The Case for Casein Fiber: Local Design Solutions for Sustainability in Manufacturing

Abstract In order to propose solutions to known problems, designers must consider the system in which their creations exist and design with the entire system in mind. Through literature research and expert interviews on the subject of textile and apparel manufacturing, this paper examines the problem of environmental harm caused by the creation, use, and disposal of garments inherent in the current global system. Localizing the production of textiles using casein fiber sourced from waste milk offers a unique solution to the issues of sustainability as well as opportunities for the development of unique regional fashion businesses. Keywords: Textile, apparel, manufacturing, sustainability, localizing, casein

Patient-Perceived Breakdowns in Care: Informing Clinician Responses

The presentation will introduce the audience to the topic of patient-perceived breakdowns in care, with a focus on breakdowns in the critical care setting. It will highlight how patient-perceived breakdowns in care can impede the delivery of patient-centered care, including shared decision-making. It will conclude by exploring the central role of frontline clinicians in responding to patient reports of breakdowns in care, including potential facilitators and barriers to addressing patient concerns about breakdowns in care. This presentation is part of the mini-symposium entitled Building Bridges to Cross the Quality Chasm : The Challenges of Engaging Clinicians in Patient-Centered Care

Brown Capuchins (Cebus apella) Exhibit Self-Control on a Delay of Gratification Food Exchange Task When Food Options Differ Qualitatively

Self-control allows an individual to obtain a more preferred outcome by forgoing an immediate interest. Self-control is an advanced cognitive process because it involves the ability to weigh the costs and benefits of impulsive versus restrained behavior, determine the consequences of such behavior, and make decisions based on the most advantageous course of action. Self-control has been thoroughly explored in Old World primates, but less so in New World monkeys. There are many ways to test self-control abilities in non-human primates, including exchange tasks in which an animal must forgo an immediate, less preferred reward to receive a delayed, more preferred reward. I examined the self-control abilities of six capuchin monkeys using a task in which a monkey was given a less preferred food and was required to wait a delay interval to trade the fully intact less preferred food for a qualitatively higher, more preferred food. Partially eaten pieces of the less preferred food were not rewarded, and delay intervals increased on an individual basis based on performance. All six monkeys were successful in inhibiting impulsivity and trading a less preferred food for a more preferred food at the end of a delay interval. The maximum duration each subject postponed gratification instead of responding impulsively was considered their delay tolerance. This study was the first to show that monkeys could inhibit impulsivity in a delay of gratification food exchange task in which the immediate and delayed food options differed qualitatively and a partially eaten less preferred food was not rewarded with the more preferred food at the end of a delay interval. These results show that New World monkeys possess advanced cognitive abilities similar to those of Old World primates

Thermal rearrangement of 4-aryl-4-hydroxy-2-cyclobuten-1-ones and application of the methodology in the formation of benzofuronaphthoquinones and benzocarbazolequinones

Cyclobutenediones have proven useful as starting materials for synthesis of highly functionalized biologically relevant molecules. The rearrangement of cyclobutendiones has a wide synthetic scope and can be utilized as a key step in the construction of quinones, benzo[o]isoxazoles, and 3-methylenoxoindoles having a variety of substitution patterns. Construction of these molecules involves thermolysis of 4-hydroxy-2,4-di-aryl-2-cyclobutenones derived from squaric acid ester. In each of the cases the mechanism proceeds through an initial ring opening of the cyclobutene to afford a ketene intermediate that subsequently undergoes a ring closure with various intermolecular nucleophiles. This methodology has been utilized in the construction of an ellipticine model system

Impact of COPD on the Mortality and Treatment of Patients Hospitalized with Acute Decompensated Heart Failure (The Worcester Heart Failure Study): A Masters Thesis

Objective: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common comorbidity in patients with heart failure, yet little is known about the impact of this condition in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF), especially from a more generalizable, community-based perspective. The primary objective of this study was to describe the in-hospital and post discharge mortality and treatment of patients hospitalized with ADHF according to COPD status. Methods: The study population consisted of patients hospitalized with ADHF at all 11 medical centers in central Massachusetts during 4 study years: 1995, 2000, 2002, and 2004. Results: Of the 9,748 patients hospitalized with ADHF during the years under study, 35.9% had a history of COPD. The average age of this population was 76.1 years, 43.9% were men, and 93.3% were white. At the time of hospital discharge, patients with COPD were less likely to have received evidence-based heart failure medications, including beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers, than patients without COPD. Multivariable adjusted in-hospital death rates were similar for patients with and without COPD. However, among patients who survived to hospital discharge, patients with COPD had a significantly higher risk of dying at 1 (adjusted RR 1.10; 95% CI 1.06, 1.14) and 5-years (adjusted RR 1.40; 95% CI 1.28, 1.42) after hospital discharge than patients who were not previously diagnosed with COPD. Conclusions: COPD is a common co-morbidity in patients hospitalized with ADHF and is associated with a worse long-term prognosis. Further research is required to understand the complex interactions of these diseases and to ensure that patients with ADHF and COPD receive optimal treatment modalities

