Mobility is a critical element of one's quality of life regardless of one's age. Although the challenges for women are more significant than those for men as they age, far less is known about the ...gender differences in mobility patterns of older adults, especially in the United States (US) context. This paper reports on a study that examined potential gender gaps in mobility patterns of older adults (aged 65 years and over) in the US by analyzing data from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey. Elderly respondents were first classified into one of six clusters based on socio-demographic variables. A Structural Equation Model (SEM) was then estimated and showed that gender gaps existed in the mobility patterns of the elderly, and the differences were diverse across the different clusters. The most substantial gender gap was found in the Senior Elder with Medical Condition(s) cluster, followed by the High-income Workers cluster and the Middle-income Urban Residents cluster. In contrast, females in the Low-Income Single Elder cluster enjoyed statistically significant positive mobility differences with their male counterparts. Our results also found that female elderly in the Senior Elder with Medical Condition(s) and the Low-income Family Elder clusters suffered most after the cessation of driving, with the largest mobility gender gap in the Middle-income Urban Resident cluster. This study will help transportation planners and policymakers understand gender and other socio-demographic differences in elderly mobility. Thus, it will facilitate the development of measures to improve elderly mobility and reduce gender gaps by recognizing and addressing specific target groups' mobility characteristics and needs rather than treating the elderly as a single potential user group.
Zirconium-based metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising adsorbents for various applications because the materials are typically hydrothermally stable. Most MOFs are prepared as a powder, but ...adsorption systems commonly require mechanically stable structures, such as pellets, spheres, or tablets. Therefore, this work presents a method of encapsulating a MOF pellet with a porous membrane to produce a mechanically stable core–shell type adsorbent structure. In particular, UiO-66 pellets were coated with a 4 wt % Matrimid solution that was subsequently phase inverted in water to generate membrane porosity. The coating is approximately 25–60 μm and comprises approximately 7 wt % of the composite material. Because the porous membrane only covers the surface of the pellet, the parent MOF isotherm shape and pore size distribution are maintained. The results show that direct pressing of a MOF powder into pellets produces a mechanically weak pellet but that a Matrimid membrane coating on the pellet increases the mechanical stability of the pellet by 96% while retaining 95% of the CO2 capacity of the uncoated MOF pellet. The membrane was applied using a spray coating technique that can be adapted to different particle geometries. More broadly, the technique provides a simple route to produce mechanically stable MOF pellets without significantly impacting the adsorption capacity of the parent MOF structure.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen and an important cause of infection, particularly amongst cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. While specific strains capable of patient-to-patient ...transmission are known, many infections appear to be caused by unique and unrelated strains. There is a need to understand the relationship between strains capable of colonising the CF lung and the broader set of P. aeruginosa isolates found in natural environments. Here we report the results of a multilocus sequence typing (MLST)-based study designed to understand the genetic diversity and population structure of an extensive regional sample of P. aeruginosa isolates from South East Queensland, Australia. The analysis is based on 501 P. aeruginosa isolates obtained from environmental, animal and human (CF and non-CF) sources with particular emphasis on isolates from the Lower Brisbane River and isolates from CF patients obtained from the same geographical region. Overall, MLST identified 274 different sequence types, of which 53 were shared between one or more ecological settings. Our analysis revealed a limited association between genotype and environment and evidence of frequent recombination. We also found that genetic diversity of P. aeruginosa in Queensland, Australia was indistinguishable from that of the global P. aeruginosa population. Several CF strains were encountered frequently in multiple ecological settings; however, the most frequently encountered CF strains were confined to CF patients. Overall, our data confirm a non-clonal epidemic structure and indicate that most CF strains are a random sample of the broader P. aeruginosa population. The increased abundance of some CF strains in different geographical regions is a likely product of chance colonisation events followed by adaptation to the CF lung and horizontal transmission among patients.
•Alternative fuel adoption and non-adoption decisions in HDV fleets were explored.•Initial theoretical framework was developed based on existing theories and literature.•In-depth qualitative ...interviews were conducted with California HDV fleet operators.•38 motivators and barriers were identified across various fuels and diverse vocations.•The framework for heavy-duty AFV fleet adoption decisions was empirically improved.
