Gathering Background Research Articles

The implications of vibration and sound therapy in modern medicine: A literary review

The following literary review studies the overall science behind vibration-based medicine and healing techniques. Specifically, the effects that 432 hertz has on the body as well as the implications of such healing techniques in western medicine and hospitals. Through studies and literature on the use of sound/music in ancient healing techniques, it is found that sound frequencies (different hertz. levels) can be a healing technique in modern medicine as well. This literary review was found using a multitude of articles and novels on the background of sound therapy, various mediums of implementation, as well as studies on the specific effects on the human body - neurologically and physically. There were 19 articles found through research and 14 were used. The major key words used were frequency healing, modern medicine, sound therapy, 432 hertz neurological impacts, and healing medicine. After reading abstracts of various articles and gathering background information, a culmination of authors’ analysis and studies were used to make a nuanced argument on the implementation of sound therapy in the modern medical industry. After analyzing the data gathered, it was found that there is a direct correlation between frequencies and their ability to help treat diseases throughout the body. Moreover, there were clear links between specific frequencies and how they can be applied to different areas to even diagnose diseases years before current technology can. Building upon that, this healing technique is very versatile in that it can be used for a multitude of problems ranging from physical pain to sleep insomnia to cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, the research found can be integrated into the western healthcare sector to provide easier, low-cost, and low resource treatment that is effective for all.

Development of self-reporting assessment tool to assess personal innovativeness

In the context of innovation diffusion and marketing, personal innovativeness (PI) is considered crucial as it acts as a precondition for the individual's innovation adoption decision. In exploring recent research papers written by practitioners on the concept of PI, it was identified that most of these papers ended up measuring the level of PI either quantitatively or qualitatively. There, the author realizes that there is a lack of knowledge available to identify PI as a categorical variable (discrete) in qualitative studies. Therefore, to some extent, it occludes qualitative researchers from observing the attributes that different PI typologies are associated with. To fill this gap, the author develops the proposed self-reporting assessment tool (SAT) to assess PI by considering various other mechanisms used by previous academics to measure PI. This article is a concept paper that summarizes the state of knowledge in the field with preliminary work to develop SAT, and it lays the foundation for further research on PI. There, SAT will be useful for qualitative or quantitative researchers to understand the respondent's PI typology at the stage of gathering background information about the respondent.

The Cerebellar Gene Database: a Collective Database of Genes Critical for Cerebellar Development

This report presents the first comprehensive database that specifically compiles genes critical for cerebellar development and function. The Cerebellar Gene Database details genes that, when perturbed in mouse models, result in a cerebellar phenotype according to available data from both Mouse Genome Informatics and PubMed, as well as references to the corresponding studies for further examination. This database also offers a compilation of human genetic disorders with a cerebellar phenotype and their associated gene information from the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database. By comparing and contrasting the mouse and human datasets, we observe that only a small proportion of human mutant genes with a cerebellar phenotype have been studied in mouse knockout models. Given the highly conserved nature between mouse and human genomes, this surprising finding highlights how mouse genetic models can be more frequently employed to elucidate human disease etiology. On the other hand, many mouse genes identified in the present study that are known to lead to a cerebellar phenotype when perturbed have not yet been found to be pathogenic in the cerebellum of humans. This database furthers our understanding of human cerebellar disorders with yet-to-be-identified genetic causes. It is our hope that this gene database will serve as an invaluable tool for gathering background information, generating hypotheses, and facilitating translational research endeavors. Moreover, we encourage continual inputs from the research community in making this compilation a living database, one that remains up-to-date with the advances in cerebellar research.

Socioeconomic Disparity in Health of Rural Communities in the Himalayan Foothills: Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, West Bengal

Introduction: People with lower education have been found to have poor health. Lack of schools and universities is linked to unemployment, self-service, counselling, nutrition, and other ailments. As a result, several hygiene-related disorders impact common people, especially children and young ladies. Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this study was to contribute to socioeconomic research by determining the relationship between people and natural resources. Locations: The research is concentrated in the hamlets of Mohorgon, Damra gram, Mirjungla, Dhukuria, Khoklong, and Laltong. This is the first time that the socioeconomic studies of the MWS lower area have been prioritised. Methods: A mixed-methods strategy was used to collect primary data, including gathering background baseline information, arranging interviews with local communities, and conducting field observations. It also contains information on household expenditures, potentials, daily needs, and other topics. Results and Conclusion: It provided information on the potential effects of a planned development project. Our report recommends that the Government closely look at the region’s current development status and potential future challenges and opportunities. Wages and living conditions rose as a consequence of the village economy. This article looks at the challenges that healthcare faces and various programmes that address socioeconomic factors. As a result of this research, more equitable development is possible.

