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Key Concepts (key + concept)
Selected AbstractsDiagnostic imaging of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis before liver transplantationLIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue S2 2006Bachir Taouli Key Concepts: 1The lack of whole-liver explant correlation has led to an overestimation of the sensitivity of imaging tests for the diagnosis of HCC in the radiological literature. 2Ultrasound is insensitive for the diagnosis of HCC in the cirrhotic liver and should not be used for the detection of focal liver lesions in this setting. 3Although magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is more sensitive than multidetector 3-phase computed tomography (CT) for the diagnosis of regenerative and dysplastic nodules it is probably no better than CT for detection of HCC and has a lower false-positive rate. 4Approximately 10,30% of nodules measuring <2 cm seen only on the hepatic arterial phase at CT or MR imaging represent small HCC and vigilant surveillance imaging is required as interval growth is the best indicator of malignancy. Liver Transpl 12:S1,S7, 2006. © 2006 AASLD. [source] Transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma: The Milan criteria and beyondLIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue S2 2006Richard B. Freeman Jr. Key Concepts: 1Liver transplantation offers excellent results for selected candidates with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). 2Selection strategies have evolved but are mainly based on size and number of tumors, which are surrogates for vascular invasion. Newer techniques show promise for identifying patients at high risk for recurrence and selecting those with low risk, even though they may exceed currently established tumor size criteria. 3Evaluation of the effectiveness of liver transplantation for HCC requires an intent-to-treat approach that must include an accounting of the dropout rate of patients while waiting. 4Locoregional pretransplantation adjuvant treatments may have some role for downstaging and/or reducing the dropout rate before transplantation, but their posttransplantation effect on outcome remains undetermined. 5Liver allocation for HCC candidates in the context of increasing HCC prevalence requires better and evidence-based prioritization policies. Liver Transpl 12:S8,S13, 2006. © 2006 AASLD. [source] Histologic findings in recurrent HBVLIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue S2 2006Swan N. Thung Key Concepts: 1The histopathologic presentation of hepatitis B (HB) infection in liver allografts is generally similar to that seen in the nonallografts. 2An atypical pattern of recurrent HB, i.e., fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis (FCH) occurs in a small number of patients. These patients present with a severe cholestatic syndrome, which may clinically resemble acute or chronic rejection. 3There are several other possible causes of acute and chronic hepatitis in liver allografts that may need to be considered. 4Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in the liver allograft can easily be confirmed by performing immunohistochemical stains for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg). The expression pattern of these HBV antigens varies and is sometimes helpful in determining whether the liver injury is mainly from the HBV or from other causes in coexistence with the HBV infection. 5Histological grading of the necroinflammatory activity and staging of the fibrosis should only be applied when the changes are related to the recurrent HB. 6The pathology of liver transplantation is complex; therefore, clinical correlations remain extremely important in arriving at the final and correct diagnosis. Liver Transpl 12:S50,S53, 2006. © 2006 AASLD. [source] Hepatitis B in liver transplant recipientsLIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue S2 2006Robert G. Gish Key Concepts: 1The use of low-dose immunosuppressive therapy along with pre- and posttransplantation nucleos(t)ide therapy and posttransplantation hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) has yielded marked improvements in survival. 2Lamivudine (Epivir-HBV), adefovir (Hepsera), entecavir (Baraclude), tenofovir (Viread), emtricitabine (Emtriva), and the combination drugs tenofovir + emtricitabine (Truvada) and abacavir + lamivudine (Epzicom) are effective nucleos(t)ide antiviral agents that, in some cases, may help reverse liver disease sufficiently to avoid transplant. 3In posttransplantation patients, virus suppression with some combination of HBIG and the nucleos(t)ide agents may prevent graft loss and death or the need for a second transplant. 4In both the pre- and posttransplantation setting, the goal of hepatitis B virus management is complete virus suppression. 5The use of low-dose intramuscular HBIG is evolving, with studies showing that dosing and cost can be reduced by 50,300% with a customized approach. 6Elimination of HBIG from the treatment paradigm is currently under evaluation and may be possible with the use of newer medications that have no or low resistance rates. 