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“Shifting wealth” – a process that started in the 1990s and took off in the 2000s – has led to a completely new geography of growth driven by the economic rise of large developing countries, in particular China and India. The resulting re-configuration of the global economy will shape the political, economic and social agendas of international development as those of the converging and poor countries for the years to come.
This report analyses the impact of “Shifting wealth” on social cohesion, largely focusing on high-growth converging countries. A “cohesive” society works towards the well-being of all its members, creates a sense of belonging and fights against the marginalization within and between different groups of societies. The question this report asks is how does the structural transformation in converging economies affect their “social fabric”, their sense of belonging or put generally their ability to peacefully manage collective action problems.
Recent events in well performing countries in the Arab world but also beyond such as in Thailand, China and India seem to suggest that economic growth, rising fiscal resources and improvements in education are not sufficient to create cohesion; governments need to address social deficits and actively promote social cohesion if long-term development is to be sustainable.
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Social Cohesion and Policies for Enhancing Civic Participation
OECD Development Centre
Governments in many parts of the world are currently confronted by some major governance challenges. They need, as a matter of priority, to defuse social tensions which arise from phenomena such as rising food prices, increases (real or perceived) in inequality, and political exclusion. To complicate matters further, and partly because of new technologies (particularly the Internet), states no longer exercise the same degree of control over their territories as they once did and increasingly have to take into account a myriad of external influences. In such a context, giving space to dissenting voices is fundamental to the creation of a sustainable, socially cohesive society. The harnessing of civic participation and political feedback mechanisms is essential if growth processes are not to be derailed. This is particularly true in the context of shifting wealth, where faster economic growth and more social dislocation require innovative responses. Promoting civic participation and decentralisation could prove to be a powerful tool for improving service delivery as well as something to be valued in its own right. Similarly, women are important agents of change, and facilitating their full participation in democratic life is an important policy objective.
English Also available in: French
- Click to access: | https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/development/perspectives-on-global-development-2012/social-cohesion-and-policies-for-enhancing-civic-participation_persp_glob_dev-2012-11-en |
infrastructure to help people overcome traumatic events.
The capacity of a collective
to triumph over shared adversities is based on maintaining and augmenting
social cohesion, mutual social support, cooperation, and a sense of belonging to
a valued social group and community. Empirical work with victims of various
disasters strongly suggests that individuals’ functioning in the aftermath of
potentially traumatic life events does not only depend on their own resources
and losses, but on resources and losses of their community.
Many disasters
initially mobilize affected communities into a heroic and altruistic struggle
to fulfill the immediate needs, and to shield victims from an overwhelming
sense of loss. This heroic stage, however, inevitably ceases and may not be
sufficient to conquer slowly evolving deterioration of social relationships
routinely experienced by postdisaster communities. Thus, in the long run,
failure or success in coping with shared trauma depends to a large extent on
social functioning.
One way of deterring lasting negative
psychological consequences of disasters should be through protecting and
maintaining communal resilience defined as an ability to deter insidious
erosion of communal connections in the aftermath of collective upheavals. | https://www.iup.edu/news-item.aspx?id=192722 |
When it comes to growing older, people who have healthy support systems fare better. They are generally happier, healthier and live longer. For seniors dealing with substance abuse issues, the right social support can be critical. When these systems are in place, treatment and recovery outcomes significantly improve.
What do I mean by support system? In general, individuals with support systems perceive themselves to be part of a group of sources, invested in their wellbeing, that are available to provide what they need. This includes encouragement, understanding, clarity, companionship, medical care, spiritual centeredness, education and financial assistance.
By helping to create these support systems and ensure they are in place, family members can extend a vital lifeline to their loved one with a drug or alcohol problem. This task, however, can also seem daunting.
“Social support is a powerful predictor of living a long and healthy life” is the shared conclusion of multiple large studies that have turned up a strong link between social support and better health among seniors.
This concept of “social support” and its link to better mental and physical health has been around since at least the 1970s, when epidemiologists first began to use it to explain why people embedded in social networks are healthier mentally and physically.
A 1992 Iowa Health Services VA Medical Center study of recovering alcoholics found that those with higher levels of self-reported social support experienced lower rates of relapse.
A Virginia Commonwealth University study in 2003 found that perceptions of low social support in women recovering from cocaine addiction predicted higher rates of relapse and of depression (a common relapse trigger).
These results, among others, reveal that family, friends and a larger recovery community can play a critical role in seniors’ recovery. This is particularly the case when they are older, and thus more vulnerable to social isolation.
It’s important to note, however, that there must be an exchange between the individual and the person or agency providing support. According to a study at Erasmus University Rotterdam, receiving care without a sense of exchange has been linked to poorer outcomes.
One important asset of belonging to a group, revealed in the Erasmus University study, is the body of social norms that are expected within the group. For example, an online discussion group about recovery may insist that posts be of a positive, uplifting nature. These norms, a form of direct or indirect social control, operate as a sort of moral enforcement and are helpful to recovery. Therefore, it’s important that any potential resource for a support network include healthy social norms.
Recovery groups are free to attend and usually quite easy to get to in most parts of the United States and around the world. Many retirement communities have active 12-step groups, as do nursing homes, hospitals, churches and community centers. There are also online 12-step meetings that you can help them join.
For an aging loved one struggling with alcohol abuse, this directory of AA meetings can help you find a face-to-face or online meeting that is nearby. Alternatively, for those with a drug use disorder, this directory of NA meetings is a good place to start.
Make sure your loved one is connected with a healthy group that is actively working the program, is easy to reach at least once a week, and has safe, reliable transportation to and from the meeting. If your loved one has a professional caregiver, the caregiver should be made aware that getting to a 12-step meeting at least once a week is a priority—right up there with regular personal hygiene and taking medications.
When evaluating potential living situations, consider that a 1992 review of studies titled “Alcohol Use in Retirement Communities” by W.L. Adams found high rates of drinking and at-risk drinking within retirement communities. Ideally, your loved one should be in a living environment that maximizes his or her independence and opportunities for positive, alcohol-free social interactions.
In cases where caregivers are providing live-in assistance, they need to be aware of the status of your loved one’s substance abuse problem. They will also need to take certain precautions to ensure your loved one does not have easy access to alcohol and other substances. Medications will need to be safely and securely stored, and alcohol should not be on the premises.
If an older person expresses interest in certain social settings that revolve heavily around alcohol, other positive alternatives for social companionship and interaction should be encouraged and facilitated.
Your loved one will respond more positively to non-confrontational expressions of concern about a drug or alcohol problem. When your loved one perceives that you are there to love them and collaborate with them, as opposed to baby and belittle them, they will be more motivated to get better.
Never be bashful about asking for help in creating a stronger emotional support system for your loved one. Sometimes this may mean consulting a licensed marriage and family therapist, certified life coach or social worker for help.
Do your best to ensure your loved one is getting his or her emotional needs met through different kinds of relationships including a few close friendships with others in the same stage of life.
Wherever possible, consult your loved one for their feedback regarding what they need to stick with recovery.
Encourage your loved one to share their life wisdom with you, and facilitate opportunities (however small) that let them give support to others rather than only receive it.
“Aging and social support,” Pearl A. Dykstra, Erasmus University Rotterdam.
“Social cohesion and belonging predict the well-being of community-dwelling older people,” National Center for Biotechnology Information.
“Outcome Research on 12-Step and Other Self-Help Programs,” Textbook of Substance Abuse Treatment.
“Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research-Based Guide” National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). | http://blog.csa.us/2017/10/senior-substance-abuse-support-system.html |
Background When the COVID-19 pandemic began there were concerns that suicides might rise, but predicted increases were not generally observed in the pandemic’s early months. However, the picture may be changing and patterns may vary across demographic groups. We aimed to provide an up-to-date, granular picture of the impact of COVID-19 on suicides globally.Methods We identified suicide data from official public-sector sources for countries/areas-within-countries. We used interrupted time series (ITS) analyses to model the association between the pandemic’s emergence and total suicides and suicides by sex-, age- and sex-by-age in each country/area-within-country. We compared the observed number of suicides to the expected number in the pandemic’s first nine and first 10-15 months and used meta-regression to explore sources of variation.Findings We sourced data from 33 countries (24 high-income, six upper-middle-income, three lower-middle-income). There was no evidence of greater-than-expected numbers of suicides in the majority of countries/areas-within-countries in any analysis;more commonly, there was evidence of lower-than-expected numbers. Certain sex, age and sex-by-age groups stood out as potentially concerning, but these were not consistent across countries/areas-within-countries. In the meta-regression, different patterns were not explained by countries’ COVID-19 mortality rate, stringency of public health response, level of economic support, or presence of a national suicide prevention strategy. They were also not explained by countries’ income level, although the meta-regression only included data from high-income and upper-middle-income countries, and there were suggestions from the ITS analyses that lower-middle-income countries fared less well.Interpretation Although there are some countries/areas-within-countries where overall suicide numbers and numbers for certain sex- and age-based groups are greater-than-expected, these are in the minority. Any upward movement in suicide numbers in any place or group is concerning, and we need to remain alert to and respond to changes as the pandemic and its mental health and economic consequences continue.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Suicides by any method, plus 'nonsuicide' fatalities from drug self-intoxication (estimated from selected forensically undetermined and 'accidental' deaths), together represent self-injury mortality (SIM)-fatalities due to mental disorders or distress. SIM is especially important to examine given frequent undercounting of suicides amongst drug overdose deaths. We report suicide and SIM trends in the United States of America (US) during 1999-2018, portray interstate rate trends, and examine spatiotemporal (spacetime) diffusion or spread of the drug self-intoxication component of SIM, with attention to potential for differential suicide misclassification. METHODS: For this state-based, cross-sectional, panel time series, we used de-identified manner and underlying cause-of-death data for the 50 states and District of Columbia (DC) from CDC's Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research. Procedures comprised joinpoint regression to describe national trends; Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficient to assess interstate SIM and suicide rate congruence; and spacetime hierarchical modelling of the 'nonsuicide' SIM component. FINDINGS: The national annual average percentage change over the observation period in the SIM rate was 4.3% (95% CI: 3.3%, 5.4%; p<0.001) versus 1.8% (95% CI: 1.6%, 2.0%; p<0.001) for the suicide rate. By 2017/2018, all states except Nebraska (19.9) posted a SIM rate of at least 21.0 deaths per 100,000 population-the floor of the rate range for the top 5 ranking states in 1999/2000. The rank-order correlation coefficient for SIM and suicide rates was 0.82 (p<0.001) in 1999/2000 versus 0.34 (p = 0.02) by 2017/2018. Seven states in the West posted a ≥ 5.0% reduction in their standardised mortality ratios of 'nonsuicide' drug fatalities, relative to the national ratio, and 6 states from the other 3 major regions a >6.0% increase (p<0.05). INTERPRETATION: Depiction of rising SIM trends across states and major regions unmasks a burgeoning national mental health crisis. Geographic variation is plausibly a partial product of local heterogeneity in toxic drug availability and the quality of medicolegal death investigations. Like COVID-19, the nation will only be able to prevent SIM by responding with collective, comprehensive, systemic approaches. Injury surveillance and prevention, mental health, and societal well-being are poorly served by the continuing segregation of substance use disorders from other mental disorders in clinical medicine and public health practice. FUNDING: This study was partially funded by the National Centre for Injury Prevention and Control, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (R49CE002093) and the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (1UM1DA049412-01; 1R21DA046521-01A1).
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused several disruptions in personal and collective lives worldwide. The uncertainties surrounding the pandemic have also led to multifaceted mental health concerns, which can be exacerbated with precautionary measures such as social distancing and self-quarantining, as well as societal impacts such as economic downturn and job loss. Despite noting this as a "mental health tsunami", the psychological effects of the COVID-19 crisis remain unexplored at scale. Consequently, public health stakeholders are currently limited in identifying ways to provide timely and tailored support during these circumstances. OBJECTIVE: Our study aims to provide insights regarding people's psychosocial concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic by leveraging social media data. We aim to study the temporal and linguistic changes in symptomatic mental health and support expressions in the pandemic context. METHODS: We obtained about 60 million Twitter streaming posts originating from the United States from March 24 to May 24, 2020, and compared these with about 40 million posts from a comparable period in 2019 to attribute the effect of COVID-19 on people's social media self-disclosure. Using these data sets, we studied people's self-disclosure on social media in terms of symptomatic mental health concerns and expressions of support. We employed transfer learning classifiers that identified the social media language indicative of mental health outcomes (anxiety, depression, stress, and suicidal ideation) and support (emotional and informational support). We then examined the changes in psychosocial expressions over time and language, comparing the 2020 and 2019 data sets. RESULTS: We found that all of the examined psychosocial expressions have significantly increased during the COVID-19 crisis-mental health symptomatic expressions have increased by about 14%, and support expressions have increased by about 5%, both thematically related to COVID-19. We also observed a steady decline and eventual plateauing in these expressions during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have been due to habituation or due to supportive policy measures enacted during this period. Our language analyses highlighted that people express concerns that are specific to and contextually related to the COVID-19 crisis. CONCLUSIONS: We studied the psychosocial effects of the COVID-19 crisis by using social media data from 2020, finding that people's mental health symptomatic and support expressions significantly increased during the COVID-19 period as compared to similar data from 2019. However, this effect gradually lessened over time, suggesting that people adapted to the circumstances and their "new normal." Our linguistic analyses revealed that people expressed mental health concerns regarding personal and professional challenges, health care and precautionary measures, and pandemic-related awareness. This study shows the potential to provide insights to mental health care and stakeholders and policy makers in planning and implementing measures to mitigate mental health risks amid the health crisis. | https://search.bvsalud.org/global-literature-on-novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov/?lang=en&q=au:%22Caine,%20Eric%20D%22 |
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently classified burnout as a syndrome specifically linked to workplace stress. The rumor was that WHO defined burnout as a medical condition, but not true, ‘a syndrome’, which isn’t a change from the past classification. The major change is clarifying the definition of burnout to reflect the seriousness of the syndrome.
Many experts discuss burnout as a medical emergency, a result of chronic, unresolved stress. Symptoms outlined by WHO include,
- Energy depletion; exhaustion
- Increased occupational distance
- Negativism
- Cynicism
- Reduced professional efficacy
…A serious medical emergency and it’s complicated. Seppala and King analyzed the General Social Survey of 2016, finding that, people are twice as likely to report that they are always exhausted compared to 20 years ago. And almost half indicated they are often or always exhausted due to work. Research demonstrates that work exhaustion is leading to social isolation which is leading to further exhaustion.
Social isolation is often prevalent in the workplace, which compounds perceptions of lack of support, increases levels of stress, and negatively impacts social well-being. Poor social well-being leads to detrimental health consequences and additional exhaustion. It’s a vicious cycle since exhaustion leads to more isolation (Burnout at Work).
Plus those at the manager level are suffering higher incidents of burnout. Gallop found that managers report more stress and burnout, worse work-life balance, and worse physical well-being than the employees on their teams. Stressed, exhausted, and unengaged managers influence the entire team. The ripple effect is extremely powerful, and negatively impacts employees regardless of expressed low levels of stress.
Many companies offer stress management as part of the wellness program. Stress management sessions can be an essential component to enhance well-being; however, often these are one-time lunch-n-learn type sessions and not comprehensive initiatives to enhance resilience and well-being.
Plus, even comprehensive initiatives may not be effective if the organizational issues impacting employee stress and well-being aren’t considered and addressed first. Consider, the following when developing comprehensive wellness initiatives:
- Plan and offer a customized and comprehensive reslience initiative.
- Address manager stress issues and consider offering Leadership Resilience initiatives for energy management and performance.
- Consider and address organizational factors impacting well-being, and contributing to employee stress and potential burnout, such as:
- Psychological safety: are employees comfortable bringing issues forward? Are their voices heard and their opinions matter even when different or against the current?
- The social environment: Is there a sense of community in the workplace? A sense of belonging? Isolation in the workplace plays a significant role in contributing to stress and burnout (
- Belonging & Community: Is there a sense of community in the workplace? A sense of belonging? Isolation in the workplace plays a significant role in contributing to stress and burnout (Exhaustion, Stress, & Loneliness)
- Engagement: What are the levels of engagement and trust at your organization?
- Camaraderie & Collaboration: Do employees have each other’s backs?
- Purpose & Significance: Do employees feel valued, appreciated, respected and that their contributions matter? Is there a sense of purpose and meaning in the work performed?
- Work Life Harmony: Are life and work in harmony? Are employees’ personal lives acknowledged, considered and supported?
What are your thoughts and experiences? What would you add to this list?
Yes, the issue is complex and although there are many factors to consider, simple steps will make a significant impact on preventing burnout, lowering stress, and enhancing well-being. | https://dimensions-ohs.com/2019/07/10/can-burnout-be-prevented/ |
See how they shine!
30 Oct 2022
The well-being of our students is at the heart of everything we do. We devote time and commitment to providing the very best care possible to each and every student.
Every teacher is responsible for instilling in students our Learning Virtues—courage, purpose, inquiry, discipline, respect and integrity.
Our well-being program recognises and celebrates our students' individuality, providing an environment where students feel safe to push their boundaries and challenge themselves. We are here to guide and support them on their journey.
In the Junior School our programs help the girls with strategies for positive interactions with others, learning to be healthy, happy and engaged. Our teachers ensure all our students feel secure, relaxed and nurtured at school, listening and responding to their individual needs. Our Junior girls have a strong sense of belonging.
In the Senior School our dedicated well-being team is led by our Deputy Principal, Mrs Linda Chiba and supported by our experienced Head of Positive Student Care and Engagement, Director of Boarding, Home Room Teachers, Chaplains, Counsellors and our College Nurse. Core members of this team are based in our student well-being hub within the Stables and are always available for students to come and talk to throughout the day.
Throughout the senior years, homeroom teachers are the students’ champions for well-being, although every teacher is responsible for instilling in students our Learning Virtues—courage, purpose, inquiry, discipline, respect and integrity. Heads of Year have overall responsibility for the students in their year group, creating a sense of community and belonging for the girls. Our 'Respect for Others' document is our guide.
...students thrive in a supportive environment which nurtures their mental, physical, social, emotional and spiritual well-being...
The teacher-student relationship is key to enabling all students feel valued and cared for so that they can reach out for support when needed.
Trust is earned through good communication, connections and positive relationships.
Through our House system, Service Learning and Leadership programs, our girls cultivate values such as teamwork, participation, collaboration, commitment and compassion, which not only build self-esteem, but are important contributors to their well being.
Every member of staff plays a role in supporting our girls and helping them thrive. At PLC Sydney, every teacher is a teacher of well-being.
The House system provides a sense of belonging for each girl, a wonderful peer support network and joyfulness of spirit and is an important part of our well-being Program. It also contributes to the strong sense of community that exists at PLC Sydney as students stay within their Houses from Pre-K to Year 12.
Our six Houses, named after women and men who have made outstanding contributions to the life of the College, not only generate school spirit and sporting enthusiasm, but they encourage participation and provide leadership opportunities. The girls engage in lots of fun House competitions throughout the year, including Inter-House Sports Carnivals and House Choir Night, which contribute to the highly sought after House Trophy, awarded to the winning House at Speech Day.
Service learning is integral to the Christian faith of our College and an important contributor to our girls well being. It promotes kindness and consideration for others.
At PLC Sydney, every year group, from Pre-Kindergarten to Year 12, focuses on one or more projects or charities, learning about the needs of the community involved and organising fundraising activities and initiatives.
Helping others not only makes us feel good, it is great for our mental and emotional well-being, and our self-esteem. | https://www.plc.nsw.edu.au/learning/well-being/ |
Mental Health & Well-Being
What is Mental Health?
Mental health is a "state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community." (World Health Organization)
Mental health is not simply the absence of mental illness. It is sense of emotional, psychological and spiritual well-being that enables us to meet the opportunities and challenges of life with a sense of confidence and hope.
We support student mental health and well-being by building capacity to:
- Promote positive mental health for all students
- Reduce stigma
- Build student social-emotional learning skills
- Identify students who may be experiencing mental health problems
- Build pathways to care and support services in the community
This CAMH video explains the separate but interconnected concepts of mental health and mental illness, as well as what it means to 'promote mental health', in ourselves, in our schools, and in our communities. | https://www.ldcsb.ca/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1076472&type=d&pREC_ID=1360170 |
Student Life is committed to developing each individual student's emotional, intellectual, physical, social and spiritual well-being by providing opportunities that maximize student potential and broaden understanding of one's place in a global society, while nurturing a sense of belonging for all students in a Christian campus community.
The Office of Greek Life is committed to a quality fraternal experience encompassing service, leadership, scholarship and personal development within a Christian-values collegiate community.
The Department of Residence Life exists to serve the Samford community by providing high-quality and safe residential facilities while fostering the resident's educational, personal, social and spiritual development within a Christian environment.
The Office of Spiritual Life exists to nurture individuals, encourage authentic Christian community, and provide a network of spiritual formation groups, worship experiences, service opportunities and ministry projects. | https://www.samford.edu/about/life-at-samford |
The difference between the number of electrons and protons in an atom determines how strong the charge is, and what that atom can bond with. Atoms with a positive charge will be attracted to negatively charged atoms to form a molecule. This bonding between atoms is the key to how molecules interact with each other.
What attracts molecules to each other?
Intermolecular forces are the forces of attraction or repulsion which act between neighboring particles (atoms, molecules, or ions ). These forces are weak compared to the intramolecular forces, such as the covalent or ionic bonds between atoms in a molecule.
What causes molecules to be attracted or repelled from each other?
More precisely, the positive and negative charges of the hydrogen and oxygen atoms that make up water molecules makes them attracted to each other. … Opposite magnetic poles attract one another much like positively charged atoms attract negatively charged atoms in water molecules.
Why do atoms get attracted to each other?
The atoms attract each other due to the force exerted by the nucleus of the atoms. In the beginning, the nuclear force (i.e. the force exerted by the protons present in the nucleus of one atom on the electrons of the other atom) dominate th repulsive forces between the electrons of the two atoms.
Do all molecules attract each other?
All molecules, whether polar or nonpolar, are attracted to one another by London dispersion forces in addition to any other attractive forces that may be present.
Why do water molecules attract one another?
The oxygen-hydrogen (O–H) bonds in water make it a polar molecule. That means the water molecule has an area of positive charge and an area of negative charge. This polarity makes water molecules attracted to each other.
Why do nonpolar molecules attract each other?
Non-polar molecules can’t form dipole-dipole interactions. Instead, they interact with each other by forming London dispersion forces. Electrons of a molecule move randomly. When the electrons are collected towards one end of the non-polar molecule, a slight negative charge is induced at that particular end.
Why are atoms attracted to each other in an ionic bond?
Since electrons are negatively charged, an atom that loses one or more electrons will become positively charged; an atom that gains one or more electrons becomes negatively charged. … These oppositely charged ions attract each other to form ionic networks (or lattices).
How do polar molecules attract each other?
We know that polar molecules are attracted to each other by dipole-dipole attractions between the partial negative charge of one polar molecule and the partial positive charge on another polar molecule. … Therefore, polar molecules like HCl are held together by both dipole-dipole attractions and London forces.
Why is it important that the electrons and protons are attracted to each other in an atom?
Since opposite charges attract each other, the negatively charged electrons are attracted to the positively charged protons. Tell students that this attraction is what holds the atom together. … This attraction is what holds the atom together.
Do molecules touch each other?
Atoms and molecules do not touch eachother. When we touch something, we fell the repelling forces of the electron fields between the two objects.
Why do atoms attract electrons?
The valence electrons are involved in bonding one atom to another. The attraction of each atom’s nucleus for the valence electrons of the other atom pulls the atoms together. As the attractions bring the atoms together, electrons from each atom are attracted to the nucleus of both atoms, which “share” the electrons.
Do molecules repel each other?
Attractive forces: At very close distances, all molecules repel each other as their electron clouds come into contact. … The more electrons in the molecule (and thus the greater the molecular weight), the greater is this attractive force.
Are liquid molecules attracted to each other?
Particles of a liquid will not only be attracted to one another, but they are generally attracted to the particles that make up the container holding the liquid. Particles of the liquid are drawn up above the surface level of the liquid at the edges where they are in contact with the sides of the container.
What is the force of attraction between molecules called?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. An intermolecular force (IMF) (or secondary force) is the force that mediates interaction between molecules, including the electromagnetic forces of attraction or repulsion which act between atoms and other types of neighboring particles, e.g. atoms or ions. | https://stepupdivein.com/voyager/why-are-molecules-attracted-to-each-other.html |
The surface forces between a crude-oil and its components (oil, resin, and asphaltenes) and a glass substrate have been measured in brine of different salinity and pH using an atomic force microscope. The force vs. distance curves are used to measure the critical disjoining pressure for wettability alteration, i.e., departure from water-wet conditions. The measured data are compared with the classical DLVO theory to explore the nature of interaction of these components with mineral substrates.
The results indicate that the resins and asphaltenes obey the DLVO theory, i.e., the stability of the brine film decreases with increasing brine salinity and increases with increasing solution pH. The opposite trend is observed with increasing salinity for the nonpolar (pentane soluble) fraction and for the crude oil itself. The deviation from DLVO predictions indicates that for nonpolar oils, hydrophobic interactions may play an important role in the interaction of oils with minerals and, therefore, in wettability reversal.
The contribution of surface-active polar components in crude oils in determining the wetting preference of reservoir rock minerals for oil or water is well documented. These compounds are mainly concentrated in the polar fractions of the crude oil, i.e., the asphaltenes and resins.1-5 Many investigators have suggested that the wettability of reservoir rock is directly related to the adsorption and/or deposition of these petroleum heavy ends on mineral surfaces.6-9 Wettability alteration studies have mainly focused on understanding the adsorption of resins and asphaltenes on model mineral surfaces. It is conjectured that, once adsorbed on the mineral surface, they permanently change the preference of the mineral surface for the oil phase. The variability in wetting properties of reservoirs has been attributed to factors such as the proportion of asphaltenes and resins in the crude oil, the stability of the intervening water film, and the mineralogy of the rock surface.
In the past, studies on understanding the intermolecular and surface interactions causing the collapse of thin brine films confined between an oil and a mineral phase have met with limited success.14,15 This was primarily due to a lack of quantitative measurements of the surface force vs. distance curves. Recently, Basu and Sharma16 have demonstrated the feasibility of measuring these interaction forces between crude oil and mineral substrates in an aqueous medium using an atomic force microscope (AFM). The dewetting of pre-existing brine films on glass and mica substrates for different conditions of oil composition, brine chemistry, and surface morphology was systematically studied. The results of their work clearly show the importance of surface forces on wettability reversal phenomenon in oil/brine/mineral systems in oil reservoirs.17 In this article, the experimental technique developed in Ref. 17 has been used to measure the surface force vs. distance curves for asphaltenes, resins, and oils interacting with glass surfaces in brine. It is observed that the composition of the oil phase plays an important role in the stability of the brine films.
Crude oil can be fractionated into different components and in different ways based either on molecular weight or polarity. Fractionation in a refinery is typically based on molecular weight with the highest molecular weight components being in general less volatile than the lower molecular weight components. For the purposes of wettability alteration it is the polarity of the molecules that is of primary concern to us. For this reason we fractionate the crude oil on the basis of their solubility in various solvents, i.e., on the basis of molecular polarity. The fraction of crude oil, insoluble in heptane but soluble in benzene or toluene, is referred to as the asphaltene fraction; the heptane soluble fraction of the crude oil consists of oils and resins. The heptane soluble fraction is further fractionated by eluting a silica gel column with pentane to obtain the oil fraction, with benzene to obtain the aromatic fraction, and with methanol to obtain the resin fraction. This fractionation procedure with minor variations has been used extensively in the literature.18,19,22 The oils, therefore, consist of the nonpolar fraction of the crude oil. The resins constitute the low molecular weight polar fraction whereas the asphaltene fraction consists of the high molecular weight polar fraction of the crude oil. | https://www.onepetro.org/journal-paper/SPE-57466-PA |
Abstract: The recent detection of gravitational waves by the LIGO/VIRGO team is an incredibly impressive achievement of experimental physics. It is also a tremendous success of the theory of General Relativity. It confirms the existence of black holes; shows that binary black holes exist; that they may collide and that during the merging process gravitational waves are produced.
These are all predictions of General Relativity theory in its fully nonlinear regime. The existence of gravitational waves was predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916 within the framework of linearized Einstein theory. Contrary to common belief, even the very definition of a gravitational wave in the fully nonlinear Einstein theory was provided only after Einstein’s death. Actually, Einstein had arguments against the existence of nonlinear gravitational waves (they were erroneous but he did not accept this), which virtually stopped development of the subject until the mid 1950s.
This is what we refer to as the Red Light for gravitational waves research. In the following years, the theme was picked up again and studied vigorously by various experts, mainly Herman Bondi, Felix Pirani, Ivor Robinson and Andrzej Trautman, where the theoretical obstacles concerning gravitational wave existence were successfully overcome, thus giving the ‘Green Light’ for experimentalists to start designing detectors, culminating in the recent LIGO/VIRGO discovery. In this lecture we tell the story of this theoretical breakthrough. Particular attention will be given to the fundamental 1958 papers of Trautman, which seem to be lesser known outside the circle of General Relativity experts.
The talk will be based on the article of C. Denson Hill and PN published in the special volume of Notices of the American Mathematical Society devoted to gravitational waves detection.
C. D. Hill, P. Nurowski, Notices of AMS 64, 686 (2018), http://www.ams.org/journals/notices/201707/. | https://www.sissa.it/print/calendar-event/sciama-lecture-pawe%C5%82-nurowski |
Space researchers may have found Albert Einstein's black hole object that would support his general theory of relativity. Astronomers have discovered a small galaxy approximately 90 million light years from Earth in the Big Dipper, according to The West Side Story.
The Markarian 177 is believed to be the object that Albert Einstein purported to be the black hole. Futurity reports that it might be a "black hole catapulted out of a galaxy," or a "giant star that is exploding over an exceptionally long period of several decades." It goes on to say that physicists are fascinated with the discovery because of its potential to "provide experimental confirmation of the much-discussed gravitational waves predicted by Albert Einstein."
In Einstein's general theory of relativity he predicted the existence of gravitational waves. His entire theory hinges on their existence. Although scientists have attempted to directly detect the waves with measurement, they have yet to do so. The report says that this "could largely be due to the fact that this requires a level of precision that is practically impossible to achieve with today's measuring devices."
According to West Side Story, Einstein's black hole proposition suggests that when two galaxies collide, they may merge and become one—causing the two big black holes in the centers of the two galaxies to merge or fuse together. From there, the gravitational waves that were formed travel through space and create other effects.
However, it goes on to say that if the two fused black holes have unequal masses or rotate at differing speeds, the gravitational waves produced will disseminate in an asymmetrical fashion, causing the two black holes to move out in two opposite directions. It says that if the impact of the "jolting force separating the black holes is weak, the fused black holes drift together back again. But where powerful enough, the separated black holes will drift out entirely into the space from the galaxy, causing them to wander eternally in space."
Astronomers have been looking for orphaned black holes for years, according to Voice Chronicle. Researchers from the University of Maryland recently published their findings last month in the "Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society" in the U.K. Team member Laura Blecha says that this wandering object is "the most promising candidate we've found" for an ejected black hole. However, she states that "it's either the first example we've confirmed in this very exotic class of objects, or it's the most exotic, extreme example of a very common class of objects," referring to exploding stars called supernovae—meaning that the object found may or may not be the elusive black hole.
For a visual representation of the phenomenon, the movie Interstellar would be a great start, according to an article in the Inquisitr. Critics have said that the imagery is visually stunning, calling it "some of the most accurate images of black holes based on Einstein's theories that have ever been produced."
The Markarian 177 is a promising discovery that might very well be the black hole object that Albert Einstein referred to in his general theory of relativity. | https://www.inquisitr.com/1630918/researchers-may-have-found-albert-einsteins-black-hole-object/ |
One hundred years after Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves on the basis of his theory of General Relativity, LIGO announced the first observation of gravitational waves passing through the Earth emitted by the collision of two black holes one billion three-hundred million light years away. The detection of gravitational waves constitutes a major scientific discovery, as it permits a new kind of observation of the cosmos, quite different from electromagnetic and particle observations. In this talk I will review the theoretical groundwork that allowed to identify and interpret the gravitational-wave signals, and discuss how those new astronomical messengers can unveil the properties of the most extreme astrophysical objects in the universe.
Alessandra Buonanno was Professor of Physics at the University of Maryland, and is currently Director at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute) in Potsdam-Golm.
Thomas Naumann is Professor of Physics and works at DESY in Zeuthen. | https://einsteinforum.de/veranstaltungen/on-gravitational-waves/?lang=en |
What are Gravitational Waves?
Gravitational waves are 'ripples' in space-time caused by some of the most violent and energetic processes in the Universe. Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves in 1916 in his general theory of relativity. Einstein's mathematics showed that massive accelerating objects (such as neutron stars or black holes orbiting each other) would disrupt space-time in such a way that 'waves' of distorted space would radiate from the source (like the movement of waves away from a stone thrown into a pond). Furthermore, these ripples would travel at the speed of light through the Universe, carrying with them information about their cataclysmic origins, as well as clues to the nature of gravity itself.
The strongest gravitational waves are produced by catastrophic events such as colliding black holes, the collapse of stellar cores (supernovae), coalescing neutron stars or white dwarf stars, the slightly wobbly rotation of neutron stars that are not perfect spheres, and possibly even the remnants of gravitational radiation created by the birth of the Universe.
The animation below illustrates how gravitational waves are emitted by two neutron stars as they orbit each other and then coalesce. (Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center)
Though gravitational waves were predicted to exist in 1916, definitive proof of their existence wouldn't exist until 1974, 20 years after Einstein's death. In that year, two astronomers using the Arecibo Radio Observatory in Puerto Rico discovered a binary pulsar. This was exactly the type of system that, according to general relativity, should radiate gravitational waves. Knowing that this discovery could be used to test Einstein's audacious prediction, astronomers began measuring how the stars' orbit changed over time. After eight years of observations, they determined that the stars were getting closer to each other at precisely the rate predicted by general relativity if they were emitting gravitational waves (GW would remove energy from the system causing them move closer and closer together in their orbit). For a more detailed discussion of this discovery and work, see Look Deeper.
Since then, many astronomers have studied the pulsar radio-emissions and found similar effects, further confirming the existence of gravitational waves. But these confirmations had always come indirectly or mathematically and not through actual 'physical' contact.
All of this changed on September 14, 2015, when LIGO physically sensed the distortions in spacetime caused by passing gravitational waves generated by two colliding black holes nearly 1.3 billion light years away! LIGO's discovery will go down in history as one of humanity's greatest scientific achievements.
Lucky for us here on Earth, while the processes that generate gravitational waves can be extremely violent and destructive, by the time the waves reach Earth they are billions of times smaller. In fact, by the time gravitational waves from LIGO's first detection reached us, the amount of space-time wobbling they generated was thousands of times smaller than the nucleus of an atom! Such inconceivably small measurements are what LIGO was designed to make. To find out how LIGO can achieve this task, visit LIGO's Interferometer. | https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/WA/page/what-are-gw |
Black holes, neutron stars, gravitational waves and more information...
Português
Astrophysical Relativity
My work is mainly focused on the study of compact objects like black holes and neutron stars (and also gravastars), using the General Relativity theory. The study of the gravitational waves emitted by such objects is currently of great astrophysical interest, and it can also give us valuable information on the behavior of matter under extreme conditions such as the interior of a neutron star.
The study of gravitational waves need general relativity and perturbation theory. According to Einstein's theory, perturbed compact objects should emit gravitational waves. These waves are riples in the fabric of spacetime itself, that propagate with the speed of light. Indirect observations have already been made in the past, for instance with the
binary pulsar PSR 1913+16
.
The
first direct observation
of gravitational waves happened on September 14th 2015 and it was announced by the LIGO team on February 11th 2016. The observations provided evidence for the existence of black holes, binary black holes and the validity of general relativity.
There are gravitational wave detectors all over the world. In Brazil, the
Mario Schenberg detector
is currently being developed.
More information and interesting links
Relativistic Astrophysics Research Group at UFABC
Numerical Relativity at the Albert Einstein Institute
Master and PhD in Applied Mathematics at UFABC
(in Portuguese)
return to the main page
Last updated in 08/06/2016. | http://hostel.ufabc.edu.br/~cecilia.chirenti/en/research/index.html |
For the first time, astronomers have been able to see the back of a black hole, thus proving that Albert Einstein was indeed right, more than a century later.
Einstein’s general theory of relativity
the telegraph Report that an international team of researchers succeeded for the first time in We see the back of a supermassive black hole 800 million light-years away from our planet. Thus, they were able to prove Albert Einstein’s theory about the behavior of these mysterious celestial bodies.
Use these researchers Extremely powerful X-ray telescopes To study this black hole located at the center of a distant galaxy. These astronomers observed the usual characteristics of a black hole, but they also spotted light, in the form of X-rays, emitting from the far side of a black hole.
for information, Black holes are born when a massive star explodes into a supernova and then collapses on itself. Then it is formed mass of incomprehensible density, sweeping everything nearby. So it should be logically impossible to see the light behind the black hole.
However, the tEinstein’s general theory of relativity predicted in 1915 The gravitational pull of black holes may be so apparent that they will distort the very fabric of space, twist magnetic fields and bend light.
Accordingly, theEinstein’s work confirmed that it is possible to see light waves ejected from the other side of the black hole, due to distortion of magnetic fields, Then it acts like a mirror.
Experts have accepted the theory, but have not yet been able to directly observe the phenomenon. But thanks to modern telescopes and the development of highly sensitive instruments, this is now possible.
Capital Discovery
Dan Wilkins, astrophysicist at Stanford University, and studied the mechanics of the destruction of atoms and electrons by a black hole, as well as the resulting X-rays.
Looking at the data, he saw what he expected, which was X-rays emitted directly to Earth from the core of the black hole. corn Also noticed unexpected echoes after a short time. They were X-rays that were projected in the opposite direction from Earth’s, but were reflected by the black hole’s magnetic field.
This discovery was published in nature, proves once again that Einstein was right and supports the theory of general relativity. the Professor Roger Blandford of Stanford University, co-author of the research, said:
Fifty years ago, when astrophysicists began to speculate about the behavior of a magnetic field near a black hole, they had no idea that one day we would have the technologies to directly observe it and see Einstein’s general theory of relativity at work.
The task of characterizing and understanding these celestial bodies continues and will require further observations. Part of this future will be The European Space Agency’s X-ray Observatory, Athens (Advanced High Energy Astrophysics Telescope). As a member of the laboratory of Steve Allen, professor of physics at Stanford University and particle physics and astrophysics at SLAC, Wilkins is involved in developing part of the wide field imaging detector for Athens. Wilkins said:
The mirror is much larger than we’ve ever had on an X-ray telescope and will allow us to get high-resolution images with much shorter observation times. So the picture that we’re going to start getting from the data now will become much clearer with these new observatories. | https://persiadigest.com/this-discovery-once-again-confirms-einsteins-amazing-progress-during-his-time/ |
About a hundred years ago, in his theory of general relativity Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves, “ripples” in the fabric of space and time as a result of the universe’s violent and energetic processes, like a collision and merger of black holes or a collapse of supernova.
Gravitational waves are difficult to detect because the origin of these waves are light-years away. While traveling toward the Earth’s direction, the ripples get much smaller in size—much like the ripples you see near the edge of the pond when you throw a rock at the water in the middle. Detecting such small waves has been the challenge in validating Einstein’s predictions.
Earlier this year, researchers at LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) announced that they detected the gravitational waves for the first time, proving that Einstein’s prediction was correct and providing support for his theory of general relativity. LIGO researchers had to use an extremely refined technology that would be able to detect the small waves. In fact, when the wave stretched the space by one part in 1021, causing the Earth to expand and contract by 1/100,000 of a nanometer—which is about how wide an atomic nucleus is.
The gravitational waves were a result of a merger of two massive black holes that were 36 and 28 times the mass of the sun.
Last week, researchers announced that they detected the gravitational waves again. The second wave event, named GW151226, was a result of another black hole merger—although this merger was smaller in size, as the black holes were 14 and eight times the mass of the sun.
The data the researcher gathered not only is significant for showing that the technology actually can detect the gravitational waves, but also for studying the behaviors of black holes. Alessandra Buonanno, director at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, said the data from the second black hole merger event matches her team’s predictions that black holes orbits before merging.
The merger that led to GW151226 occurred about 1.4 billion years ago, and the signal that LIGO researchers detected came from the black holes’ last 27 orbits before the merger.
According to Gabriela Gonzalez, professor of physics and astronomy at Louisiana State University, the advancement of wave-detecting technology could also help in figuring out the locations of black holes in our universe. The arrival times of the waves at different LIGO locations (Livingston, LA and Hanford, WA) can help the researchers to determine the position of the wave’s origin. | http://www.scienceagogo.com/physics/gravitational-waves-second-time.shtml |
Employee satisfaction surveys have become a crucial part of businesses and Human Resources (HR). They are no longer something that’s just ‘nice to have’; instead, they’re an aspect that needs a lot of focus and emphasis.
These surveys are a way for companies to measure how employees' primary needs and interests are being addressed. Aspects covered in these surveys could include management, teamwork, salary expectations, and more.
To avoid high turnover rates, you want to look at the various ways to keep your employees happy, right?
This is exactly why you should conduct regular employee satisfaction surveys.
In this article, we explore answers to a number of questions relating to the topic including - what is an employee satisfaction survey, what is the purpose of employee satisfaction surveys or why do an employee satisfaction survey, how to conduct employee satisfaction surveys, etc.
What is an employee satisfaction survey?
An employee satisfaction survey is a tool used by Human Resource Managers. It gives them a better understanding of how happy employees are in the workplace.
The main purpose of the employee satisfaction survey is to allow management better insight into how they can improve systems and processes that are in place.
It also allows management to see exactly where they need to improve by identifying common areas in which employees feel unsatisfied or frustrated.
With the results gathered from the survey, ideally, the point is to promote a positive and inclusive work culture.
With surveys, companies can listen to employees' needs and work toward creating an environment where employees feel valued and included.
In doing this, companies can get a better understanding of their employees’ levels of job satisfaction. This is incredibly important as high levels of job satisfaction are beneficial for everyone.
Why do companies need to conduct an employee satisfaction survey?
The thought of “why do an employee satisfaction survey” after all might cross your mind. So here are a few important benefits that employee engagement surveys bring to an organization.
1. It boosts employee engagement
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut at work and get into space where employees feel like they’re on autopilot. In this case, it’s easy to overlook how engaged they are. However, you should not let this happen.
Engaged employees will go the extra mile to reach their role targets. So, you want to make sure that they are engaged.
Conducting employee satisfaction surveys regularly allows companies to get their employees’ insights and opinions on the workplace. By actively making improvements, you show your employees that you value and appreciate their feedback.
Simply conducting surveys and taking your employees’ thoughts and opinions into account can do wonders for keeping them engaged. It will help make them feel valued and appreciated to garner a more positive outlook on the company. Increasing an employee’s level of engagement can boost their productivity by 20%!
2. Allows for better understanding
Have you given thought to how employees are feeling?
What are their attitudes (both positive and negative)?
How do they feel about any changes that have taken place?
Do they agree or disagree with them?
Regular employee satisfaction surveys can track and assess these feelings and sentiments over time. This way, management can gauge how the needs of employees are being addressed.
3. Insights into the growth of organizations
Surveys allow for a better way to determine the path of organizational growth. For example, they give companies a chance to evaluate aspects such as:
- ➡ Affording employees with adequate tools they need to do their job
- ➡ The effectiveness of leadership structures
- ➡ The health of the company culture and where it can be improved upon.
Taking it a step further allows for better insight into how various departments function and the sentiments surrounding that specific department in comparison to others.
If certain parts work well, think about how you can maximize those positive points in other departments.
4. Allows employees to be heard
It takes a strong-willed employee to express how they feel. Sometimes, being brutally honest with a manager may not sit very well, and then the employee runs the risk of being misunderstood.
The survey allows employees to have a platform where they can express their views freely in a safe space. Anonymous surveys are an excellent way to get deeper and more honest insights.
This is because your employees know that they won’t face any repercussions for giving their opinions.
“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.” - Oscar Wilde.
5. Predicts and reduces employee turnover
High employee turnover rates are a concern for companies because it has their own repercussions regarding time and money invested in employees. Surveys provide valuable insights into how to limit the number of employees that think of leaving.
Asking the right questions enables you to get a clear picture of how happy your employees are at their jobs. It can also highlight what employees want and need in terms of their careers in the long run.
Factors that contribute to employee satisfaction
Let us go through some employee satisfaction factors:
1. Financial stability and salary
For employees, it could be that everything related to job satisfaction comes second to knowing that the company they work for isn’t going to go out of business soon. Financial security takes a lot of stress off one’s shoulders.
So, it makes sense that this is a top contributor to employee satisfaction. For those that feel unsettled in this regard, an employee satisfaction survey could be a platform where these uncomfortable topics can be addressed.
2. Appreciation
If employees aren’t feeling valued and appreciated, you can be sure that this will affect their work output. Not only this, but a whopping 79% of employees who quit their jobs say one of the main reasons was due to a lack of appreciation.
Not all employees will always feel confident or free enough to speak openly about feeling undervalued.
There could be times when they’ve thought that their hard work has gone unnoticed. A simple ‘thank you’ goes a long way in ensuring that your employees feel valued and appreciated.
3. Good relationships with colleagues and management
Often, poor relationships with co-workers or managers can make facing the workday just a little tougher. A lot of the time, the unpleasantness experienced could be resolved through effective communication.
Perhaps even some team-building activities or a weekly team lunch would help? Having good working relationships contributes to employee satisfaction in many ways.
It makes them feel better about going into work, boosts productivity and morale, and contributes to a more positive work environment.
4. Work-life balance
It’s natural for employees to feel overwhelmed if they feel like their workload is excessive and that they’re working long hours. Employees don’t want their work to become the center focus of their lives.
They want to spend time with their families and friends and have time for their hobbies and other things they love. This is especially true when it comes to millennials.
5. Career development
As an incentive, learning and career development are regarded as important factors when looking at employee satisfaction. Employees want to know that the company they’re working for has a keen interest in advancing their careers.
Do companies afford them opportunities to learn new skills or build on those they are good at and passionate about? This also adds to how much more employees are willing to give if they feel they are being invested regularly.
Sample employee satisfaction survey questions you must include
Once you have figured out how to conduct employee satisfaction surveys, include these 16 questions in the survey to measure employee satisfaction level in your Organization.
- What are your thoughts on the company’s culture?
- Is there a sense of connectedness among your team and management?
- Do you feel that the company is open to change?
- How open are managers to feedback?
- Do you feel that your contribution is valued and appreciated?
- Is important company news communicated regularly and clearly?
- How invested is your manager in the success of your team?
- Is there visible transparency from management?
- Is the workload distributed evenly?
- How meaningful do you think your work is?
- Is there enough attention given to career development?
- Are you adequately equipped to do your job?
- Are job roles and responsibilities clearly defined?
- Are your skills and abilities adequately exercised in your role?
- Do you feel a sense of happiness at your workplace?
How an employee satisfaction survey tool can help?
Say goodbye to all your worries about how to conduct employee satisfaction surveys and make conducting your regular surveys easier by using an employee satisfaction survey tool like Empuls.
You can create your own surveys or choose from our templates to make sure that you’re asking the right questions.
Empuls offers a variety of ready-to-use templates and survey questions, using which you can start measuring employee engagement in no time!
Organizations can easily collect and share feedback from time to time from their employees, recognize employee achievements, and promote a positive work culture.
The platform also empowers organizations with actionable insights from the employee feedback received.
An employee satisfaction survey tool like Empuls also helps organizations to understand employee sentiment, uncover hidden disengagement factors through pulse surveys, and lifecycle surveys with a curated list of questions designed to accurately evaluate employee (and organizational) health or wellness.
Final thoughts
When thinking about the costs of training new employees and dealing with high turnover rates compared with the benefits of employee satisfaction surveys, the decision is a no-brainer.
Once you’ve seen the results, you’ll soon discover that employee satisfaction surveys are well worth the time and effort. Make conducting your regular surveys easier with Empuls.
You can create your own surveys or choose from our templates to make sure that you’re asking the right questions. | https://blog.empuls.io/conduct-employee-satisfaction-surveys/ |
Knowing how satisfied employees are is much easier when you keep in touch. From uncovering simmering crises to simply strengthening HR-employee relationships—communication is key. When employees know their input is valued, their satisfaction will be greater. The more satisfied employees are, the more productive, more loyal and more profitable they’ll be.
4 reasons why traditional employee feedback efforts fall short
No substitute exists for soliciting specific opinions and other information directly from employees. It’s the best way to measure different workplace metrics over time, as well as internal efforts to improve them. But traditional feedback collection methods often yield less-than-thorough results because they are:
Too infrequent — it’s hard to stay abreast of developing conflicts or seize timely opportunities if you’re only engaging employees once or twice a year. More frequent, shorter, even less formal surveys can make the feedback you collect more valuable.
Too threatening — not everyone is comfortable sitting face-to-face with their supervisor or someone from HR. They put up their guard, editing feelings and remarks they feel may cause repercussions.
Too long — In their creators’ attempts to be thorough, many HR satisfaction questionnaires or surveys are too long to solicit quality information. By the middle of a 40-question survey, many busy employees get distracted, fatigued or simply overwhelmed, giving minimal thought, if any, to important questions.
Too one-dimensional — Many managers looking for specific input forget that employees may have other insights that don’t fit neatly into a checkbox. A catchall “Comments” section at the end of a survey rarely yields the details an employee would have otherwise offered had they attached it to a specific question.
