bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Emergent order in rheoscopic swirls
Authors: WILKINSON MICHAEL , BEZUGLYY VLAD , MEHLIG BERNHARD
Published: November 2010

We consider the ordering of particles in a rheoscopic fluid (a suspension of microscopic rod-like particles) in a steady two-dimensional flow, and discuss its consequences for the reflection of light. The ordering is described by an order parameter which is a non-oriented vector, obtained by averaging solutions of a nonlinear equation containing the strain rate of the fluid flow. Exact solutions of this equation are obtained from solutions of a linear equation which are analogous to Bloch bands for a one-dimensional Schrödinger equation with a periodic potential. On some contours of the stream function, the order parameter approaches a limit, and on others it depends increasingly sensitively upon position. However, in the long-time limit a local average of the order parameter is a smooth function of position in both cases. We analyse the topology of the order parameter and the structure of the generic zeros of the order parameter field.
The elongated shape of a dielectric drop deformed by a strong electric field
Authors: RHODES DOV , YARIV EHUD
Published: November 2010

A dielectric drop is suspended within a dielectric liquid and is exposed to a uniform electric field. Due to polarization forces, the drop deforms from its initial spherical shape, becoming prolate in the field direction. At strong electric fields, the drop elongates significantly, becoming long and slender. For moderate ratios of the permittivities of the drop and surrounding liquid, the drop ends remain rounded. The slender limit was originally analysed by Sherwood (J. Phys. A, vol. 24, 1991, p. 4047) using a singularity representation of the electric field. Here, we revisit it using matched asymptotic expansions. The electric field within the drop is continued into a comparable solution in the ‘inner’ region, at the drop cross-sectional scale, which is itself matched into the singularity representation in the ‘outer’ region, at the drop longitudinal scale. The expansion parameter of the problem is the elongated drop slenderness. In contrast to familiar slender-body analysis, this parameter is not provided by the problem formulation, and must be found throughout the course of the solution. The drop aspect-ratio scaling, with the 6/7-power of the electric field, is identical to that found by Sherwood (J. Phys. A, vol. 24, 1991, p. 4047). The predicted drop shape is compared with the boundary-integral solutions of Sherwood (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 188, 1988, p. 133). While the agreement is better than that found by Sherwood (J. Phys. A, vol. 24, 1991, p. 4047), the weak logarithmic decay of the error terms still hinders an accurate calculation. We obtain the leading-order correction to the drop shape, improving the asymptotic approximation.
Structures of ribonucleoprotein particle modification enzymes
Authors: Liang Bo , Li Hong
Published: November 2010

Small nucleolar and Cajal body ribonucleoprotein particles (RNPs) are required for the maturation of ribosomes and spliceosomes. They consist of small nucleolar RNA or Cajal body RNA combined with partner proteins and represent the most complex RNA modification enzymes. Recent advances in structure and function studies have revealed detailed information regarding ribonucleoprotein assembly and substrate binding. These enzymes form intertwined RNA–protein assemblies that facilitate reversible binding of the large ribosomal RNA or small nuclear RNA. These revelations explain the specificity among the components in enzyme assembly and substrate modification. The multiple conformations of individual components and those of complete RNPs suggest a dynamic assembly process and justify the requirement of many assembly factorsin vivo.
Understanding ageing in sub-Saharan Africa: exploring the contributions of religious and secular social involvement to life satisfaction
Authors: KODZI IVY A. , GYIMAH STEPHEN OBENG , EMINA JACQUES B. , EZEH ALEX C.
Published: November 2010

Rapid urbanisation in sub-Saharan Africa is believed to have weakened the traditional family ties which sustained older people in the past, but there is little empirical evidence about how older people today perceive their ageing experience in sub-Saharan Africa. The international gerontology literature demonstrates that, apart from financial wellbeing and health status, religious and secular forms of social involvement are key predictors of life satisfaction in older ages. No formal analysis, however, exists on the effects of religious and non-religious social involvement on the subjective wellbeing of older people in sub-Saharan nations. This study sought to fill this gap by examining the relationship between religious identity, religiosity, and secular social engagement using survey data from a sample of 2,524 men and women aged 50 or more years living in informal settlements of Nairobi City. We found significant differences in life satisfaction between Moslems, Catholics and non-Catholic Christians. Secular social support, personal sociability and community participation had positive effects on subjective wellbeing. In this context, we also observed that next to health status, the social involvement of older people was very important for life satisfaction.
Divorce and the wellbeing of older Australians
Authors: GRAY MATTHEW , DE VAUS DAVID , QU LIXIA , STANTON DAVID
Published: November 2010

