Effectiveness of life skills training on the total behaviour of six individuals in a job preparation program

In the first week of a Job preparation Program all twelve female members of the class were invited to be part of a study to determine the effect of Life Skills training on their behaviour over the twelve-week period of the program. Six females volunteered and each was interviewed four times during the Job preparation Program and once after the program ended. The interviews focused on three areas of skill deficiency addressed in Life Skills lessons: their knowledge about themselves and attitude towards themselves; their interpersonal relationships; and their problem-solving ability. The participants' comments over the sixteen-week period of the interviews were used to decide if the total behaviour of the participants, (i.e., what they did, thought, and felt) changed so that each became more effective in satisfying her needs. The study suggested that the total behaviour of three of the six women changed so that they became more effective in satisfying their needs. The fourth female's total behaviour changed in only two of the three areas focused on in the interviews, and the total behaviour of the fifth and sixth females showed no change.

Closing the Summer Learning Gap for Vulnerable Children: An Examination of a Summer Family Literacy Program for Junior Kindergarten Children At-Risk for Reading Difficulties

The learning gap created by summer vacation creates a significant breach in the learning cycle, where student achievement levels decrease over the course ofthe summer (Cooper et aI., 2000). In a review of 39 studies, Cooper and colleagues (1996) specified that the summer learning shortfall equals at least one month loss of instruction as measured by grade level equivalents on standardized test scores. Specifically, the achievement gap has a more profound effect on children as they grow older, where there is a steady deterioration in knowledge and skills sustained during the summer months (Cooper et aI., 1996; Kerry & Davies, 1998). While some stakeholders believe that the benefits of a summer vacation overshadow the reversing effect on achievement, it is the impact of the summer learning gap on vulnerable children, including children who are disadvantaged as a result of requiring special educational needs, children from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and children learning English as a second language, that is most problematic. More specifically, research has demonstrated that it is children's literacy-based skills that are most affected during the summer months. Children from high socioeconomic backgrounds recurrently showed gains in reading achievement over the summer whereas disadvantaged children repeatedly illustrate having significant losses. Consequently, the summer learning gap was deemed to exaggerate the inequality experienced by children from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Ultimately, the summer learning gap was found to have the most profound on vulnerable children, placing these children at an increased chance for academic failure. A primary feature of this research project was to include primary caregivers as authentic partners in a summer family literacy program fabricated to scaffold their children's literacy-based needs. This feature led to the research team adapting and implementing a published study entitled, Learning Begins at Home (LBH): A Research-Based Family Literacy Program Curriculum. Researchers at the Ontario Institute designed this program for the Study of Education, University of Toronto. The LBH program capitalized on incorporating the flexibility required to make the program adaptable to meet the needs of each participating child and his or her primary caregiver. As it has been well documented in research, the role primary caregivers have in an intervention program are the most influential on a child's future literacy success or failure (Timmons, 2008). Subsequently, a requirement for participating in the summer family literacy program required the commitment of one child and one of his or her primary caregivers. The primary caregiver played a fundamental role in the intervention program through their participation in workshop activities prior to and following hands on work with their child. The purpose of including the primary caregiver as an authentic partner in the program was to encourage a definitive shift in the family, whereby caregivers would begin to implement literacy activities in their home on a daily basis. The intervention program was socially constructed through the collaboration of knowledge. The role ofthe author in the study was as the researcher, in charge of analyzing and interpreting the results of the study. There were a total of thirty-six (36) participants in the study; there were nineteen (19) participants in the intervention group and seventeen (17) participants in the control group. All of the children who participated in the study were enrolled in junior kindergarten classrooms within the Niagara Catholic District School Board. Once children were referred to the program, a Speech and Language Pathologist assessed each individual child to identify if they met the eligibility requirements for participation in the summer family literacy intervention program. To be eligible to participate, children were required to demonstrate having significant literacy needs (i.e., below 25%ile on the Test of Preschool Early Literacy described below). Children with low incident disabilities (such as Autism or Intellectual Disabilities) and children with significant English as a Second Language difficulties were excluded from the study. The research team utilized a standard pre-test-post-test comparison group design whereby all participating children were assessed with the Test of Preschool Early Literacy (Lonigan et aI., 2007), and a standard measure of letter identification and letter sound understanding. Pre-intervention assessments were conducted two weeks prior to the intervention program commencing, and the first set of the post-intervention assessments were administered immediately following the completion of the intervention program. The follow-up post-intervention assessments took place in December 2010 to measure the sustainability of the gains obtained from the intervention program. As a result of the program, all of the children in the intervention program scored statistically significantly higher on their literacy scores for Print Knowledge, Letter Identification, and Letter Sound Understanding scores than the control group at the postintervention assessment point (immediately following the completion of the program) and at the December post-intervention assessment point. For Phonological Awareness, there was no statistically significant difference between the intervention group and the control at the postintervention assessment point, however, there was a statistically significant difference found between the intervention group and the control group at the December post-intervention assessment point. In general, these results indicate that the summer family literacy intervention program made an immediate impact on the emergent literacy skills of the participating children. Moreover, these results indicate that the summer family literacy intervention program has the ability to foster the emergent literacy skills of vulnerable children, potentially reversing the negative effect the summer learning gap has on these children.

