The impact of a substance abuse prevention program: An evaluation

This study tests the theory of risk and protective factors. The risk and protective theory suggests that substance abuse prevention programs, in order to be effective, must decrease risk factors and increase protective factors for youth. Seventeen risk and protective factors are identified in the literature and are tested in this study; To determine the degree to which this theory applies to prevention programming, this study evaluates the effectiveness of a substance abuse prevention program entitled the National Youth Sports Program (NYSP). NYSP is a nationally sponsored summer youth and academic program that includes a prevention education component. Three hundred twenty-five youth are recruited for program participation from the greater Las Vegas, Nevada area. The sample size of this study is 353 at-risk youth ages 10-16 (N = 353). This five week program is held on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and is sponsored by the College of Education; A program evaluation was conducted on this program in 1992 and this current study replicates the earlier work. The Individual Protective Factors Index (IPFI) was used as the measuring device both in the 1992 evaluation and during this study. The research design for this study is a quasi-experimental design. Three waves, a pre-test, post-test, and three month follow-up, were conducted to measure program effects over time; This study found that of the seventeen risk and protective factor dimensions evaluated, only one--family supervision--was statistically significant. The data suggest that significant changes in the other dimensions did not occur

Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Focused Debate on the Development of Ethical Reasoning Skills in Pharmacy Technician Students.

Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of debating an ethical dilemma on the development of ethical reasoning skills in pharmacy technician students. Methods. A mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods was used. This included analysis of before and after 5-minute papers, a sentiment survey, thematic analysis of student reflective writing and a qualitative questionnaire by an independent observer. Results. Twenty-five students participated in the study. The 5-minute papers showed improvement in student learning. In the sentiment survey, 83% of students agreed or strongly agreed that they had a better understanding of ethical dilemmas following the debate. The main theme identified from student blogs was the variety of different opinions expressed during the debate. Conclusion. Debating was an effective means of exploring ethics with pharmacy technician students. Read More: https://www.ajpe.org/doi/full/10.5688/ajpe628

Missing Energy Studies at the DØ Experiment

Missing transverse energy is an important aspect of physics analyses at hadron collider detectors. While other particles can be identified by the energy they deposit in the detector, the presence of neutrinos and other theorized particles must be inferred by an energy imbalance. At the DØ experiment missing energy algorithms exist not only to calculate the missing energy in an event, but to distinguish between possible sources: detector measurement effects or unobserved particles. DØ scientists rely on these algorithms to produce reliable physics results. This thesis presents updates made in the past year to missing energy certification, the unclustered energy resolution, and the missing energy significance calculation. It describes a new processor which calculates missing momentum from tracks as well as development work toward an unclustered energy calibration

The Life of the Abortion Pill in the United States

During the last eleven years, the efforts of those fighting to make mifepristone available in the United States have been thwarted by those fighting just as valiantly to keep it out. The struggle between the two groups is evident in every decision made, be it by the patent owner, the manufacturer, the FDA, or the President, regarding the drug's future and approval in the United States. This paper will examine the ideology behind the struggle of these two groups and its effect on the life of the abortion pill, mifepristone, in the United States. Part I will describe how mifepristone works to chemically induce an abortion, review the safety and effectiveness of the drug, and discuss other medical uses of the drug. Part II will identify the key players in the struggle to bring mifepristone to the United States and discuss the motivations and ideologies behind each groups' efforts. Part III will review the history of mifepristone in France, from its invention to its approval. Part IV will discuss the history of mifepristone in the United States and examine the impact of the political struggle regarding the drug on mifepristone's availability (or lack thereof) in the United States

Study protocol: The Adherence and Intensification of Medications (AIM) study - a cluster randomized controlled effectiveness study

Abstract Background Many patients with diabetes have poor blood pressure (BP) control. Pharmacological therapy is the cornerstone of effective BP treatment, yet there are high rates both of poor medication adherence and failure to intensify medications. Successful medication management requires an effective partnership between providers who initiate and increase doses of effective medications and patients who adhere to the regimen. Methods In this cluster-randomized controlled effectiveness study, primary care teams within sites were randomized to a program led by a clinical pharmacist trained in motivational interviewing-based behavioral counseling approaches and authorized to make BP medication changes or to usual care. This study involved the collection of data during a 14-month intervention period in three Department of Veterans Affairs facilities and two Kaiser Permanente Northern California facilities. The clinical pharmacist was supported by clinical information systems that enabled proactive identification of, and outreach to, eligible patients identified on the basis of poor BP control and either medication refill gaps or lack of recent medication intensification. The primary outcome is the relative change in systolic blood pressure (SBP) measurements over time. Secondary outcomes are changes in Hemoglobin A1c, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), medication adherence determined from pharmacy refill data, and medication intensification rates. Discussion Integration of the three intervention elements - proactive identification, adherence counseling and medication intensification - is essential to achieve optimal levels of control for high-risk patients. Testing the effectiveness of this intervention at the team level allows us to study the program as it would typically be implemented within a clinic setting, including how it integrates with other elements of care. Trial Registration The ClinicalTrials.gov registration number is NCT00495794.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78258/1/1745-6215-11-95.xmlhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78258/2/1745-6215-11-95.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78258/3/1745-6215-11-95-S1.DOCPeer Reviewe

Developing a Community-Designed Healthy Urban Food System

Learning About Food in Urban Communities is a comprehensive guide with Extension resources for Food Production, Food & Business, Food & Family, and Food & Community. This publication emerged as part of a 2-year community-planning project. An interdisciplinary OSU team worked with the Weinland Park community, in the central Ohio University District, to explore how food could be a catalyst for urban neighborhood development

