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PubMed1985

An approach to the collection and manipulation of time-based data using the IBM PC and BASICA.

With the advent of increasingly integrated, powerful and inexpensive digital electronics, relatively powerful computers have become available to the general public. Along with this technological boom there has been a concomitant increase in the availability of over-the-counter software packages which can be used by research scientists for program development. In the past, the development of computer programs for the collection of large amounts of time-based data was expensive and time consuming; however, the introduction of the current generation of 16-bit microcomputers and associated hardware and software packages has enabled investigators with only a rudimentary knowledge of computers and interfacing to begin to design programs. The schemes and algorithms, developed using BASICA on an IBM-Personal Computer, which are described in this article can serve other investigators as models for the assembly of their own programs for the collection, manipulation and plotting of time-based data. The incorporation of inexpensive computer graphics hardware and software, which provided a simple solution to the problem of analysis and presentation of large amounts of data, will also be discussed.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2005

The Cash and Counseling Demonstration and Evaluation: focus groups inform design of a consumer-directed cash option.

The purposes of the study were to explore consumer preferences for a cash option, to inform the ongoing CCDE survey and program design, and to identify the messages that the CCDE and other states should include when informing consumers about a cash option. The preference study consisted of 3 parts: 11 pre-survey focus groups, a telephone survey in each of the 4 participating states, and 16 post-survey focus groups. This article highlights unique results from pre- and post-survey focus groups. Focus group discussions were audiotaped and videotaped and transcribed. Transcripts were manually coded and text was clustered according to the moderator's guide questions and some new and recurrent themes that emerged. Overall, focus group participants, including elders, expressed positive feelings about the CCDE, especially about having a role in hiring workers and determining the workers' schedules and responsibilities. Focus groups provided important lessons about features to highlight when presenting program information to potential consumers and their families. Program planners must also bear in mind consumer concerns, especially considering that less than 10% of eligible Medicaid consumers volunteered for the cash option. These findings will be useful in guiding other states as they develop new cash and counseling programs, especially those in the current Cash and Counseling replication project.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Implications for breast and cervical cancer control for Latinas in the rural South: a review of the literature.

The Latino population has more than tripled in six southern US states. Little research exists describing the Latino population in the rural South and the unique cancer control needs of this group. This article reviews existing literature on Latinas with a focus on rural southern settlement processes and applicable breast and cervical cancer control research. Recommendations for effective cancer control programs include developing special outreach efforts conducted with monolingual Latinas, incorporating important cultural components and values related to family, spirituality, and community, and designing programs that incorporate low-literacy materials and messages or that do not require literacy to participate. Understanding the social, cultural, and economic issues that Latinas face is an important first step in designing culturally relevant breast and cervical cancer control.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1997

Effect of exercise on sick leave due to low back pain. A randomized, comparative, long-term study.

STUDY DESIGN: The study was carried out as an open, randomized, multicenter, parallel-group study with an observation period of 12 months. Four norwegian physiotherapy institutes took part. Patients were subsequently followed for 12 months of home exercise on their own, without for 12 months of home exercise on their own, without the supervision of a physiotherapist. OBJECTIVES: 1) To investigate and compare the effects of two different exercise programs on low back problems in patients after a 1-year training program under the supervision of a physiotherapist. 2) To investigate the effect supervision by, and motivation from, physiotherapists has on training compliance and efficacy. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: After ordinary physiotherapy treatment for low back problems, patients were randomly allocated either to a conventional training program designed by physiotherapists or to a training program using a new Norwegian-developed training apparatus called the TerapiMaster. The study included 153 patients with low back problems, all of whom had been referred to physiotherapy by their general practitioners. One hundred twenty-six patients were followed for an additional 12 months when performing home exercise programs on their own. METHODS: Monitoring patient satisfaction with the training program, compliance with the program, and absenteeism from work during the training period. RESULTS: Patient satisfaction with both training programs was high, with about 83% of participating patients completing the study in accordance with the protocol. Mean absenteeism (SD) during the preceding year totaled 82.5 days (19.8) in the conventional training group and 61.6 days (14.7) in the TerapiMaster group. Significant reductions to 17.2 days (6.0) and 16.4 days (5.3) in the two groups, respectively, were recorded during the training period, corresponding to a 75% to 80% reduction compared with the preceding 1-year period. Mean absenteeism showed a further significant decline during the 12-month period without supervised training. The average values were 9.9 days (3.2) for conventional training and 9.3 days (3.1) for the TerapiMaster, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Both exercise programs reduced absenteeism significantly (75-80%). No difference in the effects of the two different programs was discernible. Regular follow-up through encouragement and variation in the training programs appear to be important factors for motivating patients to adhere to regular exercise programs for low back problems. This thesis was corroborated by the 12-month study of unsupervised exercise.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

