Interdisciplinary Specialists Research Articles

Managing chronic pain in survivors of torture.

All generalist and specialist clinicians are likely to encounter torture survivors among refugees and asylum seekers. A minority of people survive torture and a smaller minority reach a developed country; those who do tend to be the more resilient and resourceful. They have many health, social and welfare problems; persistent pain in the musculoskeletal system is one of the most common. There is little specific evidence on pain in survivors of torture; the guidelines on interdisciplinary specialist management are applicable. Most of the literature on refugee survivors of torture has an exclusive focus on psychological disorders, with particularly poor understanding of pain problems. This article summarizes the current status of assessment and treatment of pain problems in the torture survivor.

Living Well, Living Longer: Working together for better health in people with mental illness

It has long been known that people living with severe mental illness (e.g. schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder) have a life expectancy that is 15-25+ years earlier than that of the general population, mostly due to physical health problems such as cardiovascular disease (1-4). However, access to and uptake of appropriate screening and intervention for physical illness is less common in this population (5,6). There is now increasing recognition that this represents an unacceptable inequity in service access and health outcomes (7,8). The Sydney Local Health District is working to address this inequity by improving access to mainstream health services for those with severe mental illness. The Living Well, Living Longer program is an integrated health care framework that aims to have all mental health consumers appropriately screened and treated for cardiovascular and metabolic disease within five years. The program involves a district-wide strategy across mainstream and mental health services. Importantly, it is governed by a steering committee comprising key decision-makers from across the district and its partner organisations, including clinical stream heads, facility managers, senior mental health staff, population health, NGO partners including, the Inner West Medicare Local and General Practice. Key activities include: GP and Mental Health Collaborative Care: Linking mental health consumers with GPs, and developing/implementing a model of collaborative care to strengthen the working relationship between GPs, Community Mental Health staff and consumers to support management of their health care. ccCHIP Cardiometabolic Clinic: Providing interdisciplinary specialist review of general health and risk factors for illness, comprising psychiatry/psychopharmacology, endocrinology, dental, dietetics, and sleep. Fast-track referral to specialist care arranged as indicated. Healthpathways providing overview of managing physical health in people living with mental illness. Additional pathways to be developed to provide local primary care services with advice on e.g. GP and mental health collaborative care model. Education and training of mental health staff in screening and arranging follow up for cardiovascular and metabolic health conditions. Awareness-raising across mainstream health services. A district-wide smoking cessation strategy. Healthy lifestyle groups and health promotion activities to support healthy diet, exercise, and social connectivity. Health outcomes for this vulnerable population are expected to include better access to appropriate and timely care, improved patient experience when interacting with the health service, World Congress on Integrated Care 2014, Sydney, November 23-26, 2014. International Journal of Integrated Care – Volume 14, 8 December – URN:NBN:NL:UI:10-1-116684– http://www.ijic.org/ and reduced avoidable hospitalisation as health concerns are more closely managed in the community. In the longer term, the program aims to deliver better health outcomes and reduce early death in people living with severe mental illness across the district.

The ecology of ticks, tick-borne diseases and biological tick control in Baden-Württemberg

Ticks and tick-borne diseases are of great significance for the health of humans and animals. However, the factors influencing their distribution and dynamics are inadequately known. In a project financed by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy Industry, as part of the program BWPLUS, interdisciplinary specialists work together to determine the influence of weather, (micro)climate, habitat, land use, human activities, and the population dynamics of host animals on the distribution and abundance of ticks and the diseases that they transmit in Baden-Württemberg. The project comprises four modules: the large-scale distribution of ticks in Baden-Württemberg (module 1), detailed studies of host-tick-pathogen interaction in relation to the microclimate (module 2), and the spatial occurrence of important tick-borne pathogens (module 3). The fourth module involves the comprehensive analysis and synthesis of all data in order to determine the relative importance of the factors studied and to develop a risk model. Recently, intensive investigations into tick control have been undertaken using various entomopathogenic fungi and nematodes as well as a parasitoid wasp. Our aim was to determine whether these natural enemies could be used to effectively reduce the number of free-living ticks.

Rebel dance, renegade stance: Timba music and black identity in Cuba

Rebel Dance, Renegade Stance shows how community music-makers and dancers take in all that is around them socially and globally, and publicly and bodily unfold their memories, sentiments, and raw responses within open spaces designated or commandeered for local popular dance. Umi A. Vaughan, an African American anthropologist, musician, dancer, and photographer plantao in Cuba---planted, living like a Cuban---reveals a rarely discussed perspective on contemporary Cuban society during 1990s, peak decade of timba, and beyond, as Cuban leadership transferred from Fidel Castro to his brother. Simultaneously, book reveals popular dance music in context of a young and astutely educated Cuban generation of fierce and creative performers. By looking at experiences of black Cubans and exploring notion of Afro Cuba, Rebel Dance, Renegade Stance explains timba's evolution and achieved significance in larger context of Cuban culture. Vaughan discusses a maroon aesthetic extended beyond colonial era to context of contemporary society; describes dance spaces of Cuba; and examines performance of identity and desire through character of the especulador. This book will find an audience with musicians, anthropologists, ethnomusicologists, interdisciplinary specialists in performance studies, cultural studies, and Latin American and Caribbean studies, as well as laypeople who are interested in Atlantic/African and African American/Africana studies and/or Cuban culture.

