Naresuan University Journal
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The influence of personal communities on the self-management of medication taking: A wider exploration of medicine work.
No full textObjectives There is a lack of focus on the broader social context, networks and influences on medicine-taking as part of illness work. This work adopts a social network approach and seeks to explicate the nature of medicine-taking work that people with multiple long-term conditions (LTCs) and their social network members (SNMs) do in attempting to take their medications on a daily basis, the division of labour amongst these members and when and why SNMs become involved in that work.Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 people who had multiple LTCs. Medication networks were constructed and the division of labour in relation to medication-work was explored.Results Four types of medication-work emerged: medication articulation, surveillance, emotional and informational. Involvement of SNMs in medication-work was selective, performed primarily by family members, within the home. Involvement reflected network composition and/or an individual’s conceptualisation/presentation of self.Discussion Our findings support and extend the conceptualisation of routine medicine-taking as a type of work. Furthermore, we illustrate the involvement of SNMs in aspects of medicine-work. Health professionals should explore and support the role of SNMs in medicine-taking where possible. Future research should explore the implications of network types and compositions on medicine-taking and associated work
The HIPASS survey of the Galactic plane in radio recombination lines
No full textWe present a Radio Recombination Line (RRL) survey of the Galactic plane from the H I Parkes All-sky Survey and associated Zone of Avoidance survey, which mapped the region l = 196°-0°-52° and |b| ≤ 5° at 1.4 GHz and 14.4 arcmin resolution. We combine three RRLs, H168α, H167α, and H166α to derive fully sampled maps of the diffuse ionized emission along the inner Galactic plane. The velocity information, at a resolution of 20 km s-1, allows us to study the spatial distribution of the ionized gas and compare it with that of the molecular gas, as traced by CO. The longitude-velocity diagram shows that the RRL emission is mostly associated with CO gas from the molecular ring and is concentrated within the inner 30° of longitude. A map of the free-free emission in this region of the Galaxy is derived from the line-integrated RRL emission, assuming an electron temperature gradient with Galactocentric radius of 496 ± 100 K kpc-1. Based on the thermal continuum map, we extracted a catalogue of 317 compact (≲15 arcmin) sources, with flux densities, sizes, and velocities. We report the first RRL observations of the southern ionized lobe in the Galactic Centre. The line profiles and velocities suggest that this degree-scale structure is in rotation. We also present new evidence of diffuse ionized gas in the 3-kpc arm. Helium and carbon RRLs are detected in this survey. The He line is mostly observed towards H II regions, whereas the C line is also detected further away from the source of ionization. These data represent the first observations of diffuse C RRLs in the Galactic plane at a frequency of 1.4 GHz
Influence of personal values and the adoption of analytical tools using Laddering Methodology
No full textAnalytical tools in business management are understood as a combination of information technologies and quantitative methods used to assist stakeholders to make better decisions based on data analysis. The contemporary business environment is dramatically changing by the massive accumulation of data. Now, as never before, the use of analytical tools must be expanded to take advantage of this growing digital universe. This article will apply the laddering technique in order to see how personal values (or managerial functions) influence a company’s adoption of analytical tools. A set of 10 in-depth interviews are conducted with CEOs, analytics consultants, academics and businessmen in order to establish quantitative relations among attributes, consequences and personal values. Two “easy-to-read” outputs are provided to interpret our results. The most important links are quantitatively associated through an implication matrix, and then visually represented on a Hierarchical Value Map. Guidelines for improving the use of analytical tools are provided in the last section
When is it ok to tell patients they are overweight? General public's views of the role of doctors in supporting weight management
No full textThe objective was to explore the general public’s views on the role of health professionals in the management of weight with diet and the implementation of behaviour change. Semi-structured interviews were conducted. An inductive grounded theory approach utilised a coding framework; recurring concepts/themes explored in future interviews and thematic saturation achieved. Two themes summarised views on the role of health professionals in supporting dieting and weight management: responsibility to initiate talk and what patients expect. Individuals perceive health professionals as having a role in their weight management. Individuals have disparate views about responsibility for initiation of weight management talk