8 ways to get better employee feedback
We’re in the midst of the Information Age precisely because technology enables people to offer it and others to easily collect it. Mobile surveys and quizzes offer HR professionals a high-tech, high-touch way to engage employees in ways traditional methods simply can’t. For better info:
- Let employees use the device of their choice — instead of interrupting a busy workday, survey or quiz employees at their convenience. Encourage them to use their mobile phone or tablet as well as their desktop—any Internet-connected device. Their familiarity with the device makes the survey less intrusive.
Keep it short — instead of trying to learn a year’s worth of insights with one survey, send regular quick-hit surveys of 4 or 5 questions each. Number each question so they know their progress throughout the survey.
Don’t be afraid to entertain — we’re all human, we enjoy a good laugh; we appreciate attempts to lighten serious subjects. Be personal in the way you write your survey, offer offbeat answer choices. The more human the tone, the more relaxed and appreciative employees will be.
Engage, engage, engage — mobile surveys and quizzes let you add photos, video and audio files to your questions. By all means, make those entertaining, too!
Challenge employees — use a survey or quiz to show them their knowledge on a certain topic compared to their co-workers. Get the same valuable feedback in a less formal way so it feels like a game for the employee.
Don’t name names — you don’t have to require employees to provide their personal information. If you want an organization-wide audit of employee knowledge or opinion, make sure everyone knows their input won’t be attributed.
Survey or quiz around themes or events — track the evolution of a change management initiative, a new marketing campaign, employee training or seasonal events. Again, a quick-hit, short survey will help you get insights quickly.
Don’t wait for results — mobile survey and quiz results are available the instant the employee hits ‘submit.’. Management can use these insights immediately to take advantage of an unforeseen opportunity or to head off a crisis that can reduce employee satisfaction.
Start getting better employee feedback tomorrow. (I really mean tomorrow.) Creating a mobile survey or quiz can be accomplished quickly using an online platform. Simply uploading your organization’s logo automatically brands your survey. Building the questions is as simple as choosing the question type and writing the questions and answer choices. Add a photo, video or audio file to each one to make them more intriguing. At the end of the creation process, you’ll get a unique URL and QR code that you can print, project or email to invite participation. Because the quiz or survey resides online, there’s no app for employees to install on their mobile device—they can take it as easily as you created it.
Build a better HR satisfaction survey
Paper surveys are relics. Making people take an online survey or quiz at their desk isn’t conducive to getting free-flowing employee feedback. Mobile surveys and quizzes give employees choice as well as convenience and provide HR with a more complete, timelier and more actionable look at employee morale, co-worker assessment, product knowledge, suggestions and overall awareness. | https://pointerpro.com/blog/getting-real-time-feedback-employees/ |
The following tips for creating quantitative surveys on job satisfaction aim to give guides not on the best practices, but on the logical aspects of what the surveys aim to achieve.
One of the key components of talent management is by implementing a system of performance management through efficient and effective communication. Where an off-hand, one-on-one interview is suggested, this may not be possible for a large pool of human resources. A better alternative is to conduct quantitative surveys on job satisfaction.
Understand, however, that there should be a specific logic incorporated in the entirety of the survey; the questions formulated should aim to achieve this. Instead of assuming the roles of survey experts and utilizing boxed-in question styles, the team tasked to come up with survey questions should brainstorm on what they would like their own supervisors, managers or employers to know regarding factors that affect their performance as employees.
Employees are at the front lines of businesses when it comes to dealing with customers, which makes their performance clearly reflective of the company’s values and goals. If an employee feels that he is not satisfied with his training, then can you quantify how many of the company’s employees have the same sentiments? Obviously, a large number denotes that customer satisfaction is likewise affected if the staff, in attending to their needs, generally lacks the know-how that customers are counting on.
The point being driven here is the use of quantitative surveys on job satisfaction as tools for improving recruiting, hiring and employment systems. Then they become a real part of HR’s talent management processes. Quantifying the survey results provides a general overview about employees’ outlooks over their current job positions. Their enthusiasm or lack of it could influence the customers’ impression of the company they work for.
Image Credit: Walmart Campaign Jobs with Justice Rally held in Graham Washington by Evil Smiley
Tips for Creating the Right Questions on Job Satisfaction
In creating questions for job satisfaction surveys, make sure that the queries are answerable by the rating-scale answers provided in the questionnaires. That way, the exercise will elicit direct and natural responses.
1. Learn the employee’s satisfaction in being employed by the company by asking whether or not he or she is satisfied with the company’s:
- Reputation as a business organization;
- Approach toward the employee-employer relationship and the employee’s welfare;
- Relationship with the community and the environment.
2. Get insights on employees’ outlooks about their current position or line of work by asking questions about their sentiments in these areas:
- Their knowledge of what the job requires.
- The relevance and availability of training provided.
- The challenges and divergence of the tasks performed on a day-to-day basis.
- The tools, equipment, materials and other resources provided by the company.
- The working conditions in terms of comfort and safety;
- The recognition one gets for his contributions to the company; and
- Overall view on his or her present job.
3. Find out how employees feel about the career and development initiatives of the company by posing queries about:
- Agreement with the past evaluation and feedback received from their job performance;
- Appreciation of the opportunities for training;
- Reception to the system by which vacant positions are filled;
- Views about career advancement opportunities; and
- Conformity with the past promotions awarded to employees.
4. Get insights about the employees’ relationships with their supervisors and managers by eliciting their feeling of contentment over:
- The manager’s plans and job objectives for the employees;
- The manager’s/supervisor’s conveyance of instructions;
- The manager’s/supervisor’s approachability and willingness to give advice or be consulted;
- The immediate superior’s trust and confidence with the employee;
- The manager’s/supervisor’s contribution to the employee’s improvement;
- The manager’s fairness and promptness in dealing with employees who do not perform well;
- The meetings being held by the manager;
- The usefulness of the information derived from meetings or group discussions;
- The manager’s decisions or ability to come up with workable solutions;
- The manager’s knowledge of what transpires within his area of responsibility; and
- The employees’ overall impression about their manager’s or supervisor’s performance as a leader.
Proceed to the second page for more about creating quantitative surveys on job satisfaction.
Tips for Creating the Right Questions on Job Satisfaction (continued)
5. Perceive if there is harmony among workers by asking the employees about:
- Competencies and skills of co-workers;
- The existence of team spirit or team-work attitude in the workplace;
- The equality or fairness of work distribution; and
- Candidness and reception to communication and contributions among work groups.
6. Find out how employees feel about the value of their contributions to the company by eliciting responses to questions about:
- Job security;
- Awards and recognition conferred to work performed beyond what their duties call for;
- Deadlines and their reasonableness; and
- Equanimity of duties that are assigned from time to time
7. Learn how employees regard the benefits and compensations furnished by the company on:
- Insurance and health care;
- Provisions for recreational activities for employees’ health and well-being; and
- Programs for creating a sense of belonging to a family of people working together.
8. Gather suggestions and individual views about:
- What the employees value the most in their present employment with the company;
- What the employees think is the greatest detriment to their growth as a member of the organization;
- What employees suggest in order to remove the obstacles or hindrances to their growth with the company; and
- Solicit additional suggestions on what the employee thinks that the company should do to improve customer satisfaction.
For all these questions, it is important that every employee understands the reason for the survey in order to align his or her answers and comments with what the survey aims to achieve.
What the Rating Scales Aim to Achieve
In creating quantitative surveys on job satisfaction, understand the rating scale and how a respondent’s choice of answer could approximate one’s genuine viewpoint. Take a look at these two sets of answers which may seem to have the same connotations. Compare which of the two sets provides a more logical answer if you were to provide the answer yourself. This may seem trivial but the objective is to get the nearest true-picture of your employees’ perception about their jobs and the company:
Rating Scale A - (1) Very Satisfied, (2) Satisfied, (3) Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied, (4) Dissatisfied, and (5) Very Dissatisfied
Rating Scale B – (1) Extremely Satisfied, (2) Very Satisfied, (3) Moderately Satisfied, (4) Slightly Satisfied, and (5) Not at All Satisfied
Set B includes an answer where the highest level of satisfaction would render the topic being asked as almost faultless. If this answer garners a high number then the topic to which it is associated is the least of HR’s priorities for improvement but needs to be applied with consistency.
Where Set A’s highest level of rating is Very Satisfied, it is Set B’s second-best answer. Therefore, the degree of satisfaction could be taken at a higher level if the employee has “Extremely Satisfied” as another choice. If he or she chose to stick with the Very Satisfied answer, this denotes that there are areas that make the subject matter less than perfect.
Set A’s second best answer is simply “Satisfied”, which tends to be vague. If the employer gathers a quantitative result that employees are generally satisfied, how will they use it as a basis for gauging the need for improvement?
On the other hand, in quantifying those expressing “Moderately Satisfied”, the degree of satisfaction would indicate that there are areas that need improvement.
The “Slightly Satisfied” along with the “Not at All Satisfied” answers clearly depict the need for overhaul if the general sentiment borders between these two answers.
Image Credit: 4.5 stars.svg by Estoy Aqu/Wikimedia Commons
Summary
The emphasis of the tips for creating quantitative surveys on job satisfaction is the establishment of a clear objective about why the survey is being conducted. This then will generate quantitative survey results that are logical and coherent enough to depict real reactions and opinions.
Reference: | https://www.brighthub.com/office/human-resources/articles/114686/ |
Voice of your Employee
Do you know what your employees are talking about around the water cooler? Do you have a process in place to hear their voice when you can make a difference, or do you wait until it is too late? ADDIE Solutions has a systematic process for obtaining continuous feedback from your employees so they have a voice and you have the information needed to ensure their satisfaction within the company.
ADDIE Solutions gathers the VOyE information through:
- Supervisor Evaluation - A quick survey to identify how an employee feels about the level of support their Supervisor provides
- Round Tables - Systematic approach to receiving employee feedback regarding all facets of the business; includes assigning and tracking action items to improve overall morale
- Surveys - Surveys given to employees to gather feedback on processes, development opportunities and other areas that affect an employees attitude about the business
The information gathered here and using other methods is fed back into the business for performance improvement.
Our solutions are designed to create a Balance of Accountability on where the employee holds the business accountable and the business holds the employee accountable. | https://addiesolutions.com/services_voiceemployee |
Employee Surveys: "Tapping Into Employee Performance and Job Satisfaction"
If you want to know the issues that influence your employees' performance and job satisfaction, you should be considering conducting an employee survey. Employee surveys are a structured process and organizational intervention to encourage employee participation in the performance of the organization.
Today it seems that significant change is a constant for organizations and employees. In order to survive and prosper in an increasingly competitive environment that is undergoing accelerating change, organizational leaders must develop or capitalize on ways to improve performance of the human capital. Thus, the need to understand and act on the critical issues that influence employee performance and job satisfaction has increased. One of the most effective and efficient methods of collecting this information and encouraging employee involvement in the performance of the organization is through an employee survey.
Wolf Management Consultants, LLC operates from the assumption that the most successful surveys are those which are designed with an "action" orientation and address the unique needs of the client organization. That belief requires a focus on the survey as a process, not just an instrument, and calls for a high degree of involvement and engagement from the client organization. We believe that a good survey is one that not only accurately measures employee perceptions, preferences, and satisfaction, but also effectively indicates the necessary actions required to effectively address identified issues. The objective is to provide the organization with the information it needs to ensure employee performance meets the business goals within a positive work environment for employees. We will work closely with you to foster employee involvement, tailor the survey content and manage the project to ensure the accomplishment of desired outcomes.
A Baseline for Evaluation. The survey process establishes a baseline so that management can measure trends in employee attitudes and opinions over time. It thus provides a basis for evaluating the effects of policy, process or procedural changes that impact perceptions of product quality, efficiency, and quality of work life. Survey data, as an indicator of "organizational health," can also be a useful in the evaluation of management effectiveness.
A Communications Process. The survey communicates the organization's direction and values. In turn, it can promote a heightened awareness of key strategies and core values. Survey feedback can also be utilized as a developmental tool for employees to further reinforce strategic direction, core values, and desired behavior.
A Vehicle for Process Improvement. The survey provides a means for employees to offer ideas and input to process improvement. To the extent that good ideas are found close to the work and the customer, the survey provides an important source of input to drive continuous improvement.
A Basis for Positive Employee-Management Relations. The survey provides tangible evidence of management's respect for employee ideas and opinions. It communicates to employees that--"We care about what you have to say." This is an important message since total shareholder value, customer service and quality cannot be achieved apart from quality of work life.
A Fact-Based Decision-Making Tool. Survey data provides an objective basis for evaluating company priorities and allocating resources. It is one vehicle for evaluating the extent to which company objectives have been achieved. For an additional frame of reference, normative data enables comparisons with other companies who have participated in the survey process.
A Training and Development Function. The involvement of managers in the survey process provides an effective developmental experience, providing them with important insights into the dynamics of member morale and productivity, the importance of communication, and the impact of supervisory/ management styles.
A Change Management Tool. Surveys have traditionally been used as an important exercise in upward communications. While still retaining this benefit, surveys can also be used as an important first step in change management and organizational development. The survey should be used as an action research tool. Survey results are not merely a means for identifying concerns or problems that should be addressed, but become the basic data for management to evaluate "how are we doing," "what is changing around us," and "how do we need to change?"
In addition, the employee survey provides a strong signal to managers that the longer term perspective of "HOW" they manage their workforce, and the short term results based on "WHAT" they produce are both important management responsibilities. This balanced prospective is critical to the sustained performance of the business. | https://www.wolfmotivation.com/programs/employee-surveys-tapping-into-employee-performance-and-job-satisfaction |
The many sides of retention
In economics, there is a saying: “If you lined up all the economists end to end, they still couldn’t reach a conclusion.” While the field of enterprise risk management (ERM) is not laden with as many philosophically divergent views as economics, those responsible for reducing risk at organizations certainly do not think homogeneously. With that in mind, stay tuned for a series of posts that offer up common scenarios faced by management teams and how to view those issues through the lens of people in different occupations. Through these posts, we hope you will gain a better understanding of the general thought processes and backgrounds that professionals from different walks of life bring to solving the complex problems related to risk mitigation.
For the first post in this series, we chose to look at the all too common problem of employees leaving an organization en masse. Let’s consider the hypothetical situation of an advertising firm experiencing employee retention issues due to a series of leadership changes and, consequentially, low morale among those who felt loyalty to the former management regime. In addition, the firm recently decided to cut back its contributions to employee retirement plans because of continuing effects of a down economy on its bottom line. In exit interviews, employees frequently cite both of these events as reasons for leaving.
What should the new management team prioritize in addressing the retention issue? Here is how people from various occupations might frame the starting point for improving retention.
Human Resources (HR) Consultant
Those versed in hiring, firing, paying and training generally view employee engagement and retention as a successful match of incentives with intrinsic needs and desires. So the HR consultant may recommend starting out with salary software which can be used to create a successful compensation program to help attract, retain and reward top talent. In addition, the consultant may wish to conduct a comprehensive survey of existing employees to measure job satisfaction, engagement, morale and client feedback. The difference between success and failure in retaining employees, for many HR consultants, comes down to effectively listening to the employee base as a whole and incorporating that feedback systematically into the organization’s incentive programs and culture.
Public Relations (PR) Consultant
While you may equate retention more with HR than PR, think of the communication issues inextricably linked with retention: perception about the company, buy-in from employees on strategy and change management; to name just a couple. A PR agency might be called by the company to assess the effectiveness of internal communications and address the emerging divergence between management and rank-and-file employees. The PR professional is probably well attuned to the emotional triggers that cause employees to question their employment situation and, consequently, can provide informed recommendations on getting people on board about the broader mission of the company beyond profits.
Actuary
As actuaries, we tend to view the issue of retention a little differently than the previously mentioned professionals generally do. Society of Actuaries fellow, Rudy Karsan, who is an actuary and CEO of HR consultancy Kenexa, recently shared with us his insights on the skills an actuary brings to the HR table. Rudy has started over a dozen businesses focused on risk mitigation, and articulated the value his actuarial background has brought him and his clients throughout the course of his career.
Traditionally, HR professionals come from psychology or organizational development-related backgrounds. They use fairly simple models to predict the future, which do not always yield accurate results. Conversely, an actuary’s training is very much based on math, economics, statistics, human behavior and finance. Actuaries have the unique ability to translate complex data recommendations that will inform and guide strategic decisions. So, when addressing retention issues, actuaries are consistent in their use of the appropriate data models, which essentially take into account more variables when analyzing historical performance and projecting into the future.
Rudy stressed the importance of not only focusing on the accuracy of one’s calculations, but also knowing how to tie key learnings to one’s understanding of business issues to propose better solutions and, ultimately, yield superior results.
If you currently work in any of the above fields, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Stay tuned for the next installment in this series. | https://blog.soa.org/2012/01/23/the-many-sides-of-retention/ |
When the topic of employee development comes up, the spotlight is often on manager and instructor feedback. While this is certainly critical for employee development and motivation, the topic of acquiring employee feedback is discussed less frequently.
However, constructive feedback on both sides is crucial to great employee development, and by extension, satisfaction, retention, motivation, and performance. It can drive corporate performance as well: one study by The Employee Involvement Association found that each employee idea implemented saves its company approximately $6,224 per year. Multiply this figure by the number of employees in your company who may have good ideas waiting to be expressed and the savings can be significant.
Feedback is so important in the context of training that it is one of the pillars of the Kirkpatrick Evaluation Framework. This first-generation thought model for the measurement of training serves as the foundation for organizations to gauge the value provided by their development programs.
Developed by Donald Kirkpatrick, PhD in the 1950s, the Kirkpatrick Model is comprised of four levels of evaluation: reaction, learning, behavior, and results. The model’s foundational level – reaction – revolves around employee feedback. In particular, the “reaction” level measures participants’ feedback from training programs to gauge whether the program is both useful and interesting.
While Kirkpatrick’s “reaction” step originally focused on trainee satisfaction, it has been updated to be more comprehensive. This step now also focuses on feedback that addresses trainee engagement – the degree to which participants are actively involved in and contributing to the learning experience – and relevance – the degree to which training participants will have the opportunity to use or apply what they learned in training on the job.
Did they enjoy the experience? Did they find the materials useful for their work? Did the training motivate them to alter long-standing habits? This kind of feedback is important, because it can be linked to how much participants take from the training and how invested they will be in the next training opportunity: while an optimistic reaction doesn’t necessarily ensure learning, an unfavorable one definitely makes it less likely that someone will pay attention to the next training.
There are a number of techniques that can be used to gather employee feedback. The process can start during training sessions. For example, consider having instructors observe employees during each training session to provide their perception of engagement and reception of the material.
The feedback process should then continue immediately following the training event. While in-person interviews are an option, it is particularly useful to use online or written assessments with both a quantitative component that can be graded by evaluators and a qualitative written component that can be taken into consideration. Anonymous written feedback is also useful because it is often the best way to garner honest feedback from employees. Google has done a particularly good job of implementing an employee feedback system to assess day-to-day work environment, manager performance, and training event effectiveness.
While gathering feedback is critical to execute the Kirkpatrick Model, it is only half the battle. Analyzing that feedback to derive insights and thoughtfully applying those insights is equally important. Combining feedback with the next two steps – measuring learning and gauging subsequent behavior changes – will enable you to execute the last step of the Model: program results. Putting all these pieces together, you will achieve a more effective training and development program, thus creating an educated, engaged employee base that sets you apart from your competition. | https://www.geteverwise.com/talent-development/kirkpatrick-model-leveraging-feedback-better-training/ |
BaneCare Management Improves Patient Satisfaction with Survey Data and PointClickCare Solutions
TORONTO–BaneCare Management LLC, a Massachusetts-based senior care provider operating 12 facilities, leveraged PointClickCare’s electronic health record (EHR) platform and insights from patient satisfaction surveys to gather and analyze actionable data to improve patient care.
BaneCare quantifies its level of patient satisfaction based on the rating it receives from the CoreQ patient experience survey. After noticing a variance in their results, BaneCare created its own survey that collected data on patients’ experiences during the admission process. Survey questions focused on three critical areas:
- How well personnel explained what the patient should expect from the stay
- Initial rating of the nursing staff
- Overall rating of the rehabilitation staff
The admission survey results, along with real-time patient data collected by caregivers using PointClickCare’s platform, served as the basis for making continual adjustments to care during the patient’s stay. Within a few days of patients leaving the facility, BaneCare used a discharge survey to collect additional data to inform future improvements.
The feedback and insights gained were used to inform the creation of a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) sheet to help staff explain and help the patient/family understand what to expect during stay at the facility. In 2018, after partnering with PointClickCare, many BaneCare facilities earned scores in the mid 90 percent range or higher. | https://www.seniorlivingnews.com/nt-improves-patient-satisfaction-survey-data-pointclickcare-solutions/ |
Effective Employee Engagement Survey For Better Insights On Mentoring. Know How?Performance Measurement
Employee engagement surveys are an integral part of employee engagement activities that are organized in large organizations. They invest a significant amount of their time, energy, and resources in curating their engagement surveys to drive their team's productivity and performance. But despite all their efforts, it has been observed that many engagement surveys do not yield the desired outcome. According to Gallup's report, it is estimated that 80% of employees believe that surveys do not lead to any substantial improvement or change within the organization.
It is also interesting to note that only 30% of the employees actually respond to surveys. If executed correctly, employee engagement surveys can be one of the practical tools for companies to build upon their strengths and find a competitive edge in the market. Unlike other surveys, an employee engagement survey is not just about putting together a set of questions and giving it out to employees to answer. It's about creating a survey that in itself engages the employees in an organization and brings value.
Hence, companies need to strategize and curate their engagement surveys in a way that aids quantitative and qualitative measurement of engagement and provides clear indicators to aspects of the business that need attention. It should also help the top management and leaders understand the workforce's morale to help them drive motivation and productivity in their teams. Before a company decides to conduct a survey, it's essential to keep a few things in perspective and build a strong survey strategy around these.
- Starting Point– a good starting point to conduct an engagement survey is to create awareness among employees regarding the importance of the study and requesting honest feedback and opinions. Every individual must feel valued and assured that their feedback would add to the organization's growth. They must also have clear communication regarding the timelines, tasks, and value of the conducted survey.
- End Goal– it is essential for an organization to know the objectives of conducting an engagement survey. While the organization may have many points, all of which cannot be done in a single survey, these objectives must be prioritized based on what affects the business most and requires immediate attention.
For example, suppose the company has recently gone through a merger or acquisition. In that case, the cultural and leadership differences will be a priority as they can have adverse effects on employees and could cause significant fluctuation in the functioning of the business and the profits.
- Timelines– every survey strategy must answer a few essential questions regarding timelines like:
a) How often will the survey be conducted?
b) How much time would an employee require during each survey cycle to complete the survey?
c) How long would it take to carry out the study and analysis of results?
d) What is the timeline decided by HR or top management to implement the action points?
- Structure - it is essential to design the surveys in a simple, straightforward way and employees don't feel burdened to allocate extra time to undertake these surveys.
29% of employees think that surveys in a workplace are pointless activities that take away their productive time, and 20% of surveys remain incomplete if they take more than 7-8 minutes, according to a study by Gallup. Also, surveys with either too many numbers or too many words are not well received by employees. Survey designers must make sure it's a healthy mix of both quantitative and qualitative questions. Employees are more likely to give honest feedback when questions are likely to maintain their anonymity. Hence, it becomes vital to understand demographics in terms of team sizes, culture, and trends while compiling the questions.
- Communication – Communicate the 5Ws (who, what, when, where, and why) to employees clearly concerning the survey. Surveys must always be a part of continuous processes in an organization and must not come as a surprise. When employees clearly understand the need and reason for a survey, they will answer it openly and thoroughly.
- Result Discussion – one of the most critical aspects of an employee engagement survey is how the result is shared and interpreted. The best way to share the data once it has been analyzed and tabulated is to share it with smaller teams, including managers with their direct reports.
You must train all the managers to facilitate discussion and create an effective action plan. Many organizations face a significant problem: managers and leaders often make this discussion a medium to find individual feedback and reasons for unimpressive scores. It would take away the whole purpose of an effective survey and only be counterproductive in the sense that employees will turn resistant to any further surveys as it would appear as a threat to their anonymity. | https://www.mentorcloud.com/blog/effective-employee-engagement-survey-for-better-insights-on-mentoring-know-how |
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I have advanced graduate training in program evaluation, research & statistical analysis, and survey methodology. Being immersed in various industries (e.g., healthcare, retail, technology, aerospace) the primary skill sets that I bring from all of those experiences as a consultant include project management, survey design, training/development, and presentation when it comes to delivering information, results or solutions to clients.
My favorite part about being a consultant is getting to work with a lot of different companies or clients on what can sometimes be really tough situations. It is not easy work, but it can be really rewarding in the end when you've been able to deliver information and solutions to your client that are meaningful, useful and drive positive organizational change.
I think that the number one reason an organization should consider bringing in an external consultant is because that person brings with them a specialized skill set and the ability to bring new and innovative ideas or perspectives based on what they've seen work (or not) before.
I think the single largest difficulty that organizations face is information overload. Learning how to make sense of the information coming at them and how to use it all to make strategic, impactful business decisions is the ultimate challenge.
Pied Piper, a software start-up and data management company from the HBO show Silicon Valley. While their savvy programming skills allow them to excel in revolutionizing the way computer data is transferred and stored, they usually need quite a bit of help running the business-side of things.
If I were a consulting superhero, I would want to have the superhero power of telepathy. Through telepathic communication and perception, I would be able to communicate with and know what my client(s) were thinking. This in turn would allow me to speed up the time it takes to make decisions along the way and meet client expectations more accurately.
Outside of work, I enjoy hiking, yoga, knitting, sipping on craft beer or wine from local wineries, and spending time with my dog Harley.
what makes employees stressed at work?
There are two main categories used to identify employee (specifically managerial) stress, which are challenge-related and hindrance-related.
Challenge-related refers to time pressures from work, general job overload, or high levels of responsibility.
Hindrance-related refers to challenges or constraints that get in the way of work, such as red tape/bureaucracy and politics.
Both categories of stress can create lower job satisfaction and engagement, and can spur employees to start searching for a new job or disengage from their current role.
There are a number of strategies that employers can enact to combat these types of stressors so as to retain valuable employees and managers. We have a system in place to work through these challenges and hindrances so you can gain peak performance from your most valued resources. Contact us today for more information on how we can help, and prepare to say good-bye to the stressors of yesterday!
Are you tired of your current performance evaluation system, but aren’t sure what to do about it? Alpha Omega Associates has just what you need to finally give those dreadful evaluations the boot!
It’s that time of the year again…the annual performance appraisal. Suddenly employees seem more anxious and tense, and managers are dreading “the talk” with their employees about their performance. Many organizations use the traditional method of evaluating employee performance in which a supervisor rates their subordinate on a number of competencies or skills. Yet, research indicates a high level of dissatisfaction with these methods, with one study finding that 61% of employees stating that their supervisor lacks the ability to properly assess their subordinates (Kinicki & Fugage, 2012).
The fact that so many organizations are using this method of appraising their employees, regardless of the high levels of dissatisfaction, is disheartening; however, 360 degree feedback provides a more advanced and accurate measure of the employee’s true performance. 360 degree feedback gathers information from multiple sources (supervisors, peers, subordinates, and self-ratings) with less error to capture a more comprehensive view of the employee’s true performance.
That’s where 360 degree feedback and Alpha Omega Associates comes in. Not only can we construct a tool that is superior to the unsatisfactory traditional performance evaluation methods, we are here to help you use that information to improve performance and productivity. The information we gather is less biased and captures a more accurate picture of the employee’s true performance, because it provides insight from multiple viewpoints including supervisor, self, peers, and subordinates (Cascio & Aguinis, 2011). Once we gather that information, we will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the feedback, identify areas for improvement, and provide training and coaching to develop your employees into exceptional performers.
We’re ready to provide you with all of the tools and expertise to help your business excel! Contact us today. | http://www.alphaomegaassociates.com/blog/category/all |
# Employee surveys
Employee surveys are tools used by organizational leadership to gain feedback on and measure employee engagement, employee morale, and performance. Usually answered anonymously, surveys are also used to gain a holistic picture of employees' feelings on such areas as working conditions, supervisory impact, and motivation that regular channels of communication may not. Surveys are considered effective in this regard provided they are well-designed, effectively administered, have validity, and evoke changes and improvements.
## History
The first employee surveys, commonly known as employee-attitude surveys, surfaced in industrial companies in the 1920s. Between 1944 and 1947, the National Industrial Advisory Board saw a 250% jump in companies that chose to conduct an attitude survey (within a 3,500 company group). The increased awareness in measurement tools regarding employees' attitudes is attributed to research and observation conducted during World War II, which sought to measure morale and replicate high-morale environments. The United States Army Research Branch, for example, conducted Soldier Surveys, which recorded the opinions of more than half a million soldiers on topics ranging from food quality to confidence in leadership. Examples of early survey methods include printed questionnaires, directive interviews, and unguided interviews.
## Reasons for use
Present day employee surveys are used by an estimated 50 to 75% of companies to evaluate and progress organizational health as it pertains to personnel. This may include a focus on topics such as employee engagement, workplace culture, return on human capital (ROHC), and commitment.
United States federal agencies are required by law to conduct an annual survey. The Office of Personnel Management states that employee influence is a primary reason for conducting surveys, stating, “This is your opportunity to influence change in your agency. Your participation is voluntary and your responses are confidential.”
## Methodology
Organizations conduct their own surveys, contract with a survey provider, or use a combination of both. Main-line survey providers have traditionally used similar survey question types and survey length over the course of years and throughout various industries. Comparison databases provide standard ranges on which certain factors can be placed, as well as correlations between coexisting factors (allowing for emphasis on the factor with highest correlation to a desired outcome). In contrast, the advent of survey software, particularly online programs, has given organizational leadership tools to design and conduct their own surveys. In this case, the conducting leadership are responsible for tabulating and assessing the data.
### Questions
A key component of employee surveys is the styling of questions. Variables in question design include:
number and sequence length and wording closed or open answer factual or attitudinal
Questions that are vague, use technical jargon, are relevant to only a segment of survey-takers, or use phrasing that is interpreted differently across audiences sabotage survey effectiveness. Multiple choice answers, likewise, are a concern when there are missing plausible choices, or when choices are too wordy or too numerous. | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employee_surveys |
If there’s one thing human-resources experts almost unanimously agree on, it’s the importance of employee retention — particularly in a recession. And where there’s talk of retention, the issue of employee morale inevitably comes up. This week, two new studies show that employee morale isn’t exactly at its peak right now.
Indeed, one out of five U.S. workers believes there’s a chance of losing his or her job in the coming year, according to the Career Confidence Index, a quarterly survey conducted by Right Management Consultants.
Moreover, 75 percent expect unemployment levels to rise in the coming year, with 83 percent of workers saying it will be hard for laid-off workers to find a new, similar, job.
Apparently, things don’t look much better to them in their own jobs either: When asked how likely it was that they would advance within their current company in the next year, respondents were almost evenly split between optimists and pessimists. Twenty-two percent said it was “very possible” they would advance, and 26 percent said it was “somewhat possible.”
About one in five, however, said it was “not very possible” they would go up the ladder next year, and another 28 percent said it was “not at all possible.”
That should be a wake-up call to executives and HR managers, asserts Right CEO Richard J. Pinola, noting that maintaining employee morale is especially important in a slow economy. Why? Corporations want to make sure high performers stick around for the rebound. That’s even more important if, as CFO.com reports today, labor will likely be in short supply when the economy recovers. “It is critical that high-performing employees feel they have the opportunity, the coaching and the tools to develop within their companies,” adds Pinola.
While the Right findings should serve as a wake-up call for HR executives, the findings of another survey, conducted jointly by the Society for Human Resources Management and USAToday.com, might be a rude awakening. According to the new Job Satisfaction Poll, HR managers have incorrect perceptions of what employees want.
And what do they want? Judging by the 74-page report, the answers are complex. But it seems that right now, the number-one item of importance to employees is job security (65 percent of respondents) — not surprising, considering the economy. That’s also consistent with the Right survey. Job security is followed closely by benefits (64 percent) and communications between management and employees (62 percent).
Apparently, HR managers don’t see it that way, though. According to the survey, they rate communication between management and employees as the most important thing to employees (74 percent). That’s followed by recognition by management (62 percent) and relationship with immediate supervisor (61 percent).
Note that those second two aspects of the job weren’t even part of the top three in employees’ point of view. But what’s more important to notice is that those aspects concern relationships at work, while in reality, employees are more concerned with tangible issues such as benefits.
It’s perhaps more heartening to learn that despite these differences in perception HR and workers do agree on overall job satisfaction. Seventy-seven percent of the employees polled were either ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with their jobs — not far off from HR managers’ estimate of overall employee satisfaction (79 percent). | https://www.cfo.com/human-capital-careers/2002/12/rashomon-in-hr/ |
We conduct assessments in a variety of areas: communication satisfaction, organizational climate and leadership style. We use a variety of methods to gather information and make the appropriate analysis. These methods include conducting focus groups, observing meetings, and interviewing employees. We’ve also developed some unique survey tools including:
- The Pulse
This tool is designed to take the “pulse” of a company by revealing current concerns of employees and how they feel about key organizational issues.
- Working Climate Survey (aka Uncertainty Management Survey)
This survey measures how employees and organizations manage uncertainty. The results describe your working climate.
- Communication Satisfaction Survey
This tool measures employee satisfaction with various aspects of communication within the organization. It consists of roughly 40 questions that have been tested for reliability and validity.
In each case, we modify the instrument to meet the unique needs of the organization. Typically, our instruments include both traditional numeric scales as well as open-end questions that allow employees to express their personal concerns. | http://imetacomm.com/what-we-do/assessments/ |
P•A•S Associates facilitates surveys that are customized to present an avenue for your employees to provide their candid feedback regarding their place of employment and increase their productivity, morale and retention. The employee opinion surveys will provide feedback regarding your organization regarding employment as well as reveal areas that may require focus from the management.
- Create a survey to distribute to employees
- Gather the team members’ opinions of your organization, with the goal of measuring the health of the work environment
- Identify problems in a measured and controlled manner, including potential concerns with pay, mood, morale, training, communication, goals, and objectives.
- Provide a benchmark to monitor and measure progress in non-financial terms and assure improvement is taking place at a continuing pace.
- Enhance the ability of these individuals to express their opinions and feel heard within their work environment, trying to identify problems that might otherwise manifest themselves negatively
Contact P•A•S Associates About Employee Opinion Surveys
Our staff will respond to your inquiry within approximately 24-48 hours. | https://pasassociates.com/cpt_services/employee-opinion-surveys/ |
Essential Employee Survey Questions About Culture
There’s a simple, straightforward way your organization can improve morale, retention rates, productivity, and customer service; lower absenteeism; gain insights into issues affecting employees across departments; and generally gauge the fit between your employees and the greater company culture.
You ask them.
Employee surveys are a powerful tool you can use to improve your organization and the whole of the employee experience. And employee survey questions about culture specifically help you tailor your response and solutions for maximum benefit.
How culture fits into your employee survey strategy
A culture survey measures employees’ perceptions of company culture and is designed to assess whether it aligns with that of the organization.
Measuring, or even quantifying a company culture is tough but necessary. It’s a combination of so many company-defining initiatives and factors: your company values; leadership and management style; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) efforts.
One of the most important reasons for a company culture survey is to help identify persistent issues and unconscious biases that are rarely obvious.
In a Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) survey, “72% of executives, vice presidents and higher in rank report that “their overall organizational culture has improved since the beginning of the pandemic.” Yet, only 14% of Americans agreed with that assessment.
Are managers and leaders leading effectively? Are they encouraging transparency? Are employees engaged, stressed, or isolated? Are they experiencing a healthy work life balance?
These are some of the company culture survey questions you can answer with these surveys – and the mere act of trying sends a positive message to employees that you value their opinion and want to act on it.
With so many influential business areas tied into company culture, you know why you should be conducting workplace culture surveys. Now it’s time to figure out exactly what you should be asking in those workplace culture surveys.
10 essential workplace culture survey questions
There are an endless amount of questions you could ask to get an idea of how your employees feel about the company culture. But no one wants an endless survey. Finding the right questions to ask at the right time is part of how to properly conduct a company culture survey. But that’s a topic for another section. Hang tight.
For now, let’s start with basic questions you could find on most company culture surveys. These can help provide a baseline and help you identify specific areas to follow up on.
1. Do you feel connected to the work you do?
2. Are you motivated by the mission of the company?
These are two questions that should be featured on all employee engagement surveys, and since employee engagement is a key piece of company culture, it should find its way onto this one, too. The connection employees feel to their work and company is a key indicator of the strength of a company’s culture.
3. Do you feel a sense of belonging at work?
4. Do you feel recognized and appreciated for your contributions?
Community and connection are at the heart of an organization’s culture. How employees feel about their peers and colleagues affects their ability to handle change, their stress levels, and, ultimately, the likelihood that they’re contributing to a positive work culture.
5. Do you feel leaders and managers are transparent?
6. Is your work schedule flexible enough to meet family and personal responsibilities?
The relationship between managers and employees is one of the most critical in the office. Open and honest communication will make both the manager and employee better at problem-solving, providing meaningful feedback, and creating a mutual appreciation that is so important to finding flexibility and a more harmonious work life balance.
7. Do you feel a sense of psychological safety while at work?
You cannot have a healthy company culture without psychological safety.
Full stop.
If people feel they can’t bring their whole selves to work, if they’re fearful of voicing opinions or sharing ideas, you don’t have a positive culture. You should want a culture that encourages employees to be open and honest and that starts with psychological safety.
8. Do you feel the organization prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion?
9. Do you know where and how to report concerns about harassment and discrimination?
10. Do you feel the perspectives of people from all cultures and backgrounds are respected and valued?
When a work environment is diverse, equitable, and inclusive, it affects everything from hiring to employee engagement to the bottom line.
Forbes found that teams make better decisions. Glassdoor reported 67% of job seekers view it as an important factor in evaluating a company. A Deloitte survey found 83% of millennials report being actively engaged when they feel the workplace is inclusive. And Harvard Business Review found that diverse companies are 70% more likely to capture a new market.
The strength of your company culture and the ceiling of your company success hinges on company efforts to make the work environment more just. And company culture surveys are a great place to figure out what’s working and where you’re coming up short.
How to choose effective company culture survey questions
A workplace culture survey shouldn’t be conducted on a whim. You will need a plan.
When ideating company culture survey questions, first ask yourself some questions about what you hope to gain from conducting the workplace culture survey to begin with.
Why are you conducting it? What’s the endgame? What data do you need and how will you gather it?
One of the most important steps you can take to ensure a reliable workplace culture survey is to include data scientists in its design and analysis phases. Basic scientific methodology can help eliminate confirmation, selection, and social desirability bias.
As it relates to questions, data scientists account for the order, language, and types of questions. That way you’re not guessing what, whom, or when to ask questions – instead, a framework is guiding you.
Common Mistakes of Employee Surveys
There are also some common mistakes to avoid when constructing any survey, whether it be a culture survey or a more general pulse survey. For one, conduct them periodically.
Once per year is too infrequent, as ideally you want to find a cadence that allows you to act on issues before it’s too late. Conducting it once per week on the other hand is probably a bit too much and it brings us to mistake number two: not factoring in survey fatigue.
Too many company culture surveys will result in employees failing to complete them. The same could happen with a culture survey that is itself too long. Because of that, length and difficulty are things to keep in mind when developing questions and another reason why it’s important to work with data scientists in the development of the survey.
One of the biggest mistakes you could make is not acting on the information gleaned from the company culture survey. If employees perceive that the exercise is all talk, no walk, employee responses will eventually dwindle.
And while this entire article is about how you can use surveys to improve company culture, you can’t rely on data alone. Qualitative feedback using open-ended questions is just as important as the averages.
Other ways Leaders & HR can gauge company culture
Work culture surveys are an effective tool for your company toolbox to help gauge the strength of your organizational culture, but it’s best when it is used in tandem with other tools and strategies.
- Are employees engaged at team meetings?
- Are they collaborating with one another?
- Are managers and employees providing feedback to one another?
You might even be able to gauge workplace culture by events and activities outside of the office. Volunteer days for employees, department outings, and team-building initiatives help connect people beyond the day-to-day work they’re doing.
This improves connection and communication and has a powerful downstream effect on the entire company.
Conclusion
A positive company culture creates a positive work environment, it values employee wellbeing, it encourages meaningful employee feedback, and it can make all the difference between dissatisfied employees and satisfied employees.
A strong company culture survey keeps that positive company culture on track and thriving.
Wondering how your organization would answer questions like these?
Using Workhuman’s forever-free tool, Moodtracker®, can help you find out. Start today!
Topic(s): | https://www.workhuman.com/blog/employee-survey-questions-about-culture/ |
Course Evaluation and Improvement Survey Template by QuestionPro is designed to collect overall feedback about a study course. In this sample survey template, questions are asked to collect insights on duration of a course, reason why students took a course, was the study material helpful to them and similar questions. This questionnaire also accommodates demographic questions to get complete details of respondents.
Graduation Exit Survey Template by QuestionPro consists of questions and examples to collect feedback from students who are graduating from course(s). This sample survey template consists of questions to know opinions of students who have completed a course and suggestions related to what could be done to improve a course. This questionnaire can accommodate a number of similar questions and can be customized according to a researcher.
Course evaluation survey consists of essential questions to evaluate a student's satisfaction with the course and curriculum being taught at a school, college or university. This sample questionnaire template evaluates and collects feedback from students on their perception of the course, its effectiveness and how much value are students able to derive from it. This survey also consists of questions on teacher evaluation by students.
Minority Teacher Career Choice Survey Template consists of questions and examples to collect insights from respondents about their motivation, experiences, objectives, and values of ethnic and cultural minorities for selecting teaching as a career. In this sample survey template, questions are aligned in a manner to collect systematic information from respondents. In this questionnaire, questions are based on community involvement during college education. | https://www.questionpro.com/survey-templates/course-evaluation-and-improvement/ |
10 key questions for gauging employee satisfaction
A hefty paycheck is not enough these days to retain talent. Regular surveys provide valuable feedback for enhancing workplace culture, career growth opportunities and other key factors.
Employee satisfaction is crucial, but the path to improving it isn’t always straightforward.
Factors such as motivation, career growth, compensation and team morale influence how satisfied your employees feel.
A crucial factor in improving employee satisfaction—and thus productivity—is to continually gauge satisfaction levels. Nine out of 10 (89%) HR leaders agree that ongoing peer feedback and check-ins are essential for successful outcomes. A targeted survey helps you collect such feedback—and the results can be surprising.
For example, most employers think a salary increase is the best way to satisfy employees, but 84% of working professionals in the UK believe that enjoying their jobs is a better measure of career success.
Another survey, by Udemy, found that 42% of millennial employees consider learning and development as the most important benefit when deciding where to work.
Follow these guidelines to ensure your survey is efficient and effective:
Here are 10 key survey questions. Because your survey should be short, try out different questions at various times to see which are most valuable.
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Learn more about Ragan Insider. | https://www.ragan.com/10-key-questions-for-gauging-employee-satisfaction/ |
on a neurological level.
Unlike strengthening and stretching exercises, or
any notion of a "correct posture," the Feldenkrais Method
provides participants with necessary kinesthetic information so
that they can become more aware of their movements and learn to
eliminate unnecessary strain and effort. The process is gentle,
safe, and relies heavily on the intelligence and attention of the
participant.
The Method is based on the scientific understanding
of:
The mechanics and dynamics of the body in the
gravitational field
The neurological and kinesthetic processes underlying the learning
of movement skills.
Although THE FELDENKRAIS METHOD®
has proven to be an effective approach to reducing pain which stems
from poorly organized movement, the Method is, nevertheless, an
educational modality, not a medical one. It is beneficial to anyone
who is interested in learning new movement skills, and can improve
physical function in all areas of life, bettering and enhancing
the functioning of the back, the use of the arms, breathing, and
general mobility and stability.
Moshé Feldenkrais, D.Sc., an internationally-known
engineer and physicist, developed this innovative approach to movement
re-education when he was incapacitated by a sports-related injury
and given little chance of ever walking without pain. Dr. Feldenkrais
applied his extensive knowledge of anatomy, physiology, physics,
and engineering, as well as his mastery of martial arts, to restore
his own functioning and, later, the functioning of many others.
Photos: Rosalie O'Connor
Two ways to learn
GROUP CLASSES:
Awareness Through Movement®
In an Awareness Through Movement (A.T.M.)
lesson, the teacher verbally guides the students through a sequence
of movements based on the sensory motor processes in the brain.
Through these lessons, one can dramatically improve one's own quality
of movement and acquire new coordination and skill. Please visit
our Weekly ATM Classes page for more information
and a schedule.
PRIVATE LESSONS:
Functional Integration®
In a Functional Integration (F.I.) Lesson,
the teacher's delicate and precise touch guides the student through
gentle, safe movements. These movements provide new information
directly to the neuro-muscular system, enabling it to change one's
organization in gravity and enhance efficiency, coordination, and
ease of movement.
Each faculty member offers
private Functional Integration lessons. They are an opportunity
for the student to accelerate the learning of alternatives to habitual
patterns of organization. Those with chronic pain or movement limitations,
or those who would like the benefit of individual help, will find
that these lessons are a potent means of improving daily function,
as well as an excellent preparation for Awareness
Through Movement classes.
The cost of the lesson varies with the individual
teacher. In some instances, medical insurance may cover the practitioner's
lesson fee. | http://feldenkraislearningcenter.com/About.htm |
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Summary
Examination of a well-coordinated task such as prehension in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) provides an opportunity to gain a better understanding of how basic movement control parameters are altered in patients with this disorder, and provides insights into how altered basal ganglia are involved in the control and regulation of movement when compared with healthy control subjects. In this chapter, evidence is presented for prehensile movements that show that patients have reduced amplitudes of maximum grip aperture and are less able to modulate grip aperture to account for changes in object shape and mass. The coordination between the transport and grasp component also shows some dissimilarity between patients and controls, as patients begin opening the fingers later and reach maximum peak aperture later in time. Patients also begin aperture closure closer to the object than controls, and have a reduced ability to regulate grip forces than controls when an object is grasped, as evidenced by delays in grip-force production and variable force profiles. A neural noise hypothesis is discussed as the neural mechanism that leads to the impairments found in Parkinson's disease patients.
Introduction
Fine motor skills are important to tasks of everyday living and include movements such as grasping a door handle, buttoning a shirt, or reaching and holding a beverage. Prehensile actions, more simply referred to as reach-to-grasp movements, are well-practiced movements that require precise control in transporting the hand to a specified object and grasping the object with the grip aperture (see Chapters 2 and 10).
We question whether Plamondon & Alimi's model
is useful in accounting for the nonsymmetrical and multiple-peaked
velocity profiles observed in young and elderly subjects for ballistic
aiming tasks. For these subjects, both data and observation suggest
that a central representation initiates the movement in an appropriate
direction but that multiple adjustments are made, both early and late,
to achieve spatial accuracy.
An experiment is reported that examines kinematic measures, reaction time and response preparation differences between young and older adults, and movement response parameters in a precueing paradigm. Ten young and ten older adults performed 5 cm or 10 cm horizontal movements to the left or right with an electronic pen on a digitizing tablet. The precue (advance information) provided information about direction, extent, or both parameters. Dependent measures of reaction time (RT), movement time (MT), peak velocity, peak acceleration, peak deceleration, and their respective time values were analysed. The results indicate that young adults were significantly different on all dependent measures. Advance precue information was advantageous for all subjects as RT was faster when advance information was provided. In addition, both groups of subjects produced higher peak velocities when provided advance information about both direction and extent. Examination of the kinematics indicate that older adults produce movement patterns which display different response characteristics such as accelerating less rapidly and displaying a prolonged deceleration phase. Finally, older adults are less efficient than young adults at scaling velocity and acceleration over time between long and short movements when spatial accuracy constraints are minimal.
Email your librarian or administrator to recommend adding this to your organisation's collection. | http://core-cms.prod.aop.cambridge.org/core/search?filters%5BauthorTerms%5D=George%20E.%20Stelmach&eventCode=SE-AU |
Valley Medical Center (VMC) was the first hospital in Washington State to acquire the da Vinci® Si™ Surgical System—the world’s only robotic surgical system with 3D HD vision. The da Vinci Si provides surgeons with an alternative to both traditional open surgery and conventional laparoscopy, putting a surgeon’s hands at the controls of a state-of-the-art robotic platform. The System allows your surgeon’s hand movements to be scaled, filtered and translated into precise movements of micro-instruments within the operative site.
The da Vinci System enhances surgical capabilities by enabling the performance of complex surgeries through tiny surgical openings. The System cannot be programmed, nor can it make decisions on its own. The da Vinci System requires that every surgical maneuver be performed with direct input from your surgeon.
The System has been successfully used in tens of thousands of minimally invasive procedures worldwide. | https://www.valleymed.org/Our-Services/Surgical-Services/da-Vinci-Robotic-Surgical-System/ |
At Maimonides, robotic surgery entails the use of the da Vinci system, a computer assisted device utilized across multiple surgical specialties: Colorectal, Gynecology, Hepato-Biliary, Thoracic and Urology.
The robot’s arms mimic the movements of the surgeon’s hands. These arms are attached to the robot by the surgeon’s assistant. The robot’s arms are introduced inside the patient’s abdomen via key-hole incisions which are smaller than a dime. The surgeon can then move the camera which is placed inside the abdominal cavity even to areas that would be impossible to see with the naked eye. The surgeon sits in the console and moves the robotic arms remotely, something like virtual reality.