In virtually all Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries the number of older people who have experienced divorce at some point in their lives will increase in coming decades. While there is an extensive literature that analyses the effects of divorce on wellbeing, there is relatively little research on the long-run effects of divorce in later life. This paper uses Australian data to estimate the long-run impacts of divorce on the wellbeing of older Australians. Dimensions of wellbeing examined are social interaction and connectedness, perceived social support, life satisfaction, and physical and mental health. The paper shows that divorce has a long-lasting, negative impact on wellbeing that persists into later life for both men and women. However, the negative effects of divorce on wellbeing are largely confined to those who do not re-partner. An important difference between men and women is that for women who are divorced and remain single, the negative effects of divorce are found for general health, vitality and mental health. Furthermore, these effects are reasonably large. For older men, there appear to be no long-term effects of divorce on physical or mental health. While there appears to be some effect of divorce on perceived social support for both older men and women, the effects of divorce on social support are less pervasive in later life than the effects of divorce on satisfaction with life and, for women, health.
On rough sets, their recent extensions and applications
Authors: Mac Parthaláin N. , Shen Q.
Published: November 2010

Rough set theory (RST) has enjoyed an enormous amount of attention in recent years and has been applied to many real-world problems including data mining, pattern recognition, and intelligent control. Much research has recently been carried out in respect of both the development of the underlying theory and the application to new problem domains. This paper attempts to summarize the advances in RST, its extensions, and their applications. It also identifies important areas which require further investigation. Typical example application domains are examined which demonstrate the success of the application of RST to a wide variety of areas and disciplines, and which also exhibit the strengths and limitations of the respective underlying approaches.
Evolutionary Sets Of Safe Ship Trajectories: A New Approach To Collision Avoidance
Authors: Szlapczynski Rafal
Published: November 2010

The paper introduces a new method of solving multi-ship encounter situations for both open waters and restricted water regions. The method, called evolutionary sets of safe trajectories, combines some of the assumptions of game theory with evolutionary programming and aims to find optimal sets of safe trajectories of all ships involved in an encounter situation. In a two-ship encounter situation it enables the operator of an onboard collision-avoidance system to predict the most probable behaviour of a target and to plan the own manoeuvres in advance. In a multi-ship encounter the method may be used to help an operator of a VTS system to coordinate the manoeuvres of all ships. The paper contains a detailed description of collision-avoidance operators used by the evolutionary method and simulation examples of the method's results for digital maps.
The Beginnings of Air Radio Navigation and Communication
Authors: Kendal Brian
Published: November 2010

In our present age, radio communication and navigational aids are taken without comment throughout the aviation industry. However, all developments must start somewhere and it is the intention of this paper to look into the earliest days of “wireless” and its gradual application to aviation.

The first step was, as far as I can ascertain, in October 1866 when Mahlon Loomis flew a kite from a mountain top in Virginia, USA. He had fitted a copper mesh to the kite and connected this to a copper wire. Between the wire and earth he connected a galvanometer which, he noted, deflected from static electricity. On flying an identical kite at a similar height some fourteen miles away, if the copper wire were earthed, the deflection on the galvanometer changed. However, if the kite wires were of different length, this effect was not observed. For this, in 1872, he was issued with a US Patent 129971 for “wireless telegraphy” but, as far as we know, apart from a few fading freehand notes, (See Figure 1) no details of his apparatus survive, so it must remain a matter of conjecture what was actually achieved.
High-Precision Kinematic Satellite and Doppler Aided Inertial Navigation System
Authors: Vepa Ranjan , Zhahir Amzari
Published: November 2010

In this paper an adaptive unscented Kalman filter based mixing filter is used to develop a high-precision kinematic satellite aided inertial navigation system with a modern receiver that incorporates carrier phase smoothing and ambiguity resolution. Using carrier phase measurements with multiple antennas, in addition to a set of typical pseudo-range estimates that can be obtained from a satellite navigation system such as GPS or GLONASS, the feasibility of generating high precision estimates of the typical outputs from an inertial navigation system is demonstrated. The methodology may be developed as a stand-alone system or employed in conjunction with a traditional strapped down inertial navigation system for purposes of initial alignment. Moreover the feasibility of employing adaptive mixing facilitates the possibility of using the system in an interoperable fashion with satellite navigation measurements.
Carrier Phase-based RAIM Algorithm Using a Gaussian Sum Filter
Authors: Yun Ho , Yun Youngsun , Kee Changdon
Published: November 2010

Carrier phase measurements are used to provide high-accuracy estimates of position. For safety-of-life navigation applications such as precision approach and landing, integrity plays a critical role. Carrier phase-based Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (CRAIM) has been investigated for many years (Pervan et al, 1998; Feng et al, 2007). Assuming that the carrier phase error has a Gaussian distribution, conventional CRAIM algorithms were directly derived from the Pseudorange-based RAIM (PRAIM). However, the actual carrier phase error does not exactly follow the Gaussian distribution, hence the performance of the conventional CRAIM algorithm is not optimal.

