Effect of axial constraints on beams subjected to lateral loads

Axial constraint effects on beams subjected to lateral load

Patient and family reactions to day hospitalization of the chronically ill

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston UniversityThe innovation of a day hospital for the long term mentally ill patient brings to light new areas of possible exploration. This study sought to look at what perceptions six patients and a member of the patients' families had concerning day hospitalization and its effects. The patients, all long term mentally ill females, had been actively participating in a specific day hospital program of a large Boston area state hospital. The patients between the ages of thirty and forty-six years of age had been in the hospital for approximately five and one-half months. Previously, they had been hospitalized from nine months to twenty-seven years with a mean of eighteen years and one month [TRUNCATED

Faith-Based Partnerships from the Perspective of the Schools: An exploratory study of partnership benefits and challenges in Philadelphia District Schools - Executive Summary

In the spring of 2008, the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) asked Research for Action to conduct an exploratory study of partnerships between faith-based organizations and schools. The goal of the study was to understand the types of supports and benefits schools receive from their faith-based partners as well as the range of outcomes and impacts that result from these partnerships. This study was based on interviews at 23 schools and surveys received from 54% of all SDP schools. The study found that although nearly half (44%) of schools in the sample had a faith-based partner, the remainder were struggling to create or maintain a partnership (27%) or had never attempted to develop a faith-based partnership (29%). Faith-based partnerships in this study also varied in their complexity, ranging from one-time events to partnerships that provided multiple services, such as use of facilities, monetary donations, mentoring, parental engagement and tutoring services. Although principals cited some challenges to their partnership related to time, funding, staffing, and retaining a consistent volunteer base, most principals also reported positive benefits from these partnerships. Principals at most schools with active faith-based partnerships believed these programs helped improve students' motivation, self-esteem, goal setting, and/or conflict resolution skills

O desafio do ensino do Português como língua estrangeira para Haitianos

Anais do 35º Seminário de Extensão Universitária da Região Sul - Área temática: EducaçãoO fluxo migratório haitiano teve início em 2010, após o terremoto, passando a constituir a nacionalidade de maior representatividade no país. Santa Catarina é um dos maiores estados na recepção desses imigrantes, exigindo políticas efetivas de acolhimento. Nesse sentido, este trabalho é um relato da experiência inédita no campus Camboriú, do Instituto Federal Catarinense, em que foi desenvolvido o projeto “Inclusão pelo português: Curso de Língua Portuguesa para os imigrantes haitianos na perspectiva da interculturalidade”. Para isso, foi proposto um curso de Língua Portuguesa, que tem como objetivo favorecer a qualificação, o desenvolvimento profissional e a demanda da formação de imigrantes haitianos, através do ensino de Língua Portuguesa como segunda língua, bem como fundamentos de informática e de cuidados no ambiente laboral. Pretende-se que os alunos sejam capazes de utilizar a língua portuguesa e informática em seu cotidiano e conhecer a dimensão cultural e social do Brasil, no que se refere ao processos de inclusão social e no trabalho. A inserção no ambiente acadêmico contribui diretamente com o aprendizado da língua, promove o convívio pelo qual as relações interculturais se constituem em um ambiente comprometido com a formação humana e reafirma o papel social do IFC na produção de paradigmas de cidadania mais inclusivos e democráticos e na percepção da instituição enquanto espaço públic

When should we stop mammography screening for breast cancer in elderly women?

There is insufficient evidence to recommend for or against routine screening mammography beyond the age of 69 years. The best candidates to stop screening are elderly women who have significant comorbidities, poor functional status, low bone mineral density (BMD), little interest in preventive care, or an unwillingness to accept the potential harm of screening. (Grade of Recommendation: C, based on retrospective cohort studies.

Inflammation in benign prostate tissue and prostate cancer in the finasteride arm of the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial

BACKGROUND: A previous analysis of the placebo arm of the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) reported 82% overall prevalence of intraprostatic inflammation and identified a link between inflammation and higher-grade prostate cancer and serum PSA. Here we studied these associations in the PCPT finasteride arm. METHODS: Prostate cancer cases (N=197) detected either on a clinically indicated biopsy or on protocol-directed end-of-study biopsy, and frequency-matched controls (N=248) with no cancer on an end-of-study biopsy were sampled from the finasteride arm. Inflammation in benign prostate tissue was visually assessed using digital images of H&E stained sections. Logistic regression was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: In the finasteride arm, 91.6% of prostate cancer cases and 92.4% of controls had at least one biopsy core with inflammation in benign areas; p < 0.001 for difference compared to placebo arm. Overall, the odds of prostate cancer did not differ by prevalence (OR=0.90, 95% CI 0.44-1.84) or extent (P-trend=0.68) of inflammation. Inflammation was not associated with higher-grade disease (prevalence: OR=1.07, 95% CI 0.43-2.69). Furthermore, mean PSA concentration did not differ by the prevalence or extent of inflammationin either cases or controls. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of intraprostatic inflammation was higher in the finasteride than placebo arm of the PCPT, with no association with higher-grade prostate cancer. IMPACT: Finasteride may attenuate the association between inflammation and higher-grade prostate cancer. Moreover, the missing link between intraprostatic inflammation and PSA suggests that finasteride may reduce inflammation-associated PSA elevation

A mathematical model for top-shelf vertigo: the role of sedimenting otoconia in BPPV

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) is a mechanical disorder of the vestibular system in which calcite particles called otoconia interfere with the mechanical functioning of the fluid-filled semicircular canals normally used to sense rotation. Using hydrodynamic models, we examine the two mechanisms proposed by the medical community for BPPV: cupulolithiasis, in which otoconia attach directly to the cupula (a sensory membrane), and canalithiasis, in which otoconia settle through the canals and exert a fluid pressure across the cupula. We utilize known hydrodynamic calculations and make reasonable geometric and physical approximations to derive an expression for the transcupular pressure $\Delta P_c$ exerted by a settling solid particle in canalithiasis. By tracking settling otoconia in a two-dimensional model geometry, the cupular volume displacement and associated eye response (nystagmus) can be calculated quantitatively. Several important features emerge: 1) A pressure amplification occurs as otoconia enter a narrowing duct; 2) An average-sized otoconium requires approximately five seconds to settle through the wide ampulla, where $\Delta P_c$ is not amplified, which suggests a mechanism for the observed latency of BPPV; and 3) An average-sized otoconium beginning below the center of the cupula can cause a volumetric cupular displacement on the order of 30 pL, with nystagmus of order $2^\circ$/s, which is approximately the threshold for sensation. Larger cupular volume displacement and nystagmus could result from larger and/or multiple otoconia.Comment: 15 pages, 5 Figures updated, to be published in J. Biomechanic

The future of enterprise groupware applications

This paper provides a review of groupware technology and products. The purpose of this review is to investigate the appropriateness of current groupware technology as the basis for future enterprise systems and evaluate its role in realising, the currently emerging, Virtual Enterprise model for business organisation. It also identifies in which way current technological phenomena will transform groupware technology and will drive the development of the enterprise systems of the future