Relationship Between Self-Perceived Health, Vitality, and Posttraumatic Growth in Liver Transplant Recipients

Our objective was to analyze the differences in posttraumatic growth in 240 liver transplant recipients based on two factors. First, self-perceived health: better (Group 1 = G1) and worse (Group 2 = G2). Second, vitality: more (Group 3 = G3) and less (Group 4 = G4). The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, SF-36 Health Survey (Item 2) and SF-12 Health Survey (vitality dimension) were used. Firstly, analyzing main effects recipients with better (G1) compared to worse (G2) self-perceived health, showed greater posttraumatic growth. Interaction effects were found on essential posttraumatic growth domains such as new possibilities (p = 0.040), personal strength (p = 0.027), and appreciation of life (p = 0.014). Statistically significant differences showed that among transplant recipients with worse self-perceived health (G2), those with more vitality had higher levels on abovementioned posttraumatic growth dimensions. However, in transplant recipients with better self-perceived health (G1) respective dimensions were not significantly influenced by the level of vitality. Among the recipients with less vitality (G4), those with better self-perceived health showed higher scores on abovementioned posttraumatic growth dimensions. We conclude that positive self-perceived health might compensate for a lack of vitality as well as a high level of vitality may compensate for negative self-perceived health regarding the development of crucial aspects of posttraumatic growth after liver transplantation.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad de España PSI2014-51950-

Max flow vitality in general and stst-planar graphs

The \emph{vitality} of an arc/node of a graph with respect to the maximum flow between two fixed nodes $s$ and $t$ is defined as the reduction of the maximum flow caused by the removal of that arc/node. In this paper we address the issue of determining the vitality of arcs and/or nodes for the maximum flow problem. We show how to compute the vitality of all arcs in a general undirected graph by solving only $2(n-1)$ max flow instances and, In $st$-planar graphs (directed or undirected) we show how to compute the vitality of all arcs and all nodes in $O(n)$ worst-case time. Moreover, after determining the vitality of arcs and/or nodes, and given a planar embedding of the graph, we can determine the vitality of a `contiguous' set of arcs/nodes in time proportional to the size of the set.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure

SCRIPT : A Legacy of Vitality

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Cultural Vitality in Communities: Interpretation and Indicators

This report introduces a definition of cultural vitality that includes the range of cultural activity people around the country find significant. We use this definition as a lens to clarify our understanding of data necessary, as well as the more limited data currently available, to document arts and culture in communities in a consistent, recurrent and reliable manner. Specifically, we define cultural vitality as evidence of creating, disseminating, validating, and supporting arts and culture as a dimension of everyday life in communities. We develop and recommend an initial set of arts and culture indicators derived from nationally available data, and compare selected metropolitan areas based on these measures. Policy and planning implications for use of the cultural vitality definition and related measures are discussed

Teacher Vital Signs: A Two-Country Study of Teacher Vitality

Defining teacher vitality as the vigor, energy, passion, and joy teachers bring to their classroom, students and colleagues; this article describes an international, comparative, qualitative, phenomenological study of teachers’ lived experiences to determine the elements influencing teacher vitality. This is a two-country, multiple-case study of twenty-one middle and high school teachers who had taught ten to twenty years. In order to serve as a confirmation of the universality of the elements of teacher vitality, the study was not only conducted in two different schools in Idaho, but also was replicated in two different schools in Austria. In each of the four participating schools, both high and low-vitality teachers were matched for similarities, then investigated to determine why—in the same school, with the same administration and colleagues, and with the same struggles and challenges—some teachers maintain their vitality while other teachers lose their vitality and may even want to leave the profession. Data in the form of field notes, interview transcripts, categorized relevant information, composite comparisons, and anecdotal stories are analyzed to isolate patterns in teachers’ perceptions of their vitality in the classroom. The goal of this analysis is to identify common themes and to develop principles to help teachers receive life, vigor, and enjoyment from their work. “If I could make the same amount of money doing something else, I would leave teaching,” said the teacher sitting next to me on the last day of a high-energy, informative teachers’ conference. Nicole and I visited for several minutes and her statement continued to bother me, particularly as she described dragging herself throughout each day. I thought about her students who are missing that special passion and vitality in the classroom. Based on my conviction that students need teachers who are passionate about helping students learn, I probed further, only to discover that the only thing that kept this teacher in the profession year after year in her deflated condition was retirement benefits. As I reflected on our discussion, I was saddened to think that she had been at a three-day conference and had experienced no personal renewal, no spark of encouragement, or new connections to reenergize her for her role in the classroom. If I could have taken Nicole’s vital signs that day, what would I have measured? Using the analogy of physical vital signs that doctors and nurses take to analyze health, I began a search to determine the elements of teacher vitality“If I could make the same amount of money doing something else, I would leave teaching,” said the teacher sitting next to me on the last day of a high-energy, informative teachers’ conference. Nicole and I visited for several minutes and her statement continued to bother me, particularly as she described dragging herself throughout each day. I thought about her students who are missing that special passion and vitality in the classroom. Based on my conviction that students need teachers who are passionate about helping students learn, I probed further, only to discover that the only thing that kept this teacher in the profession year after year in her deflated condition was retirement benefits. As I reflected on our discussion, I was saddened to think that she had been at a three-day conference and had experienced no personal renewal, no spark of encouragement, or new connections to reenergize her for her role in the classroom. If I could have taken Nicole’s vital signs that day, what would I have measured? Using the analogy of physical vital signs that doctors and nurses take to analyze health, I began a search to determine the elements of teacher vitalit

Achieving and Maintaining Cognitive Vitality With Aging

This report contains the summary results of a workshop held at Canyon Ranch Health Resort in Tucson, Arizona. Physicians and scientists shed light on the process of cognitive aging. They review current scientific and clinical knowledge of normal human cognitive aging, the biological mechanisms that underlie this process, and risk factors associated with mental decline. They make recommendations for lifestyle changes and outline a research agenda for the development of new therapies to prevent mental decline and maintain cognitive vitality

Measuring cultural vitality in communities

Until recently, arts and culture data collected as part of urban revitalization planning focused on large institutions. The Urban Institute’s Arts and Culture Indicators Project provides a richer understanding of communities’ cultural strength and how it can boost economic development.Community arts projects