Operations research/management science tools for integrating people with disabilities into employment. A study on Valencia`s Sheltered Work Centres for Disabled

People with disabilities have a right to a full life in every sense and one of those fundamental rights is the possibility to work. In this paper, the importance of social employment integration of disabled people is highlighted as one of the stakeholders to be satisfied by companies in the new framework that corporate social responsibility is constructing. The objective of the paper is to revise the benefits of some well-known operations research/management science tools that, if applied correctly, have a double positive impact on work accessibility and improved productivity. The responses collected from managers of Valencia`s ShelteredWork Centres for Disabled by means of a structured questionnaire are used to analyse the level of implementation of these tools and their impact depending on the type of centre, the kind of disability and other structural variables.

Multiple camera people detection and tracking using support integration

This paper proposes a method to locate and track people by combining evidence from multiple cameras using the homography constraint. The proposed method use foreground pixels from simple background subtraction to compute evidence of the location of people on a reference ground plane. The algorithm computes the amount of support that basically corresponds to the ""foreground mass"" above each pixel. Therefore, pixels that correspond to ground points have more support. The support is normalized to compensate for perspective effects and accumulated on the reference plane for all camera views. The detection of people on the reference plane becomes a search for regions of local maxima in the accumulator. Many false positives are filtered by checking the visibility consistency of the detected candidates against all camera views. The remaining candidates are tracked using Kalman filters and appearance models. Experimental results using challenging data from PETS`06 show good performance of the method in the presence of severe occlusion. Ground truth data also confirms the robustness of the method. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Superoxide Dismutase 1-mediated Production of Ethanol- and DNA-derived Radicals in Yeasts Challenged with Hydrogen Peroxide MOLECULAR INSIGHTS INTO THE GENOME INSTABILITY OF PEROXIREDOXIN-NULL STRAINS

Peroxiredoxins are receiving increasing attention as defenders against oxidative damage and sensors of hydrogen peroxide-mediated signaling events. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, deletion of one or more isoforms of the peroxiredoxins is not lethal but compromises genome stability by mechanisms that remain under scrutiny. Here, we show that cytosolic peroxiredoxin-null cells (tsa1 Delta tsa2 Delta) are more resistant to hydrogen peroxide than wildtype (WT) cells and consume it faster under fermentative conditions. Also, tsa1 Delta tsa2 Delta cells produced higher yields of the 1-hydroxyethyl radical from oxidation of the glucose metabolite ethanol, as proved by spin-trapping experiments. A major role for Fenton chemistry in radical formation was excluded by comparing WT and tsa1 Delta tsa2 Delta cells with respect to their levels of total and chelatable metal ions and of radical produced in the presence of chelators. The main route for 1-hydroxyethyl radical formation was ascribed to the peroxidase activity of Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase (Sod1), whose expression and activity increased similar to 5- and 2-fold, respectively, in tsa1 Delta tsa2 Delta compared with WT cells. Accordingly, overexpression of human Sod1 in WT yeasts led to increased 1-hydroxyethyl radical production. Relevantly, tsa1 Delta tsa2 Delta cells challenged with hydrogen peroxide contained higher levels of DNA-derived radicals and adducts as monitored by immuno-spin trapping and incorporation of (14)C from glucose into DNA, respectively. The results indicate that part of hydrogen peroxide consumption by tsa1 Delta tsa2 Delta cells is mediated by induced Sod1, which oxidizes ethanol to the 1-hydroxyethyl radical, which, in turn, leads to increased DNA damage. Overall, our studies provide a pathway to account for the hypermutability of peroxiredoxin-null strains.

Sex, a one mans show : Perceptions and experience of sexuality, contraceptives, unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion among young people in Kisumu, Kenya – A qualitative study

This study aimed to explore perceptions and experiences concerning sexuality, contraceptives, unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion among young people in Kisumu, Kenya. The design of the study was inductive with a qualitative approach using personal in-depth interviews. Eight participants (four female and four male) were asked to describe their perceptions and experience concerning sexuality, contraceptives, unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortion. The result showed that culture and norms, misconceptions and gender based power in sexuality are factors that impact Sexual Reproductive Health among young people in Kisumu today. Unwanted pregnancy was described as a shame, a burden and a destroyed life which lead to many unsafely induced abortions. The findings indicate that youth interventions are important, such as engaging young men in unwanted pregnancy and thus unsafe abortions and to empower young women.

Pensionärsjävlar : revolt mot eller ett upprepande av negativa ålderskoder?

Old bastard – rebellion against or a repetition of negative age codes? In contemporary media and scientific contexts, it has become increasingly popular to launch today’s elderly as different from previous generations of older people, especially emphasized is that today’s elderly will have more attitude and set higher demands on society. The TV-series Pensionärsjävlar is based on this idea of today’s and tomorrow’s elderly as different and more rebellious than previous generations. The purpose of this article is to analyze and discuss how age and age codes are used as a prerequisite for, but also are challenged in the series. The result shows that chronological age is almost absent in the series, instead age coding is performed by physical attributes and verbal acts. Most common attributes are those connected to decreased functionality, such as walker, wheelchair, walking stick etcetera. The most common taboo joked about is sexuality, and other common themes are decreased functionality,child/youth- like behavior and traffic. In the article I discuss how these themes and attributes are negotiated in relation to age.  

