Dimensions Of Barriers Research Articles

Dimensional Analysis of Psychosocial Barriers to Prevention of Early Childhood Caries Among Recent Immigrants

The objective of this article is to define the underlying dimensions of psychosocial barriers to obtaining and providing dental care for young children among recent immigrants. Fifteen focus groups were conducted with 99 primary caregivers from African, South Asian, and Chinese recent immigrants. A secondary analysis of identified barriers using dimensional analysis methodology was performed to determine dimensions and properties of barriers. The analysis continued until irreducible properties were found or emerging dimensions were not relevant to the study. Identified dimensions were associated with barriers and individuals. Type, number, level, objectiveness, nature, and impact were barrier-related; awareness and controllability were individual-related dimensions. Type refers to barriers themselves. Number and level indicate the amount and location of barriers, respectively. Objectiveness refers to the extent that perceived barrier reflects reality and nature indicates its intrinsic characteristic. Impact concerns behaviors, goals, and outcomes compromised by barriers. Awareness alludes to the extent that individuals are aware of the barriers and controllability explains how much control people perceive to have over barriers. Identified dimensions are useful for better understanding and addressing existing barriers to children’s optimal oral health.

Low-Income Cancer Patients in Depression Treatment: Dropouts and Completers

This study aims to explore reasons for depression treatment dropout among low-income, minority women with depression and cancer. Semi-structured telephone interviews are conducted with 20, predominately Latina, patients who dropped out of depression treatment and 10 who completed. Transcripts analyzed using techniques rooted in grounded theory. Treatment completion barriers cluster according to Meichenbaum and Turk's (Facilitating treatment adherence: A practitioner's guidebook, Plenum Press, New York, 1987) five adherence dimensions: (a) Barriers to Treatment (informational, instrumental, cultural [language, discrimination]); (b) Disease Features (emotional burden of cancer/depression); (c) Cancer/Depression Treatment Regimens; (d) Provider-Patient Relationship (depression treatment dissatisfaction); and (e) Clinical Setting (hospital organizational issues). Although both groups describe multiple overlapping dimensions of barriers, completers seem more motivated and satisfied with treatment, possibly due to completers experiencing the positive treatment effects after the first several sessions. More research should be conducted to determine the most effective clinical treatment methods for this population.

Optimising low acoustic impedance back-fill material wave barrier dimensions to shield structures from ground borne high speed rail vibrations

Ground borne vibrations generated due to high speed train passage can cause undesirable effects on the nearby environment. One approach to mitigate vibration levels is to use “wave barriers”, however their installation cost may be very high. In an attempt to minimize construction costs, numerical modelling and physical experiments are performed to determine guidelines for the optimisation of trench dimensions. Substantial savings are found to be achievable through carefully chosen barrier dimensions.Firstly, for the purposes of testing a numerical model that can be used by railway wave barrier designers, a geophysical investigation is undertaken on a high speed railway line outside Edinburgh, Scotland. The testing schedule consists of vibration measurements adjacent to the line and a multi-channel analysis of surface waves technique to determine the underlying soil properties.An outline is then presented describing a newly developed three dimensional finite element railway model using commercially available software. The resulting model is modified to replicate the track and soil properties at the test site and then it is shown that the model results exhibit a strong correlation in comparison to those collected during the experimental stage.The numerical model is then used to assess the ability of a range of wave barrier configurations to protect nearby sites from railway vibration. It is found that depth and length have a strong influence on the mitigation of vibration levels but the effect of trench width is negligible. Lastly, for a specific example it is shown that cost savings of 95% are achievable if trench dimensions are carefully planned. All of the analyses require that the ratio of the acoustic impedance of soil compared to wave barrier backfill material must be greater than eight.

