Health Information Seeking as a Coping Strategy to Reduce the Stress of Informal Caregivers of Individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Forms of Dementia

This study explored the relationship between information seeking and the perceived stress levels of informal Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers. An additional component was added to determine whether health literacy and emotional state moderated the relationship. The study involved conducting qualitative interviews followed by collecting survey data to answer the following research questions: 1) What motivating factors lead informal AD caregivers to seek out information? How do their information needs change? Why do informal caregivers choose to utilize certain resources more than others? Is there a correlation between information seeking and resulting stress levels? Does health literacy moderate the association between information seeking and stress? The study also investigated the following hypothesis: Informal caregivers with low health literacy and low self-efficacy will have increased stress levels and those who have high health literacy and high self-efficacy will have decreased stress levels. Qualitative findings revealed that caregivers tend to rely on mediated resources that they find credible, and interpersonal resources such as people with similar experiences to their own. Many participants were satisfied with information available, but others felt that their interactions with healthcare professionals created more stress and emotional anguish than anticipated. Quantitative results supported qualitative results in showing that participant information needs change based on care recipient needs. Results also showed that overall, there was no correlation between information seeking and perceived stress levels; however, there was a significant difference between low-level information seekers and mid-level information seekers. Additionally, health literacy does not moderate the relationship between information seeking and perceived stress, but emotional state and self-efficacy were significant predictors of perceived stress. This study offers an initial step in finding ways that mediated communication can meet the healthcare needs of those who attempt to fill their information needs. The study also reiterated the idea that in many cases, it is necessary to combine the efforts of mediated and interpersonal communication to have the greatest effect

Minority recruitment efforts aimed at increasing student diversity at historically black public colleges and universities and predominantly white public institutions

Minority and other race recruitment have become a significant part of general recruitment efforts at many predominantly white institutions (PWIs) and historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Despite increased efforts, some universities have not been successful at increasing diversity on campus. This study relies on the use of in-depth interviews to document, describe and understand the similar and differing characteristics of minority and other race recruitment tactics being used at PWIs and HBCUs. The researcher conducted interviews at four public institutions of higher education; two of which are HBCUs, and two of which are PWIs. The researcher also sought to determine if the universities in the study created their recruiting techniques as a self-presentation tactic. The findings of this study reveal that although similarities exist in general recruitment practices at PWIs and HBCUs, many recruiters and university administrators note the necessity to approach prospective minority and other race students differently than majority students. Secondly, findings suggest negative perceptions of institutions may hinder minority recruitment efforts. Findings also suggest that the universities are putting forth effort in attempts to overcome this problem; therefore, this study supports the idea that universities practice self-presentation in efforts to overcome negative images and poor minority enrollment

A static investigation of the thrust vectoring system of the F/A-18 high-alpha research vehicle

A static (wind-off) test was conducted in the static test facility of the Langley 16-foot Transonic Tunnel to evaluate the vectoring capability and isolated nozzle performance of the proposed thrust vectoring system of the F/A-18 high alpha research vehicle (HARV). The thrust vectoring system consisted of three asymmetrically spaced vanes installed externally on a single test nozzle. Two nozzle configurations were tested: A maximum afterburner-power nozzle and a military-power nozzle. Vane size and vane actuation geometry were investigated, and an extensive matrix of vane deflection angles was tested. The nozzle pressure ratios ranged from two to six. The results indicate that the three vane system can successfully generate multiaxis (pitch and yaw) thrust vectoring. However, large resultant vector angles incurred large thrust losses. Resultant vector angles were always lower than the vane deflection angles. The maximum thrust vectoring angles achieved for the military-power nozzle were larger than the angles achieved for the maximum afterburner-power nozzle

Quartic differentials and harmonic maps in conformal surface geometry

We consider codimension 2 sphere congruences in pseudo-conformal geometry that are harmonic with respect to the conformal structure of an orthogonal surface. We characterise the orthogonal surfaces of such congruences as either $S$-Willmore surfaces, quasi-umbilical surfaces, constant mean curvature surfaces in 3-dimensional space forms or surfaces of constant lightlike mean curvature in 3-dimensional lightcones. We then investigate Bryant's quartic differential in this context and show that generically this is divergence free if and only if the surface under consideration is either superconformal or orthogonal to a harmonic congruence of codimension 2 spheres. We may then apply the previous result to characterise surfaces with such a property.Comment: 15 page

Quartic differentials and Harmonic maps in conformal surface geometry

Weconsider codimension2 spherec ongruences in pseudo-conformal geometry that are harmonic with respect to the conformal structure of an or-thogonal surface. We characterise the orthogonal surfaces of such congruences as either S-Willmore surfaces, quasi-umbilical surfaces, constant mean curvature surfaces in 3-dimensional space forms or surfaces of constant lightcone mean curvature in 3-dimensional lightcones. We then investigate Bryant’s quartic differential in this context and show that generically this is divergence free if and only if the surface under consideration is either superconformal or orthogonal to a harmonic congruence of codimension 2 spheres. We may then apply the previous result to characterise surfaces with such a property

Evaluation of quantum dot conjugated antibodies for immunofluorescent labelling of cellular targets