Tha contribution of home-based technology to older people's quality of life in extra care housing

Background: British government policy for older people focuses on a vision of active ageing and independent living. In the face of diminishing personal capacities, the use of appropriate home-based technology (HBT) devices could potentially meet a wide range of needs and consequently improve many aspects of older people's quality of life such as physical health, psychosocial well-being, social relationships, and their physical or living environment. This study aimed to examine the use of HBT devices and the correlation between use of such devices and quality of life among older people living in extra-care housing (ECH).  Methods: A structured questionnaire was administered for this study. Using purposive sampling 160 older people living in extra-care housing schemes were selected from 23 schemes in England. A face-to-face interview was conducted in each participant's living unit. In order to measure quality of life, the SEIQoL-Adapted and CASP-19 were used.  Results: Although most basic appliances and emergency call systems were used in the living units, communally provided facilities such as personal computers, washing machines, and assisted bathing equipment in the schemes were not well utilised. Multiple regression analysis adjusted for confounders including age, sex, marital status, living arrangement and mobility use indicated a coefficient of 1.17 with 95% CI (0.05, 2.29) and p = 0.04 [SEIQoL-Adapted] and 2.83 with 95% CI (1.17, 4.50) and p = 0.001 [CASP-19].  Conclusions: The findings of the present study will be value to those who are developing new form of specialised housing for older people with functional limitations and, in particular, guiding investments in technological aids. The results of the present study also indicate that the home is an essential site for developing residential technologies.

”Alltid saknad – aldrig glömd” : Om emotionella drivkrafter inom Missing People Sweden

”Forever missed – never forgotten”: Emotion and action in a swedish voluntary search and rescue organisation The article explores the phenomenon of voluntary policing, through a case study of the voluntary search and rescue group Missing People Sweden (MPS). The article focuses on how a collectively upheld emotionology guide members’ views on the problem MPS is engaging, how this problem should be engaged, and why people should join MPS in its activities. The material used was gathered in spring 2014; through eight semi-structured interviews, document studies and four participant observations of the organisation’s activites. The results indicate that MPS members relate their views to an emotionology consisting of two separate themes; one of equality and collectivism, and one of individualism and meritocracy. The article demonstrates that the Tönniesian terms Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft can both be applied to describe the organisation’s social environment. It also demonstrates that the Tönniesian dichotomy is a theoretical concept that is suited to the analysis of voluntary policing groups.

Formal caregivers' perceptions of quality of care for older people : associating factors

Background: Despite the growing number of studies concerning quality of care for older people, there is a lack of studies depicting factors associated with good quality of care from the formal caregivers' perspective. The aim was to describe formal caregivers' perceptions of quality of care for older people in the community and explore factors associated with these perceptions. In total, 70 nursing assistants, 163 enrolled nurses and 198 registered nurses from 14 communities in central Sweden participated in the study. They filled out the following questionnaires: a modified version of Quality from the Patient's Perspective, Creative Climate Questionnaire, Stress of Conscience Questionnaire, items regarding education and competence, Health Index and Sense of coherence questionnaire. The overall response rate was 57 % (n = 431). Results: In the perceived reality of quality of care respondents assessed the highest mean value in the dimension medical-technical competence and physical technical conditions and lower values in the dimensions; identity-oriented approach, socio-cultural atmosphere and in the context specific dimension. The caregivers estimated their competence and health rather high, had lower average values in sense of coherence and organizational climate and low values in stress of conscience. Conculsions: The PR of quality of care were estimated higher among NA/ENs compared to RNs. Occupation, organizational climate and stress of conscience were factors associated with quality of care that explained 42 % of the variance. Competence, general health and sense of coherence were not significantly associated to quality of care. The mentioned factors explaining quality of care might be intertwined and showed that formal caregivers' working conditions are of great importance for quality of care.

Våld på jobbet : Beskrivningar av våld i arbetslivet 1978–2004 i facklig press

Violence at work as a social problem: a study of the media coverage on workplace violence in Swedish trade union journals 1978–2004 The main purpose of this study was to find out the extent of the unions media coverage on workplace violence and the ways in which the topic was framed. The study shows that the reporting of violence in the workplace described in journals is on a stable level during the period 1978–98. However from the year 2000 and onwards, there is a clear increase in the attention. Four categories of workplace violence were used to identify and recognize different types of violence: intrusive-, consumer-, relationship-and organizational violence. This shows that much of the attention over time has shifted from intrusive violence to organizational violence and consumer violence. What seems to have happened is that workplace violence has become more than just robberies and assaults in the retail business. The stereotypical image of the criminal is challenged by non-traditional criminals like nurses, elderly people and companies. Certain groups, e.g. care workers, come to account for an increasing proportion of attention, both as perpetrators and victims of violence. This study is an important step in understanding the increased reports of workplace violence in Sweden.

