Use Of Alternative Forms Research Articles

'What the herbal medicine can do for me in a week, the orthodox does in a year': Perceived efficacy of local alternative therapies influences medication adherence in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

BackgroundThere is strong evidence that anti‐platelet therapy, ACE inhibitors, beta‐blockers and statins are cost‐effective in reducing subsequent cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ACVD). In some settings, only a low proportion of people have access to these medications, and even lower adhere to them. The current study explored and presents data on the causes of poor adherence to orthodox medication and motivations for alternative therapies in patients with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ACVD).MethodsThe study was conducted among city‐dwelling adults with ACVD in Accra – Ghana's capital city. Eighteen interviews were conducted with patients with established ACVD. A follow‐up focus group discussion was conducted with some of them. The protocol was approved by two ethics review committees based in Ghana and in the United Kingdom. All participants were interviewed after informed consent. Analysis was done with the Nvivo qualitative data analysis software.ResultsWe identified motivations for use of alternatives to orthodox therapies. These cover the five dimensions of adherence: social and economic, health‐care system, condition‐related, therapy‐related, and patient‐related dimensions. Perceived inability of an orthodox medication to provide immediate benefit is an important motivator for use of alternative forms of medication.ConclusionsA multiplicity of factors precipitate non‐adherence to orthodox therapies. Perceived efficacy and easy access to local alternative therapies such as herbal and faith‐based therapies are important motivators.

Między krzyżykiem a kółkiem. Niepiśmienny w aktach wydziału pojednawczego i policji prostej sądu pokoju w Zgierzu i Łodzi z lat 1844–1876

Between the Cross and the Circle. Illiterates in the Records of the Conciliation Department and the Simple Police of the Peace Court in Zgierz and Łódź 1844–1876 The law in the Kingdom of Poland regulated the use of alternative forms of signature. The files of the courts of peace in Zgierz and Łódźabound in examples of their use. In guardianship documents, we most often find three crosses in lieu of a signature (in applications) or a mention of the illiteracy of the participants in the proceedings (minutes of meetings and resolutions). In the simple police department’s cases, Christians signed with crosses, while Jews drew three circles or signed in Hebrew. In each case, the official (a person witnessing the ‘signature’) attested that the signs were made by a specific person.

МІЖКРАЇННІ ПОРІВНЯННЯ ПРАКТИКИ РЕГУЛЮВАННЯ ФУНДАМЕНТАЛЬНИМИ НАУКОВИМИ ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯМИ

The article provides and analyzes statistical data of inter-country comparisons of features of the use of alternative forms and national models of the complex organizational and economic mechanism of regulation by fundamental scientific researches (FSR). The effectiveness of the costs for achieving the goals of improving the level and quality of satisfaction of society’s life needs by means of purposeful activity on the formation of a dynamic science and technology-natural complex of basic knowledge with autonomous laws of functioning and self-regulation by means of consistent activation, scale-up and maximum universalization of practice-transforming activities on the formation of a scientific worldview on a solid structure of nature, society and thinking is monitored. The connection between the use of alternative forms and levers of regulation of the FSR and the results of the formation of subject content of fundamental scientific knowledge is investigated, an attempt is made to quantify the success of the use of scientific criteria for assessing the level of FSR efficiency, based on the sequence of the passage of individual stages of the Mayevic cycle of formation of new knowledge in the course of solving partial cognitive problems of the development of fundamental scientific theories. The thesis is that the volumes and directions of investment in the FSR are determined by the economic potential of the national economy, and some individual aspects of the deployment of the organizational and economic mechanism of regulation of the process – by national peculiarities of the implementation of social policy of the transition from the industrial to the post-industrial model of the economy, the characteristic features of which are the degree of influence of the state on its formation, types of basic social processes, political and ideological direction of forms of public regulation of the social sector, the level of development of the national innovation system, proportions of final consumption in the structure of the inter-sectoral balance of the national economy, the level of stakeholder engagement in managing the social sphere of the economy, etc.

