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The article discusses the study concerning the attitudinal effects of group discussions between young criminal offenders and community volunteers in the U.S. This study has investigated the feasibility of using community volunteers in counseling and was a demonstration project on the effects of short-term structured group counseling in prisons. Each community volunteer has participated in one of the four orientation meetings which were held from two to three weeks before the beginning of the given Community Group.

The Upper Trinity River Basin supplies water to about one-fourth of Texas's population. The anticipated rapid growth of North Central Texas will certainly increase regional demands for high-quality drinking water. This has increased concerns that sed-iment and nutrient loads received by drinking water reservoirs are reducing and will continue to reduce reservoir volumes and water quality. The objectives of this study are to calibrate and validate the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model for streamflow and sediment to assess current rates and sources of sediment loadings to 12 major reservoirs in the Upper Trinity River Basin (in 7 eight-digit watersheds) and to use the calibrated model for assessing the effects of upland ponds. SWAT performed well for streamflow, as evidenced by r values ranging from 0.55 to 0.95. Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency values ranged from 0.5 to 0.9 based on monthly streamflow comparisons between simulated and observed values for calibration, and r values ranged from 0.58 to 0.95 for validation. SWAT simulated sediment loads reasonably well, as evidenced by the percentage of errors within 11%. Streamflow and sediment loading were quite diverse across the Trinity River Basin, resulting in a multitude of parameter adjustments during calibration. Long-term predic-tions indicate that the Richland-Chambers, Ray Hubbard, and Lavon watersheds have significant channel contribution to sediment loading reaching the reservoirs. Pond removal scenario analysis shows a 4% to 48% reduction in sediment loadings to reservoirs via pond detention of overland flow. This wide range is mainly due to the vastly different proportion of land area draining to ponds, the locations of ponds, and the basin's erosion (upland and channel) characteristics within each study watershed. The results indicate that in addition to implementing conservation practices such as ponds in upland areas, it is also necessary to have conservation practices in channels to further reduce erosion and subsequent loss to reservoirs. One limitation of this study is the lack of site-specific management information, and it is known that poor management practices at the field level can dramatically elevate sediment loads from an area. In this study, reasonable management operations were applied mainly at the county conservation district level. Opportunity exists for further data col-lection, including detailed data of field management and channel dimensions, which will allow the model to provide greater insight in identifying sensitive areas and reaches for stabilization and restoration. Opportunity also exists for further evaluation of the effects of optimizing pond size and placement to minimize reservoir sediment loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Health care-related errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States. When evidence-based processes are applied, harm related to health care errors can reach zero., Purpose: The purpose was to achieve zero preventable harm to patients during transitions in care from the emergency department (ED) to medical/surgical (Med/Surg) areas., Methods: A performance improvement process was used to drive the evidence-based design to eliminate harm in transitions from the ED to Med/Surg units. Once initial design was complete, small tests of change were deployed until zero harm was achieved., Results: Zero harm during transitions from the ED to Med/Surg areas was achieved. The use of formal performance improvement systems, tools, and evidence-based practices allows organizations to achieve and sustain zero harm during these transitions in care., Conclusion: This transitions project met multiple objectives. In addition, throughput efficiencies were realized.

Background: Transitions from acute clinical care to the outpatient setting can be daunting. Clear explanations of discharge instructions from nurses and assessment of the patient's understanding can have a positive impact., Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of an education intervention on nurses' use of the teach-back method, as well as the effects on patient satisfaction at discharge., Methods: The setting was a 20-bed adult oncology unit. Nurses' understanding of the teach-back method pre- and posteducation intervention was assessed using the Conviction and Confidence Scale. The effect of the intervention on patient satisfaction was assessed using the Press Ganey survey three months before and after teach-back education., Findings: The results of this study indicated that nurses were more confident in their ability to use the teach-back method and integrated many teach-back competencies into clinical practice. Although few follow-up surveys were received, longer-term data indicated continued improvement in patient satisfaction and understanding of discharge instructions.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to explore relationships between authentic leadership style, global social power, job demand, job control, and workplace bullying of nurse managers in acute care settings across the United States., Background: Consequences of workplace bullying are linked to intent to leave, turnover, and harmful emotional and physical effects., Methods: An explorative, descriptive, cross-sectional design using an online survey was utilized., Results: Thirty-five percent of nurse managers reported being a target of workplace bullying with severity levels ranging from occasional to severe. Executive nurse leaders were identified as the primary perpetrator with the downward direction recognized as most prominent., Conclusions: Nurse managers are recipients of workplace bullying emanating from executive nurse leaders, clinical nurses, and their nurse manager peers.

We determined the after-tax income required to finance basic needs for Canadian elders living with different circumstances in terms of age, gender, city of residence, household size, homeowner or renter status, means of transportation, and health status. Using 2001 as our base year, we priced the typical expenses for food, shelter, medical, transportation, miscellaneous basic living items and home-based long-term care for elders living in five Canadian cities. This is the first Canadian study of basic living expenses tailored to elders instead of adults in general, prepared on an absolute rather than a relative basis. We also accounted for an individual's unique life circumstances and established the varying effect that they have on the cost of basic expenses, particularly for home care. We found that the maximum Guaranteed Income Supplement and Old Age Security benefit did not meet the cost of basic needs for an elder living in poor circumstances.

In order to find more effective anticancer drugs, the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) screens a large number of compounds in vitro against 60 human cancer cell lines from different organs of origin. About 70,000 compounds have been tested in the program since 1990, and each tested compound can be characterized by a vector (i.e., "fingerprint") of 60 anticancer activity, or -[log(GI50)], values. GI50 is the concentration required to inhibit cell growth by 50% compared with untreated controls. Although cell growth inhibitory activity for a single cell line is not very informative, activity patterns across the 60 cell lines can provide incisive information on the mechanisms of action of screened compounds and also on molecular targets and modulators of activity within the cancer cells. Various statistical and artificial intelligence methods, including principal component analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, stepwise linear regression, multidimensional scaling, neural network modeling, and genetic function approximation, among others, can be used to analyze this large activity database. Mining the database can provide useful information: (a) for the development of anticancer drugs; (b) for a better understanding of the molecular pharmacology of cancer; and (c) for improvement of the drug discovery process.

Several trends will accelerate changes in the industry initiated by Medicare's change in payment methodology, including explosive growth fueled by changing demographics, patient preferences, and technological advances; altered customer buying incentives created by managed care organization-provider partnerships; and accelerated consolidation. Home care agencies should "take inventory" of current practices and systems to determine capability gaps for competing in the new environment.

The amount of lead leached from various glazed ceramic was determined by extraction with 5% acetic acid for one hour at 85 degrees C. All commercial ceramic items, both domestic and imported, were below the FDA standard of 7 mg/liter lead in the extractant. On the other hand, almost 60% of the domestic homemade ceramic items exceeded FDA standards. Comparison with previous studies show significant reduction in lead leaching from commercial ceramic containers. However, homemade ceramic items continue to pose a potential hazard of excessive lead release.