To approach this problem, this paper proposes a new CRAIM algorithm that uses Gaussian sum filters. A Gaussian sum filter can deal with any non-Gaussian error distribution and accurately present the posterior distributions of states. In this paper, a new method of making a Gaussian mixture model, which follows the true error distribution, is introduced. Additionally an integrity monitoring algorithm, using a Gaussian sum filter, is described in detail. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can have about 18% smaller Minimum Detectable Bias (MDB) and generates about 20% lower protection levels than those of the conventional CRAIM algorithm. In other words, by considering a non-Gaussian carrier phase error distribution, the new algorithm can improve the accuracy and the availability.
Weighted RAIM for APV: The Ideal Protection Level
Authors: Milner Carl D. , Ochieng Washington Y.
Published: November 2010

International standards require the use of a weighted least-squares approach to onboard Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (RAIM). However, the protection levels developed to determine if the conditions exist to perform a measurement check (i.e. failure detection) are not specified. Various methods for the computation of protection levels exist. However, they are essentially approximations to the complex problem of computing the worst-case missed detection probability under a weighted system. In this paper, a novel approach to determine this probability at the worst-case measurement bias is presented. The missed detection probabilities are then iteratively solved against the integrity risk requirement in order to derive an optimal protection level for the operation. It is shown that the new method improves availability by more than 30% compared to the baseline weighted RAIM algorithm.

A version of this paper was first presented at the US Institute of Navigation (ION) GNSS 2009 Conference in Savannah, Georgia.
Entropy Flow-Aided Navigation
Authors: Deng He , Pan Chao , Wen Tongxin , Liu Jianguo
Published: November 2010

Integrating the visual navigation mechanism of flying insects with a nonlinear Kalman filter, this paper proposes a novel navigation algorithm. New concepts of entropic map and entropy flow are presented, which can characterize topographic features and measure changes of the image respectively. Meanwhile, an auto-selecting algorithm of assessment threshold is proposed to improve computational accuracy and efficiency of global motion estimation. The simulation results suggest that the navigation algorithm can perform real-time rectification of the missile's trajectory well, and can reduce the cost of the missile's hardware.
Waypoint Navigation of Small-Scale UAV incorporating Dynamic Soaring
Authors: Ariff O. K. , Go T. H.
Published: November 2010

The latest attempts at improving small scale autonomously guided Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have concentrated around the increase of range and speed. One of these ways is to incorporate dynamic slope soaring manoeuvres as part of the flight path. This is in contrast to most conventional path-planning algorithms where waypoint guidance is merged with terrain avoidance or contour following capability. Additionally, current trajectory optimization techniques are iterative and so have a considerable computational load. The proposed algorithm is based on Dubin's curves, and is therefore optimal by definition. Being non-iterative, it is comparatively a more efficient algorithm. Hence, a key advantage of the proposed technique is that the desired trajectory is generated quickly in real time with minimum computational load while satisfying the spatial constraints of dynamic slope soaring.
Older Volunteers: A Precious Resource Under Pressure
Authors: Gottlieb Benjamin
Published: November 2010

Drawing on the literature on the extensive investment older adults make in volunteering, and on the findings of a study of 19 not-for-profit agencies that rely heavily on older adults to provide a variety of community services, this paper identifies several significant changes in the character of the clients who are served by these volunteers and in government health policies affecting the delivery of community services. The paper concludes with suggestions for research and policy development aimed to optimize the contribution which older volunteers make to society and reciprocally, the contribution that volunteering makes to the health and well-being of older adults.
Frail and Disabled Users of Home Care: Confident Consumers or Disentitled Citizens?
Authors: Aronson Jane
Published: November 2010

Health care cuts and restructuring are shifting the site of acute care from hospitals to homes and prompting provincial governments to introduce varying forms of mixed economies in home care. Typically, such arrangements seek to drive down public costs and to reposition service users as “consumers” of market-modelled care. Drawing on an ongoing study of frail elderly women and women with disabilities receiving home care in Ontario, this paper explores the significance for service users of these economic and political objectives. Rather than feeling like consumers free to exercise choice and demand quality in the mixed economy of home care, they experienced their positioning within it as insecure and subordinate and its supply as unpredictable and meagre. The implications of these findings for fashioning secure and equitable public responses to elderly and disabled citizens who need assistance at home over the long term are discussed.
Older Women's Community Mobility: A Qualitative Exploration
Authors: Finlayson Marcia , Kaufert Joseph
Published: November 2010

Many of the limitations experienced by community-dwelling older women are related to mobility within their communities. This qualitative study explored community mobility from the perspective of older, community-dwelling women in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Semi-structured interviews were completed with 23 older women (mean age 75.9 years) identified through an existing database. In addition to travels to conduct instrumental activities of daily living and participate in social and recreational activities, the women in the study described trips to fulfil social obligations (e.g., attending funerals, visiting sick friends) and emphasized the importance of these trips. The women's travels through the city were influenced by their perception of risk and the strategies they employed to minimize or avoid risk during the day, in the evening, and during bad weather. Autonomous community mobility provided the women with a sense of independence and control. The findings have potential implications for health care providers and community programmers who work to maintain older women in the community.
Predictors and Incidence of Urinary Incontinence in Elderly Canadians With and Without Dementia — A Five-Year Follow Up: The Canadian Study of Health and Aging
Authors: Østbye Truls , Hunskaar Steinar , Sykes Elizabeth
Published: November 2010