The robot is powered by the state-of-the-art robotic technology. The system allows the surgeon’s hand movements to be scaled, filtered and translated into precise movements of micro-instruments within the operative site.
This technique enhances surgical capabilities by enabling the performance of complex surgeries though tiny surgical openings. The system cannot be programmed, nor can it make decisions on its own. This system requires that every surgical maneuver be performed with direct input from your surgeon. It has been used successfully in tens of thousands of minimally invasive procedures worldwide. | https://www.maimonidesmed.org/clinical-services/surgical-treatments/robotic-surgery |
Bio Masha Kovacs
Masha is a yogi, rock climber and nature lover currently residing between Portugal and Spain. She teaches her unique and transformative classes and retreats across Europe and was part of the Sivananda Yoga team in Teacher Training Courses in France and India.
Masha’s teaching offers a heart-opening, invigorating and experiential practice, grounded with a focus on both physical and energetic alignment. Yoga, when practiced with this holistic awareness becomes fluid movement therapy.
Her own practice and therefore teaching encompasses Asana, Pranayama, Relaxation, healthy diet, positive thinking & Meditation.
Before becoming a certified yoga teacher in 2013, Masha worked as an athlete manager for The North Face in Switzerland. She has been a student of yoga and Vipassana meditation since 2009.
Masha is a certified Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement teacher and is the local organizer of the Feldenkrais Teacher Training in Portugal.
She is continuously seeking to fine-tune her knowledge of anatomy, alignment and the mind-body connection.
Masha speaks 9 languages almost fluently and enjoys teaching in multiple languages.
FELDENKRAIS
The Feldenkrais method is based on the way humans learn movement, how consciousness and thinking develops, how we perceive, and how we learn to relate to our environment.
Using precise and complex techniques, the Feldenkrais method uses the innate intelligence of the human nervous system to reach higher levels of function in all these areas.
The structure of the lessons promotes the revival of our perceptive capacity and the discovery of lightness, efficiency and elegance in movement. They expand your abilities to act with precision, strength and spontaneity and increase your learning capacity.
Moshe Feldenkrais developed two learning modalities for his method:
Awareness Through Movement – the group modality - and
Functional integration – an individual modality.
In Awareness Through Movement, movement is explored in a playful, easy way by using variations. The participants are verbally guided to perform specific movement sequences. Individual perception is refined, individual movement patterns are recognized and supplemented by alternative possibilities.
Functional Integration is geared to the individual needs of the learning person, who is moved by the Feldenkrais Practitioner. In this way, patterns can be recognized more quickly and functionality can be improved. The precise and complex techniques promote a direct reorganization of the nervous system and have a lasting effect.
Aim:
You refine your self-awareness and learn to recognize patterns, limitations or blockages
You improve your coordination and become stronger, more efficient, light and clear in your movements
You reduce chronic pain, tension and stress
You improve the expressiveness and harmony of your movements
You become stronger, increase your learning ability and become more conscious
You exercise mental, emotional and physical flexibility
You can find a list of resources and free downloads on the page of Instituto Feldenkrais. | http://www.yogamasha.com/p/about.html |
A basic understanding of the Human brain is crucial to any discussion about it. The more scientists and doctors learn about this complex organ, the greater the implications of those findings. But while it’s important to increase our knowledge, the amount of information about its various parts and functions is dizzying. For our purposes, I’ve composed a simple glossary for reference:
CEREBRUM (a.k.a. telencephalon): thick gray matter, which has two hemispheres– the left and the right
CORPUS COLLOSUM: nerve fibers that connect both of the cerebrum’s hemispheres
CEREBRAL CORTEX: a densely packed network of nerves on the outer surface of the cerebrum
BRAIN STEM: aptly-named, it extends into the spinal cord
CEREBELLUM: the area above the brain stem responsible for voluntary motor movements and balance
MENINGES: multi-layered membranes that envelop the brain and spinal cord
FRONTAL LOBE: the area behind the forehead responsible for cognitive functions, controls voluntary movements
PARIETAL LOBE: the area near the top back that integrates sensory perception into voluntary movements
OCCIPITAL LOBE: the area at the back of the responsible for vision
TEMPORAL LOBE: the side area above each ear that controls hearing, some visual perception and memory
HIPPOCAMPUS: a thin curved region within the temporal lobe that affects memory and spatial navigation
More detailed Anatomy of the Human brain with diagrams: | https://runofthemillieu.com/2020/01/22/mapping-the-mind/ |
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Spatial awareness is the key to successful orientation and wayfinding. While navigation through familiar terrain allows us the luxury of reaching our destination without guidance, unfamiliar or only partially familiar environments require the use of external spatial information, which is most often presented verbally or in the form of maps. If we were to ask a knowledgeable local person for directions the information imparted to us might point out some landmarks along the way or inform us about a structuring present in the street names (e.g., that they are alphabetically ordered). People have long exploited the capability to recognize salient objects, and to use those objects to understand a space and guide their actions. But mobile GPS-based navigation systems typically overlook our abilities in spatial knowledge construction and application. The growing popularity of such devices has resulted in an increasing dependence on individual location-action pairs (e.g., turn left here) to guide us step by step; this has the drawback of not affording an overall understanding of the spatial environment, which in emergency situations, for example, may prove harmful. With spatial information now available in a much wider array of formats, with better currency and increased fidelity, it is time to rethink how to provide spatial information for orientation and wayfinding from the perspective of creating spatial awareness, via what the PI refers to as sapient interfaces. In this project the PI will explore first steps toward this goal, by drawing on theories from different fields that contribute to our understanding of the cognition of spaces. The central research question to be addressed is: How can spatial awareness be supported by a mapping system that focuses on the cognitively ergonomic organization and presentation of spatial information? The PI will seek a systematic understanding of the factors contributing to the development of spatial awareness (e.g., object saliency), and to identify principles and derive design guidelines for mobile navigation mapping systems that focus on the cognitively ergonomic organization and presentation of spatial information. A critical part of the research will be the cross-validation of formal approaches to spatial analysis; project outcomes will include a theoretical foundation of spatial awareness that is grounded in formal spatial analysis measures.
Broader Impacts: The growing dependence on GPS-based navigation systems has negative impacts on our ability to think spatially, because current devices provide information in a manner that fails to build an understanding of spatial relations. This project will rethink the way in which spatial information is provided by such systems, so as to foster rather than impede spatial thinking and to thereby avoid spatial illiteracy in coming generations. | https://pennstate.pure.elsevier.com/en/projects/eager-spatial-awareness-through-sapient-interfaces |
Background Lumbar multifidus (LM) is regarded as the major stabilizing muscle of the spine. The effects of exercise therapy in low back pain (LBP) are attributed to this muscle. A current literature review is warranted, however, given the complexity of LM morphology and the inconsistency of anatomical descriptions in the literature. Methods Scoping review of studies on LM morphology including major anatomy atlases. All relevant studies were searched in PubMed (Medline) and EMBASE until June 2019. Anatomy atlases were retrieved from multiple university libraries and online. All studies and atlases were screened for the following LM parameters: location, imaging methods, spine levels, muscle trajectory, muscle thickness, cross-sectional area, and diameter. The quality of the studies and atlases was also assessed using a five-item evaluation system. Results In all, 303 studies and 19 anatomy atlases were included in this review. In most studies, LM morphology was determined by MRI, ultrasound imaging, or drawings - particularly for levels L4-S1. In 153 studies, LM is described as a superficial muscle only, in 72 studies as a deep muscle only, and in 35 studies as both superficial and deep. Anatomy atlases predominantly depict LM as a deep muscle covered by the erector spinae and thoracolumbar fascia. About 42% of the studies had high quality scores, with 39% having moderate scores and 19% having low scores. The quality of figures in anatomy atlases was ranked as high in one atlas, moderate in 15 atlases, and low in 3 atlases. Discussion Anatomical studies of LM exhibit inconsistent findings, describing its location as superficial (50%), deep (25%), or both (12%). This is in sharp contrast to anatomy atlases, which depict LM predominantly as deep muscle. Within the limitations of the self-developed quality-assessment tool, high-quality scores were identified in a majority of studies (42%), but in only one anatomy atlas. Conclusions We identified a lack of standardization in the depiction and description of LM morphology. This could affect the precise understanding of its role in background and therapy in LBP patients. Standardization of research methodology on LM morphology is recommended. Anatomy atlases should be updated on LM morphology. | https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/inconsistent-descriptions-of-lumbar-multifidus-morphology-a-scopi |
Keyword(s): Bone, Humerus, Feature Detection, Landmark Detection, Geometrical Approach, Spatial Decomposition.
Abstract: Identification of specific landmarks in tissues is fundamental for understanding the human anatomy in medical applications. Specifically, the assessment of bone features allows to detect several pathologies in orthopedics. The recognition has been formerly carried out via visual identification, providing insufficient accuracy. Automatic solutions are required to improve the precision and minimize diagnostic and surgical planning time. In this paper, we study distal humerus landmarks and a new algorithm to automatically detect them in a reasonable time. Our technique does not require a prior training, as a geometrical approach with a spatial decomposition is used to explore several regions of interest of the bone. Finally, a set of experiments are performed, showing promising results. | http://www.scitepress.org/DigitalLibrary/Link.aspx?doi=10.5220/0007686103540359 |
Introduction and Overview
Health literacy is the ability to read, compute, understand, and act on health information, to make informed decisions. Low health literacy is a serious threat to the wellbeing of persons seeking medical care. With the increased diversity of the clients that we may work with, we see that our communication skills are less effective with people from backgrounds different from our own. This course is going to provide a good overview of health literacy.
Definitions
Let's begin with a few definitions. Literacy is the ability to understand and use reading, writing, speaking, and other forms of communication as ways to participate in society and to achieve one's goals and potential. Health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services that they need to make appropriate health decisions.
Health Literacy - Individual and Systemic Factors
Health literacy is dependent on a number of different individual and systemic factors. It is the communication skills of laypersons and of professionals like ourselves. It is culture. It is our knowledge of health topics, and how we can communicate those appropriately to participants. It is the demands of healthcare and the public health systems, and the demands of the situation or the context in which the client is presented.
Health Literacy - Impact
Health literacy affects an individual’s ability to navigate the healthcare system. Filling out healthcare forms, locating providers and services, and even understanding insurance are all affected by your health literacy. Health literacy impacts your ability to share personal information, such as health history, with providers, and to engage in self-care and chronic-disease management. Understanding concepts like probability and risk, and even medication management, are all affected by your health literacy.
Health Literacy Skills
Numeracy skills. There are a couple of different skills that are involved in health literacy. First, are numeracy skills which include things like calculating cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Measuring medications, as well as understanding nutrition levels and labels, require math skills. Choosing between health plans, comparing prescription drug coverage, and calculating premiums and co-pays all involve numeracy skills.
Health topics. Then there is the knowledge of health information or health topics. People with limited health literacy often lack knowledge or have misinformation about the body, as well as the nature and cause of various diseases. Without this knowledge, they may not understand the relationship between their own lifestyle factors, like diet and exercise, and the various health conditions that they may have.
Health information can even overwhelm persons with advanced literacy skills. Medical science progresses rapidly, and what we may have learned about health or biology during our school years often becomes outdated or forgotten, or it might have been incomplete to begin with. Moreover, health information provided in a very stressful or unfamiliar situation, like we see in healthcare, is unlikely to be retained.
Low Literacy
It is important to know that low health literacy is a global crisis that affects everyone. That is why it is so important to address this issue and confront the facts head-on. Quite simply, the responsibility is ours as health care professionals to communicate in what we will call “plain language.” Without clear communication, we cannot expect people to adopt the healthy behaviors and the recommendations that we champion. When people receive accurate and easy-to-use information about a health issue, they are better able to take action to protect and promote their own health and wellness.
Plain Language
I just mentioned “plain language” and that is a strategy for making written and oral information easier to understand. It is one very important tool for improving health literacy. Plain language is communication that users can understand the first time they read it or the first time they hear it. A plain language document is one in which - with reasonable time and effort - people can find what they need, understand what they find, and act appropriately on that understanding.
The key elements of plain language include: Organizing the information so that the most important points come first; breaking complex information down into understandable chunks; using simple language and defining technical terms; and using the active voice versus passive voice. The language that is plain to one set of readers may not be so plain to others. It is important that you know your audience, and that you test your materials before, during, and after they are developed.
Remember that speaking plainly is just as important as writing plainly. Many plain language techniques would apply to verbal messages as well. When we communicate, we want to avoid jargon and make sure that we explain technical or medical terms.
Incidence and Statistics
Low Literacy Statistics
More than 36 million adults in the United States cannot read, write, or do basic math above a third-grade level. When we look at the economic impact of low literacy, it costs the United States about $225 billion every year in the form of non-productive work, crime and/or loss of revenue due to unemployment. The healthcare costs linked to low literacy skills in adults is $232 billion annually. In addition, every year about two million immigrants come to the United States and of those, 50% lack a high school education and proficient English.
A study conducted on health literacy found that 43% of patients did not understand the rights and responsibilities section of a Medicaid application. Twenty-six percent could not make an appointment or understand what was on an appointment slip. Sixty percent did not understand an informed consent, and 33% could not read basic health care materials. Forty-two percent could not comprehend directions for taking medications on an empty stomach, and that is so important because no matter what the setting, our patients are taking medications. That can have a huge impact on the speech-language pathology plan of care, and any plan of care. These statistics are very eye-opening.
Vulnerable Populations
Although limited health literacy skills affect most adults at some point in their lives, there are some disparities in prevalence and severity. The National Center for Education Statistics indicates that certain populations are most likely to experience limited health literacy, or - at the very minimum - be at a higher risk than other populations. These at-risk populations include adults over the age of 65; refugees and immigrants; people with incomes at or below poverty level; racial and ethnic groups other than white; people with less than a high school degree or a general education diploma (GED); and non-native speakers of English.
Incidence and Identification
Nearly nine out of every 10 people in the United States have limited health literacy and experience difficulty using health information to manage their health and their healthcare. There is a big discrepancy, too, between the health literacy levels of healthcare professionals and other individuals receiving health services. That discrepancy is one of the biggest reasons that we have poor communication in healthcare.
It is also important to note that education level is not a good predictor of literacy. Ninety percent of individuals have limited health literacy, and that includes people of all races, ages, incomes, and education levels. For that reason, the Health and Human Services Department’s Agency of HealthCare Research and Quality (AHRQ) recommends that we use something called "universal precautions." It is an approach in which the healthcare professional should assume that most individuals will struggle to understand health information. Again, even though somebody appears well-educated, or speaks well, he may still have health literacy issues. If you assume that all of your patients may have difficulty understanding health information, you will reduce the risk of communication issues and you will improve comprehension and confirmation for all of your patients.
Signs of Low Literacy
Some of the signs of low literacy include poor compliance with treatments and appointments; watching or mimicking others; and not knowing the names of regularly used medications or how to take them. The individual may make excuses for not being able to read (e.g., "Oh, I forgot my glasses" or "I do not have time for that today"), or may bring someone along who can read appointments to her. You may see vocalization or sub-vocalization when she is reading; you see her lips moving. She may exhibit confusion or frustration when reading.
Additionally, there are other behaviors or responses that you may see; for example:
- Behaviors
- Patient registration forms are incomplete or contain mistakes
- The patient does not take medication as directed
- The patient does not follow through with lab tests, imaging tests, or referrals
- Responses to receiving written information:
- "I forgot my glasses. I’ll read this when I get home."
- "I forgot my glasses. Can you read this to me?"
- "Let me bring this home so I can discuss it with my children/spouse."
- Responses to questions about medication
- The patient is unable to name medications
- The patient is unable to explain a medication’s purpose
- The patient is unable to explain the schedule/frequency for taking a medication
The person may not follow through with lab tests or referrals. When he receives information from you, he may respond with, "Let me bring this home, so I can discuss it with my spouse or my children.” He may be unable to explain his medication schedule or frequency. Sometimes you need to read between the lines to identify some of these signs of low literacy.
Relationship Between Health Literacy and Health Outcomes
Preventative Services
Obviously, there is a relationship between health literacy and health outcomes. According to research studies, individuals with limited health literacy are more likely to skip important preventative measures, such as mammograms or pap smears or even flu shots. When compared to those with adequate health literacy skills, studies show that patients with limited health literacy enter the healthcare system when they are sicker because they are not using some of those preventative services.
Knowledge of Conditions and Treatment
Persons with limited health literacy skills are more likely to have chronic conditions, and more importantly, they are less able to manage them effectively. Studies have found that patients with limited health literacy skills who have high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) have less knowledge about their illness and how to manage it.
Hospitalization
Additionally, limited health literacy skills are associated with an increase in preventable hospital visits and admissions. I think that no matter what setting you are working in today, that is important. Studies have demonstrated a higher rate of hospitalization and use of emergency services among patients who have limited literacy skills.
Health Status
Additionally, studies demonstrate that persons with limited health literacy skills are more likely than persons with adequate health literacy skills to report their health as poor.
Healthcare Costs
Continuing on, persons with limited health literacy skills make greater use of services designed to treat complications of disease, and are using fewer services designed to prevent those complications. In other words, they are using less preventative medicine. We already said that they have a higher rate of hospitalization and greater use of emergency room services than other patients. That is obviously associated with higher healthcare costs, and depending on the setting, could result in penalties to that facility or setting as well.
Stigma and Shame
We also need to consider that there are negative psychosocial effects of low health literacy. One study found that individuals with limited health literacy reported a sense of shame about their skill level. As a result, individuals may sometimes try to hide their reading or their vocabulary difficulties in order to maintain their dignity. That is why it is important to recognize some of those other external signs as potential markers of low literacy.
Therapy Role
What is your role? You can assist by ensuring that all health-related information you give to your patients matches their literacy abilities, their cultural sensitivities, and their verbal, cognitive, and social skills levels
The “Healthy People 2020” campaign by the Department of Health and Human Services talks about ensuring that therapists have appropriate communication and education skills so that they can help all people to gain access to, and understand their therapy services. This includes information and education that promote self-management for health and participation.
In addition, you can facilitate health literacy by promoting systems of care or environments that adhere to health literacy principles and strategies. We will talk more about that.
Link to Literacy
Rehab, in general, is linked to health literacy. As rehab clinicians, we stress the importance of capacities, function, participation, holistic approaches, client-centeredness, teaching information and methods, and access to services and equity issues. Therefore, we are well poised to address this issue.
Integrating Health Literacy into Practice
Be informed; recognize low literacy. Some of the strategies that you can use to improve clients' health literacy include the following. First, be informed about health literacy. You are completing this course so you must want to be informed! This is also your ability to identify challenging health literacy information. So, learn about it and learn how you can integrate it into your practice.
Do not assume that your patients understand you. Even if they nod their head or say they can understand you, repeat, repeat, repeat. Recognize that your residents or patients may feel powerlessness, shame, and a sense of failure.
Also, learn to identify your clients' characteristics; for example, their knowledge, their learning preferences, their beliefs, their culture, their barriers, and the like. Utilize those in your treatment. I already said this, but clients with low literacy skills are usually reluctant to ask questions, and they are skillful at hiding their problems.
Recognize barriers. Although there are diverging opinions about whether or not we can truly evaluate health literacy, it is important to recognize that there are some individual and societal barriers to the promotion of health literacy. There are functional declines associated with aging that are barriers. Lack of reading and writing proficiency, and low levels of formal education or lack of health knowledge and skills are also barriers. Obstacles can be presented by a different mother tongue or different cultural beliefs related to health. Barriers can also include living with disabilities, social stigma, and experiences from early childhood.
Standardize practice. We can also standardize our practice to health literacy. This really focuses on our ability to take health literacy level into account during our intervention. It is important to note that our professional associations and regulatory/licensing bodies also contribute to professional standards and position statements that will help us integrate this into our health practice.
Make information accessible. We also need to consider health literacy by making information accessible. We must adapt information to the individual needs and abilities of our patients, and show them how it is relevant to them. We can communicate using more than one modality; for example, verbal, non-verbal, etc. Using a structured educational approach will help us understand what motivates our clients and personalize their treatment plans. Again, we should use repetition, demonstration, and experimentation when we are teaching to ensure the message is understood. | https://www.speechpathology.com/articles/health-literacy-effective-client-communication-20085 |
Access to healthcare within the scope of medical geography has largely emphasized myriad spatio-temporal dimensions in the availability, or lack thereof, of healthcare services for specific populations. This literature has contributed significantly to our understanding of healthcare service provisioning in general, pointing out specifically, barriers to access of quality care for diverse communities in diverse geographic settings. However, the engagement with the term ‘access’ itself as conditioned by socio-structural, cultural-behavioral, intersectional, or place based factors and how access to healthcare determines health seeking behavior for certain populations is at best minimal. This paper critically reviews the literature on access to healthcare from a geographically inflected interdisciplinary framework in the light of healthcare experiences of ‘vulnerable’ immigrant communities in the US. Minority immigrant groups are considered to be ‘vulnerable’ where health is concerned because of increased risk for poor physical, psychological, and social health outcomes and inadequate health care opportunities. This vulnerability is heightened for the refugee population due to their residential displacement and ‘forced’ geographical relocation, distress conditions under which they migrate, and the physical and psychological trauma of socio-economic disruptions caused by the migration process. These groups also face political and social marginalization in the country of resettlement along with lack of adequate socio-economic and societal resources necessary to navigate the complexities of a new health care system. Drawing insights from an ongoing research project, this paper underscores the significance of equity minded and culturally responsive health geography frameworks to understand access to healthcare mean for minority immigrant communities. | https://aag.secure-abstracts.com/AAG%20Annual%20Meeting%202021/abstracts-gallery/50223 |
Long considered the ‘silent champion’ of healthcare, In Vitro Diagnostics (IVDs) influence over 60-70 per cent of clinical decision-making, while accounting for just 2-3 per cent of total healthcare spending. But changes in the healthcare environment are driving demand for improved healthcare delivery, and sustainable healthcare depends on diagnostics.
The transformation we’re witnessing in the healthcare industry today is unparalleled and sets the tone for the evolution we will witness over the next decade. I see three major drivers that will shape the future of our industry.
The first is the role and relevance of technology. Technology will continue to play a pivotal role in democratising healthcare services—putting what was once accessible by a few, into the hands of the masses. It has, and will continue to, enable the transfer of medical knowledge from institutions to individuals. The ever-growing availability of health management tools and information through online and smartphone devices has made us more aware of our health needs than in the decades prior.
This has brought about a fundamental shift in how we approach healthcare—organising care around patients’ needs.
We can access data at the touch of a button. So the ease with which people can access many different types of information, including information about their health, is changing how they perceive healthcare. As a result, patient centricity is becoming a focal point for innovation and healthcare delivery.
Patients today want easier access to care and demand better service. More and more view themselves as consumers, not passive receivers of treatment. In the future, this will become further pronounced, and its impact far-reaching. As a society, we will have to meet the growing expectations of the community.
Let me elaborate. There will come a time when, through the use of embedded sensors and wearables, biomedical information systems will continually track and upload information about an individual onto a personal intelligence cloud. The information about a patients’ health will be managed in much the same way as they manage their bank accounts today.
This cloud also nudge behaviour. In the case of someone with a predisposition to diabetes, he or she may get alerts to exercise more or avoid making poor diet choices. But what will be truly game-changing is that an individual’s personal intelligence cloud could also feed into a larger population gathering database. This is where the public sector will access information. For example, health policy decisions could be more tailor-made for specific populations.
Which brings me to my second point. As a society, we will move from focusing on reactive treatment-based care to predictive and preventive healthcare. So instead of treating the rising burden of diseases, we hope to deploy early interventions to prevent the incidence.
Electronic health records and the aggregation of research data into medical databases will allow healthcare institutions and practitioners to make the shift towards evidence-based medicine, and whilst this is starting to happen now, the scale will be much bigger in the future.
Finally, healthcare systems will need to maximise value for patients by helping them achieve the best outcomes at the lowest possible cost. Delayed diagnosis can result in higher upstream costs of treatment, poorer outcomes for patients, and put tremendous burden on healthcare systems.
A proven and more effective approach to healthcare is now in our grasp, one in which diagnostics plays an even more integral role. Valuebased healthcare is linked to the future of our industry because it is the best way to make healthcare sustainable now and in the longterm.
Yes, diagnostics will continue to see an upward trajectory across most markets in Asia-Pacific. We know that the rising burden of chronic diseases, combined with an ageing population, has put immense strain on healthcare resources around the world. Moreover, the industry is facing growing demands from various stakeholders, with physicians seeking tools that can improve decision-making; hospitals seeking faster, more accurate solutions; laboratories looking for ways to efficiently use existing resources; and health systems adjusting their delivery models to reduce healthcare costs.
In this changing landscape, diagnostics is emerging as a key driver in helping to address these needs. The in vitro diagnostics (IVD) market in Asia-Pacific is expected to reach US$19.64 billion in 2021 growing at a CAGR of 6.3 per cent1.
This growth will be fuelled by several factors. Asia-Pacific is home to more than half of the world’s population and a bulk of this population is still hugely underserved. The region is made up of diverse countries with varying needs; we have developed countries in the region with well-established healthcare systems and other countries where healthcare delivery is still in its infancy. Furthermore, countries like China and India are seeing the emergence of second tier cities, while healthcare is still concentrated in the major metros in countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia. But the needs are the same: getting more value out of healthcare.
As the population ages and the prevalence of chronic disease rises, patients require frequent monitoring and often for longer periods of time. This has fuelled the demand for diagnostics tools for monitoring. In the case of cardiovascular diseases, biomarkers such as Troponin T and NT-pro BNP help doctors to diagnose as well as monitor and better manage the patient’s condition.
Another area of growth is in the use of predictive biomarkers, as healthcare systems are starting to realise the value in being able to detect at-risk patients. If we can one day predict cancer before it occurs, we can intervene early with the right treatment and save lives. This is a significant change from the current approach of waiting until symptoms show before identifying the condition.
We will also see an uptake of companion diagnostics, where a device or tool is used in conjunction with treatment. Patients can take tests that identify the exact mutation of their disease, allowing for more targeted treatment, and doctors can monitor and manage the progression of a disease.
Finally, Point-Of-Care (POC) testing—where speed of information is vital—can help doctors perform tests using smaller machines close to the patient, rather than in a laboratory. This offers huge potential in Asia-Pacific. For instance, the POC Troponin T test can be used in places where heart attack patients are first seen: an ambulance, the emergency room, in a primary care setting or the general practitioner’s (GP) clinic. Since it requires no sample preparation or lengthy setup procedures, healthcare professionals can quickly identify patients with a suspected heart attack in the pre-hospital and emergency room setting, helping to ensure correct diagnosis and appropriate interventions.
Diagnostics is playing a significant role in shaping the transformation of the healthcare industry from volumebased to value-based care, where not only is care organised around the needs of patients but also allows healthcare providers to deliver measurable value and outcomes at lower costs.
Diagnostics can enable the shift from reactive, episodic treatment to predictive and integrated care. Earlier, personalised interventions can reduce health problems; help avoid adverse outcomes; decrease time spent in hospital; and help to avoid the cost of late-stage or unnecessary treatment.
Increasing the use of appropriate diagnostic testing provides one of the greatest cost-savings opportunities around the world. In the US, for example, it has been estimated that earlier detection of certain cancers could save around US$26 billion per year2. Closer home, a study in South Korea found that the early detection and treatment of common cancers can result in considerable savings in treatment costs. Advanced stage at diagnosis was associated with a 1.8-2.5 fold increase in total cost3.
Diagnostics is no longer just about the detection of diseases. It plays a pivotal role across the entire healthcare continuum from screening, diagnosis and prognosis to patient stratification and treatment monitoring. It helps to enhance clinical practice and quality of care, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
So I would say that whilst diagnostics has always been one of the foundations of healthcare, it is now positioned to play a key role in revolutionising healthcare. Diagnostic solutions empower doctors to make the right decisions, allow patients to have more control over their health and well-being, and give payers and policymakers the confidence that they are investing in the right solutions.
Artificial intelligence, robotics, embedded sensors and digitisation are already, and will in the future, disrupt our industry globally, not just in Asia-Pacific. Rapidly ageing populations, the prevalence of non-communicable diseases, the shift towards chronic conditions, and an increasingly knowledgeable consumer base who expect high-quality care at an affordable price are driving the need for such innovations. However, the sheer size of the population in this part of the world and the non-homogenous healthcare delivery models means the impact is much more pronounced here.
However, as with any innovations they must bring value. At Roche Diagnostics we are committed to this. As we continue to advance innovation across the patient care pathway, we are pursuing our vision of delivering tangible value to healthcare systems. The result we aim for is better, healthier lives for patients and better equipped healthcare systems that can meet the changing needs of patients and address pressing public health challenges.
As a tool, diagnostics is still massively under-valued and under-utilised. It represents just 2 per cent to 3 per cent of all healthcare spending but influences 60 per cent to 70 per cent of medical decision making. This shows that while there is very little spent on diagnostics, the amount that is spent has significant influence on clinical decisions.
As an industry, we need to articulate the role of diagnostics in delivering sustainable healthcare by highlighting the value it provides across the entire healthcare continuum. This cannot be done by any one company or country, and requires an industry-wide effort to help uplift the knowledge and understanding of the role of diagnostics within the healthcare environment.
One way to do this is by educating various stakeholder groups on what the value of diagnostics means for each of them. For governments, it could mean cost savings at a national level that allows for resources to then be allocated elsewhere. For a patient it could mean access to the right treatment at the right time.
It is when we collectively harness the true potential of diagnostics that we can enhance the overall standard of care.
Part of our philosophy in Asia-Pacific is ‘strong locally, powerful regionally’, ensuring we empower local operations while still leveraging our regional and global network when needed.
Given the differences between markets in Asia, we’ve categorised our smaller market into two sub-regions–established markets and high growth markets – so that countries with similar needs and challenges can learn from shared experiences, the exchange of knowledge and best practices to ultimately benefit patients.
This starts by understanding where countries are in their journey. In more developed countries, the conversation revolves around maximising return on investment, high-throughput instruments to cope with the volume, and performing new tests. The focus is on affordability and the use of high medical value tests.
In developing countries, the concern pertains to coverage, logistics and limitations of infrastructures. The question typically is "how can we make this test accessible to everybody?"
So, our aim in Asia-Pacific is to support the needs of the countries by making available diagnostics solutions and expertise that can benefit the community.
This ranges from supporting infrastructure and capacity initiatives in countries such as Myanmar, to working with industry associations to address unmet medical needs. For instance, in Vietnam we are spearheading a LEAN Clinical Laboratory Practice programme in partnership with the Asian and Pacific Federation of Clinical Biochemistry (APFCB), the Vietnam Association of Chemical Biochemists (VACB) and others to improve laboratory quality standards in the country. In Hong Kong, we are running a pilot programme which aims to decrease cases of cervical cancer in the underserved communities. In India, we are working with various stakeholders at a national and local level to increase the access to safe blood.
These are just some examples. Across the region, our efforts are focused on delivering the best possible diagnostic solutions that can improve patients’ lives and address unmet medical needs.
References: | https://www.asianhhm.com/diagnostics/diagnostics-industry |
Rais Fundación International Conference: Homelessness and Access to Health
On 13 June, EPF attended the first International Conference on Homelessness and Health, organised by RAIS Fundación in cooperation with the Spanish Ministry on Health, Social Services and Equality and the Municipality of Córdoba.
The Conference aimed to explore the relationship between homelessness and health, and analyse concrete good practices enabling the right to healthcare for homeless people. Discussions focused on convalescence processes, chronic diseases and barriers to healthcare access. The conference included a panel of a political nature, analysing the main challenges faced by the Spanish public administration in charge of social and health policies. EPF was invited to present its Roadmap to achieving universal health coverage for all, providing a European perspective.
Homelessness and Access to Health
Four million of people are homeless in Europe. Almost a quarter (23.4%) of the EU population is estimated to be at risk of poverty and social exclusion. One out of three homeless people have at least one chronic condition. Homelessness and social exclusion are clearly bad for health. Similarly, disability and ill-health are both a cause and consequence of poverty and vulnerability that can lead to homelessness.
In all countries, health outcomes are strongly influenced by social determinants, including factors such as income, housing, employment, length of education, ethnicity.
Overall, homeless people in particular tend to face important barriers to access to healthcare. Some of these include:
- Stigma and discrimination while seeking or receiving healthcare. This can result in some patients avoiding contact with the healthcare system, which can lead to delayed diagnosis and/or treatment and worse health outcomes;
- Financial hardship as a result of healthcare costs which for many means reducing spending on some essential needs such as food or clothing, and/or postponing healthcare visits or treatment, leading to worse health outcomes;
- Lack of inter-sectoral action for health, meaning lack of collaboration between the health sector and other sectors, such as social, housing, labour, economic.
Why does EPF’s Roadmap to achieving Universal Health Coverage for All by 2030 matter?
While universal health coverage is a well-recognised goal for all healthcare systems in the EU, this basic right is not yet a reality for all patients in the EU. This Roadmap opens the way to achieving Universal Health Coverage for All, to ensure the rights of all patients are respected, to fight the inequalities that persist in health across the EU, and to make health a priority in all policies at national and EU levels.
RAIS Fundación supported EPF’s 2017 Campaign on Access to Healthcare and provided valuable input to the development of the Roadmap.
What if we started with Housing? RAIS Fundación’s Hábitat project
The ‘Housing First’ method consists of providing for the homeless with more difficulties, as a first step, a permanent and unconditional home. Once the person is settled, a multidisciplinary professional team provides the necessary support required for as long as necessary. Hábitat is RAIS’ solution. Through the Hábitat project of RAIS – the Housing First model has proven to be a solution for homeless people that were not accessing traditional care services. RAIS is the first organization developing this methodology in Spain and is obtaining excellent results in all the evaluations carried out.
Housing as a precondition
In light of such good practices, EPF recommends that Member States implement the following in order to improve access to care for homeless people:
- Invest in housing support for homeless patients, especially those being discharged from hospital after an intervention, to ensure better health outcomes and fewer readmissions, according to EU best practices;
- Ensure the right to respect and to dignity in healthcare facilities by integrating fundamental rights and non-discrimination principles in the training of healthcare professionals;
- Effectively implement integrated, person-centred care models, providing services that are of better quality, more responsive and appropriate to the needs of individuals;
- Ensure that patients are effectively protected from financial hardship as a result of healthcare costs, including by limiting co-payments and ensuring full coverage of products and services needed;
- Ensure the right to information (about health rights and care) and support by putting in place an action plan on health literacy for patients;
- Ensure a holistic and integrated care approach to health and social services’ structure at the system, financing and service delivery levels to enable patient groups including vulnerable groups to collaborate more systematically on health issues.
EPF advocates for the inclusion of vulnerable groups’ perspectives within patients’ organisations
In 2016, EPF published a roadmap towards inclusion of vulnerable groups’ perspectives within patients’ organisations.
This roadmap was developed for patients’ organisations. It contains suggestions for actions to be implemented both at European or national level to raise awareness and foster action on inclusiveness in the patient movement, and to support patients’ organisations’ advocacy for the rights and specific needs of all groups of patients in an inclusive way within the EU.
Homelessness has an undeniable impact on health. EPF calls on patient organisations across Europe to join forces with organisations such as RAIS Fundación in order to ensure that the healthcare and related needs of homeless people are considered in policy making and service delivery. | http://www.eu-patient.eu/News/News/rais-fundacion-international-conference-homelessness-and-access-to-health/ |
In today’s society, certain types of cultural barriers in healthcare have the power to negatively impact outcomes and can lead to expensive consequences for health systems. Cultural competency refers to the ability to interact with people across cultures. When used in healthcare, it focuses on being able to care for patients with diverse values, beliefs, and behaviors. Today, the delivery of healthcare needs to be tailored to patients’ social, cultural and linguistic needs. According to the health care service company Cigna, cultural competency in healthcare can overcome health disparities. Some of these disparities include language barriers, cultural beliefs and practices, medical bias, variations in care access and quality, and low health literacy (Husson University, 2019).
The Purnell Model of Clinical Competence is a mid-range theory that is used for the research examining culture and within the context of culture and values. This theory was created by Larry Purnell and it was developed based on his observations of undergraduate nursing students and how they would interact with patients that are from different cultural backgrounds. In the United States, culturally competency is a key area for nurses and advanced practitioners (Marzilli, 2017).
Having the ability to communicate effectively with patients and their families is key for good patient care. The importance of communicating effectively in cross-cultural encounters is necessary. Cultural competence includes providing effective health care across diverse cultures by working collaboratively and communicating effectively. Advanced practice nurses and physicians who are aware of their own and their patients’ cultural backgrounds, along with the values that are often implicit in current medical models, are better able to achieve mutual understanding within the patient encounter and to focus on culturally appropriate health care interventions (Ladha et al., 2018)
With the Purnell Model, all aspects and domains of this model work by affecting one another, rather than standing alone. With this model there are specific cultural domains that include, heritage, communication, family roles and organization, workforce issues, bicultural ecology, high risk behaviors, nutrition, childbearing, death rituals, spirituality, health care practices and the healthcare practitioner (National Association for School Nurses, 2019).
As nurse practitioners, understanding the impact that cultural competence and interaction with your patients are key in quality patient care and trust. Cultural competency is relevant to healthcare education due to the fact that minorities will constitute 54% of the total United States population by 2050. The Purnell Model helps by evaluating the impact of interventions such as service learning and the change on cultural competence following the specific intervention. Research involving the Purnell Model is used as the theoretical framework for determining the healthcare providers role and responsibilities in caring for particularly vulnerable populations of patients (Marzilli, 2017).
Cultural competence in healthcare is continuing to become more essential to the list of necessary skills that a healthcare provider must utilize and become familiar with when caring for patients (Marzilli, 2017). By taking some of the previously done research and building onto this, advanced healthcare providers can continue to to work on and become more culturally competent individuals. By doing so, this will help them care for their patients and give them a better patient outcome.
References
Husson University. (2019, September 3). The Need for Cultural Competence in Healthcare. MedCity News. https://medcitynews.com/?sponsored_content=the-need-for-cultural-competence-in-healthcare&rf=1.
Ladha, T., Zubairi, M., Hunter, A., Audcent, T., & Johnstone, J. (2018, February). Cross-cultural communication: Tools for working with families and children. Paediatrics & child health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5815116/.
Marzilli, C. (2017). A Review of the Theoretical Framework of Culture and Value Applied to Nursing. International Journal of Nursing. https://www.ijnonline.com/index.php/ijn/article/view/380.
National Association for School Nurses. (2019). Purnell Model. Purnell Model – National Association of School Nurses. https://www.nasn.org/nasn-resources/practice-topics/cultural-competency/cultural-competency-purnell-model. | https://essaysglobe.com/todays-society/ |
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Health Disparities
For over 25 years, the disconnect between health professionals, healthcare systems, research organizations, and payors has created substantial health disparity especially within the uninsured, under-served, and minority populations. Although many point to poverty and the inability to acquire insurance as the primary causes of health disparity, significant contributors are due to environmental, location, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, disconnect among health professionals, and multiple chronic diseases across all age groups in the Caribbean These factors create an environment where the disparate population accounts for a disproportionate amount of healthcare costs associated with treating and managing chronic diseases due to the risks compounded by their background and lifestyle.
EMED has the ability to connect and serve this community by building a nationwide sub-internet driven by health information exchange. This network would include community health centers, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and programs developed by the Health Resources and Services Administration. The health disparity population requires interventions to bridge the gap in quality care resulting from resource limitations, such as inadequate physician access and financial burdens. EMED has developed solutions to directly address these issues. To supplement this effort, EMED has developed low-cost information technology solutions that address this specific cohort in the areas of home health care and mobile applications to promote patient-driven prevention, management and awareness of diseases.
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Challenges in delivery of tuberculosis Services in Ethiopian Pastoralist Settings: clues for reforming service models and organizational structures
BMC Health Services Research volume 21, Article number: 627 (2021)
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830 Accesses
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Abstract
Background
The End-TB strategy aims to see a world free of tuberculosis (TB) by the coming decade through detecting and treating all cases irrespective of socioeconomic inequalities. However, case detections and treatment outcomes have not been as they should be in Somali pastoral settings of Ethiopia. Hence, this study aimed to explore the challenges that hinder the delivery and utilization of TB services in pastoral areas.
Methods
A qualitative study was conducted between December 2017 and October 2018 among pastoralist patients with delay of ≥2 months in seeking healthcare, healthcare providers and programme managers. Data were collected from different sources using 41 in-depth interviews, observations of facilities and a review meeting of providers from 50 health facilities. The data were transcribed, coded and analyzed to identify pre-defined and emerging sub-themes. ATLAS.ti version 7.0 was used for coding data, categorizing codes, and visualizing networks.
Results
Poor knowledge of TB and its services, limited accessibility (unreachability, unavailability and unacceptability), pastoralism, and initial healthcare-seeking at informal drug vendors that provide improper medications were the key barriers hindering the uptake of TB medical services. Inadequate infrastructure, shortage of trained and enthused providers, interruptions of drugs and laboratory supplies, scarce equipment, programme management gaps, lack of tailored approach, low private engagement, and cross-border movement were the major challenges affecting the provision of TB services for pastoral communities. The root factors were limited potential healthcare coverage, lack of zonal and district TB units, mobility and drought, strategy and funding gaps, and poor development infrastructure.
Conclusion
In pastoral settings of Ethiopia, the major challenges of TB services are limited access, illicit medication practices, inadequate resources, structural deficits, and lack of tailored approaches. Hence, for the pastoral TB control to be successful, mobile screening and treatment modalities and engaging rural drug vendors will be instrumental in enhancing case findings and treatment compliance; whereas, service expansion and management decentralization will be essential to create responsive structures for overcoming challenges.
Introduction
Tuberculosis (TB) has remained the top killer infectious disease. Globally, it caused an estimated 10 million illnesses and nearly 1.4 million deaths in 2019. The same year, Ethiopia had an estimated 157,000 TB illnesses, which ranks the country 9th among the 30 high burden countries globally, 3rd in Africa, and among a few countries with the triple burden of TB, MDR-TB and TB/HIV . The highest prevalence of TB was reported among pastoral communities in Ethiopia . To curb the epidemic of the disease, the global End-TB Strategy sets early diagnosis and prompt treatment of all cases as principal components to reduce TB deaths, prevent drug resistance, stop transmission, and ultimately end TB epidemics by 2030 . The ambitious targets can only be realized through the universal provision of biomedical services regardless of socioeconomic disparities, which requires implementing social and economic interventions, universal healthcare coverage, and collaborative efforts from health and other sectors .
However, globally, TB biomedical services remain underutilized as over 3 million cases are still missed and optimal treatment outcomes have not been achieved yet . The problem is disproportionately severe in resource-limited settings despite the highest disease toll. The passive case finding strategy left millions of infectious cases undetected in communities , and the Directly Observed Treatment-Short Course (DOTS) has not guaranteed optimal treatment success rates . Similarly, around a third of TB cases were not diagnosed and treated in Ethiopia in 2018 . Pieces of evidence indicated that the rates of undiagnosed and untreated cases in certain geographical and socioeconomic settings of the country could be much higher than the aggregate national reports [7, 8]. In Somali Regional State of Ethiopia (SRS), the TB control programme failed to detect and treat around half of the estimated cases in the past years , and treatment success rates were reported to be unsatisfactory .
The underutilization of biomedical services, monitored by case detections and treatment success rates, could be deep-rooted to a complex patient, societal, and health system causes. The slow progress in service utilization in affected resource-limited settings could have resulted from poor uptake of services by diseased people which is expressed in deprived healthcare-seeking behavior and compliance to services , or due to impediments of the National Tuberculosis control Programmes (NTPs) . The performance of NTPs to achieve TB control targets depends on strong health systems and tailored TB control approaches integrated into health systems . However, the health systems in resource-limited countries struggle to attain universal health coverage enabling effective TB diagnostic and treatment services due to gaps in financing, leadership, strategies and policies, resources, and socio-political challenges .
The bottlenecks for TB control programme performance could vary in different geopolitical, epidemiological, socioeconomic, and time contexts [15,16,17]. Pastoralists are among communities disproportionately affected by TB and poor health service coverage [18, 19]. The delivery of healthcare services to pastoralists is difficult because of their seasonal movements following the evolution of climatic conditions and availability of resources, and scattered settlement in broader geographical areas [19, 20]. The fact that pastoralists in the study area have extended families wholly sheltered in petite dome-shaped huts built for transitory purposes creates a favorable environment for transmission. Despite the high vulnerability and TB burden, TB control efficiency metrics have not been satisfactory compared to settled communities in Ethiopia [21, 22]. Moreover, the novel health extension programme, on which the NTP of Ethiopia counts on, has not been effective in identifying presumptive cases in rural households and referring to healthcare units .
Due to these reasons, a holistic approach to investigate the TB control programme impediments is essential in proposing context-tailored interventions that would better tackle the socioeconomic and health system determinants of TB services in affected and underserved pastoral communities . Therefore, this study aimed to explore the challenges of TB services utilization and provision for pastoralists through the perspectives of patients who sought delayed healthcare, healthcare providers and programme implementers in Somali Regional State, Ethiopia. It further suggests thoughts and potential solutions for overcoming the challenges to achieve TB control targets in pastoralist settings.
Methods
Study setting and period
The study was conducted from December 2017 to October 2018 in Somali Region, Ethiopia. Geographically, the region shares international borders with Kenya to the south, Somalia to the southeast and east, and Djibouti to the northwest. The region contains 11 administrative zones subdivided into 96 districts (Woredas), and 6 town councils and is a home of an estimated 5,899,000 inhabitants (3,165,000 male and 2,734,000 female) in 2018 . More than 85% of the population practice pastoralism, either nomadic or agro-pastoralism. The nomadic pastoralists rear livestock and are seasonally migratory, and agro-pastoralists undertake mixed herding and farming forms of subsistence [17, 27]. Regarding health-system organization, the top hierarchy is the Regional Health Bureau (RHB) that manages Woreda/district Health Offices (WoHO) and hospitals. The WoHO, in turn, manages health centers and health posts in each district. In 2018, the region had 10 hospitals and 200 health centers . The hospitals and selected health centers provide TB diagnosis and treatment services according to the national Directly Observed Treatment-Short course (DOTs) strategy . The standard methods for PTB diagnosis include microscopy, Xpert MTB/RIF, chest radiographs, and pathological and clinical investigations. This study was conducted at all TB control programme units; RHB, WoHO (Adadle, Sheygosh, Dege-habour, and Harshin), hospitals (Kharamara, Dege-habour, Kebri-daher, and Gode), and health centers (Abilelie, Bohol, Denan, Harshin, and Sheygosh). The study sites were purposively selected considering geographical representation and high pastoralist habitants, and high TB patient flow was also considered for selection of health facilities.
Study design
A qualitative study with a phenomenological approach, a useful design to describe the meanings and consequences of experiences , was used to provide deeper insights into the perceptions and experiences of delayed pastoralist patients with pulmonary TB on what influenced their healthcare-seeking behavior and compliance to TB services, and the challenges the health system is facing in the provision of TB services for pastoralists. The consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) checklist was followed to report the important aspects of the study .
Study participants and sampling
Pastoralist patients with newly diagnosed pulmonary TB (PTB) and TB programme implementers were targeted for this study. We purposively selected patients aged ≥18 years who delay 2 months or more in seeking healthcare after the onset of TB symptoms to get rich information on the real and perceived barriers that hindered patients from timely healthcare seeking and impelled them to informal remedial practices. TB programme implementers, whereas, were selected to explore the entire image of the challenges faced by the health system while providing TB services to pastoralists. We included implementers at all levels of the TB control programme including RHB- and WoHO- level managers, DOTs and laboratory providers. We applied purposive selection using deviant and intensive sampling techniques to recruit patients and implementers, respectively . Eligible patients were identified using a screening questionnaire. As newly diagnosed PTB patients arrived at DOTs clinics to initiate treatment, the DOTs providers consecutively interviewed patients to collect data on socio-demographics, symptoms they had, dates of each symptom onset, and date of first provider consultation while they had the sore illness and fresh memory. The duration of delay was then calculated between cough onset (if no cough, symptoms that compelled patients to seek medical attention) and provider consultation. Treatment providers were oriented to immediately inform the investigators before the provision of health education as they met a patient fulfilling the inclusion criteria. Regarding the implementers, we interviewed focal persons of the TB control programme in the selected offices and health facilities.
Determining adequate sample size in qualitative research is a matter of judgment and information saturation and homogeneity of the sample populations . Pastoralists in Somali region have the same ethnicity, culture, religion, language, and lifestyle. Thus, we interviewed 19 pastoralist PTB patients with delay of 2 months or longer (9 female and 10 male). Similarly, all the TB programme implementers were health professionals, so we interviewed 22 respondents including 6 managers (2 RHB and 4 WoHO) and 16 providers at hospitals and health centers (11 DOTs and 5 laboratory providers). The interviews were stopped when we were not able to explore new information from the last 2 recruits. .
Data collection
Data were collected using different methods and sources including in-depth interviews, facility observations, field track records, and attendance of an annual TB review meeting.
In-depth interviews
We conducted face-to-face in-depth interviews with all respondent types using open-ended and semi-thematic guides that were translated into Somali and Amharic languages. The patient interview guide was prepared to get better insights into the patients’ knowledge of TB and its services, perception of illness, reasons for delayed care-seeking, remedies attempted before visiting health facilities, and the barriers to access services. Interview guides for managers, DOTs and laboratory providers were prepared to get deeper insights into the challenges that impede their service provision efforts for pastoralists including factors related to management structure, logistics and supply, human resource, infrastructure, and societal aspects. Healthcare providers were also interviewed about the common myths/misconceptions, informal remedies, and main factors for delayed healthcareseeking in the pastoralist communities (Supplementary file).