Ideal timing to transfer from an acute care hospital to an interdisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation program following a stroke: an exploratory study

Affiliation: Dany Gagnon & Sylvie Nadeau: École de réadaptation, Faculté de médecine, Université de Montréal & Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire en réadaptation, Institut de réadaptation de Montréal

Modelling and simulation of a photovoltaic fuel cell hybrid system

A stand-alone power system is an autonomous system that supplies electricity to the user load without being connected to the electric grid. This kind of decentralized system is frequently located in remote and inaccessible areas. It is essential for about one third of the world population which are living in developed or isolated regions and have no access to an electricity utility grid. The most people live in remote and rural areas, with low population density, lacking even the basic infrastructure. The utility grid extension to these locations is not a cost effective option and sometimes technically not feasible. The purpose of this thesis is the modelling and simulation of a stand-alone hybrid power system, referred to as “hydrogen Photovoltaic-Fuel Cell (PVFC) hybrid system”. It couples a photovoltaic generator (PV), an alkaline water electrolyser, a storage gas tank, a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), and power conditioning units (PCU) to give different system topologies. The system is intended to be an environmentally friendly solution since it tries maximising the use of a renewable energy source. Electricity is produced by a PV generator to meet the requirements of a user load. Whenever there is enough solar radiation, the user load can be powered totally by the PV electricity. During periods of low solar radiation, auxiliary electricity is required. An alkaline high pressure water electrolyser is powered by the excess energy from the PV generator to produce hydrogen and oxygen at a pressure of maximum 30bar. Gases are stored without compression for short- (hourly or daily) and long- (seasonal) term. A proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell is used to keep the system’s reliability at the same level as for the conventional system while decreasing the environmental impact of the whole system. The PEM fuel cell consumes gases which are produced by an electrolyser to meet the user load demand when the PV generator energy is deficient, so that it works as an auxiliary generator. Power conditioning units are appropriate for the conversion and dispatch the energy between the components of the system. No batteries are used in this system since they represent the weakest when used in PV systems due to their need for sophisticated control and their short lifetime. The model library, ISET Alternative Power Library (ISET-APL), is designed by the Institute of Solar Energy supply Technology (ISET) and used for the simulation of the hybrid system. The physical, analytical and/or empirical equations of each component are programmed and implemented separately in this library for the simulation software program Simplorer by C++ language. The model parameters are derived from manufacturer’s performance data sheets or measurements obtained from literature. The identification and validation of the major hydrogen PVFC hybrid system component models are evaluated according to the measured data of the components, from the manufacturer’s data sheet or from actual system operation. Then, the overall system is simulated, at intervals of one hour each, by using solar radiation as the primary energy input and hydrogen as energy storage for one year operation. A comparison between different topologies, such as DC or AC coupled systems, is carried out on the basis of energy point of view at two locations with different geographical latitudes, in Kassel/Germany (Europe) and in Cairo/Egypt (North Africa). The main conclusion in this work is that the simulation method of the system study under different conditions could successfully be used to give good visualization and comparison between those topologies for the overall performance of the system. The operational performance of the system is not only depending on component efficiency but also on system design and consumption behaviour. The worst case of this system is the low efficiency of the storage subsystem made of the electrolyser, the gas storage tank, and the fuel cell as it is around 25-34% at Cairo and 29-37% at Kassel. Therefore, the research for this system should be concentrated in the subsystem components development especially the fuel cell.

