The perception and knowledge of cardiovascular risk factors among Chinese Americans

textThe purpose of this study was to evaluate Chinese Americans’ perceptions and knowledge about cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and to determine if acculturation has systematic effects on perception of illness. Perception about the cause, seriousness, curability, and controllability of CVD were investigated. Relationships between the demographic characteristics of the participants and cardiovascular knowledge and perception were examined. The conceptual framework for this study was based on Leventhal’s (1970, 1984) Common Sense Model of Illness Representation. The influence of Kleinman’s Explanatory Model about the cultural and social consideration of illness representation was incorporated. A cross-sectional design was selected for this descriptive study with a convenience sampling technique. The target population was community-based Chinese Americans who live in the United States. Data collection was conducted using the Internet to access a population. The sample of the study was comprised of 124 adults with 68% being female. The majority of participants retained a high Asian identity. Participants identified Chinese over English for speaking, reading, writing preferences. Instruments included the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised (IPQ-R), Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity Acculturation Scale (SL-ASIA) and the Healthy Heart IQ. Findings included the following: the IPQ-R subscales were intercorrelated in a logical manner. Illness perceptions correlated positively with each other but were negatively correlated with optimistic perceptions like personal and treatment control. No difference was observed in the IPQ-R based on age, gender or educational level. Knowledge of CVD among Chinese Americans was lower than the general population. The level of acculturation had an impact on the illness perception. Acculturation level was significantly related to all seven illness perception dimensions of illness representation on the IPQ-R. There were significant relationships between acculturation level and knowledge of CVD. However, due to the low acculturation level presented by majority of participants, caution must be exercised in the interpretation of the study findings. The findings of this study have important implications for nursing practice, education, and theory. These results also provide directions for future research. Suggestions for health care professionals who care for patients with ethnic cultural backgrounds were given.Nursin

Magnetic perturbations due to current structural variations

Study of the magnetic perturbations caused by auroral currents has been conducted by rocket-borne magnetometer measurements for years. Since the horizontal auroral currents were usually found to be confined near the visible auroral arcs, as determined by Heppner [1954], Davis [1961], and Davis and Kimball [1962], a number of current models have been established in order to explain observed data by rockets or satellite measurements. In those models, the requirement that the current be continuous across the highly conducting arc results in either polarization electric fields to reduce the current in the highly conducting region or Birkeland currents to provide return current to the outer part of the magnetosphere. Bostrom found two basic solutions, one in which a horizontal electrojet connects two filamentary Birkeland currents, and the other in which broad Birkeland sheet currents (Fig. 2) flow to the edges of the arc, with a transverse closing current and a Hall electrojet. In this thesis, we adopted a model similar to the second solution and assumed that the arc was bombarded by energetic precipitating electrons. In this thesis, the effect of a spatial fold on the magnetic vector field in the vicinity of the arc is examined. Fig. 1 shows the current model used in the initial calculations. It has a displacement of thickness of 3 km from its center and is composed of two current parts. One part is the two oppositely directed Birkeland sheet currents having an equal current density of .5 amp/m and an equal thickness of 3 km for each sheet, in which the downward current sheet is on the south side of the arc and the upward on the north. And the 3 other part is an electrojet having a magnitude of 5 x 1 amp flowing eastward at an altitude of 1 km. Model computations were performed with the Rice IBM 37/155 computer. The variations of the vector components as well as the directions of the magnetic fields due to the following three cases, such as the electrojet, the sheet currents and the combination of the two along a path of rocket flight were individually included in details. For the electrojet current which was a kinked line current at the center, we get more details from a comparison with a straight line current in Chapter 2

Market Movement, Earning Capacity and Asset Fluctuation in Taiwanese Stock Exchange

This study examines a simple theory in which investors with market movement behaviours to show the influence of market movement on the relation between earning capacities, returns, and return volatility, and then we examine the empirical evidences from our theory. It first illustrates how asset fluctuation may fluctuate more than the fundamental valu

Improving Identification of SSI in SNF

Educational deficit in basic wound assessment can lead to failure to recognize early signs of infection or wound deterioration. Despite many challenges towards wound care, there are potential opportunities to reduce patient injury and clinical outcomes through continuing education. The purpose of this paper is to review literature on current wound care knowledge in nurses and assess existing wound care knowledge in nurses at a skilled nursing facility. A 10-question pre-test wound assessment quiz based on the Bates-Jensen Wound Assessment Tool (BWAT) selected by the Wound Care Coordinator (WCC)/Wound Care Specialist (WCS) was given to 22 nurses: 5 Registered Nurses (RN) and 17 Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN) working at this SNF. Results showed that only 13% (3) scored higher than 75%. Additional clinical education was provided according to knowledge deficits. A post-test was then given with the same questions as the pre-test. Results showed that 77 percent (17) scored equal or higher than 97%, and 22.7 percent (5) scored 77 percent. There was an increase of 32 percent in correctly answered questions. This shows that education has a significant impact on enhancing clinical knowledge