Violence Prevention: Reaching Adolescents with the Message

To identify an effective medium for communicating with adolescents in a large-scale, cost-effective violence prevention program. A set of youth violence prevention programs was established at The Stamford Hospital, a level II trauma center. The traveling version of the program was presented to middle school students in four parts: 1) a rap music video created by our violence prevention staff, 2) a facilitated discussion about dealing with anger, 3) a video of a trauma resuscitation in our emergency department, and 4) a commercial video of a teenage boy paralyzed after a gunshot wound. A written questionnaire with a five-point rating scale (1 to 5) was used to survey the audience 1 month after the program. The survey assessed the respondents\u27 recall of each part of the program and the perceptions of the value of each part in identifying the problem of violence and reducing violent behavior. Results: Of 99 respondents, the highest ratings for retention, problem identification, and impact were given to the commercial video (combined average category ranking of 11.394) and the rap music video (11.182). The trauma resuscitation video and the discussion of anger were ranked as being less effective (10.253 and 9.383, respectively). The audience seemed to comprehend the main point of the program and ranked the program, as a whole, higher than any of the parts when measured by success at problem identification and impact. Effective communication with adolescents is possible through many avenues. Children of the video age respond well to visual material. A violence prevention program should incorporate effective multimedia presentations. A variety of methods hi combination proves to be most effective

Heterogeneity

This entry discusses heterogeneity in the context of ecological landscapes and how the heterogeneity impacts the resilience of the system. Heterogeneity is closely linked to the scale of measurement, both spatially and temporally. We will walk through a simple example that highlights how the scale of observation can impact the heterogeneity of the system. The differences between functional and measured heterogeneity will also be explained. Finally, heterogeneity will be discussed in the context of its utility to management and how it can be used to understand the resilience of agro-ecosystems. Overview - What Will You Learn In This Lesson? This lesson discusses what heterogeneity is and how it relates to understanding and interpreting natural phenomena. Objectives This lesson covers the concept of heterogeneity. At the end of this module you should be able to: Define heterogeneity in the context of environmental management Explain the relationship between heterogeneity and ecological resilience Differentiate between functional and measured heterogeneity in ecology Understand the importance and usefulness of heterogeneity in resource management Modules Lesson home Overview and Objectives Introduction - What Is Heterogeneity? Measures of Heterogeneity Heterogeneity in Management - How Does This Concept Impact Real-World Management? Example - Heterogeneity of Zoning in Cities Summary - What Did We Learn? Quiz Questions References and Further Reading Glossar

Patient Centeredness in Electronic Communication: Evaluation of Patient-to-Health Care Team Secure Messaging

BACKGROUND: As information and communication technology is becoming more widely implemented across health care organizations, patient-provider email or asynchronous electronic secure messaging has the potential to support patient-centered communication. Within the medical home model of the Veterans Health Administration (VA), secure messaging is envisioned as a means to enhance access and strengthen the relationships between veterans and their health care team members. However, despite previous studies that have examined the content of electronic messages exchanged between patients and health care providers, less research has focused on the socioemotional aspects of the communication enacted through those messages. OBJECTIVE: Recognizing the potential of secure messaging to facilitate the goals of patient-centered care, the objectives of this analysis were to not only understand why patients and health care team members exchange secure messages but also to examine the socioemotional tone engendered in these messages. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional coding evaluation of a corpus of secure messages exchanged between patients and health care team members over 6 months at 8 VA facilities. We identified patients whose medical records showed secure messaging threads containing at least 2 messages and compiled a random sample of these threads. Drawing on previous literature regarding the analysis of asynchronous, patient-provider electronic communication, we developed a coding scheme comprising a series of a priori patient and health care team member codes. Three team members tested the scheme on a subset of the messages and then independently coded the sample of messaging threads. RESULTS: Of the 711 messages coded from the 384 messaging threads, 52.5% (373/711) were sent by patients and 47.5% (338/711) by health care team members. Patient and health care team member messages included logistical content (82.6%, 308/373 vs 89.1%, 301/338), were neutral in tone (70.2%, 262/373 vs 82.0%, 277/338), and respectful in nature (25.7%, 96/373 vs 33.4%, 113/338). Secure messages from health care team members sometimes appeared hurried (25.4%, 86/338) but also displayed friendliness or warmth (18.9%, 64/338) and reassurance or encouragement (18.6%, 63/338). Most patient messages involved either providing or seeking information; however, the majority of health care team member messages involved information provision in response to patient questions. CONCLUSIONS: This evaluation is an important step toward understanding the content and socioemotional tone that is part of the secure messaging exchanges between patients and health care team members. Our findings were encouraging; however, there are opportunities for improvement. As health care organizations seek to supplement traditional encounters with virtual care, they must reexamine their use of secure messaging, including the patient centeredness of the communication, and the potential for more proactive use by health care team members

RNA-Seq identifies SPGs as a ventral skeletal patterning cue in sea urchins

The sea urchin larval skeleton offers a simple model for formation of developmental patterns. The calcium carbonate skeleton is secreted by primary mesenchyme cells (PMCs) in response to largely unknown patterning cues expressed by the ectoderm. To discover novel ectodermal cues, we performed an unbiased RNA-Seq-based screen and functionally tested candidates; we thereby identified several novel skeletal patterning cues. Among these, we show that SLC26a2/7 is a ventrally expressed sulfate transporter that promotes a ventral accumulation of sulfated proteoglycans, which is required for ventral PMC positioning and skeletal patterning. We show that the effects of SLC perturbation are mimicked by manipulation of either external sulfate levels or proteoglycan sulfation. These results identify novel skeletal patterning genes and demonstrate that ventral proteoglycan sulfation serves as a positional cue for sea urchin skeletal patterning