7Although there is growing evidence that some types of combination therapy may decrease the chance that drug resistance will develop and increase the likelihood of long-term success in preventing graft loss and death, additional research will be required to determine which combinations will work well in the long term, and which will not. Liver Transpl 12:S54,S64, 2006. © 2006 AASLD. [source] Key Concepts in Public HealthAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 2 2010Article first published online: 8 APR 2010 No abstract is available for this article. [source] EARLY ISLAMIC CHARITIES AS CATALYSTS OF INSTITUTIONAL INNOVATIONECONOMIC AFFAIRS, Issue 3 2010Benedikt Koehler Islamic societies may appear unsuitable catalysts for fostering individual enterprise and institutional innovation. This view is challenged by examination of the evolution of charities in early Islam, the so-called waqf. Mohammed's prescription of providing alms engendered an extensive and varied range of charitable institutions. One example is the creation of Islam's earliest centres of higher learning, madrasahs. Key concepts of Common Law, such as trusts, may have copied Islamic legal concepts; the constitutions of the earliest colleges of Oxford and Cambridge universities replicated the design of charitable madrasahs. [source] Living with chronic heart failure: a review of qualitative studies of older peopleJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 5 2008Doris S.F. Yu Abstract Title.,Living with chronic heart failure: a review of qualitative studies of older people Aim., This paper is a report of a systematic review of qualitative studies of how older people live with chronic heart failure. Background., Chronic heart failure is a global epidemic mainly affecting an ageing population. Understanding how older people live with this disease is important to help promote their adjustment to the distressing illness experience. Data sources., Eligible studies published in 1997,2007 were identified from several databases (Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Sociological Abstracts). A manual search was conducted of bibliographies of the identified studies and relevant journals. Review methods., Two researchers independently reviewed the studies and extracted the data. Key concepts from the papers were compared for similarities and differences. The transactional model of stress was used to guide data synthesis. Findings., Fourteen qualitative studies were identified. Most described the illness experiences of older people with chronic heart failure and associated coping strategies. There was some emerging work exploring the adjustment process. The findings indicated that living with chronic heart failure was characterized by distressing symptoms, compromised physical functioning, feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness, and social and role dysfunction. There were gender differences in the way the disease was conceived. Adjustment required patients to make sense of the illness experience, accept the prognosis, and get on with living with the condition. Conclusion., Empowering older people to manage chronic heart failure, instilling hope and bolstering support system are means of promoting successful adjustment to the disease. Further research needs to explore the cultural differences in the adjustment process. [source] Using Biomonitoring Equivalents to interpret human biomonitoring data in a public health risk contextJOURNAL OF APPLIED TOXICOLOGY, Issue 4 2009Sean M. Hays Abstract Increasingly sensitive analytical tools allow measurement of trace concentrations of chemicals in human biological media in persons from the general population. Such data are being generated by biomonitoring programs conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and other researchers. However, few screening tools are available for interpretation of such data in a health risk assessment context. This review describes the concept and implementation of Biomonitoring Equivalents (BEs), estimates of the concentration of a chemical or metabolite in a biological medium that is consistent with an existing exposure guidance value such as a tolerable daily intake or reference dose. The BE approach integrates available pharmacokinetic data to convert an existing exposure guidance value into an equivalent concentration in a biological medium. Key concepts regarding the derivation and communication of BE values resulting from an expert workshop held in 2007 are summarized. BE derivations for four case study chemicals (toluene, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, cadmium and acrylamide) are presented, and the interpretation of biomonitoring data for these chemicals is presented using the BE values. These case studies demonstrate that a range of pharmacokinetic data and approaches can be used to derive BE values; fully developed physiologically based pharmacokinetic models, while useful, are not required. The resulting screening level evaluation can be used to classify these compounds into relative categories of low, medium and high priority for risk assessment follow-up. Future challenges