The role of volunteering in successful ageing : impacts on psychological well-being of older persons

The thesis looks at volunteering, an activity in which time is freely given as a gift to benefit other people, groups and society. Formal volunteering, as opposed to informal helping, entails stronger commitment via organisations that offer more or less organised assistance often on an individual basis. The thesis suggests that older retired persons provide an invaluable pool of formal voluntary workers amidst the growing need for social services and fewer resources for social welfare expenditure. This pool will grow even more in the future. Moreover, the research looks at the experiences of social engagement in older and associations between volunteering and psychological well-being (PWB) of older persons, including improved self-esteem and life satisfaction. This is novel research on this aspect of volunteering in Chinese societies. The research was informed by activity theory, role theory and the concepts of successful ageing and productive ageing. It was essentially as qualitative study with the aims of identifying motivations for volunteering, the role(s) of volunteering, related effects on PWB of older persons, and perceptions of benefits and impacts of volunteering on older persons’ PWB. PWB was measured on two foci, subjective well-being (life satisfaction, self-esteem, positive/negative affects) and objective well-being, including depression, anxiety, social impairment and hypochondriasis, the four identifiable elements of distress covered in the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Data were gathered from two groups of 60-to-75-year-old retired respondents, volunteers (n=56) and non-volunteers (n=21), through the use of triangulation (focus group interviews, in-depth case interviews and questionnaire). The responses were processed using mainly qualitative data and descriptive analysis, followed by a comparison of GHQ-12 score difference between volunteers and nonvolunteers. The thesis has sufficient data, novelty and academic merit. It also has some very useful findings, showing that volunteering in old age can be inspired by selfmotivation, can be encouraged by others and can be seen as a way to show gratitude to society. Volunteers were found to have significantly higher level of self-rated health, life satisfaction, self-image and PWB. Volunteering seems to alleviate volunteers’ negative emotions. Interestingly, although older volunteers perceive volunteering mainly as a leisure activity, they are aware of some type of optimal level of social participation, implying that adverse effects of excess participation in volunteering on PWB may be being recognized among older persons. The thesis should provide ample material for publications in the refereed journals

The Utilization of Amisulpride as a Rescue Drug for Postop Patients Compared to Promethazine for the Treatment of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting: An Educational Module

Abstract Background: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) persist as one of the most common adverse effects experienced by patients undergoing general anesthesia, as it can prolong a patient’s stay in the hospital, increase hospital costs, and lead to further complications delaying the recovery process.1,3,7 Despite prophylactic treatment with a combination of drugs, some patients still experience PONV. Despite its adverse side effects, Promethazine is still utilized as a rescue drug for PONV after failed prophylaxis. Objective: This quality improvement project aims to increase anesthesia providers’ knowledge of the current literature on Amisulpride\u27s efficacy and safety profile for treating PONV after failed prophylaxis compared to Promethazine. Methods: An in-depth analysis was conducted by using CINAHL, PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library database to obtain research studies discussing the use of Amisulpride and Promethazine as rescue treatments for failed PONV prophylaxis. CRNAs were invited to participate by completing an online pre-test survey, followed by viewing an online educational module, and a post-survey questionnaire to assess their acquired knowledge. Results: There was an increase in knowledge among anesthesia providers on using Amisulpride as a rescue treatment for failed prevention of PONV compared to Promethazine. Amisulpride has a safer profile and is less likely to cause any side effects, unlike Promethazine, which has the potential for multiple adverse effects. Discussion: Data collected from the surveys showed that anesthesia providers had increased their knowledge of the use, mechanism of action, and minimal potential for side effects of Amisulpride when used to treat PONV. A small sample size of 7 people and the online distribution were limitations for this project. Conclusion: Evidence-based research shows Amisulpride has a safer profile for treating PONV when prophylaxis fails compared to Promethazine. Results from this quality improvement project showed an increase in anesthesia providers’ knowledge regarding the benefits and adverse effects of both antiemetics. Introduction of Amisulpride to clinical practice can lead to improvements in patient outcomes by decreasing the occurrence of PONV and further complications. Keywords: Postoperative nausea and vomiting, prophylaxis, rescue, antiemetic, Amisulpride, Barhemsys, Promethazine, Phenerga

The Use of English by Malaysian Business Executives in the Commercial Sector

This study is part of a larger survey on the issue of the importance and extent of the use of the English language in the Malaysian economy. While the use of English has often been said to be important, large-scale studies to support and to provide details about the situation are lacking. This present study presents information from the perspective of business executives who use the English language in their jobs. The data obtained confirm the importance of the use of the English language in the commercial work-place. The business executives claim to have confidence in the use of the language. Thus potential employees must also achieve a level of proficiency that would enable them to use the--language confidently and efficiently. The most frequent language sub-skills used are: listening to social conversations in business, speaking on the telephone, reading and writing routine letters and memos. In terms of order of importance, speaking was ranked the highest. This attachment of importance to speaking suggests that job success is very much related to the ability to speak well. This information would have deep implications for education and training programme

