Acceptance of Global Positioning System (GPS) Technology Among Dementia Clients and Family Caregivers

The purpose of this study was to examine the acceptance of Global Positioning System (GPS) used to help people with dementia, who are at risk for wandering in their communities. We used a mixed methods research approach that included use logs, pre and post paper-based questionnaires, and focus groups. Forty-five client-caregiver pairs (dyads) were included to use one of the GPS devices for an average of 5.8 months over a 1-year period. GPS acceptance was high; dyads were likely to continue using the GPS. According to the participants, the GPS provided caregivers peace of mind and reduced anxiety in dyads when clients got lost.     

Prosperity-Enhancing Institutions: Towards a Comprehensive Composite Index

Institutions that potentially have a positive impact on economic performance rarely exist outside of a system of institutions; rather they are embedded in the institutional order of a country. It is thus imperative to investigate the composition of such prosperity-enhancing institutional orders. This paper proposes a measurement of bundles of institutions that channel the positive effect of democratic institutions on economic prosperity. We construct composite sub-indices measuring the political, economic and societal institutional quality as well as an overall index combining these bundles of institutions. Index data is available for 148 countries between 1995 and 2010. We obtain scores summarizing the level of prosperity-enhancing institutions that the respective countries exhibit with regard to their overall institutional setting and to the three bundles of institutions, and we grade the countries accordingly. Since the indices allow for inter-temporal comparisons, we can highlight a country’s achievements in institutional development, amongst other aspects of country comparisons, and we show their value as a tool in the analysis of determinants of economic prosperity. The proposed indices are a step towards a more systematic international comparison of democratic institutional settings.     

“Did I just do that?”—Six-month-olds learn the contingency between their vocalizations and a visual reward in 5 minutes

It has been shown that infants can increase or modify a motorically available behavior such as sucking, kicking, arm waving, etc., in response to a positive visual reinforcement (e.g., DeCasper & Fifer, 1980; Millar, 1990; Rochat & Striano, 1999; Rovee-Collier, 1997; Watson & Ramey, 1972). We tested infants to determine if they would also change their vocal behavior in response to contingent feedback, which lacks the social, emotional, and auditory modeling typical of parent-child interaction. Here, we show that in a single five-minute session infants increase the rate of their vocalizations in order to control the appearance of colorful shapes on an iPad screen. This is the first experimental study to demonstrate that infants can rapidly learn to increase their vocalizations, when given positive reinforcement with no social element. This work sets the foundations for future studies into the causal relationship between the number of early vocalizations and the onset of words. In addition, there are potential clinical applications for reinforcing vocal practice in infant populations who are at risk for poor language skills.     

Governance in Regional Development—Between Regulation and Self-regulation

This article examines the relationship between regulation and self-regulation in network governance. The comparative analysis is based on quantitative data collected in regional development networks in the Nordic countries. The theoretical debate, in which this analysis is embedded, focuses on the paradox in the way the relationship between regulation and self-regulation is described in network governance approach; the networks are seen to be self-organising, and yet the steering role of governmental bodies is emphasised. The results indicate that regulation and self-regulation are more than counterforces: they can coexist and affect the operations of the networks simultaneously.     

采用脉冲火焰光度检测器进行丙烯中含硫化合物的气相色谱分析

在气相色谱分析中采用Agilent J&W低硫选择性色谱柱及硫特异性检测器如脉冲火焰光度检测器(PFPD),可将含硫化合物从基质中高效地分离出来,因而可对丙烯基质中痕量H2S,COS与CH3SH进行检测。将含硫化合物从基质中分离出来再检测,可避免基质引起的抑制效应并提高含硫化合物的响应。该色谱柱为活性含硫化合物如H2S提供了较好的响应,使含量低至20ppb的检测成为可能。尽管这是一种多孔层开管柱(PLOT),但它不会出现颗粒物质脱落现象,色谱图无锐峰。因此,与阀结合使用是安全的。     

Cotherapy: A Means of Training with the Family

This article explores cotherapy as a therapeutic and training tool. An exposition of both the advantages and challenges of cotherapy is provided. Ideas regarding cotherapy utilisation in marriage and family therapy training programs are discussed with particular reference to possible difficulties and how they might be addressed. The final section addresses factors relevant to the development of a cotherapy relationship, including an overview of various models that have been previously advanced in the literature. The primary reference point for this article is an experiential orientation, but those from a variety of orientations should discover applicability to their practices. The authors hope this article will serve to provoke readers to consider their own thoughts on this topic and pursue it in more depth.     

Between a rock and a hard place: the role of relatives in protecting children from the effects of parental drug problems

Using qualitative data gathered from 62 problem drug using parents in Glasgow, Scotland, this paper explores the role played by the extended family in protecting children from some of the negative effects of parental drug use. However, the data also indicated that the intervention of the extended family, whilst often critical, was not without its tensions and difficulties for parents, for the extended family and for the children too. What seemed to obtain in most cases was a complex and volatile mix of practical and emotional concerns over children's appropriate care and issues of responsibility and obligation to the child. These in turn were overlaid by expressions of anxiety, worry, anger and disappointment over both the parent's drug problem and its profound effect on the family. Strained family dynamics and a lack of a supportive welfare infrastructure can all compromise the ability of kin to provide a stable, nurturing environment for children over time. In a worst case scenario it can lead to a breakdown of these care arrangements, leaving these already vulnerable children exposed to further rupture, emotional damage and instability. If we are to avoid such outcomes it is crucial that we first identify and then work to rectify those factors that compromise the abilities of extended family carers to look after these children both in the short and the longer term.     

Validation of a longitudinally measured surrogate marker for a time-to-event endpoint

The objective of this paper is to extend the surrogate endpoint validation methodology proposed by Buyse et al. (2000) to the case of a longitudinally measured surrogate marker when the endpoint of interest is time to some key clinical event. A joint model for longitudinal and event time data is required. To this end, the model formulation of Henderson et al. (2000) is adopted. The methodology is applied to a set of two randomized clinical trials in advanced prostate cancer to evaluate the usefulness of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level as a surrogate for survival.     

Challenges for Creating Community Career Partnerships: Perspectives From Practitioners

Community career partnerships can draw into working alignment the critical aspects of career development for students (K‐16) and the key social contexts that either promote or inhibit growth. The authors, using a qualitative research methodology, describe challenges faced by practitioners when attempting to create and implement a community career partnership. Implications for practice, theory, and public policies are discussed.