Areas Of High Concern Research Articles

A Comprehensive Evaluation of the Friendliness of Urban Facilities for the Elderly in Taipei City and New Taipei City

To address the topic of building age-friendly cities that better meet the needs of the elderly in a sustainable-city-oriented manner, this paper focuses on the interaction between the needs of the elderly and urban facilities in the urban built environment in order to propose a comprehensive evaluation method regarding the friendliness of urban facilities with respect to the elderly in large urban areas. The development of the proposed method was guided by the distribution characteristics of the elderly population and combines a spatial measurement evaluation, which is based on the spatial distribution characteristics of urban facilities for the elderly, and a post-use measurement evaluation, which is based on the characteristics of use by the elderly. Taipei City and New Taipei City are then taken as examples for evaluation. From the final evaluation results of the Boston four-quadrant analysis, the areas with higher spatial and post-use metric evaluation values were defined as areas of high concern, while those with lower spatial and higher post-use metric evaluation values were defined as advantage-maintained areas. These two types of areas accounted for about 58% of the total area, and are distributed in the Taipei urban area and northeast New Taipei City. The areas with higher spatial and lower post-use metric evaluation values were defined as priority improvement areas, while those with lower spatial and post-use metric evaluation values were defined as key complement areas. These two types of area accounted for about 42%, and are mainly distributed in the northwest part of Taipei City, as well as the western and southern mountainous areas of New Taipei City. Accordingly, region-specific planning policy recommendations were provided.

The Impact of Increasing Sun Protection Counseling and Skin Cancer Screening.

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. Skin cancer is a broad term that includes squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, and melanoma. Melanoma is the most concerning of the three types of skin cancer and is the focus of this project. The projected number of individuals impacted by a new diagnosis of melanoma in 2020 is a staggering 100,350 coupled with an estimated 6,850 patients dying from melanoma each year. In Wisconsin, it is estimated there will be 2,190 new cases of melanoma, and 150 deaths in 2020. Expanding patient's knowledge about the risk and benefits of skin cancer screenings, techniques, and characteristics will enhance understanding of the significance of skin cancer. The purpose of this study was to assess current skin cancer knowledge and raise awareness by providing education regarding skin cancer risks and statistics among manufacturing employees in Wisconsin. A quality improvement procedure took place as employees of a Midwestern global manufacturer were educated about self-skin screens, skin cancer risks, and the importance of sun protective behaviors. Pre- and post-education surveys were distributed and obtained. A total of 16 individuals participated in the study, and the results were clinically significant. Providing education about skin cancer risks and sun protection behaviors improved employee's knowledge base by 50%. Although individuals identified skin cancer as an area of high concern, few reported knowing how to prevent skin cancer and the risks for skin cancer before being provided the related education. Therefore, it is evident, even with this small group that simple skin cancer counseling offers great benefit in helping increase knowledge among those educated about skin cancer risk factors and sun protective behaviors.

The influence of maternal agency on severe child undernutrition in conflict-ridden Nigeria: Modeling heterogeneous treatment effects with machine learning.

Nigeria is one of the fastest growing African economies, yet struggles with armed conflict, poverty, and morbidity. An area of high concern is how this situation affects vulnerable families and their children. A key pathway in improving the situation for children in times of conflict is to reinforce maternal agency, for instance, through education. However, the state of the art of research lacks a clear understanding of how many years of education is needed before children benefit. Due to mother’s differing social context and ability, the effect of maternal education varies. We study the heterogeneous treatment effects of maternal agency, here operationalized as length of education, on severe child undernutrition in the context of armed conflict. We deploy a repeated cross-sectional study design, using the Nigeria 2008 and 2013 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). The sample covers 25,917 children and their respective mothers. A key methodological challenge is to estimate this heterogeneity inductively. The causal inference literature proposes a machine learning approach, Bayesian Additive Regression Trees (BART), as a promising avenue to overcome this challenge. Based on BART-estimation of the Conditional Average Treatment Effect (CATE) this study confirms earlier findings in that maternal education decreases severe child undernutrition, but only when mothers acquire an education that lasts more than the country’s compulsory 9 years; that is 10 years of education and higher. This protective effect remains even during the exposure of armed conflict.

Aboriginal Mental Healthcare in Canada: The role of alternative service delivery in transforming the provision of mental health services

With growing complexity surrounding the issue of mental health, there is increased pressure for healthcare providers to engage in Alternative Service Delivery (ASD) and collaborative service delivery. Moreover, Aboriginal mental health has historically been an area of high concern and controversy, due to the high incidence of mental illness within this population. The unique social and cultural contexts that impact the type of healthcare services provided, and how these services are organized and delivered, require special consideration to be made when designing ASD models for Aboriginal mental healthcare. This paper seeks to identify current ASD initiatives being undertaken in Canada, while exploring the need for innovative and collaborative service delivery initiatives related to Aboriginal mental health, identifying current gaps and potential barriers to service delivery.

환경부의 화학물질관리법, 화학물질등록 및 평가에 관한 법률, 고용노동부의 산업안전보건법의 화학물질 관련 내용 비교

Objectives: The exponential growth of chemicals, an area of high concern in developed countries like the US (i.e., the Gore Initiative) and in the EU (i.e., REACH), as well as recent chemical accidents in Korea, have provoked nationwide concerns and resultant legal enforcement. This study aims to co...

