bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Measuring Expectations for Participative Decision Making Among Graduating Nurses
Authors: Pike Eileen , Wilson Alexander , Chalykoff Geraldine , Gilbert Elizabeth , Pauley Chris , Ellis Jacqueline , Filthaut Eileen
Published: September 2018

This paper reports on the initial stage of a research program that examines decisions nurses expect to participate in and the methods by which they expect to participate. This stage of the research focuses on the development of a scale, the Participative Decision Making Scale for Nurses (PDMSN), to measure expectations for participative decision making (PDM) among graduating nurses. It has four subscales that measure expectations for participation in clinical, unit, hospitalwide, and strategic decisions. The PDMSN was administered to two groups of graduating nursing students. Results indicate that the subscales of the PDMSN have high internal consistency; alpha coefficients in Study 1 and Study 2 ranged from .70 to .85 and from .76 to .90, respectively. Patterns of correlations among the subscales and significant correlations with an alternative scale measuring PDM indicate that it is a valid instrument.
Using Qualitative Data for Estimating Construct Validity of Standardized Measures
Authors: Aroian Karen J. , Schappler-Morris Nancy
Published: September 2018

This paper describes efforts to develop a method of using qualitative interview data for investigating the construct validity of standardized measures. Illustration is provided through a multimethod validation study that examined the concurrence between observer assessments of interview data and a standardized paper and pencil measure–the Demands of Immigration Scale (DI). Specific aims of the multimethod validation study included (1) determining interrater reliability of the Demands of Immigration Observer Rating Scale (DI-ORS), which assessed respondents according to the interview data they provided and (2) establishing concurrence between observer assessments on the DI-ORS and the respondents’ self-ratings on the DI scale. Interrater reliability of the DI-ORS was achieved with 97.9% agreement. However, there were significant differences (p ≤ .05,2-tailed) or disagreement on 5 out of 6 possible occurrences for agreement or disagreement between observer ratings on the DI-ORS and respondents’ self ratings on the DI scale. The findings are informative for researchers who wish to use qualitative methods for construct validation.
Measuring Women’s Fatigue During the Postpartum Period
Authors: Milligan Renee A. , Parks Peggy L. , Kitzman Harriet , Lenz Elizabeth R.
Published: September 2018

The Fatigue Symptom Checklist (FSC) (Yoshitake, 1978), developed in Japan, was selected to measure postpartum fatigue among American women. Minor wording changes and a change in the reference time frame were made. Reliability and validity of this modification of the FSC were tested in this reanalysis of data from a longitudinal study of 285 mothers. Internal consistency reliability for the total 30-item FSC was acceptable. Evidence for criterion-related and construct validity was found. Original FSC subscales were not confirmed in these analyses. Using factor analysis, a shortened 10-item postpartum scale and two postpartum subscales, physical and mental fatigue, were identified. LISRAEL confirmatory factor analysis supported the subscales. Results support appropriateness of the total 30-item FSC, the shortened 10-item postpartum scale, and postpartum subscales for measuring postpartum fatigue in American women.
Psychometric Assessment of Four Fatigue Scales With a Sample of Rural Cancer Patients
Authors: Winstead-Fry Patricia
Published: September 2018

There are differences between rural and urban persons experiencing cancer that may make the experience of fatigue more difficult for rural cancer patients. There were no scale to measure fatigue that had been validated with rural cancer patients. The purpose of the present research was to study the psychometric properties of four fatigue scales for use with rural cancer patients. The four scales were the Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue Scale, the Fatigue Severity Scale, the Visual Analogue Scale for Fatigue, and the Rhoten Fatigue Scale. The four scales were mailed to 270 rural cancer patients, with 131 usable scales returned (48% return rate). Interitem correlations, Cronbach’s alpha reliability, and factor analyses were performed on the four scales. Based on these analyses, the Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue Scale, the Fatigue Severity Scale, and the Visual Analogue Scale for Fatigue were judged to be adequate for use with rural cancer patients.
Measuring Continuity of Elders’ Posthospital Care
Authors: Bull Margaret J. , Luo Danni , Maruyama Geoffrey M.
Published: September 2018

Continuity of care is a critical component of quality patient care, yet the paucity of reliable and valid measures of continuity of care make it difficult to ascertain the extent to which continuity has been achieved. The purpose of this article is to describe the development of an instrument to measure continuity of care that incorporates the perspectives of elders hospitalized for a chronic illness and their family caregivers. The instrument was used, and its reliability and validity examined, in a series of studies related to elders’ posthospital transition. Elders in the studies ranged in age from 55 to 94 years. The findings supported content and construct validity, internal consistency reliability, and ability to detect changes in the same subjects at different points in time for the care management and services subscales. With further refinement, the continuity of provider and conflicting information subscales might also facilitate assessment of care continuity.
A Norwegian Version of the Incontinence Stress Questionnaire-Staff Reaction: Translation and Validation for Cross-Cultural Use
Authors: Vinsnes Anne G. , Haltbakk Johannes , Hunskaar Steinar
Published: September 2018

