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Existing Tools (existing + tool)
Selected AbstractsThe Sufic Paradigm for Stress Management and its Contribution to a Model of Social Work PracticeASIAN SOCIAL WORK AND POLICY REVIEW, Issue 2 2009Zulkarnain A. Hatta This article presents Sufism as a model for helping to alleviate human miseries. As the instability, contradictions, and stress of the socioeconomic structure create a frantic search for relevant modes of treatment, the theories and methods espoused in Sufism present an alternative approach to be taken up in the interest of more effective practice; especially in the field of social work, psychology, and counseling. Sufic masters or teachers, by the nature of their work are social workers; hence, their role in helping stressed people is discussed. Existing tools of measurement that can test stress levels are used in order to present Sufism as being compatible with the mode of scientific inquiry. The article shows that sticking to traditional psychoanalytic, behavioral, transactional and analytical practices, to name a few, limits the avenues of help that can be offered to those in need. Social workers and human service agencies have to work in collaboration with religious institutions and other spiritual organizations in order to better serve the population. [source] Factors influencing the partitioning and toxicity of nanotubes in the aquatic environment,,ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 9 2008Alan J. Kennedy Abstract Carbon nanotubes (NTs) may be among the most useful engineered nanomaterials for structural applications but could be difficult to study in ecotoxicological evaluations using existing tools relative to nanomaterials with a lower aspect ratio. Whereas the hydrophobicity and van der Waals interactions of NTs may suggest aggregation and sedimentation in aquatic systems, consideration regarding how engineered surface modifications influence their environmental fate and toxicology is needed. Surface modifications (e.g., functional groups and coatings) are intended to create conditions to make NTs dispersible in aqueous suspension, as required for some applications. In the present study, column stability and settling experiments indicated that raw, multiwalled NTs (MWNTs) settled more rapidly than carbon black and activated carbon particles, suggesting sediment as the ultimate repository. The presence of functional groups, however, slowed the settling of MWNTs (increasing order of stability: hydroxyl > carboxyl > raw), especially in combination with natural organic matter (NOM). Stabilized MWNTs in high concentrations of NOM provided relevance for water transport and toxicity studies. Aqueous exposures to raw MWNTs decreased Ceriodaphnia dubia viability, but such effects were not observed during exposure to functionalized MWNTs (>80 mg/L). Sediment exposures of the amphipods Leptocheirus plumulosus and Hyalella azteca to different sizes of sediment-borne carbon particles at high concentration indicated mortality increased as particle size decreased, although raw MWNTs induced lower mortality (median lethal concentration [LC50], 50 to >264 g/kg) than carbon black (LC50, 18,40 g/kg) and activated carbon (LC50, 12,29 g/kg). Our findings stress that it may be inappropriate to classify all NTs into one category in terms of their environmental regulation. [source] Parental history of myocardial infarction and risk of heart failure in male physiciansEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION, Issue 12 2008L. Djoussé Abstract Background, Although heart failure (HF) remains a major public health issue, limited data are available on the utility of parental information on the risk of HF in offspring. Materials and methods, We prospectively examined the association between parental history of myocardial infarction (MI) and incident HF among 20 187 offspring in the Physicians' Health Study I. Parental history and age at MI was assessed by a questionnaire and a Cox regression was used to estimate relative risks of HF. Results, After an average follow-up of 19·6 years, 1036 new HF cases were documented. Overall, while a history of early parental MI (before age 55) was associated with a 32% increased risk of HF in offspring compared with subjects whose parent did not have MI, parental MI at older ages was not associated with HF risk. However, the relation between parental history of MI and HF was stronger and mainly observed for HF with antecedent MI. Compared with subjects without parental history of MI, multivariable adjusted hazard ratios (95% CI) for HF with antecedent MI were 3·44 (2·15,5·51), 2·24 (1·20,4·21), 1·26 (0·63,2·51), and 1·37 (0·92,2·03) for parental MI occurred at the age of < 55, 55,59, 60,64, and 65 + y, respectively. Conclusions, Our data suggest that parental MI at an early age is a strong and independent predictor of HF with antecedent MI among US male physicians. This information, along with existing tools, may help clinicians identify patients at risk of HF with antecedent MI. [source] Zero acquaintance benchmarking at travel destination websites: what is the first impression that national tourism organizations try to make?INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TOURISM RESEARCH, Issue 6 2006Jee-Hee Han Abstract This paper examines the marketing effectiveness of hospitality and tourism websites. An extensive review of literature on website effectiveness in hospitality and tourism revealed a total of 47 different instruments that have been used to evaluate