Behavioral changes, used and benefits of a community program for the promotion in physical activity

Objective: To determine the change of behavior in physical activity and the characteristics associated with the use and benefits of Local Physical Activity Center (CLAF) in the population of the town of Santa Fe de Bogota. Materials and methods: We conducted a longitudinal study before and after, which was assessed at admission and 3 months in the intervention program CLAF physical activity, behavior change compared to the physical activity of users. Inclusion criteria: were being active user of CLAF, aged between 15 and 65 years and voluntarily express their participation in the study. Exclusion criteria: Fill incomplete measurement instruments used. The sampling frame of CLAF users, we selected n=55 subjects. To gather information, a questionnaire, which contained the behavioral stages of change, also conducted a survey which determined semistructured features about the benefits and use of CLAF. Results: The total study participants was n = 55, mean age was 40.4 ± 15.3 years, with a minimum 15 and maximum of 64 years, 83.6% were women. 78.2% do not know the purpose of the Local Centre for Physical Activity. The outreach strategy that most came to the group was 58.2 with a verbal type. The time for links to CLAF more frequently in the group evaluated was 1 to 6 months 36.4. The motivation to regularly attend the CLAF in the majority was to improve the physical and / or a 74.5% mental. 89.1% would be willing to recommend to others the use of CLAF. A 81.8% of the population physical activity performed by more than 150 min / wk at moderate intensity; Post CLAF intervention in the subjects showed positive changes in the level of physical activity (p<0.001, Test de Wilcoxon) and behavioral state (p<0.001, Test de Wilcoxon).

DESCRIPCIÓN DEL ESTADO ÁCIDO BASE POR MODELO DE STEWART EN PACIENTES POSTOPERATORIO DE TRASPLANTE HEPÁTICO

Introducción: Los pacientes en postoperatorio de trasplante hepático presentan múltiples cambios hemodinámicos y alteraciones hidroelectrolíticas que generan cambios en el estado ácido base. El presente trabajo, busca describir el comportamiento ácido base en pacientes pos trasplante hepático, a través del análisis del modelo de Stewart, enfocado en la búsqueda etiológica de cada trastorno y planteando posibles formas de optimizar el manejo en Cuidado Intensivo (CI). Metodología: Estudio observacional, descriptivo histórico de los gases arteriales de los pacientes en post operatorio de trasplante hepático por cualquier causa, interpretados por método de Stewart. Se realizó con el universo de pacientes ingresados en el año 2014 en la Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá. Resultados: Ingresaron en total 24 pacientes al estudio, entre el 1 de enero al 31 de septiembre de 2014. La mediana de pH fue de 7.36 con un valor mínimo de 7.05 y el máximo de 7.49. El 41% de los pacientes al ingreso a cuidado intensivo tenían lactato normal (menor a 2), y el 88% tenían niveles de albumina bajos. El trastorno electrolítico más común fue hipercloremia (58%), seguido de hipomagnesemia (25%). Conclusiones. El análisis de gases arteriales por el modelo de Stewart permite realizar un diagnóstico de un trastorno específico y adicionalmente, permite buscar la etiología del trastorno. Esta serie de casos mostró que el 95% de los pacientes tenían algún trastorno metabólico al ingreso, siendo el más frecuente la acidosis metabólica (66%).