The Alert Collector: Scams and Flimflam: The Other True Crime

This list covers nonfiction on specific famous hoaxes and scams as well as overviews of the topic. Many of the books gathered here began as long-form news articles that were developed into a book. A short section of media items rounds out the column along with great podcast suggestions for gathering background information on what is undoubtedly a scintillating topic for users of all types of libraries.—Editor

Increased Incidence of Type 1 Diabetes during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Romanian Children.

Background and Objective: It is known that several viruses are involved in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a new worldwide spread virus that may act as a trigger for the autoimmune destruction of the β-cells, as well, and thus lead to an increase in the incidence of type 1 diabetes. Material and Methods: The Romanian National Organization for the Protection of Children and Adolescents with Diabetes (ONROCAD) has collected information regarding new cases of type 1 diabetes in children aged 0 to 14 years from all over the country since 1996 and has computed the incidence of type 1 diabetes in this age group. Results: We observed a marked increase in the incidence of type 1 diabetes in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 16.9%, from 11.4/100,000 in 2019 to 13.3/100,000 in 2020, much higher compared to previous years (mean yearly increase was 5.1% in the period 1996–2015 and 0.8% in the interval 2015–2019). The proportion of newly diagnosed cases was significantly higher in the second half of 2020 compared to the second half of the previous years (57.8 vs. 51%, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: All these aspects suggest the role that SARS-CoV-2 could have in triggering pancreatic autoimmunity. To confirm this, however, collecting information from larger populations from different geographical regions, monitoring the incidence curves over a period of several years, and gathering background information on COVID-19 and/or data on COVID-19 specific antibodies are needed.

Using Twitter Data for the Study of Language Change in Low-Resource Languages. A Panel Study of Relative Pronouns in Frisian.

This paper investigates the usability of Twitter as a resource for the study of language change in progress in low-resource languages. It is a panel study of a vigorous change in progress, the loss of final t in four relative pronouns (dy't, dêr't, wêr't, wa't) in Frisian, a language spoken by ± 450,000 speakers in the north-west of the Netherlands. This paper deals with the issues encountered in retrieving and analyzing tweets in low-resource languages, in the analysis of low-frequency variables, and in gathering background information on Twitterers. In this panel study we were able to identify and track 159 individual Twitterers, whose Frisian (and Dutch) tweets posted in the era 2010–2019 were collected. Nevertheless, a solid analysis of the sociolinguistic factors in this language change in progress was hampered by unequal age distributions among the Twitterers, the fact that the youngest birth cohorts have given up Twitter almost completely after 2014 and that the variables have a low frequency and are unequally spread over Twitterers.

Ambiguity aversion in buyer-seller relationships: A contingent-claims and social network explanation

Negotiations between buyers and sellers (or suppliers) of goods and services have become increasingly important due to the growing trend towards international purchasing, outsourcing and global supply networks together with the high uncertainty associated with them. This paper examines the effect of ambiguity aversion on price negotiations using multiple-priors-based real options with non-extreme outcomes. We study price negotiation between a buyer and seller in a dual contingent-claims setting (call option holding buyer vs. put option holding seller) to derive optimal agreement conditions under ambiguity with and without social network effects. We find that while higher ambiguity aversion raises the threshold for commitment for the seller, it has equivocal effects on the buyer's negotiation prospects in the absence of network control. Conversely when network position and relative bargaining power are accounted for, we find the buyer's implicit price (or negotiation threshold) decreases (or increases) unequivocally with increasing aversion to ambiguity. Extending extant real options research on price negotiation to the case of ambiguity, this set of results provides new insights into the role of ambiguity aversion and network structures in buyer-seller relationships, including how they influence the range of negotiation agreement between buyers and sellers. The results also help assist managers in formulating robust buying/selling strategies for bargaining under uncertainty. By knowing their network positions and gathering background information or inferring the other party's ambiguity tolerance beforehand, buyers and sellers can anticipate where the negotiation is heading in terms of price negotiation range and mutual agreement possibilities.

