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Global Measures (global + measure)
Selected AbstractsSenescence of immune defence in Bombus workersECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 2 2002Claudie Doums Abstract 1. Senescence in workers of social insects is a particularly intriguing life-history trait as the future fitness of workers relies primarily on age-dependent survival rate. The pattern of senescence of immune defence traits was investigated under laboratory conditions in workers of two bumble bees: Bombus terrestris and B. lucorum. 2. In both species, there was a significant decrease with age in the ability to encapsulate a foreign object (a global measure of the efficiency of immune systems). This pattern of senescence was observed in all colonies in B. terrestris (seven) and B. lucorum (eight) assayed, even though, for the latter, there was some heterogeneity among colonies. 3. In B. terrestris, two other measures of immune defence were taken: the relative percentage of fat body in the abdomen and the concentration of haemocytes (the immune defence cells). The quantity of fat body increased only slightly with age and there was no effect for the concentration of haemocytes. Interestingly, the concentration of haemocytes decreased strongly after an encapsulation response, regardless of the age of workers. 4. The importance of the senescence pattern observed for the immune defence traits is discussed in the context of the social biology of workers. [source] The effects of memory, attention, and executive dysfunction on outcomes of depression in a primary care intervention trial: the PROSPECT studyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 9 2007Hillary R. Bogner Abstract Objective To describe the influence of domains of cognition on remission and response of depression in an intervention trial among older primary care patients. Methods Twenty primary care practices were randomly assigned to Usual Care or to an Intervention consisting of a depression care manager offering algorithm-based care for depression. In all, 599 adults 60 years and older with a depression diagnosis were included in these analyses. Depression severity and remission of depression were assessed by the 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was our global measure of cognitive function. Verbal memory was assessed with the memory subscale of the Dementia Rating Scale. Attention was measured with the digit span from the Weschler Adult Intelligence Test. Response inhibition, one of the executive functions, was assessed with the Stroop Color-Word test. Results The intervention was associated with improved remission and response rates regardless of cognitive impairment. Response inhibition as measured by the Stroop Color-Word test appeared to significantly modify the intervention versus usual care difference in remission and response at 4 months. Patients in the poorest performance quartile at baseline on the Stroop Color-Word test in the Intervention Condition were more likely to achieve remission of depression at 4 months than comparable patients in Usual Care [odds ratio (OR),=,17.76, 95% Confidence Interval (CI), 3.06, 103.1]. Conclusions Depressed older adults in primary care with executive dysfunction have low remission and response rates when receiving usual care but benefit from depression care management. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Electron localization and the second moment of the exchange hole,INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF QUANTUM CHEMISTRY, Issue 11 2009J. G. ÁngyánArticle first published online: 16 APR 200 Abstract The localization tensor, which is a global measure of the itinerant character of the electrons, has been defined by Resta as the second cumulant moment of the position operator per electron. It seems to be a meaningful parameter not only for solids but also for finite molecular systems. In the independent-particle limit, this quantity can be interpreted as the density-weighted average of the second moment of the exchange hole. After examining several possible local measures based on the moment analysis of the exchange hole, it turns out that the density weighted squared exchange hole dipole moment might be a useful local indicator of electron localization. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009 [source] Solving nursing shortages: a common priorityJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 24 2008James Buchan Aims and objectives., This paper provides a context for this special edition. It highlights the scale of the challenge of nursing shortages, but also makes the point that there is a policy agenda that provides workable solutions. Results., An overview of nurse:population ratios in different countries and regions of the world, highlighting considerable variations, with Africa and South East Asia having the lowest average ratios. The paper argues that the ,shortage' of nurses is not necessarily a shortage of individuals with nursing qualifications, it is a shortage of nurses willing to work in the present conditions. The causes of shortages are multi-faceted, and there is no single global measure