MRATE: a Pascal program for on-line calculation of metabolic rate using wet gases.

MRATE is a Pascal program designed for on-line calculation of metabolic rate in an open circuit system, when outlet gases are not dried. Voltages from O2 and CO2 analysers, humidity and temperature probes and mass flow meter are digitised and used to calculate outlet flow, oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, respiratory quotient and metabolic rate. The program may be easily modified to suit a variety of experimental set-ups.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Network visualization system for computational chemistry.

Network Visualization System for Computational Chemistry (NVSCC) is a molecular graphics program designed for the visualization of molecular assemblies. NVSCC accepts the output files from the most popular ab initio quantum chemical programs, GAUSSIAN and GAMESS, and provides visualization of molecular structures based on atomic coordinates. The main differences between NVSCC and other programs are: Network support due to built-in FTP and telnet clients, which allows for the processing of output from and the sending of input to different computer systems and operating systems. The possibility of working with output files in real time mode. The possibility of animation from an output file during all steps of optimization. The quick processing of huge volumes of data. The development of custom interfaces.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

Predicting vocational functioning and outcome in schizophrenia outpatients attending a vocational rehabilitation program.

BACKGROUND: Vocational rehabilitation is a central issue in the rehabilitation of patients with chronic schizophrenia. However, even with the help of comprehensive integration programs, achieving this objective remains a very ambitious and difficult undertaking. Therefore, a profound and up-to-date knowledge of vocational functioning and outcome predictors in patients who have the goal to return into competitive employment is imperative. The objective of the present study was to test the predictors summarized in the recent review of Cook and Razzano, as well as to test those predictors specified in the nine hypotheses put forward by Anthony and Jansen in schizophrenia patients enrolled in a vocational rehabilitation program. METHODS: The predictive value of ten hypotheses centering on vocational functioning and outcome were consecutively tested in a sample of 53 schizophrenia patients. Those predictors identified as significant were then taken into a 'winner take all' regression in order to determine which of them were the best. RESULTS: The overall work performance observed in a workshop proved to be the best predictor of vocational functioning. Contrary to the pivotal claim in Anthony and Jansen's review, in our sample, negative symptoms indeed influenced vocational functioning, outcome and functional skills. Cognitive impairments, social competence and fatalistic control beliefs also had predictive value for vocational functioning and outcome. CONCLUSIONS: These results reflect the accumulated findings of the past decade as summarized by Cook and Razzano. Moreover, they serve to substantiate the necessity of promoting the concept of cognitive remediation and associated programs designed to transform fatalistic beliefs into feelings of hopefulness, thereby enhancing the readiness of schizophrenia patients to enroll in rehabilitation programs.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Mass media campaign--A Su Salud.

A mass media health promotion program directed toward reducing future cancer trends among Mexican Americans, the largest subgroup of Hispanics in the United States, by decreasing smoking and encouraging smoking prevention and other health practices is described. Included is an outline of the program design and its significant features and a discussion of social modeling, the theoretical approach which provides a framework for the program. The development of the program, including the role focus groups played in the identification of areas to be targeted by the program, and the production and implementation of the mass media campaign based upon the targeted program areas are also discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Hormonal induction of estrous cycles in anestrous Bos taurus beef cows.