Construcción de un repositorio de activos de software para el desarrollo ágil de aplicaciones aplicando un método para el reuso

En este artículo de investigación se expone el estudio y la construcción de un repositorio de activos de software para el desarrollo ágil de aplicaciones aplicando un método para el reúso que permite manejar, manipular, crear, almacenar, recuperar y reutilizar diversas fuentes de códigos y activos de software para la agilización de procesos sistemáticos con el fin de crear cimientos en procesos industriales que requieran la intervención directa de un software. Este software ha sido desarrollado luego de una amplia investigación y recopilación de antecedentes, una amplia arquitectura de reglas de manejo, enfoque en minería de datos y propósitos de promover el reúso de activos de software como una importante metodología dentro de la ingeniería, así con dicha implementación de esta herramienta se busca explorar, ayudar, fundamentar y respaldar en etapas tempranas de formación de un software, donde el campo de interés radica en pequeñas y medianas empresas de software que necesitan una metodología y una herramienta elástica para la mejora de procesos en sus instalaciones sin escatimar la calidad que del producto final que definitiva es el intangible “software”.

Identifying and Addressing Problems for Student Progression in Midwifery Clinical Education.

Identifying challenges to progression for a health care profession student who is not meeting expectations in a busy clinical practice can be challenging yet can lead to assisting the student toward success. Preceptor preparation includes acquiring knowledge about the student's education program, understanding federal regulations designed to protect students, gathering background information about a student, learning to provide feedback, structuring the clinical experience, and completing student evaluations. Students in health care professions may have difficulties with cognitive, affective, or psychomotor learning, and the clinical preceptor can identify problems for student progression within these learning domains. Subsequently, specific solutions that are tailored to the individual student's needs can be developed, implemented, and evaluated. A structured evaluation of the student's performance by the clinical preceptor, in accordance with the education program's parameters, is essential. Through a structured process, preceptors can assist many students to achieve success, in spite of challenges. This article describes how the preceptor can prepare, identify the type(s) of problem(s), and develop learning solutions for students who are experiencing difficulties in clinical settings.

Creating Supportive Breastfeeding Policies in Early Childhood Education Programs: A Qualitative Study from a Multi-Site Intervention.

Objectives To understand the process by which early childhood education (ECE) providers effectively used an existing intervention to facilitate the creation or strengthening of a written breastfeeding policy, understand the factors important to this process, and present a logic model to guide future intervention design and evaluation. Methods A purposive sample of interviewees who recently completed an ECE nutrition and physical activity intervention and reported positive pre-post scores for breastfeeding support were recruited to complete semi-structured interviews. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded, following a Grounded Theory approach. Results The ECE programs (n = 23) had a written breastfeeding policy and were located across six states in the United States. The most common aspects of breastfeeding support covered in the policies were handling and storing of breastmilk, pieces of equipment to be provided (e.g., breast pump), and the creation of a space or room designated for breastfeeding and pumping. Many factors important to the policy creation process were identified such as motivation, education, technical assistance, perceptions of parental indifference, staff buy-in, and time and administrative constraints. Once motivated to create a policy, ECE providers described actions, such as gathering background information and model policies, discussing policy needs with stakeholders, utilizing technical assistance, and overcoming barriers. Conclusions for Practice From these findings, a logic model was created to guide future intervention design and evaluation, and several recommendations were made to help guide subsequent interventions in promoting the development and implementation of written breastfeeding policies at ECE programs.

Do current vocational evaluation practices in traumatic brain injury align with best practices? Strengths, challenges and recommendations

Introduction To support implementation of the Inter-professional Guideline for Vocational Evaluation Following Traumatic Brain Injury we compared current practices to best practices as outlined in the guideline. Method We recruited health/vocational professionals who do vocational evaluation of traumatic brain injury survivors to participate in qualitative semi-structured interviews. We also conducted a document review of internal clinical and provincial workers’ compensation insurance documents. All data were analyzed using directed content analysis. Results Thirteen individuals participated and three types of documents were reviewed. Practices that were found to be frequently aligned with the Inter-professional Guideline for Vocational Evaluation Following Traumatic Brain Injury included: (a) identification of evaluation purpose; (b) obtaining informed consent; (c) gathering background information; (d) assessing persistent symptoms and abilities; (e) analyzing and synthesizing results; and (f) developing return to work recommendations. Practices partially aligned included: (a) incorporating the worker’s perspectives into the evaluation; (b) observing work behaviors in naturalistic settings (c) assessing available supports; and (d) assessing occupational/job demands in context. Practices that did not align with the guideline included: (a) evaluation of the workplace environment and workplace supports; (b) accommodation potential; and (c) assessment of workplace safety. Conclusion To support implementation of the guideline and enhance successful vocational outcomes, additional attention and resources should be dedicated to evaluating workplace-based factors and assessing workplace-based risks.

