thigh, forearm, foot and hand segments, but the full model was required for the trunk segment. The proposed model was able to accurately predict body segment inertial parameters for females, more geometric solids are required to more accurately model the trunk

The Impact of Nurse Mental Health on Patient Outcomes: Quality Improvement Project

The mental health of nurses has a significant impact on the care they provide to patients. When nurses experience high levels of depression, anxiety, or stress, it can affect their ability to make sound clinical decisions, communicate effectively with patients and colleagues, and provide compassionate care (1). Research has shown that nurses experiencing mental health issues are more likely to report making errors, experiencing burnout, and having low job satisfaction (2). High levels of stress can lead to increased absenteeism and turn over, which can negatively impact patient care continuity (3).https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2023/1044/thumbnail.jp

Positive experiences of UNF students: A mixed-method model.

Positive psychology is becoming of increasing interest in recent years and topics such as happiness, subjective well-being, life satisfaction are being examined in many areas of psychology (Quick et al, 2007; Simmons& Nelson, 2006). Many large scale studies are being conducted by survey researchers globally to understand these constructs. In addition there is also a lot of interest in examining positive dispositional variables such as Flow, Vigor and Engagement. In this study we looked at the positive experiences students have at UNF and the positive emotions associated with these experiences. We used an online survey on Qualtrics and studied the specific conditions that promote a positive climate for student learning. We also looked at how the perceptions of these positive experiences as well as positive emotions. We also examine how these are related to some dispositional variables such as Flow, Vigor and Engagement. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect the data. The first method attempted to identify specific incidents that made students experience positive stress. The second uses structured questionnaires to collect data on their dispositions. The results were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively

Art of Modeling Stellar Mergers and the Case of the B[e] Supergiant R4 in the Small Magellanic Cloud

Most massive stars exchange mass with a companion, leading to evolution which is altered drastically from that expected of stars in isolation. Such systems result from unusual binary evolution pathways and can place stringent constraints on the physics of these interactions. We use the R4 binary system's B[e] supergiant, which has been postulated to be the product of a stellar merger, to guide our understanding of such outcomes by comparing observations of R4 to the results of simulating a merger with the 3D hydrodynamics code FLASH. Our approach tailors the simulation initial conditions to observed properties of R4 and implements realistic stellar profiles from the 1D stellar evolution code MESA onto the 3D grid, resolving the merger inspiral to within 0.02 R⊙. We map the merger remnant into MESA to track its evolution on the H-R diagram over a period of 10⁴ yr. This generates a model for a B[e] supergiant with stellar properties, age, and nebula structure in qualitative agreement with those of the R4 system. Our calculations provide evidence to support the idea that R4's B[e] supergiant was originally a member of a triple system in which the inner binary merged after its most massive member evolved off the main sequence, producing a new object of similar mass but significantly more luminosity than the A supergiant companion. The code framework presented in this paper, which was constructed to model tidal encounters, can be used to generate accurate models of a wide variety of merger stellar remnants

The Art of Modeling Stellar Mergers and the Case of the B[e] Supergiant R4 in the Small Magellanic Cloud

Most massive stars exchange mass with a companion, leading to evolution which is altered drastically from that expected of stars in isolation. Such systems are the result of unusual binary evolution pathways and, as such, may be used to place stringent constraints on the physics of these interactions. We use the R4 system's B[e] supergiant, which has been postulated to be the product of a binary stellar merger, to guide our understanding of such outcomes by comparing observations of R4 to the results of simulations of mergers performed with the 3d hydrodynamics code FLASH. Our approach tailors the simulation initial conditions to the observed properties of R4 and implements realistic stellar profiles generated by the 1d stellar evolution code MESA onto the 3d grid, resolving the merger inspiral to within $0.02\, R_{\odot}$. We then map the merger remnant into MESA to track its evolution on the HR diagram over a period of $10^4$ years. This generates models for a B[e] supergiant with stellar properties, age, and nebula structure in qualitative agreement with that of the R4 system. Our calculations provide concrete evidence to support the idea that R4 was originally a member of a triple system in which the inner binary merged after its most massive member evolved off the main sequence, producing a new object that is of similar mass yet significantly more luminous than the A supergiant companion. The potential applications of the code framework presented in this paper are wide ranging and can be used to generate models of a variety of merger stellar remnants

Critical considerations for the practical utility of health equity tools: a concept mapping study

Background Promoting health equity within health systems is a priority and challenge worldwide. Health equity tools have been identified as one strategy for integrating health equity considerations into health systems. Although there has been a proliferation of health equity tools, there has been limited attention to evaluating these tools for their practicality and thus their likelihood for uptake. Methods Within the context of a large program of research, the Equity Lens in Public Health (ELPH), we conducted a concept mapping study to identify key elements and themes related to public health leaders and practitioners’ views about what makes a health equity tool practical and useful. Concept mapping is a participatory mixed-method approach to generating ideas and concepts to address a common concern. Participants brainstormed responses to the prompt “To be useful, a health equity tool should…” After participants sorted responses into groups based on similarity and rated them for importance and feasibility, the statements were analyzed using multidimensional scaling, then grouped using cluster analysis. Pattern matching graphs were constructed to illustrate the relationship between the importance and feasibility of statements, and go-zone maps were created to guide subsequent action. Results The process resulted in 67 unique statements that were grouped into six clusters: 1) Evaluation for Improvement; 2) User Friendliness; 3) Explicit Theoretical Background; 4) Templates and Tools 5) Equity Competencies; and 6) Nothing about Me without Me- Client Engaged. The result was a set of concepts and themes describing participants’ views of the practicality and usefulness of health equity tools. Conclusions These thematic clusters highlight the importance of user friendliness and having user guides, templates and resources to enhance use of equity tools. Furthermore, participants’ indicated that practicality was not enough for a tool to be useful. In addition to practical characteristics of the tool, a useful tool is one that encourages and supports the development of practitioner competencies to engage in equity work including critical reflections on power and institutional culture as well as strategies for the involvement of community members impacted by health inequities in program planning and delivery. The results of this study will be used to inform the development of practical criteria to assess health equity tools for application in public health