Cognitive Dissonance in Social Work

Cognitive dissonance is a state of tension occurring when a person holds two psychologically inconsistent cognitions. For this study, 21 social workers who facilitate transracial adoption plans for Aboriginal children in British Columbia were interviewed: 1) Do social workers who facilitate transracial adoption plans for Aboriginal children experience cognitive dissonance? If so, in what ways? 2) How does cognitive dissonance impact them? 3) In what ways do social workers reconcile a sense of dissonance? Findings suggest that social workers do experience cognitive dissonance, that they are adversely impacted, and that they find ways to reconcile the cognitive dissonance.     

MALDI-TOF-MS成像技术及其在法医损伤标志物筛选中的应用

传统的免疫学和分子生物学技术在寻找损伤分子标志物方面存在成果孤立、效价模糊以及相互间作用机制不明等缺点.质谱成像技术集筛选、分析和图像化于一体,更适合基于形态学的损伤分子标志物研究.本文综述了基于基质辅助激光解吸/电离-飞行时间质谱（matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionizationtime-of flight mass spectrometry,MALDI-TOF-MS）成像技术筛选并识别特征性蛋白质的方法和最新进展,阐述了其在法医学损伤研究中的应用价值.     

人口老龄化背景下的养老事业发展研究

随着我国人口老龄化加剧,推进养老事业发展意义重大,它不仅有利于满足群众养老需求,也是惠民生促和谐的社会发展的内在需求,还是拉动经济增长的新的动力源。但由于我国养老事业发展起步较晚,依然存在诸如对养老事业发展认识不足、缺乏发展规划、养老服务供给不足、养老服务从业人员队伍建设滞后等问题,致使养老服务难以满足日益增长的养老需求。当前迫切需要解决这些问题,推动养老事业发展,提供养老资源更多可及性,提高养老服务水平。     

Health,Poverty and Service Use Among Older West Indian Women in Greater Hartford

SUMMARY

This study brings to light the phenomenon of aging in the West Indian migrant community in the United States. It presents the results of a cross-sectional exploratory survey of 107 community-dwelling West Indian women aged 55 years and over living in the Greater Hartford region of Connecticut. The data analysis reveals positive self-reports of health and few limiting or disabling conditions. However, there is substantial income inequality, a negative relationship between age group and income and limited use of services among those women most likely to require them. The findings suggest that some of the qualities which contributed to West Indians becoming the “Black success model” in the U.S. may be counterproductive for successful aging. A community-based strategy for addressing these issues is outlined.     

LC-MS/MS法检测圆珠笔墨迹中碱性蓝7及其去乙基产物的降解变化

目的考察圆珠笔墨迹中碱性蓝7及其去乙基产物的降解变化,为圆珠笔墨迹书写时间的研究提供基础数据。方法用氙灯老化碱性蓝7以生成其5个去乙基产物。建立LC-MS/MS检测碱性蓝7及其去乙基产物的方法。制作圆珠笔墨迹样本,在室内自然光照条件下老化3个月,同时进行控制实验条件的氙灯老化和高温老化实验。结果碱性蓝7的相对含量持续下降,其第一、第二级去乙基产物E4、E3的相对含量相继达到最大值,剩余三个去乙基产物E2、E1和E0的相对含量在三个月内持续增加。结论碱性蓝7的相对含量与光的辐照能量呈指数函数关系,其去乙基产物E4、E3的相对含量与光的辐照能量呈二次函数关系。不同油墨中碱性蓝7的老化曲线不同。温度对碱性蓝7的降解基本没有影响。     

自含墨印章印文盖印时间受老化条件的影响

目的探索利用气相色谱法较精确、定量测定自含墨印章印文盖印时间受人为老化条件的影响。方法分别在恒温烘烤、紫外线照射、纯水浸泡等人为老化条件下,测定自含墨印章印油中所含有的主要相关溶剂成份的含量变化。结果得出了主要溶剂成份在人为老化条件下其含量的变化规律以及人为老化与自然老化的对应关系。结论利用气相色谱法可以对不同保存条件下自含墨印章印文的盖印时间进行测定,为实际相关案件的检验提供了依据。     

A NOT SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY: THE FOSTER YOUTH TRANSITION FROM ADOLESCENCE INTO ADULTHOOD

