bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Cane Material on Length Perception with Long Canes by Visually Impaired, Sighted-Blindfolded, and Sighted Participants
Authors: Penha Márcio Rogério , Garcia Ricardo Basso , Vretos Christina , da Silva José Aparecido
Published: December 2018

Introduction

Individuals with visual impairments may use long canes for estimating distances and detecting gaps, obstacles, and texture patterns. The study presented here investigated whether length perception with canes is influenced by cane material.

Methods

Visually impaired, sighted-blindfolded, and sighted individuals (n = 30 for each group) participated in this study. Each group was divided into three subgroups (with 5 females and 5 males each) according to cane material. The canes (length = 80 cm, diameter = 1.5 cm) were made of wood, polyethene plastic, or aluminum. The participants were required to judge whether comparison stimuli were shorter than, equal to, or longer than the standard stimulus. Two sessions (for horizontal or vertical lines) were carried out on consecutive days.

Results

Cane material was not a significant factor influencing accuracy, F(2, 79) = 2.47, p = .091, and difference threshold, F(2, 79) = 2.01, p = .14, in length perception for the three groups of participants, but cane material interacted with orientation of stimuli, F(2, 79) = 3.24, p = .044. There were significant group differences for accuracy, F(2, 79) = 9.6, p <.001, and difference threshold, F(2, 79) = 8.8, p < .001, revealing that participants with visual impairments were better at discriminating length than sighted-blindfolded participants.

Discussion

Our results provide evidence that length perception with canes is not significantly influenced by cane material. The significant group differences for accuracy and difference threshold indicate that assessing visually impaired participants may be more adequate in studies aimed at investigating aspects related to long canes.

Implications for practitioners

Orientation and mobility (O&M) instructors can report that there is experimental evidence that cane material is not a significant factor in conveying spatial (length) information, although some evidence suggests that it is a significant factor in conveying tactile information such as the roughness of surface textures.
Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments Share Experiences and Advice for Supporting Students in Understanding Graphics
Authors: Rosenblum L. Penny , Cheng Li , Beal Carole R.
Published: December 2018

Introduction

Knowing how to gather information from graphics and to use that information to solve mathematics problems is an important skill. Prior research indicates that many students with visual impairments face considerable challenges when attempting to locate information in math graphics. Little is known about how teachers of students with visual impairments support their students in acquiring graphics skills.

Methods

Eleven teachers of visually impaired students participated in focus groups. Sessions were audio-recorded and transcribed. Themes were identified.

Results

The teachers described the importance of individualizing instruction for the student, teaching a systematic approach, and ensuring that graphics are clear to them.

Discussion

From an early age, visually impaired students need explicit instruction in how to access information in graphics. The use of prescribed low vision devices, manipulatives, and systematic instruction are integral to student success, as are the design and production of clear and accurate graphics.

Implications for practitioners

Teachers of visually impaired students utilize a variety of strategies to support students in accessing information in graphics. A curriculum and guidelines to assist them in supporting a wide range of learners would be valuable to the field of vision loss.
Positive Behavior Supports for Individuals who Are Deafblind with Charge Syndrome
Authors: Bruce Susan M. , Bashinski Susan M. , Covelli Andrea J. , Bernstein Veronika , Zatta Mary C. , Briggs Stevi
Published: December 2018

Introduction

The purpose of this study was to identify effective individualized positive behavior support strategies and cognitive behavior therapy strategies for young adults who are deafblind. It discusses findings specific to four young adult students with CHARGE syndrome.

Methods

This collaborative action research study employed collective case study design and elements of grounded theory analysis. Principles of positive behavior support and modified cognitive behavior therapy supported the identification and implementation of individualized behavioral interventions that addressed environment arrangement, sensory needs and sensitivities, and how adults communicated with the students.

Results

Eight themes were identified as being important to each of the students, although to varying degrees. These were: provide structure, establish and maintain a positive climate, address students’ sensory needs and sensitivities, support on-task behavior, support transitions between activities and environments, support mature behavior, support students in coping with anxiety, and use adult language supports. Each theme included multiple strategies.

Discussion

Proactive and reactive strategies must be individualized even when children share an etiology. Educational team members must know each student's preferences, likes, dislikes, reinforcers, and unique communication needs in order to identify and effectively implement behavioral supports. Modified cognitive behavior therapy may be helpful in addressing the anxiety experienced by individuals with CHARGE syndrome. Teams require time to collaborate on behavioral assessment, the identification of individualized behavioral strategies, and the effectiveness of behavioral plans.

