The academic background of gerontologists and client satisfaction in long-term residential care for older persons

In contemporary Western societies, the aging population poses new challenges both to the policies and to the support systems for older persons. In Portugal, where the phenomena have a major impact, a new professional profile, the gerontologist, has emerged. These professionals have an academic background that corresponds to the 1st cycle degree at Higher Schools and is specifically oriented to the care of older persons. This study aimed to analyze the performance of the gerontologist as a Long-term Residential Care (LRTC) manager in comparison to other professionals. A total of 160 older persons living in Portuguese LRTCs were questioned about their satisfaction in regard to the effectiveness of organization, environmental/structural factors, empathy with employees, occupational activities, and participation in the decision-making process. The client’s satisfaction questionnaire covered 30 items, and each item was rated on a 5-point Likert scale. The older persons were classified as less satisfied or more satisfied according to the median value of the scale score. The older persons from LTRCs managed by a gerontologist are more likely to be more satisfied with provided care. This association was not explained by residents’ characteristics nor by the older persons’ circumstances as residents. These findings highlight the appropriateness of gerontologist skills in managing LTRCs.     

Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) Technology and Learning Outcomes in Dental Anatomy Education: E-Learning Approach

E-learning is an educational method that improves knowledge innovation by sharing relevant images for advanced learning, especially in a pandemic state. Furthermore, cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) is a method that gathers medical or dental diagnostic images. This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of dental anatomy education through a CBCT technology tool, through teachers' and students' perspectives, adjusted according to the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. A cohort study and longitudinal exploratory analysis were performed. Forty undergraduate first-year dental students, from the University of Coimbra in Portugal, were selected as per the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Two different teaching methods were applied during an identical time-period: face-to-face lectures complemented by physical models (T1 cohort) and webinar lectures complemented by CBCT images (T2 cohort). Learning outcomes were then studied according to theoretical and spatial orientation contexts. A self-reported survey that focused on students' satisfaction, stress, and support was studied. Both teaching methods were analyzed with paired sample student's t-test and Pearson Correlation Confidence intervals 95% with P < 0.05. Furthermore, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used for self-reported satisfaction survey validity and reliability analysis. The learning outcomes between T1 and T2 cohorts were statistically significant, (P < 0.001) corresponding to differences with a large effect degree (r > 0.60). Students' satisfaction, as measured on a six-point Likert scale, was positively influenced by the webinar lectures supplemented with CBCT images (T2 cohort) in a learning context (4.95 ± 0.5) and future applications (5.92 ± 0.27). In conclusion, the webinar approach with CBCT images was more effective and better learning method for teaching dental anatomy.     

Native plant naming by high-school students of different socioeconomic status: implications for botany education

People’s diminished awareness of plants, affected by anthropogenic environmental deterioration, has challenged science education to overcome the obstacles impeding a better understanding of their meaning and value. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the socioeconomic status of high-school students, as indicated by their attendance at private or state schools, on their knowledge of native plants. In total, 321 students aged 15–18 were asked to write down 10 plants native to Córdoba, Argentina, in a freelist questionnaire. Students listed a mean of 6.8 species of a total of 165 different categories of plant names. The majority of the species named were exotic to Córdoba (63%) or Argentina (50.6%, of which 33.8% were adventitious), indicating an ‘adventitious-to-native’ effect by which all spontaneously reproducing plants were presumed to be native species. However, the 20 most frequently named plants were mainly native, with ‘Algarrobo’ (Prosopis spp.) and ‘Espinillo’ (Vachellia caven) being the most mentioned. Students’ socioeconomic status had a significant effect on the number of species named, with the students of state schools (where the less well-off sectors of the society attend) mentioning more species and, among these, more native ones than the students from private schools. Furthermore, we defined size, colour and scent as being conspicuous traits of plant flowers that are relevant for human perception, and found that the most frequently named adventitious species, unlike the native ones, were those exhibiting big brightly-coloured flowers which ranged from being inodorous to having medium intensity scents.     

Sociocultural Variables That Impact High School Students’ Perceptions of Native Fauna: a Study on the Species Component of the Biodiversity Concept

This study investigates the influence of school sector (private versus state schools) and student gender on knowledge of native fauna. Our main objectives were (a) to describe the knowledge of high school students from the province of Cordoba, Argentina with respect to native animal species, (b) to determine if any exotic species (introduced or domestic) are considered native, and (c) to analyze the effects of school sector and gender on the students’ knowledge of the native fauna. In total, 321 students aged 15–18 from 14 urban schools (8 state and 6 private schools) were asked to write down ten animals native to Córdoba, Argentina, in a free-list questionnaire. Relative frequencies and Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMM) were used to analyze the categorized (animal names) and continuous answers (quantity of responses, number of native animals, etc.), with the 25 most frequently mentioned species showing a predominance of native ones, of which “Puma” (Puma concolor) and “Andean condor” (Vultur gryphus) were the most prominent. An overrepresentation of mammalian species compared to other classes of chordates was also found, with high school students mentioning native and domestic species higher on the free-list. Using GLMM, we found that school sector had a significant effect on the number of native animals mentioned at both national and local levels, and on domestic and mixed species. Finally, male students mentioned more species and more native animals than their female counterparts. These findings were interpreted and discussed in light of sociocultural and traditional ecological knowledge theories, from which several implications arose related to research and practice.     

