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Research Techniques (research + techniques)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	42%
Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting	23%
Humanities and Social Sciences	19%
3 Other Domains	16%

Selected Abstracts

Research Techniques and Their Use in Managing Non,profit Organisations , An Illustration of DEA Analysis in NPO Environments

FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY & MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2003
Jarmo Vakkuri
This article examines nonprofit organisations from the managerial viewpoint. The objective is to study the applicability of efficiency information in managing NPOs. For this purpose important conceptual and methodological aspects are addressed. An efficiency measurement technique (DEA) is then analysed as a case in point, and its main characteristics critically reviewed. DEA applications in four NPO environments are examined. The aim is to pinpoint possibilities and limitations in using DEA,based efficiency information in the management process of NPOs. The article argues in favour of a more profound comprehension of the use of efficiency information and the application of research techniques. [source]

Neurochemistry of Trigeminal Activation in an Animal Model of Migraine

HEADACHE, Issue 2006
Michael L. Oshinsky PhD
Research techniques such as electrophysiology, cFos protein expression, and other measurements of neuronal activation provide insights into the pathophysiology of pain processing in migraine, but they do not indicate the specific neurotransmitter systems involved. This paper summarizes data from microdialysis experiments in which changes in the neurochemistry of the trigeminal nucleus caudalis (TNC) were monitored during dural stimulation. Microdialysis allows the measurement of extracellular concentrations of neurotransmitters in a small area of the brain, in vivo, by means of a probe equipped with a semipermeable membrane. Microdialysis enables direct measurement of changes in extracellular concentrations of neurotransmitters in the intact animal over time in response to dural inflammation. Following the activation of the dural nociceptors, changes in the extracellular amino acid neurotransmitters in the deep lamina of the TNC were tracked. A 5-minute application of inflammatory soup when compared with saline to the dura of rats induced a transient decrease in extracellular glutamate in the TNC at approximately 30 minutes postapplication. This short-lived decrease was followed by a continuous increase in extracellular glutamate to a level of approximately 3 times the baseline value at 3 hours after application of the inflammatory soup. The time course of this increase in extracellular glutamate correlated with changes in sensory thresholds on the face of the rat from electrophysiological recordings of secondary sensory neurons in the TNC. No significant differences between the inflammatory soup and saline conditions were observed for extracellular concentrations of aspartate (an excitatory amino acid) or the inhibitory neurotransmitters gamma-aminobutyric acid or glutamine. Results of these experiments support an integral role for glutamate in central sensitization of neurons in the TNC, and suggest an important contribution of glutamate to allodynia and hyperalgia in this animal model of migraine. [source]

Packaging design, consumer research, and business strategy: The march toward accountability

DESIGN MANAGEMENT REVIEW, Issue 4 2002
Scott Young
It may not be science, but there are research techniques to measure the effectiveness and leverage the results of package designs. Scott Young articulates the possibilities, the limits, and the best uses of this type of design research. Perhaps more valuable, he recommends specific steps managers can take to build collaborative and productive relationships among designers, experts in research, and decision makers in marketing and sales. [source]

Quantitative and qualitative methods in UK health research: then, now and . . . ?

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER CARE, Issue 3 2002
K. Mcpherson phd
Quantitative and qualitative methods in UK health research: then, now and . . . ? This paper examines the current status of qualitative and quantitative research in the context of UK (public) health research in cancer. It is proposed that barren competition between qualitative and quantitative methods is inevitable, but that effective synergy between them continues to be essential to research excellence. The perceived methodological utility, with respect to understanding residual uncertainties, can account for the status accorded various research techniques and these will help to explain shifts witnessed in recent years and contribute towards an understanding of what can be realistically expected in terms of future progress. It is argued that the methodological debate, though familiar to many, is worthy of rearticulation in the context of cancer research where the psychosocial aspects of living with a cancer and the related complexity of providing appropriate cancer care are being addressed across Europe, as evidenced in recent directions in policy and research. [source]