The effect of parent education on the home food environment for overweight adolescents in West Virginia

This study is a pre and post-intervention study examining family involvement and healthy food behaviors prior to and three month post nutrition education. The intervention was conducted as part of a residential summer camp for overweight adolescents in West Virginia. Twenty-one parents were included, one parent per camper. The intervention included nine hours of nutritional instructional time consisting of lectures, PowerPoint presentations, and a grocery store tour. Data were measured to determine occurrence of positive changes within the home environment of these families. Parent education sessions were evaluated. A factor analysis and independent samples t test were used respectively to assess internal consistency and pre and post-intervention changes. Significant positive improvements occurred in the following: nutritious food availability (p\u3c0.02), meal planning (p\u3c0.02), aspects of positive family meals (p\u3c0.02). Parent education sessions as part of a residential summer camp intervention made an impact on overall home environment based on parent perceptions

Teacher Perceptions of Working with Children with Specific Special Education Exceptionalities in the General Education Classroom

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which general education teachers in elementary schools believe they are prepared to teach children/students with specific special education exceptionalities in the general education classroom. The study addresses the exceptionalities of: autism, speech/language disorder, specific learning disability, and emotional disability and using a multiple method quasi-experimental design that yielded quantitative and qualitative data. The study used an original instrument entitled the General Educators Preparedness for Inclusive Education (GEPIE). The instrument used a vignette/scenario design to assess levels of perceived preparedness. Third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers in South Mississippi were asked to participate in the study. An original instrument was developed because there was not one available that followed the vignette/scenario format. For the quantitative phase, study data showed that general education teachers appear to be largely uncertain about their preparedness to meet the needs of students with special needs. There was a difference in general educators’ level of perceived preparedness to work with students with disabilities based on the child’s eligibility category; educators perceived they were better prepared to address the educational needs of students with specific learning disabilities than those who were in one of the other three disability classifications. Furthermore, data revealed that the level of perceived preparedness of general education teachers is related to selected background characteristics that include level of education, the number of special education classes taken during their training, years of experience, and the amount of professional development in special education they have attended. Qualitative results revealed that educators do not believe they are prepared to teach students with disabilities in the general education classroom. Respondents indicated the need for more special education classes during the teacher preparation experience, including more practical hands-on experiences. Respondents expressed the need for more collaboration with special education personnel and assistance with resources, materials, and making modifications/accommodations in the classroom. Of the four exceptionalities addressed in this study, teachers perceived they are most prepared to serve students with specific learning disabilities and least prepared to serve students with autism and emotional disabilities

The time cost of care

Extensive small scale studies have documented that when people assume the role of assisting a person with impairments or an older person, care activities account for a significant portion of their daily routines. Nevertheless, little research has investigated the problem of measuring the time that carers spend in care-related activities. This paper contrasts two different measures of care time – an estimated average weekly hours question in the 1998 Australian Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, and diary estimates from the 1997 national Australian Time Use Survey. This study finds that diaries provide information for a more robust estimate, but only after one models the time use patterns in the days of carers to identify care-related activities, which diarists do not necessarily record as care. Such a measure of care time reveals that even people who offer only occasional assistance to a person with impairments tend to spend the equivalent of more than 10 minutes a day providing care. Most caregivers undertake the equivalent of a part-time job to help a friend or family member. Summing the average caregiving time provided by all household members reveals that over a quarter of Australian households caring for an adult or child provide the equivalent of a full-time employee’s labour, and another quarter work between 20 and 39 total weekly hours to provide informal care.Care, unpaid work, time estimation, family and gender roles, informal economic activity

Daily Life in 23 Countries

Citation: Fisher, K. & Robinson, J. (2011). 'Daily life in 23 countries', Social Indicators Research 101(2), 295-304. [Available at http://www.springer.com/social+sciences/journal/11205]. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original authors and source are credited