hospitality and tourism websites. Using the grounded theory technique, a website evaluation tool called the online promotion evaluation instrument was developed with the aim of condensing the 47 existing tools into one benchmarked instrument with applicability across the various hospitality and tourism sectors. The developed online promotion evaluation instrument comprised three main features,aesthetics features (destination visualisation and Web design); informative features (uniqueness, monetary value and cultural promotion); and interactive features (e-travel planners and online communities). The instrument was tested using a random sample of 25 National Tourism Organization websites worldwide. The results of the instrument development and testing process are presented in this paper with directions for future research in website evaluation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Screening tools for depressed mood after childbirth in UK-based South Asian women: a systematic reviewJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 6 2007Soo M. Downe Abstract Aim., This paper is a report of a systematic review to answer the question: what is the relevance, acceptability, validity and effectiveness of tools designed to screen for postnatal depressed mood for South Asian women living in the UK? Background., Standard methods to screen women for postnatal depressed mood were developed with Caucasian populations. This study reviews postnatal screening tools adapted or developed for United Kingdom-based South Asian women. Method., A structured systematic review of English language studies initially was completed between 1980 and May 2003, and later updated to January 2005. The review was based on an a priori search strategy with inclusion and exclusion criteria and analysis included a quality assessment tool. Findings were tabulated against criteria for acceptability and effectiveness of diagnostic tools. Results., Seven papers were included in the review. None addressed all preset quality criteria. Four papers among them reported on translations of two existing tools (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and General Household Questionnaire). Two new tools were reported between the remaining three papers (Punjabi Postnatal Depression Scale and ,Doop Chaon'©). Doop Chaon is a visual tool. The other tools used either Bengali or Punjabi, based on written scales. The General Household Questionnaire did not appear to be appropriate for this population. None of the studies were rigorous enough to demonstrate generalizable sensitivity or specificity. Qualitative data indicated that women preferred face-to-face interviews to self-complete questionnaires. Conclusions., None of the tools are currently sufficiently evaluated for clinical practice. Questions are raised specifically about use of language-based tools to measure postnatal depressed mood in this population and about the extent to which focused interviews could be used as an alternative for specific sub-sections of population groups. [source] A New Era of Minimal Effects?JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION, Issue 1 2010A Response to Bennett, Iyengar This article takes up Bennett and Iyengar's (2008) call for debate about the future of political communication effects research. We outline 4 key criticisms. First, Bennett and Iyengar are too quick to dismiss the importance of attitude reinforcement, long recognized as an important type of political media influence. Second, the authors take too narrow a view of the sources of political information, remaining fixated on news. Third, they offer an incomplete portrayal of selective exposure, exaggerating the extent to which individuals avoid attitude-discrepant information. Finally, they lean toward determinism when describing the role technologies play in shaping our political environment. In addition, we challenge Bennett and Iyengar's assertion that only brand new theory can serve to help researchers understand today's political communication landscape. We argue that existing tools, notably the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), retain much utility for examining political media effects. Contrary to Bennett and Iyengar's claims, the ELM suggests that the contemporary political information environment does not necessarily lead to minimal effects. [source] Youth sense of community: Voice and power in community contextsJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2007Scot D. Evans Sense of Community theory suggests that people feel more attracted to groups and settings in which they feel influential or powerful. Unfortunately, young people have no voice or influence in many of the contexts in which they find themselves. Furthermore, teenagers are often unequipped and undersupported to participate fully and feel like they are making meaningful contributions to society. This is especially the case for young people who are disadvantaged or members of a minority groups. A two-part study was undertaken to explore sense of community in adolescents. The first phase utilized existing tools to measure adolescent sense of community in school, neighborhood, and city contexts. The second phase of the study relied on in-depth interviews with teenagers to better understand how they construct their sense of community. This article reports findings from the second phase and looks closely at the sense of community domain of "influence" as it applies to adolescents. Interviews with young people suggest that they feel a stronger self-described sense of community in contexts where they experience voice and resonance, some power and influence, and adequate adult support and challenge. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 35: 693,709, 2007. [source] Reforming practice or modifying reforms?: Elementary teachers' response to the tools of reformJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 3 2007Leigh K. Smith Understanding the interaction between internally constructed and externally imposed aspects of the teaching context may be the missing link between calls for school reform and teachers' interpretation and implementation of that reform. Although the context of the local school culture has a profound impact on teachers, there are other external forces that are specifically aimed at influencing teachers' pedagogical and curricular decisions. These externally imposed aspects of context include some of the existing tools of reform, such as national standards, mandated state core curricula, and related criterion-referenced testing. However, little is known about how these reform tools impact teachers' thinking about science and science teaching or how teachers respond to such tools. This study examined the interactions between individual teachers' beliefs about teaching and learning science in elementary school and the tools of reform that are imposed upon them. Comparative case studies were conducted in which two elementary teachers' science instruction, teaching context, and related beliefs were examined, described, and analyzed. In this study, the teachers' fundamental beliefs about science and what it means to teach and learn science influenced their interpretations of the sometimes contradictory messages of reform as they are represented in the standards, mandated curriculum, and end-of-level tests. Suggestions about what these findings mean for needed aspects of teacher professional development are offered. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 44: 396,423, 2007 [source] Stability analysis of an additive spline model for respiratory health data by using knot removalJOURNAL OF THE ROYAL STATISTICAL SOCIETY: SERIES C (APPLIED STATISTICS), Issue 5 2009Harald Binder Summary., In many settings with possibly non-linear influence of covariates, such as in the present application with children's respiratory health data, generalized additive models are an attractive choice. Although techniques for fitting these have been extensively investigated, there are fewer results on stability of replication, i.e. stability of fitted model components with respect to perturbations in the data. Nevertheless, this aspect is essential for judging how useful the present model is for understanding predictors of lung function. We therefore investigate existing tools for stability analysis based on bootstrap samples, such as quantities for variability and bias, for our application. Furthermore, as the focus is on models based on B -splines, knot removal techniques are available. These can help to provide more insight into the stability of local features that are fitted in bootstrap samples. We analyse the bootstrap result matrix via log-linear models. Specifically, the relationship with respect to local features between the influence functions of potential lung function predictors is investigated. [source] A multimethod study of needs for physician assessment: Implications for education and regulationTHE JOURNAL OF CONTINUING EDUCATION IN THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS, Issue 4 2009Richard Hawkins MD Senior Vice President for Professional, Scientific Affairs Abstract Introduction: Deficiencies in physician competence play an important role in medical errors and poor-quality health care. National trends toward implementation of continuous assessment of physicians hold potential for significant impact on patient care because minor deficiencies can be identified before patient safety is threatened. However, the availability of assessment methods and the quality of existing tools vary, and a better understanding of the types of deficiencies seen in physicians is required to prioritize the development and enhancement of assessment and remediation methods. Methods: Surveys of physicians and licensing authorities and analysis of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) Board Action Data Bank were used to collect information describing the nature and types of problems seen in practicing physicians. Focus groups, depth interviews with key professional stakeholders, and state medical board site visits provided additional information about deficiencies in physician competence. Results: Quantitative and qualitative analyses identified (1) communication skills as a priority target for assessment approaches that also should focus on professional behaviors, knowledge, clinical judgment, and health-care quality; and (2) differences between regulatory approaches of licensing and certifying bodies contribute to a culture that limits effective self-assessment and continuous quality improvement. System problems impacting physician performance emerged as an important theme in the qualitative analysis. Discussion: Considering alternative perspectives from the regulatory, education, and practice communities helps to define assessment priorities for physicians, facilitating development of a coherent and defensible approach to assessment and continuing professional development that promises to provide a more comprehensive solution to problems of health-care quality in the United States. [source] | |||||||||||||