Research Techniques and Their Use in Managing Non,profit Organisations , An Illustration of DEA Analysis in NPO Environments

Prognostic and predictive factors in endocrine tumours

HISTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 6 2006
T J Stephenson
This review encompasses the diagnostic features of malignancy, the routinely observable prognostic features and the prognostic and predictive features emerging from research techniques in the principal endocrine neoplasms: pancreatic and extrapancreatic endocrine cell tumours, thyroid and parathyroid neoplasia, adrenal cortical neoplasms and adrenal and extra-adrenal paragangliomas. While each endocrine tissue has its own set of diagnostic features for malignancy, and prognostic features once a diagnosis of malignancy has been established, there are a few common themes. For several endocrine neoplasms, definite recognition of malignancy can be difficult and may depend upon frank invasive or metastatic growth at presentation. Endocrine tissues are dynamic, with hyperplastic and regressive phenomena, some of which may mimic malignancy. Even when unequivocal features of malignancy are available for observation, their distribution in tissue may be very focal, necessitating thorough sampling. The accurate documentation of routinely observable histological features interpreted in the light of current literature has not been superseded by special techniques in the statement of diagnosis or prognosis in the vast majority of endocrine neoplasms. [source]

The Prevalence of Lying in America: Three Studies of Self-Reported Lies

HUMAN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH, Issue 1 2010
Kim B. Serota
This study addresses the frequency and the distribution of reported lying in the adult population. A national survey asked 1,000 U.S. adults to report the number of lies told in a 24-hour period. Sixty percent of subjects report telling no lies at all, and almost half of all lies are told by only 5% of subjects; thus, prevalence varies widely and most reported lies are told by a few prolific liars. The pattern is replicated in a reanalysis of previously published research and with a student sample. Substantial individual differences in lying behavior have implications for the generality of truth,lie base rates in deception detection experiments. Explanations concerning the nature of lying and methods for detecting lies need to account for this variation. L'importance du mensonge aux États-Unis : trois études de mensonges auto-déclarés Kim B. Serota, Timothy R. Levine, Franklin J. Boster Cette étude aborde la fréquence et la distribution des mensonges déclarés par la population adulte. Un sondage national a demandéà 1 000 adultes américains de déclarer le nombre de mensonges racontés dans une période de 24 heures. 60 % des sujets ont rapporté ne pas avoir dit de mensonge du tout et près de la moitié de ces mensonges sont racontés par 5 % des sujets. L'importance des mensonges varie donc largement et la plupart des mensonges déclarés sont formulés par un petit nombre de menteurs prolifiques. Cette tendance se retrouve également dans une nouvelle analyse de recherches déjà publiées et dans l'échantillon étudiant. Des différences individuelles importantes dans les comportements mensongers ont également des conséquences pour la généralité d'un taux de référence vérité,mensonge dans les expériences de détection de la tromperie. Les explications concernant la nature du mensonge et les méthodes de détection de mensonges doivent prendre en compte cette variation. Mots clés : tromperie, mensonge, différences individuelles The Prevalence of Lying in America: Three Studies of Self-Reported Lies Research Question: This study addresses the frequency and the distribution of reported lying in the adult population. Significance: In the deception literature, consensus is that most people lie on a daily basis. Yet this view is founded on very little empirical evidence. This research tests the question of lying prevalence. Method: Survey research techniques and descriptive analysis are used to establish base rates and frequency distributions for reported lying behavior. Data source: A national survey asked 1,000 U.S. adults to report the number of lies told in a 24 hour period. Cross-validation is provided