The impact of heat on mortality and morbidity in the Greater Metropolitan Sydney Region: A case crossover analysis

Background: This study examined the association between unusually high temperature and daily mortality (1997-2007) and hospital admissions (1997-2010) in the Sydney Greater Metropolitan Region (GMR) to assist in the development of targeted health program

Battling Against Interfaith Relations in Israel: Religion, Therapy, and Social Services

One of the less studied aspects of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict is its demography. On the Jewish side, active steps are taken by the state to encourage Jewish immigration and Jewish births and discourage Jewish assimilation. As part of these efforts, the “problematic relationships” between Arab men and Jewish women from low socioeconomic background have become a high agenda item in public discussions in Israel during the last decade. I will examine here how the diagnostic category “girls at risk” and a therapeutic intervention employed by social services dealing with these couples helps maintaining the delicate balance between Jewish and democratic values. I will analyze these practices as a solution to a structural problem of the Jewish enclave in Israel

درجة إدارة مديري المدارس للأزمات التربوية وعلاقتها بدورهم في معالجة الفاقد التعليمي

هدفت الدراسة للكشف عن درجة إدارة مديري المدارس للأزمات التربوية وعلاقتها بدورهم في معالجة الفاقد التعليمي من وجهة نظر المعلمين، حيث بلغت عينة الدراسة (170) معلمًا ومعلمةً من المعلمين العاملين بمديرية تربية لواء البترا، واستخدمت الباحثة استبانة إدارة الأزمات التربوية، واستبانة الفاقد التعليمي، واتَّبعت الدراسة المنهج الوصفي، وأشارت نتائج الدراسة إلى أنَّ نسبة مستوى إدارة مديري المدارس للأزمات التربوية من وجهة نظر المعلمين بلغت مستوى عالٍ، وأشارت نتائج الدراسة إلى أنَّ نسبة مستوى معالجة مديري المدارس للفاقد التعليمي من وجهة نظر المعلمين بلغت مستوى عالٍ، وأنَّ معامل الارتباط بيرسون بين إدارة مديري المدارس للأزمات التربوية ومعالجة الفاقد التعليمي من وجهة نظر المعلمين ارتباط إيجابي مما يعني أنَّ العلاقة طردية، وتوجد فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية في إدارة مديري المدارس للأزمات التربوية، ومعالجة الفاقد التعليمي من وجهة نظر المعلمين تبعًا لمتغير الجنس لصالح الإناث، بينما لا توجد فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية في إدارة مديري المدارس للأزمات التربوية، ومعالجة الفاقد التعليمي من وجهة نظر المعلمين تبعًا لمتغيرات (سنوات الخبرة، والمؤهل العلمي). The study aimed to reveal the degree of school principals’ management of educational crises and its relationship to their role in addressing educational loss from the teachers’ point of view, where the study sample consisted of (170) male and female teachers from the teachers working in the Directorate of Education of Petra District, and the researcher used the Educational Crises Management Questionnaire, and the Educational Loss Questionnaire, and the study followed the descriptive approach, and the results of the study indicated that the percentage of the level of school principals’ management of educational crises from the teachers’ point of view reached a high level, and the results of the study indicated that the percentage of the level of school principals’ treatment of educational loss from the teachers’ point of view reached a high level, and that Pearson’s correlation coefficient between school principals’ management of educational crises and addressing educational loss from the teachers’ point of view was positive, which means that the relationship is direct, and there are statistically significant differences in school principals’ management of educational crises, and addressing educational loss from the teachers’ point of view according to the gender variable in favor of females, while there are no statistically significant differences in school principals’ management of educational crises, and addressing educational loss from the teachers’ point of view according to the variables (years of experience, and academic qualification)

The Mediating Role of Religious Orientations in the Relationship between Intergroup Contact and Sectarian Prejudice among Omani Citizens