Hybridraumtechnologie als Voraussetzung für die moderne Therapie der Aortendissektion

With the establishment of a hybrid room 7 years ago, it was possible for the first time to unite a full range of diagnostics and surgical therapy under the sterile conditions of an operating theatre in life-threatening aortic dissection. Thus, the early phase associated with high mortality rates (3%-5% per hour) could be significantly reduced from 8 h to 4 h. Multidisciplinary teams consisting of a cardiac surgeon, a cardiologist and an anaesthetist enable competent and rapid life-saving measures. In the case of acute and persistent visceral and/or peripheral malperfusion over many hours, primary endovascular reconstitution of perfusion precedes delayed surgical replacement of the ascending aorta with or without the aortic arch. Additional strategic and technical surgical developments have helped reduce overall hospital mortality from 15%-20% to 10%-15%. Though expensive to build, a high-technology hybrid room enables interdisciplinary specialization and concentration, as demonstrated by the exponential growth in the development of transcatheter aortic valve implants or the endovascular treatment of aortic disease.

Epilepsy surgery in India

Modern epilepsy started in India in 1995 at Sri Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Science and Technology, Trivandrum and at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. At both centres the attempt was to get the program going with patients having surgically remediable epilepsy syndromes -who could be evaluated with non invasive investigations. The mainstay of the evaluation was a good quality epilepsy specific MRI and video EEG coupled with a SPECT study and a neuropsychological evaluation. Concordance of the focus on all investigations was critical to a good outcome. There were several problems on the way – but they were managed keeping in consideration our local needs and requirements. Intraoperative electocorticography was done and good outcomes attained. The critical determinants of success were the formation of a team with various interdisciplinary specialists and a strong will to succeed.

Integral Metatheory: Beyond Specializations, Theoretical Pluralism, and Conventional Metatheory

Recent family and consumer science (FCS) conceptualizations of specialization embrace the notions of interdisciplinary specialist, integration of perspectives, integral specialist and a generalist in transdisciplinarity. These innovations open the door for a conversation around the impact of research methodologies (different from methods) on the profession’s body of knowledge. Conventional metatheory is explained, with four examples from the field of FCS. The paper then introduces the idea of integral metatheory, asking practitioners to strive for a deeper understanding of theoretical pluralism and a new form of synthesis: being able to integrate the results obtained from the integration of several theoretical perspectives. Instead of practicing from a platform of many individual theories, FCS professionals are asked to employ integral metatheory so they can consciously develop links among the theories and multiple perspectives, thereby leading to richer understandings of the complexity of the human condition.

RFID technology changes FM services deliveries

PurposeThe paper aims to give an introduction to radio frequency identification (RFID) technology with near field communication (NFC) to enable users to access content and services with hand‐held devices. It also aims to give a general overview on RFID utilization, its obstacles, diffusion and expected benefits. Some pilot applications are already being used commercially. Finally, it seeks to summarize applications of the technology in the facilties management (FM) industry.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses literary research and also interdisciplinary specialist analyses to find out the usage of IT‐based services in the FM field and supply of service providers. Some real pilots have been made and analysed in cooperation with service providers (FM and IT), building owners and building users (customers).FindingsMobile phones are heavily used in the FM industry for speech and text messaging (SMS) communications, but usage of other mobile phone services has not been established as a part of operation processes. The exploitation of RFID in FM as well as construction industry seems to be rather low, in fact in an infant stage. Accordingly pilot FM service using RFID technology proved to be very usable.Research limitations/implicationsIT‐based mobile services are common in many countries and in various industries but using a mobile phone as a RFID reader is familiar mostly in Finland (Nokia phone).Practical implicationsThe use of RFID/NFC technology in FM and also in the construction industry seems to be very prominent with high potential technology adoption for improving services.Originality/valueThis paper brings forward a quite novel technology application for the FM industry and presents the experiences of real pilot projects.

Developing a simulation course for bioinformatics program

We present an approach to design and teach a simulation course at a small university with an interdisciplinary specialization. We analyze the existing ways to teach simulation courses and identify ...