The aim of the present study was to translate and validate the Incontinence Stress Questionnaire—Staff Reaction (ISQ-SR) for cross-cultural adaptation to Norway. The ISQ-SR is a 30-item questionnaire developed in the U.S.A. by Dr. Lucy C. Yu. The questionnaire examines the experience of nursing home staff when working with patients with urinary incontinence. This article describes both the translation and testing procedure. Statistical analyses were carried out in the following steps of the testing procedure: (a) bivariate examination, (b) principal components factor analysis, (c) determination of internal consistency, (d) frequency analysis, and (e) estimation of test-retest reliability. Finally, the translated and tested questionnaire was compared with the original version. The Norwegian version consists of three factors with a total of 24 items, and is shown to be a valid and reliable version of the ISQ-SR. We conclude that we have achieved equivalence with the original version.
Family Caregivers’ Motives for Helping Scale Derived From Motivation-to-Help Theory
Authors: Smith Carol E. , Kleinbeck Susan V. M. , Boyle Diane , Kochinda Chiemi , Parker Susan
Published: September 2018

The literature does not contain a measure of family caregivers’ motives for helping provide daily complex home care. Such a measure will permit nurses to assess and provide interventions specific to each caregiver’s motivation for helping. The purpose of this study was to apply Batson’s empirically derived helping pathway theory to the measurement of caregiver motives for helping and develop a short form that does not add to the burden of caregiving. A Principal Components factor analysis (N=93) of Family Caregivers’ Motives for Helping Scale is used. Criterion-related validity is ascertained using a triangulated, independent validation procedure with qualitative data from a subsample (N = 41). Subsample subjects’ interview data were categorized, based on Batson’s theoretical pathway definitions, by coders blinded to caregiver Motives for Helping Scale scores. Three of Batson’s four helping pathways (reward seeking, altruism, and punishment-avoidance) were extracted during factor analysis. This three-factor solution explained 66.6% of the variance and was confirmed by a 97% agreement between three of Batson’s pathways and caregivers’ helping motive score. The content analyses of the descriptive interview data also coincide with the 3-factor solution. The scale items representing Batson’s fourth helping pathway, distress reaction, were not retained due to cross loading. The Family Caregivers’ Motives for Helping Scale accurately measures three of four theoretically derived motivations for helping another. The scale should be reanalyzed in a larger sample of caregivers. Aligning nursing interventions to caregiver motives for helping can provide reinforcement for caregivers and potentially enhance home care outcomes.
Enhancing and Enriching the Nurse-Physician Relationship
Authors: Alaniz Karin , Baum Karyn , Savett Laurence A.
Published: September 2018

For most of my career as a physician, 1 had been involved in what 1 Thought were ideal situations: nurses and physicians got along beautifully. A few years ago, I moderated a breakout session at a conference of nurses, where I heard stories of frustration and anger, lack of respect of one for the other, horror stories of nurse-physician interactions, some of which had an impact on patient care and professional satisfaction. That's the background of this conversation, in which a respected nurse-educator and physician-educator address the dilemma and draw on their own experiences. More optimistically, they spoke in detail of important initiatives to enhance relationships between the two professions.

We began our discussion as 1 asked them to describe what experiences contributed to their interest in nurse-physician relationships.
HIV/AIDS Case Management: Views From the Frontline
Authors: Chernesky Roslyn H. , Grube Beth
Published: September 2018

Case management has been a critical component of services to vulnerable populations for the past 20 years, and the knowledge base has been constantly evolving. This article offers an additional dimension to the study of case management practice by providing an opportunity for perceptions of case managers, heretofore relatively neglected, to be included in the literature. It reports the results of two study efforts (chart review and focus groups) that examined the case management system of care for people with HIV/AIDS in the New York tri-county region. While the literature and chart review findings stress the primacy of linkage activities, the case managers emphasize the importance of providing the support necessary to ensure that clients are able to maintain a reasonable quality of life. Findings are discussed in the context of the “strengths perspective” as well as service system and organizational contingencies. Potential methodological implications for the use of the study techniques are suggested.
The PACE Model: Description and Impressions of a Capitated Model of Long-Term Care for the Elderly
Authors: Rich Michael L.
Published: September 2018

The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) is an innovative model of comprehensive long-term medical and social services. The system receives monthly capitation payments from Medicare and Medicaid for clients who are nursing-home eligible. PACE was developed originally by On Lok Senior Health Services in San Francisco’s Chinatown in the late 1970s. PACE is based upon the concept of maintaining the independence, autonomy and dignity of frail and disabled elders nearing the end of life (Sapir, 1996). The program’s underlying principle is to keep participants (PACE program enrollees) in the community for as long as it remains medically, socially, and economically feasible (Shen and Iverson, 1992). There is also a strong intention to preserve and support the older adult’s family unit.
Off the Beaten Track: MSN Education for a Changing Health Care Environment
Authors: Genrich Sandra J. , Karns Phyllis S. , Neatherlin Jacquelin
Published: September 2018

