Can a parent do too much for their child? An examination by parenting professionals of the concept of overparenting

Free to read at publisher Is there a point where parental effort can be too much? While the link between parenting effort and the wellbeing of children has been firmly established, contemporary discussion has proposed that extreme levels of parental protection of and responsiveness to children could be counterproductive. Research has not yet addressed this phenomenon to ascertain if overparenting is a genuinely different type of parenting approach. The purpose of the present study was to gain insight into the parenting actions considered by parenting professionals (psychologists and school guidance counsellors) to be overparenting. One hundred and twenty-eight professionals responded to an online survey about their observations of overparenting, with eighty-six respondents providing lists of the types of actions they believed were behavioural examples of the term. The survey data revealed that certain types of actions were considered to be indicative of overparenting, and that particular beliefs and outcomes may be involved in this parenting approach. Implications for parenting advice and education programs, and further research are discussed

The Paradigm of Personal Application: A Method for Cross-Generational Sermon Application at Cambria Baptist Church

God tasked pastors with the command to preach the Word to conform God\u27s people to His image. In completing this task, pastors seek to apply God\u27s Word to God\u27s people. The unique context of each congregant’s life complicates this task. As a healthy, rural church in southern Michigan, Cambria Baptist Church maintains a multigenerational congregation. Because a broad age group attends the Sunday service, the pastors at Cambria cannot specifically apply the sermon to each situation. Therefore, the purpose of this DMIN action research project was to create and implement a paradigm by which congregants of each generation can effectively apply the sermon. The study combined the disciplines of homiletical grids and listening theory to create and implement the paradigm. The goal was that each congregant would arrive at specific applications from the message using the paradigm. The project’s thesis statement was that if the paradigm of personal application was taught and applied, then the congregants of each generation could effectively apply the sermon to their personal life. After four weeks of training in sermon application and using the paradigm, the twenty-six participants representing the multigenerational church used the paradigm in the worship service. The study used questionnaires, group discussions, and interviews to test the paradigm\u27s effectiveness in leading to specific sermon applications across generations. The study resulted in a working paradigm that can be adapted to multiple situations to enhance specific sermon applications across all generations

MalStone: Towards A Benchmark for Analytics on Large Data Clouds

Developing data mining algorithms that are suitable for cloud computing platforms is currently an active area of research, as is developing cloud computing platforms appropriate for data mining. Currently, the most common benchmark for cloud computing is the Terasort (and related) benchmarks. Although the Terasort Benchmark is quite useful, it was not designed for data mining per se. In this paper, we introduce a benchmark called MalStone that is specifically designed to measure the performance of cloud computing middleware that supports the type of data intensive computing common when building data mining models. We also introduce MalGen, which is a utility for generating data on clouds that can be used with MalStone

Management of Asymptomatic Renal Stones in Astronauts

Introduction: Management guidelines were created to screen and manage asymptomatic renal stones in U.S. astronauts. The risks for renal stone formation in astronauts due to bone loss and hypercalcuria are unknown. Astronauts have a stone risk which is about the same as commercial aviation pilots, which is about half that of the general population. However, proper management of this condition is still crucial to mitigate health and mission risks in the spaceflight environment. Methods: An extensive review of the literature and current aeromedical standards for the monitoring and management of renal stones was done. The NASA Flight Medicine Clinic's electronic medical record and Longitudinal Survey of Astronaut Health were also reviewed. Using this work, a screening and management algorithm was created that takes into consideration the unique operational environment of spaceflight. Results: Renal stone screening and management guidelines for astronauts were created based on accepted standards of care, with consideration to the environment of spaceflight. In the proposed algorithm, all astronauts will receive a yearly screening ultrasound for renal calcifications, or mineralized renal material (MRM). Any areas of MRM, 3 millimeters or larger, are considered a positive finding. Three millimeters approaches the detection limit of standard ultrasound, and several studies have shown that any stone that is 3 millimeters or less has an approximately 95 percent chance of spontaneous passage. For mission-assigned astronauts, any positive ultrasound study is followed by low-dose renal computed tomography (CT) scan, and flexible ureteroscopy if CT is positive. Other specific guidelines were also created. Discussion: The term "MRM" is used to account for small areas of calcification that may be outside the renal collecting system, and allows objectivity without otherwise constraining the diagnostic and treatment process for potentially very small calcifications of uncertain significance. However, a small asymptomatic MRM or stone within the renal collecting system may become symptomatic, and so affect launch and flight schedules, cause incapacitation during flight, and ultimately require medical evacuation. For exploration class missions, evacuation is unlikely. The new screening and management algorithm allows better management of mission risks, and will define the true incidence of renal stones in U.S. astronauts. This information will be used to refine future screening, countermeasures and treatment methods; and will also inform the needed capabilities to be flown on exploration-class missions

Inferior Vena Cava Filter Erosion Causing Symptomatic Obstructive Hydronephrosis

A grant from the One-University Open Access Fund at the University of Kansas was used to defray the author's publication fees in this Open Access journal. The Open Access Fund, administered by librarians from the KU, KU Law, and KUMC libraries, is made possible by contributions from the offices of KU Provost, KU Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate Studies, and KUMC Vice Chancellor for Research. For more information about the Open Access Fund, please see http://library.kumc.edu/authors-fund.xml.Background: Transcaval inferior vena cava (IVC) filter penetration involving the urinary tract is rare, but has been previously reported. We herein present unique management of symptomatic hydronephrosis secondary to erosion of an IVC filter limb into the lumen of the proximal right ureter. Case Presentation: A 59-year-old woman presented with abdominal and right flank pain in October 2015 and was found to have right hydronephrosis, apparently secondary to obstruction from erosion of an IVC filter limb into the proximal right ureter. This was effectively managed with percutaneous, endovascular, and endourologic procedures, without the need for a major invasive surgical procedure. Conclusion: Endovascular removal of the IVC filter was performed safely in this case and can be considered when the urinary tract is involved in filter erosion

The $10 Million ANA Avatar XPRIZE Competition Advanced Immersive Telepresence Systems

The $10M ANA Avatar XPRIZE aimed to create avatar systems that can transport human presence to remote locations in real time. The participants of this multi-year competition developed robotic systems that allow operators to see, hear, and interact with a remote environment in a way that feels as if they are truly there. On the other hand, people in the remote environment were given the impression that the operator was present inside the avatar robot. At the competition finals, held in November 2022 in Long Beach, CA, USA, the avatar systems were evaluated on their support for remotely interacting with humans, exploring new environments, and employing specialized skills. This article describes the competition stages with tasks and evaluation procedures, reports the results, presents the winning teams' approaches, and discusses lessons learned.Comment: Extended version of article accepted for competitions colum