related to the derivation and use of BE values as tools in risk management are discussed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Smoking Cessation Counseling for Pregnant Women Who Smoke: Scientific Basis for Practice for AWHONN's SUCCESS ProjectJOURNAL OF OBSTETRIC, GYNECOLOGIC & NEONATAL NURSING, Issue 3 2004FAAN, Susan A. Albrecht PhD Objectives: To review the literature addressing smoking cessation in pregnant women. To develop the project protocol for the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurse's (AWHONN) 6th research-based practice project titled "Setting Universal Cessation Counseling, Education and Screening Standards (SUCCESS): Nursing Care of Pregnant Women Who Smoke." To evaluate the potential of systematic integration of this protocol in primary care settings in which women seek care at the preconception, pregnant, or postpartum stages. Literature Sources: Computerized searches in MEDLINE and CINAHL, as well as references cited in articles reviewed. Key concepts in the searches included low-birth-weight infants and effects of prenatal smoking on the infant and the effects of preconception and prenatal smoking cessation intervention on premature labor and birth weight. Literature Selection: Comprehensive articles, reports, and guidelines relevant to key concepts and published after 1964 with an emphasis on new findings from 1996 through 2002. Ninety-eight citations were identified as useful to this review. Literature Synthesis: Tobacco use among pregnant women and children's exposure to tobacco use (secondhand smoke) are associated with pregnancy complications such as placental dysfunction (including previa or abruption), preterm labor, premature rupture of membranes, spontaneous abortions, and decreased birth weight and infant stature. Neonates and children who are exposed to secondhand smoke are at increased risk for developing otitis media, asthma, other respiratory disorders later in childhood; dying from sudden infant death syndrome; and learning disorders. The "5 A's" intervention and use of descriptive statements for smoking status assessment were synthesized into the SUCCESS project protocol for AWHONN's 6th research-based practice project. Conclusions: The literature review generated evidence that brief, office-based assessment, client-specific tobacco counseling, skill development, and support programs serve as an effective practice guideline for clinicians. Implementation and evaluation of the guideline is under way at a total of 13 sites in the United States and Canada. [source] symptom Experience in Women After HysterectomyJOURNAL OF OBSTETRIC, GYNECOLOGIC & NEONATAL NURSING, Issue 5 2001Kimberly H. Kim RN Objective: To review the literature addressing the symptom experience of women after hysterectomy. Data Sources: Computerized searches in MEDLINE and CINAHL, as well as texts and references cited in articles. Key concepts in the searches included hysterectomy, sleep disturbance and pain, hysterectomy and fatigue, hysterectomy, depression, and depressed mood. Study Selection: Articles and comprehensive works relevant to key concepts and published after 1970, with an emphasis on new findings from 1990 to 2000. Sixty-four citations were identified as useful to this review. Data Extraction: Data were organized under the following headings: women and hysterectomy, biopsychosocial perspectives, common symptoms after hysterectomy (pain, disturbed sleep, fatigue, depressed mood, anxiety), and significance of review (implications). Data Synthesis: Literature suggests that after a hysterectomy, women experience complications during the postoperative recovery period that may vary with the type of surgical procedure. During this period, the quantity and quality of sleep as well as other symptoms (pain, fatigue, anxiety, and depression) are influenced by various physiologic, psychologic, and social factors. Despite limited evidence that sleep problems may occur frequently during the recovery period, only a few researchers have systematically examined sleep patterns in women after hysterectomy. None of these studies, however, used objective sleep measures or examined multiple dimensions of these women's lives. Conclusions: This review conceptualized the women's symptom experience as the experience of specific symptoms (pain, sleep disturbance, fatigue, depressed mood, and anxiety) that were influenced by biopsychosocial factors. [source] Key concepts and techniques in GIS, by Jochen AlbrechtAREA, Issue 2 2008Bob Line No abstract is available for this article. [source] Key concepts in education , By Fred Inglis & Lesley AersBRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY, Issue 6 2009Article first published online: 12 OCT 200 No abstract is available for this article. [source] Integrating Decision Making and Mental Health Interventions Research: Research DirectionsCLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY: SCIENCE AND PRACTICE, Issue 1 2006Celia E. Wills The importance of incorporating patient and provider decision-making processes is in the forefront of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) agenda for improving mental