Implications for practitioners

Providing well-structured environments and teaching rules and routines can reduce anxiety because students know what to expect. Educational team members should prevent sensory overload, provide structured desensitization opportunities, and teach relaxation techniques to these students. Adult communication must be positive, clarify what will happen next, and redirect behaviors when needed.
A Phenomenological Inquiry into the Meaning Ascribed to Physical Activity by Brazilian Men with Visual Impairments
Authors: Haegele Justin A. , Hodge Samuel R. , Filho Paulo Gutierres , Ribeiro Nillianne , Martínez-Rivera Christian
Published: December 2018

Introduction

Research examining how adults with visual impairments experience physical activities is currently limited to specific age ranges (for example, youths or older adults) and geographic locations (such as Europe and North America). In an effort to extend the current literature base, the study presented here focuses on a cohort of young or middle-aged adults with visual impairments who live in Brazil. Thus, the purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the meaning Brazilian adults with visual impairments ascribed to their physical activity experiences.

Methods

This study was situated in the qualitative paradigm utilizing a phenomenological design. Three male participants (aged 22 to 47 years) were purposively recruited to participate. The main source of data for this study was a focus group interview using an open-ended, guided approach that was recorded on audiotape. A three-step, line-by-line, thematic analysis, informed by the phenomenological research approach, was utilized to extract meaning from the participants’ experiences. Several strategies were employed to reduce subjective bias, establish trustworthiness, and enhance transferability.

Results

Two interrelated themes emerged when participants described how they experienced physical activities and the meaning they ascribed to those experiences. The first theme, physical activity–indispensable, describes the importance the participants ascribed to physical activity engagement and the benefits that they garnered from these experiences. The second theme, perceived physical activity impediments, exposed the obstacles participants experienced when trying to engage in physical activities.

Discussion

This study's findings expose the meaning that a cohort of Brazilians with visual impairments ascribe to physical activity engagement. The participants explained how engagement in physical activity helped alleviate some social issues they previously experienced, but also noted barriers to engaging in these activities.

Implications for practitioners

Programs targeting physical activity promotion for adults with visual impairments should show the reported benefits of engaging in physical activity programs while attempting to manage potential obstacles that would discourage a physically active lifestyle.
Diagnostic Test Score Validation With a Fallible Criterion
Authors: Jewsbury Paul A.
Published: December 2018

Criterion-related validation of diagnostic test scores for a construct of interest is complicated by the unavailability of the construct directly. The standard method, Known Group Validation, assumes an infallible reference test in place of the construct, but infallible reference tests are rare. In contrast, Mixed Group Validation allows for a fallible reference test, but has been found to make strong assumptions not appropriate for the majority of diagnostic test validation studies. The Neighborhood model is adapted for the purpose of diagnostic test validation, which makes alternate, but also strong, assumptions. The statistical properties of the Neighborhood model are evaluated and the assumptions are reviewed in the context of diagnostic test validation. Alternatively, strong assumptions may be avoided by estimating only intervals for the validity estimates, instead of point estimates. The Method of Bounds is also adapted for the purpose of diagnostic test validation, and an extension, Method of Bounds–Test Validation, is introduced here for the first time. All three point-estimate methods were found to make strong assumptions concerning the conditional relationships between the tests and the construct of interest, and all three lack robustness to assumption violation. The Method of Bounds–Test Validation was found to perform well across a range of plausible simulated datasets where the point-estimate methods failed. The point-estimate methods are recommended in special cases where the assumptions can be justified, while the interval methods are appropriate more generally.
Policing the war on drugs and the transformation of urban space in Manila
Authors: Warburg Anna Bræmer , Jensen Steffen
Published: December 2018

This article explores policing and urban ordering in the Philippine war on drugs. With an empirical point of departure in ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Bagong Silang, a poor urban area on the outskirts of Metro Manila, the article highlights the perspective of the state police in an area that has been heavily exposed to the drug war and can be considered as one of its hot spots. It is examined how inspirations from counter-insurgency strategies are implemented in policing the war on drugs and discussed how this form of policing is negotiated and what implications it produces on the ground. In doing so, the article asks, ‘how have counter-insurgency policing strategies transformed urban space and the possibility of life in the poorer sections of Manila’? Drawing on a conceptual framework on borders, policing and the production of fear, the article argues that there exists an intimate connection between the employed policing strategies and the transformation of urban space with the potential of fundamentally reconfiguring urban sociality in areas such as Bagong Silang.
Mission as Translation: A Fusion of Three Horizons
Authors: Prince Brainerd , Kikon Benrilo
Published: December 2018

In this article we want to argue that mission models of inculturation and contextualization are not apt responses to the enlightenment model of mission or colonial mission and that the ‘mission as translation’ model is one way forward. We propose this explorative model of mission by engaging mission studies with translation studies in philosophy of language. The realization that mission studies, with its focus on the gospel text, missionary-interpreter and receptor community, shares structural commonalities with the central categories of translation studies inspires this engagement between disciplines. Our proposal is that mission as translation is necessarily a fusion of these three horizons. Finally, we test this model in the Lotha Naga context, ending with broad implications for mission studies.
Northern Ireland’s elusive peace dividend: Neoliberalism, austerity and the politics of class
Authors: Coulter Colin
Published: December 2018