Пріоритетні напрями розвитку фінансового забезпечення сільськогосподарських підприємств

Financial resources are the basis for successful business and development of the industry as a whole. The article reviewed the main forms of financing of agricultural enterprises and the algorithm of improvement of process of their attraction is developed by the author. Priority directions of development of financial support of agricultural enterprises with the use of alternative forms of financing is developedto increase profits (reduce losses); access of enterprises to new markets; expansion of production volumes; image improvement; creating favorable conditions for attracting investors; development and release of new products; development of a new market position; maintaining competitiveness; implementation of projects in various areas, etc.

Italian Validation of the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry.

Cognitive impairments have profound implications for the management of severe mental disorders; however, they are rarely assessed in everyday clinical practice due to constraints in time, resource and expertise. Novel and short instruments, such as the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP), which overcome such limitations are greatly needed. The study aims to assess the validity and reliability, among healthy subjects, of the Italian translation of the SCIP, a brief, accessible tool to detect cognitive impairments among individuals suffering from mental disorders, as the first step to validate the instrument in clinical settings. One-hundred and twenty healthy subjects completed two of the three alternative forms of the SCIP. Cronbach Alpha (0.70) supported the reliability of the SCIP scores. Correlation coefficients supported the test-retest reliability of the tool. Learning effects were observed despite the use of alternative forms. Factor analysis indicated a two-factor solution explaining 55.4% of the total variance: the first factor ("memory") loading for VLT-I and VLT-D and less for WMT; the second factor ("executive function") loading for VFT and PST and less for WMT. The study proved the validity and reliability of the Italian version of the SCIP as a reliable and simple instrument to screen for cognitive impairment in the general population.

СОВРЕМЕННОЕ СОСТОЯНИЕ И ПЕРСПЕКТИВЫ РАЗВИТИЯ ДИСТАНЦИОННОЙ ЗАНЯТОСТИ

The article presents results of the research conducted by the author on alternative forms of employment. The evolution of the development of alternative forms of employment, their advantages and disadvantages are shown. The current state of the distance employment and prospects for its development are given following the generalization and analysis of the research results of international and Russian consulting companies, assessments of experts in the field of personnel management, as well as the experience of Russian and foreign companies in the use of alternative forms of employment.

Study of the Use of Traditional, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine in Indian Cancer Patients

Abstract Objectives: The use of alternative forms of medicine is well known in India, especially amongst cancer patients but there are very few studies that have investigated its usage and benefits. A study was conducted to determine the prevalence of the use of Traditional medicine, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) by cancer patients visiting a cancer care center. This study laid an emphasis on the predictors of use of CAM. Materials and Methods: This is an observational study conducted from March 2017 to May 2017 at a tertiary cancer care center. After obtaining informed consent, patients were handed a questionnaire and their responses were analyzed. Data analysis tools of Microsoft Office Excel 2007 were used for statistics. Results: A total of 407 patients took part in the study. The prevalence of traditional medicine and CAM was found to be 23.5% (96 patients). The mean duration of CAM use was 4.8 months (0.25 months–48 months). About 77% of the users had an education level below the upper primary level, of which 30.02% were illiterate. About 62.5% of the users were below poverty line. Nearly, 41.7% of the patients had not received any allopathic treatment before starting traditional medicine and CAM and did so for a mean duration of 4 months. About 53% of the patients who received some form of traditional medicine and CAM claim to have experienced some symptomatic benefits from its use. Nearly, 68.75% of the users were simultaneously receiving conventional anticancer therapy. Traditional medicine and CAM use was disclosed to the treating physician by 55% of the patients. Conclusion: Traditional medicine and CAM use have been shown to have a high prevalence among the less-educated and the economically backward sections of the society. There is not sufficient data to support the effectiveness and safety of traditional medicine and CAM. physicians have to acknowledge the increasing incidence of traditional medicine and CAM use in the population and actively inquire and educate the patients on its use.