Vibrational spectroscopy and microscopic imaging: novel approaches for comparing barrier physical properties in native and human skin equivalents

Vibrational spectroscopy and imaging have been used to compare barrier properties in human skin, porcine skin, and two human skin equivalents, Epiderm 200X with an enhanced barrier and Epiderm 200 with a normal barrier. Three structural characterizations were performed. First, chain packing and conformational order were compared in isolated human stratum corneum (SC), isolated porcine SC, and in the Epiderm 200X surface layers. The infrared (IR) spectrum of isolated human SC revealed a large proportion of orthorhombically packed lipid chains at physiological temperatures along with a thermotropic phase transition to a state with hexagonally packed chains. In contrast, the lipid phase at physiological temperatures in both porcine SC and in Epiderm 200X, although dominated by conformationally ordered chains, lacked significant levels of orthorhombic subcell packing. Second, confocal Raman imaging of cholesterol bands showed extensive formation of cholesterol-enriched pockets within the human skin equivalents (HSEs). Finally, IR imaging tracked lipid barrier dimensions as well as the spatial disposition of ordered lipids in human SC and Epiderm 200X. These approaches provide a useful set of experiments for exploring structural differences between excised human skin and HSEs, which in turn may provide a rationale for the functional differences observed among these preparations.

Morphodynamic development and sediment budget of the Dutch Wadden Sea over the last century

AbstractThe availability of nearly 100 years of bathymetric measurements allows the analysis of the morphodynamic evolution of the Dutch Wadden Sea under rising sea level and increasing human constraint. The historically observed roll-over mechanisms of landward barrier and coastline retreat cannot be sustained naturally due to numerous erosion control measures that have fixed the tidal basin and barrier dimensions. Nevertheless, the large continuous sedimentation in the tidal basins (nearly 600 million m3), the retained inlets and the similar channel-shoal characteristics of the basins during the observation period indicate that the Wadden Sea is resilient to anthropogenic influence, and can import sediment volumes even larger than those needed to compensate the present rate of sea-level rise. The largest sedimentation occurs in the Western Wadden Sea, where the influence of human intervention is dominant. The large infilling rates in closed-off channels, and along the basin shoreline, rather than a gradual increase in channel flat heights, render it likely that this sedimentation is primarily a response to the closure of the Zuiderzee and not an adaptation to sea-level rise. Most of the sediments were supplied by the ebb-tidal deltas. It is, however, unlikely that the sediment volume needed to reach a new equilibrium morphology in the Western Wadden Sea can be delivered by the remaining ebb-tidal deltas alone.

The role of la familia on Mexican American men's college persistence intentions.

Mexican American men lag behind academically. To that end, this study examined the mediating role of parental encouragement in the relation between familismo and college persistence intentions among 186 Mexican American college men. The mediation analysis suggested that parental encouragement fully, positively, and significantly mediated the relation between familismo and college persistence intentions for this sample of Mexican American college men. Furthermore, parental encouragement explained 53% of the variance in the indirect relation between familismo and college persistence intentions. We also asked two open-ended questions about participants’ college persistence and potential barriers to college persistence. Three dimensions of academic supports (i.e., attitudinal, instrumental, and social support factors) and four dimensions of potential barriers (i.e., struggles, unexpected events, family, and nothing) emerged. Research and practice implications of the study’s findings are delineated.

Addressing access barriers to health services: an analytical framework for selecting appropriate interventions in low-income Asian countries

While World Health Organization member countries embraced the concept of universal coverage as early as 2005, few low-income countries have yet achieved the objective. This is mainly due to numerous barriers that hamper access to needed health services. In this paper we provide an overview of the various dimensions of barriers to access to health care in low-income countries (geographical access, availability, affordability and acceptability) and outline existing interventions designed to overcome these barriers. These barriers and consequent interventions are arranged in an analytical framework, which is then applied to two case studies from Cambodia. The aim is to illustrate the use of the framework in identifying the dimensions of access barriers that have been tackled by the interventions. The findings suggest that a combination of interventions is required to tackle specific access barriers but that their effectiveness can be influenced by contextual factors. It is also necessary to address demand-side and supply-side barriers concurrently. The framework can be used both to identify interventions that effectively address particular access barriers and to analyse why certain interventions fail to tackle specific barriers.