Qualitative researchers should entail observing, joining and talking to people in their language and context to understand the phenomenon from their perspectives . The co-author (AM) and a research assistant (MPH holder) who are native speakers of Somali language and integral members of the community conducted all the patient interviews. The interviews were conducted at ventilated places inside the health facilities but away from providers to help them talk freely about their perspectives on TB diagnosis and treatment services. The interviews were conducted in the mornings when patients came to take drugs. Also, the first author (FG) and the research assistant conducted interviews with implementers using Amharic and Somali language depending on respondent preferences, respectively.,. Places and time for interviews were also adjusted based on their preferences. All the interviews were audiotape recorded.
Facility observation
TB clinics and laboratories in the study hospitals and health centers were observed using an inventory checklist prepared to assess the availability and readiness of basic resources such as rooms (adequacy and site), patient waiting areas, furniture, water, electricity, medical supplies, equipment and trained staff.
Field track record
FG was coordinating the fieldwork of a related facility-based quantitative study between December 2017 and October 2018. During field supervisions, FG collected regular reports using activity tracking sheet on the challenges faced by TB service delivery points including supply, infrastructure, human resource and patient-related challenges. The data collected throughout the year were included in this analysis.
Attendance of annual review meeting
The TB control programme office at RHB organized the annual review meeting for 2 days in October 2018 to evaluate the performance of TB services in health facilities. The DOTs providers representing over 50 health facilities presented their performance and challenge reports. FG joined the meeting and took notes on the challenges.
Data analysis
Verbatim transcriptions were done for audio records.. The first author (FG) transcribed interviews conducted in Amharic language while the co-author (AM) and the assistant researcher transcribed the interviews in Somali language. FG instantly read the translated transcripts to validate the content and quality of data, and corrective measures were taken for any inconveniences as necessary.
Transcripts in Rich Text Formats were imported into ATLAS.ti software version 7.0 to produce codes, categorize codes, and visualize networks. FG iteratively read the transcripts to familiarize the contents, context and meanings, and to produce meaningful codes with code meanings. A codebook was produced to identify codes with duplicate meanings followed by code renaming to identify the final list of codes. The codebook was validated by all authors. A framework analysis approach was followed to summarize data and interpret findings. Codes were summarized into categories, categories into pre-defined and emerging subthemes, and finally into two major themes; factors affecting TB services utilization, and factors affecting effective service delivery. The reports have been presented in textual descriptions with selected quotations. Data from observations and reports were analyzed manually and integrated into the results.
Quality control and trustworthiness
We applied various quality measures to ensure trustworthiness in the findings. The use of different data sources, data collection approaches, and involvement of all contingents in the TB control programme helped to get a holistic understanding, and triangulate statements from the service provider and patient perspectives. Tools and procedures were evaluated before the data collection. The data collection was conducted over a relaxed period, which provided adequate time for transcription and immediate appraisal of data while the data collection was ongoing. Besides deepening the data, field and review meeting observations helped to triangulate information from interviews with programme implementers. All authors participated in the conception, design, development of field guides, and substantiated all processes of the analysis and interpretation of findings.
The prolonged engagement of researchers in the setting was very helpful to a better understanding of local contexts and phenomenon under study . AM and the research assistant were native speakers of the local language, discern the culture and health system, public health in profession, and skillful in qualitative research. The first author (FG) had a strong track record of research experience and publication on the epidemiology of tuberculosis in the setting. The authors (MD, AW, TG, RT and BS) were senior researchers and supervised the overall process of the study. None of the investigators was part of the TB control programme workforce in the setting, if were, could potentially convey biased reports to conceal apparent impairments due to health system deficiencies.
Results
Characteristics of respondents
A total of 41 respondents were interviewed for this study: 19 pastoralist patients delayed ≥2 months without seeking healthcare and 22 health workers at all levels of the TB control programme (Table 1).
The results are presented under the two major themes: 1) Factors affecting TB services utilization, 2) Factors affecting effective service delivery. The themes are further subdivided into sub-themes and subsequent categories.
Factors affecting TB services utilization
Knowledge and perceptions
Comprehensive TB knowledge
Patients had inadequate knowledge about TB cause, transmission modes, prevention methods and adverse disease outcomes. One patient only mentioned that TB is caused by a germ and spread by coughing, so majority of patients had not been taking to precautions to prevent household transmission. Also, we found patients who had never heard of TB before being diagnosed as TB patients. For instance, a 45 years old patient said:
“I did not know about TB before. I have started learning about it after I was diagnosed with this disease.”
Misconceptions/myth
Misconceptions/myths were identified regarding the cause and treatment of TB. All patients except one (who said ‘TB is caused by a germ’) misconceived that TB is acquired through exposure to cold air (predominantly stated), cold shower, workload, holding a heavy load, injury, curse, hereditary, sexual intercourse, and as emanated from other febrile illness. A 25 years old patient said:
“I used to work as ration loader/daily laborer at WFP. There was cold pond water used to bath after the daily work. One day, I bathed there; I immediately felt the cold air penetrating my chest and got sick afterward.”
Also, healthcare workers explained about a belief in the community that people believe TB drugs help to gain body weight. Higher body weight is seen as an indicative of wealth and beauty in the society, especially for women. This drives women to take TB drugs witout medical prescription. A district-level manager described:
“Being overweight for women is a social dignity so that everyone wants to take TB drugs to gain weight without being diagnosed with TB.”
Knowledge and perceptions of symptoms
Patients mentioned the various symptoms of PTB including cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, fatigue, and weight loss among others. However, some patients misconstrued TB as a disease with severe symptoms and associated symptoms like cough and shortness of breath with common cold or asthma. When patients were asked about initial perceptions of their illness, they replied, ‘I thought it was common cold’; ‘I thought it was asthma’, and ‘I thought it was not serious’. The patients who perceived cough as a common symptom of the usual respiratory illnesses sought healthcare after the illness became severe. A 50 years old herder explained his experience:
“I had been sick and had cough for months but never suspected TB. Instead, I thought I had asthma and was struggling to treat asthma. It was later on when I got weaker; I realized it was something serious...”
Awareness of TB services
We encountered few patients who never heard about TB treatment and did not know it is provided for free so that they delay for days until getting money. Majorities of patients had never received health education about TB from healthcare providers and other channels, rather previously treated TB patients remain the main sources of TB information. Previously treated people also refer patients to seek healthcare. A 27 years old pastoralist said,
“I had no idea about the cost. I assumed that the treatment would cost me 5,000 birr (Ethiopian currency; 1 USD = 32 birr), and I told my wife to sell cattle to get this money.….”
The healthcare workers also affirmed that pastoralists have low awareness about TB services mentioning low or absence of health education services as the main contributing factors.
Perceived stigma
Negative perceptions including perceived discrimination and/or stigma mainly, and considering TB and HIV as embarrassment influenced the healthcare-seeking behavior of patients. Patients concealed their illness due to fear of discrimination. This is reaffirmed by DOTS providers who insisted that they encounter patients who refused to bring contact persons due to unwillingness to disclose their illness. A 45 years old patient said:
“My family advised me several times to seek medical care before it became severe. Although I suspected that I had TB, I was denying it because I feared I would be discriminated.”
Accessibility of TB services
It is further subcategorized into: accessibility (distance to reach the nearest public health facility with/without TB services); availability (obtainability of TB services in a relatively nearest health facility); affordability (ability to pay any costs related to TB services including transport), and acceptability (TB services meet the expectations and demands of patients).
Accessibility
Patients and healthcare workers underlined lack of nearby health facilities as one of the top barriers in the area. Patients travel several hours to reach the nearest health facilities. Beyond the distance to reach healthcare points, lack of road access and transportation to pastoral villages was stressed as terrible. Some zones have no access to public transport services that travel to district towns, let alone to kebeles (lowest administrative unit in Ethiopian government structure). The limited access to healthcare services compelled patients to travel on foot for many hours and days, which constrained patients to delay in seeking healthcare and stay away from home in towns for long to complete TB treatments. An old herder described his journey as,
“I spent one night in my way to here because I have to travel on foot a day and a night to arrive in Garbo where vehicles going to Jigjiga are found. The next day, I came to Jigjiga by vehicle.”
An experienced HCP at a health center also said,
“……We usually ask pastoralists to identify health centers in their area to link for treatment follow-up, but they stressfully claim there is nothing in their area. Due to this, we enforce them to stay here in the town for 6 months until the end of treatment.”
Availability
Additional to the physical barriers, relatively accessible health posts and majorities of the health centers did not provide TB diagnosis and treatment services. Our interview with implementers confirmed that only less than half of the rural health centers had TB diagnosis and treatment services, and most of the health posts are nonfunctional in the region. Moreover, the health centers with diagnosis services were providing microscopic examination only and referring smear-negative patients to hospitals. A woman said,
“We have a health center in Marsin district, but it does not have lab and TB drugs.”
Affordability
TB medical services are provided free except few items such as X-rays. However, patients were incurred high costs for transportation, to buy food and rent houses in towns, and surplus costs in case of complicated illness. Patients with limited access to treatment in their area are forced to stay in towns until treatment is completed, but the living costs are unaffordable, and patients tend to discontinuetreatment follow-up. As a mitigation, DOTs providers handed over the full course of drugs required for 6 months regimen to patients to take home. A 40 years old pastoralist expressed his distress as,
“I paid 500 birr (15.6 USD) for bus fare to arrive here and spent another 500 birr (15.6 USD) for meals and lodging. I have finished the money I had and I don’t know what to do next. I’m broken.”
An HCP at a district hospital said,
“…patients do not have a home in Degehabour town. They asked, ‘please give me all the drugs and let me go home?’ They do not afford to rent a house and buy food. So, what can we do? We have to give the drugs. If not, they will discontinue.”
Acceptability
Patients expressed their complaints regarding the suitability of TB services including lack of services in residential areas, unaffordable cost to cover expenses in towns, long referral pathways, long waiting time, and multiple facility visits due to lack of services in frontline healthcare units. Due to lack of nearby services to their residence, patients were obliged to stay in towns to complete treatment, which causes work lay-off, financial bankruptcy, left out of family support, and loneliness and nostalgia in towns. A 30 years old woman said:
“It is almost fourteen days since I have last seen my family. I have left little kids at home. I called them last night. When I said ‘Najib, how are you?’ my son cried. It is touching.”
Pastoralism and climate change
During transhumance movements, patients struggle to access health services and discontinue treatment, and some health facilities were forced to close operations. Following seasonal movements to bushland areas during the dry season, treatment discontinuation and delay in healthcare-seeking were mentioned as common scenarios due to lack of access to healthcare in bush lands. During the fieldwork, we observed a significant decrement of patient flow in dry seasons (January to April) at health facilities in remote areas following relocation of the surrounding communities. A HCP at the health center said:
“Pastoralists move from place to place searching for water and pasture for their cattle. They prefer their death to the death of their cattle. If a patient who took drugs for 15 days hears about rain in a certain place, the patient drops his treatment and moves. Then you will get that patient when he/she comes back after a long time.”
Patients also repeatedly mentioned the influence of subsequent droughts on their livelihood and healthcare-seeking behavior. Frequent droughts in recent years destroyed livestock resources. Thus, patients had nothing to sell and get money to seek healthcare and feed their families. A nomadic pastoralist expressed the impact of drought as:
“We had many cattle, but currently the drought has wiped out all of them. Previously it was easy to sell cattle and get money to cover costs of treatments for my family, but nowadays it is tough, that is why I came after begging money from other people.”
Informal remedial practices
Traditional/religious healing practices
Patients and healthcare workers mentioned various informal healing practices including herbal medicines, spiritual healing practices and non-prescription medications. The practices attempted before visiting healthcare facilities were the use of herbs, Khat chewing as a pain reliever, religious healing (Qur’an read by sheiks followed by something to drink), visiting traditional healers, and self-medication with antibiotics and syrups. Patients who thought their illness was caused by a curse opted for religious leaders, traditional healers, or herbal remedies. The herbs used to treat pulmonary illnesses are locally named, Galool (Acacia bussei), Liike, Ruman (Pomegranate), Boco (Calatropis procera), Mawo (Zigophyllum hilebrabdtii), and Tiire (Clerodedrum sp.). A 45 years pastoralist explained his experience as:
“I didn’t think that I had TB. I used ‘Galool’ leaves, boiled like tea and drunk it. I then tried ‘Ruman’ leaves. At last, I became very weak and bed-ridden.”
Medications by informal drug vendors
More than half of the interviewed patients sought first care at rural drug vendors where they received medications. Rural drug shops (mostly unlicensed) are common in remote areas of the region. Patients chose these drug vendors as first point-of-care due to their convenience and permissive process to purchase drugs and obtain treatments. At rural drug shops, patients are told as having ailments like pneumonia and anemia without medical examinations and given injectable and capsule medications. Patients only sought healthcare at a health center/hospital when the illness did not improve or got worse. A 27 years old patient said:
“The first time I felt this illness, I went to the little pharmacy in our kebele. The vendor said ‘you have pneumonia’. He gave me injections, but I didn’t recover. Lastly, I decided to come here.”
Factors affecting effective service delivery
This theme describes the challenges that affect the provision and quality of TB medical services that are summarized into four sub-themes: (1) inadequate infrastructure; (2) inadequate resources; (3) health-system defects, and (4) cross-border movement.
Inadequate infrastructure
The providers and managers explained the limitations in basic infrastructure such as health facility designs, inadequate rooms, drug stores and water supply. The greater number of health centers in the region did not have adequate rooms for DOTs delivery and TB laboratory services due to design defects. We observed that the rural health centers have very small DOTs rooms (roughly 2X3 square meters) but no isolated TB laboratory, sputum collection and waiting areas, shelves for drugs, and water supply.. District level manager said:
“There is no standard TB clinic in health centers. The majority of them have very narrow rooms that are not ventilated and isolated. We always shout for renovation, but……….”
In addition to inadequacies in health centers, a DOTs provider at the referral hospital stressed the shortage of rooms for admitted and MDR patients. The DOTs center has been providing treatment follow-up services for MDR patients in the continuation phase, but with no separate room and shelf for MDR drugs. During our visit, we observed that MDR drugs were in plastic bags and put on an open bench in the DOTs room. The regional programme manager also stressed that the absence of MDR treatment center is unacceptable. The DOTs provider at the hospital said:
“We have 1 room as TB ward and 1 room for DOTs. We admit all TB cases in this one room whether smear-positive or negative, male or female, new or retreatment. What is more dangerous is that MDR patients are linked to us for follow-up. Imagine, we are not trained, do not have the setup to care MDR patients or mask to protect ourselves.”
Inadequate resources
Inadequate health workforce
Attrition and shortage of competent and motivated workers were manpower-related challenges that hindered the expansion and quality of TB services. Shortage of providers mainly laboratory professionals and programme experts at district health offices, high attrition and poor competencies at all levels were the main challenges. Majorities of rural health centers in the region did not have laboratory personnel and were staffed with junior and untrained providers. Moreover, the healthcare providers were less satisfied in their job due to inadequate salary, poor support, managerial malpractices, and lack of incentives and recognition. A DOTs provider with 10 years’ experience said:
“I am bored. I have decided to quit my job next year. It is risky working in TB, but no one supports; no one motivates. Managers do not care about TB, but we are the ones who face the risks.”
Inadequate supply (consumables and equipment)
The main shortfalls in supply management were interruptions of drugs and consumables (reagents, sputum cups, and masks), absence of Information Education Communication (IEC) aids and shortage of equipment. The Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Supply Agency (EPSA) is entitled to deliver drugs and consumables to service delivery points. However, drug stock-outs are common due to supply interruptions or delays from EPSA. A DOTs provider at a remote health center said:
“There were cases we referred to Gode hospital since the drugs were finished. For example, we transferred one young patient very recently.”
The regional laboratory is entitled to prepare and distribute reagents and other consumables for peripheral laboratories in the region, but none of the assessed laboratories were receiving supplies in recent times. Shortage of equipment and teaching aids were also common gaps. Only two hospitals possessed 4 Xpert MTB/RIF devices in the region. Nonetheless, a standard sample transfer system was not in place to utilize the existing facilities, and there was a complete absence of IEC materials of any kind at all levels of the healthcare tier. HCP at health center stated:
“No IEC materials at all for years. I wish I had audiovisuals that would be opened every morning to teach patients in their Somali language.”
Inadequacy of support (supervision and funding)
Inadequate supervision, budget and partner support were among the major challenges. The respondents at health facilities and district level claimed that supportive supervision was almost absent, and the regional level respondents, in turn, asserted that they were unable to reach all health facilities in the region due to structural, financial, logistic and manpower limitations. The absence of TB units at zonal and district levels, shortage of vehicles, and lack of road access to remote places were reported as the origins of supportive supervision gaps. The budget was another constraint, all activities were financed by Global Fund, but no direct government funding for TB programme. Nonetheless, there was no any partner organization supporting TB control programme in the area. A DOTs provider at district hospital said:
“Support from regional health office? No! I don’t remember any supportive supervision that we have received except training.”
Health system defects
Lack of zonal and district TB units
The health system structure lacks TB unit at zonal health department and district health office levels aligning administrative divisions. Due to the absence of zonal and district level TB units that should supervise the health facilities in their catchment, the regional coordination unit had to shoulder the supervision role for all health facilities in 11 zones and 96 districts of the region. The top manager described it as ‘unmanageable’ and one of the major bottlenecks. Also, lack of TB diagnosis in rural health centers, inefficiency of the health extension programme, and poor regulation of drug vendors were reported as deficiencies of the TB control programme that resulted from health system shortcomings. The top programme manager explained:
“The problem I see is that the region’s healthcare system doesn’t have Zonal Health Department and TB focal persons at the district level. Due to this, the regional TB office has to supervise all health facilities in the region, which is not practically feasible”
Poor engagement of private clinics
Private clinics were chosen as the first points-of-care by some patients, but most of the private clinics did not have TB services. As the evidence from RHB indicated, only three private clinics had TB diagnostic and treatment services in the region.
Lack of pastoralist-tailored approaches
The healthcare workers described the existing DOTs strategy as ‘unworkable for pastoralists’. The limited access to healthcare services turned out to be worse in dry seasons following the movement of pastoralists. The health system did not have any strategy in place that complements their healthcare demands during the seasonal movement. As a mitigation strategy to prevent defaulting, the DOTs providers offer the full course of drugs for patients to take home assuming they will continue taking their treatment wherever they are. However, the health system has no mechanism to evaluate treatment compliance and outcomes (whether cured, completed, died, or defaulted). A DOTs provider at a health center said:
“The pastoralist communities do not have access to DOTs within walking distance. We urge them to stay in the town, but they can’t afford the living cost. Also, they have to stay away from their families, home and cattle. If you see from their side, it is difficult to comply with that. It will be better if a new approach can be found out.”
Cross-border movement
Somali regional state of Ethiopia shares international borders with Djibouti, Somaliland, Somalia and Kenya. The study communities share similar ethnicity, language and religion with adjacent communities of neighboring countries. Interviews with patients and health workers unveiled that Ethiopian patients seek healthcare in neighbor countries or vice versa. For example, one patient said that three of his family members attended TB treatment in Somaliland. The healthcare providers claimed that they sometimes encounter patients that request referral to neighboring countries. However, the absence of a cross-border referral platform has been problematic to manage such cases. The manager at RHB described that there had been initiatives for cross-border collaboration years back, but it has not been materialized. A DOTs provider at a health center said:
“….. A year before, one patient requested me to give him a referral paper to Somaliland. I said to him, ‘I can refer only to another health center/hospital in Ethiopia, but I do not have the mandate for an international referral.’ So, I tried to convince him to finish the treatment here. Unfortunately, he defaulted, and I could not trace him back.”
Discussion
Through the eyes and experiences of patients, frontline providers and programme managers in eastern Ethiopia, we identified patient, societal context and health-system related challenges that affect the patients’ TB services uptake, and the healthcare system’s efficiency in provision of TB services for pastoralists. The major barriers affecting service utilization were poor knowledge, limited access to services, mobility, and informal medication practices; whereas, the major challenges affecting service provision included poor facility infrastructure, inadequate resources (workforce, budget and supply), lack of zonal health department and district TB unit, poor private engagement, lack of pastoralist-tailored approach, and cross-border movement. A framework for the interrelations and patterns of barriers and challenges of TB services in pastoralist communities was developed based on the concept of systems thinking [34, 35] (Fig. 1).
Our study reveals that poor TB knowledge, misconceptions, poor awareness of services and perceived discrimination were among the main factors affecting service utilization. The findings are consistent with reports from resource-limited settings [36,37,38]. The root cause of knowledge and awareness gaps was limited access to TB education and medical services. Community-based TB education was almost nonexistent, but previously treated TB patients were the main sources of information about TB. Although access to services without financial and geographical barriers is central to the End-TB strategy , pastoralists were not relishing the virtue of universal access as a result of thelack of nearby health facilities, or the absence of TB services at frontline facilities. This has been a prevailing challenge in pastoral areas of Ethiopia . The inaccessibility worsens in the dry season when pastoralists migrate to remote areas. Hence, patients sought delayed healthcare and implementing DOTs has been perplexing. As mitigation, providers enforce patients to stay in towns to complete DOTs, but it is posing economic, psychological and social impacts such as excessive expenses for housing and food, lack of family support, nostalgia and work lay-off. Nonetheless, lack of socioeconomic support increases adverse treatment outcomes like a loss to follow-up that can result in drug resistance . Thus, availing accessible and affordable TB services in primary healthcare units is a necessity to improve utilization of TB services in the setting [42, 43]. If cost-effective, provision of shelter and food services in health facilities can also improve DOTs compliance in pastoral areas .
Due to poor awareness and inaccessibility of services, pastoralist patients opted for traditional or informal remedies as initial points-of-care. Patients who perceived their illness as a common respiratory illness and associated with curse attempted herbal and religious healing practices, as shown in similar findings [45, 46]. What is unique in our finding is that most pastoralist patients commonly initiated first care at rural drug vendors who recklessly provide injectable and oral medications. Drug vendors are preferred due to their convenience and absence of health facilities in rural areas, so patients only sought healthcare after the medication attempts at drug vendors failed to improve their illness. This reveals that drug vendorsappeared to be the main barriers blocking patients’ healthcare-seeking to public health facilities. The inappropriate use of antibiotics by unauthorized and untrained drug vendors may result in undesirable disease outcomes, and an outbreak of resistance to the commonly used antibiotics may happen in the setting [47, 48]. Therefore, engaging rural drug vendors in presumptive case identification and referral is a unique opportunity to reduce delay and tackle the crisis of antimicrobial resistance in the setting.
Resource-related challenges affecting services’ delivery were inadequate infrastructure, manpower, supply, support and budget. Scarce resources hinder the availability and quality of healthcare services . Due to shortage of healthcare providers mainly laboratory staff and poor infrastructure like lack of rooms and water supply, majorities of health centers in the region did not provide TB diagnosis and treatment services, which is incomparably lagging compared to elsewhere in Ethiopia [49,50,51]. Whereas, shortage of equipment, interruption of drug and reagent supplies, and lack of IEC aids were common incidents in health facilities with TB services, which could substantially hinder case detection and treatment efforts [49, 52]. For instance, only four Xpert MTB/RIF devices were available at the time of the study in two hospitals of the region although several hundred instruments have been deployed in Ethiopia to improve case detections and drug susceptibility testing . Moreover, funding gaps, absence of partners/donors and expert limitations affected supervision activities. Providers’ job satisfaction which is essential to enhance TB programme performance is also missing. This implies expanding services in existing primary healthcare units, employing healthcare workers with an attractive retention and capacity building strategy, ensuring persistent supply and local production of IEC materials are crucial to cascade the End-TB strategy targets on track in the setting. Efforts are also needed to look for potential partners that can fill the funding gaps.
Structural deficiencies restricted management capacities. The global strategy puts district-level TB units among the key elements of TB programme management to establish an enabling structure for proper workflow and management of activities . However, the health-system structure lacks zonal and district TB units. As a result, the regional TB office was forced to shoulder all management activities in the region consisting of over 96 districts, but it was impossible. Decentralizing TB programme management into zonal and district levels should be done to create enabling structure for distribution of supplies, monitoring and evaluation, supervision, and support. Moreover, the poor engagement of private sector in TB services was another structural challenge. Private clinics and drug outlets are the first points of consultation for common illnesses in the study area, so failure to engage them - in identification, referral, diagnosis and treatment was a missed opportunity to capture missing TB cases, accelerate early detection and expand service coverage .
The lack of a tailored approach that complements pastoralists’ movements and the impacts of subsequent droughts was a critical setback. In the absence of a tailored approach that allows season-persistent access to healthcare services, the case finding and DOTs approaches cannot be successful but end up with unwanted outcomes specifically delayed healthcare seeking and treatment defaulting . Characteristic service models such as mobile TB services and community engagement have been efficient and effective in hard-to-reach communities [56, 57]. Hence, mobile screening using the regional mobile health teams, one health approach and mobile DOTs through engaging community leaders can be useful strategies to enhance case finding and treatment adherence in pastoralist communities. The one health approach that integrates human-animal health services has been an effective and efficient mode of service delivery for pastoralists . This study was conducted as part of one health approach in the setting and a related study has shown satisfactory results in community-based integrated disease surveillance, TB was not reported though. Hence, the one health approach can also help implement community-based TB case finding in the setting. Optional to mobile DOTs, novel technologies that assist patients’ drug intake at home will be very instrumental to mitigate the challenge of DOTs noncompliance.
Cross-border movement of pastoralists into/from neighboring countries (Somalia, Kenya and Djibouti) affected TB treatment compliance and management. A strategic framework for cross-border TB control programmeming was developed for highly mobile populations , but the initiative was not materialized to handle patients requesting cross-border referral that resulted in treatment discontinuations. Thus, the risk of drug resistance due to treatment discontinuation and exchange of resistant strains would be alarming among migratory patients in the setting . This implies the need for founding cross-border collaboration platforms in the region.
As with any empirical investigation, this study is also subjected to certain limitations. Had we traced and interviewed defaulter patients, we would have provided a detailed understanding of the actual causes of defaulting in pastoralist setting directly from the voices of the patients facing the problem.
Conclusion
TB control programme in pastoralist communities of Ethiopia has multifaceted challenges that are related to patient, pastoral/social context and health-systems. Poor knowledge, limited access to services, the pastoralist lifestyle/mobility, and rural drug retail practitioners are the major barriers affecting effective utilization of services; whereas, lack of zonal/district TB unit, inadequate resources, lack of pastoralist tailored approach, and cross-border movement are the major challenges affecting service provision. The combined effects of these shortfalls affect the provision, quality and utilization of TB medical services, and result in underperformance of the TB control programme in the pastoralist areas. Hence, in such setups, for the TB control programme to be successful, mobile screening and DOTs services, as well as engagement of rural drug vendors in presuming and referring cases will be instrumental to enhance early case finding and treatment compliance and to tackle drug resistance. Expanding TB services to primary healthcare units and decentralizing programme management will ultimately increase coverage and performance of the TB control programme.
Availability of data and materials
Direct quotes supporting the findings and conclusions are included within the article. The data contain confidential information, and consent has not been obtained for data sharing with identifiers. However, the data used and/or analyzed are available at the hands of the corresponding author and can be shared upon reasonable requests.
Abbreviations
- AFB:
-
Acid Fast Bacilli
- COREQ:
-
Consolidated criteria for Reporting Qualitative research
- DOTS:
-
Directly Observed Therapy-Short Course
- IEC:
-
Information Education Communication
- EPSA:
-
Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Supply Agency
- FMOH:
-
Federal Ministry of Health
- HCP:
-
Health Care Provider
- MDR:
-
Multi-Drug Resistant
- NTP:
-
National TB Control Programme
- PTB:
-
Pulmonary Tuberculosis
- RHB:
-
Regional Health Bureau
- TB:
-
Tuberculosis
- WHO:
-
World Health Organization
- WoHO:
-
Woreda Health Office
- USD:
-
United States Dollar
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Acknowledgments
We are very thankful to Haramaya University and AHRI for the protocol evaluation and ethical approval. Our special gratitude goes to Somali Regional Health Bureau, the respective district health offices and health facilities for assuring permission to participate in the study. Our sincere appreciation also goes to respondents for addressing interviews and supplementary data. Our sincere gratefulness also goes to Manendante Mulugeta (Ph.D. in TEFL) for his language editing. Permission was obtained to use his full name.
Funding
This study was funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in the frame of the Jigjiga One Health Initiative (JOHI) and Jigjiga University. Funding organizations had no role in the design, collection, analysis, and interpretation of findings.
Ethics declarations
Ethics approval and consent to participate
The study was ethically approved by the Institutional Health Research Ethics Review Committee (IHRERC) of Haramaya University (Ref.No: IHRERC/009/2016), and AHRI/ALERT Ethical Review Committee (Ref.No: P001/17). Informed and written consent was obtained after information was provided for participants. Voluntarism and withdrawal from the study were guaranteed, and confidentiality of information is maintained. If a patient was illiterate, the participant information was read and consent was obtained in front of a witness who could sign the consent (Supplementary file). All methods were carried out in accordance with the WHO and Ethiopian guidelines for Ethical Conduct and Publication of Health Research . The protocol was performed following the Health Research guidelines of Haramaya University and Armauer Hansen Research Institute in Ethiopia.
Consent for publication
Not applicable.
Competing interests
None of the authors have any competing interests.
Additional information
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Supplementary Information
Additional file 1.
Challenges in Delivery of Tuberculosis Services in Pastoralist Settings, Ethiopia: Clues for Reforming Service Models and Organizational Structures. Interview guide tools for delayed TB patients and TB care workers/managers.
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Getnet, F., Demissie, M., Worku, A. et al. Challenges in delivery of tuberculosis Services in Ethiopian Pastoralist Settings: clues for reforming service models and organizational structures. BMC Health Serv Res 21, 627 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-06662-3
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Published: | https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-021-06662-3 |
My assessment revealed rampant dental decay and localised dental abscesses in the mouth. It was clear that the only reasonable course of action would be to have all his teeth removed, but there was one major problem. Tshepo’s condition is characterised by limitations in his control of bodily movements and coordination, making it difficult to perform dental procedures in a typical dental setting. Additionally, Tshepo experienced anxiety from a previous encounter in a healthcare setting that included the use of ‘force’ to achieve a ‘successful’ procedural outcome.
Inadequate resources for people with disabilities
The only way the procedure could be performed would be to place Tshepo under general anaesthesia. The healthcare staff required for this procedure would be the anaesthetist, nurses, and dental practitioner. Regarding infrastructure and equipment, there would need to be a recovery room, a bed at a short-stay surgery ward and an appropriately equipped operating theatre.
However, only a dental practitioner was available, so Tshepo could not receive the appropriate treatment at this stage. Instead, a short-term solution involved prescribing medication to control the infection and alleviate his pain and then referring him to his local clinic for management and referral to another centre that could assist him with the procedure. Yet again, I found myself unable to help yet another person whose needs the ‘system’ had been unable to provide for.
With my extensive exposure to the South African public oral health service, I have yet to find oral health services structured so that they can respond to ALL people’s emergency oral health needs. Persons living with disabilities, especially intellectual disabilities, have, time and time again, demonstrated experiencing extreme challenges with accessing oral healthcare, which has been a systemic challenge that oral health professionals and the healthcare system have failed to address sustainably.
On the 18th of November, 2022, the World Health Organisation launched and published the Global Oral Health Status Report , which painted a grim picture of the status of global oral health. According to the report, more than 3.5 billion people globally are affected by oral disease, equating to nearly half of the world’s population, thus making oral diseases the most prevalent non-communicable disease globally. Oral diseases are on the rise due to an increase in the ageing population, a rise in oral health risk behaviours, and lifestyle and other factors. This is a result of decades of oral health neglect and non-action on oral disease by governments across the globe.
Too few dentists in public health
In South Africa, oral health services are provided in the private and public sectors. However, the private oral health sector remains inaccessible and unaffordable for most of the population, although it employs more than 70% of the country’s oral health workforce. More than 80% of the population depends on the public health sector for their healthcare needs, even though the same public health service has no more than 3000 dentists and far fewer numbers of dental therapists and oral hygienists to attend to the needs of an estimated 58 million people.
Now more than ever, the story of Tshepo and many others I could not help reminded me of the need to take action to foster disability-inclusive health systems and to take that action now. Oral diseases significantly impact the quality of life and general health of the people affected. Persons with disabilities are disproportionately affected by poor access to oral health services compared to those without disabilities and often suffer the worst health outcomes associated with oral disease.
Even so, oral health services have failed to adequately respond to the oral health needs of persons with disabilities and those of the general population. The are several challenges that adversely contribute to the current picture.
Public oral health not designed for special healthcare needs
Firstly, a lack of leadership and appropriate governance in oral health continues to be a major challenge. A significant majority of public oral health clinics cannot provide much-needed care for persons with special healthcare needs due to poor service planning and a lack of integration of oral health services in general health service programmes. General dental extractions are the order of the day in most facilities, with no emphasis on primary oral healthcare and prevention. Some colleagues have highlighted challenges with pleading the case with facility managers to prioritise oral healthcare services, e.g. experiencing difficulties to get theatre time and ward space for booked clients for dental procedures under general anaesthesia.
Secondly, there is a severe shortage of oral health practitioners in the public service, affecting access to and the quality of oral health services provided. Tshepo and his mother would not have needed to travel to another district on limited financial resources to make a trip that resulted in inadequate services for his immediate need had these services been available within their district.
Thirdly, the training of oral health practitioners does not adequately incorporate oral healthcare for persons with complex healthcare needs, especially those living with conditions like autism and cerebral palsy, amongst others. Consequently, the ‘independent practitioners’ tasked with serving ALL of society battle with the confidence to manage clients like Tshepo. At best, they are caught playing the “pill and refer” game that hardly results in the appropriate management and response to clients’ healthcare needs and instead could have telling implications for antibiotic surveillance and or the possible development of preventable antibiotic resistance in these particular clients.
Challenges around oral health and disability
Public oral health services may not be designed and organised in a manner that ensures the utmost accessibility and inclusivity. An example is the absence of training for healthcare workers and undergraduate students in basic South African Sign Language (now officially recognised as an official language of the Republic).
Several challenges are found at the intersection of oral health and disability, and they all need attention. No one should have to experience and overcome such extreme barriers to access urgent oral healthcare as Tshepo did. It is the society, the systems and the infrastructure that we design that place barriers that make it difficult and sometimes near impossible for differently-abled persons to enjoy their rights, including their right to health.
As we ‘wrap up’ National Disability Rights Awareness Month, it is important for those of us who serve on the side of privilege to reflect on how the status quo continues to push others to the margins. What kind of healthcare practitioner am I if I play no part in ensuring that those who need my assistance do so with the least barriers experienced? Public oral healthcare has to reform and demonstrate to the broader healthcare fraternity what is possible when you design and organise service delivery in a manner that prioritises the healthcare needs of ALL. It is time to advocate for and invest in building disability-inclusive health systems that include oral healthcare services today.
Written by Dr Bulela Vava – Interim National Chairperson of the Public Oral Health Forum. | https://health-e.org.za/2022/12/07/when-oral-health-and-disability-meet/ |
The inadequate representation of ethnic and racial minority groups in clinical trials taking place in the United States is currently of great concern. Although minority groups should not carry an unfair burden in clinical research, they also should not be excluded from participation in clinical trials.1 Research has shown that genetic factors, including race, greatly influence disease propensity and an individual’s response to treatment.2 Despite this, genetic differences are not adequately taken into account in clinical research. Furthermore, despite the prevalence of commonly studied diseases among many populations, ethnic and racial minority groups in the US continue to be under-represented in clinical research.
Several factors are responsible for the low enrollment of minorities in US clinical trials. Among the most important factors, as various studies have shown, are an insufficient number of minority investigators, language barriers, cultural perceptions, religious beliefs, poverty, and illiteracy. While many pharmaceutical companies are making an effort to include minority groups – by employing more ethnically and racially diverse clinical investigators and hiring more healthcare providers with access to minority populations – there is a continued disparity in minority participation compared to other populations in the US.
According to US FDA regulations, clinical trial participants should best represent the population for whom the medication undergoing testing is intended. Because of the under-representation of US minority populations, since 1988 the FDA has required that in order to ensure the safety and efficacy of new drug applications, studies should include subgroups according to population demographics. The FDA further specifies that these subgroups should adequately represent different ages, genders, races and ethnicities.
Patient characteristics are often associated with markers of disease prevalence and severity, and influence how an individual absorbs, metabolises and ultimately responds to medications. The lack of diversity in clinical trials makes it difficult to determine whether a new drug works equally well for everyone. In particular, a specific drug may not work as well in some people because, for example, they have a different version of a protein needed to activate the drug inside the body. If physicians know that a particular drug is less effective in people with a certain genetic makeup, they can prescribe a different treatment for those individuals. Clinical trials can often reveal such differences if they include the full range of people who will use the drug being tested.
In July 2005, the US Census Bureau reported that the total population of the US was 296.4 million. Of this, 42.7 million were Hispanic, 39.7 million were African Americans and Caribbean African Americans, and 14.4 million were Asian Americans. Minorities in the US currently represent one-third of the country’s total population. Hispanics, or people of Latin American descent (sometimes referred to as Latinos), are the largest minority group in the country. Asian Americans form the third largest minority, and primarily include people of Chinese, Indian, Korean, Vietnamese, Cambodian and Filipino descent. In addition, some of these groups are growing rapidly. Hispanics, for example, accounted for nearly half of the US population growth during the period 1 July 2004 to 1 July 2005.4 Significant growth has also been observed in the Asian American population. As this growth continues, the number of minorities participating in clinical trials should reflect the increase.
Recent studies have shown that numerous factors determine how well clinical trial participation is accepted within a community, and that certain barriers inhibit minority group participation in clinical research. The barriers include economic factors such as transportation or child care costs; language factors, especially illiteracy and lack of English proficiency; negative cultural attitudes about clinical studies; and limited access to routine and preventive healthcare. Inadequate health insurance coverage is a major medical barrier to preventive healthcare, although clinical trial participation for uninsured patients may provide an opportunity for treatment.
Language and cultural barriers interfere significantly with the recruitment of minority populations for clinical research. More specifically, clinical research has been shown to under-represent ethnic and racial minority groups because of inadequate proficiency in the local official language.5 In the past, many countries including the US did not take the participant’s language or race and ethnicity into consideration when enrolling subjects for clinical trials. More recent research has indicated the importance of native language communication, and awareness of this issue has increased.
The process of informed consent in particular is a critical barrier because of inadequate English language skills among many racial and ethnic minority groups. For this reason, informed consent forms must be provided in the patient’s native language, and clinical trial information must be explained in terms that all participants can clearly understand. The need to accommodate those who are not proficient in English is clear, especially as minority groups with limited English proficiency are growing: aside from English, Spanish is currently the number one spoken language spoken in the US, and Mandarin Chinese has quickly become the second.
Community outreach programmes have a major role to play in overcoming language and cultural barriers in clinical research. Improved enrolment rates of minority populations have been observed due to more effective communication through community-based focus groups and the use of culturally appropriate educational information translated into native language(s). Distribution of materials about the prevalence of certain diseases, available prevention programmes and access to clinical trials has been shown to significantly facilitate greater racial and ethnic minority participation. It is critical, however, that translators are native speakers and experts in the field of clinical research.
Many studies indicate that the lack of adequate minority participation in US clinical trials is strongly related to language and cultural barriers, as the following two examples show.
Statistics for minority group participation in cancer studies are similarly concerning. Cancer is the second leading cause of death among Latinos in the US. Certain cancers are reportedly high among Latino populations, including breast, cervical, stomach, gall bladder and liver cancer. Breast cancer, in particular, is the leading cause of cancer death among Latina women. Moreover, Latina women have the third highest breast cancer mortality rate in the US, partly because they tend to be diagnosed at more advanced stages.7 Despite this, Latina women account for less than 2% of clinical trial participants in breast cancer research.
One recent study of the barriers to Latina participation in breast cancer clinical trials indicated that ‘the most influential group-specific social factor contributing to the low participation rates of Latinas was lack of English proficiency’.8 Participants in the study rated native language communication very high and expressed their preference for bilingual healthcare providers or interpreters. In addition, study participants indicated that the healthcare providers’ race or ethnicity was less important than the presence of someone with whom communication in their native language was possible. Fifty percent of the women who participated in the study confirmed that because they could not read or write in English, they did not feel confident navigating their way through the hospital without an interpreter.
The rate of invasive cervical cancer in Hispanic women is almost twice that of non-Hispanics in the US, due largely to poor preventive care in this patient population. In addition to economic factors and education, poor quality Spanish language translation of educational information proved to be the greatest barrier to trial participation.
One study that addressed the barriers to disease prevention among Mexican immigrant women found that education pamphlets designed for these patients were confusing and irrelevant.9 Among the problems identified were differences in terminology differentiating cervical cancer from cancer of the uterus. (Cancer that originates in the cervix or neck of the uterus is distinguished from uterine cancer which originates in the body of the uterus.) The Mexican women in this study commonly misunderstood the Spanish pamphlet translation explaining the importance of pap screening in the prevention of cervical cancer and as a method of screening for cancer of the uterus. Improving patient information materials and informing patients of the importance of clinical trial participation can help overcome such barriers.
Several studies indicate that the low rate of recruitment of Asian Americans in cancer clinical trials can be greatly attributed to language and cultural barriers. Negative cultural perceptions of clinical research as being potentially unsafe greatly influence Asian American subjects. Another major cultural barrier in this population is the predominance of family decision-making. In many Asian cultures, decisions about a family member’s healthcare are commonly made by the senior male member(s) of the family.
A pilot survey of barriers to the recruitment of Asian American women in cancer studies cited language problems, lack of culturally relevant cancer information, and complex protocols.11,12 Asian oncologists who communicated with their patients in their native Asian language reportedly had greater success rates in this study. Several Asian American women with cancer who received care from non-Asian oncologists were found to need language and cultural support through interpreters or patient navigators. | https://www.languageconnections.com/the-missing-minorities/ |
Question:
Discuss About The Health And Community Mobilization Through.
Answer:
Introduction
A B What do you expect to achieve with this action? C Measures of success D The main challenge/risk with implementing the action
Subsidize the costs of healthcare services to the marginalized people To encourage the marginalized people to seek for medical services without worrying about the costs because they are assured of benefiting from it regardless of their economic prowess (Yaya, Bishwajit & Shah 2016). If the number of the marginalized people seeking for medical services increase Inadequate funding
Building of hospitals in rural areas and all the other places where the marginalized live To avail enough healthcare facilities accessible to everyone in the country If there are healthcare facilities evenly distributed in all the parts of the country Inadequate funding
- Empowerment of the marginalised populations To support the marginalized people through education, health promotion programs to enable them to be able to afford healthcare services If the literacy level of the marginalized populations, as well as their knowledge on health-related matters increase Backward cultural beliefs
- Policy change on how to adopt culturally-competent and safe healthcare services To empower the conservative people whose cultural beliefs and traditions still do not recognize and appreciate the value of modern medical care If the people refrain from backward cultural beliefs and start embracing modern healthcare by seeking for medical support from the healthcare facilities around them Lack of enough personnel to spearhead the adoption of culturally-competent care and resistance from many quarters of the society especially the conservatives who might be reluctant to adopt the required behaviour change (Yaya, Bishwajit & Shah 2016).
- Improvement of infrastructure in the rural areas To provide enough roads and other transport facilities to increase access to healthcare services by the marginalized sections of the population If there are adequate transport network facilities like railway lines and roads in all parts of the country especially in the areas where they were initially not available Political interferenc
Select the most challenging risk/challenge listed above. List ways in which this risk/challenge could be addressed or minimised (use dot points, 50 words)? (2 marks)
The most serious challenge that can be faced during the implementation of this action plan is lack of enough funding that can be used to cater for all the improvements. It can, however, be addressed by taking the following measures:
Increasing the amount of taxes paid by the Malawians because it will be used for a common good
The government through the DoH to seek for funds from other sources such as foreign donations and grants
The government should sacrifice other development areas and prioritize healthcare equity and equality (Yaya, Bishwajit & Shah 2016)
What other information/guidance might you provide to Malawi DoH, to guide them in their work and why do you think it would be useful? Write in sentence form as this section will be marked in terms of clarity as well as usefulness. (200 words). (2 marks)
The only advice that I would like to deliver to the DoH is that it cannot achieve health equity if part of its population is still marginalized. The government, through the DoH should know that there is a need to address the problem of marginalization because it means a lot to its people (Abiiro, Mbera & De Allegri 2014). For the government to achieve in its plan of providing a people-cantered care, it should always be ready to encourage the equal distribution of healthcare resources to all parts of the country without any form of discrimination (Colbourn, et al., 2013). Although Africa is a continent that still thrives in ethnicity, the DoH should break this norm and decide to give equal treatment to all the people especially the marginalized (Qureshi, Young, Muyco, Borgstein, Charles, Mulwafu & Mkandawire 2013). Nevertheless, to achieve all these, the DoH should acknowledge that it can work on its own. Instead, it should seek for the contributions of all the stakeholders such as the NGOs, faith-based organizations, and the private investors because each of them has a significant role to play towards the accomplishment of these goals. For example, the church and the private investors can help in the construction and management of hospitals, clinics, dispensaries, and healthcare centres in different parts of the country (Fuentes-Nieva & Galasso, 2014).
References
Abiiro, G. A., Mbera, G. B., & De Allegri, M., 2014. Gaps in universal health coverage in Malawi: a qualitative study in rural communities.
BMC health services research, 14(1), 234.
Colbourn, T., Nambiar, B., Bondo, A., Makwenda, C., Tsetekani, E., Makonda-Ridley, A., ... & Davies, R., 2013. Effects of quality
improvement in health facilities and community mobilization through women's groups on maternal, neonatal and perinatal mortality in
three districts of Malawi: MaiKhanda, a cluster randomized controlled effectiveness trial. International health, 5(3), 180-195.
Fuentes-Nieva, R., & Galasso, N., 2014. Working for the Few: Political capture and economic inequality. Oxfam.
Yaya, S., Bishwajit, G., & Shah, V., 2016. Wealth, education and urban–rural inequality and maternal healthcare service usage in Malawi. BMJ
global health, 1(2), e000085.
Qureshi, J. S., Young, S., Muyco, A. P., Borgstein, E., Charles, A. G., Mulwafu, W., ... & Mkandawire, N., 2013. Addressing Malawi's
surgical workforce crisis: a sustainable paradigm for training and collaboration in Africa. Surgery, 153(2), 272-281. | https://essayhub.net/essays/health-and-community-mobilization-through-assignment |
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing the estimated costs at current and at constant prices of private pension income tax reliefs in 1960, 1970, 1980, 1985 and the latest year for which the figures are available, distinguishing between employers', employees' and self-employed contributions, tax-free lump sums and other reliefs, and also showing the costs as a proportion of income tax revenues.
Readily available estimates of the direct revenue costs of pension reliefs are given in the table.latest year for which figures are available the estimated amounts by which income tax liability is reduced on account of private pension income tax reliefs, assuming taxpayers with gross annual earnings in the ranges under £5,000, £5,000 to £10,000, £10,000 to £20,000, £20,000 to £30,000, £30,000 to £50,000, £50,000 to £100,000 and over £100,000.
Estimates for 1987–88 are as follows:
|Range of total earned income||Number of taxpay-ing units' receiving relief for contributions to occupationalpensions schemes or retirement annuity policies||Average reduction in income tax liability, on account of individuals ' contributions to occupational pensions schemes and retirement annuity policies|
|£||(thousands)||£|
|0–5,000||280||60|
|5,000–10,000||2,500||100|
|10,000–20,000||4,510||180|
|20.000–30,000||1,060||370|
|30,000–50,000||345||870|
|50,000–100,000||75||2,300|
|over 100,000||10||6,400|
|1 Married couples are treated as one unit.|
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost to the Exchequer of increasing the single person's allowance to £3,110.
The direct revenue cost at 1988–89 levels of income of increasing the single person's allowance to £3,110 is estimated to be £2·2 billion. The cost assumes the wife's earned income allowance and the single age allowance are increased by the same cash amount and is compared with indexation of the current income tax bands and allowances to 1988–89 levels as in table 4·1 of the 1987 Autumn Statement. | https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1987-12-18/debates/a20be62b-1917-4efd-897a-99490d6dbd36/Pensions |
The IRS announced relief from late-payment penalties and that it will allow late elections for taxpayers subject to the new Sec. 965 transition tax on deemed repatriated foreign earnings, which was enacted by P.L. 115-97, known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (IR-2018-131). The information is posted in new FAQs on the IRS website.
In general, Sec. 965 requires U.S. shareholders, as defined in Sec. 951(b), to pay a transition tax on the untaxed foreign earnings of certain specified foreign corporations as if those earnings had been repatriated to the United States. Sec. 965 applies to the last tax year of certain specified foreign corporations beginning before Jan. 1, 2018, and the amount included in income is includible in a U.S. shareholder's year in which or with which such a specified foreign corporation's year ends. Under the new law, some taxpayers had to pay tax as a result of Sec. 965 when filing their 2017 tax returns.
First, the IRS granted relief from estimated tax penalties for taxpayers that made a Sec. 965(h) election for 2017, filed a 2017 income tax return that calculated an overpayment without including the taxpayer's total net tax liability under Sec. 965, and improperly attempted to apply a 2017 calculated overpayment to their 2018 estimated tax, if they made all required estimated tax payments before the due date for the second required estimated tax installment. That is, relief was granted if a taxpayer made an estimated tax payment sufficient to satisfy both the underpayment of the first required estimated tax installment for 2018 and the full amount of the second required estimated tax installment for 2018 on or before the due date for the second installment (which was June 15, 2018, for calendar-year taxpayers). This relief applied only to taxpayers whose first required installment for 2018 was due on or before April 18, 2018.