Understanding heavy-duty vehicle (HDV) fleet operator behavior with respect to adoption of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) is critically important for accelerating diffusion of these technologies, and for achieving societal benefits through reduced emissions and improved public health. However, fleet operator perspectives have thus far received limited attention, leaving a key knowledge gap. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring HDV fleet operator decisions about alternative fuel adoption using both existing literature and new empirical data. To this end, we first develop an initial theoretical framework of AFV fleet adoption behavior in organizations based upon existing theories and literature. We then empirically improve the framework by investigating 20 organizations in California via in-depth qualitative interviews and project reports. A total of 29 adoption and 42 non-adoption cases were probed across various alternative fuel technologies, including natural gas, propane, electricity, hydrogen, biodiesel, and renewable diesel options. Content analysis of the qualitative data yielded 38 motivators or barriers related to AFV adoption, encompassing perceived technological characteristics, organization characteristics, and external environmental influences. The study results contribute theoretically and empirically to a better understanding of the demand-side aspects of AFV adoption by HDV fleet operators, particularly in California and in the other US states that follow California’s environmental policies.
Research aimed at understanding the role of the affective domain in student learning in classrooms has undergone a recent resurgence due to the need to understand students' affective response to ...science instruction. In a case study of a year 8 science class in North Queensland, students worked in small groups to write, film, edit, and produce short videos about the socio-scientific issue of coal seam gas mining as part of a unit on energy. Student emotions over the course of the unit of work were recorded using emotion diaries (a self-report measure), video recordings of lessons, and end-of-project interviews. We identify trends in student emotions and analyze their relation to classroom activities using two constructs for interpreting the affective dimension of student learning: emotional energy and emotion regulation. By analyzing a salient classroom event, we report students' regulation of negative emotions like frustration and anger as they worked together to complete the video project successfully. Furthermore, we propose that emotions, particularly positive emotions, elicited by the video task and not the socio-scientific issue dominated students' experiences and perceptions of the unit. This raises questions about how students' positive emotions might be regulated effectively so that they remain focused on the intended learning. Author abstract
The role that specific emotions, such as pride and triumph, play during instruction in science education is an underresearched field of study. Emotions are recognized as central to learning yet ...little is known about the way in which they are produced in naturalistic settings, how emotions relate to classroom learning during interactions, and what antecedent factors are associated with emotional experiences during instruction. Data sources for the study include emotion diaries, student written artifacts, video recordings of class interactions, and interviews. Emotions produced in the moment during classroom interactions are analyzed from video data and audio data through a novel theoretical framework related to the sociology of human emotions. These direct observations are compared with students' recollected emotional experiences reported through emotion diaries and interviews. The study establishes links between pride and triumph within classroom interactions and instructional tasks during learning episodes in a naturalistic setting. We discuss particular classroom activities that are associated with justified feelings of pride and triumph. More specifically, classroom events associated with these emotions were related to understanding science concepts, social interactions, and achieving success on challenging tasks.
The aim of the study was to explore the types and sources of positive emotions experienced by first year university students studying to become primary school teachers, during collaborative science ...learning. Fun science activities, designed to enhance students' motivation for science, provided the context for examining the relationship between group members' shared positive emotions and their engagement in collaborative learning of scientific concepts. Data for this study were: self-reports of emotions in several activities (class) and video footage of groups' interactions with follow-up interviews (selected groups). The identification of distinct types and sources of emotions supported Fredrickson's (1998, "What Good are Positive Emotions?" Review of General Psychology 2 (3): 300-319) case for distinguishing between joy-related and interest-related positive emotions. Students' emotional experiences and degree of subsequent engagement in collaborative learning of scientific concepts appeared to be influenced by the characteristics of the groups and of the activities (e.g. if competitive). The critical importance of harnessing joy-related emotions and promoting interest-related emotions in collaborative science learning is highlighted.