by re-analysis of previously reported diary and experimental data and by replication using a sample of 225 students. Findings: The oft-repeated average (arithmetic mean) of one to two lies per day is replicated but the study finds the distribution is highly skewed. On a typical day, 60% of subjects report telling no lies at all, and almost half or all lies are told by only 5% of subjects; thus, prevalence varies widely and most reported lies are told by a few prolific liars. The pattern is replicated in the re-analysis of previously published research and with the student sample. Implications: The findings of a highly skewed distribution render the average number of lies per day misleading. Substantial individual differences in lying behavior also have implications for the generality of truth-lie base-rates in deception detection experiments. Explanations concerning the nature of lying and methods for detecting lies need to account for this variation. Keywords: deception, lies, lying, communication, individual differences Die Prävalenz von Lügen in Amerika. Drei Studien zu selbstberichteten Lügen Forschungsfrage: Diese Studie untersucht die Häufigkeit und Verteilung von Lügen in der erwachsenen Bevölkerung. Zentralität: In der Literatur zu Täuschung besteht Konsens darüber, dass Menschen täglich Lügen. Allerdings basiert diese Feststellung auf wenigen empirischen Daten. Diese Untersuchung testet die Frage nach der Prävalenz von Lügen. Methode: Umfrage und beschreibende Analyse wurden angewandt, um eine Basisrate und Häufigkeitsdistribution für selbstberichtetes Lügenverhalten zu gewinnen. Datenquelle: In einer nationalen Umfrage wurden 1.000 US-amerikanische Erwachsene zur Zahl der Lügen befragt, die sie in 24 Stunden erzählten. Validiert wurden diese Aussagen durch eine erneute Analyse von bereits dokumentierten Tagebuchdaten und Experimentaldaten und durch die Replikation mit einer Stichprobe von 225 Studierenden. Ergebnisse: Der oft wiederholte Durchschnitt (arithmetische Mittel) von ein bis zwei Lügen pro Tag wurde in der Studie repliziert, allerdings zeigte sich auch, dass diese Verteilung schief ist. 60% der Befragten gaben an, an einem typischen Tag keine Lügen zu erzählen, fast die Hälfte aller Lügen wird von nur 5% der Befragten erzählt; die Prävalenz variiert stark und die meisten der berichteten Lügen werden durch wenige produktive Lügner erzählt. Dieses Muster wurde bei einer erneuten Analyse von vorher publizierten Daten und in der Studentenstichprobe repliziert. Implikationen: Die Ergebnisse dieser stark schiefen Verteilung zeigen, dass die durchschnittliche Zahl von Lügen pro Tag irreführend ist. Substantielle individuelle Unterschiede im Lügenverhalten haben Implikationen für die Verallgemeinerbarkeit von Wahrheit-Lüge-Basisraten in Täuschungserfassungs-Experimenten. Erklärungen zur Natur von Lügen und Methoden zur Erfassung von Lügen müssen diese Variation bedenken. Schlüsselworte: Täuschung, Lüge, Lügen, Kommunikation, individuelle Unterschiede La Prevalencia de la Mentira en América: Tres Estudios de Auto-reportes de Mentiras Kim B. Serota, Timothy R. Levine, Franklin J. Boster Michigan State University The authors thank Deborah Kashy Resumen Este estudio trata sobre la frecuencia y la distribución de los reportes de las mentiras de la población adulta. Una encuesta nacional preguntó a 1,000 adultos Estadounidenses que reporten el número de mentiras contadas en un período de 24-horas. 60% de los sujetos reportaron que no dicen mentiras para nada, y casi la mitad son contadas por solo un 5% de los sujetos; así, la prevalencia varía enormemente y muchos reportaron que las mentiras son contadas por pocos mentirosos prolíficos. La pauta es replicada en el re-análisis de investigación previamente publicada y con una muestra de estudiantes. Las diferencias individuales sustanciales en el comportamiento mentiroso tienen implicaciones también para la generalidad del índice basado en la verdad-mentira en los experimentos de detección de decepción. Las explicaciones concernientes a la naturaleza de la mentira y los métodos de detección de mentiras necesitan responder a esta variación. Palabras Claves: decepción, mentiras, mentir, comunicación, diferencias individuales [source]

Outcomes research: what is it and why does it matter?