Given the dynamic nature of the health care environment, what should be the focus of graduate education in nursing? New advanced practice roles for nurses are emerging, but few university-based educational programs exist to respond to the need. In developing a Master’s program, Baylor University School of Nursing accepted the challenge to deviate from tradition by preparing a nurse who has the advanced knowledge and skills necessary to proactively address the present and future needs of health care in multiple settings and roles. This article discusses this unique and creative program in patient care management. Outcome evaluation reveals that students are attaining the terminal objectives, meeting the outcome criteria, and readily securing employment.
Expedited Service Delivery: Helping Case Managers to Increase Access to Services for the Poorest Older Adults
Authors: Macmillan Kelley R. , Chapin Rosemary K. , Rachlin Roxanne
Published: September 2018

Low-income older adults have historically received institutionally based care when they were unable to care for themselves and there was a lack of sufficient formal and informal support to allow them to remain in their own homes. In 1981, revision of federal Medicaid legislation permitted states to provide home-and community-based services (HCBS) for older adults at risk of nursing facility placement in an attempt to prevent unnecessary placement and to offer choice. However, Medic-aid-HCBS applicants may have to wait up to 45 days or longer for approval of their financial application. During those 45 days, the applicant may enter a nursing facility because Medicaid-HCBS was not available soon enough to prevent placement. This article presents research on an instrument to help case managers initiate community-based in-home services for the lowest-income Medicaid applicants within 3 to 5 days of initial assessment.
Creating the Strategic Future of Long-Term-Care Organizations
Authors: Mara Cynthia M. , Ziegenfuss James T.
Published: September 2018

The operating environment in the health care industry is turbulent—organizations are expected to adapt or die. This paper addresses the structure of a strategic planning process for long-term-care organizations. Nursing homes, assisted living (personal care) facilities, continuing care retirement communities, adult day services centers, hospice programs and home-and community-based agencies face both opportunities and threats. The authors recommend an eight-step process for strategy making: plan to plan; external analysis; internal analysis; vision; matching current and future strategies; strategy choice; action and linkage to operations and budget. A case example illustrates the concepts. Long-term-care leaders are encouraged to plan for their future or face a future planned by competitors and regulators.
Home Care Users’ Experiences of Fiscal Constraints: Challenges and Opportunities for Case Management
Authors: Aronson Jane , Sinding Christina
Published: September 2018

With mounting fiscal constraints in home care, case managers find themselves increasingly confined in rationing roles and pressed into a narrow focus on the individual case. These pressures frustrate case management’s potential to inform and contribute to more broadly-based improvements in service systems, policy formulation, and resource development. A study of home care users’ perspectives in a jurisdiction where fiscal pressures have been rapidly increased reveals how rationing and service reduction affect service recipients and shape their relationships with case managers. The study sheds light on the challenges and opportunities for case managers of practicing in such straitened circumstances. Combined with their own detailed understanding of front-line service delivery, case managers can build on the knowledge of service users’ perspectives to make critical contributions to both the well-being of the generally jeopardized populations who need home care and to the broadening of case management practice in keeping with its commitments to advocacy and systems level change.
Case Manager Role: A Content Analysis of Published Literature
Authors: Genrich Sandra J. , Neatherlin Jacquelin S.
Published: September 2018

The case manager (CM) role is in its third decade of existence. However, there remains a lack of continuity in definition, educational level and qualifications, and the needed experience for role performance. This article presents the results of a content analysis of the published literature, conducted at two points in time, in an attempt to clarify common qualifications and skills needed for role implementation. The results suggest that the CM role requires interpersonal skills, and knowledge of planning, economic and evaluation strategies. Comparison of data for the two measurement times revealed an increased emphasis on the need to work in groups, conduct cost accounting, and facilitate change. Outcome measurement and ongoing evaluation experienced a decline in importance at the time of the second analysis. The ability to critically think, communicate and practice with clinical expertise emerge as inherent qualities of the role. Educational and experiential background remain ill defined in the literature.
An Older Rural Widow’s Transition From Home Care to Assisted Living
Authors: Porter Eileen J.
Published: September 2018

Designed to foster appreciation of comprehensive evaluation of home care outcomes, this case study of an older rural widow is part of a longitudinal phenomenological study of home care. Over 14 months, while her home care agency reacted to the Balanced Budget Act, nine interviews were done with a 95-year-old woman who lived alone until she moved to an assisted living facility. Data analysis yielded structures of her changing experience of home care. Although primarily supportive services may have been inconsistent with Medicare regulations, such services may have influenced the favorable outcomes of sustaining elders at home and undergirding the rural economy
Benefit Determination Under Managed Care for Substance Abuse Treatment Clients
Authors: McNeese-Smith Donna K. , Crook Mary W. , Marinelli-Casey Patricia , Williams Lorie , Rawson Richard
Published: September 2018