of their extent and nature, there is growing evidence of the impact of relatively low staffing levels on health care delivery and outcomes. The main causes of nursing shortages are highlighted: inadequate workforce planning and allocation mechanisms, resource constrained undersupply of new staff, poor recruitment, retention and ,return' policies, and ineffective use of available nursing resources through inappropriate skill mix and utilisation, poor incentive structures and inadequate career support. Conclusions., What now faces policy makers in Japan, Europe and other developed countries is a policy agenda with a core of common themes. First, themes related to addressing supply side issues: getting, keeping and keeping in touch with relatively scarce nurses. Second, themes related to dealing with demand side challenges. The paper concludes that the main challenge for policy makers is to develop a co-ordinated package of policies that provide a long term and sustainable solution. Relevance to clinical practice., This paper highlights the impact that nursing shortages has on clinical practice and in health service delivery. It outlines scope for addressing shortage problems and therefore for providing a more positive staffing environment in which clinical practice can be delivered. [source] An evaluation of a supervised self-help programme for bulimic disordersCLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOTHERAPY (AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THEORY & PRACTICE), Issue 4 2001Lorraine Bell Self-help programmes are recommended as cost-effective initial interventions for the treatment of bulimic disorders. This is a report of the effectiveness of such a programme in routine clinical practice. Twenty-one patients completed the programme and both pre- and post- measures. Patients were treated in a secondary mental health setting over an 11-month period from July 1998 to June 1999. Outcome was assessed using standardized measures and records of symptom levels and drop-out rates. Significant improvements in depression, bulimic symptom and severity were observed. Multi-impulsive clients (as indicated by clinically significant scores on bingeing and two other areas of impulsivity) had similar levels of bulimia but higher depression scores pre-treatment. They made significant gains in most areas but, despite reduction in depression scores, remained significantly depressed. They also made less improvement in disordered attitudes than non-impulsive clients. A global measure of motivation did not predict drop-out or outcome though numbers were small. Patients who used Getting Better Bit(e) by Bit(e) and received motivational enhancement sessions made a greater reduction in fasting behaviour and were less likely to drop out than those who used a more standard CBT programme, but these results could be due to other factors. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Quality improvement and hospital financial performanceJOURNAL OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR, Issue 7 2006Jeffrey A. Alexander The objective of this study was to examine the association between the scope and intensity of Quality improvement (QI) implementation in hospitals and organizational performance. A sample of 1,784 community hospitals was used to assess relationships between QI implementation approach and two hospital-level performance indicators: cash flow and cost per case. Two-stage instrumental variables estimation, in which predicted values (instruments) of eight QI intensity and scope variables plus control (exogenous) variables were used to estimate hospital-level performance indicators. Our results suggest that QI has a measurable impact on global measures of organizational performance and that both control and leaning approaches to QI matter in these settings. Hospitals that implement QI effectively can reasonably expect to improve their financial and cost performance, or at least not place the hospital at risk for investing in quality improvement. These outcomes are specific to QI strategies that emphasize both control and learning. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Multiple Views of the Family and Adolescent Social CompetenciesJOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE, Issue 4 2001Nancy J. Bell This research examined the linkages between congruence in perceptions of family functioning and adolescent competencies with a sample of 223 first-year college students, their mothers, and their fathers. The primary goal was to explore further the nature and importance of perceptual congruence as related to adolescent social competencies with a more informative analytic strategy than has been used in most past research (one that controls for individual perceptions of family members and takes into account direction of differences among family members), and with more comprehensive, multimethod assessments of adolescent competencies. Our congruence analyses portrayed a more complex picture of congruence and divergence than has emerged from previous studies, and highlight the importance of examining interaction patterns in future research. It is noteworthy, however, that