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Remembering our decisions is crucial – it allows us to learn from past mistakes and construct future behavior. However, it is unclear if age-related memory declines impact the memorability of older adults’ decisions. Here, we compared younger and older adults’ ability to remember their decisions. In Studies 1 and 2, participants made choices between two objects based on their star rating (shopping context) or circle count (neutral context) and later remembered what they chose. while Study 3 tested participants’ memory for active vs. passive decisions. Overall, we found no evidence for age differences in the ability to remember decisions. Furthermore, age did not interact with context – both similarly benefitted from making and remembering their decisions in a more shopping-like context. These results reveal an aspect of cognition that appears to be preserved in healthy aging. Highlighting such aspects can help improve older adults’ self-perceptions and reframe the narrative around aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractObjectivesMethodResultsConclusionCertified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) are responsible for 80–90% of direct-to-resident care in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), and may develop close, family-like relationships with their residents. With SNFs becoming a common place of death for older adults, CNAs now find themselves engaging in end-of-life caregiving with limited training and institutional support for emotional outcomes. This study aimed to understand and evaluate the relations between bereavement, death exposure, and compassion fatigue among CNAs, hypothesizing that (a) experiential avoidance moderates the relation between death exposure and negative death attitudes and (b) death attitudes moderate the relation between death exposure and compassion fatigue.One hundred and ten CNAs across all shifts from four skilled nursing facilities in the southeastern United States participated in surveys and, potentially, focus groups.Results failed to find support for death exposure being related either to experiential avoidance or negative death attitudes. However, results supported the relation between negative death attitudes and compassion fatigue.Implications highlight the need to develop interventions focusing on palliative skills-based training and emotional support of CNAs in their role as end-of-life caregivers. By reducing compassion fatigue, it may be possible to decrease job turnover and increase quality-of-care for residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teacher-student relationships (TSR) have been a key focus of study for developmental and educational psychology researchers interested in improving proximal and distal academic outcomes for children and youth. Although prior empirical work suggests some degree of association between TSR and achievement, the co-development of TSR and achievement during elementary grades remains unclear with most findings limited to reading and mathematics achievement. The current study used parallel process growth curve models (PPGCMs) to examine the longitudinal growth trajectories of teacher-student closeness and conflict, and science, reading, and mathematics achievement simultaneously for children followed from kindergarten to third grade in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-2011 (N = 13,490). Findings from the final PPGCM showed teacher-student closeness in kindergarten was positively associated with science, reading and mathematics achievement in kindergarten (r = 0.234 to 0.277) and the linear growth of achievement through third grade (r = 0.068 to 0.156). Teacher-student conflict in kindergarten was negatively associated with science, reading, and mathematics achievement in kindergarten (r = −0.099 to −0.203) and the linear growth of achievement through third grade (r = −0.081 to −0.135). Child biological sex, family socioeconomic status, and child racial and ethnic identity predicted TSR and achievement developmental trends. Implications of the findings and future directions for research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A culturally competent survey currently does not exist to characterize the burden of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) among a HIV/AIDS population receiving care at a local Center of Excellence (COE). A qualitative study was conducted including 11 interviews involving opinions on national surveillance questions to develop a culturally competent survey. Purposive sampling, reactive probing, and analysis of transcribed interviews were completed using structured coding to determine which questions were kept, modified, or removed​ in the final survey. The final 55-question survey contained more generalized ACE questions, topics pertaining to barriers to HIV care, and a list that patients could select from to indicate what they need to improve their HIV care. The final survey provided the opportunity to characterize the burden of ACEs at a COE. Future directions involve piloting the survey as a quality improvement tool with the goal of increasing retention rates through more individualized HIV care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We describe the development and implementation of a telephonic intervention (SAVE-CLC) piloted at three VA sites for Veterans returning to the community from VA nursing facilities (Community Living Centers or "CLCs"). Care transitions present a known period of medical risk for older adults and may pose increased risk for suicide. Veterans discharging from CLCs are at elevated risk compared to age and gender matched controls. Methods: Using a quality improvement approach, input was gathered from key stakeholders to aid in the development of the intervention. Veterans were screened for depressive symptoms and need for additional support by phone. Results: Of the Veterans who received the SAVE-CLC intervention, 87.9% had at least one prior mental health diagnosis, though only 19.7% had an outpatient mental health appointment arranged at CLC discharge. Results suggest that the intervention is feasible across multiple outpatient settings and is generally well-received by Veterans and caregivers, with 97% of those contacted reporting that the telephone calls were helpful. Conclusion: This flexible, telephone-based intervention addresses the unmet need of integrating mental health care into discharge planning during care transitions. Clinical Implications: SAVE-CLC offers a feasible and acceptable solution to suicide risk in older Veterans exiting a CLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-copulatory