Math learning disabilities and digital technology

This research study addressed the question that how could the educational technologies help students in learning mathematical concepts in elementary, and especially focused on students who have math learning disabilities. After gathering background information from several scholarly articles, I conducted an online survey and sent out to my education class as well as my friends. For further information, I interviewed my university math professor, and my current mentor teacher in person. There were a total of 15 participants attending my research projects which including 13 online survey participants, and two interviews. According to my investigation, the result showed that more than half of my survey participants never heard about math learning disabilities, and about half of them had used digital technologies in learning math concepts. This research project is important to my own learning as a teacher candidate because it reminded me the challenges of using digital technologies, and also provided me some strategies when teaching math with technologies in an elementary class.

ASSESSMENT AND DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS OF COMORBID CONDITIONS IN ADOLESCENTS AND ADULTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

Successful treatment of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is entirely contingent on an accurate diagnosis. Although many resources exist to help the clinician with differential diagnosis of children, particularly in early childhood, the resources available for evaluating adolescents and adults is far less prevalent. Clinicians often rely on multiple forms of data from numerous sources to make accurate diagnoses, which for adults is a complex process. Lack of availability of instruments that have been normed with individuals with ASD creates limitations for the clinician. In addition, gathering background information from adolescents and adults on the spectrum can be challenging for a number of reasons, including poor self‐reporting and poor memory for events from parents or caregivers. To further complicate the matter, comorbid conditions become more and more common as the individual with ASD goes through adolescence and adulthood. This article aims to identify the challenges related to the evaluation of adolescents and adults with ASD, noting particular attention to the differential diagnosis of common comorbid conditions. Recommendations for how to conduct a thorough psychological evaluation with an adolescent or adult with an ASD are made.

The Effect of Mood on Post-Operative Pain and the Reliability and Validity of the Wisconsin Brief Pain Questionnaire Adapted on Black South Africans

Pain is a multidimensional phenomenon and the primary objective of all assessment tools is to gather accurate, subjective and objective information relevant to the pain that the patient is experiencing. This information plays a vital role in the diagnostic process and the treatment given to the patient. Thus it is of paramount importance that these pain measures are valid and reliable. Measures of pain are predominately developed in Western countries. This study investigated pre-surgical moods and their effect on acute pain following surgery including the reliability and validity of the Profile of Mood State (POMS), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Wisconsin Brief Pain Questionnaire (WBPQ). These measures in particular have been developed in the United States of America and had to be adapted to the South African context using Setswana-speaking participants at George Mukhari Hospital formerly known as Ga-Rankuwa Hospital in South Africa. A biographical questionnaire was developed by the researcher for gathering background information of the participants. The POMS and the WBPQ were translated from English to Setswana using back-translation and were administered to a sample of 58 patients pre-operatively. VAS and WBPQ were administered post-operatively. The POMS was administered to determine the relationship of mood states to postoperative pain. Correlations were calculated between the six mood states scales that showed acceptable reliability but divergent validity was not confirmed. Concurrent and predictive validity between VAS and WBPQ was high and both measures have reasonable repeated-measures reliability.

“It is just easier to do what you did before…”: An Update on Internet Use in Secondary Social Studies Classrooms in Indiana

This study replicated a 1999 survey study of classroom Internet use by social studies teachers (6–12) in Indiana. The 1999 study indicated that although 80% wished to be using it more often, respondents' Internet use was little more than “glorified information gathering.” The present study modified the same instrument to survey a random sample of secondary social studies teachers in Indiana in order to determine what, if any, changes had occurred in the intervening 6 years. Data indicated improvement across most barriers (e.g., connectivity, training, access to equipment) identified in the previous study, but 70% of respondents still wished to be using the Internet more often. The Internet was still most commonly used to “gather background information for the lessons I teach.” The present study created the Internet Use Scale (IUS) and the IUS score was used to divide respondents into quartiles. The first quartile (higher-order users) was compared to the fourth quartile (lower-order users). Significant differences were found for: hours of training, experience, number of fast-connection computers in their instructional lab, and access to LCD projectors. Results of the present study support Ertmer's (2005) finding that teachers' pedagogical beliefs are the single most important factor in implementing technology in the classroom.