Based on the national Canadian Study of Health and Aging, the objective of this study was to determine the importance of socio-demographic and medical factors, cognitive and functional status as predictors of the development of urinary incontinence, and to estimate five-year incidence by sex and age group. Participants from the Canadian Study of Health and Aging who underwent a clinical examination in 1992 and were continent for urine at the time were followed up and their continence status was again determined in 1997. Multivariate logistic regression models with daily incontinence and daily or less than daily incontinence as the outcomes were developed separately for male (n = 306) and female (n = 520) survivors. Predictor variables were introduced in the following chunks: socio-demographic factors; cognitive status; functional status, diabetes and stroke. Five-year cumulative incidence of daily and less than daily incontinence by sex and age group was also estimated. Results indicated that the incidence of urinary incontinence was higher in women than in men, and increased by age in both men and women. Especially among men, those in institutions were much more likely to develop urinary incontinence than those in the community. Incontinence increased dramatically with severity of dementia, less so with physical immobility. Diabetes mellitus was related to the development incontinence in men but not in women, prior stroke was related to development of incontinence in both sexes. It is concluded that urinary incontinence is common in older persons, and enquiries about its presence should be part of routine medical and nursing assessment of older persons. Those who develop incontinence commonly have dementia and are physically impaired. The extent of assessment and management should be carefully tailored to each individual patient.
Risk Factors for Serious Falls Among Community-Based Seniors: Results from the National Population Health Survey
Authors: Fletcher Paula C. , Hirdes John P.
Published: November 2010

This paper examines factors associated with falling among approximately 3,100 individuals aged 65 and older who were participants in the 1994 National Population Health Survey (NPHS). The intent of the NPHS is to monitor the health of Canadians and risk factors that affect their health. Several factors were identified as increasing the risk of falling, such as advanced age, being female, certain medical conditions, medication use and impaired mobility. The results from this survey, conducted on a national level, confirm the findings of many studies utilizing smaller samples within individual communities. Continuation of the NPHS will aid in offering longitudinal data with respect to falls, and allow for establishing a temporal order prior to the fall event, in order to provide more definitive evidence with respect to risk factors for falls.
The Development of Relationships Between Families and Staff in Long-term Care Facilities: Nurses' Perspectives
Authors: Gladstone James , Wexler Evelyn
Published: November 2010

The objective of this study was to explore the way in which relationships develop between family members and staff working in long-term care facilities. In-depth, qualitative interviews were conducted with 17 registered nurses. Data were analysed inductively using the constant comparative method. Findings showed that RNs perceive their relationships with families to develop in four stages: the “initial greeting,” sizing up,” “making a tentative decision,” and “reaching a final decision”. Several contextual factors were associated with the way in which relationships developed, including structural factors, family recognition of staff efforts, open communication, and professional identity. Findings suggest that relationships can best be understood from an interpretive perspective and that an analysis of family-staff relationships should consider the influence of social power.
Inhome Service Use by Caregivers and Their Elders: Does Cognitive Status Make a Difference?
Authors: Hawranik Pamela
Published: November 2010

The intent of this study was to examine the effect of cognitive status on the use of inhome services by caregivers and their elders. Data from the screening, clinical and community-caregiver phases of the Manitoba Study on Health and Aging (MSHA-1) were analysed utilizing a modified Andersen-Newman model. The findings indicated that those with dementia were more likely to use personal care services and use two or more inhome services than caregivers and their elders with no cognitive impairment and those with cognitive impairment but no dementia. Functional status of the elder and living arrangement of the caregiver and elder were strongly associated with the use of specific inhome services and with overall use. Policy and research implications of the findings including other significant factors such as caregiver employment, are presented.
Walking with Visual Restrictions in Healthy Elderly and Young Adults
Authors: Gallagher Sean , Lajoie Yves , Guay Michel
Published: November 2010

Visual requirements for a simple walking task were evaluated for young and elderly persons to determine if, with normal aging, elderly subjects require more visual information. Ten young adults and 10 elderly people were asked to complete a simple walking task within predetermined pathway boundaries under two conditions of visual restriction. In the reactive condition, subjects automatically received a 200 ms flash of visual information at the halfway point of the walkway. For the predictive condition, subjects did not receive any visual information during the walking trial, but were equipped with an emergency button that would provide 200 ms of visual information whenever they needed it. For both experimental conditions, subjects received additional flashes of visual information if they stepped out of the walkway boundaries. Results showed that older persons stepped out of bounds more often in the reactive condition and gave themselves more visual cues than the younger subjects in the predictive condition. The relative importance of vision during locomotion seems to be higher in the elderly population when compared to young adults.
Leon A. Hyer, & Steven J. Sohnle Trauma among older people: Issues and treatment. Philadelphia, PA: Bruner-Routledge, 2001.
Authors: Beck J. Gayle
Published: November 2010