individual perceptions of family members were more important than was congruence in relation to adolescent social competencies. The possibility that congruence effects may be more apparent when the focus is on more specific rather than global measures and on developmental as well as family interaction processes is suggested. [source] Extreme prematurity and school outcomesPAEDIATRIC & PERINATAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 4 2000G.M. Buck The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of extreme prematurity on three global measures of school outcomes. Using a matched cohort design, exposed infants comprised all surviving singleton infants 28 weeks gestation born at one regional neonatal intensive care hospital between 1983 and 1986 (n = 132). Unexposed infants comprised randomly selected full-term infants ( 37 weeks gestation) frequency matched on date of birth, zip code and health insurance. All children were selected from a regional tertiary children's centre serving western New York population. Standardised telephone interviews elicited information on grade repetition, special education placement and use of school-based services. Unconditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) adjusted for potential confounders for children without major handicaps. Extreme prematurity was associated with a significant increase in risk of grade repetition (OR = 3.22; 95% CI = 1.63, 6.34), special education placement (OR = 3.16; 95% CI = 1.14, 8.76) and use of school-based services (OR = 4.56; 95% CI = 1.82, 11.42) in comparison with children born at term, even after controlling for age, race, maternal education, foster care placement and the matching factors. These findings suggest that survivors of extreme prematurity remain at risk of educational underachievement. [source] Goal attainment for spasticity management using botulinum toxinPHYSIOTHERAPY RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1 2006Stephen Ashford Abstract Background and Purpose. To determine whether goal attainment scaling (GAS) can demonstrate functional gains following injection of botulinum toxin (BTX) for spasticity in severely disabled patients. Method. Subjects were categorized as ,responder' (positive clinical outcome) and ,non-responder' (non-significant clinical outcome) on the basis of their overall clinical response. GAS scores for functional goals were calculated retrospectively and compared with standard outcome assessments undertaken at the time of intervention. Integrated care pathway (ICP) proformas were interrogated for 18 patients with acquired brain injuries. Mean age was 44.4 (SD 13.4) years. Results. Baseline GAS and Barthel scores were similar for the responder and non-responder groups. The outcome GAS score was significantly greater in the responder than in the non-responder group (Mann,Whitney U = 11.0; p = 0.011) as was the change in GAS score (Mann,Whitney U = 8.0; p = 0.004). GAS scores reflected change recorded in focal outcome measures. However, the Barthel Index measured change in only one case. Conclusions. This exploratory retrospective study provides preliminary support for the hypothesis that GAS provides a useful measure of functional gains in response to treatment with BTX, and is more sensitive than global measures such as the Barthel Index. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Spatial segregation, segregation indices and the geographical perspectivePOPULATION, SPACE AND PLACE (PREVIOUSLY:-INT JOURNAL OF POPULATION GEOGRAPHY), Issue 2 2006Lawrence A. Brown Abstract What could be more inherently geographical than segregation? However, the richness of the spatial variations in segregation is seldom captured by the dominant genre of empirical research. Returning the ,geography' to segregation research, we argue that local areas need to be given considerably more attention, using measures that explicitly reveal the spatial fabric of residential clustering along racial/ethnic lines. We first critique global measures such as the Dissimilarity Index and its spatial counterparts. Attention then turns to local measures such as the Location Quotient and Local Moran's I, applying them to Franklin County, Ohio, the core of Columbus MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area). Our interpretation of the findings also employs local knowledge concerning neighbourhood characteristics, ongoing urban processes, historical occurrences, and the like. Thus, while local indices based on secondary data expose the terrain of clustering/segregation, follow-up fieldwork and/or secondary data analysis in a mixed-methods framework provides a better understanding of the ground-level reality of clustering/segregation. Tangible evidence of the gain from this approach is provided by our evaluation of conventional frameworks for understanding racial/ethnic aspects of residential patterning , assimilation, stratification and resurgent ethnicity , and in our proposal for a new framework, ,market-led pluralism', which focuses on market makers who represent the supply side of housing. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Research review: A critical review of studies on the developmental trajectories of antisocial behavior in femalesTHE JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY AND ALLIED DISCIPLINES, Issue 4 2009Nathalie Fontaine Background:, Knowledge on the onset and the development of antisocial behavior in females is limited, because most of the research in this domain is based on males. Methods:, We critically reviewed 46 empirical studies that examined developmental trajectories of antisocial behavior in females, notably to help determine whether or not an early-onset/life-course-persistent trajectory exists in females. Results:, The review suggested that antisocial behavior in females can follow different developmental trajectories (e.g., early-onset/life-course-persistent, childhood-limited, adolescence-limited, adolescence-delayed-onset, adulthood-onset). However, many of the studies reviewed were limited by factors such as the use of global measures of antisocial behavior, the identification of the trajectories based on threshold criteria, and the small sample sizes. Conclusions:, Future studies should take into account the shortcomings highlighted in this review. Such studies are needed to improve the understanding and prevention of the development of antisocial behavior in females. [source] Increase in circulating endothelial precursors by atorvastatin in patients with systemic sclerosisARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 6 2006Masataka Kuwana Objective To evaluate whether atorvastatin can increase bone marrow,derived circulating endothelial precursors (CEPs) and improve the vascular symptoms in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma). Methods The study was designed as an open-label, prospective study involving 14 patients with SSc who received 10 mg/day of atorvastatin for 12 weeks and were followed up for the subsequent 4 weeks. CEPs were quantified at weeks 0 (pretreatment), 4, 8, 12 (during treatment), and 16 (posttreatment) by cell sorting followed by 3-color flow cytometry. Raynaud's phenomenon variables, global measures, and psychological scales as well as circulating angiogenic factors and endothelial activation/injury markers were serially assessed. The potential of CEPs to differentiate into mature endothelial cells was examined in cultures with angiogenic stimuli. Results None of the patients experienced an adverse event, but 1 dropped out because of an excessive decrease in serum total cholesterol. Atorvastatin treatment resulted in a 1.7- to 8.0-fold increase in CEPs from baseline levels (P < 0.0001), but the numbers returned to within baseline levels at posttreatment. However, 8 patients (62%) experienced a gradual decrease in the number of CEPs, even while taking atorvastatin. Variables indicating the extent of Raynaud's phenomenon improved significantly, and up-regulated levels of angiogenic factors and vascular endothelial activation/injury markers decreased significantly during atorvastatin treatment. These variables returned to within baseline levels after discontinuation of the drug. In contrast, atorvastatin failed to improve the in vitro maturation potential of CEPs. Conclusion The results of this pilot study suggest that atorvastatin treatment can increase CEPs and may be effective in improving Raynaud's phenomenon, even in SSc patients who have CEP dysfunction intrinsically. [source] Managing complex development projects: arenas, knowledge processes and timeR & D MANAGEMENT, Issue 5 2002Jonas Söderlund The literature on project management has been dominated by techniques and methods for separating activities and making thought out plans. Closely related to this research stream is the research on product development, which seems to advocate somewhat of a different strategy where managing projects is a matter of enabling the crossing of functions and knowledge bases. This paper attempts to integrate these two lines of research. The paper is based on two in,depth case studies of project management in product development contexts. The projects under study were highly complex and consisted of multiple interrelated parts, which called for ,tightly coupled' organizational solutions. From our point of view, much effort by the project management teams was put into establishing a project that was responsive and where participating local units were oriented toward various ,global' measures. In our conception, the overall deadline seemed to have played an important role for promoting communal and interactive problem solving. Furthermore, the deadline emphasized the need for global arenas where the interactive problem solving could take place. It is argued that time,based controls set a global time for the project. The paper also demonstrates the importance of various global arenas, such as testing activities and project management forums, in order to keep track of time limits and to trigger global knowledge processes. Furthermore, based on the notion of ,separation' and ,coupling' of sub,systems and project phases, the paper suggests a model identifying four types of project organizations. The paper contributes to the knowledge on project management in complex product development. [source] | ||||||||||||||||