The predominant community-associated MRSA strains vary between geographic settings, with ST8-IV USA300 being the commonest clone in North America, and the ST30-IV Southwest Pacific clone established ...as the dominant clone in New Zealand for the past two decades. Moreover, distinct epidemiological risk factors have been described for colonisation and/or infection with CA-MRSA strains, although these associations have not previously been characterized in New Zealand. Based on data from the annual New Zealand MRSA survey, we sought to describe the clinical and molecular epidemiology of MRSA in New Zealand. All non-duplicate clinical MRSA isolates from New Zealand diagnostic laboratories collected as part of the annual MRSA survey were included. Demographic data was collected for all patients, including age, gender, ethnicity, social deprivation index and hospitalization history. MRSA was isolated from clinical specimens from 3,323 patients during the 2005 to 2011 annual surveys. There were marked ethnic differences, with MRSA isolation rates significantly higher in Māori and Pacific Peoples. Over the study period, there was a significant increase in CA-MRSA, and a previously unidentified PVL-negative ST5-IV spa t002 clone replaced the PVL-positive ST30-IV Southwest Pacific clone as the dominant CA-MRSA clone. Of particular concern was the finding of several successful and virulent MRSA clones from other geographic settings, including ST93-IV (Queensland CA-MRSA), ST8-IV (USA300) and ST772-V (Bengal Bay MRSA). Ongoing molecular surveillance is essential to prevent these MRSA strains becoming endemic in the New Zealand healthcare setting.
Mobile phone apps have been shown to enhance guideline adherence by prescribers, but have not been widely evaluated for their impact on guideline adherence by prescribers caring for inpatients with ...infections.
To determine whether providing the Auckland City Hospital (ACH) antibiotic guidelines in a mobile phone app increased guideline adherence by prescribers caring for inpatients with community acquired pneumonia (CAP) or urinary tract infections (UTIs).
We audited antibiotic prescribing during the first 24 hours after hospital admission in adults admitted during a baseline and an intervention period to determine whether provision of the app increased the level of guideline adherence. To control for changes in prescriber adherence arising from other factors, we performed similar audits of adherence to antibiotic guidelines in two adjacent hospitals.
The app was downloaded by 145 healthcare workers and accessed a total of 3985 times during the three month intervention period. There was an increase in adherence to the ACH antibiotic guidelines by prescribers caring for patients with CAP from 19% (37/199) to 27% (64/237) in the intervention period (p = 0.04); but no change in guideline adherence at an adjacent hospital. There was no change in adherence to the antibiotic guidelines by prescribers caring for patients with UTI at ACH or at the two adjacent hospitals.
Provision of antibiotic guidelines in a mobile phone app can significantly increase guideline adherence by prescribers. However, providing an app which allows easy access to antibiotic guidelines is not sufficient to achieve high levels of prescriber adherence.
Task shifting and sharing (TS/S) involves the redistribution of health tasks within workforces and communities. Conceptual frameworks lay out the key factors, constructs, and variables involved in a ...given phenomenon, as well as the relationships between those factors. Though TS/S is a leading strategy to address health worker shortages and improve access to services worldwide, a conceptual framework for this approach is lacking.
We used an online Delphi process to engage an international panel of scholars with experience in knowledge synthesis concerning TS/S and develop a conceptual framework for TS/S. We invited 55 prospective panelists to participate in a series of questionnaires exploring the purpose of TS/S and the characteristics of contexts amenable to TS/S programmes. Panelist responses were analysed and integrated through an iterative process to achieve consensus on the elements included in the conceptual framework.
The panel achieved consensus concerning the included concepts after three Delphi rounds among 15 panelists. The COATS Framework (Concepts and Opportunities to Advance Task Shifting and Task Sharing) offers a refined definition of TS/S and a general purpose statement to guide TS/S programmes. COATS describes that opportunities for health system improvement arising from TS/S programmes depending on the implementation context, and enumerates eight necessary conditions and important considerations for implementing TS/S programmes.
The COATS Framework offers a conceptual model for TS/S programmes. The COATS Framework is comprehensive and adaptable, and can guide refinements in policy, programme development, evaluation, and research to improve TS/S globally.
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