SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Utility Theory”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 775 records · Page 43Linked to original sources

PubMed2003

The potential role of HLA-G polymorphism in maternal tolerance to the developing fetus.

The mechanism by which the developing fetus survives the maternal immunity has eluded investigators and remains a central paradox in the field of stem cell research. If the mechanism can be defined, allogenic stem cells may find increased utility after transplantation. While several theories have been advanced, the differential expression of HLA antigens on trophoblasts has been the focus of many studies. Interestingly, an inverse relationship between HLA-G (nonclassical class I molecules) and class I MHC gene expression exists early in pregnancy. HLA-G transcripts are present in quite significant amounts in first-trimester placental tissue, particularly in the extravillous membranes, while the opposite occurs at term. This kind of expression is consistent with the theory that HLA-G might play a role in fetal protection. This could be consequent to either nonimmune (structural) or immune functions at the maternal-fetal interface. Current evidence suggest an immune function wherein HLA-G protects fetal cells from maternal uterine natural killer (NK) cells, which are found in large numbers within cells invading the trophoblasts. This effect has been attributed to maternal NK receptor alterations as well as inhibition of maternal NK cell traffic across the placenta. The recent identification of HLA-G polymorphism brings into play the potential role of these isoforms in fetal protection. Polymorphism may be associated with differential function or may effect linkage disequilibria with other HLA variants, providing fetal protection.

Cell Movement↗

PubMed1989

Rogers' adoption model in the implementation of change.

In this era of marketplace competition and cost containment, the most efficient methods of implementing change must be utilized. Rogers' adoption of innovation theory (1972; 1983) provides a framework to identify human responses to innovation/change. The model's six categories exemplify varying degrees of acceptance or rejection behaviors. In the current paper employee responses to the implementation of a new computer system in a larger hospital in the upper midwest with implications for clinical nurse specialists will be discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1996

Environmental influences on psychological restoration.

Research on psychological restoration and restorative environments is a needed complement to work on stress and environmental stressors. Two laboratory experiments tested the utility of two restorative environments theories, one concerned with directed attention capacity renewal and the other with stress reduction and associated changes in emotion. Various strategies were employed to distinguish restorative effects from other effects, to limit the role of arousal reduction in attentional restoration, and to begin mapping the time course for the emergence of outcomes. Both experiments tested for differential emotional and performance effects as a function of photographic environmental simulation (natural or urban environment). Across the experiments the natural environment simulation engendered generally more positive emotional self-reports. That consistent performance effects were not found in either study suggests that attentional restoration as reflected in performance is a more time-intensive process.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2002

Endocytosis is a critical step in entry of subgroup B avian leukosis viruses.

The avian leukosis virus (ALV) entry mechanism is controversial, with evidence for and against a low-pH requirement for viral fusion. To further address this question, we tested the entry of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) pseudotyped with the envelope protein of subgroup B ALV (ALV-B) in the presence of three different lysosomotropic agents. These lysosomotropic agents were able to block the entry of wild-type and pseudotyped ALV-B in two different cell lines, strongly suggesting that ALV-B requires a low-pH step for entry. ALV-B and pH-dependent Semliki Forest virus (SFV) entered cells with slower uptake kinetics than HIV-1, which is pH independent. These slow uptake rates support the theory that ALV-B utilizes endocytic pathways to enter cells. Using immunofluorescence and electron microscopy analysis, we visualized the colocalization of virus particles with the endosomal marker transferrin and demonstrated virus particles in clathrin-coated vesicles and endosome-like structures. Surprisingly, a low-pH treatment did not overcome the inhibition of ALV-B entry by lysosomotropic agents. This indicates that, in contrast to SFV, ALV-B is unable to fuse at the cellular surface, even at a low pH. Taken together, our findings suggest that endocytosis and a subsequent low-pH step are critical for successful ALV-B infection.

Ammonium Chloride↗

PubMed1982

Influence of alexithymia on symbolic function.