Factors associated with treatment-seeking for malaria in urban poor communities in Accra, Ghana

BackgroundIn Ghana, about 3.5 million cases of malaria are recorded each year. Urban poor residents particularly have a higher risk of malaria mainly due to poor housing, low socio-economic status and poor sanitation. Alternative treatment for malaria (mainly African traditional/herbal and/or self-medication) is further compounding efforts to control the incidence of malaria in urban poor communities. This study assesses factors associated with seeking alternative treatment as the first response to malaria, relative to orthodox treatment in three urban poor communities in Accra, Ghana.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted in three urban poor localities in Accra, Ghana among individuals in their reproductive ages (15–59 years for men and 15–49 years for women). The analytic sample for the study was 707. A multinomial regression model was used to assess individual, interpersonal and structural level factors associated with treatment-seeking for malaria.ResultsOverall, 31% of the respondents sought orthodox treatment, 8% sought traditional/herbal treatment and 61% self-medicated as the first response to malaria. At the bivariate level, more males than females used traditional/herbal treatment and self-medicated for malaria. The results of the regression analysis showed that current health insurance status, perceived relative economic standing, level of social support, and locality of residence were associated with seeking alternative treatment for malaria relative to orthodox treatment.ConclusionsThe findings show that many urban poor residents in Accra self-medicate as the first response to malaria. Additionally, individuals who were not enrolled in a health insurance scheme, those who perceived they had a low economic standing, those with a high level of social support, and locality of residence were significantly associated with the use of alternative treatment for malaria. Multi-level strategies should be employed to address the use of alternative forms of treatment for malaria within the context of urban poverty.

Committee Opinion No. 721 Summary: Smoking Cessation During Pregnancy.

Smoking is the one of the most important modifiable causes of poor pregnancy outcomes in the United States, and is associated with maternal, fetal, and infant morbidity and mortality. The physical and psychologic addiction to cigarettes is powerful; however, the compassionate intervention of the obstetrician-gynecologist can be the critical element in prenatal smoking cessation. An office-based protocol that systematically identifies pregnant women who smoke and offers treatment or referral has been proved to increase quit rates. A short counseling session with pregnancy-specific educational materials and a referral to the smokers' quit line is an effective smoking cessation strategy. The 5A's is an office-based intervention developed to be used under the guidance of trained practitioners to help pregnant women quit smoking. Knowledge of the use of the 5A's, health care support systems, and pharmacotherapy add to the techniques providers can use to support perinatal smoking cessation. The use of alternative forms of nicotine, such as e-cigarettes and vaping, have increased substantially in recent years, but there are little data regarding the health effects of these agents, either in the general population or in pregnant women specifically.

The social care needs of unaccompanied minors: the Irish experience

ABSTRACTThis article examines forms of care which can be used by social workers to best respond to unaccompanied minors (UAMs) given their complex needs and particular vulnerability combined with their agency and resilience. The vulnerabilities and agency/resilience of UAMs are examined in the context of multiple borders (cultural, political and physical) being negotiated by these young people. While it focuses on Ireland as an example of a country where care provision for UAMs has improved considerably in recent years, it draws on both the Irish and international literatures. This article critically analyses the shift from hostel to foster care provision for UAMs in Ireland and explores benefits and difficulties associated with using foster care, while also discussing the use of alternative forms of care, such as residential care. We argue that social workers must always give consideration to a range of care options, to the needs of the individual child and to both their vulnerability and their resilience/agency. This is especially true given the diversity within the population of UAMs. Given the increasing numbers of refugees entering Europe and the mix of provision for UAMs across the continent, the Irish situation may represent a useful site for examination of their care.