If the IRS sends a taxpayer a notice of an addition to tax for a Sec. 6654 or 6655 estimated tax underpayment, and the taxpayer qualified for the relief described above, the taxpayer should contact the IRS office that issued the notice and request abatement of the addition to tax.
The other two forms of relief apply to individual taxpayers. The first one is for individuals who elected to pay their Sec. 965 net tax liability in eight annual installment payments but failed to make the first of the eight installment payments by April 18, 2018. For those taxpayers, the IRS will waive the late-payment penalty if the installment is paid in full by April 15, 2019. Without this relief, a taxpayer who failed to make the first year's payment would have had the remaining eight installments become due immediately. The IRS is granting this relief only to individual taxpayers whose total transition tax liability is less than $1 million. Interest will still be due on the late payments. A later payment deadline of June 17, 2019, applies to certain individuals who live and work outside the United States.
The final relief is for individual taxpayers who filed their 2017 return without electing to pay the transition tax under Sec. 965(h) in eight annual installments. Those taxpayers may still make the election by filing a Form 1040-X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, on or before the due date of the individual's 2017 return, taking into account any additional time that would have been granted if the individual had made an extension request (Oct. 15, 2018, for calendar-year taxpayers).
The AICPA submitted comment letters to the IRS on April 4, 2018, and April 19, 2018, requesting clarification of some previous IRS FAQs on this issue, along with relief for certain taxpayers subject to the transition tax. The newly released penalty and other relief addresses several of the questions and concerns raised by the AICPA in the April 4 letter. However, Jonathan Horn, senior manager—AICPA Tax Policy & Advocacy, notes that "the IRS actions to date fail to mitigate the detrimental impact on taxpayers raised in the AICPA's letter of April 19." | https://www.thetaxadviser.com/issues/2018/sep/penalty-late-election-relief-sec-965-transition-tax.html |
FCA bans and fines ex-CEO after he took steps to reduce his tax liability
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority has banned and fined the ex-CEO of a small mutual insurer after he took steps to reduce his tax liability and conceal his actions.
Stuart Malcolm Forsyth was fined £154,498 in total by the two regulators following a joint investigation that found he had transferred "excessive" amounts of his own remuneration to his wife to reduce his tax liability, and had taken steps to conceal that arrangement.
According to the FCA, when Forsyth was CEO of Scottish Boatowners Mutual Insurance Association (SBMIA), he paid his wife a proportion of his own salary in compensation for providing some out of hours administrative support and occasional hospitality at home. Up until 2010, Forsyth was paid between £5,000 and £10,000 per annum, which was not considered unreasonable for the work she was undertaking.
From 2010, however, the FCA said Forsyth transferred increasing amounts of his salary, and in most years all or part of his bonus to Forsyth in order to reduce his tax liability.
Between 2010 and 2016, Forsyth transferred just over £200,000 to his wife, and by the 2015/16 tax year, Mrs Forsyth's remuneration was just over £52,000 - more than any other SBMIA employees, except the CEO.
The FCA claimed as a result of these payments, Forsyth paid approximately £18,000 less in income tax than he should have done.
False minutes created
SBMIA's board and remuneration committee were aware Forsyth paid a proportion of his salary to his wife, but were not aware of how much she was paid.
Forsyth concealed the level of payments by creating false minutes to give the impression that SMBIA's remuneration committee had agreed the salaries of both Forsyth and his wife, when in actuality it had only agreed Stuart Forsyth's. Then, in late 2015, after internal concerns were raised about Mrs Forsyth's remuneration, the former CEO inappropriately involved himself in a subsequent investigation by an external auditor.
According to the FCA, Forsyth did not believe his actions were permissible. He was aware that his wife only carried out a small amount of administrative work and that amount of remuneration was unjustified. The financial watchdog argued that, by deliberately arranging the payments to Mrs Forsyth, he acted without integrity to his financial benefit.
Since the issuing of the FCA's decision notice for Forsyth on 30 September, the ex-CEO has referred the matter to the Upper Tribunal, where the FCA, PRA and Forsyth will present their respective cases. The Upper Tribunal will then determine what, if any, is the appropriate action for the two regulators to take.
This article was first published by Professional Adviser, a sister title to International Investment. | https://www.internationalinvestment.net/news/4007059/fca-bans-fines-ceo-steps-reduce-tax-liability |
Tax treatment of state and local tax refunds. In IRS Rev. Rul. 2019-11, the Internal Revenue Service addressed how the long standing tax benefit rule interacts with the new $10,000 limit on deductions of state and local taxes to determine the portion of any state or local tax refund that must be included on the taxpayer’s federal income tax return. Tax treatment of state and local tax refunds.
Sec. 164 generally provides an itemized deduction for certain taxes paid or accrued during the tax year. However, Sec 164 (b) (6) as added by the law known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, P.L. 115-97, limits an individual’s deduction for the aggregate amount of state and local taxes paid during the calendar year to $10,000 ($5,000 in the case of a married individual filing a separate return.) Sec. 111 (a), which partially codifies the tax benefit rule, excludes from gross income amounts attributable to the recovery during the tax year of any amount deducted in any prior year to the extent the amount did not reduce the amount of tax imposed by Chapter 1 of the Code.
Taxpayers who itemize deductions and who paid state and local taxes in excess of the state and local tax deduction limit may not be required to include the entire state or local tax refund in income in the following year. According to the IRS, a key part of that determination is calculating the amount the taxpayer would have deducted had the taxpayer only paid the actual state and local tax liability, with no refund and no balance due. The IRS therefore ruled that if a taxpayer received a tax benefit from deducting state or local taxes in a prior tax year and the taxpayer recovers all or a portion of those taxes in the current tax year, the taxpayer must include in gross income the lesser of, The difference between the taxpayer’s total deductions in the prior year and the deductions taken if he had taken the proper amount. | https://federaltaxresolution.com/tax-treatment-of-state-and-local-tax-refunds/ |
Contribution to annuity plan of LIC (Life Insurance Corporation of India) or any other Life Insurance Company for receiving pension from the fund is considered for tax benefit. The maximum allowable Tax deduction under this section is Rs 1.5 Lakh.
Employee can contribute to Government notified Pension Schemes (like National Pension Scheme – NPS). The contributions can be up to 10% of the salary (or) Gross Income and Rs 50,000 additional tax benefit u/s 80CCD (1b) was proposed in Budget 2015. To claim this deduction, the employee has to contribute to Govt recognized Pension schemes like NPS. The 10% of salary limit is applicable for salaried individuals and Gross income is applicable for non-salaried. The definition of Salary is only ‘Dearness Allowance.’ If your employer also contributes to Pension Scheme, the whole contribution amount (10% of salary) can be claimed as tax deduction under Section 80CCD (2).
Kindly note that the Total Deduction under section 80C, 80CCC and 80CCD (1) together cannot exceed Rs 1,50,000 for the financial year 2016-17. The additional tax deduction of Rs 50,000 u/s 80CCD (1b) is over and above this Rs 1.5 Lakh limit.
Deduction u/s 80D on health insurance premium is Rs 25,000. For Senior Citizens it is Rs 30,000. For very senior citizen above the age of 80 years who are not eligible to take health insurance, deduction is allowed for Rs 30,000 toward medical expenditure.
Preventive health checkup (Medical checkups) expenses to the extent of Rs 5,000/- per family can be claimed as tax deductions. Remember, this is not over and above the individual limits as explained above. (Family includes: Self, spouse, dependent children and parents).
An individual (less than 60 years of age) can claim upto Rs 40,000 for the treatment of specified critical ailments. This can also be claimed on behalf of the dependents. The tax deduction limit under this section for Senior Citizens is Rs 60,000 and for very Senior Citizens (above 80 years) the limit is Rs 80,000.
To claim Tax deductions under Section 80DDB, it is mandatory for an individual to obtain ‘Doctor Certificate’ or ‘Prescription’ from a specialist working in a Govt or Private hospital.
For the purposes of section 80DDB, the following shall be the eligible diseases or ailments:
Neurological Diseases where the disability level has been certified to be of 40% and above;
(a) Dementia
(b) Dystonia Musculorum Deformans
(c) Motor Neuron Disease
(d) Ataxia
(e) Chorea
(f) Hemiballismus
(g) Aphasia
(h) Parkinson’s Disease
The interest component of home loans is allowed as deduction under Section 24B for up to Rs 2 lakh in case of a self-occupied house. If your property is a let-out one then the entire interest amount can be claimed as tax deduction.
This is a new proposal which has been made in Budget 2016-17. First time Home Buyers can claim an additional Tax deduction of up to Rs 50,000 on home loan interest payments u/s 80EE. The below criteria has to be met for claiming tax deduction under section 80EE.
As per the budget 2016 proposal, the Tax Deduction amount under 80GG has been increased from Rs 24,000 per annum to Rs 60,000 per annum. Section 80GG is applicable for all those individuals who do not own a residential house & do not receive HRA (House Rent Allowance).
The extent of tax deduction will be limited to the least amount of the following;
Contributions made to certain relief funds and charitable institutions can be claimed as a deduction under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act. This deduction can only be claimed when the contribution has been made via cheque or draft or in cash. But deduction is not allowed for donations made in cash exceeding Rs 10,000. In-kind contributions such as food material, clothes, medicines etc do not qualify for deduction under section 80G.
If you take any loan for higher studies (after completing Senior Secondary Exam), tax deduction can be claimed under Section 80E for interest that you pay towards your Education Loan. This loan should have been taken for higher education for you, your spouse or your children or for a student for whom you are a legal guardian. Principal Repayment on educational loan cannot be claimed as tax deduction. There is no limit on the amount of interest you can claim as deduction under section 80E. The deduction is available for a maximum of 8 years or till the interest is paid, whichever is earlier.
If you are earning below Rs 5 lakh, you can save an additional Rs 3,000 in taxes. Tax rebate under Section 87A has been raised from Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 for FY 2016-17 (AY 2017-18).
In case if your tax liability is less than Rs 5,000 for FY 2016-17, the rebate u/s 87A will be restricted up to income tax liability only.
Deduction from gross total income of an individual or HUF, up to a maximum of Rs. 10,000/-, in respect of interest on deposits in savings account with a bank, co-operative society or post office can be claimed under this section. Section 80TTA deduction is not available on interest income from fixed deposits. | http://sensageonline.com/TaxPlanning.aspx |
A bill that would exempt Missourians from paying taxes on recently received federal stimulus checks passed out of the Missouri General Assembly and is now headed to Gov. Mike Parson’s desk.
The measure was added as an amendment to a previous tax-related bill sponsored by Platte County Republican Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer. The bill, Senate Bill 676, received bipartisan support and was voted out of the Senate unanimously, something you don’t always see, said Luetkemeyer.
“People are hurting right now,” he said. “There’s a lot of economic uncertainty and this is something the state can do to help people financially during this time.”
The total amount of revenue that the state could collect from the stimulus checks is estimated to be roughly $36 million. But even at a time where the state’s budget could use an extra boost, Luetkemeyer said it shouldn’t come from federal dollars meant for struggling taxpayers.
“The state would never have been entitled to that money if COVID-19 never happened,” he said.
“If we have a position of allowing the state to get a windfall off of those stimulus checks or making sure that money stays in the hands of working families, my view is that it should stay in the hands of working families,” said Luetkemeyer.
The way the tax system is structured is if your federal tax liability goes down, your state liability rises, and vice versa.
Missouri is one of six states with a federal deductibility provision that could result in the relief payments being subject to state income tax. Missouri’s deduction applies to those with $125,000 or less in state gross income and is capped at $5,000, or $10,000 for joint filers. If the relief checks reduce a qualifying taxpayer’s federal liability below those thresholds, the taxpayer’s state tax liability could increase, according to Law 360 and the Tax Foundation.
“This is going to be treated as a credit on the federal side, which means that your tax liability will go down on the federal side, meaning that your Missouri liability is going to go up,” said Luetkemeyer, a practicing attorney. “So in terms of how much it would cost each individual who receives these stimulus checks, that’s going to be dependent on their individual income levels.”
“While it has not yet been determined how the IRS will instruct the states to treat federal stimulus money for individual income tax purposes, the measure proposed in the amendment is a safeguard that will protect Missouri taxpayers from the possibility of being penalized for receiving federal stimulus dollars,” Anne Marie Moy, the communications director for the Missouri Department of Revenue, told News-Press NOW last month. “The amendment ensures Missourians benefit from federal economic relief, as it was intended.”
As previously reported by News-Press NOW, the potential tax Missourians would have to pay on their 2020 state taxes would be $64.80 on a single $1,200 stimulus check, according to figures from the Department of Revenue and a research attorney for the Missouri Senate.Gov. Parson signaled he was in support of the measure when News-Press NOW asked him about it last month. “In this time of great economic uncertainty, Missouri citizens should not have to worry about their stimulus checks being taxed by the government,” Parson said. “I appreciate Sen. Luetkemeyer’s leadership on this issue and for looking out for Missouri taxpayers.
”Luetkemeyer projected that Parson would sign the measure, along with other fully passed pieces of legislation, sometime in June or July. | https://www.newspressnow.com/news/local_news/lawmakers-approve-bill-to-prevent-taxation-of-stimulus-checks/article_5c224460-9600-11ea-adef-376bd468fc13.html |
IR-2018-179, Sept. 6, 2018 ― With nearly 10 million U.S. taxpayers facing a penalty for underpayment of estimated tax last year, the Internal Revenue Service urges taxpayers to plan ahead, understand their options and avoid the penalty when they file in early 2019.
The IRS expects that you will pay the taxes you owe throughout the year. This is Penalties may also apply if you are late paying any estimated tax payments. Topic No. 306 Penalty for Underpayment of Estimated Tax. The United States income tax system is a pay-as-you-go tax system, which means that you must pay income tax as you earn or receive your income during the year. You can do this either through withholding or by making estimated tax payments. IRS interest rates will decrease to 5% for the third quarter of 2019. The Internal Revenue Service announced that interest rates on underpayments will decrease to 5% for the calendar quarter beginning July 1, 2019. The rate for noncorporate tax payers is based on the federal short-term rate plus 3 percentage points. They can pay taxes through withholding or by making estimated tax payments. But you may owe a penalty if you do not pay enough in withholding or estimated tax payments during the year. The IRS calls this the penalty for underpayment of estimated tax. When is the penalty waived? Typically, a penalty applies if too little is paid during the year.
7 Aug 2019 With that in mind, let's learn about common IRS tax penalties on the books Failing to make estimated tax payments throughout the year, when required. For 2019's first quarter, the annualized penalty rate will rise to 6%. return, the IRS can impose a penalty of 20% of the amount of tax underpaid as a
Close submenu (Payments & Penalties)Payments & Penalties Taxpayers who make estimated tax payments must submit all of their income tax earlier due date, you may be liable for an additional charge for underpayment of estimated tax. for the preceding taxable year and the current year's tax rates and exemptions; Underpayment of Estimated Income Tax or Limited Liability Entity Tax, "LLET" of Kentucky estimated income tax or LLET multiplied by the tax due interest rate. IRS Interest Rates. 1991 to Present. Period. Overpayments. Underpayments. 2019. October 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019. 5%. 5%. July 1, 2019 – September 30 21 Jan 2019 IRS Waives The Underpayment Penalty for Certain Taxpayers With Insufficient For 2018, their projected tax is estimated to be $45,000 and their on the underpayment of estimated tax to the original threshold rate of 90%. 16 Aug 2019 The IRS waived penalties for underpayment of 2018 estimated taxes, but in tax rates and tax breaks contained in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,
The minimum penalty is the LESSER of two amounts – 100% of the tax required to be shown on the return that you didn’t pay on time, or a specific dollar amount that is adjusted annually for inflation. The specific dollar amounts are: $435 for returns due on or after 1/1/2020* $210 for returns due between 1/1/2018 and 12/31/2019
Underpayment of Estimated Tax Penalties-Income Tax and Corporate Excise, Interest at an annual rate equivalent to the 16 Jan 2019 The IRS said it is “generally waiving the penalty” for any taxpayer who paid at The updated withholding tables, “largely reflected the lower tax rates and the This is called the Underpayment of Estimated Tax penalty and is 22 Mar 2019 15, 2019, for any individual taxpayer whose total withholding and estimated tax payments made on or before Jan. 15, 2019, equal or exceed 80% In addition to any applicable penalty, all assessments of taxes or additional taxes bear interest at the applicable rate from the due date until date of payment. by the Internal Revenue Service of the correction or final determination, the taxpayer is Interest on the underpayment of estimated income tax is computed on Form Easily calculate and print the estimated tax penalty on IRS form 2210. 17 Dec 2019 For Individual Income Tax Filing and paying your taxes late costs you money. The Minnesota Department of Revenue may assess a penalty if 7 Nov 2019 Why Did My Homeowners Insurance Rates Go Up? FAQs. What Is a from the IRS. If you underpay, you will face a bill when you file your return. to be sure. Not paying estimated taxes when you need to can result in penalties. IRS Direct Pay allows you to make payments directly to the IRS. You can
In Notice 2019-25, the IRS expands penalty relief to those whose withholding and estimated tax payments total at least 80% of the tax shown on the return for the 2018 tax year. The Notice also
IR-2019-03, January 16, 2019 — The Internal Revenue Service announced today that it is waiving the estimated tax penalty for many taxpayers whose 2018 federal income tax withholding and estimated tax payments fell short of their total tax liability for the year.
10 Feb 2020 306 Penalty for Underpayment of Estimated Tax. or by making estimated tax payments, you may have to pay a penalty for underpayment The law allows the IRS to waive the penalty if: Message & data rates may apply. Understand when the IRS charges penalties, how the IRS calculates Use Form 2210, Underpayment of Estimated Tax by Individuals, Estates and Trusts. determined and then multiplied by the effective interest rate for the installment period Find out how to calculate the estimated tax payments you should make if you're Paying estimated taxes is one way to make sure you're giving the Internal Revenue and tax rates to help you obtain an accurate figure for this year's payments.4 The interest rate for underpayments by individual taxpayers is 5% in the first 3 Dec 2019 The underpayment penalty is a fine the IRS may charge taxpayers who don't pay enough tax through withholdings or estimated payments When you file your return, the IRS calculates how much tax you should have paid each quarter. The IRS applies a percentage (the penalty rate) to figure your 15 Jan 2020 If an individual has an underpayment of estimated tax, they may be required The Underpayment Penalty occurs when a taxpayer uses IRS Form 2210 the overpayment and underpayment rate is the federal short-term rate This rate is determined by the IRS on a quarterly basis. Year. | https://topbinxmuc.web.app/purpura10584hi/irs-penalty-rate-for-underpayment-of-estimated-tax-1756.html |
- Related Entries In The American Tax Encyclopedia:
- Why Do So Many People Fall Behind On Their Taxes?
- Strategies For Minimizing Estimated Tax Payments
Figure alternative minimum taxable income based on the trust’s income and deductions for the months shown in the column headings directly above line 1. Taxpayers pay annual tax liabilities through tax withholdings and by making estimated tax payments each quarter.
The adjustment was made by the IRS in an effort to help taxpayers who were unable to adjust their withholding and estimated tax payments to reflect changes under the tax reform law. Before you begin, be sure you have a copy of Form CT-1040ES, Estimated Connecticut Income Tax Payment Coupon for Individuals. You need the worksheet to assist you in calculating your Connecticut adjusted gross income, your estimated tax due, and your required annual payment. You also need the coupon for making your installment payment.
He has four different amounts that can together make up the overall annual tax estimation. If Harrison makes payments that partly coincide in time, he can establish his donations in such a way that they can be accompanied by his income. However, calculating this contribution in this way is quite technical, it is mostly done by experts. Salaried employees normally have part of their paychecks withheld for taxes.
C Waiver Of The Penalty
They decide to have the additional amount withheld from John’s wages, so they enter $91 ($4,459 ÷ 49 remaining paydays) on his Form W-4 in Step 4. Pursuant to paragraph of this section, the remaining deferred revenue is recognized on December 31, 2009, for purposes of computing ABC’s annualized income installments for 2009. Use Schedule AI to figure the required installments to enter on Form 2210, Part IV, line 18. Basically, the annual income of the person is divided into quarters, allowing the taxpayers to make the payments in installments, instead of one lump sum. While this may be a perfect option for a full-time employee to pay their taxes in a timely fashion, it isn’t always a reliable choice for those who have multiple sources of income. As your income keeps fluctuating every quarter, there is a chance you may end up with the underpayment.
This strategy, probably doesn’t make sense if you expect this year’s income to be less than last year, because you’ll overpay your taxes. Remember that the wage base on the Social Security portion of the tax can change each year. For example, net earnings from self-employment up to $132,900 are taken into account in figuring self-employment tax in 2018. Independent contractors, sole proprietors, limited liability companies, partners, and S corporation shareholders may all be responsible for paying quarterly taxes. This article will provide an overview of what quarterly estimated taxes are, who pays them, how corporations and individuals calculate them, and strategies for paying them. A corporation that does not otherwise choose to use Fast-File must use the preprinted coupons received from DRS.
Include all estimated tax payments you made for each period. Include any overpayment from your 2019 tax return you elected to apply to your 2020 estimated tax. If your 2019 return was fully paid by the due date, treat the overpayment as a payment made on July 15, 2020. If you mail your estimated tax payments, use the date of the U.S. postmark as the date of payment. If you qualify to use this method, it will result in the same penalty amount as the regular method.
Because the penalty is figured separately for each period, you could owe a penalty for an earlier payment period even if you make it up later. This is true even if you are due a refund when you file your income tax return.
Related Entries In The American Tax Encyclopedia:
Gambling winnings from bingo, keno, and slot machines are generally not subject to income tax withholding. However, you may need to provide the payer with an SSN to avoid withholding. If you receive gambling winnings not subject to withholding, you may need to pay estimated tax.
Therefore, ABC’s first required installment payment for 2008 is $100,000 ($400,000 × 25%). ABC projects its annualized tax for its 2008 taxable year, based on annualizing ABC’s taxable income for its first annualization period from January 1, 2008, through March 31, 2008, to be $1,500,000 before reduction for any credits. ABC has an unused section 38 credit from 2007 for increasing research activities from 2007 of $500,000 that is carried over to 2008. Therefore, ABC’s first required installment payment for 2008 is $250,000 ($1,000,000 × 25%). ABC has a net operating loss carryover to 2008 of $2,000,000.
- You may also request that your employer deduct and withhold an additional amount of income tax withholding from your wages on Form W-4.
- Figure your deduction limits using your expected AGI in the corresponding column of line 1 (2021 Annualized Estimated Tax Worksheet (Worksheet 2-7)).
- However, “backup” withholding is required in certain situations.
- If the benefit’s actual value can’t be determined when it is paid or treated as paid, your employer can use a reasonable estimate.
You must not expect to be employed for more than 245 days during the year. To figure this limit, count all calendar days that you are employed beginning with the first day you are on the job for pay and ending with your last day of work. If you are temporarily laid off for 30 days or less, count those days too. If you are laid off for more than 30 days, don’t count those days.
Why Do So Many People Fall Behind On Their Taxes?
However, you can choose to split your withholding between your pension and job in any manner. Complete this step if you hold more than one job at a time, or are married and plan to file a joint return and your spouse also works. How To Figure Each PaymentRegular Installment MethodChange in estimated tax. Change of status resulting in withholding that will cover your tax liability. Changing Your WithholdingChange of status resulting in withholding less than your tax liability.
When figuring your credits for each period, annualize any item of income or deduction to figure each credit. For example, if you need to use your AGI to figure a credit, use line 3 of Worksheet 2-7 to figure the credit for each column. Jeremy Martin’s total tax on his 2020 return was $42,581, and his expected tax for 2021 is $71,253.
The annualized method determines your estimated tax liability as your income accumulates throughout the year instead of dividing your entire year’s estimated tax liability by four as if your income was earned evenly. So, if your income is concentrated, for example, in the fourth quarter of the year you may be able to use the annualized income method.
By paying quarterly, you avoid penalties and shouldn’t owe at the end of the year. TurboTax will ask you simple questions about you and give you the tax deductions and credits you’re eligible for. If you still have questions you can connect live via one-way video to our TurboTax Live Self-Employed CPAs and Enrolled Agents with an average 15 years’ experience to get your tax questions answered.
Create An estimated Taxes Account
I am also wondering if I’ll be prevented from computing estimates from scratch after I file on April 15. DisclaimerAll content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. This sounds like a client that you need to actually compute 1040ES quarterly for during the year. They should check in each quarter to give you their earning so you can tell them the estimate to pay. If Line 17 is more than Line 14, subtract Line 14 from Line 17. First, count the number of days from the due date to the date paid and use the underpayment amount from Worksheet II, line 8.
If an overpayment is generated on your 2019 return from a payment made after the due date, treat the payment as made on the date of payment. For example, you paid $500 due on your 2019 return on August 1, 2020, and later amended the return and were due a $400 refund which you elected to have applied to your estimated taxes. When figuring your payment dates and the amounts to enter on line 19 of each column, apply the following rules. You paid the same amount of estimated tax on each of the four payment due dates.
An item of loss is to be taken into account during the annualization period in which events have occurred that permit the loss to be taken into account under the appropriate provision of the Internal Revenue Code. If you represent a corporation, there are a couple safe harbor methods you can use to avoid penalties. First and foremost, you can pay 100% of the actual tax that the company owes for the current year. Additionally, corporations can pay 100% of the tax owed from the previous year. If the corporation did not owe tax the year prior, it must pay 100% of the current year tax for a safe harbor. Net investment income equals investment income minus investment expenses.
In these cases, the minimum age has been lowered to age 19 and for former foster youth or qualified homeless youth it is further lowered to age 18. Additionally, you no longer need to be under age 65 to claim the EIC without a qualifying child. The amount of the credit has been increased and the phaseout income limits at which you can claim the credit have been expanded. When To StartNo income subject to estimated tax during first period. Estimated tax is a quarterly payment that is required of self-employed people and business owners who do not have taxes automatically withheld.
A corporation will not have to pay a penalty if the tax shown on the corporation’s 2020 return is less than $500. This greatly increases the effect an NOL has on the computation of required installments under the annualization method. | https://intuit-payroll.org/ip-200619-guide-to-calculating-annualized/ |
This document provides answers to questions regarding return filing and tax payment obligations arising under section 14103 of “An Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018,” P.L 115-97 (“the Act”), which was enacted on December 22, 2017. The new provision enacted by section 14103 of the Act, set forth at section 965 of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”), applies with respect to the last taxable year of certain specified foreign corporations (as defined under section 965(e) of the Code) beginning before January 1, 2018, and the amount included in income under section 965 of the Code is includible in the United States shareholder’s year in which or with which such a specified foreign corporation’s year ends. Taxpayers may have to pay tax resulting from section 965 of the Code when filing their 2017 tax returns. For example, section 965 of the Code may give rise to a 2017 tax liability for a calendar year United States shareholder holding an interest in a calendar year specified foreign corporation.
The instructions in these FAQs are for filing 2017 tax returns with an amount under section 965 of the Code. Failure to submit tax returns according to these instructions may result in difficulties in processing tax returns, including rejection, processing delays, or erroneous notices being issued.
Taxpayers who electronically file Form 1040 are requested to wait to file their return on or after April 2, 2018. This will provide the IRS time to make certain system changes to allow the returns to be accepted and processed.
Taxpayers with questions or comments related to section 965 may submit those questions or comments to the IRS at LB&[email protected]. Please note that individual responses will not be provided; questions or comments may be addressed in the form of additional FAQs.
For information on how this affects 2018 tax returns, see Questions and Answers about Reporting Related to Section 965 on 2018 Tax Returns.
Q1. Who is required to report amounts under section 965 of the Code on a 2017 tax return?
A1. A person that is required to include amounts in income under section 965 of the Code in its 2017 taxable year, whether because, the person is a United States shareholder of a deferred foreign income corporation (as defined under section 965(d) of the Code) or because it is a direct or indirect partner in a domestic partnership, a shareholder in an S corporation, or a beneficiary of another passthrough entity that is a United States shareholder of a deferred foreign income corporation, is required to report amounts under section 965 of the Code on its 2017 tax return.
Q2. How are amounts under section 965 of the Code reported on a 2017 tax return?
A2. Amounts required to be reported on a 2017 tax return should be reported on the return as reflected in the table included in Appendix: Q&A2. The table reflects only how items related to amounts included in income under section 965 of the Code should be reported on a 2017 tax return. It does not address the reporting in other scenarios, including distributions made in 2017, which should be reported consistent with the Code and the current forms and instructions.
Q3. Is there any other reporting in connection with section 965 of the Code required on a 2017 tax return?
The person’s total amount required to be included in income under section 965(a) of the Code.
The person’s total deduction under section 965(c) of the Code.
The person’s deemed paid foreign taxes with respect to the total amount required to be included in income by reason of section 965(a).
The person’s disallowed deemed paid foreign taxes pursuant to section 965(g).
A listing of elections under section 965 of the Code or the election provided for in Notice 2018-13 that the taxpayer has made, if applicable.
A model statement is included in Appendix: Q&A3. Adequate records must be kept supporting the section 965(a) inclusion amount, deduction under section 965(c) of the Code, and net tax liability under section 965, as well as the underlying calculations of these amounts. Moreover, additional reporting may be required when filing returns for subsequent tax years, and the manner of reporting may be different. See also Q&A8 concerning Form 5471 filing.
Use section 965(h)(6) to calculate the total net tax liability under section 965 even if an election to pay the net tax liability under section 965 in installments has not been made and even if the person is not a United States shareholder of a deferred foreign income corporation. Do not reduce this amount by any net tax liabilities under section 965 with respect to which section 965(i) is effective. Section 965(h)(6) generally determines a person’s net tax liability under section 965 by starting with (i) the taxpayer’s tax liability with all section 965 amounts included and then subtracting (ii) the tax liability with no section 965 amounts included and with dividends received from deferred foreign income corporations disregarded. See Publication 5292 for instructions to be used in computing the net tax liability under section 965.
If both one or more elections under section 965(i) have been made and an election under section 965(h) has been made, the amount of the net tax liability under section 965 to be paid in installments is: (i) the amount of the total net tax liability under section 965 as determined above less (ii) the aggregate amount of the taxpayer’s net tax liabilities under section 965 with respect to which section 965(i) elections are effective. See Publication 5292 for more information.
See Publication 5292 for more information regarding the calculation of amounts eligible for S corporation shareholder deferral under section 965(i).
Q4. What elections are available with respect to section 965 of the Code on a 2017 tax return?
A4. Section 965 of the Code permits multiple elections related to amounts included in income by reason of section 965 of the Code or the payment of a taxpayer’s net tax liability under section 965 (as determined under section 965(h)(6)). Statutory elections can be found in section 965(h), (i), (m), and (n).
Furthermore, the Treasury Department and the IRS have announced another election that may be made with respect to the determination of the post-1986 earnings and profits of a specified foreign corporation. This election is described in Notice 2018-13, 2018-6 I.R.B. 341, Section 3.02.
Q5. Who can make an election with respect to section 965 of the Code on a 2017 tax return?
A5. The elections under section 965 of the Code are limited to taxpayers with a net tax liability under section 965 (in the case of section 965(h) of the Code), taxpayers that are shareholders of S corporations and that have a net tax liability under section 965 (in the case of section 965(i) of the Code), taxpayers that are REITs (in the case of section 965(m) of the Code), or taxpayers with an NOL (in the case of section 965(n) of the Code). Thus, a domestic partnership or an S corporation that is a United States shareholder of a deferred foreign income corporation may not make any of the elections under section 965 of the Code. The Treasury Department and the IRS provided further guidance concerning the availability of the elections under section 965 of the Code to direct and indirect partners in domestic partnerships, shareholders in S corporations, and beneficiaries in other passthrough entities that are United States shareholders of deferred foreign income corporations. See Section 3.05(b) of Notice 2018-26.
The election under Notice 2018-13, Section 3.02 may be made on behalf of a specified foreign corporation pursuant to the rules of §1.964-1(c)(3).
In the case of a consolidated group (as defined in §1.1502-1(h)), in which one or more members are United States shareholders of a specified foreign corporation, the agent for the group (as defined in §1.1502-77) must make the elections on behalf of its members.
Q6. When must an election with respect to section 965 of the Code be made?
A6. An election with respect to section 965 of the Code must be made by the due date (including extensions) for filing the return for the relevant year. However, even if an election is made under section 965(h) of the Code to pay a net tax liability under section 965 of the Code in installments, the first installment must be paid by the due date (without extensions) for filing the return for the relevant year.
Q7. How is an election with respect to section 965 of the Code made on a 2017 tax return?
Q8. Is a Form 5471 with respect to all specified foreign corporations with respect to which a person is a United States shareholder required to be filed with the person’s 2017 tax return, regardless of whether the specified foreign corporations are CFCs?
A8. Yes. In order to collect information relevant to the calculation of a United States shareholder’s section 965(a) inclusion amount, a person that was a United States Shareholder of a specified foreign corporation during its 2017 taxable year, including on the last day of such year, and owned stock of the specified foreign corporation on the last day of the specified foreign corporation’s year that ended during the person’s year must file a Form 5471 with respect to the specified foreign corporation completed with the identifying information on page 1 of Form 5471 above Schedule A, as well as Schedule J. The exceptions to filing in the instructions to Form 5471 otherwise will continue to apply. United States shareholders not otherwise required to file Form 5471 should consult the instructions to Form 5471 to determine the correct category of filer. Notice 2018-13, Section 5.02 also provides an exception to filing Form 5471 for certain United States shareholders considered to own stock by “downward attribution” from a foreign person. The IRS intends to modify the instructions to the Form 5471 as necessary.
Q9. Are domestic partnerships, S corporations, or other passthrough entities required to report any additional information to their partners, shareholders, or beneficiaries in connection with section 965 of the Code?
The partner’s, shareholder’s, or beneficiary’s share of the partnership’s, S corporation’s, or other passthrough entity’s section 965(a) inclusion amount, if applicable.
The partner’s, shareholder’s, or beneficiary’s share of the partnership’s, S corporation’s, or other passthrough entity’s deduction under section 965(c), if applicable.
Information necessary for a domestic corporate partner, or an individual making an election under section 962, to compute its deemed paid foreign tax credits with respect to its share of the partnership’s, S corporation’s, or passthrough entity’s section 965(a) inclusion amount, if applicable.
For more information concerning the application of section 965 to domestic partnerships, S corporations, or other domestic passthrough entities, see Section 3.05(b) of Notice 2018-26.
Q10. How should a taxpayer pay the tax resulting from section 965 of the Code for a 2017 tax return?
A10. A taxpayer should make two separate payments as follows: one payment reflecting tax owed without regard to section 965 of the Code, and a second, separate payment reflecting tax owed resulting from section 965 of the Code and not otherwise satisfied by another payment or credit as described in Q&A13 and Q&A14 (the 965 Payment). See Q&A13 for information regarding how the IRS will apply 2017 estimated tax payments. Both payments must be paid by the due date of the applicable return (without extensions). But see Notice 2018-26, section 3.05(e), providing that if an individual receives an extension of time to file and pay under §1.6081-5(a)(5) or (6), the individual’s due date for the 965 Payment is also extended.
For the payment owed without regard to section 965, normal payment procedures apply (for more information, see https://www.irs.gov/payments). This payment may be made at the same or different time from the 965 Payment, but must be made by the due date of the return or penalties and interest may apply.
Q11. If not already filed, when should an individual taxpayer electronically file a 2017 tax return?
A11. Individual taxpayers who electronically file their Form 1040 should file on or after April 2, 2018. Individual taxpayers who file a paper Form 1040 can do so at any time.
Q12. If a person has already filed a 2017 tax return, what should the person do?
A12. The person should consider filing an amended return based on the information provided in these FAQs and Appendices. Failure to submit a return in this manner may result in processing difficulties and erroneous notices being issued. Failure to accurately reflect the net tax liability under section 965 of the Code in total tax could result in interest and penalties.
the IRC 965 Transition Tax Statement included in Appendix: Q&A3.
Q13. How will the IRS apply 2017 estimated tax payments (including credit elects from 2016) to a taxpayer’s net tax liability under section 965?
A13. The IRS will apply 2017 estimated tax payments first to a taxpayer’s 2017 net income tax liability described under section 965(h)(6)(A)(ii) (its net income tax determined without regard to section 965), and then to its tax liability under section 965, including those amounts that are subject to payment in installments pursuant to an election under section 965(h).
Q14. If a taxpayer’s 2017 payments, including estimated tax payments, exceed its 2017 net income tax liability described under section 965(h)(6)(A)(ii) (its net income tax determined without regard to section 965) and the first annual installment (due in 2018) pursuant to an election under section 965(h), may the taxpayer receive a refund of such excess amounts or credit such excess amounts to its 2018 estimated income tax?
A14. No. A taxpayer may not receive a refund or credit of any portion of properly applied 2017 tax payments unless and until the amount of payments exceeds the entire unpaid 2017 income tax liability, including all amounts to be paid in installments under section 965(h) in subsequent years. If a taxpayer’s 2017 tax payments exceed the 2017 net income tax liability described under section 965(h)(6)(A)(ii) (net income tax determined without regard to section 965) and the first annual installment (due in 2018) pursuant to an election under section 965(h), the excess will be applied to the next successive annual installment (due in 2019) (and to the extent such excess exceeds the amount of such next successive annual installment due, then to the next such successive annual installment (due in 2020), etc.) pursuant to an election under section 965(h).
Q15: If a taxpayer that has made a section 965(h) election for 2017 filed a 2017 income tax return that calculated an overpayment without including the taxpayer’s total net tax liability under section 965, and the taxpayer attempted to elect to credit the calculated overpayment to its estimated tax liability for 2018, will the IRS determine an addition to tax for an underpayment of taxpayer’s 2018 estimated taxes because the credit elect won’t be available for the first required 2018 estimated tax installment?
A15: No. The IRS has determined that no addition to tax for an underpayment of estimated taxes under section 6654 or 6655 will apply (nor be increased) if a taxpayer makes an estimated tax payment sufficient to satisfy both the underpayment of the first required estimated tax installment for 2018 and the full amount of the second required estimated tax installment for 2018 on or before the due date for the second installment (that is, June 15, 2018, for calendar year taxpayers). This relief from the addition to tax for the underpayment of estimated taxes applies only to taxpayers whose first required installment for 2018 was due on or before April 18, 2018.
If the IRS sends a taxpayer a notice of an addition to tax for underpayment of estimated tax under section 6654 or 6655 and the taxpayer meets all the conditions for relief described above (including making the required payment by the due date for the second installment), the taxpayer should contact the IRS office that issued the notice and request abatement of the addition to tax for underpayment of estimated taxes in accordance with the provisions in these FAQs and updated instructions to Forms 2210 and 2220.
Q17: If an individual has filed his or her 2017 tax return, but has not made the section 965(h) election, may the individual file another 2017 return on which he or she makes the election?
A17: Yes. If an individual with a net tax liability under section 965 in the individual’s 2017 tax year has already filed his or her tax return and did not make an election under section 965(h), such individual can make the section 965(h) election by filing a Form 1040X that complies with the procedures set forth in these FAQs (including, for example, the IRC 965 Transition Tax Statement(s) described in Q&A 3 and the election statement described in Q&A 7) on or before the due date of the individual’s 2017 return, taking into account any additional time that would have been granted if the individual had made an extension request. For this purpose, the IRS will treat the individual as if he or she had requested and received the extension.
Q18: When and where can I file a “Transfer Agreement Under Section 965(h)(3)”and “Transfer Agreement Under Section 965(i)(2)(C)” (hereafter, “Transfer Agreement”)?
Transfer Agreements will be considered timely filed if filed by the date provided in the final regulations under section 965.
Q19: In addition to the terms of agreement that are required to be included in a Transfer Agreement Under Section 965(h)(3) under the proposed regulations, will the IRS need any additional information from an eligible section 965(h) transferee in order to properly process a Transfer Agreement Under Section 965(h)(3)?
(ii) An eligible section 965(h) transferee may include an executed Form 870T, Waiver of Restrictions on Assessment and Collection of Transferee or Fiduciary Liability, with the Transfer Agreement Under Section 965(h)(3) filed with the IRS, as described in A18, consenting to the immediate assessment of the portion of the eligible section 965(h) transferor’s section 965(h) net tax liability remaining unpaid as set forth in the Transfer Agreement Under Section 965(h)(3).
The IRS will not be able to process a Transfer Agreement Under Section 965(h)(3) until such time as the eligible section 965(h) transferee has consented to the immediate assessment of the portion of the eligible section 965(h) transferor’s section 965(h) net tax liability remaining unpaid as set forth in the Transfer Agreement under Section 965(h)(3). While the eligible section 965(h) transferor’s section 965(h) net tax liability remaining unpaid will be immediately assessed against the eligible section 965(h) transferee, the remaining installments will not become immediately due as long as the eligible 965(h) transferee agrees to be liable for the remaining installments in the same manner as the eligible 965(h) transferor and meets other requirements of section 965(h). Transfer agreements filed before the date provided in the final regulations under section 965, including transfer agreements filed in reliance on the proposed regulations, will be subject to any additional information requests issued by the Commissioner pursuant to proposed §1.965-7(b)(3)(iii)(C)(1).
Q20: If I have previously filed my Transfer Agreement Under Section 965(h)(3) or Section 965(i)(2)(C) on or before the publication date of this FAQ, what actions should I take?
A20: If you have previously filed a Transfer Agreement, the Transfer Agreement should be filed again at the IRS office set forth in A18. If a Transfer Agreement Under Section 965(h)(3) does not contain the consent language set forth in A19, the IRS will not be able to process the Transfer Agreement until such time as the eligible section 965(h) transferee has consented to the immediate assessment of the portion of the eligible section 965(h) transferor’s section 965(h) net tax liability remaining unpaid as set forth in the Transfer Agreement Under Section 965(h)(3). To be processable by the IRS, the Transfer Agreement Under Section 965(h)(3) may either (i) include the language provided in A19 or (ii) the eligible section 965(h) transferee may execute and attach a Form 870T to the refiled Transfer Agreement. If a Transfer Agreement is submitted without the consent language or a Form 870T, the IRS will request that the transferee execute a Form 870T.
Include a net section 965 amount (section 965(a) amount less section 965(c) deduction) on Page 1, Line 21, Other Income. Write SEC 965 on the dotted line to the left of Line 21.
If, however, an IRC 962 election is made, consult the Instructions to Form 1040.
Report the relevant section 965(a) amount and the relevant section 965(c) deduction on Form 1116.
If an IRC 962 election is made, report the relevant section 965(a) amount, the relevant section 965(c) deduction, the deemed paid foreign taxes with respect to the relevant section 965(a) amount, and the disallowed foreign taxes under section 965(g) on Form 1118.
Reduce on Page 2, Line 44, Tax the amount of net tax liability deferred under section 965(i), if applicable. Check box ‘c’ on Line 44 and write 965 to the right of the box.
Include in total on Page 2, Line 73 the amount to be paid in installments for years beyond the 2017 year, if applicable. Check box ‘d’ on Line 73 and write TAX to the right of the box.
This includes section 965(a) inclusion amounts of a United States shareholder of a deferred foreign income corporation and distributive shares and pro rata shares of section 965(a) inclusion amounts of domestic partnerships, S corporations, and other passthrough entities.
This includes deductions under section 965(c) of a United States shareholder of a deferred foreign income corporation and distributive shares and pro rata shares of deductions under section 965(c) of domestic partnerships, S corporations, and other passthrough entities.
See section 965(h)(6) and Q&A3.
To make the 965(i) election, the taxpayer will have to file a paper Form 1040.
See section 965(f)(2) concerning the treatment of the income inclusion offset by the section 965(c) deduction for the purposes of computing adjustments to shareholder basis under section 1367(a)(1)(A) and calculating the accumulated adjustments account under section 1368(e)(1)(A).
Include the net 965 amount (section 965(a) amount less section965(c) deduction) to the extent distributed. Include on Page 1, Line 8, Other Income. See 965(a) amount column.
Do not enter the amount on Form 1041 but rather report on IRC 965 Transition Tax Statement, Line 1. Do not enter an amount on Form 1041 but rather report on IRC 965 Transition Tax Statement, Line 3.
Do not report the relevant section 965(a) amount and the relevant section 965(c) deduction on Form 1116.
If an IRC 962 election is made, do not report the relevant section 965(a) amount, the relevant section 965(c) deduction, the deemed paid foreign taxes with respect to the relevant section 965(a) amount, and the disallowed foreign taxes under section 965(g) on Form 1118. Report the deemed paid foreign taxes with respect to the section 965(a) amount and the foreign taxes disallowed under section 965(g) on IRC 965 Transition Tax Statement, Lines 4a and 4b.
Include in total on Page 2, Schedule G, Line 7 the net tax liability under section 965 reduced by the amount of the net tax liability deferred under section 965(i), if applicable.
Include in amount on Page 1, Line 24a the amount to be paid in installments for years beyond the 2017 year, if applicable.
1120 Do not enter an amount on Form 1120 but rather report on IRC 965 Transition Tax Statement, Line 1. Do not enter an amount on Form 1120 but rather report on IRC 965 Transition Tax Statement, Line 3.
Do not enter the relevant section 965(a) amount, the relevant section 965(c) deduction, the deemed paid foreign taxes with respect to the relevant section 965(a) amount, and the foreign taxes disallowed under section 965(g) on Form 1118. Report the deemed paid foreign taxes with respect to the section 965(a) amount and the foreign taxes disallowed under section 965(g) on IRC 965 Transition Tax Statement, Lines 4a and 4b.
Include in total on Page 3, Schedule J, Part I, Line 11 net tax liability under section 965.
Include in total on Page 3, Schedule J, Part II, Line 19d the amount to be paid in installments for years beyond the 2017 year, if applicable.
1120 PC Do not enter an amount on Form 1120-PC but rather report on IRC 965 Transition Tax Statement, Line 1. Do not enter an amount on Form 1120-PC but rather report on IRC 965 Transition Tax Statement, Line 3.
Include in total on Page 1, Line 13 the net tax liability under section 965.
Include in total on Page 1, Line 14k the amount to be paid in installments for years beyond the 2017 taxable year, if applicable.
Write ‘965’ on the dotted line to the left of Line 14k.
1120 L Do not enter an amount on Form 1120-L but rather report on IRC 965 Transition Tax Statement, Line 1. Do not enter an amount on Form 1120-L but rather report on IRC 965 Transition Tax Statement, Line 3.
Include in total on Page 6, Schedule K, Line 10 the net tax liability under section 965.
Include in total on Page 1, Line 29k the amount to be paid in installments for years beyond the 2017 year, if applicable. Write ‘965’ on the dotted line to the left of Line 29k.
Include the 8% portion of the net 965 amount (section 965(a) amount less section 965(c) deduction) on page 1, Part I, Line 7, “Other Income.” Write SEC 965 on the dotted line to the left of Line 7.
So as not to include the 8% portion of the net 965 amount in the REIT’s gross income tests (see section 965(m)(1)(A)), include it on page 2, Part III, Lines 2(c) and 5(c). With regard to those lines, the Instructions for Form 1120-REIT require the taxpayer to attach a copy of the Secretary’s determination allowing an exclusion pursuant to section 856(c)(5)(J)(i) to its tax return. The attachment of IRC 965 Transition Tax Statement to the taxpayer’s return satisfies this requirement.
If applicable, enter the relevant section 965(a) amount, the relevant section 965(c) deduction, the deemed paid foreign taxes with respect to the relevant section 965(a) amount, and the foreign taxes disallowed under section 965(g) on Form 1118.
Include the net 965 amount (section 965(a) amount less section 965(c) deduction) on page 1, Part I, Line 7, “Other Income.” Write SEC 965 on the dotted line to the left of Line 7.
So as not to include the net 965 amount in the REIT’s gross income tests (see section 965(m)(1)(A)), include it on page 2, Part III, Lines 2(c) and 5(c). With regard to those lines, the Instructions for Form 1120-REIT require the taxpayer to attach a copy of the Secretary’s determination allowing an exclusion pursuant to section 856(c)(5)(J)(i) to its tax return. The attachment of IRC 965 Transition Tax Statement to the taxpayer’s return satisfies this requirement.
1120 RIC Include a net 965 amount (section 965(a) amount less section 965(c) deduction) on page 1, Part I, Line 7, “Other Income”. Write SEC 965 on the dotted line to the left of Line 7. See 965(a) amount column.
If applicable, enter the relevant section 965(a) amount, the relevant section 965(c) deduction, the deemed paid foreign taxes with respect to the relevant section 965(a) amount, and the foreign taxes disallowed under section 965(g) on Form 1118. .
Include in total on Page 2, Part I, Line 28i the amount to be paid in installments for years beyond the 2017 taxable year, if applicable. Write ‘965’ in the space above Line 28i.
990T Do not enter an amount on Form 990-T but rather report on IRC 965 Transition Tax Statement, Line 1. Do not enter an amount on Form 990-T but rather report on IRC 965 Transition Tax Statement, Line 3.
Include in total on Page 2, Part IV, Line 44 the net tax liability under section 965.
Include in total on Page 2, Part IV, Line 45g the amount to be paid in installments for years beyond the 2017 year, if applicable. Check the “Other” box on Line 45g and write “965” to the right of the box. | https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/questions-and-answers-about-reporting-related-to-section-965-on-2017-tax-returns |
Are Retroactive Social Security Disability Benefits Taxable?