The archetypal test with nine elements (AT9), specifically designed as a tracer of symbolic function, and the psychosomatic questionnaire of Sifneos et al., for assessment of alexithymia, were both proposed within the context of a psychosomatic consultation to 49 hospitalized patients being investigated for physical symptoms representative of psychosomatic problems at large. The AT9 test enables the utilization of G. Durand's theory of the Anthropological Structures of the Imaginary, and was our theoretical support to engage upon an empirical study in the hope of contributing to the debate about the influence of alexithymia on symbolic function. Faced with the AT9 aim of having to create a mythical micro-universe through three tasks: a drawing, a story, and answers to a questionnaire, the patients exhibited different behaviors. 13 of 49 patients were found not to be alexithymic, and their symbolic function was totally comparable to a normal population. The other 36 patients were found to be alexithymic in increasing degrees, and the symbolic function was found to be abnormal in all the protocols studied. The greatest abnormality was seen in patients who scored 7-8 on the alexithymia scale where 12 of the 18 protocols showed no evidence whatsoever of a mythical micro-universe. We suggest that alexithymia does influence the symbolic function and disorganizes it the more one is alexithymic. Also depending on the type of symbolic function put forth, we would like to propose graphic documents to illustrate Freyberger's intuition about a distinction to be made within the alexithymic population between a primary and secondary form.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Household migration and the structuration of patriarchy: evidence from the USA.

"The article begins by summarizing the evidence on the gender dimension of migration for married (or cohabiting) couples using material from the USA.... The article goes on to argue that there is a need to view the 'wife's sacrifice' which typically results from such migration not solely from within the household but in the context of society as a whole. The gendered experience of migration is then linked to structures of patriarchy utilizing insights derived from structuration theory. Finally, as an agenda for the future, it is argued that any sustained attack on patriarchy in the context of migration also requires a critical engagement with the normative status of residential migration more generally. This necessitates dealing with the economic logic of capitalism itself."

Americas↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Measuring comfort in caregivers and patients during late end-of-life care.

The purpose of this study was to test several formats of end-of-life comfort instruments for patients and closely involved caregivers. Kolcaba's Comfort Theory was the theoretical framework utilized. Different response formats for two end-of-life (EOL) comfort questionnaires (for patients and caregivers, respectively), and horizontal and vertical visual analog scales for total comfort (TC) lines were compared in two phases. Evaluable data were collected from both members of 38 patient-caregiver dyads in each phase. Suitable dyads were recruited from two hospice agencies in northeastern Ohio. Cronbach's alpha for the EOL comfort questionnaire (six response Likert-type format) tested during phase I for patients was .98 and for caregivers was .97. Test-retest reliability for the vertical TC line tested during phase I for patients was .64 and for caregivers was .79. The implications of this study for nursing practice and research are derived from the American Nursing Association (ANA) position statement about EOL care, which states that comfort is the goal of nursing for this population. These instruments will be useful for assessing comfort in actively dying patients and comfort of their caregivers as well as for developing evidence-based practice for this population.

Attitude to Health↗

PubMed2000

Family caregivers' use of humor in conveying information about caring for dependent older adults.

Twenty-three family caregivers were interviewed using a semistructured interview format to explore their experiences managing medication administration and providing long-term care to frail elderly family members. Content analysis of the transcripts utilized the arousal-relief theory of humor (Berlyne, 1969) to understand the frequent use of humorous anecdotes found throughout the interviews. For example, caregivers of individuals experiencing dementia often included smiles, jokes, and "punch lines" in their stories of behavioral problems that complicated medication administration schedules. Adult children frequently used humor to describe their role reversal with aged parents and the parents' forgetfulness, incontinence, or inability to dress without assistance. These accounts were placed in a taxonomy of humor response patterns that included categories for cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses. Second-level analysis created subcategories to reflect the function (relief or coping) that the humor served in the interview situation. It appears that humor is a useful communication tool for family caregivers that releases nervous energy about the interview process and the recall of difficult caregiving events. It is the responsibility of the interviewer to recognize the problems and issues embedded in the interview data and follow up humorous anecdotes with appropriate probes for additional information. Based on the results, a meta-humorous interaction theory is offered as an extension of the arousal-relief theory of humor.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1985

Orality and latency of volunteering to serve as experimental subjects: a replication.