Investigation of Barriers to Entry into the Design-Build Market in the People’s Republic of China

Although the design-build (DB) system has been demonstrated to be an effective delivery method and has gained popularity worldwide, it has not gained the same popularity in the construction market of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The objective of this study was to investigate the barriers to entry in the DB market. A total of 22 entry barriers were first identified through an open-ended questionnaire survey with 15 top construction professionals in the construction market of China. A broad questionnaire survey was further conducted to prioritize these entry barriers. Statistical analysis of responses shows that the most dominant barriers to entry into the DB market are lack of design expertise, lack of interest from owners, lack of suitable organization structure, lack of DB specialists, and lack of credit record system. Analysis of variance indicates that there is no difference of opinions among the respondent groups of academia, government departments, state-owned companies, and private companies, at the 5% significance level, on most of the barriers to entry. Finally, the under- lying dimensions of barriers to entry in the DB market were investigated through factor analysis. The results indicate that there are six major underlying dimensions of entry barriers in DB market, including the competence of design-builders, difficulty in project procurement, char- acteristics of DB projects, lack of support from public sectors, the competence of DB owners, and the immaturity of DB market. These findings are useful for both potential and incumbent design-builders to understand and analyze the DB market in China. DOI: 10.1061/ (ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000387. © 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers. CE Database subject headings: Design/build; China; Construction management; Marketing. Author keywords: Design and build; Barriers to entry; Construction market; Factor analysis; China.

EFFECTIVE FACTORS ON SHAPING AND NON-SHAPING OF LEARNING IN MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS

The purpose of this study was to examine middle school students' perception about effective factors on shaping and non-shaping of students' learning. The methodology of this study was a quantitative research. The instrument used in this research was Bru et al. (2002) questionnaire in nine components: six dimensions of helpful factors on shaping of learning: teachers' emotional support; teachers' academic support; teachers' monitoring; parental monitoring; parental care; student influence; and three dimensions of effective barriers on shaping of learning: off-task orientation; opposition toward teachers; and bullying of other students. Findings showed that the students marked relatively high scores on effective factors on the shaping of students' learning. However, regarding students' perception, students influence and parental monitoring had more effects on shaping of learning. The measures of median and rank order also showed that these factors had outrank in comparison with the other components. The barriers of shaping of students' learning, respondents marked high score to bullying of other students and opposition toward teachers and over the average to off-task orientation. The results also indicated that there was relatively high positive correlation between effective factors on shaping and non-shaping students' learning Keywords: Effective Factor, Shaping of Learning, Non-Shaping of Learning, Middle School Students

Analysis of Topographic Change at Mount Sakurajima, South Kyushu, Japan, using JERS-1 SAR Interferometry

Mount Sakurajima, situated in the southern Kyusyu district of southwest Japan, is known as one of the most active volcanoes in Japan. It has erupted intermittently, ejecting large volumes of volcanic materials including lava, scoria, and ash. We have adopted a SAR interferometry method using JERS-1 images to monitor volcanic activity and estimate accompanying topographic changes in order to mitigate hazard from the inevitable eruptions and debris flows. A map expressing the phase-difference distribution for pairs of images recorded on two acquisition dates is produced for this purpose. This map, obtained by subtracting orbital and topographic fringes from the initial interferogram, is capable of quantifying vertical displacements at each point on the SAR image. Considering the acquisition-date intervals for the images used, three phase-difference maps are generated for the period from January 1996 to March 1997. These show that relatively large displacements occurring along the valleys on the northern slopes of the volcano are common to the three pairs. Because the volcanic activity was low during the period, the displacements may be caused chiefly by the erosion of the surface materials. Differential SAR interferometry is thus thought to be capable of estimating temporal fluctuations of topography during arbitrary periods, detecting regions that are readily aggraded or eroded, and helping to determine the position and dimensions of debris barriers.