The purposes of this study were to examine the process of benefit determination, approval, and variation among Substance Abuse Treatment (SAT) clients. A convenience sample of 20 SAT clients admitted to 1 of 2 treatment programs within Matrix Center were followed Clients of clinicians who agreed to participate were given an invitation letter to hear more about the study. After informed consent, clients granted 3 interviews and gave permission for the researcher to examine client records to ascertain the benefit determination process. Referral sources were the clients’ insurances, their MDs, a counselor, hospital, Employee Assistance Program, case manager, and another treatment program. Ten of the insurances were PPOs, 9 were HMOs, and 1 was a contract. All but 2 had benefits managed by a behavioral care organization (MBCO). Case managers of the MBCOs were all clinicians, most frequently ACSWs. All programs authorized outpatient care and the first approval authorized from 6 to 52 visits. From 1 to 5 different authorizations were used far each client. The co-pay ranged front $0 to $35 per visit. This study illustrates the details of how benefits for substance abuse treatment under managed care are negotiated and used.
Beneficiary Profiles and Service Consumption Patterns in an Urban Medicaid Home and Community-Based Waiver Program
Authors: Davitt Joan K. , Kaye Lenard W. , Bagati Deepali , Graub Pearl
Published: September 2018

The research reported here was conducted as part of a larger program evaluation of an urban Medicaid Home and Community Based-Waiver Program (HCBS). Informed by a secondary analysis of data collected on 723 clients, this article describes the association between client demographics and service consumption patterns among program beneficiaries with emphasis on access to care issues. The majority of the clients were female, African American, nearly 80 years of age, receiving approximately $600 of monthly income. Although White clients on average were higher functioning, they were hospitalized more frequently and took more medications than African American or Hispanic clients. Clients who were bedbound, Hispanic, and most dependent in performing activities of daily living received the fewest “number of services.” Clients who suffered the most severe intellectual impairment, living with a spouse, and with the highest incomes received the most “units of service.” Interestingly, service usage did not always increase as the client became more dependent in Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (LADLs), and mobility. The significance of findings is considered in relation to access to care issues.
Mental Illness or Rebellion?
Authors: Levine Bruce E.
Published: September 2018

The rate of emotional difficulties and self-destructive behaviors has increased since the advent of the Industrial Revolution, with dramatic deterioration in the last generation. In attempting to understand root causes of our malaise, common sense tells us that rather than focus on our genes, which have not changed, we should focus on society, which has significantly changed. It is argued here that much of what we call mental illness is essentially a rebellion—more often passive rather than active—against an increasingly dehumanizing society in which consumption, production, and technology are worshipped at the expense of life. It is also argued that society, including mental health treatment, has become radically industrialized and commercialized, resulting in a loss of historical antidotes to emotional malaise such as autonomy, meaning, and community.
Calling, Recalling, and Restoring the Signal Function of Emotions
Authors: Davison Michael H.
Published: September 2018

Among the huge accumulation of psychological books offered in libraries and book stores, a relative few volumes stand out in an otherwise deluge of self-help exhortations, and discuss the psychotherapeutic process itself. Of that small portion, most consist of self-congratulatory case histories from professional therapists. Few volumes come from patients. The author, a long-term psychotherapy patient, briefly summarizes lessons gained in one of the most difficult processes a human can endure. The essay criticizes the current emphasis on psychotropic medication and equates anesthetizing unpleasant emotions, particulary depression, to shooting the messenger. Unpleasant emotions, like physiological pain, act as the body’s signals that something needs attention. Drugging them into insensitivity in the belief that they stem from unbalanced chemistry cures nothing. The argument offers an admittedly more difficult alternative that preserves the natural signal functions of depression, anxiety, and fear.
Third Graders’ Motivational Preferences for Reading and Writing Tasks
Authors: Miller Samuel L. , Meece Judith D.
Published: September 2018

In this study we evaluated 24 third-grade students’ preferences for reading and writing tasks. Tasks were identified according to challenge level based on the amount of required writing, whether students studied collaboratively, and duration. Students gave performance judgments and value ratings for 2 high- and 2 low-challenge tasks and explained their ratings. Students who had frequent opportunities to complete high-challenge tasks preferred them because they felt creative, experienced positive emotions, and worked hard. Students with less exposure to high-challenge tasks questioned whether they had the appropriate metacognitive abilities to complete them. Overall, students expressed a dislike for low-challenge tasks because they were boring and required minimal thought. Discussion focuses on how teachers can scaffold instruction for students at different achievement levels.
Teaching Critical Thinking in the Greek School: An Infusion Program and its Effectiveness
Authors: Matsagouras Elias
Published: September 2018

The school curriculum and the educational legislation of Greece place the development of critical thinking among the first priorities of formal education. In practice, however, teaching is based most of the time on the mnemonic abilities of the students. As a result, schools are subjected to endless criticism and teachers are constantly exhorted, typically in the vaguest of terms, to use teaching practices that engage the higher cognitive abilities of their pupils. This work describes a program which aims to equip teachers with specific and practical, effective schemata for infusing thinking into day-to-day curriculum activities. The first part of the work presents conceptualizations of critical thinking and of teaching for thinking, both of which have been used as tools for developing an infusion program later presented to primary school teachers in an inservice course. The second part presents the results from the implementation of the program, which show that the program is both easy to use and effective in promoting the involvement of primary school-aged children in learning activities which engage in critical thinking.
Private Speech and Self-Regulation in Children with Impulse-Control Difficulties: Implications for Research and Practice
Authors: Berk Laura E.
Published: September 2018