ملخص: تهدف هذه الدراسة إلى الكشف عن العلاقة بين أنماط التَّديُّن بأشكاله: (الظاهري والجوهري والاستقصائي والأصولي)، والتَّواصل بين الجماعات والتَّعصُّب المذهبي، كما تهدف أيضًا إلى التحقق من الدور الوسيط لأنماط التَّديُّن في العلاقة بين التَّواصل والتعصب. وقد ضمّت عينة الدراسة 2498 مواطنًا عُمانيًّا من المذاهب الثلاثة: الإباضيَّة، والسنّة، والشيعة (Mage=31 years، SDage=9.9) وطُبّق عليهم مقياس أنماط التَّديُّن ومقياس التَّواصل بين الجماعات ومقياس التعصب. وأظهرت النتائج أنّ أنماط التَّديُّن الأصولي والتَّديُّن الظاهري والتَّديُّن الجوهري مرتبطة إيجابيًا بالتَّعصُّب المذهبي. وبيّنت أيضًا أنّ التَّديُّن الاستقصائي والتَّواصل بين الجماعات يرتبطان سلبًا بالتَّعصُّب المذهبي، وأنّ التَّديُّن الاستقصائي والتَّديُّن الأصولي يتوسطان العلاقة بين التَّواصل بين المجموعات والتَّعصُّب المذهبي. كما بيّنت النتائج أنّ جزءًا معتبرًا من التَّعصُّب المذهبي يمكن تفسيره من خلال نمط التَّديُّن الظاهري ونمط التَّديُّن الأصولي، وأن التَّواصل بين أفراد الجماعات المذهبية يرتبط بانخفاض التَّعصُّب المذهبي، ويتوسط كلٌّ من التَّديُّن الاستقصائي والتَّديُّن الأصولي هذه العلاقة.Abstract: This study aimed to understand the interlinks between religious orientations (extrinsic, intrinsic, quest, and fundamentalist), intergroup contact and sectarian prejudice, verifying whether religious orientations mediate the contact-prejudice links. A sample of 2,498 Omani citizens (Mage=31 years, SDage=9.9) who belong to either Ibada, Sunnah, or Shi'a sects responded to a questionnaire measuring the study variables. The results indicated that fundamentalist, extrinsic, and intrinsic religiosity were positively correlated with sectarian prejudice. Furthermore, quest religiosity and contact were negatively correlated with sectarian prejudice, and we found that quest and fundamentalist orientations mediate the association between contact and sectarian prejudice. We concluded that sectarian prejudice can be significantly explained by fundamentalist and extrinsic religiosity, and that quest and fundamentalist religious orientations mediate the contact-sectarian prejudice relationship

Importance of proximity to resources, social support, transportation and neighborhood security for mobility and social participation in older adults: results from a scoping study

ABSTRACT: Background: Since mobility and social participation are key determinants of health and quality of life, it is important to identify factors associated with them. Although several investigations have been conducted on the neighborhood environment, mobility and social participation, there is no clear integration of the results. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding regarding how the neighborhood environment is associated with mobility and social participation in older adults.Methods: A rigorous methodological scoping study framework was used to search nine databases from different fields with fifty-one keywords. Data were exhaustively analyzed, organized and synthesized according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) by two research assistants following PRISMA guidelines, and results were validated with knowledge users.Results: The majority of the 50 selected articles report results of cross-sectional studies (29; 58 %), mainly conducted in the US (24; 48 %) or Canada (15; 30 %). Studies mostly focused on neighborhood environment associations with mobility (39; 78 %), social participation (19; 38 %), and occasionally both (11; 22 %). Neighborhood attributes considered were mainly 'Pro ducts and technology' (43; 86) and 'Services, systems and policies' (37; 74 %), but also 'Natural and human- made changes' (27; 54 %) and 'Support and relationships' (21; 42 %). Mobility and social participation were both positively associated with Proximity to resources and recreational facilities, Social support, Having a car or driver's license, Public transportation and Neighborhood security, and negatively associated with Poor user-friendliness of the walking environment and Neighborhood insecurity. Attributes of the neighborhood environment not covered by previous research on mobility and social participation mainly concerned 'Attitudes', and 'Services, systems and policies'.Conclusion: Results from this comprehensive synthesis of empirical studies on associations of the neighborhood environment with mobility and social participation will ultimately support best practices, decisions and the development of innovative inclusive public health interventions including clear guidelines for the creation of age-supportive environments. To foster mobility and social participation, these interventions must consider Proximity to resources and to recreational facilities, Social support, Transportation, Neighborhood security and User-friendliness of the walking environment. Future studies should include both mobility and social participation, and investigate how they are associated with 'Attitudes', and 'Services, systems and policies' in older adults, including disadvantaged older adults