Ultrathin nucleoporin phenylalanine–glycine repeat films and their interaction with nuclear transport receptors

Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are highly selective gates that mediate the exchange of all proteins and nucleic acids between the cytoplasm and the nucleus. Their selectivity relies on a supramolecular assembly of natively unfolded nucleoporin domains containing phenylalanine-glycine (FG)-rich repeats (FG repeat domains), in a way that is at present poorly understood. We have developed ultrathin FG domain films that reproduce the mode of attachment and the density of FG repeats in NPCs, and that exhibit a thickness that corresponds to the nanoscopic dimensions of the native permeability barrier. By using a combination of biophysical characterization techniques, we quantified the binding of nuclear transport receptors (NTRs) to such FG domain films and analysed how this binding affects the swelling behaviour and mechanical properties of the films. The results extend our understanding of the interaction of FG domain assemblies with NTRs and contribute important information to refine the model of transport across the permeability barrier.

Barrier effect on breakdown of point–plane oil gaps under alternating current voltage

This study deals with the influence of insulating barriers on AC dielectric strength of transformer oil in point–plane electrode configuration. The influence of the characteristics of barrier such as its position with regard to the point electrode, its thickness and dimension as well as its constituting material is investigated. It is shown that the insertion of barrier near the point electrode generally leads to the increase of breakdown voltage; this later also increases with the dimensions of barrier. The optimal position of barrier is at about 20% of gap starting from the sharp electrode (i.e. the point). The barrier acts as a geometrical obstacle against the direct propagation of discharge. There is an equivalency between distances of systems with barrier and without barrier.

Resonant states in heterostructures of graphene nanoribbons

Abstract We study the transport properties of heterostructures of armchair graphene nanoribbons (AGNR) forming a double symmetrical barrier configuration. The systems are described by a single-band tight-binding Hamiltonian and Green's functions formalism, based on real-space renormalization techniques. We present results for the quantum conductance and the current for distinct configurations, focusing our analysis on the dependence of the transport with geometrical effects such as separation, width and transverse dimension of the barriers. Our results show the apparition of a series of resonant peaks in the conductance, showing a clear evidence of the presence of resonant states in the conductor. Changes in the barrier dimensions allow the modulation of the resonances in the conductance, making possible to obtain a complete suppression of electron transmission for determined values of the Fermi energy. The current–voltage curves show the presence of a negative differential resistance effect with a threshold voltage that can be controlled by varying the separation between the barriers and by modulating its confinement potential.

Noise barrier optimization using a simulated annealing algorithm

This paper presents a novel method to design a desired noise barrier using the global optimization of a simulated annealing (SA) algorithm. This method focuses on minimizing the barrier dimensions, which are related to material and construction costs, as well as satisfying the target sound pressure levels at receiver points on the condition of traffic noise. Various examples are presented to evaluate the optimized barrier dimensions according to given traffic noise sources, ground topography, surface conditions, and the influence of different receiver positions. As a result, a robust method is found that can determine optimized barrier configurations and dimensions that yield cost reductions.

Barriers and Facilitators to Knowledge Management in University Research Centers: An Exploratory Study

This study shows how 152 researchers from several research centers of a Portuguese university perceive the facilitators and barriers to knowledge management. Three domains are considered – knowledge gathering, creation, and diffusion. Three dimensions of barriers and facilitators were considered – individuals, socio‐organizational processes, and technology. Regarding both barriers and facilitators, but mainly barriers, the findings suggest that researchers are more sensitive to the “soft” aspects of knowledge management (i.e., individuals, socio‐organizational processes) than to the “hard” ones (i.e., technology). This suggests that, although technology is an important facilitator, it is people and their interactions that create knowledge and promote the knowledge flow.

Perceptions regarding strategic and structural entry barriers

This article uses factor analysis to identify the underlying dimensions of strategic and structural entry barriers. We find that, in the perception of firms, both types of barriers are important and that the effectiveness of strategic barriers depends on attributes of the market structure. Based on the seven generic factors, a conjoint analysis is carried out to identify the most important factors perceived by firms. The conjoint analysis shows that in particular the barriers rooted in three underlying dimensions require attention of market authorities as they may prevent new entrants from entry: capital, access to distribution channels and strategic action. Remarkably, government rules and regulations, product differentiation, research and development (R&D) and advertising constitute minor entry problems according to firms.