Spatial fire potential analysis and mapping using landsat satellite imagery and gis

Abstract: While being an integral part of many ecosystems, forest fires can also have detrimental effects on forests and their management, resulting in high suppression costs, great damages in lost timber, real estate and recreational values, and even loss of life. To minimize the threat of loss from wildfires, fire managers must be able to plan ahead the protection strategies that are appropriate for local areas. A prerequisite for this planning is the ability to assess and map, for broad areas, the local potential for a major fire to occur. Using such geospatial information, managers can esta blish priorities for prevention activities to reduce the wildfire danger and for allocating suppression forces to improve the probability of quickly controlling fires in areas of high concern. The launch of satellite sensors with increased spatial resolution may improve the accuracy and reduce the cost of fuel and fire potential mapping. This paper evaluates and presents fire potential through analysis and mapping. Fire potential mapping was considered from a remote sensing perspective by assessing and mapping general vegetation complexes with the use of Landsat TM data and Geographic Information System. Spatial analysis of fire potential maps were also made to determine the efficiency of many factors that influence fire potential – slope, insolation, fuel. As a result, an attempt was made to develop a Fire Potential Index. This index was based on tree type, stand closure, stand age, insolation, and topographic features. These properties were derived from classification from the Landsat imagery. The Fire Potential Index model was developed to incorporate both satellite and stand type map produced from interpreted aerial photograph and ground measurements made in 1972, 1993 and 2004. The index correlated well with fire occurrence and could be used to map fire potential from national to local scales. Application of the fire potential mapping was tested in a Mediterranean ecosystem in Turkey. The results of the study will prove useful and serve overall fire management purposes.

A self-study educational approach to bioterrorism/disaster preparation

ISSUE: Bioterrorism and biological warfare have been areas of high concern since September 11, 2001. If biological agents are used again, will our healthcare system be prepared? Even with the April 2002 APIC Bioterrorism Working Group Interim Bioterrorism Readiness Plan Suggestions, can we be sure that all nurses are educated about the diseases they might encounter? What can be done in the healthcare setting to enhance the knowledge level of all nurses on the category A bioterrorist agents and the diseases they cause? PROJECT: A survey was conducted with nursing personnel in 20 hospitals across the United States to determine the level of understanding of the six Category A diseases, as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The survey consisted of a listing of the baseline education nurses had on bioterrorism preparedness in their facility and a pre-test to determine their knowledge base about the diseases. Baseline data were obtained that indicated that nurses were aware of the issue but lacked a complete understanding of the diseases caused by the six category A agents and what isolation measures needed to be utilized for each disease to prevent spread of the diseases. A self-study educational module was developed to educate nurses on the diseases. It included review of each disease's signs and symptoms, diagnosis, treatment options, post-exposure prophylaxis, and infection control issues including proper barrier protection selection. RESULTS: A post test completed after the self-study module indicated that an understanding of the issues dealing with the six category A diseases improved from 20% to 90%. An evaluation form completed after the module indicated that the nurses liked the self-study format and believed that their knowledge base had increased as a result of completing it and that they were better prepared to handle a bioterrorist event. LESSONS LEARNED: The individual education provided by the self-study module addresses all the healthcare workers' needs for 1) understanding the principles of transmission of the six category A diseases, 2) understanding the signs and symptoms of each disease, 3) understanding the diagnosis of the disease, 4) understanding the treatment of the diseases, understanding the post-exposure prophylaxis needed, and 5) understanding the infection control measures to use including the best barrier protection to use. ISSUE: Bioterrorism and biological warfare have been areas of high concern since September 11, 2001. If biological agents are used again, will our healthcare system be prepared? Even with the April 2002 APIC Bioterrorism Working Group Interim Bioterrorism Readiness Plan Suggestions, can we be sure that all nurses are educated about the diseases they might encounter? What can be done in the healthcare setting to enhance the knowledge level of all nurses on the category A bioterrorist agents and the diseases they cause? PROJECT: A survey was conducted with nursing personnel in 20 hospitals across the United States to determine the level of understanding of the six Category A diseases, as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The survey consisted of a listing of the baseline education nurses had on bioterrorism preparedness in their facility and a pre-test to determine their knowledge base about the diseases. Baseline data were obtained that indicated that nurses were aware of the issue but lacked a complete understanding of the diseases caused by the six category A agents and what isolation measures needed to be utilized for each disease to prevent spread of the diseases. A self-study educational module was developed to educate nurses on the diseases. It included review of each disease's signs and symptoms, diagnosis, treatment options, post-exposure prophylaxis, and infection control issues including proper barrier protection selection. RESULTS: A post test completed after the self-study module indicated that an understanding of the issues dealing with the six category A diseases improved from 20% to 90%. An evaluation form completed after the module indicated that the nurses liked the self-study format and believed that their knowledge base had increased as a result of completing it and that they were better prepared to handle a bioterrorist event. LESSONS LEARNED: The individual education provided by the self-study module addresses all the healthcare workers' needs for 1) understanding the principles of transmission of the six category A diseases, 2) understanding the signs and symptoms of each disease, 3) understanding the diagnosis of the disease, 4) understanding the treatment of the diseases, understanding the post-exposure prophylaxis needed, and 5) understanding the infection control measures to use including the best barrier protection to use.

Respondent Militancy as a Control Variable for Interviewer Effect

This paper describes the apparent predictability of interviewer effect which arises between white interviewer and black respondents and the contingent conditions under which it operates. Three tentative conclusions emerge: (a) interviewer effect operates only when questions treat opinions and attitudes; (b) black respondents are more likely to identify “racially sensitive” problems as areas of high concern when speaking to black interviewers, however, the relative frequency with which black respondents cite these problems remains the same regardless of the race of the interviewer; and (c) militant blacks appear uninfluenced by the white interviewer. This suggests that in studying black and other minority groups, the views of militants may prove accurate indices of the felt but unexpressed views of the overall group. Should this be so, rather than recruit, train, and retain minority interviewers, one might use white interviewers together with questionnaire scales to filter out the less truculent respondents.