A significant proportion of postpartum beef cows are anestrus at the onset of the breeding season. Much progress has been made in understanding anestrus and the changes that lead to spontaneous resumption of reproductive function. Likewise, knowledge regarding the impact of hormonal interventions on the endocrine and ovarian changes normally associated with spontaneous resumption of estrous cycles continue to accumulate. A wide range of hormonal treatment programs designed to induce estrous cycles in anestrous cows to coincide with the start of the breeding season have been developed. Programs structured to provide for increased progesterone, estradiol and LH concentrations at the appropriate times during the period leading to the first ovulation, and an induced preovulatory gonadotropin surge when the dominant ovarian follicle is of appropriate maturity have been demonstrated to induce estrous cycles of normal duration and acceptable fertility in a majority of anestrous, Bos taurus beef cows.

Anestrus↗
PubMed2002

Low parental monitoring predicts subsequent pregnancy among African-American adolescent females.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Accumulating evidence suggests that parental monitoring is associated with adolescents' sexual risk behaviors. However, evidence associating low parental monitoring with greater odds of becoming pregnant has not been reported. The objective of this study was to prospectively assess the relationship of low perceived parental monitoring with incidence of biologically confirmed pregnancy among a sample of low-income African-American adolescent females. DESIGN: A prospective study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: African-American females 14-18 years of age were recruited from schools and health clinics in low-income neighborhoods. Adolescents completed an in-depth survey and interview at baseline and 6 months later. The study achieved an 85.7% baseline participation rate (n = 522) and 92% (n = 482) returned at follow-up. Only adolescents who initially tested negative for pregnancy were included in the analysis (n = 410). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Incidence of biologically assessed pregnancy. RESULTS: In controlled analyses, among adolescents testing negative for pregnancy at baseline, those who reported less parental monitoring were 2.5 times more likely to become pregnant in the 6-month follow-up period (AOR = 2.50, 95% CI = 1.1-5.9, P <.04). CONCLUSION: Low parental monitoring was prospectively associated with incidence of biologically confirmed pregnancy among minority adolescent females. This finding adds to a growing body of empirical literature that supports the value of parental monitoring as a protective factor in adolescents' lives. Interventions designed to increase parental monitoring or adolescent females' perceptions of their parents' monitoring may be effective components of pregnancy prevention programs designed for minority youth.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Achieving population dispersal through tailor-made community planning: an Israeli experiment in the Galilee region.

The author describes a program designed to encourage population dispersal that was carried out in the central Galilee region of Israel during the 1980s. The program involved setting up 52 small communities with the appropriate infrastructures to attract young, well-educated settlers. "The plan succeeded in attracting the desired type of population...to the region, and the newcomers viewed the new communities as their permanent homes. Based on this experience and on the analysis of relevant literature, a development strategy of tailor-made community planning is hereby recommended for future projects. It is especially appropriate in the context of developed countries with a slow to zero population growth and with spreading social norms of the postindustrial society."

Asia↗
PubMed1993

Influence of longitudinal primary care training on medical students' specialty choices.

BACKGROUND: At the University of South Florida College of Medicine, a program designed to give students four years of primary care training began in 1983. As of 1992, six classes that included program participants had graduated. The present study examined the effect of the program on the participants' choices of specialty by comparing their choices with those of other graduates. METHOD: Each year program volunteers were solicited from a class size of about 96 freshmen. Of the 201 volunteers from the classes of 1987-1992, 93 were randomly selected to participate in the program. The participants received primary care education one half-day per week in a community-based clinical setting. The specialty choices of the 543 graduates from 1987-1992 were determined from the National Resident Matching Program and were divided into primary care (family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics); surgery, obstetrics-gynecology, and psychiatry; and other (high-technology specialties). Comparisons were made (1) between volunteers and nonvolunteers and (2) between volunteers who were participants and those who were not. The Z-test was used, with alpha set at .01. RESULTS: Significantly more volunteers--with no difference between participants and nonparticipants--matched with primary care specialties, and more volunteers were women. Significantly more nonvolunteers matched with high-technology specialties--again, no difference between participants and nonparticipants. CONCLUSION: The program did not seem to influence the students' specialty choices, because students interested in participating--regardless of whether they actually participated--were more likely to match with primary care specialties and were more likely to be women.