The signing of the Good Friday Agreement was meant to signal an era of economic prosperity for those working-class communities that suffered most during the Troubles. Two decades on, this much vaunted ‘peace dividend’ has yet to materialise. A combination of persistent economic stagnation and the onset of austerity has ensured that the poverty and inequality that marked the era of political conflict continue to blight Northern Irish society. The introduction of the 2012 Welfare Reform Act momentarily created the conditions of the possibility of a more progressive politics premised on issues of social class. The decision of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union would, however, close down this nascent political space and ensure the resurgence in Northern Irish public debate of those ethno-national preoccupations that animate the ‘constitutional question’.
Framework for economic assessment of concrete waste management strategies
Authors: El-Shaboury Nehal , Abdelhamid Manal , Marzouk Mohamed
Published: December 2018

Unlike developing countries, most developed countries address the problem of construction and demolition wastes (CDW) accumulation. In Egypt, CDW recycling plants are minimal. This study is devoted to understanding the economic aspects of constructing and operating a construction and demolition concrete waste recycling plant in Egypt. This includes accounting for several factors such as location, design of the recycling plant, the equipment used, and the material entering and leaving the plant. This is followed by implementing a detailed economic viability analysis that assesses the savings resulted from recycling concrete waste to produce recycled aggregate. CDW recycling plants give rise to economic viability as they seem economically viable even in the absence of specific government policies. A comprehensive case study of an actual project in New Cairo City in Egypt is presented in order to demonstrate the process of CDW disposal and illustrate the practical features of the proposed model.
Lost in Translation: The Promise and Problems of the Globalization of Research
Authors: Baumann Steven L.
Published: December 2018

The purpose of this article is to consider the promise and problems of the globalization of research for nurses and other healthcare professionals. Over the past decade, there has been an impressive increase in research activity in many regions of the world, such as in several of the Asian countries. This increasing capacity to conduct research and create innovations has great promise for shared health, prosperity, and well-being, but it also has some significant problems and limitations that are often not reported. One area of research that has drawn considerable international research attention is aging and longevity. In the United States, there is much to learn from the work of international colleagues in terms of clinical application; it is unclear how generalizable the findings are or, in other words, what may be lost in translation.
Conceptual Foreknowings: Integrative Review of Feeling Overwhelmed
Authors: Kabigting Edwin-Nikko R.
Published: December 2018

Feeling overwhelmed is a universal humanuniverse living experience of living quality. From the humanbecoming perspective, all individuals choose to feel overwhelmed or not as they make choices moment to moment. Thus, it is of importance to understand feeling overwhelmed from divergent perspectives. To achieve this, the author in this article reviews the extant literature on feeling overwhelmed from the disciplines of nursing, business, psychology, philosophy, theology, social work, education, and sociology. Three themes that emerged from the extant literature were (a) feeling overwhelmed arises as an engulfing turbulence, (b) feeling overwhelmed surfaces with disquiet isolation, and (c) feeling overwhelmed emerges with reaching for relief.
Meta-Aggregation: Just What Is It?
Authors: Florczak Kristine L.
Published: December 2018

This is a brief introduction to the Research Issues Column.
Healing Pattern: A Natural Kind in Nursing?
Authors: Reed Pamela G.
Published: December 2018

This article focuses on the philosophical notion of natural kind to explore healing pattern as a relevant and natural process in nursing science and practice. A goal in doing this is to facilitate continued empirical investigation of and evidence for nursing’s ontological claim about the existence of a healing pattern. I review various accounts of natural kind, with applications to nursing and the healing pattern. I conclude with directions for future inquiry to provide more definitive evidence and explanation of the healing pattern.
‘Peace and happiness await us’: Psychotherapy in Yugoslavia, 1945–85
Authors: Savelli Mat
Published: December 2018

Previous accounts of psychiatry within Communist Europe have emphasized the dominance of biological approaches to mental health treatment. Psychotherapy was thus framed as a taboo or marginal component of East European psychiatric care. In more recent years, this interpretation has been re-examined as historians are beginning to delve deeper into the diversity of mental healthcare within the Communist world, noting many instances in which psychotherapeutic techniques and theory entered into clinical practice. Despite their excellent work uncovering these hitherto neglected histories, however, historians of the psy-disciplines in Eastern Europe (and indeed other parts of the world) have neglected to fully consider the ways that post-World War II psychotherapeutic developments were not simply continuations of pre-war psychoanalytic traditions, but rather products of emerging transnational networks and knowledge exchanges in the post-war period. This article highlights how psychotherapy became a leading form of treatment within Communist Yugoslavia. Inspired by theorists in France and the United Kingdom, among other places, Yugoslav practitioners became well versed in a number of psychotherapeutic techniques, especially ‘brief psychotherapy’ and group-based treatment. These developments were not accidents of ideology, whereby group psychotherapy might be accepted by authorities as a nod to some idea of ‘the collective’, but were rather products of economic limitations and strong links with international networks of practitioners, especially in the domains of social psychiatry and group analysis. The Yugoslav example underscores the need for more historical attention to transnational connections among psychotherapists and within the psy-disciplines more broadly.
Lower bound of performance index of an on–off damper in a state-space system
Authors: Viet La Duc , Thi Tra My Phan
Published: December 2018