Self-assembled morphologies of monotethered polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane nanocubes from computer simulation

Self-assembly of functionalized nanoscale building blocks is a promising strategy for “bottom-up” materials design. Recent experiments have demonstrated that the self-assembly of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) “nanocubes” functionalized with organic tethers can be utilized to synthesize novel materials with highly ordered, complex nanostructures. We have performed molecular simulations for a simplified model of monotethered POSS nanocubes to investigate systematically how the parameters that control the assembly process and the resulting equilibrium structures, including concentration, temperature, tether lengths, and solvent conditions, can be manipulated to achieve useful structures via self-assembly. We report conventional lamellar and cylindrical structures that are typically found in block copolymer and surfactant systems, including a thermotropic order-order transition, but with interesting stabilization of the lamellar phase caused by the bulkiness and cubic geometry of the POSS nanocubes.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87859/2/184718_1.pd

Icosahedral packing of polymer-tethered nanospheres and stabilization of the gyroid phase

We present results of molecular simulations that predict the phases formed by the self-assembly of model nanospheres functionalized with a single polymer "tether", including double gyroid, perforated lamella and crystalline bilayer phases. We show that microphase separation of the immiscible tethers and nanospheres causes confinement of the nanoparticles, which promotes local icosahedral packing that stabilizes the gyroid and perforated lamella phases. We present a new metric for determining the local arrangement of particles based on spherical harmonic "fingerprints", which we use to quantify the extent of icosahedral ordering.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure

Computer simulations of block copolymer tethered nanoparticle self-assembly

We perform molecular simulations to study the self-assembly of block copolymer tethered cubic nanoparticles. Minimal models of the tethered nanoscale building blocks (NBBs) are utilized to explore the structures arising from self-assembly. We demonstrate that attaching a rigid nanocube to a diblock copolymer affects the typical equilibrium morphologies exhibited by the pure copolymer. Lamellar and cylindrical phases are observed in both systems but not at the corresponding relative copolymer tether block fractions. The effect of nanoparticle geometry on phase behavior is investigated by comparing the self-assembled structures formed by the tethered NBBs with those of their linear ABCABC triblock copolymer counterparts. The tethered nanocubes exhibit the conventional triblock copolymer lamellar and cylindrical phases when the repulsive interactions between different blocks are symmetric. The rigid and bulky nature of the cube induces interfacial curvature in the tethered NBB phases compared to their linear ABCABC triblock copolymer counterparts. We compare our results with those structures obtained from ABCABC diblock copolymer tethered nanospheres to further elucidate the role of cubic nanoparticle geometry on self-assembly.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87871/2/064905_1.pd

Shoes, sweatshops, and sanctions : comparing the impacts of labor codes of conduct in three footwear contractors in China

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2002.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-103).In the past decade, a spate of reports has surfaced about the substandard labor conditions in foreign-owned and operated factories located globally that manufacture goods for multinational brand firms. The response of companies under scrutiny for engaging in "sweatshop" practices has been to formulate corporate codes of conduct. The codes serve as sourcing guidelines for the firms and as a set of standards for labor and environmental practices for their subcontractors. This thesis presents an exploration into whether corporate codes of conduct are effective in improving factory conditions as well as workers' lives. I investigate the question with a case study of three footwear factories in southern China that manufacture for major multinational brand firms, using a qualitative approach based on interviews with factory managers, supervisors and workers. The findings suggest that brand firms play a vital role in ensuring code compliance, and that carving out a participatory role for workers determines the success of code enforcement strategies. I then propose that an active mode of engagement is more useful for corporations that seek to improve labor standards in China. The paper concludes with policy recommendations for strengthening the efficacy and role of codes of conduct.by Sharon L. Chan.M.C.P

MAP1B rescues LRRK2 mutant-mediated cytotoxicity

Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) mutations are the most common cause of dominant and sporadic Parkinson’s disease (PD), a common neurodegenerative disorder. Yeast-two-hybrid screening using human LRRK2 kinase domain as bait identified microtubule associated protein 1B (MAP1B) as a LRRK2 interactor. The interacting domains were LRRK2 kinase and the light chain portion of MAP1B (LC1). LRRK2 + LC1 interaction resulted in LRRK2 kinase inhibition. LRRK2 mutants (R1441C, G2019S and I2020T) exhibited decreased endogenous LC1 expression and its co-expression with LC1 rescued LRRK2 mutant-mediated toxicity. This study presented the first data on the effects of LRRK2 + LC1 interaction and also suggested that LCI possibly rescued LRRK2 mutant-induced cytotoxicity by inhibiting LRRK2 kinase activity. Compounds that upregulate LC1 expression may therefore hold therapeutic potential for LRRK2-linked diseases