What does a newcomer digital librarian need to know? Exploring information seeking behavior of newcomer digital librarians in academic libraries during organizational entry

AbstractDigital librarianship, as a newly‐created interdisciplinary specialization within librarianship, does not have a strong support for newcomer organizational socialization as the specialization itself is still evolving. This exploratory study, as one part of my dissertation, investigates the organizational socialization processes of newcomer digital librarians in ARL academic libraries. Following the well‐developed procedures of Dervin's Sense‐Making approach, this study focuses on the proactive, user‐centered information seeking practices and processes during organizational entry. Specifically, the study investigates four dimensions of organizational socialization sense‐making, including (1) situation: organizational situations that lead to needs for socialization information seeking; (2) gap: questions and confusions newcomer digital librarians have in situations in which information needs arise; (3) bridge: information seeking tactics that digital librarians use to acquire socialization information; and (4) outcome: positive and negative outcomes of socialization information acquisition.

Simulation Technologies for Health Sciences Curriculum

In this paper we discuss the main elements of an approach to teach simulation discipline in a small university with an interdisciplinary specialization in pharmaceutics, biology, health sciences, and computer science which are combined into a health sciences curriculum. We analyze existing ways to teach simulation courses and identify the specificity and goals within our approach. We propose the content of a simulation course sequence for the mentioned type of university. It includes three units: general simulation methodology, case studies, and building of real simulation models. The proposed new approach reinforces the problem-solving skills of students and their opportunities to conduct applied research. We implemented the proposed approach in a simulation course sequence and we successfully conducted student research projects.

Editorial

PurposeThe paper seeks to explore the ongoing development of an array of interdisciplinary specialist research areas in the accounting research community and its literature. It sets out to explore developments over the last 25 years with the aim to identify a number of important trends for the accounting scholarly community and to consider the role of AAAJ and various interdisciplinary accounting conferences and other journals.Design/methodology/approachThis paper employs a literature‐based analysis, critique and argument. The paper's scope includes the trend towards specialisation by interdisciplinary accounting scholars in a contemporary context, where mainstream technical accounting research has privileged positivist research.FindingsIn sharp contrast with the successful emergence of interdisciplinary research in the 1980s, a trend towards at least a proportion of specialist research groupings is now seen, such as accounting historians, opting to retreat behind closed doors. Some researchers are increasingly exhibiting a trend towards seeking their own company focusing on attending only their specialised conferences, and publishing their work in their special interest journal. This carries a risk of retreating from engagement with the broader and particularly interdisciplinary accounting research community outside their own specialised confines. This could lead to fragmentation and fellow specialist researchers are invited to return to “the coming‐out parade” and re‐engage with the wider scholarly community.Research limitations/implicationsAccounting scholars not only need to engage with their interdisciplinary specialised research areas, but also should connect with the wider scholarly community in order to maintain the pursuit of significant contribution to knowledge.Practical implicationsThe paper focuses on personal values of accounting academic scholars as well as the importance of specialised and more generalised interdisciplinary research scholarly groups.Originality/valueThe paper alerts researchers to significant issues associated with the retreat into specialised groups and scholarly activities. It offers a practical illustration of a 25‐year history of accounting history research and calls for the coming‐out of accounting scholars from specialist groups to an engagement with the broader accounting interdisciplinary research community.

Interdisciplinary Preservice Specialization Project

The purpose of this article is to describe the Interdisciplinary Preservice Specialization Project (IPSP), an early intervention personnel preparation project funded by the US Department of Education, and the utility of the model to promoting student knowledge and skill. The Interdisciplinary Preservice Specialization Project was designed to prepare master's-level students to assume roles as early intervention practitioners (both direct service and program administration). The efficacy of the model was documented through change in level of student competency in 7 targeted areas with 66 competencies as well as through perceptions of students, university faculty members, and community agency personnel regarding the distinct contribution of the project to early intervention personnel preparation at the university and in the State.

A UNIQUE MODEL FOR TRAINING MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS TO WORK WITH OLDER ADULTS

As the American population continues to age, it will be imperative that there be a supply of qualified mental health professionals to meet the increasing demand for these services. In this article, issues related to training mental health professionals to work with older adults are examined. Particular emphasis is placed on the application of learning theory to this training. To this end, prior curricular models are reviewed, along with specific components of these curricula, such as supervision and practica. A comprehensive model for training mental health professionals to work with older adults is presented. All students are exposed to issues related to the mental health of older adults, and an interdisciplinary specialization is provided for students who desire more intensive training. This model of training integrates all three dimensions of human experience ‐‐ the cognitive, affective, and behavioral domains. A call is made for professionals to accommodate the mental health needs of the older adult population.