INTERNAL MEDICINE JOURNAL, Issue 3 2003
M. Jefford
Abstract Outcomes research is a broad umbrella term without a consistent definition. However it tends to describe research that is concerned with the effectiveness of public-health interventions and health services; that is, the outcomes of these services. Attention is frequently focused on the affected individual , with measures such as quality of life and preferences , but outcomes research may also refer to effectiveness of health-care delivery, with measures such as cost-effectiveness, health status and disease burden. The present review details the historical background of outcomes research to reveal the origins of its diversity. The value and relevance of outcomes research, commonly employed research techniques and examples of recent publications in the area are also discussed. (Intern Med J 2003; 33: 110,118) [source]

Mapping landscape values and development preferences: a method for tourism and residential development planning

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TOURISM RESEARCH, Issue 2 2006
Gregory Brown
Abstract This paper presents a method for measuring and analysing tourism and residential development options using survey research techniques that spatially locate public-perceived landscape values and development preferences. Using survey data from Kangaroo Island, South Australia, landscape values and preferences for tourism development are analysed to determine the relative strength of landscape values as predictors of place-specific development preferences. Results indicate that tourism development preferences are most closely associated with recreation, economic and scenic landscape values whereas residential development preferences are most closely associated with recreation, economic and learning values. Preferences for ,no development' are most closely associated with wilderness, therapeutic and intrinsic landscape values. A simple development index is generated from the spatial data that ranges from positive (acceptable development) to negative (no development) values. The potential benefits of the method for land-use planning processes are discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley &Sons, Ltd. [source]

The Coffee Shop: Social and Physical factors Influencing Place Attachment

JOURNAL OF INTERIOR DESIGN, Issue 3 2006
Lisa Waxman Ph.D
ABSTRACT This study explored the characteristics that encourage gathering behavior and contribute to place attachment in selected coffee shops in the context of literature suggesting social gathering places contribute to social capital. These gathering places, with the potential to enhance community in this manner, have been called third places. The study was qualitative in nature and included the research techniques of visual documentation, observation and behavioral mapping, interview, and survey. A transactional approach to this study was chosen to better understand the meaning of the person-environment relationship. Each coffee shop was observed for twenty-five hours for a total of seventy-five hours. Eighteen interviews were conducted and surveys were collected from 94 patrons to reveal patron attitudes toward the physical and social aspects of the coffee shop as well as their feelings regarding the community in which they live. The key findings regarding the physical characteristics showed the top five design considerations included: cleanliness, appealing aroma, adequate lighting, comfortable furniture, and a view to the outside. A number of themes emerged related to people, their activities, and their feelings and attitudes regarding the coffee shop. Each coffee shop was found to have a unique social climate and culture related to sense of belonging, territoriality and ownership, productivity and personal growth, opportunity for socialization, support and networking, and sense of community. Regarding feelings of community, survey findings from coffee shops patrons showed a positive correlation between length of patronage and their sense of attachment to their community. [source]

Microcirculatory Dysfunction in Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI)

