In order to explore the early socialization of attitudes and expectations about menstruation, 54 young adolescent girls (both pre- and postmenarcheal) and boys responded to a questionnaire assessing evaluative attitudes toward menstruation, expected symptomatology, perceived effects on moods and activities, and sources of information for these beliefs. The results showed that even premenarcheal girls and young boys have a reasonably well-defined and mostly negative set of attitudes and expectations. Most believed that menstruation is accompanied by physical discomforts, increased emotionality, and a disruption of activities and social interactions. Although the responses of the 3 groups were remarkably similar, premenarcheal girls had a somewhat less negative evaluation of menstruation than both postmenarcheal girls and boys. Other analysis showed that symptom expectations for "girls in general" were more severe than for selves, though these 2 sets of responses were highly correlated. On the basis of these findings and the data concerning sources of information, the possible role of socialization processes in the menstrual experience is discussed.
Introduction There is a growing literature demonstrating the benefits of engaging knowledge-users throughout the research process. We engaged a multi-stakeholder team to undertake a hackathon as part of an integrated knowledge translation (iKT) process to develop nonpharmacological interventions to enhance the economic lives of people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aims of this research were to (1) increase understanding of the economic challenges of living with SLE through stakeholder engagement at a research hackathon; (2) investigate possible interventions to improve the economic lives of individuals affected by SLE in Canada; and (3) document the outcomes of the Waterlupus hackathon. Methods Waterlupus was held at the University of Waterloo in May 2019, attended by lupus advocacy organization representatives, researchers, physicians, individuals with lived experience and students. We conducted participant observation with participants’ understanding and consent; notes from the hackathon were qualitatively analyzed to document hackathon outcomes. Results At the conclusion of the 28hour hackathon event, five teams pitched nonpharmacological interventions to address the economic challenges of living with SLE. The winning team’s pitch focussed on increasing accessibility of affordable sun-protective clothing. Other Waterlupus outcomes include increased awareness of SLE among participants, and professional and informal networking opportunities. Conclusion This paper contributes to a limited literature on health hackathons. The successful outcomes of Waterlupus emphasize the value of hackathons as an iKT tool. Research about how knowledge-users perceive hackathons is an important next step.
In this international inception cohort of SLE patients with at least 4 ACR criteria at entry, there was an accumulation of ACR criteria over the following 5 years. The distribution of criteria both at inception and over 5 years is affected by sex and ethnicity.
The protracted diagnostic period and variable disease presentation not only complicate diagnosing SLE but also the epidemiologic study of it. Coupled with the remitting and relapsing nature of the disease and the challenges in managing it, clinical research in lupus requires careful attention to study design, control selection, temporality, and many often overlooked issues in the analysis phase. Between "big data" and the impressive advances in the basic sciences, it is tempting to either oversimplify methods to take advantage of "big data" or overcomplicate because the problem itself is complicated. As we revisit the building blocks of epidemiologic research, we will uncover opportunities to move epidemiology and clinical research forward in SLE. Why do we care about effect modification and what is it? Why can we not just adjust for everything that we want to? And perhaps, most importantly, going back to the very beginning and asking ourselves: does this matter? During this talk we will discuss issues relating to case identification methods, potential biases associated with control selection, and return to the basics of epidemiologic research. Although we shall discuss these issues in the context of environmental (nongenetic) factors, these concerns extend across the worlds of observational data analysis, can impact randomized trials, and are relevant for all types of exposures and outcomes. A2Is prevention of systemic lupus erythematosus a goal? Nancy J Olsen Background: Prevention of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) presents many challenges. By contrast, prevention of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is relatively straightforward: an infective agent has been identified, risk behaviors are well-delineated, antiviral therapeutics are highly effective and neonates have been apparently cured. Lupus is a more complex disease, with a significant but incompletely defined genetic component, widely heterogeneous manifestations and major gaps in knowledge about pathogenesis. Methods: The characteristic features of SLE can be exploited in the quest for preventive strategies. One of these is the presence of a latent phase during which expressed autoantibodies are increasing in number and complexity prior to the onset of clinical symptoms. This offers a path to the development of screening blood tests that would be cost-effective and generally acceptable to subjects. ANA alone is clearly not sufficient to establish risk, as it is highly prevalent in the healthy population. Alternatively, a panel of autoantibodies, possibly combined with cytokines and gene expression levels, might be useful. The skewed demographics of SLE can also be exploited, including the higher prevalence in females, firstdegree relatives and individuals < 40 years old, permitting focus on those who are most likely to be at risk. Results: A composite index, with demographics and multiplex blood autoantibody profiles, has been proposed. This index showed statistically significant correlation with progression of disease in a small prospective ...
Today's utilties face new challenges due to the continually increasing penetration of residential solar and other distributed, stochastic generation sources. In order to maintain balance and stability in the grid without building costly, large-scale generation plants, utilities are turning to distributed energy resources for use in demand response programs. Demand response is a cost-efficient way to balance grid load/generation without the need for increased capital investment in traditional generation resources. Demand response programs are excellent exploiters of end-user devices that otherwise further accentuate the daily load curve and thus, add to the difficulties created by daily load peaks. Electric water heaters are excellent candidates for use in demand response programs for a variety of reason. One, electric water heaters represent a large portion of daily household loads due to their high nominal power ratings (1.5 kW-5.5kW), and frequent use estimated to account for approximately one third of all daily residential power demand [1]. Two, they are composed of strictly resistive elements, which greatly simplifies modeling, aggregation and control. And third, they can be used for load "shedding" during periods of high electrical demand as well as load "absorbing" during periods of excess generation due to their thermal storage capabilities. With improved access and control, electric water heaters could become a major distributed energy resource for utilities. In order to properly control and use a distributed i energy resource, it is important to know how these resources operate and their patterns of behavior in different environments. This thesis presents a single-element, single mass electric water heater model for analyzing the effectiveness of using electric water heaters as distributed energy resources and for participation in demand response programs. The CTA-2045 communication protocol was used for testing demand response signals. The electric water heater is modeled in Python and the communication pathway was built in C++ and Python. I wouldn't be the student I am today without the efforts of Dr. Bob Bass and Dr. Doug Hall. You both have believed in me beyond what I thought I deserved. You have supported my desire to become an engineer and have encouraged me to keep learning and reaching for my dreams. You are champions for women in STEM and you have been a champion for me. Thank you. I would also like to thank the Power Lab team: Crystal, Tylor, Kevin, Leighton and Jamie. Crystal, you are my hero and a gift of a friend. Tylor, I can't imagine my engineering life without you. You're my favorite lab partner and a wonderful person. Kevin, you always told me where to find free food on campus and generously shared all your weird life wisdom with me. Leighton, thank you for being my water heater guy and for your unyielding willingness to help. Jamie, thank you for your levity and for keeping me young. And finally, I would like to thank my parents. You showed me love and gentleness on the weekends when ...
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