sexual selection, through either sperm competition or cryptic female choice, is an important aspect of sexual selection in hermaphrodites. We investigated sperm precedence, non-random fertilization of eggs by multiple partners, to determine the potential for sperm competition in the hermaphroditic freshwater snail Planorbella trivolvis. We provided snails with two sequential partners, and assessed paternity using albinism as a genetic marker. We mated albino snails first to a pigmented partner then an albino (PA; n = 26) or first to an albino then a pigmented individual (AP; n = 27) and calculated the proportion of eggs fertilized by the second partner (P2) during the 1st, 3rd, and 5th week post-mating. We collected all egg masses laid each week (~300) and examined the embryos to determine paternity by the presence or absence of eye pigmentation. P2 values were quite low (0.18 ± 0.04) indicating strong first sperm precedence and thus little opportunity for sperm competition. We also found that mating order influenced precedence; when the first mate was an albino P2 values were higher than when the first mate was pigmented, suggesting a difference in sperm transfer or viability or a preference for pigmented partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An aqueous solution of LST® is one of many heavy liquids used to concentrate palynomorphs. It and aqueous solutions of sodium polytungstate (SPT) are replacing toxic heavy liquids, such as bromoform and zinc bromide, and to a lesser extent zinc chloride, in many palynology laboratories. Both non-toxic heavy liquids can be recycled through filtering and evaporation of water and/or ethanol added to the sample during processing, and commonly are. Both media, and especially LST®, are somewhat reactive with organic matter, and in humic-acid rich samples become contaminated and discoloured. This paper presents the authors' methods for recycling LST® and removing contamination through a combination of filtration through activated charcoal and 0.45 μm nylon membranes. Filtration through Celite® was found to be unnecessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gait speed is typically reduced when individuals simultaneously perform other tasks. However, the impact of dual tasking on kinetic and kinematic gait parameters is unclear because these vary with gait speed. The objective of this study was to identify whether dual tasking impacts gait in healthy adults when speed is constant. Twenty-two healthy adults dialed a cell phone during treadmill walking at a self-selected speed while kinetic, kinematic, and spatial parameters were recorded. Results indicated that dual tasking did not impact phone dialing speed, but increased stride width, peak knee flexion during stance, and peak plantarflexion, and decreased knee and ankle range of motion. Dual tasking appears to influence kinematic gait variables in a manner consistent with promotion of stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports the findings of a study that examined why families choose to return to family therapy after their first family therapy session. The 87 families that were referred to a university family counseling center for assistance with their children's behavioral problems at school completed an author-developed survey in which they rated the influence of various therapist-related and family-related factors on their decision to return for a second session. Factor analysis of the survey data revealed that the families' positive experience of the therapist during the first session had the strongest influence on their continuation decision. The findings suggest that family therapists are not helpless victims to client attrition after the first session, but rather, have the strongest potential for influencing client decisions to come back. Specific family therapist actions for maximizing family continuation after the first session are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite recent attention, research is yet to adequately focus on sports coaches’ intellectual development as a consequence of their formal learning experiences. Drawing on the work of Perry, the aim of this article was to explore how the intellectual development of undergraduate sports coaching students was affected by the social pedagogical setting exposed to. Twenty-seven students from two different universities were selected through network and convenience sampling, and ‘tracked’ over their three year course(s) of study. Data were gathered through focus groups, video diaries and reflective written logs. Findings revealed that over the course of their study students generally progressed from a dualist to a more relativist view of the world. Such a movement, however, was far from unproblematic and uniform. Rather, it was subject to the vagaries of assessment, course structure, the epistemic range of modules experienced, and in particular the relationships established with staff members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informal caregivers for older adults often act as medical ‘proxies’ based on their assumed knowledge of the care recipient's illness-related symptoms. Differences between symptom descriptions given by care recipients and caregivers, however, raise questions about the validity of proxy reports. Community-dwelling caregivers and their care recipients with chronic, multi-morbid conditions revealed similar numbers of symptoms reported as well as average symptom distress. Dyads with care recipients who scored higher on negative affect were more likely to have significantly lower. Results suggested the possibility of identifying and intervening with dyads who may be ‘at-risk’ for divergent symptom reporting. This awareness may increase the ability to engage in informed and shared medical decision making throughout the illness trajectory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the case of fibrous osteodystrophy in Northern Royal albatross chicks Diomedea sanfordi from Taiaroa Head in New Zealand in February 2004. The birds have soft and rubbery premaxilla and mandibles. Both cases demonstrate histopathological findings consistent with hyperparathyroidism. The cases have led to recommendations for future in-situ feeding of abandoned Northern Royal albatross chicks.

The article offers information on the study that focuses on the geomorphic change of an ebb-tidal delta at Mair Bank, Whangarei Harbor, New Zealand. It outlines the methods of the study including the assessment of planform change, bathymetric change, and Mair Bank volume estimates. The article also presents the conclusion drawn from the study.