MICROCIRCULATION, Issue S1 2000
MICHAEL JÜNGER
ABSTRACT The elevated ambulatory pressure in the peripheral venous system of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) patients manifests itself not only in the form of disturbed macrocirculation but also and particularly in microangiopathic changes. For this reason, it is closely correlated with trophic disorders of the skin and can ultimately lead to ulceration. Using microcirculation research techniques, we are able to provide clear evidence of a typical microangiopathy in chronic venous insufficiency. Fifty CVI patients in Widmer stages I, II, and III were examined with fluorescence video microscopy, intravital video capillaroscopy, transcutaneous oxygen partial pressure measurement, TcpO2 and laser Doppler flowmetry. The effects of compression therapy with individually fitted compression stockings on capillary morphology were studied over a period of 4 weeks in 20 CVI patients in Widmer stages I and II. The capillary pressure was measured during simulated muscle contraction using a servo-null micropressure system. We periodically drew blood from the dorsalis pedis vein and a brachial vein of 11 healthy test persons and 8 patients with stage III CVI during experimental venous hypertension in order to evaluate the expression pattern of leukocyte adhesion molecules involved in inflammation: LFA-1 (CD11a), Mac-1 (CD11b), p150,95 (CD11c), CD18, VLA-4 (CD49d), and L-selectin (CD62L). In the same patients, we used immunohistochemical methods to examine clinically unaffected skin and the skin near an ulcer, focusing on the adhesion molecules ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and E-selectin. The microangiopathic changes observed with worsening clinical symptoms include a decrease in the number of capillaries, glomerulus-like changes in capillary morphology, a drop in the oxygen content (tcpO2) of the skin, increased permeability of the capillaries to low-molecular-weight substances, increased laser Doppler flux reflecting elevated subcutaneous flow, and diminished vascular reserve. These microangiopathic changes worsen in linear proportion to the clinical severity of chronic venous insufficiency. In patients with venous ulcerations, the baseline expression of LFA-1 and VLA-4 on lymphocytes, Mac-1 expression on the myeloid cell line, and L-selectin expression on all three cell lines was not significantly different from that in healthy controls. During orthostatic stress, there was a significant reduction in the expression of L-selectin in blood cells collected at foot level in the controls (p = 0.002), but not in the patients. Clinical improvement by compression therapy was accompanied by an increase in the number of nutritive capillaries, while the diameter of the capillaries and the dermal papillae was reduced. When ulcers healed in a short period (<6 weeks), we observed a concomitant increase in the number of capillaries (p < 0.05). Microangiopathy appears before trophic disorders of the skin develop. Even trophically normal skin areas may have dilated nutritive capillaries, an early sign of disturbed skin perfusion. These changes represent a plausible explanation for the development and to recurrency tendency of venous ulcers. The reduced expression of lymphocytic L-selectin in healthy controls during the orthostatic stress test may be an indication that the cells are activated by venous stasis. Clinically effective therapeutic measures improve the impaired microcirculation of the skin in the ankle area. [source]

Investigating afferent nerve activity from the lower urinary tract: Highlighting some basic research techniques and clinical evaluation methods,,

NEUROUROLOGY AND URODYNAMICS, Issue 1 2010
Jean Jacques Wyndaele
Abstract Aims To give a review of some basic research recording and clinical evaluations of bladder afferent nerves and the sensory information related to them. Methods Literature survey. Results Direct investigation of the afferent nerve pathways of the lower urinary tract (LUT) can be done in animal studies where potentials can be recorded and measured directly in the dorsal roots after laminectomy. Differentiation between A delta and C fibers is possible when conduction speed is determined. In humans afferent innervation can be studied clinically with determination of the sensation on sensation-related bladder diary, during cystometrical bladder filling, with local electrical stimulation. All need further study. Electrodiagnostic tests are further explored. Conclusions Both basic research and clinical evaluation of afferent nerves and sensory function in the LUT are possible. To find out how both relate to each other, and how this function can be evaluated, is the task to be done now. Neurourol. Urodynam. 29: 56,62, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

The role of consultants in institutional research

NEW DIRECTIONS FOR INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH, Issue 139 2008
John Milam
Higher education consultants draw heavily on institutional research techniques in their work and serve a valuable function in the delivery of institutional research. [source]

Strategic Frame Analysis: Providing the "evidence" for evidence-based communications

NEW DIRECTIONS FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT, Issue 124 2009
Tiffany Manuel
This article describes the five major phases of research associated with Strategic Frame Analysis, an approach to communications research and practice that advances new ways of pursuing social change of entrenched and complex social problems. This multimethod approach is characterized by multidisciplinary and iterative research techniques that give emphasis to empirical testing of potential frame effects. The logic behind this constellation of methods and the order in which they are taken up in the research cycle is discussed as an introduction to the articles that follow that review specific parts of the research trajectory. [source]

Using multimethods ethnography to promote quality service and understand interactions among organizations

NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP, Issue 4 2006
Jo Anne Schneider
Multimethods ethnography combines qualitative techniques with analysis of statistical data and sometimes mapping techniques. Ethnography provides a comprehensive picture of process in an agency or other setting by examining the dynamics between individuals and institutions to understand how systems work. Ethnography is particularly good at evaluating complex problems involving multiple stakeholders as well as understanding agency processes. I use examples from the Neighborhood Settlement House Evaluation Project and Kenosha Social Capital Study to describe the ethnographic method and its potential uses for nonprofit managers. I begin with an outline of methodological techniques, including problem definition, sample design, various data collection techniques, and analysis. Next I discuss ethnography's approach to the common research concerns of generalizability and replication. In concluding, I discuss ways that this method can be useful to nonprofit managers. Quality work is compared with less complete research techniques throughout each section. [source]

MORE THAN ONE WAY TO STUDY A BUILDING: APPROACHES TO PREHISTORIC HOUSEHOLD AND SETTLEMENT SPACE

OXFORD JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 3 2006
MARION CUTTING
Summary. This article reviews a number of research methodologies used to record household and settlement architecture and assesses their value in the investigation of the human use of prehistoric built space. It exemplifies, through case studies, five broad approaches to, and research techniques associated with, the investigation of such architecture. These approaches are: architectural form; the spatial distribution of activities; continuity and standardization; the relationship between built and non-built space; and human patterns of movement. Then, drawing mainly on Near Eastern, and particularly Anatolian, material, it shows how a sixth approach, the use of ethnographic observation and analogy, provides insights into functional and seasonal variations in spatial use, patterns of movement and social organization. It identifies seven categories of data collection and nine observations drawn from the ethnographic material which together provide an investigative and interpretative framework for the study of early farming communities in the Near East and elsewhere. [source]

Using community-based participatory research to design and initiate a study on immigrant worker health and safety in San Francisco's Chinatown restaurants

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 4 2010
Meredith Minkler DrPH
Abstract Background Restaurant workers have among the highest rates of work-related illness and injury in the US, but little is known about the working conditions and occupational health status of Chinese immigrant restaurant workers. Methods Community-based participatory research (CBPR) was employed to study restaurant working conditions and worker health in San Francisco's Chinatown. A community/academic/health department collaborative was formed and 23 restaurant workers trained on research techniques and worker health and safety. A worker survey instrument and a restaurant observational checklist were collaboratively developed. The checklist was piloted in 71 Chinatown restaurants, and the questionnaire administered to 433 restaurant workers. Results Restaurant workers, together with other partners, made substantial contributions to construction of the survey and checklist tools and improved their cultural appropriateness. The utility of the checklist tool for restaurant-level data collection was demonstrated. Conclusions CBPR holds promise for both studying worker health and safety among immigrant Chinese restaurant workers and developing culturally appropriate research tools. A new observational checklist also has potential for restaurant-level data collection on worker health and safety conditions. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:361,371, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Feasibility of an Interactive Voice Response Tool for Adolescent Assault Victims

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 10 2009
Mercedes M. Blackstone MD
Abstract Background:, Assault-injured adolescents who are seen in the emergency department (ED) are difficult to follow prospectively using standard research techniques such as telephone calls or mailed questionnaires. Interactive voice response (IVR) is a novel technology that promotes active participation of subjects and allows automated data collection for prospective studies. Objectives:, The objective was to determine the feasibility of IVR technology for collecting prospective information from adolescents who were enrolled in an ED-based study of interpersonal violence. Methods:, A convenience sample of assault-injured 12- to 19-year-olds presenting to an urban, tertiary care ED was enrolled prospectively. Each subject completed a brief questionnaire in the ED and then was randomly assigned to use the IVR system in differently timed schedules over a period of 8 weeks: weekly, biweekly, or monthly calls. Upon discharge, each subject received a gift card incentive and a magnetic calendar with his or her prospective call-in dates circled on it. Each time a subject contacted the toll-free number, he or she used the telephone's keypad to respond to computer-voice questions about retaliation and violence subsequent to the ED visit. Using Internet access, we added $5 to the gift card for each call and $10 if all scheduled calls were completed. The primary outcome was the rate of the first utilization of the IVR system. The numbers of completed calls made for each of the three call-in schedules were also compared. Results:, Of the 95 subjects who consented to the follow-up portion of the study, 44.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 34.0% to 54.8%) completed at least one IVR call, and 13.7% (95% CI = 7.5% to 22.3%) made all of their scheduled calls. There were no significant differences among groups in the percentage of subjects calling at least once into the system or in the percentage of requested calls made. The enrolled subjects had a high level of exposure to violence. At baseline, 85.3% (95% CI = 76.5% to 91.7%) had heard gunshots fired, and 84.2% (95% CI = 75.3% to 90.9%) had seen someone being assaulted. Twenty-eight adolescents (29.5%, 95% CI = 20.6% to 39.7%) were reached for satisfaction interviews. All of those contacted found the IVR system easy to use and all but one would use it again. Conclusions:, Interactive voice response technology is a feasible means of follow-up among high-risk violently injured adolescents, and this relatively anonymous process allows for the collection of sensitive information. Further research is needed to determine the optimal timing of calls and cost-effectiveness in this population. [source]