Tree-frog thermoregulation modelling: the role of reflection spectra
No full textThe near infra-red reflection peak in some frogs has been speculated to be either for enhancing crypticity, or to help them with thermoregulation. The theoretical background for the thermoregulatory processes has been established before, but little consideration has been given to the contribution from the frogs’ reflection spectra differences. In this investigation, the reflection spectra from a range of different species of frogs were taken and combined with precise surface area measurements of frogs and an approximation to the mass transfer coefficient of agar frog models. They were then used to simulate the temperature and water evaporation in anurans with and without the near infra-red reflective peak. A simulator for the thermoregulatory processes was programmed in MATLAB and is presented as a graphical user interface, made available for general use. The significance of the equilibrium temperature differences between frogs with and without the near infra-red reflection peak is discussed in a realistic and an extreme scenario. Temperature differences of no more than 3.2 °C were found, and the rehydration period was increased by at most 16.7 %, which does not reduce the number of rehydration events between dawn and dusk
Do Pills Have No Ills? Capturing the Impact of Direct Treatment Disutility
No full textModel-based economic evaluations should capture the impact on all costs and outcomes relevant to the chosen study perspective and time horizon. This editorial defines what is meant by direct treatment disutility (DTD) and describes why it could be an important harm that those designing model-based evaluations should consider. Some existing estimates of DTD identified from the current literature are summarised in terms of the methods used to elicit the values and the size of the estimated DTD. Model-based studies that include DTDs are also summarised. It was found that the values used within model-based economic evaluations (ranging from 0.00384 to 0.02) were typically smaller than the directly elicited values from the existing literature (0-0.033). Yet even with conservative estimates of DTDs, cost-effectiveness results were sensitive to their inclusion. The editorial concludes by discussing future methodological and empirical research needed to estimate more robust DTD value
WP2 Deliverable 3 "Progress Report of Task 1.3"
No full textThis document presents the progress of WP2 Task 1.3, as part of Deliverable 3. Firstly, the models and methodologies developed for the time-varying demand response assessment, tailored for mainly domestic primary substations, are presented. In particular, network models (Task 1.1), load profiles (Task 1.2), voltage constraints (Task 1.2-1.3), and tap changer settings are discussed. Thereafter, a quantification of the time-varying demand response for Romiley primary substation is presented in detail using a half hourly dashboard considering three typical days (Task-1.3). Finally, the analysis is extended to two other primary substations
Associations between attachment and psychopathology dimensions in a large sample of patients with psychosis.
No full textAttachment theory is a powerful theoretical framework that complements and extents current models psychosis. We tested the hypothesis that attachment anxiety and avoidance are differentially associated with the severity of positive, negative and general psychopathology symptoms in patients with a diagnosis of psychosis. Five hundred patients with DSM-IV or ICD-10 diagnoses of psychotic disorders (schizophrenia, schizoaffective or non-affective psychosis) from independent samples from Netherlands, United Kingdom and Israel completed the Relationship Questionnaire. Psychopathology was assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndromes Scale. We used both categorical and dimensional approach to attachment data, which were analyzed using ANOVA with post-hoc tests, Pearson׳s correlations and multiple regression analysis. The conservative level of statistical significance was established (
Sleep disturbance and chronic widespread pain.
No full textMusculoskeletal pain is common and often occurs at multiple sites. Persons with chronic widespread pain (CWP) often report disturbed sleep. Until recently, the relationship between sleep disturbance and CWP has been unclear: does poor sleep increase the risk of developing CWP, do people with CWP develop poor sleep as a consequence of their pain, or is the relationship bi-directional? In this article, we have focused on the relationship between insomnia and CWP. We briefly present descriptive epidemiological data for insomnia and CWP. We then summarise the available evidence which supports the hypothesis that the relationship is bi-directional. Finally, we discuss the clinical management of CWP and insomnia in primary care, where the vast majority of cases of CWP are managed