Improving continence services for older people from the service-providers’ perspective : a qualitative interview study

Objective: To examine in depth the views and experiences of continence service leads in England on key service and continence management characteristics in order to identify and to improve our understanding of barriers to a good-quality service and potential facilitators to develop and to improve services for older people with urinary incontinence (UI). Design: Qualitative semistructured interviews using a purposive sample recruited across 16 continence services. Setting: 3 acute and 13 primary care National Health Service Trusts in England. Participants: 16 continence service leads in England actively treating and managing older people with UI. Results: In terms of barriers to a good-quality service, participants highlighted a failure on the part of commissioners, managers and other health professionals in recognising the problem of UI and in acknowledging the importance of continence for older people and prevalent negative attitudes towards continence and older people. Patient assessment and continence promotion regardless of age, rather than pad provision, were identified as important steps for a good-quality service for older people with UI. More rapid and appropriate patient referral pathways, investment in service capacity, for example, more trained staff and strengthened interservice collaborations and a higher profile within medical and nurse training were specified as being important facilitators for delivering an equitable and highquality continence service. There is a need, however, to consider the accounts given by our participants as perhaps serving the interests of their professional group within the context of interprofessional work. Conclusions: Our data point to important barriers and facilitators of a good-quality service for older people with UI, from the perspective of continence service leads. Further research should address the views of other stakeholders, and explore options for the empirical evaluation of the effectiveness of identified service facilitators.

Using structured observation and content analysis to explore the presence of older people in public fora in developing countries

There is a lack of research on the everyday lives of older people in developing countries. This exploratory study used structured observation and content analysis to examine the presence of older people in public fora, and considered the methods’ potential for understanding older people’s social integration and inclusion. Structured observation occurred of public social spaces in six cities each located in a different developing country, and in one city in the United Kingdom, together with content analysis of the presence of people in newspaper pictures and on television in the selected countries. Results indicated that across all fieldwork sites and data sources, there was a low presence of older people, with women considerably less present than men in developing countries. There was variation across fieldwork sites in older people’s presence by place and time of day, and in their accompanied status. The presence of older people in images drawn from newspapers was associated with the news/non-news nature of the source. The utility of the study’s methodological approach is considered, as is the degree to which the presence of older people in public fora might relate to social integration and inclusion in different cultural contexts.

Older people's experience of utilisation and administration of medicines in a health- and social care context

BACKGROUND: People living at home who lack ability to manage their medicine are entitled to assistance to improve adherence provided by a home care assistant employed by social care. AIM: The aim was to describe how older people with chronic diseases, living at home, experience the use and assistance of administration of medicines in the context of social care. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive study. METHODS: Ten participants (age 65+) living at home were interviewed in the participants' own homes. Latent content analysis was used. FINDINGS: The assistance eases daily life with regard to practical matters and increases adherence to a medicine regimen. There were mixed feelings about being dependent on assistance; it interferes with self-sufficiency at a time of health transition. Participants were balancing empowerment and a dubious perception of the home care assistants' knowledge of medicine and safety. Physicians' and district nurses' professional knowledge was a safety guarantee for the medicine process. CONCLUSIONS: Assistance eases daily life and medicine regimen adherence. Dependence on assistance may affect self-sufficiency. Perceived safety varied relating to home care assistants' knowledge of medicine. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: A well-functioning medicine assistance is crucial to enable older people to remain at home. A person-centred approach to health- and social care delivery is efficient and improve outcome for the recipient of care.

Beröringsbehandling hos patienter med cancer : En litteraturöversikt

Bakgrund: Varje år diagnostiseras cirka 64 000 personer med cancer och tumörsjukdomar är den näst vanligaste dödsorsaken i Sverige. Att få diagnosen cancer innebär en påfrestande tid både fysiskt och psykiskt. Sjuksköterskans arbetsuppgift är bland annat att lindra lidande och främja för god hälsa. Beröring är ett allmänmänskligt livslångt behov och blir extra tydligt när en dödlig sjukdom drabbar en människa. Syfte: Syftet är att belysa erfarenheter av beröringsbehandling hos sjuksköterskor och patienter med cancer. Metod: Studien har valt att genomföras som en litteraturöversikt, där 14 vetenskapliga artiklar användes varav 5 kvalitativa och 9 kvantitativa. Resultat: Resultatet delades in i två områden: Patienters erfarenheter av beröringsbehandling och sjuksköterskors erfarenheter av beröringsbehandling. Under området patienters erfarenheter framkom två kategorier: lindrande inverkan och främjande inverkan, samt underkategorierna: fysiskt obehag, psykiskt obehag, välbefinnande och närhet. Under området sjuksköterskors erfarenheter framkom en kategori: utbildning i beröringsbehandling samt underkategorin: upplevelser av beröringsbehandling. Slutsats: Beröringsbehandling har en kortvarig symtomlindrande inverkan på smärta, ångest, illamående samt ger ökat välbefinnande och livskvalitet. Därtill förbättrades kontakten mellan sjuksköterska och patient som bidrog till att den existentiella ensamheten minskades. Sjuksköterskorna såg patienten som en individ istället för en patient med en sjukdom.