This paper presents a theoretical lower bound of the performance index of an on–off damper placed in a state-space system under harmonic disturbance. The bound is obtained by minimizing a single-variable function. The lower bound is a good theoretical benchmark to measure a practical on–off damping controller. The usefulness of the bound is demonstrated through four examples: a vibration isolation system, a quarter-car suspension system, a mass damper system, and a four-mass system. The examples show how the lower bound can be used to improve some conventional controllers.
Prevalence and determinants of unprotected sex in intimate partnerships of men who inject drugs: findings from a prospective intervention study
Authors: Sharma Vartika , Tun Waimar , Sarna Avina , Saraswati Lopamudra R , Pham Minh D , Thior Ibou , Luchters Stanley
Published: December 2018

Unprotected sex, common among people who inject drugs, puts them and their partners at risk of sexually transmitted infections including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This analysis assesses the changes in sexual risk behavior with regular female partners (RFPs), among married men who inject drugs, before and after implementation of a HIV prevention intervention, and identifies correlates of unprotected sex. People who inject drugs (PWID) were assessed at three points: baseline, preintervention follow-up visit (FV)1, and postintervention FV2. Descriptive analysis was used for reporting changes in sexual behavior over time. Generalized estimating equation assessed the population-averaged change in self-reported unprotected sex with an RFP, attributable to intervention uptake. Multivariable logistic regression determined correlates of self-reported unprotected sex with an RFP at FV2. Findings suggest that the proportion of men reporting any unprotected sex remained high (baseline = 46.0%, FV1 = 43.5%, FV2 = 37.0%). A reduction was observed in unprotected sex after the intervention phase, but this could not be attributed to uptake of the intervention. Higher odds of self-reported unprotected sex with an RFP in the past three months at FV2 were associated with self-reported unprotected sex at baseline, living with family, and being HIV-negative. Married male PWID should receive counseling for safe sex with RFPs, especially those who are HIV-negative and live with their families.
Transformation model estimation of survival under dependent truncation and independent censoring
Authors: Chiou Sy Han , Austin Matthew D , Qian Jing , Betensky Rebecca A
Published: December 2018

Truncation is a mechanism that permits observation of selected subjects from a source population; subjects are excluded if their event times are not contained within subject-specific intervals. Standard survival analysis methods for estimation of the distribution of the event time require quasi-independence of failure and truncation. When quasi-independence does not hold, alternative estimation procedures are required; currently, there is a copula model approach that makes strong modeling assumptions, and a transformation model approach that does not allow for right censoring. We extend the transformation model approach to accommodate right censoring. We propose a regression diagnostic for assessment of model fit. We evaluate the proposed transformation model in simulations and apply it to the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Centers autopsy cohort study, and an AIDS incubation study. Our methods are publicly available in an R package, tranSurv.
Near infrared estimation of concentration of ginsenosides in Asian ginseng
Authors: Inagaki Tetsuya , Katayama Norihisa , Cho Rae-Kwang , Chen Xijun , Tsuchikawa Satoru
Published: December 2018

In this study, the feasibility of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy for the quality evaluation of the main bioactive compounds, ginsenosides, in Panax ginseng was examined. Second derivative NIR spectra of standard reagents of ginsenoside Rg1, Re, Rb1, Rc, Rb2 and Rd were used for analysis. Characteristic bands were observed at around 5250 cm−1 in the spectra of ginsenoside Rg1 group (including Rg1 and Re); however, this was not to be observed on the spectra of ginsenoside Rb1 group (including Rb1, Rc, Rb2 and Rd). PLS regression models were constructed of air-dry ginseng powder samples and ginsenoside content in ginsengs was determined by HPLC methods. The calibration models covered various types of ginseng (white ginseng, red ginseng and bleached ginseng) from various cultivated areas (Japan, China and Korea) and were well established for each kind of ginsenoside. It was shown that NIR spectroscopy can be used for the accurate prediction of ginsenoside.
From the Adriatic to the Mediterranean: Italy in the Allied Naval Strategy (1915–1918)
Authors: Marcuzzi Stefano
Published: December 2018

