Understanding subjective memory complaints in ageing : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

Everyday memory difficulties are a common experience with age, and cause considerable distress for many people when they are interpreted as potential indicators of age-related disease. However, research literature examining the relationship between these difficulties (known as subjective memory complaints; SMCs) and actual memory performance on neuropsychological tests has shown mixed results, suggesting that SMCs are not a pure reflection of memory ability, but instead that their aetiology is complicated and not fully understood. Both psychological and methodological factors are also implicated, although no research has yet comprehensively examined how a combination of these factors might predict SMCs. The current research aimed to test a new aetiological model of SMCs that incorporated a range of potential confounds. It was hypothesised that SMCs would be predicted by measures of processing speed and executive functioning, and that this relationship would be moderated by measures of anxiety and depression. First, a meta-analysis and systematic review of existing research on the relationship between subjective and objective memory was conducted as a platform to inform subsequent analyses. Then, Study A addressed current variation in assessment methods by describing differences in SMCs when assessed with both an open-ended measure and a prescriptive questionnaire. Study B examined how these differences in subjective reports related to objective memory performance. Finally, Study C tested the proposed aetiological model of SMCs. Study A showed that different measures of SMCs garnered non-overlapping reports. SMCs gathered via the open-ended measure were fewer in number, but rated as more distressing, than those endorsed on the questionnaire. Spontaneous reports appeared to be more ecologically valid reflections of SMCs, although questionnaire assessments were by their nature more robust to a “catch 22” situation whereby some endorsed SMCs were not reported spontaneously (perhaps due to memory failures in themselves). Study B found that neither method of assessing SMCs produced reports that were significantly convergent with objective measures of memory functioning. Study C found partial support for the hypothesised aetiological model. SMCs (as assessed by the questionnaire) were inversely related to processing speed, but only when depressive symptoms were relatively high. Collectively, results offer important insights into the interaction of cognitive and psychological factors in explaining SMCs, and highlight the previously undelineated context in which processing speed contributes to SMCs

Inter-professional in-situ simulated team and resuscitation training for patient safety: Description and impact of a programmatic approach

© 2015 Zimmermann et al.Background: Inter-professional teamwork is key for patient safety and team training is an effective strategy to improve patient outcome. In-situ simulation is a relatively new strategy with emerging efficacy, but best practices for the design, delivery and implementation have yet to be evaluated. Our aim is to describe and evaluate the implementation of an inter-professional in-situ simulated team and resuscitation training in a teaching hospital with a programmatic approach. Methods: We designed and implemented a team and resuscitation training program according to Kerns six steps approach for curriculum development. General and specific needs assessments were conducted as independent cross-sectional surveys. Teamwork, technical skills and detection of latent safety threats were defined as specific objectives. Inter-professional in-situ simulation was used as educational strategy. The training was embedded within the workdays of participants and implemented in our highest acuity wards (emergency department, intensive care unit, intermediate care unit). Self-perceived impact and self-efficacy were sampled with an anonymous evaluation questionnaire after every simulated training session. Assessment of team performance was done with the team-based self-assessment tool TeamMonitor applying Van der Vleutens conceptual framework of longitudinal evaluation after experienced real events. Latent safety threats were reported during training sessions and after experienced real events. Results: The general and specific needs assessments clearly identified the problems, revealed specific training needs and assisted with stakeholder engagement. Ninety-five interdisciplinary staff members of the Childrens Hospital participated in 20 in-situ simulated training sessions within 2 years. Participant feedback showed a high effect and acceptance of training with reference to self-perceived impact and self-efficacy. Thirty-five team members experiencing 8 real critical events assessed team performance with TeamMonitor. Team performance assessment with TeamMonitor was feasible and identified specific areas to target future team training sessions. Training sessions as well as experienced real events revealed important latent safety threats that directed system changes. Conclusions: The programmatic approach of Kerns six steps for curriculum development helped to overcome barriers of design, implementation and assessment of an in-situ team and resuscitation training program. This approach may help improve effectiveness and impact of an in-situ simulated training program