Comments: Facing the Future

Editor's column Many of the top-level executives attending the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) in Dubai see the oil and gas industry rising from a market that has bottomed out and is on the rebound. Saudi Aramco Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Amin H. Nasser said the industry is in “recovery mode” and gradually reaching a supply/demand balance. Likewise, Schlumberger CEO Paal Kibsgaard said the market had reached bottom and was rising and requires more spending to insure against a global supply shortage in a couple of years. Although the previous decade had seemed like a golden age for oil with rising demand in Asia and new sources of supply from North America, the industry proved again that it is a cyclical business, with busts often following booms. Some believe that cyclicality, despite the pain, is a good thing. Jim Krane, the Wallace S. Wilson Fellow in Energy Studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, says price cycles are inevitable in the oil and gas business and that has helped the industry remain competitive. “Price swings make companies disciplined and resilient,” Krane wrote last month in a Forbes online blog. “At the same time, they help fossil fuels retain their edge against competing technology. At one time or another, oil and gas have dispatched competitors such as whale oil, candles, steam engines, electric vehicles (in the 1900s), and solar panels. King coal is the latest victim. Nuclear power may be next.” When oil prices are too high, it encourages the development and use of alternative forms of energy, whether traditional ones such as coal, or new forms such as wind and renewable power. The current downturn has caused hydraulic fracturing techniques to become more efficient and service companies to lower their costs, says Krane, at the same time that oil and gas have become cheaper and more attractive to consumers. Although use of alternative forms of energy is growing, supported by governments concerned with climate change, most executives in the industry seem confident that fossil fuels will be the dominant energy source for years to come. But with government backing, which often comes with subsidies, the oil and gas industry has entered an era of competition with other energy sources whether prices are high or not. Topics at ATCE have always been a good barometer of the state of the industry, whether it was the arrival of new environmental regulations in the 1970s to the wave of mergers and acquisitions in the late 1990s. And executives at ATCE this year acknowledged the many challenges currently facing the industry. With panel session topics such as “E&P 2.0: Shaping the Future,” “Transforming the Industry to be Fit at 50,” “Boosting Efficiency in E&P,” and “Collaboration 2.0: Reinventing the E&P Industry,” executives discussed what the industry will need to do going forward to be successful. Both international and national oil companies said they were bent on improving operations, efficiency, and innovation while controlling costs. They are betting that the industry will remain resilient in spite of the inevitable sharp price swings and competition from other energy sources. JPT

Burden of waterpipe smoking and chewing tobacco use among women of reproductive age group using data from the 2012-13 Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey.

BackgroundDespite the general decline in cigarette smoking, use of alternative forms of tobacco has increased particularly in developing countries. Waterpipe (WP) and Chewing Tobacco (CT) are two such alternative forms, finding their way into many populations. However, the burden of these alternative forms of tobacco and their socio demographic determinants are still unclear. We assessed the prevalence of WP and CT use among women of reproductive age group in Pakistan.MethodsData from the most recent Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2012–13 (n = 13,558) was used for this analysis. Information obtained from ever married women, aged between 15 and 49 years were analyzed using two separate data subgroups; exclusive WP smokers (total n = 12,995) and exclusive CT users (total n = 12,771). Univariate and Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted and results were reported as crude and adjusted Odds Ratio with 95 % confidence intervals.ResultsPrevalence of WP smoking and CT were 4 % and 2 %, respectively. After multivariate adjustments, ever married women who were: older than 35 years (OR; 4.68 95 % CI, 2.62–8.37), were poorest (OR = 4.03, 95 % CI 2.08–7.81), and had no education (OR = 9.19, 95 % CI 5.10–16.54), were more likely to be WP smokers. Similarly, ever married women who were: older than 35 years (OR = 3.19, 95 % CI 1.69–6.00), had no education (OR = 4.94, 95 % CI 2.62–9.33), were poor (OR = 1.64, 95 % CI 1.07–2.48) and had visited health facility in last 12 months (OR = 1.81, 95 % CI 1.22–2.70) were more likely to be CT users as well.ConclusionOlder women with lower socio-economic profile were more likely to use WP and CT. Focused policies aiming towards reducing the burden of alternate forms of tobacco use among women is urgently needed to control the tobacco epidemic in the country.

EU Anti‐dumping and Tariff Cuts: Trade Policy Substitution?