The author considers Vygotsky’s theory of the development of private speech, placing special emphasis on its implications for children with impulse-control difficulties. Research supporting Vygotsky’s view of private speech as having social origins, as being progressively internalized with age, and as serving a self-regulatory function is summarized. The main body of the paper focuses on a series of studies examining private speech in children symptomatic of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Children with ADHD show a similar course of private-speech development as do other children. However, they fail to increase their use of task-relevant private speech with task difficulty (as matched controls do), and their internalization of private speech is substantially delayed. Nevertheless, when ADHD children call on it, self-guiding private speech appears to be highly effective in assisting them in mastering highly challenging tasks. These findings are interpreted in light of Vygotsky’s theory and related to Barkley’s assumption that ADHD involves a primary impairment in behavioral inhibition. Practical implications for helping children with impulse-control problems are considered.
Struggling to Get Into the Pool Room? A Critical Discourse Analysis of Labor Ward Midwives’ Experiences of Water Birth
Authors: Russell Kim
Published: September 2018

RESEARCH AIM: The aim of this article is to share the findings from an ongoing action research study aimed at identifying inequalities in the availability of water birth on one hospital labor ward. Efforts to encourage labor ward midwives to take action and influence the delivery of normal birth care in the maternity concerned are addressed in the larger study.

METHODS: Unit midwives who regularly worked on labor wards were invited to take part in focus groups and face-to-face interviews over an 8-month period. Critical discourse analysis was used to identify actual midwifery practices, the social ordering of the water birth discourse, obstacles to water birth, dominant group interests, and solutions to the identified obstacles (Fairclough, 2001).

RESULTS: The author conducted a total of five unstructured interviews (35–60 minutes) with labor ward matrons, a consultant midwife, labor ward manager and clinical practice facilitator, and three focus groups (40–60 minutes; 11 midwives) with clinical midwives. Institutional practices focused on the delivery of standardized midwifery care for low-risk women and, therefore, did not promote or encourage water birth practice. The small number of requests and the low water birth rate were used as evidence by some midwives that childbearing women no longer wanted this type of care. The key obstacles to water birth in this setting were coordinators’ priorities, midwives’ negative attitudes, high workloads, and lack of institutional support for this type of care.

CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that hospital water birth practice is dependent not only on the availability of equipment and midwifery knowledge, but also on the philosophy of care adopted by the organization (Stark & Miller, 2009). Interventions to improve the practice and availability of water birth are more likely to succeed if supported by midwifery managers, championed by coordinators, and led by labor ward practitioners.
Konsep Memberi Nafkah bagi Keluarga dalam Islam
Authors: Rozali Ibnu
Published: September 2018

Para ulama memberikan satu batasan tentang makna nafkah, diantaranya sebagaimana tertulis dalam kitab Mu’jamul Wasith, yaitu apa-apa yang dikeluarkan oleh seorang suami untuk keluarganya berupa makanan, pakaian, tempat tinggal, dan yang selainnya. Nafkah ini juga mencakup keperluan istri sewaktu melahirkan, seperti pembiayaan bidan atau dokter yang menolong persalinan, biaya obat serta rumah sakit. Termasuk juga didalamnya adalah pemenuhan kebutuhan biologis isteri. Hukum memberi nafkah keluarga ini wajib atas suami, berdasarkan Al-Qur’an, hadits serta Ijma’ ulama.
Studi Analisis Fenomena Sosial Keagamaan “Duta” di Kota Kayuagung Kabupaten OKI
Authors: Kharisma Eva
Published: September 2018