Uncertainties in annual riverine phosphorus load estimation: Impact of load estimation methodology, sampling frequency, baseflow index and catchment population density

Models developed to identify the rates and origins of nutrient export from land to stream require an accurate assessment of the nutrient load present in the water body in order to calibrate model parameters and structure. These data are rarely available at a representative scale and in an appropriate chemical form except in research catchments. Observational errors associated with nutrient load estimates based on these data lead to a high degree of uncertainty in modelling and nutrient budgeting studies. Here, daily paired instantaneous P and flow data for 17 UK research catchments covering a total of 39 water years (WY) have been used to explore the nature and extent of the observational error associated with nutrient flux estimates based on partial fractions and infrequent sampling. The daily records were artificially decimated to create 7 stratified sampling records, 7 weekly records, and 30 monthly records from each WY and catchment. These were used to evaluate the impact of sampling frequency on load estimate uncertainty. The analysis underlines the high uncertainty of load estimates based on monthly data and individual P fractions rather than total P. Catchments with a high baseflow index and/or low population density were found to return a lower RMSE on load estimates when sampled infrequently than those with a tow baseflow index and high population density. Catchment size was not shown to be important, though a limitation of this study is that daily records may fail to capture the full range of P export behaviour in smaller catchments with flashy hydrographs, leading to an underestimate of uncertainty in Load estimates for such catchments. Further analysis of sub-daily records is needed to investigate this fully. Here, recommendations are given on load estimation methodologies for different catchment types sampled at different frequencies, and the ways in which this analysis can be used to identify observational error and uncertainty for model calibration and nutrient budgeting studies. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evidence of trends in daily climate extremes over southern and west Africa

[ 1] There has been a paucity of information on trends in daily climate and climate extremes, especially from developing countries. We report the results of the analysis of daily temperature ( maximum and minimum) and precipitation data from 14 south and west African countries over the period 1961 - 2000. Data were subject to quality control and processing into indices of climate extremes for release to the global community. Temperature extremes show patterns consistent with warming over most of the regions analyzed, with a large proportion of stations showing statistically significant trends for all temperature indices. Over 1961 to 2000, the regionally averaged occurrence of extreme cold ( fifth percentile) days and nights has decreased by - 3.7 and - 6.0 days/decade, respectively. Over the same period, the occurrence of extreme hot (95th percentile) days and nights has increased by 8.2 and 8.6 days/decade, respectively. The average duration of warm ( cold) has increased ( decreased) by 2.4 (0.5) days/decade and warm spells. Overall, it appears that the hot tails of the distributions of daily maximum temperature have changed more than the cold tails; for minimum temperatures, hot tails show greater changes in the NW of the region, while cold tails have changed more in the SE and east. The diurnal temperature range (DTR) does not exhibit a consistent trend across the region, with many neighboring stations showing opposite trends. However, the DTR shows consistent increases in a zone across Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, and Mozambique, coinciding with more rapid increases in maximum temperature than minimum temperature extremes. Most precipitation indices do not exhibit consistent or statistically significant trends across the region. Regionally averaged total precipitation has decreased but is not statistically significant. At the same time, there has been a statistically significant increase in regionally averaged daily rainfall intensity and dry spell duration. While the majority of stations also show increasing trends for these two indices, only a few of these are statistically significant. There are increasing trends in regionally averaged rainfall on extreme precipitation days and in maximum annual 5-day and 1-day rainfall, but only trends for the latter are statistically significant.

Fluxos de ações e processos decisórios na gestão pública local: estudos de casos de projetos e programas inovadores em municípios de pequeno porte populacional