Most Social Security disability claimants wait several months – and sometimes several years – before they are approved for benefits. When you are approved for benefits, you will generally be awarded a retroactive payment, or back pay, of all the benefits you should have received from the date of onset of your disability. In many – but not all – cases, these retroactive Social Security benefits are taxable.
Tip
When you receive an SSDI back pay lump sum for retroactive benefits, you may be surprised to learn that you are likely responsible for paying taxes on these benefits.
Taxable Disability Benefits
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is needs based. If your income and resources are low enough to qualify for SSI, then you are exempt from income tax by definition.
However, up to 85 percent of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) payments are taxable. The percentage that is taxable is based on your total "provisional income." Provisional income includes half of your income from Social Security and all other income.
For example, if you received $12,000 from Social Security and $5,000 from another source last year, your total provisional income was $11,000 ( $12,000/2 + $5,000). IRS Publication 915 gives instructions on how to determine your provisional income and the percentage of your benefits that are liable to taxation.
Reporting Back Pay
You have two choices for reporting Social Security back pay on your taxes. One is to report the back pay as income in the year in which you received it. If you do this, the taxable portion of your benefits will all be taxed using that year's rate. The other option – called lump sum election – allows you to determine your tax rate on the lump sum payment as if you had been receiving the benefits from the time you were disabled.
The advantage of choosing a lump sum payment tax is that you are able to factor in all of your deductions for every year in which you should have received benefits.
Calculating Lump Sum Payment Tax
Calculating taxes using the lump sum election involves recalculating your tax returns from previous years. Your 1099 from the SSA will include a breakdown of how much Social Security income can be attributed to each year.
Calculate the amount of tax you would have paid each year if you received the benefit amount indicated on your 1099, then subtract the amounts you actually paid in those years. Add or subtract this result to your current tax return to determine your tax liability. For example, if you would have owed $1,000 in taxes last year if you had been receiving benefits, but actually paid $800 in taxes last year, you will need to add the $200 liability to your current tax return.
Other Tax Considerations
If you incurred legitimate expenses in obtaining your Social Security disability benefits, you can itemize and deduct them on your tax return. The most common expenses associated with obtaining disability benefits are lawyers' fees.
Social Security lawyers' fees are often handled by the SSA directly and subtracted from claimants' back pay. If you paid lawyer's fees – whether the SSA subtracted them from your back pay or you paid the lawyer directly – you may deduct a percentage of those expenses equal to the percentage of your Social Security benefits that are taxable.
References
- Social Security Administration: Benefits Planner | Income Taxes And Your Social Security Benefit
- NOLO: Do I Have to Pay Taxes on My Lump-Sum Backpayment of Social Security Disability Benefits?
- IRS: Back Payments
- IRS: About Publication 915, Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits
- IRS: General Instructions for Certain Information Returns
Writer Bio
Dell Markey is a full-time journalist. When he isn't writing business spotlights for local community papers, he writes and has owned and operated a small business. | https://finance.zacks.com/retroactive-social-security-disability-benefits-taxable-7962.html |
# SIGMO
SIGMO is a humanoid robot designed to demonstrate the applications of passive dynamics technologies.
SIGMO stands for Synthetic, IntelliGent, MObility, and was developed by a team of high school students to demonstrate the capabilities of passive-dynamic actuation techniques.
The technology used to enable SIGMO to walk is being applied to advanced prosthetic devices. Current prosthetic devices are nearing the limitations of the available technologies and require advancements such as customized motion, lower cost, and the development of light-weight materials.
Existing humanoid robot systems such as ASIMO and QRIO use many motors to achieve locomotion. These motors reduce efficiency and add unnecessary weight and cost to the robot. SIGMO attempts to alleviate these symptoms by providing a system which uses no motors for locomotion, instead employing passive-dynamic technology.
Passive-dynamic systems cite low power consumption, high durability, and low cost. The design is based on the skeletal structure of the human body, consisting of two legs with hip, knee, and ankle joints, each representing 1 degree of freedom (DOF). Movement is accomplished with the aid of gravity (walking down a slope) or by minimal actuation to enable the machine to walk on level ground. SIGMO was developed using proven methods of gravity-driven passive dynamic bipeds. Small actuators were added to the legs to provide walking capability on level ground.
This method of locomotion is very energy efficient because it uses no motors for walking. The omission of motors also cites a drastic weight reduction, further enhancing the locomotive efficiency. This also frees up room inside the torso for the circuitry that controls SIGMO's movements, unlike other robots that require a "backpack" like attachment.
SIGMO has an upper torso which mimics the movements of actual humans. The arms are motorized with small servo motors which enable SIGMO to manipulate objects within its grasp. The main chassis is fabricated of aluminum sheet metal, which has a high strength and light weight. The knee sockets are fabricated out of steel and aluminum. While the steel weighs more than the aluminum, this helps to transfer the weight load from the torso (contains heavy servo components) to the legs and feet which rest on the ground.
An updated model of SIGMO, currently in the research and development stage, will incorporate more precise control over limb movement and directional stability. To add more functionality SIGMO will have more motors, but use each more efficiently than previous designs. Knowledge of actuation techniques gained from previous experiments will be applied to reduce complexity and maintain an efficient method of locomotion. A framework is in development to allow multiple configurations of the robot to lower production costs over time and increase flexibility of design during testing. The robust internal skeleton will be modifiable to serve as a platform for future designs. Intelligent maneuvering will also be tested with the new prototype to develop efficient algorithms and control models for both simple and complex environments. | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIGMO |
# Domo (robot)
Domo is an experimental robot made by MIT designed to interact with humans. The brainchild of Jeff Weber and Aaron Edsinger, cofounders of Meka Robotics, its name comes from the Japanese phrase for "thank you very much", domo arigato, as well as the Styx song, "Mr. Roboto". The Domo project was originally funded by NASA, and has now been joined by Toyota in funding robot's development.
## Purpose
Domo was created to test many robotic circuits and commands that are very complex.
## Origin
The home of the Domo Project is with the Humanoid Robotics Group (HRG) at MIT Artificial Intelligence (AI) Labs. Its existence is inspired by the robot projects that came before it.
The Cardea Robot Project was a research project led by Professor Rodney Brooks in the Humanoid Robotics Group at MIT. The lab group worked to create a cable-drive brushless Series Elastic Actuator arm mounted to a Segway platform. Jeff Weber and Aaron Edsinger-Gonzales were a part of this research, specifically responsible for the design and implementation of the robotic arm. This collaboration allowed Edsinger-Gonzales and Weber to take some of the research and apply it to a new robot, Domo.
Edsinger and Weber collaborated on many other robots as well, and their experience working with the Kismet page and Cog projects influenced the design of Domo. Kismet was a robotic head developed by Cynthia Breazeal for experimenting with social expressions and cues. Edsinger's role in the project was helping to develop the early stages of Kismet's eye detection module, which allowed Kismet to make eye contact while interacting. The Cog project was intended to explore the way that intelligence is formed through social interaction. The Cog robot was designed to emulate the human body's motor points and limbs and to accept input stimuli from these so that it could use its limbs in a human-like way. Edsinger's contribution to the Cog project was a Series Elastic Actuator arm and controllers for the body of the robot. Though the research direction of these robots is very different from the Domo Project, the design of the eye detection module and the Series Elastic Actuator arm are integrated into Domo's design.
## Design
Domo was created in order to research manipulation and interaction with stimuli and machine learning of sensorimotor skills. To accomplish this, the design was required to have particular consideration as to how the robot would be able to interact with unfamiliar stimuli. The research also required Domo to be able to perceive and act upon its surroundings. Satisfying these concerns meant that Domo needed to be able to function without a complete model of the world, rather, it was equipped with the ability to build a model for itself.
### Mechanical parts
#### Head
Domo's robotic head consists of seven degrees of freedom (DOF) for the upper head which is attached to a neck with two DOF. There are two eyes, each with a single wide-angle camera. The cameras are capable of video capture at either 640×480 at 30 frames per second (frame/s) or 1024×768 at 15 frame/s. The two cameras tilt along the same DOF, but have individual DOF to allow for independent panning. A set of eyelids is included to use for expressions.
Heads of previous robots, such as Cog, were impeded by the bundle of electrical cords that would run to the eye cameras and motors. Domo's design runs all the cables down through the neck so that they are tucked out of the way. This allows Domo a great deal of range and freedom in head articulation.
The head movement is facilitated by brushed direct-current motors. Potentiometer position sensors in the motor provide feedback as to the head's absolute position at startup, so Domo does not require a calibration routine before being able to function.
The main focus of the head design was for Domo to be able to emulate human eye movement. Human eye movements range from very quick and explosive movements to slow and accurate movements for following moving stimuli, so careful consideration was needed to design Domo's head and vision system.
These eyes are linked to a cognitive system that is a networked cluster of Linux machines. The YARP software suite is utilized for the cognitive system to do visual processing.
#### Arms
Rather than designing Domo's arms for absolute precision, Edsinger and Weber designed the arms to work more closely to that of a human. Human arms are adept at sensing and controlling the forces at every joint, giving up precision in position for compliance. Translating this to a humanoid robot required the design to include some tolerance and compliance at every joint while also being able to keep track of and output torque.
Domo's arms have six DOF, two at the shoulder and four in the arm and wrist. The joints are Series elastic actuators (SEA) driven by custom brushless DC motors. The DOFs contain cable drive systems, with the drive cables hidden discreetly in the center of the joints to not impede movement. Series elastic actuators are used to provide force-sensing capabilities to the arms. The sensors embedded throughout the arms are linked up to the cognitive system.
#### Hands
The design of a humanoid hand is required to incorporate some way to measure and output force. A few older designs had force sensors in the fingertips. While this would work in a known environment, it does not provide enough feedback to work in a novel and unknown environment. The controllers in Domo's hands are able to sense forces at the individual joints. This allows the hands to execute a grasp of an object even without a model of the object's size, shape or material.
Each hand consists of three fingers powered by four actuators. There is one actuator for each finger and the fourth is to control the spread between two of the fingers. The two fingers are spread using gears, while the third remains in place.
## Abilities
Domo will adapt to its surroundings by testing the physical nature of things by touching them or shaking them. Its abilities include determining the volume of an item, placing items on shelves, pouring drinks for humans, shaking hands, and giving hugs.
### Perception
Using the two cameras mounted on its head and the visual processing system, Domo is able to analyze the size and shape of an object to prepare for interaction. This is done without prior knowledge about an object and allows Domo to accomplish tasks in unknown environments.
### Learning
Domo's architecture allows for the robot to remember previous sensory experiences. Domo is able to learn about its own sensorimotor abilities and is able to fine-tune the modulation of its actions based on previously accomplished tasks.
### Manipulation
Domo's hands were designed to be dexterous and capable of many different grasps and movements. However, this cannot be accomplished without the design of the software system to be adept at managing different controllers for each of its joints. This allows the robot to be able to react quickly and change its arm activity. This is critical for the robot to be able to attempt to perform real world tasks. | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domo_(robot) |
This procedure describes how to correct small errors in the calibration of the iCub head. It applies mainly to the head joints (joint0...joint5). Note: this procedure has to be done after the calibration of the torso (the torso should be in 0,0,0).
- Step 1: put the iCub in a suitable posture and let's call this configuration theta_desired in accordance to the convention you decided to use. As an example, if you decide to use the convention described in ICubForwardKinematics, you might decide to use the posture in the pictures which corresponds to theta_desired = [0 0 0 0 0] [deg] (remember we are just considering the five dof of the head).
- Step 2: read the robot posture as reported by the iCubInterface (e.g. using the robotMotorGui). Let's call this configuration theta.
- Step 3: for each joint compute the difference between theta and theta_desired. Let's call this difference Delta = theta - theta_desired.
- Step 4: consider Delta for joint i, called Delta(i). Add Delta(i) to the suitable Zeros entry (see also iCubInterface config file) in the iCubInterface configuration file.
As an example if you want to change the torso calibration (when using the icub.ini initialization file), edit the icub_head_torso_safe.ini file as follows:
BEFORE: Zeros xxx yyy .... zzz
AFTER: Zeros xxx+Delta(0) yyy+Delta(1) ... zzz+Delta(5)
IMPORTANT: You can also use this excel worksheet fine_calibration.xls to quickly compute the needed zero parameters, given the RobotMotorGui encoder readings. | https://wiki.icub.org/wiki/HeadFineCalibration |
Wiranta, Vebri (2018) Desain Upper Limb Eksoskeleton untuk Menunjang Rehabilitasi Pasien Post Stroke dengan Menggunakan Konsep Compact dan Easy to Use. Undergraduate thesis, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember.
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3414100100-Undergraduate_Theses.pdf - Accepted Version
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Abstract
Strok dapat menimbulkan kecacatan atau kelumpuhan yang harus segera ditangani. Hal ini karena kelumpuhan akan mempengaruhi kegiatan sehari-hari dari pasien pasca strok. Dan bagian tubuh yang mengalami kelumpuhan salah satunya adalah anggota tubuh bagian atas (lengan). Terapi dengan menggunakan robot bisa dijadikan sebagai salah satu alternatif dalam melakukan rehabilitasi berbasis teknologi untuk melatih anggota gerak atas secara efektif. Terapi dengan menggunakan bantuan robot bisa lebih intensif, durasi lebih lama dan lebih berulang dibandingkan dengan terapi secara konvensional yaitu gerakan terapi dibantu oleh terapis. Oleh karena itu terapi dengan bantuan robot memiliki potensi lebih besar dalam proses rehabilitasi pasien pasca strok. Sebagian besar penelitian yang telah dilakukan sebelumnya mengenai robot untuk rehabilitasi tungkai atas yang memiliki ukuran kecil berfokus pada pergerakan siku dan juga pergelangan tangan. Sedangkan eksoskeleton yang memiliki gerakan lebih banyak memiliki ukuran yang besar, berat, dan juga statis. Oleh karena itu penelitian ini membuat desain eksoskeleton untuk anggota tubuh bagian atas (lengan) yang memiliki bentuk yang ringkas, menggunakan 4 derajat kebebasan atau 4 macam gerakan lengan yang diletakkan di pergelangan tangan (ulnar dan radial deviation), siku (Fleksi dan ekstensi), dan 2 DoF di bahu (fleksi-ekstensi dan adduksi-abduksi) sehingga diharapkan eksoskeleton dapat digunakan dirumah pasien itu sendiri dan dapat melakukan kegiatan rehabilitasi dirumah yang nantinya dapat mempercepat penyembuhan kondisi pasca strok. =========================================================Strokes can cause disability or paralysis that must be treated immediately. This is because paralysis affects the daily activities of post-stroke patients. And part of the body that has paralysis one of them is the upper limb (arm). Therapy by using robots can be used as an alternative in technology-based rehabilitation to effectively train upper limbs. Therapy with the help of robots can be more intensive, longer and more repetitive duration compared to conventional therapies namely therapeutic movements assisted by therapists. Therefore therapy with the help of robots has greater potential in the process of rehabilitation of post-stroke patients. Most of the previous research on robots for rehabilitation of upper limbs that has a small size focuses on the movements of the elbows and wrists. While the exoskeleton that has more movements has a large, heavy, and also static size. Therefore, this study makes an exoskeleton design for upper limbs (arms) that have a compact shape, using 4 degrees of freedom or 4 kinds of arm movements placed on the wrist (ulnar and radial deviation), elbows (flexion and extension), and 2 DoF on the shoulder (flexion-extension and adduction-abduction) so that it is expected that the exoskeleton can be used in the patient's own home and can carry out rehabilitation activities at home which can accelerate the healing of post-stroke conditions. | http://repository.its.ac.id/59413/ |
This section presents the Alter-EGO F. The aerial platform with an anthropomorphic torso designed for physical Interaction.
The aerial platform comprises a DJI Matrice 600 Pro hexacopter, 5 DoFs arms, a 2DoFs head, and finally, two Softhands.
The robot is employed for aerial teleoperations. In the following, we provide the CAD of the system, the ROS control packages, and a simulation environment in which it is possible to test developed controllers.
Author(s):
Fanyi Kong
Simone Monteleone
Manuel G. Catalano
Giorgio Grioli
Antonio Bicchi
Vinicio Tincani
Giacomo Dinuzzi
Mattia Poggiani
Affiliation(s): | https://www.naturalmachinemotioninitiative.com/aerial-alter-ego |
In one of our previous drawing lessons, we showed you how to draw a robot for kids. That lesson was very simple, and many of our readers asked us to make a lesson about a more complex and realistic robot. And so we created a lesson on how to draw a robot.
Step 1
First of all, sketch out the head and torso of the robot in the form of a circle and an oval. Next, we sketch the arms and legs using simple lines. Note that the “skeleton” of the robot is quite different from the skeleton of an ordinary human.
Step 2
Now let’s add the volume to the limbs of our robot as shown in our example. Be sure to outline the connections in the form of circles.
Step 3
Now using the clear and dark lines carefully draw out the contours of the round head of the robot. At the front of the head draw a contour of the glass.
Step 4
Now move to the torso, drawing it with clear and dark lines. Try to repeat the outlines of the robot’s torso as shown in our example.
Step 5
Draw the outline of the round shoulders, then go to the arms and draw out them in the form of cylinders. Draw out the hands and the elbow joints.
Step 6
Now we need to draw the robot’s legs. Note that they are slightly larger and angular than the arms. Repeat all connections and parts as in our example.
Step 7
If you understand that all lines are made correctly, and the result you like, then proceed to the process of drawing shadows. Draw shadows using dense and uniform shading, as in the example below.
In this lesson we showed you how to draw a robot using the example of a very famous Japanese robot. But with the help of our tips, which were shown in this lesson, you will be able to draw any robot. Note that this robot very slightly reminds a man. But there are other robots that exactly match the appearance of a human. For drawing such robots use the tips from our drawing lessons about human. Also we are waiting for your wishes and criticism in the comments to our article or in our social networks. | https://www.drawingforall.net/how-to-draw-a-robot/ |
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SECTION 1 INFANT GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 7 SECTION 1 INFANT GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
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THIS SECTION… Describes the three patterns that a baby’s physical development follows. Explains the effects that heredity, nutrition, health, experiences, and environment have on an infant’s growth and development. Describes how a typical baby grows in one year Classifies the different movements a baby makes as reflexes, gross motor skills, or fine motor skills.
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PATTERNS OF DEVELOPMENT
Growth and development are different. Growth refers to changes in size, weight, length. Development refers to increases and changes in physical, emotional, social, or intellectual skills. Three basic patterns of physical development of infants are: head to foot, near to far, and simple to complex.
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PATTERNS OF DEVELOPMENT
Head to foot Begins long before birth. Starts during the prenatal stage when the head takes the lead in development. As the baby gets older, control over the whole body increases. Control over the head starts first then downward (neck, arms, hands, legs)
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PATTERNS (CONTINUED) Near to Far
Development starts close to the trunk of the body and moves outward. For example, babies move or wave their arms before gaining control to point fingers or move the hands.
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PATTERNS (CONTINUED) Simple to complex
Large muscle groups are developed (legs, arms, neck, arms, and torso – trunk of the body). They begin controlling the head, rolling, reaching, crawling, and walking.
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INFLUENCES ON GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
Both heredity and environment play big roles in baby’s growth and development. Heredity (nurture) – physical makeup of traits from parents; nature includes influences such as nutrition, amount of stimulation, health, and relationships. During the first year, infants are expected to gain certain skills and abilities, these are called developmental milestones.
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INFLUENCES ON GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
Heredity Nutrition – affects bone strength, brain development, and height. Baby is at risk if proper nutrition is absent. Health – is linked to other factors that influence growth and development. A healthy baby has more stimulating brain experiences.
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INFLUENCES ON GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
Experiences: Brain development impacts all areas of development, is linked to quantity and variety of experiences a child has. Failure to achieve normal brain development at this stage can have lifelong effects.
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INFLUENCES ON GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
Stimulating environment is one that has a variety of things to see, taste, smell, hear and touch. All they experience is stored in the brain. Environments lacking stimulation can result in fewer or weaker connections in the brain and delayed or slowed development in other areas. For example, if a child lacks the exposure to language during the first few months of life, their will be fewer connections in the brain, so language development can be delayed.
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What are the Two Types of Motor skills?
Gross (large) motor skills. Involves large muscles of the body such as those of the legs and shoulders. Gross motor is associated with running, jumping. 2. Fine (small) motor skills. Involve the smaller muscles of the body such as the fingers. Require small precise movements such as writing, using scissors
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RECALL Three patterns of development are..
What’s the difference between growth and development? Identify and explain at least two influences on development. Give an example of a fine motor skill. Give an example of gross motor skill.
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ASSIGNMENTS SECTION 7-1 Tracking Infant Development Notes
Tracking Children’s Development (activity sheet) Article on how to stimulate brain development in babies.
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7-1 continued Read page 219 On paper provided, use the computer, magazines to locate at least 5 pictures or activities each that develop gross and fine motor skills, glue to paper and include how they are used to enhance each skill.
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ASSIGNMENTS SECTION 7-2 Promoting Health
Locate article on Shaken Baby Syndrome. What is it? How is the baby affected, etc. This must be typed. Read pages235 – 236 Write notes on “Introducing Solid Foods” and Self-feeding
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7-2 continued Use the internet, magazines to locate at least 5 examples of foods to feed babies, and 5 examples of what not to feed babies (explain why) based on page 236 Read pages 238 – 239: “Choosing Clothing” Outline each sections using bullets. Locate at least 7 pictures of appropriate and inappropriate clothing for babies. Explain what makes them appropriate or not.
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ASSIGNMENTS SECTION 7-3 Keeping an Infant Safe and Well
Locate pictures of diapering needs Locate items that can be used to treat cradle cap. Locate pictures of bathing needs of infants.
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QUESTIONS?
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A Humanoid Robot is a robot with its body shape built to resemble that of the human body. It is being developed to perform human task. In this paper, I have described the technical components of humanoid robot like sensors which are responsible to sense the environmental parameters and actuators which are responsible for the motion in the robot. In working and control mechanism, the theory of zero moment point explains the balance of humanoid robots during walking. Some humanoid robots like ASIMO and MYON which are developed to work in real-world environment. ASIMO has the ability to recognize moving objects and surrounding environment which enables it to interact with the humans. MYON is the first humanoid robot in the world which can be disassembled into the parts.
I. INTRODUCTION
A Humanoid may be defined as something that resembles or looks like a human and having characteristics like opposable thumb, ability to walk in upright position, etc. Nowadays the concept of Humanoids is being widely implemented in Robotics and these robots are called Humanoid Robots or may be simply Humanoids. In general, Humanoid Robots have a torso, a head, two arms, and two legs. Fig.1 shows the ASIMO Humanoid Robot created by Honda which has the ability to walk or run on two feet at speeds up to 6 kilometer per hour.
Fig.1 ASIMO Humanoid Robot
A Humanoid robot is fully automated as it can adapt to its surroundings and continue with its goals. Some humanoid robots may also have a face, with eyes and mouth. Androids are humanoid robots built to resemble a male human and Gynoids are humanoid robots built to resemble a human female.
II. NEED OF HUMANOID ROBOTS
Humanoid robots are being developed to perform human tasks like personal assistance, where they should be able to assist the sick and elderly, and dirty or dangerous jobs. Humanoid robots are used as a research tool in several scientific areas and researchers need to understand the human body structure and behavior to build and study humanoid robots. Humanoid Robots can work in human environment without a need to adapt themselves or to change the environment. It is easier for a human being to interact with a human-like being.
III. TECHNICAL COMPONENTS
The two most important components of Humanoid Robots are Sensors and Actuators.
a. SENSORS
Sensors are the devices which sense something like environmental parameters like heat, sound, light, temperature, etc, physical and physiological parameters like movement, orientation, etc. Sensors can be classified as:
PROPRIOCEPTIVE SENSORS
Proprioceptive sensors sense the position, the orientation and the speed of the humanoid's body and joints. Humanoid robots use accelerometers to measure the acceleration, from which velocity can be calculated by integration and tilt sensors to measure inclination. Force sensors which are placed in robot's hands and feet are used to measure the contact force with environment and position sensor that indicate the actual position of the robot or even speed sensors.
EXTEROCEPTIVE SENSORS
Extroceptive sensors consist of arrays of tactels (touch receptors) which are used to provide data on what is being touched, forces and torques transferred between robots and other objects. In humanoid robots vision is used to recognize objects and determine their properties. Vision sensors work most similarly to the eyes of human beings. Most humanoid robots use CCD cameras as vision sensors for capturing image information and microphones and speakers are used for sound reception and production respectively.
b. ACTUATORS
Actuators are the motors responsible for motion in the robot. Actuators are used to perform like joints and muscles. Mostly humanoid robots use rotator actuators to achieve the effects as human motion. The actuators can be pneumatic,... | http://www.studymode.com/essays/Humanoid-Robot-1501765.html |
The outer obliques are one of the largest muscles in your torso. They are found on each side of the body. Apart from helping the body rotate, obliques perform a host of other vital functions, such as facilitating movement of the spine and moving the chest downwards to expand the chest cavity. Due to their importance in most of the body’s movements, injuring or straining these muscles can feel very uncomfortable. Injured or strained oblique muscles may affect other movements of the body, even minor ones.
Exercising oblique muscles is key to having a strong core, especially if you take part in sports that involve twisting and turning your torso. Sedentary lifestyles take a toll on our backs, primarily due to incorrect sitting postures. Taking some time to work on your oblique muscles will boost your circulatory system, as well as strengthen your abs and core.
A proper diet, alongside an efficient training routine, is the key to acquiring a healthy, fit, and muscular body. Workout supplements can be used to boost your performance when training. These may include multivitamins, minerals, and peptides bodybuilding, which if used accordingly have remarkable effects on your body.
Hold a barbell, dumbbell, or weight behind your shoulder with one arm. Stand up straight to create resistance for the other half of the body to counteract. Slowly bend to one side at the waist without involving the hips, as far as you can reach. Maintain the position for a while before pulling up to the straight posture. Repeat a few times and then alternate sides.
Lie on the floor with your back. Fold your knees slightly and lock them at the ankle region. Lift your feet off the surface slightly. Hold the ball or plate with your arms bent. Move the ball or plate to one side, ensuring you touch the ground with it. Move back to the original position and repeat for the other side. Do several reps, providing an equal number for both sides.
Sit on the floor, bend your knees slightly, and lift your feet from the surface. Twist your upper torso from one side to the other. Do not use your arms for support. You can hold a weight or dumbbell to make it more challenging.
This makes for a good, quick workout since you require no extra equipment, just your body and adequate space. Lie straight on one side of your body, one leg being on top of the other. Elevate your hips and upper torso on your forearm ensuring the arm is perpendicular to your body. Gradually move your body down, making sure not to rest on the ground. Then pull yourself back up to the starting position. Do it 10 to 20 times before switching sides.
Before working out, ensure you warm up and stretch adequately to get your blood pumping and your muscles active, ready for training.
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On this page you will find an alphabetical overview of the most important terms and abbreviations related to the LEROSH project.
You are missing a subject? Submit your suggestion here using the contact form.
LEROSH - ABC
3D Scan
Optical 3D data acquisition of the real environment
Abrasive
With rubbing, abrasive effect
Abrasive material
Grain materials on: Paper, fabric, nonwoven, sponge, tool/disc
Active Learing
A learning algorithm can interactively prompt a user to label new data points with desired outputs
Actuator
Motor function and moving parts of a robot
Add-on
Expanding utility program
AI
Artificial intelligence, automation of intelligent behavior and machine learning
ANN
Artificial neural networks
Algorithm
Method of solving problems with schematic calculation processes
App
Application
AR
Augmented Reality > Blending of real and digital environment
B2B or B2C
Business-to-Business or Business-to-Customer – business relationship
Backend
Basic, invisible program level of a computer application (<>Frontend)
Best Practice
Success method
BIT
germ. Beauftragte für Innovation und Technologie > Commissioner for Innovation and Technology of the ZDH
BMBF
germ.: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung > Federal Ministry of Education and Research
BVMF
germ.: Bundesverband Modell- und Formenbau > Federal Association Model and Mold Making
CAD
Computer Aided Design > 3D-Component design
Calibration
Comparison with reference standard
CAM
Computer Aided Manufacturing > Programming of production processes
Centerline roughness value
The center-line roughness Ra (in µm) is a measure of the roughness of a technical surface that has been produced, for example, by machining, forming or reshaping processes
CNC
Computerized Numerical Control > Computer controlled use of machine tools
COBOT
Collaborative Robot (safe robots to cooperate with humans)
Cognitive Robotics
Robots recognize their environment in order to derive actions from it
Collision
Collision of robot / tool / workpiece (> collision control in simulation)
Compatible
(Of devices, hardware and software components and the like) matching, capable of being combined, capable of being assembled into a system
Computer Vision
Image processing of camera images to recognize / extract content
Convex / Concave
Curvature outward / inward
Deep Learning
Machine learning with the use of multilayer neural networks
Demonstrator
Preliminary stage to prototype for testing and presentation of various developments
DLR
germ.: Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt > DLR – German Aerospace Center
DOF
Degree of Freedom
End effector
V.a. tool on the robot head (last element of the kinematic chain)
F+E
germ.: Forschung und Entwicklung > R+D, Research and development
Feature (recognition)
Feature (- identification of certain features)
Feedback-Loop
Feedback-Loop
Force control
Control of the force with which a robot acts on its environment, i.e. on an object or also on a human being
Force / torque sensor
Measures force and torque application in three spatial directions each
Fraunhofer IWU
germ.: Fraunhofer Institut für Werkzeubau und Umformung
Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology
Friction
Force between bodies > static, dynamic and rolling friction
Frontend
Visible part of a user software (<>Backend)
Grain size
Grain size / particle size of abrasives (e.g. 100 coarse > 1000 fine)
Grinding
The way something is polished
Haptics - Haptic perception
Teaching of the sense of touch – active touch with hands (<> tactile stimuli, passive, e.g. pressure).
HMI
Human Machine Interface
Hololens
Product Name for Augemented / Mixed Reality Glasses
HPI
Heinz-Piest-Institut for Craft technology
HWK
germ.: Handwerkskammer > Chamber of Crafts
Hybrid intelligent System
Combination of human intelligence and intelligence of machines
iiwa
Intelligent Industrial Work Assistant (Cobot of DLR and KUKA)
Imitation Learning
Process of observing and action and then repeating it. Imitation learning is a key component in supervised neural networks.
Impedance control
(lat. impedire = inhibit) Control of the system’s compliance, i.e. the link between force and position in the event of object contact.
Basis for force-based machining, scanning of surfaces or also safety devices in collaborative use.
Interface
‘Interface’ between computers or humans and computers (often input device)
Inverse kinematics
Calculation of the joint angles of the arm elements based on the pose (position and orientation) of the end effector
IP
Intellectual Property
IR
Industrial robots (require protective devices <> Cobot)
Iteration
Process of multiple repetition and iteration loop – approximation method
Kinect
Product name for (gaming) hardware for optical recognition of human movements and gestures
Kinematics
Field of mechanics in which the motion of bodies is described purely geometrically with the quantities location, time, velocity and acceleration
KIT
Institut for technology, Karlsruhe
LBR
germ.: Leichtbau Roboter > Lightweight robot
LEROSH
Learning robot sanding technology for the craft sector
Living Lab
Real laboratory in cooperation between science and civil society
Lot size (1- infinite)
Quantity of identical products from a special production order
Lot size 1
Special or custom made
Manipulator
In robotics, a manipulator is the device that enables physical interaction with the environment, i.e. the moving part of the robot assembly that performs the mechanical work of the robot. In principle, the manipulator is the part usually associated with an industrial robot
ML
Machine learning, the system learns from examples and applies this experience to new ane
Motion Tracking (Capture)
Recording of movements for analysis / utilization in digital models
MRK
germ.: Mensch Roboter Kollaboration > Human robot collaboration (other variants: cooperation or coexistence)
MVP
Minimum Viable Product
First, minimally functional iteration of a product to incorporate user feedback. | https://lerosh.de/en/glossary/ |
Something easy you can do every morning to promote overall health
There are several options for cleansing when it comes to yoga and some techniques have been deemed to be a bit more invasive than others. Fortunately there are choices that are simple, yet effective. This traditional yoga series is a version of the Shankha Prakshalana Kriyas; shankha meaning conch and prakshalana meaning to cleanse. Here the conch is considered the bowels and excretory system, and the water we drink along with the movements or kriyas, produce the cleansing and eliminating effect.
This simple, ancient technique is suitable for those in general good health. For best results, perform this set when you wake up in morning before you have eaten or eliminated. If you are pregnant or menstruating, please do not partake in this practice.
Begin in malasana, squatting down to the floor. In this position, drink 250 ml to 500 ml (1-2 cups) of room temperature water. If you are not able to squat, you may sit comfortably in a cross-legged position on the floor. You must drink water for this practice. Do not substitute the liquid for tea or another beverage.
Interlace your fingers, palms facing outward, inhale and lift the arms up directly above your head. From this centre position, exhale, extend and stretch the arms above the head to the right. Feel the torso stretch. Inhale, come back to centre with the arms extended. Exhale as you repeat the stretch on the left side. Feel the torso elongate and open. Repeat this set 3-5 times.
Take a wide legged stand at the centre of your mat. Chest facing forward, extend the arms horizontally outward. Begin to twist the torso from left to right with arms extended. Here you want to feel the torso compressing and expanding as you twist. This action helps to activate the metabolism and stimulate the bowels. Repeat this set 5-7 times.
Come to a prone position, pressing your stomach firmly on the floor. Keep the top of the feet pressed down on the ground. Place the palms below the shoulders. Inhale, press the palms down and begin to straighten the arms while you lift the chest slightly off the floor. Exhale and turn your head to look back towards your right heel. Inhale, come back to center, then exhale and turn your head to look back toward your left heel. If you have more to give, you can lift the torso up slightly higher but maintain that the stomach stays pressed on the floor. You should feel the torso engaged and slightly twisting in this kriya. Repeat 5-7 times.
Squat down to the floor in a center position. Pressing into the toes and lifting the heels off of the floor, begin to pivot the right knee down to the floor, twisting the upper body towards the left. Pivot back to center and then pivot the left knee down towards the right. The torso should be twisting to the right. This set should be an active and consistent pivot from right, centre, left, centre, right. The twisting rotation should not stop from one side to the another. If you require more stability in the pose, place one hand down on the floor and take your time to help with balance. Repeat 5-7 times.
Nicole Mahabir is the Founder and Director of JAI Wellness, a platform for health education, mindful living and wellbeing. For the past 10 years, Nicole has lead professional certified programs, teaching Nutrition, Meditation, Ayurveda, Yoga Therapy and Natural Anti-Ageing Beauty Regimes. When she isn't teaching, Nicole creates integrated, sustainable health protocols for her busy clients and leads corporate and wellness retreats. Follow Nicole on Instagram @jaiwellness or on her website, jaiwellness.com. | https://www.jaiwellness.com/post/the-5-minute-yoga-detox-a-simple-but-effective-practice-to-cleanse-the-body |
October 2, 2010
More than two hundred people turned out on Saturday night to be part of EL RETO FINAL 2010! It started out just like any other week with role call and some announcements. About 15 of our youth friends from La Cruz de Elota, Sinaloa came to visit us and a few participated in the event, making the final total for this year 108 participants! It was great to have them with us, they are a real blessing to this ministry.
After Ruben and Alfredo shared their rap song with the theme "In Search Of", we continued with the reading of the votes for 200 points from last week. Five of the six teams received votes leaving one team with two votes...The Explorers.
As we finished with the announcements, we started with worship. It was a great opportunity for all of us to come together and worship the Lord. Many students who participated this year don't know Jesus and they've never had real encounter with God. I was encouraged to see some of them standing and participating in worship.
Our guest speaker this year was Pastor Samuel De La Rosa from San Vicente, Nayarit (about 1/2 hour from Cofradía). He has a daily radio show and many people around here listen to him. It was a privilege to have him with us as he brought about 20 people; mainly students from his congregation who participated in a drama while he spoke. What a message! He did an excellent job hitting the nail on the head with the theme and capturing the attention of the students. In the end, there were numerous students who came forward for prayer, many of which don't come to church. That pleases my heart!
Drama during message.
At the altar.
We finished with one more worship song and headed right into the presentation of the hidden treasures, announcing the winner of the Cents War, and finally the final score of all the teams.
This year we had three hidden treasures: "Christ" is better than "Gold" and "Silver." We even made a video that we gave to each team as they won in "Under The Scope" that explained a little about the treasures. I called up the captain of the team who found the "Silver" Treasure first. When someone found a treasure, they actually found a small rectangle box wrapped in a black bag. Inside the box was a magnifying glass with a message in the handle.
The Silver Treasure was found underneath a big cooking pot used for feeding cows in Hugo's field, it was found by Chuy Orozco, captain of The Detectives, the second week using a clue to a different treasure! This treasure gave them double the points they received in the Cents War. The message leaked out that he had found it and other teams made it a point that they would not benefit from that treasure. You will get negative 250 points if someone puts a 10 peso coin in your Cents War bottle. They got three 10 peso coins last week giving them a total of -286 points. Double that and they got a total of -572 points! Needless to say, with the -286 they were already in last place. There was a two-way tie for the winners of the Cents War between In Love and The Angels.
Chuy with Silver.
The Gold Treasure was found in the ruins near Arrayanes underneath a rock on top of the arches. This one was also found in the second week, but by Alfredo Garzon, captain of The Explorers. This treasure gave them all the points that were spent by all the teams in the RETO Auction for a total of 7,070 points! When I asked him how he found it, he said that the captain of The Angels, Mereida, had loaned him the DVD she won in "Under the Scope." Using clues that the DVD showed, he found it. So, since Mereida gave them points in the auction, I asked Alfredo if he'd like to give Mereida's team points for helping him find the treasure. He said..."one point." So, we added 7,069 points to The Explorers final score and one point to The Angels final score.
Alfredo with Gold.
The Christ Treasure was found the morning after the fifth Saturday. It was the hardest one for them to find. The clues would take them to Beto's field south of Cofradía headed towards Ruiz where they would find a clue buried in his field that would lead them to a field next to Pastor Luis' watermelon field out towards Santa Fe. They never found the clue buried in Beto's field, but with the final clue in the fifth week, many were able to determine where it was. Now, it was just a race to see who got there first. At 6am on Sunday morning, Chuy Orozco, captain of The Detectives, went out to look for the treasure and found it right away buried underneath a tire that was laying in the field. He didn't say anything to anyone and a couple hours later, another captain went out there but didn't find anything. Then, after church, two other teams went out to the field, but came up empty because Chuy had already found it!
Chuy with the Christ Treasure.
This treasure gave them the opportunity to challenge the first place team in one final challenge to determine the winner of EL RETO 2010!
The final score for EL RETO 2010 is as follows:
6th PLACE with 4,390 points...
The Angels (after receiving one extra point from The Explorers).
5th PLACE with 6,994 points...
Those Who Believe
4th PLACE with 7,693 points...
The Detectives
3rd PLACE with 9,480 points...
In Love
2nd PLACE with 11,408 points...
The Disciples
and in 1st PLACE with 14,854 points...
The Explorers (after winning 7,069 points with the Gold Treasure).
This year's RETO FINAL was between The Explorers (for First Place) and The Detectives (for finding Christ Treasure) and was divided into two parts.
The first part of the final challenge was a series of activities they had experienced throughout the month. The score started out with The Explorers leading 5-0 because of the 1st place position. Their first series of activities was to go up to people and ask for Chips. There were a total of 10 people who had chips, The Explorers found 5 and The Detectives found 6. So now the score was 10-6. Then they competed in a series of activities for individuals on the team. In order for it to be a "team" effort, they needed one participant for each activity.
Their first activity was to have one participant translate a message in Spanish to the Chinese font that I found in my computer. Then, another participant had to translate what was written in Chinese into Spanish. The Detectives won two points for finishing first. I have no idea what it says, but each letter had a different figure to it, so we used those figures in all of the clues to the treasures. Now, they needed it for EL RETO FINAL. The font is called, "Wubi Xing" and the phrase "EL RETO" looks like this "有国 的有和为". We gave away letters as they won them and bought them for points. For this event, they got the whole alphabet to use. Now, the score was 10-8 with The Explorers still leading.
Chuy Translating
While the translation was taking place, two members of each team had to chase chickens. The Detectives got the chicken first. Now, it was 10-9, The Explorers.
Catching the Chicken.
One member from each team had to try to make a penalty shot. The Detectives evened up the score 10-10 with making the first penalty shot.
Goal!
Then they had to search for verses. One member from each team had their bible and raced to search for a verse. Three verses were given; one of them neither participant could find. Again, The Detectives won here and got two more points and now were in the lead 12-10.
George and Alfredo getting ready to search for verses.
Also, they were to have three members participate in a quick rally that took more than a half an hour. They needed to start a fire with magnesium flint and make the flame grow until it broke the string and dropped a bucket with a message in 1.5 font that explained to them where they would find a tiny bottle using a compass.
One member would make fire, another would read the message with a magnifying glass, and final member would search for the bottle using the compass. The winning team would receive three points. Each member needed to do this themselves and not get help from other members of the team, otherwise it would be cheating--the other members had something else to participate in. Neither team could make fire, so we gave them matches which took one point away. The Explorers found the bottle, but unfortunately another member of the team was "helping" and resulted in The Detectives getting the two remaining points. Now, it was 14-10.
Finally, two members of each team had to eat a pig tongue, once they had a clean mouth, the whole team was to drink 10 liters (2 1/2 gallons) of orange juice. The Explorers won two points making the final score 14-12 at halftime!
At the break, we watched the videos the teams made for the team project. Here are the team videos.
The second part of EL RETO FINAL was the same activity we did two years ago for the final. Each team chose 10 squares in a 100 square grid. The score was 14-12 which gave each team that many shots at searching for the other team's chosen squares. We always let the team with the least amount go first. This year, The Explorers went first and with four shots left of their 12, they hit one of their own squares giving one point to The Detectives. With three shots left...nothing. With two shots left...nothing. They had one shot left, if they did not hit a square that The Detectives had chosen, The Detectives would be declared the winners with a score of 1-0. The final shot was taken and...nothing! The Detectives were declared the winners of EL RETO 2010!
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE DETECTIVES!!!
Here is a video of this final week.
After naming the Champions, we watched the final video. You can see it here.
Many say that this year was the best RETO so far. I believe that God has a plan in this and teaches each one of us to trust in him and realize that He is in control. He knows best. He sees us Under His Scope and loves us even though we have defects. He sees His children; His creation. He sent His Son in order for us to have fellowship with Him! He is AWESOME!
On Sunday, we had a RETO debrief service and a few people shared their experiences throughout the month. Click here to read about it. | http://www.thesilbermans.net/2010/10/el-reto-final-2010.html |
Root cause analysis is the part of problem solving that tries to determine the root cause(s) of problems or anomalies that effect processes. It focuses on getting to the root cause and implementing corrective action versus addressing only the symptoms of a problem. The action of focusing on the root cause and implementing corrective action thus prevents the problem from reoccurring.
Problems may have more than one root cause and it’s important to understand that and have the perseverance to identify them all in order to prevent the problem from coming back. How the problem is defined makes a big difference and a good problem statement can help tremendously.
Obtain all the information and data you can concerning the problem. Define the problem and develop a good problem statement. If possible, use a control chart to determine if you are dealing with common cause or special cause variation. Another great tool I have used many times to help with clue generation is the Is, Is-Not.
Develop a time line for the events that led to the problem. Placing events in chronological order can help you make sense of the issue and put it into perspective.
Use the 5 Why tool to identify the causes associated with each step in the sequence towards the defined problem.
Identify all the factors that may have contributed to the problem. Use the 6Ms, i.e., Man, Machine, Method, Material, Measurement, and Mother Nature to help you identify the factors.
Identify corrective actions that would prevent recurrence.
Identify solutions. These solutions should be those that can be implemented quickly and are the most effective and least costly to implement.
Implement the solutions and ensure they are effective.
A good way to know for sure if you have the true root cause(s) is if you can turn the problem on and off. This is recommended if you have the luxury of being able to do it.
Histogram and box-plots for variable data. Always plot the data you have.
Pareto charts for attribute data.
Control charts to determine if special causes are present. | http://jlodom.com/root-cause-analysis/ |
NONCOMMUTATIVE PRINCIPAL BUNDLES
The recognition of the domain of mathematics called fibre bundles took place in the period 1935 - 1940. The first general definitions were given by H. Withney. His work and that of H. Hopf and E. Stiefel demonstrated the importance of the subject for the applications of topology, differential geometry and theoretical physics. The question, whether there is a way to extend the classical theory of fibre bundles to noncommutative geometry is therefore of particular interest. In the case of vector bundles the Theorem of Serre and Swan gives the essential clue: The category of vector bundles over a compact space X is equivalent to the category of finitely generated and projective C(X)-modules. This observation leads to a notion of noncommutative vector bundles and is the connection between the topological K-theory based on vector bundles and the K-theory for C*-algebras. For principal bundles, free and proper actions of quantum groups on C*-algebras offer a good candidate for a notion of noncommutative principal bundles. In a purely algebraic setting, the well-established theory of Hopf-Galois extensions provides a wider framework comprising coactions of Hopf algebras.
The study and classification of actions of quantum groups on C*-algebras is intrinsically interesting and the experience with the commutative case suggests that free group actions are due to the lack of degeneracies easier to understand and to classify than general actions. In fact, by a classical result, having a free action of a compact group G on a compact space P is equivalent saying that P carries the structure of a principal bundle over the quotient X := P/G with structure group G. Very well-understood is the case of locally trivial principal bundles, that is, if P is glued together from spaces of the form U × G with an open subset U ⊆ X. This gluing immediately leads to G-valued cocycles. The corresponding cohomology theory, called Cech cohomology, gives a complete classification of locally trivial principal bundles with base space X and structure group G.
For compact Abelian groups, free ergodic actions, that is, free actions with trivial fixed point algebra, were completely classified by Olesen, Pedersen and Takesaki and independently by Albeverio and Høegh–Krohn. This classification was generalized to compact non-Abelian groups by the remarkable work of Wassermann: For a compact group G there is a 1-to-1 correspondence between free ergodic actions of G and 2-cocycles of the dual group. An analogous result in the context of compact quantum groups has been obtained by Bichon, De Rijdt and Vaes. Extending these classification results beyond the ergodic case is however not straightforward because, even for a commutative fixed point algebra, the action cannot necessarily be decomposed into a bundle of ergodic actions.
RESEARCH ACHIEVEMENTS
My research revolves around finding suitable algebraic analogs of useful concepts and ideas from fibre bundle theory and generalizing the corresponding classical results to the setting of noncommutative geometry. In particular, I am interested in the noncommutative geometry of principal bundles and their applications to geometry and physics.
My scientific work has brought an important insight into the theory of noncommutative principal bundles and my research results have been published as peer-reviewed articles in different journals, among which are Advances in Mathematics, the Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society and the Journal of Noncommutative Geometry.
For example, the articles [8, 9, 10, 11], which emerged from my PhD thesis, contain several aspects of the noncommutative geometry of principal bundles. Furthermore, Kay Schwieger and I achieved in a complete classification of free, but not necessary ergodic actions of compact Abelian groups on unital C*-algebras. This classification relies on the fact that the corresponding isotypic components are Morita self-equivalences over the fixed point algebra.
For free actions of non-Abelian compact groups the bimodule structure of the corresponding isotypic components is more subtle. For this reason we concentrated in on a simple class of free actions of non-Abelian compact groups, namely cleft actions which are characterized by the fact that all associated noncommutative vector bundles are trivial. Although this property looks limiting, in fact, many noncommutative phenomena already show up here.
In we finally considered the general case of free actions of compact quantum groups on unital C*-algebras. To be more precise, we provided a complete classification of this class of actions in terms of generalized factor systems. Besides a new and interesting characterization of freeness, our approach uses the fact that non-ergodic actions of compact quantum groups can be described in terms of weak unitary tensor functors mapping the representation category of the underlying compact quantum group into the category of C*-correspondences over the corresponding fixed point algebra.
As an application of our generalized factor system theory, we showed that finite noncommutative coverings of generic irrational rotation C*-algebras are always cleft. Recently, we have finished an article that aims at understanding noncommutative coverings of quantum tori.
CURRENT RESEARCH DESCRIPTION
My current research plan is divided into two major parts, which both are geometric in nature and require a deep understanding of noncommutative principal bundles. In fact, the overall purpose of the first part is to study the geometry of noncommutative principal bundles by means of Connes’ spectral triples, which provide a natural framework to do geometry by analogy with the Riemannian spin geometry of a classical manifold. The specific objective of the second part is to explore strategies towards a fundamental group for C*-algebras. In particular, I hope to find interesting and important invariants of C*-algebras complementing the recent extensive activity with the attempt to extend Elliott’s classification program for C*-algebras. | https://www.stefandoesmath.info/research/ |
Every day I have one word that travels with me throughout the day. Today that word is Acceptance. We admitted that we were powerless over depression and that our lives had become unmanageable.
Presently, a friend is struggling to find a way to help another friend who needs to be in treatment. The problem is that her friend refuses to accept the fact that she needs help. Her lack of acceptance that she needs help reminds us again that there is nothing that we can do except to “let go” and keep the focus on our own recovery. Let them know there is a Depressed Anonymous group that they could attend which could be of help.
In the meantime, I refer to the support that I receive today in the Depressed Anonymous 12 Step recovery program. I continue to believe that many families and friends want to “fix” whatever is wrong with their depressed loved one. They have no clue of the nature of depression and how immobilizing it is.
