The Effects of Mental Age and Chronological Age on Conservation and Classification in Normal and Retarded Children

The effect of experience, as measured by CA, and intelligence on conservation and classification ability was systematically investigated, using groups of retarded and normal subjects matched on MA and CA. Three groups of subjects were matched on a MA of 72 months: a group of 12-year old retarded subjects, a group of 16-year old retarded subjects, and a group of 6-year old normal subjects. The 6-year old normal group was also matched on CA with a mentally retarded group whose MA was 36 months. Three conservation tasks (some-all, a resemblance sorting, hierarchical classification) using both routine test items and real life items (candy and juice) were used. The results indicated that MA was the best predictor of both conservation and classification ability. Subjects also performed better on tasks using real life objects. The results offer support for a number of theoretical assumptions, such as, Inhelder\u27s (1968) theory of fixed operational thought, Piaget\u27s concept of horizontal decalage, and Flavell and Wohwill\u27s (1969) competence-performance model. It was also demonstrated that mentally retarded children were just as likely to resist the counter suggestion of the experimenter as were normal children. All children showed more confidence in their decisions when real life objects were used, by demonstrating greater resistance to counter suggestion on these tasks. The effects of educational experience and individual differences among the subjects were discussed

Student Health Benefits Plan Market Research and Analysis

The University of New Hampshire (UNH) in Durham, New Hampshire requires all full-time students to have health insurance meeting set requirements as a condition of enrollment. UNH offers its own health plan, entitled the Student Health Benefits Plan (SHBP) through its Health Services Center to students as a way to procure this insurance if they lack insurance, or if their current insurance is insufficient or does not meet the insurance requirements. Health Services at UNH is looking for market research on current attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs of both students at UNH, and the parents of students who currently have a child utilizing the SHBP of health insurance knowledge, involvement, and the SHBP. As a way to measure this, separate surveys were administered to each of these two segments. The results show that UNH students have little knowledge of health insurance, and almost no involvement in choosing their health insurance, but would be likely to discuss it with their parents if they found a good alternative in the SHBP. Parents with children on the SHBP are generally satisfied with the plan as a whole, save for some aspects such as pharmaceutical coverage and Basix Dental Savings. The framework for a marketing campaign to increase enrollment based on this research is discussed, including a new slogan, logo, and potential new name for the SHBP. However, the campaign itself has yet to start, but will likely be implemented in 2015 or 2016

PEP Property Estimation Program and Chemical Property Database

PEP Overview A property Estimation Program (PEP), utilizing MCI-property, TSA-property and property correlations and UNIFAC-derived activity coefficients, has been developed for the Apple Macintosh microcomputer to provide the user with several approaches to estimate S, Kow, Pv, H, Koc, and BCF depending on the information available. Structural information required for the MCi and UNIFAC calculation routines can be entered using either Simplified Molecular Identification and Line Entry System (SMILES) notation or connection tables generated with commercially available two-dimensional drawing programs. The TSA module accepts 3-D atomic coordinates entered manually or directly reads coordinate files generated by molecular modeling software. The program’s built-in intelligence helps the user choose the most appropriate QSPR or QPPR based on the structure of the chemical of interest. In addiction, the statistical information associated with each QSPR or QPPR in PEP can be displayed to help the user determine the model’s validity. For the regression-based property estimation models, assessments of accuracy based on the 95% confidence interval and estimated precision of the experimental values are also provided along with the estimated property value. PEP also provides a batch mode that provides users with a method for the convenient, unattended calculation of MCIs, TSA and UNIFAC activity coefficients and the subsequent estimation of physical properties for large numbers of compounds. A chemical property database, containing experimental values of S, Kow, H, Pv, Koc, and BCF complied from a variety of literature sources and computerized databases was used for developing the MCI-property, TSA-Property and property-property relationships used in PEP. This database, which currently contains over 800 chemicals, is linked directly to PEP. The property estimation modules in PEP are also linked directly to the Level 1 and 2 Fugacity Models. The combination of the various property estimation methods, chemical property database, and simple environmental fate models provides users with a methodology for predicting the environmental distribution of an organic chemical in a multi-phase system requiring only the structure of the chemical of interest as input. PEP was designed to be intuitive and user friendly. The easiest way to become familiar with the PEP is to try clicking on the buttons and pull down menus found on each card. Any comments or suggestions regarding improving the operation of PEP would be greatly appreciated by the authors