Comparison of Rorschach orality scores for undergraduate subjects who signed up to participate in psychology experiments during the first (n = 217) and second (n = 87) halves of the semester revealed that early participators report a significantly (p = .03) greater number of oral Rorschach responses (X = 3.765) than late participators (X = 3.218). This result confirms an earlier serendipitous finding (Masling, O'Neill, & Jayne, 1981) that volunteering to participate in required experiments is not a chance event and can, in fact, be predicted using methods derived from psychoanalytic theory. Our finding supports the utility of psychoanalytic principles in predicting important aspects of nonlaboratory behavior.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2003

Interpersonal relating and voice hearing: to what extent does relating to the voice reflect social relating?

The experience of hearing voices (auditory hallucinations) has been construed as that of relating to an interpersonal 'other'. This preliminary study utilized Birtchnell's (1996, 2002) theory of relating to investigate the hypothesis that people who hear voices relate to the voices and to people within their social environment in similar ways. A correlational design was adopted and 27 people provided information about the characteristics of their voice-hearing experience, relating to the voice and relating socially. Significant correlations were found between relating to the voice and relating socially in terms of the 'dominant' and 'submissive' forms of power and the 'clinging' form of proximity: these associations were independent of beliefs about the voices and mood-linked appraisals. However, relating from a position of 'withdrawal' was found to be unique to the experience of voice hearing, and was most extreme when relating to voices that were perceived to have no identity. This study offers further evidence in support of the hypothesis that people who hear voices relate to them in ways that reflect more pervasive patterns of social relating. The clinical implications of these findings for assessment and intervention are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

The client experience of assertive community treatment: a qualitative study.

Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) has demonstrated effectiveness in reducing hospital days for persons with schizophrenia. Utilizing depth interviews and Grounded Theory techniques (Strauss & Corbin, 1998), client reactions to this intensive form of treatment delivery were explored. This study illustrates the importance of the relationship between treatment providers and persons with schizophrenia. As providers assisted clients with practical needs, clients began to develop trust, which fostered a sense of belonging and relationship, leading toward a positive motivation regarding treatment.

Anxiety↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The experiences of women with heart disease: what are their needs?

PURPOSE: To identify experiences and needs of women with coronary artery disease. METHODS: Qualitative research utilizing focus groups and grounded theory. Women were recruited from the University of Ottawa Heart Institute Alumni, a group of former Heart Institute patients, and from the Heart Institute cardiac rehabilitation program. FINDINGS: All women had difficulties recognizing their symptoms as heart disease and 35% reported they were initially misdiagnosed. In the post-diagnosis period, the experiences of older and younger women differed. For women over 60, maintaining their functional capacity, memory problems and a focus on resiliency were the main issues. For women under 60, emotionally focussed concerns were predominant. Both groups had to contend with over-protective family members. CONCLUSIONS: These findings could contribute to the development of more effective public education campaigns. They also highlight the need for programs and research in the area of women's heart health and rehabilitation that address emotional aspects of the illness.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Therapeutic play: developing humor in the nurse-patient relationship.

Although there has been considerable discussion on the therapeutic aspects of humor in the nurse-patient relationship, little is known about the experience of humor in actual nurse-patient relationships. This naturalistic study was conducted using grounded theory methodology with participant observation, utilizing in-depth interviews of participants in nurse-patient dyadic relationships in a suburban metropolitan New York acute care hospital. The core process was identified as Therapeutic Play, in which humor involves caring for self or another. This study offers nurses and others involved in professional relationships an explanation of the development of humor as an alternative healing-caring strategy.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1990

The role of attitudes and interventions in gender-schematic processing.

