München, Techn. Univ., Diss., 2004.

No description available.

Parental involvement (PI) has increasingly become a major priority in the educational agenda. Parents are regarded as an important source for schools and teachers that largely contribute to good-quality education. Schools are expected to develop practices that include parents in activities that concern both the learning process and school practical aspects. Research on school effectiveness and improvement suggests that teachers and parents partnership is now strongly recommended in order to ensure children's school success (Mortimore et aI, 1988). This study discusses PI terminology and concepts; the process and the construction of PI theory with its models and typologies; research and evidence which has influenced this thesis; and evidence from Brazilian schools. PI typologies and models have greatly influenced this piece of work because it is argued teachers' preparedness for PI can only be examined from that knowledge. In particular, the study uses a typology of PI devised by Joyce Epstein (1989) based on PI research in American primary schools (1982, 1985, 1987, and later, extended to middle and secondary schools). Since little attention has been paid to school PI practices in Brazil, this research aims to understand and reveal Brazilian teachers' position to PI. To pursue this aim two studies were designed to collect parents' and teachers' views about PI practices taken from Joyce Epstein's typology, research and questionnaires. Eleven Brazilian state pre and primary schools were involved: 21 parents whose children were in the fourth grade were interviewed using a semistructured questionnaire, and 181 pre- and primary school teachers answered a structured questionnaire. Parents' data were qualitatively analyzed and teachers' quantitative data were analyzed using factor analysis. The results showed that Brazilian parents see PI in three different ways: help, involvement and communication. Help was related to the practical aspects of schooling; involvement was related to intellectual and2 I educational activities; and communication was seen as the tool for the other two categories that would need to be more effectively developed. The findings suggest that Brazilian teachers welcome parents' support in preparing children to go to school but seemed to reject the idea of parents' helping with curriculum-related activities in the classroom and school. However, they would like parents to follow their advice and instructions for activities developed at homne including homework. The importance of positive communication and parents and children's appraisal was also highlighted. Both Brazilian teachers and parents believed that two-way communication and integration of efforts are essential elements for effective in Brazilian schools.

Semantic richness is a multidimensional and dynamic construct that can be defined as the amount of semantic information a word possesses. In this thesis, the semantic richness dimensions of number of associates, number of semantic neighbours, and body-object interaction were investigated. Forty-eight young adults were randomly assigned to perform either lexical decision (LDT) or semantic categorization tasks (SCT). The goal of this thesis was to investigate behavioural and electrophysiological differences (using the Event-Related Potential technique) between semantically rich words and semantically impoverished words. Results revealed that the amplitude of the N400 ERP component was smaller for words with high number of associates and high number of semantic neighbours compared to words with low number of associates or low number of semantic neighbours, respectively, but only during LDT. Behavioural results, however, only showed an accuracy and reaction time advantage (during item analyses) for words with many associates. In contrast, N400 amplitudes did not differ for words with high body-object interaction rating when compared to words with low body-object interaction rating in any of the tasks, although a behavioural reaction time advantage was observed in item analyses of the LDT. These results suggest that words with many associates or semantic neighbours may be processed more efficiently and be easier to integrate within the neural semantic network than words with few associates or semantic neighbours. In addition, the N400 effect was seen in the LDT but not in the SCT, suggesting that semantic richness information may be used in a top-down manner in order to fulfill the task requirements using available neural resources in a more efficient manner.

