Breastfeeding Rates in Marshallese Mothers; A Needs Assessment

ABSTRACT Background. Multiple health disparities are associated with the Marshallese population in Northwest Arkansas. Childhood obesity, linked to a decrease in exclusive breastfeeding, is one of the predominant issues. Since their migration to the United States, exclusive breastfeeding rates of Marshallese mothers have steadily declined throughout the years. Little research has been conducted to help combat this growing health disparity. Due to the increased growth in this population in Northwest Arkansas, it is imperative that measures are taken to decrease these disparities to improve the overall health of the future generations. Objective: To determine the relationship between maternal age, parity, length of hospital stay, and intent to feed on the mother’s breastfeeding patterns during hospitalization and the exclusive breastfeeding rate upon hospital discharge. Methods: A retrospective data analysis of the rates of Marshallese mothers exclusively breastfeeding while in the hospital was analyzed to support a needs assessment for an in-hospital educational interventions. Data was collected through a medical records audit collecting information specific to breastfeeding rates of Marshallese mothers in 2014. Designated variables were assessed to provide frequency data, and compared to breastfeeding patterns to determine any significant relationships. Results: Length of hospital stay was the only variable that proved to have significant effect on mother’s breastfeeding pattern. An overall regression analysis proved that 74% of mothers moved toward the negative direction (formula feeding) during their hospital stay. Conclusion: The results from this study prove that the rate of exclusive breastfeeding amongst Marshallese mothers in the hospital is lower than desired levels. A culturally significant educational intervention is needed in order to increase these rates and improve the overall health of both the mother and baby. Further research is needed to discover the reasoning behind their feeding patterns and what further measures can be done to close this cultural gap

Deformation Potential Carrier-Phonon Scattering in Semiconducting Carbon Nanotube Transistors

Theoretical calculations of carrier transport in single-walled carbon nanotubes are compared with recent experiments. Carrier-phonon scattering is accounted for using the deformation potential approximation. Comparing with experiments, a deformation potential coupling constant of 14eV is determined for semiconducting carbon nanotubes. Theory is shown to closely predict the low-field mobility, on conductance, and on resistance of field-effect transistors as a function of induced nanotube charge density, diameter, and temperature. Results indicate that the device conductance is reduced as multiple subband channels conduct due to strong intersubband scattering. Comparison with experiment allows identification of the mean free path (Lm) in semiconducting carbon nanotubes. As the device turns on, Lm is found to increase significantly. When the device is in the on state, the mean free path (Lm-ON) varies linearly with tube diameter and inversely with temperature. Intersubband scattering is found to strongly decrease Lm-ON when a few subbands are occupied. When 3 subband channels are considered at room temperature, Lm-ON decreases from 570nm to 200nm for a 4nm diameter tube when intersubband scattering is included. Since the subband spacing increases with decreasing tube diameter, the effects of intersubband are reduced for smaller diameters.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure

Use of Computers in the Teaching of ESL Writing: Effectiveness of Text Analysis and Word Processing

This paper offers an assessment of the utility and effectiveness of text analysis and word processing in ESL composition. It includes a review of previous findings and a discussion of an investigation conducted by the authors on computer-assisted composition tutorials involving four non-native university students. In the investigation, two of the students revised their compositions based on surfaceoriented feedback from a text analysis program reinforced by a tutor, and the other two revised according to an approach combining word processing and processoriented input from the same tutor. The students using the text analysis program and receiving exclusively surface-oriented feedback produced a higher proportion of short sentences, shorter drafts, and fewer meaningful revisions than the students receiving process-oriented feedback. The findings of this and other investigations are reviewed in a context which addresses the nature of ESL writing and of these two different computer-assisted media. Focusing on questions of purpose, suitability, potential outcomes, and term of results, the authors conclude that use of word processing seems justified as a medium for enhancing the creative revision process of ESL students, while use of text analysis with this same population of students is less obviously justified

Phase Structure of QED3 at Finite Temperature

Dynamical symmetry breaking in three-dimensional QED with N fermion flavours is considered at finite temperature, in the large $N$ approximation. Using an approximate treatment of the Schwinger-Dyson equation for the fermion self-energy, we find that chiral symmetry is restored above a certain critical temperature which depends itself on $N$. We find that the ratio of the zero-momentum zero-temperature fermion mass to the critical temperature has a large value compared with four-fermion theories, as had been suggested in a previous work with a momentum-independent self-energy. Evidence of a temperature- dependent critical $N$ is shown to appear in this approximation. The phase diagram for spontaneous mass generation in the theory is presented in $T-N$ space.Comment: 9 page

No classical limit of quantum decay for broad states

Though the classical treatment of spontaneous decay leads to an exponential decay law, it is well known that this is an approximation of the quantum mechanical result which is a non-exponential at very small and large times for narrow states. The non exponential nature at large times is however hard to establish from experiments. A method to recover the time evolution of unstable states from a parametrization of the amplitude fitted to data is presented. We apply the method to a realistic example of a very broad state, the sigma meson and reveal that an exponential decay is not a valid approximation at any time for this state. This example derived from experiment, shows the unique nature of broad resonances

Modeling the Population Demographics & Viability of Imperiled Guzmania monostachia Populations

Guzmania monostachia is a large, long-lived bromeliad whose leaves grow in a rosette pattern and is native to the Americas, but endangered in Florida due to damage caused by the invasive weevil Metamasius callizona. Each G. monostachia rosette can reproduce sexually via flowers or asexually by producing clonal offshoot rosettes. We model the population dynamics and demographic structure of a G. monostachia population using a Lefkovitch matrix model where each state represents a demographic class of rosettes. Model analysis over a range of uncertain parameters show the conditions under which a G. monostachia population is viable in the absence and presence of M. callizona, and the expected demographic structure under those conditions. In particular, our analysis illustrates that proportional reductions in survival have a qualitatively stronger impact on population viability than proportion reductions in clonal fecundity

Cost‐effectiveness analysis of English memory assessment services two years after first consultation for patients with dementia

OBJECTIVES: This paper aims to compare changes over two years in patients' health-related quality of life (HRQL) with the health and social care costs of diagnosis and treatment of people newly referred to MAS. METHODS: We analysed observational data from 1318 patients referred to 69 MAS who completed resource use and HRQL questionnaires at baseline, 3, 6, 12 and 24 months. We reported mean differences in HRQL (disease-specific DEMQOL and generic EQ-5D-3L), quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), costs and cost-effectiveness between baseline and 2-year follow-up. RESULTS: Two years after referral to MAS, patients reported a higher DEMQOL score (mean gain 4.47, 95% confidence interval: 3.08 to 5.90) and EQ-5D-3L (0.014, -0.011 to 0.039). Mean total costs and QALYs over 24 months was £2 411 (£1721 to £2873) and 0.027 (0.003 to 0.051), respectively. Assuming that patients' HRQL would not have altered over the two years had they not attended MAS, these outcomes suggest an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of £89 546 (£38123 to £145864) based on changes in EQ-5D-3L. If we assumed that patients' HRQL would have declined by about 10% over this period had they not attended MAS, the cost-effectiveness ratio would be £25 056. The largest MAS (N=32; 46%) with over 50 new patients a month were more likely to be cost-effective than smaller ones (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Memory assessment services are effective and can be cost-effective for diagnosing and treating people with suspected dementia. Large variations in costs between clinics suggest that many MAS could improve their cost-effectiveness