Research on gender-schematic processing has shown that children often forget and/or distort counterstereotypic information. This process may in part explain the limited impact of past intervention efforts in which children were simply exposed to counterstereotypic information. Here we attempt to reduce schematic-processing distortions by first teaching children decision rules about occupational sorting based not on gender but rather on interests and skills. It was hypothesized that this intervention would lead to greater flexibility in children's beliefs about what men and women can do. Assuming this effect was found, the study was designed to provide an experimental test of the hypothesized relation between attitudes and memory that had been demonstrated only correlationally in previous research. As predicted, the experimental intervention with elementary school children led to a reduction of occupational stereotyping. Children's own occupational aspirations were not, however, significantly affected. Consistent with the hypothesized effect of attitudes on memory, children in the experimental intervention showed superior recall of counterstereotypic information in a later memory test. Results are discussed with respect to the utility of cognitive-developmental theory for planning and evaluating future interventions.

Child↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Homosexual identity formation as a developmental process.

Homosexual identity is conceptualized as a life-spanning developmental process that eventually leads to personal acceptance of a positive gay self-image and a coherent personal identity. Habermas' theory of ego development is utilized to provide a synthesis and understanding of the literature on the construction and maintenance of the homosexual identity. It is concluded that the homosexual identity generally emerges in a three-stage process in which the person progresses from: (1) an egocentric interpretation of homoerotic feelings to (2) an internalization of the normative, conventional assumptions about homosexuality to (3) a post-conventional phase in which societal norms are critically evaluated and the positive gay identity is achieved and managed. Developmental tasks associated with each stage are outlined in terms of their ego-integrative functions. Although the stages in the process of homosexual identity formation are theoretically the same for females and males, because of the paucity of research on the homosexual identity in females, this paper deals chiefly with males.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1975

Medicolegal implications of medical records.

The problem of ownership and possession of patient's medical records has been reviewed. The apparent fallacies in the presently accepted legal doctrines regarding ownership of the patient's records by health care providers have been submitted. The legal approaches and tactics available to implement the accessibility and availability of his records to the patient have been reviewed. The problems incident to the employment of statutory enactments as a means of putting the patient's record in his possession have been considered. The various legal theories that could conceivably be utilized in establishing this right on a case-to-case basis in the courts have been presented. The medicolegal implications relating to medical records have been discussed.

Confidentiality↗

PubMed1993

[Nursing science research to support nursing care practice].

It is stated in this article that nursing is a professional science the goal being to utilize the nursing practice. New theories are formed or existing theoretical hypotheses are tested by nursing research. The difference between these two approaches is introduced. Nursing research for health promotion, prevention from illness and rehabilitation is discussed. The subject is viewed by the basic concepts of nursing: person, environment, health, nursing interventions. It seems to be essential to develop nursing theory for practise. It means to accept the point of view in which clinical nurses are theorists like academic researches.

Diffusion of Innovation↗

PubMed1997

An impact evaluation of project SNAPP: an AIDS and pregnancy prevention middle school program.

OBJECTIVES: A theory-based curriculum designed to delay the onset of intercourse and increase use of condoms was implemented in the classrooms of six Los Angeles middle schools. METHODS: The curriculum activities were very interactive, emphasized skill building, and were implemented by well trained peer educators, including young HIV-positive males and teen mothers. To evaluate the impact of the curriculum, 102 classrooms of students were randomly assigned to receive either the existing curriculum or the existing curriculum plus the intervention curriculum. Students completed confidential questionnaires before program implementation, five months later, and 17 months later. A total of 1,657 students completed both the baseline and 17-month follow-up questionnaires. RESULTS: Analyses of these data revealed that the curriculum significantly increased knowledge, significantly improved only two out of 21 attitudes or beliefs, and did not significantly change sexual or contraceptive behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Well implemented programs that are based on upon theory, use interactive activities, and utilize well-trained peer educators do not always change important sexual attitudes and behaviors among middle school youth.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