health interventions and services. Key concepts in patient decision making are highlighted within a simplified model of patient decision making that links patient-level/"micro" variables to services-level/"macro" variables via the decision-making process that is a target for interventions. The prospective agenda for incorporating decision-making concepts in mental health research includes (a) improved measures for characterizing decision-making processes that are matched to study populations, complexity, and types of decision making; (b) testing decision aids in effectiveness research for diverse populations and clinical settings; and (c) improving the understanding and incorporation of preference concepts in enhanced intervention designs. [source] Men Making Home: Masculinity and Domesticity in Eighteenth-Century BritainGENDER & HISTORY, Issue 3 2009Karen Harvey Eighteenth-century England is, for many scholars, the time and place where modern domesticity was invented; the point at which ,home' became a key concept sustained by new literary imaginings and new social practices. But as gendered individuals, and certainly compared to women, men are notable for their absence in accounts of the eighteenth-century domestic interior. In this essay, I examine the relationship between constructs of masculinity and meanings of home. During the eighteenth century, ,home' came to mean more than one's dwelling; it became a multi-faceted state of being, encompassing the emotional, physical, moral and spatial. Masculinity intersected with domesticity at all levels and stages in its development. The nature of men's engagements with home were understood through a model of ,oeconomy', which brought together the home and the world, primarily through men's activities. Indeed, this essay proposes that attention to how this multi-faceted eighteenth-century ,home' was made in relation to masculinity shifts our understanding of home as a private and feminine space opposed to an ,outside' and public world. [source] The Strange Death of Unionist ScotlandGOVERNMENT AND OPPOSITION, Issue 3 2010Michael Keating Jim Bulpitt understood the UK as an eminently political creation, emphasizing the role of elites in managing diversity. He can be criticized for underplaying the ideology of union, for dismissing Labour unionism and for an excessively central and Tory perspective. His insights, however, remain useful in analysing the current collapse of unionism, if not of the Union itself. His key concept of central autonomy explains why current neo-unionist efforts to forge Britishness are unlikely to succeed, since they imply a stronger territorial articulation of the state itself. [source] Integrating intelligent systems into marketing to support market segmentation decisionsINTELLIGENT SYSTEMS IN ACCOUNTING, FINANCE & MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2006Sally MckechnieArticle first published online: 13 MAR 200 For the last 50 years market segmentation has been considered to be a key concept in marketing strategy. As a means of tackling market heterogeneity, the underlying logic and managerial rationale for market segmentation is well established in the marketing literature. However, there is evidence to suggest that attempts by organizations to classify customers into distinct segments for whom product or services can be specifically tailored are proving to be difficult to implement in practice. As the business environment in which many organizations operate becomes increasingly uncertain and highly competitive, greater importance is now being attached to marketing knowledge. The purpose of this paper is to highlight market segmentation problems as a relevant area for a greater level of engagement of intelligent systems academic researchers and practitioners with their counterparts within the marketing discipline, in order to explore how data mining approaches can assist marketers in gaining valuable insights into patterns of consumer behaviour, which can then be used to inform market segmentation decision-making. Since the application of data mining within the marketing domain is only in its infancy, a research agenda is proposed to encourage greater interdisciplinary collaboration between information systems and marketing so that data mining can more noticeably enter the repertoire of analytical techniques being employed for segmentation. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Simplified estimation of seismically induced settlementsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 8 2003E. Vincens Abstract This paper proposes a predictive expression of settlements for a dry sand deposit overlying a bedrock and subjected to a seismic motion. The proposed formula combines geometrical and mechanical properties of the soil profile with classical characteristics of the input motion. One of the main concepts developed herein consists in regarding the input motion and the dynamical response as samples of random processes; another key concept consists in the common densification curve from Sawicki. The model introduces a parameter k identified by means of an extensive set of accelerograms. The main advantage of the proposed method consists in allowing fast comparisons of earthquake induced settlements for different soil and motion characteristics and therefore quantifying the damage power of a time-history input motion. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Use of thermodynamic functions for expressing some relevant aspects of sustainabilityINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH, Issue 1 2005Simone Bastianoni Abstract Sustainability is a key concept for our future and the role of thermodynamics in its assessment is fundamental. The use of energy and matter must be considered not only from a microscopic viewpoint (the use of a single fuel or material, or the presence of a single pollutant) but also by means of holistic approaches able to synthesize all the characteristics of a single process. Exergy is a suitable function for this purpose. The exergy concept can also be applied to natural systems and to systems at the interface between natural and artificial ones. In this context also emergy can express very helpful indications. Four different efficiency indices are here examined to better understand different aspects of the sustainability of processes and systems. An application to two similar agricultural systems (wine production in Italy) shows how these indices work in real case studies. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Panel on Salvation: the Catholic PerspectiveINTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF MISSION, Issue 382-383 2007Teresa Francesca Rossi In the reflection about salvation, mission and healing, the aspect of revelation has not been so much emphasized in the last years. However, it seems to me that revelation, rather than just eschatology, might be the key concept in understanding healing and reconciliation. The signs and wonders that confirm the preaching of the gospel of salvation are necessary in order to give the preacher and the faithful a shape, a frame to human knowledge of God and salvation, though in the "fleshy" knowledge of the human being. Without the shape or frame of a divine sign there can be neither prophecy nor preaching, because prophecy and preaching concern the Word of God. Signs and wonders confirm preaching but only by deepening a cognitive dimension. When we day, "God will heal you," we are announcing the good news of healing, while at the same time we are budding some new conditions to know God. We are at the heart of revelation. At the same time, when we deal with healing, we are not only dealing with the dimension of knowing God and operating signs and wonder, we are also dealing with a dimension of prophecy inasmuch as no prophecy is allowed unless there is a capability of speaking "in the name of", and "on behalf of", which implies a real, though imperfect, knowledge of God, such as we receive not only in revelation but also in signs and wonders. So, healing, this starting point, this unexplored way, this unprecedented path to the understanding of the economy of sulfation, continues revelation because it leads to new knowledge. Inasmuch ad heading does not belong to the economy of final salvation but to the economy of a "restored flesh", it is closer to revelation than to resurrection. It is the seal of redemption. [source] Convention and Intersubjectivity: New Developments in French EconomicsJOURNAL FOR THE THEORY OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR, Issue 3 2006JOHN LATSIS The recently formed French School of the "économie des conventions" have claimed that they are developing a revolutionary new approach to the social sciences. This group of researchers in economics, philosophy, sociology, law and history attempt to transcend the inherited analytical frameworks of structural-functionalist sociology and neoclassical economics and provide an alternative picture of the social world. This article will investigate some of these claims in detail. First, I trace the cohesion of the Convention School's ideas around the key concept of convention. Conventionalist theory reflects an ontological shift towards the recognition of intersubjectivity. This shift leads to tension between the advocacy of methodological individualism on the one hand and the use of convention as a central analytical category on the other. [source] Interactive curve resolution by using latent projections in polar coordinatesJOURNAL OF CHEMOMETRICS, Issue 1-2 2007J. von Frese Abstract The problem of resolving bilinear two-way data into the contributions from the underlying mixture components is of great interest for all hyphenated analytical techniques. The fact that the optimal solution to this problem at least to some extent depends on the nature of the data under study has lead to a numerous different approaches. One of the seminal publications in this area was contributed by Olav M. Kvalheim and Yi-Zeng Liang in 1992. They not only provided valuable Heuristic Evolving Latent Projections (HELP) but also enlightened many important aspects of curve resolution in this and numerous subsequent publications. Here we extend their key concept of HELP, that is the use of latent projective graphs for identifying one-component regions, by using polar coordinates for these analyses and thereby creating a simple, intuitive exploratory tool for directly solving the curve resolution problem for two and three components graphically. Our approach is demonstrated with simulated data, an example from reaction monitoring with broadband ultrafast spectroscopy and one chemometric standard data set. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A Non-Essentialist Version of Legal PluralismJOURNAL OF LAW AND SOCIETY, Issue 2 2000Brian Z. Tamanha The concept of legal pluralism has been touted by many socio-legal scholars as a key concept in the analysis of law. Yet, after almost twenty years of such claims, there has been little progress in the development of the concept. This article will argue that the underlying cause of this lack progress lies in the fact that promoters of the concept have relied upon function-based, essentialist concepts of law. It will describe the problems generated by such concepts and, following this general analysis, will review the versions of legal pluralism articulated by Boaventura de Sousa Santos and Gunther Teubner. The critique of their versions of legal pluralism will lead into the posing of a non-essentialist alternative which avoids the conceptual problems of prevailing versions of legal pluralism, and provides a better tool for purposes of research and analysis of the relationship between law and society. [source] International political marketing: a case study of United States soft power and public diplomacyJOURNAL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, Issue 3 2008Henry H. Sun Political marketing can be categorized with three aspects: the election campaign as the origin of political marketing, the permanent campaign as a governing tool and international political marketing (IPM) which covers the areas of public diplomacy, marketing of nations, international political communication, national image, soft power and the cross-cultural studies of political marketing. IPM and the application of soft power have been practiced by nation-states throughout the modern history of international relations starting with the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. Nation-states promote the image of their country worldwide through public diplomacy, exchange mutual interests in their bilateral or multilateral relation with other countries, lobby for their national interests in international organizations and apply cultural and political communication strategies internationally to build up their soft power. In modern international relations, nation-states achieve their foreign policy goals by applying both hard power and soft power. Public diplomacy as part of IPM is a method in the creation of soft power, as well as, in the application of soft power. This paper starts with the definitional and conceptual review of political marketing. For the first time in publication, it establishes a theoretical model which provides a framework of the three aspects of political marketing, that is electoral political marketing (EPM), governmental political marketing (GPM) and IPM. This model covers all the main political exchanges among six inter-related components in the three pairs of political exchange process, that is candidates and party versus voters and interest groups in EPM ; governments, leaders and public servants versus citizens and interest groups in GPM, including political public relations and lobbying which have been categorized as the third aspect of political marketing in some related studies; and governments, interest group and activists versus international organizations and foreign subjects in IPM. This study further develops a model of IPM, which covers its strategy and marketing mix on the secondary level of the general political marketing model, and then, the third level model of international political choice behaviour based the theory of political choice behaviour in EPM. This paper continues to review the concepts of soft power and public diplomacy and defines their relation with IPM. It then reports a case study on the soft power and public diplomacy of the United States from the perspectives of applying IPM and soft power. Under the framework of IPM, it looks at the traditional principles of US foreign policy, that is Hamiltonians, Wilsonians, Jeffersonians and Jacksonians, and the application of US soft power in the Iraq War since 2003. The paper advances the argument that generally all nation states apply IPM to increase their soft power. The decline of US soft power is caused mainly by its foreign policy. The unilateralism Jacksonians and realism Hamiltonians have a historical trend to emphasize hard power while neglecting soft power. Numerous reports and studies have been conducted on the pros and cons of US foreign policy in the Iraq War, which are not the focus of this paper. From the aspect of IPM, this paper studies the case of US soft power and public diplomacy, and their effects in the Iraq War. It attempts to exam the application of US public diplomacy with the key concept of political exchange, political choice behaviour, the long-term approach and the non-government operation principles of public diplomacy which is a part of IPM. The case study confirms the relations among IPM, soft power and public diplomacy and finds that lessons can be learned from these practices of IPM. The paper concludes that there is a great demand for research both at a theoretical as well as practical level for IPM and soft power. It calls for further study on this subject. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Social Support and Quality of Life Among Older People in SpainJOURNAL OF SOCIAL ISSUES, Issue 4 2002Ballesteros, Rocío Fernández Social support is a key concept in social gerontology; there is empirical evidence of its relationships with health, well,being and quality of life in old age. The density of an individual's social relationships, the degree to which he/she interacts with others and how much he/she receives and gives affect, instrumental support, and/or services are all associated with health indicators, subjective well,being, and quality of life measures. This article deals with social support in old age in Spain, its relationships with health indicators, and its role in quality of life. Several descriptive studies dealing with social integration, frequency of social interactions, satisfaction with social relationships, and formal and informal social support are reviewed. Finally, the role attributed by elders to social relationships is an important conditioning factor of quality of life. [source] Adult weight management: Translating research and guidelines into practiceJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NURSE PRACTITIONERS, Issue 4 2009Laura E. Shay CRNP (PhD Candidate) Abstract Purpose: To provide a practical approach to managing overweight and obese adult patients based on data from research and recommendations from established guidelines. Data sources: Comprehensive review articles and original research articles identified through Medline and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL). Conclusions: There is a great deal of research being conducted on new ways to treat obesity; however, despite all this new information, many primary care providers continue to report that they do not address weight or weight control strategies with their patients. Reasons include too little time, not enough training, lack of financial incentive, and failure to believe that patients can be successful. Implications for practice: Weight management essentially comes down to one key concept: negative energy balance (fewer calories in and/or more calories out). Patients can be taught how to achieve a negative energy balance by using a food/exercise diary to track their daily caloric goal to achieve a 1,2 pound weight loss per week. Nurse practitioners (NPs) can implement safe and effective weight management plans for their patients by teaching them how to self-monitor, eat healthy, and exercise. This method is similar to what NPs commonly use for patients with diabetes mellitus. [source] Restricted algebras on inverse semigroups I, representation theoryMATHEMATISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 16 2006Massoud Amini Abstract The relation between representations and positive definite functions is a key concept in harmonic analysis on topological groups. Recently this relation has been studied on topological groupoids. This is the first in a series of papers in which we have investigated a similar relation on inverse semigroups. We use a new concept of "restricted" representations and study the restricted semigroup algebras and corresponding C *-algebras. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] On the back of a motorbike: Middle-class mobility in Ho Chi Minh City, VietnamAMERICAN ETHNOLOGIST, Issue 1 2008ALLISON TRUITT ABSTRACT "Mobility" is a key concept in understanding processes of globalization and class formation. In this article, I examine motorbike mobility in Ho Chi Minh City and its role in reordering social stratification in urban Vietnam. In the years following trade liberalization, motorbikes emerged as exemplary symbols of purchasing power, displaying both monetized and motorized power. In response to the exponential increase in the number of motorbikes, Vietnamese state agencies inscribed streets with divisions to separate different classes of vehicles and regulate the flow of traffic. Motorbikes, I argue, elude attempts to regulate their movement precisely because they embody the very mobility promised by economic reforms. [Vietnam, traffic, commodity, circulation, public space, mobility] [source] Empathic understanding: Constructing an evaluation scale from the microcounseling approachNURSING & HEALTH SCIENCES, Issue 1 2000Hiroko Nagano RN Abstract The Empathic Understanding Scale measures the depth of the nurse,patient relationship. As a nurse cares for a patient it is necessary to first establish a relationship. The author identified empathic understanding as the key concept for this study. The primary theme was to develop a scale to measure the nurse's level of empathic understanding of the patient. The purpose of the study was to examine a 23-item questionnaire