Penelitian ini berjudul “Studi Analisis Fenomena Sosial Keagamaan Terhadap Profesi Duta di Kota Kayuagung Kab. OKI”. Kayuagung merupakan generasi pemula yang memulai karir menjadi duta, karena pada masa itu peraturan untuk melakukan perjalanan ke luar negeri belum secanggih sekarang, maka banyak dari para pemuda asal Kayuagung yang berangkat ke luar negeri untuk berkarir menjadi duta. Meskipun tingkat pendidikan mereka sangatlah rendah bahkan ada yang buta huruf, namun hal tersebut tidaklah menjadi kendala keberhasilan mereka dalam berkarir menjadi duta. Tujuan diadakannya penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui eksistensi para duta di Kota Kayuagung, mengetaui faktor-faktor apa saja yang melatarbelakangi kemunculan duta yang ada di Kota Kayuagung dan mengetahui bagaimana fenomena sosial keagamaan duta yang ada di Kota Kayuagung ini. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah : deskriftif kualitatif, yakni dengan mengumpulkan data-data dari lapangan yang berkaitan dengan pokok permasalahan dalam penelitian, kemudian penulis analisa dengan cara induktif kualitatif yaitu penyusunan data dari khusus ke umum. Adapun informan dalam penelitian ini adalah para duta yang ada di Kota Kayuagung yang berjumlah 5 orang. Tehnik pengumpulan data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah : observasi dan wawancara. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa para duta di Kota Kayuagung sangat diterima oleh masyarakat. Hal ini dibuktikan dari hasil wawancara yang menunjukkan bahwa para duta mempunyai sifat kedermawanan, ada juga sebagian masyarakat yang ingin ikut bergabung setelah mendengar keberhasilan mereka, dan mereka juga disebut sebagai pahlawan devisa. Adapun faktor-faktor yang melatarbelakangi kemunculan duta yang ada di Kota Kayuagung ini antara lain yaitu faktor ekonomi, tuntutan gaya hidup yang semakin mewah, tekanan adat dan budaya serta pola pikir masyarakat yang masih kurang. Sedangkan fenomena sosial keagamaan para duta adalah melaksanakan acara yasinan dan do’a sebelum meaksanakan keberangkatannya, mendatangi para ulama untuk minta dido’akan, serta membantu para masyarakat yang membutuhkan dan membangun masjid, sekolah, dan jalan yang ada di lingkungan mereka, dan merekapun memberikan sumbangan ke masjid dan panti-panti asuhan.
Strategi Humas dalam Peningkatan Mutu Pelayanan RS. Islam Siti Khadijah Palembang
Authors: Muharni Intan
Published: September 2018

Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk menjelaskan strategi humas di RS. Islam Siti Khadijah Palembang. Dipilihnya RS. Islam Siti Khadijah, karena instansi ini merupakan rumah sakit dengan akreditasi paripurna dan sudah bertaraf nasional. Maka dari itu, skripsi yang dibuat oleh penulis dengan judul “Strategi Humas Dalam Peningkatan Mutu Pelayanan Di RS. Islam Siti Khadijah Palembang” ini digunakan untuk mengetahui bagaimana strategi humas dalam peningkatan mutu pelayanan. Kualitas merupakan inti kelangsungan hidup suatu instansi. Gerakan revolusi mutu melalui pendekatan manajemen mutu terpadu menjadi tuntutan yang tidak boleh terabaikan. Suatu pelayanan dikatakan baik oleh pasien, ditentukan oleh kenyataan apakah jasa yang diberikan bisa memenuhi kebutuhan pasien. Kepuasan dimulai dari penerimaan terhadap pasien dari pertama kali datang, sampai pasien meninggalkan rumah sakit. Humas merupakan manajemen yang unik, membantu dan memelihara jalur komunikasi. Menciptakan sebuah standar pelayanan merupakan kinerja humas. Maka jelas bahwa objek penelitiannya adalah pelaksanaan kinerja humas di RS. Islam Siti Khadijah Palembang. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah metode penelitian deskriptif kualitatif. Data dikumpulkan melalui wawancara kepada pihak humas, dokumentasi kegiatan, dan observasi. Analisis data mengunakan analisis data kualitatif, yaitu menggambarkan jelas dan lengkap. Berdasarkan indikator- indikator penilaian yang ada, maka, hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa strategi humas di RS. Islam Siti Khadijah secara keseluruhan sudah sesuai dengan teori humas.
Are Believers Happier than Atheists? Well-Being Measures in a Sample of Atheists and Believers in Puerto Rico
Authors: González-Rivera Juan Aníbal , Rosario-Rodríguez Adam , Rodríguez-Ramos Eduardo , Hernández-Gato Idania , Torres-Báez Lourdes
Published: September 2018

Currently, not much has been written about the empirical psychological well-being of the atheist community in Puerto Rico and Latin America. The objective of the present study is to analyze if there are statistically significant differences in the levels of life satisfaction and psychological flourishing between believers in God and self-identified atheists. For this purpose, a sample of 821 participants (415 believers and 406 atheists) ranging from the ages of 19 to 85 years was selected. The results show that there is a slight average difference regarding life satisfaction and psychological flourishing between these groups; however, the difference is not substantial enough to ensure that believers in God or atheists have a better quality of life. Both believers and atheists exhibit high levels of life satisfaction and psychological flourishing. This study provides empirical evidence to demystify certain traditional assumptions about the supremacy of religious beliefs over secular convictions or vice versa. We hope that these findings create social awareness and could be used as a basis for future research concerning the population of non-believers.
Multi-Objective Control of Air Conditioning Improves Cost, Comfort and System Energy Balance
Authors: Izawa Andrew , Fripp Matthias
Published: September 2018