Geosciences for Elementary Educators: A Course Assessment

Geosciences for Elementary Educators engages future elementary teachers in a hands-on investigation of topics aligned with the third and fifth grade Earth/Space Science and Scientific Inquiry benchmarks of the Oregon Content Standards. The course was designed to develop the content background of elementary teachers within the framework of the science described in the content standards, to provide an opportunity for future teachers to explore the content area in relation to what takes place in the classrooms of elementary schools, and to initiate a community of learners focused on teaching science to elementary students. The course focused on four themes: the classroom teacher as an activity and curriculum developer using diverse resources to keep the content current and alive; the classroom teacher as educator dealing with the diverse backgrounds of students in a developmentally appropriate manner; the classroom teacher as reflective practitioner exploring the links among pedagogy, content, and student learning; and, the classroom teacher as citizen staying current with emerging policy issues and debates that impact education. In a course where process is extremely important, participants are assessed on what they can do with content and process knowledge through preparing lesson plans, presenting lessons in a simulated classroom environment, and developing a portfolio and journal. Lesson plans demonstrate participant understanding of inquiry, using models, deductive and inductive approaches, links between communication skills and content knowledge, and effective use of technology, including the Internet. For each topic, the mixture of demonstration, experimentation, inquiry, and lecture models are explored through investigation, discovery, and analysis

Insights into coral recovery based on symbiont state and environmental conditions in the temperate, facultatively symbiotic coral Astrangia poculata

Coral reefs are declining globally, calling for better ways to quantify coral health and predict resilience to future stress. The relationship between bleaching and fitness is key, as is reserve capacity to deal with physical trauma. This dissertation is an integrative study of the coral-algal symbiosis, holobiont performance under varied environmental conditions, and interactions between holobiont and environment on coral colony health and ability to recover from routine partial damage. I utilize the facultatively symbiotic, temperate coral Astrangia poculata as a natural model to explore the dynamics of colony health, performance, and the influence of environmental and nutritional stress under stable aposymbiotic and symbiotic states. Unlike most tropical hermatypic corals that rely heavily upon photosynthetic symbionts for energy, A. poculata can (1) flexibly use both heterotrophic and autotrophic nutritional pathways and (2) exist in naturally occurring, stable, and measurable aposymbiotic and symbiotic states. I begin by describing the impacts of environmentally relevant (winter, summer, and above range) temperatures on small-scale wound healing and recovery. Next, I explore the effects of nutritional and symbiotic states by comparing wound recovery, total colony health, host behavior, and symbiont performance in fed and starved colonies. Finally, I generate a novel reference transcriptome for A. poculata, and use computational approaches to characterize variation in gene expression between the symbiotic and aposymbiotic states. This analysis reveals that regardless of temperature, and with or without the potential for heterotrophic nutritional sources, a relationship with Symbiodinium enhances wound recovery and resilience to stress. Compromised healing ability and tissue cover at low temperatures suggest that in temperate stony corals, recovery and survival are more impacted by winter conditions than by exposure to high summer temperatures. Differential expression analysis revealed predictable enhancements to photosynthesis-related gene expression in symbiotic colonies. Together these results illuminate the complex interactions among symbiotic state, stress, recovery, and performance. We propose that studies like ours that examine the effects of combined stressors, as opposed to a monotonic focus on coral bleaching per se, are essential to clinical diagnosis and stewardship for coral reefs subjected to intense, cumulative human impacts

Acquisition premium paid by different investors - public strategic investor or private equity fund, who is paying more in an acquisitionand for which factors is he paying more?

This research investigates who is paying more for acquisitions, a public strategic investor or a private equity buyout fund. Furthermore, it investigates for which factors the investor pays more. The data consist of 935 transactions in Europe. Using data from Europe is a main distinction between the often used data from America. It is found that a target shareholder selling its shares, gets on average a 64.49% higher price from a public strategic investor compared to a private equity fund. Furthermore, it is discovered that variables like the level of cash are a driver for a higher acquisition premium

Ann Rheum Dis

Objective This study was conducted with sera from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and arthritis and lupus-like disease animal models to identify innate immune system-dependent and -independent autoantigens