Major problems with evaluating multiple stress factors in agriculture

Abstract A major need for interdisciplinary IPM specialists has been access to methods for understanding the combined effects of multiple pests which, in nature, act simultaneously. Development of the Soybean Integrated Crop Management (SICM) model has potential for offering such a method. The physiologically‐based, validated soybean plant growth model at the core of SICM has provided a framework for coupling effects of multiple stresses at a process level. Combined stress effects from water and three insect species are presented in real economic context relative to soybean growers. The framework is now in place for adding stresses from weeds, foliar pathogens and nematodes. This approach offers insights into the experimental designs, analyses and potential uses of integrated pest management strategies developed by interdisciplinary scientists; yet, major problems exist in acquisition of model validation data. Conceptual and experimental dilemmas associated with these type efforts are outlined herein.

Land Subsidence International Symposium held in Venice

The Third International Symposium on Land Subsidence was held March 18–25, 1984, in Venice, Italy. Sponsors were the Ground‐Water Commission of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS), the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Italian National Research Council (CNR), the Italian Regions of Veneto and Emilia‐Romagna, the Italian Municipalities of Venice, Ravenna, and Modena, the Venice Province, and the European Research Office. Cosponsors included the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH), the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering (ISSMFE), and the Association of Geoscientists for International Development (AGID).Organized within the framework of UNESCO's International Hydrological Program, the symposium brought together over 200 international interdisciplinary specialists in the problems of land subsidence due to fluid and mineral withdrawal. Because man's continuing heavy development of groundwater, gas, oil, and minerals is changing the natural regime and thus causing more and more subsiding areas in the world, there had been sufficient new land subsidence occurrence, problems, research, and remedial measures since the 1976 Second International Symposium held in Anaheim, California, to develop a most interesting program of nearly 100 papers from about 30 countries. The program consisted of papers covering case histories of fluid and mineral withdrawal, engineering theory and analysis, karst “sink‐hole”‐type subsidence, subsidence due to dewatering of organic deposits or due to application of water (hydrocompaction), instrumentation, legal, socioeconomic, and environmental effects of land subsidence, and remedial works.

Bioethics: an interdisciplinary enterprise.

This paper offers a definition of bioethics and its implication. This is followed by a brief history of medical ethics and a description of the relationship established between bioethics, medicine, and other disciplines. It concludes with the author's presentation of his ideas on bioethics and interdisciplinary specialization, the result of his participation in the design and execution of a program of special studies in bioethics.

Entropy and Redundancy in Decadent Style: Translating Villiers De L'Isle-Adam

code may suggest why we eventually find wholesomeness a refreshing relief.2 But note eventually: neither the gross appeal to sensation signalled by Symons, the movement's own historian, nor the subtle oxymorons revealed by Riffaterre, one of the current critical luminaries, accounts for the tediousness of Decadent writing. Indeed, descriptions of Decadent style-and we have mentioned only two at the chronological poles-make Decadent writing sound rather interesting, even intrinsically worth reading. Personally, I would never claim that it is either entertaining or provocative; on the contrary, I would claim that not a single piece can hold our attention on its own merits qua literature. But at the same time I would claim that it is worth intensive study not just by various interdisciplinary specialists of the period but by students of language, style, and translation. Its flaws-or, perhaps more properly, its deviation from recurring norms of taste-can contribute to our appreciation of reference, association and transfer. Its pace-or its blockage of sequentiality-can contribute to our appreciation of information flow in literature and its indispensable temporality. In the end, it may well be that Decadent writers misuse the space-time components of poesy, and that misuse would help explain why we find them everlasting bores. It may well be also that a translator is best poised to realize what is being effected in Decadent expression. After all, a translator by analysis and instinct must work his way back to the source writer's attitudes in order to reproduce in another language a comparable articulative process and result. In any event, that is how I arrived at the observations which follow.3 The standing of Villers de l'Isle-Adam (1838-89) is a, if not the, quintessential Decadent, makes him an inevitable case in point. His last fully executed work L'Eve future (1880-85) is a novel so compendious that we can use it as both glossary and grammar of Decadent rhetoric. We can take our examples from the climax, the final forty pages, when Lord Ewald receives the automaton Hadaly fabricated by Edison.4 These extracts will be adequate to show first that the expression is radically iconographic lexically, syntactically, narratively. Villiers, who was simultaneously licentious and puritanical, in this novel keeps sensual reference within the bounds of conservative good taste. But if his referents here are not blatantly gross

NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

INSTITUTE ON SOCIAL PROBLEMS/SEMINAR ON CHILD ABUSE: Second Annual Institute on Social Problems/Seminar on Child Abuse, sponsored by the Departmeiit of Pediatrics of The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas in affiliation with local agencies, will be held in Dallas, January 14- 15, 1971. The seminar will present reports about the current trends in treatment of abusing parents and victimized children. There will be special group panel discussions to be led by interdisciplinary specialists and involving the participants in the seminar.