Education,educational mismatch,and wage inequality: Evidence for Spain

In this paper, we explore the connection between education and wage inequality in Spain for the period 1994–2001. Drawing on quantile regression, we describe the conditional wage distribution of different populations groups. We find that higher education is associated with higher wage dispersion. A contribution of the paper is that we explicitly take into account the fact that workers who are and workers who are not in jobs commensurate with their qualifications have a different distribution of earnings. We differentiate between three different types of educational mismatch: ‘over-qualification’, ‘incorrect qualification’, and ‘strong mismatch’. We find that while over-qualification and incorrect qualification are not associated with lower wages, strong mismatch carries a pay penalty that ranges from 13% to 27%. Thus, by driving a wedge between matched and mismatched workers, the incidence of strong mismatch contributes to enlarge wage differences within education groups. We find that over the recent years, the proportion of strongly mismatched workers rose markedly in Spain, contributing toward further within-groups dispersion.     

Effect of 8 weeks of concurrent plyometric and running training on spatiotemporal and physiological variables of novice runners

Concurrent plyometric and running training has the potential to improve running economy (RE) and performance through increasing muscle strength and power, but the possible effect on spatiotemporal parameters of running has not been studied yet. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of 8 weeks of concurrent plyometric and running training on spatiotemporal parameters and physiological variables of novice runners. Twenty-five male participants were randomly assigned into two training groups; running group (RG) (n?=?11) and running + plyometric group (RPG) (n?=?14). Both groups performed 8 weeks of running training programme, and only the RPG performed a concurrent plyometric training programme (two sessions per week). Anthropometric, physiological (VO_2max, heart rate and RE) and spatiotemporal variables (contact and flight times, step rate and length) were registered before and after the intervention. In comparison to RG, the RPG reduced step rate and increased flight times at the same running speeds (P?P?P?2max increased more in the RPG than in the RG. In conclusion, concurrent plyometric and running training entails a reduction in step rate, as well as increases in VT speed, RCT speed, peak speed and VO_2max. Athletes could benefit from plyometric training in order to improve their strength, which would contribute to them attaining higher running speeds.     

Colorimetric Evaluation of Pictorial Coatings in Conservation of Plasterworks from the Islamic Tradition

ABSTRACT

The main aim of our current investigation is the colorimetric evaluation of protective treatments (consolidants) applied to traditional Islamic plasterworks, under natural ageing conditions. From analyses of the original pictorial plaster remains in the Courtyard of the Maidens of the Real Alcázar in Seville, Spain (a World Heritage Site) we prepared test specimens, using materials and techniques similar to the original ones. We analysed 56 test specimens painted with four pigments (yellow, green, blue, and red), using two different binders (animal glue and gum arabic), onto which five representative consolidants were applied: barium hydroxide, acrylic copolymer, polyvinyl butyral, ethyl silicate, and bacterial carbonatogenesis. The test specimens were subjected to natural ageing for one year (indoors and outdoors), enabling a colorimetric assessment to be made of the changes of the polychrome surfaces. The colorimetric heterogeneity of the 56 specimens after ageing registered an average value of 2.7 CIELAB units, assessed using the mean colour difference with respect to the mean. In the aged specimens, the addition of consolidants resulted in average colour differences (mainly lightness differences) of 10.7 and 6.7 CIELAB units, considering as a reference the specimens without consolidants aged indoors and outdoors, respectively. These colour differences were very similar for both binders but not for the four pigments, higher values being found for the blue and red pigments. Considering as reference the samples without consolidants aged outdoors, we found no statistically significant colour differences, either among the five consolidants (p?=?.094) nor the two binders (p?=?.674) used. In addition to the magnitude of colour differences, the choice of the most appropriate consolidants must also consider aspects related to performance and effectiveness. Overall, for the type of paints tested, the polyvinyl butyral consolidant appeared to perform the best, followed by the ethyl silicate.     

Developing a web-based toolkit for new mothers about postpartum pelvic floor health in collaboration with a professional medical association

Background:Few electronic resources are available for new mothers with concerns about changes in their pelvic floor following childbirth. Patients may struggle when seeking authoritative information regarding pelvic floor conditions online given the sensitivity of the topic as well as the inadvertent connection to obscene or demeaning content found online. A health sciences librarian partnered with the Motherhood and Pelvic Health Study, an interdisciplinary research group, to provide expert searching skills for a particularly challenging health condition that patients struggle to find useful information on.Case Presentation:A custom rubric was developed to evaluate existing information products, which included criteria for cultural sensitivity, conflicts of interest, and other red flags. This evaluation process enabled the research team to identify top-tier evidence-based materials that were culturally congruent. This collaborative evaluation process led to the creation of a web-based toolkit resource for new mothers concerned about changes in their pelvic floor. The toolkit connects women to pertinent information on a national health organization''s patient portal, supplemented by videos created by the team to serve as models of communication for women and health care providers.Conclusion:When developing a web-based resource, health sciences libraries can partner with research teams to find, evaluate, and disseminate information. Culturally congruent toolkits such as this one can improve access to health information and lead to improved health outcomes. To ensure that the information highlighted in toolkits is both culturally congruent and authoritative, research teams should form advisory committees and partner with relevant professional medical associations.     

Romanian Private Higher Education Viewed from a Neo‐institutionalist Perspective

Following a rapid overview of the genesis of private higher education in Romania after the Revolution of December 1989, the author proceeds to analyse the phenomenon in terms of John Meyer's neo‐institutionalist perspective. Citing, in particular, Meyer's theses regarding the isomorphism of organizations with their respective environments, she credits much of the early success of private Romanian higher education institutions in getting started to their close copying of the structure, offerings, and procedures of public higher education in addition to unsatisfied public demand for higher education. She further shows how private higher education institutions have adapted to the requirements of accreditation and state funding possibilities. She fears, however, that the continuing demographic downturn in Romania along with the creation of extra tuition fee‐paying openings at the public universities may finally doom private higher education.