The First World War in the Mediterranean was a largely frustrating experience for the Allies. Their strategic and political differences hindered mutual cooperation. In this context, the Italian role has been badly overlooked by non-Italian historians. Italian historians, on their part, essentially focused on the Adriatic campaign, largely ignoring Italy’s war outside the Adriatic, as well as the Allied contribution to it. I aim to offer a fresh perspective of the war in the Mediterranean by looking at Italy’s role in the Allied naval strategy with a comparative approach, using new material made available by the Italian Navy Archive.
‘Crossing the Red Line?’: The Air Staff, Sir Arthur Harris, and the Magdeburg Operation of 21/22 January 1944
Authors: Worrall Richard John
Published: December 2018

On 21/22 January 1944, RAF Bomber Command conducted an area-bombing attack on the city of Magdeburg. The outcome was hardly pleasing, marked by high losses and inaccurate bombing. However, most notable was the rancorous aftermath, in which a full-blown row would erupt between the Air Ministry and Bomber Command Headquarters. This stemmed from the Air Staff perceiving that Sir Arthur Harris had ‘crossed a red line’ in his non-cooperation with their bombing policy. But the truth was much less clear-cut, as this article will show. Nonetheless, the Magdeburg operation led to a new Directive on 28 January 1944, which would force Harris’s cooperation in a combined Anglo-American assault against the German aircraft industry.
Book review: Sangeeta Verma and P. C. Bodh (Eds.). 2018. Glimpses of Indian Agriculture
Authors: Singla Naresh
Published: December 2018

Sangeeta Verma and P. C. Bodh (Eds.). 2018. Glimpses of Indian Agriculture. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, pp. xix+582, ₹1995. ISBN: 9780199488834.
Interconnection between R&D and Industrial Production Structure: The Experience of India
Authors: Singh Lakhwinder , Chawla Deepika
Published: December 2018

Indian government initiated systematic opening up of its industrial economy in the early 1980s and this trend continued with greater pace and force in the 1990s and beyond. Theoretically, it is postulated that evolution of the innovation system and production structure co-evolve. But globalization may have either distorted this pattern due to lack of availability of access to new technologies from global market or forced the firms to increase in-house R&D investment to remain competitive. However, the caveat here is that public R&D has definitely gone down and to what extent the private sector has been able to enhance R&D investment to emerge as a leader is an issue which remains to be examined. In this context, the aim of this article is to examine the growth and change in the structure of industrial R&D in India and further ascertain the co-evolution and interconnection between industrial innovation system represented through R&D structure and industrial production structure in India. This study covers the period 1981–2010 while classifying the industries into four categories, that is, high-tech (H-T), medium high-tech (M-H-T), medium low-tech (M-L-T) and low-tech (L-T). Trend growth rates and Karl Pearson’s correlation coefficients are used to establish the relationship between structural change in industrial R&D and industrial output structure. The main findings show that the structural transformation in industrial R&D is well evident with rising importance of H-T and M-H-T group of industries in R&D whereas M-L-T and L-T industrial R&D recorded declining trends. Furthermore, this study has established an empirical relationship between structural change in industrial R&D and industrial output structure except M-L-T group of industries. An important policy implication that emerges for the sectoral innovation system is that developing countries like India should devote more efforts to strengthen the innovation system devoting higher proportion of resources for innovations.
Bovine viral diarrhea in captive Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep associated with administration of a contaminated modified-live bluetongue virus vaccine
Authors: Fox Karen A. , Kopanke Jennifer H. , Lee Justin S. , Wolfe Lisa L. , Pabilonia Kristy L. , Mayo Christie E.
Published: December 2018

In late summer 2017, we observed acute, fatal cases of bovine viral diarrhea in captive Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep ( Ovis canadensis canadensis) in Colorado following use of a contaminated modified-live bluetongue virus vaccine. Following vaccination, at least 14 of 28 (50%) vaccinated bighorn sheep developed hemorrhagic diarrhea, and 6 of 28 (21%) vaccinated bighorn sheep died. Autopsy findings were predominantly necroulcerative-to-necrohemorrhagic gastrointestinal lesions. Less frequent lesions included suffusive hemorrhages of serosal surfaces of abdominal viscera, and lymphoid necrosis in gut-associated lymphoid tissues. All of the 6 bighorn sheep that died were positive on real-time PCR (rtPCR) for bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) in multiple tissues. Seroconversion to BVDV-1 and immunohistochemistry for BVDV in affected tissues confirmed rtPCR results. Next-generation sequencing confirmed a match between the infecting strain of BVDV-1b and the contaminated vaccine.
In situ hybridization detection and subtyping of rotaviruses in swine samples
Authors: Resende Talita P. , Marthaler Douglas , Vannucci Fabio A.
Published: December 2018