using the microcounseling model to prove whether empathy is an effective tool in establishing a nurse,patient relationship. Using these results, factors were extracted to measure the level of the nurse's empathic understanding of the patient. Eighteen subjects participated in the pilot study: eight nurses employed by the psychiatric ward of one of Shizuoka's prefectural hospitals, Yoshinso, and 10 students learning to be public health workers. All 18 subjects verbally agreed to participate in the study. Data collection was through experimental interviews according to microtraining models and through questionnaires comprising four elements: moral, emotional, cognitive and communication action. The results were analyzed by principle factor analysis, two-way analysis of variance and multiple regression analysis of variance. Analysis resulted in four factors being extracted. Using the Emotional Empathy Scale for comparison, the content validity of those factors was confirmed. In the second study, these four factors were used as an evaluation instrument in the form of a list of 20 items of evaluation. Measurements were derived by evaluating the 327 nursing students who were the subjects for this study. The subjects performed pseudo-counseling role plays based on the microcounseling method. Five evaluators studied the counselor's behavior and attitude by observing the interaction between the client and counselor roles as the subjects performed role plays. A Likert scale was used to collect data and the data were analyzed by principle factor analysis. The Empathic Understanding Scale consists of four factors: ,acceptance attitude', ,cognitive awareness attitude', ,reflective attitude regarding emotions and meaning' and ,verbalization prompting attitude'. These four factor structure groups that were extracted were found to be the same in both the pilot study and the second study. In the second study, however, a more valid and reliable Empathic Understanding Scale was established. [source] Ethics and medical research in childrenPEDIATRIC ANESTHESIA, Issue 10 2009ANDREW J. DAVIDSON MBBS MD FANZCA Summary The ethics of clinical research is based on several well-known guidelines and documents. The guidelines vary between countries, but the principles of respect for persons, beneficence, and justice are constant. These principles are reflected in requirements to obtain free and informed consent, to minimize risk or harm, and to not overly burden or disadvantage particular populations. For research to be ethical, it must also be of such a standard, and be conducted in such a manner that it will generate knew and useful knowledge. Children have limited capacity for understanding and may be more open to coercion. Therefore, they are regarded as a particularly vulnerable population, and specific clauses regarding children are incorporated into many guidelines. A key concept in these clauses is the degree of risk acceptable for children involved in research. While it is generally agreed that children require particular attention because of their vulnerability, there is also increasing concern that children in general should not be disadvantaged by lack of knowledge due to reduced research activity. Finally, an increasingly active area of research in children involves genetics and biobanking. Research in these areas raises new and challenging ethical issues. [source] ,Gentrifying the re-urbanisation debate', not vice versa: the uneven socio-spatial implications of changing transitions to adulthood in BrusselsPOPULATION, SPACE AND PLACE (PREVIOUSLY:-INT JOURNAL OF POPULATION GEOGRAPHY), Issue 5 2010Mathieu Van Criekingen Abstract This paper challenges recent views of the sociospatial transformations of inner-city neighbourhoods as ,reurbanisation', for, it is argued, such views tend to divorce the demographic dimensions of the processes at play from their contrasted social class meanings and implications. In addition, it argues that the ongoing demographic diversification of inner cities in the Western world do not stand for the obsolescence of gentrification as a key concept for understanding sociospatial transformations in these places, but rather that this trend alerts to a need to complement existing interpretations of gentrification with new insights into its demographic underpinnings. This point is illustrated via an exploration of the implications of contemporary changes in transition to adulthood for urban sociospatial structures and housing market dynamics in Brussels. Findings stress that the rapid rise of middle-class young adults in non-family households in Brussels' inner neighbourhoods brings about the reinvestment of the existing private rental market, fuelling in turn a process of rental gentrification. Such process exacerbates the competition for residential space in the city, being strongly detrimental to low-income, working-class households. The paper concludes that notwithstanding all local specifics, everywhere at stake is the need to keep a clear sense of the multiple social class stratifications of demographic change in inner neighbourhoods. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||