Semiconductor quantum dots (Qdots) have been utilised as probes in fluorescence microscopy and provide an alternative to fluorescent dyes and fluorescent proteins due to their brightness, photostability, and the possibility to excite different Qdots with a single wavelength. In spite of these attractive properties, their implemenation by biologists has been somewhat limited and only a few Qdot conjugates are commercially available for the labelling of cellular targets. Although many protocols have been reported for the specific labelling of proteins with Qdots, the majority of these relied on Qdot-conjugated antibodies synthesised specifically by the authors (and therefore not widely available), which limits the scope of applications and complicates replication. Here, the specificity of a commercially available, Qdot-conjugated secondary antibody (Qdot-Ab) was tested against several primary IgG antibodies. The antigens were labelled simultaneously with a fluorescent dye coupled to a secondary antibody (Dye-Ab) and the Qdot-Ab. Although, the Dye-Ab labelled all of the intended target proteins, the Qdot-Ab was found bound to only some of the protein targets in the cytosol and could not reach the nucleus, even after extensive cell permeabilisation

A macro-environment approach to civil aviation strategic planning

Air transport is considered a cyclical industry sensitive to the macro-environment in which it operates. As aviation policy makers and regulators strategically plan for their future, they need to consider the systematic and synergistic effects of common factors which comprise the operating environment of the industry׳s organisations. Thus, during the process of aviation systems planning governments should perceive the generic conditions which exist in the economy as a whole as equally important to air transport exclusive conditions. This paper highlights the significant impact of the national macro-environment factors on a country׳s air transport sector and it suggests including these elements within the context of civil aviation strategic planning. Country level data is collected on seventeen input variables versus four output variables on a sample of 52 countries. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) is used to identify the descriptors with significant impact on air transport output, namely: passenger traffic, aviation total contribution to GDP, aviation total contribution to employment and air connectivity levels. The identified significant drivers are found to create an enabling environment that determines the capacity of an economy and society to benefit from the air transport system׳s productivity. The results call upon aviation policy makers and regulators to assess the national macro-environment forces during the situation analysis part of the strategic planning process. The identified operating environment conditions act as a framework for providing clear policy orientations and for facilitating the identification of areas where policy intervention could improve air transport sector׳s performance. A well-defined aviation strategy allows aviation policy makers to identify and address nation wide strategic issues and provides aviation industry׳s stake holders with guidelines to help maintain and enhance their competitive position in both domestic and global markets

Towards realizing best-in-class civil aviation strategy scenarios

Developed and less developed countries follow different approaches during the formulation of aviation strategic plans. Additionally, there exists no pre-defined framework to guide developing countries in formulating civil aviation strategies matching their macro-environment and competitiveness levels while addressing their future vision for growth or sustainability. Instead, civil aviation planning over-look these priorities and is often dictated by local political pressures, and mostly influenced by uncoordinated foreign aid assistance. Hence, developing countries use dissimilar and un-structured approaches to reach what is known as "civil aviation master plan" or "draft civil aviation policy". Recognizing that a problem exists in the mechanism for civil aviation planning in this part of the world, research is encouraged to highlight this substantial topic. This paper uses a scenario-based approach to study the roles played by the macro-environment and industry-level performance in realizing best-fit national civil aviation strategies. The goals are achieved through utilizing a two-stage performance benchmarking technique named Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) on country level data on a sample of 52 countries in different stages of development, followed by truncated regression. Results of the best performing countries-in terms of output efficiency, indicate that the country's macro-environment and air transport sector's performance serve as guidelines to identify aviation policy elements that are considered to impact efficiency. The regression results indicate that a more liberal air services approach is said to be of positive influence on efficiency levels. Further, we show that private airports are more efficient, while public airports are even less efficient than those with mixed ownership/management model. Hence, policy makers are encouraged to adopt an efficient peer analysis approach based on influential policy elements to bridge performance gaps, achieve better operating capacity, direct and prioritize investments in the civil aviation sector

Ultrasound observations of subtle movements: a pilot study comparing fetuses of smoking and non-smoking mothers

Aim: One way to assess fetal health of smokers is to ask mothers to count perceived movements, an unreliable method hiding differences in prenatal development. The aim of this pilot study was to assess subtle fetal movements in ultrasound-scans and establish whether they differ in fetuses of mothers who smoked and non-smoking mothers. Methods: This longitudinal pilot-study recruited twenty mothers (16 non-smoking; 4 smoking) scanned four times from 24-36 weeks gestation (80 ultrasound scans). Two types of fine grained movements were coded offline and analysed using a Poisson log-linear mixed model. Results: Fetuses of smoking mothers showed a significantly higher rate of mouth-movements compared to fetuses of non-smoking mothers (p=0.02), after controlling for maternal stress and depression. As pregnancy progressed, these differences between the smoking and non-smoking groups widened. Differences between the two groups in the rate of fetal facial self-touch, remained constant as pregnancy progressed and was borderline significant (p=0.07). Conclusion: Rates of fetal mouth-movement and facial self-touch differ significantly between smokers and non-smokers. A larger study is needed to confirm these results and to investigate specific effects, including the interaction of maternal stress and smoking. Additionally, the feasibility of this technique for clinical practice should be assessed