Entrepreneurial Orientation as a Basis for Classification within a Service Industry: The Case of Retail Pharmacy Industry

To date, service classification research has primarily taken a macro view, creating service typologies or taxonomies by using dimensions such as customer contact or degree of labor intensity. Such classification schemes, though helpful in deciphering critical management issues and positioning strategies between service industries, tend to treat an entire industry, such as airlines, as a single homogenous entity. However, organizations in the same industry often use intangible resources, such as entrepreneurial orientation processes, to compete with one another. Resource-advantage theory suggests that organizations utilize intangible resources to build long-term strategies and a sustainable competitive advantage leading to superior performance. We developed organization clusters based on entrepreneurial orientation as intangible resources to classify organizations within a retailing industry. Using data from the retail pharmacy industry, we tested if the entrepreneurial orientations of the resultant groups within the pharmacy industry were related to their perception of the environment, organizational factors, and performance outcomes. The operationalization of the construct of entrepreneurial orientation is one of the contributions of the study

An Evaluation of Managing and Educating Patients on the Risk of Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteoporosis

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the impact of risk management activities on patient risk of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.MethodsNinety-six adult patients taking chronic glucocorticoid therapy in 15 community pharmacies. Patients in the control group received usual and customary care. Patients in the treatment pharmacies received education and an educational pamphlet about the risks of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. In addition, the treatment group pharmacists monitored the patients' drug therapy, to identify and address drug-related problems. Data including the glucocorticoid taken by the patient, medications, and osteoporosis risk factors were collected at baseline and after 9 months of monitoring, via Web-based survey completed in the pharmacy. Using an intent to treat approach, the pre–post frequency changes were compared with contrasts for presence of bisphosphonate therapy, presence of estrogen therapy, presence of calcium supplement, discussion of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis risk, discussion of bone density test, presence of bone mineral density test, reported inactivity, and reported low calcium diet.ResultsThe contrast was significant in favor of the treatment pharmacies for the frequency of patients taking a calcium supplement (Control [−6.9%] vs. Treatment [17.1%], P < 0.05). No other contrast was significant.ConclusionsCommunity pharmacists are capable of increasing calcium supplementation among patients at risk for glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. Pharmacists who educate at-risk patients can impact the self-care of these patients

Comparison of Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE) and Energized Dispersive Guided Extraction (EDGE) for the Analysis of Pesticides in Leaves

Various techniques have been evaluated for the extraction and cleanup of pesticides from environmental samples. In this work, a Selective Pressurized Liquid Extraction (SPLE) method for pesticides was developed using a Thermo Fisher Scientific Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE) system. This instrument was compared to the newly introduced (2017) extraction instrument, the Energized Dispersive Guided Extraction (EDGE) system, which combines Pressurized Liquid Extraction (PLE) and dispersive Solid Phase Extraction (dSPE). We first optimized the SPLE method using the ASE instrument for pesticide extraction from alfalfa leaves using layers of Florisil and graphitized carbon black (GCB) downstream of the leaf homogenate in the extraction cell (Layered ASE method). We then compared results obtained for alfalfa and citrus leaves with the Layered ASE method to those from a method in which the leaf homogenate and sorbents were mixed (Mixed ASE method) and to similar methods modified for use with EDGE (Layered EDGE and Mixed EDGE methods). The ASE and EDGE methods led to clear, colorless extracts with low residual lipid weight. No significant differences in residual lipid masses were observed between the methods. The UV-Vis spectra showed that Florisil removed a significant quantity of the light-absorbing chemicals, but that GCB was required to produce colorless extracts. Recoveries of spiked analytes into leaf homogenates were generally similar among methods, but in several cases, significantly higher recoveries were observed in ASE extracts. Nonetheless, no significant differences were observed among pesticide concentrations in field samples when calculated with the isotope dilution method in which labelled surrogates were added to samples before extraction. The extraction time with the ASE methods was ~45 minutes, which was ~4.5 times longer than with the EDGE methods. The EDGE methods used ~10 mL more solvent than the ASE methods. Based on these results, the EDGE is an acceptable extraction instrument and, for most compounds, the EDGE had a similar extraction efficiency to the ASE methods