Career Choice↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Physical function and fear of falling after hip fracture rehabilitation in the elderly.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between physical function and fall-related self-efficacy in older patients with a hip fracture who are undergoing an intensive rehabilitation program. DESIGN: We used a prospective cohort study over 12 mo to determine the effect of a specialized hip fracture rehabilitation program in a geriatric hospital on physical function and fear of falling. Fifty-six patients were admitted consecutively from acute care. Physical function was assessed using the Functional Independence Measure, and fall-related self-efficacy was measured using two scales: the Falls-Efficacy scale and the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence scale. We also used the Vitality scale to measure quality of life. All measures, represented by change scores, were determined at the beginning and end of the patients' rehabilitation programs. RESULTS: Significant improvement in physical function and fall self-efficacy was observed. The Vitality scale was also improved after rehabilitation. The Falls-Efficacy scale appeared to be more sensitive to change than the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence scale, whereas no correlation was found between changes in the fall-related self-efficacy measures and the Functional Independence Measure. CONCLUSIONS: These findings may represent a discrepancy between attention of the rehabilitation program on functional outcomes and less emphasis on confidence building behaviors. Restrictions in function from a fear of falling may negate any gains made through rehabilitation, and this could limit the long-term success of these programs and patient outcomes after hip fracture.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1998

Wisconsin minimum weight program reduces weight-cutting practices of high school wrestlers.

OBJECTIVE: Winconsin high school wrestlers were surveyed 1 year before (90W) and 2 years after (93W) a new program was implemented to restrict weight loss for competition. The Wisconsin wrestling minimal weight program (WMWP) included a minimal weight limit determined from percent body fat and a nutrition education program. DESIGN: A retrospective survey of wrestlers was conducted, with schools stratified to reflect school size and quality of the wrestling program. PARTICIPANTS: Respondents surveyed in 1990 included 713 wrestlers from 45 schools; 368 wrestlers from 29 of the same schools responded to an identical survey in 1993. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Measures of weight-cutting practices, weight-loss methods, bulimic behaviors, and nutritional knowledge. RESULTS: The most weight lost (MWL), the weight lost to certify (WLC), the weekly weight cycled (WWC), the longest fast (LF), and the frequency of cutting weight (FCW) all decreased significantly (chi 2, p < 0.05) among 93W wrestlers compared with 90W wrestlers. The results for the 90W group are as follows: MWL, 3.2 kg +/- 2.6; WLC, 2.8 kg +/- 2.8; WWC, 1.9 kg +/- 1.5; LF, 20.5 hours +/- 17.2; FCW, 6.2 +/- 6.4. The results for the 93W group are as follows: MWL, 2.6 kg +/- 2.6; WLC, 2.4 kg +/- 2.9; WWC, 1.6 kg +/- 1.4; LF, 16.5 hours +/- 15.6; FCW, 4.7 +/- 6.7. Weight-loss methods, including restricting food or fluids and use of rubber suits, declined significantly (chi 2, p < 0.05). Wrestlers exhibiting more than one of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III-R)-related bulimic behaviors decreased by 11% (chi 2, p < 0.05), but those exhibiting all five (1.6%) remained the same. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the WMWP appeared to reduce unhealthy weight-loss behaviors among high school wrestlers. Other states should be encouraged to institute similar programs as recommended by the American Medical Association and the American College of Sports Medicine.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Resident training in nursing home care: survey of successful educational strategies.

OBJECTIVE: To identify educational strategies for resident training in nursing home care deemed successful by a large number of programs. DESIGN: A mail survey with three follow-up mailings. PARTICIPANTS: Directors of accredited internal medicine and family practice residency programs. MEASUREMENTS: Open- and closed-ended questionnaire eliciting curricular content, instructional strategies, and evaluation techniques from programs offering a nursing home experience. Identification of barriers to implementation of a nursing home curriculum and recommendations for success were requested. MAIN RESULTS: Of the 814 surveys mailed, 537 were returned for a response rate of 66%. Nursing home experiences were required in 86% of family practice residency programs but in only 25% of internal medicine programs. Most geriatric medicine curricular content areas were taught in the nursing home; however, relatively little emphasis was given to rehabilitation, organization, and financing of health care, and coordination of care between acute and chronic settings. Direct patient care, bedside rounds, and lectures were the most common instructional strategies reported. Evaluation approaches included faculty observations, resident attendance, and chart reviews with written and skill-based examinations infrequent. Availability of faculty and conflict with other rotations were identified as the principal barriers to implementation of nursing home rotations. An organized nursing home curriculum supervised by enthusiastic faculty using a longitudinal rotation format with resident involvement in an interdisciplinary team was recommended. CONCLUSIONS: Educational strategies exist for successful implementation of a residency nursing home curriculum. Greater priority must be given to training residents in nursing home care and developing nursing home faculty to substantially increase the number and quality of physicians who practice in this setting.