AbstractThe world trading system in its current form aims at reducing multilateral trade barriers across the board. Indeed, the last successfully concluded multilateral trade negotiations led to substantial tariff concessions on the part of most developed economies. What, however, happened to other forms of import protection? Have substantial tariff concessions subsequently been replaced by the use of alternative forms of import protection? In this paper we empirically investigate the relationship between negotiated external tariff cuts and the subsequent use of anti‐dumping actions by the EU. Evidence is found for larger Uruguay Round tariff cuts increasing the probability of subsequent anti‐dumping investigations.

Genomic Complexity Profiling Reveals That HORMAD1 Overexpression Contributes to Homologous Recombination Deficiency in Triple-Negative Breast Cancers.

Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) are characterized by a wide spectrum of genomic alterations, some of which might be caused by defects in DNA repair processes such as homologous recombination (HR). Despite this understanding, associating particular patterns of genomic instability with response to therapy has been challenging. Here, we show that allelic-imbalanced copy-number aberrations (AiCNA) are more prevalent in TNBCs that respond to platinum-based chemotherapy, thus providing a candidate predictive biomarker for this disease. Furthermore, we show that a high level of AiCNA is linked with elevated expression of a meiosis-associated gene, HORMAD1. Elevated HORMAD1 expression suppresses RAD51-dependent HR and drives the use of alternative forms of DNA repair, the generation of AiCNAs, as well as sensitizing cancer cells to HR-targeting therapies. Our data therefore provide a mechanistic association between HORMAD1 expression, a specific pattern of genomic instability, and an association with response to platinum-based chemotherapy in TNBC. Previous studies have shown correlation between mutational "scars" and sensitivity to platinums extending beyond associations with BRCA1/2 mutation, but do not elucidate the mechanism. Here, a novel allele-specific copy-number characterization of genome instability identifies and functionally validates the inappropriate expression of the meiotic gene HORMAD1 as a driver of HR deficiency in TNBC, acting to induce allelic imbalance and moderate platinum and PARP inhibitor sensitivity with implications for the use of such "scars" and expression of meiotic genes as predictive biomarkers.

Teaching Verbal Repertoires for Static and Dynamic Communication Systems for Children with Limited Vocal Verbal Repertoires

Children with limited vocal verbal repertoires often benefit from the use of alternative forms of communication. Learning the sets of skills needed to use static and/or dynamic communication systems may result in improved communication for some individuals who lack vocal verbal capabilities. In order to teach many of the skills within these sets of repertoires, hundreds of learning opportunities that target multiple units of language are required. One male student, 8.1 years of age at onset, participated in this teaching protocol study. This student was selected for inclusion based on his limited verbal (including vocal and motor) skills. The participant’s repertoires were limited to mands (requests) by pointing to preferred items during instructional sessions. Baseline data showed that this student had fewer than 20 tacts (comments) and intraverbal (answers) repertoires. Using picture icons, the participant was taught over a 1 1⁄2 year period using a multiplecomponent treatment protocol that consisted of instruction in match-to-sample, point to stimuli, and tact stimuli (i.e., Multiple Exemplar Instruction) for two word combinations for more than 100 units of language. Post-intervention data showed the teaching protocol presented resulted in an increase in verbal behavior with a decrease in maladaptive behaviors.

Tobacco in Adolescence: Importance to Knowledge the Health Hazards and Preventive Measures