My own acceptance of not being able to “fix” someone brings home to me that I am not God. Because I am one of many who believe that they can only “fix” themselves and no one else, this acceptance is the starting point of our recovery. The main thrust of my wanting to produce the 12 Step recovery program of Dep-Anon, for families and friends of the depressed came from my acceptance that I had to “let go” and let God “untangle” something I could not fix. The only thing or person that I could change is myself. That is the power of admitting that I was depressed. This is the message that I want to give to the families and friends of the depressed. They need to gather family members together, keep the focus on themselves, and by putting the Steps into action in their own lives find the peace that they are looking for in their lives.
The following message is for a family who wants to help a depressed family member or friend.
The main idea of Step One is that we are at the point where we finally “get it” that our efforts to change our loved one will always fail. Our main thrust is to be supportive, non-judgmental, and uncritical. We are powerless over them and their behaviors. Our fellowship will now help us understand the nature of depression while giving us the critical and essential tools for taking care of ourselves. We begin to seek the support of other family members through the Dep-Anon fellowship and learn as much as we can about depression.
RESOURCES
- (C) Dep-Anon, A 12 Step Recovery Program for families and friends of the depressed. (2021) Depressed Anonymous Publications. Louisville, KY. Page 17.
- (C) Depressed Anonymous, 3rd EDITION (2011) Depressed Anonymous Publications. Louisville, KY. | https://depressedanon.com/my-word-for-today-is-acceptance/ |
With over 3,500 domesticated Asian elephants in Thailand, it is only natural that they become a major part of the local community and this is no different for the Thung Kha Ngok area of Phang Nga.
Elephants throughout Asia are a constant fascination to humans. Of course we understand about tourists, who love to interact with the elephants, but we mustn’t forget that the elephant is an intrinsic part of Thai culture and the local people also love and respect these wonderful animals. Our staff maintain good relations with our neighbours; for example, the bond between Ohm, (Kwan-chaang to the beautiful Seanuan – right), has been strengthened to the point that locals leave treats for her as she heads out into the jungle to her favourite spots. It is always important respect one another’s boundaries but the balance has been refined by our Kwan-chaangs’ commitment and friendship with others living nearby.
We believe that at the heart of the community is the next generation of young minds. So, as part of our association with the Southern Thailand Elephant Foundation (STEF) we are striving to educate Thai children about the gentle nature of the Asian elephant. This aim is to help to preserve the delicate balance between humans and elephants, thus protecting elephants from further land loss. It will also allow us to work towards solidifying excellent elephant welfare practices, ensuring that the elephant is well protected in both the present and future.
This month at Phang Nga Elephant Park we played host to the Yaowawit School; visits such as these allow us to work towards our educational goals within the community and provide opportunities to nurture young opinions. The Yaowawit School was set up following the devastating tsunami that hit on Boxing Day 2004. The school now notably aims to educate children from underprivileged backgrounds and provide them with stimulating new challenges and experiences.
Twenty, bright and excited students aged 7-12 were welcomed into the Park to participate in several educational activities which were organised by our lovely Volunteers together with owners Jake and Lek. The children listened intently as Lek, also our head Kwan-chaang, talked them through a health check on the beautiful Bai-Ngern and discussed in further detail the cultural importance of the Asian elephant.
The group was also given the opportunity to craft nutrition balls for some of our girls whom they were very eager to meet! Jana, Tong-Sri, Bai-Ngern and Duong Jai did not disappoint as the children got the opportunity to feed and interact with these magnificent creatures up close.
The children were then given the opportunity to let off some steam by participating in an educational treasure hunt; clues were planted across the Park for the children to race around and find; the first to find the clue was rewarded with a Phang Nga Elephant Park T-shirt or eco water bottle as a keepsake. The final clue culminated in a grass seed planting activity at our plantation; here, we aim to grow food for our herd, thus making us more sustainable for the future.
It was an absolute pleasure meeting the children of Yaowawit and we hope that they will continue to return to us on a regular basis to assist in strengthening our ties with the local community, and to provide the children with enriching experiences that they can treasure indefinitely.
One definition of a community is ‘a feeling or fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests and goals’. Here at Phang Nga Elephant Park, we want to ensure that this common goal is a love and respect of the Asian elephant. With every small interaction in the local community like our involvement this week, we take a small step towards achieving a unified set of goals and a brighter future for the Asian elephant. | https://phangngaelephantpark.com/monthly-blog-september-2019/ |
Note: This is the postprint of the following paper; publisher version available here.
Allen, Andrea. Forthcoming. Are campus police “real” police? Students’ perceptions of campus versus municipal police. The Police Journal. DOI: 10.1177/0032258X20906859.
Abstract: Campus police (CP) are an active force across U.S. universities. Yet, the public questions whether they are “real” police, as are municipal police (MP). Prior research finds students perceive CP and MP on different terms, and, generally, hold the former in lower regard. However, little is known about exactly how students view CP as different from and similar to MP. This paper addresses that gap by analyzing qualitative data gathered during interviews with 73 students attending a metropolitan Atlanta university. The analysis reveals participants perceive CP and MP as varying in training, powers, resources, sanction severity, and danger faced on the job. The paper concludes by discussing the broader implications, including how comparing CP to MP can improve research, theory, and policing.
Campus policing dates to the 19th century and has greatly evolved since then (Bromley and Reaves, 1998; Fisher and Sloan, 2007; Gehrand, 2008; Peak et al., 2008; Sloan, 1992). Today, it is a major feature of the law enforcement apparatus in the United States. There are over 10,000 campus police (CP) serving at almost 4,000 universities making tens of thousands of arrests annually (Anderson, 2015; Reaves, 2008; USDOE, 2016).
Yet media headlines question whether CP are “real cops” like municipal police (MP). Examples include, “Are campus police officers ‘real’ police officers?” (Chronicle, 2015a), “What are campus police allowed to do?” (Chronicle, 2015b), “What is the real role of police on college campuses?” (Anderson, 2015), and “Campus police: real deal or rent-a-cops?” (Mayer, 2014). That such questions are even asked is important to the study of policing, given that theory and research suggest citizens’ perceptions of officers’ legitimacy affects their compliance with the law and how they interact with them (Tyler, 2006).
However, little research examines students’ perceptions of CP in relation to MP. This paper addresses that lacuna by analyzing qualitative data obtained during interviews with 73 students attending a university in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, United States. In what follows, the next section describes the history of CP as well as how CP and MP vary concretely and in perception. After presenting the study’s method and findings, the paper discusses their implications for future research and (campus) policing.
The history of CP dates back to the late 19th century when Yale University hired two New Haven municipal policemen to patrol campus (Powell, 1994; Sloan, 1992). By the early 20th century, campus policing had evolved into the night watchman style, with primary duties being facility maintenance and enforcing campus rules (Fisher and Sloan, 2007; Gehrand, 2008; Sloan, 1992). These CP, however, typically lacked law enforcement training, so local municipal police officers were called in when serious issues arose on campus (Gehrand, 2008).
That approach to campus security remained relatively unchanged until the 1960s. This new era arose from the first mass school shooting, namely that around the University of Texas Tower, and from widespread student protests against the Vietnam War and other social issues. In turn, university administrators selected experienced officers from municipal departments to develop, staff, and oversee campus enforcement operations (Fisher and Sloan, 2007). CP departments became more like MP departments in organizational and operational styles (Bromley and Reaves, 1998, 1999; Paoline and Sloan, 2003; Reaves and Goldberg, 1996). Additionally, state legislatures passed laws allowing universities to staff their own police departments with POST certified sworn officers. This change meant CP now had the same police powers as MP, such as the ability to arrest suspects (Fisher and Sloan, 2007; Sloan, 1992).
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, campus policing transformed once again. This time, the spurring incident was the 1986 murder of Jeanne Ann Clery (Sloan and Fisher, 2011). She was raped, tortured, and strangled to death by a man, with whom she was not acquainted, who entered her dorm room in an attempt to burglarize it. According to reports, the perpetrator was able to enter Clery’s room, because several of the building’s doors had been propped open and left unlocked. A few years later, this incident resulted in the Clery Act, which requires universities to annually notify the public about incidents on campus and crimes known to CP. Clery’s murder as well as media reports of lax campus security practices across the nation were catalysts in the legislation’s adoption. Moreover, in response to negative publicity, CP departments began adopting community policing approaches to better prevent and respond to crime. In practice, this meant that CP became more proactive in their enforcement efforts, perhaps even more so than MP (Sloan and Lanier, 2007).
To gain a sense of where campus policing is today, consider the most recent findings from The Survey of Campus Law Enforcement Agencies (2011-12), which covers CP departments serving 4-year universities (Reaves, 2015a). About 68% of officers are sworn. Entry-level, sworn CP completed an average of 1,027 training hours, compared to 1,370 such hours by MP (Reaves, 2010, 2015a). Jurisdictionally, 86% of CP departments permit officers to make arrests on campus and adjacent property, and 35% permit CP to make arrests statewide. Seventy percent of CP departments have a mutual aid agreement or a memorandum of understanding with MP departments (Reaves, 2015a). Two-thirds of CP officers are armed and, thus, carry sidearms, batons, conducted energy devices (e.g., Taser), or chemical/pepper spray. Also, some CP departments authorize officers to use rifles, shotguns, bean bag rifles, rubber bullets, and flash/bang grenades. As in the past, primary functions of CP still include securing property and providing services to students like self-defense classes and escorting them around campus. However, CP have also become highly trained in their crime fighting ability. Between one-fifth and three-fifths of sworn CP are trained to perform special functions such as bomb/explosive disposal or detection; search and rescue; tactical operations (SWAT); task force participation; and underwater recovery. Training also prepares officers for large-scale incidents (e.g., terrorist attacks, natural disasters) on and around campus (Peak et al., 2008).
There are many similarities between CP and MP, but there are also distinctions. For one, CP must act in accordance with university administrators’ expectations and preferences. To not deter enrollment at the university, administrators may ask or expect CP to keep the campus safe while, at the same time, avoiding aggressive tactics and severe sanctioning (Bordner and Petersen, 1983; Carr and Ward, 2006; Wolf et al., 2007). To accomplish these conceivably contradictory goals, CP are known to focus on policing persons unaffiliated with the university, or “outsiders” (Sloan and Fisher, 2011). This discriminatory system reflects the longstanding in loco parentis (act in place of the parents) doctrine of campus policing (Sloan, 1992; Sloan and Fisher, 2011), which contrasts with municipal departments’ legalistic style of policing defined by a single standard of conduct punished in relatively uniform ways (Wilson, 1968).
Another difference between CP and MP is the latter tend to handle more serious crimes, especially compared to MP working in urban, socially disadvantaged areas (Miller and Pan, 1987). With that said, serious crimes do happen on campus, most of which are sexual and domestic assaults, followed by property offenses (Reaves, 2015a; Shorey et al., 2011; White House Task Force, 2014). Moreover, alcohol-involved crime is particularly widespread on and around campuses because, one, college students – including minors – drink frequently and in large quantities, and, two, alcohol intoxication increases the likelihood of being an offender or victim in alcohol-related crimes (Allen and Jacques, 2013; Dowdall, 2013).
Another unique facet of campus policing relates to university campuses being the place of several mass shootings. Though statistically rare, they capture the public imagination and cause widespread fear. Examples include the killings at Virginia Tech University, Northern Illinois University, Oikos University, and Santa Monica College. While both CP and MP face the threat of active shooters, it could be argued that this challenge is greater for CP because they operate with a lower officer-to-citizen ratio. The Survey of Campus Law Enforcement Agencies (2011-12) shows, for example, that there were an average of 1.4 CP officers per 1,000 students at universities with 15,000 students or more, whereas there was an average of 2 MP officers per 1,000 citizens in municipalities/townships with 10,000 to 24,999 residents (Reaves, 2010).
Potentially, students may think of CP and MP as one in the same, different in some ways but similar in others, or entirely distinct. To the author’s knowledge, only two studies explicitly analyze this issue. Wada and colleagues (2010) surveyed 593 undergraduate students at a large Pacific Northwestern university on their perceptions of CP and MP legitimacy. Results from a t-test showed that students attributed significantly less legitimacy to CP than to MP. And regression analyses indicated that students who are white and have higher levels of positive stereotyping were more likely to perceive both CP and MP as legitimate. Based on these results, the authors concluded that CP are marginalized compared to MP, or, in other words, “are not viewed as ‘real’ cops by the students they serve” (p. 127).
A drawback of Wada and colleagues’ (2010) research is that they only asked students about their perceptions of CP or MP and then compared the mean scores. This is because one group of participants was administered a questionnaire solely about CP, whereas the other group was only asked about MP. Thus, one way to improve on their study is to ask each participant about CP and MP, as this may help researchers better understand how and why students view them as similar or different.
Uniquely, Jacobsen’s (2015) study of “Mid-Atlantic U” qualitatively examined students’ perceptions of CP legitimacy relative to MP. For this research, she conducted 8 in-depth interviews and spoke with 4 focus groups of 4 participants each. Jacobsen found that students see CP as not performing “‘real’ police work” (p. 322). Some respondents also believed CP are less capable than MP; as one student expressed, “If you can’t get a job at the state [police] department, you police at [Mid-Atlantic U]” (p. 322).
A potential critique of Jacobsen’s study pertains to the sample size of 24 (8 interviewed and 16 in focus groups). However, this is less of a concern for her research because its goal was to shed qualitative light on an understudied topic, not to test a theory or produce results of a known statistical generalizability (see Jacques, 2014). Another limitation of her article is it lacks details on views of CP relative to MP. Presumably, this problem springs from the article’s expansive coverage of multiple issues relating to CP, not only how they compare to MP. It follows, then, that a way to build on her work is by focusing entirely on perceptions of CP versus MP, as this should help elucidate a fuller range of views.
The above studies find that students perceive CP as different from MP or, more specifically, as not “real cops.” Yet much is left to be known regarding the ways in which they see CP and MP similarly and differently. Thus, the present study addresses the following questions: In what ways do students view CP and MP as the same? In what ways different? And why? The answers are based on qualitative data obtained from a sample of 73 university students recruited via purposive and convenience sampling techniques. Among the participants, 85% were black; 7% non-white Hispanic; 4.2% white, 1.4% Asian/Indian, and 2.8% two or more races/ethnicities. Sixty-two percent were female. Their ages ranged from 19 to 74 years, with an average of 30 years and median of 25 years. About a fifth are married and about a third have a child. In terms of college-specific characteristics, 4% were freshmen, 1% sophomores, 38% juniors, and the rest seniors; one-fifth lived on campus; and, only one participant was a member of a Greek organization.
Participants attended a 4-year, medium-sized public university in 2014. At the time of the study, enrollment was 7,261 students, 95% of which were undergraduates and 44% of which were enrolled part-time. The student body was 62% black, 23% white, and the remainder of another or unknown race/ethnicity. Sixty-eight percent were female. The average age was 28 years, and 34% of enrolled students were “non-traditional,” meaning at least 25 years old at the time of undergraduate matriculation. Sixty-four percent of the undergraduate students were awarded Pell Grants (USDOE, 2015), indicating a majority of them come from a disadvantaged background. The university is situated in a metropolitan county of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. In 2014, this county had a population of about 250,000 persons, of which 68% was black and 24% was white (USCB, 2015). The county’s median household income was $40,606, with about 24% of residents below the poverty level.
In 2014, the campus police department reported the following crime statistics: 3 sex offenses, 1 robbery, 4 cases of dating violence, 2 burglaries, 1 incident of stalking, and 2 motor vehicle thefts. There were no arrests for liquor law violations, yet there were 2 arrests for drug abuse violations and one arrest for illegal weapons possession. Additionally, there were, respectively, 22 and 26 judicial referrals made for liquor law and drug abuse violations, as well as 1 referral for illegal weapons possession. Though these numbers are low, it should be kept in mind that the actual number of campus crimes is likely far greater because many crimes go unreported or undetected. Regarding the county in which the university is located, in 2014 there were 590 violent offenses and 4,567 property offenses per 100,000 residents, compared to the nation’s rates of 366 violent offenses and 2,596 property offenses per 100,000 persons (GBI, 2014; FBI, 2014).
As with CP at other universities, those working for the university under study are responsible for preventing, investigating, and sanctioning violations of the law and student code of conduct. At the time of data collection, the department employed 15 to 20 patrol officers from month to month. These officers were divided into four teams, with each working twelve hour shifts. All officers were POST certified, carried firearms, and were “sworn-in” (i.e., had full arrest powers). Their jurisdiction included the university campus, which is about 200 acres in size, and up to 500 yards beyond the campus, all of which they patrolled by car and foot.
Data were collected from students during audio-recorded, semi-structured interviews. Typically, interviews lasted about 45 minutes and covered a range of topics revolving around participants’ experiences with and perceptions of police, both campus and municipal. Pertaining to this paper, participants were asked a series of questions about their perceptions and understanding of CP versus MP. More specifically, participants were asked whether and how CP and MP vary, if at all, in (1) their capability to fight crime; (2) the extent to which they think they should possess the same powers, such as to arrest; (3) what powers they think they actually possess; and, (4) danger faced on the job. Collectively, these questions tap into police powers, capabilities, and performance, which are purported to influence officer legitimacy (see e.g., Sunshine and Tyler, 2003 and Tyler, 2002 for citizen perceptions of MP). Thus, by asking students those questions with respect to CP and MP, we should gain greater insight into how they compare in legitimacy. Of course, a different set of questions could lead to different results, so this should be considered when evaluating the study’s findings.
Before the start of each interview, participants were made aware of their rights as a research subject, including that they would remain anonymous, could choose not to answer any question, and could terminate participation at any time. In addition to protecting participants and the study’s ethical wellbeing, an added benefit of those safeguards is they may reduce the motive to lie or otherwise distort “the truth.” Of course, distortion is a concern for any study based on self-report data. Thus, to further minimize that problem, participants were probed for details to help them recall events and illuminate unusual or seemingly baseless responses.
In preparation for analysis, each audio-recording was transcribed verbatim and then uploaded into NVivo 10. This qualitative software package allows for data to be coded with identification tags. Per inductive analysis techniques (e.g., Glaser and Strauss, 1967), the goal of analysis was to uncover what participants see as the major similarities and differences between CP and MP. During this initial round of coding, five themes became apparent: “Training”; “Resources”; “Powers”; “Sanctioning Severity”; and, “Danger.” The next step in coding was to sift through those categories to determine how participants identified CP and MP as alike or different in each of those aspects. More about the coding process is described below because it ties in with the findings.
The second round of coding, described above, answered the question: In what ways do people view CP and MP as different? The answer to emerge is that participants cast CP as unlike MP in training, powers, resources, how severely they sanction, and danger faced on the job. At a basic level, these are the ways in which students view CP as less than “real cops.” However, the third round of coding revealed that perceptions of CP versus MP are more nuanced than that. For one, this is because participants who perceived CP and MP as different in those ways held multiple views on how exactly so. For another, not all participants viewed CP and MP as distinct in the aforementioned ways. Instead, some individuals spoke to how CP are “real police,” showing that not all students think of them otherwise. The paper now turns to a presentation of the qualitative data that produced and, thus, illustrate those findings.
MP and CP undergo training before becoming part of the rank and file, as well as over the course of their careers (Chappell et al., 2010). Though students were not directly asked about how CP and MP vary in training, this was a commonly discussed topic in interviews. For instance, some participants mentioned that CP and MP are trained differently. Participant 24 conjectured that “[CP] training might not be as extensive [as that of MP].” Though she spoke to the quantity of training, most participants who thought of CP and MP as different in this regard mentioned the type of training. Participant 43 summed up that idea when he said, “They are not trained for the same things.” Such participants thought CP and MP are trained differently because of the type of “things” that happen on university grounds; to quote Participant 62, CP receive additional training “on how to deal with things that will typically happen on a college campus.”
A common issue on campuses is drinking- and drug-related misbehavior, and, thus, Participant 43 thought “[CP are] trained to seek out things as far as like alcohol and stuff like that.” Obviously, students are an indispensable feature of colleges, so while CP and MP “generally have the same training,” said Participant 17, “I think campus police just have a little more student-based training.” Participant 27 had the most expansive answer, as she referred to several of the potentially relevant factors that uniquely shape CP’s training: “[CP are] trained to deal with the campus life, … a certain age group, and certain stuff [that] might happen in such a closed area, … [as] opposed to being on streets where other police [MP] are used to.”
Yet not all students thought CP and MP receive different training. Rather, many participants figured they undergo the same training and obtain the same certifications. In the words of Participants 46 and 25, respectively, “They [CP] go through the same training and the same type of certification as a municipal police officer” and “[T]hey [CP] have the same sort of certifications and training as municipal police.” Participant 25 noted, “[CP] have training for the situations that they may come in contact with just like municipal police.” Participant 59 made a similar comment: “[T]hey [CP] are still mandated police officers so they still have the same type of training. I believe they still have to go to the police academy and everything like that.” Similarly, Participant 6 said:
[T]o become a [campus] police officer I believe you have some of the same training that a regular city police officer would have. The training and the qualifications, the requirements to become a police officer, are pretty much the same.
In discussing the similar training of CP and MP, a couple participants specified that the only difference between these groups is their jurisdiction. Participant 21 commented, “[T]hey’re the same, trained exactly the same. … They’re [CP] regular police that just happened to be assigned to the campus for however long.” And Participant 9 echoed: “[T]hey [CP] go through the same training [as MP]. It’s just where they’re employed that’s different. Campus police have to deal with just the campus and students, and municipal police kinda deal with what’s going on out there.”
As with training, all officers have resources they bring with them to the field. Yet, officers and departments differ in the quantity and types of resources to which they have access (Klinger, 1997; Reaves, 2015b). Though students were not asked about resources, this, too, frequently came up during interviews.
When resources were discussed, most students stated CP were lacking in this regard, compared to MP. Participant 55, for example, simply stated: “[T]hey [CP] don’t have some of the resources that municipal police have to fight crime.” Participant 27 also spoke in broad terms, though added that CP’s lack of resources may make them dependent on MP in serious situations:
I think that campus police don’t have as many resources as other [municipal] departments have. … They might not be able to do certain stuff or perform certain actions. They might have to call for back up [from MP] for certain stuff, like say we have a bomb threat.
Related to that example is Participant 2’s contention that “[CP] don’t have the man power that the municipal does.” Participant 26 mentioned that they not only lack “man power,” but also detection dogs: “I don’t believe that they [CP] have the resources to fight the kind of crime municipal police fight, such as [by having] more police officers and maybe a canine unit for drug-related cases.” And Participant 41 went beyond hypotheticals when she drew on her knowledge of how CP resources affected their handling of an actual bomb threat on campus:
[There was a] bomb threat that got called in, in 2010. … They just had the campus police walking around, basically like Barney Fife going around. They don’t have the personnel, I believe, to handle something like that. I think they do need to hire more personnel to do that, or have a co-op between [with local police departments] or even the Sheriff’s Department to shut down the campus and do a room by room search if it’s needed. You could move freely around campus and I’ve never seen that in a facility that was supposed to be locked down after a bomb threat.
While most participants perceived CP to have fewer resources than MP, some students deemed them more or less equals here. Participants 28 and 53 said, respectively, “[C]ampus police are fully equipped as well as municipal police” and “[T]hey have the resources that most municipal police have.” Though perhaps lacking in personnel, students commented that CP and MP are similar in that they both have weapons, bulletproof vests (Participant 10), and police cars (Participants 10 and 31). For example, Participant 47 noted, “They are definitely equipped with the same weapons.” Participant 31 elaborated on that comparison: “I don’t see that they’re [CP] any less armed. … I think they have handguns. I think they have batons. They may have pepper spray. They might have Tasers.”
Policing powers amount to the legal right of officers to enforce the law, maintain control of the public, apprehend suspects, and use force if necessary (Bittner, 1990; Brown, 1981; Manning, 1977; Muir, 1977; Westley, 1970). As seen in the media headlines quoted at this paper’s outset, questions about CP often pertain to their powers. Thus, it should come as no surprise that some participants thought CP have less power than MP. “I’m thinking,” said Participant 48, “the municipal police might have a little bit more authority than the CP.” And Participant 24 explained, “[W]hen you think about campus police, you think about security. You don’t really think of anything like, this is a ‘police.’”
Some students questioned or denied that CP can arrest suspects as can MP. For example, Participant 22 stated, “I think that campus police wouldn’t have as much authority as municipal police, so I think that they wouldn’t be able to do as much [sanctioning wise].” Participant 48 asserted, “I think the campus police are kind of limited to what they can arrest people for.” And Participant 52 perceived CP to have limited powers, explaining: “I just think [they] have enough power … to say ‘Don’t do this, don’t do that’, but not really to take someone to jail.” Participant 28 made a similar comment, while adding that their investigative powers are limited, too:
I’m not totally sure what all campus police can do, but I don’t know if he can just go out on the street and arresting people or clocking them for speeding or doing whatever a regular police officer can. He has some of the powers, not all.
Among participants who spoke to CP and MP having different powers, another common– and, indeed, obvious – issue mentioned was their respective jurisdictions. Participant 37 alluded to this when remarking, “They are still police officers, [but] their jurisdiction is just the campus,” and Participant 56 specified CP “have the same power” as MP except “just in the area where the campus is at.” “CP act like cops … [and] look like cops,” observed Participant 32, “but, yet, they’re only limited to this area, so I guess their job comes with limitations.”
As alluded to by the above participant, the thinking of students was that MP can police on campus, but CP cannot police outside that territory. Participant 17 reflected, for example, “I think they [CP] have less power. … I just feel like they don’t have the full range, full scale of power. They can’t go out in [the surrounding county] … and make an arrest.” Participant 23 went a step further by adding that if a very serious crime were to happen on campus then MP would take control of the case:
There’s some crimes that the campus police would have to call a municipal police [to handle], I believe. I don’t know how the system works, but if they had a murder on this campus, and I hope they never do, or any other campus, the municipal police would have to get involved, because it becomes not just a campus issue, but a county and state issue, … so they would have to call in reinforcement, and they would have to call in people who would deal with the municipal [context], not just the campus. … Again there are certain issues that occur on campus that would have to involve the municipal police. I’m not sure if they can take the same actions other than detaining someone, but as far as the paperwork, the reporting, I think that would be extended to the city and the county and probably the state. There are certain things that campus police would not be able to just keep on campus. Certain cases, I think, extends to the municipal police.
Several participants, however, believed CP and MP possess similar powers. Participants 61 and 52, respectively, commented that CP “have the ability to do everything a municipal police does” and “[CP] have the same powers and rights as municipal police.” Tying back to the prior section on resources, a couple participants said that CP and MP are similar in powers in that each has, and can use, firearms. Both “carry guns and [can] shoot somebody,” said Participant 29. And to Participant 50, CP and MP “have the same power to draw their weapons when they feel threatened.”
Other participants referred to the power to arrest. Participant 18, for example, said “[CP are] just like municipal officers. They’ve been sworn in to do what they’re supposed to do. … [T]hey’re police officers. They’re not security guards.” Participant 44 noted, “They [CP] have the same power to fight the crime as municipal police as far as arresting and ticketing, and that sort of thing.” Participant 62 was less sure of how CP and MP compare in powers, but reasoned “[i]f they can arrest you, I think they [CP] have the same power.” Participant 6 engaged in a similar form of reasoning, while also referring to CP’s investigatory powers:
I think that [they have similar powers] because they both have the right to handle situations where – if it gets out of hand – they can arrest or do whatever is necessary. They can come into your dorm room, your dwelling, your apartments if they feel that something is suspicious. They can ask [questions], they can stop you, they can check your car; they can do everything that the city police can.
When an officer finds evidence of lawbreaking, they have a few choices for how to handle the case. Depending on the situation (evidence, priorities, etc.), they may impose no sanction, give a verbal or written warning, document an individual’s information, issue a trespass warning, write a ticket, or arrest the suspect (Author, XXXX). Moreover, often CP have the option to issue a student disciplinary action, which notifies the university’s judicial board/committee of an offense that, in turn, they may sanction with community service, expulsion, or other punishments.
As reviewed above, participants recognized that CP and MP are alike in their power to sanction offenders. At the same time, however, students were unanimous in the perception that MP are far more prone to sanction offenders, especially in a severe manner. “I would say the campus police would be more lenient than [MP],” remarked Participant 13. And Participant 12 suggested, “[T]he on-campus police may have a little bit more leniency [than MP].”
Participants offered a few interrelated explanations of CP’s and MP’s differing sanctioning propensity. In effect, what students suggest is that the nature of being a CP officer shapes their sanctioning decisions. One aspect of the theory was that CP are more understanding of “college life” as a “party lifestyle” (see, e.g., Vander Ven, 2011; Weiss, 2013) and, therefore, more likely to leniently punish infractions of that ilk. Consider the following quotes:
Participant 57: I feel like some of the campus officers are more lenient than the officers out there [in the municipality]. The campus police understand more what goes on on-campus, like with drugs and alcohol. You might be able to get away with more with them.
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Participant 5: I feel as though some crime, some things they [CP] let slide; … they let students get away with [things] as opposed to [what] a municipal police [would do]. … [S]ome crime campus police are more lenient [about]. … I guess they understand the environment, and they understand that this is college, and there are parties, drugs, sex, all of that, where I feel like municipal police would be more harsh on those type of crimes, especially with, I think, things that should be misdemeanor crimes, like weed or marijuana. I feel like municipal police takes stuff like that more serious than campus police.
Another component of the theory is that CP are better acquainted, or at least on better terms, with the persons they police than MP are with the population they serve. Participant 45 spoke to this possibility: “They [CP] know the campus. And sometimes they may know the students. Knowing them [students] sometimes they can say, ‘They’re not a horrible person. They made a mistake.’” Likewise, Participant 61 conjectured that because CP know students, “they are able to deal with situations [without issuing severe sanctions] where a municipal officer would just come and lock somebody up.”
The third aspect of students’ theory of sanctioning by CP versus MP ties in with the first two aspects. CP, according to participants, are more willing to give offenders a “second chance” instead of issuing a severe sanction the first time around. CP may be likelier to give second chances due to understanding the nature of college life, being acquainted with students, or, more generally, seeing themselves as part of the university apparatus meant to help people advance from students to educated and employed members of the wider community. Participant 8 talked at length about these possible influences on CP compared to MP sanction severity:
I think campus police give more warnings than they do like arrests or anything. I think they try to give people, the students, opportunity. That’s a good thing about campus police ’cause they just don’t arrest. … [Whereas] the municipal officer … [might] just say, “We’ll lock them [students] up, we’ll give you this fine, we’ll throw you in jail.” Campus police … try to work with students ’cause … they’re not trying to put the students under bad cause [hurt them]. They’re actually trying to help students out: “We’re gonna give you a warning,” and they’ll give mostly warnings before a municipal police would.
These various university-related forces could even result in a sort of “campus policing culture” (Author, XXXX), such as that described by Participant 12, where CP officers exercise more discretion and leniency toward students as compared to the more legalistic MP:
It’s a different culture [among the two police groups]. I feel like the campus police try to deter you … like they’re more prone to give you a second chance than city police … [b]ecause I guess they’ve been around the campus more. They know students are in college [and] … make mistakes; it’s gonna happen.
In the field, policing involves preventing, discovering, and investigating crimes, as well as interacting with suspects, victims, and other community members. While performing these duties, officers are in danger of being deemed a threat by an offender or deserving of retaliation for some perceived wrongdoing.
Though danger is a facet of police work for CP and MP, the majority of participants perceived the former to face less risky situations than the latter. Students offered several explanations of this view. One is their belief that there are fewer guns on campus than the wider community. Participant 50 put it this way: “Most of us [students] don’t carry guns on campus so their [campus officers’] life is not threatened as much [as municipal officers’].” Participant 6 added, “[W]e know that a lot more crazy stuff happens out on the streets. It’s not as many guns on campus as there are on the streets.”
Another reason students perceive campus policing as less dangerous is the assumption that CP encounter far less crime than MP. “[T]he municipal police are more exposed to more crime than the campus police. The campus police are just responsible for the campus,” said Participant 48. By the same token, Participant 40 remarked: “[T]ypically not much goes on on-campus comparable to the city streets.” And Participant 7 explained:
[M]unicipal police have to deal with situations and go places that campus police do not, … [like] some of the more crime-ridden neighborhoods, and this [campus] is not crime-ridden. … The campus itself is not crime-ridden from a municipal standpoint.
In more specific terms, some participants argued that when officers conduct more stops, they increase the opportunity for encountering danger. Participant 59, for example, reasoned that “[CP] are not doing traffic stops,” which, while an overstatement, nonetheless meant to her, “They don’t have to walk up on people who may shoot them if they go to they car.” Participant 46 made a similar observation: “I feel municipal police officers run a little bit higher risk because you’re pulling over traffic stops. … You don’t know who that … person is behind that window in the car.”
In addition to the issue of frequency is students’ perception that, compared to CP, MP are at greater risk because they come across more serious crime. Participant 53 figured, “The types of crime on campus are a lot different than what the municipal police deals with. Municipal police deal with a lot more aggressive crime.” Participant 1 gave the example of “[y]ou’re less likely to get a call to go to a shooting if you’re stationed on a campus, especially [this university], where that doesn’t happen often.” Participant 23 explained that “[MP] can be faced with anything, any minute of the day. … [They] can be called to [a] burglary, child molestation, murder, a shooting, robberies, domestic violence. Those issues, campus police do not face on a daily basis.” The following quotes further illustrate the point:
Participant 30: I mean the … environments are so different. The environment of [this university] is a very laid back environment. … I never really hear too much going on. The most we have is someone having an asthma attack. We don’t have where someone just got shot and is in need of crime scene investigation, things like that.
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Participant 3: [Y]ou do get different things on a campus than you would just out in the world. It won’t just be like, ‘Oh people robbed a bank.’ That can’t really happen on a campus [because there’s no bank]. … Most of the time it’s pretty much the same thing: somebody’s drinking alcohol; somebody’s having a party, tell them to quiet down; somebody’s smoking weed or something; but other than that, it’s not like somebody’s robbing something.
Part of what a makes a situation dangerous is who is involved, of course. Whereas CP tend to deal with “students,” noted Participant 22, “municipal [police] have a variety. They could run into any kind of people.” “[There are] different type[s] of people that are on campus … from those that are in the streets,” is how Participant 62 put it. Some participants perceived that MP more frequently encounter more dangerous people than do CP. Consider what Participant 26 said about the matter:
[Students] have something going for themselves and don’t have the mentality that someone who doesn’t have anything going for themselves [a nonstudent] might have. I feel like most of the people that campus police encounter are actually … a better grade of person, normally.
Participant 19 was more explicit in how students and others compare: “I don’t think there as many violent people on campus as there is out there in the world.”
There were participants, however, who thought danger applied more or less equally to CP and MP. “[W]hether you’re [an] on-campus or off-campus police officer,” explained Participant 14, “the risk would still be the same as far as endangerment.” The thinking behind this position was that, to quote Participant 2, “The same thing could happen here [on campus] just as it could off campus.” Participant 20 stated, “Just because the campus police setting is campus, doesn’t make it any different. Same crimes could happen on campus that happen off campus or in other cities or whatever.” Participant 11 explained, “Regardless of what kind of policeman you are, you still dealing with people so you could still get attacked. You could still get hit, beat, or whatever.” And in Participant 47’s mind, “[CP] are subject to facing the same potential criminals as if [they] were on [a local road] or something.”
The same argument – namely, anything could happen anywhere – also popped up when some students discussed the risk of CP and MP encountering armed suspects. For example, Participant 20 reasoned, “You never know what could happen on campus or who … might have a gun in their car, a gun in their room, so yeah, it’s just the same [danger as MP].” Participant 52 argued, “You never know who is out there, who was crazy and is not, who was carrying a gun and is not. It can always escalate into something more.” And a similar stance was shared by Participant 55:
[A]nything can happen anywhere. A municipal police officer’s life is in danger when you get out of the car to make a traffic stop, just like the campus police life is in danger when he is walking the campus and there is a would-be gunman out. You never know. Their lives are still in the same amount of jeopardy.
As armed suspects go, the worst case scenario envisioned by participants – and one used to explain why they think danger is similar for CP and MP – is the prospect of a mass shooting at school. When Participant 62 was asked to explain why she thinks CP and MP face a comparable amount of danger, she answered: “[Y]ou might have some time you have to deal with someone who may have a weapon. We have heard of campus shootings before so it could be just as dangerous.” Asked the same question, Participant 5 responded:
Because someone can shoot like weapons of mass destruction, like bombs, or anything can be targeted on campus or outside of campus. I feel like their [CP] life is just [as] at [much] risk as regular police. They could get shot, killed. They could come into the same encounters with the same types of crime as municipal police.”
A couple of participants initially stated that municipal policing is more dangerous than campus policing, until, that is, they reflected on the risk of a mass shooting on campus:
Participant 56: In a city you have more … come to think of it, you have the Virginia shooting and all of that. … Other than an active shooter, I don’t think they [CP] are more at risk. Everybody is at risk then anyways if you have an active shooter on campus.
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Participant 60: [I]t [campus policing] can be as dangerous. I think on the average day it is not as dangerous because you never know what you are going to come across working in the city. At the same time, you can have a school shooting here.
When it comes to comparing on-the-job danger faced by CP and MP, perhaps Participant 18 said it best: “I mean, statistically … it’s not that many school shootings as people would think there is, but when you put your life on the line every day, it’s dangerous. You never know what might happen.”
Participants perceived CP and MP as different in five respects: training; resources; powers; sanctioning severity; and, danger. Compared to MP, students figured CP receive less training and different training more oriented toward campus issues. Participants spoke to CP lacking resources, like “man power,” that make them less equipped to handle serious situations. Respondents said CP may have less power to arrest suspects, investigate crimes, and police outside their primary jurisdiction. Interviewees were of the impression that CP are less prone to severely sanction suspects, or sanction them at all, due to several factors, including a better understanding of college life, being more acquainted with students, and being more invested in students’ success. Finally, students described the work of CP as less dangerous due to encountering less crime generally and less crime of a serious nature, as well as having fewer interactions with citizens who possess firearms or are otherwise treacherous.
However, a unique feature of this paper is it also shed light on how students see CP as similar to MP and, thus, “real” police. Relative to MP, some interviewees figured that CP partake in the same training and thereby gain the same certifications. Participants mentioned that CP have weapons, bulletproof vests, police cars, and share other resources. Students described CP work as equally dangerous because anything could happen anywhere. Respondents said CP have the powers to investigate offenses, sanction suspects, and, if necessary, use weapons against them. However, and despite recognizing those powers, participants uniformly were of the impression that CP are unique in how they sanction as they tend to be far more lenient; to put it differently, then, no participant saw CP and MP as the same in that regard.
What are the implications of these findings for future research and (campus) crime control? Regarding the former, the most obvious implications are a consequence of the present study’s limitations. For one, its qualitative focus and nonrandom sampling method mean that the findings have an unknown generalizability. To be clear, this is not a crucial problem for the present paper because its purpose has been to uncover how students see CP and MP as alike and different, not to quantitatively document the extent to which any given view is held. With that said, a logical next step is to gather and analyze quantitative data on the extent to which each perspective is held, as well as to test theories of why such views vary and to what effects. Better yet, of course, would be to gather such data via sampling techniques that allow for a known degree of generalizability.
One limitation of the present paper suggests a pathway for future qualitative research. As mentioned in the section describing data collection, the findings herein are based on participants’ answers to five questions about how CP and MP compare. These questions pertained to the groups’ respective capability to fight crime and importance in doing so; the extent to which they should and do possess the same powers; and, danger faced at work. As with any study, certain questions may lead to certain answers, which is to say other questions may lead to other answers. It follows, then, that in future qualitative work, researchers could further inform the range of ways that students see CP relative to MP by asking the same or entirely different questions. Either way, the same or different answers may result.
Yet another limitation of the present paper, namely its focus on general perceptions rather than those tied to specific incidents, provides an opportunity for both quantitative and qualitative researchers. This paper’s focus has been general perceptions of CP versus MP. An alternative approach is to focus on perceptions that emerge out of specific interactions with CP or MP. In addition to being stopped for an offense, students – and citizens more broadly – may encounter CP or MP when calling on them for help, witnessing a crime, or simply during the course of normal, everyday life. Thus, researchers could expand understanding of how people see CP relative to MP by looking not only at general perceptions but also those emerging from various kinds of interactions.
This paper’s goal has been conceptual: to ethnographically understand the ways in which students see CP versus MP. This is an important first step in theory development because theories are built on conceptual knowledge (Homans, 1967). Now that more light is shed on the issue, scholars are better positioned to answer two basic theoretical questions at stake: Why do people come to hold particular perceptions of CP versus MP? And, what are the effects of these perceptions on behavior? There a number of existing theoretical perspectives that could be used to answer the above questions, including – but certainly not limited to – those of Sykes and Clark (1975), Tyler (2004), and Black (1976).
This article began with several headlines questioning, to quote one outlet, “Are campus police officers ‘real’ police officers?” (Chronicle, 2015a). As with many issues in social life, this question is not simply a matter of concrete reality but also subjective reality. In many concrete respects, CP are as “real” as MP (Reaves, 2015a). Yet, the subjective aspects of the questions are more complex. Some participants in the present study, for instance, viewed CP and MP as basically one in the same, minus the obvious jurisdictional difference. Other participants perceived CP and MP to be quite distinct, thinking the former even lacked the power to arrest suspects. The origin, nature, and consequences of perceptions are interesting in their own right (perhaps especially to persons who frequently come across CP at work), but, they also hold practical importance for suggesting how to improve policing and thereby better control crime – both on campus and off.
Given that this paper is an early step toward a fuller understanding of how, why, and to what extent students perceive CP relative to MP, it is important not to go too far with practical suggestions. With that caveat in mind, however, it is apparent that CP departments should seek to further instill positive evaluations of CP in students’ minds and reshape unwarranted perceptions. CP could disseminate the “facts” about what they are vested with and (can) do on the job by visiting university orientation sessions or classes, as well as by posting flyers on and around campus, among other ways. Three pieces of information seem most important and practical to shape. Namely, CP should bolster others’ perceptions of them as 1) interested in student welfare; 2) able to prevent and handle crime due to their training and resources; and, 3) possessing traditional policing powers such as the ability to arrest. All of these “information items” may improve the perceived legitimacy of CP and, in turn, improve students’ willingness to call on and cooperate with them. Additionally, the third item may prevent campus police-citizen encounters from becoming contentious and even violent.
Author (XXXX).
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POST stands for Peace Officer Standards and Training.
To say a study “explicitly considers” perceptions of CP versus MP means that the analyzed data include quantitative or qualitative information on both types of police, or at least proxy measures of both groups. Thus, this section does not review studies of only CP, though they could be used to make inferences about how they compare to MP (see, e.g., Patten et al., 2016).
The number of patrol officers in the department may vary month to month depending on turnover and promotions.
Students’ perceptions may be informed by lived and/or vicarious experiences. For this study, the questions asked of participants do not distinguish between the two as the more central focus was on perceptions generally. Of course, future research should consider whether and how students’ lived versus vicarious experiences affect their views of CP relative to MP. Perhaps, certain types of experiences affect certain types of views.
To the author’s knowledge, no study has empirically explored whether CP are actually more lenient toward students than MP. And to be clear, the notion that CP handle students more leniently than MP is perceptual. | https://andreaallen.pubpub.org/pub/are-campus-police-real-police/release/1 |
What are your fondest memories? Childhood summers? School days or college? Chances are, some of your strongest memories date from when you were aged between 10 and 30 years old. As the UK Alzheimer’s Society suggests:
“This is probably because older memories – which are thought about more often – become more firmly established and are more likely to be recalled than newer memories.”
Memory loss and dementia
Memory loss is a major element of the progression of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. A person with dementia will often struggle with recent and day-to-day memory loss, such as remembering how to do certain tasks, taking medicines, or getting lost in their neighbourhood. However, their long-term memories are often less affected.
Emotions and memories
Emotions also impact on the ability to recall memories. We all know how certain sounds, smells, music, or tastes, bring long-buried memories flooding back. It’s the same for those with memory loss. By recalling just one element of a memory, such as the smell, the whole memory may be recalled.
Indeed, how people feel about something can often be remembered more than the actual memory itself. So, a person may recall feeling happy on a camping vacation, without remembering the factual details of the vacation itself. The emotion attached to a memory can also help trigger recall of long-practiced physical skills, such as playing a musical instrument or complex dance steps.
Memory storage
The brain may store different types of memories in different ways. A recent study by a team at UCL London cited how:
“An avid bird watcher with dementia held on to memories of bird features, feathers and human faces and voice but misplaced memory of birdsong.”
Using the past to access the present
This week, a New Yorker magazine article on memory care featured communities around the world that use past memories to help their residents live in the present. The article cites a community in Ohio that recreates the familiar look of the community outside, within the community building itself. Corridors are decorated as streets, with clapboard fronts and porches, and street lights. The central room is fashioned as a town square, complete with fountain and benches. Even the ceiling is painted to resemble sky, and lit according to the time of day.
Familiar and secure
One of the most celebrated examples of this way of recreating physical communities is not actually about recreating the past, but creating a safe version of the present. Near Amsterdam in the Netherlands is De Hogeweyk, a memory care facility that is constructed exactly like a modern Dutch neighbourhood.
Residents live in housing with distinct styles depending on what they are accustomed to, from upmarket styled houses to family homes. The whole site has familiar urban elements, including a theatre, supermarket, and café around a central courtyard. The indoor mall hosts concerts that often turn into impromptu sing-a-longs and dancing, as the music triggers memories for residents. The community comes along too: every Wednesday, young moms and their toddlers come for lunch at the trendy restaurant, also open to local people.
Visiting the past for the day
In California, a new initiative called Town Square has recreated San Diego in the late Fifties, complete with news stand, garage and diner. Created by a team with decades of experience in day care for those with dementia, the concept is that anyone with memory loss can visit this simulated urban environment. Known as “reminiscence therapy”, the idea is that participants are surrounded by what the team call “tangible prompts from their past”, to trigger past memories.
Our Hearts Memory Care
At The Manor Village Life Centres, we have offered senior Memory Care for many years. Our Hearts Memory Care lifestyle provides a safe and secure environment for those residents requiring guidance in a secure, structured and/or supportive neighbourhood.
Our Wellness Team, including our physicians and health care specialists, oversee the care of our residents who require dementia care, in co-operation with their family GP and/or specialist doctor.
We understand the various ways that memory can be affected, and our dedicated and caring team are both skilled and compassionate in helping Residents with all aspects of living with memory loss. Like many senior and memory care communities, our communities create a wide variety of memory triggers, from family photos in Residents’ suites to era-specific music played live by visiting musicians, vintage objects to handle and enjoy, to much-loved movies screened in our theater.
Activities and animals
Our Activities team create a packed program of activities and social events designed to stimulate and preserve memory as much as possible. Our outdoor memory garden is particularly popular with both Residents and their families.
We’ve also invested in realistic animatronic Companion Pets that bring back memories of much-loved dogs and cats with gentle movements, realistic noises and super-soft fur to stroke. (Our staff love them too!)
Memory Care at The Manor Village
If you’d like to discuss memory care for a parent, loved one, or relative, just call us for a personalised tour to any one of our Manor Village centres in Calgary at Staywell Manor, Groves of Varsity, Fish Creek Park, Currie Green, and at the Manor Village in London ON. | https://www.themanorvillage.com/a-trip-down-memory-lane-new-initiatives-in-memory-care/ |
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6-ways car accidents can change how you think and remember things
1. Inability to hold a conversation in a crowded place that has many distractions, such as a shopping mall or restaurant.
2. Inability to juggle multiple tasks at once, such as listening to a lecture while simultaneously taking notes.
3. Problems processing new information, such as when a friend is sharing a story about a recent vacation to Chicago. The friend may need to break the story up into multiple short statements instead of one long piece, speak very slowly, and repeat portions as necessary for you to understand.
4. Lack of short-term memory, such as remembering what restaurant you ate dinner at the night before.
5. Difficulty learning new things, such as a foreign language or a math lesson. The lack of short-term memory combined with difficulty processing the new information may require you to re-learn the same concepts several times before truly understanding.
6. Inability to plan, such as problems when organizing a project that has multiple steps.
Difficulting concentrating or the inability to hold a thought long enough to recall it can affect something as simple as planning a birthday party. Planning a Chicago birthday party requires many steps: setting a date, buying addressing, and mailing invitations, selecting purchasing, and hanging party decorations, buying ingredients and cooking and ordering food, reserving a location for the event… Forgetting one can result in a cake with no candles.
Forgetting a key part of a contract when your job is a contract negotiation can be detrimental to your career.
For more information on how you may be able to recover from problems thinking and remembering after a car accident, contact an experienced accident injury lawyer using our online form/call 847-651-7191. | https://www.cookcountybraininjurylawyer.com/brain-injury/how-will-a-chicago-brain-injury-affect-my-ability-to-think/ |
My first vague memory is summer 57, holding an orange in my sticky fingers on 25 march 1958 my aunt muriel came to tell my mother that their father had died of tb. My childhood days i still remember some of the wonderful memories when i was young i lived with my grandparents since i was eight-year-old as my parents had been busy with their business i lived with my grandparents since i was eight-year-old as my parents had been busy with their business. Essay on my autobiography - my earliest memories - my autobiography - my earliest memories it was a beautiful summer's day and the birds were singing sweetly like a church choir of angels my elder brother, narvair suggested to my mother and father to go birthday shopping for presents as it was nearing my fifth birthday.
Article shared by an essay on childhood memories memories of childhood sweet are the recollections of the childhood of a man these fill one's mind with joy when one looks back to the days of childhood. Childhood memory - narrative essay remembers her childhood memories pretty well i realized that childhood memories have a huge impact on a persons life. Essay on my earliest childhood memories my earliest memories are that of playing games in preschool it was a fun time for me, at least that's how i recall it now. My earliest memory is of a birthday celebration at our house where there was cake and balloons and a little habatchi type bbq on the lawn of the front yard i don't remember anyone bbqing but i remember balloons floating down and popping on the hot metal.