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

Identity, psychological adaptation, and socio-cultural adaptation among Australian adolescent Muslims

This research project aimed at examining the interconnections between identity-based intrapsychic forces¬ — specifically, cultural identity, Australian identity, religiosity, and personal/ego identity— and psychological and socio-cultural adaptation of Australian adolescent Muslims. The study extends previous research on minority adolescents which mainly investigated the role adolescents’ acculturation modes play in their adaptation. The study employed a mixed-method design involving quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The quantitative part of the study recruited a sample of 321 high school Muslim students (149 males and 172 females) aged between 14 and 18 years studying at Muslim schools in metropolitan Sydney, Australia, who filled in a survey measuring among other things their cultural identity, Australian identity, religiosity, personal/ego identity, and adaptation. The qualitative part of this research project conducted semi-structured interviews with a subset of 18 Australian adolescent Muslims from the same cohort of participant schools. The interviews examined participants’ cultural identity, Australian identity, religiosity, and the role each plays in their adaptation. A series of hierarchical regression analyses, controlling for socio-demographic factors, revealed that while adolescents’ preference for integration of their cultural and Australian identities was advantageous for a range of their psychological and socio-cultural adaptation measures, marginalisation was consistently the worst. Similarly, while personal/ego identity achievement was advantageous for a range of adaptation measures among the participants, diffusion was consistently the worst. Further hierarchical regression analyses, controlling for socio-demographic factors, showed that adolescent Muslims’ religiosity, and to a certain degree their personal/ego identity achievement, was better for a range of their adaptation measures compared to their preference for an integration acculturation style. This finding was generally supported by the qualitative analysis revealing that adolescent Muslims were in a better position to see a positive role of religiosity in their adaptation, compared to their cultural identity or being Australian

Digital Tools in English teaching

Digitala verktyg har blivit en integrerad del av undervisningspraktiken, inte minst i språkundervisningen. Under min verksamhetsförlagda utbildning har jag sett att lärare använder digitala verktyg av olika slag och i olika syften. Man vet dock inte mycket om i vilket syfte de används och på vilket sätt dessa verktyg exempelvis bidrar till en fördjupad kvalitet i språkundervisningen. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka användningen av digitala verktyg i undervisningen i engelska en mellanstadieklass (årskurs 5). Studien kommer att fokusera på att identifiera vilka digitala verktyg och vilka program som används av lärare i undervisning i engelska och i vilket pedagogiskt syfte dessa digitala verktyg används. Metoden för att materialinsamling är kvalitativ och materialet består av klassrumsobservationer med observationsschema och fältanteckningar. Som analysmetod används tematisk analysmetod av Braun & Clarke (2006).Studien baseras på TPCK-teorin (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge), som är en teoretisk ram inom utbildningsforskning och pedagogik. TPCK-teorin syftar till att förstå och beskriva den komplexa kunskap som krävs för att effektivt integrera teknik i undervisningen. Enligt TPCK-teorin är undervisning och lärande en kombination av tre kunskapsområden: teknologi, pedagogik och ämnesinnehåll. Teknologisk kunskap handlar om att förstå digitala verktyg och deras möjligheter.Resultaten från studien visar att olika digitala verktyg används för att undervisa engelska i grundskolan. Quizlet, Kahoot, Google Classroom, Google Dokument, Smartboard och projektor är några av de verktyg som används. Användningen av dessa verktyg varierar beroende på pedagogiska mål och ändamål