Examining the facilitators and barriers faced by adoptive professionals delivering post-placement services

Most studies focusing on the delivery of post-adoption services and resources have focused on adoptive parents' perceptions and feelings. However, the experiences of adoption professionals have been largely left out of this discussion. This pilot study attempted to close this gap by asking a sample of adoption professionals to describe the barriers that hinder adoptive families from accessing post-placement treatment and support services, and how these can be overcome. Participants rated the responses to each question on its importance, and how well they thought adoption professionals had addressed it. Concept mapping, a mixed-method approach, was used to analyze participants' responses. Scaled data were analyzed to test for statistically significant differences between the importance of each statement and how well adoption professional had addressed them. The differences between all aggregate ratings were statistically significant, illustrating the great need for adoption professionals to better work with adoptive families to improve service accessibility. Thematic analyses indicated that most barriers were at the macro-level, and that macro level barriers were worse addressed than micro-level barriers. The study identified new barriers such as “appearance of perfection” and new dimensions of worker discontinuity and service inequity barriers. Implications for the field and further research are discussed.

Adaptación y validación del cuestionario de susceptibilidad, beneficios y barreras ante el cribado con mamografía

Objectives To adapt the «health belief model» on breast cancer screening to Spanish, and to asses its validity and reliability. Methods We assessed validation of a scale with 3 dimensions (susceptibility, benefits and barriers) with Likert responses in a case-control study. Cases were women not participating in a breast cancer screening program and controls consisted of participating women. A process of translation and back-translation was carried out and a technical committee analyzed discrepancies. Comprehension was tested in 17 women. Two hundred seventy-four women participated in the study. In 32 of these women, the questionnaire was administered twice after a 1-month interval to estimate its reliability. Results The intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.89, 0.70 and 0.90, and Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.71, 0.48 and 0.57 for susceptibility, benefits and barriers, respectively. Construct validity: from the factorial analysis, 3 factors were obtained explaining 34% of the variance. The confirmatory factorial analysis indicated acceptable goodness-of-fit of the data to the theoretical model. Older women perceived less susceptibility to breast cancer as well as greater barriers to attending screening. Women with a lower educational level perceived greater barriers. The scale did not seem to predict adherence to the program. Conclusions The adapted scale presents problems of validity and internal consistency. The dimensions of benefits and barriers require thorough adaptation and validation before the scale is used in Spanish women.

The Multidimensional Structure of Internal Barriers to Substance Abuse Treatment and Its Invariance across Gender, Ethnicity, and Age

The goal of the present study was to identify the dimensions present in items representing internal barriers to substance abuse treatment and to test their invariance across gender, ethnic, and age groups. Twenty items from the Barriers to Treatment Inventory (BTI) were used to assess the structure and nature of the internal treatment barriers of 518 clients presenting to a central intake unit for a substance abuse assessment. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) revealed that a five factor model provided the best fit to the data. Internal treatment barriers were best described by five dimensions: absence of problem, negative social support, fear of treatment, privacy concerns, and committed lifestyle. Extending the confirmatory factor analysis to test multi-group invariance, there were some differences in measurement and structural relations among the internal barrier dimensions across gender, ethnic, and age groups. However, the lack of invariance was small and practically insubstantial. The findings led to the conclusion that the theoretical constructs measured by the five internal barrier dimensions are equivalent across important characteristics in this population.

Influence of traffic noise emission spectra on the design of barriers

This article explores the practical importance of the spectra used when determining dimensions of acoustical barriers and the level of uncertainty that may occur when only one kind of spectrum is considered. The authors note that acoustical barriers are widely used and the methods used to estimate the noise attenuation they produce are well understood. However, the method recommended in the European Union considers only one kind of spectrum. This has an effect on the dimensions of the barriers used for noise attenuation, generally leading to over-sizing of noise barriers, with the corresponding economical costs.