A new model predictive control (MPC) algorithm is used to select optimal air conditioning setpoints for a commercial office building, considering variable electricity prices, weather, occupancy and lighting. This algorithm, Cost-Comfort Particle Swarm Optimization (CCPSO), is the first to combine a realistic, smooth representation of occupants’ willingness to pay for thermal comfort with a bottom-up, non-linear model of the building and air conditioning system under control. We find that using a quadratic preference function for temperature can yield solutions that are both more comfortable and lower-cost than previous work that used a ``brick wall'' preference function with no preference for further cooling within an allowed temperature band and infinite aversion to going outside the allowed band. Using historical pricing data for a summer month in Chicago, CCPSO provided a 3\% reduction in costs vs. a ``brick-wall'' MPC approach with similar comfort and 13\% reduction in costs vs. a standard night setback strategy. CCPSO also reduced peak-hours demand by 3\% vs. the ``brick-wall'' strategy and 15\% vs. standard night-setback. At the same time, the CCPSO strategy increased off-peak energy consumption by 15\% vs. the ``brick-wall'' strategy. This may be valuable for power systems integrating large amounts of renewable power, which can otherwise become uneconomic due to saturation of demand during off-peak hours.
Corrugated Photoactive Thin Films for Flexible Strain Sensor
Authors: Ryu Donghyeon , Mongare Alfred
Published: September 2018

In this study, a flexible strain sensor is devised using corrugated poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) thin film. In the previous studies, the P3HT-based photoactive thin film was shown to generate direct current (DC) under broadband light, and the generated DC voltage varied with applied tensile strain. Yet, the mechanical resiliency and strain sensing range of the P3HT-based thin film strain sensor were limited due to relatively more brittle thin film constituent—poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-polystyrene(sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) conductive thin film as a bottom electrode. To address this issue, it is aimed to design mechanically resilient strain sensor using corrugated thin film constituents. Buckling is induced to form corrugation in the thin films by applying pre-strain to the substrate, where the thin films are deposited, and releasing the pre-strain afterwards. It is known that corrugated thin film constituents exhibit different optical and electronic properties from non-corrugated ones. Therefore, to optimize design of the flexible strain sensor, it was studied to understand how the applied pre-strain and thickness of the PEDOT:PSS thin film affect the optical and electrical properties. Also, pre-strain effect on light absorptivity of the corrugated P3HT-based thin films was studied. In addition, strain effect was investigated on the optical and electrical properties of the corrugated thin film constituents. Finally, flexible strain sensors are fabricated by following the design guideline, which is suggested from the studies on the corrugated thin film constituents, and DC voltage strain sensing capability was validated. As a result, flexible strain sensor exhibited tensile strain sensing range up to 5% at frequency up to 15 Hz with maximum gage factor ~7.
Energy Cost and Energy Sources of an Elite Female Soccer Player to Repeated Sprint Ability Test: A Case Study
Authors: Perroni Fabrizio , Emerenziani Gian Pietro , Pentenè Fabrizio , Gallotta Maria Chiara , Guidetti Laura , Baldari Carlo
Published: September 2018

Intense physical efforts performed at maximal or near-maximal speeds and the ability to recover among sprint are important characteristics of soccer player. Considering that women's soccer is a markedly growing sport, the aim of the study was to analyse the performance (total time –TT-; fatigue index percentage -IF%) and physiological (aerobic and anaerobic) responses to Repeated Sprint Ability Test (RSA, 7×30 m sprints with 25 s of active recovery among sprints) in an elite female player (age: 30 yrs; BMI: 20.3 kg/m2). A repeated measure MANOVA over the 7 sprints time series was applied (p < 0.05). Results showed that TT was 58.71 s (Ideal Time: 56.98 s) with IF% of 3.0%. Energy contributions were given for 80.3% by aerobic, 19.2% by anaerobic lactid, and 0.5% by anaerobic alactid sources. Considering that 1) we have different kinetics in heart rate (HR) and maximum oxygen uptake with oxygen uptake that reach the peak when HR is still rising, and 2) the energy consumption during intermittent exercises requires different metabolism as a result of physiological stimuli proposed, the present findings substantiate the need to choose specific and adequate training methods for female soccer players that aim at increasing their RSA performances.
Macroeconomic Impacts of Climate Change Associated with Changes in Crop Yields
Authors: Fujimori Shinichiro , Iizumi Toshichika , Hasegawa Tomoko , Takakura Junya , Takahashi Kiyoshi , Hijioka Yasuaki
Published: September 2018

Changes in agricultural yields due to climate change will affect land use, agricultural production volume, and food prices as well as macroeconomic indicators, such as GDP which is important as it enables one to compare the climate change impacts across multiple sectors. This study considered five key uncertainty factors and estimated macroeconomic impacts due to crop yield changes using a novel integrated assessment framework. The five factors are 1) land-use change (or yield aggregation method based on spatially-explicit information), 2) the amplitude of the CO2 fertilization effect, 3) the use of different climate models, 4) socioeconomic assumptions and 5) the level of mitigation stringency. We found that their global impacts on the macroeconomic indicator value were 0.02 - 0.06% of GDP in 2100. However, the impacts on the agricultural sector varied greatly by socioeconomic assumption. The relative contributions of these factors to the total uncertainty in the projected macroeconomic indicator value were greater in a pessimistic world scenario characterized by a large population increase and low income (0.6%) than in an optimistic scenario (0.00%).
Optical Detection of Green Emission for Non-Uniformity Film in Flat Panel Display
Authors: Tzu Fuming , Chou Jung-Hua
Published: September 2018