Every year close to 25,000 youth age out of our foster care system; without the anchor of a family, former foster youth disproportionately join the ranks of the homeless, incarcerated, and unemployed. While the average age of financial independence in America is twenty‐six years of age, we presume that foster youth can somehow attain financial and emotional independence by age eighteen. Instead, these adolescents are woefully unprepared for independent adult life, and when they falter, too often no one is there to provide support or guidance. As a result, former foster youth are ten times more likely to be arrested than youth of the same age, race, and sex and one in four youth who age out of foster care will end up in jail within the first two years after leaving care. This article will discuss strategies for changing these disheartening outcomes for transitioning foster youth, including breaking down our silos and collectively taking charge of the lives of children in our care; keeping a watchful eye on data and outcomes and using that information to guide our actions; ensuring that the voices of youth are an ever‐present part of decisions and processes that will chart their future; and educating ourselves about best practices and new approaches. This article also discusses new opportunities that now exist to support foster youth as they move into adulthood, including new federal legislation that—for the first time—will allow states to support foster youth beyond age eighteen. Finally, this article provides a backdrop for this Special Issue and summarizes the insightful articles and innovative thinking contained herein.     

Age at Death Estimation in Adults by Computer-Assisted Histomorphometry of Decalcified Femur Cortex

Abstract:  In 1965, Kerley pioneered histomorphometry of bone as an aging method. The technique has been modified by several authors, and some have used computer-assisted image analysis. Undecalcified bone sections used in these methods are obtained with a diamond wafer saw or by grinding the sections manually or automatically with abrasive paper. In the present study, we examined the application of histomorphometry to decalcified bone sections, routinely obtained in every pathology lab, from paraffin blocks cut with a standard microtome. This study was divided into two parts: in the first, we tested different decalcifying methods to determine the most appropriate for femoral bone; in the second part, we used computer-assisted histomorphometry to estimate age at death in 29 samples of femoral bone. We measured intact osteon density (N.On), fragmented osteon density (N.On.Fg) and percentage of lamellar bone surface per unit area (Lm.B.Ar) in the cortex of the femoral midshaft, on four or 20 fields per section. We found that 20% nitric acid solution at room temperature proved to be the best decalcifying method, with a mean decalcification duration of 1 week. Fragmented osteon density was found to be the morphometric feature most closely correlated with age, followed by intact osteon density; Lm.B.Ar. did not increase accuracy. The best accuracy (4.1 ± 3.5 years) was obtained for individuals under the age of 70 when measurements of 20 fields were used for the analysis. For all individuals, the inaccuracy was 6.1 ± 6.2 years and 8.1 ± 8 years, with 20 and four fields respectively. The present study shows that decalcification of bone sections can be used for age estimation at death. This procedure is particularly useful in case of mass disaster as it is easily done in any pathology department.     

城市空巢老年女性生存质量的影响因素与治理策略——基于“五普”和“六普”数据的比较研究

基于中国第五次和第六次人口普查数据,以积极老龄观为理论框架研究了影响城市空巢老年人生存质量的影响因素。通过数据比较发现,城市老年女性生存质量的下降并不必然是空巢的居住安排,其影响因素反而更多的是:女性平均预期寿命的延长而带来的健康风险的增大;老年女性间接参与社会生产(照看第三代和照料高龄患病老人)并未获得相应的劳动报酬;职业生涯的不连贯使得老年妇女的保障能力处于弱势地位。因此,要提升城市空巢老年女性的生存质量,理应从理念、政策、增权三个方面加以治理。     

Kinematics of Signature Writing in Healthy Aging

Forensic document examiners (FDE) called upon to distinguish a genuine from a forged signature of an elderly person are often required to consider the question of age‐related deterioration and whether the available exemplars reliably capture the natural effects of aging of the original writer. An understanding of the statistical relationship between advanced age and handwriting movements can reduce the uncertainty that may exist in an examiner's approach to questioned signatures formed by elderly writers. The primary purpose of this study was to systematically examine age‐related changes in signature kinematics in healthy writers. Forty‐two healthy subjects between the ages of 60–91 years participated in this study. Signatures were recorded using a digitizing tablet, and commercial software was used to examine the temporal and spatial stroke kinematics and pen pressure. Results indicated that vertical stroke duration and dysfluency increased with age, whereas vertical stroke amplitude and velocity decreased with age. Pen pressure decreased with age. We found that a linear model characterized the best‐fit relationship between advanced age and handwriting movement parameters for signature formation. Male writers exhibited stronger age effects than female writers, especially for pen pressure and stroke dysfluency. The present study contributes to an understanding of how advanced age alters signature formation in otherwise healthy adults.