A Longitudinal Study Examining the Stability of Occupational Stressors Identified by Nursing Home Administrators

As a result of the ever changing and expanding role of the nursing home administrator in conjunction with the stricter legislation governing nursing facilities over the past decade and the graying of America, a study specific to this population was warranted. The purpose of this study is to determine the relative change in the self-reported occupational stressors of nursing home administrators over a five year period (December 1994 to June 1999) secondary to the increased regulatory climate of the nursing home industry. This study was carried out in three phases and included all practicing nursing home administrators in Virginia. Phase I data resulted in a 35 item occupational stressor questionnaire that was used in Phases II and III to obtain the mean ranks and make comparisons over the five-year period. The top five stressors in Phase II were: “Federal/State inspections”; “unrealistic expectations/demands of state”; “maintaining high quality care”; “retaining qualified staff”; and “unrealistic family expectations”. The top five stressors in Phase III included: “Federal and State inspections”; “retaining qualified/competent staff”; “staff turnover”; “unrealistic expectations/demands of regulators”; and “recruitment and hiring of competent staff”. Nine of the top 10 stressors in Phase II remained among the top 10 stressors in Phase III. The results showed, in accordance with Selye\u27s theory, that the occupational stressors remained relatively stable over time. Four significant differences were found over the five-year period. Phase III administrators rated the stressors “retain qualified/competent staff”, “recruit qualified/competent staff”, “staff turnover and shortages”, and “long hours” significantly more stressful. The results highlight the nursing shortage, an area that has apparently been as significant an influence in the management of nursing facilities as the increased legislation and resulting increased nursing facility oversight. Secondary to Selye\u27s emphasis on time, space, and intensity as factors impacting an individual\u27s ability to adapt to a stressor, it was proposed that the increased legislation from 1995 to 1999 would result in increased stressor scores for seven of the stressors related to legislative changes. None of the hypothesized differences were confirmed. Thus, further support for Selye\u27s theory was not obtained in terms of his emphasis on time, space, and intensity. However, six of these seven stressors remained among the top 10 stressors, emphasizing their continued magnitude and reiterating their stability

The Prediction of Drug Experimentation Among University Students Using Objective Personality Inventories

This study examined the relationships of five self-report assessment measures and university students\u27 drug experimentation across nine drug categories. A total of 74 undergraduate psychology students, 53 females and 21 males participated in the study. The test battery included forms A and B of the Sixteen Personality Factors (16PF), the MacAndrew Alcoholism Scale (MAC) of the MMPI, Costa and McCrae\u27s Five- Factor Model of personality, and the Sensation Seeking Scales (SSS). Segal\u27s (1973) Alcohol-Drug Use Research Survey (ADRS) was employed as the drug-experimentation measure. Drug categories included alcohol, amphetamines, barbiturates, caffeine, cocaine, hallucinogens, marijuana, narcotics, and tobacco. Two series of MANOVAS were computed, one using both forms of the 16PF, and the other employing the five-factor model, the MAC and SSS scales, for each of the nine drug categories. With regard to the 16PF, alcohol and tobacco users were found to be significantly different than non-users of either drug. However, no clear pattern of results surfaced. Significant relationships with drug use for the set of variables consisting of the Five-Factor model, MAC, and SSS scale scores were obtained. Differences were found between users and nonusers of amphetamines, barbiturates, cocaine, and hallucinogens. A similar pattern for users was found, whereby users could be characterized as high sensation seekers who are more neurotic and less agreeable

Sviluppo ed implementazione di un Digital Twin della città di Bologna

La crescita delle tecnologie digitali trasforma il modo in cui interagiamo con le città attraverso il Digital Twin: una replica digitale di un sistema fisico con lo scopo di effettuare simulazioni e predizioni. Questo progetto di tesi, sviluppata durante uno stage presso Cineca di Bologna, esplora tutte le fasi dello sviluppo di un Urban Digital Twin. Il lavoro si concentra sulla creazione di un prototipo che integra dati eterogenei in un ambiente 3D dinamico e aggiornato in tempo reale in base ai dati provenienti dalla città. In primo luogo si è analizzato lo stato dell'arte, successivamente i dati iniziali. In seguito sono esposte tutte le metodologie e tecniche di processing sui dati con lo scopo di ottenere i modelli 3D di edifici, terreno e verde urbano. Infine la trattazione si sposta sulla creazione vera e propria del prototipo e l'integrazione con fonti di dati real time

Access to and utilization of prenatal care services in the Unified Health System of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Prenatal care consists of practices considered to be effective for the reduction of adverse perinatal outcomes. However, studies have demonstrated inequities in pregnant women's access to prenatal care, with worse outcomes among those with lower socioeconomic status. The objective of this study is to evaluate access to and utilization of prenatal services in the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS - Unified Health System) in the city of Rio de Janeiro and to verify its association with the characteristics of pregnant women and health services. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2007-2008, using interviews and the analysis of prenatal care cards of 2.353 pregnant women attending low risk prenatal care services of the SUS. A descriptive analysis of the reasons mentioned by women for the late start of prenatal care and hierarchical logistic regression for the identification of the factors associated with prenatal care use were performed. The absence of a diagnosis of pregnancy and poor access to services were the reasons most often reported for the late start of prenatal care. Earlier access was found among white pregnant women, who had a higher level of education, were primiparous and lived with a partner. The late start of prenatal care was the factor most associated with the inadequate number of consultations, also observed in pregnant adolescents. Black women had a lower level of adequacy of tests performed as well as a lower overall adequacy of prenatal care, considering the Programa de Humanização do Pré-Natal e Nascimento (PHPN - Prenatal and Delivery Humanization Program) recommendations. Strategies for the identification of pregnant women at a higher reproductive risk, reduction in organizational barriers to services and increase in access to family planning and early diagnosis of pregnancy should be prioritized

Sulfur-polymer matrix composites from particulate wastes: a sustainable route to advanced materials

Sulfur mortars and concretes are high performance composite materials whose main properties are quick setting, high strength, low water absorption and high resistance to acid and basic environments. In addition, such materials allow to use the big amount of sulfur coming from worldwide oil refineries and metallurgical industry. The possibility of using three different by-products coming from raw materials treatment for ceramic industry in sulfur composites has been investigated in the paper. Mechanical properties, microstructure and durability of the sulfur mortars prepared with the above mentioned recycled aggregates have been investigated and compared with those of the relevant mortars samples obtained with normalised sand and cement according to UNI EN 196-1. Key words: A. Particle composites; B. Microstructures; B. Mechanical properties; A. Recyclin

LiDAR and Orthophotos: Data for 3D Environmental Simulations in Urban Digital Twins

The creation of an urban digital twin, as a digital replica of infrastructure, services, and processes—ranging from physical, environmental, and meteorological to social and economic—is both a fascinating research and technological challenge with significant impacts on land management policies aimed at sustainability and neutrality goals