New Canadian Records of Asilidae (Diptera) From an Endangered Ontario Ecosystem

The Asilidae (Diptera) of Bosanquet (northern Lambton County, Ontario) are surveyed. Forty-one species are recorded. Twelve species are published for the first time from Canada: Atomosia puella, Cerotainia albipilosa, Cerotainia macrocera, Holcocephala calva, Holopogon (Holopogon) oriens, Laphria canis, Laphria divisor, Laphria grossa, Lasiopogon opaculus, Machimus notatus, Machimus sadyates, and Neomochtherus auricomus. These species plus the following four are new to Ontario: Laphystia flavipes, Lasiopogon tetragrammus, Machimus novaescotiae, and Proctacanthella ca­copiloga

How can we best assess the quality of life of people with dementia? The Bath Assessment of Subjective Quality of Life in Dementia (BASQID)

Purpose of the Study - The study aim was to develop a measure of self-reported QoL for people with mild to moderate dementia based on their views - the Bath Assessment of Subjective Quality of Life in Dementia (BASQID). Design and Methods - The measure was developed through multiple stages. Two field tests of the measure (n=60 & n=150) enrolled people with dementia from a memory clinic and the data were used to analyse the psychometric properties of the scale. Nested within this was a longitudinal investigation of 36 Alzheimer’s disease patients prescribed with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. Results - The BASQID contains 14 items assessing a range of QoL issues. Results show that the BASQID satisfies the criteria of a valid, reliable, and acceptable assessment of subjective QoL. Scores were responsive to changes in QoL, over 3-months. Low association between the BASQID and Mini Mental State Examination indicates that cognitive function may influence QoL, but is an indirect measure of the QoL experienced during dementia. Implications – The BASQID provides a means of better understanding the experiences, perceptions, and beliefs of people with dementia. It does this through acknowledgement of the many influences on QoL, over and above health status. The BASQID can be used alongside objective assessments of dementia to provide a complete appraisal of a person’s QoL

Installation and Characterization of Charged Particle Sources for Space Environmental Effects Testing

Charged particle sources are integral devices used by Marshall Space Flight Center s Environmental Effects Branch (EM50) in order to simulate space environments for accurate testing of materials and systems. By using these sources inside custom vacuum systems, materials can be tested to determine charging and discharging properties as well as resistance to sputter damage. This knowledge can enable scientists and engineers to choose proper materials that will not fail in harsh space environments. This paper combines the steps utilized to build a low energy electron gun (The "Skevington 3000") as well as the methods used to characterize the output of both the Skevington 3000 and a manufactured Xenon ion source. Such characterizations include beam flux, beam uniformity, and beam energy. Both sources were deemed suitable for simulating environments in future testing

Evaluating a new methodology for providing individualized feedback in healthcare on quality of life and its importance, using the WHOQOL-BREF in a community population

© 2015, Springer International Publishing Switzerland. Purpose: We conducted an evaluation to find out how a novel quality of life (QoL) intervention containing guided individualized feedback was appraised. The importance of QoL was matched with QoL assessment for each subjective dimension, using graphical feedback. We examined whether this information was acceptable, feasible and valued beyond the clinical context, among the community. Methods: Using a mixed-methods cross-sectional design, the intervention was piloted with 129 participants from communities and registered in primary care. WHOQOL-BREF and WHOQOL Importance scores were graphically matched by dimension. Results were inspected and interpreted with directed guidance to identify good and poor QoL. We report the post-intervention evaluation of feedback, including qualitative themes. Follow-up interviews among those expecting feedback to be helpful explored potential self-management and healthcare uses. Results: After feedback, 65% reported changes in thoughts and perceptions of QoL, often describing insights as self-affirming. Goals or expectations changed for 34%, and motivation to change was reported. Over 50% evaluated the feedback as helpful in the short term or for the future. Follow-up interviews endorsed the value of the feedback and its usefulness in sharing with a healthcare professional (92%), suggesting it would facilitate professionals’ understandings of patients and enable health advice to be targeted. Conclusions: The benefits of using this novel feedback can be extended to the general population, as directed guidance aids interpretation, thereby saving health service costs. This complex pilot intervention needs testing in a blinded fully randomized controlled trial. Beyond independent self-management, graphs could be used during clinical decision-making

New Canadian Records of Asilidae (Diptera) From an Endangered Ontario Ecosystem

The Asilidae (Diptera) of Bosanquet (northern Lambton County, Ontario) are surveyed. Forty-one species are recorded. Twelve species are published for the first time from Canada: Atomosia puella, Cerotainia albipilosa, Cerotainia macrocera, Holcocephala calva, Holopogon (Holopogon) oriens, Laphria canis, Laphria divisor, Laphria grossa, Lasiopogon opaculus, Machimus notatus, Machimus sadyates, and Neomochtherus auricomus. These species plus the following four are new to Ontario: Laphystia flavipes, Lasiopogon tetragrammus, Machimus novaescotiae, and Proctacanthella ca­copiloga