Objective: To contribute to the development of prevention tools by identifying the pattern of tobacco use, knowledge about tobacco-related diseases and media tools that are popular among adolescents. Material and Method: In a cross-sectional study, sixty adolescents (41.7% smokers, 28.3% ex-smokers and 30% never smokers) attending the secondary level of a public school (Botucatu, Sao Paulo, Brazil) were interviewed using a standardized questionnaire. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was applied to all subjects. The Fagerstrom score and motivation to give up smoking (Prochaska e DiClemente) were evaluated in smokers. Results: The mean age was 15.8 ± 1.1 years old, and 65% were female. Among the smokers, 60% were girls and among ex-smokers, 59%. A high proportion of smokers and ex-smokers had used alternative forms of tobacco such as narghile (52.4%) and flavored cigarettes (54.8%). A very low proportion of the adolescents associated smoking with cardiovascular disease (1.7%), neurological problems (1.7%), heart disease (5%), dental problems (5%), skin aging (5%) and even cancer (36.7%). The majority of smokers (96%) and ex-smokers (88.2%) had low nicotine dependence, 76.1% of them did not consider themselves addicted to nicotine and stated that they could stop whenever they wanted. Internet accessed by computer was the favorite media tool for 58.3% of the adolescents. Conclusions: Use of alternative forms of smoking is high, and the knowledge about the consequences of any tobacco consumption is very poor and sometimes misleading among adolescents. Our data indicate that personalized internet tools should be developed to gain the interest of adolescents in smoking prevention and cessation.

The Robust Reliability of Neuropsychological Measures: Meta-Analyses of Test–Retest Correlations

Test–retest reliability is an important psychometric property relevant to assessment instruments typically used in neuropsychological assessment. This review presents a quantitative summary of test–retest reliability coefficients for a variety of widely used neuropsychological measures. In general, the meta-analytic test–retest reliabilities of the test scores ranged from adequate to high (i.e., r=.7 and higher). Furthermore, the reliability values were largely robust across factors such as age, clinical diagnosis, and the use of alternate forms. The values for some of the memory and executive functioning scores were lower (i.e., less than r=.7). Some of the possible reasons for these lower values include ceiling effects, practice effects, and across time variability in cognitive abilities measured by those tests. In general, neuropsychologists who use these measures in their assessments can be encouraged by the magnitude of the majority of the meta-analytic test–retest correlations obtained.

Scoring Higher the Second Time Around: Meta-Analyses of Practice Effects in Neuropsychological Assessment

In neuropsychological assessment, and many areas of research, it is common for the same test to be administered on more than one occasion to measure change. Measured changes are presumed to reflect true changes in the construct being measured by the test; for example, cognitive changes due to processes such as aging, advancing neurological disease, or treatment interventions. However, practice effects, defined as score increases due to factors such as memory for specific test items, learned strategies, or test sophistication, complicate the interpretation of change. This review presents meta-analyses of nearly 1600 individual effect sizes representing changes in mean-level performance on tests commonly used to assess core domains of neuropsychological function, with the goal of quantitatively summarizing the magnitude of practice effects on such tests. The use of alternate forms, the ages of participants, clinical diagnoses of study participants, and length of the test–retest interval were associated with the magnitude of change in many cases. These findings have important implications for the practice of clinical neuropsychology, as well as for research applications, and highlight the need for practice effects to be taken into account in interpreting change across time with multiple measurements.

Two experimental tests of relational models of procedural justice: Non‐instrumental voice and authority group membership

In both a laboratory experiment (in Australia) using university as the basis of group membership, and a scenario experiment (in India) using religion as the basis of group membership, we observe more favourable respect and fairness ratings in response to an in-group authority than an out-group authority who administers non-instrumental voice. Moreover, we observe in our second experiment that reported likelihood of protest (herein called "social-change voice") was relatively high following non-instrumental voice from an out-group authority, but relatively low following non-instrumental voice from an in-group authority. Our findings are consistent with relational models of procedural justice, and extend the work by examining likely use of alternative forms of voice as well as highlighting the relative importance of instrumentality.

Closed-Form Solutions to Forward–Backward Smoothing

We propose a closed-form Gaussian sum smoother and, more importantly, closed-form smoothing solutions for increasingly complex problems arising from practice, including tracking in clutter, joint detection and tracking (in clutter), and multiple target tracking (in clutter) via the probability hypothesis density. The solutions are based on the corresponding forward-backward smoothing recursions that involve forward propagation of the filtering densities, followed by backward propagation of the smoothed densities. The key to the exact solutions is the use of alternative forms of the backward propagations, together with standard Gaussian identities. Simulations are also presented to verify the proposed solutions.