O ponto de partida para este estudo foi o contraste entre a provável centralidade da decisão, defendida em boa parte da literatura administrativa, e a experiência de inclusão digital bem sucedida implantada na pequena cidade de Piraí-RJ. A originalidade deste programa e a sua maneira aparentemente caótica de encaminhamento foram inquietações que impulsionaram o retorno do pesquisador às teorias sobre o processo decisório e a formulação e implantação de políticas públicas. Neste trabalho busca-se contribuir com o debate sobre a decisão e o processo decisório a partir de duas questões de pesquisa: qual a centralidade dos processos decisórios para os resultados alcançados nas experiências consideradas inovadoras em municípios de pequeno porte populacional (abaixo de 30 mil habitantes)? E como caracterizar esses processos em relação à literatura acadêmica sobre a temática? O foco do trabalho é a área pública, na qual a temática da decisão tem forte intersecção com a temática da formulação e implementação das políticas públicas. Escolheu-se a análise dos fluxos de ações nas ações inovadoras ocorridas em municípios de pequeno porte populacional que correspondem a mais de 80% do total de municípios no Brasil. As limitações da pesquisa estão relacionadas à área pesquisada, ao tipo de município selecionado e aos projetos e programas analisados. As referências teóricas utilizadas neste trabalho são as seguintes: Escolha Racional, Racionalidade Limitada, Agenda de Políticas Públicas, Incrementalismo, Garbage Can, Sensemaking e, finalmente, Groping Along. Para efeitos da articulação entre essas teorias e os casos estudados, utilizou-se a lógica subjacente de cada teoria e a sua relação com o processo relatado pelos participantes das experiências selecionadas. O estudo foi desenvolvido em três fases. Na primeira, após as questões iniciais que emergiram da experiência de inclusão digital em Piraí, fez-se uma revisão bibliográfica da literatura relativa ao processo decisório. A partir disso, fez-se uma análise de documentos e relatos feitos por gestores e técnicos de 34 diferentes experiências inovadoras premiados pelo Programa Gestão Pública e Cidadania, entre 1996-2005, na qual se buscou captar os fluxos de ações que permearam os projetos e programas. Na terceira parte, procedeu-se uma pesquisa em profundidade em quatro estudos de caso nos estados da Bahia, Rio de Janeiro e São Paulo, utilizando-se técnicas da história oral e análise de documentos. Os casos estudados foram: Creche Noturna em Laranjal Paulista-SP, Desenvolvimento Local e Inclusão Digital em Piraí-RJ, Desenvolvimento Local Agroambiental em Almadina-BA e, finalmente, Manejo da Samambaia Silvestre em Ilha Comprida-SP. Os resultados obtidos contrastam com a literatura acadêmica cuja lógica subjacente é predominantemente linear e que defende a centralidade e a importância da decisão na obtenção de resultados maximizadores, e sugerem ainda que sejam as proposições dos processos decisórios menos lineares e os processos de formulação de políticas públicas que buscam captar as práticas cotidianas dos gestores permeada pelas imperfeições e deselegâncias do dia-a-dia - que melhor contribuem para sua compreensão.

Genetic parameter estimates for live weight and daily live weight gain obtained for Nellore bulls in a test station using different models

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Is walking in daily life a moderate intensity activity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Fluxo de carga continuado utilizando estratégia de parametrização geométrica baseada em parâmetros físicos

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

A Parameterization Technique for the Continuation Power Flow Developed from the Analysis of Power Flow Curves

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Oral cleft prevention program (OCPP)

Background: Oral clefts are one of the most common birth defects with significant medical, psychosocial, and economic ramifications. Oral clefts have a complex etiology with genetic and environmental risk factors. There are suggestive results for decreased risks of cleft occurrence and recurrence with folic acid supplements taken at preconception and during pregnancy with a stronger evidence for higher than lower doses in preventing recurrence. Yet previous studies have suffered from considerable design limitations particularly non-randomization into treatment. There is also well-documented effectiveness for folic acid in preventing neural tube defect occurrence at 0.4 mg and recurrence with 4 mg. Given the substantial burden of clefting on the individual and the family and the supportive data for the effectiveness of folic acid supplementation as well as its low cost, a randomized clinical trial of the effectiveness of high versus low dose folic acid for prevention of cleft recurrence is warranted.Methods/design: This study will assess the effect of 4 mg and 0.4 mg doses of folic acid, taken on a daily basis during preconception and up to 3 months of pregnancy by women who are at risk of having a child with nonsyndromic cleft lip with/without palate (NSCL/P), on the recurrence of NSCL/P. The total sample will include about 6,000 women (that either have NSCL/P or that have at least one child with NSCL/P) randomly assigned to the 4 mg and the 0.4 mg folic acid study groups. The study will also compare the recurrence rates of NSCL/P in the total sample of subjects, as well as the two study groups (4mg, 0.4 mg) to that of a historical control group. The study has been approved by IRBs (ethics committees) of all involved sites. Results will be disseminated through publications and presentations at scientific meetings.Discussion: The costs related to oral clefts are high, including long term psychological and socio-economic effects. This study provides an opportunity for huge savings in not only money but the overall quality of life. This may help establish more specific clinical guidelines for oral cleft prevention so that the intervention can be better tailored for at-risk women.