L'évaluation et le traitement du syndrome de stress post-traumatique (SSPT) chez les aîné(e)s constitue un domaine quelque peu négligé de la documentation, une situation que ce livre tente de corriger. Trauma among older people: Issues and treatment est un texte réfléchi et approfondi destiné à aider le clinicien à comprendre et à gérer les problèmes posttraumatiques chez les aîné(e)s. Le travail présente une variété d'orientations théoriques, de résumés de recherche et d'expertise clinique sur la conceptualisation et le traitement du stress post-traumatique. Les auteurs prônent une vaste approche de la conceptualisation et du traitement du SSPT chez les adultes vieillissants et s'attardent à un modèle de «réadaptation» plutôt que de guérison. À ce titre, on a accordé beaucoup d'attention à la personnalité, au counseling et au pardon, dans la mesure où ces thèmes s'appliquent à l'approche intégrante du traitement mis de l'avant par les auteurs. De plus, on présente des résumés succincts et des directives d'approches courantes au traitement du SSPT, notamment pour les interventions d'exposition, les techniques de relaxation et les thérapies cognitives-comportementales.

La force du document repose sur le fait que les auteurs sont bien renseignés sur les aîné(e)s. Ils présentent des idées innovatrices sur la façon dont le SSPT peut se manifester différemment chez les aîné(e)s, particulièrement chez ceux qui ont des antécédents traumatiques importants et prolongés. Il aurait été intéressant, dans ce contexte, d'en apprendre plus sur les facteurs de résilience, particulièrement à la lumière de la constatation empirique que les aîné(e)s ont recours à des stratégies souvent différentes pour faire face à un facteur de stress important. En résumé, Hyer et Sohnle ont accompli un travail magnifique dans la rédaction de Trauma among older people: Issues and treatment. Le volume est bien divisé, vise l'information du praticien sur des questions de vieillissement et de SSPT et atteint un bon équilibre entre l'information théorique et appliquée.
Beauty in Later Life: Older Women's Perceptions of Physical Attractiveness
Authors: Clarke Laura C. Hurd
Published: November 2010

Using data from 96 hours of semi-structured interviews with women aged 61 to 92, this paper explores the meanings that older women attribute to beauty and aging. The women in my study tend to equate physical attractiveness with youthfulness and slimness. However, they reject the extremes of thinness embodied in today's fashion models and actresses. Even as they disparage obese individuals, the women argue that thin older women appear scrawny. The women express a preference for more rounded female bodies than current beauty standards allow and emphasize the importance of inner beauty. While some women view their wrinkles negatively, others suggest that their facial creases are badges of honour. I argue that older women do not simply internalize beauty ideals to the detriment of their sense of self. Rather, older women resist and challenge current ideals of feminine attractiveness and suggest alternative beauty ideals and definitions of personal desirability.
Carlos G. Prado. The Last Choice: Preemptive Suicide in Advanced Age, 2d ed. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1998.
Authors: Mishara Brian L.
Published: November 2010

Ce livre défend le point de vue selon lequel il est raisonnable pour tout individu doué de « capacités réflexives » de se suicider afin d'éviter dans le futur la détérioration et la dépendance horribles associées au vieillissement. Le choix de 1'auteur pour un abandon aussi précipité de la vie n'est aucunement justifié par la recherche en suicidologie et sa conception négative du vieillissement est en contradiction évidente avec les découvertes de la gérontologie contemporaine.
Programme d'intervention visant à réduire l'utilisation des contentions physiques dans des unités de soins de longue durée — mise en oeuvre et effets sur le personnel soignant
Authors: Durand Pierre J. , Ouellet Jean-Paul , Beauchesne Line , Tourigny André , Verreault René , Dicaire Louise , Lévesque Louise , Lauzon Sylvie , Gagnon Robin , Rochette Louis
Published: November 2010

This study aimed at (a) developing a restraint reduction program, (b) describing its implementation in long-term care units, and (c) examining its effects on care staff's perceptions of and knowledge about the use of restraints. The program was composed of three parts: consciousness-raising meetings, staff education, and clinical follow-up. The study was a randomized, controlled clinical trial with eight intervention care units (five nursing homes) and 11 controls (five additional nursing homes). Care staff was surveyed at two time intervals over a 7-month period (pre- and post-test intervention; intervention care units:N= 171 [T0] andN= 158 [T1]; controls:N= 181 [T0] andN= 166 [T1]). The implementation of the program was successful and results showed significant changes in care staff perceptions of and knowledge about the use of restraints.
Higher Thresholds for Elder Abuse with Age and Rural Residence
Authors: Stones M.J. , Bédard Michel
Published: November 2010

Attitudes toward elder abuse differ with age, ethnicity, profession, and training. This article introduces a threshold model in order to reconcile findings on attitudinal differences within a unifying theoretical framework. The model assumes that individuals rate the abusiveness using consistent standards but different thresholds. Predictions from the model include consistency among individuals in their ratings of different behaviours (i.e., high relative consistency), but variation in the levels of rating (i.e., systematic departures from absolute consistency).