This article considers the numerical simulation of three-dimensional electromagnetic wave scattering problems and describes the construction of a reduced-order approximation that enables the rapid prediction of the monostatic radar cross section (RCS). Associated certainty bounds ensure confidence in the results of the computed approximation. Numerical examples are included to demonstrate the performance of the proposed procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to determine the prevalence and risk factors for necrotic enteritis in broilers, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among 857 farms, rearing broilers for nine UK poultry companies. The main data collection tool was a postal questionnaire directed at farm managers. Additional information on disease occurrence on the farm was collected from veterinary postmortem reports. The response rate to the questionnaire was 75%, ranging from 54% to 90% within companies. During 2001, 32.8% of the respondents indicated that they had observed a case of necrotic enteritis (95% confidence interval, 29.1 to 36.8) in at least one flock. The disease was most often reported during the months October to February. The point prevalence (necrotic enteritis occurrence in the most recently reared flock) reported by farm managers was 12.3% (95% confidence interval, 9.8 to 15.2). Multilevel logistic regression was performed with the poultry company as the random effect, using the occurrence of necrotic enteritis in the farm's most recently reared flock as the dependent variable. Strong associations were found between the outcome variable and the occurrence of wet litter (odds ratio, 2.39; 95% confidence interval, 1.27 to 4.52; P=0.007) and coccidiosis (odds ratio, 4.68; 95% confidence interval, 1.74 to 12.55; P=0.002). In addition, the use of ammonia as a disinfectant for coccidial oocysts appeared to be an independent risk factor (odds ratio, 3.44; 95% confidence interval, 1.53 to 7.71; P=0.003). Finally, the positive association between the use of plasterboard walls in poultry houses and the occurrence of necrotic enteritis might point to an important role of cleaning and disinfection in the epidemiology of this disease (odds ratio, 3.72; 1.38 to 10.00; P=0.009). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A water-soluble spirooxazine may be successfully applied directly as dye to produce photochromic silk fabric. Molecular modelling, using the CAChe system, provides a good prediction of its photochromic properties. The dyed fabric shows good colour build-up under UV irradiation and reverts slowly to the original colour when the UV source is removed. It is observed that wet fabric shows better photochromic performance than after drying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the responses of citrus stomata to leaf age, leaf position, canopy size and local microclimate. Large differences existed in the stomatal response due to leaf age within a 15-year-old canopy. Much smaller differences due to leaf age were evident in 7-year-old and 2-year-old trees. Likewise, position in the canopy played a significant role in determining stomatal response within a 15-year-old tree, but had little influence in the smaller trees. Stomatal conductance data were in good agreement with values calculated using a previously published stomatal-response function based on incident photosynthetically active radiation and the vapor pressure deficit of air. The model of stomatal conductance was used to calculate total daily plant water use of 2-year-old trees based on the Penman-Monteith model. Calculated values of plant water use were close to actual values for these 2-year-old trees as measured using weighing lysimeters. These results confirm the robustness of the Penman-Monteith model for the evaluation of citrus water use. We then scaled our calculations up to the 15-year-old field grown trees. Our study highlights the differences in stomatal response between various populations of leaves within a citrus canopy and indicate the important role stomatal conductance has in determining water use of citrus trees. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The occupational aspirations and interests of a sample of culturally disadvantaged children aged 15½ years and a matched control group were compared. Whilst the disadvantaged boys aspired to jobs of lower social-class status than their control-group peers, the two girls' groups showed very similar aspiration levels, and the disadvantaged group as a whole was oriented towards skilled jobs. The mean occupational interest profiles of the groups did not differ significantly. A higher proportion of the disadvantaged children were reported as being unemployed shortly after leaving school. It is concluded that there was a serious mismatch between the career aspirations of some of the disadvantaged group and their prospects. Ways in which this might be reduced through better school careers guidance and education programmes are briefly considered. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents a case study on the diagnosis given to a 21-year-old male sulphur-crested cockatoo with blood found on its faeces and urine. Information on the clinical and pathological findings given, which include blood stain in the feather around the vent, various fronds in the epithelium, and inflammation in the connective tissue stroma. The cockatoo was found to be suffering from cloacal pappilomatopsis.

The article presents abstracts of the papers based on Liberalism in Wales, that were read on May 15, 1971 at the conference held at the Polytechnic of Central London. One of the papers discussed here is titled "The New Liberalism and the Challenge of Labour: The Welsh Experience 1890-1929." Wales sheds a unique light on the decline of the Liberal party. Nowhere was the Liberal ascendancy more dominant than in Wales before 1914. Nowhere has the Liberals' decline been so persistent and unrelieved ever since. It was proposed to examine the causes of this transformation not from the standpoint of the labor movement but from that of the Liberals themselves. From the 1860s down to 1914 Welsh politics and society were dominated by the dynamic growth of the Liberal party at the national and local level. The key to its progress was the pressure for social and civic equality for a new nonconformist middle class. Working-class involvement was largely assumed. Labor issues played little part in Welsh Liberalism until the 20th century. The first world war introduced a totally new phase. Welsh Liberals, especially after 1918, were still impervious to new ideas on social reform. Coalition Liberals in Wales were distinctly to the right of Liberal ministers in the government.