Parents\u27 Treatment of Their Children\u27s Pain at Home: Pharmacological and Non-Pharmacological Approaches

During childhood, individuals often experience pain on a daily or nearly daily basis (American Academy of Pediatrics and American Pain Society, 2001). Pain can be treated using pharmacological or non-pharmacological techniques. This study will focus on the techniques provided by parents, since parents most often treat children\u27s painful experiences at home (Finley, McGrath, Forward, McNeill & Fitzgerald, 1996). The processes involved in parental decision-making regarding which techniques to use include a combination demographic, availability and perceived need factors (Andersen, 1995). Seven hundred and fifty-six parents of children 6 to 17 years completed a survey regarding use and effectiveness of pharmacological and non-pharmacological techniques to alleviate pain at home, pain catastrophizing, and questions regarding dialogue with health care providers about pain alleviation techniques. Parents\u27 use of different techniques varied due to many factors. Parents used fewer pharmacological techniques with increased worry regarding pain medications, more pharmacological techniques with increased pain catastrophizing, and fewer non-pharmacological techniques as child\u27s age increases. Child self-administration of pain alleviation techniques increased with child\u27s age. Parents were more likely to have spoken with their healthcare provider about pharmacological techniques than non-pharmacological techniques. This study provides information that can help providers initiate conversations and education regarding treatment options, and align recommendations for pain management with techniques that parents are likely to be using or providing alternative recommendations with more detailed instructions and support

Boundary and expansion effects on two-pion correlation functions in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

We examine the effects that a confining boundary together with hydrodynamical expansion play on two-pion distributions in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. We show that the effects arise from the introduction of further correlations due both to collective motion and the system's finite size. As is well known, the former leads to a reduction in the apparent source radius with increasing average pair momentum K. However, for small K, the presence of the boundary leads to a decrease of the apparent source radius with decreasing K. These two competing effects produce a maximum for the effective source radius as a function of K.Comment: 6 pages, 5 Eps figures, uses RevTeX and epsfi

Discurso de investidura como Doctor Honoris Causa del Profesor Doctor Francisco Ayala y García-Duarte

Nombrado Doctor Honoris Causa el día 29 de enero de 200

Density and expansion effects on pion spectra in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

We compute the pion inclusive momentum distribution in heavy-ion collisions at AGS energies, assuming thermal equilibrium and accounting for density and expansion effects at the time of decoupling. We compare to data on mid rapidity charged pions produced in central Au + Au collisions and find a very good agreement. The shape of the distribution at low $m_t-m$ is explained in part as an effect arising from the high mean pion density achieved in these reactions. The difference between the positive and negative pion distributions in the same region is attributed in part to the different average yields of each kind of charged pions.Comment: Minor changes, typo in Fig. 2b corrected, version to appear in Phys. Rev.