Rotavirus groups A, B, and C (RVA, RVB, and RVC, respectively) have been the most prevalent and pathogenic in pigs. To date, immunohistochemistry is only available for RVA because of the lack of commercial antibodies for RVB and RVC. We developed a novel in situ hybridization RNA-based chromogenic technique (ISH-RNA) to detect and subtype RVA, RVB, and RVC. We evaluated 33 samples that were reverse-transcription PCR positive for RVA, RVB, and/or RVC. ISH-RNA was able to detect as few as 103 RV RNA copies/mL. The new ISH-RNA test can be useful for routine investigation of rotavirus enteritis in order to guide strategies for control of the infection in pigs, but a full validation study needs to be completed. Pathogenesis studies may be conducted using ISH-RNA based on the identification of replicating virus.
Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of LifeCourse on Utilization and Patient and Caregiver Quality of Life and Experience
Authors: Britt Heather R. , JaKa Meghan M. , Fernstrom Karl M. , Bingham Paige E. , Betzner Anne E. , Taghon Jessica R. , Shippee Nathan D. , Shippee Tetyana P. , Schellinger Sandra E. , Anderson Eric W.
Published: December 2018

Whole-person care is a new paradigm for serious illness, but few programs have been robustly studied. We sought to test the effect of LifeCourse (LC), a person-centered program for patients living with serious illness, on health-care utilization, care experience, and quality of life, employing a quasi-experimental design with a Usual Care (UC) comparison group. The study was conducted 2012 to 2017 at an upper-Midwest not-for-profit health-care system with outcomes measured every 3 months until the end of life. Enrolled patients (N = 903) were estimated to be within 3 years of end of life and diagnosed with 1+ serious illness. Exclusion criteria included hospice enrollment at time of screening or active dying. Community health workers (CHWs) delivered standardized monthly 1-hour home visits based on palliative care guidelines and motivational interviewing to promote patients’ physical, psychosocial, and financial well-being. Primary outcomes included health-care utilization and patient- and caregiver-experience and quality of life. Patients were elderly (LC 74, UC 78 years) and primarily non-Hispanic, white, living at home with cardiovascular disease as the primary diagnosis (LC 69%, UC 57%). A higher proportion of LC patients completed advance directives (N = 173, 38%) than UC patients (N = 66, 15%; P < .001). LifeCourse patients who died spent more days in hospice (88 ± 191 days) compared to UC patients (44 ± 71 days; P = .018). LifeCourse patients reported greater improvements than UC in communication as part of the care experience ( P = .016). Implementation of person-centered programs delivered by CHWs is feasible; inexpensive upstream expansion of palliative care models can yield benefits for patients and caregivers. Trial Registration: Trial NCT01746446 was registered on November 27, 2012 at ClinicalTrials.gov .
Reconstructing Retirement as an Enterprising Endeavor
Authors: Whiting Rebecca , Pritchard Katrina
Published: December 2018

This article explores issues of age and enterprise in later life as manifested in tensions between retiree and entrepreneurial identities. We utilize the concept of a discursive event to examine time-bound online data, specifically media texts and reader comments associated with the online news coverage of an insurance company report. This report introduced the label Weary to describe “working entrepreneurial and active retirees.” Our analysis shows how keeping healthy and active are constructed as insufficient markers of a productive and successful older age. These markers are supplanted by a neoliberal discourse that prioritizes enterprise and economic productivity in retirement. However, the Weary subject position has implications within this discourse that constrain the valued contribution of older adults to productive work yet deny access to this group to entrepreneurial endeavors. This highlights the destabilization of retirement and critical tensions in its discursive reconceptualization as a period of entrepreneurial endeavor.
Popular Music Pedagogies: An Approach to Teaching 21st-Century Skills
Authors: Vasil Martina , Weiss Lindsay , Powell Bryan
Published: December 2018

Changes in the world economy and U.S. educational policy present music educators with the challenge of reassessing traditional pedagogy to ensure they are instructing and assessing in ways that contribute to students’ development of 21st-century knowledge and skill sets. Educators are responding by incorporating pedagogical approaches that challenge students to think critically, problem solve collaboratively, and use technology and media efficiently. Popular Music Pedagogies (PMPs) invite students, music teachers, and music teacher educators to take risks, learn alongside one another, and address 21st-century knowledge and skills through engaging with the music that students choose and create. In this article, we define PMPs and discuss how music teacher educators can incorporate PMPs into music teacher education programs to better prepare preservice and inservice music teachers to function within a Partnership for 21st Century Learning framework.
At the Front Lines: Effectively Training Community Stakeholders to Recognize and Report Child Abuse and Neglect
Authors: Gardner Samantha L. , Derouin Anne , Brown Ryan , Johnson A. Diann
Published: December 2018