Among colours, the green has the most sensitivity in human vision so that green defects on displays can be effortlessly perceived by a photopic eye with the most intensity in the wavelength 555 nm of the spectrum. With the market moving forward to high resolution, displays can have resolutions of 10 million pixels. Therefore, the task detects the appearance the panel using ultra-high resolutions in TFT-LCD. The machine vision associated with reflective chromaticity spectrometer quantises the defects are explored, such as blackening and whitening. The result shows the significant phenomena to recognize the non-uniformity film-related chromatic tendency. In contrast, the quantitative assessment illuminates that the chromaticity CIE xyY at 0.001 is a just noticeable difference (JND) and detects even more sensitivity. Moreover, an optical device associated with a 198 Hg discharge lamp calibrates the spectrometer accuracy.
Formamide Adsorption at the Amorphous Silica Surface: a Combined Experimental and Computational Approach
Authors: Signorile Matteo , Salvini Clara , Zamirri Lorenzo , Bonino Francesca , Martra Gianmario , Sodupe Mariona , Ugliengo Piero
Published: September 2018

Mineral surfaces have been demonstrated to play a central role in prebiotic reaction, which are supposed to be at the basis of the origin of life. Among the various molecules proposed as precursors for these reactions, one of the most interesting is formamide. Formamide has been shown to be a pluripotent molecule, generating a wide distribution of relevant pre-biotic products. In particular, the outcomes of its reactivity are strongly related to the presence of mineral phases, acting as catalysts toward specific reaction pathways. Even if the mineral-products relationship has been deeply studied for a large pool of materials, the fundamental description of the formamide reactivity over the mineral surface at a microscopic level is missing in the literature. In particular, a key step of formamide chemistry at surfaces is its adsorption on the available interaction sites. This report aims to investigate the adsorption of formamide over a well-defined amorphous silica, chosen as model mineral surface. An experimental IR investigation of formamide adsorption has been carried out and its outcomes have been interpreted on the basis of first principles simulation of the process adopting a realistic model of the amorphous silica.
The Impact of Local Climate Change on Drinking Water Quality in a Distribution System
Authors: Kimbrough David Eugene
Published: September 2018

In this study, air temperatures were collected between 1985 and 2016 and compared to water temperatures in four locations in the distribution system of Pasadena Water & Power (PWP) that received imported surface water between 2001 and 2016 and from the purveyor of imported water.  The concentration of chloramine residual and nitrite concentrations were collected between 2001 and 2016 these five locations.  The results indicate that the median nighttime temperature of the period 2009 - 2016 was 1.6 oC warmer than the period of 1985 - 2000 and 0.5 oC warmer than the period 2001 - 2008.  The median water temperature in the four distribution system samples increased by 0.8 oC to 1.4 oC depending on the location over the study period (p<0.001).  The median chloramine concentration fell significantly (p<0.001) at three distribution system locations and the nitrite concentrations increased significantly at all four distribution system locations. 
Measuring the Urban Land Surface Temperature Variations in Zhengzhou City Using the Landsat-Like Data
Authors: Wang Zongmin , Mao Penglei , Yang Haibo , Zhao Yong , He Tian , Dawson Richard J. , Li Zhenhong
Published: September 2018

Satellite-based remote sensing technologies are utilized extensively to investigate urban thermal environments under rapid urban expansion. Current MODIS data is, however, unable to adequately represent the spatially detailed information because of its relatively coarser spatial resolution, while Landsat data can’t explore temporally the refined analysis due to the low temporal resolution. In order to resolve this situation, we used MODIS and Landsat data to generate “Landsat-like” data by using the flexible spatiotemporal data fusion method (FSDAF), and then studied spatiotemporal variation of land surface temperature (LST) and its driving factors. The results showed that 1) The estimated “Landsat-like” data have high precision; 2) By comparing 2013 and 2016 datasets, LST increases ranging from 1.8°C to 4°C were measurable in areas where the impervious surface area (ISA) increased, while LST decreases ranging from -3.52°C to -0.70°C were detected in areas where ISA decreased; 3) LST has a strongly negative relationship with the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and a strongly positive relationship with Normalized Difference Built Index (NDBI) in summer; and 4) LST is well correlated with Building density (BD), in a complex conic mode, and LST may increase by 0.460°C to 0.786°C when BD increases by 0.1. Our findings can provide information useful for mitigating undesirable thermal conditions and for long-term urban thermal environmental management.
Innovation Through Coopetition: Future Directions and New Challenges
Authors: Della Corte Valentina
Published: September 2018

The paper, through and extended literature review, based on bibliometrics and conceptual reasoning, analyzes the main models of coopetition, in order to verify the link between coopetition and innovation, getting to proposal that can be useful for further research.
Random Fixed Point Theorems for Generalized Random α-ψ-contractive Mappings with Applications to Stochastic Differential Equation
Authors: Kongban Chayut , Kumam Poom , Martinez-Moreno Juan
Published: September 2018

In this paper, we prove some random fixed point theorems for generalized random $\alpha-\psi-$contractive mappings in a Polish space and, as some applications, we show the existence of random solutions of second order random differential equation.