Temperature effect on tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) biodegradation kinetics in hyporheic zone soils

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Remediation of tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) in subsurface waters should be taken into consideration at reformulated gasoline contaminated sites since it is a biodegradation intermediate of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE), and tert-butyl formate (TBF). The effect of temperature on TBA biodegradation has not been not been published in the literature.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Biodegradation of [U ¹⁴C] TBA was determined using hyporheic zone soil microcosms.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>First order mineralization rate constants of TBA at 5°C, 15°C and 25°C were 7.84 ± 0.14 × 10^-3, 9.07 ± 0.09 × 10^-3, and 15.3 ± 0.3 × 10^-3days-1, respectively (or 2.86 ± 0.05, 3.31 ± 0.03, 5.60 ± 0.14 years^-1, respectively). Temperature had a statistically significant effect on the mineralization rates and was modelled using the Arrhenius equation with frequency factor (A) and activation energy (Ea) of 154 day^-1and 23,006 mol/J, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Results of this study are the first to determine mineralization rates of TBA for different temperatures. The kinetic rates determined in this study can be used in groundwater fate and transport modelling of TBA at the Ronan, MT site and provide an estimate for TBA removal at other similar shallow aquifer sites and hyporheic zones as a function of seasonal change in temperature.</p

Patient Experiences at Enhanced-Service Pharmacies in Iowa

Objectives: As payment systems are evolving, the role of community pharmacists has expanded from simply dispensing prescriptions to actively providing care to patients. Little is known about patients’ experiences with enhanced pharmacy services under the pay-for-performance model.&nbsp; In Iowa, Wellmark implemented its Value-Based Pharmacy Program (VBPP) where pharmacists receive capitation for performance on a set of quality measurements. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of services and pharmacies from patients’ perspective in VBPP. A structured interview guide developed from the service quality model was used for this study. Methods: We conducted telephone interviews with patients from 6 community pharmacies participating in VBPP between December 2017 and January 2018. Patients who were aged between 21 and 90 years, had Wellmark prescription drug coverage, were currently on at least three medications with one or more of the medications for a chronic condition and had received enhanced pharmacy services were invited for the study. The semi-structured interview transcripts were coded and analyzed using an inductive approach of thematic analysis. Results: Interviews were completed by 25 patients. Most of them were female and the average age was 59. More than half of the patients were taking at least five medications for chronic conditions. A majority of the patients received medication synchronization and immunization. A total of 13 themes across the service quality dimensions were identified. Patients thought their pharmacists were reliable, responsive, knowledgeable and trustworthy when they provided services. Pharmacy services were accessible and perceived as high quality. Privacy was not a big concern for most patients. Patients had a somewhat limited view regarding how pharmacists helped them maintain health. Conclusions: Patients’ perceptions of enhanced pharmacy services and pharmacies were generally positive while their understanding of pharmacists’ clinical role was limited. &nbsp; Article Type: Original Researc

An Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner-Community Pharmacist Team-Based Approach to Managing Hypertension in a Rural Community Pharmacy

Purpose: To evaluate the implementation of an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) – community pharmacist team-based collaborative model for managing hypertension in a rural, Midwestern, community pharmacy and family medicine clinic using the core functions of the patient centered medical home model (PCMH). Methods: Thirteen patients with uncontrolled hypertension, 5 of who were newly diagnosed, were referred to the pharmacist by the ARNP. The pharmacist rechecked the patient’s blood pressure (BP) every 2 weeks after referral and made drug therapy change recommendations to the ARNP if the patient was not below goal. Results: Following the intervention, the average SBP and DBP decreased 24 mmHg and 12mmHg, respectively. The pharmacists made 21 recommendations (dose increase (11), add a medication (6), change a medication (2), and addition of an adherence tool (2)), 100% of which were accepted by the ARNP. Conclusion: A team-based approach to managing hypertension in a rural community pharmacy and family medicine clinic was an effective way to lower blood pressure. In addition, the core functions of the PCMH model can be delivered in a small family medicine practice. Creating specific expectations for each member of the team prior to referring patients improved the efficiency of the intervention. &nbsp; Type:&nbsp;Original Researc