Resuscitating the Microcirculation in Sepsis: The Central Role of Nitric Oxide, Emerging Concepts for Novel Therapies, and Challenges for Clinical Trials

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 5 2008
Stephen Trzeciak MD
Abstract Microcirculatory dysfunction is a critical element of the pathogenesis of severe sepsis and septic shock. In this Bench-to-Bedside review, we present: 1) the central role of the microcirculation in the pathophysiology of sepsis; 2) new translational research techniques of in vivo video microscopy for assessment of microcirculatory flow in human subjects; 3) clinical investigations that reported associations between microcirculatory dysfunction and outcome in septic patients; 4) the potential role of novel agents to "rescue" the microcirculation in sepsis; 5) current challenges facing this emerging field of clinical investigation; and 6) a framework for the design of future clinical trials aimed to determine the impact of novel agents on microcirculatory flow and organ failure in patients with sepsis. We specifically focus this review on the central role and vital importance of the nitric oxide (NO) molecule in maintaining microcirculatory homeostasis and patency, especially when the microcirculation sustains an insult (as with sepsis). We also present the scientific rationale for clinical trials of exogenous NO administration to treat microcirculatory dysfunction and augment microcirculatory blood flow in early sepsis therapy. [source]

Imaging the future: theatre and change within the child protection system

CHILD & FAMILY SOCIAL WORK, Issue 2 2000
Spratt
The use of social pedagogy as a paradigm for critically appraising developments within child and family social work has been largely neglected. This paper outlines the work of Augusto Boal and his adoption of social pedagogy as a method for empowering oppres-sed social groups in Brazil. It is argued that Boal's approach can be adapted by using action research techniques to analyse and effect change in situations where child care professionals face daily contradictions in their attempts to both protect children and support families. To demonstrate its relevance to child care practice, a description is provided of how the approach was used with two groups of social work students , one undertaking qualifying training, the other post-qualifying training. The results of this application suggest a new theoretical framework for practice which aims to establish communicative consensus around the needs of children and a mutual appreciation of roles and responsibilities. [source]

Vulnerable young people and substance misuse: expanding on the risk and protection-focused approach using social psychology

CHILD ABUSE REVIEW, Issue 4 2009
Victoria Scaife
Abstract This paper critically reviews recent research exploring risk and protective factors for the development of problematic substance use in populations of young people. Specific populations of young people who are most vulnerable to developing problematic patterns of use are identified, and alterations to methods of data collection which would improve the ability of local authorities to monitor these populations and more efficiently target them for early preventative interventions are highlighted. It is argued that social-psychological research techniques and approaches should be used to complement a risk and protection-focused approach in order to improve the design and evaluation of interventions, and provide decision-aids for practitioners when assessing the needs of vulnerable young people. Examples are provided to demonstrate the utility of social psychology in this regard, and the paper concludes with specific recommendations for future research and services. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]