In states with universal mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect (CAN), it is essential that people who work with children and youth in a community be appropriately trained to recognize and report CAN. The primary goal of CAN training is early detection and intervention with a secondary purpose of impacting rates of violence, disease, drug use, and teen pregnancies in the community. The purpose of this project was to implement a standardized, community-tailored CAN training for laypersons and a train-the-trainer program in a rural Oklahoma community. The CAN training was evaluated on knowledge, confidence, training satisfaction, and willingness to participate in the train-the-trainer session. The train-the-trainer session was evaluated on confidence and training satisfaction. Participant knowledge and confidence was measured by comparing pretest scores to immediate and 4 months after the training posttest scores. Posttest scores indicated increase in knowledge at the posttest ( p < .001) and posttest 2 ( p < .001). There was a significant increase in confidence at the posttest ( p < .001) and posttest 2 ( p = .009).
Implementing Practice Guides to Improve Cancer Symptom Management in Homecare: A Comparative Case Study
Authors: Stacey Dawn , Ludwig Claire , Truant Tracy , Carley Meg , Bennis Cindy , Gifford Wendy , Kuziemsky Craig , Nichol Kathryn , Lafreniere-Davis Nicole , Owens Glenda , Roscoe Diane , Roberts Pamela , Verhaegen Melina
Published: December 2018

Symptoms experienced by clients with cancer often occur at home and can become life-threatening, posing serious safety concerns. This study evaluated implementation of evidence-informed symptom practice guides to enhance quality of cancer symptom support by homecare nurses. A comparative case study was conducted using the Knowledge to Action Framework. Case were created for each of six agencies providing nursing care within a regional homecare authority. A team of researchers and knowledge users (e.g., managers, educators, family member): (1) assessed factors influencing practice guide use (survey, interviews) at six agencies, (2) adapted 15 practice guides for local use, (3) implemented with interventions to address barriers, and (4) monitored use. Analysis was within and across cases. Of six nursing agencies, one withdrew and five participated. In the baseline survey, 51% of nurses reported using guidelines but nurses did not describe using them in their current practice during the interviews. To overcome barriers, 489 nurses in five agencies were trained in how to use the practice guides, principles were established for documenting cancer symptom management, and practice guides were made available in various formats. Success with implementation varied across the participating cases. Chart audits conducted in three agencies revealed evidence of practice guide use for 16%, 22%, and 70% client visits, respectively. Implementation of evidence-informed practice guides in nursing required an approach tailored for each agency. Training, integration in documentation, and easy access to practice guides increased use for some nurses but ongoing support and reinforcement from nurse leaders is required.
Social Cognition in Children With ADHD
Authors: Parke Elyse M. , Becker Megan L. , Graves Stacey J. , Baily Abigail R. , Paul Michelle G. , Freeman Andrew J. , Allen Daniel N.
Published: December 2018

Objective: Despite evidence of social skill deficits in children with ADHD, there is no consensus regarding a social cognitive profile and whether these skills predict behavior. Therefore, a comprehensive battery was used to investigate the relationship between social cognition and behavioral functioning. Method: Children ages 7 to 13 with ADHD ( n = 25) and controls ( n = 25) completed tests assessing social cognitive domains (affect recognition and theory of mind [ToM]). Parents completed measures of social cognition (pragmatic language ability and empathy), behavioral symptoms, and adaptive functioning. Results: Children with ADHD performed significantly worse on measures of cognitive ToM and affect recognition and received lower ratings of pragmatic language and cognitive empathy than typically developing peers. These domains, particularly pragmatic language, predicted parent ratings of problematic and adaptive behaviors. Conclusion: Results establish a relationship between specific social cognitive abilities and daily functioning, which has implications for treatment.
Perceptions of Water Services and Innovations to Improve Water Services in Tanzania
Authors: Sherry Julia , Juran Luke , Kolivras Korine N. , Krometis Leigh-Anne H. , Ling Erin J.
Published: December 2018

This study examines user perceptions of existing water services and proposed prepaid water meter and solar power innovations to improve water services in Tanzania. Based on 14 key informant interviews and six focus group discussions that included 61 participants, data from three rural and three urban study sites reveal that existing water services are generally perceived as poor, and the proposed prepayment and solar innovations offer benefits including increased transparency, accountability, and convenience. However, users also perceived challenges with the proposed innovations, including disenfranchisement of vulnerable populations and technical difficulties. The Government of Tanzania may implement the prepaid water meter and solar power technologies in the near future. Thus, it is critical to incorporate user perceptions on the acceptability, feasibility, and scalability of such technologies prior to large-scale implementation.
Prevalence, Morphology, Embryogenesis, and Diagnostic Utility of Umbilical Cord Vitelline Vascular Remnants
Authors: Wright James R
Published: December 2018