Accreditation↗
PubMed2006

Maximum physical capacity testing in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: qualitative findings from an exercise program.

BACKGROUND: Over the past few years there has been a growing interest in the field of physical exercise in rehabilitation of cancer patients, leading to requirements for objective maximum physical capacity measurement (maximum oxygen uptake (VO(2max)) and one-repetition maximum (1RM)) to determine dose-response levels in different cancer diagnoses. AIM: To explore the patients' experiences of maximum physical capacity testing while concurrently undergoing chemotherapy and participating in a 6-week, 9 h weekly multidimensional exercise program. DESIGN AND METHOD: Prospective, exploratory study using semi-structured qualitative interviews conducted prior to and at termination of the program. The study included 100 patients (18-65 years, median 42 years) with or without residual disease and with mixed diagnoses. RESULTS: Following the intervention, cancer patients felt significantly safer in performing maximum physical capacity tests as these motivated them through self-perceived competitiveness and set a standard that served to encourage peak performance. CONCLUSION: The positive attitudes in this sample towards maximum physical capacity open the possibility of introducing physical testing early in the treatment process. However, the patients were self-referred and thus highly motivated and as such are not necessarily representative of the whole population of cancer patients treated with chemotherapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Sensitivity of helium beam-modulator design to uncertainties in biological data.

The goal in designing beam-modulating devices for heavy charged-particle therapy is to achieve uniform biological effects across the spread-peak region of the beam. To accomplish this, the linear-quadratic model for cell survival has been used to describe the biological response of the target cells to charged-particle radiation. In this paper, the sensitivity of the beam-modulator design in the high-dose region to the values of the linear-quadratic variables alpha and beta has been investigated for a 215-MeV/u helium beam, and implications for higher LET beams are discussed. The major conclusions of this work are that, for helium over the LET range of 2 to 16 keV/mu, uncertainties in measuring alpha and beta for a given cell type which are of the order of 20% or less have a negligible effect on the beam-modulator design (i.e., on the slope of the spread Bragg peak); uncertainties less than or equal to 10% in the dose-averaged LET at each depth are unimportant; and, if the linear-quadratic variables for the tumor differ from those used in the beam-modulator design by a constant factor between about 0.5 and 3, then the resultant nonuniformity in the photon-equivalent dose delivered to the tumor is within +/- 25%. It is also shown that for any ion, if the nominal values of alpha or beta used by the beam-modulator design program differ from their actual values by a constant factor, then the maximum errors possible in the beam-modulator design may be characterized by two limiting depth-dose curves such that the ratio of the dose at the proximal end of the spread Bragg curve to the dose at the distal end of the spread peak is given by alpha distal/alpha prox for the steepest curve, and square root of beta distal/beta prox for the flattest curve.

Cell Survival↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Haven Hugs & Bugs. An innovative multiple-family weekend intervention for bereaved children, adolescents and adults.

This article describes the development and implementation of a unique, two-day therapeutic program for bereaved families. Issues relevant to program design are presented along with evaluation results. The family focus, the therapeutic value of nature, and the relationship of this program to Multiple Family Therapy, time-limited psychotherapy, and wilderness, camping, or recreation therapy approaches are discussed. Questions and suggestions for future evaluation research are noted. The high potential therapeutic and cost-effectiveness of such innovative approaches to bereavement counseling should motivate further program development and outcome research. Information on other weekend bereavement programs is appended.

Adolescent↗