Samples of 339 seniors and 233 professionals rated 112 items representing a wide range of abuse severity. The findings suggested high relative consistency but systematic deviations from absolute consistency, with higher ratings (i.e., lower thresholds) by professionals than seniors, and by residents of smaller (rural) rather than larger (urban) communities. The implications of the threshold model include prevention through elder-abuse education and reporting practices.
Ontario Older-Adult Programs: Self-Identified Interest in and Resources for Nutritional Risk Screening
Authors: Keller Heather H. , Allen Jacqueline
Published: November 2010

Older-adult community programs are significant partners in the identification of need and delivery of health care for seniors. At present there is no systematic screening for nutritional risk in Ontario, and the interest and resources of community programs to screen is unknown. From three Ontario organizational membership lists, 200 programs were randomly selected; 136 key informants completed and returned the survey. A diverse sample of programs was included. Most were providing some form of nutrition programming, with the most common being meal provision. Two thirds (67.7%) were collecting some form of nutrition information: 56.4 per cent had an assessment questionnaire with nutrition information, and 21.8 per cent had clients subjectively assess their own nutritional risk. Most providers were interested in the nutritional health of their clients, and over half were interested in formally screening for nutritional risk. Barriers to screening were also identified. It is clear that nutrition is an area of priority for community programs and that nutrition screening is desired. Barriers to ethical screening need to be addressed prior to implementation of a systematic screening program.
Les différences liées à la spécificité des genres dans la prise en charge d'un proche fragilisé
Authors: Séguin Lise , Vissandjee Bilkis
Published: November 2010

The goal of this study is to describe gender-specific care situations based on interviews and case studies with key caregivers. Eight main themes emerged; namely, the action of taking a certain degree of additional responsibility, the perception of the process of illness, the care received from the formal and informal networks, the effects of assuming care on the male or female caregiver's social life, the quality of care given, the caregiver's own health, the costs associated with caregiving and the survival strategies adopted by male and female caregivers. Recommendations were proposed by interviewees and the findings point to the conclusion that changes to the health and social services network have affected women and men informal caregivers. Women enjoyed limited informal support, and it would appear that informal caregiving has consequences that affect the health, mental well-being, social life, and economic autonomy of women. These case studies will contribute to a systematic gender-based analysis during the development of programs and policies directed towards formal and informal caregivers.
Herbert C. Northcott and Donna M. Wilson. Dying and Death in Canada. Aurora, ON: Aramond Press, 2001.
Authors: Baker P. Morgan
Published: November 2010

Ce texte fait ressortir le contexte canadien sur la mort de même que l'impact de notre système de santé sur la façon dont l'on considère la maladie en phase terminale. Le premier chapitre offre l'historique de la mort au Canada en examinant l'expérience autochtone et l'impact de l'immigration européenne. Les forces du livre se retrouvent dans les données qualitatives et surtout dans l'étude de cas de l'euthanasie, le suicide, les pratiques funèbres et les pratiques de tristesse. Toutefois, il est regrettable que le livre ne comprenne pas assez de données qualitatives (par exemple sur les modèles de moralité propres à l'ethnicité et aux différences culturelles). Pour la salle de classe, ce livre est un complément important à un texte davantage compréhensif sur la mort au Canada.
Gary Kenyon, Phillip Clark, and Brian de Vries (Eds.). Narrative Gerontology: Theory, Research, and Practice. New York: Springer, 2001.
Authors: Reker Gary T.
Published: November 2010

Ce livre dirigé est un ajout important à la littérature car il présente une opinion divergente aux méthodes traditionnelles de recherches scientifiques. Narrative Gerontology: Theory, Research, and Practice accroît nos connaissances de l'évolution interne de la personne âgée en permettant aux gens de «parler pour eux-mêmes»; en effet, ces derniers racontent les expériences significatives de leurs vies personnelles. De plus, le livre aide à justifier l'approche du récit en tant que charpente scientifique légitime pour la collecte de données, l'analyse et l'interprétation. Le livre réussi à intégrer la théorie, la recherche et la valeur de la pratique du récit gérontologique. Les contributions variées de ce livre enrichirent la théorie, démontrent l'importance des méthodes de recherches quantitatives et qualitatives et offrent des aperçus précieux sur la méthode d'incorporer les récits personnels de vies à la pratique. Bien que le style change d'un chapitre à l'autre, le livre est bien écrit, bien organisé et provoque la réflexion. Narrative Gerontology: Theory, Research, and Practice est une ressource importante pour les chercheurs, les stratèges, les praticiens et les étudiants qui démontrent un intérêt aux récits gérontologiques.
Equivalence of French and English Language Versions of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D) among Caregivers of Persons with Dementia
Authors: O'Rourke Norm
Published: November 2010

The Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D) is among the most widely used depression screening measures. Existing research suggests a higher-order factor structure of responses among older adults (factors labelled depressive affect, absence of well-being, somatic symptoms, and interpersonal affect, each loading upon a second-order depression factor). The current study extends this research to ascertain whether this structure is equivalent (or invariant) between the English and French versions of the CES-D. Findings suggest that the number and relative contribution of each factor is similar for both language groups. Furthermore, interpretation of CES-D items is statistically indistinguishable for 16 of 20 items within this randomly identified, national sample of caregivers of persons with dementia. Results of this study support the higher-order factor structure of this measure and provide data in support of the reliability of responses. Furthermore, findings support the use of the CES-D in cross-cultural and comparative research with English- and French-speaking adults.
Moshe Naveh-Benjamin, Marris Moscovitch, and Henry L. Roediger (Eds.). Perspectives on Human Memory and Cognitive Aging: Essays in Honour of Fergus Craik. New York: Psychology Press, 2001.
Authors: Tsiakas Maria , Gagnon Micheèe , Awad Nesrine , Mertens Valérie
Published: November 2010

Perspectives on Human Memory and Cognitive Aging: Essays in Honour of Fergus Craik est un ouvrage traitant de recherches et de théories suite à une conférence qui a eu lieu à l'Université de Toronto en mai 2000 en l'honneur de la retraite de Fergus Craik. Le livre présente la recherche la plus récente sur la mémoire et le vieillissement cognitif effectuée par des chercheurs dont les recherches et les théories ont été soit influencées, soit reliées aux contributions scientifiques de Craik. Les théories passées et récentes sur la mémoire y sont explorées et intégrées avec les résultats de découvertes contemporaines afin de permettre au lecteur d'avoir un aperçu global du statut présent de ce domaine. Les chercheurs dans les domaines de la mémoire et du vieillissement cognitif vont trouver en ce livre un exposé informatif et fascinant qui pourrait contribuer à stimuler des tentatives de recherches ultérieures et l'élaboration de théories.
Ingrid A. Connidis. Family Ties and Aging. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2001.
Authors: Miitchell Barbara A.
Published: November 2010

Le tout récent livre de Connidis intitulé Family Ties and Aging, offre un balayage abrégé de la recherche en cours sur la famille et des questions d'une perspective du cours de la vie. Résumant et la recherche canadienne et la recherche américaine, le livre se penche sur les aspects sociaux des liens familiaux et du vieillissement dans des domaines clés (par exemple, la portée des contacts, les échanges d'appui et les expériences subjectives). Plusieurs relations typefamiliales sont examinées et les variations masculines/féminines, ethniques et raciales de même que le statut socioéconomique et l'orientation sexuelle sont rassemblées en chapitres pertinents d'une manière attentionnée et irrésistible. L'auteur énumère plusieurs recherches à propos de même que des questions politiques. Ce livre servira en tant que ressource importante aux érudits, aux praticiens et aux stratèges. Le livre pourra aussi servir comme texte primaire aux étudiants du 1e cycle ou d'études supérieures poursuivant des études en sociologie de la famille et du vieillissement, en gérontologie et en études de la famille. Dans l'ensemble, cette nouvelle contribution contribue à combler un vide dans le domaine de la gérontologie sociale.
William L. Randall and Gary M. Kenyon. Ordinary Wisdom: Biographical Aging and the Journey of Life. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2001.
Authors: Ardelt Monika
Published: November 2010

Randall et Kenyon fournissent une vue d'ensemble efficace du vieillissement biographique (ou du récit gérontologique). Le principe de base du livre suppose que chaque vie se comprend par l'entremise de la métaphore de l'histoire, du trajet et de l'aventure (liant la métaphore et le trajet). Toutefois, contrairement à ce que peut sous-entendre le titre du livre, le texte ne fait qu'allusion périphérique à la sagesse. Les auteurs proposent une distinction entre la sagesse ordinaire et la sagesse remarquable, dite extraordinaire (c.-à.-d. une condition idéaliste difficile à atteindre) et que la sagesse ordinaire est comprise à l'histoire de la vie de chaque personne. Reste à savoir pourquoi l'être humain atteint rarement la sagesse extraordinaire, quelle est la différence exacte entre la sagesse ordinaire et la sagesse extraordinaire et quelles sont les caractéristiques démarquant les personnes ordinairement sages et celles extraordinairement sages.
Rural-Urban Differences among Adult Day Care Participants in Manitoba
Authors: Strain Laurel A. , Chappell Neena L.
Published: November 2010

Rural-urban differences in the characteristics of 44 individuals entering the province-wide Adult Day Care program throughout Manitoba are examined. In addition, the rural-urban differences along various social and social psychological indicators after participants have been in the program are explored. The results indicate that there are many similarities and relatively few differences between the urban and the rural ADC participants. Any differences which do emerge portray the rural participants as more socially integrated and with higher levels of perceived health than the urban participants. Implications for assessment for entry into Adult Day Care are discussed.
Variations between a Day Hospital's Team Assessments and Needs Perceived by Referral Source
Authors: Kaban Leona , Block Jeanette
Published: November 2010

Following 14 months of operation, all 142 patients assessed by the Day Hospital program at Seven Oaks General Hospital in Winnipeg were reviewed. Needs identified through referrals from physicians were compared with those assessed by the Day Hospital team. Findings showed that medical, nursing and learning needs were most frequently not identified and more than half the referrals identifying a single need were assessed as having multiple needs. However, the ranking of needs by referrers and assessors were identical.