Individuals with diabetes face many multifaceted issues when integrating their plan of care into their daily lives, which can become burdensome and lead to inadequate diabetes control. Due to the persistent demands of diabetes management, screening for psychosocial factors that can impact control, such as depression, anxiety, and diabetes-related distress (DRD) should occur routinely (American Diabetes Association [ADA], 2017). DRD is distinctly different from depression in that the focus is on the burden experienced due to the rigorous treatment regimen associated with diabetes. DRD focuses on the self-management demands, complications, comorbidities, and lack of perceived social support (ADA, 2019). DRD can affect treatment compliance and lead to negative health outcomes, including more frequent hospitalizations and higher healthcare costs. Therefore, early screening and detection of psychosocial factors influencing management is essential to prevent health complications and deterioration. The purpose of this practice improvement project was to implement DRD screening in a rural North Dakota clinic. Rural providers were educated on DRD and the use of an evidenced-based screening tool called the Problems Areas in Diabetes (PAID) scale. This self-report scale allows providers to make appropriate referrals to diabetes educators, dieticians, and mental health professionals, which may result in individualized treatment plans and improved outcomes. The project implementation was comprised of an educational session focused on DRD that included a pre- and post-test, as well as return skill demonstration where attendees were asked to score a mock patient’s PAID scale. Following the educational session, the PAID scale was implemented at diabetic appointments for a three-month period. Positive PAID scale results were monitored to determine if the positive screenings resulted in a referral or additional resources. Twenty-four scales were completed by patients during the project, resulting in 30 referrals for additional support. Additionally, an increase in healthcare provider knowledge related to DRD evaluation and management was identified. The provision of DRD education and implementation of the PAID scale in this rural primary care clinic enabled patients within the community to receive evidence-based, individualized care, which may potentially reduce complications, as well as improve diabetes control and overall patient health.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Medicine in the branch of Psychiatry. Johannesburg November 2017. / Background: Mental Disorders and Substance Use Disorders (SUD) commonly occur together, termed dual diagnosis, this is associated with poorer functioning, higher suicidality rates, hospitilisation, greater risk for crime and high health risk behavior. Methods: Cross-sectional study with a sample size of 150 participants, gathered over 4 months. Data was collected with a structured clinical interview, and inpatient hospital records. Alcohol and drug misuse was screened for using the AUDIT and DUDIT respectively. A descriptive analysis was then made, prevalence of substance misuse was determined, and comparisons were made between those with and without substance misuse. Results: The study group was predominantly young, single, african, unemployed men. The leading presenting symptoms were psychosis, aggression and mania, requiring mostly involuntary admissions, with a mean of 14 days hospital stay. Twothirds of the participants were classified as substance misusers, these were significantly younger men, more often brought to hospital by the police or ambulance, and showed higher rates of substance use and substance-induced disorders. Conclusion: This highlights the benefit of using screening tools for diagnosing substance use, and the need for improved management of those with a dual diagnosis. / LG2018

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of vision loss in America for people over the age of 60. Due to damage to the retina, symptoms normally include blurred central vision, difficulty reading, and seeing shadows. While there is no cure for the disease, there are treatments that slow its progression and can restore vision. The treatments explored in this paper are: anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs, photodynamic therapy (PDT) and steroids. All three require invasive eye procedures that carry their own risks. The possibility of more effective treatments by combining these therapies is being tested through clinical trials. Studies of combined PDT and anti-VEGF, combined PDT and steroids, and anti-VEGF monotherapy were reviewed, comparing changes in average visual acuity, foveal thickness, and number of injections administered. PDT and anti-VEGF was concluded to be the most efficient of the three, requiring fewer injections while showing an increase in visual acuity similar to anti-VEGF monotherapy.

With no universal criteria for classifying a heat-related death, the scope and magnitude of heat-related illnesses and deaths is underestimated. By using threshold temperatures based on one and two standard deviations from normal, a unique but universal classification for excessive/extreme heat was calculated. These threshold values were calculated for St. Louis, Missouri; New Orleans, Louisiana; Little Rock, Arkansas; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin for June, July, and August from 1990 ? 1999. Statistical analysis was performed for each city on days with excessive/extreme maximum and/or minimum temperature values, death count, and death count one, two, and three days later in order to discover a possible strong and significant relationship between excessive/extreme heat and death.

No description available.

Event-related potentials play a significant role in error processing and attentional processes. Specifically, event-related negativity (ERN), feedback-related negativity (FRN), and the P300 are related to performance monitoring. The current study examined these components in relation to subjective probability, or confidence, regarding response accuracy on a complicated learning task. Results indicated that confidence ratings were not associated with any changes in ERN, FRN, or P300 amplitude. P300 amplitude did not vary according to participants’ subjective probabilities. ERN amplitude and FRN amplitude did not change throughout the task as participants learned. Future studies should consider the relationship between ERN and FRN using a learning task that is less difficult than the one employed in this study.