The objective of this study is to better understand embryonic vitelline vascular remnants in the umbilical cord, to assess their prevalence, to categorize their morphology, and then finally to describe and assess inflammation arising from these structures. During routine placental sign out, the author noted the presence or absence of vitelline vessel remnants for 1 year; when present, he assessed their histologic patterns and noted whether there were neutrophils marginating from the remnants and into the adjacent Wharton's jelly and whether there was any other evidence of amniotic fluid infection in sections of placental disc, membranes, or cord. All cord sections with vitelline vessel remnants were immunostained for CD15 to document any infiltrates, to highlight patterns of infiltration, and to evaluate whether mild cases of umbilical phlebitis were associated with these lesions and were at risk of being missed. Vitelline vessel remnants were present in 4.2% of placentas examined. There were 5 vitelline vessel remnant histologic patterns identified providing insight into the vitelline vessel circulation. Funisitis, primarily neutrophilic, arising from vitelline vessel remnants was present in 70.3% of the 37 cords with vitelline vessel remnants. The presence of vitelline vessel remnant funisitis documents continued active circulation in these vascular structures, and vitelline vessel remnant funisitis was associated with the presence of other placental histological evidence of amniotic fluid infection in 53.8% of cases. The author also reviews normal embryology and the pathology of vitelline vessel remnants.
Electroretinograms in idiopathic infantile nystagmus, optic nerve hypoplasia and albinism
Authors: Kurent Alma , Brecelj Jelka , Stirn-Kranjc Branka
Published: December 2018

Purpose:

To study electroretinograms in infantile nystagmus syndrome associated with idiopathic infantile nystagmus, optic nerve hypoplasia, and albinism.

Methods:

A total of 30 children with idiopathic infantile nystagmus, 18 with optic nerve hypoplasia, and 18 with albinism were studied. Three electroretinogram protocols were applied according to child’s age: 58 (mean: 2.0 years) were recorded with skin electrode to Great Ormond Street Hospital protocol, 11 (mean: 5.3 years) with skin electrode to International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision protocol, and 7 children (mean: 12.2 years) with HK electrode to International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision protocol. The electroretinograms were compared to those of age-matched controls.

Results:

Electroretinogram waveforms in idiopathic infantile nystagmus, optic nerve hypoplasia, and albinism were comparable to controls in all protocols. Electroretinogram amplitudes in idiopathic infantile nystagmus group showed increased white scotopic and photopic electroretinograms in 26 children (skin electrode to Great Ormond Street Hospital protocol), no difference to the controls in 3 children (skin electrode to International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision protocol), and increased rod electroretinogram in 3 children (HK electrode to International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision protocol). Optic nerve hypoplasia group showed increased white scotopic, photopic, and blue electroretinograms in 15 children (skin electrode to Great Ormond Street Hospital protocol); increased 30-Hz electroretinogram in 3 children (HK electrode to International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision protocol); and reduced combined rod-cone, cone, and 30-Hz electroretinograms in 3 children (skin electrode to International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision protocol). Albinism group showed increased white scotopic, photopic, and 30-Hz electroretinograms in 17 children (skin electrode to Great Ormond Street Hospital protocol), while it showed reduced cone and 30-Hz electroretinograms in 5 children (skin electrode to International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision protocol). Implicit times were shorter in albinism.

Conclusion:

Electroretinogram waveforms in idiopathic infantile nystagmus, optic nerve hypoplasia, and albinism were normal with mostly increased electroretinograms, while reduced electroretinograms did not show a specific pattern as in early-onset retinal dystrophies.
Effectiveness of telemonitoring versus usual care for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Sul Ah-Ram , Lyu Da-Hyun , Park Dong-Ah
Published: December 2018

Aims

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of telemonitoring for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Methods

We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and CINAHL up to September 2018. We selected randomised controlled trials comparing telemonitoring and control groups for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease management. Two reviewers independently examined articles based on eligibility, extracted data and evaluated the risk of bias. The Cochrane tool was applied for assessing the risk of bias. The 95% confidence interval was calculated.

Results

A total of 28 randomised controlled trials were included. Meta-analysis revealed that there were no variables showing a statistically significant difference between telemonitoring and control groups. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation rate (six studies) was not different between two groups (risk ratio 0.67, 95% confidence interval 0.31–1.42). Subgroup analysis showed that telemonitoring reduced exacerbation rates when the intervention continued for longer than six months or pulmonary function was monitored. No differences between groups were noticed for mortality (seven studies, risk ratio 0.89, 95% confidence interval 0.60–1.34). Similarly, no differences between groups were observed in the patient-reported outcomes (St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire, Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire-Dyspnea score) and for health service utilization (length of hospital stay, number of hospital admissions, number of emergency room visits).

Conclusions

Telemonitoring for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was unlikely to result in statistically significant improvements in health outcomes. However, our novel finding was that at least six months of intervention duration and monitoring of pulmonary function play roles in activating the effects of telemonitoring.