The review confirmed that this Day Hospital met the objective of assessing the multiple factors affecting the well-being of the elderly.
Critical Issues in the Health of the Elderly: The Role of Physical Activity
Authors: Shephard Roy J.
Published: November 2010

The potential role of physical activity in the primary, secondary, tertiary and quarternary treatment of disease is examined with particular reference to the health care needs of the elderly. Areas requiring further research are stressed. On present evidence, it would appear likely that enhanced physical activity could make a useful contribution to the containment of health care expenditures; however, it still has to be established how far the gains of physical condition and resultant improvements of health status that are seen in younger individuals could be realized by the various categories of geriatric patient.
Memory Perceptions and Memory Performance in Adulthood and Aging
Authors: Hultsch D.F. , Dixon R.A. , Hertzog C.
Published: November 2010

Evidence is accumulating to suggest that peoples' perceptions of their own memories are important for understanding memory functioning in later life. This paper reviews two questionnaires designed to measure such perceptions, and identifies several research questions requiring further study. In general, memory perceptions appear to be multidimensional and involve belief and affective components as well as knowledge components. In addition, the relationship between memory perceptions and memory performance appears to differ as a function of age and type of task. Salient issues for future research include the extent to which older adults' memory perceptions show systematic state-like fluctuations over time, and the extent to which these perceptions represent an accurate picture of individuals' memory abilities.
Measurement of Psychological Hardiness in Older Adults
Authors: McNeil Kevin , Kozma Albert , Stones M. J. , Hannah E.
Published: November 2010

Findings are presented on the psychometric properties of a short psychological hardiness measure using subjects predominantly aged over 60 years. The sample of 223 participants was administered the hardiness questionnaire and other instruments twice, with a one-year test-retest interval. First-order factor analysis yielded three factors termed challenge, control, and commitment. Second-order factor analysis revealed a single main factor of general hardiness on which all the first-order components loaded highly. Both internal consistency and test-retest forms of reliability were in the range 0.6 to 0.7. Concurrent validity was illustrated by significant correlations between hardiness and measures of happiness and adjustment.
Insulin and Serum-stimulated Hexose Transport in In Vitro Aged Cultured Human Skin Fibroblasts
Authors: Germinario Ralph J. , Oliveira Maureen , Manuel Susannia
Published: November 2010

Insulin (0.67 μM) and serum (10% v/v) stimulated hexose transport did not change within vitroageing of cultured human skin fibroblasts. Additionally, dexamethasone amplification of the insulin-stimulated response which yielded responses to near physiological concentrations of insulin (i.e. 6.7 nM), showed no changes within vitroageing. Basal (i.e. nonstimulated) hexose transport, either in the presence or absence of dexamethasone, did not change within vitroageing. Thein vitroloss of proliferative potential duringin vitroageing of cultured human fibroblasts probably does not involve changes in short term insulin responses (e.g. stimulation of hexose transport).
Social Support and Well-Being: A Comparison of Older Widows and Widowers
Authors: Wister Andrew V. , Strain Laurel
Published: November 2010

This paper investigates several dimensions of the informal support network and well-being among widows and widowers. Using subsets of two random samples of older people living in Winnipeg, Manitoba collected in 1980, one group who were using home care services and another who were not. widowed men and women are contrasted on a number of support network variables, three indicators of well-being, and several socio-demographic and health-related variables. While significant differences arise in length of widowhood, functional ability and some components of the support network, no gender differences are found for the measures of well-being for either sample, even after introducing control variables. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
Treating Older Patients: Who Treats and Why?
Authors: Globerman Judith
Published: November 2010

A la lumière de la proportion croissante de personnes âgées recourant aux services de médecins, cette recherche tente de déterminer dans quelle mesure les médecins qui traitent les personnes âgées sont différents de leurs collègues qui ne le font pas. Des études précédentes ont porté sur certaines facettes de cette problématique, notamment en ce qui concerne les caractéristiques des médecins, leurs comportements dans la pratique, leurs attitudes et leurs convictions générales. Cette étude examine à nouveau et de façon systématique ces différentes catégories, à partir d'un groupe de médecins, en utilisant une procédure de régression multiple. Les résultats laissent entendre que les médecins qui suivent des patients âgés dans les domaines de la chirurgie orthopédique, de la chirurgie générale et de l'ophthalmologie, ne sont pas vraiment différents de leurs collègues qui traitent des patients plusjeunes. On explore également dans cette étude d'autres explications concernant le choix des patients âgés. On se demande aussi quelles seraient les implications pour les patients âgés de choisir un médecin doté d'une expertise dans les soins gériatriques.