The best years of one's life are the childhood days the sweet memories of this period are glorious they have the freshness of a dream a child has no responsibilities he is looked after by his parents he gets everything without doing anything a child enjoys perfect freedom he has no worries. First memories: remembering our childhood january 28 th 2009 karl sabbagh is a writer and television producer with 25 years of experience describing complex events and subjects for a nonspecialist audience. Because childhood memories form the foundation for a person's life and upbringing and will have a strong impact on who one is today, it can be helpful and therapeutic to dig through one's own past to explore and remember that which has shaped us in our early years. My earliest memory #423 i was about 2 or 3 years old and i was sitting there watching tv at my grandma's house my mom and dad were there and i saw the little buttons on the tv so i tried to pick them off but my dad put the coffee table in front of the tv. Despite what the memory mongers claim my earliest childhood memories are sound and true they have been with me in the same precise detail everyday since formed i may not recall them everyday but.
treasured childhood memories narrative essay ailie yang 2012-2013 i was watching the kids playing in the park and drawing with chalks on the hallway, thinking of me being like them when i was in their age. Just as our earliest childhood memories reflect our reminiscing conversations with our parents and our overarching family experiences, they also appear to reflect broader cultural practices and norms. An essay on childhood memories of early childhood 903 a reflection of my fishing memories with jake 702 words 2 pages my distinct childhood memories of.
However, writing about your earliest memory or memories and explaining why they matter can provide a meaningful glimpse into your childhood it's fun to compare something we all share it's fun to compare your own early memory with the earliest memories of loved ones. Freud argued that we repress our earliest memories because of sexual trauma but, until the 1980s, most researchers assumed that we retained no memories of early childhood because we created no memories - that events took place and passed without leaving a lasting imprint on our baby brains. View earliest childhood memory essay from psych 101 at point loma nazarene university 1 hess brad hess september 16, 2009 psychology professor robertson earliest childhood memory when i think back.
The warmest memories of my childhood i'd like to tell about the most memorable event that happened in my childhood actually, it happened when i was at the age of 7 yo actually, it happened when i was at the age of 7 yo. Childhood memory essays my childhood memory i remember it like yesterday we were all waiting patiently for my father to come home from the race track he promised me and my sister that if he won, he would take us all to rye playland. Childhood memories are special for everyone i have a very happy memory of my childhood and always reminisce it with nostalgia i even often laugh to myself when remembering those days.
Childhood amnesia refers to the inability of people to remember events from the early years of their lives - typically before 35 years old females appear to to have better memories for this than. My favorite childhood memory i can fondly remember that special summer, at the age of ten, as one of my best childhood memories when i think back to the anticipation and excitement of my first trip to disney world, it feels as if it happened yesterday. Sometimes i'm amazed at the events i can recall from my early years, when i was under five i tell my friends about some and they think i make up the stories.
2018. | http://dkhomeworkifcu.presidentialpolls.us/my-earliest-childhood-memory-essay.html |
Never want to forget that gorgeous rainbow, beautiful sunset, or special event? Using your eyes and brain like a camera, consciously take mental snapshots while it's happening.
By engaging your full concentration on the present moment, this technique encourages the formation of clearer, stronger memories of important scenes.
My ability to remember the details of events is not strong naturally. But I've had great success creating long-lasting memories of such events by taking mental snapshots. Some of the clearest images in my memory were created using this technique.
So if you hate your lousy episodic memory, don't despair. Instead, from now on resolve to snap a mental photograph or two during events you want to increase your odds of remembering.
Assembling a photo album, recording a video of the event, or describing it in a journal entry are important ways to preserve memories. But physical memory aids aren't meant to be carried around everywhere. A clear image in memory, instantly recalled, is obviously precious.
The memory of events is called "episodic" memory, one type of declarative memory as recognized by cognitive neuroscience. (The other is semantic memory, the recollection of general concepts and knowledge.)
Your episodic memory includes memories of places, times, and emotions associated with events that have happened during your life. When you recall your graduation ceremony or what you had for breakfast this morning, that's your episodic memory.
Some people recall the details of events easily. Whether it's last year's vacation, or a recent business meeting, or a rainbow seen during childhood, mental images of these episodes stick in their brain.
"You should always be taking pictures, if not with a camera then with your mind. Memories you capture on purpose are always more vivid than the ones you pick up by accident."
- Isaac Marion, Warm Bodies
And, especially frustrating to the rest of us, they seem to recall these memories effortlessly.
There are even documented cases of perfect episodic memory, a condition known as hyperthymesia or "excessive remembering". It's not necessarily a good thing.
Jill Price, a well-known hyperthymesic, can recall every day of her life since age 14. She describes it as a non-stop, uncontrollable, exhausting burden. No doubt quite distracting.
But if you find yourself often shamefacedly admitting, "I don't remember that," about events, this clever memory trick may be for you. Taking mental snapshots doesn't require special tools. Just your eyes, brain, an intention to concentrate, and a couple steps that mimic the use of a camera.
The secret to creating a vivid snapshot image that results in a clear episodic memory is attention. One cause of poorly formed memories is not concentrating intently and specifically enough on what's happening.
You are at the event. You're soaking in the general situation. But, perhaps without realizing it, you are not connecting deeply enough with the important and special moments. To create an episodic memory, you need to zoom in on those representative moments.
For example, suppose you're attending a friend's wedding, and you want to forever remember the moment they take their vows. During the special moment, concentrate intently on the happy couple, and take a mental photo.
To take this snapshot, follow the same steps as taking a real picture, using your eyelids as the camera's "shutter".
Gaze intently at the scene. Hold your head still. Look at the scene with great focus and concentration. Tell yourself firmly it's important to remember the details of this exact situation.
Carefully observe the colors in the scene. The arrangement and positions of the wedding party. The dresses worn by the bridesmaids. The lighting in the room, the smell of the flowers. Really drink it in, consciously.
Blink your eyes slowly. With your eyes locked intently on the scene, click your brain's camera "shutter" by blinking your eyes once at half speed. In other words, close and open your eyes at half the speed of a normal blink. Imagine hearing the "click" of a camera shutter as you do this.
Now review the scene in your mind's eye. Close your eyes for a few moments, and conjure up the image in your memory. Take a mental look at what you've captured.
If your mental picture is fuzzy, open your eyes for a renewed, harder look at the scene. Take another mental snapshot with even more intensity.
Intense focus is the key to creating clear and permanent mental snapshots. That requires mental effort. The more you practice this memory technique, the clearer, more detailed, and more permanent these mental images will become.
Don't take dozens of snapshots at a time. Instead, invest maxium concentration in a few specific moments that represent the event. For a spectacular sunrise, a single mental snapshot might be enough.
Creating mental snapshots is easier for those who visualize well, either naturally or who have developed the ability through practice. The only way to find out whether it can work for you is to try it.
If you think about it, your most lucid memories are probably associated with a powerful emotion. Events linked to peak moments of joy, accomplishment, fear, or loss are usually recalled vividly without effort.
And you naturally can recall many other events from your life with more or less fidelity, of course.
But to increase your chances of forming an exceptionally clear memory of a particular event, take a few mental snapshots during important scenes.
Because this technique forces you to focus your attention intently on the moment, you may discover that many moments burned into your memory this way are recalled easily later.
Published: 07/16/2014
Last Updated: 06/11/2020
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As adults grow older, they experience changes in the areas of their brains that control their actions and how information is stored. Aging adults who have developed Alzheimer’s typically experience more severe learning and memory problems than other seniors. Continue reading to learn about the types of memory affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
Working Memory
Alzheimer’s causes frontal lobe dysfunction in older adults and prevents them from recalling vital information associated with daily activities and safety. When Alzheimer’s impacts the frontal lobes, seniors may have difficulty remembering important telephone numbers, putting their health in danger. Another safety issue is the disease’s effect on the ability to focus when doing tasks, including walking down stairs, bathing, cooking, cleaning, and working on arts and crafts. As a result, seniors are at higher risk for falling and harming themselves with tools and various devices in the home. It’s best for seniors with Alzheimer’s disease to avoid activities with multiple steps and complex directions and stick to one-step projects instead.
If your loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, help is just a phone call away. There are many reasons seniors might need assistance at home. Some may require regular mental stimulation due to an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, while others might only need part-time assistance with exercise and basic household tasks. Home Care Assistance is a leading at-home care provider. Families rely on our expertly trained caregivers to help their senior loved ones maintain a high quality of life.
Episodic Memory
Recent events and past experiences make up the episodic memory. Some examples include remembering what was eaten for lunch earlier that day or a significant family celebration that took place a few weeks before. To recall these things, your parent must encode, consolidate, and retrieve memories. The regions of the brain that control episodic memory include the hippocampus and the surrounding temporal lobes. However, Alzheimer’s disease damages these brain structures, especially the hippocampus, which makes it difficult to remember events that took place that day or weeks or months before.
Aging adults who need help managing mental and physical health issues can benefit from the assistance of highly trained professional caregivers. Seniors who want to remain healthy as they age can benefit in a variety of ways when they receive professional elder care. Anchorage, AK, Home Care Assistance is here to help your loved one accomplish daily tasks, prevent illness, and focus on living a healthier and more fulfilling life.
Semantic Memory
Although the deficits associated with semantic memory are considered a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, the symptoms are often overshadowed by the cognitive problems related to episodic memory. When the condition impacts the semantic memory, seniors may have difficulty remembering factual information. For instance, your loved one may forget what a telephone is and how the device works. The memory issues associated with this type of cognitive impairment typically relate to familiar people, tasks, places, and objects. As Alzheimer’s disease progresses, it will damage your loved one’s temporal lobes and prevent him or her from remembering who people are.
Procedural Memory
Procedural memory allows seniors to remember skills, including those associated with activities they haven’t done in months or years. These memory problems are more noticeable during the middle stages of Alzheimer’s disease and can prevent your loved one from driving a car, riding a bike, and performing other activities that rely on short-term and long-term memory. Your loved one may experience increased confusion and agitation, and his or her ability to learn new things may decrease. To prevent depression and combative behavior, customize your loved one’s activities, making the tasks easier to complete.
Recovering from a stroke, managing the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, and a variety of other health-related situations can make it difficult for a senior to continue living at home without someone there to help. Anchorage, AK, live-in care professionals are trained to help seniors who need 24/7 assistance. With the help of a live-in caregiver, your elderly loved one can maintain a higher quality of life while aging in place. Trust your loved one’s care to the professionals at Home Care Assistance. Reach out to one of our compassionate Care Managers today at (907) 770-0907. | https://www.homecareassistanceanchorage.com/alzheimers-effects-on-different-forms-of-memory/ |
Who hasn't forgotten where they parked the car? New research by psychologists at the University of York's Department of Psychology has delved into recall and location-based amnesia.
The study's co-author Dr Aidan Horner said the tests investigated whether memories become fuzzier as we forget, or if they drop away entirely - unable to be accessed.
"We tested 400 people online, and we tracked their memory for word location association - in a psychology experiment we have to simplify things, so we got them to learn a location of a word on a screen, and to remember that location at varying intervals. It told us quite a lot.
"Interestingly we showed that actually the memory itself doesn't get fuzzier - if you remember a word location, you remember it just as precisely as you might have done initially - or you just completely forget where that location is. The memory doesn't seem to become fuzzier in terms of remembering it imprecisely."
Can the findings help us learn how to remember where we parked the car?
"What it specifically shows ... is if you pay attention at the point of parking your car, you're likely to remember it, and you're likely to remember it very accurately," Horner said.
"So forgetting where you parked your car is probably more likely to be a function of the fact that you weren't paying attention - you were thinking about getting the kids out of the car, whether you've got your wallet, getting a trolley, etc, and you just forgot to really pay attention to where you parked it.
"If you did pay attention you'd probably remember where it's located, and probably with reasonable precision."
Horner said psychology experiments often test very specific scenarios, and it is tempting but unhelpful to extrapolate and apply them to the wider scenarios where memory is important to us.
"What I can't say is that this research applies to memory broadly, say autobiographical memory, childhood memory - they're much more complex things in the real world.
"Memory is a hugely fascinating multi-faceted thing. The reasons we might initially encode a memory are varied, relating to our emotional state at the time, how much attention we're paying, etc.
"If it gets stuck in our brains the reasons we might then forget it are multi-faceted - we might experience lots of other similar related events, and that kind of interferes with the memory trace itself, we might just not retrieve it that often compared to other memories that we're always rehearsing and going over, and they become stronger, so there's a huge number of reasons we might remember certain childhood memories rather than others."
The researchers were interested in how our memory functions when remembering similar events.
"We're able to experience lots of similar events in our life, and presumably the brain is able to extract similarities across those events to make predictions about what might happen in similar events," he said.
To test this the researchers tried to help participants recall word placement and find a pattern by clustering words on the same theme in one location.
"What that did was allow participants to say 'well, these type of words tend to be located in this area', and what that did in terms of memory was it boosted accessibility - they remembered more of these word locations. But at the expense of precision - they remembered the word locations less precisely when they were clustered.
"That seems to be a marker of people extracting patterns across these events, but it comes at an expense; we might now be able to make sensible predictions ... but we remember the past events somewhat less precisely."
Horner said there are things that can be done to help us remember things we particularly do want to remember.
"When we're actually learning the information we can pay as much attention as possible, and the other thing is we can continually retrieve and rehearse that information, go back to it at regular intervals. That aids long-term retention." | https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/2018752576/how-memory-is-a-game-of-all-or-nothing |
Most people think of their memory as a continuous tape of personal histories and that the act of remembering requires simply replaying the tape.
But the likelihood of an individual accurately remembering events from childhood is no greater than chance, according to a group of Northwestern University Medical School psychiatrists.
In the June issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Daniel Offer, M.D., and colleagues at Northwestern described a study they conducted to determine how well persons at middle age recalled events and relationships that occurred during adolescence.
The researchers questioned 67 normal, mentally healthy male participants twice -- initially at age 14 and again at age 48 -- regarding family relationships, home environment, dating and sexuality, religion, parental discipline and general activities.
Results of the study showed significant differences between adult memories of adolescence and what was reported during adolescence. The only item that was significantly more accurate dealt with the participant's future ability to earn money in comparison with that of his father.
With one exception -- the importance of having a girlfriend -- items that one would expect to have emotional significance, such as type of discipline and relationships, were not remembered any more accurately than items without emotional overtones.
"It is often said that adolescence is the period in the life cycle that is most difficult to see clearly," Offer said. "Our study of the emotionally laden experience of adolescence as seen through the lens of 48-year-olds demonstrated that this may indeed be so." The study's findings have important implications for psychiatrists and other mental health care professionals who must routinely obtain historical and biographical information from the patient to implement appropriate treatment, Offer said.
"If accurate memory of past events and relationships is no better than chance for normal, mentally healthy individuals, we might expect that the reports of past experiences by people who are currently medically ill, psychologically disturbed or otherwise compromised would be even less accurate," he said.
Offer said that establishing the truth of autobiographical memory, as well as recent memories of mental health care-related issues and treatments, requires evidence from other corroborating sources, such as family members and medical records, to establish the validity of a patient's memories.
Offer's co-authors on this article were Kenneth I. Howard, professor of psychology, Judd A. and Marjorie Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern; Marjorie Kaiz; and Emily S. Bennett.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Northwestern University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
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when does implicit memory develop
For example, when a toddler is learning how to walk, they are walking using their explicit memory. However, it does include the understanding that it does have a responsibility for the control and reinforcement of attention. Note that the modest cross‐age correlations are not unusual for longitudinal measures assessed this early in life due to reliability problems and “noise” in the infant data (see Colombo, Shaddy, Richman, Maikranz, & Blaga, 2004; Horowitz, 1990). Consistent with theoretical considerations, both indicators assess implicit memory (e.g., Roediger, 2003; Toth, 2000), but why should they be comparable in the magnitude of their relation to implicit memory? , In early adolescence, children begin to use elaborative rehearsal meaning that items are not simply kept in mind but rather are processed more deeply. However, most memory loss disorders do not affect these areas of the brain. The cerebellum is associated with the timing and performance of fine motor movements, while the basal ganglia is primarily responsible for knowing how to perform the larger or broader versions of those movements (known as gross motor function). In this paradigm, participants are presented stimuli in a random and ordered series, and their reaction to those stimuli was recoded. Read our. Children in this stage of their lives often have an attention shifting episodes in which enable to portion of the memory that was expiring to activate once more, not allowing them to forget. Development of explicit memory depends on a later developing memory system … All rights reserved. As individuals age, the hippocampus appears to begin to lose its ability to make connections to life events and memory. Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. , Age differences in memory are attributed to age-correlated growth in the foundation of knowledge. Recalling the words to a song when someone sings the first few words 2. This, in turn, reduces cross‐age correlations impairing stability. Some episodic memory can be remembered for a long time, because it is personal and defines the life of the patient. Although FIML holds the assumption of multivariate normal distribution, simulation studies showed that even when assumptions are violated and up to 75% of the data are missing, FIML performs better than traditional methods in handling missing values (Enders, 2001; Newman, 2003). For the “development model,” goodness‐of‐fit statistics were χ2(15) = 10.241, p = .80; RMSEA = .000 [CI .000–.053], CFI = 1.000, and SRMR = 0.031. Similarly, Fitzpatrick and Pagani (2012) predicted school readiness at 74 months (6;2 years) on the basis of working memory performance in early childhood (29 and 41 months). An overview of the indicators of implicit memory derived from the two paradigms is provided in Table 1. They may be asked to recall their birthday or the birthday of their child. When you are first learning how to do something, you are using the temporal lobe and the hippocampus (using explicit memory) to actively recall how to do it. It is expected that infants learn the sequence of the stimulus presentation and accelerate the direction of their gaze to the following stimulus up to anticipatory reactions in which the infants look at the position of the following stimuli prior to its appearance (Haith, Hazan, & Goodman, 1988). All factor loadings except for the “id” indicator of the priming paradigm reached at least a 10% level of significance. Long-Term Memory Loss: What You Need to Know, Timothy J. Legg, PhD, PsyD, CRNP, ACRN, CPH, 16 Simple Ways to Relieve Stress and Anxiety, How to Fall Asleep in 10, 60, or 120 Seconds. Essentially comprehending the meaning of certain words and forming a connection is what is generating a student's mind. Standardized factor loadings range from λ = .249 to λ = .914. Results from structural equation modeling give further evidence that implicit memory is stable from 9 months of life on, with earlier performance predicting later performance. Other forms of discrimination that can be influenced by unconscious biases include ageism, sexism, homophobia, and ableism. The present study uses two different assessment methods of implicit memory. Long-term memory is the type of memory that operates when you recall past events or things that you have learned. One of the most commonly known medical disorders responsible for the loss of explicit memory is Alzheimer's disease. It is also the memory responsible for your ability to recognize and understand words and numbers. At the 3 months measurement, infants had a mean age of 95 days (SD = 2.8); at the 6 months measurement, they had a mean age of 187 days (SD = 4.5); at the 9 months measurement, they were at average of 279 days old (SD = 4.7); and at 40 months measurement (3;4 years), they were 1,230 days old (SD = 9.2). The manifest intercorrelations among the measures and measurement occasions are shown in Table 2. Some tests may involve testing an individual’s automatic recall, such as providing the first few letters of a common word and expecting the patient to recall the word in its entirety. This would be indicated by high correlations between measurement occasions. The researchers suggest that when someone clicks quickly, it means that they possess a stronger unconscious association. If a person quickly clicks on a negative word every time they see a person of a particular race, the researchers suggest that this would indicate that they hold an implicit negative bias toward individuals of that race. Although one type of memory may seem more important or more vital than the others, all three types of memory work synergistically to create a well-functioning, well-oiled memory system. Age differences in priming were found in the semantic study/conceptual test condition, however, where college students had significantly higher priming scores than did children. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that implicit memory develops in the first 9 months of life but does not further improve thereafter. It is the memory that you use when you learn facts for school or work, as well as the memory you use when you visit a place or have a life event. Conditioning is a type of implicit memory that is involved in chain reactions. Second, with regard to the question of the stability of interindividual differences, we found that implicit memory shows moderate stability from 9 months onward. We checked normal distribution of each variable using the Kolmogoroff–Smirnov test as well as a graphical check in P‐P plot as recommended for large samples (Field, 2013). The two different paradigms chosen here to indicate implicit memory are common in infancy and childhood and hence represent valid indicators of implicit memory research that is aggregate to indicate the underlying ability of building implicit memory. , Consequently, it is crucial to acknowledge that a child’s brain is constantly experiencing development from life adaptation. The authors report that overall explicit memory performance improved through the 2nd year. Implicit memory has also been called unconscious memory—memory that is taken in and stored without consciously realizing it. If this information is not reviewed or recalled for a long period, details can become rather sketchy. However, some things are common for everyone to use implicit memory. Many people are often confused about the different types of memory, and what their functions are. The present study is, to the knowledge of the authors, the first study that assesses the development of implicit memory longitudinally in early infants with alternating assessment methods. Language knowledge, such as the grammar rules of a foreign language learned in school. Memory is crucial for the acquisition of the tremendous amount of knowledge and skills infant and children acquire in the first years of life. It is one of only few studies that assessed memory development longitudinally using different age‐appropriate paradigms over the course of multiple years. How does explicit memory compare to implicit memory? How Does Implicit Bias Influence Behavior? From there, the information enters your memory. Learn the best ways to manage stress and negativity in your life. Dementia is the loss of memory, as well as other brain function. Race and the impact of detention on juvenile justice decision making. A single long-term memory can be stored in many parts of your brain. Second, it was found that implicit memory is present from early on, and no age‐related improvements are found from 3 months on. Drinking enough water can help you burn fat and increase your energy levels. The development of memory in children becomes evident within the first 3 years of a child's life as they show considerable advances in declarative memory, a child's memory throughout their development. In regards to sex they found that women tend to have a slightly lower decrease rate of Episodic Memory than men, -.12 compared to -.14 units. , Explicit memory becomes much better over the developmental years. Rose, Feldman, Jankowski, and van Rossem (2012), for example, investigated stability of explicit memory from infancy to childhood. The children passed through a picture fragment completion task as indicator of implicit memory. The infant did not remember what to do, and they were introduced to a certain factor that would aid the infant to remember.
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The Autobiographical Memory Interview (AMI) provides a useful research tool for investigating retrograde amnesia. Patients who may be very similar on standard memory tests can differ markedly in their autobiographical memory performance. The test assesses a subject's recall of facts from his/her own past life and also assesses a subject's recall of specific incidents in his/her earlier life. Both types of memory are assessed across three broad time bands: childhood, early adult life, and recent facts/incidents. | https://www.pearsonclinical.ca/en/products/product-master/item-117.html |
Recent Stanford research has proven a promising future for Alzheimer’s disease research and general memory loss recovery. They decided to study the “differences across individuals are critical for understanding the complexities of brain aging, including how to promote resilience and longevity,” said Alexandra Trelle, a postdoctoral research fellow at Stanford University Memory Lab. “Some individuals exhibit remarkable maintenance of memory function throughout late adulthood, whereas others experience significant memory decline,” Trelle added, and that is precisely where they began their research.
Learning from memory loss in younger people
Trelle and her team of colleagues took it upon themselves to learn from previous memory loss studies that focused on younger populations to guide their new research, which investigates memory recall in healthy, older adults, as part of the Stanford Aging and Memory Study.
Their recent study was published May 29 in eLife and discovered that memory recall processes in the brains of older adults can look very similar to those previously observed in the brains of young adults. However, for those seniors who had more trouble remembering, evidence for these processes was noticeably diminished.
By gaining a better understanding of memory function in older adults, the hope is that this data can help better enable earlier and more precise predictions of when memory failures signal the increased risk for dementia.
Progress Proven
When Anthony Wagner, the Lucie Stern Professor in the Social Sciences at Stanford’s School of Humanities and Sciences, was a graduate student at Stanford in the ’90s, he conducted some of the first fMRI studies of memory formation. At that time, state-of-the-art imaging and analysis technologies only allowed measurement of the magnitude of activity from a centimeter-and-a-half section of the brain.
In comparison, the current study measured activity from the whole brain at high-resolution, and analyses not only focused on the magnitude of activity, but also on the memory information that is contained in patterns of brain activity.
“It’s exciting to have basic science tools that allow us to witness when a memory is being replayed in an individual mind and to draw on these neural processes to explain why some older adults remember better than others,” said Wagner, who is senior author of the paper. “As a graduate student, I would never have predicted that we would do this kind of science someday.”
The study explained
In Trelle’s experiment, 100 participants between the ages of 60 and 82 had brain scans while they studied words paired with pictures of famous people and places. Then, during a scanned memory test, they were prompted with words they had seen and asked to recall the associated picture. The memory test was designed to assess one’s ability to remember specific associations between elements of an event, a form of memory that is often disproportionately affected by aging.
In the scans, the researchers observed that brains that support remembering in older adults resemble those in younger populations. Note: When people actively remember or recall things, there is an increase in hippocampal activity, a brain structure long known to be important for remembering events, along with the reinstatement of activity patterns in the cortex that were present when the event was initially experienced. To put it another way, the act of remembering entails neural time travel, replaying patterns that were previously established in the brain.
“It was striking that we were able to replicate this moment-to-moment relationship between hippocampal activity, replay in the cortex, and memory recall, which has previously been observed only in healthy younger adults,” said Trelle. “In fact, we could predict whether or not an individual would remember at a given moment in time based on the information carried in patterns of brain activity.”
Conclusion
The researchers found that, on average, recall ability declined with age. Critically, however, regardless of one’s age, stronger hippocampal activity and replay in the cortex are linked to a better memory performance. This was true not only for the memory test conducted during the scan, but also for memory tests administered on different days of the study.
This finding suggests that fMRI measures of brain activity during memory recall are tapping into stable differences across individuals, and potentially could allow a window into brain health.
Promising future for Alzheimer research
This research lays the foundation for many future investigations of memory in older adults in Stanford’s Aging and Memory Study cohort. Continued work is promised to process memory creation and recall, studies of change in memory performance over time, and research that pairs fMRI studies with other kinds of health data, such as changes in brain structure and the build-up of proteins in the brain that are linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
The goal
The ultimate aim is to develop new and advanced tools to identify individuals who are at increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease before significant memory decline occurs. | https://medicareworld.com/healthcare/memory-loss-stanford-study-seniors/ |
Dr. Alan Scoboria, a University of Windsor psychology researcher, is wading into the murky territory between memory and belief, looking at these “non-believed memories” and what they reveal about the different components that make up remembering.
It’s possible to “remember” an event – and specific details about it – without having lived it.
Thanks to a federal research grant, Scoboria is going one step further. He wants to explore the underlying cognitive processes that lead some of us to continue to hold on to elements of a non-believed memory even though we accept it never happened to us.
He will look at what’s going on with the story teller when they “give up” the memory/belief but can’t stop remembering the event as if it had occurred.
His research could have important applications in the legal setting and in the courts, where people are expected to provide facts based on lived experience, but where research has shown that sometimes people recall an event that didn’t actually happen to them.
“We’ve found that often people still have many of the other components of remembering,” Scoboria said, describing what happens when you stop believing that event happened to you. “They still experience the mental image very much like a memory but they don’t believe in it anymore.”
This phenomenon of hanging on to elements of a non-believed memory speaks to the ability of memory to be manipulated, Scoboria said, and it also suggests there are different components to remembering that can be pulled apart in different ways.
“Courts are usually pretty interested in people reporting facts and not beliefs about things that they’ve witnessed,” Scoboria said, explaining one practical application of his research.
But studies have shown that people don’t often use language very carefully and their recollection is sometimes not based on direct experience.
“What they’re really basing their report on is some other type of information that isn’t directly remembered,” he said. In other words, it might be a belief rather than a memory.
Scoboria said one future direction of his research might then be to look at victims of abuse.
Victims can be persuaded to stop believing in their memories – and even alter their recollections of abuse – to be consistent with what another party wants, he said.
So what’s going on in the minds of those people who stop believing in a non-believed memory but can still recall some vivid elements of it? And – perhaps more importantly to those of you who are attached – why is it that when a pair disputes an event, one party “wins” and the other gives in?
The five-year research grant will allow Scoboria and his lab, which has about 20 students ranging from graduates to undergraduates, to design experiments to ask this question.
While his research currently focuses on individuals, eventually, Scoboria said, he might start conducting research interviews with sibling pairs or couples, to see if they remember an event differently and how. | https://windsorstar.com/news/not-skedded-yet-uwindsor-researcher-explores-murky-territory-between-memory-and-belief-and-why-when-couples-argue-about-an-event-one-gives-in-and-the-other-wins/wcm/19c5493b-3f85-4292-8d7f-eead495ad3b5/amp/ |
Everyday memory refers to memory operations that routinely occur in one's daily environment. Examples of everyday memory include remembering names, remembering plans for the day, recalling items that one needs to purchase at the grocery store, remembering to take medications, and remembering telephone numbers, directions, or recent newsworthy events. The hallmark of everyday memory and associated research, then, is that it involves the performance of tasks that occur naturalistically in the real world. This is in contrast to typical laboratory tasks on memory, in which individuals may be asked to do things not typical of what they do in the real world, such as memorize unrelated lists of words or pictures, remember to press a key when a certain word appears on a computer screen, or perform mental arithmetic and report a series of answers later.
It is important to recognize that everyday memory studies can occur both within the laboratory and outside of the laboratory. In laboratory studies, individuals are asked to perform memory tasks that they might perform every day on a daily basis in the real world—such as learn a list of groceries, remember phone numbers, or remember information from a news program. In field studies, individuals are tracked throughout their day, and their memory function on specific everyday tasks is recorded. For example, one could measure the accuracy with which an individual takes his or her medications over a period of time, using microelectronic monitors to track the behavior remotely. The advantages of laboratory studies of everyday memory are that the experimenter has very precise control over the conditions under which memory occurs and can precisely standardize the material to be remembered across individuals. The disadvantage of these studies is that laboratory environments cannot reflect all of the variables that operate on individuals in the real world and affect their everyday memory. The advantage of field or naturalistic studies is that one can study events of real consequence to the individual enrolled in the study, but the disadvantage is that the researcher has less control over and knowledge of what is going on in the naturalistic environment. Both types of studies will be discussed here.
Older adults tend to worry about some types of everyday memory performance but not others. For example, Reese et al. reported that older adults have few worries about remembering important dates but have considerable worry about difficulty remembering names. These authors reported that older adults' fear that declines in everyday memory functions could lead to a loss of independence. Thus, the topic of everyday memory function is one of concern to older adults, and the focus of their concern seems to be on everyday functions where they perform poorly. | https://medicine.jrank.org/pages/1136/Memory-Everyday.html |
To further investigate the role of narrative in promoting emotional elaboration of autobiographical memories, we implemented the ME-NA-ME model giving students two narrative experimental settings. After having recalled autobiographical memories in a memory recall task, a first group of university students completed a five-line short narrative (SN), while a second group completed a long narrative (LN). Data was collected in class during university courses. The aims of the study were explained in brief to the students, leaving them the opportunity to take part or not to the study. Thus, after the recall task, we asked to the SN group: “now please select one of the memories you have listed and try to narrate it using the five lines you find below.” The LN group received the following request: “now please select one of the memories you have listed and try to narrate it, writing all that you remember about it. You can use the whole page.” Finally, a new memory recall task was implemented.
As in the first study, changes in number of emotions and in positive, negative and complex emotional tones allocated to memories before and after the narrative were assessed: to reach our research goal, we focused only on the narrated memories which had also recalled in the second recall task. Results showed that there are several differences in the way in which short and long narratives improve changes in the emotional valence of autobiographical memory. The emotional content of an autobiographical memory can change through narrative especially when the narrator can re-elaborate it in a long narrative and have the opportunity to consider some details of the memory which he or she had not thought of at the moment of the memory retrieval. Participants in the LN group better elaborated their memories giving rise to more positive and complex emotions than participants in the SN group. In other words, the greater the opportunity people have to narrate their memories, the better they can consider new points of view and new emotions related to them. (Pg.257)
EXPLORING ILLNESS TRANSITION THROUGH NARRATING AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MEMORIES
Facing a breakdown of autobiography implies the need to re-elaborate life experience, thereby reestablishing continuity between life before and after the disease (Axia, 2004). Scientific evidence shows that cancer affects the availability to recall past events and to reflect on them (Giffard, Viard, & Dayan, 2013). In these cases, autobiographical memory fluency is often characterized by the tendency to recall general rather than specific memories and positive memories rather than negative ones.
In this particular life condition, patients often request for psychological support expressing the need to find a setting where they can elaborate their experience of illness, putting into words their emotions and thoughts. Narrative seems thus a significant opportunity to improve the elaboration of memories of illness. (Pg.258)
***
In our results we observed that the narrativization process is stronger in negative memories of illness: narrating negatively impacting memories decreased negative emotions and gave rise to positive ones. This result was confirmed by analyzing the linguistic differences between negative and positive narratives of illness: negative narratives appeared longer and more related to the past and the future, and were significantly more organized in terms of incorporating more total and temporal connections, most likely because of the participants’ need to create coherence out of negative memories (see Table 12.1 for descriptive statistics).1 (Pg.258)
***
Since memories are narrated in a relational context, many authors suggest that the characteristics of the listener have a deep role in the narrativization process (Pasupathi, 2001; Pasupathi et al., 1998; Pasupathi & Oldroyd, 2015). This issue is strictly related with the concept of “setting Specificity” discussed in Brown’s and Reavey’s chapter. Indeed, the narrative act is always facing someone and therefore is dependent on the type of relationship between a listener and a storyteller. (Pg.258)
***
The relationship between narrator and listener, therefore, allows the occurrence of a “new” story that differs from what the narrator may have told others, because it is modified by new interactive situations. Theories about the social construction of autobiographical memories have maintained that memory has a constructive and contextual nature. (Pg.260)
***
This is actually in line with what Steve Brown and Paula Reavey (this volume) suggest about the inclusion in the self-memory system of “others with whom we interact closely” (p. 14). (Pg.260)
***
The narrative format was confirmed to have an important role in the elaboration of autobiographical memory, but only when it occurred in a welcoming and empathic interaction. In particular, the results demonstrated that narrating a past life memory to an attentive peer improves the positive elaboration of a memory, at the same time as decreasing the number of negative emotions. This important memory change does not occur if the narrative setting is characterized by detached and distracted listening. (Pg.261)
***
CONCLUSIONS
In other words, there is a similarity among remembering the past, perceiving the present or imagining the future. And this is exactly what happens when we narrate an autobiographical memory: narrative gives memory a temporal and causal structure, connecting what happened in the past with the present and the future.
Thus, these results bring are to the starting point of this chapter: there is only one way to study autobiographical memory, and it is by means of the narrative of the past in the present.
Maybe it would be more exact to say that time can be conceived of in three ways: the present of the past, the present of the present, the present of the future. The present of the past is memory, the present of the present is vision, the present of the future is wait. (pp. 14–17, 397 a.d)
The same construct of life space goes in this direction: the total field of possibilities in the life space is constituted by the present informed by our capacity to engage with the past and to imagine realizable futures. (Pg.263)
***
The studies on narrativization of memory and on the role of the listener on memory elaboration suggest that remembering has to be considered as a dynamic process operating in context and operated upon by the context.
Studying memory in the wild means taking into consideration that sharing memory with others, even if in an ecological context, is a process of change of memory itself. (Pg.264)
“Memory in the Wild (Niels Bohr Professorship Lectures in Cultural Psychology)” by Brady Wagoner, Ignacio Bresco de Luna, Sophie Zadeh
WE&P By: EZorrilla. | https://catchthemoment.blog/2022/04/15/we-need-a-conducive-setting-where-we-can-elaborate-on-our-experience-of-illness/ |
This chapter examines two parallel yet distinctive phenomena of human memory. First, most adults can recall few if any specific events from the early years of life. Second, attempts by preschool children to recall past events on demand-even events of the previous day-frequently are unsuccessful by adult standards. A tantalizing parallelism is evident about the connection, if any, between the paucity of early childhood memories for adults and the limitations of an immature human memory system. The chapter delineates possible connections between early memory development and the difficulties that most adults experience when trying to remember events of their childhood. Two prior questions have to be addressed. First, evidence for the presumed lack of early memories in adults-commonly termed childhood amnesia-has with a few notable exceptions consisted of clinical case studies. Critical new data have been presented in the past few years. So, what is the current scientific status of this concept? Second, systematic studies of preschoolers' memory for naturally occurring events, practically nonexistent 10 or 20 years ago, also have increased sharply in the 1980s. Is a deficiency of memory in early childhood convincingly demonstrated? A review and integration of research on memories of childhood events is timely for two reasons. First, the most compelling evidence has appeared in the last few years and has not yet been synthesized. Second, both adults' and children's recall failures have practical consequences. For adults, reconstruction of early childhood events remains an important component of psychotherapy. For preschool children, the question of whether they can recall specific episodes has become a critical and controversial aspect of legal testimony.
Publication Date
1989
Publisher
Elsevier
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1016/S0065-2407(08)60291-8
Document Type
Book Chapter
Recommended Citation
Pillemer, David B. and White, Sheldon H., "Childhood Events Recalled by Children and Adults." Advances in Child Development and Behavior. Hayne W. Reese, Editor, JAI, 1989, Volume 21, pp 297-340. Print. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2407(08)60291-8.
Rights
Copyright © 1989 Academic Press, Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. | https://scholars.unh.edu/psych_facpub/171/ |
Alzheimer’s symptoms vary. The stages below provide a general idea of how abilities change during the course of the disease.
Stage 1: No impairment
Stage 2: Very mild decline
Stage 3: Mild decline
Stage 4: Moderate decline
Stage 5: Moderately severe decline
Stage 6: Severe decline
Stage 7: Very severe decline
Not everyone will experience the same symptoms or progress at the same rate.
Stage 1: No impairment (normal function) The person does not experience any memory problems. An interview with a medical professional does not show any evidence of symptoms of dementia.
Stage 2: Very mild cognitive decline The person may feel as if he or she is having memory lapses — forgetting familiar words or the location of everyday objects. But no symptoms of dementia can be detected during a medical examination or by friends, family or co-worker
Stage 3: Mild cognitive decline Friends, family or co-workers begin to notice difficulties. During a detailed medical interview, doctors may be able to detect problems in memory or concentration. Common stage 3 difficulties include:
- Noticeable problems coming up with the right word or name
- Trouble remembering names when introduced to new people
- Having noticeably greater difficulty performing tasks in social or work settings Forgetting material that one has just read
- Losing or misplacing a valuable object
- Increasing trouble with planning or organizing
Stage 4: Moderate cognitive decline (Mild or early-stage Alzheimer’s disease) At this point, a careful medical interview should be able to detect clear-cut symptoms in several areas:
- Forgetfulness of recent events
- Impaired ability to perform challenging mental arithmetic
- Greater difficulty performing complex tasks, such as planning dinner for guests, paying bills or managing finances
- Forgetfulness about one’s own personal history
- Becoming moody or withdrawn, especially in socially or mentally challenging situations
Stage 5: Moderately severe cognitive decline Gaps in memory and thinking are noticeable, and individuals begin to need help with day-to-day activities.
- Be unable to recall their own address or telephone number or the high school or college from which they graduated
- Become confused about where they are or what day it is
- Have trouble with less challenging mental arithmetic;
- Need help choosing proper clothing for the season or the occasion
- Still remember significant details about themselves and their family
- Still require no assistance with eating or using the toilet
Stage 6: Severe cognitive decline Memory continues to worsen, personality changes may take place and individuals need extensive help with daily activities. At this stage, individuals may:
- Lose awareness of recent experiences as well as of their surroundings
- Remember their own name but have difficulty with their personal history
- Distinguish familiar and unfamiliar faces but have trouble remembering the name of a spouse or caregiver
- Need help dressing properly and may, without supervision, make mistakes such as putting pyjamas over daytime clothes or shoes on the wrong feet
- Experience major changes in sleep patterns — sleeping during the day and becoming restless at night
- Need help handling details of toileting
- Have increasingly frequent trouble controlling their bladder or bowels
- Experience major personality and behavioural changes, including suspiciousness and delusions, compulsive, repetitive behaviour like hand-wringing or tissue shredding
Tend to wander or become lost
Stage 7: Very severe cognitive decline Final stage of this disease,
- Lose the ability to respond to their environment,
- Can not carry on a conversation
- Loose control movement making them unsteady on their feet
- They require help with their daily personal care, including eating or using the toilet.
- They may lose the ability to smile, to sit without support or to hold their heads up.
- Reflexes become abnormal.
- Muscles grow rigid.
- Swallowing impaired. | http://homecare2uaustralia.com.au/alzheimers-info/seven-stages-of-alzheimers/ |
Memory and the way we remember, forget, and recall events, people, places, etc., at the individual level, have been a very sophisticated topic of theoretical research for a long time (Ebbinghaus-1885). However, the notion of collective memory as a socially generated common perception of an item, has been introduced and studied only recently (Halbwachs-1992); about the time that our societies started to become highly connected through new channels of communication. These studies however are all concerning offline settings. Whereas, the developments in digital technologies in recent years have influenced the way that we keep track of events both at individual and collective levels significantly. These technologies also have provided us with huge amounts of data, which are being used to study different aspects of our social behaviour. However, there have been only few large scale empirical studies on online remembering at the global level using these data. Work by Au Yeung and Jatowt (2011) analysed references to the past in large news collections, but this only considered the memory with a journalistic bias and limited to only mentions of specific dates.
This project will study remembering based on the information seeking patterns of large number of individuals on the web, by using Google search logs and temporal analysis on the search volumes constructed from Google Trends and Google Correlate. Although information seeking is not equivalent to memory, we argue that it is a reliable indicator of memory, or at least one needs to have a recollection of an item to want to perform a web search on it.
This project impacts a wide range of audiences and practices. Many questions and concerns about the way search engines work, or should work, can be tackled empirically by using the data that are produced on those platforms themselves. We will investigate whether, our memory and remembering pattern has a complex non-trivial and high pace dynamic, even if these new technologies theoretically make it impossible to forget at the individual level, as it has been claimed. The outcomes of the project can play an important role in informing and shaping the currently under-developed policies at the EU level and elsewhere. Additionally, our results could have applications in marketing, online opinion polling, broadcasting strategy, and forecasting and nowcasting of social collective behaviours.
Ebbinghaus, Hermann.Über das gedächtnis: untersuchungen zur experimentellen psychologie. Duncker & Humblot, 1885.
Halbwachs, Maurice. On collective memory. University of Chicago Press, 1992.
Au Yeung, Ching-man, and Adam Jatowt. “Studying how the past is remembered: towards computational history through large scale text mining.”Proceedings of the 20th ACM international conference on Information and knowledge management. ACM, 2011.
Mayer-Schönberger, Viktor. Delete: the virtue of forgetting in the digital age. Princeton University Press, 2011.
This project is funded by Google. | https://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/research/projects/collective-memory-in-the-digital-age/ |
A synapse is like a bustling port, complete with machinery for sending and receiving cargo—neurotransmitters, specialized chemicals that convey signals between neurons. The arrays were implanted into the middle temporal gyrus, a part of the brain thought to control word, face and distance recognition. Short-term memory develops in the prefrontal cortex,. For centuries, children, the most vulnerable of our species, have struggled to survive this harsh world. They monitor both the hippocampus, known to be the seat of memory in the brain, and the prefrontal cortex, thought to be a coordinator.
If you have to remember something, create an elaborate image or story around it. After all, their experiments had long suggested that memory can easily be distorted without people realizing it. Memories may become increasingly difficult to access, due to either the natural aging process or damage to the hippocampus and temporal lobe. But recalling the experience to other people may allow distortions to creep in. At that time, if someone makes changes on the document, it can be changed. All this elements are bundled in an episode, in a memory, in a neural network that encodes all these elements. A long term goal is to develop a 1,000 channel array, which researchers believe what would be required to study neural activity across multiple regions of the brain in sufficient detail.
Unfortunately, it is in the familial incubator that children are most frequently manipulated, coerced, degraded, inoculated with destructive beliefs and exposed to violence. The Livermore team is developing a biocompatible flexible polymer array, similar to the one used in the artificial retina, but with the addition of the embedded optical guides needed to probe and record neural activity. The arrays were implanted into the middle temporal gyrus, a part of the brain thought to control word, face and distance recognition. The work, published online on June 20, 2016, in , is among the first to describe the operations of a large brain circuit that controls complex behavior. Memory is just as capable of improving as decaying.
The hippocampus is housed deep inside the medial temporal lobe. Moreover, the results showed that the overall activity of the neurons was specific to each individual word pair and was quietest when the patients correctly remembered a pair, suggesting that the brain only uses a small proportion of neurons to represent each memory. This also explains why, in some cases, some irrelevant elements may trigger an entire memory, often with very strong emotional components. In contrast to acquisition, extinction was greatly prolonged, if not prevented, by cortical ablation. Not all researchers believe Nader has proved that the process of remembering itself can alter memories.
In this study, the patients correctly remembered 23 percent of the word pairs. Self-Imagination enhances recognition memory in memory-impaired individuals with neurological damage. Nader, now a neuroscientist at McGill University in Montreal, says his memory of the World Trade Center attack has played a few tricks on him. In the second study, published in Current Biology, the researchers used a new type of grid, called a high density microelectrode array, to monitor the activity of dozens of individual neurons during the memory tests. The roommate continues to list a few more items. Researchers think this transfer from hippocampus to neocortex happens as we sleep. The authors postulate that trauma experienced during childhood effects brain functioning that is inaccessible to verbal recall.
Supporting the self-concept with memory: insight from amnesia. Electrical recordings showed that the brain waves the patients experienced when they correctly stored and remembered a word pair often occurred in the temporal lobe and prefrontal cortex regions. For both studies, the researchers monitored brain electrical activity while testing the patients' memories. This is in sharp contrast to how the brain processes images when it first encounters them. This has been refuted by several psychologists in various studies which suggest that memories are edited and sorted.
First, they were asked to recall the original question they had been asked about the event to assess how well they had encoded the information. The current study aimed at evaluating the role of trauma and psychological distress on motivation for foreign language acquisition among refugees. This is how memories work. It stores information for about a minute and can hold about seven items, such as a sentence just read or a phone number to remember. This chapter discusses: 1 the process of making internal representations during traumatic events; 2 the development of associations specific to the traumatic event; 3 the generalization of these associations from trauma-specific cues to nonspecific cues; and 4 the clinical implications of the storage and recall of trauma-related memories during childhood. Scientists have long known that recording a memory requires adjusting the connections between neurons.
But in room B, the goods are in the pot filled with black paper shreds that smell spicy. One way in which working memory is stored is by keeping neural circuits that encode the remembered items active. For instance, the majority of people remember an incredible amount of details of the moment they learned about the attacks of September 11th. As a result of this experience, this two neurons fire together and then wire together this is known as Hebb's rule. Television and other media coverage reinforce the central facts. The trauma effects of these unconscious, implicit memories require special strategies. Understanding more precisely how the retrieves information could help us better assess the reliability of eye witness accounts, for example of crime scenes, where people often are able to recall the overall 'gist' of an event, but recall specific visual details less reliably. | http://mumbles.co.uk/how-the-brain-stores-and-retrieves-memories.html |
Now that we have reached a point in our lives where we have so much more information about how the brain works, there is a lot of new research that is emerging. One of the most promising research areas is about the “neuroeconomics” of memory. As we have more and more information about the brain, new experiments like the one in our video series are popping up.
According to the new research, we can enhance our memory by having a specific memory association in our brains, and this memory association is actually the brain creating a specific memory for us in the first place. This is what makes the new study so interesting. It looks as if you can change your memory permanently by adding a particular association to your brain. The study is called the “Memorization of Experience” experiment, and it was done by scientists at the University of Pennsylvania.
This may sound like a little weird, but I think it’s actually really cool. It’s like if you wanted to keep yourself from remembering things, you could get rid of the specific memories that are causing you trouble. As a result, you could keep yourself from remembering everything. I think this is pretty cool, and the researchers have already set up a website that lets scientists tweak their memories, so it’s pretty cool that we can already do it at home.
The new way to make sense of the world of memories is by going through our memories and learning to correlate them to new experiences. The researchers have been testing this technique on a group of volunteers who are trying to remember experiences that are linked to certain memories, and they’re finding that they are able to recall these experiences faster than before. The most recent experiment was in a study of ‘dementia’, a term that encompasses a range of conditions that are caused by memory loss.
It can be the way we are able to remember that is also what allows us to remember stuff we never thought we’d ever forget. So when we think back to the past, we are often able to recall things we thought were long gone. This is because we remember the things we remember because we are able to link experiences we’ve had in the past to experiences we’ve had in the present.
This is often the case for people with Alzheimer’s: they can recall things that were only in their minds years ago. One such example is the incident in the first episode of the Simpsons when Homer was walking up the stairs to his apartment building. He remembered the moment he got there as happening years ago, but he couldn’t remember what had happened the day before.
This is called the “third person” phenomenon, a type of memory that remembers things as if someone was the only person in the room.
The third person phenomenon has been used in a number of different ways to help people with Alzheimers, and I think that’s exactly what happened to Homer. I was looking at a book on Alzheimers and saw something called the Third Person Test. I remember that part of the book. It says that if someone with Alzheimers is thinking of something, and then hears the sound of a person talking or singing, they can clearly hear what the person was saying.
That, again, is exactly what’s happening to Homer.
The same thing happened to Homer, but this time Homer was talking to himself. I think the test was used to help people with Alzheimers. | https://cleartrendresearch.com/newfound-research/ |
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