A Case Study to Teach the Diagnostic Process: Determining the Cause of Chlorosis in a Crop of Cut Dicentra

This universally accessible, Web-based decision case presents the challenge of determining the cause of foliar chlorosis in a crop of dicentra (Dicentra spectabilis) being forced as a cut flower for Valentine's Day sales. The case study serves as a tool to promote the development of diagnostic skills for production dilemmas, including nutritional disorders, disease problems, and evaluation of the appropriateness of cultural practices. Cut dicentra is a minor crop and standard production practices are not well established. Solving this case requires that students research production protocol, as well as nutritional and pest problems, and determine whether they have enough information to recommend a solution. In this case study, a grower at Flint's Flower Farm must determine the cause of foliar chlorosis that is slowly appearing on about half the plants of her cut dicentra crop. The condition could be related to a number of possible problems, including a nutritional disorder, disease infection, or production practices. Resources are provided to aid students in gathering background information. Data accumulated by the grower are presented to allow students to eliminate unlikely solutions logically. The solution, which is unique to this crop, is provided along with detailed objectives and discussion points in teaching notes. This case study is complex in nature and is intended for use with advanced students in upper-level undergraduate courses of floriculture production, nutrient management, and plant pathology who have been previously exposed to the diagnostic process.

Pharmacist privileging in a health system: Report of the Qualified Provider Model Ad Hoc Committee

The rationale for and steps of pharmacist credentialing and privileging are described. As pharmacy evolves to include direct patient care, health care organizations are under increasing scrutiny to verify that their pharmacists are not only licensed to practice but are capable providers of direct patient care. Credentialing is a process conducted by a health care organization to review and verify a pharmacist's credentials. Privileging authorizes a pharmacist to perform within a specified scope of practice. The steps in developing a process for pharmacist privileging consist of gathering background information from national, state, and local sources; defining the services a privileged pharmacist may provide; developing policies and procedures; and obtaining approval from the appropriate institutional bodies. An ad hoc committee convened by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists in 2003 produced two documents, an application for privileging and a general privileging form, that may be used as templates by institutions or individuals developing a pharmacist-privileging process. Barriers to pharmacist privileging may be personal, institutional, and regulatory. As pharmacist roles continue to expand, there is increasing need to verify pharmacists' ability to provide direct patient care services. One way to achieve this is for institutions to develop a pharmacist-privileging process that better aligns pharmacists with the methods used to authorize scopes of practice of other types of practitioners.

Controlling Occupational Allergies in the Workplace

In recent years, the prevalence of work-related asthma has increased. Therefore, more attention needs to be paid to occupational allergens and their avoidance and control in workplaces. However, risk assessment of occupational allergen exposure is difficult because the relationship between exposure concentration, sensitization, and symptoms has not been fully established. This paper introduces a systematic and comprehensive approach to assessing and managing allergen risks at workplaces. This approach relies on the cooperation and active communication during the whole process between management, employees, and health care personnel, with the assistance of experts when needed. In addition to gathering background information, including allergic symptoms, through questionnaires addressed to the management and employees, hazard identification is also processed in the workplace through observations and measurements. The methods generally recommended to reduce allergen exposure are compared with those used in the workplace. The process is to be carefully planned and documented to allow later follow-up and re-evaluation. The multi-faceted approach encompasses several risk assessment techniques, and reveals the prevalence of work-related allergic symptoms. The process effectively focuses on the potential means for controlling allergen exposure. Based on this approach, the synopsis on the critical points that require implementation of effective control measures can be presented.

At the Interface between Two Cultures -- An Analysis of the Preparation for Fieldwork and Data Collection in Ethnographic Research

This article is part of an ethnographic study that aims to describe and understand health as a phenomenon of the Sami culture. It discusses the preparation for and practices of fieldwork in the Sami region of Finnish Lapland. The article focuses on the relationships between the researcher and the experts, the researcher's personal qualities and adaptation to the field as well as the development of cultural understanding and the collection of data. The basic ideas in the preparation and fieldwork practices were related to ethical questions on the one hand. On the other hand, the purpose of this process was to guarantee the credibility of the study. The preparation for fieldwork included gathering background information about the context and the cultural group and analysing the majority-minority aspects concerning Finns and Sami. In addition, it included an assessment of the researcher's personal qualities and experiential background. The cultural understanding of health was constructed gradually in repeate...