Training, geography, and provision of aging services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender older adults

This research study surveyed leaders of Area Agencies on Aging (agencies) to understand their services, training, and beliefs about serving lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) older adults. Half of the existing agencies in the United States (320) participated. Few agencies provided LGBT services or outreach. One-third had trained staff around LGBT aging and four-fifths were willing to offer training; these numbers were significantly higher for urban-based agencies. Agencies that had provided staff training and urban-based agencies were more likely to provide LGBT outreach and services, to believe in addressing LGBT issues, and to receive LGBT assistance requests. Training, policy, organizing, and research implications are considered.     

Some essentially complete classes for bayesian multistage sampling inspection

Bayesian multistage inspection plans are often used in inadequate cost models. By means of essentially complete classes this point is made, as well as that of fixed and truncated plans.     

Der Capability-Ansatz in der Gesundheitsförderung: Ansatzpunkte für eine Neuausrichtung der Ungleichheitsforschung

Health-related well-being is a result of individual or collective agency. Understanding and influencing health-relevant behaviour, however, requires to account for physical and social contexts of agency. Accordingly, the authors suggest a focus in modern health promotion on people’s health-relevant resources and capabilities. This requires a theoretical basis onto which issues of social inequality can be linked to specific approaches of health promotion practice, namely empowerment and participation. To this purpose, the authors present Amartya Sen’s theory-based Capability Approach (CA) and complement it with insights from Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of capital interaction. Both of these theories shed light on key issues of social inequality and can fruitfully be associated with the guiding principles in health promotion stipulated by the Ottawa Charter. Together, they provide guidelines for new areas of research to analyse the complex interplay between health behaviour and social context.     

Brain Circulation: The Educational Profile of Return Migrants

Population Research and Policy Review - Countries increasingly compete to attract and retain human capital. However, empirical studies, particularly those of migrants moving back to developing...     

Comparing Outcomes of a Web-based MSW Course to Face-to-Face Class Outcomes: Implications for Social Work Education

The aim of this study was to assess students' confidence in their ability to diagnose mental illness in a second year Masters-level Psychosocial Pathology course. Overall final grade was also evaluated as an outcome measure. One hundred and ten (98 completed both the pre- and post-tests) Master in Social Work students were enrolled in one of three sections of the course Psychosocial Pathology. Two sections were delivered in a fully face-to-face mode and one section was delivered in a fully web-based mode. Statistically significant differences were found in change scores between the ‘online’ and ‘face-to-face’ groups. Statistically significant differences were also found in class composition and student characteristics suggesting that student characteristics, as well as teaching/learning modes, may moderate classroom outcomes. Recommendations for developing ‘best practices’ for advising students deciding between face-to-face and web-based courses are delineated.     

Comparison of Risk Predicted by Multiple Norovirus Dose–Response Models and Implications for Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment

The application of quantitative microbial risk assessments (QMRAs) to understand and mitigate risks associated with norovirus is increasingly common as there is a high frequency of outbreaks worldwide. A key component of QMRA is the dose–response analysis, which is the mathematical characterization of the association between dose and outcome. For Norovirus, multiple dose–response models are available that assume either a disaggregated or an aggregated intake dose. This work reviewed the dose–response models currently used in QMRA, and compared predicted risks from waterborne exposures (recreational and drinking) using all available dose–response models. The results found that the majority of published QMRAs of norovirus use the ₁F₁ hypergeometric dose–response model with α = 0.04, β = 0.055. This dose–response model predicted relatively high risk estimates compared to other dose–response models for doses in the range of 1–1,000 genomic equivalent copies. The difference in predicted risk among dose–response models was largest for small doses, which has implications for drinking water QMRAs where the concentration of norovirus is low. Based on the review, a set of best practices was proposed to encourage the careful consideration and reporting of important assumptions in the selection and use of dose–response models in QMRA of norovirus. Finally, in the absence of one best norovirus dose–response model, multiple models should be used to provide a range of predicted outcomes for probability of infection.     

Combining census and registration data to estimate detailed elderly migration flows in England and Wales

Summary.  A log-linear model is developed to estimate detailed elderly migration flows by combining data from the 2001 UK census and National Health Services patient register. After showing that the census and National Health Service migration flows can be reasonably combined, elderly migration flows between groupings of local authority districts by age, sex and health status for the 2000–2001 and 2003–2004 periods are estimated and then analysed to show how the patterns have changed. By combining registration data with census data, we can provide recent estimates of detailed elderly migration flows, which can be used for improvements in social planning or policy.     

Trim loss and related problems

Because of the diversity of the structures of real-world trim loss (or cutting stock) problems there exist no general standard methods for solving these problems. Hence many solution methods for trim loss problems have been developed in practice, especially heuristics. Since these methods are strongly based on the particular problems to which they are applied, the study of papers on problems with a comparable structure may prove helpful. In this paper a detailed catalogue of criteria for characterization of real-world trim loss problems is developed in a differentiated and systematic manner. The main criteria are: dimension, planning situation, goal, restrictions and solution approach. The proposed system of classification is based on 34 case studies found in the relevant literature. The classification of these case studies is represented by means of a ‘classification schedule’. In view of existing formal similarities the classification system can also be of importance for (bin) packing and loading as well as some assortment problems.