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Background: It has been suggested that probiotics may improve gastrointestinal discomfort. Not all probiotics exhibit the same effects and consequently meta-analyses on probiotics should be confined to well-defined strains or strain combinations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a probiotic fermented milk (PFM) that includes Bifidobacterium lactis (B. lactis) CNCM I-2494 and lactic acid bacteria on gastrointestinal discomfort in the general adult population. Methods: Double-blind randomized controlled trials in the general adult population comparing PFM with a control dairy product for at least 4 weeks were searched from multiple literature databases (up to February 2015). Meta-analyses using random-effects models, with individual participant data were undertaken to calculate an odds ratio (OR) or standard mean difference (SMD), with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: The search strategy identified 12,439 documents. Overall, three trials with a total of 598 adults (female = 96.5%) met the inclusion criteria. Consumption of the PFM product was associated with a significant improvement in overall gastrointestinal discomfort compared with the control product (OR = 1.48; 95% CI 1.07–2.05), with a number needed to treat (NNT) of 10.24 (95% CI 5.64–55.93). PFM was also superior to the control in reducing digestive symptoms, as measured using a composite score (SMD = −0.21; 95% CI −0.37 to −0.05). Sensitivity analyses produced similar results, and the heterogeneity between studies was minimal. Conclusions: This meta-analysis shows that the consumption of PFM with B. lactis CNCM I-2494 and lactic acid bacteria is associated with a modest but consistent and significant improvement of outcomes related to gastrointestinal discomfort in healthy adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In December 2015, an outbreak of pertussis was detected among staff working in the Maternity Unit of a district general hospital in Hampshire. This occurred in the background of increased pertussis activity in the community. The outbreak occurred over the Christmas holiday period causing staff shortages at a time when the departments were already overstretched. The high prevalence of upper respiratory tract infections at the time were difficult to distinguish from pertussis. This paper describes the outbreak, infection control measures implemented and the learning points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using results from two national surveys, this article explores differences in what planning skills are deemed most important from the perspectives of planning educators and practitioners. Many core planning skills have endured across all contexts, but we find that communities experiencing population decline exhibit demand for different skills than growing communities. Planning educators value teaching skills more closely aligned with those valued by senior-level planners when compared to skills demanded for entry-level planners. Our discussion examines the implications of these findings for the continued coevolution of planning practice and education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research has established race as a factor in annexation decisions in the American South; however, there is very little research that examines the influence of ethnicity on annexation patterns. We consider a sample of incorporated places and their adjacent unincorporated blocks in 10 midwestern states to understand the relationship of ethnicity to annexation and possible differences in the drivers of annexation in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan contexts. The determinants of annexation in the Midwest differ in nonmetropolitan areas with existing population pressure and factors associated with capturing future growth as key drivers. Ethnicity appears to play a limited role in understanding annexation in the Midwest, but only within the nonmetropolitan context. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We examine the core curricula of the master’s degree programs of thirty planning schools in the United States and Canada and discuss patterns in core requirements. We compare current planning core curricula to those described more than fifteen years ago by John Friedmann and explore several questions surrounding core curricula, planning practice, and the demands of academic legitimacy. The article concludes with a brief case study highlighting the implementation of a new core curriculum at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: Despite encouragement, routine outcome measurement is not standard practice in occupational therapy. This applies across most practice areas and outcome measures, including occupational therapy measures such as the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure. Barriers to using outcome measures have been proposed, but are gathered from therapists not measuring outcomes routinely. This study gathered therapists' perceptions on outcome measurement following a period of routine outcome measure use. A secondary aim was to propose a therapist-driven template for summarising outcome data routinely. Procedures: Using a process evaluation, a short answer survey was used with three occupational therapists following 5 months of Canadian Occupational Performance Measure use in older people's rehabilitation. The data were summarised descriptively, using a proposed template based on therapist feedback. Findings: The therapists perceived that the measure facilitated treatment for both therapists and clients but they experienced challenges related to client cognition and sustaining use. Template creation indicated that the therapists placed more importance on individual than group level data. Conclusion: The therapists perceived benefit in routine Canadian Occupational Performance Measure use. The instrument appears feasible for meaningful and routine use but not necessarily for sustained use. Increasing outcome measure use is complex, requiring more knowledge on barriers, expectations of value and methods of data utilisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Annexation is often touted as a strategy to improve the overall fiscal environment of a municipality. The empirical literature on the role of annexation in municipal finance, however, has yielded inconsistent results. This article examines annexation in nearly 1,000 municipalities for its effects on local government spending. Results show that spending is influenced by annexation, but the effects on spending are complicated by accompanying changes in municipal density levels. If annexation is accompanied by higher densities, the local government will certainly experience lower increases in percapita spending levels. However, if annexation is accompanied by lower densities, the local government may or may not experience lower increases in per-capita spending levels, depending on changes in land area relative to changes in density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Annexation is the most common and frequent type of local boundary adjustment. It is a complex process with significant implications for communities. This article summarizes past and recent scholarly research relating to the state requirements guiding annexation, and the fiscal impacts, local motivations, and social and political implications of the process. Its purpose is to integrate literature from across disciplines to better understand the many dimensions of annexation and the challenges that confront planners in planning for or reacting to boundary change. It concludes with suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planners have significant influence on the fiscal landscape of communities through the day-to-day decisions they make and the plans they implement. To better understand how our educational system addresses fiscal issues in the training of planners, the author surveyed planning instructors from across the United States and Canada and analyzed a series of public finance course syllabi. This article presents the results of this analysis and contrasts the planning instructor survey results with the results of a national survey focused on practicing planners. In this second survey, planners were asked to provide their perspectives on the importance of public finance to effective planning. Taken together, the survey results provide an interesting picture of the significance of public finance to planning academics and practitioners. This research is intended to assist planning programs in evaluating their curricula for attention to public finance and the needs of the planning profession. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article develops a framework to evaluate the use of smart growth principles in local comprehensive plans. Using the framework, a sample of thirty local comprehensive plans was evaluated to determine how well local plan goals and policies promote smart growth principles. The plans were selected from a pool of plans that have been adopted in Wisconsin under its new comprehensive smart growth planning law. Plans are evaluated for attention to six commonly accepted smart growth principles as developed and promoted by a number of national organizations and coalitions. This content analysis reveals that communities are not fully embracing the smart growth agenda. Furthermore, there is a clear distinction between the use of smart growth principles among cities and villages versus town or rural governments. The article concludes with a discussion of the applicability of smart growth to small towns and rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Presents an article about a daughter whose father died of cancer. Impact of the disease on the relationship between the father and daughter; Response to the death; Description of the funeral service.

Although phonological analysis of disordered speech has become very common since the late 1970s, relatively little has been written about how to use the results of a phonological analysis in planning remediation, particularly in selecting therapy targets. This paper is an attempt to fill part of that gap. After a brief review of suggestions made in the published phonological assessment procedures, several criteria for selecting target processes are presented. Next, there is a discussion of criteria to be used in selecting target sounds. In addition, some [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]